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Lightning Acquire Ryan McDonagh From Predators

May 21, 2024 at 12:03 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 35 Comments

The Lightning have re-acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Predators via trade, the team announced Tuesday. Tampa is picking up the Oilers’ 2024 fourth-round pick in the deal and sending their 2025 second-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick to Nashville in return.

It’s incredibly unusual timing for a swap, especially one of this significance. Both the Bolts’ and Preds’ seasons ended a few weeks ago in first-round playoff exits.

There was no previous indication McDonagh was on the trade block, but he’ll now finish out the last two seasons of his seven-year, $6.75MM AAV contract back in Tampa, where he signed it in 2018. The Predators are not retaining salary in the deal – an important factor for the Lightning as they attempt to keep captain Steven Stamkos, a pending unrestricted free agent, from going to market.

McDonagh, who was part of the Lightning’s three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020 to 2022, spent the last two seasons in Nashville after the Lightning couldn’t afford to keep his contract on the books. They traded him to the Preds in July 2022 for minor-league pieces Grant Mismash and Philippe Myers. Mismash never suited up for Tampa and is now playing in Norway, while Myers has logged 16 appearances for the Bolts in the last two seasons.

It’s hard to argue with the asset management here from Predators general manager Barry Trotz. McDonagh gave them two seasons of solid top-four minutes, averaging 21:40 per game over 145 contests. He isn’t the player he once was offensively, but he still put up a respectable 52 points in a Nashville uniform and a combined +31 rating, which leads Nashville skaters since 2022-23. Trotz also nets a second-round pick for his troubles.

McDonagh’s contract has a full no-trade clause, which he waived to return to Tampa. The Lightning have struggled defensively without him the past two seasons, going from a consistent top-10 team in goals against to 14th in 2022-23 and 22nd this season. They also haven’t managed to win a playoff series since trading him away, losing to the Panthers in the first round this season and the Maple Leafs last year. While trading him away did allow GM Julien BriseBois to sign the younger Erik Černák, Anthony Cirelli and Mikhail Sergachev to long-term extensions, it didn’t result in a continuation of their success from the beginning of the decade.

The veteran defenseman turns 35 next month and is entering his 15th NHL season. Formerly the captain of the Rangers, the Lightning initially acquired McDonagh, along with J.T. Miller, in a blockbuster trade at the 2018 deadline. McDonagh played parts of five seasons in Tampa before ending up in Nashville, putting up 99 points and a +74 rating in 267 games in a Lightning uniform while averaging 21:51 per game.

However, re-acquiring McDonagh doesn’t mean the Lightning are in a more advantageous cap situation than when they traded him away. They’re down to just over $5MM in projected cap space next season with a roster size of 18, per CapFriendly, likely not enough to re-sign Stamkos without a corresponding move.

Evolving Hockey projects Stamkos could earn close to $8.5MM annually on a short-term deal on the open market, and while he’s likely willing to take a hometown discount to stay in Tampa, a contract worth less than half his market value would be extreme. They also have a couple of other depth forward spots to fill to ice a full roster, and none of their minor-league forwards are particularly strong candidates to crack next fall’s opening night roster.

After trading away their 2025 second-rounder in this deal, the Lightning now don’t have a pick in the first two rounds until 2026. That’s a tough sell for an aging core, considering they have a bottom-five prospect pool in the league, as analyzed by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler.

Meanwhile, Trotz frees up some significant cap space to allow Nashville to be slightly more aggressive in free agency. The buyout penalty for Matt Duchene increases by $3MM on July 1 to a $5.55MM price tag next season, eating into their offseason flexibility. After moving McDonagh, CapFriendly now projects the Preds with $26MM in space next season with a roster size of 15. That’s more than enough to go big-game hunting for a younger, more cost-controlled replacement for McDonagh on the open market this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Nashville Predators| Newsstand| Tampa Bay Lightning| Transactions Ryan McDonagh

35 comments

Flyers Not Expected To Buy Out Cal Petersen

May 21, 2024 at 11:43 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

The Flyers had a pair of strong buyout candidates this summer, but it looks like they won’t execute one on either. They’re not expected to buy out the final season of goaltender Cal Petersen’s contract, reports The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco. They’ll also likely be prevented from buying out the final season of center Ryan Johansen’s $4MM cap hit as he continues to recover from a hip injury.

Petersen, 29, will likely remain in the organization for a second straight season after Philly took him on as a cap dump from the Kings in the Ivan Provorov three-team trade with the Blue Jackets last offseason. He spent most of the campaign on assignment to AHL Lehigh Valley, where he put up a respectable but unimpressive .902 SV% and 2.71 GAA with two shutouts in 28 games.

