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East Notes: Raymond, Berggren, Voronkov, Capitals

August 31, 2024 at 2:53 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The Red Wings still have three restricted free agents to re-sign, defenseman Moritz Seider along with wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren.  In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relayed that while there’s no concern on either side yet, talks don’t appear to be progressing between Detroit and Raymond’s camp.  The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal and had a breakout showing last season, recording 31 points and 41 assists in 82 games, leading some to suggest that a long-term agreement between the two sides is likely to push past the $7MM mark per season.

Berggren, meanwhile, was largely a regular for the Red Wings in 2022-23 but spent most of last season with AHL Grand Rapids, tallying 24 goals and 32 assists in 53 games.  The 24-year-old also collected six points in 13 games with Detroit.  Pagnotta reports that a deal between the two sides is expected before training camp and it’s likely to be a short-term agreement.  With a little over $17MM in cap space per PuckPedia, it’s possible that the eventual contracts with Seider and Raymond could dictate how short of a deal Berggren ultimately receives.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Dating back to last season, there was speculation that Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov might want to return to the KHL. In an interview with Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev, Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin acknowledged that he spoke with Voronkov after last season, presumably to gauge his interest in returning to the KHL but no discussions have taken place since then.  The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season last year, notching 18 goals and 16 assists in 75 games and is someone that Columbus will undoubtedly be looking to keep beyond the upcoming season when his current contract expires.
  • While the Capitals have already inked a PTO agreement with Jakub Vrana, don’t expect them to be signing any others. GM Chris Patrick recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that he doesn’t envision bringing in any more players on tryouts for training camp.  Washington has shaken up their roster a fair bit this summer, bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, and Logan Thompson (and others) so allowing the newcomers to get some early chemistry may be the focal point at camp.  If that’s the case, bringing in other players with an outside shot of making the team would run counter to that objective.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Detroit Red Wings| KHL| Washington Capitals Dmitri Voronkov| Jonatan Berggren| Lucas Raymond

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Utah Signs Robert Bortuzzo

August 31, 2024 at 1:10 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

It has been a busy offseason for Utah as the former Coyotes get set for their first season in their new home.  With training camp approaching, they’ve added some extra depth on the back end as the team announced (Twitter link) that they have signed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a one-year deal.  PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that it’s a two-way agreement that pays $775K in the NHL and $450K in the minors.

The 35-year-old is a veteran of 13 NHL seasons, spanning 560 games.  Last season, Bortuzzo started the year in St. Louis but had a very limited role and spent considerable time as a healthy scratch.  He was then acquired by the Islanders in December with New York dealing with considerable injuries at that time.  Bortuzzo played a regular role after being acquired but then was injured himself, missing 28 games due to a lower-body issue.  The veteran then returned to his third-pairing role for the stretch run and playoffs.

Between the two teams, Bortuzzo played in 27 regular season games last season.  While he was held off the scoresheet entirely, he collected 51 blocked shots and 38 hits while averaging 13:44 per night.  For his career, he has 74 points, 711 blocks, and 1,095 his to his credit while spending time with Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and New York.

Bortuzzo is the latest addition to a Utah back end that has undergone significant changes this summer.  The team added Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on the second day of the draft in trades with Tampa Bay and New Jersey and then inked veteran Ian Cole to a one-year, $3.1MM deal in free agency.  The four newcomers join holdovers Sean Durzi, Juuso Valimaki, and Michael Kesselring on a much-improved blueline as the franchise looks to take a step forward toward emerging from its long-term rebuild.

Former NHL winger Scottie Upshall was the first to report the signing.

Transactions| Utah Mammoth Robert Bortuzzo

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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

August 31, 2024 at 12:41 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

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 begin with a look at the Central Division, starting with Chicago.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $81,322,500 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Connor Bedard (two years, $950K)
D Kevin Korchinski (two years, $918.3K)
F Frank Nazar (two years, $950K)

Potential Bonuses
Bedard: $3.5MM
Korchinski: $1MM
Nazar: $900K
Total: $5.4MM

Expectations were quite high for Bedard, the 2023 top pick, heading into his rookie year.  He was given every opportunity to play a prominent role and be the go-to threat on the power play.  He was a bit overmatched at times defensively but acquitted himself quite well, showing that he could be the next generational talent as he has been hyped up to be.  At a minimum, he should be able to hit the $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses but he’d need to be among the league’s top scorers to have a shot at the rest of them.  When it comes to his next contract, if he lives up to expectations, Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100MM agreement could very well be the comparable.

