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Utah Signs Julian Lutz To Entry-Level Contract

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June 17: As they did hours earlier with Noel Nordh, the Utah Hockey Club made Lutz’s signing official Monday.

May 26: Utah made a move today as they signed forward Julian Lutz to a three-year entry-level contract (as per CapFriendly). The native of Weingarten, Germany, was the Arizona Coyotes’ second-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft (43rd overall) and struggled with injuries in the following season, playing in just 24 games in the DEL with EHC Red Bull München and posting just a single goal and seven assists.

Last year, the 20-year-old made the jump to the United States Hockey League and was dominant in his first season with the Green Bay Gamblers, registering 24 goals and 44 assists in just 50 games and two goals and two assists in six playoff games.

Internationally, Lutz has represented Germany on multiple occasions, including the 2024 World Junior Championships in two separate years, tallying a goal and three assists in ten games. He also represented Germany’s U18 team in the 2021-22 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting two goals in four games.

Lutz’s three-year deal will carry a cap hit of $923K and will see him receive $95K in signing bonuses in each of the three years of the deal. His average annual value on the deal is $950K, while the NHL salaries break down as $775K in year one and $855K in years two and three. Lutz will earn $82,500 while playing in the AHL.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Oliver Kapanen To ELC

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Oliver Kapanen to a three-year, entry-level contract that will run through the 2026-27 season. Kapanen was the Canadiens’ second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft (64th overall) and is the cousin of current NHLer Kasperi Kapanen, and the nephew of former NHLer Sami Kapanen.

Kapanen spent last season with KalPa Kuopio in the Liiga where he registered 14 goals and 20 assists in 51 games. The 20-year-old had a very successful playoff run to finish off his season, tying for the points lead with seven goals and seven assists in 13 games. The Timrå, Sweden native was also a member of Finland’s 2024 IIHF World Championship team, leading the team with six goals in eight games.

Kapanen could be given a look at Canadiens training camp this fall and might even be good enough for a role in the team’s bottom six, most likely on the fourth line. However, given how little Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has played his fourth line, it might not be best for Kapanen’s development.

He is signed with Timrå of the SHL for the 2024-25 season and with the team’s lack of forward depth, it might be the best option for Kapanen going forward as he will get consistent ice time to fuel his development. Kapanen projects to be a top-9 center for the Canadiens in the future, but likely won’t develop into the top-line center that the team has coveted for years.

Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators

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Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Predators.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan – The 24-year-old played just one game with the Predators this season after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. The Calgary, Alberta native played 31 games total, posting just a goal and three assists. A former second-round pick in 2017, Anderson-Dolan was thought to be a player who could develop into a bottom-six scoring option, but to this point in his career, his game hasn’t translated well to the NHL. His size is an issue as he does get overpowered by stronger defensemen, and he isn’t a great passer by NHL standards. However, he brings energy, can shoot the puck, and is a good forechecker. Given his lack of NHL success, it’s possible that Nashville may elect not to issue Anderson-Dolan a qualifying offer.

Other RFAs:  F Egor Afanasyev, RW Wade Allison, D Marc Del Gaizo, G Gustavs Grigals, D Spencer Stastney, D Adam Wilsby, F Liam Foudy, C Juuso Parssinen, F Philip Tomasino

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Anthony Beauvillier – Beauvillier picked a bad time to have the worst offensive season of his career as the 27-year-old registered just five goals and 12 assists while being traded twice during the season and three times in the last 18 months. The former first-round pick looked as though he’d developed into a reliable secondary scorer in the middle six, but his numbers fell off a cliff last season. Beauvillier is a good shooter, brings good energy, and isn’t afraid to get dirty, he’ll find an NHL job next season, but he will be looking at a significant pay cut from the $4.15MM he made last season.

