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Red Wings Have Shown Interest In Max Pacioretty

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Earlier this week, it was reported that Toronto was one of the teams showing interest in unrestricted free agent winger Max Pacioretty.  Evidently, they’re not the only Atlantic Division squad that has some interest in the veteran as Arthur Staple of The Athletic adds (subscription link) that the Red Wings are believed to be interested in adding the veteran as well.

The 35-year-old spent last season with Washington after inking a one-year, $2MM contract which also carried another $2MM in performance bonuses which were reached once he played in 20 games.  While Pacioretty was able to play in that many games, last season was still an injury-riddled campaign as he worked his way back from his second torn Achilles tendon sustained in the 2022-23 season while playing for Carolina.

As a result, Pacioretty was limited to just 47 games last season.  A six-time 30-goal scorer, he struggled considerably in that department, scoring just four times although he was able to add 19 assists to stay near the half-point-per-game rate.  Nevertheless, that wasn’t the type of performance that gave him some bargaining power heading into free agency.

The Red Wings have already been active up front with their free agent moves this summer.  They re-signed wingers Patrick Kane and Christian Fischer, added wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Motte, and also inked Austin Watson to a PTO agreement.  Considering they still have to re-sign wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren (plus defenseman Moritz Seider), it’s hard to see a viable fit for Pacioretty.

While the veteran is believed to have interest from multiple teams, that shouldn’t be enough leverage to land much more than the league minimum of $775K at this point of free agency so this could be a case of Detroit viewing Pacioretty as a low-cost depth option over someone worthy of a full-time lineup spot.  In that scenario, adding him could make some sense.  But until they finalize contracts with their three remaining RFAs to get a better sense of what they have to work with financially, it would be a little surprising to see the Red Wings commit any sort of guaranteed contract to Pacioretty or any other free agent.

Bruins Sign Tyler Johnson To PTO

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With training camps now less than three weeks away, it’s expected that there will be an uptick in PTO activity over the coming days as players look to catch on somewhere.  The Bruins are getting involved in the tryout market as the team announced that they’ve signed veteran forward Tyler Johnson to a tryout agreement.

[Related: 2024 Professional Tryout Tracker]

The 34-year-old spent the last three seasons with Chicago after being acquired from Tampa Bay in a salary cap-clearing move.  Staying healthy had been a challenge for Johnson in his time with the Blackhawks which certainly didn’t help his cause on the open market.  Nonetheless, he managed to put up 32 points in 56 games in 2022-23 and followed that up with 17 goals and 14 assists in 67 contents last season while logging 15:32 per night.

Before that time, Johnson spent nine seasons with Tampa Bay, being a key secondary scorer for most of his tenure with them.  Over his 12-year career, he has 193 goals and 238 assists in 738 games between the Lightning and Blackhawks.  With that track record and a decent showing offensively when healthy with Chicago over the last two years, it’s a little surprising that he wasn’t able to secure a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season.

Earlier this month, we took a closer look at Johnson’s free agency and highlighted the Bruins as one of the possible fits.  While Johnson has spent more time on the wing than down the middle in recent years, he can still play center and would represent some insurance on Matthew Poitras who missed 38 games last season due to shoulder troubles.  If they want Poitras to ease in on the wing to start the season – or even start at AHL Providence – Johnson could serve as some low-cost insurance on that front.

At the moment, the Bruins have around $8.64MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  However, most of that will be earmarked for RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman; they will need to sign him before they can get a better sense of what they might or might not be able to spend on a contract for Johnson or any other veteran free agents that they might have their eye on.  In the meantime, Johnson will at least have a shot at suiting up in the preseason and making a case for a contract either with Boston or elsewhere.

East Notes: Raymond, Berggren, Voronkov, Capitals

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The Red Wings still have three restricted free agents to re-sign, defenseman Moritz Seider along with wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren.  In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relayed that while there’s no concern on either side yet, talks don’t appear to be progressing between Detroit and Raymond’s camp.  The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal and had a breakout showing last season, recording 31 points and 41 assists in 82 games, leading some to suggest that a long-term agreement between the two sides is likely to push past the $7MM mark per season.

