Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings
Free agency is now less than two weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Filip Zadina – Once viewed as a possible top-three pick in the 2018 draft, Zadina’s stock fell a bit back then and it has still fallen since then. His first full NHL season saw him show flashes of the upside that was enough for Detroit to pick him sixth in the draft but there were plenty of concerns about his play away from the puck and his overall consistency. Coming off a platform year of 10 goals and 14 assists, Zadina certainly hasn’t put himself in a territory where he can command a long-term deal, nor should he want one. At this point, what’s clear is that he’ll be receiving a bridge deal. What isn’t as clear is whether it will be the Red Wings giving it to him or another team altogether.
D Jake Walman – With St. Louis, Walman had a very limited role when he was able to get into the lineup but that changed following his trade to Detroit at the deadline. After that, he became a regular on the third pairing, seeing his ATOI jump from under 12 minutes a game to over 17, giving him his first consistent stretch of NHL action and he certainly held his own in that role. Coming off a platform season with 10 points in 51 games and just 82 career appearances under his belt, Walman won’t be able to command much of a raise but he is a year away from UFA eligibility. If GM Steve Yzerman thinks there is still some upside with Walman, a two-year deal that buys an extra year of team control is doable that could see the AAV closer to the $1MM mark after making the minimum the last two seasons.
F Mitchell Stephens – The 25-year-old was brought over from Tampa Bay with the hopes that he’d be able to grab onto a full-time role on the fourth line. However, Stephens wound up missing 55 games with a lower-body injury and while he played in the 27 remaining games, there remain some questions as to whether or not he’s going to be a long-term option for Detroit. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K and it shouldn’t take much more than that to give him a one-year contract and another opportunity to try to stake his claim to a full-time spot in the lineup.
Other RFAs: G Kaden Fulcher, D Olli Juolevi, D Chase Pearson
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Marc Staal – The 35-year-old isn’t the high-end shutdown defender that he was in the prime of his career but he still has some value as a third-pairing player that can kill penalties. Detroit saw that last summer and brought him back to play that exact role in 2021-22 where he did a decent job. It’s possible that the Red Wings keep him around as an insurance policy if they aren’t able to bring in a more impactful veteran on the left side of their back end. If not, Staal should have some suitors on contending teams looking for a proven defender but in that situation, he will likely need to take less than the $2MM he received from the Red Wings this past season.
G Thomas Greiss – In his first year with the Red Wings, Greiss did well with his GAA and SV% basically matching his career averages. In terms of a short-term stopgap, he looked like a good pickup. However, the 36-year-old struggled mightily in 2021-22, posting a 3.66 GAA with a SV% of just .881, both career-worsts. Was it a sign that his best days are behind him or will there be a team or two that thinks in a more stable defensive environment, Greiss could still provide a performance around the league average? It’s possible that there is limited interest this summer but it’s also quite possible that his poor performance has resulted in his 13-year NHL career coming to an end.
D Danny DeKeyser – DeKeyser’s stock has dropped considerably in the last couple of years and he has cleared waivers on multiple occasions. That said, his $5MM AAV made it a near-lock that he was going to pass through unclaimed so there was no risk in going that route. The 32-year-old could still fit on the third pairing for some teams next season at a price tag that’s considerably lower and is more commensurate for that role. However, it would be surprising to see him return to his hometown team.
F Sam Gagner – Gagner is quietly coming off a serviceable season as a depth scorer for the Red Wings, picking up 13 goals and 18 assists in 81 games while playing under 14 minutes a night with 29 of those points coming at even strength. For a bargain price of $850K, he was one of Detroit’s better bargains in 2021-22. Now 32, the 15-year veteran has his limitations but as an affordable depth scorer, Gagner should have a decent market waiting for him in free agency.
Other UFAs: F Riley Barber, F Turner Elson, G Magnus Hellberg, G Calvin Pickard, D Dan Renouf, F Carter Rowney
Projected Cap Space
As far as cap space goes, Detroit has plenty as they have more than $35MM at their disposal. Their restricted free agents won’t take much off of that number which means that Yzerman has the ability to go after the top unrestricted free agents if he wants or if he feels the team led by new head coach Derek Lalonde isn’t ready to push for a playoff spot yet, the Red Wings could be a team to watch in terms of adding some assets for taking on undesirable contracts. There will be several new faces in Hockeytown as a result next season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Amir Miftakhov Clears Unconditional Waivers
Sunday: Miftakhov has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.
