Flyers Sign Yegor Zamula To Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced they have signed defenseman Yegor Zamula to a 1-year, $775K contract extension. Zamula was scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, finishing out his entry-level contract that was signed back in 2018.
An undrafted player coming from the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, Zamula did not make his Flyers organization debut until the 2020-21 season. In that season, he managed to suit up in two games for the Flyers, scoring zero points. Primarily playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Zamula played in 26 games, garnering six assists.
Last season, Zamula would fail to score again for the Flyers in ten games but did manage to suit up in 58 games for the Phantoms, scoring four goals and 25 assists. This year went much better for Zamula in the NHL, skating in 14 games for Philadelphia, and adding four assists. Once again playing a majority of his games in Lehigh Valley, Zamula managed to score one goal and 18 assists.
Atlantic Notes: Lightning, Edvinsson, Zboril
As is typical for any team once they are knocked out of the playoffs, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports that laundry list of playoff injuries sustained by the Tampa Bay Lightning in their opening-round matchup. Throughout the playoffs, most teams usually keep their player’s specific injuries very close to their chest.
Erik Cernak, who would only manage to play nine minutes in Game One before being removed for the rest of the series, was dealing with a concussion after sustaining a high hit from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting. Similar to Cernak, trade deadline acquisition Michael Eyssimont was also dealing with concussion symptoms but was able to return to the team and score a goal in Game Five.
Victor Hedman, who would only miss Game Two in the series, was apparently dealing with a hip impingement, and Tanner Jeannot, who would only play three games in the playoffs for the Lightning, had a high ankle sprain. Most impressively, Brayden Point, who had a brutal run into the boards aided by Morgan Rielly in Game Three, had a rib cage cartilage fracture resulting from that play and still managed to play in the rest of the series.
Other Atlantic Division notes:
- The Detroit Red Wings announced that top prospect Simon Edvinsson has undergone successful shoulder surgery, and his recovery timeline will be 4-6 months, meaning he will likely be out to start next season. In his first taste of NHL action this season, Edvinsson played in nine games towards the end of the season in Detroit, scoring two goals. Primarily playing for their AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins this year, Edvinsson played in 52 games, scoring five goals and 22 assists.
- Mark Divver of NHL.com reports that Boston Bruins’ defenseman Jakub Zboril will suit up for Czechia in the IIHF World Championship. Zboril, who is on the first year of a 2-year, $2.275MM contract, played in 22 games this year for Boston, scoring one goal and three assists.
PHR Playoff Primer: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We begin our second-round coverage with the Metropolitan Division matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.
For the third time in as many years, the Carolina Hurricanes have won their first-round matchup and will try to return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, will make it to the second round for the first time since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2011-12 season, beating their cross-town rival New York Rangers in seven games. This will be the fifth time these two teams have met in the playoffs, as the Hurricanes have won three of the previous four series.
Over the last 10 seasons prior to the current one, the Devils had failed to qualify for the playoffs in nine of those years. As the team has finally come together, led by the tremendous breakout of star center, Jack Hughes, the Devils look poised to continue winning. For Carolina, they are on a three-year run of clinching the Metropolitan division during the regular season but have failed to move past the second round for quite some time.
Much like the playoff series for both of these teams in the first round, this one will be another encompassed by a historical rivalry. Aside from the 2009 playoffs, in the other three playoff matchups between these two teams, one team has gone on to the Stanley Cup Final, and the Hurricanes would go on to win in 2006. Although both teams look considerably different than they did in 2009, expect this series to be hotly contested.
Carolina Hurricanes: 52-21-9, 113 points, +53 goal differential
New Jersey Devils: 52-22-8, 112 points, +65 goal differential.
Head-To-Head
December 20, 2022: Carolina 4, New Jersey 1
January 1, 2023: Carolina 5, New Jersey 4 (OT)
January 10, 2023: New Jersey 5, Carolina 3
March 12, 2023: New Jersey 3, Carolina 0
New Jersey takes the season series 2-1-1
Team Storylines
Although the rivalry has been addressed between these two Eastern Conference foes, one of the major points of consideration will be the health of the two lineups. As of right now, New Jersey comes in with a clean bill of health, but Carolina will still be missing talented forwards such as Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen.
