Daniel Briere To Consider Trading Carter Hart
The new General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Briere, has acknowledged the possibility that goaltender Carter Hart may be on the move this summer. In a post from Philadelphia Hockey Now, Chuck Bausman reports the quote, where Briere said, “Most likely, Carter will be our goalie for the future, but I’m not in a position to turn down anything, I have to listen.”
After becoming the interim General Manager for the Flyers in March, Briere quickly acknowledged that Philadelphia was headed toward a rebuild. Failing to make the playoffs the last three seasons, Briere will be looking to change up his roster starting this summer.
In all likelihood, Hart will remain the Flyers’ goaltender of the future, but putting out the possibility of a trade to the public should raise some eyebrows. At still only 24 years old, and with Hart only becoming a restricted free agent at the conclusion of his current contract, Hart should be considered a building block in Philadelphia’s rebuilding efforts.
Aside from a disastrous 2020-21 season, Hart has shown to be a quality goaltender in the NHL. This past season, Hart started in 54 games, holding a record of 22-23-10, and posting a .907 SV% and a 2.94 GAA. Especially considering that the Flyers finished 23rd in the league in GA/G, Hart’s production added some much-needed stability to a lineup that his wholly lacking in that department.
If Philadelphia does end up moving on from Hart, factoring in his age, his performance, and the flexibility provided in his contract, there should be plenty of suitors for his services. For context, although not holding two above-average goaltenders like the 2012-13 Vancouver Canucks, the Canucks were able to trade Cory Schneider at the 2013 NHL Draft for the ninth overall pick, which would go on to become Bo Horvat.
Schneider did hold a longer string of success compared to Hart, but considering that Hart is three years younger compared to when Schneider was traded, and they hold similar contracts, the Flyers could conceivably receive a large haul for Hart.
Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes
Free agency is now a little more 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 Carolina Hurricanes.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jesse Puljujarvi – After being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the 2022-23 NHL trade deadline, Puljujarvi did not take a serious step in getting his offensive production back on track in Carolina. In 58 games with Edmonton prior to the move, Puljujarvi scored five goals and nine assists, also increasing his physical play by managing 112 hits. After the trade, Puljujarvi managed 17 games with the Hurricanes, only scoring two assists. Things did not improve much in the playoffs, as Puljujarvi only played in seven of a possible 15 games. The Hurricanes will likely give serious consideration to non-tendering Puljujarvi, making him an unrestricted free agent.
D Dylan Coghlan – Coming over in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights last summer that also landed Pacioretty in Carolina, Coghlan was primarily used as a depth defenseman for the Hurricanes this season. Only managing to suit up in 17 games, Coghlan scored three assists for Carolina, averaging almost 13 minutes of ice time a night. To his disadvantage, the Hurricanes’ defensive depth was simply too deep for Coghlan to find any more playing time.
Other RFAs: D Maxime Lajoie, F Dominik Bokk, F Stelio Mattheos, D Cavan Fitzgerald
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Max Pacioretty – In one of the most disappointing storylines from the Hurricanes this season, the offseason acquisition of Pacioretty did not pan out for the team. Shortly after the team acquired him, Pacioretty suffered a torn Achilles tendon during an offseason workout, which ruled him out for the first several months of the 2022-23 season.
Upon making his return on January 5th against the Nashville Predators, Pacioretty immediately became the player that Carolina was hoping he would be. In five games played, Pacioretty scored three goals, providing offense to a team that was severely lacking in that department in relation to their spot in the league standings.
In a horrible sequence, on January 19th, two weeks to the day that he made his return to the ice, Pacioretty once again suffered a torn Achilles in a game against the Minnesota Wild. Although it will be both incredibly physically and mentally difficult to make a return to the ice following this injury, the Hurricanes could look to retain Pacioretty at a much lower price point, given his injury history over the past couple of seasons. If he is to make another return to the NHL, Carolina would surely benefit from the offense that he has been able to provide to teams in the past.
