Free Agent Stock Watch: Centers
The new year is here and the NHL season is in full swing. Teams are jockeying for playoff position, and many players with expiring contracts across the NHL are playing games that could ultimately determine what type of payday they might receive in the summer.
In a multi-part series, we’ll take a look at each position group of the upcoming free agent class, and do a rundown on how those upcoming unrestricted free agents have performed this year. Which players have increased their odds of landing a massive contract? Which players have potentially hurt their earning potential with their play? We’ll break it all down here.
The Marquee Names
Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames
With Steven Stamkos primarily playing the wing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Elias Lindholm stands alone atop the class of full-time centers in the upcoming free-agent class. The 29-year-old is entering the first trip to the unrestricted free agent market of his career, and ever since his trade from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Flames, he’s lined himself up nicely for a big payday.
A traditional two-way center who blends offensive ability and defensive responsibility, Lindholm has played a crucial role for the Flames over the last half-decade. This season has been no different. He leads all Flames forwards in time-on-ice per game and ranks just outside the top 10 most heavily utilized forwards across the entire NHL.
He plays a leading role on both sides of the Flames’ special teams, and although Calgary’s power play has struggled, Lindholm’s exemplary work on the penalty kill has contributed to an 84.2% penalty kill rate. That figure ranks sixth in the entire NHL.
Lindholm’s production has fluctuated on a year-to-year basis, leading to some questions as to his true offensive talent level. He scored 42 goals and 82 points in 2021-22, but that was alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk on one of the most talent-rich lines in hockey.
Now without superstar talent on his wings (Jonathan Huberdeau was supposed to be his all-world running mate but the former Panthers’ tenure in Calgary has been nothing short of a disaster), Lindholm has fallen back into more of a 20-plus goal, 60-plus point range. He’s on pace to score 18 goals and 52 points in 82 games, which would make 2023-24 his worst offensive season since his trade from Carolina.
Now nearly 800 games into his NHL career, there’s sufficient evidence to suggest that Lindholm is a player capable of elite production when he has elite linemates, and on his own is capable of scoring at the rate of a quality top-six forward rather than a true headlining play-driver. There’s still quite a bit of value in a standout defensive center who elevates elite linemates, of course, but that also places Lindholm in a different financial conversation on his next contract compared to a high-flying offensive number-one center like John Tavares.
The most significant wild card to Lindholm’s projection for this offseason relates to his team. If the Flames continue down the path toward rebuilding or re-tooling their roster with an eye to the future, Lindholm could very well spend the final few months of the year on another team. He’s scoring at a 52-point pace in Calgary, and finishing the year around that points total would certainly generate some caution among teams considering handing him a massive contract to be their number-one center.
But if he were to get traded to a team with some elite wingers he could center? A team like Boston, for example, where he could center Brad Marchand or David Pastrnak? (or both?) Then the possibility exists for Lindholm to finish his year point-per-game or even above that mark throughout the final twenty or so games of the season, similar to how Andrew Copp finished the year after being traded to the New York Rangers at the 2022 trade deadline.
Moreover, a trade would provide Lindholm with a massive stage to reassure potential free agent suitors that his overall game merits a significant financial investment.
As of right now, though, Lindholm is still in Calgary and it’s hard to say his stock isn’t at least a little bit down given his declined scoring pace. But a trade could change all of that, and could very well earn Lindholm quite a bit of money.
The Solid Contributors
Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights
When Lindholm was scoring 78 points in a breakout campaign in 2018-19, Stephenson was struggling in just the second season of his career in the NHL. He had won the Stanley Cup as a rookie with the Washington Capitals the year before, but he found himself in-and-out of the lineup and could only put together 11 points on the season.
Fast forward a little over a half-decade, and Stephenson is slotting in as likely the second-best center on the market for most NHL teams. He got there through a steadfast commitment to defensive hockey as well as an offensive breakout just about nobody saw coming. The Golden Knights reportedly “had a hunch” Stephenson could “excel in a different role” (subscription link) but it’s doubtful they expected a surge past the 60-point plateau.
Stephenson always had offense in his game, but like many former high-flying CHL scorers, the rigors of professional hockey had slowly beaten the offensive flair out of him. By the time he was traded to Vegas at the age of 25, Stephenson’s career-high point total as a professional was 38 in 72 games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
That was also just one of two instances where he reached double-digit goals on the season. But now, Stephenson is coming off of a year where he scored 16 goals, 65 points, and an extremely impressive 10 goals and 20 points in 22 playoff games en route to his second Stanley Cup championship.
The right time for Stephenson to hit free agency would undoubtedly have been last summer, as his stock was at a career-high point. While he’s undoubtedly not quite at that high anymore, he’s still in strong shape heading into the free agent market in the summer. His offensive production has declined a touch (he’s on pace for 42 points) but he nonetheless has demonstrated some measure of consistency, posting back-to-back 60-plus point seasons in the prior two campaigns.
Some teams could very well attribute Stephenson’s decline in scoring pace to his change of linemates, as he’s now slotted between Pavel Dorofeyev and Michael Amadio. Those are two quality, ascending players but hardly the big-name talents playing a little higher in Vegas’ lineup. Additionally, teams are likely to be encouraged by the role Stephenson plays and the level of responsibility he takes on. He averages nearly 18:00 time-on-ice per game, skating on both special teams units.
