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Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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Free agency is now just a bit more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Pavel Dorofeyev – Dorofeyev made his long-awaited jump to the NHL this season, spending the entire year on the Golden Knights roster for the first time in his career. And while he missed five weeks of action in February and March due to an upper-body injury, Dorofeyev was still able to slot into a career-high 47 NHL games this season. He made the most of the opportunity, posting 13 goals and 24 assists and working into a routine role on the team’s power-play. The Russian winger has been a go-to pick for the top breakout candidate on Vegas’ lineups since he moved to North America in 2020. He fell just a bit shy of a true “breakout” this season, but he showed an impressive goal-scoring ability and seemed much more adjusted to the NHL. That likely sets him up for a cheap, short-term deal, though also likely due for a slight raise from the $925,000 salary he carried on his entry-level contract. In a year where Vegas’ cap space is as slim as can be, Dorofeyev seems to be the closest they have to a surefire re-signing. He’ll look to really stamp his mark in Vegas with a healthy year next season.

D Kaedan Korczak – Korczak was Vegas’ go-to call-up when they needed defensive help this season – something that happened plenty frequently, with each of Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud missing significant time with injury. Those absences paved the way for Korczak to appear in 26 games. Playing through his official rookie season, Korczak scored one goal and nine points – recording identical scoring through 26 AHL games as well. Korczak stood tall when he was called upon this season but didn’t do much to warrant an everyday role. That should lead him to another cheap and short-term contract, though he could be the beneficiary of added ice time should any of Vegas’ seven NHL defensemen not return.

Other RFAs: F Ivan Morozov, G Isaiah Saville, F Mason Primeau, D Layton Ahac

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Jonathan Marchessault – Marchessault signed a hefty six-year, $30MM contract with the Golden Knights in 2018, after a dazzling 75-point sesaon in his first year with the team. He’s spent the six seasons since that signing establishing himself as one of Vegas’ first true icons, finding a way to make a strong impact in every season and earning the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy during Vegas’ in first Stanley Cup win. But even after all of those accolades, Marchessault still saved his best for last – recording a career-high 42 goals on his way to 69 points in 82 games this season. He’s just the second Golden Knight to hit the 40-goal mark, joining William Karlsson’s 43-goal season in 2017-18. That fact maintains Marchessault’s value, even at the age of 33, and should set him up for a hardy raise from his previous $5MM salary. Vegas would need to make some cap-clearing moves if they wanted to bring Marchessault back. But with such an intricately-crafted lineup, Marchessault could be set to finally leave the franchise where he’s built a legacy.

F Chandler Stephenson – Vegas will watch with pain as they pay out the final cheque of Stephenson’s four-year, $11MM contract signed in 2020. The deal priced Stephenson at a $2.75MM cap hit – a price that quickly became one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NHL, as Stephenson solidified his strong role in the team’s middle-six. He’s stayed consistent in every aspect of the game – posting 51 points in 75 games this season after netting 64 and 65 in each of the last two years and remaining a dominant presence on the defensive side of the puck. There’s no telling what price tag he’ll ask on a new deal. At 30 years old, Stephenson still has plenty of hockey ahead of him. That, plus his strong scoring and two-way presence, could warrant a cost as expensive as $5MM, though he could be okay with another team-friendly deal for the sake of sticking with the team where he’s made his mark. But a free agency market is already building for Stephenson – and the promise of a flashier salary could entice him away from Sin City. He’ll be one of Vegas’ biggest losses, should he make that decision.

F Anthony Mantha – Mantha was seemingly an afterthought as the Trade Deadline approached. Even after posting 20 goals and 34 points through 56 games with the Washington Capitals, Mantha couldn’t warrant too rich of a trade return. He was dealt to Vegas for a 2024 second round pick and 2026 fourth round pick just ahead of the Deadline – making his debut with Vegas on March 7th. Mantha proceeded to record 10 points across the final 18 games of the regular season. That brought his scoring up to 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games, Mantha’s highest scoring since his 25 goals and 48 points in the 2018-19 season. That’s not necessarily phenomenal scoring but it was enough for Mantha to look comfortable among a Bruce Cassidy-led offense encouraged his power-forward, shoot-first style. Mantha’s chemistry with the team’s style, and ability to produce in an inconsistent third-line role, could be enough for Vegas to invite Mantha back – though he’ll need to settle for a price cheaper than his previous $5.7MM cap hit.  His style may also clash a bit too much with Dorofeyev – the younger, and likely cheaper, option. Mantha will have to market his value to teams, should he enter an open market full of moderately-priced goal-scorers.

