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AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack Sign Matej Pekar

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The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the primary minor-league affiliate of the New York Rangers, are in agreement with former Buffalo Sabres forward prospect Matej Pekar on a one-year contract, according to a team release. While now a member of the Rangers organization, Pekar is still eligible to sign an NHL contract with any team.

Pekar, 23, has played in parts of three AHL seasons for Buffalo’s affiliate, the Rochester Americans, accumulating 86 games of experience. He wasn’t able to crack the code and stand out among a deep Sabres prospect pool, though, and was sent down a level further to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones last season for a consistent spot in the lineup, where he did well with 24 points in 28 games. Without any NHL looks under his belt since Buffalo drafted him in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the team opted not to issue him a qualifying offer this summer after his entry-level contract expired, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Czech forward played junior hockey in North America, heading to the OHL’s Barrie Colts after being drafted and doing quite well there. He averaged well over a point per game in two OHL seasons with Barrie and Sudbury, and his career totals of 99 points in 84 games generated some optimism about his ceiling and potential NHL viability as a bottom-six checking forward. Unfortunately for Pekar, COVID hit just as he was about to begin his pro career, and it may have caused him to lose most of the forward momentum he’d gained in his development. He went on to notch just four goals, 12 assists, 16 points and a -17 rating during his time in Rochester.

Signing with the Wolf Pack gives Pekar a unique opportunity to return to an environment he’s familiar with in ECHL Cincinnati if he can’t crack the AHL roster. The Sabres and Rangers swapped ECHL affiliates this offseason, as Buffalo and Rochester now partner with the Jacksonville Icemen. It’ll be tough for him to show he deserves a roster spot ahead of some of the Rangers’ NHL-contracted crew, though, as CapFriendly currently lists 14 AHL-eligible forwards assigned to the minors in their depth chart projection for New York. 2022 draft selection Bryce McConnell-Barker is listed among the minors crew for the Rangers, but he’s still too young for AHL assignment per the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. It’s likely Pekar will look to light up the ECHL this season in hopes of getting a more extensive AHL look down the stretch. There’s still time for him to turn things around and earn another NHL contract down the line.

Five Key Stories: 7/31/23 – 8/6/23

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The first week of August isn’t typically the busiest on the NHL calendar but there was quite a bit of news of note over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Goalie Deals: Minnesota was able to avoid salary arbitration with goaltender Filip Gustavsson, instead signing him to a three-year contract that carries a cap hit of $3.75MM.  The 25-year-old had a breakout showing last season, posting a 2.10 GAA along with a .931 SV%, the second-best mark in the league, in 39 games.  However, he still has just 66 appearances at the top level under his belt which helped keep the price tag in this range.  The deal buys the Wild two more years of team control.

Meanwhile, the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman weren’t able to come to terms before the hearing.  Instead, he was awarded a one-year, $3.475MM contract, a deal that came in just above the midpoint of the filings (Boston: $2.4MM, Swayman: $4.8MM).  The 24-year-old was a key part of Boston’s high-end tandem between the pipes with Linus Ullmark, putting up a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SV% (fourth in the league) in 37 games.  Swayman will once again be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

Oilers Hire Jackson: Agents have slowly started to get more opportunities in an NHL front office and the Oilers are the latest team to go that route as they hired Wasserman’s Jeff Jackson as their new CEO.  Jackson takes the place of longtime executive Bob Nicholson who will remain in a lesser capacity.  Jackson’s most prominent client before being hired happens to be Edmonton center Connor McDavid and that existing relationship could be critical with the Hart and Pearson winner two years away from being eligible to work on a contract extension.  Speculatively, with GM Ken Holland being 67 and entering the final year of his deal, Jackson could be a candidate to take over in the relatively near future.

The Big Domino Falls: For the past few weeks, the market has largely been held up by Erik Karlsson.  Would the Sharks move him and who would get him?  In the end, it was indeed the Penguins who landed him, picking him up as part of a 12-piece three-team trade that also involved Montreal.  Pittsburgh picked up Karlsson (with 13% retention), wingers Rem Pitlick and Dillon Hamaliuk along with a 2026 third-round pick from San Jose.  The Sharks acquired wingers Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta, and Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-round selection (top-ten protected).  Meanwhile, the Canadiens brought back defenseman Jeff Petry (with 25% retention), goalie Casey DeSmith, winger Nathan Legare, and Pittsburgh’s 2025 second-rounder.  Karlsson is coming off a career year, becoming the first blueliner since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to surpass the 100-point mark, helping him earn the Norris Trophy.  He immediately makes Pittsburgh’s offense more dangerous while San Jose adds a first-round selection and potentially some later picks if they flip some of the players they got down the road, a strategy that Montreal may be looking to take as well.

