Snapshots: Ehlers, Arizona, Anaheim, Washington
Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers will be healthy for the team’s opening game against the Calgary Flames. The star has been dealing with neck spasms and wore a non-contact jersey through part of training camp. Ehlers missed multiple pre-season games, calling into question his availability for opening night, although it seems he’s mounted a recovery in the second half of camp.
Ehlers has had a closer relationship with injured reserve in recent years, spending six weeks on the list with a hernia last season. He scored 38 points in the 45 games he did appear in during the 2022-23 season. This was a 69-point scoring pace, which would have been the most points of Ehlers’ eight-year NHL career. His career totals are up to 523 games, 176 goals, and 396 points. His scoring is an important attribute of Winnipeg’s top-six. The team will hope he’s moved on from his injury bug as he suits up for the start of their 2023-24 campaign.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Arizona Coyotes have shifted some players around as they trim down to a final NHL roster. Michael Kesselring, Victor Soderstrom, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Zach Sanford have all been assigned to Tuscon in the AHL.
- Anaheim has assigned Andrew Agozzino and Alex Stalock, both NHL veterans, to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
- The Washington Capitals have made a series of moves, assigning Max Pacioretty to long-term injured reserve, Joel Edmundson to injured reserve, and Hardy Haman Aktell, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael to Hershey in the AHL. They have also recalled Riley Sutter to the NHL roster.
Colorado Sends Annunen to AHL, Prosvetov Becomes Backup
The Colorado Avalanche have sent goaltender Justus Annunen to the minor leagues. This seemingly locks in waiver claim Ivan Prosvetov as the team’s backup while Pavel Francouz is injured. There remains no timetable for Francouz’s return from an injury that required adductor surgery this summer.
Colorado drafted Annunen in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the third-highest-picked goalie from the class. He’s appeared in four NHL games over the last two seasons, recording a 2-1-1 record and a .859 save percentage. He has also played in 91 AHL games over four seasons, recording a .904 save percentage through that stretch.
Annunen, 23, has only played North American hockey for roughly three seasons, coming over from Finland after Karpat’s second-round playoff defeat in 2021. He moved into the AHL with professional experience on his back, appearing in 49 Liiga games while in Finland and another 22 Mestis games – Finland’s top league and second league respectively. He recorded a confident 2.18 goals-against-average and .906 save percentage in his Liiga experience, setting a 22-15-11 record.
Prosvetov is one year older than Annunen and has much more experience with North American hockey, playing in the NAHL, USHL, and OHL before turning pro with the Arizona Coyotes. Prosvetov has played in 125 AHL games, setting a .895 save percentage and a nicely-split 54-54-11 record. He’s also added 13 NHL games, recording a .871 save percentage. His most recent NHL experience game just last season, serving as one of three goalies to suit up for Arizona last year.
The two goalies are in competition for a backup role that’s left by Francouz, who is still recovering from a groin injury suffered in May. Francouz has been assigned to injured reserve for the start of the season.
Hurricanes Assign Coghlan, Three Others To Minor Leagues
The Carolina Hurricanes have made their final roster cuts, assigning seven players to various leagues or injury designation. Dylan Coghlan (Springfield), Caleb Jones (Colorado), and Pyotr Kochetkov (Syracuse) have been assigned to various teams in the AHL. Domenick Fensore has been sent to Norfolk of the ECHL. 2023 Draft prospect Felix Unger Sorum was sent back to Leksands in Sweden. And Vasily Ponomarev and Ryan Suzuki were assigned to the team’s injured non-roster list. The final Hurricanes lineup can be viewed here.
The process of assigning players to the minor leagues has been a tricky one for Carolina, who are without an AHL affiliate for the season after the Chicago Wolves opted to go independent. This has meant that every player Carolina wants to assign to the AHL must be loaned out, explaining why Coghlan, Jones, and Kochetkov were dispersed.
