Utah Signs Matt Villalta To Two-Year Contract
Taking care of some goaltending depth in the minor leagues, the Utah Hockey Club has announced a two-year, two-way contract for goaltender Matt Villalta. Although financial terms of the deal were not included in the announcement, it is expected Villalta will make close to if not the minimum salary at the NHL level.
Villalta originally broke into the league as a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings during the 2017 NHL Draft. Villalta made his professional debut during the 2019-20 AHL season after finishing his junior career for the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Villalta spent the next four seasons playing for the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, where he collected a 58-32-14 record in 108 regular season games while seeing his save percentage climb to .910 in his last year with the organization.
After becoming a free agent last offseason, Villalta signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Arizona Coyotes and was immediately assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners after clearing waivers during training camp. Not only did Villalta provide solid goaltending for the Roadrunners, he was one of the better goalies in the entire AHL having posted a 31-17-3 record in 51 games while carrying a .911 SV% and 2.54 goals against average.
While leading the AHL in wins and earning an AHL All-Star nod, the Coyotes recalled Villalta to the NHL level for the first time in his career on February 16th by way of an emergency loan. Unfortunately, Villalta’s strong performance in the AHL did not translate in Arizona, posting a 0-1-0 record after one start while stopping only 82.8% of shots.
Depending on what Utah ends up doing with Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram this summer, Villalta could once again play himself to an opportunity at the NHL level. However, if Utah keeps both goaltenders in the mix heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, Villalta will surely start the year in the AHL.
Canucks Sign Mark Friedman To One-Year Extension
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in an early season trade — it appears that defenseman Mark Friedman will continue his time in British Columbia. The Vancouver Canucks announced they have signed Friedman to a one-year contract extension that will pay him $775K at the NHL level.
Friedman was originally brought into the Canucks organization to serve in a depth role and the team may have to elevate him into a consistent bottom-pairing role depending on how their offseason plays out. Vancouver got a head start on their defensive core yesterday signing pending restricted free agent Filip Hronek to an eight-year extension but Ian Cole, Nikita Zadorov, and Tyler Myers are set to hit the open market in a few short weeks.
In his role as a depth defenseman, Friedman suited up in 23 games for the Canucks this season while tallying only one assist after averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game. Outside of his offensive production, Friedman did post solid defensive and possession metrics in limited action with a 50.3 CorsiFor% and a 92.6% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
Additionally, Friedman spent a brief period with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. In mid-January, the Canucks placed Friedman on a six-day conditioning loan allowing him to suit up in four games for the AHL Canucks which saw him post one goal and four points in total.
After the Canucks offseason finally reaches its conclusion, Friedman should once again be bumped into a depth role, but he now serves as one of five defensemen on the roster with a contract for the 2024-25 NHL season. Nevertheless, General Manager Patrik Allvin will allow Friedman to see more minutes by saying, “Mark’s addition to our group last year gave us some much needed depth and he is someone we can count on if plugged into our lineup. He is a team first player and is always ready to step in if called upon. We expect him to come into camp and compete hard for a regular spot this season“.
Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens
Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Canadiens.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jesse Ylonen – Hoping to build on a solid depth scoring season in 2022-23, Ylonen failed to boost his production in any meaningful way. In fact, he took a step or two back during the 2023-24 campaign while seeing his ice time dip towards the back half of the season. Ylonen saw his point-per-game average drop from 0.43 P/G to 0.14 P/G in only one year. Luckily, this should allow Montreal to keep him close to his previous league-minimum salary of $775K in hopes that he will rebound for the 2024-25 NHL season.
D Arber Xhekaj – Not much of a point producer from the back end, Xhekaj has become a valuable presence on the Canadiens’ blue line. Over the last two years, Xhekaj has scored a total of eight goals and 23 points over 95 games while also delivering 284 hits. However, because of his physicality, Xhekaj has lost quite a few games to injury in his first two years with Montreal, and the team will be hoping he can maintain better health moving forward. He should be able to get a modest raise on his most recent salary of $828K at the NHL level this summer, as Evolving Hockey projects a 2-year, $3MM contract for Xhekaj. 
