Jets Not Expected To Re-Sign Brenden Dillon
The Jets are expected to let defenseman Brenden Dillon reach unrestricted free agency in July, the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck reports Wednesday.
Dillon didn’t have any extension talks with Winnipeg in-season, per Billeck. He also hasn’t heard from the Jets front office since their season ended over two weeks ago at the hands of the Avalanche in a disappointing first-round loss. He didn’t play in the final two games of the series after sustaining a hand laceration after the end of Game 3.
The 33-year-old left-shot landed with Winnipeg via trade nearly three years ago. He signed a four-year, $15.6MM contract extension with the Capitals before the 2020-21 season after they picked him up from the Sharks at the prior season’s trade deadline, but lasted only one season in Washington before they flipped him to the Jets for a pair of second-round picks.
Dillon has consistently logged top-four minutes in Manitoba, averaging 19:04 per game over 238 appearances since the trade. He missed just eight games in his three-year tenure, mostly due to COVID and a three-game suspension this year.
That consistency and solid defensive work made him a reasonably valuable asset for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff at his $3.9MM cap hit. Not only did he stay healthy, he was incredibly consistent season-to-season for Winnipeg, recording between 20 and 23 points every season with a combined +38 rating.
Dillon is perhaps coming off his best season in the NHL, posting career-highs in goals (8), plus/minus (+20) and hits (241). His topped-out physicality did result in more trips to the penalty box (92 PIMs, up from the 60-70 range the past few years). He also controlled a decent 47.4% of expected goals when on the ice at even strength, considering he saw the least advantageous usage of his career, starting nearly 60% of his in-zone shifts in the defensive end.
Since breaking into the league as an undrafted free-agent pickup by the Stars in 2011-12, he’s made 892 appearances for Dallas, San Jose, Washington and Winnipeg. He’s totaled 37 goals, 159 assists, 196 points and 858 PIMs in parts of 13 seasons.
He likely wouldn’t have cost much to re-sign. His age lowers his value, and while he’s still a solid top-four contributor, he doesn’t stand out among an otherwise deep class of UFA defensemen. Evolving Hockey projects he’ll land a two-year deal with a $2.975MM cap hit on the open market, nearly a $1MM decrease from his current cap hit.
That could indicate Cheveldayoff anticipates needing to shell out to keep Dylan DeMelo around. DeMelo, a right-shot, was half of Winnipeg’s top pairing this season alongside Josh Morrissey and had a career year in 2023-24, posting 31 points and a +46 rating while averaging 21 minutes per game for the first time in his nine NHL seasons. On a mid-term deal, he’d likely receive close to $5MM annually on the open market, which will eat up a solid chunk of their $13.35MM in available cap space next season. With a new deal needed for restricted free agent Cole Perfetti coming off his entry-level contract and extending trade-deadline pickup Sean Monahan likely a priority, there’s some viable reasoning for Winnipeg to let Dillon, its oldest pending UFA defenseman, head to market.
No Extension Talks Between Los Angeles Kings, Matt Roy
After defeating the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, the Los Angeles Kings have had to re-establish their footing in the Western Conference, setting forth on a multi-year re-tool while still holding on to veterans Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. However, since the Kings’ Cup victory in 2014, even after the recent retooling of the roster, they have failed to make it beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Already going through a coaching change during the regular season, Los Angeles has some major decisions to make during the upcoming offseason, decisions that will influence the future success of the organization. One of those decisions will come on the blue line, as the Kings debate whether or not to retain the services of Matt Roy.
With their season coming to an end two weeks ago, there have reportedly been no extension talks between Los Angeles and Roy’s camp. However, Dennis Bernstein of TheFourthPeriod reports that the Kings organization is expecting extension talks to progress closer to June, a short time before Roy would have the opportunity to discuss a potential contract with the 31 other teams across the league.
Heading into the offseason, Los Angeles will have approximately $23.25MM of cap space to work with, but will notably need to address the contractual futures of up-and-coming talents Quinton Byfield and Jordan Spence with both become restricted free agents this summer. Beyond those two, the Kings are highly expected to make a splash in the goaltending market, which will take its chunk out of the available cap space.
Earning only $3.15MM a year on his current contract, Roy’s play over the last three years may have priced him out of Los Angeles’ lineup next season. Since the start of the 2021-22 NHL season, Roy has suited up in 230 regular season games for the Kings, scoring 16 goals and 72 points in total while averaging over 130 hits and 150 blocks a year in the process.
