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Stars Extend Jake Oettinger

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The Stars have signed star goaltender Jake Oettinger to an eight-year, $66MM extension, the team confirmed. He’ll count $8.25MM against the cap starting next season through the 2032-33 campaign.

Per PuckPedia, Oettinger’s deal is nearly a photocopy of the one Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman signed earlier this month, only affording him a no-move clause for an additional year because of his age. The full breakdown is as follows:

2025-26: $6MM base salary + $4MM signing bonus
2026-27: $6MM + $4MM SB, full no-move clause
2027-28: $5.5MM + $2MM SB, NMC
2028-29: $5MM + $3MM SB, NMC
2029-30: $5.5MM + $2.5MM SB, NMC
2030-31: $5.5MM + $2.5MM SB, NMC
2031-32: $5MM + $2.5MM SB, 10-team yes-trade list
2032-33: $4.5MM + $2.5MM SB, 10-team no-trade list

Oettinger, 25, has firmly established himself as one of the league’s top young netminders over the past four years. After Dallas made him the 26th overall pick of the 2017 draft, he made his NHL debut during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He’d taken over as the Stars’ No. 1 by the following year and hasn’t looked back, finishing as high as fifth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2022-23.

Through his first 196 NHL appearances, Oettinger boasts a sparkling 116-48-23 record – due significantly in part to having one of the deepest skater corps in the league in front of him during that time. He’s logged a .914 SV%, 2.49 GAA, 11 SOs, and a cumulative 44.2 GSAA. The Minnesota native has yet to post below-average numbers in a single season, although he came close last year with a .905 SV% and a 2.7 GSAA in 54 games. He responded well with a .913 SV% in 19 postseason games, though, quieting most concerns about any long-term regression.

He’s also burst out of the gates this year with a .948 SV%, 1.63 GAA, and a shutout in three showings. That’s helped Dallas to a 4-0-0 record that has them tied for first in the league with the upstart Flames. That hot start may have urged the Stars to get a contract signed before Oettinger increased his market value even more – Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the two sides had been negotiating this extension for less than a week.

The former Boston University standout is a core piece of a Stars club that’s firmly in a championship contention phase after making the Western Conference Final in back-to-back seasons. Getting his extension done now allows them to keep the momentum going and give two-time general manager of the year Jim Nill more time to plan for extensions for some big-name forwards, including captain and pending UFA Jamie Benn and pending RFA Wyatt Johnston. Dallas has almost $25MM in projected cap space next season after the deal, assuming a salary cap of $92.5MM, with 10 roster spots to fill.

It’s also not surprising to see Oettinger put pen to paper on a long-term deal. They’ve prioritized term on extensions whenever financially possible, inking roster staples like Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz to eight-year deals over the past few years. They haven’t shied away from bridge deals when need be, though, such as Jason Robertson’s four-year, $31MM contract and Thomas Harley’s two-year, $8MM deal.

Oettinger was undoubtedly the top pending RFA in terms of netminders on next year’s market. Without many NHL options remaining on that list, that honor now likely goes to Buffalo’s Devon Levi.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the contract and its terms.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Tyler Pitlick Signs PTO With AHL Providence

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After spending last season with the Rangers, veteran winger Tyler Pitlick will get some game action with the Bruins – just not in the NHL. The free-agent forward has settled for a fresh PTO with Boston’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, after participating in training camp there.

Pitlick has 420 NHL games under his belt over the last 11 seasons but has bounced around quite a bit in recent years. The first pick of the second round by the Oilers in the 2010 draft, Pitlick struggled with injuries in his early 20s and didn’t log significant NHL ice until the 2016-17 campaign, his age-25 season. Since reaching Group VI UFA status the following offseason, he’s played for seven teams in seven years, highlighted by a career-high 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games with the Stars in 2017-18.

