Injury Notes: Josi, Tanev, Milano
It doesn’t appear the Nashville Predators will have their captain tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets. Beat reporter Brooks Bratten reported earlier that defenseman Roman Josi is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury suffered in Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Approximately halfway through the second period of the game, Josi was checked from behind by Panther Sam Bennett causing his head to hit the plexiglass. The Norris Trophy-winning defenseman played through the injury for the remaining minutes of the second period but was ruled out for the third. Bennett was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for boarding on the play.
When asked about Josi’s ongoing injury evaluation, head coach Andrew Brunette said (as reported by Predators’ reporter Nick Kieser), “Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. I don’t really know. With those things it’s day-to-day, could be week-to-week, could be season-ending, we don’t really know yet.” Although speaking vaguely, Brunette mentioning a longer-term injury when speaking to reporters should raise concerns regarding Josi’s availability for the foreseeable future.
Other injury notes:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly avoided a worst-case scenario with their top shutdown defenseman. The Hockey News’ David Alter shared that Chris Tanev‘s recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day although he’s been ruled out for Friday’s contest against the New York Rangers. Tanev was seen wearing a sling after missing the final two periods of Toronto’s game yesterday evening against the Boston Bruins.
- After missing the last four months of action due to an upper-body injury, a return to game action is on the horizon for Washington Capitals’ forward Sonny Milano. According to Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post, Milano was upgraded to a full-contact jersey for today’s practice. Unfortunately for Milano, given the likelihood of the league-leading Capitals’ adding one or two forwards before next Friday’s trade deadline, Milano is a strong candidate for waivers upon his activation from the long-term injured reserve.
Minor Transactions: 7/10/24
As the NHL transaction activity dries up, we’re seeing an uptick in their farm teams making moves to add to their roster for the upcoming season. Here’s a rundown of today’s movement.
- After spending last season with AHL Charlotte on an NHL contract with Florida, goaltender Mack Guzda is returning to the Checkers but this time on a minor league deal as the team announced they’ve signed him to a one-year contract. The 23-year-old was limited to just two games last season due to injury but made 29 appearances in 2022-23 where he had a 2.88 GAA with a .897 SV%. Guzda was non-tendered by Florida last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Former Calgary farmhand Riley Damiani is off to Germany as Augsberger of the DEL has signed him to a one-year deal per a team release. The 24-year-old split last season between Dallas and Calgary after being part of the Chris Tanev deal before the trade deadline. Damiani had 11 goals and 13 assists in 67 games between the two teams which wasn’t enough to yield him a qualifying offer in June.
- Boston’s farm team in Providence announced a pair of additions in forward Evan Vierling and defenseman Mason Millman on one-year deals. Vierling played his first professional campaign last season and the 22-year-old was productive in limited AHL duty, notching seven points in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while adding 25 points in 34 ECHL contests. As for Millman, the 22-year-old picked up four assists in 15 games with AHL Lehigh Valley last season while adding 26 more in 44 ECHL appearances.
- Veteran defenseman Robbie Russo is heading for a second stint in Tucson, per a team release. The 31-year-old spent two seasons with the Roadrunners before moving on in 2020. Last season, Russo recorded 30 points in 69 games with Utica. He has 19 career NHL appearances under his belt, all with Detroit back in the 2016-17 campaign.
- Winger Marcel Marcel will remain in Rockford as the IceHogs announced that they’ve re-signed him to a one-year deal. Rather than return to major junior for a final season, the 20-year-old opted to turn pro and got into 26 games with Rockford where he had five assists. With Chicago adding considerable depth over the summer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Marcel spend more time with ECHL Indy next season.
Leafs Sign Chris Tanev To Six-Year Contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $27MM contract. The deal carries an annual cap hit of $4.5MM. This signing vindicates Toronto’s acquisitions of Tanev’s rights following the draft, with the Leafs sending a 2026 seventh-round back to the Dallas Stars.
