NHL Rumors - ProHockeyRumors.com

Snapshots: MHL, Arbitration, ESPN

July 19, 2024 at 1:39 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 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.

2025 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents

July 19, 2024 at 9:45 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

The following players are currently projected to be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2024-25 season. Each player’s 2025 age is in parentheses.

For a list of current unrestricted free agents, click here.

* denotes likely Group 6 UFA

Updated 11/15/24 (12:45pm CT)

Devils Sign Cam Squires To Entry-Level Deal

July 19, 2024 at 9:21 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Devils have inked right winger Cam Squires to his entry-level contract, the team implied in an X post on Friday. It’ll be a three-year deal for the 19-year-old.

Squires has spent the past three seasons as one of the better offensive options for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, where the Prince Edward Island native has totaled 79 goals and 91 assists for 170 points in 197 games. The 6’0″, 170-lb forward broke out for 30 goals and 64 points in 67 games in his draft year and improved to 33 goals and 72 points in 66 games last season.

New Jersey snagged Squires a tad later than some expected him to go in last year’s draft, taking him with their lone pick in the fourth round (No. 122). TSN’s Craig Button had him as the No. 87 prospect in the class, while FC Hockey had him at No. 95. In their 2023 NHL Draft Guide, Elite Prospects’ David St-Louis called him “an intelligent player, one who can intercept opposing plays and transform them into offense, make imaginative passing plays, fakes, and who can find openings in goalie’s coverage.” The scouting site listed his puck protection game and his overall agility as his biggest weaknesses.

Squires is still too young for a full-time AHL assignment, per the NHL’s transfer agreement with the CHL. He’s not projected to make a push for a roster spot out of camp in the fall, so he’ll likely be loaned back to Cape Breton for his final season of junior hockey. As such, his ELC will slide to 2025-26 and expire in the 2028 offseason, at which point he’ll be an RFA.

Blue Jackets Expected To Part Ways With Assistant Coach Josef Boumedienne

July 19, 2024 at 7:22 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

The Blue Jackets will not be renewing the contract of assistant coach Josef Boumedienne, sources tell The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.

It’s a little late in the offseason to make coaching changes, especially for a club still looking to lock down its head coach. Columbus has seen a lot of personnel turnover this offseason, naming Don Waddell as their general manager in late May before firing head coach Pascal Vincent after all previous head coaching vacancies created this offseason had been filled.

They’re reportedly nearing a resolution on that front. Portzline indicated last weekend that they’re down to former Wild bench boss Dean Evason and ex-Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft as finalists, with a decision expected by the end of the month. But after today’s news, they have another vacancy to deal with.

Boumedienne had served behind the Blue Jackets bench for just one season, his first in an NHL coaching capacity. Before stepping into the role, the former NHL defender had spent 10 years with Columbus in scouting roles. He began as a European scout in 2013-14 before being promoted to their director of European scouting in 2016-17 and again to their director of professional scouting in 2021-22.

The Swede was added as an assistant coach just before last season began, part of the domino effect that saw Vincent promoted from associate to head coach after Mike Babcock resigned from the helm at the beginning of training camp. He’s also been active in the Blue Jackets’ youth hockey programs, serving at the helm of their U-14 club as late as last season.

Whether the Blue Jackets will move to replace Boumedienne for next season remains to be seen, and any decision will undoubtedly wait until after their head coach hire is announced. Their new bench boss will still be walking into a staff of three assistants – Jared Boll, Steve McCarthy and Mark Recchi – plus goaltending coach Niklas Bäckström. That’s enough of a coaching roster to replace Boumedienne’s duties by committee if they so choose.

West Notes: Dumoulin, Oilers GM Search, Lauer, Sparkes

July 18, 2024 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Ducks defenseman Brian Dumoulin told Travis Lazarczyk of the Portland Press Herald that he had requested a trade from Seattle before last month’s draft, preferably to an Eastern team. The 32-year-old signed with the Kraken last summer after spending ten years in Pittsburgh and had a limited role, picking up 16 points in 80 games while his average ice time dipped by more than three minutes per game to 17:01 per night. Originally, Seattle didn’t intend to move him but eventually agreed to do so after signing Brandon Montour but didn’t find an East Coast team to send him to, instead moving him to Anaheim for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Dumoulin will enter the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a $3.15MM AAV and he’ll be asked to help shore up a back end that struggled mightily in 2023-24.

