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East Notes: Jarry, Grebenkin, Sgarbossa, Martin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending room has been thrown for a loop to start the season. A clear hierarchy set up in training camp was quickly dismantled when Tristan Jarry was sent to the minor leagues for a five-game conditioning stint. His absence gave Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic a chance to plant their feet in the Penguins’ starting crease – and while the former has performed well, Pittsburgh’s 6-8-2 record could give Jarry a golden chacne to work his way back into the lineup.

At least, that’s the path laid out by NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, who spoke with Jarry on his path back to the NHL. The netminder told Crosby, “Hopefully, that’s the way it goes. I want to come back here, and I want to play well. That’s my goal. That’s what I want to do. I want to help this team as much as possible. Whenever I’m in the net, I think giving them a chance to win and helping this team get in a good place.”

The 29-year-old Jarry posted a 4-1-0 record and .926 save percentage in five AHL games –  far better than the .836 save percentage he’s managed through three NHL games this year. He stood up to 51 games last season, though his 19-25-5 record marked the first losing season of his five-year tenure as Pittsburgh’s go-to goalie. He’s managed a 137-86-34 record in his nine-year career, working above future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury and the less-successful Matt Murray in his climb to an everyday role. Jarry will now look to get back to his rightful spot, as Pittsburgh tries to buck a 3-5-2 record in their last 10.

Other notes from out East:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs could have a hidden gem in 21-year-old winger Nikita Grebenkin, who’s managed seven points and no penalties through his first nine AHL games. The bruising winger brings a welcome mix of grit and skill to the Toronto depths, which Steven Ellis of Leafs Nation says could lead to a hardy lineup role someday soon. Ellis points out that Grebenkin’s climb to the lineup is blocked by a long list of bottom-six wingers, including Nicholas Robertson and the soon-to-return Connor Dewar – but Grebenkin could be quick to take advantage of his next chance. The young forward is already a seasoned pro, totaling 41 points in 67 games for Magnitogorsk Metallurg last season as the team pursued their first KHL Championship since 2016. That winning mindset will make Grebenkin a name to watch, especially if Toronto chooses to part ways with some of their crowded bottom-six.
  • The Washington Capitals have returned minor league centerman Michael Sgarbossa to the AHL’s Hershey Bears just two days after he was recalled to the NHL, per AHL transaction logs. He appeared in 11:25 in ice time and recorded one goal and one assist in Washington’s 8-1 dousing of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. They were Sgarbossa’s first NHL points since late March of last season, and brought his NHL scoring up to par with the nine points he’s managed in seven AHL games this season. No Capitals player has been involved in more roster moves to start the early season, and it’s likely that another shot at NHL ice time isn’t too far out of reach for the 32-year-old Sgarbossa.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes also returned a player to the minors, per transaction logs, sending goaltender Spencer Martin back down after he allowed the Colorado Avalanche to score five goals on 28 shots on Saturday. Martin was recalled to help fill-in for the injured Frederik Andersen, who head coach Rod Brind’Amour dubbed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury on October 31st. Pyotr Kochetkov has taken over starting duties in response, but his .896 save percentage through eight games – and Martin’s poor performance this weekend – could have the team looking for other outlets. Martin currently leads the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in save percentage (.920), well ahead of Ruslan Khazheyev (.898) and Yaniv Perets (.825) despite each playing only a few games

Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin To Return On Friday

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The Colorado Avalanche are prepared to welcome winger Valeri Nichushkin back to the game lineup in their Friday matchup against the Washington Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar shared with media including Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. Nichushkin hasn’t played since being placed into Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on May 14th, which included with a six-month suspension from team activity and pay. The Stage 3 placement also required Nichushkin to submit an application to be considered for reinstatement at the end of his suspension. He returned to Denver in early October and rejoined the team’s practices in early November. He’s eligible to return to the lineup on November 13th, though Colorado will seemingly choose to push that return back a couple of days.

Nichushkin entered the Player Assistance Program square in the middle of Colorado’s second-round series against the Dallas Stars in last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was playing at an all-time high at the time, with nine goals and 10 points through eight postseason games. Colorado would ultimately relinquish the series to Dallas with a two-overtime loss in Game 6.

