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Central Notes: Ferguson, Korchinski, Buchnevich

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The AHL’s Iowa Wild have inked goaltender Dylan Ferguson to a one-year deal, relays The Hockey News’ Dylan Loucks.

The 26-year-old joins the Wild organization after the Canucks released him from a professional tryout agreement on Sunday. He briefly provided his services in Vancouver’s camp as starter Thatcher Demko remains out with a lingering knee injury, but he became redundant after the Canucks landed free agent Kevin Lankinen on a one-year, $875K deal over the weekend.

Ferguson, a seventh-round pick of the Stars back in 2017, last saw NHL ice with the Senators in the 2022-23 season. He stopped 78 of 83 shots faced in two late-season starts for a .940 SV%, 2.52 GAA, and a 1-1-0 record.

The British Columbia native spent last season with Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League, recording a .904 SV% and 2.51 GAA in 23 games with a 9-9-0 record. The 2021 ECHL Kelly Cup champion with the Fort Wayne Komets now heads to Iowa, where he’ll compete with Minnesota prospect Samuel Hlavaj and Kyle McClellan to serve as veteran Troy Grosenick’s backup. All indications point toward the Wild carrying three goalies on their NHL roster to begin the season, meaning top prospect Jesper Wallstedt won’t be back in Iowa.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Training camp line rushes indicate that Blackhawks defender Kevin Korchinski continues to trend toward starting the season in the AHL, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus points out. He’s been paired with depth defender Louis Crevier in recent scrimmages and “will have to do something spectacular over the next two weeks to earn an NHL job out of camp,” Lazerus said. It’s far from a new development – reports last month indicated this was the likely scenario for the 2022 seventh-overall pick. He managed just 15 points in 76 games with Chicago last season with a -36 rating, and a lengthy stint with the Rockford IceHogs to begin the season would allow him to once again dominate offensively.
  • Blues star Pavel Buchnevich is back on the ice at practice Tuesday, relays Lou Korac of The Hockey News and NHL.com. He’d sat out the past couple days after blocking a shot from Stars defenseman Mathew Dumba in Saturday’s 2-1 exhibition game loss. It’s an important training camp for the natural winger, who projects to start the season at center after signing a six-year, $48MM extension over the summer.

Metropolitan Notes: Holmström, Martin, Flyers, Nadeau

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At long last, Islanders forward Simon Holmström appears ready to push for a top-six role. Head coach Patrick Roy thinks so, at least, he told The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.

Holmström, the Isles’ 2019 first-round pick, has established himself as a full-time NHLer over the past two seasons. But he’s been used almost exclusively as a bottom-six option at even strength with some fringe penalty-killing usage as well.

He began to flash some extended offensive upside last season, recording 15 goals and 25 points in 75 games. Those aren’t top-six totals on a playoff team, nor was Holmström ever drafted to be a true game-breaker on the scoresheet, but he’s showing the “compete level” necessary to flash his puck skills more often and fit better in a complementary role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, Roy said.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Expect Matt Martin’s professional tryout with the Isles to last past when opening night rosters are due on Oct. 7, Rosner and The Hockey News’ Kai Russell write. Players can remain with a team’s practice group, just not game action, on PTOs up until the trade deadline. The Bruins took advantage of this tactic last season, keeping Danton Heinen around on his PTO for almost a month into the season before they created the cap space necessary to sign him to a contract. The Islanders, which currently have exactly $0 in cap space with an open roster spot (PuckPedia), may need to do the same if they want to bring the 35-year-old back for his 14th season on Long Island.
  • Early line rushes in camp suggest Flyers Calder Trophy candidate Matvei Michkov will start his first NHL season in a second-line role at right wing alongside Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes. Meanwhile, Noah Cates may fall victim to the press box early on in the season after finishing ninth in Calder voting and 15th in Selke Trophy voting just two seasons ago. The 25-year-old has had a continually diminishing impact as the Flyers have built out the rest of their forward corps, seeing his ATOI drop from 17:46 in his rookie season to 13:48 last season.
  • Seth Jarvis’ pathway to the NHL offers hope for Hurricanes winger Bradly Nadeau and his chances of cracking the opening night roster, opines Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer. Both first-round picks, Jarvis cracked Carolina’s roster as a 19-year-old in his second season after being drafted, skipping the AHL and landing a full-time role in the NHL directly out of juniors. Nadeau has faced older competition, recording 46 points in 37 NCAA games last season for the University of Maine before signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in Carolina’s final game of the regular season.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/23/24

