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Pacific Notes: Pettersson, Mangiapane, Hickey

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Canucks center Elias Pettersson is now eligible for a contract extension since he has entered the final season of his three-year, $22.05MM deal, one that carries a qualifying offer next summer of $8.82MM.  Speaking with Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma, former Vancouver assistant GM Chris Gear (who used to handle negotiations for Vancouver) pegged a rough range of a new deal for Pettersson between $9.5MM and $10.25MM.  The 24-year-old hit career highs across the board last season with 39 goals, 63 assists, and 102 points, finishing tenth in league scoring so his value is certainly at its peak.  Speculatively, if that’s the approximate range that a contract for Pettersson would be at this point, Vancouver might need to go close to the top mark to get him to put pen to paper on it a year early as another 100-point showing next season could push that price tag even higher.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • In an interview with Ryan Dittrick of the Flames’ team site, winger Andrew Mangiapane indicated that there are no more restrictions as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, paving the way for him to be fully ready for training camp in the fall. The 27-year-old is coming off a down year offensively; after putting up 35 goals in 2021-22, he managed just 17 last season despite an increase in playing time.  Both sides are certainly hoping that the nagging shoulder trouble played a significant role in that sizable drop in production.
  • The Golden Knights AHL affiliate in Henderson announced the signing of defenseman Brandon Hickey to a one-year deal. The 27-year-old was originally drafted by Calgary back in 2014 but declined to sign with them or Arizona who acquired his rights three years later.  However, Hickey agreed to sign with Buffalo a year later but failed to advance past the AHL level, eventually being non-tendered.  Since then, Hickey has split time between the AHL and ECHL; he got into 17 games on a tryout last season with the Silver Knights, collecting a goal and an assist.

Erik Karlsson Has Spoken With Numerous Teams About A Trade

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For the past few weeks, there have been suggestions that Pittsburgh and Carolina are the two front-runners to land Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson.  However, the blueliner himself revealed to SportExpressen’s Adam Johansson that he has spoken to several other teams about the possibility of a swap.  The two that he noted specifically were Seattle and Toronto while he acknowledged that there are a few others as well.

Karlsson has been in trade speculation dating back to before the trade deadline with San Jose squarely in a rebuild and the 33-year-old coming off a surprising career year.  Last season, Karlsson became the first defenseman in more than three decades to surpass the 100-point mark, helping him take home his third career Norris Trophy.

In doing so, he presented the Sharks with an opportunity to trade his contract, a scenario that didn’t seem all that feasible just a year ago.  Karlsson is on the richest deal for a blueliner in NHL history, one that still has four years remaining at a cap hit of $11.5MM.  Even though it was a front-loaded pact, there is still nearly $40MM in total compensation owed to him.  That’s a particularly notable figure as while there is an expectation that San Jose will need to retain some money, it isn’t going to come close to the maximum allowable of 50% as they’re not going to pay Karlsson nearly $20MM over the next four years not to play for them.

Of course, that also complicates things on the trade front as none of the Hurricanes, Penguins, Maple Leafs, or Kraken have anywhere near enough cap space to take Karlsson on outright.  They will need the Sharks to retain a sizable piece while sending a significant salary offset or two to San Jose in order to make the money work.  Clearly, it’s a process that is taking some time.

When asked by Johansson if he had a preferred destination, Karlsson declined to provide one, only saying that he knows what he and his family wants and that he hopes he gets that chance.  Long citing his desire to land with a contender, wherever (and whenever) he goes, Karlsson should be landing with a team that’s much closer to playoff contention than San Jose currently is.

Kraken Unable To Buy Out Chris Driedger In Post-Arbitration Window

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One of the oft-overlooked benefits of heading to arbitration with a player is some potential additional salary cap flexibility in the form of a second buyout. It’s a window granted to teams for a 48-hour period beginning three days after they settle their last arbitration case. The Seattle Kraken did so with defenseman Vince Dunn today, inking him to a rather significant four-year, $29.4MM pact.

A rather obvious candidate for a buyout on the Kraken is netminder Chris Driedger, who the team was aggressively trying to shop earlier this summer. He missed most of the season with injury and couldn’t work his way back into the Kraken lineup when healthy, instead playing 14 games for the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds and slipping to fourth on the team’s goalie depth chart. He didn’t see a single second of action in the Firebirds’ run to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final in their first season.