Nichushkin has been a welcome gift on the ice. He’s carved out a considerable top-six role since joining Colorado via waivers in 2019, proving capable of both routine scoring and great off-puck habits. Those traits have helped Nichushkin routinely rival the 25-goal and 50-point marks in each of the last three seasons, even despite totaling 77 missed games in that span. He’s been even better in the postseason, scoring 15 points in 20 games during Colorado’s run to a 2022 Stanley Cup win, and was one of only five Avalanche to score above a point-per-game pace in last year’s postseason.

That production has made it all the more difficult for Colorado to deal with Nichushkin’s routine absences. He’s hit every hole in the road, being forced out by multiple upper-body injuries across 2021, 2022, and 2023; and was sat by the team for the final five games of their 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs for personal reasons. Nichushkin has become a contentious player, but head coach Bednar spoke positively about his return to the lineup, saying: “[His process back has] been great. I think the guys are excited to get him back, and Friday is the day. We’re only two games away.” Nichushkin had 13 points in the final 15 games of the 2023-24 regular season, and will look to quickly pick up from where he left off.

Islanders’ Mike Reilly Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury

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New York Islanders’ defenseman Mike Reilly has been announced as out indefinitely with an upper-body injury per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Reilly has been out since hitting his head in the team’s November 1st win over the Buffalo Sabres. He was initially dubbed day-to-day in the wake of the injury, but will now be out for the foreseeable future with what’s been dubbed a concussion.

Reilly’s absence leaves a clear hole in the New York lineup. While his minutes have been relatively capped, he’s served as a go-to depth option since being acquired off waivers from the Florida Panthers last summer. He landed with the Islanders when they needed him most – square in the middle of injuries to Adam Pelech, Sebastian Aho, and Ryan Pulock. Those absences paved the way for Reilly to average just over 17 minutes of ice time through 59 games with New York. He made good work of the role, passing the 20-point mark (24) for just the second time in his 10-year career. But both his role and his scoring have dried up this year, with Reilly averaging 15:45 in ice time and yet to score through 11 games this season.

New York is also missing Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov – effectively depleting the entirety of their blue-line’s left-hand side. The team’s seventh-defenseman, Dennis Cholowski, joined call-up Samuel Bolduc in trying to mend the emptied depth chart – but neither proved very reliable. That led New York to recall rookie Isaiah George, who’s looked far more the part of the top-end defender that the Islanders are missing. George has averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time through his first two career games, blocking four shots and impressively handling the pace of NHL defense. He’s yet to score the first point of his career, but should continue as a strong member of the Islanders’ top-four while they wait for their defense to return to health. The Islanders have also been tied to rumors around left-defenders on the trade or waiver market, and may be quick to replace George if he falters in a continued role.

Romanov also remains out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Andrew Gross of Newsday Sports.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 Jack Adams Award?

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Of all of the trophies in hockey, the Jack Adams Award has become the most debated. Meant to award the coach determined to have most contributed to their team’s success, the trophy has instead become a way to award coaches that tally extended win-streaks, resilient comebacks, or unexpected runs to the postseason. Recent winners include Vancouver’s Rick Tocchet, Boston’s Jim Montgomery, and now-replaced Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter. All three kicked off their award-winning year with hot starts in the first two months, making now a great time to check in on this year’s early favorites.

The easy early choice has to be Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, who’s inspired an incredible 13-1-0 record to start the new year. Arniel was promoted to replace Rick Bowness full-time this summer, after covering for the 800-game pro coach at multiple points last season. The hire was hotly debated at the time, with Jets fans split between whether Arniel’s role as the team’s penalty-kill coach would push slow-paced defense onto a roster that clearly needed to lean into fast-paced offense. But that hasn’t proven a worry on the ice, with Winnipeg’s 63 goals and +11 goal-differential both proudly leading the league. That’s been inspired by the usual suspects playing well – with Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Josh Morrissey rightfully leading the team in scoring. But the depth of production is perhaps the biggest testament to Arniel’s impact. Winnipeg has 10 players with at least 10 points, including Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton – who both struggled to find their scoring consistency under Bowness. Arniel’s Jets also boast the best power-play in the league (42.1 percent) and a league-average penalty-kill (80 percent success).

Arniel headlines a long list of first-year head coaches finding immediate success. John Hynes has led his Minnesota Wild to a second-place 10-2-2 record, and Sheldon Keefe has made the New Jersey Devils the playoff-favorites that many expected them to be last year. But it’s the mentality shift of Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube that seems to be making the biggest ripples in a new setting. The hard-nosed former pro has led a defensive charge in Toronto, with the team allowing their fewest goals-against per-game since 2020-21 under Berube’s reign. That’s helped along by summer additions like Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but the team as a whole has shifted towards a grittier, dump-and-chase style. The downside of that shift has been Toronto’s drop from averaging 3.63 goals-per-game last year, to just 3.07 this year – though the team has still managed a hardy 8-5-2 record through their first 15 games. Berube may not be inspiring as much as his other first-year peers, but the culture shift he’s instilled could make him a strong Jack Adams candidate if the Leafs find another layer.

