Archives for October 2022

Tyler Johnson Placed On Injured Reserve

October 27, 2022 at 11:19 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After suffering an ankle injury on Tuesday, Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson has been moved to injured reserve. While it might seem like placement on regular IR is encouraging for his timeline, that’s not necessarily the case. With the Blackhawks nowhere near the salary cap ceiling, there is no need to use long-term injured reserve. It is not clear how long Johson will be out.

It’s a tough blow for Johnson, who was experiencing something of a renaissance with Chicago this season after some down years. The versatile forward had six points through six games, including an assist against the Florida Panthers before exiting. Playing top-six minutes with powerplay time, the 32-year-old was setting himself up to have a nice bounce-back year.

With Johnson unavailable, Jujhar Khaira will move onto the second line with Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh and play the net front on the second powerplay unit according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The Blackhawks have been steadfast in keeping top prospects in the minor leagues to play with the Rockford IceHogs, and this injury likely won’t change that. For now, it appears as though they’ll go with 12 forwards on the roster, though that may change once they head out on the road.

Sean Couturier “Not Ready” To Continue Skating

October 27, 2022 at 10:15 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

While the word setback wasn’t used, it sure seems like that’s what John Tortorella suggested when speaking about Sean Couturier today. He told reporters including Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Couturier is “just not ready” to continue his rehab and has stopped skating for the time being. As Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly points out, the veteran forward recently said he was feeling good in his recovery while getting on the ice.

Couturier is not close to returning. Meanwhile, Cam Atkinson is “one frustrated young man,” who isn’t expected to be back anytime soon.

This will sound like the same old song and dance for Flyers fans who have lived in a world of injury setbacks and additional surgeries over the past few years. Ryan Ellis, last year’s offseason prize, played just three games for Philadelphia before ending up on the shelf, and then just one more before being shut down for the year. He hasn’t played at all this season.

Kevin Hayes underwent several surgeries to correct multiple issues and ended up playing in just 48 games. Even Nolan Patrick, the high draft pick that was supposed to help usher in a new era of Flyers hockey, could never get over his migraine and concussion issues to stay in the lineup on a consistent basis.

Couturier, arguably the team’s most important forward, only played 29 games last year. Despite his obvious injury concerns, the team signed him to an eight-year, $62MM contract extension in August 2021 – one that he is only just starting this season. The deal carries a cap hit of $7.75MM through 2029-30. Already 29, Couturier will turn 30 in December and now hasn’t played a full season in several years.

Hopefully, this setback only means that it will take him a little longer to return from his back injury. But with whispers in September of him missing the entire season because of the potential need for surgery, and now keeping him off the ice, there are bad vibes coming out of Philadelphia.

Ottawa Senators Extend Mark Kastelic

October 27, 2022 at 9:51 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Hard work pays off. That’s the lesson to be taken from today’s announcement by the Ottawa Senators that Mark Kastelic has signed a two-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $835K, paying the young forward $800K in 2023-24 and $870K in 2024-25. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released a statement:

Mark has worked tirelessly to earn all that has come his way since being a late round draft pick three years ago. He’s reliable, competitive, takes exceptional pride in his conditioning and routinely showcases a willingness to take on any challenge. He’s set a very good example for the young players and prospects throughout the organization.

Not only was he a late-round pick, selected 125th overall by the Senators in 2019, but it was in his third year of eligibility after going undrafted twice. The WHL tough guy just kept getting better as he worked harder and harder on the ice, to the point where NHL teams couldn’t overlook him anymore. His 47-goal, 122-point campaign with the Calgary Hitmen in 2018-19 landed him with Ottawa, and he would make quick work of the AHL.

Partway through last season Kastelic would come up to the Senators and make an impact right away, racking up hits and providing energy in the bottom six. He was winning draws, landing checks, and dropping the gloves, even chipping in a little bit of offense despite limited minutes. This year he’s a regular on the fourth line, and has already scored two goals in six games. It’s those faceoff numbers that are so impressive though, and why Kastelic could have a long career as a depth forward in the NHL.