Korchinski also had some defensive struggles but logged consistent top-four minutes as a junior-aged blueliner which is something that doesn’t occur very often.  On a team that should be at least a bit more competitive this coming season, he should be able to put up some improved offensive numbers, giving him a chance at pushing for his four ‘A’ bonuses as well.  If that part of his game comes around, he could be in line for a significant second contract of his own, one that could push past the $6MM mark (potentially more depending on the numbers).  Nazar is somewhat of a wild card as he could be deployed in Chicago’s top six or they could opt to start him in the minors and bring him up midseason.  If it’s the latter, it’d be unlikely that he’d land a long-term second contract since he already burned the first year of his deal last season.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Andreas Athanasiou ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($2MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F Philipp Kurashev ($2.25MM, RFA)
F Pat Maroon ($1.3MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($4MM, UFA)
D Isaak Phillips ($775K, RFA)
F Craig Smith ($1MM, UFA)

Chicago’s big acquisition last summer on the trade front was Hall, a capable top-six forward, to help give Bedard some support.  He only played in ten games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery.  He’ll need a big bounce-back year if he wants a chance at a contract that’s close to this price point.  Athanasiou’s contract seemed pricey at the time he was signed but Chicago was paying an above-market rate to keep a veteran they liked.  With several youngsters getting development time in Rockford, Athanasiou may not get another one of those deals and if that winds up being the case, he hasn’t had great success on the open market before so he could be in for a pay cut as well.

Kurashev had a breakout performance last season, more than doubling his previous career high in points, picking up 54 while spending a lot of time on the top line.  While that might not be the permanent landing spot for him based on how their prospects develop, he has positioned himself for a sizable raise on his $2.25MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights.  Another 50-point performance could push him into $5MM territory.  Donato put up similar numbers to his two seasons in Seattle but is another player who hasn’t had great success in free agency before.  A similar showing in 2024-25 might not be enough to land a raise with teams trying to spend a bit less in their top six.  Maroon and Smith came in this summer to shore up Chicago’s depth; both players will be going year-to-year in all likelihood from here on out on contracts that are likely to stay around their current respective price points.

Martinez was another veteran signing designed to make the team more competitive now and keep some prospects with the IceHogs to help their development.  He’s not the core player he was a few years ago and this felt like another short-term overpayment.  If he plays in a fourth or fifth role this season, he’ll be hard-pressed to get this much next summer.  Phillips is on a two-way deal but is now waiver-eligible.  That might be enough to keep him on the roster in a seventh role as there’s no guarantee he’d pass through unclaimed.  He’ll need to carve out some regular playing time if he wants to get to a seven-figure one-way salary.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Joey Anderson ($800K, UFA)
D T.J. Brodie ($3.75MM, UFA)
G Laurent Brossoit ($3.3MM, UFA)
F Jason Dickinson ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Ilya Mikheyev ($4.0375MM, UFA)*
G Petr Mrazek ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Connor Murphy ($4.4MM, UFA)
F Lukas Reichel ($1.2MM, RFA)

*-Vancouver is retaining an additional $712.5K on Mikheyev’s deal.

Foligno was also acquired from Boston last summer and quickly signed an above-market one-year deal.  Things went well enough that he received an above-market two-year extension which starts in 2024-25.  Foligno is miscast as a full-time top-six player but remains an effective veteran.  That said, it’s hard to picture recent history repeating itself on his next deal.  Dickinson’s contract also feels like an overpayment but he is coming off a 22-goal campaign; if he can stay in that range, they’ll at least get a decent return out of it while the 29-year-old could have a shot at a similar price tag for more term on his next deal.

Mikheyev was acquired as a cap dump from Vancouver after a particularly rough season in 2023-24.  When he’s on, he’s an effective second-line winger but if his offensive struggles continue in 2024-25, he becomes a buyout candidate next summer.  Reichel quickly opted for a bridge contract back in May.  He’ll be owed a $1.3MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights in 2026 and if he’s able to secure even a full-time middle-six spot, he could have a shot at doubling that or more.  Anderson was non-tendered in June to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly re-signed this contract, one which gives him a one-way salary for only the second (and third) time of his career.  He’s a low-cost depth piece and with Chicago’s youngsters eventually getting more expensive, the Blackhawks will need to keep this roster spot around that price tag whether it’s with Anderson or someone else down the road.

