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Hurricanes Notes: Skjei, Pesce, Guentzel

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei has shared that getting a “fair offer” will be his top priority as he enters free agency, per Walt Ruff of NHL.com (Twitter link). Skjei is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 47 points in 80 games and averaging the second-most ice time on Carolina’s defense. The Hurricanes have expressed interest in hanging onto Skjei, but his strong performance – following an 18-goal season last year – has positioned him as one of the top names set to hit the open market.

Skjei, 30, is likely set to join the team he’ll finish his career with on his next deal. It’d be no surprise if that remained Carolina, who Skjei joined via trade from the New York Rangers in the 2019-20 season – with Carolina sending the 2019 first-round pick used on Hendrix Lapierre the other way. After five up-and-down seasons in New York, Skjei found a home in Carolina – becoming a much more consistent and reliable defender in all three zones. He’s appeared in 302 games and recorded 135 points – both ranked second among Hurricanes defensemen since 2019, behind Jaccob Slavin. Skjei, Slavin, and Brett Pesce have become pillars of the Hurricanes’ defense in the years since, though Carolina is already planning to part ways with the latter. That should give them more cap space to negotiate with Skjei, though they’re sure to have no shortage of competition in pitching a “fair offer”.

Other notes from Carolina:

  • Speaking of Pesce, he shared with Chip Alexander of The News and Observer that he was close to returning from injury before the season ended, sharing he was hoping to return in the Conference Finals. Pesce was bearing through a fracture in his fibula, near his ankle, suffered in Game 2 against the New York Islanders. He missed the final nine games of Carolina’s season – a quiet end to what was a quiet season, with Pesce posting a career-low 13 points through 70 games. He finished his closeout interview by adding that he’s hoping both he and defense-partner Skjei will find a way to re-sign in Carolina, saying “We don’t want our story to end, for sure. We both want to be back, it’s pretty obvious.”
  • New Carolina Hurricanes star Jake Guentzel didn’t rule out a return to Carolina during locker room clean-out, though he made sure to emphasize that it’s a business at the end of the day, shared Ruff (Twitter link). Guentzel was dazzling in Carolina, recording 25 points in 17 regular-season games and nine points in 11 postseason games. He was, in his usual fashion, one of the team’s most consistent performers in the playoffs, serving a strong role on Carolina’s top line after spending the regular season throughout the top six. Guentzel, 29, would challenge Steven Stamkos as the most coveted player on the open market this year, should he enter free agency. That excitement could have him interested in playing the field, though he made sure to speak highly of the Hurricanes in his final interview, sharing “This team for sure can win a Stanley Cup. I think it’s right there… I want to win more than anything and that’s all I care about.”

Ducks Sign Rodwin Dionicio To Entry-Level Contract

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed defense prospect Rodwin Dionicio to a three-year entry-level contract set to begin next season. Dionicio previously signed a three-year contract with Biel-Bienne of Switzerland’s National League, though he’ll now stay in North America, having earned the first NHL contract of his career.

Dionicio recently wrapped up his third season in the OHL, where he ranked third among all defenders with 73 points in 60 games. It was an electric season, largely thanks to Dionicio being dealt to the Saginaw Spirit at the OHL Trade Deadline. He formed a formidable duo with OHL ’Defenseman of the Year’ Zayne Parekh – a top 2024 Draft prospect who led defensemen scoring with 96 points in 66 games. Saginaw is now one of the four teams competing in the upcoming 2024 Memorial Cup and could earn an edge over their championship-winning competition thanks to the offensive upside of their defensemen.

Dionicio totaled 154 points through 167 games in the OHL, the 16th-highest point-per-game pace of any OHL defender since 2010. But his strong scoring hasn’t kept Dionicio from criticism. He’s been highly scrutinized throughout his OHL career, with many pointing out concerns about his skating mechanics, defensive positioning, and ability to create outside of his teammates. Dionicio went undrafted in the 2022 Draft in part because of those critiques, though a strong 2022-23 season and 2023 World Juniors performance were enough for Anaheim to draft him in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft.

The critiques have made it hard to gauge just how high Dionicio’s upside could be, though his 17 points in 17 playoff games this season speak to his ability to perform in the clutch. An NHL contract will offer Dionicio with the perfect opportunity to show just how strong of a player he can be. He’ll likely move to the AHL next season, where he’ll join a list of strong Ducks prospects, including defenders Tristan Luneau, Noah Warren, and Tyson Hinds.

