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Los Angeles Kings Sign Jakub Dvorak

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In a press release this afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings announced they have signed 54th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Jakub Dvorak, to an entry-level contract. It will be a typical three-year contract, paying the young defenseman an AAV of $900K per season.

Dvorak is not much of a point scorer but relies primarily on his large frame. Standing at 6’5″, Dvorak uses his body substantially as a hard-hitting defenseman and uses solid body positioning to gain control of the puck.

In his draft year, Dvorak played for Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga, tallying two assists in 24 games. The team played well, finishing with a record of 19-10-10, losing in the playoff quarterfinals to Mountfield Hokejový Klub in five games. Dvorak surely benefited from the wisdom of the former NHL talent on his team, including forwards Tomas Plekanec and Marko Dano.

In all likelihood, Dvorak will start the year on Liberec, as Los Angeles is steadfast in competing for the Stanley Cup this season, and will likely be seeking more NHL-ready talent on the blue line. Even if the Kings did not consider themselves to be in contention for the sport’s top prize, it would be rare to see a second-round pick play a season after their draft.

Red Wings Sign Wyatt Newpower

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Signing back with the only organization he has known, defenseman Wyatt Newpower has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2023-24 NHL season. The deal will pay Newpower a total of $775K at the NHL level.

Capping off a four-year career in the NCAA with the University of Connecticut, Newpower finished his senior year on a solid run, scoring three goals and 19 assists in 34 games. During the 2020-21 season, which was shortened due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Newpower joined the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on an amateur tryout agreement, scoring three goals and seven assists in 24 games.

His year with the Monsters was enough to entice the Red Wings, who gave Newpower a two-year, $1.6MM agreement before the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Over the last two years with Detroit’s AHL team, the Grand Rapids Griffins, Newpower has been a stable defenseman, playing a total of 114 games, scoring five goals and 12 assists overall.

It will be highly unlikely to ever see the Minnesota native ever see action in the NHL, but at the AHL level, Newpower has become a serviceable defenseman to eat minutes. With a prospect cupboard full of young talent on the blue line, Newpower will be relied upon to show Detroit’s younger players the ropes in the minor leagues.

Offseason Notes: Johnson, Svechnikov, Yakupov, World Juniors

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Continuing to round out their bench, the Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have hired Brent Johnson as an assistant coach. Much like their approach with hiring Greg Cronin as head coach, Thompson is another coaching veteran with over 20 years of experience behind the bench.

Primarily serving as the head coach of the New York Islanders AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, for the last nine seasons, Thompson brings an all-time 328-286-73 coaching record in 687 games at the AHL level. Unfortunately for Thompson and the Islanders, the team only qualified for the playoffs in three of those seasons, never managing to get past the second round. The most coaching success Thompson has ever seen came back in the 2010-11 season in the ECHL, coaching the Alaska Aces to a Kelly Cup Championship, as well as the ECHL Coach of the Year award.

Over the course of his coaching career, Thompson has primarily spent it developing players into NHL talents, and the Ducks have no shortage of those players. The team did sign several veterans this offseason, but the team is clearly building around young talents such as Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry, and Jamie Drysdale.

Other notes:

  • A convincing argument can be made that the Carolina Hurricanes have had the best offseason of all 32 clubs in the NHL, and they received more positive news today. Chip Alexander of Raleigh News & Observer reported today that forward Andrei Svechnikov will resume skating for the first time this Friday. Shortly before the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Svechnikov went under the knife to repair his knee, which kept him out for the remainder of the season. Before the injury, Svechnikov was well on his way to recording another 30-goal season, something the Hurricanes will be looking forward to again next season.
  • Spending the last five seasons in the KHL, former-first overall pick, Nail Yakupov is on the move once again. The press service of the KHL announced today that Yakupov has reached a one-year agreement with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Last season, Yakupov played for Avangard Omsk, scoring 10 points in 16 games. Avangard Omsk would make it all the way to the Conference Finals in pursuit of the Continental Cup in 2023 but were quickly dispatched by Ak Bars Kazan in five games.
  • It appears the IIHF World Juniors Championship will be returning to the United States in 2026. Gord Miller of TSN reports that Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Las Vegas have all inquired about potentially hosting the tournament. The next one will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, followed by Ottawa, Canada in 2025. The last time the United States hosted the tournament came back in 2018, as it took place in Buffalo, NY.

