Salary Cap Deep Dive: Boston Bruins
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.
Boston Bruins
Current Cap Hit: $83,070,834 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None that are likely to be full-timers on the roster.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Jesper Boqvist ($775K, RFA)
F Jake DeBrusk ($4MM, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($3MM, UFA)
F A.J. Greer ($762.5K, UFA)
D Matt Grzelcyk ($3.688MM, UFA)
F Milan Lucic ($1MM, UFA)
D Ian Mitchell ($775K, RFA)
D Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.05MM, UFA)
G Jeremy Swayman ($3.475MM, RFA)
F James van Riemsdyk ($1MM, UFA)
D Jakub Zboril ($1.138MM, UFA)
Potential Bonuses
Lucic: $500K
DeBrusk’s future with Boston has been murky for a few years now. First, it was a trade request that wasn’t granted and was later rescinded. Since then, he has become an important part of their attack, notching at least 25 goals in each of the last two seasons. Now, they need to decide if he’s part of their future plans on a contract that’s likely to cost closer to $6MM or if he could be a possible part of an offer to try to get some center help. Lucic returns after a long stretch out West and is no longer the top-six forward he once was. However, he has been a serviceable bottom-six piece in a limited role and this contract fits in with the role he’s likely to provide.
Not many players saw their stock fall last season as much as van Riemsdyk. After being a top power play threat in previous years, he struggled with the man advantage last year which resulted in his lowest goal total since 2011-12. In doing so, the Flyers weren’t able to find a taker for him at the trade deadline. He’ll look to rebuild his stock in Boston and if he can have success in a top-six role, his market should be considerably stronger next summer. Boqvist was non-tendered by New Jersey this summer to avoid arbitration. He’s a capable fourth-line checker and this should prove to be a team-friendly deal before too long. Arbitration rights will be in play next summer as well. Greer held down a regular spot on the roster last season, getting into a career-best 61 games. Another year like that should increase his chances of another one-way pact but he’s the type of player that teams will be looking to sign for the minimum.
With Boston’s cap situation, Grzelcyk’s future has come into some question as well. He was basically relegated to an even strength-only player last season and while that type of player still has some value – he’s still a capable offensive player – it’s one that’s hard to afford given their current roster structure. Next summer, if he has another season like this one, he might be looking at a small dip in pay but should still land a multi-year deal. Forbort is another speculative cap casualty if GM Don Sweeney makes a move to create some flexibility or needs to match money in a trade. More of a prototypical third-pairing/penalty killing piece at this point of his career, his market value is probably closer to $2MM unless he can stake a regular claim to a top-four spot this season.
Shattenkirk was one of many bargain signings by Boston this summer, coming over after three years in Anaheim. He’s starting to slow down but is still capable of logging upwards of 20 minutes per game and certainly left money on the table to join the Bruins. A good season with them could push him back over the $3MM mark next summer if he wants to maximize his next contract. Zboril has seen very little NHL action over four years due to injuries, demotions, and being scratched at times; his career GP total is less than a full year. When he played last season, he was sparingly used. If that’s the role he has again, his next offers are going to be closer to the minimum salary. That’s where Mitchell finds himself after taking less than his qualifying offer, presumably in the hopes of trying to secure a spot on Boston’s roster. Once viewed as a key prospect in Chicago, his stock has dipped but he has had enough success in the minors to warrant another look.
Swayman’s contract was one of the more interesting ones signed this summer. He had a very strong year, posting a 2.27 GAA along with a .920 SV% but in just 37 games. For his career, he has just 87 career appearances which isn’t a large sample size to work off of. A multi-year deal would likely have cost upwards of $4.5MM per year, a sum they simply couldn’t have afforded with their current roster. Instead, the sides went to arbitration to get this deal. Another year somewhat similar to this one could push his single-year value into the $4.5MM range – even as a platoon goalie – while a longer-term agreement could push closer to the $6MM mark.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Patrick Brown ($800K, UFA)
F Trent Frederic ($2.3MM, UFA)
F Morgan Geekie ($2MM, RFA)
F Brad Marchand ($6.125MM, UFA)
G Linus Ullmark ($5MM, UFA)
Marchand’s production isn’t where it was at his peak anymore but he was still close to a point per game last season. Without his long-time linemate Patrice Bergeron, it will be interesting to see how that affects his output but Marchand should still provide positive value on the final two years of his deal. He’ll be 37 when his next contract begins and it wouldn’t be surprising if he takes another team-friendly pact again. Frederic took a step forward last season, providing Boston with some good secondary production despite having a limited role, allowing him to more than double the AAV of his previous contract. He’ll need to maintain that at a minimum while moving up the lineup to push up his price tag again in two years.
