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Oilers Sign Sam O’Reilly To Entry-Level Deal

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The Oilers have signed 2024 first-round pick Sam O’Reilly to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

A likely signing bonus in the deal this season will be a nice gift for O’Reilly, who stuck around on the training camp roster longer than most anticipated. The Oilers, who had traded away their first-round pick to the Ducks in last season’s Adam Henrique trade, swung a deal with the Flyers on draft day to move back into the first round at No. 32 overall.

Edmonton then proceeded to make O’Reilly, who doesn’t turn 19 until March, the last pick of the round. The 6’1″ center’s offensive totals didn’t jump off the page in his draft year on a stacked OHL London team, and they’re also not expected to if he cracks the NHL. He projects as a physical depth piece with strong defensive instincts, making him extremely projectable as the Oilers’ No. 3 or No. 4 center in a few years.

A Toronto native, O’Reilly has been slightly underwhelming out of the gate with London this season – as have most of his teammates. However, his two goals and three assists for five points in seven games are only tied for ninth on the team, and his -3 rating is tied for third-worst. It’s still far too early in his post-draft campaign to write him off, though. Allan Mitchell of The Athletic ranked O’Reilly as the No. 2 prospect in the Edmonton pipeline and their best up-and-coming forward piece over the summer. However, he’s been unseated from that role after they acquired 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie from the Sabres.

O’Reilly is unlikely to play 10 NHL games this season, so expect his ELC to slide to the 2025-26 season. If he fails to hit 10 NHL GP next year, too, it’s eligible to slide again to 2026-27.

Predators Recall Zachary L’Heureux

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The Predators have called up left winger Zachary L’Heureux from AHL Milwaukee, and line rushes indicate he’ll make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Bruins (per 102.5 The Game’s Nick Kieser). Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean was first to report the move, which doesn’t require a corresponding transaction with an open spot on the Preds’ 23-man roster. It appears he’s entering the lineup for Philip Tomasino, who’s headed to the press box after playing just 5:08 against the Red Wings on Saturday.

L’Heureux, 21, was the 27th overall pick in 2021. Most describe the 5’11”, 196-lb forward as an agitator, which might be a contender for hockey’s understatement of the year award. The Montreal native’s games played totals during his time in juniors with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and Halifax Mooseheads consistently remained low due to multiple lengthy suspensions, and he wound up posting a whopping 197 PIMs in 66 games with Milwaukee last year in his first professional season.

However, that doesn’t take away from the legitimate upside in L’Heureux’s offensive game. After a 19-goal, 48-point regular season, L’Heureux led the AHL postseason in goals with 10 in just 15 games as the Admirals lost the Western Conference Final to Coachella Valley. He also led all rookies in overall scoring with 15 points.

He was also a legitimate scoring threat in juniors, totaling 190 points in 167 career QMJHL games. In February of this year, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked L’Heureux sixth in Nashville’s prospect pool. He’s not cracking many league-wide Top 75 or Top 100 rankings, but he still carries great upside. He could be legitimately impactful in a fourth-line scenario long-term, even if his offensive game never pops at the NHL level.

L’Heureux is expected to suit up on a line with Michael McCarron and Cole Smith as the Preds look to record their first win of the season tomorrow and make progress in getting out of a 0-5-0 hole.

Devils Reassign Seamus Casey, Recall Daniil Misyul

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Devils rookie defenseman Seamus Casey will get some reps in the minors after being sent down to AHL Utica, per a team announcement. 24-year-old Daniil Misyul was recalled in a corresponding transaction and will likely make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Lightning.

Casey, 20, managed to crack New Jersey’s opening night roster on his first try, undoubtedly aided by injuries to Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce. But the 2022 second-round pick took the opportunity and ran with it, posting three goals and an assist with a +2 rating through his first eight contests. He’s been highly sheltered by head coach Sheldon Keefe, averaging under 12 minutes per game. That’s related to some shoddy possession metrics, especially considering his frequent offensive-zone deployment. He’s controlled just 40.4% of shot attempts, far below the team average, with his rating boosted by a sky-high 97.8 oiSV%.

