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West Notes: Georgiev, Vatrano, Maroon

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While Alexandar Georgiev is now extension-eligible as he’s entering the final year of his contract, Mile High Sports’ Aarif Dean suggests that it’s unlikely he gets an early deal.  With Mikko Rantanen also needing a new contract for 2025-26, his situation is likely the priority while the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin makes it less likely that Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland will want to commit a multi-year deal to Georgiev this early.  The 28-year-old is also coming off a tough year, one that saw him post a 3.02 GAA and a .897 SV% in 63 games; he led the NHL in goals allowed with 183 but also had the most wins (38) for the second straight season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Ducks winger Frank Vatrano has been a strong performer in his first two years with Anaheim, putting up 41 points in 2021-22 before a breakout 37-goal, 60-point showing last season. He’s now eligible for a contract extension and has made it known his preference is to stay with Anaheim.  Derek Lee of The Hockey News assesses Vatrano’s situation, suggesting that the four-year, $22MM contract that Tyler Bertuzzi inked with Chicago this summer could serve as a comparable for Vatrano’s camp if he can put up another 20-goal performance.  Cap space isn’t an issue for the Ducks right now but assuming they’ll be out of the playoff mix again this coming season, they’ll have to decide between extending him or moving Vatrano as a rental for what would likely be a strong return.
  • Veteran forward Pat Maroon signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Blackhawks early in free agency which will be the 14th season of his career. The 36-year-old told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s not focusing beyond the coming season and isn’t sure if this will be his final year.  Maroon spent most of 2023-24 with Minnesota before being acquired by Boston at the trade deadline although his injury at the time limited him to just two regular season games.  He had four goals and 11 assists along with 60 penalty minutes in 51 appearances last season.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Murray, Berggren

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The Maple Leafs shook things up behind the bench with a coaching change, bringing in Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe earlier this summer.  Now, it appears they’ll be changing their captain as well.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the team will announce that Auston Matthews will be named captain at a press conference on Wednesday morning.  Current captain John Tavares is believed to be fully supportive of the change.  Matthews is entering the first season of a four-year, $53MM contract he signed last season, one that makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history in terms of AAV while Tavares is entering the final year of his agreement.  Matthews has spent his entire eight-year NHL career with Toronto and is coming off a career year that saw him record 69 goals and 107 points.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with Toronto, goaltender Matt Murray indicated in a recent appearance on the Slangin’ the Bizkit Podcast (video link) that his hips feel much better than they have in a long time. The veteran missed almost all of last season due to bilateral hip surgery, only getting into three rehab contests late in the regular season with the Marlies.  The Maple Leafs gave him a one-year, $875K one-way deal early in free agency and it appears as if he’ll enter the upcoming season in the third-string role similar to the one Martin Jones held in 2023-24.
  • In an interview with Matthias Ek of Sweden’s Hockey News, Red Wings RFA winger Jonatan Berggren indicated that discussions on a new deal are ongoing and that he has not spoken with any other clubs about a possible offer sheet. The 24-year-old spent most of 2022-23 with Detroit, notching 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games but they opted to put him with AHL Grand Rapids for most of last year.  Berggren was quite productive for the Griffins, tallying 56 points in 53 games while also adding six points in a dozen contests with Detroit.  That shouldn’t be the case this coming season, however, as he’s now waiver-eligible.

Pacific Notes: Gauthier, Smith, Canucks

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The Anaheim Ducks will look to get prospect Cutter Gauthier involved in the top six this year but will it be in his traditional position at center? This was a question recently delved into by Patrick Present of The Hockey News who asserts that the Ducks have plenty of good problems to have up front with their roster flexibility.

For all of his collegiate career with the Boston College Eagles, Gauthier primarily served as a traditional center. Gauthier carries a large frame as a forward who plays well below the goal line and carries a tremendous shot which makes him a great option down the middle. However, Anaheim already has two young solid centers Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson without factoring in Ryan Strome and Trevor Zegras. Carlsson is the most natural fit among the group as the rest could shift to the wing.

According to general manager Pat Verbeek, Gauthier should get some time at center during the preseason but will primarily spend his rookie campaign on the wing if the team can stay healthy. His instincts should make him a force to be reckoned with along the wall, and his insatiable forechecking will not be hindered by the move, either. If he starts on the left wing, Gauthier could slot in nicely next to Carlsson and Troy Terry on the first line which could become one of the sneakier lines this season.

