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Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Three Players

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The Florida Panthers officially have agreed to terms with Dryden Hunt, Thomas Schemitsch and Jayce Hawryluk on one-year two-way contracts. Hawryluk’s agreement had been previously reported, with CapFriendly noting that he had accepted his qualifying offer worth $874K in the NHL. The other two will earn $715K at the NHL level. All three will still be restricted free agents next summer.

Hunt, 23, is one of the players who has quietly developed into a legitimate NHL option for the Panthers the last few seasons. Undrafted out of the WHL, Hunt ended up exploding in his final year of junior to the tune of 58 goals and 116 points in 72 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors. Jumping to the professional ranks didn’t slow him down, and he has now posted consecutive 23-goal seasons for the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds, despite spending time in both seasons with the Panthers. In 42 NHL games he has 11 points, and he heads into 2019-20 as a player fighting for a role on an improved team. If he can make it, it’s hard to bet against a player that has been overlooked for so long but defied the odds at every opportunity.

Hawryluk is another player who will be battling for a chance to start the year in the NHL, but comes with a much higher draft pedigree. The 32nd overall pick in 2014 made his NHL debut last season, suiting up 42 times for the Panthers and recorded 12 points. Hawryluk has proven he can hang in the bottom-six for the Panthers, but with additions like Brett Connolly and Noal Acciari lengthening out the lineup, there is no guarantee he sees a full season this year.

Schemitsch, 22, is the only one of the three yet to make his debut in the NHL but is not to be overlooked. The third round pick from 2015 had 24 points in 56 games for Springfield while also having the size and reach to handle defensive coverage at the professional level. The 6’4″ defenseman will continue to try and take the necessary developmental steps to make it to the highest level, though things are a little crowded there after the addition of Anton Stralman in free agency.

Florida Panthers Sign Three Players

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Both Anthony Greco and Dominic Toninato decided not to file for arbitration earlier this month, but they won’t have to wait through a long contract negotiation. The pair of minor league forwards have both agreed to one-year, two-way contracts with the Panthers. According to PuckPedia, Jayce Hawryluk has also signed, accepting his two-way qualifying offer worth $874K at the NHL level.

Greco, 25, made his NHL debut last season for the Panthers while also putting up a career season in the minor leagues. The undrafted forward scored 30 goals and 59 points for the Springfield Thunderbirds, leading them in both categories. That kind of offensive production is more than anyone saw coming with Greco, who never cracked 23 points in a single season at Ohio State University where he played for four years.

Toninato is a bit of a different story. Originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012, he also went the NCAA route for four years. After signing with the Colorado Avalanche however, he quickly made it to the NHL and suited up 37 times in 2017-18. Incredibly, Toninato was held to just two assists in those 37 NHL games and has just three points total over 39 contests. After a trade brought him to Florida it seems unlikely that he’ll get a real shot with the Panthers before proving himself in their minor league system.

That may not be the cast for Hawryluk, who will be battling for a roster spot right from the beginning of the season. The 23-year old played 42 games for the Panthers last season and recorded 12 points, establishing himself as a legitimate NHL option. Whenever he was in the minor leagues he dominated the competition, and looks about as ready as he’ll ever be for the big stage. The 32nd overall pick from 2014, Hawryluk has even more competition for the last few spots on the roster thanks to free agent additions like Brett Connolly and Noal Acciari pushing everyone down a peg.

Atlantic Notes: Divisional Upgrades?, McAvoy, Barre-Boulet

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Despite quite a bit of movement this offseason, it doesn’t look like much has changed in the Atlantic Division. With three teams that have dominated the division for the past few seasons, several teams were hoping to vault themselves into contention for the top of the Atlantic. However, The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) analyzes each line of each divisional team and comes to the conclusion that little has changed.

The Boston Bruins are in the top half of the division on almost every line from forwards to defensemen and especially show off their defensive depth to still be ranked at the top. The Toronto Maple Leafs have also improved their team with a number of defensive additions and have quite a bit of forward depth as always, but their third-pairing depth is expected to be at the bottom of the division. Tampa Bay continues to be one of the strongest teams with a number of top lines throughout the division.