Saturday: Today is the first day that players can be placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying out a contract. There is a player on unconditional waivers today, albeit for another reason, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Lightning have placed goaltender Amir Miftakhov on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.
The 22-year-old was a sixth-round pick of Tampa Bay back in 2020 (186th overall) after some promising performances in the VHL, a second-tier league in Russia. After spending 2020-21 between the KHL and VHL, the Lightning had seen enough to give Miftakhov a three-year, entry-level deal with an eye on trying to develop him as a goalie of the future.
However, things didn’t go well in Miftakhov’s first season in North America. He split his time between AHL Syracuse and ECHL Orlando and while he had a decent showing in five games with the Solar Bears, the same couldn’t be said for how he performed with the Crunch. He posted a save percentage of just .891 along with a GAA of 3.03 in 22 games and was relegated to third-string status in the playoffs behind veteran Maxime Lagace and prospect Hugo Alnefelt. That appears to be enough for the two sides to agree that parting ways is the best approach.
Teams will have until 1 PM CT on Saturday if they want to place a claim on Miftakhov if they believe he’s worthy of some development in the minors. Assuming the goalie clears, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and at this point, returning to play back home in Russia is a likely scenario. If his deal is terminated, Alnefelt will be the only Tampa Bay goalie signed for next season beyond their NHL tandem of Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliott.
Central Notes: Forsberg, Leddy, King
Predators winger Filip Forsberg is one of the most prominent pending unrestricted free agents with the opening of the market now less than two weeks away. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that teams believe there’s a path for the 27-year-old to stay in Nashville on a max-term eight-year deal with an $8.5MM AAV. Such a deal would represent a $2.5MM raise on his last contract, one that would be well-deserved after a 42-goal, 84-point season. Worth noting is that Nashville’s tax situation is a favorable one so if other teams think an AAV of $8.5MM would get a deal done with the Predators, teams that aren’t in an ideal tax environment would need to go considerably higher to match the net money Forsberg would receive.
More from the Central:
- While Nick Leddy isn’t the top-pairing player he once was, NHL.com’s Lou Korac suggests in his latest blog that the blueliner could still command a four or five-year contract on the open market later this month. The 31-year-old picked up 24 points in 75 games between Detroit and St. Louis during the regular season while averaging over 21 minutes a night while chipping in with five points in nine playoff contests. While the Blues would certainly like to keep him around, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to free up the type of money it will cost to sign Leddy to that long of a contract.
- While Derek King is no longer Chicago’s head coach following the hiring of Luke Richardson, GM Kyle Davidson told reporters, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, that the Blackhawks are looking to retain King in a yet-to-be-determined role. It’s possible that King goes back to AHL Rockford which is where he was before he was called on to replace Jeremy Colliton while he also could become an assistant on Richardson’s staff or transition into a role in their front office.
Offseason Checklist: Calgary Flames
With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Flames.
After missing the playoffs in 2020-21, Calgary had a bounce-back season as they finished first in the Pacific Division and got past Dallas in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to Edmonton. The Flames were among the top-scoring teams in the league and allowed the third-fewest goals which is a great spot to be in but GM Brad Treliving has some work to do to keep the core intact.
Re-Sign Gaudreau
Let’s start with a big one. Johnny Gaudreau has been a cornerstone player for Calgary for the past eight seasons. After a bit of a quieter showing in 2020-21, he rebounded in a big way, posting career highs across the board while finishing tied for second in league scoring with 115 points; only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid had more. If you put any stock into plus/minus, Gaudreau led the league in that category with a whopping +64 mark; for context, he was only +21 for his career heading into the year. All of this has resulted in the 28-year-old being set to be the top free agent on the open market later this month.
That is, unless Calgary is able to stop him from getting there. But to do so, it’s going to cost a pretty penny. You can be sure that Gaudreau’s camp is going to point to the contract that Artemi Panarin signed with the Rangers (seven years, $11.643MM) as a valid comparable. Considering Gaudreau has the longer track record and a more impressive platform season, it’s certainly an understandable target to strive for although he is a little older than Panarin was at the time. Clearly, that’s not a price the Flames have been willing to meet since an extension isn’t in place yet.