The former Michigan standout is also one of four right-shot defensemen on the Devils roster, and he’s been the one tabbed to play on his off side with Hughes out. That likely offers some explanation for his poor defensive showing thus far, but regardless, some extended time in Utica logging top-four minutes on his natural right side should do wonders for his development in his first professional season. It’s also why they’ve recalled a left-shot defender in Misyul.

Casey, who checks in at 5’10” and 181 lbs, had 15 goals and 59 assists for 74 points in 77 games in NCAA play for the Wolverines over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. His offensive dominance helped guide Michigan to the Big 10 championship in 2023 and earned him a spot on the NCAA’s West Region First All-American Team last year.

Misyul has been in New Jersey’s system much longer than Casey, going 70th overall in the 2019 draft. The Belarusian defender came over to North America just last season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract. A physical, stay-at-home talent, Misyul has no points and a -2 rating with 8 PIMs in three games for Utica so far this season. He had 14 points and a +1 rating in 44 appearances for the Comets last year.

Hurricanes Recall Jackson Blake

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Yesterday, the Hurricanes reassigned rookie forward Jackson Blake to AHL Chicago, per an announcement from the minor league club. Blake has been sent down once this season in a short-term cap-saving move before being recalled within a day or two, and this time was no different. He’s already back on Carolina’s roster, per the NHL’s media site. 

Blake, a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2021, signed his entry-level contract in the closing days of the 2023-24 regular season and burned the first year of the deal, making his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets on April 16. He didn’t technically crack Carolina’s opening night roster, but that was mostly due to cap constraints. He was recalled the following day and has played in all four Hurricanes games to begin the season, scoring twice and racking up 6 PIMs while averaging 10:57 per night.

In 2022-23 and 2023-24, the 21-year-old Blake was an all-around standout for the University of North Dakota. He split time between right wing and center, racking up 38 goals and 64 assists for 102 points in 79 games. He earned NCHC Rookie of the Year honors in 2023 before being named outright Player of the Year last season while also being a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate player.

The 5’11”, 178-lb Blake is fitting in well into Carolina’s bottom six so far, an important development for a team that lost a fair amount of scoring depth to free agency over the offseason. He’s generating a lot of chances in his limited ice time, averaging three shots on goal per game, and has controlled possession with a 58.1 CF% and 61.5 xGF% at even strength.

Morning Notes: Broberg, Holmberg, Walman

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One of the league’s most eye-opening offseason acquisitions has been making a significant impact with his new club early on. When the Blues signed former Oilers Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to successful offer sheets, most viewed their contracts as a bet on their upside rather than their current prowess. That was especially true in Broberg’s case, as the Blues inked him to a two-year deal with a $4.58MM cap hit despite the 2019 eighth overall pick spending most of last season in the minors.

But early on, Broberg’s been worth the cash and then some. He’s embarked on a six-game point streak to begin his tenure in St. Louis, tying for the team lead in scoring with six points (1 G, 5 A) and tying for the team lead with a +6 rating. What’s more – all of that production has come at even strength, and he’s averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. There’s more about Broberg’s early-season emergence in today’s video breakdown from Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required).

Here are a couple of more things from around the hockey world this morning:

  • A successful offseason by most accounts from Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving means more forward depth for new head coach Craig Berube to play with. That’s led to a rotation of notable healthy scratches thus far, including late-offseason pickup Max Pacioretty. The next one might be Pontus Holmberg, who Berube said “has got to battle a little bit harder” after last weekend’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers (via Nick Barden of The Hockey News). He was potentially looking to lock down a spot as the team’s third-line center, and while he’s done well in the faceoff dot with a career-high 55.2 FOW%, he’s played mostly on the wing thus far and has an assist and a -1 rating through five appearances. Possession numbers have been extremely unkind to him in heavy defensive usage as well.
  • Defender Jake Walman was a surprise mover this summer when the Red Wings attached a second-round pick to deal him to the Sharks. Most thought at least one Detroit defenseman would be on the move, but not one of the team’s best skaters who’d flourished in a top-pairing role alongside Moritz Seider over the past couple of seasons. Walman recently spoke to The Athletic’s Max Bultman about the move, which he said left him “shocked and heartbroken.” He’s off to a fresh start in San Jose, where he’s averaging over 23 minutes per game as their top blue-line option with two assists and a -2 rating through six appearances.