Afternoon Notes: Huhtanen, Lyle, Nečas

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have made the signing of forward prospect Niko Huuhtanen official, following reports of the signing yesterday. The three-year, entry-level deal will kick off next year and carries $57.5K in performance bonuses and $92.5K in signing bonuses each season, in addition to its $867.5K cap hit. Huuhtanen is currently playing with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, appearing in two games of the Calder Cup Playoffs but still searching for his first AHL point.

Huuhtanen played through his second full season in Finland’s Liiga this season, recording 19 goals and 46 points in 52 games. Tampa drafted Huuhtanen in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft, selecting him out of Finland’s U20 league after he posted 20 goals and 34 points in 37 games. He moved to America in the following season – appearing in 65 games and recording 77 points with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. But his juniors career was short-lived, and Huuhtanen returned back to Finland ahead of last season – posting 17 goals and 30 points in 48 games as a Liiga rookie.

Huuhtanen has scored at every level and served as a staple for Finland’s international teams for the last six seasons. He’s a hefty winger who sacrifices swift feet for strength. He doesn’t lack finesse, though, and knows how to use his strong frame to fight for space and become an option for teammates. From there, Huuhtanen’s shot is strong enough to make him dangerous anywhere in the offensive end. He’ll likely return to the AHL next season, though his strong performances against pro competition in the Liiga could help him rival the Lightning lineup soon.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Pending Calgary Flames free agent Brady Lyle has signed with HC Dynamo Minsk of the KHL. Lyle was previously a Group 6 free agent in the NHL, set to become an unrestricted-free agent if Calgary didn’t sign him by July 1st. He’ll now head to Russia, after posting 15 points in 47 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers this season. The scoring brought his career point totals up to 51 across 186 AHL games. With Lyle now headed to Russia, Calgary’s only remaining Group 6 free agent is centerman Benjamin Jones.
  • Carolina Hurricanes centerman Martin Nečas is joining Team Czechia for the remainder of the World Championship, reports Walt Ruff of NHL.com (Twitter link). Nečas’ NHL season ended with Carolina’s Game 6 defeat on Thursday. He contributed nine points in 11 playoff games – a boost in production after he managed just 53 points during the regular sesaon. This will be the first time that Nečas has played with Team Czechia since the 2019 World Juniors, when he posted four points in five games. He made his World Championship debut in 2018, with five points in seven games.

Rangers Recall Dylan Garand

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The New York Rangers have recalled goaltender Dylan Garand (Twitter link). The move is reportedly precautionary, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, who shares that emergency third-string goalie Louis Domingue is “a little banged up” (Twitter link). The Rangers will otherwise stick with their usual tandem of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick in Game 6.

Garand likely won’t be on the NHL roster for very long, but this move could still have major implications on the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, who kick off the AHL’s Atlantic Division Finals against the Hershey Bears on Thursday. They’ll now have to do it without their starter, Garand, who’s been an important piece of their postseason success. The 21-year-old has posted five wins and a .931 save percentage in seven postseason games – a big step up from his 16 wins and .898 in 39 regular season games.

In Garand’s absence, Hartford will likely turn towards Olof Lindbom. Lindbom spent much of his season in the ECHL, posting 10 wins and an .884 save percentage in 29 games. He was a bit more effective in his six AHL appearances, recording a .916 save percentage, though he only managed one win. Hartford also has Hugo Ollas and Talyn Boyko on their roster – the former playing in his first pro games after starting for Merrimack College this season, and the latter Linbom’s backup in the ECHL.

Kings Mutually Part Ways With Assistant Coach Trent Yawney

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The Los Angeles Kings have announced they’ve mutually parted ways with assistant coach Trent Yawney, adding that a replacement will be sought after the team hires their next head coach (Twitter link). The news brings an end to Yawney’s five-year tenure in Los Angeles.

Yawney has a storied career in the NHL, beginning with his third-round selection in the 1984 NHL Draft. He’d go on to play 12 seasons in the league – spending half with the Chicago Blackhawks – and total 129 points and 783 penalty minutes in 593 career games. He even served as Team Canada’s captain during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Yawney retired during the 1998-99 season, only to return to the Blackhawks as an assistant coach in the 1999-00 season. He’s been closely tied to the NHL ever since, serving as either an AHL head coach or an NHL assistant coach in each of the last 25 seasons. He even earned a brief stint as the Blackhawks head coach in 2005-06, though he was replaced by Denis Savard midway through the following season.