At some point, Treliving will have to focus on a Plan B as having this get to July 13th without a resolution would certainly be risky. If a new deal can’t be done by the draft, the Flames may have to entertain the possibility of flipping Gaudreau’s rights and begin shopping around for a replacement. There’s still some time to work out an agreement but it’s something that they will need to accomplish sooner rather than later.
Re-Sign RFAs
On top of needing to re-sign Gaudreau, fellow winger Brady Tkachuk is also in need of a new contract and it’s also going to be an expensive one. The 24-year-old is a year away from UFA eligibility, has salary arbitration rights, and is owed a qualifying offer of $9MM. Tkachuk is also coming off of a career year, one that saw him surpass the 40-goal and 100-point marks for the first time. That gives him plenty of leverage in discussions as if he doesn’t like what Calgary is offering, he can simply accept the qualifying offer or try his hand in arbitration to try to get a bit more than his qualifier.
Of course, a lot of what the Flames can do here is dependent on what happens with Gaudreau. Both players could be in line for $10MM or so on their next contracts and while they have a little over $26MM in cap space at the moment, they also have to sign six or seven forwards and three defensemen with that money. If those two take up that much of the pie, that doesn’t leave much room for anyone else.
Speaking of anyone else, the Flames have another winger that’s in line for a sizable raise in Andrew Mangiapane. He’s also coming off a career year of his own as he put up 35 goals and 20 assists in 82 games. Prior to that showing, his previous benchmark for points was 32. Like Tkachuk, the 26-year-old is also arbitration-eligible and a year away from UFA eligibility. Mangiapane is owed a $2.45MM qualifying offer but could make a case to double that in a hearing. While he’s someone that they’d certainly like to keep around, he also might be someone they have to move if the price tag gets too high.
The other RFA of note this summer is blueliner Oliver Kylington. He doesn’t have the track record to command the type of money that the others on this list do but after being a depth player for the first few years of his career, the 25-year-old was a regular, collecting 33 points in 71 games while averaging over 18 minutes a night. Those are elements that look good in an arbitration filing so he will be in line for a sizable raise after making the league minimum in 2021-22; three or four times that amount could certainly be doable, further adding stress to their cap situation.
Add Defensive Depth
Right now, Calgary has just three regular defensemen under contract for next season with Kylington’s eventual signing bringing them to four. Juuso Valimaki is signed for $1.55MM but spent the majority of the season in the minors so it’s fair to question whether he’s part of their plans for next season. It’s quite possible that he’s shopped around to try to free up a little more salary cap space.
Meanwhile, veterans Nikita Zadorov, Erik Gudbranson, and Michael Stone are all set to hit the open market later this month with it seeming quite unlikely that Zadorov will return. Gudbranson could be an option depending on what happens with their other free agents while Stone could return at or near the league minimum once again. Even if he does, Treliving is going to need to add some defensive depth.
Connor Mackey is a candidate to at least be on the roster on a full-time basis so that’s one spot but the Flames are going to need to add at least one external blueliner that’s capable of playing on the third pairing and if they don’t have plans to use Valimaki as a regular next season, they’re going to need to look for two of them. Quality role players on the back end can generate strong markets but Treliving is going to have to try to find some bargains.
Add Center Insurance
For several years, Sean Monahan was a fixture at the top of the lineup for Calgary. However, his play has steadily declined over the last couple of seasons with injuries starting to take their toll. He underwent hip surgery for the second straight year back in April which puts his availability for the start of next season in question. Even if he can return, it will be difficult for the Flames to count on much production from him. On top of that, the injury will make it next to impossible to buy out the final year of his deal, one that carries a $6.375MM AAV as he’d need to be medically cleared. That doesn’t seem likely to happen by the close of the first buyout window next week.
Meanwhile, the extra depth players that Treliving brought in last season are all set to test unrestricted free agency in trade deadline acquisitions Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Carpenter while Trevor Lewis is also set to walk. Between that and the injury to Monahan, what was once a positional strength now has some questions aside from Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund.
Internally, Dillon Dube can play down the middle but he has been used predominantly on the wing in his career and at this point, he probably isn’t a full-time option. Adam Ruzicka played in 28 games last season but is he ready for a full-time spot in the lineup and if so, can he play on the third line or is he better suited for the fourth?
