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Ryan Merkley Signs In KHL

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Former San Jose Sharks first-round pick defenseman Ryan Merkley is taking his services overseas at just 23 years old, as the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star has signed him to a one-year contract.

Merkley’s transition to pro hockey has been rocky, to say the least. The Sharks signed him to his entry-level contract just days after the 2018 Draft, but his contract slid for two seasons as he was returned to the OHL’s Guelph Storm for both seasons. Turning pro in 2020, Merkley registered 11 points in 31 games during his first outing with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, sticking in the minors throughout and looking to round out his game, which had well-documented defensive concerns.

His production never really took off from there, however, limiting his effectiveness in the area the Sharks hoped he could excel. He did get an extended NHL look in 2021-22, though, playing in 39 games with the Sharks but registering just a goal and six points. That could very well be the only NHL ice he ever sees.

Merkley didn’t make San Jose out of camp last season and was assigned to the minors, where he played out the entire 2022-23 season, posting 22 points in 58 games. In January, the Sharks dealt Merkley to the Colorado Avalanche for another disgruntled prospect, Martin Kaut, who also didn’t register much of an impact in the Sharks organization. After Merkley didn’t gain much of a significant role in Colorado’s system with the Eagles in the AHL, they opted not to qualify him in June and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

With no rumored NHL offers, Merkley heads to the KHL, where he could very well play out his pro career, including some other destinations in Europe. Signing in China, Merkley joins a Kunlun team captained by former NHLer Brandon Yip. He’ll need to show significant strides overseas in order to potentially regain an NHL contract some point down the line.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Matt Stienburg

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Matt Stienburg to a two-year, entry-level contract, per a team post on X. Stienburg was a draft pick of the Avalanche but briefly became a free agent on August 15 when his exclusive signing rights expired.

The 22-year-old center prospect was a third-round draft pick in 2019, heading off the board to Colorado at 63rd overall. He just completed a four-year collegiate stint at Cornell, although his sophomore season was wiped out entirely due to COVID. At Cornell, Stienburg finished with 20 goals, 26 assists and 46 points in 73 games and a +21 rating.

Stienburg stands out as a center with good size at 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds, with some aggressiveness in his game, although he’ll need to work on his offensive consistency to play a middle-six role in the NHL. He ended last season in the AHL on a tryout with the Colorado Eagles, recording two assists in eight games combined across the regular season and playoffs.

The Avalanche did not release the financial terms of Stienburg’s contract. However, he will be a restricted free agent upon the deal’s expiration in 2025. Over the next two years, he’ll look to make enough of an impact in the minors to warrant receiving a qualifying offer from Colorado at that point.

Minor Transactions: 08/18/23

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Signings involving former NHL draft picks and other notable players continue to flow in as August marches on. Teams overseas and in North America are still finalizing their rosters, and action is once again ramping up in the AHL as their NHL affiliates mostly have their rosters set at this stage. We’re keeping tabs on all of today’s significant non-NHL deals here:

  • 2017 Nashville Predators pick Tomas Vomacka is heading back home, signing a one-year deal with an option for one more with HC Dynamo Pardubice B in the 1. liga, Czechia’s second-tier pro league. The 24-year-old netminder signed his entry-level deal with the Predators after finishing a collegiate career at the University of Connecticut in 2021 but has been relegated exclusively to the ECHL since with the Florida Everblades and Norfolk Admirals, never getting an appearance with Nashville’s top minor-league affiliate in AHL Milwaukee. He struggled heavily in 34 games with Norfolk last season, posting an eye-popping 4.36 goals-against average and .868 save percentage. He’ll look to regain his game against easier competition in Czech second-tier pro hockey.
  • The AHL’s Charlotte Checkers have signed forward Sean Josling to a one-year, two-way contract, per a team release. Josling, 24, is entering his fourth pro season and has spent most of that pro career so far in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers. He played primarily in the ECHL again last season, recording 21 goals and seven assists for 28 points in 47 games split between Wheeling and the Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades. He’s a likely candidate for ECHL assignment again next season, returning to Florida as they’re the ECHL affiliate of the Checkers and Florida Panthers.
  • The AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals are adding forward Kevin Wall on a two-year contract, according to the team. Wall, a 2019 sixth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, became a free agent on August 15th after the Hurricanes opted not to sign him to an entry-level contract, forfeiting his exclusive NHL signing rights. The 23-year-old right wing recorded 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points in 39 games last season at Penn State, his fourth and final season there. There’s still a potential pro future in the cards for Wall if he can make a smooth transition to pro hockey in Milwaukee, looking to earn an entry-level contract from their parent club, the Nashville Predators, or someone else.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Examining The Philadelphia Flyers’ Goalie Depth

