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Atlantic Notes: Alfredsson, Maroon, Kane

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While plenty of the focus in Ottawa has been regarding their head coaching search, the future of one of their assistants is also in question.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun relayed that the Senators intend to sit down with Daniel Alfredsson after the season to assess what he’d like his role to be moving forward.  The long-time winger started the season as a development coach before moving behind the bench as an assistant when Jacques Martin took over.  With Martin returning to a consulting role in a few weeks, they’ll soon find out if they’ll have another spot to fill on their coaching staff.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Bruins winger Pat Maroon has skated for three straight days now as he works his way back from back surgery. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters including Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that at this point, it will be his conditioning that determines when he’s cleared to return.  Boston picked up Maroon from Minnesota at the trade deadline and will be looking to add his physicality to their fourth line in the near future.
  • The Red Wings are expected to get winger Patrick Kane back in the lineup today against Florida, relays MLive’s Ansar Khan. The veteran missed Thursday’s game with the flu.  Kane has done quite well since signing with Detroit in late November after recovering from hip surgery, collecting 17 goals and 23 assists in 41 games while averaging over 18 minutes a night.  Detroit enters play today sitting two points behind Washington for the final Wild Card spot in the East.

West Notes: Vilardi, Pietrangelo, Ceci, Strome

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The Jets will welcome a key forward back to their lineup on Saturday against Ottawa as Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun relays that Gabriel Vilardi has been cleared to return.  The 24-year-old has missed the last 15 games due to an enlarged spleen that was diagnosed while treating another injury.  A key part of the return in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade over the summer, Vilardi has been quite impactful when healthy this season, tallying 16 goals and 14 assists in just 38 games.  With Winnipeg losing their last five games, his return will certainly be a welcome one as they look to get back on track and hold onto the third spot in the Central with Nashville closing in quickly.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Golden Knights revealed (Twitter link) that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has joined up with the team on their road trip. The 34-year-old has missed the last six games due to illness, a big blow to their back end.  Pietrangelo has 32 points and 155 blocks in 62 appearances so far this season while logging a little over 24 minutes per night to lead Vegas in that department.  His eventual return – which could be as soon as Saturday – would be a significant addition as the Golden Knights continue to battle for seeding in the Pacific Division.
  • Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against Anaheim due to illness, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 30-year-old has played an important role for Edmonton this season, logging just under 20 minutes a night while chipping in with 21 points in 71 games.  If he can’t play, Troy Stecher will likely return to the lineup.
  • The league announced that Ducks forward Ryan Strome was fined the maximum of $5K for a cross-check on Seattle’s Tye Kartye during yesterday’s game. The incident occurred early in the third period with both players receiving penalties on the play, Strome for the cross-check and Kartye for roughing.

2024 College Free Agency Preview: Centers

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With the college regular season over and the Frozen Four tournament upon us, activity on the college free agent front will pick up in the near future.  At this time of year, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.

Here is an overview of some of the centers that could be drawing NHL interest in the near future; we’ll cover the wingers in a separate column this weekend.  Note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.  Our look at the goaltenders can be found here while the defensemen are here.

Lynden Breen, Maine

An active checker, Breen profiles best toward the bottom of the lineup.  However, his size (5’9) will work against him a bit on the open market, as does the fact he’s only reached the double-digit goal mark once in his four years with the Black Bears.  Even so, he’s the type of player who should receive several AHL contract offers at a minimum while some might be inclined to up it to an NHL deal.

Karsen Dorwart, Michigan State

Dorwart is the type of player whose effectiveness could be a bit better in the pros than in college.  A strong forechecker, he could benefit from the greater structure.  Dorwart also showed that he can kill penalties this season while taking a small jump in his offensive numbers, giving him a reasonable floor to work with which should appeal to some teams looking for bottom-six depth.

Christian Fitzgerald, Wisconsin

The decision to transfer after his freshman year to follow head coach Mike Hastings to the Badgers worked out well.  While Fitzgerald’s offensive numbers actually went down, there has been a sharp improvement in his all-around game.  A strong skater with a profile that fits in a bottom six group, Fitzgerald could sign now or opt to return for another year (or even two) at Wisconsin.  If he does that and takes some strides forward offensively, he could be one of the top options in a future free agent class.

Luke Grainger, Western Michigan

While he might fit better on the wing in the pros, the 24-year-old has done well down the middle the last couple of seasons.  He sits 15th in Division I scoring with his playmaking game taking a step forward.  That said, he likely profiles as a bottom-six energy player professionally as someone who rarely takes a shift off, giving the type of consistent efforts that will endear him to coaches.