With Karlsson off the board, it didn’t take long for Mathew Dumba, the top defenseman left on the market, to find his next home as he agreed to terms with Arizona on a one-year, $3.9MM contract.  It’s an underwhelming contract relative to what he likely was expecting to get but if nothing else, the 29-year-old will have a chance to be an all-situations player with the Coyotes, potentially giving him an opportunity to boost his stock heading into next year’s free agent market.

Seven And Seven: While Anaheim and winger Troy Terry got as far as filing arbitration submissions, it didn’t get that far in the end.  Instead, the two sides worked out a seven-year, $49MM contract to keep him with the Ducks for the long haul.  Terry had two RFA years remaining so the contract gives Anaheim five extra years of control; those years will see the 25-year-old submit a ten-team no-trade list.  Terry had a breakout showing in 2021-22, putting up 37 goals and 30 assists and followed that up with a 23-goal, 38-assist performance last season, cementing himself as a go-to top-line option in the process.  Anaheim’s center depth is in great shape with Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and second-overall pick Leo Carlsson and now their top winger will be playing with one of those three youngsters for years to come.

Sticking Around: The Capitals will have Tom Wilson around for the foreseeable future as the two sides agreed to a seven-year, $45.5MM extension.  The deal, which begins in the 2024-25 campaign, carries partial no-trade protection in all seven seasons.  The 29-year-old already has ten years in Washington under his belt and if he plays out this full deal with the Caps, he’ll become one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history.  Wilson is coming off an injury-shortened year but still had 13 goals and 97 hits in 33 games in 2022-23.  A legitimate top-six power forward, how well (or poorly) this deal plays out will largely be determined by Wilson’s ability to stay healthy, a challenge for many power forwards in the back half of their careers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Power, Spooner, Oilers

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The Sabres are trying to work on a long-term extension for defenseman Owen Power, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  The top pick in 2021 is already into the final year of his entry-level contract despite having just 87 career professional appearances under his belt.  79 of those came with Buffalo last season where he did well, collecting 35 points while averaging nearly 24 minutes per game which helped him finish third in Calder Trophy voting as the NHL’s top rookie.  With barely one full season of experience, a long-term agreement could be difficult to come to, one that would likely surpass the $8MM mark.  One alternative the two sides could take is to do what they did with their other first-overall blueliner (Rasmus Dahlin) and work on a bridge agreement.  However, that type of move might be better off being made next summer instead of this one.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Long-time NHL forward is on the move in the KHL as Avangard Omsk announced they’ve added the 31-year-old on a one-year contract. Spooner recorded 167 points in 315 games across seven NHL seasons with four different organizations but has played overseas since the 2019-20 campaign.  Last season, he had 19 goals and 28 assists during the regular season for Dinamo Minsk, good for a tie for 21st in league scoring.
  • Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins suggests that the Oilers should be a team to keep an eye on when it comes to tryout offers closer to the start of training camp. Depending on what happens with the eventual new contract for RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard, Edmonton is likely going to need to have several players on the roster at the league minimum salary.  They added a couple of those early in free agency (Lane Pederson and Drake Caggiula) but as the asking price comes down for free agents still unsigned, it could be an opportunity for the Oilers to bring in a low-cost upgrade.

Free Agent Profile: Noah Gregor

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We’re at the point of free agency where the word bargain starts to come into play a little more.  The top-dollar deals aren’t there now but low-cost depth pieces are still available.  Playoff-bound teams will have their eye on veterans to fill specific roles.  But what about teams that are rebuilding?  Is there much left for them on the open market?

Noah Gregor is the type of player that could catch the eye of some of those teams.  Just 25, the winger has shown some physicality early in his career that would play well in the bottom six with enough offense to potentially make him an intriguing addition for someone.

