Arber Xhekaj Fined By Department Of Player Safety
The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined Montreal Canadiens defender Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42 – the maximum allowed under the CBA – for an infraction with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare. The incident was retaliation for an awkward knee-to-knee collision that Pare delivered to Habs winger Patrik Laine, who had to be helped off the ice and is out indefinitely. Pare was not penalized for his hit on Laine, while Xhekaj received a minor roughing penalty, 10-minute instigating misconduct, and game misconduct for fighting. Both incidents occurred in the game’s first period.
This, surprisingly, marks the first run-in with the DoPS for the enforcer Xhekaj, though he received numerous suspensions during his days in the OHL for blindside hits and instigating fights. That’s the hard-nosed style he’s leaned into early into his pro career, recording a staggering 182 penalty minutes across his first 95 NHL games. That includes 101 penalty minutes in 51 games as a rookie, a penalty-per-game average similar to what players like Kevin Bieksa and Colton Orr managed in their first seasons. Xhekaj hasn’t offset those penalties with much scoring, netting just 23 points across his NHL career – though he did manage a more stout 11 points in 17 AHL appearances last year.
Xhekaj will look to translate that production – and after this fine, likely more poise – into a full year with the Canadiens this year. He’s currently in competition with players like Jayden Struble and Kaiden Guhle for a spot on Montreal’s third-pair, though could end up the de facto seventh man thanks to his typecast as a bruiser. The Canadiens could use all the physical presence that they can get this year, as they anticipate a lineup potentially featuring all of Lane Hutson, Alex Newhook, Joshua Roy, and Nick Suzuki.
Waiver Wire: 9/29/24
The hockey world is one week closer to the start of the regular season, with October rolling around in just a few days. That’s sparked a flurry of decisive roster cuts as teams finalize their roster or – in the case of teams like Buffalo, New Jersey, and New York – prepare for trips overseas. As always, we’ll track the day’s waiver placements here.
Boston Bruins (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Marc McLaughlin (assigned to AHL Providence)
Calgary Flames (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Martin Frk (assigned to AHL Calgary)
F Justin Kirkland (assigned to AHL Calgary)
Chicago Blackhawks (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Zach Sanford (assigned to AHL Rockford)
F Brett Seney (assigned to AHL Rockford)
Edmonton Oilers (per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector)
D Cam Dineen (assigned to AHL Bakersfield)
D Connor Carrick (assigned to AHL Bakersfield)
Los Angeles Kings (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Glenn Gawdin (assigned to AHL Ontario)
F Tyler Madden (assigned to AHL Ontario)
D Joe Hicketts (assigned to AHL Ontario)
D Reilly Walsh (assigned to AHL Ontario)
Minnesota Wild (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Adam Raska (assigned to AHL Iowa)
D Cameron Crotty (assigned to AHL Iowa)
D Joseph Cecconi (assigned to AHL Iowa)
Montreal Canadiens (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Lucas Condotta (assigned to AHL Laval)
F Brandon Gignac (assigned to AHL Laval)
Nashville Predators (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Kieffer Bellows (assigned to AHL Milwaukee)
F Vinnie Hinostroza (assigned to AHL Milwaukee)
G Matt Murray (assigned to AHL Milwaukee)
St. Louis Blues (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
F Mathias Laferriere (assigned to AHL Springfield)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (assigned to AHL Springfield)
F Hugh McGing (assigned to AHL Springfield)
D Hunter Skinner (assigned to AHL Springfield)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman)
D Tobie Paquette-Bisson (assigned to AHL Syracuse)
D Derrick Pouliot (assigned to AHL Syracuse)
Summer Synopsis: New York Rangers
A tight cap squeeze and minimal draft picks forced the New York Rangers into a quiet summer, focused largely around the extension of four pending RFAs and a looming deal for superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin. With those moves in mind, the Rangers were only able to bring in one notable new face, otherwise spending their summer rounding out depth and hoping to carve out meaningful roles for top prospects. They’ve seemingly done just that, though it’ll now be on their few stars and promoted depth pieces like William Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere to carry New York back to Stanley Cup aspirations.
