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Sharks Re-Sign Thomas Bordeleau To Two-Way Deal

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July 26: The Sharks officially announced a one-year, two-way deal for Bordeleau today.

July 25: The San Jose Sharks are reportedly close on a one-year contract with forward Thomas Bordeleau, per PuckPedia and Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The contract carries a cap hit of $874K, matching Bordeleau’s qualifying offer.

This marks Bordeleau’s second pro contract after spending his three-year entry-level contract bouncing between the AHL and NHL lineup. He made his professional debut following the end of the University of Michigan’s 2021-22 campaign, ultimately earning eight games in the Sharks lineup. He posted a productive five assists in the performances, and carried the strong scoring through his AHL rookie season in 2022-23, with 41 points in 65 games.

That production was enough to earn Bordeleau more consistent NHL ice time this season, though he struggled to do much with the opportunity, netting just 11 points in 27 games. The lull warranted a demotion to the minors, where Bordeleau added 25 points in 35 games. Still, it was a down year – as Bordeleau clearly struggled to adapt his high-tempo, high-skill style to a Sharks team under constant pressure.

San Jose is hoping to be much more competitive next season, adding star prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith on top of naming Ryan Warsofsky their new head coach. That much turnover should give Bordeleau a renewed chance to plant his flag in the Sharks lineup, though he’ll need to take big steps physically to stand out on what’s bound to be a very young Sharks roster.

Patrik Laine Exits NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has been released from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program after being cleared by its doctors today, reports Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch.

The news comes amid a trade request from Laine that’s stood since at least June, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported at the time. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out, Laine is still recovering from clavicle/shoulder surgery that ended his 2023-24 season back in December. The Finnish winger entered the Player Assistance Program about five weeks after sustaining the injury.

Trade talks couldn’t progress with Laine in the program. It was widely reported that interested parties wanted to speak with Laine before acquiring him, which was prohibited before he was cleared. Now that he’s been released from the program, those talks with other teams can now commence. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell declined to comment on Laine’s clearance and future trade talks today, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.

Among potential landing spots for the 26-year-old, Friedman named the Kraken as a team to watch last month. The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith later reported the Wild had engaged in preliminary discussions for the sniper as well.

Laine’s numerous injuries last season, including an upper-body ailment, limited him to just six goals and three assists in 18 games. But in the two preceding years, the 2016 second-overall pick had been a force for Columbus, averaging nearly a point per game (108 in 111 GP) while logging an ATOI of 18:58. When healthy, he remains a top-line winger, but the first part of this sentence is a large caveat. He hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since before the pandemic.

Even with Laine out of the program, those injury concerns will remain. That’ll likely force Waddell to retain a solid chunk of his $8.7MM cap hit in a prospective trade to make it an appealing swap for both sides financially. Laine remains under contract through 2025-26, and he’ll be a UFA upon expiry. He can block a trade to 10 teams with his modified no-trade clause, per PuckPedia.

Outside of the trade discussions, it’s always good news to see a player cleared to return to action from the program. All of us at PHR wish Laine the best as he continues his NHL career.

Canadiens’ Rafaël Harvey-Pinard Undergoes Leg Surgery

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Canadiens winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a broken leg, the team announced. He’s expected to miss four months, putting his return to action around American Thanksgiving.

It’s tough news for Harvey-Pinard, who was already coming off an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign. Various lower-body injuries limited him to 45 appearances, posting just two goals, eight assists, 10 points, and a -2 rating while taking only 26 shots on goal and averaging 12:38 per game. That was a massive step back from his 2022-23 showing when he erupted for 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games after a midseason call-up from AHL Laval.

The 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Habs back in 2019 and has spent the five years since working his way up the organizational ladder. The 5’9″, 183-lb winger has always been a good scoring threat, averaging 1.06 points per game across five seasons in juniors in the QMJHL. He also put up an average of 0.74 points per game in three years to date with Laval, leading them in scoring back in 2021-22 with 56 points in 69 games.

Montreal’s depth chart at left wing is full of question marks entering the season behind 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, who will reprise his first-line role alongside Cole Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki. But behind that, there was an opportunity for Harvey-Pinard to climb as far up as a second-line role on opening night with a strong preseason and training camp performance, competing with players like UFA signing Alex Barré-Boulet and veteran Brendan Gallagher. He’ll now have to work his way back into an everyday role upon returning from injury in late November.

