Mark Giordano Intends To Play Next Season
Mark Giordano could reach unrestricted free agency in less than two weeks. The veteran defenseman is coming off his second full season in a Maple Leafs sweater but fell out of the regular lineup early on in the season, battled injuries, and was a healthy scratch for the whole of Toronto’s first-round loss to the Bruins.
However, the 2019 Norris Trophy winner has no intentions of retiring and hopes to return to the NHL for what would be his age 41 season, his agent Rich Winter tells Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. A potential 19th NHL season may not be his final one, either.
“Mark has made the decision that he’s playing for a few more years,” Winter told McGran. “He feels very confident. He’s been talking to a lot of people who tell him: Don’t quit until they make you.”
How much interest Giordano receives coming off the worst season of his career when the market opens July 1 remains to be seen, though, nor is it clear whether there’s a path for him to return to the Leafs. Limited to 46 appearances, he had three goals and nine points with a +10 rating while averaging 16:37 per contest, his lowest usage since 2008-09. He had a significant finger injury that cost him nearly all of December and a concussion that held him out for most of March.
While his possession numbers were still strong, even relative to his teammates, he spent most of his time in the lineup alongside Timothy Liljegren, who routinely has strong advanced metrics despite some rather visible defensive gaffes. Giordano’s lack of offense and, correspondingly, lack of power play time make him a far different player than the one who had double-digit goals in six straight seasons for the Flames, including a 21-goal, 74-point monster performance that earned him his Norris.
To say Giordano is an offensive specialist is a mischaracterization, though. He’s always boasted strong possession numbers, even dating back to his early days as a fresh undrafted free agent signing in Calgary, and he’s continually deployed in penalty-killing situations. Even this season, Giordano averaged 2:16 per game shorthanded, fifth on the Leafs. There was still NHL value in his game this season, but teams will wonder how much longer it sticks around as he remains the league’s oldest active player.
Giordano is wrapping up a two-year, $800K AAV extension he signed in May 2022. He likely won’t cost any more than that and would even likely take a slight pay cut to earn the $775K league minimum.
Flyers Have Joel Farabee On Trade Block
The Flyers are dangling forward Joel Farabee in trade talks this summer as they continue rebuilding their roster, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
It comes at a good time for general manager Daniel Brière. Farabee’s trade value is likely the highest it’s ever been. The 24-year-old had a career-best season in 2023-24, putting up 22 goals and 50 points and playing in all 82 games for the second year in a row. The increase in production came with a decrease in ice time from 17:01 to 16:11 per game, but he still managed 182 shots on goal compared to 145 last year.
He shot below his career average, too, so it’s not like his goal-scoring production was a fluke. Long-term, he remains projectable as a usual bet for 25-plus goals as he enters his mid-20s. The 2018 14th overall pick does come with a $5MM price tag through 2028, though, and it’s fair to wonder if teams are willing to take a swing at that commitment for a player who had yet to eclipse 40 points in a season entering 2023.
Farabee also had the best two-way season of his career. He was on the ice for 42.8 total expected goals against at even strength, down from 55.2 last year. The Flyers also controlled 51.1% of shot attempts with Farabee on the ice at even strength, a solid but non-elite figure.
The Flyers have been connected to a potential deal with the Senators in recent days, one that some have speculated could include the clubs’ first-round picks, Ottawa defenseman Jakob Chychrun, Philly center Scott Laughton, or other pieces. It’s not clear if Farabee’s name has come up in those talks, though.
Farabee’s deal was also fairly backloaded, meaning his total salary will be north of $5MM annually in the last three years of the deal. That’s not a huge consideration for most teams, but it could be for a club that doesn’t always have a penchant for spending to the salary cap’s upper limit.
Wild Shopping Filip Gustavsson
The Wild are entering next season with three goalies as it stands with Marc-André Fleury back for his final campaign and top prospect Jesper Wallstedt primed for more NHL starts. In his latest Trade Targets piece, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said the team is “open for business and listening” on trade offers for Filip Gustavsson, who’s quickly looking like the odd man out in the Minnesota crease.
Gustavsson, now 26, signed a three-year, $11.25MM deal with the Wild last summer following an arbitration filing. He got that deal after a breakout 2022-23 campaign, finishing second among qualified netminders with a .931 SV%. But while he ended this season on a relatively high note, a horrid start to 2023-24 tanked his second season in the State of Hockey. Gustavsson made a career-high 45 appearances and managed to record his second 20-win season, but his standard and advanced metrics regressed considerably. His SV% dropped to .899, and his goals saved above expected nosedived to -4.8 from last season’s 24.2, per MoneyPuck.
