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Snapshots: Formenton, Kostin, NCAA

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After being found not guilty of sexual assault earlier this summer, Alex Formenton has decided to resume his playing career.  While he and the others who were on trial remain ineligible to play in the NHL at this time pending review and consideration of the judge’s findings in the case, Formenton is once again heading overseas as Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland announced that they’ve signed the winger to a three-month contract with a team option to convert it to a full-season deal.  Formenton spent two seasons with them in 2022-23 and 2023-24, collecting 20 goals and nine assists in 46 games before leaving the team once charges were laid.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Veteran winger Klim Kostin is still looking to secure a contract for the upcoming season. He told Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express that his desire is to return to Edmonton, where he spent the 2022-23 campaign.  He notched 11 goals and 10 assists in 57 games that season, both career bests; he managed just 21 points in the last two years combined between Detroit and San Jose.  With the Oilers having limited cap flexibility, he’d likely have to settle for a PTO deal and then try to force his way into a roster spot from there.
  • The change to allow CHL players to become NCAA-eligible has made waves across the hockey world this offseason. But there is another small wrinkle now in play, as Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike observes (Twitter link).  In the past, NCAA-bound players were ineligible to take part in NHL rookie and training camps, even if they weren’t enrolled for the upcoming season.  That is no longer the case.  While players actively enrolled in college still won’t be eligible to participate, those committed to college hockey but only for next year will be able.  Pike notes that Flames prospect Mace’o Phillips is poised to benefit from the change; he’ll play with USHL Green Bay this season but is committed to the University of Minnesota for 2026-27.  Because of that, he’s eligible to take part in training camp with Calgary this month.

Two Teams Remain In The Running To Sign Evgeny Kuznetsov

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After making his intention to return to North America known, it was expected that free agent center Evgeny Kuznetsov would be snapped up relatively quickly in a UFA market that wasn’t exactly deep this summer.  But instead, his market has been slow-played as he remains unsigned.

However, it appears that he may not be without a contract for much longer.  His agent Shumi Babaev told Sports Daily’s Mikhail Nyukhin that his client has now identified two NHL teams that he’ll sign with; he didn’t specify who they were, however.  Both of those teams are now in the process of trying to open up salary cap space to sign Kuznetsov.  When asked about him signing a minimum-salary contract worth $775K, Babaev indicated that there have been no talks about that.

Last summer, the 33-year-old signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL which strongly suggested that his days of playing in the NHL had come to an end.  But after a solid season that saw him record 12 goals and 25 assists in 39 games, the final three seasons of the agreement were terminated back in April but instead of looking for another team in Russia to sign with, he set his sights on returning to North America.

Kuznetsov last played in the NHL in 2023-24, starting that year with Washington, the only NHL team he had known after they drafted him in the first round in 2010.  However, he re-entered the Player Assistance Program in February of that season and upon being cleared to return, the Capitals subsequently waived him.  After he cleared (an unsurprising outcome given his $7.8MM cap charge), he was dealt with 50% retention to Carolina for a third-round pick.

Kuznetsov went on to pick up seven points in 20 games with the Hurricanes before tallying six more in 10 playoff outings, looking as if he could be a useful secondary contributor for them.   However, he requested and was granted the termination of the final year of that contract to allow him to return to Russia; one year later, the opposite has happened.

In his prime, Kuznetsov was a legitimate number one center, allowing him to amass 173 goals and 402 assists in 743 games at the top level.  But toward the end of that time, his production was starting to slow down and it’s fair to question how much of an impact he’ll have on a lineup now.  However, it appears that there was enough of a market for him to be at least a little selective on where he’ll play at a salary higher than the minimum.  It looks as if we’ll know somewhat soon where Kuznetsov will be suiting up in 2025-26.

Flames Sign Connor Zary To Three-Year Contract

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Saturday: The Flames officially announced the contract with the $3.775MM AAV as reported.  PuckPedia reports that the deal carries a $500K signing bonus with a $3.275MM salary for the upcoming season with the salaries in 2026-27 and 2027-28 being a flat $3.775MM.

Friday: The Flames are getting their final RFA under contract. They’re putting the finishing touches on a three-year contract with forward Connor Zary worth just under $3.775MM per season, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It will check off the last major item on Calgary’s off-season list.