Since he’s projected to miss more than 10 games and 24 days to open the season, Harvey-Pinard is a candidate to land on long-term injured reserve. His absence should mean more early playing time for those like enforcer Michael Pezzetta, and it indicates prospects such as Owen Beck, Filip Mesar and Joshua Roy should have a greater chance at making the opening night roster.

Trade, Waivers Still Options For Oliver Wahlstrom Following Settlement

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Yesterday, Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom landed a new contract for this season, signing a one-year, $1MM pact to avoid an arbitration hearing next month. But that doesn’t do much to change the likelihood that he’ll be on their roster come opening night, according to Ethan Sears of the New York Post.

It appears not much has changed since general manager Lou Lamoriello said at the draft that the Isles were planning on qualifying Wahlstrom heading into free agency but would examine trade options as well. Wahlstrom himself was also noncommittal when asked if he would return to New York in 2024-25 during last season’s exit interviews in May.

The willingness from both sides to move on is reasonable. The 2018 11th overall pick has never managed more than 13 goals or 24 points in a single season, and an ACL tear in 2022-23 has limited him to just 67 total appearances over the last two campaigns. Even when in the lineup last season, Wahlstrom was a non-factor with two goals and six points in 32 games.

But when Wahlstrom filed for salary arbitration at the beginning of July, it meant discussions of him moving on would take a backseat until he settled or had a contract awarded via a hearing. That’s now in the rearview mirror, though, meaning trade rumors could heat up again between now and October.

If no trade materializes, the Islanders do have the option to send Wahlstrom to the minors for complete cap relief since his cap hit falls below the maximum buriable threshold of $1.15MM. However, he’s no longer waiver-exempt, and doing so would risk losing him for free on the wire at the end of preseason when teams are keen on poaching talent to address roster deficiencies that arose during camp.

Having Wahlstrom off the roster by opening night isn’t just motivated by his recent play and injury struggles. The Isles are completely capped out after signing him and won’t be able to carry a full 23-player roster. As it stands, they don’t have room to utilize international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov in the NHL as hoped without also placing someone like Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmström or Kyle MacLean on waivers. Trading or waiving Wahlstrom would give them the cap space required to do so, although it still wouldn’t be enough to open up cap space for a 23rd player on the roster.

Wahlstrom, 24, has 34 goals and 67 points in 193 NHL games since making his debut five seasons ago. If he ends up elsewhere in the next few months, the acquiring team would still have control over his signing rights next summer as an arbitration-eligible RFA.

NHL Teams Facing Fall Cap Crunches

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There’s still plenty of time for NHL teams to sort out their active rosters and salary cap pictures this summer. After all, teams can exceed the $88MM upper limit by up to 10% during the offseason, and training camps are still nearly two months away.

Still, this year’s early July rush means that all the notable contracts for this season, at least in terms of salary cap impact, have likely already been handed out. It’s left a handful of teams with projected rosters that sit over the cap or, in one very peculiar case, right at it.

These teams must use a mix of long-term injured reserve placements, trades, and waivers to become cap-compliant before opening night. Per PuckPedia, here are the teams currently pacing to boast a projected cap hit above $88MM.

Washington Capitals

($98.27MM projected cap hit, $10.27MM above upper limit)

The Capitals have been one of the league’s most active teams this summer, making a pair of impact additions up front with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane. They also reshaped their blue line, shipping out serviceable veteran Nick Jensen as part of a package to the Senators to pick up the younger, higher-upside Jakob Chychrun while also replacing Jensen’s shutdown role in free agency with the signing of Matt Roy.

They also went for cost-effectiveness with their goaltending duo, shipping out Darcy Kuemper and his $5.25MM cap hit to the Kings in the Dubois trade before acquiring serviceable tandem netminder Logan Thompson from the Golden Knights, who carries a cap hit of just $767K.

These moves have still left them with a handful of bloated deals for their veterans. But the biggest one of them all won’t be an issue. 36-year-old Nicklas Bäckström is entering the final season of his five-year, $46MM deal with a $9.2MM cap hit, but he’s not expected to play again due to lingering hip issues.

While many teams will look to avoid using LTIR to be cap-compliant to start the season, the Caps won’t be one of them. Bäckström will remain there as he did last season, but placing him on LTIR won’t be enough on its own to bring Washington’s total projected cap hit back under $88MM.

