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Summer Synopsis: Buffalo Sabres

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The Buffalo Sabres haven’t played in a playoff game in more than a decade even though they have drafted in the top 10 on almost an annual basis. Despite the Sabres being a mess for much of this time, there have been a few instances where it seems like the team is ready to turn the corner and get back into the postseason. Last year it felt like the team would remain in contention for a wild card spot but once again they exited the playoff picture early. This year it is hard to gauge whether or not Buffalo will be in the mix as an uneven summer has left some fans scratching their heads and wondering when this team will once again be a contender in the Eastern Conference.

Draft

1-14: C Konsta Helenius, Jukurit (Liiga)
2-42: D Adam Kleber,  Lincoln (USHL)
3-71: F Brodie Ziemer, USNTDP
4-108: D Luke Osburn, Youngstown (USHL)
4-123: D Simon-Pier Brunet, Drummondville (QMJHL)
6-172: D Patrick Geary, Michigan State University (NCAA)
7-204: F Vasili Zelenov, RB Hockey Juniors
7-219: G Ryerson Leenders, Mississauga (OHL)

The Sabres don’t have a ton of recent experience drafting outside of the top 10 but this year they picked Helenius with the 14th overall pick. The youngster from Ylojarvi, Finland played at home last season in the top league and registered a respectable 14 goals and 22 assists in 51 regular season games which isn’t far off of the 48 points Aleksander Barkov’s scored in the league as an under-18-year-old. Helenius plays a high-energy game and plays much bigger than his size, he is a good forechecker and is responsible defensively. Helenius does everything pretty well and should be a good two-way player in the NHL.

Buffalo selected Kleber in the second round after he helped Team USA earn bronze at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer. The massive 6’6” defenseman is committed to playing next season at the University of Minnesota Duluth and should continue to develop into a strong defensive defenseman. Kleber isn’t the prettiest skater, but he gets around the ice well for a big man which allows him to cover a lot of ground in the defensive zone. His offensive instincts aren’t strong, nor is his ability with the puck but he does offer a solid breakout pass which should aid him in his defensive work.

The Sabres used their third-round pick to draft another undersized forward in Ziemer who had a solid season with the U.S. National Team Development Program tallying 27 goals and 43 assists in 61 games which was good enough for fourth on the team in points. Ziemer has a good shot and is good in tight spaces around the net, his offensive instincts allow him to find soft areas on the ice to capitalize on breakdowns in coverage.

Trade Acquisitions

F Ryan McLeod (Edmonton)
F Tyler Tullio (Edmonton)

Buffalo traded Matthew Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers for McLeod and Tullio in what many analysts felt was a sell-low move by the Sabres. Savoie was drafted ninth overall by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL entry draft and many believed he would be a huge part of their core moving forward. But with the trade to Edmonton, all of Savoie’s upside goes out the door and Buffalo makes the move for the player who is a safer bet but has a much lower upside.

McLeod is a proven NHL player, and at just 24 years old he has improved in every NHL season. Last year he tallied 12 goals and 18 assists in 81 regular season games but had just four goals in 24 playoff games. McLeod has some upside of his own and is a bit of an analytics darling, but if his finishing abilities remain the same, Buffalo could end up coming out on the bad end of the trade.

UFA Signings

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (one-year, $1.5MM)
F Josh Dunne (two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Dennis Gilbert (one-year, $825K)
F Mason Jobst (one-year, $775K)*
F Sam Lafferty (two-year, $4MM)
F Brett Murray (one-year, $775K)*
D Jack Rathbone (one-year, $775K)*
G James Reimer (one-year, $1MM)
D Colton Poolman (one-year, $775K)*
G Felix Sandstrom (one-year, $775K)*
F Jason Zucker (one-year, $5MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

The Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner this summer and opened up a significant amount of cap space which excited Sabres fans that the team would make some big moves to try and get back into the playoff picture. Ultimately the team whiffed in free agency and settled into a series of underwhelming signings that appeared more like panic moves than pieces of a plan falling into place.

Zucker is a solid NHL veteran who has been a 20-goal scorer in the NHL on multiple occasions. However, the fact that he was the Sabres big splash certainly alarmed some fans. Zucker can still play but is overpaid at this stage of his career and isn’t much of a playdriver. Zucker has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career but could provide the Sabres with solid veteran minutes if he can remain in the lineup.

