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Blackhawks Sign Brett Seney To Two-Way Extension

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The Blackhawks are bringing depth forward Brett Seney back next season on a two-way extension, the team announced Monday. The deal carries the league-minimum salary of $775K at the NHL level, while his AHL salary will be $500K with a $525K guarantee, PuckPedia reports.

Seney, 28, signs his third straight one-year deal with Chicago. He first joined the organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, inking a two-way deal with a $475K guarantee after posting a career-high 59 points in 62 games with AHL Toronto the year prior.

The diminutive yet versatile forward has just one goal in 11 NHL games with Chicago over the past two years but has remained exceptional in the minors. In 127 games with AHL Rockford, he’s posted 46 goals and 117 points and led the club in scoring this season while serving as an alternate captain.

He’ll remain a short-term call-up option if injuries strike, but his value to the organization is felt much more as a capable offensive threat to play with their younger, developing talents in Rockford. He was slated to become a UFA this summer after completing a two-way extension with a $500K guarantee that he signed in March of last year.

Seney will again be eligible for unrestricted free agency when his new extension expires in 2025. After signing as an undrafted free agent with the Devils in 2018, the 5’9″ forward has accumulated six goals, 14 points and a -17 rating in 66 appearances with Chicago, New Jersey and Toronto.

Kings “Likely” To Remove Interim Tag From Jim Hiller

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Kings interim head coach Jim Hiller is the “overwhelming favorite” to fill their vacancy behind the bench, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast (audio link).

The Kings went 21-12-1 (.632) with Hiller at the helm after the All-Star break but were dispatched quickly by the Oilers in five games in the first round. Hiller took over on an interim basis for Todd McLellan, who L.A. fired after four and a half seasons amid a 4-8-6 post-Christmas stretch.

It would be the 55-year-old’s first shot as a full-time NHL head coach. The former Kings, Rangers and Red Wings right wing had a short-lived NHL career as a player in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, accumulating eight goals and 20 points in 63 games across the three franchises.

Hiller suited up in the minor leagues and overseas until retiring in 2002, entering the major junior ranks as an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City Americans the following season. He became their head coach in 2006 after a brief detour with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs, a role he held before departing for an NHL assistant job with the Red Wings in 2014.

He spent one season in Detroit and the next seven years in assistant roles for the Maple Leafs and Islanders before joining L.A. ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. After 10 years of service as an assistant, he’ll likely land his first head coaching gig in the majors.

The Kings controlled possession above average under Hiller, logging 51.8% of shot attempts at even strength. It was considerably lower than the 56.0 CF% they had to start the season under McLellan, though. In fact, a 51.8 CF% over a full season would be the Kings’ worst since the 2020-21 campaign, when they missed the playoffs with a 21-28-7 record in the COVID-shortened season.

Los Angeles moving to retain Hiller would leave the Devils, Sharks, Kraken and Jets as the four remaining vacancies league-wide.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Canucks’ Brock Boeser Out With Blood Clotting Issue, Likely Out For Season

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May 20: Boeser’s blood clotting issue is in his leg and is expected to sideline him for the rest of the playoffs no matter how far the Canucks advance, Daily Faceoff”s Frank Seravalli reports Monday. He’s been placed on medication to address the clot.

May 19: The Canucks will be without top-six winger Brock Boeser for Monday’s Game 7 against the Oilers, per freelance reporter Irfaan Gaffar. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds it’s a non-life-threatening blood clotting issue sidelining Boeser, who could miss more time if Vancouver advances to the Western Conference Final.

The timing of this news couldn’t be any worse for Boeser and Vancouver as they head into the seventh and deciding game of their series against Edmonton on Monday night.  The 27-year-old has been one of Vancouver’s top threats this postseason, collecting seven goals and five assists in 12 games.  He leads the team in playoff goals and is tied with J.T. Miller for the lead in points with 12 while logging more than 20 minutes a night on their top line.  Those numbers come on the heels of his best regular season, one that saw him set career-highs in goals (40) and points (73).

