Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Sheldon Keefe
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed head coach Sheldon Keefe to a multi-year contract extension, according to a team release. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports it’s a two-year extension, keeping him behind the Toronto bench through the 2025-26 season. Treliving later confirmed the length during his media availability following the news.
Keefe was entering the second season of a two-year extension he’d signed in 2021. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving indicated last week that he was actively talking with Keefe regarding an extension.
After a successful four-year stint as head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Keefe was elevated to the NHL early into his fifth season after the Leafs fired Mike Babcock just before American Thanksgiving in 2020. He’s been behind Toronto’s bench ever since, accumulating a 166-71-30 regular-season record in 267 games coached since that time. That’s good enough for a .678 points percentage, which is first in NHL history among coaches with at least 250 games leading an NHL bench. It’s also the fourth-highest points percentage in the league since he assumed the Toronto head coaching role on November 20, 2020, trailing only the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins.
It’s been a different story in the postseason, however. While the Leafs’ streak of playoff ineptitude began before Keefe took over, his record of 13-17 is less than inspiring, and he’s won just one out of five series he’s coached the team through since 2020.
Despite that, the team has put full confidence in Keefe publically across both the previous and current front office regime and has backed up their words with financial commitment. In a statement, Treliving said he believes Keefe “has a clear vision for this team and where it needs to get to” and “[looks] forward to working alongside him as we head into the upcoming season.”
The extension wasn’t something that looked like a sure thing when the Leafs opted not to renew the contract of now-Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas earlier this summer. Keefe had worked with Dubas since joining the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds as their head coach during the 2012-13 season, following him up the ranks from juniors to the minors and, eventually, the most scrutinized bench boss role in the NHL.
Keefe’s bench will look slightly different this season after assistant Spencer Carbery departed after two seasons to assume the head coaching role for the Washington Capitals. They’ve brought in former Ottawa Senators head coach Guy Boucher as an assistant for 2023-24, along with longtime St. Louis Blues assistant (and one-time Leafs defenseman) Mike Van Ryn.
With a new-look secondary core featuring Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, John Klingberg, and rookie Matthew Knies, Keefe will likely need to guide Toronto to at least a Conference Final appearance over the next two seasons to earn a third extension in Canada’s largest city.
Minor Transactions: 08/30/23
Welcome to another edition of minor transactions as we dive into the lesser-known player movements, signings, and deals that might not make the front page but are nevertheless crucial in shaping the dynamics of the hockey world in Europe and crucial NHL feeder leagues. As the 2023-24 season approaches (for some teams as early as this week), teams are still fine-tuning their rosters and adding talent. Here’s a running list of minor moves for August 30, 2023:
- Former Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers center Corban Knight remains overseas as he signed a one-year contract with SC Bern in the Swiss National League, per a team announcement. This will be Knight’s first season in Switzerland – he’d spent the last four years in the KHL with Barys Nur-Sultan and Avangard Omsk. He hasn’t played in the NHL since he appeared in 23 games with the Flyers in 2018-19. Since moving overseas, the 32-year-old has been one of the most consistent top-six centers in the KHL, earning a spot on Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics and recording 162 points in 222 games throughout his time in Kazakhstan and Russia.
- After a lengthy career spanning 16 seasons in the DEL, four-time league champion Frank Mauer has announced his retirement at the age of 35. The right winger spent most of his career in Mannheim and Munich before spending his final season with Eisbären Berlin, scoring six goals and adding 11 assists for 17 points in 51 games. A rather consistent top-six scorer for years in his home country, Mauer was also on the German team that captured the silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, during which he recorded a goal and three assists in six games.
- The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward Orrin Centazzo, per a team release. Centazzo, 23, is undersized at 5-foot-8 and 163 pounds but has packed quite a scoring punch since turning pro in 2021. Spending the last two seasons with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, he’s been among the league’s top scorers with 49 goals and 97 points in 90 games. He spent last season under AHL contract with Newfounudland’s parent club, the Toronto Marlies, where he recorded an assist in 15 games. He was loaned to the Growlers for the majority of the season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Austin Wagner To PTO
In addition to signing defensemen Libor Hajek and Mark Pysyk to professional tryouts, as initially reported by CapFriendly last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve also signed winger Austin Wagner to a PTO.
A fourth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2015, Wagner burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old rookie in 2018-19 with a solid showing in a fourth-line role. It was somewhat of an unlikely promotion – he would notch 12 goals and 21 points in 62 NHL games that year in his second pro season after scoring just ten goals and 17 points in 50 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign the year prior.