After weeks of anticipation, Zary will put pen to paper on a bridge contract that will keep him in the Saddledome. The 2020 first-round pick has emerged as a top option in Calgary’s retooled offense, after two years of high-end play in the AHL. Zary made his pro debut in February, 2021 – taking advantage of the delayed start to the WHL season due to COVID-19. He looked pro-ready right out of the gates, netting seven points in his first nine AHL games before returning to captain the Kamloops Blazers through the end of the season. He scored 24 points in 15 games with the Blazers and turned pro full-time the following year, concluding his junior career at 206 points in 203 games.

After a hot start, Zary stuttered a bit in his first full AHL year. He scored just 13 goals and 25 points in 53 games, and struggled to maintain a role near the top of the Stockton Heat lineup. Those fortunes turned around when the Heat relocated to Calgary for the 2022-23 season. Zary blossomed with the heat of the NHL that much closer. He looked more engaged across the board, and worked to an impressive 21 goals and 58 points in 72 games as a result. That performance wasn’t enough to earn an NHL role outright, but Zary forced the Flames’ hand with 10 points in six AHL games – including one four-assist night – at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Calgary has provided Zary plenty of opportunity to plant his feet in the NHL lineup in the two seasons since. He debuted in the team’s top-six, and cemented his spot with six points through his first six NHL games. The scoring continued through the year – and he wrapped up his first season with 34 points in 63 games, the sixth-highest scoring pace of any rookie. He was comfortably fluctuating between the second and third line by the end of the year, and even capped off his rookie year with four points in his final five games.

This season started much the same. Zary scored five points in the first four games of the season – but quickly fell into the rut of scoring in bursts, with long scoring droughts in between. He struggled to maintain a top-line role as a result, and ultimately fell out of the lineup entirely when he suffered an injury to his left-knee in a January matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. The injury held Zary out of the lineup for a month and a half – and he struggled to find his footing after returning. He scored just two points in his first nine games back. Right as he was returning to form in late-March, Zary sustained another injury to his left-knee. This one ended his season early, limiting him to just 27 points in 54 games on the year.

The 23-year-old center faced the first free agent negotiations of his young career on the heels of those untimely injuries. He was undoubtedly impressive at his brightest moments, but was kept from showing full-season consistency by routine injury – making a bridge deal all but guaranteed. With short-term control, the Flames will be able to hedge their bets in the event that Zary continues to bounce in and out of the lineup, or face extended scoring lulls. On the same coin, the young centerman could soon earn much more than his $3.775MM cap hit – if he can show an ability to hold down a top-six role through an entire 82-game season. He has averaged 43 points per 82 games through his first two seasons in the NHL – but seems capable of achieving 50, or even 60, points at his peak based on talent alone. On this new deal, Calgary will test whether that talent can exist above, or through, the challenges that Zary faces as a young speedster in the NHL.

Photo courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Prospect Notes: Iginla, Kindel, Konyushkov

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Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla’s 2024-25 campaign was cut short after needing to undergo surgery on both hips back in early December.  However, he told reporters including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that he has now fully recovered and been cleared for contact, meaning he will be a full participant in training camp later this month.  The 19-year-old was the sixth overall pick in 2024 and had gotten off to a strong start with WHL Kelowna before the injury where he notched 14 goals and 18 assists in just 21 games.  Still too young to play in the AHL full-time (unless the NHL and CHL can reach an agreement on allowing one 19-year-old per NHL team to play in the minors, something that hasn’t happened yet), his options will either be to play with Utah or return to the Rockets with the latter being the likeliest scenario.

Other prospect news from around the NHL:

  • The Penguins selected Benjamin Kindel with the 11th pick in the draft back in June, a pick that came as somewhat of a surprise given that most rankings had him safely in the back half of the first round. But Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that there were whispers that Pittsburgh was so sold on Kindel’s upside that they actually looked to move up into the top ten to make sure they landed him.  Kindel had 35 goals and 64 assists in 65 games with WHL Calgary last season while adding 15 points in 11 playoff games which certainly would have helped his draft stock.
  • Back in July, Canadiens prospect Bogdan Konyushkov signed a one-year extension in the KHL, keeping him under contract through 2026-27. However, as he told Denis Klesarev of Sport-Express, the blueliner acknowledged that he still wants to try his hand in North America, suggesting that he will eventually sign with Montreal.  The 22-year-old logged nearly 23 minutes a game last season with Torpedo while collecting 17 points in 67 games and could be an intriguing option for the Canadiens if and when he decides to come to North America.

