Snapshots: Rocket, Blomqvist, Guttman
The AHL’s Laval Rocket are bringing a pair of players into the Montreal Canadiens organization. They’ve signed one-year contracts with defenseman Tobie Paquette-Bisson and goalie Strauss Mann, bolstering their depth as Laval looks to improve on a middling 2022-23 campaign.
Paquette-Bisson, 26, spent last season under NHL contract with the Los Angeles Kings and was not issued a qualifying offer, meaning the organization let his rights lapse. Before that, though, he had spent two seasons with Laval on AHL deals, posting 26 points in 83 games. The undrafted left-shot defender will once again gun for playing time in Laval alongside Montreal’s defense prospects.
They’ve also brought in Mann, who also became an unrestricted free agent after the San Jose Sharks opted not to qualify him last week. The University of Michigan grad brings Olympic experience to Laval, and was a rather promising signing for San Jose after a strong first professional season overseas in Sweden. However, he posted just an .894 save percentage in 20 games with the AHL Barracuda and couldn’t quite find his footing. The 24-year-old will look to get back on track in Laval and earn another NHL deal as soon as possible.
More from around the league today:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins plan on bringing goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist to North America next season, says director of player development Tom Kostopoulos. The team’s 2020 second-round pick has played almost exclusively in Finland since being drafted, save for a few spotty appearances stateside after his season ended overseas. He took a step back last season after posting an insane .940 save percentage in 20 Liiga games in 2021-22, still managing a shutout and .907 save percentage in 21 games with Karpat. He’ll command a lot of playing time with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next season.
- The Chicago Blackhawks expect forward prospect Cole Guttman will be available to start camp after undergoing shoulder surgery near the end of last season, says AHL Rockford head coach Anders Sorensen. Guttman, a free agent signing out of the University of Denver, posted an impressive 30 points in 39 games with Rockford last year and added four goals and six points in 14 NHL games with Chicago. It’s not clear whether he’ll start 2023-24 in the NHL or AHL at this time.
Cole Guttman Injured For Rest Of Season
Chicago Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman will be out for the rest of the season according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. Guttman is heading to Los Angeles to have shoulder surgery to repair the injury, and should be available to the Blackhawks at next season’s training camp.
The 23-year-old center was a sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017. Since then, he had a tremendous college career at Denver that included a national championship last spring. Guttman was a pivotal player for Denver in that run, scoring 19 goals and 45 points in 41 games last season.
Following that season, Guttman elected to not sign with the Lightning, instead waiting until August when he became an NHL free agent. Then, he signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks.
The 5-foot-9 and 168 pound forward is a skilled playmaker who has put up solid production in his first pro season. The Northridge, CA native scored 16 goals and 30 points in 39 AHL games this season and added four goals and six points in 14 NHL games. He had points in three consecutive contests with the Blackhawks before being shut down today.
Powers also noted this injury is something Guttman has been dealing with more a while. He was not sent down to the Rockford Ice Hogs on trade deadline day and therefore not eligible for the AHL playoffs this spring. As it turns out, the reason for that was because the team knew Guttman was working through this shoulder problem, but they thought he could play through it until the end of the NHL’s regular season.
Evidently, things got worse and now the Blackhawks are without Guttman for the remainder of the season. They had already called up Buddy Robinson and Mike Hardman this morning to fill out the roster.
Jonathan Toews Placed On Injured Reserve
The Chicago Blackhawks have completed a number of transactions ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Cole Guttman, Brett Seney, and Isaak Phillips have been recalled from the AHL. To make room, Jarred Tinordi, Jonathan Toews, and Alex Stalock are all going on injured reserve.
Toews is certainly the biggest name among that group, especially as the trade deadline nears. His mysterious illness has kept him away from the team for more than a week, and he has not played since the end of January. Given how long he’s been out, Toews will be able to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, but there’s no clear timeline on that at this point.
Stalock, meanwhile is dealing with “ocular dysfunction,” as it was recently revealed that it is not a concussion keeping him sidelined. He is dealing a “cranial thing” affecting his eyesight and ability to track the puck, according to head coach Luke Richardson yesterday.
Tinordi is out with a knee sprain suffered last night against the Montreal Canadiens and will have to miss at least a week after landing on injured reserve.
Notably, this is Guttman’s first NHL recall, after joining the program last summer as a college free agent. The 23-year-old forward has been good in his first year of pro hockey, scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games. Undersized, he will try to prove that his height won’t stop him from contributing at the highest level.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Cole Guttman
Aug 18: The team has now officially announced the two-year entry-level contract. It will carry a $950K cap hit.
Aug 17: The Chicago Blackhawks front office certainly isn’t on vacation. After signing Jack Johnson late last night, the team is now expected to sign college free agent Cole Guttman according to Scott Powers of The Athletic.
Guttman, 23, was a draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning but failed to sign his entry-level contract by this week’s deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent. Because of his age, he’ll be limited to a two-year deal.
Serving as captain of the University of Denver, he led the Pioneers to a national championship earlier this year and was tied for second in team scoring with Edmonton Oilers prospect Carter Savoie (behind Bobby Brink of the Philadelphia Flyers). His 19 goals and 45 points were easily career highest, though the 2017 sixth-round pick has put up strong totals throughout his four years in college.
Relatively undersized, Guttman is the kind of no-risk lottery ticket that the Blackhawks can afford to take a chance on as they rebuild. If he’s unable to deliver NHL minutes there’s nothing wrong with him adding some skill to the Rockford IceHogs.
If he can get to the highest level, however, it becomes another young forward for general manager Kyle Davidson to build around, or even potentially a trade chip to sell over the next few years. As we’ve seen so far this offseason, 23-year-old players are not safe from the rebuild machine in Chicago, as they set their sights further down the road.
For Guttman specifically, there’s probably no better place in the league to try and land regular NHL minutes. Signing with Chicago will give him an open path to playing time if he can show he deserves it, allowing his professional career to start on the right foot.