Flames Sign Cole Schwindt And Ilya Solovyov
The Calgary Flames have signed their last two pending RFAs ahead of training camp, agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract with forward Cole Schwindt, and a two-year, hybrid contract with defenseman Ilya Solovyov. Schwindt will carry an $800K cap hit at the NHL level. Solovyov will earn a league-minimum $775K salary at the NHL level, while his deal will be two-way in year one and one-way in year two. Schwindt’s deal was first reported by Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960, while Solovyov’s contract was announced by agent Dan Milstein.
Schwindt has spent the last four seasons clawing his way up minor-league depth charts, beginning his career with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch in the shortened 2020-21 season. He scored two points in 10 games in his first year – production that paled in comparison to the 40 points he’d score in 72 games with the Charlotte Checkers in the following year. That hot scoring boosted Schwindt to Charlotte’s top line and ultimately earned him the first three games of his NHL career when the Florida Panthers faced injury. He failed to score in those appearances but flashed enough to be included in the infamous Matthew Tkachuk trade a few months later – joining Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and a draft pick in being moved to the Calgary Flames.
That deal moved Schwindt to the Calgary Wranglers lineup, where he took some time to find his footing, scoring just 32 points in 70 games in 2022-23. He improved on that a bit this year, climbing back to 36 points in 66 games and once again earning NHL ice time – though he again failed to score through four outings.
Schwindt seems set to return to his role of top minor-leaguer next season, looking to continue to improve his scoring. If he does, the 23-year-old winger could be a favorite depth fill-in as Calgary pushes through the 2024-25 campaign with a much younger lineup than last season.
Solovyov has been in a similar spot to Schwindt, fighting up the minor-league lineup, though he’s spent the entirety of his three-year pro career in the Flames organization. He moved to the AHL in 2021-22, recording just eight points in 51 games as a rookie. Solovyov boosted that production to 18 points in 68 games in the following year. That seems to be more in line with his routine scoring, vindicated by his 15 points in 51 games this year, which was enough to earn Solovyov his first 10 NHL games in the middle of the year. He recorded three assists and four penalty minutes in those outings, looking fairly stout on a Flames defense in need of help.
While Schwindt will need to work his way up to the NHL fringe, Solovyov will jump straight into a competition for minutes with peers like Joel Hanley, Kevin Bahl, and Jake Bean. Each member of that trio carries more NHL experience than Solovyov, but his deal featuring a one-way year could be a strong indication of his lineup upside.
Predators To Sign Lucas Johansen To PTO
Defenseman Lucas Johansen will join the Nashville Predators in training camp on a professional tryout agreement as reported by Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game. The younger brother of former Predator Ryan Johansen has spent the better part of the last decade with the Washington Capitals organization.
Johansen was previously thought to be one of the better two-way defensive prospects in the Capitals pipeline after being selected by the organization with the 28th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft. He came from a Kelowna Rockets program in the WHL that became known for churning out quality defensive prospects. Johansen got off to a quick start with the Capitals’ organization in the 2017-18 season scoring six goals and 27 points in 74 games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Injuries quickly began to pile up for the young defenseman who only mustered 59 games for the Bears from 2018-2021. The injury concerns negatively impacted his value as a prospect as Washington pivoted to other options on the blue line. Johansen only managed to skate in six games for the Capitals from 2021-24 with only two points to show. There is little to no chance of Johansen cracking Nashville’s blue line for the upcoming season out of camp. Still, he could prove valuable with the organization’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee.
The Admirals have been one of the AHL’s best regular season teams over the last few years finishing third or higher in the Central Division in seven out of the previous eight seasons. The team has failed to deliver in the playoffs despite the regular season success losing the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back campaigns against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Johansen may be the missing piece to finally get the Admirals over the hump, however, as he recently won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with Hershey.
