Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Karson Kuhlman Signs In Finland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

A year ago, unrestricted free agent Karson Kuhlman was coming his second straight campaign where he was a full-timer on an NHL roster.  However, his time in North America is now over, at least for the time being as Lukko in Finland announced that they’ve signed the winger to a one-year contract.

The 28-year-old signed with Boston out of college back in 2018, spending parts of five years in their system.  In three of those seasons, he split time between them and AHL Providence before becoming a full-time NHL player in 2021-22.

That season, Kuhlman broke camp with the Bruins and got into 19 games with them before being waived in mid-January where he was claimed by Seattle.  He remained with the Kraken for the rest of that season and the beginning of 2022-23 before being waived in December, being claimed by Winnipeg.

Despite being a full-timer on the roster for two straight years, Kuhlman didn’t generate strong interest in free agency last summer, instead settling for a two-way deal with the Islanders.  While the hope was that he could push for a depth spot or at least position himself as one of the first recall options, that didn’t materialize.  Instead, he spent the entire year with AHL Bridgeport, recording 12 goals and 10 assists.

Kuhlman leaves North America with 147 career NHL games under his belt between Boston, Seattle, and Winnipeg, totaling 30 points.  He also has played in 146 AHL contests over that stretch, tallying 61 points.  Now, he’ll look to establish himself as more of an offensive threat in the Liiga and a good showing there could get him back on the North American radar next summer.

Hurricanes Increasingly Likely To Retain Martin Necas

at CDT | by 9 Comments

For the past several months, there has been an expectation that the Hurricanes would move restricted free agent forward Martin Necas among the belief that Necas would like a bigger role and a contract more significant than Carolina would like to offer.  However, while there was plenty of trade speculation in recent weeks, nothing came to fruition.  Now, GM Eric Tulsky told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that while they’re still talking to teams, a trade seems less likely at this point:

It is a lot easier to make trades before July 1 when teams have flexibility to go pivot and sign other players to replace whatever they gave up than it is after July 1 when their roster is mostly built. We are continuing to talk to teams and we don’t want to miss an opportunity to make the team better, but teams have less flexibility now than they had in June, so it’s harder to find a deal now than it was then.

A natural center, Necas has spent the bulk of his NHL career playing on the wing, a role he held for the majority of last season.  The 25-year-old had a breakout showing in 2022-23, collecting 28 goals and 43 assists in 82 games but he wasn’t able to match those numbers last season.  Still, he potted 24 goals and 29 helpers in 77 contests, the second-best output of his career.  That has him well-positioned to earn a significant raise on the $3MM AAV and $3.5MM salary he had in 2023-24.

Necas was one of 14 players to file for salary arbitration earlier this month, taking the possibility of him signing an offer sheet off the table.  In doing so, he guaranteed himself a contract by early August.  Talks between the two sides remain ongoing with Tulsky acknowledging that they’ve discussed everything between a one-year agreement to a max-term eight-year pact.  Necas is two years away from UFA eligibility so a one-year deal would allow them to kick the question of his long-term future with the club down the road.

This has been a busy offseason for Carolina so far, one that has seen them lose Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Stefan Noesen.  While they’ve brought in replacements for most players, they’ve largely been more role players with the exception of blueliners Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere.

As a result of the turnover, the Hurricanes find themselves with ample cap space, checking in with a little over $13.85MM in room, per PuckPedia.  With that much flexibility, Tulsky has a chance to sign both Necas and RFA winger Seth Jarvis to long-term agreements and still be under the $88MM Upper Limit come October.  With Necas having the closer deadline to sign as arbitration hearings end in early August, expect his case to be Carolina’s focus in the near term.  But now, after it looked like a foregone conclusion that he’d be moved, there’s a very real possibility that he’s in the lineup for the Hurricanes on opening night.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Sign Liam Greentree

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

11:58 AM: The Kings have officially confirmed Greentree’s signing and the $975K AAV.

8:55 AM: The Kings have agreed to terms with their top selection in last month’s draft as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Liam Greentree to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal pays $877.5K per year in salary with a $97.5K signing bonus for each season for a $975K cap hit.

[Related: 2024 NHL Draft Signing Tracker]

The winger was selected by Los Angeles with the 26th pick after the Kings opted to trade down five spots earlier in the day.  Greentree had a very strong sophomore year with OHL Windsor, doubling his output from his rookie season.  All told, he finished up with 36 goals and 54 assists in 64 games before collecting four more points at the World Under-18s.  That resulted in many of his draft rankings slotting between the middle of the first round and the end of it.

