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Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Senators, Boqvist, Vecvanags

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The Maple Leafs will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games, mentions Nick Barden of The Hockey News.  The 27-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury that has lingered throughout the season.  When healthy, he has been productive with 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games although that output is below his usual level.  Head coach Craig Berube did note that Matthews is getting better which is a positive sign although given how long this injury has lingered, it’s fair to suggest that it’s something the center will be dealing with at times throughout the rest of the season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators winger David Perron (upper body) and defenseman Artem Zub (foot) both skated today as they work their way back from their respective injuries, notes Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link). The veterans each last played back on November 23rd when they sustained their respective injuries.  Meanwhile, winger Michael Amadio (head) is expected to be out for a while according to head coach Travis Green.  It’s unlikely that Perron and Zub will be available to return right away given Ottawa’s four recalls earlier today but the fact they’re both skating suggests they’re getting closer to suiting back up.
  • Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist has been cleared to return to the lineup, team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link). He missed the last three games while being in concussion protocol.  Boqvist is in his first season with Florida and has five goals and six assists through 33 games so far while averaging 13 minutes a night of playing time.  Although he was eligible to be placed on IR during his absence, the team elected not to do so.
  • Canadiens prospect Mikus Vecvanags has signed with QMJHL Acadie-Bathurst, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Montreal selected the netminder in the fifth round (134th overall) back in June.  Vecvanags was selected by the Titan in the CHL Import Draft but elected to start the season with BCHL Brooks but playing time was hard to come by as he got into just five games with the Bandits, posting a 3.18 GAA with a .881 SV%.

Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell

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Dec. 27: Lycksell has been recalled from Lehigh Valley again with the holiday break soon to be in the rearview mirror, the team announced. He’ll be on hand for the Flyers’ West Coast road swing over the next week. Philadelphia’s active roster is full again with $2.31MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia.

Dec. 22: Philadelphia announced they’ve reassigned Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He skated in 10:58 of last night’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, registering three shots on net.

Dec. 21: The Flyers have added a bit of forward depth to their roster heading into tonight’s game against Columbus.  Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays (Twitter link) that Philadelphia has recalled winger Olle Lycksell from AHL Lehigh Valley.  They are now carrying the maximum of 23 players on the roster.

This move comes on the heels of center Sean Couturier not being at the morning skate today.  It’s unknown if Lycksell’s recall is related to that or if someone else’s availability for tonight is in some question.

The 25-year-old has had plenty of offensive success in the minors but it hasn’t translated to much production with the Flyers.  Last season, Lycksell had 19 goals and 20 assists in 38 games with the Phantoms which earned him 18 appearances in Philadelphia.  However, he wasn’t able to muster up much with them, collecting just one goal and four helpers in those outings while logging just 9:57 per game.  That lack of production contributed to Lycksell clearing waivers back in October.

This season, it has been more of the same for Lycksell in Lehigh Valley as he has nine goals and 15 assists in 25 appearances which has helped him earn his first promotion of the season, even if it’s likely to be a brief one with the holiday break fast approaching.

Maple Leafs Recall Matt Murray, Reassign Dennis Hildeby

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Dec. 26: Murray will get another crack at NHL minutes in the coming days. The team announced Thursday that he’s back on the roster with Hildeby heading back to the minors, indicating that he’ll start either tomorrow against the Red Wings or Saturday against the Capitals.

Dec. 21: Matt Murray’s return to the NHL was short-lived, at least for now.  The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned Murray to AHL Toronto while recalling netminder Dennis Hildeby.

Murray made his first NHL start in more than 600 days on Friday in Buffalo where he turned aside 24 of 27 shots in the win.  The 30-year-old also has a 1.85 GAA and a .939 SV% in eight appearances with the Marlies.

