DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg Sign Phil Varone
The Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga have signed veteran forward Phil Varone to a one-year deal, the team announced. This will mark Varone’s second straight season in Germany after he spent 2023-24 with Düsseldorfer EG.
Varone continued to serve as a top-flight scoring threat in leagues outside the NHL, posting 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 34 games for Düsseldorf until his season ended in early January due to injury. His 0.79 points per game were right around his AHL career average and were his best in a single season since taking his talents overseas four years ago.
The speedy but undersized 33-year-old likely could have landed a two-way NHL contract this summer from a team looking to boost its organizational depth and add an experienced call-up option but will instead opt for some more stability in Germany. He hasn’t played in the same country in back-to-back seasons since his two campaigns with the Flyers organization in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
A fifth-round pick of the Sharks in 2009, Varone had 415 points in 521 career games in the AHL, playing in the Buffalo, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh organizations before packing up for Europe. He logged NHL time with the first three, scoring eight goals and 17 points across 97 career appearances between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Varone never signed his entry-level pact with San Jose, instead becoming a free agent and later landing with the Sabres on an ELC in 2012.
While he was never a true NHL regular, he did challenge for the role with Philly in the 2018-19 campaign, playing in more than half of his NHL team’s games for the only time in his career with seven points in 47 appearances in a fourth-line role. He was coming off a 23-goal, 70-point campaign in 74 games with AHL Lehigh Valley the year prior that earned him AHL First All-Star Team honors as well as the Les Cunningham Award for league MVP. Since last suiting up in the AHL in 2019-20, he’s played for the KHL’s Barys Nur-Sultan and Spartak Moskva, as well as the Swiss National League’s Lausanne HC and SC Bern in addition to his time in Germany.
Jets Acquire Dylan Coghlan From Hurricanes
Saturday: The deal is now official, per an announcement from the Hurricanes. The official return is future considerations.
Friday: The Jets are set to acquire the signing rights to RFA defenseman Dylan Coghlan from the Hurricanes, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Winnipeg is sending a conditional seventh-round pick to Carolina in return, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.
Coghlan, 26, went undrafted but got his start back in 2017 when the Golden Knights signed him to an entry-level contract. Coghlan developed well in Vegas, spending another year back in juniors and another two in the AHL before jumping to a taxi squad role for the 2020-21 season. He avoided any minor league assignments with the Knights after that, recording 19 points in 88 games during the following two seasons while primarily serving as their extra defenseman. His time in Nevada came to an end when he was sent to Carolina as a sweetener to take the final season of Max Pacioretty‘s deal in the summer of 2022.
The right-shot blue liner struggled to find a role with the Canes, though. He spent most of the 2022-23 season in the press box, only appearing in 17 games (three assists, -1 rating, 12:43 ATOI). He also had two goals and an assist in five games on a conditioning loan to AHL Chicago in December.
The Canes liked him enough to qualify and re-sign him on a one-way, $850K deal last summer, leading most to believe he’d be on their opening night roster. That wasn’t the case, though, as he failed to crack the team out of camp and was waived in October. Without a dedicated AHL affiliate last season, the Hurricanes found a home for him on loan to the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Blues’ primary affiliate.
Coghlan earned a couple of recalls throughout the season that resulted in a lone appearance for Carolina, but he otherwise played with a chip on his shoulder in Springfield as he looked to give himself another NHL chance. The British Columbia-born defender suited up in 61 games for the T-Birds, earning an All-Star Game appearance and leading all AHL defensemen in goals with 16. He added 25 assists for 41 points, breaking his previous career high of 40 set in his first pro season.
He’ll look to leverage that shot and his 6’2″, 207-lb frame into a roster spot with the Jets in the fall, assuming he signs a new deal. Winnipeg is looking for added defensive depth after losing Brenden Dillon to the Devils in free agency and buying out Nate Schmidt. They’ve already made one acquisition in veteran Colin Miller, who will be Coghlan’s chief competitor for minutes as a fellow right-shooting D-man. They’ll likely rotate in bottom-pairing minutes behind Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk.
Capitals Sign First-Rounder Terik Parascak
The Capitals have signed right winger Terik Parascak to his three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today. It carries a the maximum ELC cap hit of $975K.
Parascak was the Capitals’ lone first-round selection in last week’s draft, coming off the board at 17th overall. He was one of the WHL’s most unexpectedly prolific scorers last season, exploding for 105 points (43 goals, 62 assists) in 68 games with the Prince George Cougars. The 6’0″, 173-lb forward led all WHL rookies and goals and points and finished eighth in scoring leaguewide after suiting up in just four contests for the Cougars in 2022-23, instead spending the campaign with a U18 prep program.
