East Notes: Mikheyev, Chytil, Monahan
A few days ago, we covered reports stating that the Toronto Maple Leafs had made it clear to teams across the league that they would be open to trading the early negotiating rights to Ilya Mikheyev to any interested teams. Now, we have some more clarity on what those interested teams might look like. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, there look to be many. Johnston reports that “as many as half the teams” in the NHL are expected to hold at least some interest in acquiring Mikheyev this summer, and adds that Mikheyev is looking for a deal “in the $4MM range,” if not higher.
Such a vast level of interest in Mikheyev is not a complete surprise. The speedy, undrafted Russian winger scored 21 goals and 32 points in 53 games this season, bouncing back from an off 2020-21 where he only had seven goals and 17 points in 54 games. While not the largest reason for each team’s success, both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning feature premium middle-of-the-lineup players, and it’s likely that the teams interested in him consider him a “premium” middle-sixer. The NHL is a “copycat” league, so it’s very possible that the playoff success of relatively comparable players such as Artturi Lehkonen or Nick Paul has grown Mikheyev’s market. The more teams that enter a bidding war for his services, the more likely Mikheyev is to earn the type of contract the desires. So if anything, Johnston’s reporting is great news for Mikheyev and his camp, and could also be an early sign of the type of players that will be in high demand on July 13th.
Now, for some other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:
- The New York Rangers could lose both Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome this summer, two top-six players who were important pieces of the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. Those losses will likely leave a hole at the Rangers’ second-line center slot, and the Rangers will need to find a replacement this summer. One way the team can find a replacement is in the trade market, and according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, that’s something they’re considering. (subscription link) Per Staple, two league sources noted that center Filip Chytil, the hero of the team’s second-round victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, is the “most talked-about” Ranger in GM Chris Drury‘s trade conversations, and that “the Rangers are willing to lose Chytil in order to acquire an older, more established top-six center.” Chytil, a 2017 first-round pick, is a veteran of over 250 NHL games despite being just 22 years old. He had 22 points in 67 games this season and his strong playoff performance could motivate the Rangers to “sell high” on him if they don’t view him as part of their long-term plans.
- One player who could potentially fill the Rangers’ second-line center need is Calgary Flames pivot Sean Monahan. Per Staple, Monahan “has been discussed in trade talks” with the Rangers. Monahan, 27, has seen his career derailed due to injuries as of late, and was placed on long-term injured reserve following hip surgery. If the Rangers believe in Monahan’s ability to re-discover the form that saw him score between 20 and 30 goals for seven straight seasons, then the Rangers could acquire him at an asset cost that would likely be far lower than the cost it would take to acquire a more in-demand center.
Atlantic Notes: Palat, Senators Priorities, Murray
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have fallen just short in their attempt to win a third straight Stanley Cup, but that hasn’t stopped them from doubling down on some of the players that got them there, and they started earlier this week with a seven-year extension for playoff hero Nick Paul. While defenseman Ryan McDonagh could be on the move, it seems as though that move would be motivated by the team’s desire to keep another important playoff performer: Ondrej Palat. Palat is one of the Lightning’s ultimate success stories, a seventh-rounder who developed to the point of being among coach Jon Cooper’s most trusted players. Palat is a pending unrestricted free agent, and GM Julien Brisebois has already made public his desire to sign Palat to an extension.
Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Joe Smith took a look (subscription link) at what a potential Palat extension could look like, and concluded that another team could very well offer Palat a long-term contract worth more than $5MM per year. But, according to Smith, even in the face of those offers “the Lightning are absolutely going to try to keep Palat.” The decision on whether he remains in Tampa “will likely rest in [Palat’s] hands” as he’ll have to decide if he’s willing to take a potentially lower offer in order to remain with the only franchise he’s ever known.
