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Avalanche’s Mikhail Gulyayev Aiming For NHL Debut This Season

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Avalanche 2023 first-round pick Mikhail Gulyayev has spent his entire career in his native Russia to date. He’s looking to change that by making his NHL debut at the tail end of the 2025-26 campaign, he told Sergey Demidov of RG.

Now 20, Gulyayev was always one of the most high-ceiling offensive options among blueliners in the 2023 class. The lefty has to work to overcome his sub-ideal frame – 5’10” and 172 lbs – but his projection hasn’t really changed.

He’s struggled to gain premier ice time in the KHL but enters 2025-26 with two full-time seasons at the pro level under his belt. He’s developed almost entirely in Avangard Omsk’s system and has played exclusively for the top club in the regular season since his post-draft year. He now has an 11-17–28 scoring line in 144 career KHL games with an even rating.

His coach in Omsk is ex-NHL bench boss Guy Boucher, who told Demidov to throw caution regarding any playing-style comparisons to Avs star Cale Makar. “This is a kid who has good potential to be himself,” Boucher said. “Over the years, this is what I realized kills players, kills youngsters, when they are compared to other people. He needs to grow his pace to be himself. Makar is a completely different type. You can compare it to football. They have a quarterback and running backs. Makar is more of a quarterback. Guly is more of a running back, it’s not the same style at all.”

As things stand, the Avs have a bit of a hole on their left side and could benefit from Gulyayev being an option come playoff time if his development this season dictates he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL. They’re likely to need to run two righties on their third pairing in Brent Burns and Sam Malinski, and there are no legitimate everyday lefties in the organization outside of top-four fixtures Samuel Girard and Devon Toews.

Even if he’s not able to make the jump this season, Girard only has one year remaining on his deal after this one. There’s plenty of organizational room long-term for Gulyayev to grow into the impact piece Colorado hopes he can be after having a rather iffy recent track record with first-round selections.

Snapshots: Rogers Place, Protas Brothers, Hemming

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The city of Edmonton is one step closer to receiving a new fan park outside of Rogers Place, as the city council voted in favor of the proposed master agreement with Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG). This will clear the way for the proposed construction of the $250MM downtown event park, Village at Ice District land work, and demolition of the coliseum, per Keith Gerein of the Edmonton Journal.

The Edmonton Journal’s Zac Delaney offered additional insight, noting that the project aims to add a multi-season public event park to be constructed next to Rogers Place, while also handling the demolition of Northlands Coliseum, which has sat vacant for the last several years.

OEG said it is “excited” to have the master agreement finalized, per Delaney. OEG Sports and Entertainment executive vice-president Tim Shipton said the company is looking forward to receiving final approval in the fall to “get started on the transformational infrastructure projects.”

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Washington Capitals’ forward Aliaksei Protas is coming off of a breakout campaign where he posted 30 goals and 66 points. However, he is just as focused on the continued development of his brother, Ilya Protas, who is working his way through Washington’s system. Speaking with the Belarus-based newspaper Vitbichi, the older Protas said he believes his brother, who was selected in the third round of the 2024 draft (75th overall), is primed for a strong season after working hard this offseason. Ilya put up monster numbers last year with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, posting 50 goals and 124 points in 61 games. His 50 goals and 74 assists last season both finished third in the OHL, while his 124 points trailed only Michael Misa’s 134. “He is already an adult and he himself understands perfectly well that in order to get into a stronger league, you need to work hard in the locker room and on the ice,” Aliaksei said.
  • The OHL’s Kitchener Rangers have signed forward Oscar Alexander Hemming to a league-standard deal, per a team release. Hemming, 17, spent last season at the U18 and U20 levels for Keikko-Espoo in the SM-sarja, Finland’s top junior league. In 31 games at the U18 level, the Finnish native posted 35 goals and 63 points. He added 10 points in 16 games at the U20 level, and an additional nine points in 13 playoff games. The 6’4″, 190-pound forward is the brother of Emil Hemming, who skated for the OHL’s Barrie Colts last season.

Summer Synopsis: Toronto Maple Leafs

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Now more than a month into the new league year, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason. Next up is a look at Toronto.

The Maple Leafs were big spenders at the trade deadline, augmenting their roster for what they hoped would be a long playoff run.  However, they were ousted in the second round by Florida, leading to the resumption of calls to shake things up.  They did just that, parting ways with one of their top players, using those savings to shore up their overall depth in the hopes that this will be the year that they take that next step forward.

