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Archives for September 2023

Penguins Sign Colin White To PTO Agreement

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4:50 PM: The PTO signing of White has now been officially announced by the Penguins.

2:07 PM: The training camp roster continues to grow for Pittsburgh as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that center Colin White has agreed to a PTO agreement with the Penguins.

The 26-year-old was bought out by Ottawa last spring despite having three years and $15.75MM left on his contract.  He quickly landed with Florida, inking a one-year, $1.2MM deal on the opening day of free agency.  White wound up playing a very limited role with the Panthers last season, getting into 65 regular season games where he played pretty much exclusively on the fourth line.  He was relatively productive in that role, notching eight goals and seven assists despite logging less than 10 minutes a night.

White was a regular in Florida’s lineup for their run to the Stanley Cup Final, playing in all 21 games.  However, his playing time was even more limited at less than eight minutes a night while his production dipped to just two assists without scoring a goal.  While Florida could have retained White’s rights by issuing a $1.2MM qualifying offer in June, they opted not to do so, sending him back into the open market.

White joins winger Austin Wagner plus defensemen Mark Pysyk and Libor Hajek as those entering Pittsburgh’s training camp on tryout agreements.  Having been an NHL regular (when healthy) for the past five years would seemingly give him a leg up but GM Kyle Dubas has already added some extra depth this summer with the likes of Andreas Johnsson, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Rem Pitlick.  One thing is for certain, there is going to be quite a battle for the final few spots with the Penguins and White is the latest to become a part of it.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Minnesota Wild

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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 heading into the 2023-24 season.  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.

Minnesota Wild

Current Cap Hit: $81,856,921 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Brock Faber (two years, $925K)
F Marco Rossi (two years, $863K)

Potential Bonuses
Rossi: $850K

Rossi was viewed as a long-term option down the middle when they drafted him ninth overall in 2020 but it hasn’t happened just yet.  His post-draft season saw him battle through a life-threatening heart scare while his first two seasons in Minnesota’s system have been spent primarily in the minors.  He averaged close to a point per game in Iowa so the skills are certainly there.  If he can translate that to the NHL (he struggled in that regard last season), he could be a fixture in their lineup for a long time and as we’ve seen, productive centers can get paid quickly.

Faber joined the Wild late in the season and made an early mark, skating as a regular for them in the playoffs.  He should have a leg up on a roster spot for this year.  However, unless he sees a fair bit of power play time, it seems unlikely that Faber will be in a spot to command a long-term extension and bypass a bridge deal altogether.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Connor Dewar ($800K, RFA)
F Brandon Duhaime ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury ($3.5MM, UFA)
D Alex Goligoski ($2MM, UFA)
F Marcus Foligno ($3.1MM, UFA)
F Ryan Hartman ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Pat Maroon ($800K, UFA)*
F Mats Zuccarello ($6MM, UFA)

*-Tampa Bay is retaining an additional $200K on Maroon’s contract

Zuccarello is a rare example of a player becoming more productive the older he gets.  After seeing his output dip at the end of his tenure with the Rangers and hover near that level in his first two years with Minnesota, the 36-year-old has had his two best offensive showings over the past two seasons.  Yes, some of that is attributable to the player lining up on his opposite wing but it would be hard to walk away from entirely who produces that much in the hopes that someone cheaper could produce as much as that same winger.  Independently, a player with Zuccarello’s recent production could make a case for a raise but with his age, that could be tough.  At this point, a one-year deal worth around $5MM could work for both sides with the AAV dropping on a two-year agreement.

Foligno looked to have turned the corner in 2021-22, posting a career year offensively but came up well short of that last season.  If he stays around the 25-30-point mark, he could command a deal similar in size to this one but as teams look to make their bottom six cheaper, he could also feel the squeeze a little bit.  Hartman wasn’t quite able to put the same numbers as his breakout 2021-22 campaign either but produced at better than a 50-point pace which is still a fantastic return on his current contract.  That’s second-line production and a second-line middleman can command more than $5MM per season on the open market.

Duhaime is a capable fourth liner who plays with plenty of physicality and chips in a bit offensively but the market for those players is starting to flat-line.  A small raise isn’t impossible – especially if he can crack the double-digit mark in goals but the AAV should still start with a one.  Maroon comes over from the Lightning to help fill the void created by the departure of Ryan Reaves to Toronto.  He fits on the fourth line but his market value shouldn’t be much higher than his current deal.  As for Dewar, the 24-year-old spent plenty of time on the fourth line as well but plays center and kills penalties, giving him a bit more earnings upside.  A small bump on the 18 points he had last season could give him a shot at coming close to doubling this contract, especially with arbitration eligibility.