Among the options to take Boeser’s spot will be Ilya Mikheyev if he’s ready to return from an undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the last two games, Sam Lafferty, who has been scratched the last two games after a tough start to the playoffs, or Linus Karlsson, who was among their Black Ace recalls earlier this month and has gotten into a pair of games so far.  Head coach Rick Tocchet suggested earlier this week that he might be comfortable using top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki as well although that would certainly be a risky move to give a youngster his NHL debut in an elimination game.  None of those players will be able to step into the role that Boeser filled so Tocchet will have to juggle his lines to see if he can find the right combination to pick up a win without one of their top forwards.

Bruins Unlikely To Retain Pending UFA Defensemen

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The Bruins’ elimination in six games at the hands of the Panthers in the second round can hardly be called surprising. Much like last season, although to a lesser degree, the team overperformed in the standings on the backs of goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, who again both finished in the top 10 of the league-wide goals saved above expected leaderboard. A lack of game-breaking offense outside of captain Brad Marchand and winger David Pastrňák meant they scored just seven goals in Games 2 through 6 against Florida, making it five straight playoff appearances without multiple series wins.

Now, attention turns toward general manager Don Sweeney and how he may tinker with the retooling roster to extend their playoff window. To that end, he’s likely to let their trio of pending unrestricted free agent defensemen in Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk hit the open market on July 1, writes The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

All three players are wrapping up seven-figure cap hit deals, but none were regulars in this postseason. Forbort returned from a lengthy undisclosed injury midway through the first round against the Maple Leafs but was scratched for six out of Boston’s final nine playoff games after being recalled from a conditioning stint to AHL Providence and activated from long-term injured reserve.

Grzelcyk last played in Game 5 against Toronto and was scratched for seven straight to end the season, while Shattenkirk saw the most playoff action of the threesome with six appearances, all against Toronto. Like Grzelcyk, he was scratched for the entirety of the Florida series.

Other pending UFA Bruins unlikely to receive an extension include veteran winger James van Riemsdyk, Shinzawa said. Wingers Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Pat Maroon all earned a slightly more favorable “maybe” chance of returning compared to the others’ “very low.”

The willingness to part ways with all three is a strong sign that Boston expects Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon to be everyday players in 2024-25. Lohrei, 23, is likely slated for top-four duties and could replace the role that Grzelcyk held alongside Charlie McAvoy for much of the last few seasons. The 2020 second-round pick is the organization’s top developing defenseman and impressed in his rookie season, notching 13 points in 41 games with a -2 rating. He didn’t look out of place in playoff action, either, with four points in 11 games while seeing his average ice time creep north of 17 minutes.

Wotherspoon, meanwhile, also played a larger-than-expected role in the regular season after being signed for AHL depth last summer. The 26-year-old had strong possession metrics (47.0 CF%, 52.3 xGF% at even strength) while adding eight assists in 41 contests, proving he can comfortably shoulder everyday bottom-pairing usage. The acquisition of Andrew Peeke from the Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, who has two seasons remaining on his contract at a $2.75MM cap hit, also filled out a guaranteed spot on next year’s blue line.

As such, don’t expect many moves from Sweeney to alter his group of defensemen. That leaves Boston with a decently comfortable $20.9MM in cap space this summer to re-sign pending restricted free agents Swayman and Jesper Boqvist, per CapFriendly. They’ll use the remainder to fill out three to four forward spots and find a cheap deal for a seventh defenseman. Opting to trade Ullmark (one season left at a $5MM cap hit) for a cheaper complement to Swayman longer-term could allow Boston to make a greater splash on the UFA forward market as well.

Five Key Stories: 5/13/24 – 5/19/24

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We’re now down to five teams still playing in the playoffs, a number that will drop to four on Monday.  Meanwhile, it was a busy week off the ice; the biggest news is recapped in our key stories.

Jets To Explore Ehlers Trade: Despite a promising regular season, the Jets were ousted quickly in the playoffs once again last month.  They’ll be making a coaching change for 2024-25 but it appears they’ll also look at shaking up their roster following a report that they’ll look into a possible Nikolaj Ehlers trade this summer.  The 28-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with Winnipeg and is coming off one of his better offensive seasons, collecting 25 goals and a career-high 36 assists in 82 games.  However, he was quiet once again in the playoffs, notching only a pair of helpers in their five-game loss.  Ehlers has one year left on his contract with an affordable $6MM price tag so if the Jets opt to make a move, they should have considerable interest.  Speaking of veterans not returning, it appears that veteran blueliner Brenden Dillon will not be retained as well.

