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Brett Connolly Signs In Switzerland

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Another NHL veteran has opted to sign in Europe to continue his professional career. Swiss club HC Lugano announced today that the team has signed winger Brett Connolly to a one-year contract for the 2022-23 season.

Connolly spent the last season and a half in the Chicago Blackhawks organization, where he ended up playing just 19 NHL games compared to 37 AHL games for the Rockford IceHogs. Connolly had just a goal and two assists in those 19 games across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, while faring much better in the AHL with 35 points in 37 games in 2021-22 for Rockford.

This past season, Connolly’s NHL time was limited in part due to a four-game suspension for interfering with Dallas Stars forward Tanner Kero. With his bloated seven-figure cap hit, Connolly also cleared waivers multiple times. Connolly was bought out this summer with one season remaining on a four-year, $3.5MM AAV deal signed prior to the 2019-20 season.

At the age of 30, this could very well be the last we’ve seen of Connolly in the NHL. The sixth overall pick in 2010 currently has a career total of 101 goals, 94 assists, and 195 points in 536 games.

He’ll be strong offensive reinforcement for Lugano, who also fortified their goaltending by bringing former Edmonton Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen back to Europe. They’ll look to make it out of the National League quarterfinals for the first time since losing the championship series in 2018.

Mikael Hakkarainen Retires Due To Heart Condition

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Mikael Hakkarainen will always have the honor of being traded straight up for the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. He was the sole return for the Vegas Golden Knights when they sent Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks last year in a salary dump. Unfortunately, he will no longer get a chance to further his hockey story. Hakkarainen has announced his retirement due to a heart condition that could threaten his life if he continued to play.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, his story is one of unrealized potential, after starring in Finland minor hockey and then playing well at the USHL level for several years. After just one game with Providence College, he decided to leave the NCAA circuit, which could have potentially helped his development far more than the path he chose. After another year in the USHL, he entered professional hockey and barely played, suiting up just 14 total times in the AHL and another nine in the ECHL.

After the Fleury trade, the Golden Knights eventually terminated Hakkarainen’s contract to allow him a return to Europe. He played last season for Vasteras IK in the Swedish second tier, where he had 14 points in 26 games.

The 24-year-old hopes to continue in the hockey community in some way but can’t yet say what he’ll do next.

Examining The Buffalo Sabres’ Financial Future

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When Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams signed center Tage Thompson to an admittedly massive seven-year contract extension earlier this week, it raised some eyebrows considering the lack of consistency from Thompson in his career. Speaking after the fact a few days ago, Adams told The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski that “we’re also being strategic a little bit, to be honest, about the timeline knowing that there’s other guys potentially next summer where we’re going to be in this situation. We want to make sure we’re being strategic on when and how we put these deals together.”

So, given that Adams is envisioning more breakout campaigns from his young stars in 2022-23, how does the Sabres’ financial picture line up with their rise out of their years-long rebuild and the expected salary cap increases?

There are two players next summer who, depending on their campaigns, could demand significant pay raises over their sub-$1MM deals. Both Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Asplund are restricted free agents in 2023, although Cozens does not have arbitration rights.

Cozens is projected to slot right behind Thompson on the team’s depth chart, battling with Casey Mittelstadt for a spot centering their second line. If he wins that battle and sees increased playing time, Cozens’ offensive production is bound to take a step forward from his 38 points last season.

In any event, Cozens’ ceiling likely isn’t the 35+ goal season Thompson is coming off of, either. His development has been more linear, something that tracks well for the Sabres, at least in terms of certainty in contract negotiations. The team still currently has nearly $40MM in cap space to play with next offseason with the projected salary cap increase to $83.5MM, so any major contract the Sabres hand out now really doesn’t force their hand in the slightest.

It’s later on when things would get tricky, when the team is contending and their breakout stars want to capitalize on what should be a rapidly increasing salary cap at that point. From that point of view, betting on their players is a smart move from Adams at the moment. With the team still so far away from the salary cap, it can’t hurt to take a risk on what could be a team-friendly deal in five seasons. Even if the players don’t quite pan out as projected, those are deals that won’t be taking up nearly as much of their salary cap as they are now when they do become an issue.

Though Adams should be careful not to play with too much fire. Recent reports suggest that the first large salary cap jump could come in the 2024 offseason instead of 2025. That would be a boon to the Sabres, who have four major expiring contracts that offseason: Mittelstadt, Peyton Krebs, Rasmus Dahlin, and Owen Power. If everything goes as expected in terms of their development, that could very well be upwards of $30MM handed out just between those four players. If the Sabres put themselves in a position to give those contracts and still have some breathing room, they could finally construct a roster with the required depth to remain at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Minor Transactions: 09/02/22

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Just a few weeks from now, NHL teams will be taking the ice to do battle in the preseason. Meanwhile, minor league and European clubs continue to make additions to their own rosters in preparation for the regular season. As always, we’ll keep track of today’s notable minor moves right here.