D Tyson Barrie – Barrie was a consistent healthy scratch last season in Nashville and voiced his displeasure at one point. He could be a good option for a team looking for some offense from the backend without a massive financial commitment. Barrie remains a good power play producer, and isn’t the worst defender in his own zone, although he does struggle to contain his opponents if he loses position. Barrie is just one year removed from posting 55 points in 85 games and will likely receive a one-year NHL contract for next season with the hopes that he bounces back to form.

D Alexandre Carrier – Carrier will be an interesting player to watch in free agency as he doesn’t have a long NHL track record, but he has been effective and could be a good second-pairing defenseman for a team. He is quick, has good gap control, and can keep plays alive in the offensive zone with smart pinches, and strong side-to-side work on the blue line. He isn’t afraid to push back in the defensive zone and doesn’t get overpowered by opposing forwards. The 27-year-old made $2.5MM last season on a one-year deal and is due a healthy raise on a multi-year deal.

G Kevin Lankinen – Lankinen is capable of playing like a starting goaltender in short stretches but lacks the consistency of a full-time NHL starter. He has good size but doesn’t play big and has a pretty average skill set. His 4.1 goals saved above expected (as per Money Puck) was pretty solid work in 24 games, although it represented a drop off from the 8.6 goals saved above expected he posted in 2022-23. With Predators star prospect Yaroslav Askarov ready to make the jump to the NHL, it looks as though Lankinen will be looking for a new NHL home. Given the weak goalie market, the 29-year-old should be able to find a multi-year deal with an AAV in the range of $2MM to $2.5MM.

F Jason Zucker – Zucker was in a very different position last summer when he signed a one-year deal worth $5.3MM. Zucker was coming off a 27-goal season and had been healthy for the first time in a while. A multi-year deal never materialized for the 32-year-old, and he opted to bet on himself with the shorter term. Unfortunately, the bet didn’t pay off as Zucker struggled to 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 games and was traded to Nashville at the deadline for a sixth-round pick. Zucker can still skate and isn’t afraid to get physical, he will fetch a multi-year deal, but it will likely come in under $4MM annually.

Other UFAs: G Troy Grosenick. D Jordan Gross, D Roland McKeown, F Kiefer Sherwood, C Jasper Weatherby

Projected Cap Space

The Predators have almost $12MM of dead cap space to contend with due to buyouts and retained salary. Despite this albatross on the books, the Predators still have plenty of room under the salary cap to shape their roster this summer. Nashville has nearly $26.4MM in space to make improvements and re-sign any pending free agents. The Predators are well-positioned to make a splash this summer and might opt to bolster their offense on the trade market. The team could also pursue top players in free agency as they aren’t limited by short-term cap issues. The Predators will need to find a direction with star netminder Juuse Saros and might need to tread lightly when handing out long-term deals if they want to have cap space to re-sign Saros long-term.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

East Notes: Couturier, Alfredsson, Panthers

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Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier had surgery after the season to repair a sports hernia. Couturier had a very eventful 2023-24 season after missing the previous season due to a back issue that required multiple surgeries.

The Flyers reportedly knew about the sports hernia as Couturier played through the ailment for much of the season and it clearly had an impact on his play as the 31-year-old managed just a goal and eight assists in his final 34 games. Couturier was named the Flyers captain back in February and is expected to be back to full health by the time training camp rolls around in September.

In other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that Ottawa Senators assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson wants to put in serious time as an assistant before becoming an NHL head coach. The Senators reportedly talked to their former long-time captain about the head coach position, but Alfredsson told management that he wanted to learn the ropes before taking on the job. Alfredsson will be joined behind the Senators bench by new head coach Travis Green as well as assistants Mike Yeo, Nolan Baumgartner, and Ben Sexton.
  • The Florida Panthers and their ECHL affiliate the Florida Everblades have reportedly ended their affiliation agreement. The agreement between the ECHL and NHL franchises began in 2022-23 and included the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. While the partnership was short lived it was incredibly successful as the Everblades won the Kelly Cup in both years of the deal, while the Panthers are in their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final. The Everblades have previously been the affiliate for Nashville, Carolina and Tampa Bay and will announce a new affiliation in the coming weeks.