They’d still need to clear a little over $1MM in space, which begs the question of T.J. Oshie’s health. The 37-year-old winger is also entering the final season of his contract at a $5.75MM cap hit, and a wide variety of injuries limited him to 52 games last season. As of earlier this month, Oshie said he hasn’t found a long-term solution to his recurring back issues that would allow him to comfortably play in 2024-25.

If nothing changes between now and September, Oshie could also land on LTIR, making them cap-compliant for opening night. But Washington would need to be reasonably confident that he’ll miss the entire campaign to avoid making any other cap-shedding moves, as they’d need to have space to activate him off LTIR if he becomes healthy enough to return to play.

Vegas Golden Knights

($91.64MM projected cap hit, $3.64MM above upper limit)

Unlike the Capitals, the Golden Knights were conservative in their offseason moves. Their cap crunch forced them to walk away from key offensive contributors Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, among others, and their UFA pickups were limited to reclamation project-type pickups such as Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov.

But like Washington, LTIR is Vegas’ only clear path to cap compliance in September. The status of 33-year-old netminder Robin Lehner remains a relative mystery as he enters the final season of his contract with a $5MM cap hit. He hasn’t played the last two seasons after undergoing hip surgery and hasn’t been seen with the team during that time.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon said in May that it’s likely Lehner will return to LTIR this fall. This would give the Knights about $1.36MM in space in an LTIR pool with a full 23-man roster, as projected by PuckPedia.

Philadelphia Flyers

($88.83MM projected cap hit, $830K above upper limit)

LTIR is a good safeguard for teams who need it to be cap-compliant, but it’s not ideal. Teams who utilize it don’t accrue cap space throughout the season, significantly limiting their flexibility come deadline day.

The Flyers have one LTIR-eligible contract in defenseman Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM cap hit through 2027). They also have Ryan Johansen signed at a $4MM cap hit next season, and his playing status is in doubt due to a hip injury that surfaced after they acquired him from the Avalanche at last year’s deadline. Unfortunately for them, if Johansen remains injured, they also can’t send him to the minors to knock $1.15MM off his cap hit. They attempted to do so last year, but it was reversed by the league after his injury came to light.

But notably, they don’t have any league-minimum contracts projected on their active roster to start the campaign, per PuckPedia. Their cheapest one is Tyson Foerster’s entry-level contract, which boasts a cap hit of $863K. Thus, just one AHL assignment would be enough to make them cap-compliant without placing either Ellis or Johansen on LTIR. There aren’t any obvious candidates, though, as Foerster is coming off a 20-goal campaign and was one of their top two-way forwards last season.

The trade of a depth forward, such as 25-year-old pivot Ryan Poehling ($1.9MM cap hit through 2026), could be something to watch for if general manager Daniel Brière decides he wants to stay out of LTIR.

Edmonton Oilers

($88.35MM projected cap hit, $354K above upper limit)

Unlike the other teams on this list, the Oilers still have some offseason business to handle. RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway need new deals, meaning this projected cap hit is artificially low.

Also unlike the others, Edmonton doesn’t have an LTIR-bound contract next season. Considering PuckPedia’s projection above uses a roster size of 21, warranting them only one extra skater, a cap-clearing trade is coming for Edmonton sometime before the puck drops in October.

The most obvious candidate to move is defenseman Cody Ceci, who’s on an expiring contract with a $3.25MM cap hit. It would cost fewer assets to ship out than oft-injured winger Evander Kane, who’s locked in at a $5.125MM price tag for two more years. And with Ceci averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the last three seasons in Edmonton, they might be able to dump him for future considerations without attaching a draft pick to get out of his deal.

Others to watch

  • The Islanders are currently at the $88MM upper limit after settling on a one-year, $1MM contract with Oliver Wahlstrom yesterday, PuckPedia projects. That figure comes using a roster size of 22, forcing international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov and his $950K cap hit on an entry-level deal to the minors.
  • The Canucks are within just $16K of the cap after signing Daniel Sprong to a one-year, $975K contract last weekend. But that figure comes with a full 23-player roster projection, giving them a decent amount of flexibility in the case of short-term injuries. They can also place the final season of defenseman Tucker Poolman’s $2.5MM cap hit contract on LTIR if necessary.
  • The Predators are within $600K of the cap with a bare minimum 20-player roster and still have RFAs Juuso Pärssinen and Philip Tomasino to sign. After their big UFA spending spree, they’ll likely move out one of their depth defenders to open up space for an expanded roster, potentially 26-year-old Dante Fabbro (signed at $2.5MM through this season).
  • The Lightning have $730K in projected cap space with one open roster spot. That’s tight, but with room for two healthy extras, they’ll probably start the season with no changes to their projected roster.
  • The same can be said about the defending champion Panthers, who have $767K in space with a roster size of 22.