Draft
1-30: D EJ Emery / U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP)
4-119: F Raoul Boilard / Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
5-159: F Nathan Aspinall / Flint Firebirds (OHL)
6-191: F Rico Gredig / HC Davos (National League)
The Rangers clearly prioritized size in this year’s draft, selecting players at every height between six–foot-one and six-foot-three, then putting the cherry on top with six-foot-seven Nathan Aspinall. New York gets everything they could have wanted out of their newly-added giants, with Emery boasting plenty of upside as a mobile and effective defensive-defenseman, while Raoul Boilard and Rico Gredig have shown a clear ability to outperform opponents with size and skill. The latter is a particularly interesting draft pick, having established a bottom-line role in Switzerland’s top league last season – but only managing four points in 28 games. 2024 marked his second year of draft eligibility – part of the reason he fell so low despite pro experience – and Gredig will now use the pick as inspiration to find a stronger scoring streak this year.
None of the new additions seem set for pro roles in the next few seasons, but they each offer well-rounded skillsets and clear paths to a pro role. Aspinall will be the wariest of the bunch, largely thanks to a lanky frame, though even he could find success in a Rangers organization that’s made good worked of players like Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom.
Trade Acquisitions
F Reilly Smith (acquired from Pittsburgh)
New York’s trade action was limited to a draft-day swap of late-round picks, and a July 1st acquisition of Reilly Smtih. The Rangers gave up a second and fifth round draft pick for the scoring-winger, but could find the answer to their missing piece in the top-six. Smith has continued to be effective in his minutes, recording 26 goals and 56 points on Vegas’ second-line two seasons ago, then notching 13 goals and 40 points in a mixed role with Pittsburgh last year. The step down in scoring may be sign of the 13-year pro’s age, though New York should offer better linemates than a declining Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell, where Smith spent most of last season. When he wasn’t with that tandem, he was playing alongside Lars Eller and Valtteri Puustinen – again, weaker company than New York should provide. That could set Smith up for a bounce-back year as he gets ready to play for the sixth team of his career.
UFA Signings
F Sam Carrick (three-years, $3MM)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (one-year, $775K)*
D Casey Fitzgerald (two-years, $1.6MM)*
D Chad Ruhwedel (one-year, $775K)*
New York’s cap sinch forced them to be quiet in the free agent market, with their biggest splash coming through the multi-year signing of fourth-liner Sam Carrick. Carrick served dutifully in Anaheim for the last six seasons, though he stayed limited to a career-high of just 19 points recorded in 2021-22. He was traded to the Edmonton Oilers alongside Adam Henrique at this year’s Trade Deadline, where he continued to serve his responsible but unproductive role to the tune of six points across 26 games.
Carrick will step into competition for one of New York’s final roster spots, a situation shared by the rest of the team’s UFAs. That includes Chad Ruhwedel, who will return to competition for the Rangers’ seventh-defender role, after joining the team via trade at the 2024 deadline. Ruhwedel has only recorded nine points across his last 99 games, though he continues to offer stout, veteran depth.
RFA Re-Signings
F Kaapo Kakko (one-year, $2.4MM)
D Braden Schneider (two-years, $4.4MM)
D Matthew Robertson (one-year, $775K)
D Ryan Lindgren (one-year, $4.5MM)
The Rangers’ off-season was entirely focused around their RFA signings – none more important than the extension of Kaapo Kakko. It’s now been five years of disappointing play for the former second-overall pick, with 18 goals and 40 points in 2022-23 standing as his sole career-year. He failed to reach even half that scoring last season, and received a measly extension as a result. Kakko signed just a one-year deal, seemingly getting a message from New York that it’s time to show-up or shut-up. He recorded 22 goals and 38 points in 45 Liiga games in his draft season, and could be at risk of losing an NHL role if he can’t return to that production this season.