It’s rare for centers who can score 60 or more points as well as play reliable defensive hockey hit the open market. Most of the time, when centers hit the free agent market they come with significant question marks attached or recognized holes in their game. Stephenson doesn’t have the same negative tags, and he’ll likely cash in on the open market as the deals already on Vegas’ books figure to make re-signing him a difficult prospect. That being said, Stephenson’s slight offensive decline is something to monitor moving forward as the sample size of games played this season expands.
Sean Monahan, Montreal Canadiens
If there’s one thing Monahan has proved as a Canadien, it’s that the issue for him has never been about ability. The seven-time 20-goal scorer recently notched his 500th career point and at one point was a headlining star for the Flames, someone who could score around a point-per-game rate. But over the last few seasons, persistent injury issues have absolutely decimated Monahan’s overall value.
A significant aspect of what makes a player valuable to an NHL club is availability. A player can have all the talent in the world, but if he’s not able to actually deliver on that talent in actual games, the talent is ultimately meaningless from a team’s perspective. For Monahan, the battle over the last few seasons has been proving that his injury issues are behind him and that he’s someone an NHL club can once again rely upon to play consistent minutes.
In 2023-24, it’s been so far, so good. He’s currently scoring at a 21-goal, 48-point pace for Montreal, and he plays a regular role around the net/slot area on the Canadiens’ top power-play unit. Once a widely respected defensive player who received Selke Trophy votes, Monahan hasn’t been a force of a defensive stopper in Montreal but nonetheless plays a useful secondary role on their penalty kill.
A versatile forward who can play up and down a lineup, Monahan’s free-agency conversation will be dominated by questions of availability. Given how much time he has missed in recent years, can a team truly afford to commit valuable cap space to Monahan? That’s a question that’ll be asked, and the best thing Monahan can do at this point is just continue to play as he has been playing for the Canadiens. He’s been healthy, productive, and an all-around valuable veteran for the rebuilding side. If he can at the very least continue to do that, he’ll improve his stock heading to free agency.
If he ends up traded and playing a regular role on a playoff contender, he could improve his stock even further.
Jack Roslovic, Columbus Blue Jackets
Each of the centers so far covered on this list has been a player who is generally respected for their defensive play. Lindholm, Stephenson, and Monahan have each earned Selke Trophy votes in their career, but it’s a far different story when it comes to Roslovic. As The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline put it in a November article, “Roslovic always struggled with the two-way responsibilities at center.” (subscription link)
Instead, the reason Roslovic has a $4MM cap hit this season and was once a top prospect is his immense offensive talent. The 26-year-old has shown some of that in the NHL, and has scored 45 and 44 points over the last two years, respectively. But getting that offense on track on a consistent basis has been a challenge.
Still, besides Lindholm and Stephenson, there may not be another player available on the open market in the summer who offers the caliber of offensive game from the center position that Roslovic offers. However, this season has had its fair share of ups and downs for Roslovic, which has likely impacted his stock heading into his free agency.
First and foremost, there’s been something of a position change. Roslovic has traditionally always been a center, but more recently he has seen time along the wings. That time as a winger has brought out defensive improvements, but also comes at the cost of some offense. Additionally, Roslovic missed over a month due to injury, something he didn’t really have to deal with in each of the past two years.
As a result of those two factors, it’s hard to say where Roslovic truly stands heading into potential free agency. He’s an undeniably talented offensive player with two seasons of more than 40 points of production on his resume. He’ll also be just 27 years old in the summer, which places him as one of the younger available players on this list. But alongside those positive attributes come some very real drawbacks, and at the moment the fact that Roslovic is slotted in as a fourth-line winger and on pace to score around 30 points isn’t helping matters.
Tommy Novak, Nashville Predators
Novak has been quite the surprise since the start of 2022-23, as the University of Minnesota product has broken out in a big way for the Predators. The 26-year-old 2015 third-round pick didn’t do a whole lot in his first shot playing NHL games, and scored just seven points in 27 contests.
To that point, Novak looked to be something relatively common: a high-scoring AHLer who can put up points against minor-league competition but would struggle to hold up in a similar role against NHLers.
Then 2022-23 began, and Novak burst through that perception with a stellar season. He scored 17 goals and 43 points in just 51 games after a mid-season call-up, showing that there was more meat to his exemplary AHL form than some might have believed.
So far this season, Novak has dealt with some injuries but remained productive. He’s on pace to score 16 goals and 46 points in 72 games, which isn’t quite the 69-point pace he posted last season but is nonetheless strong production.
Novak is an offensive player who sees time on the Predators power play as his lone special teams usage. His ice time has remained in line with where it was last season, and it will be curious moving forward, now that he is recovered from his injury, to see if Novak’s production bumps up closer to where it was last season.
Financially, Novak’s next contract is hard to project. He doesn’t yet have a full NHL season on his resume, and it’s not entirely clear whether Novak is more of a skilled 50-point player (as he is on pace to be this year) or someone capable of reaching higher echelons of production.
More than for many other, more experienced players on this list, how Novak performs in the rest of 2023-24 will go a long way in determining what sort of contract he signs, whether it be with the Predators or elsewhere.
The Role Players
Alex Wennberg, Seattle Kraken
Wennberg, 29, earned a $4.5MM AAV on a contract in his most recent trip to the unrestricted free agent market, and he has been as advertised for Seattle. He’s provided them with nearly 40 points of production in back-to-back seasons, and he’s also brought the kind of defensive competence the Kraken have needed from a middle-six center.
