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Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks

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Free agency is less than 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 Canucks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Ethan Bear – Bear was traded from Carolina to Vancouver and was one of the Canucks better defensemen last season. While he only played 61 games for the club, he showed that he was one of their few mobile defensemen. At 25-years of age Bear is due a qualifying offer of $2.2MM and could walk for nothing if the team decides not to qualify him. Bear put up three goals and 16 assists while showing dependability in a middle six pairing and although he will never turn into an offensive star, he can give you a solid 18 minutes a night and provide good support on a penalty kill.

Jan 10, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Ethan Bear (74) handles the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Bear is just a year away from unrestricted free agency and after bouncing around a few teams he will likely be looking for some stability on his next contract. Vancouver may want to see more of Bear before they commit to him long-term, making a one year deal the likeliest outcome. Vancouver has Tyler Myers coming off the books next summer and could simply commit some of his money to Bear should the former fifth round pick show that he is a capable replacement.

D Travis Dermott – Dermott’s stay with the Canucks has been largely disrupted by concussions that have kept him out of the lineup for several extended periods of time. When he was able to get into the lineup, he clearly wasn’t 100% evidenced by his inability to get back to the level of played he showed when he was a Toronto Maple Leaf. Dermott saw several stints in the Leafs top-4 during his five seasons with the club but could never stay in Vancouver’s lineup long enough to earn that kind of promotion.

It’s a sad situation for the Newmarket native as at one point he did look like a capable two-way defender who could chip in 20-25 points on the back end. But in two seasons with Vancouver Dermott has only been able to put up two goals and a single assist in 28 games while playing sheltered minutes. Even more alarming was that Vancouver controlled just 40% of the scoring chances with Dermott on the ice despite him playing almost exclusively against bottom six competition.

At this point it seems likely that Vancouver will not qualify Dermott at his $1.75MM salary and he will become an unrestricted free agent. He should be able to get another crack at an NHL job, although it will likely come on a one-year deal for league minimum.

Other RFAs: F Carson Focht, D Akito Hirose, F Nils Hoglander, F Vitali Kravtsov

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Kyle Burroughs – Burroughs played a career high 48 games this past season for his hometown Canucks and put up two goals and three assists while averaging just over 17 minutes a night in ice time. He is best suited for a role as a seventh defenseman and can fill in on a third pairing in a pinch. The soon to be 28-year-old became a bit of a cult hero in Vancouver as his dependable defensive play and physicality made him a fan favourite. Burroughs fits in with the culture that head coach Rick Tocchet is trying to cultivate and likely wouldn’t cost more than league minimum on a two-year contract. It makes sense from both the players side and the Canucks side, however there could be a few obstacles to a deal getting done.

Cap issues could hinder any attempts to sign the depth defenseman and given that the Canucks already have several depth defensemen signed for next season they could view a Jack Rathbone or a Christian Wolanin as a similar option to Burroughs. Regardless of what happens Burroughs has likely earned himself a bit of short-term security either with Vancouver or another NHL team that values what he brings to the table.

G Collin Delia – Delia played a career high 20 games this past season for Vancouver, and while he set a new benchmark for games played, they weren’t particularly good ones. Delia posted a 10-6-2 record with a save percentage of .882 and a goals against of 3.28. The California native battled hard in the net for the Canucks, unfortunately his goals saved above expected was -4.3, putting him in the negative for the fifth straight year. While even the best goaltenders can have a stretch where they give up goals on saveable shots, a five year stretch likely shows the Delia is not an NHL caliber backup.

Vancouver has several options in their pipeline that are already signed to contracts, including Spencer Martin who also struggled in net for the Canucks last season. Martin probably isn’t a better option than Delia, but Vancouver could easily find a more suitable backup in free agency should they prioritize finding some dependable relief for starter Thatcher Demko.

Other UFAs:  F Justin Dowling, D Noah Juulsen, D Brady Keeper, F John Stevens

Projected Cap Space

The Vancouver Canucks are currently the only team that is projected to be over the salary cap for the 2023-24 season with just 18 players signed. To put it bluntly, their salary cap is a mess. Much of it was inherited by the current management group but they have done little to alleviate any of the stress on their bottom line.