Tanev has become one of the league’s most sought after defensive-defensemen, making his looming free agency headlining news when it was learned that he wouldn’t re-sign with the Dallas Stars. Dallas paid a pretty penny for Tanev at the Trade Deadline, dealing away prospect Artem Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick used on Jacob Battaglia, and a 2026 third-round pick. But Tanev quickly vindicated their efforts, seamlessly stepping onto the team’s top line. He only managed five points in 19 regular season games, bleak scoring that dropped to just two points in 19 postseason games, but Tanev made sure to find other ways to be effective. He recorded 30 hits and 73 blocked shots during the postseason, leading the league in the latter stat even despite being eliminated in the Western Conference Finals.
The defiant showing in Dallas continued the legend around Tanev’s defensive impacts. He began his career as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Vancouver Canucks in 2010 following the end of his freshman year at R.I.T. Vancouver put Tanev to quick work, awarding him the first 29 games of his NHL career in the 2010-11 season. He’d record just one assist as a rookie, adding two more in 25 NHL games during his sophomore season, while still searching for an everyday role in the NHL. He’d find his first two NHL goals in year three, posting seven points in 38 games, and finally command an everyday role in the lineup in year four.
Tanev quickly found his way to Vancouver’s top pairing in his first full year, averaging nearly 21 minutes of ice time a game and scoring 17 points in 64 games during the 2013-14 campaign. He found the style that works for him that year, holding firmly to it in the 10 seasons since. Now 34, Tanev has accumulated 792 games and 157 points in the NHL, spread across three teams.
Toronto will soon become Tanev’s fourth organization, with this deal returning him to his hometown club and finally awarding Toronto a top-line defender they can trust. It’s been a grueling few years for the Leafs, who have had to lean on players like T.J. Brodie and Jake McCabe to fill top-pair minutes next to stout offensive-defenseman Morgan Rielly. Tanev’s addition should form a much more natural pairing with Rielly. The two are opposites in the best way – and Tanev’s control over the back end could give Rielly a chance to once again chase high-scoring, after posting 58 points this year and 68 points two seasons ago.
With the Tanev deal in place, Toronto is down to just $7.58MM in cap space, with one forward spot and two goalie spots yet to be filled. They’re likely to prioritize adding a backup goalie next, after extending Joseph Woll and expressing interest in Anthony Stolarz.
Morning Notes: Askarov, Tanev, Laine
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that the Nashville Predators have told teams interested in goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov that they would like to get a current NHLer back in a trade or another highly touted forward or defensive prospect.
The 22-year-old Askarov appeared to be the Predators goaltender of the future, but with Juuse Saros expected to sign a long-term extension in Nashville, Askarov will not have a path to a starter job in the NHL until he is in his 30s. Given his pedigree as an 11th overall pick and his solid AHL numbers, Askarov figures to be an NHL goalie sooner than later, but it appears likely that it will happen in a different market than Nashville.
In other morning notes:
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is guessing that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to sign recently acquired defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $24MM contract extension. Toronto acquired Tanev’s rights yesterday and early reports indicated that they could offer a deal of five to eight years in length. The 34-year-old Tanev wasn’t likely to sign in Dallas and the team elected to get something for him rather than letting him walk for free. Toronto has long sought after a defenseman like Tanev, and now that they’ve jumped the line to negotiate with him, they are expected to get a deal done.
- Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic write that the Minnesota Wild have had talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets about potentially acquiring scorer Patrik Laine. The 26-year-old Laine hasn’t been the goal-scorer he was when he broke into the league with the Winnipeg Jets back in 2016-17 but hasn’t had much support in Columbus and was limited to just 18 games last season. A change of scenery could be just what Laine needs as he tries to get his career back on track. The Wild struggled to score last season and with limited cap space, they will be looking for bounce-back seasons from several current players. Acquiring Laine might provide a safety net for Minnesota if they aren’t able to get depth scoring from their current roster of players.
Maple Leafs Acquire Rights To Chris Tanev
The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Chris Tanev from the Dallas Stars (Twitter link). The return is depth forward Max Ellis and a 2026 seventh-round pick, shares Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Toronto will have two days to negotiate with the prolific defensive-defenseman before he enters free agency on July 1st.
