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Five Key Stories: 8/21/23 – 8/27/23

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The final full week of August is in the books and with training camps now just a few weeks away, there was some important news around the NHL over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Bridge Deals: A pair of core young players signed short-term contracts, reducing the number of remaining restricted free agents to nine.  The Rangers inked Alexis Lafreniere to a two-year, $4.65MM deal which carries a $2.65MM qualifying offer in 2025.  The 2020 first-overall pick posted career bests in assists (23) and points (39) last season but three years into his career, it’s fair to say New York was expecting more.  This gives both sides more time to see if he can become the top liner they were hoping for.  Meanwhile, the Oilers agreed to a two-year, $7.8MM pact with blueliner Evan Bouchard which carries a $4.3MM qualifier in 2025.

Eight For Hagel: In a move that might be fair to call as a surprise, the Lightning signed winger Brandon Hagel to an eight-year, $52MM extension which will begin in the 2024-25 campaign.  The AAV of this contract ($6.5MM) is worth more than four times his current $1.5MM AAV.  The 25-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, prompting the Lightning to trade a pair of first-round picks to acquire him.  Last season, he took another big step forward, notching career highs in goals (30), assists (34), points (64), and ATOI (18:39).  Tampa Bay is certainly banking that this type of production will be the new norm for Hagel who now will be part of their long-term future.

Record-Setting Deal For Matthews: Auston Matthews made it clear that he wanted to sign a new contract with Toronto and did just that as the two sides worked out a four-year, $53MM extension that begins in 2024-25.  The $13.25MM AAV is the highest in NHL history, surpassing Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM mark.  Matthews is coming off a quiet year by his standards but still picked up 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 games last season, marking the fifth straight campaign that he has averaged more than a point per game.  The 25-year-old has a pair of Rocket Richard trophies as the NHL’s leading goal-getter and is a true franchise center for the Maple Leafs.  Notably, the contract is almost completely paid by performance bonuses so if the minimum salary across the NHL by the end of this agreement is higher than $900K, Matthews could wind up with a bit more money and a higher cap hit before all is said and done before getting another shot at a big-ticket contract at 31.

No Extension For Pettersson: While Hagel and Matthews signed early extensions, one player who won’t be doing so is Canucks center Elias Pettersson.  Instead, he revealed that he doesn’t want any stress around the idea of in-season negotiations while his agent Pat Brisson stated that the decision to hold off allows both sides to evaluate before restarting discussions next spring.  The 24-year-old is coming off a career season that saw him surpass the 100-point mark for the first time, the first time he has ever surpassed the point-per-game mark.  At this point, an extension for Pettersson was likely to land somewhere in the $10MM to $10.5MM range; that number would certainly be higher if he can put up another campaign like his 2022-23 performance.

Hanging Them Up: Veteran goaltender Jonathan Bernier has officially called it a career at the age of 35.  The 2006 first-round pick (11th overall) wasn’t quite able to become a true franchise netminder but still carved out a quality career for himself, playing in more than 404 games over 14 NHL seasons while posting a 2.78 GAA along with a .912 SV%.  Unfortunately, Bernier’s playing days ended back in the 2021-22 campaign as he missed the majority of that season and all of this past one due to a hip injury.  Meanwhile, free agent winger Joonas Donskoi also hung up his skates at the age of 31 after missing all of last season with a concussion.  He suited up in seven NHL seasons with three different organizations and was a capable secondary scorer, collecting 208 points in 474 career appearances.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Projecting Sidney Crosby’s Next Contract

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With Auston Matthews’ recent signing to a record-breaking contract, speculation has already started to ramp up as far as other soon-to-be elite free agents. While it is far too early for a lot of the chatter, it’s fair to wonder what kind of money these elite free agents will command when they come up for new deals. Connor McDavid was asked recently about it, and it is exactly what Dan Kingerski writes about in Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Kingerski wonders what type of contract Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby will get when his contract ends in two years. The comparison isn’t a great one given that Matthews and Crosby are in wildly different places in their respective careers, however, it is a fair question to ask given that Crosby is still playing at an elite level despite being 36 years old, and he will be eligible for an extension in less than a year.

