Maple Leafs Sign William Nylander To Eight-Year Extension
10:51 a.m.: Toronto has made the eight-year length and $92MM total value of the contract official, per a team release. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that approximately $69MM of the deal will be paid out in signing bonuses.
9:00 a.m.: The Maple Leafs have officially completed talks on an eight-year, $11.5MM average annual value extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Monday morning. The contract will carry a full no-movement clause in all eight seasons, running from 2024-25 to 2031-32. TSN’s Chris Johnston was the first to report the NMC inclusion earlier Monday.
Nylander, 27, is now the recipient of the largest total value contract in the Maple Leafs’ 100-plus-year history at $92MM. He will be 36 years old when his mega-deal expires in 2032, making him eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career as his prime years are assumedly winding down.
This is a landmark deal for a player who’s emerged as undoubtedly their second-most important forward this season. While superstar first-line center Auston Matthews has stolen the show with his 30 goals in just 36 games, Nylander has broken the bank in terms of points. His 21 goals and 33 assists give him 54 points on the year in 37 games, putting him on pace for 120 – shattering last season’s career-high mark of 87.
Nylander’s been viewed as a bona fide top-six winger since he finished sixth place in Calder Trophy voting in 2016-17. However, there have always been external questions surrounding the compete and consistency level of the 2014 eighth-overall pick. Most of those have been quieted in the past 12 months, with Nylander continuing to provide excellent postseason play (despite Toronto’s abbreviated playoff runs), adding in excellent possession metrics and now proving himself as a yearly threat for 40-plus goals.
The leading thought among public opinion will likely be that new GM Brad Treliving shoehorned himself by not signing Nylander to a deal last summer when discussions were reportedly in the $9MM-$10MM AAV range. However, Friedman countered that on this morning’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast. He believes that Nylander’s camp has been holding steadfast to a higher number since negotiations began last July, and while he couldn’t confirm that an $11.5MM AAV on an eight-year deal was Nylander’s initial ask, it was close enough to get the deal done once the Leafs arrived at that number.
It’s unlikely the Leafs were comfortable with a $1.5MM jump in value per season based on a 30-game hot streak. Advanced metrics show this run of play from Nylander could very well be sustainable over the first few seasons of the deal, however, making the team’s third $11M+ cap hit on the books next season easier to swallow.
For one, he’s shooting the puck more – likely due to an uptick in ice time this season of around a minute and a half. He’s now shown he’s able to weather more than 20 minutes per game on a routine basis, something the Leafs will rely on him to do as their bevy of high-paying contracts restricts their ability to add depth on offense. Thus, despite his career-high 47-goal pace, Nylander is shooting at a percentage right around his career average (12.9% this season compared to his 12.3% average), and at a shooting percentage lower than three out of the last four seasons. His possession numbers remain quite strong, too, including a 53.4% Corsi share and a 4% relative Corsi share at even strength this year. Put simply, his play this season warrants the box-score numbers he’s produced.
That makes it an incredibly difficult decision to consider parting with Nylander, who’s developed into a core player for Toronto in every sense of the word. He’ll have spent a decade already in the organization next summer, and he’s managed to withstand, at times, a great deal of public criticism from local media and respond with an 18-month span that’s solidified him as a top-five right wing in the league. By keeping him around long-term, the Maple Leafs will get to reap the rewards of their patience.
Whether or not the team’s current construction under the salary cap can lead to a Stanley Cup win is the most pressing question, though, a cry that will become louder with now over 50% of next season’s salary cap devoted to Nylander, Matthews, Mitch Marner and captain John Tavares. In hindsight, that may be a more important metric in assessing this deal’s value rather than Nylander’s individual production over the next eight seasons.
For now, Nylander will be one of the six highest-paid players in the league next season in terms of AAV behind Matthews ($13.25MM), Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6MM), Oilers superstar Connor McDavid ($12.5MM), Rangers winger Artemi Panarin ($11.64MM), and Penguins blueliner Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM). It’s quite lofty company for Nylander at the beginning of the contract, but his cap hit’s place in those standings will continuously drop as more eight-figure deals get inked with the impending sharp rise of the salary cap’s Upper Limit.
In signing this deal, the Maple Leafs also take the top pending unrestricted free agent of the 2024 class off the board. That title now goes to a group of first-line talents in the Eastern Conference – Penguins first-line mainstay Jake Guentzel, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, and, amidst a breakout season on pace for 59 goals and 105 points, Panthers winger Sam Reinhart.