Luke Haymes, Dartmouth

Haymes is one of the younger free agents that should attract NHL interest this year as he doesn’t turn 21 until late July.  His sophomore season was a breakout one as he more than doubled his point total, notching 18 goals and 18 assists in just 31 games.  It wouldn’t be surprising if he stayed in college but as potentially one of the better offensive players in this class, there’s a case to make for him to turn pro now.

T.J. Hughes, Michigan

Hughes is one of the top all-around middlemen in this year’s free agent class.  He’s also not too far removed from averaging over a goal and an assist per game in his final AJHL season so the skill level is certainly there.  The 22-year-old plays with an edge which makes him a fit at the bottom of a lineup as well.  With that type of versatility, there will be several NHL offers coming his way if he turns pro.

Carter King, Denver

After being more of a role player in his first two seasons, King moved up the depth chart last season and again this year, becoming an all-around threat.  One of the more dynamic players shorthanded in the NCAA, the 23-year-old only has five penalties in his career despite playing with plenty of pace and energy in his game.  King’s ceiling isn’t the highest which may dissuade some teams but has the type of profile that gives him a shot at some success in the pros.

Jaxon Nelson, Minnesota

It was a bit of a surprise to see Nelson not turn pro after his senior year last season but he opted to go back for his bonus year.  He didn’t hurt his stock but might not have necessarily helped it much either.  Standing 6’4, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has the frame to have success in the pros but there will be questions as to how much offensive upside he can ultimately provide.

Jacob Quillan, Quinnipiac

After a breakout sophomore year capped by scoring the National Championship-winning goal, Quillan surprisingly opted to return for his junior year, rebuffing NHL interest in the process.  The 22-year-old is in the midst of a better season offensively but he profiles more as a lower-end forward in the pros.  However, he’s also one of the more likely ones to have NHL success so the interest will be there again shortly unless he decides to go back for his senior season.

Gabriel Seger, Cornell

Seger’s transfer to Cornell last year was a wise decision as he got to play higher in the lineup.  This season, he has been even better, leading the Big Red in scoring.  One of the biggest players on this list standing 6’4, he’s a pro-ready frame and at 24, he could be ready to jump into an NHL lineup right away.  He’ll be capped to a one-year offer which could be burned for the stretch run of the season.

Sam Stevens, Boston University

It’s pretty simple when it comes to Stevens – he’s a quality complementary piece whose defensive acumen gives him a chance to play a fourth-line role in the NHL.  Even playing on a dominant Terriers team in his fifth year, the 23-year-old’s offensive game was quite limited.  That might limit him to an AHL deal off the hop but he should land a deal somewhere.

Penguins Recall Ryan Shea, Assign Jonathan Gruden To AHL

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Following the news that defenseman Ryan Graves has a concussion, the Penguins have made a pair of roster moves.  Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays that defenseman Ryan Shea is now on Pittsburgh’s roster while forward Jonathan Gruden has been returned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Shea is in his first season with the Penguins after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent last July.  The decision was a wise one as he broke camp with the big club and spent more than two months on the NHL roster before being waived in mid-December.

Since then, the 27-year-old has been recalled now six times as he’s a trusted option to turn to when injuries arise.  Shea has played in 22 games with Pittsburgh so far this season, his first taste of NHL action.  He’s still looking for his first point but is averaging a respectable 12:28 per game on the third pairing when he is in the lineup.  He has been a bit more productive in the minors, collecting two goals and four assists in 22 AHL contests.

As for Gruden, he has been shuffled back and forth quite frequently this season with seven different recalls under his belt.  It hasn’t translated to a ton of action, however, as he has played in just 13 NHL contests this season, notching a single goal while averaging 8:40 per game.  The 23-year-old has also played in 46 AHL games, posting 13 goals and 11 assists.

While Pittsburgh likely would have preferred to keep Gruden on the roster, his assignment was salary cap-related as they didn’t have enough cap space to have him and Shea up with them.

Kaiden Guhle Receives One-Game Suspension

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The ruling is in for Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle.  After slashing Flyers winger Travis Konecny from the bench during their game yesterday, the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that Guhle has received a one-game suspension.

The 22-year-old slashed Konecny in retaliation for a hit he threw on winger Juraj Slafkovsky seconds earlier in the dying seconds of the second period.  However, any contact with a player on the ice from the bench is prohibited.  In the ruling video, it’s noted that any contact that typically occurs from the bench can be handled with a penalty on the play or a fine.  However, Guhle’s actions rose above that, resulting in the one-game ban.

It’s the first supplementary discipline of any kind for Guhle who will forfeit just under $4.5K in salary based on his $863.3K AAV.  The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  He will now miss their game against Carolina on Saturday which should allow Johnathan Kovacevic to return to the lineup.  Guhle will be eligible to return for Montreal’s contest versus Florida on Tuesday.

