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Training Camp Cuts: 9/28/24

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As we reach the midway point of the preseason for most teams, coaches will want to start paring down their rosters to work with more of the main group.  Accordingly, it could be a busy weekend for cuts.  We’ll keep track of today’s cuts here.

Updated: 5:45 PM CT

Calgary Flames (per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis)

F Parker Bell (to AHL Calgary)
F Lucas Ciona (to AHL Calgary)
F Jaden Lipinski (to AHL Calgary)
F William Stromgren (to AHL Calgary)
D Joni Jurmo (to AHL Calgary)
D Jeremie Poirier (to AHL Calgary)

Chicago Blackhawks (via NHL.com’s Tracey Myers)

G Benjamin Gaudreau (released from ATO to AHL Rockford)
F Gavin Hayes (to AHL Rockford)
D D.J. King (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Nick Lardis (to OHL Brantford)
F Paul Ludwinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Jalen Luypen (to AHL Rockford)
F Marcel Marcel (to AHL Rockford)
D Austin Strand (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

F Cam Butler (to AHL Cleveland)
G Pavel Cajan (released from PTO to AHL Cleveland)
D Corson Ceulemans (to AHL Cleveland)
D Cole Clayton (to AHL Cleveland)
D Samuel Knazko (to AHL Cleveland)
F Curtis Hall (released from PTO to AHL Cleveland)
G Zach Sawchenko (to AHL Cleveland)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

F Alex Belzile (to AHL Hartford)
D Ben Harpur (to AHL Hartford)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to AHL Hartford)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcements)

D Nikolas Brouillard (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Luke Henman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Niklas Kokko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jani Nyman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Lleyton Roed (to AHL Coachella Valley)

Utah Hockey Club (per team announcements)

F Miko Matikka (to AHL Tucson)
F Owen Allard (to AHL Tucson)
F Julian Lutz (to AHL Tucson)
F Noel Nordh (to AHL Tucson)
D Artem Duda (to AHL Tucson)
G Anson Thornton (to AHL Tucson)
G Jaxson Stauber (to AHL Tucson)
F Cole Beaudoin (to OHL Barrie)
D Terrell Goldsmith (to WHL Tri-City)
D Justin Kipkie (to WHL Victoria)

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

D Sawyer Mynio (to WHL Seattle)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)

D Jake Bischoff (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Braeden Bowman (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Brabenec (to AHL Henderson)
F Mathieu Cataford (to QMJHL Rimouski)
D Daniil Chayka (to AHL Henderson)
D Artur Cholach (to AHL Henderson)
D Joe Fleming (to AHL Henderson)
F Ben Hemmerling (to AHL Henderson)
D Brandon Hickey (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Bear Hughes (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Jett Jones (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
G Carl Lindbom (to AHL Henderson)
D Samuel Mayer (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Riley McKay (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Mitch McLain (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Simon Pinard (released from PTO to AHL Henderson)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to AHL Henderson)
G Isaiah Saville (to AHL Henderson)
F Sloan Stanick (released from ATO to AHL Henderson)
D Christoffer Sedoff (to AHL Henderson)
F Kai Uchacz (released from ATO to AHL Henderson)
G Jesper Vikman (to AHL Henderson)

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Islanders

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up is the Islanders.

New York Islanders

Current Cap Hit: $88,000,000 (at the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Maxim Tsyplakov (one year, $950K)

Potential Bonuses:
Tsyplakov: $1MM

The Isles beat out a long list of suitors to secure Tsyplakov’s services after a breakout year in the KHL that saw him score 31 goals.  He projects to play in the bottom six, however, meaning he shouldn’t have a goal total anywhere near there.  If Tsyplakov stays in that role, he likely won’t reach any of his ‘A’ bonuses either.  Worth noting is that he will be arbitration-eligible next summer even though he’s exiting his entry-level deal.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Samuel Bolduc ($800K, RFA)
D Noah Dobson ($4MM, RFA)
F Hudson Fasching ($775K, UFA)
F Simon Holmstrom ($850K, RFA)
F Brock Nelson ($6MM, UFA)
F Kyle Palmieri ($5MM, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Alexander Romanov ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Oliver Wahlstrom ($1MM, RFA)

Nelson has been somewhat of a late bloomer.  His last three seasons have been the best of his career, reaching at least 34 goals and 59 points in each of them.  If he can extend that streak to four, he could land a small increase, an outcome that didn’t seem likely early on in this deal.  Palmieri didn’t fare well over his first two seasons in New York but did return to form last season, matching his career-high in goals with 30.  He’ll need to stay around that level to have a chance to stay around this price tag as three seasons between 21 and 33 points before 2023-24 will hurt him in negotiations.

