East Notes: Chinakhov, Peeke, Bear
While Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov has already returned to Columbus in advance of training camp, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that his trade request hasn’t been rescinded. The 24-year-old started strong with 14 points in 21 games but then suffered a back injury that kept him out for several months while undergoing a treatment back in Russia that the team didn’t approve of. Then, upon returning, his ice time was more limited while also being a healthy scratch multiple times, resulting in just one assist in his final nine appearances. Chinakhov has one year left on his bridge contract worth $2.1MM and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a team looking to make a change-of-scenery type of trade showing interest in Chinakhov in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke played a fairly big role in the second half of last season, logging nearly 21 minutes a night when their back end dealt with some major injuries. While he fared relatively well in those extra minutes, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the team hasn’t initiated contract extension talks yet and could wait until later in the season when they have a better sense of where they stand. Peeke was brought in at the 2024 trade deadline from Columbus and has largely been a fourth or fifth defender in Boston. He has one year left on his contract with a $2.75MM cap charge and should be able to get a bump up on that on his next deal.
- The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that prospect Carter Bear will not take part in their rookie games but is expected to be ready for training camp. Detroit picked the forward 13th overall back in June following a strong season with WHL Everett that saw him score 40 goals and add 42 assists in just 56 games. However, he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in early March and it appears that Detroit isn’t going to chance it with the injury and will hold him out this weekend as a precaution.
Red Wings Sign First-Rounder Carter Bear
The Red Wings have officially signed No. 13 overall pick Carter Bear to his first NHL contract, the team confirmed today in an announcement on X. It’s a three-year entry-level deal.
Bear, a relatively early birthday for the class in November 2006, is coming off his second full season of major junior hockey with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. The Winnipeg native posted 40 goals, 42 assists, 82 points, and a +33 rating in 56 outings to lead the team in scoring. He served as an alternate captain and was named to the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team at season’s end.
The 6’0″ left winger put up those numbers before a partial Achilles tear ended his season in March. Since he’s still rehabbing from that, it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for training camp – although Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects reported in May that Bear’s recovery was ahead of schedule and he could be ready for the World Junior Summer Showcase for Canada later this month.
While there’s likely room for fluctuation in his performance bonuses, Bear presumably signed a maximum-base salary entry-level deal that gives him a cap hit of $975K out of the gate. That cap impact could be reduced if he’s subject to an entry-level slide in 2025-26 by playing in fewer than 10 NHL games since his signing bonus for this season will be paid out regardless.
Bear is the 10th player from this year’s draft class to sign his ELC and the eighth first-rounder to do so.