- Blackhawks winger Cole Guttman told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he has fully recovered from the shoulder injury that ended his 2022-23 campaign prematurely. The 24-year-old injured the shoulder twice in the minors and then reaggravated it in mid-March with Chicago, resulting in him deciding to have surgery on it. Guttman played in 15 games with the Blackhawks last season, picking up four goals and two assists and should at least be in the mix to break camp with the team next month.
Blackhawks Rumors
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. 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 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 2023-24 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 CapFriendly.
Chicago Blackhawks
Current Cap Hit: $70,635,124 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Connor Bedard (three years, $950K)
D Wyatt Kaiser (two years, $917K)
F Lukas Reichel (one year, $925K)
D Filip Roos (one year, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Bedard: $3.5MM
Kaiser: $425K
Reichel: $505K
Total: $4.43MM
Bedard was the player that many non-contending teams were trying to tank for last season. Assuming he pans out as anticipated, he should become Chicago’s top center quite quickly. There’s a good chance he hits his $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses while the ‘B’ ones are tough for anyone to get. It’s far too early to realistically try to project his second contract but if he lives up to the hype, it could be the richest in franchise history. Chicago has slow-played Reichel’s development so far, giving him tastes of NHL action but primarily keeping him in the minors. While not a bad idea from a development perspective, it puts him in the category of being quite likely to land a short-term second contract that will keep his earnings upside down.
On the back end, it’s difficult to pick only a couple to highlight here as at this point, there are quite a few youngsters who could battle for a few spots on the roster. Kaiser didn’t look out of place after leaving college last season, logging just shy of 19 minutes a night so he could have a leg up. So could Roos who didn’t look out of place out of training camp a year ago. But realistically, Alex Vlasic, Isaak Phillips, and Kevin Korchinski should be in the mix as well. But for any of them to be in a position to command any sort of significant second contract, they’ll need to establish themselves as NHL regulars first.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Colin Blackwell ($1.2MM, UFA)
F Jason Dickinson ($2.65MM, UFA)
F Mackenzie Entwistle ($800K, RFA)
F Nick Foligno ($4MM, UFA)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM, UFA)
F Boris Katchouk ($758K, RFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.8MM, UFA)
F Corey Perry ($4MM, UFA)
F Taylor Raddysh ($758K, RFA)
D Jarred Tinordi ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zaitsev ($4.5MM, UFA)
The Blackhawks were compensated for taking on Johnson’s contract back in 2021 with Tampa Bay needing to free up cap room. He isn’t the top-six forward he was in his prime but is still capable of playing in the middle six. While Johnson has been on the wing lately, he’s a natural center which also helps his value. At half this price a year from now on the open market, he should have some interest.
Dickinson is another player they were basically paid to take on. After a disastrous year in Vancouver, he rebounded relatively well. However, it’s hard to see him garnering more than this on his next deal since he has yet to hit the double-digit goal mark in the NHL. A contract around the $1.5MM mark is where his value might fall. Blackwell took a step backward last season offensively but still played an important role on the penalty kill. He was still relatively inexperienced when he received this contract and now with what will be another couple of years under his belt when he returns to free agency, where he’s at now might be close to his earnings ceiling.
Then there are Perry and Foligno. Chicago clearly targeted these two veterans as mentors for their younger core, trading for their negotiating rights and then handing them contracts that were extremely above market value. Both players are best suited to play on the fourth line at this stage of their careers and had they hit the open market, they likely would have received offers for around a quarter of this amount. Barring a high-priced one-year extension if things go well, that price range is where they should expect their next deals to be if they get one.
Among the RFA forwards, Raddysh is the most notable. Coming off a 20-goal campaign, a repeat performance plus arbitration eligibility should push his AAV past the $2MM mark, perhaps even to the $3MM range. Katchouk and Entwistle don’t have quite the offensive upside and are more depth players up to this point. They will also have arbitration eligibility next summer which could work against them if we have a repeat of a run of non-tenders like we did this offseason.
Zaitsev was another player Chicago was paid to take on with him coming over midseason from Ottawa, paving the way for them to complete the Jakob Chychrun trade. Zaitsev never has been able to live up to this contract but can log some minutes on a largely inexperienced back end so he’ll provide some value to the Blackhawks. His next deal should check in closer to the $1MM mark though. Tinordi came over as a waiver claim in training camp and wound up earning a regular role when he was healthy, landing this extension in the process. It’s a bit above what his market value might have been in free agency though.
