Morning Notes: Johnson, Zavragin, Matthews
The Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly expressed an interest in bringing back veteran defenseman Erik Johnson for next season. The news comes from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic who writes that, “The Flyers have not closed the door on the veteran defenseman’s return.”
Johnson was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the NHL trade deadline for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. He dressed in 17 games for Philadelphia down the stretch, chipping in two goals and an assist. The native of Bloomington, Minnesota played last season on a one-year $3.25MM contract that he’d signed with the Sabres on July 1st, 2023 and it’s hard to envision him doing much better on his next contract given his lack of offense and poor possession numbers.
In other morning notes:
- Flyers goaltending prospect Yegor Zavragin has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg. The 18-year-old netminder was drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2023 NHL entry draft (87th overall) and has yet to sign an NHL contract or play in the KHL. Zavragin has spent the past three seasons splitting time between the MHL and VHL in Russia and has posted stellar numbers in both leagues. He posted a save percentage above .940 in both leagues this year and has been above .920 in the previous two seasons.
- TSN insider Chris Johnston is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews did skate earlier this morning with Bobby McMann at Scotiabank Arena but is not taking part in the Maple Leafs’ formal team skate. Matthews did not play in Toronto’s game 5 victory over the Boston Bruins and early indications today suggest he will not be able to dress tonight when the Maple Leafs once again face elimination. Matthews has just a goal and two assists in four playoff games and has been dealing with an ailment or illness for the better part of a week now. He was pulled from a game 4 loss and did not return, however, he has skated on several occasions this week but hasn’t been able to ramp up his workouts.
East Notes: Green, Bennett, Hedman, Fehervary
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.