Berggren, meanwhile, was largely a regular for the Red Wings in 2022-23 but spent most of last season with AHL Grand Rapids, tallying 24 goals and 32 assists in 53 games.  The 24-year-old also collected six points in 13 games with Detroit.  Pagnotta reports that a deal between the two sides is expected before training camp and it’s likely to be a short-term agreement.  With a little over $17MM in cap space per PuckPedia, it’s possible that the eventual contracts with Seider and Raymond could dictate how short of a deal Berggren ultimately receives.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Dating back to last season, there was speculation that Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov might want to return to the KHL. In an interview with Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev, Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin acknowledged that he spoke with Voronkov after last season, presumably to gauge his interest in returning to the KHL but no discussions have taken place since then.  The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season last year, notching 18 goals and 16 assists in 75 games and is someone that Columbus will undoubtedly be looking to keep beyond the upcoming season when his current contract expires.
  • While the Capitals have already inked a PTO agreement with Jakub Vrana, don’t expect them to be signing any others. GM Chris Patrick recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that he doesn’t envision bringing in any more players on tryouts for training camp.  Washington has shaken up their roster a fair bit this summer, bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, and Logan Thompson (and others) so allowing the newcomers to get some early chemistry may be the focal point at camp.  If that’s the case, bringing in other players with an outside shot of making the team would run counter to that objective.

Utah Signs Robert Bortuzzo

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It has been a busy offseason for Utah as the former Coyotes get set for their first season in their new home.  With training camp approaching, they’ve added some extra depth on the back end as the team announced (Twitter link) that they have signed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a one-year deal.  PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that it’s a two-way agreement that pays $775K in the NHL and $450K in the minors.

The 35-year-old is a veteran of 13 NHL seasons, spanning 560 games.  Last season, Bortuzzo started the year in St. Louis but had a very limited role and spent considerable time as a healthy scratch.  He was then acquired by the Islanders in December with New York dealing with considerable injuries at that time.  Bortuzzo played a regular role after being acquired but then was injured himself, missing 28 games due to a lower-body issue.  The veteran then returned to his third-pairing role for the stretch run and playoffs.

Between the two teams, Bortuzzo played in 27 regular season games last season.  While he was held off the scoresheet entirely, he collected 51 blocked shots and 38 hits while averaging 13:44 per night.  For his career, he has 74 points, 711 blocks, and 1,095 his to his credit while spending time with Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and New York.

Bortuzzo is the latest addition to a Utah back end that has undergone significant changes this summer.  The team added Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on the second day of the draft in trades with Tampa Bay and New Jersey and then inked veteran Ian Cole to a one-year, $3.1MM deal in free agency.  The four newcomers join holdovers Sean Durzi, Juuso Valimaki, and Michael Kesselring on a much-improved blueline as the franchise looks to take a step forward toward emerging from its long-term rebuild.

Former NHL winger Scottie Upshall was the first to report the signing.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

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

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We begin with a look at the Central Division, starting with Chicago.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $81,322,500 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Connor Bedard (two years, $950K)
D Kevin Korchinski (two years, $918.3K)
F Frank Nazar (two years, $950K)

Potential Bonuses
Bedard: $3.5MM
Korchinski: $1MM
Nazar: $900K
Total: $5.4MM

Expectations were quite high for Bedard, the 2023 top pick, heading into his rookie year.  He was given every opportunity to play a prominent role and be the go-to threat on the power play.  He was a bit overmatched at times defensively but acquitted himself quite well, showing that he could be the next generational talent as he has been hyped up to be.  At a minimum, he should be able to hit the $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses but he’d need to be among the league’s top scorers to have a shot at the rest of them.  When it comes to his next contract, if he lives up to expectations, Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100MM agreement could very well be the comparable.

Korchinski also had some defensive struggles but logged consistent top-four minutes as a junior-aged blueliner which is something that doesn’t occur very often.  On a team that should be at least a bit more competitive this coming season, he should be able to put up some improved offensive numbers, giving him a chance at pushing for his four ‘A’ bonuses as well.  If that part of his game comes around, he could be in line for a significant second contract of his own, one that could push past the $6MM mark (potentially more depending on the numbers).  Nazar is somewhat of a wild card as he could be deployed in Chicago’s top six or they could opt to start him in the minors and bring him up midseason.  If it’s the latter, it’d be unlikely that he’d land a long-term second contract since he already burned the first year of his deal last season.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Andreas Athanasiou ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($2MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F Philipp Kurashev ($2.25MM, RFA)
F Pat Maroon ($1.3MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($4MM, UFA)
D Isaak Phillips ($775K, RFA)
F Craig Smith ($1MM, UFA)

