Kraken Sign Jani Nyman
The Kraken have signed one of their draft picks from 2022 as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed forward Jani Nyman to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $950K and breaks down as follows:
2023-24: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played performance bonus
2024-25: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
The 18-year-old was a second-round pick last year (49th overall) following a strong season in Finland’s second-tier Mestis league. This season, Nyman moved up to the SM-liiga, the top division in Finland, on a full-time basis and didn’t look out of place playing for Ilves, scoring 10 goals in 29 games while averaging over 12 minutes a night. He also suited up for the Finns at the World Juniors, picking up two goals and an assist in three games.
Nyman still has one year left on his deal with Ilves and it seems likely that Seattle will opt to let him stay and play at home for next season. If that happens, his contract will slide, meaning it will still have three years left on it heading into the 2024-25 season.
Free Agent Focus: St. Louis Blues
Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the St. Louis Blues.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Scott Perunovich – Set to turn 25 in August, Perunovich’s once promising career trajectory was severely impacted by extremely unfortunate injury luck. The left-shot blueliner underwent wrist surgery in March of last year and missed most of this past season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October. He also missed the entirety of the 2020-21 season due to another shoulder surgery.
A 2018 second-round pick, Perunovich had been ranked consistently among the Blues’ top prospects throughout his decorated NCAA career, a tenure at the University of Minnesota-Duluth that included back-to-back National Championships and a Hobey Baker award win.
The promise he showed in college has translated to the AHL, where he’s posted a 1.08 career points-per-game mark as a defenseman.
Unfortunately, though, that impressive scoring rate comes in just 42 career games, and that simple lack of playing time is the most serious obstacle he faces to receiving a significant raise from the $750k he earned this past season. He’s an undoubtedly talented player who smartly took the opportunity to get even more games under his belt by representing the United States at the IIHF World Championships last month, but he’ll need to prove he can stay healthy before he makes a dent in the Blues’ financial plans.
F Logan Brown – Another player who has shown promise but also seen injuries do significant damage to his development, Brown did not take the step forward in St. Louis that he likely hoped for when he received his change-of-scenery trade in 2021. The 2016 11th overall pick is a hulking six-foot-six center whose combination of size and skill has long tantalized scouts.
He’s more recently begun to put things together at the AHL level, scoring 19 points in 21 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds across two seasons but his NHL impact has remained marginal. He’s scored just 17 points in 69 games as a Blue and now at 25 years old, it’s possible St. Louis decides to cut bait rather than extend their hopes that he can develop into something more.
It’s also possible that the Blues opt to retain him at a cap hit similar to his $750k number from last season with the idea of him competing for an NHL spot in training camp and potentially taking on a more permanent role as a top-of-the-lineup player in Springfield.
Other RFAs: F Alexey Toropchenko, F Adam Gaudette, F Hugh McGing, D Tyler Tucker, D Dmitri Samorukov, D Brady Lyle
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Josh Leivo – 30-year-old Leivo set career highs in games played in the NHL this past season but unlike his fellow high-scoring 2021-22 Chicago Wolf, Stefan Noesen, Leivo didn’t reach a new stratosphere of offensive production in the NHL. Noesen, Leivo’s teammate on last season’s Calder Cup-winning AHL team, became a valuable secondary scorer for the Carolina Hurricanes and potted 13 goals and 36 points, as well as eight points in 15 playoff games.
Leivo, on the other hand, only managed four goals and 16 points in 51 games.
As a result, while Noesen took advantage of the opportunity his extremely productive 2021-22 AHL campaign afforded him at the next level, placing himself in a position to receive a significant pay raise, Leivo’s now in the spot where one has to wonder if he’s at his most valuable as a top-of-the-lineup AHL scorer.
That’s something the Blues will need to wrestle with, as there’s clearly some real talent that Leivo offers only he may not be best suited as an NHL regular.
In any case, Leivo’s season had its ups and downs but is unlikely to result in St. Louis struggling to find a way to afford to extend him so he can remain part of their organization.