Evening Notes: Kane, Capuano, Steelheads

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Evander Kane will not dress for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight (as per Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman). Kane was diagnosed with a sports hernia at the start of the playoffs but is holding off until after the season to have surgery. Kane has rarely practiced during the playoffs but has managed to play through the injury to this point.

Tonight’s scratch will be Kane’s first of the playoffs, which is surprising given the ailment he is dealing with. Kane hasn’t been physically healthy throughout the postseason but has still managed four goals and four assists in 20 games. Despite his best effort to remain in the lineup and produce for the Oilers, the 32-year-old has struggled as of late with just a single assist in his last nine games.

Corey Perry will take Kane’s place in the lineup.

In other evening notes:

  • Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that former Ottawa Senators assistant coach Jack Capuano may be inching closer to a job as an assistant coach of the Minnesota Wild. Capuano was an associate coach with the Senators and the team opted to non-renew his contract making him free to join any team. Capuano coached Ottawa’s defense last season and the results weren’t great, although Ottawa’s team defense overall was poor as was their goaltending. The 57-year-old was previously the head coach of the New York Islanders, a position he held for seven years, compiling a 227-192-64 record.
  • TSN is reporting that the Ontario Hockey League’s board of governors is approving the relocation of the Mississauga Steelheads to nearby Brampton, Ontario. While the team is moving cities, it’s not much of a change as Mississauga’s Paramount Fine Foods Centre is just seven kilometres away from the Steelheads new home in Brampton, the CAA Centre. Brampton previously had a team up until 2012-13 when the Battalion moved to North Bay, while Mississauga will be without an OHL franchise for the first time in 26 years.

Panthers Aleksander Barkov And Vladimir Tarasenko To Play Game 3

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will dress tonight in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). The Panthers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 and will be looking to grab a stranglehold as the series shifts to Edmonton. The 28-year-old was a question mark for tonight after leaving Game 2 on Monday night. Barkov took a high hit from Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl midway through the third period that resulted in a two-minute minor penalty.

This year’s Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defensive forward, Barkov has two assists in the Stanley Cup Final and has tallied six goals and 13 assists in 19 games in the playoffs.

Friedman also tweeted that Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko will dress for Game 3 tonight. The 32-year-old has been dealing with an undisclosed injury and has three goals and four assists in 19 playoff games and has averaged just under 14 minutes a game in ice time. The 2019 Stanley Cup champion was acquired by the Panthers on March 6th from the Ottawa Senators for a fourth-round draft pick in 2024 and a third-round draft pick in 2025. Given Tarasenko’s offensive production, it’s fair to wonder how much the injury has limited his play, Tarasenko had 23 goals, and 32 assists in 76 regular season games split between Florida and Ottawa.

Michael Russo of The Athletic tweeted that with Barkov and Tarasenko in the lineup, the Panthers will likely elevate Evan Rodrigues to the top line, while Carter Verhaeghe will move to a line with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.

Canucks Notes: Lindholm, Chatfield, Zadorov

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Elliotte Friedman reported on the Jeff Marek Show today that it doesn’t appear that the Vancouver Canucks will be able to hang on to pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm. Friedman referenced recent reports that the Canucks were willing to offer Lindholm a seven-year deal for $7MM per season but adds that the Canucks are reportedly looking to their next options as Lindholm’s departure becomes more of a reality.

The Canucks gave up a massive package to acquire the 29-year-old sending a first-round pick in 2024, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024, as well as two prospects and Andrei Kuzmenko to the Calgary Flames and aren’t likely to find a suitable replacement in free agency.

