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New York Islanders Sign Christian Krygier, Jacob Pivonka To AHL Deals

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The AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders have signed a duo of New York Islanders drafted prospects, defenseman Christian Krygier and forward Jacob Pivonka, to AHL contracts for the 2023-24 season. The team also signed undrafted free agent forward Riley Piercey out of juniors from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds.

After finishing their collegiate careers, Krygier’s and Pivonka’s NHL signing rights are set to expire on August 15. While the AHL signings imply the Islanders won’t be offering them entry-level contracts before then, the deals allow the Islanders to keep them within the organization and continue to evaluate them. After August 15, however, Krygier and Pivonka would still be free to sign NHL contracts with any team at any time.

The Islanders selected Krygier in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old defenseman played his fifth and final season for Michigan State University in 2022-23, recording a goal and three assists in 28 games whilst serving as an alternate captain. The son of former NHLer Todd Krygier and the brother of Los Angeles Kings prospect Cole Krygier, he is a physical defenseman first and foremost, recording 228 penalty minutes during his 158 games at Michigan State. He appeared in two games with Bridgeport on a tryout after the conclusion of his collegiate season, posting a -1 rating and one shot on goal.

Pivonka, also 23, was selected three rounds earlier in 2018. The 5-foot-11 center transferred from Notre Dame to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for his final collegiate season, hitting double-digit goals for the first time in the NCAA. Known mostly for his speed and puckhandling abilities, Pivonka went pointless in four games with Bridgeport on his tryout to end the 2022-23 season.

Piercey, who will also try and earn an entry-level deal with the Islanders, plays a power forward type game. The 21-year-old winger stands at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds and put up 70 points and 65 penalty minutes in 67 games with the Firebirds this season. After back-to-back 20-goal campaigns in junior hockey, Piercey will try and make an impact in Bridgeport’s bottom-six and impress the Islanders’ front office.

Lukáš Sedlák Signs Multi-Year Extension In Czechia

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After making a short-lived attempt at an NHL return earlier this season, veteran Czech forward Lukáš Sedlák has signed a five-year contract extension with HC Dynamo Pardubice in the country’s top league, as announced today.

Sedlák played for three different teams in two different leagues in 2022-23. The 30-year-old forward signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche in free agency but played just three games before the team placed him on waivers on October 18, 2022. The Philadelphia Flyers claimed him the following day, where he recorded eight points in 27 games over two months before mutually terminating his contract with the team. This paved the way for him to play professionally in his home country for the first time, where he excelled down the stretch with 27 points in 24 games.

Sedlák had previously spent three seasons in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2016 to 2019. However, after seeing his ice time and role steadily decrease, Sedlák headed overseas for the 2019-20 campaign, beginning a successful three-year stint with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk.

Now, Sedlák will likely play out the remainder of his career at home. He hasn’t played in a Czech league since his draft year, splitting time between the Czech U18 and U20 levels in 2010-11. He played in North America from then onwards, including two seasons in the QMJHL and three in the AHL before earning his full-time opportunity with Columbus.

In a translated statement, Sedlák expressed excitement about the opportunity:

I am very happy for the [past] six months in Pardubice and I am glad that I can continue here. I think that we got on very well with the people in the cabin and around, and I hope that we will continue our cooperation, work even better and achieve some successes. I hope to restore the confidence of the management and at the same time meet the expectations of the fans, fulfill what they expect from me and be an important part of the team. Wearing the Pardubice jersey is unreal. The way hockey fans live and push us forward exceeded all my expectations. It’s great for us players that we can rely on them every game.

Pardubice also agreed on five-year contract extensions with former Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomáš Hyka and netminder Roman Will, who appeared in one game with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2015-16 season.

