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Hurricanes Sign Jack Roslovic

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July 4: It’s a one-year, $2.8MM deal for Roslovic, the Canes confirmed Thursday morning.

July 3: The Carolina Hurricanes are making strides in repairing their forward core as several players recently left the team on the free-agent market. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the organization will be signing forward Jack Roslovic although no financial terms of the deal have been confirmed.

The Columbus, OH native was originally brought to the NHL after being selected with the 25th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets organization. Roslovic spent one year at the Miami University (Ohio) before turning professional for the 2016-17 season. Roslovic broke into the organization with 13 goals and 48 points in 65 games as a rookie for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

After another impressive start to the season in the AHL, Roslovic became a full-time member of the Jets partway through the 2017-18 season. Over 180 games in Winnipeg, Roslovic scored 26 goals and 67 points while playing in a middle-six role before the team moved his signing rights to his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets in the deal that brought Pierre-Luc Dubois to Winnipeg.

Moving into a second-line role with the Blue Jackets, Roslovic experienced the most productivity in his career up to this point. In three and a half seasons for the Blue Jackets, Roslovic scored 51 goals and 146 points in 206 regular season games. The team failed to make the playoffs throughout his entire tenure in Columbus and decided to part ways with him this past year by shipping him to the New York Rangers in exchange for a conditional fourth-round selection in 2026.

Returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs after four years, Roslovic provided solid play for the Rangers as the team ended their season in the Eastern Conference Finals. While averaging 13:51 of ice time over 16 games, Roslovic scored two goals and eight points during New York’s postseason run. Due to the major loss of talent in Carolina over the last several days, Roslovic should find a spot in the team’s middle-six on the reported contract.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Mason Shaw, Haydn Fleury

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According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Mason Shaw to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level and $350K in the AHL. In a follow-up report, Dreger also reports the Jets have added defenseman Haydn Fleury on a similar one-year, two-way contract worth $775K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL.

Shaw joins the second organization of his career after spending the last seven years with the Minnesota Wild organization. During the 2022-23 NHL season, Shaw put together a quality season as a bottom-six forward as he scored seven goals and 17 points in 59 games. Although he contributed nicely as a tertiary scoring option, Shaw had his season cut short by an ACL tear and would not play again until this past March.

The depth forward couldn’t muster up a repeat of his 2022-23 campaign as he only scored one goal and three points in 20 games for the Wild this past season. While playing for the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa, Shaw operated more in a middle-six role as he scored 43 goals and 121 points in 197 games over seven years in AHL Iowa.

Fleury is much more of a journeyman compared to Shaw as he’s joining the fifth organization of his career. The former seventh overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft also has much more experience at the NHL level as he’s competed in 268 games split between the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Fleury should start as the seventh defenseman in Winnipeg as he offers the team a lot of flexibility in case of injury given that he can play on both sides of the blue line.

Central Notes: Marchessault, Levshunov, Jiricek

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After forward Jonathan Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5MM contract with the Nashville Predators at the start of free agency, one of the main questions surrounding his departure from the Vegas Golden Knights is how hard the team tried to retain him. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports that Vegas offered Marchessault a similar salary but the years offered were well off his expectations.

Questions will surely arise about why the Golden Knights were unwilling to offer one of the original ’misfits’ a five-year term; especially if they were willing to compete with other teams on salary. Marchessault had spent the last seven years of his career in Vegas where he’s recorded 192 goals and 417 points in 514 games while scoring another 36 goals and 75 points in 95 playoff games en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup Championship in 2023.

In the end, Marchessault decided to join former captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos in Nashville for the next several seasons. In an article from Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow of WFTV9, Stamkos and Marchessault called each other regarding Nashville as the two were hoping to land in the same destination.

Other Central notes:

  • There has been some speculation about the future of the Chicago Blackhawks’ first-round pick, Artyom Levshunov, on whether he will stay another year at Michigan State University or start the year in Chicago. If Levshunov decides to turn pro, the Blackhawks are leaning towards having Levshunov start with their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago will certainly not want to rush Levshunov’s development as he is coming off a 35-point season in 38 games for the Spartans and the Blackhawks do not appear ready to contend for the playoffs quite yet.
  • Another Central Division team will take it slow with their first-round selection of the 2024 NHL Draft. Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Dispatch reports the St. Louis Blues are leaning towards sending Adam Jiricek, the 16th overall pick, to the Ontario Hockey League instead of staying in Czechia. Jiricek only played 19 games for HC Plzeň this past season due to injury and would join the Brantford Bulldogs if he moved to North America.

