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Blackhawks Leaning Toward Artyom Levshunov At Second Overall

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Much like last year’s draft, there’s a bit of a toss-up at second overall. The Sharks will take Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini as the first-overall pick. However, with the second choice, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a choice to make.

That choice is between Ivan Demidov, a Russian winger whose 60 points in 30 junior games gave him one of the best seasons at that level of all time, and Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who logged heavy minutes as a freshman for Michigan State University this season and is the top blue liner in the class based on consolidated public rankings. Speaking on Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Scott Powers reports the team is leaning toward Levshunov with less than a month to go until draft day.

Levshunov would immediately become the Hawks’ top defense prospect, surpassing 2022 seventh-overall pick Kevin Korchinski. And like Korchinski two years ago, it seems unlikely he’d jump to the NHL immediately. A sophomore campaign at Michigan State makes sense for Levshunov before potentially turning pro in 2025.

It shouldn’t be ruled out completely, though. Levshunov is coming off a banner season that saw him named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was named to the year-end First All-Star Team as well.

Levshunov’s nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points and +27 rating in 38 games helped the Spartans win their first regular-season and conference tournament championships since the conference’s inception in 2013. A right-shot defender, the 18-year-old already stands at 6’2″ and 209 lbs.

Chicago taking Levshunov off the board would leave Demidov available for the Ducks at third overall, becoming the crown jewel of an already deep pool of young forwards that includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras. Demidov is the second-ranked prospect behind Celebrini in public consolidated rankings and TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s most recent polling of NHL scouts.

Sabres Open To Trading First-Round Pick

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The Sabres are open to trading their 11th overall selection in this month’s draft, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

If so, it would likely be in a swap for top-six forward help, per Friedman. They’re not the only team within the top 15 looking to move their selection, though. The Devils, slated to pick one spot before them at 10th overall, are also willing to trade their pick for immediate help, likely on the goaltending front.

To the surprise of many, the Sabres’ offense was their Achilles heel this season as their playoff drought extended to 13 years. After finishing third in the league in goals for in 2022-23 and missing the playoffs by one point, their snipers cratered. Buffalo scored 50 fewer goals this season than last, dropping their offense down to 22nd in the league.

The lack of scoring, influenced partly by their below-average 16.6% power play, wasted one of the best goaltending performances from a Sabres netminder in quite some time. 2017 second-round pick Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took over as a bonafide starter, putting up a .910 SV% and five shutouts in 54 games with a 27-22-4 record.

Buffalo’s future is still bright as it stands. Luukkonen will be joined on a full-time basis by top goaltending prospect Devon Levi between the pipes next season after he posted a .927 SV% in 26 minor-league games. Their core on defense is set with Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.

But entering a 2024-25 campaign in which ending their playoff drought is a necessity, their high-ceiling offense does have a few question marks. Tage Thompson still managed to lead the team in goals with 29 while battling through injuries, but it’s a far cry from his totals of 38 and 47 the previous two years. A rebound should be expected if he stays healthy, but it can’t fall on him alone.

Alex Tuch is a true top-six producer but has had inconsistent results year-over-year. Is he more of a 60-point or 80-point player? Can the aging Jeff Skinner have a bounce-back year after being limited to 46 points?

Some of those concerns should be quelled by steps forward from a trio of under-25 forwards in Zach Benson, John-Jason Peterka and Jack Quinn – but the operative word there is “should.” They could also get a decent rookie season out of 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie, but like the others, his best years are still a few seasons ahead of him.

While they do still have a deep prospect pool up front, there is still an obvious need for more established help. The top forward available on the trade market, Hurricanes pending RFA Martin Nečas, likely doesn’t fit the bill based on Carolina’s similar want for an established replacement rather than picks and prospects.

But could the Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, also likely on the move this summer without an extension past next season in the cards, be a match? The Danish winger has played a top-six role throughout his nine-year career and averages 27 goals and 62 points over an 82-game campaign. He’s entering the final season of a contract with a $6MM cap hit, more than affordable for the flush-with-space Sabres, and could potentially be had for the 11th overall pick alone without any other assets included.

