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Teuvo Teräväinen Will Play Game 1

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Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teräväinen is set to return to the lineup in tonight’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. This is Teräväinen’s first game in nearly a month after breaking his hand in Carolina’s First Round win against the New York Islanders.

Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff said this morning Teräväinen was taking line rushes in practice alongside Jordan Staal and Martin Necas, bumping 23-year-old Jack Drury back down to a fourth-line role.

Teräväinen didn’t have the most productive season in 2022-23, but he’s still a very important part of a Hurricanes squad looking to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. In last year’s playoffs, Teräväinen scored 11 points in 14 games.

He’d gone without a point in two games against the Islanders, but now with some time off and a bit of a restart, look for Teräväinen to help rejuvenate the offensive game of Necas, who’s near the middle of the pack in team scoring with six points in 11 games.

It’s a needed boost against a Panthers team with an extremely balanced attack, receiving consistent production from their top three lines. Carolina’s managed to do the same with some unlikely players, but the past consistency of Teräväinen is still a major fortification to the Hurricanes’ forward corps.

Latest On Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier

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New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has achieved a crucial step in a long rebuilding process: a return to relevancy and a promising postseason showing. Now, he has to keep them there.

Considering the Devils have 13 expiring contracts on their NHL roster (not including injured goalie Jonathan Bernier), this offseason isn’t just about staying the course for Fitzgerald and the Devils. The signings he makes this summer will largely dictate what the team’s future holds as their spending, and eventually, the salary cap, increases.

There are no priority items this offseason larger for Fitzgerald than the team’s most coveted restricted free agents: Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. Speaking to reporters, including The Fourth Period’s James Nichols, at the Devils’ locker clean-out day yesterday, Fitzgerald offered updates on the status of Bratt’s and Meier’s pending extensions.

In regards to Bratt, Fitzgerald gave an expansive answer:

We paused the (extension) talks prior to the playoffs, which I think was the right thing to do. There was there’s definitely progression. For sure. There’s definitely a framework of a deal to be done long term if Jesper wants that. Jesper knows exactly what that framework looks like. I know Jesper wants to be a Devil long-term and so do we. He had a tremendous year. Nobody doubted he wouldn’t. He’s part of the fabric here, part of the core. We want to get this done. I don’t anticipate contentious negotiation. I think his agent knows where we’re at. So we’ll probably put the ball back in his court and we’ll touch base here soon. I haven’t yet. Like I said earlier, this Game 5 loss is still fresh.”

Coming off back-to-back 70-point seasons, contract talks surrounding the 24-year-old Bratt are much more positive than this time last season. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights for the second straight summer, eventually signing a one-year, $5.45MM deal in August 2022 after an arbitration filing.

His next cap hit is likely to come in well north of that and could easily hover near the $8MM mark on a long-term deal, which both Fitzgerald and Bratt allude to as a possibility. Regardless of the final cap hit, it doesn’t appear the Devils and Bratt are likely to hit many snags in the road on their way toward an extension.

The vibes are different around a potential commitment for Meier, who wasn’t as effective as the team hoped after acquiring him late in the season from the San Jose Sharks. The intrigue is still there – it’s not often you have a free agent with three 30-goal seasons under his belt still under team control. But the 26-year-old will undoubtedly be looking for a hefty commitment, especially after posting near point-per-game numbers over the past two seasons on a struggling Sharks squad.

Fitzgerald said contract talks with Meier haven’t begun in earnest yet but plans to touch base with Meier’s agent, Claude Lemieux, about an extension after the team wraps up its pre-draft scouting meetings this week.

New Jersey will likely prioritize getting the framework for an extension finalized with Meier as soon as possible. If it comes to a worst-case scenario, Meier is due a qualifying offer of $10MM on a one-year contract, which would both dig into New Jersey’s cap space next season and walk him right to unrestricted free agency in 2024.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Anaheim’s Coaching Search

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The Ducks have had a head coaching vacancy since the start of the offseason when it was revealed that Dallas Eakins wouldn’t be back after spending four years with the team.  GM Pat Verbeek is known to be casting a wide net as he looks to make his first NHL head coaching hire but there haven’t been many names connected to them thus far.  However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette, Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery, and Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci are under consideration for the spot.