Goligoski’s homecoming has been up and down, to say the least.  His first season (2021-22) saw him play an important role and when he signed this deal, it looked like a team-friendly one.  However, he struggled to crack the lineup last season and didn’t play well when he was in.  Now, it’s a deal they’d almost certainly like to move if they could but with his struggles and trade protection, that will be easier said than done and another contract is far from a guarantee.

Fleury’s first full season with Minnesota was decent.  He’s no longer a top starter but his numbers were better than the NHL average and getting that performance for the cost of a good backup is fine.  He turns 39 in November so it’s possible he’s entering his final NHL campaign.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Marcus Johansson ($2MM, UFA)
D Jon Merrill ($1.2MM, UFA)
D Jacob Middleton ($2.45MM, UFA)

The first time Minnesota acquired Johansson, things didn’t go very well.  He battled injuries and struggled when he was in the lineup.  When GM Bill Guerin brought him back at the trade deadline, it was a different story as he averaged nearly a point per game down the stretch.  That’s unsustainable for him but at this price point, they don’t need that level of production.  If he can hover around the 30-35-point mark, they’ll do well with this contract.

Middleton isn’t going to light up the scoresheet but he’s a capable stay-at-home defender who’s best suited for a fourth or fifth role on the depth chart.  That’s basically where he stands with the Wild and if he wants to push himself into a higher salary tier, his production will need to come around.  Otherwise, his market value in 2025 might be around the $3.5MM range.  Merrill is a capable depth piece that gives Minnesota some value when he’s a regular in the lineup but is overpaid when he’s in the reserve role.  If they need to open up some cap space, waiving and assigning him to the minors and calling up a cheaper defender would give them a few hundred thousand to work with.

Signed Through 2025-26

G Filip Gustavsson ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Kirill Kaprizov ($9MM, UFA)

Minnesota wanted a max-term deal for Kaprizov when his entry-level deal was up back in 2021 but the winger wasn’t particularly interested in one so they settled on this one instead, an agreement that bought a little more team control but positioned him to land a significant max-term contract in 2029 if he wants one at that point.  His numbers dipped a bit last season but he still played at a 92-point pace on the heels of a 105-point showing the year before.  A continuation of that level of production coupled with a projected jump in the salary cap between now and then should give Kaprizov a serious chance at pushing for a contract that would break the current record for a winger ($11.643MM).

A year ago, the thought of Gustavsson having this contract would have been shocking.  After all, he failed to establish himself as even a regular backup in Ottawa.  However, he was second in the league in GAA and SV% last season, albeit in just 37 starts.  As a result, this deal is somewhat of a compromise by paying him at the top end for a platoon option which is reflective of the role he might still have this season.  If he becomes a true number one, however, this will be a steal quickly.

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East Notes: Dahlin, Necas, Keane

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There has been recent speculation that the Sabres and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin are nearing an agreement on a contract extension.  On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that there is a bit of work still to be done but that all sides involved think that there is a deal to be done with a belief that it could be done by the opening of training camp.  The 23-year-old is coming off a breakout year that saw him record 15 goals and 58 assists in 78 games while averaging just shy of 26 minutes a night.  He has one year left on his current deal at a $6MM cap hit and coming off the year he just had, it seems likely that Dahlin could approach the $10MM mark (if not a bit more) to lock in a max-term eight-year extension now.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Hurricanes forward Martin Necas is entering the final year of his contract this season and thus is eligible to sign a contract extension. However, he recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that there have been no discussions yet about a possible new deal.  The 24-year-old took a significant step forward last season, posting career highs across the board with 28 goals, 43 assists, 71 points, 240 shots, and an ATOI of 18:25 per night.  Signed for a $3MM AAV this season, Necas’ next deal could very well double that amount or more if he’s able to have a similar offensive showing in 2023-24.
  • Still with Carolina, prospect defenseman Joey Keane has signed a one-year deal with Spartak of the KHL, per a team announcement. The 24-year-old had a good first season in Russia, picking up 24 points in 64 games last year.  Keane has a pair of NHL games under his belt with the Hurricanes who retain his RFA rights through the 2026-27 campaign.  If he takes a step forward this year, he could play his way back into the mix for a spot in North America.

