Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jeremy Swayman

Snapshots: Emberson, Bruins, Bertucci, Loponen

at CDT | by 8 Comments

While Ty Emberson’s acquisition was largely viewed as Edmonton merely adding some extra depth on the back end, they have an opportunity to keep him around beyond the upcoming season but will need to play him somewhat regularly to do so.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Oilers will need to play the 24-year-old in at least 50 games in 2024-25 in order to retain his RFA rights (with arbitration eligibility at that time).  Otherwise, Emberson will be eligible to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent.  He was only able to play in 30 games with San Jose last season in his first taste of NHL action, missing 36 games due to injuries along the way.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Bruins are believed to be considering offering UFA wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Blake Wheeler tryouts for next month’s training camp, suggests Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Yamamoto is coming off a down year that saw him record just 16 points in 55 games with Seattle while Wheeler had 21 points in 54 contests while also missing considerable time with a leg injury.  Boston could stand to add some depth on the wing but until they get Jeremy Swayman’s contract sorted out, they’re unlikely to do any guaranteed contracts.
  • Stars defense prospect Tristan Bertucci is on the move as OHL Flint announced they’ve moved him to Barrie as part of a three-team swap. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick by Dallas in 2023, going 61st overall; he has already signed his entry-level contract.  Bertucci played in 61 games with the Firebirds last season, notching 10 goals and 34 assists while adding four helpers in four playoff contests.  He also was able to make his professional debut, suiting up once for AHL Texas after Flint was eliminated from the postseason.
  • Jets prospect Markus Loponen requested and was granted a contract termination from his deal with Karpat, per a team release from the Finnish squad. The 18-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in June, going 155th overall.  Loponen had 25 goals and 29 assists in 45 games last season on Karpat’s under-20 team, earning him a first-round selection by Victoria in the CHL Import Draft this summer.  Loponen will now suit up for the Royals this season.

Jeremy Swayman Confident He Will Stay With Boston

at CDT | by 5 Comments

One of the more outwardly difficult negotiations this summer has been between the Boston Bruins and goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Neither Boston nor Swayman opted to go through salary arbitration this offseason but the organization may have gotten a jolt to their system after the hockey world watched the St. Louis Blues make offer sheets to two members of the Edmonton Oilers a few days ago.

It doesn’t appear Swayman is worried about the lack of a contract up to this point with him asserting confidence he will remain with the Bruins in an interview on NESN earlier this week. In the interview, Swayman was quoted, “There’s a lot of confidence. And I say that because I’ve treated it like business as usual this year. I’ve been at Warrior, I’ve been working out with our guys, our staff, our players. And I know that there’s something special building in this locker room this year, and I can’t be more excited about that. I know that it will take care of itself with time, and all I can do is control how I’m going to be a better goalie for the Boston Bruins this year. So, that’s all I’m focused on. And I know, again, it will work out, and I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin“.

Cap space won’t be an issue for the Bruins with these negotiations as they still own approximately $8.6MM according to PuckPedia. The only reason Swayman’s contract would become a major concern for the salary cap is if a team takes the same approach as St. Louis and signs Swayman to an offer sheet north of their current allotment.

Earlier this week on ’32 Thoughts’, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet argued that Swayman and the Bruins weren’t close on a new contract, and the negotiations have been challenging. The exact reason for the strife is unknown but it’s likely due to Swayman’s camp potentially overestimating the value of the young netminder up to this point.

That’s not to say Swayman hasn’t been an exceptional goaltender up to this point in his career, but he’s largely shared the net with goaltender Linus Ullmark. Once a contract gets done between the two sides, the 2024-25 season will be his first as the undisputed starting netminder. Since sharing the net with Ullmark in the 2021-22 season, Swayman has only started in 46.7% of the regular season games for Boston.

Because of this, Evolving Hockey projects Swayman to land a four-year contract worth an average annual value of $6.25MM. He may land closer to $7MM if the Bruins can get him on a long-term deal. A similar contract would give Boston plenty of cap space to add during the season. As much as Swayman’s camp may be arguing at the moment, he simply has not proven himself to be in the same echelon as Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, or Connor Hellebuyck so far.

