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Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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It has been a busy offseason so far for many NHL teams, punctuated by one of the bigger trades we’ve seen in a while which occurred over the weekend.  Meanwhile, there are a handful of notable names still unsigned so there’s some hope that there could be more activity to come before training camps get underway in about six weeks.

With that in mind, it’s a good time to run our next mailbag.  Our last one ran in three parts.  The first segment looked back at the draft, what should be expected from the Flyers next season, and the Kings’ aggression in recent years.  The second discussed Boston’s center situation, Robby Fabbri’s future with Detroit, and expectations for Columbus in 2023-24.  Meanwhile, the third one examined the recent inactivity from Calgary and Winnipeg with some of their veterans, Ty Smith’s first season with Pittsburgh, and big names that could be on the move next.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below.  The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Snapshots: Swayman, Lindholm, Couture, Pisani

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Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman met the media yesterday (video link) to discuss his new one-year, $3.475MM deal that came from an arbitrator.  He indicated that while he’s grateful for having gone through the process, he has no desire to do so in the future.  Swayman is coming off a breakout campaign that saw him post a 2.27 GAA with a .920 SV% and four shutouts in 37 games last season, helping to form the best tandem in the NHL.  It’s quite possible that he could go through this process again, however, as he has two arbitration-eligible seasons remaining; he isn’t able to hit unrestricted free agency until 2026.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Earlier this offseason, it appeared as if Flames center Elias Lindholm wasn’t willing to sign a contract extension. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link) that the two sides appear to be well into discussions on an eight-year extension.  The 28-year-old has been one of the more impressive two-way middlemen over the last few years, making his $4.85MM AAV a nice bargain.  However, to get him to put pen on a new deal, that price tag could push closer to the $9MM range.
  • Don’t expect Sharks center Logan Couture to be following Erik Karlsson out of San Jose. The veteran told NHL.com’s Jon Lane that he wants to help turn things around with the only NHL franchise he has ever suited up for.  Couture is coming off a solid season, picking up 27 goals and 40 assists in 82 games to lead all Sharks forwards in scoring.  The 34-year-old has four years left on his contract with an AAV of $8MM.
  • The Canadiens have hired former NHL winger Fernando Pisani as an amateur scout, per their Hockey Operations page. He spent eight seasons playing at the top level, getting into 462 games between Edmonton and Chicago.  Since then, Pisani has spent the last nine seasons working as either an assistant coach or a development coach primarily at the CIS and WHL levels.  This will be his first foray into scouting.

Evgeny Svechnikov Signs In KHL

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August 11th: The KHL and Ak Bars Kazan have confirmed the signing of Svechnikov to a two-year deal this morning.

August 9th: Over the last couple of offseasons, it has taken free agent winger Evgeny Svechnikov a while to find a contract.  Considering he hasn’t signed within the first five-plus weeks of NHL free agency, it appeared as if things were heading in that direction again.  Instead, it appears he has chosen a different path as a report from Shaiba in Kazakhstan suggests that Svechnikov is expected to sign with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL.

Last season, the 26-year-old played in 59 games with San Jose, recording eight goals and six assists while logging just 10:45 per game.  It continued a trend from the year before in Winnipeg where he produced at a similar rate (19 points in 72 games) while again logging 10:45 per contest.  Those performances were a step up from his time with Detroit, however, as he spent the bulk of his four years in the minors.

Svechnikov would have been a candidate for a PTO agreement that could have been converted into what likely would have been a two-way deal.  Instead, the 2015 15th-overall pick will try a different path, one that will allow him to play closer to home and likely will give him an opportunity to have a more significant role offensively.  If that does happen, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Svechnikov could get himself back on the NHL radar with a good showing next season.

Minor Transactions: 08/09/23

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There were a few small moves around the NHL today and that was also the case around the hockey world.  Here’s a rundown of some of the latest minor transactions.