Elsewhere out West:

In an appearance on the Bob McCown Podcast (video link), Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations and interim GM Jeff Jackson reiterated that he has no desire to take on the full-time GM role. He added that there have been several interviews for the position and while he didn’t want to put a firm timeline on a new hire, he’s hoping to have one announced in the next seven to ten days. Jackson is in the interim role following the departure of Ken Holland when his contract expired late last month.
Former Jets assistant coach Brad Lauer has found his next job as WHL Spokane announced that they’ve named Lauer as their new head coach. The 57-year-old spent the last two years as an assistant with Winnipeg and also has time behind the bench with Anaheim and Tampa Bay. Lauer has worked in the WHL twice before, spending five years with Kootenay as an assistant to kick off his coaching career and four seasons with Edmonton.
Kings prospect Jack Sparkes has changed college commitments. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will now attend Clarkson after originally being committed to Michigan State. The 20-year-old was the tallest player in his draft class at six-foot-eight, going 180th overall. Sparkes split last season between USHL Muskegon and BCHL Chilliwack, picking up a dozen points in 44 games.

Minor Transactions: 7/18/24

July 18, 2024 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

As expected, signing activity across the NHL has largely dried up with training camps still more than a month and a half away. However, there are some NHL-drafted prospects and players formerly on NHL contracts that have found new places to play in recent days. We’ll run through those moves here.

Free agent blueliner Nick Cicek has signed a one-year deal with Adler Mannheim, the DEL team announced. The 24-year-old started last season in San Jose’s system before being moved to Vancouver where he remained in the AHL. Between the two teams, Cicek had four goals and 12 assists in 67 games, resulting in him being non-tendered last month. Cicek does have 16 career NHL appearances under his belt, all coming in the 2022-23 campaign where he had four assists.
Capitals prospect Ilya Protas has signed with OHL Windsor for the upcoming season, per a team announcement. Protas, whose brother is a regular in Washington, was a third-round pick last month, going 75th overall. The 18-year-old, who signed his entry-level deal with the Caps earlier this month was the third-overall selection in the CHL Import Draft and the top selection from an OHL-based club following a strong showing with USHL Des Moines. In 61 games with the Buccaneers last season, Protas had 14 goals and 37 assists.
Still with Washington, the Capitals farm team in Hershey was busy today as the team announced six signings, all on one-year contracts. Joining the Bears are forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, along with defenseman Jayden Lee. The five forwards played professionally last year – primarily at the ECHL level – while Lee is turning pro after a five-year stint at Quinnipiac.
After being non-tendered by Dallas last month, free agent forward Max Ellis has found a new place to play as he has joined Jukurit in Finland, per a team release. The 24-year-old spent last season in Toronto’s system, getting into 36 games in the AHL with the Marlies where he had four goals and ten assists. His signing rights were thrown into the draft day trade for the rights to Chris Tanev but that was simply for contract-matching purposes.
Panthers prospect Vladislav Lukashevich has changed his college commitment. Nathaniel Bott of the Lansing State Journal relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner will now play at Michigan State next season instead of Northern Michigan. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick back in 2021, going 120th overall and spent last season with USHL Tri-City where he had 11 goals and 32 assists in 54 games.

Blackhawks Loan Antti Saarela To Finnish League

July 18, 2024 at 7:29 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

After a rough first year in North America last season, the Blackhawks are giving prospect forward Antti Saarela a fresh start. Per an announcement from Luuko in Finland’s Liiga, Chicago has loaned Saarela to them for the upcoming season.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2019, going 123rd overall. After a good showing with Lukko in 2022-23 that saw him record 18 points in 41 games, Chicago signed Saarela to a two-year, entry-level contract just a couple of months before they would have lost his NHL rights.

However, things didn’t go well for him in his first year with AHL Rockford. Between injuries and some struggles, Saarela was limited to just 27 games where he picked up five goals and one assist. He did not suit up for the IceHogs in the postseason.

Saarela is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent next summer with salary arbitration rights. Considering how the first season went, it’s safe to say that Saarela is tracking toward non-tender status unless he has a very strong showing back home next season.

