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Capitals Acquire Andrew Mangiapane

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After adding Pierre-Luc Dubois to shore up their center depth, the Capitals have struck a deal to add an upgrade on the wing.  The team announced that they’ve acquired Andrew Mangiapane from the Flames in exchange for Colorado’s 2025 second-round pick (previously acquired).

The 28-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, scoring 35 goals after putting up 35 in the previous two seasons combined.  Hoping that this was a sign of things to come, Calgary inked Mangiapane to a three-year, $17.4MM contract, buying out his final RFA year plus two more years of club control.

However, Mangiapane hasn’t quite been able to replicate his output from that season.  In 2022-23, his output dipped to 17 goals and 26 assists while this season, it went down a bit more as he noted 14 goals and 26 helpers although it’s worth noting that he missed seven games due to injury.

With Calgary committing to a rebuild after being sellers during the season along with moving starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey earlier this month, it makes sense that they were looking to move Mangiapane.  They now have two first-round picks and two second-round selections in the 2025 draft while they now sit with just under $29MM in cap room, per CapFriendly.  That positions them to be aggressive in free agency or on the trade front if they so desire as only four teams have more space to work with.

Meanwhile, Washington, who is picking up his full salary, was one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league this season and only had three players put up more points than Mangiapane did with the Flames, center Dylan Strome, winger Alex Ovechkin, and defenseman John Carlson.  Clearly, GM Brian MacLellan correctly identified that if the Capitals are going to take a step forward and try to push for a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division, improvements offensively are going to be needed.  An expected late second-round pick is a reasonably low enough cost to pay for a short-term upgrade.

With taking on additional salary in the Dubois trade and now adding nearly $6MM with Mangiapane, the Capitals are now technically over next season’s salary cap with just over $90MM in commitments, per CapFriendly.  However, with Nicklas Backstrom and his $9.2MM AAV expected to remain on LTIR next season, Washington still has some flexibility to work with although some of that will be needed to re-sign RFA forwards Connor McMichael and Beck Malenstyn at a minimum.  T.J. Oshie’s availability for next season is also in some question and if it’s determined that he won’t be able to play, Washington would be able to add another $5.75MM to its LTIR pool.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nathan MacKinnon Wins 2023-24 Hart Trophy

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After opening Awards Night with the Ted Lindsay Award as the MVP as voted by the players, Avalanche winger Nathan MacKinnon capped off the festivities with another victory.  The league announced that MacKinnon has won the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

It’s a fitting award for someone who blew past his career highs offensively, notching 51 goals and 89 assists, recording only the fifth 140-point campaign across the NHL over the last 30 years.  MacKinnon became the sixth player in franchise history (including its time in Quebec) to reach the 50-goal mark while he comes in second in club history in assists, checking in three behind Peter Stastny back in the 1981-82 campaign.  MacKinnon recorded at least one point in 69 of 82 games played during the regular season.

MacKinnon took home 137 of 194 first-place votes and appeared on all but one ballot.  That helped get him a margin of victory of more than 500 voting points over Tampa Bay winger Nikita Kucherov, who had more assists and points than MacKinnon did this season.  After Auston Matthews beat out Connor McDavid to be the third finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, they were reversed for the Hart with McDavid coming in third and Matthews in fourth.  A total of 14 players received at least one top-five vote.

It’s the fourth time MacKinnon has been a finalist for the award but his first time as the winner.  He joins Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic as the only players in franchise history to win league MVP.

Connor Hellebuyck Wins 2023-24 Vezina Trophy

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Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023-24, helping lead the Jets to a playoff appearance.  He was rewarded for his efforts as the league announced that he has won the Vezina Trophy, awarded “to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position,” as selected by NHL general managers.

The 31-year-old also won the Jennings Trophy, going to the team that allowed the fewest regular-season goals.  Technically, that one is a shared award but it carries a games-played requirement of 25 games, a threshold that backup Laurent Brossoit didn’t reach.

That’s because Hellebuyck has been one of the NHL’s workhorses between the pipes, playing in at least 60 games in each of the last three years.  He posted a 2.39 GAA with a .921 SV% in 2023-24, his best numbers since the 2017-18 campaign, a year that saw him finish as the runner-up for the Vezina.  Hellebuyck allowed three or fewer goals in 50 of his 60 total appearances, including a pair of 10-game streaks with two or fewer allowed, becoming the third goaltender in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to post multiple stretches like that in a single season.

