Blue Jackets Re-Sign Kent Johnson
The Blue Jackets have re-signed one of their remaining free agents, announcing today that they’ve inked forward Kent Johnson to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $1.8MM per season. GM Don Waddell released the following statement:
Kent Johnson is an exciting young player with tremendous upside, and we are happy that he will continue to grow and develop as a Blue Jacket. He is just beginning to scratch the surface of what he can be as a player, and we believe he will be a very important part of our hockey club moving forward.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal will pay Johnson $1.6MM next season, $1.8MM in 2025-26, and $2MM in 2026-27. That $2MM figure will be his required qualifying offer at that time when he will have two years of club control remaining along with salary arbitration eligibility.
The 21-year-old was a first-round pick by Columbus back in 2021, going fifth overall following a very strong freshman year at Michigan that saw him record just over a point per game. Johnson was even better the following season, notching 37 points in 32 contests, convincing Blue Jackets management that he was ready to turn pro.
Johnson signed late in the 2021-22 campaign, burning the first year of his contract in the process. He got into nine games with them, recording three assists, a respectable total for someone just making the jump. He then followed that up with a 16-goal, 40-point effort in 2022-23, making him a popular breakout candidate heading into last season.
Unfortunately for both Johnson and the Blue Jackets, last year was a rough one. After a slow start, he was demoted to AHL Cleveland where he spent the better part of a month. Johnson was quite productive in that stretch, notching five goals and ten assists in ten games, earning a recall in late November. However, production was still hard to come by and he wound up finishing the year with just six goals and ten assists in 42 NHL appearances before a shoulder injury at the end of February ended his year prematurely.
As a result, a bridge agreement made the most sense for both sides as Johnson now has time to prove that last year was an aberration and not a sign of things to come. He has a new head coach in Dean Evason, giving him a fresh start after struggling under Pascal Vincent last year.
Columbus still has some work to do on the contract front this summer. Winger Kirill Marchenko‘s arbitration hearing is scheduled for Wednesday with pre-hearing filings due on Monday if a deal isn’t in place by then. Meanwhile, Cole Sillinger, picked seven spots after Johnson in 2021, is also a restricted free agent in need of a new contract. Cap space won’t be an issue in these negotiations as they still have more than $15MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Metropolitan Notes: Konecny Contract Details, Daws, Rempe
Earlier this week, one of the more prominent potential 2025 unrestricted free agents came off the market when the Flyers inked winger Travis Konecny to an eight-year, $70MM contract extension. The breakdown of the deal wasn’t announced at the time of the signing but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that it’s as follows:
2025-26: $2MM base salary, $9MM signing bonus
2026-27: $5.25MM salary, $3MM bonus
2027-28: $3.5MM salary, $7.5MM bonus
2028-29: $4.6MM salary, $6MM bonus
2029-30: $4.35MM salary, $5MM bonus
2030-31: $2.1MM salary, $4.5MM bonus
2031-32: $6.6M salary
2032-33: $6.6M salary
The deal also contains a full no-move clause for all eight seasons along with a 14-team no-trade clause in each season. In this instance, the NMC is protecting against a waiver placement.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Devils have three restricted free agents still to sign, one of which is goaltender Nico Daws. His agent, Quartexx’s Paul Capizzano, told Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News that the two sides are getting closer to a resolution on a new deal. The 23-year-old posted a 3.15 GAA with a .894 SV% in 21 starts with New Jersey last season, numbers were nearly identical to his 25 appearances the year before. Daws also put up a 2.89 GAA with a .890 SV% in 10 games with AHL Utica. With Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen in place, Daws will head into next season in a third-string role after Akira Schmid was moved to Vegas at the draft.
- After having a very limited role when he was in the lineup down the stretch last season, Rangers winger Matt Rempe told reporters including Larry Brooks of the New York Post that he’s hoping to secure a more prominent role for next season, singling out the penalty kill as an area he wants to work on. The 22-year-old averaged just 5:38 in 17 games during the regular season so even becoming a passable option shorthanded could allow him to play more of a regular role as he looks to lock down a full-time roster spot.