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Training camp cuts continue Monday across the league, mostly involving fringe prospects being returned to their junior teams. As always, we’re keeping track of today’s moves with this article, which will be updated throughout the day.

Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)

F Chad Hillebrand (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Devante Stephens (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Saige Weinstein (to WHL Spokane)

Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)

F Cole Davis (released from ATO to OHL Windsor)
F Ethan Neutens (released from ATO to WHL Kelowna)
F Oliver Tulk (released from ATO to WHL Calgary)
D Corbin Vaughan (released from ATO to WHL Regina)
F Luke Woodworth (released from ATO to QMJHL Drummondville)

Nashville Predators (per team announcement)

F Kalan Lind (to WHL Red Deer)
D Dylan MacKinnon (to QMJHL Moncton)
F Miguel Marques (to WHL Lethbridge)
G Jakub Milota (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Joey Willis (to OHL Saginaw)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

G Hugo Ollas (to AHL Hartford)

Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)

D Matthew Andonovski (to OHL Kitchener)
F Lucas Ellinas (to OHL Kitchener)
D Gabriel Eliasson (to SHL HV71)
D Filip Nordberg (to USHL Sioux Falls)

San Jose Sharks (per Max Miller of The Hockey News/NHL.com)

D Jérémie Bucheler (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
F Nolan Burke (to AHL San Jose)
F Joe Carroll (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
G Dawson Cowan (released from ATO to WHL Spokane)
G Aaron Dell (released from PTO to AHL San Jose) – per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group
F Luke Grainger (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
D Gannon Laroque (to AHL San Jose)
F Ivan Lodnia (released from PTO)
D Nate Misskey (to WHL Victoria)
F Nathan Pilling (released from ATO to WHL Victoria)
D Colton Roberts (to WHL Vancouver)
F Donavan Villeneuve-Houle (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
F Carson Wetsch (to WHL Calgary)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

D Alexis Bernier (to QMJHL Baie-Comeau)
F Clarke Caswell (to WHL Swift Current)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to WHL Prince Albert)
D Jakub Fibigr (to OHL Brampton)
D Kaden Hammell (to WHL Everett)
F Ollie Josephson (to WHL Red Deer)
D Tyson Jugnauth (to WHL Portland)
F Andrei Loshko (to OHL Niagara)
F Julius Miettinen (to WHL Everett)
D Caden Price (to WHL Kelowna)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)

F Mikael Huchette (to USports Concordia)
D Viliam Kmec (to WHL Prince George)
D Mazden Leslie (to WHL Vancouver)
F Jacob Mathieu (to QMJHL Rimouski)
F Shane Smith (to WHL Medicine Hat)
F Tuomas Uronen (to OHL Kingston)

Evening Notes: Dahlin, Kings, Expansion

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Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff is hoping that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will be able to join the team at practice tomorrow in a non-contact capacity (as per Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald). The former first-overall pick left just a few minutes into the Sabres first practice last week and has not skated with the team since. Dahlin skated this morning before the team did and does appear ready to take the next step in his short recovery.

The Sabres will likely compete for a playoff spot this season and will need a healthy Dahlin in order to have a chance. The 24-year-old has been remarkably durable during his six-year NHL career, only missing seven games over the past four seasons and just 17 games during his entire NHL career.

