- It appears Toronto Maple Leafs goalie prospect Vyacheslav Peksa will be staying in North America, according to The Score’s Kyle Cushman. There had been some conflicting reports on whether the Leafs would loan Peksa back to Russia for 2023-24 – Peksa himself told Cushman earlier this summer he anticipated staying in Toronto (with the AHL’s Marlies) this season, while assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser told reporters at development camp that Peksa would be loaned out. Peksa, a 2021 sixth-round pick, posted a sparkling .921 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average on a struggling Bars Kazan team in the Russian second-tier VHL last season.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Matthews' Extension Won't Surpass McDavid's Cap Hit Percentage Record
Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews will always be inextricably linked. They were selected with back-to-back first-overall picks by, as of now, the two best Canadian teams in the league. Therefore, it’s not surprising public discourse has shifted once again to McDavid’s future in Edmonton after Matthews signed his four-year, $53MM extension in Toronto yesterday.
Speaking with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, when asked about a contract extension, McDavid said, “We’re super comfortable [in Edmonton],” but an extension is also “three years down the road. We’ve got to kind of see where our lives are at and kind of go from there.” He went on to re-avow his commitment to winning a championship with Edmonton’s core. While the tonality of McDavid’s statement may raise some eyebrows, it really shouldn’t – the Oilers’ superstar isn’t exactly known for his unfiltered approach to interviews. While there is always the chance McDavid departs in free agency should things in Edmonton go horribly wrong over the next few seasons, it’s far from becoming a likely scenario, at least at this stage.
More from the NHL today:
- One surprisingly quiet storyline throughout the offseason has been that of Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who the team confirmed had requested a trade earlier this summer. In an interview with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti earlier this week, Capitals incoming head coach Spencer Carbery said he’s spoken with Kuznetsov multiple times this summer and “it sounds like there’s a real focus to his preparation for next season.” While it’s far from a confirmation he’s rescinded his trade request, Kuznetsov staying in the nation’s capital and returning to form could very well thrust Washington back into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, something captain Alex Ovechkin would certainly love to see while he chases the NHL’s all-time goals record.
- Matthews’ extension may be the richest per season of the salary cap era, but it still hasn’t surpassed McDavid’s deal as taking up the highest percentage of the salary cap when signed, Sportsnet’s Sonny Sachdeva points out. McDavid’s eight-year, $100MM deal, which kicked in for the 2018-19 campaign, took up a record 16.67% of the cap’s Upper Limit when it was signed in July 2017. Matthews’ deal, on the other hand, which carries an average annual value of $750K higher than McDavid’s, takes up 15.87% of the cap at the time of signing.
Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Auston Matthews
August 24: Similarly to his last contract, Matthews’ extension is paid out mostly in signing bonuses. PuckPedia has the full breakdown of his deal, which includes a full no-movement clause.
2024-25: $775K salary, $15.925MM signing bonus
2025-26: $775K salary, $14.425MM signing bonus
2026-27: $900K salary, $10.18MM signing bonus
2027-28: $900K salary, $9.12MM signing bonus
August 23: The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have signed Auston Matthews to a four-year contract. The financial details of the deal were not originally reported by the club, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Matthews will be making $13.25MM AAV, making it a four-year, $53MM contract extension.
For one season, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche will hold the honors of being the highest-paid athlete in the game at $12.6MM AAV; however, the season after, Matthews will take the crown. Now that Matthews is signed for the next five seasons in Toronto, he will become an unrestricted free agent at 30 years old after the 2027-28 NHL season.
In one of the most important orders of business for new General Manager Brad Treliving this summer, the Maple Leafs have locked up the most significant player to their core. They have infamously struggled in their mission to lift the Stanley Cup, but Matthews has earned his fair share of medals up to this point in his career.
Last season, in what was considered somewhat of a down year, Matthews scored 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 games, finishing third on the team in scoring. More importantly; however, is that Matthews was fundamental in Toronto being able to win their first playoff series since the 2003-04 season, scoring five goals and six assists in 11 games.
The season prior, Matthews had one of the best seasons in the salary cap era, scoring 60 goals and 46 assists in 73 games, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and the Maurice Richard Trophy. Only Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, and Alex Ovechkin have been able to score 60 goals in a single year since the 2005-06 NHL season.
Aside from the personal awards, the main goal of Matthews and the Maple Leafs is to win their first Stanley Cup since 1967. Given his play, Matthews likely could have asked for — and received, more on this contract, but Toronto’s salary cap table will only tighten with this deal. With this contract now factored in, the Maple Leafs will have around $30MM in cap space next summer but will have to retain or replace players such as William Nylander, Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, T.J. Brodie, John Klingberg, and Ilya Samsonov.