Gregor is coming off his only full NHL season, one that saw him set a career-high in goals with ten despite missing 25 games.  The year before that, he had 23 points despite clearing waivers and spending seven weeks on an AHL assignment.  San Jose opted to try someone else in that role back in June, declining to tender him a qualifying offer of just under $1MM that would have also given him salary arbitration rights.

The consistency hasn’t always been there but he’s young enough that there is still room for improvement.  If that improvement happens, Gregor could be a quality under-the-radar pickup for someone in the coming weeks.  With two years of club control through restricted free agency, it could be more than a one-year pickup for whoever lands him.

Stats

2022-23: 57 GP, 10-7-17, -9 rating, 32 PIMS, 119 shots, 97 hits, 44.2% CF, 12:58 ATOI
Career: 178 GP, 25-26-51, -51 rating, 71 PIMS, 368 shots, 312 hits, 44.6% CF, 13:00 ATOI

Potential Suitors

From an NHL perspective, the teams that make the most sense for Gregor are ones that are rebuilding or are lacking some depth on the wing.  But if a team is eyeing Gregor as someone to try to sneak through waivers, just about anyone is a viable option.  For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll focus on the potential NHL openings.

In the East, Buffalo has a short-term roster opening with Jack Quinn out for the first few months due to a torn Achilles tendon.  They could fill that spot internally with someone like Lukas Rousek or they could turn to a player like Gregor that might be a better fit style-wise in a lower role on the depth chart.  Montreal moved out two wingers today in their portion of the Erik Karlsson trade and could view Gregor as a possible replacement for one of them to replenish some of that forward depth.  Washington has a short-term opening with Max Pacioretty likely out to start next season and Gregor could be a better fit for them over Joe Snively who wasn’t quite as impactful in his NHL duty last season compared to 2021-22.

Out West, Isac Lundestrom’s Achilles injury has opened up a spot up front with Gregor being a young enough fit to potentially be around beyond a single season.  Nashville’s current depth chart has some forwards that are relatively safe bets to get through waivers so adding Gregor could give them a small boost on the fourth line and bolster their depth.  If Minnesota is able to afford an extra forward (they need to re-sign Calen Addison first), Gregor would fit in a bottom six group that plays with a bit of an edge.

Projected Contract

Gregor is almost certain to be looking at a contract that is going to carry an NHL salary of $775K, the league minimum.  Depending on how long it takes for him to sign, there might even be a relatively pricey two-way portion.  But in terms of what’s still out there, there aren’t many players left with potentially a little more upside while being controllable for a couple more years.  That makes Gregor one of the more intriguing under-the-radar options left on the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Analyzing The Canadiens Salary Cap Options

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For months, it has been known that the Montreal Canadiens have been seeking to shed the contract of forward Mike Hoffman, a deal that has not worked out for either side. This morning, due to their involvement in the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins, they were able to move on from Hoffman, sending him to the San Jose Sharks, as well as moving forward Rem Pitlick to the Penguins.

The Canadiens were able to re-acquire defenseman Jeff Petry, and also goaltender Casey DeSmith as significant salary added to the club. All-in-all, even after moving out Hoffman and Pitlick, the Canadiens added just under $900k in total salary.

After the trade, CapFriendly brought up an interesting note, indicating that Montreal will likely take their cap space in one of two directions, largely focused on the $10.5MM in LTIR relief from goaltender Carey Price’s contract (Tweet Link). As of right now, the Canadiens would have roughly $5.3MM in cap space after putting Price’s contract on LTIR, meaning they could either shed about $5.2MM, negating the need to put Price’s contract on LTIR, or add another $5.2MM, maximizing the total salary relief they could get.

Given their likely competitive outlook for the 2023-24 season, it may be wise for Montreal to attempt to shed more salary and keep Price’s contract off of LTIR, allowing them to weaponize their cap space during the 2024 NHL trade deadline. Even after trading Hoffman and Pitlick, the Canadiens should have room on their current roster to find minutes for the likes of Sean Farrell, Lias Andersson, and Mitchell Stephens, among others.

Not only do they have young forwards ready to play, but the team also has a significant amount of young defensemen ready to play as well. To shed a significant amount of salary, as well as opening up time for some of their younger talent to step up, it may be wise for the team to move on from defenseman David Savard and forward Christian Dvorak. With rumors circulating that the trade market for defensemen will now be opening up thanks to the move of Karlsson, there may be buyers willing to give Savard a shot in their top four. In Dvorak’s case, rumors shortly before the start of free agency indicated that Montreal would like to move on from the forward if possible.

