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Senators Will Not Qualify Adam Gaudette

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It wasn’t so long ago that Adam Gaudette was a top prospect, leaving Northeastern University with the Hobey Baker and a ton of NHL momentum. In his second season, he scored 12 goals and 33 points in 59 games, suggesting that he could be a reliable top-six contributor down the road.

Now, just a few years later, he won’t be receiving a qualifying offer from the Ottawa Senators, making him an unrestricted free agent again at age 25. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the Senators have already told Gaudette of their plan to leave him unqualified.

This is nothing new for the young forward. He failed to receive a qualifying offer last year either, though eventually agreed to a new contract with the Chicago Blackhawks for the same amount anyway. The team then put him on waivers in November, leading him to Ottawa, where he played 50 games in the second half of the year.

It doesn’t appear as though a contract is coming from the Senators this time, meaning Gaudette will have to find a new NHL home. With just 25 points since the start of the 2020-21 season (across 98 games and three teams), it’s unclear what exactly he can bring to the table at this point.

For Ottawa, who have plenty of young talents pushing for looks in camp and a tight budget, the risk of salary arbitration was likely too much. Though he hasn’t done much recently, that 33-point season would still likely mean a contract above $1MM through the arbitration process, while his play can be replaced by another candidate for the Senators.

Ryan Murphy Signs In KHL

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After a season with the Detroit Red Wings that failed to result in any NHL action, Ryan Murphy is going back to Russia. The veteran defenseman has signed a new one-year contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa for the 2022-23 season.

Murphy, 29, was the 12th overall pick back in 2011 but failed to ever really establish himself as a full-time NHL player. The offensive defenseman managed 175 games, most recently with the New Jersey Devils in 2019, but left for the KHL that year to try his hand overseas. On his return in 2021, he wore an “A” as an alternate captain with the Henderson Silver Knights and won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman.

Now just a year later and he’s headed back to the KHL to continue his career. With Ufa, he’ll get a chance to play under someone who has plenty of NHL experience of his own in Viktor Kozlov. He has been promoted to head coach for this season, after previously serving as an assistant.

While it has been a somewhat disappointing career so far for the former top prospect, there’s no doubt that Murphy can be a difference-maker at the KHL level. He’s also still young enough that there could be another NHL contract in his future, even if the AHL is more likely his stomping ground moving forward.

Buffalo Sabres Extend Craig Anderson

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The Buffalo Sabres drew Craig Anderson out of retirement last offseason and after a strong performance, he’s coming back for another go-round. Anderson has signed a new one-year deal with the Sabres, this time worth $1.5MM, twice what he made in 2021-22.

Since the end of the season, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has done nothing but speak highly of the 41-year-old netminder, explaining that he was a huge part of the leadership group in Buffalo this year, helping the young team take positive steps. “He gave us a chance to win,” said Adams earlier this week.

Still, though Anderson did play better than expected, his overall numbers were still well below league average. Partly due to the Sabres play in front of him, and partly because of a late-season swoon, Anderson ended the year with an .897 save percentage in 31 appearances.

Different from last year though is that Anderson likely isn’t going to be expected to carry the lion’s share of the goaltending load. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News still expects the team to acquire a proven NHL goaltender one way or another to pair with the veteran, allowing prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to start in the AHL once again.

Clearly, there is a desire from Buffalo to be more competitive in 2022-23, but it remains to be seen whether Anderson–who could be the oldest player in the league this season, depending on Zdeno Chara’s decision–can actually continue to give them that status.

He will get a chance to climb even higher on the all-time lists though. Anderson is currently tied with Pekka Rinne for 32nd in games played and could become just the 31st goaltender in history to crack the 700-game mark with 17 more appearances.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Chicago Blackhawks Hire Luke Richardson

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June 29: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Blackhawks signed Richardson to a four-year contract. He’ll be the team’s head coach through 2025-26.

