Rangers, Dylan Roobroeck Agree To Terms On Entry-Level Deal
The Rangers have agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with forward prospect Dylan Roobroeck, per a team announcement Monday. It’s a three-year deal for the Ontario-born big man, who will now likely suit up for AHL Hartford next season. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team but PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry an AAV of $850K, consisting of a $775K base salary and a $75K signing bonus each season.
Roobroeck, 20 in July, is one of the more unique prospects in the league. Standing at 6’7″ and 205 lbs, he went undrafted upon initially being eligible in 2022.
A move within the Ontario Hockey League from Niagara to Oshawa sparked his development, though, and he broke out for 15 goals and 53 points in 68 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign. That performance put him on some NHL teams’ radars, including the Rangers, who selected him with the 2023 sixth-round pick that they acquired from the Jets along with Andrew Copp in a deadline deal two years ago.
Roobroeck continued to improve on both sides of the puck this season, finishing second on the Generals in scoring with a career-best 26 goals and 72 points in 68 games. He added 101 PIMs and a +23 rating and played a pivotal role on an Oshawa team that advanced to the OHL championship, losing in a sweep to the champion London Knights.
His size obviously jumps off the page, but he is a decent puck handler and is a better skater than you’d expect for such a tall frame. The Rangers have the option to assign him back to Oshawa if they feel he needs an overage season, but since he’s turning 20 before the New Year, he’s eligible for a full-time assignment to the AHL.
Roobroeck’s age also makes him ineligible for an entry-level slide, so his deal will take effect next season regardless of whether he sees NHL ice. He’ll become a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2027.
His younger brother, Ryan Roobroeck, is currently on track to be a top-10 selection in the 2026 draft. Also a center, the 16-year-old Ryan already stands at 6’2″ and 185 lbs and had 28 goals and 51 points in 63 games for Niagara this year, who finished last in the OHL.
Blackhawks Sign Brett Seney To Two-Way Extension
The Blackhawks are bringing depth forward Brett Seney back next season on a two-way extension, the team announced Monday. The deal carries the league-minimum salary of $775K at the NHL level, while his AHL salary will be $500K with a $525K guarantee, PuckPedia reports.
Seney, 28, signs his third straight one-year deal with Chicago. He first joined the organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, inking a two-way deal with a $475K guarantee after posting a career-high 59 points in 62 games with AHL Toronto the year prior.
The diminutive yet versatile forward has just one goal in 11 NHL games with Chicago over the past two years but has remained exceptional in the minors. In 127 games with AHL Rockford, he’s posted 46 goals and 117 points and led the club in scoring this season while serving as an alternate captain.
He’ll remain a short-term call-up option if injuries strike, but his value to the organization is felt much more as a capable offensive threat to play with their younger, developing talents in Rockford. He was slated to become a UFA this summer after completing a two-way extension with a $500K guarantee that he signed in March of last year.
Seney will again be eligible for unrestricted free agency when his new extension expires in 2025. After signing as an undrafted free agent with the Devils in 2018, the 5’9″ forward has accumulated six goals, 14 points and a -17 rating in 66 appearances with Chicago, New Jersey and Toronto.
Kings “Likely” To Remove Interim Tag From Jim Hiller
Kings interim head coach Jim Hiller is the “overwhelming favorite” to fill their vacancy behind the bench, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast (audio link).
The Kings went 21-12-1 (.632) with Hiller at the helm after the All-Star break but were dispatched quickly by the Oilers in five games in the first round. Hiller took over on an interim basis for Todd McLellan, who L.A. fired after four and a half seasons amid a 4-8-6 post-Christmas stretch.
It would be the 55-year-old’s first shot as a full-time NHL head coach. The former Kings, Rangers and Red Wings right wing had a short-lived NHL career as a player in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, accumulating eight goals and 20 points in 63 games across the three franchises.
Hiller suited up in the minor leagues and overseas until retiring in 2002, entering the major junior ranks as an assistant coach with the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City Americans the following season. He became their head coach in 2006 after a brief detour with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs, a role he held before departing for an NHL assistant job with the Red Wings in 2014.
He spent one season in Detroit and the next seven years in assistant roles for the Maple Leafs and Islanders before joining L.A. ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. After 10 years of service as an assistant, he’ll likely land his first head coaching gig in the majors.