Wahlstrom struggled considerably last season, leading to speculation about his future with the team (which hasn’t really changed heading into this year).  Assuming he doesn’t take a big leap forward this season, he’s likely to stay around this price point and could be a non-tender candidate given his arbitration rights.  Holmstrom’s first full NHL season was a good one with 15 goals, including five on the penalty kill but took a bit less than his qualifying offer to secure a one-way salary.  A similar showing could get him closer to double that next summer.  Fasching has had a limited role over the past couple of seasons and is likely to stay in that spot in 2024-25 which means he should stay around the league minimum mark next summer.

When Dobson signed his current deal, it was a situation where the Islanders had more of the leverage.  That’s not the case anymore.  He showed that his breakout 2021-22 performance wasn’t a fluke and built on it last season, recording 70 points and logging more than 24 minutes a night.  Essentially, he performed like a true number one defender.  With arbitration rights this time around, Dobson gets the leverage in that if early talks don’t go well, he could file for arbitration where he’d make a very strong case for a substantial raise.  Assuming neither side wants it to get to that point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dobson’s camp pushing for $10MM or more on a long-term deal at this stage.

Romanov has emerged as a legitimate second-pairing option in his first two seasons with the Isles while producing a bit more offensively than he did with Montreal.  Like Dobson, he’s also now arbitration-eligible and if he puts up a similar performance this season, Romanov could land closer to $4.5MM on his next contract.

Reilly re-signed after playing a regular role following his early-season waiver claim.  What will hurt him in future talks is how much he has bounced around which will give some teams pause in free agency when it comes to offering him a contract.  Accordingly, there’s a good chance he sticks around this price tag on more short-term deals over the next little while.  Bolduc has been in the seventh defender role over the past two seasons and is likely to stay in that spot this season.  Arbitration rights could give him a small raise but with the raises coming to Dobson and Romanov, they might need to keep this salary slot at the minimum.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Anders Lee ($7MM, UFA)
F Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5MM, UFA)

Lee managed to reach the 20-goal mark for the seventh time in the last eight years last season but with just 37 points, that was his lowest full-season total since 2015-16.  Now 34, the captain is showing signs of slowing down which means the last couple of years of this deal could be an issue from a value perspective.  If that happens, his next deal will be closer to half of this amount.  The same can be said for Pageau who is a luxury they can no longer afford on the third line which is where he’s best utilized.  But with that type of playing time, he won’t put up the production to justify the price tag.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see New York try to move him at some point but that won’t be easy.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Casey Cizikas ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Kyle MacLean ($775K, UFA)
G Semyon Varlamov ($2.75MM, UFA)

Cizikas is halfway through a six-year deal, a term rarely given to a player his age who plays exclusively in the bottom six.  With an uptick in production the last two seasons, they’ve done alright with it so far but he’ll be 36 when this contract ends so things could change quickly.  His next contract, if there is one, should come in below that.  MacLean was a career minor leaguer until partway through last season.  This deal was a nice one for both sides in that it gives him some financial stability while New York gets a player at the minimum for a few seasons which they’ll need given the pricey contracts they have (and will soon be adding to).

Varlamov is still an above-average second goaltender and getting that at this price point is good.  What could be problematic down the road is that he’s already 36 with three years left on his contract.  But goalies can still be serviceable into their late 30s so there’s a chance that this deal will work out well for New York.

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Injury Updates: Karlsson, Boldy, Hakanpaa