G Thomas Greiss – While 22-year-old Joel Hofer struggled in two games with the Thunderbirds in the playoffs, he helped lead them to the 2021-22 Calder Cup Final (against Leivo’s Wolves!) and had a stellar 2022-23 regular season, posting a .921 save percentage across 47 games. He’ll turn 23 before the end of the month and per CapFriendly has one year remaining of waiver-exempt status.
So as he remains waiver-exempt for another year, it’s definitely possible the Blues choose to give Hofer one more year of seasoning in the NHL before he transitions to NHL duty in 2024-25. But with Vadim Zherenko poised to take on a larger role in Springfield and two other minor-league goalies under contract (Will Cranley and Colten Ellis) Hofer is more likely ticketed for NHL duty next fall.
That means that Greiss, now 37, is highly unlikely to return to St. Louis for another year as the backup to starter Jordan Binnington. The 368-game veteran’s .896 save percentage mirrored the .891 mark he posted last season with the Detroit Red Wings and means Greiss is now two full seasons removed from being an above-average backup goalie. There could still be some leaguewide interest in adding Greiss as an experienced and affordable backup option, but if that’s the case that interest is unlikely to come from the Blues.
F Matthew Highmore – Highmore, an undrafted 27-year-old forward took a big step forward at the AHL level this season, scoring 19 goals and 61 points for the Thunderbirds, a mark that placed him second in team scoring behind sniper Martin Frk. In addition to his exceptional AHL scoring numbers Highmore offers 139 games of NHL experience, and he could be one of the more in-demand AHL free agents, and as a result could earn a more lasting NHL opportunity for next season, similar to what Kiefer Sherwood got from the Nashville Predators this past season.
With Frk headed overseas, it’s possible the Blues prioritize re-signing Highmore to maintain some continuity at the top of their AHL lineup. Though it would be a mistake to not also note that other clubs looking to beef up their AHL lineups are likely to be after Highmore as well.
Other UFAs: F Tyler Pitlick, F Nathan Todd, F Luke Witkowski, D Steven Santini
Projected Cap Space
The Blues are projected to have around $7.5MM in available cap space by CapFriendly, a number that’s not exactly huge but also not going to be eaten into by any significant contract extensions for restricted free agents. GM Doug Armstrong could create some more space by moving out a pricey veteran defenseman such as Nick Leddy, Marco Scandella, or even Torey Krug, and such a trade would open up even more avenues for the Blues to add to their team. Regardless of what specifically the team does, they have a decent purse available to them to make additions, but without moving someone out they might not be able to shop at the top of the market.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Fantilli, Viel, Bayreuther
In any other year, a player like University of Michigan forward and Hobey Baker winner Adam Fantilli would be a near-guarantee to be the first overall pick at the draft. But this season happens to also feature generational talent Connor Bedard, and as a result, Fantilli is likely to find himself headed to the Anaheim Ducks rather than the Chicago Blackhawks. Whether Fantilli heads to Anaheim to play with their NHL team in the fall (or in the NHL with whatever non-Anaheim team drafts him, should something surprising happen on draft day) or chooses to return to college hockey for another year is still up in the air.
Fantilli himself addressed the topic in a draft diary posted to NHL.com, writing “I will wait until after the NHL Draft before making a decision on whether or not I will return to Michigan for 2023-24.” Fantilli, who scored a whopping 65 points in 36 games for the Wolverines, expressed disappointment at failing to win a National Championship at Michigan but stressed that his decision would be more “about development and being able to mature as a person” than any lingering desire to win a national title. It certainly seems as though Fantilli could hold his own in the NHL next year but it seems that with players such as 2022 third-overall pick Logan Cooley and 2021 first-overall pick Owen Power taking some extra time in college to develop, Fantilli may opt for that route himself as well.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- Undrafted forward Jeffrey Viel, now 26, was slated to be a restricted free agent this offseason with a strong likelihood of continuing his run with the San Jose Sharks into a sixth season. Now, it seems his time with the organization that plucked him out of the QMJHL as an undrafted free agent will be coming to an end. Viel’s agent, Allain Roy, relayed to The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak that “Viel will enter the market on July 1 and look for a new opportunity.” (subscription link) Viel only played four NHL games this season and as a result, qualified for Group Six unrestricted free agency. A valued leader, Viel scored 15 goals and 31 points in the AHL this past season and should be of interest to other teams looking to beef up their AHL middle-six.