As a result, the Flames could stand to add a pair of middlemen, one that can play on the third line behind Lindholm and Backlund and a depth center that can kill penalties in the mold of Lewis, Carpenter, or Brad Richardson (who was with the team for most of the year before finishing up with Vancouver). The latter won’t be too hard to find but the third-line option will be trickier, especially if there’s an expectation that Monahan will be able to return at some point. Assuming that’s the case, they won’t be able to rely on him being on LTIR and spend his cap hit on a replacement.
There’s a sequence of events that needs to happen for Calgary in the coming weeks and each of these ties back to a central theme, the salary cap. Treliving will need to get creative to keep as much of his core together as possible while still managing to fill the holes that will need to be addressed this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
2022 CHL Import Draft Results
While we’re still a few days away from the NHL Entry Draft, a notable draft took place today as the CHL held their annual Import Draft. Several already-drafted prospects were picked as well as some who are expected to be drafted next week, giving them an opportunity to play in major junior if they decide to come to North America.
Back in April, the CHL ruled that Russian and Belarussian players would be ineligible to be selected. However, there is a notable exception in that any of those players who were drafted in a previous import draft and had their rights released were eligible to be selected again. Some of those players were indeed chosen a second time around including some who actually played on a CHL-based team this past season. The full results are as follows:
Round One
1) Medicine Hat – F Adam Sykora (Slovakia)
2) Saginaw – F Martin Misiak (Slovakia)
3) Cape Breton – F Jiri Kulich (Czechia)
4) Tri-City – F Adam Mechura (Czechia)
5) Erie – F Ondrej Molnar (Slovakia)
6) Victoriaville – Pass
7) Victoria – F Robin Sapousek (Czechia)
8) Sudbury – D Jakub Chromiak (Slovakia)
9) Baie-Comeau – F Matyas Melovsky (Czechia)
10) Vancouver – F Samuel Honzek (Slovakia)
11) Niagara – Pass
12) Val-d’Or – F Zigmund Zold (Slovakia)
13) Spokane – F Tommaso De Kuca (Italy)
14) Sarnia – F Sandis Vilmanis (Latvia)
15) Chicoutimi – F Roman Kukumberg (Slovakia)
16) Prince George – F Ondrej Becher (Czechia)
17) Peterborough – F Tommy Purdeller (Italy)
18) Rouyn-Noranda – Pass
19) Calgary – D Vojtech Husinecky (Czechia)
20) Ottawa – F Marco Kasper (Austria)
21) Moncton – Pass
22) Swift Current – D Jakub Dvorak (Czechia)
23) Oshawa – F Kimo Gruber (Switzerland)
24) Blainville-Boisbriand – F Ivan Miroschnichenko (Russia)
25) Regina – F Luca Auer (Austria)
26) Kitchener – D Tomas Hamara (Czechia)
27) Drummondville – D Nino Tomov (Bulgaria)
28) Prince Albert – Pass
29) Barrie – F Eduard Sale (Czechia)
30) Rimouski – F Jan Sprynar (Czechia)
31) Lethbridge – F Alex Ciernik (Slovakia)
32) Owen Sound – D Luc Schweingruber (Switzerland)
33) Halifax – D David Moravec (Czechia)
34) Brandon – D Andrei Malyavin (Russia)
35) Guelph – D Niko Minkkinen (Finland)
36) Shawinigan – F Leo Braillard (Switzerland)
37) Saskatoon – D Tomas Zizka (Czechia)
38) Mississauga – G Alessio Beglieri (Switzerland)
39) Acadie-Bathurst – F Markas Samenas (Sweden)
40) Moose Jaw – Pass
41) London – F Kasper Halttunen (Finland)
42) Gatineau – F Marcel Marcel (Czechia)
43) Kelowna – D Marek Rocak (Czechia)
44) Soo – F Noel Nordh (Sweden)
45) Sherbrooke – F Joel Marchon (Switzerland)
46) Seattle – F Kai Knak (Switzerland)
47) Kingston – G Ivan Zhigalov (Belarus)
48) Saint John – F Pavel Simek (Czechia)
49) Red Deer – D Vojtech Port (Czechia)
50) Flint – F Nikita Zozulia (Ukraine)
51) Charlottetown – Pass
52) Portland – G Jan Spunar (Czechia)
53) North Bay – Pass
54) Quebec – F Frantisek Ridzon (Slovakia)
55) Kamloops – D Aapo Sarell (Finland)
56) Windsor – D Tomas Hebek (Czechia)
57) Everett – F Dominik Rymon (Czechia)
58) Hamilton – F Alex Sotek (Slovakia)
59) Edmonton – F Luca Hauf (Germany)
60 Winnipeg – Pass
Round Two
The order for the second round was the same but with many teams reaching their maximum for import players, many more teams passed this time around. The following teams did make selections:
