Ottawa Senators Sign Oskar Pettersson
The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Oskar Pettersson to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today. Financial details were not disclosed.
The 19-year-old Swedish prospect had a strong season in his home country. A cerebral and speedy winger, Pettersson tallied two points and 33 penalty minutes in 29 regular-season games with Rogle BK of the SHL, his first pro experience. In Sweden’s U20 league with Rogle’s top junior team, Pettersson led his team in points per game among players with at least 10 games, recording 23 goals and 10 assists in 24 games.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave a statement on Pettersson’s signing:
Oskar has quickly become one of the organization’s top prospects. He had a strong first pro season and showcases a similar maturity level to players who are much older than he. A north/south winger who has demonstrated that he’s capable of playing in all situations, he routinely utilizes his speed to effectively cycle the puck. He’s a smart player with good habits; his work ethic alone is certain to be of considerable value to him as he strives to take the next step.
Selected by the Senators with the 72nd overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft, Pettersson joins two other players from the team’s draft class who Ottawa has already signed: defensemen Tomas Hamara (87th overall) and Jorian Donovan. Pettersson is expected to attend the Senators’ upcoming annual development camp before returning to Rogle for the next season, the team said.
Given his age, Pettersson is eligible for a one-year slide on this deal if he plays less than 10 NHL games. With Pettersson not expected to see NHL ice in 2023-24, his three-year contract will likely kick in for the 2024-25 campaign.
Aaron Ekblad Will Have Shoulder Surgery
For the second straight day, the Florida Panthers announced a member of their defense corps will undergo shoulder surgery. Aaron Ekblad will have a procedure done after sustaining two separate shoulder dislocations during the team’s playoff run, he told reporters including Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press today.
Ekblad’s recovery time will stretch into next season’s training camp. It’s unclear whether he’ll be ready for the start of the 2023-24 regular season.
One of his shoulder dislocations occurred during the Eastern Conference Final, Ekblad said. He didn’t register a point at even strength in the team’s four-game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes and averaged 21 minutes per game – not including Game 1’s four-overtime win.
As head coach Paul Maurice said yesterday, Ekblad broke his foot during Game 2 of the team’s first-round win against the Boston Bruins. Ekblad said today he didn’t find out about the injury until the downtime between the second and third rounds.
That second-round series on a broken foot against the Toronto Maple Leafs was Ekblad’s best of the postseason. The 27-year-old defender clicked at a point per game against Toronto after failing to get on the scoresheet in six games against the Bruins.
Maurice added more clarity to Florida’s injury report today, too, saying forward Eetu Luostarinen‘s absence in the Stanley Cup Final was due to a broken tibia sustained in the series-clinching Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. Unlike Ekblad and Brandon Montour, Luostarinen will not require off-season surgery.
Luostarinen skated multiple times during Panthers practices after the injury and attempted to return. The 2017 second-round pick of the Hurricanes had a breakout season for Florida in 2022-23, averaging nearly 16 minutes per game in the regular season and scoring 17 goals and 43 points while playing in all 82 games. He added five points in 16 playoff games while seeing an uptick in ice time.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The Vegas Golden Knights ended the playoffs on Tuesday with a 9-3 win over Florida, giving them their first Stanley Cup in their short franchise history.
With the offseason now officially underway, it’s time for a final edition of the #PHRMailbag before the draft and free agency begin. Teams are already gearing up to participate in the trade market, and the news cycle is getting busier each day.
Our last mailbag covered what the Detroit Red Wings could do to push themselves over the hump next season, how the Edmonton Oilers move forward from here, and the Central Division trade market.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below.
Philadelphia Flyers Announce Qualifying Offers
Weeks in advance of the June 30 deadline, the Philadelphia Flyers have become the first team to announce which of their pending restricted free agents are receiving qualifying offers. Forwards Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, and Olle Lycksell, as well as defensemen Ronnie Attard and Cam York, all received qualifying offers from the team and their rights have been retained. Forwards Evan Barratt and Kieffer Bellows and defenseman Wyatte Wylie were left unqualified, and they’ll hit unrestricted free agency on July 1 if left unsigned.