Mrazek is yet another contract Chicago was compensated to take on. He actually posted a better save percentage than he had in his lone year in Toronto but still had a rough season. On a better team, Mrazek could still attract some NHL interest next summer but at a price tag that’s closer to the $1.5MM mark.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Andreas Athanasiou ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($2MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F Philipp Kurashev ($2.25MM, RFA)
G Arvid Soderblom ($963K, RFA)
This summer was a good time for teams with cap space to acquire impact players for cheap simply by taking on the full freight of the contract. Chicago did that with Hall as Boston needed to move him to create cap room to fill out their roster. His days of being a productive top liner are pretty much finished now based on how the last few years have gone for him but he’s someone who can play big minutes while giving Bedard a legitimate top-six linemate. In a perfect world, Hall’s numbers go up playing alongside Bedard, giving the Blackhawks a chance to flip him in his final year while giving Hall a shot at getting close to this type of money on the open market.
Chicago handed Athanasiou this deal to get him to avoid testing free agency. As is the case with Perry and Foligno, it’s an above-market pact but with ample cap space, it’s an overpayment they can afford. After putting up 20 goals and 20 assists last season, he’ll need to maintain or improve on those numbers if he wants to get a similar-sized contract in 2025. Kurashev was awarded this contract in arbitration coming off a career year that saw him get 25 points. Playing time will be a bit harder to come by now with their extra depth so he’ll need to find a way to improve on those numbers in a lesser role to avoid the risk of being a non-tender candidate in 2025. Donato’s per-60 numbers are pretty impressive but he has yet to lock down a full-time middle-six role. He should get another chance to do so here and if he thrives, he could have a much stronger market as a more proven secondary scorer.
Soderblom had some ups and downs in his limited action with the Blackhawks last season, earning him a one-way deal in the process. He’s perceived as a goalie of the future though not necessarily the goalie of the future for Chicago. This bridge contract gives both sides a chance to see if he’s a future starter, platoon option, or if he’s better off as a pure backup and obviously, which category he falls in will determine his next contract, one that will come with arbitration rights.
Signed Through 2025-26
D Connor Murphy ($4.4MM, UFA)
At a time when stay-at-home defenders are starting to lose some of their open-market value, Murphy has been one of the exceptions. He has logged heavy minutes throughout his time with Chicago but in a ten-year career, he has yet to reach the 20-point mark. Coupled with plenty of bumps and bruises from his style of play, it seems unlikely that Murphy will be able to command this type of deal in three years when he might be better suited for a more limited role on a depth chart.
Blackhawks Hire Matt Smith As AHL Goalie Development Coach
- According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs have hired Matt Smith as their goalie development coach. At 33 years old, Smith has already had coaching stints with the Soo Greyhounds and Guelph Storm of the OHL, but he hasn’t been on any team’s staff since the 2017-18 season with Guelph. Nonetheless, the Blackhawks will look to Smith to play a crucial role in developing a pair of promising goalies within the Blackhawks organization slated to form Rockford’s tandem next season: Drew Commesso and Jaxson Stauber.
Summer Synopsis: Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks hit the lottery this past spring when they won the opportunity to draft junior phenom Connor Bedard. Chicago has been mired in a rebuild for several years without ever calling it a rebuild. That all changed in the summer of 2022 when the Blackhawks made the difficult decision to rip off the band-aid and move out some good players that didn’t fit their rebuild timeline. Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach were two young players that could have helped Chicago in the future, however, they would have been much older than many of Chicago’s good prospects. With their moves this summer, the Blackhawks appear poised to bottom out once again this season, albeit with a much more competitive roster than last year. The Blackhawks brought in a few veterans, presumably to insulate the younger players and teach them how to be good pros, while simultaneously helping the club reach the cap floor. Chicago didn’t seek out top-end veterans, or stars that are in the prime of their career, they overpaid veterans who were at the tail end of their careers.
Draft
1-1: F Connor Bedard, Regina (WHL)
1-19: F Oliver Moore, U.S. U18 National (US National Team)
2-35: G Adam Gajan, Chippewa (NAHL)
2-44: F Roman Kantserov, Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
2-55: F Martin Misiak, Youngstown (USHL)
3-67: F Nick Lardis, Hamilton (OHL)
3-93: F Jiri Felcman, Langnau (Swiss-Jr)
3-99: F Alex Pharand, Sudbury (OHL)
4-131: F Marcel Marcel, Gatineau (QMJHL)
5-167: F Milton Oscarson, Orebro (SHL)
6-195: D Janne Peltonen, Kärpät U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
As mentioned earlier, Chicago won the Bedard sweepstakes and was able to draft a generational player to kick off their rebuild. While Chicago was gifted the centerpiece of their franchise moving forward, they will still need to insulate him and provide depth around him in order to win, but they have the hardest thing to acquire already in place.
