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Islanders Sign Marcus Högberg To Two-Year Deal

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May 7: The Islanders confirmed Högberg’s signing today, announcing a two-year deal for the veteran netminder. Per PuckPedia, the contract carries a $775K cap hit and is a two-way agreement in 2024-25 before converting to a one-way deal in 2025-26. Next season, he’ll earn a minor salary of $425K with a $550K guarantee.

April 29: In recent weeks, the Islanders have already been heavily linked to one international free agent, and it appears GM Lou Lamoriello isn’t done bringing in talent from overseas. They’re expected to bring in 29-year-old goalie Marcus Högberg from the Swedish Hockey League’s Linköping HC to bolster their depth at the position, Expressen’s Johan Svensson reports. A statement from Linköping last week confirming that Högberg was leaving for the NHL indicates it’s a two-year deal.

Högberg does have 35 NHL starts and seven relief appearances under his belt, all coming with the Senators between 2018-19 and 2020-21. The 6’5″ Swede was an Ottawa third-round pick in 2013 out of the Linköping organization but remained there for four seasons, finally signing his entry-level deal in March 2017. He spent his first season in North America entirely in the minors, splitting the campaign between AHL Belleville and ECHL Brampton.

The following season saw Högberg emerge as a full-time AHL netminder, holding the starting role with Belleville (.917 SV%, 2.32 GAA, 2 SO in 39 GP). With injuries piling up in the Ottawa crease around New Year’s Day in 2019, Högberg got his first NHL chance. He made four starts around the turn of the calendar, struggling with a .884 SV%, 4.09 GAA and 0-2-1 record.

Nonetheless, his strong showing with the B-Sens left the door open for more starts over the next two seasons, with goalie injuries a common occurrence in the Canadian capital. After inking a two-year, $1.4MM extension in June 2019, Högberg was the primary backup to starter Craig Anderson in the latter half of the 2019-20 campaign while veteran Anders Nilsson was out with a concussion that would ultimately end his career. He made a career-high 21 starts and three relief appearances in Nilsson’s absence, posting a serviceable .904 SV% and 3.12 GAA while compiling a 5-8-8 record.

While still below average, Högberg actually had the best results of any Sens netminder that year, saving 4.8 goals below expected compared to Anderson’s 6.7 and Nilsson’s 7.5, per MoneyPuck. That won him the backup job behind offseason trade acquisition Matt Murray heading into the shortened 2020-21 campaign, but he was unable to replicate the previous season’s performance. He only made 10 starts and four relief appearances, limited in part by a lower-body injury that cost him 15 games, but was one of the worst goalies in the league on a per-game basis. After logging a .876 SV%, 3.74 GAA and a whopping 11.9 goals saved below expected in only 642 minutes of action, the Senators didn’t issue him a qualifying offer when his contract was up and let him walk to unrestricted free agency.

He’d actually left Ottawa before qualifying offers were due, signing a four-year deal to return to Linköping in mid-June 2021. He’s held down the starting role ever since, posting solid but not elite numbers behind a middling team. 2023-24 was his best season since returning to Sweden, posting a .914 SV%, 2.51 GAA, four shutouts and a 21-18-0 record in 40 games as Linköping made the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Högberg leaving for North America comes just a month and a half after he signed a three-year extension that would have kept him in Linköping through 2027-28. The NHL/SHL transfer agreement permits NHL clubs to buy players out of their existing SHL contracts, which the Islanders will need to do in this case.

While the Islanders have one of the better goalie tandems in the NHL in Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, their minor-league depth is some of the worst. AHL Bridgeport was one of the worst clubs in the league this season, and poor play from New York third-stringer Jakub Skarek was a major factor. Skarek, 24, was a third-round pick of the Isles in 2018 but has consistently struggled since turning pro, failing to post an SV% above .900 in any of his five campaigns with Bridgeport. Högberg will provide a much better foundation between the pipes for the Islanders’ prospects in Bridgeport and will be the most reliable call-up option they’ve had behind Sorokin and Varlamov in the last few years.

