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East Notes: Green, Bennett, Hedman, Fehervary

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While Devils interim head coach Travis Green is under consideration for the full-time position, the team has given him permission to speak to other teams about their head coaching openings, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  To that end, Garrioch notes that Green is believed to be on the radar of the Senators for their vacancy.  Green led New Jersey to a record of 8-12-1 after taking over for Lindy Ruff and has a 141-159-35 career record including his time with Vancouver.  He joins Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, and Craig Berube as experienced head coaches who have been connected to the Sens thus far.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Panthers center Sam Bennett is set to skate tomorrow for the first time since suffering a wrist injury in the second game of the first round, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The 27-year-old was a key secondary scorer for Florida this season, picking up 20 goals and 21 assists in 69 games while anchoring the second line alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe.  Head coach Paul Maurice stated that “it’s a very real possibility” that Bennett will be available for their second-round matchup against either Toronto or Boston.
  • Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman will take part in the upcoming World Championship later this month, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The 33-year-old hasn’t had many opportunities to take part in the tournament in the past but has been consistent about going when he could.  This will be Hedman’s fourth time playing in the event and his first since 2016-17.
  • Another player heading to the Worlds is Capitals blueliner Martin Fehervary; Slovakia’s GM Miroslav Satan announced (Twitter link). The 24-year-old logged a little under 20 minutes a night this season for Washington while finishing in the top three on the team in hits and blocked shots.  Fehervary also was their leading scorer in the playoffs, picking up two goals and an assist in their sweep at the hands of the Rangers.  This will be Fehervary’s fourth time playing in this tournament.

Lightning Have Started Extension Talks With Steven Stamkos And Victor Hedman

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There has been plenty of speculation regarding the future of Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay after it was announced in training camp that there wouldn’t be any extension discussions during the season.  However, now that their year has come to an end, GM Julien BriseBois told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that he has already reached out to Stamkos’ agent to discuss a new deal before his current one expires on July 1st.  Additionally, he indicated that he has also spoken with the agent for defenseman Victor Hedman to begin extension discussions for him.

Stamkos has been a franchise fixture for the Lightning since they selected him first overall back in 2008.  Since then, he has been one of the top scorers in the NHL, notching 555 goals and 582 assists in 1,082 regular season games along with 50 goals and 51 helpers in 128 playoff contests, helping lead the team to a pair of Stanley Cup titles.

While Stamkos’ prime years are now behind him, he is still a very productive player.  The 34-year-old is coming off another season of more than a point per game, picking up 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games this season.  His 81 points are good for second among all pending unrestricted free agents, behind only Florida’s Sam Reinhart.

Accordingly, there’s a strong case to be made that Stamkos should be in line for a raise on his current $8.5MM AAV.  However, with Tampa Bay already having over $75MM in commitments to 16 players for next season per CapFriendly, fitting in a raise for Stamkos would make it that they couldn’t afford to fill out the rest of their roster.  As a result, BriseBois will either have to get his captain to agree to a below-market contract or he will have to move a player or two out to open up the cap room to re-sign him.

As for Hedman, he has also been a Lightning lifer thus far, having been with the franchise since picking him second overall in 2009.  For most of that time, he has been their undisputed top blueliner and surpassed the 1,000 games played mark this season.  He’s coming off one of the best years offensively of his career, collecting 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games.  With Mikhail Sergachev missing more than half of this season due to injuries, Hedman certainly was able to pick up the slack.

The timeline for a new deal for Hedman isn’t as tight as Stamkos’ is.  The 33-year-old isn’t even eligible to sign a contract until the final year of his current contract begins on July 1st.  With that in mind, any discussions in the next couple of months will likely be of the preliminary variety.

Hedman currently carries a $7.875MM cap charge, one that is certainly well below market value for a proven top-pairing defender like he is.  Like Stamkos, there’s a very strong case to be made that he’s worthy of a raise on his next agreement which is easier said than done given their salary structure.  Having said that, BriseBois has been aggressive when it comes to trying to sign his core players to early extensions so it wouldn’t be surprising if one gets done in July when he becomes eligible to sign.

