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East Notes: Bruins, Hillman, Jenkins, Howe

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The Boston Bruins are unsurprisingly being more aggressive with some extension candidates this summer with the ongoing contract negotiations between the organization and goaltender Jeremy Swayman likely dragging into the regular season. Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reported earlier this morning that Boston had already opened extension negotiations with forwards Brad Marchand, Morgan Geekie, and Trent Frederic.

There has seemingly been no movement with Swayman throughout the summer on a long-term contract leading the Bruins’ general manager Don Sweeney and the rest of the front office to take a more pragmatic approach for next summer. There was no word in the original report if any of the three players would be interested in continuing negotiations throughout the 2024-25 regular season. Still, Boston appears to be getting a head start on their asking price.

Marchand’s next contract will be one of the more interesting situations to see play out as he has arguably been playing on one of the biggest bargain contracts in the league over the last seven years. The Bruins signed Marchand to an eight-year, $49MM extension in 2016 and he’s scored 209 goals and 555 points in 495 regular season games over the life of that deal. Boston’s captain will be heading into his age 37 season on his next contract and it remains to be seen if Marchand will look for more salary with his prime years behind him.

Other East notes:

  • The New York Rangers added a bit of depth to their training camp roster earlier today by recalling Blake Hillman and Blade Jenkins from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack (X Link). Both players are on AHL contracts for the 2024-25 season with the former being the only one with previous experience at the NHL level. Hillman has spent several years bouncing around the AHL but suited up in four games for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017-18 NHL while scoring one goal overall.
  • The WHL’s Regina Pats will be waiting with bated breath to determine the status of their captain, Tanner Howe. Howe, who was recently selected with the 46th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was pulled from today’s game against the Moose Jaw Warriors by the team’s medical staff with an undisclosed injury. Howe’s already skated in two games in the young WHL season scoring one goal overall after participating in the Penguins’ rookie camp over the summer.

Canucks Release Sammy Blais

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The Canucks announced Monday that they’ve released winger Sammy Blais, who’d been in camp on a professional tryout.

Blais, 28, signed a minor league pact with AHL Abbotsford simultaneously with his PTO in Vancouver last month. He made it into three preseason games and went without a point, struggling away from the puck with a -3 rating and posting 2 PIMs.

Blais was essentially competing for a 13th or 14th forward role – with the Canucks signing Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong to bolster their bottom six, as well as with prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki looking to crack the opening night roster, there wasn’t going to room for him to win an everyday spot on their fourth line. The Canucks will stick with in-house options for the extra forward role, though, likely center Nils Åman.

Blais spent the 2023-24 season with the Blues, who re-acquired him from the Rangers midway through 2022-23 in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. He was a sixth-round pick by St. Louis back in 2014 and spent his first four NHL seasons there before being traded to New York in the summer of 2021 with a second-round pick for Pavel Buchnevich.

The 2019 Stanley Cup champ seemed to break out down the stretch after returning to the Blues in 2022-23, posting 20 points in 31 games, but he couldn’t replicate that output in 2023-24. The 6’2″ agitator struggled to stay in the Blues’ lineup last season, averaging 9:41 across 53 contests and scoring just one goal and six assists for seven points with a -11 rating.

He’s squarely a net negative possession player at even strength throughout his career, too, and with career averages of nine goals and 24 points per 82 games, there’s little to suggest he’s capable of anything more than fourth-line duties for a sustained period in the NHL. For the first time since 2017, he’ll need to start in the minors and work his way up. The Canucks (or any team) could still sign Blais to a two-way deal after the season gets underway if he has a strong start in Abbotsford.

Waiver Wire: 9/30/24

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Another 12 players have hit the waiver wire today as part of training camp cuts across the league, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. All of the 25 players on waivers yesterday cleared without incident, he adds.

Colorado Avalanche

D Jacob MacDonald

Edmonton Oilers

D Connor Carrick
D Cam Dineen

Los Angeles Kings

F Jeff Malott

Minnesota Wild

F Travis Boyd
F Brendan Gaunce
F Devin Shore

San Jose Sharks

F Justin Bailey
D Jimmy Schuldt

St. Louis Blues

F Nikita Alexandrov

Utah Hockey Club

F Travis Barron
D Kevin Connauton

Oilers Release Mike Hoffman From PTO

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The Oilers have released winger Mike Hoffman from his professional tryout, the team said Monday.