Lightning Sign Tyler Motte To A One-Year Deal

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Just minutes after announcing that they’re parting ways with winger Josh Archibald, the Lightning have found his replacement as they announced the signing of winger Tyler Motte to a one-year, $800K contract.

The 28-year-old split last season between the Senators and Rangers and had a decent showing offensively with eight goals and 11 assists between the two teams; his assist and point totals were both career-bests.  Of course, Motte isn’t known for his production but rather for being a gritty winger who can play all three forward positions in a pinch (though his time at center has been quite limited throughout his career) and kill penalties.  Motte has played for five different teams over a seven-year NHL career, collecting 43 goals and 38 assists in 331 games so far.

This is the second summer in a row that he has had to wait until just before training camps got underway to land a new contract.  Last year, he signed with Ottawa back on September 14th but still landed himself a raise in the process, receiving a $1.35MM agreement.  Now, Motte’s price tag will be the lowest of his career although he’ll head into training camp with a guaranteed deal, something not too many unrestricted free agents have been able to land in recent weeks.  CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link) that Motte’s asking price was much higher earlier this summer and that he had changed agents recently in the hopes of finding a deal to his liking; clearly, this was the fall-back option.

Motte will fill the role that Archibald was originally expected to fill following the trade of Pat Maroon to Minnesota.  That should see him taking a regular shift on Tampa Bay’s fourth line while seeing some secondary minutes on the penalty kill as well although his track record suggests he’s better suited to move up onto the third line if injuries arise.  It’s an odd turn of events with Archibald opting to step away but with Motte, GM Julien BriseBois has filled that spot rather well despite the minimal notice.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Alex Edler Not Looking To Retire Yet

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Veteran defenseman Alex Edler has had a long and successful career as a capable shutdown blueliner.  However, at 37, he’s coming off a year that saw him in a very limited role so some had wondered if his playing days were coming to an end.  While he doesn’t have a contract or tryout yet, that doesn’t appear to be Edler’s plan as Jeff Paterson of The Hockey News reports (Twitter link) that the rearguard is hoping to play in 2023-24.

Edler spent the bulk of his 17-year NHL career with Vancouver and had a 14-year stretch that saw him average a minimum of 20 minutes per night while recording at least 20 points in 13 of those.  Not too many blueliners have that type of longevity.  However, after an injury-riddled 2020-21 campaign, the Canucks opted to move on.

He quickly landed with Los Angeles for the 2021-22 campaign, inking a deal worth up to $3.5MM with bonuses.  While Edler played well in limited action (he spent nearly three months on LTIR), he opted to forego testing the market last summer, instead signing for the league minimum with another $750K in potential bonuses, a deal that gave the Kings some extra flexibility to work with.

Unfortunately for Edler, last season wasn’t particularly strong.  While he stayed healthy, he found himself a frequent scratch and when he did suit up, his ice time was limited to just 14:46 per game, by far his lowest ATOI since his rookie campaign back in 2006-07.  Edler saw a bit of playoff action but his ice time was capped even lower.  Basically, his performance last year wasn’t strong enough to command a guaranteed contract through the first two-plus months of free agency.

At this point of his career, Edler is likely to be relegated to the type of role he had last season as a sixth or seventh option who isn’t an every-game player.  Those players still have their uses but it would need to be on a team-friendly contract that is at or near the minimum without bonuses.  In the meantime, not too many of those deals are handed out at this point of the summer so if Edler wants to extend his career to an 18th NHL campaign, he may have to go the PTO route to do so.

Central Notes: Jets, Zhigalov, Bichsel

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The futures of Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele with the Jets has been a source of speculation all summer with no extensions in place as they enter the final year of their contracts.  GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link) that he plans to meet with both players once training camp gets underway to continue talks on a new deal.  After trading Pierre-Luc Dubois and buying out Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg’s roster looks a bit weaker on paper heading into the season but having Hellebuyck and Scheifele around would certainly help their chances of making the playoffs.  At this point, they’re expected to be on the roster when the regular season starts whether or not an extension is in place.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Avalanche prospect Ivan Zhigalov was supposed to play in Belarus this season but the deal ultimately fell through. However, it appears as if he has found a new place to play as McKeen’s Brock Otten reports (Twitter link) that the netminder will suit up for USHL Tri-City in 2023-24.  The 20-year-old was the final pick of the 2022 draft (225th overall) and spent last season with OHL Kingston where he posted a 3.59 GAA with a .889 SV% in 45 games.  The Avs have until June 1st to sign Zhigalov to an entry-level deal.
  • Stars prospect Lian Bichsel underwent ankle surgery back in the spring but he has been cleared to return as the team posted on Twitter that the blueliner skated in Dallas for the first time on Friday. The 19-year-old was the 18th pick last year and spent last season in Leksands’ system, playing in 42 games at the SHL level.  There was a report back in August that suggested Bichsel won’t go back there for the upcoming season if he doesn’t land a roster spot with Dallas but instead, he’ll go to Rogle, another SHL squad.

