Coaching Snapshots: Ruff, McLellan, Brind’Amour
TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the New Jersey Devils continue to work on signing head coach Lindy Ruff to a multi-year extension. Ruff had the option on his contract picked up for this season but will be a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season. Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald told Lebrun that the intention is to sign Ruff long-term, but didn’t give any details as to whether or not there are any sticking points or holdups in the negotiations.
Last season, Ruff led the Devils on their first playoff run since 2018 with a record of 52-22-8 finishing second in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils knocked off the New York Rangers in the first round in seven games before falling in the second round to the Carolina Hurricanes. For his career, Ruff has coached for three organizations (Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, New Jersey) and has a career record of 834-652-78.
In other coaching news:
- LeBrun added that he believes the Los Angeles Kings and Head Coach Todd McLellan are also working on an extension at this time. Few details were given, but much like Ruff, McLellan is in the final season of his existing contract. In four seasons with the Kings, the 55-year-old has guided the club to a 141-115-34 record that includes back-to-back first-round playoff losses to the Edmonton Oilers. McLellan’s contract negotiation could be interesting as he reportedly is making $5MM in the final year of a five-year $25MM contract he signed in April of 2019.
- LeBrun said on TSN Insider Trading that the Carolina Hurricanes and Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour have yet to discuss an extension. Much like Ruff and McLellan, Brind’Amour will be a free agent at the end of the year. Lebrun did speak to Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon who said that the Hurricanes do intend to engage Brind’Amour and get him signed to a contract extension very soon. Brind’Amour is widely considered to be one of the top coaches in the NHL and would likely initiate a large bidding war if his services were ever offered up on the open market.
Patrick Kane Won’t Talk To Teams Until Late October
TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane isn’t likely to start talking with teams until the end of October. Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson has been receiving a lot of calls on the three-time Stanley Cup Champion, but they won’t have meetings with teams until more medical information is available in mid-late October.
Kane has been rehabbing from hip resurfacing surgery that he had on June 1st and his initial timetable was 4-6 months to recover from the procedure. If Kane does return at the end of October, he will fall right into the window of the initial projection.
Kane’s contract situation is sure to be a tricky one as fellow TSN Insider Chris Johnston points out. Most teams that would be of interest to Kane are pressed right up against the salary cap ceiling and wouldn’t have very many avenues available to fit in Kane’s next contract. The 34-year-old is ineligible for a 35+ contract as he is five months short of hitting that mark, and a signing bonus would create other problems for an interested team.
Little is known about who a frontrunner for Kane’s services would be. The Buffalo Sabres have been thrown around in rumor mills as they have over $8MM in cap space and are Kane’s hometown team, but nothing concrete has emerged from the speculation.
It seems unlikely that Kane will be able to get much more than a one-year deal since he is signing in season. However, teams have found ways to get creative in the past with the salary cap so it shouldn’t be ruled out.
Kane was still a very productive player last season posting 21 goals and 36 assists in 73 games. However, it is unknown how he will play after surgery. Players who have had this surgery in the past have not typically had very successful returns. Ed Jovanovski had it a decade ago and was only able to play 37 games after the surgery before he was forced to retire.
Nicklas Backstrom is also currently going through the same process as Kane and returned last season to dress in 39 games posting seven goals and 14 assists. While those numbers are far off his career norms, Backstrom is in his mid-30s and missed training camp. Something Kane will also have to contend with.
Flyers Sign Carson Bjarnason To Entry-Level Contract
7:26 p.m.: CapFriendly has the full breakdown of Bjarnason’s deal, which has a cap hit of $913K:
Year 1: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
Year 2: $825K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $30K games played bonus
Year 3: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus
1:12 p.m.: Having already signed their second of two first-round selections in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers will now ink their second-round selection to his entry-level contract. The Flyers announced via a press release they have signed Carson Bjarnason to a three-year contract, who was originally drafted 51st overall in June’s draft.