Now, for some other notes regarding teams in the Atlantic Division:
- The Senators want to improve their team for next season, with the goal of potentially competing for a playoff spot in 2022-23. That much is no secret, and Ottawa indicated that would be their team’s direction earlier this year, when they traded a mid-round draft pick in order to acquire a veteran defenseman in Travis Hamonic. But while we know they want to improve their team, what we don’t know is exactly how they’ll go about doing so. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the Senators are looking to add a “high-end winger” and a “top-four defenseman” as their main priorities for this offseason. Luckily for the Senators, there are high-end wingers and top-four defensemen on the market this summer, although acquiring them through free agency could prove to be a challenge as Ottawa has not traditionally been among the most desirable markets for free agents. The Senators have been dangling the seventh-overall pick in trade talks, though, so perhaps that pick holds the key to the Senators acquiring the players they desire.
- Perhaps the single greatest factor the Senators have going in their favor as they seek to improve their team is their advantageous cap position. In a league where most teams are walking a salary cap tightrope, the Senators have over $20MM in projected cap space. Per Garrioch, they’d like to grow that number, and one avenue they’re considering is a move for goaltender Matt Murray. Murray is making $6.25MM against the cap for the next two seasons and the Senators already have found their number-one goalie for that time frame in Anton Forsberg. Garrioch reports that the Senators have talked about “packaging” Murray’s contract with the seventh-overall pick in order to clear his cap hit off their books. While Garrioch does note that such a scenario would need to bring the Senators a “strong return” in exchange, one does have to wonder if the cap relief trading Murray would provide could be considered part of a satisfactory “strong return.”
Boston Bruins Hire Jim Montgomery
The Bruins have found their next head coach as they officially announced on Friday that they have hired Jim Montgomery as their new head coach. He takes over for Bruce Cassidy who was fired earlier this offseason. GM Don Sweeney released the following statement about the hire:
Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure. We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team.
This hire is a bit of a surprising one, as the Bruins had been interviewing candidates such as David Quinn and Jay Leach, coaches with deep ties to either Boston hockey or the Bruins organization. Montgomery does not have such deep ties to the Bruins, and the Montreal native did not play in the Boston area during his 122-game NHL career. He did have an extremely successful career at the University of Maine, which is technically within New England, but still, his ties to the area are dwarfed by the other reported finalists.
Montgomery is an intriguing candidate in part because of why he’s in this position in the first place. After an extremely successful tenure at the helm of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, winning two championships in three years, he left to coach the NCAA’s University of Denver. There, Montgomery won the 2017 NCAA National Championship.
That success at Denver led Montgomery to his first NHL head coaching job, taking the reins of a Dallas Stars franchise that had missed the playoffs the year before. Montgomery’s player-focused, upbeat coaching style immediately connected with the Stars players, and he went 43-32-7 and won a playoff series. The next year, though, Montgomery was fired early in the season for what the team called “unprofessional conduct.” After his firing, Montgomery made his struggles with alcohol abuse public, and began the process of rehabilitation.
His recovery was successful enough for him to earn another chance to coach in the NHL, this time as an assistant on Craig Berube’s St. Louis Blues staff. There, Montgomery coached a powerplay that rocketed to among the league’s best, and it’s on the back of that success that he gets his second chance at being an NHL head coach, now in Boston, where ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports that he has received a three-year deal worth around $2MM annually.
For the Bruins, the hire of Montgomery represents a significant departure from Cassidy’s style of management. Cassidy’s more demanding style reportedly wore on the Bruins’ players and played a role in his firing despite all the success he had. Montgomery’s style is a departure from Cassidy’s, as he is by all reports a highly approachable, player-first bench boss. It remains to be seen if the team’s swap of Cassidy for Montgomery, and the stylistic changes that result from that swap, is ultimately successful. But what we do know now is that this move, at the very least, gives a coach who was once viewed as a rising star the second chance at coaching that he’s worked so hard to earn.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to report that Montgomery was set to become Boston’s head coach.
