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Gustav Olofsson

Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Gustav Olofsson

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The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms with pending restricted free agent Gustav Olofsson on a one-year two-way deal. The contract will pay Olofsson $700K in the NHL level, and guarantee him at least $300K. The 24-year old defenseman will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal if he fails to play in 24 NHL games this season.

Olofsson was acquired by the Canadiens last October, but ended up playing in just two AHL games all season thanks to a shoulder injury. That meant he wasn’t able to help Montreal as they dealt with injuries on the NHL club, and sent him into this offseason in uncertain territory. Apparently he did enough to impress the front office and will try to show he can be an asset to the organization in 2019-20.

Montreal now has just three more defensemen to make a decision on, as Jordie Benn (UFA), Mike Reilly (RFA) and Brett Lernout (RFA) are the only free agents remaining. Even before any big moves this summer the team has a good amount of depth on the blue line, though it could probably use an upgrade at the NHL level if the Canadiens want to return to the playoffs. Olofsson isn’t that just yet, but don’t be surprised if he gets an opportunity to show he belongs at the highest level.

Gustav Olofsson Out Six Months Following Shoulder Surgery

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It has been a rough month for defenseman Gustav Olofsson.  After suffering a shoulder injury in training camp with Minnesota, he eventually was waived and passed through unclaimed.  He then was flipped to Montreal but in just his second game with their AHL affiliate in Laval, he suffered a recurrence of the injury.  Arpon Basu of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that this latest injury will keep him shelved for six months after undergoing successful surgery today.  Barring a faster-than-expected recovery, this will end his season.

Olofsson is no stranger to shoulder issues as he missed almost his entire rookie year with one back in 2014-15 as well as part of the 2015-16 campaign with another one.  Despite that, he still showed some potential with the Wild and got into 41 games with the team last season.  Clearly, Montreal liked his upside as they dealt a decent prospect in winger Will Bitten to acquire him after he cleared waivers to give them some more depth on the back end.  Anticipating a lengthy recovery, the Canadiens signed blueliner Ryan Sproul to a minor league tryout deal to take Olofsson’s place on the roster last week.

The 23-year-old is in the final season of a two-year contract that pays him $775K.  That means he’ll be owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K and given that this will be the second time in five seasons that he effectively is missing an entire year due to injury, it’s not exactly a given that Montreal will be tendering him that offer in June.

Montreal Acquires Gustav Olofsson From Minnesota

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After clearing waivers earlier today, Gustav Olofsson is on his way to the Montreal Canadiens organization. The Minnesota Wild have traded the depth defenseman to the Canadiens in exchange for forward Will Bitten. Olofsson will be able to report directly to the Laval Rocket of the AHL.

Olofsson, 23, is a fairly interesting player for the Canadiens, who seem to be collecting young defensemen that were in tough situations when it comes to playing time. With a defense corps that is expected to struggle without Shea Weber for the first half of the season—and perhaps even after he returns—taking chances with players like Olofsson or Brett Kulak makes a lot of sense. There’s no guarantee that Olofsson will make an impact at the NHL level, but with a solid draft pedigree (46th overall in 2013) and 41 games or reasonably reliable defensive play last season there is at least some hope that he will.

Interestingly though they needed to give up Bitten, despite having a chance to claim Olofsson for free. That would have required them to keep the young defenseman on their NHL team or risk him being reclaimed by the Wild at some point, but giving up on a 2016 third-round pick in Bitten is a bit tough to swallow. There’s not elite offensive potential in the 20-year old forward, but few have ever come away from a Bitten viewing without noticing his incredible work ethic and drive. Scoring 64 points in 62 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs last season, Bitten was also one of the more effective defensive forwards in the OHL. That’s not always an indicator for success at the professional level, but the Canadiens now won’t even get the chance to find out.

Wild Investigating The Trade Market For Gustav Olofsson

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Although he wasn’t among their cuts today, Wild defenseman Gustav Olofsson may not be with the team too much longer.  Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that the team has investigated what they could potentially get for him on the trade market.

