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Injury Notes: Danford, Sorokin, Meriläinen

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TSN’s Mark Masters reports the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without recent first-round pick Ben Danford for the rest of the weekend due to an injury. Danford reportedly was on the receiving end of a big hit in yesterday’s rookie camp scrimmage and will be re-evaluated after the upcoming weekend.

Toronto originally traded down to the 31st pick at the 2024 NHL Draft with the Anaheim Ducks indicating they’ve had their eye on Danford for quite some time. He plays maturely for his age as he’s shown prowess for defending his zone and transitioning the puck up ice on a breakout.

The rookie camp would have been the first extended look at Danford working in the Maple Leafs’ system but at least he will be close by if the injury prohibits him from suiting up in any more games. Danford is expected to suit up for the Oshawa Generals located just northeast of Toronto and will look to expand upon his 33-point effort from last year.

Other injury notes:

  • Arthur Staple of The Athletic relayed a note from the general manager of the New York Islanders, Lou Lamoriello indicating that goaltender Ilya Sorokin sustained an injury in summer training but is already back skating. Sorokin should only miss a few days of training camp as Islanders’ brass have no worries the injury issue will extend into the season. Sorokin had a bit of a down year compared to his career averages last season and New York will hope he can rebound from the difficult year as his eight-year, $66MM contract kicks in.
  • According to a team report, Ottawa Senators prospect Leevi Meriläinen will not participate in this year’s prospect challenge as he’s dealing with a lower-body injury. The Finnish netminder was drafted 71st overall by the Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft and debuted with the organization in the 2022-23 campaign. Meriläinen spent last year split between the AHL’s Belleville Senators and ECHL Allen Americans recording a .906 SV% and .926 SV%, respectively.

Anaheim Ducks To Sign Three Players To PTOs

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Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Anaheim Ducks are bringing in Mark Pysyk, Boris Katchouk, and Gustav Lindstrom on professional tryout agreements. The Ducks will surely rely more on their youth this season but all three players could serve as reasonable depth if some prospects aren’t adjusting well.

Katchouk is only a few years removed from being a top prospect in his own right with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Katchouk scored 11 goals and 34 points in 29 games with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch during the 2020-21 season which caused many to believe he may become a middle-six fixture in Tampa for years to come. Unfortunately, his inconsistent ice time led to inconsistent play and the Lightning moved Katchouk to the Chicago Blackhawks in a package for Brandon Hagel.

He played much better with Chicago when more playing time came his way with five goals and 16 points in 58 games during the 2022-23 season but poor play last year ran out the clock with the Blackhawks. The team waived Katchouk near the trade deadline last year and he was eventually claimed by the Ottawa Senators where he scored two goals and four points in 21 games down the stretch.

The Ducks will also bring in a pair of right-handed shot defensemen one of which has spent a decent amount of time with the team already. Anaheim claimed Lindstrom in mid-January of last season away from the Montreal Canadiens and he played rather well for the team down the stretch. He only tallied six assists in 32 games but limited his turnovers and achieved a +12 rating by season’s end placing him second on the team, respectively.

Pysyk is arguably the most interesting addition due to having played in an NHL contest since the 2021-22 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings before the 2022-23 NHL season but a tear of his Achilles tendon cost him the year. He went unsigned from his PTO with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year but eventually landed with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He went scoreless in eight games for the AHL Penguins but eventually found a more consistent home with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on a two-way contract with the Calgary Flames.

None of the three players are guaranteed contracts heading into the 2024-25 season but it seems like a prudent move for the Ducks to get a look at some talent for the AHL level. The team is in a position to graduate several prospects this year and could use some more depth in case they can’t find consistency in the early stages of their NHL careers.

Panthers To Sign Matt Luff To PTO

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The Florida Panthers have entered the market for PTOs as they try to rebuild their forward depth from a season ago. David Dwork of The Hockey News is reporting that the Panthers have agreed to a professional tryout agreement with forward Matt Luff and he will be with the team next week.

Luff began his career with the Los Angeles Kings organization in 2016 after the team signed him out of the Ontario Hockey League. He was coming off a season with the Hamilton Bulldogs where he scored 25 goals and 49 points in 45 games. One of the major questions at the time of his signing was the limited usage of his larger frame. He was physically one of the bigger players in the OHL at the time but rarely played to his size which made him an interesting addition for a hard-nosed Kings playstyle at the time.