Brunette is the only one of the three with head coach experience at the NHL level after being at the helm of the Panthers for most of the 2021-22 campaign.  However, he wasn’t offered the full-time role (which instead went to Paul Maurice) and eventually landed on Lindy Ruff’s bench.  It would have been understandable to think that Brunette was added with an eye on replacing Ruff but with the veteran working on an extension to stay with New Jersey, it’s possible that Brunette could be on the move.  It would be a different situation for Brunette moving from a playoff team to one that’s squarely in a rebuild but the teams he has been with the last couple of years being strong ones offensively, that could be particularly appealing on a team with a lot of young talent up front.

Carbery has been viewed as a coach on the rise in recent years and after spending three years running the bench with AHL Hershey, he joined Toronto as an assistant in 2021.  He has played an important role in coaching their power play, a group that has had considerable success lately, producing at a 26% clip this season, a small tick down from the 27.3% from the year before.  Carbery is also known to be under consideration for the head coaching vacancy in Washington and if Toronto decides to make a change behind the bench following their exit against Florida, he’ll quite likely have a chance to get that role as well.

As for Vellucci, he has experience both behind the bench and in the front office having worked in various roles with Carolina for several years before spending a season as coach and GM with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2019-20 before joining Mike Sullivan’s staff as an assistant in 2020.  Vellucci also has a long history at the major junior level, spending more than a decade as the coach and GM with OHL Plymouth.  With the Ducks transitioning to a younger group, someone with plenty of experience coaching younger players could certainly be beneficial to Anaheim.

When Verbeek announced that Eakins wouldn’t be returning, he wouldn’t commit to any sort of timeline for when he’d hire his replacement but indicated he hoped he’d have his new bench boss in place by the draft.  Considering the draft ends just two days before free agency opens up, it would make a lot of sense to have Eakins’ replacement in place before that time so Verbeek has roughly six more weeks to find Anaheim’s next head coach.

Kings Making Progress On Vladislav Gavrikov Contract

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The Kings made a pair of additions just before the trade deadline this season, picking up goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in a trade with Columbus.  While both players are set to have their current contracts expire at the end of June, it appears at least one of them could stick around beyond that point.  Michael Russo and Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic report (subscription link) that there’s a belief that Los Angeles is closing in on an extension with Gavrikov.

The 27-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, picking up a career-best 33 points in 80 games while topping the century mark in shots on goal, hits, and blocks for the first time.  Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, Gavrikov wasn’t able to maintain that level of production this season, dipping to just three goals and seven helpers in 52 games prior to the trade despite averaging 22:20 per game, slightly over his average from last season.

However, Gavrikov’s performance improved considerably following the swap.  He spent a lot of time on the second pairing and the slightly lesser role seemed to work well for him, at least offensively, as he collected three goals and six helpers in 20 regular season games with Los Angeles.  He logged nearly 22 minutes per night for them in the playoffs in their opening-round exit to Edmonton.

Gavrikov is coming off what could fairly be termed as his bridge contract, even though it’s one that walks him straight to UFA eligibility.  His cap hit over the last three seasons has been $2.8MM while his salary this year was $4.2MM.  It stands to reason that his salary this season could serve as a starting point for negotiations, especially if they’re trying to convince him to forego testing the open market in July.

If the two sides are able to agree on a deal, it could be the beginning of an interesting offseason for Kings blueliners.  With Brandt Clarke likely to be on the roster full-time next season after dominating with OHL Barrie following his reassignment after the World Juniors and Tobias Bjornfot now waiver-eligible, there’s likely to be a bit of a logjam.  There are already five other rearguards signed for next season not including Gavrikov plus promising defenseman Jordan Spence also waiting in the wings after spending most of the year at AHL Ontario.