The 23-year-old is dealing with a shoulder issue at the moment and it’s not known if he is even healthy enough to be cleared to play just yet.

Last season, the 2013 second round pick (46th overall) split time between the third pairing and the press box.   He suited up in 41 games for Minnesota, collecting eight assists and 14 penalty minutes while averaging just below 13 minutes per night.  He did not play during their first-round exit at the hands of Winnipeg.

When healthy, Olofsson appears to be in a similar fate as last year where he projects to be an extra on the roster.  It’s not ideal for a young player to continue to be in that situation so it’s not surprising to see Minnesota looking to see what type of trade market is out there for him as his value will likely drop the longer he sits while getting something would guarantee at least some sort of return over risking losing him for nothing on the waiver wire.

Olofsson is in the second and final year of a contract he signed in June of 2017 that carries a cap hit of $725K and a $775K salary.  He will be owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K next summer.

Central Notes: Tolvanen, Gunnarsson, Crawford, Wild

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Predators prospect Eeli Tolvanen’s European Assignment Clause allows him to decide to leave AHL Milwaukee after ten games with the team, reports Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean.  The scribe adds that if the winger opted to go back to the KHL (it’s not an automatically-triggered clause), he could not return for the rest of the season.  Given that Tolvanen was projecting to be a depth player as their roster currently stands, they opted to send him down to maximize his playing time but if he wants to force their hand, Nashville will have a decision to make about his playing future within the next few weeks.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson has still not been cleared for contact as he continues his recovery from offseason hip and knee surgery, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Accordingly, it’s highly unlikely that the veteran will be available to start the season.  Between this and the suspension to Robert Bortuzzo yesterday, St. Louis will be down a couple of regular defenders when their season gets underway on Thursday.
  • Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters, including Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune, that goaltender Corey Crawford is on track to practice with the team next week. While that doesn’t bode well for his odds of being available to start the season, he shouldn’t miss too much time past the opener.  In the meantime, that will allow the team to keep Anton Forsberg up to start the season instead of running him through waivers over the next couple of days.
  • Wild winger Luke Kunin will be evaluated on Tuesday to assess his recovery from offseason ACL surgery, reports Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The initial timeline for him to be ready was seven months and that mark will be reached next week.  However, even if he gets the green light to resume full practice work, he still won’t be ready for the season opener.  Meanwhile, blueliner Gustav Olofsson has resumed skating on his own as he works his way back from a shoulder injury but there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Snapshots: Stone, Panthers, Olofsson

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As if being an Ottawa Senators fan wasn’t hard enough right now, a report surfaced this morning that suggested Mark Stone wanted out of the city when his contract expired at the end of this season. Stone settled with the Senators this offseason on just a one-year deal that will pay him $7.35MM this season and qualifies for unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2019. The 26-year old forward was asked about the report after practice today, and denied it vehemently.

I love it here. This has been a great month for me, I’ve enjoyed my previous four years here and I want to continue to be here. 

As a player you’re looking to win every time you step on the ice. No matter who you’re playing with, no matter who’s in the lineup you have to look at it the same way. Obviously [the Senators front office] has said they’re rebuilding, but I think for the guys in this locker room we’re looking to win hockey games and looking to win as many as we can.

Stone could potentially be one of the very best forwards available on the open market next summer if he decides not to re-sign with the Senators, and can’t actually put pen to paper on a contract extension until January 1st, 2019. Even if he is enjoying things right now, it’s a dangerous situation for the Senators to be in given their expected struggles this season. Still, Stone has never said anything to make Ottawa believe that he wouldn’t be willing to stay and was even in discussions on a long-term deal this offseason at one point.