The Kings controlled possession above average under Hiller, logging 51.8% of shot attempts at even strength. It was considerably lower than the 56.0 CF% they had to start the season under McLellan, though. In fact, a 51.8 CF% over a full season would be the Kings’ worst since the 2020-21 campaign, when they missed the playoffs with a 21-28-7 record in the COVID-shortened season.
Los Angeles moving to retain Hiller would leave the Devils, Sharks, Kraken and Jets as the four remaining vacancies league-wide.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canucks’ Brock Boeser Out With Blood Clotting Issue, Likely Out For Season
May 20: Boeser’s blood clotting issue is in his leg and is expected to sideline him for the rest of the playoffs no matter how far the Canucks advance, Daily Faceoff”s Frank Seravalli reports Monday. He’s been placed on medication to address the clot.
May 19: The Canucks will be without top-six winger Brock Boeser for Monday’s Game 7 against the Oilers, per freelance reporter Irfaan Gaffar. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds it’s a non-life-threatening blood clotting issue sidelining Boeser, who could miss more time if Vancouver advances to the Western Conference Final.
The timing of this news couldn’t be any worse for Boeser and Vancouver as they head into the seventh and deciding game of their series against Edmonton on Monday night. The 27-year-old has been one of Vancouver’s top threats this postseason, collecting seven goals and five assists in 12 games. He leads the team in playoff goals and is tied with J.T. Miller for the lead in points with 12 while logging more than 20 minutes a night on their top line. Those numbers come on the heels of his best regular season, one that saw him set career-highs in goals (40) and points (73).
Among the options to take Boeser’s spot will be Ilya Mikheyev if he’s ready to return from an undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the last two games, Sam Lafferty, who has been scratched the last two games after a tough start to the playoffs, or Linus Karlsson, who was among their Black Ace recalls earlier this month and has gotten into a pair of games so far. Head coach Rick Tocchet suggested earlier this week that he might be comfortable using top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki as well although that would certainly be a risky move to give a youngster his NHL debut in an elimination game. None of those players will be able to step into the role that Boeser filled so Tocchet will have to juggle his lines to see if he can find the right combination to pick up a win without one of their top forwards.
Bruins Unlikely To Retain Pending UFA Defensemen
The Bruins’ elimination in six games at the hands of the Panthers in the second round can hardly be called surprising. Much like last season, although to a lesser degree, the team overperformed in the standings on the backs of goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, who again both finished in the top 10 of the league-wide goals saved above expected leaderboard. A lack of game-breaking offense outside of captain Brad Marchand and winger David Pastrňák meant they scored just seven goals in Games 2 through 6 against Florida, making it five straight playoff appearances without multiple series wins.
Now, attention turns toward general manager Don Sweeney and how he may tinker with the retooling roster to extend their playoff window. To that end, he’s likely to let their trio of pending unrestricted free agent defensemen in Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk hit the open market on July 1, writes The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.
All three players are wrapping up seven-figure cap hit deals, but none were regulars in this postseason. Forbort returned from a lengthy undisclosed injury midway through the first round against the Maple Leafs but was scratched for six out of Boston’s final nine playoff games after being recalled from a conditioning stint to AHL Providence and activated from long-term injured reserve.
Grzelcyk last played in Game 5 against Toronto and was scratched for seven straight to end the season, while Shattenkirk saw the most playoff action of the threesome with six appearances, all against Toronto. Like Grzelcyk, he was scratched for the entirety of the Florida series.
Other pending UFA Bruins unlikely to receive an extension include veteran winger James van Riemsdyk, Shinzawa said. Wingers Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Pat Maroon all earned a slightly more favorable “maybe” chance of returning compared to the others’ “very low.”
The willingness to part ways with all three is a strong sign that Boston expects Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon to be everyday players in 2024-25. Lohrei, 23, is likely slated for top-four duties and could replace the role that Grzelcyk held alongside Charlie McAvoy for much of the last few seasons. The 2020 second-round pick is the organization’s top developing defenseman and impressed in his rookie season, notching 13 points in 41 games with a -2 rating. He didn’t look out of place in playoff action, either, with four points in 11 games while seeing his average ice time creep north of 17 minutes.
Wotherspoon, meanwhile, also played a larger-than-expected role in the regular season after being signed for AHL depth last summer. The 26-year-old had strong possession metrics (47.0 CF%, 52.3 xGF% at even strength) while adding eight assists in 41 contests, proving he can comfortably shoulder everyday bottom-pairing usage. The acquisition of Andrew Peeke from the Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, who has two seasons remaining on his contract at a $2.75MM cap hit, also filled out a guaranteed spot on next year’s blue line.