Evening Notes: Swayman, Kuznetsov, Penguins

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Former Boston Bruins goaltender and current NESN analyst Andrew Raycroft joined The Skate Pod to discuss the contract situation of Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman. Raycroft told the panel that Bruins fans shouldn’t be concerned at this juncture, and he wouldn’t be concerned about the contract negotiations until September.

Boston has been busy this summer dealing goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators and signing unrestricted free agents Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm to long-term deals. Despite the lucrative deals they’ve dished out, the Bruins remain in a good position to re-sign Swayman as they sit $8.6MM under the salary cap limit (as per PuckPedia) and could easily fit an $8MM cap hit in for their newly appointed starting goaltender.

In other evening notes:

  • Former Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov told MatchTV that he struggled so badly during this past season that he didn’t want his family to watch him play. The 32-year-old was once a perennial point-per-game player but fell to just eight goals and 16 assists in 63 games this past season and wasn’t nearly as effective as he once was. Kuznetsov and the Hurricanes terminated the final year of his NHL contract in mid-July so that he could return to Russia where he signed a four-year deal with SKA of the KHL.
  • Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff covered the Pittsburgh Penguins in his NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown and believes that Brayden Yager is far and away the Penguins’ best prospect and likely the only prospect they have who could play in their top six eventually. The Penguins have had a difficult time developing scoring forwards over the past decade and it has been a drain on the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin who have had to carry the offensive load for much of the past ten years. Ellis notes that Yager is still a few years away from developing into a top-six forward which makes it entirely possible that the 19-year-old center will never play with the veteran stars.

Morning Notes: Teplý, Swayman, Red Wings, Utah

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Czech Extraliga side HC Oceláři Třinec announced the signing of a trio of players, one of which is former Blackhawks winger prospect Michal Teplý. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Hawks in 2019 and signed his entry-level contract the following summer, but became a UFA on July 1 this year after not receiving a qualifying offer.

Teplý was drafted out of his native Czechia but landed his rookie deal with Chicago after coming to North America for his post-draft season, spending 2019-20 in juniors with the Western Hockey League’s Winnipeg Ice, where he finished second in scoring with 63 points in 53 games. Aside from a brief loan back to Czechia during the pandemic, Teplý spent the following four seasons in the pros with AHL Rockford, where he accumulated 34 goals, 57 assists and 91 points with a -29 rating in 206 games. It was solid production but not enough to get the 6’3″, 187-lb winger an NHL call-up.

He heads to a Třinec club that’s one of the most successful in Europe, coming off five consecutive Extraliga championships (not including 2020, when their playoffs were canceled). It’s a three-year deal for Teplý in his home country, Elite Prospects reports. A strong stint with one of the best teams in Europe could land him NHL consideration on the international free-agent market if he wants to make a return to North America when his contract expires in 2027.

More notes from around the hockey world this morning:

  • There are only four notable RFA goalies who remain without a contract for next season, the most consequential of which is newly-undisputed Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman. In a mailbag published early Wednesday, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen posits Swayman could land north of $9MM per season when a deal eventually comes across the finish line. Swayman, 25, notably didn’t elect for salary arbitration this summer despite being eligible to do so. He spent last season on a one-year, $3.475MM pact that was awarded via an arbitrator. He’s coming off a career-best 43 starts and 25 wins in 2023-24, supplementing it with a strong .916 SV% and 2.53 GAA.
  • Red Wings fans are warranted in their concern between the pipes next season, writes Jesse Granger, Sean McIndoe and Scott Wheeler at The Athletic. Detroit’s current goaltending situation checks in as the worst in the league in their ranking of NHL goaltending outlooks, with Granger believing there’s strong regression potential for journeyman Cam Talbot, who’s projected to be their opening night starter after bouncing back with a .913 SV% and 27-20-6 record in 54 appearances for the Kings last season. An injury-plagued Ville Husso, average but inexperienced AHL veteran Alex Lyon and reclamation project Jack Campbell don’t do a ton to inspire confidence, either. But no team has as much dichotomy between the present and future as Wheeler labels Detroit as having the best goalie prospect pool in the league, led by a pair of projected future starters in Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa.
  • If the NHL continues to send its players to the Winter Olympics, they’ll have it on home turf in 2034. As expected, the International Olympic Committee officially awarded the Games to Salt Lake City today. While the Utah Hockey Club will play at the existing Delta Center in its first season, shared with the NBA’s Utah Jazz, there is momentum for building a new arena district downtown in advance of the Olympics that would serve as a new home for both the NBA and NHL clubs while likely serving as a host venue for the hockey portion of the Games.