Nylander’s full no-movement clause will protect him from any trades, waiver placements, or future expansion drafts over the life of the deal unless he consents. It does not, however, prohibit Toronto from buying out his contract if the last seasons of the deal age poorly.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Maple Leafs Closing In On William Nylander Extension
Jan. 8: Nylander and the Maple Leafs are indeed closing in on an eight-year, $92MM total value extension, TSN’s Darren Dreger corroborates Monday morning. There is still “some work getting done” on the deal, however, and it’s unclear whether it will become official today. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic expects the deal to contain full no-movement protection and “favorable bonus structuring.”
Jan. 6: The Maple Leafs could announce an extension for star winger William Nylander after returning from their California road trip, potentially on Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on tonight’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. Per Friedman, it’s likely to be an eight-year deal carrying a stratospheric AAV of $11.5MM.
That price tag is roughly $2.5MM higher than what new Toronto GM Brad Treliving offered in the early stages of negotiations last summer. Nylander’s 43-goal, 116-point pace through 36 games has eliminated the possibility of a seven-figure cap hit, however, solidifying him as the best pending free agent available in the 2024 class.
It’s also a significant increase on the $10MM-per-season deal Nylander reportedly requested before this season began. Throughout his torrid start to the campaign, which included a franchise-record 17-game point streak, the reported cap hit on an extension began to steadily climb. With that ascent now seemingly arriving at the $11.5MM mark, Treliving won’t wait any longer to put pen to paper and keep his team’s current points leader in the organization long-term.
That contract would tie Nylander for the fifth-highest cap hit in the league beginning next season with Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, who they have at a reduced price of $10MM through the retained salary trade that brought him there from the Sharks last summer. It also leaves Toronto with two of the top five most lucrative contracts in the league beginning in 2024 – star center Auston Matthews‘ $13.25MM AAV extension will give him the highest cap hit in the league.
His performance this season seems like the real deal, and advanced metrics suggest this similar rate of production should be sustainable for a number of years as he plays out his prime. Despite his career-high goal-scoring pace, his 12% shooting percentage this season is actually less than his 12.3% career average. His two-way game has never been better, either – he’s on pace for an expected rating of +24.6, which would shatter his career-high of +18.9 set last season.
So, in a vacuum, it may be difficult to criticize the price tag given his market value as a pending UFA. However, that cap hit works out to a combined $46.6MM in spending wrapped up in Matthews, Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares next season – over 53% of the $87.5MM salary cap in 2024-25 spent on four forwards. That doesn’t include Morgan Rielly and his $7.5MM cap hit, which works out to nearly 62% of the salary cap spent on five players. With the current LTIR relief of John Klingberg, Matt Murray and Jake Muzzin all coming off the books next summer, it’ll be an extremely tight one-year squeeze until Marner’s and Tavares’ deals expire in 2025.
Assuming both Marner and Tavares stay with Toronto, the former likely won’t command a significant raise on his current $10.9MM cap hit. However, Tavares’ $11MM cap hit will likely see a multi-million dollar reduction, freeing up a notable amount of money for Treliving as the salary cap jumps to an expected value of $92MM in 2025-26.
Nylander will be 28 years old when the deal begins, and if it’s signed as reported, he’ll be 35 years old in the last season of the deal in 2031-32. Avoiding a long-term commitment to Nylander into his late 30s should help Toronto avoid some serious devaluation of the contract in the final few seasons, but even with a rising salary cap, it’s fair to expect the contract to age poorly in its seventh and eighth seasons as is the case with most long-term deals signed near the beginning of a player’s UFA eligibility.
Nonetheless, it expects to be another landmark signing for a team that’s had quite a few of them in the last decade. The ultimate question – whether or not this core can lead them to a Stanley Cup – of course remains to be seen. With Nylander posting a point per game over his last three playoff runs, however, there’s little doubt about his individual ability to perform in mid-April and beyond.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Alex Stalock, Reassign Jackson LaCombe
Before the puck dropped in tonight’s matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, the Ducks announced they had called up goaltender Alex Stalock, and reassigned defenseman Jackson LaCome to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. As mentioned in previous reporting, it was discovered that netminder John Gibson would be out of tonight’s game due to an illness, and the Ducks would be reintroducing forward Troy Terry back into the lineup.
As the third-string goaltender in the organization, this will mark Stalock’s third call-up of the season, with the other two coming on November 1st and December 20th, respectively. Failing to play a game in either of those two transactions, Stalock has only played for the Gulls this season, carrying a 1-7-1 record through nine games, and also possessing a .894 SV%.