Chicago opted to go forward-heavy in the 2023 NHL entry draft as they selected nine forwards, a defenseman, and a goaltender. Like most teams, the Blackhawks were surprised to see Moore available at the 19 spot and they were fortunate enough to draft the speedy center. He could potentially become Chicago’s number two centerman behind Bedard if his development goes to plan.
With their first second-round pick the Blackhawks selected goaltender Gajan who at 6-foot-3, has the height to be an NHL goaltender, but he will need to put mass on his 181-pound frame. Goaltending is a very difficult position to project long-term but given his pedigree and his body of work thus far, Gajan could be Chicago’s goalie of the future. He posted a 19-12-1 record in the NAHL with the Chippewa Steel and was terrific at the U20 World Juniors for Slovakia. He is very flexible and has a strong, quick push from one side of the net to the other.
Kantersov was a good choice at 44 as he offers a good blend of speed and skill that could mesh well with Bedard or Moore. The Russian winger is undersized; however, his skating and stickhandling is very fluid, and he could give teams fits if his game does develop so that he can play alongside Chicago’s elite center.
Trade Acquisitions
F Nick Foligno (Boston)
F Taylor Hall (Boston)
F Corey Perry (Tampa Bay)
Chicago weaponized their cap space this summer to acquire former first-overall pick Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins. The former Hart Trophy winner is coming off a down season in which he still posted 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games with the Bruins and will likely see time alongside Bedard. Hall is due for a bounce back in Chicago as he should see more minutes on the powerplay and will be more than capable of flanking the rookie Bedard.
Coming over in the trade alongside Hall were the signing rights of Nick Foligno. The 35-year-old quickly signed a one-year extension with Chicago for $4MM in a move that largely left people scratching their heads. Foligno did provide Boston with some offense last year as he posted 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games, however, the Bruins had poor possession numbers with Foligno on the ice and it became fairly apparent last season that he is well past his best before date. Foligno’s impacts will probably be greater off the ice than on it as the Buffalo, New York native will offer the young players some guidance and leadership throughout what is sure to be a tough season in the Windy City.
Another veteran who was acquired by the Blackhawks is former Lightning forward Corey Perry. The former Hart Trophy winner isn’t the player he once was, but he has remained an effective bottom-six player at the late stages of his career. Perry put up 31 goals and 34 assists in 163 games in two seasons with the Lightning and should be able to offer some depth scoring and toughness to Chicago’s lineup. His presence is sure to be a positive for the younger players in the Blackhawks lineup, but it comes at a massive cost as Chicago will pay the former Rocket Richard winner $4MM this season.
UFA Signings
F Ryan Donato (Two years, $4MM)
Donato was an under-the-radar signing for the Blackhawks on the first day of unrestricted free agency. His game isn’t splashy, and he won’t tear up the score sheet, but he is a versatile player who can offer a lot to the Blackhawks forward group. Last year in Seattle, Donato posted 14 goals and 13 assists in 71 games as he was part of Seattle’s four-line offensive attack. For the cost of the player Chicago is almost certain to get their money’s worth from the 27-year-old, Donato has been a consistent 25–30-point scorer and is a decent defensive forward.
RFA Re-Signings
F Joey Anderson (one year, $800K) *
F Philipp Kurashev (two years, $4.5MM)
*-denotes two-way contract
Kurashev’s arbitration award surprised some people as the 23-year-old was coming off a season in which he posted nine goals and 16 assists in 70 games. While those offensive numbers aren’t anything to write home about, Kurashev does offer responsible play away from the puck that doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. He also offers youth and is likely only scratching the surface as far as his potential goes and he could one day find himself as Chicago’s number three center when the club is ready to contend.
Anderson came over to Chicago as part of the Jake McCabe trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old dressed in 38 games split between Chicago and Toronto and posted six goals and three assists. The native of Roseville, Minnesota has an element of sandpaper in his game that should serve him well in Chicago’s bottom six this season should he make the big club. He also has the ability to separate player from puck evidenced by his 20 takeaways last season. There are certainly warts to Anderson’s game as he is limited offensively, but he is able to play a physical brand of hockey while remaining disciplined.
