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Blackhawks Name Nick Foligno Captain

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Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno will be the team’s next captain, per a team press release. He’s the 35th in franchise history and the first since Jonathan Toews’ tenure in Chicago ended after the 2022-23 season.

Foligno is entering his second season with the Hawks after inking a two-year, $9MM extension last January to keep him off this summer’s free-agent market. The 36-year-old winger also served as captain of the Blue Jackets for the last six of his nine seasons in Columbus from 2015 to 2021. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson issued the following statement:

In a very short amount of time, Nick has quickly earned the respect of his teammates and our staff. Nick’s commanding presence in the locker room has been instrumental in helping the team find its identity. He has served as a mentor to many of our young players both on and off the ice while also heading up the leadership group comprised of our veteran players, and we are beyond confident that he will flourish in the role of captain as we usher in a new era of Blackhawks hockey.

The Buffalo native was already part of Chicago’s leadership group, serving as an alternate captain last season. Set to be a UFA last offseason after signing a two-year deal with the Bruins in 2021, Boston traded his signing rights to the Blackhawks in the Taylor Hall deal. Chicago promptly signed Foligno to a one-year, $4MM extension, preventing him from joining the 2023 UFA class.

While his frequent first-line duties on a paper-thin Blackhawks forward group last year punched above his weight as he enters the final few years of his NHL career, Foligno is still an extremely serviceable middle-six forward. He made 74 appearances for Chicago last season, his most since 2018-19, and recorded 37 points (17 G, 20 A) with a -29 rating while averaging 17:46 per game. It was his best showing offensively since his days in Columbus, finishing third on the team in scoring and leading them in hits with 192.

Foligno won’t be relied upon for nearly as many minutes this season with UFA signings Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen in the mix at wing. Hall playing a full-time role after a knee injury limited him to 10 appearances last year likely bumps the new captain down to comfortable third-line duties.

The move allows presumptive future captain Connor Bedard to take a more leisurely road to the position. The Blackhawks are no stranger to awarding the captaincy to budding stars – Toews wore the ’C’ on his chest from his second NHL season onward – but will take a different approach here. The 2023 first-overall pick will nonetheless remain Chicago’s centerpiece entering his sophomore year after his 22-goal, 61-point rookie season in 68 games, leading the Hawks in scoring and taking home the Calder Trophy.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

West Notes: Perfetti, Tocchet, Weegar, MacDonell

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Several restricted free agents have signed new deals in recent days as they ensured they’d be ready for the start of training camp.  However, that might not be the case for Jets forward Cole Perfetti.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on the latest Insider Trading segment that there is still a significant gap to bridge between the two sides in contract discussions.  Perfetti is coming off a season that saw him score 19 goals and 19 assists in 71 games but also saw him spend time as a healthy scratch, including in the playoffs.  This is a fairly obvious case for a bridge contract but even those can sometimes take a little longer to hammer out and this might be one of those cases.

Elsewhere out West:

  • After a surprise showing last season that saw the Canucks sit atop the Pacific Division, some wondered if they’d look to work out an extension with head coach Rick Tocchet. However, GM Patrik Allvin told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that with the team holding a club option on his contract for 2025-26, it’s too early to begin those talks just yet, noting they’ll get into those discussions when the time is right for both sides.  Vancouver has a 70-35-13 record under Tocchet so far, good for a .648 points percentage.
  • With the Flames embarking on a rebuild, some veterans have already been moved out while others might want out at some point. Don’t expect that to be the case for defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, however, as the blueliner told reporters including Josh Clipperton of the Canadian Press that he believes in the city and the team and has no desire to leave Calgary.  Weegar was acquired as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade and quickly signed an eight-year, $50MM contract extension with a franchise that was trying to contend at the time.  Now, it appears he’ll be a key veteran to lean on during their rebuilding process.
  • Stars prospect Angus MacDonell has been drafted for the second time in as many years. After Dallas selected the 19-year-old in the sixth round last year, the NLL’s Buffalo Bandits announced (Twitter link) that they selected MacDonell in the fourth round of their draft on Sunday.  On top of recording 62 points in 61 games last season with OHL Mississauga, he also put up 29 points in 30 games in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League, helping to earn this most recent selection.  Dallas has until June 1st to sign MacDonell to an entry-level deal and if one doesn’t materialize, he at least might have a fallback plan.

