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International Notes: Charlin, Vondras, Rueschoff

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While it’s a bit early to look ahead to next year’s wave of international free agents, one player who is already believed to be getting some interest in North America is goaltender Stephane Charlin, suggests Philipp Rindlisbacher of the Berner Zeitung.  The 23-year-old is coming off his best showing in Switzerland’s top division, posting a 2.81 GAA with a .919 SV% in 30 games for the SCL Tigers.  Standing 6’3, he has the size that a lot of teams covet in their goaltenders so teams will be watching to see if he can improve on those numbers this season, the final year of his contract.  If Charlin were to come to North America, he’d be capped at signing a one-year, entry-level agreement.

More international notes:

  • Hurricanes prospect goaltender Jakub Vondras will have two places to play this coming season. HC Dynamo Pardubice announced that they’ve reached an agreement with Plzen of the Extraliga that will see the netminder split duties between Plzen and Dynamo’s B squad.  The 20-year-old spent last season with OHL Sudbury, putting up a 3.79 GAA with a .861 SV% in 37 games but isn’t returning for his overage year.  With this agreement, Vondras should have a chance to see at least some action at the top Czech level while ensuring that he won’t sit for extended stretches.  Carolina has until June 1, 2026 to sign the netminder.
  • Despite a decent showing last season with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, free agent Austin Rueschhoff has gone overseas; Karpat in Finland announced that they’ve signed the center to a one-year contract. The 26-year-old had been on NHL contracts from 2020-21 through 2022-23 before having to settle for a minor league deal last summer.  Last season, Rueschoff had 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, setting career-bests in goals and points.

PHR Mailbag: GM And Coach Candidates, Krebs, Free Agents, Ducks, Kings, CBA

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include some possible new options for head coaches and GMs, Anaheim’s disappointing summer, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s column.

Gmm8811: GM’s on the hot seat…Blake, Lamoriello, Yzerman. Coaches on the hot seat…Richardson, Lalonde, Huska.

Who’s the up-and-comers to replace them?

Let’s start with the general managers.  Mathieu Darche has been a finalist a few times now and has been in Tampa Bay’s front office for the last five years while increasing job duties along the way so he should be on that list.  One name that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention that could fit in this range is Paul Krepelka, his age (56) notwithstanding.  He has spent the last four years in Florida’s front office and was a long-time player agent before that.  We’ve seen a few former agents take on GM jobs so he could be a candidate to be the next one to do so.  Another one that isn’t necessarily a younger up-and-comer is Ryan Martin who has been an AGM in the NHL since 2010.  At some point, he might get a chance.  And as for Lou Lamoriello’s potential replacement when the time comes, that might stay in the family with Chris Lamoriello, a long-time executive with both the Islanders and Devils, seeming like a viable candidate with his father perhaps moving into an advisory role at the time.

On the coaching side, I’d first question the placements of Luke Richardson and Ryan Huska on the hot seat.  As long as Chicago fares a little better this season, I think Richardson is safe and with Calgary heading into a rebuild, a coaching change this quickly seems unlikely.

That aside, Jay Leach has been on the radar for a few years now and has interviewed a few times for the top job.  I don’t think it’s going to be too much longer before he gets that opportunity.  Marco Sturm was a finalist in San Jose and while teams will be hesitant when it comes to hiring an international head coach, the fact that Sturm has coached in North America for the last six years helps.  Seth Appert has been working his way up the coaching ladder in various leagues and will get his first NHL action as an assistant this season in Buffalo.  That might be the last box to check before he gets a chance to run an NHL bench in the next year or two.

Jaysen: Vegas bought low on Holtz and bet they could unlock some of his upside. Being a Habs fan, Montreal did have some degree of success with “reclamation” projects. I’m a big fan of Dylan Holloway and Peyton Krebs. Thoughts on how both players would fit into the Habs lineup, and the price to get them? Thanks.

So, as I was going through the questions last weekend, I thought to myself that pushing this question by a week was safe.  I wasn’t expecting Holloway’s situation to have any sort of activity until sometime in September.  Whoops…  With Holloway off the table one way or the other now (there’s a one-year trade moratorium coming from the date of Edmonton’s decision to match the offer sheet from St. Louis or not), let’s focus on Krebs instead.

