We’re now in the arbitration period which resulted in several players inking deals to avoid going to a hearing. Those contracts are included in our key stories from the past seven days.
Five For Luukkonen: Of the players who reached a contract before their arbitration hearings, all took a short-term deal except for one, Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Following a career year, the 25-year-old agreed to a five-year, $23.75MM contract with Buffalo. The deal gives Buffalo an additional three seasons of club control and also contains a five-team no-trade list in those final three years, the only ones he was eligible for trade protection. Luukkonen posted a 2.57 GAA with a .910 SV% in a career-best 54 games last season, showing the potential of a full-fledged starter. If he can play at that level for this contract, it should be a team-friendly deal while allowing the Sabres to be patient in bringing Devon Levi along.
More Arbitration Moves: Several other players avoided arbitration this week. First, Buffalo signed newly acquired winger Beck Malenstyn to a two-year, $2.7MM agreement. The 26-year-old played his first full NHL campaign last season, notching 21 points and 241 hits in 81 games with Washington. Toronto then reached an agreement on a one-year, $1.18MM deal with center Connor Dewar. The Maple Leafs acquired the 25-year-old at the trade deadline from Minnesota; Dewar had a career-best 11 goals and 19 points last season. The other player to settle before a hearing was Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom, who worked out a one-year, $1MM agreement although his future in New York remains in question following a tough year that saw him record just two goals and four assists in 32 games. Meanwhile, one case went to a hearing with Nashville blueliner Spencer Stastney receiving a two-year, $1.675MM award; the agreement is two-way next season before converting to a one-way deal for 2025. Stastney had four points in 20 games with the Predators last season.
Konecny Extension: The Flyers will have their leading scorer for the long haul as they worked out an eight-year, $70MM extension with winger Travis Konecny. The deal begins in the 2025-26 season and runs through the 2032-33 campaign. The 27-year-old averaged just over a point per game in 60 appearances in 2022-23 and then followed that up with new career highs in goals (33) and points (68) in 76 games last season, giving him some leverage entering negotiations. While Philadelphia is still navigating its way through a rebuild, GM Daniel Briere determined that he wanted some core veterans to help lead them through it and Konecny will do just that with this contract as he comes off the 2025 UFA list.
Oilers Hire Bowman: After it was revealed following the playoffs that Ken Holland would not return as GM in Edmonton, CEO Jeff Jackson took the team through free agency but made it clear that he didn’t want the full-time GM job. After a long search, the Oilers found Holland’s replacement, naming Stan Bowman as their new GM. Bowman served as the GM in Chicago for a little more than a decade with the Blackhawks winning three Stanley Cup titles in his tenure. He resigned in 2021 following an independent report that concluded Bowman had an “inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Blackhawks’ Player, Kyle Beach, had been assaulted by the Club’s video coach”. At that time, he was ruled ineligible to work in the NHL but that eligibility was reinstated last month.
Busy Blue Jackets: It was a busy week in Columbus. First, they hired Dean Evason as their new head coach, replacing Pascal Vincent who was let go last month. It’s the second NHL head coaching stint for the 59-year-old who spent parts of five years in Minnesota with his teams playing to a .639 points percentage. Next, they learned that winger Patrik Laine has been cleared to exit the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Laine entered the program in February while recovering from clavicle/shoulder surgery back in December and has made it known that he’d like a change of scenery. GM Don Waddell indicated that teams were interested in speaking with Laine but that couldn’t happen until he exited the program. Now that he has, trade discussions surrounding the 26-year-old could soon pick up.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets were also busy on the contract front. They re-signed Kent Johnson to a three-year, $5.4MM contract following a rough season that saw him limited to 16 points in 42 games while also spending time in the minors. However, only one year removed from a 40-point campaign, this deal could become a team-friendly one fairly quickly. One day later, they avoided arbitration with Kirill Marchenko, agreeing on a three-year, $11.85MM contract. The 24-year-old has eclipsed the 20-goal mark in his first two NHL seasons, earning him a nice raise off his entry-level deal. Both players will be restricted free agents with arbitration rights in 2027.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.