Minor Transactions: 10/05/23
With the start of the NHL regular season now under a week away, the opening-night rosters of many NHL teams are coming more and more into view. That has a trickle-down effect for the rest of pro hockey, as a player finding out he won’t have his PTO made into a full-time NHL deal could prompt that player to sign a contract with an overseas team, for example. This, alongside the ups and downs of early-season hockey in top pro leagues overseas, has prompted quite a bit of player movement and as always we’ll keep track of those transactions here.
- Seven years after he was selected fifth overall at the 2016 NHL draft, former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Olli Juolevi has made the decision to return to Europe to continue his professional career. The 25-year-old Helsinki native has signed a short-term contract with the SHL’s Timrå IK, a club off to a strong 4-2 start. The deal is set to last until Liiga’s November break. Juolevi had previously been playing for the Arizona Coyotes on a PTO but failed to earn a full-time contract in Arizona after a few preseason contests. Last season was Juolevi’s first since the year he made his NHL debut that he didn’t skate in a single game at the NHL level, and he ultimately played in 38 games for the San Diego Gulls, scoring 14 points.
- 2022 Arizona Coyotes second-round pick Julian Lutz has made an interesting move for his development, leaving defending DEL champions EHC Red Bull München in order to play USHL hockey for the Green Bay Gamblers. It’s a somewhat unusual move, as traditionally players move from developmental leagues into top professional leagues, not the other way around. But this move is somewhat understandable for Lutz, who has been buried in a depth role on a stacked Munich team. Going to Green Bay will allow the six-foot-two, 185-pound winger to play against his peers, and will give him the opportunity to have a monster season and put up the kind of box score numbers his resume currently sorely lacks.
- Former WHL and AHL star Brendan Ranford has signed a one-year contract with HC Slovan Bratislava, the club he previously represented for the 2020-21 season. Since leaving the AHL for Europe in late 2018, Ranford has become an impactful, top-line scorer in three different European leagues. He’s spent the last two seasons in the DEL, posting 95 points across 95 total games. Slovan are likely signing Ranford with the hope of adding an elite scorer, which is what Ranford was when he last played in Slovakia, as he scored 12 goals and 32 points in just 29 games. The historic club based in Slovakia’s capital have gotten off to a slow 2-3-1 start in this 2023-24 Tipos Extraliga season, so perhaps this move will give the club the spark it needs to resume its place among the country’s elite clubs.
- The ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads have signed two forwards just at the start of their pro careers: Nick Nardella and Daniel Hardie. Nardella, 24, signed an ATO with the Cincinnati Cyclones last season at the conclusion of his NCAA career with Michigan Tech. He ended up scoring one assist in four games in Cincinnati before he moved to the Iowa Heartlanders, where he impressed scoring three goals in three games. Now, he’ll head to Idaho alongside Hardie, who hasn’t yet made his pro debut but was once the leading scorer of a QMJHL team, the 2018-19 Charlottetown Islanders.
- Former College hockey star Trevor Mingoia, once an NCAA Champion with Providence College, has had his contract with Liiga’s Kärpät terminated by mutual agreement. This wasn’t the winger’s first go-around in the top division of Finnish hockey, although Mingoia’s time with KooKoo Kouvola from 2019-2021 was notably more successful. Mingoia spent two seasons with KooKoo and scored a total of 27 goals and 64 points in 73 games. Kärpät were likely optimistic they would get that kind of form out of Mingoia after he starred for two seasons in the DEL with the Wolfsburg Grizzlys, helping them to the DEL semifinals last season, but it wasn’t to be and now both parties will look elsewhere moving forward.
- Veteran Swedish forward Robin Alvarez has decided to test himself playing in Finland for the first time in his career, signing a one-year contract with Ilves Tampere of Liiga. The 36-year-old veteran has exclusively played in his native Sweden so far in his career and has logged over 700 career games combined between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan levels. Alvarez brings extensive Champions Hockey League experience to Ilves, having played a total of 31 games in the prestigious European tournament. Ilves currently sit fourth in the Liiga table and are looking to gain ground on their neighbors Tappara Tampere, the defending Liiga and Champions Hockey League winners.