Barring a very unexpected return, Sedlák wraps up his NHL career with 18 goals, 17 assists, 35 points, and a +6 rating in 192 games. He’s currently representing Czechia at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

Avalanche Notes: Toews, Johnson, Newhook

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In the second part of this latest mailbag series for The Athletic, Avalanche beat reporter Peter Baugh commented on many of the pressing issues surrounding the 2022 Stanley Cup champions over the coming months.

One such question is the future of standout defender Devon Toews, whose team-friendly four-year contract earning him $4.1MM per season expires in 2024. While Colorado will have some extra cap space for the 2023-24 campaign due to Gabriel Landeskog’s injury, Toews is due a gigantic raise that may complicate the long-term financial picture, especially with the trajectory of the salary cap uncertain.

Some would entertain the idea of trading the player behind him on the Avalanche depth chart, Samuel Girard, to create cap space, but Baugh says that’s not likely without an extension for Toews already in place. Given Girard’s cost certainty at a $5MM cap hit through 2027, Baugh even went so far as to suggest Toews being a potential trade candidate himself if an extension appears unlikely to materialize late into next season.

  • Baugh also said he believes defender Erik Johnson, the team’s longest-tenured player, is interested in returning to the team next season. The 35-year-old is a pending free agent upon expiration of his seven-year, $6MM cap hit extension signed in 2015 and likely wouldn’t command much above the league minimum on a one-year deal. Johnson registered just eight assists in 63 games last season while again dealing with some injuries.
  • Despite a lack of development this season, Baugh doesn’t think the Avalanche have lost faith in young center Alex Newhook. Expected to step into the vacated second-line center spot to begin the season, Newhook quickly slipped back into a bottom-six role and ended his regular season with 30 points in 82 games. While Colorado will likely use their additional cap flexibility this summer to add higher-end depth at center, the organization still needs more out of important young players like Newhook to maintain Cup contention.

Stars Notes: Marchment, Hakanpaa, Dellandrea

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The Dallas Stars will be without a key forward as they take on the Seattle Kraken in Game 5 of their second round series. Mike Heika of NHL.com reports Mason Marchment will not play tonight in a pivotal game as one team will split the deadlock and take a 3-2 series lead. Marchment left Game 4 early after taking an elbow to the face from Kraken forward Alex Wennberg, which appeared to be accidental.

Marchment put up decent numbers for the Stars in his first season in Dallas, scoring 12 goals and 31 points in 68 regular season games as well as five points in ten postseason contests. The 6-foot-4 and 210 pound winger also brings a physical presence that teams are always searching for to find an edge in a lengthy playoff series.

  • In better news for the Stars, Heika also reports defenseman Jani Hakanpaa will be back in the lineup. He missed Game 4 of this series with a lower-body injury but will be back on the ice as the Stars look to take a series lead. Hakanpaa has quietly earned a big role with the Stars, playing over 20 minutes per game in this postseason and taking care of business in the defensive end.
  • Youngster Ty Dellandrea also missed Game 4 with what was called a sickness, but Heika also mentions the 22-year-old forward is returning to the ice for Game 5. He will slot in on the fourth line after his first full NHL season saw him score nine goals and 28 points in 82 games. Dellandrea has one point in nine playoff games this spring as well.

Alex Pietrangelo Suspended One Game

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will be suspended for one game for his actions late in a Game 4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers according to a release from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

The incident happened late in Game 4, with the Golden Knights trailing 4-1 and their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker. Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl was skating into the Golden Knights zone with the puck and back-handed it toward the yawning cage. He barely missed, but a few seconds after releasing the puck, Pietrangelo continued toward him and slashed him on the forearm.

It was not just a small slash on the wrist. It was a blatantly obvious attempt to injure an opponent with a two-handed swing akin to a lumberjack trying to split a block of wood into two pieces with a rusted hatchet. The puck was long gone, the play around Draisaitl was over, and for all Pietrangelo knew, the puck could have already been in the Golden Knights’ net.