Murphy, when healthy, remains a solid stay-at-home second-pairing blueliner.  However, he has missed significant time with injuries in two of the last three seasons.  Still, if he can stay healthy and in the same role for two more years, he could land a multi-year deal around this price tag two years from now.  Brodie came over as another free agent pickup after a year in Toronto that started off okay but saw him struggle to finish.  He won’t be tasked with as much ice time in Chicago which should help but when this contract is up, he’s probably going to have to go year-to-year moving forward.

Mrazek put up a respectable .907 SV% last season on a team that struggled considerably which helped earn him this two-year extension, one that is also above-market.  He’ll need to put up better numbers over the next two seasons to have a shot at bettering his price tag two years from now.  Brossoit’s decision to return to Winnipeg proved to be wise as he thrived in limited duty, making him one of the better options in free agency this summer.  That said, with a still-limited track record, he couldn’t command top dollar.  He’ll have a chance over the next two years to show that he can carry a bigger workload which could put him in line for another raise if things go well in Chicago.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM, UFA)

Teravainen had a bounce-back year with Carolina, potting a career-best 25 goals which made him one of the more prominent wingers in free agency.  It was a bit surprising to see him land just a three-year agreement but he’ll have a chance to play a prominent role which, if all goes well, could allow him to put up some good numbers, giving him a chance to beat this price three years from now.

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Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5MM through 2027-28)
D Seth Jones ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
D Alex Vlasic ($4.6MM through 2029-30)

Bertuzzi didn’t have much success in free agency a year ago, eventually settling for a one-year deal with the hopes of boosting his value for 2024.  That didn’t exactly happen although his value didn’t drop either; he received the same AAV he had with the Maple Leafs where he’ll be counted on to help establish a second scoring line.  He’ll be 33 when this deal is up so unless he finds another scoring level with Chicago, he might be in tough to beat this deal in 2028.

A lot has changed for Jones in his three years with Chicago.  Acquired and signed to be the top piece of the back end for what was intended to be a playoff-bound team, he now finds himself anchoring the back end for a team with no playoff plans for probably a couple more years at least.  He’s a player that the Blackhawks would be hard-pressed to move because of the contract as while he’s a legitimate top-pairing blueliner, he’s not necessarily a true number one option on a top team despite being tied for the fifth-highest AAV among all NHL defenders.  Jones can still log heavy minutes for years to come but as Korchinski gets more comfortable offensively, he could start cutting into Jones’ offensive numbers which have already dipped over the last two years.

Vlasic’s contract was an interesting one.  He went into last season with only 21 career NHL appearances over his first two years but then became a core shutdown defender.  Chicago is clearly banking on Vlasic continuing to improve and if that happens, this contract will hold up well while positioning him to have a shot at one more long-term deal as he’ll be 29 when he becomes UFA-eligible.

Buyouts

F Josh Bailey ($1.167MM in 2024-25)

Retained Salary Transactions

D Jake McCabe ($2MM in 2024-25)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level): Reichel
Worst Value: Jones

Looking Ahead

With more than $6MM in projected cap space, Chicago is well-covered on that front heading into the season.  That said, there’s a good chance that bonuses will cut a couple million or more off that number when the campaign comes to an end.  But still, there’s enough wiggle room for GM Kyle Davidson to get creative to further utilize some of their remaining space.

Long term, the books are currently about as clean as anyone’s around the league.  With just four NHL players signed for more than two years, they will have the financial flexibility to start to add more impactful pieces while still having ample space to afford what will be lofty second contracts for Bedard and Korchinski.  They’re not getting great value on their spending now but that should soon change once some of these veteran placeholder contracts come to an end.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chicago Blackhawks| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Salary Cap Deep Dive 2024

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Oilers Still Exploring Trade Market

August 31, 2024 at 11:22 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Oilers, to put it lightly.  They lost Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to St. Louis via offer sheets, moved Cody Ceci and a third-round pick to San Jose for Ty Emberson, and acquired Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver for a fourth rounder.

With the team largely capped out (they have less than $950K in cap room, per PuckPedia), they’ve been speculatively linked to the PTO market in recent days, particularly on the back end.  But it appears that they’re considering more than just that as well.

In an appearance earlier this week on Oilers Now (audio link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli relayed that Edmonton is considering some options beyond the PTO market in what would amount to more of a shakeup type of move.  He suggested that GM Stan Bowman may be parsing through as many as seven different options at the moment.