Geekie came over after being somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by Seattle. He’ll have a chance to play a bit higher in the lineup with Boston’s turnover down the middle and if he can hold down the third-line center role, this should be a good pickup for them. Notably, he’ll still have another year of control through arbitration if things go well. Brown came over in free agency after splitting last season between Philadelphia and Ottawa. He’s a serviceable checker on the fourth line without providing much offense so future deals for him should come in close to the minimum as well.
Ullmark had an incredible season last year. He blew past his full-season career bests in GAA (2.45) and SV% (.917) by putting up 1.89 and .938 respectively in those categories. Wins and losses certainly aren’t everything for a goalie but he had 40 victories in 48 starts, a win rate that is quite difficult to come by. That made him a well-deserving recipient of the Vezina Trophy while making mid-tier starter money. Few are expecting a performance like this in 2023-24 but even if he goes back to his career averages, they’ll get good value here.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Charlie Coyle ($5.25MM, UFA)
Coyle has been a secondary producer for the majority of his career, even coming back to his time with Minnesota. That made this contract a bit on the high side when it was signed back in 2019. However, he’s coming off back-to-back years with more than 40 points and has moved back to primarily playing at center after splitting the previous few seasons between center and the wing. The full-time position switch helps the value. So do the departures of Bergeron and David Krejci as it will push Coyle into a more prominent role offensively. As long as that results in an uptick in production – a reasonable expectation – the return on the second half of this contract should be a bit better than the first half.
Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer
D Brandon Carlo ($4.1MM through 2026-27)
D Hampus Lindholm ($6.5MM through 2029-30)
D Charlie McAvoy ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
F David Pastrnak ($11.25MM through 2030-31)
F Pavel Zacha ($4.75MM through 2026-27)
Pastrnak had a dominant performance last season, scoring 61 goals while averaging at least a point per game for the fifth straight season. That put him in the driver’s seat when it came to negotiating an early extension in-season, one that immediately became the richest deal in franchise history. It’s hard for a player making that much to live up to the contract but he’ll be the go-to player in Boston for a long time. Zacha’s contract is on the pricey side based on his career numbers but he had a breakout performance in 2022-23, notching 57 points. Like Coyle, he’ll be asked to play a bigger role this year and if there’s an uptick offensively as a result, this will become a team-friendly deal.
McAvoy has emerged as a legitimate top-pairing defenseman who is above-average at the offensive end. Those players get paid quickly and he was no exception as he now sits tied for fourth in the NHL in AAV among blueliners. That’s a hard contract to live up to but the Bruins are banking that he has another gear to get to yet. Lindholm found a gear offensively that he never could reach with Anaheim, becoming an ideal top-pairing fit in the process. There’s some concern about how the deal might age as he’ll be out of his prime by then but that’s a problem for down the road, not now. Carlo is a capable defensive defenseman but his ideal role is a fourth or fifth defender who can kill penalties. With minimal offensive contributions, it’s a deal that’s above market value at this point.
Buyouts
D Mike Reilly ($333K in 2023-24, $1.33MM in 2024-25)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
None
Best Value: Shattenkirk
Worst Value: Carlo
Looking Ahead
The bonus carryover penalties from Bergeron and Krejci’s deals cut into Boston’s cap space by $4.5MM. They’re unlikely to afford a full-sized roster to start the season but if they want to get creative, they might be able to waive someone like Forbort and shuffle him back and forth, freeing up a pro-rated $1.15MM for each day he’s off the roster. That could give them some extra space to hedge against injuries but if they want to add to their group this season, it’s going to be a money-in, money-out situation barring LTIR for someone coming into play.
