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West Notes: Huberdeau, Pelletier, Blackhawks

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Jonathan Huberdeau’s tenure with the Flames has been wildly underwhelming, to say the least. The 31-year-old winger has been limited to 27 goals and 107 points in 160 games – decidedly fringe top-six production – since being acquired from the Panthers and signing an eight-year, $84MM extension.

The former Calder winner and once-elite playmaking winger is hoping a new offseason training regimen can help spur a rebound this season, he tells Aaron Vickers of NHL.com. “[I’m] really happy with the summer that I had,” he said. “It’s probably my best summer of training that I’ve had. I just have to translate that onto the ice. I skated more in the summer as well, so I feel better.”

“The confidence is back,” he continued. “I just have to relay that to here with the guys. And I think this year I want to bring fun to my game. That’s what we need to be. I think we’ve just got to make it fun as a team. You never know. We can cause some surprises.”

A resurgence in production will be difficult with a depleted Flames roster amid an aggressive retool, influenced in large part by Huberdeau’s struggles the past two seasons. He’ll likely be centered by Nazem Kadri, whose more palatable $7MM cap hit and strong showing in 2023-24 has made him the subject of trade rumors this summer, to begin the year.

Other notes out of the Western Conference:

  • The Flames have made some progress on a new deal for restricted free agent winger Jakob Pelletier, general manager Craig Conroy said today (via Danny Austin of the Calgary Sun). A report from TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji last week indicated there was still significant legwork to be done to reach an agreement, but Conroy is fully confident they’ll get a deal done before training camp begins next week. The 2019 first-rounder had shoulder surgery just before the beginning of last season, delaying his season debut until late January. He logged a goal and three points in 13 NHL games with the Flames and 12 points in 18 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.
  • The Blackhawks are amid the league’s most successful ongoing rebuild, opines Corey Pronman of The Athletic. They’re the most likely out of the league’s current bottom-feeders to be quality contenders with their current core of prospects and youngsters amassed, he says, also citing their ability to become a premier free-agent destination when they’re a bit closer to returning to playoff contention.

Flames Sign Tyson Barrie To PTO

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Sep. 10: The Flames made Barrie’s PTO official this morning.

Sep. 3: In a twist of circumstances, the Calgary Flames are now reportedly nearing a professional try-out agreement with veteran defender Tyson Barrie. The move was first reported by PuckPedia and verified by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, who added that the team hopes this will result in more than just a league-minimum contract. Barrie was previously rumored to be headed to the Edmonton Oilers on a PTO, reuniting with the team after one year away. As pointed out by PuckPedia, Barrie maintains the ability to sign a free-agent contract with any team while on his PTO with Calgary.

Barrie will skate for his fourth Canadian franchise on this PTO – having previously played one year in Toronto and three in Edmonton. They were two stops along Barrie’s journeyman career, spanning 13 seasons and four franchises. He continues to be a productive defender, rivaling 40 points in nearly every season between 2013 and 2023 and boasting a career-high of 59 points set in 2018-19. But Barrie’s defensive consistency has completely fallen away, leaving him hard to trust even on a stout Nashville Predators blue line.

Luckily, Calgary has plenty of holes to patch on defense, after turning over Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Oliver Kylington last season. The Flames have brought in a heap of new faces to handle the change, adding Jake Bean, Daniil Miromanov, Kevin Bahl, Joel Hanley, and Brayden Pachal. Barrie boasts significantly more NHL experience and scoring upside than any of those options. That could be enough to win out a prominent role with a strong showing at training camp, especially amid competition a decade younger.

Any role on the Flames’ blue-line could come with major responsibility, as the team shops around top defenders MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson ahead of training camp. The departure of either player would immediately vacate 20+ minutes a night on Barrie’s right-hand side – making this veteran PTO signing timely insurance. But as it stands, the long-term outcome of Barrie, who managed just 27 points in 65 games over two seasons with the Predators, is still uncertain.

Flames Sign Jarred Tinordi To Two-Way Deal

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The Flames have inked depth defenseman Jarred Tinordi to a two-way deal, per PuckPedia. He’ll earn $800K in the NHL, $350K in the minors, and an overall $425K guarantee this season, per a team announcement.