The good news for Vancouver is that they don’t have any expensive free agents to sign and should be able to free up cap space by putting Tanner Pearson and Tucker Poolman on LTIR when the season begins. If they do this it will allow them to fill out their roster and dress a full lineup on opening night. Although, this likely won’t be good enough for the current management group. Vancouver is caught in the middle; they don’t have enough talent to be a cup contender and they have too many overpriced contracts. They also likely can’t sell another rebuild to their fans as they are supposed to be currently enjoying the fruits of their last rebuild.

It should be a busy summer for the Canucks, they have a lot of pieces they would like to move, and a management group led by Jim Rutherford who is perhaps the most aggressive executive in the NHL today. The Canucks could look wildly different come training camp in September.

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

Free Agent Focus: Tampa Bay Lightning

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Free agency is less than 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 Lightning.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Tanner Jeannot – Jeannot was traded just prior to this year’s deadline for one of the most eyepopping returns we’ve seen in recent memory. Tampa Bay traded five draft picks plus Callan Foote for Jeannot who was held pointless in three playoff games this year. It remains to be seen if Jeannot can recapture the magic he showed in the 2021-22 season where he put up 24 goals and 17 assists in 81 games for the Nashville Predators and looked to be well on his way to being the NHL’s next power forward. This past year was a different story for the 26-year-old as he appeared lost at times and struggled to get to his game. He put up just six goals and 12 assists in 76 games between Nashville and Tampa Bay and looked as though he was searching for answers as the season went on.

Apr 20, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn (2) fights with Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Tanner Jeannot (84) during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay will be looking for bigger things from the Saskatchewan native next season as their depth will be tested in the absence of some key contributors. Jeannot’s deployment changed after the trade from Nashville, and he was gifted the opportunity to have about 10% more offensive zone starts than he was getting with the Predators. He also saw less time on both the penalty kill and the powerplay which led to an average of three minutes less ice time per game. Jeannot may see more ice time this coming season as a lot of the forwards that were pushing him down the depth chart are likely to be exiting Tampa Bay this summer. This could lead Jeannot to sign a short-term deal to try and rebuild some of his value after coming off what was a bit of a lost season. I would expect a two-year bridge contract, but it is hard to nail down the annual value given how wildly different his past two seasons were. There are few comparables to Jeannot which should make for an interesting negotiation.

F Ross Colton – Colton has become a bit of a Swiss army knife for the Lightning and therein lies his value in the trade market, but also for any contract extension he is to sign. Colton is due for a significant raise on the $1.25MM he made last season. Given that he is a good penalty killer, can play center and the wing as is a good bet to hit 15 goals and 35 points he could triple his salary next season on a long-term deal.

Tampa Bay will have to decide if Colton is the piece to move out to bring in younger and cheaper assets, or if he is a piece that want to extend on a contract not unlike the one they signed Nick Paul to last summer. At 26-years-old Colton has plenty of productive seasons in front of him and could even develop into a perennial 25 goal scorer. He already has a season in which he scored 22 goals and is coming off a year where he put up 16 goals in 81 games while playing just 12 minutes a night.

Other RFAs: F Rūdolfs Balcers, F Gabriel Fortier, F Cole Koepke, F Grant Mismash, F Simon Ryfors, D Dmitri Semykin

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Alex Killorn – Killorn is the longest tenured Tampa Bay Lightning player having been drafted back in the third round of the 2007 NHL entry draft. The 33-year-old Halifax native is coming off a season in which he posted a career high 27 goals and 37 assists in 82 games. According to Elliotte Friedman, Tampa Bay has reportedly already made Killorn a long-term contract offer, but given his track record, he will be in demand and could be difficult for Tampa Bay to retain given their salary cap troubles.

Killorn has been consistency available for the Lightning having missed just two games since the 2015-16 season and scoring 40 points or more in nearly every season. While his 64 points this past season appear to be an outlier, he did put up 59 points last season and has shown steady offensive improvement despite being on the older side of 30. Tampa Bay can still make Killorn’s situation interesting, but it does appear that the long-time Lightning veteran will start next season in a different uniform. Killorn should be able to fetch a four-year contract with an average annual value north of $5MM per season.