Hurricanes Notes: Pesce, DeAngelo, Brind’Amour, AHL Affiliate

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The Hurricanes could get a key reinforcement on their back end at some point in their upcoming series against the Rangers.  Speaking with reporters today including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, GM Don Waddell indicated that blueliner Brett Pesce is no longer in a walking boot and is progressing to the point where he may play at some point in the series.  The 29-year-old, who has already been ruled out for the opening contest, was injured in the second game of their series against the Islanders.  Pesce has been a key shutdown defender for the Hurricanes for several years now and considering he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, a strong finish to his postseason when he’s able to come back could help cement him toward being near the top of that class on the back end.

More from Carolina:

  • Also from Alexander, Waddell indicated that blueliner Tony DeAngelo was not seriously injured after taking a slash in the arm in the final game of the series against the Isles. X-rays were negative so he should be good to play in the opener.  DeAngelo was in and out of the lineup during the season, suiting up just 31 times but with Pesce’s injury, he played in the final three games of the opening round and should stay in the lineup until Pesce is cleared to return.
  • Earlier today, a report emerged that the team had pulled its extension offer to head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Despite that, Waddell said in an interview with The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription link) that he’s not worried about the state of negotiations.  Instead, he stated that a new deal will get done and that his bench boss wants to be a Hurricane for life.  Brind’Amour would undoubtedly be highly sought after if the two sides aren’t able to agree on an extension to his contract that expires at the end of June.
  • Carolina operated without its own AHL affiliate this season after AHL Chicago opted to operate as an independent franchise. However, that might not be the case for long as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that there is some chatter that the Wolves could be aligned with the Hurricanes next season.  That would certainly be a much better outcome for Carolina who had to loan prospects to several organizations while loaning a handful of others to teams overseas to ensure they had places to play.  With a deep prospect pool, being able to have more of those players on one team would certainly be beneficial.  Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis adds that the affiliation agreement, if finalized, will be for three years with a pair of one-year extension options.

Ducks Sign Vyacheslav Buteyets To Entry-Level Deal

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The Ducks have inked goalie Vyacheslav Buteyets to a two-year, entry-level deal, per a team announcement Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Anaheim picked up the signing rights to Buteyets, 21, in the sixth round of the 2022 draft – the same one that landed them blue-chip defense prospect Pavel Mintyukov in the first round. The pick they used on Buteyets, 178th overall, was picked up from the Predators in a February 2020 trade involving depth defensemen Korbinian Holzer and Matt Irwin.

The Russian netminder stands at 6’4″ and 185 lbs. He’s spent nearly his entire career in the Chelyabinsk organization, much like Hurricanes goalie prospect Ruslan Khazheyev, who signed his ELC earlier today. Unlike the younger Khazheyev, though, he’s graduated from the junior ranks, putting up exemplary numbers with Chelmet in the professional second-tier VHL as their undisputed starter the past two seasons.

2022-23 was a banner year for Buteyets, who was a top-ten goalie in the league with a .933 SV%, 2.11 GAA, three shutouts and an 18-12-4 record in 35 appearances. He made another 35 showings this season with more middling results, posting a .913 SV% and 2.57 GAA with a 16-18-0 record. He also made his top-level debut for KHL Traktor, surrendering three goals on 19 shots against Dynamo Moscow back in December.

With veteran Alex Stalock headed for unrestricted free agency, Buteyets will likely compete for minor-league time next season with the Ducks’ three other goalie prospects under contract – Gage Alexander, Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek. Whether Buteyets is able to carve out a backup or third-string role for himself with AHL San Diego or begins his career in North America with ECHL Tulsa is something to watch in training camp. Being loaned back to Chelyabinsk for a season is also an option, albeit less likely.

Buteyets will be a restricted free agent when his deal expires in 2026.

