Snapshots: Lehtera, Red Wings, Byron
Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera was convicted Wednesday of buying cocaine, according to Tricia L. Nadolny and Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lehtera had been charged in Finland with the offense earlier this season, and has been sentenced to a four-month suspended prison sentence. He will not serve any time in jail as long as he is not arrested again before October 2021.
The Flyers placed Lehtera on waivers in early February and sent him to the AHL where he has played five games. His contract is set to expire at the end of this season, at which point he will become an unrestricted free agent. It is not clear what this conviction will mean for his playing career, though early reports out of Finland say he will be appealing the decision.
- The Detroit Red Wings likely won’t see either of Michael Rasmussen or Jacob de La Rose on the ice again this season. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that de La Rose saw a specialist today about his accelerated heart beat, and Rasmussen is unlikely to return from his upper-body injury before the end of the year. The Red Wings have just six games left in their season and are currently sitting in 29th place in the NHL.
- Paul Byron will not travel with the Montreal Canadiens to Columbus after suffering an injury in a fight last night. Byron took on MacKenzie Weegar of the Florida Panthers and was knocked down with a hard punch. After stumbling to the bench he did not return. Byron’s agent told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) his thoughts on how fights like these have no business in the game today, explaining that the only reason for it was a hit from earlier in the season. Byron received a three-game suspension for the hit in January. It is unclear when the speedy forward will return to the Montreal lineup.
Minor Transactions: 03/27/19
The NHL has just four games on the schedule for this evening, but plenty of reason to tune in. The Western Conference matchups are especially interesting, as the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche try to hang on to their wild card spots. Both teams will take on clubs ahead of them in the standings, and pull even with both the Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild in games played. As they prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Avalanche have loaned Mark Barberio to the AHL on a conditioning assignment, giving him a chance to get back into game shape. The 29-year old hasn’t played since January and has suited up just 12 times this season due to injury. He had already re-joined the Avalanche for full practices, but will now get to play a few games for the Colorado Eagles before coming back up to the NHL.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Martin Frk from the AHL as Luke Glendening and Anthony Mantha are dealing with injuries. Both players are expected to suit up for the team tomorrow, but the Red Wings needed some insurance just in case.
- The Bruins announced that they have assigned center Karson Kuhlman to AHL Providence. He was recalled on Saturday following the injury to Sean Kuraly and got into two games with Boston on his recall, scoring once. However, the return of winger Marcus Johansson meant Kuhlman could no longer remain with the team on an emergency recall.
Carl Dahlstrom Signs Two-Year Extension
The Chicago Blackhawks have locked up another young defenseman, signing Carl Dahlstrom to a two-year extension. Dahlstrom was set to become a restricted free agent this summer and would have been arbitration eligible. The deal will carry an $850K average annual value, and keep him under contract through the 2020-21 season.
Dahlstrom, 24, was originally selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2013 draft but didn’t make his NHL debut until last season. The 6’4″ 231-lbs defenseman has just six points this season through 35 games, but has shown enough ability to be a contender for a more full-time role next season. Part of that decision will come down to new head coach Jeremy Colliton, who had Dahlstrom in the AHL previously and has thrust him into some tough minutes at the NHL level this season. It will also depend on where the other young Chicago defensemen land on the depth chart after what will be a fascinating training camp.
Chicago has a wave of young blue liners coming with names like Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin and the recently signed Chad Krys, but it is Dahlstrom that will now have a guaranteed role in the organization for the next two seasons. Whether that is as a reliable defensive option with the NHL club, or another year bouncing back and forth isn’t clear, but he’ll at least not have to worry about the financial side of the game for the time being. Dahlstrom will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the extension.
Nashville Predators Sign Dante Fabbro
Though the news had broken a few days ago, it wasn’t official until this morning. Dante Fabbro has officially signed his three-year entry-level contract worth $925K at the NHL level with the Nashville Predators, forgoing his senior season at Boston University. Fabbro’s deal will start this season and he is eligible for play with the Predators right away. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Fabbro’s contract will include the full Schedule A bonuses in years two and three, meaning he can make up to $850K more in incentives each season.
Importantly, as CapFriendly points out on Twitter, if Fabbro plays in a single game down the stretch for the Predators he will accrue a professional season and be eligible for the 2021 expansion draft. That is certainly a concern for Nashville who already have several exceptional defensemen who will need protection, but it very well could be the thing that convinced the young defensemen to leave college in the first place. Fabbro could have potentially returned to BU for one more season and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. Now however he’ll join an organization that is known best for developing elite defensemen.
The 20-year old was picked 17th overall in 2016 after an outstanding year for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, and only impressed further during his collegiate career. Recording 33 points in 38 games this season, Fabbro was a Hobey Baker nominee and co-captain of the Terriers. A two-time U20 World Junior medalist, he even competed for Canada at the most recent Spengler Cup and was named to the tournament All-Star team. There is little that Fabbro hasn’t accomplished in his amateur career, but will have to take on a new challenge in joining the Predators.
