Salary Cap Deep Dive: Philadelphia Flyers
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Philadelphia Flyers
Current Cap Hit: $83,322,620 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
G Samuel Ersson ($859K this season)
F Tyson Foerster (two years, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Ersson $32.5K
Foerster impressed in limited action last season and has become a full-time regular this year. That said, he’s more of a secondary player at this point which likely has him heading for a short-term second contract, especially with the limited action as a rookie. If he finds another gear offensively next season and pushes into the 40-point-pace range, he could surpass the $2MM mark on that agreement.
Ersson has already signed his second contract so we’ll look at that in more detail shortly but it’s worth noting his bonuses are based on games played. The exact number needed isn’t known but the lower end of a games played bonus is usually around 20. If that’s the case here, he has already reached it.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
G Carter Hart ($3.979MM, RFA)
D Nick Seeler ($775K, UFA)
D Marc Staal ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Sean Walker ($2.65MM, UFA)
D Yegor Zamula ($775K, RFA)
Walker was picked up from the Kings in the summer with his inclusion appearing to primarily be for cap purposes. However, the 29-year-old has rebuilt his value nicely, spending a lot of time on the second pairing. Now, instead of a likely pay cut had this season gone like last year, Walker is set up to potentially land a small raise on a multi-year agreement. In the meantime, he is a speculative trade candidate as is Seeler. Seeler has become a regular with the Flyers over the last year and a half after being a player on the fringes of the roster. His playing time is still somewhat limited as he’s a full-time part of the third pairing. Philadelphia is believed to be interested in an extension, one that should push into the $1.25MM to the $1.5MM range.
Staal signed with the Flyers early in free agency to give them a bridge veteran, allowing them to keep some of their youngsters in AHL Lehigh Valley a little longer. He has missed time with injuries and has been scratched at times as well. Accordingly, while it’s possible he lands another deal to fill that type of role, it’s likely to come in closer to the league minimum. As for Zamula, he hasn’t been in the lineup every night but he has more than held his own and is even seeing time on the second power play unit at times. Doubling his current AAV on a two-year bridge deal could be achievable for the 23-year-old.
Hart had been performing at a level similar to last season which had him on track to be qualified at just under $4.5MM. However, his leave of absence pertaining to the sexual assault charge as part of the 2018 investigation into Canada’s World Junior team now has that outcome looking doubtful. Now, a non-tender looks likely.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Cam Atkinson ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Morgan Frost ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Noah Cates ($2.65MM, RFA)
F Garnet Hathaway ($2.375MM, UFA)
F Travis Konecny ($5.5MM, UFA)
G Cal Petersen ($5MM, UFA)
D Cam York ($1.6MM, RFA)
After missing all of last season due to a herniated disk in his neck, Atkinson has been healthy all season long and is producing at close to a 50-point pace. That’s on the high side for this price tag but that was likely expected when he signed this deal back with Columbus in 2017. His next contract should check in closer to the $4MM mark if he can stay at that pace for another year and a half.
Konecny’s future with the Flyers has been speculated about for a while. First, he looked like a long-term core piece but then when he took a step back in 2020-21 and then followed it up with just 16 goals the following year, some questioned if he was going to be part of those plans much longer. Since then, he has authored a year and a half of top-line production and now, the idea of an extension is very much on the table. If it happens, Philadelphia will be paying him off two career platform years which certainly will carry some risk while likely upping the price tag close to the $8MM mark. But after leading the team in scoring last season and for most of this year, there’s a strong case to make to keep him around.
Cates has had a year to forget. A broken foot kept him out for the better part of two months and in between, he has struggled mightily, sitting on just one goal in 28 games. This AAV will be his qualifying offer in 2025 and he’ll have arbitration rights again at that time. There’s plenty of time to turn his fortunes around but at this point, a non-tender could be on the table if his struggles continue.