This trade reunites Tanev with his hometown of Toronto late into his career. Now 34, Tanev has pulled together a career to be proud of, totaling 190 points in 792 games, spending 10 years with the Vancouver Canucks, four years with the Calgary Flames, and then one brief playoff run with the Dallas Stars. His role has held steadfast through the changes of scenery – with Tanev among the most popular top-pair shutdown defenders in the league. He’s vindicated that reputation over the last five seasons, with plenty of teams reportedly in the market when Vancouver and Calgary traded him away.
It’s Toronto who will win the Tanev sweepstakes this time around, though they show up to the race a bit late in Tanev’s career. That might not stop them from giving him healthy term, though, with TSN’s Darren Dreger reporting that Tanev’s next deal could run for as long as five-to-eight years (Twitter link). That term would carry Tanev to, or beyond, 40 – though it could also help keep the deal’s cap hit down. The Leafs could use every dollar they can save, with $18.83MM in cap spcae to re-sign a daunting 15 pending free agents. That list includes players like Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi, as well as the rotation of backup goaltenders in Ilya Samsonov, Martin Jones, and Matt Murray.
While Toronto has the luxury of not needing to re-sign every player, they’re bound to commit more money than they’d like to the few they do bring back. It’s hard to think Tanev is in line for a team-friendly deal, even if he were to land substantial term with his hometown club. But with a deadline right around the corner, fans may not have to wait long for the mysteries of his deal to be revealed. When they are, Toronto will be locking up a stout, reliable defensive-defenseman who should compliment Morgan Rielly‘s offensive style much better than his previous linemates.
Tanev’s representation did not speak with Toronto before the trade, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Free Agency Notes: Stamkos, Stephenson, Toronto, Tanev, Teravainen
As the Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to clear out the necessary cap space to retain their captain Steven Stamkos, another team may have entered the fray. In a list of news items around the league as the hockey world heads into the offseason, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Subscription Required) indicates the Nashville Predators will attempt to sign the star forward if he hits the free agent market on July 1st.
In addition to Stamkos, LeBrun notes that the Predators will also look into the market for Chandler Stephenson this summer as the team looks to add some punch to their lineup. As one of the most active teams of last year’s free-agent period; Nashville does not appear content to be a fringe contender next season. Even without Stamkos or Stephenson on the roster last season, Nashville was one of the best offensive teams in the league as they finished 10th in the NHL with a GF/G average of 3.24.
The Predators may be better served in putting most of their efforts toward Stephenson, as Stamkos will likely look for a team closer to Stanley Cup contention if he decides to leave Tampa Bay in the first place. In any case, money will not be a factor in the negotiations for either player as Nashville owns just north of $26MM of cap space heading into the summer. According to EvolvingHockey, Stephenson will command a four-year deal with a salary of $6.1MM while Stamkos is projected to get a three-year contract with an AAV of $8.4MM.
Other free agency notes:
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- There is no question that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to add to their defensive core this offseason. However, as Pierre LeBrun reports, the team has not ruled out extending some of their current defensemen who are set to hit unrestricted free agency next Monday. That list would include Joel Edmundson, Ilya Lyubushkin, Mark Giordano, and T.J. Brodie although all signs indicate that the latter’s time in Toronto has ended. Edmundson and Lyubushkin are both physical defensemen who like to play with an edge while Giordano is a stabilizing presence on the back end. Depending on the cost, the Maple Leafs may decide to keep some of their current pieces around for next season.
- Chris Tanev is looking to cash in on a solid 2023-24 NHL season as Jonas Siegel and James Mirtle of The Athletic (Subscription Required) report the veteran defenseman is looking for a four-year contract this offseason. The veteran defenseman is already engaged in contract discussions with the Dallas Stars on a new deal, but it is unknown how long the organization is willing to go on his next contract. If Tanev makes it to the open market, plenty of defensive-needy teams will be interested in his services, but the pack may thin out if teams are unwilling to make that long of an arrangement.
