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Evening Notes: Oilers, Ullmark, Silovs

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Jim Parsons of The Hockey News believes that the Edmonton Oilers should be looking for a defensive defenseman to pair with Darnell Nurse. Parson notes that the Oilers have been linked to several offensive defensemen but believes that Edmonton should be on the hunt for a two-way defenseman who can log high-leverage minutes and be a steady presence in the Oilers’ top four.

It’s hard to find fault in Parsons’ logic as a defenseman with that skill set would likely pair better with Nurse and allow him a better opportunity to maximize his abilities rather than trying to chase the game and make up for defensive lapses from a partner that shouldn’t be a top-four defenseman. The issue for Edmonton will be finding the assets and cap space to acquire such a player as no one that meets those criteria is available in free agency.

In other evening notes:

  • Shawn Simpson of The Coming In Hot podcast believes that Ottawa Senators netminder Linus Ullmark will sign a contract that is similar in dollars to that of Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros but shorter in term. Saros recently signed an eight-year deal with Nashville with an AAV of $7.74MM and Simpson believes that Ullmark will carry a similar cap hit, but a shorter term in the range of six years. Ullmark’s play in recent seasons would certainly warrant a contract of that nature, and it would show Senators fans that the team is serious about building a perennial contender in Ottawa. On the other side of things, Ullmark is 31, and a six-year extension would carry him until he is 38 years old.
  • Vancouver Canucks goaltender Artūrs Šilovs has been left off Latvia’s roster for this weekend’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The MVP of the 2023 IIHF World Championship was ready to start the tournament but was apparently overworked and the Latvian Hockey Federation’s medical staff opted to pull him from competition to avoid a serious injury (as per a translation from Satiar Shah of Sportsnet). It’s hard to read too much into the situation due to the translation, but it appears he is healthy enough to play, but is resting as a precaution.

Carolina Hurricanes Name Three AHL Coaches

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The Carolina Hurricanes have announced the hiring of two AHL assistant coaches who will be behind the bench of the Chicago Wolves this fall as well as a new video coach. Dan Price and Spiros Anastas will join recently hired head coach Cam Abbott to form the coaching staff for the Hurricanes AHL affiliate, while John Stanier will round out the staff as the team’s video coach.

Price has been the head coach of the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals for the past seven seasons and has worked previously as an assistant with the club. Before joining the Royals, Price worked as an assistant coach for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans as well as the Chilliwack Bruins.

Anastas has an expansive international coaching resume having been a head coach for China, Greece, Serbia, Estonia and South Korea in various international competitions. In North America the Toronto, Ontario native has coached in the ECHL with the Brampton Beast and South Carolina Stingrays as well as in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) with the University of Lethbridge. Anastas also has a Calder Cup championship in his trophy case, having won the title with the Grand Rapids Griffins as an assistant coach in 2013.

Stanier began his career as a video scout in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers before eventually being hired by the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s in September 2022. However, the Carp, Ontario’s time at home was short-lived as he will join Chicago after serving as a video coach in Ottawa for just two seasons.

Red Wings Sign Austin Watson To PTO

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The Detroit Red Wings have reportedly signed forward Austin Watson to a professional tryout (as per Watson’s agency WD Sports & Entertainment). This will be the second fall in a row that Watson has to enter training camp on a PTO after the 32-year-old turned last year’s PTO into a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning worth $776,665.

Watson dressed in 33 regular season games with Tampa Bay last year, registering 85 hits and 93 PIM to go along with two goals and two assists. Despite hanging onto an NHL job, Watson averaged a career-low 7:16 of ice time per game and didn’t see any action during the playoffs.

The long-time enforcer has managed to hang onto an NHL career despite his lack of offense and poor possession numbers but might be on his last opportunity in this tryout with the Red Wings. If Watson can secure an NHL role this year, it will likely be similar to last season where he was scratched more often than not and didn’t play much when he was in the lineup.

Should the 2010 first-round pick (18th overall) sign with Detroit, it will be his fourth NHL stop after playing 515 career NHL games with the Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay. Watson has 60 goals and 58 assists over 10 NHL seasons, with his best season coming in 2017-18 with the Predators when he posted 14 goals and five assists in 76 games.

