Twelve new faces were placed on waivers Wednesday, per PuckPedia. All who were waived yesterday cleared, aside from goaltender Jiří Patera, who’s heading from Vancouver to Boston. Here’s the listing of today’s players who hit the wire:
Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche
D Jack Ahcan
F Matthew Phillips
D Calle Rosén
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Mac Hollowell
F Jimmy Huntington
F Marc Johnstone
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
We’re in the final stages of teams making sweeping training camp cuts before the true final roster battles come into play. There are only six days to go until opening night, and most teams now only have five to 10 players – if that – to trim from their rosters to comply with the 23-player maximum. We’ll list all of Wednesday’s cuts here.
Last updated 1:33 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes (per the team’s Walt Ruff)
G Spencer Martin (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
Chicago Blackhawks (per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports)
D Louis Crevier (to AHL Rockford)
D Kevin Korchinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Frank Nazar (to AHL Rockford)
F AJ Spellacy (to OHL Windsor)
Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)
D Jack Ahcan (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
D Sean Behrens (to AHL Colorado)
F Jean-Luc Foudy (to AHL Colorado)
F Jere Innala (to AHL Colorado)
F Jayson Megna (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
G Trent Miner (to AHL Colorado)
F Matthew Phillips (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
F Jason Polin (to AHL Colorado)
D Calle Rosén (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
F Matthew Stienburg (to AHL Colorado)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to AHL Cleveland, pending waivers)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Anton Blidh (to AHL Hartford)
G Louis Domingue (to AHL Hartford)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to AHL Hartford)
G Dylan Garand (to AHL Hartford)
D Brandon Scanlin (to AHL Hartford)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
F Avery Hayes (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Dan Renouf (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)
F Andrew Poturalski (to AHL San Jose)
F Scott Sabourin (to AHL San Jose)
F Colin White (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)
Utah Hockey Club (per team announcement)
F Tij Iginla (to WHL Kelowna)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
D Robert Hägg (to AHL Henderson)
F Mason Morelli (to AHL Henderson)
G Akira Schmid (to AHL Henderson)
Matt Grzelcyk made a name for himself in the NHL while serving as Charlie McAvoy’s usual defense partner with the Bruins. The 30-year-old had great success in that role until last season, when his offensive production dipped to 11 points in 63 games, and his possession numbers were below average since the 2018-19 campaign.
Now looking to rediscover himself with the Penguins after inking a one-year, $2.75MM deal as an unrestricted free agent, Grzelcyk may get a similar top-pairing opportunity to open the season alongside Kris Letang, writes the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh. The Massachusetts native has spent most of camp alongside the two-time Stanley Cup champ, who he called “such a great player.”
“I’m just trying to be a sponge around him,” Grzelcyk continued. “He has a ton of knowledge to give about the game and what he would expect from his partner. Just trying to learn here. And start to build chemistry.”
While cast as a stay-at-home partner for a more offensively well-rounded talent, Grzelcyk does have decent puck-moving skills in his own right. That was a common theme among the Penguins’ offseason additions, especially on defense, which also included former Islander Sebastian Aho.
There’s more from the Metropolitan Division:
At long last, Islanders forward Simon Holmström appears ready to push for a top-six role. Head coach Patrick Roy thinks so, at least, he told The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.
Holmström, the Isles’ 2019 first-round pick, has established himself as a full-time NHLer over the past two seasons. But he’s been used almost exclusively as a bottom-six option at even strength with some fringe penalty-killing usage as well.
He began to flash some extended offensive upside last season, recording 15 goals and 25 points in 75 games. Those aren’t top-six totals on a playoff team, nor was Holmström ever drafted to be a true game-breaker on the scoresheet, but he’s showing the “compete level” necessary to flash his puck skills more often and fit better in a complementary role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, Roy said.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. Next up is the Metropolitan Division, beginning with Carolina.
Current Cap Hit: $87,920,087 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)
F Bradly Nadeau (three years, $918.3K)
Nadeau might have a chance to make the team out of training camp. He turned pro after a solid freshman year at college, even making his NHL debut while spending the playoffs as a Black Ace in Carolina. Given that his NHL career spans just one game so far, it’s far too early to project his next contract.