If Anaheim continues to maintain relatively good health between the pipes, Stalock could very well only play in the AHL this season for a struggling San Diego team. It would mark the first time Stalock has only suited up in the AHL for any given year since the 2011-12 season. Employed as a backup for the Chicago Blackhawks last year, Stalock has a career record of 70-65-20, with a .908 SV% primarily serving as a backup with the Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, and San Jose Sharks.
In LaCombe, it will mark his first demotion to the minor leagues over his young career, making his NHL debut last season after wrapping up his career with the University of Minnesota. LaCombe initially made his way to the Ducks organization after being selected by the team with the 39th overall selection of the 2019 NHL Draft.
It would be an understatement to say that LaCombe has struggled in his first full year in the NHL, only tallying four assists through 35 games this season. Playing in almost 20 minutes each night, LaCombe has managed a -22 rating, the worst on Anaheim’s roster. Furthermore, even in the more advanced metrics, LaCombe has produced a CorsiFor% of 38%, and an on-ice save percentage in all situations of 88.7%, which are simply not going to cut it at the NHL level.
Snapshots: Kulich, Gibson, Nosek
After a standout performance with Team Czechia at the 2024 World Junior Championship, the Buffalo Sabres announced they have reassigned forward Jiri Kulich to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Leading his team to a bronze medal finish over Team Finland, Kulich tied for for the lead in scoring over the whole tournament, scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games.
Kulich is now in his second season with the Americans, having scored 22 goals and 46 points in 62 games over his rookie campaign. Rochester would go on to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the eventual champions, the Hershey Bears, in six games. Throughout 12 playoff games, Kulich became one of the top performers for the Americans, scoring seven goals and 11 points overall.
He has continued to impress at the AHL level this season, impressively scoring 16 goals in 23 games up to this point, still leading Rochester in goal-scoring, and tied for fourth throughout the entire league. With Buffalo having a relatively packed forward core, it is more than likely that Kulich won’t become a full-time player for the Sabres until the start of next season.
Other snapshots:
- Derek Lee of the Sporting Tribune is reporting that the goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks, John Gibson, will not play in the team’s game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings due to an illness. With Gibson unable to play, the Ducks will rely on Lukas Dostal to start, and Alex Stalock as the backup to end the team’s four-game losing streak.
- Undergoing foot surgery on December 1st, forward for the New Jersey Devils, Tomas Nosek was expected to be out for a significant amount of time. Today, it was announced that the Devils have transferred Nosek to their long-term injured reserve (X Link). However, he is able to be activated as soon as he is ready to go, having satisfied the LTIR requirements back in December.
Minnesota Wild Call Up Jesper Wallstedt, Reassign Zane McIntyre
The Minnesota Wild have recalled high-end goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt, and reassigned Zane McIntyre to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, per a team release. With netminder Filip Gustavsson currently on the injured reserve and upcoming back-to-back games next weekend, it would be reasonable to assume that Wallstedt will end up making his NHL debut for the Wild.
Coming to Minnesota as the 20th overall selection of the 2021 NHL Draft, the native of Västerås, Sweden has shattered all expectations through his brief time in North America. Even during his last year in the SHL during the 2021-22 season, Wallstedt impressed greatly with a .918 SV% and 1.98 GAA in 22 games as a 19-year-old.
Making his way to Iowa last year, the excitement began growing around Wallstedt, as he produced an 18-15-5 record in his rookie campaign, carrying a .908 SV% and a 2.68 GAA. He has continued his upward momentum in this AHL season as well, currently holding an 11-9-0 record with a .917 SV% and 2.54 GAA. He currently ranks sixth in save percentage through all goalies in the AHL with a minimum of 15 games played.
Unfortunately for Wallstedt, this will likely only serve as a brief stay in the NHL, with Gustavsson only expected to miss a few weeks, and Marc-Andre Fleury currently serving as the team’s primary starter. However, with 11 games in 20 days upcoming for the Wild, Wallstedt will have plenty of opportunity to prove his worth at the NHL level.
With Gustavsson signed until the 2025-26 season, and Fleury’s status beyond this year up in the air, Wallstedt will more than likely be the primary backup option for the Wild as soon as next season. If he continues to play how he has in both the SHL and the AHL, Minnesota could become one of the few teams across the league to have their long-term solution in the crease.