East Notes: Marchand, Sjalin, Rochester
As expected, Boston Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand was not an option for the team tonight against the Florida Panthers, as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury (X Link). It will be the second straight game that Marchand has not been able to suit up, and he will not be able to help the Bruins stave off elimination this evening.
Although Marchand’s injury has been classified as an upper-body injury, it is more than likely he is dealing with a head injury. In the first period of Game 3, Marchand attempted to deliver a hit to Panthers’ forward Sam Bennett in between the benches and quickly fell to the ice. Slowly getting back to Boston’s bench, alternate footage of the incident showed that during the play in question, Bennett appeared to throw a punch, making contact with Marchand’s head.
Currently battling in an elimination game, the play in question could potentially mark an unceremonious end to Marchand’s season. Throughout the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs, Marchand has led the Bruins in scoring, putting up three goals and 10 points in 10 games played.
Other East notes:
- As previously rumored, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect, Calle Sjalin, has decided to sign with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League (X Link). Despite being a solid contributor during his last season in the SHL, Sjalin never got much of an opportunity throughout his time in North America, appearing in only 70 AHL games over two seasons. Without much productivity throughout his tenure in the Panthers organization, Sjalin was traded to the Sabres organization this past deadline in a deal that sent team captain Kyle Okposo to the Sunshine State.
- Staying in the Sabres organization, Buffalo beat writer Bill Hoppe reports that Rochester Americans assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch will be staying in the organization, and one may even become the next head coach. The team’s most recent head coach, Seth Appert, has been named an assistant coach for the Sabres for the 2024-25 NHL season, leading to the vacancy behind the bench.
Jacob Trouba Wins 2024 Mark Messier Leadership Award
As the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs continue, the National Hockey League has steadily released the names of award winners, this time announcing New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba as the 2023-24 Mark Messier Leadership Award winner. The award is given “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey”.
While the players or the media vote on most awards in the NHL, this award is given by Messier himself, after taking suggestions from NHL organizations and their personnel. Messier, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, is viewed as one of the more prominent leaders in league history with the NHL creating this award in the same year as his Hall of Fame induction.
Prior to the 2020-21 NHL season, Trouba was named the 28th captain in the history of the Rangers organization; becoming the fourth-straight American-born captain for the club. This season, Trouba captained New York to a franchise record for wins and points in a single season, while being an integral part of a top-five penalty kill. Off the ice, Trouba has been a focal member of the youth hockey community, while also becoming a leading member in the Garden of Dreams, Epilepsy Foundation, and Hockey Fights Cancer. Trouba becomes the first member of the Rangers to win the award, as well as the first defenseman since Mark Giordano in 2020.
Dave Forbes Passes Away At Age 75
Earlier today, the NHL Alumni Association announced the passing of former player Dave Forbes at the age of 75. Forbes, who was born in Montreal in 1948, spent six seasons in the National Hockey League from 1973-1979.
After spending four years playing for American International College, Forbes signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins before the 1973-74 NHL season, making his professional debut on October 10, 1973. Throughout his four years with the Bruins organization, Forbes scored 53 goals and 105 points in 283 games, helping the Bruins to the 1974 and 1977 Stanley Cup Finals.
During the 1977-78 Waiver Draft, Forbes was selected by the Washington Capitals in the organization’s fourth year of operations. Forbes managed 11 goals and 22 points over 70 games in his first year with the Capitals organization, as the team finished with a 17-49-14 record in the Norris Division. Forbes was released by Washington after two games of the 1978-79 season and finished his professional career that season after playing with the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association.
In total, Forbes played in a total of 362 career games at the NHL level, scoring 64 goals and 128 points while racking up 341 penalty minutes. After his career came to an end in 1979, Forbes picked up a second career as a financial advisor while becoming very involved in his local Church community throughout the end of his life. PHR sends its condolences to Forbes’ family and friends.
West Second Round Notes: Pickard, Toews, Henrique, Stars
Looking to even up their series against the Vancouver Canucks tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will be making a major change in the crease. As mentioned in a pre-game update from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Oilers will be looking to goaltender Calvin Pickard to backstop their team to a victory tonight.
The decision has little mystery, as Edmonton has received a completely different version of Stuart Skinner in their Round Two matchup. Against the Los Angeles Kings, Skinner stopped 132 of 145 shots en route to a solid .910 save percentage after Round One. However, in the team’s first three games against Vancouver, Skinner has only stopped 46 of 58 total shots, leading to a dismal .793 SV%.