Nonetheless, most thought Wagner displayed the potential to be a solid, two-way bottom-six winger – especially after he put up solid production in an extremely limited role at such a young age. The following two seasons didn’t go nearly as well, unfortunately. Throughout the COVID-affected 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Wagner would fail to eclipse his rookie production despite playing in 109 total games, recording just 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points. He wasn’t a liability defensively, but he wasn’t a strong enough penalty-kill specialist or shutdown winger to cancel out the decrease in production.
That led to Wagner failing to make the team out of camp in 2021-22, just one season into a three-year, $3.4MM extension. He was waived and assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, where he spent the next season and a half before the Kings dealt him to the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for future considerations. The Blackhawks would recall him after the trade, giving him his first taste of the NHL in 22 months, and he notched a goal and an assist in seven appearances down the stretch of the regular season.
After going unqualified by Chicago upon the expiration of the aforementioned extension earlier this summer, Wagner finds himself on the UFA market at age 26 and will look to land a contract with the Penguins (or their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) during training camp. In the minors, he’d scored 34 points in 79 games over the past two seasons with Ontario while adding 140 penalty minutes.
There’s no clear path for Wagner to earn an NHL role in Pittsburgh, even as an extra forward. The team’s financial situation is tight, especially to start the season with Jake Guentzel on injured reserve, and the limited fringe spots they do have will go to non-waiver-exempt, higher-ceiling talent such as Alexander Nylander. He could bolster a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squad that finished eighth in their division and missed the Calder Cup Playoffs last season, however.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign A Pair Of Defensemen To PTOs
CapFriendly has announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed a pair of defensemen to PTOs for their upcoming training camp in September. Mark Pysyk and Libor Hajek have both inked tryout agreements with the Penguins that will give both defenders an opportunity to earn a contract with the team.
Pysyk last played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22 in a season that saw the Sherwood Park, Alberta native put up three goals and nine assists in 68 games. That season earned him a contract with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2022-23 season, however, the 31-year-old tore his Achilles tendon and missed the entire season.
The 25-year-old Hajek has spent the past five seasons shuttling back and forth between the New York Rangers and their AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack. In 118 AHL games Hajek has three goals and 13 assists, while he has posted four goals and eight assists in 110 NHL games. The former second-round pick has good size at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds but hasn’t found a way to utilize it at the NHL level. He has really struggled with the puck on his stick and is frequently guilty of turning the puck over.
Given where the Penguins are at with the bottom pairing in their defence core, it seems very likely that Hajek will struggle to gain an NHL contract with the team. Pittsburgh already has Ty Smith and Pierre-Olivier Joseph competing for the left-side spot on the third defensive pairing and both men can offer more offensively than Hajek. However, Hajek does have more sandpaper and size, which is something the Penguins are lacking in their lineup. It could make for an interesting battle right up until the season starts.
Pysyk on the other hand offers a lot of intrigue to the team’s training camp. Pittsburgh currently has Chad Ruhwedel pencilled in on the third pairing with Mark Friedman as another player looking to compete for a spot. Should Pysyk be able to regain his form from previous seasons it is very possible that he could bump both of those men down the depth chart and capture that final spot on the Penguins third defensive pairing.
Dallas Stars Sign Jordie Benn To PTO
The Dallas Stars have signed defenseman Jordie Benn to a PTO that will see the 36-year-old join the team at training camp next month. CapFriendly has reported that Benn will be given a chance to earn a contract with the team that he started his NHL career with in 2011-12. The Victoria, British Columbia native is the older brother of Stars captain Jamie Benn who is coming off a bounce back season and has spent his entire 14-year-career with the team.
Jordie is coming off a season in which he struggled to remain in the NHL. Benn signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July of 2022 and seemed poised to be their seventh defenseman. However, he struggled with his footspeed and found himself turning the puck over with an alarming frequency. Benn dressed in 12 games for the Leafs and posted just a single goal and one assist. Toronto demoted Benn and he found himself in the AHL for the first time since the 2012-13 season. He fared better with the Toronto Marlies posting two goals and four assists in 23 games but still struggled with his puck handling.
Benn has never been the quickest of skaters, but he isn’t a bad one. However, like most players pushing 40, he has lost a step or two along the way. He doesn’t offer much offensively but he still reads the game well and can contain opponents when the play slows down.