Blues Sign Otto Stenberg To Entry-Level Contract

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The Blues were one of the busiest teams on draft day in 2023, boasting three first-round picks. One of them had yet to sign his entry-level deal, but that’s changed today. 25th overall selection Otto Stenberg has inked his three-year rookie contract, the club announced. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Stenberg, 19 later this month, was one of the higher-rated prospects heading into 2022-23 but saw his stock drop throughout the year due to an underwhelming showing offensively in the Swedish junior circuit. He failed to hit the point-per-game mark in 29 games with Frölunda HC’s club in the J20 Nationell, not normally indicative of a first-round caliber forward.

But he got back on teams’ radars with an electric showing at the 2023 U18 World Championship, racking up seven goals and 16 points in seven games for the Swedes with a +13 rating as they took home the silver medal. He was named the tournament’s All-Star team after leading them in scoring.

Stenberg’s post-draft season went much better. The well-rounded offensive talent settled in as a full-time professional, recording six points in 31 games in an extremely limited role with Frölunda in the Swedish Hockey League. He spent a small portion of the season on loan to BIK Karlskoga of the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, where he lit things up with four goals and nine points in nine games.

He returned there for their SHL qualification tournament, posting five goals and seven points in 12 games as Karlskoga upset second-place Södertälje SK in the quarterfinals but lost their semifinal series to eventual champions Brynäs IF. The 5’11” pivot also had a strong showing at this year’s World Juniors, finishing third on the team in scoring with nine points (five goals, four assists) in nine games.

Since Stenberg will still be 19 when the calendar flips to 2025, his ELC will slide to 2025-26 if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season. If so, the contract will expire in 2028 instead of 2027. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry in either scenario.

Stenberg now joins Dalibor Dvorský and Theo Lindstein as 2023 Blues picks under contract. The pick used to select him was acquired from the Maple Leafs in last year’s Ryan O’Reilly trade. St. Louis has been busy in the past few days, inking Swedish free agents Samuel Johannesson and Marcus Sylvegård to entry-level contracts, as well as 2021 draft pick Simon Robertsson.

Bruins Notes: Carlo, Peeke, DiPietro

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Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo will play in tomorrow’s Game 6 against the Maple Leafs after sustaining an undisclosed injury in yesterday’s Game 5 overtime loss, head coach Jim Montgomery said today (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman).

Carlo’s last shift ended with 1:55 remaining in the third period. He did not come out with the team for overtime, which ended after Toronto winger Matthew Knies scored 2:26 into the extra frame to keep his team alive in the series, now trailing Boston 3-2. Carlo also did not participate in today’s optional practice, The Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan reports.

The 27-year-old shutdown defenseman has had a good series, scoring the game-winning goal in Game 1 and averaging 21:35 per game. He’s managed a +2 rating and 44.5 CF% at even strength despite almost 90% of his zone starts coming in defensive usage. He and partner Hampus Lindholm have logged 64 minutes together in the series, the most of any pairing on either team and have controlled 55% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.

Other updates from the Bruins as they gear up for their second chance to close out the Maple Leafs:

  • Defenseman Andrew Peeke is still multiple weeks away from returning to the lineup, Montgomery said (via Ryan). The deadline acquisition from the Blue Jackets sustained a broken finger in the second period of Boston’s Game 2 loss last week and did not travel to Toronto for Games 3 and 4. If the Bruins advance, he hasn’t been ruled out entirely for a second-round date with the Panthers, but today’s quote indicates he wouldn’t be ready for the beginning of the series. The right-shot blueliner began the postseason in a bottom-pairing role with Kevin Shattenkirk, who did a good job at controlling scoring chances when Montgomery deployed them together in the final weeks of the regular season. Peeke, 26, had two assists and a +1 rating in 15 regular-season games with Boston after the trade.
  • The Bruins recalled goaltender Michael DiPietro from AHL Providence to serve as their designated emergency backup before Game 5 yesterday, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. 25-year-old Brandon Bussi had held the EBUG role for the first four games of the series, but he was returned to Providence over the weekend to start in their Atlantic Division Semifinal series against Hartford in the Calder Cup Playoffs. DiPietro, 24, has a .771 SV% in three NHL appearances with the Canucks spanning from 2019 to 2022. He’s spent the last two seasons in the Bruins organization after they acquired him via trade in October 2022, locking down a full-time AHL role this season with a 2.51 GAA, .918 SV%, four shutouts, and an 18-9-2 record in 30 appearances.

