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Florida Panthers Sign Marek Alscher

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5:03 p.m.: Alscher’s contract carries a cap hit of $897K, per CapFriendly. The breakdown of his contract is as follows:

2023-24: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus
2024-25: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus

In the minors each season, Alscher will receive a salary of $82.5K. Given Alscher is yet to turn 19, his contract is eligible to slide to 2024-25 if he’s returned to the Winterhawks next year. He’ll be due a qualifying offer of $897,750 upon hitting restricted free agency.

9:19 a.m.: The Florida Panthers have signed Marek Alscher, according to a team release. The entry-level contract is a three-year agreement that will begin next season, keeping the prospect in the Panthers organization through the 2025-26 season.

Alscher was a third-round pick of the Panthers in the 2022 NHL Draft and is playing in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks. The 18-year-old has scored seven goals and 21 points in 54 games this season, his second in Portland. Last season, Alscher scored seven goals and 16 points in 61 games. The Winterhawks have been a strong team each season, and Alscher has carved out a big role for them.

The 6-foot-3 and 196-pound left-shooting defenseman has put up decent production for his age and position, but he is known more for his defensive game. He is a big, strong defender that is counted on to shut down the opposition and clear out the front of the net, making life easier for his goaltenders.

Alscher suited up for Czechia at the 2022 Ivan Hlinka tournament, scoring one point in four games.

The Panthers are a team that has no problem scoring goals but could use some help on the blue line. Alscher will need some time to refine his all-around game, but after trading away many draft picks in recent years, Alscher was their first selection in last year’s draft. They will be counting on him to continue his development with the Winterhawks this season, and possibly next as a 19-year-old, before turning pro in 2024-25.

Anthony Duclair Returns From Illness

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  • The Florida Panthers announced Anthony Duclair will be in the lineup tonight. Duclair missed last night’s overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks with an illness, but is good to go this evening as the Panthers host the Winnipeg Jets. The Panthers are scratching and clawing for every point as they sit four points back of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Duclair has been limited to just five games this season after suffering an achilles tendon injury in the offseason, and has added three points in those games.

Poll: Who Will Be The Wild Card Teams In The Eastern Conference?

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Now that the NHL and AHL trade deadlines have passed, the league is full speed ahead toward the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With between 15-18  games left in the regular season, there are only nine points separating the seventh-place and 13th-place teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

If the season ended today, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins would cross the finish line as the wild-card winners in the East. In their last ten games, respectively, the Islanders are 7-2-1, while the Penguins are 5-4-1. Whether or not they have the rosters to get it done, both teams made moves at the deadline in hopes of making the playoffs this year.

Following behind them, the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators are making the strongest case to move past the Islanders and Penguins. In their last ten, the Panthers are 6-4-0, while the Senators are 7-3-0. The Panthers are not the same dominant team that they were last year, but they still have an extremely talented roster led by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.

The Senators are following a much different course. After a few seasons of rebuilding, the Senators are finally a fun hockey team to watch again. After signing Claude Giroux and making a trade for Alex DeBrincat, the Senators had hope for meaningful games in April at the beginning of the season. Starting slow out of the gate, it seems this team has put it all together as the season has progressed. By acquiring top trade candidate Jakob Chychrun at the deadline, the Senators have the team to bring the Eastern wild-card race down to the wire.

Rounding out the last of the group that could theoretically reach the playoffs, the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings are still within striking distance. The Capitals and Red Wings both chose to sell at the deadline, while the Sabres’ biggest move was acquiring Jordan Greenway from the Minnesota Wild. The Sabres have a similar aura around them as the Senators, after they too have an exciting team after years of rebuilding. However, all three of these teams have a losing record in their last ten games, with the Sabres’ last game being a 10-4 blowout loss to the Dallas Stars.

So who will it be PHR readers? Cast your vote and let us know which two teams will win the wild-card race in the East.

Trade Deadline Roundup: Eastern Conference

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While trade deadline day was largely a dud in itself, that was because so many moves were made in the days leading up to March 3rd.  With that in mind, here is a recap of the trades made in the Eastern Conference in the ten days leading up to deadline day to show who all moved where in what was a busy trade period overall.  Players and picks that were acquired and then flipped are only noted for their final destination.

Boston Bruins

Acquired: F Shane Bowers, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Garnet Hathaway, D Dmitry Orlov, F Andrei Svetlakov

Traded: G Keith Kinkaid, F Craig Smith, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick

Buffalo Sabres

Acquired: F Jordan Greenway, D Riley Stillman, D Austin Strand, 2023 third-round pick (LA), 2025 seventh-round pick (NSH)

Traded: F Rasmus Asplund, F Josh Bloom, F Anders Bjork, G Erik Portillo, D Chase Priskie, 2023 second-round pick (VGK), 2024 fifth-round pick

Carolina Hurricanes

Acquired: D Shayne Gostisbehere, F Jesse Puljujarvi

Traded: F Patrik Puistola, 2026 third-round pick

Columbus Blue Jackets

Acquired: G Jon Gillies, G Michael Hutchinson, 2023 first-round pick (LA), 2023 fifth-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (LA), 2025 seventh-round pick (VGK)