Penguins Notes: Robertson, O’Connor, Line Combinations

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Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes about a potential link between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson. It’s not the first time rumors have surfaced about a potential Robertson to Pittsburgh trade, as Kingerski wrote back in May that the Penguins, specifically general manager Kyle Dubas, should target the undersized Maple Leafs forward. However, Robertson remains a Maple Leaf despite asking for a trade in June, and the Penguins have just under $900K in available cap space. While a move seems unlikely at this point, it should be noted that the Penguins have 15 forwards on their active roster and could likely bury an additional $1.7MM in the minors.

Kingerski writes that the Penguins could offer sheet Robertson for below $2.29MM, and the cost would only be a third-rounder, but the Maple Leafs would likely match that number and shut the door on the Robertson-to-Pittsburgh talk. It appears that the Penguins’ best option, should they want to acquire Robertson, would be to make a hockey trade using a roster player with value and perhaps a draft pick to try and pry the 22-year-old loose.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Kingerski also wrote about the Penguins’ lack of a winger for superstar Sidney Crosby. The Penguins have spent the summer trying to find someone to play with Crosby after trading Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline, and with the summer coming to an end, Kingerski believes that Drew O’Connor is likely the Penguins’ best option for the first-line left winger role. O’Connor finished last season playing with Crosby and showed glimpses during that time. The 25-year-old finished the year with 16 goals and 17 assists in 79 games, including seven goals and five assists in the final 19 games when he played alongside Crosby.
  • The Penguins acquisition of young forward Rutger McGroarty has changed the potential makeup of their forward lines (according to Dan Kingerski). The Penguins boast as many as 19 potential NHL forwards, including newly acquired Kevin Hayes, Cody Glass, and Anthony Beauvillier, and it could make for an interesting training camp in the Steel City. McGroarty could get a look alongside Sidney Crosby on the first line, but he could also slide into a third-line role alongside Hayes and Beauvillier. It isn’t even clear which side of the ice McGroarty will play on, but one clear thing is that his presence in Pittsburgh makes things very interesting when it comes to the Penguins’ forward ranks.

Evening Notes: Islanders, Ducks, Wild

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Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News wonders if the New York Islanders would benefit from bringing in a player like Filip Zadina before training camp. The Islanders badly needed a top-six forward this summer but didn’t have the cap space or assets to make a move towards improving their forward group. Zadina has been linked to the Buffalo Sabres and has potential interest from a handful of other teams. He is also reportedly close to signing with an NHL team.

The 24-year-old hasn’t been able to live up to his draft status as a sixth overall pick and will now join his third NHL team in just seven seasons. The Pardubice, Czech Republic native, scored a career-high 13 goals last season and tallied 23 points in 72 games with the San Jose Sharks. But, despite being on the worst team in the NHL, he failed to play more than third- and fourth-line minutes and given the current state of his game, it’s unlikely he would help out the Islanders’ top six forwards. However, he could carve out a depth role in their bottom six.

In other evening notes:

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced that they’ve partnered with A Parent Media Co. Inc. to stream all of their regional games this season free of charge. The games will be available on the soon-to-launch Victory+, allowing Ducks fans in the Los Angeles regional market to watch Ducks games for free. The app for Victory+ will be available for fans outside the Ducks’ television region as well, but the games will not be free. However, the app will allow fans in other parts of the country to view the extra content that the team produces outside of their games.
  • Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke with KFAN FM 100.3 today and discussed the upcoming season, where his expectations are for the Wild to make the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. Guerin has had to navigate some very rocky waters the past couple of summers regarding the salary cap, as the Wild have had to account for $14.74MM in dead cap space for two years due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. However, he has managed to keep the team competitive and believes that if his current group stays healthy, they will be in the mix come playoff time. Minnesota didn’t make many changes this summer and will count on many internal improvements from young players if they hope to improve on the disappointment of missing the playoffs last season.

Panthers Likely To Keep Aaron Ekblad This Season

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Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News believes that Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will remain with the team until the end of the season regardless of how his contract situation plays out. Ekblad’s name has appeared in trade rumors dating back to June before the Panthers won the Stanley Cup and the rumors have continued through the summer. Ekblad has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $7.5MM and can block trades to 12 teams thanks to a partial no-trade clause.

The former first-overall pick is entering his 11th season with the Panthers and has been a steady presence since joining the team. While on the surface it seems odd that Florida wouldn’t be discussing an extension with their top defenseman, they have several key free agents next summer and have to look at the long-term cap implications of signing everyone. Another concern for Florida will be Ekblad’s health as the 28-year-old hasn’t played a full slate of games since 2018-19 and has played 82 games just twice in his career. He is also coming off a season in which he played just 51 games and tallied just four goals and 14 assists and will be looking for top dollar.

