Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Senators Sign Jake Sanderson To An Eight-Year Extension

at CDT | by 15 Comments

The Senators have taken care of another one of their top young talents, announcing that they’ve signed blueliner Jake Sanderson to an eight-year contract extension that kicks in for the 2024-25 campaign.  The deal carries an AAV of $8.05MM, paid in equal sums each season.  GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement about the signing:

Jake’s transition to the pro game has been flawless. He’s a very mature young man who demonstrates a routine and skillful ability to play important minutes with poise. An effortless skater who holds himself to a high standard, he has the talent to be one of the best all-around defencemen in the NHL for years to come. We’re very pleased to have another significant member of our core group of players under long-term contract.

Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported just yesterday that Sanderson had switched agents from Bartlett Hockey to CAA’s Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry.  Clearly, it didn’t take too long for his new representatives to work out a new deal.

The 21-year-old is coming off an impressive rookie campaign that saw him put up 32 points and 147 blocks in 77 games.  He also ranked second on the Sens in ice time, logging just shy of 22 minutes per game; only Thomas Chabot averaged more.  That performance helped Sanderson finish sixth in Calder Trophy voting.

Interestingly, Chabot’s deal almost certainly stood as a comparable in discussions.  He checks in at $8MM per season and while Sanderson has less NHL experience (just one season compared to two for Chabot when he signed his contract), the cap has gone up since then.  While Sanderson has the higher cap hit, his cap hit percentage (9.62) actually comes in a bit below Chabot’s agreement (9.82%).

Ottawa’s young core is all locked in around a similar price point with this extension.  Sanderson, Chabot, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Joshua Norris are all on long-term agreements ranging from an AAV of $7.95MM (Norris) on the low end to $8.35MM (Stutzle).  That gives them a strong foundation for the foreseeable future.  They now have nearly $74MM in commitments in place for the 2024-25 campaign to 14 players with Vladimir Tarasenko’s $5MM contract being the biggest one set to come off the books.

For the upcoming season, Sanderson will still be on the books at his entry-level rate of $925K plus performance bonuses of up to $1.85MM.  Cap space is at a premium for 2023-24 as they have less than $900K in room per CapFriendly with Shane Pinto (and prospect Egor Sokolov) still to re-sign.  Sanderson is likely to hit most, if not all, of his $850K of ’A’ bonuses so if the Sens can’t free up ample cap space to fit in Pinto’s new deal, they could be looking at overage penalties which would carry over to 2024-25.  That’s an extra pressure point Dorion will need to be mindful of as he crosses a key item off his to-do list with Sanderson’s deal, allowing him to focus on Pinto in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Dallas Stars

Current Cap Hit: $83,817,829 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Thomas Harley (one year, $863K)
F Wyatt Johnston (two years, $894K)
D Nils Lundkvist (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Lundkvist: $850K
Harley: $637.5K
Total: $1.4875MM

Johnston could have gone back to junior last season but it’s safe to say that Dallas made the right call with him as he potted 24 goals in his age-19 campaign.  If he can stick in their top six and take a step or two forward offensively, he’s a strong candidate to bypass a bridge deal, especially with a big-ticket one coming off the books at the same time that he needs his second contract.

Dallas paid a high price to get Lundkvist from the Rangers last season but he wound up only playing a limited role.  They’re banking on him taking a step forward but even so, he’s a strong candidate for a short-term second contract, one that could check in around the $1.5MM range.  At this point, it doesn’t seem too likely that he’ll hit his four ‘A’ bonuses.  The Stars are banking on Harley to make the jump full-time this season after being a regular in the playoffs.  With some good numbers in the minors, he could reach one or two of his three ‘A’ bonuses but from a contract standpoint, like Lundkvist, he’s likely heading for a bridge deal as well.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

D Gavin Bayreuther ($775K, UFA)
F Ty Dellandrea ($900K, RFA)
F Matt Duchene ($3MM, UFA)
D Jani Hakanpaa ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Joe Pavelski ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Craig Smith ($1MM, UFA)
F Sam Steel ($850K, RFA)
G Scott Wedgewood ($1MM, UFA)

Potential Bonuses
Pavelski: $2MM

Duchene was a late entrant to the market which likely didn’t help his cause but he landed in a good spot here.  In a more secondary role, he could thrive and in doing so, give the Stars some surplus value while better positioning himself for a longer-term agreement next summer.  Smith struggled last season between Boston and Washington, even clearing waivers at one point in December thanks to his contract.  He’s an interesting fit in the sense that he’s not a prototypical bottom-six forward but will be in that role here.  A bounce-back showing could give him a small bump next summer but not to the level of the $3.25MM he made before.