Crosby is entering the 11th season of a 12-year deal he signed back in 2013. At the time, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native’s $8.7MM cap hit was a considerable discount to give the Penguins. It allowed the team to have the cap space to surround him with elite talent. It was also a huge risk from the Penguins’ perspective given that Crosby was coming off multiple concussions, including one that put him out of action for nearly a year. But the Penguins made the move, which paid off in spades as the team captured Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Crosby has given the Penguins a discount on every extension he has signed thus far in his career with both of his extensions coming with that $8.7MM cap hit. It has set the tone for Pittsburgh and allowed the Penguins to keep many of their stars under below-market contracts. For Crosby, he was always a team player but was also able to make nearly as much money off the ice as he did on it.

Pittsburgh fans and media have speculated about Crosby’s future since well before Matthews signed his extension and will likely continue to do so right up until he signs his next contract. But what might that look like?

It’s tough to project where Crosby’s game will be in two seasons, Crosby will be 38 years old by the time his next contract begins, however, NHL.com is projecting that Crosby will increase his point totals next season. Sid the Kid had 33 goals and 60 assists last season in 82 games and it’s hard to imagine him topping that at 36-years-old. But that is exactly what NHL.com is projecting he will do as they are predicting he will put up 102 points next season.

Whether or not Crosby hits that number is likely inconsequential when it comes to contract talks with the face of the Penguins franchise. Crosby has remained loyal to Pittsburgh and the Fenway Sports Group has remained steadfast in their desire to have Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang retire as Pittsburgh Penguins as evidenced by the long-term deals they gave Malkin and Letang.

Josh Yohe of The Athletic has said in the past that he believes Crosby wants to play until he’s around 40, which could make a two-year extension make sense. Under normal circumstances, a rising cap would lead a superstar like Crosby to ask for north of $10MM annually on an extension. However, given the past two extensions Sid has signed with Pittsburgh, Kingerski throws out an interesting number, $8.7MM per year.

Free Agent Profile: Zack Kassian

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Zack Kassian had one of the lowest-scoring seasons we’ve seen in quite some time as he put up just two goals last season in 51 games with the Arizona Coyotes. This prompted Arizona to buy out the 32-year-old forward prior to free agency in a move that made sense, given the lack of production from the former 13th overall pick. Kassian lasted just a single season in the desert and never really seemed comfortable playing on a very bad Coyotes team.

This is Kassian’s first crack at free agency and unfortunately for him he is coming off a season in which he posted career lows in many statistical categories. As mentioned earlier, he had just two points on the season, and posted a -18. His hitting was way down, which is one of the facets of the game he typically excels in. Kassian threw just 32 hits in 51 games last season, a dramatic drop from the 158 he threw the year prior with the Edmonton Oilers in 58 games. It’s not uncommon for physical players to see a decline in their 30’s, but the decline generally isn’t that steep.

Kassian deserves a ton of credit for battling several off-ice issues and resurrecting his career when it looked like it could be in trouble. At one point in 2015 Kassian bounced from Vancouver to Montreal to Edmonton in less than six months and looked like he could be out of the league. But, to his credit, he turned it around and even managed to post career highs in 2019-20 when he potted 15 goals to go along with 19 assists in 59 games. This run of good play prompted the Oilers to sign Kassian to a four-year contract extension in January 2020 worth $3.2MM annually. Unfortunately for the club and the player, Kassian struggled through the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season and hasn’t regained his footing ever since. Over the past three seasons combined Kassian has posted just 10 goals and 16 assists in 136 games, a drastic decline from his 2019-2020 numbers. The other issue that will work against Kassian is that he is strictly a 5 on 5 player. He has never been a regular contributor on the power play and hasn’t been a regular part of a penalty kill since 2018-19.

