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Boston Bruins Announce Front Office, Coaching Updates

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The Boston Bruins have announced several changes in their front office and coaching staff, starting with Chris Kelly who has been named an assistant coach. Kelly previously served as the player development coordinator for the Bruins the past two seasons. Taking his place will be former teammate Adam McQuaid, who will serve in that coordinator role. The team also announced that Ryan Mougenel has been named the head coach of the Providence Bruins.

Kelly, who Boston fans best remember as an important deadline addition during the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship, returned to the Bruins in 2019 after spending a year as a development coach with the Ottawa Senators. He will now move from the development team to the coaching staff in Boston, joining Bruce Cassidy’s group. Kelly suited up for 288 regular season games for the Bruins during his playing career, recording 101 points.

McQuaid meanwhile was also on that 2011 team, offering his brand of physical play on the blueline. The 6’4″ defenseman was actually drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but found his way to the Bruins in time for his NHL debut in the 2009-10 season. Over a ten-year NHL career, McQuaid played 462 of his 512 games in a Bruins uniform, racking up 652 penalty minutes along the way.

Mougenel has been with Providence for three seasons, serving as an assistant for former head coach Jay Leach. With Leach off to join the Seattle Kraken, there was an opening behind the bench for the AHL Bruins. That spot will be quickly filled by an internal candidate, and one that has plenty of head coaching experience already. Mougenel served as the head coach for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL for four seasons, the same league where he spent most of his playing career.

Minor Transactions: 08/12/21

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While the NHL tinkers around the edges, the minor leagues are still filling out roster spots in many cases. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here:

  • Chris Bigras, the 32nd overall pick in 2013, has signed a new minor league contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the upcoming season. Bigras has played just 46 NHL games in his professional career, bouncing around the AHL instead. Last season he recorded eight points in 21 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
  • The Abbotsford Canucks have added a British Columbia boy for their first season, inking Jarid Lukosevicius to a one-year AHL deal. Lukosevicius was a start for the Powell River Kings of the BCHL before going on to the University of Denver, and has spent the last two seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • The Rochester Americans have beefed up their depth chart, signing five different players to AHL contracts. Ryan Scarfo, Lukas Craggs, Brendan Warren, Peter Tischke and Mat Robson have all signed one-year deals with the Americans.

Maxime Lajoie Agrees To Terms With Carolina

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The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with defenseman Maxime Lajoie, signing him to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay $750K at the NHL level, $75K at the AHL level and comes with a minor league guarantee of $100K.

Lajoie, 23, notably stepped into the Hurricanes lineup in the postseason, making his debut with the team against the Nashville Predators in the first round. The young defenseman had played just six NHL games since his breakout season in 2018-19, when he surprisingly made the Ottawa Senators roster out of camp and played in 56 games.

Though he has been limited to mostly minor league duty since, there’s still NHL upside in the young defenseman, as shown by the strong performance he had with the Chicago Wolves this year. In 27 AHL games, he posted 21 points, leading all Wolves defensemen.

There’s little chance that Lajoie finds his way into the NHL lineup this season unless massive injury troubles hit the Hurricanes—they added Ian Cole, Ethan Bear, Anthony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith in the offseason—but he can keep developing in a strong AHL program and potentially push for a spot down the road.

Of course, there are waivers to consider, as Lajoie is not exempt and would need to clear in order to be sent to the minor leagues. That wasn’t a problem last season, when he cleared for the Ottawa Senators (only to be traded a day later), but there’s always a chance that someone decides he’s worth a claim this time around.

Washington Capitals Loan Damien Riat To Lausanne HC

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After just one season in North America, Damien Riat is headed back to Switzerland. The Washington Capitals have loaned the winger to Lausanne HC for the 2021-22 campaign after he spent this year with the Hershey Bears. The release does specify that he will be eligible to return to North America at the end of his National League season, though it’s unclear really where his future in the Capitals organization lies.

Riat, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Capitals back in 2016, but didn’t sign until 2020 when his draft rights were about to expire. The two-year entry-level contract he signed then covers the 2021-22 season, but Riat will be a restricted free agent next summer. The team can retain his rights with a qualifying offer, but one has to wonder if a permanent return to Switzerland is coming.

The young forward scored just three goals and nine points in 33 games for Hershey this year, joining them once the AHL got started. In the early part of the season he was playing for Geneve Servette in Switzerland, where he found much more success, tallying 18 points in 20 games. That National League success is nothing new for Riat, who has six seasons under his belt at the highest level back home.