Most of his tenure in the Kings organization had him with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. He nevertheless managed to skate in 64 games for Los Angeles from 2018-21 where he added 10 goals and 17 points overall. After a one-year stint with the Nashville Predators organization in 2021-22 Luff eventually signed on with the Detroit Red Wings where he has been ever since.

His two separate one-year deals with the Red Wings have allowed for 19 appearances at the NHL level with two goals and four points. His real fruitfulness with the Red Wings organization has been his time with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, although he’s been mired by injuries. He’s appeared in 54 games for the Griffins over the last two years while posting 18 goals and 43 points.

It will be challenging for Luff to crack a re-worked Panthers’ bottom-six but his recent success at the AHL level has at least garnered him an opportunity. Florida does not have a deep crop of forwards at the AHL level as they struggled to score last year in Charlotte. Luff will have to assume a next-man-up mentality heading into the season but at least it will be in pursuit of joining the roster of the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Rangers Expected To Sign Madison Bowey To PTO

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Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reports the New York Rangers have signed defenseman Madison Bowey to a professional tryout agreement. However, no confirmation has come from the team at the time of writing.

Bowey spent the first eight years of his professional career in North America before heading for the Kontinental Hockey League last season. He was drafted with the 53rd overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals and joined their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, three years later.

He quickly demonstrated his talents as a two-way defenseman in the NHL as he posted four goals and 29 points in 70 games during his rookie season with a +22 rating. He went on to tally six assists through 21 postseason games that year as he helped the Bears to the Calder Cup finals before losing to the Lake Erie Monsters in a sweep. Bowey quickly became the top defensive prospect in the Capitals’ pipeline and was projected to become a top-four fixture on the blue line.

Injuries limited his availability the following season as he only appeared in 34 games for Hershey. He did not make Washington’s opening night roster the following season but was recalled rather quickly when defenseman Matt Niskanen went down with an injury early in the season. Bowey suited up in 51 games for the Capitals in the 2017-18 scoring 12 assists in total. The 2018-19 season did not do much to inspire Washington any further after Bowey scored one goal and six points in 33 games to start the year and the team included him in a trade package to the Detroit Red Wings for Nick Jensen.

The most successful season of his career came in Detroit during the 2019-20 NHL season as he scored three goals and 17 points in 53 games which was good for second on the team in scoring amongst a weak Red Wings’ blue line. Detroit decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Bowey that summer and he surprisingly went unsigned throughout the summer which led to a PTO with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.

Bowey spent the next three years bouncing from the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and Montreal Canadiens organization before eventually trying his luck overseas. His lone KHL season was split between three organizations with Bowey scoring four goals and 14 points collectively.

He has an outside chance of cracking New York’s opening roster, to say the least, with other players already firmly cemented on the blue line. There may be an opening on the bottom-pairing but the Rangers will likely look to one of their prospects to fill the void rather than Bowey. Even if he does perform well at camp his ceiling will be landing a two-way contract and should see most of his playing time at the AHL level.

Kraken Extend Adam Larsson On Four-Year Deal

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Sep. 10: The Kraken made Larsson’s extension official as reported Tuesday morning.

Sep. 9: The Seattle Kraken are working on a deal to keep defenseman Adam Larsson in the Pacific Northwest for the next four years per reports from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman included in a follow-up report that Larsson’s salary will be $5.25MM each season making it a four-year, $21MM extension.

The fourth-overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft originally came to the Kraken organization during the 2021 Expansion Draft from the Edmonton Oilers. Seattle quickly signed Larsson to a four-year, $16MM contract and he has been with the organization ever since.

Larsson has excelled during his time with the Kraken as he’s garnered more responsibility in his career than at any point with the Oilers or New Jersey Devils. He’s only missed one regular season game (which came this past season) and has averaged 22:57 of ice time in 245 games with the young franchise. His consistency and availability alone would have earned him an extension in Seattle but Larsson has also chipped in adequately offensively with 20 goals and 76 points overall.

He led the team in blocked shots and hits during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons while dropping to second and fourth this past year, respectively. The only major drawback to Larsson’s game is his possession quality which largely falls below a 50% CorsiFor%. Much of that can be attributed to the fact that he’s averaged a 55.4% Defensive Zone Start % in All Situations during his time with Seattle.

The $5.25MM salary over the next four years is just a notch below Evolving-Hockey’s prediction of a $5.5MM salary on a four-year pact. The deal will keep Larsson in place until the 2028-29 regular season and keep Seattle’s defensive core largely intact before Vince Dunn’s current contract ends after the 2027-28 campaign. There won’t be any problems on the right side of their defense for quite some time with the team adding Brandon Montour on a seven-year deal earlier in the offseason.