After a 2019 offseason trade sent him from Dallas to Philadelphia, Pitlick hasn’t spent multiple seasons with the same team. He suited up for the Flyers, Coyotes, Flames, Canadiens, and Blues in depth roles before landing with the Rangers last year on a one-way deal worth $787.5K, just a shade above the league minimum.

Pitlick, 33 next month, was a non-factor in New York. He scored once and added three assists in 34 games, averaging 10:12 per night and logging subpar possession metrics (41.8 CF%, 41.5 xGF%). He landed on waivers in February and was assigned to AHL Hartford for his first minor league action in eight seasons, posting seven points and a -6 rating in 22 games down the stretch. Pitlick will now suit up for a P-Bruins team light on high-end NHL prospects aside from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell.

Canucks Recall Erik Brännström

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The Canucks have recalled defenseman Erik Brännström from AHL Abbotsford, the team announced. He comes up to the active roster with Derek Forbort being granted personal leave. The Canucks had an open roster spot and $1.3MM in current cap space, so no corresponding transaction is necessary, and Forbort remains on the active roster for now, although he could be shifted to non-roster if need be.

Brännström, 25, planned on spending this season in Colorado after inking a one-year deal worth $900K with the Avalanche on the second day of free agency. However, an evidently underwhelming training camp and the Avs’ need for cap flexibility led them to trade him to Vancouver earlier this month in exchange for $2MM worth of LTIR-bound defenseman Tucker Poolman and a 2025 fourth-round pick.

The Canucks waived Brännström immediately after acquiring him, and no one placed a claim for the 2017 15th overall pick. That meant his first AHL action in three seasons, and he’s responded well with three assists and a +3 rating through Abbotsford’s first two games of the campaign.

It’s been a tough go of things for Brännström over the past few months. After recording a career-high 20 points (3 G, 17 A) in 76 games with the Senators last season, he was unexpectedly non-tendered and hit the UFA market three years ahead of when he’d otherwise be eligible. Possession control was an issue for Brännström during his final season in Ottawa, though, posting a negative relative CF% figure for the first time in his career. Otherwise, the Swedish blue-liner has had far better defensive metrics than his reputation indicates, albeit in mostly third-pairing minutes.

Brännström has only ever suited up in the NHL for the Sens, who acquired him from Vegas in 2019 as part of the Mark Stone trade. He’s made 266 appearances in parts of six seasons, scoring seven goals and 62 assists for 69 points with a -13 rating while averaging 16:52 per game. While a decent puck-mover with historically positive possession impacts, he doesn’t lay the body and can be quite giveaway-prone, recording a career-high 52 last season with just 22 takeaways.

The left-shot defender will likely replace Forbort in the lineup tonight against the Panthers, with either Vincent Desharnais or Noah Juulsen on his right (they’ve both seen time alongside Forbort in third-pairing duties thus far this season). Forbort, 32, is also an offseason addition, inking a one-year, $1.5MM deal shortly after free agency opened. He has an assist, a -1 rating, and three shots on goal through his first three games as a Canuck while averaging 16:53 per game.

West Notes: Toews, LaCombe, Spence

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews will not dress tonight when the team takes on the Boston Bruins (as per Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey). The 30-year-old will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury as the Avalanche will be looking to get into the win column for the first time this season.

Colorado has started the year 0-3 as they try to overcome a growing list of injury concerns. They will be in tough against the Bruins without the services of Toews. Oliver Kylington will take Toews’s place on the top pair once again alongside Cale Makar, while Sam Malinski will likely occupy Toews’s spot on the second power-play unit.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe took the morning skate with the team but won’t play tonight as he continues to deal with an illness (as per Derek Lee of The Hockey News). The 23-year-old has yet to play this season as he will miss his third consecutive game to start the year. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native signed a two-year $1.85MM extension with the Ducks in July and will likely compete with Olen Zellweger for a spot in Anaheim’s defense core going forward.
  • Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings scratched Jordan Spence tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings opted for a third pairing of Caleb Jones and Andreas Englund which is very telling given the commitment Los Angeles showed to Spence in the summer by signing him to a two-year deal worth $3MM. The 23-year-old has had an abysmal start to the season, getting pinned in the defensive zone regularly while struggling with turnovers. The Kings hoped Spence would claim a spot on their backend after Matt Roy departed to Washington in free agency, but his struggles have become too much for the Kings to ignore. Spence’s time in the press box will likely be short-lived though as the Kings are being throttled by the Maple Leafs tonight and are sure to make changes before they take the ice tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Nick Leddy Out Day-To-Day, Sundqvist Cleared For Contact