  • Boston’s farm team in Providence announced the signing of forward Jimmy Lambert to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old wrapped his college career at Michigan in 2021-22 and spent last season on an AHL deal with the Islanders’ affiliate.  Lambert had seven points in 33 games with AHL Bridgeport but was much more productive with Worcester of the ECHL, collecting 24 points in just 27 contests.
  • Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley announced that they’ve re-signed defenseman Jake McLaughlin to a one-year contract. The 27-year-old spent the bulk of last season in the ECHL, notching 19 points in 32 games with Kansas City but did get into two games with the Firebirds.  McLaughlin has seen AHL action in each of his four professional seasons after going undrafted out of UMass.
  • Former NHL center Eric O’Dell is extending his stay overseas as he inked a one-year extension with Dynamo Moskva, per a team release. The 33-year-old has 41 career NHL appearances under his belt with Winnipeg along with six seasons of AHL experience, spanning nearly 250 games.  However, O’Dell has been in the KHL since 2016-17 and has been fairly productive, notching 178 points in 295 games.  Last season, the middleman had 16 goals and 15 assists in 33 appearances.

Looking At Landing Spots For Montreal’s Goalie Surplus

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While the Canadiens don’t have long-time franchise netminder Carey Price available to them as he’ll remain on LTIR for the upcoming season (or the next two) and they have been searching for a replacement in recent years.  While they haven’t found their next true starter, they have amassed some extra depth at the position with four netminders vying for two spots in training camp next month.

The tandem from the past two seasons remains in place with veteran Jake Allen being joined by Samuel Montembeault who is coming off his best NHL campaign.  Casey DeSmith is now in the mix as well after being brought in as part of the Erik Karlsson trade over the weekend while prospect Cayden Primeau, viewed not long ago as a possible part of Montreal’s future goalie plans, now needs waivers to get back to AHL Laval.

While it’s possible that they could carry three netminders to start next season (though hardly an ideal scenario), four certainly isn’t happening.  Assuming Montembeault and Allen remain the tandem, there’s no guarantee that DeSmith and/or Primeau would make it through waivers unclaimed and as a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Kent Hughes call around to see if there’s a possible trade to be made for one of his extra goaltenders.  There are a few teams where it appears a swap for another netminder could be palatable.

Buffalo: At the moment, it looks like the Sabres intend to run with a young tandem of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with Eric Comrie likely bound for waivers.  If they feel that DeSmith is enough of an upgrade on Comrie to serve as a short-term NHL option, they could then let Levi get some time in with AHL Rochester.

Chicago: Arvid Soderblom appears to be the current backup option but only has 71 AHL appearances under his belt and is waiver-exempt.  They’re more of a training camp possibility if Soderblom struggles in the preseason but DeSmith as a short-term rental or Primeau as a longer-term swing both could fit.

New Jersey: Akira Schmid took over the number one job down the stretch and into the playoffs but is still relatively inexperienced and is waiver-exempt.  Meanwhile, the team hasn’t ruled out the idea of bringing in another goaltender.  Primeau doesn’t make much sense here but DeSmith, a player who is capable of making 30-plus appearances, might appeal to them more than current options on the open market.

Tampa Bay: Somewhat surprisingly, the Lightning added Jonas Johansson at the beginning of free agency, giving him a two-year deal at the league minimum.  But he has struggled in very limited NHL duty and could certainly be upgraded on.  DeSmith would definitely be an upgrade but would require Montreal to do the maximum 50% retention on his $1.8MM AAV or they’d need to send matching money back.

Vancouver: Spencer Martin was the backup goaltender for the opening part of last season but struggled mightily.  He currently stands as the likely second-stringer once again which is risky as the Canucks look to get back to the playoffs.  Cap space is an issue here (especially if Tanner Pearson is indeed able to return after finishing last season on LTIR) but someone like DeSmith would certainly be an upgrade.

On top of those teams, there could also be ones that have injuries in training camp that could force their hand closer to the start of the regular season if Montreal’s logjam still exists.