D Shayne Gostisbehere – Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the addition of Gostisbehere to Carolina’s defensive core shored up all of the edges. Re-igniting his offensive flame since joining the Coyotes last season, Gostisbehere managed back-to-back seasons of being a half-point-per-game player. In 23 games in Carolina, Gostisbehere scored three goals and seven assists, while also adding three assists on the Hurricane’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
F Jordan Staal – Finishing off the last season of a 10-year, $60MM contract extension signed prior to the 2012-13 season, Staal has spent the majority of his career in Carolina. Taking over as full-time captain during the 2019-20 season, Staal has become a foundational leader in the Hurricanes locker room. Although his offensive contributions have waned over the last several years, Staal is still very much capable of providing 30-40 points each season and still remains one of the better defensive centers in the game, highlighted by his faceoff percentage and takeaways.
G Frederik Andersen – One season removed from winning the William M. Jennings trophy, the 2022-23 season did not go as planned for Andersen. Dealing with injuries for much of the season, Andersen managed to play in 34 games, posting a 21-11-1 record, garnering a .903 SV% and a 2.48 GAA. In the playoffs, however, Andersen found his game, accruing a 5-3-0 record with a .927 SV% and a 1.83 GAA.
Other UFA’s: F Jesper Fast, F Mackenzie MacEachern, F Paul Stastny, F Derek Stepan, D Calvin de Haan, G Antti Raanta, G Zach Sawchenko, D Jake Gardiner, F Ondrej Kase, F Jack Dugan, F Ryan Dzingel, F Malte Stromwall, D William Lagesson
Projected Cap Space
For their financial outlook, the Hurricanes are projected to have around $24.1MM available in cap space heading into the summer. They currently have eight forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender currently projected on the roster. This should be plenty of money to fill in their depth around the edges, and even make some improvements in other areas of the team.
On July 1st, major players such as Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, and Brett Pesce will all be able to sign extensions, and that should be where the priority lies for Carolina this offseason. The Hurricanes only have three players currently signed beyond the 2025-26 season, and will have to find ways to keep their core around if they wish to continue being a regular Stanley Cup contender.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Free Agent Focus: Calgary Flames
Free agency is now a little more 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 Calgary Flames.
Key Restricted Free Agents
For the Calgary Flames this offseason, they do not currently have any restricted free agents going into this summer’s free agency period. Although the team’s outlook on this front may become a bit more complicated next summer as the contract of Dillon Dube comes to an end, the team currently will not have this issue to deal with this summer, unless making an acquisition.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Milan Lucic – After being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the 2019-20 offseason (albeit at a 12% discount), Lucic has become a serviceable player for the Flames up to this point. Being paid $5.25MM per season over the last four years, Lucic has scored 35 goals and 48 assists in 283 games over his time in Calgary. Although not offering the offensive production that most would expect with a $5MM+ player, Lucic’s physical abilities have transferred into the back half of his career.
The number of hits are down throughout his tenure with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, and Edmonton Oilers, but Lucic has still managed to accrue well over 100 hits a season, breaking the 200-hit mark during the 2021-22 season with the Flames. Entering free agency for the first time before signing his 7-year, $42MM contract prior to the 2016-17 season with the Oilers, Lucic should be headed towards a familiar role next year.
As he now seems to be unable to crack even the 15-goal mark, Lucic has isolated himself into a depth forward position moving forward. With his tenure, and also having the experience of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Bruins, Lucic will potentially be able to mentor younger players on any roster. There is a very real possibility that Lucic will have to settle for a training camp invite as this summer closes, but the possibility remains that a team reaches out with a guaranteed contract offering him a very specific role on their hockey club.
F Troy Stecher– After being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes at this year’s trade deadline, Stecher reached the same point totals with the Flames as he did with Arizona, in 50% less of the games played. In 61 games played in Arizona prior to the trade deadline, Stecher accrued seven assists, not managing to find the back of the net. In 20 games in Calgary, the defenseman was able to score three goals and four assists.
After being traded twice in back-to-back trade deadlines, Stecher has been unable to find the depth defensive scoring that he managed with the Vancouver Canucks between 2016-19. In his first three seasons in the NHL spent with the Canucks, Stecher was able to score 58 points in 217 games, playing on the Vancouver team that took the Vegas Golden Knights to the seventh game of the 2020 NHL playoffs’ second round.
F – Nick Ritchie – Acquired in the same trade as Stecher from the Coyotes, Ritchie was wholly unable to find his offensive game in Calgary. Becoming a healthy scratch for several games down the stretch, Ritchie only managed to score one goal and five assists in 16 games played for the Flames.