In their first-round matchup against the New York Islanders, even with so many top-end forwards out of the lineup, the Hurricanes were able to pick up solid depth goal-scoring from both Stefan Noesen and Seth Jarvis. Both players scored four points in six games, as Noesen scored the eventual game-winner in Game One. Aside from those two for Carolina, Sebastian Aho led the way, scoring seven points in six games, continuing his point-per-game pace in the playoffs over the course of his career.
For the Devils, their high-end scoring came from the usual suspects this season. Although no player on the team averaged a point per game, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, and Hughes, all scored five points in their series against the Rangers, and Erik Haula gave New Jersey six points in seven games. In the aspect of more players contributing to the offense, the Devils have a clear advantage heading into this second-round matchup.
On defense, both teams have positives and negatives attached to their back end. The Devils were a mixed bag against New York in their previous series, allowing 15 goals in three games (Game One, Two, and Six), but also held the Rangers to two goals in the four games that New Jersey won. So far in the playoffs this year, when the Devils lose, they lose big. For Carolina, in their six games against the Islanders, they gave up 15 goals in total. The major X-factors for both teams will be their top offensive defenseman, respectively. Brent Burns had a huge first round for Carolina, adding five assists, while New Jersey’s top defenseman, Dougie Hamilton, scored three points, including an overtime game-winner in Game Three.
Between the pipes, both teams have used both goaltenders in their first-round matchups. The Hurricanes ran with Antti Raanta up until the series-deciding Game Six, where Frederik Andersen would come in and stop 33 of 34 shots. In New Jersey, Vitek Vanecek originally got the nod in net, but after getting blown out in Games One and Two, the Devils turned to young goaltender Akira Schmid, who produced a 4-1-0 record, posting a .951 SV% and a 1.38 GAA, including two shutouts.
Prediction
In this series, the number of injuries that Carolina has accrued recently may become insurmountable. Although they dominated their first-round matchup against the Islanders, New Jersey brings a much different style of play, and the Hurricanes will have to try and weather some serious offense coming their way.
Although they won their first-round matchup against the Rangers, the Devils’ lack of playoff experience showed, as they were considerably tested by New York. The players that lead the team, such as Hughes, Hischier, and Bratt, do not have the same experience that the Hurricanes team has accrued in the last several years. In defense, the Devils were down 2-0 in their previous series and still managed to come back and win in seven.
The prediction: New Jersey win in six games.
Metro Notes: Bowman, Rangers, Lindberg
This morning, Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, reports that there may be some mutual interest between front office executive Stan Bowman and the Pittsburgh Penguins. On April 14th, the Penguins fired President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and General Manager Ron Hextall after a disappointing season.
Bowman, who recently resigned as President of Hockey Operations with the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2021-22 season, has some serious connection to the Penguins organization. His father, legendary coach Scotty Bowman, coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup victory during the 1991-92 season.
Starting as Director of Hockey Operations with the Blackhawks ahead of the 2005-06 season, Bowman was at the head of all decision-making beginning in the 2009-10 season, when he was named General Manager in Chicago. Under his tenure, the Blackhawks would go on to win three Stanley Cups, and would routinely put on a master class in retooling his roster to stay competitive in the salary cap era.
The major sticking point with not just the Penguins, but any team beginning a relationship with Bowman, is the involvement he had in hiding information about the former video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual abuse of former player Kyle Beach. The lead investigator at the time, Reid Schar, reported that Bowman’s failure to report the abuse likely led to further abuse of the player.
Other Metro notes:
- As their season came to an end on Monday night, the New York Rangers have assigned Jonny Brodzinski, Jake Leschyshyn, Libor Hajek, and Louis Domingue to their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. Because their services are no longer needed for the year in the NHL, these four will undoubtedly help Hartford compete for the Calder Cup. As things stand currently, Hartford is one win away from knocking out the Providence Bruins, shortly after knocking out the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first round.
- Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that Penguins prospect Filip Lindberg has signed a contract with TPS of the Finnish Liiga. Lindberg was originally drafted by Pittsburgh at 197th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. Dealing with injuries the last couple of years playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Lindberg finished this year with a 6-11-1 record, posting a .896 SV% and a 3.13 GAA.
Corey Perry Plans To Continue Playing After This Season
Speaking with a beat writer of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Krenn, this morning, veteran forward Corey Perry states that he aims at playing next season, which would be his 19th season in the NHL. When asked about his immediate future, Perry said, “I’ve still got more in me. I still want to play. We’ll see where it goes over the next few weeks and then take it from there.”
In 2003, Perry was originally selected by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at 28th overall and would go on to be one of 17 players from the first round to go on to make an appearance in at least one NHL All-Star Game. In his draft season, Perry played in the OHL for the historic London Knights team, scoring 25 goals and 53 assists in 67 games. Not joining the Mighty Ducks until the 2005-06 season, Perry finished his CHL career with 253 games played, scoring 140 goals and 240 assists.
As the Mighty Ducks officially transitioned into the Anaheim Ducks during the 2006-07 season, Perry helped considerably in the Ducks’ path to the Stanley Cup Final. In 21 games played in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Perry scored six goals and nine assists as the Ducks won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
A few years later, Perry would become one of the best players in the NHL, scoring 50 goals and 48 assists in the 2010-11 season, winning both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Maurice Richard Trophy. Because of his offensive explosion, the Ducks would reward Perry with an 8-year, $69 million contract extension through the 2020-21 season.
Unfortunately for both him and the Ducks, Perry would only play six out of eight years of that contract, as he was bought out at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. Throughout the next several years, Perry would play on one-year contracts, playing for the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens in 2020 and 2021, respectively, helping both teams to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Having lost the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Perry decided to join Tampa Bay, signing a 2-year, $2 million contract before the 2021-22 season. In potentially his last season for the Lightning, Perry scored 13 goals and 15 assists but also held a rating of -28 while on the ice.
As Perry has already entered the twilight years of his career, he can still provide a bit of depth scoring for any team across the league. Being in the hunt for the Stanley Cup for seemingly the last four seasons, Perry will likely look to join a team that is firmly on the cusp of raising the trophy at the end of the season.
Minnesota Wild Sign Marcus Johansson To Extension
A few short days after their season came to its conclusion at the hands of the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have announced they will be bringing back forward Marcus Johansson into the fold. The contract will be a 2-year, $4MM contract, extending Johansson through the 2024-25 season.
In his second tenure with the Wild, Johansson was a critical forward down the stretch in Minnesota’s playoff hunt. After being acquired from the Washington Capitals at this year’s trade deadline, Johansson played in 20 games, scoring six goals and 12 assists. Just as importantly, Johansson brought his career exceptional possession numbers, providing the Wild a Corsi For % of 52.2.
Heading into this year’s offseason, Minnesota was going to find itself in an increasingly difficult salary cap situation. Due to the past buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the cap penalty will increase from $6.37MM per player to $7.37MM per player, taking almost $15MM away from the Wild’s available cap. Even after signing Johansson, Minnesota still has five players headed for unrestricted free agency (three forwards, and two defensemen) and five players headed toward restricted free agency (three forwards, one defenseman, and one goalie).
Up to this point, taking into account the massive cap penalty given to the Wild due to their past buyouts, General Manager Bill Guerin has done a good job assembling a roster worthy enough to get into the playoffs almost year-in-and-year-out. He will have to continue to remain creative throughout this process, and bringing back Johansson on a relatively cheap contract is one way to get that started.
New York Rangers Linked To Joel Quenneville
With the New York Rangers’ disappointing Game 7 shutout loss in the rearview mirror, speculation about changes to the team’s roster and coaching staff fired up as soon as the horn blew to end the game. Today, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that speculation includes longtime NHL coach Joel Quenneville as a possible replacement behind the bench if the Rangers opt to move on from head coach Gerard Gallant. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski doubled down on ties between the Rangers and Quenneville.
Any move involving Quenneville will be met with a great amount of scrutiny. Quenneville currently requires approval from the commissioners’ office to work any job in the league again due to his involvement in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks’ response to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual abuse of former player Kyle Beach.
