Hurricanes, Seth Jarvis Making Progress On Long-Term Contract
Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis is one of the more prominent restricted free agents with camps just a few weeks away from opening up. However, it appears that might not be the case for much longer as The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported earlier this week in an NHL Tonight appearance (video link) that the two sides are getting close to a max-term eight-year deal.
The 22-year-old was the 13th overall pick by Carolina in 2020 and after spending his post-draft campaign in the WHL, he has been a fixture in their lineup since. Jarvis put up 40 and 39 points over his first two seasons, decent numbers for a youngster in his first taste of the pros but he managed to find another gear in 2023-24.
Last season, Jarvis set career bests with 33 goals and 34 assists in 81 games while logging 18:45 per night. His 67 points were good for second on the Hurricanes in scoring behind only Sebastian Aho. He was also one of their top scorers in the playoffs, recording five goals and four helpers in 11 contests, putting him third in team scoring behind Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
It was suggested earlier this month that the Hurricanes might view Svechnikov’s $7.75MM AAV as the ceiling for Jarvis; the 2018 second-overall pick received that on a max-term agreement coming off his entry-level deal. Pagnotta suggests that the price tag for Jarvis could creep past the $7.5MM mark so while it might come in below Svechnikov’s, it could be pretty close to it.
Carolina has around $6.44MM in cap room, per PuckPedia. However, with today’s news that winger Jesper Fast will likely miss the entire season after undergoing neck surgery, he will be eligible to be placed on LTIR. Depending on their exact situation at the time of his placement, the Hurricanes could go over the cap by up to Fast’s $2.4MM. That amount added to their base cap space would be enough to get Jarvis under contract while leaving a bit of flexibility to afford a recall or two when injuries strike.
Snapshots: Norris, Fehervary, Bjorkstrand, Johansson
After undergoing shoulder surgery back in March, Senators center Josh Norris is expected to be a full participant when training camp gets underway next month, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 25-year-old has had three separate shoulder procedures done and he has yet to play more than 66 games in a single season. Last season, Norris played in 50 games for Ottawa, recording 16 goals and 14 assists. He has six years remaining on his contract with a $7.95MM cap charge and the Sens will be counting on him to stay healthy and play a prominent role in 2024-25.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary will not suit up for Slovakia in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Hockey Slovakia announced. The blueliner recently indicated that he has been dealing with a minor injury and clearly, he hasn’t fully recovered from it to be able to play. The 24-year-old had 16 points in 66 games for Washington last season while adding 188 hits and 109 blocked shots in 19:38 per night and would have played a prominent role for the Slovaks in the tournament.
- Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand was a late scratch for Denmark in their Olympic Qualifying Tournament game against Great Britain today. Team radio host Mike Benton relays (Twitter link) that the injury, which occurred in a tune-up game for the tournament, isn’t believed to be serious but GM Ron Francis noted that it’s something that needs to be looked at which means it’s highly unlikely he’ll play in the other two games. Bjorkstrand, who had 20 goals and a career-high 39 assists last season, is expected to be ready to participate in training camp.
- While unrestricted free agent Simon Johansson has received interest from overseas (particularly SHL Djurgarden), the blueliner is focusing on playing in North America this season, notes Hockey Sverige’s Mans Karlsson. The 25-year-old spent the last two seasons in Minnesota’s system and recorded 21 points in 72 games with AHL Iowa in 2023-24. However, he was still non-tendered back in June.
Flyers Sign Eetu Makiniemi To PTO
The Flyers will have some extra goaltending depth on hand at training camp. The agency for Eetu Makiniemi, WD Sports and Entertainment, announced (Twitter link) that the netminder has accepted a PTO offer and will attend training camp with Philadelphia. Team reporter Bill Meltzer relayed last week that the Flyers were interested in bringing Makiniemi to camp.
[Related: 2024 Professional Tryout Tracker]
The 25-year-old was originally drafted in the fourth round by Carolina in 2017 but after spending one year in their farm system, he was dealt to San Jose in 2022 as part of the Brent Burns trade. Makiniemi spent the last two years in the Sharks’ system, primarily at the AHL level but he did make two appearances with the big club, putting up a 2.13 GAA and a .906 SV%.