If the Canadiens move these two veterans and do not take on any significant salary in return, it would be more than enough space to keep Price’s contract off of LTIR. Nevertheless, it will be interesting what direction General Manager Kent Hughes takes in regard to this situation, but there will likely be more clarity on the subject in the approach to training camp starting in September.

Karlsson Notes: Defense Market, Money Retention, Interested Teams

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A short time after the news broke of Erik Karlsson officially joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, news surfaced that defenseman Mathew Dumba and the Arizona Coyotes were expected to reach a one-year agreement. Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal thinks that with the Karlsson trade drama wrapped up, this might have unfrozen the slow-moving defenseman market this summer (Tweet Link). Lavalette surmised that the Carolina Hurricanes may now have a better market to move out one of their defensemen.

This view should be taken with a grain of salt, as Lavalette’s initial thought was in response to Elliotte Friedman announcing that the Coyotes and Dumba had come to an agreement. It may very well be true that the trade for Karlsson will lead to more defensemen being traded in the next couple of weeks, but given the vast differences in playstyle, and the unlikelihood that the Coyotes were one of the teams trying to acquire Karlsson, it would be difficult to draw any sort of correlation between these two moves.

However, in defense of Lavalette’s view, the Hurricanes do have a plethora of right-handed shooting defensemen, and with rumors earlier in the offseason indicating the team might be interested in moving on from defenseman Brett Pesce, the other team’s interested in Karlsson could consider Pesce a solid consolation prize. Even though their play styles are not similar, Pesce would largely be an improvement to any team’s right-hand side of their defensive core.

Other notes:

  • One of the more surprising aspects of the Karlsson trade this morning was the money retained by the San Jose Sharks in the deal. Most recent reporting indicated that the Sharks and a potential third team would have to retain at least $3.5MM (30.4%) of Karlsson’s contract in total to make the deal financially work for the Penguins. Instead, even though the Montreal Canadiens were involved in the deal as well, the only retention came from the Sharks at $1.5MM (13%) of Karlsson’s $11.5MM salary. A Sharks beat writer, Curtis Pashelka reported that a lot of retention scenarios were on the table, and Mike Grier made a point to get it as low as possible. This reasonably impacted the return for San Jose, but it was a solid part of the deal for the Sharks, nonetheless.
  • Also speaking to Grier about the Karlsson trade, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reports there were actually two other teams down to the wire in the trade negotiations. For weeks now, all signs had pointed to Pittsburgh as the eventual landing spot for Karlsson, with the Hurricanes, Seattle Kraken, and Toronto Maple Leafs having noted interest as well. Grier would not indicate which teams specifically, but it is an interesting factoid at the very least.

Gilles Gilbert Passes Away At 74

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A veteran of fourteen years in the National Hockey League from 1970-1983, goaltender Gilles Gilbert passed away this morning at the age of 74, per Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now. Gilbert is best known for being in net for the Boston Bruins in the 1979 playoffs, where Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens would score the game-tying goal with less than two minutes left in Game Seven of the semi-finals, turning the tide in favor of the Canadiens.

Gilbert was originally drafted in the third round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, at that point making him the 25th overall pick. In four seasons spent with the North Stars, Gilbert would play in a total of 44 games, securing a 16-22-5 record, and carrying a .896 SV% and a 3.40 GAA. In May of 1973, Gilbert was traded to Boston in exchange for forward Fred Stanfield.

His time with the Bruins would undoubtedly be the best stretch of his career, playing 277 games over seven years donning the spoked ’B’. For the first four seasons with Boston, Gilbert, and the team would make the postseason in each season, with Gilbert receiving a majority of the starts in the regular season. In total, Gilbert finished his time with the Bruins with a 155-73-39 record, posting a .890 SV% and a 2.95 GAA. As his time in Boston came to a close, he was traded to a separate Original Six franchise, joining the Detroit Red Wings after a 1980 trade for goalie Rogie Vachon.

