Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for September 2022

Ottawa Senators Sign Derick Brassard, Michael Dal Colle To PTOs

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The momentum behind the Ottawa Senators continues, this time with two veteran forwards joining the group for training camp. General manager Pierre Dorion told reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that Derick Brassard and Michael Dal Colle will both be with the Senators in camp on professional tryouts.

Brassard, 34, is a familiar face for Ottawa fans, having played parts of two seasons with the team in the past. While his time there was relatively successful, many will remember him only as the piece that the Senators received for a young Mika Zibanejad from the New York Rangers in 2016. While Zibanejad is now a star, Brassard has bounced around, playing for seemingly every team in the league to this point.

After starting with the Columbus Blue Jackets and then going through New York and Ottawa, the veteran forward has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Edmonton Oilers. Last year saw him record 19 points in 46 games and now he is just searching for a place to play.

Dal Colle, meanwhile, is finally getting a chance with a different organization after spending his entire career to this point with the Islanders. The fifth-overall pick in 2014, he has played just 112 regular season NHL games to this point in his career and has just eight goals. Even his minor league totals haven’t been off-the-charts, though perhaps a fresh start will breathe life back into his career.

Still just 26, Dal Colle has never been able to use his size – 6’3″ – to his advantage, regularly acting like a small perimeter player instead of the power forward that some believed he could be. Now with a chance to showcase what he can do outside of the Islanders system, he’ll have to do more than he has to this point if he wants another NHL deal.

Snapshots: Allen, Tanev, Andrae, Guay

at CDT | by 2 Comments

It appears that the key sticking point in extension discussions between the Canadiens and goaltender Jake Allen revolve around term, Arpon Basu and Marc-Antoine Godin of The Athletic report (subscription link).  To this point, Montreal is only comfortable offering a two-year deal and it appears that Allen’s camp is looking for more.  The 32-year-old is entering the final season of his contract that carries a $2.875MM cap hit and should be able to land a bit more than that on an extension.  However, while the Canadiens appear to want Allen to be a bridge to whoever their goalie of the future will be (whether that player is currently in the organization or is brought in via trade or free agency), their preference is to use him only as a short-term bridge, not someone that will be around for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Flames defenseman Chris Tanev should be ready to participate in training camp after undergoing labrum surgery in May, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The estimated timeline for recovery was up to six months so it’s clear that the 32-year-old is progressing a little ahead of schedule.  Tanev has logged over 20 minutes a night on Calgary’s back end in a key shutdown role so even with him expected to get a clean bill of health during medicals next week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran have a limited role in the preseason to ensure he’ll be fully ready for opening night.
  • Flyers prospect defenseman Emil Andrae was taken to the hospital after taking a puck to the face in an SHL preseason game today, notes HockeyNews’ Mattias Ek in Sweden. The 20-year-old had a strong showing at the World Juniors and should have an opportunity for a big season with HV71 in 2022-23 before coming to North America.  His availability for Saturday’s regular season opener is in question.
  • The Golden Knights have signed Patrick Guay to a two-year AHL contract per an announcement from their farm team in Henderson. The 20-year-old was selected in the fifth round back in July (145th overall) after a 104-point season and was expected to return to the QMJHL where his rights were traded to Blainville-Boisbriand back in July.  Instead, Vegas will get a look at them in their system.  The two-year term coincides with how long they have to sign him to an NHL deal as he’ll have to sign by June 1, 2024 or Guay will become an unrestricted free agent.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes

at CDT | by Leave a 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.

Carolina Hurricanes

Current Cap Hit: $85,116,917 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Seth Jarvis (two years, $894K)

Potential Bonuses
Jarvis: $500K

Jarvis had a nice rookie season in 2021-22 with 40 points in 68 games, good for eighth in team scoring.  Three of the seven ahead of him have since moved on so there should be an opportunity for him to take on a bigger role in his sophomore year.  Notably, he barely achieved $100K of his bonuses last season so Carolina shouldn’t automatically expect him to hit the $500K this time around.  A sizable jump in production over the next couple of years could have him in line for a longer-term deal that bypasses a bridge contract; a deal like that could push into the $6MM range if he can get closer to the 60-point mark.

Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level

G Frederik Andersen ($4.5MM, UFA)
D Ethan Bear ($2.2MM, RFA)
D Dylan Coghlan ($762.5K, UFA)
F Jesper Fast ($2MM, UFA)
D Jake Gardiner ($4.05MM, UFA)
F Ondrej Kase ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Max Pacioretty ($7MM, UFA)
F Lane Pederson ($750K, RFA)
G Antti Raanta ($2MM, UFA)
F Jordan Staal ($6MM, UFA)
F Paul Stastny ($1.5MM, UFA)

Potential Bonuses
Stastny: $500K

Carolina acquired Pacioretty with the hopes he’d help replace some of the lost scoring from the departures of Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter.  Unfortunately for them, he then tore his Achilles in training and will miss most of the regular season.  He’ll be 34 when his next contract starts and missing this much time in 2022-23 doesn’t bode well for his next deal.  If he gets a multi-year agreement, it’ll be at a discount.  A one-year deal with some performance bonuses will also be an option since he’ll have missed enough time to qualify.  Staal is in the final season of his 10-year deal and while the captain is still a key defensive player, his production has fallen off lately.  He’ll be 35 on his next contract and could be a year-to-year player with bonuses while a two-year agreement could check in closer to the $3.75MM range.

Fast has fit in quite well with Carolina as a secondary scorer and even with a weakened market for wingers, he should be in line for at least a small raise on this price tag.  That said, it felt like he signed an under-market contract last time around.  Kase, when healthy, can be a capable top-six forward but staying healthy has proven to be difficult which has led to two straight non-tenders.  Even if he stays away from concussion trouble this coming season, his market shouldn’t improve by much.  Stastny took a little less to go to a contender with his bonuses only being payable if Carolina wins the Stanley Cup.  His market value is closer to the $3.5MM range if he was to prioritize salary on his next contract.  Pederson comes over from San Jose and should be a regular on the fourth line but should still check in under $1MM on his next contract.

Gardiner missed all of last season due to injuries and while he’s hoping to return this season, there’s still no guaranteed roster spot for him.  Carolina can waive him and free up $1.125MM in cap space while his market value next summer might be closer to the $1MM mark.  Bear was speculated to be a non-tender candidate after being a frequent scratch down the stretch but the Hurricanes will give him one more look.  If he’s still only able to hold down a spot on the third pairing, he won’t be in position to command much more than this.  Coghlan was the prize for Carolina absorbing Pacioretty’s contract and could push his way past the $1MM mark if he’s able to lock down a regular spot on the third pairing.

Andersen didn’t sign with the Hurricanes when they drafted him but 11 years later, he joined them in free agency on a short-term deal with the hopes of rebuilding some value.  One year in and it’s so far, so good.  He turned in a career year, finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting.  Even so, Carolina’s system is good at supressing shots so even a repeat performance isn’t going to drastically boost his value.  A small jump is achievable while he might be able to get an extra year or two as well.  Raanta had a nice bounce-back after a tough year in Arizona.  Frequent injuries are going to continue to limit the 33-year-old to a second-string role although he might be able to get closer to the $3MM mark next summer.

Signed Through 2023-24

F Sebastian Aho ($8.46MM, UFA)
D Jalen Chatfield ($762.5K, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Martin Necas ($3MM, RFA)
D Brett Pesce ($4..025MM, UFA)
D Brady Skjei ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM, UFA)

Aho’s contract, you may recall, came from an offer sheet from Montreal back in 2019, one that Carolina wasted little time matching.  He has blossomed into a star two-way center and because of the offer sheet, he has positioned himself to reach the open market before his age-27 season where a max-term, big-money offer certainly awaits.  $10MM or more is certainly attainable if he continues to hover around the point per game mark.