Atlantic Notes: Kasper, Edvinsson, Canadiens

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Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper spent most of last season playing with Rogle in Sweden before making the trek to North America once his campaign over there came to an end.  That won’t be the case this season, however, as the forward told Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that he will report to AHL Grand Rapids if he doesn’t earn a spot with Detroit this fall.  Kasper was the eighth overall pick last year and had eight goals and 15 assists in 52 games in the SHL before making his NHL debut with Detroit in early April.  The Red Wings have brought in several forwards this summer to reshape their group so it’s quite possible that Kasper will have to bide his time in the minors this season.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Red Wings, defenseman Simon Edvinsson will not be ready to participate in training camp as he continues to work his way back from shoulder surgery, relays Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now. However, he should be cleared by the time the regular season starts.  The 20-year-old spent most of last season in Grand Rapids, notching five goals and 22 assists in 52 games.  The 2021 sixth-overall pick also got into nine games with Detroit where he tallied his first two NHL goals.  With Edvinsson not being available for camp, it seems likely that he’ll be ticketed for the Griffins at least to start the season.
  • The bulk of the moves that the Canadiens have made in the last couple of years have been moving out veterans and in doing so, cleaning up their cap situation. Despite that, GM Kent Hughes told Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link) that the impetus for the moves isn’t to try to become a player in free agency soon.  Instead, the focus is on creating openings for their young players to get a chance to develop.  Last season, Montreal had five rookies play at least 39 games on the back end and with the trades of Rem Pitlick and Mike Hoffman, there are now a couple more openings for their younger forwards to try to fill.

Summer Synopsis: Nashville Predators

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For the last quarter century, the Nashville Predators had been carefully constructed by General Manager David Poile, who has just recently passed the reins to former head coach of the Predators, Barry Trotz. In a new transitionary period for the organization, Trotz will look to build the club from the ground up, trying to reach the elusive Stanley Cup, an award that Poile was never able to earn during his tenure in Nashville.

At last year’s trade deadline, the Predators were able to move out some prominent players such as Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund. In the offseason, Nashville once again made some moves to rid themselves of a couple of higher-priced contracts but also made some interesting moves in what seems like an attempt to remain competitive in a free-for-all Western Conference playoff picture.

Draft

1-15: F Matthew Wood, Connecticut (NCAA)
1-24: D Tanner Molendyk, Saskatoon (WHL)
2-43: F Felix Nilsson, Rögle (J20 Nationell)
2-46: F Kalan Lind, Red Deer (WHL)
3-68: F Jesse Kiiskinen, Pelicans (U20 SM-Sarja)
3-83: D Dylan MacKinnon, Halifax (QMJHL)
4-111: F Joey Willis, Saginaw (OHL)
4-121: G Juha Jatkola, KalPa (Liiga)
5-143: F Sutter Muzzatti, RPI (NCAA)
6-175: F Austin Roest, Everett (WHL)
7-218: F Aiden Fink, Brooks (AJHL)

In the 2023 NHL Draft, the Predators had a plethora of selections, deepening their prospect pool for the foreseeable future. Not only was Nashville able to make 11 selections in this draft, but already has another 11 picks for the 2024 NHL Draft if they choose to hold on to them all.

To describe their first overall pick this year in one word: goals. During the 2022-23 season, the Predators finished 28th in goal-scoring across the league, with their team-leading total only being 22 goals on the year. In his freshman season at the University of Connecticut, Wood was able to score 11 goals and 23 assists in 35 games. He has the ability to shoot in motion, off both feet, and has some considerable quickness giving him the ability to create more scoring opportunities for himself. It’s going to be highly unlikely to see Wood in the NHL this year, but he should be a surefire bet to make Nashville’s roster for the 2024-25 season.

An under-the-radar selection they likely went overlooked due to the sheer number of selections made by the Predators at the draft would be Willis out of the Saginaw Spirit organization in the OHL. He does need a bit of work with his confidence with the puck, as well as finishing off scoring opportunities, but his major asset, his hockey intelligence, should make him a great foundation to build on for Nashville.