He’s third now with the departure of Martin Jones in free agency, but his $3.5MM cap hit is incredibly steep for a third-string netminder. However, Seattle will not be able to use a buyout on Driedger – players bought out during the conditional second window must have a cap hit of at least $4MM (and have been on the team’s reserve list at the prior season’s trade deadline).

It leaves Seattle with no other likely buyout options in the second window, so don’t expect them to take advantage of that early next week. The Kraken are now within $2MM of the salary cap’s $83.5MM Upper Limit after signing Dunn, a testament to the team’s quick rise to relevance with a payroll that reflects it.

The team will likely continue its attempts to move Driedger as the season draws nigh, as even getting rid of him at 50% salary retention is preferable to burying him in the minors, which would only bring his cap hit down to $2.35MM.

Philadelphia is the only team to utilize its post-arbitration buyout window this offseason, parting ways with defenseman Tony DeAngelo and the final season of a two-year, $10MM contract last week.

Seattle Kraken Extend Vince Dunn

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6:17 p.m.: Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Dunn’s new contract will come in at a four-year deal worth $29.4MM, or $7.35MM per season. It’s top-pairing money for the Kraken’s number-one defender, who could very well exceed that contract’s value if he continues on his current path. CapFriendly reports the breakdown of the deal is as follows:

2023-24: $9MM salary
2024-25: $8MM salary (full no-trade clause)
2025-26: $7MM salary (16-team no-trade list)
2026-27: $5.4MM salary (16-team no-trade list)

Seattle promptly confirmed the contract. Dunn will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of his deal, when he’ll be 30 in the offseason of 2027.

3:58 p.m.: By far the team’s most important restricted free agent heading into this summer, Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports the Seattle Kraken are closing in on an extension for defenseman Vince Dunn. After almost doubling his career-high in points this past season, Dunn was due for a healthy raise from the Kraken front office.

Dunn, who was originally the 56th overall pick of the St.Louis Blues back in the 2015 NHL Draft, never got a huge shot with the Blues. Seemingly capable of playing top-four minutes in his last year with St.Louis back during the 2020-21 season, Dunn was behind the likes of Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, Colton Parayko, and Marco Scandella on the team’s depth chart.

Nevertheless, he was always a capable contributor during his time with the Blues, scoring anywhere from 20-35 points a season, averaging a tad over 17 minutes a night in four seasons. Thankfully for Dunn, an opportunity came knocking during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, as St.Louis opted to protect Faulk, Krug, and Parayko, leaving Dunn exposed for the Kraken to select him at no cost.

As expected, most of the upstart Seattle roster struggled during their inaugural season in 2021-22, but Dunn managed to match a career-high in points, scoring seven goals and 28 assists in 73 games played. He was given ample opportunity on the team’s powerplay, a situation that was previously rare to him during his time with the Blues. The Kraken powerplay struggled overall in the team’s first year, only producing at a 14.55% clip, good for 29th in the league.

As the team grew closer, added more talent last offseason, and absorbed head coach Dave Hakstol’s tactics, Dunn and the Kraken put up an exceptional 2022-23 season. Early on, Dunn immediately earned the spot as the team’s top defenseman, quarterbacking a powerplay that took a 5.2% jump in one season. Overall, Dunn would score 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 games played, while 15 of those points would come on the Kraken powerplay.

Not only would Dunn lead all Seattle defensemen in points, but he also finished second on the team overall, only sitting behind forward Jared McCann by six points for the team lead. In 14 playoff games, Dunn would score one goal and six assists, helping the team eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the first round of the postseason.

Still only 26 years old, Dunn picked a fantastic time to have a breakout campaign, as the Kraken currently have a decent cap situation to retain him for as long as they’d like. Proving to be the most offensively gifted defenseman on the roster, Dunn could become a staple on Seattle’s blue line for quite some time.

Arbitration Breakdown: Philipp Kurashev

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Yesterday, Chicago Blackhawks RFA forward Philipp Kurashev’s arbitration hearing was scheduled, and NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reported that the hearing went forward as the team and player could not reach an agreement on a contract.

Puckpedia notes that with Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov also reaching a full arbitration hearing without a deal, this year already features the same number of arbitration hearings as the NHL had seen beforehand since 2020. Kurashev specifically is sort of a prime candidate to have his next contract decided by an arbitrator, as his on-ice value isn’t quite so easy to pin down.