Unger Sorum was an exciting name to follow throughout Carolina’s training camp. The winger was just barely eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft, being born a day before the cutoff. That means that he only turned 18 on September 14th. And yet he was able to carve out a significant role for much of the team’s camp, even earning speculation over whether he was ready to join the NHL lineup. Instead, he becomes one of their final roster cuts and will rejoin Leksands in Sweden. Unger Sorum primarily played for Leksands’ U20 team last year, appearing in 42 games and recording 46 points. He also played in seven SHL games, although he didn’t manage to record any points. The 2023 second-round pick will be an exciting international name for Canes fans to follow throughout the 2022-23 campaign.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/08/23
NHL final rosters are due tomorrow, Monday, 10/9, at 5 p.m. ET, meaning it’s time for NHL teams to make their final trimmings. As always, we will track these cuts here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
F Zack Kassian (released from PTO)
D Olen Zellweger (to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release)
F Dylan Guenther (to Tucson, AHL)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to Tucson, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
D Sam Malinski (to Colorado, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
F Oskar Bäck (to Texas, AHL)
D Lian Bichsel (to Texas, AHL)
F Matěj Blümel (to Texas, AHL)
F Mavrik Bourque (to Texas, AHL)
F Kyle McDonald (to Texas, AHL)
G Remi Poirier (to Texas, AHL)
F Logan Stankoven (to Texas, AHL)
D Jordie Benn (released from PTO)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Jonatan Berggren (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Simon Edvinsson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Cross Hanas (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nate Danielson (to Brandon, WHL)
F Elmer Soderblom (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Denis Gurianov (to Milwaukee, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Josh Bailey (released from PTO)
F Jiri Smejkal (to Belleville, AHL)
D Maxence Guenette (to Belleville, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
D Matt Kessel (to Springfield, AHL)
F Zachary Bolduc (to Springfield, AHL)
F Zach Dean (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mathias Laferriere (to Springfield, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release)
F Nils Åman (to Abbotsford, AHL)
There are two more notable players that have been sent down from St. Louis, 2021 first-round picks Bolduc and Dean. Seeing as neither player has made his pro debut yet, it’s not exactly a surprise to see them begin in Springfield, although there had to have been some hope that Bolduc could follow up a stellar 50-goal, 110-point QMJHL season by grabbing an NHL job in training camp.
Although that didn’t happen, a quick start in the AHL with the Thunderbirds could quickly land him in St. Louis. Dean is in a similar situation, though his physical skill-and-sandpaper brand of hockey could land him a shot for a fourth-line role down the line in St. Louis, while Bolduc may have to wait until an scoring line role opens up for his call-up.
In Ottawa, a veteran of over 1,000 games, Bailey, was released from his PTO. Reports out of Ottawa noted that Bailey struggled with the pace of the game throughout training camp and preseason, something that Bailey also had difficulty with in his last season on Long Island.
After seeing his production drop year-over-year from 44 points to 25, Bailey will now need to look elsewhere if he wants to continue his pro career.
It’s a surprise to see Guenther, 20, begin the season in the AHL. The 2021 ninth-overall pick was solid in 33 games of NHL action last season, scoring 15 points. But with the Coyotes additions this summer to their forward corps, namely in established offensive players such as Alex Kerfoot and Jason Zucker, perhaps the Coyotes would prefer Guenther develop in a starring role in Tucson than in a middle-six role in Tempe.
Snapshots: NHL Expansion, Spurgeon, Nylander
In a recent episode of Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun expressed confidence that the NHL will be expanding, sharing it’s a matter of when rather than if. The TSN panel shared four cities that could be up for a new NHL team: Houston, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and Quebec City. LeBrun added, “It felt like [Bettman] was so close to saying it was just going to happen… he kept talking about the recurring conversations of interest he’s having with those four cities.”
However, the TSN group also shared that before the league can worry about adding new teams, they’ll need to find clarity around the Arizona Coyotes arena situation. This certainly makes sense – the league needs to keep any relocation options open – but may also freeze any expansion talks for the short term. Bettman has recently expressed optimism in the Coyotes’ ability to find a new, more permanent home in the desert, although nothing is set in stone just yet. Arizona’s situation will be key to watch as the NHL considers where to add new franchises, and how many cities could be in line for expansion.