Chicago’s big acquisition last summer on the trade front was Hall, a capable top-six forward, to help give Bedard some support.  He only played in ten games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery.  He’ll need a big bounce-back year if he wants a chance at a contract that’s close to this price point.  Athanasiou’s contract seemed pricey at the time he was signed but Chicago was paying an above-market rate to keep a veteran they liked.  With several youngsters getting development time in Rockford, Athanasiou may not get another one of those deals and if that winds up being the case, he hasn’t had great success on the open market before so he could be in for a pay cut as well.

Kurashev had a breakout performance last season, more than doubling his previous career high in points, picking up 54 while spending a lot of time on the top line.  While that might not be the permanent landing spot for him based on how their prospects develop, he has positioned himself for a sizable raise on his $2.25MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights.  Another 50-point performance could push him into $5MM territory.  Donato put up similar numbers to his two seasons in Seattle but is another player who hasn’t had great success in free agency before.  A similar showing in 2024-25 might not be enough to land a raise with teams trying to spend a bit less in their top six.  Maroon and Smith came in this summer to shore up Chicago’s depth; both players will be going year-to-year in all likelihood from here on out on contracts that are likely to stay around their current respective price points.

Martinez was another veteran signing designed to make the team more competitive now and keep some prospects with the IceHogs to help their development.  He’s not the core player he was a few years ago and this felt like another short-term overpayment.  If he plays in a fourth or fifth role this season, he’ll be hard-pressed to get this much next summer.  Phillips is on a two-way deal but is now waiver-eligible.  That might be enough to keep him on the roster in a seventh role as there’s no guarantee he’d pass through unclaimed.  He’ll need to carve out some regular playing time if he wants to get to a seven-figure one-way salary.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Joey Anderson ($800K, UFA)
D T.J. Brodie ($3.75MM, UFA)
G Laurent Brossoit ($3.3MM, UFA)
F Jason Dickinson ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Ilya Mikheyev ($4.0375MM, UFA)*
G Petr Mrazek ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Connor Murphy ($4.4MM, UFA)
F Lukas Reichel ($1.2MM, RFA)

*-Vancouver is retaining an additional $712.5K on Mikheyev’s deal.

Foligno was also acquired from Boston last summer and quickly signed an above-market one-year deal.  Things went well enough that he received an above-market two-year extension which starts in 2024-25.  Foligno is miscast as a full-time top-six player but remains an effective veteran.  That said, it’s hard to picture recent history repeating itself on his next deal.  Dickinson’s contract also feels like an overpayment but he is coming off a 22-goal campaign; if he can stay in that range, they’ll at least get a decent return out of it while the 29-year-old could have a shot at a similar price tag for more term on his next deal.

Mikheyev was acquired as a cap dump from Vancouver after a particularly rough season in 2023-24.  When he’s on, he’s an effective second-line winger but if his offensive struggles continue in 2024-25, he becomes a buyout candidate next summer.  Reichel quickly opted for a bridge contract back in May.  He’ll be owed a $1.3MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights in 2026 and if he’s able to secure even a full-time middle-six spot, he could have a shot at doubling that or more.  Anderson was non-tendered in June to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly re-signed this contract, one which gives him a one-way salary for only the second (and third) time of his career.  He’s a low-cost depth piece and with Chicago’s youngsters eventually getting more expensive, the Blackhawks will need to keep this roster spot around that price tag whether it’s with Anderson or someone else down the road.

Murphy, when healthy, remains a solid stay-at-home second-pairing blueliner.  However, he has missed significant time with injuries in two of the last three seasons.  Still, if he can stay healthy and in the same role for two more years, he could land a multi-year deal around this price tag two years from now.  Brodie came over as another free agent pickup after a year in Toronto that started off okay but saw him struggle to finish.  He won’t be tasked with as much ice time in Chicago which should help but when this contract is up, he’s probably going to have to go year-to-year moving forward.

