The playoffs are almost upon us and we’re starting to see an uptick in activity around the hockey world, particularly on the signing front. Several contracts are highlighted in our key stories.
Playoff Reinforcements? Several teams could be getting a boost to their late-season playoff push or for the postseason. The Canadiens signed top prospect Ivan Demidov to an entry-level deal beginning this season. The 19-year-old was the fifth pick back in June and had 49 points in 65 games with SKA St. Petersburg, who released him to accommodate the move. SKA also released defenseman Alexander Nikishin, permitting him to join Carolina right away on an entry-level pact. The 23-year-old has been viewed as the top defenseman outside the NHL for a few seasons now; he had his third straight year of at least 46 points this season. Meanwhile, the Wild will add a top college defender to the mix, inking Zeev Buium to an entry-level deal that starts right away. Buium, the 12th pick last June, collected 98 points in 83 games at the University of Denver in the last two years. Lastly, the Avalanche could be getting some playoff help via a different route as captain Gabriel Landeskog has started a conditioning stint with AHL Colorado, getting into two games so far. The Avs can’t activate him before the end of the season for cap reasons but this is a promising next step in Landeskog’s recovery; he hasn’t played since 2022.
Calling It A Career: A pair of players have announced their retirements but are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their career. Veteran defenseman Alec Martinez revealed that Saturday was his final NHL game as he won’t suit up in Chicago’s final two contests. The 37-year-old will hang up his skates with 862 career regular season appearances between Los Angeles, Vegas, and Chicago. Martinez also won three Stanley Cup titles in 2012, 2014, and 2023. On the opposite end is now-former Jets prospect Chaz Lucius. He announced his retirement at the age of 21 following a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Lucius was the 18th overall pick back in 2021 and his career ends with just 54 professional games, all at the AHL level.
Testing The Market: Canucks winger Brock Boeser is no stranger to the rumor mill. After rejecting an extension offer believed to be worth five years and $40MM earlier in the season, he was in plenty of trade speculation but ultimately stayed at the trade deadline. However, it doesn’t appear as if the extra time in Vancouver will help get a deal done as the 28-year-old indicated that it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the Canucks next season. Boeser had a breakout effort last season, notching 40 goals and 33 assists, setting the stage for that extension offer from management. But he hasn’t produced at a similar level this year, collecting 25 goals and 24 assists, numbers that are closer to his normal year-to-year output. But even with the down performance this season, Boeser projects to be one of the top unrestricted free agents this summer which will have him well-positioned to benefit from the big jump coming to the salary cap.
Top Prospect Not Signing: For a while now, it was expected that the Lightning would sign prospect winger Isaac Howard knowing that it might have to wait until late in the year when they had the cap space to do so. However, the two sides are not on the same page regarding Howard’s future so the 2022 first-round pick has decided to return to Michigan State next season. The 21-year-old had a dominant year for the Spartans, notching 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games, earning him the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s Player of the Year. Now, Tampa Bay will have to decide if they want to try to sign him next season when he’ll be months away from being able to test unrestricted free agency or if they’d be better off trading his rights in the coming months.
Hockey World Loses Three: It was a tough week in the hockey world as two long-time NHL fixtures passed away. First, Greg Millen died at the age of 67. A 14-year NHL goaltender, Millen played in over 600 games across six different teams before beginning a broadcasting career that spanned more than three decades, spending time with Ottawa, Toronto, and Calgary while being on Hockey Night in Canada for nearly 30 years. Just two days later, long-time NHL executive Ray Shero passed at the age of 62. Shero was the former GM of Pittsburgh and New Jersey and had been working for an NHL team for every year but one since 1993. Shero had been with Minnesota as a senior advisor for the past four seasons. Lastly, former Toronto GM Gerry McNamara passed away at the age of 90. He served as the GM for them for eight seasons after spending six previous campaigns with them in a scouting capacity.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
If Isaac Howard is still with Tampa after this summer (especially after the draft) then Tampa will work to sign him next spring. There is going to have to be some give & take from both sides to make it work but it can be done.