In a normal cap world, Kassian would have played out the final season of his contract with a salary that is well below his cap hit but given how poor his play was Arizona opted to move on and spread out that cost over two seasons.

Despite his struggles last season, it is still likely that Kassian will get an opportunity when training camps open in a few weeks. Teams are always looking for physical players, especially ones who can take a regular shift and will play under a reduced cap hit. Kassian checks all those boxes, which is a good indication that someone will give the Windsor, Ontario native a look to see if he still has anything to offer.

Stats

2022-23: 51 GP, 2-0-0, -18 rating, 50 PIMS, 25 shots, 37.5% faceoffs, 38.4% CF, 9:09 ATOI
Career: 661 GP, 92-111-203, -55 rating, 913 PIMS, 798 shots, 31.0% faceoffs, 48.2% CF, 12:37 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Kassian is still chasing hockey’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. And after spending a dozen years in the league, he would probably prefer to spend his time chasing a championship with a Stanley Cup contender. However, given his status as a fringe NHLer at the moment, he likely won’t have the opportunity to be choosey. That doesn’t mean he won’t have a suitor, but it could mean that he would be playing on a weaker team, or a team that has a borderline chance of making the playoffs. But anything can happen, and even players that are past their best before date can catch on with good teams when it is least expected.

Let’s start out West in Edmonton. Kassian found his game almost eight years ago when it looked like his career was hanging on by a thread. It was there that he turned his intensity and physicality into effective NHL minutes on a team that was competitive for most of his run there. Kassian brought an edge that the Oilers severely lacked and gave them an option that they could plug almost anywhere in their lineup. But that was then, and this is now, and Kassian isn’t that player anymore. His body has broken down, as per normal with physical players when they hit the wrong side of 30. But Kassian could still help Edmonton, and it feels like the Oilers are always looking for bodies up front. Kassian couldn’t play in Edmonton’s top-9, but he could be a could fill-in for their fourth line if they aren’t able to find help between now and the start of the regular season.

Sticking with the West, the Colorado Avalanche were riddled with injuries last season. So much so that it looked like they might miss the playoffs entirely, however, a late-season rally secured their spot in the round of 16. But it was there that they were physically dominated by the Seattle Kraken and ousted in an exhilarating seventh game. The Avalanche were one of the lightest-hitting teams in the NHL last season, which on the surface isn’t the big of a deal given how skilled they are. However, the regular season and the playoffs are two different things and Colorado didn’t have an answer for Seattle in the postseason and really missed some of the grit they lost when Nazim Kadri departed last summer. Now, Zack Kassian is far from the answer to that problem, but he can offer Colorado something that is in short supply in their group, and it wouldn’t cost them more than a contract slot and a league minimum contract.

Finally, in the East, one team that could use a depth physical forward is the Buffalo Sabres. Coincidently, the team that took Kassian in the first round of the NHL entry draft some 14 years ago. The Sabres have a competent fourth line at the moment with Tyson Jost centering Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, but injuries happen (see Jack Quinn), and Kassian could provide insurance to their Sabres if they were to lose any additional depth up front. The Sabres were also a team that didn’t throw the body around all that often-last year and with the talent that they have up front, they could likely place Kassian into a role that wouldn’t overextend him and could allow him to perhaps resurrect his career once again.

Projected Contract

Kassian enters free agency at a time when his free agent stock is very damaged. And while he has his shortcomings, he still offers a rare combination of physicality mixed with a bit of skill and could find success when he is sheltered in the right situation.

At this point in his career Kassian would be lucky to get a one-way contract for the league minimum of $775K. The most likely outcome for him will be a PTO with a team that is looking to add a 13th forward that offers some sandpaper and can chip in on the fourth line when a regular falls out of the lineup. A role like that would allow Kassian to play to his strengths and would offer longer windows of recovery for an aging player who has been banged up from years of throwing his body around with reckless abandon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Edmonton Oilers Make Changes To Scouting Staff

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The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they have made several changes to their scouting staff as the team gears up for training camp. The club has named Rick Pracey as Director of Amateur Scouting while mutually parting ways with Tyler Wright.