G Jiri Patera – Jiri Patera is Vegas’ sole Group VI free agent this summer, after being leaned on for six NHL games this season. He posted a modest .893 save percentage in those appearances, bolstering his 11 wins and .903 save percentage in 25 AHL games. Those stats should be enough for Patera to earn a deal close to league-minimum, to once again serve as an AHL starter vying for an NHL roster spot. That could come with Vegas, though the team already has Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Jesper Vikman, and Carl Lindbom signed to their goalie room. That room could be just a bit too crowded for Patera, who would otherwise be bound for unrestricted free agency.

Other UFAs: F Michael Amadio, F William Carrier, D Alec Martinez, F Sheldon Rempal, F Byron Froese

Projected Cap Space

The story of Vegas’ offseason is a story of slim-to-no cap space. They’re entering the summer with just shy of $900K in available cap space. That’s largely thanks to Noah Hanifin’s eight-year, $58.8MM contract extension kicking in, increasing his cap hit by nearly $6MM from his prorated $1.2375MM cap hit with Vegas this season, after 75 percent of his salary was retained in his Trade Deadline move. It seems the endless adding of expensive, star talent is finally catching up to Vegas – though fans have been fooled into thinking that many times before. The Golden Knights are likely set to lose one of their two notable UFAs – Marchessault and Stephenson – though they could move a depth defenseman like Brayden McNabb, or a pricey forward like Nicolas Roy, to build enough cap space to sign the other.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Team Czechia Wins 2024 IIHF World Championship

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Team Czechia has made history on home ice, taking home the Gold Medal at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in 14 years (Twitter link). It is Czechia’s fifth time winning Gold since 2000 – the second-most of any country, behind Canada’s seven wins. Czechia has now medaled in 10 of the 11 visits the World Championship has made to Prague, including winning Gold Medals on home ice in 1947, 1972, 1985, and now 2024.

Czechia entered this year’s tournament as a favorite among the European competition, though they faced a tall order against Team Canada and Team USA teams now filled with hopeful Olympians. That’s the story they started that played out through the preliminary round, with Czechia winning hard-fought games against Finland and Norway – though a surprise performance from Team Switzerland was enough to push Czechia to a shootout loss in their third game. The Czechs bounced back with wins against Denmark, Austria, and Great Britain – and then revealed an ace up their sleeve, adding each of Martin Necas, Pavel Zacha, and international standout David Pastrnak to their lineup ahead of their matchup with Team Canada to finish the preliminary round.

Perhaps jet lagged, the reloaded Czechia lineup fell to another shootout loss against Canada. But they showed their cohesion when the elimination games rolled around – winning a hard-fought, 1-0 quarterfinals game against Team USA, reinspiring their offense in a dazzling 7-3 semifinals win over Team Sweden, and then getting revenge on Switzerland with a strong 2-0 win in the Gold Medal Game.

It was, surprisingly, Martin Necas who made the biggest addition of the late-stage NHL additions – scoring seven points in five games comapred to Pastrnak and Zacha’s one point each through four games. But it was Czech hockey legend Roman Cervenka and former Columbus Blue Jacket Lukas Sedlak who led the way for the country’s offense, recording 11 and 10 points respectively through 10 games. Czechia was also helped along by a standout performance from Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, who posted a .939 save percentage – saving 200 of 213 shots – through eight starts.

This World Championship win gives Czechia fantastic momentum headed into the 2026 Winter Olympics. They should be poised for a few notable additions in that tournament, including Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, while also holding their breath to see if Cervenka can play into his 40s. But even through changes, this Czech lineup has stamped their place on top of Europe’s hockey world.

Bruins Looking To Add A Top Center In Free Agency

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The Boston Bruins will be revisiting their need for a new top centerman this off-season, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman sharing on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast that they could target either Elias Lindholm or Chandler Stephenson should either enter the open market. Friedman mentioned that Boston was interested in manufacturing a trade for Lindholm prior to his move to Vancouver this January. The Canucks traded away a top winger in Andrei Kuzmenko, as well as top prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, as a part of the deal to acquire Lindholm – likely indicating that Boston was also ready to pay a premium for his services.