Regardless, the shift into buyer mode for general manager Kevyn Adams appears clear with Lindy Ruff at the helm for his second stint as head coach.

Morning Notes: Lindholm, Blackhawks, Larsen

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The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly willing to offer pending unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm a contract extension around seven years and $7MM annually (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts). The deal if signed would be a replica of the deal Nazem Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames in August of 2022 and would be a substantial drop from his contract expectations last fall when many thought Lindholm could fetch a $9MM AAV.

While the potential offer is $7MM annually, there is no guarantee that Lindholm will sign for that, and Friedman isn’t sure that the Canucks can get a deal done at that number. The Canucks reportedly want Lindholm to return, but with the sheer volume of free agents on their roster it might be difficult to get a deal done with the 29-year-old.

In other morning notes:

  • Elliotte Friedman has heard from sources that the Chicago Blackhawks would like to expedite their rebuild and may target top free agents this summer to speed things along. Friedman mentions Jake Guentzel as a possibility and also drops the name of Martin Necas. The Blackhawks have a good mix of young emerging players and veterans in their lineup but don’t have many high-end veterans on long-term deals outside of Seth Jones. Guentzel would require a huge long-term commitment from Chicago and would mark a major change in mindset from previous summers where they have dealt impact veteran players.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen is expected to resurface soon after taking time away from hockey following his firing in April 2023. Larsen coached the Blue Jackets for two seasons and lost 102 of the 164 games during that time. Prior to being named the head coach, Larsen was an assistant in Columbus for seven years and even beat out several experienced head coaches to get the top job with the Blue Jackets. Portzline doesn’t specify where Larsen is going to go but does add that an announcement is expected in the next few days.

East Notes: Marner, Red Wings, Guentzel

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Jonas Siegel of The Athletic speculates what a potential Mitch Marner trade might look like for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Siegel points to several recent trades for Pierre-Luc Dubois and Dougie Hamilton as templates the Maple Leafs could use to get a return package for the 27-year-old Marner. Both of those trades brought young NHL-ready talent back to their respective teams, which is something that Toronto would likely covet given their competitive window.

Siegel points to the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning as teams that the Maple Leafs could potentially do business with. Carolina could dangle Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Martin Necas as potential centerpieces of a return for Marner, while Tampa Bay could use Mikhail Sergachev or Brandon Hagel.

Siegel does concede that any potential Marner trade could be nixed by his no-movement clause and might be a difficult trade for Toronto to win. However, with Marner’s pending free agency status, it may be something they need to explore.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Max Bultman of The Athletic wonders if the Detroit Red Wings might be players in the goaltending market this summer, specifically the trade market where several high-end starters are available. Bultman writes that the Red Wings’ general manager isn’t revealing much but adds that Ville Husso’s health could nudge the Red Wings into the trade market and would be the quickest way to improve the team’s overall defense which was something that was an Achilles heel last season. Detroit missed the playoffs by the smallest of margins and adding a top-tier netminder might be the thing that gets them back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The team has backup Alex Lyon signed next year to a very reasonable $900K, but likely can’t count on him to duplicate his 44-game workload from this past season.
  • Elliotte Friedman reported today on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the rights to Hurricanes forward Jake Guentzel are available for a mid-round pick. Friedman tells his audience that Carolina has made it known to other teams that the 29-year-old’s signing rights are available and adds that there will be a ton of interest. It was reported earlier this week that Guentzel was likely to test free agency and it makes sense for the Hurricanes to pivot and try to recoup an asset after dealing Michael Bunting, three prospects, and a second-round pick to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline to acquire Guentzel.

Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Free agency is now just a month 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 Penguins.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Emil Bemstrom – Bemstrom had an up-and-down season last year splitting time between the Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old was placed on waivers early in the season and went unclaimed before eventually getting dealt to the Penguins in February for Alexander Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick. The trade was a gamble for the Penguins who were hoping for a bounce back in Pittsburgh but unfortunately for them and Bemstrom, he struggled and was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. The Nykoping, Sweden native posted just three goals and two assists in 24 games, playing primarily on the team’s fourth line. Bemstrom has shown glimpses of being an effective passer with a good shot, however, they are overshadowed by long stretches where he doesn’t appear engaged and struggles in his own zone. Bemstrom might get a qualifying offer from the Penguins for $945K, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if the team cuts their losses and lets the forward become an unrestricted free agent.

