Arizona Coyotes Sign Aku Räty To Entry-Level Contract
The Arizona Coyotes and forward prospect Aku Räty agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract today, the team announced. PuckPedia reports the structure of the deal is as follows:
2023-24: $775,000 base salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $57,500 games played bonus, $70,000 minors salary
2024-25: $832,500 base salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $70,000 minors salary
The deal carries a cap hit of $896,000.
Räty, the older brother of Vancouver Canucks prospect Aatu Räty, was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Coyotes. The 21-year-old winger has produced above his weight in terms of his draft position the past two years in Finland, though, and is one of the more underrated prospects in the Arizona system.
After multiple seasons with the Kärpät organization in Finland, a transfer to Ilves for 2022-23 made all the difference for Räty’s development. In 53 Liiga games, Räty set professional career highs with 18 goals, 24 assists, 42 points, and a +26 rating.
Räty was set to become an unrestricted free agent on June 1 if the Coyotes did not sign him. Arizona has four other prospects from the 2019 and 2021 draft classes that will become UFAs if they’re not signed within the next month, which PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan expects will head to market.
The Oulo-born winger has good size at 6 feet and 187 pounds, and the first thing you’ll notice upon viewing is his tenacious forecheck. Räty has one of the best work ethics among young players in the Liiga.
It makes him a bit of a unique prospect in the Coyotes system, and the team does have recent success in developing Finnish talents, especially from Ilves (see Matias Maccelli). It’s unclear whether Räty will report to North America next season, however, or stay in Finland on loan.
Arizona returned Maccelli to Ilves on loan for the first year of his entry-level contract, however, it was during the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign.
Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko Heading To World Championship
New York Rangers forwards Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko will join Team Czechia and Team Finland, respectively, at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship, they told reporters today.
Coming off the heels of a disappointing first-round loss, the two Rangers youngsters now get a shot at redemption at the closest thing to a best-on-best tournament in men’s hockey today. The 2023 edition of the tournament, which will take place in Tampere and Helsinki in Finland, begins next week.
Neither Czechia nor Finland have announced their full rosters for the tournament. They’ll be competing in separate groups, with Finland among the assumed leaders in Group A alongside Sweden and the United States, while Czechia is at the higher end of Group B with Canada and Slovakia.
This will be Chytil’s fourth appearance with Czechia at the tournament. In 20 games combined in the 2018, 2019, and 2021 tournaments, he’s registered four goals and eight points. After a breakout season this year in which he broke the 20-goal and 40-point plateaus for the first time, expect a rejuvenated performance from him.
For Kakko, it’s his second appearance at the tournament after scoring six goals in 10 games with Finland in 2019, leading the team to a gold medal. Finland has reached the final game in three consecutive tournaments.
Lucas Wallmark Released From Overseas Contract
NHL veteran Lucas Wallmark was released from his contract with the NL’s ZSC Lions today upon request, the team said in a release announcing multiple roster updates. The move clears the way for Wallmark, 27, to re-join an NHL club in free agency this offseason if he so chooses.
Wallmark was under contract with the Lions through 2025, departing the club after the first season of a three-year agreement. The 2014 fourth-round selection of the Carolina Hurricanes had 37 points in 50 games and led the team with a +22 rating.
He’d spent the past two seasons overseas after five years in the NHL with the Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers. Wallmark was an effective defensive presence in the bottom six during his time in the NHL and could still easily crack most rosters in the league today.
Wallmark represented Sweden at the delayed 2020 Winter Olympics, recording five goals in six games. He had a career-high 10 goals and 28 points in 81 games with Carolina in 2018-19, helping them advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
Of note, the Lions also announced in their release that 26-year-old Ludovic Waeber will be signing an NHL contract next season, although it’s unclear with which team. Waeber has some limited experience with the Swiss national team and had been their starter between 2020 and 2022. However, he slipped to a backup role this season behind Czech netminder Šimon Hrubec, posting a .914 save percentage and an 8-9-1 record in 19 games.
New York Rangers Linked To Joel Quenneville
With the New York Rangers’ disappointing Game 7 shutout loss in the rearview mirror, speculation about changes to the team’s roster and coaching staff fired up as soon as the horn blew to end the game. Today, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that speculation includes longtime NHL coach Joel Quenneville as a possible replacement behind the bench if the Rangers opt to move on from head coach Gerard Gallant. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski doubled down on ties between the Rangers and Quenneville.
Any move involving Quenneville will be met with a great amount of scrutiny. Quenneville currently requires approval from the commissioners’ office to work any job in the league again due to his involvement in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks’ response to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual abuse of former player Kyle Beach.
Per the investigation report released by independent legal firm Jenner and Block, multiple witnesses stated Quenneville participated in a meeting to discuss the Aldrich allegations shortly after the Blackhawks advanced to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, where he and other Blackhawks leaders opted to defer action on Aldrich until the end of the playoff run so as to “not cause a distraction” to the team’s on-ice success. Prior to the report coming to light, Quenneville had claimed publically he had no previous knowledge of the allegations against Aldrich.
