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Panthers Recall Patrick Giles

October 11, 2024 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the Panthers needing some extra depth up front in the wake of the Aleksander Barkov injury that will keep him out for a few weeks at least, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Patrick Giles from AHL Charlotte.

The 24-year-old signed with Florida as an undrafted free agent back in 2022 following a four-year run at Boston College.  He has yet to play at the NHL level but took a step forward offensively last season, notching 13 goals and 10 assists in 66 games with the Checkers.

Giles was one of the final cuts at training camp for the Panthers after they gave him a long look in the preseason.  He led the team in scoring with two goals and four assists while suiting up in seven of eight games as they gave him a chance to earn a spot on the fourth line.  He didn’t get it then but he should get that opportunity now.

While Florida had two open roster spots and thus technically didn’t need a corresponding move to open one up, there still needed to be a corresponding transaction for cap reasons.  Prior to the recall, the team only had $556K in cap space, not enough to afford Giles at his $775K price tag.  With that in mind, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that center Tomas Nosek has been transferred to LTIR, meaning he’ll be out for at least the first 10 games and 24 days of the season (the placement can be retroactive to the start of the year) while freeing up enough space to add Giles to the roster.

AHL| Florida Panthers| Transactions Patrick Giles| Tomas Nosek

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Canadiens Reassign Three Players

October 7, 2024 at 9:03 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Oct. 7: The Habs returned Condotta, Gignac, and Trudeau to Laval last night, the team announced Monday morning.

Oct. 5: Several teams today have promoted players from the AHL in advance of their final preseason game tonight.  Montreal is the latest to do so as they’ve recalled forwards Brandon Gignac and Lucas Condotta along with defenseman William Trudeau from AHL Laval per the NHL’s Media Portal.

Gignac spent most of last season in the minors but saw his AHL contract converted to a two-year, two-way NHL deal in February.  He got into seven games with Montreal last season, scoring his first NHL goal.  Meanwhile, in Laval, he had 19 goals and 36 assists in 61 games.

Condotta, meanwhile, has now been recalled for the second time since clearing waivers less than a week ago.  The 26-year-old was held off the scoresheet in three appearances with the Canadiens last season while adding 19 points in 65 contests for the Rocket.  Condotta, a full-time forward, wound up taking some shifts as a defenseman last weekend when the Canadiens were down to just four available to them early in a preseason game against Toronto.

As for Trudeau, the 21-year-old has yet to see NHL action in his first two professional seasons.  Instead, he has played exclusively with Laval and put up eight goals and 16 assists in 70 games in 2023-24.

Meanwhile, the team revealed earlier today (Twitter link) that blueliner Kaiden Guhle will play his first preseason game after undergoing an appendectomy last month, causing him to miss their first five contests.

As for the other three, they will likely be returned to Laval before Monday’s deadline to submit season-opening cap-compliant rosters to the NHL.

AHL| Montreal Canadiens| Transactions Brandon Gignac| Kaiden Guhle| Lucas Condotta| William Trudeau

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Training Camp Cuts: 10/5/24

October 5, 2024 at 4:30 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

With the preseason winding up this weekend, final roster cuts will be made across the NHL over the next couple of days.  We’ll keep tabs on today’s cut-downs here.

Last Updated: 4:45 PM

Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)

F Jansen Harkins (to AHL San Diego after clearing waivers)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

D Cole Clayton (to AHL Cleveland)
F Luca Del Bel Belluz (to AHL Cleveland)
F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to AHL Cleveland)
G Jet Greaves (to AHL Cleveland)
F Hunter McKown (to AHL Cleveland)
F Owen Sillinger (to AHL Cleveland)
D Stanislav Svozil (to AHL Cleveland)

Dallas Stars (per team announcement)

D Lian Bichsel (to AHL Texas)
F Matej Blumel (to AHL Texas)
F Arttu Hyry (to AHL Texas)

Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)