This demotion isn’t a performance-based one but one that appears to be made with waivers in mind.  Murray cleared waivers in training camp and thus is waiver-exempt until he either plays ten NHL games or is up with the big club for 30 days.  With the holiday break approaching and Joseph Woll likely to start their remaining two games before then, it then makes sense to send Murray down and stop the clock on the number of days he’s up.  With Anthony Stolarz out for four-to-six weeks, Murray would almost certainly become waiver-eligible again if he stayed up the full length of Stolarz’s absence.

As for Hildeby, he has won two of his three NHL starts this season and conceivably could get some work in with Stolarz out as well though he’s likely to be flipped with Murray again before too long.  The 23-year-old also has played six times for the Marlies, posting a 2.73 GAA with a .895 SV%, numbers that are well down from the 2.41 GAA and .913 SV% he had in 41 outings in 2023-24.

No Extension Talks Yet Between Canadiens And David Savard

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With the trade deadline about two and a half months away, some teams have started to assess what it might cost to keep some of their pending free agents around.  The Canadiens don’t appear to be one of them.  Center Jake Evans acknowledged that there have yet to be any discussions about a new deal while Pierre LeBrun recently reported on a TSN Insider Trading segment that the same goes for veteran blueliner David Savard.

The 34-year-old is in his fourth season with Montreal after inking a four-year, $14MM contract with them in the 2021 offseason.  Over his first three years with the team, he continued to be a reliable top-four defensive blueliner, albeit one who dealt with injury issues as he missed at least 20 games in each of those campaigns.  With that and the Canadiens rebuilding, Savard entered the season as a speculative trade candidate.

This season, Savard has seen his ice time dip a bit, checking in at 18:44 per game which would be the lowest he has had since the 2013-14 campaign with Columbus.  That is due to often lining up on the third pairing at even strength.  However, he leads Montreal in shorthanded playing time at 3:38 per night, a mark that ranks second in the NHL to Utah’s Mikhail Sergachev.  Savard has nine points in 32 games thus far while adding a team-high 84 blocked shots.

While Savard entered the year as one of the better right-shot rental options on the back end, the reduced role isn’t going to help his trade value.  Generally speaking, contending teams won’t want to move a high draft pick or strong prospect for a player likely to be their fifth defender.  Instead, they’ll be looking to upgrade those spots with more secondary pieces.

With that in mind, it might make sense for the Canadiens to entertain the idea of keeping Savard around a little longer.  While they got some veteran insurance on the right side of their back end when they acquired Alexandre Carrier just before the roster freeze, there’s certainly room to keep both around past this season.

Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher are Montreal’s top prospects on that side of the defense and while Mailloux might be ready for a full-time role next season, Reinbacher has yet to play in 2024-25 due to a knee injury and probably won’t be ready to play full-time in the NHL next season.  If they don’t keep Savard, it stands to reason that they might look to add a veteran on that side sometime over the offseason.

In the coming weeks, the Canadiens will need to assess whether they want to keep Savard around a little longer at a price tag that would likely check in around his current $3.5MM AAV.  Otherwise, expect to see his name in trade speculation as we get closer to the March 7th trade deadline.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  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 often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 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 PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Pacific Division, last up is the Golden Knights.

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $87,344,447 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alexander Holtz (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses
Holtz: $850K

Holtz was acquired from New Jersey over the offseason in the hopes that a change of scenery would help him reach some of the potential that made him the seventh overall pick in 2020.  That hasn’t come to fruition so far as his role and production have been as limited as they were with the Devils.  It’s still too early to give up on him but he’s heading for a short-term bridge deal that shouldn’t cost too much more than his entry-level deal does.  At this point, his bonuses are unlikely to be reached.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Nic Hague ($2.294MM, RFA)
G Adin Hill ($4.9MM, UFA)
F Victor Olofsson ($1.075MM, UFA)
F Tanner Pearson ($775K, UFA)
G Ilya Samsonov ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Cole Schwindt ($800K, RFA)

Olofsson didn’t have a great platform year with Buffalo last season, leading to this deal where he hoped that a strong showing with Vegas could give him a stronger market next summer.  Injuries have limited him thus far but he still has seven goals in 14 games.  If he can stay close to that level, he should be able to get closer to the $3MM or $4MM mark albeit likely on another short-term agreement.