Fortunately for the Bruins, the cap challenges could be short-lived. With over $20MM coming off the books next summer plus the carryover charge being cleared (aside from potentially Lucic’s half-million), Sweeney should have ample flexibility to re-sign his core pieces and then try to add one either via trade or in free agency. Meanwhile, at the moment, there are just six players signed for the 2025-26 campaign, giving Boston a relatively clean canvas to work with for the future.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Metro Notes: Wahlstrom, Voronkov, Othmann
2023-24 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for Oliver Wahlstrom and his future with the New York Islanders. The 2018 11th overall pick has a one-year, $874k contract in place and is coming off of a season where he had some real momentum, only for injuries to keep his campaign to just 35 games played. The start of the season will be important for the 23-year-old, as The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes that if Wahlstrom “can’t stay in the lineup, it will probably be time for the Islanders to give him a fresh start somewhere else” via a trade. (subscription link)
A change-of-scenery trade for Wahlstrom could end up being the best course of action for his future, as he has struggled for years to put together a productive season in the Islanders organization. In Wahlstrom’s lone season as a full-time AHLer, he managed 10 goals and 22 points in 45 games, decent numbers but not the overwhelming production expected of a top prospect. In the NHL, Wahlstrom’s best offensive season saw him score 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games, a 22-goal, 39-point 82-game pace. He clearly has the offensive talent to accomplish more in the NHL than he’s shown so far, so tracking how he’s doing for the Islanders early in the season will likely be one of the more intriguing storylines to watch on Long Island.
Some other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Although the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie drawing the most attention is rightfully 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli, Russian import Dmitri Voronkov could end up a quietly effective first-year player in Ohio. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline names Voronkov as one of three Blue Jackets prospects standing a decent chance to make the team’s opening-night roster. (subscription link) Voronkov, 23, is a big six-foot-three pivot who hasn’t yet played in North America, but impressed with 18 goals and 31 points in the KHL last season. He could be in play to make new head coach Pascal Vincent’s opening-night roster.
- As one of the New York Rangers’ top prospects, Brennan Othmann is expected by many to make an impact on the Rangers’ NHL roster sooner rather than later. But according to USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano, Othmann may have to wait. Mercogliano writes that the “expectation is that” Othmann will begin the season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, although a strong training camp could obviously change things. But since New York signed several veteran bottom-six forwards such as Alex Belzile and Tyler Pitlick, Othmann may begin his pro career off Broadway.
Mike Babcock Resigns As Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach
3:08 PM: The Blue Jackets have now officially announced Babcock’s resignation. Assistant coach Pascal Vincent has been named the club’s new head coach, and has signed a two-year contract extension.
2:48 PM: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock is expected to resign his position this afternoon.
Columbus officially named Babcock their head coach on July 1 after his previous contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired him in November of 2019, expired. This week, Babcock was the subject of a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players, originally reported by former NHL player Paul Bissonnette on a recent episode of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
NHLPA officials met Friday after meeting with several Blue Jackets players and staff and said they “provided the NHL with an update on our ongoing review” in a statement released after the meeting. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the now-concluded NHLPA investigation “left no path for Babcock to continue as coach.” Friedman reported on an earlier edition of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast last week that while veterans Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau were comfortable with their exchanges with Babcock regarding the photo-sharing exercise, multiple younger players on the roster did not feel the same way.
The Blue Jackets have yet to release a statement. At the time of writing, it’s unclear what path the Blue Jackets will take to name an interim head coach with training camp starting this week.
By resigning, Babcock walks away from the remainder of a two-year contract that was set to pay him a total of $8MM.
Minnesota Wild Sign Jujhar Khaira
09/17/23: The Wild have now officially announced a one-year, two-way contract for Khaira. The deal carries a $775k NHL salary and a $300k salary in the AHL, according to CapFriendly.
09/16/23: It appears that the Wild will be bringing in some extra forward depth, at least for training camp. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’re in discussions with Jujhar Khaira about a contract. Whether that’s a PTO agreement or a full-fledged contract remains to be seen.
The 29-year-old spent last season with Chicago, playing out the final year of a two-year deal that carried an AAV of $975K. Khaira got into 51 games with the Blackhawks but also missed more than two months with a back issue. That, of course, came on the heels of him missing 43 games with back trouble the year before. Khaira’s production was actually his best since the 2018-19 campaign as he pitched in with six goals and eight assists while logging just shy of 14 minutes per game.