Pietrangelo was assessed a five-minute major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct. The Department of Player Safety took a closer look at the incident today and held a hearing this morning with the Golden Knights defenseman. It was determined that a one-game ban was necessary for such a reckless and needless slash of an unsuspecting opponent.

The Golden Knights will now be without their top defender as they look to take a series lead in Game 5. The two teams have traded blowout victories in this series, with the teams now locked up at two wins apiece. No one played more minutes on the Golden Knights than Pietrangelo in Game 4, as he led the way with 23:54 so he will be sorely missed.

The Oilers will be without a top defender of their own as Darnell Nurse was also handed a one-game suspension for instigating a fight in the final five minutes of the contest. Nurse ranks first among Oilers defensemen in ice time in the playoffs, averaging 23:24 per game in the playoffs so far.

Both teams will have their defensive depth tested on Friday night when they face off in Game 5 in Vegas.

NHL Announces 2023 Vezina Trophy Finalists

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The NHL has announced the 2023 Vezina Trophy nominees. The award is given “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position” and is voted on by the NHL general managers. Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers won the award last year becoming the ninth different winner in the past ten seasons.

This year the finalists for the award are Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark.

Hellebuyck is looking to become just the second goalie in the last ten years to win two Vezina Trophies as the Jets netminder also picked up the award in 2020. Hellebuyck could have an interesting 12 months if he is able to grab another award for best netminder, the 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with the Jets and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Hellebuyck posted elite numbers this past season in what was a bounce back season for the Michigan native after struggling in 2021-22. He posted a 37-25-2 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

Speaking of unrestricted free agency, Ilya Sorokin can also become a free agent in a year’s time as he is entering the final year of his three-year deal with the Islanders. Sorokin would no doubt love to pad his resume with a Vezina Trophy as he has been playing on a below market contract for the past two seasons. Sorokin posted terrific numbers this season with a sparkling .924 save percentage to go along with six shutouts and a 31-22-7 record.

Finally, the front runner must be Linus Ullmark. The Swedish netminder posted wild numbers this season as he backstopped the Boston Bruins to a historical regular season. Ullmark had a 40-6-1 record with a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average. He also led the league in goals by a goaltender having potted a tally into an empty net in a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Ullmark became just the 13th goalie in NHL history to accomplish the feat.

The Vezina Trophy will be awarded in June at the NHL Awards ceremony in Nashville.

Stars Injury Notes: Marchment, Dellandrea, Hakanpaa

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Dallas Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine tweeted today that after a conversation with Stars head coach Pete DeBoer he put a 10% chance that Mason Marchment dresses tonight for game 5 against the Seattle Kraken. DeBoer said Marchment was a game time decision after the forward took part in the team’s gameday skate. However, LeVine also tweeted that Marchment and DeBoer had a conversation on the ice and the 27-year-old did not participate in the hard skating portions of the team’s practice.

Marchment left game 4 of this series after taking an elbow to the face from Kraken forward Alexander Wennberg. Dallas offered little information up after the game and just deemed his status as questionable for game 5. Should Marchment sit out tonight it would be a big blow for the Stars as Marchment has provided a little bit of everything for Dallas in these playoffs. In ten games the Uxbridge native has put up three goals and two assists while playing 14 minutes a night.

In other Dallas Stars injury notes:

  • Bruce LeVine also speculated that forward Ty Dellandrea had a 90% chance of dressing for game 5 tonight. The young center was one of the first arrivals to the Stars practice and took part in it. DeBoer called Dellandrea a game time decision, but it appears he will dress after missing game 4 with what was described as a flu. Dellandrea has struggled in these playoffs with just a single goal in nine games while playing 15:31 a game. He has seen his faceoff numbers dip as well as he is winning just 38.7% of the draws he takes, a far cry from his 51% average in the regular season.
  • LeVine put Jani Hakanpaa’s availability for tonight’s game at 50/50 after Pete DeBoer called the defenseman a gametime decision. The 31-year-old missed game 4 with what was described as a lower body injury. No information was released on how Hakanpaa suffered the injury but he appeared okay when he last dressed on Sunday night as he put up six hits, scored a goal, and played over 20 minutes. In these playoffs the 6’6” defender has a goal and an assist in nine games for the Stars.

