Stars’ Chris Tanev Remains Uncertain For Game 5
The Stars may be without their top shutdown option on defense as they attempt to take a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Final over the Oilers. Chris Tanev will officially be a game-time decision for Game 5 after blocking a shot in the second period of Game 4, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters this morning.
DeBoer said he was “optimistic” about Tanev’s ability. The veteran blue liner was seen in a walking boot while traveling back to Dallas yesterday.
If Tanev is unable to go, he may not be the only injury-related absence for the Stars tonight. DeBoer also told reporters that multiple forwards are dealing with ailments, and he likely won’t know who’s able to play until after warmup (via the team’s Bruce LeVine).
The Stars acquired Tanev, 34, from the Flames in late February for a package that included a second-round pick and defense prospect Artyom Grushnikov. While he’s only logged one assist in 17 games of postseason play, he’s been an incredibly valuable defensive presence and has averaged over 22 minutes per game.
Tanev’s +6 rating is third on the team behind Thomas Harley and Tyler Seguin (+8). He’s logged 170 minutes with Esa Lindell as his defense partner in the postseason, controlling 50.3% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
His absence would likely result in Nils Lundkvist entering the lineup for the first time this series. Veteran defensive specialist Jani Hakanpää remains unavailable with the lower-body injury that’s kept him out since mid-March, DeBoer said (via team radio host Owen Newkirk).
Lundkvist, 23, hasn’t played since Game 5 of the second round against the Avalanche and averaged just 4:27 per game in his 12 appearances earlier this postseason. Two other options, 2022 first-round pick Lian Bichsel and minor-league mainstay Derrick Pouliot, are rostered and theoretically available to play, although it would mark Bichsel’s NHL debut and Pouliot’s first playoff game since 2016 with the Penguins. Bichsel has been told to be prepared to play if Tanev is out, though, he told EP Rinkside’s Sean Shapiro.
Full 2024 List Of Expiring Draft Rights
When drafting a player out of North America or any European country with a transfer agreement, a team acquires exclusive negotiating rights for a set amount of time. Each year on June 1, a long list of players see those rights expire and become unrestricted free agents (or choose to re-enter the draft, depending on specific circumstances).
With the deadline in a matter of days, it’s time to examine which players may become UFAs (data courtesy of CapFriendly). Some of the players listed below have already signed overseas, and others will have agreements announced soon after their current rights expire.
Anaheim Ducks
LW Connor Hvidston (139th overall, 2022)
C Ben King (107th overall, 2022)
C Albin Sundsvik (160th overall, 2020)
Boston Bruins
G Reid Dyck (183rd overall, 2022)
Buffalo Sabres
C Jakub Konecny (216th overall, 2020)
LD Mats Lindgren (106th overall, 2022)
RD Albert Lyckåsen (193rd overall, 2020)
Carolina Hurricanes
RW Zion Nybeck (115th overall, 2020)
Chicago Blackhawks
RD Michael Krutil (110th overall, 2020)
Colorado Avalanche
LD Graham Sward (146th overall, 2022) rights acquired from Predators via trade
G Ivan Zhigalov (225th overall, 2022)
Dallas Stars
C Daniel Ljungman (154th overall, 2020)
Detroit Red Wings
G Jan Bednar (107th overall, 2020)
LD Tnias Mathurin (137th overall, 2022)
C Theodor Niederbach (51st overall, 2020)
Edmonton Oilers
LW Jeremias Lindewall (200th overall, 2020)
Florida Panthers
C Liam Arnsby (214th overall, 2022)
C Elliot Ekmark (198th overall, 2020)
RD Kasper Puutio (153rd overall, 2020)
Los Angeles Kings
G Juho Markkanen (112th overall, 2020)
C Kasper Simontaival (66th overall, 2020)
Minnesota Wild
C Servác Petrovský (185th overall, 2022)
Montreal Canadiens
C Jared Davidson (130th overall, 2022) (has since signed with Montreal)
C/LW Cédrick Guindon (127th overall, 2022)
LD Petteri Nurmi (194th overall, 2022)
RD Miguël Tourigny (216th overall, 2022)
New Jersey Devils
C Jaromír Pytlík (99th overall, 2020)
New York Islanders
LW Alexander Ljungkrantz (90th overall, 2020)
LD Matias Rajaniemi (183rd overall, 2020)
New York Rangers
LW Maxim Barbashev (161st overall, 2022)
C Oliver Tärnström (92nd overall, 2020)
Pittsburgh Penguins
RD Nolan Collins (167th overall, 2022)
RD Thimo Nickl (104th overall, 2020) rights acquired from Ducks via trade
San Jose Sharks
G Mason Beaupit (108th overall, 2022)
Seattle Kraken
C Kyle Jackson (196th overall, 2022)
St. Louis Blues
RW Landon Sim (184th overall, 2022)
Tampa Bay Lightning
G Nick Malík (160th overall, 2022)
Toronto Maple Leafs
LW Brandon Lisowsky (218th overall, 2022)
Utah all players selected by the Arizona Coyotes franchise, rights transferred to Utah in sale of hockey operations in April
C/LW Filip Barklund (173rd overall, 2020)