Stars Re-Sign Thomas Harley

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With their salary cap situation making it hard for a long-term deal to be an option, the Stars unsurprisingly have opted for a bridge agreement with defenseman Thomas Harley.  The team announced that they’ve inked the blueliner to a two-year, $8MM contract.  GM Jim Nill released the following statement:

Thomas is one of the league’s top young defensemen. His performance last season was a testament to the way that he has worked on and off the ice to become a better player. We are looking forward to his continued growth and helping anchor our blueline for many years to come.

PuckPedia reports that the deal will pay Harley $3.5MM this season and $4.5MM in 2025-26.  The latter number will represent his qualifying offer and he will also be arbitration-eligible at that time.

Harley’s performance last season was certainly worthy of the praise from his GM.   The 23-year-old only has one full NHL season under his belt – 2023-24 – but it was a very strong one which saw him record 15 goals and 32 assists in 79 games while averaging just over 21 minutes a night.  Harley was quieter offensively in the playoffs (four assists in 19 appearances) but still logged heavy minutes, averaging nearly 24 minutes per contest, second only to Miro Heiskanen.  His goal total put him in a tie for eighth-most among all NHL rearguards.

While the 2019 first-round pick (18th overall) had a more limited track record compared to some more established young blueliners, Harley’s play last season could realistically have put a long-term agreement past $7MM per season on a max-term deal.  But to give him that would have necessitated some cost-cutting now, something that Dallas as a win-now team wouldn’t have been looking to do.

This is the second notable contract of the day for the Stars’ back end with Esa Lindell inking a five-year extension earlier today.  In getting these deals done, Dallas now has their top five defensemen signed through at least the 2025-26 season which will give them a bit of stability on that front.

With the move, the Stars now have their full team signed for the upcoming season.  PuckPedia projects them to only have $694K in cap space but that’s with a full-sized roster.  If Dallas is willing to carry fewer the maximum number of players and opts to continue the daily shuffling of waiver-exempt players (as they did frequently with Logan Stankoven last season, for example), then they should put themselves in a position to comfortably bank some in-season cap room, barring a rash of injuries, of course.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 9/17/24

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With training camps starting over the next couple of days, some players are still trying to find a place to play for the upcoming season.  We’ll run down the recent minor moves here.

  • The Panthers have brought in forward Aidan McDonough on a PTO for training camp, relays David Dwork of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 24-year-old had a strong college career at Northeastern University and went straight to the NHL after that, getting in six games with Vancouver late in the 2022-23 season.  McDonough spent last season with AHL Abbotsford but only managed 11 goals and eight assists in 59 games, resulting in a non-tender back in June.
  • Free agent winger Ivan Lodnia will attend training camp with the Sharks on a PTO, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 25-year-old played for new San Jose head coach David Warsofsky back with AHL Chicago in 2021-22.  After missing all of 2022-23 with an injury, Lodnia spent last season with ECHL South Carolina, recording 25 points in 30 games.
  • The Kraken’s AHL team in Coachella Valley announced the signing of forward Landon McCallum to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old wrapped up his major junior career last season, recording 21 goals and 38 assists in 64 games with OHL Sudbury while adding four points in nine playoff contests.
  • While free agent Simon Johansson was hoping to stay in North America this season, that isn’t going to be the case as Ilves in Finland announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year deal. The 25-year-old spent the last two seasons in Minnesota’s system, playing with AHL Iowa.  Johansson had a decent showing in 2023-24 with 21 points in 72 games but was non-tendered in June.

Flyers Notes: Johansen, Kolosov, Injuries

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Flyers general manager Daniel Briere met with reporters today (video link) in advance of training camp opening up.  One of the items he spoke about was the Ryan Johansen situation.  Earlier this summer, the team announced they would be terminating his contract, citing a material breach (without providing any further specifics) with Johansen’s camp indicating they would be grieving.  However, there hasn’t been any other news on this front since then.  Briere noted that the ball is in Johansen’s camp at this point and that as far as he’s concerned, the deal has been terminated.  In doing so, Philadelphia has opened up $4MM in cap space but that could be re-added in full or in part should a grievance hearing ultimately reinstate part or all of the contract.