Key UFA Signings

F Anthony Angello (two years, $1.55MM)*
G Troy Grosenick (one year, $775K)*
F Denis Gurianov (one year, $850K)
F Gustav Nyquist (two years, $6.37MM)
F Ryan O’Reilly (four years, $18MM)
D Luke Schenn (three years, $8.25MM)
F Jasper Weatherby (one year, $775K)*

To be honest, it is incredibly difficult to decipher exactly what Nashville was trying to accomplish with their free agent class this offseason. Given the team’s movement in the months prior, all signs pointed to this team going the route of the rebuild, or at the very least a lengthy retool. However, handing out multi-year deals to three players over the age of 31 indicates that they are attempting to make the playoffs as soon as next season.

This is not to say that the Predators couldn’t make the playoffs as currently constructed, but they do not have enough high-level forwards to give this team the ability to really make some noise. Being a team with money to spend this summer, Nashville certainly could have done worse than this group, but it will likely take some time to determine exactly what direction the Predators believe they are headed.

Key Departures

F Ryan Johansen (traded to Colorado)
F Matt Duchene (Dallas, one year, $3MM)
F Zach Sanford (Arizona, one year, $800K)
F Rasmus Asplund (Florida, one year, $775K)
F John Leonard (Arizona, one year, $775K)
G Devin Cooley (Buffalo, one year, $775K)

A few weeks prior to the beginning of the offseason on July 1st, it wasn’t expected that Nashville would move two of its best forwards. Not only did both players have forgettable seasons last year, but both players were making $8MM a year, and their contracts seemed confidently immovable.

Nevertheless, in two separate staunch transactions, Trotz was able to move Johansen (after retaining 50% of his contract), and then proceeded to buy out the remaining three years on Duchene’s contract. Both players will join division rivals for the Predators; Johansen to Colorado and Duchene to Dallas, but Nashville was able to remove a bulk of their cap hits from their roster which will give them a lot of flexibility moving forward.

With O’Reilly now in the mix, and forward Cody Glass making a real name for himself last year, the Predators have an adequate duo down the middle to lead their offensive group. One of the main problems with their departures, if Johansen and Duchene are able to rebound nicely with their new organizations, it may be a tough pill to swallow for Nashville, knowing they likely could have gotten more for the two forwards.

Salary Cap Outlook

Thanks to the departures of Johansen and Duchene, as well as some other trades throughout the last year-and-a-half, the Predators will have just under $8MM in cap space heading into the 2023-24 NHL season. There will come a time in the next couple of years when young players such as Philip Tomasino, Luke Evangelista, and Juuso Parssinen will need new deals, and there is the looming end of Juuse Saros’ very team-friendly deal in two seasons.

As far as long-term contracts go, the team only has seven players signed until the 2025-26 season, and only three of those players are signed until 2026-27. As Nashville continues to allocate talent and continues to improve its cap flexibility after each year, Trotz should have no financial issues in building the team that he wants to see in Nashville.

Key Questions

Are They Done Trading? As mentioned above, the Predators were aggressive in ridding themselves of higher-salaried players and even made the decision to part with Tanner Jeannot in their pursuit of acquiring all 224 selections in the 2023 NHL Draft. All jokes aside, there are some legitimate questions as to whether or not Nashville is done in that aspect. It would be hard to envision the team parting with players such as Roman Josi or Filip Forsberg, but with players such as Ryan McDonagh, Colton Sissons, as well as Saros, being some of the highest-paid players in the league, they could find themselves on the outside looking in for the future of this franchise.

What Is The Direction They Are Going To Take? Although it would have taken an improbable losing effort, given their team needs and the direction they appeared to be headed in at the trade deadline last year, the 2022-23 NHL season would have been a perfect year for the Predators to tear it all down. There’s no surefire way they would have landed Connor Bedard at the top of the draft, but they certainly would have increased their chances of getting Leo Carlsson or Adam Fantilli. The player they did select at 15th overall, Matthew Wood, is going to be a solid NHL contributor, but does not forecast as the face of the franchise player. Although having a generational talent in Josi, this team has all the makings of an organization that could use a young-talented center with the capabilities of being a superstar in the league. As their roster is currently constructed, they are far too good to find themselves at the bottom of the standings, and not quite good enough to be a legitimate playoff contender.

 

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Saku Mäenalanen To PTO

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed veteran forward Saku Mäenalanen to a PTO, according to CapFriendly.