There’s also Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, who won a tight race for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card last season. And while Washington didn’t inspire much in the postseason – getting swept by the New York Rangers – they’ve clearly used the appearance as motivation in the new year. Washington is red-hot, sat with a 9-4-0 record and ranked in the top 10 of goals-for, goals-against, and penalty kill percentage. The Capitals’ season is undeniably headlined by Alexander Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record – only 34 goals away! – but Carbery has pulled together a quietly-thriving team in the backdrop. It’s a record more inspired by emerging lineup pillars – like Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael – more than being led by individual stars. The Capitals still need to squeeze more out of new additions like Andrew Mangiapane and Pierre-Luc Dubois. A spark in net wouldn’t hurt either. But the momentum that Carbery has built up in his second year has Washington looking much more the part of a strong playoff hopeful than they did last year, even despite an injured blue-line.

The NHL season has hardly begun, but plenty of new and inexperienced head coaches have found their groove right out of the gates. Their momentum could spell out the Jack Adams finalists far ahead of an official announcement, or they could soon be uprooted by settled veterans like Florida’s Paul Maurice, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour, or Vegas’ Bruce Cassidy. All have started strong, providing plenty of options for who could run away with this year’s Jack Adams Award. Who do you think will keep their hot start going and take home this year’s ’Coach of the Year’ trophy?

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Predators Could Test Young Prospects, Trust Andrew Brunette Amid Struggles

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The Nashville Predators are far from where they want to be after spending a heap to sign Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei this summer. The team sits at the bottom of the Central Division with a 4-7-1 record – one less win than the notably-rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. That led general manager Barry Trotz to hint that a complete teardown would follow continued failure, saying in an interview on Nashville’s 102.5 The Game on Tuesday, “I’m trying to do some things right now. We will be limited a little because of the contracts that we have… but if we don’t get it going, then I’m going to start our rebuild plan.”

Trotz went on to clarify the comments to Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean earlier today, emphasizing that the team won’t, “burn it down to the studs”. Instead, any “rebuild” would be focused around finding space for the team’s young core. Trotz said, “if it doesn’t work, I’ve still got to buy the time for those young players.”

He went on to name roughly 10 players that he identifies as the team’s next-up. Per Daugherty, that list includes forwards Teddy Stiga, Reid Schaefer, Joakim Kemell, and Matthew Wood; and defenders Tanner Molendyk and Andrew Gibson. Trotz pointed out that the team is walking a fine line between trying to be competitive and trying to properly develop their youngsters, and pointed out that they could take out veterans down the depth chart to give prospects more of a chance. Most notably, Nashville is searching for a productive second-line center – a role that could one day be filled by Schaefer, Kemell, or Zachary L’Heureux.

The dozen players that Trotz mentioned are certainly a strong core to build around. The grouping – save for Wood, Molendyk, and Gibson – are currently driving the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals to clear success. The team is 8-1-0 through their first nine games, spurred by Kemell’s eight points in nine games, L’Heureux’s five points in four games, and Fedor Svechkov’s five points in five games. It’s a trio that’s found success time-and-time-again in Milwaukee, though L’Heureux’s seven appearances this year stand as the only NHL time among them all. The oft-undisciplined winger managed two assists and one penalty in those appearances – just low enough to fall out of Nashville’s lineup, despite being one of only 12 Predators with multiple points this season.

While they all still need to develop NHL-ready traits, Nashville’s prospect pool offers a large array of takeover ability. Molendyk’s ability to create pace and tempo through hard passes in the neutral zone made him a standout at this year’s training camp; while each of Kemell, Wood, and Schaefer have thrived on the back of hard shooting and gritty play along the boards. They’re translatable talents that Nashville should be reaping soon. At least, that’s Trotz’s full intention – as he emphasized to Daugherty that the last thing he wants to do is drag Predators fans through a long-term rebuild.

