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Carl Dahlstrom Signs In Sweden

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CBS Sports is reporting that former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Carl Dahlstrom is returning to his native Sweden for next season. Dahlstrom, who also played with the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets has apparently signed a contract with Farjestad BK of the SHL after splitting the last five years between the NHL and AHL.

The 28-year-old Dahlstrom suffered an unfortunate shoulder injury this past September while he was competing for one of the final spots in the Leafs lineup. The ailment likely cost him a job on Toronto’s backend as Dalhstrom had to endure a six-month recovery after shoulder surgery and managed to work his way into eight AHL games with the Toronto Marlies tallying one assist. He was never able to get back into an NHL lineup and may have seen his run in North America come to an end. If this closes the book on his NHL career it has to be a disappointment for a player who was traded for Paul Stastny just a few short years ago.

Over parts of four seasons the former Blackhawks second round pick never scored an NHL goal but did have 12 assists in 67 games. He struggled with the puck on his stick and could never really find any offensive traction while in the NHL. He did fare better in the AHL and could easily secure a job in another organization but at this point in his career he has opted for the comforts of home.

While its always possible that a player in his 20’s could return to the NHL it seems unlikely given Dahlstrom’s injury history and the fact that he hasn’t been able to establish himself as an NHL regular up to this point in his career.

Snapshots: Vancouver, Pettersson, Combine

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Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal wrote an article for The Athletic today outlining the best third line center options for the Vancouver Canucks to look at when free agency opens on July 1st. Vancouver has an excellent 1-2 punch down the middle of the ice with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller currently occupying the top two spots. Drance and Dayal begin their article by highlighting the fact that Vancouver not only needs a third line center, but they also need the right fit for the third line, preferably one with more of a defensive skill set.

While this year’s free agent class leaves a lot to be desired, there are some good top-9 center options for the Canucks to consider. Drance and Dayal produce an exhaustive list that includes bargain bin shopping as well as some players that will likely fall outside of Vancouver’s price range given their salary cap constraints. The most realistic targets, and the ones on the top of the list are Pius Suter and David Kampf.

What a change two years can make. In the case of Pius Suter, it’s the difference between being non-tendered (as he was in 2021 by the Chicago Blackhawks) and being a sought after unrestricted free agent (after two good seasons with the Detroit Red Wings). Suter is a bit undersized but could offer the Canucks a solid top-9 option at a reasonable price. Over two seasons in Detroit Suter put up 29 goals and 31 assists in 161 games. While those numbers won’t blow anyone away, the 27-year-old did this while hardly benefiting from any powerplay time as he saw just six minutes of ice time this season with the man advantage.

Kampf offers much stronger defensive metrics than Suter and is a bigger body, however he is more limited offensively as he had just 18 goals and 35 assists in 164 games over the past two seasons. He also saw very little powerplay time but struggles to drive play at even strength as he has a negative offensive impact even at 5v5. Drance and Dayal do wonder if having a better defensive player such as Kampf in the third line center role might make more sense for Vancouver as it could free up the top two line for more offensive deployment.

Other snapshots from around the league:

  • The Score is reporting that J.P. Barry, the agent for Vancouver Canucks superstar Elias Pettersson expects talks between his client and the club to begin this summer as they look to hammer out a long-term deal for the 24-year-old. Pettersson is just a year from being a restricted free agent and two years away from unrestricted free agency. He is due $10.25MM this upcoming season and would require an $8.82MM qualifying offer next summer for Vancouver to retain his rights. Given that he is coming off a 102-point season it would make sense for the young Swede to try and sign a long-term deal to obtain some security and peace of mind heading into next season. For the Canucks it would also give the club some cap certainty as they try to re-tool after missing the playoffs this past season.
  • Mike Morreale of NHL.com tweeted today that no Russian prospects who played overseas this season will be attending the NHL combine. The combine will run from June 4-10 in Buffalo and will give all 32 clubs the chance to get a look at the top prospects in this year’s entry draft. It’s an interesting development, but not a surprising one. Projected top-3 pick Matvei Michkov stated in Russian media back in May that he likely wouldn’t be at the combine but would be at the draft.

Brad Treliving Not Allowed At Maple Leafs Draft Table

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Brad Treliving was recently announced as the 18th general manager in Toronto Maple Leafs history. Treliving was officially introduced today and stated that his first priority is to meet with superstar Auston Matthews. While getting Matthews signed long-term is the focus, another focus is the upcoming NHL entry draft, which Treliving will not be allowed to take part in. Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets is reporting that this condition was put in place by the Calgary Flames when granting Toronto permission to talk to him. Treliving is under contract with Calgary until July 1st.

