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Calgary Flames Sign Brad Richardson

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The Calgary Flames have made another addition, signing veteran forward Brad Richardson to a one-year contract. The deal will carry a salary of $800K.

Richardson, 36, has 825 games to his name in the NHL and will join a Flames forward group that is suddenly full of experienced bottom-six options. Trevor Lewis, Tyler Pitlick and Blake Coleman were all brought in this offseason, giving head coach Darryl Sutter several physical, veteran options to fill out the lineup. Richardson represents the latest example of that trend towards hard-nosed, defensively responsible forwards, and adds another center to the mix for Sutter to work with.

In fact, Sutter should know exactly what he can get out of Richardson, since they were together with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, winning the Stanley Cup after the coach took over partway through the year. While he wasn’t even a playoff regular–Richardson played just 13 games that postseason–the veteran forward will understand what he’s getting himself into with the defensive-minded coach.

Richardson could serve as a replacement for Derek Ryan on the penalty kill this season, but shouldn’t see a ton of ice time at even-strength whenever he does get into the lineup. Though he did score 19 goals in the 2018-19 season with Arizona, that was an obvious outlier for a player who has just 107 in his long career. He won’t be asked to score, but Sutter teams have always relied on the bottom six to check more than contribute offensively. Given he took just 18 shots on goal in 17 games last season, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Connor Mackey Signs With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames have inked their final restricted free agent, signing Connor Mackey to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $912,500. Mackey was eligible for salary arbitration but decided not to file. CapFriendly reports that both years of the contract are actually two-way, with Mackey earning $150K at the AHL level in 2021-22 and $175K in 2022-23.

Mackey, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Flames out of Minnesota State-Mankato in 2020, after several NHL teams showed interest in him. He made his NHL debut in 2020-21, playing six games, but spent most of the year at the AHL level with the Stockton Heat. In 27 games for the Heat, he registered 16 points, the exact kind of offensive production that made him so intriguing coming out of college.

Standing 6’2″ with good skating ability, there’s reason to believe that Mackey could secure a full-time spot on the bottom pairing in Calgary this season. The team has bid farewell to captain Mark Giordano, opening up plenty of minutes to be spread around. While he’s certainly not guaranteed any playing time, Mackey’s direct competition is players like Oliver Kylington and Andy Welinski, not players that have done anything to lock up the job so far.

Interestingly enough though, Mackey’s waiver status may actually end up leaving him on the outside looking in when the season begins. Of the defensemen in contention for the last few spots, he’s the only one that is still waiver-exempt and can go to the minor leagues without issue. Kylington and Welinski have both cleared in the past, but depending on how the Flames want to deal with their cap situation, Mackey could end up being bounced up and down through much of this season.

Snapshots: Jonsson, Seguin, Schedule

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Patrik Jonsson, an amateur scout for the Vancouver Canucks, has passed away from cancer according to Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic. Jonsson was the biggest reason why Nils Hoglander, a longtime family friend, found his way to the Canucks in the second round of the 2019 draft. As Dhaliwal and Thomas Drance wrote earlier this year, Jonsson was thrilled to stay up late in Sweden to watch Hoglander score his first NHL goal, even while battling prostate cancer and going through chemotherapy.

The PHR writing staff offer our condolences to Jonsson’s family and all who knew him.

  • According to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin is almost back to full strength after a bout with COVID-19 this summer that kept him off the ice for two weeks. When he returned to training, his nose and lungs were “on fire” and he was dealing with constant cramping. Those issues have subsided, and though there are still a few noticeable limitations on certain exercises, the star forward feels “pretty much back to normal.” Seguin of course missed almost the entire 2020-21 season, playing just three games for the Stars. The 29-year-old is a key part of a team that hopes to get back to the postseason and once again push for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 2018-19, the last time Seguin played a full uninterrupted season, he recorded 33 goals and 80 points in 82 games.
  • The NHL has announced some minor schedule changes for 2021-22, mostly regarding games in mid-April. Now that the league has made the commitment to the 2022 Winter Olympics, there will be a break for most of February when players will be traveling to Beijing for the Games. That means it’s a condensed schedule once again, and teams will have to make sure their depth chart is in order at all times. Backup goaltending, extra skaters and injury call-ups will all be extremely important once again.