  • Not only do the Florida Panthers have a new captain in Aleksander Barkov, but today they announced their entire leadership group. Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau will all wear an “A” as alternate captains at various times this season, solidifying that group of five as the core of the team going forward. Among them, only Yandle is older than 25 while Barkov and Ekblad are still just 22 and 23 respectively, giving the Panthers a chance to keep most of the group together for a long time. In fact, all five are signed through at least the 2021-22 season and should help Florida return to the playoffs at some point in the next few years.
  • Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) is reporting that Gustav Olofsson has suffered another shoulder injury, and there is fear that it is serious. Olofsson underwent an MRI yesterday, but there has been no update from the team as of yet. The 23-year old defenseman played 41 games for the Wild last season and could have perhaps battled for a full-time spot had he not suffered the injury. Selected in the second round five years ago, Olofsson has been limited by injury throughout his professional career and will hope for good news this time around.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Minnesota Wild

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Minnesota Wild

Current Cap Hit: $77,729,424 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Luke Kunin (two years, $925K)
F Jordan Greenway (two years, $917K)
F Joel Eriksson Ek (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kunin: $500K
Eriksson Ek: $425K
Greenway: $400K

Total: $1.35MM

The team has just three entry-level players and all three will be critical to the team over the next couple of years. Their 2016 first-rounder, Kunin, suffered an ACL injury in April that required surgery. While he is close to be ready to return, he’s still being held out to allow his knee to fully heal. Regardless, the team has high expectations for him. He struggled to capture a full-time role with Minnesota last year, but scored 10 goals in the AHL in just 36 appearances there, while getting 19 games in with the NHL club. The team will need him to step into a full-time role as soon as he’s healthy. Eriksson Ek, the team’s 2015 first-rounder, got himself a full-time role, but struggled to put up points in the bottom-six, posting six goals in 75 games. A bigger role could allow him to take that next step.

The team also has big hopes for Greenway, who the team pried away from Boston University this spring. The 6-foot-6, 226-pound winger should provide the team with a solid power forward, who could jump into the team’s top-six immediately.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Eric Staal ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Eric Fehr ($1MM, UFA)
D Gustav Olofsson ($725K, RFA)
F Matt Hendricks ($700K, UFA)
F Matt Read ($650K, UFA)
D Nate Prosser ($650K, UFA)
G Alex Stalock ($650K, UFA)
G Andrew Hammond ($650K, UFA)

The team will have an interesting decision to make on Staal at the end of this season. Staal, who was coming off a disappointing 13-goal season a few years ago, signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal, which has been one of the team’s best signings in their history. Staal, who many thought might be slowing down, responded with 28 goals in 2016-17 and followed that up with a 42-goal season last year. Now at age 33, what will Minnesota do in a year when he’s 34 and in need of another deal? If he posts another impressive season, the Wild will have to pay up to keep his services. A disappointing year could mean the end of a thrilling ride.

The rest of the group are full of one-year deals in which the players must prove their worth. The team brought in Fehr, Hendricks and Read to shore up their fourth line, which struggled at times last year, while the team also has a pair of veteran netminders fighting for the backup goalie spot in Stalock and Hammond.

Two Years Remaining

F Mikael Granlund ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Mikko Koivu ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Jared Spurgeon ($5.18MM, UFA)
F Charlie Coyle ($3.2MM, UFA)
F J.T. Brown ($688K, UFA)

The team gave Koivu a two-year extension a year ago, but the 35-year-old is starting to fade after a 14-goal, 31-point performance last season and could be moved down a line, especially if Eriksson Ek continues to improve. Koivu still remains the all-time leader in both games played and points, however, but this could very likely be his last contract.

Granlund could also be an interesting situation. The 26-year-old has improved his game over the last two season, posting a combined 47 goals and he had a career-high in assists last year with 46. His second half was also a big success as he posted 45 points in 46 games, almost a point a game. If he can keep that production up, the Wild should look good. Fortunately, the team has two more years to monitor his success before they have to offer him a new contract. Coyle is another player, who has the ability to put up big points, yet Coyle has struggled more recently, posting just 11 goals and 37 points in 66 games. However, a broken fibula could have been a cause of his on-ice struggles. The team hopes that he can bounce back and prove he belongs in the team’s top-six.