The 14th overall pick of the 2013 draft has been the Kraken’s leading penalty-killing center over the course of the last two years, and since the start of 2022-23, although in that span Seattle has posted a below-average 77.6% penalty-kill rate. Some of that can be attributed to the Kraken’s consistently below-average goaltending, though.
In any case, Wennberg is a widely respected two-way center who offers a bit of offensive upside, as his career-high in goals is 17 and points is 59. A team could reasonably expect him to adequately hold down a second-line center role in a pinch or excel as a third-line center, and as a result his price tag is likely to be moderately expensive.
Wennberg currently has 15 points in 37 games, which is right around what he typically produces. The best thing for Wennberg’s stock moving forward would be another playoff run for the Kraken. Wennberg scored seven points in the team’s 14-game playoff run last season, and the stage he played on helped enhance his stock league-wide. He weathered difficult defensive minutes in that playoff run, and his work to help shut down a high-flying offensive attack in both Colorado and Dallas nearly brought the Kraken to the Western Conference Final.
If he can do that or something similar in the 2023-24 postseason, Wennberg could help his stock significantly. As of now, though, it’s holding steady.
Jason Dickinson, Chicago Blackhawks
Dickinson, 28, struggled immensely with the Vancouver Canucks in 2021-22, and was exiled to the Chicago Blackhawks, who received a second-round pick just to take on his $2.65MM AAV contract.
That was undoubtedly the low point in Dickinson’s NHL career. So far in 2023-24, one could call this season the high point in Dickinson’s NHL career.
While the Blackhawks have struggled immensely as a team this season, Dickinson has played some of the best hockey of his life.
He’s already up to 12 goals on the year, which marks the first time he’s scored double-digit NHL goals in his career.
His red-hot start to the year paces him to score 27 in a full 82-game season, and while it’s unlikely he will sustain his 23.1% shooting percentage, a 20 or even 25-goal season is very much in the cards.
In addition to the timely goal scoring and offensive bump, Dickinson is also playing a bigger role than he has before in his NHL career. He’s averaging 15:35 time-on-ice per game and is Chicago’s leading penalty-killer at the forward position.
The Blackhawks’ penalty kill has been quite poor over the last two years, of course, but the trust Luke Richardson places in Dickinson to handle tough defensive assignments is a more appropriate reflection of the player’s merits as a defensive forward.
Dickinson’s issue heading into the open market is twofold: first and foremost, some teams may question the sustainability of Dickinson’s offensive breakout. The history of NHL free agency is littered with cautionary tales of teams investing in breakout goal scorers whose true talent level as an offensive player is masked by a far higher-than-average shooting percentage. Additionally, the significant role Dickinson plays on a rebuilding team in Chicago may not be one other teams will sign him to play.
That being said, it’s hard to say Dickinson’s time in Chicago has done anything but enhance his leaguewide standing. The Blackhawks have given him a platform to remind teams what he can do at the NHL level, and he’s run with it.
Should he get traded to a playoff contender, a big showing on the major stage that is the NHL playoffs would further enhance his free-agent stock. Dickinson has already played in a Stanley Cup Final, and another deep playoff run would be the cherry on top of what has been, so far, the best season in Dickinson’s career.
Teddy Blueger, Vancouver Canucks
Blueger is in a somewhat similar position to Dickinson. The Latvian pivot is in his late twenties, is a respected defensive bottom-six forward, and is on pace for a breakout offensive season.
For Blueger, achieving new offensive heights has been less about personal goal-scoring and more about elevating his linemates. Blueger’s effectiveness in the defensive zone and ability to help recover pucks and transition to attacking play has helped his linemates spend less time pinned in their own end and more time playing offensive hockey.
He’s gotten the chance to play with some talented offensive players such as Conor Garland, and the result is clear: Blueger is on pace to shatter his career-high of 28 points, as he’s scored 13 points in 22 games. That current scoring pace, taking into account the time he’s missed this season puts him on pace to score 15 goals and 40 points in 68 games.
In addition to his improved offensive form, Blueger handles a difficult defensive role for head coach Rick Tocchet. He’s skating the second-most short-handed ice time of any Canucks forward and according to Natural Stat Trick, he’s starting the lowest percentage of shifts in the offensive zone of any Canucks forward.
Blueger has been asked to do a lot this season, and he’s responded with what has been the best start to a season in his career. If he keeps things up, he’ll be in phenomenal shape heading into free agency. If he can put together a deep playoff run on the massive stage that is playoff hockey in a Canadian market, he’ll do even better.
Nick Bonino, New York Rangers
Set to turn 36 in April, it’s likely that Bonino has hit the stage in his NHL career where he’s exclusively signing one-year contracts with clubs. Even with that in mind, Bonino’s 2023-24 has a chance to earn him a raise next summer from the $800k cap hit he’s currently playing on.
The veteran two-way center is currently the third-line center on one of the NHL’s best teams, though he’ll likely slot in as a fourth-line center when Filip Chytil returns from injury. In any case, his work for head coach Peter Laviolette has been strong.
Although he’s not scoring very much, Bonino shoulders more defensive responsibility than just about any other Rangers bottom-sixer. He’s playing the most time on the team’s penalty kill of any forward, and his work there has helped the Rangers have the fifth-best shorthanded unit in the entire NHL this season.
In addition, Bonino is winning 51.3% of his draws, which has contributed to the Rangers’ third-ranked team-wide face-off win percentage. The Rangers appear geared for a long playoff run, something that Bonino is no stranger to.