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Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson won’t skate at all this weekend due to the upper-body injury that has kept him out of training camp so far, reports Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).  That’s actually a step in the wrong direction as the veteran had been skating on his own earlier in the week.  Head coach Mike Sullivan stated that the team will assess the plan for him early next week.  At this point, it’s starting to look like the 34-year-old might not be available for the season opener which would be tough for them.  While Karlsson wasn’t able to duplicate his 2022-23 season numbers with Pittsburgh last year, he still collected 56 points in 82 games while logging over 24 minutes a night which will be hard to replace, even on a short-term basis.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Wild winger Matt Boldy skated today for the first time since being injured last weekend, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Head coach John Hynes indicated that he anticipates that the 23-year-old should be able to get several full practices in before the regular season gets underway.  Boldy is coming off a career-best 69 points in 75 games last season and will be counted to play a similar role as Minnesota looks to get back to the playoffs in 2024-25.
  • The Maple Leafs hope to have blueliner Jani Hakanpaa skate with the main group next week, relays Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Toronto agreed to terms with the 32-year-old on the opening day of free agency but concerns over the state of his knee resulted in the agreement being cut to one year and getting registered more than two months later.  Thus far, Hakanpaa had been skating with the minor league group, bringing into question his availability for the start of the season.  If he’s able to get in some practices with the main squad and perhaps a preseason game, he could be cleared for opening night.

Brock Nelson Open To In-Season Extension Talks

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Many players across the league prefer not to engage in extension discussions when the regular season gets underway, wanting to solely focus on their on-ice performance and not the off-ice situation.  That doesn’t appear to be the case for Islanders center Brock Nelson, however, who indicated to reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post that he’s open to having in-season negotiations about a new deal.

The 32-year-old has become a much more impactful player offensively over the past three seasons.  Before then, his career bests were 26 goals and 54 points but since 2021-22, he has notched at least 34 goals and 59 points in each of the last three years.  Last season, Nelson had 34 goals and 35 assists while averaging a little over 18 minutes a night while adding two goals and two helpers in five postseason appearances.

There’s a case to be made that Nelson’s contract has become a team-friendly one as it stands to reason that if he was a free agent this summer coming off three straight 30-goal years, he could have landed more than his current $6MM price tag on a multi-year deal.

However, Sears suggests that the prudent move for the team at this point would be to hold off on those discussions for a while.  If the team falters and finds themselves in a selling position, they could be positioned to cash in nicely on Nelson who would quite likely be one of the top rental centers available (though there is a 16-team no-trade clause they’d need to contend with).  Meanwhile, given that a breakout this late in his career isn’t generally typical, it’s also prudent for the Isles to see if Nelson can continue at this rate of production or if he’ll start to slow down.

It should be noted that the Islanders already have nearly $66MM in commitments for next season on the books to only 13 players, per PuckPedia.  That’s not impossible to work around but another contract at or around Nelson’s current price tag would mean that a lot of those remaining spots would need to be filled by low-cost players.  And with Noah Dobson heading for a substantial raise on his current $4MM AAV and Alexander Romanov ($2.5MM) also heading for an increase, things could get very tight on their books very quickly even with a projected 5% increase in the salary cap.

With all that in mind, while Nelson would probably like to get a deal done sooner than later even if it comes in-season, that probably isn’t going to be happening for the foreseeable future.

Central Notes: Eremenko, Johnson, Shalunov

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The Predators had discussions with prospect defenseman Vladislav Eremenko this summer about bringing him to North America, the blueliner revealed in an interview with Sport-Express’ Mikhail Skyal.  The 25-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2018 but has played exclusively in the KHL since the 2019-20 campaign.  However, he requested and received a one-year deal from Metallurg to stay with the Gagarin Cup champions for this season.  Eremenko indicated that he wouldn’t rule out the idea of signing with Nashville for next season but would likely want a European Assignment Clause put in the deal so that he wouldn’t have to play in the minors.  If he does sign, he would be capped at a one-year, entry-level agreement.

More from the Central:

  • Wild forward Reese Johnson returned to practice yesterday after missing a few days with an upper-body injury, relays Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old signed a one-year deal with Minnesota this summer after being non-tendered by Chicago back in June.  He played in 42 games last season primarily on the fourth line, picking up five points while taking a regular turn on the penalty kill.  He’s likely to fill a similar role for Minnesota if he cracks their opening night lineup.
  • The Blackhawks have relinquished the rights to winger Max Shalunov, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). The 31-year-old was drafted back in 2011 but with there being no transfer agreement between the NHL and the Russian Hockey Federation, Chicago held his rights indefinitely.  Shalunov has elected to stay in the KHL since returning there for the 2014-15 season following a stint in Chicago’s farm system on a minor league deal.  He had 36 points in 68 games with Lokomotiv last season and GM Kyle Davidson decided that he didn’t intend to sign Shalunov so they elected to release his rights.

