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Follow NBA Free Agency At HoopsRumors

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NBA free agency kicks off tomorrow at 5pm CT, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news, rumors and transactions for each of the league’s 30 teams.

The Knicks are considered the strong frontrunners to land Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, reportedly being willing to offer a four-year deal in the range of $110MM. To free up cap space to sign Brunson, New York is trading some of their excess draft picks and a few veteran players to Detroit. The Knicks are also rumored to be pursuing Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray via trade, so clearly they’re trying to make a splash and bolster their backcourt.

Kyrie Irving decided to pick up his $36.9MM player option for next season, ending rampant speculation that the Nets might be forced to tear down the roster if Kevin Durant asked to be traded. The Clippers have already been active, agreeing to an extension with starting center Ivica Zubac, and are reportedly set to land five-time All-Star John Wall once he clears waivers after being bought out by the Rockets.

The Hornets have said they’re going to bring back restricted free agent Miles Bridges, but will they being willing to match a maximum-salary offer sheet if a rival team offers it? What will happen with Suns center Deandre Ayton, another restricted free agent who has reportedly grown unhappy in Phoenix? Will the former No. 1 overall pick land the max deal he covets?

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! There will be a whirlwind of activity over the next couple of weeks as teams reshape their rosters for next season, and we’ll be covering it all. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Latest On Boston Bruins Coaching Search

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There could be an answer as soon as today on who will be the next head coach of the Boston Bruins and a new name has entered the ring. Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci has interviewed for the job. In fact, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff believes that Vellucci has been interviewed twice now.

Still, Seravalli notes that the finalists are Vellucci, Jay Leach, and David Quinn, with many believing that the latter is the front-runner for the opening.

Vellucci, 55, may not have a lot of NHL experience but he is a proven winner at basically every level along the way. The former Hartford Whalers defenseman has won championships in the NAHL, OHL, and most recently the AHL, taking home the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019. He has been named Coach of the Year at all three levels and has now been behind the bench with Pittsburgh for the past two seasons.

The Bruins, who fired Bruce Cassidy after a disappointing playoff exit, seem focused on less experienced names for the vacancy. Leach also has experience as a head coach in the minor leagues–with the Providence Bruins, no less–but has just one year behind an NHL bench as an assistant. David Quinn had just one year as an assistant when he landed the New York Rangers head coaching job in 2018, a tenure that lasted just three seasons.

Boston is one of three teams still without a coach, along with the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets.

Vegas Golden Knights Make Coaching Hires

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced a series of coaching hires Tuesday night, adding John Stevens as their assistant coach, Sean Burke as their goalie coach and Director of Goaltending, and naming Mike Rosati as Manager of Goaltending Development and Scouting.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon gave the following statement on the hires:

John Stevens is a very respected NHL coach with an extensive resume that adds considerably to our staff. We are excited to add a two-time Stanley Cup winner with head coaching experience. Sean Burke is a great addition to the organization, with tremendous experience as an elite NHL goaltender and an accomplished coach and executive. We are pleased to keep Mike Rosati in an influential role across the organization. With those two and Henderson goaltending coach Fred Brathwaite, we have proven, qualified expertise at the goalie position.

While new head coach Bruce Cassidy won’t get to build the entire bench from scratch, he does get some fresh faces in here to join assistants Ryan Craig and Misha Donskov, who were retained in the wake of Peter DeBoer’s firing. Stevens comes in to replace both Steve Spott and Ryan McGill as an assistant, who were both fired days after DeBoer. Stevens has been an assistant for the Dallas Stars for the past three seasons, but most hockey fans will remember him as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers (2006-2009) and the Los Angeles Kings (2016-2018). In all, the 56-year-old Stevens has 15 years of NHL coaching experience.

Burke’s hiring isn’t huge news, as it was reported earlier in the week that Vegas would bring him on. Burke was not on an NHL staff during the 2021-22 season, but he spent seven years as the goalie coach of the Arizona Coyotes and a handful of months in 2021 as the goalie coach of the Montreal Canadiens. He replaces Rosati as the goalie coach, who moves to a more behind-the-scenes role in the organization.