F Alexandre Doucet (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Amadeus Lombardi (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Jakub Rychlovsky (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Gage Alexander (to ECHL Toledo)
F Ondrej Becher (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Hunter Johannes (released from PTO to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Josiah Didier (released from PTO to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Carson Bantle (to ECHL Toledo)
F Gabriel Seger (to ECHL Toledo)
D Chaz Reddekopp (to ECHL Toledo)
G Jan Bednar (to ECHL Toledo)
F Tim Gettinger (to injured non-roster list)
D Shai Buium (to injured non-roster list)

Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)

D Daemon Hunt (to AHL Iowa)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

F Ryder Korczak (to AHL Hartford)
F Brennan Othmann (to AHL Hartford)

Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)

D Calen Addison (released from PTO)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

F Emil Bemstrom (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)
D Nate Clurman (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)
F Jonathan Gruden (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)
F Joona Koppanen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)
D Filip Kral (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)
G Filip Larsson (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D John Ludvig (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)
F Samuel Poulin (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers)

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

D Akito Hirose (to AHL Abbotsford)

Washington Capitals (per team announcement)

D Ethan Bear (to AHL Hershey after clearing waivers)
F Luke Philp (to AHL Hershey after clearing waivers)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to AHL Hershey after clearing waivers)

Anaheim Ducks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Detroit Red Wings| Minnesota Wild| New York Rangers| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins| Transactions| Vancouver Canucks| Washington Capitals

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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Pittsburgh Penguins

October 5, 2024 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

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 heading into 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 Metropolitan Division, next up is the Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Current Cap Hit: $88,037,434 (above the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Rutger McGroarty (three years, $950K)

Potential Bonuses
McGroarty: $500K

McGroarty was recently acquired from Winnipeg after the winger told the Jets he wouldn’t sign with them.  He should have an opportunity to push for a roster spot right away (or at least be the first recall from the minors).  Bonus-wise, the exact structure of the $500K isn’t publicized but it’s likely two ‘A’ bonuses ($425K in total) and $75K in games played.  If he’s a regular, he should get the games played one at a minimum while his role will go a long way toward determining if he has a shot at one of the ‘A’ bonuses.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Anthony Beauvillier ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($2.45MM, UFA)
F Cody Glass ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Matthew Nieto ($900K, UFA)
F Drew O’Connor ($925K, UFA)
D Marcus Pettersson ($4.025MM, UFA)
F Jesse Puljujarvi ($800K, UFA)
D Matt Grzelcyk ($2.75MM, UFA)

Glass was acquired from Nashville in a cap-clearing move from them this summer.  He’s only one season removed from a 35-point effort but struggled last year.  He’ll need to get back to his 2022-23 level if he has a shot at getting a qualifying offer, one that would carry arbitration rights.  As things stand, he’s a non-tender candidate.  Eller remains a serviceable third-line center most nights, a role he has held for most of his career.  However, he’ll be 36 when this deal is up and with offensive production usually under 35 points, he’s probably going to be going year-to-year moving forward at or slightly below this price tag.  Beauvillier is also coming off a rough year between three separate teams, resulting in a $2.75MM pay cut.  There’s room for him to rebound and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him land a multi-year deal next summer with a price tag above $2MM at a minimum.

O’Connor is coming off of his best season offensively by far after notching 33 points in 2023-24.  While both sides will want to see if this is repeatable before approaching extension talks, if he can maintain those numbers, he could triple that price tag heading into next season.  Nieto missed most of last season due to injury and is month-to-month heading into the start of the season, meaning he could land on LTIR to get the Penguins cap compliant.  Given the injuries, he’ll probably be looking at a contract close to this price tag again next summer.  Puljujarvi was a later-season signing last year and at this point, is simply looking to establish himself as a full-time NHL player once again.  A small raise could be doable if he does that.