Now, the Blackhawks have more cap space than most other NHL clubs, with over $15MM in space still available. So it’s not like they need to keep Kurashev’s next cap hit as low as possible to remain cap compliant.

Instead, as The Athletic’s Scott Powers writes, since Kurashev, 23, is a player who could possibly still be on the Blackhawks when the team enters its Connor Bedard-led competitive era, the team likely has an interest in keeping his cost as reasonable as possible, since they don’t want to box themselves into overpaying for what he brings once they eventually lack cap space. (subscription link)

So while the value for some teams through the arbitration process is simply getting financial certainty on a player within a designated timeframe, that’s not important for the Blackhawks. Here, Kurashev presents an opportunity for the team to lay the groundwork for a sustainable salary cap future once the team pivots towards legitimate contention.

Filings

Team: $1.4MM (one-year)
Player: $2.65MM (two-years)
Midpoint: $2.025MM

(via Powers)

The Numbers

Although 2022-23 saw Kurashev set a career-high in goals, assists, and points in the NHL, it’s difficult to view the year as an emphatic step forward. Kurashev is a versatile forward for whom last season was his age-23 campaign. As a player gets more NHL experience under his belt and gets closer to his mid-twenties, sizeable growth steps are expected if a player is to reach his highest NHL upside.

For Kurashev, this was the season where he had a chance to really establish himself as an impactful player. He had shown flashes of a high skill level going back to his rookie season, but that had not materialized into standout production with the Blackhawks or AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

This past season was a test for Kurashev, and how he fared may have revealed an important truth about who he is at the NHL level. Offensive skill wasn’t the main area of value Kurashev provided to first-year head coach Luke Richardson. Instead, it was Kurashev’s versatility and his resilience. In the midst of a challenging season, Kurashev’s ability to play all three forward positions, and his ability to mold himself to fit the expectations and style of any given line he’s placed on made him a regular face in the lineup, at least until he was knocked out for the season by a Tom Wilson hit on March 23rd.

There’s usefulness in the type of player who can act as a sort of “glue” that keeps a line functioning when one of its regulars is maybe absent, but there is a downside to Kurashev’s main calling card being his versatility. The jack-of-all-trades approach combined with how he was deployed meant that he was never able to forge his own unique identity in the NHL.

He was unable to carve out a consistent space for himself within Richardson’s team, instead often bouncing to wherever he was needed most. In other words, his deployment was built around how the lineup was structured, rather than the lineup being built around how he was deployed.

This means moving forward, how do the Blackhawks value Kurashev? Do they see him as a long-term third-line staple, for example? Someone who could occupy a bottom-six role on a consistent basis? Or do they perhaps view him more as a reserve forward, a player who they ideally would trust to step into the lineup whenever an injury hits, rather than someone penciled into an opening-night lineup?

That’s what makes this arbitration case a difficult one, and the arbitration award is likely to come somewhere down the middle of the two parties’ filings. (as most cases do) How Kurashev is deployed next season, now that the Blackhawks have added some genuine talent to their lineup, may reveal how Kurashev is viewed as part of the Blackhawks’ future.

2022-23 Stats: 70 GP 9G 16A 25 pts -32 rating 14 PIMs 7.8% s% 17:25 ATOI 
Career Stats: 191 GP 23G 39A 62 pts -57 rating 38 PIMs 8.6% s% 14:35 ATOI

Potential Comparables

Comparable contracts are restricted to those signed within restricted free agency, which means UFA deals and entry-level pacts are ineligible to be used. The contracts below fit within those parameters. Player salaries also fall within the parameters of the submitted numbers by both sides of this negotiation. 

Alexandre Texier (Blue Jackets) – After Texier’s 2020-21 campaign, he signed a two-year, $1.525MM AAV contract extension that likely serves as a “low-end” comparable for what Kurashev’s awarded contract could look like. Texier was a bit younger than Kurashev is now (just about one month separates their birthdays in 1999) but his profile was similar. Texier, like Kurashev, was lauded for his versatility and ability to play at center and the wing. He also had flashed upside at the NHL level but his evident talent had not materialized into anything concrete yet in the league. Like Kurashev, Texier’s poor puck luck (shooting percentage of 5.3%) was also cited as a potential reason explaining why his numbers were a disappointment. Texier managed 15 points in 49 games, a lower pace than Kurashev’s this past season, but overall they have similar profiles, and Kurashev’s floor for what he ends up receiving should look like this Texier deal.

Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames) – Dube signed a three-year, $2.3MM AAV pact with the Flames after his 2020-21 season, a year where he posted 11 goals and 22 points in 51 games. Unlike Kurashev, Dube was utilized almost exclusively on the wing, though he has shown the ability to play center at times both in his junior and later in his NHL career. Dube had a stronger record of production than Kurashev has at other levels of hockey, though, likely influencing the Flames to believe in Dube’s offensive upside at the NHL level. He delivered on that upside in 2022-23, scoring 18 goals and 45 points. It’s unclear whether the Blackhawks believe Kurashev has the ability to post those numbers playing on his next contract, so this $2.3MM AAV could represent a higher-end contract comparable for what Kurashev eventually receives.

Projection

Although there are a lot of reasons to value what Kurashev brings to the Blackhawks, ultimately his numbers are not strong enough to justify his $2.65MM AAV. Averaging over 17 minutes of ice time and over two minutes on a power play across a sample of 70 games should result in better numbers than what Kurashev was able to post.

If Kurashev anchored the Blackhawks’ penalty kill or provided exemplary physical or defensive play, maybe that gap would be bridged a bit, but that’s simply not what Kurashev provides. Still, $1.4MM with a two-year term isn’t exactly fair either. A middle ground at around $2MM AAV, perhaps maybe a shade lower if the arbitrator really puts stock in Kurashev’s lack of points production, seems like a reasonable outcome here.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Profile: Phil Kessel

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At this point in the summer, most teams are looking to make small tweaks to their lineups and settle with their restricted free-agent class. Other teams are still on the hunt for bargains, and with salary cap space at a minimum there are still a lot of strong veteran players who can contribute positively if put in the right position. That statement perfectly describes NHL Iron Man Phil Kessel, a three-time cup winner, a possible future hall of famer, and a man just eight points shy of 1000 for his career.

Despite being a healthy scratch for most of the Vegas Golden Knights journey to their first Stanley Cup, Kessel remains the NHL Iron Man having played 1064 consecutive NHL games and counting.

The streak does not factor in regular season games leaving Kessel’s number intact should he sign with an NHL team this summer.

Kessel hasn’t missed an NHL regular season game since October 31, 2009, when he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a remarkable run of durability. Since debuting with the Boston Bruins 2007-08 season, Kessel has posted 413 goals and 579 assists in 1286 career games. Over the course of his 17-year NHL career, he has had six 30-goal seasons and four seasons with 80 points or more.

Kessel has reached a point in his career where it appears he is content to let the market come to him, last summer he didn’t sign with the Golden Knights until August, and it paid off handsomely as he was able to collect another Stanley Cup ring. Kessel signed for $1.5MM on a one-year deal at the time, and it was considered a bargain for a player coming of a 52-point season the year prior. For their investment, Vegas got 14 goals and 22 assists out of Kessel in 82 games as he played largely in a sheltered depth role. That type of role on a contending team is probably the ideal circumstance for the 35-year-old. Gone are the days when Kessel could play 18 minutes a night as he is better suited at this stage of his career to play 10-12 minutes per game.

Kessel isn’t the dynamic skater he once was, and he can’t fire his snapshot off the rush that made him a perennial 30-goal scorer, but he can be a veteran offensive presence on a team that is looking for some scoring from their bottom-6 forward group.

Stats

2022-23: 82 GP, 14-22-36, -7 rating, 30 PIMS, 149 shots, 41.7% faceoffs, 50.5% CF, 12:49 ATOI
Career: 1286 GP, 413-579-992, -155 rating, 402 PIMS, 3849 shots, 42.2% faceoffs, 55.2% CF, 17:42 ATOI

Potential Suitors

At 35 years of age, it is unlikely that Kessel would want to be part of a rebuilding team which removes several potential suitors from the equation. The honest answer is that the biggest suitor for Phil Kessel might be retirement. However, should he choose to continue playing the Ottawa Senators might be an option that makes sense given that they just traded away an offensive winger in Alex DeBrincat and have a bottom-six forward group that might not chip in much offensively. Currently, the Senators have Mathieu Joseph as their third-line right winger, however, he scored just three times last year and is likely better suited for a fourth-line role. Whether or not Kessel would want to play for the Senators is another story.