Being the fourth-highest goaltender selected in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bjarnason has spent the last two years with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL and is poised to suit up for them again for the 2023-24 season. He improved significantly from his rookie season, posting a 21-19-5 record in 47 games played, carrying a SV% of .900 and a GAA of 3.08. Although not outright impressive numbers at face value, it is important to note the Wheat Kings finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last year, finishing with a losing record and a -30 goal differential.
In the Flyers organization specifically, it will likely take several years for Bjarnason to move up the depth chart. The team already has three goaltenders pegged for the NHL level this season, with both Ivan Fedotov and Samuel Ersson on the cusp. Given his play at the KHL, Fedotov appears poised for the longer-term answer in net, with the team also having the ability to sign Carter Hart to an extension next summer. Nevertheless, Bjarnason has his work cut out for him to eventually suit up in Philadelphia over the next several seasons.
Vancouver Canucks Agree To Terms With Ty Young On ELC
Sep 26, 7:23 p.m.: CapFriendly has the breakdown of Young’s entry-level contract, which carries an $850K cap hit. Each season, the deal is paid out via a $775K base salary and a $75K signing bonus with an $82.5K minors salary in all three seasons.
Sep 25, 2:41 p.m.: The Vancouver Canucks announced Monday they’ve agreed to terms with goalie prospect Ty Young on a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were undisclosed.
Vancouver cut Young from their training camp roster and assigned him to juniors just minutes earlier on Monday afternoon. The 144th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft will return to the WHL’s Prince George Cougars to play out the 2023-24 season, sliding the beginning of his ELC to the 2024-25 campaign.
The 19-year-old netminder hasn’t yet excelled at the major junior level, but he earned a selection in 2022 in large part because of his stellar performance a level lower with the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks. There, in 2021-22, he recorded a sparkling .921 save percentage on a bottom-feeder team with major defensive issues – evidenced by his 4-10-3 record and 3.44 goals-against average despite the strong save percentage.
His career stats with Prince George are quite middling. An .892 save percentage and one shutout through 60 games isn’t much to write home about, but the major junior ranks are notoriously fickle in providing clear evaluations for netminders, especially relying on solely counting stats. Vancouver is banking on Young’s 6-foot-3 frame and strong recovery ability to translate into success at the professional level, but they’ll have to wait another season to see how his game translates.
In a statement, GM Patrik Allvin echoed that sentiment:
Ty has made some improvements since we drafted him last year and we were pleased to see him play meaningful games in the WHL playoffs. He has good size and our goalie development team see a lot of potential in his game if he continues to put in the work and follow the plan we have put in place for him moving forward.
Young’s entry-level contract is likely to expire after the 2026-27 season, at which time he’ll be a restricted free agent.
Calgary Flames Begin Extension Talks With Mikael Backlund
The tides seem to be turning in the willingness of the Calgary Flames’ slate of pending UFAs to stay with the team. Just two weeks ago, the team didn’t have any extension talks scheduled with veteran center Mikael Backlund, per his agent, J.P. Barry. Now, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported on Insider Trading Tuesday that the two sides have now commenced extension talks and plan to continue them in the near future.
It’s been quite the saga over the past few months between the Flames and their veteran of over 900 NHL games. More recently, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he believes a potential extension in Calgary for Backlund could be tied to the team’s vacant captaincy. Today’s news could hint at an announcement in turn in the near future. Backlund is entering the final season of a six-year, $32.1MM extension signed in 2018, by far the richest deal of his career. It’s well-documented that Backlund isn’t the only pending free agent center rookie GM Craig Conroy has to worry about – first-line pivot Elias Lindholm is also entering the final season of his bargain-bin deal earning him $4.85MM per season.
Backlund also indicated earlier in the offseason that he was inclined to let the season play out a bit to ensure the team was on the right track under new management before considering an extension. Lindholm had indicated something similar, although Backlund now evidently has what he needs from Conroy and new head coach Ryan Huska to work toward an extension before the regular season starts. That doesn’t necessarily mean either are in a rush to get a deal done, though, and extension talks with Backlund could easily last months.