Schwindt was claimed off waivers at the start of the season and has held down a spot on the fourth line for most of the year.  He’s arbitration-eligible which could work against him as this is a roster spot that Vegas will want to keep close to the minimum.  If Schwindt is open to a short-term deal around this price point, that could be enough to keep him around.  Pearson converted a preseason PTO into a minimum salary deal.  While he has fit in well in a limited role, it’s hard to see him landing much more than this next offseason.

Hague has been a fourth or fifth defender for most of his career although his role and playing time have been reduced this season.  That’s not ideal as he’s heading toward having to be qualified at $2.7MM with arbitration rights that could push the cost closer to $4MM per season.  If he stays in more of a sixth role, he could become a non-tender candidate.

With Logan Thompson being moved to Washington, Hill became the undisputed starter, a good spot to be in considering it’s a contract year.  That said, his play has been a bit inconsistent which will make it difficult for him to command much more than he’s making now.  That said, he should be able to get something around this price point on a longer-term agreement than the two-year pact he’s playing on.  Samsonov had a rough year with Toronto in 2023-24 resulting in Samsonov looking for a place to try to rebuild his value.  He has performed a little better than a year ago but certainly not to the point where teams will be looking at him as a starter.  That said, a strong second half could allow him to approach the $3MM to $3.5MM mark as a backup who can play starters minutes when needed.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM, RFA)
F Jack Eichel ($10MM, UFA)
D Ben Hutton ($975K, UFA)
D Kaedan Korczak ($825K, RFA)

Eichel has become the number one center that Vegas was hoping he’d be when they acquired him in 2021.  That said, he never has really had high-end point production before this season which might limit his market value to a point.  A small raise should still be expected on a max-term agreement but unless he can get to that 100-point threshold, he might be hard-pressed to beat someone like Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson ($11.6MM) barring a big jump in the salary cap by then.  Dorofeyev impressed in limited action last season and is producing at a better rate so far this year, making him a strong value piece on his bridge deal.  He’ll have arbitration rights in 2026 and if he continues to score at the pace he’s on, he could jump past $5MM per season on his next contract.

Hutton has been a capable depth defender for several years now which has helped earn him some stability with Vegas.  But these types of pieces generally stay low-cost and it would be surprising to see Hutton land any sort of notable raise on this deal, especially as teams will want to keep the back-of-the-roster spots as close to the minimum as possible.  Korczak is in a similar situation, although he’s young enough (23) to still change those fortunes.  If he stays in a depth role, he’s in the same boat as Hutton and his arbitration eligibility could work against him.  If he locks down a full-time spot, he could push for something more in the $1.5MM range.

Signed Through 2026-27

F William Karlsson ($5.9MM, UFA)
D Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Roy ($3MM, UFA)
F Mark Stone ($9.5MM, UFA)

When healthy, Stone is a legitimate top-line two-way threat, one that’s a key part of this lineup.  Of course, staying healthy has been a challenge for him over the years as he has missed significant time due to injuries over the past several years.  That will hurt him when it comes time for his next deal, as will the fact he’ll be 35 at that time.  Even in what should be a more favorable cap environment by then, Stone will likely be heading for a pay cut.  It wouldn’t be shocking to see a longer-term deal with an eye on getting the cap hit lower, similar to what Pittsburgh did with Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin in the past (though Stone’s price tag should come above theirs).

Karlsson has been a solid second option down the middle throughout most of his tenure with Vegas and the price tag for those players has shot up over the years.  That said, he’ll be 34 which means there’s a good chance his next contract is his last one.  Assuming it’s a longer-term one to keep the AAV down, it’s possible Karlsson’s price tag stays in this range.  Roy has held the third center role for the bulk of his time with the Golden Knights and has been above-average on the production side for the last few seasons.  It’s already a below-market deal and if he stays in that 40-point range, his next contract should start with a four.

