Archives for August 2022

Snapshots: Wild, Kraken Captaincy, Halbgewachs

August 31, 2022 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

While Minnesota freed up $2.25MM in cap space today with the trade of defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to Anaheim, don’t expect that money to be spent right away. GM Bill Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link) that while he wouldn’t rule out using it on a free agent, it’s unlikely that he’ll opt to do so. Guerin felt that the Wild needed more cap space and while they’re shown as having a little over $5.7MM in room right now per CapFriendly, that figure has them with a minimum-sized roster which is likely to change. But even with adding a couple of players to that current projection, Minnesota will be well-positioned from a cap perspective to make additions to their roster in-season and will have some room to work with if injuries arise. It may not seem like much but that’s a cap situation that many teams would like to have right about now.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

Last season, the Kraken had Mark Giordano as their inaugural captain but that post has been vacant since the veteran was moved to Toronto at the trade deadline. GM Ron Francis told Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he’ll sit down with head coach Dave Hakstol to decide if they even want to name a captain this season and that if they do, they’ll likely wait to see how training camp goes before making a decision. Veterans Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, and Adam Larsson would be candidates for the captaincy if they do decide to name one for 2022-23.
Free agent winger Jayden Halbgewachs has drawn interest from MoDo in Sweden, sports director Henrik Gradin acknowledged to Ornskoldsviks Allehanda. The 25-year-old is coming off a productive year with AHL San Jose where he had 41 points in 59 games while also getting into three games with the Sharks, picking up his first career point. While he’s the type of player that would typically generate a fair bit of interest on a two-way deal, heading overseas to play in a top league there might ultimately help his value in the long run if he was to get back to being a top scorer as he was back in junior.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks

August 31, 2022 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2022-23 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

San Jose Sharks

Current Cap Hit: $82,362,501 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Thomas Bordeleau (two years, $917K)
F William Eklund (three years, $894K)
F Scott Reedy (one year, $843K)

Potential Bonuses
Eklund: $850K
Reedy: $82.5K
Totals: $932.5K

All three of these players are likely to spend some time at both the NHL and AHL levels. Reedy is the most experienced of the three after spending half of last season with the Sharks in a depth role but he’s the type of player that next summer will be looking at taking less than his qualifying offer in exchange for a higher AHL pay (or a one-way deal). His bonuses are based on games played so some might be achievable. If Eklund can lock down a full-time spot in training camp, he’ll have a chance at hitting some of his ‘A’ bonuses but, like Bordeleau, he’s probably better off playing top minutes in the minors over a lesser role in the NHL. With both having very limited NHL experience, it’s too early to forecast their next contracts but both players figure to be big parts of San Jose’s future plans.

Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level

F Nick Bonino ($2.05MM, UFA)
F Jonah Gadjovich ($750K, RFA)
F Noah Gregor ($950K, RFA)
D Nikolai Knyzhov ($850K, RFA)
F Timo Meier ($6MM, RFA)
F Matt Nieto ($850K, UFA)
D Markus Nutivaara ($1.5MM, UFA)
G James Reimer ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Jeffrey Viel ($750K, RFA)

Potential Bonuses:
Nutivaara: $250K

Meier’s contract is a by-product of what teams expected the financial picture to look like at this time, one that featured some significant increases to the Upper Limit. The heavily back-loaded structure sees him carry a $10MM salary this season which also represents his qualifying offer next summer; while the new CBA put in the 120% of AAV cap (unofficially thought by some as the Meier Rule), contracts signed before that time like his aren’t subjected to it. Under the projected future cap from a few years ago, a $10MM price point for a top-line winger would have been high but probably reasonable but now, it’s certainly on the high side. It’s unlikely San Jose would non-tender him next summer even at that price tag but they’ll be wanting him to leave a bit of money on the table from an AAV perspective on a long-term extension.

Bonino has scored at least 10 goals in six straight years and eight of the past nine while winning faceoffs at an above-average rate. That combination makes him a bottom-six fit for several teams so he should have a decent-sized market next summer at a similar price point to this. Gregor spent most of last season with the Sharks and acquitted himself well but San Jose’s cap situation basically forced a one-year deal. He’ll have arbitration eligibility next summer and should add at least a few hundred thousand to his price tag. Nieto, Gadjovich, and Viel are all role players that are likely to come in below $1MM on their next contracts.

Nutivaara is coming off a season that limited him to just a single appearance due to a lower-body injury but has a track record of being a serviceable third-pairing player. He’ll max out on his bonuses at 60 games played and if he’s able to suit up that many times, he’ll have a stronger market and a chance to earn a bit more next summer. Knyzhov missed last season due to a core muscle injury and tore his Achilles tendon in offseason training earlier this month which will cause him to miss at least the first half of the season. He’s a capable young defender but these injuries will limit him to another short-term, low-cost contract.

