Avalanche Acquire Caleb Jones From Hurricanes
Defenseman Caleb Jones is headed from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for minor-league forward Callahan Burke, per a team announcement. Burke will remain on loan from Carolina to AHL Colorado, as the Hurricanes are without an AHL affiliate for this season. The trade comes after the Hurricanes had also loaned Jones to AHL Colorado earlier this week, but they’ve now transferred his NHL rights to Colorado too.
Jones signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with the Hurricanes this offseason but failed to make a dent in their defensive depth chart and did not earn a spot on head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s season-opening roster.
While he would have served as capable depth for the Hurricanes, it does appear that he has a stronger opportunity to make it back to the NHL (where he spent the entirety of 2022-23) in Colorado.
Since the Avalanche now consider Kurtis MacDermid a forward, the club is only carrying six defensemen on its opening-night roster.
Veteran Jack Johnson is currently slated to be the team’s third-pairing left-shot defenseman. He only played in 25 games last season, though, and at 36 years old the question of whether he’ll be able to keep up with the pace of the NHL for a full season is a fair one. Now that his NHL rights belong to Colorado, Jones has a clearer path back to the NHL.
For Carolina, this move accomplishes two things. First and foremost, it’s a courtesy to a player who spent all of last season in the NHL, as this move as mentioned provides Jones a stronger chance of cracking an NHL lineup.
Beyond that, while this trade doesn’t make any impact on the Hurricanes’ salary cap picture, it does save them quite a bit of actual cash.
Jones was signed to a one-way deal, meaning he is slated to be paid $775k this season, regardless of if he plays in the NHL or AHL. Burke, on the other hand, is on a two-way deal that owes him $125k at the AHL level.
So assuming Burke ends up playing the whole season with the Colorado Eagles, this move could end up saving the Hurricanes $650,000 in cash.
That’s not to say Burke won’t find his way to Carolina this season, in all fairness to him. Now 26, Burke is a capable player, having scored 39 points in the AHL last season. He even made his NHL debut for the Avalanche last season as well.
But a recall does have to be considered somewhat unlikely. In the case of injuries on Carolina’s NHL roster, the Organization could very well prefer to recall a player the Hurricanes have a longstanding investment in such as Jamieson Rees, rather than Burke.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Lightning Place Andrei Vasilevskiy On LTIR, Recall Waltteri Merelä
The Tampa Bay Lightning officially placed goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy on LTIR today as he recovers from back surgery, per CapFriendly. In a corresponding move, the team also brought forward Waltteri Merelä back up from AHL Syracuse, and he could make his NHL debut in a few hours against the Nashville Predators. Merelä was sent down temporarily yesterday to help the Lightning optimize their LTIR capture before opening-night rosters were due, which they did to the tune of $2.
Vasilevskiy underwent surgery late last month and was given an eight-to-ten-week timeline for recovery. That puts him well within the bounds of LTIR, which requires a player to miss at least ten games and 24 days. That means Vasilevskiy won’t return until next month at the absolute earliest, although an early December return is much more likely. The all-world netminder started 60 games for the Lightning last season, going 34-22-4 with a .915 save percentage and 2.65 goals-against average. Those were, unbelievably, his worst numbers since becoming the Lightning’s starter in 2016. Since the Lightning did not make any waiver claims over the past few days, Vasilevskiy’s absence leaves 28-year-old Jonas Johansson, with just 35 NHL appearances under his belt, as their starter for the next two months.
The Lightning signed Merelä, 25, to a one-year, two-way contract worth $870K this summer. Undrafted, the 6-foot-2 right wing has enjoyed back-to-back strong seasons with Liiga’s Tappara and made one appearance for Finland at the 2023 World Championship, scoring a goal. After a strong camp, Merelä was not technically on the team’s opening-night roster but was expected to suit up in today’s game regardless. The pending restricted free agent does not require waivers to go to AHL Syracuse, where he could find himself later on in the season if he can’t hold onto a roster spot.
With Vasilevskiy on LTIR and Merelä recalled the Lightning have $8.55MM remaining in their LTIR salary pool, per CapFriendly. While that’s a lot of flexibility, they won’t be able to take advantage of it for any significant amount of time. The Lightning will need to shed $950K in salary to activate Vasilevskiy when healthy.
Penguins’ Jake Guentzel Will Play In Season Opener
As speculated in the last few days, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel is healthy and will play in tonight’s home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team confirmed today.