In his prime, Pietrangelo was a high-end two-way threat from the back end.  However, he turns 35 next month and his production and ice time have dropped in recent years.  When he started in Vegas, Pietrangelo was worth this price tag, if not more.  But as the offensive numbers go down and he slips a bit more on the depth chart (or they at least try to manage his minutes a bit more), the perception of this deal will flip to an above-market one, an outcome that shouldn’t come as much surprise as that was the expectation at the time it was signed.  Having said that, he’s still playing a big enough role to give Vegas a decent return and that should continue for at least a little while longer.

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Sharks Expected To Begin Extension Talks With Mikael Granlund In January

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When Mikael Granlund took a two-year, $10MM deal with San Jose in 2023, the thought was that he’d try to use the opportunity to play a prominent role and turn it into a more lucrative contract down the road.  With how things have gone for him so far, he may have made the right choice.

It appears that we may soon see what type of bigger deal the veteran could earn.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently reported (video link) that San Jose and Granlund’s camp are expected to begin discussions about a possible contract extension next month.

Last season, the 32-year-old led the Sharks in points, tallying 12 goals and 48 assists despite only playing in 69 of 82 games.  Granlund was the team leader in ice time among forwards, logging a career-best 20:58 per night which certainly helped contribute to the uptick in production.  But with San Jose adding Macklin Celebrini and William Smith to their group of middlemen for this season, many assumed Granlund would have a smaller role.

That hasn’t been the case, however.   Granlund’s ice time has actually ticked up slightly this season and he’s already just one goal shy of equaling his output from last season while chipping in with 22 assists.  As a result, he’s once again the team leader in scoring with 33 points, six ahead of William Eklund.  Clearly, there’s room for Granlund to still play a prominent role beyond this season.

But how much would an extension cost?  While Granlund has a history of up-and-down production which hurts his market value, it’s fair to say he has earned a fair-size raise if he’s going to remain in this type of role.  Numbers-wise, he could push for more than $6MM on another multi-year agreement.

There are two other factors to consider here, however.  First, Sharks GM Mike Grier needs to weigh the value of re-signing him against the potential trade value he’d carry by the March 7th trade deadline.  While San Jose doesn’t have any salary retention slots remaining, Granlund would be one of the top middlemen available and should land them a quality return.  Is it worth not getting that return to keep him in the fold?

The other factor is Granlund’s role.  With the Sharks, he’s a number one center.  That isn’t going to be the case on many other teams who would view him as a second or even a third option.  Accordingly, their offers in free agency are likely going to reflect that.  With that in mind, it stands to reason that the richest offer he’s going to receive is from the Sharks.  Does he go that way and remain with a rebuilding team or consider taking less to play in more of a winning environment?

With talks expected to start in a few weeks, Granlund still has ample time to ponder the answer to that question but with the Sharks fully knowing that he’s one of their top trade chips if a deal can’t be reached, they’re probably going to want an answer sooner rather than later.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Rangers Believed To Be Shopping Jimmy Vesey

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While Chris Kreider and the since-traded Jacob Trouba were the headliners among the available for trade memo that went to teams last month, it appears those two Rangers weren’t the only ones on there.  Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that veteran winger Jimmy Vesey is also being shopped around and has been for the last month.

Last season, Vesey had a solid showing, putting up 13 goals and 13 assists in 80 games despite only averaging 12:23 per game.  For a depth scorer, that’s not a bad level of output and it was his best point total since the 2018-19 campaign, the last year of his first stint with New York.  At a price tag that was only $25K above the league minimum, that was a solid value deal for them.

However, the second year of that agreement hasn’t gone as well.  Vesey has been limited to just 19 appearances out of 34 thus far, some due to a lower-body injury but other missed games were as a healthy scratch.  Production has been harder to come by for the 31-year-old as he has just three goals and one assist so far while his playing time is down under ten minutes a night now with his playing time shorthanded down by more than 75% compared to a year ago.