- Another player set to change teams this summer is defenseman Gavin Bayreuther of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old played in 94 games for Columbus over the past two seasons, seizing opportunities provided by the multitude of injuries that have hit the Blue Jackets’ defense in that span of time. But now that the team has added considerable talent to their blueline in recent days (through trades for Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson) they have quite the logjam on defense. Columbus has eight defensemen on one-way contracts at the moment and that doesn’t include David Jiricek, the 2022 sixth-overall pick who will likely play his way into NHL consideration quickly in the fall. As a result, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that “it seems a safe bet” that Bayreuther will hit the open market and move on from the club he’s been with for the past three seasons. (subscription link)
Draft Notes: Michkov, Canadiens, Hrabal
Despite the fact that there’s virtually no mystery as to who the Chicago Blackhawks will take with the first overall pick at the draft at the end of the month, this year’s event is shaping up to be one with quite a bit of intrigue. Teams behind the Blackhawks have to grapple with a significant dilemma: whether to take a leap of faith to draft Russian winger Matvei Michkov. Michkov is widely regarded to be in the conversation as the most talented player in the draft, and he scored 20 points in 27 games in the KHL after being loaned to HK Sochi, an incredibly productive rate for a draft-year player. But his contract situation with SKA St. Petersburg will keep him in the KHL for at least three years, and with the uncertainty regarding NHL-KHL relations, it’s fair to wonder whether Michkov is worth the risk when other talented players are on the board.
The Athletic’s Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin report word from folks at the NHL’s scouting combine in Buffalo who say that Michkov “might be available outside the top-10.”(subscription link) This would mean that each of the teams inside the draft’s top-10 picks opted not to take the risk on Michkov, highlighting just how risky some front offices deem the selection. That being said, given how talented Michkov appears to be, it would also be no shock to see him go well inside the top-1o. But the bottom line based on this reporting is that while we have a very clear sense of where Connor Bedard will be headed, the landing spot of one of the other best talents in this class is anyone’s guess.
Some other notes about the 2023 draft, which will take place in Nashville on June 28th and 29th:
- Basu and Godin got the impression at the combine that it “doesn’t seem very likely” the Canadiens will draft Michkov with the number-five pick should he be on the board. Instead, they feel the team is giving serious consideration to two other top prospects with that pick: polished Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher and versatile American winger Ryan Leonard. Reinbacher is a valuable right-shot blueliner who impressed playing against men in Switzerland’s top pro league, while Leonard is a competitive winger who alongside fellow first-round talents Will Smith and Gabe Perreault shattered U.S. National Team Development Program scoring records.
- The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak reports that the San Jose Sharks have on multiple occasions during the season met with Omaha Lancers netminder Michael Hrabal via a team representative. (subscription link) Hrabal, who was measured at nearly six-foot-seven at the combine, is firmly in the mix to be the first goaltender selected at the draft, and it seems the Sharks could be eyeing him as a potential goalie of the future. The Sharks did not sign 2021 81st overall pick Benjamin Gaudreau to an entry-level contract and may enter this offseason with a priority placed on improving the quality of their goaltending prospect pipeline.
Ottawa Senators Have Expressed Interest In Scott Laughton
Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton has once again entered trade speculation in recent days. It’s no surprise, given new general manager Daniel Brière‘s aggressive approach, already moving on from defender Ivan Provorov before the offseason begins in earnest.
