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East Notes: Forton, Bergeron, Colliton, Alnefelt

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In preparation for a busy offseason, the Buffalo Sabres are also ironing out the hierarchy in their front office. Earlier today, the team announced that Jerry Forton had been promoted to Assistant General Manager and Chris Bergeron has been hired as an amateur free-agent scout.

The promotion is a long time coming for Forton, as he has spent the last decade with the Sabres organization in a variety of positions. Originally brought to Buffalo as an assistant coach for the 2013-14 NHL season, Forton has also spent time as an amateur scout, the Director of Collegiate Scouting, and his most recent role as Director of Amateur Scouting. Forton will oversee the entirety of the Amateur Scouting and Professional Scouting Departments in his new capacity.

Bergeron, on the other hand, is stepping into his first opportunity with an NHL organization. Even though his coaching career began in the 2000-01 NCAA season as an assistant coach for Miami University of Ohio, Bergeron spent nine years (2010-2019) as head coach of Bowling Green State University’s hockey team before returning to Miami University of Ohio as a head coach until this past season.

Other notes:

  • Recently named as an associate coach for the New Jersey Devils, Jeremy Colliton’s primary responsibilities have already been made public. Shortly after the hiring was made official, team reporter for the Devils, Amanda Stein, shared that Colliton will oversee the team’s forwards and powerplay. During his tenure as head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the team finished 22nd and 23rd in the AHL in powerplay percentage under Colliton. However, with the Devils boasting some of the best top-end talent, the team’s powerplay should still be an efficient part of the organization.
  • Just over a month ago, it was reported that goaltending prospect, Hugo Alnefelt, would be leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning organization for an opportunity in his native Sweden. In an interview with Martin Jansson of HockeySvierge, it does not appear Alnefelt will be home for good, as he envisions returning to North America at some point. The 23-year-old goaltending prospect was quoted, “It’s hard to know if you’re ready or not and I don’t know if you can really be ready if you do something you’ve never tried. But there is absolutely nothing I regret that I went over so early. The plan now is not to be at home for good, it is to develop and take the step back“.

Sam Carrick Fined By Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety issued their only punishment from Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, fining Edmonton Oilers’ forward Sam Carrick a total of $2,213.54, the maximum allowable, for slashing Florida Panthers’ defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. Elliotte Friedman of TSN followed up the report by announcing the league would not pass down any additional discipline.

The play in question occurred near the end of Game 2 after Kulikov delivered a hard hit to Carrick. Afterward, Carrick slashed Kulikov in what is best described as his ’nether region’, resulting in a two-minute minor penalty for slashing, and a 10-minute game misconduct. Since Carrick was ejected from the game, teammate Evander Kane served his two-minute penalty.

Expectedly, the Department of Player Safety will expand its leniency throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. Still, it is surprising that this will be the only supplemental discipline from Game 2. Aside from Carrick, defenseman Vincent Desharnais and forward Warren Foegele were ejected from the Oilers bench, with forward Leon Draisaitl delivering a controversial hit to Aleksander Barkov.

Nevertheless, the Oilers organization should view the lack of punishment as a silver lining to their Game 2 loss, as they will not be forced to lose any players for a pivotal Game 3. Managing only one goal through the first six periods of the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton will need all hands on deck to get back into this series.

Sharks Still Listening To Offers For Mario Ferraro

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While not a first-pairing defenseman on nearly any other team in the league, Mario Ferraro was the Sharks’ number-one man on the blue line this season by default after Erik Karlsson’s departure. The 25-year-old was drawing trade interest during the season, but he wore teal for the remainder of the campaign and remains in San Jose – for now.

He’s not explicitly on the trade block, but The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that Ferraro continues to generate calls, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier is listening ahead of the draft later this month. The 2017 second-round pick is under contract for two more seasons at a $3.25MM cap hit.

The offense was there from Ferraro to some degree this season, recording a career-high 18 assists and 21 points through 78 games. His -31 and -38 ratings the past two seasons should probably be thrown out entirely, given the state of the Sharks’ defense, but his even-strength possession numbers compared to his teammates aren’t particularly promising. The Sharks have controlled 2.4% fewer shot attempts with Ferraro on the ice than off it at even strength over his five-year career, although he did have a slightly positive impact (+0.3%) for the first time this season.