Notably, the team already has four top rated defensemen on the roster that are bound to eat up most of the minutes. Fabbro is used to being on the ice a ton for BU, but will likely have to slide in somewhere behind P.K. Subban, Mattias Ekholm, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, all of whom are averaging at least 22:42 of ice time this season. Josi is only signed through the end of next season, but the other three are locked up long-term.
Morning Notes: Lee, Knight, Senators
The New York Islanders are headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and a huge part of their success this season can be traced back to the stability brought to the organization by GM Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz. Almost no one predicted the Islanders to improve this season after losing captain John Tavares in free agency, but under the disciplined hand of the pair of experienced management have become one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. That management has not avoided questions though, as the Islanders still sit with new captain Anders Lee and veteran forwards Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle unsigned through the better part of the season.
All three are scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this summer—along with resurgent goaltender Robin Lehner—but it is Lee that brings about the most anxiety in Islanders fans. Named captain after Tavares’ departure, Lee has been open with his desire to stay in New York long-term. Pierre LeBrun spoke about the situation on the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, saying that both sides have been working towards a deal but the sticking point right now is term. Lee’s camp is apparently looking for seven or eight years, while New York is trying to keep it a bit shorter. Arthur Staple of The Athletic (subscription required) has heard the same thing, but also writes the deal will “surely get done” at some point.
- Goaltenders are a tricky bunch to scout and develop, but Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down just why Spencer Knight might be the next one selected in the first round and where exactly he should go. Pronman details all of the outstanding qualities Knight brings to the table, but hesitates in his comparison to Andrei Vasilevskiy who he believes was a slightly better prospect in his draft year due to his international success. Vasilevskiy was selected 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, one of only two goaltenders picked in the top-20 this decade (Jack Campbell was picked 11th in 2010).
- If the Ottawa Senators want to take a look at Knight, they’ll have some extra hands on deck to do it. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the Senators will be adding to their scouting staff this offseason in hopes that they can help continue their rebuild through a huge number of draft picks the next few years. The Senators have been notorious for having one of the smallest scouting departments in the league, but have still actually unearthed quite a few exceptional players over the years. Thomas Chabot‘s selection—18th overall in 2015—sticks out as one of the best, even in a draft class that has provided some incredible talents.
Snapshots: Fox, Raanta, Tippett
The Carolina Hurricanes and their fans have been waiting patiently for the Harvard hockey season to come to an end so they can get a chance to sign top prospect Adam Fox, but the team is still alive in the NCAA tournament. Fox’s rights were acquired from the Calgary Flames as part of the Dougie Hamilton–Elias Lindholm trade from last summer, and the front office has been open with their belief that they could sign the young defenseman after he finished his college career. Today, Jeff Cox of the New England Hockey Journal tweeted that Fox will be returning to Harvard next season for his senior year and that he “favors” the idea of becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020 when his draft rights would expire.
In response however, Carolina GM Don Waddell told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he believes Fox has not yet made his decision with regards to signing with the Hurricanes, and Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer tweeted it is “still a bit premature to jump to conclusions.” If the 21-year old returns to Harvard next season and then waits until August 2020, he will get his chance to sign with any team he wants. There certainly wouldn’t be any shortage of interest, as the third-round pick is among the best college players in the entire country and is a right-handed defenseman to boot.
- The Arizona Coyotes have Darcy Kuemper to thank for their impressive playoff push, but he might be getting some help in the near future. Craig Morgan of the Athletic tweeted today that Antti Raanta is expected to start practicing with the Coyotes this week. Raanta hasn’t played a game since late November but has shown his ability as a top tier goaltender whenever he is at full strength. If Raanta can return in time for the playoffs (provided Arizona makes the postseason at all), it would be interesting to see how the Coyotes would play it. Kuemper has been among the best goaltenders in the league since Raanta’s injury, and would be a huge reason why they made the playoffs.
- While many have assumed that Dave Tippett would stay with the Seattle expansion franchise after his comments about his role in the new team, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest edition of 31 Thoughts that he’s heard “the coaching bug has bit [Tippett] again” and that one team has already reached out. Tippett was hired as a senior advisor for the Seattle group and was expected to join the front office in some capacity. He last coached in the NHL during the 2016-17 season.
Michael Raffl Signs Two-Year Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers have inked forward Michael Raffl to a two-year contract extension worth a total of $3.2MM. Raffl was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer but will now remain with the team through the 2020-21 season. The deal will carry a $1.6MM cap hit, which is actually a step down from the $2.35MM AAV he currently carries. GM Chuck Fletcher gave his thoughts on the deal:
We’re happy to have Michael for the next two years. Throughout his six seasons with the Flyers he has played a pivotal role in a variety of positions and situations. His versatility, experience and work ethic will be valuable assets to our team going forward.