For McIntyre, he was originally brought up via an emergency loan on December 31st in correspondence with Gustavsson’s injury. In the three games that he has been available for, Fleury has started in all of them, with McIntyre failing to get any minutes throughout his time up in the NHL. He will now return to Iowa where he has a .884 SV% through 12 games this season.
Michael Russo of The Athletic was the first to report the Wild would be recalling Wallstedt.
Kaapo Kähkönen Drawing Trade Interest
In an article from Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, he passes along a note from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who claims that the San Jose Sharks are receiving trade interest in Kaapo Kahkonen. Although he was unable to directly link any team to Kahkonen, Freidman points out that the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils are all actively looking for goaltending help.
With a 9-28-3 record into January and the overarching narrative that the Sharks are firmly locked in on a lengthy rebuild, there is no doubt they will be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. Keeping this in mind, with teams having rumored interest in Kahkonen, and with an expiring contract, it is reasonable to assume that the Sharks would entertain the thought of moving him for the right price.
It has been the tale of two seasons up to this point for both of San Jose’s goaltenders, as Mackenzie Blackwood held down the fort for much of October and November, with Kahkonen taking back the net in December. Through the end of November, Blackwood held a .903 save percentage through 17 games, compared to a .889 save percentage from Kahkonen in only nine games. For whatever reason, once the calendar switched over to December, things completely flipped, as Blackwood only mustered a .847 save percentage through six games, and Kahkonen bounced back with a .914 save percentage in nine games.
Even with Kahkonen’s hot streak of late, at least for the team’s currently scouting for goaltending help, questions would certainly arise as to how much of an upgrade Kahkonen would be in net. With Stuart Skinner playing much better in Edmonton, and Pyotr Kochetkov giving the Hurricanes some stability, New Jersey may be the only realistic option for the Sharks. If they are unable to artificially create something resembling a bidding war, then San Jose may be better served by signing Kahkonen to an extension and trying to move him again next season.
Minor Transactions: 01/07/24
It’s another busy day across the world of professional hockey, with four NHL games. Outside the NHL, the schedule is jam-packed with contests in the CHL and the various European professional leagues. Just as the schedule is packed with games, the transaction wire has had quite a bit of player movement activity. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves here.
- The AHL’s Rochester Americans have announced a procedural move that will allow defenseman Nicolas Savoie to pursue educational opportunities rather than continue with the team playing pro hockey. The 21-year-old defenseman is set to play for the University of New Brunswick in the Canadian university hockey circuit, according to CBC Sports’ Ben Steiner. Savoie is an undrafted left-shot blueliner who emerged as a strong QMJHL defenseman for the Quebec Ramparts in 2021-22. He scored at least 44 points in each of his last two seasons playing junior hockey, and took home a Memorial Cup with Quebec to cap off his QMJHL career. He played in 21 ECHL games for the Jacksonville Icemen and three AHL contests in Rochester, and will now head to University before potentially trying his hand at the pro game once again.
- Former Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael McNiven was released by the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates today, ending a tenure with the team that began in early December. The former CHL goalie of the year was traded from the Wheeling Nailers to Savannah after posting an .859 save percentage with the Nailers. He didn’t do much better in Savannah (0-3-1 with an .899) and will now have to look elsewhere to continue his career. He does have a strong pro campaign on his resume, though, from 2018-19 when he put up a .902 save percentage in 30 games for the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
- 29-year-old Ross Olsson‘s time with the Worcester Railers has ended after one game played. The six-foot-four forward, who captained the Orlando Solar Bears last season, was released by the ECHL club today. He signed with the team yesterday and played in their loss that same day before now receiving his release. Olsson is currently working in an off-ice role at a nearby school, so he seemingly was signed for fill-in duty for that single game as the Railers were likely in need of a capable player to fill in for that short period. Olsson has been a quality ECHLer in his time in the league, scoring 28 goals and 47 points last season.
- The ECHL’s Maine Mariners have lost their second-leading scorer, Reid Stefanson, to Europe. The 26-year-old has signed with the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals, according to a team announcement. Stefanson had a strong first campaign in pro hockey last year, as the UMass-Lowell product scored 22 goals and 47 points. He has 22 points in 22 games so far this season and will now begin his career in Europe in the Austrian capital.