Other Pacific notes:

  •  In an interview with Chelena Goldman of the NHL, San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith not only has his eyes set on making the lineup out of training camp in September, but also being a huge contributor to the team. Smith is coming off a dominant season in the NCAA with Boston College in which he led the nation in scoring with 25 goals and 71 points in 41 games. Next to number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini, the two are early favorites to land in the top three of Calder Trophy voting next year. General manager Mike Grier does not want Will to assume he’s already been given a spot on the roster, however, as he said, “These older guys aren’t going to be in any rush to give their spots away to a young guy. It should make for a pretty competitive camp. May the best man win“.
  • In an article last week from Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Subscription Required), he opines that the Vancouver Canucks will undoubtedly be looking for a right-handed center at next year’s trade deadline. Depending on how the season plays out, that could put Vancouver in the market for veteran Claude Giroux who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. Giroux has a full no-movement clause from the Ottawa Senators on his current contract so he will need to green-light any move out of the organization. If Giroux is unwilling to head out West, the Canucks could look to go after Nick Bjugstad of the Utah Hockey Club or Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens.

What Will Brock Boeser’s Next Contract Look Like?

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The looming contract of Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks was recently analyzed by Patrick Johnston of The Province. Johnston argues that Boeser is almost certainly set to get a raise from his current $6.65MM salary but it shouldn’t be an unpalatable one from the Canucks’ perspective.

Like many members of the 2023-24 Canucks, Boeser is coming off one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He cracked the 40-goal mark for the first time while finishing third on the team in scoring among forwards with 73 points. Boeser also finished third among forwards in ice time while averaging 18:36 a game and played the most out of any forwards when Vancouver was tied, or leading by one or two goals.

As much as he’s relied upon by head coach Rick Tocchet, Boeser will have a hard time arguing he is more than the third-most important forward on the roster. Because of this, he will almost certainly not crack J.T. Miller’s salary of $8MM per season in Vancouver, and he must also prove that last season was not a flash in the pan. From 2017-23, Boeser averaged a 12.7% shooting percentage while being a solid secondary scorer, and his 19.6% mark this past season leads to assumptions that regression towards his mean will soon follow.

Compared to his peers around the league, Boeser’s $6.65MM cap hit ranks 30th among wingers in the NHL, and he will once again have difficulty arguing that he is worth more to the Canucks than Jason Robertson is to the Dallas Stars who gave him an AAV of $7.75MM for four years. According to HockeyReference, Boeser shows a near-identical similarity score to Clayton Keller of the Utah Hockey Club who makes a salary of $7.15MM.

A modest $500K salary increase over a presumably longer-term deal may feel like a slap in the face to Boeser which could seriously hinder the extension negotiations. However, especially with all the data available to teams, it’s hard to envision Boeser landing more on the open market. There may be a scenario where he could earn closer to $7.75MM with the cap set to rise considerably over the next few years but that will likely be the cutoff point for many teams.

A contract in the $7.15MM-$7.75MM over the next four to six years shouldn’t be unpalatable to Vancouver either. The team will be laser-like focused on the upcoming contracts for Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko, but a hypothetical contract in that range for Boeser shouldn’t prohibit any long-term plans. This team will only go as far as their core can take them and given Boeser’s importance to the organization’s turnaround last season, he should be a player they envision on the team moving forward.

Flames Sign Adam Klapka, Yan Kuznetsov To Two-Way Contracts

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2:56 p.m.: Kuznetsov’s deal will pay him a $100K salary in the minors, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports.

2:08 p.m.: The Flames have signed RFA forward Adam Klapka and RFA defenseman Yan Kuznetsov to two-way deals for 2024-25, the team said in separate announcements Monday.

As the releases note, both deals will carry $775K cap hits if the players are on the NHL roster. Their minor league salaries weren’t disclosed.

Klapka, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Flames out of Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec in 2022. He spent most of the last two seasons with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

The massive 6’7″, 238-lb winger made his NHL debut last season, recording his first NHL goal as part of a six-game call-up. He also posted a -1 rating, 19 PIMs, and 21 hits while averaging just 6:46 per game.

Across 125 games in two AHL seasons, Klapka has accumulated 34 goals, 37 assists, 71 points, 170 PIMs, and a +9 rating. His 46 points last season led the team in scoring, as did his seven points in six playoff games.

With the Flames’ forward depth thinner than in years past, there’s a decent chance Klapka lands on the NHL roster come opening night. He’ll be one of many players battling it out for three or four forward spots up for grabs alongside Walker Duehr, Dryden Hunt, and Jakob Pelletier, the latter of whom remains an RFA.

The 22-year-old Kuznetsov faces longer but not impossible odds of making the team out of camp. Selected with the No. 50 pick of the 2020 draft out of UConn, he stuck in school for his sophomore season before opting to spend 2021-22 in juniors with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.