Penguins Sign Harrison Brunicke

July 18, 2024 at 6:28 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

A week after signing Tanner Howe, the Penguins have now agreed to terms with the top pick from their draft class last month. The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Harrison Brunicke to a three-year, entry-level contract. The team did not disclose financial terms but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a cap hit of $875K and does not contain any performance bonuses.

[Related: 2024 NHL Draft Signing Tracker]

The 18-year-old was the 44th selection last month, going two spots ahead of Howe. Brunicke recorded 10 goals and 11 assists in 49 games last season with WHL Kamloops, leading his team in goals scored by a blueliner. The South Africa native plays for Canada internationally and picked up a goal and three assists in seven games at the World Under-18s, helping his team to a gold medal.

As is often the case with players signing this quickly after being drafted, Brunicke won’t actually begin his entry-level contract next season unless he plays in ten or more games with Pittsburgh. That’s unlikely to be the outcome at this point as he’ll likely return to the Blazers for the 2024-25 campaign (and likely one more after that). Assuming that happens, Brunicke’s deal will slide and still have three years remaining on it next summer.

Predators Sign Adam Wilsby

July 18, 2024 at 6:04 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators have signed defender Adam Wilsby to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a $775K salary at the NHL level.

Nashville drafted Wilsby in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, selecting him in his final year of eligibility after a strong season with Sodertalje SK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. Wilsby recorded 30 points in 41 games that year, helping Sodertalje earn promotion to the SHL and following the performance up with two strong seasons at the top flight to help keep them there.

With a successful run in Sweden in the rearview, Wilsby signed an uncommon two-year entry-level contract with the Predators in 2022. But he struggled to carry his momentum over from Sweden, posting just 18 points as an AHL rookie, though he did play in all 72 games. He also appeared in 16 postseason games, where a quicker pace boosted him to a productive eight points. He improved to 21 points in 61 games this season, though still seems far from finding the comfortable footing he had in the SHL.

Still, there’s reason to be excited about Wilsby’s stout control of the blue line and ability to spark transition. He’s a young defender who seems to have more to give and will get a chance to prove his worth to the Predators next season, fighting for a much hardier NHL deal next summer.

Maple Leafs Hire Mark Leach As Director Of Amateur Scouting

July 18, 2024 at 4:09 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 3 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Mark Leach as their Director of Amateur Scouting. Leach fills the role left vacant by Wes Clark, who has moved to a Vice President and Director of Player Personnel role with the Pittsburgh Penguins, reuniting with general manager Kyle Dubas.

This will mark the first director position of Leach’s storied career, which kicked off with an amateur scouting role with the Detroit Red Wings in 1996. He quickly settled into a Red Wings scouting room soon to become legendary, supporting the selections of all-time draft steals Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk alongside Håkan Andersson. Late steals quickly became a calling card of Leach’s career, as he pushed the Wings to pursue Jimmy Howard, Johan Franzen, and Justin Abdelkader. The quintet would step up as cornerstones of Detroit’s lineup across the early 2010s, though Leach would move on to an amateur scouting role with the Dallas Stars in 2013.

The legend followed Leach south, quickly pushing him into a prominent role with the Stars. He recalled the franchise-defining 2017 Draft class to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, sharing the hands-on role he played in the team’s selection of Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, and Jake Oettinger. Like his successes in Detroit, that trio now defines the Stars lineup – though they’ve received plenty of help from other draft steals, like Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven, and Mavrik Bourque.

No scout will ever take too much credit for what’s ultimately a team decision, but Leach’s draft reputation far and away proceeds him. He’ll step into the most influential role of his career with a Maple Leafs team in need of some draft support after the departures of top prospect minds Dubas and Clark. The Leafs have earned praise for the selection of Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, and Dennis Hildeby in recent years, though only two of their 38 selections since 2019 – Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson – have played in 15 or more NHL games. Amid a year of changes across the organization, redefining their draft approach to match Leach’s keen eye will be among Toronto’s top priorities.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Centers

Left Wingers

Right Wingers

Left-Shot Defensemen

Right-Shot Defensemen

Goaltenders

Navigation

PHR Info

Connect