Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Snapshots: Gustavsson, Groulx, Bertuzzi

at CDT | by 17 Comments

As the cap penalties the Minnesota Wild will be paying due to the Zach Parise/Ryan Suter buyouts are set to hit a combined $14.7MM, Wild general manager Bill Guerin has quite the task ahead of him as he looks to build a team that can take the next step after back-to-back impressive regular seasons and first-round playoff exits. Perhaps the most important piece of business for him to address is a new contract for netminder Filip Gustavsson, who is set to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. Complicating Gustavsson’s case is his extremely impressive performance this past season, where he posted a .931 save percentage in 39 games. With those sorts of numbers, is it possible Gustavsson has priced himself out of Minnesota?

That seems unlikely, as The Athletic’s Joe Smith relays positive word from Gustavsson’s agent about the ongoing contract negotiations: “we’ve started a dialogue and everything is really positive,” says agent Kurt Overhardt, “I don’t think it’s a matter of getting something done. It’s just a matter of when it’s done.” (subscription link) Smith notes that a three-year, $3MM AAV pact would fit with the comparables to Gustavsson’s current situation, and that would likely be a palatable number for the team. In any case, it seems the talented 24-year-old netminder is set to remain in Minnesota after a breakout campaign, despite some cap-related challenges on the team’s side.

More notes from across the NHL:

  • Benoit Groulx, the longtime head coach of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, is ending his tenure in the Salt City according to a report from JF Plante of Le Droit. Groulx has spent the last seven years as the Crunch’s bench boss and has led the team on multiple playoff runs, including a run to the Calder Cup Final in 2016-17. A respected player developer, Groulx’s Crunch teams have produced numerous difference-making NHLers, including Carter Verhaeghe, Yanni Gourde, Taylor Raddysh, Ross Colton, and Anthony Cirelli. Plante cites Arizona Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny’s current assistant coach opening as a possible landing spot for Groulx, and should such a move materialize that would be a significant and highly valuable addition to the Coyotes organization.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his 32 Thoughts blog that the Boston Bruins are “exploring what it needs to do to keep Tyler Bertuzzi,” a player set to hit unrestricted free agency later this summer. The Bruins traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings to acquire Bertuzzi, and the 28-year-old subsequently impressed in the black and gold, scoring 16 points in 21 regular-season games and 10 points in the team’s seven-game first-round playoff series. Bertuzzi is likely to have wide-ranging interest this summer in what is considered a thinner free agent class, so it’s unclear whether Boston will be able to get his signature on a contract extension. But given Friedman’s report, we at least now know that the Bruins are actively looking for an avenue to retain the former 30-goal scorer.

Arizona Coyotes’ Laurent Dauphin Signs In Switzerland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Arizona Coyotes forward Laurent Dauphin has found a new team to play for, as he signed a one-year contract containing a club option for a second year with the Swiss National League’s HC Ambri-Piotta.

The 28-year-old 2013 second-round pick was in his third tour of duty with the Coyotes this past season, playing 48 games in the AHL and 21 in the NHL. Dauphin played very well in the AHL, notching 16 goals and 41 points, but his play in the NHL left much to be desired.

The high-energy pivot scored just one goal and no assists at the NHL level this season and failed to earn the trust of head coach Andre Tourigny, who played him sparingly.

It’s this disappointing run in the NHL that has likely paved the way for Dauphin’s departure overseas, where he’ll play in a European pro league for the first time in his career.

A longtime minor leaguer, Dauphin seemed to hit a turning point in his career during his time with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021-22.

As the Canadiens faced significant injuries and a nightmarish campaign, Dauphin emerged as a trusted option for head coach Martin St. Louis, who played Dauphin in a larger NHL role than he’d ever played before.

Dauphin responded well to that increased role, contributing four goals and 12 assists in 38 total games, including a slick penalty shot tally. We at PHR even acknowledged Dauphin’s improvement in our coverage of his signing in Arizona last summer, writing at the time that “it would be misleading to say anything other than Dauphin performed better than expected at the NHL level.”

It seemed as though Dauphin would potentially carve out a role as a depth NHL center, but it now seems that his time in Arizona has undone that progress. Now, he’ll head to Switzerland with the hope of serving as a top player for Ambri-Piotta, a club looking to have a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.