Stars Assign Lian Bichsel To AHL

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Stars top defense prospect Lian Bichsel will finish 2023-24 in North America, the team confirmed today. He’s been assigned to AHL Texas and will suit up for them in the Calder Cup Playoffs for his second postseason run of the year. He’d spent the last five months on assignment to Rögle BK, whom he helped advance to the Swedish Hockey League championship series as the ninth seed with a goal, five assists and a +7 rating in 15 games.

The move was expected after Rögle’s season ended with a Game 5 loss to Skellefteå on Monday, dropping the best-of-seven series 4-1 after Rögle swept their previous two series against the top two regular-season teams, Färjestad BK and Växjö Lakers HC, to advance to the final. In his first season with Rögle, Bichsel had four points and 28 PIMs in 29 regular-season games.

Bichsel, the 18th overall pick in the 2022 draft, began the season with AHL Texas after signing his entry-level contract in May 2023. But after posting one goal and six assists with a -2 rating in 16 games, the 6’6″ Swiss defender activated his European Assignment Clause and was loaned back to Sweden, where he’d spent the previous two seasons with Leksands IF.

He was the sixth defenseman off the board in his draft year but the first with a shutdown projection at the NHL level. The Blue Jackets’ Denton Mateychuk is the only defenseman drafted ahead of Bichsel in 2022 who has yet to make his NHL debut.

Since he played in fewer than 10 NHL games this season, his entry-level slide goes into effect and delays the start of his contract until 2024-25. The Stars still owe him his $95K signing bonus for 2023-24, which will drop his cap hit from its initial $950K to $918.3K over the remainder of the deal. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency when his deal expires in 2027.

Texas has already advanced in the Calder Cup Playoffs without Bichsel, sweeping their best-of-three First Round series against Manitoba last week. Their best-of-five Central Division Semifinal against Milwaukee begins tomorrow, and Stars general manager Jim Nill confirmed Bichsel will make his AHL playoff debut in Game 1 (via the Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos). Nill said the organization prefers to give Bichsel some developmental runway on a “deep run” with Texas but indicated he could be added to the NHL roster if Texas is eliminated before their parent club.

Hurricanes Sign Ruslan Khazheyev To Entry-Level Contract

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The Hurricanes have inked goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev to a three-year entry-level contract, per a team announcement. The deal carries a cap hit of $845K, comprised of a $775K base salary and a $70K signing bonus each season. His minor-league salary is $82,500.

A fifth-round pick of the Canes last year, the 19-year-old Khazheyev has put up strong numbers in the high-scoring MHL, Russia’s top junior league, over the past two seasons. This season, he held down the 1A role for Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk, compiling a 16-5-2 record, 2.19 GAA, .927 SV% and two shutouts in 28 appearances.

The quick-moving 6’4”, 201-pound netminder also made his professional debut this season, stopping 23 of 24 shots he faced for Chelmet Chelyabinsk of the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, in mid-February. Early on, he looks to be one of the better value pickups of last year’s draft, but he faces an uphill battle to break out of the eight other goalies under the age of 25 who are either under contract with the Hurricanes or on their reserve list.

Without an AHL affiliate in place for next season, it’s plausible that Khazheyev will spend the first year of his ELC back on loan to the Chelyabinsk organization, either at the KHL level with Traktor or the VHL level with Chelmet. He’ll be waiver-exempt for the life of the deal, barring the unlikely event he plays in 80 or more NHL games over the next three seasons. While he’s 19 at the time of signing, he’ll turn 20 before January 2025, making him ineligible for an entry-level slide. The contract will take effect next season and make him a restricted free agent in 2027.

