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Arbitrator Rules In Favor Of Flyers In Ryan Johansen’s Grievance

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An arbitrator has ruled in favor of the Philadelphia Flyers in a grievance filed by veteran centerman Ryan Johansen, over the team’s termination of his contract prior to the 2024-25 season, shares TSN’s Darren Dreger.

The Flyers acquired Johansen alongside a conditional 2025 first-round pick at the 2024 Trade Deadline, in exchange for sending defenseman Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche. Philadelphia placed Johansen on waivers immediately after the trade, with the intentions of assigning him to the AHL and potentially flipping him before the deadline. When no trade manifested, Johansen refused to report to the minor leagues, instead claiming that he was limited by a nagging hip injury. The NHL sided with Johansen, and reversed his AHL assignment after a failed physical exam.

Johansen spent the remainder of the 2023-24 season on injured reserve. There was a clear wedge between him and the Flyers’ top brass – one that only rooted deeper as the 2024 summer went on. By August, Philadelphia decided to place Johansen on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination – citing the player’s delay in notifying them of the injury, and failure to pass physicals or report to his assignment.

Johansen passed through waivers and became an unrestricted-free agent. He filed a grievance with the NHLPA soon after, claiming the Flyers had wrongly terminated his contract. Now, a full year later, it seems the NHL will side with Philadelphia in their handling of the situation.

The implications of this decision aren’t immediately clear. Johansen had one year remaining on an eight-year, $64MM contract originally signed with the Nashville Predators in 2017 – though Philadelphia was only due $4MM in cap hit, after Nashville retained half of the contract when they traded Johansen to Colorado. The range of outcomes seems far-reaching – from Philadelphia being due that full $4MM price tag, to a settlement with the player, to no cap implications on the team’s side at all. Details on the exact impact against the Flyers will likely be revealed in the coming days.

The NHL’s last contract termination to reach headlines over a material breach came in 2015, when the Los Angeles Kings terminated forward Mike Richards’ contract with five years remaining. He was still due $22MM on the deal. Richards also filed a grievance with the NHLPA, and would end up settling with the team for an undisclosed amount before becoming a free agent. He signed for one season with the Washington Capitals following the dispute, but would retire from hockey in 2016.

It seems less likely that Johansen will return to the NHL. His play gradually dwindled throughout the 2020s – falling from 63 points in the 2021-22 season to just 23 points in 2023-24. He slowed down in all aspects, likely due to what was proven to be a very real and long-running hip injury. That slow-down pushed Johansen to Colorado’s fourth-line in his final few games with the team. With a decision in place on his grievance with the Flyers, he would realistically have time to sign a short contract, or try-out agreement, before the 2025-26 season. But those chances hinge on the 33-year-old’s recovery, and willingness to return, after a full season away from the league. If he does call his career to a close, the former fourth-overall selection will finish with 578 points in 905 games in the NHL.

Seattle Kraken Sign Ryker Evans To Two-Year Deal

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The Seattle Kraken have come to terms with their lone remaining restricted free agent. According to a team announcement, the Kraken have signed defenseman Ryker Evans to a two-year, $4.1MM ($2.05MM AAV) contract through the 2026-27 NHL season.

The Kraken selected Evans with the 35th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was coming off a solid, albeit shortened, year with the WHL’s Regina Pats, scoring three goals and 28 points in 24 games with a -4 rating. The following year, again with the Pats, Evans posted an even better 14 goals and 61 points in 63 games with a +9 rating.

Evans immediately made a name for himself in the Kraken’s organization. Seattle started him with their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, in the 2022-23 season, and he responded well with six goals and 44 points in 71 games with a +19 rating. Still, the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs put him over the top in terms of prospect rankings, scoring five goals and 26 points in 26 games with a +13 rating en route to a berth in the Calder Cup Final. He was included on the AHL All-Rookie Team at season’s end.

Despite being on everyone’s radar as one of the better prospects in Seattle’s system, Evans’ transition to the NHL didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. He skated in 36 games for the Kraken in the 2023-24 season, but only mustered one goal and nine points with a -5 rating. Still, his 54.2% CorsiFor% at even strength and 91.3% on-ice save percentage at even strength proved he was ready to play in the sport’s top league.