As he’ll still be just 29 at this time next season, the door is far from closed for Dauphin to make a return to an NHL organization, but he’ll need to have a good season overseas to keep it open.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Bouchard, Ryan, Free Agency

at CDT | by 3 Comments

After a disappointingly early playoff exit, the Edmonton Oilers are headed into another pivotal offseason. Desperate to build a Stanley Cup contender around the team’s two all-world talents, the Oilers don’t have a ton of cap space to add reinforcements to their roster, so they’ll need to get creative in finding ways to support their existing stars. One avenue the team could go down is moving a player taking up a decent amount of cap space, namely 2017 first-round pick Kailer Yamamoto. The 24-year-old is set to make $3.1MM against the cap next season yet provided the Oilers with just 25 points in 58 games this season.

The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reports that the Oilers are “leaning toward moving” Yamamoto and are hoping they can find a team willing to acquire the player “without the Oilers having to retain salary or offer a sweetener.” (subscription link) Yamamoto did manage 20 goals and 41 points last season, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a team would have interest in him as a bounce-back candidate. In the case that trade interest does not materialize, though, Nugent-Bowman does note that the Oilers “appear open to buying out Yamamoto,” a move that would save them $2.6MM this season at the cost of $533k in dead cap next summer.

Some other notes regarding the Oilers:

  • One of the significant reasons the team would likely hope to create some cap space via a Yamamoto departure would be to clear room for contract extensions for the Oilers’ top restricted free agent: defenseman Evan Bouchard. The 23-year-old 2018 10th overall pick has hit 40 points in each of the last two seasons and is coming off of an extremely productive playoff run that saw him post 17 points in just 12 games. Nugent-Bowman writes that the Oilers are likely to pursue a bridge contract with Bouchard, as “anything more than two years appears unlikely.” Noah Dobson, another 2018 top pick, had comparable scoring numbers to Bouchard last summer and secured a three-year, $4MM AAV pact. That could be a deal used as a reference point for these negotiations.
  • 36-year-old veteran center Derek Ryan performed admirably as the Oilers’ fourth-line center this past season, scoring 13 goals and 20 points in 80 games while contributing to his team’s penalty kill. Nugent-Bowman reports that “there is mutual interest in Ryan returning to the Oilers,” and that “it’s hard to see how something isn’t figured out there” to bring the 500-game NHL veteran back to Edmonton. Such a move would provide valuable continuity to the Oilers’ bottom-six, while also serving as a nice reward for Ryan’s hard work.
  • While the Oilers have made significant early free-agency investments in recent years, specifically in the signings of Jack Campbell and Zach Hyman, don’t expect a similar move by the time the free agent frenzy comes around later this summer. Nugent-Bowman reports that there will “be no Zach Hyman-type offer issued to anyone” at the start of free agency and that it’s far more likely that the Oilers will target an “undervalued or underperforming young player” who they can add on a cheap contract, or a “bargain bin” veteran talent who can be the right fit for a specific role in head coach Jay Woodcroft’s plans at an affordable cap hit.

Philadelphia Flyers Announce Staff Changes to Hockey Operations Department

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers announced changes to the staff of their hockey operations department today, confirming the promotions of three people as well as the departures of three more.

Per the announcement, Alyn McCauley has been promoted to assistant general manager under new general manager Daniel Briere, while Riley Armstrong has been promoted to the position of director of player development and 1069-game NHL veteran Nick Schultz has been promoted to assistant director of player development.

Briere issued the following statement regarding these promotions:

I’m excited to announce the promotions of Alyn, Riley and Nick. These three have been around the organization for some time, in particularly, with our current prospects and young players, so I know they will each provide the direction and leadership that is necessary to get our future assets to the NHL level.

McCauley, 46, has nearly 500 NHL games on his resume from his days as a player and is entering his seventh season with the Flyers’ organization. He served as the team’s director of player personnel since February 2022 and in his new role he will oversee the Flyers pro scouting department, player personnel, and AHL Lehigh Valley’s hockey operations staff.

Armstrong, 38, was a longtime minor leaguer who is now entering his third season with the Flyers. For the past two seasons he served as an assistant coach with AHL Lehigh Valley, and before that point was the head coach for the ECHL’s Maine Mariners. Maine is where Armstrong has his strongest connection with Briere, as Briere was appointed in 2017 to run the Mariners’ day-to-day operations in what was his first major role as a hockey operations executive.

