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Utah Signs Liam O’Brien To Three-Year Extension

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The Utah Hockey Club has signed enforcer Liam O’Brien to a three-year extension, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Monday. The deal carries a $1MM cap hit, Johnston adds. Jordan Schmaltz of the Live in Five podcast was the first to report the terms of the deal last night.

O’Brien, 29, is coming off his first season as a true NHL regular. While he hasn’t spent any time in the minors since his one-year stint with the Avalanche in 2020-21, he was often a 13th forward for the Coyotes after arriving as a free agent the following season. That changed during the franchise’s final season in the desert, with O’Brien dressing in a career-high 75 games.

He responded with a career-high 14 points (five goals, nine assists), one of which was a goal in their final game in Arizona, a 5-2 win over the Oilers on April 17. O’Brien also led the league in penalty minutes with 153 and led the Coyotes in hits with 229. He’ll now be back with his former teammates as they make the move north to Salt Lake City for 2024-25.

It’s been a long road to NHL relevancy for O’Brien, who at one point went nearly three and a half years between major league appearances (Nov. 10, 2017 – April 2, 2021). Undrafted, the 6’1″, 213-lb forward captained the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in his final junior season before landing an entry-level deal with the Capitals. He ended up sticking in the Caps system for six seasons, although most of his time was spent on the farm with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He racked up 137 points and 638 PIMs in 370 games there between 2014 and 2020, compared to only two points and 28 PIMs in 17 games with the Capitals during that span.

O’Brien will play an immediate fan-favorite role in Utah’s first year. Ice time and appearances will likely be harder for him to carve out with youngsters Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther presumably full-time locks, though, and Utah general manager Bill Armstrong is expected to add some other impact pieces to the roster via trades and free agency. Still, it’s a reasonable commitment for a good energy piece, even if his possession numbers are nothing to write home about. It’s in line with the market value set by Ryan Reaves when he inked a three-year, $1.35MM AAV deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency last summer.

The Halifax native will next be eligible for UFA status in 2027. Armstrong still has $42.56MM in projected cap space to play with this summer with 11 open roster spots, per CapFriendly.

Rangers’ Glen Sather Announces Retirement

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The New York Rangers have announced that after six decades in hockey, senior advisor to the owner and alternate governor Glen Sather has announced his retirement from professional hockey. Sather joined the Rangers 24 years ago and held several positions in the organization including president and general manager when he was first hired by the Rangers in June of 2000. Sather ended his run as Rangers general manager in July 2015 and at the time he finished with an NHL record 2700 regular season games and career regular season wins with 1319. He remained Rangers president until 2019.

Sather’s run in New York never resulted in a Stanley Cup, but he is the winningest general manager in franchise history and was the architect of a very successful decade-long run that saw the Rangers make the playoffs in 11 of 12 seasons and win a playoff series in five of six seasons. The Rangers also won the President’s Trophy in Sather’s final season as general manager, finishing the year with 113 points and 53 wins.

Sather was a five-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers and was also the head coach for four of those five title wins, joining Punch Imlach as one of only two people in hockey history to win at least four Stanley Cups as both a coach and general manager. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997 but continued to work.

Along with his incredible NHL resume, Sather also led Team Canada to a pile of success internationally guiding teams to a Canada Cup Championship in 1994, as well as the World Hockey Championship in the same year.

Sather will long be remembered for the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s, however, the 1990s were a different time in which the Oilers didn’t have the financial means to compete with many of the NHL’s big spenders. Sather may have done some of his best work during this time, keeping Edmonton competitive as the team struggled to retain their top players in Edmonton due to financial constraints.

PHR wishes Sather and his family all the best in retirement and congratulations on having one of the most incredible careers in hockey history.

Buffalo Sabres Intend To Buy Out Jeff Skinner

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Chad DeDominicis of Expected Buffalo is reporting that the Buffalo Sabres intend to buy out forward Jeff Skinner. Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last week that the Sabres were considering a buyout of the final three years on Skinner’s deal, but with the buyout window opening today, all signs point to his time in Buffalo being finished.