G Frederik Andersen ($3.4MM, UFA)
D Brent Burns ($5.28MM, UFA)*
F Jesper Fast ($2.4MM, UFA)
F Tyson Jost ($775K, UFA)
F Brendan Lemieux ($775K, UFA)
G Spencer Martin ($775K, UFA)
D Dmitry Orlov ($7.75MM, UFA)
F Eric Robinson ($950K, UFA)
F Jack Roslovic ($2.8MM, UFA)
*-San Jose is retaining another $2.72MM on Burns’ contract.
Roslovic is coming off a down year, one which saw him notch just nine goals and 22 assists in 59 games between the Blue Jackets and Rangers. Rather than trying to sign a multi-year agreement, he opted for a one-year deal to try to rebuild his value. He’ll need to get back to the 40-point range if he wants to come close to the $4MM he made on his last deal. Fast, meanwhile, is already out for the season after neck surgery which won’t help his cause heading to the open market. A capable bottom-six winger, he’ll likely have to settle for a one-year deal to show he’s healthy. Although he’ll only be 33 next summer, he will be eligible for performance bonuses since he has played more than 400 NHL games and will be out for the entire year; it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team or two try to use that to their advantage in an offer.
Robinson split last season between Columbus and Buffalo and didn’t fare particularly well. However, with two seasons of double-digit goals before that, he was able to secure more than the minimum this time around. He’ll need to get back to that this season or else he could fall into the tier of players settling for the minimum salary. That’s where Lemieux and Jost already find themselves and barring a significant change in their fortunes this season, they’re likely to remain around that mark.
Orlov elected to take a short-term, above-market deal last summer, positioning himself for potentially another multi-year agreement in what should be a more favorable environment. However, he had a much more limited role than many expected last season and if he remains in the fourth or fifth slot, the price tag on his contract, might start with a four instead of a seven. Burns has fit in quite well since being acquired and is still logging big minutes. At some point, that’s going to change but if he wants to, he could hang around for another year or two even though he’ll turn 40 in March. It stands to reason that he’ll be going year-to-year at that point, but a $5MM price tag for next season shouldn’t be out of the question.
Andersen dealt with a blood clot issue for a big chunk of last season but was dominant in the limited action he had. That’s too small of a sample size to make a forecast from but his career numbers have him in the higher-end second-string range or lower-end starter (thanks to durability concerns). That could be worth a small raise but as he turns 35, he’s a candidate to take a slightly lesser deal in exchange for a multi-year agreement. Martin projects to be the third-string option but was a full-time NHL player last season thanks to some waiver claims. With a salary at the minimum, he could be a candidate to be claimed should the Hurricanes try to send him down. He’ll need to play more frequently to have a shot at a seven-figure deal next summer.
F Jack Drury ($1.725MM, RFA)
F Martin Necas ($6.5MM, UFA)
Necas was a speculative trade candidate for most of the offseason and frankly, this contract probably didn’t do too much to dispel that. A legitimate top-six forward, he will now be positioned to hit the open market at 27, an opportunity few impact players have. If he can get back to the 70-point range that he reached in 2022-23, he could command upwards of $8MM on the open market. Drury established himself as a full-timer last season while being a weapon at the faceoff dot. A productive scorer in the minors, he’ll need to find another gear offensively to have a shot at commanding more impactful money. Notably, his qualifying offer checks in slightly lower than this at $1.675MM.
D Jalen Chatfield ($3MM, UFA)
D Shayne Gostisbehere ($3.2MM, UFA)
G Pyotr Kochetkov ($2MM, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($3.05MM, UFA)
F Jordan Staal ($2.9MM, UFA)
After being more of a limited player in his first few seasons with the Hurricanes, Martinook has become a capable secondary scorer while playing a sound defensive game. He’s still a role player in the grand scheme of things but he’s an upper-end third liner now which helped him earn a $1.25MM raise from last season. Staal took a more than 50% drop in salary last year to remain in Carolina while getting a four-year agreement that takes him to his age-38 season. By that time, he’ll likely have a more limited role so if he signs another deal, it could be at a lower price point once again.