Despite the fact he’s set to turn 35 before 2023-24 ends, Backlund’s set himself up well value-wise heading into a contract year. He finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting last season, and his 37 assists were a career-high. He also appeared in all 82 games for the second straight season and the fourth time in his career overall. Because of that, don’t expect much of a discount – in fact, Evolving Hockey projects Backlund’s extension to carry a significant four-year term and roughly $5.5MM cap hit. That would be a small raise on his current average annual value of $5.35MM, a raise Backlund will likely hold out for, given his higher leverage in negotiations as a UFA.
Whether a raise is something Calgary can accommodate with more significant raises due to Backlund and potentially defenseman Noah Hanifin is a different question. CapFriendly projects the Flames with $35.45MM in cap space for 2024-25, assuming the Upper Limit rises to $87.5MM, but that’s with a roster size of just 11 out of a maximum of 23 players.
Regardless, this does seem to indicate a more positive trend around the Flames organization in players’ willingness to stay with the team – hopefully a strong indicator of the culture Conroy and Huska have brought to the team in a few short months.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/23
Pretty much any team who hasn’t started their preseason yet will do so tonight, as there’s a solid seven-game slate on the schedule tonight, including a nationally televised battle of New York between the Islanders and Rangers. As most teams do have their legs under them almost one week into training camp, roster cuts continue on the daily, mainly involving players being returned to juniors or being released from PTOs and ATOs after getting a look in preseason action. As always, we’re laser-focused on teams posting their roster moves, and we’re conglomerating them all in one place.
Anaheim Ducks (via The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee)
D Rodwin Dionicio (to Windsor, OHL)
F Connor Hvidston (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Nico Myatovic (to Seattle, WHL)
F Coulson Pitre (to Flint, OHL)
D Vojtech Port (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Konnor Smith (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Yegor Sidorov (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Carey Terrance (to Erie, OHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release) (additional X link)
F Ryan Dzingel (released from PTO)
F Elliot Ekefjärd (to Europe, team unknown)
D Terrell Goldsmith (to Prince Albert, WHL)
F Patrick Harper (released from PTO to South Carolina, ECHL)
D Olli Juolevi (released from PTO)
D Justin Kipkie (to Victoria, WHL)
F Julian Lutz (to Green Bay, USHL)
D Austin Strand (released from PTO to Chicago, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
D Charles Côté (released from ATO to Rimouski, QMJHL)
D Tyson Galloway (released from ATO to Calgary, WHL)
G Jari Kykkanen (released from ATO to Kelowna, WHL)
F Jaden Lipinski (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Quinn Mantei (released from ATO to Brandon, WHL)
D Donovan McCoy (released from ATO to Peterborough, OHL)
F Oliver Peer (released from ATO to Windsor, OHL)
F Nathan Pilling (released from ATO to Edmonton, WHL)
F Oliver Tulk (released from ATO to Calgary, WHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Jiri Felcman (to SCL Tigers, NL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
F D.J. Busdeker (to Colorado, AHL)
D Gianni Fairbrother (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kyle Mayhew (to Colorado, AHL)
F Cédric Paré (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ryan Sandelin (to Colorado, AHL)
F Dalton Smith (to Colorado, AHL)
G Ivan Zhigalov (to Tri-City, USHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
G Austin Elliott (to Saskatoon, WHL)
G Owen Flores (to Niagara, OHL)
F Kalan Lind (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Dylan MacKinnon (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Austin Roest (to Everett, WHL)
D Graham Sward (to Wenatchee, WHL)
F Joseph Willis (to Saginaw, OHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Cole Brown (to Brantford, OHL)
F Cam Squires (to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
D Matthew Andonovski (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Connor Clattenburg (released from ATO to
D Jorian Donovan (to Brantford, OHL)
D Tomas Hamara (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Jackson Stewart (released from ATO to Owen Sound, OHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
F Denver Barkey (to London, OHL)
D Oliver Bonk (to London, OHL)
F Jonathan Fauchon (released from ATO to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
D Sam Sedley (released from ATO to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Carter Sotheran (to Portland, WHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release)
G Mason Beaupit (to Wenatchee, WHL)
D Luca Cagnoni (to Portland, WHL)