Skinner is owed $22MM for the final three seasons of his eight-year $72MM contract and his buyout will be spread out over the next six seasons. The numbers broken down by year will look like this (as per CapFriendly):

  • Year 1 – $1.44MM
  • Year 2 – $4.44MM
  • Year 3 – $6.44MM
  • Year 4 – $2.44MM
  • Year 5 – $2.44MM
  • Year 6 – $2.44MM

Buffalo will save $7.555MM in the first year of the buyout which will give the Sabres $31MM in cap space to play with this summer as they look to get back to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

For Skinner, the buyout ends a run in Buffalo that was mired by inconsistent offensive production and poor defensive play. Skinner was acquired by the Sabres back in August 2018 for a package that included a 2019 second-round draft pick, a third-round draft pick in 2020, as well as a sixth-round draft pick in 2020 and Cliff Pu. The trade initially looked like a big win for Buffalo as Skinner posted 40 goals and 23 assists in 82 games. He then signed his massive extension in June 2019 and that’s when the relationship began to sour.

Skinner wasn’t able to maintain his 14.9% shooting percentage from the 2018-19 season and fell on hard times the next two seasons, posting just 21 goals and 16 assists in 112 games. He bounced back in 2022-23, tallying 35 goals and 47 assists for a career-high 82 points in 79 games, however this past season the 32-year-old’s numbers cratered once again as he fell to 24 goals and 22 assists.

Skinner will find work this summer, as there is no shortage of teams looking for scoring and not a ton of it to be found in free agency. Skinner’s defensive work remains an issue and he isn’t much of a puck carrier, but he should be able to latch on with a team on a short-term deal and possibly offer secondary scoring at a reduced price point.

East Notes: Jarry, Chychrun, Provorov

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Elliotte Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast that Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry is likely available via trade this summer. The 29-year-old signed a five-year $26.875MM contract last summer with the Penguins and put up pedestrian numbers in another inconsistent season and eventually lost the starter role to recently re-signed Alex Nedeljkovic.

Jarry’s contract might have looked unmovable just a few months ago, but given the goalie market and the fact that he is a two-time All-Star, a move seems very possible. Whether the Penguins want to make that move or not is another story, but the fact that they didn’t start him in the final 13 games of the regular season is certainly not a vote of confidence. Jarry went 19-25-5 last season with a .903 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average. His underlying numbers were a tick better as he posted 2.6 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck).

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that the Ottawa Senators are gauging what the trade market looks like for defenceman Jakob Chychrun. The 26-year-old has one year left on his contract at $4.6MM and will be a prime trade target for many teams looking to improve their backend. Ottawa is reportedly looking for a first-round pick, as well as a second-round pick or a high-end prospect in exchange for Chychrun, a steep price for what could be a one-year rental. Chychrun had a good offensive season last year with 14 goals and 27 assists in 82 games; however, he was -30. Chychrun turned the puck over with alarming frequency last season, committing 73 turnovers, however, his possession numbers were very good with a CF% of 51.2% at even-strength.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic lists Ivan Provorov as a potential trade chip for the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer as newly hired general manager Don Waddell tries to improve the struggling team. The 27-year-old Provorov has one season left on his contract with a cap hit of $4.75MM ($2MM retained by Los Angeles) and should receive interest if Columbus decides to move him. Portzline says he would be surprised if Provorov spends the year with the Blue Jackets, given his contractual status and the fact that the Blue Jackets have defenseman Denton Mateychuk turning pro. Mateychuk could be ready to tackle the top four minutes very shortly which could facilitate Provorov’s trade, however, it is important to note that Waddell has a history of being patient with young players and might opt to keep Mateychuk in the AHL for extra seasoning.