Evening Notes: Perunovich, Condors, Savoie

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich seems set up for a make-or-break season after spending the first three years of his pro career dealing with what seemed like neverending injuries. Forced absences have held Perunovich to just 73 appearances, and 23 assists through his entry-level contract. But despite what’s seemed like years of bad luck in St. Louis, Perunovich shared with Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that he wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. He said, “I want to succeed in the league, but the team I want to succeed with the most is St. Louis… They drafted me. Every other team looked over me and they’ve always had confidence in me. This is where I want to succeed, and I’ve never not thought that for a second.”

Perunovich explained how he’s changing his approach after a hardy year with the Blues lineup, adding that he’s hoping to think less and shoot more. Those certainly seem like timely changes as Perunovich approaches his 75th NHL game, still searching for his first career goal. And while goal-scoring has never been Perunovich’s forte, he did flash much more offensive upside in college, where he seemed much more confident in skating the puck across the red line and joining the offensive rush. He’s been much more pass-first at the professional level, though he’s improved his poise in sitting with the puck and waiting for opportunities to open up.

A strong start to the year could quickly earn Perunovich top-pair minutes, with Torey Krug facing injury and little competition coming from Nick Leddy or Pierre-Olivier Joseph. That could give Perunovich the groundwork for a breakout season, though he’ll need to first win out the battle for ice time.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors have hired Adam Krug as an assistant coach and Kelly Guard as a goaltending coach. Krug has spent the last decade coaching the NCAA D-III Men’s team at Adrian College, having previously captained Adrian during two seasons of his own playing career. Krug took the team to unprecedented heights, including their first D-III championship in 2022 and a second-place finish in 2023. Adrian has developed into a powerhouse of D-III hockey and a major supporter of collegiate club hockey as a whole, with their ACHA D-II team winning a championship in 2021 and also finishing second in 2023. Meanwhile, Kelly Guard moves to Bakersfield after spending 12 years as the goalie coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. He’s overseen some impressive goalie seasons in that span – including Ian Scott’s .932 save percentage in 49 games of the 2018-19 season. He’ll look to carry that momentum into the pro level while Krug adjusts to a big jump in competition as Bakersfield makes two interesting, potentially high-impact hires.
  • Former Oilers forward prospect Carter Savoie is heading overseas on a one-year contract with Liiga’s TPS, per a team announcement. Savoie, 22, didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Edmonton upon the expiration of his entry-level contract last month. The older brother of new Oilers prospect Matthew Savoie, whom they acquired via trade from the Sabres after non-tendering Carter, recorded 18 goals and 33 points in 109 games with AHL Bakersfield in parts of the last three seasons but never received an NHL call-up. Edmonton selected him 100th overall in the 2020 draft.

Prospect Notes: Hemming, Berggren, Willander, Dragicevic

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Dallas Stars 2024 first-round pick Emil Hemming has signed with the OHL’s Barrie Colts for the 2024-25 season. Hemming will forgo the final year of his three-year contract with Liiga’s TPS, where he’s played the past two seasons. Much of his 2022-23 campaign was spent on the TPS U20 roster – with Hemming potting 16 points in 22 games. He returned to the U20 lineup at the start of last season, though quickly earned a promotion to the Liiga after scoring 11 goals and 18 points in the first 13 games of the U20 season.