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The Philadelphia Flyers have had their moments over the past decade-plus, but even throughout their periods of championship contention recently, the team has lacked an elite, long-term starting netminder. Steve Mason, who played just four full seasons in a Flyers uniform from 2013 to 2017, was the closest thing they had to one since the new millennium.

Even during their most recent Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2010, goaltending was their major weakness. They were backstopped by a tandem of Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton, neither of whom had any recent or successful experience as a true starter. They’ve likely found their next one in 25-year-old Carter Hart, who already sits ninth all-time in wins in franchise history despite playing just five seasons for the Flyers during a period of mediocrity.

Behind Hart, though, new general manager Daniel Brière has made a number of interesting moves to fill out the team’s goalie depth. They arguably have a four-way battle for the backup job heading into next season, although some options are likelier than others. Two players split the backup role for them last season – Felix Sandström and Samuel Ersson, the latter of whom played less but posted far better numbers with a 6-3-0 record and .899 save percentage compared to Sandström’s abysmal .880 mark.

The Flyers are just a handful of years removed from the 2018-19 campaign, where they set an NHL record for most goalies used in a season with eight. Hart, Brian Elliott, Anthony Stolarz, Calvin Pickard, Cam Talbot, Michal Neuvirth, Mike McKenna, and Alex Lyon all got some action in the crease in a Philadelphia jersey that season. Next season, they hope someone impresses enough (and stays healthy enough) to break out and bring that number back down to two.

Now, it’s time to see who exactly that could be:

Samuel Ersson

The Flyers think (hope?) they have a late-round gem in Ersson, who they selected 143rd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut just last season and also took over the starting role for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording a .900 save percentage and 2.87 goals-against average in 42 games. It was a huge rebound campaign for him after injuries limited him to just five appearances with Lehigh Valley in 2021-22. The team obviously believes in him, handing him a two-year, $2.9MM extension earlier this month set to start in the 2024-25 season.

Of all the names here, Ersson’s the one the Flyers hope commands the backup role come opening night and, ideally, remains in the NHL by the time the 2023-24 season draws to a close. He is still waiver-exempt and isn’t terribly close to requiring them, either. He needs to play 48 more NHL games (or two more NHL seasons, whichever comes first) before he’ll need to clear waivers to head to the minors, per CapFriendly. That being said, from an asset management standpoint, Sandström does require waivers and is a potential claim candidate. Ersson will need to clearly demonstrate Sandström is potentially expendable from the organization with a strong camp.

Ivan Fedotov

There is a fair amount of intrigue in Fedotov’s on-ice potential. The question looms, however, if he’ll actually be at training camp. The IIHF sided with Philadelphia regarding a contract dispute between them, Fedotov and KHL club CSKA Moskva after Fedotov had two technically active contracts for 2023-24. CSKA and the KHL are likely to appeal the ruling, however, and it’s unclear whether Fedotov will travel to the United States and suit up for the Flyers.

Fedotov didn’t play at all last season after completing required military service in Russia, an unforeseen complication that occurred after the Flyers had signed him to an entry-level contract and penciled him into their backup role last season. Given the murky contractual situation and the breakout of Ersson, however, he’s lost the edge on the role. There’s no denying he’s the highest-ceiling option available, however. The 26-year-old stands at an absolutely massive 6-foot-8 and 212 pounds and won the KHL’s Best Goaltender award, an All-Star team nod, a Gagarin Cup championship, and an Olympic silver medal – all during the 2021-22 season. The year prior, he still posted spectacular numbers, recording a .925 save percentage in 26 games with CSKA.

Cal Petersen

The Flyers acquired Petersen, 28, via trade from the Los Angeles Kings to provide some cap relief in the three-way deal that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus. Briefly viewed as Los Angeles’ long-term goalie option post-Jonathan Quick, Petersen had a disastrous 2022-23 campaign which saw him post a .868 save percentage in nine starts before the Kings waived him (and his $5MM cap hit) and assigned him to the AHL.