The Flyers also confirmed that goalie prospect Ivan Fedotov, who missed the entire 2022-23 campaign due to military obligations in Russia after intending to leave for the United States, has had his contract tolled over to the 2023-24 season. It’s unclear what his status is and if he’s expected to join the team, but he will be under contract.
Philadelphia acquired Barratt, 24, in an October 2022 minor trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 2017 third-round pick spent nearly the entire season in the ECHL with the Flyers’ affiliate, the Reading Royals, where he did well with 50 points in 46 games. After managing to stick in the AHL full-time with Chicago the past two seasons, however, it was a disappointing development that he couldn’t hold the same role in the Flyers organization. He’ll spend next season overseas, where he’s already signed a contract with the DEL’s Nurnberg Ice Tigers.
Bellows was the 19th overall selection in the 2016 draft but ended up on waivers this season after the New York Islanders decided he couldn’t stick in the NHL. Philadelphia claimed him, but the 25-year-old scored just three goals in 27 NHL games and never got anything above a fourth-line role. His power-forward style has yet to truly translate to any sustained success at the NHL level, and he remains unsigned for 2023-24.
Wylie is the youngest of the Flyers to go unqualified, still just 23 years old. After a fifth-round selection in 2018, though, he’s failed to become an every-night AHL player and appeared in 45 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season. After a strong pair of seasons to finish out his junior career with the Everett Silvertips in 2019 and 2020, though, he should be able to find at least an AHL contract on the open market if the Flyers don’t retain him by the end of the month.
Snapshots: Blues, Gritsyuk, Watson
The St. Louis Blues have filled out the rest of next season’s coaching staff, hiring Mike Weber as an assistant coach and Michael Babcock as a skills coach today. Late last week, we covered how the Blues were looking to replace their two coaching vacancies soon, in which the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Matthew DeFranks hinted at the possibility of a skills coach hire.
Weber, 35, played 351 NHL games across an eight-season career with the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals. He’d since returned to the Sabres organization, spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Michael Babcock is the son of soon-to-be Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock, and despite being just 28 years old, this isn’t his first NHL job. He spent the 2022-23 campaign with the Ottawa Senators, doing work with pre-scouting and on-ice skill development, the Blues said.
The two incoming hires replace Mike Van Ryn and Craig MacTavish on the Blues bench, who the team let go of two months ago to the day.
- New Jersey Devils winger prospect Arseni Gritsyuk won’t be heading to North America until 2025, his agent told NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky. Selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Gritsyuk, now 22, broke out for 15 goals and 40 points in 66 KHL games this season with Avangard Omsk. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Russian’s speed is his defining factor, and the Devils certainly hope that production transfers over in two seasons when Gritsyuk joins the team.
- The Detroit Red Wings have named Dan Watson the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the team said today. Watson had spent the past six years in the organization as the head coach of their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, so he’ll have familiarity with a spattering of players already on the Griffins’ roster. Before that, he was an associate coach in Toledo alongside then-head coach Derek Lalonde, now behind Detroit’s NHL bench.
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Cole Koepke
The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed forward Cole Koepke to a one-year, two-way contract today, the team said in a media release.
Koepke, 25, was a surprise name on the Lightning’s opening night roster for the 2022-23 campaign. A sixth-round pick in 2018, Koepke registered just one goal in 17 games, however, and then was sent to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch for the rest of the season after Anthony Cirelli returned from offseason shoulder surgery. There, he took a significant step back offensively from his 2021-22 minor league totals, registering seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 52 games.
The Lightning did not release details of the contract.
Tampa Bay hopes 2022-23 was a temporary dip in Koepke’s production, although he’s likely just a year or two away from reaching the top of his development curve. With more seasoning in Syracuse next year, the Lightning would like to see production closer to his last two seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he notched 56 points in 62 games across his sophomore and junior seasons before turning pro at the end of 2020-21.