While many feel that Florida has taken that next step after the team signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and added a pair of depth forwards in Brett Connolly and Noel Acciari, the Panthers find themselves in the middle of the pack for most of their lines. Even Bobrovsky doesnt’ give Florida that big of an advantage considering that he’s now in a division with Frederik Andersen, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tuukka Rask and Carey Price.

  • The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that after the Boston Bruins inked forward Danton Heinen to a two-year deal at $2.8MM AAV, the Bruins will now focus their attention on their two most challenging restricted free agents in Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. The negotiations should prove challenging as the team hopes to keep their combined total to under $10MM per season. The team should be able to handle that. However, if they combine for closer to $11-12MM, the team will have to make some roster moves to free up some cap space. McAvoy, who has scored 14 goals and 60 points over two seasons and has proven the ability to be the team’s lead defenseman should get the most of that money, but Carlo’s development seems to have increased his value during the playoffs and he should get quite a raise as well.
  • With some openings at the bottom of their offensive depth chart, NHL.com’s Bryan Burns writes in his recent mailbag piece that there are a number of AHL players that are ready to challenge for these openings, including Alex Barre-Boulet, Carter Verhaeghe at the top of the list. Barre-Boulet, who the team signed out of the QMJHL after he went undrafted, dominated in his first season in the AHL last season, while Verhaeghe finally posted a dominant season with the Syracuse Crunch after toiling in the ECHL for several years. Tampa Bay, which has proven to be proficient in developing their players for NHL duty, also have a number of other prospects close to ready as well, including Alexander Volkov, Mitchell Stephens and Cory Conacher.

Minor Transactions: 07/12/19

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Ryan Dzingel and Jack Hughes may have been the biggest news stories of the day, but more has happened in the hockey world. As always, we’re here to keep track of all the minor moves around the league:

  • The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have signed seven players, inking Steve Bernier, John Stevens, Nick Schilkey, Nic Pierog, Kyle MacLean, Mike Cornell and Ryan MacKinnon to one-year AHL contracts. Bernier is likely the most recognizable name in the group, as the 34-year old was a first-round pick and played 637 NHL games. Bernier has spent the last three seasons with the Sound Tigers, scoring 24 goals and 42 points last year.
  • Juho Lammikko has returned to Finland instead of re-signing with the Florida Panthers. The  23-year old forward played 40 games with Florida last season but failed to score a single goal and recorded just six assists. A third-round pick in 2014, his rights will be retained thanks to the qualifying offer extended from the Panthers last month but Lammikko will play for Karpat this season in Finland’s top league.
  • The Iowa Wild have signed Mitch McLain, Nick Boka, Alex Breton and Jack Sadek to AHL contracts for the 2019-20 season, bringing in some more depth for the organization. McLain returns to the team after spending his first full professional season with Iowa last year, scoring 20 points in 58 games. Boka meanwhile will stay in the Minnesota system after four years at the University of Michigan, despite his exclusive draft rights expiring later this summer.

Kevin Roy Signs With Florida Panthers

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July 8: The Panthers have confirmed the signing of Roy to a one-year, two-way contract.

July 4: The Florida Panthers have signed free agent forward Kevin Roy to a one-year, two-way contract according to CapFriendly. Roy was a Group VI unrestricted free agent after receiving little NHL opportunity with the Anaheim Ducks. The deal will carry an $850K salary in the NHL, and a $350K guarantee.

Roy, 26, was originally a fourth-round pick of the Ducks in 2012 after absolutely dominating the USHL. His size—5’9″ 170-lbs—was the biggest question mark about Roy, because his 104-point season for the Lincoln Stars certainly spoke for itself. After four successful seasons at Northeastern University he signed with the Ducks but hasn’t been able to climb out of the minor leagues for any length of time. In 28 career NHL contests he has just seven points, though that has been in limited ice time.

