Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs
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 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Key Restricted Free Agents
G Ilya Samsonov – The Maple Leafs took a significant risk on Samsonov, trusting him to potentially be their number-one goalie in a season where enormous pressure was placed on the team to finally go on an extended playoff run. Samsonov, now 26, had been exiled from the Washington Capitals after a disappointing 2021-22 season that included some major errors in some high-leverage moments.
Drafted 22nd overall at the 2015 draft, Samsonov was once believed to be the Capitals’ goalie of the future but his inconsistency and inability to seize the void left in Washington’s crease by Braden Holtby‘s departure led to him being available for Toronto to snag as an unrestricted free agent.
The team signed him to a one-year $1.8MM deal and he ended up rewarding the team’s faith considerably. He led Toronto netminders with 42 games played and posted a strong .919 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against-average.
While his playoff performances as a Washington Capital were cause for significant concern, Samsonov’s play in the Maple Leafs’ first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning helped Toronto get the playoff series win they’d been long searching for. While he didn’t quite play up to par against the Florida Panthers (like the rest of his team, to be fair) and had his series end early due to injury, his 2022-23 season could be seen as serving as a major turning point for his career and a moment where he has resurrected his reputation as an up-and-coming netminder.
He’s earned himself a solid pay raise from his $1.8MM deal, but since he has a relatively inconsistent track record he might not be the safest long-term investment.
As for his future in Toronto, there are some questions to answer. The general manager that signed him, Kyle Dubas, is no longer with the organization and the new general manager, Brad Treliving, is coming from a team that has an established veteran netminder in Jacob Markstrom. Might Toronto prefer to add a proven veteran in their crease? And if so, is there going to be enough cap space to re-sign Samsonov to the type of contract his play has merited?
F Nick Abruzzese – With such a sizeable portion of the Maple Leafs’ salary cap space set aside to pay for the team’s core of star players, Toronto will need cheap, energetic, competent players to fill spots lower in their lineup. Abruzzese, 24, fits that profile after a strong first season as a full-time pro.
He scored 16 goals and 48 points in 69 AHL games for the Toronto Marlies and pitched in two assists in his two games of NHL action. With no proven NHL track record to speak of he won’t receive a significant raise from the $850k he earned last season, and as a result, could be in prime position to seize a depth role in Toronto.
Other RFAs: F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, F Pontus Holmberg, D Victor Mete, D Mac Hollowell, D Filip Kral
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Ryan O’Reilly – The centerpiece acquisition of former GM Kyle Dubas’ flurry of trade deadline moves, O’Reilly looks poised to depart Toronto having improved his leaguewide standing to a considerable degree. In the final stretch of his tenure as a St. Louis Blue, the 2018-19 Selke and Conn Smythe Trophy winner’s significantly declined offensive production was the primary story surrounding his play.
By the time of the trade he had managed only 19 points in 40 games, a 39-point 82-game pace.
That’s a steep decline from the 58 points in 78 games he posted last year, and there was concern that at 32 years old O’Reilly was exiting his prime and was beginning a career-altering decline in form. Then O’Reilly landed in Toronto and he turned that narrative around, managing 11 points in 13 regular-season games and nine points in 11 playoff games.
His heroics at important moments, including a crucial game-tying goal in Game Three against Tampa Bay and two assists in the team’s stunning Game Four comeback showed everyone that O’Reilly still has gas left in the tank.
But as a result, he likely priced himself out of Toronto with his playoff heroics. He’ll be among the top centers available in what is a relatively thin free agent class down the middle and should receive contract offers that exceed what the Maple Leafs are in a position to offer him.
F Michael Bunting – While O’Reilly’s playoff performance changed the narrative around him for the better, the playoffs were not as kind to Bunting, 27. Bunting only managed to find the scoresheet twice in the playoffs despite scoring 23 goals and 49 points in the regular season.
His suspension due to a vicious hit to the head he laid on Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak earned Bunting some scathing criticism, and it left many wondering if he’d played his way out of Toronto, rather than priced his way out as someone such as Zach Hyman had.
Bunting remains a valuable winger who scored 63 points as a 26-year-old NHL rookie, but those questions that sprung up during the playoffs will linger as he considers offers on the open market. Is it possible that Toronto decides they can’t afford to let him walk?
Absolutely, but it feels like the team is headed in a different direction, especially with Matthew Knies penciled into his spot in the team’s top-six at what is likely to be a significantly cheaper price than the cap hit Bunting has earned.