- Defenseman Teemu Suhonen, once a star blueliner for Jukurit Mikkeli in both its Liiga and Mestis days, has signed a one-month contract with a rival Liiga club: Vaasan Sport. The undersized 34-year-old defenseman spent last season with Liiga’s JYP, scoring 15 points in 46 games. Sport said in its announcement of the deal that the club needed to act quickly to respond to an injury to defenseman Carl-Johan Lerby, and their signing of Suhonen should help the team survive Lerby’s absence.
- Slovakia’s HK Nitra have agreed on an early contract termination with forward Patrick Bajkov, a key summer signing of the club. Nitra were likely hoping that Bajkov’s prolific scoring at the ECHL level (he managed 69 points in 71 games for the Reading Royals in 2021-22) would translate to the top level of Slovak pro hockey. That hasn’t happened, though, and Bajkov will now conclude his tenure with Nitra at six games, a run where he failed to register a point and found himself tagged with a minus-seven plus-minus rating. Bajkov last played for Nitra in their October 1st contest, but skated under 2:30 of total ice time as the club fell by a 9-3 score. As Nitra seek a reboot after a catastrophic start to the season, it’s been agreed upon by both parties that ending Bajkov’s contract is the best path forward for each side, especially seeing as a replacement for Bajkov, Stephen Harper, was brought in a few days ago.
- The so far undefeated Cardiff Devils have made an addition to their forward corps, signing power forward Brandon Alderson to an EIHL contract. The six-foot-three, 194-pound veteran has been a point-per-game scorer in the OHL, ECHL, DEL2, and Slovak league, and is coming off of an exceptional campaign playing third-division pro hockey in Germany. Alderson scored a whopping 37 goals and 79 points for the Hannover Scorpions, and Cardiff are likely hoping that his track record of high-scoring numbers can translate to the top division of pro hockey in the United Kingdom.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Morning Notes: Pitlick, Hämeenaho, Jack
New York Rangers forward Tyler Pitlick is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. Walker also relays word from Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette saying that Pitlick would be re-evaluated today. Pitlick, 31, was an offseason signing of the Rangers and had been in contention for a fourth-line role while playing on a $787.5k cap hit.
One how this injury might impact the ongoing battle for the Rangers’ fourth-line right winger spot, if at all. Fellow offseason signing Alex Belzile was waived and sent to the AHL despite holding the versatility to play both center and wing and having outscored Pitlick on a point-per-game basis last season, so if Pitlick remains out Belzile could get another chance. But what’s more likely is that Belzile remains in the minors as he’s already cleared waivers, with Pitlick’s job instead for the time being going to prospect Will Cuylle, whose situation we covered in the recent Big Hype Prospects piece.
Now for some other notes from across the hockey world:
- New Jersey Devils prospect Lenni Hämeenaho is off to a blistering hot start in the Finnish Liiga, and EliteProspects’ Lassi Alanen writes on X that Hämeenaho is off to “one of the hottest starts to the season from any 18-year-old in Liiga history.” Playing for Ässät Pori, a quality middle-of-the-pack Liiga team, Hämeenaho has scored eight goals and nine points in just nine games, putting him at a 53-goal pace should he manage to play a full 60-game season. It’s extremely unlikely Hämeenaho will maintain this pace, of course, but what is likely is that Hämeenaho will finish with a far more productive year than the one he had in 2022-23, and it could be the type of season that vaults the 2023 53rd overall pick into top prospect status.