Pavelski’s fourth season with the Stars was almost as good as his third, one that saw him set career highs in assists and points.  He came up a bit shy of the point total but still finished third in scoring in a year that saw him turn 39.  Pavelski almost certainly left money on the table to sign what should be a team-friendly extension back in January as let’s face it, the market for a center producing close to a point per game is much higher than his guaranteed salary.  The structure of this agreement is notable as the bonuses are very easy to achieve – $1MM at 10 games played and another $1MM at 20.  Doing it that way allows Dallas to squeak him in on the books this year with his base salary but it’s safe to say they’re heading for an overage penalty.

Dallas basically had to push Dellandrea to take a one-year deal to make things work cap-wise.  He’ll have arbitration rights next summer though and if he progresses as expected, his AAV should shoot past the $2MM mark.  Steel has been non-tendered for two straight years now but gives Dallas some extra depth down the middle.  However, it’s clear he’ll need to find another gear offensively if he wants a shot at a seven-figure deal as his market value the last two summers hasn’t been strong.

Hakanpaa is the type of physical depth defender many teams covet and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a right-hand shot.  Dallas actually used him on the second pairing with some regularity last season and if he’s in that role again, doubling his current price tag won’t be out of the question, especially after seeing Radko Gudas get three years at $4MM per season earlier this summer.  Bayruether returns after spending a few years with Columbus and will push for the seventh spot on the depth chart.  This is a spot on their salary hierarchy that will need to stay near the minimum moving forward.

Wedgewood had his best season, albeit in a relatively limited role for a backup by current standards as he made just 21 appearances.  His track record isn’t strong (or long) enough to command the type of money that top backups on the open market get but another showing like last year could push him closer to the $2MM mark if he looks for top dollar.  Staying in Dallas, however, would likely mean needing to leave some money on the table.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Jamie Benn ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Radek Faksa ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Joel Hanley ($787.5K, UFA)
D Esa Lindell ($5.8MM, UFA)
G Jake Oettinger ($4MM, RFA)
D Ryan Suter ($3.65MM, UFA)

After seeing his production drop sharply over the last three years, Benn had a resurgent campaign, finishing second on the team in scoring.  It wouldn’t be fair to expect that to happen again – and the deal is still very much above-market – but it’s not quite the anchor it was long ago.  Faksa’s offense just hasn’t come around.  He’s a strong defensive center that’s above average at the faceoff dot but someone in that type of role should be making about a million less.  Gone are the days of the argument of offensive potential so it’s tough to see him beating this contract in 2025.  Dadonov did well after coming over in a late-season trade but his struggles with Montreal hurt his value, allowing the Stars to sneak in with a deal that’s more than reasonable for a middle-six option.

Lindell is another player whose scoring didn’t come around quite as much as Dallas would have hoped for.  He’s still capable of logging big minutes and anchoring the penalty kill so they’re still getting a reasonable return but they’re probably expecting a bit more from him and he’ll need to produce more if he wants to land a big pay increase two years from now.  They also were probably expecting a bit more from Suter, a player who shouldn’t be logging 20 minutes a night at this stage of his career but was pressed into that spot frequently.  It’s hard to see him signing another contract at this point – he’ll be 40 when this deal is up – but if he does, it should be for considerably less.  Hanley has been a depth defender for the last few years and will continue to hover around the NHL minimum moving forward unless he can establish himself as a full-time third-pairing player.

