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Archives for August 2024

Snapshots: Emberson, Bruins, Bertucci, Loponen

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While Ty Emberson’s acquisition was largely viewed as Edmonton merely adding some extra depth on the back end, they have an opportunity to keep him around beyond the upcoming season but will need to play him somewhat regularly to do so.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Oilers will need to play the 24-year-old in at least 50 games in 2024-25 in order to retain his RFA rights (with arbitration eligibility at that time).  Otherwise, Emberson will be eligible to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent.  He was only able to play in 30 games with San Jose last season in his first taste of NHL action, missing 36 games due to injuries along the way.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Bruins are believed to be considering offering UFA wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Blake Wheeler tryouts for next month’s training camp, suggests Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Yamamoto is coming off a down year that saw him record just 16 points in 55 games with Seattle while Wheeler had 21 points in 54 contests while also missing considerable time with a leg injury.  Boston could stand to add some depth on the wing but until they get Jeremy Swayman’s contract sorted out, they’re unlikely to do any guaranteed contracts.
  • Stars defense prospect Tristan Bertucci is on the move as OHL Flint announced they’ve moved him to Barrie as part of a three-team swap. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick by Dallas in 2023, going 61st overall; he has already signed his entry-level contract.  Bertucci played in 61 games with the Firebirds last season, notching 10 goals and 34 assists while adding four helpers in four playoff contests.  He also was able to make his professional debut, suiting up once for AHL Texas after Flint was eliminated from the postseason.
  • Jets prospect Markus Loponen requested and was granted a contract termination from his deal with Karpat, per a team release from the Finnish squad. The 18-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in June, going 155th overall.  Loponen had 25 goals and 29 assists in 45 games last season on Karpat’s under-20 team, earning him a first-round selection by Victoria in the CHL Import Draft this summer.  Loponen will now suit up for the Royals this season.

Free Agent Profile: Tyler Johnson

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Several years ago, Tyler Johnson was a key supporting piece of Tampa Bay’s offense, playing a secondary scoring role in their back-to-back titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21.  However, despite a couple of seasons of decent output in that same role with Chicago, the veteran finds himself unsigned more than six weeks into free agency.

The 34-year-old spent his first nine NHL seasons with the Lightning with his best performance coming nine years ago when he put up 72 points in 77 games before settling into a full-time middle-six role after that.  Along the way, he was rewarded with a seven-year, $35MM contract, one that was a market-value deal for a while.

However, with Tampa Bay’s cap crunch forcing their hand on clearing out multiple veterans, the Lightning eventually needed to move him out; they moved a second-round pick to get Chicago to take on the final three years of his contract while taking on the LTIR contract of Brent Seabrook in return.

Unfortunately for Johnson, his first two seasons were mired with injuries, playing in only 82 games combined while spending just as many on the shelf.  Despite that, in 2022-23, he still managed to put up 32 points in 56 games, respectable numbers for a middle-six forward.

Last season, Johnson produced at close to the same clip.  He was able to stay healthy for longer, making 67 appearances while putting up 17 goals and 14 assists, his highest goal total since 2018-19.  However, that hasn’t been enough to land him a guaranteed contract so far.

Stats

2023-24: 67 GP, 17 G, 14 A, 31 PTS, -35, 26 PIMS, 112 shots, 15:32 ATOI, 41.7 CF%
Career: 738 GP, 193 G, 238 A, 431 PTS, +20, 240 PIMS, 1,498 shots, 16:26 ATOI, 49.6 CF%

Potential Suitors

At this stage of his career, Johnson is no longer a full-time top-six player.  With that in mind, his best fits are generally going to be with teams that have an offensive-minded third line while potentially moving into the top six temporarily when injuries arise.

In the East, his old stomping ground in Tampa Bay could make some sense.  They could use one more addition to their middle six and having some familiarity with their system could give Johnson a leg up.  If Boston wants some insurance for Matthew Poitras in case they don’t think he can handle a full season at center, Johnson could serve as low-cost veteran depth.  Washington, meanwhile, has some questions with T.J. Oshie’s health and might want an extra veteran in the fold; Johnson could also potentially allow Hendrix Lapierre to play a big role with AHL Hershey to start the season.