Kuznetsov turned pro in earnest the following campaign, although he did see spot duty with the Flames’ former AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Like Klapka, he made his NHL debut in 2023-24, posting a -1 rating and skating 11:58 in an appearance against the Senators on Jan. 9.

On the farm with the Wranglers/Heat, the Russian has 10 goals, 22 assists, 32 points, 74 PIMs, and a -5 rating in 144 games over the past four years. Those offensive numbers aren’t too concerning for a player who projects as a stay-at-home defender, and he has been able to use his 6’4″, 216-lb frame effectively since turning pro.

If the Flames opt to carry seven defenders and 14 forwards, their roster on the back end is likely set. But if they opt to drop a forward for an eighth defender, look for the extra spot to be a two-man battle in camp between Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov, who’s still an RFA in need of a deal.

Snapshots: Kuzmenko, Eller, Minten

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Andrei Kuzmenko was one of the Flames’ best players down the stretch last season. The Russian winger scored 14 goals and added 11 assists for 25 points in 29 games after Calgary acquired him from the Canucks in the Elias Lindholm trade. That was good enough for 0.86 points per game, second-most on the team behind Nazem Kadri’s 0.91, despite averaging a somewhat conservative 15:40 per game.

It was more of a continuation of what we saw from Kuzmenko in his rookie season two years ago when he erupted for 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games after signing in Vancouver as an undrafted free agent. But there are warning signs abound with his game, whether it be his sky-high 27.3 shooting percentage during that rookie campaign or his inconsistent play away from the puck that got him benched for a decent chunk of the early going last year before the trade. As such, if Kuzmenko is again among Calgary’s leading scorers this year, expect the pending UFA to be one of the bigger chips at the trade deadline, opines Jim Parsons of The Hockey News.

At 28, Kuzmenko doesn’t align with the Flames’ timeline for returning to playoff contention after selling off most of their core over the last 12 months. Signing him to an extension and attempting to shop him later carries many risks if his expected year-to-year inconsistency damages his trade value. But if he continues to produce at a 60-to-80-point pace as one of the Flames’ lone dangerous offensive weapons in 2024-25, Calgary general manager Craig Conroy could land the best of both worlds by recouping a decent trade return.

Kuzmenko is entering the back half of a two-year, $11MM extension the Canucks signed him to midway through his rookie campaign. He does have a 12-team no-trade list that Conroy would need to work around in potential deadline discussions.

There’s more from around the league today:

  • Penguins center Lars Eller hasn’t been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now argues he should be. After signing a two-year, $4.9MM deal with the Pens in free agency in 2023, the 35-year-old could find himself as Pittsburgh’s 13th forward come opening night, giving way to offseason additions Anthony Beauvillier, Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte. If he won’t be a regular, the Pens would likely be better off giving some NHL reps to fringe prospects like Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, and Brayden Yager.
  • Maple Leafs center prospect Fraser Minten will be in the mix to land a spot on the opening night roster for the second year in a row, and assistant general manager Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser tells NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy that he’s not too far away from landing a full-time spot after a four-game trial last fall. “He adapts really well,” Wickenheiser said. “He is great to work with from a development standpoint. He’s always curious on his own game. He studies the game of others and for him, it’s just about trying to assist him toward taking that next step to being an everyday NHL player. He’s very close.” After playing in his fourth season of junior hockey with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and Saskatoon Blades last season, Minten will be eligible to head to AHL Toronto in 2024-25 should he not make the team out of camp.

Evander Kane Likely To Undergo Surgery, Start Season On LTIR

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The Oilers will likely be without forward Evander Kane to start this season as he recovers from a yet-to-be-performed undisclosed surgery, according to the team’s Bob Stauffer (X link).

Kane played through a good chunk of last season with a sports hernia, he revealed to reporters in April. It plagued him through the Oilers’ run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, holding him out of five of Edmonton’s 25 playoff games. It’s unclear if today’s news is related.

The recovery from the undisclosed surgery would likely sideline him for at least the first 10 games and 24 days of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning the Oilers can place him on long-term injured reserve. Doing so would allow them to gain temporary relief from his $5.125MM cap hit, giving new general manager Stan Bowman some much-needed financial flexibility. Edmonton’s roster currently projects to check in at more than $350K over the $88MM upper limit, per PuckPedia. Not only do the Oilers need space for day-to-day transactions, but they also still need to come to agreements with RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.

After an underwhelming 2023-24 season, the 33-year-old Kane may have seemed like a probable trade candidate for Edmonton to clear cap space. But a full no-movement clause through July 1, 2025, meant he could have blocked any move, including a waiver placement, and the second year of term remaining on his deal makes him a tougher sell to interested teams.