While Greentree will likely get at least a brief look at training camp in the fall, it’s highly likely that he’ll return to the Spitfires next season.  Assuming that happens and that he doesn’t get into ten or more NHL games before that time, Greentree’s contract will slide a year and still have three years left on it next summer.

Red Wings Sign Joe Veleno To Two-Year Contract

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Saturday: The team officially confirmed Veleno’s re-signing and the $2.275MM AAV.

Friday: The Detroit Red Wings have signed centerman Joe Veleno to a two-year contract, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). The deal will carry an annual average value of $2.275MM and settles negotiations with a multi-year deal before Veleno was set for salary arbitration.

Veleno found his footing in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, posting 20 points in 81 games as he fought to carve out a role in Detroit’s middle-six. The performance was enough to earn him a one-year, “prove it” deal with the Red Wings last summer, though it came at a $70K cut in salary from his entry-level deal. But Veleno made quick work of the opportunity, stamping out 12 goals, 16 assists, and 28 points this season – all career-highs.

He’s had to work out of the high-energy, high-scoring role he carried through his four-year QMJHL career, instead leaning much more into the physical advantages of his 6-foot-1, 201-pound frame. That change in style has made him much more effective at filling the responsibilities of a third-line centerman, with Veleno ranking fourth among Red Wings forwards and hits (108) and third among centermen in faceoff percentage (49.0 percent) this season. Veleno’s production has grown in tandem with his intangibles, and he’ll now get a chance to earn one more pay raise before his prime years.

Austin Czarnik Signs In Swiss League

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After splitting time between the NHL and the AHL in recent seasons, center Austin Czarnik has decided it’s time to try something different.  SC Bern of the Swiss NL announced that they’ve signed the veteran to a one-year contract.

The 31-year-old spent extended time with both Detroit and Grand Rapids last season.  With the Red Wings, he got into 34 games, his highest total since the 2018-19 campaign.  However, Czarnik wasn’t able to muster up much offensively, recording just one assist while winning 49% of his faceoffs in just 8:26 per game, a career low.

However, he was once again a key producer in the minors with the Griffins.  In 38 regular season games with them, Czarnik potted 10 goals and 18 assists before adding four goals and four assists in nine postseason contests.

That follows a recent trend for Czarnik.  In the minors, he has been a top point-getter, notching 290 points in 308 career games at that level.  But it hasn’t translated to much offensive success in the NHL as he has just 51 points in 205 career appearances.  Most of that came early in his career as Czarnik has just 16 points in 92 games over the last five years.

It seems reasonable to infer that Czarnik would have had two-way offers on the table if he wanted to continue in the role he has had in recent seasons.  But now, he’ll have a chance to play an impactful role for a full season overseas, giving him some stability in the process.  Depending on how things go in Switzerland, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Czarnik back in the NHL two-way mix next summer.

Predators, Spencer Stastney Exchange Arbitration Figures

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the schedule for arbitration hearings not being made public this year, it’s generally unknown when hearings are going to be held.  However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link), the Predators and defenseman Spencer Stastney have exchanged figures, meaning his hearing is slated for Monday.

Stastney’s request was a one-year deal worth $950K.  With the blueliner initiating the filing, it’s Nashville that gets to determine if it’s a one-year or a two-year award should it actually go through the process.  They opted for the latter, filing a two-way offer for both seasons, worth $775K and $125K in the minors for 2024-25 and $775K and $175K for 2025-26.

The 24-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal, one which saw him carry a $925K cap hit between his base salary and signing bonuses.  Nashville’s offer actually comes in below the qualifying offer they tendered late last month but those offers have since lapsed meaning that they can go as low as they want with an offer.

Last season, Stastney split the year between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee.  In the minors, he suited up in 44 games, notching five goals and 15 assists, improving on his rookie point total by seven.  He got into 20 regular season games with the Preds, picking up two goals and two helpers while logging just under 16 minutes a night.  Stastney also played in three games in their opening-round playoff loss to Vancouver.

The two sides now have just under 48 hours to come to an agreement.  If they can’t come to one and the hearing starts, it will go the distance and have a contract awarded by the arbitrator.  If a contract is awarded, Stastney will once again be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer.

Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen An Emerging Starter Amid Competition

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres faced an exciting question entering the 2023-24 season – “how high will Devon Levi climb?” It seemed like Levi was set for certain stardom coming off a historically good collegiate career, with some even claiming him as a pre-season favorite for the Calder Trophy opposite Connor Bedard. But Levi’s first full year of pro hockey proved to be much more human than anticipated, and it was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who stole Buffalo’s starting role while Levi split time between the NHL backup and AHL starter roles. Luukkonen performed well in the spotlight, managing 27 wins, a .910 save percentage, and five shutouts while handling a commendable 54 games. Now, nearly a month into the off-season, Luukkonen sits as an unsigned restricted free agent and Buffalo faces a new, much bleaker question: “who is our starter?”