Other notes from around the league:
- Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon took a hard hit in the team’s Thursday night preseason game. He sat out of the rest of the game and may be dealing with an injury that holds him out for even longer. Head coach Dean Evason said, “It’s not positive, but we’ll get a better evaluation tomorrow.” This will be an important thing to monitor, as Spurgeon’s impact in Minnesota is second to none. In addition to serving as their captain for the last three seasons, Spurgeon has also become a consistent double-digit goal-scorer capable of 40-point seasons. Wild fans will hold their breath, as his availability for opening night now seems uncertain.
- The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel shared that Toronto forward William Nylander gave his agent, Lewis Gross, permission to continue negotiating a contract extension into the regular season. However, Nylander said he doesn’t want to hear updates until negotiations are closer to the finish line. Gross, notably, also represents Johnny Gaudreau, who had his own round of contract extension discussions with now-Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. The two sides, Gross and Treliving, aren’t unfamiliar with big-money extension discussions, which should be an interesting contributor to Nylander’s ongoing discussions.
Zach Whitecloud Undergoes Surgery, Out Week-to-Week
The Vegas Golden Knights will be without Zach Whitecloud for at least the start of the year after the defender underwent successful hand surgery. The team has officially announced that Whitecloud is week-to-week, although reports say he could be out for as long as six months.
This would be a huge blow for Whitecloud, who’s suffered a string of injuries going back to the start of the 2021-22 season. In October of that year, Whitecloud was held out for just under a month after blocking a shot with his wrist. And while he was able to return to the lineup quickly, Whitecloud suffered another injury in February, fracturing his foot and missing another month of play. He also missed two months of the 2022-23 season with an undisclosed lower-body injury.
But while Whitecloud hasn’t faired well with injuries, he has left a notable impression when he is on the ice, enough to earn a six-year contract extension starting in 2022-23. The deal carries an annual cap hit of $2.75MM and carries Whitecloud through his age-30 season.
Whitecloud has appeared in 186 career games, including 59 games in each of the last two seasons. In 2021-22, he recorded eight goals and 19 points, while averaging just under 19 minutes per game. Each of those numbers went down over the last season, with Whitecloud netting 12 points and averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time. The defenseman has also made his impact felt on special teams, consistently appearing as a top-four option for Vegas’ penalty kill.
Vegas has a few different options to replace Whitecloud, including Kaedan Korczak, Brayden Pachal, and Daniil Miromanov. All three defenders have NHL experience, appearing in 11, 12, and 25 career games respectively, and all served in major AHL roles when they weren’t with the NHL club last season. With Whitecloud slated to miss at least the start of the year, and as much as the first half of the season, Vegas will need one of these two blue-liners to step up.
Summer Synopsis: Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are back to square one, once again questioning whether their depth is strong enough to earn a spot in the playoffs. And while the team has done well at using free agency and trades to round out their roster, the Pacific Division has improved substantially around them – eating against Vancouver’s postseason hopes. How the club adjusts to what’s sure to be an eventful season ahead should be very telling of their short-term and long-term prospects.
Draft
1-11: D Tom Willander, Rögle (Sweden U20)
3-75: D Hunter Brzustewicz, Kitchener (OHL)
3-89: D Sawyer Mynio, Seattle (WHL)
4-105: F Ty Mueller, Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA, NCHC)
4-107: F Vilmer Alriksson, Djurgårdens (Sweden U20)
4-119: F Matthew Perkins, Youngstown (USHL)
6-171: D Aiden Celebrini, Brooks (AJHL)
The Canucks brought in four defenders at the draft, the most they’ve brought in in a single class since 2013. This group is headlined by Tom Willander, who Vancouver took shockingly early, selecting him two picks before Buffalo took Zach Benson and six spots ahead of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the defender who played above Willander for Sweden’s national team. The Canucks will hope those picks don’t come back to haunt them, although Willander’s early showings have proven optimistic. The Swedish defender was lauded for his leadership abilities and composed two-way play, showing a great ability to command a line. Willander is also playing for Boston University this season, where he’ll likely serve as Lane Hutson‘s batterymate and should continue to round out his two-way abilities.