Tinordi, 32, has embarked on a journeyman career since being drafted 22nd overall by the Canadiens in 2010. The stay-at-home defender has suited up in minor league/seventh defensemen roles for seven NHL organizations over his 12-year run in the pros, also including the Coyotes, Penguins, Predators, Bruins, Rangers, and, most recently, the Blackhawks. He played NHL games in nine of those 12 seasons.

After spending most of his career as an NHL/AHL tweener or an outright minor-league option, Tinordi found some stability in Chicago after the Blackhawks claimed him off waivers from the Rangers on the eve of the 2022-23 regular season. The 6’6″, 229-lb enforcer has avoided an AHL assignment since arriving in the Windy City, making the past two years just the second and third seasons he’s spent solely in the majors after splitting the 2020-21 campaign between Nashville and Boston.

Tinordi’s numbers have been ugly with the Hawks in bottom pairing minutes, but that’s to be expected for a veteran depth fixture logging semi-regular minutes on one of the league’s worst teams. He’s posted two goals and 15 assists for 17 points with a -44 rating and 104 PIMs in 96 games for the Blackhawks over the last two seasons. His 171 hits ranked second on the team last season behind Nick Foligno’s 192, while his 64 PIMs led the club.

He was an unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time since signing a two-year deal in the Big Apple in 2021. Chicago signed him to a one-year, $1.25MM extension in April of last year, keeping him off the open market.

Tinordi shouldn’t be ruled out entirely from making the opening night roster, but it does seem unlikely if the organization decides to carry seven defensemen as compared to eight. The left-shot defender could be an extra option in the latter scenario, but he’s unlikely to unseat offseason acquisitions Kevin Bahl and Jake Bean for regular playing time on the left side of Calgary’s defense depth chart.

That makes Tinordi’s most likely destination this season the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers if he clears waivers, where he’ll play a mentor role to blue-line prospects like Hunter Brzustewicz, Artem Grushnikov and Yan Kuznetsov.

Flames Don't Plan To Move More Veterans Yet

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With the Flames heading into what looks to be a longer-term rebuild, there has been speculation that some of their remaining veterans might want a change of scenery.  However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), GM Craig Conroy appears to be taking more of a wait-and-see approach with his current roster:

Four Teams Have Interest In Mark Giordano

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The Score’s Kyle Cushman wrote that the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs have maintained interest in veteran defenseman Mark Giordano. The oldest player in the NHL last year has spurned any interest in retirement and is again looking for an NHL opportunity next year.

He is destined for bottom-pairing responsibilities next year after averaging his lowest average time-on-ice since the 2008-09 season. He’s spent the last two-and-a-half years with the Maple Leafs organization where he’s recorded nine goals and 45 points in 144 games while averaging 18:14 a game.

Calgary represents more of a ’feel good’ landing spot as the other three interested parties have internal expectations of contentions next season. He’s spent 15 years of his career in southern Alberta where he recorded 143 goals and 509 points in 949 games including a Norris Trophy in the 2018-19 season.

He’s seen his possession quality dip in the last several years after finishing the 2023-24 season with a 48.4 CorsiFor% compared to a 53.0% career average. He’s still a formidable bottom-pairing veteran presence and could provide a bonus to any team.

At the end of his career, the expectation is that Giordano will look to maximize his opportunity to win the Stanley Cup which would trim his potential teams down to Edmonton and Toronto. Without needing to shoulder top-level responsibility anymore at this stage in his career; he should have a ready opportunity in both organizations.

RFA Notes: Raymond, Berggren, Pelletier, Perfetti

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The Detroit Red Wings are making progress on a long-term contract with star forward Lucas Raymond, shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Raymond is one of three restricted free agents still awaiting a deal from the Red Wings, alongside winger Jonatan Berggren and defender Moritz Seider.

Pagnotta added that talks between Raymond and Detroit have picked up over the last 10 days, but that the two sides are, “still grinding away at it.” The Red Wings kick off training camp on September 18th.