Lafferty is another former Pittsburgh Penguin who is a solid depth forward. He finally had a breakthrough in recent seasons and was terrific last year for the Vancouver Canucks posting a career-high 13 goals and 11 assists in 79 games. While Lafferty has firmly established himself as a regular NHLer, he isn’t going to move the needle offensively or offer a significant improvement on some of the Sabres departures from last season.

Aube-Kubel is another fourth liner that the Sabres brought in to try and improve their bottom six. The 28-year-old has been a solid pro for several years but is a few seasons removed from being a good fourth-line scoring option and a $1.5MM AAV feels like an overpay given the players that remain on the free agent market who are still looking for work and are likely to sign for league minimum.

RFA Re-Signings

D Jacob Bryson (one-year, $900K)
D Kale Clague (one-year $775K)*
D Henri Jokiharju (one-year, $3.1MM)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (five-year, $23.75MM)
F Beck Malenstyn (two-year, $2.7MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

Buffalo’s big RFA signing was locking up netminder Luukkonen to a five-year deal. UKL could be poised for a breakout season and the Sabres opted to lock him up and avoid having to dish out a more significant extension in the near future. The 25-year-old’s new deal does come with a significant amount of risk though as last year was his first season as a starter and his sample size beyond that isn’t overly big.

Buffalo also acquired Malenstyn in a trade with the Washington Capitals that was received with lukewarm reviews at best. Malenstyn then signed a two-year extension with the Sabres and will most likely be counted on to play fourth-line minutes. He plays an honest game, gets around the ice well and should open up room for his teammates but given what the Sabres gave up getting him, they better hope that the 26-year-old has more to his game than what he showed in Washington.

Departures

F Brandon Biro (Seattle, one-year, $775K)*
D Joseph Cecconi (Minnesota, one-year, $775K)*
G Eric Comrie (Winnipeg, one-year, $825K)
D Jeremy Davies (Ottawa, one-year, $775K)*
F Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay, three-year, $2.55MM)
C Tyson Jost (Carolina, one-year, $775K)
F Victor Olofsson (Vegas, one-year, $1.075MM)
F Justin Richards (signed with Düsseldorfer EG of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga)
F Eric Robinson (Carolina, one-year, $950K)
F Matthew Savoie (traded to Edmonton)
D Calle Sjalin (signed with Rögle BK of the SHL)
F Jeff Skinner (Edmonton, one-year, $3MM)
D Riley Stillman (Carolina, one-year, $775K)*
G Dustin Tokarski (unsigned UFA)
F Linus Weissbach (signed in SHL)

* denotes a two-way contract

Buffalo’s biggest departure was Skinner who left the team after a volatile six seasons. Skinner was a 40-goal scorer in Buffalo in his first season but never lived up to expectations after signing his eight-year $72MM extension in June 2019. He did score 30 goals in three of his six seasons in Buffalo, but his shortcomings defensively became too much to ignore, particularly when he went into scoring droughts.

The remaining Sabres departures were of the depth variety, with most of them being players who were playing in the team’s bottom six. Girgensons moved onto Tampa Bay after ten years in Buffalo, and while it is always difficult to see a tenured player leave town, his on-ice production should be easy to replace.

Olofsson is a three-time 20-goal scorer and scored 28 goals just last year but given how little he provides when the puck isn’t going in, Buffalo opted to move on from the player. Olofsson can skate and can create offense with his playmaking as well, but his defensive shortcomings became a problem in Buffalo, and his size created more issues, particularly when contests became physical.

Salary Cap Outlook

Buffalo enters August with just under $8.5MM in projected cap space which is more than enough room to sign their remaining RFA Peyton Krebs. The Sabres are positioned well for the future as most of their core is locked up long-term to reasonable contracts and the cap will be increasing in future seasons. The Skinner buyout will be a burden between 2025-2027, which makes the decision to buy him out this summer all the more puzzling given that they still haven’t utilized that additional cap space to get better.

Key Questions

Can The Scorers Rebound? Almost all of Buffalo’s offensive stars struggled last season, with some of them taking massive dips in production. The hope is that a new coaching staff can spark the offense to get back to their offensive numbers from the 2022-23 season. Buffalo doesn’t have a lot of offensive pieces in their bottom six, which creates additional pressure on the top two lines. Tage Thompson will be counted on to stay healthy and get back to the 40-goal mark as will Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch who both had 20-point drops last season.