The 29-year-old forward will join the Avalanche for their preseason and training camp, adding to a crop of veterans on PTOs including Joel Kiviranta and Peter Holland.

Mäenalanen returned to the NHL last season with the Jets, skating in 69 combined regular season and playoff games with the club. He scored a combined 11 points in that span, averaging 10:19 TOI including 1:23 TOI per game on the penalty kill.

Standing six-foot-four, 207 pounds, Mäenalanen found his way into Jets head coach Rick Bowness’ nightly lineup on a consistent basis on the back of his ability to perform on a checking line.

In the NHL, he’s not the type of scoring-line productive forward he is in Europe, and the 41 points he scored in 2021-22 over in Liiga with Kärpät won’t be repeated in the NHL.

But in a depth capacity, Mäenalanen can hold his own on NHL ice and even contribute on a penalty kill, as he did last year on a top-10 shorthanded unit with the Jets.

In Colorado, Mäenalanen will compete for a bottom-six or spare forward role against his fellow PTO players and players on NHL deals with the Avalanche.

Ben Meyers, Fredrik Olofsson, and Riley Tufte are the main players Mäenalanen will likely be up against for one of the available jobs in the Avalanche preseason, and their battle for available depth roles will be one of the main storylines to watch of the preseason in Colorado.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 09/08/23

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The professional hockey season has begun in earnest this month, with clubs across Europe beginning their seasons. Five Champions Hockey League contests were played today, with games taking place between clubs from seven different countries. Highlights include third-period heroics from American blueliner Les Lancaster to lift Finland’s Ilves Tampere over Czechia’s HC Oceláři Třinec and a 27-save shutout victory for 23-year-old Jasper Patrikainen lifting his hometown Lahti Pelicans over HC Vítkovice.

Over in the KHL, six league games were played and 2015 first-round pick Evgeny Svechnikov potted his first career KHL goal with a wrap-around tie-breaking marker for Ak Bars Kazan against the Kunlun Red Star. Even as the seasons of many clubs across the hockey world have begun, there’s still quite a bit of player movement happening in foreign and minor pro leagues. As always, we’ll keep track of those transactions here:

  • Former Detroit Red Wings forward Chase Pearson has made the choice to play overseas for the first time in his hockey career. He’s signed a contract with HC HK Dukla Michalovce, a club in the top league of Slovak professional hockey. The six-foot-three center was a 2015 fourth-round pick of the Red Wings out of the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. Pearson played three seasons of college hockey at the University of Maine (and was named Hockey East’s best defensive forward in 2018-19) before beginning his pro career with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins full-time in 2019-20. He has totaled nearly 200 career AHL games and has scored 78 career points. He has three NHL games on his resume and now heads to Slovakia where he could end up playing a big all-around role.
  • Minor league netminder Jake Theut has called it a career at the age of 29, announcing his retirement on social media. Theut worked his way up from playing as a college hockey depth netminder through the lower minor leagues all the way to the ECHL and then AHL, the latter league he finally got into last season. Theut was the SPHL’s goaltender of the year in 2020-21, an honor that helped him earn a full-time ECHL job for the following two seasons. Theut played in over 60 games across two seasons for Wichita and Adirondack, and even earned an AHL call-up last March allowing him to make two starts for the Utica Comets.
  •  The ECHL’s Rapid City Rush have acquired the playing rights to defenseman Will Riedell from the Savannah Ghost Pirates, sending a player to be named later in return. Although Riedell will look to claim an AHL job this fall, Rapid City is where he’ll now land should he end up playing in the ECHL. The 26-year-old North Carolina native skated in 32 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda last season and only 15 for the Ghost Pirates. It was an encouraging first season as a full-time pro hockey player for the former Ohio State Buckeye, and although he’ll hope to remain in the AHL for the coming season in the case he ends up needing to play in the ECHL he’ll now have to do so in Rapid City.
  • The ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers have made an intriguing signing, inking netminder Julian Junca to a one-year contract. The 25-year-old French netminder has spent the past two seasons as the number-one goalie for Rapaces de Gap in Ligue Magnus, the top tier of pro hockey in France. He posted a .921 save percentage in 39 games last season, taking home Ligue Magnus’ Jean Ferrand Trophy for top netminder. He also served as France’s number-two goalie at this year’s IIHF Men’s World Championships, getting into two games for his country. Now he’ll head to Tulsa, where he’ll compete for starts against 27-year-old Rylan Toth, a former top goalie in the Canadian University circuit who played in the Erste Liga (Hungary and Romania) last season.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

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