Free Agent Notes: Guentzel, Stamkos, Tanev, Johnson

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Winger Jake Guentzel is set to be one of the top players in this year’s UFA class.  The Hurricanes haven’t given up on trying to re-sign the veteran, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta (Twitter link) who adds that the Kings and Red Wings are among the teams that are expected to show interest should the 29-year-old make it to the open market.  Guentzel split the season between Pittsburgh and Carolina, who made him their big addition at the trade deadline.  He’s coming off his third-straight 30-goal campaign and has averaged over a point per game in four of the last five years.  Guentzel also had a good playoff showing, notching nine points in 11 contests, and is just below a point per game for his postseason career.  That certainly has him well-positioned to earn a significant raise on the $6MM he has been making since 2019-20.

Other news on the free agent front:

  • Discussions are ongoing between the Lightning and captain Steven Stamkos, Pagnotta relays (Twitter link). Stamkos made it known going back to training camp in the fall that he wasn’t pleased that a new deal wasn’t in place with the team preferring to let the season play out.  His frustration didn’t show in his play, however, as he put up 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games, surpassing the point-per-game threshold for the seventh time in eight years.  While the 34-year-old will one day slow down, it looks like he has several good years still to come, meaning he’ll have a strong market should he actually get to free agency on Monday.
  • The Stars are continuing discussions with pending UFA blueliner Chris Tanev, relays Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 34-year-old proved to be a strong pickup at the trade deadline, helping to anchor their back end through a run to the Western Conference Final.  Tanev finished the season with 19 points and a career-best 207 blocks in 75 games between Calgary and Dallas and will have strong interest next week; LeBrun puts the Maple Leafs as one of his likely suitors.
  • Blackhawks RFA Reese Johnson is not expected to receive a qualifying offer, his agent Michael O’Rafferty told Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription link). The 25-year-old was limited to just 42 games this season while also dealing with a concussion.  Johnson had five points and 109 hits in those appearances while averaging a little less than 11 minutes a night.  His qualifying offer comes in at just under $900K with arbitration rights but it appears Chicago will let someone else get a chance on their fourth line.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now less than a week away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Blue Jackets.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Jake Bean – A couple of years ago, the Blue Jackets made a move for Bean with the hope that he could become a longer-term option on the back end.  His first season went well before injuries were a significant issue in 2022-23.  This season, Bean was able to stay healthy but struggled while remaining limited in a third-pairing role.  At 26 with nearly 200 career NHL games under his belt, there is definitely a role for him on an NHL roster.  However, is he worth $2.8MM and granting him arbitration rights?  This is the decision that GM Don Waddell has to weigh.  If you’re wondering which way he might be leaning, remember that Waddell was the GM who moved him to Columbus in the first place.

F Kent Johnson – After a strong showing in his first full NHL campaign in 2022-23 that saw him put up 40 points in 79 games, expectations were high for the 2021 fifth-overall pick heading into the season.  However, he wound up not making the team out of training camp and when he was recalled later on, offensive success was harder to come by.  To make matters worse, he suffered a torn labrum in late February, ending his season prematurely while also affecting his offseason training.  It’s safe to say that he’s heading for a bridge contract and as a 10.2 (c) player, the Blue Jackets don’t have to worry about any potential threat of an offer sheet as he’s not eligible for one.

F Kirill Marchenko – The Blue Jackets haven’t had much success in the goal-scoring department in recent years but Marchenko is one of the exceptions.  The 23-year-old scored 21 goals in 59 games in his rookie year and followed it up with a 23-goal effort in 2023-24.  If Waddell is inclined to hand out a long-term agreement this summer, Marchenko is probably the candidate to receive it.  Otherwise, he could also be heading for a bridge deal.  Since he has arbitration rights, there’s a good chance that the agreement will push past the $3MM mark.

F Cole Sillinger – After a sophomore year to forget, Sillinger had a good bounce-back campaign, getting back around the numbers he had in his rookie year, notching 13 goals and 19 assists while improving at the faceoff dot and taking a regular turn on the penalty kill.  While it’s not the numbers they were hoping for from the 2021 first-rounder, Sillinger at least appears to be back on the upswing.  Once again, a short-term second contract is expected, one that should surpass $2MM per season.