He’s now won 37 of 52 draws this season for an incredible 71.2% win rate. That’s a weapon head coach D.J. Smith has relied on, despite not actually playing Kastelic very much. Even though he’s averaged just 8:23 of ice time so far, he actually leads the team in won faceoffs – and that’s on a team that doesn’t have a single centerman under 50%.

The offense that he brought in his junior days probably won’t ever come to the NHL, but at 23, Kastelic is a great story of how dedicated work can secure a spot. He’s found a niche and is excelling at it, leading to some financial security for the next two seasons.

Detroit Red Wings Recall Matt Luff

October 27, 2022 at 9:25 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings have brought an extra forward to join them on the road today in Boston, recalling Matt Luff from the AHL. The team is without Oskar Sundqvist for the moment as he deals with an upper-body injury.

Luff, 25, is off to a great start with the Grand Rapids Griffins, scoring seven points in his first five games this season. The undrafted forward has always been an excellent player at the minor league level and even had six points in 23 games with the Nashville Predators last year. In total, he has played 87 NHL games in his career, scoring 13 goals and 23 points.

It’s not clear if he will go into the lineup or not, but the Red Wings were using Jordan Oesterle as a forward in yesterday’s practice beside Pius Suter and Filip Zadina, according to Ansar Khan of MLive. That could be the spot for Luff to go into, adding some size and skill to the third line as Detroit tries to get back on track.

Now 3-1-2 on the year, that sole regulation loss came at the hands of the New Jersey Devils a couple of days ago. The team was thoroughly outplayed in that one, and will be trying to show why they should be considered a playoff contender in tonight’s matchup with an Atlantic Division rival.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars

October 26, 2022 at 9:01 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 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 for the 2022-23 season and beyond. 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.

Dallas Stars

Current Cap Hit: $82,358,333 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Ty Dellandrea (one year, $863K)
F Wyatt Johnston (three years, $894K)
D Nils Lundkvist (two years, $925K)
F Jacob Peterson (one year, $842.5K)

Potential Bonuses
Dellandrea: $537.5K
Lundkvist: $850K
Peterson: $82.5K
Total: $1.47MM

Johnston cracked the opening roster out of training camp and a decision on whether or not to burn the first year of his contract is fast approaching. So far, he has played well enough to stick around so his deal should stay on the books into next week when he passes the nine-game mark. Dellandrea is in a regular role this year after spending all of last season in the minors. He’s still a likely candidate to land a bridge deal and unless his production increases, he’s unlikely to hit his ‘A’ bonuses. Peterson, meanwhile, was a regular for most of last year but has hardly played this season which puts him in short-term bridge territory as well. His bonuses are games played-based and it’s unlikely he’ll max out on those.

Dallas paid a high price to land Lundkvist, sending a first-rounder in 2023 along with a 2025 conditional selection to land him from the Rangers. If he can lock down a regular role and be productive, he’s someone that could bypass a bridge deal while hitting some of his ‘A’ bonuses this season. That said, with some of the big-ticket contracts on the horizon, the Stars might have to go the bridge route with Lundkvist as well.

Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level

F Luke Glendening ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Denis Gurianov ($2.9MM, RFA)
D Joel Hanley ($750K, UFA)
F Roope Hintz ($3.15MM, RFA)
G Anton Khudobin ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Joel Kiviranta ($1.05MM, UFA)
F Joe Pavelski ($5.5MM, UFA)

Potential Bonuses
Pavelski: $500K

Pavelski surprisingly had a career year last season at the age of 37, allowing him to extend his stay with the Stars. He maxes out on the games played bonuses at 50 but adding those achievable incentives gives Dallas some flexibility to roll those over to next year if needed. As long as he continues to produce on their top line, he should have a strong market next July if he decides to test the open market. Hintz is one of the big-ticket contracts on the horizon. This is the final year of his bridge deal and he’ll be a year away from UFA eligibility at that time. Another 70-point performance should push that asking price past the $7MM mark if not higher.

Gurianov has been hit or miss throughout his career to the point where it looked like it would be questionable for him to be qualified at $2.9MM. They found a way to make it work this year but if he has another season like the last few, he’s a luxury they likely won’t be able to afford. He has already been scratched once this year which isn’t a good sign. Glendening continues to be an elite player at the faceoff dot which will once again generate some strong interest on the market. It won’t be at the highest of salaries – something in the $1.5MM range might be his ceiling – but he should have several suitors to choose from if he doesn’t re-sign. Kiviranta hasn’t been able to find his scoring form from the bubble that landed him this deal although he’s at least holding down a regular spot in the lineup. That could help land him a small raise next summer but nothing substantial.