Boston Bruins Sign Marc McLaughlin

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After the conclusion of the 2021-22 NCAA season, Marc McLaughlin signed out of college with his hometown team, the Boston Bruins, on a two-year, $1.85MM contract. Becoming a restricted free agent this offseason, the team has announced a one-year, $775K contract for next season.

Playing in the solid Hockey East division throughout his time in the NCAA, McLaughlin suited up for four seasons with the Boston College Eagles. In the entirety of its history, Boston College has regularly produced a solid club but was only able to reach the Frozen Four Tournament once with McLaughlin on the roster.

In 130 career games for the Eagles, McLaughlin scored 40 goals and 36 assists, really catching some offensive fire in his later years with the team. Initially after signing his contract out of college, McLaughlin suited up in 11 games for the Bruins down the stretch, scoring three goals, the first of which coming in his first-ever game in the professional league.

This past season, with the Bruins having some of the best depth in the league, McLaughlin spent the majority of the year playing for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. In 66 games for the baby Bruins, McLaughlin scored 13 goals and 17 assists, finishing 10th on the team in scoring. Overall, Providence had a great year in the AHL, finishing first in the Atlantic Division, but was quickly dispatched by the Hartford Wolf Pack in the division semi-finals.

Rangers Sign K’Andre Miller

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The New York Rangers have already had quite a busy offseason, bringing in veteran talents such as Blake Wheeler, Jonathan Quick, and Nick Bonino among others, yet they still have some important contracts left to sign. Both defenseman K’Andre Miller and forward Alexis Lafreniere were sitting without contracts for the 2023-24 NHL season, but the Rangers now have half of that list taken care of.

The team announced via a press release that Miller has signed a two-year, $7.74MM contract, paying him an AAV of $3.872MM. This seems like a fair deal for both sides, factoring in that Colorado Avalanche defenseman, Bowen Byram, signed a similar bridge deal last week.

In his first full season in New York, Miller became quite the positive force on the team’s back end. Playing in all 82 games for the 2021-22 season, Miller scored seven goals and 13 assists, playing just over 20 minutes a night. Miller also has a physical edge to his game, supplying the team with 151 hits in that same year. To add, Miller was one of a limited number of defensemen to have more takeaways than giveaways and also produced an oiSV% of 92.4%.

This past year, Miller’s offensive capabilities became much more of a factor in his game. Receiving much more time on the power play, Miller doubled his offensive output from the previous season, scoring nine goals and 34 assists in 79 games. His underlying defensive metrics did take a small dip but were still positive nonetheless.

Although signing Miller to an affordable bridge deal is great news for the Rangers, there are some negative externalities to this deal as well. Before the contract is officially added to their ledger, New York had around $6.18MM in cap space. Now that Miller has signed with an AAV of $3.872MM, this only leaves just under $2.4MM left in space to sign Lafreniere. Thankfully for the Rangers, Lafreniere does not yet have arbitration rights, so the team will still have a little bit of control on his next deal.

Nashville Predators Sign Denis Gurianov

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Already producing one of the most interesting free agency tactics by any team so far this offseason, the Nashville Predators continue to add depth to their lineup. This time, the team has announced a one-year, $850K contract for forward Denis Gurianov.

Nashville should be very familiar with what Gurianov brings to the table, as he previously skated with their division rival, the Dallas Stars, for the last six seasons. Struggling in Dallas last year, the team shipped Gurianov to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Evgenii Dadonov.

It wasn’t that long ago that Gurianov was considered one of the top prospects in the Stars’ organization, as he was drafted 12th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Taking a couple of seasons to crack the NHL roster, Gurianov strung together three solid seasons in Dallas, scoring 43 goals and 47 assists in 192 games between 2019-2022.

Unfortunately, the production didn’t ramp up at all during the 2022-23 season, and Gurianov saw his ice time slashed by the Stars, losing about two minutes on average with time on ice. After the trade to Montreal, Gurianov had a much larger opportunity on offense, as he was able to get around 15 minutes a night with the Canadiens. In his small sample size in Quebec, Gurianov scored eight points in 23 games.

Now transitioning back to the NHL’s Central Division, Gurianov should once again have plenty of opportunity in Nashville. Given how the team’s roster is currently constructed, Gurianov should have no problem slotting into the team’s middle six.

Snapshots: Flames, Canucks, Lake Tahoe

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Missing out on the entirety of the 2022-23 NHL season due to a personal issue, defenseman Oliver Kylington is set to get going for the Calgary Flames this upcoming year. In a report from Ryan Pike of Flames Nation, Kylington is “excited” to return to the Flames this year. With one year, $2.5MM remaining on Kylington’s contract, Pike notes that the team has not yet engaged with him on contract extension conversations.