Offseason Notes: Kraken, Dubois, Gaudreau
The Seattle Kraken made moves last summer signaling their intention to be a competitive team right from their first-ever game, just as the Vegas Golden Knights were in their first season. They signed Philipp Grubauer, Jaden Schwartz, and others in free agency, all with the idea of potentially being in the mix for a playoff spot in what was seen as a weak Pacific division. That didn’t happen, though, and the Kraken finished third-to-last in the entire NHL with a 27-49-6 record. The team only scored 216 goals, which ranked them fourth from last in the NHL, and had only one player cross the 50-point mark, Jared McCann, who had 50 points exactly. Some have speculated that this poor season would set the Kraken on the path of a more traditional rebuild, seeing them bottom out in the standings, chasing young, high-end talent. That doesn’t appear to be their preferred route to contention, though.
TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the Kraken were among the teams in the mix to acquire Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala “right until the end,” and that they are interested in utilizing their cap space in search of a “high-end forward” or someone who can add to their scoring depth. Johnston adds that he expects the Kraken to come forward with “big offers” for some of the top free-agent forwards should they become available on July 13th. The two biggest names currently slated to hit free agency are Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau, play-driving wingers who have scored at above a point-per-game pace. If the Kraken want one of those two players, they will undoubtedly have to beat the offers of a multitude of other suitors. Beyond just Forsberg and Gaudreau they could also target other names such as Evander Kane, Andre Burakovsky, or Ryan Strome.
Now, for some other notes concerning this offseason’s biggest storylines:
- Pierre-Luc Dubois‘ name has attracted a lot of attention in the rumor mill recently, as his desire to test free agency in 2024 has become public. This has led to many speculating that he will be traded this summer, so that the Winnipeg Jets could get as much long-term value out of Dubois as possible. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, a trade isn’t what’s most likely. Per Dreger, if a team such as the New York Rangers or Montreal Canadiens wants to add Dubois this summer, it will take a “very substantial offer” to get Winnipeg to agree. Dreger names a few Rangers players specifically in Filip Chytil, Braden Schneider, and Kaapo Kakko as examples of headliners in a Dubois trade, and says that it could even take “a first-round pick on top of that.” Unless an interested team can offer a lucrative package of assets headlined by players such as the aforementioned group to acquire Dubois, Dreger states that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff won’t trade Dubois this offseason.
- Johnny Gaudreau could be the biggest name in this summer’s free-agent market, and according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, despite a major offer from the Flames, the situation with Gaudreau is unchanged. Per LeBrun, Gaudreau’s camp has “not communicated” where the contract situation is headed, and there seems to be a growing divide in terms of how Gaudreau wants to handle his free agency and what the Flames are willing to tolerate as they attempt to construct next year’s roster. LeBrun reports that Gaudreau “wants to keep the Flames in the mix” while also getting to “take a peek” at the offers from other teams on July 13th. The Flames, though, would reportedly be uncomfortable with the saga dragging on to that point, and would potentially need to begin to pivot to other options, as LeBrun puts it. Flames GM Brad Treliving has previously stated that he would move “heaven and earth” to retain Gaudreau, so it remains to be seen if “heaven and earth” includes tolerating the uncertainty of Gaudreau’s free agency in order to maintain their chance of getting his signature on an extension.
Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Mathieu Olivier
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators have announced a trade: forward Mathieu Olivier is going from Nashville to Columbus in exchange for the 122nd pick at next week’s draft, a pick that originally belonged to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Olivier, 25, is an undrafted player who spent most of this past season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The six-foot-two, 210-pound native of Biloxi, Mississippi had his longest stretch of NHL action in 2020-21, when he got into 30 games for the Predators, registering three goals and five points to go along with 70 penalty minutes. Olivier will play next season on a $750k cap hit before becoming an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.
In Olivier, the Blue Jackets are acquiring a big, physical fourth-line grinder. He’s a hit-first, ask questions later sort of player who isn’t much different from what Columbus coach Brad Larsen was when he was in the NHL. Olivier isn’t much of a scorer, and his 11 points in 46 AHL games this past season is a clear indication of that. Olivier fits best in a fourth-line role at both the NHL and AHL levels and can play that role with some success. Predators coach John Hynes trusted Olivier enough to play him in three of the team’s four playoff games this year, and it’s definitely possible that he earns a similar level of trust from Larsen. While fourth-rounder is a bit of a steep price to pay for someone who likely won’t be anything more than a fourth-liner, it’s clear the Blue Jackets have an identity they want to build and they believe that Olivier helps them build it.
