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Philadelphia Flyers Sign Travis Sanheim

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5:30 PM: CapFriendly has detailed the full structure of Sanheim’s deal. It runs as follows:

Year 1: $5.125MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 2: $5.125MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 3: $5.125MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 4: $6.125MM
Year 5: $1.875MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 6: $1.875MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 7: $4.875MM
Year 8: $4.875MM

Of note is also that Sanheim will have a full no-trade clause for the first four years of the deal, and then the clause will become a twelve-team no-trade for year five through year eight.

4:45 PM: The Flyers have now officially announced a contract extension for Sanheim. The deal is an eight-year pact with an average annual value of $6.25MM. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher gave the following statement regarding the signing:

We’re extremely happy to have Travis under long-term contract and see him as a key piece of our team’s future. Travis has improved each season to become a highly reliable player and key contributor on our blueline. Furthermore, he is someone who has developed his entire career with us and has grown into a valuable leader for our team.

1:45 PM: The Philadelphia Flyers are once again showing that they have no interest in a rebuild. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team is making progress on an extension with Travis Sanheim, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The long-term deal would pay Sanheim around $6MM per season, though Friedman can’t confirm the actual figure that is being discussed.

It’s been five seasons in the NHL now for Sanheim, the 17th overall pick from 2014, and while he didn’t turn into the superstar defenseman that some early returns suggested, he is arguably the team’s most consistent player on the back end. Averaging close to 23 minutes a night last season, almost exclusively next to Rasmus Ristolainen, Sanheim recorded seven goals and 31 points, racked up 142 blocks, and was one of three regulars who finished the year with a positive goal differential (+9, to lead the team).

An extension in this case makes sense for the 26-year-old, who likely is just entering his true prime as an NHL shutdown defenseman. He was given heavy defensive deployment last year and will likely get much of the same this time around as Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo are given offensive touches and youngsters like Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard are sheltered.

The biggest question, though, is whether or not the Flyers can actually turn things around without stripping down the roster first. Signing their players to big-money extensions only reduces the amount of surplus value they can offer, and a $6MM cap hit for Sanheim would mean the team has five defensemen over the $5MM mark for next year. One of those is Ryan Ellis, whose career is completely up in the air at this point, but even with him on the shelf it is a lot invested in a group that has struggled.

The Flyers were 27th in goals against last season with 294 and finished 29th in the overall standings. Over the summer they failed to really change the lineup very much, outside of adding DeAngelo and some toughness up front. While John Tortorella seems to have the group motivated for the upcoming challenge and players like Kevin Hayes are at a much better place health-wise, the question remains over whether the team would be better off trading away some of these expiring assets instead of extending them.

Regardless, Flyers fans should be excited about the fact they likely will get to watch Sanheim, a player they drafted and developed, for another several years. The big defenseman will start his season tonight against the New Jersey Devils, though partner Ristolainen is out with an injury for the season opener.

Snapshots: Nurse, Hischier, Zherdev

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued a $5,000 fine to Darnell Nurse for his hit on Kyle Burroughs last night. At the very end of the first period between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, Evander Kane delivered a hit to Burroughs in the corner of the rink as he played the puck. A moment later, Nurse delivered a second hit on the Canucks defenseman as time expired.

Nurse was given a two-minute minor penalty on the play but will also lose a few dollars for the play. While it doesn’t seem like much, relative to the salary that the Oilers’ defenseman makes, this fine will be added to Nurse’s disciplinary record, meaning he could face stiffer penalties in the future. For now, the Oilers will be glad he didn’t face a suspension for the hit.

  • Nico Hischier won’t be in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup tonight, as he’s still not ready to return, according to team reporter Amanda Stein. The young forward was at practice between Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Bratt but will miss at least the opener. The Devils face the Philadelphia Flyers tonight and then go home to welcome in the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, where Hischier might be able to debut.
  • Remember Nikolai Zherdev? The fourth-overall pick in 2003 that burst onto the NHL scene and was gone before you knew it? Well, he’s still playing pro hockey overseas, or at least he was until he was released by Yunost Minsk in the Belarusian league today. The 37-year-old has bounced around the last few years after a long stint in the KHL, and will now have to find a new place to ply his trade.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 13: All three have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 12: The season is just getting started and waivers won’t stop. Three more players have been placed on the wire today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, including Martin Pospisil of the Calgary Flames, Scott Harrington of the San Jose Sharks, and Pierre-Cedric Labrie of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In Pospisil’s case, he had been on season-opening injured reserve but must have recovered enough to now be sent to the minor leagues. There is little risk of claiming the 22-year-old forward, even if he did have a nice season for the Stockton Heat last year.

Selected 105th overall in 2018, Pospisil had seven goals and 25 points in 47 games for the team, while also racking up 95 penalty minutes. His size and physicality have always been his calling card, going back to his junior days with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL where he had a whopping 253 penalty minutes in 49 games as a rookie.