Khaira’s career thus far spans parts of eight NHL seasons, the majority of which were spent with Edmonton who drafted him in the third round (63rd overall) back in 2012. He has 336 appearances at the top level under his belt, tallying 33 goals, 47 assists, and 783 hits while averaging 12:37 per contest of ice time.
With Minnesota being one of many teams that are tight to the salary cap, it’s likely that Khaira will be signing for the minimum if he does wind up with a guaranteed deal. His ability to play all three forward positions and kill penalties would certainly give the Wild some desired flexibility on the fourth line, a trio that figures to be particularly physical as it currently stands.
Minor Transactions: 09/17/23
There’s just one more week to go before NHL preseason starts in earnest, meaning the start of a long-awaited NHL season is just around the corner. Overseas, most top pro leagues have already begun, and clubs are still making moves to augment their roster or work on contracts for existing players. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable moves here:
- Some big news in the DEL was announced today, as one of the league’s best goalies signed a big six-year contract extension with his club, Düsseldorfer EG. Henrik Haukeland, Norway’s starting goalie at the few recent IIHF World Championships as well as the 2018 Winter Olympics, is committing to Düsseldorf through the end of the decade. It’s easy to see why Düsseldorf has been motivated to sign Haukeland, as the 28-year-old goalie had as stellar debut season for the club. Last year he posted a .919 save percentage in 51 games, taking home the DEL’s Goalie of the Year award. In total, Haukeland has a .926 save percentage in 71 DEL games, and now he’s been rewarded for that success with a long-term contract extension.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Summer Synopsis: Pittsburgh Penguins
There is no gentle way to put this, the Pittsburgh Penguins were a mess last season. Despite having Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby both healthy for the first time in years, the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and the first time during the Malkin/Crosby/Kris Letang era.
Penguins ownership addressed the disappointing season by relieving Ron Hextall and Brian Burke of their duties and set out to rebuild their hockey operations. They succeeded by hiring Kyle Dubas to run the organization’s hockey ops and he kickstarted a dramatic change in the team’s on-ice personnel.
No one knows if Dubas’ moves will work, but there is no arguing that he had a plan from the outset of the offseason and he has completely rebuilt the Penguins’ defense and bottom-six forward group. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen as the Penguins play in the most difficult division in hockey and the Eastern Conference is sure to be a buzzsaw this season.
Draft
1-14: C Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw (WHL)
3-91: D Emil Pieniniemi, Finland (SM-sarja)
5-142: RW Mikhail Ilyin, Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)
6-174: C Cooper Foster, Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
7-217: LW Emil Järventie, Finland SaiPa (Liiga)
7-223: D Kalle Kangas, Finland
Dubas opted to hang on to Pittsburgh’s highest first-round pick in quite some time rather than dealing it away to shed salary or acquire an impact player. While Yager will not likely make an impact during the Crosby/Malkin era that doesn’t mean he won’t be an impact player for the Penguins in the not-too-distant future. Many people expect the Penguins to go into a full rebuild in the next few years and Yager could become a good building block as he possesses terrific leadership skills and has a very high offensive ceiling. Yager does come with some risk as well, but high risk and high reward was a theme with the Penguins’ picks in the 2023 NHL entry draft.
Pittsburgh opted to take Pieniniemi in the third round and he brings a lot of mobility to the Penguins’ back end as well as good defensive instincts and a lot of intensity. Some have him projected as a possible top-4 defenseman in the future, but his development would be key in him reaching that kind of ceiling.
Mikhail Ilyin is an interesting pick in the fifth round as he is currently playing out his KHL contract in Russia. He doesn’t possess a very good shot but does have good offensive instincts and can be a playmaker from the center position.
The Penguins don’t have much in the prospect’s cupboard, but they did well to add some players with a lot of upside but that carry some risk. For Dubas and his draft position, he almost needs to take some gambles to see if he can hit on the next big thing for the Penguins.