It’s a tad surprising given the 34-year-old’s numbers in exhibition play. Hoffman skated in four of the Oilers’ five preseason contests thus far, posting a goal and three assists for a point per game. He did, however, post a -2 rating and managed only four shots on goal. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Hoffman to make the Oilers roster anyway, with plenty of veteran scoring depth pieces on the wings, although there was a small opening with Evander Kane set to miss most of the season after undergoing surgery.

If there was a one-way deal out there for Hoffman, he likely would have landed it already with just over a week to go until opening night. There should be a fair amount of interest in his services on a two-way deal or an AHL contract, though, and signing in Europe remains an option.

The 13-year veteran has averaged 25 goals and 54 points per 82 games throughout his NHL career. His production dipped significantly last year on the league-worst Sharks, though, limited to 10 goals and 23 points in 66 contests. San Jose, which took on the final year of his three-year, $4.5MM AAV contract from the Canadiens as part of last summer’s Erik Karlsson three-team blockbuster, opted not to bring him back and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

While a spot on an NHL opening night roster looks unlikely, he’s a sensible target for teams looking for AHL scoring depth if he’s open to playing in the minors. He hasn’t seen AHL ice since working his way up the professional ladder in the Senators organization, captaining their AHL affiliate in Binghamton during the 2013-14 campaign.

The Oilers’ wings on their top two lines are seemingly a lock, with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flanking Connor McDavid and Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner with Leon Draisaitl. Their bottom six will likely feature Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, and Vasily Podkolzin on the wings in some capacity, although 24-year-old Raphael Lavoie remains on the training camp roster and is gunning for a roster spot to avoid waivers.

Panthers Release Matt Luff From PTO

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The Panthers have released forward Matt Luff from his professional tryout, head coach Paul Maurice told Pucks and Palms’ Colby Guy on Monday. Luff wasn’t announced as part of a group of Florida roster cuts earlier today but is nonetheless off the training camp roster.

Luff was offered a tryout with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, which Maurice “believed” he accepted. That means his days within the Panthers organization may not be done yet if he can land an AHL contract.

The 27-year-old has 106 NHL games under his belt but didn’t see the majors last season. He spent an injury-plagued 2023-24 on assignment to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins while on a two-way deal with the Red Wings, recording 10 goals and eight assists in 26 games.

Luff has been a serviceable fourth-liner when given chances in the NHL, but he’s never established himself as a full-timer. He’s suited up for the Kings and Predators in addition to his time in Detroit, posting 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 career NHL points with a -12 rating while averaging 10:19 per game. The Ontario native was an undrafted free agent signing by Los Angeles out of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2016.

He was in contention to earn a two-way deal with the Panthers and serve as a potential mid-season call-up option, but for now, he’ll have to prove he’s still got game on a potential AHL deal. The fact he doesn’t have a guaranteed contract yet is surprising – he’s consistently hovered around a point per game in the minors over the past few years and would be a legitimately impactful addition to the Checkers roster.

Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey Out Multiple Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey will miss “a few weeks” with a lower-body injury, head coach Peter Laviolette said Monday (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh). The 31-year-old will be unavailable for the Rangers’ first few regular season games as a result.

It’s a course reversal from Sunday when Laviolette said he wasn’t concerned about Vesey’s injury and didn’t expect him to miss any significant time. The Boston native sustained the LBI during a practice session yesterday.

Vesey has been a fourth-line fixture for the Rangers over the past two seasons, his second stint in the Big Apple after spending his first three NHL seasons there from 2016 to 2019. The Harvard product opted to test free agency upon graduation instead of signing with the Predators, who drafted him in the third round in 2012.

He played 80 games for the Rangers last year, finishing ninth on the team in scoring with 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in 80 games. Averaging 12:23 per game, he posted far superior possession metrics at even strength than frequent linemate Barclay Goodrow and was deployed as a depth penalty killer.

His absence means the Rangers will need to find another name to serve as their fourth-line left wing on opening night. Line rushes in camp indicated Vesey was likely to skate alongside Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski. Matt Rempe is the most likely name to slide into the lineup after immediately establishing himself as a fan-favorite enforcer in his 17-game NHL debut last year, although either he or Brodzinski would need to play on their off-wing. Natural left-wingers available include 6’7″ 23-year-old Adam Edstrom and camp invite Adam Erne, who’s still competing for a deal after inking a PTO earlier this month.