Draft

2-64 – F Tinus Luc Koblar, Leksand (Sweden U20)
3-86 – F Tyler Hopkins, Kingston (OHL)
5-137 – F William Belle, U.S. U18 (NTDP)
5-153 – F Harry Nansi, Owen Sound (OHL)
6-185 – D Rylan Fellinger, Flint (OHL)
7-217 – F Matthew Hlacar, Kitchener (OHL)

The Maple Leafs took a unique approach to this year’s draft. They leaned into projectable floors, rather than high ceilings, in what was widely considered a shallow draft class. That approach did elicit some surprise, namely Luc Koblar’s selection at the end of the second-round. The lanky, high-tempo Norwegian was considered a mid-round pick across many public and private draft boards, though many claimed that was due to a lack of attention rather than a lack of skill. He does boast smooth skills in his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame – with capable and quick skating and stickhandling. That foundation, and a snappy ability in the middle lane, could leave Luc Koblar just a few years away from a meaningful pro role. He’ll define his long-term potential with how well he adds a stronger first step, and sharper physical presence.

Toronto curbed a confident reach in the second-round by selecting a scout’s favorite in the third. Hopkins was praised by many for his simple, effective, and imposing drive throughout the Kingston Frontenacs season. He plays heavier than his 6-foot-1, 179-pound frame suggests, and showed a strong ability to keep tempo with smaller and faster linemates. He’ll offer the upside of an all-three-zones, physical presence. The same can be said about Belle and Nansi, the former a high-motor forechecker who began his hockey journey in China; and the latter a growing support winger. Both Fellinger and Hlacar will offer hard-hitting ability to round out a class of unexciting, but seemingly projectable, draft picks.

Trade Acquisitions

F Dakota Joshua (from Vancouver)
F Matias Maccelli (from Utah)
F Nicolas Roy (from Vegas)
D Henry Thrun (from San Jose)

With the understanding that Mitch Marner was likely heading to Vegas one way or the other via either a sign-and-trade or free agency, GM Brad Treliving was at least able to salvage something out of the situation with Roy’s acquisition.  He has reached the 30-point mark in four straight seasons, ranging between 13 and 15 goals in each of them.  More importantly, he’s a natural center, giving them a much-needed option down the middle which should allow them to use Max Domi on the wing, a position he’s better suited to playing.  Between Roy and deadline acquisition Scott Laughton, Toronto’s center group is much deeper than it has been in recent years while giving them a much bigger group of bottom-six middlemen, fitting in with Treliving’s goal of getting the team tougher to play against.

That last bit also helps justify the acquisition of Joshua on a buy-low pickup from Vancouver.  He’s only one year removed from a breakout 18-goal, 32-point campaign but last season was a struggle as he worked his way back from testicular cancer plus some nagging in-season injuries.  If all goes according to plan, he’ll help out their depth scoring and penalty killing.

Treliving also bought low on Maccelli, grabbing him from Utah for a conditional third-round pick.  Last season was a tough one as he slid down the depth chart but two years ago, he was fourth in Calder Trophy voting.  In between those two years, he finished third on the Coyotes in scoring with 57 points.  He has shown legitimate top-six upside early in his career and with Marner gone, they’ll be counting on him to help replace some of the playmaking that they lost.

UFA Signings

F Travis Boyd (one year, $775K)*
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (two years, $1.55MM)
F Vinni Lettieri (one year, $775K)
D Dakota Mermis (two years, $1.55MM)
F Michael Pezzetta (two years, $1.55MM)

* denotes two-way contract

After making a splash on the open market last summer with some moves on the back end, Toronto’s free agent activity was on the depth front this time around.  Of the above signings, only Pezzetta was on an NHL roster for the entire season and he played in just 25 games.  However, he had been more of a regular on the fourth line with Montreal for the previous three years and has 200 games at the top level under his belt.  He’s someone who will be in a battle for a spot at the back of the NHL roster.

The Group Six UFA market wasn’t particularly strong this year and most players went from being on low-cost two-way contracts to being on low-cost two-way contracts with another organization.  Groulx was one of the exceptions, securing a two-year, one-way agreement with Toronto.  He’s only a year removed from playing in 45 games with Anaheim but he didn’t get a sniff of action at the top level last season, instead playing exclusively with AHL Hartford.  The team is likely eyeing him for depth with the AHL’s Marlies but he could be an under-the-radar add.

Experience is the name of the game with their other pickups.  Boyd has a pair of 30-point-plus seasons in the NHL under his belt in nearly 300 games but has been more of an AHL regular in recent years and is likely ticketed to be a big scorer with the Marlies.  Lettieri was a regular with Boston for a good chunk of the second half of last season which helped earn him a one-way salary but he’s probably heading for the AHL as well.  Mermis was claimed off waivers twice last season although it didn’t help him play much in the NHL as he suited up just four times.  He’ll be among their more experienced recall options in the minors, assuming he gets through waivers unclaimed in training camp.