The clearest answer seems to be Luukkonen, who’s still just 25 years old and coming off a year that would make any starter proud. It’s been a long march for the Finnish netminder, who struggled to find his footing through his first three years in North American pros. He kicked off his career by earning an AHL promotion on the back of 23 strong ECHL games, though he’d stall out with the Rochester Americans, ultimately recording a bleak .894 save percentage in 60 AHL games between the start of the 2018-19 and the end of the 2021-22 seasons.

But injuries forced Buffalo to recall Luukkonen twice in 2021, ultimately awarding him the first 13 NHL games of his career. He performed well in the spot starts, managing a .913 save percentage despite winning just three games. That was a bright enough flash to earn him a share of backup minutes in the 2022-23 campaign – an opportunity that he took in stride. In a reverse of his early stat line, Luukkonen found strong success in the win column despite a sub-.900 save percentage, posting a team-leading 17 wins and standing as the only Sabres goaltender with a winning record that year. His winning tendencies and strong stat lines merged in the starting role this year, ultimately leading to a season that was hard to ignore. Luukkonen’s 27 wins stand as the most of any Sabres goaltender since Ryan Miller in 2012, and his .910 save percentage is the team’s highest since Robin Lehner in 2017.

Simply put, it’s been a while since Buffalo has seen a goalie season as capable as Luukkonen’s 2023-24 campaign. The team now faces the dreaded task of putting a price to the starring performance, without much supplementary info to go on. Levi’s presence only makes Buffalo’s decision harder. The 22-year-old top prospect managed a .899 save percentage in 23 games as an NHL rookie this season – certainly nothing to bluff at – and a .927 in 26 AHL games – the second-highest save percentage in the minors. Levi still carries a blue chip, even if his highly-anticipated rookie year fell short of the history books. Any long-term extension for Luukkonen would have to consider Levi’s rightful shot at opportunity. And while Buffalo can dream of a perfectly balanced duo akin to Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, it seems more likely that each of Luukonen and Levi’s success comes on the back of a consistent role.

So what could a new deal look like for Luukkonen – and what kind of time share is awaiting him? Thatcher Demko is currently riding a five-year, $25MM extension earned after a pair of limited but promising seasons with the Vancouver Canucks where he managed 29 wins and a .910 save percentage across 62 games. That falls closely in line with Luukkonen’s strong 2023-24, though Demko carried the prestige of a higher draft pick and stronger track record. The Sabres could instead vie for a deal more comparable to Alexandar Georgiev – who joined the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year, $10.2MM deal in 2022 after holding well in the New York Rangers backup role. Like Demko and Luukkonen, Georgiev’s deal came with little to go on, save for a strong stat line in limited minutes.

Unfortunately for the Sabres, both Demko and Georgiev followed their signings with 60-game seasons – and both performed well with the opportunity. That precedent, and Buffalo’s plea for strong consistency in net after so long without it, could force the Sabres to commit to a full year of Luukkonen. That would set them up for a situation more closely related to Nashville’s than Boston’s, with a top-end, young goaltender burgeoning out of the AHL starter role, but an all-too-capable starter hogging the limelight. Or the Sabres may bridge the gap between the two teams – a benefit of a nearby AHL team – finding ways to incorporate Levi into the lineup whenever available, while still honoring Luukkonen’s deserved chance at a full-time role. Either way, the team’s vision for their goaltending will be spelled out by the contract they sign Luukkonen to – and it will be a decision with major ramifications.

Snapshots: Sprong, Misiak, Julien

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Vancouver Canucks are among the teams interested in free agent winger Daniel Sprong, shares Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News (Twitter link). Sprong is the top remaining free agent from PHR’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents.