Bruins Have Offered Jeremy Swayman $64MM Contract

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The Bruins have offered RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman a contract totaling $64MM in value, team president Cam Neely told reporters Monday (via 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson). He didn’t confirm the length of the agreement, but it’s fair to assume he was referring to an eight-year deal with an $8MM cap hit.

“I’d have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely said in regard to Swayman’s continued absence. He added that Swayman had “flat out” told the club he wanted to remain in Boston, which aligns with a report from The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa earlier Monday.

For now, all signs point to Swayman remaining unsigned when the Bruins turn in their opening night roster next week. General manager Don Sweeney said it’s “unlikely” Swayman will be ready to go for their regular-season opener, with head coach Jim Montgomery confirming that Joonas Korpisalo is slated to be their starter against the Panthers on Oct. 8 after a strong camp showing (per The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan).

Swayman, 27, has been vocal this summer about his desire to set a bar for future goalie contracts after being handed a one-year, $3.475MM contract in arbitration in the summer of 2023. He’s had impeccable career numbers – a .919 regular-season SV% and a .922 playoff SV% – but has never started more than 45 games in a season.

He and Linus Ullmark, who the Bruins traded to the Senators at the beginning of the summer to give Swayman the undisputed starter’s crease, have been the backbone of Boston’s success over the past couple of seasons. Their importance was especially evident last year, posting a combined .915 SV% to keep the Bruins afloat in the Atlantic Division despite owning subpar 5-on-5 possession metrics across the board.

If he remains unsigned for a significant chunk of the season, it puts Boston in a tricky spot with Korpisalo. While the team is projecting confidence after a strong preseason showing, the 30-year-old is coming off a disastrous 2023-24 campaign with Ottawa that saw him post a .890 SV% and 3.27 GAA in 50 appearances. The difference in play over the first two months of the year could be enough to cost the Bruins a playoff spot in a competitive Atlantic field. Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign a contract to be eligible to play this season.

Blues Sign Nikita Alexandrov To Two-Way Deal

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The Blues have signed forward Nikita Alexandrov to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K in the NHL and $150K in the AHL, general manager Doug Armstrong announced Monday. He was one of the league’s last remaining unsigned restricted free agents, now leaving Bruins star Jeremy Swayman as the only one without a contract for this season.

Alexandrov and the Blues had likely agreed to terms on this deal for quite some time. St. Louis, however, was at the 50-contract maximum and couldn’t register the deal until making their initial training camp cuts and assigning a few players on entry-level contracts back to their junior teams, temporarily removing them from counting toward the limit. Alexandrov had been with the Blues in camp on a PTO while waiting for the contract to be official.

A second-round pick in 2019, Alexandrov is working his way toward being an NHL regular. The 24-year-old center has played 20-plus NHL games in each of the past two seasons, recording nine points and a -4 rating in 51 career appearances thus far.

He finds himself amid a tight roster battle for an extra forward spot with players like Nathan Walker and prospects like Zachary Bolduc and Zach Dean, but could very well find himself on the outside looking in. He’ll need waivers if the Blues attempt to assign him to AHL Springfield, where he posted seven points in seven games during a conditioning stint last year. He spent most of last season as a healthy scratch on the St. Louis roster after making the opening night roster for the first time.

Alexandrov will be a restricted free agent again next summer upon expiry. He won’t be eligible for UFA status until 2028 unless he satisfies the requirements to become a Group 6 UFA by playing fewer than 80 career NHL games by the end of the 2025-26 season.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs Injuries, Swayman, Pitlick, Mersch

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Injured Maple Leafs Connor Dewar, Jani Hakanpää, Calle Järnkrok, and John Tavares all skated during practice Monday, albeit in non-contact jerseys on a separate sheet of ice away from the main group (via TSN’s Mark Masters).

Dewar and Hakanpää are recovering from shoulder and knee injuries dating back to the end of last season, while Järnkrok and Tavares are dealing with lower-body injuries sustained during preseason. None of their availabilities for opening night have been confirmed, although especially in Dewar and Hakanpää’s case, the fact they’re skating means their absences shouldn’t stretch too far past the start of the regular season if they’re unable to go. Järnkrok and Tavares remain listed as day-to-day.

