Penguins And Guentzel Not Close To Extension
David Pagnotta of The NHL Network tweeted that he has heard that the Pittsburgh Penguins and winger Jake Guentzel have talked about a contract extension, but they are not close to an agreement. Pagnotta followed that up with another tweet adding that he has been told by sources that the two sides may shelve contract negotiations until after the season.
The 29-year-old is set to play out the final year of his five-year $30MM contract and will be due a big raise if he performs anywhere close to his historical averages. Guentzel is coming off back-to-back 35+ goal seasons and has averaged nearly a point a game since breaking into the league in November 2016. The knock-on Guentzel has always been that he puts up elite numbers because he plays with Sidney Crosby, but there has never been another player able to duplicate the kind of success Guentzel has had on Crosby’s line. Chris Kunitz was Crosby’s linemate for nearly a decade and posted just two seasons with more than 60 points, while Guentzel has topped 70 points three times in the last five years. Guentzel is sometimes the forgotten star in Pittsburgh playing behind Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and now Erik Karlsson. But, without the Omaha, Nebraska native in 2017, the Penguins probably don’t repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
The Penguins are in a bit of a curious spot this season as they are firmly committed to an older core of players but could find themselves with a ton of cap space next summer if they don’t sign any of their pending free agents. One might wonder if the Penguins are waiting to see if any impact free agents go to unrestricted free agency next summer before they decide whether to sign their own impact free agent.
From Guentzel’s perspective, he has earned the right to test the free agent market and might worry about the Penguins’ future when Crosby, Letang and Malkin retire, which could be sooner than later. Guentzel would likely fetch a seven- or eight-year deal. Given the ages of the aforementioned players, Guentzel’s final years in Pittsburgh could be on a rebuilding team if he elects to re-sign with the team long-term.
Panthers Notes: Ekblad, Sourdif, Bennett
PuckPedia tweeted that the Florida Panthers made a move today to officially place star defenseman Aaron Ekblad on the long-term injured reserve. The transaction has been months in the making, but the Panthers officially completed the paperwork today. Ekblad is expected to miss at least the first month of the season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
The move gives the Panthers some breathing room under the salary cap allowing them to facilitate other moves. Florida will be without Ekblad and fellow defenseman Brandon Montour for quite some time which could lead to expanded roles for Gustav Forsling and newcomer Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
One note on LTIR is that once a player is placed on it, they must miss at least ten games and 24 days, which means the earliest Ekblad could return is the first week of November.
The 2014 first-overall pick saw his numbers dip last season as the Panthers marched to the Stanley Cup finals. And with the root cause of his injury unknown, one might wonder if a fully healthy Ekblad could be ready for a monster bounce-back season.
In other Panthers notes:
- The Panthers announced that they have recalled forward Justin Sourdif from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The recall comes mere hours after the team assigned the 21-year-old to the AHL along with veterans Zac Dalpe and Casey Fitzgerald. The Richmond, British Columbia native posted seven goals and 17 assists as a rookie last season in the AHL, dressing in 48 games. The Panthers open the regular season against the Minnesota Wild on October 12th.
- Panthers forward Sam Bennett may be back in Florida’s lineup sooner than later as David Dwork of The Hockey News is reporting that the team is toying with the idea of bringing Bennett on their upcoming road trip. The 27-year-old has been ruled out of their season opener on Thursday but may travel with the team as they head up to Winnipeg for a game on Saturday and New Jersey next Monday. Bennett was seen in a walking boot on October 7th after being injured in a preseason game on October 5th, however, the injury doesn’t appear as severe as first reported.
Minor Transactions: 10/10/23
The start of the NHL regular season has finally come, with three games on the schedule including the highly anticipated NHL debut of generational prospect Connor Bedard. But while the NHL season is just beginning, top leagues across the hockey world are already several weeks into their regular season. As a result, player movement remains active and as always we’ll keep track of notable transactions here.
- Russian center Marat Khusnutdinov, the 37th overall pick in 2020 and the number-six prospect in the Minnesota Wild system per EP Rinkside was traded in the KHL today. (subscription link) He was sent to HK Sochi alongside monetary compensation, with his former club receiving Croatian forward Borna Rendulic in return. It’s a major swing for Sochi, who are trading their leading scorer to SKA in order to acquire Khusnutdinov. The 21-year-old center had an extremely impressive 2022-23, scoring 41 points in 63 games in a league notoriously difficult for young players to succeed in. He’s gone scoreless through six games this season, though, and has been receiving below 10 minutes of ice time in some games. Now, he’ll have the chance to potentially play with superstar prospect Matvei Michkov, a player who also began this season with SKA, and who has scored 12 points in 11 games to start the season.