Teravainen has picked up 60 or more points in four of the last five seasons, making him a very reliable top-six winger.  His two-way game is also strong so even with wingers feeling the squeeze a bit in recent years, he should be an exception to that as he should be able to command something in the $7MM range.  Necas will begin his bridge deal with a chance to really lock down a full-time spot in the top six.  He has ranged between 36 and 41 points the last three years and will need to boost the high end of that if he wants to get significantly more than his $3.5MM qualifying offer in 2024.  Martinook has been a reliable checker on the fourth line over his tenure with the Hurricanes although this contract is an above-market one in terms of that role.  He’ll likely come in a bit lower on his next deal.

Skjei arguably had a career year in 2021-22 and has become a key part of Carolina’s top four on the back end.  He’ll be 30 when his contract is up and while he shouldn’t be able to command top-pair money, he should be in a position to add a million or so on his next deal while perhaps landing his second straight six-year agreement.  Pesce continues to be a high-end defensive defender that has chipped in with some quality secondary scoring.  Between that and the fact he’s a right-shot player, he could surpass the $6MM mark as well on his next contract, one that could be close to a max-term agreement if he makes it to the open market.

Signed Through 2024-25

D Brent Burns ($5.28MM, UFA)*
D Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM, UFA)

* – San Jose is retaining another $2.72MM on Burns’ deal

Slavin has always been a high-end defensive defender but last season, he found a way to contribute more offensively as well, setting career-highs in assists (38) and points (42), a scoring rate he maintained in the playoffs.  If he’s able to keep this up, he’ll be even more of a bargain while setting himself up for a big raise in 2025.  When it comes to Carolina’s defensemen, being on team-friendly deals is a common factor.  With the Sharks holding back so much of Burns’ deal, the same could be said for him as well.  Even at 37, he logged more than 26 minutes a game last season while recording 54 points.  If he can maintain that with Carolina, that’s number one production for number three money.  He’ll be 40 at the end of this deal and it will be interesting to see if he extends his career past this point.

Read more

Coyotes, Blue Jackets Sign Players To PTOs

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

7:52 PM: The Coyotes have confirmed Chiasson’s invitation while also noting that goaltender Christopher Gibson has also inked a PTO.  The 29-year-old spent last season with AHL Charlotte, posting a 2.80 GAA and a .907 SV% in 14 games.  Gibson has 16 career NHL appearances between the Islanders and Lightning.

5:33 PM: Per CapFriendly, the Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Alex Chiasson to a PTO, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Victor Rask and defenseman Ben Harpur to PTOs.

Chiasson, now 31, has a legit shot at not only getting a contract, but playing a top-nine role if things go well. With far more offensive upside than players currently slated to play top-nine roles in Arizona like Nick Ritchie and Christian Fischer, he could get a decent amount of playing time on the power play as well and provide solid value on a cheap contract for Arizona. Playing just 11:37 per game last season with the Vancouver Canucks, Chiasson scored 13 goals in 67 games, six of which came on the power play. He’s not exactly an impact player at both ends of the ice, but he’s been a solid depth scoring option now for multiple seasons. With Arizona simply needing more NHL players in their lineup, signing Chiasson should be a no-brainer.

The opposite is true for the Blue Jackets, who have a bit of a logjam at the bottom of both their forward and defense depth charts. Harpur would be a solid addition to the top-four in AHL Cleveland if he does get a deal, but Rask will have much more competition for a roster spot amongst Columbus’ young forwards. With players like Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, Kent Johnson, and others poised to be full-time NHLers next season, Rask will really need to have a strong camp in order to earn a deal (if he wants an NHL role, that is).

Roman Polak Retires, Joins Columbus As A Scout

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Long-time NHL defenseman Roman Polak has decided to call it a career but he will be sticking around the game as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Blue Jackets have hired him as a European scout.  Polak will replace Milan Tichy who has joined Edmonton’s scouting department.