They could get another chance to entice Lindholm’s camp this summer, with Vancouver’s leadership not mentioning Lindholm’s negotiations in their exit interviews. The Canucks are entering the off-season with 11 pending free agents and $23MM in cap space, with hefty contracts likely due to Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Filip Hronek. Each could rival a cap hit above $5MM, making it tricky to retain all three while still rounding out their depth.

Lindholm recorded 44  points in 75 games this season, his lowest scoring since he was with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017-18. His move to Vancouver was a catalyst for that decreased scoring, with Lindholm dipping from 0.653 points per game with the Flames to 0.462 points per game with the Canucks. He was able to revitalize his offense in the postseason, recording five goals and 10 points in 13 games, but Lindholm’s performance this season still situates him a long ways away from the $8MM price tag he was reportedly asking for last summer.

That’s good news for the Bruins, who weren’t shy about pursuing Lindholm last summer either. It’s clear to see why they’d be eager to bring in Lindholm’s explosive offensive style – with his strength in driving through the neutral zone a great compliment to David Pastrnak’s elite skill on the wing.

But while Lindholm offers offensive upside – and likely a corresponding costly price tag – Chandler Stephenson would be much more of Boston’s ‘MO’. Stephenson is a very fundamentally-talented centerman, who’s showed an impressive ability to use his high hockey IQ to make plays in all three zones. He’s lauded one of the most effective two-way centermen in the league, with his stout defense giving his wingers – like Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault – more opportunity to spearhead the offense. Stephenson’s talents would be a serviceable replacement for the years of elite two-way play of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, even if his performance isn’t on the Selke Trophy-demanding level of his predecessors. Stephenson is coming off a four-year, $11MM contract that’s turned into one of the most team-friendly deals in the league – with Vegas’ second-line centerman effectively costing $2.75MM in cap space over the last four seasons. With such a modest salary, any offer paying Stephenson his market value would mark a substantial pay raise. That could work in Vegas’ favor when negotiations roll around, though the Golden Knights are still facing seven pending free agents, including Stephenson and Marchessault, with less than $1MM in cap space.

The Bruins will be quick to act, and likely quick to spend, should either Lindholm or Stephenson get priced out of staying with their current teams. Boston has 12 pending free agents of their own, including Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk, though they have roughly $21MM available to re-sign them. The team could also free up cap space by trading former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark, who carries a $6MM cap hit. Pavel Zacha stepped into the spotlight and performed well this season, posting a career-high 59 points and forming a duo with Pastrnak that even carried over into the 2024 World Championship. But it was clear that Boston was missing an X-factor as they looked to keep their energy up in the second round. Addressing that missing piece will seemingly be their top priority this summer, with two of the market’s top names already in Boston’s sight.

Oilers Notes: Henrique, Lineup Changes, Perry

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The Edmonton Oilers may be without center Adam Henrique for an eighth straight game which means they could be limited in their ability to change up their third-line on offense. Earlier today, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reported that Henrique is “very close” and could return in either Game 3 or Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

It is becoming more dire by the day for Edmonton to get Henrique back into the lineup even though the Oilers find themselves in a tied series against the Dallas Stars. Throughout the playoffs, Edmonton’s third line of Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, and Ryan McLeod has combined for four points while producing a rating of -17 between the trio. The line has not aided the Oilers’ ability to win games up to this point even though it boasts one of the best combinations of foot speed.

Getting Henrique back into the lineup would allow Edmonton to bump McLeod to the wing and move Ryan down the fourth line which should balance the offense. Before succumbing to an undisclosed injury, Henrique scored six goals and nine points in 22 games for the Oilers after being acquired at the trade deadline and put up another two points in six postseason contests.