- In a somewhat surprising move, Ottawa Senators goalie prospect Leevi Merilainen, 22, was assigned to the ECHL’s Allen Americans. This is likely a result of Mads Søgaard and Kevin Mandolese earning the right to serve as the Belleville Senators’ AHL tandem, though it could also be that the Senators would prefer Merilainen get some ECHL experience under his belt before he’s exposed to the rigors of the AHL full-time. Merilainen is one of the Senators’ best goalie prospects, and he spent 2022-23 mostly with Kärpät in Liiga, posting a .917 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against-average in 42 games played.
- According to a report from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Noel Gunler will return to Sweden for the 2023-24 season. Gunler was loaned to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals earlier this week, but could end up instead loaned overseas where he has played most of his pro career. Seeing as Gunler scored eight goals and 18 points in just 31 AHL games last season, there has been some belief that his development would not be best served by playing in the ECHL. Since the Hurricanes do not have an AHL affiliate of their own, the only option for Gunler to play in the AHL would be on loan to another AHL franchise. Since premium offensive roles in the AHL are typically reserved for proven AHL veterans or prized prospects of a team’s NHL affiliate, it would be no surprise if the Hurricanes struggled to find a suitable landing spot for Gunler. As a result, if this report out of Sweden is to be believed, Gunler will end up playing 2023-24 in the SHL rather than the ECHL.
- AHL enforcer Brandon Baddock has found a new team, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Iowa Wild, scoring seven points in 67 games to go along with 130 penalty minutes. Baddock brings grit and physicality to the table, something the IceHogs might have prioritized due to the number of young prospects still relatively new to pro hockey slated to play on their roster.
- Montreal Canadiens 2022 seventh-round pick Miguël Tourigny is slated to make his North American pro debut with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions. The five-foot-eight blueliner was assigned to Montreal’s ECHL affiliate today. Tourigny’s development has been somewhat unconventional thus far, as the 21-year-old spent his first professional season in Slovakia, where he scored 26 points in 44 games. Tourigny does not yet have an entry-level contract with the Canadiens but did sign a one-year, one-way AHL contract with the Laval Rocket this summer.
- Goalie prospect Tomáš Suchánek, 20, has signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, according to a team announcement. Suchánek made a name for himself at the 2023 World Juniors, leading the tournament in save percentage (.939) and earning a silver medal for Czechia. He was a WHL Second-Team All-Star as the starter for the Tri-City Americans as he posted a .912 save percentage in 46 games played. Now, he has a definite landing spot in pro hockey after a successful tryout with the Ducks organization.
- 23-year-old Swiss defenseman David Aebischer (not to be confused with the former NHL netminder) will be changing clubs this summer, as he’s signed a five-year contract with HC Lugano. Aebischer is currently in his third season as a regular blueliner with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, another National League team. Aebischer routinely plays over 20 minutes per night with the Lakers is off to a fast start with the club, scoring eight points in 10 games. He’s slated to become a long-term anchor for Lugano, and if he can keep up something close to his current scoring pace he may even draw NHL interest down the line, though being undersized (he’s five-foot-ten) by NHL standards will work against him.
- Columbus Blue Jackets prospect goalie Nolan Lalonde was traded to the OHL’s Sarnia Sting today alongside three draft picks, with former San Jose Sharks prospect Benjamin Gaudreau headed to the Erie Otters in return. Lalonde, 19, posted a grisly .868 save percentage with the Otters last season and has struggled to the tune of a .837 mark in four games this season. Perhaps a fresh start with the Sting will help reverse his OHL fortunes.
- Former ECHL star Brady Ferguson has carved out a solid career for himself in the SHL as a middle-six forward with Rögle BK, and he even earned the honor of wearing an “A” on his jersey starting last season. He won the 2021-22 Champions Hockey League with the club, and has now decided to extend his contract with the club by another season. As has teammate Michael Kapla, a defenseman who also played with Ferguson in the ECHL. Kapla, 29, is the former captain of UMass-Lowell and actually has five NHL games on his resume. He scored 28 points in 44 games last season for Rögle.