While I get the idea of trying to add a younger piece as they’ve done the last two years, to be honest, I don’t necessarily see a great fit for Krebs in Montreal, at least in the role he has filled with Buffalo.  They have Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans in the fold on expiring deals this season that should fill the third- and fourth-line spots and while Dvorak probably isn’t being brought back after that, Evans could be extended at the right price.  Alex Newhook is still around and fared well down the middle down the stretch last season while Kirby Dach is back after missing all but four periods of last season; they’re likely going to deploy him down the middle on the second line behind Nick Suzuki.

Meanwhile, Owen Beck might be a prospect that forces his way onto the roster somewhat quickly while Oliver Kapanen is expected to get a look at training camp as well (but has to return to Sweden if he doesn’t make the team).  That’s quite a few bottom-six options and I don’t think anyone is realistically expecting Krebs to play higher than that in the lineup.  Where does he fit in on the depth chart then?  I suppose they could push Dvorak to the wing and keep Krebs at center but Montreal has a lot of pricey bottom-six pieces; adding to that group only complicates things further.

Here’s the other challenge.  Buffalo has no motivation to sell low on Krebs.  They have ample cap space and at 23, he’s young enough to fit in with their core group.  His next contract is going to be a low-cost bridge deal so they can afford to continue to be patient; sometimes, centers take a longer time to develop.  For perspective, I don’t think they’d move him for a second-round pick.  And if I’m Montreal, I’m not sure I’d move one of their first-round selections with the year he just had.  The Sabres’ price tag in a trade is going to be higher than what any other team could justify paying coming off a down season.  With that in mind, I don’t see a trade coming at this point.  Maybe midseason if injuries strike and if he struggles out of the gate again, then perhaps the asking price comes down to a more palatable point.

Schwa: Out of the top UFA names left – where do you see everyone landing? Are we expecting PTOs, waiting for training camp to start to shake out? Anyone heading to Europe?

I’m going to assume you mean ‘top’ as a relative term here as there frankly aren’t any true ‘top’ unrestricted free agents left.  At this point in the game, we’re looking at depth players, many of whom are going to be going the PTO route over the next four weeks.  But a handful might land a guaranteed deal so let’s make some predictions on those.

Kevin Shattenkirk – Edmonton – One way or another, the Oilers are losing a defenseman.  Whether it’s Philip Broberg to St. Louis from the offer sheet or moving out one (or both) of Cody Ceci and Brett Kulak to afford matching the offer sheet.  Either way, they’re going to need a low-cost depth replacement.  Shattenkirk plays the side they’re not as deep at, can still handle a regular third-pairing role, and plays an offensive style that complements the way Edmonton plays.

Kailer Yamamoto – Colorado – The Avs can’t afford much more than minimum-salaried players at this point but while I think Yamamoto could make a bit more going elsewhere, I could see him changing strategies and looking for a spot where he can better showcase himself in a winning environment over chasing top dollar.  It worked for Jonathan Drouin last year and Yamamoto could look to follow that path.

Tyson Barrie – Boston – The Bruins can’t do much until Jeremy Swayman signs but having Barrie be the type of role player that Shattenkirk was for them last season wouldn’t hurt.  There are question marks with Andrew Peeke after a tough season last year while Barrie could anchor the second power play wave behind Charlie McAvoy, lessening the load on Hampus Lindholm a little bit.

Players like Tony DeAngelo and Sammy Blais have been linked to the KHL although deals there haven’t materialized yet.  Probably a couple of others will ultimately determine their best fit for the upcoming season might be playing a big role somewhere overseas over the low-chance PTO route.  I could see some of the veterans (Max Pacioretty, Blake Wheeler, and Kyle Okposo, for example) retiring if they don’t get a guaranteed contract with a team they’re comfortable with going to.  As for most of the rest, they’ll probably have to work their way up from a tryout.

jminn: What the heck is going on in Anaheim? They seem to have failed at their desired offseason plans. Besides having a year under the belts of some decent prospects and a few new assistants, what other positive qualities are there to tout?