As such, don’t expect many moves from Sweeney to alter his group of defensemen. That leaves Boston with a decently comfortable $20.9MM in cap space this summer to re-sign pending restricted free agents Swayman and Jesper Boqvist, per CapFriendly. They’ll use the remainder to fill out three to four forward spots and find a cheap deal for a seventh defenseman. Opting to trade Ullmark (one season left at a $5MM cap hit) for a cheaper complement to Swayman longer-term could allow Boston to make a greater splash on the UFA forward market as well.
Blake Wheeler Cleared To Return For Eastern Conference Final
Rangers veteran forward Blake Wheeler is medically cleared to play and could return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers on Wednesday, he confirmed to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski today.
Wheeler, 37, was activated from long-term injured reserve late last week. He hasn’t played since February 15, when he sustained an apparent right leg injury on a hit from Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble that caused him to fall awkwardly against the boards.
The 1,172-game veteran was having a decent season in a depth role after signing a one-year, $1.1MM deal with the Rangers in free agency. Wheeler, who had spent parts of 13 seasons with the Jets/Thrashers franchise, was stripped of the captaincy in Winnipeg before the 2022-23 season and was bought out following the campaign. He had one season left at an $8.25MM cap hit at the time.
His 0.39 points per game (nine goals, 21 points in 54 contests) were the lowest of his 16-year career. He also averaged a career-low 12:43 per game, playing an expectedly reduced role with corresponding lower production. Once one of the league’s premier playmakers, Wheeler’s poor defensive impacts over the past few years were slowly drawing widespread attention, leading most to believe Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette was better off giving top-six minutes to the younger Alexis Lafrenière.
The lengthy absences of Wheeler and center Filip Chytil (concussion) directly influenced general manager Chris Drury‘s trade deadline strategy. In essence, he replaced their roles directly by acquiring two-way center Alexander Wennberg from the Kraken and mobile top-nine forward Jack Roslovic from the Blue Jackets. Roslovic has stepped into a second-line role alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad in the postseason, producing well with two goals and seven points in 10 games.
If Wheeler returns for Game 1 at home, it would likely be in a fourth-line role at right wing, replacing minor-league veteran Jonny Brodzinski. Brodzinski, 31, has been scratched for eight of the Rangers’ 10 playoff games through two rounds and has averaged only 8:47 per game when in the lineup.
Offseason Checklist: New Jersey Devils
The offseason has arrived for three-quarters of the NHL for teams that either missed the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at New Jersey.
Virtually nothing went right in 2023-24 for the Devils. After smashing down the doors of the rebuild and breaking out for 112 points last season, most expected the squad to stay in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference and potentially even contend for the Presidents’ Trophy.
Instead, an early season-ending injury to top defenseman Dougie Hamilton and sieve-like goaltending meant they never got very far away from the .500 mark, missing the playoffs entirely with just 81 points. With an unknown head coach stepping in next season to replace the fired Lindy Ruff and a goaltending rotation that’s guaranteed to look different, playoffs will be the expectation again in the Garden State.
Fill The Coaching Vacancy
The Devils’ mediocre showing cost Ruff his job before they were completely out of the playoff picture, as he was fired the week of the trade deadline after a 30-27-4 showing through 61 games. General manager Tom Fitzgerald‘s deadline moves and interim promotion of Travis Green to head coach backfired, as the team limped to an 8-12-1 finish for their fifth sub-.500 season in the last six years.
At the time of writing, assistant coaches Sergei Brylin, Ryan McGill and Chris Taylor look to be back with the club next season. That just leaves their head coaching add, something that will likely be confirmed in a matter of days.
Recent reporting indicates ex-Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe and former Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft are the two most likely candidates, especially after Craig Berube replaced Keefe in Toronto on Friday and the Hurricanes locked in pending free agent Rod Brind’Amour to a five-year extension. Todd McLellan, who was fired midseason by the Kings, has also interviewed with New Jersey.
In fact, most expected the Devils to have made their move by now. Keefe and Woodcroft don’t appear to be the favorites for any other open jobs, though, so their sense of urgency has likely dwindled a tad.
Make The Goalie Splash
Fitzgerald’s goaltending upgrades at the trade deadline were underwhelming, adding journeyman Jake Allen and the inconsistent Kaapo Kähkönen while parting ways with Vítek Vaněček, who was serviceable in a tandem role last year but struggled with a .890 SV% in 32 appearances this season.