The Iowa native once looked like a goalie of the future for the Kings, who plucked him from Notre Dame after he didn’t sign with the Sabres, who selected him in the fifth round in 2013. By 2020-21, he was challenging to take over the starter’s crease from future Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Quick and had logged a career .916 SV% and 19-25-6 record in 50 starts and four relief appearances by the end of the season.

Entering the final season of a cheap three-year deal with a $858K cap hit, Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake opted to lock him into a three-year, $15MM extension to have him backstop the Kings through the mid-2020s. His play immediately regressed upon signing, though, and in the final season before the extension kicked in, he conceded nearly 12 goals above average and put up a .895 SV% in 37 games.

That remains a career-high in appearances for Petersen, who started the extension so poorly (.868 SV%, 3.75 GAA in 10 GP) that he was demoted to the AHL. After putting up average numbers in the minors with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, the Kings were able to get out of the final two seasons of the extension by dumping the contract on the retooling Flyers.

Petersen did make a few NHL appearances this season, backing up Samuel Ersson for small stretches after Carter Hart took personal leave to face sexual assault charges, but again struggled with a .864 SV% and 3.90 GAA in four starts and one relief appearance.

While buried in the minors, Petersen’s cap hit is reduced from $5MM to $3.85MM. Buying him out would have incurred a $1MM cap charge next season, saving them $2.85MM in space immediately, with a $2MM penalty in 2025-26. Overall, the Flyers will forego $2MM in actual cash savings and a higher cap charge this season in order to get him off the books sooner.

He also still has some value to the organization as a serviceable minor-league netminder, even if his days in the NHL are likely over. The Flyers have a lot of dead money on the books next season aside from Johansen and Petersen, though, including $3.57MM worth of retained salary on Blues center Kevin Hayes and a $1.67MM penalty for buying out defenseman Tony DeAngelo last summer. They also have three seasons remaining of injured/retired defenseman Ryan Ellis at a $6.25MM cap hit, although he can be placed on long-term injured reserve for some temporary spending flexibility.

The Flyers have most of their roster already signed for next season, but they do have a few open spots on defense and just $500K in projected cap space, per CapFriendly. Without the buyouts, they’ll need Ellis’ LTIR flexibility to round out their blue line and remain cap-compliant.

Philadelphia Flyers Cal Petersen

3 comments

Avalanche Re-Sign Trent Miner To One-Year Deal

May 21, 2024 at 10:46 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Avalanche are bringing back depth netminder Trent Miner on a one-year contract, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Miner, 23, was a pending restricted free agent after completing his three-year, entry-level contract. The 2019 seventh-round pick has spent the majority of his time with the Avs in the ECHL, where he has a strong .911 SV%, 2.88 GAA, 10 shutouts and a 39-32-3 record in 76 appearances.

The Manitoba native got an extended look in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles for the first time this season and took advantage of the opportunity. He led all Eagles netminders with a .930 SV%, albeit in only 18 games, along with a 2.10 GAA and 9-6-1 record.

He becomes the third netminder under contract for the Avs next year behind their NHL duo of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen. While they’ll add more depth to fill out their minor-league ranks and firm up their injury insurance, he likely did enough in his AHL stint to avoid assignment back to the ECHL next season, at least to start.

His development helps shoulder the loss of depth netminders Arvid Holm and Ivan Prosvetov, who are both pending Group Six unrestricted free agents and are heading overseas. Holm, 25, recently signed a three-year deal with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League after struggling in limited AHL action this season, while Prosvetov is expected to return home to Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League after losing the NHL backup job to Annunen midseason.

Miner was not eligible for salary arbitration this offseason. He will remain waivers exempt for the entirety of 2024-25, so the Avalanche can give him his first NHL recall without fear of losing him when returning him to the minors. The one-year extension makes him an RFA again in 2025.

Colorado Avalanche| Transactions Trent Miner

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Senators Add Rob DiMaio To Hockey Operations Department

May 21, 2024 at 10:23 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Senators have hired Rob DiMaio as their director of player personnel and director of professional scouting, per a team announcement Tuesday.

DiMaio, 56, spent the last two seasons with the Ducks as an assistant general manager and GM of their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. He left the organization last week for personal reasons, now returning to his home north of the border.

Before his brief stint in Southern California, DiMaio served in various front-office roles with the Blues from 2008 to 2022. After beginning as a pro scout, he was promoted to St. Louis’ director of professional scouting in 2012 and later their director of player personnel in 2015.

In conjunction with GM Doug Armstrong, DiMaio’s decision-making and scouting helped the Blues assemble the roster that won them their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2019. That was also DiMaio’s first championship after going without a Cup during his 17-year, 894-game playing career with the Bruins, Flyers, Hurricanes, Lightning, Islanders, Rangers and Stars.