Speculatively, it stands to reason that Edmonton’s focus on the trade front is likely on the back end.  While Broberg might have been expected to play on the third pairing this season given his limited NHL workload so far, Ceci logged at least 20 minutes per game in each of his three seasons with the Oilers.  While Emberson might be able to fill the intended role for Broberg on the third pair, they still need someone capable of playing higher up the lineup.  And while free agents like Tyson Barrie, Tony DeAngelo, and Kevin Shattenkirk, have played that high on the depth chart before, they’re not ideal fits to play in the top four at this point of their respective careers.

How Bowman might be looking to shake things up isn’t quite as clear.  The team has eight players with some form of trade protection in their contracts and are core pieces that aren’t likely to move.  Their four highest-paid players without trade protection are core players who aren’t getting traded (Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard) or just signed with the Oilers (Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique).

At this point, effectively anyone making more than Brett Kulak’s $2.75MM is probably off the table in trade discussions and for that money, it’s going to be tricky to find someone to fit that top-four role.  While Evander Kane ($5.125MM) could be moved to LTIR to start the season as he recovers from a hip injury, that’s only a short-term fix as they’d have to get cap-compliant again to activate him.  Accordingly, dipping into that this early would be somewhat risky.

Seravalli suggested that this move, should it come to fruition, is likely to come before training camps start so Bowman and the Oilers have a couple more weeks to see if they can find a way to shake things up and add to their back end.

Edmonton Oilers

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Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Morello, Norlinder

August 31, 2024 at 10:08 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is one of the top remaining restricted free agents with the calendar set to flip to September tomorrow.  Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald suggests that it’s not time yet for any side to be concerned that a deal isn’t in place.  He noted that it took until the eve of training camp for David Pastrnak to sign his post-entry-level contract and it stands to reason that at this point, Swayman’s camp will be looking to use that as a possible pressure point as well.  It was recently reported that Swayman was seeking a long-term agreement around the $8.5MM mark while Boston was coming in at a little over $6MM.  That’s quite a gap to try to bridge so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this one drag out to the start of camp if not even a little longer than that.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Bruins, prospect Jonathan Morello has decided on his new college commitment. After decommitting from Clarkson, PuckPreps reports (Twitter link) that the 18-year-old will play for Boston University when he begins his college career.  Morello was a fifth-round pick by Boston back in June, going 154th overall after a solid showing with OJHL St. Michael’s where he had 57 points in 50 games during the regular season while adding 21 more in 11 playoff contests.  He will play for USHL Dubuque this season.
  • Despite non-tendering Mattias Norlinder earlier this summer, the Canadiens have made an offer to bring the defenseman back, his agent Claes Elefalk told Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Ros. Norlinder was a third-round pick by Montreal back in 2019 but aside from a six-game NHL stint, he has played exclusively in the minors since coming to North America in the 2021-22 campaign.  Last season, the 24-year-old had nine points in 50 games with AHL Laval.  Norlinder is believed to have an offer on the table from SHL Modo; he played in their junior system for several years before being drafted.  It’s expected that he will make a decision on where to sign next week.

Boston Bruins| Montreal Canadiens| SHL Jeremy Swayman| Jonathan Morello| Mattias Norlinder

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Hurricanes Re-Sign Seth Jarvis To Eight-Year Contract

August 31, 2024 at 8:35 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 14 Comments

Earlier this week, a report from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta indicated that the Hurricanes and RFA winger Seth Jarvis were nearing an agreement on a long-term contract.  That is indeed the case as the team announced that the two sides have reached an eight-year, $63.2MM contract.  GM Eric Tulsky released the following statement:

Seth is a cornerstone player for our franchise. He took another huge step last season, playing in all situations and displaying the skill and competitive drive that will make him a star in this league in the years to come.

Typically, the AAV of a contract is the total value divided by the number of years which in this case would be $7.9MM.  However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (who first reported the deal) reports that there is a deferred signing bonus payment due July 1st, 2032, a day after the expiration of the agreement.  By doing so, the contract’s AAV will actually check in at $7.5MM.  Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the deal contains $30MM of signing bonus money, the breakdown of which is not yet known.

The contract will cover the four remaining RFA-eligible seasons plus his first four seasons of UFA eligibility.  It’s only those last four years that will be eligible for trade protection.

The 22-year-old was selected 13th overall by the Hurricanes in 2020.  Jarvis spent his post-draft campaign in the WHL and then made the jump to the NHL at 19.  He put up 17 goals and 23 assists in 68 games in his rookie season and followed that up with 14 goals and 25 helpers in 82 games in his sophomore campaign.