- Former Norwegian rookie of the year Eskil Wold impressed by playing 49 games in the Finnish Liiga at the age of 20. But he only scored one goal and two points for HPK Hämeenlinna, and this season he has decided to transfer to a lower level of competition. He’s signed with the Nybro Vikings of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish pro hockey, and will likely have a chance to be more productive there than he was able to be in Liiga.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Pacific Notes: Kings Updates, Comtois, Korczak
The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein relays updates on a few key Los Angeles Kings players from Kings GM Rob Blake. Firstly, Blake said that veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson is questionable for tomorrow’s season-opening game due to a lower-body injury. Additionally, he added that conversations regarding a potential contract extension for both Arvidsson and fellow pending unrestricted free agent Matt Roy “could come around Christmas.”
Arvidsson, 30, has had a career renaissance in Los Angeles, scoring 26 goals and 59 points last season. Those numbers aren’t far off from the career highs he set with the Nashville Predators, and as a result he could be in line for a lucrative trip to the open market next summer. The impact of Roy, 28, isn’t as easy to point to as Arvidsson’s but he’s an important King all the same. The 2015 seventh-round pick played nearly 19 minutes per night last season and over two minutes per night short-handed, and could command a raise over his current $3.15MM AAV cap hit.
Some other notes from the Pacific division:
- Per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has confirmed that forward Maxime Comtois has been released from his PTO. Cassidy explained that the team was pleased with how Pavel Dorofeyev and Paul Cotter performed in the preseason, and as a result, did not have a spot to spare for Comtois. Comtois played in four preseason games and averaged just over 13 minutes of ice time per night. The former Anaheim Duck went scoreless in those contests and will now have to look elsewhere to continue his professional career, a career that looked so promising just two seasons ago when he scored 16 goals and 33 points in just 55 games.
- According to CapFriendly, the Golden Knights “appear to have recalled Kaedan Korczak” from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, giving the team a full 23-man roster. This move, according to CapFriendly, would “suggest another LTIR placement” to create the necessary cap space, with the likely candidates for the placement being Zach Whitecloud or Alec Martinez. Both Whitecloud and Martinez are currently on regular injured reserve, and if one is expected to be absent for a relatively extended period that player could land on LTIR in order to allow for the recall of Korczak.
Metro Notes: Johnson, Svechnikov, Butcher, Ristolainen
2021 fifth-overall pick Kent Johnson had a stellar rookie season in 2022-23, scoring 16 goals and 40 points. The British Columbia native is one of the most purely skilled players in the NHL and is capable of creating highlight-reel plays on a nightly basis. Despite that stellar first campaign, it appears Johnson currently sits on the outside of new head coach Pascal Vincent’s nightly lineup.
Team reporter Jeff Svoboda relayed confirmation from Vincent that Johnson is currently considered an extra skater, and although Vincent added that he is “not sure [Johnson’s] not going to play” he maintained that he could only dress so many forwards. At the moment, players such as Emil Bemström and Justin Danforth are projected to hold positions on the team’s second and third lines, respectively, but one would think that Johnson will end up back in the nightly lineup sooner rather than later.
Some other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette reports that Carolina Hurricanes star Andrei Svechnikov remains in a yellow non-contact jersey, and as a result, is presumably out for tomorrow’s season-opening game. Svechnikov is still working his way back from a torn ACL that cut his 2022-23 season short. When healthy, he’s among the Hurricanes’ best players, and last season was on pace to score a career-high 70 points.
- The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh reports that defenseman Will Butcher skated this morning, a positive development for a player who missed all of training camp and preseason due to injury. Butcher has begun this season on season-opening injured reserve, but when he eventually becomes ready to play it’s likely he’ll find himself waived and sent to the AHL. Butcher signed a one-year, league-minimum deal in Pittsburgh likely with the hope that he would compete for a depth role on the Penguins’ NHL defense, but due to this injury it’s now likely that he’ll have to work his way into NHL consideration with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. 2022-23 was Butcher’s first in the AHL, and he impressed scoring 43 points in 67 games.
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is currently on injured reserve, though his stay there could be coming to an end. PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor reports that Ristolainen was on the ice for Flyers practice today, and NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall relays word from Flyers GM Daniel Brière that Ristolainen’s IR placement can be backdated, and he therefore could become eligible to play the team’s season-opening contest against Columbus on Thursday. Ristolainen showed improved form under head coach John Tortorella last season and if he plays his activation could mean rookie Emil Andrae is assigned to the AHL or Felix Sandström gets placed on waivers.