In the free agent market, the best remaining options available are veterans Martin Jones, Jaroslav Halak, and Brian Elliott.  If none of those goalies appeal to one of these teams and they want to make a move to add some goaltending depth, the Canadiens are a team they’ll be getting in touch with – if Montreal isn’t calling them first.  Between that and them now having an extra defenseman in the fold in veteran Jeff Petry, the Canadiens could be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Blackhawks Forward Luke Philp Undergoes Achilles Surgery

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It hasn’t been a great offseason for players when it comes to Achilles injuries.  Buffalo’s Jack Quinn tore his and will miss a big chunk of next season.  So, too, did Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom.  Now, another forward has suffered the same injury as Chicago’s AHL team in Rockford announced that Luke Philp underwent Achilles surgery over the weekend and will miss approximately the next six months.

The 27-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into three games with the Blackhawks down the stretch where he picked up his first career assist at the top level.  Philp spent most of the season in the minors with the IceHogs and was quite productive, notching 29 goals and 24 assists in 60 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring.

That performance helped Philp land a one-year extension back in March, one that carries a $775K cap hit at the NHL level and a $375K salary in the minors.  However, he won’t get much of an opportunity to play on that new deal since he’ll be out until likely sometime in February.

Philp will start the season on season-opening injured reserve and since he was up with Chicago for six days in 2022-23, the Blackhawks will carry a small cap charge on the books until he’s cleared to return.  The calculation is his number of NHL days divided by the number of days in the upcoming season (192) multiplied by his NHL cap hit ($775K).  In this case, the prorated cap charge will be just over $24K.

Five Key Stories: 7/31/23 – 8/6/23

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The first week of August isn’t typically the busiest on the NHL calendar but there was quite a bit of news of note over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Goalie Deals: Minnesota was able to avoid salary arbitration with goaltender Filip Gustavsson, instead signing him to a three-year contract that carries a cap hit of $3.75MM.  The 25-year-old had a breakout showing last season, posting a 2.10 GAA along with a .931 SV%, the second-best mark in the league, in 39 games.  However, he still has just 66 appearances at the top level under his belt which helped keep the price tag in this range.  The deal buys the Wild two more years of team control.

Meanwhile, the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman weren’t able to come to terms before the hearing.  Instead, he was awarded a one-year, $3.475MM contract, a deal that came in just above the midpoint of the filings (Boston: $2.4MM, Swayman: $4.8MM).  The 24-year-old was a key part of Boston’s high-end tandem between the pipes with Linus Ullmark, putting up a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SV% (fourth in the league) in 37 games.  Swayman will once again be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

Oilers Hire Jackson: Agents have slowly started to get more opportunities in an NHL front office and the Oilers are the latest team to go that route as they hired Wasserman’s Jeff Jackson as their new CEO.  Jackson takes the place of longtime executive Bob Nicholson who will remain in a lesser capacity.  Jackson’s most prominent client before being hired happens to be Edmonton center Connor McDavid and that existing relationship could be critical with the Hart and Pearson winner two years away from being eligible to work on a contract extension.  Speculatively, with GM Ken Holland being 67 and entering the final year of his deal, Jackson could be a candidate to take over in the relatively near future.

The Big Domino Falls: For the past few weeks, the market has largely been held up by Erik Karlsson.  Would the Sharks move him and who would get him?  In the end, it was indeed the Penguins who landed him, picking him up as part of a 12-piece three-team trade that also involved Montreal.  Pittsburgh picked up Karlsson (with 13% retention), wingers Rem Pitlick and Dillon Hamaliuk along with a 2026 third-round pick from San Jose.  The Sharks acquired wingers Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta, and Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-round selection (top-ten protected).  Meanwhile, the Canadiens brought back defenseman Jeff Petry (with 25% retention), goalie Casey DeSmith, winger Nathan Legare, and Pittsburgh’s 2025 second-rounder.  Karlsson is coming off a career year, becoming the first blueliner since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to surpass the 100-point mark, helping him earn the Norris Trophy.  He immediately makes Pittsburgh’s offense more dangerous while San Jose adds a first-round selection and potentially some later picks if they flip some of the players they got down the road, a strategy that Montreal may be looking to take as well.