In other evening notes:

  • The Los Angeles Kings could be on the hunt for some help on their fourth line (as per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period). The Kings don’t currently have a fourth-line center set in stone and have been rotating different options through that spot thus far in training camp. Bernstein wonders if Kings general manager Rob Blake will begin to search the market to see if there is a player that could be brought in. Bernstein doesn’t specify whether that could be the trade market or one of the current free agents on a PTO, but it looks as though the Kings aren’t comfortable with any of their internal options for the role.
  • NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media today and poured cold water on the rumors that the NHL is looking at expansion (as per Adam Laskaris of Daily Hive Toronto). Bettman called the rumors “categorically false,” and said that the NHL is not looking to expand at the moment. Bettman did concede that he would be updating the NHL’s Board of Governors on the cities that have expressed interest in getting an NHL team, but beyond that, there would be no further action at this time.

Jets Sign Cole Perfetti To Two-Year Deal

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The Winnipeg Jets have reportedly signed restricted free agent forward Cole Perfetti to a two-year bridge deal (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger). The deal comes with a $3.25MM AAV and will see the 22-year-old receive $3MM in the first year and $3.5MM in year two. The former 10th overall pick in 2020 will be a restricted free agent once again in 2026 and will require a qualifying offer of $3.5MM for Winnipeg to retain his rights.

The question entering this summer was whether Winnipeg and Perfetti could reach a long-term deal or whether both sides would opt to go short-term. The two-year deal makes sense given that the Jets likely want to see more from the Whitby, Ontario native, and Perfetti likely feels as though he has another gear to find.

Perfetti was good last season for the Jets posting 19 goals and 19 assists in 71 games but struggled in the second half of the season after a solid start. His offensive numbers represented a career-high in his brief three-year NHL career, but he could just be scratching the surface. Perfetti only averaged 13:35 of ice time per game last season and could see a big offensive bump if he gets consistent top-six minutes this year.

Perfetti will look to find consistency next season after an unbalanced 2023-24 in which he was healthy scratched 11 times and played just 10:56 total in the playoffs. He remains a gifted playmaker with incredible hockey sense, but his skating has been an issue through much of his professional career. Perfetti isn’t the fastest player on the ice, which can limit his ability to create open space for himself, particularly when the puck is on his stick.

Penguins Notes: Jarry, Karlsson, Power Play

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Rob Rossi of The Athletic tweeted that Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry missed practice today due to a medical appointment. Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also tweeted about Jarry’s appointment saying that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan wouldn’t go into detail about the nature of Jarry’s appointment but did tell the media that Jarry should be back on the ice tomorrow.

Jarry hopes to have a bounce-back season as he enters the second year of his five-year contract. He reportedly showed up in terrific shape for training camp according to Sullivan and is likely hoping to have a better second half of the season after fading down the stretch in each of the previous two years. Jarry lost the net late last season and didn’t start in the Penguins’ final 13 games to conclude the regular season.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Penguins’ defenseman Erik Karlsson remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury (as per Rossi of The Athletic). Karlsson skated before practice today, and the team didn’t provide an update on the status of the 34-year-old. Karlsson has been skating on his own for the past few days as he tries to recover and neither he nor the team appear worried about his health status going forward. Karlsson had an uneven first season with Pittsburgh last year, posting 11 goals and 45 assists in 82 games, and will be counted on heavily to try and get the Penguins back to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
  • Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that the Penguins have begun work on overhauling the power play that cost them a playoff spot last season. Pittsburgh finished with an abysmal 15.3% success rate with the man advantage last season, placing them 30th in the NHL. The team brought in assistant coach David Quinn during the offseason to make changes to the unit, and it appears that work has started. The Penguins have eliminated the firm bumper position and are instead using that forward in the slot to create traffic in front of the net, as well as puck support. The team will be hoping to create more chaos around the crease this season, something they weren’t able to do much of last season.

Avalanche Sign Logan O’Connor To Six-Year Extension

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The Colorado Avalanche have gotten to work early on one of their key secondary scorers by announcing a six-year contract extension for forward Logan O’Connor. O’Connor was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer with his three-year, $3.15MM contract expiring. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports O’Connor will earn $2.5MM each year of the deal.

