Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for June 2024

Utah Hockey Club Acquires Mikhail Sergachev

at CDT | by 20 Comments

The Utah Hockey Club have acquired defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning, in exchange for defenseman J.J. Moser, forward prospect Conor Geekie, and a second-round draft pick, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The first blockbuster of the draft has hit, as Tampa Bay parts with a top-line defender and moves out $8.5MM in cap space. That should make their pursuit of franchise centerman Steven Stamkos a bit more manageable. Stamkos was reportedly set for the open market on July 1st, with the Lightning holding just $5.335MM in cap space. That number is now up to $16.5MM – a massive difference – after the Lightning also moved Tanner Jeannot and his $2.665MM cap hit to the Los Angeles Kings.

And while the cap space is surely what Tampa was looking for, they’ll reel in a strong return for parting with Sergachev. That includes Moser, who’s filled a strong second-pairing role for the Arizona Coyotes since his second-round selection in 2021. Still just 24, Moser has already totaled 205 career games and 72 points – including 26 points in 80 games this year. He’s a swift, confident defender on and off the puck, showing a knack for controlling traffic along his own blue line.

Tampa also receives top prospect Conor Geekie, the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s since played through his final two seasons in the WHL, recording 99 points in just 55 games split between the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos this season. Not to be outdone, Geekie also added nine points in nine postseason games. He’s a big-frame forward, standing at 6-foot-4 and 197 pounds. He’s improved his ability to move that weight around substantially since his draft year looking much more fluid moving with the puck on his stick this season. Geekie signed his entry-level contract following the end of Swift Current’s year, setting him up for his first pro season in 2024-25.

And in return for their pretty penny, Utah receives a true top defenseman – finally ending a search that’s taken them through Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Sean Durzi. None of the options could fill the role, though, leading Utah to pull in the understudy to Lightning star Victor Hedman. Sergachev has served in a vital role for the Lightning since a 2017 trade for forward Jonathan Drouin. He recorded 40 points in 79 games in his rookie season with Tampa Bay, quickly claiming a large share of ice time that he hasn’t relinquished since. Sergachev recorded at least 30 points in each of his next four seasons before posting a career-high 10 goals and 64 points in the 2022-23 season. It was the breakout that fans had been waiting for – though his encore this season was cut short by a pair of long-term leg injuries. He’ll now have to carry on his performance in a new jersey, joining the NHL’s newest franchise.

Sabres Acquire Beck Malenstyn From Capitals

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres have acquired the rights to pending-restricted free agent Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals, sending Pick 43 in the 2024 NHL Draft the other way.

Beck Malenstyn was one of two notable RFAs in Washington’s system, alongside forward Connor McMichael. The two headlined a stressful summer for the Capitals – who are facing three remaining free agents, including McMichael and Max Pacioretty, with just $7.6MM in cap space if you factor in the team receiving LTIR relief for Nicklas Backstrom. Having recently acquired the ever-cheap Logan Thompson, Washington now sits just two contracts short of a full NHL roster.

For their role in helping Washington sort out their summer, Buffalo receives the hefty frame of Malenstyn, who carved out a meaningful role on Washington’s third line as a rookie this year. He recorded 21 points and 25 penalty minutes in 81 games through his inaugural season – more points than he’s managed in any one AHL season, despite spending the last four years with the Hershey Bears. Before his move to the Capitals lineup, Malenstyn’s career-high sat at just 16 points, recorded in 65 games with Hershey in 2021-22. He even took a step back in scoring last year, posting just 10 points in 40 games while supporting Hershey to their first of back-to-back Calder Cups.

Now headed to Buffalo, Malenstyn will serve as relief to a Sabres team that may lose each of Zemgus Girgensons, Victor Olofsson, and Eric Robinson to unrestricted free agency. If that is the case, Malenstyn would vie for a strong role on the third-line wing, though he’ll face pressure from top prospects like Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen, and Jiri Kulich.

Marty Pavelich Passes Away At Age 96

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Former Detroit Red Wings winger Marty Pavelich has passed away at the age of 96. Pavelich was the oldest living player to play 100 career games or more in the NHL.

Pavelich was built through the Red Wings system. He began his career with Detroit’s juniors team, the Galt Red Wings, in 1946, where he played alongside future Hall-of-Fame goalie Terry Sawchuk. Pavelich’s strong juniors season earned him a call-up to Detroit’s minor-league affiliate, the Indianapolis Capitals, in the following season – a move he quickly vindicated by earning a full-time NHL role. Pavelich posted four goals and 12 points in 41 games as a rookie but quickly followed it with 26 points in 60 games as a sophomore. More importantly, Pavelich showed signs of strong grit. It was enough to inspire then-head coach Tommy Ivan to build a checking line around the forward that supported Detroit’s stars, serving as a big factor in the team’s run to the Stanley Cup in 1950.

That was the first of four Stanley Cups that Pavelich won with the Red Wings – having also joined the team for their wins in 1952, 1954, and 1955. Detroit boasted a fantastic lineup through it all, spearheaded by Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay, Dutch Reibel, and Gordie Howe. Pavelich certainly wasn’t on the height of his Hall of Fame teammates, but he knew the work he had to put in to make up for it. Even at the age of 96, he told the Detroit Free Press, “I may not have been the most talented member of those teams, but you were never going to outwork me.”