Oettinger’s bridge contract already looks like a bargain as he was one of the top goalies in the league last season.  The backloaded structure guarantees an increase to $4.8MM for his qualifying offer (which also carries arbitration eligibility) but if he has two more years like this, he’ll be well-positioned to become one of the top-paid netminders in the league.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Mason Marchment ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Jason Robertson ($7.75MM, RFA)

Robertson is on the non-traditional bridge contract, a four-year agreement that bought out only RFA years while still having team control when it expires.  At that point, it’s going to take a substantial offer to get him on a long-term agreement.  Robertson will be owed a $9.3MM qualifying offer (plus arbitration eligibility) but it will take a million or two more if he continues on his current trajectory.  Marchment, a late-bloomer, took a step back last season while dealing with injuries once again.  There’s a power forward premium in his deal but they’d still like to see him closer to the 40-point mark to get a good return on this deal and set him up for a similar-sized agreement in 2026.

Read more

Coyotes Invite Ryan Dzingel And Peter DiLiberatore To Training Camp

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With training camps on the horizon, the Coyotes are the latest team to get in on PTO season.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve invited winger Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Peter DiLiberatore to camp when it gets underway later this month.

Dzingel is a player that many will be familiar with, including in Arizona where he spent part of the 2021-22 campaign.  The 31-year-old has seen action in 404 games over parts of seven NHL campaigns, the bulk of which came back with Ottawa who drafted him in the seventh round back in 2011.  He has had some success offensively at the top level, collecting 87 goals and 101 points but in his last couple of seasons, he has been limited to more of a depth role.

Dzingel didn’t see any NHL action last season.  He cleared waivers in training camp back in October when he was with Carolina and suffered a long-term back injury just nine games into his campaign with AHL Chicago.  While he was able to return, he was limited to just 22 games in total where he notched a pair of goals along with nine assists.

As for DiLiberatore, the 23-year-old has spent his first three professional seasons at the minor league level.  He split last season between the AHL and ECHL affiliates for Pittsburgh and Vegas, combining to pick up two goals and seven assists in 53 games.  A sixth-round pick by the Golden Knights in 2018, he was moved to the Penguins as part of the Teddy Blueger deal at the trade deadline but was non-tendered back in June.

Both players will likely be looking for a two-way deal at this point to catch on with Arizona’s AHL affiliate in Tucson.  With the Coyotes kicking off the preseason in a little over two weeks with a pair of games in Australia, they’ll get a chance to make an early impression.  Once Arizona officially terminates Liam Kirk’s deal tomorrow, they’ll have three open contract slots at their disposal although Jan Jenik remains a restricted free agent and could potentially fill one of those despite his reported trade request.

Philadelphia Flyers Expected To Sign Morgan Frost

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Sept. 7: Philadelphia has officially announced a two-year contract for Frost.  The deal is indeed a $4.2MM package that carries an AAV of $2.1MM.

The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to sign their last remaining restricted free agent, Morgan Frost, to a two-year contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones said last weekend the two sides were working toward a resolution.  The deal, which carries a $2.1MM AAV, breaks down as follows, per CapFriendly:

2023-24: $1.45MM base salary, $350K signing bonus
2024-25: $2.4MM base salary (this amount also represents his qualifying offer in 2025)

The deal will keep Frost in Philadelphia through the 2024-25 season, at which point he will be in his last season of RFA eligibility. He’ll also have arbitration rights that time around, something he didn’t have on his side this summer.

Frost, 24, is coming off a breakout 2022-23 season, which saw him post 46 points in 81 games, finishing fourth on the Flyers in scoring. He finally arrived as a full-time top-nine NHL center after a rocky development path since turning pro in 2019. The team’s 27th overall pick in 2017, Frost missed nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign due to a shoulder injury but has rebounded nicely since then. Last season was also his first healthy campaign spent exclusively in the NHL, avoiding any minor-league assignments.

It was a particularly strong end to the season for Frost, who had eight goals and nine assists in the final 20 games of the campaign. He also managed to keep his head above water defensively – his 47.9% Corsi For at even strength was fifth among full-time Flyers forwards last season, and he did so while receiving some heavy minutes, averaging a career-high 16:21 per game. However, Frost struggled in the faceoff dot, posting a 45.8% win rate.

