The first full week of September is in the books and with training camps fast approaching, there was some news of note around the hockey world which is recapped in our top stories.
More Tryouts: The month of September can be colloquially thought of as PTO season as unsigned players look to catch on before camps start. Last week, several veterans inked tryout deals and several more did so over the past seven days. Among those with recent NHL experience, Danton Heinen will look to have a second go-round with Boston while Ryan Dzingel will try to do the same with Arizona. Noah Gregor is hoping to catch on with Toronto, Saku Maenalanen is the latest to join Colorado’s camp, while Colin White will be heading to a very crowded forward battle in Pittsburgh. Quite a few more tryouts are expected to be coming over the next week or two.
Late Moves For Tampa Bay: The Lightning thought they had filled a spot on their fourth line early in free agency when they signed winger Josh Archibald to a two-year deal. However, after he informed the team that he no longer intends to play this season, Tampa Bay elected to terminate his contract. They quickly found a replacement though, inking Tyler Motte to a one-year deal worth the same $800K that they were set to pay Archibald. It could be argued that the moves work out to a net upgrade for the Lightning with Motte being a bit younger and having a slightly better track record of production.
Eight For Sanderson: The Senators haven’t shied away from extending their core players early. They’ve elected to do so once more, signing defenseman Jake Sanderson to an eight-year, $64.4MM extension that will begin in the 2024-25 season. The deal buys out Sanderson’s five remaining RFA years plus three seasons of UFA eligibility. The 21-year-old had a strong rookie year last season, collecting 32 points in 77 games while logging nearly 22 minutes a night. This deal will make Sanderson, the fifth-overall pick in 2020, Ottawa’s highest-paid defenseman as it checks in just ahead of Thomas Chabot. Ottawa’s young core consisting of Sanderson, Chabot, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Josh Norris, are all signed through at least the 2027-28 campaign.
Off-Ice Moves: After handing out extensions to Arizona’s coaching staff, it was GM Bill Armstrong’s turn to receive one as well as he inked an agreement that will keep him in charge of the Coyotes through the 2028-29 season. Armstrong has been at the helm for four seasons now, embarking on a full-scale rebuild. This deal means he’ll be the one to take them out of it down the road. Meanwhile, Bruce Boudreau has a new job but not with an NHL team. Instead, he has joined Niagara of the OHL as a Senior Advisor. Boudreau ranks 21st all-time in NHL games coached and wins and it remains to be seen if he’ll one day get a chance to add to those numbers. Lastly, after not being with a team last season, Doug Wilson is back in an NHL front office as he was hired by Pittsburgh as a Senior Advisor. He spent over 25 years on San Jose’s management team and will now serve as a member of Kyle Dubas’ new-look front office.
Second Bridge For Frost: With Philadelphia’s cap situation, the only way they could afford to re-sign Morgan Frost was with another short-term bridge contract. The two sides have now agreed on one as he signed a two-year, $4.2MM deal. The 24-year-old had a career year last season, notching 19 goals and 27 assists in 81 games, providing quite a nice return on a one-year, $800K deal. The move gives the Flyers a chance to evaluate if he’s indeed a long-term piece of the puzzle. If he is, they’ll owe him a $2.4MM qualifying offer in 2025.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Let’s drop the puck!!!! I’m ready.