- The ECHL announced yesterday that its Board of Governors had “approved the Transfer of Controlling Interest in the Allen Americans” to “ALA Hockey, LLC, an entity controlled by Myles and LaSonjia Jack.” For fans of the NFL, that name might be familiar as its of former NFL linebacker Myles Jack, once a key cog in a ferocious Jacksonville Jaguars defense. As our friends at Pro Football Rumors covered, Jack retired in August and now appears to be entering sports ownership alongside his mother. According to the ECHL, this purchase is particularly historic as “Jack, and his mother LaSonjia Jack, are the first African-American majority owners in professional hockey history.” Jack is purchasing a quality team in the Americans, as they’re a two-time Kelly Cup winner, they haven’t missed the playoffs in four seasons, and are Texas’ only ECHL franchise.
West Notes: Kaliyev, Sharks, Avalanche, McDonald
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev would have a disciplinary hearing today for his kneeing of Anaheim’s Chase De Leo on Tuesday night. He received a minor penalty for kneeing on the play while De Leo did not return. If it’s decided that supplemental discipline is warranted, the league could opt to suspend Kaliyev solely for preseason games, regular season ones, or a combination of both.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference:
- Sharks center Mikael Granlund was injured just before training camp began but Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that the veteran appears to be on track to be ready to play in the season opener. The 31-year-old saw his production drop last year, going from 64 points to 41, resulting in him being a salary matcher in the Erik Karlsson trade. With Logan Couture’s availability for the season opener still in question, having Granlund – who can play down the middle – available would certainly help.
- Also from Pashelka’s piece, winger Kevin Labanc could return as soon as Thursday as he works his way back from an upper-body issue that came up last week against Anaheim. The 27-year-old gave San Jose some secondary scoring last season with 15 goals and 18 assists but that’s still not the type of production they’re expecting on a $4.75MM per year deal, one that runs through the end of this season.
- Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that Rantanen should be ready to go for the start of the regular season next week. Meanwhile, center Ben Meyers, who is battling for a fourth-line spot with the Avs, is also listed as day-to-day.
- The Stars announced that they’ve recalled winger Kyle McDonald from AHL Texas. The 21-year-old was cut back on Monday but now will get another opportunity to make an impression on the big club. McDonald had 52 points in 43 games with OHL North Bay last season and this will be his first year at the professional level.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Ottawa Senators
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Ottawa Senators
Current Cap Hit: $83,379,047 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Jake Sanderson (one year, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Sanderson: $1.85MM
We’ll get more in depth on Sanderson’s deal later on but this deal has $850K in ‘A’ bonuses, four valued at $212.5K each. He hit all four last year (All-Rookie team, blocks, ATOI, and assists) and while the first one is no longer available, he has a decent chance of maxing them out again or at least coming very close.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
D Erik Brannstrom ($2MM, RFA)
F Parker Kelly ($762.5K, UFA)
F Dominik Kubalik ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Tarasenko ($5MM, UFA)
Tarasenko’s market never really materialized as he was hoping for as even after an agent change, the price tag came in lower than expected with just a one-year term. He didn’t repeat his better than a point-per-game effort from 2021-22 but still produced nicely at a top-six level. This contract is certainly fair for a 50-point player with a track record suggesting he’s capable of more. While it has created the crunch they find themselves in, it’s not a bad value agreement. We’ll see if going this route winds up propelling him into a longer-term deal next summer.
Kubalik came over from Detroit as part of the Alex DeBrincat trade. He had a career year last season although he slowed down as the year went on. If he can get a fifth season of at least 15 goals under his belt, he could position himself for at least a small raise on another multi-year deal. Kelly was a serviceable fourth liner last season, showing he can kill penalties and play with some physicality. The offense needs to come around, however, if he wants to move off the minimum salary.
Brannstrom established himself as a regular last season but his offensive game, one that made him a first-round pick by Vegas several years ago, hasn’t come around just yet. Additionally, his playing time dipped by over three and a half minutes per game as he went from a part-time spot in the top four to a full-time spot on the bottom pair. It’s fair to say that the Sens still see some upside in him as evidenced by this contract but another season like this could have him approaching non-tender territory since he’ll be eligible for salary arbitration. Speculatively, this could be a deal they wind up trying to move to open up cap room.