Vancouver Canucks Reportedly Grant Conor Garland Permission To Seek Trade
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland has been given permission “to talk to other teams about a potential trade.”
This news comes after it was reported earlier today by PuckPedia that Garland had switched agents, and is now being represented by Judd Moldaver of Wasserman Hockey.
Per Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma, Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford said “we’re not going to comment on that” regarding the reports on Garland. Today’s news isn’t exactly a surprising development, as rumors have long circulated about a divorce between Garland and the Canucks.
The 27-year-old winger is a holdover from the Canucks’ previous administration, a remnant of the ill-fated Oliver Ekman-Larsson blockbuster trade, a deal that ultimately doomed Jim Benning and Travis Green as key decision-makers in Vancouver.
For quite a few reasons, Garland looks to be the sort of player that would generate quite a bit of interest leaguewide.
Even dating back to his days with the Arizona Coyotes, Garland has scored at a respectable rate. He potted 17 goals and 46 points last season, and had 19 goals and 52 points in 2021-22.
Garland is a shifty winger who blends crafty offensive play with a bit of an agitator quality. There’s a lot to like about his game, and yet at this point a trade out of Vancouver appears unlikely.
Why? For a few reasons. First and foremost: his contract. Garland is set to make $4.95MM against the cap for the next three seasons, and while that isn’t a totally unreasonable price for a player with his numbers, it’s not exactly a bargain.
Moreover, Garland stands at just five-foot-eight according to EliteProspects, and recent trends in how NHL teams allocate cap space have angled more towards wingers who bring size to the table.
Additionally, while Garland’s cap hit is $4.95MM he does own a backloaded contract, meaning any team acquiring him would be on the hook to pay $17MM in cash to Garland over the course of the three-year commitment.
So while Garland the player is undoubtedly one that would interest many NHL teams (players who can score 20 goals and 50 points reliably do not grow on trees) Garland the asset is one that is quite a bit more difficult to move.
Any trade negotiated between the Canucks and an interested club would almost undoubtedly require salary retention or money coming back to Vancouver.
That makes this trade a difficult one to complete mid-season, and although the Canucks have three retained salary slots remaining the already massive amount of dead money on their books through the Ekman-Larsson buyout could make the team weary to take on any additional dead cap commitments.
In other words, while there are undoubtedly teams that would love to add Garland to their roster, it would take quite a bit of creativity to reach a place where a trade could actually be completed.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Norris, MacEwen, Mittelstadt, Brown
Injury troubles have been a persistent issue for Ottawa Senators center Joshua Norris, as since his 35-goal breakout campaign he’s only managed to play in eight NHL games. Despite undergoing shoulder surgery all the way back in January, Norris’ status remains in question as the Senators prepare for an extremely important 2023-24 season.
Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan relays word from Senators head coach D.J. Smith that there is currently still no timeline on Norris’ recovery, though the hope remains that he will be back shortly. At this point, no LTIR placement is being considered and Scanlan adds that Norris will travel with the team to Carolina for its game against the Hurricanes. The Senators’ center depth is currently in somewhat rough shape, as Rourke Chartier and Ridly Greig are the team’s projected middle-six centers (they combine for just 39 games of NHL experience) so getting Norris back in action is going to be a major priority for the team as they look to start the season on the right foot.
Some other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Another Senator currently battling injury is winger Zack MacEwen. Scanlan reports that MacEwen is currently unavailable on a day-to-day injury timeline, and as a result, the Senators may be forced to start the season with an opening-night lineup short a player. Ottawa currently does not possess the necessary cap space to recall a replacement player from the AHL’s Belleville Senators, so the club could be forced to play with just 11 forwards tomorrow in Raleigh.
- According to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt “tweaked something” in his upper body yesterday and as a result sat out of practice today. Head coach Don Granato reassured reporters saying that Mittelstadt’s absence is not expected to extend into the team’s opening-night contest Thursday against the New York Rangers. Mittelstadt is an important cog in the Sabres’ offense, and is coming off a breakout 2022-23 season where he scored 15 goals and 59 points.
- Just shortly after he cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, Boston Bruins forward Patrick Brown was recalled back to the NHL roster today. The 31-year-old veteran forward will likely be in the TD Garden press box for the Bruins’ opening-night contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, though he could end up claiming the fourth-line center role on the team should rookie John Beecher fail to carry over the momentum he built in the preseason into regular-season action.