Islanders Land Tsyplakov: The top international free agent in this year’s class was winger Maxim Tsyplakov, a player who had interest from more than a dozen teams over the last few months.  Capped at signing a one-year, entry-level deal, it came down to who the 25-year-old felt would be the best fit.  That turned out to be the Islanders, who inked Tsyplakov.  He had a breakout showing in the KHL this season, notching 31 goals, fourth-best in the league.  For context, his previous benchmark for points was 25.  Standing 6’3, Tsyplakov can also play center and should push for a full-time roster spot with New York next season.

Nichushkin Re-Enters Player Assistance Program: Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin was off to a terrific start to his playoffs with nine goals in eight games but his postseason certainly ended abruptly.  The NHL and NHLPA jointly announced that the 29-year-old has been placed in Stage Three of the Player Assistance Program which carries a minimum of a six-month suspension without pay.  Once he is cleared, he will be eligible to apply for reinstatement.  Nichushkin was away from the team earlier in the season when he was in the second stage of the program; placement in Stage Three means that there was a violation of the treatment plan that was put in place for Nichushkin.  He has six years left on his contract heading into next season at a $6.125MM cap space; he will not count against the salary cap while in the program.

Berube To Toronto: Once the Maple Leafs decided to part ways with Sheldon Keefe, Craig Berube became the speculative favorite to replace him.  That was indeed what happened as the team hired him as the 41st coach in franchise history, signing him to a four-year contract.  This will be Berube’s third time running an NHL bench after spending two years in Philadelphia and parts of the last six with St. Louis before being let go early in the year.  He’ll now be tasked with figuring out how to get a team that has had plenty of regular season success over the proverbial playoff hump as while they’ve made the playoffs eight years in a row, they’ve only won a single series in that span.

Sticking Around: Things weren’t looking good at one point for Rod Brind’Amour to sign an extension in Carolina but the two sides were able to work something out after all as the team has agreed to terms on a multi-year deal (reported to be five seasons) to keep him behind the bench for the long haul.  Brind’Amour has spent the last six years coaching the Hurricanes with the team posting a .664 points percentage under his tutelage.  Carolina has also won a playoff round in each of those years but has played to a 38-36 postseason record.  Despite that, had he been made available, several teams almost certainly would have made a run at trying to sign him.  As part of the agreement, his assistants also received multi-year extensions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PHR Mailbag: Unrestricted Free Agency, Predators, Saros, Flyers, Top Pick, International Leagues

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the year that was for Nashville, what the Flyers could look to do this summer, and more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our past two mailbag columns.

SkidRowe: Given this year’s group of UFAs, who would you sign if you only have $11MM to spend and you need a top-six forward and a left shot defenseman?

This is a question that can have a lot of different answers based on team needs.  Is there a need for an impactful top-four left-shot blueliner which could cost half of that amount or more or do they only need a depth piece, freeing up more money for the forward?  Does that team need a center more than a winger?  As a result, I could come up with a lot of viable answers depending on those needs.  But let’s focus on a couple of scenarios.

If my team has a couple of top-four left-shot options already and I’m looking to go a bit cheaper on the blueline and spend more up front, I’m targeting Oliver Kylington.  He had 31 points in 2021-22, his last full NHL season.  He was more limited this year after returning so a cut from his $2.5MM is certainly possible, especially if it’s a short-term deal.  At 27 (as of today) and with his last full season being a good one, I think he’s going to be one of the better low-cost upside plays, giving me lots of room to spend on the forward.  Failing that, if that team wants some extra firepower, I’d kick the tires on Erik Gustafsson, a player who produces some points but causes enough goals the other way to keep his price tag low.

What’s left after signing Kylington should be enough to shop towards the upper tier of the market.  We’re not in Sam Reinhart territory but if Kylington comes in around $2MM, that should be enough for Jake Guentzel or Steven Stamkos should he not come to terms with Tampa Bay.  The back end of Guentzel’s deal might be iffy – long-term agreements like that often are – but it’d be hard to pass up a shot at an impact scorer.