Luckily, New York found a silver lining by quickly solidifying their defense depth. Ryan Lindgren will return to the team on a big raise – set to be paid $1.5MM more than he did last season – though a one-year deal will give him the chance to earn even more. He’s emerged as the de facto partner to superstar Adam Fox, serving as a reliable physical presence and shutdown-defender that lets Fox jump into the rush. Braden Schneider – the partner of locked-in #2 defender K’Andre Miller – was placed in the same spot, receiving a notable raise but on a short-term deal that should help him earn more soon. He and Lindgren have their roles cut out for them, and now need to prove they can stay on their feet for a full 82-games.
Meanwhile, Matthew Robertson signs a deal that returns him to the mix of depth defenders fighting for time, after serving as a top option on the Hartford Wolf Pack blue-line last year. Robertson has yet to make his NHL debut, though he’s considered by many as one of New York’s next up and could even win out an opening-day spot, if he’s able to outperform competition like Ruhwedel and Zachary Jones.
Departures
F Oliver Tarnstrom (AIK, HockeyAllsvenskan)
F Karl Henriksson (Vaxjo, SHL)
G Olof Lindbom (Lahti, Liiga)
F Barclay Goodrow (claimed off waivers by San Jose)
F Bobby Trivigno (Brynas, SHL)
F Alexander Wennberg (San Jose, two-years, $10MM)
F Blake Wheeler (unsigned)
D Erik Gustafsson (Detroit, two-years, $4MM)
F Jack Roslovic (Carolina, one-year, $2.8MM)
D Mac Hollowell (Pittsburgh, one-year, $775K)*
F Nic Petan (Kazan, KHL)
D Nikolas Brouillard (Seattle, one-year, $775K)*
F Tyler Pitlick (unsigned)
A quiet summer often means teams lost more than they gained, but that may not be entirely true for New York – who’s biggest departures come through depth
pieces like Roslovic, Wennberg, and Goodrow. The Rangers traded for the former two at the 2024 Trade Deadline, collectively giving up a second-round pick and two third-round picks. That’s a hefty price to spend for a duo that only spent half of a season in the lineup, though Roslovic provided some assurance with eight points across 16 playoff games. Wennberg couldn’t provide that same support, instead recording just two points in 16 postseason games and five points in 19 regular season games. Despite their feature in the rotating door that is New York’s middle-six, both Roslovic and Wennberg managed to earn confident deals this summer, and should continue to earn ice time with effective depth scoring.
Erik Gustafsson carries a similar story on the back-end, joining the Rangers for a brief 76 games last season but ultimately moving on this year. He was productive when he did play, recording six goals and 31 points – the third-highest scoring season of his career. He’s now headed for a Red Wings defense that should provide all of the ice time he needs, especially with his offensive upside.
Outside of that trio, New York’s departures largely feature moves to Europe, headlined by Nic Petan’s signing in the KHL. Petan is a veteran of nine NHL seasons, totaling 170 games and 35 points across four different clubs. He never managed any ice time in New York, instead spending all of his time in the Rangers organization in Hartford, where he scored eight points in 15 games. He stands alongside Goodrow, Pitlick, and Wheeler as notable departures from down New York’s depth chart, though none so big that they can’t be replaced.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Rangers have been bound by the cap all summer long, and will now enter the season with a stressful $623,476 remaining per PuckPedia. That’s narrowly enough to handle the day-to-day cost of running a team, though the Rangers could be forced into some cap gymnastics in the event of injury or call-up. That could quickly be tested, as Ryan Lindgren continues to struggle with an upper-body injury.
Key Questions
Did Enough Change? The Rangers have been stuck in a bit of perpetuity over the last few seasons, routinely cycling out pieces of their middle-six but yet to find an impact that’ll stick. That forced them to give up draft capital for Roslovic and Wennberg last Trade Deadline, but that tandem quickly walked out of the door they came in, only replaced by Reilly Smith. The return of Filip Chytil could be enough to support New York’s vacant roster spots, though it still seems one of Edstrom, Jimmy Vesey, William Cuylle, or prospect Brennan Othmann will need to step up to keep New York’s third-line dangerous. Both Vesey and Cuylle topped 20 points last season – scoring 26 and 21 respectively – though the latter seems much more likely to be the one to earn a bigger role. Their progress will be the focus of training camp, as New York asks the question of if they’ll need to beef up their depth at the Deadline once again.