Anaheim Ducks Claim Ross Johnston From New York Islanders
The Anaheim Ducks have made their second waiver claim this preseason, nabbing winger Ross Johnston off of the waiver wire from the New York Islanders according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This claim is a genuinely surprising one at least from a financial perspective, as Johnston is owed $1.1MM against the cap through the 2025-26 season.
A rugged six-foot-five enforcer, Johnston has simultaneously avoided playing in the minors for the past half-decade while also playing in fewer than 32 games in each of his seasons spent on an NHL roster. One of the few enforcers left in today’s game, Johnston has compiled 283 penalty minutes in 134 career NHL games.
From Anaheim’s perspective, this move comes as the Ducks have been looking to forge an identity under GM Pat Verbeek and new head coach Greg Cronin.
Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast yesterday that “this year isn’t about winning for Anaheim” and instead is more focused on adding “an attitude” to the Ducks, presumably making them a grittier and more difficult team to play against.
While much has been made about the limitations of Johnston as an NHL player, something he undeniably offers in abundance is grit and the type of “attitude” Verbeek and Cronin are looking to instill in their players.
There’s also a pre-existing connection between the Ducks and Johnston that likely played a role in the team feeling comfortable making this claim. Johnston’s former head coach at AHL Bridgeport was Brent Thompson, who is now an assistant coach on Cronin’s staff.
Under Thompson’s guidance, Johnston was able to accomplish the daunting task of breaking into the NHL as an undrafted player. Perhaps with that connection between player and coach re-established, the Ducks will be able to get more out of Johnston than what he offered late in his tenure with the Islanders.
It’s not exactly the safest bet to make — $1.1MM is a lot to commit to an enforcer-type player in an NHL environment where cap space is a uniquely prized asset — but the Ducks still have quite a bit of cap space banked away moving forward and Johnston’s deal expires at the exact time Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale‘s bridge deals expire.
In any case, although the merits of carrying an enforcer in today’s NHL are still hotly debated it’s no question that rival NHL teams won’t feel the same level of comfort seeing the Ducks coming up on their schedule as they may have before this claim was made.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Toronto Maple Leafs To Sign Noah Gregor
After a strong preseason performance, winger Noah Gregor has successfully turned his PTO with the Toronto Maple Leafs into a full-time contract with the club.
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving informed the media today that Gregor would be signed, and The Nation Network’s Jason Gregor reports that it’ll be a one-year, league-minimum $775k pact.
Alongside the move, the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran reports that 2023 first-round pick Easton Cowan will be loaned back to his OHL team, the London Knights.
Gregor impressed in both training camp and the preseason, skating in five total exhibition games with the Maple Leafs. He scored a goal and added two assists in that span, tying him for the Maple Leafs’ team lead in preseason points according to Natural Stat Trick.
Now 25 years old, Gregor is a versatile forward capable of plying wing or center. He spent the last two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, the team that selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, but was non-tendered this summer.
Gregor scored 10 goals and 17 points last season, skating just under 13 minutes per night with virtually no exposure on special teams. That looks to be the role he’s been signed to play in Toronto.
Treliving did express some optimism that Gregor could earn an expanded role and even work as a penalty-killer. The Athletic’s Jones Siegel reports he’s playing alongside center David Kämpf and veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves, so it appears the fourth line is where Gregor will slot in to start the season.
Colorado Avalanche Place Pavel Francouz On LTIR, Recall Two
The Colorado Avalanche have placed backup netminder Pavel Francouz on long-term injured reserve, providing the necessary cap space for the club to recall two players: forward Riley Tufte and netminder Justus Annunen.
Francouz remains out dealing with a long-term injury, and the Avalanche have been proactive in shoring up their backup goalie job in his absence. The club claimed former Arizona Coyotes netminder Ivan Prosvetov off of waivers yesterday, and now appear to be setting up for Annunen and Prosvetov to compete for starts behind starter Alexandar Georgiev.
Tufte, like Prosvetov, found himself on season-opening waivers although he ended up unclaimed. That allowed the Avalanche to temporarily stash the 2016 first-round pick in the AHL before returning him to the NHL today.
Tufte is a hulking six-foot-six winger whose offense never quite developed as hoped, though he did score 19 goals in the AHL last season. He’s slated to grapple for a bottom-six role in head coach Jared Bednar’s lineup this season.