Morning Notes: Kadri, Kuznetsov, Hughes

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Calgary Flames Forward Nazem Kadri left yesterday’s practice with an apparent knee injury (as per Salim Nadim Valji of TSN). Kadri suffered the injury after a collision with teammate Blake Coleman and went to the locker room right away. No word yet on the severity of the injury to the 33-year-old but Kadri and Coleman did collide knee on knee. Flames head coach Ryan Huska commented after practice that the team got off lucky, so the news sounds encouraging.

Kadri is expected to be one of the Flames’ on-ice leaders this year as the team has entered a rebuild. He was one of Calgary’s most consistent contributors last season posting 29 goals and 46 assists in 82 games. The Flames reportedly listened to offers on Kadri this past summer but opted to keep the veteran with the Flames.

In other morning notes:

  • Former Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov was reportedly injured and will miss the next two months (KHL twitter link). Kuznetsov has dressed in nine KHL games this season for SKA St. Petersburg and posted a goal and four assists. Specific details about his injury are murky but the ailment is being called a serious one. Kuznetsov has been playing on the third line this year after mutually terminating the final year of his NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • Jack Hughes was a scratch last night for the New Jersey Devils after he was originally slated to play in their preseason game (as per James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now). Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe clarified the reason for the scratch post-game saying that Hughes experienced a Charley horse in the previous game, and the team opted to hold him out of the game before their trip to Prague. Hughes is expected to play when the team arrives overseas and did work yesterday with the second training camp group before getting the evening off to rest.

Penguins Notes: Puljujarvi, St. Ivany, McGroarty

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi appears to have the inside track on a third-line role with the team (as per Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now). Kingerski writes that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has slotted Puljujarvi on the team’s third line as the stock has risen considerably during an impressive training camp.

The former fourth overall pick is finally healthy this year after undergoing double hip surgery and a full summer of training has the 26-year-old dominating intrasquad scrimmages and preseason games. The Penguins badly need depth scoring this season as their top six forwards have carried the offense in the previous two years, resulting in them missing the playoffs in both seasons. Puljujarvi seemed destined for the AHL just a few weeks ago, but his emergence has potentially changed the roster dynamic for the Penguins as they head into the regular season.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Kingerski also wrote about Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany’s emergence on the Penguins bottom defensive pairing. St. Ivany was a steadying presence on the Penguins third pairing at the end of last season and his NHL arrival coincided with Pittsburgh going on an incredible stretch of hockey that nearly resulted in a playoff spot. This year the expectations on St. Ivany have been adjusted and the results look good so far. St. Ivany appears as though he will start the season in the NHL as his puck moving has improved and he has transitioned from a defensive defenseman to more of an all-around defender. St. Ivany has been noticeable for the Penguins and would be a bargain in the NHL as he is signed for three more seasons at just $775K annually.
  • Rutger McGroarty seemed likely to start the season on the Penguins NHL roster, but that could be in question as the regular season nears (as per Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now). McGroarty looks NHL-ready, and his hockey IQ is off the charts, but the knock on him continues to be his skating and work in the defensive zone. The 20-year-old is likely an NHL player already, but the Penguins will have to figure out if he can put up enough offense to compensate for his shortcomings in the defensive zone. Nothing is set in stone for the Penguins opening night lineup, but regardless of whether McGroarty is in it, he should see NHL time at some point this season.

East Notes: Pesce, Hatakka, Sogaard, Zub, Postponement

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Devils defenseman Brett Pesce still has not yet been cleared to play as he works his way back from offseason surgery, relays team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link).  New Jersey’s top free agent signing underwent fibula surgery to repair an injury sustained in the spring in the playoffs for Carolina.  Their game tonight was their final one before the main team travels to Prague this weekend for their upcoming Global Series games against Buffalo.  While New Jersey still has three preseason games remaining, those will be contested by their farm team and PTO players.  That means Pesce won’t have a chance to see any preseason action before the season gets underway unless they keep him off the road trip to start the season.