Pettersson is now the most notable pending UFA on the roster.  He logged over 22 minutes a game last season while reaching 30 points for the first time, certainly a positive heading into early negotiations.  He’ll be entering his age-29 year next season so his next deal could push past the $5MM mark on a longer-term agreement.  Grzelcyk is looking to rebuild some value after a tough season in Boston.  If he does, he could get back to the near-$3.7MM AAV from his past deal.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Noel Acciari ($2MM, UFA)
D Sebastian Aho ($775K, UFA)
F Michael Bunting ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Kevin Hayes ($3.571MM, UFA)*
F Blake Lizotte ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Evgeni Malkin ($6.1MM, UFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic ($2.5MM, UFA)

*-Philadelphia is retaining an additional $3.571MM on Hayes’ contract.

Malkin’s contract went to the wire two years ago and it wound up being a case of term being used to keep the cap hit down.  So far, he has provided a very strong return on the deal but he’s now 38 and showing signs of slowing down.  That could make the final couple of seasons a bit tougher to deal with from a value perspective.

Bunting was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Jake Guentzel trade and seemed to fit in better with the Penguins than he did in Carolina, coming close to averaging a point per game following the swap.  Part of the challenge last summer for him was trying to argue that he could produce away from Toronto’s top line where he had spent the bulk of his still-limited NHL career (his first two full seasons at the top level).  But Bunting managed to produce at a similar rate last year and if he has a couple more seasons around that level of production (he had 55 points in 2023-24), he should have a case at a longer-term deal next time out at a price tag closer to the $6MM mark.

Hayes was a faceoff ace for St. Louis last season but saw his point total nearly cut in half compared to 2022-23, resulting in the Blues parting with a second-round pick to shed the rest of the contract.  Assuming he stays in a bottom-six role, his Pittsburgh portion of the contract is about what his market value might be in 2026.  Acciari had a quiet first season with the Penguins on their fourth line.  He’ll need a bounce-back effort to have a shot at matching this price tag even though he’s above average at the faceoff dot.  Lizotte, meanwhile, was non-tendered by the Kings after a quiet season but his track record as an effective bottom-six piece helped earn this agreement.  He’ll need to get back to scoring double-digit goals per season if he wants to cross the $2MM mark.

Aho came over from the Islanders in free agency, getting a one-way salary for the fourth and fifth straight seasons.  Until he locks down a full-time top-six spot, however, he’s likely to stay close to the league minimum moving forward.

Nedeljkovic took over the starting job down the stretch last season, helping him earn this deal to avoid testing free agency.  He has been hit or miss throughout his still relatively brief NHL career and will need two more seasons like last year to have a shot at getting back to that upper echelon of platoon options.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Sidney Crosby ($8.7MM, UFA)
D Erik Karlsson ($9.999MM, UFA)*

*-San Jose is retaining an additional $1.5MM on Karlsson’s contract.

Many expected Crosby to sign a contract extension on July 1st but it wound up taking more than two full months before he put pen to paper on this deal, maintaining the same cap hit he has had since 2008.  He’s entering the final season of a now-illegal 12-year contract and at the time it was signed, some wondered if those last couple of years could be tough from a value perspective given that he’s entering his age-37 season.  Considering he’s coming off yet another season of averaging more than a point per game (something he’s done in all 19 years), those concerns were unfounded, helping him earn this extension.

Karlsson, as expected, wasn’t able to match the 101 points he put up in his final season with San Jose.  However, with 56, he was still well above average in that regard.  It’s going to be next to impossible for the 34-year-old to provide surplus value on his cap hit but as long as he’s still one of the higher-end offensive players among NHL blueliners, they’ll do okay value-wise.  He’s not a $10MM player at this point but he’s not necessarily too far off that mark either.

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Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

D Ryan Graves ($4.5MM through 2028-29)
G Tristan Jarry ($5.375MM through 2027-28)
D Kris Letang ($6.1MM through 2027-28)
F Rickard Rakell ($5MM through 2027-28)
F Bryan Rust ($5.125MM through 2027-28)

Rust has become a consistent and dependable secondary scorer, notching at least 20 goals in five straight years including a career-best 28 last season.  Someone with that type of offensive track record would be passing at least $6MM on the open market although it’s worth noting he’ll be 36 when this deal ends.  Rakell’s first full season in Pittsburgh (the first on this contract) was a strong one but he took a step back last season, dropping to 37 points.  He has only passed 50 points twice in the last seven years which makes this deal a bit on the pricey side unless he can get back to that level of production.