Hemming took the move to Finland’s top flight in stride, showing off just how physically mature his heavy, shoot-first style was. He only managed 11 points in 40 league games but showed plenty of growth as the year progressed, becoming much more confident in the defensive zone and more aggressive on offense. He curbed a meager two-point performance at the World Juniors with six points in five games at the World U18 Championships, continuing to show his strides as the season went along. All of that was enough to earn Hemming the 29th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, coupling him with a Stars team that’s quickly become known for finding draft-day steals. Hemming has shown he’s sturdy enough to play at a pro level and will now join Utah prospect Cole Beaudoin and Edmonton prospect Beau Akey as some of the many heavy and physical options in Barrie.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Jonatan Berggren is a bit buried down the Detroit Red Wings depth charts, but Max Bultman of The Athletic says he isn’t expecting Berggren to be traded. Instead, Bultman posits the benefits of a role reminiscent of Daniel Sprong’s role: operating on the team’s third line but still managing consistent power-play minutes. Berggren led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring last season, netting 24 goals and 56 points. He’s also scored a commendable 17 goals and 34 points in 79 NHL games over the last two years. He’ll now have a golden chance to secure a consistent NHL role, with Sprong headed to the Vancouver Canucks on a one-year contract.
  • Vancouver Canucks defense prospect Tom Willander has suffered a minor lower-body injury and won’t play at the World Junior Summer Showcase, shares Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK Sports. Willander was a surprising choice at 11th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, though he showed top-prospect upside during his freshman year at Boston University. Willander scored 25 points in 38 games, ranking second among Terrier defensemen. With injury now holding him out of Team Sweden’s summer games, Willander will shift his focus towards a breakout sophomore season at BU, where he’ll get a full run towards the top-defender role after Lane Hutson signed his entry-level contract.
  • Seattle Kraken defense prospect Lukas Dragicevic has seen his WHL rights traded from the Tri-City Americans to the Price Albert Raiders as part of a massive, seven-asset trade. Dragicevic signed his entry-level contract with Seattle in March after Tri-City missed out on the WHL playoffs. He finished the year with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, recording one assist through his first three AHL games. Prince Albert paid a hefty price for Dragicevic, suggesting that he could be set for a return to the CHL after getting a quick taste of the pros.  If that is the case, he’ll return looking to rediscover his strong scoring touch after recording 25 fewer points this season (50) than he did in 2022-23 (75).

Penguins Sign Brayden Yager To Entry-Level Contract

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed 2023 first-round pick Brayden Yager to his entry-level contract. Contract details have not yet been released. This move will likely turn Yager pro after a successful four-year career with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He was one of many offensive stars on the Warriors lineup, flanked by players like Jagger Firkus, Denton Mateychyuk, and, this season, Matthew Savoie. Moose Jaw vindicated such a talented lineup with a WHL championship this year, though they fell to third place in the 2024 Memorial Cup. Yager was a crucial piece all year long, tallying 35 goals and 95 points across 57 regular season games, and 27 points in 20 playoff games.

The season was a fantastic encore to Yager’s draft-year performance in 2022-23, when he managed 78 points in 67 games on a, relatively, weaker Moose Jaw lineup. He showed all of the makings of a top prospect, and even earned top-10 and top-five hype from some public sources. He earned the attention with some fantastic playmaking abilities, showing a special ability to orchestrate play even at top speeds. But a lanky six-foot, 170-pound frame had some teams apprehensive come draft day, ultimately pushing Yager to 14th overall.

Only four players selected above Yager have made their NHL debuts – Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Zach Benson – and they’ve each quickly carved out lineup roles. Yager will have the chance to do the same in Pittsburgh’s training camp, and could even wind up an X-factor for an aging Penguins core. But he seems more likely set for a trip to the AHL first, where he could join Moose Jaw teammate Atley Calvert, as well as Tristan Broz and Owen Pickering, as a top prospect fighting for minutes.

Flyers Sign Travis Konecny To Eight-Year Extension

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1:19 p.m.: Konecny’s contract has a full no-move clause through 2030-31, reports The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. His move protection drops to a modified no-trade clause in the final two years of the deal.

12:00 p.m.: The Flyers have signed top-line winger Travis Konecny to an eight-year, $70MM contract extension, the team announced. Teammate Travis Sanheim hinted at the news a few minutes before the announcement (X link).

The deal, which carries a cap hit of $8.75MM, will begin in the 2025-26 season and keep him under contract in Philly through 2032-33. It’s a significant raise from his previous $5.5MM cap hit.

It’s the most lucrative deal in Flyers franchise history, beating out the 12-year, $69MM pact they gave Mike Richards in 2008. The commitment demonstrated here to the 27-year-old, who’s coming off a strong season in 2023-24, is massive.

Konecny scored a career-high 68 points in 76 games, fueled by 33 goals and 35 assists, while averaging 19:50 per game. Per usual, he was an even-strength monster, posting 52 of those 68 points at 5-on-5, 4-on-4 or 3-on-3. His six shorthanded goals last season also led the league, and the 5’10”, 192-lb winger ranked eighth on the team with 90 hits.