The 52-year-old Pracey has been an amateur scout with the Philadelphia Flyers since 2014 and brings over 20 years of scouting experience to Edmonton. He has previously worked as a Director of Amateur Scouting with the Colorado Avalanche, a role he served in from 2008-14 during which time the team selected Tyson Barrie, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O’Reilly, and Matt Duchene.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Pracey’s professional playing career was short-lived as he played college hockey in Canada for both the University of Windsor and Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a one-year stint in the UHL. After his playing career was over, Pracey joined the Avalanche in 2001 in an amateur scouting role and built his career from there.

For Tyler Wright, he moves on after just over four years with the Oilers. The 50-year-old came over to Edmonton in July 2019 along with Ken Holland after working alongside Holland with the Detroit Red Wings for six seasons. He served as Director of Amateur Scouting for all four years and was in the same role with the Red Wings for over six years.

It will be interesting to see where he lands given that the move was a mutual one for Wright and the Oilers. Wright’s work likely went by the wayside this year as the Oilers drafted just three players in June’s NHL entry draft after trading away picks in the Mattias Ekholm and Kailer Yamamoto trades.

Free Agent Profile: Max Comtois

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Two years ago, it seemed unfathomable that Max Comtois would be an unsigned free agent in late August. But it is 2023 and that’s where the former second-round pick finds himself after being non-tendered a qualifying offer by the Anaheim Ducks. Comtois had a terrific pandemic shortened 2020-21 in which he posted 16 goals and 17 assists in 55 games. At the time he appeared to be on the verge of becoming a complete winger who could be counted on to provide solid secondary scoring and strong play in all three zones. The Ducks promptly signed Comtois to a two-year deal that carried an annual cap hit just north of $2MM.

After signing his bridge deal things quickly began to go south for the Longueuil, Quebec native. In 2021-22, the 24-year-old began the season with just a single assist in his first 13 games and then missed 16 games with a hand injury that required him to have surgery. Upon his return, he played better but couldn’t recapture his scoring touch as he put up just six goals and nine assists in his final 39 games.

With the Ducks firmly in a rebuild, Comtois continued to struggle offensively this past season and missed significant time with several upper and lower body ailments. Comtois was out for 14 games due to injuries and when he was in the lineup he produced just nine goals and 10 assists in 64 games.

While he has battled injuries and inconsistency over the past few years, it is still surprising to see a young forward with a recent track record of success remain unsigned. It truly speaks to the flat-cap environment that teams find themselves in. Despite the disappointment of possibly being forced to sign a professional tryout, I do think that Comtois will sign an NHL contract for next season. He may just need to prove himself first to do so.

Stats

2022-23: 64 GP, 9-10-19, -20 rating, 76 PIMS, 89 shots, 52.3% faceoffs, 42.2% CF, 13:49 ATOI
Career: 210 GP, 38-48-86, -35 rating, 193 PIMS, 296 shots, 41.7% faceoffs, 45.4% CF, 14:23 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Comtois is unlikely to be picky at this point in the summer, he is just looking to remain in the league and show what he can do. He is from the Quebec area but given that the Montreal Canadiens have been trying to move out forwards, they are unlikely to be interested in Comtois, even if his youth does fit the timeline of their future competitive window.

Let’s start in the East. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been rumored to have interest in Tomas Tatar as they look to add some depth scoring to their bottom six. The Penguins would like to bring Tatar in on a PTO to see if he fits. However, if the former Devils forward can lock on to a team with guaranteed money that could open the door for Pittsburgh to look elsewhere. Possibly to Comtois. It’s no secret that general manager Kyle Dubas loves to have a lot of depth forwards to provide for call-ups and to keep the club’s AHL affiliate competitive. Should he sign with Pittsburgh, Comtois would be in a serious battle for a spot on the Penguins bottom two lines, but he would certainly be in the mix. He could also fill in for Jake Guentzel during his early season absence on the Penguins top line next to Sidney Crosby.