More from the East:

  • Stein also noted that blueliner Santeri Hatakka is dealing with something that has him classified as out longer than day-to-day but he is still being evaluated to determine the exact seriousness. The 23-year-old spent most of last season with AHL Utica where he had 20 points in 48 games but also got into 12 games with the Devils, collecting two assists in a little under 15 minutes a night.  Because of the NHL time last season, Hatakka will have a prorated cap charge relative to the percentage of days spent in New Jersey’s roster in 2023-24 if he starts the year on season-opening IR.  That would work out to roughly 15% of his $775K AAV.
  • Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard is dealing with a light strain which will keep him out for another week, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Sogaard is likely to begin the season as Ottawa’s third-string netminder but this will be his final year of waiver exemption.  Meanwhile, Garrioch adds that blueliner Artem Zub is expected to return in the coming days after suffering a lower-body injury earlier this week.
  • The Lightning announced that tonight’s game between them and the Predators was postponed with the region still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Instead of simply not playing the game, they will make it up on October 7th.  Nashville’s regular season doesn’t start until the 10th while Tampa Bay’s kicks off one day later so the late preseason matchup shouldn’t be an issue for either side.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up is New Jersey.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $87,023,897 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Luke Hughes (one year, $925K)
D Simon Nemec (two years, $918K)

Potential Bonuses
Hughes: $1.85MM
Nemec: $3.25MM
Total: $5.1MM

Hughes had a strong rookie season offensively, notching 47 points while maxing out his $850K of ‘A’ bonuses in the process.  Even with that being his only full season of experience, with the way young blueliners have been locked up lately, a max-term agreement could be coming his way, one that could run past $8MM.  However, an injury to start the season won’t help his cause.  Nemec, meanwhile, spent most of last season in New Jersey, acquitting himself well to the NHL.  He doesn’t have quite the offensive upside that Hughes does but he could be an all-situations player; that, coupled with his lofty draft status (second overall in 2022), could have him surpassing $8MM on his next contract if he progresses as expected.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

G Jake Allen ($1.925MM, UFA)*
F Nathan Bastian ($1.35MM, UFA)
D Nick DeSimone ($775K, UFA)
D Johnathan Kovacevic ($758K, UFA)
F Curtis Lazar ($1MM, UFA)
F Tomas Tatar ($1.8MM, UFA)

*-Montreal is retaining an additional $1.925MM on Allen’s contract.

Tatar returns to New Jersey after a particularly rough season between Colorado and Seattle but he’s only a year removed from putting up 48 points with the Devils.  It’s possible that he’s on the decline but it’s reasonable to think he’ll produce enough to warrant this price tag.  He hasn’t fared well lately in free agency so even if he rebounds, he probably won’t command a huge jump in salary.  Bastian is a capable fourth liner who showed some offensive upside in 2021-22 but will need to get back to that level if he wants to match this deal next summer let alone beat it.  Lazar is coming off a career year offensively which is an outlier relative to the rest of his career.  If he can repeat the 25 points he had, he could double this price point or even more.  However, if he goes more to his career averages, a small increase is about the best he could hope for.

DeSimone was a midseason waiver claim from Calgary and held his own in a depth role.  It’d be surprising to see him advance past that this season so he’s likely to stay around the minimum salary moving forward.  Kovacevic came over in a trade from Montreal over the summer after largely holding down a spot on the third pairing the last two years.  While a lot will depend on if he can play a regular role this season, the fact he’s a right-shot defender with some experience under his belt could give him a shot at doubling his current rate next summer.

Allen also was acquired from Montreal, this time back at the trade deadline where he stabilized things between the pipes down the stretch.  Stabilizing is a fitting description for what Allen’s best role is at this point of his career.  He can handle a starting workload for brief stretches but is best utilized in a platoon type of role or as a high-end backup which is where he’ll be this season.  The market for those types of netminders has flattened out somewhat in recent years, however, while the fact he’ll be 35 heading into 2025-26 will also hurt him.  It’s possible that he can get a two-year deal but a possible comparable might be the two-year, $5MM pact that Cam Talbot received from Detroit this summer.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Paul Cotter ($775K, RFA)
F Erik Haula ($3.15MM, UFA)
G Jacob Markstrom ($4.125MM, UFA)*

*-Calgary is retaining an additional $1.85MM on Markstrom’s contract.

Haula hasn’t been able to get back to the level of production he had when he started with Vegas in 2017-18 but he has settled in nicely over the last three seasons as someone who will play around a 15-goal, 40-point pace.  That price point for a center is solid value but he’ll also be 35 when this deal is up which could limit his shot at a raise in 2026.  Cotter was acquired from Vegas this summer as a way for the Devils to add some more grit to their lineup.  Part of the reason the price was relatively high (Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid) is the fact he’s signed for two more years at the league minimum.  Cotter could triple that or more on his next deal if he plays at a similar rate for the next two seasons.