Panthers Optimistic About Re-Signing Sam Reinhart

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Florida Panthers are optimistic about their ability to re-sign star forward Sam Reinhart, general manager Bill Zito tells Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Zito adds, though, that the team may not have enough cap space to bring back both Reinhart and top-pair defenseman Brandon Montour. He said, “We’re going to spend to the cap… I’m going to spend it all, so you want [cap space], and I don’t have it, I can’t manufacture it. It’s frustrating, it’s harder, perhaps, but there’s really nothing you can do.”

The Panthers are entering the summer with $19.52MM in projected cap space and a daunting 13 pending free agents. In addition to Reinhart and Montour, Florida will have to negotiate with Vladimir Tarasenko, Anton Lundell, and Anthony Stolarz. Each of those players could demand chunks of Florida’s remaining funds, especially as Zito says the team’s goal is to bring back as much of their first Stanley Cup-winning roster as they can.

To do that successfully, Florida will first need to get by Reinhart’s contract without spending half of their budget. It seems hard to tell how much the 28-year-old winger could demand on a new deal, after posting a dazzling 57 goals and 94 points this season. The performance was the most goals ever posted by a Panther not named Pavel Bure – and proceeded two 30-goal seasons in Reinhart’s first two years with the Panthers. He’s carried his scoring tough into the postseason, with 20 goals and 32 points in 53 playoff games since joining Florida in 2021. Reinhart also carries draft precedent, having gone second overall in 2014. While that latter point may not be much reason to pay him more, it could be reason to not pay him less.

An ideal world could see Reinhart sign a deal similar to the eight-year, $72MM deal former teammate Jeff Skinner just had bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. Skinner doesn’t seem to be in much of a place to vindicate the deal’s second half but it was enough to control him through strong seasons with the Sabres. Reinhart, who has performed at a higher and more consistent level than Skinner, could make a structure like this look much better, likely won’t be as quick to fall off; though Skinner’s buyout could be a good forewarning to the Panthers to avoid long term.

That structure would leave Florida with just over $10MM for the rest of their summer. That certainly won’t be enough to make all of the moves they’d surely like to make, including bringing back Montour after a career-high 73 points last season. Montour brought that scoring back to 33 points this year, though he’s still commanded a prominent role in Florida’s top-four. The Panthers have been rumored to be shopping around star defenseman Aaron Ekblad, which would open the cap space to move forward with Montour and Gustav Forsling as a top pair.

But even that could be a tall order as teams face more cap headaches than anyone wants. Florida is among the most stressed, as they look to build back as best of a lineup as they can while sticking to their budget.

Edmonton Acquires 32nd Overall Pick From Philadelphia

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Edmonton Oilers have acquired the 31st overall pick from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers will receive the Oilers’ first-round pick in 2025 or 2026 based on conditions attached to the pick per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

After losing the Stanley Cup Final only a few days ago, Edmonton was able to trade into the first round after all. The organization selected Sam O’Reilly out of the top-tier London Knights program in the Ontario Hockey League. O’Reilly carries keen awareness all over the ice and is a defensive-minded center through and through.

In 68 games for London this season, O’Reilly scored 20 goals and 56 points while collecting a rating of +32. After the regular season, O’Reilly tallied another five goals and 12 points in 16 postseason contests as the Knights made it to the Memorial Cup Finals after going 16-2 in the OHL playoffs. Long-term, due to his style of play, O’Reilly projects to be a solid bottom-six option in Edmonton.

It was likely an easy gamble for the Flyers, as Philadelphia must hope the Oilers don’t win the Stanley Cup Final over the next two seasons to reap positive value out of this deal. Even before the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, the Flyers potentially already have three picks in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft if certain conditions are met.

Chicago Acquires 27th Overall Pick From Carolina

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Chicago Blackhawks have acquired the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the 34th and 50th overall selections. The Blackhawks will now make their third selection of the first round.

Taking a mild swing with the pick, it is clear that the Blackhawks were looking for a role player next to Connor Bedard. Chicago used the selection on forward Marek Vanacker from the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. Vanacker thrives in transition and is a nuisance to play against in the middle of the ice.

In addition to being a puck thief against opposing teams, Vanacker was an effective playmaker for the Bulldogs this season. In 68 games, Vanacker put up 36 goals and 82 points while putting up another three goals and seven points in six postseason contests. In international play, Vanacker was rostered on Team Canada U18 but only mustered one goal in six tournament games.

Similar to the Avalanche, the Hurricanes have become the second team to trade out of the first round entirely on the first day of the draft. However, Carolina stacked onto their draft capital with this move, as they now have 10 selections to use over the next six rounds.

Utah Hockey Club Acquires 24th Overall Pick From Colorado

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Utah Hockey Club has acquired the 24th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for the 38th and 71st overall picks, as well as a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft (X Link).

Using the pick, Utah selected Cole Beaudoin from the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. By moving three draft picks to the Avalanche, Utah gained the ability to make their second selection of the day while Colorado trades out of the first round entirely.