Now, if the team needs a top-four guy, things change.  It’s not a great market for impactful left-shot blueliners.  There’s Brady Skjei and well, that’s about it.  Shayne Gostisbehere scores enough to be a top-four guy but if you’re looking for a 20-minute-plus minutes-eater, he’s not that player.  Among lefties, only Skjei is.  That will push his price tag past the $6MM mark, potentially closer to $7MM if there winds up being a big market for his services.

That means I don’t have much left up front so I need to get creative and shoot for some upside.  Chandler Stephenson could be nice but it’s iffy that there’s enough left for him.  What does the medical testing about Patrick Kane say?  If the team doctors say he’s likely to hold up, would a multi-year deal for what’s left represent enough of a commitment?  Would a one-year deal for what’s left with some incentives (which can be applied if needed on the 2025-26 books) do it?  Sean Monahan might also fit in this price range as some teams will be scared off with his injury history.  If I need to pay up to get Skjei, I might need to get creative to try to get an impact top-six forward as well.

GBear: What was the point of the Preds 2023/24 season? They’ll once again pick outside the top 20 in the draft and got booted in the first round of the playoffs again, being led mostly by veteran-age players. Aren’t they just doing what they always have in the past despite saying they didn’t want to be in the mushy middle any longer?

It’s definitely a fair question to ask.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t see Nashville as a playoff team heading into the season.  I thought this was going to be a culture-setting season with a new front office, a new coach, and new leaders.  They’d set the tone and foundation to move forward from and if they made the playoffs, that was just an added bonus.  I wouldn’t be shocked if management sees it this way as well.

But you’re absolutely right in saying that they basically wound up where they’d been before when all is said and done.  They’re not really closer to necessarily contending, nor are they going to be able to bring in a top prospect based on where they’re drafting.  Framed that way, yeah, it was a bit of a ‘tires spinning in the mud’ type of year.

If you’re looking for a positive takeaway from this season, it might be this – the floor of the roster is better than most anticipated.  Nashville has ample cap space this summer to go out and try to add a couple of impact players.  If they hand the starting job to Yaroslav Askarov and move Juuse Saros (more on that idea shortly), they might even have enough for a third impact piece.  Add that to the floor this group showed and that could be enough to create a group that could have some damage although being in a division with Dallas, Colorado, and Winnipeg certainly doesn’t help things.

tigers22 2: What package of picks and players would the Red Wings need to give up to get Saros?

There are some teams where acquiring and extending Saros makes a lot of sense.  I’m not sure Detroit is one of them.  Sebastian Cossa is viewed as their goalie of the future and there’s little reason to assume they’re starting to second-guess that.  He’s a couple of years away but that’s perfectly fine for a 21-year-old.  But if he’s their guy moving forward, extending Saros on a long-term deal at a cap hit over $8MM is going to block Cossa.  And as their young core group gets more expensive (Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are up for pricey deals this summer), if they can avoid another pricey long-term pact, it’ll give them more flexibility moving forward.

However, adding Saros as a rental player for next season does make some sense for them.  Detroit is at the point where they need to start getting their core group some playoff experience.  We think back to the long playoff streak they had but they haven’t made it once since then; they’ve missed eight years in a row.  Something has to give sooner than later and GM Steve Yzerman knows it.  With goaltending being a big issue, perhaps getting Saros in to shore that up would be enough to get them back into the postseason.  From there, then they can get a better sense of what they’re going to need moving forward.  Even as a short-term addition, I think that’s worthwhile.

As for the cost, the Preds were believed to have a very high asking price to move him at the trade deadline.  With the other goalies that could be in play, I think they’re going to have to lower that.  And if Detroit doesn’t want to sign Saros to an extension as part of the deal, that should lower the price tag as well.

Let’s get the easy part out of the way and say that Ville Husso ($4.5MM for next season) needs to go the other way to match money.  I could see Nashville being more interested in players than picks, however.  I could see Michael Rasmussen being someone they ask for, a middle-six forward with some control.  I also think they’d ask for a young blueliner although if they were to get Rasmussen, they wouldn’t be able to ask for a top youngster.  But William Wallinder, an early second-round pick back in 2020, might be someone they want.  He’s still a year or two away but that’s better than a junior-aged prospect or draft pick that’d even be farther away.