Signed Through 2024-25
D Jakob Chychrun ($4.6MM, UFA)
G Anton Forsberg ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Claude Giroux ($6.5MM, UFA)
D Travis Hamonic ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Mark Kastelic ($835K, RFA)
Giroux showed last season that he can still be a top-line player, posting his best showing since the 2018-19 campaign while giving Ottawa a strong return on that first year. He’ll be 37 when his next contract comes due, however, so the expectation will be that he either goes year-to-year at that point or takes a discounted two-year deal as players in his situation often do. Kastelic had a limited role last season but was effective on the fourth line, earning himself his first one-way deal in the process. As is the case with Kelly, he’ll need to show a bit more offensively to get past the $1MM mark (when he’ll also have arbitration rights) in 2025.
Chychrun came over in a late-season trade from Arizona and really helped to stabilize a relatively inexperienced back end. He hasn’t been able to match his 2020-21 breakout showing offensively with the Coyotes and if that holds up, that will hold back his earnings upside somewhat. Despite that, if he can stay healthy, his next deal could push into the $7MM range. Hamonic took a sizable cut compared to his previous contract to stay in Ottawa although that was going to happen no matter where he wound up. He’s effective in a limited role and this price point works for the Senators.
Forsberg took a step back last season with his on-ice performance while dealing with injury issues that limited him to just 28 appearances. Now set as the backup after GM Pierre Dorion turned to free agency to shore up his goaltending, that workload might be closer to his new normal. It’s a tier below the top backups which is around where he should slot in. He’ll need more years like his 2021-22 showing if he wants to get to upper-end backup money.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Mathieu Joseph ($2.95MM, UFA)
F Zack MacEwen ($775K, UFA)
Joseph showed lots of promise down the stretch in 2022 when Ottawa acquired him, resulting in this contract. Unfortunately for them, he struggled mightily last season, scoring just three times in 56 games which is hardly what anyone was expecting. This is the contract that the Sens are believed to be trying to move right now although in this cap environment, that’s much easier said than done. MacEwen accepted a rare three-year, minimum-salary deal this summer, one that guarantees him a one-way deal throughout. He’s projected to be on the fourth line or as a reserve forward if and when they can carry extra players so it’ll be difficult for them not to get a reasonable return.
Minor Transactions: 10/4/23
With play overseas in several leagues already underway and AHL camps just getting going, there continue to be plenty of signings across the hockey world. We run through some of the NHL-related ones here.
- UFA center Nate Schnarr has signed a one-year deal with Pelicans in Finland, per a team release. The 24-year-old started the season in Montreal’s system before being moved at the trade deadline to Los Angeles but was non-tendered this summer after putting up just nine points in 45 AHL contests. He had attended training camp this year with Columbus but was cut late month.
- Another player who was cut by the Blue Jackets in camp is also heading overseas, defenseman Nicolas Meloche. Salavat Yulaev of the KHL announced that they’ve inked the 26-year-old to a one-year deal. Meloche played 50 NHL contests with San Jose in 2021-22 but cleared waivers early in camp last year with Calgary, resulting in him spending all of last season at the AHL level where he had 21 points in 64 games.
- Former NHL blueliner Yohann Auvitu is on the move again as he has inked a one-year deal plus an option with Vitkovice in Czechia, per a club release. The 34-year-old saw time at the NHL level with both Edmonton and New Jersey but has moved around frequently since then, spending time in Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland.
- Kings prospect Kaleb Lawrence is on the move in the OHL as Ottawa announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old forward from Owen Sound. Standing 6’7, Lawrence was a seventh-round pick in 2022 (215th overall) after a season in which he played just two games. Last year, he was much healthier, putting up 37 points in 50 games with the Attack. Los Angeles has until June 1, 2024, to sign Lawrence to an entry-level deal so there will be some extra pressure on him as he enters his overage year.
- Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced the signing of Ben King to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Ducks in 2022 (107th overall) but has exhausted his WHL eligibility. After putting up 105 points in 2021-22, King’s production dipped to just 35 points in 30 games last season with Red Deer. Anaheim has until June 1, 2024, to ink him to an NHL contract.
Pacific Notes: Whitecloud, Karlsson, Canucks, Flames
The Vegas Golden Knights are grappling with uncertainty surrounding the availability of defenseman Zach Whitecloud for their opening night banner-raising against the Seattle Kraken next Tuesday. Head coach Bruce Cassidy, during a press conference Wednesday, expressed hesitance to confirm Whitecloud’s participation in the season opener.
Cassidy said that until Zach is on the ice, he can’t say he expects him to play. Whitecloud, a key depth piece for the Golden Knights, has been dealing with an undisclosed issue that has kept him off the ice during preseason activities for around a week. The 26-year-old missed significant time last season with injury, playing 59 out of 82 games and recording 12 points and a +10 rating. When healthy, he’s expected to resume his usual role on the team’s third pairing behind Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore on the team’s right side.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division today:
- Sticking with Vegas, they’re also dealing with a day-to-day injury to center William Karlsson that is not expected to stretch into the regular season. Cassidy said he’s been dealing with an undisclosed issue throughout training camp to date and that he will not play in tomorrow’s preseason contest against the Colorado Avalanche. Karlsson played a crucial role in the Knights’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup, recording 11 goals and 17 points in 22 games. His 53 points last season were his highest since 2018-19, his sophomore campaign with Vegas, after potting 43 goals in the 2017-18 season.
- The Vancouver Canucks are bringing in some reinforcements, recalling multiple players from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks today. Goaltender Arturs Silovs, defenseman Filip Johansson, and forwards Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Aatu Räty, and Max Sasson will be available to the team for tonight’s preseason contest against the Seattle Kraken. All will likely get returned to the minors tomorrow after being cut from Canucks camp earlier this week.
- Sportsnet’s Eric Francis believes a “significant announcement” regarding a new arena for the Calgary Flames could come tomorrow. Plans for a new home to replace the aging Scotiabank Saddledome are already well underway, with their ownership group and the Alberta government reaching a preliminary agreement for a new arena after the end of last season. The provincial government also greenlit the first C$39MM dedicated to the project last month.
Flames’ Kevin Rooney Out Long-Term After Shoulder Surgery
In addition to confirming young winger Jakob Pelletier underwent successful surgery today as planned, the Calgary Flames announced that forward Kevin Rooney also underwent a shoulder procedure and is out for the foreseeable future without a specific return timeline. Rooney will almost certainly begin the season on injured or long-term injured reserve, with the 2023-24 campaign commencing in six days.
Rooney sustained the shoulder injury in practice last Sunday after sliding awkwardly into the boards. Flames head coach Ryan Huska confirmed this morning, prior to Calgary’s announcement, that Rooney would be out longer-term.
It’s a disappointing start for Rooney, who was looking to regain traction in Calgary entering the second season of a two-year, $2.6MM contract. Initially expected to play a pivotal role on the team’s fourth line last season, Rooney fell far short of expectations and played just 17 contests for the Flames, posting just one assist. It earned him a demotion to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, where he played out the majority of the season. Things didn’t go much better for him there, as he posted just 17 points in 51 regular-season contests on one of the AHL’s best teams. His $1.3MM cap hit was not fully buriable in the minors, resulting in a $175K cap charge for the Flames while he was buried with the Wranglers.
Rooney had looked better coming into this season’s training camp, but today’s news means he won’t be on the opening night roster. That’s especially unfortunate, given Rooney was actually projected to start the season as the team’s fourth-line center – the team lost some minor depth this summer due to cap constraints. Instead, a younger centerman like 22-year-old Cole Schwindt (acquired from Florida in the Jonathan Huberdeau/Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster) or 2020 first-round pick Connor Zary could get a crack at centering the team’s fourth line to start the season.
