Jets' Scott Arniel Hosting Summer Coaching Summit
The Blackhawks were one of the league’s more active teams in free agency at the beginning of this month, adding a decent slate of veteran talent to avoid overworking their prospects as they slowly begin to exit their rebuild stage. Expect two of those additions to flank Connor Bedard on the Hawks’ first line come opening night, writes The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. Lazerus projects Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to serve as Bedard’s wingers to begin 2024-25 after they each inked multi-year deals to come to Chicago.
Taylor Hall, who was acquired last summer to fill the “Bedard mentor” role but played only 10 games, will likely get second-line reps as he makes his return from knee surgery, Lazerus posits. One youngster noticeably absent from Lazerus’ lineup projection is 2022 13th overall pick Frank Nazar, who could fall victim to a numbers game and start this season on assignment to AHL Rockford. Unlike Lukas Reichel, Chicago’s 2020 first-round selection, Nazar doesn’t require waivers. The Hawks may prefer Reichel to start the season in the minors after struggling with just 16 points (5 G, 11 A) in 65 games in 2023-24, but doing so would risk exposing him to the league’s other 31 teams on the wire. Thus, Nazar will likely be headed to the AHL with roster spots needed for other veteran additions such as Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev and Craig Smith.
Another player who could start the campaign in Rockford, this time for pure development reasons, is defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Chicago’s lack of depth on defense last season likely forced Korchinski into more NHL minutes than the team would have liked. With T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez signed in free agency to provide depth and older prospects like Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips on the cusp of NHL minutes, the organization “wouldn’t mind another year’s worth of patience for any of his young defensemen, Korchinski (and Kaiser) included,” says Lazerus.
There’s more from the Central:
- After getting bounced by the Avalanche in the first round last year, the Jets enter 2024-25 with a new-look coaching staff. Scott Arniel has stepped into the big-boss chair to replace the retired Rick Bowness, while Dean Chynoweth and Davis Payne were brought in as external hires to fill a pair of assistant vacancies. To that end, Arniel is hosting a “summer coaching summit” to acclimate his new staff, report Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press. One focus under Arniel will be implementing more advanced stats into the Jets’ coaching strategy. “So, what we’re trying to do is funnel [statistics] to our coaching staff, so we can determine, ‘OK, what is it that we want? What do you guys want, what do you guys (in the analytics department) have?,” he told McIntyre and Wiebe.
- On Nashville Scene’s “It’s All Your Fault” podcast Monday, Dan Hinote spoke about why he parted ways with the Predators this offseason, leaving his assistant coach role there to take an AHL role in the Avalanche organization as the associate head coach of the Colorado Eagles. The 47-year-old, who played 353 games for the Avs between 1999 and 2006, said he prefers working in more of a development-oriented environment, something Nashville is shifting away from after adding a trio of high-profile veteran UFAs. “The thing about what I realize is that the part of the game that I love coaching the most is the development side,” Hinote said. “I had 10 years to not perfect it, but work on it. I’ve gotten there. I feel like I have a good recipe, I’ve had good results for a lot of guys that were kind of up and down and have now kind of solidified themselves as NHL’ers through this process, so I know it works. That’s kind of what it came to” (hat tip to Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal).
Jets And Capitals Reportedly Discussed A Connor McMichael Trade
When Washington acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from Los Angeles earlier this summer, it pushed Connor McMichael down the Capitals’ center depth chart with Dylan Strome entrenched in the top spot. Accordingly, the Jets were among the teams to inquire about his services; Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press relays that there was chatter at the draft that the two sides discussed a McMichael swap.
Winnipeg tried several internal options to serve as their second center behind Mark Scheifele last season. When those didn’t pan out as planned, they moved a first-round pick to Montreal for Sean Monahan in the days leading up to the trade deadline. While Monahan certainly helped stabilize that spot, the Jets couldn’t retain him in unrestricted free agency as he ultimately inked a five-year, $27.5MM contract with Columbus.
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has since been unable to fill that role so as things stand, the internal options from last season (Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov, and even Adam Lowry moving up from the third line) remain the choices to play behind Scheifele. Accordingly, it’s fair to suggest that Winnipeg is still on the lookout for help down the middle.
McMichael would be an interesting target on that front. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by the Capitals back in 2019, going 25th overall. After spending most of 2021-22 in the NHL (when Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel was an assistant in Washington), McMichael spent most of 2022-23 in the minors with AHL Hershey before playing a full-time role with the Caps last season. He got into 80 games with them, picking up 18 goals and 15 assists in just under 16 minutes a night of playing time. McMichael struggled at the faceoff dot though, winning just 42.4% of his draws.
With two years left on a bridge deal at a $2.1MM price tag, McMichael is someone who could fit on Winnipeg’s books. The team currently has just over $5.8MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, with Perfetti currently being a restricted free agent. If they went with a bridge deal for him, they should be able to afford both of them without needing to make any corresponding move to clear money.