- With the team’s sole focus on retaining Jake Guentzel before July 1st, it appears the Carolina Hurricanes will not make an offer to Teuvo Teravainen and he will hit the open market as suggested by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Teravainen has quietly been one of the most effective players on the Hurricanes for eight years and should receive plenty of interest once free agency opens up. If his time in Carolina has ended, Teravainen will have amassed a total of 555 games in Carolina while scoring 137 goals and 415 points overall.
Free Agent Notes: Guentzel, Stamkos, Tanev, Johnson
Winger Jake Guentzel is set to be one of the top players in this year’s UFA class. The Hurricanes haven’t given up on trying to re-sign the veteran, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta (Twitter link) who adds that the Kings and Red Wings are among the teams that are expected to show interest should the 29-year-old make it to the open market. Guentzel split the season between Pittsburgh and Carolina, who made him their big addition at the trade deadline. He’s coming off his third-straight 30-goal campaign and has averaged over a point per game in four of the last five years. Guentzel also had a good playoff showing, notching nine points in 11 contests, and is just below a point per game for his postseason career. That certainly has him well-positioned to earn a significant raise on the $6MM he has been making since 2019-20.
Other news on the free agent front:
- Discussions are ongoing between the Lightning and captain Steven Stamkos, Pagnotta relays (Twitter link). Stamkos made it known going back to training camp in the fall that he wasn’t pleased that a new deal wasn’t in place with the team preferring to let the season play out. His frustration didn’t show in his play, however, as he put up 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games, surpassing the point-per-game threshold for the seventh time in eight years. While the 34-year-old will one day slow down, it looks like he has several good years still to come, meaning he’ll have a strong market should he actually get to free agency on Monday.
- The Stars are continuing discussions with pending UFA blueliner Chris Tanev, relays Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 34-year-old proved to be a strong pickup at the trade deadline, helping to anchor their back end through a run to the Western Conference Final. Tanev finished the season with 19 points and a career-best 207 blocks in 75 games between Calgary and Dallas and will have strong interest next week; LeBrun puts the Maple Leafs as one of his likely suitors.
- Blackhawks RFA Reese Johnson is not expected to receive a qualifying offer, his agent Michael O’Rafferty told Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription link). The 25-year-old was limited to just 42 games this season while also dealing with a concussion. Johnson had five points and 109 hits in those appearances while averaging a little less than 11 minutes a night. His qualifying offer comes in at just under $900K with arbitration rights but it appears Chicago will let someone else get a chance on their fourth line.
Offseason Notes: Trade Board, Canadiens, Stars
TSN’s Chris Johnston published his annual offseason trade board in The Athletic in the middle of last week which sees a surprising name at the top of the list. At the top of the board, Johnston indicates that Mitch Marner is the top name on the trade block, even after cold water has been dumped on the likelihood of a Marner trade in recent weeks.
The rest of the names on Johnston’s list are unsurprising, as Boston Bruins’ Linus Ullmark, Carolina Hurricanes’ Martin Necas, Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, and Ottawa Senators’ Jakob Chychrun round out the top five. Although the movement of any of these players is far from a guarantee, the NHL is expected to see a major shakeup in the summer months.
Nevertheless, the reality of a Marner trade is becoming less and less possible by the day, even after a dismal playoff performance and the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brendan Shanahan, indicating that “everything is on the table” with Toronto’s roster this summer. Marner holds a full no-movement clause in his contract; allowing him to control his destiny with the Maple Leafs’ organization. Marner can ride out the last year of his contract on Toronto’s roster and become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he chooses to do so.
Other notes:
- Another day has passed, which means another team has been directly linked to Martin Necas. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported yesterday that the Montreal Canadiens are looking to add a scoring forward before next Friday’s NHL Draft, and have been looking into Necas and Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks. There are several options available to General Manager Kent Hughes heading into the offseason, outside of just Necas and Zegras. Throughout his tenure as General Manager of the Canadiens organization, Hughes has dived much more into the trade market to improve his club rather than bring in free-agent talent.
