Snapshots: Panthers, Clara, Malmstrom
Last season, the Panthers used the LTIR flexibility from Matthew Tkachuk to add big at the trade deadline. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News argues that Florida should take the same approach and use the savings to add a rental player before the season starts. While that would only increase the amount of cap space they’d need to open up when he returns midseason (barring further long-term injuries), it would also give them a boost in the first half. While the Panthers came on strong in the playoffs, they struggled a bit down the stretch with Tkachuk out of the lineup and a slower start this season could complicate things in a tight Atlantic Division. Accordingly, the idea of pre-renting a player makes some sense in theory with an eye on fortifying their roster for the first half but the need to open up room to welcome Tkachuk back later on would only be intensified, rarely an ideal position to be in midseason.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After a season that saw him play at four different levels plus internationally for Italy, Ducks prospect Damian Clara is hoping for more stability this season. He has already been loaned to SHL Brynas and as he told Gefle Dagblad’s Daniel Sandstrom, both he and Anaheim were in agreement that returning to Brynas (where he played in 2023-24) was the only viable option for him. The Ducks have already signed him to an entry-level contract but with three other prospect netminders signed who need playing time, keeping him in Sweden made sense. Clara had a 3.19 GAA and a .879 SV% in 21 SHL games last season with Farjestad. He has already been named to Italy’s roster for the upcoming Olympics as well.
- After being non-tendered by St. Louis back in June, defenseman Anton Malmstrom signed a one-year deal in Sweden. However, he indicated to HockeySverige’s Robin Olausson that he did have offers to remain in North America although he didn’t indicate if they were NHL two-way offers or merely minor-league pacts. The 25-year-old signed with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and split his time since then between the AHL and ECHL levels.
St. Louis Blues Sign Anton Malmstrom
The St. Louis Blues announced Monday that the team signed defenseman Anton Malmstrom to a two-year entry-level contract. The contract will begin in the 2023-24 season, making Malmstrom a restricted free agent in 2025. Per CapFriendly, the deal carries a cap hit of $910K, and the full structure is as follows:
2023-24: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2024-25: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus
The Blues said Malmstrom, 22, will join the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, on an amateur tryout for the remainder of 2022-23.
The hulking 6’4″ defenseman from Österhaninge, Sweden, is an undrafted free agent signing out of Bowling Green State University, one of the first college signings of the 2023 season. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reported last month that Malmstrom was drawing some NHL interest and named the Blues as the frontrunner to sign him after he attended their development camp in 2022.
This season with Bowling Green, Malmstrom served as an alternate captain and registered three goals and six points in 33 contests, along with a -8 rating. Those both were career-highs for Malmstrom at Bowling Green, and even considering his junior production in Sweden, his point production has never been where you’d expect an NHL-level prospect to be. Even if his defensive game is the appeal behind his signing, Malmstrom must work on his offensive awareness in Springfield for a shot at the NHL.
Anton Malmstrom Garnering NHL Interest
Defenseman Anton Malmstrom from Bowling Green State University is drawing some NHL interest as the end of the college hockey season approaches, reports Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. After attending St. Louis Blues development camp last summer, Strickland says they remain the front-runner to sign him.
Malmstrom is not a name most hockey fans will be familiar with. Passed over in his draft year, 2018, Malmstrom spent two more seasons in his home country of Sweden before crossing the Atlantic to play at Bowling Green.
He’s far from an offensive force, but strong defensive structure in his game earned him a four-game call-up to the SHL’s Djurgardens IF in his last year in Sweden, 2019-20. In three seasons since with Bowling Green, including the current year, Malmstrom has seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 85 games.
While those offensive numbers aren’t eye-popping, Malmstrom hasn’t produced much above U18 play. It’s clearly not the calling card of his game, though, and his defensive play has been strong enough to warrant past and present interest from NHL teams. Malmstrom also participated in the Boston Bruins development camp in 2021.
His 6’4″, 203-pound frame certainly adds to the appeal. Now with another season under his belt in North America, Strickland’s report suggests NHL teams are ready to extend a financial commitment to Malmstrom’s furthered development.