Ryan Reynolds Not Moving Forward With Bid For Senators

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ESPN’s Emily Kaplan is reporting that a group led by Hollywood megastar Ryan Reynolds will not be moving forward with a bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators. Kaplan writes that several sources close to the bidding process have informed ESPN of this development. The Canadian born actor was part of a consortium that was being led by real estate developer the Remington Group.

Reynolds had met with NHL representatives back in late 2022 and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed that Reynolds had interest in becoming an NHL owner. Reynolds then confirmed his interest publicly a short time later. The bidding process for the Senators has sparked interest in several celebrities including musicians The Weekend and Snoop Dogg.

The news of Reynold’s group dropping out is sure to disappoint Senators fans as Reynolds is beloved in Canada and even lived in Ottawa for a period during his childhood. His appearance at a Senators game this year created a huge buzz in the city at a time when interest in Ottawa games had started to wane. The NHL will be disappointed as well, Bettman had commented publicly back in December that he was very impressed with Reynolds and thought it would be great for Ottawa and the league if the celebrity could be involved with the club.

While Reynolds bid isn’t moving forward, The Weekend and Snoop Dogg groups are still in the mix and could submit bids prior to the May 15 deadline. It’ll be an interesting few days in Canada’s capital city.

Seattle Kraken Sign Ty Nelson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Seattle Kraken have locked in their best unsigned defense prospect, signing Ty Nelson to a three-year, entry-level contract. Per the team, the contract carries a $925,000 cap hit.

Seattle selected the 19-year-old Nelson with the 68th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Most public draft analysts didn’t have Nelson falling that far, with some having the right-shot defender ranked in the mid-to-late first round. Concerns about his size, as he stands at 5-foot-10, dropped him to the third round on draft day.

It’s looking like quite the pick for Seattle, though, as Nelson had another terrific season in juniors with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion in 2022-23. With his team losing in the third round of the OHL’s postseason to the Peterborough Petes, however, Nelson has now opted to get under contract with the team that drafted him.

Nelson, serving as an alternate captain for North Bay, led a team loaded with NHL-drafted forwards in postseason scoring, posting six goals and 25 points in 20 games (along with a team-leading +15 rating). He silenced a lot of doubts about his NHL ceiling this season, employing his confident puck-moving style of play to the max.

How much that production translates to the NHL remains to be seen, but he does remain one of the better prospects in the Seattle system as a whole. He’s ineligible to play in the AHL next season for Coachella Valley, however, meaning he’s likely destined for another season of juniors with North Bay.

Darnell Nurse Suspended For One Game

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced they’ve upheld the automatic one-game suspension against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of regulation time, holding him out of a pivotal Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Head coach Jay Woodcroft was also fined $10,000 as a result of the incident in last night’s Game 4 win.

The automatic suspension holds Nurse, Edmonton’s leader in average time on ice among defensemen, out of Edmonton’s most important game this season to date, with their Second Round series locked in at two games apiece against Vegas.

The incident in question occurred with 50 seconds remaining in Edmonton’s 4-1 Game 4 win, with officials determining Nurse instigated a fight with Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague. With play still going on, Nurse pinched in from the hash marks to fight Hague, who was stationed in a puck battle behind the Vegas net.

It means youngster Philip Broberg, who’s averaged under seven minutes of ice time per game throughout the playoffs, will draw back into the lineup with increased responsibility. The 21-year-old has yet to record a point this postseason but does lead Oiler defenders with a +3 rating. Mattias Ekholm, who’s been paired with youngster Evan Bouchard since joining the team at the trade deadline, could elevate to the top pairing alongside Cody Ceci.

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