Mrazek put up a respectable .907 SV% last season on a team that struggled considerably which helped earn him this two-year extension, one that is also above-market.  He’ll need to put up better numbers over the next two seasons to have a shot at bettering his price tag two years from now.  Brossoit’s decision to return to Winnipeg proved to be wise as he thrived in limited duty, making him one of the better options in free agency this summer.  That said, with a still-limited track record, he couldn’t command top dollar.  He’ll have a chance over the next two years to show that he can carry a bigger workload which could put him in line for another raise if things go well in Chicago.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM, UFA)

Teravainen had a bounce-back year with Carolina, potting a career-best 25 goals which made him one of the more prominent wingers in free agency.  It was a bit surprising to see him land just a three-year agreement but he’ll have a chance to play a prominent role which, if all goes well, could allow him to put up some good numbers, giving him a chance to beat this price three years from now.

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Oilers Still Exploring Trade Market

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It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Oilers, to put it lightly.  They lost Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to St. Louis via offer sheets, moved Cody Ceci and a third-round pick to San Jose for Ty Emberson, and acquired Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver for a fourth rounder.

With the team largely capped out (they have less than $950K in cap room, per PuckPedia), they’ve been speculatively linked to the PTO market in recent days, particularly on the back end.  But it appears that they’re considering more than just that as well.

In an appearance earlier this week on Oilers Now (audio link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli relayed that Edmonton is considering some options beyond the PTO market in what would amount to more of a shakeup type of move.  He suggested that GM Stan Bowman may be parsing through as many as seven different options at the moment.

Speculatively, it stands to reason that Edmonton’s focus on the trade front is likely on the back end.  While Broberg might have been expected to play on the third pairing this season given his limited NHL workload so far, Ceci logged at least 20 minutes per game in each of his three seasons with the Oilers.  While Emberson might be able to fill the intended role for Broberg on the third pair, they still need someone capable of playing higher up the lineup.  And while free agents like Tyson Barrie, Tony DeAngelo, and Kevin Shattenkirk, have played that high on the depth chart before, they’re not ideal fits to play in the top four at this point of their respective careers.

How Bowman might be looking to shake things up isn’t quite as clear.  The team has eight players with some form of trade protection in their contracts and are core pieces that aren’t likely to move.  Their four highest-paid players without trade protection are core players who aren’t getting traded (Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard) or just signed with the Oilers (Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique).

At this point, effectively anyone making more than Brett Kulak’s $2.75MM is probably off the table in trade discussions and for that money, it’s going to be tricky to find someone to fit that top-four role.  While Evander Kane ($5.125MM) could be moved to LTIR to start the season as he recovers from a hip injury, that’s only a short-term fix as they’d have to get cap-compliant again to activate him.  Accordingly, dipping into that this early would be somewhat risky.

Seravalli suggested that this move, should it come to fruition, is likely to come before training camps start so Bowman and the Oilers have a couple more weeks to see if they can find a way to shake things up and add to their back end.

Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Morello, Norlinder

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Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is one of the top remaining restricted free agents with the calendar set to flip to September tomorrow.  Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald suggests that it’s not time yet for any side to be concerned that a deal isn’t in place.  He noted that it took until the eve of training camp for David Pastrnak to sign his post-entry-level contract and it stands to reason that at this point, Swayman’s camp will be looking to use that as a possible pressure point as well.  It was recently reported that Swayman was seeking a long-term agreement around the $8.5MM mark while Boston was coming in at a little over $6MM.  That’s quite a gap to try to bridge so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this one drag out to the start of camp if not even a little longer than that.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Bruins, prospect Jonathan Morello has decided on his new college commitment. After decommitting from Clarkson, PuckPreps reports (Twitter link) that the 18-year-old will play for Boston University when he begins his college career.  Morello was a fifth-round pick by Boston back in June, going 154th overall after a solid showing with OJHL St. Michael’s where he had 57 points in 50 games during the regular season while adding 21 more in 11 playoff contests.  He will play for USHL Dubuque this season.
  • Despite non-tendering Mattias Norlinder earlier this summer, the Canadiens have made an offer to bring the defenseman back, his agent Claes Elefalk told Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Ros. Norlinder was a third-round pick by Montreal back in 2019 but aside from a six-game NHL stint, he has played exclusively in the minors since coming to North America in the 2021-22 campaign.  Last season, the 24-year-old had nine points in 50 games with AHL Laval.  Norlinder is believed to have an offer on the table from SHL Modo; he played in their junior system for several years before being drafted.  It’s expected that he will make a decision on where to sign next week.