RW Elliot Ekefjärd (192nd overall, 2020)
LD Jérémy Langlois (94th overall, 2022)
Vancouver Canucks
RD Viktor Persson (191st overall, 2020)
Vegas Golden Knights
LW/C Patrick Guay (145th overall, 2022)
Washington Capitals
C Jake Karabela (149th overall, 2022)
C/RW Oskar Magnusson (211th overall, 2020)
Winnipeg Jets
LD Anton Johannesson (133rd overall, 2020)
Blue Jackets Name Don Waddell GM, President Of Hockey Operations
May 28: The Blue Jackets have signed Waddell to a multi-year deal to become the team’s GM, alternate governor and president of hockey operations, the team announced Tuesday. Interim GM John Davidson, who’s been the team’s POHO since 2021, is being transitioned into a senior advisory role.
May 25: After a search that has lasted more than three months, it appears that the Blue Jackets have zeroed in on their executive of choice to take over the front office. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Don Waddell is their choice to take over the top job in hockey operations. No agreement is in place as of yet with LeBrun suggesting that if all goes well, an announcement could be made next week. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the announcement could come on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The timing of this report doesn’t come as much surprise with Waddell having resigned from Carolina on Friday, less than 24 hours after reports emerged that he had been granted permission to speak to other teams. Generally speaking, you don’t make that type of move without having another job in place and the vacancy in Columbus is the only one in the league so it makes sense that they’re expected to reach an agreement.
Assuming everything goes well and the contract is finalized, Waddell will be tasked with reshaping a Columbus franchise that hasn’t had much success in recent years under former GM Jarmo Kekalainen.
The Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs in four straight seasons, entering an unplanned rebuild in the process. Kekalainen attempted to accelerate that with the additions of Johnny Gaudreau, Ivan Provorov, and Damon Severson in the last couple of years but Columbus wound up finishing last in the Metropolitan Division each time with the team struggling considerably in all three facets – offense, defense, and goaltending.
However, they do have a quality young core group to work with. Up front, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko, Owen Sillinger, and Yegor Chinakhov have all has some success in the NHL already and are aged 23 or younger. On the back end, David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk give them some quality options to work within what has become somewhat of a veteran defensive group. They’ll also add a key piece of the future next month with the fourth-overall selection. That’s certainly a solid foundation to try to build off of.
One of the first decisions that Waddell will need to make when the hire is made official is on the fate of the coaching staff. The Blue Jackets have technically gone through four head coaches in the last four years with Pascal Vincent taking on the job late in the offseason before Mike Babcock had even coached a single game. Will Waddell want to bring in his own choice and make it five bench bosses in five years or will he let Vincent – who is entering the final year of his contract – stick around?
Assuming this hire is made official, it will be a significant change of direction for what Columbus has previously done in management. Their previous three general managers in franchise history – Doug MacLean, Scott Howson, and Kekalainen – were all first-time hires. That certainly isn’t the case with Waddell who has 18 years of GM experience – a dozen with Atlanta and six with Carolina – on top of holding other senior titles as well. There shouldn’t be any sort of learning curve for him as there was for the others.
In his resignation from Carolina, Waddell indicated that the time had come to move on to the next chapter of his career. That next chapter will be another Metropolitan Division team with Waddell having some work to do to get the Blue Jackets back on track.
Kraken Promote Dan Bylsma To Head Coach
May 28: Bylsma was officially announced as the Kraken’s head coaching hire in a release on Tuesday. General manager Ron Francis issued the following statement on his hiring:
Dan is a winner with a proven track record of developing both young and veteran talent, and his leadership will help our team as we move forward. He has had success at every level, winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, earning a Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 2011, and he led the Firebirds to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals last year in the team’s first season. He knows our franchise and has worked with several of our NHL players. We are excited to have him behind the bench and guiding our team next season.
