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Carolina Hurricanes Pursuing Nikolaj Ehlers

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One of the storylines heading into the 2024 offseason was the number of players on the trading block. Although a few players have already been moved to new clubs, Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets has still not found a new home. Hoping to change that, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported yesterday that the Carolina Hurricanes are pushing heavily for Ehlers’ services.

Carolina’s interest comes as no surprise with the team losing Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noesen on the free-agent market in only a week. Acquiring a player of Ehlers caliber could help soften the blow for the Hurricanes as they look to continue their dominance in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division during the regular season. Carolina would also present a natural trade partner for Winnipeg as they have a change-of-scenery candidate, as well.

The likelihood of Carolina moving on from forward Martin Necas has certainly dissipated over the last several days as the Hurricanes may be better served by signing the restricted free agent to contract with the amount of depth they lost up front. However, if Carolina is still looking to trade Necas, a one-for-one swap with the Jets might make the most sense. Assuming that both players are willing to discuss an extension as a part of the deal — a trade involving Ehlers for Necas might be the easiest path forward for both sides.

Ehlers style of play would fit seamlessly in Carolina as he has one of the better possession games in the league. Throughout his tenure in Winnipeg dating back to the 2015-16 NHL season, Ehlers has scored 201 goals and 457 points in 605 games while averaging a CorsiFor% of 57.6% over that stretch. The biggest criticism of Ehlers’ game, and simultaneously for the Hurricanes, is his lack of performance during the postseason as he’s only scored four goals and 14 points in 37 playoff contests.

Blackhawks Sign Artyom Levshunov To Entry-Level Contract

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The last of the top-three selections of the 2024 NHL Draft has signed his entry-level contract as the Chicago Blackhawks announced they have signed the second overall pick, Artyom Levshunov. Levshunov foregoes his sophomore season at Michigan State University to compete for a spot on the Blackhawks’ opening night roster out of training camp.

Immediately becoming the best defensive prospect in the organization under contract with this move, the Blackhawks will take care of Levshunov’s development for the rest of the way. Chicago’s general manager, Kyle Davidson, praised Levshunov after the signing, “Signing Artyom gives us the opportunity to continue his development in house and take the next step into professional hockey. He’s a strong two-way defenseman that has all the tools to be a high-end player in the NHL and we’re excited to continue his growth at the pro level“.

Levshunov joined the Spartans after spending one season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL where he recorded 13 goals and 42 points in 62 games. The young Belarusian defenseman grew his game extensively upon reaching the NCAA ranks by scoring nine goals and 35 points in 38 games while earning a +27 rating. At the end of the 2023-24 NCAA season, Levshunov made the All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Freshman Team in addition to being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

The Spartans also recorded one of their best seasons in recent history on the backs of Levshunov. Michigan State finished first in the Conference for the first time since the 2000-01 season and beat their rival University of Michigan in the Conference Championship. Unfortunately for Levshunov and the Spartans, the team would have their season ended in the Regional Final of the 2024 Frozen Four in an act of retribution from the Wolverines.

The Blackhawks organization may do well to start Levshunov in the American Hockey League with their affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. Levshunov should get plenty of ice time down in the AHL and can build up confidence in his game at the professional level before joining the team in Chicago when they are ready to take the next step in their rebuild.

Capitals Sign Cam Allen To Entry-Level Contract

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The Washington Capitals got some work done today regarding one of the draft selections from the 2023 NHL Draft. The organization announced they have signed defenseman Cam Allen to a three-year, entry-level contract with an average annual value of $866.7K at the NHL level.

The Capitals drafted Allen with the 136th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft out of the Guelph Storm program of the Ontario Hockey League. During his draft season, Allen scored five goals and 25 points for the Storm in 62 games which was good for third on the team in scoring amongst defensemen. There may be concerns about Allen’s discipline as he finished second on the team in penalty minutes with 72.

This past season, Allen only managed to suit up in 25 games for Guelph as he recovered from an injury towards the beginning of the season. The young defenseman scored two goals and nine points for the Storm down the stretch while collecting 23 penalty minutes and posting a -7 rating. Allen was largely ineffective in Guelph’s appearance in the OHL playoffs this year as he registered zero points in four games and the team was quickly swept in the first round by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Before the 2023 NHL Draft, Allen was ranked 12th among North American defensemen by NHL Central Scouting due to his play for Team Canada at the international level. During his draft year, Allen scored one goal and seven points over five games in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and four assists in seven games during the under-18 World Junior Championship. Allen served as team captain on both renditions of Team Canada’s roster.

Sharks Sign Macklin Celebrini To Entry-Level Contract

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A little after a week drafting him with the first overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft the San Jose Sharks have locked up their new player. The team announced they have signed Macklin Celebrini to a three-year, entry-level contract starting in the 2024-25 NHL season.

According to Puckpedia, Celebrini will make a base salary of $877.5K each year of his entry-level deal. Additionally, the team has offered Celebrini the maximum amount of signing bonuses possible, as he will receive a signing bonus of $97K, Group “A” performance bonuses totaling, $1MM, and Group “B” performance bonuses of $2.5MM in all three years which could bring his AAV up $4.475MM if all conditions are met.

