Central Notes: Avalanche, Olausson, Bogosian, Heinola
After the team’s practice this morning, head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Jared Bednar issued several roster updates before the team takes on the Anaheim Ducks tonight. Most notably, after missing Colorado’s last game, Bednar asserted that defenseman Cale Makar is doubtful to return tonight (X Link).
Aside from Makar being doubtful, Bednar also mentioned that forward Andrew Cogliano would not be in the lineup due to a lower-body injury, and although Valeri Nichushkin missed practice due to being sick, he is expected to play tonight. Although they will be missing several key players in their lineup, this is exactly the situation the Avalanche were hoping to weather as they spent the entire offseason with a primary goal of addressing the team’s depth.
Of all three, Makar is by far the most important player to be missing out of the lineup. Arguably the most important part of Colorado’s lineup, Makar continues to make his case for the best player in the entire league, as he has seven goals and 34 points in 23 games, while also maintaining some of the best defensive metrics among all defensemen.
Other notes:
- Before Bednar had spoken to reports about the lineup tonight, the Avalanche announced they had recalled forward Oskar Olausson for tonight’s game. Colorado’s first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Olausson has yet to play for the Avalanche this season, after playing in one game last year. Playing for their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, Olausson has five goals and eight points in 20 games, sitting seventh on the team in scoring.
- Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that Minnesota Wild defenseman, Zach Bogosian, is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning to provide more defensive prowess into the lineup, Bogosian has one assist in nine games for the Wild, averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per night.
- Suffering an ankle injury during this year’s preseason, the rehab for Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Ville Heinola was expected to be between two and three months. In an update on his progression, reports are confirming that Heinola has returned to skating, although he is still not skating in full equipment (X Link). The timeline should still be accurate to project his return, but it is nonetheless a positive that he has not experienced a setback in his recovery process.
Board Of Governors Sets Location For 2024 NHL Draft
On day two of the Board of Governors meetings, Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the league has confirmed the 2024 NHL Draft will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28th and 29th. It will mark the first time since the 2005 NHL Draft that the draft will not be held at an NHL arena (minus the 2020/2021 drafts due to Covid), and will be the last draft before decentralization.
Although it had been known that the 2024 NHL Draft would be taking place in Las Vegas, T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights, had not been confirmed as the location for several months. In late October, when the NHL voted to decentralize the draft moving forward, the Sphere had been brought up as a rumored location only a month after it had opened.
It ultimately marks the end of an era for the NHL, as the league has been unique in the sense that it has always held an in-person draft, dating back to 1963 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. Moving forward, due to the vote by NHL teams in October, the league will transition to a remote draft, which will likely be similar to the 2020 and 2021 NHL Drafts, likely with much more production value.
As for the location, the Sphere was originally a joint project between the Madison Square Garden Company and Las Vegas Sands, before Las Vegas Sands sold the land to Vici Properties. MSG initially calculated that the construction cost would total $1.2B, however, the final cost more than doubled the initial projections, ultimately costing a reported $2.3B in total. At that dollar value, the Sphere had become the most expensive entertainment venue in Las Vegas, surpassing the $1.9B cost of Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Edmonton Grants Philip Broberg Permission To Seek A Trade
Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers have granted defenseman Philip Broberg permission to seek a trade. Broberg was the eighth overall selection of the Oilers back in the 2019 NHL Draft and has yet to crack a full-time spot in the lineup.
Since coming over to the Oilers organization back in the 2021-22 season, he had been previously playing for Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. Broberg would go on to play 89 games in Sweden’s top professional league, scoring four goals and 21 points overall, becoming one of Edmonton’s top prospects on the blue line.
Unfortunately, and mainly due to injuries, Broberg has been unable to find any staying power at the NHL level. Between both the Oilers and their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, Broberg has been unable to separate himself from the rest of the pack, averaging mild production at both levels.
Over three seasons, at the NHL level, Broberg has played in a total of 79 games for Edmonton, only scoring two goals and 11 points, without producing much in the way of defensive contributions, either. In Bakersfield, he has done better on the offensive side of the puck, scoring six goals and 29 points in 42 games.