While Gustavsson was struggling, Wallstedt was having a terrific season behind a poor Iowa Wild team in the AHL. The 2021 20th overall pick had a .910 SV% and two shutouts in 45 games, earning his second All-Star Game nod in as many years while keeping an otherwise hapless Iowa club out of last place in the Central Division. The 21-year-old Swede is viewed as one of the five best goalie prospects in the world, and general manager Bill Guerin already confirmed the plan is to ease him into more consistent NHL action next season. After a tough NHL debut against the Stars in January, Wallstedt stopped 51 of 53 shots faced in two wins over the Blackhawks and Sharks to end the season.
Gustavsson has two years left on his deal at a $3.75MM cap hit, a reasonable deal for a young netminder with decent rebound potential. He was solid in the back half of the season, posting a 7-5-2 record with a .906 SV% in 16 games after the All-Star break. Moving him reduces the cap hit of their goaltending tandem from $6.25MM, including Fleury, to just $3.425MM with Fleury and Wallstedt, less than what Gustavsson alone costs. That’s important savings for a team still dealing with a $14.744MM cap penalty from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts next year.
The Wild likely wouldn’t need to retain any salary in a Gustavsson deal. His contract is arguably a bargain for his services already – Evolving Hockey projects he’d land a $4.125MM cap hit if he signed a two-year deal in free agency this summer. It’s also a cheaper option for teams looking to upgrade their crease than some of the more established netminders potentially available for trade, like Juuse Saros and Linus Ullmark, and he has experience starting more games than top UFA options Laurent Brossoit and Anthony Stolarz. As such, there should be a fair amount of interest.
Blue Jackets Not Expected To Move Elvis Merzlikins
It’s been an offseason of delayed change for the Blue Jackets, who took until late May to appoint Don Waddell as their next general manager and until this week to fire head coach Pascal Vincent. With the coaching change being Waddell’s first real mark on the franchise, many wondered if he may have some other moves up his sleeve in the coming days.
He still may, but moving on from goaltender Elvis Merzļikins won’t be one of them. Waddell told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that the team won’t buy out the final three seasons of the Latvian netminder’s contract and dismissed the possibility of a trade, saying the organization will put “all the resources we can” into helping Merzļikins rebound from a tough couple of campaigns.
“Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract. Nobody,” Waddell told Portzline. “People say, ‘Well, why don’t you buy out the contract?’ It’s a six-year buyout, and there are years three, four, five and six when you might need that cap space. So you’ve eliminated those two options.”
The contract Waddell is referring to involves a $5.4MM cap hit for Merzļikins through 2027, a tough deal to move when there are far more attractive options in the net available for trade this summer. Merzļikins improved from a nightmarish 2022-23 season this year but still struggled with a .897 SV%, 3.45 GAA and 13-17-8 record in 41 appearances. He also frequently entered and exited the lineup due to a variety of illnesses and injuries, including a lower-body ailment that sidelined him for seven of their final eight games. Those numbers were still below average considering the Blue Jackets’ poor defense, saving -6.3 goals above expected, but it was a massive improvement on his -25.9 GSAx figure the year before in just 30 games (MoneyPuck).
It’s all a far cry from his rookie season five years ago when Merzļikins arrived in Columbus with a .923 SV% in 33 games and finished fifth in 2020 Vezina Trophy voting. In fact, he was overall one of the better netminders in the league with a .913 SV% in 120 games between 2019-20 and 2021-22, but his past two seasons have brought him down to a much more pedestrian .904 SV% for his career.
Back in January, the 30-year-old told media he’d requested a trade but later walked back his statement. He did have some interest from the Devils before the trade deadline, but they ended up going with Jake Allen as a stopgap option before making a big swing to acquire Jacob Markström from the Flames yesterday.
Next season, he’ll face stiff competition for starts from 24-year-old Daniil Tarasov, who ended the season on a high note after struggling with injuries early on. The 2017 third-round pick made a career-high 24 appearances, logging an 8-11-3 record with a respectable .908 SV% and 3.18 GAA that worked out to 3.9 goals saved above average. Pending restricted free agent Jet Greaves is also pushing for NHL time after posting a .926 SV% in 13 playoff games with AHL Cleveland and recording a 30-win regular season.
Senators Sign Nikolas Matinpalo To Two-Way Extension
The Senators have signed Nikolas Matinpalo to a one-year, two-way extension worth $775K in the NHL and $200K in the AHL, per a team release. The defenseman will return for his second Sens training camp in the fall.