Last season was a breakout performance for Jarvis.  He set career-highs with 33 goals and 34 assists in 81 games while averaging 18:45 per night.  His 67 points were good for second on the team in scoring behind only Sebastian Aho.  Jarvis was also one of Carolina’s top scorers during the postseason as he had five goals and four helpers in 11 contests, putting him third in team scoring.  That certainly gave him some extra bargaining power heading into contract negotiations.

Carolina went into these discussions with roughly $6.44MM in cap space, per PuckPedia so this agreement will put them around $1MM over the Upper Limit.  However, with Jesper Fast expected to miss the entire season after having neck surgery, the Hurricanes will be able to put him on LTIR, getting them back into cap compliance.  They can also opt to carry a roster with fewer than the maximum of 23 players which would allow them to get under the Upper Limit that way and still bank in-season cap room.

Contracts with deferred money are quite rare in the NHL but it’s actually the second time Carolina has used it this offseason.  Seravalli notes in his report about Jarvis’ contract that there is some deferred signing bonus money in Jaccob Slavin’s contract as well, one that moves the AAV from the reported $6.461MM to $6.396MM.  These structures have been approved by the NHL so there won’t be any concerns about this contract getting vetoed.

Johnston noted (Twitter link) that multiple teams attempted to use this structure in talks this summer, including Vegas in their attempts to re-sign Jonathan Marchessault.  With Carolina now successfully doing this twice, it will be interesting to see if it results in an uptick in these types of agreements moving forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Carolina Hurricanes| Newsstand| Transactions Seth Jarvis

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Hurricanes, Seth Jarvis Making Progress On Long-Term Contract

August 29, 2024 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 8 Comments

Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis is one of the more prominent restricted free agents with camps just a few weeks away from opening up.  However, it appears that might not be the case for much longer as The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported earlier this week in an NHL Tonight appearance (video link) that the two sides are getting close to a max-term eight-year deal.

The 22-year-old was the 13th overall pick by Carolina in 2020 and after spending his post-draft campaign in the WHL, he has been a fixture in their lineup since.  Jarvis put up 40 and 39 points over his first two seasons, decent numbers for a youngster in his first taste of the pros but he managed to find another gear in 2023-24.

Last season, Jarvis set career bests with 33 goals and 34 assists in 81 games while logging 18:45 per night.  His 67 points were good for second on the Hurricanes in scoring behind only Sebastian Aho.  He was also one of their top scorers in the playoffs, recording five goals and four helpers in 11 contests, putting him third in team scoring behind Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.

It was suggested earlier this month that the Hurricanes might view Svechnikov’s $7.75MM AAV as the ceiling for Jarvis; the 2018 second-overall pick received that on a max-term agreement coming off his entry-level deal.  Pagnotta suggests that the price tag for Jarvis could creep past the $7.5MM mark so while it might come in below Svechnikov’s, it could be pretty close to it.

Carolina has around $6.44MM in cap room, per PuckPedia.  However, with today’s news that winger Jesper Fast will likely miss the entire season after undergoing neck surgery, he will be eligible to be placed on LTIR.  Depending on their exact situation at the time of his placement, the Hurricanes could go over the cap by up to Fast’s $2.4MM.  That amount added to their base cap space would be enough to get Jarvis under contract while leaving a bit of flexibility to afford a recall or two when injuries strike.

Carolina Hurricanes Seth Jarvis

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Snapshots: Norris, Fehervary, Bjorkstrand, Johansson

August 29, 2024 at 8:29 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

After undergoing shoulder surgery back in March, Senators center Josh Norris is expected to be a full participant when training camp gets underway next month, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  The 25-year-old has had three separate shoulder procedures done and he has yet to play more than 66 games in a single season.  Last season, Norris played in 50 games for Ottawa, recording 16 goals and 14 assists.  He has six years remaining on his contract with a $7.95MM cap charge and the Sens will be counting on him to stay healthy and play a prominent role in 2024-25.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary will not suit up for Slovakia in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Hockey Slovakia announced. The blueliner recently indicated that he has been dealing with a minor injury and clearly, he hasn’t fully recovered from it to be able to play.  The 24-year-old had 16 points in 66 games for Washington last season while adding 188 hits and 109 blocked shots in 19:38 per night and would have played a prominent role for the Slovaks in the tournament.
  • Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand was a late scratch for Denmark in their Olympic Qualifying Tournament game against Great Britain today. Team radio host Mike Benton relays (Twitter link) that the injury, which occurred in a tune-up game for the tournament, isn’t believed to be serious but GM Ron Francis noted that it’s something that needs to be looked at which means it’s highly unlikely he’ll play in the other two games.  Bjorkstrand, who had 20 goals and a career-high 39 assists last season, is expected to be ready to participate in training camp.
  • While unrestricted free agent Simon Johansson has received interest from overseas (particularly SHL Djurgarden), the blueliner is focusing on playing in North America this season, notes Hockey Sverige’s Mans Karlsson. The 25-year-old spent the last two seasons in Minnesota’s system and recorded 21 points in 72 games with AHL Iowa in 2023-24.  However, he was still non-tendered back in June.