Unexpected to be retained by Calgary this offseason, the maximum that Ritchie should be expecting on the open market is similar to the 2-year, $2.5MM contract that Derek Ryan signed with the Oilers prior to the 2021-22 NHL season.
F – Trevor Lewis – After receiving a $200K increase from his 2021-22 salary, Lewis decided to renew his contract with the Flames for the 2022-23 season. Being a bottom-six forward for most of his career, Lewis was able to crack the 20-point mark for the first time since the 2017-18 season with the Kings, scoring 20 points in 82 games for Calgary this season. Proving that he is able to handle over 12 minutes a night for a competitive Western Conference team this season, Lewis should be able to find a spot in a lineup next year.
Other UFA’s: D Michael Stone
Projected Cap Space
Unfortunately for the Flames, the problem becomes extremely dire when looking at the projected cap space for next season. Especially considering the team was unable to qualify for the 2022-23 NHL playoffs, the team will only have $1.25MM available headed into the offseason.
Although the team does not have any game-breakers headed for free agency this offseason, if the team hopes to succeed in a tough Pacific Division, Calgary will need to come up with more cap space than what they currently have available. With players such as Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Mikael Backlund expected to make the jump to unrestricted free agency after next year, it is imperative that the Flames find cap space to retain such vital parts of the organization.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Lehner, Hurricanes, Development Camp
In a piece from Vegas Hockey Now, Dan Kingerski raises an interesting question about the future between the pipes for the Vegas Golden Knights next season. Although it would be more financially feasible for the Golden Knights to retain Robin Lehner on LTIR, Kingerski asserts that Vegas may be better off buying out Lehner’s contract this summer.
The main point behind his reasoning is that with netminder Adin Hill eventually hitting the unrestricted free-agent market this offseason, having the cap space this summer to retain Hill may be Lehner’s undoing in Vegas. If the Golden Knights were to buy out the remaining 2-year, $10MM remaining on Lehner’s contract, Vegas would be hit with a $750K cap penalty next season, $2.25MM the following year, and $1.75 the next two years.
Obviously, the injury concerns surrounding Lehner are well known, as he missed the entirety of the 2022-23 regular season, and remains out during the Golden Knight’s playoff run. In his two full seasons in Vegas (subtracting the three regular-season games he played during the 2019-20 season following his trade from the Chicago Blackhawks), Lehner has posted a 36-21-4 record in 63 games played, garnering a .909 SV% and a 2.66 GAA.
Unfortunately, although the win record and GAA have both been positive for Lehner, the SV% has left a lot to be desired. On the other hand, Hill has been well above average since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks in late August of last year. In 27 games played for the Golden Knights this year, Hill posted a 16-7-1 record, accruing a .915 SV% and a 2.45 GAA. As both he, Jonathan Quick, and Laurent Brossoit enter unrestricted free agency this year, the potential Western Conference champions will have difficult choices to make in net this offseason.
Other snapshots:
- In an opinion piece from Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet, a hypothetical question is raised as to whether or not the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets would make an ideal trade fit this offseason. With plenty of buzz surrounding the potential rebuild of the Jets this summer, Wiebe questions whether Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck could be potential acquisitions for the Hurricanes. Both players will be pending unrestricted free agents after next season, and both players fit organizational needs at the moment. Martin Necas being the only true top-six center in the organization, and both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta becoming UFA’s this summer, the Hurricanes could look to poach the Jets for resources.
- Mark Divver of the NHL reports that both Eric Parker and Ben Wozney from Bowling Green State University have received development camp invites from the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken, respectively. Parker appeared in eight games for Bowling Green, scoring one goal and three assists, as Wozney scored two goals and 13 assists over 36 games for the Falcons.