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy is being listed as day-to-day after having an injury surface yesterday (as per Lou Korac of NHL.com). The lower-body ailment kept the 33-year-old off the ice today as well making him questionable for the Blues game tomorrow night against the New York Islanders. Leddy blocked a shot against the Minnesota Wild last night that may have been the cause of the injury, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.

Leddy has not been good to start the season, as he and his defensive partner Colton Parayko have not had a lot go right in the first four games of the season. Leddy has been on the ice for a total of eight goals this season through four games and is -3 plus/minus with no recorded points.

In other Blues news, forward Oskar Sundqvist has been cleared for contract as he tries to work his way back into the lineup from an ACL tear he suffered back in March (as per Chris Pinkert of NHL.com). Sundqvist underwent surgery shortly after the tear and was expected to require six months to recover. The news that he is cleared means that his return should happen in the next week or two, putting him right on schedule to return.

Sundqvist returned to the Blues in the summer of 2023, signing a one-year deal with a club that had traded him just 17 months prior. Sundqvist did enough in his first year back with the team to earn a two-year extension worth a total of $3MM. It was less than three weeks later that he would suffer the ACL tear.

Blue Jackets Place Erik Gudbranson On IR, Recall Jet Greaves On Emergency Basis

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves after placing forward Dylan Gambrell on waivers early this afternoon. The team announced they placed defenseman Erik Gudbranson on injured reserve while recalling goaltender Jet Greaves on an emergency basis.

There should be another corresponding roster move before the team’s game tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres to give more context to the method of today’s madness. Columbus is down to 12 healthy forwards, seven healthy defensemen, and three goaltenders. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reported regular netminder Elvis Merzlikins is dealing with some early-season fatigue which better explains Greaves’ call-up in the crease.

Columbus already has a reasonable in-house candidate to replace the lost minutes of Gudbranson in the form of top prospect, David Jiříček. The young Czech defenseman hasn’t factored into any games yet this season for the Blue Jackets but did score one goal and 10 points in 43 games a year ago. He’s fared much better in the AHL up to this point in his career but consistent playing time at the NHL level could dramatically improve his development.

Aside from defense, nothing should change much in Columbus’ lineup without Gambrell. The organization has the benefit of being at Nationwide Arena for the next three games making a forward call-up from Cleveland that much easier. The team won’t have to travel outside of Ohio until October 26th when they take on the Nashville Predators so they could take a couple of days before they need to make another call-up from the AHL.

Vancouver Canucks Assign Aatu Räty To AHL

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Former top prospect of the 2021 NHL Draft class, Aatu Räty, will continue his 2024-25 season in the American Hockey League moving forward. The Vancouver Canucks announced they have assigned Räty to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Räty posted a solid preseason scoring one goal and two points in three contests while posting a -1 rating. Still, he was a surprise addition to the Canucks’ opening night roster even with presumptive bottom-six center, Dakota Joshua, continuing to recover from surgery to remove a tumor.

The Oulu, Finland native tallied one assist in three games to start the year in Vancouver, an identical scorecard to his short stay with the team two years ago. He was given more responsibility this time as evidenced by his 9:41 average ice time and posted stronger possession numbers.