In Armstrong’s new role he will, as the Flyers put it, be “responsible for developing Flyers prospects and helping all the young players grow into the professional game as they develop in the AHL with Lehigh Valley.”

Flyers fans are likely to remember Schultz, 40, as he spent the last three years of his long playing career in Philadelphia. The former physical blueliner is entering his fifth season with the Flyers, and has previously served as a player development coach. Now, he’ll work directly with Armstrong in a more senior role within the team’s player development infrastructure.

Also as part of the team’s announcement, the Flyers confirmed that Mike O’Connell, John Riley, and Kjell Samuelsson have been relieved of their duties. O’Connell was in a senior advisory role with the team while Riley and Samuelsson were longtime members of the Flyers’ organization who had been working as player development coaches.

These moves signal an increased focus from the Flyers organization on player development in the early days of their new front office’s tenure. The team has begun to embrace the notion of more slowly building and developing a contending team and seems likely to prefer the draft-and-develop route over attempting to find quick-fix roster solutions, the approach that often had disastrous consequences under Flyers’ former general manager, Chuck Fletcher.

The creation of a strong player development pipeline has significantly aided the efforts of recent Stanley Cup champions, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, so it seems the Flyers are looking to build a similarly productive development system and are now turning to some fresh faces to manage that pursuit.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Michael Pezzetta To Two-Year Contract Extension

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Michael Pezzetta has been signed to a two-year, one-way $812.5k contract extension.

With this extension, Pezzetta will avoid having to become a restricted free agent at the start of the new league year next month, and now has a contract that will walk him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2025.

While not the heftiest contract extension in terms of finances (it’s just a shade above the $775k new league minimum) this deal is a solid reward for a player who has quickly endeared himself to Canadiens fans over the course of the last two seasons. The 25-year-old is a 2016 sixth-round pick who spent three seasons developing with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, before making his NHL debut in 2021-22.

Despite compiling just 19 points in 107 games at the AHL level, Pezzetta managed to play 51 games with the Canadiens in the 2021-22 season, and this past year had his first campaign spent entirely at the NHL level.

While the former Sudbury Wolves captain has scored at a similarly low rate in the NHL (26 points in 114 games) and has averaged under nine minutes of nightly ice time across that span of games, he’s nonetheless managed to skate in head coach Martin St. Louis’ nightly lineup more often than not.

He’s earned his current role on the Canadiens on the back of his work ethic and energetic physical play. At this sort of price tag, it’s easy to see why Montreal would want to keep Pezzetta around to maintain the depth on their NHL roster.

Ottawa Senators Open To Every Option With Alex DeBrincat

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that general manager Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators are open to every option when it comes to pending restricted free agent forward Alex DeBrincat. Dorion and the Senators are prepared to offer the winger an eight-year contract extension, however the 25-year-old DeBrincat has yet to decide on his future which has left the Senators in a holding pattern.

It’s hard to fault DeBrincat for taking his time with such a life altering decision, especially given all the turmoil that has surrounded the Senators in the last decade and the uncertainty surrounding the franchises ownership situation. But, from Ottawa’s perspective they will need a decision soon as they move closer to the draft and free agency at what is a pivotal time for the club.

Dorion expressed these sentiments saying that if DeBrincat indicates he doesn’t want to sign long term or if they can’t reach a number that is palatable for both sides then the Senators will need to look at all their options which includes exploring the trade market or even taking the young forward to arbitration to try and shave as much as 15% off his $9MM qualifying offer. Dorion went on to say that the team should have more clarity prior to the draft making the next month a very interesting one in Canada’s capital city.

DeBrincat was good in his first season in Ottawa, although his numbers did drop from some of his previous campaigns in Chicago. The Michigan native tallied 27 goals and 39 assists in 82 games this past year but put up just 36 points at even strength compared to 50 even strength points the year prior.  Dorion felt that DeBrincat struggled at times during the season but got stronger as the year went on giving him optimism that he could get back to some of the elite numbers he posted in Chicago when he topped 40 goals in multiple seasons.

Carl Dahlstrom Signs In Sweden

at CDT | by 2 Comments

CBS Sports is reporting that former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Carl Dahlstrom is returning to his native Sweden for next season. Dahlstrom, who also played with the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets has apparently signed a contract with Farjestad BK of the SHL after splitting the last five years between the NHL and AHL.