No longer benefitting from a strong team in front of him in Detroit, Gilbert’s time with the Red Wings wasn’t nearly as successful. In three seasons to finish his career, Gilbert concluded his career with a 21-48-16 record in 95 games, holding a .858 SV% and a 4.14 GAA. He would retire after the 1983 season with a career record of 192-143-60, and a .883 SV% with a 3.27 GAA. After retiring, Gilbert went back to the province of Quebec, where he would remain for the rest of his days.

All of us at PHR would like to offer our condolences to Gilbert’s family.

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Erik Karlsson In Three-Team Deal

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The Erik Karlsson trade saga is finally over. The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired the 2023 Norris Trophy winner from the San Jose Sharks, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Montreal Canadiens are involved in the trade to aid in salary considerations. Pittsburgh later officially announced the massive deal, which includes 12 parts and breaks down as follows:

PIT receives: D Erik Karlsson, F Rem Pitlick, F Dillion Hamaliuk, 2026 third-round pick (SJS)
SJS receives: 2024 first-round pick (PIT, top-ten protected), F Mikael Granlund, D Jan Rutta, F Mike Hoffman
MTL receives: 2025 second-round pick (PIT), D Jeff Petry, G Casey DeSmith, F Nathan Legare

San Jose is retaining $1.5MM of Karlsson’s $11.5MM cap hit through 2026-27. Montreal is retaining no salary on Karlsson in this trade, meaning the Penguins have Karlsson at a massive $10MM cap hit for four more seasons. Pittsburgh also retains $1.5625MM, or 25%, of Petry’s cap hit. Montreal will have him at a cap hit of $4.6875MM through 2025.

Sportsnet’s Eric Engels also believes Montreal is not Petry’s final destination. The Canadiens are likely to flip their former number-one defenseman before next season starts, potentially retaining up to 50 percent on his already reduced cap hit, making him cost just $2.34MM against the cap for his new team.

Pittsburgh has a net cap hit loss of $3.1MM in this trade, per CapFriendly. By doing so, they’ll likely be able to activate Jake Guentzel and his $6MM cap hit from LTIR when he’s ready to return to the ice in November without making any corresponding moves. CapFriendly projected Pittsburgh with $2.75MM in cap space, with Guentzel on LTIR to start the season.

Karlsson, 33, ended an up-and-down five-year stint with the Sharks on a high note. Despite playing on a bottom-five team in the league, Karlsson’s 101 points in 82 games were the most from a defenseman in a single season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. Once viewed as the best defenseman in the NHL during his time with the Ottawa Senators in the mid-2010s, the Sharks acquired him in a blockbuster deal in 2018 and later extended him on a massive eight-year, $92MM contract, giving him the highest cap hit in the league among defensemen.

However, it was a decision that failed to pan out the way San Jose envisioned, as Karlsson struggled with injuries during most of his time in California. To make matters worse, the team around him also crumbled as the Sharks fell out of yearly playoff contention for the first time this millennium.

Pittsburgh hopes Karlsson’s turnaround last season has given him renewed confidence heading into the latter half of his contract – assuming his recent injury history doesn’t come back to bite him. 2022-23 was the first time Karlsson had played in 70-plus games since 2017-18, his last season with the Senators.

Many will be concerned with Karlsson’s defensive misgivings, but some slightly reduced ice time in Pittsburgh should lessen his negative impact on the team’s goals-against total. Likely to slot in on the team’s second pairing behind Kris Letang, Karlsson should be paired with either Marcus Pettersson or free-agent acquisition Ryan Graves on the left side, both players with strong defensive reputations. Advanced metrics peg Pettersson near the top of the league in terms of his individual even strength defensive impact.

Pitlick could be an under-the-radar add for Pittsburgh in this deal from Montreal. While he’s far from being a long-term fixture, he is on the younger side (in Pittsburgh, at least) at 26 years old and will add some higher-upside depth scoring to a Penguins lineup that needs it, especially with Guentzel on the shelf to start the year. In 2021-22, Pitlick notched 15 goals, 22 assists and 37 points in 66 games split between the Canadiens and Minnesota Wild. He’s struggled to develop an all-around game at the NHL level, though, and he’s more of a finishing and playmaking specialist than anything else. His overall play-driving impacts are poor, and it led to Montreal stashing him in the minors for a fair bit of last season. There, he registered 22 points in 18 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Hamaliuk, 22, once had a fair bit of upside – after all, San Jose thought he warranted a second-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. Injuries and middling performance since turning pro have wiped out nearly all of his stock, though. He played in just six games last season, all in the ECHL with the Wichita Thunder, although he did look good in limited action with seven points. The Penguins will likely watch him closely in the minors with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins next season to see if he can recapture some of his former potential.

