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Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Mike Vellucci

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Via a team release this morning, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall announced that the team has re-signed assistant coach Mike Vellucci to a two-year contract extension.

Vellucci, 56, is an extremely experienced and decorated coach and manager across the AHL and OHL. He served as the GM and head coach of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers from 2001 to 2014, where he took home an OHL championship in 2007 and Coach of the Year honors in 2007 and 2013.

He then moved on to the Carolina Hurricanes organization, where he served as an assistant general manager and the director of hockey operations from 2014-2019, including spending the last two years as the head coach of their AHL affiliate in Charlotte. With the Checkers in 2019, Vellucci coached at the AHL All-Star Game, won the Calder Cup, and was named the AHL Coach of the Year. He then spent one year as the GM and head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before joining Pittsburgh’s NHL staff.

Since joining the Penguins as an assistant coach in 2020-21, Vellucci has primarily been responsible for managing the team’s forwards and penalty-killing units. The team has a record of 83-41-14 since Vellucci joined their NHL staff, but he’s yet to experience a playoff series win with the Penguins at this level.

Speaking on the deal today, Hextall gave the following statement:

Mike is a dedicated coach who has proven to be a valuable addition since joining Pittsburgh. We’re excited to have him back behind the bench for two more seasons.

Pittsburgh’s penalty kill is ninth overall in the NHL (81.5%) since Vellucci joined the bench in 2020. This season, he’ll be tasked with working newcomers like Jan Rutta into the penalty-killing fold while still working closely with the team’s offense.

Jim Rutherford Opens Up About Leaving Pittsburgh Penguins

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  • Since abruptly stepping away from his duties as General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins just a few games into the 2020-21 season, fans and media alike have been trying to figure out what exactly made Jim Rutherford leave the organization so suddenly. Many speculated that his departure had to do with disagreements over the direction of the team, but as the now-Canucks executive told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that was not the case. Carefully wording his response, Rutherford explained that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, being largely confined to his home took a toll on him, which left him without the necessary mental toughness to handle his duties. He added that he didn’t believe he necessarily had any mental health issues, but that things he could generally shake off as typical of the job, began to stick with him. It’s an interesting response, and not as dramatic as a feud with upper management like many had thought, but is surely relatable to the experience of many during the height of the pandemic. As much as owners, executives, coaches, and players may feel super-human or not-so-tangible to fans, Rutherford’s experience shows their experiences are just as human as that of their fans.

Penguins Sign Jack St. Ivany

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After being linked to him earlier this week, the Penguins have indeed added to their prospect pool, announcing the signing of defenseman Jack St. Ivany to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will carry a cap hit of $950K in the NHL.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2018 (112th overall) but didn’t sign with Philadelphia by Monday’s deadline, paving the way for him to become an unrestricted free agent.  Pittsburgh GM Ron Hextall was in charge of the Flyers back in 2018 so he certainly had some familiarity with his newest prospect which undoubtedly played a role in their decision to pursue St. Ivany.

St. Ivany split his college career between two schools.  He spent the first two years with Yale before transferring to Boston College during the pandemic where he struggled in his junior year.  However, last season, he fared much better, recording four goals and 20 assists with the Eagles, setting new career-bests in both goals and points.

With Pittsburgh already having a fair bit of defensive depth, it’s safe to say that St. Ivany will be heading to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next season where he’ll hope to work his way up their depth chart and perhaps into an injury recall situation at some point over the next two seasons.

Pittsburgh Penguins Promote Todd Reirden

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have given Todd Reirden a promotion, elevating him to associate coach, and signed him to a two-year contract extension. General manager Ron Hextall released the following statement:

Todd plays an important role on our coaching staff. He’s had a proven impact on the defensemen and contributes to the coaching staff as a whole with his wealth of knowledge from over a decade as an NHL coach. We are excited to extend his contract.

Reirden has been with the Penguins since 2020, when he was fired as head coach of the Washington Capitals. This is his second stint with the organization, following a run as the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and assistant with the NHL club between 2008-2014.