Dallas Stars Extend Joseph Cecconi

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7:05 pm: PuckPedia has the details of Cecconi’s contract, which will pay him $750,000 at the NHL level and $150K in the minors, and $175K of the money is guaranteed. It carries a league-minimum $750,000 cap hit.

2:23 pm: The Dallas Stars aren’t going to lose Joseph Cecconi to Group VI unrestricted free agency after all. The young defenseman has signed a new one-year, two-way contract with the club to keep him in Texas.

Cecconi, 25, has yet to make it to the NHL after signing out of the University of Michigan in 2019, spending the last three seasons exclusively at the minor league level. The one-time defense partner to Quinn Hughes had a strong season for the Texas Stars, recording a career-high 16 points in 65 games. Because of his lack of opportunity with Dallas, he would have qualified to hit the market early, though that certainly wouldn’t have guaranteed him a better situation.

In fact, it’s not like the Stars are loaded with right-handed defensemen ahead of him. There may actually be some opportunity for a player like Cecconi to see NHL minutes in the case of injuries next season, especially given his size and physicality.

He will also now be subject to waivers should the team decide to send him to the minor leagues, at least giving him a chance to land on an NHL roster somewhere else if the need arises.

East Notes: Quinn, Devils Front Office, Sabres

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Eyebrows raised leaguewide when the Boston Bruins fired Bruce Cassidy, letting him walk to the Vegas Golden Knights in coaching free agency. Now, they seem to have zeroed in on a replacement. Although he’s been interviewed and/or linked to multiple teams so far, The Fourth Period’s Shawn Hutcheon reports that the Bruins have made former New York Rangers head coach David Quinn their leading candidate for the role. While other names like former Providence head coach Jay Leach had been rumored, they seem to have opted for another “hometown” coach.

While a Rhode Island native, Quinn has extensive experience in the Boston area, spending multiple years as an associate coach and head coach with Boston University. Quinn did not coach this past season after the Rangers replaced him with Gerard Gallant this past offseason, aside from serving as the head coach for the United States at the Olympics and World Championships.

  • The New Jersey Devils seem to have quietly cleaned out some front office names, removing the roles of Patrick Rissmiller (player development coach), Pierre Mondou (amateur scout), and Andrey Plekhanov (European scout) from their website. Rissmiller will leave the only front office job he’s ever known, holding the role with New Jersey since he retired as a player in 2015. Mondou, 66, was let go after nearly 20 years of scouting for New Jersey. Plekhanov had been with the team for four seasons.
  • As the Buffalo Sabres look to finally take that next step forward in 2022-23, the team has announced the dates for their development camp. The session for fringe prospects and rookies will be held July 13-15, with a three-on-three tournament to be held on the 16th.

Kim Pegula “Progressing Well” From Undisclosed Health Issue

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There was some dark news in the Buffalo Sabres community a handful of weeks ago when it was announced that Sabres (and Buffalo Bills) owner Kim Pegula was receiving serious medical treatment as a result of “unexpected health issues.” As it had been a considerable amount of time since that announcement with no update, fans were becoming increasingly concerned with her health status.

Now, via the Sabres, the Pegula family said in a statement today that Kim is “progressing well,” resting, and rehabbing from her health issue, asking fans to continue to respect their privacy. The full statement is as follows:

Kim is progressing well and is resting and rehabilitating from a health issue. We are grateful for the medical professionals providing her care and to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. We ask that you please continue to respect our need for privacy during this time.

Pegula, 53, has been the owner of the Sabres since the 2015-16 season when she was transferred principal ownership of the team from her husband Terry. She was also named team president in 2018-19 and has also served in that role for their AHL affiliate in Rochester.

PHR sends their best wishes to the Pegula family and the Sabres community for her continued recovery.

Minor Transactions: 06/28/22

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With free agency right around the corner, minor league and European teams continue to snatch up some of the available talents. Even though most of the attention is on Evgeni Malkin, Johnny Gaudreau, and the rest of the big names, we’ll keep track of the less notable contracts right here.