In the unlikely scenario that Frost stagnates in his development, $2MM is still well below market value for what he brought last season. Flyers general manager Daniel Brière doled out a slightly richer deal to budding shutdown center Noah Cates earlier in the summer, signing him for two years at a $2.65MM cap hit. Using the 24-year-old Cates as a direct comparable, it’s clear why Frost held out this long into the summer in hopes of landing a more prosperous bridge deal. This deal could also set the table for Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto, who remains without a contract for this season and posted similar production to Frost in 2022-23 (20 goals, 35 assists in 82 games).

Snapshots: Lindholm, Heatley, Mikheyev

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The 2023-24 season hasn’t even started yet, and some Calgary Flames fans may already be tired of discussing pending UFA Elias Lindholm’s future with the team. It’s been a major talking point this summer, with a potential mass exodus of unrestricted free agents from the Flames next offseason. Last week, however, Lindholm confirmed he’s open to the idea of an extension in Calgary, and today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave us some clarity on what a deal may look like.

Speaking on NHL Network, Friedman said he “really thought [Bo] Horvat was going to be the comparable at 8×8.5, and I think it’s possible Lindholm now actually comes in higher than that, potentially… I think the number is going to have to be above Horvat, I’ve heard it might be closer to 8.75 or 9.” He, of course, is referring to Horvat’s eight-year, $8.5MM AAV extension signed with the New York Islanders after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks this past season. While he does have multiple years of experience as a defensively solid first-line center, that would be quite a lot of money to pay someone who’s cracked the 70-point mark just twice in his career and the 30-goal mark only once.

Last season, Lindholm finished second on the Flames in scoring with 22 goals, 42 assists and 64 points in 80 games. It was a falloff from his career-high 2021-22 campaign between Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, where the then-27-year-old posted 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games alongside a ridiculous +61 rating. For comparison, 25-year-old Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson, who’s scored 85 goals in 156 games over the past two seasons, is signed for seven more seasons at a $7.143MM cap hit.

Elsewhere from around the NHL today:

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed the hire of two-time All-Star Dany Heatley as a pro scout, notes independent Flyers reporter Charlie O’Connor. This will be Heatley’s first documented off-ice staffing role since retiring from pro hockey in 2016. The 42-year-old former sniper won the 2002 Calder Trophy as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers and scored 372 goals in 869 NHL games across 13 seasons with the Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, and Anaheim Ducks.
  • Vancouver Canucks winger Ilya Mikheyev is still recovering from an ACL injury that was aggravated and then operated on in late January, and CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports it may keep him out of preseason action. Mikheyev initially sustained the injury in preseason action for Vancouver last season but only missed a handful of weeks before being cleared to play in mid-October and recording 28 points in 46 games for the Canucks. He is still expected to be ready to go for opening night, however, and could very well begin his second season in British Columbia’s biggest city in a top-six role after averaging almost 17 minutes per game last season.

Michael Del Zotto Announces Retirement

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Longtime NHL defenseman Michael Del Zotto announced his retirement via Instagram today, ending a 13-season NHL career.

Del Zotto, 33, was drafted by the New York Rangers with the 20th overall pick out of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in 2008. He would jump to professional hockey after one more season in juniors, recording 37 points in 80 games in 2009-10 and earning All-Rookie Team honors.

Unfortunately, while Del Zotto would turn into a serviceable NHL defenseman for over a decade, he didn’t develop into the potential bonafide top-pair player he hinted he could be at the beginning of his career. He would only beat his rookie totals once in New York, recording ten goals, 31 assists and 41 points in 77 games in 2011-12 before dropping to a bottom-pairing role in the 2013-14 campaign. Then-Rangers general manager Glen Sather dealt him to the Nashville Predators for shutdown defender Kevin Klein in a one-for-one swap in January of that season.

