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Logan Mailloux Suspended Indefinitely By OHL

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Montreal Canadiens’ first-round pick Logan Mailloux won’t be starting the year with the London Knights after all. The OHL has handed Mailloux an indefinite suspension for violating the league’s “expectation of the appropriate conduct of an OHL player.” He can apply for reinstatement to the league on or after January 1, 2022 and a decision on his reinstatement will be based in part on his conduct since returning to Canada, the appropriate treatment, counseling, mentoring, and or education he receives from the date of today’s decision.

Mailloux, 18, was charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent during a sexual encounter last year while playing in Sweden. He attempted to renounce himself from the 2021 NHL Draft, issuing a statement asking all 32 teams to not select him, but the Canadiens used the 31st overall pick on him anyway.

At the time, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin released a statement explaining that though they were aware of the situation, the team would make “a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development.”

When Mailloux attempted to renounce himself from the draft, he indicated in a statement that he wanted to return to London and play a season with the Knights while demonstrating “an adequate level of maturity and character.” He will no longer get that chance, at least through the end of the calendar year.

Carter Rowney Signs With Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed free agent forward Carter Rowney to a one-year deal. PuckPedia reports that the contract is worth $825K.

Rowney, 32, has played in more than 200 games in the NHL, including 19 during the 2020-21 season with the Anaheim Ducks. The undrafted forward worked his way up to the NHL after a strong four seasons at the University of North Dakota, making his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016-17. In fact, Rowney suited up for 20 playoff games that year for the Penguins, helping them secure their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

The most he has ever played in one season is 71 games, accomplished in 2019-20 with the Ducks. That number could be in reach with the rebuilding Red Wings, who still will need some veteran leadership in the lineup as they break their young forwards into the NHL.

Like every signing for Detroit, Rowney also represents a potential deadline chip to sell off a few months down the line. Though he won’t be worth much, fourth-line forwards with size, physicality, and the ability to play center in a pinch are often targeted by contenders. In his 223 regular season games, the 6’2″ Rowney has delivered 550 hits.

Carolina Hurricanes Add Tim Gleason To Coaching Staff

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The Carolina Hurricanes have announced several changes to the hockey operations and coaching departments, highlighted by the promotion of Tim Gleason to assistant coach.

Gleason, 38, has served as a development coach for the last three years, focusing on the organization’s defensemen. He brings plenty of experience after an NHL career that spanned more than a decade and saw him suit up more than 750 times, including a good chunk with the Hurricanes. In fact, Gleason was a teammate of head coach Rod Brind’Amour for many years, though he arrived just after the team won the Stanley Cup in 2006. This will be his first opportunity behind an NHL bench and serves as a good stepping stone for his coaching career.

The team has also announced several other changes in the front office. Peter Harrold will take over Gleeson’s duties with defenseman development, Zach Abdou has been named hockey operations coordinator, Mark Craig has been named director of pro scouting, Trace Linton is now a pro scout, Rhys Jessop and Ian Meagher are amateur scouts and Cody Ward is going to join the Chicago Wolves as a video coach.

Eric Tulsky, the team’s assistant general manager, called out special attention to some of the appointments on Twitter, including Craig’s promotion to director of pro scouting. Craig goes way back with the Hurricanes extended management family, even serving as head coach of the Windsor Compuware Spitfires in 1984-85, when the franchise was owned by Peter Karmanos (former Hurricanes owner), managed by Jim Rutherford (former Hurricanes GM), and included a young defenseman named Paul Maurice (former Hurricanes head coach).

Philadelphia Flyers Extend Joel Farabee

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The Philadelphia Flyers have inked a long-term deal with one of their young breakout stars, signing Joel Farabee to a six-year extension. The contract will come into effect for the 2022-23 season and keep Farabee signed through 2027-28. Currently on the last season of his entry-level contract, the extension will carry a $5.0MM average annual value. PuckPedia reports that the deal does not include any trade protection and provide the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $1.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $2.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $3.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2025-26: $4.25MM salary + $1.5MM signing bonus
  • 2026-27: $6.0MM salary
  • 2027-28: $6.0MM salary

Farabee, 21, experienced a true breakout this season, scoring 20 goals and 38 points in 55 games for the Flyers. That perhaps should have been the expectation though after his strong rookie campaign, which saw him post 21 points in 52 games before playing well in the postseason bubble. The 14th overall pick from 2018, Farabee is quickly making teams regret not selecting him higher. He now sits third in goals from that draft class behind only Brady Tkachuk and Andrei Svechnikov despite having played just 107 NHL games to this point.