Sticking with the East, another team that could make sense is the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning have seen their depth decimated by free agency and a flat-cap world as they have had to watch some terrific depth pieces walk out the door or be traded due to cap constraints. They now find their bottom six void of much in the way of offence, something that Kessel could remedy. An addition like Phil won’t put the Lightning’s cap situation into peril and would likely give the Madison, Wisconsin native a chance to play with some terrific players. It would also give Kessel the opportunity to play in a warmer climate, something he reportedly enjoys.

Out West, one might wonder if a return to the Vegas Golden Knights would make sense for Kessel. There is an adage that players hate moving their stuff, and Kessel did seem comfortable playing in Las Vegas. For the Golden Knights they have seen some of the offence from their cup-winning squad walk out the door and by bringing Kessel back they would get to welcome a known commodity into the fold with much of a cost.

Projected Contract

Kessel wasn’t chosen as one of our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents last month, falling outside the Top 50 despite winning his third Stanley Cup this past season. At this point in Phil’s career, he is a long shot to get a contract with a salary north of $1MM unless a team is looking to reach the salary cap floor. If Kessel is open to taking a league-minimum deal, he could be a good option for a team hoping to improve one of the power play units. Kessel is still an excellent passer as evidenced by his 22 assists last season despite playing a career low 12:49 per game. At this point in his career, Kessel has won three cups and made his money, leaving him very little to play for other than a love of the game. If he does return it will most likely be on a one-year deal for a tick above the league minimum of $775K.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 07/21/23

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Although it’s generally a slow period for player movement in the NHL as teams hone in on arbitration cases, that isn’t the case for clubs in minor and overseas professional leagues. Just as the Maple Leafs begin an arbitration hearing with netminder Ilya Samsonov (no pre-arbitration agreement could be reached, according to The Hockey News’ David Alter) teams in quite a few leagues across the world, including the German DEL in particular, have been active making moves. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable ones here.

  • 2014 fifth-overall pick Michael Dal Colle is nearing a contract with the DEL’s Iserlohn Roosters, according to a report from Eishockey News in Germany. Dal Colle, 27, is a former top prospect who began his European pro career last season with TPS Turku in the Finnish Liiga. Dal Colle wasn’t horrible, but he only managed four goals and a total of 19 points in 36 games for Turku, and has now ended his association with the club at one year. The former AHL All-Star now heads to the Roosters, who finished the 2022-23 campaign 13th in the DEL standings.
  • Another forward with some NHL games on his resume rumored to be nearing a contract in the DEL is Joseph Cramarossa, a former Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild player. Cramarossa split last season between the Wild organization and Adler Mannheim in the DEL. He played with the Wild in both Iowa and Minnesota until he was placed on unconditional waivers so he could join Mannheim. After scoring eight points in 15 regular-season games and just one point in seven postseason games, Cramarossa has made the choice to continue in the DEL and join the Frankfurt Lions, a mid-table team from last season.
  • 2011 12th overall pick Ryan Murphy has signed a contract with EHC Red Bull Salzburg of the Central European ICEHL, according to a team announcement. This signing confirms Murphy will spend a second year playing in Europe since he last played in North America. Murphy, a 30-year-old defenseman, spent last season with Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL, scoring 17 points in 43 games and earning the right to play in the KHL All-Star Game. Murphy was the 2020-21 AHL Defenseman of the Year and brings a stellar resume (including 175 games of NHL experience) to Austria and the defending ICEHL champions.
  • 25-year-old former NCAA winger Kohen Olischefski began this season with the hope of establishing himself in the AHL and earning a full-time spot with the Rochester Americans. While he finished the year playing postseason games for the Amerks, Olischefski spent most of the season in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones. Olischefski could only manage two goals in 16 AHL games and scored 26 points in 43 ECHL games. Now, the versatile forward has signed a contract with Dusseldorf EG in the DEL, choosing to continue his pro career overseas after his rookie campaign in North America.
  • EHC Red Bull Munich, the defending DEL Champions, have signed former Detroit Red Wing Adam Almquist. The move replaces former AHL and DEL Defenseman of the Year Zach Redmond, who agreed to a mutual contract termination after a season spent playing a significant role on Munich’s blueline. The 32-year-old Almquist last played in North America in 2013-14, scoring 53 points in 73 games for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and earning two games with the Red Wings. He scored his first (and only, to this date) NHL goal that season, before moving on to have a strong pro career in Europe with stops in Sweden, Switzerland, Belarus, and Russia.
  • Alexandre Grenier, a former quality prospect in the Vancouver Canucks system, has signed with the Cologne Sharks in the DEL. The 31-year-old 2011 90th overall pick is a two-time AHL All-Star who last played in North America in 2018-19 with his hometown Laval Rocket. He’s had a successful run overseas since then, including a season with Langnau in Switzerland that saw him post 48 points in 47 games. Grenier is no stranger to the DEL, either, and has 84 points in 99 career games in Germany’s top league.
  • Elias Rosén, cousin of Buffalo Sabres first-rounder Isak Rosén, has signed with the Vaxjo Lakers in the SHL, the defending Swedish champions. Rosen wrapped up a four-year collegiate career with Bemidji State University last season and made his pro debut on an ATO with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks. The five-foot-ten left-shot defenseman was an accomplished player in college, earning First-Team All-Star honors in his conference for three consecutive years, including his 2020-21 campaign that saw him named conference Defensive Player of the Year. He acquitted himself well in a limited sample size of games with Kansas City, scoring nine points in 14 games, and has now earned a shot to establish himself with a top team in one of the best leagues outside the NHL.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Aleksi Heponiemi Signs In Switzerland