Koepke was a pending restricted free agent and eligible for arbitration. Per CapFriendly, he was due a qualifying offer of $787,500 on a one-year deal if an agreement wasn’t reached before the June 30 deadline.
Theodor Lennstrom Linked To Florida Panthers
Undrafted free agent defenseman Theodor Lennstrom could land his second NHL contract this offseason in the form of a one-way deal with the Florida Panthers, Swedish outlet Hockey Sverige reports.
Lennstrom, 28, signed with the Edmonton Oilers for the 2020-21 campaign, but COVID limited him to just 23 combined regular-season and playoff games in the minors with the Bakersfield Condors, recording a combined two goals and 10 points. Since then, Lennstrom has posted high-end offensive numbers in the Swedish Hockey League and signed a two-year contract for 2023-24 and 2024-25 with Swiss side Geneve-Servette HC.
Now, it seems that deal could be terminated as an NHL opportunity has presented itself for Lennstrom. The Panthers, who are in desperate need of quality depth defensemen who can contribute more offensively than their current options like Marc Staal and Josh Mahura, present a solid fit for the European veteran.
Lennstrom scored 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 45 regular-season SHL games with Farjestad BK during the past two seasons. His 14 points in 19 games during the 2022 SHL playoffs guided Farjestad to a league championship.
Size isn’t a large weakness for Lennstrom, as Elite Prospects lists him at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. Where he excels is his speed game – he’s a quick and agile skater who can gain the zone quickly. Room for improvement in his positional play in his own zone, though, has kept him out of the NHL until this point.
If it is a one-way deal, as the report suggests, Florida likely envisions Lennstrom as a seventh defenseman and would bank on him making the team out of camp. The Panthers don’t have any left-shot defenders like Lennstrom at the minor league level ready to step in next season, although University of Denver grad Michael Benning could make a run for a spot on the right side.
Lennstrom suited up for Sweden at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, posting a -3 rating in five games without getting on the scoresheet.
Pittsburgh Penguins Hire Jason Spezza
The Pittsburgh Penguins named longtime NHLer and former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Jason Spezza an assistant general manager today, the team said in a release. Spezza joins former boss Kyle Dubas in the Pittsburgh front office.
Spezza served as a special assistant to Dubas for Toronto last season after retiring in 2022 but resigned from his post after Toronto announced they wouldn’t renew Dubas’ contract as general manager. Dubas then joined the Penguins as president of hockey operations earlier this month.
With Toronto, Spezza was involved with all aspects of hockey operations, including player personnel and development, minor league operations, and hockey research and development. Per the Penguins, his role there will be the same, reporting directly to Dubas and “[assisting] club management in all hockey operations departments.”
Dubas gave a statement on the hire of his colleague and friend:
After a decorated playing career, Jason fully immersed himself on the management side of the game learning all facets of hockey operations this past season while with Toronto. He showed tremendous work ethic, curiosity, and ability to build relationships throughout all departments at the team facility. His move from the roster to the front office staff also helped make the hockey operations department, coaching staff and playing roster a more cohesive and collaborative unit. We are thrilled to have Jason join the Pittsburgh Penguins today as he will add a great perspective to our Club, and we are excited to watch him reach his potential in management.
It’s worth noting Dubas isn’t Spezza’s only connection to the Penguins’ front office. He played one season each with player development staff member Matt Cullen in Ottawa and hockey operations advisor Trevor Daley in Dallas.
The Penguins are building their new front office in an unusual way, hiring associate members before solidifying a longer-term general manager. Dubas said during his initial media availability in Pittsburgh that he plans to serve as interim general manager through the offseason before making a permanent hire closer to the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Based on the club’s verbiage, it seems that Spezza will still report directly to Dubas even after a GM hire is made.
Oilers Notes: Bouchard, Staios, Buyouts, RFAs
The Edmonton Oilers find themselves in a very similar position to last offseason: a marginal amount of salary cap space that will immediately be eaten up by re-signing their pending restricted free agents. The highest priority among them is 23-year-old Evan Bouchard, who led all playoff defensemen in scoring with 17 points in just 12 games.