Maple Leafs president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan was asked about this stipulation at the press conference this morning and praised the teams scouting staff and said they are still preparing to pick late in the first round of the draft as well as the fifth and sixth round. One would have to presume that either Shanahan or head scout Wes Clark will be making Toronto’s picks this year in the absence of Treliving.

It’s not surprising to see the Flames attach a condition like this to Treliving as they were originally apprehensive about even allowing their long-time general manager to interview for other jobs before his contract expired. Three weeks ago, it was reported by The Hockey News that Calgary wasn’t allowing him to speak with teams, however they had a change of heart and let the 53-year-old pursue other employment. One would have to guess that the draft condition was a compromise Treliving, and the Maple Leafs had to make to move forward with the interview process.

It’s not unheard of for a team to block a former employee from participating in the entry draft, although it doesn’t happen often. In fact, it happened to the Flames back in 2000 when general manager Craig Button came over from the Dallas Stars and was blocked from taking part in draft day.

Full 2023 List Of Expiring Draft Rights

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June 1: As of 5 p.m. ET on June 1, none of the below players were signed and all are either free to re-enter the draft or become free agents.

May 26: When drafting a player out of North America or any European country with a transfer agreement, a team acquires exclusive negotiating rights for a set amount of time. Each year on June 1, a long list of players see those rights expire and become unrestricted free agents (or choose to re-enter the draft, depending on specific circumstances).

CapFriendly has compiled a complete list for the deadline in just a few days. Some players listed below have already signed overseas; others will have agreements announced soon after their current rights expire.

Anaheim Ducks

Sean Tschigeri (130th overall, 2021)

Arizona Coyotes

Axel Bergkvist (200th overall, 2019)
Manix Landry (139th overall, 2021)
Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (107th overall, 2021)
Valentin Nussbaumer (207th overall, 2019)

Boston Bruins

Matias Mantykivi (185th overall, 2019)

Calgary Flames

Jack Beck (168th overall, 2021)
Lucas Feuk (116th overall, 2019)
Cole Huckins (77th overall, 2021)
Cole Jordan (141st overall, 2021)
Cameron Whynot (89th overall, 2021)

Carolina Hurricanes

Bryce Montgomery (170th overall, 2021)
Robert Orr (136th overall, 2021)

Columbus Blue Jackets

Eric Hjorth (104th overall, 2019)

Dallas Stars

Jacob Holmes (143rd overall, 2021)
Conner Roulette (111th overall, 2021)
Samuel Sjölund (111th overall, 2019)

Detroit Red Wings

Gustav Berglund (177th overall, 2019)
Albert Grewe (66th overall, 2019)
Oscar Plandowski (155th overall, 2021)
Pasquale Zito (166th overall, 2021)

Edmonton Oilers

Patrik Puistola (73rd overall, 2019)

Florida Panthers

Braden Hache (210th overall, 2021)

Los Angeles Kings

Lukas Parik (87th overall, 2019)

Montreal Canadiens

Frederik Nissen Dichow (138th overall, 2019)
Joe Vrbetic (214th overall, 2021)

New Jersey Devils

Nikola Pasic (189th overall, 2019)

New York Rangers

Leevi Aaltonen (130th overall, 2019)

Ottawa Senators

Carson Latimer (123rd overall, 2021)
Ben Roger (49th overall, 2021)
Chandler Romeo (202nd overall, 2021)

Pittsburgh Penguins

Santeri Airola (211th overall, 2019)
Ryan McCleary (194th overall, 2021)

San Jose Sharks

Benjamin Gaudreau (81st overall, 2021)
Liam Gilmartin (167th overall, 2021)
Max McCue (156th overall, 2021)

St. Louis Blues

Tyson Galloway (145th overall, 2021)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Cameron MacDonald (160th overall, 2021)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kalle Loponen (204th overall, 2019)
Josh Pillar (127th overall, 2019)

Vancouver Canucks

Arvid Costmar (215th overall, 2019)
Connor Lockhart (178th overall, 2021)

Washington Capitals

Martin Hugo Has (153rd overall, 2019)
Dru Krebs (176th overall, 2021)

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Carl Lindbom

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The Vegas Golden Knights have inked goalie Carl Lindbom to a three-year, entry-level contract, says the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster. PuckPedia reports the deal carries an $840,000 cap hit.

Lindbom, 20, slipped all the way to 222nd overall in the 2021 Draft after he was limited to just eight junior games in the Swedish J20 Nationell season, posting a subpar .890 save percentage in the process. It’s been a sharp rise for Lindbom since then, and his numbers suggest a budding goalie with a potential NHL future.