F Alexander Kerfoot – While Kerfoot’s status as a focal point of Toronto’s return from trading Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche might leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Maple Leafs faithful, it isn’t exactly fair to judge Kerfoot against Kadri and the things he achieved in Colorado.
Kerfoot never had the breakout season in Toronto like the one Kadri had in Colorado, but Kerfoot nonetheless had his moments as a Maple Leaf. He scored 51 points in 2021-22 and was the second-highest-scoring Maple Leaf during the team’s infamous 2021 playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, putting together a six-point performance that exceeded the production of stars such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Morgan Reilly.
He’s a quality third-line forward with the versatility to either play center or along the wings, and he has also been a consistent presence on one of Toronto’s penalty-killing units. There are far worse players to staff a middle-six with than Kerfoot, but after he only managed two points in eleven playoff games it’s possible Toronto will look in a different direction for that area of their lineup.
F David Kampf – Kampf took a step forward after joining Toronto from the Chicago Blackhawks and has proven himself to be a solid defense-first fourth-line center. He was Toronto’s most heavily-used penalty-killing forward over the past two seasons and in that span of time, Toronto’s penalty kill ranks sixth in the NHL with a kill rate of 82%.
Toronto would surely like to have him back but like many of the other players on expiring deals, he may have earned a pay raise that bumps him to an area of pay Toronto won’t be able to match. He’ll be among the top fourth-line centers available on the market in any case and should earn a bump from the $1.5MM he earned this past season.
D Luke Schenn – Schenn has found himself in a different spot than where he was during his first tour of duty with the Maple Leafs. No longer is he a former top prospect whose NHL play has disappointed relative to the expectations placed upon him by the media, now he’s a widely-respected veteran defenseman who can offer gritty, hard-nosed play and two Stanley Cup rings worth of playoff experience.
Schenn earned $850k this past season but will in all likelihood earn at the very least more than $1MM AAV on his next contract, and possibly far more than that. He’s a quality option for a team looking to add a proven veteran defensive defenseman to their mix but perhaps not what Toronto needs with T.J. Brodie, Timothy Liljegren, and Conor Timmins already in pace along the right-hand side of their defense.
D Justin Holl – Holl’s playoff performances made him a bit of a lightning rod for the Maple Leafs fanbase, but as someone who worked his way up from the ECHL he’s carved out a solid career for himself. He’s been a regular on head coach Sheldon Keefe‘s blueline since Keefe first took over the job in 2019-20 and has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per night for the past three seasons, including as one of the team’s leading penalty killers.
As a right-shot blueliner, Holl may not have a spot in Toronto given the presence of Timmins, Brodie, and Liljegren, but he’ll find his place on the open market and be a solid option for a team looking to beef up its blueline.
Other UFAs: F Noel Acciari, F Zach Aston-Reese, F Wayne Simmonds, F Radim Zohorna, D Erik Gustafsson, D Jordie Benn, G Erik Kallgren
Projected Cap Space
The presence of Toronto’s highly-paid core of stars makes their cap situation quite complicated, especially as key contract extensions for Matthews, Marner, and William Nylander, among others, will need to be negotiated. As a result, Toronto may not be in a position to make any major, long-term commitments before those deals are finalized. This is likely to impact the players they’ll be able to target on the open market.
CapFriendly projects them to have a little over $9MM in salary cap space, though that number would increase considerably should they manage to find a way to remove Matt Murray and his $4.687MM cap hit from their books. That should be enough to add a few role players, though if they want to make a more sizeable change to their team composition some creativity is likely to be required.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Senators Sale, Canadiens Staff, Knoblauch
The new owner of the Ottawa Senators was revealed today, with Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer proving victorious after a long sale process. But while we now know the identity of the team’s new owner, the team won’t officially change hands for a few more months. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the deal for the team may not close until September, as there remains “a lot of work to be done” and Andlauer must also sell his stake in the Canadiens before taking control of their division rival.