If Rooney will be out long enough to qualify for LTIR, that could allow Calgary to carry an expanded roster to start the season. The team’s delicate cap situation was projected to force them to carry the bare minimum of 20 skaters to start the season, but with Rooney (and Pelletier) on LTIR, they could afford a pair of healthy extras to kick off the campaign.
Summer Synopsis: Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are back to square one, once again questioning whether their depth is strong enough to earn a spot in the playoffs. And while the team has done well at using free agency and trades to round out their roster, the Pacific Division has improved substantially around them – eating against Vancouver’s postseason hopes. How the club adjusts to what’s sure to be an eventful season ahead should be very telling of their short-term and long-term prospects.
Draft
1-11: D Tom Willander, Rögle (Sweden U20)
3-75: D Hunter Brzustewicz, Kitchener (OHL)
3-89: D Sawyer Mynio, Seattle (WHL)
4-105: F Ty Mueller, Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA, NCHC)
4-107: F Vilmer Alriksson, Djurgårdens (Sweden U20)
4-119: F Matthew Perkins, Youngstown (USHL)
6-171: D Aiden Celebrini, Brooks (AJHL)
The Canucks brought in four defenders at the draft, the most they’ve brought in in a single class since 2013. This group is headlined by Tom Willander, who Vancouver took shockingly early, selecting him two picks before Buffalo took Zach Benson and six spots ahead of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the defender who played above Willander for Sweden’s national team. The Canucks will hope those picks don’t come back to haunt them, although Willander’s early showings have proven optimistic. The Swedish defender was lauded for his leadership abilities and composed two-way play, showing a great ability to command a line. Willander is also playing for Boston University this season, where he’ll likely serve as Lane Hutson‘s batterymate and should continue to round out his two-way abilities.
After landing the reliable Willander, Vancouver favored offensive upside with their next pick, landing Hunter Brzustewicz, who was considered a First Round prospect by many public scouting agencies. Questions about how he’ll translate to the professional level, as well as concerns about his defensive abilities, pushed Brzustewicz down the draft board, but Vancouver could be landing a high-upside talent with their third-round pick. Brzustewicz recorded 51 assists and 57 points in 68 OHL games last season, ranking third among the league’s U19 defenders in scoring behind Ty Nelson and Michael Buchinger.
Vancouver was similarly targeted with the rest of their draft class, landing a large-frame defender in Mynio, two responsible and passive centermen in Mueller and Perkins, and a hometown talent in Celebrini. These picks add good depth to a Canucks prospect pool that could use a boost, although none of their selections jump off the page as immediate change-makers.
UFA Signings
D Carson Soucy (three years, $9.8MM)
D Ian Cole (one year, $3MM)
D Matt Irwin (one year, $775K)*
F Teddy Blueger (one year, $1.9MM)
F Tristen Nielsen (two years, $870K)*
G Zach Sawchenko (one year, $775K)*
F Pius Suter (two years, $3.2MM)
The Canucks brought in a slew of solid veteran talent through free agency, helping to solidify the depths of their NHL roster. Carson Soucy likely headlines the group and take on the biggest role, vying for a role in the team’s top four. Soucy can play either side on the blue line, although he favors left defense, giving him a prime shot at either the second-pair LD role or potentially even top-line minutes if Quinn Hughes doesn’t gel with new partners. But Soucy doesn’t have a clear run to the top four just yet, with Ian Cole also capable of winning over either position. Like Soucy, Cole is capable of playing either side and has shown prowess as a serviceable role player. The natural competition for ice time between Soucy and Cole should serve the Canucks blue line well, as both players will need to bring their A-game to try and beat out the other.
Vancouver faces a similar storyline with their newest forwards, adding the capable Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger down the middle. The duo will likely operate as the team’s third and fourth-line centers, although who wins out which role is yet to be seen. When it comes to statistics, the two are fairly evenly matched, with Suter recording 87 points through 216 career games and Blueger with 98 points through 268 career games. It’ll be a toss-up to see who wins out what role, but adding two 200-game veterans for cheap is slick work from a Vancouver team that struggled to make their depth pieces stand out last year.