Injury| Ottawa Senators| Seattle Kraken| Snapshots| Washington Capitals Josh Norris| Martin Fehervary| Oliver Bjorkstrand| Simon Johansson

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Flyers Sign Eetu Makiniemi To PTO

August 29, 2024 at 7:20 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Flyers will have some extra goaltending depth on hand at training camp.  The agency for Eetu Makiniemi, WD Sports and Entertainment, announced (Twitter link) that the netminder has accepted a PTO offer and will attend training camp with Philadelphia.  Team reporter Bill Meltzer relayed last week that the Flyers were interested in bringing Makiniemi to camp.

[Related: 2024 Professional Tryout Tracker]

The 25-year-old was originally drafted in the fourth round by Carolina in 2017 but after spending one year in their farm system, he was dealt to San Jose in 2022 as part of the Brent Burns trade.  Makiniemi spent the last two years in the Sharks’ system, primarily at the AHL level but he did make two appearances with the big club, putting up a 2.13 GAA and a .906 SV%.

Last season, Makiniemi played in 18 games with AHL San Jose, putting up a 3.14 GAA with a .900 SV%.  He also suited up for three contests with ECHL Wichita, posting a 3.39 GAA and a .907 SV% in those outings.  At the end of the contract, he became a Group Six unrestricted free agent.

There has been some uncertainty surrounding Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov who is believed to be seeking a return to the KHL for the upcoming season while the organization does not appear to be willing to loan him back.  Veteran Cal Petersen is expected to be the starter with AHL Lehigh Valley (assuming he clears waivers once again in training camp) while the Phantoms have added Keith Petruzzelli and re-signed Parker Gahagen to give themselves some insurance between the pipes.  Makiniemi will now try to play his way into that mix on what would likely ultimately be an AHL contract.

Philadelphia Flyers| Transactions Eetu Makiniemi

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CHL Notes: Muhonen, Vaisanen, Sansonens, Loshko

August 29, 2024 at 6:47 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While NHL training camps are still a few weeks away, CHL camps are already underway.  That has brought about some early activity on the transaction front; here’s a rundown of some recent moves involving NHL prospects.

  • WHL Medicine Hat announced that they’ve signed Stars defenseman Niilopekka Muhonen and Utah blueliner Veeti Vaisanen to contracts for the upcoming season. The Tigers selected the two players in the CHL Import Draft earlier this offseason.  Muhonen was a fifth-round pick last month after spending most of last season in KalPa’s junior system in Finland.  Vaisanen, meanwhile, was a late third-rounder and spent the majority of last season in Finland’s top level, getting into 50 games with KooKoo where he had two goals and eight assists.
  • After spending last season in Switzerland, Basile Sansonnens is on the move. His club team in Lausanne announced that they have loaned him to QMJHL Rimouski for the upcoming season.  The Canucks selected the defenseman late in the seventh round in June after he picked up three points in 40 games with Gotteron at the junior level.  It’s a one-year loan for Sansonnens who will return to Lausanne for the 2025-26 season; he’s signed with them through the 2027-28 campaign which is also the deadline for Vancouver to sign him to an NHL contract or lose his rights.
  • Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko is on the move as OHL Niagara announced that they’ve claimed the forward off waivers. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2019 and is coming off a productive season with QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda, one which saw him record 28 goals and 37 assists in 64 games.  However, the Huskies picked up two new players in the Import Draft, resulting in Loshko hitting the waiver wire.  Seattle has until June 1, 2025 to sign Loshko to an entry-level deal.

CHL| Dallas Stars| OHL| QMJHL| Seattle Kraken| Utah Mammoth| Vancouver Canucks| WHL Andrei Loshko| Basile Sansonnens| Niilopekka Muhonen| Veeti Vaisanen

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