As a result of that wait, no significant changes to the team’s hockey operations department are expected until Andlauer assumes full control of the franchise, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. Steve Staios, currently an Edmonton Oilers executive, has been widely reported to be of interest to Andlauer as a potentially significant addition to the Senators’ front office, and it’s possible that Andlauer would prefer to have different people in charge of hockey operations than the two figureheads currently in place: general manager Pierre Dorion and head coach D.J. Smith. But while it could very well end up being the case that Andlauer prefers new hires, it seems the current status quo will remain in place through this offseason, an arrangement that could have an impact in the team’s ongoing decision-making regarding star forward Alex DeBrincat.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- While a variety of factors influenced the Montreal Canadiens’ fall from 2021 Stanley Cup finalist to league basement-dweller between 2021 and 2022/2023, one significant contributing factor is injuries. The team has been absolutely ravaged by injuries over the past two seasons, including this year when 2022 number-one pick Juraj Slafkovsky and star forward Cole Caufield were among the multitude of Canadiens to suffer season-ending injuries. The Canadiens have placed a high priority on player development at this stage of their rebuild, but head coach Martin St. Louis’ development efforts have been consistently hamstrung by injuries to key young talent. Now, off-ice changes are being made to address this situation. TVA Sports’ Tony Marinaro reports that the Canadiens have parted ways with head physiotherapist Donald Balmforth and head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend, a report that was confirmed by Jean Francois Chaumont of Le Journal de Montreal.
- The New York Rangers will retain Kris Knoblauch as their AHL head coach for next season, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. Knoblauch was a candidate for the Rangers’ head coaching vacancy and has been the bench boss for the Hartford Wolf Pack for the past four seasons. He led Hartford to the AHL playoffs this past season and upset one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, the Providence Bruins, in a playoff series. Knoblauch, 44, will look to build on the progress made for Hartford this past season and make a push toward Calder Cup contention.
Wild Notes: Rossi, Goligoski, Gustavsson, Reaves
The Minnesota Wild’s number-one priority as an organization seems to be finally finding the a true number-one center to build around. When he was drafted with the ninth-overall pick at the 2020 draft, it was believed that Austrian center Marco Rossi had a shot at being that long-awaited franchise-altering pivot. Significant health issues altered the trajectory of Rossi’s development early in his time as a Wild prospect, and while he has been an exceptionally productive player in the AHL (104 points in 116 career games) the soon-to-be 22-year-old hasn’t managed to seize the moment in the NHL with Minnesota.
While he’s still undoubtedly someone the Wild are hoping pans out, the Athletic’s Joe Smith reported today that he believes the Wild would “be open to moving Rossi if the right deal came up,” such as one with a 2023 first-round pick as compensation. (subscription link) The Kirby Dach trade that was made at last year’s draft could serve as a template for this kind of deal, with the Canadiens surrendering a draft pick in order to acquire a high-upside center whose development had been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Given how significant Dach’s developmental turnaround was under Martin St. Louis in Montreal, it seems possible that an organization confident in its player development abilities might be willing to part with a first-round pick in order to acquire Rossi. Acquiring Rossi could afford a team a quicker turnaround to NHL relevance than developing a brand-new draft pick, so perhaps a team looking to speed up its rebuild or quickly inject some cost-controlled young talent into its roster could be a fit as well.
Some other notes regarding the Wild:
- Smith’s article touched on quite a few players of interest to this Minnesota offseason, including 1042-game veteran blueliner Alex Goligoski. Smith reports that Goligoski’s preference is to remain in Minnesota for the final year of his contract, but that his $2MM cap hit combined with the Wild’s significant salary cap constraints could complicate things. Goligoski has a full no-movement clause on his contract so he can control his playing future, but after spending much of last season as a healthy scratch one wonders if he’d sanction a move away from Minnesota simply to re-gain a regular spot in an NHL lineup.
- Perhaps the most significant player the Wild will need to negotiate with this summer is netminder Filip Gustavsson, who had a stellar season. Gustavsson is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent and Smith writes that his next contract “will end up falling into one of three categories: a one-year deal, a three-year deal or a one-year arbitration award.” With top prospect Jesper Wallstedt waiting in the wings, it makes sense that the Wild might not want to invest long-term in Gustavsson, but should the 25-year-old manage to even come close his numbers from this past season in 2023-24 only locking him down for one season could end up a costly mistake.
- The Wild’s mid-season trade acquisition of enforcer Ryan Reaves injected some much-needed energy and life onto their roster, and he scored 15 points in 61 games helping the team reach the playoffs once again. Smith writes that Reaves, now 36, would like to return to the Wild but is prioritizing maximizing the financial value of his next contract, a deal that could very well end up his last major free-agent cash-in. Reaves reportedly is seeking term on his next deal longer than just one year, so since the Wild are set to be paying nearly $15MM in dead money due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, it very well could be that re-signing Reaves is a luxury they cannot afford.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Derek Ryan To Extension
The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Derek Ryan to a two-year contract extension worth $900,000 per season, the team announced Tuesday.