Will Jack Quinn Stay Healthy? Quinn has dealt with a series of injuries in his first two seasons as an NHLer, and while the former eighth-overall pick has been productive when healthy, he still needs to prove he can play for an entire season. The Cobden, Ontario native is likely to be a fixture in the Sabres top-6 for years to come, but first, he must prove he can be a fixture for an entire season. Quinn had nine goals and 10 assists in 27 games last season which averages out to a 58-point pace over an entire season and demonstrates just how effective Quinn can be offensively when he is healthy. Much of the Sabres playoff hopes will rise and fall on the performance of their top-6 and if Quinn can be a regular contributor, it will be huge for Buffalo.

Can Lindy Ruff Change This Group?  Ruff was hired to bring change into the organization by teaching this group structure and how to be accountable to each other. But the biggest thing the Sabres need Ruff to bring is stability given that Ruff was fired by Buffalo during the 2012-13 season and since then the Sabres have had six head coaches and no playoff appearances. The Sabres need Ruff to find a balance between letting the stars play and also having everyone buy into a system that allows the team to win games and get back to the playoffs. Ruff may or may not be the coach to do that and he likely wasn’t at the top of many wish lists in Buffalo, but he will have the team working hard and playing for each other, which might be just the thing to get the team back into the playoff picture.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Evening Notes: Flames, Getzlaf, Glass

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Calgary Flames players have reportedly been told that the team is unlikely to add any other pieces between now and the beginning of the regular season (as per Elliotte Friedman of the 32 Thoughts podcast). Friedman added that the Flames’ management wants to get a look at their group and see how they start the season, which makes sense given the turnover that has occurred in Calgary.

The Flames barely resemble the team that started the 2023-24 season, as most of the veteran players have been dealt to other teams in the past 12 months, including Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane, who were both traded to Eastern Conference teams this summer. Calgary has largely tried to avoid calling their roster construction a rebuild, and in their defense, they did add a few veterans this summer on short-term deals. However, the team is certainly in sell mode, and they will likely look to move out more names during the regular season as they get closer to the NHL trade deadline.

In other evening notes:

  • Former Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf has left the organization to join the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (as per NHL announcement). The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be reunited with his former Ducks teammate George Parros and will work in some capacity for the NHL. It is unclear what exactly Getzlaf will do, but as Parros noted today in a press release, Getzlaf’s experience on the ice should have a lot of value for the department. The former Stanley Cup champion retired after the 2021-22 season and re-joined Anaheim just over a year later in June 2023, serving as the player development coordinator for the team.
  • Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins forward Cody Glass entered this summer to work on his speed during his offseason training (as per Nick Kieser of the Nashville Predators radio network).  Glass knew that he wasn’t good enough last season for Nashville and was feeling the pressure heading into the summer as he will be a restricted free agent on July 1st, 2025. If Glass can improve his speed next season, it could be a good fit with the Penguins, as Pittsburgh hasn’t had much speed in their bottom six since they won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan loves to use speed and deploy an aggressive forecheck, and if Glass can work on that part of his game, he could find himself in the top nine next year.

Gilles Léger Passes Away At Age 83

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The NHL is mourning the passing of Gilles Léger, a long-time executive who spent time with three organizations in a career spanning from 1979-2020. Outside of his work in the NHL, Léger spent time as a coach and a general manager in the CIAU and WHA.

After the World Hockey Association ceased operations at the end of the 1978-79 season, Léger made his way to the Quebec Nordiques as a director of player development in their first year of operations. Advancing to the role of assistant general manager for the team in 1984-85, Léger helped acquire the likes of Peter Forsberg, Guy Lafleur, Joe Sakic, Peter Stastny, and Mats Sundin to the expansion franchise. Unfortunately, with financial hardships leading to a sale of the Nordiques to COMSAT Entertainment Group after the 1994-95 season, Léger was not brought along with the team in their relocation to Denver, CO.

It would take three years for Léger to pick up another opportunity at the NHL level, this time with the Edmonton Oilers as a pro scout. When legendary general manager Glen Sather left the Oilers to take on the GM vacancy with the New York Rangers, Léger came along as a pro scout. The move to New York ended up being Léger’s last stop along his NHL journey. After two decades serving as a pro scout in the Rangers’ organization, Léger retired at the end of the 2019-20 season at 79 years old.

Léger’s story is of tremendous success as he parlayed a head coaching role with St. Francis Xavier University into four decades of work in the NHL. PHR sends our condolences to the Léger family.

Metro Notes: MacKinnon, Nedeljkovic, Rosen

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Although the Edmonton Oilers ultimately decided on Stan Bowman to fill their general manager vacancy, we now know of another candidate who was close to capturing the role. Originally reported by Elliotte Friedman on his ’32 Thoughts’ podcast and later extrapolated by James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now, New Jersey Devils assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon was very close to becoming the next GM for the Oilers.