Staying in the East, the Ottawa Senators could really use some help in their bottom six forward group. Outside of Pittsburgh, it’s hard to find a team who leaned more heavily on their top six forwards last year. And given the look of the Senators current bottom six, it could be more of the same this year. The Senators are entering the season with playoff aspirations but are looking at having several rookies on their third and fourth lines which could lead to a lot of growing pains early in the season. Comtois has had his struggles, but if they were to acquire him, they would have another known entity to insert onto their third or fourth line.

Out West, it was rumored earlier in the summer that the Vancouver Canucks had interest in Comtois, but a deal never came to fruition. Vancouver has a bit of a logjam right now, both up against the cap and with the number of bodies they currently have in the forward group who are going to require NHL minutes. However, a forward like Dakota Joshua could become a casualty should Vancouver opt to sign Comtois. The other option for the Canucks would be to try a jettison a higher-priced forward to become cap compliant, and then sign Comtois as their replacement. Comtois could bring a lot to the Canucks as he does play with an edge and can play in all three zones and provide depth scoring. The worst-case scenario for Vancouver would be to bury Comtois and his cap hit in the minors if he didn’t work out with the NHL group.

Projected Contract

Barring a dramatic turn of events, Comtois is likely going to have to take a rather large pay cut for the upcoming season from the $2.5MM he made last year. It is still possible he could hit a seven-figure salary but given how little cap space is available around the NHL he is unlikely to exceed more than $1MM on a one-year deal. There are several talented forwards who remain unsigned which has led to Comtois becoming a bit of an afterthought. But given his youth there will likely be a team out there willing to roll the dice on a player who has shown promise recently. However, I think teams will want to have a look at Comtois before offering a guaranteed contract just to make sure he is a fit in their bottom six, and to allow for maximum flexibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 08/21/23

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Training camps are now exactly one month away, and NHL news is starting to heat up again with a pair of PTOs signed today. Nonetheless, corresponding moves are set to be made at the minor-league and overseas levels. We’re keeping track of those, as always, on a daily basis.

  • The AHL’s Rockford IceHogs are adding forward Bryce Kindopp on a one-year deal, according to a team release. Kindopp broke into the NHL sphere in March 2020, when the Anaheim Ducks signed him to an entry-level deal after getting passed over in the draft but posting back-to-back point-per-game seasons with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. He had quite the solid rookie season in the minors, notching 20 points in 39 games with the San Diego Gulls in 2020-21, but he hasn’t since recaptured that form. Last year was incredibly trying for Kindopp, who scored just six goals (and added only three assists) for nine points in 65 games with San Diego, who finished last in the AHL. Kindopp has made one NHL appearance with Anaheim, coming in the 2021-22 season. The Ducks did not issue a qualifying offer to Kindopp when his entry-level deal expired this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

  • The WHL’s Vancouver Giants are set to name Manny Viveiros as their new head coach later this week. The report comes from Steve Ewen of The Province who credits multiple sources. The 57-year-old Viveiros was previously the head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL up until this past April when he and the club mutually agreed to part ways. Henderson missed the playoffs this past season with a record of 29-38-0-5 sparking Viveiros and the club to move on. Viveiros will be the replacement for former Giants head coach Michael Dyck who took an assistant coach job with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in July.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Five Key Stories: 8/14/23 – 8/20/23

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With training camps now just a month away, many teams and players are enjoying what’s left of their summers but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some news of note around the hockey world (though not all of it good).  Here’s a rundown of the top stories from the past week.