Hathaway signed a surprisingly high contract for someone who is best deployed on the fourth line but the Flyers put extra value in trying to fill his particular role. It would be surprising to see another raise coming but in a more favorable cap environment, it’s not out of the realm of possibility either. Frost had a breakout year last season, earning a nice bridge deal for his troubles but he has struggled somewhat this season while John Tortorella has scratched him frequently, leading to trade speculation. At this point, a one-year deal after this one that basically works as a second bridge might be the most likely outcome; that contract would check in a bit higher than his $2.4MM qualifying offer if his production stays in its current range.
York is also on his bridge contract and while the offensive potential he showed in the US National Team Development Program and in college hasn’t quite translated to big point totals yet, he’s logging heavy minutes. That alone could help him double this price tag in 2025 and if the production comes, the cost of a long-term agreement will go up quite quickly.
Petersen was acquired as salary ballast in the Ivan Provorov three-way trade last summer and has spent most of the last year and a half in the minors. With Hart’s absence, that should change but his struggles in his limited NHL action make this a steep overpayment. If this continues, he’ll be closer to the $1MM territory as a free agent.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($1.75MM, UFA)
G Samuel Ersson ($1.4MM in 2024-25 and 2025-26, RFA)
D Jamie Drysdale ($2.3MM, RFA)
F Scott Laughton ($3MM, UFA)
F Ryan Poehling ($1.4MM this season, $1.9MM in 2024-25 and 2025-26, UFA)
Laughton has shown he can play in the top six but is likely best utilized as a third-line middleman. This price tag is certainly quite fair for that role which is why teams are starting to call about his potential availability. With a 43-point season under his belt, there’s room for his price tag to grow if he’s able to produce near that level with any type of consistency; doing so could push him into the $4MM range.
Deslauriers is another player they willingly gave more than market value to in order to have their desired grit on the fourth line. While he has had some success offensively in the past, he is starting to slow down on that front. Another contract is definitely achievable (even at 35 which he’ll be when this deal ends) but it should come in closer to the minimum next time. Poehling has held his own in a bottom-six role and inked his new deal recently, a nice outcome for someone who was non-tendered last summer. He’ll need to become more productive to have a chance at getting third center money.
Drysdale was acquired less than a month ago and has fit in nicely so far. Injuries have limited him significantly the last two seasons which hasn’t helped to firm up where his expected long-term deal after this one will land. If he lives up to his upside and stays healthy, he should become Philadelphia’s top-paid blueliner. But if the injury trouble continues, that will certainly scale that price tag down.
Ersson impressed down the stretch last year, landing this extension before the 2023-24 campaign started. It’s a move that looks better now as he had pushed his way into more playing time early on and is now their likely starter the rest of the way. He’ll have that time to show if he’s a legitimate number one or more of a backup with the range of outcomes money-wise stretching past a few million per season depending on how he plays.
Morning Notes: Skills Results, Lacher, Coyotes
The NHL’s All-Star Skills Competition was held on Friday night in a revamped format that saw a dozen players compete in a head-to-head format while taking part in at least four of the events. Oilers center Connor McDavid took home the title and $1MM while the rest of the results were as follows.
Fastest Skater: McDavid (Oilers, 13.408 seconds)
One-Timers: Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche, 23 points)
Passing Challenge: Elias Pettersson (Canucks, 25 points)
Hardest Shot: Cale Makar (Avalanche, 102.56 mph)
Stick Handling: McDavid (Oilers, 25.755 seconds)
Accuracy Shooting: McDavid (Oilers, 9.158 seconds)
One-On-One: William Nylander (Maple Leafs, 9 points), Alexandar Georgiev (Avalanche, 9 saves)
Obstacle Course: McDavid (Oilers, 40.666 seconds)
Other early news from around the hockey world:
- Former Bruins goaltender Blaine Lacher passed away on Friday at the age of 53, the team announced (Twitter link). Lacher made an immediate impact in the NHL, coming up as Boston’s starter in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign, putting up a 2.41 GAA in 35 games to earn him a top-five finish in Calder Trophy voting. However, Lacher only made seven appearances at the top level after that. No cause of death was revealed.