D Justin Barron – Acquired in the trade that sent Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche during the 2022-23 NHL season, Barron could potentially be crowded out of the Canadiens defensive core this summer. Shuffled back-and-forth between Montreal and their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, Barron failed to build on his production this season despite seeing his ice time increase by an average of two minutes. It’s unlikely that the Canadiens will choose not to tender Barron a contract this offseason, but he may start the season in Laval with the team already having a crowded blue line.
Other RFAs: F Lias Andersson, F Filip Cederqvist, D Mattias Norlinder
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Tanner Pearson – After suffering through injuries during the 2022-23 campaign with the Vancouver Canucks, Montreal acquired Pearson last offseason for some much-needed depth scoring. However, Pearson would have one of his worst seasons to date in northeastern Canada, scoring five goals and 13 points through 54 games this year. A few weeks ago, it was announced the Canadiens have no intentions of re-signing Pearson, confirming he will hit the open market this summer.
Other UFAs: F Colin White, D Chris Wideman, F Arnaud Durandeau, F Philippe Maillet, F Mitchell Stephens, D Brady Keeper
Projected Cap Space
Heading into the summer months, the Canadiens organization will have around $9.4MM of cap space to work with, with the ability to go 10% over the upper limit. Once the 2024-25 season starts, the team will place goaltender Carey Price on long-term injured reserve which will open up another $10.5MM to work with during the year.
Unless Montreal can somehow facilitate a trade of Price’s contract this summer, they will have a little wiggle room to add an impact piece in free agency. Defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Juraj Slafkovsky took major steps forward this past season and the organization’s prospect pool should add complimentary pieces shortly. Because of this, Montreal’s sole focus should be moving out bloated but moveable contracts in Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia to increase the organization’s cap flexibility despite Price’s massive salary.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Mapping Out The Blackhawks’ Offseason Plans
Once again mired as one of the worst teams during the regular season in 2023-24, the Chicago Blackhawks have an interesting offseason ahead. With a major piece set in stone now that Connor Bedard has confirmed he’s the real deal, the Blackhawks have a lot of flexibility to improve the team this summer.
After failing to win back-to-back draft lotteries, Chicago will start their offseason with the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. It is common knowledge that the San Jose Sharks will select Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick. Still, the Blackhawks will likely select defenseman Artyom Levshunov or forward Ivan Demidov with the next selection, both of which will project as elite-level players in their own right.
After the NHL Draft, the next significant date in the offseason will be July 1st. This is where Chicago can shake things up in a major way. For their roster in 2024-25, the Blackhawks have 10 forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies already signed to contracts. The team will likely re-up on most of their restricted free agents and graduate prospects to the majors, but they will have a ton of cap flexibility to fill in the other holes.
Having nearly $33MM to play with this summer, General Manager Kyle Davidson could have practically any player on the market, assuming those players would want to come to the Windy City. In fact, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has already alluded to Chicago poking around Jake Guentzel‘s camp, with the latter having roots in the American Midwest. If the Blackhawks can convince Guentzel to sign a long-term deal with the organization this summer, that would be a foundational building block to put next to Bedard for the first half of his career.
Nevertheless, even if Chicago makes serious investments this summer, they will still be hard-pressed to earn a playoff spot next year. The Central Division is still projected to be led by the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Winnipeg Jets next season. Still, the Blackhawks may be able to move past the Utah Hockey Club, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues if nearly everything goes positively.
Landing a big fish or two should make the Blackhawks more competitive for the 2024-25 NHL season, and aid in developing the youngsters that now inhabit the roster. Unlike other rebuilding clubs, the presence of Bedard has allowed Chicago to accelerate their rebuild quicker than normal.
Bruins Name Jay Leach Assistant Coach
Now taking his third trip through the Boston Bruins organization, Jay Leach will return to the team as an assistant coach for the 2024-25 NHL campaign. The Bruins announced the hiring of Leach this afternoon as well as the promotion of Joe Sacco as an associate coach.
Leach began his tenure in the Original Six organization in the 2003-04 season as he suited up in three games for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Leach would not get his first taste of NHL action until 2005-06, registering two games in Boston without any points.