  • The Milwaukee Admirals have signed Xavier Bouchard to an AHL contract, adding the 22-year-old defenseman just weeks after he took home the Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades. The Vegas Golden Knights sixth-round pick never did sign an NHL contract but will now join the Admirals organization and try to continue his climb up the minor league ladder.
  • Dalton Smith is returning to the Colorado Eagles on a new two-year AHL contract, locking in the minor league veteran through 2023-24. Originally a second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets way back in 2010, the 29-year-old Smith had 11 points in 52 games for the Eagles last season.
  • After playing last season on an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies, Marc Michaelis is off to Switzerland to play for the SCL Tigers of the National League. The German-born forward has played in three World Championships for his country, including the most recent tournament where he added seven points in eight games. Michaelis played 15 games for the Vancouver Canukcs in 2020-21 but failed to register an NHL point.
  • Dmitri Yushkevich has signed a new contract with Dynamo St. Petersburg of the VHL. No, not the 50-year-old defenseman who played nearly 800 games in the NHL, but his son, a 25-year-old Toronto-born defenseman who has been in the Russian minor leagues for the last several years.

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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Free agency is now just a few weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Next up is a look at the Edmonton Oilers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jesse Puljujarvi – A trio of top young forwards is hitting RFA status this year for the Oilers but it is Puljujarvi that will draw the most attention. Whether that is because of his draft pedigree–fourth overall in 2016–or the obvious upside that just oozes out of his 6’4″ frame, the big forward is a constant topic of debate in Edmonton. There are moments when Puljujarvi looks as though he’s taken that next step. Fourteen goals and 36 points in 65 games was a nice improvement, and his defensive ability was proven (at least through the underlying metrics). But then in the playoffs, he once again disappeared for long stretches and saw his ice time slashed dramatically.

Coming off a two-year contract and needing a qualifying offer of $1.41MM, Puljujarvi could take the Oilers to arbitration if they let it get that far. Where he fits into next season’s roster is still anyone’s guess.

F Kailer Yamamoto – The 23-year-old Yamamoto, meanwhile, experienced a nice rebound campaign this season, tallying 20 goals and 41 points after his disappointing 2020-21 performance. Undersized but scrappy, the 2017 first-round pick is also eligible for arbitration and is owed a qualifying offer of just $1.175MM. Given the team’s cap constraints, a long-term deal may be out of the question, but Yamamoto appears to have solidified his place in the top-nine, even if his two-goal playoff performance wasn’t quite up to snuff.

F Ryan McLeod – Another top pick, another uncertain future, as McLeod enters free agency for the first time without arbitration rights. The 22-year-old center scored just nine goals and 21 points in the regular season but has a blend of size and speed that can’t be easily replaced. There’s probably not ever going to be huge offensive upside–especially given the role he’ll be asked to play in Edmonton–but McLeod figures to be a regular again next season and likely take on even more defensive responsibility down the middle.

Other RFAs: F Tyler Benson, F Brendan Perlini, F Ostap Safin, D Filip Berglund

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Evander Kane – There’s no mistaking the Oilers’ interest in re-signing Kane, and from a purely on-ice perspective, it’s easy to understand why. The big winger scored an incredible 22 goals in 43 games during the regular season and then posted another 13 in the playoffs. That still led the entire postseason despite Kane playing just 15 games, showing just how important Kane could be to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as a potential running mate moving forward. Still, when discussing Kane it can’t be from just an on-ice perspective, as turmoil has followed him all over the NHL. Even now, his grievance with the San Jose Sharks over wrongful termination is still undecided, meaning a new contract could be delayed well past the opening of free agency.

D Brett Kulak – When the playoffs rolled around, Kulak was arguably one of the Oilers’ best defensemen, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick (plus William Lagesson and a 2024 seventh). Armed with an elite defensive stick and strong gap control, the 28-year-old Kulak would be a nice fit for the third pairing in Edmonton moving forward, as long as they can get him back on a reasonable contract. Even then, perhaps the team will go in a different direction given the youth that is coming through the system by way of Philip Broberg, who should challenge for a full-time role next season, and the continued presence of veterans Duncan Keith and Tyson Barrie.