If he can keep up how he’s playing this season and once again find himself deep in the NHL playoffs, he could be one of the top options on the open market for a team looking to sign a veteran bottom-six center with just a one-year commitment.
Tomáš Nosek, New Jersey Devils
Seeing as Nosek has played in just six NHL games this season due to injuries, and none since November 18th, it’s hard to say his free agent stock is anywhere other than where it was last season.
The 31-year-old bottom-six center is a quality veteran who has appeared in the playoffs in every single season of his professional hockey career, dating back to his time playing in the Czech Extraliga. He brings some size, can kill penalties, and won nearly 60% of his draws last season.
He only received a one-year, $1MM commitment last summer, which was somewhat surprising as he figured to be among the top bottom-six players available on the market. However, teams only want to commit so many dollars to a player who, despite all his merits, has never even hit 20 points in a single NHL season.
It’s hard to imagine Nosek’s market being dramatically different this summer, although the upcoming salary cap increase could help him. It’s just a shame, then, that Nosek’s poor luck with injuries could keep him from entering free agency on the strongest footing.
Kevin Stenlund, Florida Panthers
After spending most of 2021-22 in the AHL, Stenlund finally became a full-time NHLer the following year with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were optimistic that the rangy six-foot-five forward would be able to utilize his size and physicality to become an effective bottom-six player in the NHL.
Stenlund ended up playing in 54 games for the Jets and saw time on the second unit of their penalty kill. That was the most extensive NHL role he’d ever received, and the Panthers invested in his career year by signing him to a one-year, $1MM NHL deal.
Stenlund has played a similar role for the Panthers as he did for the Jets, albeit on a more regular basis. Stenlund has entrenched himself as the team’s fourth-line center, playing in between two physical, hard-working players in Ryan Lomberg and Will Lockwood
He doesn’t receive much opportunity to make an offensive impact, but the regular minutes and consistent linemates he’s received in Florida have nonetheless led to an improved scoring pace. He’s currently on pace to score 14 goals and 19 points, which would be a career-high.
Stenlund is currently playing on the Panthers’ penalty kill, a unit that ranks eighth in the NHL. He receives a healthy dose of defensive zone starts, and his work there has helped the Panthers’ overall defensive game.
Florida plays an aggressive style that features a lot of activation from defensemen, which can lead to defensive vulnerabilities. Stenlund has been tasked with playing as a defensive specialist in that environment, and he’s excelled.
Seeing as he won’t turn 28 until next September and offers the size NHL teams covet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an active market for Stenlund’s services next summer, especially if he can help the Panthers go on another deep postseason run.
Fredrik Olofsson, Colorado Avalanche
Another in our run of fourth-line centers, Olofsson currently occupies that role for the Avalanche. He’s playing secondary penalty-killing minutes as well, though his role as a whole is moderately smaller than that of Stenlund or Bonino.
The six-foot-two 27-year-old was an offseason trade acquisition from the Dallas Stars who played an up-and-down role in Dallas last season, splitting time between the NHL and AHL. This year has been his first as a full-time NHLer, and he’s been able to handle the fourth-line center role for the Avalanche while playing on a league-minimum $775k cap hit.
An import from IK Oskarshamn in the SHL, Olofsson’s lack of offense and limited overall role outside of just defense means that he’s unlikely to offer much surplus value the higher his cap hit rises from the league minimum.
That being said, this season has gone a long way toward helping Olofsson’s free agent standing. He’s slowly establishing himself as a full-time NHLer and if he can hold onto his current job over the course of the full year, he could very well enter free agency as a regular bottom-six staple on a playoff team. That tagline sounds quite a bit different from depth forward who splits time between the NHL and AHL.
Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Sundqvist, 29, arrived in St. Louis this past summer on a one-year, league-minimum contract. He’s been the team’s defensive specialist at the center position, a relatively important role seeing that the Blues other three pivots (Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, and Kevin Hayes) are all offensive players.
Like many of the other players listed in this section, Sundqvist checks all the boxes of a bottom-six center. He’s got size, playoff experience, and handles defensive responsibility both at even strength and on the penalty kill. Injuries have slowed him down a bit in recent years, though, which contributed to a lighter market for his services than he otherwise may have had.
He’s already scored 13 points so far this year, so a fully healthy campaign in which he produces around 30 points could see him land a raise from his $775k cap hit this year.
Tyler Johnson, Chicago Blackhawks
The 33-year-old Johnson stands virtually no chance of matching the $5MM cap hit he’s currently playing on when he hits free agency. That doesn’t mean he can’t offer something to other NHL teams, although his form on a poor Blackhawks team has muddied his standing heading into free agency.
Johnson scored 12 goals and 32 points last season, suggesting that he could still play in a middle-six scoring role in the NHL. He’s put up those numbers (he’s on pace to score 30 points this season) while receiving second-unit power-play ice time, though, so it’s not as though he’s breaking through playing just even-strength minutes.
Seeing as he’s undersized, does not contribute meaningfully defensively, and will be 34 by the time the season starts in the fall, it’s difficult to imagine a robust market for Johnson’s services this summer. He does already have nine goals, though, so perhaps if he can keep up his current 15.5% shooting percentage a big goal-scoring year could help him.
Others Of Note
Sam Carrick, Anaheim Ducks
Like some of the other players listed in the section above, Carrick has recently established himself as a full-time NHLer and is currently occupying a fourth-line center role that comes with significant defensive responsibility.