Per the investigation report released by independent legal firm Jenner and Block, multiple witnesses stated Quenneville participated in a meeting to discuss the Aldrich allegations shortly after the Blackhawks advanced to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, where he and other Blackhawks leaders opted to defer action on Aldrich until the end of the playoff run so as to “not cause a distraction” to the team’s on-ice success. Prior to the report coming to light, Quenneville had claimed publically he had no previous knowledge of the allegations against Aldrich.
Dreger confirmed that Quenneville has not yet been cleared by the league to return to coaching and said that an official interview request from the Rangers would “likely encourage commissioner approval.”
Quenneville last coached in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers, posting a 7-0-0 record before resigning and being conditionally held out of NHL work by the commissioner’s office.
New York Islanders Sign Matthew Maggio
The New York Islanders have inked an intriguing prospect, signing forward Matthew Maggio to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Monday. Per CapFriendly, the contract carries a cap hit of $870,000, with a base salary of $775,000, a signing bonus of $95,000, and potential performance bonuses of $80,000 in all three seasons.
The Islanders selected Maggio, 20, in the fifth round, 142nd overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft as an over-age player. The Windsor, Ontario, product spent the 2022-23 season with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, where he led the league in goals (54) and points (111) in 66 games.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, Maggio is an extremely tenacious winger who’s somewhat unexpectedly developed elite point-production ability during his latter years in junior hockey. While the delayed increase in offense in his junior career raises questions about his ultimate ceiling in the NHL, he’s shown the tools to become a good depth scoring option.
He’ll need another few seasons in the minors before getting some extended NHL looks, and he’s expected to play next season with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Maggio had two assists in three games with Bridgeport to close out the 2022-23 season after signing an amateur tryout contract.
With the Islanders not having much to boast about in their current prospect pool, Maggio could be a potential highlight of their current crop of young players.
Washington Capitals Sign Alexander Alexeyev To Extension
9:17 AM: The Capitals have made the signing official with a team announcement (Tweet Link). The contract will be a 2-year, $1.65MM extension, paying him $775K in 2023-24, and $875K in 2024-25.
7:51 AM: The Washington Capitals are closing in on a two-year extension with defenseman Alexander Alexeyev, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday night. PuckPedia adds the contract carries a cap hit of $825,000, paying Alexeyev $775,000 in 2023-24 and $875,000 in 2024-25.
Alexeyev, 23, was set to be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this offseason. His new contract comes in below his $874,125 qualifying offer.
Selected with the last pick of the first round in 2018, Alexeyev made the jump to the NHL full-time this season, although he likely wouldn’t have if not for significant injuries to the Washington blue line. Playing in 32 games with the Capitals, Alexeyev registered five assists and a -2 rating.
The hulking 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman was on a decent development track up until the past two seasons, even if the first-round selection was a tad bit of a reach. But his offensive production in the minors last season took a nosedive, posting 19 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, and didn’t showcase a ton in the NHL this year.
That’s not to say Alexeyev is a bust. Defensemen do traditionally take longer to develop, and he still has plenty of ground left to cover at 23. Unless Washington signs a significant upgrade on pending unrestricted free agent Matt Irwin, Alexeyev is destined for a spot on Washington’s roster out of camp next year, where he’ll get another chance to show what he’s capable of at the NHL level, especially in his transition game.
PHR Playoff Primer: Dallas Stars vs. Seattle Kraken
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We begin our second-round coverage with the Western Conference matchup between the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken.
The Seattle fanbase waited a long time for a team to cheer for and the Seattle Kraken have given them something to cheer about in just their second season by knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champions in seven games. The Dallas Stars on the other hand were able to dispatch of the Minnesota Wild in just six games on the back of incredible goaltending from Jake Oettinger. Their second-round matchup will mark the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs.