- The ICEHL’s HC Bolzano have swapped goalies, releasing former NHLer Niklas Svedberg and signing 25-year-old Samuel Harvey. The 34-year-old Svedberg joined Bolzano this past summer but struggled through 24 games with the club, putting up an .895 save percentage. Bolzano is a club with high expectations after losing in the ICEHL’s finals last season, so they’ve turned to Harvey. Harvey played for Bolzano last season and was stellar, posting a .922 in 22 games. He led them in the playoffs as well, which earned him a shot in Liiga with Lukko Rauma. Now after 20 games in Liiga the former QMJHL star has elected to return to Italy where he’ll look to go on another deep playoff run with the Foxes.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Latest On Vancouver Canucks Trade Deadline Strategy
Arguably the biggest surprise of this season has been the stunning success of the Vancouver Canucks. A team that once looked to be in a dire situation just a year ago is now 25-11-3, tied for fourth in the NHL in points.
The team’s pillars at each key position (forward, defenseman, goaltender) are playing to the absolute peak of their capabilities, with Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko each a candidate for the Norris and Vezina trophies, respectively. Center Elias Pettersson could very well be a candidate for the Hart Trophy as well, if the race for that award did not already figure to be a two-horse race between Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov.
The Canucks are in a position where they can legitimately consider treating 2023-24 as a “Stanley Cup or bust” sort of win-now campaign. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance wrote as much in a recent piece, positing that since “uncertainty looms beyond this year” regarding the futures of Petterson, Filip Hronek, other blueliners, and J.T. Miller, the Canucks could reasonably consider behaving like a true Stanley Cup contender at this year’s trade deadline. (subscription link)
If that ends up being the case, the Canucks have numerous trade possibilities in front of them. The team has already bolstered its defense with the acquisition of Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames, but it may not stop there. Drance specifically names Nashville Predator Dante Fabbro and former Canuck Chris Tanev as two of the team’s potential trade targets, with the two right-shot blueliners likely to replace either Noah Juulsen or Tyler Myers in the team’s regular lineup if acquired.
But while defense is an area that the Canucks might stand to improve, Drance writes that “a top-six forward is seen as an area of greater need” for Vancouver. Up front, much of the conversations regarding what the Canucks might do centers around forward Andrei Kuzmenko.
Although the 27-year-old had a stellar rookie season with 39 goals and 74 points in 2022-23, he’s lost his spot next to Pettersson this season and has been at times a healthy scratch.
While he’s still managed 19 points in 33 games and does factor in on the power play when in the lineup, head coach Rick Tocchet’s demands of his players away from the puck has led to Kuzmenko’s overall role eroding.
For what it’s worth, Drance notes that Kuzmenko’s agent, Dan Milstein, told The Athletic that “he and his client remain committed to making it work for Kuzmenko in Vancouver.” But although this isn’t a situation where a player is responding negatively to a reduced role and is seeking an exit, an exit could still very well be in store.
Moving Kuzmenko could clear as much as $5.5MM off of the Canucks’ books, which would open up significant new avenues for external additions. NHL teams are making calls on Kuzmenko’s availability, according to Drance, and one team reportedly is reportedly “showing real interest” in acquiring the Russian forward. His will be a name to look out for among fans of clubs in need of skilled additions up front.
In terms of who the Canucks could potentially acquire, Drance names two specific forward trade targets as he did on defense: Pittsburgh Penguins star Jake Guentzel and Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway. Guentzel, who the Canucks’ front office has familiarity with from their time in Pittsburgh, would be an absolutely massive addition. The pending unrestricted free agent would likely only be moved if its clear the Penguins are out of the playoff hunt by the deadline, and if he’s available he’d likely be the top name on the trade market. He’s scored 18 goals and 43 points this season and has two 40-goal seasons on his resume.
As for Greenway, the 26-year-old was traded to Buffalo just last season. The big six-foot-six power forward would add some size and snarl to the Canucks’ forward corps, something the team does not have in abundance. His acquisition cost would likely be far less steep than Guentzel’s, though he does come with an additional year on his contract at a $3MM cap hit.
Regardless of which particular player the Canucks ultimately target in earnest, one thing is clear: Vancouver is unlikely to sit this deadline out. They’re a team whose stellar form so far this season has inspired legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations, and with dreams of a championship come dreams of the game-changing deadline acquisition that pushes a team over the top.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Updates: Sandin Pellikka, Bennett, Ovechkin
Axel Sandin Pellikka, one of the Detroit Red Wings’ top prospects, played the gold medal game of the recent IIHF World Junior Championship through an injury. Additionally, Sandin Pellikka will at the very least miss this full next week as he awaits further information on the injury, which could have a “longer recovery period” according to Swedish outlet Sportbladet.