Things didn’t go much better for Del Zotto in a brief stint with Nashville to close out the season, which saw his ice time continue to decrease as he recorded five points in 25 games and a -4 rating. He was due a qualifying offer of $2.9MM that season with his contract expiring, which the Predators didn’t issue, and he signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in August 2014. It turned out to be a prudent choice for Del Zotto, who, for a brief time, recaptured his former glory in Philadelphia. He notched 32 points in 64 games during his first season there while averaging nearly 22 minutes per game, but again fizzled out over the following two seasons with the Flyers.

After signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017, Del Zotto would play stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and St. Louis Blues in depth roles until the 2021-22 season. While he didn’t appear in any postseason contests, Del Zotto was on the Blues’ roster for their 2019 Stanley Cup championship.

2021-22 was when it became clear Del Zotto’s days of playing at the highest level were drawing to a close. Despite recording a respectable 13 points in 26 games with Ottawa and posting decent possession numbers, the Senators waived him. They assigned him to AHL Belleville, where he managed over a point per game. It was enough to land him another NHL contract for 2022-23 with the Florida Panthers, but they waived him pre-season and didn’t include him on the opening night roster. He would record two goals and 10 points in 25 games with their AHL affiliate in Charlotte before they traded him back to Anaheim in the days leading up to Christmas in a three-way swap of minor-league players, including the Detroit Red Wings. Del Zotto closed the season with a strong 31 points in 40 games for AHL San Diego.

But without ever getting a callup to the NHL throughout the season despite a paper-thin defense in Anaheim, Del Zotto has opted to step away from the game. His 736 games rank 18th among players from the 2008 draft class at the time of his retirement, during which he recorded 63 goals, 199 assists, 262 points, and averaged 20:03 per game over the years. PHR congratulates Del Zotto on his lengthy career in the pros and wishes him the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Minor Transactions: 09/06/23

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Today was a busy morning in the hockey news cycle, with the Arizona Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins making notable front-office moves while the Toronto Maple Leafs added some potential scoring depth on a professional tryout. There’s also some notable movement on the transactions wire from other leagues, however, so let’s dive into today’s moves:

  • After two post-draft seasons with the OHL’s Barrie Colts, Vegas Golden Knights defense prospect Artur Cholach is staying in junior hockey for one more season with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede, per an announcement from the Colts. Cholach, 20, remains unsigned after the Golden Knights selected him in the sixth round, 190th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. His exclusive signing rights did not expire this summer because he only played OHL hockey after his draft date – he played his draft season with Sokil Kyiv in the Ukrainian Hockey League, meaning they have until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an entry-level contract. Over the past two seasons with Barrie, Cholach scored four goals and added 30 assists for 34 points in 116 contests whilst recording a cumulative +9 rating. He also notched eight assists in five games for the Ukrainian national junior team at the 2022 Division 1B World Junior Championship.
  • The AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds have signed defenseman Ryan Jones to a one-year deal, according to a league release. Touted as a physical two-way defender out of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in the 2016 NHL Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him in the fourth round but did not sign him to an entry-level contract when he finished his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2020. He’s spent the three seasons since on AHL deals, including the last two seasons with the Syracuse Crunch, recording 27 points, 114 penalty minutes and a +4 rating in 137 games. Now a full-time bottom-pairing defender at the AHL level, Jones, 27, will look to grasp a spot on the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, who already added Mitch Reinke to their defense corps by way of their parent club earlier this week.
  • Veteran goaltender Kevin Poulin announced his retirement on his Instagram page.  The 33-year-old played in 50 NHL games over five seasons with the Islanders before embarking on a bit of a unique journey overseas, spending time in Kazakhstan, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden.  Poulin spent the last two years playing on an AHL deal in Montreal’s system, playing primarily with AHL Laval.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Coyotes Place Liam Kirk On Unconditional Waivers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Sept. 7: Although it was academic at this point that Liam Kirk would clear waivers, CapFriendly has officially announced it.

2:33 p.m.: Morgan reports Kirk has already found a new home for 2023-24, as he’s signed with HC VERVA Litvínov in the Czech Extraliga. There, he joins an offense led by a pair of brothers and former NHLers, David Kase and Ondrej Kase.