Blues’ Dalibor Dvorsky Could Push For NHL Minutes Out Of Camp
The St. Louis Blues 2023 first-round pick, Dalibor Dvorsky, is gearing up for his first NHL training camp, after only participating in St. Louis’ rookie development camp last season. He’s since made the jump to North America, joining the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, where he managed electrifying results – ranking fourth in the league with 45 goals in 52 games, rounded out by 88 total points. That performance has given Dvorsky plenty of momentum heading into the first test of his pro career, and both the player and general manager Doug Armstrong seem excited to see what comes next. Armstrong told Lou Korac of NHL.com that Dvorsky could earn a shot at the NHL lineup, sharing, “He’s looked good. He’s added some muscle. He’s another guy that’s really going to push for training camp.”
Dvorsky took Armstrong’s comments in stride, telling Korac that the chance at opportunity sounds great, but that it’s ultimately on him to earn his place. That earned more praise from Armstrong, who added, “I love reading what he said, ‘This is on me.’ That’s what you want. He’s looking in the mirror now and saying, ‘OK, we’ll see.’ The AHL, ‘We’ll see.’ And he’s not cocky about it. He’s not demanding about it. He’s just saying, ‘All right, we’ll see.'”
Dvorsky’s 2023-24 season was a dazzling show of strength. While his age technically rules him out of the OHL’s definition of a rookie, his goal-scoring pace stands as the most from a first-year OHL skater since 2018, when Andrei Svechnikov managed 40 goals in 44 games. Dvorsky outscored star OHL rookie seasons, like Shane Wright‘s 39 goals as at 17-years-old, or the first of Cole Perfetti‘s pair of 37-goal seasons.
Dvorsky managed the production thanks to a powerful drive that simply seemed cut from a different cloth, as he excelled at using his strength and size to drive transition and create space off of the boards. He made decisions quickly and confidently when opportunity opened up, putting him one step ahead of his OHL competition. That was certainly helped by starring linemates David Goyette and Quentin Musty, though Dvorsky still flexed the makings of a serious pro talent. St. Louis is ready to put that growth to the test this fall, placing him in competition with fellow top prospect Zachary Bolduc for NHL minutes.
Ondrej Kase Re-Signs In Czech League
Back in May, free agent winger Ondrej Kase was said to be generating NHL interest after a strong season back home in Czechia. However, a deal at the top level didn’t materialize so instead, he has elected to re-sign a one-year deal with HC Litvinov, per a team release.
The 28-year-old had some success in the NHL early in his career, notching 57 goals and 67 assists in 258 games over parts of seven seasons. However, concussion troubles repeatedly set Kase back to the point where he missed nearly the entire 2022-23 campaign aside from just over 11 minutes of ice time in Carolina’s season opener.
Needing a reset, Kase decided to return home last season and joined Litvinov alongside his brother David Kase. The move proved to be a strong one. Not only did Kase stay healthy but he also led his team in scoring with 23 goals and 31 assists in 48 games. His 54 points were enough to put him in third place league-wide in that department.
That landed Kase a spot on the Czechs’ entry at the World Championship back in May. Kase played a prominent role for the hosts, picking up seven points in ten games along the way to a gold medal.
With the year he had, it wasn’t surprising to see his name pop up among potential international free agents looking to get back to the NHL. But in the end, he cited family reasons as a factor in deciding to stay at home for at least one more year. If he can have another showing like his 2023-24 performance, there’s a very good chance he’ll be back on the NHL radar next spring as well.
Minor Transactions: 7/26/24
Beyond the odd re-signing, it has been quiet on the transactions front in recent days across the NHL. However, there have been a handful of smaller moves with some NHL ties. We’ll run the ones not already covered elsewhere here.
- Former NHLer Tomas Jurco is on the move again as KHL Kunlun announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed the winger to a one-year deal. Jurco played in 221 career NHL games between four different teams, tallying 22 goals and 31 assists. The 31-year-old split last season between Switzerland and Russia and does have a history with Kunlun having spent the 2022-23 campaign with them where he set the franchise record for points per game average after recording 25 points in 32 contests with them.
- Washington’s farm team in Hershey announced that they’ve signed forward Erik Mittendorf to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old split last season between AHL Utica and ECHL Adirondack. With the Comets, Mittendorf picked up nine points in 24 games in his first taste of action at that level. He was much more productive with the Thunder, however, tallying 18 goals and 14 assists in 36 games while tacking on six points in a dozen playoff contests.