The team is looking for a more significant rebuild/retool than they’ve had in years past, but there are certain targets the team wouldn’t be opposed to holding onto. Laughton, 29, is one of them – he’s been one of the team’s more consistent players over the past few seasons and has taken on a significant leadership role.
All that’s to say, if Philadelphia moves him, it won’t be for a marginal package. The Fourth Period’s Anthony DiMarco reported this morning the Flyers have turned down late first-round picks in exchange for Laughton, who had 43 points in 78 games this season and is locked in at a $3MM cap hit through 2026.
One of the teams who’ve called the Flyers about Laughton is the Ottawa Senators, David Pagnotta said this morning, adding to his colleague’s initial report. The team’s offer likely would’ve centered around their 2024 first-round selection – they’ve already given up this year’s first-round pick (12th overall) to the Arizona Coyotes in a deal for Jakob Chychrun.
Laughton is a natural center, a position the Senators struggled mightily at this season in regard to depth. However, that was instigated by a shoulder injury to Joshua Norris, who missed all but eight games. With he, Tim Stützle, and Shane Pinto locked into the top three center spots long-term, Laughton would likely shift to wing to play in the top nine.
That’s something he can do with ease, and he did so multiple times as a Flyer. His versatility is a valuable asset, though, especially if injuries strike the Senators again. Laughton’s been used quite a bit on the penalty kill in Philadelphia, too, though advanced metrics aren’t kind to his performance with a man down.
One has to question, though – for a team that hasn’t been able to exit their rebuild successfully despite multiple attempts, are the Senators (and general manager Pierre Dorion) in a safe position to give up two first-round selections within months of each other?
You’d likely get a pretty even split of answers to that question. The team undoubtedly has the core to advance to their first postseason since 2017, but depth issues at every position continue to plague them in a tough Atlantic Division. Laughton, a high-end third-line piece, could go a long way toward solving those issues.
If the Flyers do manage to get more than just a late first in return for Laughton, it’ll be a great return on their investment. Drafted 20th overall in 2012, Laughton has given the Flyers over 500 games and nearly 200 points of service over a 10-season career in the organization.
Latest On Ottawa Senators Sale
The long-awaited sale of the Ottawa Senators has entered the final stages, with only two potential buyers left vying for ownership of the franchise. Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer and the Kimel brothers, Jeffrey and Michael, of the Harlo Capital Group are now officially the leading contender in what’s been a highly competitive and drawn-out process, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported late Saturday night.
Sources close to the negotiations told Garrioch that an agreement in principle to sell the team is expected to be announced imminently. It’s believed the NHL is pushing former owner Eugene Melnyk’s estate representatives to close the deal “as soon as possible,” Garrioch added this morning.
Galatioto Sports Partners, the New-York based banker facilitating the deal, has kept a lid on most of the details of the bids submitted by four leading candidates last month. However, on Friday, it was reported that Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, who had a well-financed offer exceeding $1B, withdrew from the process due to frustration with the prolonged negotiations and demands from the Melnyk estate representatives – hence the NHL’s reported impatience.
Apostolopoulos’ exit has cleared the path for either Andlauer or the Kimel brothers to become the new owners of the Senators. Both parties are familiar with the NHL’s head office, and their initial bids ranged between $850MM and $1B, but it’s believed both have raised their offers to the $950MM range, Garrioch said.
Andlauer is considered the frontrunner due to his position on the NHL’s board of governors as an alternate for the Montreal Canadiens, although he would need to sell his 10% stake in the Habs. Per Garrioch, a deal is close with André Desmarais of Power Corp, a Montreal-based company.
If Andlauer emerges as the winner, significant changes in the Senators’ hockey operations department can be expected, says Garrioch. As the owner of the Hamilton (soon-to-be Brantford) Bulldogs in the OHL, Andlauer aims to bring connections he’s made there to roles in the Sens organization.
But the Kimel family remains a formidable contender. They have been involved in the sale process from the beginning, initially attempting to partner with Eugene Melnyk for the bid to build a new rink at LeBreton Flats in December 2021. Garrioch clarifies the Kimels, who were part-owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins, sold their share to Fenway Sports Group when they became majority owners of the Penguins in 2021.