Snapshots: World Championship, Grzelcyk, Ceci
The medal games have been set at the IIHF World Hockey Championship. After Latvia and Germany were able to pull off significant upsets to get to the semi-finals, one of them was able to do so again as the Germans scored late in the third to tie it at three send their game against Team USA to overtime, paving the way for former Pittsburgh prospect Frederik Tiffels to score the winner late in the extra session. Meanwhile, in the first semi-final, the presumptive second-overall pick next month, Adam Fantilli, picked up the winner in the third period as Canada doubled up the Latvians 4-2. Latvia and the US will face off for Bronze while Germany and Canada will battle for Gold with both games slated for Sunday.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic examines (subscription link) some potential trade options for the Bruins this summer, including defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The 29-year-old has been a capable secondary producer offensively for the past several seasons, including notching a career-high 26 points in 75 games in 2022-23. However, his $3.6875MM AAV is a bit on the high side relative to his ice time which is that of a player on the third pairing and with the team facing quite a cap crunch this summer, Grzelcyk is a luxury they might not be able to afford. He, along with fellow left-shot defenders Derek Forbort and Mike Reilly, are all a year away from unrestricted free agency and there’s a good chance one of them, if not more, will be on the move in the coming months.
- While the Oilers will need to free up some cap space to re-sign Evan Bouchard and round out their roster this summer, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal argues that one of those money-saving moves shouldn’t involve moving defenseman Cody Ceci. The 29-year-old still has two years left on a contract that carries a $3.25MM price tag and saw his output dip from 28 to 15 points this season while seeing his playing time go down slightly as well. However, the fact that he can still handle second-pairing minutes remains valuable on a team that has some unproven defenders and others that are best served with limited ice time so if they can find a way to cut costs elsewhere, that might be a better way for them to go.
PHR Mailbag: Sabres, Jets, Bruins, Draft, Flyers, Officiating
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include discussion on Buffalo’s goaltending situation, Philadelphia’s new front office, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our mailbag from this weekend; there will also be one that runs tomorrow where your question might be answered.
sabres3277: As the Sabres approach the NHL Draft do you think they will address the goaltending position via a trade/free agent to ensure that D. Levi has a veteran partner and mentor? I believe the Sabres need to acquire a solid veteran defenseman to bolster the young defense. Thoughts?
When it comes to the goaltending, I’m a little on the fence. I think they’d like to do something but there’s a fine needle to thread here. John Gibson might be available but he has four years left. I don’t think Buffalo wants to do that. Connor Hellebuyck is on an expiring deal next season but I don’t believe the Sabres would want to pay the freight of a long-term contract. Maybe Nashville moves Juuse Saros if they’re going to head into a rebuild but that’s hardly a guarantee. I don’t see another trade option that makes enough of a difference to matter.
In free agency, Tristan Jarry is out there but he’s not taking a short-term contract in all likelihood unless his market completely tanks. (And if it does, a pillow deal in Buffalo would actually be pretty intriguing.) It thins out pretty quickly after that. Maybe Semyon Varlamov would be of interest with the idea of being a platoon goalie instead of a strict backup and he wouldn’t need a long-term commitment. He might make the most sense to me to partner with either Devon Levi or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (it wouldn’t shock me if Levi got some run in Rochester where he could start the bulk of the games over Eric Comrie) and he could be an upgrade on what Craig Anderson brought to the table this season.
As for the defenseman, I certainly agree with you. I had that as one of the items on their Offseason Checklist last weekend. They have a decent top four that should continue to improve but getting one extra second-pairing-caliber blueliner would be a big hedge against injuries and inconsistency from their youngsters while also letting them balance out the ice time a little bit. That could pay dividends down the stretch next season.
joebad34: Sabres question: It is obvious V. Olofsson will be on the trading block. His upside is 25-30 potential goals. His downside is business decisions heading into corners; that being said, can he be moved for a right-shot d-man or just a draft pick or two? What would the value be?
Frankly, I don’t think Victor Olofsson’s trade value is going to be all that high. Here’s a player in the prime of his career with a strong offensive game…that is seeing his ice time dip each year to the point of being a healthy scratch at times. This is called not moving Olofsson at his high point in value, especially when he carries a $4.75MM cap charge.
Quality right-shot defenders are in short supply in high demand. Wingers with a decent scoring touch but some warts in their all-around game are in much greater supply and much lower demand. If Buffalo was to get a quality right-shot defender in a trade here, it’d be surprising unless Olofsson is merely salary ballast with the Sabres sending out a strong pick and/or prospect in the deal as well. As for moving him for draft picks? I don’t see that happening; a team with $4.75MM in cap space is likely to decide that they’d be better off spending that on a free agent than trading assets for Olofsson unless it was a later-round selection which wouldn’t be a great return for him by any stretch.