Last season, Makiniemi played in 18 games with AHL San Jose, putting up a 3.14 GAA with a .900 SV%. He also suited up for three contests with ECHL Wichita, posting a 3.39 GAA and a .907 SV% in those outings. At the end of the contract, he became a Group Six unrestricted free agent.
There has been some uncertainty surrounding Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov who is believed to be seeking a return to the KHL for the upcoming season while the organization does not appear to be willing to loan him back. Veteran Cal Petersen is expected to be the starter with AHL Lehigh Valley (assuming he clears waivers once again in training camp) while the Phantoms have added Keith Petruzzelli and re-signed Parker Gahagen to give themselves some insurance between the pipes. Makiniemi will now try to play his way into that mix on what would likely ultimately be an AHL contract.
CHL Notes: Muhonen, Vaisanen, Sansonens, Loshko
While NHL training camps are still a few weeks away, CHL camps are already underway. That has brought about some early activity on the transaction front; here’s a rundown of some recent moves involving NHL prospects.
- WHL Medicine Hat announced that they’ve signed Stars defenseman Niilopekka Muhonen and Utah blueliner Veeti Vaisanen to contracts for the upcoming season. The Tigers selected the two players in the CHL Import Draft earlier this offseason. Muhonen was a fifth-round pick last month after spending most of last season in KalPa’s junior system in Finland. Vaisanen, meanwhile, was a late third-rounder and spent the majority of last season in Finland’s top level, getting into 50 games with KooKoo where he had two goals and eight assists.
- After spending last season in Switzerland, Basile Sansonnens is on the move. His club team in Lausanne announced that they have loaned him to QMJHL Rimouski for the upcoming season. The Canucks selected the defenseman late in the seventh round in June after he picked up three points in 40 games with Gotteron at the junior level. It’s a one-year loan for Sansonnens who will return to Lausanne for the 2025-26 season; he’s signed with them through the 2027-28 campaign which is also the deadline for Vancouver to sign him to an NHL contract or lose his rights.
- Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko is on the move as OHL Niagara announced that they’ve claimed the forward off waivers. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2019 and is coming off a productive season with QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda, one which saw him record 28 goals and 37 assists in 64 games. However, the Huskies picked up two new players in the Import Draft, resulting in Loshko hitting the waiver wire. Seattle has until June 1, 2025 to sign Loshko to an entry-level deal.
Jesper Fast To Miss 2024-25 Season After Neck Surgery
The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that forward Jesper Fast will miss the entirety of the 2024-25 season after undergoing neck surgery. Fast suffered the injury in Carolina’s final game of the regular season, and missed out on the entirety of the postseason as a result. The injury capped off his season at 19 points in 73 games – the lowest that Fast has scored in a full season since his rookie year in 2014-15.
Fast will now miss a full year after a career of consistency. He’s never missed more than 16 games in a season since becoming a full-time pro, playing in 634 of a possible 712 games since the 2015-16 season. His career kicked off with the New York Rangers, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. Fast moved to the AHL full-time three seasons later, quickly working his way into the NHL with reliable two-way play on the wings. That style hasn’t elicited much scoring, with Fast boasting a career-high of just 33 points, but it’s been enough to earn him a concrete NHL role, and even Selke Trophy votes in the 2015-16 and 2021-22 campaigns.
Fast brought those talents to Carolina with a free-agent contract in 2021 – moving on from a seven-year tenure with the New York Rangers. He’s since become a glue piece in Carolina’s bottom six, serving as an energy piece around budding roster pieces like Jack Drury and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. That would have been the role awaiting him again next season, but Carolina will now have to pivot – and maybe even turn toward top prospects to pick up the slack. The Hurricanes have Bradly Nadeau, Jackson Blake, and Gleb Trikozov all signed to entry-level contracts. Each of the quartet holds a claim to the NHL lineup, but will have to fend off the pressure of veteran fourth-liners Eric Robinson and Tyson Jost and other quick-rising prospects like Felix Unger Sorum and Justin Robidas.