Guentzel, 29, was initially expected to miss at least three months after undergoing ankle surgery at the beginning of August. That timeline put him borderline-LTIR eligible to start the season, which at the time was viewed as a crucial step to help the Penguins alleviate their salary cap concerns. Many transactions later, however, the Penguins are ready to go with Guentzel in the lineup and a nearly full roster of 12 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies.
Pittsburgh’s top winger aggravated the lingering right ankle injury playing summer league hockey in Minnesota and decided to undergo surgery when it became clear it wasn’t healing on its own as hoped. The Nebraska native is coming off another strong goal-scoring showing for the Penguins, notching 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 points in 78 contests last season. Sidney Crosby‘s right-hand (or left-hand?) man on the team’s top unit has eclipsed the point-per-game mark three times in the last four seasons and will look to do so again this year.
His name often gets lost in the shuffle among Pittsburgh’s star power, now more than ever after the team’s highly-publicized addition of Erik Karlsson to the blue line. However, Guentzel is an incredibly important player to this Penguins squad and sits among the top pending free agents available on the 2024 market – especially after the Winnipeg Jets locked in center Mark Scheifele for an additional seven seasons yesterday.
Guentzel is projected to line up alongside Crosby and Bryan Rust in tonight’s game, potentially matched up against 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard in his NHL regular-season debut for the Blackhawks.
Blue Jackets Working On Trade To Move Defenseman
The Columbus Blue Jackets are “engaged in trade dialogue with teams” about moving a defenseman off their NHL roster, sources tell Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Seravalli adds these talks are “likely centered” around one of Jake Bean, Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke, but that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is likely to “move whomever they find gets them most back.” The team’s roster crunch on defense left a pair of young defenders expected to earn NHL jobs, Nick Blankenburg and David Jiricek, off the team’s opening night roster yesterday.
This roster crunch didn’t come out of nowhere. After injuries depleted the Blue Jackets’ blueline depth for most of last season, Kekalainen acquired a pair of top-four defenders via trade back in June: Ivan Provorov from the Flyers and Damon Severson from the Devils. It would make sense, then, that both of those players are untouchables, as well as their top defenseman, Zach Werenski. The seventh defenseman on the active roster, Erik Gudbranson, carries a ten-team no-trade list and is locked into a rather unattractive $4MM cap hit through 2026.
That means the three defensemen Seravalli mentioned are the only realistic possibilities to get moved, and it’s hard to imagine Bean and Peeke would attract higher trade value than Boqvist. The 23-year-old right-shot defender was a core piece of the trade that sent Seth Jones to the Blackhawks in 2021. While injuries have affected his time in Columbus, he looks well on his way to becoming an everyday top-four player.
Selected eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Boqvist has 16 goals, 30 assists and 46 points in 98 games as a Blue Jacket. He’s received sheltered minutes, however, skating an average of just 17:47 per game since 2021. He is entering the second season of a three-year, $7.8MM contract carrying a $2.6MM cap hit. That’s quite an affordable number for his services and could likely fetch a first- or second-round pick in return.
Boqvist is projected to begin the season flanking Provorov on the team’s second pairing. If he’s moved, expect the Blue Jackets to recall Jiricek from AHL Cleveland to occupy the void.
It’s tougher to gauge Bean’s potential trade value. He’s two years older than Boqvist and was limited to just 14 games last season due to a shoulder injury. He also carries the pedigree of being a former first-round pick – the Hurricanes selected him 13th overall in 2016 – but doesn’t have the linear development track record of Boqvist. At a cap hit of $2.33MM and on an expiring contract, there’s more uncertainty attached to acquiring Bean than Boqvist.
Peeke has shouldered the heaviest minutes out of the potential trade trio as of late, but that doesn’t mean he’s done so successfully. The 25-year-old right-shot defenseman logged a -41 rating last season and had the unfortunate honor of being one of Columbus’ few healthy defenders throughout the season, having to take the brunt of the team’s depth issues. He notched 13 points in 80 games and averaged over 21 minutes a game for the second straight season, but his $2.75MM cap hit through 2026 carries some risk if he doesn’t pan out in a bottom-four role somewhere else.
Summer Synopsis: Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals had a quiet summer, entering the 2023-24 season with only a few key departures and a handful of additions to fill the gaps. They will have to rely on their veterans, but it will be their depth pieces that will likely determine Washington’s playoff hopes.