If Linus Ullmark, Jacob Markstrom, and even John Gibson are all on the block this summer, it’s going to make it hard for the Preds to get a first-round pick and another key piece or two.  A package like this, one that gives them some pieces that would help now (especially if Husso can get back to the level he was with St. Louis) and down the road, might be enough to get Saros as a pure rental.  But if several teams want to acquire and extend him, the asking price might get out of Detroit’s range.

Emoney123: With Fedotov and Ersson set in goal, what happens to Hart [RFA]? Who should the Flyers add with Michkov to mentor/develop into a scorer and playoff team?

With Carter Hart being a restricted free agent, the Flyers would have to issue him a $4.479MM qualifying offer to retain his rights.  He’s a year away from UFA eligibility which is particularly noteworthy considering it doesn’t sound like the court case will be held anytime soon.  Even if the offer was issued to retain his rights, chances are he’d be an unrestricted free agent by the time he potentially becomes eligible to play again depending on how the case plays out.  With that in mind, there’s no real benefit to tendering him so chances are he’ll go unqualified next month.

I touched on this a bit in Friday’s mailbag but are the Flyers at the point where they can say the rebuild is over and it’s time to add pieces to get into the playoffs?  This is a team that went into last year with a roster that looked nowhere near playoff-caliber and then, while in a playoff spot, sold.  After collapsing down the stretch, is that going to be the trigger point to say it’s time to go for it?  I don’t think so; they’re not there yet even with how the season went.  So I’m not sure they’re going to be too active in terms of trying to add pieces to become a playoff team.

If they can get Matvei Michkov over early (and it looks like this could happen), the idea of a mentor makes some sense in theory but I have to admit, finding the right fit is harder than I thought.  I don’t think the Flyers are going to be shopping at the top end of the free agent pool which takes some of the more prominent names off the table.

Vladimir Tarasenko stands out as a fit among the secondary pieces, however.  As an offensive player, he had to become a better defensive player in recent years which should help under a coach like John Tortorella.  Meanwhile, the Senators liked his off-ice value in a younger room before moving him at the trade deadline so he could have that same type of benefit for his fellow countryman.  After free agency didn’t go well last time around, a multi-year commitment at a small raise from the $5MM he made this year might get it done which is a price tag they can afford by going into LTIR.  I’d go with him as a veteran to try to add to work with Michkov.

Unclemike1526: Any chance the Hawks can move from 2 to 1? Thanks.

San Jose has already made it clear that they intend to take Macklin Celebrini, someone who they quite likely view as a foundational piece.  More importantly, he’s a foundational center, allowing them to have a strong future one-two punch with him and Will Smith down the middle.  Given how hard it is to find a middleman with that type of value, that makes it a lot harder for the Sharks to move that pick.  They’d want a foundational center in return.  The Blackhawks have one but it’s safe to say they’re not moving him.

Chicago can make a compelling offer to San Jose, certainly more compelling than probably any other team can.  If they offered up the second pick and, say, Frank Nazar, that’s a pretty solid offer.  But I don’t see Sharks GM Mike Grier biting at it and it won’t be a matter of adding extra lesser pieces to make the difference.  When you have a chance to get a franchise fixture down the middle, it’s almost impossible to pass up.

PyramidHeadcrab: It’s generally suggested that the KHL is the second-best professional hockey league in the world, but how competitive would a complete KHL team be if they were to compete in the NHL?

Additionally: How do the major European leagues (KHL, SHL, Liiga, German Elite League, etc.) compare to the North American pro game? Are they more on par with the AHL? ECHL?

And if we really wanna get spicy… What level would pro leagues in countries like Australia, Japan, and United Kingdom be comparable to?

While the reputation of the KHL has been that it’s the second-best league, I don’t think that’s the case anymore as there has been a drop-off in talent in recent years.  To answer your first question, I don’t think the typical KHL team would have much success at all in the NHL.  Even if you look at the roster and stats of the reigning champions Metallurg Magnitogorsk, I don’t see that franchise giving many teams a run for their money most nights.  They’d win some games, sure, but they’d probably be a strong candidate for the top spot in the draft lottery.