For the Predators, getting a fourth-rounder for Olivier is a decent bit of business, especially if he wasn’t in their long-term plans. According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, the Predators have the 12th-ranked prospect pool in the NHL, so adding another pick in next week’s draft gives GM David Poile and his staff another swing of the bat to try to make a home-run selection.
Ultimately, if the Predators do end up feeling like they’ll miss what Olivier brings to the table, physical fourth-liners are always available in free agency. But with Tanner Jeannot and Yakov Trenin already in the fold, among others, it’s possible that dealing Olivier is simply the Predators cashing in a surplus player in order to add an extra draft choice.
Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Smith, Free Agent Goalies
While his first trade request didn’t lead to a move, it seems that Puljujarvi’s second attempt could be more successful. Per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, sources have confirmed that the Edmonton Oilers winger is “ready to move on for a fresh start” outside of Edmonton. He adds that the Oilers are “ready to oblige” and are already speaking with “at least four teams” in order to secure as high of a return as possible for the former top-five pick. Spector also consults a group of pro scouts to gauge an opinion on what Puljujarvi’s value is on the trade market, and the responses came generally along the lines of a second or third-round pick. TSN’s Chris Johnston confirms Spector’s reporting that several teams have engaged the Oilers in trade discussions regarding Puljujarvi, and he goes further, naming the Senators specifically as a team believed to be in the mix.
This is not Puljujarvi’s first time seeking an exit from Edmonton, but this time it seems more likely thanks to his improved play. The first time, Puljujarvi had not established himself as an NHL option and the possibility of a return to Finland was looming over the entire process. Now, Puljujarvi is coming off of a successful season as an Oiler, where he scored 14 goals and 36 points in 65 games. The 24-year-old winger offers an intriguing package of size and skill, and it’s no surprise that a team like Ottawa, who drafted their own power forward in Tyler Boucher tenth-overall at last year’s draft, would be interested. What will be surprise, though, is his ultimate destination, as Ottawa is only one of several teams vying for his services.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Edmonton Oilers:
- On the Insider Trading segment of TSN’s Sportscentre program, Darren Dreger reported on the situation with Oilers starter Mike Smith, who has one year remaining on his contract at a $2.2MM cap hit. Per Dreger, Smith and GM Ken Holland will meet this week to discuss the player’s future, and in all likelihood the result will be that Smith will be placed on long-term injured reserve for the rest of his contract. Smith battled injuries during the Oilers’ run to the Western Conference Final, and although he had a strong season (.915 save percentage) he only got into 28 regular-season games. At 40 years old, Smith could be prioritizing his long-term health over a quick return to the ice, a choice that is definitely respectable.
- With Smith no longer in the picture, then, the Oilers will need to target a new number-one goalie. Per Dreger, Holland is expected to delve “deep” into the free agent market this summer in search of a goalie, and Dreger specifically names Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell and St. Louis Blues goalie Ville Husso as two candidates for the job. Smith’s play was the subject of lots of conversation during the playoffs, and many believe that the Oilers are an elite goalie away from true Stanley Cup contention. With Smith’s anticipated placement on LTIR, it looks like Holland will be on the hunt for names like Campbell, Husso, or other top goalies.
Detroit Red Wings Hire Derek Lalonde
Another coaching vacancy has been filled. The Detroit Red Wings announced today that they have hired Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde as the 28th head coach in franchise history. Lalonde will be officially introduced to the media tomorrow at 11:00 AM.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman gave the following statement on hiring Lalonde:
“I’m very pleased to announce Derek as our new head coach, he has proven himself as an excellent coach at every level and has spent the last four seasons in the National Hockey League as part of a very successful program in Tampa Bay. We feel he is ready to take the next step in his career as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.”