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Florida Panthers forward and former top prospect Aleksi Heponiemi has signed a one-year contract with EHC Biel-Bienne of Switzerland’s National League. The signing suspends Heponiemi’s formal playing relationship with the Panthers organization, though it may not end it.

Since Heponiemi received a qualifying offer from Florida, the Panthers will retain the exclusive rights of any NHL team to sign him until July 1st, 2027.

Keeping in mind the overall trajectory of Heponiemi’s career, this is a disappointing outcome for a player once touted as one of the Panthers’ better prospects.

Heponiemi, 24, is a Finnish center who scored 86 points in 72 games as a WHL rookie, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

Off the back of that season, Heponiemi was drafted in the second round, 40th overall at the 2017 draft. The following campaign, Heponiemi clearly outplayed his draft position, scoring 118 points in just 57 regular-season games and 30 points in 26 playoff games en route to a WHL title and First-Team WHL All-Star honors.

He turned pro in 2018-19 directly afterward and was exceptional once again. Heponiemi scored 16 goals and 46 points in 50 games for Karpat in the Finnish Liiga, an impressive feat for a 20-year-old rookie professional. By that point, even though Heponiemi’s three points in 17 playoff games gave some cause for concern, the prevailing belief was that he’d end up a productive NHL center.

Heponiemi seemed to hit a wall after crossing the Atlantic in 2019-20. He scored just 14 points in 49 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL, and although he was used to the smaller ice surfaces due to his time in the WHL the smaller ice combined with the relentless physicality of the AHL proved quite the challenge. Heponiemi would end up earning an NHL call-up the following season, but he only played a total of six games in the AHL.

In 2021-22 Heponiemi turned in a productive AHL campaign with 39 points in 56 games, though it was becoming more and more clear that he likely wouldn’t end up the difference-making NHLer it once appeared he would become. This past season was more of the same, 43 points in 62 AHL games but just three points in 10 NHL contests.

It appears now with this signing in Switzerland Heponiemi has opted to likely play a starring role for an overseas club rather than continue the status quo, which for him has been existing on the Panthers’ roster bubble.

He could play his way back into the NHL, of course. But given how successful Heponiemi has been in the past in top European pro leagues and how that success failed to translate to the NHL, it’s also certainly a possibility that Heponiemi’s chances of becoming a productive NHL center have all but evaporated.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Profile: Pius Suter

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At this point in free agency, many teams are looking for bargains, trying to find a certain role player that fits a need while also fitting within their tight salary structure.  It isn’t often this deep into the summer that there is a potential bargain addition that carries some upside.  But that just might be the case when it comes to Pius Suter.

The 27-year-old got a late start to his NHL career, only signing with Chicago back in 2020 coming off a stellar season in Switzerland that saw him pot 30 goals in 53 games.  Suter made what looked like a favorable first impression in his rookie campaign, collecting 27 points in 55 contests while finishing 11th in Calder Trophy voting.  However, concerned with a possible arbitration award, the Blackhawks somewhat surprisingly non-tendered him that summer, sending him back to free agency.