In other Vancouver Canucks notes:

  • Rick Dhaliwal spoke today on Donnie and Dhali about Carolina Hurricanes pending free agent defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Dhaliwal said that if Chatfield reaches free agency the Canucks will have interest, however, he has also heard that the Hurricanes are pushing to re-sign him. Chatfield started his NHL career with the Canucks, dressing in 18 games during the 2020-21 season and registering one assist. He then signed with Carolina as a free agent in 2021 and has been with the team the past three seasons. Last year the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 14 assists in 72 games and averaged 15:12 of ice time per game.
  • Dhaliwal also reported that all is quiet when it comes to contract negotiations between the Canucks and pending free-agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The 29-year-old was also acquired at the trade deadline and reportedly hasn’t spoke with Vancouver over the past few days. The Canucks have just over $24MM in cap space available but have pending extensions to sign in the next three seasons for Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko and will need to be careful how they allocate long-term cap space. Reports have surfaced previously that Zadorov is looking for a six-year deal at $6MM per season.

Jim Nill Wins General Manager Of The Year Award

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The National Hockey League has announced that Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill has won the 2023-24 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the second consecutive season. The award is handed out annually and recognizes the efforts of the top general manager in the NHL. Nill joins New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello as the only general manager to win the award on more than one occasion.

In his 11th season as general manager of Dallas, Nill continued to supplement the Stars’ excellent drafting and development by signing Matt Duchene to a one-year $3MM deal that turned out to be a bargain as Duchene posted 25 goals and 40 assists in 80 games. Nill also signed Sam Steel to a bargain deal and traded for Chris Tanev at the trade deadline. Nill has had a massive role in Dallas building one of the deepest cores of young players in the NHL by drafting forwards Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, while also selecting defenseman Miro Heiskanen and netminder Jake Oettinger.

The Stars lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Edmonton Oilers after they had posted 113 points in the regular season, one point shy of the New York Rangers who captured the President’s Trophy. It was the second consecutive season that the Stars lost in the Western Conference Final, and it was the third time they’ve advanced that far in the past five years.

Nill was also recently named as an assistant general manager of Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team for the 2026 Olympics as well as an associate general manager for Canada’s team in the 4 Nations Face-Off next February.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

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Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Islanders.

Key Restricted Free Agents

RW Simon Holmstrom – Holmstrom had a breakthrough season in 2023-24 notching 15 goals and 10 assists in 75 games while providing terrific penalty killing. However, a deeper dive into his numbers reveals that the 23-year-old had a 20.8% shooting percentage that inflated his goal total and is likely to drop significantly next season. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has historically been a tough negotiator with younger players which will likely keep Holmstrom’s AAV down on his next deal. A bridge deal in the range of $1.25MM – $1.5MM per season seems likely for Holmstrom, who will be looking to build off a solid season.

F Kyle MacLean – MacLean will come into the 2024-25 season as one of the favorites to take over the Islanders’ fourth-line center role. The 25-year-old emerged this season from Bridgeport and proved to be a strong forechecker that forced defensemen to move the puck quickly and also provided excellent backchecking in the Islanders’ defensive zone. MacLean won’t score much, but he is strong defensively and can get around the ice to cause disruption. He seems destined to get a two or three-year bridge deal in the range of $900K – $1MM.

RW Oliver Wahlstrom – Wahlstrom had a couple of decent seasons to start his NHL career but has fallen on hard times the last two years totalling just nine goals and 13 assists in 67 games. A knee injury in 2022 has certainly played a role in him losing some of his momentum but on the ice Wahlstrom looks like a player that has lost his confidence. A change of scenery trade would greatly benefit the 23-year-old and give the Islanders an asset for a player who seems to have played his way out of favor with the franchise. The native of Portland, Maine is a former 11th overall pick, and would likely still have some value left, but the best the Islanders might get is a swap for another former first-round pick that has struggled to begin their career.