- The Dallas Stars received solid news on the injury front as General Manager Jim Nill stated that no injured member of the club requires surgery in the offseason (Article Link). During the Stars’ postseason run in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, all of Jani Hakanpää, Chris Tanev, Tyler Seguin, and Roope Hintz dealt with varying levels of injuries throughout the playoffs but should have an entire offseason to train and recover. Surprisingly, Hakanpää will not require a procedure this summer as a lower-body injury kept him out of the entirety of the postseason as his season concluded on March 16th.
Stars Notes: Dellandrea, Tanev, Carrier
Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek spoke about the Dallas Stars on the 32 Thoughts podcast today saying that the belief is that the Stars traded Ty Dellandrea to the San Jose Sharks to open up room on their roster for other moves. Dellandrea was dealt to the Sharks for a 2025 fourth-round pick and the speculation is that the Stars feel that Mavrik Bourque is ready to step into a full-time role and that ice-time could come from Dellandrea.
Bourque is a former first-round pick in 2020 (30th overall) and has played just one NHL game to this point in his short career. However, the 22-year-old has good offensive instincts and excellent hockey IQ and has excelled in the AHL posting 26 goals and 51 assists in 71 games last season for the Texas Stars. Given his progression, it seems likely that the Plessisville, Quebec native is ready for an NHL role.
In other Dallas Stars notes:
- Jeff Marek also noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Stars have taken a run this week at re-signing Chris Tanev before he goes to unrestricted free agency. This was also mentioned earlier in the week by Darren Dreger on TSN 1200. Tanev and the Stars have an interest in extending their working relationship as they believe Tanev is an excellent fit on the team’s backend. At 34 years old, Tanev is looking at his last opportunity to secure a lucrative multi-year deal, and the Stars will likely need to up their offer to keep the Toronto, Ontario native in Dallas.
- Friedman notes on 32 Thoughts that he’s heard rumblings that the Stars have an interest in Vegas Golden Knights forward William Carrier. The 29-year-old Carrier will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and has played for Stars head coach Pete DeBoer before as a member of the Golden Knights. Carrier doesn’t score much, posting just six goals and two assists in 39 games this season, and has also struggled to remain in the lineup over the years, never playing more than 71 games in a season.
Evening Notes: Tanev, Necas, Heinen
Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev has revealed the injury that forced him out of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, documented by NHL.com’s Taylor Baird (Twitter link). Per Tanev, he felt a pop in his ankle in his first shift after blocking an Evander Kane shot. The resulting injury was to his peroneal tendons and won’t require surgery to fix.
Tanev is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, having played the final year of a four-year, $18MM deal signed with the Calgary Flames the last time he hit the market. Tanev has solidified his status as one of the staunchest defenders in the league on the contract – averaging over 20 minutes of ice time across 278 games since 2020 despite totaling just 72 points. Tanev’s played with just three teams over 14 years in the NHL and could continue that loyalty with the Stars, with the team interested in re-signing the veteran before he hits the market on July 1st.
Other notes from around the league:
- Both the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas are still “preferring” to part ways, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the Donie and Dhali Show (Twitter link). Friedman adds that the Hurricanes would likely be targeting top prospects for Necas – adding that he doesn’t envision a swap of Necas and Filip Hronek when speaking to Donnie and Dhali’s Canucks theme. Necas has scored 124 points across 159 games in the last two seasons, emerging as a legitimate scoring threat in a Hurricanes lineup full of offensive talent. Carolina will now look to open up cap space, and reinforce their depth charts, after trading three top prospects and two draft picks for Jake Guentzel at the Trade Deadline.
- The Boston Bruins are expected to begin talks with Danton Heinen about contract extension soon, shares The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta (Twitter link). Heinen rejoined the Bruins for this season after a three-year tenure split between the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 17 goals and 36 points in 74 appearances in the reunion, offering flexible offense from the bottom of the depth charts. He’ll be set for his eighth NHL season, and his sixth with the Bruins, with a new deal this summer.