Montreal Canadiens Sign Logan Mailloux
The Montreal Canadiens have signed prospect Logan Mailloux to a three-year, entry-level contract, inking the 2021 first-round pick a few days ahead of the start of the NHL season.
Mailloux, 19, asked not to be drafted at all a year ago, after being charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent while playing in Sweden. At the time, he wrote that it was “best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL draft and ask that no one select me.” The Canadiens did not feel the same, and selected the young defenseman with the 32nd overall pick. The OHL then suspended Mailloux for several months, reinstating him in the New Year. He played 12 games for the London Knights, registering nine points.
In today’s press release, new general manager Kent Hughes, who was not part of the staff that selected Mailloux, released a statement:
This is a decision that we have thought through carefully. Having Logan around members of our team and hockey operations staff for a good part of the summer allowed us to gain a greater appreciation of Logan Mailloux the person. He has an opportunity to affect positive change and we will work to support him in any effort towards that goal. Logan recognizes the impact of his gesture and of course, the process continues.
When the OHL decided to reinstate him, the league explained that Mailloux had gone through a “personal development plan” that included therapy, counseling, and certification in programs like Respect in Sport, Mental Health in Sport, and Cultural Awareness. The Canadiens, apparently comfortable with his progress, have now brought him into the organization on a full-time basis under this contract. He will likely be re-assigned to the Knights to start the year, and his contract will slide forward.
For the rest of his career, Mailloux will likely be a hot-button player in hockey circles. The hope at this point must be that he has learned from his actions and can move forward to “affect positive change” as Hughes puts it. His contract will pay $750K in the first year and $832.5K in the following two, along with a $92K signing bonus in each.
Dylan Coghlan Leaves Game With Injury
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dylan Coghlan will not return to tonight’s preseason matchup against the Buffalo Sabres with a lower-body injury, according to Hurricanes PR.
Coghlan, 24, is entering his first season in the Hurricanes organization. Carolina acquired him, along with the currently-injured Max Pacioretty, from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations when free agency opened on July 13, 2022.
Last season, Coghlan set career highs in games played (59), assists (10), and points (13) while playing his first season as a full-time NHLer. He was a member of the Golden Knights organization from 2017 onwards when he signed there as an undrafted free agent after putting together 15 goals, 38 assists, and 53 points in 71 games with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans in 2016-17. Coghlan turned pro in 2018-19, joining the AHL’s Chicago Wolves – Vegas’ affiliate at the time – where he led all rookie defensemen in goals with 15.
With the Golden Knights’ bevy of injuries last season, Coghlan had an extended opportunity to get into games in Vegas, serving mostly a bottom-pairing role. He had solid possession numbers in his first full showing, posting a 53.1% Corsi for at five-on-five. He’s a candidate to get some potential power-play minutes, potentially filling some of the offensive void left by Tony DeAngelo‘s departure, although the majority of that responsibility will fall on Brent Burns.
Needless to say, with Coghlan battling from the bottom of the lineup, missed time during camp is never a great thing for someone in that position. He’s still likely penciled in for a bottom-pairing role, even if he misses time, but it does hamper his adjustment period to his new team. Hopefully, for Coghlan and the Hurricanes, he hasn’t suffered a longer-term issue.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Owen Beck
6:54 pm: Beck’s contract breakdown is as follows, via CapFriendly:
2022-23: $775K base + $95K signing bonus + $82.5K minors salary + $10.5K juniors salary
2023-24: $835K base + $95K signing bonus + $82.5K minors salary + $10.5K juniors salary
2024-25: $855K base + $95K signing bonus + $82.5K minors salary
8:22 am: While all eyes were on first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, one of the real standouts in Montreal Canadiens camp was second-round pick Owen Beck. While he likely won’t make the team out of camp, he’ll at least leave with something in hand. Beck has been signed to a three-year, entry-level contract that carries a cap hit of just under $917K.
Beck, 18, played last season for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL, after missing the entire 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID shutdown. That may have clouded his upside slightly, dropping him to 33rd overall, but so far his impression on Canadiens brass and fans has been a good one. Given how many picks the team had this year, the 2022 draft could go down as a franchise-altering moment for Montreal, especially if second-rounders Beck and Lane Hutson reach their potential as NHL difference-makers.