For the Sharks, trading Karlsson while only retaining $1.5MM is a solid bit of work for general manager Mike Grier. However, the return is rather underwhelming – a likely mid-first-round pick and a trio of depth NHL assets that won’t amount to much value for a rebuilding team. They’ve essentially taken on two bad contracts and a depth defender to rid themselves of long-term financial pain, as despite his elite skill, Karlsson absolutely did not factor into the franchise’s long-term plans post-rebuild.

The trade does provide a fresh start for Granlund, a former top-six fixture who struggled mightily after heading to the Penguins from the Nashville Predators at last year’s trade deadline (just five points in 21 games). He is just one campaign removed from a 64-point season, however, and although his possession metrics are quite poor, he does still carry a fair amount of raw skill that could see him once again elevate into a top-six role on a weak Sharks team, potentially playing alongside Alexander Barabanov and Logan Couture. With two seasons left at a $5MM cap hit, the Sharks could look to flip him at the 2024 trade deadline if he has a strong season, likely with significant salary retention. However, as CapFriendly notes, San Jose has just one of their three salary retention slots remaining for the next two seasons after also retaining salary on Brent Burns when they traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes last summer. In total, the Sharks are left with $7.745MM in dead cap space this year after the two salary retentions, plus the buyouts of goalie Martin Jones and forward Rudolfs Balcers.

Rutta is under contract at $2.75MM for two more seasons, and he’ll likely give the Sharks a fair amount of value. The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning could very well step into a top-four role for the Sharks, who will likely roll three pairings by committee this season in the absence of a clear number-one defender. Rutta recorded nine points in 56 games for the Penguins last season, his only season in the Steel City while averaging 17:07 of ice time per game. Pittsburgh signed the 33-year-old to a three-year, $8.25MM contract in free agency last summer.

Clearing Hoffman’s $4.5MM cap hit for this season off the books is a solid bit of business for the Canadiens, who were rumored to be considering waiving Hoffman ahead of next season and assigning him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. There’s no guarantee he’ll be able to escape the same fate with San Jose, however. The Sharks will undoubtedly prioritize roster spots for younger wingers like William Eklund, Filip Zadina and Fabian Zetterlund, leaving Hoffman without a clear place among the Sharks’ top 12 forwards. Now 33, Hoffman did manage 14 goals and 34 points in 67 games for Montreal last year, but he ranks among the worst play-driving forwards in the league and is solely a power-play specialist at this stage in his career. Some will remember this is technically Hoffman’s second stint as a member of the Sharks organization – San Jose acquired him from Ottawa for a few hours in 2018 before flipping him to the Florida Panthers.

Now, moving on to Montreal, who became an unexpected major player in this deal. Petry may not remain with his former team, as mentioned earlier, and DeSmith may not either. He’s a puzzling addition for a team that already has Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen manning the crease, although Pittsburgh did need to move out a goalie after signing Alex Nedeljkovic in free agency, giving them three NHL goalies on their roster. However, Montreal now faces the same predicament, and DeSmith is unlikely to supersede Allen or Montembeault on the team’s depth chart. If they don’t flip him to another team looking for a backup netminder, DeSmith could be waived to start the season and end up with Laval. He started a career-high 33 games for Pittsburgh last season, and the 31-year-old recorded a 15-16-4 record, .905 save percentage, and no shutouts.

Legare is a depth addition who will suit up for Laval next season. The 22-year-old third-round pick of the Penguins in 2019 is still finding his footing in the minors. Last season, he posted eight goals, 11 assists and 19 points in 68 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Penguins, Sharks Getting Closer To Erik Karlsson Trade

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With the window for the Pittsburgh Penguins to clear cap space via a buyout closing today, rumors around the team closing a deal that would bring all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson to Pennsylvania are continuing to heat up. The team is making a “legit attempt” to get a trade done today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet says. Friedman expects a third team to be involved in the transaction to help facilitate any salary cap issues.