The signing confirms that Celebrini will suit up for the Sharks next season as players become ineligible for NCAA participation after signing professional contracts. The young prospect will become a one-and-done player with Boston University and move to the Bay Area to start his professional career.

It was not a bad lone collegiate season for Celebrini as he joined the Terrier program after spending one season with the Chicago Steel of the USHL in the year prior. In 38 games for Boston University this past season, Celebrini scored 32 goals and 64 points which was good for third in league-scoring in his freshman campaign. At the end of the season, Celebrini was named the Hockey East Player of the Year, Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Hockey East Scoring Champion, Hockey East Three Stars Award, and the Hobey Baker Award winner.

Celebrini became the youngest player in NCAA history to win the Hobey Baker and the fourth freshman all-time behind Paul Kariya (1993), Jack Eichel (2015), and Adam Fantilli (2023). Celebrini became the unanimous best prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft by achieving such a dominant season in the American collegiate scene. He will continue his rise to stardom in the Sharks organization as the team looks to rebuild its team from the ground up. San Jose has not quite taken the next step to be considered a playoff contender for the 2024-25 NHL season but they should be exciting to watch with Celebrini and former fourth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Will Smith, on the roster after signing his entry-level contract at the end of May.

West Notes: Coachella Valley, Bertuzzi, Levshunov

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The Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL have announced their second head coach in franchise history by hiring Derek Laxdal. Laxdal will have some big shoes to fill as the new head coach of the Seattle Kraken, Dan Bylsma, coached the team to back-to-back Western Conference Finals championships.

Laxdal brings considerable experience in coaching and winning to the young AHL franchise. The veteran coach spent five years as head coach of the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL from 2005-2010 and earned a winning record each year in addition to winning the Kelly Cup in 2007 and as runner-up in 2010. Laxdal parlayed this success in Idaho to Edmonton where he would coach the Wheat Kings of the WHL for the next four years.

Getting his first nod to join an NHL organization, Laxdal was hired as the head coach of the Texas Stars in 2014, the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars. The AHL Stars missed the playoffs twice during Laxdal’s five-and-a-half-year tenure behind the bench but also managed to finish as runner-ups to the Toronto Marlies in the 2018 Calder Cup Finals. Laxdal was promoted to assistant coach in Dallas until 2022 and has spent the last two years serving as head coach and assistant general manager of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.

Other West Notes:

  • Although Tyler Bertuzzi would ultimately sign a four-year, $22MM contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, he did not enter the summer believing they were interested. His first contact from the organization came from veteran Nick Foligno, who alerted Bertuzzi to Chicago’s interest, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. Foligno and Bertuzzi have briefly played with each other during the 2022-23 season as both were rostered on the regular season champion Boston Bruins.
  • Staying in Chicago, the team has yet to decide on the future of recent second-overall pick, Artyom Levshunov. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports the general manager of the Blackhawks, Kyle Davidson, says he believes there are benefits to Levshunov signing with the organization and continuing his development in Rockford, or staying another year at Michigan State University. There are arguments on both sides of the debate but Levshunov has little else to prove at the NCAA level as he became one of the most dominant defensemen in the country as a freshman.

Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Pavol Regenda

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Shortly after signing their first-round selections from the 2024 NHL Draft, the Anaheim Ducks got to work on some of their internal restricted free agents. The organization announced they have signed forward Pavol Regenda to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024-25 NHL season worth a league minimum $775K salary at the NHL level.

Regenda will enter his third season with the Ducks organization after signing as an international free agent on June 1st, 2022. In the two years before his initial deal with Anaheim, Regenda suited up in 93 games for HK Dukla Michalovce in Slovakia where he collected 26 goals and 64 points. Regenda has also joined Team Slovakia in the last three World Championships where he has scored six goals and eight assists in 23 tournament games.

The Michalovce, Slovakia native is becoming quite the secondary scorer in the Ducks organization as he’s collected 32 goals and 59 points in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls over 104 regular season games. Regenda has finished eighth and seventh in scoring for the Gulls in back-to-back years, respectively, but the team has failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs throughout his tenure.

Regenda may find a spot on Anaheim’s bottom six this upcoming season to provide additional offense as a physically capable power forward. The Slovakian winger may be a solid candidate to replace Ross Johnston on the team’s fourth line but could use more seasoning at the AHL level.

Colorado Avalanche Re-Sign Jason Polin

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Keeping a bit of internal depth through the system, the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward Jason Polin. As an undrafted free agent, Polin signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche in late March of 2023.

It is difficult to say anything other than ’subpar’ regarding Polin’s first full season within the Avalanche organization. This past season Polin dressed in 42 games for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, where he only mustered four goals and 10 points overall. Colorado hoped for much more production coming from Polin considering his collegiate career at Western Michigan University.