Pacific Notes: Zadorov, Labanc, Gudas, Carrier

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Nikita Zadorov is one of the more intriguing pending unrestricted free agent defensemen and it appears he’s poised to land a fair-sized raise on his current contract.  In an appearance on Sekeres and Price (Twitter video link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggests that Calgary felt that Zadorov’s asking price was likely to be in the $5MM range on a multi-year contract which helped facilitate his trade to the Canucks.  Zadorov has 18 points in 66 games between the two teams so far while averaging a little under 18 minutes a night.  He’s currently on a $3.75MM price tag but with his size and the fact that the salary cap is going to go up next season, the 28-year-old has a strong case for a raise, one that could ultimately price him out of Vancouver.

More from the Pacific:

  • Speaking with reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, Sharks winger Kevin Labanc acknowledged that he knows he’s in his final days with the organization and that there hasn’t been much communication with the coaching staff. The 28-year-old had a respectable 33 points in 72 games last season but he has been a frequent healthy scratch this year, notching just nine points in 41 appearances when he has played.  It’s fair to say that he won’t come close to getting his current $4.875MM AAV on the open market this summer but he could be an intriguing buy-low candidate if a team feels that he can get back to his old offensive levels in a new environment.
  • Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas did not accompany the team on their road trip to Seattle, relays Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 33-year-old has been out for the last week and a half with an upper-body injury.  Gudas has played a big role on Anaheim’s second pairing this season, notching 16 points, 124 penalty minutes, 142 blocks, and 213 hits in 60 games; he sits in the top ten league-wide in PIMS and hits.
  • Golden Knights winger William Carrier is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has battled injury issues this season, being limited to just 39 appearances so far.  Carrier has six goals and two assists in those games along with 90 hits in the final year of his contract; he’ll be UFA-eligible for the first time this summer.

East Notes: Devils, Rousek, Wennberg, Ponomarev

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While the season isn’t over yet for the Devils, GM Tom Fitzgerald has already identified an area outside the crease that he’d like to address for 2024-25.  In an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription link), Fitzgerald indicated that he’d like his team “get harder on the wing” for next season.  New Jersey has been hovering around the top ten for offense this year despite missing several key players due to injuries so it appears their preference would be to add some grit to help complement their skilled forwards.  As things stand, New Jersey has around $21MM in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly, giving Fitzgerald ample wiggle room to work with to reshape parts of his roster.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Sabres winger Lukas Rousek left today’s practice early after taking a stick to the face. Head coach Don Granato told reporters including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that Rousek’s status for tomorrow’s game is unknown as he was undergoing medical evaluation.  The 24-year-old has two assists in nine games so far with Buffalo after a strong showing with AHL Rochester where he notched 10 goals and 28 assists in 48 contests.
  • The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that center Alexander Wennberg was unavailable to play tonight for personal reasons. He and his wife are expecting a child in the coming days.  The 29-year-old was acquired from Seattle earlier this month and he has fared relatively well in the early going with his new team, picking up four points in nine games so far.  However, his playing time is down by nearly four minutes a night as he’s averaging 15:01 with his new team.
  • Penguins prospect Vasiliy Ponomarev suffered a lower-body injury late last week with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, relays Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 22-year-old was a key piece in the Jake Guentzel trade and was speculated to be a strong recall candidate for the stretch run.  However, Ponomarev is now listed as out week-to-week which will put those plans on hold if not squash them altogether.

West Notes: Hronek, Vilardi, Tourigny, Bardakov

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In an appearance on Sekeres and Price (video link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli discusses the importance of the Canucks avoiding salary arbitration with pending RFA defenseman Filip Hronek.  The team may view Quinn Hughes’ $7.85MM cap hit as a ceiling they don’t want to surpass when it comes to spending on their defensemen.  However, Hronek has already set career highs in assists (40) and points (45) this season while logging over 23 minutes a night.  Arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer, the two sides going to a hearing could push Hronek’s award past the $7MM mark.  Accordingly, settling before it gets to that point should be high on Vancouver’s priority list this offseason.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Jets center Gabriel Vilardi returned to practice today as he works his way back from an enlarged spleen. Murat Ates of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old is expected to skate with the team every day this week as he works on getting back into playing condition.  When healthy, Vilardi has been a key producer for Winnipeg this season, notching 16 goals and 14 assists in just 38 games so far.
  • Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny is expected to serve as Canada’s head coach at the upcoming World Championship although it’s not yet official, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. Tourigny served in that role last year, helping lead Canada to the gold medal.
  • Avalanche prospect Zakhar Bardakov intends to sign with Colorado and play in North America after next season, his agent Shumi Babaev told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. The 23-year-old was picked up from New Jersey in the Kurtis MacDermid trade and had a dozen points in 51 games with SKA St. Petersburg this season.  Bardakov’s KHL deal is expiring and Babaev noted that Bardakov intends to play next season in that league; it remains to be seen if that will be with SKA or another organization.