Five Key Stories: 10/14/24 – 10/20/24

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With the 2024-25 season in full swing, things were a bit quieter away from the ice but there was still some news of note from the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Calling It A Career: Veteran defenseman Anton Stralman has hung up his skates at the age of 38 and has retired.  A seventh-round pick by Toronto back in 2005, Stralman played in 938 career NHL contests over parts of 16 seasons for seven different teams.  He wasn’t a big offensive producer although he did manage 293 points to his name but Stralman was known for being a solid defensive blueliner who was capable of logging 20 minutes a night.  He’s now slated to begin his coaching career but not necessarily in the sport you might be thinking of; he has joined the coaching staff of Swedish women’s soccer club Skultorps IF.

Injuries For Defensemen: Utah HC made some moves to shore up their back end this summer but they’ll have to wait a while for one of their newcomers to debut as John Marino is set to miss multiple months due to an upper-body injury.  The 27-year-old has averaged over 20 minutes a game in his first five NHL seasons and was poised to play a big role for them but that’s now on hold.  Sean Durzi, their top blueliner from last year, is also set to be out for a while due to an upper-body injury of his own.  Meanwhile, Wild rearguard Jared Spurgeon will be out for a few more games at least as he’s dealing with issues from the back and hip surgeries he had last season.  While the soreness and stiffness were expected and this isn’t a setback, it means Minnesota will be without a key piece for a while and it wouldn’t be surprising if this is something that creeps up again later in the season.

Eight For Oettinger: Goalies have been getting paid in recent weeks and the latest to land a new contract was Stars netminder Jake Oettinger.  He received an eight-year, $66MM deal that begins next season.  If those figures sound familiar, it’s the exact contract that Boston gave Jeremy Swayman earlier this month.  In fact, aside from Oettinger having one extra year eligible for a no-move clause, the structure of the contracts is identical.  Oettinger is in his fifth NHL season and has already established himself as one of the upper-echelon netminders.  He now will be one of four goalies with that AAV (joining Sorokin, Linus Ullmark, and Ilya Sorokin) and will be tied for the fourth-highest cap hit among goaltenders in 2025-26.

Flames Looking To Add Center Help: Over the past 12 months, the Flames have primarily been selling veterans for pieces that will help them in the future.  However, they’re off to a strong start to the season, sitting atop the Pacific Division with a 4-0-1 start.  With that in mind, they appear to be open to being a buyer following a report from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli that suggests they’re looking to add help down the middle.  Specifically, their desired target is a middle-six player who fits their age group (and preferably shoots right-handed) so this isn’t a case of them looking to target a rental player.  However, it appears that they’re willing to expedite their rebuilding process if they can get a longer-term additional who could step in and play a regular role right away.

Two For Slaggert: While Landon Slaggert didn’t make Chicago’s roster out of training camp, the team feels that he’s going to be part of their longer-term plans.  Accordingly, they elected to sign him to an early extension, signing him to a two-year, $1.8MM contract that begins next season.  Notably, the deal carries a one-way salary in both years, a decent payday for someone who is currently in the minors.  Slaggert was a third-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2020, going 79th overall and had a strong four-year stint at the University of Notre Dame before turning pro last season where he got into 16 NHL games down the stretch.  Slaggert is eligible to be exempt from waivers through 2025-26 though that can change depending on how much NHL action he sees between now and the end of next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Panthers Begin Extension Talks With Sam Bennett

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Earlier this month, the Panthers got a deal done with one of their prominent pending unrestricted free agents when they signed winger Carter Verhaeghe to an eight-year, $56MM extension.  Now, it appears they’ve turned their focus to another key forward as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that the team has started extension discussions with center Sam Bennett.  He also noted that this is just the start of talks and that no new deal is necessarily imminent.