MacKinnon began his executive career in 2000-01 for the Nashville Predators as the director of scouting before transitioning to the position of pro scout until the 2005-06 season. He would spend one year as a pro scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins before becoming the team’s director of professional scouting and then director of player personnel until 2015-16. Since his first year with the Penguins organization in 2006-07, MacKinnon has followed Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald the rest of the way.

He has spent the last four years as AGM in New Jersey with most of his responsibilities focused around the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Coupled with this report, and MacKinnon being one of the finalists for the Penguins’ GM vacancy a year ago, it appears that MacKinnon is looking to detach himself from Fitzgerald and craft his own team.

Other Metro notes:

  • Whatever controversy surrounds the crease for the Penguins this year won’t be generated by either of the respective netminders. After agreeing to a two-year, $5MM extension earlier this summer, Alex Nedeljkovic spoke to local media and said, “[Jarry] was one of the first ones to text me when I re-signed, to say congrats and welcome back and, ‘Looking forward to getting back at it together’”. Nedeljkovic did not indicate if he had his eyes set on the starting job in Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, he’s earned an opportunity for a goaltending battle out of camp with Tristan Jarry after nearly willing the Penguins into the playoffs last year with an 8-1-2 record down the stretch and a .902 save percentage.
  • Longtime play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers, Sam Rosen, is set to retire after the 2024-25 NHL season according to Dan Rosen of the NHL. Rosen began his career as a backup radio host with the Rangers for the 1977-78 season and saw the organization win their first Stanley Cup in over 50 years. The Rangers will have some big shoes to fill when the current longest-serving, Hall of Fame announcer hangs them up at the end of the year.

Stars Sign Magnus Hellberg To Two-Way Deal

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Aug. 14: Hellberg’s deal carries an NHL salary of $775K and an AHL salary of $450K with a $475K guarantee, PuckPedia reports.

Aug. 13: The Stars have signed UFA goaltender Magnus Hellberg to a two-way contract, per a team announcement.

Hellberg’s appealing size, at 6’6″ and 209 lbs, helped him get drafted by the Predators in the second round in 2011. The 33-year-old has since solidified himself as a journeyman, dressing for six NHL teams, five AHL teams, and six different pro teams in China, Russia and Sweden.

After his first stint in North America, split between the Predators and Rangers organizations from 2012 to 2017, Hellberg headed to the Kontinental Hockey League for a five-year span. Suiting up for Kunlun Red Star, SKA St. Petersburg and HK Sochi, he put up a 2.00 GAA, .927 SV%, 24 SOs, and an 81-64-14 record before returning to the NHL with the Red Wings at the end of the 2021-22 season, recording a win in his lone appearance.

The two-time KHL All-Star landed with the Kraken as a free agent a few months later, kicking off a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign. Seattle attempted to assign him to the AHL to begin the season, but he was claimed off waivers by the Senators. He played once for Ottawa, recording a .935 SV% in a win, before landing on waivers again in early November and being re-claimed by the Kraken. He dressed as a backup for Seattle on multiple occasions but never entered a game before he was placed on waivers for a third time around Thanksgiving, returning to where his NHL comeback started six months ago in Detroit.

Hellberg remained in Hockeytown as a backup/third-string option for the remainder of the season, only seeing AHL ice on a conditioning stint. He struggled behind a porous Red Wings defense in his longest look at the NHL level, posting a 4-8-1 record, .885 SV%, 3.29 GAA, and -8.2 GSAA in 13 starts and four relief appearances.

He then signed with the Penguins upon becoming a free agent again in 2023, and this time cleared waivers to begin the season. He did well as Pittsburgh’s third-string netminder, posting a .905 SV% in 19 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and a .922 SV% in three NHL games before the Panthers acquired him at the trade deadline to shore up their goaltending depth. Hellberg didn’t see any NHL looks with Florida and ended the season with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, where he had a 2.34 GAA, .898 SV%, 1 SO, and a 5-2-0 record in eight appearances.

The big Swede now joins his seventh NHL franchise. He’ll likely hit the waiver wire again during the preseason, and if he clears, he’ll head to Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, to serve as their starter. He’ll sit third on the organizational depth chart behind starter Jake Oettinger and UFA signing Casey DeSmith, who’ll serve as his backup.

Financial terms of Hellberg’s two-way deal weren’t disclosed, but it likely carries a league-minimum NHL salary of $775K.