Stepping in for a little over 16 minutes of Game 3, Pickard will take the crease for the first playoff start of his career. Getting an opportunity as the backup after the Oilers waived Jack Campbell in early November, Pickard helped stabilize the goaltending situation in Edmonton over the course of the regular season. Over 23 games played, Pickard earned a 12-7-1 record, posting a .909 SV% and 2.45 goals against average in the process.
Other second-round notes:
- After missing the team’s Game 4 matchup against the Dallas Stars last night, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews will be traveling with the team to Texas, and the organization is hopeful that he can return to the lineup for Game 5 (X Link). Head coach of the Avalanche, Jared Bednar, reiterated to reporters that Toews missed Game 4 due to illness and that his absence was not related to the hit delivered by Stars’ forward Jamie Benn in the second period of Game 2. On the brink of elimination for the first time this postseason, Colorado’s chances of extending the series will increase if Toews is able to crack the lineup for Game 5.
- Moving back to Alberta, Oilers TV reporter Tony Brar confirmed that forward Adam Henrique will not be in Edmonton’s lineup for Game 4. In his first postseason appearance since the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Henrique had been a valuable defensive presence in the Oilers’ forward core through the first six games of the playoffs. Scoring only one goal and two points while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per night, Henrique has been extremely physical, averaging 3.7 hits a game against the Kings and the Canucks.
- While both were shaken up in the Stars’ Game 4 victory against the Avalanche last night, head coach Peter DeBoer did not offer any updates on the status of Roope Hintz or Chris Tanev (X Link). Hintz, who was only able to manage 6:35 of ice time, left the game during the first period and would not return. Tanev, on the other hand, managed over 21 minutes of ice time and left the game in the third period after getting shaken up by a hit. However, as in the case of most teams in the playoffs, both players could be ready to return for Game 5, and the update could be some gamesmanship on behalf of the Stars organization.
Montreal Canadiens Interested In Maxim Tsyplakov
On yesterday’s rendition of 32 Thoughts with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Friedman notes that the Montreal Canadiens have joined a growing list of teams looking to poach forward Maxim Tsyplakov out of the Kontinental Hockey Leauge. Unlike a majority of teams around the league, the Canadiens have a unique ability to offer Tsyplakov high-leverage opportunities if he were to join the organization.
Finishing off his seventh season in the KHL this past year, Tsyplakov has spent his entire professional career with Spartak Moskva. A quality depth-scorer throughout much of his tenure, Tsyplakov went through an offensive explosion this season, scoring 31 goals in 65 games, finishing fourth in the league in the category.
Not only did Tsyplakov show that he can be relied upon as a top-level offensive contributor in the KHL this season, but he was an extremely physical player as well. Because of these two attributes, several teams in the NHL have inquired about bringing him over to North America to continue his professional career.
However, there are a few reasons that may indicate Tsyplakov’s most recent season was an outlier, which may cast doubt on his overall talent ceiling at the NHL level. For one, Tsyplakov’s shooting percentage doubled compared to his career averages, jumping to 18% in the 2023-24 season after maintaining a 9% success rate in the previous six years. Furthermore, in the 2023-24 Gagarin Cup playoffs, Tsyplakov only managed two goals and four points in 11 games before his team was eliminated in Round 2 by the eventual Gagarin Cup Champions, the Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Nevertheless, given that he will be 26 years of age by the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, some teams may view this season as Tsyplakov entering his prime, which is something the Canadiens would most certainly be interested in. Finishing 26th in the league in GF/G this past season, Montreal would present Tsyplakov with an immediate opportunity on the second line at the NHL level.
Ducks Make Multiple Front Office Moves
The Ducks will have a new face at the helm of their AHL affiliate in San Diego next season. Rick Paterson is being promoted to the role of AHL general manager after serving as Anaheim’s director of professional scouting on and off since 2005. Assistant general manager Rob DiMaio, who’d also managed San Diego since joining the club in 2022, won’t be back with the team next season for personal reasons.
While Paterson will replace DiMaio’s duties in San Diego, he isn’t taking over his AGM title under Ducks GM Pat Verbeek. That role is going to Mike Stapleton, who’s been with the Ducks as a scout since 2014 and served as their director of player personnel the last two seasons.