After landing the reliable Willander, Vancouver favored offensive upside with their next pick, landing Hunter Brzustewicz, who was considered a First Round prospect by many public scouting agencies. Questions about how he’ll translate to the professional level, as well as concerns about his defensive abilities, pushed Brzustewicz down the draft board, but Vancouver could be landing a high-upside talent with their third-round pick. Brzustewicz recorded 51 assists and 57 points in 68 OHL games last season, ranking third among the league’s U19 defenders in scoring behind Ty Nelson and Michael Buchinger.
Vancouver was similarly targeted with the rest of their draft class, landing a large-frame defender in Mynio, two responsible and passive centermen in Mueller and Perkins, and a hometown talent in Celebrini. These picks add good depth to a Canucks prospect pool that could use a boost, although none of their selections jump off the page as immediate change-makers.
UFA Signings
D Carson Soucy (three years, $9.8MM)
D Ian Cole (one year, $3MM)
D Matt Irwin (one year, $775K)*
F Teddy Blueger (one year, $1.9MM)
F Tristen Nielsen (two years, $870K)*
G Zach Sawchenko (one year, $775K)*
F Pius Suter (two years, $3.2MM)
The Canucks brought in a slew of solid veteran talent through free agency, helping to solidify the depths of their NHL roster. Carson Soucy likely headlines the group and take on the biggest role, vying for a role in the team’s top four. Soucy can play either side on the blue line, although he favors left defense, giving him a prime shot at either the second-pair LD role or potentially even top-line minutes if Quinn Hughes doesn’t gel with new partners. But Soucy doesn’t have a clear run to the top four just yet, with Ian Cole also capable of winning over either position. Like Soucy, Cole is capable of playing either side and has shown prowess as a serviceable role player. The natural competition for ice time between Soucy and Cole should serve the Canucks blue line well, as both players will need to bring their A-game to try and beat out the other.
Vancouver faces a similar storyline with their newest forwards, adding the capable Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger down the middle. The duo will likely operate as the team’s third and fourth-line centers, although who wins out which role is yet to be seen. When it comes to statistics, the two are fairly evenly matched, with Suter recording 87 points through 216 career games and Blueger with 98 points through 268 career games. It’ll be a toss-up to see who wins out what role, but adding two 200-game veterans for cheap is slick work from a Vancouver team that struggled to make their depth pieces stand out last year.
RFA Re-Signings
D Noah Juulsen (two years, $1.55MM)*
D Akito Hirose (two years, $1.6MM)*
F Nils Hoglander (two years, $2.2MM)
Vancouver’s RFA signings all share a similar undertone of being talented players who have yet to solidify their NHL presence. The group is head manned by Nils Hoglander, the 40th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. Hoglander has 141 NHL games on his resume but only 54 points to show for it. Half of these points came in his rookie year when Hoglander recorded 13 goals and 27 points in 56 games. He hasn’t been able to maintain that momentum in the two seasons since, earning his first taste of the AHL last year after starting the year in the NHL. And while it’s never encouraging to see a young forward move backward, Hoglander did perform admirably in the minor leagues, netting 32 points in 45 games. Vancouver will hope that means a newfound confidence for the goal-scoring winger, who could be a productive X-factor operating on their third line if all goes well.
Hirose appeared in seven NHL games last season, recording three points and playing just under 17-and-a-half minutes per night. Juulsen also got a handful of NHL appearances – 12 to be exact – but failed to score and averaged under 15 minutes of ice time. And while neither performance jumps off the page, the duo will likely serve as the first line of reserves in the event that any Canucks defenders miss time.