D Ian Cole – Two-time Stanley Cup winner Ian Cole signed last season in Tampa Bay to provide the Lightning with a depth defenseman who could provide steady minutes on the backend as well as kill penalties. He did exactly that.

While his best years are likely behind him, Cole still played nearly 20 minutes a night and took almost 60% of his starts in the defensive zone. He doesn’t chip in much offensively, but he can still move the puck and get around the ice when he needs to. Cole had three goals and 14 assists in 78 games last season for Tampa Bay and could likely produce something similar again next season. Cole is likely looking for more security on his next deal as he has signed in back-to-back off-season’s for just a single year. However, I can’t see him getting more than two years at around $2.5MM-$3MM per season. It’s hard to say though, given the contracts NHL general managers threw at defensive defenseman last offseason, anything is possible for the 33-year-old.

C Pierre-Édouard Bellemare – Bellemare struggled in the minors before breaking into the NHL in his age 29 season. While it was a nice story at the time, Bellemare used his arrival to springboard himself into nine seasons in the NHL. Now at the age of 38, the native of France is coming off a down year in which his age appeared to catch up with him. Bellemare looked tired near the end of the year and struggled to four goals and nine assists in 73 games. Bellemare appeared to chase the game a lot more this season and had a hard time lining up hits, he also took more penalties as he uncharacteristically found himself out of position and was forced to take obstruction penalties.

Should he choose to keep playing, Bellemare could get a one-year contract, but given his age and lack of production last season, he is likely looking for something that is just above the NHL minimum.

Other UFAs: D Trevor Carrick, G Brian Elliott, F Pierre-Cédric Labrie, G Maxime Lagace, F Corey Perry, F Gemel Smith, F Daniel Walcott

Projected Cap Space

The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of a handful of teams that are right up against the cap with several key free agents to still try and lockup. Tampa has 17 players signed to NHL contracts with just $450K left to try and fill out their lineup. They will be able to put Brent Seabrook onto LTIR which will free up nearly $7MM in additional space. While this gives the Lightning some breathing room, it still won’t be enough to dress a full lineup for next season.

The club will likely have to move out a roster player or two to sign their remaining RFA’s which will create an additional complication. The Lightning have four players with full no movement clauses and an additional four players with full no trade clauses or modified no trade clauses. That effectively takes half of their signed players out of play if they are looking to make a move to free up cap space which will limit general manager Julien BriseBois’ options.

Tampa Bay has done a good job navigating cap challenges in the past but could be facing their toughest task yet as their two-time cup winning core has become increasingly expensive.

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

Evening Notes: Olofsson, Senators, Andersen

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News wrote today that Buffalo Sabres forward Victor Olofsson, and his representatives expect him to be traded prior to the start of training camp in September. Olofsson has spent his entire five-year career with the Sabres where he has put up 167 points in 263 NHL games. This news isn’t all that surprising given that the soon to be 28-year-old is just a year away from being an unrestricted free agent and he was a healthy scratch for the Sabres down the stretch while they were battling for a playoff position.

The Swedish forward has been remarkably consistent in his career notching at least 20 goals in three of his last four seasons with the lockout shortened 2020-21 season being the one year he didn’t reach the mark. This past season Olofsson set a career high with 28 goals in 75 games to go along with 12 assists, but he has been made expendable by the emergence of several Sabres forward prospects and his pricey $4.75MM cap hit. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has reportedly been very active on the trade market as he tries to get Buffalo back to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

In other evening notes:

  • The sale of the Ottawa Senators franchise may finally be entering its final days. This is according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia who has been tirelessly reporting on the process. It seems likely that the new owner will be either Michael Andlauer or Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group, however Los Angeles producer Neko Sparks remains in the mix but seems less likely to be the preferred bidder. League sources told Garrioch that they are confident there are no more major hurdles to clear leading them to believe they are on the verge of closing out the eight-month process. It’ll be interesting to see if the bid comes close to the $1B bid that was apparently posted by Steve Apostolopoulos, who has since left the bidding after he reportedly became frustrated with the process.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes tweeted today that defender Amalie Andersen has inked a one-year contract with the Buffalo Beauts and become the first Danish born player to sign in the Premier Hockey Federation. The 23-year-old is the younger sister of Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen and played four years at the University of Maine where she put up two goals and seven assists in 60 career games. The Beauts are one of the founding teams in the PHF having started with three other clubs back in 2015 while the league was named the National Women’s Hockey League.