Having said that, while McMichael is a good fit for Winnipeg, it’s less clear as to why Washington would consider moving him. While Dubois and his $8.5MM price tag would get the early nod ahead of McMichael down the middle, both players have also spent time on the wing in the NHL. It’s quite conceivable that head coach Spencer Carbery could elect to put one of those two on the wing, ensuring that both play in the top six.
With the moves they’ve made this summer, ones that brought in Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, and Matt Roy, it’s fair to say that GM Chris Patrick and Director of Hockey Operations Brian MacLellan envision the Capitals getting back to the playoffs so subtracting McMichael from their roster would run counter to that idea at this point of the summer. They sit well over the cap right now on paper but Nicklas Backstrom is expected to remain on LTIR while T.J. Oshie could land there as well which would get them back into compliance so they’re not in a spot where they necessarily need to free up cap space.
Back at the draft, free agency was approaching and there were several centers on the open market so a futures-based return could have worked in theory, knowing there were options about to become available to replace him. (Speculatively, Rutger McGroarty, who has been in plenty of trade speculation lately, could have been a fit in a trade at that time.) But those free agents have since landed elsewhere and there isn’t a great McMichael replacement remaining. Accordingly, it stands to reason that they’d want an NHL-level asset in return which could complicate things if discussions were to get rekindled.
With their second center position needing to be addressed again, Cheveldayoff and the Jets are undoubtedly considering all their options. McMichael would have been an interesting one back at the draft but now, a move involving him looks less feasible so they’ll likely have turned their focus elsewhere.
Jets Re-Sign Simon Lundmark To Two-Way Deal
The Jets have re-signed defense prospect Simon Lundmark to a one-year, two-way deal, per a team release. It’s an NHL salary and cap hit of $775K, although his AHL salary wasn’t disclosed by the team. However, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press relays that Lundmark will make $100K in the minors.
The 51st pick of the 2019 draft, Lundmark spent all three seasons of his entry-level contract on assignment to AHL Manitoba. He became an RFA this summer after the Jets tendered him a qualifying offer.
Before signing his ELC in 2021, Lundmark spent two post-draft seasons with Linköping HC in his native Sweden. There, the right-shot defender scored twice and added 14 assists for 16 points in 118 games with a -20 rating before making the move across the pond.
Lundmark put up good offensive totals at the junior level in Sweden, but he was always projected as more of a stay-at-home defender in the professional ranks. That profile has held true on the farm, where he’s consistently averaged around 0.25 points per game across his three AHL seasons. In total, Lundmark has put up 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists) with a -17 rating in 188 games with Manitoba.
He’s still likely developed a bit slower than expected. Five years post-draft, the Jets would have at least liked Lundmark to earn an NHL recall at some point, even if he’d yet to establish himself as a full-timer.
That hasn’t been the case for the 23-year-old Stockholm native, but it could change next season with his new contract in hand. The loss of Brenden Dillon on the open market and the buyout of Nate Schmidt will open up some increased opportunities for the Jets’ young defenders, namely 2019 first-round pick Ville Heinola. But Lundmark, who was selected 31 spots after Heinola that year, should find himself in that conversation as well.
The youngsters will be competing with more experienced adds Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury, who both signed two-way deals with Winnipeg this summer, for call-ups from Manitoba. Heinola, who’s logged 35 NHL appearances but spent all of last season in the minors, may be on the opening night roster this fall.
Cole Perfetti Open To Staying With Jets Long Term
PuckPedia has tweeted the dates of several upcoming salary arbitration hearings. Arbitration dates haven’t been as widely released as in previous summers, leading to very few leaks about when arbitration cases will be heard. Confirmed dates that have been released are:
- Buffalo Sabres – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (G) – July 29
- Columbus Blue Jackets – Kirill Marchenko (F) – July 31
- New York Islanders – Oliver Wahlstrom (F) – August 1
- Carolina Hurricanes – Martin Necas (F) – August 4
New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren also has an upcoming arbitration hearing that is reportedly on August 2.
In other evening notes:
- Scott Billeck of The Winnipeg Sun writes that Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti has been talking with the new head coach, Scott Arniel, about his role in Winnipeg. Arniel is reportedly willing to put Perfetti in a top-six role and provide him with power play opportunities, something that Perfetti wasn’t getting under the previous coaching regime. Billeck believes that this development is big for Winnipeg as it could be the thing that keeps Perfetti with the Jets long-term after he looked like a prime candidate to sign a bridge deal this summer. With the change in Perfetti’s role in the future, it appears he is open to the idea of a long-term extension with the Jets.
- Former NHL defenseman Matt Gilroy is reportedly in the process of joining Harvard as an assistant coach (as per Mark Divver of NHL.com). Gilroy was the 2009 Hobey Baker Award winner as the top collegiate player in the NCAA. He finished his college career and moved to the NHL, playing in 225 games with four different teams across five seasons. Following his NHL career, Gilroy played overseas in the KHL for four seasons in what was the best run of his professional career. The 40-year-old has spent the last two years with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program as an assistant coach.