Harrington, meanwhile, played in one of the two games for the Sharks overseas but now with the team needing to reduce their roster for the return to North America, there isn’t room. The 29-year-old played almost all of last season in the minors with the Cleveland Monsters and appears likely to do it again, this time with the Barracuda.

It was interesting to see Labrie even get an NHL contract, let alone stick around this long on the roster. The veteran forward is an AHL staple with 685 games played at that level, and hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since 2013. He will almost certainly spend the entire year in the minor leagues, though perhaps the team just wanted him signed in case they needed a physical presence for a handful of games this year.

Latest On David Pastrnak

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The NHL saw a number of high-priced extensions this summer, with players like Nathan MacKinnon, J.T. Miller, and Jonathan Huberdeau, all signing long-term deals since the beginning of August to keep them away from unrestricted free agency. As the names started ticking off the list, the focus narrowed to a handful of names that still don’t have deals for 2023-24.

Chief among them is David Pastrnak, the Boston Bruins superstar that could hit the open market at the age of 27 in a little over eight months from now. Pastrnak is one of the most consistent offensive players in the league, with at least 34 goals in each of the last five full-length seasons (and 20 in the shortened 2020-21 campaign).

Coming off a 77-point season, he started things off on the right foot last night by posting four points against the Washington Capitals to take the early NHL lead. Friend and teammate David Krejci told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic after the game, that Pastrnak “has no ceiling” and “just keeps getting better.”

With that in mind, the extension negotiations between Pastrnak and the Bruins could lead to quite a contract. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that talks continue between the two sides, and notes that the star forward is a “Panarin-level player on the open market.”

That, of course, is referring to New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, who secured one of the biggest contracts in the league when he reached the open market in 2019. The Rangers handed Panarin a seven-year, $81.5MM deal that carries a cap hit of $11.64MM, making him the highest-paid winger in the league and second only to Connor McDavid in terms of overall cap. Both have since been eclipsed by MacKinnon’s whopping eight-year, $100.8MM deal.

“I don’t play hockey for money, man,” said Pastrnak in 2019 when discussing his last deal, a contract that put him at a very team-friendly $6.67MM cap hit for six years. It has become one of the most valuable deals in the league, with the Czech winger far outpacing his salary in terms of on-ice production.

Now, as the next contract approaches, it will be interesting to see if Pastrnak again gives Boston a discount. LeBrun notably said that he would be Panarin-level on the open market, but suggested that re-signing with the Bruins is a different story. Currently, Boston’s highest-paid player is Charlie McAvoy, who signed an eight-year, $76MM extension almost exactly a year ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Kent Johnson

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Only a blip on the radar for top prospect Kent Johnson, who has been recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets after missing their first game. The team has sent Jet Greaves, last night’s backup goaltender, back to the minor leagues to make room.

While Johnson had made the team out of camp, an illness for Elvis Merzlikins necessitated the early change. Things could be very different 24 hours later, as the Blue Jackets watched Patrik Laine leave last night’s game with an injury. If Laine is out for any length of time, it could be Johnson stepping into a top-six role, as his offensive skillset plays better there than lower in the lineup.

Selected fifth overall in 2021, the 19-year-old forward was a dominant offensive player at the University of Michigan and has shown his skills at the World Juniors, World Championship, and Olympics. In nine games down the stretch with Columbus last season he recorded three assists, a total that is indicative of his pass-first mentality.

That’s a much different style than Laine, but if the Finnish sniper is out, the Blue Jackets will need someone else to help Jonny Gaudreau carry the load. They were thoroughly outplayed by the Carolina Hurricanes last night en route to a 4-1 loss, with only Laine scoring for Columbus before exiting (he totaled 7:49 of ice time). The Blue Jackets are back in action tomorrow night but things won’t get any easier. They welcome in the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Nicolas Meloche Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Oct 12: While Johansson was claimed as expected, Meloche was able to clear waivers and was quickly assigned to the Wranglers.

Oct 11: Two more players have been placed on waivers today, including one that was only claimed a few weeks ago. Jonas Johansson finds himself back on the wire, as the Arizona Coyotes claimed Connor Ingram yesterday, and now have too many goaltenders in the organization. This waiver-hopping always seemed a likely scenario for the Coyotes, as they try to find the best possible backup (or at least the one with the most potential) for Karel Vejmelka.

Johansson will be joined on waivers by Nicolas Meloche, who has been waived by the Calgary Flames. The Flames had Michael Stone still skating with the team today despite not having an NHL contract, which is potentially why Meloche now finds himself on the way out. If he clears, he can be assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL to continue his career in the minor leagues. (Update: A few minutes later, Stone officially signed with the Flames)

For the goaltender though, things will be a little different. If no one puts in a claim on Johansson he can go to the Tucson Roadrunners, though things are already quite crowded there. The Colorado Avalanche, who he was taken from, could reclaim the netminder and send him to the minor leagues if they are the only team that puts in a claim. That seems a likely scenario at this point, given Johansson’s relationship with the organization and Colorado’s need for additional depth at the position.