- The Henderson Silver Knights, affiliate of Vegas, announced a pair of recent moves. First, they re-signed blueliner Brandon Hickey to a one-year deal. The 28-year-old will return for his third season with Henderson after he picked up eight points in 35 games in 2023-24. They also re-upped forward Jett Jones on a one-year agreement. The 21-year-old played his first professional campaign last season after spending parts of five years in the WHL. Jones picked up five points in 31 games with the Silver Knights and added six more in 36 contests with ECHL Savannah.
Steven Kampfer Signs In KHL
After spending the last two seasons exclusively in the minors, veteran free agent Steven Kampfer has decided to go back overseas. Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL announced that they’ve reached an agreement with the defenseman for the upcoming season.
The 35-year-old is a veteran of 15 professional seasons, getting into 231 NHL games over parts of nine years. The bulk of those contests came with Boston who acquired him from Anaheim back in 2010; he wound up with two separate stints with them, bookmarking his time at the top level. All told, Kampfer has 15 goals and 24 assists along with 305 blocks and 328 hits in just under 16 minutes per game at the NHL level.
Kampfer has spent the bulk of his professional career in the minors, however, spending parts of 11 seasons in the AHL, spanning 370 games. 45 of those came last season with Tucson where he was fairly productive offensively, collecting 22 points.
But with his last NHL appearance coming back in the 2020-21 campaign, Kampfer has decided that his best bet is to return to Russia where he spent the 2021-22 season with Ak Bars Kazan. With them, he logged nearly 21 minutes a game while collecting 30 points in 45 appearances and returning to the KHL might give him a chance at playing a bigger role than he was in Arizona’s system as a veteran mentor.
Bob Jones Passes Away At Age 54
Recent assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators, Bob Jones, has passed away at the age of 54 due to complications from ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease (X Link). In his only coaching role within the NHL, Jones spent the last five years serving on the bench for the Senators.
Jones first made a name for himself as an assistant coach in the Ontario Hockey League. Starting his work as a coach for the Soo Greyhounds in 1995-96, Jones would spend four years in the Soo before moving on to the Brampton Battalion for the 1999-00 OHL season.
He was elevated to the role of associate coach with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors for three years between 2000-03 and helped the team win the Central Division in 2001-02. Jones moved on to the Sudbury Wolves for another brief three-year stretch until landing with the Windsor Spitfires in 2007-08. The long-time OHL coach helped elevate the Spitfires to Memorial Cup Champions in 2009 and 2010 while also working with the number one overall selection of the 2010 NHL Draft, Taylor Hall.
After nearly two decades working as an assistant and associate coach at the OHL level, the Oshawa Generals brought in Jones to serve as the team’s head coach in 2015-16. Unfortunately, the Generals never advanced past the semi-finals during Jones’s tenure and the team moved on from his services after the 2017-18 OHL season. Jones spent one year as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Texas Stars before joining the Senators organization.
Jones is survived by his wife Paula and his two children, Blake and Brianna. PHR sends our condolences to the Jones family.
International Notes: Caamano, Hamaliuk, Ekberg
A six-year member of the Dallas Stars organization will be heading overseas for the first time in his career. The Grizzlys Wolfburf of the DEL announced the team signed former prospect Nicholas Caamano for the 2024-25 season.
Caamano originally joined the Stars organization as the 146th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft but would spend another two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Flint Firebirds and the Hamilton Bulldogs. The winger became an effective score in his last two years in the OHL with 60 goals and 121 points in 131 games.
Unfortunately, his offensive prowess did not transfer to the professional ranks as Caamano quickly became an average forward option at AHL Texas. Over six campaigns with the Stars’ top affiliate, Caamano participated in 246 contests while scoring 44 goals and 98 points. Dallas gave Caamano a decent opportunity between 2019-2021 but he only tallied three points in 36 NHL games.
Other international notes:
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect Dillon Hamaliuk is also hopping across the pond next year as HC Nove Zamky of the Tipos Extraliga announced they had signed the forward on the team’s Instagram. Hamaliuk was originally drafted by the Sharks in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft after the young forward scored 11 goals and 26 points in 31 WHL contests. Hamaliuk’s short but strong stretch in the WHL never materialized into anything better as he’s been middling between the AHL and ECHL over two professional years in North America.