In Florida he’ll compete for a spot out of camp, and will have something of a role model to look at on the roster. Frank Vatrano is a former USHL and NCAA player that was overlooked for years because of his size, but broke out last season with 24 goals in his first full NHL season. While that is obviously an unlikely path for Roy to take, it wouldn’t be the first time that a small forward broke out in Florida. More likely is that he’ll help the Springfield Thunderbirds next season and try to bounce back from an injury riddled 2018-19.

AHL Notes: Graham, Archibald, Thunderbirds

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The Dallas Stars are making an addition to their AHL coaching staff and doing so by promoting from within. The Texas Stars announced today that Neil Graham has been named as an assistant coach for the team, leaving his previous post as head coach of the organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads. During his tenure with Idaho, Graham led the Steelheads to a 166-91-31 record over four seasons, including three consecutive 40+ win seasons and playoff berths. The 34-year-old is climbing through the pro coaching ranks quickly after spending just one year as an assistant at Mercyhurst College before taking the same role with Idaho for three seasons before his promotion to head coach. A standout player at Mercyhurst in the late 2000’s, Graham played three seasons in the minors before turning to coaching. He has an opportunity with Texas, replacing the departed Bob Jones, to learn under the tutelage of Derek Laxdal and continue growing as a coach in what appears to be a promising career in the making.

  • Veteran grinder Darren Archibald has been on and off NHL contracts throughout his pro career, often having to settle for AHL contracts with a chance to earn his way back to the top level. After playing in a dozen games last season split between the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators, recording just two points, Archibald entered the UFA market again facing the tough task of landing another two-way deal. As a result, it’s not surprising that Archibald has settled for a one-year deal with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the team announced. As far as AHL opportunities go, the Marlies tend to be one of the more talented, veteran-laden clubs with substantial media attention, giving Archibald as good a chance as anywhere in the league to prove he can still play in the NHL. In the meantime, the big winger will continue to be both a physical threat and net-front scoring force at the minor league level.
  • The Springfield Thunderbirds have announced extensions for end-of-the-year additions Liam Pecararo and Dylan MacPherson. The duo each signed one-year AHL contracts with Springfield back on April 3rd, and have now renewed those same one-way minor league pacts. Pecararo, 23, wrapped up his NCAA career with 30 points in 37 games for Northeastern University last year and recorded a point in his AHL debut. The Massachusetts native stays close to home in Springfield and hopes to be a force up front. MacPherson, 21, has great size for a defenseman and showed over the past two years with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers that he is capable of consistent offense as well. A right-handed shot who can both move the puck and defend in his own end, MacPherson is a valuable commodity for the Thunderbirds.

Jake Massie Agrees To Terms With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers have snatched up another prospect, agreeing to terms with Jake Massie on a two-year entry-level contract. Massie’s exclusive draft rights were held by the Chicago Blackhawks until recently, as he informed the University of Vermont that he intended on turning pro in late May. College players who are four years removed from their draft year are able to become unrestricted free agents 30 days after leaving college regardless of whether they have completed their NCAA eligibility; Massie played one year in the USHL and three at Vermont after being selected in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 22-year old defenseman has never been known for his offensive upside, scoring just 23 points in his three-year college career. Instead, his most obvious attributes come in the defensive zone where he has been a polished talent for several years. It wasn’t clear if that would be enough to earn him an NHL contract, but the Panthers obviously feel as though they can squeeze at least some value out of him.

For the Panthers, plays like this are easy to make. The team currently sits at only 35 contracts out of their allotted 50, meaning there is still quite a bit of work to do to fill out the organizational depth chart. Massie will be just the 11th defenseman under contract, a group that needs to fill out the blue line at both the NHL and AHL level. He’ll likely start in the minor leagues, where he can show that his defensive prowess can be a positive at the professional level.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres 2020 Offseason, Heinen, Chiarot

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While the Florida Panthers received all the attention before free agency opened on July 1 due to their excessive amount of cap space and they fact that they were attracting several of the top free agents on the market, next year’s offseason will look quite a bit different. In fact, it could be the Buffalo Sabres that could be poised to take a similar role next year before free agency opens and could find themselves the team that could lock up some of the top free agents for the 2020-21 season.