If the Sabres decide that they need to move on from Olofsson, I think the likeliest scenario is a swap of ‘change of scenery’ players. They’d get someone else on an expiring contract at a similar price tag with the hope that the other player will fit in better than Buffalo and Olofsson will do better with the other team. I don’t think he has much more value than that in this cap-strapped marketplace.
rdiddy75: Do the Jets get rid of trio of Dubois, Scheifele, and Wheeler and retool the team?
It certainly feels like they need to do something, doesn’t it? The way they went out in the playoffs followed by Rick Bowness’ pointed comments would seem to suggest they can’t just run it back. But GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has made it known that he believes in this core group and seemingly indicated in his press conference that as long as they get to the playoffs, they’ve accomplished something. (At least, that was one of my takeaways from his comments.)
With that in mind, I don’t think the Jets are going to choose to blow up the core just yet. I suspect they’re willing to move on from Blake Wheeler but how much of a trade market is there going to be for him at $8.25MM? As a small market team, I’m not sure paying him $5.5MM over two years not to play for them is a move they’re going to want to make. Maybe there’s a swap with them retaining up to half of his contract available but the return still won’t be great.
As for Pierre-Luc Dubois, I think they might hold onto him. If you’re a team interested in acquiring him, how much are you willing to pay up if you believe there’s a strong chance he tests free agency? Probably a first-rounder, a decent prospect, and either another pick or salary ballast. But they can do that deal at the trade deadline where Winnipeg can retain half the contract, allowing the acquiring team to be able to afford another player they’d have had to clear out if they acquiring Dubois now. Again, it comes back to my belief that Cheveldayoff thinks this core is good enough to be in the mix. If he can get the same types of offers in February than he can now, why not run it back and hope for a hot start that convinces some pending free agents (even if it’s not Dubois) to re-sign?
Mark Scheifele is an interesting case. The run-it-back logic for Dubois applies here somewhat although with Scheifele, is he willing to sign a long-term extension this summer with Winnipeg or elsewhere? If so, that changes the picture. With the UFA market not being strong, if Scheifele is willing to sign a new deal now, he becomes the top middleman available and Winnipeg should be able to get a significant return, one that would justify moving him now. But if Cheveldayoff thinks that a strong first half could persuade Scheifele to stay in Winnipeg, it wouldn’t shock me if he holds on to him as well.
Long story short, yes, I think there’s a shakeup coming in Winnipeg and it wouldn’t shock me if none of those players are around a year from now. I’m just not convinced it’s happening this summer but rather closer to the trade deadline unless they can get a king’s ransom for their two centers in the next six weeks or so.
SkidRowe: 1) If you were the Bruins’ GM, how would you approach the future?
2) The Bruins’ long-term core (three or more years remaining) is Pastrnak, Zacha, Coyle, McAvoy, Lindholm, Carlo. Is that good enough to rebuild around?
1) What’s the saying, all good things must come to an end? That’s where things are for Boston. They don’t have many draft picks, nor do they have a particularly strong prospect pool. Frankly, that’s to be expected from a team that has tried to contend for this long. So in the short term, I’d be looking at trying to recover some of those futures.
Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort are on expiring contracts and should have some value. I talked about in a recent mailbag the hypothetical trade value of Jeremy Swayman but if you’re going to take a short-term step back, maybe it’s Linus Ullmark that they should look to sell high on. As noted earlier, there isn’t a great free agent market for goaltenders nor are there a lot of viable starters that could be traded for. Coming off a likely Vezina-winning year, he’d bring back some quality futures as well. Up front, I’d explore moving Taylor Hall who doesn’t really fit their long-term core plans. If Jake DeBrusk isn’t part of those long-term plans, he’d be on the sell list too. Making some of those moves would help free up some cap flexibility to round out the rest of their roster while stockpiling some much-needed futures.
If they had a bit more cap space and a first-round pick in the next couple of years, I could make a case to justify trying to trade for someone like Scheifele and extending him even though it runs counter to everything I just wrote as a key center is something they really need. If they could get that, do it and figure out the rest later. However, I don’t think they have the trade assets to do that right now. But make some of these seller moves and maybe they’ll have a shot at a move like that a year from now.