Colorado Avalanche Claim Jonas Johansson

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As expected, the Colorado Avalanche have reclaimed goaltender Jonas Johansson off waivers today, getting him back from the Arizona Coyotes after they took him for a little less than two weeks. If the Avalanche were the only team to put in a claim, they will be able to assign him directly to the minor leagues. Given their place in the waiver priority – second last, only ahead of the Florida Panthers – that seems likely.

Johansson, 27, did actually spend some time with the Panthers last season but has expressed a clear desire to stay with Colorado, the team he keeps signing with. Goaltending depth is difficult to come by, but it’s not like the 27-year-old has even been very effective.

Through 32 NHL appearances, Johansson has posted an .883 save percentage, losing 17 games in the process. His career has been consumed by waiver claims the last few years and he hasn’t played much, hitting the ice just 28 times over the past two seasons at all combined levels.

The claim actually kind of helps the Coyotes, as there was about to be a logjam at the goaltending position in the minor leagues. They likely would have had to find a place to loan Johansson to keep him playing. He won’t need that in Colorado where there is much less depth, with just four other goaltenders signed in the entire organization.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Sheldon Dries

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The Vancouver Canucks have swapped some youth for experience today, recalling Sheldon Dries from the AHL and sending Danila Klimovich down. The Canucks had created a perfect salary cap situation for the start of the season to maximize their long-term injured reserve placements, and can now tweak as needed.

Losing Klimovich should probably be expected, given where the 19-year-old is in his professional career. After being selected 41st overall in 2021, he played last season with the Abbotsford Canucks and scored just eight goals and 18 points in 62 games. The idea of him stepping directly into the NHL following that performance was always unlikely.

Dries, meanwhile, has plenty of experience as the extra forward on a roster. The 28-year-old has played 59 total games in his career, including 11 last season for the Canucks. It was his performance in the minor leagues, when he scored 35 goals and 62 points for Abbotsford, that helped push him up the organizational depth chart and into a position where he could take on this role to start the year.

After clearing waivers earlier this week, Dries can be shuffled up and down until he plays 10 games in the NHL or is on the active roster for 30 days.

Tampa Bay Extends AHL Affiliation

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Syracuse Crunch have been one of hockey’s most successful partnerships, and it isn’t going to end anytime soon. The two organizations have announced a new five-year affiliation extension, keeping them linked through the 2026-27 season.

General manager Julien BriseBois released a statement:

The Lightning are thrilled to extend our affiliation agreement with the Crunch today. Howard Dolgon and his group in Syracuse create an ideal environment for our prospects to develop in, as evidenced by the number of players that have eventually made it to Tampa to play for the Lightning. We’d like to thank Howard and the entire Crunch staff for their continued commitment to the success of both our franchises. We would also like to thank the Crunch fans for their passion and support of the team.

The number of players to come through the Crunch-Lightning pipeline and make an impact at the NHL is almost unparalleled in the AHL. Carter Verhaeghe, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Mitchell Stephens, Jan Rutta, Taylor Raddysh, Matthew Peca, Cedric Paquette, Richard Panik, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Nesterov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Jonathan Marchessault, Nikita Kucherov, Slater Koekkoek, Alex Killorn, Mathieu Joseph, Tyler Johnson, Connor Ingram, Libor Hajek, Radko Gudas, Yanni Gourde, Cal Foote, Adam Erne, Brett Connolly, Ross Colton, and on, and on.

There’s also head coach Jon Cooper, who was plucked from the Crunch to lead the lightning in 2013 when Guy Boucher was fired.

There’s absolutely no reason for either team to break a partnership that works this well. The minor league squad hasn’t had a losing record since 2013-14, and even then it was 31-32-13. While most affiliation agreements are just for a few seasons, a five-year deal between these two makes perfect sense.

Andy Greene Signs One-Day Contract With New Jersey Devils, Retires

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The New Jersey Devils have brought back a long-time captain for one more day. Andy Greene has signed a one-day contract with the team to retire as a member of the Devils, after a 16-year NHL career.

Tom Fitzgerald, general manager of the Devils, explained exactly what the veteran defenseman meant to the organization:

Andy was a bedrock for New Jersey during his 14 years and developed into an exceptional leader and what it meant to be a Devil. He was a consummate professional when times were hard and a representation to his teammates in the locker room. It’s only right that he announces his retirement from the National Hockey League as a member of the Devils and we thank him for all that he’s done on and off the ice for the organization.

Greene, 39, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Miami University (Ohio), and managed to play 1,057 games in an impressive career. More than 900 of those came with the Devils, where he developed into a defensive force, and leader in the locker room. From 2015 to 2020, he served as captain of the team, and even his last moments were positive for the organization.

He netted the team a second-round pick from the New York Islanders, where he would reunite with Lou Lamoriello, a pick that would then be used to land the team Ryan Graves.

So it is curtains for the veteran, and an impressive career to look back on. In his 1,000-plus games, he registered 52 goals and 264 points. He had three long playoff runs, reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2012 with the Devils and the Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons with New York.

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