Dallas likely doesn’t have room for Benn to play in the team’s top 6, however, he could crack the Stars lineup as a seventh defenceman. Injuries happen, and as teams have shown over the last few years, it’s never a bad idea to have 8-10 NHL caliber defenceman to rely on in case injuries begin to stack up.
Jake Debrusk Wants To Stay With Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk reportedly wants to stay with the team beyond this season as he is set to become a free agent on July 1st of next year. NHL.com Staff Writer Derek Van Diest writes that the 26-year-old told reporters at the Perry Pearn 3 vs. 3 Hockey Camp that he is hoping to stay with the team that he grew up with.
It’s a departure from how the former first-round pick felt about his future just a short time ago. DeBrusk requested a trade from the Bruins in November of 2021 after he was benched by former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. He eventually had a change of heart and rescinded his request in 2022. Through all the ups and downs Bruins management supported DeBrusk, as did his teammates.
Last year DeBrusk rewarded the team’s support with the best season of his NHL career. He set career highs with 27 goals and 23 assists in 64 games while posting a +26. It was night and day with his 2020-21 season where he posted career lows with just five goals and nine assists in 41 games.
The Bruins have seen a lot of players depart from the team that won an NHL record 65 games last season. Gone are Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov, and while most teams would struggle to overcome those kinds of losses, the Bruins should be able to remain competitive.
Part of remaining competitive will be to extend their upcoming free agents starting with DeBrusk. The Edmonton, Alberta native has made it clear he wants to stay, but what will his extension look like? A lot of comparisons to Brandon Hagel have been thrown around since he signed his new deal last week. However, Hagel is almost two years younger and put up 30 goals and 34 assists this past season in 81 games. On the flip side, DeBrusk has a longer track record of success and is set to hit unrestricted free agency.
While the players aren’t a mirror image of one another, Hagel’s contract is a pretty good comparison for the Bruins and DeBrusk to utilize as a framework for an extension that both sides appear eager to sign.
Summer Synopsis: Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks hit the lottery this past spring when they won the opportunity to draft junior phenom Connor Bedard. Chicago has been mired in a rebuild for several years without ever calling it a rebuild. That all changed in the summer of 2022 when the Blackhawks made the difficult decision to rip off the band-aid and move out some good players that didn’t fit their rebuild timeline. Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach were two young players that could have helped Chicago in the future, however, they would have been much older than many of Chicago’s good prospects. With their moves this summer, the Blackhawks appear poised to bottom out once again this season, albeit with a much more competitive roster than last year. The Blackhawks brought in a few veterans, presumably to insulate the younger players and teach them how to be good pros, while simultaneously helping the club reach the cap floor. Chicago didn’t seek out top-end veterans, or stars that are in the prime of their career, they overpaid veterans who were at the tail end of their careers.
Draft
1-1: F Connor Bedard, Regina (WHL)
1-19: F Oliver Moore, U.S. U18 National (US National Team)
2-35: G Adam Gajan, Chippewa (NAHL)
2-44: F Roman Kantserov, Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)
2-55: F Martin Misiak, Youngstown (USHL)
3-67: F Nick Lardis, Hamilton (OHL)
3-93: F Jiri Felcman, Langnau (Swiss-Jr)
3-99: F Alex Pharand, Sudbury (OHL)
4-131: F Marcel Marcel, Gatineau (QMJHL)
5-167: F Milton Oscarson, Orebro (SHL)
6-195: D Janne Peltonen, Kärpät U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
As mentioned earlier, Chicago won the Bedard sweepstakes and was able to draft a generational player to kick off their rebuild. While Chicago was gifted the centerpiece of their franchise moving forward, they will still need to insulate him and provide depth around him in order to win, but they have the hardest thing to acquire already in place.
Chicago opted to go forward-heavy in the 2023 NHL entry draft as they selected nine forwards, a defenseman, and a goaltender. Like most teams, the Blackhawks were surprised to see Moore available at the 19 spot and they were fortunate enough to draft the speedy center. He could potentially become Chicago’s number two centerman behind Bedard if his development goes to plan.
With their first second-round pick the Blackhawks selected goaltender Gajan who at 6-foot-3, has the height to be an NHL goaltender, but he will need to put mass on his 181-pound frame. Goaltending is a very difficult position to project long-term but given his pedigree and his body of work thus far, Gajan could be Chicago’s goalie of the future. He posted a 19-12-1 record in the NAHL with the Chippewa Steel and was terrific at the U20 World Juniors for Slovakia. He is very flexible and has a strong, quick push from one side of the net to the other.