RFA Re-Signings

F Matthew Knies (six years, $46.5MM)
F Nicholas Robertson (one year, $1.825MM)
D William Villeneuve (one year, $775K)*

* denotes two-way contract

Speculated as a potential offer sheet candidate had he made it to July 1st, the Maple Leafs made sure that Knies didn’t get there, agreeing to terms of this contract not long after the draft.  In his two full NHL seasons, he has worked his way into being a legitimate top-line winger and at 22, there’s still room for optimism that he has another level to get to offensively.  In an ideal world, they would have been able to get him locked up for longer as they ultimately only picked up one extra year of club control with this contract but the price tag to do so would have pushed past the $8MM AAV mark which would have limited their flexibility to add other pieces.  With Auston Matthews still having three years left on his deal, two-thirds of Toronto’s top line will be in place for at least that long.

Robertson came pretty close to going to an arbitration hearing but the two sides were able to get this deal done beforehand.  He put up a career-best 15 goals in 69 games last season despite averaging only 12 minutes a night which helped him nearly double his previous price tag.  Nonetheless, his future with the Maple Leafs still seems a little murky, especially with his trade request from a couple of years ago but this agreement buys both Robertson and the team a little more time to assess his long-term fit.

Departures

F Nicholas Abruzzese (Tampa Bay, one year, $775K)*
F Roni Hirvonen (signed with Karpat, Liiga)
F Pontus Holmberg (Tampa Bay, two years, $3.1MM)
D Mikko Kokkonen (signed with Linkoping, SHL)
F Mitch Marner (trade with Vegas)
D Nicolas Mattinen (signed with Adler, DEL)
G Matt Murray (Seattle, one year, $1MM)
D Topi Niemela (signed with Malmo, SHL)
F Max Pacioretty (unsigned)
F Ryan Reaves (trade with San Jose)
F Alex Steeves (Boston, one year, $850K)
F Ty Voit (contract termination, signed with Utah, ECHL)

* denotes two-way contract

Toronto’s summer was overcast by the departure of star winger Marner, coming off the first 100-point season of his career. He was traded to Vegas after agreeing to a max-term, eight-year extension with the Maple Leafs. The sign-and-trade netted Toronto centerman Nicolas Roy as a consolation, though Marner’s presence will be hard to replace on a night-to-night basis. Luckily, Toronto was able to get through the rest of the off-season without many notable changes to their NHL roster. Holmberg will vacate a hardy role in the team’s bottom-six, after netting 19 points in 68 games last season. Pacioretty also helped filled space on the wings, though he was limited to only 13 points and 37 games on the season by a long-term, lower-body injury. The Leafs also landed a positive return for Reaves, who filled the enforcer role through 35 games last season.

The Leafs otherwise enter the season unscathed, replacing much of their minor-league turnover with an active summer. They will maintain the NHL rights for Hirvonen and Niemela through their move to Finland, opening the door for the club to still bank on the former second and third round picks. Steeves and Abruzesse will look to jump above their AHL roles after sitting near the top of Toronto Marlies scoring over the last few seasons. Meanwhile, Murray will look to continue his return from bilateral hip surgery, after posting an encouraging 10-5-4 record and .934 save percentage in 21 AHL games this season. Murray contributed a 15-9-2 record and .901 save percentage over 28 games, and three seasons, with the Leafs.

Key Extensions

F Steven Lorentz (three years, $4.05MM)
F John Tavares (four years, $17.56MM)

Toronto’s summer kicked off on a high note when former captain Tavares signed a team-friendly extension, with an annual cap hit of just $4.38MM. The deal didn’t change the Leafs’ chances at retaining Marner, but landing Tavares at a salary nearly $7MM cheaper than last year did support the team’s push to sign Knies long-term. Tavares continued to produce at a top-level last season, with 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games. He’ll be a true discount headed into next season, where he’ll chase his 1,200th NHL game (currently at 1,184) and 500th goal (currently at 494).

Lorentz will also stick in Toronto, after playing through his first year with the club last season. He finished the year with 19 points in 80 games, operating out of a fourth-line role. This deal is just the second three-year deal of Lorentz’s career. It’s a nice bode of confidence for a depth, two-way winger who has already won a Stanley Cup with the 2024 Florida Panthers, and a Calder Cup with 2019 Charlotte Checkers. He has 62 points in 310 career NHL games, and hasn’t appeared in the minor-leagues since 2020.