It took a little longer than first expected to get Markstrom to New Jersey but they got the deal done before the draft.  He’s a solid starter although he’s also getting closer to the end of his career as he’s already 34.  Accordingly, even if the starting goalie market goes up (depending on what contracts Jeremy Swayman and Igor Shesterkin get), Markstrom is likelier to stay closer to his current price point if he can maintain his current level for two more seasons.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Brenden Dillon ($4MM, UFA)
F Nico Hischier ($7.25MM, UFA)
F Kurtis MacDermid ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Dawson Mercer ($4MM, RFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Ondrej Palat ($6MM, UFA)

At the time that Hischier’s contract was signed, he had just two seasons under his belt so there was certainly some risk to a max-term commitment at the time.  However, it has worked out rather well so far for the Devils as it is already below market value at the time he’s entering his prime years.  (The success of this contract provided a road map for other teams to take similar approaches with their top youngsters as well as these types of contracts are much more prevalent now.)  Hischier probably won’t produce enough to be viewed as a true number one center but his two-way game is strong enough that there will be teams that treat him as one.  Accordingly, between that and the fact he’ll hit free agency at 28, Hischier could command a double-digit AAV on his next contract.

Palat hasn’t been able to produce at the levels he did with Tampa Bay over his first two seasons with New Jersey with injuries being an issue at times as well.  Already 33, if he’s not able to turn things around, this is a deal that could be problematic for them as GM Tom Fitzgerald continues to try to add to his roster.  Mercer was all but guaranteed to land a bridge contract given New Jersey’s current cap situation but the fact they got a third season at that price point will help.  However, it takes him to within a year of UFA eligibility so it’s not without its risk.  Mercer will be owed a $4.25MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights and if he can get back to his 2022-23 production (56 points), he could add a few million per year to that number.

Noesen proved to be quite a bargain for Carolina for the last two seasons, recording 36 and 37 points for a cap hit below the league minimum.  That helped earn him this deal, well above the six-figure price tags he was accustomed to getting.  Is this his new baseline performance?  He’ll need it to be if he is going to stay around this price moving forward.  MacDermid signed this deal back in May to avoid free agency.  It’s a reasonable price tag for an enforcer and falls within the range of some of the more established options.  It’s also fully buriable in the minors if they decide a tough guy is something they can no longer afford to carry.

Dillon was part of the defensive makeover this summer, coming over from Winnipeg.  This will be seasons 11 through 13 that he makes more than $3MM with this price tag being the highest.  He’ll be 36 when he tests the market again and if he’s still a fourth or fifth blueliner at that time, that streak could be extended though potentially on a year-to-year basis moving forward.

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Snapshots: Hall, Saad, Fasching

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Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier today that Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall did not practice with the team as he was taking a maintenance day. Hall previously skated in 15:14 of Chicago’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday and earned a -2 rating with one shot on goal, four giveaways, and one takeaway.

Pope did not elaborate in the report whether Hall was dealing with any minor injuries or ailments from the game on Wednesday. The Blackhawks will surely be playing it safe concerning Hall’s training camp and preseason given his injury track record over the last two seasons.

The former MVP only suited up in 61 games for the Boston Bruins in the 2022-23 NHL season scoring 16 goals and 36 points. The 20-game loss from two years ago was nothing compared to last season as Hall only managed 10 games for the Blackhawks before losing the entire season to a knee injury requiring surgery. Chicago and Hall will be looking for a clean bill of health from the 2010 first-overall pick as the organization hopes to be more competitive this season.

Other snapshots:

  • St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad may be unable to start the regular season on time as he and his wife are expecting their third child in the coming days. Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that if Saad doesn’t start the season on time the Blues will fill the temporary opening with prospect Zachary Bolduc (Subscription Article). St. Louis has been utilizing Bolduc in a top-six role early this preseason and it may give him an offensive jolt early in the season after only mustering five goals and nine points in 25 games for the Blues last season.
  • The New York Islanders will be without depth forward Hudson Fasching for the next couple of days as Andrew Gross of Newsday reports he is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. This confirms Fasching will not be in the lineup for the Islanders tonight as they take on division-rival New Jersey Devils in a preseason contest. Fasching has only been in one preseason game up to this point tallying one assist in 14:30 of ice time in the Islanders’ loss against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

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