DiMaio will now report to Senators GM and president of hockey operations Steve Staios. Ottawa has not had a dedicated director of professional scouting since longtime executive Jim Clark, who remains with the team in a pro scouting role but stepped down from the directorship after the 2021-22 season.

Ottawa Senators Rob DiMaio

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2024 NHL Free Agents By Team

May 21, 2024 at 9:29 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

Pro Hockey Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2024 free agents by team is below. These are players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2023-24 season. Potential restricted free agents are marked with (RFA). Only players who logged significant NHL time this past season are listed.

This list will continue to be updated throughout the next few months and into free agency, so be sure to use it and our list of 2024 free agents by position/type [RESTRICTED] [UNRESTRICTED] as points of reference.

All lists can be found under the flame icon on our mobile menu. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Updated 6/28/24

Anaheim Ducks

  1. William Lagesson
  2. Ben Meyers
  3. Urho Vaakanainen (RFA)
  4. Isac Lundeström (RFA)
  5. Max Jones (RFA)
  6. Brett Leason (RFA)
  7. Jackson LaCombe (RFA)
  8. Gustav Lindström (RFA)

Boston Bruins

  1. Jake DeBrusk
  2. Danton Heinen
  3. Matt Grzelcyk
  4. Kevin Shattenkirk
  5. James van Riemsdyk
  6. Derek Forbort
  7. Pat Maroon
  8. Oskar Steen
  9. Jeremy Swayman (RFA)
  10. Jesper Boqvist (RFA)

Buffalo Sabres

  1. Victor Olofsson
  2. Zemgus Girgensons
  3. Eric Comrie
  4. Eric Robinson
  5. Tyson Jost
  6. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (RFA)
  7. Henri Jokiharju (RFA)
  8. Peyton Krebs (RFA)
  9. Jacob Bryson (RFA)

Calgary Flames

  1. Oliver Kylington
  2. A.J. Greer
  3. Jordan Oesterle
  4. Dennis Gilbert
  5. Jakob Pelletier (RFA)
  6. Dustin Wolf (RFA)

Carolina Hurricanes

  1. Jake Guentzel
  2. Brady Skjei
  3. Teuvo Teräväinen
  4. Brett Pesce
  5. Stefan Noesen
  6. Jordan Martinook
  7. Tony DeAngelo
  8. Antti Raanta
  9. Martin Necas (RFA)
  10. Seth Jarvis (RFA)
  11. Jack Drury (RFA)

Chicago Blackhawks

  1. Tyler Johnson
  2. Nikita Zaitsev
  3. Jarred Tinordi
  4. Jaycob Megna
  5. Colin Blackwell
  6. Sam Lafferty
  7. Taylor Raddysh (RFA)
  8. Joey Anderson (RFA)
  9. Mackenzie Entwistle (RFA)
  10. Isaak Phillips (RFA)
  11. Louis Crevier (RFA)
  12. Reese Johnson (RFA)

Colorado Avalanche

  1. Sean Walker
  2. Jonathan Drouin
  3. Yakov Trenin
  4. Brandon Duhaime
  5. Jack Johnson
  6. Caleb Jones
  7. Fredrik Olofsson
  8. Joel Kiviranta

Columbus Blue Jackets

  1. Brendan Gaunce
  2. Carson Meyer
  3. Kirill Marchenko (RFA)
  4. Jake Bean (RFA)
  5. Alexandre Texier (RFA)
  6. Cole Sillinger (RFA)
  7. Kent Johnson (RFA)
  8. Alexander Nylander (RFA)
  9. Jake Christiansen (RFA)

Dallas Stars

  1. Joe Pavelski
  2. Matt Duchene
  3. Chris Tanev
  4. Scott Wedgewood
  5. Jani Hakanpää
  6. Craig Smith
  7. Thomas Harley (RFA)
  8. Sam Steel (RFA)
  9. Nils Lundkvist (RFA)
  10. Ty Dellandrea (RFA)

Detroit Red Wings

  1. Shayne Gostisbehere
  2. Daniel Sprong
  3. Patrick Kane
  4. David Perron
  5. Christian Fischer
  6. James Reimer
  7. Austin Czarnik
  8. Lucas Raymond (RFA)
  9. Moritz Seider (RFA)
  10. Joe Veleno (RFA)
  11. Jonatan Berggren (RFA)

Edmonton Oilers

  1. Adam Henrique
  2. Warren Foegele
  3. Sam Carrick
  4. Connor Brown
  5. Corey Perry
  6. Mattias Janmark
  7. Vincent Desharnais
  8. Sam Gagner
  9. Troy Stecher
  10. Adam Erne
  11. Dylan Holloway (RFA)
  12. Philip Broberg (RFA)

