Jonathan Drouin Ruled Out For Opening Round Due To Injury; Avalanche Recall Three Players
The Avalanche will be without a key part of their forward group for the opening round against Winnipeg. The team announced today (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Drouin will miss the first-round series due to a lower-body injury.
The 29-year-old suffered the injury in the second period of Colorado’s regular season finale against Edmonton and did not return. It was a game where Edmonton elected to sit as many of its key players as possible while the Avs elected to dress pretty much their intended playoff lineup, a decision that clearly wound up not working out for them.
After a rough finish to his time with Montreal, Drouin elected to take a low-cost one-year deal with Colorado in the hopes of boosting his value for next summer. After a slow start, he certainly did just that. Drouin produced at nearly a point-per-game level over the final two months of the season, earning himself a full-time promotion to the top line in the process. All told, his first year with the Avalanche ended with 19 goals and 37 assists in 79 games; his 56 points rank eighth among all pending unrestricted free agents.
Colorado only has two extra forwards on their active roster at the moment. One is winger Joel Kiviranta, who had just nine points in 56 games this season. The other is Chris Wagner, who Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) has been recalled from AHL Colorado. Both are better suited as fourth-line depth players so some line reshuffling certainly will be happening before their series gets underway on Sunday.
Not long after the injury, the team confirmed Wagner’s recall while also announcing (Twitter link) that Brad Hunt and Arvid Holm have also been recalled. Hunt, a defenseman, had a very productive year, notching 16 goals and 33 assists in 70 games. Holm, meanwhile, will serve as Colorado’s third-string emergency netminder. The 25-year-old, who will become a Group Six free agent this summer, posted a 2.97 GAA with a save percentage of just .887 in a dozen games with the Eagles this season.
Injury Updates: Lightning, Barron, Sandin, Jensen
Several injured Tampa Bay players appear to be nearing a return to the lineup. Team reporter Chris Krenn notes (Twitter links) that forwards Tyler Motte and Luke Glendening along with defenseman Haydn Fleury all took part in a full practice today in advance on Sunday’s series opener against Florida. Motte missed the final week of the season with a lower-body injury, Glendening was scratched for their regular season finale with an undisclosed injury, while Fleury has been out the last two weeks with an upper-body issue. All three players play depth roles for the Lightning, the forwards on their fourth line and Fleury as a seventh defenseman; all should see action in the opening round at some point.
Meanwhile, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Mikhail Sergachev also skated in a regular (full contact) jersey. He has already been ruled out for the start of the playoffs since undergoing leg surgery back in February but this is certainly a key step toward potentially returning later in the opening round. Sergachev logged over 22 minutes a night for the Lightning this season and his potential return down the road would undoubtedly give their back end a significant boost.
Other injury news heading into the opening games of the playoffs:
- Jets center Morgan Barron won’t be available for their series opener against Colorado tomorrow, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The 25-year-old left Tuesday’s win over Seattle in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Barron was a quality fourth liner for Winnipeg this season, chipping in with ten goals despite logging just 10:30 per night. One of David Gustafsson and Cole Perfetti will likely take Barron’s spot in the lineup.
- Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin practiced today in a non-contact jersey, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury and with the non-contact designation, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to suit up in the series opener against the Rangers on Sunday. Sandin was an important part of Washington’s back end this season, logging over 21 minutes a night while collecting 23 points in 68 games.
- Sandin wasn’t the only injured Washington blueliner who took to the ice today as Gulitti adds (Twitter link) that Nick Jensen also practiced in a non-contact jersey. Jensen suffered an upper-body injury last week against Tampa Bay and was stretchered off the ice. The 33-year-old spent a lot of time on the Capitals’ second pairing this season, picking up 13 points while averaging a little under 20 minutes a night. Like Sandin, the non-contact designation likely means he won’t be available on Sunday either.
Penguins Sign Tristan Broz
After helping lead the University of Denver to the NCAA title, Pittsburgh prospect Tristan Broz has decided the time is right to turn pro. The Penguins announced that they’ve inked the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract that begins in 2024-25. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 21-year-old was a second-round pick by the Penguins back in 2021, going 58th overall after a strong season with USHL Fargo. He made the jump to the college ranks the following year but had a very quiet freshman season at the University of Minnesota, resulting in Broz entering the transfer portal after that campaign came to an end.