I’d have the SHL as the second-best league out there now by a narrow margin.  But again, those teams wouldn’t put up much of a fight against a typical NHL squad.  Now, against an average AHL squad, now we’re talking.  Teams from that league, or the KHL, or even Liiga I think would hold their own.  Maybe some Swiss teams as well as that league has picked up in terms of competitiveness lately.  Meanwhile, for the DEL and ICEHL (Germany and Austria), they’re not quite at that level so I suppose they’d be closer to the ECHL and even that might be a little generous.

As a random aside, back in 2013, AHL Rochester was invited to participate in the Spengler Cup, an international tournament featuring some club teams from various leagues.  The Amerks didn’t fare well (going 0-3) in that event and an AHL squad hasn’t been invited back since.  Having said that, they certainly weren’t at their best due to injuries and recalls but that’s about the only semi-recent basis for comparison that I can think of.

As for the lower-level leagues, I’m not even sure I could come up with a guess.  I can’t sit here and say I’ve seen enough (or anything) from some of those levels to even attempt to come up with a reasonable comparison.  Your guess would be as good as mine.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Chytil, Fast, Jarventie

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It appears that Blake Wheeler won’t be the only Rangers forward who will be able to return from the sidelines for the Eastern Conference Final.  Center Filip Chytil told reporters including Lohud’s Vince Z. Mercogliano that he wants to suit up against Florida although he stopped short of pronouncing himself at 100%.  Chytil missed more than six months working back from a suspected concussion and subsequent setbacks and was able to return to the lineup for the third game last round against Carolina.  However, he missed the following game due to illness (believed to be a bug going around the room, not a recurrence of concussion-like symptoms) and didn’t suit up in the final two contests.  If healthy, Chytil would give New York another threat offensively but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team be extra cautious with the 24-year-old for the rest of the playoffs.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast missed the entire postseason due to a neck injury and it appears the extent of it is still unknown. Speaking at his exit interview with reporters including team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link), the 32-year-old was still in a neck brace and indicated that he’s still undergoing tests to determine exactly what happened.  Fast had 19 points in 73 games during the regular season and will be entering the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a $2.4MM cap hit.
  • Penguins prospect Emil Jarventie has signed a one-year deal with Tappara in Finland’s Liiga, per a team announcement. The 19-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Pittsburgh last year, going 217th overall.  Jarventie, whose brother Roby plays in Ottawa’s system, spent this season primarily at the second-tier Mestis level with Koovee, picking up nine goals and 12 assists.  Pittsburgh has until June 1st, 2027, to sign him to an NHL deal so they can afford to be patient with Jarventie’s development for a while.

Blake Wheeler Cleared To Return For Eastern Conference Final

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Rangers veteran forward Blake Wheeler is medically cleared to play and could return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers on Wednesday, he confirmed to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski today.

Wheeler, 37, was activated from long-term injured reserve late last week. He hasn’t played since February 15, when he sustained an apparent right leg injury on a hit from Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble that caused him to fall awkwardly against the boards.

The 1,172-game veteran was having a decent season in a depth role after signing a one-year, $1.1MM deal with the Rangers in free agency. Wheeler, who had spent parts of 13 seasons with the Jets/Thrashers franchise, was stripped of the captaincy in Winnipeg before the 2022-23 season and was bought out following the campaign. He had one season left at an $8.25MM cap hit at the time.

His 0.39 points per game (nine goals, 21 points in 54 contests) were the lowest of his 16-year career. He also averaged a career-low 12:43 per game, playing an expectedly reduced role with corresponding lower production. Once one of the league’s premier playmakers, Wheeler’s poor defensive impacts over the past few years were slowly drawing widespread attention, leading most to believe Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette was better off giving top-six minutes to the younger Alexis Lafrenière.

The lengthy absences of Wheeler and center Filip Chytil (concussion) directly influenced general manager Chris Drury’s trade deadline strategy. In essence, he replaced their roles directly by acquiring two-way center Alexander Wennberg from the Kraken and mobile top-nine forward Jack Roslovic from the Blue Jackets. Roslovic has stepped into a second-line role alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad in the postseason, producing well with two goals and seven points in 10 games.