The Kimel bid also includes backing from star Canadian singer The Weeknd and New York billionaire Jamie Salter, who Garrioch says just recently joined the group.
Although Los Angeles-based producer Neko Sparks (and Snoop Dogg) remains in the picture as a potential bidder, Garrioch says the prevailing belief among other contenders is that Galatioto and the Melnyk estate are seeking to maximize the sale price while keeping Sparks as a fallback option.
Free Agent Focus: Seattle Kraken
Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Seattle Kraken.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Vince Dunn – Dunn, who will be 27 next season, is by a wide margin the most significant pending free agent the Kraken have on their roster.
The left-shot blueliner is set to receive a sizeable raise from the $4MM AAV he played this season on after scoring 14 goals and 64 points this past season, a total that tied him for tenth in the NHL in scoring by a defenseman.
Dunn has quickly emerged as a dominant force in transition and the type of blueliner that can make a significant impact in the offensive zone.
He’s not a sheltered, offense-only contributor either as he logged nearly 24 minutes per night for the Kraken, the highest average on his team. It seems as though it’s only a matter of time before Dunn becomes the highest-paid player on Seattle’s books.
F Daniel Sprong – While not quite to the same degree as Dunn, Sprong had an impressive breakout 2022-23 campaign. Despite averaging just 11:25 time on ice per night, Sprong finished his season with 21 goals and 46 points in 66 games, which is a 26-goal, 57-point 82-game pace. There aren’t many players who could manage those types of numbers with such little ice time, yet Sprong, owner of a lethal shot, managed to do exactly that.
A former top prospect of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it had been long believed that Sprong held some untapped offensive upside but until this year he had failed to show more than sporadic flashes of offensive brilliance. The question for the Kraken to answer, then, is whether they believe Sprong’s breakout is sustainable.
If they think he can repeat this performance as a productive bottom-sixer, he’ll easily earn a sizeable raise from his $750k AAV. But if Seattle is more uncertain about his future, perhaps weary to invest too greatly into a player with a track record of inconsistency (who didn’t have a good playoffs despite Seattle making it to the second round) then these negotiations could get dicey, especially since Sprong is arbitration-eligible.
D Will Borgen – Borgen took a major step forward in his career in 2022-23, playing in all 82 games for the Kraken as well as all 14 of their playoff contests. He was a steady presence on the Kraken’s second and third pairings who also pitched in on the team’s second-unit penalty kill, and his play this season likely merits a decent raise from the $900k he cost the team on his last deal.
Other RFAs: F Morgan Geekie, F Kole Lind, D Cale Fleury
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Carson Soucy – Operating in a similar role to Borgen, Soucy managed to play nearly all of the Kraken’s games this past season and averaged just over 16 minutes time on ice with nearly two minutes each night spent on the penalty kill.
His offensive production declined slightly (from 21 points in 64 games last season to 16 in 78 games this year) but overall his play remained steady. He was a dependable defensive defenseman and offers the type of size and muscle on the blueline that many teams covet.
The Kraken are likely to want to keep Soucy around to maintain the quality of their defense, but given how well he’s done in Seattle the team may have a tough time matching the outside offers that come his way.
With 2021 35th overall pick Ryker Evans a breakout star in his first AHL campaign (he has 19 points in 20 playoff games at the time of writing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds) and likely to be pushing for an NHL spot in training camp, perhaps the Kraken feel comfortable letting Soucy walk and opening the door for Evans to claim his vacated spot on the left side of the team’s defense.
G Martin Jones – 33-year-old netminder Martin Jones’ numbers weren’t much to write home about, with his .887 save percentage in 48 games an especially weak mark, he does have one number really working in his favor: 27. That’s the number of games Jones won for the Kraken, and he posted an overall 27-13-3 record. He gave Seattle enough to take home two points in the vast majority of the games he played, and in a backup role there’s a lot of value in that.