That wasn’t necessarily his intention, though. There was quite a lot of smoke around a move for Flames star Jacob Markström, and talks got so advanced he reportedly waived his no-move clause to accept the deal. It didn’t get across the finish line, but talks are expected to resume closer to the draft next month.
Markström’s 23-23-2 record this season wasn’t particularly impressive, but he managed to churn out another above-average season despite missing significant chunks of the campaign with injuries. His 13.7 goals saved above expected were ninth league-wide, per MoneyPuck. He’s not a terribly long-term solution, though – he’s already 34 and has two seasons left at a $6MM cap hit before becoming a free agent again.
There will be other bonafide starters available for the right price. The Bruins may move on from 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark in order to re-sign the younger Jeremy Swayman, but he has a modified no-trade clause and has expressed his desire to stay in Beantown as he enters the final season of his contract. Predators starter Juuse Saros may also be on the block with one year left on his deal, with top prospect Yaroslav Askarov waiting in the wings.
Add/Replace Depth Scoring
New Jersey doesn’t have a lot of free-agent turnover. Among forwards who logged NHL time this year, only Tomas Nosek and Chris Tierney are slated to become UFAs on July 1. Kurtis MacDermid and Maxwell Willman were set to join them but have signed extensions in the past few days.
That leaves a clear picture of the Devils’ roster needs, which includes a hole in their top nine. Whether 2020 top-10 pick Alexander Holtz can take a step forward under a new head coach will be a hot topic, and energy winger Curtis Lazar is currently penciled in for a third-line role before taking injuries into account. 22-year-old Dawson Mercer is a sure bet to bounce back after being limited to 33 points in 82 games last year, but as it stands, there are just a few too many question marks across the board for a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run.
A big-ticket add isn’t a need – that money should and will be reserved for goaltending. But a consistent middle-six winger to bump Lazar to a fourth-line role and provide insurance if Holtz continues to struggle is a clear vacancy on their depth chart. Someone in the $3MM-$4MM range annually should do the trick. Anthony Duclair, Warren Foegele and Jack Roslovic are just a handful of names that could likely be had for that price on the open market.
Extend Hughes
2021 fourth-overall pick Luke Hughes earned a Calder Trophy nomination this year by stepping up in a big way to fill the offensive vacancy left by Hamilton’s pectoral injury, leading the Devils blue line with 47 points in 82 games. He’s also eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1 as he enters the final season of his entry-level pact.
The Devils didn’t opt to get his older brother Jack signed immediately after becoming eligible, but they did sign him just a few weeks into the 2021-22 campaign, the final season of his ELC. The eight-year, $64MM commitment seemed a tad rich at the time for a player who had struggled with injuries to begin his career and had yet to establish himself as a first-line caliber player, but he’s immediately made the deal look like a bargain with three straight seasons well over a point per game.
If Fitzgerald opts to take a similar path with Luke, expect a matching deal or something close to it. Evolving Hockey projects the defender’s extension to come in at eight years with a $7.979MM cap hit.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Maple Leafs Closing In On Craig Berube For Head Coach Vacancy
The Maple Leafs are now “far down the road” of naming Craig Berube their next head coach, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Friday.
Berube, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2018-19 after taking over as their interim coach midseason, was fired partway through his sixth season at the helm in mid-December. The Blues went 13-14-1 under Berube in the early stages of the season but rallied to finish 30-19-5 under Drew Bannister, whom they recently signed to a two-year deal to remain as head coach. However, they missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
In two stops behind NHL benches with the Blues and Flyers, the 55-year-old has a career regular-season record of 281-190-72 (.584) and a 27-31 (.466) record. Outside of St. Louis’ 2019 championship, he guided them to only one other series win, a 4-2 victory over the Wild in the first round in 2022.
Berube has been viewed as the favorite for Toronto’s vacancy seemingly within hours of when they fired Sheldon Keefe last week. The Leafs also reportedly interviewed former Kings bench boss Todd McLellan, and Friedman confirmed today that they also spoke to 2018 Jack Adams Award winner Gerard Gallant in the past few days.
He was also in rather advanced talks with the Senators a few weeks ago, but Ottawa ended up doling out a four-year deal for former Canucks coach and Devils interim bench boss Travis Green instead. Berube has also interviewed for the Devils‘ and Jets‘ openings, but they’ll now need to look elsewhere.