In fact, Lindbom, who had his birthday just days ago, has gone from draft blip to professional world-beater in Sweden’s second-tier league, the Allsvenskan. Along with posting two shutouts in seven appearances for Sweden at the 2023 Men’s World Juniors, Lindbom took home Rookie of the Year and Goalie of the Year honors with the Allsvenksan’s Djurgårdens IF.

He posted a staggering .930 save percentage, seven shutouts, a 1.86 goals-against average, and a 25-11-0 record in 36 games, adding a .941 save percentage in five SHL qualification matches. Unfortunately, an injury in his fifth game knocked him out for the rest of the postseason, and Djurgården would lose to MoDo in the Allsvenskan championship series, keeping them in the second-tier league for 2023-24.

Lindbom is likely destined for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights next season, where he’ll gun for a starting role with 24-year-old Jiri Patera, who made his NHL debut for the Golden Knights in 2022-23.

Patrick Kane Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out 4-6 Months

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Pending unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure today, according to his agent, Pat Brisson. The expected recovery time is four to six months, which will keep Kane out for most of training camp at a minimum.

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, doctors are optimistic this won’t impact Kane’s career trajectory. This is the same procedure that Washington Capitals center Nicklas Bäckström underwent last offseason; he had 21 points in 39 games in 2022-23 after returning to play in January.

Kane has been dealing with hip issues for the past few seasons, but their severity evidently increased this season. Surgery was on the table as an option before his trade from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers, and he recorded just 57 points, a career-low for him in a full season.

Hip resurfacing is similar to a hip replacement procedure but less invasive. Instead of entire parts of the hip being replaced with artificial components, only the damaged parts of the hip are trimmed away and replaced with a metal shell.

Given Kane’s age and the Rangers’ need to elevate their younger players in the lineup, it seemed rather unlikely the two parties would meet on an extension even without the recovery time from the surgery in the picture. The procedure now throws into question when (or if) a team will sign Kane – it’s not outlandish to predict he’ll still be looking for a home when the puck drops on the 2023-24 regular season.

The 34-year-old admitted early last month that he wasn’t fully healthy during the Rangers’ postseason run and would prioritize his healthy this offseason.

Drafted first overall in 2007, Kane has (assumedly) wrapped up his half-decade-plus-long career in Chicago with 446 goals and 1,225 points in 1,161 games. He had five goals and 12 points in 19 games down the stretch of the 2022-23 season with the Rangers.

Again, this doesn’t seem to be a career-ending procedure for Kane, but with the Rangers looking to maximize their competitiveness next season and Chicago focused on rebuilding, he’ll likely need to complete his recovery before donning a new uniform.

Penguins Notes: Lawrence, GM Search, Jarry

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With one-half of their next front office duo settled, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational focus now turns toward hiring a new general manager. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli notes the field of candidates could expand if Dubas is given input into the hiring process, naming current Columbus analytical consultant Cam Lawrence as a possibility.

Lawrence, also the Chief Financial Officer at nutritional retail company GNC, was also previously involved with the Florida Panthers’ analytics and scouting department from 2015 to 2021. In that time, his input helped Florida acquire undervalued players such as Jonathan Marchessault, Carter Verhaeghe, and Reilly Smith. If hired, it would make Pittsburgh one of the most analytically proficient front offices in the league. Seravalli notes Pittsburgh did interview Lawrence earlier in their search process.

  • In his introductory press conference today, new president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas offered some insight into an updated timeline for their general manager search. Dubas said he plans to handle the beginning of this offseason, including the draft and free agency, as the interim general manager, meaning a new hire for the position is no longer imminent. Any move will likely come later in the offseason after the team’s roster situation for 2023-24 is settled.
  • No choice is bigger for Pittsburgh this offseason than what to do in the crease. Capable but injury-prone starter Tristan Jarry is slated for unrestricted free agency on July 1, and Dubas says he plans on meeting with Jarry and Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo before making a decision on whether to retain him. It doesn’t seem the team is willing to pay above market value to have him back, with Dubas saying the team “will be doing a very thorough evaluation of Tristan and review where he stands in the marketplace.”

Capitals Notes: Draft Rights, Fehervary, Dowd, Sandin

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Many NHL-drafted but unsigned players are set to become free agents today if they don’t sign within the next four hours. Today, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir confirmed two Capitals prospects will hit the open market: Czech defenseman Martin Has and Canadian defender Dru Krebs.

Krebs, the brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. While he had a strong year in 2020-21 in limited action due to COVID, the 2021-22 campaign was nightmarish for him, finishing with just 19 points in 66 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and a staggering -58 rating. He rebounded nicely this season, but the 20-year-old’s flaws displayed after his draft year likely signal an NHL future isn’t in the cards.