We’ll have to wait and see if there is a path to the NHL for Riat and whether he returns at all after his overseas season is concluded, but he won’t be helping Hershey in the early part of the year.

Minor Transactions: 08/11/21

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Arbitration hearings are being scratched off without any hearings as teams get their key restricted free agents under contract. The UFA market has dried up, with just a few names left that can make any real impact. Still, minor leagues are still filling out their rosters and we’ll keep track of all the notable moves right here.

  • The Chicago Wolves have signed Dylan Wells to a one-year AHL contract, an interesting move given he received a qualifying offer from the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this offseason. He could have signed that two-way NHL contract, but instead will sign a minor league deal meaning he’s not call-up eligible. The team will still retain his rights and could sign him to an NHL contract during the year, but it’s a curious move for the 23-year-old goaltender.
  • Jordan Subban has signed a one-year deal with the Hershey Bears, returning from a two-year absence from North American pro hockey. Subban played the 2019-20 season in Austria and didn’t play in 2020-21, meaning he’ll be trying to get things back on track with the Bears this year.
  • After playing nine games with the Stockton Heat this season, Kris Bennett has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Iowa Wild for 2021-22. Bennett, who went undrafted out of the OHL, played three seasons at the University of New Brunswick before turning pro this year. His contract with Iowa is two-way, meaning he’ll earn a different amount depending on whether he’s playing in the AHL or ECHL.
  • After a year away from the game during the pandemic, former NHL defenseman Jakub Kindl will be back on the ice this season. The 34-year-old has returned to his former club HC Plzen in his native Czech Republic on a one-year deal, the team announced. A first-round pick back in 2005 from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, Kindl played in 331 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers as a big, tough stay-at-home defender. He returned to Europe in 2017 and spend two years with Plzen and last played in 2019-20 with Kolner Haie in the German DEL.

Carolina Hurricanes Agree To Terms With Andrew Poturalski

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The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with a familiar face, signing Andrew Poturalski to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $200K and a minor league guarantee of $250K. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:

Andrew is a playmaking forward who has put up excellent numbers at the AHL level. He previously spent four years in our organization, and we’re excited to bring back a player we’re very familiar with.

Fans of the team will remember Poturalski as the 2019 Calder Cup MVP, after leading the AHL playoffs in goals and points. He spent the last two years with the San Diego Gulls, scoring 43 points in 44 games this past season. The 27-year-old has two games under his belt at the NHL level but is really being brought in to solidify the Chicago Wolves roster, which is looking like it will be a competitive one this season.

The Hurricanes are now at 45 of their allotted 50 NHL contracts, with a few more restricted free agents to sign. The team does have some wiggle room with players whose contracts will slide if sent back to junior, removing them from that 50-count, but it appears as though they are approaching the end of their offseason for the most part.

Seattle Kraken Announce Coaching Hires

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The announcement came with a plan when the Seattle Kraken signed an agreement with the Charlotte Checkers to share them as an AHL affiliate during the 2021-22 season. The Kraken would provide a certain number of players to the minor league team, which is the primary affiliate of the Florida Panthers, but would also hire an assistant coach to join the Checkers staff. That way their prospects would be overseen by someone directly connected to the NHL organization.

Today they’ve made that hire, adding former Jack Adams winner Dan Byslma as an AHL assistant. Kraken GM Ron Francis released a statement explaining the move:

Dan joins our organization with an impressive resume and his experience speaks for itself. He has a proven track record and we look forward to him coaching our prospects in Charlotte alongside Geordie Kinnear.

Bylsma served as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings for the last three seasons and will probably be the most overqualified AHL assistant in the league. His record as an NHL head coach is 320-190-55, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Jack Adams in 2011 when he led the Penguins to a 49-25-8 record despite Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each playing no more than 43 games. Since the Kraken are only using the Checkers for one season before their own Palm Springs AHL team begins play, it will be interesting to see if Bylsma is the choice for their minor league coach a year from now.

The Kraken have also officially announced Andrew Allen as the team’s goaltending coach. Allen had originally joined the team as a pro scout, but will transition to the coaching role now that they are approaching their inaugural season. Interestingly enough, Allen actually received his first NHL coaching job under Bylsma in Buffalo during the 2015-16 season. He spent four years as the goaltending coach for the Sabres, after previously working with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 08/10/21

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The NHL is rounding out rosters by finishing restricted free agent negotiations, but that isn’t the only thing going on in the hockey world. With European leagues ramping up, the AHL preparing for a full schedule and junior players getting ready to show what they can do, there are plenty of minor transactions across the landscape. As always, we’ll keep track of notable ones right here.