An extension this early and for this much is a bet that the 2020-21 Farabee wasn’t an illusion and that he will only continue to get better in the years to come. The deal buys out two years of unrestricted free agency and means the Flyers never have to deal with another RFA negotiation or arbitration with the young forward. It also means that there is a real opportunity for excess value in those years if Farabee continues on his strong development path.

Signing a deal of this length now could very well be leaving money on the table, but it obviously gives Farabee security and peace of mind. He gets a good salary for the prime years of his career and will hit the open market with plenty of time to sign another multi-year deal. Any savings he provides can also be used to make the Flyers better over his contracted period, giving him a supporting cast that can help contend.

The Flyers will need those savings too, as they move forward with long-term deals for aging veterans. Sean Couturier recently signed an eight-year extension that will pay him $7.75MM through 2029-30, while Ryan Ellis is entering just the third season of his own eight-year deal that carries a cap hit of $6.25MM. If the Flyers re-sign captain Claude Giroux before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer he too will be an expensive ticket, meaning every dollar they can save on a deal like Farabee’s is important.

Of course, there is always risk when signing a deal of this length as well. There’s no guarantee that his performance this year is indicative of what he’ll provide over the entire deal, and he could always regress or suffer injuries. Still, betting on a 21-year-old who has shown he can be a 20-goal scorer in a shortened season is a pretty worthwhile gamble.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Casey Mittelstadt

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The Buffalo Sabres have reached an agreement with one of their restricted free agents, signing Casey Mittelstadt to a three-year deal. The contract comes with an average annual value of $2.5MM, a nice boost for a player that still hasn’t quite lived up to his high draft pedigree.

Mittelstadt, 22, was the eighth overall pick in 2017, selected a few spots ahead of young players like Martin Necas and Nick Suzuki who have already established themselves as key parts with their respective teams. In Buffalo, Mittelstadt has experienced the same struggles that almost everyone else on the roster has, posting just 61 points in 155 games. In 2019-20 he was sent to the Rochester Americans for half the season to work on his game, as it was not quite consistent enough to help the NHL squad.

The encouraging part about Mittelstadt, and why this three-year contract may look like quite a bargain very quickly, is his performance under head coach Don Granato. When Granato took over partway through last season, Mittelstadt had just one goal and five points in 13 games. He was seeing inconsistent minutes and not regularly lining up at center. That changed under the new head coach, and the young forward took a huge step forward, scoring nine goals and 17 points in 28 games through the end of the season. In those matches, he averaged more than 17 minutes a night and played center full-time.

If Mittelstadt can continue to play up to his draft pedigree under Granato, the Sabres have a true building block to help turn things around. The young forward has outstanding puck skills and playmaking ability, but seemed completely lost at times under the previous regimes. The team is obviously not giving up on him, investing in a multi-year deal ahead of what could be a breakout season.

The $2.5MM cap charge brings the Sabres a little closer to the cap floor, with Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju still to sign. The big question is Jack Eichel though, as a trade would leave the Sabres scrambling to add salary if a similar number–$10MM–didn’t come back the other way.

Alan Quine Signs AHL Contract

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Alan Quine may be known more for his scoring prowess in the AHL than for anything else, but the veteran forward has played on an NHL contract in each of his nine pro seasons. That streak will come to an end this year, as Quine has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, the team announced.

Quine, 28, played exclusively in the minors this past season while under contract with the Edmonton Oilers, the first time he had gone without an NHL appearance since 2014-15. A perennial depth asset, apart from one 61-game season with the New York Islanders, Quine is a prototypical “AAAA” player, to steal a baseball term. He possesses the skill to produce in a major way in the AHL, with a career mark of .84 points per game in 285 games, but it doesn’t translate to the NHL. Quine has just ten goals and 28 points to his credit in over 100 career NHL games for a career mark of .26 points per game, over three times less than his AHL pace. All but ten of these points also came in his one season as an NHL regular, meaning his spot starts ever since have produced few results. Quine also lacks the defensive ability to contribute in a bottom-six role, further limiting his use. The result is an offensive depth option whose lack of actual production over the years has progressively limited his opportunity to the point that he is now in the AHL full-time.