He’ll continue in Abbotsford for the time being where he spent all of last season with. Räty scored 18 goals and 52 points in 72 games for the AHL Canucks last year which marks his best season since moving to North America toward the end of the 2021-22 season.

Vancouver will fill the gap with a combination of Nils Åman and Arshdeep Bains for the foreseeable future. The two haven’t combined for any points this year up to this point but did combine for seven points in limited action last year.

Utah Hockey Club Recall Patrik Koch

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The Utah Hockey Club will have quite the hole on their defense for the foreseeable future with Sean Durzi dealing with an undisclosed injury. To fill that void, the organization has recalled defenseman Patrik Koch from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

Koch made his way to North America last season by signing a one-year, $848K deal with the Arizona Coyotes after spending much of his professional career in Czechia and Slovakia. He spent nearly the entire season with AHL Tucson scoring one goal and 15 points in 63 games while also collecting 97 PIMs.

Koch, who is from Malacky, Slovakia, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. His strong performance at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he had one goal and four points, likely contributed to Utah’s decision to sign him to a one-year, $775K contract on June 20th.

He continued his solid play into training camp this September tallying three assists in two games while posting a +5 rating. Utah reassigned Koch to AHL Tucson on October 4th after clearing waivers but he’s been held scoreless after two games to start the year.

The team will likely utilize veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo tonight to fill in for the injured Durzi. Should he not meet expectations; however, Koch could make his debut in Utah sooner than expected.

Pittsburgh Penguins Assign Rutger McGroarty To AHL

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Rutger McGroarty won’t be able to suit up against the organization that drafted him later this week, after all. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have assigned McGroarty to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins without a corresponding roster move.

It’s the logical step forward for McGroarty who was originally supposed to begin the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had it not been for a few injuries to the Penguins’ forward core. He’s been left off the scoreboard over three games in Pittsburgh to start the year with two shots on net and four hits. He’s posted strong possession numbers over those three games with the Penguins but his healthy scratch on Tuesday night indicated a move might be on the horizon.

It shouldn’t take too long for McGroarty to get going offensively with the AHL Penguins who are currently tied for the league lead in goals scored over two games to start the season. They should be able to slot him next to the likes of Emil Bemstrom, Samuel Poulin, Ville Koivunen, or Jimmy Huntington to make his transition to professional hockey much easier.

He’s still only one year removed from being one of the better scorers in the NCAA at the University of Michigan. McGroarty’s 16 goals and 52 points in 36 games make him one of, if not the best prospect in the Penguins organization and he should be on the receiving end of another call-up at some point during the 2024-25 regular season.

Hurricanes Activate, Reassign Joakim Ryan

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10/16: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Ryan has safely cleared waivers allowing the Hurricanes to safely reassign him to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

10/15: The Hurricanes have defenseman Joakim Ryan on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. As such, he’s ready to be activated from season-opening injured reserve. He’s been out for the past few weeks with an undisclosed injury.

Ryan, 31, is attempting an NHL comeback after spending the last three seasons playing for Sweden’s Mälmo Redhawks. The left-shot defender played 145 games for the Hurricanes, Kings, and Sharks, posting 24 points and a +1 rating, before returning to his home country in 2021. He landed back with Carolina, where he spent his last season under an NHL contract, on a two-way deal as a free agent this offseason.

The 5’11”, 181-lb defender was historically a solid two-way option in the minors and overseas. He had some upward mobility in an NHL lineup, once averaging as much as 19:09 per game in his lone season in Los Angeles in 2019-20. But his point production in the last two seasons in Sweden was underwhelming, and he’s likely an AHL option at this stage of his career. If he clears, he’ll get that chance with the Chicago Wolves, where he had two assists in four games back in 2020-21 while in the Hurricanes organization.

With his NHL experience, though, Ryan could be an option for a mid-season call-up if injuries decimate Carolina’s defense corps. He’ll be a UFA next summer and will earn a salary of $110K while in the minors.

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