Traded: D Vladislav Gavrikov, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Gustav Nyquist, Jakub Voracek, 2023 sixth-round pick

Detroit Red Wings

Acquired: F Dylan McLaughlin, 2023 first-round pick (NYI), 2023 second-round pick (VAN), 2023 fourth-round pick (MIN), 2024 first-round pick (BOS), 2025 fourth-round pick (BOS), 2025 seventh-round pick (STL)

Traded: F Tyler Bertuzzi, D Filip Hronek, F Oskar Sundqvist, F Jakub Vrana

Florida Panthers

No trades made

Montreal Canadiens

Acquired: D Frederic Allard, F Denis Gurianov, D Tony Sund, 2024 fifth-round pick (SJ)

Traded: F Evgenii Dadonov, D Arvid Henrikson, F Nate Schnarr

New Jersey Devils

Acquired: G Zacharie Emond, F Timur Ibragimov, F Curtis Lazar, F Timo Meier, D Santeri Hatakka, 2024 fifth-round pick (COL)

Traded: F Andreas Johnsson, D Shakir Mukhamadullin, D Nikita Okhotyuk, F Fabian Zetterlund, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fourth-round pick, 2024 seventh-round pick

New York Islanders

Acquired: F Pierre Engvall

Traded: 2024 third-round pick

New York Rangers

Acquired: F Anton Blidh, D Wyatt Kalynuk, F Patrick Kane, F William Lockwood, D Cooper Zech, 2026 seventh-round pick (VAN)

Traded: F Vitali Kravtsov, F Austin Rueschhoff, F Gustav Rydahl, D Andy Welinski, 2023 second-round pick, 2025 third-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick

Ottawa Senators

Acquired: F Patrick Brown, D Jakob Chychrun

Traded: D Nikita Zaitsev, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick

Philadelphia Flyers

Acquired: F Brendan Lemieux, 2023 sixth-round pick (OTT), 2024 fourth-round pick (LA)

Traded: F Patrick Brown, F Zack MacEwen, F Isaac Ratcliffe

Pittsburgh Penguins

Acquired: F Nick Bonino, F Peter DiLiberatore, F Mikael Granlund, D Dmitry Kulikov, 2024 third-round pick (VGK)

Traded: F Teddy Blueger, F Brock McGinn, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick

Tampa Bay Lightning

Acquired: F Michael Eyssimont, F Tanner Jeannot

Traded: D Cal Foote, F Vladislav Namestnikov, 2023 third-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, 2025 first-round pick

Toronto Maple Leafs

Acquired: D Erik Gustafsson, F Sam Lafferty, D Jake McCabe, D Luke Schenn, F Radim Zohorna, 2023 first-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (NYI), 2024 fifth-round pick (CHI), 2025 fifth-round pick (CHI)

Traded: F Joey Anderson, F Pierre Engvall, F Pavel Gogolev, F Dryden Hunt, D Rasmus Sandin, 2023 third-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick

Washington Capitals

Acquired: D Rasmus Sandin, F Craig Smith, 2024 third-round pick (BOS), 2024 third-round pick (MIN), 2025 second-round pick (BOS), 2025 second-round pick (COL)

Traded: F Lars Eller, D Erik Gustafsson, F Garnet Hathaway, F Marcus Johansson, D Dmitry Orlov

Latest On Radko Gudas

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  • After some rumors today of Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas garnering trade interest, it seems the team is actually more interested in keeping the veteran defenseman in South Florida. Via WPLG Local 10 News’ David Dwork, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito said the team would “like to keep Gudas” if possible, and that early discussions on a possible contract extension for Gudas have been held. The physical 32-year-old blueliner has an expiring $2.5MM cap hit and has blossomed into a crucial defensive force for the Panthers, averaging over two and a half minutes per game on their penalty kill.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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March 3: All three players on waivers yesterday cleared and are eligible to be sent to the American Hockey League. Derrick Pouliot can continue to play with the San Jose Barracuda while Jean-Francois Berube and Evan Fitzpatrick are likely to stay in the minor leagues as well. James Mirtle added there were no new players place on waivers today.

March 2: Three players have hit the waiver wire, all with brand-new contracts in hand. Derrick Pouliot has signed a one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks for the rest of the season, after previously playing under an AHL deal. To stay with the San Jose Barracuda, he needs to clear waivers first. Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reports that Pouliot’s pro-rated contract is worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 at the AHL level.

Joining him on the wire are Jean-Francois Berube and Evan Fitzpatrick, who have both signed with the Florida Panthers. PuckPedia reports that Berube’s one-year deal is worth $750K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL, while CapFriendly reports Fitzpatrick’s is $75K in the AHL.

Both players from yesterday have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Pouliot, 29, has been effective with the Barracuda this season, but it is a bit curious to see him sign a contract now. It seems unlikely that the Sharks would need to recall him unless they are involved in trade talks on several other defensemen, or don’t want to bring up some of the other younger names available.