Hanley has been an ideal seventh defender for Dallas in recent years, someone that can cover minutes where necessary even after long stretches in the press box and is willing to play for the minimum. They’ll need a seventh defender at that price tag moving forward and it very well could be him.

Khudobin is in the minors but still is on the books directly for more than $2.2MM. At this point, they’re hoping for an injury to pop up somewhere where they can offload most of the deal. Meanwhile, he’ll be 37 next season. A one-year deal around the $1MM range is about where his value would be right now.

Signed Through 2023-24

D Jani Hakanpaa ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Colin Miller ($1.85MM, UFA)
G Scott Wedgewood ($1MM, UFA)

Miller struggled the last four seasons but his two before that showed some legitimate offensive upside which helped him land this contract. But if he struggles to produce on his deal, he’s going to have a hard time landing more than this on his next deal; if anything, his value probably would go down in that situation. Hakanpaa has shown that he’s capable of logging a regular role while being one of the most prolific hitters in this league. He didn’t have much of a track record when he hit free agency in 2021 but he will this time around. If he keeps up this type of performance, he could add a million on his next deal in a contract that would be similar to Radko Gudas.

Wedgewood opted to not test free agency to get some long-desired stability. He has bounced around in recent years, often spending time as a third-stringer. If he can hold his own as a full-time backup, he could have a chance to double this price tag in 2024.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Jamie Benn ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Radek Faksa ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Esa Lindell ($5.8MM, UFA)
G Jake Oettinger ($4MM, RFA)
D Ryan Suter ($3.65MM, UFA)

Benn’s contract has been a negative-value one from the moment it was signed. He’s still a capable NHL player but he’s better off being on the third line in an ideal situation. The typical going rate for that role is about a third of this cost. A few years ago, Faksa looked to be on his way to being a quality two-way center but over the last couple of seasons, his scoring has fallen off completely. If he can get back to the 30-point mark routinely over the next few years, he could get another deal around this price point. Otherwise, his price tag will be coming down.

Lindell has been a fixture on the top pairing for several years now although his usage is down in the early going this season. That stretch aside, he’ll be 31 when this contract is up and if he gets back to being a 22-minute or more player that can chip in with some secondary scoring, he could land a small raise on a long-term (six or seven-year) deal. Suter surprised some by getting four years from the Stars last summer and while he’s logging 23 minutes a night now, that will drop by the end of the contract. If he decides to stick around after this pact, it’ll almost certainly be a one-year agreement.

Oettinger’s contract was one of the more intriguing RFA ones that were signed this summer. With barely one season’s worth of games under his belt and no arbitration rights, his contract was going to be somewhat of a market-setter. This bridge contract was the obvious outcome (especially with their cap situation) and it’s one that sets up Oettinger nicely. He’ll be owed a $4.8MM qualifying offer and will have arbitration rights at that time. If he remains the starter for this time (a very likely scenario) and the salary cap is starting to go up by then (also a very likely scenario), Oettinger should be in a position to command at least $7MM on a max-term agreement for his next contract.

Signed Through 2025-26 Or Longer

D Miro Heiskanen ($8.45MM through 2028-29)
F Mason Marchment ($4.5MM through 2025-26)
F Jason Robertson ($7.75MM through 2025-26, RFA)
F Tyler Seguin ($9.85MM through 2026-27)

Seguin’s deal is another one that looked bad the moment it was signed and it certainly hasn’t aged well. He can at least still hold down a spot on the second line which gives him a bit more short-term value than Benn although those last couple of years will certainly be burdensome. Robertson received a rare four-year bridge that sets him up well when he’ll be owed a $9.3MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights in 2026. A double-digit AAV should be within his grasp at that time as long as he remains a point-per-game top-liner. Marchment’s deal carries some risk with his limited track record although the early returns are promising. If he legitimately is a top-six power forward, he could land an extra million or so on his next deal as he’ll only be 31 when he returns to the open market.