The 36-year-old spent the last two seasons playing back home with Vitkovice of the Czech Extraliga where he was the team captain.  He had a limited role in 2021-22 and evidently decided that the time was right to hang up his skates rather than pursue another season on the ice.

Polak played in parts of 14 NHL seasons, spanning 806 career games between St. Louis, Toronto, San Jose, and Dallas.  His offensive numbers were quite limited – just 26 goals and 114 assists – but he was best known for playing a physical defensive game.  He had over 1,400 blocked shots and nearly 2,000 hits which helped him to earn seven contracts and over $24MM in his career before heading back overseas.  Now, he will begin his second NHL stint working under GM Jarmo Kekalainen, the then-scout who played a big role in him being drafted by St. Louis back in 2004.

New Jersey Devils Sign Zach Senyshyn To PTO

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The 2015 NHL Draft is one Boston Bruins fans would very much like to forget. Now, one of their three infamous first-round picks is joining his potential third NHL organization in a matter of months. Forward Zach Senyshyn today signed a PTO with the New Jersey Devils, the team announced.

Boston’s 15th overall pick in 2015, Senyshyn was a member of the Bruins organization up until the trade deadline this past season. He’s played just 16 NHL games, all spread out over the past four seasons, and has only one NHL goal and two assists. He hasn’t been consistently producing in the AHL, either, averaging under 0.50 points per game throughout his 250-plus game career in the minors, mostly with the Providence Bruins. Although he had finally broken out offensively in the minors over the past two seasons, he had just three points in 16 AHL games with the Belleville Senators after he was traded to the Ottawa organization in exchange for Josh Brown.

Needless to say, Senyshyn is attending Devils camp just for a shot at a contract within the organization, less so the NHL roster. Now 25, Senyshyn will need to have a strong enough camp to prove he can be a dependable top-nine contributor for their AHL affiliate in Utica.

Senyshyn joins veteran defenseman Thomas Hickey as players attending Devils camp on PTOs.

San Diego Gulls Hire Jeff Glass

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The long and winding road that was Jeff Glass’ playing career has finally come to an end. The veteran goaltender has been hired by the San Diego Gulls as the team’s goaltending coach, after previously serving in the role on a part-time basis.

Selected 89th overall in 2004, the 6’3″ netminder was a standout at the junior level, winning the CHL Goaltender of the Year award in 2005 and winning a World Junior gold medal by registering a .922 save percentage in five tournament games. His professional career started the following season, and it has been a wild ride ever since.

Things kicked off in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators, but Glass would end up playing most of that first season with the Charlotte Checkers, then an ECHL franchise. After a few more years with Binghamton, he would depart for his first international tour, joining Barys Astana of the KHL, a team located in Kazakhstan. Three years were spent there before Glass would start bouncing around the KHL, playing for Sibir Novosibirsk, Spartak Moscow, CSKA Moscow, Lada Togliatti, and Dinamo Minsk all in a four-year span.

In 2016 he returned to North America, first playing for the Toronto Marlies, and then joining the Rockford IceHogs. In early 2017, nearly a decade after his previous NHL contract expired, Glass signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to serve as an emergency depth option. In the 2017-18 season, he finally made his NHL debut at the age of 32, stopping 42 of 45 shots against the Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers and earning the win. At the time, he was the second-oldest goaltender since 1967 to win his NHL debut.

Fourteen more NHL appearances followed before he was back on the minor league rollercoaster. Glass would attend training camp with the Calgary Flames on a PTO, and play for the Marlies again before joining the Gulls in the 2018-19 season. He played for the Black Wings in the EBEL in 2019-20, and returned as a player-coach to San Diego afterward. Glass was in the net four times in 2020-21, the last season he appeared in a game.

Colton Point Signs AHL Contract

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The development of young goaltender Colton Point hasn’t gone to plan so far, and after going unqualified by the Dallas Stars this summer, he has now signed an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors.