Out West, Colorado could still stand to upgrade their depth but with their cap situation, they will be primarily looking for players at or close to the league minimum.  After Nashville moved Cody Glass last week to free up cap space, they could be an under-the-radar option if they have enough cap space left after re-signing Juuso Parssinen and Philip Tomasino.  Meanwhile, Winnipeg struck out on helping their center situation this summer after not being able to re-sign or replace Sean Monahan.  Johnson isn’t at that same level but would at least give them some extra depth at the position.

Projected Contract

It’s more than clear that Johnson won’t come anywhere close to the $5MM he made over the last seven years.  While it’s possible that he could land a seven-figure deal with a rebuilding team that wants some veteran depth, the better option for him might be signing for close to the $775K minimum salary, giving him a chance to have a better selection of teams to choose from.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Oilers Pathway Toward Cap Compliancy

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If their cap struggles weren’t already bad enough this summer, the Edmonton Oilers were struck a significant blow last week when the St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Philip Broberg to a two-year, $9.16MM offer sheet and forward Dylan Holloway to a two-year, $4.58MM offer sheet. Oilers’ general manager Stan Bowman has until tomorrow to match both or either respective offer but could allow both to walk and receive draft compensation in return.

PuckPedia gave a solid breakdown of how Edmonton could find its way back to salary cap compliance after the separate trades that brought Vasily Podkolzin to Alberta and sent Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks. The salary cap website asserts that if the Oilers place Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve to start the year, send down Troy Stecher and Derek Ryan, and call up prospect Matt Savoie to the NHL, they will be compliant to start the 2024-25 NHL season if they choose to match both offer sheets.

All things considered — this is a decent scenario for Edmonton. Savoie gives the team a low-cost option to plug into the top six and allows the team some flexibility with newcomers Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson on the wing. By moving either Skinner or Arvidsson down to the third line, Holloway could play the wing on the team’s fourth line while moving Mattias Janmark to fourth-line center in this scenario.

The team would still have seven available defensemen to choose from to start the year and Stecher likely would have been light on playing time regardless. Josh Brown and Ty Emberson could split time based on matchups leaving Edmonton’s only glaring hole at the fourth-line center position.

Edmonton is not necessarily out of the woods just yet as it’s uncertain when Kane will ultimately return from his offseason surgery. It’s expected he will be placed on LTIR to begin the season which will keep him out of the lineup for the first 10 games and 24 days of the 2024-25 NHL season. Once the season begins, however, the Oilers will again be in a situation where tough decisions must be made. The Oilers could still allow both players to walk giving them just over $6MM to start the year after placing Kane on LTIR.

It will be interesting to see how aggressive GM Bowman is in bringing back two pieces that haven’t had much opportunity with the organization up to this point. All in all, even with clearing Ceci’s salary and having a clear pathway toward cap compliance to start the year —  it will take some time for Edmonton to exit this precarious scenario.

New Jersey, Dawson Mercer Working Toward Extension

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The New Jersey Devils kick-started a busy offseason by acquiring goaltender Jacob Markstrom earlier in the summer from the Calgary Flames. Once free agency opened on July 1st, the team brought Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Stefan Noesen, and Tomas Tatar around an already talented roster. The Devils only have one item left on their plate before training camp opens up in September — the looming extension for forward Dawson Mercer.

In an interview yesterday with RG.org, the general manager of the Devils, Tom Fitzgerald said, “We are working towards an agreement after exchanging proposals“. This quote is a good indication that the two sides will get a deal done before training camp starts as it confirms the two sides are far enough down the line where they have exchanged offers. Although the Devils may have gotten an offer sheet scare last week with the deals made between Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, and the St. Louis Blues, the relationship between New Jersey and Mercer may nix any idea of that happening.

Given the Devils’ current salary cap situation, the deal will likely be on the shorter term. New Jersey currently has just under $5MM in salary cap space according to PuckPedia. Unless Mercer is willing to take a sizeable discount to stay with the Devils organization, a long-term deal appears out of the question.