Hurricanes Re-Sign Seth Jarvis To Eight-Year Contract

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Earlier this week, a report from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta indicated that the Hurricanes and RFA winger Seth Jarvis were nearing an agreement on a long-term contract.  That is indeed the case as the team announced that the two sides have reached an eight-year, $63.2MM contract.  GM Eric Tulsky released the following statement:

Seth is a cornerstone player for our franchise. He took another huge step last season, playing in all situations and displaying the skill and competitive drive that will make him a star in this league in the years to come.

Typically, the AAV of a contract is the total value divided by the number of years which in this case would be $7.9MM.  However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (who first reported the deal) reports that there is a deferred signing bonus payment due July 1st, 2032, a day after the expiration of the agreement.  By doing so, the contract’s AAV will actually check in at $7.5MM.  Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the deal contains $30MM of signing bonus money, the breakdown of which is not yet known.

The contract will cover the four remaining RFA-eligible seasons plus his first four seasons of UFA eligibility.  It’s only those last four years that will be eligible for trade protection.

The 22-year-old was selected 13th overall by the Hurricanes in 2020.  Jarvis spent his post-draft campaign in the WHL and then made the jump to the NHL at 19.  He put up 17 goals and 23 assists in 68 games in his rookie season and followed that up with 14 goals and 25 helpers in 82 games in his sophomore campaign.

Last season was a breakout performance for Jarvis.  He set career-highs with 33 goals and 34 assists in 81 games while averaging 18:45 per night.  His 67 points were good for second on the team in scoring behind only Sebastian Aho.  Jarvis was also one of Carolina’s top scorers during the postseason as he had five goals and four helpers in 11 contests, putting him third in team scoring.  That certainly gave him some extra bargaining power heading into contract negotiations.

Carolina went into these discussions with roughly $6.44MM in cap space, per PuckPedia so this agreement will put them around $1MM over the Upper Limit.  However, with Jesper Fast expected to miss the entire season after having neck surgery, the Hurricanes will be able to put him on LTIR, getting them back into cap compliance.  They can also opt to carry a roster with fewer than the maximum of 23 players which would allow them to get under the Upper Limit that way and still bank in-season cap room.

Contracts with deferred money are quite rare in the NHL but it’s actually the second time Carolina has used it this offseason.  Seravalli notes in his report about Jarvis’ contract that there is some deferred signing bonus money in Jaccob Slavin’s contract as well, one that moves the AAV from the reported $6.461MM to $6.396MM.  These structures have been approved by the NHL so there won’t be any concerns about this contract getting vetoed.

Johnston noted (Twitter link) that multiple teams attempted to use this structure in talks this summer, including Vegas in their attempts to re-sign Jonathan Marchessault.  With Carolina now successfully doing this twice, it will be interesting to see if it results in an uptick in these types of agreements moving forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Checking In On Notable Remaining Restricted Free Agents

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We are now three weeks away from training camp opening up in the NHL with preseason games coming quickly after. We recently checked in on several free-agent players looking for new homes shortly before preseason action and we’ll now pivot to notable restricted free agents still looking to re-up with their current clubs.

Goalies

One of the most oft-mentioned restricted free agents over the summer has been Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins. Recent reporting indicates that Swayman is not looking for the rumored $10MM a year salary but is looking more in the $8.5MM range. This would be a welcome sign for most teams but not for the Bruins as they are seeking a contract closer to $6MM a year and that gap is not close to getting bridged. They may come together soon and agree to a short-term pact that could lead Swayman to unrestricted free agency and give the Bruins more time to figure out their salary cap structure; this has all the makings of a contract negotiation that could leak into the regular season.

A reasonable price for Swayman may land between both asking prices with honest arguments. Swayman has earned a 79-33-15 record in 125 starts over his career in Boston with a .919 SV% and 2.34 GAA. There is a legitimate argument that Swayman has benefited greatly from the team playing in front of him and sharing the net for several years with now-Ottawa Senator, Linus Ullmark. Swayman’s side will likely argue that $8.5MM is a reasonable salary for an undisputed starter on a playoff-caliber team. He earned the majority of starts last season (43) and finished sixth in the league in goals saved above average with 16.4 with approximately 10 fewer games played than other goaltenders above him.