Five Key Stories: 3/18/24 – 3/24/24

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While there won’t be much in the way of activity on the transactions front for a while beyond prospect signings, there was still some news of note in the NHL over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Proposed Rule Changes: Each year, a handful of tweaks to the rules are recommended by NHL general managers.  That continued this year, albeit with a few more proposed changes than usual.  Among the suggested amendments are that goalies can be assessed a minor penalty for intentionally knocking the net off, allowing a coaches’ challenge for delay of game and high-sticking (for friendly fire), and bringing back a warm-up for goalies coming into a game when the starter is taken out due to injury.  They won’t be enacted right away as they still need to be ratified by the Competition Committee and the NHL Board of Governors.

Bowness Away From Jets: For the second straight week, a head coach has taken a leave of absence.  After Martin St. Louis left Montreal for family reasons, Rick Bowness is away from Winnipeg for the second time this season, this time for a minor medical procedure.  He left the Jets on their road trip for treatments while Scott Arniel is serving as interim head coach for the second time this season.  Winnipeg struggled over the weekend but finds itself in a tight battle for the top spot in the Central Division.

Wilson Gets Six: Capitals winger Tom Wilson has a lengthy history with the Department of Player Safety.  Another entry was added this past week as he received a six-game suspension for his high stick on Maple Leafs winger Noah Gregor.  It’s the sixth suspension of his career, bringing his total to 36 games cumulative while he forfeits more than $161K in salary, bringing that running total to a little over $1.5MM.  More importantly for Washington, they lose a key top-six winger as they try to chase down Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.  Wilson will be eligible to return to the lineup on April 4th and ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports (Twitter link) that no appeal will be filed.

Coyotes Likely To Stay At Mullett Arena In 2024-25: The future of the Coyotes in Arizona is once again in question after their planned arena site fell through earlier this year.  There’s another option that involves a public auction that won’t happen until June.  While the team’s fate might be better known at that time, the possibility of relocation that late into the offseason would be difficult to pull off.  Accordingly, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated that the team is likely to stay at Mullett Arena at Arizona State University for the 2024-25 season regardless of the outcome of that auction.  That will be the final year of the original three-season agreement although there are two one-year options to extend it.

Two Former NHLers Pass Away: We end on a sad note as a pair of players passed away.  Former Penguins winger Konstantin Koltsov died at the age of 42.  A first-round pick back in 1999, Koltsov played in 144 NHL games over parts of three seasons with Pittsburgh before spending the next decade playing internationally, primarily in Russia.  Soon after, it was revealed that Chris Simon passed at the age of 52.  He had a 15-year NHL career with seven different franchises and picked up a Stanley Cup title with Colorado back in 1996.  He was with that franchise after being part of the Eric Lindros trade back in 1992.  Simon had 1,824 penalty minutes in his career, good for 67th in NHL history.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Lindholm, Stalock, Crotty, Wilsby, NCAA Bracket

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Canucks forward Elias Lindholm has struggled as of late and snapped a 15-game goalless streak last night against his former team in Calgary.  It appears there’s a reason for those struggles as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night (video link) that the veteran is set to meet with a specialist in the coming days to determine the extent of the undisclosed injury that he is currently playing through.  The 29-year-old has just nine points in 22 games since being acquired at the end of January and has been dropped to the third line in recent games, not the type of impact they were looking for from their biggest trade acquisition of the season.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Ducks announced that they recalled goaltender Alex Stalock from AHL San Diego. The 36-year-old had been brought up four times this season but has yet to see game action with Anaheim, instead serving in a short-term backup role.  He’ll be reprising that role against Tampa Bay with John Gibson out for personal reasons.  Stalock has played in a dozen games for the Gulls this season while playing on a one-year, one-way deal worth $800K, posting a 3.72 GAA with a .894 SV%.  He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • The Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Cameron Crotty from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis. The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season and this will be his first recall and first game as he took the place of Josh Brown who was out due to an illness.  Crotty has three goals and nine assists in 45 games with the Roadrunners this season.
  • Predators prospect Adam Wilsby has been linked to SHL Farjestad next season, notes Varlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg. The 23-year-old blueliner was a fourth-round pick back in 2020 and has spent his three-year entry-level deal playing with AHL Milwaukee where he has six goals and eight assists through 49 games so far.  A pending restricted free agent, it might make more sense for Wilsby to return home over continuing to play in the minors as he’s likely behind several prospects on Nashville’s organizational depth chart.
  • The NCAA revealed the official bracket for the tournament leading to the Frozen Four and the DI Men’s Ice Hockey Championship with Boston College serving as the top seed. Games get underway on Thursday and as teams are eliminated, we’ll start to see some of the more notable free agents start to sign while others will forego the rest of their college eligibility to turn pro.

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