As a result of his performance, Hellebuyck was a near-unanimous, selection, taking 31 of 32 first-place votes.  Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky was the only other player to get a first-place vote although he finished third in voting points behind Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko, who was on all but two ballots.  A total of nine netminders appeared on at least one GM’s ballot.

Hellebuyck was Winnipeg’s first-ever Vezina winner when he took home the prize in 2020.  He joins Bobrovsky as the only active netminders with multiple wins under their belts.

Quinn Hughes Wins 2023-24 Norris Trophy

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After a breakout showing in 2022-23, Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes took another step forward this season.  He was recognized for his efforts on Thursday as the league announced that he’s the winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position”.

Vancouver’s captain led all NHL defensemen with 75 assists and 92 points, setting franchise records in both categories; he bested his team records from the year before at 69 and 76, respectively.  He had plenty of success on the power play, leading all rearguards in assists in that situation with 33 while finishing second in points at 38.  That helped pace Vancouver to their first playoff appearance since 2019-20 and their first division title since 2012-13.  Hughes also reached the 300-point mark for his career, becoming the eighth-fastest in league history to do so.

That helped give Hughes a significant margin of victory.  He took home 172 first-place votes out of 194 and was a top-three selection on every ballot.  He was also the only player to appear on every ballot.  A total of 15 players received votes, each of which appeared on at least three ballots.  Nashville’s Roman Josi and Colorado’s Cale Makar finished second and third, respectively.

Hughes is the first Canucks defenseman to win the award.  He’s also the fourth U.S.-born player to capture the award, the others being Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, and Adam Fox.

Connor Bedard Wins 2023-24 Calder Trophy

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After being the first-overall pick last year, Blackhawks center Connor Bedard was considered the preseason prohibitive favorite to win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year.  He did just that as the league announced that Bedard won the voting.

The 18-year-old led or co-led all NHL rookies and Chicago in goals (22), assists (39), and points (61) despite missing 14 games with a broken jaw.  Bedard was the second-youngest player in NHL history to finish his year as the rookie scoring leader in all three categories, only Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was younger.  Meanwhile, he is the second-youngest rookie in league history to lead his team in each category, only Sidney Crosby finished his rookie year at a younger age.

Despite Bedard’s success, there was one other viable contender for the award, that being Minnesota’s Brock Faber.  After quickly becoming an all-around number one blueliner for the Wild, he garnered 42 out of 194 first-place votes.  That said, Bedard got the other 152, allowing him to win the voting by more than 300 ranking points.  New Jersey’s Luke Hughes finished third in voting while a total of 17 players appeared on at least one ballot.

Bedard becomes the tenth player in Blackhawks history to win the award.  He’s the first Chicago player to win since 2015-16 when Artemi Panarin took home the trophy.

Nathan MacKinnon Wins 2023-24 Ted Lindsay Award

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While the NHL has already revealed many of its award winners, there are still five awards being handed out today.  The first of those is the Ted Lindsay Award which the league announced was won by Avalanche winger Nathan MacKinnon.  The award is presented annually to “the most outstanding player in the NHL,” as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.

This was the third time that the 28-year-old was a finalist for the award (2017-18 and 2019-20 were the others) but he is a first-time winner.  MacKinnon blew past his previous career bests this season, scoring 51 goals and 89 assists; his 140 points were second-most in the NHL while setting a franchise record in the process.  Not surprisingly, he led all Avalanche forwards in ice time.

MacKinnon had a 35-game home point streak, the second-longest streak in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky.  He also led all scorers in even-strength points (92) and shots on goal (405), also new career highs.  He becomes the second player in franchise history to win the award, joining Joe Sakic, who won back in 2000-01.

The other finalists for the award were Toronto’s Auston Matthews (who led the NHL in goals) and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (who tied for the league lead in assists while recording the most points).  Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won the award last year but didn’t quite make the top three in player balloting.

Canucks Sign Tyler Myers To Three-Year Extension

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Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin continues his slew of moves over the past 24 hours. He’s gotten another one of his pending UFAs locked in, now signing defenseman Tyler Myers to a three-year extension worth $9MM ($3MM cap hit). The deal breaks down as follows, per TSN’s Darren Dreger:

2024-25: $3.8MM base salary, no-move clause
2025-26: $2.9MM base salary, no-move clause
2026-27: $2.3MM base salary, 12-team no-trade list

It’s the third player slated to hit the open market this summer that Vancouver has retained thus far. They’ve also re-upped center Teddy Blueger (two years, $1.8MM AAV) and Dakota Joshua (four years, $3.25MM AAV) to continue boasting solid scoring depth among their bottom six forwards.