Capitals To Place T.J. Oshie On LTIR
As expected, the Washington Capitals will place T.J. Oshie on long-term injured reserve once the regular season begins. Oshie took part in a medical examination this morning and the medical staff concluded his back issues would prohibit him from playing and he will be out indefinitely. The organization sent out a press release with Oshie’s comments regarding the decision:
“The last season was challenging for me, my family, and my teammates as I dealt with a chronic back injury that kept me out of the lineup. I have used the offseason to explore and pursue long-term solutions for my injury. I remain committed to the process and am working and doing my best to regain total health. In the meantime, I will continue to help and support my teammates and the organization in any way I can. I greatly appreciate all of our fans’ support during this time“.
Oshie only appeared in 52 games for the Capitals last year while recording the lowest point-per-game average of his career with 0.48. He’s been injured relatively frequently throughout his time in Washington as he’s only appeared in 81.1% of the team’s regular season games since the 2015-16 NHL season.
Washington should be able to absorb the vacancy left by Oshie with the team acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane in separate trades over the summer. The team will also free up approximately $14.95MM in cap space with Oshie joining Nicklas Backstrom on the LTIR to open up the year allowing plenty of room for in-season additions.
Oshie was entering the final year of an eight-year, $46MM extension signed with the Capitals in 2017 and it appears he won’t be able to finish the contract on a high note. The chronic back injury not only puts his future in Washington in jeopardy but also the future of his career in professional hockey.
He remains committed to solving his injury woes and will likely have a full year to do so. He will become an unrestricted free agent next summer at 38 years old with his most recent game coming on April 28th, 2024.
Metro Notes: Mercer, Karlsson, Danforth
The New Jersey Devils are prepping to begin training camp tomorrow without forward Dawson Mercer but the team hopes it won’t be for long. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported earlier that the team continues to discuss a new contract with Mercer but there is still no deal.
Mercer has been one of the most consistent forwards for the Devils over his entry-level deal as evidenced by the fact he has not missed a game since debuting in the 2021-22 NHL season. His first two years saw him score 44 goals and 98 points in 164 contests for New Jersey but his scoring depressed last year with 20 goals and 33 points in 82 games. The dip in scoring last year and his discouraging defensive play during his first three years may be why contract talks have dragged into training camp.
He’s still a solid tactician in the offensive zone and his change-of-direction capabilities make him an obvious choice to put on the right wing next to Timo Meier and Jack Hughes. New Jersey currently has just under $5MM in cap space which should allow them to sign Mercer on a two-year bridge deal if both sides are amicable.
Other Metro notes:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins were without top defenseman Erik Karlsson on the first day of training camp due to an upper-body injury (X Link). Head coach Mike Sullivan indicates the absence of Karlsson was only precautionary according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Karlsson is looking to rebound from a 56-point campaign during the 2023-24 NHL season and his offensive output should improve with David Quinn taking over the team’s powerplay coaching duties.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets received some positive news on the injury front as team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays that forward Justin Danforth has been medically cleared from an offseason wrist injury and can begin ramping up for the regular season. Danforth was a bright spot for the Blue Jackets last season on the team’s bottom-six putting up 10 goals and 26 points in 71 games while only averaging 14:16 of ice time per night.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 9/18/24
PHR’s Josh Erickson hosted his weekly live chat today at 2:00 pm Central. Use this link to view the transcript of the session.
Nashville Predators Re-Sign Philip Tomasino
The Nashville Predators have signed their final remaining restricted free agent one day before the team is set to participate in their first on-ice session of training camp. According to a team announcement, Nashville has agreed to a one-year, $825K contract with forward Philip Tomasino.
It’s been a difficult few years for the former 24th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. Tomasino became a full-time member of the Predators’ roster relatively quickly after securing a point-per-game season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2020-21.
He was a promising depth scorer for the Predators during his rookie season in 2021-22, with 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games while averaging 11:32 minutes of ice time per night. Tomasino’s versatility up front allowed Nashville to move him from his natural position at center, which took some pressure off the young forward. He finished seventh on the team in scoring and was looking for more responsibility in his sophomore season.
