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East Notes: Michkov, Marchand, Sillinger, Giles

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If preseason is any indication, there won’t be many growing pains for Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov as he adjusts to playing in North America. The 2023 seventh overall pick put his stamp all over the Flyers’ first home win of the exhibition schedule last night, recording a secondary assist and scoring an empty-net insurance marker in a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, quite literally making all the game’s offense go through him one way or another.

“He’s been working really hard,” assistant coach Rocky Thompson said Thursday (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz). “You can tell within our practices and with our skating, he’s made a diligent effort. So, that’s good. He’s backchecking hard, he’s doing all those things. But, you can see his ability to make plays. He generated opportunities for his teammates, he scores himself tonight with a goal and an assist. Played good.”

Many worries about how Michkov might adjust to the NHL centered around a potentially rocky relationship with bench boss John Tortorellaregarding his all-around play. But he’s been complimentary of Michkov’s effort and willingness to go into one-on-one puck battles, calling him “certainly willing to be in the areas to go get the puck.”

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • If Bruins captain Brad Marchand has his way, Morgan Geekie will open the season on his right flank in second-line duties. “I love playing with Geeks,” Marchand told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “He’s so great in some of the different areas, the way he can hold onto pucks and makes plays. Shoots it. Great in the corners. I think he really complements our line as well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together, so we’ll continue to work on it. But I’ve always really liked his game.” His assessment about not having a ton of reps together is correct – Geekie logged just 25 minutes of ice time last season with Marchand and Charlie Coyle, per MoneyPuck. The 26-year-old is on the upswing after a career-high 17 goals and 39 points for Boston last year but faces competition from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell, whose preseason showing Marchand called “encouraging” but added there’s room for improvement.
  • The Blue Jackets might have a second Sillinger on their opening-night roster. 27-year-old Owen Sillinger, Cole Sillinger’s older brother, is among the leading candidates to snag a spot with Justin Danforth potentially not ready to start the season while recovering from wrist surgery, writes The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Sillinger spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on minor-league deals and finished third on the team in scoring last season with 40 points (11 G, 29 A) in 69 games. That showing earned him a promotion to a two-way deal with Columbus this summer. He could briefly factor into a bottom-six role before likely landing on waivers when Danforth is ready to return.
  • Panthers prospect Patrick Giles finds himself in a similarly unexpected situation. The 24-year-old has been getting reps on Florida’s fourth line over the past couple days with Tomáš Nosek set to miss a few weeks and has a shot to open the campaign in the NHL, David Dwork of The Hockey News relays. An undrafted free agent signing out of Boston College in 2022, Giles stands at 6’4″ and 203 lbs and posted a career-high 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games last season for AHL Charlotte.

LeBrun’s Latest: Swayman, Kessel, Shattenkirk, Ullmark, Draft

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The Bruins and RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman are only discussing long-term contract options at this late stage in negotiations, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic wrote Tuesday. But beyond that, there’s still a sizeable gap between the two sides in desired AAV/cap hit, and there’s no sign of movement with under two weeks to go until Boston’s regular-season opener.

If it gets done before the season, it’ll likely be with little time to spare before Oct. 8, LeBrun writes. Swayman isn’t expected to participate in the remainder of the preseason at all.

That leaves plenty of opportunity in the run-up for Joonas Korpisalo, who’s looked decent early on in camp after struggling to the tune of a .890 SV% in 55 appearances with the Senators last season. Acquired in the Linus Ullmark swap to be Swayman’s backup, he’ll be thrust back into a No. 1 role if the contract stalemate extends into the regular season.

There’s more from LeBrun:

  • Over a week into training camps and two weeks after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated he was still hoping to catch on, free agent winger Phil Kessel still isn’t considering retirement, LeBrun said. Teams can still sign players to professional tryouts, and while it’s rare to do so after the start of camp, it does happen. “A couple of teams” have stayed in contact with Kessel’s camp while waiting to see how some early training camp battles played out, so there could be some movement there in the coming days. “He’s also not begging for a job, but he genuinely believes he can still help someone,” LeBrun wrote.
  • Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk finds himself in a similar situation, LeBrun said, although he at least logged NHL minutes last year. In fact, he did fairly well with the Bruins, posting 24 points and a -2 rating in 64 contests while averaging 15:47 per game. “I would imagine Shattenkirk will land somewhere on the cheap over the next few weeks,” LeBrun said, indicating Shattenkirk could remain unsigned past opening night but sign somewhere quickly if an early-season injury arises.
  • It’s also status quo between Ullmark and his new home in Ottawa on a lack of extension talks, LeBrun relays from colleague Chris Johnston on Tuesday’s edition of Insider Trading. “GM Steve Staios wants to give Ullmark time to get as excited about the team and city as the organization is already about having him in the fold,” wrote LeBrun.
  • There were some slight rumblings that the NHL’s general managers would reverse their October 2023 vote to decentralize the league’s entry draft starting in 2025 after the success of the 2024 event in Vegas at Sphere. Those rumblings will go unfulfilled; as the league told LeBrun, “At the request of a large majority of clubs, it is moving forward with plans for a decentralized draft for June 2025.” Prospects will still attend an event, but team staff won’t be traveling.