Gostisbehere opted for a pay cut but some stability after playing on a one-year deal a year ago. He remains a capable offensive defenseman who will give some of that production back at the other end. However, with Burns potentially on the way out after the upcoming season, Gostisbehere could be in line for some more impressive offensive stats. Chatfield has worked his way from being a depth defender to one who is more of an every-game regular. $3MM is on the higher side for someone in a number six role but given the scarcity of right-shot defenders on the open market this past summer, he likely was getting it from someone if not Carolina.
Kochetkov’s contract was one of the more interesting ones given to a goalie in recent years. At the time he signed it, he had primarily played in the minors though he showed some promising signs in limited NHL action. Even last season, the first year of that deal, saw Kochetkov spend some time in the AHL. But they’re banking on him playing at a backup level at a minimum and at this point, it looks like he’ll be able to do that at the very least. If he can land higher on the depth chart and take over as the full-fledged starter (or perhaps more likely, the strong side of a platoon), Carolina will get a terrific return on this agreement.
F Sebastian Aho ($9.75MM through 2031-32)
F William Carrier ($2MM through 2029-30)
F Seth Jarvis ($7.42MM through 2031-32)
F Jesperi Kotkaniemi ($4.82MM through 2029-30)
D Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM in 2024-25, $6.396MM from 2025-26 through 2032-33)
F Andrei Svechnikov ($7.75MM through 2028-29)
D Sean Walker ($3.6MM through 2028-29)
While Montreal’s offer sheet to Aho in the past was one Carolina easily matched, the one thing it did was put Aho in a position to reach UFA eligibility early which helped him land this agreement. He has averaged just over a point per game over the last six seasons combined and is a legitimate number one center. With the rising costs for impact middlemen, this deal is in line with many of those. Svechnikov bypassed the bridge contract to sign this agreement with the hopes it’d be a bargain as the deal progresses. When healthy, he performs as a top-line level but he has missed considerable time for two straight years now which means it’s not a team-friendly pact just yet but is heading in that direction.
The deal with Jarvis took some time to put together this summer and for good reason. The sense is that the Hurricanes wanted to keep Svechnikov’s contract as the high point in discussions while Jarvis’ camp wanted more than that. They eventually found a happy medium as he will receive an average of $7.9MM per season (more than Svechnikov) but with $15.67MM in deferrals, the cap hit is lower than Svechnikov’s, meaning both sides got what they wanted. Jarvis only has one season above 40 points but that was 2023-24 when he had 67; clearly, both sides are banking on there being more to come. The deal might be a bit above market at the start but should be a team-friendly pact before long.
Carolina was hoping that Kotkaniemi’s deal would follow that path but it hasn’t yet. Even after accepting a pay cut following an inflated one-year offer sheet that Montreal elected not to match, the 2018 third-overall pick is now six years into his career but is still more of a bottom-six player than a top-six core element. Still just 24, that could change yet but the odds of that happening are starting to lessen. Carrier was an effective energy player for seven years in Vegas and opted for stability over trying to necessarily maximize his earnings with this contract. Six years is risky for a role player but the AAV is low enough to largely mitigate that.
Slavin has quietly been a high-end defender for several years but has largely flown under the radar. What limited him to an extent with his new contract is that he isn’t a high-end offensive threat which capped the overall upside. Still, it would be fair to say that he left money on the table with the new agreement that starts next season and not just because there is a bit of deferred money in there as well. Had he hit the open market next summer, an AAV starting with a seven and possibly an eight would have been doable.
Walker went from being a salary dump last summer to a quality top-four piece with Philadelphia and Colorado but the fact he wound up with less than $4MM a year suggests there was some skepticism that he could repeat that. That should work in Carolina’s favor as even if he holds down a number four role for most of this contract, they should get good value from it. If Walker can be as impactful as he was last season throughout the agreement, this will be a steal in a hurry.