Part of their responsibilities in their new roles will be helping Verbeek and head coach Greg Cronin replace some vacancies on his bench. The Ducks also announced Tuesday that they’re not renewing the contracts of assistant coaches Newell Brown and Craig Johnson.
The promotion continues Paterson’s lengthy run of front office work. The 66-year-old played over 400 games for the Blackhawks in the 1980s, but his first off-ice work came with the Penguins immediately after retiring in 1988. He was an assistant coach during their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992 before being reassigned to their minor league affiliate, the IHL’s Cleveland Lumberjacks, in 1993. Paterson served as their head coach for four seasons before heading to the Lightning.
As he’s been in Anaheim, Paterson was a jack of all trades for the Bolts from 1997 to 2005. He began as an assistant coach, briefly serving as interim head coach in 1998, before transitioning to a scouting role in 1999. He got his third Stanley Cup ring in Tampa in 2004 as their director of professional scouting and landed his fourth and most recent with the Ducks in 2007.
Stapleton is much newer to the front office game, landing his first off-ice role in junior hockey as an assistant coach of the NAHL’s Traverse City North Stars in 2005. His 697-game NHL career ended after the 2000-01 season, but he played a few seasons in Europe before hanging up the skates in 2004. He bounced around other coaching roles in the OHL and AHL before landing with the Ducks as a pro scout.
DiMaio exits as AGM after only two seasons in SoCal, a role he got after 14 seasons with the Blues as a scout and, later, their director of player personnel.
Brown, 62, ends his third stint with the Ducks after three seasons. He was an assistant coach under Randy Carlyle when Anaheim won their Stanley Cup in ’07, part of his second tenure with the club that spanned from 2005-06 to 2009-10. His first chance in Anaheim was a two-year run as an assistant in 1998-99 and 1999-00, his second NHL job after serving on the Blackhawks’ bench for two seasons prior. He’s also spent time with the Blue Jackets, Canucks and Coyotes, all in assistant coaching roles. If he doesn’t land a role on an NHL bench next season, it’ll be his first year out of the league since 1995-96.
Johnson joined the Ducks a year after Brown, only serving as an assistant the last two seasons. He’d been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, the primary affiliate of the Kings, for two seasons before heading down the freeway to Anaheim. Brent Thompson, who only joined the Ducks last summer, is the only returning assistant next season.
Offseason Checklist: Calgary Flames
The offseason has arrived for three-quarters of the NHL for teams that either missed the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Calgary.
Gone are the inconsistent yet high-ceiling Flames teams led by Johnny Gaudreau. After another underwhelming campaign, this time under first-year head coach Ryan Huska, Calgary failed to make the postseason in back-to-back years since 2013 and 2014. With rookie general manager Craig Conroy entering his second season at the helm, he has some work to do to continue his aggressive retooling of the club over the past few months and steer them back toward playoff contention in the coming years.
Make A Goaltending Decision
Is Dustin Wolf ready?
That’s likely the question that makes Conroy lose the most sleep this summer. His star goaltending prospect’s ascension from being selected 214th overall in 2019 is well-documented. After three incredible seasons with AHL Stockton and Calgary, compiling a 2.29 GAA, .926 SV% and 11 shutouts in 141 appearances, it’s clear the California native is ready for a longer look.
He got a longer look this year, though, and failed to truly confirm he’s ready for NHL duties. His numbers, while better than the older Daniel Vladař‘s, were unimpressive, posting a .893 SV% in 15 starts and two relief appearances. It wasn’t due to poor team defense, either – his -10.1 goals saved above expected were nearly on par with Vladař’s -12.5, per MoneyPuck.
While he’s likely suited for a backup role, especially if Vladař is his only competition, that’s likely not the question Conroy grapples with. Starter Jacob Markström nearly ended up with the Devils at this year’s trade deadline in a rather public saga that involved him waiving his no-move clause only for a deal not to get done. The Devils, who didn’t make any longer-term moves to shore up their crease, will likely re-engage this summer. Even if it’s not New Jersey, Markström could still waive his NMC for someone else after expressing frustration with the way things played out prior to the deadline.
That would leave Wolf and Vladař, the latter of whom will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025, as the Flames’ goaltending tandem next season unless a goalie is added in return for Markström. It’s hard to imagine Wolf not getting the majority of the starts in that scenario, especially after Vladař’s poor showing this season, something Calgary should be cautious of rushing him into.