Cap space is going to be a bit of a premium for Los Angeles next season as they currently have nearly $76MM in commitments for 2023-24, per CapFriendly.  With the Upper Limit likely to be at $83.5MM, spending more than half that money to keep Gavrikov would only tighten things further.  However, if keeping him would allow them to move someone like Sean Walker or Sean Durzi, they’d be able to use the savings from that swap to help subsidize Gavrikov’s new deal.

Both Korpisalo and Gavrikov played big roles for the Kings down the stretch and it’s quite possible that they’re going to take a serious run at keeping both of them around.  But it appears that Gavrikov is their priority and it might not be long now before he puts pen to paper on a new contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Sullivan, Lomberg, Hainsey, Martinsen Lilleberg

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There has been some speculation recently that a possible chain reaction of hirings could eventually result in Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan being let go and moving behind the bench for the Rangers.  However, the bench boss poured cold water on that idea, telling Mollie Walker of the New York Post that he is “here for the long haul” with Pittsburgh.  Sullivan has four years left on his contract with Pittsburgh and is expected to have some sort of say in who the team brings in to fill out their front office after dismissing GM Ron Hextall and Brian Burke at the end of the regular season.  Accordingly, it stands to reason that he’ll be behind the bench when the puck drops on the 2023-24 campaign in October.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Panthers winger Ryan Lomberg was a full participant at practice today, notes George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 28-year-old suffered an upper-body injury partway through the first round against Boston and missed the entire second round versus Toronto.  Head coach Paul Maurice indicated after practice today that his full team is available for the series opener tomorrow in Carolina so it appears that Lomberg will be back after missing the last eight games.
  • Ron Hainsey is moving up the ranks at the NHLPA as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli relays (Twitter link) that the long-time NHL blueliner is now their Assistant Executive Director. Hainsey, who played 17 seasons in the league with eight different teams, played a significant role in the search new Executive Director Marty Walsh and he has been rewarded for those efforts with a promotion.
  • Coyotes prospect Emil Martinsen Lilleberg is on the move as Vaxjo of the SHL announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year contract. The 22-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Coyotes (107th overall) back in 2021 and had three goals and eight assists in 46 games with IK Oskarshamn and is currently playing in his third straight World Championship with Norway.  Drafted as a 20-year-old, Arizona only has Martinsen Lilleberg’s draft rights until June 1st so it appears that they will not be signing him based on this new agreement in Sweden.

Offseason Checklist: Ottawa Senators

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The offseason has arrived for all but the four teams that still have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup.  It’s time to examine what those eliminated squads will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Ottawa.

Expectations were high for the Senators this season.  After acquiring Alex DeBrincat at the draft and signing Claude Giroux in free agency, a developing forward group got a lot more dangerous.  They added a capable veteran goalie in Cam Talbot as well.  The hope was those moves would help propel them into the playoffs.  Instead, the team struggled considerably early on while dealing with some untimely injuries to key players.  Even after making another big acquisition at the trade deadline in Jakob Chychrun, they ultimately came up short once again, extending their drought to six straight seasons.  While they’re heading in the right direction, Ottawa still has some work to do this summer.

Resolve Ownership Situation

First and foremost, this team needs to get its new owner in place.  Binding bids including a deposit were due to be submitted on Monday, bringing the process one step closer to a resolution.  From there, the winning bidder, likely following another round of negotiations, has to be approved by the Board of Governors and lock in their financing before the purchase can be finalized.

Why does this matter from an on-ice perspective?  It remains to be seen if the new ownership group will want to continue with Pierre Dorion as GM or bring someone else in.  That uncertainty then carries over to D.J. Smith and the rest of the coaching staff; would a new owner and possibly new GM want to clean house?  The sooner the new owner is in place, the better from an organizational certainty standpoint.