Over the next five years, Leach played on four additional teams before retiring as the captain of the Albany Devils after the 2013-14 AHL season. Shortly thereafter, Leach began his coaching tenure with Adler Mannheim of the DEL as an assistant coach before a brief stint in the same role with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins the following year. Ahead of the 2016-17 AHL season, Leach returned to the Bruins organization for a second stint as an assistant coach of Providence before being named the team’s head coach ahead of 2017-18.
Leach earned his first opportunity in the NHL after a four-year run in Providence in which the team produced a 136-77-26 record under the then-rookie head coach. Shortly after the inception as the league’s 32nd franchise, Leach was hired as an assistant coach by the Seattle Kraken to join Dave Hakstol‘s staff. With the Kraken looking to re-create their coaching staff after a disappointing 2023-24 season, Leach was granted the opportunity to pursue other options.
Sacco, on the other hand, is seeing a well-deserved promotion after spending the last decade as an assistant coach for the Bruins. During his tenure, Boston has made it to one Stanley Cup Final appearance while also winning two Presidents’ Trophies as the top team in the regular season.
Columbus Blue Jackets Aiming To Trade Patrik Laine
On this week’s rendition of TSN’s Insider Trading, an interesting player has reportedly hit the trade block. Pierre LeBrun indicates that one of the major goals of the offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets is to move on from struggling forward Patrik Laine.
Laine has been an interesting player, to say the least during his time in Columbus since being acquired by the organization in a trade during the 2020-21 NHL season. In 174 games for the Blue Jackets, Laine has scored 64 goals and 138 points as the team hoped he would be a solid compliment to Johnny Gaudreau on the first line.
This past season was far and away Laine’s worst in Ohio, as he only managed six goals and nine points in 18 games. To add insult to injury, head coach of the Blue Jackets, Pascal Vincent, healthy scratched Laine for the first time in his career in mid-November before Laine finally landed in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program for the rest of the season in late January. Seemingly disgruntled on both sides of the relationship, it appears Laine and Columbus will work on a mutual move at some point this summer.
As desperately as both sides may want a formal split, Laine’s contract has quickly become one of the hardest to move in the league. The acquiring team will be on the hook for $8.7MM (~10% of the salary cap) for the next two seasons unless Columbus is willing to retain money in the trade. Still, with the lack of production on his current deal and the stop in the Player Assistance Program, most teams may be hesitant to add Laine to the roster.
Being a high-salary reclamation project, it should be a relatively easy task ironing out a list of potential suitors for Laine. Given that he only brings offensive contributions to the lineup, there are several rebuilding clubs with plenty of cap flexibility and a need for more offense. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks all come to mind as clear choices to pursue a trade for Laine this summer.
All three options allow Laine a fresh start to his career two years before he hits unrestricted free agency. If Laine can rebuild is former label as a high-level goal-scoring threat throughout the league, the acquiring team may even be able to sell high on him at the trade deadline after next season.
Nathan Todd Clears Unconditional Waivers; Signs In KHL
6/12: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Todd has cleared waivers this morning. The Sharks organization can now release Todd making him an unrestricted free agent, and they will open up a contract spot before a busy summer. Instead of pursuing an AHL contract this summer, reports from the Kontinental Hockey League indicate Todd has already signed a deal with HC Salavat Yulaev for the 2024-25 KHL season.
6/11: Beat writer for the San Jose Sharks, Curtis Pashelka is reporting that the organization has placed forward Nathan Todd on unconditional waivers for contract termination. Although the move does not carry significant weight at the NHL level, it will impact the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
As an undrafted free agent, Todd spent much of his first four professional years in the ECHL before making the full-time jump to the AHL in 2020-21 for the Manitoba Moose. After securing nearly a point-per-game season with the Moose, Todd left to join the Springfield Thunderbirds for the next two seasons. In his first year with the Thunderbirds, the team would make it to the Calder Cup Final before finally being ousted by the Chicago Wolves in five games. During that postseason, Todd became a quality depth scorer, putting up four goals and 11 points in 18 games.