May 27: The Kraken are expected to promote Dan Bylsma from their minor-league affiliate to fill their head coaching vacancy, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Bylsma, who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in his first season behind an NHL bench in 2008-09, has been with the Kraken organization since its inception. He served as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, whom they shared as their affiliate with the Panthers in their inaugural season, before being named the head coach of their current affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
After winning in Pittsburgh, he stayed on as their head coach until being fired after the 2013-14 season. He took one year off before landing his second NHL head coaching gig with the Sabres, a post he held for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.
The 53-year-old has a career regular-season record of 320-190-55 (.615 winning percentage), including a pair of sub-.500 seasons with the Sabres in the early days of their attempted Jack Eichel-led rebuild. He also had a strong 43-35 (.551) playoff record in his six seasons with the Pens, advancing past the first round four times.
Friedman indicated on Monday’s episode of “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that things were trending toward Bylsma landing the gig. Kraken assistant Jay Leach was also reportedly being considered for an internal promotion, advancing along with Bylsma to the second round of interviews. Former Wild coach Dean Evason and ex-Kings bench boss Todd McLellan, who were both fired midseason, were also connected to the job as late as last week.
Bylsma takes over as the second head coach in franchise history. The Kraken relieved Dave Hakstol, who led them to one postseason appearance through their first three seasons, of his duties last month.
Unlike his days in Pittsburgh or Buffalo, Bylsma takes control over a roster without a star number-one center. Matthew Beniers may be on his way there after winning the Calder Trophy in 2023, but a difficult season production-wise (15 goals, 37 points in 77 games) this year has tempered expectations.
Perhaps no one will be more affected by Bylsma’s hiring than 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright. After a rocky draft year and a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign, the 20-year-old has excelled in Coachella Valley under Bylsma in his first professional season. The Ontario-born pivot had 47 points in 59 regular-season games and has added five points in six playoff games thus far.
Sharks Sign Will Smith To Entry-Level Deal
May 28: Smith is finalizing his entry-level agreement with the Sharks and an official announcement regarding his signing could come as soon as today, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. Smith later confirmed through the team that he’s signed his three-year pact. His deal carries the maximum $950K entry-level cap hit, awarded via an $855K base salary and $95K signing bonus each season, per PuckPedia. He can earn up to $1MM in Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses and up to $2.2MM in Schedule ‘B’ performance bonuses annually.
May 27: Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith is expected to sign with the team this summer, a move that would make him eligible to make the jump to the NHL next year.
Smith was the Sharks’ first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft and would forgo his remaining college eligibility after just one season with Boston College. The 19-year-old was dominant in his first year in the NCAA, posting 25 goals and 46 assists in just 41 games.
Smith was a huge part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 World Junior Championships registering four goals and five assists in seven games. He also just appeared for Team USA at the World Championships and dressed in five games, going scoreless.
Smith has been dominant the past few seasons, in 2022-23 he was a member of the U.S. National U18 Team and was an absolute force alongside Gabe Perreault tallying 51 goals and 76 assists in 60 games. That same year he represented Team USA U18 and the U18 World Championship and had an excellent tournament, scoring nine goals and adding 11 helpers in just seven games.
A month ago, during exit interviews, Sharks general manager Mike Grier told the media that he felt Smith was ready to make the jump to the NHL and that he was having positive conversations with Smith’s agent (per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Now, it appears that his signing will happen in the not-too-distant future.
Jets Name Scott Arniel Head Coach
The Winnipeg Jets have officially named Scott Arniel as the fifth head coach in modern franchise history (Twitter link). The deal was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Arniel served as an associate coach under Rick Bowness this season, stepping in during Bowness’ two personal leaves this season.
Arniel presided over 18 games in relief of Bownesss, posting a 10-5-3 record. It was his first time serving a head coach since the 2012-13 season, when he led the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to an 11-25-5 record. That season capped off a seven-year span of head coaching roles for Arniel – including two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets where he posted a combined 45-60-18 record. Arniel moved on from head coaching to join the New York Rangers as an associate coach in the 2013-14 season – bolstering the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals. He’d go on to serve five seasons with the Rangers before flipping to the division rival Washington Capitals, where he spent another four seasons.
Bowness would bring Arniel onto his staff when he joined Winnipeg in 2022. The pair have since led the Jets to two first-round exits, though they’ve posted a 98-57-9 record. Arniel, who played in six seasons with the Jets during his 11-year playing career, was reportedly a front-runner for Winnipeg’s vacant head coach role ever since Bowness announced his retirement. And while the club did look externally, holding interviews with Todd McLellan and Craig Berube, their next bench-leader will come from within the organization.