Predators’ Decision To Extend Juuse Saros Was An Easy One
The Nashville Predators were doomed for a goalie logjam the moment they selected Yaroslav Askarov in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. That’s since come to fruition, with Askarov outgrowing his box and demanding a trade to the San Jose Sharks, following Nashville’s long-term signing of starter Juuse Saros. Predators general manager Barry Trotz spoke intimately about the situation with The Athletic’s Michael Russo – sharing that, at the end of the day, Nashville couldn’t deny Saros’ winning precedent. Trotz said, “We went on a really incredible [16-0-2 run in March] and all of a sudden, everything came together and we were a good team… I saw that our older players — Saros, the Josis, Forsbergs and everybody — that they got themselves to a really high level. And I said, ‘If we’re going to have a little bit of a window, elite goalies don’t grow on trees.'”
That was the mindset that drove Nashville to sign Saros the day he became eligible for an extension. Trotz said that it was an easy decision for both sides, adding that Saros had always wanted to be a Predator, and carries the exact mindset the organization looks for. The two sides landed on an eight-year, $61.9MM extension with an annual cap hit of $7.74MM, a nod to Saros’ jersey number.
On the surface, it’s hard to say Nashville made the wrong choice. Saros has emerged as a premier NHL starter after honing his skills through four seasons as the backup to franchise legend Pekka Rinne. The gradual climb paid off when Saros took on the starting role in the 2020-21 season and posted a .927 save percentage in 36 games – good for fourth-highest in the league. He’s stayed at that level ever since, appearing in a league-high 64 games this past season and maintaining a .906 save percentage. That statline brings Saros’ totals since 2020 up to 231 appearances and a cumulative .916 save percentage – good for second and seventh in the league respectively.
But while Saros has settled into Nashville’s starting role, Askarov has emerged as potentially the best goalie prospect in the league. That’s certainly the torch he was handed when Nashville selected him 11th-overall, making him the highest-drafted goalie since Jack Campbell in 2010, and Jonathan Bernier in 2007 before him. Askarov earned that acclaim with a dazzling start to his pro career, posting a .920 save percentage in 18 VHL games during his draft season. He carried that strong play through the next two seasons, but opted to move to America in 2022-23 after struggling to earn a spot on the KHL roster. He immediately earned the AHL starting role and posted a .911 through 48 games as a rookie – stout numbers for a goaltender adjusting to a smaller rink. Askarov matched that save percentage in 44 games this past season, and even managed 64 saves on 70 shots (a .914 save percentage) through his first three NHL games.
Trotz acknowledged that Askarov has developed into a special talent, telling Russo, “Asky is going to be an excellent goaltender because he’s got unbelievable athletic skills and he’s got a very confident personality — all that.” He continued by acknowledging the steep mental fortitude needed to succeed at the NHL level, stating that Askarov – still just 22 years old – isn’t there just yet. Trotz cited his partnership with goalie coach Mitch Korn – formed over their 15 years coaching together in Nashville – as a key piece of his decision-making. Korn was reportedly prepared to work intimately with Askarov this season, should he have made the NHL out of camp, with an emphasis on building him into a starting goalie.
But the star Russian instead opted to find opportunity where it lay, and is now a favorite to take the reins of a Sharks team that bombarded their goaltenders last season. And as difficult of a decision as it was to let Askarov go, Trotz isn’t worried about Nashville’s long-term success. He shared that expectations are high after the additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei this summer – but refrained from jinxing the team too much, adding, “It’s fantasy hockey until we become a good team… right now we’re just excited that Saros will be here for a long time to come.”
The Predators will move forward with Saros maintaining his lion’s share of the team’s starts, while Scott Wedgewood, Magnus Chrona, and Matthew Murray all compete in a now-open competition to be the team’s backup.
Senators Sign Nick Cousins
3:30 P.M.: Ottawa has made the one-year signing of Cousins official.
2:30 P.M.: The Senators are signing free agent forward Nick Cousins to a one-year deal worth $800K, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.