Departures
F Anders Bjork (AHL Rockford)
D Hunter Drew (AHL Tucson)
D Andreas Englund (Los Angeles, two years, $2MM)
D Jakub Galvas (SHL Malmö Redhawks)
F Maxim Golod (Nybro Vikings IF)
F Cameron Hillis (Detroit, PTO)
D Caleb Jones (Carolina, one year, $775K)
F Jujhar Khaira (Unsigned)
G Anton Khudobin (Unsigned)
F Buddy Robinson (Unsigned)
G Alex Stalock (Anaheim, one year, $800K)
F Michal Teply (AHL Rockford)
F Jonathan Toews (Unsigned)
F Austin Wagner (Unsigned)
D Andy Welinski (Unsigned)
Up front, Toews is the biggest loss for the Blackhawks. He is a Chicago icon and was the face of an era in which the team captured three Stanley Cups. However, Toews future is murky as he has health issues that he’s battled the past few seasons and it is unclear if he will play again.
Outside of Toews, Chicago didn’t have a lot to lose. Caleb Jones seemed like a strange choice for a non-tender candidate, however, given the lack of interest he had in free agency it might have been the right choice for the Blackhawks to not overpay for a depth defenseman, even if he does have some upside.
Englund found a role with the Kings in Los Angeles which was a surprise given how little he has shown at the NHL level. The 27-year-old defenseman has dressed in 80 NHL games split over five seasons and has yet to score and has just seven assists during that time. He was acquired in the Jack Johnson trade with Colorado and really didn’t show much during his time in Chicago. The Blackhawks opted to let the Swede walk and he surprisingly was able to find a multi-year deal with Los Angeles who were looking to add some physicality to their back end.
Salary Cap Outlook
Few teams have less money committed long term than the Blackhawks. Chicago has just two players signed to NHL money beyond next season in Seth Jones and Connor Murphy. That flexibility will be necessary when Connor Bedard comes out of his ELC in three seasons and if some of the Blackhawks’ top prospects begin to flourish.
The Seth Jones contract is an albatross on their books given where his game is at, however by the time his deal becomes a major problem the Salary Cap will have likely increased by a significant amount. Teams always seem to find ways to rid themselves of bad contracts, particularly when the cap is going up so Chicago should have no issue in dealing with Jones deal should it become problematic.
Key Questions
Can Chicago Win Games: The Blackhawks will win some games, it’s inevitable when they play 82 times a year. But how many games they will win is an interesting question. This is a bad hockey team on paper, but hockey is a funny game and even bad teams can fluke their way into a few wins a year. Chicago doesn’t have much offensively beyond Bedard and Hall, but they will have decent depth on their fourth line and might make it difficult for teams on some nights. They will likely finish near the bottom of the league when the season is over, but I don’t believe it will be as bad as some people think.
How Many Points Will Bedard Score? Not since Connor McDavid has there been this much hype over a first-overall pick. Auston Matthews was close, but Bedard is in a different stratosphere. Will he put up 100 points in his rookie season like Sidney Crosby? Or will the NHL season grind away at his offensive prowess? Bedard is going to have to drag a bad team on his back through the season and it’s going to be interesting to see how far he can take them.
Who Will Play With Connor? Chicago acquired Hall to presumably play with Bedard on the top line. While he is certainly one of their most gifted players with the puck, there are no guarantees that Hall and Bedard will find chemistry together. Corey Perry was another player Chicago targeted early in the summer and despite his limitations at this stage in his career, he knows how to play with offensively elite players. Chicago will have the benefit of not having any expectations this season, which opens the door for the club to experiment with different players throughout their lineup. Perhaps a young prospect will emerge to become Bedard’s running mate. Only time will tell.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jonathan Toews Will Not Play In 2023-24
Former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has announced he won’t play during the 2023-24 NHL season but is not ruling out a return to NHL action later. Toews made a statement confirming the news on his Instagram account Thursday afternoon.
Toews, 35, is currently an unrestricted free agent. Chicago confirmed they wouldn’t be re-signing the three-time Stanley Cup champion before their last game of the 2022-23 campaign.
“My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again,” Toews said. “Along the way, I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex. I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.”
Toews was diagnosed with chronic immune response syndrome prior to the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He missed all 56 games that season. He made a return to the Blackhawks in 2021-22 but was added to the league’s COVID protocol list just weeks into the season. While he didn’t miss significant time, he has since developed symptoms of long COVID, which, in combination with his CIRS, contributed to him playing 53 out of 82 games in 2022-23.