Deal With DeBrincat

When the Senators picked up DeBrincat a year ago, they thought they would be getting a quality top-line scorer.  While he didn’t have a poor season, he didn’t exactly live up to expectations either.  After picking up 41 goals in his final season with Chicago, that output dipped to 27 in 2022-23 although he set a career-high in assists with 39 to help him finish fourth on the team in scoring.  That’s not terrible output by any stretch but it would be fair to suggest that they were expecting more from him.

DeBrincat is set to become a restricted free agent this summer for the final time as he’s one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency.  He’ll also have salary arbitration eligibility.  On top of that, he’s subject to the old qualifying offer rule which is the base salary of the final year of his contract.  While his cap hit the last three years was $6.4MM, his salary this season was $9MM.  That means the Senators must tender him a $9MM qualifying offer, something that Dorion has already they will do if it comes to that point.

So, will it get to that point?  That’s the big question.  Does DeBrincat want to do a long-term deal with Ottawa?  Those are discussions that Dorion will need to have with his representation now to be ready to pivot, if necessary.  If the 25-year-old appears to be leaning toward a one-year deal to hit the open market, it’s quite possible that the Senators will turn around and look to move him.  That’s a move that’s a lot easier to make before the draft in late June while allowing the acquiring team to have time to negotiate a long-term agreement before the qualifying offer comes into play.

If DeBrincat opts to re-sign, there’s a good chance that a one-year deal would simply be him accepting the qualifying offer.  While Ottawa could opt to take him to arbitration, a move that could allow their offer to come in at 85% of the qualifier ($7.65MM), such a move would be antagonistic toward longer-term discussions so they might not want to go that route.  Similarly, if DeBrincat is qualified, there isn’t much of a chance for him to land considerably more than $9MM in an arbitration hearing, lessening the chances of him opting to go that way either.

Meanwhile, a long-term agreement is also likely to come in close to the $9MM mark.  Ottawa’s highest-paid player next season is Tim Stutzle who has an AAV of $8.35MM.  The Sens would certainly like to get DeBrincat in below that mark but it will probably take more than that to get him to agree.  Regardless of which route both sides wind up going, getting this resolved sooner than later needs to be a priority.

Sign A Goalie

When Dorion moved then-unproven prospect Filip Gustavsson to Minnesota for Talbot last offseason, they were hoping that he and Anton Forsberg would form a steady tandem between the pipes.  Instead, Talbot battled injuries throughout the year while Forsberg took a significant step back from his 2021-22 performance.  While Forsberg is still under contract for two more seasons at a $2.75MM AAV, Talbot is a pending unrestricted free agent and has already been told that he won’t be back.  That means there’s a spot to fill in the crease.

Internally, Mads Sogaard is still viewed as Ottawa’s goaltender of the future.  However, the 21-year-old has just 64 career appearances at the AHL level and still has two years of waiver exemption remaining.  While some young goalies can step in full-time in the NHL at that age, teams generally like to slow-play their netminders, allowing them to get frequent starts in the minors.  It would make sense for the Senators to take that approach with Sogaard so penciling him in as Forsberg’s tandem mate shouldn’t be the top plan.

Instead, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dorion look to find another Talbot-like netminder, one that he can sign for a year or two at a price point similar to Forsberg’s.  That would up the floor in terms of production while allowing Sogaard the development time that he could still benefit from.  It’s not a great UFA market for goaltenders but there are several second-stringers that should be available to choose from as things stand.  It wouldn’t be shocking to see them kick the tires on the trade market as well but as long as they feel that Sogaard is their guy in the next couple of years, it’s hard to imagine they’d pay a high price to trade for someone to cover between now and then.

Rebuild The Bottom Six

With Ottawa missing the playoffs despite their upgrades up front, one might think that they had a lack of production from their top players.  But they did have six forwards notch 20 goals while their top five forwards all had at least 62 points.  Not many other teams can say that.  However, they were in the bottom half of the league for goals scored.