Other Oilers notes:

  • Outside of getting Henrique back into the lineup, Caleb Kerney of The Hockey News wrote this morning that Edmonton should consider making a few other tweaks. Kerney argues that if Henrique cannot return in time for Game 3, the Oilers should move depth forward Sam Gagner into the fourth-line center position instead of Sam Carrick. Despite Carrick sporting better defensive awareness than Gagner, the former’s speed and creativity may give Edmonton’s offense a much-needed jolt.
  • Off the ice, PuckPedia confirmed this morning that if the Oilers win the Conference Finals against the Stars, they will need to pay Corey Perry a $50K performance bonus. Since Perry has already played at least 50% of Edmonton’s potential games through the first three rounds of the playoffs, Perry has already hit the first qualifier for the bonus. If the Oilers end up having to pay the bonus to Perry, they will add on to an already league-leading overage penalty for next season at $3.55MM.

Offseason Checklist: Detroit Red Wings

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The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Detroit.

Amid a seven-year postseason drought, the Red Wings performed admirably during the 2023-24 NHL season, playing meaningful hockey until the last game of the regular season. Detroit is on the cusp of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as early as next year but will have to make some changes to realize that goal after taking a major step forward in their rebuild. General Manager Steve Yzerman is now at a point to put the finishing touches on a playoff-caliber roster this summer after completing much of the heavy lifting already.

Re-Sign The Youngsters

One of the major themes of the 2023-24 season for Detroit was the emergence of winger Lucas Raymond as a legitimate top-line player and confirmation that defenseman Moritz Seider can lead a defensive core. The Red Wings will have the opportunity to keep both in the Motor City until the 2031-32 NHL season with both players seeing their entry-level contracts expire on July 1st.

Even though the team carried big names up front such as Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat, Raymond still led the way offensively for Detroit, scoring 31 goals and 72 points over a full 82-game season. Raymond was irreplaceable down the stretch, scoring 14 goals and 21 points in his last 18 games, keeping the Red Wings afloat in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

On defense, claiming that Seider has shouldered a heavy load through his first three seasons is an understatement. Seider has not missed a game and has averaged 22:51 of ice time over his entry-level deal since his debut in the 2021-22 season. Even though Seider passes the eye test; his advanced numbers have been more than subpar throughout his career. According to Natural Stat Trick, Seider carried a CorsiFor% of 45.64% which is not a sustainable metric for a top defenseman. However, to push back on Seider’s dismal possession numbers, at even strength, 61% of Seider’s shift starts came in the defensive zone which has made shot creation much more difficult on his part.

Seider’s numbers are reflective of the fact that he is one of the only members of Detroit’s defensive core that can be trusted in the defensive zone against other teams’ top lines and his numbers have suffered from it. If the Red Wings can procure another defenseman to take the pressure off of Seider, his game should flourish in the aftermath.

If the Red Wings are going to sign either player to a long-term deal this summer it is most likely going to be Seider as right-handed defensemen of his caliber do not necessarily grow on trees. For Raymond, a bridge deal seems advantageous for both sides as Raymond would set himself up for a bigger payday in the future and Detroit can confirm that Raymond is the player shown throughout the 2023-24 regular season before doling out serious cash.

Assuming the Red Wings follow that method, Seider’s next contract should check in just south of Owen Power’s seven-year, $58.45MM contract signed with the Buffalo Sabres last year, while Raymond’s should check in at $6MM-$6.5MM on a two- or three-year deal.

Find Another Star

For each team that narrowly missed the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs the season will be full of several “what ifs?”. For the Red Wings in particular, that question revolves solely around Larkin and how the team performs when he is and isn’t in the lineup.

In the 68 games that Larkin suited up for Detroit this season, the team held a 37-22-9 record while carrying a strong 3.54 GF/G with a 3.24 GA/G. In his absence, however, the team produced a 4-10-0 record and only a dismal 2.64 GF/G and an even worse 3.87 GA/G. This season made clear that given how the team plays without Larkin, the Red Wings must procure a player who can drive the team to wins even when Larkin cannot be in the lineup.

On the unrestricted free agent market this summer, an ideal candidate for this role would be the current captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Stamkos. For the past 16 years, Stamkos has been a foundational part of the Lightning organization as he’s won two Stanley Cup Championships in four total appearances. From 2010-2018, Yzerman formerly served as General Manager of the Lightning and signed Stamkos to two separate contracts worth a combined total of $105.5MM over the last 13 seasons. Yzerman may look to poach his former player from the Lightning to fill this void for Detroit given their previous history over much of Stamkos’ career in the NHL.