June 27: The Blackhawks have made it official, hiring Richardson as their next head coach. General manager Kyle Davidson released a statement:

We are excited having a seasoned coach like Luke join the organization as head coach. Luke shares our vision and goals for the future, and he will have an opportunity to build an environment and culture of high performance, hard work, and high accountability. Throughout the interview process, it became evident that he not only had every quality we were looking for in a head coach, but also is a high-character individual that was perfect to lead this next era of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

June 24: The Winnipeg Jets may be waiting on Barry Trotz to make a decision but the Chicago Blackhawks are nearing one of their own. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that Luke Richardson is expected to be the next head coach of the Blackhawks, and the two sides are putting the finishing touches on a contract.  Scott Powers of The Athletic reported earlier today that Richardson, interim head coach Derek King, and Vancouver Canucks assistant Brad Shaw were the three finalists.

Richardson, who has spent the last four seasons as an assistant with the Montreal Canadiens, has long been looked at as a future NHL bench boss, even going back to his playing days. The 53-year-old former defenseman played more than 1,400 games in the league, and almost immediately transitioned onto an NHL coaching staff with the Ottawa Senators in 2009.

With the Blackhawks not expected to contend next season as they head into a complete rebuild, getting an inexperienced (and therefore inexpensive) bench boss always seemed to be the likely move. Richardson has just a handful of games as an NHL head coach–all coming in the 2021 playoffs when Dominique Ducharme was held out with COVID-19.

He does, however, have four years of experience as a head coach in the AHL, and is as well-respected an assistant as you will find around the league. His departure from the Canadiens will leave a substantial hole to fill, as Montreal tries to climb out of the bottom of the league under new head coach Martin St. Louis.

It is not clear what this would mean for King, who was brought up from the minor leagues to replace Jeremy Colliton early in the season. The Blackhawks went 27-33-10 under the interim boss, in his first taste of NHL head coaching. Powers wrote today that it would surprise him if the Rockford IceHogs didn’t stay with Anders Sorensen as head coach, meaning King could be looking for another role somewhere else.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dallas Stars Sign Ryan Shea

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The Dallas Stars have inked Ryan Shea to a one-year, two-way contract extension for next season, avoiding arbitration. The young defenseman has yet to play in the NHL but does not qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency because he has just two pro seasons under his belt.

Shea, 25, was originally a fourth-round pick of to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 but after failing to sign with them, hit the open market in 2020 following his college career. He played four years at Northeastern, eventually being named captain of the club in 2019 as a senior. After waiting until August, he signed an entry-level deal with Dallas, and quickly entered their AHL program with the Texas Stars.

After participating at the World Championship last summer, Shea showed a stark improvement this season, scoring 32 points in 66 games for Texas, helping the club reach the playoffs (but not advance). This deal will give the 6’2″ defenseman another opportunity with the minor league club, though it seems unlikely he will challenge for an NHL roster spot.

Just yesterday, the team signed pending UFA Joseph Cecconi, who like Shea could see the odd injury call-up this season. The difference of course is that because of his relatively late start as a pro, Shea is still waiver-exempt for 2022-23 and can be sent to the minor leagues without issue.

The Stars have now locked up a good amount of depth at the position, as Alexander Petrovic was also signed earlier this month.

Full Order Of Selection For 2022 NHL Draft

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Now that the Winnipeg Jets and others have decided on some trade conditions, the NHL has released the official order of selections for this year’s draft. The event starts next Thursday at 6 pm CT, while rounds 2-7 are the next day, starting at 10 am CT.

The full order is:

Read more

Buffalo Sabres Sign Sean Malone

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The Buffalo Sabres are bringing back AHL standout Sean Malone for another year, inking him to a one-year contract worth $750K. The minor league forward was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Malone, 27, was great for the Rochester Americans this season, scoring 20 goals and 37 points in just 39 regular season games. His strong play continued into the playoffs, when he added another seven points in ten games, giving the young minor league squad a reliable veteran leader in the middle of the ice.

While the Americans were driven by talents like JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Arttu Ruotsalainen, Malone, along with Michael Mersch, Ethan Prow, and others offered a more experienced group to help the on-ice development of the top prospects. That can continue next season now, as he returns on a no-risk one-year deal.