Letang has been a strong offensive producer from the back end for most of his 18-year NHL career and getting that at this price tag is pretty good, for now at least.  However, he’ll be turning 41 when this deal ends.  At some point, Pittsburgh will have to scale back his minutes with his production dropping accordingly which will turn this into a bad-value contract.  That point isn’t coming this season, however.  Graves had a particularly rough first season with the Penguins.  Signed to stabilize their back end, he struggled while playing a more limited role.  He’ll need to find his form again or this could be a drag on their books for a while.

Jarry’s price tag is reasonable for a starting goalie.  However, he found himself benched down the stretch last season, leading some to wonder if he’ll be in more of a platoon situation with Nedeljkovic (when he’s able to return from injury).  This would be an above-market deal for a platoon netminder but if he can reclaim the outright starting job and make 50 or so starts per season, this deal should hold up okay.

Buyouts

D Jack Johnson ($917K through 2025-26)

Retained Salary Transactions

D Jeff Petry ($1.563MM in 2024-25)
F Reilly Smith ($1.25MM in 2024-25)

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Crosby
Worst Value: Graves

Looking Ahead

It won’t be hard for the Penguins to get into cap compliance with Nieto moving to LTIR or the team returning to carrying two goalies when Nedeljkovic returns.  However, the fact that an injury puts them this tight to the cap means they’ll be hard-pressed to bank any sort of significant in-season cap space unless they elect to carry fewer than the maximum of 23 players.

They project to be one of the teams with above-average flexibility after that.  While they have nearly $69MM on the books for next season already, Pettersson is the only contract of significance to contend with.  More than $23MM comes off the books the following summer and they only have five players that are truly signed long-term.  GM Kyle Dubas has one of the oldest rosters once again heading into this season but the opportunity to reshape it further is coming fast.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pittsburgh Penguins| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Salary Cap Deep Dive 2024

2 comments

PHR Mailbag: Nurse, Maple Leafs, Swayman, LTIR, Preseason, Metropolitan Division

October 5, 2024 at 2:19 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the Jeremy Swayman contract drama, handicapping the Metropolitan Division, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back next weekend for part two.

wreckage: Everyone knows and even Edmonton fans admit, they need to upgrade on Nurse as their 3D but it’s impossible at his contract, especially with his NMC. And now some certain ESPN guy is saying Seth Jones to EDM makes sense, despite the fact the time Caleb was there was tumultuous with their mother’s claims on the old Twitterverse. Does any of that rumor make sense? Even in the slightest?

First, let me say that I’m blissfully unaware of those claims from the Twitterverse which allows me to actually ponder the idea on its merits.  Before getting into that, I’ll note that only six players remain from Caleb’s tenure with Edmonton with a different head coach, GM, president, and much more.  The culture is different, the team is mostly different; if there were concerns before, those same concerns might not be around anymore.

On the surface, the idea of a swap with Darnell Nurse and Jones makes a lot of sense in theory if there’s a desire to make a change there.  Nurse’s contract ($9.25MM through 2029-30) makes it incredibly difficult to swap him for an upgrade as a lot of teams will view the price tag as a negative.  With Jones making similar money ($9.5MM through 2029-30), the cap charge isn’t the issue.  It’s one overpaid blueliner for another.  If both teams think that they’re better off with the other overpaid player, a swap would make sense.  I don’t think it’ll happen though.  I’d say Chicago says no given the left-defense organizational depth they have, making Nurse a bit redundant compared to the right side where they’re much thinner.  But value-wise, it’s not a bad framework for a swap.

gowings2008: Is it crazy to think the Leafs are primed for a step back this year? There are so many question marks. Can Matthews, Nylander, and Marner repeat career years? Will Tavares continue to decline and how fast? Will Chris Tanev’s body hold up? Are they getting Florida OEL or Vancouver OEL? Are Knies and McMann legit? Do they even have an NHL fourth line? Is Woll really the answer with just 34 career starts? I really think if just a couple of these things don’t bounce in the Leafs’ direction, they’ll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. The Atlantic is no walk in the park, especially this year.