Elias Lindholm, Max Jones Out Day-To-Day

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Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery gave a rare public call-out today to one of the team’s young prospects. Scott McLaughlin of The Skate Pod shared a quote from Montgomery regarding forward Fabian Lysell saying, “he needs to do a little more than he’s done if he wants to make the Bruins“.

Lysell skated in 14:56 of the Bruins’ preseason loss on Sunday to the New York Rangers. The 21-year-old Swede played right wing for Boston on the team’s third line and didn’t find his name on the scoresheet as he failed to even put a shot on goal. The former 21st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft is looking to crack the Bruins’ roster this season after totaling 110 regular season games for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.

He’s been productive in the AHL with 29 goals and 87 points over two years in Providence. The major factor working against Lysell is that Boston is again one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2024-25 NHL season and the top-six of their forward core is largely set in stone. Lysell doesn’t have much flexibility to his game meaning the Bruins don’t have the confidence to plug him into the team’s bottom six.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • A few new members of the Bruins are nursing mild injuries with Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reporting that forwards Elias Lindholm and Max Jones are both day-to-day this week and likely won’t play. Lindholm signed a long-term seven-year $54.25MM contract with Boston this summer and is expected to take over first-line minutes for the team down the middle with Pavel Zacha being moved to the wing. Jones joined the Bruins on a two-year, $2MM pact after being non-tendered by the Anaheim Ducks and is expected to be a physical player Boston can plug into their bottom six.
  • Former Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark is dealing with an ailment but he’s not expected to be out long-term. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reports the Ottawa Senators are being cautious with their new netminder but he is “going to be fine”. The Senators are eager for Ullmark to fill a major void on the roster this season as the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner posted a .924 SV% in 130 games for Boston from 2021-2024.

Poll: Who Will Win The Atlantic Division In 2024-25?

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The NHL’s Atlantic Division had been a clear-cut case of the have-and-have-nots for the past few seasons. That’s begun to change, though, with the Sabres finishing one point out of a playoff spot in 2022-23 and the Red Wings losing out on a playoff spot thanks to a tiebreaker in 2023-24.

The basement is rising, and the ceiling is falling. The Panthers, Maple Leafs, Bruins and Lightning have all made the playoffs for multiple years in a row, but at least one of those streaks could end with most of the division’s other half expecting to challenge to end their postseason droughts.

In most eyes, the safest spot belongs to that of the defending Stanley Cup champion. Only two teams in the salary cap era, the 2006-07 Hurricanes and the 2014-15 Kings, missed the playoffs after winning it all the previous season.

There’s little reason to suggest the Panthers will join that list. They have lost key names on the back end in Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and haven’t landed surefire replacements. But Adam Boqvist and Nate Schmidt are now in the mix and will work with returnees Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola to help replace the losses by committee.

But up front and in goal, they’re still one of the league’s scariest teams. Little has changed from the top end of Florida’s championship-caliber forward core aside from the departure of trade deadline pickup Vladimir Tarasenko. Sergei Bobrovsky is back between the pipes with a high-ceiling option at backup in 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight.

The Maple Leafs didn’t embark on a full retool after yet another first-round heartbreaker. But they’re arguably in a much better position to contend for the division title – and a Stanley Cup – after a free-agency shopping spree landed them Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, and Jani Hakanpää on the back end. Their forward corps largely remains intact, although they will be counting on some depth names to step up and replace the loss of top-six winger Tyler Bertuzzi. Their goaltending is improved as well with Anthony Stolarz, the league’s best backup with the Panthers last year, in to replace the hot-and-cold Ilya Samsonov.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Bruins’ fate has hinged on the back of spectacular goaltending by Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. The latter is out the door to a division rival, and the former remains unsigned amid a contract stalemate that doesn’t appear to be ending soon. That could cause serious issues early on for Boston, which did well in replacing its departing UFAs with new faces but still has concerns about depth scoring. Their No. 1 option between the pipes for now is Joonas Korpisalo, who posted a .890 SV% in 55 games for the Sens last year and is a historically below-average netminder over his 276-game NHL career.