Minor Transactions: 09/08/21

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NHL hockey is almost back, with training camp just around the corner and the regular season a month away. While the focus for many fans will be on the last few remaining free agents, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • Patrick Bajkov, who was not given a qualifying offer by the Florida Panthers this offseason, has signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. The 23-year-old forward earned an NHL entry-level deal after his outstanding 100-point season for the Everett Silvertips, but managed just 18 games in the AHL before being demoted to the low minors. It’s a good signing for the Royals though, as Bajkov had 39 points in 53 games last season for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
  • Speaking of Panthers players who didn’t receive qualifying offers, Brad Morrison has signed with HC Pustertal of the ICEHL. Morrison was a fourth-round pick by the New York Rangers in 2015 and has had quite the ride to this point. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018, was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Olli Maatta in 2020, and then flipped for Vinnie Hinostroza a few months ago. The 24-year-old forward had five points in six AHL games this season.
  • The Calgary Flames announced that Daniil Chechelev has signed an AHL contract for 2021-22, meaning he will be playing in North America for the first time. The 20-year-old goaltender was selected 96th overall in 2020 and split last season between the VHL and MHL. He hasn’t yet signed his entry-level deal, but this is a good sign that he will eventually join the Flames depth chart.
  • It doesn’t happen very often that a player splits his season between the NHL and AHL only to sign in the ECHL, but that is the current predicament of forward Drake Rymsha. Of course, it worth noting that Rymsha played only two games in 2020-21, one with the Los Angeles Kings and the other with the Ontario Reign. When the young center’s entry-level contract expired and he was not extended a qualifying offer, it seemed that his time in L.A. was likely over. However, one would think that a prospect the Kings felt was worth an NHL look this season might fare better on the open market. Instead, he has returned to the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets on a one-year deal, the team announced. Rymsha spent the majority of his 2019-20 campaign with the Komets.
  • Chaz Reddekop is yet another player moving from an NHL contract with the Kings to and ECHL contract. Having not received a qualifying offer, Reddekop has signed a one-year deal on the other side of the country, as the South Carolina Stingrays announced a pact with the young defenseman. A seventh-round pick that was always more project than prospect, Reddekop has shown little so far in his pro career but has earned another shot nevertheless.

Snapshots: Senators, Merzlikins, Tarasenko

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Armed with a contract extension, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion is looking to make this next stage of his time with the team much different than the most recent stretch. According to Dorion, the rebuild is over. In an appearance on TSN 1200 in Ottawa today, he stated the following:

We’ve had a plan since we started this rebuild. I feel that we’re in the next stage now, it’s time to start to win… Last year, we felt we were a team that was hard to play against, but now it’s time to challenge to get two points every night, be in every game. Games that maybe you got a point last year, you need two this year… A lot of our younger players have reached a maturity stage in their career where they should be leading us and not be considered young players anymore. As a group, It’s time to start winning.

The Senators did take a small step forward last season, finishing with a 23-28-5 record that was neither the last in their division nor a bottom-five mark in the NHL for the first time since 2016-17. The season ended on a strong note with a 16-13-4 run to end the year. However, there is more work to be done for the Senators to regain relevance. The team is still young and inexperienced and lacking in depth in many areas. In order to compete in the deadly Atlantic Division, at least this season, Ottawa likely needs more than what their current roster can offer even at their very best. Fortunately, the Senators also have a copious amount of cap space – still under the cap floor for now – and Dorion mentioned having “several irons in the fire”. Perhaps the Senators will add an impact player or two before the season begins if they are really committed to taking a step forward this season.

  • Another team that could be looking to surprise this season will be the new-look Columbus Blue Jackets. The x-factor could be goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who has his sights set on more than just winning the starting job over Joonas Korpisalo. Merzlikins tells The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that the tragic death of close friend, teammate, and countryman Matiss Kivlenieks has instilled in him a drive to become one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.  “I’m gonna win a f—— Vezina for him,” Merzlikins proclaimed. “This is my goal. I believe I’m going to reach it. I’m not going to have any limits. I’m just gonna go all-in.” The 27-year-old goaltender has certainly shown signs of elite ability through his first two NHL seasons, recording a .920 save percentage and 2.54 GAA in 61 games. While he may seem far from competing for a Vezina Trophy, especially sharing starts with Korpisalo and playing for a team that is not expected to be a playoff contender, never underestimate the inspiration that a life-changing event can create. Merzlikins credits Kivlenieks with saving his family and that should be more than enough motivation for him to honor his friend to the best of his abilities.
  • With considerable cap space and a desire to add top talent, both Ottawa and Columbus could be good landing spots for Vladimir Tarasenko, who requested a trade out of St. Louis earlier this off-season. However, Blues head coach Craig Berube does not expect the star sniper to be going anywhere. In an appearance on the “Cam and Strick” podcast, Berube stated that he believes that Tarasenko will remain in St. Louis this season. Berube says that he has no hard feelings toward Tarasenko, who has maintained that he would like to be traded, and will treat him like any other player in helping him to succeed with the Blues in the event that he stays with the team as Berube expects. Berube states that the team is focusing on what they can control (Tarasenko) and not on what they can’t (the market) which could mean that he really will not be traded despite all indications.