For his stellar rookie showing, Parascak received CHL All-Rookie Team honors and was named to the WHL’s B.C. Division Second All-Star Team. Those 105 points were the most by a rookie in all CHL leagues (OHL, QMJHL, WHL) since Patrick Kane had 145 and Sam Gagner had 114, both in the 2006-07 campaign. He tacked on 14 points in 12 playoff games to end the season as the Cougars were eliminated in the Western Conference Final.
But as such a late bloomer heading into his draft year, Parascak didn’t land the draft acclaim that you’d expect from those stats. He was ranked 15th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and was viewed as a consensus late first-round pick. TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s polling of NHL scouts landed him at No. 25, so Washington pounced on the winger a tad earlier than expected.
That’s because, as Elite Prospects outlines in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide, there are major concerns about his skating and ability to drive play on his own, especially in transition. He struggled to exit his own zone cleanly throughout the season. It’s worth noting that Prince George had two other 100-point players: Wild 2023 second-rounder Riley Heidt (117) and Washington UDFA signing Zac Funk (123), both older than Parascak. They certainly helped bolster his scoring totals.
Parascak will be loaned back to Prince George next season, in all likelihood, bumping the start of his ELC to 2025-26. The 28-year-old is a May 2006 birthday, so Washington can execute that entry-level slide twice.
Penguins Re-Sign Corey Andonovski To Two-Way Deal
The Penguins have re-signed right winger Corey Andonovski to a one-year, two-way deal, the team announced today. It carries the league-minimum $775K cap hit. The team didn’t disclose his AHL salary.
Andonovski, 25, is coming off his second full season in the organization, both of which have been spent entirely on assignment to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, aside from a one-day call-up last October that didn’t result in his NHL debut. He set career highs in 2023-24 with 23 assists and 30 points in 63 games, leading WBS forwards in assists and ranking fifth on the team in points.
Dating back to his AHL debut on an ATO for the Baby Pens to close out the 2021-22 season, Andonovski has 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 130 games. The 6’1″, 194-lb forward was initially an undrafted free agent signing out of Princeton, where he recorded 21 goals, 29 assists and 50 points in 80 career NCAA games.
While he’s taken a step forward, the chances of him making his first NHL appearance on this new deal are slim. There is a bevy of either more experienced (Jonathan Gruden, Bokondji Imama) or higher-ceiling (Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin) forward options available in the Pittsburgh system that would likely get a call-up ahead of Andonovski.
As he was this summer, he’ll be an RFA again in the 2025 offseason. He still won’t require waivers to head to WBS in the fall, although it’s his last season with an exemption.
Senators Sign Jan Jeník To Two-Way Deal
The Senators have signed right winger Jan Jeník to a two-way deal, according to a team announcement. The deal carries a $775K cap hit and NHL salary with a $190K AHL salary. Ottawa acquired Jeník’s signing rights – he was an RFA – from Utah in a swap Wednesday that sent forward Egor Sokolov the other way.
Jeník, 24 in September, was selected by the Coyotes in the third round of the 2018 draft out of his native Czechia. After splitting the beginning of the 2018-19 season between the first and second leagues in the Czech pyramid, Jeník arrived stateside midseason to play junior hockey with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. It would be another season and a half before he made his NHL debut, receiving a brief two-game call-up during the shortened 2020-21 season. He got off to a hot start, scoring in back-to-back games against the Sharks while averaging 12:05 per game.
However, it wasn’t a sign of things to come. Jeník spent much of the next two seasons in the minors, where he produced well with 47 points in 51 games and 23 points in 30 games in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns with AHL Tucson. It didn’t result in much NHL opportunity, though, as he made only 15 appearances during that time in which he scored twice and added an assist with a -6 rating. That led Jeník to reportedly seek a trade the following summer before eventually relenting and signing a two-way deal to return to Arizona for 2023-24.
Last season again yielded little NHL opportunity for Jeník, limited to one assist and a -1 rating in five games while averaging a paltry 8:23 per contest. His point-per-game production with Tucson also took a hit, decreasing to 0.65 (36 points in 55 games) after putting up 0.92 and 0.77 the prior two years. Now, he officially joins a Senators squad that’s lost some scoring depth this summer, giving him a chance to compete with players like Angus Crookshank, Zack MacEwen and Zack Ostapchuk for a roster spot during training camp. He would require waivers to head to the minors if cut, but he cleared last fall without incident.