After landing a top-six winger (Alex Killorn) and a top-four blueliner (Radko Gudas) in free agency last year, it certainly sounded like the Ducks were going to try to do so again this time around.  And with due respect to Robby Fabbri and Brian Dumoulin (both added via trade), you’re right, they didn’t add those desired pieces.

The best thing they have going for them is their young core.  With Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, and Cutter Gauthier, they have three potentially high-end pieces 20 or younger that are expected to play key roles this season.  They have high hopes for blueliners like Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, among others, as well.  (And that’s not even getting into a player like Troy Terry, a key veteran in the short and long term.)  Those are a lot of building blocks for the future.  It comes with growing pains and they’re heading for plenty more of them this season but that’s the big positive right now if you’re a Ducks fan.

I’ll also add the fact that they didn’t move Trevor Zegras as a positive.  While I question his long-term fit with the roster being what it projects to be in the near future, his trade value was far from being at its highest.  I expect him to rebound somewhat and boost that value in the process so if you’re looking for something to potentially look forward to for the upcoming season, there’s that as well.

I’ll be curious to see if Anaheim is able to leverage its considerable cap space (more than $21MM per PuckPedia).  While I’m sure there are budgetary elements in play here, I’m not convinced that the roster they have today is the same that they go into the season with; I could see them taking on another short-term veteran.  That won’t raise the ceiling for this group but it probably won’t hurt them either.

bigalval: What do you make of the Kings’ offseason? Can they make the playoffs in a tough conference? I think Rob Blake has done a terrible job as GM, your thoughts on the Kings?

I’m not a big fan of what Los Angeles has done this summer.  I don’t mind the Pierre-Luc Dubois for Darcy Kuemper swap from the standpoint of getting out of a bad contract while upgrading between the pipes.  (In a more defensive environment, I think Kuemper will bounce back pretty well.)  Of course, when assessing Blake as a whole, the other part of that trade (what they gave up to get him) has to be considered and, well, that makes it look a whole lot worse.

As for their other moves, Warren Foegele’s money is about right with how he played last season.  I’m skeptical he has another 40-point season in him but it’s a short-term agreement (three years) at least so that one’s okay.  Joel Edmundson’s four-year deal worth $3.85MM per season, on the other hand, was one of the worst contracts handed out in free agency.  When healthy, he’s a good blueliner.  But he has a long track record of back trouble; he only has one season where he came close to playing every game (and that was in 2020-21 when he played 55 of 56 contests).  That’s a contract that will hurt them in a hurry.  Meanwhile, the Quinton Byfield contract only gained them one more year of club control.  While it kept the cap hit more affordable, I wonder if a true bridge deal might have made more sense since they’re only getting the one extra year at that price.

Meanwhile, I think they can still make the playoffs.  They’re in a division with three teams that are going to be near the bottom of the league in the standings while Seattle is still a bit of a question mark.  If you’re going into a season as a safe bet to be top four in the division, you have a good chance at being a playoff team.  They’re not contenders by any stretch but they’re a Wild Card-caliber team once again.

That last sentence ties in well with my evaluation of Blake.  He has done well building a group that can get to the playoffs.  But getting to them and getting through them are two different things.  And I don’t think he has done well enough in the second part of that.  I don’t see the true upside to make them a contender and they’re way too good to bottom out and rebuild.  They’re pretty close to being a perpetual mid-ranked team.  If the objective is to get two or three home playoff gates, he has done well on that front lately.  But if the goal is to have a group that can go deep in the postseason, I don’t feel Blake has put together a group (or enough future flexibility) to make that happen.

