Paul Stastny Announces Retirement
Free agent forward Paul Stastny has confirmed his retirement from the NHL after a 17-season, 1,145-game career in an interview Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic published Tuesday.
The 37-year-old was a key two-way center for most of his career. Drafted in the second round by Colorado back in 2005, Stastny went on to play in eight seasons with the Avs where he made an immediate impact offensively, averaging nearly a point per game in his rookie season, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting. By the time his tenure with Colorado wrapped up, he was more of a defensive threat than an offensive one but that didn’t stop him from having a long career.
Stastny signed with St. Louis in time for the 2014-15 season where he spent parts of four seasons before being traded to Winnipeg as a rental at the trade deadline in 2018. After a two-year stop in Vegas in 2018-19 and 2019-20, he went back to Winnipeg for two more seasons before joining Carolina last season where he was down to 22 points in 73 games while playing exclusively in their bottom six.
Stastny acknowledged to LeBrun that there was some interest in him during the summer but he decided he wanted to wait it out for a bit to see how he felt. Then, as time progressed, he felt that retirement was the right choice for him. It wasn’t his intention to make his decision public, telling LeBrun that “I kind of came into the league quietly and I’m leaving the league quietly. That’s the way I like it.” He hasn’t ruled out returning to hockey in some sort of front office capacity down the road but that’s not on the immediate horizon.
Stastny hangs up his skates after 1,195 career NHL games where he had 293 goals and 529 assists. His 822 points put him in 20th place among U.S.-born players in league history.
Avalanche Provide Injury Update On Makar, Byram
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar shared that Cale Makar and Bowen Byram are both banged up, but one of the two will play in the team’s Wednesday matchup.
Makar was on the receiving end of a dangerous play by the Buffalo Sabres’ Kyle Okposo and left the ice briefly. He was able to return for the third period but is still banged up enough to bring his availability into question. Makar has continued his dominant career into this season, netting three goals and nine points through eight games so far this season. The former Norris Trophy winner is undeniably one of the best defenders in the NHL, making even one game without him something tough to stomach.
Byram hasn’t carried the same esteem as Makar this season, though he’s still managed to make impacts through eight games on the season. He’s tallied two points, 14 penalty minutes, and a +2 on the year. Byram’s next game will be his 100th NHL game – an impressive milestone for the former fourth-overall selection. The 22-year-old has managed 45 points and 87 penalty minutes in the 99 career games he’s played so far.
This announcement brings some clarity to Colorado calling up Caleb Jones earlier today. The veteran of 217 NHL games failed to establish himself in Colorado’s training camp, although he has managed four points in eight AHL games this season. It’s the first time that Jones has played in the AHL since 2019-20, when he tallied 11 points in 14 AHL games. He will likely serve as the top fill-in option for an Avalanche team that isn’t currently carrying any other extra defenders. If Jones does slot in, Colorado will become the third NHL team that he’s played for.
Avalanche Assign Corey Schueneman To Minors
The Avalanche have sent left-shot defenseman Corey Schueneman back to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, per a team release. Doing so frees up a roster spot for the Avs, who now have 21 out of the maximum 23 players on the NHL roster and have exactly $2MM remaining in their LTIR pool.
Colorado signed Schueneman to a one-year, two-way contract when free agency opened on July 1. The undrafted defender spent most of last season in the minors but saw seven games of NHL ice with the Canadiens in the back half of 2022-23. Those appearances brought his NHL total to 31 after he appeared in 24 games on the injury-decimated blueline for the Canadiens in 2021-22.
Schueneman did not make the Avs’ opening night roster this year, clearing waivers almost a week before rosters were due. The 28-year-old played just two games for the Eagles before getting a recall to the NHL roster last weekend to serve as extra depth on a three-game road trip on the East Coast. He didn’t get into a game during his recall, though, instead serving as a healthy scratch for all three contests against the Islanders, Penguins and Sabres.
Over his 31 NHL contests, all with the Canadiens, Schueneman has two goals and five assists for seven points. He’s averaged 16:10 per game and struggled to control possession relative to his teammates, posting an even-strength Corsi share of 45.1% and a relative Corsi share of -2.3% despite receiving favorable offensive zone usage. He did post a respectable 23 points and +13 rating in 62 contests with AHL Laval last season.
Schueneman, who’s due a guaranteed salary of $450K this season, is slated for UFA status in 2024.
Avalanche Recall Corey Schueneman
The Avalanche have decided to bring up some defensive depth as they announced (Twitter link) the recall of blueliner Corey Schueneman from AHL Colorado.
The 27-year-old is in his first season with the Avs after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them in free agency back in July. He has played in two games so far in the minors with the Eagles and has yet to hit the scoresheet. Prior to that, he had an assist in two preseason contests.