The 28-year-old was the fourth overall pick by Calgary back in 2014 but never really seemed to live up to those high expectations.  Over his five full seasons with them, he only reached the 30-point mark once.  Eventually, that led to them flipping Bennett to Florida for a second-round pick and prospect Emil Heineman (who was later dealt to Montreal).

With the Panthers, Bennett’s fortunes have changed substantially.  Offensively, he has been more impactful, collecting at least 40 points in each of his first three seasons with the team while adding a 28-goal effort in 2021-22.  He’s off to a solid start on that front this year as well with seven points in as many outings.  Bennett also has gone back to being a full-time center after primarily playing on the wing with the Flames and from a value standpoint, middlemen are worth more than a winger.

Of course, Bennett’s contributions aren’t just on the offensive side of things as he is also a prominent power forward.  Those players tend to get a premium on their contracts, especially in UFA-eligible seasons.  Bennett also played a prominent role in Florida’s last two playoff runs, including their 2024 Stanley Cup title so he also has that on his side in discussions.

Accordingly, all signs point to Bennett landing a considerable raise on his current $4.425MM AAV.  But how much of one can Florida realistically afford?  That’s where things could get a bit more interesting.

The Panthers have Aleksander Barkov signed through 2029-30 at $10MM per season.  It’s safe to say he’s not going anywhere.  They also committed $5MM per year to Anton Lundell through 2029-30.  Lundell as their third center is a nice luxury to have while they can afford it but Bennett’s contract is likely to push past the $6MM mark on a long-term pact.  Barring a position change for one of Bennett or Lundell, that would be a lot to commit long-term to a third-line player.

As things stand, Florida has a little over $73MM committed to 16 players for next season, per PuckPedia.  With the expectation of another few million being added to the current $88MM Upper Limit, there’s definitely room for them to afford that type of contract.  But it should be noted that Aaron Ekblad’s deal is also expiring so they will need to re-sign or replace him.  While there’s room for one more pricey contract on their books, fitting two in – Bennett plus an Ekblad re-signing or a newcomer to take his place – would be a lot trickier.

But even with that in mind, parting with an impactful center would be hard to do and it’s fair to say that Bennett would have a very strong market next summer if he were to reach free agency in July.  We’ll see in the coming weeks if the two sides can work something out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jakub Zboril Signs In Czech League

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After spending last season in the minors, free agent defenseman Jakub Zboril had to settle for a PTO in training camp, getting one with New Jersey.  While he played in four games for them in the preseason, no contract came his way so now, he’s heading back home.  HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a contract through the 2028-29 campaign.

The 27-year-old was a first-round pick by Boston in 2015, going 13th overall. He was the first of three consecutive first-rounders by the Bruins, followed by Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn. Zboril was a solid two-way defender at the major junior level but wasn’t able to replicate that offensive success in the pros.

Zboril played in 76 NHL games over parts of four seasons with the Bruins, almost exclusively in a third-pairing role while also battling injuries.  He had a goal and 15 assists in those appearances while averaging 15:38 per game.

Zboril played in 46 games in the AHL last season, split between Boston’s farm team and Columbus after he was acquired at the trade deadline, collecting 13 assists.  Overall, he has played in 228 games at that level, tallying 11 goals and 59 assists.

Considering that Zboril didn’t qualify for full AHL veteran status for this season (320 or more professional games played), it’s likely that he had offers to play at that level.  However, if those were the options he had on the table, it certainly makes sense for him to play at home.  With it being a five-year deal, however, that might take away a chance for him to return to North America down the road.

Golden Knights Have Not Started Extension Talks With Adin Hill

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Recently, we’ve seen several pending free agent goaltenders sign contract extensions.  Linus Ullmark (four years, $33MM) and Joey Daccord (five years, $25MM) inked new deals to stop them from reaching unrestricted free agency while Jake Oettinger inked an eight-year, $66MM extension over reaching restricted free agency next summer.  Those moves came on the heels of Boston’s signing of Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal, ending a long stalemate in his trip through restricted free agency.