Florida Panthers

  1. Sam Reinhart
  2. Brandon Montour
  3. Vladimir Tarasenko
  4. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
  5. Anthony Stolarz
  6. Dmitry Kulikov
  7. Kyle Okposo
  8. Nick Cousins
  9. Ryan Lomberg
  10. Kevin Stenlund
  11. Steven Lorentz
  12. Anton Lundell (RFA)
  13. Josh Mahura (RFA)

Los Angeles Kings

  1. Matt Roy
  2. Viktor Arvidsson
  3. Cam Talbot
  4. Pheonix Copley
  5. Trevor Lewis
  6. Quinton Byfield (RFA)
  7. Blake Lizotte (RFA)
  8. Arthur Kaliyev (RFA)
  9. Carl Grundström (RFA)
  10. Jordan Spence (RFA)

Minnesota Wild

  1. Alex Goligoski
  2. Dakota Mermis
  3. Jake Lucchini
  4. Adam Beckman (RFA)
  5. Mason Shaw (RFA)
  6. Declan Chisholm (RFA)

Montreal Canadiens

  1. Tanner Pearson
  2. Colin White
  3. Justin Barron (RFA)
  4. Arber Xhekaj (RFA)
  5. Jesse Ylönen (RFA)

Nashville Predators

  1. Alexandre Carrier
  2. Anthony Beauvillier
  3. Jason Zucker
  4. Tyson Barrie
  5. Kiefer Sherwood
  6. Kevin Lankinen
  7. Philip Tomasino (RFA)
  8. Juuso Pärssinen (RFA)
  9. Spencer Stastney (RFA)
  10. Jaret Anderson-Dolan (RFA)

New Jersey Devils

  1. Brendan Smith
  2. Kaapo Kähkönen
  3. Chris Tierney
  4. Tomáš Nosek
  5. Dawson Mercer (RFA)
  6. Nico Daws (RFA)
  7. Akira Schmid (RFA)
  8. Nolan Foote (RFA)
  9. Santeri Hatakka (RFA)

New York Islanders

  1. Mike Reilly
  2. Matt Martin
  3. Cal Clutterbuck
  4. Robert Bortuzzo
  5. Sebastian Aho
  6. Simon Holmström (RFA)
  7. Oliver Wahlstrom (RFA)

New York Rangers

  1. Jack Roslovic
  2. Erik Gustafsson
  3. Alexander Wennberg
  4. Blake Wheeler
  5. Chad Ruhwedel
  6. Tyler Pitlick
  7. Ryan Lindgren (RFA)
  8. Braden Schneider (RFA)

Ottawa Senators

  1. Dominik Kubalík
  2. Rourke Chartier
  3. Shane Pinto (RFA)
  4. Erik Brännström (RFA)
  5. Parker Kelly (RFA)
  6. Boris Katchouk (RFA)
  7. Mads Søgaard (RFA)

Philadelphia Flyers

  1. Erik Johnson
  2. Marc Staal
  3. Yegor Zamula (RFA)
  4. Bobby Brink (RFA)

Pittsburgh Penguins

  1. Vinnie Hinostroza
  2. Jansen Harkins
  3. Radim Zohorna
  4. Ryan Shea
  5. Pierre-Olivier Joseph (RFA)
  6. Emil Bemstrom (RFA)

San Jose Sharks

  1. Alexander Barabanov
  2. Mike Hoffman
  3. Kevin Labanc
  4. Jacob MacDonald
  5. Justin Bailey
  6. Luke Kunin (RFA)
  7. Filip Zadina (RFA)
  8. Calen Addison (RFA)
  9. Henry Thrun (RFA)
  10. Ty Emberson (RFA)

Seattle Kraken

  1. Justin Schultz
  2. Tomáš Tatar
  3. Pierre-Édouard Bellemare
  4. Matthew Beniers (RFA)
  5. Eeli Tolvanen (RFA)
  6. Kailer Yamamoto (RFA)

St. Louis Blues

  1. Kasperi Kapanen
  2. Marco Scandella
  3. Sammy Blais
  4. Jakub Vrána
  5. Nikita Alexandrov (RFA)

Tampa Bay Lightning

  1. Steven Stamkos
  2. Anthony Duclair
  3. Mathew Dumba
  4. Calvin de Haan
  5. Tyler Motte
  6. Austin Watson
  7. Alex Barré-Boulet
  8. Haydn Fleury

Toronto Maple Leafs

  1. T.J. Brodie
  2. Tyler Bertuzzi
  3. Max Domi
  4. Ilya Samsonov
  5. Mark Giordano
  6. John Klingberg
  7. Ilya Lyubushkin
  8. Joel Edmundson
  9. Martin Jones
  10. Timothy Liljegren (RFA)
  11. Noah Gregor (RFA)
  12. Nicholas Robertson (RFA)
  13. Connor Dewar (RFA)