Given the big changes on defense in Pittsburgh this year – Jeff Petry, Jan Rutta, and Ty Smith are now in town – Reirden will have his hands full sorting out pairings and responsibilities. If he can get the best out of Petry while pushing Smith back on his previous development path, the Penguins group could be quite formidable.

Negotiations “Going Nowhere” Between Rasmus Sandin, Maple Leafs

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One of the interesting restricted free agents that remains unsigned is Rasmus Sandin of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 2018 first-round pick does not have arbitration rights yet and reports have emerged over the last few months about him wondering where he stands on the team’s depth chart, after they brought back Mark Giordano on a two-year deal.

Now, new comments from Sandin’s camp have emerged, explaining how little movement there has been in contract talks To Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, agent Lewis Gross said “negotiations are going nowhere.” Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas responded with some firm thoughts on negotiating through the media, including the fact that it “traditionally [does] not create resolutions to private matters.”

A player that is often linked to Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, signed a two-year, $2.8MM contract with the Maple Leafs in June, avoiding restricted free agency entirely. That contract is likely being used by Toronto as a direct comparable, given the similarity in production between the two young defensemen.

But even that $1.4MM average annual value might be an issue for the Maple Leafs right now, who are pushed right up against the cap once again. While their situation right now could be resolved by carrying a 20-man roster, it seems more likely that a trade is coming at some point – especially if they want to fit Sandin in.

The fact that no contract movement is happening will raise some eyebrows in that trade speculation, given the fact that Giordano, Morgan Rielly, and Jake Muzzin are locked in on the left side of Toronto’s blueline already. If Sandin was signed, then there would be no real reason to move him, as depth at defense is extremely important. But if contract talks have still not progressed, perhaps the team will have to move on at some point.

Like any of the other RFAs, Sandin will need a contract by December 1 if he wants to play in the NHL this season.

Penguins Have Shown Interest In Jack St. Ivany

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One of the unsigned college prospects to hit the open market earlier this week was defenseman Jack St. Ivany after Philadelphia opted not to sign him to a contract but it appears he’ll get one before too long.  Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports that the Penguins are among the teams that are interested in signing him to an entry-level deal.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2018 (112th overall) back when Ron Hextall was in charge.  Hextall, of course, is now the GM in Pittsburgh so he has a fair bit of familiarity with St. Ivany’s game already.

St. Ivany split his college career between Yale and Boston College, spending two seasons with each school.  Last season, he picked up four goals and 20 assists with the Eagles, setting new benchmarks in goals and points.  While he was eligible to play a bonus season, St. Ivany instead decided to turn pro and while he didn’t get a contract from the team that drafted one, it appears as if one will be coming his way soon enough.

Pittsburgh Penguins Hire Greg Pateryn, Chris Butler

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made some additions to their scouting and development staff, with one name having played in the NHL just last season. Greg Pateryn will join the team as a professional scout, essentially announcing his retirement as a player after parts of nine seasons in the league. The team has also hired Chris Butler as a player development coach and Garrett Peters as a global crossover scout.

Pateryn, 32, spent most of last season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, recording 12 points in 35 games. He also played ten times for the Anaheim Ducks, taking his career total to 290 regular season matches. A fifth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, he played for the Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and Montreal Canadiens over his professional career.

With the Penguins, he’ll be tasked with scouting western conference teams and will be based out of California, where he has played the last two years.

Butler, meanwhile, also concluded his playing career rather recently, retiring after the 2018-19 season. The 35-year-old former defenseman played 407 NHL games spread over parts of 11 seasons, suiting up for the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, and St. Louis Blues. After retirement, he spent a year with the Arizona Coyotes as an amateur scout but will now be joining Trevor Daley in helping the organization’s defensive prospects. He reports to Tom Kostopolous, the team’s director of player development.

Peters joins the Penguins have five seasons with the St. Louis Blues, where he served as an amateur scout. He will scout players in North America and Europe for the Pittsburgh organization.