In a somewhat confusing decision by the Predators, Tomasino did not make the team out of training camp for the 2022-23 NHL season and wasn’t recalled until February 13th of that year. He was nearly a point-per-game player with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, with 12 goals and 32 points in 38 contests, but he received little interest in Nashville despite the team struggling on offense. Tomasino finished the 2022-23 regular season with five goals and 18 points in 31 games averaging nearly four minutes more ice time than his rookie year.
Despite the Predators becoming one of the league’s better offensive teams under new head coach Andrew Brunette; Tomasino’s output plummeted. He scored seven goals and 20 points through 41 games for Nashville while posting 11 goals and 18 points in 21 games with Milwaukee. In early May, Brunette publicly called out Tomasino when he said, “If he continues to have the skill without the work, I don’t think he has a chance to play with us next year“.
One would reasonably assume from that quote that Tomasino has an outside chance of making Nashville’s roster this season unless his work ethic has dramatically improved. The team had a busy offseason and has expectations for the Stanley Cup playoffs this year so they are not in a position to have any slack on offense. It may be much of the same for Tomasino by starting the year in Milwaukee and trying to force Nashville’s hand on a call-up.
Kings, Arthur Kaliyev In Agreement On One-Year Deal
Sep. 18: It’s a one-way deal worth $825K, John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor reports.
Sep. 17: The Kings and restricted free agent winger Arthur Kaliyev are in agreement “in principle” on a one-year deal close to his $874,125 qualifying offer, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Tuesday. It has no bearing on Kaliyev’s trade request which has been active since at least May, Pagnotta adds.
The deal puts Kaliyev in a similar situation to Maple Leafs winger Nicholas Robertson. The 23-year-old was also an RFA with an active trade request this summer but opted to sign a one-year, $875K deal last week, giving teams interested in acquiring him some cost certainty.
But unlike Robertson, Kaliyev is coming off a down year, not a breakout one. The American national was limited to seven goals and 15 points in 51 games after hitting double-digit goal totals in each of the previous two seasons.
Kaliyev does still have a bit of room to grow at age 23. The 2019 second-rounder doesn’t use his 6’2″, 209-lb frame to get involved physically and can have some visible defensive lapses, but his possession numbers at even strength haven’t been a cause for concern at any point of his career thus far, even when compared directly to his teammates.
The Uzbekistan native has averaged 15 goals and 31 points per 82 games through his career. That’s impressive production for a player who’s averaged just over 12 minutes per game and doesn’t have a terribly high career shooting percentage (8.4%). He’s a chance-generating machine who averages 2.23 shots per game – sixth-most among Kings forwards with at least 100 games played in an L.A. jersey over the past three years.
There’s legitimate reason to believe a move to a top-nine role elsewhere could generate a 20-goal, 40-point breakout for Kaliyev – or more. It’s been mostly quiet on the trade front up to this point, but with a contract in hand, he could very well find himself on the move during training camp.
Bruins Notes: Swayman, Montgomery, Poitras
Bruins RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman won’t be around the team to kick off training camp while he’s still waiting for a new contract, general manager Don Sweeney told reporters today (via Scott McLaughlin of WEEI).
There’s nothing stopping the Bruins and Swayman from agreeing to a tryout and having him take reps in camp while continuing contract negotiations. That’s the approach the Blues are taking with unsigned RFA forward Nikita Alexandrov, for example. But it isn’t in the cards here.
Sweeney said he’s “disappointed” there’s still no resolution to the contract stalemate, and he wouldn’t go so far as to say an agreement was imminent, either. The GM only said he was “optimistic” a deal would get done by the Dec. 1 RFA signing deadline, per McLaughlin.
Other updates from Sweeney as camp opens Wednesday:
- The Bruins have begun initial extension talks with head coach Jim Montgomery, Sweeney said (via Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe). He’s entering the final season of his reported three-year, $6MM deal, which he signed to take over as Boston’s bench boss in July 2022. He’s been an impeccable regular-season hire, leading them to a league-best 112-32-20 record (.744%) since landing behind the bench, but he’s 9-11 in 20 playoff games for Boston.