Salary Cap Outlook

After years of operating with often multiple players on LTIR, the Maple Leafs project to have $1.919MM in regular cap space heading into the season, per PuckPedia.  That’s not enough to add anyone of consequence in free agency which is why they’re believed to be shopping some of their extra forwards while also being linked to UFA Jack Roslovic if they can free up the money to sign him.  If that doesn’t come to fruition, they’re at least in a spot where they can afford a couple of injury recalls before needing to rely on emergency cap-exempt ones.  That might not sound like much but that’s a big step up from where they have been.  And if they’re able to stay relatively healthy, Treliving might have a bit of wiggle room to work with at deadline time.

Key Questions

Can The Team Replace Marner’s Production? No matter where you stand on Marner moving on, the Maple Leafs still face the challenge of replacing over 100 points. To offset the loss of not only Marner’s offensive production but also his steady two-way play, Treliving prioritized depth signings over chasing a big-name free agent. However, none of those additions bring proven offensive capabilities at the NHL level. To truly offset Marner’s production, the team will likely look for continued growth from players who were already on the roster. This includes the continued rise of the recently extended Knies, who could continue to grow in his age-23 season. The same expectations could be placed on Robertson, who flashed potential with 15 goals in 69 games last season. Trade acquisitions like Roy and Joshua should also be able to chip in. Either way, it’s going to take a committee approach to replace what Marner provided every night.

Is The Goaltending Strong Enough? Joseph Woll is coming off of a solid season, where he posted a solid .909 save percentage, right in line with his career average of .910. However, he struggled with an .886 save percentage in the playoffs, surrendering 23 goals through seven games. Backup Anthony Stolarz fared better in his seven postseason appearances, posting a .901 save percentage, but it too was a far cry from his robust .926 save percentage through 34 regular season appearances. While the duo found success in the regular season — guiding the team to 108 points and an Atlantic Division title — key questions remain: can they elevate their game in the playoffs, steal a must-win game, or go toe-to-toe with the likes of  Sergei Bobrovsky?

Can This Team End The Streak? When the Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup, Frank and Nancy Sinatra topped the music charts and the Super Bowl hadn’t even been invented. After 57 years without a championship, the question of when the drought will end only grows louder. So, can this roster, as it stands, finally get over the hump? The Leafs certainly appear to have the offensive firepower to contend with the top teams in the league. The team finished seventh in the league in goals for last season, and still have stars like Matthews, Taveres, and William Nylander leading the way. But does the team have the depth, defense, and goaltending needed to truly make a run?

PHR’s Brian La Rose and Paul Griser also contributed to this post.

Prospect Notes: Behrens, Wassilyn, Bourque

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The Colorado Avalanche have received a bit of good news in the quietest days of summer. Defense prospect Sean Behrens shared that he’s been fully cleared to participate in the team’s rookie tournament with Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports. Behrens missed all but two games of last season after sustaining a knee injury in an October practice scrimmage. The first-year pro only suited up for the very first, and very final, game of the Colorado Eagles’ season.

Hopes were high for Behrens prior to his season-ending injury. He seemed well set for a strong push into pros after finishing a three-year stay at the University of Denver with 31 points in 44 games, and a National Championship win, in the 2023-24 season. Behrens was a core part of the title-winning Pioneers, where he often found himself playing alongside or directly behind top prospect Zeev Buium. He showed off all of the sharp stickhandling and quick skating needed to keep the Pioneers offense running with Buium off the ice, and earned the NCHC’s ’Defenseman Of The Year’ award as a result. Behrens now faces an uphill battle adjusting his slight, 5-foot-10 frame to the pro level. He’s made strong impacts in both junior and college hockey, and could earn a top role with the Eagles with a quick return.. He’ll be a name for fans to watch – though likely one that the Avalanche take their time with – as he looks forward to a healthy season.

Other notes from around the prospect world:

  • Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Braidy Wassilyn will indeed return to the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs next season, then attend Boston University in the 2026-27 season, shares Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. Kennedy mentions that Wassilyn’s return to juniors wasn’t previously guaranteed. This news puts the cherry on top of a productive summer for Niagara. Wassilyn scored 39 points in 62 games of his rookie OHL season last year. He rivaled the team’s top-six by the end of the season, profiling as a sharp and mobile playmaker with a heavy, 200-pound frame. He’ll return to great company in Niagara – set to play alongside fellow top 2026 draft prospect Ryan Roobroeck, Winnipeg Jets prospect Kevin He, and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Czata.
  • Dallas Stars forward Mavrik Bourque will now be represented by agent Olivier Fortier, Vice President of Wasserman Hockey, per PuckPedia. Borque just wrapped up his rookie season in the NHL with 11 goals and 25 points in 73 games. It was a relatively calm performance, after Bourque won the AHL’s MVP award with 77 points in 71 games of the 2023-24 season. He did maintain a positive plus-minus and consistent lineup role through his first NHL season, even playing second-line minutes through certain points in the year. He’ll face the task of now cementing a spot up the lineup, and discovering his scoring prowess, ahead of restricted-free agency next summer.

Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Nearing Recovery From Knee Surgery

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Canadiens center Kirby Dach practiced in full gear during an informal skate today as he skates off the rust following yet another extensive knee surgery back in February, per Marc-Olivier Cook of Dans Les Coulisses.

Montreal never issued a specific recovery timeline for the 24-year-old after he had the surgery, just that he wouldn’t return in 2024-25. There was never any official word on whether he was expected to be ready for training camp, either, so today’s news is the first real indication of his progress in more than six months.

The Habs acquired the 2019 No. 3 overall pick from the Blackhawks in 2022, hoping that he could be a long-term second-line option behind captain Nick Suzuki. While he spent a good portion of his first season in Montreal on the wing, early returns were at least strong with 38 points in 58 games.

His first major knee injury came just two games into 2023-24, tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee simultaneously. That threw away the rest of the season, and the extended time off certainly showed when he returned to action for 2024-25. He spent more time down the middle with more limited offensive output – 10 goals and 22 points – in 57 games before the second right knee injury ended that year as well.

Canadiens EVP Jeff Gorton said during exit meetings that the team still had hope in Dach, but certainly wasn’t banking on him returning to a top-six role out of the gate this fall after another lengthy absence. They may not have much of a choice, though. Montreal didn’t make any significant moves at forward this summer besides losing depth veteran Christian Dvorak and acquiring promising youngster Zachary Bolduc from the Blues in exchange for defense prospect Logan Mailloux. Bolduc played center in his junior days but has only seen time on the wing through his two NHL seasons in St. Louis. After scoring 36 points in 72 games last year, though, he would be their best option as a No. 2 pivot from the standpoint of last year’s offensive output if he can make the adjustment.

Senators Sign Cameron Crotty, Jan Jenik To Two-Way Deals

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The Senators announced this morning they’ve signed depth defenseman Cameron Crotty and Jan Jeník to two-way deals. Crotty’s is a two-year commitment, while Jeník’s is just for one. The pair will now vie for positioning on Ottawa’s depth chart during training camp.

Crotty, 26, only has a pair of NHL appearances to his name. Originally a third-round pick by the Coyotes in 2017, he made his NHL debut for them in 2023-24 before getting into a game with the Wild last year. The Boston University product is a 6’3″, 212-lb stay-at-home righty and captained Minnesota’s AHL affiliate in Iowa last season, recording 10 assists with 56 PIMs and a -7 rating in 64 appearances. He logged just 5:08 of ice time in his lone NHL appearance for the Wild, their penultimate game of the regular season against the Canucks.

With Crotty being at least 25 years old and having at least three seasons of professional experience with fewer than 80 NHL games played, he qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency for the second straight summer after completing his two-way deal with the Wild. The two sides did not agree on a reunion, and he’ll now take his talents north of the border to serve as a capable call-up option if the Sens need some defensive muscle.

While Ottawa has seen some turnover among its complement of depth defensemen this offseason, that’s unlikely to produce the opportunity for Crotty to capture a roster spot in camp. Even with fellow righty Nick Jensen potentially on the shelf to start the season after undergoing a lower-body surgery, the Sens would have Artem Zub, Jordan Spence, and Nikolas Matinpalo as their top three righties, with 2024 No. 7 overall pick Carter Yakemchuk also expected to compete for a job. Even among their depth options already in the system, like Max Guenette and 2019 first-rounder Lassi Thomson, would presumably receive priority over Crotty.

As for Jeník, the soon-to-be 25-year-old was under Ottawa’s control as a restricted free agent. He got into a pair of midseason games for the Sens in 2024-25, going pointless with two hits and a -1 rating. It was his first season in the organization after the club acquired his rights from Utah last offseason and promptly re-signed him.

The 6’2″, 200-lb winger was also an Arizona third-round pick, one year after Crotty in 2018. He has the leg up on his former Coyotes teammate in NHL experience, though, recording a 4-2–6 scoring line in 24 appearances dating back to the 2020-21 campaign. He had an underwhelming performance in the scoring department for AHL Belleville last year, with 29 points in 52 games and will now look to build on that as he looks for more NHL opportunities.