Reimer will be the second goaltender next season after Adin Hill was moved to Vegas earlier this week. The 34-year-old got the bulk of the starts in 2021-22 and did alright considering how much the team struggled. A similar showing this season would put him in line for at least a small raise as the cost for quality veteran backups continues to rise.

Signed Through 2023-24

F Alexander Barabanov ($2.5MM, UFA)
G Kaapo Kahkonen ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Luke Kunin ($2.75MM, RFA)
F Kevin Labanc ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Oskar Lindblom ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Jaycob Megna ($763K, UFA)
F Steven Lorentz ($1.05MM, UFA)
D Radim Simek ($2.25MM, UFA)

Labanc’s contract is basically the reward he received for taking a significantly below-market contract back in 2019 to help with San Jose’s cap situation at that time. Things have not gone well since then as he has battled injuries and struggled to produce. At this point, his market value two years from now might be half of his current cost. Barabanov quietly finished fifth on the Sharks in scoring last season with 39 points and this deal represents a lower-risk commitment to see if it was a fluke or a sign of things to come.

Kunin and Lindblom are newcomers that have shown flashes of upside but haven’t been able to put it together consistently. Kunin’s cost is a bit high relative to his production but power forwards often get more than market value while Lindblom hasn’t been the same since returning from his bout with cancer which resulted in the Flyers buying him out this summer. Both are on placeholder deals to see how they’ll fit on a new team and to give the top prospects like Eklund and Bordeleau time to develop. If things go well, small raises could come their way. Lorentz comes over from Carolina and is a fourth liner that the Sharks feel might be able to play higher in the lineup. That will need to happen for him to have a chance at a notable raise next summer.

Simek hardly played last season and doesn’t appear to be part of their plans on the back end beyond a depth spot. However, this isn’t a particularly ideal market for cutting salary so it’s unlikely that San Jose will be able to move him. Unless he can lock down a regular role, his next contract will be closer to half of what he’s getting now. Megna is a serviceable depth defender at the league minimum for two years and if he can play on the third pairing most nights, he’ll have a shot at a small raise in 2024. Notably for him, this contract is his first one-way pact after four straight two-way deals.

Kahkonen was brought over from Minnesota at the trade deadline with the hopes that he can be San Jose’s starter of the future. However, a limited track record made a long-term deal very difficult to work out so they effectively settled on another bridge contract. If he can prove he’s a starter-caliber goalie, doubling his current AAV is achievable but if he proves to be more of a platoon option, his next deal will likely be in the $3MM range.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Nico Sturm ($2MM, UFA)

Sturm started his pro career late after going through college first and basically only has the last two seasons as a regular player where his role has been somewhat limited. Clearly, the Sharks believe there’s some upside that will justify the three-year commitment and if he’s able to produce closer to the 30-35-point mark, they’ll do well with this contract.

Signed Through 2025-26 Or Longer

D Matt Benning ($1.25MM through 2025-26)
F Logan Couture ($8MM through 2026-27)
D Mario Ferraro ($3.25MM through 2025-26)
F Tomas Hertl ($8.1375MM through 2029-30)
D Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM through 2026-27)
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM through 2025-26)

Hertl and Couture are San Jose’s one-two punch down the middle. Neither is a true number one option but both are better than number twos so the fact their AAVs lie in between the price tag of those two roles makes sense. The ability for them to maintain that level of production throughout the contract is the biggest question, however. Couture is already 33 with five years left while Hertl will be 36 when his contract is done. Their ability – or lack thereof – to sustain top-six production will ultimately determine if these contracts work out well for the Sharks or not.

Karlsson’s contract is the richest in NHL history for a defenseman and there have already been signs of slowing down in recent years. However, he had a nice bounce-back year offensively and even though he’s not the premier offensive blueliner he once was, he’s still a capable point-producer that can log heavy minutes. They’re not getting a good return on the contract but they’re getting something of note out of him. I added that last note to act as a direct contrast to Vlasic. He’s making considerably less money ($4.5MM less, to be exact) but was borderline unplayable the last couple of years. At least with Karlsson, they still have an impact player for their money but Vlasic has four years left and is already getting harder to justify playing.