1:06 p.m.: The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward prospect Liam Kirk on unconditional waivers, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. The move was likely made for the purpose of mutually terminating his entry-level contract.

Arizona selected Kirk, 23, with the 189th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In the process, Kirk became the first player born and developed in England to be taken in an NHL draft.

However, just over five years later, the two parties have decided to cut ties with one season remaining on Kirk’s entry-level deal. It’s a tough break for the hardworking prospect, who missed most of the 2021-22 season with injury and faced instability throughout the 2022-23 campaign, suiting up in three different leagues across two countries.

Kirk began last season in the minors with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, making his season debut in November after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out for months on end, but was quickly demoted a level further to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators after just one game in Tucson.

He did well enough there, scoring 11 points in 15 games, but was loaned out of the organization entirely around New Year’s Day to Finnish club Mikkelin Jukurit in the Liiga. He did post one of the highest point-per-game rates on the team, scoring 19 points in 25 games, and he capped off the season with 10 points in five games for Great Britain at the Division 1A World Championships en route to a promotion to the top division next year. The decision to move on from Kirk is a bit puzzling after he managed to perform at a high level internationally despite a roller-coaster ride of the months preceding his loan.

It could be he’s just a victim of unfortunate contract math. The Coyotes are at 48 out of 50 maximum contracts signed, and with Jan Jeník remaining as an unsigned RFA (although he has reportedly requested a trade), it makes things tight for in-season adds and potential early-season waiver claims.

Arizona Coyotes Extend Bill Armstrong

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Arizona Coyotes announced this morning that they have extended the contract of general manager Bill Armstrong. Financial terms and the length of the multi-year agreement were not released. The deal comes on the heels of what was a very busy summer for Armstrong and the Coyotes as they have added a lot of talent to their NHL roster including veterans Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi, Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad.

PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan later reported Armstrong is now under contract for six more seasons – Armstrong signed a four-year extension, while the team picked up a previously existing option for 2024-25. He’s now under contract through the 2028-29 campaign.

The 53-year-old has been the Coyotes general manager since the 2020-21 season and has overseen a rather large rebuild during that time. Armstrong essentially stripped the Coyotes roster down to the studs and rebuilt it through drafting, trades, and free agency. Prior to joining Arizona, the Richmond Hill, Ontario, native worked in the St. Louis Blues’ scouting department from 2004-18. It wasn’t until the 2018-19 season that he earned a promotion to assistant GM before eventually joining Arizona.

The Coyotes have not qualified for the playoffs since Armstrong took over, and the team has only made the playoffs a total of four times since 2004. While they are once again going through a lean period, Arizona looks to be on the verge of a good run of hockey in the desert. Should they stay there.

The team will likely get a jolt from this summer’s signings and trades as well as top prospect Logan Cooley, who could be a difference-maker in Arizona as early as this season.

The signing of the coaching staff, Armstrong, and the player acquisitions this summer show stability within the hockey operations of Arizona, even if the team’s future off the ice is up in the air.

Niagara IceDogs Hire Bruce Boudreau

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Niagara IceDogs announced this morning that they have hired former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau as a Senior Advisor. The former Jack Adams award winner last coached the Vancouver Canucks and was unceremoniously fired by the club this past January after parts of two seasons at the helm.

Boudreau coached the Canucks to a 50-40 record during his time in Vancouver and was let go after weeks of speculation about his job security. Boudreau was stoic despite all the noise around him and he received a lot of support from the Canucks faithful in what was ultimately his last game as a head coach in Vancouver.

The 66-year-old ranks 21st all-time in NHL games behind the bench as well as in coaching victories. He has coached 1087 games in the NHL, compiling a record of 617-342-128. During his time in the NHL, he coached the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and the aforementioned Canucks. He won his Jack Adams award in 2008 in a season that saw him guide the Capitals to a Southeast division title with a 43-31-8 record.

Now, at least for the time being, it appears as though Boudreau is ready for a new challenge. He joins his son Ben in Niagara, who joined Niagara’s coaching staff in July as an associate coach.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top