The issue for Carrick, though, is that he has two things working against him that players such as Olofsson or Stenlund do not. Firstly, he’s going to turn 32 in February, meaning he’s at a later stage in his career compared to those players next to him on the market. There’s an argument to be made that he’s exiting his prime, while Stenlund or Olofsson are just beginning their peak years.
In addition, Carrick is shouldering his defensive role on a bad Anaheim Ducks team. While Olofsson and Stenlund’s play has led to strong outcomes for their line and their team, Carrick is a defensive specialist for one of the league’s worst teams.
That likely will lead to questions as to whether Carrick is the caliber of player who can handle that role for a team with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations. A trade to a contender could help him, though in that case then there is always the risk for Carrick that he doesn’t end up playing as big of a role as he did in Anaheim.
Jonny Brodzinski, New York Rangers
Brodzinski, 30, has helped himself more than most other players on the AHL/NHL bubble this season.
The captain of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, Brodzinski seized the opportunity created by injuries to other New York Rangers and has already scored a career-high eight points in just 16 games.
The speedy, hard-working forward plays alongside Bonino and Will Cuylle on the Rangers’ third line, and he has shown the ability to play higher in the lineup in a pinch.
He scored 25 points in 16 AHL games en route to his call-up, showcasing his abilities as an elite AHL scorer as well.
He won’t earn a massive contract in free agency, of course, but he could find himself in a similar position to the one his Wolf Pack teammate Alex Belzile was in last summer.
Belzile seized on the best NHL opportunity of his career and was rewarded for it with a two-year contract featuring a hefty $450k AHL salary this season and a full one-way $775k salary next year.
Brodzinski currently makes the league minimum in the NHL and $325k in the AHL. His play so far this season has lined him up nicely for a significant raise in AHL salary on his next contract if not a full one-way deal.
Travis Boyd, Arizona Coyotes
While 2023-24 has been kind to a player like Brodzinski, it’s been the opposite story for Boyd. After scoring 35 and 34 points in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively, Boyd’s 2023-24 campaign is likely a lost one due to an upper-body injury.
That means the versatile 30-year-old will enter free agency without the value of a strong platform season. Even before the injury, there were some warning signs that could worry interested teams. Boyd’s eight points in 16 games are in line with recent years, but his ice time crashed from nearly 17 minutes per game over the last two years to just 9:37 per game this year.
While Boyd was used as a secondary penalty killer last season, his time on that unit evaporated this year. Combine that significantly lowered role with his potentially season-ending injury, and 2023-24 starts to look more and more like a significant setback for Boyd’s free agent stock.
Tyson Jost, Buffalo Sabres
Jost is another player who has had a difficult start to 2023-24, and likely seen that difficult start damage his free agent stock. The former top prospect recently cleared waivers and is on his first AHL assignment since 2018-19.
Jost is still just 25 years old, but his time in Buffalo has suggested he may not be as capable of regular bottom-six duty in the NHL as previously believed. A strong stretch in the AHL is essential, as he’ll need to earn his way back into the NHL and play improved hockey there to enter the market in the best position possible this summer.
Steven Lorentz, Florida Panthers
Lorentz was acquired by the Panthers this past summer in the Anthony Duclair trade, and he was slated to compete with Stenlund for the fourth-line center role that Stenlund eventually won. The six-foot-four grinder established himself as an NHL regular in 2020-21 and has not been in the AHL since 2019-20.
Lorentz has some playoff experience and had a career year offensively in 2022-23 by scoring 10 goals and 19 points in 81 games for the San Jose Sharks. This season, Lorentz began the year on the team’s fourth line, but after producing just three points in 25 games, the Panthers turned to Lockwood. Lockwood does not offer the size Lorentz does, but he plays at a higher pace and his quickness and work ethic are valued by head coach Paul Maurice enough to keep Lorentz out of the lineup.
If Lorentz spends the bulk of this season as a spare forward rather than a regular fourth-liner, his stock will be lower heading into the first unrestricted free agency of Lorentz’s career.
Mitchell Stephens, Montreal Canadiens
Injuries have landed Stephens back in the NHL after a one-year absence, and he’s now slotting in as the Canadiens’ fourth-line center. While he’s not receiving very much time-on-ice, he does sometimes play a cameo on the penalty kill and remains in head coach Martin St. Louis’ regular lineup for the time being.
For a 26-year-old player like Stephens, going a second consecutive season without a single NHL game played would be dangerous for his ability to earn the type of contract he’s currently playing on, which is a two-way NHL deal with a $300K AHL salary.
This stretch as the Canadiens’ fourth-line center has reminded NHL teams that Stephens can capably fill in as an AHL top-six center and premier call-up option, which means this season has already been a useful one for Stephens’ free-agent prospects.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vegas Golden Knights Recall Dysin Mayo
Just before the team takes the ice at the 2024 Winter Classic in Seattle, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled defenseman Dysin Mayo from their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.
Mayo fills the lone vacant spot on the Golden Knights roster, bringing the team up to eight blueliners on its 23-man unit. Mayo will obviously not skate in the team’s game against the Golden Knights, but this recall does introduce the possibility of him dressing for an NHL game a little bit later down the line.
Mayo, 27, was traded to Vegas in February 2023, but has not yet played in his first NHL game for the club. The team brought him in as part of the deal to clear Shea Weber‘s contract off their books, and the hope was for him to play top-four minutes in Henderson and provide some size, physicality, and veteran leadership to their minor-league affiliate.