Lalonde has been a key member of Jon Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning staff since 2018-19. Since hiring Lalonde, the Lightning have gone 192-77-21 with two Stanley Cup championships and a third trip to the final. His run of success in Tampa gives him an extremely strong resume, and he comes to the Red Wings widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the game.
The connection to Detroit here is obvious: GM Steve Yzerman was the architect of Lalonde’s Lightning team and still has deep ties within the organization. As Detroit looks to exit their rebuild and return to contention, Lalonde is the candidate that provides Yzerman with the best combination of familiarity and great qualifications.
Lalonde was last a head coach with the Iowa Wild of the AHL. He spent two seasons coaching in Iowa, going 69-58-25, failing to make the playoffs in either year. Before then, Lalonde had an extremely successful run as a head coach with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, including managing them to a 47-9-4 2011-12 campaign that saw them finish as champions of the USHL.
In Lalonde, the Red Wings are getting an experienced coach who has won championships at multiple levels. After a historic streak of consecutive years making the playoffs, the Red Wings haven’t been back in a while. With a new coach in tow and several up-and-coming stars including Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider, the future looks bright in Detroit.
Snapshots: DeSmith, Mock Draft, McCallum
Once Tristan Jarry got injured late in this past season, many figured that backup goalie Casey DeSmith would have a prime opportunity to earn some extra money on his next contract. The pending unrestricted free agent was the team’s starter in Game One of the first round against the New York Rangers, but his chance at showcasing his talents on a national stage was cut short. Like Jarry, DeSmith was also knocked out with an injury. Louis Domingue, third on the Penguins’ goalie depth chart, got that valuable opportunity instead. Even with that missed opportunity, DeSmith still enters free agency on solid ground. The Penguins, though, are reportedly hoping he doesn’t get there. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Penguins are “trying to sign” DeSmith to a new deal, with the two sides working at reaching an agreement on an acceptable contract.
The motivations for the Penguins are clear and based in DeSmith’s performance. He has been a steady, reliable backup for three seasons now, and carries a career .916 save percentage in 97 NHL games. DeSmith went 11-6-5 in 2021-22, and had a 2.79 goals-against-average and .914 save percentage. DeSmith is an undrafted player who made his professional debut as an ECHL goalie after finishing his college career at the University of New Hampshire. DeSmith’s NHL resume is more consistently successful than Scott Wedgewood‘s, who today signed a two-year deal worth $1MM AAV. With DeSmith already earning $1.25MM on his last deal, and with a more extensive track record of success at the NHL level, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him double Wedgewood’s number on his own next contract.
Now, for some other notes from across the league:
- We are rapidly approaching the NHL Draft, and rumors are swirling constantly. This is a rare year for NHL fans as there is some real mystery at the top of the draft. Who the Montreal Canadiens, the hosts of the draft, pick there is anyone’s guess. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman waded into the murky waters of next week’s draft, and projected all seven rounds as part of a full mock draft. (subscription link) Pronman writes that the “winds seem to be blowing” towards the Canadiens selecting Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky at the number-one slot, and as a result of that choice Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright slides all the way to the Seattle Kraken at the fourth pick. Pronman projects that the New Jersey Devils will take a big defenseman in David Jiricek, and that the Arizona Coyotes will stick with American center Logan Cooley, who they are often connected to. If Pronman’s extensive work is any indication, it will be an extremely exciting – even chaotic – draft night.
- The Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, announced today that they have signed forward Lynden McCallum to a one-year AHL contract. McCallum is a former Brandon Wheat King, playing for the WHL club from 2017-18 to 2020-21. GM Kelly McCrimmon has deep ties to the Wheat Kings, so it’s easy to see the connection between McCallum and the organization McCrimmon currently runs. McCallum was an impressive ECHL player in his first professional season, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in 36 games for the Fort Wayne Komets. His AHL run was far less productive, as he only managed five points in 20 games, although his ice time did decline from 17:39 per game in Fort Wayne to only 10:32 per game in Henderson. With this extension, the 22-year-old McCallum will get another chance to continue his run of success at the ECHL level with the hopes that his stay in the AHL can be more permanent this time around.