IIHF Agrees With Flyers: Both the Flyers and CSKA Moscow feel they have legally registered contracts with goaltender Ivan Fedotov.  Considering one league can’t poach a signed player from the other, both can’t be correct.  The IIHF intervened and ultimately ruled in Philadelphia’s favor, saying that Fedotov’s contract with them is the one he should be playing under this season while imposing penalties on both Fedotov and CSKA.  The 26-year-old didn’t play at all in 2022-23 due to military service but before that, he was one of the top netminders outside North America.  However, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation has filed an appeal so this case certainly isn’t settled just yet.

Toews To Sit: While he stopped shy of calling it a career, veteran center Jonathan Toews revealed that he will not play in the upcoming season.  The 35-year-old has been battling Chronic Immune Response Syndrome since 2020 which has caused him to miss considerable time, including the entire 2020-21 campaign.  Toews played in 53 games last season and was relatively productive with 31 points but the Blackhawks indicated late in the season that they wouldn’t be offering the 15-year veteran a new contract and for now, he will focus on getting back to full health instead of looking for a new place to play.

Krejci Retires: While Toews wouldn’t rule out returning to the NHL, another veteran middleman has done just that as long-time Bruins center David Krejci announced that he has played his last NHL contest.  The 37-year-old returned to Boston last season and was a key secondary scorer, notching 16 goals and 40 assists in 70 games while crossing the 1,000 games played mark, all with the Bruins.  His departure along with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron sees Boston now without their top two centers as they look to stay in the mix in the tight Atlantic Division.  Notably, Krejci hasn’t ruled out playing altogether and with the World Championship in his native Czechia in 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him suit up in that tournament as his final send-off.

Three Pass Away: It was a sad week in the hockey world as three people passed away.  Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov succumbed to the brain tumor that he was diagnosed with two years ago when he was just 19.  He didn’t play last season but was training with the hopes of returning to game action at some point in 2023-24 before this tragic outcome.  Then it was 17-year veteran Bob Baun who passed away at the age of 86.  Baun won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs in a six-year span in the 1960s and suited up for over 1,000 appearances (including playoffs) with three different organizations.  Lastly, legendary broadcaster Rick Jeanneret passed away at the age of 81 after a two-year battle with multi-organ failures.  His work for the team spanned parts of five decades and he was the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in league history.

On The Move Again: For the second time this month, veteran defenseman Jeff Petry found himself traded.  The 35-year-old is now a member of the Red Wings with the Canadiens picking up blueliner Gustav Lindstrom and a 2025 fourth-round pick in return.  Additionally, Montreal held back half of Petry’s remaining cap hit, meaning both teams will be responsible for a $2.34MM cap charge in each of the next two seasons.  Petry should help fill the void created by the trade of Filip Hronek last season as someone that’s capable of logging big minutes (he has averaged at least 22 minutes a night for seven straight years) and chipping in offensively.  Meanwhile, Montreal will get a look at the 24-year-old Lindstrom while clearing out at least some of the money they had to take back as part of their facilitation of the Erik Karlsson trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Five Key Stories: 8/7/23 – 8/13/23

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The first full week of August is in the books and, as is usually the case at this time of year, it was a relatively quiet one.  However, there were a few moves of some note which are recapped here.

Goalie Moves: A pair of teams shored up their goaltending depth with training camps now only a month away.  First, the Ducks signed Alex Stalock to a one-year, $800K deal.  The 36-year-old posted an impressive .908 SV% with Chicago last season, ten points higher than the team save percentage.  He’ll battle youngster Lukas Dostal for the number two spot behind John Gibson.  The Maple Leafs also got in on the action, inking Martin Jones to a one-year, $875K agreement.  Jones played in 48 games with Seattle last season but posted a career-low .886 SV%.  The 33-year-old will battle Joseph Woll for the number two spot but is likely ticketed to start with the AHL Marlies and be available as a recall if needed.

Capitals Seeking Top-Six Help: While there aren’t many top-six options left in free agency, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged that he’s still hoping to add an impact forward to their roster for the upcoming season.  Washington missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and while they’ll eventually get Max Pacioretty when he’s cleared to return from his Achilles injury, that addition alone might not be enough to get them back to the postseason.  However, Washington is basically capped out at this point so if they do find a trade for a forward they’re coveting, they will need to create some cap room to do so; speculative trade candidates including Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Kuznetsov but both veterans are coming off down years which won’t help their value around the league.