Last offseason, Todd signed on with the Sharks organization to a two-year, two-way contract. Playing the entire year for the Barracuda, Todd rewarded the team nicely, scoring 19 goals and 55 points in 69 games which is far and away his most productive season to date. Todd tied for 27th in the AHL in total scoring while also leading the Barracuda in assists and points.
Assuming Todd is not picked up on waivers over the next 24 hours, he will hit the open market to search for another AHL franchise to call home this summer. After failing to make the Calder Cup playoffs in the last two years, Todd’s breakout year in the minor leagues may earn him a spot on a much more competitive roster next season.
Atlantic Notes: Red Wings Draft Plans, Barkov, Gregor
In an article today from Max Bultman of The Athletic (Subscription Required), he theorizes three hypothetical options for the Detroit Red Wings during the 2024 NHL Draft: stay put, trade down, and trade up. After it took until the last game of the regular season for the Red Wings to be eliminated from the postseason, there are several different directions that General Manager Steve Yzerman could take in Vegas.
If Detroit stays put, one of the most common mock picks at 15th overall is Michael Brandsegg-Nygård of Mora IK in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan. Brandsegg-Nygard would be a very safe pick at 15th overall, given that he is one of the most mature players in the draft already, meaning it shouldn’t take him too long to crack the Red Wings roster. However, if Detroit does stay put, with a decent amount of organizational depth at the forward position, they could look for a high-risk high-reward prospect at 15th overall such as Cole Eiserman or Michael Hage.
Yzerman’s second most likely option would be to trade down a few spots to clear some cap space for the offseason. The Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks represent likely trade options in this scenario, given the bevy of cap space each team has. The Red Wings may be able to move the 15th overall pick and Justin Holl‘s contract to the Blackhawks in exchange for the 18th overall pick, or send the 15th overall pick and potentially both Holl and Ben Chiarot to the Ducks in exchange for the 31st overall pick if they want to get aggressive.
Lastly, since the Red Wings are unlikely to trade into the top 10 of the NHL Draft, their most likely partners in a trade-up scenario would be the Philadelphia Flyers or Buffalo Sabres. With the Flyers amid their rebuild, and the Sabres unlikely to trade with a division rival, would it make sense for Detroit to move up three spots? The price would be too high for Yzerman to trade up, and they may be left with similar options with the 15th overall pick regardless.
Other Atlantic notes:
- With plenty of eyes on the status of Aleksander Barkov ahead of Game 3, Jameson Olive, the Senior Digital Content Manager of the Florida Panthers reported that Barkov looked and felt good today. They will continue to monitor his status during the team’s skate in Edmonton tomorrow. After taking an elbow to the head from Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl towards the final minutes of Game 2, Barkov’s status has already led to a fair amount of controversy in the Stanley Cup Final.
- Touching on several different members of the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the offseason, Joshua Kloke of The Athletic (Subscription Required) passes along that Noah Gregor‘s time with the organization has likely ended. With the emergence of forward prospects and depth pieces down the stretch, Gregor’s role was severely diminished towards the end of the regular season, and the Maple Leafs will likely use his roster spot for other purposes. Throughout the regular season, Gregor managed six goals and 12 points for Toronto over 63 games but only managed one goal in his last 35 contests.
Evening Notes: Myers, Lafferty, Kylington, Markstrom
Heading into the offseason, the Vancouver Canucks have several quality players heading for unrestricted free agency. In an article today by David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, he touches on the organization’s negotiations with defenseman Tyler Myers and forward Sam Lafferty.
A little over a week ago, it was reported that both Myers and the Canucks wanted to pursue an extension — but it will need to be for a much lower AAV than his previous $6MM salary. It does not appear that the two sides have even started exchanging salary figures, which could push Myers towards unrestricted free agency on July 1st. Vancouver has four defensemen set to hit the open market with an additional restricted free agent to worry about, and the Canucks would be wise to extend some of them well before free agency kicks off.
Unlike Myers, it does not appear that Lafferty wants to extend his stay in Vancouver, but Pagnotta points out that the two sides haven’t shut the door completely. After completing his two-year, $2.3MM contract that he originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Lafferty has earned a shot at more earning power this summer after posting 13 goals and 24 points with the Canucks this season.