Selected in the fifth round in 2016, Point would go on to star at Colgate University, winning a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors along the way and appearing to be a rising prospect in the Stars system. Unfortunately, the 6’5″ goaltender didn’t make a very smooth transition to professional hockey and to this point carries an .882 save percentage through 29 appearances in the AHL.

After spending most of last year in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads, it made sense when Point wasn’t issued a qualifying offer and became an unrestricted free agent. Still, adding a 24-year-old netminder on a minor league deal is a worthwhile gamble for an organization like the Edmonton Oilers, who have struggled to develop young netminders over the past several years. While a minor league contract does not officially make him a member of the Oilers, the team will have control of his development and usage while in the system.

Point, a finalist for the Hobey Baker in 2018 after posting a .944 save percentage as a sophomore, has a long road ahead of him if he is to ever get to the NHL.

Nashville Predators Hire Nathan Gerbe

at CDT | by 2 Comments

After missing all of last season following hip surgery, it appears as though Nathan Gerbe has decided to retire. The long-time NHL forward has been hired as a development coach by the Nashville Predators, who announced several hockey operations appointments today.

Gerbe takes the place of Sebastien Bordeleau, who has been promoted to skills coach, while Brett Carson and Ronda Engelhardt have been added as pro scouts.

Now 35, Gerbe had a special place in the hearts of many NHL fans, due to his extremely small stature relative to his competition. The 5’4″ forward was a fifth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2005 who certainly never let his size slow him down, reaching the NHL by the 2008-09 season after starring at Boston College.

In 435 career NHL games, Gerbe scored 63 goals and 151 points, reaching career marks of 16 and 31 on two different occasions. While smaller than his opponents, there was never any hesitance on his part, as he racked up nearly 400 hits in his NHL career and even had multiple fights. One of the most memorable moments of Gerbe’s physical play came in 2020, when he hit Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux and proceeded to drop the gloves with 6’3″ Travis Sanheim.

With Nashville, he will be responsible for evaluating prospects and “helping them with their maturation process into NHL players” by focusing on nutrition, condition, and practice habits. Gerbe, known for his fitness and never-ending work ethic, seems like a great choice for the position.

Snapshots: Hossa, Hammond, Virtanen

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks will be retiring the No. 81 in honor of Marian Hossa this season, with a ceremony set for November 20 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hossa was a huge part of three Stanley Cup championships for the Blackhawks and recorded 415 points in 534 regular season games with the club. He also has a history with the Penguins, having joined them at the end of the 2007-08 season for a Stanley Cup run that ended unsuccessfully against the Detroit Red Wings.

One of the most dominant two-way players of his generation, Hossa was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020 after a 19-year NHL career. He sits 59th all-time in points with 1,134, 61st in games played with 1,309, and received Selke Trophy votes in 13 different seasons, despite being a winger. Hossa is the eighth player in franchise history to receive this honor, following Glenn Hall, Pierre Pilote, Keith Magnuson, Bobby Hull, Denis Savard, Stan Mikita, and Tony Esposito.

  • It appears as though Andrew Hammond might not be attending Florida Panthers camp on a PTO after all, as he has been linked to HC Traktor in the KHL. The 34-year-old netminder actually played 11 games in the NHL last season – his first action at that level since 2017-18 – posting an .879 save percentage. In his career, Hammond holds a .916 save percentage mostly because of his incredible 20-1-2 record with the Ottawa Senators as a 26-year-old rookie in 2015.
  • Jake Virtanen may be returning to an NHL rink in the next few weeks, as Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now reports Edmonton or Calgary are likely PTO destinations for the free agent forward. That follows Ryan Rishaug of TSN’s tweet earlier this week suggesting that the Oilers were waiting on Virtanen’s decision after extending a tryout offer. Virtanen, who spent last season playing in the KHL, was found not guilty of sexual assault in July following his trial regarding an incident in 2017.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top