Kantersov was a good choice at 44 as he offers a good blend of speed and skill that could mesh well with Bedard or Moore. The Russian winger is undersized; however, his skating and stickhandling is very fluid, and he could give teams fits if his game does develop so that he can play alongside Chicago’s elite center.
Trade Acquisitions
F Nick Foligno (Boston)
F Taylor Hall (Boston)
F Corey Perry (Tampa Bay)
Chicago weaponized their cap space this summer to acquire former first-overall pick Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins. The former Hart Trophy winner is coming off a down season in which he still posted 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games with the Bruins and will likely see time alongside Bedard. Hall is due for a bounce back in Chicago as he should see more minutes on the powerplay and will be more than capable of flanking the rookie Bedard.
Coming over in the trade alongside Hall were the signing rights of Nick Foligno. The 35-year-old quickly signed a one-year extension with Chicago for $4MM in a move that largely left people scratching their heads. Foligno did provide Boston with some offense last year as he posted 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games, however, the Bruins had poor possession numbers with Foligno on the ice and it became fairly apparent last season that he is well past his best before date. Foligno’s impacts will probably be greater off the ice than on it as the Buffalo, New York native will offer the young players some guidance and leadership throughout what is sure to be a tough season in the Windy City.
Another veteran who was acquired by the Blackhawks is former Lightning forward Corey Perry. The former Hart Trophy winner isn’t the player he once was, but he has remained an effective bottom-six player at the late stages of his career. Perry put up 31 goals and 34 assists in 163 games in two seasons with the Lightning and should be able to offer some depth scoring and toughness to Chicago’s lineup. His presence is sure to be a positive for the younger players in the Blackhawks lineup, but it comes at a massive cost as Chicago will pay the former Rocket Richard winner $4MM this season.
UFA Signings
F Ryan Donato (Two years, $4MM)
Donato was an under-the-radar signing for the Blackhawks on the first day of unrestricted free agency. His game isn’t splashy, and he won’t tear up the score sheet, but he is a versatile player who can offer a lot to the Blackhawks forward group. Last year in Seattle, Donato posted 14 goals and 13 assists in 71 games as he was part of Seattle’s four-line offensive attack. For the cost of the player Chicago is almost certain to get their money’s worth from the 27-year-old, Donato has been a consistent 25–30-point scorer and is a decent defensive forward.
RFA Re-Signings
F Joey Anderson (one year, $800K) *
F Philipp Kurashev (two years, $4.5MM)
*-denotes two-way contract
Kurashev’s arbitration award surprised some people as the 23-year-old was coming off a season in which he posted nine goals and 16 assists in 70 games. While those offensive numbers aren’t anything to write home about, Kurashev does offer responsible play away from the puck that doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. He also offers youth and is likely only scratching the surface as far as his potential goes and he could one day find himself as Chicago’s number three center when the club is ready to contend.
Anderson came over to Chicago as part of the Jake McCabe trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old dressed in 38 games split between Chicago and Toronto and posted six goals and three assists. The native of Roseville, Minnesota has an element of sandpaper in his game that should serve him well in Chicago’s bottom six this season should he make the big club. He also has the ability to separate player from puck evidenced by his 20 takeaways last season. There are certainly warts to Anderson’s game as he is limited offensively, but he is able to play a physical brand of hockey while remaining disciplined.
Departures
F Anders Bjork (AHL Rockford)
D Hunter Drew (AHL Tucson)
D Andreas Englund (Los Angeles, two years, $2MM)
D Jakub Galvas (SHL Malmö Redhawks)
F Maxim Golod (Nybro Vikings IF)
F Cameron Hillis (Detroit, PTO)
D Caleb Jones (Carolina, one year, $775K)
F Jujhar Khaira (Unsigned)
G Anton Khudobin (Unsigned)
F Buddy Robinson (Unsigned)
G Alex Stalock (Anaheim, one year, $800K)
F Michal Teply (AHL Rockford)
F Jonathan Toews (Unsigned)
F Austin Wagner (Unsigned)
D Andy Welinski (Unsigned)
Up front, Toews is the biggest loss for the Blackhawks. He is a Chicago icon and was the face of an era in which the team captured three Stanley Cups. However, Toews future is murky as he has health issues that he’s battled the past few seasons and it is unclear if he will play again.