Draft
1-8: F Ryan Leonard, USNTDP (NTDP)
2-40: F Andrew Cristall, Kelowna (WHL)
4-104: F Patrick Thomas, Hamilton (OHL)
5-136: D Cameron Allen, Guelph (OHL)
7-200: F Brett Hyland, Brandon (WHL)
7-206: G Antoine Keller, Genève-Servette (Swiss U20)
The Capitals’ biggest splash of the summer undoubtedly came in the draft, where they brought in standout names in Leonard, Cristall, and Allen. Leonard headlines the group – a heavy-framed winger with phenomenal play-driving abilities and one of the better shots in the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s a promising forward headed to Boston College for the 2023-24 season, where he’ll stick with his linemates of the past two seasons: Will Smith and Gabriel Perreault.
Cristall was the only player who could challenge Connor Bedard’s scoring in the WHL this year, finishing with a staggering 95 points through only 54 games. He added another six points in seven games at the World U18 Championship, flexing that his scoring prowess isn’t limited to league play. However, many scouts had concerns with Cristall’s skating posture and ability to gel with teammates, leading to questions about his ability to translate to the next level. He’s a dominant winger with a strong shot and a great ability to work into the slot from the boards, but maintaining that dominance in the NHL will be a heavy ask. Cristall was considered a lock for the first round by many public scouting services but fell considerably when draft day came around. He’ll represent a boom-or-bust pick for the Capitals – exactly the thing that could help out the aging organization.
The same ‘boom-or-bust’ prescription can be applied to Cameron Allen, who was arguably the most impressive defender at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup but very quickly lost his steam as the 2022-23 season rolled around. Allen is a tall defender who uses clean strides and good agility to keep up with his forwards and get involved in plays. But as the year went on, his quickness and ability to jump in and out of offensive attacks wore down – leading to disappointing results as Allen only recorded 25 points through 62 games. This was a step down from his rookie season in the OHL, where Allen netted 37 points in 65 games. Once lauded as a potential first-round pick, Allen fell considerably – speaking to the concerns surrounding him. The Capitals may have a long road ahead of them in developing Allen, but his upside could make it worthwhile.
Trade Acquisitions
D Joel Edmundson (trade with Montreal)
The Capitals sent a third and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to Montreal in exchange for Joel Edmundson, adding veteran support behind a blueline that doesn’t jump off of the page. While Edmundson has never been dominant, he remains a favorite of NHL execs thanks to his physical presence on the ice and leadership presence in the locker room. Unfortunately, he’ll start the 2023-24 campaign on injured reserve, nursing a fractured hand that required surgery in late September. He was given a timetable of four to six weeks for his return.
UFA Signings
F Matthew Phillips (one year, $775K)
F Alex Limoges (one year, $775K)*
D Chase Priskie (one year, $775K)*
F Max Pacioretty (one year, $2MM)
D Dylan McIlrath (two years, $1.55MM)*
G Hunter Shepard (two years, $1.55MM)*
The Capitals only gave out two one-way contracts to UFAs this summer. Luckily, they were given to two high-impact forwards. Pacioretty joins Washington after missing nearly the entire 2022-23 season with Carolina. Given he missed nearly the entirety of last season thanks to back-to-back Achilles injuries, Pacioretty’s $2MM contract can double in value if he hits all the games-played performance bonuses in his deal. For Washington, it’s a solid bet on a player who was on pace for 40 goals in each of his final two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The 34-year-old seemed to still have his scoring touch in limited appearances last season with the Hurricanes, too, notching three markers in five contests. If he can slide into a top-six role upon his return, expect him to maintain some semblance of previous form.
The other major player of interest here is Phillips, who’s now made the roster out of training camp after spending years toiling in the minors for the Flames. He’s been one of the more explosive scorers in the AHL over the past two seasons, notching well over a point per game, but only has three NHL appearances to his name. He will increase significantly on that total this season, as he would require waivers to be assigned to AHL Hershey. The 25-year-old is projected to begin the season in a top-nine role.
RFA Re-Signings
D Martin Fehervary (three years, $8MM)
F Riley Sutter (one year, $775K)*
Washington’s lone major RFA signing was Fehervary, a 2018 second-round pick who’s well on his way to a consistent top-four role in the nation’s capital. He spent most of last season stapled to John Carlson on the team’s top pairing (when Carlson was healthy), but that spot is now in jeopardy with the trade acquisition of Rasmus Sandin at the tail end of last season. Still, the 24-year-old averaged 20 minutes per game on the nose last season and should provide dependable play over the next three seasons. He recorded 16 points in 67 contests last year.