With two years remaining on his deal, Petersen hasn’t looked like himself since posting a 9-18-5 record but a sparkling .911 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average for the Kings in 2020-21. He’s the most experienced option available to the Flyers for the backup role with 94 NHL starts under his belt, and he may enter next season with some renewed confidence after a strong performance for the United States at the World Championships. That being said, he’s a non-candidate to get claimed on waivers given his albatross contract, and he’ll need to significantly outplay the trio of younger, higher-upside netminders here in order to return to a full-time NHL role in a Flyers uniform.

Felix Sandström

Selected 70th overall in 2015, Sandström didn’t take the step forward that Philadelphia wished he would have last season. The 26-year-old started the season as Hart’s backup but won just three out of 18 starts, posting poor advanced and standard stats in the process. He has posted good enough numbers when given the chance in the minors, but he hasn’t shown anything at the NHL level to suggest it can translate.

That being said, he’s still relatively young in goalie years at 26, and if he shows enough strides in camp, it could be enough to earn him the nod over Ersson (or Fedotov) to avoid exposing him to waivers or to make the Flyers consider carrying three netminders. Either way, he likely won’t receive more than the 20 games he played overall for the Flyers last season, save for a significant injury to Hart.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buffalo Sabres Broadcaster Rick Jeanneret Passes Away

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The Buffalo Sabres announced late last night that Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Rick Jeanneret passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Jeanneret began his career with the franchise when it was just one year old, joining their broadcasting crew for the 1971-72 campaign and working for the team for 50 years. He retired after the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

Sabres owner Terry Pegula offered a statement on Jeanneret’s passing:

Rick was indeed a very special and very loved man, to and by all, who knew him and listened to him, his magic, and his command. How glad I am to have known him. How lucky were we all to have been around him and to have listened to him. [His] mark on Sabres history extends far beyond the broadcast booth and we will miss him dearly. I extend my deepest condolences to Sandra, Rick’s family, friends, and all that were loved by him.

His body of work with the Sabres made Jeanneret one of the most respected broadcasters in sports history, let alone just Buffalo or the NHL. The longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in league history, Jeanneret had a banner raised in the Sabres’ KeyBank Center at the end of the 2021-22 season, putting his name alongside the team’s retired numbers such as Gilbert Perreault, Pat LaFontaine, Dominik Hasek, and Ryan Miller.

General manager Kevyn Adams also spoke on Jeanneret’s legacy:

Growing up in Buffalo, Rick Jeanneret was not just the voice of the Sabres, he was the voice for our city. He helped foster my love of hockey, along with so many others. Beyond the booth, Rick was an incredible man that was loved by all. His wit and humor was unmatched and we are all lucky to have known him. I am heartbroken by his passing and send my condolences to his wife, Sandra, and all of his family and friends. May he rest in peace.

All of us at PHR also extend our utmost condolences to the Jeanneret family and join the hockey community in honoring one of the most legendary off-ice careers in the sport.

Poll: Which Team Will Acquire Brett Pesce?

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Now that the trade market for defensemen has been set after the blockbuster trade landing defending Norris Trophy winner, Erik Karlsson, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the most oft-rumored names on the market headed into next season is Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes. Already carrying a rather deep defensive core, the Hurricanes added to it even more, bringing in Dmitry Orlov, Anthony DeAngelo, and Caleb Jones via free agency this summer.

For the 2023-24 NHL season, Pesce will be starting his ninth in Carolina, becoming one of the mainstays on their blue line during the team’s rise to stardom in recent years. However, with players such as Teuvo Teravainen, Martin Necas, and more than half their defensemen needing contracts beyond this season, the Hurricanes dollar may be better spent somewhere else.

In June, Cory Lavalette of The Athletic theorized that Pesce’s next contract would be in the eight-year, $52MM ($6.5MM) range, which seems fair factoring in comparable players and Pesce’s age. This is not a massive increase on Pesce’s current $4.025MM AAV, but with an extension already kicking in for Sebastian Aho next summer, Carolina will need all the wiggle room they can to keep their other talent.