Outside of the free agent market this summer, Yzerman may even feel confident procuring this player via trade with the Red Wings stockpiling so much young talent over his tenure in the front office. As with any team coming out of a rebuild, there will still be some untouchables in the prospect pool for Detroit. Still, Yzerman may be willing to part with Jonatan Berggren, Marco Kasper, William Wallinder, or the 15th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft if the price is right.

Stabilize The Defensive Core

Surprisingly, even at 23 years old, Seider represents the longest-tenured member of the Red Wings on defense already. Over the last two offseasons, Detroit has brought in Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Olli Maatta, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jeff Petry, with Jake Walman coming a little over two years ago via trade.

With the emergence of Simon Edvinsson, and the eventual call-up of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the Red Wings are once again in a position to thin out their defensive unit. Not only do they need to thin out the saturation but they also need to procure a solid top-four defenseman to lighten the burden on Seider.

As good as he was during the regular season, it is likely in Detroit’s best interest to let Gostisbehere walk this summer as well as scan the trade market for both Holl and Petry. By doing that the Red Wings would be able to keep the top unit of Walman and Seider together, shift Chiarot and Maatta into the bottom pairing, and sign a top-four right-handed defenseman this summer to put next to Edvinsson.

Outside of the players mentioned, young defenseman Albert Johansson is also expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp after back-to-back solid seasons for Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. As a left-handed shooting defenseman, Johansson’s play at the beginning of next year could conceivably allow the Red Wings to move Chiarot to the press box on most nights.

One player not necessarily on the trade block but who could become available for Detroit this offseason at the right price is St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich. Perunovich is a solid puck-moving defenseman who has accrued 23 assists in 73 career games for the Blues. The Red Wings could give Perunovich much more responsibility in a future role as he appears blocked from ever receiving top-four minutes in St. Louis.

Complete The Tandem In Net

Lastly, Detroit is once again in a position to iron out their goaltending tandem before top prospect Sebastian Cossa can make his debut at the NHL level. Not only does Detroit have Cossa waiting in the wings but netminder Trey Augustine of Michigan State University has become a legitimate goaltending prospect in his own right.

Over the last three offseasons, Detroit has taken flyers on the likes of Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso; neither of which have turned out too positively for the franchise. However, the team did see solid play from Alex Lyon this year which has given the organization some hope that he can be a regular part of the goaltending tandem once again.

Because of their goaltending prospects, Detroit is not in a position to go out and acquire a goalie such as Juuse Saros or Jacob Markstrom this summer but they do need to improve upon their tandem. As far as the options available on the free agent market, Detroit could look to give Laurent Brossoit a larger role than what he has been used to or take a flyer on Ilya Samsonov, hoping for a bounce-back season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nikita Okhotyuk Signs Two-Year Deal In KHL

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Earlier this morning, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk would be leaving the Calgary Flames organization to sign a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. Okhotyuk’s signing rights were traded in the KHL only four days ago in a swap between CSKA and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

Okhotyuk became a solid prospect with the New Jersey Devils organization after being selected with the 61st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Poised to be a defensive defenseman at the NHL level, Okhotyuk scored 10 goals and 47 points over 148 games with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League after coming to North America for the start of the 2017-18 OHL season. Okhotyuk finished his junior career with a whopping +72 rating, which covered up for his subpar offensive output.

Okhotyuk’s prospect stock began to rise throughout his first couple of years with the Devils organization as he continued to display his knack for shutting down opponent’s top lines in the American Hockey League. His defensive prowess would eventually lead to Okhotyuk’s inclusion in one of the more high-profile trades of the 2022-23 season, as the Devils traded the young defenseman to the San Jose Sharks in a deal that would bring Timo Meier out east.

During his tenure with the Sharks, Okhotyuk displayed flashes of his defensive capabilities that made him such an important prospect in New Jersey but failed to move up the depth chart for San Jose in any meaningful way. Because of this, Okhotyuk was once again traded this past year, this time in a small move to the Flames organization.

Albeit otherwise unnoteworthy news to see a struggling depth defenseman in the NHL try his luck overseas, this transfer by Okhotyuk has already become quite controversial. Much like goaltender Ivan Fedotov’s situation with the Philadelphia Flyers before the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Okhotyuk’s contract appears to violate Article II.4.1 of the IIHF International Transfer Regulations which could lead to sanctions by the international governing body.