Minor Transactions: 05/06/24

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Unrestricted free agency is still a handful of weeks away on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, but the offseason transfer period is well underway for teams in European professional leagues. This action often results in former NHLers heading overseas, changing hands, or terminating contracts in hopes of landing another NHL or AHL deal. As those moves come in, we’re keeping track of some notable names. Here are today’s minor moves:

  • Former Blackhawks and Ducks center Dennis Rasmussen has landed some security in the twilight of his career, inking a three-year deal to join Växjö Lakers HC of the Swedish Hockey League. The 33-year-old was a Växjö mainstay from 2011 to 2014 before signing with Chicago as an undrafted free agent, where he went on to score eight goals and 17 points in 112 games across the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Rasmussen signed with the Ducks in the summer of 2017, posting just a goal and four points in 27 games before being demoted to the minors and eventually mutually terminating his contract, paving the way for him to finish 2017-18 back in Växjö. He’s bounced around Europe since, spending three years with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk as well as HC Davos of the Swiss National League, where he spent the last three years. The big-bodied two-way center is still an effective depth scorer, potting seven goals and 28 points in 46 games for Davos last year.
  • A tough stretch continues for veteran winger Richard Pánik, who’s struggled to find stability since falling out of an NHL job with the Islanders two seasons ago. The 33-year-old has played for six clubs over the past three seasons, and it’ll be a seventh in four years if he wants to keep his career alive. HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga announced Monday that Pánik won’t be returning to the club after posting 14 points in 29 combined regular-season and playoff games to end the season. Pánik began the season in the Extraliga with HC Oceláři Třinec, whom the Lightning drafted him from in the second round in 2009, but was traded to Pardubice in January. The 6’2″ Slovak winger will carry over 500 games and nearly 200 points of NHL experience to wherever he lands next.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Lightning RFA Hugo Alnefelt Expected To Sign In Sweden

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22-year-old netminder Hugo Alnefelt, the Lightning’s best goaltending prospect, may not remain in North America next season. The pending restricted free agent is expected to sign with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League, Expressen’s Jacob Johannesson reports.

Alnefelt, a 2019 third-round pick, has spent the entirety of 2023-24 on assignment to AHL Syracuse. Despite starting 30 games this season, the most on the team, he’s fallen to third on the Crunch’s depth chart behind veteran Matt Tomkins and the minor-league-contracted Brandon Halverson, who’s played all four playoff games for Syracuse thus far. HV71’s signing of Alnefelt will be announced after Syracuse’s time in the Calder Cup Playoffs comes to an end, per Johannesson.

Regardless of Alnefelt’s future, the Lightning were likely going to be looking for a goalie at the 2024 NHL draft. Their depth at the position is paper-thin – only the 22-year-old unsigned Nick Malík can be labeled as a prospect, and below-average veterans Tomkins and Jonas Johansson staffed the third and second-string roles behind undisputed starter Andrei Vasilevskiy this season, respectively. The Lightning don’t have any other goalies on their reserve list.

It was a disappointing season for Alnefelt, his third in Syracuse since signing his entry-level contract in 2021. He was expected to be more of a competitor with Tomkins for the bonafide starting role and was given plenty of opportunity with Tomkins on the NHL roster backing up Johansson at the beginning of the season while Vasilevskiy missed time recovering from back surgery. But his numbers regressed back to below average after a strong sophomore showing in 2022-23, logging a .893 SV%, 2.76 GAA, two shutouts and a 14-8-4 record.

Tomkins was again needed in the NHL down the stretch, this time with Johansson out, and was only reassigned to Syracuse last week. It was a golden opportunity for Alnefelt to seize the crease heading into the postseason, but he instead lost it to the 28-year-old Halverson, who hadn’t played in the AHL since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, Halverson is authoring quite a comeback story – he missed nearly all of 2020-21 with an injury and didn’t play at all in 2021-22. He made his return to pro hockey last season with the Bayreuth Tigers in the second-tier German DEL2 before joining the Tampa Bay organization this year on a contract with ECHL Orlando that was later converted into an AHL agreement with Syracuse. Thus far, Halverson has a .918 SV% in four postseason games as Syracuse is tied 2-2 with Rochester in the best-of-five North Division Semifinals.