The Lightning may have lost Steven Stamkos but replaced him with the younger Jake Guentzel, who’s produced at the same level as the former captain over the past two seasons. Outside of Guentzel, Nikita Kucherov, and Brandon Hagel, their wing depth is concerningly thin. But they still have a solid one-two-three punch down the middle, have an all-world netminder in Andrei Vasilevskiy, and did well to rebalance their defense this summer by reacquiring Ryan McDonagh from the Predators.

After the Ullmark acquisition, the Senators may be the Atlantic rebuilder best positioned to reclaim a playoff spot in 2025. They addressed their biggest weakness, added some solid top-nine scoring depth in Michael Amadio and David Perron, and improved their depth at right defense by recouping solid stay-at-home presence Nick Jensen while parting ways with Jakob Chychrun.

The Red Wings will undoubtedly be in the conversation, too, after finishing tantalizingly close to a playoff spot in 2024. But they did little to address a porous defense that made them one of the league’s worst possession teams last season and paid to unload arguably their best shutdown defender, Jake Walman, on the Sharks. Their scoring depth is in good shape after signing Tarasenko, and their goaltending has some decent veteran tandem options, but whether a defense that took a step back on paper can be salvaged by top-10 picks Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson remains to be seen.

The Sabres are also chomping at the bit to return to playoff action for the first time in 13 years. Injuries decimated them last season, and they’re hoping an overhauled bottom-six forward group now oozing with two-way responsibility can give them the roster makeup they need. Familiar face Lindy Ruff is back behind the bench, too.

The Canadiens, while seemingly on track in their rebuild, are likely to be the only non-factor in the Atlantic in a welcome change of pace. Their next wave is still a year or two out, although a potential full season of 20-year-old Lane Hutson on the blue line will be a story to watch. Some added scoring after picking up Patrik Laine in a trade with Columbus should boost their record, too, but not much above their 76-point finish last season.

So, we ask you, PHR readers, who do you think will have locked down the No. 1 spot in the Atlantic at the end of the regular season? Let us know by voting in the poll below:

Mobile users, click here to vote!

Bruins Sign Kasimir Kaskisuo To PTO

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The Boston Bruins have signed goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional try-out agreement. The move adds another goaltender to Boston’s training camp, as the team continues to negotiate a new contract with presumed starter and restricted free agent, Jeremy Swayman.

Kaskisuo has become a journeyman around the hockey world, though his career formally began as a collegiate free agent in 2016. He signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Marlies that year and proceeded to play his way into a routine role as one of Toronto’s many platooned goalies. He’d serve in that role for parts of five seasons, split by a brief stint with the Chicago Wolves. Kaskisuo never broke out as a star goaltender but he was proudly consistent, posting a .905 save percentage in 129 games through his first six years as a pro.

But with no clear opportunities to the NHL, Kaskisuo decided to take his talents overseas in 2021, signing with the SHL’s Leksands IF. He served as the team’s starter in 2021-22, recording an impressive .910 save percentage across 40 games, but struggled through just 14 appearances in 2022-23. Kaskisuo followed the down year with a return to North America, joining the Laval Rocket for last season and playing 13 games behind Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann. Kaskisuo posted the highest save percentage (.909) of the bunch.

Kaskisuo will now look to continue his North American career by joining one of the most uncertain goalie rooms in the league. The Bruins have yet to sign star starter Swayman to a deal for the 2024-25 season, leaving Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi as the team’s top two options. Boston quickly runs out of depth behind that tandem, with just Michael Dipietro and Ryan Bischel signed behind their assumed starting-pair. That could pave the way for Kaskisuo to earn routine ice time, though it may once again come as part of a confused goalie tandem.

Bruins Notes: Swayman, Montgomery, Poitras

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Bruins RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman won’t be around the team to kick off training camp while he’s still waiting for a new contract, general manager Don Sweeney told reporters today (via Scott McLaughlin of WEEI).

There’s nothing stopping the Bruins and Swayman from agreeing to a tryout and having him take reps in camp while continuing contract negotiations. That’s the approach the Blues are taking with unsigned RFA forward Nikita Alexandrov, for example. But it isn’t in the cards here.