In analyzing the market for Pesce, it would be wise to start with the two teams that reportedly missed out on Karlsson. Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken had an interest in Karlsson, and both could use some longer-term answers to the right side of their blue lines. Toronto currently has John Klingberg and T.J. Brodie at the top of their hierarchy on the right side and should consider Pesce to be an improvement to both of those players. Similarly, in Seattle, Pesce would be a solid long-term answer on the right side once Justin Schultz’s contract comes to an end next summer.

Even if it is not in the Hurricanes’ best interest to hold onto Pesce long-term, it seems to be the most appropriate option to hold onto him for the entirety of next season, given the team’s popularity as a Stanley Cup favorite. Much like how the New Jersey Devils handled the pending unrestricted free agency of Damon Severson, the team may be better spent employing Pesce for the upcoming season and recouping some value for him via a sign-and-trade before July 1, 2024.

Click here to vote if you can’t access the poll above.

Snapshots: Schneider, Bally Sports, Stienburg

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Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff is reporting that the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and Mathieu Schneider are parting ways after 12 years. Since his retirement after the 2009-10 NHL season, Schneider originally started as a Special Assistant in the NHLPA and had been working as the direct Special Assistant to the now-former head of the NHLPA, Don Fehr.

Seravalli also pointed out that the dismissal had been pushed by the new Executive Director of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh. Some of the most significant projects in the league that Schneider had been directly involved in, were changes to the ’head-shot’ and boarding rules across the NHL, working directly with the league’s Senior Vice President at the time, Brendan Shanahan.

Even after his dismissal, it shouldn’t be difficult for Schneider to find employment elsewhere, either with an individual team, or the league itself. A veteran of 21 years in the NHL spanning from 1987-2010, Schneider spent time with Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers, as well as four other teams for short spells.

Other snapshots:

  • In an ongoing legal battle with Diamond Sports Group, the parent company to Bally Sports, the NHL is reportedly seeking emergency relief funds if negotiations are not settled quickly. Currently, 12 organizations have their media rights held by Bally Sports, and with a Texas judge extending DSG’s reorganization deadline to September 30th, the NHL is seeking a contract break well before that date. On March 14, 2023, DSG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, holding responsibility for a reported $9B in debt, with the inability to pay.
  • Seeing his exclusive draft rights expire only 48 hours ago, Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that center Matt Stienburg and the Colorado Avalanche organization are still in contact about a possible contract. Stienburg was the team’s 63rd overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft and had spent the last four seasons playing for the Cornell University of the NCAA, earning a four-game tryout with the Colorado Eagles at the conclusion of last year’s AHL season.

Jonathan Toews Will Not Play In 2023-24

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Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has announced he won’t play during the 2023-24 NHL season but is not ruling out a return to NHL action later. Toews made a statement confirming the news on his Instagram account Thursday afternoon.

Toews, 35, is currently an unrestricted free agent. Chicago confirmed they wouldn’t be re-signing the three-time Stanley Cup champion before their last game of the 2022-23 campaign.

“My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again,” Toews said. “Along the way, I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex. I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.”

Toews was diagnosed with chronic immune response syndrome prior to the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He missed all 56 games that season. He made a return to the Blackhawks in 2021-22 but was added to the league’s COVID protocol list just weeks into the season. While he didn’t miss significant time, he has since developed symptoms of long COVID, which, in combination with his CIRS, contributed to him playing 53 out of 82 games in 2022-23.

This move is far from unexpected – in fact, it’s more surprising Toews isn’t announcing his retirement outright. Notably, Toews’ agency reportedly left his name off the list of pending free agents when teams inquired.

On the ice, Toews had averaged under 18 minutes per game over the last two seasons for the first time in his career. Since returning from his season-long absence in 2021, he’s posted 27 goals, 41 assists, 68 points, and a -45 rating in 124 games played. He still carried immense value as a faceoff specialist, however, winning draws at a 60.7% rate.

The 2013 Selke Trophy winner will likely face long odds to get back to playing shape after missing two out of four seasons heading into the 2024-25 campaign.