Sprong has fought his way into NHL legitimacy over the last two seasons, kicked off with a breakout 2022-23 with the Seattle Kraken. He recorded career-highs across the board – netting 21 goals, 25 assists, and 46 points in 66 games despite a measly role on Seattle’s third line. It was a flash-in-the-pan season for the veteran Sprong, who had only managed 70 points in 202 career games up to that point. And he held onto the scoring through a move to the Detroit Red Wings last summer, netting 18 goals and 43 points despite averaging just 12 minutes of ice time. He’s seemingly proven his ability to produce in a depth role, though it’s hard to ignore the long streak of struggles that started his career. Now 28, Sprong doesn’t seem destine for a long-term deal, though he could prove a valuable late-market add for a Canucks team in need of boost down their wings.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Martin Misiak is expected to return to the OHL next season shares Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Misiak played through his first year in the OHL this season, netting 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with the Erie Otters. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hawks at the end of Erie’s season, coupling the deal with an amateur try-out in the AHL. But it seems he’s now quite ready to jump to the pros, instead focused on finding another layer of scoring after a meager debut in the OHL.
  • The St. Louis Blues are sitting happy with their addition of long-time NHL head coach Claude Julien, who joined the team as an assistant coach last June. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong compared the hire to when Larry Robinson, an NHL Hall-of-Famer, joined Craig Berube’s coaching staff ahead of the team’s 2019 Stanley Cup win, telling Lou Korac of NHL.com that he hopes this move will have similar long-term ramifications. He said, “The experience Larry Robinson showed a young staff, it was really impressive. I think Claude’s at a portion of his life now where I think accepting this is easier and seeing the joy of working with young coaches and making them better, sharing his experiences, sharing his experiences with players.” Julien, a 19-year veteran of NHL head coaching, seems set on maintaining his mentoring role in St. Louis, as the team promotes up-and-coming coaches in Drew Bannister and Steve Ott.

Afternoon Notes: Hyland, Giroux, Grzelcyk

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Hershey Bears have signed Washington Capitals draft pick Brett Hyland to an AHL contract for the upcoming season (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL entry draft (200th overall) and joined the Bears on an amateur tryout this past April.

The Edmonton Alberta native spent parts of five seasons in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings after being taken 24th overall in the 2018 WHL draft. He tallied decent offensive numbers in his final few seasons with the Wheat Kings and found his goal-scoring in his final year, netting 32 goals in 66 games.

Hyland will be joining a Bears team that has won back-to-back Calder Cup championships.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk believes he will be in the mix to play in the Penguins top four defensive group next season (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Grzelcyk told the media that injuries severely limited his play last season as evidenced by his dramatic drop in offensive production and being a healthy scratch for the final stretch of Boston Bruins playoff games. The 30-year-old had just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season after posting four consecutive seasons with 20 or more points. The Penguins signed the Charlestown, Massachusetts native to a one-year $2.75MM contract on July 1st and given the struggles of Ryan Graves, it is very possible that Grzelcyk could be playing on one of the Penguins’ top two defensive pairings with either Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux joined the Coming In Hot Podcast and talked about his future with the Senators beyond the upcoming season. Giroux noted that he hasn’t spoken with the team or his family about a contract extension in Ottawa and hasn’t thought about it at this time. Giroux has one year left on the three-year deal he signed in 2022 and added that his focus is on having a strong season next year and helping Ottawa reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Giroux isn’t saying much but given the Senators’ lack of success, it makes sense for him to wait and see how the next year plays out before deciding to commit to the team long-term. Giroux is 36 years old and has yet to win a Stanley Cup, and while Ottawa is his home city, the chase for a championship could be something he considers with his next contract.

Snapshots: MHL, Arbitration, ESPN

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The KHL will be testing a new backcourt violation rule in their junior hockey league, the MHL (Twitter link). The rule that will come into effect for the 2024-25 season will forbid players from skating the puck back to their side of center in overtime more than one time. A first violation will cause a stoppage in play and the team guilty of the backcourt violation will see a faceoff occur in their defensive zone. Any additional violation in overtime will cause a minor penalty to be called.

The trial run will be interesting to watch as there have been calls for this type of rule in North America, although no change to the rule is pending. NHL clubs have been utilizing their defensive zone in recent years as a reset during overtime and it has made 3 on 3 overtime in the NHL far less exciting than it was when it was first introduced.

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that the NHLPA has taken a new approach to arbitration hearings, opting not to release a full schedule ahead of the hearings. The news makes sense given that very little information is available about the scheduled hearings and they will begin tomorrow. The pivot means that fans won’t know about the time and date of hearings until an arbitrator has decided the outcome or the team and player have settled before arbitration. Arbitration can be contentious between teams and their players and might be something that is looked at the next time the NHL and NHLPA renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement.
  • ESPN released a list ranking the top 100 professional athletes of this century. The list was largely absent of hockey players but there were a handful that made the cut. It isn’t shocking to see so few players on their list but keep in mind that this is the network that owns a lot of NHL distribution rights and streaming rights at the moment. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby topped this list for hockey players, finishing 22nd, while Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin was 54th, and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid finished a shocking 98th.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top