Beaudoin took a big step forward in his second season with the Colts as the young forward scored 28 goals and 62 points in 67 games after scoring eight goals and 20 points a year before. Long-term, Beaudoin has the playstyle of a third-line forward but has the creativity to be an effective middle-six option at the NHL level. He carries a high motor and is never hesitant to engage in battles anywhere on the ice.

It is a bit surprising to see the Avalanche trade out of the first round, as the team is desperate for cheap NHL-ready talent. It is unlikely that Colorado could have found a player to immediately step into the lineup at this point in the first round, but it is apparent the team is looking for quantity over quality in this year’s draft. Because of the trade, Colorado will have to wait until tomorrow to make their first selection of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Anaheim, Toronto Swap 23rd And 31st Overall Picks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Anaheim Ducks have acquired the 23rd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 31st and 58th overall picks (X Link).

After making a surprise selection of Beckett Sennecke with the third overall selection, the Ducks used the 23rd overall pick to select defenseman Stian Solberg out of Vålerenga in Norway. Stolberg is a quality shutdown defenseman and represents one of the most physical defensemen in the draft. Not only does Solberg effectively shut down offensive pressure from opponents, he makes sure to punish them if they ever touch the puck.

In Vålerenga this season, Stolberg scored five goals and 15 points in 42 games while collecting 47 PIMs in the process. At the international level, Solberg scored one goal and one assist in five games during the 2024 World Junior Championships and added two goals and one assist over seven games for Team Norway in the 2024 World Championships.

In Toronto, the team moves back eight spots while adding some draft capital in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Heading into this evening’s festivities, the Maple Leafs did not have a second-round pick as they had moved theirs to the St. Louis Blues in the deal that landed Ryan O’Reilly with the Maple Leafs. Without factoring in any other moves for Toronto, the Maple Leafs will now only be without choices in the third and sixth rounds of this weekend’s draft.

Extension Notes: Crosby, Faber, Reilly

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Hoping to keep extension discussions away from the media, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reported earlier that the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas, has begun extension negotiations with Sidney Crosby. There have been no rumblings on any specific terms between the two sides but the contract is at least expected to keep Crosby in Pittsburgh until his retirement.

It will be the first time in over a decade that Crosby has had to negotiate a contract as he’s entering the final year of a 12-year $104.4MM contract signed in Pittsburgh only three years after the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. Averaging a sentimental $8.7MM salary for each year of the deal, it has arguably been one of the best-value contracts in league history.

Over the life of the contract, Crosby has scored 354 goals and 931 points in 802 regular season games while winning two Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythe trophies, one Hart Memorial Trophy, one Ted Lindsay Award, and one Art Ross Trophy. Entering his age 37 season, Crosby may be looking for a three- or four-year agreement with the Penguins that could see an AAV near or above $10MM a year.

Other extension notes:

  • Michael Russo of The Athletic reports the Minnesota Wild and rookie defenseman Brock Faber are expected to meet today to begin contract negotiations. Faber will enter the final year of his entry-level contract during the 2024-25 NHL season but is extension eligible on July 1st. There is no doubt that Faber is a player to invest in as the University of Minnesota product finished second in Calder Trophy voting this past season. Averaging nearly 25 minutes a night for the Wild, Faber scored eight goals and 47 points while playing in all 82 games and proved to be an effective quarterback on Minnesota’s powerplay.
  • Another product of the University of Minnesota is looking to sign a contract extension with his current team. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the New York Islanders are working on an extension with defenseman Mike Reilly. After receiving little to no ice time with the Florida Panthers, Reilly was eventually claimed off waivers by the Islanders and gained the opportunity to make a significant impact. In 59 games after the waiver claim, Reilly scored six goals and 24 points in New York while also picking up some time on the powerplay. As the Islanders dealt with numerous injuries to their blue line last season, Reilly represents a capable depth option that can play in nearly any situation.

Minnesota, Philadelphia Swap 12th Overall And 13th Overall

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Minnesota Wild have acquired the 12th overall pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the 13th overall pick and a third-round selection in next year’s draft (X Link).

The Wild would use the selection on defenseman Zeev Buium out of the University of Denver, who miraculously fell to 12th overall. Minnesota adds another dynamic defensive prospect while already having Brock Faber on the back end.

Aside from winning the 2024 National Championship with Denver, Buium rose the draft charts considerably after scoring 11 goals and 50 points in only 42 games. With his strong skating and ability to escape oncoming pressure, Buium is eerily similar to former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Adam Fox from the New York Rangers. By only having to attach a third-round pick to select one of the best defensemen available in the draft — Minnesota could end up with one of the biggest steals of the night.

The Flyers, on the other hand, used the 13th overall pick to select Jett Luchanko out of the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Considering that this selection is a bit of a reach compared to mock picks, the Flyers were likely more than happy to move back one spot and add a third-round selection next year.

As one of the fastest players in the draft, Luchanko can transition with the puck very effectively. In 68 games for the Storm this past season, Luchanko put up 20 goals and 74 points while winning the William Hanley Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top