Fitzgerald may take a similar approach to Mercer’s teammate Jesper Bratt, who signed a pair of short-term deals before agreeing to an eight-year contract extension last summer. Mercer has scored 64 goals and 131 points in 246 regular season contests during his entry-level contract which makes for a similar point-per-game percentage as Bratt during his entry-level contract. Once Bratt’s first contract ended after the 2019-20 season, he and the Devils agreed to a two-year, $5.5MM deal.

If New Jersey hopes to sign Mercer to a similar contract, it will likely land in the $6MM range over a two-year deal. The salary cap has increased by $6.5MM since Bratt signed his deal and Mercer should look for a similar percentage of the available cap space. A $3MM AAV would give the Devils just under $2MM of cap space to work with during the regular season giving them plenty of flexibility to make in-season additions.

Mercer is a valuable asset to New Jersey as he slots in well on the team’s second line and second powerplay unit. He has also not missed a game since his rookie campaign in the 2021-22 season which is a bonus to a Devils’ team that has struggled with injuries in recent years.

Canadiens Acquire Patrik Laine

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The Canadiens announced the acquisition of scoring winger Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick from the Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. No salary is retained in the swap.

Montreal has been on the lookout for top-six scoring help for quite some time. They’ve slowly added to their rebuilding group over the past few summers, taking on younger projects via trade like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. This is the biggest swing that general manager Kent Hughes has taken, though, picking up a more established yet expensive sniper.

They’re taking on an extremely high-ceiling talent in Laine and buying low while doing it, taking on a second-round pick for their troubles and only parting with Harris, an intriguing defender that was buried among their litany of other blue-line prospects. Laine’s lack of availability the past few seasons tanked his trade value, with various injuries and a lengthy stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program capping his 2023-24 campaign at just 18 appearances. He hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

But when he’s on, he’s on. Even while battling through both upper and lower body injuries, Laine was close to a point-per-game player over his first two full seasons in Columbus. His best offensive season came in a Blue Jackets uniform in 2021-22, when he notched 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games. That prompted then-Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen to award Laine a four-year, $34.8MM deal, the same one that his successor, Don Waddell, has now had to surrender a draft pick to shed.

In the first year of the deal, Laine largely kept up the pace, churning out 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games even while shooting 12%, a conservative figure compared to his 14.7% career average. But last season, Laine was injured from the start and clashed with new head coach Pascal Vincent, who deployed him for a career-low 15:13 per game. As such, he was limited to six goals and nine points before his campaign ended in December.

It’s an expensive gamble for Montreal, who’s on the hook for an $8.7MM cap hit through 2025-26. But after taking months away to mentally reset and rehab his various injuries, Laine seems primed to return to form – if he can avoid re-injury. The 2016 second-overall pick hit 30-plus goals in the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Jets, and he had 28 goals in 68 games in 2019-20 before the pandemic ended the regular season. It was the shortened 2020-21 campaign, during which Laine was dealt to Columbus following a trade request, that first showed a chink in the armor of his goal-scoring ability. He was limited to just 12 goals and 24 points in 46 games on the year, managing just 82 shots on goal.

But he was on pace for well over 30 goals in each of the following two seasons with the Jackets, and that’s the player Montreal hopes can revitalize an offense that’s placed bottom-10 in the league for three years in a row. He, along with Cole Caufield and 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, give the Habs three top-six wingers who can all likely be penciled in for more than 60 points next year. Slafkovsky, entering his third NHL season, broke out for 20 goals and 50 points with Montreal last year after being moved to top-line usage alongside Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki.

Laine likely won’t bump Caufield out of first-line minutes, but the right-winger will be tasked with anchoring their second line, potentially alongside the aforementioned Dach and Newhook. The 26-year-old would be the oldest member of that trio, a reversal from his time in Columbus, which was spent mostly on a line anchored by veteran Boone Jenner.

Salary-wise, PuckPedia notes that the Habs are now over the cap by a projected $1.1MM with a 23-man roster, including LTIR-bound netminder Carey Price. Montreal will likely submit a bare-bones season-opening roster with a couple of waiver-exempt players papered down to the AHL to remain cap-compliant before placing Price and his $10.5MM cap hit on LTIR after the season starts, opening up a large chunk of in-season maneuverability.