There’s also a chance that Malone earns some time with the big club, though it has been five years now since he signed out of Harvard and he has just two games to his name at the NHL level. One of those actually came with the Nashville Predators, during the year he was away from the Sabres organization. A Buffalo native, Malone came back in 2021 and is now getting a chance to continue with his hometown club, even if it’s mostly for minor league action.

Snapshots: Forsberg, Ellis, Jets

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Nashville Predators’ general manager recently publically announced that he had offered Filip Forsberg an eight-year deal to stay in town and avoid free agency, and now Forsberg’s agent has done the same. JP Barry told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that they are talking about an eight-year deal and though he noted they are not yet in agreement on salary, the two sides are grinding away at it.

The Predators are the only team that is allowed to offer Forsberg an eight-year deal at the moment, and even that right will expire in two weeks when free agency begins. The 40-goal winger will turn 28 in August, meaning a contract of that length would take him well into his mid-thirties and potentially represent the final big payday of his career.

  • Ryan Ellis has played in just four games for the Philadelphia Flyers since they acquired him in the summer of 2021 and that total may not increase for a while. When speaking with media including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic, general manager Chuck Fletcher explained that there is still plenty of work to do in Ellis’ rehab and would not confirm that the veteran defenseman will be ready for the start of the season. Ellis, who was acquired for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick, has five years remaining on his contract and carries a cap hit of $6.25MM.
  • The Winnipeg Jets had an option as part of the Andrew Copp trade to take either the St. Louis Blues 2022 second-round pick or the New York Rangers 2023 second. They’ve chosen the former, relays Murat Ates of The Athletic, which will be the 55th overall selection this year. While the 2023 draft is generally considered deeper, the Jets obviously feel as though it is more beneficial to get a player into their system right away.

Talks Picking Up On Kevin Fiala

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Last season was something of an all-in moment for the Minnesota Wild, thanks to the tough cap situation that is just on the horizon. The team will have more than $12.7MM in buyout penalties in 2022-23, and more than $14.7MM in the following two seasons. That means when it comes to extending restricted free agent Kevin Fiala, there isn’t much money in the piggy bank.

That has led to Fiala’s name leading the trade market as the draft approaches, almost a sure bet to be dealt at some point this offseason. He’s the top name on The Athletic’s trade bait board, Michael Russo of The Athletic suggests that he will be dealt within the week, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that things are “intensifying on the Fiala front.”

Last month, Russo and Harman Dayal examined the kind of return the Wild should expect for their young star, following his breakout season that included 33 goals and 85 points. The 25-year-old winger is one of the most dynamic offensive talents in the league, and though there has been some inconsistency throughout his career, could drastically change the outlook of several teams.

His relative youth makes him an attractive target for just about anyone, though he does come with the caveat of restricted free agency. With six years under his belt already, he could go through arbitration and walk directly to the open market in a year, if he doesn’t reach a long-term extension with whatever team acquires him. That is a risk, meaning interested teams would likely want to discuss at least the framework of a contract before actually pulling the trigger on a trade.

With the draft right around the corner and free agency to come, the NHL trade market is about to get interesting. Fiala’s name is right at the top of that and could be the first domino to fall this summer.

Brandon Manning Re-Signs In Germany

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After testing his luck overseas, Brandon Manning will be staying in Germany. The veteran defenseman has signed an extension with the Straubing Tigers, explaining why he’s staying:

My family and I like it very much in Straubing, it’s just a real ice hockey town. The team is great and we showed last season that we can compete with the top teams in the league. I had a lot of fun playing with the boys and I’m looking forward to getting started again soon,

Manning, 32, last played in the NHL during the 2019-20 season when he was with the Edmonton Oilers organization. The following season he didn’t play at all and then ended up in Germany playing big minutes in the DEL for 2021-22. He ended the year with 22 points in 38 games, production he hadn’t experienced in years.

There was a time when Manning was a regular at the NHL level, racking up games for the Philadelphia Flyers as a physical two-way defender. He also had some outstanding seasons in the AHL, as one of the most feared fighters in the league while also producing offense at a high level. In 2013 and 2015 he was an AHL All-Star, leading to those opportunities in the NHL.

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