The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) writes that while a lot can change in a year, Buffalo has only nine key players under contract for the 2020-21 season along with six restricted free agents. The team is expected to be free of a number of contracts, including Zach Bogosian ($5.14MM), Marco Scandella ($4MM), Vladimir Sobotka ($3.5MM), Conor Sheary ($3MM), Jimmy Vesey ($2.28MM), Matt Hunwick ($2.25MM), Scott Wilson ($1.05MM) and Casey Nelson ($812K). Assuming the salary cap rises by approximately $2MM, the Sabres should have about $29.5MM of projected salary cap, and assuming general manager Jason Botterill can properly persuade them, could add a couple of top free agents.

Who could be available, assuming that some of them don’t re-sign with their teams in the next season? Taylor Hall, Nicklas Backstrom, Brayden Schenn, Chris Kreider, Mike Hoffman, Alex Galchenyuk, Torey Krug, Jake Muzzin, Tyson Barrie, Roman Josi, and Braden Holtby.

  • While it’s been assumed for some time that Marcus Johansson would not return to Boston, (he signed with Buffalo earlier today), The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) looked at who might replace the veteran forward this season as the third-line left wing. The problem for Boston is that the team is loaded with a number of right-shot options in Zachary Senyshyn, Karson Kuhlman or Brett Ritchie. However, general manager Don Sweeney suggested it might be best to take the third-line right wing, Danton Heinen, and move him to the left side as he possesses more versatility than the others, which could allow one of the others to move in on the right side. “I think Heinen, depending on what side you play him on,” said Sweeney when asked who could replace Johansson. “Whether it’s Karson or Senyshyn or Brett Ritchie, guys that are right shots, we could play lefty-righty and move Danton over. I think he fits into the same mold of player creative-wise.”
  • The Athletic’s Marc Dumont (subscription required) analyzes the video of the Montreal Canadiens newly signed blueliner Ben Chiarot and looks at where he might fit in their lineup. Chiarot, who told reporters that he has discussed with the coaching staff about playing on the second pairing alongside Jeff Petry. However, Dumont suggests that would be a mistake as Chiarot struggles with retrieving pucks in a timely manner, which would not work well with Petry and suggests that Brett Kulak should continue in that role like he did last season. It might be best to play him on the Canadiens’ third pairing, but that seems a waste considering his $3.5MM price tag.

 

Overseas Notes: Kiselevich, Mitchell, Rybar, McNeill

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As expected, Bogdan Kiselevich has returned home to Russia as soon as he could. The 29-year-old defenseman is back with CSKA Moscow after just one year in the NHL, as the team announced a new three-year deal. Kiselevich was clearly not impressed by his usage in North America, as word got out quickly after the season that he would return to the KHL, before even testing the NHL market. In his “rookie” season, Kiselevich played in 32 games with the Florida Panthers and contributed eight assists. Although some of his other underlying numbers suggested that Kiselevich was being underutilized in Florida, he worked mostly as the team’s No. 7. He was then traded to the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL Trade Deadline, slotting even lower in their depth chart, and did not play a single game in the regular season or postseason. Seeing as a fully healthy Kiselevich played just one game after January, it’s understandable that he was happy to return to a top role for an elite KHL club loaded with former NHLers.