Which Teams Make Sense For A Jeremy Swayman Offer Sheet?

at CDT | by 30 Comments

The deadline for teams to elect for arbitration came and went yesterday afternoon. Notably, the Boston Bruins decided not to elect for salary arbitration with goaltender Jeremy Swayman leaving them vulnerable to a potential offer sheet since Swayman himself did not elect either. The Bruins have $8.6MM in cap space to deal with their lone restricted free agent but several teams could put Boston in trouble.

A hypothetical offer sheet for Swayman would likely come in at the ’Tier Five’ range which would need a salary of $6.87MM-$9.16MM and would require the signing team to send their upcoming first, second, and third-round picks (the picks may not be the original property of another team) to the Bruins if they are unwilling to match. Boston would likely match a max offer for Swayman even if it approaches the $9.16MM range but they would become uncomfortably close to the salary cap ceiling for the upcoming season.

According to CapFriendly, the only teams able to sign Swayman to a deal in that range would be the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Seattle Kraken. The Sabres and Red Wings seem unlikely as they will have limited cap space to make moves once they sign the rest of their restricted free agents while the Predators and Islanders already have established goaltenders at the NHL level. Additionally, the Flyers and Kraken don’t hold enough cap space to cause Boston problems.

So why not theorize about reigniting one of the best rivalries in the game?

The Canadiens only have two pending restricted free agents left to sign with just over $10MM in space in Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron. Neither player projects to cut too much into that cap and wouldn’t necessarily prohibit Montreal from making a move of this magnitude. The Canadiens are not far removed from making a statement via offer sheet as they infamously signed Sebastian Aho to a five-year, $42.27MM offer later matched by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Montreal could open up additional cap space this summer by trading Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia for nothing in return. By trading away both players, the Canadiens could open up nearly $8MM in cap space and could easily give their roster spots to younger players. This is still without factoring in their trump card.

As of right now, former goaltender Carey Price’s $10.5MM salary for the upcoming season has not been officially factored into the Canadiens’ LTIR space. Montreal would not need to put Price’s contract on LTIR space at all this season but if they choose to, their cap space would buoy up to $20.68MM — giving the Canadiens all the room in the world to safely add Swayman’s contract.

The draft picks that would need to go back to Boston would be a manageable cost for the Canadiens. Through several different trades, Montreal holds a conditional first-round pick from the Calgary Flames in 2025, Pittsburgh’s second-round selection in 2025, a conditional third-round pick from New Jersey in 2025, and Vancouver’s third-round pick in 2025. Even if the Canadiens had to part with their first, second, and third-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft, they would still make four selections in the first three rounds.

The major drawback of signing Swayman to an offer sheet would be the negative consequences to the Canadiens’ current starting netminder, Sam Montembeault. Montembeault did not have an earth-shattering performance last season but still produced a 16-15-9 record in 40 starts with a .903 save percentage and 3.14 GAA. Montreal’s brass committed to Montembeault based on his performance by signing him to a three-year, $9.45MM extension on December 1st, 2023.

Montembeault’s consistency doesn’t come close to Swayman’s performance in Boston; however, as the netminder has produced a 79-33-15 record in 125 starts while collecting an impressive .919 SV% and 2.34 GAA throughout his career. The Canadiens can procure one of the best goaltenders in the game while subsequently punching up at their bitter rivals.