The reason for that?  They simply didn’t get much scoring from their bottom six with the exception of Shane Pinto (who was often pressed into top-six duty) or Derick Brassard, who’s a pending UFA.  Mathieu Joseph didn’t score a single goal at even strength all season long, not the type of production they wanted from someone making nearly $3MM.  Parker Kelly was an effective penalty killer but scored one goal in 55 games.  Austin Watson and Dylan Gambrell had just 11 points apiece.  This is one area that can reasonably be improved.

The good news for Dorion is that there are some open roster spots to work with.  Joseph, Kastelic, and Kelly are signed while Pinto will be a restricted free agent.  From there, however, there are openings to fill with Watson, Gambrell, and deadline acquisition Patrick Brown all set to hit the open market while Julien Gauthier, another late-season add, is a restricted free agent but whose arbitration eligibility makes him a non-tender candidate.

Prospect Ridly Greig could fill one of those spots which would certainly give them a boost offensively although he could benefit from more time with AHL Belleville as well.  Recent signing Jiri Smejkal could be in the mix as well but might be it for internal options at this point.  That will leave at least a couple of spots for players currently outside the organization to try to make their mark.  There are often value contracts available for bottom-six forwards closer to training camp so this might be something that the Sens opt to slow-play.

Defensive Decisions

Dorion is going to be busy with his defense as well.  Jake Sanderson will be eligible for a contract extension in July and given that Ottawa has typically moved to sign their core pieces a year early where possible (Brady Tkachuk being the exception), it’s reasonable to think that they’ll do so here.  However, it could be difficult since he has just one NHL year under his belt.  It also remains to be seen if they’ll be able to afford another big-ticket deal on the books.  At a minimum, expect the team to initiate discussions on that front even if those talks don’t lead to the 20-year-old putting pen to paper on a deal.

Meanwhile, decisions need to be made regarding three other young rearguards.  Erik Brannstrom is once again a restricted free agent and this time, he’ll have arbitration eligibility.  When Vegas drafted him, the 23-year-old was regarded as a future offensive threat.  That could still happen but Brannstrom has just four goals in 190 career NHL appearances so far.  Is he still part of their future?

The answer to that question might be dependent on the answer to this next one.  Are Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson ready for full-time roster spots next season?  Both players were at least somewhat highly-touted prospects themselves but have yet to establish themselves at the NHL level.  However, they’re both eligible for waivers next season.  Are the Sens ready to pencil each of them onto the roster?  It’s unlikely they’ll make it back to Belleville so if they’re not comfortable with them being up full-time, one or both of those prospects could become trade candidates.

There’s a further domino effect as well that pertains to Travis Hamonic.  The pending unrestricted free agent has expressed a desire to return but what happens with the three youngsters will dictate whether that’s doable, assuming the two sides can also agree on what type of a dip in pay he’ll likely be heading for after making $3MM the last two seasons.  With free agency roughly six weeks away, they’ll need to make calls on these players fairly soon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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With the second round of the NHL playoffs set to conclude tonight, more and more fanbases are re-focusing onto their team’s offseason work, while a lucky four markets will have the chance to see their teams remain in contention for a Stanley Cup.

Keeping that in mind, it’s time for another edition of the #PHRMailbag as many teams’ trajectories have either become a bit clearer with the second round behind us, or, in some markets, far murkier after another playoff disappointment.

Our last mailbag featured topics such as the upcoming Vegas Golden Knights offseason, second-line center options for the Detroit Red Wings, offseason offer-sheet possibilities, the futures of Alexis Lafreniere and Jeremy Swayman, and more.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below.

Latest On Columbus Blue Jackets Coaching Search

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After firing head coach Brad Larsen last month, the Columbus Blue Jackets have embarked on an intensive search for a new head coach and goaltending coach, also needing to replace Manny Legace, whose contract was not renewed by the team. Things seem to be heating up in said search, as general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said today the interview process will continue throughout the week, with no immediate assumption of finalizing hires before Kekalainen’s departure for the IIHF Men’s World Championship on Sunday. His quote comes after reporting last weekend indicated Kekalainen wanted to have the hire finalized before then.