West Notes: Mercer, Rantanen, Oilers

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The Wild have invited undrafted free agent goalie Riley Mercer to next month’s rookie camp, reports Mike Morreale of NHL.com. Mercer, the younger brother of Devils RFA forward Dawson Mercer, was passed over in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 drafts but came into his own in his final season of junior hockey last year with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The 20-year-old Newfoundland native took over as the Voltigeurs’ starter for the first time in 2023-24, posting a 2.83 GAA and .905 SV% with two shutouts and a 31-13-4 record in 49 appearances. But he erupted in the playoffs, taking over with a shining 1.89 GAA and .934 SV% in 19 games as Drummondville won the QMJHL championship.

Mercer, who stands at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, hasn’t inked a professional contract for this season. He’s technically eligible to return to the Voltigeurs for an overage season, but CHL clubs are limited to three overagers on their roster at any given time and tend not to use those slots on goaltenders.

An entry-level contract with the Wild out of rookie camp is impossible but unlikely. However, a decent showing could earn him a deal with their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, or their ECHL affiliate, the Iowa Heartlanders. It would be a tough numbers game, though, as the organization has seven goalies under contract across the three leagues already (five NHL deals, one AHL deal, and one ECHL deal).

More out of the Western Conference today:

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman chimed into the summer discourse today with a quick-hit edition of his “32 Thoughts” podcast, mentioning, among other topics, that there’s a strong sense around the league that the Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen won’t have any issues coming to terms on an extension. “You start to do your planning a year out,” Friedman said. “They’re starting to take Draisaitl off their boards because they think that’s going to get done in Edmonton, and I had some teams tell me they don’t have any reason to believe, right now, that Rantanen is going to be a hard one to get done either. We’ll see where that goes” (hat tip to Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now). As things stand, Rantanen would be the consensus No. 2 player on the 2025 UFA market behind Draisaitl. The 27-year-old winger remained over the 100-point threshold in 2023-24, posting 42 goals and 62 assists in 80 games. An eight-year extension would feasibly eclipse the $11MM mark per year, a decent raise on his current $9.25MM AAV.
  • The Oilers should match the Blues’ two-year, $4.58MM offer sheet for Dylan Holloway but let Philip Broberg walk for his two-year, $9.16MM offer, argues Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required). Among other reasons, the likelihood of Holloway being worth his $2.29MM cap hit this season is much higher than Broberg providing fair value for his $4.58MM price tag, especially for a pair of former first-rounders at similar spots in their development.

Maple Leafs Notes: Tavares, Marner, Hakanpaa

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John Tavares’ concession of the captaincy today doesn’t mean he’ll be phased out of the Maple Leafs’ leadership group entirely, general manager Brad Treliving told reporters (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Tavares will serve as an alternate captain this season, exactly as he did during his first campaign with the club in 2018-19.

The rest of Toronto’s leadership group outside of Tavares and star goal-scorer Auston Matthews, who’s taken the reins as the franchise’s 26th captain, has yet to be determined, Treliving said. One of the Leafs’ two alternate slots last season was held by defenseman Morgan Rielly, the team’s longest-tenured player. The other was split between Matthews and Mitch Marner. While Reilly will likely reprise the alternate role that he’s held since 2016, it’s unclear whether they’ll make Marner a full-time alternate, name another player for him to split duties with, or strip him of the ’A’ entirely as he enters the final season of his contract without an extension.

The last player outside the quartet mentioned above to wear a letter for the Leafs was defender Jake Muzzin, who was a part-time alternate during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

There’s more from the Maple Leafs:

  • Speaking of Marner, the maligned winger had ex-teammate Zach Bogosian go to bat for him on a Tuesday episode of “The Cam & Strick Podcast.” Bogosian, who was a member of the Toronto squad that was upset by the Canadiens in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, called Marner “a good leader” and said that “he’s always trying to take care of everyone around the locker room.” Marner ended last season on an exceptionally disappointing note, limited to a goal and two assists in Toronto’s seven-game exit at the hands of the Bruins in the first round. “I’ve played with a lot of guys; he is as good of a person and a teammate as I’ve ever seen,” Bogosian continued. “A lot of people give him s**t about this and that and we haven’t done this, and it’s, like, well, he’s trying everything.“
  • During his media availability today, Treliving had no update when asked about the contractual status of defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (via Alter). He reportedly inked the stay-at-home Finn to a two-year, $3MM contract on July 1, but the deal still hasn’t been officially registered with the league. He’s still recovering from a knee ailment that sidelined him for the last few weeks of the season and the entirety of the Stars’ run to the Western Conference Final. The Leafs are still “working through” making him an official member of the club, but Treliving had no comment beyond that.