History Suggests A Bridge Deal Is Likeliest Outcome For Perfetti
Last season had its ups and downs for Jets forward Cole Perfetti. The 22-year-old was briefly tested down the middle before moving back to the wing while he put together a career year offensively with 19 goals and 19 assists in 71 games. However, he also spent time as a healthy scratch late in the year, not exactly the type of ending he wanted for his platform year heading into restricted free agency for the first time.
Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press examined Winnipeg’s history with former first-round picks as restricted free agents under GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, noting that six out of the ten wound up signing bridge deals. He feels Perfetti is likely to follow the trend, suggesting that a two-year bridge pact around $3MM per season might be the right price point for him and the Jets.
Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Ville Heinola
The Winnipeg Jets will keep around a depth defenseman for the next two years as the organization announced a two-year, $1.6MM contract for defenseman Ville Heinola. The contract will keep Heinola around for his fifth and sixth seasons with the club while becoming arbitration-eligible at the end of the deal.
The future was bright for Heinola after being selected by the Jets with the 20th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft but the organization’s habit of slow-playing prospects to the NHL level has prohibited Heinola from showing the best of his abilities up to this point in his career. Heinola has factored into a handful of games for Winnipeg over the last five years but has failed to play more than 12 games in a season up to this point.
Because of his usage as one of the team’s depth defensemen, Heinola has played 35 games for the Jets since the start of the 2019-20 season and has registered one goal and 11 points. The Finnish blue-liner has averaged 15:15 of ice time in his games at the NHL level but recently recorded the lowest average of his career in 2022-23 with 13:16.
Heinola spent the entire 2023-24 season with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose where he recorded 10 goals and 27 points in 41 games. He demonstrated more of an ability to score goals after posing three goals and 37 points in 48 games the year prior.
Winnipeg’s defensive core has been thinned out this offseason which may lead to a regular role for Heinola this upcoming season. However, with defensemen Dylan Samberg and Logan Stanley also looking for a regular spot in the lineup, Heinola may have his work cut out for him during training camp in September.
Jets Showed Interest In Adam Henrique Before He Re-Signed With Oilers
Before he ultimately re-signed with Edmonton, the Jets took a run at signing center Adam Henrique on the opening day of free agency, notes Postmedia’s Scott Billeck. Winnipeg was eyeing the 34-year-old as a replacement for Sean Monahan, who turned down an offer from them to ink a five-year deal with Columbus. Henrique had a solid showing last season, notching 51 points in 82 games between Anaheim and Edmonton and could have slotted in behind Mark Scheifele to anchor the second line but opted to return to play a lesser role with the Oilers.
Jets In Discussions With Dmitri Rashevsky
- The Jets are having discussions with winger Dmitri Rashevsky about signing him to an entry-level deal, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press relayed (Twitter link) earlier this week. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2021, going 146th overall and has been a KHL regular ever since. Rashevsky is coming off his best season in Russia, tallying 24 goals and 19 assists with Dynamo Moskva in 67 games last season. He has one year left on his deal but with some Russian players getting let out of their KHL agreements, Winnipeg is hoping they’ll be able to get Rashevsky out of his early as well.
The Latest On Rutger McGroarty
- Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press joined Winnipeg Sports Talk and explained what he thinks the holdup to a potential Rutger McGroarty trade could be. The Winnipeg Jets have reportedly been shopping the 20-year-old since the NHL entry draft and according to McIntyre, they were close to a trade with another team at one point but the other team might have had reservations because of the same issues the Jets are having with the former first-round pick. Neither McGroarty’s camp, nor the Jets have spoken publicly about why there is a riff between the two sides, but as Scott Billick writes in the Winnipeg Sun, it is likely due to a disagreement about McGroarty’s development path.
Jets Sign Dylan Coghlan
July 12: Winnipeg confirmed Coghlan’s deal Friday morning.
July 10: The Jets wasted little time getting their newest defenseman under contract. After acquiring Dylan Coghlan last weekend, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that Winnipeg has inked the blueliner to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract will pay $775K in the NHL, $200K in the minors, and contains a guaranteed salary of $250K. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The 26-year-old was expected to be at least a depth option for Carolina last season but instead, he cleared waivers in training camp and spent most of the year with AHL Springfield. With them, Coghlan had a productive year, leading all AHL blueliners with 16 goals while chipping in with 25 helpers, earning himself an All-Star appearance in the process. While the Hurricanes tendered him a qualifying offer last month, they elected to move him for future considerations.
For his career, Coghlan has played in 106 career NHL appearances, most of which came with Vegas before they moved him to Carolina back in 2022. He should have a chance to battle for a depth role on Winnipeg’s roster in training camp but with Ville Heinola now waiver-eligible, the re-signings of Colin Miller and Logan Stanley, and the addition of Haydn Fleury in free agency, there’s a good chance that Coghlan will have to start with AHL Manitoba and try to work his way up from there.