Trade Acquisitions
F Dillon Hamaliuk (San Jose)
D Erik Karlsson (San Jose)
F Rem Pitlick (Montreal)
F Reilly Smith (Las Vegas)
It seemed very improbable the Penguins would be able to land Karlsson when the rumor popped up on July 1st. They spent most of their available cap space in free agency and the door appeared to slam shut on those rumblings. Except they never went away, and as the summer pressed on it seemed more likely the three-time Norris Trophy winner could in fact land with the Penguins. San Jose could never seem to get a trade market going for Karlsson’s services and Dubas and company remained diligent in their pursuit. Finally, on August 6th the deal was completed, and the Penguins were able to give up very little in terms of futures and somehow also managed to shed a lot of dead weight from their salary cap ledger. It was a major win for the Penguins, even if adding Karlsson comes with a mountain of risk.
How Karlsson will be used remains to be seen, but current power-play quarterback Letang has already said he will shift from the point to allow Karlsson to take his place. That alone should be huge for Pittsburgh as their powerplay was underwhelming last season, especially given the personnel they deployed with the man advantage.
Smith was also a big add for the Penguins at the cost of just a third-round pick. He will make for a terrific replacement in the Penguins’ top-six forward group and could be in line for a career year. Smith is fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights and will likely start the year with either Crosby or Malkin. While the 32-year-old isn’t a natural goal scorer, he is more than capable with the puck and is dynamic off the rush. He comes with two years left on his contract at $5MM per season, leaving little downside for the Penguins in this trade.
UFA Signings
C Noel Acciari (three years, $6MM)
D Will Butcher (one year, $775K)*
C Lars Eller (two years, $4.9MM)
D Ryan Graves (six years, $27MM)
G Magnus Hellberg (one year, $785K)
C Vinnie Hinostroza (one year, $775K)
G Tristan Jarry (five years, $26.875MM)
F Andreas Johnsson (one year, $800K)
F Joona Koppanen (two years, $1.55MM)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (one year, $1.5MM)
F Matt Nieto (two years, $1.8MM)
D Ryan Shea (one year, $775K)
F Radim Zahorna (one year, $775K)
*-denotes two-way contract
The Penguins had a decent amount of cap space entering the offseason but had a lot of holes to fill on a team that just wasn’t very good last year. Dubas quickly went to work in addressing his top defensive pairing, solidifying his goaltending, as well as building depth in the team’s bottom six forward group.
Ryan Graves is not a perfect top-pairing defenseman, but on Pittsburgh he doesn’t need to be. His job will be to fill the hole that Pittsburgh tried to fill by committee last season unsuccessfully. Graves will pair with Letang and should form a solid top-defensive pairing for the next few years. Graves won’t be asked to provide a ton of offense from the back end but is capable of chipping in having posted 26 points last year in 78 games. He will also benefit from getting more offensive zone starts as in New Jersey he started almost 63% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
Some people might think the Karlsson trade was Dubas’ biggest gamble, but I would venture to say it was the signing of netminder Jarry to a long-term deal. Jarry is a two-time all-star and has shown glimpses of being an above-average NHL netminder. However, those moments and accolades have been sandwiched between injuries and very inconsistent play. All that to say, signing Jarry was a risk for Pittsburgh. The goaltending market wasn’t great this offseason with left Dubas with few options and he went with the familiar one for the club. Whether it will pan out remains to be seen, but in his time with Pittsburgh Jarry has been unable to get the Penguins out of the first round, and this past season he couldn’t even get the team to the first round.
Nedeljkovic was an interesting signing for the Penguins as it cemented the departure of long-time backup Casey DeSmith. Nedeljkovic has had runs where he has looked like an NHL starter but has also had longer runs where he’s been run of out the game on a nightly basis. Which goaltender turns up in Pittsburgh will be something to keep an eye on, especially if Jarry has a year like he did last year.
RFA Re-Signings
F Jonathan Gruden (one year, $775K)*
F Alex Nylander (one year, $775K)
F Drew O’Connor (two years, $1.85MM)
F Valtteri Puustinen (one year, $775K)*
D Ty Smith (one year, $775K)
*-denotes two-way contract
O’Connor is a player the Penguins have been high on for several years. He was a highly sought-after college free agent and has had showings that would make you think he is an NHL player. Unfortunately, those glimpses have come only a handful of times and are always split up by long stretches of play where O’Connor looks invisible on the ice. O’Connor has eight goals and nine assists in 78 career NHL games and at 25-years-old he is no longer a prospect. He will be given every chance in Pittsburgh to show that he is a solution in the bottom six and with his size and speed he should be able to carve out a role. However, if he can’t, he will likely find himself shuttled back and forth between the NHL and the AHL.