It’s not crazy to think that Toronto could take a significant step back this season.  We know of them being a top regular season team under former coach Sheldon Keefe but will things be different under Craig Berube?  They’re now built with an eye on being more effective in the playoffs.  Will the uncertainty around Mitch Marner’s final year of his contract turn into a distraction?  I don’t think so but it could.  I’m not as worried about the defense and some of the other forwards that you mentioned but there is one giant wild card.

The goaltending isn’t just a question about Joseph Woll but also Anthony Stolarz.  Neither player has even been a 1B option in the NHL.  They each made career highs in starts last season, making 23 and 24 combined.  There are 82 games in the regular season.  How will they hold up under the bigger workload?  And with oft-injured Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby as the in-house options to turn to if injuries or general fatigue arise, they’re taking a risk.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the approach they’re taking.  There’s upside to both Woll and Stolarz and if they even provide average goaltending, they’ll be fine.  But if they falter, they could very well be in trouble.

But that said, I don’t see much reason to think they won’t be a top-three team in the Atlantic this season.  While they have questions, no doubt, so do a lot of other teams not named Florida.  In that case, I’d back the team with the track record of winning a lot of regular season games to continue doing so.

Johnny Z: So did Neely make the $64M contract offer to Jeremy Swayman and his agent sat on it and did not tell his client? Does Swayman take this offer and fires his agent? Will Neely take the offer off the table? Will Swayman end up on the trade block? What a mess!

First, let me say that this has turned into a bit of a bizarre situation.  With the various reporting that’s out there, I get the sense that the $64MM might not have been offered but $62MM or $63MM might have been.  So while Swayman’s agent is technically correct from a semantics perspective, the last offer compared to Cam Neely’s stated number is pretty close and probably wasn’t going to be the difference-maker in getting something done or not.

Enough time has passed since this was revealed so if the offer was going to be taken, it would have been taken by now.  It sure seems like there’s still a pretty sizable gap to bridge which, evidently, is going to take some time.  I don’t think we’re at the point of a more ‘nuclear option’ being an agent change, an offer revocation, or a trade demand.  By all accounts, Swayman’s desire is to be in Boston and the Bruins clearly want him as their long-term starter which is why shorter-term agreements haven’t been discussed in much detail yet.

There are various pressure points that help to spur things, be it a trade (the deadline) or a contract (arbitration hearing, training camp, etc).  The next one is the start of the regular season early next week where things get more complicated cap-wise as his cap charge for 2024-25 would be higher than his overall AAV (as long as it’s a multi-year deal).  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli explains that more in detail if you’re interested.  Assuming something isn’t done by then, then there might be a waiting game to see if the leverage shifts.  If Boston starts strong without him, that might lower Swayman’s price while if they falter, the Bruins might decide they have to go a bit higher to close a contract.  Things took a turn for the worse this week with the public comments but I expect a deal will still get done…eventually.

rule78.1: How long do you think it will take for the NHL/NHLPA to address LTIR? Because someone within the Vegas organization has found all the holes and is taking full advantage of them.

For those who haven’t seen it, the latest LTIR situation saw Vegas remove the cap hit of Robin Lehner.  Technically, Vegas was within their rights to attempt to terminate his contract because he didn’t (or couldn’t) report for his physical.  I think in the end, the Golden Knights were prepared to do so, the NHLPA fully intended to grieve and this time, instead of just doing it and waiting to see the outcome of the hearing (like the Flyers are doing with Ryan Johansen, for example), they just worked out the compromise here.

One of the few things we know about this is that there’s a lot we don’t know.  As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan relayed earlier this week, there was a specific reason why Lehner was unable to attend, one of a sensitive nature.  Due to that, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that this is an “unprecedented and highly unique” case.  So is this circumvention?  I can definitely see the argument that it is but given how rarely in-season grievances involve restoring a cap charge, I think they might have just done the settlement early instead of reaching it in November or December or whenever the hearing would have happened.