Suter To Vancouver: One of the top forwards left on the market now has a new home as the Canucks signed center Pius Suter to a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $1.6MM.  The 27-year-old has scored at least 14 goals in each of his three NHL seasons and will give Vancouver a boost to their secondary scoring while he should slot in as a regular on the penalty kill as well.  Suter’s addition adds to what already looked like a bit of a logjam up front, especially if Tanner Pearson is able to return.  That will present GM Patrik Allvin with a bit of a cap and roster crunch to navigate through but considering that the Canucks were a little thin up front behind J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, Suter’s addition is certainly a worthwhile one for them.

Sutter To Edmonton: Free agent center Brandon Sutter is looking to make a comeback after missing the last two seasons due to recurring symptoms from Long COVID and has picked the roster he wants to make as he has agreed to a PTO deal with Edmonton.  The 34-year-old was a key third-line middleman in his prime but over his last few seasons with Vancouver, he was more of a defensive specialist while he won more than 55% of his draws in 2020-21.  That’s basically all the Oilers would be looking for him to do as if Sutter was to earn a contract, he would almost certainly be signing for the league minimum.

New Arena Site For Arizona? After their plan to build a new arena in Tempe fell through following a public referendum, the Coyotes went back to the drawing board to see what other options might exist.  It appears they’ve found one as they’ve submitted a letter of intent to purchase a parcel of land in Mesa to house an arena and entertainment district.  While this certainly isn’t the end of what has been a very long process, it’s definitely a step in the right direction although the team will also continue to explore possible sites in Phoenix and Scottsdale even with their announcement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Five Key Stories: 7/31/23 – 8/6/23

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The first week of August isn’t typically the busiest on the NHL calendar but there was quite a bit of news of note over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Goalie Deals: Minnesota was able to avoid salary arbitration with goaltender Filip Gustavsson, instead signing him to a three-year contract that carries a cap hit of $3.75MM.  The 25-year-old had a breakout showing last season, posting a 2.10 GAA along with a .931 SV%, the second-best mark in the league, in 39 games.  However, he still has just 66 appearances at the top level under his belt which helped keep the price tag in this range.  The deal buys the Wild two more years of team control.

Meanwhile, the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman weren’t able to come to terms before the hearing.  Instead, he was awarded a one-year, $3.475MM contract, a deal that came in just above the midpoint of the filings (Boston: $2.4MM, Swayman: $4.8MM).  The 24-year-old was a key part of Boston’s high-end tandem between the pipes with Linus Ullmark, putting up a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SV% (fourth in the league) in 37 games.  Swayman will once again be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

Oilers Hire Jackson: Agents have slowly started to get more opportunities in an NHL front office and the Oilers are the latest team to go that route as they hired Wasserman’s Jeff Jackson as their new CEO.  Jackson takes the place of longtime executive Bob Nicholson who will remain in a lesser capacity.  Jackson’s most prominent client before being hired happens to be Edmonton center Connor McDavid and that existing relationship could be critical with the Hart and Pearson winner two years away from being eligible to work on a contract extension.  Speculatively, with GM Ken Holland being 67 and entering the final year of his deal, Jackson could be a candidate to take over in the relatively near future.