In fact, it’s been an underwhelming couple of seasons for Kane after a strong initial showing in Edmonton. His 44 points in 77 games last season were especially poor production for the power forward, and his 0.57 points per game were his worst since the 2015-16 season. He didn’t fare much better in an injury-plagued 2022-23 campaign either, limited to 16 goals and 28 points in 41 games. His 0.68 points per game that year cratered from the year prior, when he put up 0.91 per game after signing with the Oilers midseason following a contract termination by the Sharks.

The two-time 30-goal scorer still finished fourth on the Oilers in goals (24) and led them in hits (250) last year, but his 16:47 ATOI was his lowest usage since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Devils Re-Sign Nolan Foote To Two-Way Deal

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The Devils have re-signed RFA left winger Nolan Foote to a two-way deal, according to a team release. He’ll cost $825K against the cap if on the NHL roster this season.

Foote, who checks in at 6’4″ and 200 lbs, was limited to eight games last season between the NHL and AHL due to a lower back injury. He scored once in his four games with New Jersey, posting a -1 rating and recording six shots on goal while averaging 10:06 per night. He added three goals and one assist in four games with the Utica Comets.

The 23-year-old was one of the Devils’ two remaining unsigned RFAs alongside Dawson Mercer. While he inked a two-way pact today, there’s a good chance the 2019 first-round pick starts the season on the NHL roster. That’s because he’s no longer exempt from waivers and would need to clear them to return to Utica to start the season. As such, his lengthy contract negotiations this summer likely revolved around lobbying for a higher-than-league-minimum NHL salary, which he landed.

After his rocky campaign, the son of former Avalanche captain Adam Foote affirmed to Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News that he wanted an NHL future in Newark. He’s logged NHL ice in the past four seasons but never more than seven games in a single campaign. In total, he has six goals and two assists for eight points in 23 career contests. Most of his time since turning pro in 2020 has been spent in the AHL with Utica and the Devils’ former affiliate in Binghamton, where he has 44 goals and 90 points in 138 career games.

In 2022-23, his last healthy campaign, Foote finished second on Utica in goals (20) and third in points (37) in 55 games. He was originally drafted by the Lightning but was traded to New Jersey in Feb. 2020 for Blake Coleman.

If he doesn’t make the Devils’ roster, clears waivers, and ends up in the AHL, Foote will earn a salary of $150K with a $200K guarantee, per the team. It’s a considerable pay bump from the $70K minors salary afforded to him by his entry-level contract.

Foote will be an RFA again next summer upon the expiry of this deal.

AHL, ECHL Affiliates For 2024-25

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The following is a list of every NHL team’s AHL and ECHL affiliates for the 2024-25 season. This page can be referenced anytime under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar on desktop and using the Flame menu on mobile devices.

Anaheim Ducks

AHL: San Diego Gulls
ECHL: Tulsa Oilers

Boston Bruins

AHL: Providence Bruins
ECHL: Maine Mariners

Buffalo Sabres

AHL: Rochester Americans
ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen

Calgary Flames

AHL: Calgary Wranglers
ECHL: Rapid City Rush

Carolina Hurricanes

AHL: Chicago Wolves
ECHL: Bloomington Bison (working agreement)

Chicago Blackhawks

AHL: Rockford IceHogs
ECHL: Indy Fuel

Colorado Avalanche

AHL: Colorado Eagles
ECHL: Utah Grizzlies

Columbus Blue Jackets

AHL: Cleveland Monsters
ECHL: none

Dallas Stars

AHL: Texas Stars
ECHL: Idaho Steelheads

Detroit Red Wings

AHL: Grand Rapids Griffins
ECHL: Toledo Walleye

Edmonton Oilers

AHL: Bakersfield Condors
ECHL: Fort Wayne Komets

Florida Panthers

AHL: Charlotte Checkers
ECHL: Savannah Ghost Pirates

Los Angeles Kings

AHL: Ontario Reign
ECHL: Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Minnesota Wild