Given those indications in his underlying metrics, Evans earned a full-time spot on the Kraken’s roster this past season. Finishing the season with five goals and 25 points in 73 games with a -12 rating while averaging 19:29 of ice time per game in a top-four role. His underlying metrics dropped somewhat, but that’s to be expected with twice as much playing time.

Even though Evans is a promising young two-way defenseman on Seattle’s roster, his only drawback is that he doesn’t offer them anything different than what they’ve been accustomed to in the past few years. The Kraken only finished with one defenseman scoring more than 40 points last season (although Vince Dunn would have had he not missed time due to injury). Evans can be a solid offensive contributor, but he’s not expected to push for the 60 or even 50-point plateau.

Still, he’s already beaten out Jamie Oleksiak in terms of positioning on the team’s depth chart, and his spot in the lineup isn’t expected to be altered by Seattle’s signing of Ryan Lindgren this summer. He’ll likely see his ice time grow year-on-year, especially if the Kraken begin phasing out some of their older talent.

Wild Sign Jack Johnson To PTO

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The third-overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft feels he has more in the tank. According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have signed veteran defenseman Jack Johnson to a professional tryout agreement.

Johnson, 38, is coming off a one-year agreement with the team he’s spent the most years of his career with, the Columbus Blue Jackets. His performance did little to inspire confidence in his playing abilities, as he only managed six assists in 41 games while averaging 12:52 of ice time per game. Johnson was arguably the worst defenseman on the Blue Jackets last season, finishing with the second-lowest CorsiFor% at even strength (44.8%), and the lowest (by a considerable margin) on-ice save percentage at even strength (85.5%).

In Johnson’s defense, it’s notable that he is only two years removed from a relatively productive season with the Colorado Avalanche. He scored three goals and 16 points in 80 games, averaging nearly 15 minutes of ice time during the 2023-24 campaign. It could be because he was surrounded by better talent in Denver, but Johnson managed a far better 49.1% CF% and 92.7% oiSV%.

Still, it’s hard to imagine where Johnson fits into the Wild’s defense, even if he has a strong training camp and preseason. Minnesota boasts one of the better defensive units in the league, which is even more impressive considering Jonas Brodin isn’t expected to start the season on time. Assuming a healthy unit, the Wild’s seventh defenseman would theoretically become Zach Bogosian or David Jiříček.

Unlikely to accept a demotion to the American Hockey League at this stage of his career, Johnson may be using his PTO with the Wild as a means to find an opportunity with a different organization, as many players do with this style of agreement.

Ottawa Senators Finalize Purchase Of LeBreton Flats Land

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The idea of a new stadium for the Ottawa Senators is finally coming to fruition. Earlier today, the National Capital Commission (NCC) and Capital Sports Development Inc. (CSDI) announced the agreement of purchase and sale of the LeBreton Flats (roughly 11 acres of land) to the Senators.

It’s a major step in the right direction for the Senators to move on from the Canadian Tire Centre, which broke ground in 1994 and opened in 1996. The Canadian Tire Centre has been the home of the Ottawa-based franchise since the team’s relocation from the Ottawa Civic Centre.

There are several issues regarding the Senators’ continued presence at the Canadian Tire Centre. For one, the stadium is located a fair distance southwest of downtown Ottawa, which makes it unnecessarily difficult to get to with common forms of transportation. In contrast, the LeBreton Flats land parcel is located in downtown Ottawa, adjacent to the Ottawa River, and is only a short walk from Parliament Hill.

Outside of the relatively long distance to the game, the Canadian Tire Centre has suffered the normal wear and tear that would be expected of any stadium that has stood for nearly 30 years. The typical life span of any sports stadium is roughly 30 to 50 years, with those that have existed for longer requiring fairly pricey renovations. Michael Andlauer, the relatively new principal owner of the Senators franchise, has chosen to build a new stadium altogether.

In a statement from the team, Senators’ President and CEO, Cyril Leeder, said, “We are pleased to reach an agreement of purchase and sale with the NCC to take the next step in this process. There are still many more hurdles to clear and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community.“

Stars Sign Nathan Bastian

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The Stars have added some depth on the wing as the team announced that they’ve signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year, one-way contract.  The agreement will pay the league minimum of $775K.  GM Jim Nill released the following statement:

Nathan will add forward depth and a physical presence to our lineup, both of which will be valuable to our organization. We’re looking forward to watching him take the next step of his career with the Stars and are excited to welcome him to Dallas.