Much like O’Connor, Nylander is a player who has shown glimpses of being an NHLer but hasn’t been able to put it all together. The Penguins tried Nylander in their top six last year in place of Bryan Rust, and he looked fine for a few games but didn’t appear to be a long-term answer. He is likely not suited for a bottom-six role, so if he is going to be in an NHL lineup it should be in more of a scoring role. Pittsburgh is banking on growth from Nylander this offseason and would likely love for him to be able to slide into the Penguins top-9 in some type of scoring capacity. But given his inability to be an impact player up until this point in his career, it’s a long shot at best.
Departures
F Josh Archibald (unsigned UFA)
C Nick Bonino (New York, one year, $800K)
F Drake Caggiula (Edmonton, two years, $1.55MM)*
G Casey DeSmith (traded to Montreal)
D Peter Diliberatore (PTO Arizona)
D Brian Dumoulin (Seattle, two years, $6.3MM)
F Mikael Granlund (traded to San Jose)
F Danton Heinen (PTO Boston)
D Dmitry Kulikov (Florida, one year, $1MM)
F Nathan Legare (traded to Montreal)
D Josh Maniscalco (Chicago (AHL), one year)
D Jeff Petry (traded to Montreal)
F Ryan Poehling (Philadelphia, one year, $1.4MM)
D Jan Rutta (traded to San Jose)
G Dustin Tokarski (Buffalo, one year, $775K)*
F Jason Zucker (Arizona, one year, $5.3MM)
Dubas moved on from a lot of Penguins players turning over nearly half of their NHL roster. The most notable loss is probably Zucker who had a terrific final season in Pittsburgh posting 27 goals and 21 assists in 78 games while being one of the few Penguins to show a pulse on most nights. Zucker had injury problems that plagued most of his time in Pittsburgh but was finally able to remain healthy last season. Dubas did well to replace Zucker with Smith, who should be able to replicate or better Zucker’s production.
Dumoulin was a long-time Penguins defenseman who was a big part of their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. But his play really dropped off his last few seasons in Pittsburgh as he started to show his age and really struggled in high-leverage situations. Dumoulin along with Jeff Carter had become lightning rods for criticism as fans found it difficult to move past the glaring errors in the defensive zone that seemed to happen on a nightly basis. Dumoulin should be better insulated in Seattle and might see better results with the Kraken.
Granlund was never likely to fit in Pittsburgh given his lack of footspeed and forechecking. His skillset never really suited the Penguins system, and his acquisition was universally panned just moments after it happened. Granlund had just one goal and four assists in 21 games with the Penguins and was probably a big reason why Ron Hextall is no longer with the team.
Salary Cap Outlook
A lot of people have written the Penguins off as being at the end of their run as a contender. However next summer they have few impact players to sign and could have over $20MM in cap space available to them. Depending on how this season goes, the Penguins could load up for one more run in the Crosby/Malkin era. Dubas will have a lot of options going forward and could even add a long-term impact player in season, so long as he makes a dollar-for-dollar trade.
Key Questions
How Will Karlsson Fit In? The Karlsson trade has been widely viewed as a big win for the Penguins but how the trade will ultimately be viewed comes down to results on the ice. If Karlsson can quarterback the Penguins’ powerplay to much better results and show decent results at 5 on 5, it will be a big improvement for Pittsburgh. If his defensive lapses start to become glaring and he can’t improve the powerplay, it could be viewed in a negative light. It should be an interesting question going forward.
Can Jarry Be A Number One? Jarry was gifted the starter’s role when Pittsburgh dealt Matt Murray to the Ottawa Senators in 2020. Since that time, he’s been the default number-one goaltender for the Penguins because they’ve never had a better option. With him signed to a long-term lucrative extension, it’s obvious that Penguins management sees Jarry as their number one goalie. But will he provide the team with number-one goaltending?