This move is far from unexpected – in fact, it’s more surprising Toews isn’t announcing his retirement outright. Notably, Toews’ agency reportedly left his name off the list of pending free agents when teams inquired.
On the ice, Toews had averaged under 18 minutes per game over the last two seasons for the first time in his career. Since returning from his season-long absence in 2021, he’s posted 27 goals, 41 assists, 68 points, and a -45 rating in 124 games played. He still carried immense value as a faceoff specialist, however, winning draws at a 60.7% rate.
The 2013 Selke Trophy winner will likely face long odds to get back to playing shape after missing two out of four seasons heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
August Free Agency Update: Central Division
As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.
Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. Next up is the Central Division. You can check out the list of Atlantic Division signings here and the list of Metropolitan Division signings here.
Arizona Coyotes
F Jason Zucker (one year, $5.3MM cap hit)
D Mathew Dumba (one year, $3.9MM cap hit)
F Alexander Kerfoot (two years, $3.5MM cap hit)
*F Matias Maccelli (three years, $3.425MM cap hit)
F Nick Bjugstad (two years, $2.1MM cap hit)
*F Jack McBain (two years, $1.599MM cap hit)
D Troy Stecher (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)
Chicago Blackhawks
*F Philipp Kurashev (two years, $2.25MM cap hit)
F Ryan Donato (two years, $2MM cap hit)
Colorado Avalanche
*F Ross Colton (four years, $4MM cap hit)
*D Bowen Byram (two years, $3.85MM cap hit)
F Miles Wood (six years, $2.5MM cap hit)
F Jonathan Drouin (one year, $825K cap hit)
F Andrew Cogliano (one year, 35+ contract, $825K cap hit)
D Jack Johnson (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)
*F Ben Meyers (one year, $775K cap hit)
Dallas Stars
F Matt Duchene (one year, $3MM cap hit)
F Craig Smith (one year, $1MM cap hit)
*F Ty Dellandrea (one year, $900K cap hit)
F Sam Steel (one year, $850K cap hit)
D Joel Hanley (two years, $787.5K cap hit)
D Gavin Bayreuther (one year, $775K cap hit)
Minnesota Wild
*G Filip Gustavsson (three years, $3.75MM cap hit)
*F Brandon Duhaime (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)
Nashville Predators
F Ryan O’Reilly (four years, $4.5MM cap hit)
F Gustav Nyquist (two years, $3.185MM cap hit)
D Luke Schenn (three years, $2.75MM cap hit)
*F Cody Glass (two years, $2.5MM cap hit)
*D Alexandre Carrier (one year, $2.5MM cap hit)
F Denis Gurianov (one year, $850K cap hit)
St. Louis Blues
*F Alexey Toropchenko (two years, $1.25MM cap hit)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (two years, $775K cap hit)
F Oskar Sundqvist (one year, $775K cap hit)
Winnipeg Jets
*F Gabriel Vilardi (two years, $3.438MM cap hit)
F Vladislav Namestnikov (two years, $2MM cap hit)
G Laurent Brossoit (one year, $1.75MM cap hit)
*D Dylan Samberg (two years, $1.4MM cap hit)
*F Morgan Barron (two years, $1.35MM cap hit)
*F Rasmus Kupari (two years, $1MM cap hit)
G Collin Delia (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year, $775K cap hit)
Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Update On This Year’s August 15 Free Agents
Most NHL free agent business is dealt with in the early summer months. There is one important date later each year, however. August 15 marks the date when NHL teams lose their exclusive signing rights to most college-drafted players if they’ve graduated (or completed without graduating) college and are not yet signed to an entry-level contract.
Earlier this month, we published a list of players slated to hit the UFA market yesterday if not signed to an ELC within the coming days. However, the guidelines the NHL uses to determine a college graduate are some of the most complex sets of rules relating to contractual obligations in pro sports. That means it’s often impossible to glean a full list of players whose rights have expired (or not expired) until after the August 15 deadline has passed.
This year was no different, as CapFriendly issued multiple updates today on their X account regarding the list of August 15 free agents they’d made public earlier in the month. Three players who were slated to expire actually remained on their team’s reserve list: Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick F Demetrios Koumontzis, Ottawa Senators 2018 seventh-round pick F Jakov Novak, and Senators 2018 second-round pick D Jonny Tychonick.
On the flip side, 12 players they expected to remain on teams’ reserve lists hit the free-agent market yesterday. With that in mind, we have a revised, accurate list of players who became unrestricted free agents yesterday. Asterisked players were not originally expected to come off their team’s reserve list.