D Pierre-Olivier Joseph – POJ looked like a non-tender candidate for much of last season until the last six weeks of the regular season. The former first-round pick was a healthy scratch for a big portion of the season and appeared to lose the trust of Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. However, injuries and the poor play of fellow defenseman Ryan Graves forced Pittsburgh to reinsert Joseph into the lineup alongside Kris Letang and the results were quite impressive, albeit in a limited sample size. While he has not been able to put all his tools together at the NHL level, Joseph is very capable offensively and can lead the rush as well. He will likely have an opportunity on a low-risk bridge contract to show the Penguins that he belongs in the NHL and can play in their defensive unit.

Other RFAs:  F Corey Andonovski, F Maxim Cajkovic, F Dillon Hamaliuk

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Jansen Harkins – Harkins was a waiver wire pickup for the Penguins, coming over from the Winnipeg Jets. He quickly earned the trust of head coach Mike Sullivan who repeatedly plugged Harkins into the lineup despite his offensive shortcomings. Harkins would be demoted to the AHL at one point during the season before resurfacing on the team’s fourth line, as Sullivan liked his speed and physicality at the bottom of the lineup. The 27-year-old had just four assists in 45 games but started over 80% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Given his struggles offensively, Harkins is likely a 13th forward at best, but he can give a team minutes on the fourth line in a defensive role. He should be able to find a one-way contract for next season that will come in below $1MM.

G Alex Nedeljkovic – The Penguins gambled when they signed goaltender Nedeljkovic, hoping they were getting the player he was with the Carolina Hurricanes and not the version that struggled in Detroit the previous two seasons. He rewarded the Penguins with strong play down the stretch, nearly willing the team into the playoffs after wrestling the starters’ role from Tristan Jarry. The 28-year-old’s performance likely priced him out of Pittsburgh, but the Penguins have shown an interest in re-signing him. Teams could be scared off by Nedeljkovic’s wildly inconsistent play from year to year, but he should be able to find a short-term deal at nearly double the $1.5MM he made last season with Pittsburgh.

D Ryan Shea – Shea was finally able to crack an NHL lineup, dressing in 31 games last season for the Penguins. Injuries forced Pittsburgh to utilize Shea more frequently down the stretch and he rewarded the team as he formed a solid third pairing with Jack St. Ivany. Shea’s possession numbers weren’t great with a CF% of 49.2% at even strength, but he did start nearly 60% of his shifts in the defensive zone and was solid in his own end. Shea won’t find his way onto the scoresheet very often but will likely only command league minimum on a short-term deal. If the Penguins are looking to save cap room to address other needs, Shea is a good option for their sixth defenseman.

F Radim Zohorna – Zohorna had a terrific training camp with the Penguins and looked like a good bet to make the starting lineup. However, he was sent to the AHL to start the year and eventually earned a call-up. Once he was brought back to the NHL he made an impact in his first few games, forming a solid third line with Drew O’Connor and Lars Eller. However, after a few games, Zohorna disappeared for a long stretch and was eventually a healthy scratch before being demoted to the AHL once again. He finished the season with four goals and three assists in 33 games and is likely looking at another two-way contract with a league-minimum salary at the NHL level. Zohorna has good hands and passing, and stands 6’6”, however, he has never been a player who engages physically and doesn’t play like a power forward.

Other UFAs: D Taylor Fedun, F Vinnie Hinostroza, D Jack Rathbone, D Dmitri Samorukov

Projected Cap Space

The Penguins will enter the offseason with a shade under $13MM in available cap room which will limit their ability to make major roster improvements unless they can move out one of the many undesirable contracts on their books. The Penguins could move Reilly Smith which would open up an additional $5MM to pursue help in the top six or add some scoring to the bottom of their lineup. The Penguins could also try and move a player like Rickard Rakell for another underperforming player, but that would be a tough trade to make as he has four years remaining on his deal. Penguins’ fans would likely want to see defenseman Graves moved on, but with five years left on his deal at $4.5MM per year, it is highly unlikely that the contract can be traded without significant retention.