While Beck is still in camp with the Canadiens, the likely outcome for him is an assignment back to Mississauga where he can continue his growth. After scoring 51 points in 68 games, he should be a much more productive offensive piece this time around, and set himself for another good training camp a year from now. There’s not much more he could have done this time around, and this contract rewards him for his strong play.
New York Islanders Extend Mathew Barzal
6:33 pm: According to CapFriendly, Barzal will receive exactly $9.15MM in base salary across all eight seasons. A 22-team no-trade clause will kick in for the 2024-25 season and continue for the duration of the contract.
11:44 am: The New York Islanders have signed Mathew Barzal to an eight-year extension worth a total of $73.2MM. The deal will start in 2023-24 and carries an average annual value of $9.15MM.
Barzal, 25, is heading into the third season of a three-year, $21MM bridge contract he signed in 2021 and would have been due a qualifying offer of $8.4MM next summer. That also would have been his final year as a restricted free agent, he would have had arbitration rights, and could have potentially walked himself right to unrestricted free agency by agreeing to a one-year deal. With all of that in mind, the Islanders had to pay up to keep Barzal in the fold long-term, buying out a very expensive RFA season and seven more UFA years.
At $9.15MM, he will become the team’s highest-paid player by quite a bit, blowing by the previous $7MM cap that Anders Lee carries through 2025-26. While the last couple of seasons hasn’t been quite as impressive as Barzal’s incredible 85-point rookie campaign in 2017-18, his dynamic offensive skill is something that is difficult to come by. There’s little doubt that Barzal is the most talented forward on the team, and now with a contract like this in hand, he becomes the pillar to build the rest of the offensive group around.
The question, of course, is whether the Islanders will be able to support Barzal with enough skill once he’s earning so much. A $9.15MM cap hit makes him the 21st highest-paid forward in the league, ahead of some very consistent goal scorers like Filip Forsberg and Mika Zibanejad, and some young up-and-coming talents like Brady Tkachuk and Robert Thomas. The contract that CapFriendly notes as most comparable is Brayden Point‘s $76MM extension, which kicks in this year, but that is a pretty high bar for Barzal to reach on a consistent basis.
With more than $71MM now committed to next season, with a roster of just 17 players, Islanders management will need to make some tough decisions in the years to come. Ilya Sorokin, Josh Bailey, and Anthony Beauvillier are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency after 2023-24. The team is likely betting on the salary cap taking the sharp increase that has been reported, or else things are going to get tight, quick.
Either way, this locks a fan favorite in for the better part of his career, and allows Islanders fans to breathe easy about Barzal’s future. The 16th overall pick from 2015 is now under contract through 2030-31 and now has no negotiations to distract him from getting back to the point-per-game player he has proven capable of being.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Camp Notes: Duhaime/Dewar, Reichel, Malone
Excitement surrounds the Minnesota Wild yet again, as young players like Calen Addison and 2020 ninth-overall pick Marco Rossi are expected to become important contributors to the team this season. Rossi, a center, still needs to work his way up the depth chart though, and he’s meshing on a prospective fourth line with wingers Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar, notes The Athletic’s Michael Russo.
It may seem odd to have a player with Rossi’s skill level playing that low in the lineup (and with players like Duhaime’s more physical playstyle). But evidently, the line has played so well in training camp that Rossi hasn’t even gotten a look between Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy on the team’s second scoring line, according to Russo. Rossi is looking to make a Calder Trophy push after scoring 53 points in 63 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild last year. Dewar has also demonstrated a solid scoring touch in the minors, so some chemistry there is more realistic than most would think. With Duhaime’s imposing presence, it could make for a well-blended, two-way fourth line in Minnesota this season.
- Many expected top Chicago Blackhawks prospect Lukas Reichel to win a spot on the team out of camp, but it wasn’t to be, as the team sent him down to AHL Rockford earlier today. The Athletic’s Scott Powers notes that it’s not an indication that the organization thinks Reichel isn’t NHL-ready, but rather, that the team doesn’t see him as a fit in their top six at this time. The Blackhawks believe that top minutes in Rockford are more beneficial to Reichel’s development than more limited minutes in the NHL at this time.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Sean Malone is on waivers today, but don’t expect any NHL team to claim him, says Buffalo News Sports’ Mike Harrington. Malone, an AHL veteran, is day-to-day and is still dealing with a “lingering injury” from an August procedure. The 27-year-old Malone has just two NHL games under his belt but has developed into a top-line AHL player in recent years.