With Ullmark and Daccord coming off the list of potential UFAs and the Rangers and Igor Shesterkin still plugging away at what’s expected to be a record-setting extension, Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill is poised to be one of the top netminders remaining out of next summer’s crop of goaltenders.  Unlike some of the others, however, don’t expect a new deal for him to come about anytime soon as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that talks on a possible extension aren’t expected to begin until sometime in the new year.

The 28-year-old is in his third season with Vegas and has seen his fortunes change considerably since joining them.  Originally acquired as injury insurance in 2022, he didn’t see a ton of action during the regular season that year but, of course, played an instrumental role in them winning the Stanley Cup.  His performance there helped earn him a two-year, $9.8MM deal, effectively serving as another bridge contract.

Last season, Hill wasn’t able to put up as good of numbers as his first year with the team but he still managed a 2.71 GAA and a .909 SV% in 35 regular season games while playing quite well in his three playoff appearances.  This year, he’s off to more of a sluggish start with a 3.81 GAA and a .851 SV% but only two weeks into the season, things can change quickly.

That said, Hill’s market is likely a bit trickier to determine at this point.  His 35 appearances last season were a career high but is still on the low side compared to most starters.  Between his previous roles and injuries, he has largely been a backup or platoon option.  There is always interest in those types of players but not at a level where he could command considerably more than he’s making now.  Frankly, if he’s viewed league-wide as a platoon player and not a true starter, matching this contract from an AAV perspective could be difficult.

With that in mind, it makes sense for both sides to wait this out for a little while.  If Hill stays healthy and plays like a legitimate starter over the next few months, he’ll have a stronger case in negotiations than he wound now.  Meanwhile, if he falters a little bit, it wouldn’t be shocking if Vegas either came in at a lower number or pushed things back further.

The Golden Knights have had a fair bit of turnover since joining the league with only two netminders spending parts of four years with the team while only five have played more than 35 games.  An extension for Hill would give them some stability at that position but based on this report, it won’t be coming for a while yet.

Penguins Make Tristan Jarry A Healthy Scratch

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With the Pittsburgh Penguins recalling goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic from his conditioning loan without a corresponding roster move it was inevitable that the Penguins would have to healthy scratch one of their three netminders for today’s game. Their highest-paid goalie, Tristan Jarry, found his name on the chopping block when the roster was announced with the team opting for Nedeljkovic and youngster Joel Blomqvist.

Nedeljkovic started today against the Winnipeg Jets allowing five goals on 36 shots for an .861 save percentage in the loss. It was his first game back since suffering a lower-body injury in a preseason matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on September 30th.

Aside from Nedeljkovic making his season debut, the move speaks more to Pittsburgh’s confidence in Blomqvist and the ongoing lack thereof with Jarry. The 23-year-old netminder has managed a .906 SV% through the first three starts of his NHL career while Jarry has only mustered an .836 SV% including three goals allowed on five shots in only 11 and a half minutes of the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 16th.

The Penguins are only seven games into the 2024-25 regular season so there is more than enough time for Jarry to turn it around and take back the starting job. The bad part is that this issue extends before this season with Jarry losing the starting role to Nedeljkovic in the back half of last year.

Despite Jarry having enough time to turn his season around, there is some recent precedence for a team making a bold decision on a high-priced goaltender. The Edmonton Oilers placed Jack Campbell and his $5MM salary on waivers last season after only five games to start the season before buying him out this past summer.

There’s no indication Pittsburgh will act similarly to the Oilers last year but the organization’s response to his recent stretch of play, coupled with the healthy scratch today, likely shows Jarry that his spot in the lineup isn’t as secure as he would like.

The Penguins are just below the league’s average in save percentage to start the regular season but are not a unique club having early issues in the crease. Should Jarry’s uninspiring play continue into the American Thanksgiving season — he could force Pittsburgh’s hand in making a very difficult decision.

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