Not only have the Kraken ironed out their blue line for the next three to five years but the team has also taken a major potential trade chip off the market for next year’s trade deadline. Larsson would have been an ideal candidate to market at next year’s trade season if Seattle found themselves outside of contention.

International Notes: Team Canada, Cracknell, Day

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St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will have his hands full for the first half of the 2024-25 NHL season. Armstrong recently took part in an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun where the two spoke at length about Team Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Faceoff in 2025 and the announcement that teams will need rosters in place by December 2nd, 2024.

The first six players of Canada’s roster were already announced on June 28th, 2024 as Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid, and Brayden Point have already made the team. Canada ices the majority of players in the NHL (41.7% of opening night rosters in 2023-24) which makes Armstrong’s job in scouting that much more difficult in determining the next 17 players and three goaltenders in three months.

LeBrun adds that goaltending is the biggest question mark facing Team Canada as the team no longer has access to Carey Price, Martin Brodeur, or Roberto Luongo. Armstrong isn’t as worried about the goaltending situation for Canada as he said, “The only goalies to win a Stanley Cup over the last decade have been Russian or Canadian. So we’re in pretty good shape if you’re using that as a barometer“.

Other international notes:

  • Journeyman forward Adam Cracknell will take his talent overseas for the first time since the 2020-21 season as Slovakia’s HK Poprad announced a one-year contract for the veteran. Cracknell spent all last season with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights collecting 18 goals and 35 points in 53 games. He has 210 NHL games under his belt with the Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Anaheim Ducks but has not played in an NHL contest since the 2018-19 season.
  • Former top prospect Sean Day is heading overseas as HV71 of the SHL has announced a two-year deal for the defenseman. Day became the fourth player to be granted ’Exceptional Player Status’ by Hockey Canada behind John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, and McDavid but floundered almost immediately upon joining the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads in 2013-14. He was eventually drafted 81st overall by the Rangers in the 2016 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 28th, 2021.

Rangers Sign Adam Erne To PTO

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TSN’s Darren Dreger reports the New York Rangers are bringing in forward Adam Erne to training camp on a professional tryout agreement. Erne had difficulty finding recurring playing time with the Edmonton Oilers last year and will now try his luck at the bottom of the Rangers’ forward core.

Erne was considered a mid-first-round talent heading into the 2013 NHL Draft but ultimately fell to the second round at 33rd overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Erne debuted with the Lightning in the 2016-17 season, collecting three goals in 29 contests. Most of his success early on in his professional career came with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch where Erne’s physicality and knack for goal-scoring made him an effective player in the NHL.

His “coming out party” came during the 2018-19 season when he scored seven goals and 20 points in 65 games. The Lightning iced one of the best teams in NHL history that season and Erne played an important role in the team’s bottom-six. Erne’s entry-level contract expired at the end of the season and with cap struggles beginning in Tampa Bay the team traded him to the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round pick in 2020.

Erne’s run in Detroit is the most successful stretch in his career. He had much larger access to ice time on a rebuilding Red Wings roster as he worked his way into the team’s middle-six. Erne skated in 241 games with Detroit scoring 27 goals and 62 points while earning a two-year, $4.2MM contract with the team from 2021-2023.

Almost a year ago today, Erne signed with the Oilers on a PTO and signed a one-year, league-minimum contract nearly a month later. He skated in 24 games for Edmonton throughout the 2023-24 regular season scoring one goal and two points overall. Much of his time was spent with the organization’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield where he scored six goals and 12 points in 36 games.

The Rangers’ top three forward lines are effectively set heading into the 2024-25 NHL season but there could be some wiggle room on the bottom line. Erne will compete with Jimmy Vesey, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe for playing time on the team’s fourth line and will have nearly a month to prove his worth to the organization.

Poll: Which Non-Playoff Team From The East Will Return In 2024-25?

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The 2024 Stanley Cup playoff picture in the Eastern Conference was similar to 2023 aside from a few changes to the seeding of the eight teams. The only team switch was the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils with the former making it in as the final wild-card team in the Conference on the last day of the regular season. The 2024-25 season will bring similar hypotheticals as any new season in which teams will ultimately find themselves in the group of 16.