Ryan, 36, was slated for unrestricted free agency on July 1. The deal, which will be subject to 35+ rules given Ryan’s age, could contain performance bonuses for the veteran forward.
The last game of the 2022-23 regular season was Ryan’s 500th, a remarkable feat for a player who didn’t make his NHL until age 29. He did well enough in a bottom-six role for Edmonton, scoring 13 goals and 20 points in 80 games while adding three points in 11 playoff games.
Ryan was born and developed in Spokane, Washington, where he played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. His numbers there were solid but never spectacular, though, and given his 5-foot-10 height, his play didn’t warrant a draft selection from most NHL teams in the mid-2000s.
He then played a full four seasons at the University of Alberta, where he did dominate the scoresheet, recording 146 points in 109 games from 2007 to 2011. Upon wrapping up his collegiate career, though, Ryan was already 24 and opted to turn pro in Europe rather than taking a minor-league deal.
It ended up being the best decision of his life, producing well over a point per game in three seasons in Austria’s EBEL league (now the ICEHL) before getting some larger market exposure with SHL team Örebro HK in 2014-15. His 60 points in 55 games there, along with a +18 rating, garnered some interest in the NHL free agent market, where the Carolina Hurricanes snapped him up.
Ryan was then immediately named captain of their AHL affiliate at the time, the Charlotte Checkers, and led them in scoring in his first season there with 55 points in 70 contests. Ryan was then called up to the team full-time early into the 2016-17 campaign and hasn’t looked back since, becoming one of the more stable bottom-six, two-way forwards in the league.
Ryan would have surely found a home on the open market had Edmonton opted not to re-sign him, but he’s one of the most complete and consistent players the Oilers have on their third and fourth lines. Locked in until he’s 38 years old, though, this is likely Ryan’s last NHL contract.
Snapshots: Murphy, Tkachuk, Michkov
While the New York Rangers filled the final head coaching vacancy in the league today, officially hiring Peter Laviolette, their offseason work is far from over. The Rangers and Laviolette will need to fill out the rest of his staff, which, per The New York Post’s Mollie Walker, will not include assistant coach Gord Murphy.
Goalie coach Benoit Allaire will be the only returning member from last year’s coaching staff. The Rangers relieved former head coach Gerard Gallant’s other assistants, Mike Kelly and Jim Midgley, early last month.
Murphy had been on the Rangers’ staff only as long as Gallant had: two seasons. He was an internal promotion, though, spending two years with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack as an associate head coach from 2019 to 2021. The long-time NHL defender and father of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, Gord also spent lengthy stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant.
More from around the league today:
- Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice offered no update on the status of star winger Matthew Tkachuk before tonight’s do-or-die Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Tkachuk has not practiced with the team since their Game 4 loss, and his availability for tonight remains up in the air after a hard hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar in Game 3. Already without the services of Eetu Luostarinen at forward as well, either Givani Smith or Grigori Denisenko could slot into the lineup tonight if Tkachuk can’t go. Smith played just over five minutes in one game during the First Round against Boston, while it would be Denisenko’s playoff debut.
- Yesterday, reporting indicated that early presumptive top-two pick Matvei Michkov could fall completely out of the top 10 choices when the 2023 NHL Draft occurs this month. Today, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman spoke to a panel of anonymous NHL executives and scouts about a myriad of topics, including the perception of Michkov around the league. Multiple executives and scouts still had Michkov pegged in the top two or three spots in the draft, even considering his contract situation and the Russian geopolitical climate. Others were harsher on his play, with one scout saying, “you have a [5-foot-9] not-amazing-skating, average-compete winger.” What did appear clear in the responses, though, was that the extraneous factors surrounding Michkov’s development and NHL future weren’t a huge concern.
New York Rangers Hire Peter Laviolette
June 13: The New York Post reported the New York Rangers were expected to name Laviolette their head coach today, and an official announcement from the team came in minutes later. General manager Chris Drury offered a statement:
We are thrilled that Peter will be the next Head Coach of the New York Rangers. With Peter’s extensive experience as a Head Coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team.