Defensemen

It’s been a quiet summer for the 2021-22 Calder Memorial Trophy winner Moritz Seider. He saw his entry-level contract expire on July 1st and very little has been reported on regarding current negotiations between himself and the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings currently own around $17.65MM in cap space so money won’t be an issue in retaining either Seider or his teammate Lucas Raymond (more on that later).

The young German defenseman has not missed a game since making his NHL debut on October 14th, 2021, and has been Detroit’s best defenseman since then. He’s been solid offensively with 21 goals and 134 points in 246 games over his entry-level deal but his defensive metrics are much more difficult to interpret. Seider is regularly put into bad situations when he hits the ice as the Red Wings’ most serviceable option on the back end. He’s finished towards the bottom of the roster in on-ice save percentage over his three-year career but he also finishes towards the top of the team in defensive zone starts.

The other notable restricted free-agent defenseman is nearly 1,200 miles away in Dallas, Texas. Thomas Harley is coming off an electric season with the Dallas Stars scoring 15 goals and 47 points in 79 games. He quickly became an offensive option behind Miro Heiskanen and gave the Stars more of a complete powerplay. The most recent reporting came on August 9th with general manager Jim Hill maintaining confidence that Harley will sign soon.

Forwards

Circling back to Detroit; Raymond joins Seider as another restricted free agent yet to re-sign with the Red Wings. He’s a more complicated situation to interpret as Raymond exploded offensively with 31 goals and 72 points last year. The young Swedish forward averaged 53 points a season before that so Detroit may have more desire for a short-term pact before they commit to Raymond as a first-line talent. Coupled with a shooting percentage 6.4% higher than his career average last year; the Red Wings may believe a certain amount of regression is in order next year.

Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes arguably represents the most talented option left on the board. A report yesterday from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicates a long-term deal may be on the horizon. It’s no surprise why both sides are targeting a long-term contract as he already showed his importance last year for Carolina before the organization lost a few key forwards this summer. He finished second on the team in scoring last season with 33 goals and 67 points in 82 games while chipping in another five goals and nine points in 11 postseason contests. The contract should eat into much of Carolina’s remaining salary cap space of $6.44MM according to PuckPedia.

The last notable restricted free agent forward we’ll touch on is Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. The two sides have reportedly exchanged proposals which lends to the idea a deal will be done soon. He’s not as high-profile as some of the other forwards on New Jersey’s roster but Mercer has been a consistent and available scorer since entering the league three years ago. He hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2021-22 season which has become invaluable to a Devils’ roster that has been rocked by injuries the last few years. Given his reliability and offensive abilities his AAV should land between Ondrej Palat ($6MM AAV) and Erik Haula ($3.15MM AAV) on the Devils’ salary cap table.

Simon Nemec Injured In Olympic Qualifier Game

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The New Jersey Devils will be waiting on bated breath over the next 48 hours to get a clearer picture of the injury sustained by defenseman Simon Nemec in the Olympic qualifier event earlier today between Slovakia and Hungary (Article Link). Beat reporter James Nichols quickly reported that the prognosis was good as Team Slovakia’s doctor does not believe anything is broken or dislocated but more tests will be run tomorrow.

It does not appear that Nemec will be out long-term without a break or dislocation so he should still be in line to start the year on time with New Jersey. The play in question took place in the back half of the second period with Nemec colliding into the corner boards with a player from Team Hungary which precluded him from participating in the rest of Friday’s action. Team Slovakia went on to win the game by a score of 7-3 and will take on Team Kazakhstan to advance.

The young Slovakian defenseman is on the eve of starting his sophomore campaign at the NHL on the heels of a solid rookie season. Nemec played in 60 games for the Devils last year and put up three goals and 19 points overall. He wasn’t a game-changer on the back end nor a liability which is more than many 19-year-olds can say about their first taste of NHL action. New Jersey will be hoping for more on both sides of the puck but it is already apparent they trust him as he finished fourth on the team in average ice time in 5-on-5 play.

The Devils may be able to gear down Nemec’s responsibilities for the 2024-25 season after a few key free-agent additions on the back end. The organization could slot Nemec into a more comfortable role on the bottom-pairing next to Brenden Dillon to give him more room to grow.

New Jersey can’t afford to lose as many defensemen as they did last year to injury; this news is a major avoidance of that. Luke Hughes was the only defenseman on the roster last season available to play in all 82 games and the man-games lost to injury had a major part in their 31-point drop in the standings year-on-year.

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