Departures
D Travis Dermott (Arizona, one year, $800K)*
D Ethan Bear (unsigned UFA)
G Collin Delia (Winnipeg, one year, $775K)
F Brady Keeper (Montreal, one year, $775K)*
F Tanner Pearson (trade with Montreal)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Florida, one year, $2.25MM)
F Micheal Ferland (unsigned UFA)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson headlines the list of Canucks to switch teams this summer. The 32-year-old defenseman’s place on the roster has long been a point of contention since Vancouver acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. Ekman-Larsson appeared in a total of 133 games as a Canuck, recording a mere seven goals and 51 points – far from the 40-or-50-point seasons he put up earlier in his career. This breakup felt imminent, and the Canucks did it by way of a contract buy-out. Vancouver will carry a cap penalty through the 2030-31 season as a result of this buy-out.
Outside of Ekman-Larsson, the Canucks only lost one player that appeared in more than 20 games last season: currently unsigned defender Ethan Bear. The now-26-year-old Bear recorded 16 points in 61 games with Vancouver last season, performing serviceably but not leaving a hole that can’t be filled by Soucy or Cole. Collin Delia operated as the team’s third-string goalie, appearing in 20 games compared to backup Spencer Martin‘s 27 games and recording a modest .882 save percentage.
Otherwise, the Canucks lineup experienced little turnover – dealing Pearson to Montreal alongside a third-round pick in exchange for Casey DeSmith and cutting ties with Travis Dermott, who failed to successfully blend in with the rest of the Canucks lineup.
The summer saw minimal turnover for a team that made strong additions via free agency – a best-case scenario for Vancouver.
Salary Cap Outlook
Vancouver is held relatively tight to the cap, needing to move Tucker Poolman to long-term injured reserve to be cap-compliant. Once they make that move, the Canucks should have roughly $450K in cap space, just enough to get through the year without much stress. With Elias Pettersson set to be an arbitration-eligible RFA next summer, the Canucks are set to face difficult questions about their cap fairly soon. But they’re in fine enough standing for the short term.
Key Questions
What Encore Is In Store? While Vancouver faces a slurry of questions about their roster makeup, there’s no denying that they have one of the best centers and one of the best defenders in the entire NHL. Elias Pettersson shattered his career-high in scoring last season, netting 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games. And Quinn Hughes, the team’s newest captain, recorded a dazzling 76 points in 78 games. These seasons accounted for the highest-scoring season from a Vancouver defender ever, topping Hughes’ previous career-high of 68 points, and the highest-scoring performance from a Canuck forward since Daniel Sedin put up 104 points in 2011. Pettersson and Hughes are pivotal pieces of Vancouver’s success, and how they can build on their historic 2022-23 seasons should be a strong indicator of the team’s overall success this year.
Has Vancouver Found Their Goaltending Duo? Thatcher Demko won the starting job outright at the start of the 2021-22 season. In the two years since then, he’s had five different backups. Vancouver looked to curb that issue this year, finally bringing in a solid #2 in Casey DeSmith. DeSmith has performed very well throughout his NHL career, putting up a .912 save percentage through 134 career games, which should be enough to squash any worries about the Canucks goaltending. If that is the case, Vancouver could be ridding itself of one of their weakest links over the last few seasons.
Which Depth Forwards Will Step Up? The question of which depth pieces can be difference-makers has surrounded Vancouver for the past few seasons, to little avail. But new additions in Blueger and Suter, as well as newfound excitement surrounding players like Hoglander and Jack Studnicka, could be the reason for optimism. Many recent Stanley Cup champions have gotten to that point largely thanks to X-factors in their bottom six. Vancouver will need to find these impact players if they want to confidently establish themselves in a tough Pacific Division.
Snapshots: Norris, Palmieri, Olympics
Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith shared that forward Joshua Norris has suffered a setback with his shoulder injury. Norris had previously returned to practice in full, after working up from a no-contact jersey to taking full contact, but it seems he wasn’t ready just yet. No further details have been provided on the nature or timeline of Norris’ injury, bringing up questions about his availability for Ottawa’s season opener on October 11.
Norris’ shoulder injury is turning into a bit of a saga. The 24-year-old forward originally suffered the injury last October and worked to rehab with the hopes of a midseason return. And he was successful, appearing in the Senators lineup again in January. But after just three games back, Norris reaggravated his shoulder injury and was ultimately removed from the lineup for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
Norris opened this year’s training camp wearing a no-contact jersey after “tweaking” his shoulder injury at the start of the year, but Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was optimistic about his outlook for the start of the year. And while Norris worked his way to full contact, continuing to hear about this long-running shoulder injury is disconcerting.