Although he was raised in Calgary after his father, Myles O’Connor, retired from professional hockey in 1998, O’Connor has spent much of his adult life in Denver, CO. He spent three years just south of Ball Arena at the University of Denver from 2015-18 collecting 16 goals and 43 points in 108 games while helping his team to a National Championship in 2017. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche after his junior season in 2018 and made his NHL debut with the club the following season.

O’Connor performed admirably in his first two years with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles but struggled to find his footing in the NHL. He registered only two goals in 21 games in his first two years with Colorado before injuries limited him to only three goals and five points in 22 games during the 2020-21 regular season.

He finally came into his current role during the 2021-22 NHL season scoring eight goals and 24 points in 81 games while averaging just under 14 minutes of ice time per game. He became a physical player and an effective penalty killer becoming an all-out annoying presence for the opposition. He helped the Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup championship since 2001 that spring scoring one goal in game three of Colorado’s semi-final matchup against the St. Louis Blues while registering three more assists throughout the postseason.

O’Connor played similarly for the Avalanche the following season scoring nine goals and 26 points in 82 contests but failed to register any points in Colorado’s seven-game loss to the Seattle Kraken in the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The 2023-24 season was a breakout season for O’Connor before a hip injury ended his year early. He scored 13 goals and 25 points in 57 games including three goals on the penalty kill which was good for a share of fifth amongst the NHL by season’s end. His shooting percentage more than doubled to 15.3% and Colorado’s third line was noticeably weaker after O’Connor went down with injury.

O’Connor is once again expected to be a major bottom-six piece for the Avalanche as they look to regain their footing in a tough Western Conference. The team hasn’t advanced beyond Round Two of the playoffs since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 largely because of their lack of depth. His $2.5MM salary should be more than digestible for a cash-strapped team such as the Avalanche as they hope O’Connor will be a focal point of their third line for years to come.

Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports shared a quote from Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland surmising O’Connor’s importance to the team by saying, “He is a relentless worker and competitor who brings energy and grit to the lineup every night. His speed and skating ability makes him a dangerous two-way player and he is one of our top penalty killers. Logan is also a great teammate and takes pride in being a part of the Denver community“. 

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports images. 

Central Notes: Minnesota Injuries, Perfetti, Ohgren

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The Minnesota Wild are nursing a few injuries up-and-down the roster in addition to star forward Matt Boldy missing the next few weeks due to a lower-body injury. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Reese Johnson, Pavel Novak, and Michael Milne are all out with mild upper-body injuries with the latter having yet to practice with the team during training camp.

None of the three were expected to be impact players for the Wild this season with Johnson having the highest odds of the trio to crack the opening night roster. Johnson joined Minnesota this offseason on a one-year league minimum contract and already has seven goals and 17 points in 141 games with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2021-2024. Johnson would be isolated to a bottom-six role with the Wild but will likely start in a ’first man up’ role with AHL Iowa.

Novak and Milne are starting their third seasons with the Wild organization but have exclusively played in the minor leagues. Novak is coming off a 2023-24 season in which he primarily played for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 44 contests. Milne has yet to be demoted to the ECHL as he scored eight goals and 21 points in 40 games for the AHL Wild last year in a bottom-six role when healthy.

Other Central notes:

  • The Winnipeg Jets and forward Cole Perfetti made zero progress on an extension over the weekend reports Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. The negotiations appear to be a classic case of the player asking too much from the organization’s perspective and the team offering too low from the player’s perspective. Billeck also reported the Jets are unwilling to consider the recent short-term deal for Dawson Mercer and the long-term deal for Dylan Guenther as comparables to Perfetti. He’s still staying on the ice to prepare for the regular season but he and the team have a little over two weeks to get an extension done befor the start of the regular season on October 9th.
  • Back in Minnesota, the organization is eager about the first full season for forward prospect Liam Ohgren. General manager Bill Guerin believes Ohgren can be a flexible winger for the team this season by saying, “The thing I like about Liam, he can play on all four lines. I really feel like Liam can complement any of the four lines he plays on, which is good for him. That brings a value at a young age, and the fact we could fit him in the top six or he can play a different role, that’s a benefit” (Subscription Article). Ohgren scored one goal and two points over four games in his NHL debut last season after scoring 12 goals and 19 points in 26 games for the SHL’s Färjestad BK.