This move is a backward step for the Kings, who face a head coach vacancy after parting ways with Todd McLellan in February. He was replaced by Jim Hiller, who remains a top candidate for the permanent role. Hiller led the Kings to an impressive 21-12-1 record, even earning a playoff appearance. The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Kings in just five games, though their success showed their playoff potential. And while it’s hard to replace the near-40 years of experience Yawney has in the league, the space for one more hire offers enticing flexibility as the Kings look to maintain a staff capable of a postseason push.

Afternoon Notes: Devils Coaching, Drouin, Zadorov

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The New Jersey Devils have seemingly found their favorites on the coaching market, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting on the Jeff Marek Show that the team is currently favoring Sheldon Keefe and Jay Woodcroft (Twitter link). More specifically, Woodcroft was the favorite before Keefe’s firing. But the Devils were quick to interview Keefe when he became available, even going as far as requesting permission to interview him amidst his closing days in Toronto. The interview clearly went well, with Keefe now a favorite for what Elliotte Friedman described as the coaching role with the highest ceiling.

New Jersey would offer a similar backdrop for Keefe – boasting some of the strongest top-end forwards but struggling to find the same consistency in net. The Devils have the exciting advantage of a much, much deeper defense group than Toronto carried during Keefe’s tenure – with the core quartet of Dougie Hamilton, Simon Nemec, Luke Hughes, and Jonas Siegenthaler stronger than what most of the league offers. New Jersey’s season was marred by injuries, best exemplified by star centerman Jack Hughes missing 20 games and star defender Hamilton missing 62. The inconsistent lineup was too much for head coaches Lindy Ruff or Travis Green to handle, with the Devils ending the year with a 38-39-5 record.

But even after the slow season, the sky still seems to be the limit for the New Jersey Devils. A fully healthy season out of Jack Hughes, a full year of young defenders Hughes and Nemec, and a fruitful addition with the 2024 10th-overall pick should set the bar high for the skilled Devils lineup, giving them playoff aspirations under the right leader.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Colorado Avalanche could be set to add a top-six winger back to the lineup, with head coach Jared Bednar dubbing Jonathan Drouin as a game-time decision, per Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Drouin has so far missed every postseason game with a lower-body injury – but upgraded to a full-contact jersey, and top power-play unit reps, at the team’s Monday practice. Those are good signs of progress for Drouin, who recorded a career-high 56 points in 79 games this season. He’s seemingly found his footing in Colorado, and will now be set to add to his postseason career totals of 21 points in 33 games. His return should bump one of Joel Kiviranta or Brandon Duhaime out of the lineup, depending on if Colorado wants to prioritize skill or grit.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid at the end of Game 3. Zadorov hit McDavid right into Carson Soucy, who landed a cross-check on McDavid’s face. Soucy will have a hearing sometime today for the incident. And while they’re certainly holding their breath in anticipation of a possible Soucy suspension, the Canucks are certainly relieved that Zadorov avoided harsher punishment. He has been one of Vancouver’s best defensemen this postseason, posting four goals and seven points through nine games, while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time each night. Zadorov has brought skill, finesse, and grit to the lineup – although maybe a bit too much of the latter, as he’s now facing DoPS punishment.

Morning Notes: Brindley, Soucy, Reichel, Rangers

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Team USA has added Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley to their World Championship lineup, per Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Brindley becomes the fourth collegiate athlete to join the squad, stepping into a room with World Juniors teammates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The quartet played a major role in USA’s drive towards the 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal – and they’re now rewarded with an opportunity with the Men’s National Team. Brindley isn’t expected to line up for USA’s Monday matchup against Team Slovakia, instead joining Leonard and Matt Kessel as the team’s healthy scratches.