On the left side of the blue line, especially after acquiring Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators last season, it was always going to be incredibly difficult for Broberg to move up the depth chart in any meaningful way. With that in mind, the team will now allow Broberg to speak to interested teams to facilitate a trade. At 22 years old, and with a $863K salary for the rest of the season, there are plenty of teams that may be interested in taking a flyer on Broberg.
Since Edmonton is looking to compete this season, and as Seravalli alluded to in his initial report, the Oilers have no interest in receiving a draft pick back and are primarily looking for a player in return for Broberg. However, given their salary cap situation, Edmonton and Broberg’s camp are going to have to find a player in a similar situation with a very similar salary situation to make a trade work.
Ultimately, the Oilers have a few options when it comes to trading Broberg, as most speculation will likely revolve around Broberg being attached to Jack Campbell‘s contract for Edmonton to upgrade their goaltending situation. Nevertheless, with needs in other areas of the game as well, it certainly expands on the possibilities for the Oilers.
It would be reasonable to assume that if any team is interested in acquiring Broberg for their defensive core, they are unlikely to trade from an area of need, meaning the Oilers will likely be able to use this trade to upgrade their offensive depth. One team and player that immediately comes to mind given their team needs at the moment is the Tampa Bay Lightning and forward Alex Barre-Boulet.
Barre-Boulet is four years older than Broberg and is making $88K less, meaning Edmonton would be ultimately saving money on this trade. Typically a high-scoring player at the AHL level, Barre-Boulet has scored four goals and seven points in 19 games for the Lightning this season, which would immediately make him the seventh-highest-scoring forward on the Oilers.
At the end of the day, now that the trade request and permission are public knowledge, Broberg will more than likely be apart of a different organization at the end of the season. Given his age and relatively low salary, there are a multitude of paths that both he and Edmonton could take to get him a fresh start.
Flyers Place Louis Belpedio On Waivers
12/5: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Belpedio has cleared waivers, meaning he will now report to Lehigh Valley of the AHL.
12/4: The Flyers placed defenseman Louis Belpedio on waivers Monday, according to a team announcement.
A 27-year-old right-shot defender from the Chicago area, Belpedio has spent most of his professional career in the minors since finishing a collegiate career at Miami University in 2018. Entering this season, he had just four games of NHL experience, all coming with the Wild – the team that drafted him 80th overall in 2014.
Belpedio has quadrupled that total this season, skating in 12 games for the Flyers early in 2023-24. The puck-moving blueliner joined the Flyers in the summer of 2022, inking a lucrative two-way deal, but spent all last season in the minors. He signed a two-way extension to remain in the Flyers organization in June but again did not crack the NHL roster out of camp and passed through waivers unclaimed in October. After recording one assist through five games with AHL Lehigh Valley, Belpedio received his first NHL call-up in quite some time on October 26.
He’s remained on the Flyers’ roster since then, playing 12 straight games after his recall. Belpedio recorded two goals and two assists, and three of his four points came during his last five games in the lineup. He did play a limited role, averaging 13:12 per game, and posted negative relative possession numbers – his 43.0% Corsi share at even strength is the worst of any Flyer to suit up for at least ten games this season.
With veterans Rasmus Ristolainen and Marc Staal returning to action recently, Belpedio’s spot in the lineup was eliminated. He has been a healthy scratch in six straight contests, so it’s not surprising to see the Flyers attempt to return him to the minors. He needs to clear waivers for a second time this season, as he spent more than 30 days on the NHL roster and played more than ten games since his October recall. Given he’s signed through 2025 and posted poor advanced metrics during his stint in the lineup, it seems unlikely another team will submit a claim for his contract over the next 24 hours.
Metro Notes: Joseph, Islanders, Gudbranson, Kakko
Having been on the injured reserve since November 18th, it appears that defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, is healthy enough to return, as the team announced they have sent Joseph on a conditioning loan to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He will now be in the AHL for a maximum of 14 days, meaning he will have the opportunity to play in five games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Last season, Joseph looked to have finally cracked the Penguins roster full-time, playing in 75 games and scoring five goals and 21 points. He did spend a couple of games factoring into Pittsburgh’s powerplay, while also providing solid possession and defensive metrics as well.
With fellow defenseman Chad Ruhwedel set to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury, the Penguins could certainly use the return of Joseph as soon as possible. Even upon return, with Pittsburgh already carrying a more than adequate top-four in their defensive core, the return of Joseph will allow the team to be more comfortable giving their bottom-pairing important minutes of the game.