Friedman’s report implies that Toronto won’t be waiting around to see if the Hurricanes decide to part with Rod Brind’Amour, as suggested this morning. Brind’Amour, whose Carolina team was just eliminated in six games in the second round by the Rangers, is not signed for next season.
Berube’s main task will be helping the Leafs overcome their recent playoff scoring woes in hopes of a deep playoff run. The franchise has made the postseason in eight straight years, tied for the longest active streak in the NHL, but has only one series win, coming in 2023 over the Lightning. They averaged just 1.92 goals per game in this year’s first-round loss to the Bruins and were similarly held to 1.90 goals per game by the Panthers in the second round last season.
Injury Notes: Hintz, Marchand, Trenin
The Stars will be without first-line center Roope Hintz again as they try to dispatch the Avalanche in Game 6 tonight, head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed (via Corey Masisak of The Denver Post). He remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and DeBoer is “hopeful” he could play in a Game 7 or Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, depending on the result of tonight’s contest.
While he’s been centering the team’s de facto first line between Jason Robertson and a rotation of Joe Pavelski and rookie Logan Stankoven on his right wing, he hasn’t been their best center in terms of production or ice time. That honor goes to sophomore sensation Wyatt Johnston, who’s exploded for seven goals and 11 points in 12 games while averaging over 20 minutes per game. Hintz has still been serviceable, logging two goals and four assists in 11 games, but his lines have struggled to control possession quality. That’s not a huge issue on a Stars team that boasts the deepest attack in the West, however. The 27-year-old had 30 goals and 65 points in 80 games in the regular season after recording over a point per game last year.
Other updates as the second round nears its end:
- Bruins captain Brad Marchand remains a game-time decision for tonight’s Game 6 against the Panthers but seems to be trending upward, per head coach Jim Montgomery (per The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan). He’s missed the past two contests after sustaining an upper-body hit on a hit from Florida center Sam Bennett, which the Bruins managed to split with the Cats to stay alive. They head into Game 6 after an impressive road win to reduce Florida’s series lead to 3-2 with a chance to tie at home. Despite the multi-game absence, Marchand is still tied with Jake DeBrusk for the Bruins lead in playoff scoring with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games.
- Avalanche winger Yakov Trenin will not play in Game 6 against Dallas after sustaining an upper-body injury on Wednesday, head coach Jared Bednar said (via NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding). He’s been given a day-to-day designation and hasn’t been ruled out for a potential Game 7 should Colorado win its second straight game tonight. Line rushes at this morning’s practice confirmed that veteran pivot Chris Wagner is likely to replace Trenin as the team’s fourth-line center as they try to draw the series even at three games apiece. Trenin, 27, is a pending unrestricted free agent and has one goal in 10 playoff games after being picked up from the Predators before the trade deadline.
Todd McLellan Has Interviewed With Devils, Jets
In addition to previous connections with the Kraken and Maple Leafs, Todd McLellan has now also interviewed with the Devils and Jets for their head coaching vacancies, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.
He’s not viewed as the clear front-runner for any of the four jobs he’s in consideration for, but interest is growing in his services as the number of league-wide openings dwindles. He’s viewed as the Maple Leafs’ backup option to Craig Berube (and potentially Rod Brind’Amour), while the Devils appear to be zeroing in on Sheldon Keefe as their preferred candidate. McLellan is the only external candidate firmly linked to Seattle’s vacancy thus far, and he’s the second to interview for the Winnipeg vacancy after Berube earlier this week.
The Sharks are the only other team with an opening (aside from McLellan’s former employer), but they don’t have any documented interest in bringing back McLellan for his second stint behind the bench. His first crack at being an NHL head coach was in San Jose, compiling an exceptional 311-163-66 (.637) regular season record but failing to advance to a Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks’ only Finals appearance in franchise history came the year after McLellan was let go.
McLellan, fired by the Kings midseason, led them to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since a five-year run between 2010 and 2014 that resulted in two Stanley Cups. He had the Kings off to a torrid 13-3-3 start by American Thanksgiving, but a 10-12-7 stretch between then and the All-Star break convinced L.A. to pull the plug and replace him with interim head coach Jim Hiller.
In 1,144 career games coached with the Kings, Oilers and Sharks, McLellan has a 598-412-134 (.581) record, ranking 24th on the all-time wins list. Despite that, his playoff record is below .500 (42-46).
Along with Berube and McLellan, the Jets are also considering associate coach Scott Arniel for an internal promotion. He stepped behind the bench during the now-retired Rick Bowness‘ two leaves of absence this season.