With Chris Driedger and Philipp Grubauer already on their books and Daccord also in the mix, it seems relatively unlikely that Seattle will opt to bring Jones back. But although his save percentage was quite poor, he did win far more often than he lost and therefore put forth a solid argument to receive a new contract similar to the $2MM one he received last summer.
G Joey Daccord – Like the aforementioned Evans, Daccord has played extremely well with AHL Coachella Valley and his current performance likely places him firmly in the NHL conversation heading into next season. He could possibly end this season as a Calder Cup-winning goalie and he has posted a .927 save percentage through 20 games for the Firebirds. He was solid in the regular season as well, and at 26 years old looks ready to take the next step and become an NHL backup.
Whether he takes that step in Seattle is an open question, as Driedger remains on the books at a $3.5MM cap hit next season and Grubauer firmly re-established himself in Seattle by leading the franchise to their first-ever playoff series win.
In any case, he looks to be this year’s Charlie Lindgren, as Lindgren placed himself in a similar circumstance a year ago via strong performances for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds and that summer earned himself a $1.1MM AAV deal to become the backup for the Washington Capitals. Perhaps that’s what’s in store for Daccord should he hit the open market.
Other UFAs: F Ryan Donato, F Joonas Donskoi, F Jesper Froden, F John Hayden, F Austin Poganski, F Alex True, F Carsen Twarynski, D Gustav Olofsson, D Brogan Rafferty, G Christopher Gibson
Projected Cap Space
This is where Seattle are in decent shape. CapFriendly projects them to have over $20MM in cap space, though that figure will be eaten into considerably by an extension for Dunn. With significant dollars set to expire in the near future (Jordan Eberle has one year and $5.5MM left on his deal, and Alexander Wennberg has one year and $4.5MM left on his contract, to give two examples) the Kraken are in a prime position to invest significant dollars in their team this summer. So far they’ve opted to build a team that prioritizes balance and depth, but maybe the significant financial flexibility they have this summer will lead them to chase some stars, similar to what the Vegas Golden Knights did following their first experience of playoff success.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Pesce, Third Overall Pick, Florida Everblades
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the NHL’s most consistently competitive franchises in recent years and a major reason for their success has been the fact that they’ve thus far avoided giving out the types of inefficient, expensive contracts that eat up too much salary cap space and have sunk other team’s competitive hopes. A byproduct of that tendency to stick to their own valuations of players and not let the market dictate their plans has been that they’ve seen some talented players leave, players other clubs might have found a way to retain. Players such as Dougie Hamilton and Vincent Trocheck are examples of this, and perhaps the next player to be added to that list could be defenseman Brett Pesce.
Per a report from The Athletic, “If Pesce’s demands aren’t realistic to what Carolina had in mind” for his next contract, the Hurricanes “may very well trade him this summer.” (subscription link) Pesce, 28, will see his $4.025MM AAV contract expire next summer and could be looking to secure a significant raise after seeing himself go underpaid due to that contract relative to the immense on-ice value he’s provided. Pesce set a new career high in points this past season and is widely respected as a top-of-the-line defenseman in his own end. He’d likely fetch a significant return if traded, so it seems the Hurricanes may consider trading Pesce this summer in order to recoup some value rather than risk retaining him through the expiry of his contract next summer, only to see him leave for another team with Carolina receiving no compensation in return.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- With the Blue Jackets aggressively pursuing upgrades to their roster that will help them win in the short-term, many have wondered if the Blue Jackets would consider trading the third overall pick in this year’s draft in order to get a quality, established player. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen spoke on the prospect of trading the pick, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger. Kekalainen said it would take “an awful lot” in order to convince the team to trade that pick, and although they’ve received trade calls nothing yet has come close to being enough for the team to consider making that deal. The Blue Jackets have long sought after a true first-line center to build their forward corps around, and with promising pivots such as Leo Carlsson and Will Smith expected to be available for Columbus to draft, it seems Kekalainen would need to be truly wowed by an offer in order to move the third pick.