- On Friday, the NHLPA expressed its frustration with Arizona’s search for a new arena site, stating that they’ve missed two deadlines already while not engaging with the PA on numerous fronts. However, it appears the team remains on track to purchase a parcel of land as the team confirmed (Twitter link) a report from ABC15’s Taylor Rocha that they are moving forward with a plan to buy in North Phoenix. At this point, multiple arena sites are still being considered which means we’re still likely a little while away from having more clarity on that front.
Defense Notes: Tanev, Walker, Mukhamadullin
The Flames and Canucks had discussions about including Chris Tanev in Wednesday’s Elias Lindholm trade, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). However, in the end, he was pulled out of those discussions with Calgary deciding it was better to move him in a separate swap. Tanev, a top shutdown defenseman, is expected to be one of the most sought-after blueliners heading into next month’s trade deadline with as many as ten teams believed to be interested. He’s on an expiring contract with a $4.5MM AAV and while the Flames got away without retaining in the Lindholm trade (or the Nikita Zadorov one earlier this season), it feels like there’s a good chance they’ll need to pay this contract down up to the maximum of 50% if they’re going to maximize their return.
Other blueline notes around the NHL:
- The Maple Leafs and Oilers are among the teams that have spoken to the Flyers about defenseman Sean Walker, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link). The 29-year-old right-shot rearguard is having a bounce-back season, recording 17 points in 50 games so far while averaging nearly 20 minutes a night while being on an expiring $2.65MM deal. With a limited supply of quality righties available, Pagnotta notes that Philadelphia has placed a first-round pick as the price tag for Walker’s services although they may have to lower that to get a trade done.
- With the Sharks now on their bye week, they’ve assigned defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to the minors, per an announcement (Twitter link) from their AHL affiliate. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut on Saturday and has played in three games so far, picking up an assist while averaging over 21 minutes a night. Mukhamadullin has 26 points in 39 games with the Barracuda and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get recalled for their next game on February 14th.
Kings Assign Three Players To AHL
With Los Angeles being off until February 10th, they’ve opted to make a trio of roster moves. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forwards Alex Turcotte and Samuel Fagemo plus defenseman Brandt Clarke to AHL Ontario.
Turcotte was recalled last weekend and got into his first two games of the season with the Kings. The second was certainly a successful one as the 22-year-old notched his first career NHL goal while picking up an assist in Wednesday’s victory over Nashville. Turcotte has spent most of the year in the minors with the Reign, recording 23 points in 28 games so far.
Fagemo, meanwhile, has been shuffled back and forth recently, shifting between Los Angeles and Ontario three times over the past couple of weeks. Playing time during that stretch was fairly limited as he made just four appearances, equaling the number he had with Nashville at the beginning of the season before they put him on waivers in November. The 23-year-old has been quite productive with Ontario though, recording 20 goals and 13 assists in just 24 contests.
As for Clarke, he got off to a hot start with the Reign to start the season, collecting 32 points in 30 games, quite the mark for a rookie blueliner. That earned him a recall four weeks ago and since then, he has been in and out of the lineup with the Kings. Clarke has just one assist in six games so far while logging 16:15 per night, primarily on the third pairing with some time on the second power play unit.
With these moves, Los Angeles is now at the minimum-sized roster. With Viktor Arvidsson still a little while away from returning (meaning he’ll remain on LTIR), the Kings will likely use that space to recall three players for their next appearance. The determination on whether it’s these three or others will come next week.
Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese, Assign Mads Sogaard To AHL
Following their game last night versus Detroit, the Senators made a pair of roster moves. The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Mads Sogaard was assigned to AHL Belleville. Taking his place on the roster is netminder Kevin Mandolese who was recalled.
Sogaard had been up for the last three weeks while covering for goaltender Anton Forsberg who is dealing with a groin injury. With starter Joonas Korpisalo struggling, Sogaard had an opportunity to carve out some playing time but the 23-year-old didn’t fare well in those chances. He had four appearances but struggled to the tune of a 5.09 GAA and a .825 SV%.