Zucker Has Fully Recovered From Lower-Body Injuries

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  • Penguins winger Jason Zucker has recovered from the series of lower-body injuries that plagued him in the second half of last season, notes NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. It has been a tough go for the 30-year-old who has recorded just 47 points in 94 games since being acquired by Pittsburgh just before the 2020 trade deadline.  Next season will be a contract year for Zucker and unless he can get back to the form he had with Minnesota, he’ll be looking at a considerably cheaper deal next summer compared to his current $5.5MM AAV.

Minor Transactions: 08/03/22

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It’s been a busy start to the month of August, with the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils both getting some of the biggest RFAs left on the board signed within the past 48 hours. It’s busy elsewhere in the hockey world, too, and former (or possibly future) NHLers are making their way around the minor leagues in North America and professional leagues in Europe. We’ll keep track of those moves today right here.

  • After splitting last season between the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Chicago Wolves, former Colorado Avalanche defense prospect Chris Bigras will try his hand in Europe for the first time. Per the team, the KHL’s only Kazakhstani club, Barys Nur-Sultan, has signed him to a one-year deal for the 2022-23 season. Bigras hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since he appeared in 15 with Colorado during the 2017-18 season.
  • Defenseman Cole Hults is heading to the Italian club HC Bolzano in the ICEHL after just two seasons in the AHL, per a team release. Hults played in 54 games last season with the Tucson Roadrunners while under contract with the Arizona Coyotes, registering 17 points. He’ll join his older brother Mitch on the team.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Free Agent Profile: Phil Kessel

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In his peak throughout the 2010s, Phil Kessel was a consistent 30-goal threat, displaying his electric shooting talent en route to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins (and with the Toronto Maple Leafs before that). While Kessel’s move to Arizona for the last three seasons may have left him forgotten in some circles, he’s coming off his best season in three years.

Despite a career-low 4.6 shooting percentage, Kessel will pitch his relatively high point total, especially given the poor state of affairs in Arizona, to convince teams he’s still a credible threat. And, looking at his strong play-driving numbers from last season, he may have a point. Despite seeing his ice time dip to its lowest point during his three years in Arizona, Kessel still managed to finish within 11 points of the team lead at age 34.

It’s not often that a 34-year-old is on the open market with a strong reason to invest in a rebound season, but that’s the case with Kessel. Even if his defense hasn’t been pretty lately, it was never a selling point to his game. Considering his career average shooting percentage sits over 10 percent, expecting Kessel to have a stronger offensive season in 2022-23, at least in terms of putting pucks in the net, is a safe bet.

His Stanley Cup pedigree should also make him an attractive option for teams looking for affordable depth to help push them over the hump to a Stanley Cup.

Stats

2021-22: 82 GP, 8-44-52, -24 rating, 40 PIMs, 175 shots, 45.3 CF%, 16:41 ATOI
Career: 1204 GP, 399-557-956, -148 rating, 372 PIMs, 3700 shots, 49.3 CF%, 18:02 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Kessel should find a home before a lot of other veterans are forced to settle for PTOs as training camps begin. While he’s not what he used to be, he still had more than 50 points last season. With his low price tag, he should be an attractive option as teams continue to tinker with their rosters during the month of August.

There could be a spot for him in the bottom six of a retooled Calgary Flames forward group. While Jakob Pelletier is a strong candidate to make a jump to the NHL next season after a strong season in Stockton, Kessel could challenge other veterans such as Milan Lucic or Sean Monahan for playing time at a cheaper price and more goal-scoring upside. He could go Cup-chasing with the Colorado Avalanche as well, as they’ve lost some depth forwards such as Andre Burakovsky and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. He could also stand to be a solid secondary scoring option for the Minnesota Wild after they lost Kevin Fiala.

If he wants to head back East, the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers are a trio of teams that could use him in their bottom six.

Projected Contract

Kessel came in 23rd on our Top 50 UFAs list in early July. While he likely won’t command the $2MM AAV we predicted at this point, there’s still a solid chance he could earn seven figures and not have to settle for a league minimum deal. It all likely depends on the cap situation of the team Kessel opts to sign with, as after over $90MM in career earnings, per CapFriendly, money likely won’t be a huge factor in his decision.

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