More from Briere’s presser:

  • One of the storylines around the team in recent days is the Alexei Kolosov situation. The netminder doesn’t want to play in the AHL this season while the team has placed a high asking price on him in trade talks.  Briere noted that his understanding is that Kolosov wants a guaranteed NHL position or to be loaned back to the KHL which is a move the team isn’t willing to make.  The 22-year-old posted a 2.39 GAA and a .907 SV% in 47 games with KHL Dinamo Minsk last season, numbers that don’t necessarily scream NHL-ready, especially with returnees Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov in the fold.
  • Injuries were an issue for the Flyers last season with several key regulars missing time. However, Briere said that the team was fully healthy heading into camp (excluding Ryan Ellis who isn’t expected to play again).  That’s particularly notable with center Sean Couturier and defenseman Jamie Drysdale undergoing sports hernia surgeries at the end of the season while blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen had surgery to repair a ruptured triceps tendon in April.

Canucks’ Alexander Edler Announces Retirement

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The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they’ll sign defenseman Alexander Edler to a one-day contract on October 11th, allowing him to retire in the city he spent 15 seasons in. Edler is a veteran of 1,030 NHL games, spending all but 105 of those in a Canucks jersey.

Edler holds a case as the draft day steal of 2004, originally going in the third round but since totaling the seventh-most NHL games of anyone in the class. He earned a top-pair role in Vancouver as a rookie in 2007, immediately flashing reliable two-way play and modest scoring. He’d become known for his consistency, emerging as one of Vancouver’s most utilized defenders through the bulk of the  Sedin era and routinely challenging the 35-point mark. Edler’s career year came in the 2011-12 season, when he tallied 11 goals, 38 assists, and 49 points in 82 games – career-highs in all four stats, and the only time that Edler played in a full season. His 409 points in 925 games with Vancouver both rank as all-time highs among Canucks defenders.

Edler continued playing over 20 minutes a night through his final season in Vancouver in 2021. But the addition of superstar Quinn Hughes challenged Edler’s role, leading him to sign with the Los Angeles Kings, where he’d close his career on a pair of one-year contracts. His scoring took a hit in his final years – falling from a per-game average of 0.44 points in Vancouver (409 points in 925 games) to just 0.29 in Los Angeles (30 points in 105 games). He was one of only a few 2004 draft picks still playing in the NHL last season, joining Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Blake Wheeler, and Alex Goligoski.

The Canucks will honor their longtime top-defender with a pre-game ceremony during their October 11th matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Snapshots: CHL/NTDP, Brind’Amour, Bruins

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The Canadian Hockey League’s top draft-eligible players will take on the U.S. National Development Team’s U-18 tier for the first time this November, the junior league announced Tuesday (via TSN). The pair of contests, which will take place in London and Oshawa, Ontario, on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, will be the first installment in an annual “CHL-USA Prospects Challenge.”

It’ll run for at least three years, with sites rotating between OHL, QMJHL, and WHL hosts. The CHL and NTDP will have the opportunity to re-up the initial deal securing the event in 2027.

It will serve the purpose of an early-season showcase for draft-eligible talent, so don’t expect to see CHL superstars coming back for their post-draft seasons or beyond. The NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau will select most of the CHL’s roster for the series, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Thus, this year’s event will be headlined by 2025 draft-eligible talent. The rosters will likely include forwards Porter Martone, Michael Misa, and Roger McQueen as the CHL’s most notable names, and center William Moore and defensemen Logan Hensler and Charlie Trethewey should highlight the U.S. squad.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Forward Skyler Brind’Amour is reportedly planning to terminate his AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers and sign a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The move – which is not yet official – was first reported by AHL.com’s Tony Androckitis and seconded by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Brind’Amour played in his rookie AHL season with the Checkers last year, netting eight points in 54 games. He took the step to the pros after four years with Quinnipiac University, where he supported the school’s 2023 National Championship win. He ended his collegiate career with 76 points in 145 games. He’ll look to rediscover that production in the Hurricanes organization, likely set on a role with the Chicago Wolves – who Carolina announced an affiliation agreement with in May.
  • The Boston Bruins have scheduled a press conference for 12 P.M ET tomorrow, where both head coach Jim Montgomery and general manager Don Sweeney will speak with media. They’ll most likely be speaking on the team’s first day of training camp, though Ty Anderson of Boston radio outlet 98.5 The Sports Hub reports that contract talks are picking up with RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Swayman was left off of Boston’s initial training camp roster as he continues a contract standoff. He’ll be in for a major role when he does sign, with Boston dealing Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators earlier this summer.