As to your question, it’s a CBA matter since it’s related to salary cap accounting.  It’s not something that can unilaterally be changed beforehand.  The NHL has been doing its due diligence in terms of speaking to owners, presidents, and GMs to get a sense of the appetite for change.  How many want to make a change and how big of one do they want?  I think more want to change something than don’t but the extent of the change is up in the air.

The next CBA starts in 2026-27 and while both the NHL and NHLPA would probably like to have an agreement done before then, it’s unlikely any significant cap changes (including LTIR) would come into play until the new document is in effect.  So for the next two years, the status quo is probably going to continue to be in place.

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PyramidHeadcrab: Why is it that, during the preseason, teams will cut and send a few players down to the A, only to recall them literally the next day? I see this happen every year, and it’s always perplexing. I don’t really understand the purpose of this move – why not hold on to these players for a couple more days if the plan is to just bring them back anyway?

And what is the real-world implication of this? Do they get a call halfway to Charlotte to make a U-turn and head back to Sunrise?

Generally speaking, the timing of the recalls usually aren’t the next day although there are some exceptions.  But the really short-term ones could be related to waivers (wanting to get a player through early at a more advantageous time – goalies, in particular), some of it could be money-related (players in training camp get per diems so shuffling players back, or a coaching staff simply having a change of heart as to how many regulars they want to play in an upcoming game.

In your scenario, it’s possible that they get the call partway on their trip to the minors but it wouldn’t shock me if some of the players were told they were being sent down but also to stay in town for a day or two before making the trip in case they’re needed.  Maybe not for ones where the AHL team is close but in your Florida scenario, I’d hope they didn’t actually have someone make a U-turn partway.

The more common ones are those who are sent down for a few days and then return.  The bulk of the heavy cuts typically line up with the start of AHL training camps.  They’re sent down to line up with the start of those practices to get ready for the start of AHL preseason (which is now underway) and then if the NHL team wants to dress fewer regulars, they get recalled for spot duty for that game and go back after.  We’ve seen a lot of those already including several today (with probably more to come).

schaefman21: Almost everyone picking NYR to win Metro, however, didn’t the NYR set an NHL record for most come-from-behind wins in 2023-24 en route to their division title? If so, shouldn’t we expect some “regression to the mean” this year meaning the Metro is wide open to NJD, CAR, and NYR?

First, yes, the Rangers did set this record last season with 34 come-from-behind victories in the regular season plus six more in the playoffs.  I can see the logic in the argument that they may have had some good fortune in that but a lot of those comebacks were when they were down 1-0 or 2-1 early in the game.  Quite a few teams were in the 20s in that category last season; it’s not as if New York was miles ahead of everyone else in that regard.  But yes, some of those could be flipped.

However, the Rangers are largely running back the same team that won the division last season.  The Hurricanes, on the other hand, lost several players this summer with replacements that aren’t as impactful.  I think many would suggest that they’ve taken a step back or two talent-wise.  I think that more than offsets a handful of comebacks that could go the other way for the Rangers this season.

Could New Jersey make a run at the division?  I’d say it’s possible if they can stay healthy as they have improved considerably and looked pretty good in their two games in Prague.  But teams generally don’t miss the playoffs one year and win the division the next.  It’s not impossible but if I had to pick between them and the Rangers, the safer and more logical bet would be the team that did it a year ago and had little turnover.  It wouldn’t shock me if the Devils took the Metropolitan Division but I’d say the Rangers being the preseason speculative favorite makes sense to me.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

4 comments

Waiver Wire: 10/5/24

October 5, 2024 at 1:14 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

With season-opening rosters due in just over 48 hours, it’s going to be a busy weekend on the waiver front across the NHL.  A total of 14 players are on waivers today.  The players below were first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link) unless otherwise specified.  Meanwhile, Friedman relays (Twitter link) that of the 25 players on the wire yesterday, all cleared aside from John Ludvig who was claimed by Colorado.