  • Kirill Kudryavtsev, a potential first-round pick in 2022, has signed with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for the upcoming season. The 17-year-old defenseman was the sixth overall pick in the recent CHL import draft, and has decided to come over to continue his development in North America. The Greyhounds now list him at 6’0″ 185-lbs. Kudryavtsev recently won the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament with Russia, posting two points in five games.
  • Giorgio Estephan, a 2015 draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, has decided to take his talents overseas. The 24-year-old forward has signed with HC Litvinov of the Czech league on a one-year deal with an option for 2022-23. A 2019 Kelly Cup champion with the Newfoundland Growlers, Estephan played 19 games for the Stockton Heat this year.
  • Riley Woods played 26 games for the Colorado Eagles this season, but is off to Sweden after signing with MODO. The 23-year-old forward went undrafted out of the WHL, but has dominated at the ECHL level and held his own in the AHL. His deal overseas is just for one year.
  • The Belleville Senators have added Zac Leslie, Colby Williams and Tyrell Goulbourne on AHL contracts for next season. Goulbourne, 27, is the only one with any NHL experience, having played 11 games for the Philadelphia Flyers. The former Kelowna Rockets star failed to register a single point in those games and has just five in his last 71 games at the AHL level.
  • Ryan Kuffner, who signed an entry-level deal out of Princeton in 2019 and played 10 games with the Detroit Red Wings, has now agreed to a one-year deal with the Iowa Wild. The 25-year-old spent last season playing in Germany, where he registered 14 points in 31 games. Kuffner is actually signing a two-way minor league deal, meaning he’ll make different salaries depending on if he’s playing in the AHL or ECHL next season.
  • Vincent Arseneau has signed with the Abbotsford Canucks for next season, staying with the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate. The 29-year-old forward has played the last four seasons with the Utica Comets, scoring four goals in 13 games this year.
  • The Syracuse Crunch have signed defenseman Ryan Jones to a one-year, AHL deal.  The 25-year-old played in 29 games last season with AHL Rochester, his first professional action after completing his college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

This page will be updated with other minor transactions

John Quenneville Signs Tryout In Switzerland

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One of the head-scratching choices by the Seattle Kraken at last month’s expansion draft came from the Chicago Blackhawks. Instead of taking RFA Nikita Zadorov, who was flipped by the Blackhawks for a third-round pick a few days after the draft, or Adam Gaudette, who accepted his $997K qualifying offer, the Kraken basically decided to forfeit the pick. They selected minor league forward John Quenneville, who was a Group VI unrestricted free agent and quite a bit removed from his first-round draft pedigree.

The Kraken never signed Quenneville, and now the 25-year-old forward is looking for work overseas. He has signed a tryout with the ZSC Lions to help them with their Champions League games later this month. Whether it goes beyond that remains to be seen, but it seems obvious that Quenneville won’t be helping the Kraken anytime soon.

A talented junior player, Quenneville was originally picked 30th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2014. He made his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season, but has just 44 games under his belt overall. With just two points in 16 AHL games for the Rockford IceHogs in 2020-21, his status has never been further from the NHL. Now he’ll try to get that career back on track overseas, playing for one of the most popular and successful teams in Europe.

Minnesota Wild Sign Will Bitten

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Aug 8: Bitten’s contract has been announced by the Wild, confirming the reported details.

Aug 7: The Minnesota Wild have signed Will Bitten to a one-year, two-way contract, according to CapFriendly. The restricted free agent forward accepted his qualifying offer, meaning he’ll earn $840K in the NHL and $75K in the AHL next season.

Bitten, 23, was the 70th overall pick in the 2016 draft, selected by the Montreal Canadiens. He never played a single game (outside of exhibitions) for that organization though, as he was flipped to the Wild in a 2018 trade for Gustav Olofsson. With his new club, he has spent three seasons in the AHL, scoring 69 points in 145 games. Though not a big player, Bitten is a ball of energy, willing to chase down defenders with a relentless forecheck. His offensive ability wasn’t what got him drafted, but he was a pretty strong contributor this season with 19 points in 31 games for Iowa, numbers that obviously earned him a qualifying offer.

The fact that he doesn’t rely on high-skill plays to contribute may actually help Bitten in his quest to reach the NHL, given his ability to slot in on a fourth line without a problem. Minnesota doesn’t actually have a ton of NHL locks at the forward position compared to some other clubs, meaning there may actually be some competition in camp for the last few spots. While his ceiling isn’t as high as some of the team’s other prospects, Bitten may get a chance to play some games as an injury replacement in the near future, even if it is limited minutes available at the bottom of the lineup.

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