The Blue Jackets have a meticulous approach in mind, though, and Kekalainen told reporters today the hiring decisions might be delayed until after his return following the conclusion of the medal round on May 28. Yesterday, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun disclosed reporting on who those hires might be.

Per LeBrun, at least three individuals have already been interviewed for the vacant coaching positions, including current associate coach Pascal Vincent, whom Kekalainen said the team was considering last week. The others are the experienced but extremely controversial Mike Babcock, who has previously coached the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Peter Laviolette, whose resume spanning five different clubs needs no introduction, including his most recent stint with the Washington Capitals, has also been interviewed, said LeBrun.

After an internal hire that didn’t pan out as they hoped with Larsen, it makes sense the Blue Jackets are swinging toward the opposite end of the spectrum in this round of coaching searches while still doing their due diligence on people familiar with the organization.

If Babcock is hired, the choice would immediately receive a fair amount of scrutiny from fans and media alike. Since he was fired by the Maple Leafs in late 2019, multiple revelations surrounding current and former NHL players alike have come forward about Babcock creating toxic playing environments, including Red Wings legends Chris Chelios and Johan Franzén and current Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.

Laviolette, on the other hand, maintains a solid reputation league-wide after decades’ worth of service and also boasts multiple Stanley Cup Final appearances on his résumé (2006, 2010, 2017).

Evan Vierling Signs AHL Contract With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

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The AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have made an intriguing add, signing former New York Rangers prospect Evan Vierling to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. Vierling joins Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as one of the most highly sought-after free agents entering the pro ranks from juniors this offseason.

In his final season in the OHL with the Barrie Colts in 2022-23, Vierling demonstrated the offensive prowess the Rangers had envisioned in him when they selected him 127th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He led the Colts with 60 assists and 95 points, and his 35 goals ranked second on the team behind San Jose Sharks prospect Ethan Cardwell. Vierling also led Colts forwards in playoff scoring, tallying 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in seven games.

Born in Aurora, Ontario, Vierling also received the esteemed William Hanley Trophy this season, awarded to the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player. He became the first player from the Barrie Colts to receive the award in its 48-year history.

The Rangers allowed his rights to expire last June by not extending him an entry-level contract. After registering just over a point per game in his draft year, split between Barrie and the Flint Firebirds, COVID stripped Vierling of a crucial development season in 2020-21, and his offensive pace took a step back the following season.

Nevertheless, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and, likely by extension, their NHL affiliate Pittsburgh Penguins, see remaining potential in Vierling’s abilities after a bounce-back season in juniors. A relatively well-rounded player, Vierling’s focus now turns toward acclimating to the professional game and trying to earn an NHL look, either with Pittsburgh or elsewhere.

Seattle Kraken Waive Jesper Frödén

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May 17: Frödén has cleared waivers, per CapFriendly, and will join the Firebirds as they attempt to close out their Division Final series tonight against the Calgary Wranglers.

May 16: After their storybook second season came to a close last night, the Seattle Kraken have placed forward Jesper Frödén on waivers, according to CapFriendly. If he clears tomorrow, the move will allow him to join their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, as they look to advance to the Western Conference Final of this year’s Calder Cup Playoffs.

Frödén will almost undoubtedly clear, given he’ll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The 28-year-old Swedish forward suited up for Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, playing just over four minutes.

An undrafted free agent, Frödén had signed with the Kraken this season after a strong first professional campaign in the Boston Bruins organization last year. He built on that initial success, registering over a point per game with Coachella Valley and earning a 14-game NHL stint with the Kraken in the regular season, posting four assists.

With Seattle’s deep forward corps on full display in the postseason, it seems unlikely Frödén would opt for a return in 2023-24. His minor-league production and decent (but limited) NHL looks suggest he may be capable of handling a bottom-six role on a more full-time basis, a chance he likely won’t get in Seattle. Look for Frödén to find a home in free agency where more opportunity exists for him to move up on the depth chart.

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