Trading Ekblad would be a huge challenge for the Panthers as they would be moving out a heart and soul player and would need very specific roster players in return. Many of the trade rumors circulating this summer failed to consider how Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito built his championship club and the way he evaluates players. Any players Florida acquires in a hypothetical trade would need to fit in head coach Paul Maurice’s system as well as a locker room that has grown very close over two runs to the Stanley Cup Final.

West Notes: Oilers, Ceci, Binnington

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The Edmonton Oilers’ decision to let Philip Broberg go and to trade Cody Ceci has opened up a hole in their top four that Josh Wegman of The Score believes should be filled via trade before the NHL trade deadline. This week, the Oilers have been checking in on multiple veteran defensemen who remain free agents, but Wegman believes they will seek a better solution before the playoffs.

Wegman lists Marcus Pettersson, Jakob Chychrun, and Ivan Provorov as potential targets as all three men are pending unrestricted free agents. He also believes that the Oilers could look for a longer-term solution and seek a player with some years left on their contract such as  Mike Matheson, Connor Murphy, or Radko Gudas. The Oilers have been linked to former Oilers Tyson Barrie and Justin Schultz this week, as well as former Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. While all of those defensemen have had solid NHL careers, they are not great options for a Stanley Cup-contending team looking to round out their second defensive pairing.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal doesn’t believe that defenseman Cody Ceci will remain in a San Jose Sharks uniform for very long. The recently traded defenseman has one year left on his current contract with a cap hit of $3.25MM and will likely be dealt to a contending team before next year’s NHL trade deadline. Ceci has never been an analytics darling and probably shouldn’t be a top-four defenseman on a contending team, but as a bottom-pairing defender, he could bring a lot of value to a team looking to add some experience to the backend of their lineup.
  • St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington was reportedly very happy with the recent moves made by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong (as per Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com). Binnington told Zeisberger that the successful offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg showed current Blues players that Armstrong had faith in the group, which will motivate the club as they head into training camp. Binnington added that the additions to the Blues should help make the team more competitive next season as they will be a faster group that is harder for opponents to play against.

Summer Synopsis: Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t had much success in recent years but they do appear poised to turn the corner very soon. Whether that turn happens next season or not remains to be seen, but the Blackhawks certainly seem ready to move their rebuild into the next phase adding plenty of veterans to create a mix with their younger players. Chicago is unlikely to be a playoff team next season, but given the veterans they’ve added and young phenom Connor Bedard ready to take the next step, it isn’t impossible to imagine them in the playoff picture come spring 2025.

Draft

1-2: D Artyom Levshunov, Michigan State (NCAA)
1-18: F Sacha Boisvert,  Muskegon (USHL)
1-27: F Marek Vanacker, Brantford (OHL)
3-67: F John Mustard, Waterloo (USHL)
3-72: F AJ Spellacy, Windsor (OHL)
3-92: F Jack Pridham, West Kelowna (BCHL)
5-138: F Joel Svensson, Vaxjo HC (J20 Nationell)
6-163: D Ty Henry, Erie (OHL)

The Blackhawks once again had a top pick in 2024 and used it to select Michigan State defenseman Levshunov. The 18-year-old from Belarus is a mobile defenseman who can make offense happen in a number of different ways boasting an excellent shot as well as lethal passing and explosiveness to his game that allows him to create open ice for himself out of nothing. He’s not just an offensive defenseman as his size and maneuverability allow him to play a steady defensive game.

The Blackhawks’ second pick in the first round was a goal scorer in Boisvert. The Trois-Rivières, Quebec native is a threat to score from all over the ice with his big one-timer and a solid wrist shot that is difficult for goaltenders to pick up. He can also score in tight, boasting a very good net-front presence and the ability to finish under pressure. The knock on Boisvert is his skating, which is very much a work in progress.

With their third and final first-round pick the Blackhawks drafted Brantford forward Vanacker out of the OHL. The Delhi, Ontario native has been called a cerebral player because of his ability to time his drives into open space and his knack for identifying soft coverage. He is a solid back checker and can create odd-man opportunities in transition. Vanacker has a solid offensive game, a good shot and a strong powerful skating stride that can open up space and also allow him to drive to the net with speed.