62) Saginaw – F Petr Hauser (Czechia)
68) Sudbury – F Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia)
70) Vancouver – F Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Sweden)
74) Sarnia – D David Reinbacher (Austria)
85) Regina – G Michael Hrabal (Czechia)
86) Kitchener – D Mattias Havelid (Sweden)
87) Drummondville – Tomas Holecek (Czechia)
98) Mississauga – F Valdemar William Hull (Switzerland)
99) Acadie-Bathurst – D Peteris Bulans (Latvia)
107) Kingston – F Linus Hemstrom (Sweden)
108) Saint John – F Eriks Mateiko (Latvia)
115) Kamloops – G Michael Scnattinger (Czechia)
117) Everett – G Tim Metzger (Switzerland)
Hurricanes RFA Jesper Sellgren Signs In Sweden
After losing pending RFA blueliner Tarmo Reunanen to a team in Finland earlier this week, the Hurricanes have lost another pending RFA defenseman to a club overseas as Lulea of the SHL announced the signing of Jesper Sellgren to a three-year contract.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of Carolina back in 2018 (166th overall) and he transferred to Lulea’s system soon after so he’s returning to a familiar team. This past season was his first full one in North America and he did relatively well, picking up 26 points in 73 regular season games with AHL Chicago while chipping in with three assists as the Wolves won the Calder Cup title.
However, with an NHL opportunity likely not coming, Sellgren has decided to head back home to a league he has already played parts of four seasons in. While Carolina can still retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer, by the time this contract expires in 2025, it will be lining up with him being an unrestricted free agent in the NHL. Accordingly, the Hurricanes could simply decide to relinquish his rights later this month.
Metropolitan Notes: Fedotov, Niederreiter, Rangers
Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov has been arrested in Russia, reports Sport-Express’ Alexey Shevchenko. The issue appears to pertain to the netminder’s mandatory military service which has not been fulfilled. Fedotov left his contract with CSKA Moscow to sign a one-year deal with Philadelphia back in May. That team is owned by the Russian army (the A in CSKA stands for Army) with its players being considered military personnel so his departure could be classified as a breach of contract. On the surface, that could put his NHL plans on hold for next season which could have the Flyers back on the hunt for a backup goaltender as the 25-year-old was widely expected to be Carter Hart’s backup next season after being a finalist for the KHL’s top goaltender in 2021-22. GM Chuck Fletcher released the following statement on the matter to Oliver Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link):
We’re aware of the reports and are investigating the situation. We have no further comment at this time.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Hurricanes winger Nino Niederreiter will test the open market when it opens up on July 13th, his agent Andre Rufener told Pierre LeBrun in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link). Rufener didn’t rule out the possibility of Carolina re-signing him but the 29-year-old will see what’s out there first. Niederreiter is coming off his second straight season of at least 20 goals which should have his market somewhere close to the $5.25MM he had on his set-to-expire contract.
- As the Rangers look to find their second-line center for next season, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that they have shifted their focus to the trade market. He notes that the team was unable to meet the asking price of Ryan Strome, their second-line pivot for the past four seasons, or Andrew Copp, their prominent trade deadline acquisition. New York has been linked to Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois although, with just $11MM in cap space per CapFriendly with several roster spots to be filled, it would be difficult for them to afford Dubois’ next contract – he’s a pending restricted free agent – onto their books as it will undoubtedly come in higher than what Strome and Copp receive.