D Ethan Frisch (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jake Furlong (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Félix Gagnon (released from ATO to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
D Roman Kinal (to San Jose, AHL)
F Connor MacEachern (to San Jose, AHL)
F Bradley Marek (to San Jose, AHL)
F Anthony Vincent (to San Jose, AHL)
G Beck Warm (to San Jose, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
F Maxim Andreev (released from PTO to Coachella Valley, AHL)
G Jaxon Castor (released from PTO to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to Tri-City, WHL)
F Jagger Firkus (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
F David Goyette (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Kaden Hammell (to Everett, WHL)
F Kyle Jackson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Andrei Loshko (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Carson Rehkopf (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Eduard Sale (to Barrie, OHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)
D Noah Chadwick (to Lethbridge, WHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release)
F Marc Gatcomb (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Jonathan Lemieux (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Chad Nychuk (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Karel Plasek (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Cooper Walker (released from ATO to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Dmitry Zlodeyev (to Abbotsford, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via CapFriendly’s transactions log)
D Joe Fleming (to Henderson, AHL)
F Mason Primeau (to Henderson, AHL)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to Sarnia, OHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
G Domenic DiVincentiis (to North Bay, OHL)
F Jacob Julien (to London, OHL)
D Simon Kubicek (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
F Connor Levis (to Kamloops, WHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day.
East Snapshots: Edmundson, Jarnkrok, Cross
Earlier this morning, it was reported that the new Washington Capitals’ defenseman, Joel Edmundson, would not partake in team activities after suffering an injury during a team scrimmage. Unfortunately for both he and the team, Stephen Whyno of AP, is reporting that Edmundson’s prognosis is not good, but it was not similar to the injury that kept him out of the lineup for all of February last season.
Hoping for a rebound season during his arrival in Washington, Edmundon’s last season in Montreal was one of, if not the worst of his career. In 61 games played, Edmundson would score two goals and 11 assists, posting career lows in plus/minus, CF%, and oiSV%. Still averaging almost 20 minutes a game for the Canadiens, Edmundson looked like a completely different player than the one Montreal had during the 2020-21 season.
Given the current makeup of Washington’s blue line, if he was to have a season of rejuvenation, Edmundson conceivably could have slotted in anywhere between three and six on the Capitals’ defensive depth chart. If Edmundson is to indeed land on the injured reserve for a while, Washington’s blue line will look remarkably similar to last season, while hopefully receiving a full year of play from both John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin.
Other snapshots:
- Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward, Calle Jarnkrok is considered day-to-day, and could skate as early as tomorrow. Jarnkrok did not play in the team’s second preseason game last night against the Ottawa Senators, but given his timeline, could play in Toronto’s game tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. During the regular season, Jarnkrok will likely slot into one of the top fourth lines in the league, next to David Kampf and Ryan Reaves.
- A veteran of over 500 games in the American Hockey League, former defenseman Tommy Cross has found his new career off the ice. Spending the last several years in the St. Louis Blues organization, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Cross as a defensive development coach. In his new role, Cross will primarily be working with Columbus defensemen who have yet to crack the NHL roster.
Cory Schneider To Officially Retire
A New Jersey Devils reporter for the Star-Ledger, Ryan Novozinsky is reporting that goaltender Cory Schneider is officially retiring from the National Hockey League. A 13-year veteran, Schneider had lengthy stays with the Vancouver Canucks and Devils, while he would finish his career with the New York Islanders organization.
Originally the 26th overall selection of the 2004 NHL Draft, Schneider would go on to spend three seasons with the Boston College Eagles of the NCAA, before finally signing his entry-level contract with the Canucks before the start of the 2007-08 season. Schneider would help lead Boston College to back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007, losing to Wisconsin University and Michigan State University, respectively.