2) It depends on what you mean by good enough. Is that the future core of another perennial contender? Probably not. For me, the true core would be David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm with Swayman (under team control for three more years) part of it if he’s still around next season. That’s a foundation that should be good enough to hang around the Wild Card mix but they need a true impact center if they want a shot at returning to contender status.
Unclemike1526: With the talent in this year’s draft, I don’t see the possibility of the Hawks trading up far from 19. Maybe a couple of spaces even with four 2nd rounders and two 3rd rounders. How far do you think they can realistically move up? Obviously, they’re not trading Bedard, But I’m sure they would love to move up from 19. Barring that, who are some guys they could use those picks to trade for players already in the NHL, that they might like?
It has gotten awfully difficult to trade up lately, especially last year where the only pick swap in the first round was 11 for 27, 34, and 45 with San Jose deciding that they were better off with adding some extra picks to a prospect pool that isn’t the deepest. That was in a weak draft. In a strong one, I could see teams being more protective of those early selections. If Chicago wanted to move up a few spots, I think there’s a way to do it that would get them to somewhere between 14-18 but it would be dependent on one of those teams losing out on the player that they were hoping to get. Every year, we hear GMs talk about how they were trying to trade up (or back into the late first round) and just couldn’t find anyone willing to do so. That could very well happen here.
Honestly, I’m not sure that their best asset to try to move up is their extra picks. Instead, I think their cap space could be. For example, Pittsburgh (at 14) is a team that could benefit from creating some cap room. If the Blackhawks were willing to take on Mikael Granlund’s remaining two years, for example, would that be good enough for the Penguins to slide down to 19; is the extra cap space worth dropping down? I suppose Calgary at 16 could be an option as well as they’re quite capped out although there isn’t an obvious contract to fit into a framework like this. Vancouver at 11 could be a possibility as well although Chicago would probably have to take a sizable deal back for the Canucks to slide eight spots.
As for flipping those second-rounders for players, there are too many players to list. With so many teams being tight to the cap, they could get some good players if they wanted to flip those picks. I just don’t think they’re intending to do that. Getting the top pick isn’t going to flip the switch and end the rebuild. They’re not a player or two away from being a playoff contender so why deviate from the course now? Get those prospects in the system and then when they are ready to start adding to their roster again, they can deal from their picks or their prospect pool for those players. I could see Chicago trading out from 55 outright to get a 2024 second-rounder, giving them a possible chip to move for a player at that time if they think they’re ready to flip that switch next offseason.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Hurricanes, Rogers
In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche remains in the mix for the vacant Penguins GM position. Darche received consideration for the opening in Montreal last season that later went to Kent Hughes. He has been with Tampa Bay for the last four seasons but this is only his first one with the AGM title. Friedman adds that former Toronto GM Kyle Dubas is their desired candidate and they’re prepared to wait a little bit to give him some time to decide if he wants the job but if he doesn’t, it could be Darche getting his first opportunity at running a team.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer examines a trio of Hurricanes forwards that he thinks could be on the move this summer. Teuvo Teravainen has one year left on his contract at a $5.4MM AAV but will be seeking more for 2024-25. If Carolina doesn’t think they can extend him or they don’t want to pay his asking price, it’s possible he could move. DeCock also wonders if the team might opt to sell high on RFA center Martin Necas who’s coming off a career year or Jack Drury who has done well in the minors but hasn’t put it together yet in the NHL; at 23, he’s still young enough that a rebuilding team might have some interest.
- The Capitals have invited forward Jack Rogers to their development camp this summer, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 20-year-old played his freshman year at St. Cloud State this season, picking up three goals and five assists in 34 games. Rogers is a year removed from a 30-goal campaign with Steinbach of the MJHL. Washington almost certainly won’t be signing Rogers but they’ll get some information on him should they decide to pursue him later in his college career.
Offseason Checklist: Calgary Flames
The offseason has arrived for all but the three teams that still have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup. It’s time to examine what those eliminated squads will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Calgary.
2022-23 was not the season that the Flames were hoping for. A roster that underwent some significant changes this summer still bolstered a strong lineup on paper but too many players struggled, resulting in them just missing out on the postseason. There have already been changes as Brad Treliving opted not to return as GM while Don Maloney, while acting as interim GM, dismissed head coach Darryl Sutter. Now, they’re on their third GM in six weeks with Craig Conroy taking over this week and he’ll have plenty of work to do this offseason.