This is the final year of Vesey’s contract and he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.  With his early-season struggles, his trade value has almost certainly taken a hit to the point where their likeliest return would be a later-round draft pick or a similar low-cost depth player.  That said, GM Chris Drury appears to be intent on shaking up his roster and it would appear that it’s not just the prominent veteran that are available but some of the end-of-roster pieces as well.

Red Wings Assign William Lagesson And William Wallinder To AHL

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As we’ve seen several teams do already, the Red Wings have sent a pair of players down now that we’re at the holiday break.  Late last night, the team announced (Twitter link) that they re-assigned defensemen William Lagesson and William Wallinder to AHL Grand Rapids.

Lagesson has been shuffled back and forth in recent days but did get into two games with Detroit this week.  He was held off the scoresheet while averaging just shy of 16 minutes a night.  In his first season with the Red Wings, he has spent most of the year with the Griffins, picking up eight points in 20 games.  With Simon Edvinsson recently landing on IR, there’s a good chance that Lagesson will be recalled after the break but for a few days at least, they’ll pause his waiver exemption clock.

As for Wallinder, he was the corresponding recall on Monday when Edvinsson was moved to injured reserve but he didn’t suit up against St. Louis.  The 22-year-old is in the second year of his entry-level deal and is off to a solid start with the Griffins this season.  Wallinder has eight points in 19 games in 2024-25 after putting up 19 in 65 contests in his rookie year last season.  Waivers aren’t a consideration for him but the move will allow Detroit to bank a bit more cap space for a few days before deciding about bringing him back up or not.

With these assignments, the Red Wings now have two open spots on their active roster.

Kings Reassign Andre Lee

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Dec. 24: Lee has been returned to Ontario, per a club announcement. He won’t count against the cap during their holiday break. His appearance on Sunday against the Capitals was his first during this recall, recording a shot on goal in 9:13 of ice time.

Dec. 13: The Kings made a roster move on Friday to add a bit more depth up front.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Andre Lee from AHL Ontario on an emergency basis.  Mayor’s Manor reports that winger Trevor Moore’s availability for tomorrow’s game against the Rangers is in question, necessitating this move.

The 24-year-old has gotten into 16 games so far this season with Los Angeles in his first taste of NHL action.  That said, his playing time has largely been limited as he’s logging just 9:26 per game.  Offensively, Lee has been limited to recording two assists although he’s also averaging just over two hits per contest.

After spending more than a month on an NHL roster to start the season, Lee was sent down in mid-November but he has been recalled multiple times since then.  As a result, he has only played in four games with the Reign, picking up a goal and an assist after picking up 13 points in 36 games with them last season.

With the recall, the Kings are now at the maximum of 23 players on their active roster.

Kraken Reassign Ben Meyers, Gustav Olofsson

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Dec. 23: After being rostered for their back-to-back over the weekend, the Kraken returned Meyers and Olofsson to Coachella Valley this morning, per a team announcement. Olofsson didn’t play during his recall, while Meyers posted a -1 rating in 8:52 of ice time in last night’s loss.

Dec. 21: Seattle has added some reinforcements to its roster in advance of their game tonight against Vegas.  The team announced (Twitter link) that forward Ben Meyers and defenseman Gustav Olofsson have been recalled from AHL Coachella Valley.

This is the second recall of the season for Meyers who got into three games with the Kraken back in November but was held off the scoresheet while averaging just under eight minutes a night.  The 26-year-old has been productive with the Firebirds, collecting nine goals and ten assists in 22 games with them.  Signed to a one-year, one-way contract in unrestricted free agency this summer, Meyers could be heading back there next year unless he gets into ten more NHL games this season which would then make him a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

As for Olofsson, it’s his first time up with Seattle in 2024-25.  The 30-year-old has played in 27 games with Coachella Valley this season, picking up four goals and seven assists, putting him one point shy of his total from last year in barely half as many games.  Olofsson has 63 career NHL contests over parts of seven seasons, four of which have come with the Kraken over the past two years.

Seattle had two open roster spots following the recent demotion of Mitchell Stephens so no further moves were needed to bring Meyers and Olofsson onto the active roster.

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