Can Lafreniere’s Growth Continue? In a year headlined by Kaapo Kakko’s one-year contract, it will be Alexis Lafreniere under the most scrutiny. He
scored a career-high 28 goals, 29 assists, and 57 points last season – his first year playing in all 82 games. It was an impressive step up for the young winger – nearly 20 points more than his 2022-23 totals (39) – but he needs to keep going if New York wants to rival the top-end depth of teams like Carolina and Toronto. Lafreniere looked significantly more poised on the puck last year, and could finally vindicate his first-overall selection in 2020 with a breakout year this season. He’ll have every chance at ice time, ahead of a Rangers depth with plenty of question marks.
What Will Shesterkin Get Paid? The Rangers’ focus is undoubtedly on the postseason, but they also face the daunting task of finding a value for perhaps the top goaltender in the league. Igor Shesterkin has managed a save percentage above .910 in all five of his NHL seasons to date, including a .935 in 53 games during the 2021-22 season, which earned him both the Vezina Trophy and a finalist spot for the Hart Trophy. That’s an impressive statline, eerily close to the peak years of Montreal Canadiens star Carey Price, who currently stands as the most expensive goalie in the leauge with a $10.5MM cap hit. Price’s playing days are behind him, but his eight-year, $84MM extension will be the bare minimum for Shesterkin’s looming extension. He could even earn more, and will effectively set the precedent for players like Jake Oettinger and Linus Ullmark as they prepare for extensions of their own.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Zub, Ovechkin, Reilly, Hatakka
Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub has suffered a lower-body injury shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
Zub has missed 42 games over the last two seasons, facing a long list of short-term but nagging injuries. That includes routine absences with lower-body injuries dating back to October of last year. He found his way to success last season regardless, recording a career-high 25 points in 69 games and spending time on the top unit of both special teams. He’s set to return to that role this year, though a precedent of injuries could force Ottawa to be cautious about how they transition him back. The Senators have five pre-season games remaining before their regular season kicks off on October 10th.
Other notes from around the Metro:
- Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery shared with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that Alex Ovechkin could play in multiple preseason games after returning from a minor injury. Carbery added that this is the next step in ramping Ovechkin up to speed, as he prepares for his 20th season in the NHL – the most experience of any active player. Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time goal-scoring record, currently sitting just 41 goals back. He’s played in three preseason games every season since 2021, a tradition he seems set to continue.
- New York Islanders defender Mike Reilly has returned to the team’s practices after sitting out with illness, shares Ethan Sears of the New York Post. He’s preparing for his second season in New York after recording 24 points in 59 games with the Islanders last year. Reilly was one of the few consistent pieces on an Islanders blue-line plagued by injury, though he only averaged 17 minutes of ice time. The 2024-25 campaign will mark Reilly’s 10th NHL season. He’s managed 400 career games and 122 points, split across six franchises.
- New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe shared that defender Santeri Hatakka is being evaluated for an injury, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. Hatakka is in competition for New Jersey’s seventh-defender role, after spending the bulk of last season in the minor leagues. Hatakka scored 20 points in 48 AHL games in that stint. He was also recalled for 12 NHL games, though he only recorded two assists. Keefe did not provide any clarity on what Hatakka’s injury is or how long he’s expected to be out, though his absence could clear more room for Nick DeSimone and Johnathan Kovacevic in their quest for an NHL role.
International Notes: Greiss, McKegg, Ritchie
Goaltender Thomas Greiss has come out of retirement to sign what’s being described as a “short-term deal” with Lowen Frankfurt as the team bears through injuries to both of their goaltenders. Greiss is headed to Frankfurt from St. Louis, where he’s resided since joining the Blues in 2022. He announced his retirement following the end of the 2022-23 campaign, bringing an end to his 14-year career in the NHL.