The decision to transfer worked out quite well as Broz had a strong first year in Denver, collecting 10 goals and 18 assists. He then improved on that again this past season, tallying 16 goals and 24 helpers in 34 games, finishing fourth on the Pioneers in scoring. He scored a pair of overtime winners in the tournament, landing a spot on the All-Tournament Team for his efforts.
While Pittsburgh’s season has ended with the Penguins not qualifying for the playoffs, Broz’s year hasn’t ended just yet. He has joined AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an amateur tryout agreement and will be eligible to suit up for them down the stretch. The Baby Pens sit third in the Atlantic Division on the penultimate day of the AHL’s regular season and have already clinched a playoff spot.
Senators Notes: Coaching, Buyouts, Norris
The Ottawa Senators wrapped up their season with locker cleanout on Friday, giving general manager Steve Staios a chance to share updates with the media. He spent much of his time addressing the team’s coaching situation, saying they have a long list of candidates that they’ll whittle down over the summer, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
The Senators have been without a long-term head coach since D.J. Smith’s firing on December 18th. Jaques Martin stepped in as interim head coach, leading the Senators to a measly 26-26-4 record and a spot well outside of the playoffs. Staios mentioned that Martin would continue with the team in a consulting role, but isn’t in the race for the vacant head coaching role. Neither is Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson, who Staios says wanted more time before pursuing the coaching path. That likely leaves the Senators looking externally, where they’ll find plenty of strong candidates.
Other notes from Staios’ press conference:
- Staios added that the team isn’t planning on utilizing any buyouts this off-season, per Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan (Twitter link). That’s despite weaker performances from costlier names, like Joonas Korpisalo and Travis Hamonic. Ottawa is projected to have $12.8MM in cap space this off-season, per CapFriendly and an $87.5MM salary cap. With no support from buyouts, that will be all they have to re-sign their six pending free-agents, including Erik Brannstrom, Dominik Kubalik, and Shane Pinto.
- Staios also shared that forward Joshua Norris is expecting to be ready for the start of next season, shares Garrioch. Norris was limited to just 50 games this season, and hasn’t played since late February, once again dealing with nagging shoulder injuries. Norris was limited to just eight games last season because of shoulder issues, and underwent the third shoulder surgery of his four-year NHL career in March. He’ll look to recover once again, and hope for healthier fortune next season.
Penguins Notes: Prospects, Injuries, Rebuild
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas had an eventful locker-room cleanout, sharing plenty of news, updates, and plans with the media following the end of the season. Most exciting of the bunch was Dubas’ support of the team’s young prospects, sharing that he expects forwards Brayden Yager, Vasili Ponomarev, and Sam Poulin; defenseman Owen Pickering; and goaltender Joel Blomqvist to each compete for NHL roles next season, shares Rob Rossi of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Penguins fans will hope that their GM is right as he alludes to young talents holding onto lineup roles. Pittsburgh carried the oldest roster in the NHL this season, with an average age of 29.78 per EliteProspects.
They’ll certainly get plenty of talent in the names Dubas mentioned. Both Yager and Pickering spent the season in the WHL. Yager had a career year, scoring 35 goals and 95 points and adding five points in five World Juniors games. Pickering also recorded career-high scoring – though not with as much of a jump as Yager – netting 46 points in 59 games to top his 45-point season last year. Meanwhile, Blomqvist served as the starter for the Wilkes-Barre/Scanton Penguins, recording a dazzling .921 save percentage in 44 games.
Other notes from Pittsburgh’s cleanout:
- Dubas also shared that legacy defenseman Kris Letang will be getting a second opinion on if he needs surgery this summer to address an undisclosed injury, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review. Rorabaugh also mentioned that Matthew Nieto suffered another injury following his surgery in January, and will seek a second opinion on if surgery or rehab is the next step. Emil Bemstrom is also hurt, finishing the season with a concussion. Nothing was made about these injuries being alarming, though Penguins fans will want to keep a close eye on Letang’s recovery. The future Hall-of-Famer appeared in all 82 games this season, but reportedly played through injury down the stretch.
- Dubas hinted at an interesting approach in his press conference, saying that the Penguins wanted to approach their rebuild similar to how the Los Angeles Kings have approached theirs, per The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (Twitter link). The Kings have managed a fairly quick rebuild – if this year’s postseason berth signifies success – while maintaining key veterans like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The Penguins will approach things similarly, looking to build around their long-time core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Letang. The Kings were aggressive in the open market, acquiring Phillip Danault, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kevin Fiala, and Vladislav Gavrikov. One has to think Michael Bunting and Erik Karlsson represent two of these impactful additions, though Pittsburgh will need to continue addding if they want to claw back into the postseason.