Other notes:
- Although the two did play in the New York Islanders’ most recent game only three days ago, forward Brock Nelson and defenseman Noah Dobson were absent in yesterday’s practice and were listed as day-to-day with undisclosed concerns. Nevertheless, the team announced today that both players would be in the lineup for tonight’s game, while also indicating that defenseman Sebastian Aho is close to making his return as well. It is positive news for New York, who even though it might only be for a game or two, can not afford to miss two of their better offensive players.
- Team reporter for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jeff Svoboda, reports that defenseman Erik Gudbranson will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, as he is suffering from an illness. Mostly known as a defensive-style defenseman, even with less ice time per night, Gudbranson is producing better offensively this year for the Blue Jackets, scoring two goals and nine points in 26 games.
- Missing the last three games for the New York Rangers with an undisclosed injury, it does not appear forward Kaapo Kakko is close to a return. After practice today, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported that Kakko has not yet resumed skating. After seemingly having a breakout season last year, Kakko is once again failing to produce up to his draft selection, scoring one goal and three points through 20 games this season.
Atlantic Notes: Gaunce, Chabot, Samsonov
Per a team announcement, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Marlies, announced they have signed defenseman Cameron Gaunce to a professional tryout. Already a solid defensive team sitting at 10th in the AHL in terms of goals against, Gaunce’s experience on the blue line should help strengthen the Marlies defensive core even more.
A solid offensive defenseman during his time in the OHL, Gaunce was originally a second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL Draft. Since leaving the OHL after the 2009-10 season, Gaunce has managed 14 years of AHL experience, as well as accruing 37 games at the NHL level split between Colorado, Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
In the minor leagues, Gaunce has played in a total of 783 games, scoring 50 goals and 248 assists, spending the last three years playing for the Ontario Reign. He won’t provide much in the way of offense over the length of his tryout, but largely sporting a younger defensive core, Gaunce’s experience should ultimately make for a great addition to the Marlies’ blue line.
Other notes:
- Although he had fully recovered from a hand injury and returned to action for the Ottawa Senators on December 1st, defenseman Thomas Chabot may once again miss a stretch of games for the Senators. Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports that Chabot will not play for the team tonight against the New York Rangers after experiencing some discomfort in his leg, and will have an MRI to make a more accurate diagnosis. In his return to the ice last week, Chabot averaged just over 24 minutes of ice time in two games, adding one assist on the powerplay.
- After having missed a few games due to an illness, goaltender for the Maple Leafs, Ilya Samsonov, has made his return to practice. Unfortunately, Samsonov did not make it through the full practice and had to depart early (X Link). It may not mean much, however, as Toronto had already loaned goaltender Martin Jones back to the AHL this morning, meaning the team may have good enough confidence that he will still be available for the team’s game on Thursday.
Jacob Markström Out Week-To-Week With Fractured Finger
Calgary Flames starting netminder Jacob Markström is out week-to-week with a fractured finger, the team announced this morning. The injury won’t require surgery, and as a replacement for Markström on the team’s roster Calgary has recalled Dustin Wolf from its AHL affiliate.
Markström, 33, last played in a December 2nd loss to the Vancouver Canucks. He’s played in a total of 16 games this season for Calgary and has an .896 save percentage. That’s only a slight improvement off of last season’s form, as he posted an .892 in 59 games in 2022-23.
The year before, Markström was an elite goalie, posting a .922 save percentage in 63 games, a performance that made him the Vezina Trophy runner-up. When he plays at that level, the Flames appear to be a genuine Stanley Cup contender, but as he’s struggled to match that form in recent years the team’s overall trajectory has fallen.
Now Markström faces a setback in returning to his elite form in 2023-24, though he does have some runway to work with. Making $6MM per year through 2025-26, Markström has some time to figure things out and will hope to return from this injury fresh and ready to play as well as he did earlier in his career.
Replacing Markström on the Flames’ active roster is Wolf, who is one of the best goalie prospects in the sport. The 22-year-old 2019 seventh-round pick is an undersized, highly athletic puck-stopper who has won just about everything a goalie could hope to win before he makes it tot the NHL. Wolf is a two-time AHL Goalie of the Year, the reigning AHL MVP, a World Junior Championship gold medal-winner, a two-time WHL goalie of the year and a one-time CHL goalie of the year.