As for the Blue Jackets’ end of things, they free up a decent amount of spending money for the next two seasons and recoup an NHL-caliber defender. Harris, 24, was a third-round pick by the Canadiens in 2018 and has since developed into a serviceable third-pairing option. His possession quality numbers have been poor, as to be expected for a young player on a basement team, but his shot attempt share at even strength has been above team average over the last two years. He’s posted eight goals, 24 assists and 32 points in 131 games, including 14 points in 56 games last year.

Harris gives the Blue Jackets another option to compete for left-shot third-pairing duties out of the gate behind Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov. He’ll need to ward off challenges from UFA signing Jack Johnson and two-time AHL All-Star Jake Christiansen for the job, though. Even if he’s not in the opening night lineup, it’s hard to envision him starting any lower than No. 7 on the depth chart. He’s no longer waiver-exempt and carries a $1.4MM cap hit, more than the maximum that’s buriable in the minors.

Columbus can start contract discussions with Harris whenever they wish, as he’s already extension-eligible. If he reaches restricted free agency next summer, he’ll be eligible to file for arbitration.

The Blue Jackets now have north of $18MM in cap space after the swap, PuckPedia projects. That’s enough to add whoever they want at the trade deadline if their young core breaks out this season, but it’s also more than enough flexibility to take on money to relieve contenders if they’re still in seller mode by the trade deadline.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report that Laine had been traded to Montreal. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Metropolitan Notes: Kolosov, Bergeron, Vaisanen

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Flyers goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov’s status for next season remains in the air. Reports over the last month indicated that Kolosov had informed the team that he wouldn’t report to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, if assigned there in the fall. Those were later refuted by general manager Daniel Brière, who said the team had no confirmation about Kolosov’s desires for the 2024-25 campaign.

Early this morning, Daria Tuboltseva of Responsible Gambling reported that Kolosov had switched his representation, now being represented by Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein. He was previously represented by CAA Sports’ J.P. Barry, who also represents Philly netminder Ivan Fedotov and likely Calder Trophy contender Matvei Michkov.

That was quickly followed up by a report from The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz that Kolosov’s new camp, led by Milstein, is expected to meet with the Flyers later this week. A source tells Kurz that Kolosov does indeed wish to return to his native Belarus on loan this season to play for Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he’s played since 2020. The Flyers, who signed Kolosov to his entry-level contract in 2023, loaned Kolosov to Minsk last season, expecting him to play the final two years of his rookie deal in North America, either with the Phantoms or the Flyers.

Kurz says the plan hasn’t changed, and the Flyers aren’t interested in loaning Kolosov back to Minsk or terminating his contract. Philadelphia, whose NHL tandem is expected to consist of Fedotov and Samuel Ersson out of camp, could suspend Kolosov without pay if he refuses to report to Lehigh Valley upon assignment in the fall. Since the KHL now exists independently from the IIHF and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, there would be no sanctions against them if Kolosov signed a contract with Minsk in violation of his deal with the Flyers.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Blue Jackets have hired Chris Bergeron as an associate coach for the Cleveland Monsters, their AHL affiliate, the team announced today. He’s the replacement for Mike Haviland, who was promoted to the NHL bench earlier this month as an assistant under new head coach Dean Evason. An Ontario native, Bergeron sticks in the only state he’s ever known as a coach. The 53-year-old boasts a collegiate career spanning 24 years as an assistant with Miami University, a head coach with Bowling Green State University, and a second stint with Miami as head coach.
  • Penguins defense prospect Joona Väisänen has committed to Western Michigan University, the school announced. Pittsburgh selected Väisänen, 20, as an overage pick in the seventh round of this year’s draft. The puck-moving Finn is coming off his first season in North America, posting 40 points and a team-leading +31 rating in 53 games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League. The right-shot blue-liner will suit up for WMU as a freshman this fall.

Penguins Promote Jason Spezza, Amanda Kessel

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The Penguins announced a baker’s dozen hockey operations staff additions and promotions Monday, most notably the promotions of Jason Spezza and Amanda Kessel from their previous roles. Spezza will now serve as the general manager of Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, in addition to his existing assistant GM duties, while Kessel has been named their manager of minor league operations and the AGM of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton under Spezza.