With that said, Quine’s days as an impact player are far from over. Quine spent all but seven AHL games on the Oilers taxi squad last season and never saw one game; he is surely ready to get back to work. Playing on an AHL contract, without wasting time as an NHL scratch or taxi squad member, will allow the veteran forward to focus solely on his play in the minors and helping to develop his teammates. Filling a leadership vacuum in Henderson, who saw Danny O’Regan and Dylan Sikura depart this off-season, Quine will take on a top role for the Silver Knights and will very likely return to scoring at better than a point-per-game pace. Who knows, perhaps Quine may even do enough to get another NHL look next summer. The opportunity is there to show that he is still a talented offensive asset that could bring value to an NHL club.

Overseas Notes: Sorensen, Josefson, AIK

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2020-21 was a season to forget for Marcus Sorensen. After recording 30 points in 80 games in 2018-19, Sorensen looked like he was emerging as a two-way threat for the San Jose Sharks. However, he followed that up with only 18 points and a -12 rating in 66 games in 2019-20. Sorensen was looking to get back on track this past season, but instead the decline continued. Sorensen recorded just five points and was a minus player yet again in 29 games with the Sharks. Unsurprisingly, it has been a quiet summer on the NHL market for Sorensen. However, he may have found a good option back home in Sweden. Swedish source Afton Bladet reports that the SHL’s Djurgardens IF is closing in on signing Sorensen to a long-term deal. The 29-year-old has been offered a four-year contract worth $12MM Krona ($1.44MM US). Sorensen was a prolific scorer for Djurgardens for several years before leaving for the NHL and the club hopes he still has gas left in the tank.

  • Fueling the pursuit of Sorenson is the indefinite loss of former NHLer Jacob Josefson from the Djurgardens roster. Afton Bladet notes that Josefson has been struggling with post-concussion symptoms since this past spring and that a recent resurgence has sidelined him without any certain timeline for a return. Josefson, 30, has been Djurgardens’ captain for the past four years since leaving the NHL, not to mention one of their best players. If he isn’t available this season, Sorensen will be asked to step in and take on that leading role. The hope is that Josefson, who played eight seasons in the NHL with New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, will be back on the ice before too long.
  • Elsewhere in Sweden, the Allsvenskan’s AIK is loading up with NHL prospect talent. On consecutive days, he club has announced loan agreements to bring in standouts from the 2020 NHL Draft for the upcoming season. Winnipeg Jets second-round pick Daniel Torgersson is on his way from Frolunda HC, while Anaheim Ducks fourth-rounder Thimo Nickl arrives from Rogle BK. Torgersson, a big power forward, was nearly a point per game player at the junior level last year and played briefly in the SHL. Nickl, a rangy, two-way defenseman, played in the QMJHL two years ago and held his own in the pros this past season between the SHL and Allsvenskan. The 19-year-olds will provide a major boost to AIK before they potentially look to join their respective NHL teams next year.

Colton Parayko Signs Eight-Year Extension

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The St. Louis Blues have locked up one of their best players, signing Colton Parayko to an eight-year extension. The new contract will start in the 2022-23 season and keeps Parayko in St. Louis through 2029-30. The big defenseman will carry an average annual value of $6.5MM on the new deal, which totals $52MM. Parayko explained just what made him sign now:

I can’t wait to wear the Blue Note for another nine years. St. Louis has been my home now for six seasons, and this is where I want to be. All the relationships I’ve gained, the teammates I’ve had, and the organization have all had a big impact on me. Winning here in 2019 was special, and I want the chance to stay here and do that again.

Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest provides the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $7.25MM
  • 2023-24: $8.0MM
  • 2024-25: $8.0MM
  • 2025-26: $8.0MM
  • 2026-27: $6.35MM
  • 2027-28: $4.8MM
  • 2028-29: $4.8MM
  • 2029-30: $4.8MM

Parayko, 28, was entering the final season of a five-year, $27.5MM deal he signed in 2017 and could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The team seems to have created something of an internal cap, as his new deal will match the AAV of both Justin Faulk and Torey Krug at $6.5MM. That may actually represent a bargain for Parayko, though he hasn’t quite taken the step forward that many expected over the last few seasons.