The 27-year-old has parts of six NHL seasons under his belt, most of which came with New Jersey, which drafted him in the second round back in 2016.  Before now, his only time away from the Devils since that time came when Seattle selected him in the 2021 Expansion Draft but just two months later, the Kraken waived Bastian with New Jersey quickly reclaiming him.

Last season, Bastian played in 59 games for the Devils, picking up four goals and six assists along with 138 hits in just under 11 minutes per night of playing time.  That stat line lines up with most of his seasons as he has yet to reach 20 points in a single year while he has only hit the double-digit mark in goals once, that coming back in 2021-22.  However, he averages 223 hits per 82 games played, giving the Stars some extra physicality in their lineup.

Dallas has largely stayed quiet as expected in free agency this season with the bulk of their moves coming from either re-signing players or making trades.  As things stand, he’s likely to battle with Oskar Back and Colin Blackwell for playing time on the fourth line while starting out as the 13th forward is a realistic outcome as well.

At the moment, the Stars project to be very tight against the salary cap with a 23-player roster coming in just a few hundred thousand below the Upper Limit, per PuckPedia.  Accordingly, this could very well be it for their free agent moves with a big chunk of their roster from last season’s run to the Western Conference Final returning as from here on out, any addition will require money coming off their books as well.

Avalanche Re-Sign Joel Kiviranta

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The Avalanche announced that they’ve re-signed forward Joel Kiviranta to a one-year deal. The deal is worth $1.25MM against the cap, AJ Haefele of DNVR Sports reports.

Kiviranta, 29, returns to Colorado on the heels of a career year. The winger set career highs in goals (16), assists (7), points (23), appearances (79), and average time on ice (12:31) in 2024-25. He now signs his third consecutive one-year deal with the Avs in free agency after initially joining the organization on an AHL contract in 2023.

On a per-game basis, though, that’s not too far off from his career averages. Kiviranta, who initially made the jump to North America in 2019 with the Stars as an undrafted free agent, has consistently produced at a 15-to-20-point clip per 82 games, albeit usually in lesser minutes. That increased deployment this season, getting more consistent reps while also seeing some looks in the Avs’ top nine, helps explain the boost in production. His 19.0% shooting rate, well above his career average of 10.9%, had something to do with that as well.

Nonetheless, the Finnish winger has firmly established his floor as a defensively responsible plug-and-play fourth-line piece. Despite his smallish 5’11”, 185-lb frame, he finished third on the Avs last season with 114 hits with some of the better even-strength possession impacts on the club.

While the Avs still have some holes in their middle and bottom-six forward group to fill, retaining Kiviranta is a significant step toward relaxing the strain on some inexperienced or overtaxed depth pieces who likely would have needed to shoulder regular minutes out of the gate otherwise, especially with checking winger Logan O’Connor starting the year on injured reserve. As things stand, Kiviranta could get a crack at third-line minutes on opening night if younger names like the recently acquired Daniil Gushchin or Ivan Ivan don’t command those minutes with a strong training camp performance.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Kyle Clifford Announces Retirement

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Longtime NHL winger Kyle Clifford told John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor last night that he’s retiring from his playing career.

Clifford, now 34, was a relatively notable prospect when the 6’2″ enforcer burst onto the scene. He was a second-round pick in 2009 – an early one at that – out of the OHL’s Barrie Colts, and showed legitimate offensive promise in his post-draft year when he clicked at nearly a point per game. Instead of returning to Barrie for a fourth and final junior season, he cracked L.A.’s roster out of camp in 2010, kicking off his pro career.

The Kings drafted Clifford with the knowledge that he’d rarely be anything more than a fourth-line agitator, but they hoped he had some more offensive tools in his skillset than other comparable players. That projection largely turned out to be true. He immediately became a fixture in the Kings’ lineup upon turning pro, never spending too long as a healthy scratch. He played a part in both of the Kings’ Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014 – including recording an assist on Alec Martinez’s overtime winner to seal the second one.