Dallas Stars Sign Scott Wedgewood
While the Dallas Stars have a big negotiation coming up with starting goalie Jake Oettinger, they won’t have any more negotiating to do to find his backup. The team announced today that they have re-signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to two-year, $1MM AAV deal.
Wedgewood originally came to the Stars as part of a mid-season trade with the Arizona Coyotes, who had claimed him off waivers from the New Jersey Devils. It had been Wedgewood’s second tour of duty with the Coyotes, a far more successful tenure than his first time in the desert. In 2017-18, the Coyotes acquired Wedgewood and he ended up playing 20 NHL games there, going 5-9-4 with an .893 save percentage. This year, Wedgewood flipped the script, posting a strong .911 save percentage on a Coyotes team that finished among the league’s worst teams.
While Wedgewood only played eight games with the Stars, his overall performance in 2021-22 is the primary reason why GM Jim Nill and the Stars can be confident in him as their choice to back up Oettinger. In total this year, Wedgewood started 32 games and had a .910 save percentage, which is especially impressive when you consider that the bulk of his starts came in Arizona. The Stars clearly believe that Wedgewood has what it takes to be a strong backup for their up-and-coming star, and the numbers support them in that belief.
At only 29 years old, Wedgewood still figures to have a long career in front of him. The former top-100 pick at the 2010 draft took his time developing in the minors, starting first in the ECHL before eventually reaching the NHL after three seasons with the AHL’s Albany Devils. While he has bounced around quite a bit so far in his career, as part of three trades and a waiver claim, he seems to have found a home in Dallas.
West Notes: Forsberg, Horvat, Oilers Coaching Staff
Recently, we covered how Filip Forsberg and the Nashville Predators’ negotiations on a new contract had been difficult, with both sides still “far apart” in terms of what a potential extension would look like. A week later, the situation remains uncertain. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on the status of the negotiations today, clarifying that while the gap between the team and player is said to be less than $1MM per year, there still has not been “a lot of progress” on finalizing a deal. With the eight-year term already agreed upon, that relatively small gap in the negotiation could cause the situation to drag on until potentially even the start of free agency.
With the gap under $1MM, it’ll be extremely interesting to see if Forsberg remains a Predator. He is the team’s all-time leading goal scorer and among their most important players. GM David Poile is a firm negotiator, and the Predators’ reluctance to give n0-trade protection on deals has been well-publicized. So, with that reputation in mind, it’s fair to wonder if Poile will let that six-figure gap be the reason Forsberg departs Nashville. From most fans’ perspectives, it seems like an easy question: the small bump in cost is worth avoiding the trouble of finding a replacement player. But to cement a deal with the long-tenured Poile, who is no stranger to letting important players leave in free agency, perhaps Forsberg will be the one who will need to compromise.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL’s Western Conference:
- While J.T. Miller has been the name most frequently mentioned in trade rumors, Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat actually has an identical contract situation, as he too will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. But unlike Miller, Horvat probably won’t be on the move anytime soon, hence his absence in the rumor mill. Per Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link), the Canucks are “completely invested” in retaining Horvat beyond the expiry of his current contract. It’s easy to see why, as Horvat is among the team’s most important leaders and is still a highly effective on-ice talent. The 27-year-old pivot crossed the 30-goal plateau last year for the first time in his career and should be in line for a moderate raise from his current $5.5MM cap hit.
- The Edmonton Oilers finalized their coaching situation when they removed the interim tag from coach Jay Woodcroft’s job title. Now, it seems that Woodcroft’s full coaching staff is taking shape. Per Dreger, Oilers assistant Brian Wiseman is “moving on” from the team, while fellow coaches Dave Manson and Glen Gulutzan are expected to stay in Edmonton. Wiseman is a former twelfth-round pick who has been an assistant coach in Edmonton for three seasons. Before then, he was part of the coaching staff at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. While a return to the college ranks is possible, Wiseman will certainly have options, as Dreger reports that he is set to have “strong interest” from a “variety of teams.”