San Jose Sharks Announce Full Coaching Staff

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The San Jose Sharks have announced their full coaching staff for the 2024-25 NHL season as well as a few new hires. Assistant coach Brian Wiseman, goaltending coach Thomas Speer, video coach Nick Gialdini, and assistant video coach Cody Ward will all return to the organization as the team has hired Doug Houda and Jeff Ulmer as assistant coaches.

Houda joins the Sharks organization after spending the last two years in the same role with the New York Islanders. It is interesting to see Houda earn a job as quickly as he has considering his lackluster performance with the Islanders’ penalty kill over the last two seasons. Before being hired in New York to serve as the team’s penalty kill coach, the team sat fourth in the NHL in the 2021-22 season with an 84.19% penalty kill. Since Houda’s hire, the team fell to ninth place in the 2022-23 season with an 82.19% success rate and even further to the league’s worst last year with a 71.49% success rate.

Ulmer earns his first role on an NHL bench after spending the last three years with the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, the Abbotsford Canucks. Focused primarily on the team’s powerplay and forward group, the AHL Canucks finished sixth in scoring in the AHL while sitting second in their division with a 23.0% clip on the powerplay.

In the front office, the Sharks also announced the hire of former power forward Ryane Clowe as the team’s new assistant general manager. Clowe assumes his new role after being a special advisor to general manager Chris Drury of the New York Rangers last year. The former player has vast experience with the Sharks organization already as he suited up in 432 games for San Jose between 2005-2013 and scored 101 goals and 217 points in the process.

Sharks Sign Andrew Poturalski

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According to an announcement from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, the San Jose Sharks have signed forward Andrew Poturalski to a two-year, two-way contract. With several prospects hoping to make the jump to the AHL level this season, the Sharks organization has added one of the premier minor league scorers over the last several years.

Poturalski originally came to professional hockey with the Carolina Hurricanes as an undrafted free agent from the University of New Hampshire. Most of Poturalski’s career has been spent in the AHL as he’s collected only six games at the NHL level since the start of the 2016-17 NHL season. Now 30 years old, Poturalski’s trophy case already carries the 2021 and 2022 John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s top scorer, the 2019 Jack A. Butterfield Trophy, and Calder Cup rings from the 2019 and 2022 AHL playoffs.

Outside of his most recent Calder Cup victory in 2022, Poturalski has also helped the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, appear in back-to-back Calder Cup finals. There is quite a lot of work to be done with the Barracuda as the team has not qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs since the 2020-21 AHL season.

It will be difficult for AHL San Jose to find a more capable player, however, as Poturalski seems to win wherever he goes. Over the last three years, Poturalski has scored 54 goals and 194 points in 169 regular season games while scoring another 13 goals and 45 points in 47 postseason contests.

Predators Sign Kieffer Bellows

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The Nashville Predators have signed forward Kieffer Bellows to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL per a team announcement. Bellows will join his fourth organization in as many years as a player heading into his seventh professional season.

Bellows’ prospect pedigree has fallen remarkably considering his selection in the NHL Draft. The New York Islanders drafted Bellows with the 19th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft and he would only score 11 goals and 25 points over 68 games with the organization. Although extending a lengthy leash to Bellows considering his underwhelming performance with the organization, he was eventually claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers in October of the 2022-23 season.

The young forward didn’t perform any better upon his change of scenery as he only mustered three goals in 27 games for the Flyers. Since suiting up for Philadelphia in the waning days of the 2022-23 regular season, Bellows has not returned to the ice in an NHL game. Shortly after the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, Bellows signed a professional tryout agreement with the Toronto Marlies without receiving any offers from NHL teams.

Bellows performed very well on his PTO with the Marlies as he scored 27 goals and 49 points in 52 games. Behind finishing fifth on the team in scoring, Bellows has now collected 64 goals and 109 points in 189 games at the AHL level. Because of his strong performances in the minor leagues, the Predators likely pursed Bellows to help their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

Maple Leafs Sign Anthony Stolarz, Matt Murray

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July 2: Murray is back in Toronto on a one-year, $875K deal, the team confirmed. They’ve also made Stolarz’s signing official.

July 1: With a huge need for help between the pipes, Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports the Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to a two-year contract with goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms Stolarz will earn an AAV of $2.5MM. Matt Murray is returning to Toronto for goaltending depth on an undisclosed contract, per TSN’s Darren Dreger.

After signing goalie Joseph Woll to a three-year extension shortly before the start of free agency, the Maple Leafs needed to find a reliable backup option in the net. Putting together quality seasons in four years as backup to John Gibson with the Anaheim Ducks, Stolarz landed with the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers last offseason.