So far this season, Wolf has a .920 save percentage in 13 games with the Wranglers. He has a career save percentage of .927 in 118 AHL games. In the NHL, he has made two career starts and has a .919 save percentage. With Markström now out for an extended period, Wolf is lined up for the most extensive NHL opportunity he’s ever received to this point in his young career.
East Notes: Thompson, Levi, Mara
Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson has returned to team practice this morning, taking line rushes with Casey Mittelstadt and Jeff Skinner today. Thompson has not played since November 14th and has been working his way back from an upper-body injury.
Should Thompson return to the Sabres’ first-line next to Mittelstadt and Skinner, he would thereby be displacing winger Alex Tuch from that trio. Thompson’s return could very well result in Isak Rosén returning to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, seeing as he has no points through four NHL games this year and a spot in the team’s forward lineup would need to be cleared.
Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- According to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, the Sabres are expected to recall goaltender Devon Levi from the Americans today. Netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is battling an illness, so with the Sabres set to play the Detroit Red Wings tonight, Buffalo is likely to recall its top goalie prospect. Levi was sent down in order to have a “reset” after a difficult start to the season, so while he’ll likely serve as the backup for this recall he should be expected to be returned to the AHL in relatively short order.
- Larry Brooks of The New York Post reports that former NHL defenseman Paul Mara is being promoted from his position as an assistant development coach with the Rangers to a spot on the bench of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Mara will be charged with managing the Wolf Pack defense, a unit that includes prospects such as Matthew Robertson and Brandon Scanlin as well as breakout players such as Nikolas Brouillard and Mac Hollowell.
Jean-Sébastien Dea, KHL Club Mutually Terminate Contract
Former NHLer Jean-Sébastien Dea and his KHL club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, elected to terminate the player’s KHL contract by mutual consent yesterday.
Dea was originally under contract with an NHL team for the 2023-24 campaign, but Dea and the Arizona Coyotes mutually terminated the deal in August in order for Dea to pursue an opportunity in the KHL.
Dea, 29, is an undrafted center who worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL but had seen his call-up opportunities grow less frequent as he got closer to his thirties. Dea spent last year mostly with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, scoring a solid 23 goals and 50 points in 67 games. An established top-six quality AHLer, Dea has scored 50 or more points in the AHL three times.
Rather than remain in the AHL for another season where he might have potentially been called up once again, Dea elected to head overseas to pursue his first opportunity to play in a European professional league. Dea only managed six points in 18 KHL games for Metallurg, though, and his ice time had begun to slowly decline.
So rather than continue with Magnitogorsk, both the team and Dea have elected to end their business relationship.
It’s possible Dea returns to North America, where he would be a significant addition to the offensive attack of any club he signs with. It’s also possible Dea pursues other opportunities in Europe, though he may very well be weary of signing again in the KHL given how his first stint in that league has turned out.
Board Of Governors Updates Salary Cap Projections
Largely expected for the last calendar year, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that at the Board of Governors meeting today, the league updated team owners on the revenue projections for this season, and projected next season’s salary cap to reach $87.7MM. It will be both the largest dollar value and the highest percentage raise the salary cap has seen in the last five years combined.
If the projection holds, and the salary cap indeed raises by $4.2MM for the start of next season, it will mark the highest possible percentage (5%) increase allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA. If the league can sustain its current growth, it would not be unreasonable to see the league have a salary cap of more than $100MM by the end of the current decade.
As with any time the salary cap is increased by a substantial margin, it primarily benefits players in contract years and gives breathing room to a majority of the teams in the league. With players such as William Nylander, Jake Guentzel, and Brandon Montour, among others, set to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason, the first major cap increase in the last five years may put them in a position to garner record-breaking contracts.
Aside from players set to hit the free agent market this upcoming summer, players such as Leon Draisaitl, Mitch Marner, and Mikko Rantanen will be eligible for contract extensions, meaning this news bodes well for their earning power, as well. Still, although league salary standards are different for all three, the NHL has quite a ways to go in terms of revenue compared to the MLB, NFL, and NBA.
Nevertheless, it is a positive sign for the league as a whole, which saw a stagnant cap during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and a mild $4MM increase overall in the cap since the 2018-19 season.