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

Evening Notes: Drysdale, Summer Showcase, Young Stars Classic

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Adam Kimelman of NHL.com is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale should be ready for training camp in September after undergoing significant surgery in April. While the exact procedure is unknown, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere had said back on April 18th that Drysdale might need to have a procedure on his lower body.

Drysdale was acquired by the Flyers from the Anaheim Ducks along with a second-round pick in early January in exchange for Cutter Gauthier. He struggled after the trade, posting just two goals and three assists in 24 games, however, he suffered a significant injury in late February that looked to affect his left shoulder and caused him to miss 16 games. Briere did add that the former sixth overall pick would be better able to show his skillset after the most recent surgery and the latest ailment was in no way related to the previous shoulder injury

In other evening notes:

  • The World Junior Summer Showcase has officially been announced by USA Hockey (as per Steven Ellis of DailyFaceoff). The games will be held in Plymouth, Michigan between July 26th and August 3rd and will feature Team USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland. Teams will practice daily during the event and a total of nine international games will be played as part of the showcase. The event is a precursor that will offer players the opportunity to showcase themselves for their national teams prior to the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa, Ontario. That tournament will be played from December 26th, 2024, through January 5th, 2025.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have formally announced that they will host the Young Stars Classic rookie tournament in Penticton, British Columbia beginning on September 13th. The four-day tournament will feature four teams as the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets will participate alongside Vancouver in a six-game round-robin format. The tournament began in 2010 and regularly features players who get into NHL games the following season.

Current NHL Free Agents

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Pro Hockey Rumors’ up-to-date list of current free agents is below. These are players who are free agents during the 2024-25 season. The player’s 2024 age is in parentheses.

This list includes players who played at least 10 games in 2023-24 or finished the season on a roster. It also includes players who appeared in at least one game in 2024-25. It will continue to be updated throughout the season.

You can access this list anytime under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or in the Flame menu on our mobile site. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Updated 12/19/24 (10:59am CT)

Unrestricted Free Agents

Centers

Left Wingers

Right Wingers

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Sabres Name Michael Leone AHL Head Coach

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The Sabres have hired USA Hockey mainstay Michael Leone as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, per a team announcement Thursday. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald was the first to report the hiring yesterday.

Leone succeeds Seth Appert, who’d been the head coach of the Amerks for the past four seasons. He was recently promoted to the NHL bench and will serve as an assistant on Lindy Ruff’s staff as he makes his return to Buffalo.

The 36-year-old Leone had a collegiate and low-level minors career as a player, topping out in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye in the mid-2010s. After retiring, he immediately began his coaching career as an assistant with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards for the 2017-18 season.

The Michigan native has quickly risen up the ranks ever since. He jumped to an assistant role with Bowling Green State University the following season before joining USA Hockey in 2019, first as an assistant with their national U-17 team on a squad that boasted Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes on its blue line.

He hopped between the U17 and U18 teams over the next few years, also serving as an assistant for the national team at various international tournaments, before moving back to league play in 2022. Tabbed as the GM and head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the major junior United States Hockey League, he’s guided them to a 66-41-17 record over the past two seasons.

Leone coached multiple NHL-affiliated prospects with the Gamblers this season, namely Blackhawks 2023 second-round pick Adam Gajan, NHL Utah prospect Julian Lutz, and Lightning 2023 fourth-round pick Jayson Shaugabay.

He’ll now be entrusted with the development of a deep Sabres prospect pool in which almost every player makes a stop in Rochester at some point. Next season’s roster is likely to include 2022 first-round picks Jiri Kulich and Noah Östlund up front, with other first-round picks Isak Rosen and Matthew Savoie being potential options to suit up for the Amerks if they don’t make the NHL roster out of camp.