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Atlantic Notes: Hakanpaa, Sandin Pellikka, Beecher

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While committing to signing defenseman Jani Hakanpaa on the opening day of free agency, the Maple Leafs have yet to formally register a contract; GM Brad Treliving indicated earlier this week that they’re still working through things.  Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reported on his podcast (video link) that the blueliner believes that he can play with his current condition on his knee but that the viewpoint isn’t exactly unanimous when it comes to medical opinions.  The 32-year-old played in 64 regular season games with Dallas last season before undergoing knee surgery that kept him out for the rest of the year and playoffs.  With the uncertainty about his health becoming more widely known, this may be a situation where the two sides ultimately settle on a one-year deal after agreeing to terms on a two-year pact originally.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Despite recent speculation to the contrary, Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka will not attend training camp with Detroit next month, relays Norran’s Robin Lindgren. The 19-year-old was the 17th pick in the 2023 draft and is coming off a solid showing with SHL Skelleftea, notching ten goals and eight assists in 39 games, impressive numbers for a young blueliner.  Sandin-Pellikka noted that while he was invited to camp with Detroit, the decision has already been made that he’ll remain in Sweden for the season.  Accordingly, he has decided that it makes more sense for him to stay with Skelleftea instead of missing the first few games of the SHL season to participate in some exhibition games in North America.
  • Despite being drafted as a center and spending most of last season down the middle, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald suggests that John Beecher will line up primarily as a winger for the upcoming season. Boston picked up Mark Kastelic from Ottawa as part of the Linus Ullmark trade and the sense seems to be that he will anchor the fourth line with Beecher lining up on the wing with him.  The 23-year-old had 10 points in 52 games with the Bruins last season in his first taste of NHL action.  He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.

Oilers Have Received Some Interest In Cody Ceci And Brett Kulak

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With the Blues tendering offer sheets to defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway, the Oilers now have to decide if they’re going to match those offers, even though it would put them more than $7MM over the salary cap.  While Evander Kane’s expected presence on LTIR would mitigate that in the short term, it’s fair to say that Edmonton will need to create some cap space at some point.  With several veterans on pricey long-term agreements who are unlikely to be moved, free agents who just signed, or players on low-cost contracts, there aren’t many viable candidates to make that happen.

Of the ones who potentially could be moved, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Oilers are trying to get the contracts of blueliners Cody Ceci and Brett Kulak off their books.  Combined, the two carry a $6MM cap charge which still wouldn’t be enough to get cap-compliant when Kane is able to play but moving those two would at least get them compliant to start the season in conjunction with Kane’s $5.25MM AAV landing on LTIR.

Ceci has one year left on his contract with a $3.25MM price tag.  The 30-year-old has spent the last three seasons in Edmonton, playing in their top four with an ATOI of more than 20 minutes each year.  Last season, Ceci had five goals and 20 assists in 79 games while chipping in with five points in 22 playoff contests as the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup Final.  As an expiring deal and being a right-shot defender, he might be the easier of the two to move even with the slightly higher cap hit and he does not have any trade protection on his deal.

Kulak, meanwhile, checks in at a $2.75MM AAV for the next two seasons.  Acquired at the 2022 trade deadline from Montreal, the 30-year-old has settled in nicely on Edmonton’s third pairing.  Last season, Kulak had three goals and 13 assists in 82 games while averaging 15:23 per night.  His playing time went up a bit in the postseason to 16:30 per contest while adding eight points in 25 appearances.  However, that price point for a third-pairing defender is on the high side which isn’t ideal in terms of trying to get top value for his services.  Kulak also does not have any trade protection in his contract.

To that end, while Garrioch relays that teams have shown interest in both players, it comes at a cost.  Not to the potential acquiring team, however.  Instead, he notes that with teams knowing that the Oilers are in a bind as a result of these offer sheets, they’re going to want compensation to be sent with the player to incentivize them to bail Edmonton out.  Garrioch suggests that the price tag to take a player on in both scenarios could be a first-round pick or a second-round selection.  Worth noting is that the Oilers don’t have either of those for the 2025 draft but do for 2026 and if they match the offer sheets, they won’t be getting any compensation from St. Louis.

Edmonton has seven days to make a decision on matching the offers to Broberg ($4.58MM) and Holloway ($2.29MM).  There’s a good chance that their ability (or lack thereof) to find a satisfactory trade for one or both of Ceci or Kulak will play a big role in the decisions on their two youngsters.