Jeník should qualify for Group VI status next summer as long as he stays under 80 career NHL games, which would require him to log 56 appearances in the upcoming season.

Assessing The Curious Case Of Matt Grzelcyk

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It’s rare for an NHLer to sign a “prove it” deal in free agency, have a career year offensively, and then remain unsigned just a few weeks before training camps start. Whether this is unprecedented or not, it perfectly describes defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who is still without a contract for the upcoming season despite posting his best offensive season last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Charlestown, Massachusetts native recorded one goal and 39 assists over 82 games last year. While his numbers were somewhat boosted by his position in the Penguins’ lineup, he had a solid season when it mattered most, and it’s surprising to see him still in limbo so late into the summer.

Regardless of projections or past performance, the reality is that Grzelcyk doesn’t have a spot for next season after nearly two months of being available in free agency for little more than cap space and cash. With the rising salary cap and team needs for offense, his situation remains unusual.

Regarding those projections, PHR predicted that the 31-year-old would sign a three-year deal this offseason with an AAV of $3.67MM. While that figure looks different now, AFP Analytics was even more optimistic about Grzelcyk’s contract chances, estimating a three-year deal at $3.77MM per season.

It’s easy to look back at those numbers now and scoff, but there haven’t been many cases like this where a player comes off a “show me” contract, performs better than expected, and remains in free agency.

It’s not as though Grzelcyk lacks upside; he can operate on the second power-play unit, handles the puck well, and is quite active in transition. He averaged a career-high 20:37 per game, which should have boosted his stock this summer, along with his offensive output. So, why hasn’t Grzelcyk signed?

Grzelcyk’s stats are probably inflated because he was often paired with Erik Karlsson, and despite Karlsson’s flaws, he has a track record of making his teammates better, significantly better. Sure, Grzelcyk has a history of posting solid underlying numbers, but he didn’t show that last year, even though he spent a lot of time with Karlsson. His possession numbers weren’t significant in Pittsburgh, and in the years before his move there, many of Grzelcyk’s numbers were starting to decline, as shown by data from Top Down Hockey.

Numerous other significant issues are working against Grzelcyk. He is undersized, over 30, and there seems to be a trend among NHL general managers to move away from smaller defensemen, following the successful Florida Panthers model.

Grzelcyk specifically struggled during the playoffs and was a healthy scratch for the Boston Bruins on several occasions. Any team in its competitive window would be concerned about Grzelcyk’s poor playoff performance and likely deterred by his age and size.

Also, regarding Grzelcyk’s play, he is most effective on the power play (with 15 points last season), but he isn’t quite at the level to secure a spot on a top power-play unit. Most teams aren’t interested in bringing in a depth defenseman to run the second power-play unit.

That said, some teams might consider it, but most top NHL teams already have multiple defenseman who can do this role, or they might deploy four forwards on their power plays. Grzelcyk clearly provides value on the power play, but that role is probably better suited to a weaker team. Those teams usually aren’t in the market for an undersized defenseman who doesn’t excel defensively and is over 30.

Grzelcyk’s move through free agency might surprise some, but it feels like the signs were there well before July 1. The Penguins signed Grzelcyk last summer, and it seemed they were aiming to trade him at the NHL Trade Deadline for future assets.

After all, they did the same with Cody Glass and Anthony Beauvillier, but for some reason, Pittsburgh couldn’t pull the trigger on a trade for Grzelcyk. Maybe the Penguins didn’t want to move him, or perhaps they couldn’t get the fair value they deemed appropriate, but, strangely, a team with no playoff hopes and no reason to keep Grzelcyk past the deadline chose not to move him.

Finally, we come to Grzelcyk and what he was seeking this summer. No doubt, he was aiming for a raise from the $2.75MM he earned last season and was likely eyeing that three-year deal outlets projected for him.

However, the market never materialized for Grzelcyk, leaving him without a seat as the music nears its end. This isn’t the first time a player’s perceived value exceeds the market—it has happened many times across professional sports, including with former Penguins players like Evan Rodrigues in 2022, who had to wait until nearly mid-September to sign a one-year deal with Colorado after reportedly turning down better offers earlier in the summer.

Regardless of the reason for Grzelcyk’s current situation, one thing is likely clear: he will need to sign another one-year deal for the next season if he wants to stay in the NHL. A team could benefit from him if they put him in the proper role.