Devils Notes: Severson, Graves, Haula

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The New Jersey Devils won their first playoff series in over a decade this past spring and now face the prospect of losing several key free agents in just under a month’s time. James Nichols of The Fourth Period reported today that Damon Severson’s camp isn’t sure whether the Devils want him to return or not. While it certainly doesn’t sound like the two sides are close to an agreement or even talking now, these types of agreements can be reached in a matter of days. Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of work to be done this summer and appears to have prioritized the Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier contract negotiations at this time.

Nichols reported yesterday that the Columbus Blue Jackets were interested in Severson’s services as well, and it isn’t a surprise given the players track record. Severson is sure to be in demand as he is a right defenseman coming off a season in which he put up 7 goals and 26 assists in 81 games. The veteran has spent his entire nine-year career with the Devils and could very well find himself in a different uniform come the fall.

In other Devils news:

  • Nichols also reported that defenseman Ryan Graves sounds like a player that is on his way out of New Jersey. Nichols spoke with Graves agent Allain Roy who said that New Jersey needs to figure out if they have room for his client and that a lot will have to happen before they do. Graves is another defenseman that is sure to be in demand, the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 18 assists in 78 games this past season and was a big part of a Devils penalty kill that finished fifth in the league with a success rate of 82.5%.
  • In positive news for New Jersey, Nichols reports that the Devils have engage in extension talks with Erik Haula. The left winger has stated his interest in returning to the Devils and Fitzgerald has said the Devils would like him back. While they are early in their discussions, Nichols says it would be hard to imagine them not working out a deal to bring the 32-year-old back into the fray. Haula came over from the Boston Bruins in a trade last summer and put up 14 goals and 27 assists in 80 games in his first year with the Devils.

Salary Cap Increase Could Be Larger Than Expected

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Joe Smith of The Athletic penned an interesting article today leading to speculation that the NHL salary cap could see a larger increase this summer than the $1MM that was expected. Gary Bettman seemed to temper expectations last week when he said that he still expected the increase to be just the $1MM.

Smith’s league sources say that the number which has been discussed for most of this year doesn’t appear to be final as of right now. The official figure will be announced at the NHL draft and now it appears that there are some negotiations going on behind the scenes to see if there is wiggle room to add to the increase.

Many expect the salary cap to go up between $10MM-$12MM over the next three years based on revenue, leading to a wild disparity for those who become free agents this season versus those who hit the market in 2024 or 2025. The conversation going on behind closed doors appears to be whether the increases could be more proportional starting this year to allow the group of players hitting free agency in a few weeks to have a bit more money in the market to chase.

Any additional cap increase would certainly be welcome news for teams that are currently cap strapped. The Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins come to mind as both teams stand to lose considerable talent and don’t have much cap room to retain them. The news could also be good for the players that want to stay with their current clubs but aren’t sure the money will be there. An extra one million in cap space could be the difference that allows a player like Alex Killorn to stay with the only team he’s ever known instead of moving on with a new team.

While Smith teases the different possible cap increases over the next three years, he does end the article by stating that the likeliest outcome for next year’s salary cap is a $1MM to $1.5MM increase. This could also affect the contracts that this year’s free agents sign. Players might opt for shorter term deals with the hope that they can cash in down the road when the cap is quite a bit higher. We’ve already seen defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov sign for just two years, despite the Los Angeles Kings pushing for a longer-term arrangement. It could become a major story over the next month or so as more players sign deals for next season.

Evening Notes: Schenn, Quenneville, Senators

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CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported today that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Luke Schenn likely wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs and he expects the rearguard to get a well-deserved raise in pay on his next contract. Dhaliwal said this today on Donnie & Dhali The Team and added that Schenn is seeking some term on his next contract as well as some no trade protection.