Utah Hockey Club

  1. Travis Boyd
  2. Josh Brown
  3. Travis Dermott
  4. Sean Durzi (RFA)
  5. Juuso Välimäki (RFA)
  6. J.J. Moser (RFA)
  7. Barrett Hayton (RFA)
  8. Victor Söderström (RFA)

Vancouver Canucks

  1. Elias Lindholm
  2. Nikita Zadorov
  3. Ian Cole
  4. Casey DeSmith
  5. Arturs Silovs (RFA)

Vegas Golden Knights

  1. Jonathan Marchessault
  2. Chandler Stephenson
  3. Anthony Mantha
  4. Michael Amadio
  5. Alec Martinez
  6. William Carrier
  7. Pavel Dorofeyev (RFA)
  8. Kaedan Korczak (RFA)

Washington Capitals

  1. Nicolas Aubé-Kubel
  2. Max Pacioretty
  3. Matthew Phillips
  4. Connor McMichael (RFA)
  5. Beck Malenstyn (RFA)

Winnipeg Jets

  1. Tyler Toffoli
  2. Sean Monahan
  3. Laurent Brossoit
  4. Colin Miller
  5. Brenden Dillon
  6. Cole Perfetti (RFA)
  7. Logan Stanley (RFA)
  8. David Gustafsson (RFA)

2024 Free Agency| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

2 comments

West Notes: Predators, Nilsson, Henrique, Larson

May 20, 2024 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The Predators have half a dozen pending unrestricted free agents to decide on this summer.  Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean profiles each case, suggesting that of the six, wingers Jason Zucker and Kiefer Sherwood are the likeliest to stick around.  Zucker provided some depth scoring for the Preds down the stretch, collecting five goals in 19 games after being acquired from Arizona at the deadline and while he’s almost certainly facing a pay cut from the $5.3MM he made this season, he could still command a fair-sized salary considering he’s only a year removed from a 27-goal campaign in Pittsburgh.

As for Sherwood, the 29-year-old was a full-time NHLer for the first time, getting into a career-best 68 games this season where he had 10 goals and 17 assists along with 234 hits in just over 12 minutes a night.  Considering the effectiveness of that fourth trio and the fact that his linemates have already received two-year extensions, it stands to reason that the Predators would like to keep that trio intact.  However, after playing for the league minimum for four straight seasons, Sherwood appears to be well-positioned to potentially double that on his next contract.

More from the West:

  • Still with Nashville, Predators prospect Felix Nilsson has been loaned to IK Oskarshamn for 2024-25, his SHL team in Rogle announced. The 18-year-old was the 43rd overall pick last June and split the season between the SHL and Sweden’s junior league.  He played in 41 games with Rogle but in a limited role, notching just three points.  Meanwhile, at the junior level, Nilsson added 23 points in 22 regular season contests.  The decision to loan him to the second-tier Allsvenskan level is an in-between step, allowing him to play at a higher level than he would have in junior but in a more prominent role than he’d have likely had in Rogle.
  • The Oilers won’t have Adam Henrique back for tonight’s seventh and deciding game against Vancouver, relays TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). The veteran suffered an ankle injury in the first game of the series and hasn’t played since.  He had two points in his first six playoff games before the injury in his first taste of playoff action since 2018.
  • The Ducks have invited winger Joey Larson to their upcoming development camp, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 23-year-old had a strong sophomore year at Michigan State this season, leading the Spartans in goals with 16 while adding 16 helpers in 38 games.

Anaheim Ducks| Edmonton Oilers| Nashville Predators Adam Henrique| Felix Nilsson| Jason Zucker| Joey Larson| Kiefer Sherwood

2 comments

Offseason Checklist: Buffalo Sabres

May 20, 2024 at 6:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Buffalo.

It looked like this could be the year for the Sabres were going to take a step forward and reach the playoffs.  They were returning the bulk of one of the top-scoring groups in the league and with Devon Levi, they hoped they’d get some stability between the pipes.  Things didn’t go as planned, however.  Levi was overmatched early on and while he’s still part of their long-term future, he played more AHL games than NHL ones.  Meanwhile, they dropped 50 goals off their 2022-23 total, going from the top three to outside the top 20 in that regard, resulting in them missing the playoffs again.  GM Kevyn Adams moved quickly, bringing back Lindy Ruff as head coach to replace Don Granato who was fired after the season.  However, plenty of work needs to be done roster-wise in the coming months as well.

Extension Talks

Before getting into the additions that need to be made, let’s look a little further out.  The Sabres have a trio of key players that will become extension-eligible on July 1st as they enter the final year of their respective contracts.