- It appears that 2025 NHL Draft hopeful Filip Ekberg will be taking his talents to the OHL as he’s reportedly told Almtuna IS of HockeyAllsvenskan that he will not be returning to the team next season. The winger was drafted by the Ottawa 67’s in last year’s CHL Import Draft and will likely suit up in Canada’s capital next year. Ekberg was utilized as a solid playmaker in Sweden and is projected to fall somewhere near the end of the first round in 2025.
Metro Notes: Penguins, Nurmi, Pikkarainen
In a think piece regarding the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier today, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette suggests the Penguins could still do more to improve their team this summer. Pittsburgh has nearly $3.5MM available in cap space and could weaponize that in a few ways to improve their playoff chances for the 2024-25 NHL season.
Next year, one of the bigger question marks surrounding the Penguins is who will play next to Sidney Crosby on the team’s top line. Currently, Drew O’Connor is penciled in, but Pittsburgh may be able to snag Max Pacioretty or James van Riemsdyk on the free-agent market. Additionally, Vensel puts forward the idea that the Penguins could go after Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks or Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets organization.
Zegras may be hard to capture at this point in the offseason as the Ducks will look to get higher above the cap floor and will look to capitalize off a better season from Zegras. Although McGroarty has already made public his desire to move away from the Jets organization, Winnipeg is under no time crunch to move him. The Penguins may be best served by scouring the crumbles on the free-agent market this summer and attempting to pursue a bigger fish next offseason.
Other Metro notes:
- Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports New York Islanders’ prospect Jesse Nurmi will make his way to North America next season as he will suit up for the OHL’s London Knights. It would be difficult to find a better program for Nurmi as he looks to rebound from an average season in the Finnish Liiga with KooKoo. The former 113th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft skated in 19 games for KooKoo last year where he tallied two assists overall. On the U20 international junior level, Nurmi skated in six games for Team Finland while collecting another two helpers.
- Moving west of UBS Arena, the New Jersey Devils will similarly have a prospect coming overseas, this time with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels (Article Link). Although signing a three-year extension with TPS earlier this offseason, the Devils third-round pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Kasper Pikkarainen, will join Red Deer for the 2024-25 WHL season. Pikkarainen played well for TPS U20 last year as he scored 12 goals and 28 points in 34 contests.
Jets Re-Sign Simon Lundmark To Two-Way Deal
The Jets have re-signed defense prospect Simon Lundmark to a one-year, two-way deal, per a team release. It’s an NHL salary and cap hit of $775K, although his AHL salary wasn’t disclosed by the team. However, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press relays that Lundmark will make $100K in the minors.
The 51st pick of the 2019 draft, Lundmark spent all three seasons of his entry-level contract on assignment to AHL Manitoba. He became an RFA this summer after the Jets tendered him a qualifying offer.
Before signing his ELC in 2021, Lundmark spent two post-draft seasons with Linköping HC in his native Sweden. There, the right-shot defender scored twice and added 14 assists for 16 points in 118 games with a -20 rating before making the move across the pond.
Lundmark put up good offensive totals at the junior level in Sweden, but he was always projected as more of a stay-at-home defender in the professional ranks. That profile has held true on the farm, where he’s consistently averaged around 0.25 points per game across his three AHL seasons. In total, Lundmark has put up 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists) with a -17 rating in 188 games with Manitoba.
He’s still likely developed a bit slower than expected. Five years post-draft, the Jets would have at least liked Lundmark to earn an NHL recall at some point, even if he’d yet to establish himself as a full-timer.
That hasn’t been the case for the 23-year-old Stockholm native, but it could change next season with his new contract in hand. The loss of Brenden Dillon on the open market and the buyout of Nate Schmidt will open up some increased opportunities for the Jets’ young defenders, namely 2019 first-round pick Ville Heinola. But Lundmark, who was selected 31 spots after Heinola that year, should find himself in that conversation as well.
The youngsters will be competing with more experienced adds Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury, who both signed two-way deals with Winnipeg this summer, for call-ups from Manitoba. Heinola, who’s logged 35 NHL appearances but spent all of last season in the minors, may be on the opening night roster this fall.