Lightning’s Ilya Usau Clears Waivers, Has Contract Terminated

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05/26: Ilya Usau has cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). His contract has now been mutually terminated

05/25: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed centerman Ilya Usau (Usov) on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). Usau had one year remaining on a three-year, $2.8MM entry-level contract signed in 2022. He earned the deal following a three-game appearance with Belarus at the 2022 Olympic Qualifiers – an appearance he made in the midst of a 26-point season in the KHL. Usau has since spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, recording 30 points across 99 games with the team.

Usau was first draft-eligible in the 2020 NHL Draft. He spent his season with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, recording 22 goals and 52 points in 58 games in his first season in Canada – after growing up through the USA youth hockey system and even appearing in four USHL games in 2019. His scoring in Western Canada drew the attention of scouts, finishing the year as the 101st-ranked prospect in TSN’s Craig Button’s final rankings. But Usau went unclaimed in the draft and decided to move back to his native Minsk, Belarus, signing with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk.

That’s likely where Usau is bound for with this move, shares James Mirtle of The Athletic (Twitter link). If that’s the case, he’ll be returning to a KHL career just four games shy of 100 career games and, presumably, a Dinamo Minsk club that extended their playoff streak to four seasons this year.

Evening Notes: Vesey, Henrique, Rutta

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New York Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey has been designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Peter Laviolette shared with Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). Vesey took a hard hit from Florida Panthers’ forward Ryan Lomberg in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving the game after just 5:47 in ice time.

Vesey has played in all 12 of New York’s postseason games this season, recording three points while averaging third-line minutes. It’s just the third time in his career that Vesey has received considerable playoff ice time, appearing in seven games and scoring one point last year and scoring five points in 12 games in the 2017 playoffs. He’s receiving the ice time after a slight resurgence this season, with Vesey recording 13 goals and 26 points in 80 games and improving his consistency throughout the season.

Vesey’s absence will likely make way for Kaapo Kakko to return to the lineup, after being healthy scratched in Game 2. It was the second time in the last three years that Kakko was scratched in the Eastern Conference Finals, coming after he managed just two points through New York’s first 11 playoff games. Vesey’s injury will also provide a bit more lineup security to bruiser Matt Rempe, who stepped back into the lineup for Game 2 – though the Rangers were very deliberate with his ice time. If not Rempe, then New York will likely turn to veteran Blake Wheeler, who’s been out since February with a leg injury. Wheeler posted 21 points in 54 games this season – his first year away from the Winnipeg Jets since 2010-11.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique sat out of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals after being named a game-time decision and taking warmups with the team, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Henrique has now missed Edmonton’s last seven games with an ankle injury. He continues to be replaced by Sam Carrick and Connor Brown, the latter scoring Edmonton’s first goal of Game 2. Henrique appears to be nearing a return to the lineup, though it’s becoming less clear who will step out to make way.
  • Team Czechia and San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta has been suspended for one game of the 2024 IIHF World Championship for elbowing Team Sweden and Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom. Rutta was not penalized for the hit during the game. He will miss Czechia’s gold medal matchup against Team Switzerland. He’ll conclude his tournament with one goal and eight penalty minutes through nine games, while Team Czechia will likely turn towards David Spacek to fill Rutta’s second-pair ice time. Spacek has five assists in Czechia’s nine games.

Penguins Working To Hire Jaromír Jágr

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly working on hiring legendary winger Jaromír Jágr to their front office, shares Rob Rossi of The Athletic in an interview with Penguins’ President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin. Acklin shared that the team is ready to enter a “new chapter” after Jágr’s retirement ceremony in February. The team has been working on recruiting Jágr ever since, recently making an extra push while visiting Prague for the World Championship.

Pittsburgh doesn’t yet have a clear idea of Jágr ’s role, though Acklin shared that it would center around Jágr spending most of his time in his hometown Kladno, Czechia. That’s where Jágr’s been since the 2017-18 season, serving as a player and owner for the Czechia Extraliga’s Rytíři Kladno. He’s continued defining his legacy with Kladno, elevating the team to the Czechia Extraliga in 2019, helping keep them afloat on the brink of relegation in 2022, and setting the record for the oldest player to score in professional competition with a goal in April. Jágr ’s age of 52 years and 63 days narrowly topped Gordie Howe’s long-standing record of 52 years and nine days.