Sogaard has been viewed as a goalie of the future for the Sens and has fared much better in his AHL appearances this season, putting up a 2.48 GAA with a .920 SV% in 16 games, numbers that put him in the top ten league-wide in both categories. With Ottawa off until February 10th, Sogaard will get an opportunity to play a few games before potentially being brought back.
As for Mandolese, he has been recalled several times on emergency loans dating back to last season, seven times in fact. However, the 23-year-old hasn’t seen much action at the top level, getting into just three games with Ottawa in 2022-23. Mandolese has spent most of this season with Belleville, playing to a 3.38 GAA and a .895 SV% in 16 contests. He’ll get to collect an NHL salary for the next week and a bit, a nice reward for someone on a two-way contract before being sent back down before Ottawa’s next game.
Strong Trade Interest In Chris Tanev
Impact right-shot defensemen are typically in short supply and high demand and with the trade deadline now less than six weeks away, it appears this year will be no exception. Accordingly, those with one to move will have no shortage of suitors and that’s the case for the Flames with defenseman Chris Tanev as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that as many as ten teams have already reached out to Calgary GM Craig Conroy to inquire about the blueliner.
The 34-year-old has never been a significant point producer and has just nine points in 46 games so far this season but Tanev has a well-earned reputation as one of the top shutdown defensemen in the league. He leads the Flames in shorthanded ice time while hanging around the 20-minute-per-game mark as he often does. On top of that, Tanev is among the league leaders in blocked shots, collecting 135 already, good for fifth-most in the NHL. Considering that teams are always looking to shore up their defensive reliability and penalty killing, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of teams showing interest in Tanev.
Garrioch notes that the Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Kings are among those teams that have shown interest. Toronto GM Brad Treliving is quite familiar with Tanev from his days in charge in Calgary and Garrioch suggests that the blueliner is currently their top target. As for Vancouver, Tanev would be quite familiar with them having spent the first ten years of his career with them before joining Calgary as a free agent back in 2020. Los Angeles, meanwhile, has an established top four but they have two youngsters (Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence) and journeyman Andreas Englund rounding out the rest of the group; Tanev would certainly give them some more stability.
Ottawa has also been speculated as a team that could be interested with GM Steve Staios looking for a quality veteran or two. However, with the Sens well out of playoff contention, it’s hard to see them coughing up the asking price and Tanev being open to going there over a postseason contender. Worth noting is that Tanev has a 10-team no-trade clause, giving him some control in where he might go. If an acquiring team wants to work out an extension at the same time, that also gives the veteran a bit more leverage to make sure he lands with a new organization of his choice.
With players of Tanev’s caliber hard to come by, it appears that Conroy has set a high asking price for his services. Garrioch relays that the ask is believed to be at least a first-round pick plus a prospect; if teams get into a bidding war, they could get more than that as well if they’re willing to retain the maximum 50%. Tanev has a $4.5MM AAV which is difficult for many contending teams to afford but if that is cut in half and perhaps Calgary takes a smaller contract back, most potential suitors should be able to make that work.
With more than a month until the trade deadline, there’s a good chance that Tanev won’t be leaving Calgary in the immediate future; the longer they wait, the easier it is for teams with regular cap space to afford the contract. But if his market is strong as Garrioch suggests, the Flames will be poised to land a quality future return for Tanev’s services by the time March 8th comes around.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Moore, Chisholm, Khusnutdinov, Zhigalov
It has been a successful freshman campaign for Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore. The 19th overall pick last June is averaging just shy of a point-per-game this season through 26 appearances with the University of Minnesota, leading some to wonder if he might be a one-and-done player. However, Scott Powers of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that Chicago is expecting the 19-year-old to remain with the Golden Gophers and return for his sophomore season instead of turning pro at the end of the college campaign like Frank Nazar is expected to do. The Blackhawks have plenty of time to work out a contract with Moore when the time is right; they hold his exclusive rights through August 15, 2027.