It makes sense that the soon to be 34-year-old would like some stability for himself and his young family as he has bounced around the league the past few seasons and played under several contracts that have been for near the NHL minimum. Schenn is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career having put up four goals and 18 assists in 70 games split between the Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks and is trying to cash in on what could very well be his last big payday in the NHL.

In other evening notes:

  • Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that he doesn’t believe the delay in the New York Rangers search for a new coach is tied to former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. Brooks lists several reasons for his thinking here including the fact that general manager Chris Drury is currently in Buffalo at the scouting combine. Brooks goes on to add that he can’t see NHL commissioner Gary Bettman meeting with Quenneville before the draft to discuss reinstatement and that the Rangers would like to have someone in place before free agency begins on July 1st.
  • The final stage in the sale of the Ottawa Senators has been going on for over three weeks and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia there has been no indication of who will be awarded preferred bidder status. Garrioch writes that this may be a tactic being used to keep all the groups engaged in case they need fall back options should one of the bids fall through. The belief is that the final stage has been slowed by all the back and forth between the parties involved as they try to hammer down the final details in what should be the end of a very long process. Garrioch goes on to say that is does appear that this has become a three-horse race as it looks as though the Neko Sparks group is a long shot to win ownership of the club. They are having issues putting the financing in place, but at this time, they are still in the running.

Latest On Pierre-Luc Dubois

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The Pierre-Luc Dubois saga with the Winnipeg Jets appears likely to end this summer with a trade. Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic write that it appears that the young forward will submit a list of teams that he is willing to sign with long term and it will be up to the Jets to determine if any of those teams are willing to make a move. In the meantime, Dubois’ agent Pat Brisson could begin talking to those teams to setup a framework for a potential long-term extension.

While this is not an ideal situation for Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, it does give him the opportunity to have serious negotiations with teams that can plug Dubois into their lineup long term, hopefully maximizing the return for Winnipeg.

Jeff Marek acknowledged on his show today that the Montreal Canadiens are high on Dubois wish list, and The Athletic article even mentioned that the Canadiens called Winnipeg after the season ended. While there does seem to be a fit for a trade between Montreal and Winnipeg there will be plenty of other interested suitors. Players like Dubois don’t come on the market all that often and even an eight-year contract will only carry Dubois into his age 33 season, meaning that he should be very productive throughout the life on any long-term deal.

The Athletic article also mentions that Dubois is willing to be flexible depending on the situation, meaning that he will take a discount to go to a cup contender but would want his full freight if he goes to a rebuilding club.

The situation is not unlike the sign and trade of Matthew Tkachuk and the Calgary Flames last summer. Tkachuk signed his eight-year deal with Calgary and was then quickly dealt to the Florida Panthers for a large haul that was universally praised at the time. Winnipeg could maximize the return by working out a similar situation with Dubois allowing both sides to leave the relationship happy with the end result.

Snapshots: Matthews, Bratt, DeAngelo

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David Pagnotta of the NHL Network is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs are focused right now on evaluating their coaching staff and don’t have urgency at this time to speak with star forward Auston Matthews. He adds that they do intend to meet with the 25-year-old and his agent later this month, at which time they will presumably begin to talk about a contract extension for the upcoming unrestricted free agent. Matthews is just a year away from being able to walk out the door for nothing and the direction of the franchise will likely be dictated by what happens in the Matthews talks.

It’s an interesting approach from newly anointed general manager Brad Treliving given that he cited talking to Matthews as his number one priority at his introductory press conference. It’s also curious because he just came from a franchise in which he lost two 100-point scorers in a matter of months just one year ago. One would have to assume he will be prudent in making sure that doesn’t happen again with Matthews who has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1st.