Greiss found multiple paths to notoriety throughout his career – but became most well-known for his role in the New York Islanders’ goaltending carousel from 2015 to 2020. He moved to Long Island on a two-year contract, immediately assuming the starting role ahead of Jaroslav Halak. Greiss performed well on the deal, posting 49 wins and a .918 save percentage through a combined 92 games. That was enough to earn Greiss a three-year extension following the end of his deal, though New York would bring in Robin Lehner in 2018 and Sergei Varlamov in 2019 to split starts with the aging German. Those additions ultimately pushed Greiss towards a handful of sunset years with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. He’d end his career with 368 games, 162 wins, and a .911 save percentage; playing with six different franchises, though only ever reaching 100 games with the Islanders. He’ll now bring that NHL experience to a reunion in Germany’s top league, having played 36 games and recorded a .925 save percentage from 2003 to 2006.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Veteran NHL forward Greg McKegg has signed with BK Mlada Boleslav of the Czechia Extraliga. It’s his first trip overseas, after spending the last 11 seasons across North American pros. He’s totaled 233 NHL games across nine seasons and seven organizations. He managed 21 goals and 39 points in that span, routinely filling a fourth-line role. McKegg will be the only one on Boleslav with NHL experience, though he’s one of 42 NHL vets across the league.
- Fellow veteran NHL forward Brett Ritchie will move close by, signing a deal with HK Nitra of Slovakia’s Tipos Extraliga, the team announced on Instagram. Ritchie played in his first European season last year, recording three points in 12 games with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. He’s just two years removed from NHL action, having played in 50 games and scored 13 points between the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes in 2022-23. That season stands as the cap on Ritchie’s 391-game career in the NHL as he continues a trek around European hockey.
Morning Notes: Shesterkin, Ovechkin, Chychrun, Clifford
Superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin spoke highly of the Rangers organization, but added that you never know what can happen, when asked about his looming contract year shares Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Talks around Shesterkin’s next deal will be the contract negotiations to watch this season, likely to be the deal that sets the bar for goalie salaries.
That’s an apt responsibility for Shesterkin, perhaps the best goalie in the NHL. He’s coming off yet another strong season, posting 36 wins and a .913 save percentage in 55 starts – a stat line that ranked second, eighth, and 10th among the league’s goalies respectively. Those are dazzling numbers, but actually marked a career-low year for the 28-year-old, who managed a higher save percentage in each of his previous four seasons. That includes his Vezina-winning 2021-22 campaign, when Shesterkin set the second-highest save percentage since 2000 – a .935 in 53 games, then only behind Tim Thomas’ 2010-11 campaign, though Linus Ullmark has since split the bunch.
Either way, the down year is much more a testament to Shesterkin’s greatness than a sign of decline. Even at his worst, he sits among the absolute best goalies in the league. The Rangers will have the dreaded task of paying for that value next summer. They may need to prepare for a deal north of $10MM annually – which would put a second eight-figure man on the Rangers roster, next to Artemi Panarin.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Washington Capitals returned forward Alex Ovechkin and defender Jakob Chychrun to the practice ice early this morning, looking to catch both players up after Ovechkin missed parts of training camp with a small injury, while Chychrun faced an illness shares NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Both players could be headed for top-line roles this season, making their conditioning a top priority for the playoff-hopeful Capitals. Ovechkin in particular will be the focus of the hockey world this year, sitting just 42 goals back from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record. He’s hit that scoring mark on 13 different occasions, including as recent as the 2022-23 campaign. That record, and their role in Washington’s long-term success, will make Ovechkin and Chychrun two names to watch closely through the rest of the Capitals training camp.
- Veteran bruiser Kyle Clifford has been designated as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. Clifford signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Marlies last month, giving him room to join yet another Maple Leafs training camp. He’ll be working towards his 15th professional season when he returns from injury. Last season marked the first year of that career where Clifford didn’t earn NHL ice time, though he stayed true to form with 140 penalty minutes in 53 AHL games.
Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Landeskog, Lehkonen, Annunen
When asked about a potential contract extension, star Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has shared that he plans to stay in Denver for the foreseeable future and that the business side of things will sort itself out, per Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports.
Rantanen is coming off yet another career year, posting 42 goals and 104 points – just one point shy of the career high he sent last season, though he played in two fewer games this year. He’s emerged as the clear 1B to Nathan MacKinnon‘s 1A – giving Colorado one of the most formidable top lines in the league. Rantanen has climbed to 617 points in 570 career games – with 301 of those points coming in the last three seasons alone. He seems focused on repeating the dominant scoring this season, confident that a new deal with Avalanche will come to fruition when necessary.
Other notes out of the Mile High City:
- Head coach Jared Bednar spoke with the media ahead of Colorado’s start to training camp and among the updates, shared that there’s no news on team captain Gabriel Landeskog per Deen. Bednar mentioned that Landeskog has made big strides but that the situation remains up in the air. He hasn’t played since June of 2022, supporting Colorado’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup after a trio of injury-shortened seasons. He’s an incredibly effective scorer when he plays, scoring 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games in his most recent season. That’s the production that fans have come to expect from their captain, leading Landeskog to 571 points across 738 career games. There’s hope that he can return to the top flight soon, though it seems he’ll need to overcome more hurdles before he’s back in the NHL.
- Winger Artturi Lehkonen isn’t expected to attend training camp as he continues recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery in May, shares Meghan Angley of The DNVR.com. Lehkonen only appeared in 45 games last season, but still managed an admirable 16 goals and 34 points. He’s flashed strong scoring over the last three seasons, totaling 123 points in 183 games split between Montreal and Colorado. He’ll sit out of the team’s training camp, hoping to return to a solid lineup role once he’s healthy.
- Bednar also shared high remarks for top goalie prospect Justus Annunen, sharing that he could eat into starter Alexandar Georgiev‘s workload, shares Angley. Georgiev has played in 125 games over the last two seasons, recording a modest 78 wins and .908 save percentage. Annunen split time between the NHL and AHL last season, posting an impressive .928 save percentage in the outings. He emerged as a top-end AHL starter in 2022-23, with 22 wins and a .916 save percentage in 41 appearances. It’s not clear how the Avalanche will platoon their netminders this year, but Annunen’s recent success could be too much for Colorado to ignore.
Senators Sign Dustin Tokarski To PTO
The Ottawa Senators have signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a professional try-out agreement. The move continues Tokarski’s tour around the NHL, after a reunion with the Buffalo Sabres organization last season.
Tokarski has become a noted minor-leaguer, beginning his career with a fifth-round selection in the 2008 NHL Draft. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who promoted him to their pro ranks in the 2009-10 season. He managed a daunting 55 starts with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals that year, but stood tall as a rookie, winning 27 games and posting a .915 save percentage. He’d hang onto Norfolk’s starting role over the next two years, even leading the team to the 2012 Calder Cup Championship with 32 wins and a .913 save percentage.
But for all of his achievements and accolades at the minor league level, Tokarski couldn’t break his way into the NHL. He played in just 10 NHL games through his first five pro seasons, not receiving his first full NHL season until 2014-15, when he spent the year backing up star Carey Price. Tokarski appeared in 17 NHL games that year, posting six wins and a .910 save percentage – but when Price went down with injury in the following year, it was Mike Condon and Ben Scrivens that got the call from Montreal. Tokarski returned to his role of AHL starter, continuing it through 2021 and even winning another Calder Cup Championship with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019.
He earned one more chance at a hardy NHL role in the 2021-22 season, as the Buffalo Sabres scrounged for goaltending support behind an aged Craig Anderson. Tokarski appeared in a career-high 29 games that season, recording 10 wins and a .899 save percentage. But, once again, he lost hold of the role in the following year, and has since spent the last two seasons back in the AHL.