Ferraro has quickly become an integral shutdown defender for the Sharks (basically taking Vlasic’s old role) but his limited offensive output certainly limited his earnings upside. That made a long-term contract difficult to work out so instead, the two sides agreed on a medium-term deal that walks him to unrestricted free agency in his prime. If Ferraro can even get to the 25-30-point range, he could add a couple million per year on his next contract. Benning getting four years was somewhat surprising – few teams make that type of commitment to a depth player – but the cost is low enough to limit the risk. He’s a serviceable third-pairing option and should be for a while and evidently, they feel there’s some value in having some stability in that spot.

Buyouts

F Rudolfs Balcers ($8K in 2022-23, $308K in 2023-24)
G Martin Jones ($2.417MM in 2022-23, $2.917MM in 2023-24, $1.667MM from 2024-25 through 2026-27)

Retained Salary Transactions

D Brent Burns ($2.72MM through 2024-25)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Bonino
Worst Value: Vlasic

Looking Ahead

The Sharks are going to be capped out this season despite having a roster that’s unlikely to push for a playoff spot. While they’ll have roughly $20MM in cap space for next season, close to half of that will go to Meier alone and by the time they round out the roster, they won’t have much left to work with. Their next window to add will be two years from now when another $19MM comes off the books. However, with several long-term, big-money commitments still on the books, their ability to truly shake things up is going to be limited unless GM Mike Grier can find a way to get one or more of those deals off the books.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Keith Yandle Unsure About Playing This Season

August 31, 2022 at 6:27 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

When last season ended, Keith Yandle’s ironman streak had come to an end and after being a healthy scratch down the stretch, it seemed like the 35-year-old was going to be calling it a career. However, his agent Jerry Buckley told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that the veteran hasn’t decided whether or not he wants to play this season and that teams are in discussions with him about the defenseman.

Yandle is coming off a tough 2021-22 campaign. After Florida bought him out last July, he signed with Philadelphia where the expectation was that he’d help boost their production from the back end. Unfortunately for them, that didn’t happen. Instead, he managed just a single goal in 77 games along with 18 assists, his worst output since his rookie year back in 2007-08. While plus/minus doesn’t carry the value it once did, it’s worth noting that he was -47 which was the lowest in the NHL.

At first glance, Yandle would be a prime candidate for a PTO deal as many veterans will be settling for over the next couple of weeks to ensure they’ll be at a training camp. However, Buckley indicated that it’s unlikely that the blueliner would be willing to go that route and that not having a contract to start the season wouldn’t automatically mean that his career would be over. Instead, he would be looking for the right fit.

With over 1,100 career regular season games and 619 points under his belt, Yandle has had quite a successful career, especially considering he was a fourth-round pick back in 2005. We’ll see over the coming weeks if he’s able to find the right fit to play a 17th NHL season.

Anaheim Ducks Acquire Dmitry Kulikov

August 31, 2022 at 4:23 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

According to an NHL.com report, the Minnesota Wild dealt defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the Anaheim Ducks today in exchange for future considerations.

Kulikov, a veteran of 13 NHL seasons and 805 NHL games, brings some much-needed veteran stability to the Anaheim defense corps. In 2021-22, Kulikov had his best season in quite some time, notching more than 20 points for the first time in 10 years and also staying healthy, playing in 80 games. Injuries have been a consistent issue for Kulikov throughout his time in the league.

Averaging 18:12 per game, Kulikov played a bottom-pair but still an important role for the Wild last season. Along with his health, he’s maintained his calling card as a quality defensive defenseman. With the Ducks having some serious question marks at left defense behind Cam Fowler, Kulikov immediately helps fortify a growing team and could provide a solid defensive partner for Jamie Drysdale.

It’s a good trade for the Wild, too, even though they’re losing him for nothing. Minnesota may have managed the salary cap better than most expected considering the massive Zach Parise/Ryan Suter buyout cap hits they face, but they still had a logjam on the blueline with multiple prospects getting closer to NHL readiness. With Calen Addison poised to make the jump to the NHL full-time next season, the Wild simply had one too many NHL defensemen. Considering Alex Goligoski just received an extension and Jonathon Merrill won’t be ready to start the season, Kulikov was the logical trade choice.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

August 31, 2022 at 3:36 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 5 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres have signed goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $837,500, the team announced via Twitter on Wednesday. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that the second year of the deal is one-way, when Luukkonen also becomes eligible for waivers.

Luukkonen split the 2021-22 season between the Sabres and their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, coming up to Buffalo when injuries decimated their goaltending depth this season. Luukkonen battled through some injuries himself, something that’s unfortunately becoming a common theme, but still managed to get into 35 games for Rochester last season. There, he compiled a 15-14-8 record, .900 save percentage, and one shutout.

Those numbers don’t seem that impressive — and they aren’t — but he did have a much better NHL showing, albeit in a brief amount of appearances. Luukkonen actually had a .917 save percentage mark in nine NHL games, recording his second and third career NHL wins in the process.