Jágr’s return to Czechia has continued building out his memory as one of the greatest hockey players of all time – a legend he built across a 24-year career in the NHL. He played in 1,733 career NHL games – the fourth-most games played in NHL history – scoring 1,921 points, the most of any NHL player not named Wayne Gretzky. Jágr formed an all-time duo with Mario Lemieux in the first 11 seasons of his career, pitting the Penguins against the legacy lineups of the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings and leading the Penguins to two Stanley Cups. He was just as good when he kicked off a solo career around the NHL, playing with eight clubs in the final 13 years of his career, including four years with the New York Rangers. Jágr was productive until the very end, recording 16 goals and 46 points in the 2016-17 season, the most any NHL player 44 or older has scored or played in one season. He left the NHL following a knee injury in the subsequent season, taking his talents through the KHL before settling in Czechia. He continues to bring a positive impact to the lineup, recording four assists in 15 games during the regular-season and two points, one goal and one assist, in three postseason games.

The Penguins are now looking to reignite Jágr’s story in the NHL, while also solidifying their presence in central Europe. Acklin spoke gingerly about Jágr’s daily lift with the team, acknowledging just how busy his schedule has become in Czechia. Thus, Rossi acknowledges that Jágr would likely carry a minimal day-to-day role, adding that getting him in Pittsburgh just a few times a year would be a success for the Penguins. That could mean the legend is set for a modest scouting role, though Acklin praised Jágr’s understanding of the business side of the sport throughout Europe –  built up over his time with Kladno. No timeline has been laid out for Jágr’s return to the Penguins organization, and President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas will have a final say on what his exact role will be. But there’s no doubting that any return to Pittsburgh – and reunion with Mario Lemieux – would add yet another layer to Jágr’s neverending legacy in the hockey world.

Photos courtesy of USA Today.

Offseason Checklist: Minnesota Wild

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The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Minnesota.

After making the playoffs last season, expectations were relatively high for the Wild this season.  They weren’t quite supposed to be at the top of the division but were squarely expected to be in the mix.  That didn’t happen, resulting in an early-season coaching change.  While they rebounded somewhat under John Hynes, they still came up short of making it back to the postseason.  Now, GM Bill Guerin will be looking to make some tweaks to his roster although the bigger swings may have to come a little farther down the road.  Here’s what should be on his checklist this summer.

Examine Gustavsson Trade Options

What a difference a year can make.  This time last year, Filip Gustavsson was coming off finishing second in the NHL in GAA (2.10) and SV% (.931), albeit in just 39 games.  Still, he did well enough to earn a three-year, $11.25MM contract after filing for salary arbitration and it looked like their goalie situation was relatively settled, at least for the short term.

This season, it was a different story.  The 25-year-old saw his GAA jump by nearly a full goal per game, going to 3.06 while losing 32 points off his save percentage.  He still picked up a few extra starts but simply failed to lock down the number one job as they were hoping for.  That likely played a role in their decision to give Marc-Andre Fleury a one-year, $2.5MM extension last month for his 21st and final NHL campaign.

By all accounts, it appears that they feel Jesper Wallstedt, long viewed as their goalie of the future, is ready for full-time NHL duty.  Clearly, they’re not trading Fleury (who has a no-move clause) after just signing him.  Accordingly, unless they plan to carry three goalies (or shuttle Wallstedt) back and forth between Minnesota and AHL Iowa, it appears that Gustavsson may be the odd man out.

Early indications are that this could be a summer where there is more activity than usual on the trade front when it comes to goaltenders which is good news and bad news for the Wild.  It’s good in that there will be more teams looking for options but with a larger supply of netminders potentially available, they’ll be hard-pressed to command a return of some significance, especially with Gustavsson coming off a down season.  Guerin will need to determine what the best offer will be in the coming weeks and if that’s worth making a move now or potentially carrying three goalies into next season and see what the market looks like as the year goes on.

Work On Faber Extension

Last season, Brock Faber joined Minnesota for the final two games of the regular season and then suited up in all six playoff games in their opening-round loss to Dallas.  He had a limited role in the postseason – perfectly understandable for someone just coming out of college – but showed enough to make it look like he could hold his own over a full NHL season in 2023-24.