Flames Sign Zayne Parekh, Two Others To Entry-Level Deals
The Flames have simultaneously signed a trio of prospects to three-year, entry-level contracts, including 2024 ninth-overall pick Zayne Parekh (as relayed by Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson). Right winger Matvei Gridin, who they took with the 28th overall pick last week, and 2023 second-rounder Étienne Morin also signed their rookie deals.
Parekh, 18, stands the greatest chance out of the trio to be on the opening night roster in October, although it would still be a surprise. The right-shot defenseman has arguably the highest offensive ceiling of any blue liner in this year’s class, even ahead of the Blackhawks’ second-overall pick, Artyom Levshunov. He was electric for the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit last season, leading them across the board with 33 goals, 63 assists and 96 points in 66 games with a +39 rating. It would be an impressive feat for any draft-eligible skater, but especially from the back end.
He went a bit later than most people expected him to go, too, so there’s a fair bit of steal potential with the pick. Elite Prospects ranked him as the No. 5 prospect in the class, while TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s polling of NHL scouts yielded him at No. 8. He was the third defenseman off the board after Chicago took Levshunov and the Senators selected Carter Yakemchuk.
If Parekh does make the NHL squad out of camp, it’ll likely be on a nine-game trial to avoid burning the first year of his entry-level deal. At such a young age, another year with Saginaw would be beneficial to round out his two-way game. His ELC is eligible to slide twice, and he won’t be eligible for a full-time AHL assignment until 2026-27.
The 18-year-old Gridin also put pen to paper on his ELC, confirming he won’t be attending the University of Michigan in the fall as previously expected. Instead, the Flames will loan him to his junior club. The QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs took him first overall in the CHL Import Draft later this week, but they’re expected to deal him to the Rimouski Océanic before training camp begins, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reports. That would mean he’d play in the 2025 Memorial Cup, with Rimouski hosting the event. Only a few scouting sites pegged him as a late first-round pick – many more had him going in the second round. He was ranked 37th in McKenzie’s year-end polling. Gridin, a native of Kurgan, Russia, had 38 goals and 83 points in 60 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL last season.
Morin, 19, is a left-shot defenseman who went 48th overall in the 2023 draft. He’s a physically involved two-way threat who had a bit of a step back in his post-draft season, posting 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points with a -9 rating in 58 games for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. He’d posted better offensive and defensive results the year prior, with 72 points in 67 games with a +29 rating. Calgary is expected to loan Morin back to Moncton for his final season of junior hockey this season, sliding the beginning of his ELC to 2025-26.
Kraken, Eeli Tolvanen Agree To Two-Year Deal
Minutes after signing top prospect Berkly Catton to his entry-level contract, the Kraken have also come to terms with RFA winger Eeli Tolvanen on a two-year deal, the team’s Alison Lukan relays. It carries a $3.475MM cap hit, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Tolvanen sticks around in Seattle after heading to the Pacific Northwest a year and a half ago, picked up off waivers from the Predators. The winger, who was a late first-round pick of Nashville in 2017, finally broke into a consistent top-nine role with the Kraken. The 25-year-old has been an effective producer while averaging around 15 minutes per contest, putting up 0.53 points per game since his acquisition.
But after setting a career-high with 18 goals split between the Kraken and Preds in 2022-23, Tolvanen took a small step back this past season. He was still good for 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in 81 games, but he checked in a tad below expectations given he scored 16 goals in only 48 games after the move to Seattle the year prior.
His possession metrics were a bit of a toss-up, too. Seattle controlled 50.8% of shot attempts and 50.3% of expected goals with Tolvanen on the ice at even strength, both checking in just below team averages. He was among their most physical players, though. His 210 hits were second on the team only to rookie Tye Kartye (229).
Even if he didn’t have the 20-plus goals Seattle was hoping for last year, Tolvanen has fully solidified himself as an everyday contributor with some upward mobility. That earns him a fair-value bridge deal that comes in shorter and cheaper than what Evolving-Hockey had outlined in their projections (four years, $4.345MM AAV).
With Tolvanen signed, top center Matthew Beniers is the only notable RFA that general manager Ron Francis still needs to sign this summer. They’ll have around $8.15MM in cap space to do so after today’s signing, which could be a tight squeeze. After giving out big money in free agency to Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson, that suggests a bridge deal for Beniers could be likely too. Notably, Beniers isn’t eligible for salary arbitration.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Kraken Sign Berkly Catton To Entry-Level Deal
The Kraken have signed center Berkly Catton to his three-year, entry-level contract, a team announcement states. Catton was the eighth overall selection in the draft one week ago. His deal carries the maximum ELC cap hit of $975K.