Departures
D Bobby Nardella, (HV71, SHL)
F Carl Hagelin, (retirement from NHL)
F Connor Brown, (Edmonton, one year, $775K)
F Conor Sheary, (Tampa, three years, $6MM)
F Craig Smith, (Dallas, one year, $1MM)
D Gabriel Carlsson, (Växjö, SHL)
F Garrett Pilon, (Ottawa, one year, $775K)*
F Kody Clark, (unsigned UFA)
D Matt Irwin, (Vancouver, one year, $775K)*
F Mike Vecchione, (Hershey, AHL)
G Zachary Fucale, (Trakor, KHL)
F Henrik Borgstrom, (Hv71, SHL)
At the beginning of 2022-23, someone looking at this list would have called Brown the biggest departure. However, the winger sustained an ACL injury early in the season that ended his time in D.C. after just four games. It stands to reason, then, that Sheary will leave the biggest hole in the lineup, one that quickly looks to be replaced by a combination of Phillips and the Capitals’ other NHL-ready young talent. He’d been a solid middle-six contributor for the Caps over the past three seasons, solidifying himself as a solid bet for around 15 goals and 40 points.
Hagelin did not play last season as he attempted to rehab eye and hip injuries that eventually forced his retirement from the league. Smith disappointed mightily with the Boston Bruins last season, and he was dealt to Washington in the blockbuster Dmitry Orlov deadline deal. He fared a bit better in Washington, recording five goals in 22 contests, and he’ll now try and add value to the Stars’ fourth line.
Salary Cap Outlook
At the time of publication, the Capitals are in the midst of making paper transactions to maximize the LTIR relief of Pacioretty and Edmundson to begin the season. Because of that, they technically have $0 in cap space at the time of writing, per CapFriendly, but will have $1.75MM in flexibility to play with after placing Edmundson on LTIR (likely later today). That will last until he’s ready to return to the lineup.
Key Questions
Is Sandin The Real Deal?: The 23-year-old defenseman was electric after coming over via trade from Toronto last season, notching 15 points in just 19 games as a Cap while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. If he can stay anywhere close to that pace next season, he’ll solidify himself as a suitable replacement for Orlov, who flew under the radar for a decade as one of the most underrated complementary players in the league behind Carlson. It’ll also force his value up in contract talks – Sandin is making just $1.4MM against the cap this season but is a restricted free agent next summer. A true breakout campaign could convince Washington to sign him to a long-term extension.
Can The Youth Movement Help Now?: Connor McMichael, Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko are all names under 23 looking to log NHL minutes for Washington this season. Can their campaigns be promising enough to convince the Caps’ brass that they’ll be enough to replace the aging core around Alex Ovechkin over the next few seasons as he chases the all-time goals record? If so, the team could look to rebound from an expected mediocre season in 2023-24 and remain closer to playoff contention in their captain’s twilight years.
What’s The Deal In The Crease?: Darcy Kuemper is still an undisputed NHL starter, but injuries remain a concern for the netminder as he enters his age 33 season. Backup Charlie Lindgren had a nice start to last season but flamed out near the end, recording a below-average save percentage of .899 on the year. Kuemper, meanwhile, posted a solid .907 but has also notched over a .920 in three of the last five seasons. He’s due for a bit of positive regression and, if that’s the case, could help keep Washington in the Wild Card conversation later into the season.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
2023-24 Opening Night Roster Tracker
As final roster cuts across the league are made, PHR will keep track of projected opening-night rosters for all 32 teams as they get under the 23-player limit. Only teams with current rosters under the limit, not including players on waivers today for the purpose of assignment to the minors, will appear here. This page will be updated over the course of the next 24 hours or so under the roster deadline, which is Monday at 4 p.m. CT.
These rosters will be presented in projected line combination form. These projections are not representative of writers’ opinions and come courtesy of CapFriendly. These are also not representative of any paper transactions for the purpose of LTIR compliance that will likely be reversed after the deadline.