It wasn’t technically his best season offensively, though. That came the year before when Konecny notched 31 goals and 61 points despite injuries limiting him to 60 games. That worked out to 1.02 points per game compared to last season’s 0.89.

Konecny was entering a contract year in 2024-25, and there was a wide belief the pending UFA may end up as trade bait with the Flyers still in the throes of a rebuild. But last season quelled most fears about his year-to-year offensive consistency while also reiterating he can be an effective penalty-killer, a role he only took on when John Tortorella took over behind the bench in 2022. He’s had strong relative possession impacts on the PK, too, painting a picture of a better all-around player than most would consider him to be.

Back in May, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz expected Timo Meier’s eight-year, $70.4MM extension with the Devils to serve as a solid comparable in negotiations. Evolving-Hockey also projected a max-term extension for Konecny to carry a cap hit in the $8.8MM neighborhood. While there may be some early sticker shock on this rich of a deal, this shouldn’t be viewed as an overpay on his market value.

Beginning next season, Konecny will carry the highest cap hit on the Flyers’ roster. That honor currently belongs to captain Sean Couturier, who costs $7.75MM against the cap through 2030.

Konecny will make $7MM in actual cash in 2024-25 before his extension kicks in as part of his existing contract, which awards him a $4MM base salary and $3MM signing bonus in its final year. This is the second significant long-term deal for Konecny, who inked a six-year, $33MM pact in 2019.

It’s the fourth max-term extension handed out since the league calendar flipped to 2024-25, joining Predators goalie Juuse Saros, Canadiens rising star Juraj Slafkovsky and Hurricanes stalwart defender Jaccob Slavin. Konecny’s is the richest of them all, beating out Saros’ $61.92MM total value.

Accordingly, it’s the most consequential move of the Flyers’ offseason, although getting 2023 seventh-overall pick Matvei Michkov inked to his entry-level contract and brought over to North America sooner than expected is a close second. Michkov will likely slot in behind Konecny on the Flyers’ right-wing depth chart come opening night.

With the extension, the Flyers have already racked up a projected cap hit of $73.55MM for 2025-26 with a roster size of 18, per PuckPedia. The salary cap is projected to jump to around $92MM after increasing to $88MM this season, which would still leave them with around $18.5MM in space. That’ll be important with young building blocks Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost and Cameron York all due for new deals.

Since being drafted 24th overall by Philadelphia in 2015, Konecny has racked up 174 goals, 226 assists and 400 points in 564 career games with a -26 rating.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Islanders, Oliver Wahlstrom Avoid Arbitration

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The Islanders have avoided an arbitration hearing with winger Oliver Wahlstrom, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. They’ve settled on a one-year deal worth $1MM. The deal was made official shortly after Friedman’s report.

Wahlstrom, 24, is coming off a difficult pair of seasons in which injuries have cost him more than half of each campaign. The 2018 11th-overall pick played just 32 games in 2023-24 and was rendered completely ineffective offensively, managing just two goals and four assists for six points. His 11:04 average time on ice was his lowest since his first taste of NHL action back in 2019-20 when he received a nine-game trial.

As PuckPedia points out, the Islanders now have no room for error financially. They have exactly $0 in cap space with a roster size of 22. As things stand, they won’t have the flexibility to have top international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov start the season in the NHL without a cost-shedding move.

Wahlstrom now enters the ultimate prove-it season. Set to be an arbitration-eligible RFA again next summer, he risks being non-tendered and reaching UFA status early should he fail to establish himself as a player capable of shouldering top-nine NHL minutes.

It’s been a much more difficult development path than anyone anticipated for Wahlstrom, who was widely regarded as a top-10 talent in his draft year after erupting for 48 goals, 46 assists and 94 points in 62 games for the U.S. National U18 Team. The right-winger has size to go with his skill at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, but he’s never been able to put it all together since turning pro. His lone fully healthy season came in 2021-22 when he was still a bottom-six depth piece at best, with 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games.

Wahlstrom’s career possession impacts have been average, and he struggled to control play in more defensively-inclined usage this season. The Isles’ cap crunch does give him a golden opportunity to fight for top-six minutes coming out of training camp, though, potentially in a second-line role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri if they can’t afford to roster Tsyplakov. A strong start will be key for Wahlstrom in securing his NHL future, whether it comes on Long Island or elsewhere.

His arbitration hearing was slated for August 1.

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