Schueneman has seen NHL action in each of the last two seasons, both with Montreal. Between those years, he has suited up 31 times, picking up two goals and five assists while logging a little over 16 minutes per night. He spent the bulk of his time those years in the minors with AHL Laval, notching 34 points in 94 contests.
With the Avalanche viewing Kurtis MacDermid (who can play the back end and on the wing) as a forward, they’ve basically been carrying the minimum of six defensemen so it’s not surprising that they’ve opted to bring up some insurance now as they embark on a three-game road trip. Colorado had two open roster spots so no corresponding move needed to be made to add Schueneman to their roster while they will be dipping into their LTIR pool using Pavel Francouz‘s money to afford him under the salary cap.
Trent Miner And Gianni Fairbrother Assigned To ECHL
- Colorado’s AHL squad announced that they’ve sent goaltender Trent Miner, forward Ryan Sandelin, and defenseman Gianni Fairbrother to ECHL Utah. Miner posted a 3.04 GAA along with a .910 SV% in 37 games with the Grizzlies last season and is in the final season of his entry-level deal. Sandelin wrapped up his college career last year with Minnesota State (Mankato), putting up 29 points in 38 games which helped him earn a minor league deal. As for Fairbrother, the Avalanche acquired him as part of the Alex Newhook trade this summer but missed all of last season with a knee injury. He’s also in the final season of his entry-level pact.
Devon Toews Signs Seven Year Extension In Colorado
4:46 p.m.: PuckPedia has the full breakdown of Toews’ deal, which reads as follows. Toews has a full no-movement clause in 2024-25 and 2025-26, which downgrades to a 12-team no-trade list in 2026-27 and remains in place for the life of the deal.
2024-25: $7.75MM salary
2025-26: $7.75MM salary
2026-27: $5.25MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2027-28: $7.75MM salary
2028-29: $7.75MM salary
2029-30: $7.5MM salary
2030-31: $6MM salary
11:16 a.m.: Devon Toews has signed a seven-year contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche. The contract will start in the 2024-25 season and end following the 2030-31 season. The new deal carries an annual cap hit of $7.25MM, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, or a $50.75MM total value. The deal starts in Toews’ age-30 season and ends following his age-37 year. This likely means that Toews will spend the rest of his career with the Avalanche, something he expressed interest in before the season started. Toews joined the Avalanche via trade ahead of the 2020-21 season, when Colorado sent two second-round picks to the Islanders for him.
Since then, Toews has played in an even 200 games with the Avalanche, recording 139 points along the way. He’s become a featured piece of the Avalanche roster, averaging around 25 minutes of ice time each night through his first three seasons with the club. He was also a major piece of the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, playing in 20 games and netting 15 points while averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time through the postseason.
Despite multiple 50-point seasons and a track record of success with the Avalanche, Toews didn’t make the NHL until he was 24. The defender was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft, following his freshman year at Quinnipiac University. He would go on to play through his junior year, before moving to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL for the 2016-17 season. Toews recorded 45 points in 76 AHL games that year – his first season of pro hockey. He would go on to play in 54 more AHL games over the next two seasons, before playing his rookie season in the NHL in 2018-19. He appeared in 116 games with the Islanders over two seasons, scoring 47 points, before being dealt to Colorado.
Toews has one assist and a +2 rating in one game this season.
Evening Notes: Toews, Hurricanes, Mechura
Adrian Dater wrote on X today that the Colorado Avalanche and Devon Toews have made some progress toward a contract extension for the pending free-agent defenseman, but he is hearing that they aren’t nearing a deal yet. Dater added that he isn’t sure if Toews will negotiate into the regular season, but his sense is that both sides will continue talking.
Toews has been widely regarded as one of the NHL’s best bargains over the last few seasons since joining the Avalanche in 2020. He is in the final season of a four-year contract that carries an AAV of $4.1MM and could come close to doubling his cap hit on a long-term deal. The 29-year-old has posted 29 goals and 109 assists in 199 games as a member of the Avalanche and has received Norris Trophy consideration in each of the past three seasons.
In other evening notes:
- Cory Lavalette of The Athletic tweeted today that Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Don Waddell has said that the team is not actively shopping any of their defensemen. The Hurricanes currently have four defensemen who are pending unrestricted free agents in Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Jalen Chatfield, and appear uninterested in moving out any of their depth. While Waddell said the team isn’t actively trying to move out anyone, he didn’t close the door on a trade should a team come along with a good offer for one of the team’s rearguards.
- Mark Divver of NHL.com is reporting that the Providence Bruins have signed 20-year-old undrafted center Adam Mechura to a two-year AHL contract. The native of Pisek, Czech Republic played for the Bruins at the Prospects Challenge before he was invited to the Providence training camp. The 6’4” 208-pounder spent last season in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans where he posted 26 goals and 26 assists in 58 games. The Bruins are looking for creative ways to build depth after spending many years moving out future assets, with this move they essentially get a young player with size into their AHL lineup without giving up an asset.