Up front, J-J Peterka was one of the few players to take a step forward offensively this season, going from 12 goals in his rookie year to 28 while also reaching the 50-point mark.  If the Sabres think he can get to another gear in 2024-25, it would be worth exploring what an early extension would cost.  Forecasting further improvement into the offer, a long-term agreement should cost at least $5.5MM and probably more.  Adams has been aggressive when it comes to getting some of these types of deals done and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him explore what a long-term pact with the 22-year-old would cost.

Jack Quinn is the other forward of note in this situation but his case is different.  Injuries limited him to just 27 games this season although he was productive in those, collecting 19 points while improving his per-game rates considerably.  With just 104 games under his belt though, a long-term extension wouldn’t necessarily be viable.  However, they could look to work out an early bridge deal, one that gives Quinn some security after an injury-riddled campaign while also potentially giving Buffalo a team-friendly price tag if Quinn has a breakout year.  It might take a price tag starting with a three to get Quinn to sign now.

Then there’s Bowen Byram.  He was able to stay healthy this season for the most part and responded with a career year, notching 29 points in 73 games and logged nearly 22 minutes a night after being acquired from Colorado at the deadline for Casey Mittelstadt.  Considering what they gave up to get him, it’s fair to say he’s in Buffalo’s long-term plans so he’s someone they’ll likely want to lock up sooner than later.  With his injury history, it shouldn’t come in as high as Owen Power’s new deal ($8.35M) but it should easily cross the $6MM mark.  Notably, he’s owed a qualifying offer of $4.62MM next summer with arbitration rights so they’ll have to make an appealing offer to get him to put pen to paper early.

While it’s unlikely all three will ultimately sign new deals over the summer, Adams will want to at least get an idea of what each player will be looking for sooner than later as that information should help them when it comes to the rest of their planned spending this summer.

Re-Sign Luukkonen

While Levi wasn’t able to lock down the number one job, it wasn’t all bad news between the pipes for Buffalo this season.  Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen overcame a rough start to his season to become a true starter in the second half, posting a .919 SV% after January 1st, a span of 36 games.  That performance helped keep the Sabres within striking distance of the playoffs longer than it looked like they were going to be early on.

The timing for his improvement was certainly good for Luukkonen as he’s eligible for restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility.  Midseason, it looked as if he wouldn’t be able to command any kind of significant deal as a backup with some question marks.  Now, after the second half he had, the 25-year-old at least has some leverage heading into negotiations.

This negotiation could go a couple of different ways.  Considering that he has just 100 games of NHL experience under his belt, it would be difficult to work out a satisfactory long-term agreement.  And if Levi is still their intended starter of the future, they likely wouldn’t want to have Luukkonen locked up that long either.  It’s also worth noting at this point that he is two years away from UFA eligibility.

Assuming the Sabres don’t want to sign him to a contract that walks him right to the open market, that means the options are a one-year deal or a medium-term pact that buys an extra year or two of club control.  If it’s the former, the contract should check in around the $3.5MM mark.  On the latter, it’s likely that Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson’s three-year, $3.75MM pact would be used as a starter in negotiations with a price point creeping into the $4MM range.  Even when Levi gets more expensive in 2025-26 when he needs a new contract, they should be able to afford both netminders in this price range with their salary structure.

While we’re on the topic of goaltending, the Sabres will also need to add a veteran goalie this summer.  With Levi still having waiver exemption, there may come a time when they decide to give him a run of starts with AHL Rochester, necessitating the need to have a quality third option in the fold.  There will be several of those players available in free agency but bringing in someone who they can play in a pinch with some confidence would be beneficial.

Add Top-Six Winger

While there’s a case to be made for not doing any sort of panic move due to the considerable drop-off in scoring this season and hoping that Ruff can help re-spark their attack, there is still a definite need to add, particularly on the wing.  Yes, players like Jiri Kulich, Matthew Savoie, and Isak Rosen are on the rise and aren’t too far away but they can still benefit from time in the minors or being eased into things at the NHL level.

At the moment, they have around $65.5MM in commitments for next season, per CapFriendly, assuming Levi is back up full-time.  With the remaining funds, they need to sign upwards of six forwards, a couple of defensemen (including Henri Jokiharju who’s owed a $2.6MM qualifying offer), and Luukkonen.  As far as cap situations go, that’s one of the more optimal ones around the league and Adams will have enough room to make a splash if he wants to.

Knowing some of the contracts that are coming down the road – this is where the knowledge from the early extension talks comes in – a move at the top end of the market might not make the most sense as when their 2025 RFAs get a lot more expensive in a hurry, it could cause a bit of a cap crunch.  However, there are plenty of options a tier down, including shorter-term veterans like Jonathan Marchessault if he doesn’t re-sign in Vegas, Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Toffoli, or even Patrick Kane who has been a speculative Buffalo target for a while now.  If they want a longer-term piece, someone like Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, or Jake DeBrusk makes sense.