June 12: Shortly after the Calgary Flames named Ryan Huska their 21st head coach in franchise history, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the New York Rangers are prepared to name their 44th. Although nothing is officially complete now, Friedman writes that Peter Laviolette will man the bench for the Rangers next season unless something dramatic changes.
In just over two years spent as head coach of New York, the Rangers recently let go of head coach Gerard Gallant. In those two seasons spent in New York, Gallant coached the Rangers to a 99-46-19 record, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, and the first round of the playoffs in 2023. Coaching a team currently constructed as a Stanley Cup contender, the lack of playoff success likely pushed Gallant out the door.
About two weeks before Gallant’s exit in New York, Laviolette was also shown the door by his former employer, the Washington Capitals. Also coaching a team with expectations of playoff success, the Capitals finished this season with a 35-37-10 record and missed the playoffs entirely. After coaching in the United States Capital for three seasons, Laviolette finished his career in Washington with a coaching record of 115-78-27, including two first-round exits.
Although Gallant was able to coach the upstart Vegas Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, Laviolette is much more of a proven winner as a head coach. His first head coaching job in the NHL came all the way back during the 2001-02 season, coaching the New York Islanders for two seasons. Finishing his Islanders’ tenure with a 77-62-19-6 record, Laviolette was able to get the Islanders to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
After the Carolina Hurricanes fired then-head coach Paul Maurice after the 2002-03 season, Laviolette quickly joined on as head coach to replace him. Spending five seasons in Carolina, Laviolette’s stay with the Hurricanes was somewhat of a mixed bag. He only finished with a slight winning percentage, going 167-122-6-28, and missed the playoffs three times, having been fired midway through the 2008-09 season. Minus the playoff exits, Laviolette was able to coach the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history during the 2006 NHL Playoffs.
Although his tenure in Carolina was a mixed bag, after joining the Philadelphia Flyers as head coach before the 2009-10 season, Laviolette got off to a quick start. The Flyers made the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals but ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. The following two seasons, the Flyers would be knocked out in the semi-finals in back-to-back years, but still finished as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.
After missing the playoffs entirely during the 2012-13 season, Laviolette was quickly dismissed after only three games into the 2014-15 season, not returning to the NHL for the rest of the year. Before the start of the 2014-15 season, Laviolette was named the new head coach of the Nashville Predators. For the first time since his stay with the Islanders, Laviolette was able to coach the Predators to the playoffs every year spent as head coach (before his firing during the 2019-20 season). The most notable playoff appearance in Nashville came during the 2016-17 season, as the team made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
In all, Laviolette has coached his team to the playoffs 13 times and missed the playoffs only five times after 18 full seasons of coaching. He has appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals three times, and his only successful one came with the Hurricanes back in 2006. The Rangers will become the fifth team that Laviolette has coached within the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Patrick Sharp Joins Philadelphia Flyers As Special Advisor To Hockey Operations
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced the appointment of longtime NHLer and former Flyer Patrick Sharp as Special Advisor to Hockey Operations, according to a press release today.
In his new position, Sharp, 41, will report directly to general manager Daniel Brière and advise in “all aspects of the club’s hockey operations department.” His primary focus will be on player development, particularly with the Flyers’ prospects, the team said.
Newly-minted president of hockey operations, Keith Jones, expressed confidence in Sharp’s addition:
In adding Patrick Sharp to our group, we are gaining an individual who has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building an environment of winning at all levels. Patrick knows what it takes to win, he understands how to convey that to our players and is a relationship maker. He will be a vital component as we continue to build the foundation of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jones and Sharp were colleagues for multiple years as broadcasters, both doing work for NBC Sports (and briefly TNT) on American television. Sharp spent the last five seasons in broadcasting roles following his retirement from the NHL in 2018. In September 2021, he also joined the University of Vermont as an advisor to their coaching staff.
As a player, Sharp served as an alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks during their championship seasons in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Originally selected by the Flyers in the third round of the 2001 NHL Draft, Sharp also contributed to the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms’ Calder Cup Championship in 2005.
Sharp also represented Canada in international competitions, including the 2008 and 2012 IIHF Men’s World Championships, and won a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Throughout his career, Sharp amassed 620 points in 939 NHL games over 15 seasons with the Flyers, Blackhawks, and Dallas Stars. In 142 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Sharp tallied 47 goals and 40 assists for 87 points.