The Unleased 2024: Potential Group VI Unrestricted Free Agents
Players typically have to wait until their 27th birthday to become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team. But there are other ways to make it to the open market, including Group VI Free Agents. This CBA clause allows players under contract to become unrestricted free agents, if they meet the following clauses:
- The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
- The player has completed three (3) or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19-year-old player), or one (1) or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
- The player has played fewer than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender. This games played requirement is subject to pro-rating due to the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Each season, a handful of players maintain Group VI eligibility and depart from their team’s control early. Earlier today, CapFriendly outlined which players are eligible this year (series of Twitter links). As always, we’ll compile all pending Group VI free agents below.
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Ryan McGregor
Cameron Crotty
Travis Barron
John Leonard
Nathan Smith
Matt Villalta
Boston Bruins
Oskar Steen
Reilly Walsh
Linus Weissbach
Kyle Keyser
Buffalo Sabres
Brandon Biro
Justin Richards
Brett Murray
Calgary Flames
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Nathan Clurman
Riley Tufte
Arvid Holm
Ivan Prosvetov
Columbus Blue Jackets
Carson Meyer
Nick Blankenburg
Joshua Dunne
Dallas Stars
Fredrik Karlstrom
Scott Reedy
Nicholas Caamano
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Matt Kiersted
Lucas Carlsson
Alex True
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jack Rathbone
Valtteri Puustinen
Dmitri Samorukov
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
Tampa Bay Lightning
Mitchell Chaffee
Sean Day
Cole Koepke
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
Lucas Johansen
Matthew Phillips
Winnipeg Jets
Avalanche Sign Sean Behrens To Entry-Level Contract
The Colorado Avalanche have signed University of Denver defenseman Sean Behrens to his entry-level contract (Twitter link). It’s a three-year deal, set to begin in the 2024-25 season. Behrens will finish this season on an amateur try-out with the Colorado Eagles, who play their final two regular-season games this weekend.
Behrens is coming off a National Championship win with the University of Denver, where he’s spent the last three seasons. He’s earned a prominent role with the Pioneers, ranking third on the team’s blue line in scoring this season with 31 points in 44 games and rotating into top-pair minutes. The performance brought Behrens’ collegiate totals up to 81 points in 112 games – making him Denver’s third-highest scoring defender since 2016, behind Ian Mitchell and Mike Benning.
Colorado drafted Behrens in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, following an impressive, yet contentious, couple of seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Behrens served an incredibly important role with the NTDP, operating on his off-hand next to Luke Hughes for much of his U18 season. And while he performed well, some scouts remained bearish given his small stature.
Behrens has directly addressed those concerns in college, putting on mass and adding a substantial amount of grit, strength, and defensive awareness to his game. Those improvements are maybe best quantified by his team-leading 70 blocked shots this season. He’s become a defender that can make an big play in all three zones – whether it be through nifty dangling, an impressive pass, or a big hit. Behrens will certainly face plenty of challenges as he looks to maintain that physicality into the pro scene, but he could find a fast track to success in an Avalanche system that’s brought up similarly undersized talents in Samuel Girard and Tyson Barrie.
Front Office Notes: Bannister, Dubas, Hynes
The St. Louis Blues have come to a list of finalists for their vacant head coach position, and Drew Bannister is reportedly among the bunch, shares Chris Pinkert of NHL.com. Bannister is St. Louis’ most recent coach, getting promoted from the AHL following Craig Berube’s dismissal in December.
It was the first NHL gig of Bannister’s coaching career and he made good work with it, leading the Blues to a surging 30-19-5 record. He brought the best out of the team’s special teams – improving the power-play from 8.4% to 23.2%, and the penalty-kill from 78.5% to 79.4%. But the push wasn’t enough to get St. Louis over a sub-.500 start to the year, with the team ultimately falling six points outside of a playoff spot.
Bannister previously served as the head coach for the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate. He found plenty of success in the minors, leading the Thunderbirds to two playoff appearances and even making the 2022 Calder Cup Final. That track record, and his early NHL success, could be enough to land Bannister an assistant coaching job on the Blues bench, even if he does miss out on the head role.
St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong shared with the media that the team will have a coach before June’s NHL Draft and that their list of candidates has been whittled to a, “very, very small number”. It will be just a little longer before a decision, though, with Armstrong adding that the team is still waiting on some candidates to finish their season.