Trotz also pointed out that the head coach Andrew Brunette isn’t on the hot seat. Brunette led Nashville to a 47-30-5 record and first-round playoff exit last season, and has made his frustrations with the lack of cohesivity in the lineup known to the GM. Speaking on his head coach, Trotz said, “He’s saying ’I’ve got no one going right now.’… Nothing’s really working. You’re trying hard to find the magic potion and you get a little frustrated.”

Nashville’s new additions are struggling in their new setting. The trio of Stamkos, Skjei, and Marchessault are sitting at five, six, and seven points through 12 games respectively – far too little for the prices they were paid this summer. The depth isn’t fairing much better, with Philip Tomasino and Jeremy Lauzon (no scoring) being outscored by starting goaltender Juuse Saros (one assist). That’s led the team to a dismal record, and led Trotz to start turning his attention towards the young bloods. The team likely still sits a few steps away from fully leaning into their promising prospects, but continued struggles will force a hard decision sooner rather than later, and getting a chance to play alongside future Hall-of-Famers in Stamkos and Josi could be a cheeky way to accelerate their development.

Devils Fire AHL Head Coach Kevin Dineen, Promote Ryan Parent

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The New Jersey Devils have relieved Utica Comets head coach Kevin Dineen of his duties and promoted Ryan Parent as interim head coach for the remainder of the year, per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. Utica has lost each of their first nine games, only taking one to extra time. They’re being outscored 16-to-40 in the outings. New Jersey has also hired Eric Weinrich as an interim assistant coach.

It’s been a dismal start for the Devils’ affiliate. Only two players on the team are scoring at-or-above a point-per game pace – Nolan Foote, who has eight points in eight games, and Seamus Casey, with seven points in five games. Utica has struggled even with the pair’s production, with seven Comets still searching for their first point of the season and an additional nine looking for their second.

The early struggles were enough for New Jersey to call an early end to Dineen’s fourth season at the helm. He joined Utica in 2021-22, posting a hardy 43-20-9 record and earning the Comets a first-round bye in the postseason. But that didn’t help them much in the Division semifinals, with Utica falling to Rochester 3-2. Dineen returned Utica to the playoffs in the following year – though with a worser record of 35-27-10. That forced them to participate in the first-round play-in, where they beat Laval 2-0, but Utica again failed to work past the Division semifinals – this time falling to Toronto 3-1. The pair of playoff losses highlighted Dineen’s slide, and he’d fail to lead Utica to the postseason for a third time last year – continuing to slip with a 32-29-11 record.

Dineen’s struggles have hit a peak this year, and he’ll now be replaced by another former pro player in Ryan Parent. Parent – a 2005 first-round pick who played in 251 career AHL games across 10 seasons – joined the Devils organization as an AHL coach in 2018, when the team was still affiliated with the Binghamton Devils. He joined the organization’s move to Utica in 2021 – staying a reliable feature of the Devils’ prospect development.

In speaking on Parent’s promotion, Utica general manager Dan MacKinnon said, “In his seven years with our AHL affiliate, Ryan Parent has established a track record of transparently communicating with young players and teaching good habits, while drawing on his own playing experiences… Those characteristics will serve him well in this new role where he will need to develop, lead, and relate to players at all different stages of their pro hockey careers.” MacKinnon also noted that New Jersey felt the need to make a change while the season was still young.

Flyers Place Ryan Poehling On IR, Recall Anthony Richard

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The Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Ryan Poehling, retroactive to Saturday November 2nd. The details of Poehling’s injury weren’t revealed, though he didn’t join the Flyers on their three-game road trip that started on Tuesday due to personal reasons. Philadelphia hosts San Jose on Monday, November 11th – which will stand as Poehling’s next chance to return to the lineup.

Poehling appeared in all 12 of Philadelphia’s games before Tuesday, recording five assists, six penalty minutes, and 21 shot attempts while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time. He’s searching for his footing this season after establishing a routine, middle-six role in his first season with the Flyers last year. Poehling earned 11 goals and 28 points in 77 games in that role. He also carried the heftiest faceoff responsibility of his career, winning 461 of 938 draws – good for a 49.1 faceoff-percentage, third-highest among Flyers centers. While his start to this season has been slow-coming, Poehling still leaves a noticeable hole in a struggling Flyers’ bottom-six.

In a corresponding move, the Flyers have also recalled centerman Anthony Richard from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Richard is in his first year with the Flyers organization, continuing his string of one-year tenures after spending the last three seasons in tenures with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins organizations. Lehigh Valley has proven Richard’s best sparring grounds so far though, where he currently sits with a team-leading nine points in seven games. He’s pulled the thread of top-end minor-league scoring through yet another season, after netting 55 points in 59 games last season and 67 points in 60 games in 2022-23.