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins
James van Riemsdyk – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk
Trent Frederic – Matthew Poitras – Morgan Geekie
Milan Lucic – John Beecher – Jakub Lauko
Extra F:Danton Heinen*
*still signed to a professional try-out contract
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort – Kevin Shattenkirk
Extra D: Ian Mitchell
Buffalo Sabres
Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
John-Jason Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Victor Olofsson
Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Zach Benson
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Kyle Okposo
Extra F: Tyson Jost
Injured reserve: Jack Quinn, Matthew Savoie
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Erik Johnson – Connor Clifton
Extra D: Jacob Bryson
Devon Levi
Eric Comrie
Extra G: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Detroit Red Wings
Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Larkin – David Perron
Lucas Raymond – J.T. Compher – Robby Fabbri
Daniel Sprong – Andrew Copp – Michael Rasmussen
Klim Kostin – Joe Veleno – Christian Fischer
Injured reserve: Matt Luff, Carter Mazur
Jake Walman – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Olli Määttä – Shayne Gostisbehere
Extra D: Justin Holl
Ville Husso
James Reimer
Extra G: Alex Lyon
Florida Panthers
Carter Verhaeghe – Aleksander Barkov – Evan Rodrigues
Mackie Samoskevich – Eetu Luostarinen – Matthew Tkachuk
Nick Cousins – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Ryan Lomberg – Steven Lorentz – Kevin Stenlund
Extra F: Sam Bennett (injured)
Gustav Forsling – Josh Mahura
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Dmitry Kulikov
Niko Mikkola – Mike Reilly
Extra D: Uvis Balinskis
Injured reserve: Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
Montreal Canadiens
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Josh Anderson
Juraj Slafkovský – Kirby Dach – Alex Newhook
Tanner Pearson– Sean Monahan – Brendan Gallagher
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard – Jake Evans – Jesse Ylönen
Extra F: Joel Armia, Michael Pezzetta
Injured reserve: Christian Dvorak
Mike Matheson – David Savard
Kaiden Guhle – Johnathan Kovacevic
Jordan Harris – Justin Barron
Injured reserve: Chris Wideman
Sam Montembeault
Jake Allen
Extra G: Cayden Primeau
Injured reserve: Carey Price
Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
Mathieu Joseph – Ridly Greig – Drake Batherson
Dominik Kubalík – Rourke Chartier – Vladimir Tarasenko
Parker Kelly – Mark Kastelic – Zack MacEwen
Injured reserve: Joshua Norris
Jakob Chychrun – Thomas Chabot
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Erik Brännström – Travis Hamonic
Joonas Korpisalo
Anton Forsberg
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Tyler Motte
Michael Eyssimont – Nick Paul – Conor Sheary
Tanner Jeannot – Luke Glendening – Waltteri Merelä
Extra Fs: Alex Barré-Boulet, Austin Watson
Injured reserve: Logan Brown, Jack Finley
Victor Hedman – Nicklaus Perbix
Mikhail Sergachev – Darren Raddysh
Calvin de Haan – Erik Cernak
Extra D: Haydn Fleury
Injured reserve: Roman Schmidt, Brent Seabrook
Jonas Johansson
Matt Tomkins
Injured reserve: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Toronto Maple Leafs
Tyler Bertuzzi – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Max Domi – John Tavares – William Nylander
Matthew Knies – Fraser Minten – Calle Järnkrok
Noah Gregor – David Kämpf – Ryan Reaves
Injured reserve: Bobby McMann
Morgan Rielly – T.J. Brodie
Jake McCabe – John Klingberg
Mark Giordano – Timothy Liljegren
Injured reserve: Jake Muzzin, Conor Timmins
Ilya Samsonov
Joseph Woll
Injured reserve: Matt Murray
Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes
Michael Bunting – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Teuvo Teräväinen – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – Jesper Fast
Brendan Lemieux – Jack Drury – Stefan Noesen
Injured reserve: Vasili Ponomarev, Ryan Suzuki, Andrei Svechnikov
Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
Brady Skjei – Brett Pesce
Dmitry Orlov – Anthony DeAngelo
Extra D: Jalen Chatfield
Frederik Andersen
Antti Raanta
Columbus Blue Jackets
Johnny Gaudreau – Patrik Laine – Kirill Marchenko
Alexandre Texier – Boone Jenner – Jack Roslovic
Kent Johnson – Adam Fantilli – Cole Sillinger
Eric Robinson – Sean Kuraly – Emil Bemström
Extra Fs: Justin Danforth, Liam Foudy
Injured reserve: Yegor Chinakhov, Jordan Dumais, Mathieu Olivier
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov – Adam Boqvist
Jake Bean – Erik Gudbranson
Extra D: Andrew Peeke
Elvis Merzlikins
Spencer Martin
Injured reserve: Daniil Tarasov
New Jersey Devils
Jesper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Tyler Toffoli