All of those players should fit within their long-term salary structure while also giving their forward group a boost.  That, coupled with at least some internal improvement offensively, could give the Sabres a big lift next season.

Add Center Depth

For the first three quarters of this season, Buffalo had strong center depth with Mittelstadt joining Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens.  They were comfortable enough to deal from that by using Mittelstadt to get Byram but now they need to back-fill that spot.  Peyton Krebs got an extended look down the middle following the trade but didn’t exactly make the most of it while scoring just four goals all season.  A pending RFA, he’s worth keeping around to see if Ruff can help get that part of his game going once again after being an impactful scorer in junior.

Meanwhile, long-time Sabre Zemgus Girgensons is unlikely to return as is Tyson Jost; both players spent some time down the middle this season.  So did Kyle Okposo before being moved to Florida at the trade deadline.  Internally, there aren’t any centers from Rochester that are likely to be pushing for a roster spot in training camp either (assuming Savoie needs some time in the minors to start).  Accordingly, there’s at least one spot to fill and likely two.

Again, ample cap space will give them plenty of options.  Depending on what they do on the wing, they could have enough money to take a run at someone like Sean Monahan to give them that quality third option that they had when Mittelstadt was still there.  Chandler Stephenson would cost a bit more but the same idea would apply to him.  Alexander Wennberg could also fit nicely in that third role as someone who could move up in a pinch when injuries arise.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Sabres target a veteran fourth liner.  As a result of a long-term rebuild and playoff drought, there aren’t many veterans on this team.  Adding some experienced players seems like something they’ll try to do, even on the wing if they opt to dip into free agency or the trade market to add a shorter-term piece or two.  But at a minimum, there’s a need to replenish their center depth so expect them to be aggressive on that front over the next couple of months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buffalo Sabres| Offseason Checklist 2024| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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Afternoon Notes: Stars, Ovchinikov, ECHL

May 20, 2024 at 5:56 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 1 Comment

Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer has designated both Roope Hintz and Jani Hakanpaa as day-to-day with injuries ahead of the Western Conference Finals, per Lia Assimakopoulous of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Hintz suffered an upper-body injury during Game 4 of the Second Round, since missing Dallas’ last two games, while Hakanpaa has missed the team’s last 26 games with a lower-body injury.

Dallas managed to pull past the Colorado Avalanche in Hintz’s absence, though there’s no doubt that he’s sorely missed. Hintz has managed six points in 11 postseason appearances while commanding a strong line of Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. Hintz hit the 30-goal mark for the third consecutive season this year, posting 30 goals and 65 points through 80 games. He’s emerged as a core pillar of the Stars lineup over the last three seasons, and could be a pivotal piece of Dallas’ push to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Hintz’s injury has made space for Radek Faksa, while Hakanpaa has opened a spot for Nils Lundkvist and Alexander Petrovic to compete for a role. Hintz will slot immediately into the lineup when he’s ready to return, while Hakanpaa’s status could be more up in the air after such a long absence.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Minnesota Wild prospect Dmitry Ovchinikov has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, per Kyle Cush,am of The Score (Twitter link). Ovchinikov has spent parts of the last three seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, though each season has been limited – totaling 12 points across 32 career games in the AHL. He’ll now return to the KHL, where he played he’s already appeared in 103 career games and scored 17 points. Ovchinikov was part of a Trade Deadline swap that sent Connor Dewar to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but stayed loaned to the Marlies for the remainder of the season.
  • The ECHL has announced that Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Ernst will depart from the league at the end of the postseason. The news will end Ernst’s storied career in the ECHL, stretching across 33 of the league’s 36 years of existence. He originally served in 16 seasons as a referee before being promoted to Vice President of Hockey Operations in 2011 and to his current role in 2018. Ernst’s role in the league runs so deep that he is not only in the ECHL Hall of Fame – inducted in 2011 – but also serves on the ECHL Hall of Fame Committee. He is stepping away to take on a senior management role with Zawyer Sports and Entertainment, who own and operate four different ECHL clubs – the Jacksonville Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, upcoming Tahoe Knight Monsters, and Allen Americans.

Dallas Stars| ECHL| Minnesota Wild| Toronto Maple Leafs Dmitry Ovchinikov| Jani Hakanpaa| Roope Hintz

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AHL Notes: Konowalchuk, Armstrong, Forrest

May 20, 2024 at 4:20 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley Leave a Comment

The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds have named Steve Konowalchuk as their head coach. Konowalchuk becomes the fourth head coach in Springfield’s seven-year history, taking the torch from interim coach Daniel Tkaczuk, who took over for Drew Bannister following his promotion to the St. Louis Blues in December. Tkaczuk led the Thunderbirds to a 18-29-3 record, following Bannister’s 12-8-0 start. The Thunderbirds haven’t yet provided details on which assistant coaches Konowalchuk will retain.