San Jose Sharks To Hire John MacLean

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5:20pm: The Sharks have officially announced the hiring of MacLean, noting that his primary responsibilities will be the team’s forwards and powerplay. Boughner released a statement explaining why MacLean was hired:

John’s experience speaks for itself, and he checks a lot of the boxes we were hoping to fill with this role. He has won the Stanley Cup as a player and a coach and knows how to relate to today’s player. In doing our diligence for this role, I spoke with many people, and everyone had great things to say about John as both a coach and a person. I’m excited to add him to our staff and look forward to having a great training camp as we prepare to start our season.

3:47pm: After associate coach Rocky Thompson announced last week that he would not be able to fulfill his duties this season for the San Jose Sharks due to the new COVID-19 vaccination protocols, the team has brought in a replacement. As reported by Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider and confirmed by Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Sharks will be adding John MacLean to the coaching staff for the 2021-22 season.

MacLean, 56, spent the last three seasons with the Coyotes staff and has plenty of experience at the NHL level. A veteran of nearly 1,300 games as a player, MacLean spent most of his career with the New Jersey Devils, setting highs of 45 goals and 87 points.

He even spent a short period of time with the Sharks as a player, scoring 13 goals and 32 points in 51 games during the 1997-98 season. He served as an interim head coach with the Devils in 2010-11 and has experience on the Carolina Hurricanes bench as well.

MacLean will join John Madden–a former Devils great himself–on Bob Boughner’s staff this season.

Seattle Kraken Sign Dennis Cholowski

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The Seattle Kraken have reached a contract with Dennis Cholowski, signing him to a one-year, two-way deal. Interestingly enough, the contract will carry an NHL salary of $900K, more than most two-way deals pay.

Kraken GM Ron Francis released a short statement

Dennis is a young defenseman with offensive upside that we were excited to add to our group. We like his strong skating and puck moving ability and are looking forward to working with him.

The 23-year-old Cholowski was the 20th overall pick in 2016, but has just 104 NHL games to his name at this point. He played 52 as a rookie in 2018-19, but was unable to establish himself as a full-time member of the Detroit Red Wings in either of the last two years. In 2020-21, he played just 16 games with Detroit, recording three points.

That high NHL salary–$150K more than the NHL minimum–may actually be built in to give the Kraken some extra waiver protection. If the team wants to send Cholowski down, which seems likely given how many other NHL defensemen they have under contract, he’ll have to clear waivers for the first time in his career. A $900K salary will only help him do that, given the tight cap situation of so many other teams.

It’s a long, talented depth chart on defense for the Kraken, meaning the young Cholowski will have quite a challenge if he wants to break camp with the team. Still, an expansion franchise is exactly the kind of team where talented-but-underperforming players like him could reach the next level. He will still be a restricted free agent next offseason.

Pierre Dorion Signs Extension With Ottawa Senators

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Ottawa Senators fans are desperately waiting for news of a long-term extension, though this isn’t exactly what they had in mind. The Senators have signed general manager Pierre Dorion to a contract extension through the 2024-25 season. Dorion’s previous contract only carried him through 2021-22, meaning he was heading into this season without any security. The new deal, which was completed today, includes a club option for the 2025-26 season.

Eugene Melnyk, the Senators owner, released a statement:

We’re very pleased to sign Pierre to a second extension as Senators general manager. Dating to when he was named GM in 2016, Pierre has worked tirelessly towards building an organization that can compete with the National Hockey League’s best. He’s dedicated, detailed and maintains a sound hockey mind. Under Pierre’s leadership, we have the utmost confidence that this team will soon be recognized as one that is consistently meriting success.

While there have certainly been questionable moves in the past, especially regarding the retention of star talent in Ottawa, there’s no doubt that Dorion has set the team up for success in the future. The collecting of young talent over the last few years has been impressive, and recently the team has had no trouble signing them to long-term deals. Thomas Chabot, Colin White, and Drake Batherson have all committed long-term to the team, though the focus now is on restricted free agent Brady Tkachuk and his next deal. The 21-year-old seems a likely candidate to be the team’s next captain, but there’s no deal in place yet to even have him in training camp when it opens later this month.