Other notes from NHL management:
- Kyle Dubas has been named an associate general manager for Team Canada’s World Championship roster (Twitter link). It will be the first time that Dubas has worked with Team Canada in his six-year career as an NHL GM. The decision was made by Team Canada’s general manager, Rick Nash, with input from Scott Salmond, Doug Armstrong, and Ryan Getzlaf. It’s an exciting announcement that, among many things, could show Canada’s focus on advanced statistics, as they bring in one of the most analytic-savvy GMs in the NHL.
- Team USA general manager Bill Guerin has named John Hynes as the head coach for the World Championship (Twitter link). It’s Guerin’s second time recruiting Hynes this season, having also hired him into the head coaching role for the Minnesota Wild after the team fired Dean Evason. The duo will look to maintain their momentum with Team USA, after the Wild ranked as a top-15 team in record, goals-for, and goals-against under Hynes’ reign.
Ryan Johansen Not Expected To Play In 2024-25
Flyers center Ryan Johansen isn’t expected to play before his contract expires at the end of the 2024-25 season, GM Daniel Brière told reporters Friday (including Jon Bailey of Philly Hockey Now).
Johansen was acquired from the Avalanche as part of the Sean Walker trade before the trade deadline, and he was waived the following day for assignment to AHL Lehigh Valley. He informed the Flyers after the trade that he was dealing with a hip injury, which was subsequently confirmed by the team’s medical staff, resulting in his AHL assignment being reversed. The 31-year-old remained on the active roster for the rest of the season but did not play in a game.
Brière said that he didn’t ever envision Johansen suiting up for the Flyers after the trade, although that was before he had knowledge of the injury. It’s a long-term absence, as implied by Brière’s full statement today, which means the team can’t execute a buyout on the final season of his contract:
All I can tell you is I don’t expect him to be back. I don’t know, exactly, the situation. We’re dealing on the medical side with him. The thing for him is getting him back to be able to play at this time. He doesn’t think he can play hockey. I wish I had a better answer for you. We need to get him better to figure out if there’s even a remote chance of him dressing for the organization.
Johansen’s contract has been moved twice in the past calendar year. Entering this season at an $8MM cap hit for two more years with the Predators, Nashville traded him to Colorado last summer at 50% retention. The Avs hoped he would be able to plug their second-line center vacancy behind Nathan MacKinnon, but the former 71-point scorer struggled mightily in the role, posting just 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games before the team cut ties and traded him and his reduced $4MM cap hit to Philadelphia. Johansen didn’t miss any time in Colorado with his apparently severe hip injury.
He was a negative possession player during his time in Colorado and averaged only 13:39 per game, although he was still strong in the faceoff dot with a 53.1 FOW%. Still, his offensive production and average ice time was lower than all four of the Flyers’ regular centers (Sean Couturier, Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton, Ryan Poehling) last season, and he wouldn’t have had a fit on the team even if healthy.
The Flyers may be unable to rid themselves of the final year of Johansen’s contract entirely. But if his hip injury stretches into next season as expected, they can place his $4MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve and gain cap relief that way, much like they did with defenseman Ryan Ellis‘ $6.25MM cap hit this season. Ellis, acquired from Nashville as part of a three-team trade in 2021, had five points in four games for the Flyers before sustaining a career-ending pelvic injury.
Penguins Place Ryan Shea On Waivers, Assign Three
April 19: Shea has cleared waivers and can head to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per CapFriendly.
April 18: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Ryan Shea on waivers (Twitter link). It’s his second time on waivers this season, after passing through unclaimed in December. The Penguins also assigned Valtteri Puustinen, Radim Zohorna, and Jack St. Ivany to the minor leagues (Twitter link).
Shea has served as one of many rotating through Pittsburgh’s seventh defenseman role, ultimately slotting into 31 games. He recorded just one point – an April 4th goal – in those appearances this season, though he did manage six points in 22 AHL games.
Shea made his NHL debut earlier this year, joining the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent last summer. It was the first move of Shea’s young career, after spending his first three pro seasons with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Shea was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks but went on to sign with the Dallas Stars after going unsigned by the Blackhawks. He managed 66 points in 163 games with the Texas Stars.
These assignments come after the Penguins’ 2023-24 season ended with no playoff berth. Shea will, if he clears waivers, join the trio of assignees as reinforcements to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who are bound for a strong playoff spot of their own, currently ranked third in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.