Konowalchuk is best known for his years as a player, becoming a staple of the Washington Capitals lineup between 1992 and 2003. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2003-04 season and was forced to retire due to a heart condition in 2006, after missing much of the 2005-06 campaign. He returned to the team in the 2009-10 season, spending two years as an assistant coach before moving into a head coaching role with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Seattle was where Konowalchuk made his mark, leading the team to the playoffs in five seasons straight – capped off with a WHL Finals appearance and championship win respectively in his final two seasons. Konowalchuk managed an impressive list of Thunderbirds alums, including Shea Theodore, Mathew Barzal, Keegan Kolesar, and Ethan Bear. He’d move back to the NHL in the year following his 2017 WHL Championship, joining the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach for one season before returning to the WHL and then spending last season in an AHL assistant role.

Konowalchuk will now take on his biggest role yet, taking the reigns of a Springfield Thunderbirds team just two years removed from a race to the Calder Cup Finals. They’d ultimately get swept by the Chicago Wolves but have held on to their playoff hopes in the seasons since. Konowalchuk found consistent success the last time he coached a Thunderbirds roster, and could be poised for big opportunity should he find a groove again.

Other notes from around the minor leagues:

  • The Florida Panthers have signed forward Jamie Armstrong to a one-year, two-way contract. He’s expected to join the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, adding to their long list of depth forwards. Armstrong – son of Utah general manager Bill Armstrong – is coming off of his graduate year at Boston College, where he recorded 12 points in 32 games. It was his first year as an Eagle, having spent the previous four years of his collegiate career across the road with Boston University. He totaled 26 points across 84 games with Boston University, filling in as stout bottom-six depth.
  • Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest is a candidate to fill the Rochester Americans’ coaching vacancy, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). Lysowski added that the Buffalo Sabres are hoping to have their AHL coach solidified prior to June’s NHL Draft. Forrest would take over for former Rochester coach Seth Appert, who was promoted to Lindy Ruff’s staff in early May. Both Forrest and Appert have deep roots in USA Hockey, with Appert previously serving as the head coach of the U.S. National Team Development program (NTDP), while Forrest is a former NTDP assistant coach and led Team USA to a Silver Medal at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship.

AHL| Buffalo Sabres| Coaches| Florida Panthers| NHL| St. Louis Blues Drew Bannister| J.D. Forrest| Jamie Armstrong

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Ondrej Kase Drawing NHL Interest

May 20, 2024 at 2:02 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

A return to form overseas and a strong showing for Czechia at the World Championship has free-agent winger Ondřej Kaše drawing interest from NHL scouts once again, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reports Monday.

Kaše, 28, last suited up in the NHL with the Hurricanes in 2022-23. He skated just 11:02 in their season-opening win against the Blue Jackets before sustaining a concussion that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Concussion-related symptoms have plagued Kaše throughout much of his professional career, especially in recent seasons. They limited him to just three showings with the Bruins in 2020-21 as well. His last remotely healthy season before departing for Europe was with the Maple Leafs in 2021-22, when he provided some solid secondary scoring with 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games on a one-year deal.

In desperate need of a reset after essentially a completely lost season with Carolina, Kaše signed a one-year contract with the Czech Extraliga’s HC Litvínov to play with his younger brother, former Flyers depth piece David Kaše. Without a flare-up of his previous symptoms, he exploded for over a point per game, finishing third in the league in scoring with 23 goals and 54 points in 48 appearances. He’s also rattled off five points in six games for Czechia thus far at the Worlds.

A seventh-round pick of the Ducks back in 2014, Kaše has been a good rate scorer when healthy. In 258 career games with Anaheim, Boston, Carolina and Toronto, he has 57 goals and 124 points while shouldering middle-six minutes comfortably.

Speaking to Johnston, Kaše said he hasn’t experienced any setbacks since his October 2022 injury with the Canes. One of the members of his treatment team, Michigan-based sports concussion specialist Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, told Johnston that Kaše isn’t dealing with a “permanent brain injury” and doesn’t struggle with concussion symptoms in the traditional sense; rather, he has a “complex set of neurological variables that needed to be treated comprehensively.”

For teams looking to add a third- or fourth-line scoring winger, Kaše presents an intriguing high-ceiling, low-risk option. He wouldn’t cost much and has scored 20 goals once in his career, back in 2017-18 with the Ducks, and was on pace for more than 20 on two other occasions, including his 2021-22 campaign with Toronto.

Free Agency Ondrej Kase

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