Raffl explained that the two sides had been discussing an extension for some time, which makes sense given they did not flip him at the trade deadline. The 30-year old forward has been a mainstay in the Philadelphia lineup for six seasons, recording 132 points across 406 games. Signed out of the Swedish second league in 2013, Raffl’s best season in the NHL came in 2014-15 when he recorded 21 goals and 28 points in just 67 games. While those numbers are unlikely to be replicated, he’s a responsible depth forward that will now be brought back at something of a discount.
After trading or burying several veterans, the Flyers now have just five NHL forwards on one-way contracts for next season and are set to embrace the youth movement that they’ve been waiting for. Players like Nolan Patrick, Travis Konecny and Ryan Hartman are likely to play even bigger roles next season while other young prospects like Morgan Frost, German Rubtsov and Joel Farabee should compete for spots in training camp. While the excitement surrounding the next wave of talent is real, at least a few players like Raffl needed to be retained in order to fill out the roster with some experience and leadership.
Boston Bruins Sign Paul Carey To Two-Year Extension
The Boston Bruins have decided to keep Paul Carey around for a while, signing the minor league forward to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The deal will carry an annual average value of $700K in the NHL. The team also announced that Victor Berglund will join the Providence Bruins on an amateur tryout. Berglund was a seventh-round pick of the Bruins in 2017.
Carey, 30, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators earlier this year in exchange for Cody Goloubef and immediately made an impact for Providence. The versatile forward has 16 goals and 23 points through 23 games for the P-Bruins, and will likely continue to drive their offense for the next few seasons. He has also served as injury insurance for Boston, suiting up twice since the trade. An excellent player at the AHL level, Carey has rarely received a lengthy opportunity at the NHL and thus has just 16 points in 99 games across his near decade of professional experience.
The veteran forward will need to clear waivers before next season in order to be assigned to Providence, but has done so many times in the past. The Bruins obviously believe he can be a big part of their AHL group going forward, while still providing some versatility for the NHL club if necessary.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Jon Cooper To Multi-Year Extension
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had one of the best seasons in the history of the NHL, and the man who led them there is about to be rewarded. The Lightning announced today that they have signed head coach Jon Cooper to a multi-year contract extension. Cooper’s current contract was set to expire after this season. It is not clear how much the deal is worth, but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the Lightning wanted to keep him around. GM Julien BriseBois explained his excitement at keeping his coach around:
I am very pleased to announce Jon’s extension today. His ability to forge impactful relationships with everyone from players to staff has been a trademark of his tenure with the organization and he is the absolute best coach for our hockey team. Coop’s ability to develop a strong culture while continually adapting has been a big part of the team’s success. He has helped set high standards for our organization with his unrelenting drive for excellence. I would like to thank Coop and his family for their continuous commitment to the organization, as well as to the Tampa Bay community, and I look forward to working in partnership with Jon for years to come.
Cooper joined the Lightning organization almost exactly six years ago after Guy Boucher was let go, and is now the longest-tenured head coach in the entire NHL. During those six years he has amassed a record of 302-157-44, becoming the franchise leader in wins and actually putting himself among the best all-time. Only Scotty Bowman has a better winning percentage among coaches with at least 500 games coached, though Cooper is still looking for his first Stanley Cup (Bowman has nine). He certainly has a chance to do that this season as the Lightning have put together one of the greatest years in recent history, currently sitting at 59-14-4 through 77 games.
It’s not much of a surprise that Cooper is finding success at the NHL level, as he has dominated at every previous level of coaching. He has won championships at the NAHL, USHL and AHL levels, also taking home Coach of the Year honors at each of those stops. While there’s no guarantee he secures either of those distinctions this season, there’s little doubt he’s among the finest in the league and will now be with the Lightning for several more years.
Oliver Wahlstrom Not Expected To Return To Boston College
After a season that did not go as planned, including rumors of his early departure, it appears as though Oliver Wahlstrom‘s tenure at Boston College will come to an end. Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe and Sara Civian of The Athletic have both heard that Wahlstrom will leave BC after just one season, though his next stop is not determined at this point. Civ suggests that Europe is a possibility for the 18-year old forward.
Wahlstrom was the 11th overall pick by the New York Islanders last June, and finally joined BC after flirting with several other schools over the years. Unfortunately that decision doesn’t seem to have panned out very well as Wahlstrom looked lost on the ice at times this year and finished with just 19 points in 36 games. The highly touted forward was expected to dominate the college scene like his former USNDTP linemate Joel Farabee—who will also be leaving the NCAA after one season, signing his first NHL deal with the Philadelphia Flyers—but struggled to create offense or find any consistency on a lackluster BC team.
Fans of the Islanders that may be concerned Wahlstrom is trying to avoid signing with the team need not worry, as they will still hold his rights for several more years. College players that leave early like Los Angeles Kings goaltender Cal Petersen only become free agents if it has been four years since their draft year. Wahlstrom can only sign an NHL contract with the Islanders, though it is unclear what his plans are at this point. If he does sign, spending the 2019-20 season in the AHL would not burn a year of his entry-level contract as he won’t turn 19 until this June.