International Notes: Mendel, Petrovsky, Bellerive

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Free agent defenseman Griffin Mendel is considering a move to Czechia’s Rytiri Kladno after failing to land a qualifying offer from the Hurricanes earlier this summer, sources tell Elite Prospects.

Mendel, 25, spent most of last season on loan to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves after signing a two-way contract with Carolina in July 2023. Undrafted, Mendel played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Denver and played a fifth year for Quinnipiac before turning pro on an AHL deal with the Wolves in 2022. He impressed enough in his first professional season, playing in all 72 regular-season games alongside Carolina’s prospects and recording 19 points, to earn his first NHL pact.

But Mendel slipped out of an everyday role with the Wolves last season. The 6’6″, 220-lb defender was limited to 44 appearances, recording two goals, six assists, eight points, 35 PIMs, and a -9 rating. He spent a brief time on assignment to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, with whom the Hurricanes had a working agreement last season, posting six points and a +3 rating in eight games there.

Without much of a path to NHL time, he’ll look to carve out a role overseas. In doing so, he may join the long list of players to suit up alongside Jaromir Jagr professionally. The 52-year-old will return to Kladno for his eighth straight season since leaving the NHL in 2017. It’ll mark Jagr’s 37th straight season playing professionally, likely to last as a record for quite some time.

More updates from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean:

  • Former Wild forward prospect Servac Petrovsky has found a safety net for this season with Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec, where the club says he’s been participating in training camp and preseason on a tryout basis. Petrovsky, 20, was a sixth-round pick of Minnesota in 2022 but became a free agent in June after failing to land an entry-level contract following the close of his junior career with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. He might still have an opportunity to land an NHL contract, though, as the Czech club noted he’ll be attending rookie camp with the Utah Hockey Club in hopes of earning a deal. If he doesn’t, though, Liberec confirmed they’ll sign him for 2024-25. Petrovsky had 55 points in 57 games with Owen Sound last season and was electric at the 2024 World Juniors for his native Slovakia, leading them in scoring with five goals and four assists in five games.
  • After a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign, AHL mainstay Jordy Bellerive is continuing his career overseas with Sweden’s AIK, the club announced in a press release. The 25-year-old forward began last season on a contract with the Flyers’ affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but was traded twice during the season and ended up logging time with the San Jose Barracuda and the Syracuse Crunch. Once an undrafted free agent signing by the Penguins, Bellerive struggled to produce with just 12 points in 59 games across the three clubs. He hasn’t been affiliated with an NHL club since being non-tendered by Pittsburgh in 2022.

Summer Synopsis: Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins have had a lot of regular-season success over the past few years, but it hasn’t translated into a lengthy playoff run. They’ve managed to stay in contention despite a bevy of on-ice personnel losses and re-tooled this summer, signing some lucrative long-term contracts with top-tier free agents. With an aging core that knows how to win, Boston has elected to run it back again over the next few seasons and should be formidable when the puck drops on the regular season this fall.

Draft

1-25: C Dean Letourneau, St. Andrews College (High-ON)
4-110: D Elliott Groenewold,  Cedar Rapids (USHL)
5-154: C Jonathan Morello, St. Michaels (OJHL)
6-186: D Loke Johansson, AIK Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

The Bruins didn’t have much of an opportunity to re-stock the prospect cupboards at this year’s NHL entry draft, however, they did manage to snag a first-round pick in the Linus Ullmark trade which they promptly used to draft the towering Letourneau. The Ottawa Valley native played prep school hockey in Ontario this past season and led St. Andrew’s with 61 goals and 66 assists in 56 games. Scouts sometimes have difficulty assessing prep school hockey players relative to their peers. Still, given Letourneau’s size and length, it was hard for the Bruins to pass on a player who looks like a prototypical Boston player.

Boston selected the 18-year-old Groenewold in the fourth round of the draft after he appeared in 57 games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL last season. The 200-pound, 6-foot-2 defenseman is committed to Quinnipiac University for next season and will look to continue developing his game as a defensive defenseman. Groenewold is a player who could give Boston a real defensive presence on their back end, as he is effective at clearing the area around his crease and is known to win puck battles in the defensive zone.