Arniel will take on an incredibly talented Jets lineup, headlined by star forward Mark Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who both signed long-term extension with the club last summer. But it’s a lineup subject to change, with the Jets currently carrying 10 pending free agents – including Cole Perfetti, Sean Monahan, and Tyler Toffoli – with just $13.353MM in cap space. The team is reportedly considering moving top winger Nikolaj Ehlers‘ $6MM cap hit to help free up some cap space – a potentially substantial move following Ehlers’ 61-point season. Arniel will luckily have strong supporting cast to lean on even without Ehlers, with Winnipeg still boasting each of Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Josh Morrissey under contract for next season.
It’s been four years since the Jets advanced past the first round of the playoffs, and they’ve only made the Western Conference Finals once in the 13 years since taking over for the Atlanta Thrashers. Arniel will look to buck that trend next year with a strong roster next year, though cap constraints could make it a tougher lift than he’s hoping for.
Canucks Showing Interest In Martin Necas
The Canucks will be one of the teams interested in acquiring forward Martin Nečas‘ signing rights if the Hurricanes shop him over the next few weeks, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on The Jeff Marek Show today.
Rumors around the Canucks will be all over the place in the coming week as they attempt to re-sign a large slate of big-ticket pending RFAs and UFAs, including defenseman Filip Hronek and center Elias Lindholm. While they’ll try and get extensions done for whoever they can, it’s clear the team is thoroughly examining contingency plans in case they can’t come to agreements that would allow them to stay under the salary cap.
It isn’t the first time Vancouver’s been linked to Nečas. In a brief but bizarre saga before star center Elias Pettersson signed his eight-year, $92.8MM extension in March, Friedman reported the Canucks were in “advanced” talks with Carolina about a deal for the then-pending RFA. Today, Friedman confirmed on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that Nečas would have been part of the return to Vancouver had the trade gone through.
While the 25-year-old Nečas has played mostly on the wing with the Canes, his best season was also the only one where he logged any significant time at center. His performance in the faceoff dot will always be a concern – he’s won just 41.5% of draws in his career – but he led the club in scoring in 2022-23 with 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 82 games while also lining up at center for the most games in his career.
Thus, he could be a logical replacement for Lindholm should the former Cane head to market (and, ironically, potentially replace Nečas back in Carolina). As things stand, the Nucks have $23.75MM in projected cap space next season with eight roster spots to fill. Nečas and Lindholm could both land deals in the $7MM range, although the latter is headed in the wrong direction as his production has consistently dwindled since his career year with the Flames in 2021-22. Lindholm likely repaired his value somewhat with his playoff performance, though, posting 10 points in 13 games for Vancouver while logging over 19 minutes per game.
Nečas also took a step back this season, seeing his production drop to 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games, but there’s arguably more upside/rebound potential with a player who’s four years younger. Vancouver would also be at less risk of seeing the deal become an albatross as it ages by handing out a long-term deal to the younger player.
Blackhawks, Islanders Swap 2024 First-Round Picks
The Blackhawks and Islanders are making an unusually early pick swap ahead of the 2024 draft. Chicago has acquired the Islanders’ first- and second-round picks (18th and 50th overall), while the Islanders receive the 20th overall selection (originally owned by the Lightning) and a pair of second-round picks (54th and 61st overall, previously acquired from the Kings and Canucks).
It’s unclear whether this is a precursor to a bigger move for either club. The Blackhawks had acquired the 20th overall pick from Tampa back in March 2022 as part of the return for winger Brandon Hagel. The 54th overall pick, originally slated for the Kings, was transferred to the Flyers in last year’s Ivan Provorov three-team deal before being flipped to the Blackhawks in a pick swap a few weeks later at the 2023 draft. Meanwhile, Chicago acquired the 61st pick along with center Jason Dickinson from the Canucks in exchange for defenseman Riley Stillman in October 2022.
All in all, the Hawks will move up two spots in the first round and four spots in the second at the expense of the 61st overall pick.
Chicago also owns the second overall selection in next month’s draft after winning the second lottery draw to retain the pick. After picking up Calder Trophy finalist Connor Bedard with the first-overall selection last year, they’re expected to select either Russian winger Ivan Demidov or Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov with their lottery pick this year.
The full draft order won’t be locked in until after the Stanley Cup Final ends, but Chicago drops to eight total selections from nine with today’s trade. They now own two first-rounders (2nd, 18th), two second-rounders (34th, 50th), two third-rounders (67th, 72nd), a fifth (138th) and a sixth-round pick (163rd). The Islanders move up to six total selections from five, now boasting the 20th, 54th, 61st, 115th, 147th, and 179th overall picks.