Heiskanen bypassed the bridge deal with this contract which briefly was the richest handed to a defender coming off his entry-level pact in NHL history. (That has since been passed by Cale Makar and Adam Fox.) It’s a contract that gives Dallas a legitimate top defender at a rate that’s below what the highest-paid blueliners are getting now but it also positions Heiskanen to hit the open market at the age of 30 where he could still command a max-term agreement, potentially in the $10MM range if all goes well.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: Hintz
Worst Value: Benn

Looking Ahead

As long as Dallas doesn’t have too many injuries, they’ll be okay from a cap perspective. They won’t bank much space but they can avoid being in LTIR which would give them a chance to absorb some bonuses on this year’s cap instead of next season. However, a couple of short-term injuries could have them icing a lineup that’s missing a player to get the short-term cap-exempt recall. They’re hardly the only team in that situation though.

Looking ahead, Hintz will be the top priority for GM Jim Nill and could go a long way in determining if they can afford Pavelski for another season so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them push to get that done sooner than later. With over $62MM committed already though, it’d be a tight fit.

There’s enough secondary money coming off the books over the next couple of seasons to give them at least a bit of flexibility but a lot of that money will be earmarked for raises for Oettinger and Robertson when their deals expire. Dallas doesn’t have the cleanest cap situation in the league by any stretch but it’s at least manageable over the next few years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Updates: Jets, Kravtsov, Subban

October 26, 2022 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

After sustaining an injury when blocking a shot against St. Louis on Monday, Jets defenseman Logan Stanley did not participate in practice today, notes Joshua Frey-Sam of the Winnipeg Free Press. However, he is accompanying the team on their three-game road trip which bodes well for his availability at some point over that three-game stretch.

Meanwhile, Frey-Sam adds that blueliner Dylan Samberg was a full participant in practice as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old has suited up just once this season as he looks to lock down a full-time spot in the lineup over returning to the minors. With Stanley’s availability in question for tomorrow against Los Angeles, Samberg could have a chance to get back into Winnipeg’s lineup for at least a game.

Other injury news from around the hockey world:

When the Rangers recalled winger Julien Gauthier earlier today, it was expected that he’d take the place of either Mika Zibanejad or Vitali Kravtsov who were banged up last night against Colorado. It turns out that he’s taking the case of the latter as Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that the winger has been listed as day-to-day with what’s believed to be an upper-body injury. Kravtsov has had a very quiet return to the NHL so far having only played in three games while logging just under eight minutes per game. He’s waiver-eligible now so they will likely be patient with him to give him a chance to play himself into a regular role once he’s cleared to return.
Sabres goaltender Malcolm Subban has had some rough injury luck lately. After suffering a season-ending wrist injury back in January, he re-signed in Buffalo only to suffer an injury in his first preseason game with AHL Rochester earlier this month. However, the 28-year-old is a couple of weeks away from being cleared to return, mentions Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Buffalo’s preference is to have prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen play heavy minutes in the minors so Subban’s eventual return will give them some insurance on that front as he’d be the one to be called up if one of Craig Anderson or Eric Comrie gets injured.

Pacific Notes: Hoglander, Nutivaara, Holloway

October 26, 2022 at 6:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Canucks have received some interest in winger Nils Hoglander including from the Hurricanes in possible trade talks for Ethan Bear, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link). However, Vancouver is making it known that they have no desire to part with the 21-year-old. Hoglander is off to a slow start this season with just one assist in five games, continuing his trend from last season where his production and role decreased. It’s understandable that teams are seeing him as a possible buy-low candidate but Vancouver certainly isn’t in a position to trade a cost-controllable young player unless they’re getting a similarly-priced young asset back. While they like Bear, he’s not in that price range at $2.2MM. Dhaliwal notes that he’s heard that Carolina is making some progress on moving the blueliner so if it’s not going to be Hoglander, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin will need to find another option that Carolina likes if they want to land him.

Snapshots: Marchand, Wiesblatt, Marlies

October 26, 2022 at 5:37 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

There was plenty of excitement around the Boston Bruins when Brad Marchand took reps on the first line and powerplay this morning, even leading the team stretch. But the star winger isn’t going to be coming back just yet.