During a TV appearance on NHL Network earlier this week, Friedman said that “clarity” could come on a Karlsson trade as soon as this weekend. Considering the general reporting on Karlsson has focused significantly on the Penguins over the past few weeks, it’s beginning to seem like an eventuality that a deal will get done, even if the teams involved can’t iron out all the details today. Karlsson acknowledged that the Seattle Kraken and Toronto Maple Leafs were also in trade talks with San Jose last month. At the same time, the Carolina Hurricanes were widely believed to be in discussions to acquire this year’s Norris Trophy winner.

However, there’s still no indication of what the final trade will look like. Undoubtedly, it’ll become quite a complex deal with multiple salary cap-related maneuvers necessary. Even with winger Jake Guentzel projected to start the season on LTIR, CapFriendly projects the Penguins with just over $2.75MM in cap space, making it a tight fit for Pittsburgh even if they buy out Mikael Granlund today or move him to the Sharks in the final trade. San Jose has expressed unwillingness to retain significant salary in the deal, meaning Pittsburgh will likely have to pay an extra draft pick to a third team to retain additional cash, as Friedman alluded to today. The Penguins will also need to find the cap room to activate Guentzel about a month into the season when he’s slated to return.

Acquiring Karlsson would, at the moment, give Pittsburgh one of the most offensively potent right-side defenses in the league with Karlsson, Kris Letang and Jeff Petry. Petry is not expected to be involved in the pending trade, with previous reports indicating the Sharks are on his 15-team no-trade list. It’ll also be one of the most expensive right sides in the league, with Letang and Petry already costing a combined $12.35MM against the cap.

As a reminder, Karlsson is under contract for four more seasons at an $11.5MM cap hit. The Sharks and a third team are expected to retain at least a combined $3.5MM to bring Karlsson’s cap hit in Pittsburgh down to $8MM or less.

Morning Notes: Hlinka Gretzky, Buyout Windows, Barbashev

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The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is often a short and sweet tournament, and this year’s was no exception. In this season’s first major showcase for the 2024 NHL Draft Class, Canada’s U18 contingent won their second straight gold medal by defeating Czechia in overtime yesterday thanks to a rather brilliant effort from forward Malcolm Spence of the OHL’s Erie Otters, who’s still just 16 years old and won’t be NHL draft-eligible until 2025.

While Canadian forward and presumptive 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini wasn’t with the team at this event, perhaps their second-best draft-eligible talent next season was – forward Berkly Catton of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. Projected by some to be a top-five selection, he didn’t disappoint, leading the Canadian contingent with ten points in five games at the tournament. Another likely top-ten pick, defenseman Henry Mews, did quite well, leading Canadian defensemen in scoring with seven points. For the silver medal-winning Czechs, 2025-eligible center Adam Benák was undoubtedly the star of the show, recording two goals and eight assists for ten points in all five games. Potential 2024 first-round selection Adam Titlbach, who’s set to join the WHL’s Vancouver Giants this season, led the team in goal-scoring with five goals and three assists for eight points. The United States took home the bronze medal at the tournament led by 2024-eligible forward Trevor Connelly, who notched five goals and five assists for ten points.

Other notes from around the hockey world to kick off this Sunday in August:

  • After settling their final arbitration cases with Drew O’Connor and Troy Terry, the second buyout window this offseason for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks closes today, respectively. While the Ducks are extremely unlikely to utilize a buyout at this point in the offseason, Pittsburgh will be a team to watch today. As covered at length this week, the team’s salary cap situation is being kept a close eye on by almost everyone as the team closes in on trying to acquire defenseman Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks. Their most likely buyout candidate is 2023 trade deadline acquisition Mikael Granlund, who’s locked in for this season and next at a $5MM cap hit and had just five points in 21 games with Pittsburgh after arriving from the Nashville Predators. Per CapFriendly, a Granlund buyout would provide the Penguins with over $4.1MM in savings this season.
  • The QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes acquired New York Rangers forward prospect Maxim Barbashev from the Moncton Wildcats via trade earlier this month, according to the league. The Rangers selected the Moscow-born left wing in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft, and he went on to have a rather strong campaign in 2022-23 with 32 goals, 33 assists and 65 points in 67 games with Moncton. All those numbers were career highs. He joins Los Angeles Kings defense prospect Angus Booth as the second NHL-drafted prospect on the Cataractes in 2023-24.

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