Outside of Toews, Chicago didn’t have a lot to lose. Caleb Jones seemed like a strange choice for a non-tender candidate, however, given the lack of interest he had in free agency it might have been the right choice for the Blackhawks to not overpay for a depth defenseman, even if he does have some upside.
Englund found a role with the Kings in Los Angeles which was a surprise given how little he has shown at the NHL level. The 27-year-old defenseman has dressed in 80 NHL games split over five seasons and has yet to score and has just seven assists during that time. He was acquired in the Jack Johnson trade with Colorado and really didn’t show much during his time in Chicago. The Blackhawks opted to let the Swede walk and he surprisingly was able to find a multi-year deal with Los Angeles who were looking to add some physicality to their back end.
Salary Cap Outlook
Few teams have less money committed long term than the Blackhawks. Chicago has just two players signed to NHL money beyond next season in Seth Jones and Connor Murphy. That flexibility will be necessary when Connor Bedard comes out of his ELC in three seasons and if some of the Blackhawks’ top prospects begin to flourish.
The Seth Jones contract is an albatross on their books given where his game is at, however by the time his deal becomes a major problem the Salary Cap will have likely increased by a significant amount. Teams always seem to find ways to rid themselves of bad contracts, particularly when the cap is going up so Chicago should have no issue in dealing with Jones deal should it become problematic.
Key Questions
Can Chicago Win Games: The Blackhawks will win some games, it’s inevitable when they play 82 times a year. But how many games they will win is an interesting question. This is a bad hockey team on paper, but hockey is a funny game and even bad teams can fluke their way into a few wins a year. Chicago doesn’t have much offensively beyond Bedard and Hall, but they will have decent depth on their fourth line and might make it difficult for teams on some nights. They will likely finish near the bottom of the league when the season is over, but I don’t believe it will be as bad as some people think.
How Many Points Will Bedard Score? Not since Connor McDavid has there been this much hype over a first-overall pick. Auston Matthews was close, but Bedard is in a different stratosphere. Will he put up 100 points in his rookie season like Sidney Crosby? Or will the NHL season grind away at his offensive prowess? Bedard is going to have to drag a bad team on his back through the season and it’s going to be interesting to see how far he can take them.
Who Will Play With Connor? Chicago acquired Hall to presumably play with Bedard on the top line. While he is certainly one of their most gifted players with the puck, there are no guarantees that Hall and Bedard will find chemistry together. Corey Perry was another player Chicago targeted early in the summer and despite his limitations at this stage in his career, he knows how to play with offensively elite players. Chicago will have the benefit of not having any expectations this season, which opens the door for the club to experiment with different players throughout their lineup. Perhaps a young prospect will emerge to become Bedard’s running mate. Only time will tell.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Carolina Hurricanes Ink Nick Shore To A PTO
The Carolina Hurricanes have added another PTO to their upcoming training camp as the club has announced that they’ve inked forward Nick Shore to a PTO. Shore last dressed in an NHL game back in 2019-20 when he split the season between the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs. Shore scored three goals and three assists that season in 63 games and hasn’t found an NHL job since.
Shore was on a point-a-game pace in the AHL when he was promoted to the NHL and began his career with the Los Angeles Kings. Unfortunately for the Denver, Colorado native, his offensive success in the AHL didn’t translate to the big leagues and Shore was in a constant struggle to crack 15 points a season.
In 2017-18 Shore posted a career-high 19 points in 64 games split between the Kings, the Ottawa Senators, and the Calgary Flames. During that year Shore was packaged with Marián Gáborík and shipped to Ottawa in return for Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson. Then 12 days later was flipped to the Flames for a seventh-round pick. He went unsigned through that summer and eventually signed in the KHL.
Shore would then take one more shot in the NHL signing with the Maple Leafs in 2019, but in that final NHL season, he struggled to find a role and find the scoresheet. His play overseas saw better offensive numbers as last year Shore spent 25 games with HV71 of the SHL and had five goals and 13 assists while going +7.
The 30-year-old will be in tough to crack the Hurricanes lineup as he will be battling against Carolina’s depth and their prospects who will be hungry to prove their worth at training camp. The Canes don’t have the best prospect pipeline, but it certainly isn’t without solid forward prospects and Shore will have to prove he can provide enough to the club in order to block a younger player from playing in the NHL.