That’s exactly what Mayo has done, and now the Golden Knights have rewarded him with an NHL call-up. Mayo could very well find himself back in Henderson by the time the Silver Knights hit the ice Wednesday since Vegas already has seven defensemen on their roster, but there remains the chance now that he gets into his first game as a Golden Knight.
St. Louis Blues Recall Nathan Walker
The St. Louis Blues have announced that forward Nathan Walker has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Walker fills the open spot on the Blues’ roster that was created by yesterday’s reassignment of Mackenzie MacEachern. MacEachern had been on the Blues’ NHL roster since early December and played in a total of eight games for the Blues. They went 5-3 in that span, but after consecutive losses it appears St. Louis has opted to make a change.
Replacing MacEachern is Walker, a veteran of 111 NHL games who has not yet dressed for the Blues in 2023-24. Walker stands just five-foot-nine compared to MacEachern’s six-foot-two, though he offers more recent NHL experience. Walker played 56 NHL games for the Blues last season, while MacEachern’s last extended NHL run came in 2019-20.
Walker won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, and has been excellent in the AHL this season. He has 13 goals and 29 points for the Thunderbirds, and he leads the team in points scoring. The reward for his success in Springfield is this call-up, and he’ll likely skate on the Blues’ fourth line alongside Sammy Blais and Oskar Sundqvist.
Minnesota Wild Place Filip Gustavsson On Injured Reserve
The Minnesota Wild have announced that netminder Filip Gustavsson has been placed on injured reserve. Gustavsson was knocked out of his last start due to a lower-body injury, and The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Gustavsson is set for “another MRI” tomorrow, and is expected to miss “at least a couple weeks.”
Additionally, Russo reports that superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov, who was also knocked out of the same game as Gustavsson, will be out for one to two weeks due to injury.
These two developments are significant blows to the Wild’s hopes of re-entering the Western Conference playoff picture. Although the club is 7-3 in its last 10 games and has been extremely good since hiring John Hynes, they have also lost their last two games. It’s difficult for any club to deal with the loss of its best skater and best netminder, but that’s especially true for a Wild team whose ability to build quality depth has been compromised by significant cap penalties.
The loss of Gustavsson, 25, for a potentially extended period is a massive one. Although his .903 save percentage this season is a far cry from the .931 he posted last year, he has significantly improved as the season has gone on and has seemingly recovered from a very poor start.
With Gustavsson, out, the Wild will have to turn to Marc-André Fleury and Zane McIntyre. Fleury is a legendary goalie but his .893 save percentage this season indicates that he might not be able to keep the Wild in games the same way Gustavsson has. McIntyre, 31, is an experienced third goalie but his .884 save percentage in 12 AHL contests this season suggests he could have trouble playing in the NHL on a regular basis.
It’s unlikely, given the cap constraints they are working under, that the Wild will add meaningful external help at the goalie position. Instead, the team will have to hope that getting more consistent starts, as he did earlier in his career when he was the undisputed number-one goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights, will inspire enough improvement in Fleury’s form to keep Minnesota in the playoff chase.
As for the loss of Kaprizov, the Wild gave veteran Nic Petan a shot in the team’s top-six as a replacement for Kaprizov. While Petan has excelled at the AHL level, he’s 28 years old and his 188-game NHL career suggests he should not be counted on to provide offense on any sort of consistent basis.
The Wild’s installation of Petan in Kaprizov’s place shows how the team’s lack of salary cap space directly impacts the team’s NHL options. CapFriendly projects the club to have just $40K in cap space, meaning Petan is likely on the Wild’s roster by virtue of his extremely affordable $762.5k cap hit, rather than his merits in the NHL.
Another team might have given the first crack at filling Kaprizov’s spot to a younger player such as Sammy Walker, someone who has scored in the AHL but hasn’t quite gotten a major chance to show his skills at the NHL level. But Walker’s cap hit is $855k, meaning the Wild would need to jump through quite a few more hoops to recall Walker compared to Petan.
In any case, the team’s form has been significantly improved under Hynes and those improvements should leave Wild fans confident in their team moving forward. That being said, these two injury announcements pose a significant threat to the Wild’s ability to keep pace with other Western Conference playoff hopefuls.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Philippe Myers, Reassign Sean Day
The Tampa Bay Lightning have swapped seventh defensemen. They’ve reassigned Sean Day back to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, and recalled Philippe Myers to fill his spot on their roster.
Day has been on the NHL roster for the Lightning a few times this season, but he has not yet skated in an NHL game. He’s been the team’s seventh defenseman on a few occasions but hasn’t dressed for a game in the NHL since 2021-22.
Myers, on the other hand, has played in one game for the Lightning this season. Tampa Bay originally acquired the 26-year-old with the hope that he could carve out a consistent NHL role, but he didn’t do so and ultimately played in just 11 games at the NHL level.
He’s been in Syracuse for most of this season and has played a big role, combining both size and mobility for the Crunch. Standing six-foot-six, Myers gives the Lightning some more size and physicality at the seventh defenseman role compared to Day.
Ilya Samsonov Clears Waivers
01/01/24: As expected, Samsonov has cleared waivers, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. As a result, he is now eligible for assignment to AHL Toronto.
12/31/23: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Ilya Samsonov on waivers. Samsonov’s last appearance came on December 29nd, when he allowed the Columbus Blue Jackets six goals on only 21 shots.