  • Count Zack Mitchell as another NHL castoff looking for a larger role in the KHL. After skating in 34 NHL games between two seasons with the Minnesota Wild in 2016-17/2017-18, Mitchell was relegated to the AHL for this entire past campaign after signing with the Los Angeles Kings last summer. Still a relatively young player at 26 who also has consistent AHL production and NHL experience, Mitchell likely felt he could do better. As a result, Mitchell has signed a one-year contract with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL, the team announced. A team that missed the playoffs last season and has few elite players or familiar NHL faces, Neftekhimik needs a elite addition and hopes Mitchell can fill that role. If he can lead them back to the Gagarin Cup stage behind a highly productive season, Mitchell will likely be able to find a deal back in North America next year.
  • The Detroit Red Wings took a shot on young Slovakian goaltender Patrik Rybar last season after he had dominated the Slovakian and Czech pro ranks for several years. However, he ended up not getting much use as the fourth-string keeper in the organization. Rybar played in 37 AHL games and did not see any NHL action. In his minor league appearances, he also failed to put up the stupendous numbers that may have attracted another NHL suitor, posting a .908 save percentage and 2.49 GAA. Fortunately, those numbers were enough to turn heads in other major European leagues. Rybar has opted to sign with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga, the team announced. Karpat was the top team in the Liiga last year through the regular season and their play in net from Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Veini Vehvilainen and former NHLer Jussi Rynnas played no small role. With both of those keepers now gone, the Karpat net looks to belong to Rybar, with promising young goalie Justus Annunen, a Colorado Avalanche draft pick, as backup.
  • Mark McNeill’s precipitous drop from relevance continued last season and he is taking a drastic measure to rediscover his game. A 2011 first-round pick, McNeill was considered the top prospect of the Chicago Blackhawks for many years. Yet, to date he has just two NHL appearances to his credit. However, the heavy forward still put up good numbers in the minors in the Blackhawks’ and Dallas Stars’ systems. That is, until the past two years, when McNeill bounced around from Dallas to Nashville to Boston and posted back-to-back career lows of 25 points. Now, he must repair his image and show he can be a reliable scorer and has chosen Austria as the place to do just that. McNeill has signed with EHC Linz of the EBEL, the Black Wings announced. Linz counts Bracken Kearns and Justin Florek as their only other NHL veterans, so the opportunity will be there for McNeill to be the teams’s best player next season.

Florida Panthers Ink Philippe Desrosiers

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Wednesday: Both contracts have been made official.

Tuesday: The Florida Panthers have completed the complete restructuring of their depth chart in net, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Philippe Desrosiers has been signed to a one-year, two-way deal with a minimum $700K cap hit. The Dallas Stars product will likely compete to be third-string behind free agent addition Sergei Bobrovsky and rookie Samuel Montembeault, who has been confirmed as the backup. The trio represent a brand new lineup in goal, as the Panthers began last season with Roberto Luongo (retired), James Reimer (traded), and Michael Hutchinson (traded) in the top three spots.

Desrosiers, 23, was a second-round pick in 2013 after establishing himself as a young workhorse with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic. However, he has not lived up to that reputation in the pros, spending most of his time in the ECHL over the past four years. However, things began to change this season as Desrosiers finally played more games in the AHL than ECHL and posted a solid .910 save percentage and 2.54 GAA in 26 contests. Despite hinting at his remaining upside, Desrosiers did not earn a qualifying offer from the Stars, allowing him to test the market for a better opportunity.

Desrosier’s competition to be the next man up in AHL Springfield next year is veteran Chris Driedger and rookie Ryan Bednard. Driedger, 25, has made three NHL appearances in his career but, like Desrosiers, has also spent considerable time in the ECHL. While he may have the edge in experience and an existing familiarity with the organization entering his second year with the team, Driedger lacks some of the potential of his competitors and it may cost him in appearances. Bednard, 22, has yet to make his pro debut after signing late in the season with Florida following a postseason run with Bowling Green State University to wrap up his college career. After a stellar senior year, Bednard is likely the favorite to emerge as the No. 3 keeper for the Panthers, but his lack of pro experience may keep him from claiming the title right away.

CapFriendly reports that the Panthers have also signed AHL forward Joel Lowry to a minimum one-year, two-way contract. Lowry logged 30 points in 55 games for Springfield last season, earning himself an NHL deal for the first time in four years.

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