He’s the second player from the class to sign his rookie deal, joining Blues defenseman Adam Jiříček, who they took 16th overall. While it’s unlikely Catton will crack the NHL roster in the fall, signing him to his ELC now at least affords him the option. Catton also earns a $97.5K signing bonus with today’s news, per PuckPedia. The deal is also broken down into $877.5K of base salary annually and up to $1MM in Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses on a yearly basis.
Catton is already used to Washington State, suiting up for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League for parts of the last three seasons. The 5’11”, 174-lb pivot led all WHL draft-eligibles in scoring last season, finishing fourth in the league with 116 points (54 goals, 62 assists) in 68 games. He’s one of the 2024 class’ fastest players and is an extremely well-rounded offensive talent, although there are some natural concerns about his lack of physicality and strength against larger opponents.
Since his 20th birthday doesn’t fall until January 2026, Catton won’t be eligible for a full-time AHL assignment in 2024-25 or 2025-26 – he needs to be returned to his junior team. If he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in each of those seasons, his contract could slide to as late as 2026-27 before kicking in. His signing bonuses are paid out regardless, though, slightly lowering the cap hit of his deal.
AHL’s Charlotte Checkers Sign Aidan McDonough
The AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ top affiliate, have picked up left winger Aidan McDonough on a one-year deal, a team release states. McDonough will now try and work his way back up the professional ladder after being non-tendered by the Canucks last week.
Just a couple of years ago, McDonough looked to be a seventh-round steal for Vancouver. After selecting him in 2019, McDonough had a spectacular collegiate career at Northeastern that saw him produce 66 goals and 124 points in 124 games across four seasons while assuming the captaincy in his final season. He signed his entry-level deal to close the 2022-23 season and immediately made his NHL debut with the Nucks, scoring a goal and posting a -2 rating in six games while averaging 9:19 per contest.
But this past season was a tough one for the 6’2″, 201-lb winger. He didn’t crack the Canucks’ roster out of camp and was assigned to AHL Abbotsford, where he remained the entire campaign. His offensive numbers on the farm weren’t up to expectations, limited to only 11 goals and 19 points in 58 games. It was enough of a letdown that Vancouver’s front office decided they’d seen enough of the prospect, deciding not to issue him a qualifying offer and let the 24-year-old reach the UFA market early.
Now, it’s up to McDonough to produce well on his minor-league deal. While he’s playing in the Panthers organization, Florida doesn’t acquire his signing rights with this move, and he can still sign with any NHL club.
SHL’s HV71 Signs Tanner Kero
HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League has signed forward Tanner Kero, according to a team release. Kero wasn’t signed to an NHL contract in 2023-24 but did spend the season in the Avalanche organization on an AHL deal with the Colorado Eagles.
Kero is a veteran of five NHL seasons between 2015-16 and 2021-22, playing 134 games and scoring 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points with a +9 rating. Most of that time came on the right wing, but he did log significant time at center in his first couple of campaigns in a depth role for the Blackhawks.
An undrafted free agent signing by Chicago out of Michigan Tech in 2015, Kero has long been a consistent AHL scoring presence but has only challenged for full-time NHL usage on a handful of occasions. After appearing in three straight campaigns with Chicago to begin his professional career, he spent the entire season in the minors after being traded to the Canucks in 2018 and again after signing with the Stars as a free agent in 2019.
But the pandemic yielded some opportunity for Kero, who avoided minor-league assignment entirely in 2020-21 and instead spent the campaign on the NHL roster or the taxi squad. He was extremely serviceable in a fourth-line role for Dallas that year, posting three goals and 10 points in 39 games, outmatched only by his 16-point, 47-game campaign with Chicago in 2016-17. But he struggled to have the same effect the following season, going without a goal and logging just three assists with a -5 rating in 23 games. That’s the last we’ve likely seen of Kero in the NHL.
Kero will now test international waters for the first time in his career with the Jönköping-based HV71, who narrowly avoided relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan last season after finishing 13th in the SHL with a 13-30-5-4 record. His 106 goals and 274 points in 402 career AHL games suggest he should have success in Sweden in a middle-six role. It’s a one-year deal, so an exceptionally strong showing for Kero, who turns 32 later this month, could lead to an NHL return.