Senators Expected To Trade Max Guenette

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After re-signing Donovan Sebrango earlier this week, the Senators are down to one remaining restricted free agent, defenseman Max Guenette.  However, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll actually be signing with Ottawa.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the expectation is that the Sens will move the blueliner before training camp begins.

The 24-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Ottawa back in 2019, going 187th overall and he has carved out a respectable career thus far for someone picked that late.  He has gotten into eight NHL games between 2022-23 and 2023-24 where he has been held off the scoresheet in a little over 13 minutes per night of playing time.  Between that time, he has been a key contributor in the minors, including a 40-point campaign with AHL Belleville in 2022-23.

Last season, Guenette was waiver-eligible for the first time and passed through unclaimed in late September, allowing him to return to Belleville.  He suited up in 58 games for them, picking up nine goals and 14 assists.  He received a recall to Ottawa in early January but didn’t see any action with them over the week he was with the team.

The Senators have reshaped the right side of their AHL back end for the upcoming season.  Top prospect Carter Yakemchuk is now AHL-eligible, prospect Lassi Thomson was brought back after he spent last season in Sweden, and Cameron Crotty received a two-year deal in late August.  Those three will likely comprise the right side of Belleville’s back end, leaving Guenette without a spot.

Given his status as a depth defender who will once again have to pass through waivers to return to the AHL, Guenette isn’t likely to command much of a return in a trade.  Instead, a swap for a player at a different position in a similar situation seems like the logical conclusion here.  Given that the teams would want their players to be at camp to learn their systems, it stands to reason that a resolution on this front should come over the next ten days or so.

Ken Dryden Passes Away At 78

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Early Saturday morning, the Canadiens announced that their long-time goaltender and Hall of Famer Ken Dryden passed away Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.  Team owner Geoff Molson released the following statement:

Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man. Behind the mask he was larger than life. We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations. He was one of the true legends that helped shape this Club into what it is today.

Drafted by Boston back in 1964, he was traded to the Canadiens that same offseason.  He spent three seasons at Cornell, posting a sterling 76-4-1 record before turning pro and entering Montreal’s farm system, a place he didn’t spend much time in before getting the call to the NHL.

Dryden was a crucial member of Montreal’s dynasty in the 1970s.  He played in eight seasons with the Canadiens during that stretch, compiling a 2.24 GAA and a .922 SV% in 397 games, winning the Calder Trophy in 1972 along with five Vezina Trophies for the NHL’s best goaltender.  In the playoffs, he was similarly dominant, helping lead Montreal to six Stanley Cup victories in that span.  Dryden was also a key contributor in Canada’s victory over the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

But hockey wasn’t Dryden’s only passion.  He was in law school in the early part of his career and famously didn’t play in 1973-74 while articling at a Toronto law firm after the Canadiens wouldn’t rework his contract.  Then, following the 1978-79 season, he decided to retire altogether at the age of 31.

Dryden got into broadcasting and wrote multiple books to stay involved in the game of hockey and then joined the Maple Leafs in 1997, serving as their team president through 2004.  Toronto had a pair of Conference Final appearances during that stretch, a plateau they have not reached since.

Dryden then stepped away from hockey to serve in politics, becoming a Canadian Member of Parliament from 2004 through 2011.  Soon after, he was awarded the Order of Canada for contributing to the sport of hockey and to public life.

We here at PHR join the hockey world in mourning Dryden’s passing and send our condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.

Mattias Ekholm Wants To Stay With Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers’ next summer will be clouded by record-setting contract negotiations, but they’ll have a heap of top talent to re-sign behind Connor McDavid. Top of the list will be defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who expressed a strong desire to stick around in a recent conversation with Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor. The 35-year-old defenseman said:

Absolutely I want to stay in Edmonton, but I know you have to take care of the big boys first. Once [Connor McDavid] gets [signed] I’m sure we will talk.

Ekholm was narrowly Edmonton’s third defenseman last season. He averaged 22:12 in ice time each game while rotating in-and-out of a top pair role with Darnell Nurse, who averaged 22:22. His year ended with an impressive nine goals and 33 points in 65 games – the second-highest scoring season he’s had since 2020. He managed his highest last year, when he scored 11 goals and 45 points in 75 games.

Even in his sunset years, Ekholm has remained an active impact in all three zones. He shows no signs of wavering any time soon, and offers Edmonton’s blue-line unique veteran value. But he’ll be 36 by the time he’s playing out his next contract. That will cap his next deal in both price and term. He’s wrapping up a four-year, $25MM deal originally signed with the Nashville Predators in 2021. Halving that deal could be an interesting start for next summer’s negotiations, though Ekholm could surely earn a bit more after two proficient seasons in Edmonton.