Clifford spent nearly a decade in the Kings’ organization, averaging 10:17 of ice time per game. His best season came in a Kings uniform in 2018-19, when he broke the 10-goal and 20-point marks for the first and only time with an 11-10–21 scoring line in 72 appearances. He recorded 60 goals, 69 assists, 129 points, and 819 PIMs in 660 games for L.A., ranking 11th and 12th in franchise history in the latter two numbers, respectively.

His time in SoCal came to an end in 2020. He was sent to the Maple Leafs in the Jack Campbell/Trevor Moore deal and recorded three points and 23 PIMs in 16 games for them before reaching free agency in the fall amid the pandemic. He landed a two-year deal with the Blues worth $1MM per season, but he was deployed more as a 13th/14th forward and only made 52 appearances for them before getting traded back to Toronto for future considerations early in the 2021-22 campaign.

That essentially marked the end of his NHL career. He did play 25 games for the Leafs over the next two years, but ended up being waived and assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for most of his tenure, his first full-time minor-league assignment. Clifford remained under NHL contract with Toronto through 2023-24 but spent last season with the Marlies on an AHL contract. He served as an alternate captain for them for the past two years and racked up 59 points and 256 PIMs in 125 games for them since debuting in 2022.

Clifford, while hanging up his skates, isn’t leaving the game. He’s staying in the Leafs organization in their player development department, Hoven relays. He retires with 66 goals, 78 assists, and 144 points in 753 career games, including 905 PIMs and 1,617 hits. All of us at PHR congratulate Clifford on his lengthy career and wish him well as he begins his time in NHL front offices.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Vitali Kravtsov

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4:45 p.m.: Shortly after the Canucks announced the signing, PuckPedia alerted the public to Kravtsov’s contract details. He’ll earn a league minimum salary at the NHL level and a $450K salary in the AHL. If he fails to register 16 or more games next season, he’ll become a Group VI free agent next offseason.

4:11 p.m.: The former ninth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft is coming back to North America. According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have signed Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season.

The native of Vladivostok, Russia, was originally drafted by the New York Rangers after playing in 35 games for KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. Despite only scoring four goals and seven points that year, Kravtsov had previously recorded 13 goals and 36 points in 41 games with a +18 rating for the MHL’s Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk. He was ranked as the third-best European prospect by NHL Central Scouting.

He performed much better in the KHL after being drafted by the Rangers, scoring eight goals and 21 points in 50 games, with an additional two assists in four postseason contests. He made his debut in North America during the 2019-20 season, scoring six goals and 15 points in 39 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Finally, just three years after being drafted, Kravtsov debuted for the Rangers during the 2020-21 campaign.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic at the time, Kravtsov spent the early part of the year back in the KHL, scoring 16 goals and 24 points in 49 games. He debuted in the NHL in early April, skating in 10:45 of the Rangers’ shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on April 3rd. Unfortunately, despite seeing his ice time increase down the stretch, Kravtsov finished the season with two goals and four points in 20 games with a -6 rating. His possession and defensive metrics were abysmal, averaging a 43.9% CorsiFor% at even strength, and an 89.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Feeling that he needed more developmental time, Kravtsov was again loaned to the Traktor Chelyabinsk for the 2021-22 campaign, scoring six goals and 13 points in 19 games, with another seven goals and 10 points in 15 playoff contests. Inspired by his postseason performance, the Rangers brought Kravtsov back to North America for the 2022-23 season.

His second year in New York went mildly better than the first, scoring three goals and six points in 28 games with a +6 rating. Ultimately, the Rangers had seen enough from their recent top draft selection, and they traded him to the Canucks on February 25, 2023, for William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Similarly, Kravtsov had a disappointing showing with the Canucks, scoring one goal and one assist in 16 games to finish out his second year in the NHL.

For the third time since making his professional playing debut in North America, Kravtsov left the NHL for Traktor Chelyabinsk, signing a two-year agreement with them after the 2022-23 NHL season. Since he was a restricted free agent at the time, the Canucks retained his negotiating rights should he ever return to NHL action.

His two-year tenure with Traktor was highly successful. He registered 45 goals and 92 points in 121 games, along with a +27 rating, including another nine goals and 12 points in 33 playoff contests. Given that it’s a two-way deal, Kravtsov will likely start the 2025-26 season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, while maintaining the possibility of being recalled to Vancouver should his second stint with the team prove successful.