Therefore, it’s unsurprising to see Alnefelt return to his native Sweden after slipping down the Tampa Bay depth chart. The Lightning can still retain his signing rights for the time being by issuing him a qualifying offer. He made one NHL appearance during his ELC, allowing three goals on 10 shots in the third period of a 9-3 loss to the Panthers on Dec. 30, 2021, after starter Maxime Lagace was pulled.

With HV71, Alnefelt will split the crease with former Canadiens prospect Fredrik Dichow, a 2019 fifth-round whose exclusive signing rights lapsed last June and is now an unrestricted free agent. Dichow had a .943 SV% in six games in HV71’s relegation series against IK Oskarshamn to keep the club at the top level of Swedish hockey next season.

Team Finland Announces Final 2024 World Championship Roster

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Team Finland has finalized their roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, with the additions of Jesse Puljujarvi and Valtteri Puustinen bringing the lineup to a full 23 skaters and three goalies. The lineup isn’t too deep with NHL talent, though it does feature top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Konsta Helenius, who joined the Men’s squad after posting seven points, all assists, in five games at the World U18 Championship. Helenius will have a chance to learn from San Jose Sharks centerman Mikael Granlund – who plays a similar pass-first, high-tempo style. Finland will hope the duo can click, with the support of NHL wingers, as they chase their third gold medal over the last five World Championships.

The full roster is as follows:

F Hannes Björninen (Örebro, SHL)
F Mikael Granlund (Sharks, NHL)
F Konsta Helenius (Jukurit, Liiga)
F Arttu Hyry (Kärpät, Liiga)
F Jere Innala (Frölunda, SHL)
F Juha Jääskä (HIFK, Liiga)
F Pekka Jormakka (Jukurit, Liiga)
F Oliver Kapanen (KalPa, Liiga, Canadiens)
F Saku Mäenalanen (SCL, National League)
F Ahti Oksanen (Oskarshamn, SHL)
F Iiro Pakarinen (HIFK, Liiga)
F Patrik Puistola (Jukurit, Liiga)
F Jesse Puljujarvi (Penguins, NHL)
F Valtteri Puustinen (Penguins, NHL)

D Oliwer Kaski (HV71, SHL)
D Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC, National League)
D Olli Määttä (Red Wings, NHL)
D Jesper Mattila (KalPa, Liiga)
D Juuso Riikola (SCL, National League)
D Rasmus Rissanen (Örebro, SHL)
D Vili Saarijärvi (SCL, National League)
D Veli-Matti Vittasmäki (Tappara, Liiga)

G Emil Larmi (Växjö, SHL)
G Lassi Lehtinen (MoDo, SHL)
G Harri Säteri (Biel, National League)

The World Championship is set to kick off in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia beginning on May 10. Finland will once again be commanded by head coach Jukka Jalonen set to coach in his 10th World Championship. Jalonen has also manned the Finnish bench at the World Juniors and served as a coach in the KHL and Liiga. He now works with Finland’s Men’s team full-time, building out this year’s roster with general manager Jere Lehtinen. Lehtinen, an 875-game veteran of the NHL and former Stanley Cup winner, has served as the GM for Finland’s men’s team for the last nine seasons.

Oskar Lindblom Expected To Sign In SHL

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After a tough couple of seasons in San Jose, it appears as if pending UFA winger Oskar Lindblom won’t be waiting around to see what type of offers could await him in free agency in July.  Instead, he told Gefle Dagblad’s Daniel Sandstrom that he has told his agent to solicit offers from the SHL in his native Sweden.

The 27-year-old’s journey is well-known.  After a promising start to his career in Philadelphia, Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer) in the 2019-20 campaign after getting off to a promising start.  However, he was able to return in the bubble playoffs and earned a three-year, $9MM extension soon after along with a Masterton Trophy in 2021.

However, things didn’t go so well after that point.  The Flyers elected to buy out the final season of that deal but he landed with San Jose quickly, inking a two-year, $5MM agreement.  With San Jose heading into a rebuild, they were eyeing Lindblom as a young veteran with perhaps a bit of upside if a change of scenery could have kickstarted him.