Other notes from around the league:
- Kyle Palmieri has returned to practicing with the rest of the Islanders roster, after being held separately for much of training camp. Palmieri entered camp nursing an undisclosed injury, with an undisclosed timeline, but his return to full practice is encouraging. Palmieri took reps on the team’s fourth line, alongside Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall. His availability for the team’s final two preseason games is uncertain but he expressed optimism about being ready for the Islanders’ regular season opener.
- In a recent interview with the Sport Business Journal’s Alex Silverman, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that finding a way to attend the 2026 Winter Olympics is a “primary focus” for the league. However, he also shared that, since new NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh joined the fold, the league has also been focusing on finding a way to hold a best-on-best tournament outside of the Olympics. The league is aiming to begin this in 2025, although Bettman noted that the world’s geopolitical situation makes a tournament like this challenging to assemble.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/23
The start of the regular season is less than a week away, and clubs are narrowing down their opening-day rosters. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
G Calle Clang (to San Diego, AHL)
F Glenn Gawdin (to San Diego, AHL)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO to San Diego, AHL)
F Nikita Nesterenko (to San Diego, AHL)
F Pavol Regenda (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
F Trevor Kuntar (to Providence, AHL)
F Marc McLaughlin (to Providence, AHL)
F Jayson Megna (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Georgii Merkulov (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
F Jiri Kulich (to Rochester, AHL)
F Brett Murray (to Rochester, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Isak Rosén (to Rochester, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via CapFriendly)
G Jaxson Stauber (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
F Peter Holland (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nate Clurman (to Colorado, AHL)
F Oskar Olausson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ondrej Pavel (to Colorado, AHL)
G Trent Miner (to Colorado, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Artem Anisimov (released from PTO, remains free agent)
Minnesota Wild (via team release) (supplementary release)
F Jujhar Khaira (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Vinni Lettieri (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Dakota Mermis (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Nic Petan (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Samuel Walker (to Iowa, AHL)
G Jesper Wallstedt (to Iowa, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
D Callan Foote (to Utica, AHL) pending waiver clearance
G Erik Källgren (to Utica, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
D Ronald Attard (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Ginning (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tanner Laczynski (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Calvin Petersen (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Samu Tuomaala (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release)
F Justin Bailey (released from PTO to San Jose, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to San Jose, AHL) pending waiver clearance
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Latest On Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin
Eric Francis joined Sportsnet’s Big Show with Rusic and Rose podcast and provided updates on some of the Calgary Flames’ biggest extension rumors. Francis shared, most notably, that the return to training camp has provided top center Elias Lindholm with a newfound energy to get a deal done. This increased motivation was also seen in negotiations with Mikael Backlund, who recently signed a contract extension and received the team’s captaincy. Francis shared that the new excitement could see Lindholm signing an extension as soon as the start of the regular season.
However, Francis didn’t share that optimism on Noah Hanifin‘s looming contract extension. He shared with the Sportsnet crew that Hanifin is close friends with Matthew Tkachuk – his former teammate with the USNTDP and the Flames – who left Calgary for an exciting life in Florida. Francis said that Hanifin is drawn by the idea of moving to America as a result, drawing a line in the sand for talks of a new deal in Calgary.
These updates could leave Calgary with a locked-in top-line center, but without their top defender, entering the 2024-25 campaign. Their ability to replace Hanifin will likely depend on how much Lindholm demands on a new deal, with Francis sharing that he may be able to receive a salary around, or above, $9MM on the open market. A discount may be needed to keep him with a Flames lineup that currently has 11 players set to become free agents next summer, although Lindholm is still sure to get a significant raise from his current $4.85MM cap hit. The Flames are currently projected to have $30.95MM in cap space next summer, with notable players like Lindholm, Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov all needing new deals. What space they can find in that budget to add new talents to the roster will be worth monitoring.