Dreger confirmed that Quenneville has not yet been cleared by the league to return to coaching and said that an official interview request from the Rangers would “likely encourage commissioner approval.”
Quenneville last coached in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers, posting a 7-0-0 record before resigning and being conditionally held out of NHL work by the commissioner’s office.
New York Islanders Sign Matthew Maggio
The New York Islanders have inked an intriguing prospect, signing forward Matthew Maggio to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Monday. Per CapFriendly, the contract carries a cap hit of $870,000, with a base salary of $775,000, a signing bonus of $95,000, and potential performance bonuses of $80,000 in all three seasons.
The Islanders selected Maggio, 20, in the fifth round, 142nd overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft as an over-age player. The Windsor, Ontario, product spent the 2022-23 season with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, where he led the league in goals (54) and points (111) in 66 games.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, Maggio is an extremely tenacious winger who’s somewhat unexpectedly developed elite point-production ability during his latter years in junior hockey. While the delayed increase in offense in his junior career raises questions about his ultimate ceiling in the NHL, he’s shown the tools to become a good depth scoring option.
He’ll need another few seasons in the minors before getting some extended NHL looks, and he’s expected to play next season with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Maggio had two assists in three games with Bridgeport to close out the 2022-23 season after signing an amateur tryout contract.
With the Islanders not having much to boast about in their current prospect pool, Maggio could be a potential highlight of their current crop of young players.
Washington Capitals Sign Alexander Alexeyev To Extension
9:17 AM: The Capitals have made the signing official with a team announcement (Tweet Link). The contract will be a 2-year, $1.65MM extension, paying him $775K in 2023-24, and $875K in 2024-25.
7:51 AM: The Washington Capitals are closing in on a two-year extension with defenseman Alexander Alexeyev, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday night. PuckPedia adds the contract carries a cap hit of $825,000, paying Alexeyev $775,000 in 2023-24 and $875,000 in 2024-25.
Alexeyev, 23, was set to be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this offseason. His new contract comes in below his $874,125 qualifying offer.
Selected with the last pick of the first round in 2018, Alexeyev made the jump to the NHL full-time this season, although he likely wouldn’t have if not for significant injuries to the Washington blue line. Playing in 32 games with the Capitals, Alexeyev registered five assists and a -2 rating.
The hulking 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman was on a decent development track up until the past two seasons, even if the first-round selection was a tad bit of a reach. But his offensive production in the minors last season took a nosedive, posting 19 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, and didn’t showcase a ton in the NHL this year.
That’s not to say Alexeyev is a bust. Defensemen do traditionally take longer to develop, and he still has plenty of ground left to cover at 23. Unless Washington signs a significant upgrade on pending unrestricted free agent Matt Irwin, Alexeyev is destined for a spot on Washington’s roster out of camp next year, where he’ll get another chance to show what he’s capable of at the NHL level, especially in his transition game.
Washington Capitals Sign Ivan Miroshnichenko
The Washington Capitals have gotten one of their best prospects under contract, announcing the signing of forward Ivan Miroshnichenko to a three-year entry-level contract. Miroshnichenko will earn $855,000 in the NHL and $82,500 in the AHL per season over the course of his deal, which makes him a restricted free agent in 2026.
For Miroshnichenko, this is certainly a mountaintop moment. The young forward was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma before draft day last year, but was cleared to return to training before the draft and played a full, healthy season of hockey in 2022-23.
He had a tough postseason run in Russian juniors, but did notch 14 points in 12 games with the MHL’s Omskie Yastreby during the regular season. He also spent 23 games with Avanagard Omsk in the KHL, earning four points.
He’s destined for a prominent role on the AHL’s Hershey Bears next season, continuing his development as one of the brightest spots in a weak pool of Capitals prospects. Miroshnichenko was drafted 20th overall in 2022.
A power winger with good instincts, Miroshnichenko stands 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds and should ideally put up 30-40 points if he plays the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL without any health issues. It may not be time to call him up to the NHL roster just yet, but it’s a huge step in Miroshnichenko’s development to get this far.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Nikita Chibrikov To Entry-Level Contract
The Winnipeg Jets signed forward Nikita Chibrikov to a three-year, entry-level contract Monday, per a team release. Chibrikov’s contract will begin in 2023-24 and carry a cap hit of $925,000. Chibrikov has also signed a professional tryout contract with the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, and he’ll join the team as they continue their play in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Winnipeg drafted Chibrikov, 20, with the 50th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft. His development path since hasn’t been smooth, failing to secure extended playing time in any league in Russia. The constant shuttling between levels has stunted Chibrikov’s offensive development, with his point production today not dissimilar to his production during his draft year.
It makes the timing of the signing significant. With Chibrikov now under Winnipeg’s control, he’ll remain in North America next season and see extended time with the Moose, allowing him to play in an organization solely focused on his development.