  • Max Martin, who played 13 games for the Texas Stars last season, has signed a new one-year deal with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits for 2022-23. The WHL champion went undrafted out of junior but had inked a deal with Texas to make the jump to the AHL. After just 22 games, he’ll now compete in the ECHL for the upcoming season.
  • CapFriendly completed a bit of housekeeping today, moving Bogdan Trineyev, Adam Sykora, Adam Edstrom, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Dmitri Ovchinnikov, Marco Kasper, Noah Ostlund, and Mikael Pyyhtia to the “loaned” designation, indicating they will be playing overseas this season. There are no real surprises among the group, though it does include some top prospects that should be in North America in the coming years.
  • Alex D’Orio, who had been on an entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins until this summer, has signed with IF Bjorkloven of the Swedish second tier. D’Orio became an unrestricted free agent when the Penguins decided to not issue him a qualifying offer.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Kodie Curran Signs In KHL

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When the Anaheim Ducks signed Kodie Curran in 2020, he came with a considerable amount of hype. Though the offensive defenseman had never before played in the NHL, he had dominated several European leagues, including winning the SHL Most Valuable Player award after putting up 49 points in 48 games. Because of his age, he wasn’t limited to an entry-level contract, so the Ducks gave him a two-year, one-way deal that paid him $1MM in each season.

Unfortunately, that hype quickly evaporated as his high-risk style limited him to the AHL. Curran played in 24 games for the San Diego Gulls in 2020-21, scoring 13 points, and then was waived at the beginning of the 2021-22 season. He would clear, spend most of the year with the Gulls, and then be included in the Hampus Lindholm deal at the deadline, going to the Providence Bruins in the process.

Now, after making $2MM and never seeing the NHL, Curran is headed back overseas. He has signed a one-year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he will once again try to dominate a league outside of North America. Given that he will turn 33 in December, it seems unlikely that he’ll ever get a better chance at the NHL, and with so much success overseas it wouldn’t be surprising to see him finish his career somewhere other than the AHL.

In all, his contract with the Ducks resulted in 29 points in 62 minor league contests.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Three To PTOs

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The time of the tryout is upon us. Now that teams have pretty much filled out their rosters, players left without contracts will begin to accept professional tryouts with invitations to training camps. Just yesterday, Tyler Pitlick and James Neal were both added this way. CapFriendly has added a few more to that list, reporting that Brent Gates, Nikolas Brouillard, and Josh Healey have all signed PTOs with the Anaheim Ducks.

These are not players expected to challenge for NHL roster spots; instead, they will compete to try and secure two-way NHL deals, which would at least give them the chance of a call-up. None of the three have appeared at the highest level to this point, though all have varying degrees of success in the AHL.

Gates, 25, was a third-round pick of the Ducks in 2015 and has bounced back and forth between the AHL and ECHL ever since. This season, he saw 45 games with the San Diego Gulls and set a career-high with 12 goals and 23 points. Gates never did sign his entry-level contract, meaning his exclusive draft rights expired a number of years ago, but he has remained with the organization ever since.

Brouillard, 27, went undrafted out of the QMJHL and played one season in the ECHL before going to school, attending McGill University for three seasons. He has been with the Gulls since, and scored 39 points in 66 games last season–to go along with his 131 penalty minutes.

Healey, 28, was actually a pretty highly sought-after talent out of college a few years ago, and eventually signed with the Calgary Flames. His uber-physical game didn’t translate all that well to the professional ranks, however, and he never did make it to the NHL. The Flames left him unqualified, and after a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators, he played last season on an AHL deal. In 57 games for the Milwaukee Admirals, he scored eight points and racked up 89 penalty minutes.

Minor Transactions: 09/01/22

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We are into September and preseason hockey is right around the corner. The summer has flown by and now teams must put the finishing touches on their rosters ahead of training camp. Like always, we’ll be keeping track of any notable minor moves right here, keeping you up to date on the entire hockey world.

  • Tyler Irvine has signed a one-year minor league contract with the Cleveland Monsters, after splitting last season with the Utica Comets and Adirondack Thunder. The 26-year-old forward had 42 points in 49 games with the Thunder but just five in 20 matches with Utica. Given it is a two-way AHL/ECHL contract he is signing, there’s no guarantee he stays at the higher level.
  • Gordie Green, who had been with the Toronto Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers last season, has signed a new deal with the Toledo Walleye. Green had 47 points in 57 games for the Growlers last year and was a huge part of their run to the Kelly Cup Eastern Conference Finals.
  • Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov has been approved to play in the USHL this season, according to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. The 16-year-old won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2024 and now will have a chance to get in front of more scouts in North America.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Matt Tennyson Signs AHL Contract

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Veteran defenseman Matt Tennyson has settled for an AHL contract this year, though he’ll at least get to play somewhere warm. Tennyson has signed a one-year deal with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the new Seattle Kraken affiliate that will begin play this season.

