Morning Notes: Laine, Red Wings, Swoyer
Scott Billeck of The Winnipeg Sun writes that he doesn’t believe the Winnipeg Jets will pursue a reunion with former Jet Patrik Laine. Billeck cites the Jets’ lack of cap space and poor fit as the reasons Winnipeg would pass on the former 2016 second-overall pick. The Jets would need to move out money to acquire the Columbus Blue Jackets forward, even if Columbus retained half of Laine’s cap hit (something they are hesitant to do).
Winnipeg currently has Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers, Brad Lambert and possibly Vladislav Namestnikov slated to play in their top six, and new head coach Scott Arniel reportedly would like to add Cole Perfetti into the mix as well, further crowding the top two lines. The Jets could move Ehlers out via trade given his contract situation and hesitancy to sign long-term, but he could provide a lot more value to Winnipeg if the new coaching staff can deploy him properly.
In other morning notes:
- Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde plans to increase the leadership roles of youngsters Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond next season (as per Helene St. James of Detroit Free Press). Lalonde adds that he isn’t worried about the ongoing contract negotiations between the team and the two franchise cornerstones saying that whenever they have spoken this summer, they have not discussed the contract situation. Detroit has used a rotating leadership group the past couple of seasons, relying solely on veterans to fill the assistant captain roles. But with the Red Wings ready to take the next step, it appears they are also ready to allow their younger stars to have a bigger role in the leadership of the team.
- The Toledo Walleye of the ECHL announced that they’ve signed former Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Colin Swoyer for the 2024-25 season. The 26-year-old joined the Penguins organization on an amateur tryout in March 2022 and eventually signed an ELC. He played 45 AHL games over parts of three seasons and spent the majority of last season with the South Carolina Stingrays, registering two goals and five assists in 40 games. During his AHL career, Swoyer has split time between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey, tallying a goal and 13 assists.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Colin Swoyer
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to comb the ranks of the undrafted college free agent, this time signing Colin Swoyer after Michigan Tech’s season came to an end over the weekend. Swoyer has agreed to a one-year entry-level contract that will be for the 2022-23 season and carries an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level. He’ll now join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.
Swoyer, 23, spent four years at Michigan Tech, following a part of seasons in the USHL. Completely overlooked by scouts during his draft years–Swoyer wasn’t even listed on NHL Central Scouting’s top-200 North American skaters–his development in college has now led to an outstanding opportunity for the young defenseman.
The Penguins, known for their willingness to take chances on college free agents, have just seven defensemen in the entire organization signed through 2022-23 (eight now). While several of the younger minor league options will get new deals as restricted free agents, there is always room for a player like Swoyer to make an impact in an organization that sheds draft picks so frequently.
Whether he can make that impact remains to be seen, but the soon-to-be 24-year-old will get at least a year to try. Despite turning 25 before his entry-level contract ends, Swoyer will not qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2023; he will be a restricted free agent when this first contract expires.