RFA Re-Signings
D Noah Juulsen (two years, $1.55MM)*
D Akito Hirose (two years, $1.6MM)*
F Nils Hoglander (two years, $2.2MM)
Vancouver’s RFA signings all share a similar undertone of being talented players who have yet to solidify their NHL presence. The group is head manned by Nils Hoglander, the 40th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. Hoglander has 141 NHL games on his resume but only 54 points to show for it. Half of these points came in his rookie year when Hoglander recorded 13 goals and 27 points in 56 games. He hasn’t been able to maintain that momentum in the two seasons since, earning his first taste of the AHL last year after starting the year in the NHL. And while it’s never encouraging to see a young forward move backward, Hoglander did perform admirably in the minor leagues, netting 32 points in 45 games. Vancouver will hope that means a newfound confidence for the goal-scoring winger, who could be a productive X-factor operating on their third line if all goes well.
Hirose appeared in seven NHL games last season, recording three points and playing just under 17-and-a-half minutes per night. Juulsen also got a handful of NHL appearances – 12 to be exact – but failed to score and averaged under 15 minutes of ice time. And while neither performance jumps off the page, the duo will likely serve as the first line of reserves in the event that any Canucks defenders miss time.
Departures
D Travis Dermott (Arizona, one year, $800K)*
D Ethan Bear (unsigned UFA)
G Collin Delia (Winnipeg, one year, $775K)
F Brady Keeper (Montreal, one year, $775K)*
F Tanner Pearson (trade with Montreal)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Florida, one year, $2.25MM)
F Micheal Ferland (unsigned UFA)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson headlines the list of Canucks to switch teams this summer. The 32-year-old defenseman’s place on the roster has long been a point of contention since Vancouver acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. Ekman-Larsson appeared in a total of 133 games as a Canuck, recording a mere seven goals and 51 points – far from the 40-or-50-point seasons he put up earlier in his career. This breakup felt imminent, and the Canucks did it by way of a contract buy-out. Vancouver will carry a cap penalty through the 2030-31 season as a result of this buy-out.
Outside of Ekman-Larsson, the Canucks only lost one player that appeared in more than 20 games last season: currently unsigned defender Ethan Bear. The now-26-year-old Bear recorded 16 points in 61 games with Vancouver last season, performing serviceably but not leaving a hole that can’t be filled by Soucy or Cole. Collin Delia operated as the team’s third-string goalie, appearing in 20 games compared to backup Spencer Martin‘s 27 games and recording a modest .882 save percentage.
Otherwise, the Canucks lineup experienced little turnover – dealing Pearson to Montreal alongside a third-round pick in exchange for Casey DeSmith and cutting ties with Travis Dermott, who failed to successfully blend in with the rest of the Canucks lineup.
The summer saw minimal turnover for a team that made strong additions via free agency – a best-case scenario for Vancouver.
Salary Cap Outlook
Vancouver is held relatively tight to the cap, needing to move Tucker Poolman to long-term injured reserve to be cap-compliant. Once they make that move, the Canucks should have roughly $450K in cap space, just enough to get through the year without much stress. With Elias Pettersson set to be an arbitration-eligible RFA next summer, the Canucks are set to face difficult questions about their cap fairly soon. But they’re in fine enough standing for the short term.
Key Questions
What Encore Is In Store? While Vancouver faces a slurry of questions about their roster makeup, there’s no denying that they have one of the best centers and one of the best defenders in the entire NHL. Elias Pettersson shattered his career-high in scoring last season, netting 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games. And Quinn Hughes, the team’s newest captain, recorded a dazzling 76 points in 78 games. These seasons accounted for the highest-scoring season from a Vancouver defender ever, topping Hughes’ previous career-high of 68 points, and the highest-scoring performance from a Canuck forward since Daniel Sedin put up 104 points in 2011. Pettersson and Hughes are pivotal pieces of Vancouver’s success, and how they can build on their historic 2022-23 seasons should be a strong indicator of the team’s overall success this year.