Under this deal, Myers will return for his sixth, seventh and eighth seasons in Vancouver. The 34-year-old Texas native joined the Canucks in free agency five years ago, inking a deal that was criticized at the time for its $6MM cap hit. His extension represents a pay cut of 50 percent, but it’s about what his market value would have likely been if he became a free agent next week.

He’s likely best used as a bottom-pairing anchor at this stage of his career. That’s where first-year head coach Rick Tocchet deployed him this season, yielding arguably the best results Myers has put up in a Canucks jersey. The veteran put up 29 points in 77 games, his highest point total since his final season with the Jets in 2018-19, and posted a career-high +16 rating with slightly improved possession metrics in more defense-oriented usage. Correspondingly, it was the first time in his 15-year career that he’d averaged under 20 minutes per game.

Whether Myers will still be worth his new cap hit in the final year of his deal, during which he’ll be turning 37, is a fair question to ask. But with the salary cap expected to jump significant amounts each season as the league is in a strong post-COVID financial state, it shouldn’t be too much of a drag as Allvin continues to try and build out a Cup-contending roster in British Columbia.

Since being selected 12th overall by the Sabres in 2008, the hulking 6’8″ defender has 93 goals, 278 assists, 371 points and a +9 rating in 995 career games. Assuming there’s no freak offseason or early-campaign injuries, he’ll become the 395th (or 396th, looking at Luke Schenn) skater in NHL history to hit 1,000 games played.

After this deal, the Nucks have just over $12MM in projected cap space for next season, per CapFriendly. They have four roster spots to fill, notably those of pending UFAs Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.

Utah Expected To Sign Miko Matikka To Entry-Level Deal

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The Utah Hockey Club is expected to sign right-wing prospect Miko Matikka to his entry-level contract this offseason, reports Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald.

Matikka, 20, was one of the bevy of reserve list players transferred from the Coyotes to Utah when their hockey operations were officially sold to Smith Entertainment Group earlier this month. He was a third-round pick of the Coyotes (67th overall) in 2022, the draft that landed them Logan Cooley, Conor Geekie and Maveric Lamoureux in the first round.

The big-bodied Finn (6’3″, 201 lbs) had spent his draft year in the Finnish top junior league, recording 19 goals and 33 points in 30 games. That was it for him in his native country, though, as he came over to North America in 2022-23 to play for the USHL’s Madison Capitols and Waterloo Black Hawks after a midseason trade. After one season in U.S. juniors, he made the jump to the collegiate ranks, suiting up as a freshman for the University of Denver. He won a national championship on his first try with the Pios, playing a key depth scoring role with 20 goals and 33 points in 43 games.

It’s a tad surprising to see a day-two pick be one-and-done in college, but the organization and the player likely believe there will be more opportunity for development with Utah’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, next season. As indicated by Schlossman’s report, he projects to suit up there should he turn pro and ink his ELC this summer.

Canucks Sign Dakota Joshua To Four-Year Extension

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2:45 p.m.: The breakdown of Joshua’s contract is as follows, per PuckPedia. It includes a 12-team no-trade clause throughout, the same protection that Blueger received last night.

2024-25: $2.25MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus
2025-26: $2MM base salary, $1.5MM signing bonus
2026-27: $2.625MM base salary
2027-28: $1.625MM base salary, $1MM signing bonus

12:29 p.m.: The Canucks have signed pending UFA winger Dakota Joshua to a four-year, $13MM contract, per a team announcement. The deal is good for a $3.25MM cap hit and keeps him from reaching the open market on Monday.

Joshua, 28, is coming off a breakout 2023-24 season in Vancouver. He was limited to 63 games by an upper-body injury but still managed to record career-highs across the board with 18 goals, 14 assists, 32 points and a +19 rating. His 14:23 average time on ice was also a career-high, indicative of the value he provided while sliding into an everyday role in an NHL top nine for the first time. That point total worked out to 0.51 points per game, a major step up from the 0.29 he scored in his first season with the Canucks last year.

Solid depth scoring aside, Joshua is also an impactful checking presence. His 244 hits led the Canucks by a wide margin this season and finished ninth in the league overall. He has some flexibility at center but has played most of his 184 NHL games on the wing.

A fifth-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2014, Joshua elected not to sign with Toronto when ending his collegiate tenure at Ohio State five years later. His signing rights were dealt to the Blues, where he landed his first NHL contract immediately after being acquired.