The 28-year-old Dahlstrom suffered an unfortunate shoulder injury this past September while he was competing for one of the final spots in the Leafs lineup. The ailment likely cost him a job on Toronto’s backend as Dalhstrom had to endure a six-month recovery after shoulder surgery and managed to work his way into eight AHL games with the Toronto Marlies tallying one assist. He was never able to get back into an NHL lineup and may have seen his run in North America come to an end. If this closes the book on his NHL career it has to be a disappointment for a player who was traded for Paul Stastny just a few short years ago.

Over parts of four seasons the former Blackhawks second round pick never scored an NHL goal but did have 12 assists in 67 games. He struggled with the puck on his stick and could never really find any offensive traction while in the NHL. He did fare better in the AHL and could easily secure a job in another organization but at this point in his career he has opted for the comforts of home.

While its always possible that a player in his 20’s could return to the NHL it seems unlikely given Dahlstrom’s injury history and the fact that he hasn’t been able to establish himself as an NHL regular up to this point in his career.

Snapshots: Vancouver, Pettersson, Combine

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal wrote an article for The Athletic today outlining the best third line center options for the Vancouver Canucks to look at when free agency opens on July 1st. Vancouver has an excellent 1-2 punch down the middle of the ice with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller currently occupying the top two spots. Drance and Dayal begin their article by highlighting the fact that Vancouver not only needs a third line center, but they also need the right fit for the third line, preferably one with more of a defensive skill set.

While this year’s free agent class leaves a lot to be desired, there are some good top-9 center options for the Canucks to consider. Drance and Dayal produce an exhaustive list that includes bargain bin shopping as well as some players that will likely fall outside of Vancouver’s price range given their salary cap constraints. The most realistic targets, and the ones on the top of the list are Pius Suter and David Kampf.

What a change two years can make. In the case of Pius Suter, it’s the difference between being non-tendered (as he was in 2021 by the Chicago Blackhawks) and being a sought after unrestricted free agent (after two good seasons with the Detroit Red Wings). Suter is a bit undersized but could offer the Canucks a solid top-9 option at a reasonable price. Over two seasons in Detroit Suter put up 29 goals and 31 assists in 161 games. While those numbers won’t blow anyone away, the 27-year-old did this while hardly benefiting from any powerplay time as he saw just six minutes of ice time this season with the man advantage.

Kampf offers much stronger defensive metrics than Suter and is a bigger body, however he is more limited offensively as he had just 18 goals and 35 assists in 164 games over the past two seasons. He also saw very little powerplay time but struggles to drive play at even strength as he has a negative offensive impact even at 5v5. Drance and Dayal do wonder if having a better defensive player such as Kampf in the third line center role might make more sense for Vancouver as it could free up the top two line for more offensive deployment.

Other snapshots from around the league:

  • The Score is reporting that J.P. Barry, the agent for Vancouver Canucks superstar Elias Pettersson expects talks between his client and the club to begin this summer as they look to hammer out a long-term deal for the 24-year-old. Pettersson is just a year from being a restricted free agent and two years away from unrestricted free agency. He is due $10.25MM this upcoming season and would require an $8.82MM qualifying offer next summer for Vancouver to retain his rights. Given that he is coming off a 102-point season it would make sense for the young Swede to try and sign a long-term deal to obtain some security and peace of mind heading into next season. For the Canucks it would also give the club some cap certainty as they try to re-tool after missing the playoffs this past season.
  • Mike Morreale of NHL.com tweeted today that no Russian prospects who played overseas this season will be attending the NHL combine. The combine will run from June 4-10 in Buffalo and will give all 32 clubs the chance to get a look at the top prospects in this year’s entry draft. It’s an interesting development, but not a surprising one. Projected top-3 pick Matvei Michkov stated in Russian media back in May that he likely wouldn’t be at the combine but would be at the draft.

Brad Treliving Not Allowed At Maple Leafs Draft Table

at CDT | by 20 Comments

Brad Treliving was recently announced as the 18th general manager in Toronto Maple Leafs history. Treliving was officially introduced today and stated that his first priority is to meet with superstar Auston Matthews. While getting Matthews signed long-term is the focus, another focus is the upcoming NHL entry draft, which Treliving will not be allowed to take part in. Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets is reporting that this condition was put in place by the Calgary Flames when granting Toronto permission to talk to him. Treliving is under contract with Calgary until July 1st.