Spurgeon has been perhaps the team’s best defenseman this season. The 28-year-old missed 21 games with a partially torn hamstring and rushed back for the playoffs, but wasn’t 100 percent. Already injury-prone, the team still has the veteran for another couple of years before they have to decide on another long-term contract.Read more

Minor Transactions: 04/06/18

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The NHL had some exceptional moments yesterday, as Henrik and Daniel Sedin said goodbye to the Vancouver fans in the only way they know how—an overtime powerplay goal—and Roberto Luongo played his 1,000th game with relatively little fanfare. What else would you expect from one of the most consistent goaltenders of all-time, than 26 saves and a win in the most important game of the season for the Florida Panthers.

As we bask in the romantic finishes from last night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league right here:

  • Carson Soucy has been sent back to the AHL by the Minnesota Wild, as his emergency conditions are up. Gustav Olofsson is back with the team according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, meaning Soucy is down for now. That could open a spot for Louis Belpedio to make his NHL debut, after recently signing and joining the team.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned Colby Cave to the minor leagues, after his latest two-game call-up. The 23-year old forward recorded two shots on goal, but is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • The New York Rangers have recalled Matt Beleskey and Steven Fogarty from the minor leagues in time for their final game tomorrow. Beleskey hasn’t played in the NHL since coming over at the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins in a salary dump, but might get a chance against the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow. The former 20-goal man is a prime candidate for a buyout if the Rangers need the cap space, though in their rebuild they might be fine with him playing next season in the minor leagues.
  • Jonny Brodzinski is on his way back to the AHL, as the Los Angeles Kings prepare for the playoffs. Brodzinski was recalled just yesterday, but will head back without getting into a game.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Nicolas Roy from the AHL, a reward for a solid rookie campaign. Roy recorded 37 points in his first professional season, following two solid years in junior. Selected in the fourth round, the 6’4″ forward has turned himself into a legitimate NHL prospect.

Jared Spurgeon Out With Groin Injury

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The Minnesota Wild have been one of several teams racked with injuries in 2017-18 and they can now add another major contributor to the list. The Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan reports that defenseman Jared Spurgeon is expected to miss at least two weeks with a groin strain. Spurgeon has missed the past two games and is likely to land on injured reserve.

Spurgeon, who teammate Mathew Dumba calls “one of the most underrated guys in the NHL”, will be missed in Minnesota. As the long-time partner of Ryan Suter on the team’s top-pair, Spurgeon is counted on for major minutes and mistake-free hockey. Spurgeon is as solid as they come, and it is no surprise that the Wild’s first game adjusting to his absence was a 7-2 rout by the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. However, the team did bounce back with a win over the Vegas Golden Knights last night, with Dumba filling in beside Suter. That will most likely be the top pair moving forward until Spurgeon is back on his feet.

The extent of the Spurgeon injury also lends some explanation to the Wild’s recent claim of old friend Nate Prosser. Prosser has nearly 300 games with Minnesota under his belt, but bolted for St. Louis this summer hoping for greater opportunity. When that opportunity never presented itself, Prosser was happy to return home and the Wild were fortunate enough to bring a familiar name back into the fold when they needed him most. Prosser could play a key role on the Minnesota blue line over the next two weeks, as could recently-recalled Ryan Murphy and young Gustav Olofsson. 

2017 NHL Free Agency Tracker

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Stay with PHR for all of the free agency signings this off-season. As of noon ET on July 1st, unrestricted free agency is open, but not before many extensions earlier in June. This page serves to organize everything in one spot, and are linked to the PHR story that corresponds with the signing. All July signings will be separated by date while June signings are organized alphabetically by team. It will be updated as soon as stories post.

Please note that signings on this list start on June 12.

July 1st:

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