Minor Transactions: 08/29/23
While it’s a slow day on the NHL ledger (as to be expected for late August), there are still some moves to parse through from around Europe, the minor, and junior ranks. We’re keeping track of today’s such moves here:
- Liiga club Pelicans has picked up 23-year-old winger Niklas Virtanen ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, which begins September 12. Virtanen is no stranger to the Lahti-based club, having spent the 2019-20 season racking up 19 points in 38 games for their U-20 team and earning a four-game call-up to the Liiga squad, where he scored his first pro goal. He’s spent the three seasons since in the second-tier Mestis with Peliitat, whom he led in scoring with 18 goals and 31 points in 39 games in 2022-23 while also serving as team captain.
- The OHL’s Windsor Spitfires are bringing over Czech defender Josef Eichler this season after selecting him 46th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, per a team release. Eichler, 17, is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s an enforcing bottom-pairing defender by trade, racking up 83 penalty minutes and nine assists in 38 games last season with HC Plzeň’s U-20 club in the Czech junior circuit. The right-shot defender was also named to Czechia’s roster for last year’s U-18 World Juniors, during which he recorded an assist and 25 penalty minutes in five games.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Notable Former NHLers Playing In The Liiga In 2023-24
As overseas campaigns kick off at the beginning of next month, we’ll highlight some notable former NHLers suiting up for teams in major European leagues over the next few days. After highlighting some key Swedish Hockey League contributors last weekend, we’re moving on to Finland with the Liiga, the country’s top pro league, routinely churning out premier draft prospects and marquee European free agents.
D Michal Jordán – Lahden Pelicans
Jordan, 33, was a 2008 fourth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who played 79 games there in 2012 and 2016, serving as captain of their AHL affiliate in Charlotte for a short time as well. He went overseas in 2016 after scoring just one goal in 36 games with the Hurricanes the year prior, and he would spend most of the next seven seasons with Amur Khabarovsk in Russia. The Czech defender is now entering his first Liiga season, joining after registering 15 combined points in 41 games split between Khabarovsk and the NL’s Rapperswil-Jona Lakers last season. He’s still logging minutes internationally, representing Czechia at the last two World Championships. He’s expected to log top-four minutes and play a leadership role for Pelicans, who have already named him an alternate captain.
F Leo Komarov – HIFK Helsinki
Komarov, 36, will play in Finland’s top league for the first time since 2009. The long-time New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs forward left the NHL ranks via mutual contract termination at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, and he’s since played for Luleå HF in Sweden and SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. He’ll look to regain some offensive confidence in his twilight years with HIFK after recording just nine goals and 18 points in 49 games for Luleå in 2022-23. The versatile, physical forward recorded 63 goals and 170 points in 491 games across nine NHL seasons.
F Lauri Korpikoski – TPS Turku
Korpikoski, now 37, primarily spent his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers after the New York Rangers selected him 19th overall in 2004. He’s returning to TPS in the 2023-24 season after playing four out of the last five years there, returning to his youth club in 2018 after a ten-year NHL career and one season in Switzerland with ZSC Lions. A versatile winger with a history of reliable two-way play, Korpikoski finished second on TPS in points last season, scoring 11 goals and adding 13 assists for 24 points in 43 games. In 609 NHL games, Korpikoski recorded 86 goals and 201 points. He last suited up in the 2016-17 season for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars.
F Jori Lehterä – HIFK Helsinki
Lehterä was a top-six center at one point with the St. Louis Blues in the mid-2010s but eventually left for Europe after Finnish police charged him with purchasing and possessing cocaine in early 2019 (as well as his offensive production dropping off a cliff with the Philadelphia Flyers beforehand). Returning to Finland in 2022-23 with Tappara after three years in Russia, Lehtera led the Liiga champions in scoring with 57 points in 57 games and is one of the premier players in the league today. The 35-year-old will suit up alongside Komarov in the country’s capital and biggest city.
D Sami Niku – JYP Jyväskylä
Niku could never really transform into a full-time NHL defender with the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens, and he’s now gearing up for his second season in JYP after a strong first campaign back home in 2022-23. The 26-year-old blueliner erupted for 42 points in 54 games after spending five seasons in the NHL. A 2015 seventh-round pick, Niku did give the Jets decent value for his selection, but it was frustrating watching him not being able to convert high-end point totals in the minors to an everyday NHL role. He’s now routinely averaging over 25 minutes per game in Finland and is a bonafide power-play quarterback.
Honorable mentions: F Nicholas Baptiste (Tappara), F Connor Bunnaman (Kärpät), F Jesse Joensuu (Ässät), F Iiro Pakarinen (HIFK), F Kristian Vesalainen (HIFK)