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Alexander Holtz
Ondrej Palat – Erik Haula – Dawson Mercer
Tomas Nosek – Michael McLeod – Curtis Lazar
Extra Fs: Chris Tierney, Nathan Bastian
Injured Reserve: Nolan Foote, Brian Halonen
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Kevin Bahl – John Marino
Luke Hughes – Brendan Smith
Extra D: Colin Miller
Akira Schmid
Vitek Vanecek
Injured Reserve: Nico Daws, Keith Kinkaid
New York Islanders
Kyle Palmieri – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Pierre Engvall – Brock Nelson – Hudson Fasching
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Oliver Wahlstrom
Matt Martin – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck
Extra Fs: Julien Gauthier, Ross Johnston
Adam Pelech – Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov – Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho – Scott Mayfield
Extra D: Samuel Bolduc
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Kaapo Kakko
Artemi Panarin – Filip Chytil – Alexis Lafrenière
William Cuylle – Vincent Trocheck – Blake Wheeler
Jimmy Vesey – Nick Bonino – Barclay Goodrow
Extra F: Tyler Pitlick
Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller – Jacob Trouba
Erik Gustafsson – Braden Schneider
Extra D: Zachary Jones
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Philadelphia Flyers
Joel Farabee – Sean Couturier – Tyson Foerster
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Cam Atkinson
Scott Laughton – Noah Cates – Travis Konecny
Nicolas Deslauriers – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Extra F: Bobby Brink
Injured Reserve: Jon-Randall Avon
Marc Staal – Travis Sanheim
Cameron York – Yegor Zamula
Nick Seeler – Sean Walker
Extra D: Emil Andrae
Injured Reserve: Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan Ellis
Carter Hart
Samuel Ersson
Extra G: Felix Sandstrom
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Reilly Smith – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell
Drew O’Connor – Lars Eller – Jansen Harkins
Matthew Nieto – Noel Acciari – Jeff Carter
Injured reserve: Raivis Ansons
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves – Kris Letang
Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Chad Ruhwedel
Extra Ds: Ryan Shea, John Ludvig
Injured reserve: Will Butcher
Tristan Jarry
Alex Nedeljkovic
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Bäckström – T.J. Oshie
Anthony Mantha – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Matthew Phillips – Dylan Strome – Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Riley Sutter
Extra F: Ivan Miroshnichenko
Injured reserve: Max Pacioretty
Rasmus Sandin – John Carlson
Lucas Johansen – Nick Jensen
Martin Fehérváry – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Extra D: Alexander Alexeyev
Injured reserve: Joel Edmundson
Boston Not Decided On Heinen Despite Cuts
The Boston Bruins have trimmed their roster down to a final lineup, featuring Danton Heinen as the extra forward. They also sent Mason Lohrei to the AHL, opening enough space to sign Heinen (or another forward) to a cheap contract. However, general manager Don Sweeney said Boston is still weighing their options with Heinen, who will continue to practice with the team.
This is surprising news, as all signs pointed towards Heinen being the final feature of Boston’s opening-day lineup. The 28-year-old forward was originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He made his debut with the Providence Bruins at the end of the 2015-16 season and made his debut with the Bruins in the following year, but it wasn’t until 2017-18 that Heinen received his full rookie season. He played in 77 games that year, recording 16 goals and 47 points and adding one more goal in nine playoff games. And while a strong rookie year, Heinen took a step back in his sophomore year – recording 11 goals and 34 points in another 77 games.
Heinen would go on to play a third year in Boston, before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Nick Ritchie. He would play in one full season with the Ducks before they failed to extend him a qualifying offer and made him an unrestricted free agent. Heinen signed with Pittsburgh out of free agency, appearing with them in each of the last two seasons and totaling 55 points in 141 games. But, facing free agency again this off-season, Heinen couldn’t find a new contract elsewhere; ultimately settling for a PTO with his original club.
Heinen’s pending contract is the final uncertainty facing Boston’s opening day lineup. The Bruins open their season on October 11th against the Chicago Blackhawks. Even if he does sign, it’s unlikely that Heinen suits up for this game, giving the Bruins a bit more breathing room with making a final decision.