Hire A Head Coach
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. With Sutter gone, the Flames are once again in need of a new bench boss. It’s a common theme for Calgary as the last coach to be behind the bench for 200 straight games was Bob Hartley and he was let go back in 2016. (If you’re curious who the last Calgary coach to coach for 300 straight games in a single stint, you have to go all the way back to the late Bob Johnson in the 1980s.)
Conroy, who has been with the Flames’ front office for 13 years, is familiar with the internal options, of which there are a few. Associate coach Kirk Muller has experience running an NHL bench back with Carolina while Ryan Huska has been an assistant for the past five seasons and was believed to be a finalist for the job in Detroit last season. Meanwhile, Mitch Love, their coach at AHL Calgary, has won the Louis AR Pieri Memorial Award as Coach of the Year for the past two seasons, his only two seasons behind the bench.
Externally, the usual candidates are fairly well-known at this point, ranging from veterans like Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette to coaches looking for a second opportunity such as Andrew Brunette and Travis Green, plus first-time hopefuls like Spencer Carbery, Alex Tanguay, and Jay Leach. Getting back to their offensive underperformance this season, it stands to reason that they’ll be looking for a head coach that’s offensive-minded to help get the most out of their core group and turn that weakness around.
Extension Discussions
During his introductory press conference, Conroy indicated that it “doesn’t make sense” to enter next season with as many potential unrestricted free agents as there currently are. It’s not as if there are one or two to deal with either; there are seven of some significance.
The most prominent one that Conroy will have to deal with is Elias Lindholm. The 28-year-old is only one season removed from a 42-goal campaign, plays big minutes on both the power play and penalty kill, and consistently wins faceoffs at an above-average rate. Lindholm isn’t thought of by all as a number one center but he’d fit that role on quite a few teams. He has been on a team-friendly $4.85MM for the last five years with one more season to go. It’s safe to say he’ll be getting several million more on this next contract, one that has a good chance to be a max-term agreement as well. There are plenty of teams that would love to add Lindholm this summer in a weak UFA market so if Lindholm expresses a desire either to test free agency in 2024 or indicates that he’s likely to move on, Conroy might opt to move him quickly.
Two other forwards that need to be looked at are long-time center Mikael Backlund and winger Tyler Toffoli. Both players are coming off career years offensively which will certainly complicate things. Backlund will hit the market next year at the age of 35 and there will be questions as to how much longer he can play a top-six role which will go a long way toward determining his next salary. He’s currently on a $5.35MM deal and if Backlund thinks he has another strong year or two offensively in him, he could be looking for a small raise. As for Toffoli, he has fit in quite well since being acquired last season and has reached 20 goals seven times in the last nine years, averaging 27 over the last three. His AAV is $4.25MM on a deal that looked to be a bargain from the day he signed it and he could push to land closer to $6MM on a new multi-year agreement.
On the back end, no fewer than four regulars can test the market in 2024, headlined by Noah Hanifin. Aside from 2021-22, his offense has never really stood out but even so, he can log heavy minutes and will be in the prime of his career that year at 27. He’s at $4.85MM now and a long-term extension should see him net more than teammate Mackenzie Weegar ($6.5MM) to once again become their top-paid defender. If he’s not willing to re-sign and he’s put on the trade block, Conroy will have no shortage of interest.
The other three rearguards aren’t as significant of a concern. Chris Tanev is an effective shutdown defender but his market might not be as strong next year with teams starting to shy away from those stay-at-home players which could move his cost below his current $4.5MM price tag. Nikita Zadorov has been year-to-year for the most part for several seasons (2023-24 being the lone exception) so there isn’t a ton of risk having him in a walk year while Oliver Kylington will be returning after a year off; he’ll need time to show if his 2021-22 performance was an outlier or a sign of things to come.
Suffice it to say, with this many notable players eligible for extensions as of July 1st, expect Conroy to be reaching out to the agents of those players soon if he hasn’t already done so.
Add Top-Six Forward
This was a stated goal by Conroy in his press conference and with the team finishing in the bottom half of the league in goals scored, it makes sense. While there is legitimate room for optimism that there should be some bounce-back performances under a new head coach (I don’t think anyone expects another 55-point effort from Jonathan Huberdeau after being over a point per game for four seasons in a row), simply running it back with this exact core would also be risky.