He would spend the entire 2007-08 season playing for the then-AHL affiliate to Vancouver, the Manitoba Moose, before finally getting his cup of coffee in the NHL in the 2008-09 season. As the Canucks continued to build a Stanley Cup contender, Schneider made the full-time jump to the NHL during the 2010-11 season, primarily playing behind Roberto Luongo. The team would make it to the Stanley Cup Final that season, losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
Due to the incredible play from both Luongo and Schneider, rumors began to swirl surrounding both, as all signs pointed to the Canucks eventually moving on from one of them. At the 2013 NHL Draft, the domino fell, as Schneider was dealt to the Devils for the ninth overall pick, which would land the Canucks Bo Horvat. Expected to fill the shoes that would be left by franchise legend Martin Brodeur, Schneider got control of New Jersey’s net for the 2014-15 season. He would finish his career as a Canuck with a 55-26-8 record in 86 starts, carrying a .927 SV% and a 2.20 GAA over five seasons.
His first year with the Devils was exceptional, leading then-General Manager Lou Lamoriello to sign Schneider to a seven-year, $42MM contract extension, giving New Jersey their long-term answer in net as Brodeur had moved on to the St. Louis Blues. The 2015-16 season would be the last truly impressive season of Schneider’s career, as he would see his numbers continually decline each year after. Schneider would only lead the Devils to the playoffs once during his seven years with the club, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2017-18 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Originally, his seven-year extension with New Jersey would have taken Schneider to the 2021-22 season, but the team decided to buy out the last two years of his deal after the 2019-20 season. Following Lamoriello to Long Island, Schneider would spend the next three seasons playing on one-year deals for the Islanders, only seeing one game at the NHL over that time. Although it was an unceremonious end to an incredible start to his career, Schneider would finish his career with 410 games played, posting a 171-159-58 record, with a SV% of .918 and a GAA of 2.43.
We at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Schneider on a respectable career, and we wish him the best as he moves into the next chapter of his life.
Minor Transactions: 09/26/23
It’s another busy day across the world of hockey, both in the NHL and in Europe. In the NHL, the slate of preseason games today is highlighted by a rivalry contest in New York between the Islanders and Rangers.
Overseas, there are a few intriguing contests including a Liiga matchup between Ilves Tampere and KalPa Kuopio where NHL second-rounders Jani Nyman and Oliver Kapanen will do battle, as well as some quality games in Switzerland such as a battle between two top teams, Patrik Nemeth‘s SC Bern and Derek Grant‘s ZSC Lions.
As the schedule becomes more and more packed with hockey, player movement across the hockey world remains as active as ever. We’ll keep track of notable moves here:
- Former Arizona Coyotes prospect David Tendeck has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. Tendeck played in 32 games last season for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, posting a 12-12-5 record with an .892 save percentage. The 25-year-old 2018 sixth-round pick has posted strong numbers in the AHL (.914 save percentage in nine games) but hasn’t gotten an extended shot in the American League. He’ll look to change that by having a strong season backstopping the Nailers.
- Anthony Beauregard outscored three future NHLers in his final season with the Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL, (Julien Gauthier, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Anthony Richard) but his first foray into pro hockey was a short one. The undersized scorer ended up in the Canadian University circuit before finally turning pro full-time in 2018-19 with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. He wasn’t great in Brampton, though, and ended up signing in England with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers. Beauregard starred in Nottingham, starting a span of three seasons where he went from England to Wichita, Kansas to Switzerland, posting star scoring numbers at each stop. He was especially prolific in Wichita, winning ECHL MVP with 71 points scored. Last season, Beauregard scored 49 points for the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and now he’s earned himself a shot to make the AHL on more than a call-up basis. He’s earned a PTO with the Springfield Thunderbirds, per his representation, and will look to earn a spot on the Blues’ affiliate’s roster to finally become a full-time AHL player.
- Former Tri-City Americans captain Tyler Sandhu has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the South Carolina Stingrays. The 27-year-old made his professional debut this past season after playing four seasons with the University of British Columbia. He began his pro career overseas in Central Europe, skating in 32 games for the ICEHL’s Vorarlberg Pioneers. He scored 19 points in 32 games, earning himself a chance to play full-time in North America’s third tier of pro hockey.