Samsonov’s placement on waivers was coupled with Toronto’s AHL club recalling ECHL goaltender Luke Cavallin, something that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman thinks may be a sign that Dennis Hildeby could receive a call-up to the NHL squad should Samsonov clear waivers. Hildeby has been gaining traction in the eyes of Toronto fans, setting a 7-5-3 record and .919 save percentage in the 15 AHL games he’s appeared in this season. The Swedish goaltender is in his first full season of North American hockey, after joining the AHL’s Toronto Marlies following the end of Farjestads’ 2022-23 season in the SHL. The 22-year-old goalie was prolific in Sweden’s top league last season, setting a .918 save percentage in 21 games with the top club. The Leafs drafted Hildeby in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Like all players after pick 54 in that draft class, Hildeby has yet to make his NHL debut – something that could change soon with this recent roster moves.
Samsonov is placed on waivers after a series of disappointing games. The 26-year-old netminder currently carries a .862 save percentage through 15 games, second-worst in the league among goalies with 15-or-more games. The only goaltender with a worse save percentage is Antti Raanta, who was similarly waived earlier in the season. Samsonov is in his second season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, going to arbitration to earn a one-year, $3.6MM contract with the team for this season.
Eric Comrie Clears Waivers
01/01/24: Comrie has cleared waivers, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. He is now eligible for assignment to the Rochester Americans.
12/31/23: The Buffalo Sabres have placed goaltender Eric Comrie on waivers, opening up room for them to activate forward Zemgus Girgensons off of injured reserve. Girgensons has been out of the lineup since November 24th, battling with a lower-body injury.
Comrie’s waiving comes after Devon Levi‘s resurgence to the starter’s net. Top rookie Levi was briefly assigned to the AHL, playing in two games with the Rochester Americans where he saved 70 of a possible 76 shots, good for a .921 save percentage and 1-1 record. Levi has played in seven games since returning from the minor leagues, setting a 4-1-1 record and .906 save percentage. His new momentum has reestablished him as the Sabres’ starting goaltender, making Comrie’s roster spot expendable. Comrie has appeared in seven games with the Sabres this year, setting a dismal 1-5-0 record and .863 save percentage.
Comrie’s spot will now be used on Zemgus Girgensons, who is progressing in his return from an injury suffered midway through the team’s November 24th win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 29-year-old winger has appeared in 20 games with the Sabres this year, scoring two goals and recording seven penalty minutes. He’s in his 10th season with the Sabres, originally joining the team in the 2012 NHL Draft, when he was taken 14th-overall. Girgensons was apart of an interesting 10-15 range that year, which saw him drafted alongside players like Slater Koekkoek and Mikhail Grigorenko. Star players Tomas Hertl and Andrei Vasilevskiy were drafted only a few picks later, going 17 and 19 respectively.
Blackhawks Recall Brett Seney, Place Tyler Johnson On IR
The Blackhawks recalled forward Brett Seney from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs on Monday, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding transaction, the team moved veteran Tyler Johnson to injured reserve.
This is the first recall of the season for the 27-year-old Seney. The 5-foot-9 natural center has been a bona fide top-six scorer in the minors since turning pro in 2018, but has never been able to truly lock down a full-time NHL role.
After spending the first five seasons of his pro career with the Devils and Maple Leafs, Seney joined the Blackhawks on a one-year, two-way deal with a salary guarantee of $475K prior to last season. He responded with a career-high 23 goals and 31 assists for 54 points in 59 games with AHL Rockford, which resulted in two call-ups in the second half of the season. Skating in seven NHL games with Chicago last year, his most since logging 51 in his rookie season with the Devils in 2018-19, Seney recorded a goal and a -2 rating while averaging 13:08 per game.
In late March, Seney’s strong AHL production earned him a one-year extension with a small pay bump, increasing his salary guarantee to $500K for 2023-24. He’s responded with a slower start in Rockford after clearing waivers during training camp, posting eight goals and 21 points in 29 games, good enough for second in points behind Dave Gust on the struggling IceHogs. However, his -17 rating is the worst on the team, and he’s the only player with more than one point on the season with a rating worse than -10.
Still, he’s one of the better options left in the Blackhawks system to provide a punch to an already-weak offense that’s been destroyed by injuries. Major offseason acquisition Taylor Hall remains out for the season with a knee injury, while Joey Anderson, Andreas Athanasiou and Taylor Raddysh are all also on injured reserve.
Johnson, 33, now becomes the fifth Blackhawks forward on IR. He sustained a right foot injury in yesterday’s game against the Stars, and there is no timeline for his return. The aging Johnson had seen top-six minutes on multiple occasions this season thanks to the team’s rash of injuries and has nine goals and 13 points in 35 games, including a two-goal effort against Dallas last Friday.
He will miss at least the next seven days due to his IR placement, during which period the Blackhawks have four games. He’ll be eligible to return on January 9 against the Oilers.
Capitals Notes: Fehérváry, Jensen, Oshie, Milano, Lindgren, Pacioretty
Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry won’t be sidelined for long with his upper-body injury. After missing the team’s Saturday game against the Predators, the Slovak defenseman is eyeing a return against the Penguins tomorrow and skated in his normal spot on the team’s top pair alongside John Carlson at practice this morning, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson).
Fehérváry sustained the injury early in last Friday’s game against the Islanders, skating just 2:18 before falling awkwardly into the boards and struggling to get to his feet. The 24-year-old has arrived as a legitimate top-four shutdown defender this season, posting the best possession metrics of his career and logging some penalty kill time with good relative results. His offense was never expected to be the calling card of his game, although his five points through 28 games is a bit slower pace than his career 0.22 points per game average.