- Sophomore forward Matthew Poitras is fully cleared after shoulder surgery ended his rookie campaign in February, Sweeney confirmed (via Ryan). They’ll try him at both center and wing during training camp after he played mostly down the middle last season. A shift to wing could open up an opportunity for him to play higher up in the lineup, potentially alongside Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand on the team’s second line. The 2022 second-round pick had 15 points (5 G, 10 A) in 33 games last season with a +4 rating while averaging 13:24 per game, posting good possession metrics but struggling in the dot with a 43.7 FOW%.
Lightning Name Victor Hedman Captain
The Lightning have wasted no time in naming Steven Stamkos‘ successor to the captaincy. Defenseman Victor Hedman will take over as the 11th captain in franchise history, general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
There was no other logical candidate to assume the role from Stamkos, who left for the Predators in free agency this summer after serving as Tampa Bay’s captain since 2013. Hedman is entering his 16th season with the Bolts and is only 30 games back of Stamkos’ franchise-record 1,082 games played. He’ll assume this record this season, barring a major injury.
“We are thrilled to have Victor leading our team as the 11th captain in franchise history,” BriseBois said. “Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL. Over the past 15 seasons, he has been a world-class representative for our organization both on and off the ice. Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to watching him flourish in his new role as we continue to work towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
Hedman, of course, has already helped Tampa achieve that goal. The six-time All-Star won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the Lightning’s first of their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020. The 2018 Norris Trophy winner signed a four-year, $32MM extension this summer to keep him off the open market in 2025.
While no longer a bonafide top-three defenseman in the league, Hedman is still an elite blue liner and did well to prove that his disappointing 2022-23 campaign was a fluke. The 33-year-old rebounded in a big way last season with 63 assists and 76 points in 78 games, the second-best season of his career offensively. He added on a team-high +18 rating and was once again their leader in average ice time at 24:48 per game.
He’s by far the best defenseman in Lightning history, holding franchise records among D-men in goals (156), assists (572), points (728), and rating (+175) – all by a wide margin. The hulking 6’7″, 244-lb Swede was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, one year after the Lightning selected Stamkos first overall to kickstart their late-2000s rebuild that’s still paying dividends.
Nikita Kucherov will continue serving as an alternate captain as he has since 2022, the team confirmed. Ryan McDonagh will also wear an ‘A’ in his return to Tampa after two years with the Predators. He previously served as an alternate captain with the Bolts from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blues Sign Six Players To Tryouts
The Blues signed forwards Nikita Alexandrov, Sam Bitten, Matthew Peca, defenseman Scott Harrington, and goaltender David Tendeck to professional tryouts, general manager Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday. Undrafted forward Jake Gudelj will also be in Blues camp on an amateur tryout.
Extending a PTO to Alexandrov allows him to participate in training camp despite still being a restricted free agent. The 24-year-old remains unsigned after appearing in 23 games for St. Louis last season, recording two assists and a -4 rating while averaging 8:32 per game.
A second-round pick of the Blues back in 2019, Alexandrov completed his entry-level contract in 2023-24. He’s grown into an elite offensive presence in the minors, recording 45 points in 48 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds over the past two seasons, but hasn’t climbed past a fourth-line role at the NHL level.
Bitten, Harrington, and Peca already have contracts in hand with the Thunderbirds for this season, so their PTOs simply allow the Blues to give them a look in an NHL environment and further posit whether to extend two-way offers to them as the season progresses. Bitten has no NHL experience, but the latter two vets have combined for 338 appearances at the game’s highest level.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Tendeck will look to land likely an AHL contract with Springfield or an ECHL contract with the Blues’ second-tier affiliate, the Florida Everblades. The former Coyotes draft pick ended a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign with the Everblades, logging a .972 SV% and 0.99 GAA in three appearances after being a sub-.900 netminder in the ECHL since the beginning of 2022-23.
Gudelj, 18, was draft-eligible for the first time last summer but already has three seasons of junior hockey under his belt. Injuries limited the forward to 16 games last season with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, posting three goals and four assists. He’ll look to capture an entry-level contract with the Blues to turn pro within their system in 2025.