Canucks’ Dakota Joshua To Miss Start Of Camp After Surgery

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Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua has announced that he won’t be healthy for the start of training camp, after undergoing surgery to address a cancerous lump earlier this summer.

The top concern will be Joshua’s health, though a strong lineup role could await him when he returns. He clawed his way up Vancouver’s depth chart last season, scoring a career-high 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games – an 82-game pace of 42 points. He made an even bigger impact in the postseason, adding eight points and 74 hits in 13 games. Joshua became the go-to option when Vancouver’s stars weren’t on the ice. The Canucks put a price to their faith in him this summer, signing Joshua to a four-year, $13MM extension.

Joshua was drafted by Toronto in the fifth-round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He’d go onto serve a key role with the 2015 USHL Clark Cup-winning Sioux Falls Stampede, before a full four-year career at The Ohio State University. By the time he had graduated, much of Toronto’s front office had been overturned, leading the Leafs to deal Joshua to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations in 2019. He made his NHL debut one year later, fighting into 12 games on St. Louis’ fourth line. It wasn’t until his breakout year last season that Joshua finally earned a taste of top-nine minutes. He’ll look to continue in that role next season, finally planting his feet a the top level after a long path to the NHL.

Oilers Mutually Part Ways With Assistant GM Brad Holland

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The Edmonton Oilers won’t bring assistant general manager Brad Holland into the 2024-25 season, announcing the two sides have mutually parted ways. Holland was promoted to assistant GM in 2022, joining Keith Gretzky and Bill Scott in supporting Oilers GM Ken Holland, Brad’s father. Edmonton chose not to extend Ken’s contract at the end of the season, ending his five-year tenure as the team’s GM and President of Hockey Operations. They’ve since replaced him with longtime Chicago Blackhawks’ GM Stan Bowman, making his return to the NHL.

Brad started his career in hockey in 2006, joining NHL.com as a writer and video editor while attending Fordham University of Law. He left that role in 2013, briefly practicing law before Toronto Maple Leafs’ president Branden Shanahan convinced him to join the Leafs as a team manager in 2015. Holland signed a two-year deal, using the time to build up a strong understanding of hockey analytics and scouting. He’d go on to work with NHL Central Scouting registry, before ultimately reuniting with his father in 2019, when he joined Edmonton as a pro scout. He continued to support Edmonton’s pro and amateur scouting throughout this season, becoming known for his in-depth, analytical approach to scouting, earning him credit as Edmonton used trades to build up their forward depth and prospect pool.

Holland will now join his father in looking for a new role. Brad offers eight years of experience in front offices, where his unique approach to scouting and team-building left an impact. He’s likely to find a new home soon – and could even be enticed to join Edmonton’s Western Conference foe, the Dallas Stars, where his uncle Dennis serves as an amateur scout.

Panthers Sign John Leonard To PTO

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After inking Matt Luff to a tryout last week, the Panthers aren’t done dipping their toes into the PTO market. They’ve also signed forward John Leonard to a tryout, per their training camp roster released Tuesday.

Leonard, 26, already has a contract for 2024-25 with Florida’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He’ll remain in the organization even if he doesn’t land an NHL deal from his PTO.

Leonard’s PTO allows the Panthers to get some early looks at him in training camp instead of waiting until after the AHL’s regular season starts to decide whether to rip up his minor-league pact for a two-way NHL deal. He’d settled on joining the Florida organization early in free agency, inking his deal with the Checkers on July 2 instead of holding out hope for a two-way offer from a different NHL team.

A sixth-round pick of the Sharks in 2018, Leonard has bounced around frequently in his brief professional career. He turned pro with San Jose in 2020 following his junior season at UMass, settling into a full-time NHL role in his first professional season.

Leonard didn’t earn any Calder Trophy consideration, but he was a serviceable depth winger for the Sharks, posting 13 points in 44 games with a -7 rating. He failed to lock down a full-time roster spot with the Sharks the following year, though, spending most of 2021-22 with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

Since then, he’s suited up with a different NHL organization every year. He split 2022-23 between the Predators and AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals before spending 2023-24 with the Coyotes and AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. He’s logged just 26 NHL appearances total since his 44-game rookie season.

The likelihood of him landing a two-way deal with Florida is high, given they have four open contract slots and he’s seen NHL ice in each of the past four seasons. He’s been a serviceable top-six presence in the minors, posting 110 points in 177 career AHL contests. He also has six goals and 17 points in 70 NHL games.

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