Other UFAs: F Josh Archibald, F Derick Brassard, F Colton Sceviour, F Kyle Turris, F Cooper Marody, D Kris Russell

Projected Cap Space

If you currently navigate to the Oilers’ CapFriendly page, you’ll see a nice cap space total of more than $7.1MM. Unfortunately, that is for a roster of just 15 players, meaning there is plenty of work to be done for general manager Ken Holland to fit everyone in. Just assuming the remaining eight spots are filled by league minimum $750K players it would eat up $6MM, meaning there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for improvement (or arbitration awards). Of course, with Oscar Klefbom’s contract still headed for long-term injured reserve, and at least some suggestion that Keith could retire before the 2022-23 campaign, that number could change dramatically.

Even so, with the Oilers pushing hard to sign Kane to a big contract, there still could very well be some cap casualties in Edmonton. This group pushed further into the playoffs than in years past and knows that McDavid and Draisaitl are good enough to lead them all the way. Making sure they spend every dollar effectively is absolutely crucial for Holland and his staff this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Slafkovsky, Nemec, Lyon

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There’s a new number one on Bob McKenzie’s 2022 NHL Draft Rankings for TSN. Juraj Slafkovsky has overtaken Shane Wright for the top spot on a list that is developed by polling active scouts around the league. The Slovakian forward is 6’4″, skilled, and has already proven he can dominate at the senior level. Slafkovsky won tournament MVP at the Olympics, scored nine points in eight games at the World Championships, and was a force for TPS in the Liiga playoffs.

With just over a week to go before the draft in Montreal, the Canadiens’ choice is still unclear in the first-overall slot. The first round will be held on July 7 at the Bell Centre, with the official order now set following the completion of the Stanley Cup Final.

  • Slafkovsky, Wright, and Logan Cooley appear to have separated themselves in the top three, though Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports notes that the Arizona Coyotes, slotted to pick third, could also be eyeing Simon Nemec. One of the top-ranked defensemen this year (along with David Jiricek), Nemec has the offensive upside and skating ability that make scouts drool in today’s NHL. Should he climb that high, it would be an incredible achievement for Slovakian hockey, with two picks in the top three selections.
  • He won the Calder Cup over the weekend but Alex Lyon is getting suspended anyway. The Chicago Wolves netminder has been given a two-game AHL ban for his actions following the game, giving the finger to the Springfield crowd multiple times. The 29-year-old netminder will have to serve it whenever he is next on an AHL roster, though it’s not clear where that will be. Lyon is an unrestricted free agent this summer as a one-year, two-way deal with the Carolina Hurricanes expires.

Kasper Bjorkqvist Signs In Finland

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At least one pending free agent for the Pittsburgh Penguins is off the table. Kasper Bjorkqvist, who is scheduled to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, has signed a new two-year contract with Karpat in Finland.  The Penguins will be able to retain his exclusive NHL rights by issuing him a qualifying offer this summer.

Bjorkqvist, 24, was the 61st overall pick in 2016 and made his NHL debut this season, playing in six games. He scored his first NHL goal during that short stint but was otherwise rather ineffective, registering just 12 points in 54 games at the AHL level. A member of the incredible 2016 Finnish World Junior team that took home the gold medal, he never has quite grown into his game at the professional level, at least on the North American circuit.

There is certainly hope for him in Finland, as during the 2020-21 season when the AHL was dormant due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bjorkqvist played in Finland and was named the Liiga rookie of the year after posting 26 points in 44 games. He also had an outstanding career at Providence College, which included being named captain for his final season, an extremely rare honor for European players at the NCAA level.

The Penguins will still have his rights when the contract expires but not for long. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent when he turns 27, which will be just a few days after the market opens in 2024. His time in Pittsburgh could very well be over.

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