Sweeney said he’s “disappointed” there’s still no resolution to the contract stalemate, and he wouldn’t go so far as to say an agreement was imminent, either. The GM only said he was “optimistic” a deal would get done by the Dec. 1 RFA signing deadline, per McLaughlin.

Other updates from Sweeney as camp opens Wednesday:

  • The Bruins have begun initial extension talks with head coach Jim Montgomery, Sweeney said (via Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe). He’s entering the final season of his reported three-year, $6MM deal, which he signed to take over as Boston’s bench boss in July 2022. He’s been an impeccable regular-season hire, leading them to a league-best 112-32-20 record (.744%) since landing behind the bench, but he’s 9-11 in 20 playoff games for Boston.
  • Sophomore forward Matthew Poitras is fully cleared after shoulder surgery ended his rookie campaign in February, Sweeney confirmed (via Ryan). They’ll try him at both center and wing during training camp after he played mostly down the middle last season. A shift to wing could open up an opportunity for him to play higher up in the lineup, potentially alongside Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand on the team’s second line. The 2022 second-round pick had 15 points (5 G, 10 A) in 33 games last season with a +4 rating while averaging 13:24 per game, posting good possession metrics but struggling in the dot with a 43.7 FOW%.

Snapshots: CHL/NTDP, Brind’Amour, Bruins

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The Canadian Hockey League’s top draft-eligible players will take on the U.S. National Development Team’s U-18 tier for the first time this November, the junior league announced Tuesday (via TSN). The pair of contests, which will take place in London and Oshawa, Ontario, on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, will be the first installment in an annual “CHL-USA Prospects Challenge.”

It’ll run for at least three years, with sites rotating between OHL, QMJHL, and WHL hosts. The CHL and NTDP will have the opportunity to re-up the initial deal securing the event in 2027.

It will serve the purpose of an early-season showcase for draft-eligible talent, so don’t expect to see CHL superstars coming back for their post-draft seasons or beyond. The NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau will select most of the CHL’s roster for the series, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Thus, this year’s event will be headlined by 2025 draft-eligible talent. The rosters will likely include forwards Porter Martone, Michael Misa, and Roger McQueen as the CHL’s most notable names, and center William Moore and defensemen Logan Hensler and Charlie Trethewey should highlight the U.S. squad.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Forward Skyler Brind’Amour is reportedly planning to terminate his AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers and sign a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The move – which is not yet official – was first reported by AHL.com’s Tony Androckitis and seconded by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Brind’Amour played in his rookie AHL season with the Checkers last year, netting eight points in 54 games. He took the step to the pros after four years with Quinnipiac University, where he supported the school’s 2023 National Championship win. He ended his collegiate career with 76 points in 145 games. He’ll look to rediscover that production in the Hurricanes organization, likely set on a role with the Chicago Wolves – who Carolina announced an affiliation agreement with in May.
  • The Boston Bruins have scheduled a press conference for 12 P.M ET tomorrow, where both head coach Jim Montgomery and general manager Don Sweeney will speak with media. They’ll most likely be speaking on the team’s first day of training camp, though Ty Anderson of Boston radio outlet 98.5 The Sports Hub reports that contract talks are picking up with RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Swayman was left off of Boston’s initial training camp roster as he continues a contract standoff. He’ll be in for a major role when he does sign, with Boston dealing Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators earlier this summer.

Atlantic Notes: Seider, Regula, Panthers

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All eyes are now on Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider after his restricted free agent counterpart inked an eight-year, $64.6MM extension on Monday to stick in Detroit long-term. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman still doesn’t have Seider signed for this season on the eve of training camp but told reporters Tuesday he doesn’t think the two sides “are terribly far apart” on an agreement (via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press).

Detroit has $8.75MM in projected cap space left for a Seider deal, per PuckPedia. That should be enough to get a long-term deal done, and although it would be a tight fit, they would be cap-compliant with a full 23-man roster.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported earlier this month that the Red Wings were hammering out a long-term deal with Seider, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote Monday that Yzerman might be reluctant to hand out an eight-year max deal.

Such a contract would certainly follow the recent league-wide trend of locking up core defenders to long-term deals immediately following their entry-level contract, though. A price tag similar to Raymond’s would put him in company with a pair of Atlantic Division rivals in Buffalo’s Owen Power and Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson while keeping Detroit with some financial wiggle room for now.