The move to Florida did him well as Stolarz put together a 16-7-2 record in 24 starts behind the best defensive team in the league. Stolarz also finished with a career-high mark in save percentage with .925 as well as goals against average with 2.03. Although Stolarz will not have the same defensive prowess in front of him in Toronto, he represented one of the most valuable backup options on the market.

In more surprising news, the team opted to re-sign Murray even though he has not appeared in an NHL contest since the 2022-23 regular season. Suffering from chronic injuries throughout his tenure in the Maple Leafs organization, Murray will be Toronto’s third-string netminder to start the season.

Lightning To Extend Emil Martinsen Lilleberg On Two-Year Deal

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are reportedly in agreement on a two-year, $1.6MM extension with defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (X Link). The deal will carry an AAV of $800K at the NHL level and is set to begin a year from today.

Lilleberg made his professional debut in North America last season with the Lightning after coming over from IK Oskarshamn of the Swedish Hockey League. Since being drafted 107th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Norwegian defenseman had spent all of his professional career in the SHL as he scored three goals and 18 points over 93 games.

Lilleberg went on to tally five assists in 37 games for the Lightning over two separate call-ups throughout the regular season. He spent more time with the Lightning than not this year as he only collected 33 games with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and scored two goals and 13 points in that time.

With Tampa Bay already having six NHL-caliber defensemen on the roster, and plenty of depth options still available on the free-agent market, Lilleberg should start the season in AHL Syracuse. Lilleberg should represent the top option to be called up if the Lightning’s blue line succumbs to injury at any point during the 2024-25 regular season.

Predators Re-Sign Alexandre Carrier To Three-Year Deal

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As alluded to yesterday, the Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year, $11.25MM contract per a team announcement. By retaining Carrier over the next three years, the Predators organization continues its drive to build a contending roster for the 2024-25 NHL season.

It’s a nice bit of security for the 27-year-old, who spent last season on a one-year prove-it deal. Prove it he did, providing serviceable top-four minutes with 20 points and a +7 rating in 73 games.

Carrier won’t ever likely return to the 30-point form while averaging nearly 21 minutes per game that earned him a spattering of Calder Trophy votes a few years back, but he’s certainly an everyday NHLer with some upward mobility in the lineup. He demonstrated that clearly in the playoffs, upping his ice time to over 21 minutes per game in the first round against the Canucks and showcasing solid offensive instincts with a goal and two assists in six games.

Given the price tag ($3.75MM cap hit), the Predators likely expect Carrier to compete for a top-four spot on the right side, likely on a new-look second pairing with Brady Skjei to his left. It would likely result in some more offensive usage for Carrier, who’s been used in shutdown situations at even strength more than you’d think. Over 60% of his zone starts at even strength came in the defensive end last season, a career-high.

He’ll become a UFA upon expiry of his new deal in 2027.

Shane Pinto Has Not Requested Trade From Senators

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2:32 p.m.: Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has counteracted Di Marco’s report, claiming that Pinto has not officially asked Ottawa for a trade.

10:13 a.m.: Earlier this morning, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that forward Shane Pinto may be leaning towards requesting a trade from the Ottawa Senators. Following up on the initial report, Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period confirms Pinto has officially requested a trade from the organization.

This request continues what’s been a very eventful four years in Ottawa. Originally drafted 32nd-overall, then a second-round pick, in the 2019 NHL Draft – Pinto turned pro at the end of the 2020-21 season and managed seven points across his first 12 games. It was an electric start but Senators fans would have to wait for the encore, as a dislocated right shoulder would rob Pinto of all but five games in the 2021-22 season. He came back from the injury with purpose last season, posting 20 goals and 35 points through 82 games while serving as an everyday middle-six center.

Finally removed from injury and on the back of a 20-goal season, this year was meant to be Pinto’s breakout performance. Instead, it very quickly became a year to forget, as Pinto was dealt a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. The punishment was handed out while Pinto was in the middle of contract negotiations with Ottawa. The Senators instead signed Pinto through the second half of the 2023-24 season, set on finding him a longer-term deal in RFA negotiations this summer. Pinto vindicated the deal with a strong nine goals and 27 points – on pace for 54 points across 82 games, which would’ve sat 17 points above his career-high.

But even after so many ups-and-downs, it seems Ottawa won’t be the ones to benefit from Pinto’s slow burn. He’ll instead enter the trade market, where plenty of teams will surely be eager to sign a productive, 23-year-old centerman. Ottawa extended a qualifying offer to Pinto before the June 30th deadline, giving them control over his rights throughout the summer, though any new team will also have to sign him to his next contract.

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