With Karlsson off the board, it didn’t take long for Mathew Dumba, the top defenseman left on the market, to find his next home as he agreed to terms with Arizona on a one-year, $3.9MM contract.  It’s an underwhelming contract relative to what he likely was expecting to get but if nothing else, the 29-year-old will have a chance to be an all-situations player with the Coyotes, potentially giving him an opportunity to boost his stock heading into next year’s free agent market.

Seven And Seven: While Anaheim and winger Troy Terry got as far as filing arbitration submissions, it didn’t get that far in the end.  Instead, the two sides worked out a seven-year, $49MM contract to keep him with the Ducks for the long haul.  Terry had two RFA years remaining so the contract gives Anaheim five extra years of control; those years will see the 25-year-old submit a ten-team no-trade list.  Terry had a breakout showing in 2021-22, putting up 37 goals and 30 assists and followed that up with a 23-goal, 38-assist performance last season, cementing himself as a go-to top-line option in the process.  Anaheim’s center depth is in great shape with Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and second-overall pick Leo Carlsson and now their top winger will be playing with one of those three youngsters for years to come.

Sticking Around: The Capitals will have Tom Wilson around for the foreseeable future as the two sides agreed to a seven-year, $45.5MM extension.  The deal, which begins in the 2024-25 campaign, carries partial no-trade protection in all seven seasons.  The 29-year-old already has ten years in Washington under his belt and if he plays out this full deal with the Caps, he’ll become one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history.  Wilson is coming off an injury-shortened year but still had 13 goals and 97 hits in 33 games in 2022-23.  A legitimate top-six power forward, how well (or poorly) this deal plays out will largely be determined by Wilson’s ability to stay healthy, a challenge for many power forwards in the back half of their careers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Power, Spooner, Oilers

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The Sabres are trying to work on a long-term extension for defenseman Owen Power, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  The top pick in 2021 is already into the final year of his entry-level contract despite having just 87 career professional appearances under his belt.  79 of those came with Buffalo last season where he did well, collecting 35 points while averaging nearly 24 minutes per game which helped him finish third in Calder Trophy voting as the NHL’s top rookie.  With barely one full season of experience, a long-term agreement could be difficult to come to, one that would likely surpass the $8MM mark.  One alternative the two sides could take is to do what they did with their other first-overall blueliner (Rasmus Dahlin) and work on a bridge agreement.  However, that type of move might be better off being made next summer instead of this one.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Long-time NHL forward is on the move in the KHL as Avangard Omsk announced they’ve added the 31-year-old on a one-year contract. Spooner recorded 167 points in 315 games across seven NHL seasons with four different organizations but has played overseas since the 2019-20 campaign.  Last season, he had 19 goals and 28 assists during the regular season for Dinamo Minsk, good for a tie for 21st in league scoring.
  • Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins suggests that the Oilers should be a team to keep an eye on when it comes to tryout offers closer to the start of training camp. Depending on what happens with the eventual new contract for RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard, Edmonton is likely going to need to have several players on the roster at the league minimum salary.  They added a couple of those early in free agency (Lane Pederson and Drake Caggiula) but as the asking price comes down for free agents still unsigned, it could be an opportunity for the Oilers to bring in a low-cost upgrade.

Free Agent Profile: Noah Gregor

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We’re at the point of free agency where the word bargain starts to come into play a little more.  The top-dollar deals aren’t there now but low-cost depth pieces are still available.  Playoff-bound teams will have their eye on veterans to fill specific roles.  But what about teams that are rebuilding?  Is there much left for them on the open market?

Noah Gregor is the type of player that could catch the eye of some of those teams.  Just 25, the winger has shown some physicality early in his career that would play well in the bottom six with enough offense to potentially make him an intriguing addition for someone.

Gregor is coming off his only full NHL season, one that saw him set a career-high in goals with ten despite missing 25 games.  The year before that, he had 23 points despite clearing waivers and spending seven weeks on an AHL assignment.  San Jose opted to try someone else in that role back in June, declining to tender him a qualifying offer of just under $1MM that would have also given him salary arbitration rights.