The Big Domino Falls: For the past few weeks, the market has largely been held up by Erik Karlsson.  Would the Sharks move him and who would get him?  In the end, it was indeed the Penguins who landed him, picking him up as part of a 12-piece three-team trade that also involved Montreal.  Pittsburgh picked up Karlsson (with 13% retention), wingers Rem Pitlick and Dillon Hamaliuk along with a 2026 third-round pick from San Jose.  The Sharks acquired wingers Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta, and Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-round selection (top-ten protected).  Meanwhile, the Canadiens brought back defenseman Jeff Petry (with 25% retention), goalie Casey DeSmith, winger Nathan Legare, and Pittsburgh’s 2025 second-rounder.  Karlsson is coming off a career year, becoming the first blueliner since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to surpass the 100-point mark, helping him earn the Norris Trophy.  He immediately makes Pittsburgh’s offense more dangerous while San Jose adds a first-round selection and potentially some later picks if they flip some of the players they got down the road, a strategy that Montreal may be looking to take as well.

With Karlsson off the board, it didn’t take long for Mathew Dumba, the top defenseman left on the market, to find his next home as he agreed to terms with Arizona on a one-year, $3.9MM contract.  It’s an underwhelming contract relative to what he likely was expecting to get but if nothing else, the 29-year-old will have a chance to be an all-situations player with the Coyotes, potentially giving him an opportunity to boost his stock heading into next year’s free agent market.

Seven And Seven: While Anaheim and winger Troy Terry got as far as filing arbitration submissions, it didn’t get that far in the end.  Instead, the two sides worked out a seven-year, $49MM contract to keep him with the Ducks for the long haul.  Terry had two RFA years remaining so the contract gives Anaheim five extra years of control; those years will see the 25-year-old submit a ten-team no-trade list.  Terry had a breakout showing in 2021-22, putting up 37 goals and 30 assists and followed that up with a 23-goal, 38-assist performance last season, cementing himself as a go-to top-line option in the process.  Anaheim’s center depth is in great shape with Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and second-overall pick Leo Carlsson and now their top winger will be playing with one of those three youngsters for years to come.

Sticking Around: The Capitals will have Tom Wilson around for the foreseeable future as the two sides agreed to a seven-year, $45.5MM extension.  The deal, which begins in the 2024-25 campaign, carries partial no-trade protection in all seven seasons.  The 29-year-old already has ten years in Washington under his belt and if he plays out this full deal with the Caps, he’ll become one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history.  Wilson is coming off an injury-shortened year but still had 13 goals and 97 hits in 33 games in 2022-23.  A legitimate top-six power forward, how well (or poorly) this deal plays out will largely be determined by Wilson’s ability to stay healthy, a challenge for many power forwards in the back half of their careers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

David Krejčí To Announce Retirement Soon

at CDT | by 4 Comments

According to Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, David Krejčí will announce his retirement from the NHL and hockey in the very near future. Krejčí returned to the Boston Bruins this past season after taking a one-year hiatus to play overseas with Olomouc HC in the Czech League during the 2021-22 season. He had a good year for Boston but did wear down a bit towards the end of the year. In his return, Krejčí had 16 goals and 40 assists in 70 games while centering Boston’s second line.

Murphy mentions in his piece that rumors have been swirling that Krejčí may return to Czechia to play for Olomouc once again, but an NHL source of his has told him that won’t happen. There is, however, an outside chance he could play for the national team, which would leave the door open for Krejčí to dress for Czechia in the 2024 World Championships.

It has been quite a run for the former 2004 second-round pick. Through his NHL career Krejčí has posted 231 goals and 555 assists in 1032 regular season games to go along with a +166 plus-minus rating. He was also a clutch playoff performer with Boston, helping to lead the team to three Stanley Cup finals and one Stanley Cup title in 2011 in which he led the Bruins in scoring with 12 goals and 11 assists in 25 games.

Krejčí’s retirement will bring the Bruins closer to the end of an era as only Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic remain from the squad that won the Stanley Cup 2011. It will also close out the run of one of the best 1-2 center combinations we’ve seen in recent memory. Krejčí and Patrice Bergeron brought something unique to the center position that few other teams had, both men could create offense and play a solid two-way game. Bergeron was one of the best at it, but it always felt like Krejčí’s ability to play on both sides of the puck was overlooked because of who he played behind. Krejčí was a unique talent and will certainly be missed by the Bruins and their fans.

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