Hurricanes Name Eric Tulsky Interim GM, Don Waddell Resigns
Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell has resigned from his post, the team announced Friday. Eric Tulsky has been named the team’s interim GM.
Waddell informed Carolina owner/governor Tom Dundon of his decision this morning, telling him that he’d “come to the decision that now is the time for me to move to the next chapter of my career.” He was on an expiring contract and was being allowed to speak with other teams, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported Thursday night.
The 65-year-old has already interviewed with the Blue Jackets about the league’s lone GM vacancy, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet added.
After serving as the GM of the Atlanta Thrashers for all but their last season before moving to Winnipeg in 2011, Waddell was named the Hurricanes’ president in 2014, with an intermediary stint with the Penguins as a pro scout in between. He assumed GM duties on top of his president role before the 2018-19 season, overseeing the longest stretch of sustained success in franchise history.
While team pillars like Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin were drafted before his tenure, Waddell was the GM who promoted Rod Brind’Amour to a head coaching role. He also drafted top-line winger Andrei Svechnikov with the second overall pick in 2018, drafted Seth Jarvis 13th overall in 2020, and moved to acquire top-pairing blue liner Brent Burns from the Sharks in the summer of 2022.
The Hurricanes haven’t won a game past the second round in the Waddell/Brind’Amour era, but they have made the playoffs for six straight seasons for the first time since relocating from Hartford in 1997. A run of three straight division titles for the Canes, a franchise record, ended thanks to the Rangers’ Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign this season. He was named a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in his first season at the helm.
The change at the top comes as the Hurricanes need to re-sign nearly half their roster to new contracts next season. Jarvis and Martin Nečas are their high-priority restricted free agents, although the latter is expected to be on the move this summer as they’re far apart in negotiations. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel, a trio of important depth forwards in Jordan Martinook, Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teräväinen, as well as defensemen Jalen Chatfield, Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, are all unrestricted free agents.
While the team says it’s begun a “full search” for a permanent GM, it would surprise few to see Tulsky have his interim tag removed. He landed his first NHL job as a data analyst with the Canes back in 2014 and was eventually promoted to director of analytics in 2017 before being named an assistant GM to Waddell in 2020. He’s viewed as the organization’s second decision-maker behind Waddell and was previously connected to recent GM vacancies for the Blackhawks and Penguins, as Friedman highlighted on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
Assistant GM Darren Yorke will support Tulsky with managerial duties during his interim stint, the team confirmed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Bruins, Hurricanes Discussed Linus Ullmark Trade Before Deadline
The Bruins were shopping 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark at the trade deadline, as evidenced by reports he blocked a deal to the Kings with his 16-team no-trade clause. The Hurricanes were another one of the teams in talks to pick up the netminder, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
It’s fair to wonder if Boston and Carolina may re-engage on the framework of talks this summer with Ullmark still on the trade block. He has one season left on his contract with an affordable $5MM cap hit, and his no-trade list drops from 16 to 15 teams on July 1.
The Hurricanes got elite goaltending from Frederik Andersen in the regular season with a .932 SV%, but he was limited to 16 games due to blood clotting issues. He proceeded to struggle in postseason play, putting up an. 895 SV% as the Canes were eliminated by the Rangers in the second round thanks to a third-period collapse in Game 6.
Carolina has 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov waiting in the wings, too, after posting a .911 SV% in a career-high 40 starts, but advanced numbers suggest he wasn’t particularly far above average considering the shot quality he faced behind one of the best defenses in the league. He was good for 0.7 goals saved above expected on the year, per MoneyPuck – not a liability, but inferior to Ullmark’s consistently above-average showings since joining the Bruins in 2021-22.
In terms of a trade return, there’s a clear fit heading back from Boston to Carolina in pending restricted free agent forward Martin Nečas. Friedman didn’t disclose if he was part of trade discussions a few months back, but he certainly would be now if the teams resumed talks. He reported last week that Nečas’ ask on a contract extension is likely too far above what the Canes are willing to pay, and they’ll likely shop his signing rights this summer as a result.
While the Bruins’ offense performed better than expected after losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí to retirement, they were limited to 2.38 goals per game in 13 playoff showings. There’s a clear opportunity to upgrade their top six with some increased spending money this summer, boasting $20.9MM in cap space to fill six roster spots, per CapFriendly. A large portion of that will go to a new deal for RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman, but trading Ullmark would open up an additional $5MM to use to help shoulder a Nečas extension. Evolving Hockey projects a seven-year, $7.5MM AAV deal for Nečas this summer outside of Carolina.