New Jersey may be the early favorite to return to the playoffs after an impressive summer. The team added a salary-retained Jacob Markstrom in an early-summer swap with the Calgary Flames while handing out big-ticket contracts to Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon. That trio should help the team dramatically improve upon their 3.43 GA/G (28th) from last season with the offense still as staunch as ever. The only concern that may carry over from last season is the organization’s recurring injury concerns. Only four players are returning from last year that played in 75+ games and New Jersey will need to keep a much healthier lineup if they want another shot at the Stanley Cup.

There has been an informal race throughout the last several years as to which of the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, or Ottawa Senators will return to the playoffs the quickest in the Atlantic Division. Detroit came close last year by tying in points with the Capitals on the final day of the regular season but ultimately losing on the tiebreaker of ’Regulation Wins’. The Sabres made a point to strengthen their bottom six this summer while the Red Wings largely added around the edges. Ottawa made the biggest splash by bringing in goaltender Linus Ullmark in a trade with the Boston Bruins and should have center Joshua Norris around for much of the season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be another team to look out for as they’ve missed each of the last two postseasons by a combined four points. None of the other teams in the Eastern Conference have the benefit of deploying Sidney Crosby making Pittsburgh an immediate threat to qualify for the postseason. The Metropolitan Division is arguably the toughest in the NHL but the Penguins could capitalize should other divisional opponents get off to slow starts.

Other teams in the Eastern Conference could make a surprise run to the postseason but the abovementioned group serves as the favorite candidates at this point. Which one of these teams do you think has the best chance of returning in 2025?

Mobile users, click here to vote

Sidney Crosby “Optimistic” Extension Will Be Done Before Season

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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told media members in Las Vegas that he is “pretty optimistic” a contract extension will be in place before the start of the regular season as originally reported by Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press. Crosby was in town for the NHL/NHLPA Media Tour after it had returned from Europe a few weeks ago.

The quote from Crosby is certainly a different tune on the extension negotiations from only a few days ago when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Crosby was still uncertain about signing an extension altogether. Friedman raised the concern in his original report that Crosby’s competitive nature may be giving him pause about continuing the final years of his Hall-of-Fame career on a retooling Pittsburgh roster. The Penguins organization is rumored to have multiple offers on the table to retain their captain.

It would still not be a major shock to see Crosby enter the 2024-25 regular season without an extension. Crosby has been an MVP-level talent well into his mid-to-late 30s but the Penguins have failed to put a playoff-caliber team around him. Pittsburgh missed out on the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since Crosby’s rookie season in 2022-23 and again failed last year. Crosby himself has nearly willed the Penguins into the postseason in those two years but the team’s lack of aggression in improving their team may have him considering other options.

On the flipside of the coin; Crosby may have every intention of finishing his career with the only organization he’s ever known despite the team’s on-ice success over the last several years. He has little left to accomplish in his career with three Stanley Cups, two Art Ross Trophies, three Ted Lindsay Awards, two Maurice Richard Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies, two Hart Memorial Trophies, and one Mark Messier Leadership Award. He currently sits 10th all-time in scoring in the NHL and could reach second all-time if he continues his torrid scoring pace.

Pittsburgh finished one point back of a playoff spot in the 2022-23 campaign and three points last year which shows one to three more wins throughout the regular season could give Crosby another shot at a Stanley Cup. He has always been known as one of the fiercest competitors in the game and Crosby’s desire to win will ultimately play a large factor on his decision-making over the next few weeks.

Summer Synopsis: Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers achieved the ultimate goal earlier this year by winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in team history. Like most champions in the salary cap era, the Panthers have their work cut out for them regarding filling out their depth options for the upcoming campaign. The team has done well in keeping most of their core talent together but the negative externalities of the team’s run of success have created some holes further down the lineup.

Draft

2-58: C Linus Eriksson, Djurgårdens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
3-97: D Matvei Shuravin, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL)
4-129: C Simon Zether, Rögle BK (SHL)
6-169: C Stepan Gorbunov, Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL)
6-193: F Hunter St. Martin, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7-201: G Denis Gabdrakhmanov, Tyumenski Legion (MHL)

It was always going to be difficult for Florida to make any noise during the draft due to their lack of draft capital. The organization swung some trades to acquire additional capital but only came away with one player projected to make an impact.

Eriksson is a legitimate NHL prospect after securing a solid season last year with Djurgårdens IF. The young center scored three goals and 11 points in 29 regular season contests and showed a knack for being a physical presence in all three zones. He was a star on the international stage last season scoring seven goals and 22 points in 22 international contests while playing for Sweden’s U18 squad.