More from the Central:
- Multiple teams are believed to have placed a claim on defenseman Declan Chisholm, report Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). The blueliner landed with the Wild yesterday since they had the highest priority of the claiming teams. With several teams placing a claim, it’s a bit surprising that Winnipeg was unable to move Chisholm for an asset before it came to waiving him as they likely would have reasonably suspected he was going to be claimed off the wire. Chisholm has played just twice this season and will have to wait at least a week to play for his new team with Minnesota off until February 7th.
- Still with the Wild, Russo relays in that same column that prospect Marat Khusnutdinov could sign with the team after his KHL season ends and burn the first year of that contract in 2023-24. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick in 2020 (37th overall) and has seen his production taper off in Russia this year. After putting up 41 points a year ago, Khusnutdinov has just 16 in 45 games with less than a month left in the regular season.
- Avalanche goaltending prospect Ivan Zhigalov is looking for a new place to play as USHL Tri-City announced that they’ve released him from their roster. The 20-year-old was the final pick of the 2022 draft, going 225th overall after a 42-game stint in the QMJHL. Last year, Zhigalov cleared waivers in that league and moved to the OHL. He cleared waivers there back in September and caught on with Tri-City but has played in just nine games so far this season, posting a 3.59 GAA with a .884 SV%. Colorado has until June 1st to sign Zhigalov or lose his rights.
Pacific Notes: Lindholm, Hertl, Karlsson
Flames center Elias Lindholm is one of the top players believed to be available between now and the trade deadline should the two sides fail to work out an extension between now and then. In an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggested that Calgary’s asking price could involve a first-round pick plus multiple pieces, one of which being NHL-ready or close to it with the team not necessarily motivated for a long-term rebuild. Lindholm is only two years removed from a 42-goal season but has just nine so far through 49 games so far in 2023-24. However, with his track record and defensive ability, there’s a good chance the Flames can land a package like that for the pending unrestricted free agent who will be seeing a sizable raise on his current $4.85MM AAV.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- With the Sharks in a full-scale rebuild, many have wondered about the futures of their remaining veteran forwards. One of those is Tomas Hertl and it appears he’s also wondering about his future and where he fits in San Jose’s long-term plans. The center told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that he’d like to discuss his fit with the organization moving forward. Before adding him to the speculative rumor mill, Hertl acknowledged that those discussions likely wouldn’t happen until the end of the season. The 30-year-old has six years left on his contract after this season with a cap hit of just over $8.1MM. Other teams will likely want San Jose to pay that down somewhat if Hertl and GM Mike Grier decide in the summer or down the road that a parting of ways makes the most sense for the franchise so a move, if one could be coming, could take a while.
- The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that Linus Karlsson has been returned to AHL Abbotsford. The 24-year-old has been shuffled back and forth frequently this month but it hasn’t resulted in much NHL playing time as he has suited up in just four games with Vancouver so far. Meanwhile, in the minors, Karlsson has produced close to a point-per-game, noting 25 points in 28 appearances so far.
Five Key Stories: 1/22/24 – 1/28/24
The All-Star break is almost upon us and once again, it was a busy week on and off the ice where several players took leaves while another entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Here’s a rundown of the key stories of the week.
Setback For Chytil: The Rangers were hoping that they’d be getting a key center back soon with Filip Chytil returning to practice. Instead, he suffered a setback in his recovery from a concussion in practice and soon after, the team announced that he’d miss the rest of the season and playoffs. His season comes to an end after just ten games while New York now has a notable hole to fill in its lineup. Notably, with Chytil confirmed to be out for the rest of the season, GM Chris Drury will be able to use Chytil’s money ($4.45MM) that’s on LTIR to go out and try to find a replacement on the trade market.