Sharks Acquire Carey Price’s Contract From Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens have traded Carey Price’s contract and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for minor-league defenseman Gannon Laroque. Price has not played since 2021, after undergoing surgery to repair a serious meniscus injury. He carries a $10.5MM cap hit through the end of this season.

Price has received a $5.5MM signing bonus on September 1st of each year of his contract. The Canadiens paid that tab earlier this week, opening the door for his lofty cap hit to be moved out. With no bonuses to worry about, San Jose will only have to pay Price $2MM in base salary, while reaping the benefits of a $10.5MM cap hit. That mark brings San Jose’s cap utilization up to $86.23MM – still $9.24MM below the cap ceiling. Montreal, meanwhile, will move forward with roughly $4.57MM in cap space.

The trade makes sense financially for both sides. The Sharks now distance themselves from the cap floor, while Montreal will be able to enter the season without utilizing long-term injured reserve. That latter point will prove particularly beneficial for Montreal, as they’ll now have the flexibility to bring in almost $5MM in lineup talent – rather than being forced to enter the season at the cap ceiling, since they exceeded the ceiling with Price’s contract on the books.

Montreal is planning to take full advantage of that newfound flexibility, per Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gaming. D’Amico shares that – whether it’s before the season or closer to December – the Habs have expressed interest in building out their roster. The team is noticeably lacking depth at the center position, with little to offer behind clear-cut, top center Nick Suzuki. That could make the Canadiens a strong candidate for a player like Jack Roslovic, who surprisingly remains on the free agent market despite scoring 22 goals and 39 points in his ninth NHL season last year.

The Canadiens will also receive an interesting prospect in this swap. Laroque has fallen victim to substantial injuries throughout each of the last few seasons. He had to undergo surgery on both hips in 2022, forcing him to sit out of all but four games of his final WHL season. He scored five points in those games. Recovery from the hip surgery continued through the 2023-24 season, though Laroque was able to play nine games, and record two points and eight penalty minutes, in both the AHL and ECHL. He seemed well-set to formally begin his pro career, before being pulled out of the 2024-25 season entirely by an undisclosed injury. It wasn’t revealed if this new injury was related to his previous hip surgeries. He was a productive, right-shot defender when he appeared at the junior level. Spending the better parts of two seasons with the WHL’s Victoria Royals, Laroque was able to record 59 points in 84 games.

Meanwhile, San Jose will move forward with balanced books and a clearer outlook of their expenses this season. This move drops San Jose from having the second-most cap space in the league, to the ninth-most. They also now carry 49 contracts, out of a possible 50. Sharks fans will zero in on how the team chooses to move forward with superstar prospect Michael Misa – the second-overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft. Misa scored an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games this season, but still remains unsigned despite seemingly accomplishing everything he could at the junior flight. He’ll be a name to watch closely, and could even find his way onto the Sharks’ opening night roster, now that the team has a bit more financial security.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports.

Derek Ryan Announces Retirement

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Center Derek Ryan has decided on retirement, he told Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now on 880 CHED yesterday.

“I’m retiring. We, my family, are back home in Spokane,” he told Stauffer. “The kids started at their new school here today. I didn’t actively look for a job this off-season. Europe could’ve been an option, maybe other NHL teams, but if it wasn’t going to be Edmonton, I didn’t want to move the family again. As the kids get older that gets harder. We had good roots in Edmonton, and, shoot, I’m almost 40. It’s nice to settle in here in Spokane. We have our house, friends, and family. It’s nice to be home.”

Not only is Ryan from Spokane, but it’s where he began his junior career with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs all the way back in 2004. His three-year run there preceded one of the most unique pathways to becoming an NHL fixture in recent memory.

Undrafted, Ryan opted to enter the Canadian university system when his junior eligibility ran out in 2007. That’s not uncommon in and of itself, but it’s not a pathway many future NHLers undertake. Those who do rarely spend a full four years there, but that’s exactly what Ryan did. He played for the University of Alberta from 2007 to 2011, leading the CIS West in scoring in his senior season with a 17-30–47 line in 28 games.

