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West Notes: Georgiev, Vatrano, Maroon

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While Alexandar Georgiev is now extension-eligible as he’s entering the final year of his contract, Mile High Sports’ Aarif Dean suggests that it’s unlikely he gets an early deal.  With Mikko Rantanen also needing a new contract for 2025-26, his situation is likely the priority while the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin makes it less likely that Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland will want to commit a multi-year deal to Georgiev this early.  The 28-year-old is also coming off a tough year, one that saw him post a 3.02 GAA and a .897 SV% in 63 games; he led the NHL in goals allowed with 183 but also had the most wins (38) for the second straight season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Ducks winger Frank Vatrano has been a strong performer in his first two years with Anaheim, putting up 41 points in 2021-22 before a breakout 37-goal, 60-point showing last season. He’s now eligible for a contract extension and has made it known his preference is to stay with Anaheim.  Derek Lee of The Hockey News assesses Vatrano’s situation, suggesting that the four-year, $22MM contract that Tyler Bertuzzi inked with Chicago this summer could serve as a comparable for Vatrano’s camp if he can put up another 20-goal performance.  Cap space isn’t an issue for the Ducks right now but assuming they’ll be out of the playoff mix again this coming season, they’ll have to decide between extending him or moving Vatrano as a rental for what would likely be a strong return.
  • Veteran forward Pat Maroon signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Blackhawks early in free agency which will be the 14th season of his career. The 36-year-old told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s not focusing beyond the coming season and isn’t sure if this will be his final year.  Maroon spent most of 2023-24 with Minnesota before being acquired by Boston at the trade deadline although his injury at the time limited him to just two regular season games.  He had four goals and 11 assists along with 60 penalty minutes in 51 appearances last season.

Blackhawks To Sign Alec Martinez, Laurent Brossoit, Three Others

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Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Alec Martinez to a one-year, $4MM contract. Additionally — the team has also agreed to terms with goaltender Laurent Brossoit on a two-year, $6.6MM contract, forward Craig Smith on a one-year, $1MM contract, and forward Pat Maroon on a one-year, $1.3MM contract. And while they didn’t qualify him yesterday, winger Joey Anderson is sticking around in Chicago. He’s inking a two-year deal with an $800K cap hit, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports.

The Blackhawks had quite a few dollars to throw around today and this grouping of players doesn’t even represent all of the organization’s signings today. Chicago has taken a major step forward in their rebuild with these moves, as they’ve grabbed arguably the best goaltender available on the market in addition to two veteran talents with Stanley Cup pedigree. Martinez and Maroon have combined for six Stanley Cup rings throughout their careers and will bring a wealth of experience and leadership to Chicago’s lineup.

Martinez recently wrapped up a four-and-a-half season run with the Vegas Golden Knights while he saw his spot on the depth chart slowly deteriorate. After scoring 32 points in 53 games during the 2020-21 season, Martinez fell to 17 points in 59 games this past year while seeing his ice time drop by nearly three minutes on average. Due to the moves Vegas made on their blue line, Martinez’s time with the organization unceremoniously ended.

In terms of production, Maroon and Smith bring similar power to the roster. Both individuals play with a physical edge while Smith can be counted on for more goals. Factoring in the retention of Anderson on a two-year deal, the Blackhawks bottom-six will be significantly harder to play against than just a season ago.

Finishing up with Brossoit, Chicago brings in some help behind Petr Mrazek. Seeking a larger opportunity outside of a backup role, Brossoit should be set to share the net with Mrazek instead of operating behind a more talented netminder. After winning a Stanley Cup Championship with the Vegas Golden Knights, Brossoit returned to the Winnipeg Jets on a one-year deal in which he would produce a 15-5-2 record in 22 games while posting a .927 SV% and 2.00 GAA.

Bruins Notes: DeBrusk, Pastrnak, Grzelcyk, Maroon

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Pending free agent Jake DeBrusk didn’t speak much to his future with the Boston Bruins during exit interviews, except to tell Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that he thought an extension would have been done by now (Twitter link). DeBrusk, who’s been entrenched in rumors for years, added that he’s still hopeful a new deal in Boston can get done.

DeBrusk is set for free agency once again, with his last move to the open market being halted by a two-year, $8MM contract extension signed in March of 2022. He’s performed well on the ‘prove it’ contract, recording 50 and 40 points – and 27 and 19 goals – in the last two seasons respectively. The performances continued the potential DeBrusk showed in the 2021-22 season, when he managed 25 goals and 42 points in 77 games. He’s become a role player, capable of putting up strong goal-scoring from the middle of the lineup. And in case Boston had any remaining hesitations, DeBrusk made sure to finish his contract with a stellar postseason performance – posting 11 points through 13 games, stepping up in the absence of team captain Brad Marchand.

Boston is entering the off-season with 10 pending free agents, including starter Jeremy Swayman, who expressed interest in a long-term deal during closeout interviews. That deal, DeBrusk’s signing, and the wealth of depth options Boston will mull through could quickly eat up their $20.1MM in cap space.

Other notes out of Boston:

  • Bruins forward David Pastrnak spent the season battling with recurring groin injuries, shares Shinzawa (Twitter link). And while persistent, the injuries can’t be bugging the Czech star too much, as he’s expected to join Team Czechia at the World Championships alongside Bruins teammate Pavel Zacha. Pastrnak continued to thrive in his starring role, posting 47 goals and 110 points while appearing in all 82 games. It was the fourth season where he’s scored 40-or-more goals in the last five years, though it was also a notable step back from his 61 goals last season. He’ll look to return to the conversation of historical goal-scoring when he’s back to full health next season.
  • Speaking of injuries, it was revealed that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk suffered a torn oblique in the postseason, shares Shinzawa (Twitter link). Grzelcyk missed 10 of Boston’s postseason games, after appearing in just 63 regular-season games. It was, as a result, a drab year for the 30-year-old defender, who posted a career-low 11 points through a combined 66 games on the year.  He’s one of Boston’s many pending free agents, though the promise of improved health could be enough to earn the Massachusetts native a new deal.
  • Of the many Bruins discussing interest in returning next year, winger Pat Maroon may be among the biggest surprises. The hefty forward lauded the team in his closeout interviews, telling Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com that he’d love to return to the team next year (Twitter link). Maroon played in two regular season, and 13 postseason, games with the Bruins after joining them at the Trade Deadline. He posted just two assists in the combined efforts, adding 18 penalty minutes. At 36, the list of options is likely running slim for Maroon. He’ll be one of the many cheap depth forwards available to Boston as the summer rolls on.

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