Outside of the first round, Chicago added five additional prospects to the pipeline with the most notable being John Mustard who notched 29 goals and 27 assists in 60 USHL games last season. Mustard’s 29 goals led all USHL rookies and helped him earn USHL Rookie of the Year honors.

Trade Acquisitions

F Ilya Mikheyev (Vancouver)

Chicago scooped up Canucks cast off Mikheyev in a salary cap dump alongside a second-round pick and the signing rights to Sam Lafferty. Although Chicago never re-signed Lafferty, the real centerpiece of the deal was the second-round pick. But now Chicago has a player in Mikheyev who will be looking to re-capture his scoring touch after a difficult season in Vancouver that saw him post just 11 goals and 20 assists in 78 regular season games. The Canucks retained 15% of Mikheyev’s cap hit which means the Blackhawks are on the hook for just over $4MM annually for the next two seasons.

Mikheyev’s fall from grace took just two short years in Vancouver after he was billed as a marquee signing back in 2022. Vancouver hoped they were paying a player who was only scratching the surface, but in retrospect, Vancouver overpaid a player who hadn’t yet established himself as a scoring winger and gave him scoring winger money. Ultimately, the free agent signing backfired, and Vancouver was forced to staple an asset to  Mikheyev in order to move on from his contract.

For Chicago, they get a player who can provide them with some depth scoring if he stays healthy. The versatile 29-year-old can play a two-way game which should allow Chicago to play him up and down their lineup as they try to mix in all the new pieces they’ve acquired this summer. Mikheyev has enough skill to play in Chicago’s top six, but if he is not a fit his game would allow him to be a complimentary piece on one of the team’s bottom two lines.

UFA Signings

F Joey Anderson (two-year, $1.6MM)
F Tyler Bertuzzi (four-year, $22MM)
D T.J. Brodie (two-year, $7.5MM)
G Laurent Brossoit (two-year, $6.6MM)
F Pat Maroon (one-year, $1.3MM)
D Alec Martinez (one-year, $4MM)
F Craig Smith (one-year, $1MM)
F Teuvo Teravainen (three-year, $16.2MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

Chicago was busy on July 1st, signing a plethora of players in an effort to insulate some of their up-and-coming prospects. The Blackhawks were aggressive up front, signing Bertuzzi and Teravainen to presumably play in their top six (possibly next to Bedard) and also signed veteran depth forwards Maroon and Smith.

Bertuzzi wasn’t great in Toronto last season, but he wasn’t bad either. The 29-year-old never really seemed to settle in with Toronto and appeared in search of a role until later in the season. Bertuzzi remained a play driver in Toronto but slumped at various times and was snake-bitten for small parts of the year. In Chicago, it is expected that he will take a top-six spot and will be relied on to continue going to the net to be a disrupter for the Blackhawks and hopefully find a way to gel more effectively with their skilled players than he did in Toronto.

Chicago’s other big forward signing was Teravainen who comes over from the Hurricanes. The 29-year-old had to settle for a three-year deal but could be a bargain for Chicago if he can return to the 50–60-point player that he has been in five of the past seven seasons. Teravainen is ideally suited for the middle six but might have to play top-line minutes in Chicago next season. He isn’t a particularly strong or tough player to play against, but he is an excellent passer who has good offensive instincts and should help drive Chicago’s possession numbers when he is on the ice.

On the back end, Chicago signed a couple of veteran defensemen in Brodie and Martinez. Brodie lost his way towards the end of his stay in Toronto as he went from being an excellent defender who could move the puck out of the defensive zone to a turnover machine in very short order. Brodie’s two-year deal is low risk for Chicago, particularly if he is used on the bottom pair, but if his play resembles that of last season and if his skating isn’t there, his signing might be one that Chicago regrets.

At 37, it’s hard to say how much longer Alec Martinez can continue to block shots the way he does. But his veteran presence and penalty killing will be welcomed in Chicago, particularly for a young defenseman like Kevin Korchinski who could learn a lot from a grizzled veteran like Martinez. The three-time Stanley Cup champion will likely be a third-paring defenseman for Chicago (alongside Brodie) and asking any more of him at this late stage of his career could be problematic.