Brindley is continuing to have a fruitful off-season, signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in early April. He received 12 minutes of ice time but wasn’t able to change his stat line. With Columbus’ season ending soon after, Brindley’s scoring this season was limited to the 25 goals and 53 points he managed in 40 games with the University of Michigan. He also added 10 points in seven World Juniors games.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The NHL Department of Player Safety is expected to hold a hearing for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Soucy could be facing punishment for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid in the face, after McDavid was knocked over by Nikita Zadorov, during a late-game scrum. Soucy has been suspended once in his career, receiving a one-game booking for charging Conor Garland in March of 2021. He was also assessed a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of 2022. It will likely be Noah Juulsen who steps in should Soucy miss any time. Juulsen has played in one postseason game this Spring, recording a -1 in 11:24 of ice time. Juulsen is coming off a career-high 54 NHL appearances this season, though he only managed seven points.
  • Team Germany has also made a lineup addition, bringing in Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel, per Ellis (Twitter link). Reichel has been a key piece of Germany’s international presence, recording 11 points in 13 games across the last two World Championships. He also joined the team at the World U18 Division 1-A Championship in 2019 and the World Juniors in 2020. Reichel is coming off an up-and-down year, scoring just 16 points in 65 NHL games. He’ll look to reestablish his scoring spark in the familiarity of international play, with five games remaining on Germany’s slate before the quarter-finals.
  • The New York Rangers welcomed forward Filip Chytil back to practice on Monday, after he missed Game 4 with an illness. Blake Wheeler is also progressing from injury, upgrading to a full-contact jersey, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports (Twitter link). Both Chytil and Wheeler should slot right back into the lineup, should both be cleared to play, likely bumping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle back to the skybox. Wheeler made a strong impact on the Winnipeg Jets’ first round run last season, scoring six points in five games to bring his career playoff scoring up to 45 points in 65 games.

Seth Appert Promoted To Buffalo Sabres Assistant Coach

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The Buffalo Sabres have promoted AHL head coach Seth Appert to an Assistant Coach role with the NHL club, shares the Rochester Americans (Twitter link). Appert will slot in behind new head coach Lindy Ruff, backfilling the role that Jason Christie served behind Don Granato. Appert’s season just recently ended, following a 3-2 series loss against the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL’s North Division Semifinals.

Appert is coming off his fourth season as Rochester’s head coach. He’s led the Americans to the postseason in each of the last three years, going as far as Round 3 last season. The Americans have totaled a 123-94 record under Appert, despite having one of the youngest rosters in the AHL. Appert has been lauded as a development coach, after over 10 years in coaching roles across the NCAA and three years as a head coach in the U.S. National Team Development program. He’s vindicating those development skills now, doing well at supporting the many top prospects in Rochester. Both Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen have carved out top-line, nearly point-per-game roles under Appert – but he’s also found ways to make Viktor Neuchev, Kale Clague, and Nikita Novikov look comfortable in their pro roles.

This move will offer Appert the first NHL role of his career. Buffalo is reportedly content with where their coaching staff sits after his promotion, with the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski sharing that the team is not planning to add anyone else to the NHL staff (Twitter link). Lysowski also shared that veteran NHL defenseman Dan Girardi, who’s served as a development coach for the Sabres since 2020, won’t be back with the team next seasons (Twitter link). These moves round out the Sabres bench and remove Buffalo from the long list of NHL teams currently reworking their coaching staff.

Team USA’s Alex Lyon Leaves World Championship Injured

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Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon has stepped away from the World Championship in Prague, after being injured in Team USA’s Saturday matchup against Team Germany, per Jon Morosi of NHL Network (Twitter link). Lyon left the game just 24 minutes in, suffering an undisclosed injury seemingly during a scrum in the crease. He was replaced by 19-year-old backup Trey Augustine, who saved 11 of the 12 shots he faced to become the fifth U20 goalie to record a win at Worlds since 2000. Augustine and Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic are now the only two netminders on Team USA’s roster, though the team could add another goalie at any time.

This news brings a sudden close to what was an exciting opportunity for Lyon, who earned the Team USA starting role after fighting into the same role with the Red Wings this season. Lyon was red-hot in the first half of the year, setting a 18-9-2 record and .912 save percentage through his first 29 games. His second half stalled out a bit, as the Red Wings went on a dismal losing streak, but Lyon still concluded the year with 21 wins and a .904 save percentage through 44 games, earning a confident role over James Reimer and Ville Husso.  This year’s World Championship tournament was Lyon’s first chance to represent America internationally, with his only previous IIHF tournament coming in 2015, when he served as USA’s third-string goalie at Worlds. Lyon will now conclude this year’s tournament having allowed three goals on 50 shots, setting a .940 save percentage through two games.