Canucks Reassign Vasily Podkolzin

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Right winger Vasily Podkolzin has been reassigned to AHL Abbotsford, the Canucks announced Wednesday. He’d been a healthy scratch for all five games of Vancouver’s first-round series against the Predators thus far, but he’ll now see postseason action in Abbotsford’s Pacific Division Semifinal series against the Ontario Reign, which begins tonight.

Podkolzin spent most of the season in the minors but was recalled shortly before the trade deadline, spending most of March and all of April on the major league roster. After accumulating two assists in 18 NHL regular-season games, the Canucks inked him to a two-year, $2MM extension on the morning of his 19th and final appearance this season.

The 22-year-old is two years removed from a solid rookie season, finishing ninth on the Canucks in scoring in 2022 with 14 goals and 26 points in 79 contests. He’s struggled to hold a full-time role since, however, playing only 58 NHL games over the past two seasons compared to 72 in the minors.

Vancouver’s 10th overall pick in 2019 was always projected as more of a power forward and wasn’t expected to log huge point totals, but he’s done very little over the past few years to challenge for even a consistent middle-six role. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been any promising signs, though. Despite his limited offense this season, he was more involved physically than he’s ever been, averaging 3.68 hits per game.

Hits aren’t always a good indication of defensive success, but it was in this case, as his checking ability helped limit opponents’ ability to generate shot attempts. His possession impacts were good as a result, posting a 52.7 CF% and 53.1 xGF% at even strength, per Hockey Reference. That should give Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet some confidence that he can be deployed effectively in a fourth-line role to begin next season as his seven-figure cap hit kicks in. For now, though, he joins Abbotsford for its playoff run after totaling 15 goals and 28 points in 44 regular-season games.

NHL Announces 2024 Norris Trophy Finalists

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The Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, the Predators’ Roman Josi and the Avalanche’s Cale Makar are this year’s Norris Trophy finalists for the league’s top defenseman, as announced today. Technically awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position,” the Norris, like many others, is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association after the regular season concludes.

Hughes, 24, isn’t just a finalist for the first time – he’s the first Canucks defenseman in franchise history to be named one. He has earned consideration in three of the past four seasons, placing 15th in voting in 2020, 13th in 2022, and ninth in 2023.

The 2018 seventh-overall pick is coming off a franchise-defining season, logging a Vancouver-record 75 assists and 92 points in 82 games that also led defenders league-wide. A first-year captain, Hughes averaged 24:41 per game, tying him for tenth in the league with Penguins blue-liner Kris Letang, and led all NHL defensemen with 54 even-strength points. He also had the most dominant possession season of his career, with Vancouver controlling 57.5% of shot attempts and 54.3% of expected goals with Hughes on the ice at even strength, per Hockey Reference.

Josi, 33, finished third among defensemen in points with 85 in 82 games but led outright in goals with 23. This is his third time being a finalist for the award, winning back in 2020 and finishing second to Makar in 2022. He’s now cracked the point-per-game plateau twice in the past three years and took the most shots of any blue-liner this season with 268, ahead of the Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin by more than 30. Like Hughes, he’s coming off the best possession season of his career, posting a 54.5 CF%, 5.1 relative CF%, and a 53.8 xGF% at even strength.

Makar, 25, led defenders in points per game this season but missed five games due to injury, placing him second in points behind Hughes with 90 in 77 games. It’s his fourth straight season as a finalist for the award, but compared to his peers mentioned here, may have the worst case for satisfying the “all-around ability” stipulation this season.

He had a quietly average season at even strength by his standards, getting a higher share of his point production on the power play compared to Hughes and Josi. His possession numbers weren’t all that different from Colorado’s averages, either. His 53.0 CF% at even strength was his lowest since his rookie season, and his 0.3 relative CF% was a career-low outright. That led Colorado to reassign some of his 5-on-5 minutes elsewhere – his overall average ice time dropped from 26:23 in 2022-23 to 24:46 this season without any significant changes in his usage on special teams.

The league hasn’t yet announced the date when award winners will be revealed.

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