RFA Re-Signings

D Louis Crevier (one-year, $775K)*
C Cole Guttman (one-year, $775K)*
D Isaak Phillips (one-year, $775K)*
F Lukas Reichel (two-year, $2.4MM)
F Zach Sanford (one-year, $775K)*
F Brett Seney (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Chicago had a relatively quiet summer on the RFA market thus far, signing mostly depth pieces to two-way contracts while only signing Lukas Reichel to a one-way contract. Reichel looked like a gamer during an extended NHL stay in 2022-23 potting seven goals and eight assists in 23 games while showing off his speed and playmaking ability. But last season his game came crashing down to earth as he struggled during his first full NHL season. The 22-year-old tallied just five goals and 11 assists in 65 games and was crushed in the possession department registering a CF% of just 40.9% at even strength. He will get another look next season but will need to show the Blackhawks a lot more than he did this past year.

Guttman could get a look next season in the NHL if injuries become a problem for Chicago, but he is unlikely to start the year with the team. The undersized forward has had a cup of coffee in the NHL the past two seasons, dressing in 41 games and posting eight goals and six assists, but hasn’t been able to establish himself as an everyday NHLer. At 25 years of age, Guttman could still carve out a role in Chicago, but at this stage, it would likely fall in the Blackhawks bottom six and could be as a 13th forward.

Departures

C Colin Blackwell (Dallas, one-year, $775K)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (Florida, one-year, $775K)*
F David Gust (unsigned UFA)
F Mike Hardman (New Jersey, two-year, $1.55MM)*
F Reese Johnson (Minnesota, one-year, $775K)*
C Tyler Johnson (unsigned UFA)
F Sam Lafferty (Buffalo, two-year, $4MM)
D Jaycob Megna (Florida, one-year, $775K)*
C Luke Philp (Washington, one-year, $775K)*
F Rem Pitlick (unsigned UFA)
F Taylor Raddysh (Washington, one year, $1MM)
D Filip Roos (Ottawa, one-year, $775K)*
G Jaxson Stauber (Utah, one-year, $775K)*
F Michal Teply (signed in Czech Extraliga)
D Jarred Tinordi (unsigned UFA)
D Nikita Zaitsev (signed in KHL)

* denotes a two-way contract

Chicago’s departures aren’t likely to keep management up at night as the team let a lot of depth players walk to open up roster slots for more effective players. Chicago was able to clear several bloated contracts with the departures of Zaitsev and Tyler Johnson and quickly used that money to add veteran pieces in free agency.

Johnson was probably the most effective of the departing players, posting 17 goals and 14 assists last season in 67 games. But at 34 years old Chicago opted to move on from the two-time Stanley Cup winner. Chicago doesn’t have great depth down the middle outside of Bedard, but despite this Chicago still opted to pass on re-signing Johnson.

On Chicago’s backend, Zaitsev’s departure won’t cause anyone in Chicago to lose sleep as he was largely a non-factor during his stay in the Windy City. Tinordi was another departure for the Blackhawks and despite his physicality, Chicago made an upgrade on the free-agent market by replacing him with the likes of Brodie and Martinez.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Blackhawks will enter training camp with just under $6.7MM in available cap space which should give them plenty of options depending on the direction their season takes. If the Blackhawks have a strong start to the season, they could look to add to their NHL roster and would have both the assets and salary cap space to do so. If their season falls off the rails and they become sellers, they could take on bad contracts from teams that are looking to make in-season moves. Long term, Chicago has a ton of cap space going forward, but that room will begin to shrink as their young prospects develop and come off their entry-level contracts looking for their first big payday in the NHL.

Key Questions

How Much Will Bedard Elevate His Game? Bedard had a solid rookie season, posting 22 goals and 39 assists on a very bad team. While he didn’t have a lot of help last season, he did manage to almost score a point a game and should be a lock to do so next season when he has a much better-supporting cast. But just how much better will Bedard be on his own? Bedard has been labelled a phenom and compared to both Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, two players who elevated their games after their rookie season.  Crosby had 102 points as a rookie before registering 120 points in his Hart Trophy-winning second season, while McDavid had 48 points in 45 games as a rookie but dialled it up considerably in his second year tallying 100 points in 82 games. If Bedard’s career follows the same trajectory as the men he has been compared to, it’s not inconceivable to think he could hit 100 points next season.

When Should The Team Name Bedard The Captain? We all know that it’s just a matter of time before the Blackhawks name Bedard as team captain. Crosby was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins after his second NHL season, and both he and McDavid were just 19 years old when they were given the C by their respective teams. Time will tell when Chicago chooses to anoint Bedard as their next captain, but if it happens this season, he will have plenty of veteran support to help him lead the team.