After the Sabres retained both Craig Anderson and Malcolm Subban while also signing free agent Eric Comrie, Luukkonen is destined for another year in Rochester in 2022-23. It’s not the worst place for him, though, as he needs to show more consistency and solid improvement in the AHL before he’s ready to get a real full-time look in the NHL. With this likely being the last season of Anderson’s NHL career, Luukkonen could very well be ready for that full-time NHL job in 2023-24 during the second season of this new contract.

New York Islanders Sign Calle Odelius

August 31, 2022 at 3:10 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 2 Comments

August 31: A month and a half after it was first reported, the Islanders officially announced the signing. The team also confirmed that Odelius will be loaned back to Djurgardens for the 2022-23 season.

July 15: The New York Islanders’ preferred way of doing business is typically to keep things quiet and only make public announcements when absolutely necessary. This can lead to their fans being in the dark on what they’re up to in the offseason, but thanks to the work of the folks at CapFriendly we have a bit more clarity on what the team is doing.

Earlier this month the work of CapFriendly and PuckPedia uncovered seven Islanders signings, and now we have another Islanders signing that hasn’t been officially announced yet: the team’s top 2022 draft pick, Calle Odelius, has signed his three-year entry-level deal, per CapFriendly.

Odelius, 18, was the Islanders’ top pick due to the team trading their 13th-overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Alexander Romanov.

Odelius was selected 65th overall and has played in Djurgardens IF’s organization for the past three seasons. This past year, Odelius spent most of the season playing for Djurgardens at the junior level, where he scored an impressive 30 points in 43 games. Odelius also got seven games with the main SHL Djurgardens squad, an impressive achievement for a player who turned 18 at the end of May.

Odelius isn’t a big defenseman standing at five-foot-eleven, 185 pounds, but he’s a strong skater and has real two-way ability and puck-moving upside. The Islanders don’t have many prospects with the potential to become a top-four blueliner in their system, a prospect pool that was ranked 31st in the NHL by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler at the beginning of the year. If things go right in Odelius’ development, he can become an impactful two-way transitional defenseman.

By signing him to this entry-level deal, Odelius will likely head to training camp with the team, get into some preseason games, and have a chance to make the Islanders team outright. That’s an unlikely outcome, though, and the most likely scenario is that Odelius is loaned back to Djurgardens where he will help them make a promotion push to get back to the SHL after being relegated to the second-tier Allsvenskan last season.

2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifth Overall Pick

August 31, 2022 at 2:07 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science, and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

The results of our redraft so far are as follows with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
2nd Overall: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings (2)
3rd Overall: Roman Josi, Atlanta Thrashers (38)
4th Overall: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues (4)

After some other defensemen received more votes than him in our first three polls, Alex Pietrangelo shot up the chart for fourth overall, presumably because of how well he worked out for the Blues in particular. While other teams may have decided to go with someone like John Carlson or Erik Karlsson, St. Louis likely isn’t complaining about their 2008 pick. Pietrangelo became team captain and led them to a Stanley Cup – basically exactly what you want when picking near the top of the draft.

To round out the top five, we move on to the Toronto Maple Leafs and their highest pick in nearly 30 years.

Stuck in the middle of what would be a long playoff drought and without a franchise icon to build around (long-time captain Mats Sundin was leaving town) the Maple Leafs decided to trade up in 2008 in search of their next superstar. It cost them two additional draft picks to move up two spots and at the time, general manager Cliff Fletcher noted that “the top four defensemen” were “special” and the team needed to get one of them.

While there were several special defensemen available – including a number that will be in the Hall of Fame one day – the Maple Leafs didn’t pick one of them.

Instead, they took Luke Schenn, the monstrous blueliner from the Kelowna Rockets. The uber-physical WHL defender was the kind of player that relied on his size and defensive ability at the junior level, stapling opponents against the boards whenever possible. It made for an impressive highlight reel but Schenn’s upside was limited even then, because of his lack of offensive ability.

In his draft year for Kelowna, he had just 28 points in 57 games, ranking well behind the younger Tyson Barrie, who would go in the third round a year later. The thought was that Schenn would be able to star as a pure shutdown defender, logging huge minutes on Toronto’s blueline for years to come.

It did seem to start out well, with Schenn heading right to the NHL a few months after being drafted and playing nearly 22 minutes a night with the rebuilding Maple Leafs. Some, in the years since, have suggested that thrusting him into a role like that may have limited his development but it’s not like Schenn was a true bust.