There’s more from the Atlantic:

  • The Bruins will be without depth defenseman Alec Regula when training camp opens Wednesday, per Mark Divver of NHL.com and the New England Hockey Journal. The 24-year-old is still recovering from a “lower-body procedure.” He wasn’t expected to contend for an opening-night roster spot, but a full training camp could have helped put him higher on the list of potential in-season call-ups. The 2018 third-round pick had 26 points and a league-leading +36 rating in 55 games for the AHL’s Providence Bruins last season after being acquired from the Blackhawks in the Taylor Hall trade over the summer.
  • The Panthers will be staying in their current Sunrise home for at least the next nine years after reaching a lease extension with Broward County today, the team relayed to reporters (including Colby Guy of Pucks and Palms and the Associated Press). It’s a five-year extension on their current lease at Amerant Bank Arena, which was due to expire in 2028. The agreement also includes two additional five-year extension options that could keep them there through as late as 2043.

Bruins Notes: Swayman, PTOs, Spicer

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The Boston Bruins are planning to enter training camp without a confirmed starter, with general manager Don Sweeney sharing that there are still no updates on a new deal – only telling Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, “We’ll talk [with Swayman] next week.” Boston begins their training camp on September 18th and will be doing so with Joonas Korpisalo as their top netminder, pending a sudden change.

That’s certainly not what the team could have planned when they traded former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, clearing a path for Swayman to finally take on the starting role. The two have split time for the last three seasons, with Swayman managing a dazzling .919 save percentage in 132 games over the stretch. He played in a career-high 44 games last season but still sits without a legitimate test in a starting role. That’s likely one of, if not thee, biggest pieces holding up negotiations – though a rumored high asking price and lack of comparable contracts don’t make matters easier.

Other notes out of Boston:

  • Sweeney also shared with NHL.com’s Mark Divver that the team isn’t expecting to sign any more PTOs, though he didn’t rule them out entirely. That would leave former Stanley Cup-winner Tyler Johnson as the team’s only try-out this camp, potentially opening more opportunity for fringe players like Justin Brazeau, John Beecher, and John Farinacci to get noticed. The quartet will are a part of a crowded competition for ice-time in Boston’s bottom-six, after the team lost an endless list of depth pieces this summer.
  • Bruins prospect Cole Spicer took the ice with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday night, making his first appearance since stating that he’d be stepping away from the game indefinitely for personal reasons. Spicer was listed as the Saints’ top-line center in Dubuque’s final game of the pre-season. He’s spent the last two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, recording a measly 15 points in 49 appearances. A return to the USHL would make Spicer one of the league’s older players, though it could also mark a necessary change of scenery after two down years. The feisty centerman will be one to watch as the season rolls around, as he looks to gather his footing in the hockey world and begin fighting his way up the Bruins organization.

Snapshots: Crosby, Ullmark, Perfetti

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Elliotte Friedman spoke on his 32 Thoughts podcast about Sidney Crosby’s contract negotiations with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Friedman believes that Crosby will sign a short-term deal because he doesn’t want to leave the Penguins in a difficult salary cap situation if his play was to fall off. Friedman adds that he has talked to sources who’ve said that Crosby doesn’t want to do anything that would affect the long-term outlook for the Penguins or his legacy with the team. Crosby is coming off one of the finest seasons ever for a 36-year-old after posting 94 points in 82 games and appears more open to playing into his 40s, however, no one knows if that is his intention.

In other news from around the NHL:

  • Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Boston Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators before signing Jeremy Swayman, because they were concerned that if they waited until July, Ullmark could change his no-trade list and put Ottawa on it. Boston did not have to ask the former Vezina Trophy winner for permission to move him to the Senators, however, it did create a situation where they now rely solely on Swayman for starting goaltending this season, which could be problematic if Swayman misses any length of time due to a contract dispute.
  • The Winnipeg Jets and forward Cole Perfetti appear to have a gap in the financials regarding the 22-year-old’s contract extension (as per Elliotte Friedman). Perfetti is reportedly negotiating a bridge deal with the Jets, and while they appear to be on the same page with regard to terms, the two sides have room between them when it comes to dollars. Perfetti is coming off his third NHL season and posted 19 goals and 19 assists last year in 71 games while averaging just 13:35 of ice time per game. He was benched down the stretch last season but does seem poised for a breakout this year, particularly if he can continue to generate chances in the offensive zone and post good defensive numbers.

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