Minor Transactions: 06/13/23
The NHL season could end tonight with a Game 5 win for the Vegas Golden Knights, bringing them their first-ever Stanley Cup in just six years of existence. It’s business as usual around the rest of the hockey world, though, as non-candidates for NHL free agency solidify their homes for 2023-24. We’ll keep a list of those notable transactions here today, as always.
- Detroit Red Wings goalie prospect Victor Brattström signed a one-year contract with SHL side HV71 today, forming a tandem with former Calgary Flame Joni Ortio. Brattström, 26, played the last two seasons primarily with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, but posted disappointing numbers (.891 save percentage, 15-24-7 record in 50 games played). An over-age sixth-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, Brattström was a pending restricted free agent and likely won’t be qualified by the Red Wings.
- 27-year-old defenseman Keaton Thompson has signed a one-year contract extension with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per the club. A third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks back in 2013, Thompson’s become an AHL mainstay as a depth defenseman but has yet to make his NHL debut. The North Dakota product registered four goals and six assists in 40 games with Milwaukee last year, his first with the team after six previous seasons split between the San Diego Gulls and Iowa Wild.
- The AHL’s Texas Stars have announced that defenseman Michael Karow has signed a two-year contract extension to remain in Cedar Park. The 24-year-old former Arizona Coyotes prospect just finished up his first full season as a professional after spending a half-decade playing college hockey. Karow began the year playing in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads but quickly proved himself to be ready for the next level. He eventually got into 36 games for the Stars, including eight playoff games, and tallied 11 total points.
- The Laval Rocket of the AHL have re-signed forward Riley McKay and hybrid forward/defenseman John Parker-Jones to one-year, one-way AHL deals. McKay, 24, is a hard-nosed grinder who was twice the WHL’s most penalized player in his junior hockey days. This past season he split time between AHL Laval and the Montreal Canadiens’ ECHL affiliate, the Trois-Rivieres Lions. He scored seven points in 23 games at the AHL level while adding on 118 penalty minutes. Parker-Jones, 23, is a massive six-foot-seven, 230-pound player who played in 20 games for the Rocket and 17 for the Lions, flashing some offensive touch at the ECHL level with 7 goals and 11 points in 17 games.
- 2020-21 ECHL Goalie of the Year Jake Hildebrand is moving to one of the top clubs in the DEL: Eisbaren Berlin. The 29-year-old secured a contract from the bounce-back-seeking Polar Bears after a strong two-season start to his overseas pro career. He led the second-tier DEL2 in save percentage and goals-against-average in 2021-22, leading Frankfurt to promotion to the top-tier DEL. This past season he played in 50 games and posted a solid .911 save percentage, helping his newly-promoted club avoid relegation and reach the DEL playoffs. Now the former college hockey star will join Carolina Hurricanes prospect Nikita Quapp in Berlin’s crease and likely be their go-to option in net.
- Austrian ICEHL club Black Wings Linz will have to look for a new leading scorer as they announced today that Norwegian center Michael Haga will not be returning to the club for next season. Haga, 31, scored 16 goals and 45 points in 43 games for Linz, helping them reach the ICEHL playoffs. He’s a player with exceptional puck skills for his level of hockey and showcased them frequently not only with Linz but also with Norway at the IIHF Men’s World Championships last month, where he helped Norway achieve a historic upset victory over Canada. Haga has seen only sporadic success at higher levels of European competition earlier in his career, such as in the SHL or Liiga, but perhaps now with this release he’ll be afforded the opportunity to once again try his luck in one of Europe’s top leagues.
- While Canadian Evan Jasper has been a quality scorer in the ECHL and was a crucial contributor to the Bietigheim Steelers’ promotion-winning 2020-21 campaign, his 17 goals and 32 points this past season were not enough to help the club avoid relegation back to the DEL2. With the Steelers now in the second tier of German hockey, Jasper has decided to sign elsewhere, landing with HK Mountfield in the Czech Extraliga. Jasper’s track record of solid scoring numbers in the ECHL and DEL should translate to the Czech league, where he’ll likely be counted on as a top-six forward for Mountfield.
- Former EIHL First-Team All-Star Josh Roach has signed a contract extension to remain with the Belfast Giants, the reigning champions. Injuries cost him a large chunk of games this season but when healthy he’s among Belfast’s most important players. With Roach re-signed, Giants defenseman Will Cullen has signed elsewhere, joining with HK Olimpija Ljubljana of the ICEHL, a club in Slovenia’s capital city. Cullen scored 32 points in 52 games for the Giants and added three points in four playoff games. Now, the one-time ECHL blueliner will try his luck in Central Europe.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Patrick Roy Resigns From QMJHL’s Québec Remparts
9:56 a.m. CT: Roy told the media this morning that “absolutely [no]” NHL team has reached out to him yet about a coaching position.