There’s one major complicating factor in a deal, though. He likely won’t be a first-pairing talent wherever he lands, but it seems Grier wants to be compensated for one. Pagnotta expects it will take a first-round pick and potentially two other high-value assets to pry him away from San Jose, a price that interested teams rightfully may not be willing to pay. The list of parties that have called Ferraro dating back to midseason includes the Blackhawks, Flames, Hurricanes, Maple Leafs and Predators, per Pagnotta.

It’s an especially difficult ask when there’s also a bevy of mid-tier defensive options available for no asset cost on the open market this summer, including Dylan DeMelo, Matt Roy and Sean Walker. They’ll certainly require a higher cap hit to acquire, but is the difference in spending worth what may be needed to get Ferraro via trade?

From the Sharks’ perspective, it does make sense to command such a high ask. He’s not headed to the UFA market for two more summers, so there’s no rush to deal him for a return if extension talks fall through somewhere down the line.

Cup Final Notes: Suspensions, Barkov, Nurse, Ekblad, Luostarinen

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Don’t expect supplemental discipline to be announced today for a pair of Oilers forwards that laid controversial hits in last night’s Game 2 loss. Leon Draisaitl’s check to the head of Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov that knocked him out of the game will go unpunished past the two-minute minor assessed on the play, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports. Warren Foegele also won’t receive a suspension for his knee-on-knee hit on Eetu Luostarinen that got him tossed from the game in the first period, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.

That’s good news for an Edmonton squad that needs to battle back from a 2-0 series deficit as the series shifts to their ice later this week. The Oilers became the first team since the Penguins in 2008 to score one goal or less in the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final. While they were dominant but stymied by Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in their Game 1 loss, Game 2 saw Florida’s defense limit the Oilers to 19 shots on goal and no high-danger chances at even strength. Draisaitl, in particular, would be a huge loss – he’s second on the club in playoff goals (10) and points (28) in 20 games.

Other updates from the Cup Final:

  • While Draisaitl will be available for Game 3, Barkov is a question mark. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said today that his first-line center isn’t feeling any worse this morning after taking the German forward’s elbow to his jaw area but will undergo further evaluation tomorrow (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards). The team hasn’t confirmed the nature of Barkov’s injury, but speculation indicates he’s likely in concussion protocol. Barkov, 28, is tied for the team lead in postseason scoring with 19 points in 19 games and has averaged 21:31 per game, second to Sam Reinhart among Florida forwards.
  • Speaking to reporters via Zoom this morning, Oilers bench boss Kris Knoblauch had no update on the status of defenseman Darnell Nurse (per NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika). The much-maligned blue liner missed significant chunks of last night’s loss after taking an awkward hit from Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues late in the first period (video link). Nurse has just three assists and a -15 rating in 20 postseason contests thus far, and his potential absence for Game 3 would make way for Cody Ceci to re-enter the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the first time as an Oiler in Game 2.
  • Luostarinen and defenseman Aaron Ekblad both missed chunks of Game 2 with respective lower-body injuries, but they’ll be good to go moving forward, Maurice confirmed this morning (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Luostarinen wasn’t able to put any weight on his left leg while being helped off the ice after his collision with Foegele but managed to return before the end of the period. Ekblad, meanwhile, twisted his ankle awkwardly after getting tangled up with Oilers star Connor McDavid but still logged nearly 23 minutes of action in last night’s win.

USA Hockey Adds John Hynes To 4 Nations Coaching Staff

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After serving as the head coach for this year’s World Championship, Wild bench boss John Hynes will be back behind a Team USA bench next year. He’s been added as an assistant on Mike Sullivan’s staff for next year’s inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, per a USA Hockey announcement.

It’s the second straight tournament in which Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who currently holds the same role for the U.S. Men’s National Team, has plugged in his new head coach to the staff. Hynes took over Minnesota’s bench in late November after the Wild got off to a sluggish 5-10-4 start under Dean Evason.