In other news from around the league:

  • Pagnotta also writes that talks between the New Jersey Devils and pending RFA Timo Meier have picked up this week, but he describes the situation with Jesper Bratt as status quo. Bratt and the Devils have a bit of a contentious relationship when it comes to negotiations as they have come up against each other in the past when it comes to money. This happened most notably last summer when they nearly went to arbitration but settled on a one-year deal just hours before they were set to square off.  Bratt posted a career high 32 goals last season while posting his second consecutive 73-point season. He has bet on himself in the past and with just a year left until he is an unrestricted free agent, this could be the Devils toughest negotiation yet.
  • Elliotte Friedman mentioned on The Jeff Marek Show today that he believes the Philadelphia Flyers are looking to move defenseman Tony DeAngelo. The 27-year-old continued to produce on the powerplay in his first season in Philadelphia but struggled at even strength and in his own defensive zone. The New Jersey native became a lightning rod for criticism, particularly from head coach John Tortorella who scratched DeAngelo multiple times last season. Philadelphia acquired DeAngelo last summer from Carolina for multiple draft picks and signed him to a two year $10MM contract. Many people questioned the move at the time and that continued into the season despite the defenseman’s offensive production. It’ll be curious to see if any teams bite on the gifted but limited rearguard.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Anton Blidh

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June 8: The Rangers have officially announced the contract, confirming its two-year term.

June 7: The New York Rangers have re-signed forward Anton Blidh to a two-year/two-way contract extension. The signing continues a trend for the 28-year-old Blidh as he has played under the parameters of a two-way contract for the past eight seasons. CapFriendly is reporting that Blidh will have an NHL cap hit of $775K in each of the two seasons or a minor’s salary of $350K. Should he spend the entire season in the AHL he does have a minimum guarantee of $385K in each year.

The move is a little bit curious as the Swedish winger came over in a trade deadline deal with the Colorado Avalanche but never dressed for the Rangers at the NHL level. It appears that general manager Chris Drury views Blidh as organization depth. He is a very useful defensive player who can kill penalties and chip in occasionally as he did this past season putting up 13 goals and 10 assists in 53 AHL games split between the Hartford Wolfpack and Colorado Eagles. While he struggled early in the season in Colorado, he seemed to find a home in Hartford as he finished his season putting up seven goals and four assists in his final 17 games.

Given Blidh’s career trajectory and his inability to stay at the NHL level it does appear that he’s destined to be a good AHL player and occasional NHL call-up. In 84 NHL games scattered across seven NHL seasons he has four goals and eight assists to go along with 41 PIM.

The signing is a nice story for Blidh who less than a month ago had a scary incident in a playoff game against the Hershey Bears. In the first period of Game One of the Atlantic Division Final, Blidh collapsed on the Hartford bench and the game had to be stopped to provide him with medical attention. In the end it turned out that Blidh had the wind knocked out of him and thankfully he was okay. Fortunately, he was able to keep playing and now he will be able to continue playing for at least the next two years.

Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Free agency is less than 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 Penguins.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Drew O’Connor – O’Connor finally established himself as a full time NHLer last season after struggling to do so the two previous years. While his five goals and six assists in 46 games hardly knocked down the door, his play away from the puck was very strong. His ability to get around the ice plays very well in head coach Mike Sullivan’s up-tempo system.

O’Connor began last season in the AHL because of the Penguins salary cap issues but was quickly called up to begin the year. His AHL numbers were terrific as he was able to put up 22 points in 20 games and dominated large stretches of these games by utilizing his strong first step and large frame. Last month at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship O’Connor found himself centering the second line of the United States team and was able to show some offensive prowess as he put up eight points in 10 games.

Apr 1, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Drew O’Connor (10) handles the puck against the Boston Bruins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

If O’Connor can find more of an edge to his game, he could be an effective bottom six forward with a power element. He will likely be looking at a one or a two-year deal at around the NHL minimum as he tries to continue to establish himself as an NHL regular.

F Ryan Poehling – Poehling battled a lot of injuries this past season and it created a lost season for the 24-year-old who came over to Pittsburgh from the Montreal Canadiens in the Jeff Petry/Mike Matheson trade last summer. Not much attention was paid to Poehling, but he was one of the few bright spots in Pittsburgh’s bottom six forward group. Poehling put up seven goals and seven assists in 53 games, and while those numbers are pedestrian, he did that in less than 12 minutes of ice time per game and spent nearly 1/3 of his ice time killing penalties.