Blues Hire Craig MacTavish
The Blues have made an addition to their coaching staff as the team announced that they’ve hired long-time NHL coach and executive Craig MacTavish as an assistant coach on Craig Berube’s staff. GM Doug Armstrong released the following statement about the hire:
Craig has spent 30 years in our League, serving as a player, coach and general manager. He played in over 1,000 games, has coached in almost 700 and is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion. We are excited to add his experience to our staff.
MacTavish takes the place of Jim Montgomery behind the bench in St. Louis after it was made official earlier today that Montgomery has joined the Bruins as their new head coach.
This will be the 63-year-old’s second stint with the Blues having finished his playing career with St. Louis, playing for them in 1995-96 and 1996-97. While MacTavish has extensive experience as an NHL coach (including eight years as the head coach in Edmonton), he hasn’t worked behind an NHL bench since covering as Edmonton’s interim coach for five games back in the 2014-15 campaign. Since then, MacTavish’s only coaching experience came in the KHL with Yaroslavl where he didn’t make it through the season. MacTavish joins Mike Van Ryn and Steve Ott as assistants on Berube’s staff.
Kings Re-Sign Matt Villalta And Frederic Allard
The Kings have agreed to terms on contracts with two of their pending free agents, announcing the re-signings of Matt Villalta and defenseman Frederic Allard to one-year, two-way deals. Villalta will carry an NHL AAV of $787,500 while Allard’s will be $750K. PuckPedia adds (Twitter links) that Villalta’s AHL salary will be $70K and Allard’s will be $115K.
Villalta was a third-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2017 (72nd overall) and has spent his first three professional years exclusively in the minors although he had his first official recall back in the playoffs as one of their Black Aces. This past season, the 23-year-old played in 46 games with AHL Ontario, compiling a 2.98 GAA along with a .903 SV%. The Kings now have three young netminders that will be battling for playing time with the Reign next season as Villalta will join Jacob Ingham and David Hrenak who will play his first professional season in 2022-23.
As for Allard, he was acquired from Nashville at the trade deadline and immediately reported to Ontario. The change of scenery made a considerable difference as after putting up just five points in 36 games with Milwaukee, the 24-year-old picked up ten points in 15 games with the Reign and chipped in three more in five playoff contests, helping to secure himself another NHL contract. Allard has one career NHL appearance under his belt back in March of 2021.
Canucks Hire Mike Yeo And Jeremy Colliton, Flyers Hire Brad Shaw
The Canucks have filled out their coaching staff for next season. The team announced that they have hired Mike Yeo as an assistant coach. He takes over for Brad Shaw who is leaving Vancouver to become an associate coach with the Flyers. Meanwhile, Vancouver has hired Jeremy Colliton as their new head coach with AHL Abbotsford, replacing Trent Cull who has been promoted to an assistant coach in Vancouver. GM Patrik Allvin released the following statement about the moves:
We’re pleased to have solidified our Coaching staff for next season with the promotion of Trent Cull and the additions of Mike Yeo and Jeremy Colliton. These individuals bring a lot of hockey experience and knowledge to the group. We would like to thank Brad Shaw for his contributions to the club and wish him the best of luck in Philadelphia.
Yeo most recently served as the interim head coach of the Flyers after taking over 22 games into this past season when he took over for Alain Vigneault. The 48-year-old also has head coaching experience with Minnesota for parts of five seasons and also spent four years with St. Louis, three of those as head coach so he will give head coach Bruce Boudreau some experience behind the bench. Over Yeo’s head coaching career, his teams have compiled a 263-217-62 record.
Yeo replaces Shaw in what basically amounts to a coaching trade with Shaw taking Yeo’s old spot on Philadelphia’s bench alongside their new head coach John Tortorella. The 58-year-old has no shortage of coaching experience with 17 seasons under his belt, five of those coming with Columbus where he worked with Tortorella so it’s not surprising that Shaw has decided to work with him again.
Colliton was Chicago’s head coach for parts of four seasons but was let go early in 2021-22. He then joined Hockey Canada for some of their international tournaments and briefly served as Canada’s head coach at the Olympics when Claude Julien was injured. This will be the 37-year-old’s second stint running an AHL bench having been in charge of Chicago’s farm team in Rockford for parts of two seasons before getting the job with the Blackhawks. He takes the place of Trent Cull who will get his first NHL coaching opportunity after spending 18 years between the OHL and AHL. He had been with Vancouver’s farm team for each of the last five seasons.