AHL’s Colorado Eagles Sign Joel Kiviranta, Peter Holland
After attending Colorado Avalanche training camp on professional tryouts, forwards Joel Kiviranta and Peter Holland have inked one-year contracts with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Both players have significant NHL experience, although Kiviranta’s is more recent, logging 70 games for the Dallas Stars last season.
Kiviranta, 27, had high hopes of securing a fourth-line job in the NHL, but he was passed over in favor of a Dallas teammate last season, Fredrik Olofsson. The Finnish winger notched a career-high eight goals last season but only registered one assist for nine points – poor production given his games played total and ice time (12:09 per game). He’ll now try and earn his way back to the sport’s highest level by taking on a significant role in the minors with Colorado. Kiviranta’s lone stint in the AHL came in 2019-20, recording 12 goals, 11 assists and 23 points in 48 games with the Texas Stars.
Holland was much less likely to earn an NHL job, so it’s fair to call this a successful tryout for the 32-year-old center who retired from hockey after the 2021-22 campaign. A 2009 first-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Holland last played in the AHL in 2018-19 before departing for overseas play the following season. He was always a strong producer in the minors, recording 222 points in 252 AHL contests across seven seasons, but couldn’t lock down a full-time NHL role outside of a three-year period with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes in the mid-2010s. Holland and Kiviranta will play vital roles to begin the season with the Eagles, who are without three projected regulars (Alex Beaucage, Jean-Luc Foudy, and Chris Wagner) due to injuries.
Colorado Avalanche Place Pavel Francouz On LTIR, Recall Two
The Colorado Avalanche have placed backup netminder Pavel Francouz on long-term injured reserve, providing the necessary cap space for the club to recall two players: forward Riley Tufte and netminder Justus Annunen.
Francouz remains out dealing with a long-term injury, and the Avalanche have been proactive in shoring up their backup goalie job in his absence. The club claimed former Arizona Coyotes netminder Ivan Prosvetov off of waivers yesterday, and now appear to be setting up for Annunen and Prosvetov to compete for starts behind starter Alexandar Georgiev.
Tufte, like Prosvetov, found himself on season-opening waivers although he ended up unclaimed. That allowed the Avalanche to temporarily stash the 2016 first-round pick in the AHL before returning him to the NHL today.
Tufte is a hulking six-foot-six winger whose offense never quite developed as hoped, though he did score 19 goals in the AHL last season. He’s slated to grapple for a bottom-six role in head coach Jared Bednar’s lineup this season.
Avalanche Acquire Caleb Jones From Hurricanes
Defenseman Caleb Jones is headed from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for minor-league forward Callahan Burke, per a team announcement. Burke will remain on loan from Carolina to AHL Colorado, as the Hurricanes are without an AHL affiliate for this season. The trade comes after the Hurricanes had also loaned Jones to AHL Colorado earlier this week, but they’ve now transferred his NHL rights to Colorado too.
Jones signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with the Hurricanes this offseason but failed to make a dent in their defensive depth chart and did not earn a spot on head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s season-opening roster.
While he would have served as capable depth for the Hurricanes, it does appear that he has a stronger opportunity to make it back to the NHL (where he spent the entirety of 2022-23) in Colorado.
Since the Avalanche now consider Kurtis MacDermid a forward, the club is only carrying six defensemen on its opening-night roster.
Veteran Jack Johnson is currently slated to be the team’s third-pairing left-shot defenseman. He only played in 25 games last season, though, and at 36 years old the question of whether he’ll be able to keep up with the pace of the NHL for a full season is a fair one. Now that his NHL rights belong to Colorado, Jones has a clearer path back to the NHL.
For Carolina, this move accomplishes two things. First and foremost, it’s a courtesy to a player who spent all of last season in the NHL, as this move as mentioned provides Jones a stronger chance of cracking an NHL lineup.
Beyond that, while this trade doesn’t make any impact on the Hurricanes’ salary cap picture, it does save them quite a bit of actual cash.
Jones was signed to a one-way deal, meaning he is slated to be paid $775k this season, regardless of if he plays in the NHL or AHL. Burke, on the other hand, is on a two-way deal that owes him $125k at the AHL level.
So assuming Burke ends up playing the whole season with the Colorado Eagles, this move could end up saving the Hurricanes $650,000 in cash.
That’s not to say Burke won’t find his way to Carolina this season, in all fairness to him. Now 26, Burke is a capable player, having scored 39 points in the AHL last season. He even made his NHL debut for the Avalanche last season as well.
But a recall does have to be considered somewhat unlikely. In the case of injuries on Carolina’s NHL roster, the Organization could very well prefer to recall a player the Hurricanes have a longstanding investment in such as Jamieson Rees, rather than Burke.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images