Other notes from Capitals practice this morning:
- If Fehérváry can return for tomorrow’s game, expect Nick Jensen to sit out as a healthy scratch to create room in the lineup, per the AP’s Stephen Whyno. The arrival of Ethan Bear, who made his Capitals debut Saturday and played over 20 minutes, has created a bit of a roster crunch, especially among the team’s right-shot defenders. Still, this is disappointing news for the 33-year-old, fresh off signing a three-year, $12.15MM extension. He’s yet to score a goal in 34 games this season and has logged just six assists, a sharp decline after notching nearly 30 points last season. His possession metrics have also nosedived after a few seasons of being one of the strong possession-control players in the league, limiting his on-ice value and making the choice to extend him look a tad dicey.
- Carbery issued multiple injury updates after practice as well, calling the latest news on IR-bound forwards Sonny Milano and T.J. Oshie “not positive,” per Johnson. Oshie is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Milano will be out longer on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury. The update is arguably a good sign for Oshie, though, signifying he’s getting closer to a return after missing the team’s last seven games. It’s been a tough season for the 37-year-old winger, who’s dealing with his second significant injury absence and has just four points in 21 games. Milano, meanwhile, has already missed nine games with his injury and doesn’t appear close to returning to practice anytime soon. The middle-six skill winger was amidst a down season with eight points in 23 games.
- Netminder Charlie Lindgren is also listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Carbery said. He sat out Saturday’s game against the Predators after leaving in the first period of Friday’s game and will miss at least two more contests. Lindgren, 30, has been one of the most statistically efficient netminders in the league this year, and his .928 SV% is tied with the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman for second in the league among all netminders with at least ten starts.
- Veteran winger Max Pacioretty, now coming off his second Achilles surgery in a matter of months, is expected to make his Capitals debut in the second half of the Capitals’ upcoming back-to-back against the Devils on Wednesday, per Carbery. Pacioretty has been nearing a return for weeks, but Carbery said the Capitals have been trying to position his return without needing him to play in back-to-back contests. The 35-year-old was limited to just 44 out of 164 contests in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons due to Achilles injuries.
Maple Leafs Recall Dennis Hildeby
The Maple Leafs recalled rookie netminder Dennis Hildeby from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Monday morning, per a team release. Hildeby joined the Maple Leafs at practice this morning and is expected to dress for his first NHL game Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Hildeby replaces Ilya Samsonov on the active roster, who will be assigned to the minors after 1 p.m. CT today, assuming he clears waivers. The latter’s struggles this season are well-documented, posting a .862 SV% that’s second-worst in the league among qualified netminders.
It’s been a dramatic fall from grace for Samsonov, who conceded at least four goals in his past four starts after blanking the Predators with an 18-save shutout on December 9. He’s just a few months removed from guiding the Maple Leafs to their first playoff series win since 2004 and stopping 17.4 goals above average in 42 appearances in 2022-23.
Multiple reports indicate Samsonov will not appear in a game with AHL Toronto, at least not immediately after his demotion this week. The team’s hope is to give him a dedicated space to work with the team’s development staff and rehabilitate his game.
New de facto starter Joseph Woll is sidelined longer-term with a high ankle sprain. That means veteran Martin Jones, initially signed to be the team’s third option in the net behind Samsonov and Woll, will see the lion’s share of starts before Woll can return to action, likely sometime later this month or next.
Supplementing Jones will be Hildeby, who has put up spectacular numbers in his first full season in the North American pro circuit. He’s had a quick rise up the prospect ranks since being passed over in three straight drafts (2019, 2020 and 2021), finally heading to the Maple Leafs in the fourth round, 122nd overall, in 2022.
Since then, the 22-year-old’s play has been elite. The Maple Leafs signed Hildeby to an entry-level contract only a few weeks after acquiring his rights in the draft, but they returned him to his Swedish Hockey League club, Färjestad BK, on loan for the 2022-23 season. There, he split the crease with current Lightning netminder Matt Tomkins, posting a strong 2.26 GAA and .918 SV% with three shutouts in 21 regular-season games.
After the SHL campaign concluded, Hildeby made three appearances (two regular-season, one playoff) for the Marlies, but only one start. This season, however, with Woll’s injury forcing a domino effect, Hildeby took over the starting role for them and hasn’t looked back. Through 15 games, the 6-foot-7 Swede has a .919 SV%, 2.20 GAA, two shutouts, and a 7-5-3 record. He’s allowed four-plus goals in a game only twice and has not been pulled from a game.
The Leafs aren’t looking to Hildeby to “save their season.” After all, the team is still in solid playoff positioning with a third-place standing in the Atlantic Division. Although they’re tied in points with the Lightning with 41, they have four games in hand on their playoff rivals, leading to a significant gap in their points percentages.
However, they are hoping he can give the team some more chances to win – something Samsonov hasn’t done on too many occasions as of late. If Hildeby can post a SV% even just slightly below league average in his first NHL stint, it will be a major upgrade on Samsonov’s performance this year and could help fault Toronto into a top-two finish in the Atlantic. With a back-to-back upcoming against the Kings tomorrow and the Ducks Wednesday, he will likely make his first NHL start within the next 72 hours.
Hildeby’s contract carries a $843.3K cap hit, less than the maximum $1.15MM in cap savings afforded by burying Samsonov’s contract in the minors. Thus, the Leafs will add roughly $275K in cap space with this transaction, giving them some breathing room under their nearly maxed-out LTIR salary pool.