Ryan, already 25 years old at the time, then decided to make the jump overseas instead of pursuing a professional career stateside. It was in Europe that the 5’10”, 185-lb center unlocked offensive dominance. He spent three years in the EBEL (now ICEHL), Austria’s top league, playing with Villacher SV (2012-14) and Hungarian club Fehérvár AV19 (2011-12). He recorded 199 points in just 158 EBEL games over that span, including a spectacular 2013-14 campaign that saw him lead the league with 38 goals in 54 games to earn MVP honors.

He then made the jump to higher-level European pro hockey in Sweden, a decision that finally put him on the NHL’s radar. He spent one year with the SHL’s Örebro HK, where he erupted for a 15-45–60 line in 55 games to lead one of Europe’s top leagues in assists and points, being named the SHL’s MVP and Forward of the Year.

Ryan finally landed a two-way deal with the Hurricanes – inking his first NHL contract at age 28 – the following summer. He was immediately named the captain of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, their minor-league affiliate at the time, and was an AHL All-Star with 55 points in 70 games. He also got his first taste of NHL hockey late in the season, scoring his first goal in his first game of a six-game call-up.

That trial run kicked off an NHL career spanning over 600 games, most of which were played after his 30th birthday. He quickly established himself as a defensively responsible third-line pivot in Carolina, scoring 69 points in 153 games for the club while averaging over 15 minutes per night. He reached unrestricted free agency in 2018 and got rewarded by the Flames, signing a three-year, $9.375MM contract to return to the province where he played college hockey.

Ryan’s first season in Calgary was arguably the best of his career. He recorded a 13-25–38 scoring line in 81 games and, while he saw a reduction in ice time, won a team-high 58.2% of his faceoffs and added a +21 rating. That earned him Selke Trophy consideration, landing a fifth-place vote for the only time in his career.

While Ryan’s productivity and usage declined steadily over the course of his tenure with the Flames, that didn’t mean he was in an unfettered downward spiral. He still landed a multi-year deal in free agency from the cross-provincial rival Oilers in 2021, signing a two-year, $2.5MM pact to round out their fourth line.

That kicked off a four-year run for Ryan in Edmonton, the longest of his three NHL stops and a run that concluded just a few months ago. He was a regular from 2021 to 2024, appearing in at least 70 games for his first three years there, but was relegated to the press box for a good chunk of last season and even landed on waivers. He totaled 29 goals and 60 points in 261 games for Edmonton, appearing in 19 games in their run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final but no playing time last postseason. He scored one goal and six points in 36 NHL games last season and also had eight points in 13 games for AHL Bakersfield after clearing waivers, his first minor-league action in nearly a decade.

Ryan ends his rather remarkable pro career with 82 goals, 127 assists, and 209 points in 606 NHL regular-season games with a +14 rating. He was also one of the better faceoff-takers of the last decade, winning 55.3% of his draws.

PHR congratulates Ryan on his persevering career and wishes him the best in his post-playing future.

Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.

Aidan Hreschuk Signs With AHL Texas

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Defenseman Aidan Hreschuk was among the higher-drafted college players to become eligible for free agency last month. Reporting earlier in the offseason indicated the Blue Jackets, who had acquired his draft rights from the Hurricanes in 2022’s Max Domi trade, had already made up their minds on not offering him an entry-level contract before the Aug. 15 deadline. PuckPedia confirmed a couple of weeks ago that he’d filed the necessary paperwork to become an unrestricted free agent.

After four years at Boston College, the 5’11” lefty will instead need to settle for a minor-league pact. He’s signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Texas Stars to join the Dallas organization, the team announced Friday.

It’s not particularly surprising to see him go unsigned by Columbus and subsequently struggle to yield NHL offers. Despite his 2021 third-round billing, he never really popped offensively at BC. He only ever cracked the 10-point mark in a season once and finished his run with a 6-32–38 scoring line in 146 contests, a pace of 0.26 points per game.

While that’s not the end-all-be-all for a defender’s effectiveness, offensive production and high-end puck-moving skills are a must in today’s league for a sub-6′ defenseman. While he is relatively mobile and physical and did develop his defensive skills well at BC, particularly in his junior season, NHL teams will be extremely wary about his ability to overcome his lack of height to translate those skills to the game’s top level.

Instead, the 22-year-old will get a crack in the Stars’ pipeline and look to convert a strong AHL showing out of the gate into an NHL contract, whether that’s this year or next or further down the road. Dallas already has 15 defenders signed to NHL contracts, so it’s not surprising to see them not offer him an entry-level deal despite some obvious organizational interest.

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