Snapshots: Ehlers, Arizona, Anaheim, Washington
Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers will be healthy for the team’s opening game against the Calgary Flames. The star has been dealing with neck spasms and wore a non-contact jersey through part of training camp. Ehlers missed multiple pre-season games, calling into question his availability for opening night, although it seems he’s mounted a recovery in the second half of camp.
Ehlers has had a closer relationship with injured reserve in recent years, spending six weeks on the list with a hernia last season. He scored 38 points in the 45 games he did appear in during the 2022-23 season. This was a 69-point scoring pace, which would have been the most points of Ehlers’ eight-year NHL career. His career totals are up to 523 games, 176 goals, and 396 points. His scoring is an important attribute of Winnipeg’s top-six. The team will hope he’s moved on from his injury bug as he suits up for the start of their 2023-24 campaign.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Arizona Coyotes have shifted some players around as they trim down to a final NHL roster. Michael Kesselring, Victor Soderstrom, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Zach Sanford have all been assigned to Tuscon in the AHL.
- Anaheim has assigned Andrew Agozzino and Alex Stalock, both NHL veterans, to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
- The Washington Capitals have made a series of moves, assigning Max Pacioretty to long-term injured reserve, Joel Edmundson to injured reserve, and Hardy Haman Aktell, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael to Hershey in the AHL. They have also recalled Riley Sutter to the NHL roster.
Colorado Sends Annunen to AHL, Prosvetov Becomes Backup
The Colorado Avalanche have sent goaltender Justus Annunen to the minor leagues. This seemingly locks in waiver claim Ivan Prosvetov as the team’s backup while Pavel Francouz is injured. There remains no timetable for Francouz’s return from an injury that required adductor surgery this summer.
Colorado drafted Annunen in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the third-highest-picked goalie from the class. He’s appeared in four NHL games over the last two seasons, recording a 2-1-1 record and a .859 save percentage. He has also played in 91 AHL games over four seasons, recording a .904 save percentage through that stretch.
Annunen, 23, has only played North American hockey for roughly three seasons, coming over from Finland after Karpat’s second-round playoff defeat in 2021. He moved into the AHL with professional experience on his back, appearing in 49 Liiga games while in Finland and another 22 Mestis games – Finland’s top league and second league respectively. He recorded a confident 2.18 goals-against-average and .906 save percentage in his Liiga experience, setting a 22-15-11 record.
Prosvetov is one year older than Annunen and has much more experience with North American hockey, playing in the NAHL, USHL, and OHL before turning pro with the Arizona Coyotes. Prosvetov has played in 125 AHL games, setting a .895 save percentage and a nicely-split 54-54-11 record. He’s also added 13 NHL games, recording a .871 save percentage. His most recent NHL experience game just last season, serving as one of three goalies to suit up for Arizona last year.
The two goalies are in competition for a backup role that’s left by Francouz, who is still recovering from a groin injury suffered in May. Francouz has been assigned to injured reserve for the start of the season.
Hurricanes Assign Coghlan, Three Others To Minor Leagues
The Carolina Hurricanes have made their final roster cuts, assigning seven players to various leagues or injury designation. Dylan Coghlan (Springfield), Caleb Jones (Colorado), and Pyotr Kochetkov (Syracuse) have been assigned to various teams in the AHL. Domenick Fensore has been sent to Norfolk of the ECHL. 2023 Draft prospect Felix Unger Sorum was sent back to Leksands in Sweden. And Vasily Ponomarev and Ryan Suzuki were assigned to the team’s injured non-roster list. The final Hurricanes lineup can be viewed here.
The process of assigning players to the minor leagues has been a tricky one for Carolina, who are without an AHL affiliate for the season after the Chicago Wolves opted to go independent. This has meant that every player Carolina wants to assign to the AHL must be loaned out, explaining why Coghlan, Jones, and Kochetkov were dispersed.
Unger Sorum was an exciting name to follow throughout Carolina’s training camp. The winger was just barely eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft, being born a day before the cutoff. That means that he only turned 18 on September 14th. And yet he was able to carve out a significant role for much of the team’s camp, even earning speculation over whether he was ready to join the NHL lineup. Instead, he becomes one of their final roster cuts and will rejoin Leksands in Sweden. Unger Sorum primarily played for Leksands’ U20 team last year, appearing in 42 games and recording 46 points. He also played in seven SHL games, although he didn’t manage to record any points. The 2023 second-round pick will be an exciting international name for Canes fans to follow throughout the 2022-23 campaign.