AHL: Iowa Wild
ECHL: Iowa Heartlanders

Montreal Canadiens

AHL: Laval Rocket
ECHL: Trois-Rivieres Lions

Nashville Predators

AHL: Milwaukee Admirals
ECHL: Atlanta Gladiators

New Jersey Devils

AHL: Utica Comets
ECHL: Adirondack Thunder

New York Islanders

AHL: Bridgeport Islanders
ECHL: Worcester Railers

New York Rangers

AHL: Hartford Wolf Pack
ECHL: Bloomington Bison

Ottawa Senators

AHL: Belleville Senators
ECHL: none

Philadelphia Flyers

AHL: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
ECHL: Reading Royals

Pittsburgh Penguins

AHL: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
ECHL: Wheeling Nailers

San Jose Sharks

AHL: San Jose Barracuda
ECHL: Wichita Thunder

Seattle Kraken

AHL: Coachella Valley Firebirds
ECHL: Kansas City Mavericks

St. Louis Blues

AHL: Springfield Thunderbirds
ECHL: Florida Everblades

Tampa Bay Lightning

AHL: Syracuse Crunch
ECHL: Orlando Solar Bears

Toronto Maple Leafs

AHL: Toronto Marlies
ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones

Utah Hockey Club

AHL: Tucson Roadrunners
ECHL: Allen Americans

Vancouver Canucks

AHL: Abbotsford Canucks
ECHL: Kalamazoo Wings

Vegas Golden Knights

AHL: Henderson Silver Knights
ECHL: Tahoe Knight Monsters

Washington Capitals

AHL: Hershey Bears
ECHL: South Carolina Stingrays

Winnipeg Jets

AHL: Manitoba Moose
ECHL: Norfolk Admirals

Players With NHL Experience On AHL Contracts For 2024-25

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During the summer, AHL contracts often take a backseat to one-way and two-way NHL contracts in terms of news coverage. But they’re a valuable outlet for NHL clubs to keep veterans with solid leadership experience in the organization without using one of their 50 contract slots.

As such, many teams will retain UFAs coming off two-way deals by having their AHL affiliate ink them to a contract for the upcoming season. Those squeezed out of NHL roles may also look to land a minor-league deal to showcase their performance without binding themselves to an NHL contract, allowing them to keep their options open and sign anywhere as a free agent.

The following is a look at which players with NHL experience will be suiting up in the minors next season as technical UFAs. They are still free to sign with any NHL club should an offer present itself. But they’ll still play in an NHL organization alongside teams’ top prospects slated for AHL action in the fall.

This page will be updated as additional players are signed or released. It can be found at any time under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” right-hand sidebar on desktop and the Flame menu on mobile.

Updated 8/15/24

Anaheim Ducks (San Diego Gulls)

F Ryan Carpenter
D Dillon Heatherington
D Roland McKeown

Buffalo Sabres (Rochester Americans)

D Ethan Prow
G Michael Houser

Carolina Hurricanes (Chicago Wolves)

F Nick Swaney

Chicago Blackhawks (Rockford IceHogs)

F Jackson Cates
D Austin Strand

Colorado Avalanche (Colorado Eagles)

F Jayson Megna

Columbus Blue Jackets (Cleveland Monsters)

F Stefan Matteau

Dallas Stars (Texas Stars)

F Curtis McKenzie

Edmonton Oilers (Bakersfield Condors)

F Seth Griffith

Florida Panthers (Charlotte Checkers)

F Kyle Criscuolo
F John Leonard
F Aidan McDonough
D Trevor Carrick
G Kenneth Appleby

Los Angeles Kings (Ontario Reign)

F Charles Hudon

Montreal Canadiens (Laval Rocket)

F Laurent Dauphin
D Zack Hayes
D Joshua Jacobs
D Tyler Wotherspoon

Nashville Predators (Milwaukee Admirals)

F Cal O’Reilly

New Jersey Devils (Utica Comets)

F Justin Dowling
F Joseph Gambardella

New York Islanders (Bridgeport Islanders)

F Cole Bardreau
F Brian Pinho

Philadelphia Flyers (Lehigh Valley Phantoms)

F Cooper Marody
F Garrett Wilson

Pittsburgh Penguins (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)

D Dan Renouf

San Jose Sharks (San Jose Barracuda)

F Colin White

St. Louis Blues (Springfield Thunderbirds)

F Matthew Peca
D Scott Harrington

Tampa Bay Lightning (Syracuse Crunch)

F Gabriel Dumont
F Daniel Walcott

Toronto Maple Leafs (Toronto Marlies)

F Kyle Clifford
F Alexander Nylander
F Logan Shaw

Utah Hockey Club (Tucson Roadrunners)

F Hunter Drew
F Austin Poganski
D Robbie Russo
G Dylan Wells

Vancouver Canucks (Abbotsford Canucks)

F Carsen Twarynski

Vegas Golden Knights (Henderson Silver Knights)

D Jake Bischoff

Washington Capitals (Hershey Bears)

F Mike Vecchione
D Brad Hunt
D Aaron Ness

Winnipeg Jets (Manitoba Moose)

F C.J. Suess
D Ashton Sautner

Information from Elite Prospects was used in the creation of this article.

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