While Seider was Detroit’s unrivaled top defender last season, it’s Raymond who feels like the chore that needs done. The 22-year-old winger broke out this season, leading the Red Wings in scoring with a career-high 31 goals and 72 points in 82 games, topping his previous high of 23 goals and 57 points set as a rookie. He’s now up to 174 points in 238 career games, and stands as perhaps the most promising player on a Wings lineup in flux. His next contract will likely eat up the bulk of Detroit’s remaining $17.648MM in cap space, though the Wings will need to walk a fine line to not price themselves out of a similarly-hefty deal for Seider.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Pagnotta also mentioned that Detroit and Berggren are expected to agree to a contract before the start of training camp, though the deal will hinge on the final price given to Raymond and/or Seider. Berggren led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring with 56 points in 53 games last season. It was Berggren’s first year back in the minors, after playing through his NHL rookie season in 2022-23 – ending with 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games. Detroit will have plenty of room to award hard-workers at training camp with NHL ice time to start the season – a group Berggren will hope to lead after signing a new deal.
  • Detroit’s forward momentum with their RFAs hasn’t trickled up to Canada, with the Calgary Flames still far off from a deal with RFA forward Jakob Pelletier, per TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji. Valji adds that things could change quickly but are, for now, quiet. Pelletier has become a fan-favorite prospect, solidified by his routinely strong performances in the minor leagues. The 23-year-old has 111 points through 119 AHL games, but has struggled to translate that production to the top flight, with just 10 points in 37 career NHL games. Like Detroit, Calgary stands a chance to award young players with strong lineup roles. Pelletier seems a favorite to handle one of those spots, though he’ll first need to bridge the gap in quiet negotiations.
  • Winnipeg is going through sluggish talks of their own with RFA winger Cole Perfetti, who has yet to hear back on a firm offer reports Pagnotta. Perfetti potted 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games last year – but looked capable of much more with a stronger role in the lineup. He’s 22, and carries an admirable 75 points and 140 games of NHL experience. Those numbers fall closely in line with Senators centerman Shane Pinto, who recently signed a two-year, $7MM extension after missing the bulk of the 2023-24 campaign. That deal stands as Perfetti’s strongest comparable, though it may be hard to bear for a Winnipeg team with just $5.776MM in remaining cap space.

Pacific Notes: Demko, Silovs, Lekkerimaki, Vladar

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It doesn’t appear that Vancouver Canucks’ president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford is overly confident about the team’s goaltending situation heading into training camp. He recently engaged in an interview with Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet where the two spoke at length about goaltending and his expectations for the organization in the upcoming season.

It’s already come to light the team is considering Antti Raanta on a professional tryout agreement to serve as a short-term stopgap for the team as they buy time for Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs. When asked about his goaltenders Rutherford said,

“As you know, I don’t talk directly about potential injuries or the perception of where players are at (health-wise). I feel good about our goaltending. Where that is for the start of training camp and the start of the season, I don’t even know myself right now. We haven’t even done physicals yet. But I know our goalies are working hard and working towards being ready for the start of the season. As an organization, that’s what we’re hoping for“.

Both regular netminders for Vancouver are dealing with knee injuries that are taking longer than expected to recover from. The team shot out of the gates last season with an 11-3-1 record through their first 15 games which helped propel them to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Canucks have a short window to address their goaltending if they hope to start as well as they did last season.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Staying in Vancouver — Dan Rosen of NHL.com recently wrote in a mailbag that Canucks’ prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki has an outside chance of making the team if he has a strong training camp. Vancouver’s first-round selection of the 2022 NHL Draft recently wrapped up his first season with the SHL’s Örebro HK where he scored 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games; becoming one of Vancouver’s top forward prospects. It will still be difficult for Lekkerimaki to crack the roster despite his strong efforts overseas. The Canucks overhauled their bottom-six this summer which may not be a positive starting point for the offensive-minded Swede.
  • Daniel Vladar of the Calgary Flames is progressing well from offseason hip surgery says TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji. Vladar will be entering the 2024-25 NHL season in an interesting spot as the Flames don’t have a concrete direction this season in between the pipes. Calgary is expected to name Dustin Wolf their starter this year but could pivot to Vladar quickly if the young phenom has a slow adjustment to the NHL. Vladar has never played more than 27 games in a single season but could see that number rise to 35+ if the latter hypothetical becomes a reality.