If Wheeler returns for Game 1 at home, it would likely be in a fourth-line role at right wing, replacing minor-league veteran Jonny Brodzinski. Brodzinski, 31, has been scratched for eight of the Rangers’ 10 playoff games through two rounds and has averaged only 8:47 per game when in the lineup.

Offseason Checklist: New Jersey Devils

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The offseason has arrived for three-quarters of the NHL for teams that either missed the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at New Jersey.

Virtually nothing went right in 2023-24 for the Devils. After smashing down the doors of the rebuild and breaking out for 112 points last season, most expected the squad to stay in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference and potentially even contend for the Presidents’ Trophy.

Instead, an early season-ending injury to top defenseman Dougie Hamilton and sieve-like goaltending meant they never got very far away from the .500 mark, missing the playoffs entirely with just 81 points. With an unknown head coach stepping in next season to replace the fired Lindy Ruff and a goaltending rotation that’s guaranteed to look different, playoffs will be the expectation again in the Garden State.

Fill The Coaching Vacancy

The Devils’ mediocre showing cost Ruff his job before they were completely out of the playoff picture, as he was fired the week of the trade deadline after a 30-27-4 showing through 61 games. General manager Tom Fitzgerald’s deadline moves and interim promotion of Travis Green to head coach backfired, as the team limped to an 8-12-1 finish for their fifth sub-.500 season in the last six years.

At the time of writing, assistant coaches Sergei Brylin, Ryan McGill and Chris Taylor look to be back with the club next season. That just leaves their head coaching add, something that will likely be confirmed in a matter of days.

Recent reporting indicates ex-Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe and former Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft are the two most likely candidates, especially after Craig Berube replaced Keefe in Toronto on Friday and the Hurricanes locked in pending free agent Rod Brind’Amour to a five-year extension. Todd McLellan, who was fired midseason by the Kings, has also interviewed with New Jersey.

In fact, most expected the Devils to have made their move by now. Keefe and Woodcroft don’t appear to be the favorites for any other open jobs, though, so their sense of urgency has likely dwindled a tad.

Make The Goalie Splash

Fitzgerald’s goaltending upgrades at the trade deadline were underwhelming, adding journeyman Jake Allen and the inconsistent Kaapo Kähkönen while parting ways with Vítek Vaněček, who was serviceable in a tandem role last year but struggled with a .890 SV% in 32 appearances this season.

That wasn’t necessarily his intention, though. There was quite a lot of smoke around a move for Flames star Jacob Markström, and talks got so advanced he reportedly waived his no-move clause to accept the deal. It didn’t get across the finish line, but talks are expected to resume closer to the draft next month.

Markström’s 23-23-2 record this season wasn’t particularly impressive, but he managed to churn out another above-average season despite missing significant chunks of the campaign with injuries. His 13.7 goals saved above expected were ninth league-wide, per MoneyPuck. He’s not a terribly long-term solution, though – he’s already 34 and has two seasons left at a $6MM cap hit before becoming a free agent again.

There will be other bonafide starters available for the right price. The Bruins may move on from 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark in order to re-sign the younger Jeremy Swayman, but he has a modified no-trade clause and has expressed his desire to stay in Beantown as he enters the final season of his contract. Predators starter Juuse Saros may also be on the block with one year left on his deal, with top prospect Yaroslav Askarov waiting in the wings.

Add/Replace Depth Scoring

New Jersey doesn’t have a lot of free-agent turnover. Among forwards who logged NHL time this year, only Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney are slated to become UFAs on July 1. Kurtis MacDermid and Maxwell Willman were set to join them but have signed extensions in the past few days.

That leaves a clear picture of the Devils’ roster needs, which includes a hole in their top nine. Whether 2020 top-10 pick Alexander Holtz can take a step forward under a new head coach will be a hot topic, and energy winger Curtis Lazar is currently penciled in for a third-line role before taking injuries into account. 22-year-old Dawson Mercer is a sure bet to bounce back after being limited to 33 points in 82 games last year, but as it stands, there are just a few too many question marks across the board for a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run.