Let’s just say he did better than that.  A lot better, in fact.  Instead of just holding his own, he became the Wild’s top defenseman pretty quickly.  Not having Jared Spurgeon for most of the year due to injury certainly expedited that ascension but Faber more than earned the extra work as well.  The end result was the 21-year-old leading all Minnesota blueliners with 47 points, 20 more than second-place Jonas Brodin.  He logged nearly 25 minutes a night which not only led all Minnesota players but he had the sixth-highest ATOI in the entire NHL.  He played big minutes on both special teams units as well.  This is not the type of workload you’d expect a rookie who is now barely a year removed from playing college to be carrying.

The fact that he did so while playing on an entry-level deal was huge for the Wild.  It’s great news for next season as well.  But after that, the price tag is going to skyrocket and justifiably so.

The final year of Faber’s contract begins on July 1st, making him eligible to sign an extension at that time.  While there is definitely some risk in handing out what would be one of the richest extensions in franchise history to a player with one full season under his belt, there’s also some risk in not signing him now and then Faber going and having an even better effort in 2024-25 in which case the price would go even higher.

Minnesota’s camp will likely try to use recent deals that Jake Sanderson ($8.05MM) and Owen Power ($8.35MM) signed as comparables but Faber has been more impactful in his early career which means his camp could push for $9MM or more, especially knowing that the deal won’t kick in until 2025-26 when the salary cap could be higher than $90MM.  A new agreement doesn’t necessarily have to get done in the coming months but it stands to reason that this will be one of the higher priorities for Guerin.

Free Up Cap Space

The Wild have been operating well below the salary cap for the past several years thanks to the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise back in 2021.  It was an outcome that Guerin knew he was getting into but he wanted to reshape the roster.  While there are still five years left on their respective buyout charges, next season is the last of the whopping charges with each player carrying a dead cap charge of $7.371MM.  (That number drops to $833K starting in 2025-26 which is much more manageable although a good chunk of the savings will be going to Faber.)

Guerin was aggressive with signing some veteran players to early extensions last season which has left Minnesota with minimal space to work with this summer assuming none of them are moved.  Per CapFriendly, they have less than $6MM left in cap room with a handful of roster spots to fill.  While it’s worth noting that of their pending free agents, none project to command a pricey contract, they also won’t have a lot of flexibility to work with to add to their roster.

Accordingly, finding a way to open up a bit more flexibility would certainly help.  If they move Gustavsson and promote Wallstedt, that would free up $2.825MM to work with.  Could they find a home for the final year and $2MM left on Marcus Johansson’s deal?  Even flipping Jonathon Merrill’s $1.2MM elsewhere and carrying a cheaper seventh defender would give them some extra room.  Every little bit is going to make a difference if they want to try to add an impact piece in the coming months.

Add Top-Six Forward

Speaking of impact pieces, they need one up front.  After being in the top five in scoring in 2021-22, the Wild haven’t cracked the top 20 in that department over the last two seasons.  While Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek gave them a solid 105 goals combined, the rest of their forwards tallied just 108 combined.  That means the secondary scoring wasn’t there consistently enough.

Minnesota will be hoping there will be some internal growth to help bridge some of that gap.  Marco Rossi had a solid rookie year and they’ll be counting on more from him.  They’ll hope that Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov can become capable producers in their first full seasons in North America and if that happens, their offense could get back toward the middle of the pack.

That said, they could certainly benefit from a more proven addition to the lineup.  At a minimum, that player would serve as a bridge piece for some of the youngsters (a group that also includes Danila Yurov who could debut late in the 2024-25 campaign) to have some time to step up.  If some of those younger pieces are ready sooner than later, then the veteran helps create a third scoring line which could only help things.

The good news is that there are plenty of these types of players available in free agency.  Someone like David Perron would fit if they want just a short-term addition to let the youngsters get a bit more time to develop.  Same with Adam Henrique if they want to add down the middle.  If they want to aim higher, Tyler Toffoli, Teuvo Teravainen, and Vladimir Tarasenko stand out on the wing while someone like Chandler Stephenson would help at center.

The challenge, of course, is most of the players in this group will take up the majority (if not all of) Minnesota’s current cap space.  That makes it a bit more important to open up some more flexibility on that front before the calendar flips to July and free agency opens up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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