His stint on the open market didn’t last long as Suter quickly inked a two-year, $5MM deal with Detroit.  He collected 36 points in his first season with the team and while he had a more limited role offensively last season, he still was a decent depth contributor while also taking a regular shift on the penalty kill.  He also showed that he can play on the wing after spending his first two seasons as a full-timer down the middle.

While this isn’t necessarily the most exciting profile, Suter has scored at least 14 goals in each of his first three years, can kill penalties, and is a natural center.  That makes his continued presence on the open market at least a little surprising.

Stats

2022-23: 79 GP, 14-10-24, -13 rating, 6 PIMS, 106 shots, 46.8% faceoffs, 45.5% CF, 14:04 ATOI
Career: 216 GP, 43-44-87, -19 rating, 42 PIMS, 384 shots, 46.7% faceoffs, 52.5% CF, 15:44 ATOI

Potential Suitors

In theory, Suter is the type of player who could fit in with most organizations.  For deeper win-now teams, he’s at a minimum capable injury insurance with the type of versatility to move up and down the lineup where needed.  For rebuilding squads, he’s the type of player who could suit up a little higher in the lineup to start and is young enough to possibly be around for more than just a year if things went well.

In the East, the Senators stand out as a possible fit, depending on how things go with their pursuit of Vladimir Tarasenko.  If that falls through, they have enough cap room to re-sign Shane Pinto and still have enough for Suter who would give them some offensive upside in their bottom six.  If Suter winds up settling for a minimum-salary contract, Boston stands out as a fit as a team that could certainly benefit from some more depth down the middle.  If Carolina isn’t sold on Jack Drury as a full-timer, the Hurricanes could be a landing spot for Suter as well although it’s likely that some of their other possible dominoes need to fall first to see what space they may or may not have.

Out West, the Kraken have had some success in their first two seasons with players like this and they certainly have the cap and roster space to add Suter in.  If Minnesota is hesitant about Marco Rossi’s readiness, Suter could represent an insurance policy, basically filling the role that Sam Steel did last season.  Winnipeg has made an effort to bolster its bottom six this summer but there is still room to improve on that front and Suter’s positional versatility would be beneficial for them.

Projected Contract

Suter narrowly missed the cut in our Top 50 UFA rankings last month, slotting in as part of the group of five that landed just outside in our voting.  At this point, the hopes of landing a contract like the one he had in Detroit (with a $2.5MM AAV) should basically be dashed.  But there are some teams that could afford a low seven-figure deal for him if he wants to go for top dollar.  Alternatively, if Suter is open to taking less for a more desirable fit, there should be interest from several playoff-caliber teams.  The price tag should be low and there might be a modicum of upside still.  As far as combos go at this time in free agency, that’s certainly not a bad one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Devils, Laine, Lomberg

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Devils haven’t ruled out the possibility of adding another goaltender this summer, reports Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger.  At the moment, youngster Akira Schmid appears set to be the playing partner for Vitek Vanecek but as Schmid is just 23 and is waiver-exempt, the organization could opt to send him back to the AHL where he’d get more game action.  Such a move wouldn’t necessarily be made following the acquisition of a new starter either; there are some veterans still out there that could hold down a number two role at least for a little while next season, a list headlined by Martin Jones and Jaroslav Halak.  Adding one of those netminders may not be the most appealing on paper but would allow Schmid to see more regular action with Utica which might be the better long-term play from a development perspective.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Late last season, the Blue Jackets experimented with lining up Patrik Laine at center, a move that was short-lived as he suffered a season-ending triceps strain later that week. However, he told NHL.com’s Craig Merz that he’s open to moving down the middle once again next season.  Columbus has added Adam Fantilli and Dmitry Voronkov this summer while youngsters Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson are also young centers.  But if they want to ease those players in on the wing, moving Laine to center for at least a little while next season could be a reasonable approach to take.
  • Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg missed nearly a month of the playoffs due to a broken thumb, eventually returning to the lineup before the injury had healed. The 28-year-old told David Wilson of the Miami Herald that the thumb has now fully recovered, meaning he’ll be ready to go for training camp.  Lomberg had career highs in goals (12), points (20), and hits (145) last season and is poised to be an important part of Florida’s bottom six next season.

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