A fifth-round pick. Morello was a point-a-game player in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (57 points in 50 games). However, his playoffs were different, as he tallied 12 goals and nine assists in 11 games. Some scouts believe he could be just scratching the surface, while others wonder if he has an NHL role. Boston likely views Morello as a project, but given his solid skating and size, he was worth a roll of the dice in the fifth round.

Trade Acquisitions

F Mark Kastelic (Ottawa)
G Joonas Korpisalo (Ottawa)
C Vinni Lettieri (Minnesota)

Boston had to move on from Ullmark this summer but was likely hoping to avoid taking back a lousy goalie contract, precisely what they did. Boston acquired Korpisalo for Ullmark but did get him at a reduced rate for the next four seasons ($3MM AAV), which could be an okay contract if the 30-year-old can return to the form he showed during the 2022-23 season. Korpisalo has always been a talented netminder and a great athlete, however, he’s never been able to maintain consistency through a long stretch which is why he’s out of Ottawa one year into a five-year deal.

Boston also received Kastelic in the Ullmark trade. The 6’4” forward could be a solid fourth-line contributor for Boston going forward but shouldn’t be someone they count on for offense. Kastelic has been effective in the faceoff circle during his short NHL career (56.3%) and has no issue finishing his checks. He’s also very sound defensively, using his frame and reach to disrupt the opponents’ offensive sequences. With all that being said, Kastelic has primarily been a non-factor offensively throughout his NHL career and even last season, he ranked 323rd among NHL forwards who played more than 200 minutes at 5v5.

Lettieri struggled through injuries and inconsistency last season in Minnesota and could be a bounce-back candidate in Boston. He can skate and has a good set of hands, but his confidence appeared shattered with the Wild, and he spent a good chunk of last year in the AHL. If Boston can insulate him, they might be able to get more of him next year. However, they might also see an opportunity to have him start the season in Providence to try and get him on the right track.

UFA Signings

F Max Jones (two-year, $2MM)
F Cole Koepke (one-year, $775K)*
F Elias Lindholm (seven-year, $54.25MM)
D Jordan Oesterle (two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Billy Sweezey (two-year, $1.55MM)*
F Riley Tufte (one-year, $775K)*
F Jeffrey Viel (two year, $1.55MM)*
D Nikita Zadorov (six-year, $30MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

Boston’s two big moves in the free agent market were Lindholm and Zadorov, but they also added some depth with the Jones signing. Boston recognized they had a hole down the middle, which Lindholm should be able to fill going forward. Lindholm’s two-way play should give the Bruins a big boost and allow them to move Pavel Zacha back to the wing and provide better balance to their top 6. He should be able to find a way to make Boston’s forward group better both offensively and defensively and elevate his talented linemates in the process.

Zadorov has been around the NHL for a long time and struggled to find stability for most of it. However, once he found a consistent role, he became a physical presence that could clear the crease and take care of business in the defensive zone. Zadorov has problems when he overplays the puck or gets lost in the defensive zone. Boston will likely have the 29-year-old paired with Charlie McAvoy, which means Zadorov can defer most of the puck-carrying to his partner. However, he will be defensively in many precarious positions when McAvoy takes chances.

RFA Re-Signings

G Brandon Bussi (one-year, $775K)*
D Michael Callahan (one-year, $775K)*
C Marc McLaughlin (one-year, $775K)*
D Ian Mitchell ((one-year, $775K)*)*
D Alec Regula (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Boston’s biggest RFA signing has yet to happen but should occur in the not-too-distant future, as Jeremy Swayman is clearly Boston’s goalie of the future. Most of Boston’s work in the RFA market was locking down depth pieces, which may or may not factor into the NHL roster this season.

Bussi figures to at least challenge for the Bruins’ backup goaltender position, which is unlikely to be handed to Korpisalo given his struggles last season. Bussi is a solid young netminder who might require more seasoning in the AHL but does forecast as an NHL backup. He is of good size and aggressive in the net, but he can be guilty of overcommitting to shooters and likely needs to figure out how to rein that in before he finds full-time NHL duties.

Mitchell remains an intriguing option for the Bruins on the back end. He is an excellent skater and gets around the ice quickly. He also controls the puck well and has a great pass. The downside for Mitchell is that he is undersized and does get beat in a lot of puck battles. He also loses battles in front of the net, which can lead to some nightmares in the defensive zone.