None
None
None
Best Value: (non-entry-level) Kochetkov
Worst Value: Kotkaniemi
Money is going to be tight for Carolina this season as they’re likely to be right up against the Upper Limit. Fast being LTIR-eligible will buy them some wiggle room when injuries strike but since cap space can’t be banked when a team is using it, they’re going to be a money-in, money-out team in 2024-25.
The Hurricanes have more longer-term money on the books than a lot of teams with over $64MM in commitments in 2025-26, nearly $56MM in 2026-27, and just under $42MM in 2027-28. That said, there are enough contracts coming off the books those years to give GM Eric Tulsky some flexibility to tweak the core by re-signing or replacing those pieces but it might be a while before they’re able to make a big addition to strengthen what they already have.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
A three-headed monster for much of the past few years, the Metropolitan Division only had two serious contenders last season. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers and second-place Hurricanes ran away with things, creating a 17-point gap between them and the third-place Islanders.
There are question marks around whether the Metro will return to its former level of competitiveness in 2024-25. What does seem relatively certain, however, are the Rangers’ chances of staying at the top of the division.
Little has changed for the Blueshirts. Their top-six forward group sees only one new name, veteran Reilly Smith, who’ll likely be part of a revolving door of wingers alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, like how things transpired last year. Their forward depth returns are largely intact, too, with a full season of a healthy Filip Chytil as their third-line center, hopefully giving them some more punch. The defense remained as it was, aside from the loss of Erik Gustafsson. All in all, there’s little reason to suspect significant, if any, regression from the Rags.
Last year’s runner-up, Carolina, is where things start to get interesting. The Canes lost multiple key pieces to the free-agent market, including Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teräväinen, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Stefan Noesen. They replaced their back-end departures, signing Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker, but didn’t do nearly as well to replace their departing forwards. That leaves the Hurricanes, whose offense has been their biggest weakness since returning to championship contention a few years ago, with considerable question marks, especially after news that Jesper Fast will miss the entire season after undergoing neck surgery. They’ll be counting on UFA signings like William Carrier and Jack Roslovic to play larger roles than they’re accustomed to and could trot out 2023 first-rounder Bradly Nadeau in NHL minutes in his first professional season.
The Islanders return with plenty of familiar faces after squeaking into a divisional playoff spot with 94 points – a total that would have made them the second Wild Card in the Atlantic Division and kept them out of the playoffs entirely in the Western Conference. They’ll likely need an improvement to return to the dance for a third straight year, let alone capture a divisional title. Their X factor will be Anthony Duclair, set to take on top-line duties alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat after signing a four-year deal in free agency. The four-time 20-goal scorer will be relied upon heavily to help lift the Isles’ offense out of the league’s bottom half for the first time since 2018. A rebound from Ilya Sorokin, who regressed to a rather pedestrian .908 SV% after two years of .920+ play, should help too.
The Capitals’ season will be dominated by more Alex Ovechkin headlines. After all, the captain is just 41 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. But there’s a clear directive to remain competitive while he’s still around, as evidenced by their pickup of key names like Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, and Logan Thompson on the trade market and Matt Roy in free agency. All of a sudden, the Caps have one of the more well-rounded defense corps in the conference and are in a much better position to repeat last year’s 40-win, 91-point campaign without the concerningly low -37 goal differential.
The Penguins, fresh off signing Sidney Crosby to a two-year extension, also have dreams of just sneaking back into the playoffs rather than competing for a division title. They’re hoping some added speed on the back end in the form of Sebastian Aho and Matt Grzelcyk, as well as depth forward pickups like Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass, can help aid a still-skilled but aging core. Whether 2022 first-round pick Rutger McGroarty is ready to make an NHL impact after being acquired from the Jets this offseason is also a big question that will receive an answer over the next few weeks.
The Flyers seem set to remain in the mushy middle. It’s not a bad thing – they’re past the dark days of their rebuild with brighter days ahead – but no one is expecting them to be a top contender this season. A strong rookie season from 2023 seventh overall selection Matvei Michkov could go a long way toward firing up expectations for the future, though, and rightfully so. Early signs indicate it’ll be a two-horse race between him and Sharks first-overall selection Macklin Celebrini for this season’s Calder Trophy. He likely won’t be enough to lift an otherwise largely untouched roster from last season that finished with 87 points back into the playoff picture, though.