No, in fact, while he may never have lived up to that “special” billing that Fletcher put upon him, Schenn has still carved out an impressive career of 863 regular season games. At 32, he sits sixth among the 2008 class in games played, and he recently won the Stanley Cup two years in a row with the Tampa Bay Lightning, albeit in a limited role.

So while he may not have been the correct choice in hindsight, there is something to be said about how well Schenn has continued to find his place in an NHL that almost immediately following his draft went away from his type of defenseman. He probably didn’t deserve to go fifth, but there may still be 1,000 NHL games next to his name when it’s all said and done.

Who should take his place, in our hindsight draft? With the fifth pick of the 2008 NHL Draft, who will the Toronto Maple Leafs select? Cast your vote below.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Minor Transactions: 08/31/22

August 31, 2022 at 11:56 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

August has come and gone, as teams prepare for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Activities will start ramping up over the next few weeks and some new contracts might filter in as well. With minor league seasons on their way as well, we’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here.

Frank Hora, who spent most of last season with the Syracuse Crunch, is headed back to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where he played previously. The 26-year-old defenseman had seven points in 42 games with Syracuse and is still looking for his first AHL goal.
Josh Teves is headed overseas after spending last season with the Rochester Americans. The 27-year-old defenseman has signed a one-year contract with JYP in Finland, and has already arrived there to join the club. Teves sits with just one NHL game played in his career so far.
Brandon Saigeon, who was a fifth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2018, has signed a new ECHL contract with the Kalamazoo Wings. In 49 games last season for the Wheeling Nailers, he had 21 points.
Odeen Tufto is one of five players that have signed one-year AHL contracts with the Tucson Roadrunners, joining Noah Laaouan, Reece Vitelli, Kaid Oliver, and Tyler Parks. Tufto, 25, failed to receive a qualifying offer this summer from the Tampa Bay Lightning after his entry-level contract expired.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

London Knights Acquire Sam Dickinson

August 31, 2022 at 11:19 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

After Sam Dickinson made it clear that he wouldn’t be showing up to training camp for the Niagara IceDogs, there seemed to be two paths in front of him. The Chicago Steel, who had picked him late in the USHL draft, or the London Knights, who were rumored to be close to acquiring his rights.

It appears as though the latter is the path that Dickinson will choose, as the Knights have sent Niagara a package of seven draft picks for the young defenseman, who was the fourth-overall selection in this year’s OHL draft.

The IceDogs will receive:

2023 3rd (NBB)
2023 5th
2024 2nd
2025 2nd
2025 3rd
2026 2nd
2026 3rd

Mark Hunter, general manager of the Knights, released the following:

We are extremely excited to trade for player of Sam’s caliber. He has a complete 200-foot game and is a top end talent of size, skill, and grit. He’s the type of player you win with.

Having only turned 16 in June, Dickinson already stands 6’2″ 194 lbs and was the first defenseman selected in the OHL draft this year. Joining London will likely help his stock rise even more, as the program is well-known for being an NHL training ground, because of its financial dominance in the CHL and first-class facilities.

Whether that turns into a pick near the top of the 2024 NHL draft remains to be seen but Dickinson appears to have made his way to the program he wanted.

Latest On Evan Rodrigues

August 31, 2022 at 9:38 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 9 Comments

The free agent market is still filled with legitimate NHL talent, even as the calendar turns to September and players start arriving to begin group workouts. Training camp is starting soon, and some talent is still waiting to find out where they will be skating this season.

One of those players is Evan Rodrigues, who broke out by playing with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, scoring 19 goals and 43 points in 82 games. Those numbers would usually be more than enough for a player to land a healthy contract in the first few days of free agency but Rodrigues remains unsigned as August comes to a close.

While his name has been connected to several clubs over the last few weeks, including the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks, there are a number of teams in the mix. According to his agent Darren Ferris, who spoke with ESPN, “a good seven or eight” teams are having discussions with Rodrigues’ camp. Ferris went on to explain that while there appear to be a few good fits for his client, teams are dealing with difficult cap restraints and trying to move money out.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN suggests a reunion with the Penguins could be one of those fits, but after re-signing the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust, and Kasperi Kapanen (not to mention acquiring Jeff Petry) there isn’t much money left in Pittsburgh.

Rodrigues, 29, had never scored more than nine goals in a season previously, but still did show flashes of offensive upside in his early career with the Buffalo Sabres. The undrafted forward became a star at Boston University and is at least good enough to secure a deal somewhere in the NHL.

How expensive and for how long that deal will be remains to be seen but with dwindling cap space around the league, the forward may be better off taking a one-year deal in a good situation and trying again next summer.

Load More Posts

Headlines