Unfortunately for both sides, that didn’t happen.  While Lindblom was a regular most nights in 2022-23 with the Sharks, that wasn’t the case this year.  He cleared waivers at the end of training camp in October and spent almost the entire year with the Barracuda, save for a single NHL appearance in November.  Lindblom struggled in the minors as well, notching just eight goals and eight assists in 41 games, battling through injuries and illness along the way.

Given the disappointing season he had, there was no guarantee that an NHL offer would be coming Lindblom’s way so he’s now going to try to land one back home.  He played for Brynas coming up and asked his agent to reach out to assess if there’s mutual interest in a reunion.  Assuming he winds up signing somewhere in Sweden, Lindblom will depart the NHL with 56 goals and 56 assists in 337 games over parts of seven NHL seasons, a pretty good showing for a fifth-round pick having been picked 138th overall back in 2014.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, McCann, Peeke, Heinen, Cederqvist

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The status of Auston Matthews’ availability for tonight’s game seven against Boston won’t be known until closer to puck drop.  However, speaking with reporters today including Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they are proceeding as they have been which suggests the league’s top goalscorer is on the iffy side when it comes to playing.  Matthews has missed the last seven periods in the series due to illness although the Maple Leafs have managed to win the last two games to force a deciding match.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with Toronto, winger Bobby McMann took part in practice today for the first time as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). However, he will not play tonight.  McMann was a bright spot for the Maple Leafs this season when it came to their secondary scoring as he picked up 15 goals in 56 games despite averaging less than 12 minutes a game of ice time.
  • While Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke skated today with the team, he has been ruled out for tonight, notes Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (Twitter link). Earlier this week, it was suggested that he’d be out for multiple weeks yet but the fact he was on the ice today suggests that he could be back a little earlier than that should Boston advance to the second round.
  • Bruins winger Danton Heinen is uncertain to play in tonight’s contest, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The 28-year-old missed Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury.  Heinen, who had 17 goals and 19 assists in 74 games this season, did see some time during power play drills during the morning skate.
  • Pending Canadiens RFA forward Filip Cederqvist has signed a three-year deal with SHL Frolunda, per a team announcement. Montreal acquired the 23-year-old back in January from Buffalo for future considerations.  Cederqvist split the season between AHL Rochester and Laval, combining for five goals and six assists in 53 games.  A strong non-tender candidate before this announcement, Cederqvist signing this early actually increases the chance of a qualifying offer.  He’s four years away from UFA eligibility so the Canadiens could actually now issue his qualifier to retain his rights in case he has a breakout showing over the next three years in Sweden.

Panthers RFA Alexander True Signs In SHL

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Last month, it was reported that Panthers forward Alexander True was likely heading to the SHL for next season.  That is now official as Modo announced that they’ve signed True to a two-year deal.

The 26-year-old started his professional career with San Jose after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2018.  True went on to play in 19 games with the Sharks on that agreement before being selected in expansion by Seattle in 2021.  He spent two seasons with them, playing just eight NHL contests before departing via Group Six free agency for Florida last summer.

However, the change of scenery didn’t result in him receiving any NHL action.  Instead, True spent the full season with AHL Charlotte, notching 19 points in 55 regular season games plus an assist in three playoff contests.  After the Checkers were eliminated, he wasn’t brought up to be part of Florida’s reserve group but instead, he’ll suit up for Denmark at the Worlds later this month.

Florida can still tender a qualifying offer next month to retain True’s rights.  However, he only has one RFA year remaining before reaching UFA eligibility, and with this contract taking him through the 2025-26 campaign, they could very well just opt to officially cut bait this summer.

Penguins Sign Filip Larsson To Two-Year Deal

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced another signing today as they’ve inked goaltender Filip Larsson to a two-year contract that will run through the 2025-26 season and carry an average annual value of $775K in the NHL. The 25-year-old Larsson spent last season with Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League where he posted a 19-9-0 record with a 1.93 goals against average and .920 save percentage.