One player that the team has engaged in contract talks with is forward Dillon Dube (Tweet Link). Dube has been incrementally improving his game for years, capping off the 2022-23 year with his best performance, an 18-goal and 27-assist effort in 82 games played.

Luckily for the Flames, Dube will be a restricted free agent at the end of his three-year, $9.6MM contract signed back before the 2021-22 season, giving them a decent amount of control over the situation. In context, forward Tyler Toffoli is already off to the New Jersey Devils, and Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund are unsure about their future, Dube may have a significant role opening up for himself on Calgary’s roster.

Other snapshots:

  •  Today, the Vancouver Canucks released their ECHL affiliate for the 2023-24 NHL season, and it will be the Kalamazoo Wings. This will not be their first partnership, as Kalamazoo featured as the Canucks’ ECHL affiliate from 1984-1987, 2011-2015, and again from 2017-2021. Throughout their history as a team, the Wings have never won the Kelly Cup in the ECHL, but have employed NHL talent such as Ron Hextall, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Manny Fernandez.
  • Continuing on with news from the ECHL, the league has approved a new team, one that will reside in Lake Tahoe, CA. The team is unnamed up to this point, but it will be the 29th team granted admittance into the NHL’s second-tier minor league system. Interestingly enough, the team will be owned by former professional quarterback, and 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner, Tim Tebow.

Boston Bruins Sign Ian Mitchell

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One of the defensemen acquired by the Boston Bruins in the trade that sent Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks, Ian Mitchell, has reached a contract agreement with the team. Mitchell, who was originally scheduled for a July 26th arbitration hearing has signed a one-year, $775K contract for the 2023-24 season.

Originally drafted 57th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Draft, Mitchell primarily split time over the last three years between Chicago and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs. In 82 career games with the Blackhawks, Mitchell scored four goals and 12 assists in total, averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per night.

At the AHL, he has expectedly been much better on the point sheet, scoring 13 goals and 29 assists for the Ice Hogs in 67 career games. Logistically, given the current construction of the Bruins roster, it would be reasonable to see Mitchell split time between leagues once again.

This summer, the Bruins did lose a bit of forward depth, but their defensive core still remains strong. Headlined by Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, Jakub Zboril currently projects as the team’s seventh defenseman, with Mitchell just behind him on the depth chart. Not quite a shut-down defenseman, Mitchell has shown strong defensive numbers in the past, evidenced by his 91.2% oiSV% during his time in Chicago.

Five Key Stories: 7/3/23 – 7/9/23

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In many instances, the week, after free agency opens, can be one of the duller weeks in the NHL, but this one still featured plenty of action. Between coaching movement and player movement, there are five stories that stuck out this week.

Vigneault Calls It Quits: Not coaching for the last couple of seasons since his termination as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, Alain Vigneault has officially retired from coaching. After 1363 career games spent as the main bench boss, Vigneault will finish with a record of 722-489-35-117, putting him 10th all-time in the head coaching win record. Vigneault did win the Jack Adams Trophy during the 2006-07 season and got to the Stanley Cup Final twice, once with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, and another time with the New York Rangers in 2014. With such an impressive all-time record, it would not be a shock to hear Vigneault’s name called for the Hall of Fame in the near future.

Minnesota Wild Acquire Maroon: Another consequence of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s cap situation, Pat Maroon was moved, along with forward Max Cajkovic to the Minnesota Wild in return for a seventh-round pick in 2024. Maroon had spent the last four seasons in Tampa Bay, seeing his production slip considerably last year. After seeing his playing time by an average of two minutes, Maroon only mustered five goals and nine points in 80 games. Even so, he still brings considerable experience to Minnesota, and a great locker room presence, evidenced by his back-to-back Stanley Cup championships from 2019-2021.

Toews Likely To Retire: At the beginning of the offseason, there was some speculation that Jonathan Toews would follow in the footsteps of his former teammate, Duncan Keith, and join the Edmonton Oilers, it appears that Toews will likely retire instead. Represented by hockey’s mega agent, Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey, Toews was taken off the agency’s upcoming free agent list that they annually send out to teams. Battling both chronic immune response syndrome and long-term effects of Covid-19, Toews has unfortunately been able to complete a full season since 2018-19. If it is indeed the end of the line for Toews, he will finish his career with 372 goals and 511 assists in 1067 games played, as well as three Stanley Cup rings, one Frank J. Selke trophy, and one Conn Smythe win.