Snapshots: Dillon, Swayman, Yager

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The New Jersey Devils were quick to bring in defenseman Brenden Dillon when free agency opened on July 1st, signing him to a three-year, $12MM contract. But that wasn’t the first time the Devils tried to acquire the physical defender, with Dillon sharing on Sportsnet’s The Hockey PDOcast that the Devils also wanted to acquire him at the Trade Deadline. He added that Winnipeg was hesitant to move any of their pending unrestricted free agents amid a strong season.

Dillon was a focal piece of the Jets’ success, once again returning to his stout role on the team’s second pairing and posting 20 points for the third year in a row. He found ways to make his presence felt every single game, leading Winnipeg with 241 hits in 77 games – 20 hits ahead of anyone else on the team – and ranking third with 111 blocked shots.

It’s clear to see why the Devils of all teams would be interested in Dillon’s services. New Jersey is entering next season with an incredibly skilled, but underdeveloped, blue-line – headlined by Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. Both players are still rounding out their two-way game early in their careers and could stand to benefit from the physical punch that Dillon brings to the lineup. His veteran status is a nice perk as well, with Dillon appearing in 892 games across 13 seasons in the league.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The deadline for clubs to file for salary arbitration with their arbitration-eligible restricted free agents passed on Saturday with no clubs filing additional cases, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Notably, this leaves star goaltender Jeremy Swayman off the list of arbitration cases. Swayman has emerged as one of the league’s strongest goalies over the last four seasons, posting 79 wins and a .919 save percentage across 132 career games. All of those games came in tandem with Vezina Trophy goaltender Linus Ullmark, though, making Swayman’s value as a standalone starter hard to gauge. That led many to anticipating arbitration, though the Bruins will now get to negotiate with Swayman directly. He’ll be set up for the lions share of Bruins’ starts next season, regardless of how these contract talks pan out.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are leaving the door open for top prospect Brayden Yager to make the 2024-25 roster, shares Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Yager is coming off a championship-winning season in the WHL, scoring 122 points across 77 games while serving as the Moose Jaw Warriors’ top centerman. He also posted five points in five World Juniors games – on the back of very dynamic playmaking in the middle lane. It was a standout year for Yager, capping off what’s been a stellar WHL career, with Yager totaling 250 points in 211 juniors games. Even with the optimism around his chances next season, Yager has not yet signed his entry-level contract and remains eligible for the WHL next season.

Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Bruins, Roy, Bertuzzi, Xhekaj

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With Linus Ullmark now in Ottawa, Jeremy Swayman is the Bruins’ undisputed goalie of the present and future moving forward.  However, it doesn’t appear as if much progress has been made on a new deal, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link).  Last summer, the two sides wound up going through salary arbitration with the netminder receiving a one-year, $3.475MM award.  This past season, the 25-year-old posted a 2.52 GAA with a .916 SV% in 44 regular season games before putting forth a better showing in the playoffs, playing to a 2.15 GAA and a .933 SV% in a dozen postseason contests.  It stands to reason that both sides would like to get a long-term agreement done; that type of deal should carry a price tag of at least $6MM.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with the Bruins, Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe suggests that they could be in position to land a pair of prominent Vancouver free agents when the market opens up on Monday, linking Boston to both center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Lindholm is coming off a down year but still managed 15 goals and 29 assists in 75 games.  He’d give Boston a legitimate two-way middleman after they didn’t really replace Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci last summer.  Zadorov, meanwhile, split the year between Calgary and Vancouver, notching 20 points and 177 hits in 75 games.  However, he was quite impactful in the playoffs, recording four goals and four assists in 13 contests while logging over 20 minutes a game, putting himself in a spot to land a big raise on the $3.5MM he made in 2023-24 on a long-term agreement.
  • The Senators are expected to make an aggressive pitch for pending UFA defenseman Matt Roy, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 29-year-old is positioned to be one of the top right-shot defenders to hit the open market on Monday and is coming off a strong year that saw him record 25 points, 197 blocks, and 152 hits in 81 games while averaging just under 21 minutes a night.  After making $3.15MM the last three seasons, he could potentially come close to doubling that in free agency which would be very difficult for Ottawa to fit into their current salary structure.
  • While the Maple Leafs were hoping to re-sign winger Tyler Bertuzzi, that won’t be the case according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link) who notes that the contract he’s expected to get is more than what Toronto can afford. The 29-year-old couldn’t get a multi-year deal at his asking price last summer, instead settling for a one-year, $5.5MM agreement with the Maple Leafs.  Bertuzzi picked up 21 goals and 22 assists in 81 games during the regular season.  That, coupled with his production in the past (three other years of at least 20 goals) has Dreger feeling that Bertuzzi will land a deal around four years at more than $5MM per season.
  • Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj received a qualifying offer today but a new agent will be handling the discussions. Bartlett Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Xhekaj along with his brother Florian Xhekaj as new clients.  Arber played in 44 games in his sophomore year with Montreal, picking up 10 points, 125 hits, and 81 penalty minutes while averaging just under 16 minutes a night.  He also played in 17 games with AHL Laval, recording 11 points.  Florian, meanwhile, is a Canadiens prospect and will begin his entry-level agreement next season.

Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Bussi, Houle

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While a Linus Ullmark trade is the expected outcome when it comes to what happens with Boston’s goaltending situation, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe discusses the other possibility on the trade front.  Instead of moving Ullmark and signing Jeremy Swayman to a long-term deal, perhaps extending Ullmark and moving Swayman could be the better way to go for the Bruins.

Swayman has two years of club control remaining (with arbitration eligibility) and is coming off the better year between the two plus a strong playoff showing that saw him post a 2.15 GAA and a .933 SV% in a dozen starts.  His trade value would be considerably higher as a result, giving the Bruins a chance to potentially fill multiple needs, including an impact center and a defensive upgrade.  At this point, it doesn’t seem likely to happen but if trade talks surrounding Ullmark stall out over extension discussions, the Bruins could certainly consider flipping the script.  Considering how quickly the goalie market moves in the summer, however, it’s a decision they’d have to make rather quickly.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Speaking of Bruins netminders, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the team has made progress on a new deal for pending RFA goaltender Brandon Bussi. The 25-year-old is coming off a strong year with AHL Providence where he had a 2.67 GAA with a .913 SV% in 41 games.  Depending on if Boston has to take a goalie back in the eventual trade and how they plan to use their cap space, it’s possible that he could be in line to take over the second-string duties next season despite not having yet made an appearance at the NHL level.
  • Just weeks after signing him to a three-year contract, Jean-Francois Houle is no longer the head coach with Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Laval. The Canadiens announced on Friday that they’ve agreed to mutually part ways with Houle, allowing him to be hired by Clarkson University for their head coaching position.  It’s a return home of sorts for Houle as he played there and also began his coaching career with them as an assistant before moving on to the QMJHL and then the professional ranks.  With free agency on the horizon, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Montreal try to fill this vacancy before the end of the month.

Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark Hoping To Return

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Boston Bruins are bringing a close to their season with exit interviews on Sunday. And despite rumors and skepticism all season long, both halves of their star goalie tandem have expressed excitement for next season. Jeremy Swayman – the younger of the pair and Boston’s most recent starter – told reporters he hopes to sign a long-term extension with the Bruins, per Ty Anderson of the 985 Sports Hub Underground (Twitter link). Swayman added that he’s confident a deal will get done and that he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.

Meanwhile, de facto backup Linus Ullmark curbed trade rumors, emphasizing that he has one more year on his contract to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com (Twitter link). Ullmark told Benjamin, “I have one more year. I wouldn’t want anything else than to come back here, get a little bit of a revenge tour. I’m very excited, motivated for what’s to come.”