Snapshots: Golden Knights Goalie Competition, Lambert, Bozak
Ever since it was announced that incumbent starting goalie Robin Lehner would be out for the entirety of the 2022-23 season following hip surgeries, it was clear to many that the Vegas Golden Knights’ situation in their crease would be relatively wide-open. The team is intent on returning to the playoffs after their first playoff miss in franchise history, and they now have a trio of netminders competing for the chance to lead them back to the postseason. Among that trio, it appears we have a frontrunner.
As relayed by SinBin.vegas, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy told the media that Logan Thompson, an undrafted netminder whose heroics nearly saved the team’s playoff hopes last spring, is “ahead” of both offseason additions Michael Hutchinson and Adin Hill in the team’s goaltending competition. While both Hutchinson and Hill are vastly more experienced than Thompson, Thompson, 25, presumably provides the team with the most upside at that position. As mentioned, Thompson excelled last spring and finished his debut NHL campaign with a .914 save percentage in 19 games. While relying on a goalie with just 20 games of NHL experience is a major risk for a team desperate to resume Stanley Cup contention, it seems that the Golden Knights have faith that Thompson can be the person to lead them back to success.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- While forward Brad Lambert was one of the most divisive players of the 2022 entry draft cycle, it seems that such debates over his merit are over in Winnipeg. Per Murat Ates of The Athletic, Lambert’s agent, Rick Curran, and the Winnipeg Jets have had “positive” contract talks regarding an entry-level deal, and Curran is confident that a deal will be reached before the start of the season. While Lambert might have a hard time breaking into one of the Jets’ scoring lines to start this season, his impressive play this preseason could force the Jets into a more aggressive timeline regarding his transition to North American professional hockey.
- With over 800 NHL games and a Stanley Cup ring on his resume, former St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak has had an accomplished NHL career, and an especially accomplished career given his status as an undrafted player. Per The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, Bozak is in no rush to add to that resume. In a recent mailbag article, (subscription link) Rutherford writes that Bozak is only interested in playing in a “few select situations,” and is “content” hanging up his skates if such an opportunity fails to materialize. Bozak skated in 50 regular-season games for the Blues last season to go along with 12 of their playoff contests, and he scored a combined 14 points in that time frame.
Nate Thompson Released From PTO
The Los Angeles Kings announced a huge group of cuts today, and among them was veteran forward Nate Thompson. While most of the group is headed to the minor leagues to continue with the organization, Thompson will need to find a new home if he’s to continue his NHL career.
Now 37, Thompson has played 844 regular season games in the NHL, and another 86 in the postseason. The 2003 sixth-round pick worked his way p to the NHL with the Boston Bruins, and has also suited up for the Kings, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Winnipeg Jets.
Last season, in his second go-round with Philadelphia, Thompson scored just a single goal and three points in 33 games. Never known for his offense, the versatile bottom-sixer has always been asked to play a physical brand of defensive hockey, win his fair share of draws (he was at 55.7% last season), and contribute on the penalty kill. With nearly 1,500 career hits, more than 600 blocked shots, and more than 4,400 won draws, he’s been pretty successful at each.
Still, it’s hard to see him becoming a regular in an NHL lineup at this point, after now hitting the open market again just a few days before the season begins. Perhaps a team dealing with injuries down the middle will pick him up but it is far from guaranteed that he earns a contract before opening day.
Waivers: 10/04/22
After all of the players from yesterday cleared, there is a new batch of talent on waivers today. Placement here is usually indicative of a training camp cut, though not necessarily. It gives teams the option to send a player to the minor leagues, but that doesn’t have to happen right away. Until a player spends 30 days on the active roster or plays in ten regular season games, they won’t have to clear waivers again.
Here are the players on waivers today:
Boston Bruins
Oskar Steen
Nick Wolff
Connor Carrick
Buffalo Sabres
Chicago Blackhawks
Luke Philp
Nicolas Beaudin
Dylan Sikura
Brett Seney
Columbus Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Alex Belzile
Anthony Richard
Mitchell Stephens
New Jersey Devils
Tyler Wotherspoon
Robbie Russo
Joseph Gambardella
Jeremy Groleau
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
Collin Delia
John Stevens
Noah Juulsen
Brady Keeper
Guillaume Brisebois
Danny DeKeyser Released From PTO
The Vancouver Canucks have released Danny DeKeyser from his PTO, leaving him now searching for another opportunity just a week out from the regular season. The veteran defenseman got some action in the preseason with the Canucks but apparently didn’t do enough to earn a contract with the club.