Standing an imposing 6’6″, the 2012 third-round pick has everything you want in an NHL defenseman. He’s big, physical, can skate well, and has an incredibly accurate shot from the point. There’s no doubting his value to the Blues, which was perhaps demonstrated best in 2019 when he averaged more than 25 minutes a night during the Blues Stanley Cup run. But there also hasn’t been that giant leap offensively that some were expecting, with just 40 points combined over his last two seasons (96 games).

That’s not to say it couldn’t still happen, but Parayko appears to have settled in as a rock-solid top-four option, instead of a true number one defenseman. This deal represents exactly that, as he’ll be paid quite a bit less than some of the other pending free agent defensemen that have re-upped this summer. Still, getting an eight-year term is huge for Parayko, who could very well ride this contract through to the end of his career.

He’ll be 37 when the extension ends, which is where this contract brings plenty of risk for the Blues. Though he’s an extremely important player right now and very likely could have received a higher AAV on the open market, they’re going to be paying him as a top-four option throughout his decline phase and even into his late-thirties. That’s the price you pay for extra flexibility now, when GM Doug Armstrong believes his team can still compete for the Stanley Cup.

In fact, when you consider that Krug (30) and Faulk (29) are heading into just the second year of their own seven-year deals, this is a blueline that is going to be testing the limits of the aging curve in the NHL. All three players are going to carry a $6.5MM well into their thirties, meaning the time is now to strike at a league championship.

The Blues now have nearly $70MM already committed to just 14 players for the 2022-23 season, though Vladimir Tarasenko’s deal is still expected to be traded at some point. Armstrong went out and landed Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich this summer to add to the group, pushing his chips to the middle even if a few years down the road might look a little more difficult.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Colorado Avalanche Sign Jack Johnson To PTO

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The Colorado Avalanche are giving another chance to veteran defenseman Jack Johnson, who has signed a professional tryout agreement with the club according to CapFriendly. That means Johnson will attend training camp with the Avalanche in the hopes of earning an NHL contract after spending last season with the New York Rangers.

Notably, Johnson is still earning a $916,667 from the Pittsburgh Penguins this season and for four more years after a buyout in 2020. That cut his five-year, $16.25MM deal short, but Johnson earned an additional $1.15MM last season from the Rangers on a one-year deal.

The Rangers didn’t get much value for their money, as the now 34-year-old Johnson appeared in just 13 games, averaging fewer than 17 minutes a night. Once a legitimate two-way force, racking up points for the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets, the veteran defenseman’s game has fallen completely off a cliff in recent years and is just trying to hold onto a roster spot at this point. Selected third overall in 2005, he has played in 950 regular season games and another 30 postseason contests.

A tryout does not guarantee Johnson anything other than an opportunity to show he still has something left in the tank. Often, these deals are as much about showcasing a player to other teams in the league as the one the tryout is actually signed with. Colorado has a deep, effective defensive depth chart, meaning it might actually be easier for Johnson to catch on somewhere else. At any rate, he has somewhere to go for training camp as he looks to land another NHL contract.

Daniel Brickley Signs In AHL

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When the 2020-21 season ended, Daniel Brickley became a Group VI unrestricted free agent. His two-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings was over, this time without a single NHL game to show for it. Now, he’s headed back to the AHL on a one-year deal with the Chicago Wolves.

Brickley, 26, was a highly sought-after undrafted college free agent in 2018 and visited with several teams including the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks before eventually signing his entry-level deal with Los Angeles. He had already suited up for an IIHF World Championship with Team USA and was considered a polished two-way defenseman that could step directly into the NHL after an outstanding career at Minnesota State-Mankato.

He actually did step right into the league too, playing one game for the Kings before the end of the 2017-18 season and recording his first NHL point. Things started trending down from there, however, as Brickley would play in just four games for Los Angeles the following season, spending almost the entire year at the AHL level instead. Still, it was enough to earn him another contract, this time a two-year, two-way deal with the Kings in the summer of 2019.

Since then he has only played in 36 games at the AHL level, spending a good chunk of this season on the Kings’ taxi squad instead. He cleared waivers at the beginning of the year and now has accepted an AHL contract, meaning there isn’t another NHL job waiting out there for him. It’s certainly not time to rule Brickley out entirely given his age, but his NHL future doesn’t look promising at this point.

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