Under Hynes, the U.S. finished second in Group B at the Worlds but was ousted in the quarterfinal round. It was his second time leading the Americans at the tournament – he led them to a bronze-game loss in 2016. He also served as an assistant at the 2019 tournament.

Other than Hynes and Sullivan, USA Hockey has yet to fill out its staff for the 4 Nations tournament, which will run from February 12 to February 20, 2025. A handful of Hynes’ Wild players, likely winger Matt Boldy and Calder Trophy finalist Brock Faber on defense, could play under him at the tournament.

Hynes is now with his third NHL club as a head coach after previous stints with the Devils and Predators. He owns a career 318-279-68 record (.529 points percentage) in 665 regular-season games coached.

Blues Sign Colten Ellis To Two-Way Extension

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The Blues have signed goaltender Colten Ellis to a one-year, two-way extension, per a team announcement. The deal carries a cap hit and NHL salary of $775K and an AHL salary of $85K.

Ellis, 23, is the second Blues minor-leaguer to ink extensions in the past few days. Winger Mathias Laferrière signed a similar deal to remain in the St. Louis organization on Sunday.

Like Laferriere, Ellis was slated to be a restricted free agent this summer following the completion of his entry-level contract. The Blues’ 2019 third-round choice is coming off his third professional season, and while he’s failed to earn a full-time job with AHL Springfield to date, it seems to be around the corner.

Ellis played a career-high 16 AHL contests this year, leading Springfield goalies with a 2.89 GAA and .924 SV% behind a defensively-challenged club. Add on a .923 SV% in 21 appearances with ECHL Orlando, and he’s put together a solid case for full-time backup duties with the Blues’ top affiliate next season.

The Nova Scotia native still has some time to develop and is one of the more under-the-radar goalie prospects in the league. He went on to have an illustrious junior career after being drafted by St. Louis, culminating in a lights-out 2020-21 campaign that saw him post a remarkable 23-1-0 record, seven shutouts and a .926 SV% in 24 games with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. He led the league in both GAA and SV% during the COVID-shortened season and was named to the year-end First All-Star Team.

Ellis will be slated for restricted free agency again next summer when his extension expires. He’ll likely split goaltending duties in Springfield next season with fellow 2019 pick Vadim Zherenko.

Snapshots: Merela, Sabres Staff, Krog

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Yesterday, Lightning restricted free agent forward Waltteri Merela signed a one-year deal with SC Bern of the Swiss National League. The Lightning reportedly wanted Merela to return to the organization (as per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times) but couldn’t offer him the guaranteed money that he could get abroad because of their need to keep salary cap flexibility. The Lightning plan to make Merela a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights until he is 27.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have hired Chris Bergeron as a scout, shares Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. Bergeron has served as the head coach of Miami (Ohio) University’s men’s hockey team for the last five seasons, posting a cumulative – and dismal – 35-116-16 record with the club. Those results earn Bergeron the title of lowest win percentage in Miami’s history, narrowly beating out Bill Davidge’s 39-111-3 record across four seasons in the late 1980s. Bergeron still has a storied hockey career despite a slow go of things in Miami, Ohio – serving as the head coach of Bowling Green State University for nine seasons and accumulating 43 AHL games, 119 ECHL, and 111 IHL games across a seven-year professional career of his own. Bergeron is expected to, unsurprisingly, serve as Buffalo’s NCAA scout after Jerry Forton was promoted to ‘Director of Amateur Scouting’.
  • Buffalo has also shared that they will be maintaining AHL assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch, shares Lysowski (Twitter link). The duo – both former NHL players – concluded the first year of their coaching careers last season, helping lead the Rochester Americans to a strong 39-23-7 record. With a year under their belts, the novice coaches will now lend their lessons learned to new head coach Mike Leone as he enters the first pro role of his own coaching career.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have hired former NHL center Jason Krog as a skills and development coach for the NHL and AHL rosters (Twitter link). Krog played in four games with Vancouver to end a 202-game career in the NHL that was largely spent with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Krog scored 22 goals and 59 games across his career, including a single-season high of 25 points in 2002-03. He flaunted fantastic agility and skill as an undersized pivot in a physical era of the NHL – and will now look to bring those lessons to a young Canucks organization.