In fact, it is something of a homecoming for Tennyson, who grew up and played minor hockey in California long before his professional career started. In the release, he explained how he feels about returning to the state:

It’s awesome to be back in the Coachella Valley. My grandparents lived in Palm Springs and my parents live in Rancho Mirage, so the opportunity to be closer to family made the decision to sign here extremely easy for me. I grew up playing hockey in California and the youth hockey scene here has come quite a long way since then. I am looking forward to being able to give back to and play in front of this great fan base and community.

What a career it has been for the undrafted defenseman who turned 32 earlier this year. After developing for three years at Western Michigan, Tennyson has played in 173 NHL and 358 AHL games, constantly bouncing back and forth between the two leagues as a capable depth option.

This year that won’t be the case (unless he signs an NHL deal at some point), as he has agreed to a minor league contract that will keep him with the Firebirds. He will likely take on a leadership role on the new team, helping Kraken prospects navigate their way into pro hockey and establishing a culture for the organization.

Minor Transactions: 08/31/22

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August has come and gone, as teams prepare for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Activities will start ramping up over the next few weeks and some new contracts might filter in as well. With minor league seasons on their way as well, we’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here.

  • Frank Hora, who spent most of last season with the Syracuse Crunch, is headed back to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where he played previously. The 26-year-old defenseman had seven points in 42 games with Syracuse and is still looking for his first AHL goal.
  • Josh Teves is headed overseas after spending last season with the Rochester Americans. The 27-year-old defenseman has signed a one-year contract with JYP in Finland, and has already arrived there to join the club. Teves sits with just one NHL game played in his career so far.
  • Brandon Saigeon, who was a fifth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2018, has signed a new ECHL contract with the Kalamazoo Wings. In 49 games last season for the Wheeling Nailers, he had 21 points.
  • Odeen Tufto is one of five players that have signed one-year AHL contracts with the Tucson Roadrunners, joining Noah Laaouan, Reece Vitelli, Kaid Oliver, and Tyler Parks. Tufto, 25, failed to receive a qualifying offer this summer from the Tampa Bay Lightning after his entry-level contract expired.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 08/30/22

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As far as late August goes, we’ve had a pretty busy 24 hours in the NHL, with the trade of Adin Hill to the Vegas Golden Knights last night, followed by a massive extension for Tage Thompson to stick with the Buffalo Sabres for seven more years. Not to be forgotten, the Minnesota Wild also added that forward they were rumored to be looking for, inking former Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Steel to a one-year deal. Busy as the last day was in the NHL, there’s still action going on around the hockey world, and we’ll keep track of some of those other transactions here:

  • A big trade went down in the WHL this afternoon, the Saskatoon Blades announcing they’ve acquired forward Conner Roulette and a third-round pick in the 2026 WHL prospects draft from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for overage forward Kyle Crnkovic (link). The 20-year-old Crnkovic spent the previous five seasons with the Blades organization. Always a solid contributor, he broke out in 2021-22, tallying 39 goals and 55 assists in 68 games for Saskatoon. Roulette, 19, was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2021 and has spent the previous four years with the Thunderbirds, having his own breakout this past season with 24 goals and 42 assists in 65 contests.
  • Former Nashville Predators draft pick Wade Murphy is headed back to North America, signing with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, after spending last season in Austria (link). A seventh-round pick by Nashville in 2013, the forward has spent the bulk of his professional career in the ECHL after a three year college career. The stint in Austria was a successful one for Murphy, who had 23 points in 38 games for Ljubljana Olimpija, the most he’s had in a professional season to date.
  • The Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, have signed forward Brett Stapley to a one-year AHL contract for the 2022-23 season, the team announced (link). Stapley, 23, was a seventh-round pick by Montreal back in 2018 and recently finished up his fourth season at the University of Denver. The North Vancouver, BC native had a solid college career, capped off by a breakout 2021-22 with 18 goals and 25 assists in 41 games. With the Canadians in a full rebuild, if Stapley can have a strong transition from college to the professional ranks, he may still have a chance to break into the NHL.
  • The Jacksonville Icemen announced they have signed Jake Witkowski to a one-year contract (link). The forward recently finished his college career, playing four years at Boston University prior to a season at Canisius College in 2021-22, where he had 11 points in 32 games. Interestingly, Witkowski is older than the typical college free agent, having turned 26 a few days ago.
  • Toronto Marlies defenseman Joseph Duszak won’t be returning for the 2022-23 season, instead heading to Dinamo Minsk of the KHL (link). Duszak, 25, spent three years at Mercyhurst College, joining the Marlies after an impressive 47 points in 37 college games in 2018-19. The Long Island native would split the 2019-20 season between the Marlies and the Newfoundland Growlers (the Marlies’ and Toronto Maple Leafs’ ECHL affiliate), joining the team full-time thereafter. Like in college, Duszak broke out in his third full professional season, recording seven goals and 45 assists in 61 games on the Marlies blueline this year.

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