Tokarski, 35, has put together a career to be proud of. He’s recorded 423 games and 14 seasons in the AHL, setting a career save percentage of .910. He’s won two AHL rings along the way – joining a 2008 WHL Championship and Memorial Cup, as well as a 2009 World Juniors Gold Medal, in his trophy cabinet. He’s stood tall in his limited NHL action too, with a career .902 through 80 games in the league, spread between five organizations. It’s hard to think that Tokarski will suddenly earn a prominent NHL role, but his PTO with the Senators will mark valuable goaltending leadership behind a revamped goaltending room.
Red Wings Sign Moritz Seider
The Detroit Red Wings have signed star defender Moritz Seider to a seven-year, $59.85MM contract, per Sportsnet. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $8.55MM.
With this deal, Detroit has finally signed all of their remaining restricted free agents, after signing forwards Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6MM contract and Jonatan Berggren to a one-year, $825K deal.
Seider stood as the most imposing of the trio needing a new deal. He’s been Detroit’s clear-cut #1 defender since he stepped into the NHL in 2021-22. He won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie that season, after posting 50 points and averaging 23 minutes of ice time through all 82 games. Seider hasn’t missed a game since, recording 42 points in each of the last two seasons and continuing to average the most ice time of any Red Wings defenders. Still just 23, Seider has become an all-situations player for Wings coach Derek Lalonde – and has even started supporting linemates of his own, spending most of last season with Jake Walman or Ben Chiarot.
It’s been a long climb for Seider, who was originally a shocking choice at sixth overall in the prolific 2019 NHL Draft. He’s since played in the fourth-most NHL games (246) of the class, a full 82 games more than any other defender from the class. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has since leaned into the brazen European drafting, taking one European in each of the last five first rounds – ultimately landing Raymond, Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper, Axel Sandin-Pellika, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
Critiques have questioned whether Seider’s impact is as big as the role he’s been awarded in Detroit, but there’s no arguing that the young star stands as the sole beacon of the Red Wings’ blue line. With Walman getting traded to San Jose, Seider now stands as Detroit’s only NHL defender under the age of 30 – joined by veterans that don’t command much acclaim, including Olli Maatta, Justin Holl, and Erik Gustafsson. That could change if top prospect Simon Edvinsson makes the Detroit lineup out of training camp, though that possibility remains up in the air. The Red Wings are thus locking up a core piece of their future in signing Seider long-term, giving Detroit a secure #1 to build their lineup around.
Bruins Sign Kasimir Kaskisuo To PTO
The Boston Bruins have signed goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional try-out agreement. The move adds another goaltender to Boston’s training camp, as the team continues to negotiate a new contract with presumed starter and restricted free agent, Jeremy Swayman.
Kaskisuo has become a journeyman around the hockey world, though his career formally began as a collegiate free agent in 2016. He signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Marlies that year and proceeded to play his way into a routine role as one of Toronto’s many platooned goalies. He’d serve in that role for parts of five seasons, split by a brief stint with the Chicago Wolves. Kaskisuo never broke out as a star goaltender but he was proudly consistent, posting a .905 save percentage in 129 games through his first six years as a pro.
But with no clear opportunities to the NHL, Kaskisuo decided to take his talents overseas in 2021, signing with the SHL’s Leksands IF. He served as the team’s starter in 2021-22, recording an impressive .910 save percentage across 40 games, but struggled through just 14 appearances in 2022-23. Kaskisuo followed the down year with a return to North America, joining the Laval Rocket for last season and playing 13 games behind Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann. Kaskisuo posted the highest save percentage (.909) of the bunch.
Kaskisuo will now look to continue his North American career by joining one of the most uncertain goalie rooms in the league. The Bruins have yet to sign star starter Swayman to a deal for the 2024-25 season, leaving Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi as the team’s top two options. Boston quickly runs out of depth behind that tandem, with just Michael Dipietro and Ryan Bischel signed behind their assumed starting-pair. That could pave the way for Kaskisuo to earn routine ice time, though it may once again come as part of a confused goalie tandem.