Just How Much Better Will Chicago Be Next Season?  Chicago struggled badly with injuries last season to the point where they were calling the staff of PHR to suit up for the team. Okay, maybe things weren’t quite that bad, but the Blackhawks had to dig deep into the ranks of Rockford to ice an NHL team as they lost a league-high 351-man games to injury. A healthy lineup alone should guarantee Chicago a few extra points in the standings, but their roster has also improved significantly. Last season Chicago had the worst offense in the league, Bertuzzi and Teravainen should help in that regard. Chicago also finished 29th in goals against and should be aided by the defensive additions of Martinez and Brodie, as well as Brossoit in the net who should help to stabilize things between the pipes.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Evening Notes: International Games, Canucks, Landeskog

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The NHL is hoping to continue entering into new markets overseas as it grows its international footprint  (as per Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com). Bill Daly spoke on the European Player Media Tour today and said that the NHL has a pretty comfortable rotation of international games in Finland, Sweden and Czechia, but added that the league will likely change things up in the immediate future.

The NHL has played 20 regular season games in Europe since 2017 and 13 preseason games in Europe, Asia, and Australia and as Daly highlighted, the league would like to go back to London to play games as well as Germany and Switzerland. Daly was asked if the league would consider a return to Australia and Daly was non-committal saying that the league had a good experience down there but they haven’t begun to explore a return trip.

In other evening notes:

  • The Vancouver Canucks are expected to announce a new AHL goaltender coach to replace the recently promoted Marko Torenius who has joined the team at the NHL level (as per Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet). Torenius was appointed to replace current head goalie coach and director of goaltending Ian Clark after Clark asked for a new position with the team to begin his transition to an off-ice role.  No word yet on who might be up for the role, but they will join a new-look AHL coaching staff after Vancouver hired Manny Malhotra as head coach of Abbotsford back in May to replace Jeremy Colliton.
  • Corey Masisak of The Denver Post is reporting that Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog’s return to the lineup is now a matter of time and no longer an uncertainty. Landeskog reportedly told a fan that he’ll play this year, but he wasn’t sure in what game. The 31-year-old hasn’t played a game since he hoisted the Stanley Cup with his teammates in June 2022 and would be a welcome return for a team that doesn’t boast the depth it used to. Landeskog had 30 goals and 29 assists during the 2021-22 season in just 51 games and was a key catalyst in their run to the championship registering 11 goals and 11 assists in 20 playoff games.

Evening Notes: Bowman, Armstrong, Stone

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Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman didn’t close the door on adding to his roster between now and the start of the regular season. The Oilers have been busy this week making multiple trades and dealing with the fallout of the offer sheet saga with the St. Louis Blues. Bowman didn’t get into any specifics as far as adding to the Oilers lineup but did comment that they have the capability to do so if there is a player out there that makes sense.

Edmonton is pretty set at forward, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired outside of their top pairing. There are a lot of question marks on the bottom two pairings and one could argue they don’t have another top-four defenseman beyond Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. The Oilers won’t find a second-pairing defenseman in free agency but could look at Kevin Shattenkirk as an option to fill the void. Shattenkirk was just fine last season for the Bruins in a depth role and averaged nearly 20 minutes a game just two seasons ago. He isn’t an ideal second-pairing defenseman, but he is probably a better option than what the Oilers are currently looking to deploy on the right side of their second unit.

In other evening notes:

  • St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong spoke today about offer sheets and said he isn’t aware of any GM code regarding the little-used tactic. Armstrong used two offer sheets last week to pry Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg away from the Edmonton Oilers and poured water on the notion that he wouldn’t have done so if former Oilers general manager Ken Holland was still on the job. Armstrong added that he would have tendered the offer sheets to Edmonton even if his own mother was in charge of the team. Offer sheets remain rare in the NHL, and a team using two of them in the same summer is unheard of.
  • Vegas Golden Knights writer Gary Lawless spoke with captain Mark Stone recently to discuss the upcoming season. Stone told Lawless that he expects to play 82 games next season after a spleen injury limited him to just 56 games last season. Those 56 games marked a high mark in games played for the 32-year-old since the 2019-20 season when he dressed in 65 games. Stone also added that he’s hoping to make Team Canada for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-off as well as the next Olympics which is certainly a possibility if the Winnipeg, Manitoba native can stay healthy. Stone was terrific in limited time last season, posting 16 goals and 37 assists in the aforementioned 56 games.

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