Devils Name Jeremy Colliton Associate Coach

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June 11: The Devils have named Colliton as their associate coach in a team announcement Tuesday, directly replacing Green. No other changes are coming to their on-ice coaching staff this offseason.

June 7: Keep an eye on former Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton to join the Devils’ bench in an assistant capacity this offseason, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

Colliton, 39, was fired as Chicago’s head coach in November 2021 after they began the 2021-22 campaign with a 1-9-2 record. He remained out of work for the remainder of the season but later joined the Canucks, serving as the head coach of their minor-league affiliate in Abbotsford for the last two seasons.

With his contract up this summer, though, it’s unlikely he’s returning to Vancouver. He’s also been viewed as an outside contender for the Sharks’ head coaching vacancy, the last one remaining in the league. However, San Jose appears close to a decision, and he’s not the leading candidate.

In New Jersey, Colliton would join a new-look coaching staff led by Sheldon Keefe, who quickly found a new home after being let go by the Maple Leafs. He’d fill the vacancy left by Travis Green, who was promoted to serve as interim head coach after Lindy Ruff’s midseason firing and left this offseason to become head coach of the Senators.

Across parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, Colliton had an 87-92-26 record (.488 points percentage). They made the playoffs once in his tenure, winning their 2020 Qualifying Round series against the Oilers before falling to the Golden Knights in first-round action.

Canucks Notes: Lindholm, Chatfield, Zadorov

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Elliotte Friedman reported on the Jeff Marek Show today that it doesn’t appear that the Vancouver Canucks will be able to hang on to pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm. Friedman referenced recent reports that the Canucks were willing to offer Lindholm a seven-year deal for $7MM per season but adds that the Canucks are reportedly looking to their next options as Lindholm’s departure becomes more of a reality.

The Canucks gave up a massive package to acquire the 29-year-old sending a first-round pick in 2024, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024, as well as two prospects and Andrei Kuzmenko to the Calgary Flames and aren’t likely to find a suitable replacement in free agency.

In other Vancouver Canucks notes:

  • Rick Dhaliwal spoke today on Donnie and Dhali about Carolina Hurricanes pending free agent defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Dhaliwal said that if Chatfield reaches free agency the Canucks will have interest, however, he has also heard that the Hurricanes are pushing to re-sign him. Chatfield started his NHL career with the Canucks, dressing in 18 games during the 2020-21 season and registering one assist. He then signed with Carolina as a free agent in 2021 and has been with the team the past three seasons. Last year the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 14 assists in 72 games and averaged 15:12 of ice time per game.
  • Dhaliwal also reported that all is quiet when it comes to contract negotiations between the Canucks and pending free-agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The 29-year-old was also acquired at the trade deadline and reportedly hasn’t spoke with Vancouver over the past few days. The Canucks have just over $24MM in cap space available but have pending extensions to sign in the next three seasons for Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko and will need to be careful how they allocate long-term cap space. Reports have surfaced previously that Zadorov is looking for a six-year deal at $6MM per season.

Jim Nill Wins General Manager Of The Year Award

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The National Hockey League has announced that Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill has won the 2023-24 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the second consecutive season. The award is handed out annually and recognizes the efforts of the top general manager in the NHL. Nill joins New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello as the only general manager to win the award on more than one occasion.

In his 11th season as general manager of Dallas, Nill continued to supplement the Stars’ excellent drafting and development by signing Matt Duchene to a one-year $3MM deal that turned out to be a bargain as Duchene posted 25 goals and 40 assists in 80 games. Nill also signed Sam Steel to a bargain deal and traded for Chris Tanev at the trade deadline. Nill has had a massive role in Dallas building one of the deepest cores of young players in the NHL by drafting forwards Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, while also selecting defenseman Miro Heiskanen and netminder Jake Oettinger.

The Stars lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Edmonton Oilers after they had posted 113 points in the regular season, one point shy of the New York Rangers who captured the President’s Trophy. It was the second consecutive season that the Stars lost in the Western Conference Final, and it was the third time they’ve advanced that far in the past five years.

Nill was also recently named as an assistant general manager of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team for the 2026 Olympics as well as an associate general manager for Canada’s team in the 4 Nations Face-Off next February.

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