Shesterkin Won’t Negotiate Extension During Season

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Mollie Walker of the New York Post confirmed today that All-Star netminder for the New York Rangers, Igor Shesterkin, would not negotiate an extension with the organization during the regular season. There hasn’t been any major news regarding a potential extension for Shesterkin which means the Rangers have a lot of ground to gain before their season opener in just over two weeks.

Walker also confirmed Shesterkin was seeking a $12MM AAV on his next contract, indicating New York would not be getting any hometown discount. It’s reasonable to assume the Rangers are content with making Shesterkin the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. Still, other players need contracts for next season which may affect Shesterkin’s negotiations. New York will have roughly $33.8MM in cap space next summer if the salary cap reaches $92MM according to PuckPedia but will need to re-sign Shesterkin, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, William Cuylle, Ryan Lindgren, and K’Andre Miller.

Many industry experts expect the Rangers to move on from the last year of captain Jacob Trouba’s contract by next offseason which should open up another $8MM in salary cap space. Even assuming the team clears Trouba’s $8MM salary for next season there may be too many question marks remaining to commit $12MM a year to Shesterkin.

It’s difficult to argue from the standpoint of New York that Shesterkin hasn’t earned $12MM a year either. Over the last five years, he’s recorded a 135-59-17 record in 208 starts while posting a .921 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average including one of the greatest individual seasons in goaltending history in 2021-22. He’s still only 28 years old meaning a max-term extension would take him through his prime into his age 37 season.

Shesterkin was outspoken about his desire to stay with the organization a few days ago when he said, “I love the organization. I love the team. I love the fans. So, of course, it would be great to stay here, but you never know what can happen“. The Rangers’ murky cap situation for next summer will certainly cut to their disadvantage if they can’t come to terms before October 9th.

Since Shesterkin and his camp are committed to earning the largest payday for any netminder in NHL history, the Rangers will have plenty of competition for his services if he makes it to free agency. There are currently only six teams projected to have lower than $12MM in cap space heading into the 2025-26 offseason which means any team with a long-term need for help in the net will be calling on Shesterkin.

New York still has 16 days from today to negotiate with Shesterkin before he blocks out any distraction for the 2024-25 NHL season. They will also have a small window between the last possible day of the Stanley Cup Final (June 23, 2025) and the opening of free agency (July 1, 2025) to sign Shesterkin to a long-term contract.

Golden Knights Sign Viliam Kmec To Entry-Level Contract

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The Golden Knights have signed defenseman Viliam Kmec to a three-year, entry-level contract, general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Monday.

Kmec, 20, lands his first professional contract after being passed over for the third straight draft in June. He’s been in the Vegas organization unofficially for the past few months, receiving invites to their July development camp and this month’s rookie camp before being extended an amateur tryout for training camp.

The right-shot defender checks in at 6’3″ and 209 lbs, already boasting pro-ready size. That’s an appealing package when combined with his strong all-around performance for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. Over the past two seasons, Kmec – a stay-at-home defender by trade – still managed 66 points in 118 games with a combined +63 rating.

Prince George’s three 20-year-old slots are full, so Kmec won’t be heading back to juniors for a fourth season. Instead, all signs point to the Golden Knights assigning him to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, when they decide to cut him from their training camp roster.

The Slovakia native is a nice under-the-radar add to a Golden Knights prospect pool that ranked 27th in the league in Elite Prospects’ 2024 rankings. He’s suited up for Slovakia at the past three World Junior Championships, totaling six points and a -1 rating in 14 games.

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