He played most of this past season with Spartak Moskva in the KHL, recording just two points in 31 games with a very limited role. His game revolves around speed and skill, something he’ll have more opportunity to showcase with more minutes in the AHL.
Chibrikov will be a restricted free agent in 2026.
PHR Playoff Primer: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We begin our Second Round coverage with the Atlantic Division matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
Two teams with very short histories of recent playoff success will face off against each other in the Second Round. What could go wrong?
Both teams overcame adversity to get to this point, although one team’s path is much more impressive than the other. The Florida Panthers are here against all odds, finishing the regular season as the 17th-place team in the league but vanquishing the record-setting Boston Bruins in seven games. It’s the first time in franchise history the Panthers have advanced in the postseason in back-to-back years.
The Maple Leafs, while favored to win their series, exorcised past failures in their own right, advancing in the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. It’s a massive step toward ending the longest championship drought in the league, one in which they’ll have to vanquish both Florida teams to end.
Regular Season Performance
Toronto: 50-21-11, 111 points, +57 goal differential
Florida: 42-32-8, 92 points, +17 goal differential
Head-To-Head
January 17, 2023: Florida 4, Toronto 5 (OT)
March 23, 2023: Toronto 6, Florida 2
March 29, 2023: Florida 3, Toronto 2 (OT)
April 10, 2023: Toronto 2, Florida 1 (OT)
Toronto takes season series 3-0-1
Team Storylines
It was a tale of two seasons for the Florida Panthers, who went 12-5-2 after the trade deadline to rocket back into playoff position after a disappointing first half to the campaign. Fortunately for them, they were able to keep it rolling in the playoffs, and their early-series dominance and late-series heroics were enough to create one of the largest upsets in NHL history.
It should strike fear into the Toronto Maple Leafs, who deserve full credit for their series win, but were outplayed heavily at times by the Lightning and got some soft goals past a normally stout Andrei Vasilevskiy. One main reason for optimism for Leafs fans, however, is their play against Florida down the stretch. Three of their four season matchups game within the last few weeks of the campaign, with Florida scratching and clawing for playoff positioning. Toronto came out victorious in two of the three games, dropping the other in overtime.
Toronto was able to get to the slot with ease in their 6-2 win, forcing nine high-danger chances against Sergei Bobrovsky. Their more balanced attack, with the inclusion of Ryan O’Reilly to the third line, will be key in getting through a Florida defense that lacks depth behind Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad.
Goaltending may as well be a toss-up in this series. With Bobrovsky reclaiming the starter’s net in Florida, he and Ilya Samsonov have had very similar postseasons. Both have let in shaky goals at times but have turned it on in clutch moments, stealing their team’s games despite mediocre save percentages.
Defensively, Toronto will need to change their game plan when hemmed in their own zone. A common criticism against Toronto in the first round was their passiveness, allowing the Lightning to cycle freely in the zone and activate their defensemen at the points. With Montour’s current offensive dominance for Florida, he’ll be an unleashed weapon in this series if the Leafs aren’t more aggressive in covering the points. There’s also the matter of Matthew Tkachuk to stop, who’s taken Florida on his back this season.
The same goes for Florida, who have to contend with a red-hot Morgan Rielly for Toronto. The Maple Leafs were much more confident moving the puck in their series-clinching Game 6 win, largely in part due to swapping in Timothy Liljegren in the lineup for Justin Holl. That change is expected to stick for Game 1.
Prediction
Both teams won their series in similar ways: clutch saves and mastering a “bend but don’t break” mentality. With the monkey off the Maple Leafs’ backs, however, the advantage goes to the team with better depth at every position.
Toronto’s ability to roll three lines and advance the puck out of the zone with a more confident defense, as well as a dialed-in Ilya Samsonov, should keep the upstart Panthers at bay and guide the Maple Leafs to the conference finals for the first time since 2002.
Prediction: Maple Leafs win in six games.
Joel Eriksson Ek Underwent Surgery, Will Be Ready For Camp
Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek played just one shift in his team’s first-round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, sidelined by a lower-body injury sustained during the tail end of the regular season. Speaking during the team’s season-ending media availability today, Eriksson Ek told reporters, including The Athletic’s Joe Smith, that he sustained a broken fibula that “didn’t hold up” during his attempted return in Game 3.
The Wild center had surgery to repair the break and plans to be ready for training camp next season.
Eriksson Ek, the team’s strongest all-around center, was a critical absence in the Wild lineup as they failed to get much offense generated against the Dallas Stars. He notched a career-high 38 assists and 61 points in 2022-23.
Perennially in the Selke conversation, Eriksson Ek’s presence down the middle is a must-have for Minnesota to continue success with a cap-strapped roster next season. The Wild are expecting a breakout campaign from young Marco Rossi next year but need the leadership of Eriksson Ek to maintain playoff positioning.
Eriksson Ek joins pending restricted free agent Mason Shaw as Wild centers sidelined with long-term injuries over the offseason.