Solve The Huberdeau Enigma
A constant of the last two seasons in Calgary has been highly underwhelming play from winger Jonathan Huberdeau. After being acquired from the Panthers in the Matthew Tkachuk trade and signed to an eight-year, $84MM extension that kicked in this season, the NHL’s assist leader just two years ago has managed just 27 goals, 80 assists and 107 points in 160 games as a Flame. In his final season in Florida, the Canadian winger lit up the league with 85 assists and 115 points in just 80 games.
The dropoff has confused many. Most of his underlying metrics haven’t changed to explain the lack of production. A coaching change from Darryl Sutter in 2022-23 to Huska this season did nothing.
An NHL team is just that – a team, not an individual player. But at such a steep cap hit of $10.5MM through the end of the decade with a no-move clause, it’s worth having an organizational discussion about how Huska can implement systems that help Huberdeau get back to the point-per-game plateau. Whether it’s solely a systems change that unlocks Huberdeau or if Calgary makes some coaching staff alterations or targeted player acquisitions remains to be seen, but if they want to get back to playoff contention in the next few seasons, they simply need more out of him.
Reconstruct The Defense
Calgary got rid of half their blue-line regulars via trade this season, unloading Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov for a considerable combined haul. All were on expiring contracts.
While Conroy’s work was solid, making the trades was only half the battle. With depth defenders Dennis Gilbert, Oliver Kylington and Jordan Oesterle needing new contracts to avoid unrestricted free agency in July, he has some decisions to make about how much money he wants to invest in reshaping the Flames’ blue line next year.
Daniil Miromanov looked good after being picked up from the Golden Knights in the Hanifin deal, posting seven points in 20 games down the stretch as he logged over 21 minutes per game. He’s penciled in to replace one of the departed defenders, joining Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. That leaves Joel Hanley, Nikita Okhotyuk, Brayden Pachal, Ilya Solovyov, and any UFAs they choose to re-sign to compete for around four spots. It’s not the most inspiring group. Is it smart to make a play for a big name in free agency this summer? There is no shortage of intriguing names.
Don’t Strike Out On Draft Day
The Flames have done just okay in the past few seasons to acquire some high-ceiling talent without having top-10 picks, namely 2021 first-rounder Matthew Coronato. However, they’ll have a much better chance of landing a true impact prospect late next month, holding the ninth overall pick at the 2024 draft in Vegas.
If Kelowna Rockets winger Tij Iginla is still available, he’ll almost certainly be a Flame. The son of all-time Flames great Jarome, who’s now back with the team in a front-office role, is tabbed to go somewhere between sixth and 15th overall by most public rankings but is likely to go near the higher end of that range with nine goals in 11 WHL playoff games. He may not be available by the time Calgary picks.
A backup plan should involve a high-ceiling pick, either at forward or defense. Calgary’s prospect pool is fine – a number of names there likely have NHL futures – but it lacks any true blue-chip players outside of Coronato, who lit up the AHL for more than a point per game in his first professional season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Jets Expected To Interview Craig Berube
The Jets are now the fourth team to display interest in Craig Berube for their head coaching vacancy this offseason. He’s set to interview virtually with the team today, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports.
All indications point toward Berube heading north of the border, with the Jets and Maple Leafs as the finalists for his services. He and Todd McLellan are the reported finalists to replace Sheldon Keefe in Toronto, while associate coach Scott Arniel, per Seravalli, is a candidate for an internal promotion in Winnipeg after Rick Bowness announced his retirement earlier this month.
Berube’s other documented suitors have been the Devils and Senators, the latter of whom already filled their vacancy by signing Travis Green to a four-year deal. Meanwhile, New Jersey has reportedly tabbed Keefe and former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft as their preferred options behind the bench.
Hiring Berube would make him the Jets’ third permanent head coach since 2014. Paul Maurice held the role over parts of nine seasons before resigning in 2021. Then-assistant Dave Lowry, now with the Kraken, stepped in for Maurice for the remainder of the 2021-22 season before the team hired Bowness the following offseason.
If it wasn’t already, it’s clear the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is the highest-valued coaching candidate on the market. He was fired by the Blues early in the 2023-24 season after posting a 13-14-1 record, ending his tenure in St. Louis with a 206-132-44 record in 382 games across parts of six seasons. Before St. Louis, his only previous head coaching experience had come in a two-year stint with the Flyers, posting a 75-58-28 record across the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.