It was well known that Toronto was pressed hard against the cap this season, but with teams now knowing that the Maple Leafs will have limited financial flexibility for at least the next two seasons, this might spell the end for Nylander’s time in Toronto. Given that Nylander is seeking around $10MM on his next deal, it might benefit the Maple Leafs more to recoup some assets and create more cap space rather than having $45.15MM tied into four forwards for the 2024-25 season.
Nevertheless, this appears to be a solid outcome for Toronto altogether. It is likely that the team would have liked to sign Matthews to a max term eight-year extension, but having Matthews in general extends the team’s window for however long he is on the roster.
By signing short-term, high AAV contracts, Matthews will likely go down as one of the highest-paid stars in the game for his generation. Once this extension comes to its conclusion, Matthews will have made a touch over $122MM altogether, before he even hits 31 years old.
Matthews is one of the best goal-scorers in the game and one of the best players to ever wear the blue-and-white. However, especially for the Maple Leafs, Matthews will ultimately be judged on whether or not he can break the organization’s curse, and once again bring Lord Stanley back to Toronto.
Nylander: "Lots Of Time" To Work Out Extension
Much has been made of Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander’s pending free agency, with reports indicating the two sides are far apart in contract talks. One person who isn’t worried is Nylander himself, who told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman today there’s “lots of time” to work out a deal and that he remains committed to staying in Toronto.
Robert Mastrosimone Signs AHL Contract With Toronto
One of the more intriguing names that saw his exclusive rights expire on August 15th, Robert Mastrosimone, has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, per a team release. It’s a fairly surprising outcome for the young forward, as many theorized that he may be in line for a two-way NHL contract after his impressive season at Arizona State University last year.
In 2019, Mastrosimone capped off a solid 2018-19 season with the USHL’s Chicago Steel by being drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Having already committed to Boston University for his collegiate career at the time, the Red Wings initially thought it would be the best step forward for his development.
Unfortunately for Mastrosimone, his situation did not pan out well in Boston. Over the next three seasons, playing in 83 games for the Terriers, Mastrosimone would only score 21 goals and 29 assists overall, with his best season coming during his Junior year in 2021-22. Without much of a path forward in Boston, Detroit seemingly underwhelmed by his development, Mastrosimone would take his talents to Arizona State University to cap off his collegiate career.
In 38 games for the Sun Devils during the 2022-23 NCAA season, Mastrosimone scored 11 goals and 31 assists, showing off his true skill level with new access to more playing time. As the season came to its conclusion, there was no word on Mastrosimone’s future with Detroit until March. Towards the end of the year, in speaking with reporters, head coach of Arizona State, Greg Powers said, “He’s playing the waiting game and seeing what’s going to be available as a free agent. There’s a lot of teams that are interested in him, but it doesn’t look like Detroit is going to happen. It’s just a waiting game, but he has the option to come back. It’s a good option and he’s open to it”.
Now, moving forward for Mastrosimone, he will have the opportunity to prove his worth at the AHL level next season, potentially earning a two-way NHL contract if his development shows promise. Over the past several years, largely due to their cap situation, the Maple Leafs have been one of the better teams in bringing in young, cheap talent to fill out the bottom of their roster.
Toronto Possible Option For A Tomas Tatar PTO?
The Penguins have been linked recently to free agent winger Tomas Tatar but the belief is their preference, for now, would be a PTO invite rather than a guaranteed contract. In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also suggested that the Maple Leafs could be interested in a tryout agreement with the veteran. Tatar is one of the top remaining free agents left on the market and is coming off a 20-goal, 48-point season and is believed to be seeking at least a two-year deal that clearly hasn’t materialized just yet. Toronto is already in a spot where they need to clear some money even with Jake Muzzin and Matt Murray LTIR-bound so while Tatar fits for them on paper, it’s hard to see a full-season fit as things stand which might not make them Tatar’s best option if he does indeed have to go the PTO route.
East Notes: Trade Targets, Amirov Jersey Retirement, Nylander
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander and Winnipeg Jets players Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele land atop the latest Trade Targets list from The Athletic, written by Shayna Goldman. All pending unrestricted free agents, Nylander finds himself first on the list after recording a career-high 40 goals and 87 points in 82 games last season. As Goldman notes, it’s highly unlikely a potential Nylander extension becomes top of mind for Toronto GM Brad Treliving until an extension for teammate Auston Matthews is signed, sealed and delivered.