- The ECHL’s Florida Everblades secured their second consecutive Kelly Cup championship last night, sweeping the league’s finals against the Idaho Steelheads, a team that went on a historic run during the regular season. The Steelheads went 58-11-3 and stormed to the Kelly Cup finals but couldn’t find an answer to former University of North Dakota netminder Cam Johnson and the Everblades. Former Merrimack College captain Tyler Irvine scored the championship-clinching goal midway through the third period of the contest, leading the Everblades to the third title in their franchise history.
Devils Notes: Wood, Bahl, Boqvist
With two major restricted free agents to negotiate contract extensions with in Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt, it’s no surprise that the New Jersey Devils may be forced to say goodbye to some familiar faces. Damon Severson, a quality blueliner with over 600 games played as a Devil, was traded yesterday and, according to recent reporting, another veteran Devil could follow him out the door: Miles Wood.
The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery relays word from Wood’s agent, Peter Fish, “that there has been no communication” with Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald on a possible Wood contract extension. While it’s likely that the Devils would ideally like to keep Wood, their salary cap situation and other existing needs are likely to force his exit in free agency. As a result, Fish and Wood are preparing to hit the open market on July 1st. Wood will hope to find the right contract in his first trip to unrestricted free agency, and after scoring 13 goals and 27 points this past season his rare combination of size and speed could be of interest to other teams.
Some other notes about the Devils:
- Flannery’s article also contained updates on the status of restricted free agent defenseman Kevin Bahl, whose $795k contract is set to expire. The soon-to-be 23-year-old emerged as a lineup regular for the Devils later in their season and is widely expected to be a part of the team’s blueline mix next season. Given that he has just 66 games of NHL experience, Bahl’s next contract shouldn’t break the bank, though the defensive upside the hulking six-foot-six Bahl possesses could be factored into the equation as well, potentially raising the price tag of any new deal. Bahl’s agent, David Gagner, confirmed to Flannery that he and Fitzgerald “are engaging in preliminary talks,” and it could be that the Devils would prefer to get some cost certainty on Bahl’s next deal before finalizing the Meier/Bratt contracts.
- 24-year-old forward Jesper Boqvist‘s agent Peter Wallen relayed to Flannery that “there has been no communication with Fitzgerald and the Devils” on any new contract as of five days ago. Boqvist emerged as a lineup regular this past season scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 70 games. The 2017 36th overall pick has scored well at lower levels and the Devils are likely hoping to retain him on an affordable deal so they can fill out some depth roles in their lineup with young, energetic homegrown players such as Boqvist on cheaper contracts.
Panthers Notes: Hornqvist, Luostarinen, Gaber
While Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist hasn’t played since early December before being shut down with post-concussion symptoms, the veteran told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link) that isn’t ruling out trying to play next season. Instead, he’ll think about it during the summer and decide after that time. Hornqvist is participating in some on-ice activities with the team but won’t be back in this series while he also sits in on coaching meetings. The 36-year-old is a veteran of 901 career NHL appearances over 15 seasons and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer when his five-year, $26.5MM contract comes to an end. It seems that it will take a while yet before he decides if he’ll try to play a 16th campaign.
More from Florida:
- Panthers head coach Paul Maurice confirmed to reporters including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link) that forward Eetu Luostarinen will once again be out of the lineup tonight in the fourth game of the Stanley Cup Final. The 24-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury that he suffered last round against Carolina and has five points in 16 postseason appearances with all of his production coming in the opening round versus Boston.
- One of the top college free agents will be attending Florida’s development camp next summer as Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that forward Riese Gaber will be in camp with the Panthers. The 23-year-old had 20 goals with the University of North Dakota this season but hasn’t signed an NHL deal yet and is expected to return for his senior year in 2023-24. If things go well at camp for Gaber, Florida could get a leg up on other teams looking to sign him in college free agency in 2024.