Has Vancouver Found Their Goaltending Duo? Thatcher Demko won the starting job outright at the start of the 2021-22 season. In the two years since then, he’s had five different backups. Vancouver looked to curb that issue this year, finally bringing in a solid #2 in Casey DeSmith. DeSmith has performed very well throughout his NHL career, putting up a .912 save percentage through 134 career games, which should be enough to squash any worries about the Canucks goaltending. If that is the case, Vancouver could be ridding itself of one of their weakest links over the last few seasons.
Which Depth Forwards Will Step Up? The question of which depth pieces can be difference-makers has surrounded Vancouver for the past few seasons, to little avail. But new additions in Blueger and Suter, as well as newfound excitement surrounding players like Hoglander and Jack Studnicka, could be the reason for optimism. Many recent Stanley Cup champions have gotten to that point largely thanks to X-factors in their bottom six. Vancouver will need to find these impact players if they want to confidently establish themselves in a tough Pacific Division.
Boston Bruins Sign Frederic Brunet To Entry-Level Contract
The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Frédéric Brunet to a three-year entry-level contract carrying a cap hit of $860K, per a team release. Boston assigned Brunet to AHL Providence on October 1, where he’s likely to spend the entire 2023-24 season.
Brunet, 20, was a 2022 fifth-round draft choice of the Bruins after going undrafted upon his initial eligibility in 2021. It’s not entirely his fault – he was pushed down the depth chart and appeared in just 33 games with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic in 2020-21, recording just nine points and never getting significant scouting attention. He turned things around the following season, however, leading Rimouski defenders in points and earning the honor of hearing his name called by the Bruins on draft day.
After Rimouski named him captain to start the 2022-23 season, Brunet would split the campaign between the Océanic and the Victoriaville Tigres thanks to a midseason trade. Across both teams, Brunet broke out even further for 73 points in 66 games, adding on 28 penalty minutes and a +2 rating. That was good enough to earn him second place in QMJHL scoring among defenders, trailing only Anaheim Ducks prospect Tristan Luneau. He also notched three assists in five playoff games for Victoriaville as they were ousted in the first round by the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Brunet also had a rather raucous start to his professional career, recording two assists in a lone appearance with Providence at the tail end of last season. He’ll now gun for ice time among multiple other Bruins defenders under contract slated for Providence.
San Jose Sharks Sign Quentin Musty To Entry-Level Contract
2:09 p.m.: PuckPedia has confirmed the details of Musty’s entry-level deal, which carries the ELC maximum cap hit of $950K:
Year 1: $855K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K minors salary
Year 2: $855K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K minors salary
Year 3: $855K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K minors salary, $250K Schedule ‘A’ performance bonus
1:46 p.m.: The San Jose Sharks have signed left wing and 2023 first-round pick Quentin Musty to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. San Jose will likely return Musty to junior hockey before opening night rosters are due, but they’ll do so with a contract in hand for one of their better forward prospects.
This is Musty’s first NHL training camp after the Sharks selected him 26th overall in June. He is, perhaps, the largest piece of the trade return received from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Timo Meier in February – the pick they used on Musty originally belonged to New Jersey.
Born in Hamburg, New York, and a graduate of the Buffalo Sabres’ youth program, Musty spent last season as an alternate captain for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves in his second season with the team. He potted 26 goals in 53 games, adding 52 assists for 78 points alongside 71 penalty minutes and a +16 rating. The well-rounded winger stands at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds and was named to the OHL’s second All-Rookie Team in 2021-22.
Despite signing him to his entry-level contract now, returning Musty to Sudbury will slide the start of his contract to the 2024-25 campaign. Given Musty’s age, the Sharks can execute this maneuver twice – should he play less than ten NHL games in 2024-25 as well, his contract would then start in 2025-26 and run through 2027-28.