The Bruins will still play it a little slow with Marchand, and while he is ahead of schedule, isn’t getting into the lineup just yet. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that the Bruins expect Marchand to play before Thanksgiving, his original timeline.

NHL fans may remember a touching moment at the 2020 draft when the San Jose Sharks revealed their selection of Ozzy Wiesblatt with a bit of sign language so that his mother – who is deaf – could be in on the announcement. Now, after two additional seasons in the WHL Wiesblatt will be starting his professional hockey journey with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL. He was assigned there today.
While the focus for the Toronto Maple Leafs the last couple of days has been on the health of Jake Muzzin, who was placed on long-term injured reserve, two other defensemen are getting closer to a return. Timothy Liljegren and Jordie Benn were both loaned to the Toronto Marlies on conditioning stints. Mikhail Abramov who started the year on season-opening injured reserve was also assigned to the AHL club.

Dallas Stars Recall Matej Blumel; Assign Jacob Peterson

October 26, 2022 at 4:51 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Dallas Stars had one more chance to send Jacob Peterson to the minor leagues before he would need to pass waivers, so they took it. The team has assigned Peterson to the AHL’s Texas Stars and recalled Matej Blumel, who is off to an outstanding start in North America. Had Peterson played one more NHL game, he would have been waiver-eligible.

Blumel, 22, was an Edmonton Oilers fourth-round draft pick in 2019 but failed to sign with the team before his exclusive rights expired. That made him an unrestricted free agent and he decided to come to North America following two excellent seasons in Czechia. Through five games with Texas he has been one of the best players in the AHL, scoring five goals and eight points.

He’ll now get a chance to join a Stars team looking for some consistency out of the lower part of their lineup. Denis Gurianov was made a healthy scratch recently but several Dallas players haven’t been able to find a groove. Gurianov, Jamie Benn, Ty Dellandrea, Joel Kiviranta, Luke Glendening, and Radek Faksa have combined for just three goals on the year, putting a lot of pressure on the top six to carry the load. While Blumel may not immediately change things, a shakeup certainly can’t hurt.

Peterson could have potentially been that answer himself, given he scored 12 goals in limited minutes last season and had only played once so far, but this may be more about protecting the asset than anything else. There will be a time that he gets back into the lineup but for now, the Stars have made the switch, giving him a chance to stay fresh in the minor leagues before his waiver status kicks in.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall David Jiricek

October 26, 2022 at 4:26 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Another top pick from the 2022 draft is about to get his chance at the NHL level. The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled David Jiricek from the minor leagues, after Adam Boqvist was moved to injured reserve. Boqvist suffered a broken foot in last night’s game and will miss six weeks.

Jiricek, 18, was the sixth-overall pick this summer, and has quickly shown that he may be ready for a level higher than the AHL. In five games with the Cleveland Monsters, the 6’3″ defenseman has four assists and has registered 12 shots on goal. Known for his size, reach, and blistering slapshot, the Czech defender already does have plenty of experience at the professional level.

He made his debut in the Czech league in 2020 and played two full seasons for Plzen HC before being selected by the Blue Jackets. He also played for Czechia at the World Championship earlier this year, helping his country to a bronze medal in a tournament filled with NHL talent.

While that offensive production from the AHL may not immediately follow him to the Blue Jackets, Jiricek’s future is extremely bright. He is a natural defender who is rarely out of position, already has enough strength to play against opponents much older than him, and can show a mean streak that can be intimidating in front of his own net.

Quite different from the player who he is replacing, it’s not clear exactly what kind of role Jiricek will get in Columbus. Boqvist, 22, is known best for his ability to jump into the rush (or start it himself) and was quarterbacking the team’s second powerplay unit. His playing time at even strength had actually been the second-lowest among Columbus defenders this year, meaning there won’t be a ton of minutes to carve up, especially if the powerplay time goes to someone else.

Like other teenagers, it is also important to remember the entry-level contract rules for Jiricek. He will not burn the first year of his deal until he plays in his tenth game, meaning this could be a short-term tryout to see if he can hack it in the NHL. That said, if he shows he is ready, there will be some interesting decisions to be made when Boqvist is healthy again.

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