Polin spent four years for the Broncos and was named team captain before the 2022-23 NCAA season. In 39 games that season, Polin potted a whopping 30 goals and 47 points while collecting five hat tricks throughout the year. Polin tied the would-be third overall pick of that year’s draft, Adam Fantilli, in goals across the entire NCAA. Adding to his resume; Polin set an NCHC record for goals scored during the regular season and was named NCHC Player of the Year and NCHC Forward of the Year while finishing top-10 in Hobey Baker Award voting.

Polin has already collected seven games at the NHL level with the Avalanche in which he has scored one goal. With Colorado being desperate for cheap depth at the forward position, they may give Polin another chance in the NHL. However, if he cannot produce similarly to his playing days in the NCAA, his time with the Avalanche organization may only last another season.

Ducks Sign Beckett Sennecke, Stian Solberg To Entry-Level Contracts

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Another top-10 selection from the 2024 NHL Draft has signed an entry-level contract as the Anaheim Ducks announced the team has agreed to terms with Beckett Sennecke. The Toronto, ON native was drafted by the Ducks with the third overall selection of last week’s draft.

According to CapFriendly, the deal will have a base salary of $875K at the NHL level with a $97.5K yearly signing bonus in addition to $1MM per year in performance bonuses. After factoring in the performance and signing bonuses attached to the deal, Sennecke will have the ability to make $1.975MM per year on his entry-level deal.

Sennecke was one of the later risers in the draft after an outstanding performance in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs this past year. The young forward scored 27 goals and 68 points for the Oshawa Generals over 63 games in the regular season and scored an impressive 10 goals and 22 points in 16 postseason contests. Not only did Sennecke lead the Generals in goals and points throughout the 2024 OHL playoffs — he led the entire league.

Even though he is considered a considerable reach with the third overall pick, the Ducks are still getting an exceptional talent. Sennecke has mature awareness and puckhandling for his age and should help Anaheim on both sides of the puck.

Outside of Sennecke, the Ducks have also signed 23rd overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft, Stian Solberg, to his entry-level contract according to a team announcement. Solberg spent last season playing for Vålerenga of Norway’s top professional league, the Eliteserien.

In 42 games against other professional players, Solberg scored five goals and 15 points while carrying a +2 rating. Also putting in impressive work during the postseason, Solberg scored two goals and nine points in 17 postseason contests while his regular season scoring was the fourth-most by a defenseman under the age of 18.

Next season, Solberg is expected to take his talents to the Swedish Hockey League where he will play for Färjestad BK. The club has a decent history of producing NHL-caliber defensemen as Fredrik Olausson, Jonas Brodin, and Oliver Kylington, among others are products of the 91-year-old Swedish franchise.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Caleb Jones

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The Los Angeles Kings brought some depth to their defensive core announcing a one-year, two-way contract with defenseman Caleb Jones. It will mark the second year in a row that Jones will have to settle for a league minimum contract on the open market.

Jones originally signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes last offseason but couldn’t find any playing time on a deep Hurricanes blue line. Carolina traded Jones to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Callahan Burke exactly two months after signing the depth defenseman. He would go on to split the year between the Avalanche and their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

During his time in the American Hockey League, Jones managed six assists for the Eagles over 12 games and produced a -2 rating. He was recalled on three separate occasions to the Avalanche on an emergency loan and would end up playing 25 games where he tallied five helpers. Still, Jones was rarely used by Colorado during his time on the NHL roster as he only averaged 12:12 of ice time per night. Nevertheless, the team still opted to use him when they could, and Jones was able to suit up in three postseason games for the Avalanche for the first time since the 2019-20 Stanley Cup playoffs.

It will be interesting to see where Jones fits into the lineup for Los Angeles as the team already has eight defensemen signed to NHL contracts without factoring in the next deal for Jordan Spence. In all likelihood, Jones will start the year with the Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario, CA unless there is an injury to the blue line during training camp.

Florida Panthers Sign Jaycob Megna

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The Florida Panthers announced the team has signed defenseman Jaycob Megna to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024-25 NHL season. The deal will pay Megna the league minimum of $775K at the NHL level as Megna joins the fourth organization of his career.

Two summers ago, Megna signed on with the San Jose Sharks on a two-year contract paying him $1.525MM over the contract. Megna would not last long in San Jose on this contract as the team moved him to the Seattle Kraken in early February of 2023 in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick. Serving as depth for the Kraken as they made their way to the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Megna managed six games down the stretch.

With an injury to start the year and improved defensive depth on the NHL club, the Kraken placed Megna on waivers nearly two weeks after he finished his conditioning stint in AHL Coachella Valley. The Chicago Blackhawks claimed Megna on waivers and gave the defenseman much more opportunity at the NHL level. Megna logged 17:31 of ice time on average in Chicago while suiting up in 44 games for the Original Six franchise. The defenseman only tallied two assists on the year but did block 87 shots and made 60 body checks on opponents.

Over the first few days of free agency, the Panthers have lost considerable depth on their blue line with the departures of Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Josh Mahura. Despite the loss of talent, Megna should start the season with the team’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte while being able to fill in for injury at any point during the regular season.

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