Anaheim Ducks
*F Trevor Janicke (2019 fifth round, 132nd overall)
Arizona Coyotes
F John Farinacci (2019 third round, 76th overall)
*F Anthony Romano (2019 sixth round, 176th overall)
Boston Bruins
*D Dustyn McFaul (2018 sixth round, 181st overall)
Calgary Flames
*F Joshua Nodler (2019 fifth round, 150th overall)
Carolina Hurricanes
F Kevin Wall (2019 sixth round, 181st overall)
Chicago Blackhawks
F Jake Wise (2018 third round, 69th overall)
Colorado Avalanche
*F Matt Stienburg (2019 third round, 63rd overall)
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Robbie Stucker (2017 seventh round, 210th overall)
Detroit Red Wings
F Robert Mastrosimone (2019 second round, 54th overall)
*F Ethan Phillips (2019 fourth round, 97th overall)
Edmonton Oilers
F Skyler Brind’Amour (2017 sixth round, 177th overall)
Minnesota Wild
*D Marshall Warren (2019 sixth round, 166th overall)
New Jersey Devils
*D Case McCarthy (2019 fourth round, 118th overall)
*F Patrick Moynihan (2019 sixth round, 158th overall)
New York Islanders
D Christian Krygier (2018 seventh round, 196th overall)
F Jacob Pivonka (2018 fourth round, 103rd overall)
New York Rangers
*F Eric Ciccolini (2019 seventh round, 205th overall)
*F Riley Hughes (2018 seventh round, 216th overall)
Ottawa Senators
*F Luke Loheit (2018 seventh round, 194th overall)
Philadelphia Flyers
F Jay O’Brien (2018 first round, 19th overall)
San Jose Sharks
D Arvid Henrikson (2016 seventh round, 187th overall) Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
D Ryan O’Connell (2017 seventh round, 203rd overall)
Winnipeg Jets
G Jared Moe (2018 sixth round, 184th overall)
Of the list above, Krygier and Pivonka are remaining in the Islanders organization on confirmed AHL contracts for 2023-24, although they remain eligible to sign with another NHL team should one come calling. All others are either returning to school for 2023-24, have contracts signed in other leagues, or are not signed for next season.
Notably, this is the official confirmation that the Flyers’ exclusive signing rights of O’Brien have lapsed. As compensation for not signing a first-round pick to their entry-level contract, the Flyers will receive a compensatory second-round pick from the league in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Connor Bedard Named Best Prospect By NHL Network
- NHL Network released their yearly list of the league’s Top 50 Prospects, with 2023-drafted players taking the first four spots on the list. To no one’s surprise, Chicago Blackhawks projected first-line center Connor Bedard tops the list as a projected generational talent, but a fair amount would argue recency bias was quite strong in this year’s list. New Jersey Devils 2021 draft pick Luke Hughes was ranked as the top defenseman at number five on their list, while Minnesota Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt was ranked as the top netminder at #21.
Anders Bjork Agrees To AHL Contract
- Even after an impressive end to the 2022-23 regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks, forward Anders Bjork has settled on a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. Bjork is no stranger to AHL hockey, as he spent most of last season playing for the Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Nevertheless, it is surprising to see Bjork not land at least a two-way NHL contract after scoring eight points in 13 games for the Blackhawks year.
[SOURCE LINK]
Blackhawks Forward Luke Philp Undergoes Achilles Surgery
It hasn’t been a great offseason for players when it comes to Achilles injuries. Buffalo’s Jack Quinn tore his and will miss a big chunk of next season. So, too, did Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom. Now, another forward has suffered the same injury as Chicago’s AHL team in Rockford announced that Luke Philp underwent Achilles surgery over the weekend and will miss approximately the next six months.
The 27-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into three games with the Blackhawks down the stretch where he picked up his first career assist at the top level. Philp spent most of the season in the minors with the IceHogs and was quite productive, notching 29 goals and 24 assists in 60 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring.
That performance helped Philp land a one-year extension back in March, one that carries a $775K cap hit at the NHL level and a $375K salary in the minors. However, he won’t get much of an opportunity to play on that new deal since he’ll be out until likely sometime in February.
Philp will start the season on season-opening injured reserve and since he was up with Chicago for six days in 2022-23, the Blackhawks will carry a small cap charge on the books until he’s cleared to return. The calculation is his number of NHL days divided by the number of days in the upcoming season (192) multiplied by his NHL cap hit ($775K). In this case, the prorated cap charge will be just over $24K.