Ullmark was similarly stand-offish when asked about his 16-team no-trade-clause, shares Anderson, saying that the teams on his list are there for a reason (Twitter link). Ullmark reportedly blocked a Trade Deadline move to the Los Angeles Kings with his no-trade clause, though neither Ullmark nor general manager Don Sweeney have confirmed that. Nonetheless, the former Vezina Trophy winner is standing by his contractual rights, which could make any off-season move that much tougher to pull off.

But that doesn’t mean Boston isn’t still shopping Ullmark around. Moving him remains a top priority for the team prior to the 2024 NHL Draft, shares Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. Shinzawa adds that Ullmark’s concerns with a mid-season move were more related to moving away from his family or relocating his children’s schooling than concerns with the destination. Those worries should be mitigated by the off-season, though they speak to the layers of human consideration that go into trade talks. Luckily, Ullmark should have no shortage of suitors on the open market – boasting a $5MM cap hit for one more season, an incredibly affordable price for a former Vezina winner.

Breaking up the 2023 William Jennings Trophy winners certainly seems like a smart idea for the Bruins. Swayman proved that he can stay consistent this season, posting 25 wins and a .916 save percentage through 44 games. But his ice time remained limited, with Boston still awarding Ullmark 40 games of his own. He vindicated the appearances with 22 wins and a .915 of his own. The two were nearly indistinguishable, with Boston even cycling them out in the postseason. And while two great goaltenders is a great problem to have, it’s also preventing Boston from tapping into their great depth chart. Namely, AHL starter Brandon Bussi has seemingly earned an NHL call-up. He posted 23 wins and a .913 in 41 AHL games this year, and is showing patented Bruins clutch in the playoffs, with a .922 through four games . The performances have brought Bussi up to 48 wins and a .918 save percentage in 78 AHL games since 2021 – ranked eighth in the league in wins and 16th in save percentage in that span. Moving Ullmark would have the tri-tiered benefits of allowing Swayman to take on a bigger role, creating opportunity for younger goalies, and returning to Boston what’s sure to be a substantial trade package.

Snapshots: Swayman, Bogosian, Irwin, Granlund

at CDT | by 4 Comments

After having to go through an arbitration hearing to get a contract done with goaltender Jeremy Swayman last summer, it appears the Bruins are trying to avoid that this time around.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column that they’ve started discussions on an extension with the netminder.  Swayman is playing on a $3.475MM award that basically split the submissions from last summer’s hearing and has a nearly identical save percentage this year (.919) as he did a year ago (.920) heading into tonight’s action.  With arbitration eligibility once again this summer, it’s quite possible that Swayman’s price tag pushes past the $5MM mark on a short-term deal and even higher if they could reach a long-term agreement.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • In his latest podcast (video link), Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Wild are trying to sign defenseman Zach Bogosian to a contract extension. Minnesota acquired the 33-year-old from Tampa Bay early in the season and he has held his own on their third pairing, logging over 17 minutes a night while recording nine points and 80 hits in 43 games.  If they can’t get a deal done, however, Johnston reports that the Maple Leafs are among the teams that have checked in on Bogosian’s availability.  They’ve already added on the back end with the reacquisition of Ilya Lyubushkin but if they can’t add an impact blueliner, shoring up their depth – perhaps with another second-timer with the team – isn’t necessarily a bad fall-back plan.
  • One day after recalling him, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Matt Irwin was sent back to AHL Abbotsford. Aside from two short stints with Vancouver where he didn’t play, the 36-year-old has played exclusively in the minors where he has 10 points in 46 games so far.  Carson Soucy is believed to be nearing a return from his hand injury so this assignment could suggest that the blueliner is ready to suit up.
  • The Sharks are trying to be creative to make a Mikael Granlund trade work, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link). The 32-year-old has had a bounce-back year playing a much bigger role in San Jose as he has 36 points in 47 while averaging nearly 21 minutes a night.  However, Granlund has another year left on his deal at $5MM, a price tag that would be difficult for several buyers to afford.  San Jose only has one salary retention slot left so they might prefer to take a pricey contract back over using that final slot on Granlund through next season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top