It’s unlikely to be Pittsburgh again, since they have around 14 defensemen of different skill levels who could play in the NHL this season. However, many other teams still need a puck-moving defenseman who can contribute at a low cost. Grzelcyk could fill that role, although he’s probably not joining a top contender given his limited playoff success.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Zach Sanford Signs With NL’s HC Lugano

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HC Lugano of the Swiss National League announced today that they’ve signed former NHL winger Zach Sanford to a one-year deal.

Sanford, 31 in November, was a second-round pick by the Capitals back in 2013. He started his career with the Caps in 2016 but played only briefly for Washington, splitting the first part of the season between the NHL and AHL rosters before he was traded to the Blues in the Kevin Shattenkirk headliner at the 2017 deadline.

He remained in the minors for an injury-plagued 2017-18 campaign but got much more of a crack at NHL minutes the following year. Sanford was among the Blues’ better fourth-line options in the regular season, totaling 20 points in 60 games, and appeared in eight playoff games as the franchise marched to its first Stanley Cup win.

The post-Cup bump was real and immediate. While he began 2019-20 on the fringes of the St. Louis lineup, he worked his way into regular top-nine minutes by the time November rolled around and carried some shooting luck to a career year. He clicked at a 17.8% rate in 58 appearances before COVID ended the season in March, scoring 16 goals and 30 points to finish seventh on the team in scoring while also finishing fourth with 109 hits.

That quality production helped the Blues along to their first division title in five years and got him penciled into the opening-night lineup when play resumed the following season in January 2021. Unfortunately, that breakout wasn’t sustainable. Despite still shooting at an above-average 14.9% rate, Sanford only managed 16 points in 52 games in his follow-up year despite averaging 14:53 of ice time per game, more than a full minute over his 2019-20 deployment.

Sanford was an RFA the following offseason and signed a one-year, $2MM deal to remain with the Blues, but he never played another game for St. Louis. They traded him to the Senators before the 2021-22 season began and had similar offensive struggles in extended minutes before getting flipped to the Jets at the trade deadline. Despite the move, he did play a career-high 80 games that year, recording a 9-12–21 scoring line with a career-high 169 hits.

The 6’4″, 206-lb winger has only logged 45 NHL appearances since then, though, and saw no usage last season. After seeing some action for the Predators, Coyotes, and Blackhawks in the past few years, he spent last year with Chicago on a two-way deal and recorded 19 goals and 43 points in 70 games for AHL Rockford.

Now headed to Switzerland, he should help replace some of the offensive production Lugano lost when high-end minor-league scorer Daniel Carr departed the club earlier this summer to make a return to North America. He brings Lugano’s roster’s tally of NHL experience to over 1,500 games, joining names like Connor Carrick, Rasmus Kupari, and Brendan Perlini, among a few others. If he lights up the Swiss circuit this year, a return to the NHL wouldn’t be out of the question for 2026-27.

Jan Rutta Signs Two-Year Deal With Switzerland’s Geneve-Servette HC

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Aug. 25: Rutta has signed on with Geneve-Servette on a two-year contract, the Swiss team announced.

Aug. 23: Last season was a tough one for veteran defenseman Jan Rutta.  He dealt with some lower-body injuries, and when he was in the lineup for San Jose, he was often on the third pairing.  That has certainly contributed to his going unsigned through the first seven weeks of free agency, but that might be coming to an end soon.  Earlier this week, Blick’s Gregory Beaud reported that the blueliner is expected to sign with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland.

Rutta played in 54 games for the Sharks last season, picking up just three goals and six assists in a little over 17 minutes a night of playing time.  However, he took a regular turn on their penalty kill and played some tough defensive minutes.  Speculatively, NHL teams could be eyeing him as a PTO candidate to fill a sixth or seventh role if things went well in training camp, but clearly, a complete contract offer has yet to materialize, and at some point, a guaranteed deal overseas could be viewed as a better option than trying to earn a contract off a tryout.

Rutta debuted relatively late in the NHL, with his first season coming at the age of 27 with Chicago.  Since then, he has suited up in 417 regular-season games between four different clubs, putting up 23 goals and 75 assists along with 479 blocked shots.  He also has a pair of Stanley Cup rings from his time with Tampa Bay.

Assuming Rutta eventually agrees to a deal with Geneve-Servette, he will be the third veteran NHL player to join that team this offseason.  Previously, they signed wingers Jesse Puljujarvi and Jimmy Vesey and have one import slot remaining that it appears they want to use to bring in a veteran defender.

Tyson Barrie Announces Retirement

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Amid his participation in yesterday’s Avalanche alumni game, defenseman Tyson Barrie confirmed to Nathan Rudolph of the DNVR Avalanche podcast that he’s retired.