That could certainly throw a wrench into the Leafs’ opening night roster if neither Dewar nor Hakanpää will be out long enough to be eligible to land on long-term injured reserve. Toronto is $1.07MM over the salary cap with a full projected roster, per PuckPedia, but could easily become compliant by waiving defenseman Conor Timmins and assigning him to the minors. That doesn’t leave enough room to sign either Steven Lorentz or Max Pacioretty to league-minimum contracts off their PTOs, though.

Head coach Craig Berube said later Monday that he expects Järnkrok and Tavares to take part in the next practice, so their availability for the start of the season should be considered likely at worst (via The Hockey News’ David Alter).

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • There’s still no end in sight to the contract negotiation stalemate between the Bruins and restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman. But when the end arrives, all signs still point to the goalie staying in Boston. Neither side has any interest in starting up preliminary trade talks for his signing rights, even amid an unusually difficult set of talks, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa relays. “Swayman wants to be a Bruin. The feeling is mutual,” he wrote.
  • Still with Boston, veteran winger Tyler Pitlick will attend their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins’, training camp on a PTO, reports the New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver. It’s quite a steep fall down the hockey ladder for the 32-year-old who appeared in 34 games with the Rangers last season on a one-way deal before landing on waivers in February and spending the rest of the season with AHL Hartford. Pitlick, a bottom-six defensive presence for most of his 10-year, 420-game career, was limited to four points with the Rangers and seven points in 22 games with Hartford last year.
  • Former Kings forward and longtime Sabres depth piece Michael Mersch announced his retirement Monday. The 31-year-old had spent the last four seasons with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, serving as captain since 2021. A fourth-round pick of Los Angeles in 2011, Mersch posted 188 goals, 213 assists, and 401 points in 597 AHL games in parts of 11 seasons with the Kings’, Sabres’, and Stars’ affiliates. He played 17 NHL games, all with Los Angeles in the 2015-16 campaign, recording a goal and two assists.

Metropolitan Notes: Grzelcyk, Roslovic, Smith, Pesce

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Matt Grzelcyk made a name for himself in the NHL while serving as Charlie McAvoy’s usual defense partner with the Bruins. The 30-year-old had great success in that role until last season, when his offensive production dipped to 11 points in 63 games, and his possession numbers were below average since the 2018-19 campaign.

Now looking to rediscover himself with the Penguins after inking a one-year, $2.75MM deal as an unrestricted free agent, Grzelcyk may get a similar top-pairing opportunity to open the season alongside Kris Letang, writes the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh. The Massachusetts native has spent most of camp alongside the two-time Stanley Cup champ, who he called “such a great player.”

“I’m just trying to be a sponge around him,” Grzelcyk continued. “He has a ton of knowledge to give about the game and what he would expect from his partner. Just trying to learn here. And start to build chemistry.”

While cast as a stay-at-home partner for a more offensively well-rounded talent, Grzelcyk does have decent puck-moving skills in his own right. That was a common theme among the Penguins’ offseason additions, especially on defense, which also included former Islander Sebastian Aho.

There’s more from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Another free-agent signing looking to get a crack in a top-line complementary role is Jack Roslovic, who’s settling in on the Hurricanes’ first line alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, relays The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette. If it sticks, it would be quite the step up in responsibility for Roslovic, who’s been a middle-six fixture around the league for the past few seasons but has never held down a consistent top-line role. The 27-year-old signed a one-year, $2.75MM pact in Carolina in early July, and he’ll likely be used in different situations throughout the season as the Canes look to replace the offense lost by the departures of Jake Guentzel, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Stefan Noesen, and Teuvo Teräväinen.
  • The Athletic’s Arthur Staple is optimistic about Reilly Smith’s chances of clicking with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad as the Rangers’ top-line right wing. That’s been a revolving door for the past few years, with the aforementioned Roslovic getting a post-deadline crack at it last season. But Smith, 33, has a long history of success in complementary top-six roles – long enough to quell concerns about his underwhelming 13-goal, 40-point season with the Penguins last year, Staple opines.
  • The Devils will kick off their regular season without top offseason addition Brett Pesce. The defender didn’t make the trip to Prague for New Jersey’s Global Series games against the Sabres, the team’s Amanda Stein confirms. Pesce, 29, skated Friday for the first time in camp but is still listed as week-to-week while recovering from a fibula fracture he sustained in April while with the Hurricanes. He had 13 points and a +10 rating in 70 games with Carolina last year and signed a six-year, $33MM deal to serve as the Devils’ No. 2 right-shot option on defense behind Dougie Hamilton in free agency.

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