- After a half-decade of NCAA hockey with the Arizona State University Sun Devils, former Calgary Flames prospect Demetrios Koumontzis seems to have found a place to truly begin his professional career. The 23-year-old blueliner signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Idaho Steelheads, a deal that allows Koumontzis to remain with the club he finished 2022-23 with. Koumontzis appeared in ten regular-season games in Idaho, scoring 10 points, and added three playoff games as well, a solid first step into the world of professional hockey.
- Veteran Liiga center and one-time Hershey Bears forward Juuso Ikonen has signed a one-year contract with Liiga’s Ässät Pori. Although Ikonen, a former 39-point scorer in Liiga, ended up winning a Liiga title and Champions Hockey League championship last season, he actually only played in 18 games for Tampere. Now he’ll get a chance in Pori, hoping to shore up a spot on a scoring line to help the club reach the postseason, something they have only done once since their championship season in 2012-13.
- After four strong campaigns in HockeyAllsvenskan with Västerås IK, forward William Wikman finally earned an extended SHL shot with Leo Carlsson‘s Örebro HK last season. Wikman’s play in the bottom six and 12 points in 52 games helped Örebro make a run to the SHL semifinals, and now Örebro has extended their relationship with Wikman by two additional seasons.
- Despite having not even turned 25, Swiss forward Sven Leuenberger has already won two National League titles with his club, EV Zug, a team whose academy he first joined when he was 14. Now, he’s extended his relationship with Zug even longer, signing an extension through 2028 with the team. Never a high-scoring player, Leuenberger has a knack for seeing his production tick up in the postseason and has represented both his club and country in some big moments. He’s been on many deep playoff runs with Zug and also represented Switzerland at two IIHF Men’s World Junior Championships. Now confirmed to play for Zug through 2028, the hope will be that more National League titles will follow.
- Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen is returning once again from Germany in order to play in the ECHL. Olsen has signed with the Tulsa Oilers, a team he played three games for in 2016-17. The 29-year-old 2012 Jets draft pick was the DEL’s most penalized player in 2022-23 despite playing in just 39 games, as he racked up 91 PIMs to go alongside 15 points. Olsen’s ECHL experience is strong, as he has 65 points in 81 career games as well as a Kelly Cup championship on his resume. In Tulsa, Olsen will be tasked with bringing his signature combination of grit and offensive touch to the table to help the Oilers have a bounce-back season after a poor 2022-23.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Injury Notes: Pysyk, Panarin, Chytil
521-game NHL veteran Mark Pysyk will be out with a “longer term” injury according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, as relayed by the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune’s Seth Rorabaugh. Pysyk has been with the Penguins on a PTO, attempting an NHL comeback after missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign with an injury to his Achilles.
While the exact nature of Pysyk’s injury is undisclosed, this is a brutal blow for the veteran defenseman. A widely well-liked stay-at-home defenseman, Pysyk’s injury could cost him his chance at a contract with the Penguins, and further cloud his future in a league he’s played in since his NHL debut in 2012-13.
Some other injury notes from across the NHL:
- The New York Rangers have announced that star forward Artemi Panarin did not practice today due to a lower-body injury, and is out on a day-to-day designation. Panarin, 31, has been the Rangers’ leading scorer and top offensive generator in every season he’s played on Broadway. While there’s no word on how serious this injury is beyond this announcement, the team will need him up to speed on opening night to stand the best chance of pulling ahead in what figures to be a cutthroat Metropolitan Division.
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays word of another Rangers injury. Ascending pivot Filip Chytil left today’s practice with an upper-body injury, and like Panarin is considered day-to-day. While Chytil, 24, is not in the same stratosphere of importance as Panarin, he is an impactful Ranger in his own right. He enjoyed a breakout 2022-23, scoring 22 goals and 45 points. He’s expected to push to shake Vincent Trocheck‘s tight grip on the Rangers’ second-line center job this season, though that task may become more difficult should he be forced to battle through injuries.