2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now.  Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)

Duchene doesn’t fall more than one spot past his original selection, winning the PHR reader poll by the slimmest margin thus far with only 29% of the total votes. Still, it’s hard to argue with the selection – Duchene remains a top-six threat and, despite his overall inconsistency, has scored upwards of 30 goals and 70 points on multiple occasions. In terms of career totals, he’s played in 123 more games than Evander Kane, Atlanta’s original pick at fourth overall, scored 14 more goals, and added a whopping 157 more assists.

The Los Angeles Kings are now on the clock at fifth overall in our 2009 redraft series. Things are looking up for the team after drafting names like Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Wayne Simmonds in recent years, but they’ve now missed the playoffs for six straight years and are feeling the pressure to exit their rebuild in the post-Luc Robitaille era.

With their third-straight top-five pick, they selected center Brayden Schenn from the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. The burgeoning two-way talent had solid name recognition, and the Kings had passed on his older brother, defenseman Luke Schenn, the year prior. Luke went fifth overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs after the Kings selected Thomas Hickey with the fourth overall pick.

While Schenn developed into an established top-six force in the NHL with a fruitful career, it wasn’t with the team that drafted him. He played just nine games with the Kings in the following two seasons after the draft before they traded him (along with Simmonds) to the Philadelphia Flyers in a package for center Mike Richards in 2011. With the Flyers, it didn’t take Schenn terribly long to become a strong middle-six center, eventually earning more chances higher in the lineup once moved to the wing. He tallied 20-plus goals three times in a Philadelphia jersey and had some solid possession metrics, although he never received any Selke Trophy consideration.

His career truly took off in 2017 after another trade, this time to the St. Louis Blues. He immediately posted the best season of his career, scoring a career-high 28 goals and 70 points in 2017-18 and playing nearly 20 minutes per game. He took a small step back in 2018-19, but you won’t hear any Blues fans complaining about that – he would go on to record 12 points in 26 playoff games as the Blues won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.

Set to turn 32 in a few days, Schenn is actually posting the most consistently high offensive totals of his career, combining for 123 points in 144 games over the past two seasons. His two-way game is starting to decline, but nonetheless, he’s given his two longtime NHL homes some solid hockey over the past decade-plus.

That being said, is Schenn the best player left on the board, or are there other options that would have better served the Kings? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote!

East Notes: Trade Targets, Amirov Jersey Retirement, Nylander

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander and Winnipeg Jets players Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele land atop the latest Trade Targets list from The Athletic, written by Shayna Goldman. All pending unrestricted free agents, Nylander finds himself first on the list after recording a career-high 40 goals and 87 points in 82 games last season. As Goldman notes, it’s highly unlikely a potential Nylander extension becomes top of mind for Toronto GM Brad Treliving until an extension for teammate Auston Matthews is signed, sealed and delivered.

Regarding Hellebuyck, his trade value has decreased in recent months, with teams shying away from doling out large sums of cash to bonafide starting netminders, instead looking for value options in the crease to guide them deep in the playoffs. Goldman posits, however, that it’s a method that can work only for a select few – namely Colorado and Vegas, as it has the past two seasons, given the strengths of their defense corps. While teams should be rightfully wary about handing out too much term to Hellebuyck on an extension, given he’s already 31 years old, acquiring a clear-cut elite starter is still necessary for some teams to reach championship contention. Other names on the list included Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce, Calgary Flames players Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, and Arizona Coyotes forwards Nick Schmaltz and Jason Zucker.

  • In a well-deserved and meaningful gesture, KHL club Salavat Yulaev Ufa will be retiring Rodion Amirov’s number 27 after the young forward passed away from a years-long battle with a brain tumor on Tuesday, according to The Hockey News’ David Alter. The 21-year-old Maple Leafs prospect had suited up in 70 games for his hometown team before he had to stop his playing career in 2021 to undergo cancer treatment. Reports indicate Salavat’s captain, 625-game KHL veteran Grigori Panin, initiated the decision.
  • Alexander Nylander is a candidate to slide into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top six to begin the season, says The Athletic’s Rob Rossi. The 2016 eighth-overall pick could get a look at either Sidney Crosby’s or Evgeni Malkin’s left wing with Jake Guentzel sidelined for the first few games of 2023-24 after undergoing ankle surgery earlier this month. Now on his third NHL organization, the 25-year-old Nylander will look to capture a full-time spot in the NHL for the first time since he played 65 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019-20.

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