Snapshots: Lindholm, Maple Leafs, Austria

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One of the free agents that the Canucks lost in free agency this summer is center Elias Lindholm.  Acquired early in the season from Calgary, the veteran ultimately inked a seven-year, $54.25MM contract with Boston.  In an interview with Hockeysverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist, GM Patrik Allvin indicated that Vancouver tried to keep the 29-year-old but ultimately couldn’t afford to bring him back.  Lindholm is coming off a down season that saw him notch just 44 points in 75 games (after putting up 64 and 82 points in the prior two years) but given the high demand and low supply of centers, he was able to land another long-term agreement at a considerable raise.  Ultimately, Vancouver elected to fill Lindholm’s salary slot with a pair of former Boston wingers in Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen.

More from around the hockey world:

  • While the Maple Leafs shook up parts of their roster this summer – particularly on the back end – there was no big change among their core group. GM Brad Treliving defended that decision in an appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link), stating that “I know sometimes people fall in love with ’let’s make a big change just to make a big change. But at the end of the day, you can go out and make big changes, if they’re not making your team better, to me it doesn’t make any sense.”  While no major trade was made, Toronto did add Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the back end and with Mitch Marner and John Tavares now on expiring contracts, they’ll have the cap flexibility to make a big change if they want to next summer.
  • Austria’s roster for the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament was announced There are no active NHL players on it with Marco Rossi taking a pass to focus on preparing for training camp next month.  However, a pair of top NHL prospects are on the roster, Canadiens blueliner David Reinbacher (fifth overall in 2023) and Red Wings forward Marco Kasper (eighth overall in 2022).

Minor Transactions: 8/15/24

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We saw a couple of NHL transactions today with a pair of PTOs being handed out.  In the meantime, some former NHL-contracted players recently landed contracts which are among the deals in our latest roundup of minor moves.

  • Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley officially announced the previously reported signing of goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to a one-year deal.  The 24-year-old was originally a prospect of Detroit but didn’t sign with them, instead inking a minor-league deal with Toronto, one that was eventually elevated to an entry-level pact.  Last season, Petruzzelli played in 17 games with the AHL’s Marlies, posting a 3.55 GAA and a .867 SV%, resulting in him being non-tendered in late June.  With there being some uncertainty surrounding Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov’s plans for the upcoming season, Petruzzelli will serve as some insurance between the pipes.
  • Forward Blake McLaughlin has inked a one-year deal with AHL Hartford (affiliate of the Rangers), per a team release. The 24-year-old split last season between the AHL and ECHL, notching two assists in 29 games with AHL San Diego but was much more productive with ECHL Tulsa, recording 25 points in 21 appearances but it wasn’t enough to earn a qualifying offer earlier this summer.
  • The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford announced the signings of forward Zach Okabe and defenceman Zach Berzolla to one-year deals. Okabe turned pro late last season after wrapping up his college career with a 24-point effort at St. Cloud State and got into nine games with AHL Cleveland, recording three points.  Berzolla, meanwhile, has spent the majority of his four professional campaigns in the ECHL but did get into 17 games with AHL Hartford last season.
  • Seattle’s farm team in Coachella Valley announced the re-signing of goaltender Jack LaFontaine to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by Carolina and left college early to sign with them, getting into one NHL contest before spending the last two years exclusively in the minors.  LaFontaine primarily played with ECHL Kansas City (the Kraken’s affiliate at that level) last season, posting a 2.77 GAA with a .911 SV% in 23 regular season games.