What a difference a season makes. A year ago, Kraken general manager Ron Francis looked as though he’d butchered the expansion draft as Seattle finished near the bottom of the NHL standings. But, fast forward one year later and the Kraken have their first 100-point season, a playoff series victory, and the opportunity for more. For Dallas, they are just three years removed from a Stanley Cup finals appearance in which they lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Stars do still have several of the core pieces from that 2020 team, they’ve added a lot of elite young talent to mix in with their older core pieces.
It’s hard to get excited for a series in which the two teams have never met in the playoffs before, but Dallas quietly had one of the most exciting series of the first round, and Seattle provided ample fireworks of their own. This series might not have the draw that some other series may have, but there will be plenty of star power on the ice for Dallas, while Seattle has one of the most balanced lineups in the entire NHL and can outwork almost any team.
Regular Season Performance
Dallas Stars: 51-22-9, 111 points, +43 goal differential
Seattle Kraken: 46-28-8, 100 points, +33 goal differential.
Head-To-Head
March 11, 2023: Dallas 4, Seattle 3 (OT)
March 13, 2023: Dallas 5, Seattle 2
March 21, 2023: Seattle 5, Dallas 4 (OT)
Dallas takes the season series 2-0-1
Team Storylines
One might not think these teams would have much in the way of a rivalry, however for ten days in mid-March they saw a lot of each other. The teams played three times and developed a bit of hate in that time. While a lot has happened since then, there could be carryover.
The biggest storyline in this series will be the high-end skill of the Dallas Stars against the workmanlike attitude of the Seattle Kraken. Dallas has the offense and the goaltending to make a deep run in these playoffs and have much higher expectations than the Kraken, however Seattle has shown an incredible amount of heart this season and are playing with house money at this point. Sometimes the pressure can cause a team to wilt, and sometimes no pressure at all can make a team play fast and loose. It’ll be interesting to see it play out.
The Dallas Stars play with a ton of skill and a ton of speed, led by Jason Robertson, they can put the puck in your net in several ways and can push the pace, or slow down the game if they need to grind out a win. They still possess Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and a few other players from the 2020 run to the finals that know how to get the job done in the playoffs. They have the confidence in their group and their goalie to get it done. Seattle on the other can also play with a lot of pace, they come at you in waves, line after line can contribute on the offensive end. Every line can score, but they don’t have the gamebreakers that Dallas has.
On the backend, both teams have strong blue lines that can help generate offense. Seattle has the size advantage with a couple of towering forces that can crash and bang and clear the front of the net, but Dallas may possess the strength advantage with a physically imposing lineup in which every man in the unit is over six foot. Dallas has the most elite puck mover in Miro Heiskanen, but this year’s version of Vince Dunn isn’t far off, and Seattle has a better collection of point producers and a deeper unit of six. While the Stars defense can do it all, Seattle’s defense can all do it. Coach Dave Hakstol has somehow managed to spread his defensive minutes about as evenly as you will ever see for a defensive unit. I would give the advantage to Seattle in this area as they seem to find an extra gear late in games and have a good track record of shutting the door on their opponents.
In goal, Dallas boasts one of the best goaltenders in the world in Jake Oettinger. His playoff resume is short, but it is strong. He was dominant in the first round, and should he play at that level in this series, Dallas will be tough to beat. Regular season numbers would tell us that Oettinger gives Dallas a huge advantage over Seattle in net, but in round one Seattle received elite goaltending as well. Philipp Grubauer finally gave Seattle the goaltending they thought they were getting when they signed the former Avalanche goalie to a six year $35.4MM contract in 2021. The German netminder hasn’t been able to sustain much success over his two years with the Kraken, but if he can build on his impressive stretch of play in round one, Seattle will have a punchers chance to advance.
Prediction
Anytime an elite goaltender is involved in a series it is always difficult to bet against them. Jake Oettinger has proven himself to be one of the best in the world and so far, has shown an ability to rise to the occasion when the games mean the most. If he can steal a game or two in this series, it will give Dallas a sizeable advantage and could be the difference in the series.
The other element that comes into play is experience. Dallas has a ton of players who have been here before, and while Seattle has some veterans with Stanley Cup playoff experience, it isn’t on the same level. This small detail could be the difference maker for the Stars if they can draw on that experience and find that extra push.
The prediction: Dallas win in seven games.