To that end, Conroy also indicated that he was likely to move a core piece out. This also makes some sense considering his comments about the 2024 UFA class as there’s a good chance that not all of those players will want to re-sign this summer; if Conroy wants to avoid the risk of another Johnny Gaudreau situation, it could be those unwilling to extend now that move. Speculatively, Andrew Mangiapane – signed for two more years at a $5.8MM cap charge – could be someone they look to move in a player-for-player swap.
Create Cap Space
It’s one thing for Conroy to want to add a top-six piece but it’s another to be able to afford to do it. Frankly, they can’t afford one with over $82MM on the books already, per CapFriendly, with a few roster spots to fill. With the Upper Limit projected to be at or close to $83.5MM next season, that’s not exactly a workable scenario. That’s why it makes sense for their top-six addition up front to come at the expense of one of their 2024 UFA class as frankly, they can’t afford one otherwise.
That possible move notwithstanding, Conroy will need to free up a few million more in cap space. One way to chip away at that would be to move backup goaltender Daniel Vladar who will begin his new two-year deal next season at a $2.2MM price tag. Going to a cheaper second-stringer or promoting prospect Dustin Wolf would free up a little over $1MM, enough to fill at least one of those remaining roster spots.
Another spot could be to chip away at the back end which, with Kylington’s return, will cost them over $27.25MM, putting them near the top of the league in spending at that position. Trying to move out someone like Zadorov for a cheaper option or for a future asset would certainly help free up some wiggle room. Accordingly, as much as Conroy will be looking to add this summer, he almost certainly is going to need to subtract from it as well.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Schenn, Red Wings, Senators Sale
Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn noted in an appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link) that there had been some discussions about a possible contract extension but that those are now on hold with their search for a new GM. The 33-year-old was brought in from Vancouver prior to the trade deadline and he fit in well in his second stint with Toronto, averaging four hits per game in 15 regular season contests, a number that jumped to nearly five per night in the playoffs. At this point in his career, Schenn is a third-pairing option that can kill penalties but he should still be positioned to earn a nice bump on his $850K AAV from the past two years. However, if he wants to remain with the cap-strapped Maple Leafs, he’ll almost certainly have to leave at least a bit of money on the table to do so.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Red Wings assistant GM Shawn Horcoff acknowledged to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (subscription link) that he will be looking to add some more veterans to their AHL team for next season. Grand Rapids is likely to feature several of Detroit’s top prospects in 2023-24 but rather than put all of them in top roles right away, they’re going to hedge their bets with some older players that can play an impact role at the beginning. It’s already going to be a busy summer for the Griffins who will have a new coaching staff next season and if Horcoff has his way, they’ll now be picking up some key veterans as well.
- Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests that the winner of the sale process for the Senators is now likely to be revealed next week since it wasn’t determined prior to the start of the Memorial Day long weekend. At the moment, none of the four groups have been told that they’re out although the Neko Sparks-led group is still trying to secure financing, a sign that their bid is on the lower end. When the bids were submitted earlier this month, Steve Apostolopoulos is believed to have offered the most money at $1BB.
Sabres Sign Ryan Johnson To Entry-Level Deal
There had been some question as to whether Ryan Johnson would sign with Buffalo or test free agency later this summer. In the end, he opted to stay with the team that drafted him as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins next season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 21-year-old was a first-round pick by Buffalo back in 2019 (31st overall) out of Sioux Falls of the USHL. Johnson then went to college at the University of Minnesota but didn’t exactly light it up, scoring just twice in his first two seasons. However, he showed considerable improvement in his junior year and carried that over to 2022-23 where he picked up 18 points in 40 games for the Golden Gophers.
Had Buffalo not signed Johnson or if he decided that he wanted to test free agency, the Sabres would have received a compensatory second-round selection. Instead, they’ll get an opportunity to add another young defender to their system, joining Nikita Novikov and Vsevolod Komarov who both signed recently as well.
While Johnson hasn’t played since the end of his college campaign, he has been assigned to AHL Rochester with the Americans still playing in the playoffs. Given how long he has been out, it would be surprising to see him suit up right away but if the Amerks move on to the Calder Cup Final, Johnson might get a chance to make his pro debut this season.