Regarding Hellebuyck, his trade value has decreased in recent months, with teams shying away from doling out large sums of cash to bonafide starting netminders, instead looking for value options in the crease to guide them deep in the playoffs. Goldman posits, however, that it’s a method that can work only for a select few – namely Colorado and Vegas, as it has the past two seasons, given the strengths of their defense corps. While teams should be rightfully wary about handing out too much term to Hellebuyck on an extension, given he’s already 31 years old, acquiring a clear-cut elite starter is still necessary for some teams to reach championship contention. Other names on the list included Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce, Calgary Flames players Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, and Arizona Coyotes forwards Nick Schmaltz and Jason Zucker.
- In a well-deserved and meaningful gesture, KHL club Salavat Yulaev Ufa will be retiring Rodion Amirov’s number 27 after the young forward passed away from a years-long battle with a brain tumor on Tuesday, according to The Hockey News’ David Alter. The 21-year-old Maple Leafs prospect had suited up in 70 games for his hometown team before he had to stop his playing career in 2021 to undergo cancer treatment. Reports indicate Salavat’s captain, 625-game KHL veteran Grigori Panin, initiated the decision.
- Alexander Nylander is a candidate to slide into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top six to begin the season, says The Athletic’s Rob Rossi. The 2016 eighth-overall pick could get a look at either Sidney Crosby’s or Evgeni Malkin’s left wing with Jake Guentzel sidelined for the first few games of 2023-24 after undergoing ankle surgery earlier this month. Now on his third NHL organization, the 25-year-old Nylander will look to capture a full-time spot in the NHL for the first time since he played 65 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019-20.
Snapshots: Bunting, Butler, 2024 Worlds
Carolina Hurricanes forward Michael Bunting was a guest on the JD Bunkis Podcast this week and revealed he didn’t have many extension discussions with the Toronto Maple Leafs after their second-round playoff elimination. After recording back-to-back 23-goal seasons in Toronto, Bunting signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Hurricanes when free agency opened July 1. “Once the offseason came along, I didn’t really hear much [from Toronto]… you kind of just figured it wasn’t going to work out,” Bunting said.
Bunting had been a more-than-serviceable top-six piece for Toronto, especially at his previous bargain $950K cap hit. The physical side of his game evidently took too much of a stage when this year’s postseason began, though, earning him a multi-game suspension for a hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in the First Round. Even when in the lineup, Bunting lost his spot in the top-six to rookie Matthew Knies at times during the postseason, and he recorded just two points in seven playoff games.
Elsewhere in the hockey news cycle today:
- Former Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Butler has announced his retirement from pro hockey, according to an announcement from the ECHL’s Worcester Railers. That’s where the 36-year-old Butler had spent the last two seasons of his career, serving as team captain and recording 54 points in 83 games. An undrafted free agent, Butler appeared in 130 NHL games across five seasons with the Senators, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, and Florida Panthers. He finished his NHL career with 20 goals and 49 points, including an impressive rookie campaign with Ottawa in 2010-11 when he recorded 21 points in 36 games. He won a Calder Cup with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators that same year.
- The IIHF has released the schedule for the 2024 Men’s World Championship, set to take place in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. Next year’s edition of the tournament will include Great Britain and Poland after they earned promotion by winning the gold and silver medals in the Division 1A Worlds last year. Hungary and Slovenia finished last in their respective groups in 2023 and will need to work their way back up to the top level during the coming year. The Belarussian and Russian national teams remain suspended for the 2024 tournament.
Update On This Year’s August 15 Free Agents
Most NHL free agent business is dealt with in the early summer months. There is one important date later each year, however. August 15 marks the date when NHL teams lose their exclusive signing rights to most college-drafted players if they’ve graduated (or completed without graduating) college and are not yet signed to an entry-level contract.
Earlier this month, we published a list of players slated to hit the UFA market yesterday if not signed to an ELC within the coming days. However, the guidelines the NHL uses to determine a college graduate are some of the most complex sets of rules relating to contractual obligations in pro sports. That means it’s often impossible to glean a full list of players whose rights have expired (or not expired) until after the August 15 deadline has passed.
This year was no different, as CapFriendly issued multiple updates today on their X account regarding the list of August 15 free agents they’d made public earlier in the month. Three players who were slated to expire actually remained on their team’s reserve list: Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick F Demetrios Koumontzis, Ottawa Senators 2018 seventh-round pick F Jakov Novak, and Senators 2018 second-round pick D Jonny Tychonick.
On the flip side, 12 players they expected to remain on teams’ reserve lists hit the free-agent market yesterday. With that in mind, we have a revised, accurate list of players who became unrestricted free agents yesterday. Asterisked players were not originally expected to come off their team’s reserve list.