Gallagher Gets Five: Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher was handed a five-game suspension for his elbow to the head on Islanders blueliner Adam Pelech. With the Department of Player Safety electing to only do a basic phone hearing, it’s the maximum they could suspend him for. It’s the first suspension of Gallagher’s career; he’ll forfeit nearly $170K in salary and won’t be able to return until February 15th. Meanwhile, Pelech, who has dealt with concussion issues, is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Parise To Colorado: Veteran winger Zach Parise had been speculated as an in-season signing for a while now but many thought he’d wind up back with the Islanders. That isn’t the case as instead, he signed a one-year, $825K (prorated) contract with Colorado. The deal doesn’t contain any additional performance bonuses. Parise is a veteran of 18 NHL seasons, recording 429 goals, 21 of which came last season with the Isles. While it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be able to score at that per-game pace after missing more than half the season, it’s a low-risk addition for Colorado who will likely spot him into the role they initially signed Tomas Tatar for before they moved him to Seattle. The 39-year-old will make his Avalanche debut after the All-Star break.
Extensions: The Blackhawks continued their recent trend of signing veterans to above-market extensions, inking goaltender Petr Mrazek to a two-year, $8.5MM deal. The contract actually represents a small raise for the 31-year-old who is playing on a $3.8MM price tag and made it to Chicago as part of a cap-dumping move by Toronto. But Mrazek has had a nice season, posting a .910 SV% in 34 games on a rebuilding team; keeping him around will give more time for youngsters Arvid Soderblom and Drew Commesso to develop.
Meanwhile, the Flyers signed a pair of players as well. First, they made winger Owen Tippett a cornerstone piece of their future, signing him to an eight-year, $49.6MM extension. The 24-year-old had a breakout year last season, notching 27 goals and 49 points in the first season of his bridge deal. He has a chance to beat that this year, already collecting 18 goals and 30 points in 46 games. Soon after, they agreed to terms on a two-year, $3.8MM extension with center Ryan Poehling. The 25-year-old is in his first season with Philadelphia after signing with them as a non-tendered free agent in July. Poehling has done well in a bottom-six role, picking up 14 points in 45 games while taking nearly ten faceoffs per game.
More Expansion Coming? While we’re not far removed from the last round of expansion when Seattle joined the league as its 32nd team, the Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group has filed a request to initiate a formal expansion process by the NHL. Salt Lake City has been a speculative landing spot for a new or relocated franchise for more than a year as they’ve been working with the league behind the scenes to position themselves for an opportunity when one becomes available. At this point, there is no formal expansion process in place but with the rising franchise values and thus a rising expansion fee, there could be one in the cards at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Lightning, Perunovich, Tucker, Myers, Slaggert
Tampa Bay’s defensive depth has been tested this season with several players having extended stints out of the lineup. Accordingly, it appears GM Julien BriseBois would like to add some insurance on that end as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the Lightning have spoken with several teams in both conferences and that they’d like to add a blueliner over the next six weeks before the trade deadline. Having said that, cap space is going to be at a premium once Mikhail Sergachev is activated off LTIR which should come soon after the All-Star break so making the finances work could be tricky. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay only has one pick in the first four rounds of the draft this year (a third-rounder) which limits what they might be able to move out on the trade front if they find a player they like and can afford.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Blues announced that defenseman Scott Perunovich suffered a lower-body injury during today’s overtime victory over Los Angeles. The 25-year-old has played in a career-best 31 games this season, notching a dozen assists including two today. There’s no word yet on how much time, if any, Perunovich will miss.
- Still with the Blues, they’ve recalled blueliner Tyler Tucker from his conditioning assignment, relays NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link). The 23-year-old played in six games with AHL Springfield while in the minors. Tucker, who is waiver-eligible, has been limited to just 15 games with St. Louis this season, collecting two points while averaging 12:31 per game.
- The Department of Player Safety announced that they’ve fined Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers $5K for an elbow on Columbus center Sean Kuraly on Saturday. The incident occurred in the third period and the initial major penalty on the play was given to Ian Cole before being changed to Myers after review. The fine amount is the maximum allowable under the CBA.
- Last summer, Blackhawks prospect Landon Slaggert declined an offer to turn pro, raising some concerns that he could opt for free agency this coming summer. However, the forward told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he intends to sign with Chicago once his season with Notre Dame comes to an end. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick in 2020 and is faring much better offensively this season with 25 points in 26 games after putting up just 13 in 35 appearances in 2022-23.