For the Panthers, adding two goaltenders is just in case of an emergency, while Spencer Knight continues in the Player Assistance Program. Without him, Mack Guzda was the only other netminder in the organization signed to an NHL contract.

Snapshots: Stanley, Red Wings, Panthers

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Entangled in all of the trade deadline chaos, Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reports that Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Logan Stanley has requested a trade from the team. Strickland also notes that Winnipeg is not guaranteed to move on from the young defenseman.

Drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Stanley hasn’t entirely found his footing in Winnipeg. Last year, Stanley played relatively well throughout the season, racking up a modest 13 points in 58 games played. Also, as he is a defenseman that plays to his size, the 6’7″ defenseman managed to accrue 131 hits and 100 blocks over the course of last year. With a couple of trips to the injured reserve this season, Stanley desires a fresh start outside of Winnipeg. Because of his youth and contract status with the team, it is possible that Winnipeg could retain Stanley and try to repair a relationship that has soured for at least one side. If the relationship can’t be repaired, the playoff-hopeful Jets could send him to another team in an individual trade, or look to include Stanley in a larger deal.

Other notes:

  • The Detroit Red Wings announced today that Jordan Oesterle has been activated off of injured reserve, while forward Michael Rasmussen has been placed on the IR. Rasmussen appeared to have a lower-body injury after taking a shot off the knee in Detroit’s Saturday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now in his 4th season in the NHL, Rasmussen never seemed to live up to his ninth overall draft selection. Topping out at 27 points in 80 games last year, Rasmussen has played far better this year under new head coach Derek Lalonde. Playing in only 56 games so far this season, Rasmussen has produced a new career high of 29 points. After the trade of Tyler Bertuzzi earlier this morning, the Red Wings will now be without another valuable forward in the lineup.
  • Florida Panthers announce that forward Grigori Denisenko has been loaned back to the Panthers’ AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers. A frequent call-up of the Panthers this season, Denisenko has appeared in 18 games, scoring a total of three points. Denisenko will now join the third-place Checkers as he helps the team push for the playoffs in the AHL

Florida Panthers To Be Without Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett Short-term

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  • The Florida Panthers will be without two forwards for miss Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett have been ruled out for the game by head coach Paul Maurice, the team announced via Twitter. The injuries are not expected to be long-term, as they are both likely to return this weekend. Barkov has 50 points in 49 games this season, while Bennett has 35 points in 56 games.

Spencer Knight Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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According to a joint statement from the NHL and NHLPA Thursday, Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and will be unavailable to the Panthers for an indefinite period while he receives care.

The announcement comes after Knight was assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday, in a move most assumed was meant to purely clear salary cap space for Anthony Duclair’s return to the lineup.

Knight will continue to be paid while receiving treatment and will rejoin the Panthers when he’s cleared to return to on-ice competition by program administrators.

Knight, Florida’s 2019 first-round draft pick, is supplanting himself as a high-end tandem netminder despite being just 21 years old. In 21 appearances (19 starts) this season, Knight has a 9-8-3 record, a .901 save percentage, and a shutout. He’d appeared just four times since January 1, however, as a variety of injuries and illnesses had kept him out of the lineup.

Alex Lyon, who has a .887 save percentage in six NHL appearances this year, will back up starter Sergei Bobrovsky for the time being as the Panthers continue to chase a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

PHR extends our wishes to Knight that he gets the support he needs.

Florida Panthers Recall Grigori Denisenko, Zac Dalpe

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The Florida Panthers have announced the recall of forwards Grigori Denisenko and Zac Dalpe from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. The move comes as the Panthers are dealing with injuries to key players, including captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, who are both day-to-day with “lingering injury issues,” per head coach Paul Maurice.

Denisenko returns to the NHL after being sent to the minors two days ago. The 21-year-old Russian has appeared in 17 games for the Panthers this season, recording three assists. The Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Denisenko is known for his speed and skill, but his NHL opportunities have been limited, and he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.

Dalpe, 31, has scored 14 goals in 32 games for the Checkers this season and remains the team’s captain. A veteran of nearly 500 AHL games, Dalpe also has two goals and two assists in 11 appearances with Florida this season. He provides veteran depth in a fourth-line role for the Panthers after they lost Chris Tierney on waivers to the Montreal Canadiens yesterday.

In addition to the recalls, the Panthers will get a boost tonight in perhaps their biggest game of the year against the Buffalo Sabres, as the two teams remain in a tight Eastern Conference Wild Card race. As expected, Maurice confirmed Anthony Duclair will make his season debut after completing his recovery from an Achilles tear. The 27-year-old was a key contributor for the Panthers last season, recording 31 goals, 27 assists, and 58 points in 74 games.

To create the salary cap flexibility needed to activate Duclair and allow for the recalls, it’s expected that Givani Smith was placed on long-term injured reserve. The 24-year-old forward was hit in the face by a shot from teammate Radko Gudas during a game Monday. Smith has appeared in 22 games for the Panthers this season, recording a goal and three assists after he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

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