Richard not only stands as one of Lehigh Valley’s hottest scorers, but also one of the longest-tenured veterans in the program. He boasts 309 points across 488 games and 10 seasons in the AHL, adding eight points – split evenly – in 24 career NHL games. This season is standing as a career-year for Richard, marking the highest production of his career – on pace for 92 points across a full AHL season. He could now get a chance to carry that momentum into the NHL, but he’ll need to earn a lineup spot first. Philadelphia is currently utilizing Noah Cates and Nicolas Deslauriers to fill Poehling’s vacancy at fourth-line center. Cates has posted an impressive 57.1 faceoff-percentage on 63 draws this season – which should be enough to hold down the role in the face of new pressure from Richard.

Stefan Noesen Providing Devils With Thriving Depth

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The New Jersey Devils have begun righting their ship after finishing second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division last year. They’re now second from the top, boasting a stout 8-5-2 through the early season. That resurgence has largely been inspired by Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton returning to full health, and Jacob Markstrom finally bringing legitimacy to the Devils’ crease – but New Jersey has pulled one more ace from up their sleeves. Through the addition of Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter, New Jersey has transformed a muddied bottom-six into one of the league’s best.

The impact of Noesen’s hot start can’t be understated. The Devils’ success has always been rooted in strong bottom-six glue guys – but the team has struggled to find a suitable boost after the departures of the likes of Pavel Zacha, Michael McLeod, and Yegor Sharangovich. Hot-and-cold performances from Erik Haula and Alexander Holtz spurred the team last year, but it was little momentum in the face of multiple key injuries.

Enter now Noesen, who’s had the wind behind his sails for three seasons, kicked off by a starring role with the 2021-22 Chicago Wolves. In what was the 10th season of an otherwise lackluster minor-league career, Noesen posted 48 goals and 85 points in 70 games in the regular season, then added 25 points in 18 playoff games to push Chicago all the way to the Calder Cup Championship. That championship-winning leadership earned Noesen a promotion to Chicago’s on-again-off-again affiliate the Carolina Hurricanes for 2022-23.

Noesen continued to thrive at the top flight, potting 36 points and 37 points – both career-highs – respectively across the last two seasons with the Canes. He earned nearly all of those points through hard-nosed and high-tempo drives into the low-slot, where he was able to routinely win space and bury loose pucks. That crash-the-net style is now excelling on Sheldon Keefe’s Devils, where Noesen is flanked by the gritty Cotter and the shoot-first Haula – giving him space to operate as a strong second-man-in. While Cotter – who’s own hot start is also a main factor in New Jersey’s success – fights for the puck in the corner, Noesen is able to set up camp in the slot while Haula provides high-zone coverage.

It’s a chemistry that simply makes sense. But the effects of such a well-matched line are working to peak effect while the likes of Hughes, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer each find their top-notch scoring once again. Noesen has 13 points through 15 games in New Jersey. Nine of those points have come at even-strength. And while that production (a 71-point pace across 82 games) likely isn’t sustainable, it’ll serve as the underpinning of New Jersey’s success this season. The Devils are still waiting for all of their engines to fire, but the third line is working to full effect – and Noesen and Cotter are quickly proving two of the most impactful new additions across the league.

Noesen signed a three-year, $8.25MM contract with New Jersey on July 1st. The deal will take him through his age-34 season – and is already looking like a steal just 15 games in. After a journeyman career that started with a first-round selection in 2011 and proceeded with trips with seven NHL teams and six AHL teams – Noesen has finally found his footing at the pro level. He’s proven a capable scorer and an even better forechecker – both traits the Devils’ depth chart was sorely lacking. Sometimes it’s best not to mess with a good thing, and New Jersey is now faced with a chance to embrace a well-constructed and ever-efficient third-line. If it holds, the trio could be the piece that propels New Jersey into a long run next summer.

Evening Notes: Oilers, Clarke, Salary Deferrals

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The Edmonton Oilers are currently sporting the worst penalty kill in the league and the 26th ranked powerplay (as per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic). These special teams’ issues have left the Oilers in an early season funk as the reigning Western Conference Champions have started the season 6-6-1.