Cousins, 31, is a 10-year NHL veteran and reached UFA status this summer after completing a two-year, $2.2MM deal he signed with the Panthers in 2022. He played in 33 of Florida’s 45 playoff games over the last two years as they captured the Eastern Conference championship in 2023 before winning the Stanley Cup this year for the first time in franchise history. This was Cousins’ fifth go-around on the UFA market, going unqualified three times earlier in his career.
Overall, the forward has appeared in 592 regular-season games with Philadelphia, Arizona, Montreal, Vegas, Nashville, and Florida, averaging 10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points, and 127 shots on goal per 82 games while seeing 12:25 on the ice per contest. Cousins, who can play both center and left wing, fell out of the Panthers’ regular lineup last postseason and only appeared in 12 of 24 games, posting a lone assist and a -1 rating with 20 PIMs while averaging 8:42 per game.
Known mainly as a physical presence with some offensive upside, Cousins recorded 16 goals and 42 points in 148 regular-season games during his two years with the Panthers. His 130 hits in 69 games last season were a career-high, finishing sixth on the club. After over six weeks into free agency without landing a deal, Cousins changed his representation earlier this month. He’s now represented by Newport’s Craig Oster, who also landed Noah Gregor a one-year, $850K deal with the Sens earlier in free agency.
The Sens have $1.1MM in projected cap space with an open roster spot after the signing, per PuckPedia. With no notable RFAs needing new deals, they’re in an excellent place to add another depth piece on the open market before training camp.
With Ottawa’s top nine largely set after the signings of Michael Amadio and David Perron in July, Cousins will compete for fourth-line duties with Gregor, Angus Crookshank and Zack MacEwen as his principal competition. Other depth pieces like Matthew Highmore and Zack Ostapchuk are likely ticketed for AHL Belleville to begin the season but will likely be given a long look in camp.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Stützle, LeBreton Flats, Leenders
Speculation floating around that Bruins RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman wants a $10MM average annual value on his next deal is likely unfounded, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said on SN960 The FAN’s Big Show on Wednesday.
Swayman’s camp is holding out for an AAV in the $8.5MM range on a long-term deal, while the Bruins are holding firm just north of $6MM per season, per Seravalli. He adds there hasn’t been much progress toward a resolution since those numbers were first exchanged earlier this summer.
“I think that’s a pretty sizeable gap that hasn’t been bridged yet and with the trade of Linus Ullmark, it’s obvious that Swayman is such a big part of what the Bruins’ future looks like and the stability of their core because the goaltending has been the backbone of that team,” Seravalli said. “But if you have a philosophical difference on what you think your goaltender should make, and if you thought that with the numbers he’s posted that he was going to be in that range, I can understand why there’s been a disconnect there.”
Swayman, 26 in November, posted a .916 SV%, 2.53 GAA, and three shutouts with a 25-10-8 record last season in 44 appearances (43 starts).
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Senators star center Tim Stützle has changed agents, per PuckPedia. After signing his eight-year, $66.8MM extension in 2022 under Octagon’s Ben Hankinson, he’ll now be represented by longtime NHLer Claude Lemieux of 4sports Hockey. He becomes Lemieux’s second client on the Sens, joining goaltender Mads Søgaard. Lemieux’s notable body of work includes Timo Meier‘s eight-year, $70.4MM deal with the Devils, Hampus Lindholm‘s eight-year, $52MM deal in Boston, and Joel Eriksson Ek‘s eight-year, $42MM deal with the Wild.
- Still with Ottawa, the franchise is still in negotiations with the National Capital Commission on a memorandum of understanding regarding their plan to build a new arena in the LeBreton Flats neighborhood downtown, team president Cyril Leeder said (via Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet). They’ve got less than a month to complete them with their temporary agreement with the city expiring on Sep. 20. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun said in April that public parking was the largest concern with the current plan.
- Sabres goaltending prospect Ryerson Leenders will have a new home for junior hockey this season. The Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs acquired him from the Brampton Steelheads today for a whopping eight draft picks, per a team announcement. Buffalo selected Leenders, 18, with the 219th overall pick in this summer’s draft. He had a .909 SV% in 46 games for the Steelheads last season, the best in the league.