Both are new faces to the managerial world but are embarking on their off-ice journeys after lengthy playing careers. Spezza has spent the last five years working with Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in some capacity, spending his final three seasons as a player with the Maple Leafs with Dubas as GM. He was named a special assistant to Dubas immediately upon retiring in 2022, and then he was followed to Pittsburgh in the 2023 offseason.

Last year was the 32-year-old Kessel’s first in an NHL front office, serving as a special assistant to Dubas in his first year with the Penguins. The younger sister of former Penguins forward Phil Kessel had a decorated playing career, winning four Women’s World Championships and one Olympic gold medal with Team USA over an 11-year run as a national team fixture. She also had a spectacular collegiate career with the University of Minnesota, where she ranks second in women’s program scoring history with 248 points in 136 games.

As GM of WBS, Spezza replaces Penguins director of amateur scouting Erik Heasley, who had held the role for parts of the last four seasons. Heasley will remain in his amateur scouting role, but will have a fair amount of his overall workload taken off his plate by Kessel and Spezza.

Yaroslav Askarov Requests Trade From Predators

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10:34 a.m.: Trotz issued a statement on Askarov’s reported request (via John Glennon of the Nashville Post):

We are aware of the report today and our expectation is for the player to report to training camp and compete for a job in September.

8:21 a.m.: Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade, according to Kevin Weekes of ESPN. As per Weekes, Askarov has also informed the team that he won’t report to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, if he remains with the team at the end of training camp and is sent to the minors.

Askarov has been a sought-after trade candidate for the past few seasons as a top-10 prospect at his position without a clear path to a starting role in Nashville. They’ve already used him as trade bait twice, putting him in play to acquire a top-five pick at the 2023 and 2024 drafts. Askarov is one year away from restricted free agency and is entering the final season of his entry-level contract at a $925K cap hit. He remains waiver-exempt for this season and next.

The 22-year-old has been in North America for two seasons, during which he’s put together a pair of All-Star campaigns for the Admirals. He made over 40 appearances each year, a heavy workload for the minor leagues, and posted a combined 2.55 GAA, .911 SV%, nine shutouts, and a 56-29-6 record in 92 games.

After being picked 11th overall by the Predators in 2020, Askarov has only made two NHL starts and one relief appearance since coming over from his native Russia. He had a tough showing in his debut in 2022-23 but rebounded with solid numbers in limited action last year, totaling a .914 SV% across 140 minutes of play across the two campaigns.

But Askarov’s path to the starter’s crease in Nashville evaporated when the Preds signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92MM extension on July 1. There was still a chance he’d crack the team out of camp for the first time in 2024-25 as Saros’ backup, but that also went away after Nashville inked veteran Scott Wedgewood to a two-year deal a few hours later.

While the trade request is a significant development, it’s not surprising. Askarov’s agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, said in an interview last month that he was “working with the club on different options” regarding his future and that Askarov feels he’s established himself as an NHL-ready talent. The Preds’ moves this offseason also firmly state general manager Barry Trotz’s intentions to exit rebuild mode, signing three of the top names on the UFA market in Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei and Steven Stamkos.

When Nashville shopped Askarov in the past, the Canadiens consistently came up as his most likely destination. But reporting indicated it was Nashville putting Askarov in play to land the No. 5 pick both times, not the Habs displaying interest in prying him away. Montreal has Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau signed to one-way contracts this season, so if Askarov ends up in Montreal, he may have to wait for a roster spot until Primeau reaches restricted free agency next summer unless the Habs make a corresponding trade.

Even with his draft pedigree and strong development track so far, Askarov’s limited NHL action makes it unlikely that any team will take a chance on him as their starter as soon as this fall. Thus, look for teams with expandability and uncertainty at the backup position to insert themselves into trade talks. The Lightning, a frequent trade partner for Nashville in recent years, would likely want an upgrade on Jonas Johansson and his career .880 SV%, far below the league average. Whether they have the assets to acquire him is entirely different. At the draft, Trotz preferred to land an established NHLer or a similarly touted prospect in return, but that was before his free-agent spending spree.