Edmonton’s penalty kill has a success rate of 60%, while the powerplay has stumbled out of the gate, clicking at just 14.7%. This is a significant drop from last season when Edmonton’s cumulative total in the playoffs for the powerplay and penalty kill was 123.6. Some optimists may point to Connor McDavid’s absence as the cause of the powerplay falling off, but Edmonton had just a 13% success rate on the powerplay with him in the lineup.

In other evening notes:

  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic writes that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke is living up to the billing that made him the eighth overall pick in 2021. Clarke is filling in for injured Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and has done an incredible job, despite having played just 38 NHL games to this point. The 21-year-old has a goal and 11 assists in 13 games thus far this season and has embraced the Kings’ philosophy of turning him into a complete defenseman.
  • A small trend has started to emerge in the NHL which is seeing players defer some of their salary to reduce their current cap hits. Despite the tactic being used in new deals for Carolina Hurricanes Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis, NHL general managers, agents and league executives aren’t expecting much of an uptick in the application of this maneuver (as per Chris Johnston of The Athletic). Jake McCabe had the same tactic used in the five-year deal he signed last week, and despite this happening more and more, it doesn’t appear as though it will be anything more than a niche thing. Player agent Scott Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey told The Athletic that he doesn’t believe it will happen very often because it is typically not in the interest of the player to defer money.

Five Key Stories: 10/28/24 – 11/3/24

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As we approach the one-month mark of the 2024-25 season, we saw some activity pick up around the NHL with a couple of trades and a notable contract extension.  Those are among the topics recapped in our key stories.

Scorers On The Shelf: Three teams lost key offensive contributors to injuries over the past few days.  Edmonton will be without star center Connor McDavid for two to three weeks with an ankle injury.  The defending Western Conference champs have been slow out of the gate against this season and missing a high-end scorer won’t help on that front.  Meanwhile, Colorado will miss Ross Colton for six to eight weeks due to a broken foot.  Not known as a key goal-getter (he only has reached 20 goals once before), Colton was off to a strong start on that front, leading the Avs with eight tallies before the injury.  Lastly, offense has been hard to come by for the Islanders this season and it will be harder now with Mathew Barzal landing on LTIR with an upper-body injury.  The forward is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Liljegren To Sharks: With Timothy Liljegren barely playing this season and Toronto needing to open up some cap space, it was only a matter of time before he was on the move.  That swap came this week with the Maple Leafs moving him to San Jose in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick, a 2026 sixth-rounder, and defenseman Matt Benning (who they’re already looking to flip elsewhere).  Liljegren was a first-round pick by Toronto in 2017 but spent a lot of his time with the team in a third-pairing role.  Still just 25, it’s a low-cost pickup for the Sharks who will get to see how he fares in a new environment with potentially a bigger role as they look to reshape their back end in their rebuild.

Five For McCabe: The Liljegren trade wasn’t the only move Toronto made with their back end.  The Maple Leafs also signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year extension worth $23.5MM.  However, thanks to some deferred money in the second and third years of the deal, the cap hit will check in at $4.51MM instead of the $4.7MM face value per season.  The 31-year-old is a veteran of 12 NHL seasons and is in his third season with Toronto after being acquired in 2022 from Chicago with the Blackhawks paying down half of his $4MM contract.  McCabe has emerged as a key cog in Toronto’s top four defensively and this price tag for someone in that role is a fair one while giving him some long-term stability as he’ll be 36 when this deal ends.

Utah Adds A Blueliner: With Utah HC missing both John Marino and Sean Durzi due to long-term injuries, they wanted to add some help on the back end.  They did just that, acquiring Olli Maatta from Detroit in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick (from the Rangers, previously acquired).  The 30-year-old has nearly 700 career games of NHL experience under his belt and while he’s not known for his offensive skill-set, he’s capable of logging some minutes in a shutdown role and will be asked to do just that to try to help stabilize things.  Maatta is in the final year of his contract, one that carries a $3MM cap charge with Utah picking up the full cost of that, giving the Red Wings some extra cap flexibility for potential in-season trade activity.

Toropchenko Gets A Raise: Rather than wait to see what contract might await him in restricted free agency, Blues winger Alexey Toropchenko opted to sign early, inking a one-year, $1.7MM extension.  The deal gives the 25-year-old a $450K raise while also walking him directly to unrestricted free agency in 2026.  Toropchenko has reached the double-digit goal mark in the last two seasons and averaged more than two hits per game last season.  For a useful bottom-six contributor, this is certainly a reasonable price for St. Louis, especially since Toropchenko would have had arbitration eligibility this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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