Maple Leafs Name Steve Sullivan AHL Assistant Coach
The Maple Leafs have hired NHL veteran Steve Sullivan as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, per a team announcement.
Sullivan, 50, already has a bit of a front-office track record. Soon after finishing his playing career in 2013, Sullivan joined the Coyotes as a development coach. By 2016, he’d been named their director of player development, and one year later, he was promoted to assistant general manager.
Sullivan remained in the role, making him GM of Arizona’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, through Feb. 2021, when his contract was terminated. He briefly served as the Coyotes’ interim GM in 2020 after John Chayka abruptly resigned.
Since then, Sullivan has stayed in the Phoenix area, serving in coaching roles with the U-16 and U-18 Jr. Coyotes programs for the past four years. But today’s news marks Sullivan’s first time behind a bench at the professional level.
Sullivan was a unicorn as a player, succeeding in the dead puck era as a high-end two-way winger despite being just 5’9″ and 165 lbs. He played 1,011 regular-season games over 16 NHL seasons for the Predators, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Devils, Penguins, and Coyotes, scoring 290 goals and 457 assists for 747 points.
Toronto acquired Sullivan in a swap with New Jersey in 1997 – he was part of the return that sent franchise cornerstone Doug Gilmour south of the border. He was pretty effective in a middle-six role with the Leafs, posting 85 points in 154 games, but inexplicably ended up on waivers near the beginning of the 1999-00 campaign. He was claimed by the Blackhawks, where he emerged as a genuine first-line threat and set career-highs in goals (34) and points (75) the following year.
Sullivan joins a Marlies coaching staff headed by John Gruden, who’s entering his second year in the role. Behind the bench, they’re joined by assistant Michael Dyck, goalie coach Hannu Toivonen and video coach Troy Paquette. Gruden guided the Marlies to a 34-26-12 record last season, finishing fifth in the North Division and bowing out in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Maple Leafs Linked To Max Pacioretty
The Maple Leafs are among the teams in discussions to sign free-agent sniper Max Pacioretty, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The two sides are working on a standard contract, not a professional tryout, per Pagnotta.
A 2007 first-round pick and former captain of the rival Canadiens, the 35-year-old American has played just 91 games over the past three seasons due to a laundry list of injuries, but mainly due to two Achilles tendon tears sustained during the 2022-23 league year. Pacioretty has bounced around quite a bit since being traded to the Golden Knights by Montreal in 2018, playing four seasons in Nevada before being dealt to the Hurricanes for his ill-fated 2022-23 campaign. He became a free agent last summer and inked a one-year deal with the Capitals.
While Pacioretty didn’t debut with Washington until January, still recovering from his second Achilles injury, he managed to stay healthy upon his return. However, his previous 30-goal form had vanished, limited to four goals and 19 assists for 23 points in 47 games. It wasn’t awful production overall for middle-six minutes, though, and his atrocious 4.2% shooting percentage is due for positive regression this season.
Pacioretty was a money-in-the-bank scorer during his prime in Montreal, averaging 30 goals and 59 points over an 82-game season there while earning Selke Trophy votes on two occasions (2015, 2016). He was even better in Vegas, averaging 36 goals and 71 points per 82 games, but injuries and COVID limited him to 224 games over his four-season run with the Knights.
His decent rebound in Washington was enough to generate interest in his services at the trade deadline, but he had a no-trade clause in his pact with the Capitals that he opted not to waive. The Rangers were one of the teams linked to him at the time, but it’s unclear if they’re one of the teams competing with Toronto to land him now.
With Jani Hakanpää expected not to sign and RFA forward Nicholas Robertson still hoping to have his signing rights traded, the Leafs confidently have $1.275MM in projected cap space with a roster size of 21, per PuckPedia. That should be enough to land Pacioretty, who’s eligible to structure his contract with performance bonuses to keep his initial cap hit low as a UFA over 35 years old.
Pacioretty could be a direct replacement for Robertson, who mainly operated as Toronto’s third-line left winger when in the lineup last season alongside Max Domi and Calle Järnkrok.