Departures

F Joey Abate (unsigned UFA)
F Jesper Boqvist (Florida, one-year, $775K)
F Jake DeBrusk (Vancouver, seven-year, $38.5MM)
D Derek Forbort (Vancouver, one-year, $1.5MM)
D Matt Grzelcyk (Pittsburgh, one-year, $2.75MM)
F Danton Heinen (Vancouver, two-year, $4.5MM)
G Kyle Keyser (signed in KHL)
F Jakub Lauko (traded to Minnesota)
F Milan Lucic (unsigned UFA)
F Pat Maroon (Chicago, one-year, $1.3MM)
C Jayson Megna (signed in AHL Colorado)
D Dan Renouf (signed in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Anthony Richard (Philadelphia, two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Kevin Shattenkirk (unsigned UFA)
C Oskar Steen (signed in Sweden)
G Linus Ullmark (traded to Ottawa)
F James van Riemsdyk (unsigned UFA)
D Reilly Walsh (Los Angeles, one-year, $775K)*
F Daniel Winnik (retired)

* denotes a two-way contract

Boston’s departures were essentially depth players who had either signed short-term deals recently or had been drafted or signed out of college and didn’t factor into the Bruins’ future. That being said, the departures of DeBrusk and Ullmark are sure to be felt this season, especially if Lindholm starts slow or Swayman struggles in the full-time starter role.

On the backend, Forbort and Grzelcyk struggled last season and needed a blank slate in another uniform, which should open the door for new faces to take up roles on the blue line. Zadorov will fill Grzelcyk’s old role, and depending on Mitchell’s development, he could also take up a spot on Boston’s defense. Boston’s defense core remains strong, and given the poor play of both Forbort and Grzelcyk last season, their departures shouldn’t be much of a loss.

Where Boston could feel the pinch is the loss of some of their depth scoring, mainly Heinen, DeBrusk and van Riemsdyk, who all contributed offensively last season and outperformed their cap hits. Heinen notched 17 goals and 19 assists last season in 74 games while playing for the league minimum of $775K, while JVR made $1MM for putting up 38 points in 71 games. DeBrusk played on a $4MM cap hit last year and had a disappointing regular season with just 19 goals and 21 assists in 80 games. However, he elevated his game in the playoffs, tallying 11 points in 13 games to lead the Bruins in postseason scoring. That kind of cheap depth scoring is hard to come by, and it could come back to bite Boston this season if their top two lines go on any cold streak.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Bruins are entering August with just over $8.6MM in projected cap space which looks like a luxury at this late stage of the summer, however, Boston’s most pressing issue remains as they’ve yet to lock up starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Boston spent liberally this summer on the free agent market, but it shouldn’t prohibit them from retaining their core in the future. Boston has most of its critical pieces locked up aside from Brad Marchand (and Swayman), who will be a UFA next summer. The Bruins likely looked at their aging roster and long-term contract structure and saw their position as an opportunity to load up without worrying too much about future cap issues.

Key Questions

Can Swayman Be A Full-Time Starter? Swayman has proven over the last few seasons that he is a very talented netminder. However, he has done so while being complimented by another goaltender who is among the best in the league at the position. Now, with Ullmark in Ottawa, the net is Swayman’s, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his incredible numbers in the future, especially now that he’s the bonafide number-one goalie. The 25-year-old played in a career-high 44 games last season for Boston, and while his numbers did dip a little bit, he was still rock solid for the Bruins. With Ullmark gone, it is conceivable that the Anchorage, Alaska native will play somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-60 games, which will undoubtedly test his endurance and durability.

Will The New Pieces Fit? Boston shelled out a lot of money for Lindholm and Zadorov, and there is no guarantee that they will fit despite their extensive body of work in the NHL. Lindholm wasn’t a perfect fit in Vancouver and struggled at times after the trade from Calgary. Zadorov has bounced around the NHL during his career before finding stability in Calgary. Both players are certainly upgrades for the Bruins, but they come with some risk. Boston gambled that they are the right fit, and it will undoubtedly make for a compelling storyline if either player has a slow start after signing lucrative free-agent deals.

Can Charlie Coyle Replicate Last Season’s Success?  Coyle had a career-high 60 points last season, but he isn’t that far removed from a 16-point campaign with the Boston Bruins during the shortened 2020-21 season. Two years before that, Coyle had just two goals and four assists in 21 games during a shortened 2018-19 season. Coyle has had wild different seasons throughout his career, but last year, he stepped up after the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, which allowed Boston to continue to be a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. While there is little reason to believe his play will fall off a cliff at 32 years old, there is reason to believe that he could take a step back from the best year of his professional career. As mentioned earlier, Coyle’s numbers have been wildly different from year to year, and if he can’t get back to last year’s numbers, it could be a very different outcome for him next season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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