A third-round pick of the Avalanche in 2009, Barrie was a highly intriguing offensive option out of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and quickly looked like he could be something of a steal. He led the league in assists by a defenseman in his post-draft year and was named the WHL’s top defenseman as a result, but concerns about the righty’s size and defensive acumen meant he returned for a fourth and final season of junior hockey before making the jump to the pro ranks in 2011-12. Even then, he spent most of that year in the minors and only received 10 NHL games.

He slowly worked his way up the Avs’ depth chart, seeing less and less AHL time each season before earning his final recall in November 2013, early in his age-22 season. While he checked in as a fringe top-four option at even strength, he overtook Erik Johnson as Colorado’s top power-play quarterback and ended up recording a 13-25–38 scoring line in 64 games over the balance of the campaign. Those 0.59 points per game placed him inside the top-15 among NHL rearguards that year.

The 2014-15 campaign marked Barrie’s true coming of age. He broke the 50-point plateau – the first of four times he’d end up doing so in his career – while serving as Colorado’s de facto No. 1 option for a good portion of the season with Johnson injured. He would continue averaging north of 21 minutes per game for the remainder of his Colorado tenure, twice earning fringe votes for year-end All-Star honors.

Colorado didn’t have a ton of team success during Barrie’s six-year run as a full-timer there, though, only making the playoffs three times and winning a round once. His struggles away from the puck played a significant role in that. Only once, his final season in Denver, did Barrie manage to record a positive expected rating based on shot quality generated and allowed when he was on the ice at even strength. He posted a negative actual plus/minus rating in his last four years for Colorado, including a league-worst -34 mark in the Avs’ disastrous 22-win season in 2016-17.

Entering the 2019-20 season, Barrie was a pending unrestricted free agent and had been made redundant with Cale Makar’s emergence in the preceding postseason. That kicked off the latter journeyman phase of his career, beginning with a July 1 blockbuster that sent him to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Nazem Kadri. It didn’t work out all that well for Barrie or Toronto. He was no longer his club’s top power play option, sitting behind Morgan Rielly on the Leafs’ power play pyramid, and his offensive output declined to a more pedestrian 5-34–39 scoring line in 70 games as a result.

With Barrie’s point production his only real calling card, the fit in Toronto obviously wasn’t going to be a long-term one. They let him become a free agent during the COVID-laced 2020 offseason, and he proceeded to land a one-year, $3.75MM “prove-it” deal with the Oilers.

Barrie was plopped onto a top power-play unit in Edmonton with the two-headed monster of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid – the league’s two leading scorers in the shortened 2021 season – and responded with the best campaign of his career. He recorded 48 points in the truncated 56-game schedule, leading the NHL in scoring among defenders. His defensive deficiencies remained quite visible, though. He only managed a +5 rating compared to regular partner Darnell Nurse’s +27 mark, and as Edmonton was swept in the first round of the playoffs, Barrie became the first defenseman in league history to lead the position in scoring while not receiving a single Norris Trophy vote.

While Barrie remained a fine puck-mover for the Oilers, his production never quite found that gear again. His minutes began to drop back below the 20-minute mark, and at the 2023 deadline, he was sent to the Predators in the deal that landed Edmonton two-way dynamo Mattias Ekholm.

Nashville marked the last real turning point in Barrie’s career, and it wasn’t for the better. While he was still quite effective for the Preds down the stretch after the trade, recording 12 points in 24 games, that didn’t last very long. In 2023-24 – the final year of a three-year, $13.5MM extension he signed with Edmonton – Barrie tumbled down Nashville’s depth chart and ended up becoming a routine healthy scratch by the time the season ended. As such, he was limited to just one goal and 15 points in 41 games and only drew into the Preds’ playoff lineup once in their first-round loss to the Canucks.

Ahead of his age-33 season and with his value at an all-time low, Barrie ended up needing to settle for a professional tryout with the Flames to participate in an NHL training camp last fall. He did convert that into a $1.25MM contract in early October, but the fit wasn’t quite what Calgary hoped for. He only logged 13 appearances for the club and even ended up on waivers and cleared, seeing his first AHL action in over a decade with the Calgary Wranglers.

Barrie was a free agent this summer, and there was no reported interest in him on the open market. He hangs up his skates with 822 games played in 14 seasons, 23rd among his rather stacked draft class. He scored 110 goals and added 398 assists for 508 points, 10th in the league among defensemen since he debuted back in the 2011-12 season. He averaged just over 21 minutes per night for his career and made $47.85MM in estimated total earnings, per PuckPedia.

All of us at PHR congratulate Barrie on his fine career and wish him the best in his next steps.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

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