After an injury-plagued season plummeted the Devils to a seventh-place finish in the Metro, there’s no team with a better potential for a rebound campaign in the league. Whether New Jersey will reach the heights of their 112-point 2022-23 campaign remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll be knocking on the door of a playoff spot – if not working their way into the division title conversation. Their goaltending tandem is reworked with a duo of proven veterans in Jacob Markström and Jake Allen, their defense is again among the league’s elite with a healthy Dougie Hamilton and the additions of Brenden Dillon and Pesce, and the guts of the offense that finished fourth in the league two years ago are still intact.
Then there’s the Blue Jackets, who are set for another development season with new head coach Dean Evason at the helm. They’ll be looking for 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli to stay healthy after a calf laceration truncated his rookie season, and they’ll also look for 2022 top-10 pick David Jiricek to take a step forward with increased responsibilities on the back end. They’re running back one of the league’s worst starters over the past two seasons in goal in Elvis Merzļikins, though, and while there are some breakout candidates elsewhere in the lineup, a third straight last-place finish in the division seems likely.
So, we ask you, PHR readers, who will finish atop the Metropolitan Division at the end of the 2024-25 season? Vote in the poll below:
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The Carolina Hurricanes are dealing with a few injuries as team reporter Walt Ruff shares that defenseman Scott Morrow and forward William Carrier are dealing with lower-body injuries. Morrow’s is not considered serious with him expected back at practice tomorrow but the team medical staff is still evaluating Carrier.
Morrow was originally selected with the 40th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Hurricanes and is largely considered the team’s second-best defensive prospect behind Alexander Nikishin. He had a relatively small chance of cracking Carolina’s blue line out of training camp despite making his NHL debut with the Hurricanes last year. It will be his first full professional season since ending his tenure at the University of Massachusetts and he’s expected to take on a key role with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Carrier was brought in as an unrestricted free agent this summer to a long-term six-year, $12MM contract to serve in the team’s bottom six. The former Stanley Cup champion winger is largely known for his physicality but is only two years removed from scoring 16 goals in a season with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Hurricanes could create one of the most physically punishing lines in the league if they pair Carrier with team captain Jordan Staal when fully healthy.
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:
Sep. 17: The Hurricanes listed Gagner on their training camp roster today, confirming the PTO. They’re also adding veteran depth forward Rocco Grimaldi on a tryout. Grimaldi, 31, has 67 points in 203 career NHL games but hasn’t played at the top level since seeing brief action with Nashville in 2021-22. He spent last season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, once again the Hurricanes’ affiliate, after spending last year as an independent club, leading them with 36 goals and 73 points in 72 games.
Sep. 10: The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to sign veteran forward Sam Gagner to a professional try-out, per PuckPedia. Gagner is a veteran of 17 NHL seasons, making his debut with the Edmonton Oilers in 2007 after going sixth overall in the 2007 NHL Draft. He’s gone on to play for seven different NHL clubs throughout his career and will have a chance to add an eighth on this PTO.
Gagner made his NHL debut at 18 – ultimately earning 13 goals and 49 points as a rookie while filling a consistent second-line role. He proceeded to fill that role and match that production through the next 11 seasons, persisting through tours around the Pacific and Metropolitan Divisions. He was a reliable glue piece for lineups in flux and continued to find NHL relevancy even after his production started to dip. However, injuries have proven fickle throughout his later years, with the 2021-22 campaign standing as Gagner’s only full season since 2016-17. He’s most recently coming off a double-hip surgery in March of 2023 – a deal that ended his 2022-23 season early, though he did manage to appear in 29 games and score 10 points last season.
Gagner is far from his days of a guaranteed lineup spot due to both health and performance. But he brings the experience of a 1,000-game pro who’s played through two decades of NHL hockey. He’s scored 27 points across his last 82 career games, though that stretches back to the 2021-22 season. Still, it’s not unreasonable to think Gagner could manage one more respectable season before facing retirement. He’ll look to begin proving that at Carolina’s training camp if he indeed signs a try-out deal.