Snapshots: Cousins, Soderstrom, Avalanche, Pellerin

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Winger Nick Cousins remains unsigned as we approach six weeks into the free agent market.  Accordingly, he has decided the time is right to change representation as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that he has changed his agent from Octagon’s Andy Scott to Newport’s Craig Oster.  The 31-year-old spent the last two seasons with Florida but saw his offensive output dip from 27 points in 79 games in 2022-23 to 15 in 69 contests in 2023-24, his lowest full-season point total.  Cousins also suited up in a dozen playoff contests along the way to the Panthers’ first Stanley Cup title.  The veteran has 180 points in 592 regular season appearances in his 10-year NHL career so far and should be able to land a PTO agreement at a minimum in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Rasmus Kagstrom of Hockey Sverige relays that goaltender Linus Soderstrom attracted some recent interest in North America before opting to sign a one-year extension with SHL Skelleftea back in March. The 27-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Islanders in 2014 and received his entry-level deal but played only four games in their system during that time.  Since then, Soderstrom has become one of the top-performing netminders in the SHL, putting up a 1.63 GAA with a .929 SV% in 30 appearances in 2022-23 and a 2.03 GAA with a .913 SV% in 36 games in 2023-24.  He bettered those numbers in the postseason, including a .944 SV% in 14 contests last season.  Another showing like that could have him on the NHL radar again next spring.
  • Colorado’s AHL affiliate announced the signing of three players to contracts for the upcoming season, forwards Tye Felhaber and Keaton Mastrodonato along with defenseman Bryan Yoon. Felhaber, 26, spent the last two seasons with AHL Milwaukee and recorded 23 points in 50 games with the Admirals last season.  Mastrodonato, meanwhile, spent most of last season, the 23-year-old’s first full professional campaign, with ECHL Idaho where he put up 24 goals and 18 assists in 48 games.  As for Yoon, the 26-year-old spent most of his first full pro season in the ECHL as well with Utah, recording 17 points in 35 appearances.
  • The Canadiens have invited undrafted forward Maxime Pellerin to their upcoming rookie camp, per a note from his junior team in Victoriaville (Twitter link). The 21-year-old spent his entire five-year QMJHL career with the Tigres and is coming off his second straight year of averaging more than a point per game, notching 73 points in 67 regular season games plus 21 more in 14 playoff contests.  Pellerin is ineligible to return to junior so he’ll be hoping to land a professional contract off this tryout.

West Notes: Georgiev, Vatrano, Maroon

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While Alexandar Georgiev is now extension-eligible as he’s entering the final year of his contract, Mile High Sports’ Aarif Dean suggests that it’s unlikely he gets an early deal.  With Mikko Rantanen also needing a new contract for 2025-26, his situation is likely the priority while the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin makes it less likely that Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland will want to commit a multi-year deal to Georgiev this early.  The 28-year-old is also coming off a tough year, one that saw him post a 3.02 GAA and a .897 SV% in 63 games; he led the NHL in goals allowed with 183 but also had the most wins (38) for the second straight season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Ducks winger Frank Vatrano has been a strong performer in his first two years with Anaheim, putting up 41 points in 2021-22 before a breakout 37-goal, 60-point showing last season. He’s now eligible for a contract extension and has made it known his preference is to stay with Anaheim.  Derek Lee of The Hockey News assesses Vatrano’s situation, suggesting that the four-year, $22MM contract that Tyler Bertuzzi inked with Chicago this summer could serve as a comparable for Vatrano’s camp if he can put up another 20-goal performance.  Cap space isn’t an issue for the Ducks right now but assuming they’ll be out of the playoff mix again this coming season, they’ll have to decide between extending him or moving Vatrano as a rental for what would likely be a strong return.
  • Veteran forward Pat Maroon signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Blackhawks early in free agency which will be the 14th season of his career. The 36-year-old told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s not focusing beyond the coming season and isn’t sure if this will be his final year.  Maroon spent most of 2023-24 with Minnesota before being acquired by Boston at the trade deadline although his injury at the time limited him to just two regular season games.  He had four goals and 11 assists along with 60 penalty minutes in 51 appearances last season.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Murray, Berggren