Other notes:
- In the same article from Pagnotta, defenseman Oliver Kylington and his camp are still waiting on a contract offer from the Calgary Flames. It was only a few weeks ago that Pagnotta originally confirmed that the Flames organization was preparing an offer for the Masterton Trophy finalist. After missing nearly two years, Kylington’s arrival back in Calgary was well received, especially after the team made significant changes to its blue line. If he does extend, Kylington should be able to fetch nearly identical value to his recent two-year, $5MM contract with the Flames.
- Staying in Calgary, Pagnotta indicates that the Flames and New Jersey Devils are working hard towards a Jacob Markstrom trade. The two sides were nearly in agreement on a trade that would send Markstrom to New Jersey at the trade deadline, but the deal collapsed in the final stages. Although Markstrom remains the ideal candidate for the Devils, there will be other options available this summer if Calgary’s asking price exceeds expectations.
Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils
Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Devils.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Dawson Mercer – For many players and the team, the 2023-24 NHL season for New Jersey paled compared to the prior year. Caught up in this negative trend, Mercer saw a seven-goal and 16-assist dropoff compared to the season he put together in 2022-23. However, under the tutelage of head coach Sheldon Keefe, Mercer should be relied upon quite heavily as a secondary scorer in the lineup. The front office may opt for a bridge deal with Mercer to save cap room for outside additions this summer, given that the team is bogged down with lengthy contracts to star players.
G Nico Daws – In one of the most dramatic goalie carousels of the 2023-24 season, the Devils used five different netminders this past year, with Daws finishing second in games played. In 20 starts, Daws compiled a record of 9-11-0 while posting a .894 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average. Daws did not fare much better in the American Hockey League, as he posted a similar SV% of .890 with the Utica Comets. Hoping to revamp their goaltending up and down the organization this summer, Daws may find himself on the open market if New Jersey does not tender him a qualifying offer.
G Akira Schmid – Posting almost identical stats to Daws this past season, Schmid started in 15 games for the Devils. Carrying a record of 5-9-1 in those 15 starts with a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA, Schmid did not perform adequately enough to keep New Jersey above water. In a similar fashion to Daws, Schmid produced nearly the same in Utica, which makes him a non-tender candidate heading into the offseason.
Other RFAs: F Nolan Foote, D Callan Foote, F Michael McLeod, D Santeri Hatakka
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Kaapo Kahkonen – Brought in at the trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks for a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs, Kahkonen’s solid play for New Jersey failed to move the needle in any meaningful way. After the trade, Kahkonen started in six games for the Devils, posting a 1-4-0 record while earning an exceptional .923 SV% and 2.51 goals-against average. Despite Kahkonen’s strong numbers, New Jersey will likely opt to retain Jake Allen as the backup for next season, while looking outside the organization for a legitimate starting goaltender. Even though his total production from the 2023-24 season was largely depressed during his time with the Sharks, Kahkonen should be able to land a backup gig this summer.
D Brendan Smith – Over the past two years, Smith has been a valuable veteran on New Jersey’s blue line. In one of his best offensive seasons since his time with the Detroit Red Wings, Smith posted five goals and 15 points over 63 games for the Devils this season. Unfortunately for Smith, with New Jersey graduating defensive prospects such as Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, his time in the Garden State will likely end. Staying on the East Coast for much of his career, Smith should land a deal as a depth defenseman for another team in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.
Other UFAs: F Tomas Nosek, F Chris Tierney, D Nick DeSimone, F Kyle Criscuolo, D Tyler Wotherspoon, G Keith Kinkaid
Projected Cap Space
Now that the cap ceiling for the 2024-25 NHL season has officially been set at $88MM, this puts the Devils with just over $19MM to work with this summer. With little of those dollars needing to be spent on retaining internal players this summer, New Jersey should have plenty of flexibility to acquire a top-level netminder. Over the past few weeks, the Devils have been connected to Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, and Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.
Although the Devils are looking to acquire top-level talent to return to contention next year, they must be mindful of upcoming extension candidates. On July 1st, L. Hughes will be eligible for a contract extension, meaning New Jersey must factor in a potential long-term deal in their offseason planning.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.