The consistency hasn’t always been there but he’s young enough that there is still room for improvement.  If that improvement happens, Gregor could be a quality under-the-radar pickup for someone in the coming weeks.  With two years of club control through restricted free agency, it could be more than a one-year pickup for whoever lands him.

Stats

2022-23: 57 GP, 10-7-17, -9 rating, 32 PIMS, 119 shots, 97 hits, 44.2% CF, 12:58 ATOI
Career: 178 GP, 25-26-51, -51 rating, 71 PIMS, 368 shots, 312 hits, 44.6% CF, 13:00 ATOI

Potential Suitors

From an NHL perspective, the teams that make the most sense for Gregor are ones that are rebuilding or are lacking some depth on the wing.  But if a team is eyeing Gregor as someone to try to sneak through waivers, just about anyone is a viable option.  For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll focus on the potential NHL openings.

In the East, Buffalo has a short-term roster opening with Jack Quinn out for the first few months due to a torn Achilles tendon.  They could fill that spot internally with someone like Lukas Rousek or they could turn to a player like Gregor that might be a better fit style-wise in a lower role on the depth chart.  Montreal moved out two wingers today in their portion of the Erik Karlsson trade and could view Gregor as a possible replacement for one of them to replenish some of that forward depth.  Washington has a short-term opening with Max Pacioretty likely out to start next season and Gregor could be a better fit for them over Joe Snively who wasn’t quite as impactful in his NHL duty last season compared to 2021-22.

Out West, Isac Lundestrom’s Achilles injury has opened up a spot up front with Gregor being a young enough fit to potentially be around beyond a single season.  Nashville’s current depth chart has some forwards that are relatively safe bets to get through waivers so adding Gregor could give them a small boost on the fourth line and bolster their depth.  If Minnesota is able to afford an extra forward (they need to re-sign Calen Addison first), Gregor would fit in a bottom six group that plays with a bit of an edge.

Projected Contract

Gregor is almost certain to be looking at a contract that is going to carry an NHL salary of $775K, the league minimum.  Depending on how long it takes for him to sign, there might even be a relatively pricey two-way portion.  But in terms of what’s still out there, there aren’t many players left with potentially a little more upside while being controllable for a couple more years.  That makes Gregor one of the more intriguing under-the-radar options left on the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Flyers Sign Samuel Ersson To Two-Year Extension

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6:42 pm: CapFriendly has learned the details of Ersson’s two-year extension. The young netminder will earn $1MM in base salary plus a $300K signing bonus in 2024-25, while he’ll get $1.6MM in base salary with no bonuses in 2025-26.

9:37 am: The Flyers have locked up one of their goalies of the future, announcing that they’ve signed Samuel Ersson to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2025-26 season.  The extension will carry a cap hit of $1.45MM.

The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in 2022-23, getting into a dozen games with Philadelphia where he certainly held his own, posting a 3.07 GAA along with a .899 SV%.  He became just the second goalie in franchise history to win his first six decisions.  Ersson spent most of the year at the AHL level with Lehigh Valley where he put up a 2.84 GAA and a .900 SV% in 42 appearances, finishing sixth league-wide in minutes played (2,511) and victories (24).

A fifth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2018 (143rd overall), Ersson still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract, a deal that carries an AAV of $925K.

With the Flyers acquiring Cal Petersen and still having Felix Sandstrom in the fold (plus the ongoing Ivan Fedotov saga as the team tries to get the IIHF to recognize his tolled contract), it seemed like Ersson, who is still waiver-exempt, was a strong candidate to go back to the Phantoms next season.  That way, he’d have an opportunity to play the bulk of the games once again.

On the surface, this contract implies otherwise.  For the Flyers to commit two years at $1.45MM on a one-way deal to Ersson a year early, it’s reasonable to infer that they expect him to see a reasonable amount of NHL action next season.  If not, it probably wouldn’t have cost them this much to sign Ersson a year from now.  As a result, he might not just be a goalie of the future for Philadelphia but one of their goalies of the present as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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