Has, 22, was a member of Washington’s 2019 draft class. The fifth-round pick played unsigned in the Capitals organization this year, registering 12 points in 50 games as a member of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

  • Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters today that the team hasn’t begun speaking to pending restricted free agent defenseman Martin Fehervary about an extension yet, but “expects discussions to pick up soon.” Fehervary, Washington’s second-round pick in 2018, is coming off his entry-level deal. In his sophomore season with the Caps, the 23-year-old consistently played a top-four role and posted 16 points in 67 games.
  • MacLellan also said center Nic Dowd underwent core surgery recently, aiming to fix an ailment that was bugging him near the end of the season. Dowd is expected to recover in time for training camp in September. The 33-year-old bottom-six center has two seasons remaining at a cap hit of $1.3MM and is coming off a career-high 13 goals.
  • Lastly, in more positive news for Washington, MacLellan revealed the injury Swedish defenseman Rasmus Sandin sustained near the end of this year’s Men’s World Championship isn’t serious and carries no long-term concern. Sandin was electric for Washington after coming over from Toronto near the end of the season, posting 15 points in 19 games and averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. The 23-year-old former first-round pick will look to step into a consistent top-four role with the Caps next season, potentially alongside John Carlson.

Hilary Knight Named IIHF Female Player Of The Year

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United States hockey superstar Hilary Knight has made history as the inaugural recipient of the IIHF’s Female Player of the Year award, the international body announced Thursday morning.

Knight, 33, is an absolute stalwart in the sport, trailing perhaps only Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin as the best active women’s hockey player on this side of the Atlantic. Per the IIHF, she received an overwhelming 40.9% of the total votes for the award.

Knight expressed her gratitude for being named the award’s initial recipient:

I am honored to be the first recipient of such a prestigious award. There are many talented women at this level, and it is a privilege to be recognized as the IIHF Female Player of the Year. Reflecting on this year it’s hard to pinpoint one highlight, rather a collection of memories shared with my teammates. I am grateful to be a part of such an incredible group and share these special moments with my friends. The sport and the women who play it deserve the largest stage and biggest spotlight. My hope is that the sport continues to grow and reach greater heights. Although hockey is a team sport, having awards and accolades that acknowledge accomplishments help drive more visibility. Thank you, IIHF, for creating this award, as it is important to recognize outstanding athletic performances.

The voting process involved members of the media from 16 IIHF member countries. Knight’s outstanding performances throughout the year, including her display at the 2023 Women’s World Championship in Brampton, earned her the award. She led all players at the tournament with eight goals in seven games, the tournament-record fifth time she’s achieved the feat.

Three of those eight goals came in the gold medal game against Canada. Her second goal in that game was the game-winner and marked her third game-winning goal in an IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medal game, another tournament record.

Across her career, Knight is a nine-time gold medallist at the Women’s Worlds, a one-time gold medallist and three-time silver medallist at the Olympics, and an Isobel Cup champion with the Boston Pride in 2016.

Boston Bruins’ Kai Wissmann Returning To Germany

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After a one-year attempt at making a pro hockey career in North America, Boston Bruins depth defenseman Kai Wissmann is returning to the DEL’s Eisbären Berlin for 2023-24, according to the team.

During his one-year stay in the Bruins organization, Wissmann, 26, never got an NHL look. However, a solid showing with Germany at the recently-concluded Men’s World Championship could have garnered Wissmann some NHL interest for next season, as it did after the 2022 edition of the tournament.

In his lone season with the Bruins, spent entirely with AHL Providence, Wissmann registered a goal and eight assists (nine points) in 31 games. He didn’t appear in any Calder Cup Playoff contests for Providence, failing to earn much of any responsibility at the AHL level.

Berlin announced that Wissmann signed a long-term deal but didn’t clarify its length. It’s safe to assume he’ll play the rest of his career overseas after being unable to secure an everyday AHL role in his mid-20s.

Before joining the Bruins in 2022, Wissmann had been a part of the Eisbären organization dating back to junior hockey in 2012. The only team he’s ever played for in the top German league, Wissmann has logged six goals, 62 assists, 68 points, and a +67 rating over nine seasons and 285 games with Berlin.

Wissmann had a career-high four goals and 20 points with Berlin in 2021-22, spearheading the NHL contract offer from Boston. He’s still technically a pending restricted free agent so the team can retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer. Given the long-term commitment in Germany, that’s an improbable scenario.

Wissmann said the following on his return to his home country:

During my time in the AHL, I noticed more and more how much I missed the atmosphere in the different DEL arenas. Especially at our home games in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. I’m really looking forward to hearing the whole arena sing our polar bear song again before we enter through the polar bear’s head. When I think about it, I’m already motivated again for the coming season. It feels like coming home to me. Berlin is a great city.

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