Red Wings Cut Ties With Zadina: Although the Detroit Red Wings were looking to find a trade partner to take on the contract of forward Filip Zadina, they were unable to, and subsequently terminated his contract. Prized as one of the purest goal-scorers in the 2018 NHL Draft, Zadina failed to replicate any of his junior success in Detroit. In 190 games spanning over five seasons donning the ’Winged Wheel, Zadina has 28 goals and 40 assists. With two years, and $3.65MM (including $2.73MM due in salary for the 2024-25 season), no team was interested in trading for Zadina, or even claiming him on waivers. Now an unrestricted free agent, it is reasonable to assume that Zadina will sign a minimum contract for the 2023-24 NHL season.

Toronto Marlies Hire New Head Coach: After cutting ties with their entire AHL coaching staff about a month and a half ago, the Toronto Marlies named their eighth head coach in franchise history, John Gruden. Gruden had spent last season with the Boston Bruins as an assistant coach and held the same position with the New York Islanders from 2018-2022. This will not be Gruden’s first stop in Ontario, as he was previously the head coach of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 2016-2018. In his last season coaching the team, Gruden coached the Bulldogs to a 2018 OHL Championship finish, eventually losing to the Regina Pats in the 2018 Memorial Cup semifinals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. 

Detroit Red Wings Acquire Alex DeBrincat

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Much of the recent speculation surrounding Alex DeBrincat and the Ottawa Senators largely centered around the New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks as being the most likely suitors in any trade. At the beginning of the offseason, once news broke that DeBrincat may find his way out of Ottawa, the Detroit Red Wings were deemed the likeliest landing spot, but seemed to have fallen out of the running.

In a surprising turn of events, the Red Wings eventually came out on top, trading Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a conditional first-round pick in 2024, and a fourth-round pick in 2024. Furthermore, Detroit also announced a four-year, $31.5MM contract with DeBrincat, paying him an AAV of $7.785MM. The Farmington Hills, MI native is now officially a part of his childhood team.

By acquiring DeBrincat, Detroit immediately addresses one of the major problems that has plagued them the last several seasons, their offense. Two seasons ago, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks at the time, DeBrincat scored 41 goals and 37 assists in 82 games. This past season with the Senators, DeBrincat scored 27 goals and 39 assists in 82 games. Interestingly enough, DeBrincat has also been extremely good all-time against his new team, scoring 11 goals and 30 points in 23 games against the Red Wings in his career.

In context to the condition attached to the first-round pick headed to the Senators, Detroit will have the option to send either their own 2024 first-round selection or the Bruins’ 2024 first-round selection. On Boston’s draft pick, if the pick falls within the top ten of the 2024 draft, the pick will convey to the Bruins’ 2025 first-round selection. At that time, the Red Wings will have the option of sending their own 2024 first-round selection, or the 2025 first-round selection originally owned by Boston.

The contract for DeBrincat will place him second among Red Wings’ earners, sitting behind the eight-year, $69.6MM extension the team handed out to captain Dylan Larkin last season. Given that the 2023-24 season would have been DeBrincat’s last as a restricted free agent, the contract also buys out three years of unrestricted free agency, putting DeBrincat at 29 years for the first time he hits the open market.

From Ottawa’s standpoint, it is hard to imagine this as a positive return. Kubalik has shown offensive skill in the past but struggled mightily down the stretch for the Red Wings last season. In 81 games played for Detroit last year, Kubalik scored 20 goals and 25 assists in 80 games, something that should play well in the Senators’ middle-six forward group. The other player in the deal, Sebrango, was a former 63rd overall pick of the Red Wings back in the 2020 NHL Draft, and split time between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye last year.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, they were unable to recoup the draft capital they once spent to acquire DeBrincat in the first place. At last year’s draft, the Senators sent their first-round pick, second-round pick, and a third-round selection in 2024 to acquire DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks. That first-round selection would be seventh overall, allowing the Blackhawks to select defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Given the condition of the first-round pick going to Ottawa in this deal, it is unlikely that it will get even close to seventh overall in whichever year the condition is met.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that DeBrincat had been traded, and the first to report he would land with Detroit. 

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was the first to report the contract details between the Red Wings and DeBrincat. 

PuckPedia was the first to report the conditions of the first-round pick going to the Senators in the deal. 

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