In a sitdown piece with The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, Oilers general manager Ken Holland said discussions have begun on a new deal for Bouchard, but the team will be “challenged” to get it done. Holland referenced last season’s one-year agreement with Ryan McLeod, and a similar one could make sense for Edmonton and Bouchard. By the time the salary cap returns to its normal year-to-year jump, Bouchard will still be under team control as a restricted free agent.
Holland also mentioned he doesn’t feel pressure to get a deal done with Bouchard by the time unrestricted free agency opens on July 1.
More from Holland on the state of the Oilers:
- As soon as Michael Andlauer entered into a purchase agreement for the Ottawa Senators yesterday, rumors began swirling about the Oilers’ current special assistant to the GM, Steve Staios, being brought in for a higher-ranking position in the Sens’ front office. Staios and Andlauer worked together for many years during their time with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. Holland said he hasn’t thought about it yet, but said “it’s hard to hold them back” when rising front office stars get better opportunities elsewhere. Holland didn’t seem particularly interested in putting up a fight to keep Staios, saying he prefers to keep their current assistant GMs in place.
- Holland said he hopes to avoid a buyout this offseason when asked about the possibility but didn’t rule it out. The two most likely candidates would be wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele, who both have one year remaining on their contracts but carry slightly overpriced cap hits for the offense and consistency they provide. Per CapFriendly, buying out Yamamoto would save Edmonton $2.67MM next season and cost them $533,334 in 2024-25. A Foegele buyout doesn’t make as much sense, saving them less than Yamamoto in 2023-24 ($2.167MM) and costing them more in 2024-25 ($1.083MM). The NHL’s first buyout window commences tomorrow, 48 hours after the end of the Stanley Cup Final, and closes June 30 at 4 p.m. CT.
- Lastly, Holland confirmed he would qualify all of Edmonton’s remaining RFAs, save for one: Noah Philp, who Holland revealed has decided to retire after what was a tough year for him personally. Philp, 24, had his first full pro season last year, registering 37 points in 70 games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The University of Alberta product expressed a desire to stay closer to home in Calgary and be with his family.
Florida Panthers Issue Injury Updates On Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad
Florida Panthers stars Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad both played through significant injuries during the team’s playoff run, head coach Paul Maurice said after their season-ending 9-3 loss in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final last night.
It was obvious Tkachuk had sustained an injury in Game 3 after taking a hard open-ice hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar during the first period, which Maurice said was a broken sternum. Tkachuk still managed to log 19 shifts, 16:40 of ice time, and 14 penalty minutes in Game 4.
Ekblad, on the other hand, had a much longer list of ailments that will need attention over the offseason. Per Maurice, the 27-year-old defender sustained a broken foot during the team’s first-round victory over the Boston Bruins and later suffered two separate shoulder dislocations and a torn oblique muscle.
Both Ekblad and Tkachuk missed just one game during the playoffs, of which the Panthers lost both. Ekblad missed Game 4 against Boston with what was at the time termed an undisclosed injury, although it seems likely the broken foot kept him out of action. Tkachuk couldn’t go for last night’s Game 5, with Maurice having this to say on their decision-making process:
[Tkachuk] didn’t dress himself for the game. Somebody helped him get his gear on, somebody tied his skates, somebody put his sweater on. But the next day when he came in, he was in significant pain. So it wasn’t really a question whether he’d be able to play [Game 5] or not. The idea would be to let it calm and we might be able to get him to get him to Game 7.
Maurice also said some Panthers players wouldn’t be healthy for the start of next season, although he didn’t name specifics. It’s a disappointing end to the season for Florida, but the immediate concern now lies with the long-term health of Tkachuk and Ekblad.
Tkachuk’s recovery from an injury he only played through for a game and a half should be rather straightforward. However, the Panthers now have to hope Ekblad’s lengthy injury history isn’t further exacerbated by any longer-term recovery complications from his foot or his oblique tear.