Although Sandin Pellikka couldn’t quite manage to lead Sweden to the gold medal, he nonetheless had an extremely strong tournament with six points in seven games. He’s played club hockey this year for Skellefteå AIK, one of the SHL’s better teams. Playing as the team’s number-two defenseman, Sandin Pellikka has had a strong start to the season with nine goals and 13 points in 25 games.
Some other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett sustained an upper-body injury, according to head coach Paul Maurice. (via AP’s Colby Guy) Maurice added that they’re “not too concerned” about the injury, indicating that it’s likely his injury will not keep him out for much longer than a day-to-day timeline. Bennett is currently slotted in as the Panthers’ second-line center in between Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, and he has scored seven goals and 14 points in 27 games this season.
- The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber reports that Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is a game-time decision for today’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings. Ovechkin played in the Capitals’ most recent game but was held out of yesterday’s practice as a maintenance day. Ovechkin’s absence would leave a hole on the Capitals’ first line to be filled, with healthy scratch Matthew Phillips potentially taking up his role next to Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson.
Red Wings Reassign Zach Aston-Reese
01/07/23: The Red Wings have now reassigned Aston-Reese back to Grand Rapids after six days on the NHL roster. He did not play at all during that time, his last actual game action coming December 31st with Grand Rapids. That’s now where he’ll return, still with just one NHL game played on his record so far this year. He’s scored 11 points in 26 games at the AHL level.
01/01/23: The Red Wings recalled forward Zach Aston-Reese from AHL Grand Rapids on Monday, per a team announcement. After assigning Jonatan Berggren and Austin Czarnik to Grand Rapids on Saturday, Detroit had two open spots on the active roster, so no corresponding transaction is needed.
Aston-Reese, 29, will serve as injury insurance as the Red Wings embark on a three-game road swing against the league’s California-based teams this week. There are currently no injuries to Detroit’s forward group that would necessitate him entering the lineup, and he will likely serve as a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Sharks.
This season was Aston-Reese’s second straight year participating in training camp on a professional tryout. After earning a contract based on his performance with the Maple Leafs last season, his brief time in camp with the Carolina Hurricanes wasn’t as successful. The Hurricanes released him on October 6, four days before the start of the regular season.
It didn’t take Aston-Reese long to land on his feet, however. He signed a one-year, two-way deal with a $350K salary guarantee in Detroit two days later and promptly cleared waivers, allowing him to begin the season in Grand Rapids with potential for NHL recalls.
The shutdown winger has historically thrived in the defensive end, never receiving more than 40% of his zone starts in the offensive zone at even strength in a single season throughout his career. That’s remarkable for a forward and a testament to where his game shines the most. However, his once-spectacular advanced metrics have become slightly more average over the past two seasons, limiting his value at the NHL level without much to show for his 308-game career on the scoresheet.
That’s not to say Aston-Reese can’t put the puck in the net. He posted 1.66 points per game in his senior season at Northeastern and was a rather highly-touted undrafted free-agent signing out of school by the Penguins. However, he’s never cracked the 20-point mark at the NHL level and, as such, remains a decidedly fourth-line threat who can log time on the penalty kill.
The Red Wings have a deep forward core, though. Christian Fischer is the only one of their top 12 forwards producing less than 0.4 points per game. It’s made it more difficult for Aston-Reese to carve out a role in the NHL lineup, resulting in him playing 26 games for Grand Rapids this year – his most minor-league usage since suiting up in 41 contests for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2017-18.
His minor-league play hasn’t been convincing enough to award him another full-time NHL role, either. His five goals and 11 points are seventh and 12th on the team, respectively, verifying concerns that he’s now too much of an offensive liability to fit in with the skill players in the Red Wings’ bottom six. He’s also one of nine players on Grand Rapids with a minus rating, and although that’s likely more a testament to his assumed excessive defensive zone usage, not being able to dominate those minutes in goals-against suppression at a lower level doesn’t indicate that he’ll suddenly rebound to his former defensive prowess in the NHL.
This is his third recall of the season. He’s been on the NHL roster for five days and played in one game since clearing waivers back in October, meaning he can remain on Detroit’s roster for another 25 days and play nine games before needing waivers to head back to Grand Rapids again.
Aston-Reese has one appearance with the Red Wings, coming on December 11 in a 6-3 loss to the Stars. He logged just 6:21, recording two hits and no shots on goal. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.