DeKeyser, 32, has spent his entire career to this point with the Detroit Red Wings, playing 547 regular season games over parts of ten seasons. Undrafted, he was a hometown kid that made good, attending Western Michigan University before making an impact with the Red Wings right away. Now, a decade later, it is not at all clear if DeKeyser’s career will continue.
Landing a spot in Vancouver did always seem like a longshot, given how many bodies they already have for the blue line. With the continued emergence of Jack Rathbone, it was even tighter for a veteran defender like DeKeyser. Perhaps he showed enough in his short Canucks outing to land a deal somewhere else, or maybe he’ll have to wait for an injury to pop up.
Either way, there isn’t much time for him to catch on if he wants to start the season on an NHL roster. DeKeyser joins Thomas Hickey and James Neal, who were cut from their PTOs yesterday, as veteran names who may have to settle for minor league jobs if they want to continue their playing careers.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/22
Just a few more days until regular season NHL hockey is upon us, and teams are getting closer to their opening rosters. While there will be many more cuts this weekend, things continue to come in throughout the week as groups are pared down. As always, we’ll keep track of all the cuts right here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
F Chase De Leo (to San Diego, AHL)
F Justin Kirkland (to San Diego, AHL)
D Olli Juolevi (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
D Victor Berglund (to Providence, AHL)
D Mike Callahan (to Providence, AHL)
D Kai Wissmann (to Providence, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
D Jeremie Poirier (to Calgary, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Cole Guttman (to Rockford, AHL)
F Lukas Reichel (to Rockford, AHL)
F Michal Teply (to Rockford, AHL)
F Josiah Slavin (to Rockford, AHL)
F Mike Hardman (to Rockford, AHL)
D Jakub Galvas (to Rockford, AHL)
D Isaak Phillips (to Rockford, AHL)
F David Gust (released from PTO)
F Kale Howarth (released from PTO)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
F Joshua Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Owen Sillinger (released from PTO)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)*
Dallas Stars (via team release)
D Gavin White (to Hamilton, OHL)
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
F Martin Chromiak (to Ontario, AHL)
F Aidan Dudas (to Ontario, AHL)
F Samuel Helenius (to Ontario, AHL)
F Tyler Madden (to Ontario, AHL)
F Akil Thomas (to Ontario, AHL)
F T.J. Tynan (to Ontario, AHL)
F Austin Wagner (to Ontario, AHL)
F Taylor Ward (to Ontario, AHL)
D Frederic Allard (to Ontario, AHL)
D Tobie Bisson (to Ontario, AHL)
D Helge Grans (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kim Nousiainen (to Ontario, AHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Kemp (released from PTO)
F Justin Nachbaur (released from PTO)
F Nate Thompson (released from PTO)
F Alan Quine (released from PTO)
D Cameron Gaunce (released from PTO)
D Tyler Inamoto (released from PTO)
D Cameron Supryka (released from ATO)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release)
F Filip Mesar (to Laval, AHL)
F Xavier Simoneau (to Laval, AHL)
D Mattias Norlinder (to Laval, AHL)
G Kevin Poulin (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex Belzile (to Laval, AHL)*
F Anthony Richard (to Laval, AHL)*
F Mitchell Stephens (to Laval, AHL)*
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Jack Dugan (to Utica, AHL)
F Zachary Senyshyn (to Utica, AHL)
D Michael Vukojevic (to Utica, AHL)
F Joseph Gambardella (to Utica, AHL)*
D Jérémy Groleau (to Utica, AHL)*
D Robbie Russo (to Utica, AHL)*
D Tyler Wotherspoon (to Utica, AHL)*
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Viktor Lodin (to Belleville, AHL)
D Zachary Massicotte (to Belleville, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Jonathan Gruden (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
D Ryker Evans (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release)
F Arshdeep Bains (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Danila Klimovich (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F William Lockwood (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Tristen Nielsen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Wyatt Kalynuk (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Michael Dipietro (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Artus Silovs (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Danny DeKeyser (released from PTO)
F John Stevens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Noah Juulsen (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Brady Keeper (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Guillaume Brisebois (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
G Collin Delia (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
*Pending waivers
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