Matinpalo, 26 in October, had a respectable first campaign in North America in 2023-24. An undrafted free agent signing out of Liiga’s Ässät last summer, he made only four appearances for Ottawa but had a great season with AHL Belleville. A 6’3″ right-shot defensive defenseman, Matinpalo led the B-Sens with a +15 rating and added four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 67 games.
It’s hard to take much of anything from Matinpalo’s minuscule NHL sample size, though. He played just 28 minutes total across his four contests but managed a +1 rating, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and four hits. With him on the ice at even strength, the Sens controlled 53.6% of shot attempts.
Matinpalo was slated for restricted free agency this summer and was eligible for salary arbitration. Instead, the defensively sound Finn gets a nice minor-league pay bump and should give them solid play as a stopgap third-pairing option if needed in the NHL. He’ll be an RFA again upon expiry next summer.
Hurricanes Name Cam Abbott AHL Head Coach
The Hurricanes announced Thursday that they’ve hired former Swedish Hockey League coach of the year Cam Abbott as the new head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Carolina, which spent last season without a dedicated minor-league affiliate, signed a three-year agreement to re-partner with the Wolves last month.
Abbott, 40, never played in the NHL but did have a lengthy professional career overseas after playing collegiate hockey at Cornell University. He appeared in six SHL/Elitserien seasons with Luleå HF and Rögle BK between 2008 and 2015, racking up 166 points in 276 games and winning the Champions Hockey League with Luleå in his final season as a player. Sweden remained his home as a coach, first as the bench boss for the Växjö Lakers’ junior club before being appointed Rögle’s head coach midway through the 2017-18 season.]
He remained behind the Rögle bench until he was relieved of his duties in December. In 2022, he coached a Rögle club that included Red Wings first-rounder Marco Kasper to a 27-11-5-9 record and a CHL title, earning him his aforementioned Coach of the Year honor.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Cam to our organization. He brings a long history of excellence in developing NHL stars,” said Hurricanes assistant GM Darren Yorke. “Cam’s meticulous attention to detail, clear communication and ability to inspire and motivate his teams to achieve success make him the perfect fit for our organization.”
Abbott succeeds Bob Nardella, who coached the Wolves to a 23-35-14 record last season in his lone campaign behind the bench. He’ll be the Wolves’ fourth head coach in the past four seasons, a list that includes new Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky.
Blackhawks Sign Cole Guttman To Two-Way Extension
The Blackhawks announced that center Cole Guttman has been signed to a one-year, two-way extension with a $775K cap hit. He’ll earn a hefty $450K minor-league salary, per PuckPedia.
Guttman, 25, began the 2023-24 campaign on the NHL roster. He made three appearances early on, including a goal in their season opener against the Penguins, before being sent down to AHL Rockford in late October. He was recalled again around Thanksgiving, this time lasting around two months before he was returned to the minors. The Blackhawks didn’t recall him after his last demotion to Rockford in January.
Despite not sticking around in Chicago, it was still a strong season for the former sixth-round pick of the Lightning. Guttman was one of the top college free agents in 2022 after captaining the University of Denver to a national championship. While he’s yet to establish himself as a full-time NHLer, he’s been a prolific scorer for Rockford, where he was undoubtedly their best player this season with 40 points and a +20 rating in just 39 games.
Guttman wasn’t severely outmatched in his NHL minutes this season, either, tossing up four goals and eight points in 27 games in third-line minutes. He went 60/120 in the faceoff dot, and while his -17 rating is eye-popping given his limited number of appearances, it’s not an overly concerning number for a young forward on a lottery team that was frequently deployed in checking situations.
There’s plenty of uncertainty among the Blackhawks’ depth forwards for next season, with veterans Colin Blackwell and Tyler Johnson likely moving on in free agency. Youngsters Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert will be in competition for spots but haven’t solidified themselves as locks to start the season in the NHL. With a strong camp, Guttman has plenty of opportunity to crack Chicago’s opening night roster in the fall and build on his strong AHL showings the last two seasons.
Blue Jackets Notes: Fourth Overall Pick, Laine, Hartley
The Blue Jackets are open for business regarding their fourth overall pick in next week’s draft, GM and president of hockey operations Don Waddell said today (via Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch). They wouldn’t be looking at shopping the pick for an immediate roster upgrade, though.
Moving back in the draft is the only option if they’re parting with the pick, Waddell implied. He said “the price is high” to get them to do it, citing multiple other teams in the top 10 are also listening to offers to swap their picks.