Overall, there is a lot to like about Poehling’s game especially given that he will likely be playing on a cap hit that is less than $1MM.

D Ty Smith – Smith was in the unfortunate position of being forced into the AHL by a salary cap squeeze.  He spent most of the season in the AHL where he put up seven goals and 17 assists in 39 games. Those aren’t bad numbers but given that former general manager Ron Hextall acquired Smith for John Marino, his numbers leave a lot to be desired. Smith did have a cup of coffee in Pittsburgh drawing into nine games in the NHL where he put up a goal and three assists while struggling in the defensive zone.

As it stands right now Smith will need a new contract and should start the year with the big club. The Penguins currently have a hole on the line side of their defense and could look to Smith to occupy a spot on their bottom pairing. He is still a very capable puck moving defenseman and given the fact that he is just 23 years old his best hockey is likely in front of him. Smith will probably get a two-year bridge deal for around $800K.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Tristan Jarry – Tristan Jarry had arguably the worst season of his career at the most inopportune time. Jarry battled inconsistencies and injuries throughout the year and never seemed to find his footing after suffering an injury at the outdoor game in Boston. He did battle until the end of the year but couldn’t find enough consistency in his game to will the Penguins into the playoffs. Jarry went 24-13-7 on the year with a .909 save percentage and a 2.90 goals against average.

Despite his poor showing last season, he is still likely the best available option on the open market. Given his positioning it has been rumored in Pittsburgh that Jarry is looking for a contract in the range of six years with an average annual value of $6MM. The Penguins would be wise to avoid that kind of a commitment for a goaltender who has been unable to provide consistent goaltending from one year to the next.

D Brian Dumoulin – Dumoulin was a lightning rod for criticism early in the season and rightfully so, he was abysmal in November and December and was continuously put in high leverage situations despite his obvious struggles. Eventually he was demoted from the top pairing to the third pairing, and he began to find some semblance of his game as the year went on. Dumoulin was substantially better towards the end of the year, but he was still just a shell of his former self. Despite these issues, Dumoulin put up a career high 25 points and dressed in all 82 games for the first time in his career.

His free agency will be fascinating to watch as he was largely viewed by the fans in Pittsburgh as a big reason why the team couldn’t find any traction. Despite this, it is very possible an NHL team will look as his pedigree and deem him the perfect veteran compliment to a young defensive core. For this reason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dumoulin sign a two- or three-year contract for around $3MM annually.

F Jason Zucker – Zucker struggled with injuries and poor play during his first few years in Pittsburgh. Despite these issues he still was the heart and soul of the Penguins and one of the few forwards in Pittsburgh who was willing to engage the opponent physically. Zucker had the second-best season of his career notching 27 goals and 21 assists in 78 games while sometimes being the only spark the Penguins could find as they were falling out of playoff contention.

His free agency will also be quite interesting because he does have a history of being an inspiring player who can pick up his teammates, but on the other side of things he is injury prone and can’t drive a line. Zucker’s ask will likely be in the $5MM-$6MM range per season on a three or a four-year contract. Pittsburgh would be wise to avoid that kind of commitment but given that the team will likely be a lottery team in a few years, they might not care about the term if they can secure the player for the last few years of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era.

Other UFAs: F Josh Archibald, F Nick Bonino, F Danton Heinen, D Dmitry Kulikov

Projected Cap Space

Kyle Dubas was hired in Pittsburgh to get the Penguins aging core back into Stanley Cup contention. It’s a tall task given the state of the Penguins roster as currently constructed. While the team had some obvious flaws last season, there is enough cap space and flexibility available to make some significant changes. Dubas will have just over $20MM in cap space this summer with 15 players already locked into NHL money. That may seem like plenty of room, but the Penguins have a glaring need in net that could eat up a third of that cap space. The team could free up significant room with a Mikael Granlund buyout and could also move on from expensive bottom pairing defenseman Jan Rutta.

The Penguins had one of the worst bottom six groups in the NHL last season and will likely look to use some of their additional cap space to improve in this area. Dubas has always been good at finding value and given where the Penguins are at he will need to work his magic once again this summer if Pittsburgh is going to get back into the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

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

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