Can Crosby And Malkin Stay Healthy? It’s been rare for the Penguins to have the services of both Crosby and Malkin for an entire season, however, last year they did, and they missed the playoffs. They are unlikely to have both players for a season given their age and their track records with injuries. Crosby has changed his game and is less explosive to the net, however, he has suffered fewer injuries recently. Malkin has tried to adapt his game as well. But can both men stay healthy for another season? Time will tell.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nikolai Kovalenko Could Join Avalanche After KHL Season
Colorado Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland spoke with the DNVR Podcast recently regarding forward prospect Nikolai Kovalenko. During the interview MacFarland spoke about the team’s excitement when the Russian signed his two-year entry-level contract, and that they were going to be paying a lot of attention to his play over the next few months. MacFarland said the plan is to have Kovalenko come over at the expiration of his current season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and where he ends up is wide open.
The 23-year-old is on a tear to start the season with three goals and five assists in six games and is coming off a season in which he posted 21 goals and 33 assists in 56 games. He has been dressing as a regular in the KHL since 2017-18 but hasn’t been much of an offensive threat until the past two seasons. His case could be that of a late bloomer as teams didn’t really project this much offensive upside for Kovalenko, which might explain why he fell to the Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL entry draft.
Kovalenko was born in the United States when his father Andrei Kovalenko was an NHLer with the Carolina Hurricanes but was ultimately raised in Russia and has played hockey there throughout his career. From 2015-2018 Kovalenko played in the MHL which is Russia’s junior league. He dressed in 72 games notching 17 goals and 33 assists while helping Yaroslavl win back-to-back MHL championships.
Kovalenko may be a long shot to make the Avalanche when he does come over to North America next year. Colorado identified their forward depth as an area of concern this summer and made several moves to address it by acquiring Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, and Tomas Tatar through free agency, as well as Ross Colton and Ryan Johansen via trade.
International Check-In: Lindbom, Lekkerimaki, KHL Scoring Leaders, Michkov
Top international leagues such as those in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Russia often play a crucial role in NHL player development, but many of those storylines don’t get much coverage outside of teams’ local media. PHR is aiming to change that by shining a light this season on some notable stats and trends concerning NHL-affiliated talent suiting up overseas this season, keeping tabs on some potential future stars.
Vegas Golden Knights 2021 seventh-round pick Carl Lindbom has seen a sharp rise in stock since draft day, and his start to the 2023-24 campaign can only be described as meteoric. The 20-year-old netminder is on loan from Vegas to SHL club Färjestad BK this season after signing his entry-level contract earlier in the summer, and he’s stolen the starting role from overseas veteran (and former Golden Knight) Maxime Lagace thanks to a strong pre-season showing, posting a 2-0-0 record and .936 save percentage in two Champions Hockey League tournament appearances earlier this month. That translated into Lindbom getting the start for Färjestad in their first two games of the SHL league calendar, conceding just one goal in each of their games against Växjö and Skellefteå en route to a 2-0 start to the season with a .952 save percentage to back things up.
Sticking in Sweden, many watchful eyes will be on Vancouver Canucks 2022 first-round pick Jonathan Lekkerimäki after an inconsistent 2022-23 campaign. He’s on loan from Vancouver to the SHL’s Örebro HK this year after spending last season in the second-tier Allsvenskan, and he looks like he’s fitting right in to start the year. Assuming a top-six role out of the gate, the right winger has two goals through his first two outings, both coming on the power play.
Moving over to Russia, it’s been a strong start to the season for three players with NHL ties: Nikita Gusev, Ivan Morozov and Nikolay Goldobin, who currently occupy the top three on the KHL’s points leaderboard. Gusev, who remains under contract with Dynamo Moscow through this season, is averaging nearly 20 minutes per game and leads the league with 11 points through seven games, helping the squad to a 5-2-0 start. After a disappointing end to his NHL tenure with the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers in 2020-21, the 31-year-old could be looking at an NHL comeback next summer after what looks to be three strong campaigns in his home country.
Morozov was the Golden Knights’ second-round pick in 2018, and they’ve loaned him out to Spartak Moscow for this season after an underwhelming performance with AHL Henderson last season, in which he netted just 17 points in 58 games. He’s got three goals and ten points through seven games to start the season, however, including a three-assist performance in Spartak’s season-opening loss against Kunlun Red Star.
Rumors have also swirled about a potential NHL return for the 27-year-old Goldobin in recent months, but nothing came to fruition this offseason. He obviously hasn’t let that affect his play, recording eight goals through seven games for Spartak to lead the KHL. His last full NHL season came in 2018-19 with the Vancouver Canucks.