Anaheim Ducks

G Oscar Dansk

Colorado Avalanche

F T.J. Tynan
F Chris Wagner

Dallas Stars

D Kyle Capobianco
G Magnus Hellberg
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
D Alexander Petrovic
F Emilio Pettersen

Florida Panthers

D Matt Kiersted

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Ben Jones

New York Rangers

D Connor Mackey

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

F John Hayden
F Josh Mahura

These players will be on waivers until 1:00 PM CT on Sunday.

Anaheim Ducks| Colorado Avalanche| Dallas Stars| Florida Panthers| Minnesota Wild| New York Rangers| Seattle Kraken| Transactions| Waivers Ben Jones| Cameron Hughes| Chris Wagner| Connor Mackey| Emilio Pettersen| John Hayden| John Ludvig| Josh Mahura| Kole Lind| Kyle Capobianco| Magnus Hellberg| Matt Kiersted| T.J. Tynan

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Avalanche Claim John Ludvig Off Waivers

October 5, 2024 at 1:05 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Avalanche have added some defensive depth via the waiver wire.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed blueliner John Ludvig off waivers from Pittsburgh.

It’s the second year in a row that the 24-year-old has been scooped off waivers in training camp.  Last year, it was the Penguins claiming him from Florida.

Last season, Ludvig saw regular action with Pittsburgh when he wasn’t injured.  However, injuries were an issue for him as he missed time with a concussion and an upper-body injury before undergoing offseason wrist surgery.  In between, he played in 33 games, his first taste of NHL action.  In those, he had three goals and two assists along with 47 penalty minutes, 33 blocks, and 72 hits in a little under 12 minutes per night.

Colorado is an interesting landing spot for Ludvig as they have already brought in three new blueliners this summer to shore up their depth in Oliver Kylington, Erik Brannstrom, and Calvin de Haan.  They also have Sam Malinski who is now waiver-eligible so adding to that group comes as a bit of a surprise.  Assuming he makes their opening roster on Monday, he’ll give them some extra physicality for games that he’s in the lineup.

Ludvig is in the second and final season of his two-year, two-way deal.  The agreement pays $775K in the NHL and $150K should he make it to the minors.  He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility if he plays in 47 games or more.  Otherwise, he’ll qualify for Group Six unrestricted free agency.

Colorado Avalanche| Pittsburgh Penguins| Transactions| Waivers John Ludvig

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Sharks Recall Four Players

October 5, 2024 at 11:36 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Sharks are the latest team to bring back some players from the minors to help close out their preseason schedule.  The team announced (Twitter link) that defensemen Jeremie Bucheler and Jimmy Schuldt along with forwards Nolan Burke and Colin White have been recalled from AHL San Jose.

Schuldt and Burke are the two who are on NHL contracts.  Schuldt has just one career NHL appearance under his belt with Vegas in 2019 after finishing his college career.  Since then, he has spent time on several AHL teams, including the last two with Coachella Valley before signing with the Sharks this summer.  Burke, meanwhile, was acquired in the Yaroslav Askarov trade to balance out contracts.  The 21-year-old spent most of last season in the ECHL, notching 15 points and 32 penalty minutes in 47 games.

White and Bucheler are on AHL deals with the Barracuda and technically have inked PTO agreements once again with the Sharks after previously being released.  White split last season between Pittsburgh and Montreal but was held off the scoresheet in 28 games.  As for Bucheler, the 24-year-old is entering his first full professional campaign after wrapping up his college career last season with 18 points in 33 games with the University of Vermont.

All four players will likely be in uniform tonight against Vegas before being returned to the Barracuda before Monday’s season-opening roster deadline.