But Askarov, who’s still five years from being eligible for unrestricted free agency, has little say in where he ends up without trade protection. However, given his six-figure AAV, there likely won’t be any trades extinguished by a lack of cap space on behalf of the acquiring club.

East Notes: Slafkovsky, Cernak, Mazur, Savard

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For 12 countries on the fringes of the IIHF World Ranking, their performance in a round-robin tournament at the end of this month will decide whether or not they punch a ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Slovakia is one of these countries, and after releasing their official roster today, it was confirmed that top Canadiens youngster Juraj Slafkovsky and Lightning stalwart defenseman Erik Černák won’t be in tow as they try to lock down a spot. That’s because Montreal and Tampa Bay opted not to release them to the Slovak national team when asked, reports Tomáš Prokop of Dennik Sport. They’ll still have the services of a few NHLers, namely Devils Simon Nemec and Tomáš Tatar, Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry, Ducks winger Pavol Regenda, and potentially Flames forward Martin Pospisil.

Other items from around the Eastern Conference this morning:

  • Of the Red Wings’ long list of potential impact prospects, look for a dark horse to log significant NHL minutes this season, opines The Athletic’s Max Bultman. That’s 22-year-old left winger Carter Mazur, who Detroit selected in the third round of the 2021 draft. Mazur, who won an NCAA championship as a freshman at the University of Denver in 2022, is entering his second professional season. He had a strong rookie campaign with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins last year, totaling 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points in 60 games, finishing second on the team in scoring behind Jonatan Berggren. Bultman argues that Mazur has a more straightforward path to a roster spot early on in the season because of his projectability in a bottom-six role,
  • When the Maple Leafs gave new head coach Craig Berube some runway to reshape the rest of the coaching staff, he poached Marc Savard from the Flames as an assistant to run the team’s power play with consistency from Toronto’s immense star power in mind. “He’s an offensive guy, right? He scored a lot of points in the league. Great power-play guy when he played,” Berube told reporters (including David Alter of The Hockey News). “Just the familiarity I have with him and his personality works well with those types of players.” Savard served under Berube while the two were with the Blues in the 2019-20 campaign.

Valtteri Filppula Officially Signs With Finland’s Jokerit

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Helsinki Jokerit of Finland’s second-tier league, Mestis, has officially announced the signing of NHL veteran Valtteri Filppula to a one-year contract. Sami Hoffrén and Marko Lempinen of Helsingen Sanomat reported last week that the sides were discussing a potential reunion.

Filppula, entering his age-40 season, had spent the last three seasons with Switzerland’s Genève-Servette HC after his NHL career drew to a close in 2021. While he was always one of the league’s more defensively responsible centers in his prime, his offensive game came back alive in Geneva, particularly in 2022-23. That year, he finished second on the team in scoring with 17 goals, 34 assists and 51 points in 46 games before leading the National League in playoff assists with 12 in 18 games, helping Genève-Servette to its first championship since being promoted from Nationalliga B in 2002. All in all, he totaled 131 points in 145 regular-season games for the Swiss club.

While Filppula’s numbers trailed off in 2023-24, limited to 33 points in 51 games, he’s still capable of shouldering professional minutes in Europe, especially against significantly easier competition in Mestis. He brings a lot of nostalgia to Jokerit, with whom he had 21 goals, 42 assists, and 63 points in 120 games in the top-level Liiga, where he played as a teenager and briefly during the 2012-13 NHL lockout. After being selected by the Red Wings in the third round of the 2002 draft, Filppula departed Jokerit for Detroit in 2005.

Across two stints in Hockeytown, Filppula amassed 112 goals, 175 assists and 287 points in 591 games while averaging over 16 minutes per night. He was a key depth piece on the Wings’ 2008 championship team, earning some outside Selke Trophy consideration that year. Filppula also logged action with the Flyers, Islanders, and Lightning to bring the total number of NHL games he played to 1,056 regular-season contests across 16 seasons.

In the release, neither Filppula nor the team hinted at any intentions of retirement next summer. But if he ends his playing days, he’ll remain with Jokerit off the ice. As part of today’s news, he’s become a part-owner and will assume a front-office role when he does opt to hang up his skates.

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