Finally, things are looking up once again for future Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov after KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg loaned him out to bottom-dweller HK Sochi for the consecutive season. After playing a combined 6:12 through SKA’s first four games of the campaign, Michkov has assumed a top-six role once again in Sochi and is delivering the goods with two assists and a combined 12 shots on goal through his first two games, helping Sochi win back-to-back games. Their record is 3-3-1 through the first seven games of the season after winning just nine games throughout all of the 2022-23 campaign.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Jagr, Kirk, Poulin
Being 36 years old in the NHL for an average player generally means retirement is on the horizon. Don’t tell that to Jaromir Jagr, who confirmed today he’ll be playing his 36th straight season of pro hockey, suiting up with his hometown team, Rytiri Kladno, in the Czech Extraliga. Jagr, the team’s majority owner, doesn’t ride the bench at age 51, either. His 14 points in 26 games last season still placed him top ten on the team in scoring as Kladno narrowly managed to avoid relegation to the 1. liga for the second straight season. This season, he’ll be once again joined by team captain Tomas Plekanec, as the longtime Montreal Canadiens pivot is still active overseas at age 40. Longtime NHLer Michael Frolik is also suiting up for Kladno in 2023-24 after playing last season in the Extraliga with Bili Tygri Liberec. Jagr has played for Kladno ever since his NHL career ended in 2018 with the Calgary Flames.
Other notes from around hockey on this Saturday night:
- Groundbreaking British prospect Liam Kirk spoke to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan recently after mutually terminating his entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes. Last season was a roller coaster ride for Kirk, who was healthy after a knee injury sidelined him for most of 2021-22. Loaned to ECHL Atlanta and then overseas to Jukurit in Finland, Kirk says he “didn’t really hear from the Coyotes” throughout the campaign and was even more confused after AHL Tucson was still active after his season in Finland ended without recalling him. Kirk, the first player born and developed in England to be drafted by an NHL team, has a one-year deal with HC Litvinov in Czechia next season, where he’s expected to play a top-six role. The 23-year-old remains in pursuit of another NHL opportunity down the line.
- Pittsburgh Penguins 2019 first-round pick Samuel Poulin is back on the ice with the team during rookie camp after taking a four-month leave of absence to deal with his mental health last season, telling NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale he “feel[s] great” and is looking forward to competing for a roster spot. It’s been a tough transition to pro hockey for Poulin, who put up strong numbers in the QMJHL but had just four goals and no assists in 15 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Laval product can play all three forward positions.
Seattle Kraken Sign Jaxon Castor To PTO
The Seattle Kraken have signed netminder Jaxon Castor to a professional tryout, as their training camp roster (announced yesterday) confirmed he’ll be at the Kraken’s main camp starting next week.
Castor is beginning his pro career a tad late at age 26 but does so after a spectacular final collegiate season with St. Cloud State in 2022-23. It was quite a rise for Castor, who spent five seasons at the university – the first of which was spent playing club-level hockey in the ACHA II division. He would serve as the main team’s backup for three more years before finally getting a shot as a starter.
He took advantage of the opportunity, capturing an NCHC tournament championship with the Huskies and earning an All-Tournament Team nod. Castor played in 23 games for St. Cloud last season, posting a 2.02 goals-against average, .924 save percentage, four shutouts, and a 14-8-1 record. At the end of the season, he made his pro debut, appearing in two games for the ECHL’s Florida Everblades and recording a .912 save percentage.
No matter the outcome of his camp, Castor will be suiting up in the Kraken organization next season. He’s already signed an ECHL contract for 2023-24 with the Kansas City Mavericks, Seattle’s second-tier minor-league affiliate behind the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. He could go so far as to earn a two-way AHL contract from Coachella Valley if he impresses in Kraken training camp, though, which would improve his odds of a recall to the reigning AHL Western Conference champions.
Castor will supplement Joey Daccord, Chris Driedger and Philipp Grubauer as the fourth goalie listed on Seattle’s main camp roster. Currently, he sits sixth on the Kraken organizational goalie depth chart behind the three aforementioned netminders, European free agent signing Aleš Stezka, and former University of Minnesota starter Jack LaFontaine, who is under AHL contract with Coachella Valley.