Larsson’s two-year, two-way deal will breakdown as follows (via CapFriendly):

  • 2024-25 – $775k / $400k
  • 2025-26 – $775k / $500k

Larsson was selected in the sixth round (167th overall) by Detroit in the 2016 NHL entry draft and played a year in the NCAA at the University of Denver, posting a 13-6-3 record during the 2018-19 season.

He never played an NHL game while in the Red Wings organization but did play seven AHL games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the 2019-20 season posting poor results with a 2-5 record along with an .843 save percentage and a 4.01 goals-against average.

After a stop in the ECHL, Larsson went home to Sweden where he spent the past four seasons split between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan. In the last three seasons, Larsson has posted some incredible numbers in Sweden, twice topping a .920 save percentage. It will be interesting to see if he can duplicate some of that success on North American ice.

Larsson’s signing creates more intrigue in the Penguins crease as it is possible there could be significant movement in Pittsburgh’s net after starter Tristan Jarry didn’t start in the Penguins’ final 13 games after backup Alex Nedeljkovic nearly led the team to an improbable spot in the NHL playoffs. Nedeljkovic is an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and many in Pittsburgh feel that he might have priced himself out of town with his strong finish to the season. The Penguins also have 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist who appears ready to challenge for an NHL spot next season as a backup. Larsson’s addition adds another option for the Penguins this summer as they look to get back into the playoffs next year.

Blues Expected To Sign Marcus Sylvegard

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Earlier today, we looked at some of the remaining international free agents that could attract NHL interest in the coming weeks.  One of those is winger Marcus Sylvegard.  It appears he has found his next team as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that Sylvegard is set to sign a one-year, entry-level contract with St. Louis.

The 24-year-old wasn’t particularly productive during his first few SHL seasons but had a breakout campaign in 2022-23, his second year with Malmo.  That year, Sylvegard picked up 17 goals and 24 assists in 52 games and helped them avoid relegation to the second-tier Allsvenskan.

Sylvegard followed up that performance with another 41-point effort this season, notching 23 goals and 18 helpers in 51 games with Vaxjo.  However, he struggled in the playoffs, collecting just three assists in eight games although Svensson notes that Sylvegard was playing through an injury during the postseason.

Sylvegard also had interest from several other teams over the last couple of months, Florida, Colorado, and Calgary among them.  Having said that, he profiles as more of a bottom-six type of energy player so it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Sylvegard to put up big numbers in the NHL.  But on a Blues roster that should have a couple of openings in their bottom six with Kasperi Kapanen and Sammy Blais sitting as pending unrestricted free agents, there should be a chance for Sylvegard to push for a roster spot in training camp this fall.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, True, Forbort, Brazeau

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The Sabres dealt from their center depth at the trade deadline, moving Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado for Bowen Byram.  Now it appears that they’ll be on the hunt for more help down the middle as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relays that Buffalo will be looking for a reliable two-way third-line center next season.  Internally, they were hoping that Peyton Krebs would have some success in that role but he struggled this season, notching just 17 points in 80 games.  Zemgus Girgensons has played down the middle regularly in the past but is a pending UFA and better suited for a spot on the fourth line so it makes sense that GM Kevyn Adams will be looking outside the organization to try to fill that spot.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Panthers minor leaguer Alexander True is expected to sign with Modo of the SHL next season, report SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson and Adam Johansson. The 26-year-old was once viewed as a possible part of San Jose’s plans but moved on after four years with the organization and hasn’t seen NHL action since 2021-22.  True, who has five assists in 27 career NHL appearances, has spent the full season with AHL Charlotte, notching 19 points in 55 regular season games.  A pending restricted free agent, it looks like he has decided to try his hand elsewhere instead of sticking around for another year in the minors.
  • Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort and winger Justin Brazeau both skated with the team today as they work their way back from their respective injuries but aren’t expected to play on Saturday, notes Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Forbort is believed to be a little ahead of Brazeau in terms of their potential game readiness so it’s possible that Boston could have another option available to them on their back end at some point this round.  Forbort was limited to just 35 games this season where he had four assists while Brazeau picked up five goals and two helpers in just 19 appearances after having his contract converted to an NHL deal back in February.

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