Joshua split his first professional season between St. Louis’ AHL and ECHL affiliates before impressing during training camp entering the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He spent a good chunk of the campaign on the taxi squad while also earning his first 12 NHL appearances. He didn’t manage to land a full-time role with the Blues the following year, though, and they let him walk as a Group VI UFA in 2022 after he put up nine points in 42 appearances across two seasons.

Vancouver pounced, and he’s now turned into a bonafide third-line talent for them who provided major surplus value for his $825K cap hit last year. Those days are no more, but it’s hard to argue with a $3.25MM AAV if he can repeat last year’s performance. The extension comes in a bit above the $3.173MM AAV Evolving Hockey had projected for Joshua on a four-year deal on the open market, but players of Joshua’s archetype generally land more than models predict when hitting free agency. The deal is shorter but cheaper annually than the similarly-valued Miles Wood, who landed a six-year, $15MM commitment from the Avalanche as a UFA last summer.

Joshua’s extension is the third notable move that general manager Patrik Allvin has made within the last 24 hours. He’s issued a two-year, $3.6MM extension to Latvian pivot Teddy Blueger, who spent a solid chunk of last season as Joshua’s linemate before Elias Lindholm’s acquisition from the Flames pushed him down the depth chart. He also made a cap-clearing trade with the Blackhawks, sending out all but $712.5K of Ilya Mikheyev’s $4.75MM cap hit along with the signing rights to pending UFA forward Sam Lafferty and a 2027 second-round pick. After the trio of transactions, Allvin has just north of $15MM in projected cap space next season with five open roster spots.

Kings, Sharks Swap Kyle Burroughs, Carl Grundström

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The Kings have acquired right-shot defenseman Kyle Burroughs from the Sharks in exchange for the signing rights to RFA winger Carl Grundström, the team announced Thursday.

Burroughs, 28, is coming off a difficult year in which he played a role he was never meant for. After breaking into the league as a fringe bottom-pairing presence with the Canucks in 2021, he landed a three-year, $3.3MM commitment from San Jose on the open market last summer.

After the Sharks traded away reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Penguins later in the summer, it was clear there would be a domino effect on the rest of their defense corps. Many players were projected to be overtaxed while compensating for Karlsson’s loss on a team that was squarely and correctly projected to be a lottery contender. Perhaps no one was overworked more than Burroughs, who was thrust into top-four duties alongside Mario Ferraro.

At first glance, it went about as well as one would expect. Averaging north of 19 minutes per game, Burroughs managed two goals and six assists for eight points in 73 games while posting a -42 rating, worst in the league among defensemen. A more detailed look at his stats does yield some promising signs, though. His pairing with Ferraro controlled 48.1% of expected goals when deployed together, the best among any Sharks pairing with more than 100 minutes played this season. He also met expectations physically, leading the Sharks with 233 hits (fourth in the NHL) and placing second in blocks with 134.

But with younger righties Ty Emberson and Henry Thrun deserving of more minutes next season, alongside an expected UFA addition next week, Burroughs was on the cusp of being the odd man out on the San Jose blue line. While obviously not equipped for top-four minutes long-term, the 2013 seventh-round pick does carry signs that he can be effective in an everyday bottom-pairing role.

In Los Angeles, he’ll fight for a third-pairing role alongside Andreas Englund, who would immediately become one of the most fearsome, hardest-hitting duos in the league. Englund played much less than Burroughs on a nightly basis last season, averaging 13:13 per game, but still managed to finish inside the top 20 in hits league-wide. The Kings do have a pair of up-and-coming righties in Jordan Spence and 2021 eighth-overall pick Brandt Clarke, but both (especially the latter) are candidates to slide into second-pairing duties with Matt Roy likely heading elsewhere in free agency.

While parting with Burroughs, the Sharks pick up some checking forward depth in Grundström. The 26-year-old is now on his third NHL team after being drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2016 but being moved to the Kings before making his NHL debut three years later. They have three days to re-sign him or issue him a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights as an RFA this summer.

Injuries limited Grundström to 50 games last year, in which he scored eight goals and 12 points in fourth-line minutes (10:56 per game). The Swede has had decent possession metrics in SoCal and is also a frequent hitter with a good shot when he gets the chance. He’ll look to carry that solid energy play up north to the Bay, where he joins a bottom-six forward group that’s already seen two new names added this summer in Ty Dellandrea and Barclay Goodrow.

The Sharks can expect a new deal for Grundström to come in at around $1.5MM for a one-year term, Evolving Hockey projects. With over $30MM in projected cap space next season, though, the prospective $400K increase on Burroughs is nearly meaningless.

Burroughs remains under contract for two more seasons in Los Angeles. He can hit the UFA market again in 2026.

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