Flames Listening To Offers For Rasmus Andersson, Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar

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After selling off a good chunk of their core over the last 12 months, the Flames are still fully in retool mode. General manager Craig Conroy continues to listen to trade inquiries regarding defensemen Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar, as well as center Nazem Kadri, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

Calgary has been exploring the market for Kadri as far back as June, Pagnotta said. They’ve been less aggressive regarding Andersson and Weegar. Julian McKenzie of The Athletic said last month that it would take a huge offer to pry Andersson away from the Flames, and there haven’t been many recent trade winds blowing in Weegar’s direction until now.

All three have control over their destinies to some degree. Kadri has a full no-movement clause through 2026, Weegar has a full no-trade clause, while Andersson has the most negligible influence with a six-team no-trade list.

Andersson could have the highest trade value if Conroy wants to kickstart a complete teardown in Calgary. The right-shot defenseman is entirely in his prime, turns 28 in October, and has two seasons left on his contract at a highly affordable $4.55MM cap hit. The Swede has put up 138 points in 239 games over the past three seasons, a 47-point pace over 82 games. After beginning his career in a bottom-pairing role, he’s routinely shouldered over 22 minutes per game in recent years with decent possession metrics.

Kadri’s contract could be a bit of an albatross in trade talks. He has five years left on the seven-year, $49MM pact he signed in Calgary in free agency in 2022, and few teams for which a Kadri pickup makes sense can stomach an incoming $7MM cap hit.

But if he can keep up last season’s pace, he’s worth the price of admission. While it was clear his 87-point platform campaign with the Avalanche in 2021-22 would be a one-hit wonder given his long history as a middle-of-the-lineup talent, he’s still produced above his previous career averages since joining the Flames. Last season was a strong one for Kadri, who led Calgary in scoring by a significant margin with 75 points in 82 games. He’s also displayed durability as he enters his mid-30s, playing in all 164 regular-season contests over the past two years.

He would be willing to waive his NMC “for the right environment,” Pagnotta said, which would likely be a return to the Eastern Conference. Kadri spent the first 10 years of his NHL career with the Maple Leafs before they traded him to Colorado in 2019.

Weegar is the best player of the three and sits as Calgary’s undisputed No. 1 defenseman after exploding for a career-high 20 goals and 52 points last season. Despite that production and continued team-best possession metrics, he’s flown under the radar after receiving outside Norris Trophy consideration during some lesser offensive performance while with the Panthers a few years back.

He has six more years left on his deal at a $6.25MM cap hit, a strong value proposition for a bonafide top-pairing defender. While a right shot, he can also play the left side comfortably. He’s also incredibly involved physically – his 194 hits were second on the Flames last year behind Martin Pospisil’s 238. The Blues had some outside interest in Weegar around the draft, Pagnotta said, but a trade was never close.

Evening Notes: Swayman, Dubois, Flames

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The Boston Bruins could opt for a short-term, bridge deal with starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman, as contract talks drag into Labor Day weekend, shares Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Dupont mentioned that the $7.74MM cap hit on Juuse Saros’ recent eight-year extension could be a guiding light for the Bruins and Swayman, though there’s no definitive way to know what’s inspiring negotiations. A short-term deal would certainly be easier to price out, and give Boston the comfort of not committing much to a goaltender who hasn’t yet played a 50-game season.

But Swayman has commanded a lot of respect through just three full NHL seasons. He’s posted a .919 save percentage in 132 career games and has already won the William Jennings Trophy and earned top-10 Vezina Trophy consideration – all before his 26th birthday in November. That impressive precedent, Linus Ullmark’s move to Ottawa, and some well-timed studying of the CBA has Swayman inevitably positioned for a hefty contract. Boston could cut into the total salary with a short-term deal, but they’d run the risk of walking the still-young Swayman into long-term negotiations after the likes of Igor Shesterkin and Jake Oettinger set the bar for elite-goalie salaries. The Bruins currently have $8.64MM in available cap space, with no remaining free agents besides Swayman.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Washington Capitals are preparing for summer acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois to play alongside hard-nosed winger Tom Wilson, head coach Spencer Carbery shared with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Carbery added, “I think those two guys playing together – big bodies, guys that can hold onto the puck – could be a good duo.”  That assignment likely means that Dubois is headed for Washington’s top line, one season after his top-line opportunity with the Los Angeles Kings turned into muddling third-line minutes and broken relationships. Dubois scored just 40 points last season, 20 fewer than his totals in the two prior years. Playing with Wilson should give Dubois the space to rediscover that scoring this season, though Washington will have to be careful with their usage – as the two players have combined for 562 penalty minutes over the last three seasons (Dubois – 253; Wilson –  309).
  • The Calgary Flames are still open for business on the trade market, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared during an appearance on NHL Tonight. Pagnotta went on to mention a string of players that may be on the trade block, including lineup pillars Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson, indicating that the Flames could be heading for a more true-to-form rebuild, as they look to build around top youngsters like Dustin Wolf, Zayne Parekh, and Samuel Honzek.

Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Gaudreau Pass Away

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Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, passed away on Thursday, the team has confirmed in a statement. They were struck by an accused drunk driver while biking near their New Jersey home, police confirmed to Jeff Goldman of NJ Advance Media. They were 31 and 29 years old.

“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” said league commissioner Gary Bettman. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path. Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey, and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons.”

Both Gaudreaus prefaced their professional careers with stints at Boston College, where Johnny immediately emerged as a star after being selected in the fourth round by the Flames in 2011. After recording a point per game as a freshman, he was the best player in college hockey by his junior year, leading the NCAA in scoring in 2013-14 with an incredible 80 points and 40 games. He won the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player in the country and signed his entry-level contract with Calgary to end the campaign, scoring his first NHL goal in his first NHL game against the Canucks on April 13, 2014.

Gaudreau was an immediate standout, locking down a top-six role and posting 64 points in 80 games during his rookie season to help the Flames to their first playoff berth in six years. He led the team with nine points in 11 postseason games as they upset the rival Canucks in the first round and stole a game from the heavily-favored Ducks in Round 2.

Over the next decade, Gaudreau would cement himself as the cornerstone of the Flames’ offense. He was their representative at the NHL All-Star Game for five years to begin his career and quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s most agile wingers.

His first true breakout came in 2018-19 when he torched the league for 36 goals and 99 points en route to Calgary’s first division title since 2006. He averaged over 20 minutes per game and finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting.

Gaudreau continued to serve as Calgary’s top offensive option up until 2021-22. Entering the final season of a six-year, $40.5MM contract, Gaudreau, along with linemates Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, put up one of the most dominant seasons from a single forward unit we’ve seen in quite some time. He recorded career-highs with 40 goals, 75 assists and 115 points and also led the league with a remarkable +68 rating. His expert playmaking also helped Lindholm and Tkachuk to breakout campaigns, and for a time, they were the most suffocating two-way line in the league at 5v5.

An unrestricted free agent for the first time the following summer, Gaudreau opted to head east to return closer to his New Jersey home. The top UFA on the market that summer, he landed a seven-year, $68.25MM deal with Columbus. Both he and the team hoped he would be the veteran offensive presence necessary to help guide the team out of a rebuild. Gaudreau led the Blue Jackets in scoring each of the past two seasons, posting 33 goals, 101 assists and 134 points in 161 games.

Matthew never made his way to the NHL, but he did have a strong career in the minor leagues. After playing spot duty as a freshman at Boston College in Johnny’s junior season, he later emerged as an important player for the program in his own right, tying for the team lead in scoring during his senior season with 35 points in 40 games.

The younger Gaudreau began his pro career in the Islanders organization in 2017, signing a two-way AHL contract with their affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He had five points in 17 games over his first two years there, spending most of his time down in the ECHL with the Worcester Railers. It was there he was able to shine offensively, posting 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 88 games.

In 2019-20, Gaudreau opted to join Johnny in the Calgary hockey pyramid, inking a deal with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat. He made four appearances for them and had a breakout year on loan to the ECHL’s Reading Royals, where he erupted for 29 assists in 40 points in 38 games.

Gaudreau headed overseas when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, posting six points in 12 games for Sweden’s Tyringe SoSS. He returned to the Railers for 2021-22, making a lone appearance before announcing his retirement.

All of us at PHR send our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family, their friends, their fans, and the many organizations where the brothers took their talents.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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