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The Maple Leafs shook things up behind the bench with a coaching change, bringing in Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe earlier this summer.  Now, it appears they’ll be changing their captain as well.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the team will announce that Auston Matthews will be named captain at a press conference on Wednesday morning.  Current captain John Tavares is believed to be fully supportive of the change.  Matthews is entering the first season of a four-year, $53MM contract he signed last season, one that makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history in terms of AAV while Tavares is entering the final year of his agreement.  Matthews has spent his entire eight-year NHL career with Toronto and is coming off a career year that saw him record 69 goals and 107 points.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with Toronto, goaltender Matt Murray indicated in a recent appearance on the Slangin’ the Bizkit Podcast (video link) that his hips feel much better than they have in a long time. The veteran missed almost all of last season due to bilateral hip surgery, only getting into three rehab contests late in the regular season with the Marlies.  The Maple Leafs gave him a one-year, $875K one-way deal early in free agency and it appears as if he’ll enter the upcoming season in the third-string role similar to the one Martin Jones held in 2023-24.
  • In an interview with Matthias Ek of Sweden’s Hockey News, Red Wings RFA winger Jonatan Berggren indicated that discussions on a new deal are ongoing and that he has not spoken with any other clubs about a possible offer sheet. The 24-year-old spent most of 2022-23 with Detroit, notching 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games but they opted to put him with AHL Grand Rapids for most of last year.  Berggren was quite productive for the Griffins, tallying 56 points in 53 games while also adding six points in a dozen contests with Detroit.  That shouldn’t be the case this coming season, however, as he’s now waiver-eligible.

Five Key Stories: 8/5/24 – 8/11/24

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With training camps a little more than a month away, activity around the hockey world has slowed down considerably in recent weeks.  Nevertheless, there was some news of note over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Helenius To Play In North America: On draft day, Konsta Helenius slipped to the Sabres at 14th overall despite being ranked as a top-ten prospect by several publications.  Often, a European player picked in the middle of the first round will stay overseas for a couple of years but that’s not the case for Helenius as his club team in Tappara revealed that the youngster is expected to play in North America this coming season.  Since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, Helenius is eligible to play with AHL Rochester in 2024-25 but after an impressive season in the Finnish Liiga that saw him record 36 points in 51 games, it’s possible that he makes a case to spend at least a few games in Buffalo as well.

Klefbom Confirms Retirement: Any hope of a late-career comeback for Oscar Klefbom has come to an end as the blueliner confirmed that he has retired.  The 31-year-old was a key part of Edmonton’s back end for most of his career, averaging more than 21 minutes a night over his last six seasons.  However, a shoulder injury that he played through eventually proved to be too much as he last played in the 2019-20 campaign, spending the final three years of his contract on LTIR before becoming a free agent last summer.  Klefbom has indicated that he’d like to stay involved in some capacity but it remains to be seen if that will be with an NHL team or in his native Sweden.

Avs Add Another Blueliner: Colorado has been active in adding depth defenders this summer, bringing in Erik Brannstrom and Calvin de Haan early in free agency.  They added another rearguard this past week, signing Oliver Kylington to a one-year, $1.05MM deal.  The 27-year-old returned to Calgary in January after missing a year and a half for mental health reasons.  While his numbers in the second half weren’t overly impressive (eight points in 33 games), his last full season in 2021-22 was a breakout showing for Kylington when he put up 31 points in 73 appearances while logging over 18 minutes a night.  If he can come even close to those numbers with the Avalanche, they’ll get strong value on this contract.

Coaching Changes In Columbus: In an offseason that has seen the Blue Jackets take their time with off-ice moves, they rounded out their coaching staff under new bench boss Dean Evason.  The team parted ways with assistant coach Mark Recchi and development coach Derek Dorsett (who could eventually return in another capacity); assistant Josef Boumedienne had previously been let go as well.  Taking their place on the coaching staff will be new assistant coaches Scott Ford and Mike Haviland.  This will be Ford’s first coaching job at the AHL level after spending the last eight seasons with AHL Milwaukee.  Haviland, meanwhile, has four years of NHL experience as an assistant with Chicago and spent the last two years as an associate coach with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.

Sillinger Nearing A Contract: Still with the Blue Jackets, they only have one remaining restricted free agent to re-sign, forward Cole Sillinger.  It appears he won’t be unsigned for much longer as the two sides are believed to be close to getting an agreement on a new deal in place.  It’s expected that the contract, when finalized, will be for two years.  The 21-year-old was the 12th overall pick by Columbus in 2021 and turned pro right after, spending the bulk of his entry-level deal at the NHL level where he has 74 points in 220 games.  With the limited production, a long-term agreement doesn’t make sense for either side so it appears he’ll get a couple of years to try to boost his value before gaining arbitration eligibility next time out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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