A big-ticket add isn’t a need – that money should and will be reserved for goaltending. But a consistent middle-six winger to bump Lazar to a fourth-line role and provide insurance if Holtz continues to struggle is a clear vacancy on their depth chart. Someone in the $3MM-$4MM range annually should do the trick. Anthony Duclair, Warren Foegele and Jack Roslovic are just a handful of names that could likely be had for that price on the open market.

Extend Hughes

2021 fourth-overall pick Luke Hughes earned a Calder Trophy nomination this year by stepping up in a big way to fill the offensive vacancy left by Hamilton’s pectoral injury, leading the Devils blue line with 47 points in 82 games. He’s also eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1 as he enters the final season of his entry-level pact.

The Devils didn’t opt to get his older brother Jack signed immediately after becoming eligible, but they did sign him just a few weeks into the 2021-22 campaign, the final season of his ELC. The eight-year, $64MM commitment seemed a tad rich at the time for a player who had struggled with injuries to begin his career and had yet to establish himself as a first-line caliber player, but he’s immediately made the deal look like a bargain with three straight seasons well over a point per game.

If Fitzgerald opts to take a similar path with Luke, expect a matching deal or something close to it. Evolving Hockey projects the defender’s extension to come in at eight years with a $7.979MM cap hit.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bruins Notes: DeBrusk, Pastrnak, Grzelcyk, Maroon

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Pending free agent Jake DeBrusk didn’t speak much to his future with the Boston Bruins during exit interviews, except to tell Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that he thought an extension would have been done by now (Twitter link). DeBrusk, who’s been entrenched in rumors for years, added that he’s still hopeful a new deal in Boston can get done.

DeBrusk is set for free agency once again, with his last move to the open market being halted by a two-year, $8MM contract extension signed in March of 2022. He’s performed well on the ‘prove it’ contract, recording 50 and 40 points – and 27 and 19 goals – in the last two seasons respectively. The performances continued the potential DeBrusk showed in the 2021-22 season, when he managed 25 goals and 42 points in 77 games. He’s become a role player, capable of putting up strong goal-scoring from the middle of the lineup. And in case Boston had any remaining hesitations, DeBrusk made sure to finish his contract with a stellar postseason performance – posting 11 points through 13 games, stepping up in the absence of team captain Brad Marchand.

Boston is entering the off-season with 10 pending free agents, including starter Jeremy Swayman, who expressed interest in a long-term deal during closeout interviews. That deal, DeBrusk’s signing, and the wealth of depth options Boston will mull through could quickly eat up their $20.1MM in cap space.

Other notes out of Boston:

  • Bruins forward David Pastrnak spent the season battling with recurring groin injuries, shares Shinzawa (Twitter link). And while persistent, the injuries can’t be bugging the Czech star too much, as he’s expected to join Team Czechia at the World Championships alongside Bruins teammate Pavel Zacha. Pastrnak continued to thrive in his starring role, posting 47 goals and 110 points while appearing in all 82 games. It was the fourth season where he’s scored 40-or-more goals in the last five years, though it was also a notable step back from his 61 goals last season. He’ll look to return to the conversation of historical goal-scoring when he’s back to full health next season.
  • Speaking of injuries, it was revealed that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk suffered a torn oblique in the postseason, shares Shinzawa (Twitter link). Grzelcyk missed 10 of Boston’s postseason games, after appearing in just 63 regular-season games. It was, as a result, a drab year for the 30-year-old defender, who posted a career-low 11 points through a combined 66 games on the year.  He’s one of Boston’s many pending free agents, though the promise of improved health could be enough to earn the Massachusetts native a new deal.
  • Of the many Bruins discussing interest in returning next year, winger Pat Maroon may be among the biggest surprises. The hefty forward lauded the team in his closeout interviews, telling Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com that he’d love to return to the team next year (Twitter link). Maroon played in two regular season, and 13 postseason, games with the Bruins after joining them at the Trade Deadline. He posted just two assists in the combined efforts, adding 18 penalty minutes. At 36, the list of options is likely running slim for Maroon. He’ll be one of the many cheap depth forwards available to Boston as the summer rolls on.

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