F Alexandre Texier – After spending 2022-23 in Switzerland and having his contract tolled, Texier returned to Columbus and put up a career-best 30 points albeit with a lower point-per-game rate than in 2021-22.  There have been times when he has looked like a capable top-six piece but he hasn’t been able to play at that level consistently enough to stay there.  Accordingly, another short-term agreement is likely heading his way though he should get a raise from his $1.75MM salary which also serves as his qualifying offer.

Other RFAs: F Tyler Angle, D Marcus Bjork, D Jake Christiansen, G Jet Greaves, F Alexander Nylander

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Nick Blankenburg – It’s a pretty thin crop of pending unrestricted free agents which isn’t much of a surprise for a rebuilding team.  Blankenburg isn’t even a typical UFA as he qualifies as a Group Six free agent as a player who is 25 or older, has at least three professional seasons, and less than 80 NHL appearances.  Blankenburg was a full-timer on the NHL roster in 2022-23 but spent the bulk of this season in the minors where he also battled injury trouble.  Still, as someone who has had a bit of success at the top level (18 points in 55 games while logging over 18 minutes a night on average) and being a right-shot defenseman, Blankenburg should have fairly strong interest on the open market.

D Jakub Zboril – Zboril didn’t see any NHL action in 2023-24, instead splitting time between the AHL affiliates for Boston and Columbus.  Part of that could be attributable to the seven-figure cap hit he had, something that shouldn’t be the case next season.  The 27-year-old has 76 career NHL games under his belt and should have interest on two-way offers.  However, if he feels that the AHL is his likeliest destination, it’s also possible that he will consider his options overseas.

Other UFAs: F Joshua Dunne, F Brendan Gaunce, F Carson Meyer, G Malcolm Subban, D Billy Sweezey

Projected Cap Space

Cap space won’t be an issue for the Blue Jackets this summer as they enter the offseason with $21.675MM in spending room.  None of their pending restricted free agents are poised to command a pricey contract although there are enough of them to put a dent into that figure.  Nonetheless, there is enough room for them to try to make a splash this summer if Waddell wants to put his stamp on his new team early.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Cap information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Rangers Looking To Move Up In The Draft

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By virtue of winning the Presidents’ Trophy and falling in the Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers will be waiting a while to make their first selection in the opening round of the draft on Friday as they hold the 30th overall selection.  However, it appears they’re looking to make a selection earlier than that as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that GM Chris Drury is looking to package that pick along with winger Kaapo Kakko to move up in the draft order.

Earlier this month, Kakko accepted what would have been his qualifying offer this weekend, inking a one-year, $2.4MM agreement.  But if anything, instead of the contract quashing any trade speculation, it has had the opposite effect as many have suggested that the new deal actually helps his trade value as now teams have certainty as to what the 23-year-old will cost.

Kakko was the second-overall pick back in 2019 after a very strong season in Finland’s top league and it looked like New York had a future core winger on their hands with the potential for more.  However, while there have been signs of that potential over his first five NHL seasons, he hasn’t been able to show it consistently.

In 2022-23, Kakko had what looked like a possible breakout campaign, notching 18 goals and 22 assists.  Those numbers don’t jump off the page for a fourth-year player but they were career bests and both sides were hoping he’d be able to build off that.  But it didn’t happen.  Instead, Kakko struggled this year, notching 13 goals and six assists in 61 games while seeing his playing time dip to a career-low 13:17 per night.  It went even lower in the playoffs as he was just over a dozen minutes per game while recording just one goal and one assist in 15 appearances.

On the one hand, you have Kakko’s recent performance which wasn’t the greatest.  On the other hand, here’s a still-young player who other teams might feel that a new team and system could help get him back on track.  The Rangers will clearly be hoping that particular perception will help them move up the draft board on Friday.

Todd McLellan Believed To Be The Contender For Blue Jackets Coaching Vacancy

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With the draft coming up later this week and free agency beginning soon after, the Blue Jackets will likely want to fill their head coaching vacancy before then.  To that end, ESPN’s John Buccigross reports (Twitter link) that a decision is expected soon while Todd McLellan is gaining traction to be their next bench boss.