Almost regardless of what happens with Tkachuk though, there’s reason enough for optimism in Ottawa. The organization is loaded with high draft picks, both on the roster already like Tim Stutzle or waiting for their entry-level contract like Jake Sanderson. The 2020 draft alone saw Ottawa select at least six players that have a real shot at playing NHL minutes and the roster is already full of players 23-and-under.

There has been good work done by Dorion to take the departures–forced or not–of players like Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, and Matt Duchene and turn them into positives, giving the Senators have a bright future. Now comes the next phase, of managing the cap and retaining all that talent, something that the Ottawa organization has had trouble doing in the past.

Gustav Nyquist Fully Recovered From Shoulder Injury

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One of the things that wasn’t discussed enough last season when the Columbus Blue Jackets struggled to keep pace in the Central Division was the absence of Gustav Nyquist. In early November, months before the season even began, Nyquist underwent surgery to repair a labral tear in his left shoulder. It was an issue that the Swedish forward had been dealing with for years and it finally got to a point where a procedure was necessary.

On November 4, the Blue Jackets announced that Nyquist would be out for five to six months. That gave him plenty of time to return for a playoff run should Columbus get back to the postseason, as they had in each of the previous four seasons. By April, when Nyquist was closing in on that recovery timeline, the Blue Jackets were already out of the race, mired in controversy, and a few months away from trading franchise icon Seth Jones after he was the latest to turn down any extension talks with the franchise.

Now, as the Blue Jackets prepare for a season without Jones, Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, David Savard and others, Nyquist is at full health and ready to contribute, according to Jeff Svoboda of NHL.com. The shoulder injury is behind him and the 32-year-old forward will have a chance to show that he still can be a top-level forward in the NHL, even after a year on the shelf.

A consistent offensive performer, Nyquist finished second in scoring with the Blue Jackets in 2019-20. He has registered at least 20 goals in a season four times and has never recorded fewer than 40 points in any of his seven full seasons. He’ll join an attack that actually may be more dangerous than people are giving them credit for, with Patrik Laine, Jakub Voracek, and Oliver Bjorkstrand likely leading the way. Nyquist represents one of just two players on the roster (Voracek) that are in their thirties, and as Svoboda writes, will be asked to take on a leadership role after the departures of so many key players.

If things don’t go well in Columbus this season, Nyquist could well become a trade deadline chip given his age and contract. Signed through 2022-23, he carries an average annual value of $5.5MM but has no trade protection built in. The Blue Jackets have a massive extension for Zach Werenski kicking in for 2022-23 and some extremely important free agent negotiations to work through, meaning they could probably use the extra salary space moving forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 09/07/21

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The shortened offseason is almost over as NHL training camps are just a few weeks away, with the regular season following close behind. European leagues have gotten underway and the minor league season is just around the corner. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here as teams attempt to round out their rosters.

  • Patrick Sieloff, who spent last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, has signed with Kolner Haie of the German DEL for the upcoming season. The 27-year-old defenseman has bounced around to several teams in the AHL over the years, suiting up in Abbotsford, Adirondack, Stockton, Binghamton, Belleville, San Diego, Syracuse, and Hartford, while only receiving two games at the NHL level.
  • The Utica Comets have added some toughness, signing Patrick McGrath to an AHL deal for 2021-22. The 28-year-old McGrath split last season between the ECHL’s Indy Fuel and the AHL’s Rochester Americans, being his normally in-your-face self no matter where he was playing. The undrafted forward has carved out a role as a fourth-line agitator and has just nine points in 106 AHL games. Even at the ECHL level, there isn’t much difference, as McGrath has just 15 points in 162 games at the low minors.
  • After a short but stellar appearance in the AHL last season, goaltender Parker Gahagen is hoping to make it a whole season. The Milwaukee Admirals have announced a one-year deal with the veteran keeper, who has had a journeyman career to say the least but may be on the cusp of sustained success. Gahagen played in 17 games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last year, recording a stunning .929 save percentage and 2.02 GAA, but was even better on loan with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, logging a .939 save percentage and 2.09 GAA for a 2-0-0 record in three appearances. While previous AHL outings have not been as successful for the West Point grad, he hopes to build on his recent results and find a role for himself in Milwaukee behind Connor Ingram. 
  • Trades in the ECHL are not common, but even more rare is a trade involving names familiar to NHL fans. Such a deal occurred today, as a pair of 2017 NHL Draft selections were swapped for one another. Defenseman Luke Martin was acquired by the Utah Grizzlies in exchange for forward Cedric Pare heading to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Martin was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who played four seasons at the University of Michigan but was not signed by the team when he turned pro last season. Pare was a sixth-round pick of the Boston Bruins who was never signed, but made headlines anyway as the center for Alexis Lafreniere with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic in 2019-20.

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