Anaheim Ducks
*F Trevor Janicke (2019 fifth round, 132nd overall)
Arizona Coyotes
F John Farinacci (2019 third round, 76th overall)
*F Anthony Romano (2019 sixth round, 176th overall)
Boston Bruins
*D Dustyn McFaul (2018 sixth round, 181st overall)
Calgary Flames
*F Joshua Nodler (2019 fifth round, 150th overall)
Carolina Hurricanes
F Kevin Wall (2019 sixth round, 181st overall)
Chicago Blackhawks
F Jake Wise (2018 third round, 69th overall)
Colorado Avalanche
*F Matt Stienburg (2019 third round, 63rd overall)
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Robbie Stucker (2017 seventh round, 210th overall)
Detroit Red Wings
F Robert Mastrosimone (2019 second round, 54th overall)
*F Ethan Phillips (2019 fourth round, 97th overall)
Edmonton Oilers
F Skyler Brind’Amour (2017 sixth round, 177th overall)
Minnesota Wild
*D Marshall Warren (2019 sixth round, 166th overall)
New Jersey Devils
*D Case McCarthy (2019 fourth round, 118th overall)
*F Patrick Moynihan (2019 sixth round, 158th overall)
New York Islanders
D Christian Krygier (2018 seventh round, 196th overall)
F Jacob Pivonka (2018 fourth round, 103rd overall)
New York Rangers
*F Eric Ciccolini (2019 seventh round, 205th overall)
*F Riley Hughes (2018 seventh round, 216th overall)
Ottawa Senators
*F Luke Loheit (2018 seventh round, 194th overall)
Philadelphia Flyers
F Jay O’Brien (2018 first round, 19th overall)
San Jose Sharks
D Arvid Henrikson (2016 seventh round, 187th overall) Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
D Ryan O’Connell (2017 seventh round, 203rd overall)
Winnipeg Jets
G Jared Moe (2018 sixth round, 184th overall)
Of the list above, Krygier and Pivonka are remaining in the Islanders organization on confirmed AHL contracts for 2023-24, although they remain eligible to sign with another NHL team should one come calling. All others are either returning to school for 2023-24, have contracts signed in other leagues, or are not signed for next season.
Notably, this is the official confirmation that the Flyers’ exclusive signing rights of O’Brien have lapsed. As compensation for not signing a first-round pick to their entry-level contract, the Flyers will receive a compensatory second-round pick from the league in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Bob Baun Passes Away
Four-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman Bob Baun has passed away, per an announcement from the NHL Alumni Association. He was 86 years old.
Born in Lanigan, Saskatchewan, in 1936, Baun got his start in hockey in Toronto in his teens. He worked his way up through the junior ranks with the Toronto Marlboros before eventually earning an NHL deal with the Maple Leafs at age 20 in 1956-57. He played in just 20 games during that season, maintaining his rookie status. His first full-time campaign was the following season, where he recorded ten points in 67 games and added 91 penalty minutes, finishing fifth in the 1958 Calder Trophy voting. Over the next few seasons, he became one of the NHL’s most respected defensemen, known for hard but clean hits and stout defensive play, earning the nickname “Boomer.”
The 1960s saw Baun win four Cups in a six-year span with the Maple Leafs, becoming a large part of the last Toronto core to win a championship. It was his third Cup win in 1964, though, that’s cemented Baun in NHL lore. Down 3-2 in the Final series against the Detroit Red Wings, Baun sustained a broken ankle in Game 6 but would leave the game just briefly. He returned on the broken ankle when overtime began and scored just his third career playoff goal in 61 games at the time to tie the series. Toronto would win Game 7 in shutout fashion, 4-0, taking home their third straight Stanley Cup.
Baun would play for many more seasons, finally being forced to retire during the 1972-73 campaign at age 36 after he sustained a broken neck on a hit five games into the season. He finished his NHL career with 224 points and 1,489 penalty minutes in 964 games across 17 seasons, also making brief pit stops with the Oakland Seals and Red Wings.
He was also an influential force off the ice, leading the charge for increased player wages at the dawn of the expansion era and even attempted to organize an alumni association in the years after his retirement, looking to investigate what he believed were issues in the NHL’s pension plan at the time. He received little support from players at the time, but an independent audit later confirmed his suspicions.
Baun’s grandson, Kyle Baun, had a brief professional career in the 2010s that included a five-game stint with the Chicago Blackhawks.
We at PHR extend our deepest condolences to Baun’s family, friends, and former teammates.