McLellan would certainly represent an experienced option taking over from Pascal Vincent who was in his first year running the bench this past season.  In their search for a new GM, the Blue Jackets were placing a lot of emphasis on experience and it appears Don Waddell is placing a similar emphasis on that with his coaching hire.

The 56-year-old started 2023-24 with Los Angeles where he was in his fifth season with the team.  However, they struggled through the first half of the year, resulting in his being dismissed in early February with assistant Jim Hiller taking over on an interim tag (which was later lifted in the spring).

McLellan also has long coaching stints under his belt with San Jose and Edmonton.  All told, he has been behind the bench for 1,144 games, 24th-most in NHL history.  He hasn’t had a lot of playoff success over that stretch with his teams playing to a 42-46 record over nine postseason appearances.

Of course, playoff success shouldn’t be on the mind of Waddell, at least in the short term.  The Blue Jackets have missed the postseason in four straight years and have finished at the basement of the Metropolitan for two straight years.  With a particularly young core group, the focus in the near future will be making the most of player development and trying to get Columbus to be more competitive.

With that in mind, McLellan could very well be the right fit to help lead the Blue Jackets through their rebuild and ideally towards trying to push for a playoff spot.  Whether it’s him or someone else, a decision on their next head coach should be coming soon.

Offseason Checklist: Edmonton Oilers

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After this year’s Stanley Cup champion was crowned, the offseason has arrived for everyone. It’s time to examine what teams will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Oilers.

A horrid 3-9-1 start to the season had the Oilers in dangerous territory in November, leading them to be the first team to make an in-season coaching change. They were raucous after replacing Jay Woodcroft with Kris Knoblauch behind the bench, rebounding to go 46-18-5 the rest of the way and finishing second in the Pacific Division with 104 points. Their star-studded roster got within one goal of their first Stanley Cup since 1990 but ultimately fell short in an incredible 2024 Stanley Cup Final that saw them erase a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7. Now, the focus quickly turns to next season, with the draft and free agency less than a week away.

Find Holland’s Successor

The 2024 NHL Draft is in just three days, but the Oilers won’t have a full-time general manager at the table, it seems. Ken Holland’s contract is up and he won’t be returning in the role next season, as he’s headed for something between pseudo-retirement and full retirement. There’s a sense Holland may still remain affiliated with Edmonton in 2024-25, but it won’t be as GM, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports.

That leaves Edmonton with some choices to make, both short-term and long-term. In terms of who will run the draft on Friday night and Saturday morning, that’ll likely fall on the shoulders of assistant GMs Keith Gretzky, Brad Holland and Bill Scott. Director of Amateur Scouting Bill Pracey and Chief Amateur Scout Bob Green will also likely have more increased responsibility than normal. One thing is for sure, though – Ken Holland won’t be on the floor in his former capacity.

They haven’t been linked to any external GM candidates yet, but they’ll need to conduct a search. Brad Holland, who holds a director of professional scouting specification under his AGM title, seems to be the likeliest candidate to take over as the de facto interim GM when free agency begins if Edmonton doesn’t name a permanent replacement in the next week.

Draisaitl Extension Talks

German superstar Leon Draisaitl has more than solidified himself as a top-five forward in the league, giving the Oilers a one-two punch down the middle only rivaled by the prime of the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in recent memory. He’s done so on an absolute steal of an $8.5MM cap hit that’s served them well over the last seven seasons, but he’s now hurtling toward unrestricted free agency in 2025 and will require a hefty raise.

It doesn’t help that his deal is expiring at a time when the salary cap is seeing hefty 5% raises annually, and the top end of skater contracts is seemingly moving north every summer. As Chris Johnston pointed out in his latest for The Athletic, Draisaitl is surely in line to at least match or exceed the $13.25MM cap hit that’s kicking in for Leafs star Auston Matthews next season. That would at least temporarily have him eclipse Connor McDavid as Edmonton’s highest-paid player. Is that something the organization is comfortable with?

We’ll find out soon enough. If Draisaitl signs an extension for the same cap hit percentage as Matthews, 15.87%, that would work out to $13.97MM per season with an $88MM upper limit. Evolving Hockey has a slightly more conservative extension projection for Draisaitl at eight years with a $13.54MM cap hit. It would still give him the largest cap hit in the league for a brief period of time – he’d surely be eclipsed by McDavid when his deal runs out in 2026.