Zether is the only other draft pick from the Panthers this summer that could become a fixture in Florida’s future lineup. Zether managed 42 games in the Swedish Hockey League last year while securing four assists. Rögle also kept him around for the playoffs with the team eventually losing in the Finals.

UFA Signings

D Adam Boqvist (one-year, $775K)*
F Jesper Boqvist (one-year, $775K)*
G Chris Driedger (one-year, $795K)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (one-year, $775K)*
F A.J. Greer (two-years, $1.7MM)
D Jaycob Megna (one-year, $775K)*
F Tomas Nosek (one-year, $775K)*
D Nate Schmidt (one-year, $800K)

* denotes a two-way contract

Most of Florida’s available cap space went to Sam Reinhart and his new eight-year, $69 MM contract. The team took a similar approach to last summer to find buy-low bargains on the open market.

The organization hopes that (Adam) Boqvist and Schmidt become a buy-low bargain as the Panthers require help on their blue line. The former is not far removed from being a top defensive prospect but has seen his career hampered by injuries up to this point. He recently scored five goals and 24 points in 46 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022-23 NHL season but the team cut him loose after only posting one goal and 10 points in 39 games last year.

Schmidt will probably have a longer leash than Boqvist on the back end due to his lengthy experience and he could even sneak into the team’s top four. Schmidt is a trustworthy defenseman as evidenced by his 50.6% career CorsiFor% and he should be a seamless fit in Florida’s playstyle.

RFA Re-Signings

F Anton Lundell (six-years, $30MM)

Lundell has been a terrific middle-six option for the Panthers since his rookie campaign three years ago. He’s already collected 216 games in Florida with 43 goals and 112 points. He gives the Panthers another offensive player who can carry responsibility in all situations. The young Finnish forward was a major tool in the Panthers capturing their first Stanley Cup earlier this year with three goals and 17 points in 24 postseason contests.

Departures

D Lucas Carlsson (San Jose, two-year, $1.6MM)
F Nick Cousins (Ottawa, one-year, $800K)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto, four-year, $14MM)
D Casey Fitzgerald (NY Rangers, two-year, $1.55MM)*
G Magnus Hellberg (Dallas, one-year, $775K)*
F Ryan Lomberg (Calgary, two-year, $4MM)
D Brandon Montour (Seattle, seven-year, $50MM)
F Kevin Stenlund (Utah, two-year, $4MM)
G Anthony Stolarz (Toronto, two-year, $5MM)
F Vladimir Tarasenko (Detroit, two-year, $9.5MM)

*denotes a two-way contract

It was going to be next to impossible for Florida to keep around all their depth from last season and the team lost quite a bit this summer. The most concerning losses will be Montour and Ekman-Larsson on the blue line as the two combined for 17 goals and 65 points in 146 regular season games. The team still has Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad left to carry the load but the Panthers will need major improvements from other members of their defensive core to replicate that success.

The trio of Cousins, Lomberg, and Stenlund were not game-breakers in their own right but their presence will be missed. That group of forwards gave Florida a certain level of grit last year making them irritating to play against. The team should be able to replicate their tenacity throughout the season and at the trade deadline but it seems like an edge they’re missing headed into this year.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Panthers have a similar situation to last year with only $766K in cap space heading into the regular season. The team will continue to accrue cap space throughout the regular season and should be able to upgrade their roster once the trade deadline rolls around. The team’s core is still intact meaning they won’t need to add any high-level talent via trade this year so they are in a good position to be competitive again. Nex summer could be dramatic as Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and Carter Verhaeghe are expected to reach unrestricted free agency.

Key Questions

Where Will The Physicality Come From? Florida was one of the most physical teams last year with 12 players recording more than 100 hits on the year. Four of those players left via free agency meaning the Panthers will need to supplant the missing toughness. It has become a part of their team identity and a tool for their success. Megna is the only addition from this offseason that could reach 100 hits throughout an entire regular season but this already feels like something the team will need to address at the trade deadline.

What Is The Plan For Spencer Knight? It was not long ago when Knight was one of the most exciting goaltending prospects in the league. He achieved an impressive run during the 2021-22 campaign leading the Panthers to extend him on a three-year, $13.5MM contract. Sergei Bobrovsky took back the reins in a turn of events that eventually led to Knight spending the entirety of last year with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He played well with the Checkers earning a 25-14-5 record in 45 games with a .905 SV% and is projected to play backup for Bobrovsky this season. Still, Knight’s $4.5MM salary is one of the highest in the league for a backup netminder and the cap-strapped Panthers may look to move on from him if they get a reasonable offer.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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