Other RFAs:  D Dennis Cholowski, C Ruslan Iskhakov, F Kyle MacLean, C Reece Newkirk, RW Tyce Thompson,

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Sebastian Aho – Aho is a skilled defenseman and a good passer who has posted some good numbers in the American Hockey League. However, in the NHL Aho’s size has made it difficult for him to use that skill to his advantage as he is frequently forced into giveaways. Aho is a smart player and can chip in on a power play, however, his skill set is best suited for a bottom pairing, preferably one where his partner has some size. Aho should get a short multi-year deal with an average annual value in the range of $1.5MM to $2MM.

RW Cal Clutterbuck – Clutterbuck’s play fell off considerably last season as the Islanders were hammered in the possession department when the 36-year-old took to the ice. While he was never an analytics darling, Clutterbuck’s 37.6% CF% at even strength (as per Hockey Reference) represented a career-low and the Islanders were under attack whenever his line was deployed. Clutterbuck’s pace remains okay, and he is still a physical force, however, at this late stage of his career, he is a below-average fourth-line player. Clutterbuck will still find work this summer, but it will likely be on a one-year deal around $1MM.

F Matt Martin – Much like Clutterbuck, Martin’s play last year fell off as did his ice time. Martin’s average ice time per game dropped almost a full two minutes and when he was on the ice the results weren’t great. Martin had just four goals and four assists in 57 games and his physicality trailed off as he appeared to wear down as the season went on. It was surprising to see his play drop off so dramatically as Martin had a career year in 2022-23, but one might wonder if Father Time finally caught up with the 35-year-old. Martin is another candidate for a one-year deal in the range of $1MM.

Other UFAs:  G Ken Appleby, D Robert Bortuzzo, RW Karson Kuhlman, F Otto Koivula, D Paul LaDue, F Brian Pinho, D Mike Reilly, D Robin Salo

Projected Cap Space

The Islanders are extremely limited this offseason as they have just over $6.5MM in cap space and 5-6 roster spots left to fill. The team does have several veterans they could try to move this summer to open up cap room but would likely need to retain some salary in order to facilitate a move. New York is in a tough spot that is similar to their divisional counterpart the Pittsburgh Penguins in that they are firmly committed to an expensive and aging roster. However, unlike the Penguins, there isn’t a lot of indication that the Islanders are looking to get younger and faster. The Islanders are a team that could be aggressive this summer as general manager Lamoriello tries to squeeze one more deep playoff run out of this group of veterans.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Morning Notes: Ullmark, Saros, Bemstrom

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Andrew Fantucchio of Boston Hockey Now writes that in his opinion the Boston Bruins have no reason to be in a hurry to trade goaltender Linus Ullmark as he has one year left on his deal and the Bruins could conceivably keep the netminder for the remainder of his deal. Ullmark has a lot of contractual control over where he is traded and could nix trades to nearly half of the league.

Goaltenders have been traded in recent years for a minimal return, including recent Vezina Trophy winners. However, as Fantucchio writes, the Ullmark situation is different than that of Marc-Andre Fleury who was dealt in July 2021 in what amounted to a salary cap dump. Fantucchio theorizes that if the Bruins are patient with the Ullmark trade it could drive up the asking price as teams might become desperate for goaltending as the market dries up.

In other morning notes:

  • It appears that Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is prepared to let the goaltender market develop before signing his next deal. Jonathan Bailey of Nashville Hockey Now writes that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet made his weekly appearance on 102.5 The Game on the Caroline, Willy, and D-Mase show to discuss the future of the Predators netminder. On the show, Friedman said that Saros is willing to see what kind of a contract New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin signs before he signs a new contract. Shesterkin figures to sign the richest goalie contract ever, and while Saros won’t reach the same kind of money, he can likely command a large percentage of that.
  • Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that he doesn’t think the Pittsburgh Penguins will offer restricted free agent Emil Bemstrom a contract before the June 25th deadline to submit a qualifying offer. Bemstrom was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets and struggled to carve out a role in Pittsburgh despite the Penguins having a very poor bottom-six forward group. The 25-year-old is due a $945K qualifying offer and given the Penguins’ shortcomings it would be reckless to allocate that kind of cap space on a player that would be a 13th forward.

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