Panthers Not Expected To Trade Evan Rodrigues

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Although they are free to do so during the offseason, the Florida Panthers are currently $3.725MM over the upper limit of the salary cap. This means that in a few months, the Panthers will need to trim nearly $4MM from their active roster for a cap-compliant lineup, and many have speculated that Evan Rodrigues and his $3MM salary could be a consequence of that reality.

Still, no guarantee it’ll happen, and it’s even appearing unlikely. In the most recent rendition of 32 Thoughts with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the journalist said he doesn’t believe Florida will trade Rodrigues this offseason, despite the need for additional cap space.

Rodrigues’ spot on the roster was likely made safe by the recent injury update, again from Friedman, regarding winger Matthew Tkachuk. Friedman shared a few days ago that he doesn’t believe Tkachuk will play meaningful hockey until the Winter Olympics next season due to a torn adductor muscle suffered during the postseason. If that’s the case, the Panthers could place Tkachuk and his $9.5MM on LTIR for the first five months of the regular season, giving them more than enough space for cap compliance.

General Manager Bill Zito has already been commended this summer for his ability to retain a large portion of the lineup that won the franchise its second consecutive Stanley Cup championship a few months ago. Again, although they’d likely much rather have Tkachuk in the lineup for the entire regular season, Zito has avoided a situation where he’d have to move on from Rodrigues.

Rodrigues has never been a true top-six piece at the NHL level, but has offered teams the flexibility to move him anywhere around the lineup. The Panthers have gotten exactly what they expected out of him when they signed him to a four-year, $12MM agreement before the 2023-24 season.

Since donning the Panthers’ crest, Rodrigues has scored 27 goals and 71 points in 162 games with a +22 rating, averaging 15:12 of ice time per game. He’s been a consistent physical presence in the team’s middle-six, and has even provided them with quality defense as evidenced by his 91.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Rodrigues, like many of his teammates in Sunrise, has elevated his performance during the postseason. In the Panthers’ two most recent Stanley Cup Final victories, he has scored nine goals and accumulated a total of 30 points in 45 games. Additionally, he has recorded 98 hits and averages 15:24 of ice time per game. He’s never been the most important player on Florida’s roster, or even the most well-known, but the franchise recognizes the value he brings and has done well to retain him.

Islanders Sign Matthew Schaefer

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Back in June, the Islanders made Matthew Schaefer the first overall pick in the draft.  Now, they have their newest top prospect under contract as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that, as expected, Schaefer has received the maximum allowable.  That means he carries a $975K cap charge including signing bonus money plus an additional $3.5MM in potential performance bonuses, $1MM in ’A’ bonuses and $2.5MM in harder to reach ’B’ bonuses.

The 17-year-old (who will turn 18 next month) didn’t enter last season as the presumptive top selection.  However, a strong start with OHL Erie vaulted him into the discussion heading to the World Juniors.  He only played in two games there for Canada before suffering a broken clavicle that ended his season.  Prior to the injury, he had seven goals and 15 assists in just 17 contests for the Otters.  That was a five-point improvement on the year before, despite playing in 39 fewer games.

That was enough for new GM Mathieu Darche to make him the new centerpiece of their future back end, especially since they dealt their previous top defender, Noah Dobson, to Montreal on draft day for two more first-round picks along with winger Emil Heineman.  New York is all in on Schaefer being the type of all-situations number one defender that is extremely difficult to come by.

That said, while it’s customary for first overall selections to make the jump to the NHL right away, there’s a case to be made that he could benefit from not doing that.  With how much time he missed, he could be better off with one more developmental year under his belt before making the jump.  However, it’s worth noting that if the Islanders feel the same way, he will have to return to Erie as he is no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey having now signed his entry-level pact.

If he winds up playing fewer than ten NHL games next season, his contract will slide.  Alternatively, they could look at the lesser-known threshold of 40 games on the NHL active roster.  If Schaefer came in below that and then was sent back, he’d burn the first year of his contract but not accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility.

Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schaefer at least break camp with the Islanders with the team assessing how things are going from there.  They didn’t bring anyone in to take Dobson’s spot on the back end while Mike Reilly also left via free agency, signing with Carolina.  As a result, there’s a definite opening on their back end for Schaefer to fill next season and while he doesn’t have quite the experience that top picks usually have by now, he has the talent to come in and be a difference-maker quite quickly.

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