Maple Leafs president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan was asked about this stipulation at the press conference this morning and praised the teams scouting staff and said they are still preparing to pick late in the first round of the draft as well as the fifth and sixth round. One would have to presume that either Shanahan or head scout Wes Clark will be making Toronto’s picks this year in the absence of Treliving.

It’s not surprising to see the Flames attach a condition like this to Treliving as they were originally apprehensive about even allowing their long-time general manager to interview for other jobs before his contract expired. Three weeks ago, it was reported by The Hockey News that Calgary wasn’t allowing him to speak with teams, however they had a change of heart and let the 53-year-old pursue other employment. One would have to guess that the draft condition was a compromise Treliving, and the Maple Leafs had to make to move forward with the interview process.

It’s not unheard of for a team to block a former employee from participating in the entry draft, although it doesn’t happen often. In fact, it happened to the Flames back in 2000 when general manager Craig Button came over from the Dallas Stars and was blocked from taking part in draft day.

Full 2023 List Of Expiring Draft Rights

at CDT | by 14 Comments

June 1: As of 5 p.m. ET on June 1, none of the below players were signed and all are either free to re-enter the draft or become free agents.

May 26: When drafting a player out of North America or any European country with a transfer agreement, a team acquires exclusive negotiating rights for a set amount of time. Each year on June 1, a long list of players see those rights expire and become unrestricted free agents (or choose to re-enter the draft, depending on specific circumstances).

CapFriendly has compiled a complete list for the deadline in just a few days. Some players listed below have already signed overseas; others will have agreements announced soon after their current rights expire.

Anaheim Ducks

Sean Tschigeri (130th overall, 2021)

Arizona Coyotes

Axel Bergkvist (200th overall, 2019)
Manix Landry (139th overall, 2021)
Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (107th overall, 2021)
Valentin Nussbaumer (207th overall, 2019)

Boston Bruins

Matias Mantykivi (185th overall, 2019)

Calgary Flames

Jack Beck (168th overall, 2021)
Lucas Feuk (116th overall, 2019)
Cole Huckins (77th overall, 2021)
Cole Jordan (141st overall, 2021)
Cameron Whynot (89th overall, 2021)

Carolina Hurricanes

Bryce Montgomery (170th overall, 2021)
Robert Orr (136th overall, 2021)

Columbus Blue Jackets

Eric Hjorth (104th overall, 2019)

Dallas Stars

Jacob Holmes (143rd overall, 2021)
Conner Roulette (111th overall, 2021)
Samuel Sjölund (111th overall, 2019)

Detroit Red Wings

Gustav Berglund (177th overall, 2019)
Albert Grewe (66th overall, 2019)
Oscar Plandowski (155th overall, 2021)
Pasquale Zito (166th overall, 2021)

Edmonton Oilers

Patrik Puistola (73rd overall, 2019)

Florida Panthers

Braden Hache (210th overall, 2021)

Los Angeles Kings

Lukas Parik (87th overall, 2019)

Montreal Canadiens

Frederik Nissen Dichow (138th overall, 2019)
Joe Vrbetic (214th overall, 2021)

New Jersey Devils

Nikola Pasic (189th overall, 2019)

New York Rangers

Leevi Aaltonen (130th overall, 2019)

Ottawa Senators

Carson Latimer (123rd overall, 2021)
Ben Roger (49th overall, 2021)
Chandler Romeo (202nd overall, 2021)

Pittsburgh Penguins

Santeri Airola (211th overall, 2019)
Ryan McCleary (194th overall, 2021)

San Jose Sharks

Benjamin Gaudreau (81st overall, 2021)
Liam Gilmartin (167th overall, 2021)
Max McCue (156th overall, 2021)

St. Louis Blues

Tyson Galloway (145th overall, 2021)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Cameron MacDonald (160th overall, 2021)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kalle Loponen (204th overall, 2019)
Josh Pillar (127th overall, 2019)

Vancouver Canucks

Arvid Costmar (215th overall, 2019)
Connor Lockhart (178th overall, 2021)

Washington Capitals

Martin Hugo Has (153rd overall, 2019)
Dru Krebs (176th overall, 2021)

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top