9:35 a.m. CT: NHL head coaching hopeful Patrick Roy announced today he’s leaving his post with the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, reports TVA Sports. Roy and his Remparts just won the 2023 Memorial Cup, defeating the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds with a shutout win in the final game.
It’s quite auspicious timing for the announcement, given the sale of the Ottawa Senators to Michael Andlauer was agreed upon in principle this morning. Roy, who’s been connected to Senators coaching vacancies in the past, could be a leading candidate if the team decides to move on from D.J. Smith behind the bench this summer under new ownership.
Roy last coached in the NHL in 2016, serving as the head coach and VP of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche before abruptly quitting during training camp preceding the 2016-17 campaign. He was succeeded by Jared Bednar, who guided the Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup in over two decades in 2022.
After taking two years off, Roy returned to the Remparts as GM and head coach in 2018. Before joining the Avalanche, he had been Québec’s coach between 2005 and 2013 and general manager since retiring from the NHL in 2003. He also owned the Remparts from 1997 to 2014.
Roy has a penchant for a defensive style of play as a coach, an area where the Senators have struggled in recent seasons. One would argue, though, with the standout individual defensive performances of players like Artem Zub, that it’s more of a personnel issue than a coaching one. Nevertheless, if he does end up behind the Senators’ bench, improving the team’s defensive systems would be his first priority.
Michael Andlauer Expected To Purchase Ottawa Senators
8:30 a.m. CT: Andlauer’s winning bid for the Senators is worth $950MM, sources tell Garrioch. The final purchase price comes in well above most valuations of the franchise – Sportico values the team at $655MM, while Forbes was more optimistic at $800MM in 2022 (although it was a 52% change from 2021).
7:52 a.m. CT: Soon-to-be-former Montreal Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer has won the bidding war for the Ottawa Senators and is expected to assume ownership, sources tell Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
Andlauer’s bid won’t quite eclipse the $1 billion US mark but is close to it. The development comes after Garrioch reported Sunday that the NHL had urged the estate of previous owner Eugene Melnyk to reach a resolution to the sale process as soon as possible.
Multiple celebrity-backed bids for the Senators, namely Snoop Dogg’s involvement with Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks, The Weeknd’s involvement with Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, and Ryan Reynolds’ involvement with the Remington Group, were not selected. Reynolds chose not to submit a bid last month, while Andlauer’s bid eclipsed the value and stability of both the Kimel brothers’ and Sparks’ bids.
The agreement will now require approval from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the league’s executive board. The board met regarding the sale last Wednesday but will likely meet again in a quick fashion considering today’s development. The approval process may extend beyond the upcoming NHL Board of Governors’ meeting in New York on June 22, but Bettman is expected to provide a comprehensive update to the governors on the status of the sale. In order to go through, Andlauer’s bid will require a two-thirds majority vote from the board.
This is expected to be the largest sale in NHL history, assuming it is indeed in the $1 billion US ballpark. It comes just two decades after Melnyk purchased the team out of bankruptcy. Per Garrioch, a no-relocation clause is included as part of this sale.
Garrioch’s reporting indicates Andlauer has impressed league representatives with his vision for the team and desire for competitiveness. Quality ownership, something that’s been missing at times throughout the team’s 30-plus-year history, should lead to more consistency on the ice.
All four final bids (Andlauer, Sparks, the Kimels, and Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos) ranged between $850MM and $1 billion, Garrioch said. Apostolopoulos withdrew from the sale process on Friday, citing frustration with the lack of a resolution, which could very well have influenced Andlauer’s camp to get this done quickly.
Per Garrioch, Anna and Olivia, Melnyk’s daughters and heirs of his estate, will retain up to a 10% stake in the franchise upon approval. As part of the agreement, Andlauer will obviously need to divest his ownership share in the Montreal Canadiens, where he currently holds a partial stake.
Andlauer is in a position to have a massive impact on the team – whether it’s by installing a new general manager, constructing a more centrally-located arena for the team, or both. After working with current Edmonton Oilers special assistant to the GM, Steve Staios, during Andlauer’s time owning the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, he should be a name to watch if Andlauer decides it’s time to move on from Pierre Dorion.