Latest On Nikita Zadorov

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Earlier Thursday, it appeared there might be some progress on extension talks between the Canucks and pending UFA defenseman Nikita Zadorov, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. However, that was quickly refuted by Zadorov’s agent, Dan Milstein, and additionally  by a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, who said the likelihood of Zadorov remaining in Vancouver was looking “bleak.”

Zadorov, 29, was successful in his short stint with the Canucks. Picked up from the Flames via trade in late November, he finished the year with 14 points, a +6 rating and a whopping 102 PIMs in 54 games in a Vancouver sweater while averaging 17:04 per contest.

The legend of the 6’6″, 250-lb defender grew in the postseason, where he was arguably the team’s second-most valuable blue liner behind Norris finalist Quinn Hughes. He exploded for four goals and eight points in only 13 games, supplementing that with a +3 rating and good underlying metrics while averaging over 20 minutes per night.

That certainly boosted his value as he wraps up a two-year, $7.5MM contract he signed with Calgary in 2022. The hulking Russian has now logged at least 20 points in three consecutive seasons, posted a career-high 125 PIMs this season, and posted strong possession quality numbers during his previous two seasons in Calgary.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported last month that Zadorov would likely seek a six-year, $36MM ($6MM AAV) deal should he hit the open market. For a player without a lengthy history of playing top-four minutes, though, that’s a prohibitively expensive price tag.

Evolving Hockey projects Zadorov to receive a three-year deal at a $4MM cap hit, more in line with what shutdown defender Erik Gudbranson received from the Blue Jackets two summers go. In all likelihood, his next deal will likely fall somewhere in the middle of those two figures.

Maple Leafs, Predators Linked To Brett Pesce

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Expect the Maple Leafs and Predators to be two of the top suitors for Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce if he hits the open market next month, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

The Hurricanes are still attempting to extend Pesce after general manager Don Waddell resigned last month, but they haven’t been close to a deal since discussions started last summer. In fact, most believed he would be traded last summer to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of this season, but they took him off the trade block during training camp and decided to continue negotiations.

Recent reports around Pesce’s pending free agency suggest more of the same. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believed the Canes were holding firm at an offer of around $5MM annually on a five-year deal that Pesce wasn’t willing to accept.

Nashville was one of the teams interested in acquiring him when he was made available for trade last summer, Pagnotta notes, so it’s of no surprise to see them linked to Pesce again. They’re looking for a top-four defender to replace Ryan McDonagh, whom they traded back to the Lightning last month after acquiring him from Tampa in the 2022 offseason.

Pesce would be a similar stylistic fit, but unlike McDonagh, he’s a right-shot. That gives him a greater potential of sliding upward in the lineup to play alongside captain Roman Josi, also a left-shot, on the team’s top pairing.

He’s used to heavy usage, averaging over 20 minutes per game for eight straight seasons. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year offensively with only three goals and 13 points in 70 games, but his career averages suggest the two-way blue-liner is more of a 25-to-30-point producer over a full season.

The New York native has earned sparse Norris consideration in the past, receiving votes in 2018 and 2020. His possession numbers are still strong, controlling 54.4% of shot attempts at even strength throughout his career. He’s also had an expected goals share north of 50% for the past four years, per Hockey Reference.

It’s no surprise to see Toronto engaged in Pesce rumors, either. They’ll be in on nearly all of the top defensemen on this summer’s UFA market, but especially right-shots. Ideally, second-year GM Brad Treliving is looking for a stable partner for top offensive blue liner Morgan Rielly, who’s had a rotating cast of shutdown partners over the past few seasons.

The Leafs lack puck-movers outside of Rielly among their defense corps, and while it’s not a hallmark of Pesce’s game, he would be a small upgrade over Jake McCabe and the outgoing T.J. Brodie in that regard. He’s eclipsed 20 assists four times in his career, including a career-high 25 helpers in 2022-23.

Evolving Hockey’s contract projections peg Pesce to land a six-year, $5.5MM AAV deal on the open market, slightly lengthier and richer than his rumored extension offer in Carolina. That would be feasible for both the Leafs and Preds, who enter the offseason with a decent amount of salary cap flexibility.

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