AHL| San Jose Sharks| Transactions Colin White| Jeremie Bucheler| Jimmy Schuldt| Nolan Burke

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Blue Jackets Sign Kevin Labanc

October 5, 2024 at 10:57 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

With Columbus dealing with several injuries up front, GM Don Waddell had indicated they wanted to add some forward depth.  They signed James van Riemsdyk soon after and they’ve now landed another veteran winger as well.  The Blue Jackets announced that they have signed winger Kevin Labanc to a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K.  Waddell released the following statement on the move:

Kevin Labanc has been a productive offensive player in this league for several years. He has an excellent shot and playmaking ability and given his character we believe he will fit in very well with our group.

The 28-year-old spent his first seven NHL seasons in San Jose with varying degrees of success.  He put up 40 points in his sophomore year, besting that by 16 the following season, suggesting that he was set to become a key long-term contributor for the Sharks.

But things largely went off the rails after that.  After signing a four-year, $18.9MM contract in 2020, Labanc’s production took a turn in the wrong direction as he only reached the 30-point mark once, that coming in 2022-23 when he had 33 in 72 games.  Last season, he was a frequent healthy scratch, collecting just two goals and seven assists in 49 games when he was in the lineup.

Those struggles resulted in Labanc having to settle for a PTO agreement with the Devils heading into training camp.  The move gave him a chance to showcase himself while allowing New Jersey to come closer to meeting the veteran minimum quota for preseason games with their main squad in Czechia as part of the Global Series.

The move worked out quite well for Labanc as he leads all players in preseason scoring with six goals in four games and is coming off a hat-trick in his most recent outing.  Now, he was able to use that to land a guaranteed contract, albeit not with New Jersey, who quietly removed him from their training camp roster earlier today.  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the Devils offered Labanc the same contract but told him he’d need to start the season in the minors for salary cap purposes, something that won’t be the case for him with the Blue Jackets.

Columbus is currently without winger Dmitri Voronkov who was placed on IR yesterday while Boone Jenner and Justin Danforth are also expected to land on injured reserve before the start of the season.  That should open up a spot for Labanc to slot in somewhere in their middle six once the regular season gets underway next week.  With more replacements needed, it’s possible that the Blue Jackets will ultimately open the season above the Lower Limit despite getting an exemption from the league about having to be there on opening night.

Max Miller of The Hockey News was the first to report the signing.

Columbus Blue Jackets| New Jersey Devils| Transactions Kevin Labanc

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Blackhawks Recall Nine Players, Sign Austin Strand To PTO

October 5, 2024 at 10:46 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While some teams will be dressing close to their full lineups to end the preseason, the Blackhawks will not be one of them.  Instead, the team announced that they’ve recalled nine players from AHL Rockford while also signing defenseman Austin Strand to a PTO agreement.

The forwards getting the brief promotion are Colton Dach, Cole Guttman, Frank Nazar, Zach Sanford, Samuel Savoie, and Landon Slaggert.  Meanwhile, the blueliners receiving the extra preseason game are Louis Crevier, Ethan Del Mastro, and Kevin Korchinski.

Nazar and Korchinski are the headliners of the group.  Both are projected to be key players long-term for the Blackhawks and should see regular NHL action at some point this season.  Korchinski spent last season in Chicago as he was ineligible to play in the minors, notching 15 points in 76 games while Nazar was a late-season signing after leaving the University of Michigan.  He scored in his NHL debut, his lone point in three contests.

Among the others, five of the seven recalls saw NHL action last season with only Dach and Savoie waiting for their first regular season opportunity at the top level.  Of that group, Guttman saw the most action with 27 games (notching eight points) while Crevier had three helpers in 24 contests.  Slaggert had four points in 16 appearances, Sanford had four helpers in 18 games after being claimed off waivers, while Del Mastro was held off the scoresheet in two outings.

All of these players had already been cut from training camp and barring any injuries of note in the coming days, are all expected to be returned to the IceHogs, potentially as soon as after tonight’s contest against St. Louis.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Transactions Austin Strand| Cole Guttman| Colton Dach| Ethan Del Mastro| Frank Nazar| Kevin Korchinski| Landon Slaggert| Louis Crevier| Samuel Savoie| Zach Sanford

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