If they don’t move the pick, the Blue Jackets are looking at their fourth top-10 pick in a row. Previous selections include Kent Johnson (fifth overall, 2021), David Jiříček (sixth overall, 2022) and Adam Fantilli (third overall, 2023).
Other quick hits from Waddell at this morning’s media availability:
- Columbus hasn’t had any substantive trade discussions involving Patrik Laine yet, Waddell said (via Hedger). He’s actively in contact with Laine’s representation about trade options, but isn’t yet talking to other teams while Laine is still receiving treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Waddell said that when they do get to the point of making a trade, he’d like it to be for established talent in return (via the team’s Jeff Svoboda). Laine and the Blue Jackets are seemingly both happy with parting ways this summer. Among interested parties, the Kraken have already been linked to his services.
- Longtime NHL coach Bob Hartley has reached out to Waddell about the Blue Jackets’ vacancy, he confirmed (via Hedger). Hartley, who coached the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup in 2001, also worked under Waddell with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007. He hasn’t coached in the league since a four-year run with the Flames from 2012 to 2016, however. His only experience since has come overseas with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, a post he held from 2018 to 2022. In 2021, Hartley was named the KHL’s Coach of the Year and guided Omsk to a Gagarin Cup championship.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 6/19/24
PHR’s Josh Erickson hosted his weekly live chat today at 2 p.m. CDT. You can view the transcript using this link.
Capitals And Kings Swap Pierre-Luc Dubois, Darcy Kuemper
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings are working on a one-for-one swap to see Pierre-Luc Dubois head to Washington and goaltender Darcy Kuemper head to the Kings. LeBrun also mentions that no salary will be retained in the deal. The Kings organization has confirmed the deal.
Although there were no major rumblings that Dubois would be moved this offseason, it makes sense on paper given his no-move clause will start in only a few weeks. The Capitals will now be on the hook for the remaining seven years and $59.5MM remaining on Dubois’ extension.
Washington will now mark the fourth team of Dubois’ career after being involved in two separate trades prior. During the 2020-21 NHL season, Dubois was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that landed Patrik Laine with the Columbus Blue Jackets. With an apparent distaste for the Jets organization, Dubois was traded to the Kings organization last summer in a deal that saw Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari head to Manitoba.
After posting back-to-back 60-point seasons in Winnipeg, Los Angeles originally thought Dubois would make a perfect addition as the team’s second-line center for many years to come, and even replace Anze Kopitar as the team’s top centerman when he eventually hangs up his skates. However, Dubois failed to deliver on expectations that come with an $8.5MM salary with the Kings, scoring only 16 goals and 40 points this past season.
Dubois’ offensive production was not the only thing to slip in his first season in California, as both his defensive and possession metrics also saw a decline. Nevertheless, although inconsistency has plagued him for much of his career, Dubois is still only 25 years old giving him plenty of time to become a dependable player on any team.
Dubois should have access to a much larger role in Washington given that the team has seen two top-centerman leave the organization in recent years. Nicklas Backstrom has more than likely played his last game in the NHL after failing to fully recover from hip-resurfacing surgery while Evgeny Kuznetsov was shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes at last year’s deadline after struggling to put up points.
The Capitals will likely start Dubois as the team’s second-line center with Dylan Strome creating solid chemistry with franchise legend Alex Ovechkin, but Dubois gives the team a lot of flexibility at the top of their forward core. Although he is not a very physical player, Dubois carries a big frame which could allow more ice to open up for Ovechkin.
On the other side of the deal, Kuemper’s inclusion in the deal gives Los Angeles some much-needed certainty in the crease while opening up another $3.25MM in cap space. Likewise, this means that the Capitals have firmly committed to Charlie Lindgren as the team’s top goaltender heading into the 2024-25 NHL season. After the swap, the Kings now have $23.45MM in cap space but do have a couple of restricted free agents to bring back into the fold.
It will be interesting to see if Kuemper can rediscover his game in California, as he had not been very consistent throughout his time with the Capitals. In 2021-22, then the starting goal
tender for the Colorado Avalanche, Kuemper backstopped his team to a Stanley Cup Championship which would later earn him a five-year, $26.25MM deal with Washington on the open market.
Throughout his time in the United States capital, Kuemper started in 86 games for the Capitals in two seasons earning a 35-40-10 record while carrying a .902 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average. In any case, Kuemper should benefit from a much stronger defensive core in Los Angeles as the team only allowed 2296 shots against this past season which was good for fourth in the NHL.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Dubois had been traded to Washington.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report that Kuemper was included in the trade.
LeBrun was the first to break the full trade details.