Getting cost certainty on Draisaitl long-term is necessary for the Oilers’ planning this summer as they look to make commitments in free agency and offload some bloated deals. They’re likely not very comfortable with extension discussions drawing out into the season, either – letting him potentially walk for nothing next summer isn’t something they’re even entertaining, per Johnston.

Replenish Scoring Depth

The Oilers have a bevy of forwards who were regulars in postseason play hitting free agency this summer, headlined by 20-goal man Warren Foegele and trade deadline pickup Adam Henrique. Their penalty-killing duo of Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, who had a strong playoff and an incredible breakthrough Cup Final against Florida, are also both up.

As it stands, four forwards who spent most or all of last season in the AHL (Xavier Bourgault, James Hamblin, Raphael Lavoie, Lane Pederson) are slated for their 2024-25 opening night lineup if they don’t sign any UFAs. That’s not a realistic scenario. Anyone who can be had for a relatively affordable price will likely brought back – after all, their scoring behind McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and company was strong enough to get them oh-so-close to a championship. Foegele especially was a crucial depth piece throughout the season, not just the playoffs, with his career-high 41 points.

But with only just over $10MM in projected cap space with nine open roster spots, that’s going to be an extremely tough ask. Money will need to be moved out no matter who they retain, which brings us to our next point…

Offload Campbell

Ridding themselves of or significantly reducing Jack Campbell’s $5MM cap hit is a much higher priority for Edmonton than its fourth-item placing in this article indicates. He’s taking up nearly 6% of their cap space and still costs $3.85MM when buried in the minors. While he did have a strong campaign in AHL Bakersfield, posting a .918 SV% in 33 games, the uncertainty of what you’re getting from him if you promote him back to the NHL is simply too great to stomach for a championship-caliber, cap-strapped team like Edmonton.

Whether that’s a trade or a buyout remains to be seen. He does have some trade protection, but a 10-team no-trade list isn’t absurdly difficult to deal with. A buyout would reduce his cap hit to $1.1MM next season, saving them $2.75MM in cap space compared to burying him in the minors. That’s enough for a pair of serviceable depth scorers in free agency.

Campbell had a .873 SV% in five NHL appearances to begin the season before being waived and sent to Bakersfield, where he spent the rest of the campaign. They would still need to find a backup for Stuart Skinner if they buy Campbell out or move him, but that can be done for a league-minimum contract (or close to it).

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Stars, Oskar Bäck Agree To Two-Way Deal

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The Stars have agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with center/right wing Oskar Bäck, per a team release. It carries a $775K cap hit and pays him $120K in the minors with a $135K guarantee, PuckPedia reports. He’ll return for his fourth season in the Dallas organization after wrapping up his entry-level contract this year.

Dallas is the only NHL home Bäck has known. The Stars picked up the Swedish forward in the third round of the 2018 draft, signing him to an entry-level contract three years later. He played out the entirety of the deal with the AHL’s Texas Stars, where he’s put up 88 points (19 goals, 69 assists) in 196 games.

2023-24 was a high point for Bäck, who recorded career highs with 29 assists and 36 points despite making only 59 appearances, his fewest since joining the AHL club. He’s a good-skating pivot with NHL size at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, but his lack of goal-scoring ability means he’s yet to receive an NHL call-up. The Karlstad, Sweden native is a skilled playmaker, though, and could be a depth NHL option at some point in the right situation.

Given he’ll be 25 next summer, Bäck will almost certainly reach UFA status early as a Group VI free agent. He’ll have accumulated enough professional seasons to hit the open market early while playing fewer than 80 career NHL games. Therefore, it’s an important season for Bäck to try and at least earn a recall to earn another big-league opportunity in 2025-26 and avoid heading back to Europe.

The Stars are up to 33 out of a maximum 50 contracts signed for 2024-25 after re-upping Bäck, per CapFriendly.

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