All attention now turns towards who Team USA could bring to Czechia for the rest of the World Championship. Casey DeSmith led the squad at last year’s Worlds, posting five wins and a .918 save percentage through seven appearances. He’s currently busy backing up Arturs Silovs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but USA could turn towards last year’s backups – Calvin Petersen and Drew Commesso – who are each enjoying their off-season. There are also plenty of high-upside choices now available, including Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck, who has an open schedule following the Winnipeg Jets’ first-round loss.

The Americans are facing a pivotal decision, with their goaltending room now trimmed to a collegiate teenager and fringe NHL starter. There are a lot of different ways they could turn, as they chase their first World Championship Gold Medal since 1960.

Five Key Stories: 5/6/24 – 5/12/24

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With the offseason underway for most teams, the annual coaching carousel is now in full swing.  Several teams made moves behind the bench which is among the news recapped in our key stories.

Coaching Positions Filled: A pair of coaches got good news in recent days.  The Blues decided they liked how they finished the season so they rewarded Drew Bannister by removing the interim tag and signing their bench boss to a two-year deal.  He helped lead St. Louis to a 30-19-5 record after taking over from Craig Berube back in December and will now get the chance to lead the team through what’s expected to be somewhat of a retooling process.

Meanwhile, Travis Green didn’t wait to see if he was going to have his interim tag removed by New Jersey.  Having been granted permission to talk to other teams despite being in consideration to stay with the Devils, Green found a new home as he was named as the new bench boss for the Senators, inking a four-year contract.  This will be the third team that Green will run having held down the top job having spent parts of five seasons with Vancouver while replacing Lindy Ruff for the stretch run this season.  The Sens made another decision of note off the ice as well, electing not to forfeit their first-round pick this year from the penalty assessed in the vetoed Evgenii Dadonov deal two years ago.  They’ll have to give up either their 2025 or 2026 first-rounder now.

Coaching Positions Opened: While two vacancies were filled behind the bench, two more opened up.  The Jets are now on the lookout for a new head coach after Rick Bowness announced his retirement.  The 69-year-old had contemplated retiring after being let go by Dallas in 2022 but decided to give it one more go with Winnipeg.  The Jets made the playoffs in both seasons that Bowness was at the helm but they were ousted in the first round each time.

The other opening is in Toronto after Sheldon Keefe was let go after five years with the franchise.  The Maple Leafs had plenty of regular season success with Keefe behind the bench; his .665 points percentage is third-best among all active coaches.  However, the team hasn’t had much playoff success during that time as they won just one series and were ousted in the opening round by Boston.

IIHF Issues Sanctions: Given that Ivan Fedotov and CSKA Moscow defied the IIHF’s ruling early in the season that Fedotov’s contract with Philadelphia was valid and not theirs, sanctions were expected.  Those sanctions were announced over the weekend.  Fedotov has been suspended from international play for the next three seasons while also receiving a six-month suspension if he was to leave the NHL to play for an international club.  (He does have a new two-year deal with the Flyers being next season so this one shouldn’t be a concern.)  Meanwhile, CSKA will be banned from making any international transfers for a two-year period beginning on August 11th while being assessed a fine of $1MM Swiss Francs.

Bridge For Reichel: After a tough season, it was a foregone conclusion that the Blackhawks wouldn’t work out a long-term deal with Lukas Reichel but rather a bridge pact.  They wasted little time getting that done as the two sides agreed to a two-year, $2.4MM contract.  The deal is slightly back loaded as he’ll be owed a $1.3MM qualifying offer in 2026.  A first-round pick in 2020 (17th overall), expectations were high for the winger after Reichel put up 15 points in 23 games with Chicago in 2022-23.  However, he struggled in his first taste of extended NHL action, notching just 16 points in 65 contests.  Despite that, they’ll still be counting on him to be an important part of their future plans.

Losing Leads To A Win: This season was an ugly one for the Sharks who allowed the most goals in the NHL by a considerable margin and scored the second-fewest, leading them to a 32nd-place finish and one of their worst seasons in franchise history.  However, they were rewarded for their ‘efforts’ as they were able to win the draft lottery, giving them the first-overall pick, one that’s expected to be used on Macklin Celebrini.  They also won the first two draws for the second pick but since they already had the top pick, they had to redraw until another team won that one.  The winner of the second draw was Chicago, the one team who had fewer goals than the Sharks this season.  Those two teams had the top odds going in and the draft order wound up being unchanged by the lottery for the first time since 2010.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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