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Jonny Brodzinski

Rangers Extend Jonny Brodzinski

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The Rangers have signed center Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year extension, according to a team announcement Wednesday. The contract is a one-way deal with a cap hit of $787.5K, Peter Baugh of The Athletic and Mollie Walker of the New York Post report. In total, the contract will earn him $1.575MM.

Brodzinski, 30, was in the final season of a two-year, two-way $1.525MM extension signed in 2022. Without a new deal, he would have been a UFA for the third time in his career this summer.

The minor-league mainstay has been a quietly important piece on the Rangers’ third line. With four goals, 15 points and decent possession numbers in 37 games, he’s helped shoulder the season-ending injury to Filip Chytil that’s kept him out since November.

Centering a solid two-way depth unit between William Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko, Brodzinski’s games and points marks are the highest of his career. This year is the most NHL action he’s seen since logging six points in 35 games with the Kings in a limited role in the 2017-18 campaign.

A fifth-round pick of Los Angeles in 2013, Brodzinski has never inked a full one-way contract. He did earn a one-way salary of $650K in the 2018-19 season as part of the second half of a two-year deal with Los Angeles.

The now-former captain of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack has recorded over a point per game in all four seasons with the Rangers’ primary affiliate since joining the organization as a free agent in 2020. Dating back to his pro debut in 2015 after wrapping up his collegiate career with St. Cloud State University, Brodzinski has 126 goals, 141 assists and 267 points in 313 AHL games across nine seasons.

His pro career has been split entirely between the Kings and Rangers, aside from a one-year stint with the Sharks in 2019-20. He’s been a decent per-game producer in his limited NHL opportunities thus far, scoring 32 points in 138 career big-league games, but his 0.41 points per game this season is a career-high.

Brodzinski will earn the league-minimum salary of $775K in 2024-25 and $800K in 2025-26, per CapFriendly. He will be a UFA upon expiry.

Metropolitan Notes: DeAngelo, Blue Jackets, Brodzinski, Harkins

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Tony DeAngelo’s second stint with the Hurricanes hasn’t gone as planned.  After being a key contributor his first time around, the 28-year-old has been a frequent healthy scratch this season.  However, Cory Lavalette notes in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that he hasn’t asked for a trade from the team.  DeAngelo has played in just 23 games so far this season, notching two goals and seven assists while averaging a career-low 14:12 per contest.  Just last season, DeAngelo had 42 points with Philadelphia after putting up 51 with Carolina the year before.  On an affordable $1.675MM contract, Carolina may move DeAngelo to give him a shot to play regular minutes elsewhere although they’d either need to get a depth defender in return or have a trade in place to acquire a replacement soon after.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson talked about the importance of experience in filling their now-vacant GM position with Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. They’re not necessarily focusing on someone who has experience as an NHL GM but rather that they’ve had some level of success in a front office, be it as an assistant GM or the major junior ranks.  Columbus won’t be filling the position before the end of the season with the team taking somewhat of a by-committee approach when it comes to the upcoming trade deadline.
  • With Filip Chytil out for the season, many have expected the Rangers to target center help before next month’s trade deadline. However, Newsday’s Colin Stephenson wonders if the recent performance of Jonny Brodzinski might lessen the need for New York to target a middleman.  The 30-year-old is up to 14 points in 30 games since being recalled in late November while the line he’s on has had some recent success.  With impact centers in very short supply, Brodzinski maintaining this level of production would certainly lessen the need to pay a big price to get one in the coming weeks.
  • Penguins forward Jansen Harkins was a full participant in practice today after missing the last two games with a concussion, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has been on the waiver wire a couple of times this season but still has played in 34 games with Pittsburgh, recording four assists while averaging a little over eight minutes per night.

Rangers Reassign Jake Leschyshyn

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Jan. 13: Leschyshyn was returned to Hartford today, per a team release. He logged a -1 rating and 6:28 of ice time in his lone appearance for the team, a 5-2 loss to the Blues on Thursday. He was pushed out of the lineup in today’s loss to the Capitals with Mika Zibanejad returning from illness.

Jan. 10: The New York Rangers have announced that they’ve recalled forward Jake Leschyshyn from the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL. Leschyshyn was seen in practice today on a line with Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski which is a likely indication that he will play tomorrow night when New York takes on the St. Louis Blues, something Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today has confirmed.

The 24-year-old was a second-round pick by the Vegas Golden Knights back in 2017 and is the son of former NHLer Curtis Leschyshyn. Since turning pro in 2019 Leschyshyn has bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL on many occasions and has been unable to establish himself as an NHL regular. While he has largely been a 13th forward and a frequent healthy scratch at the NHL level, he has been productive in the AHL in recent years. This year has, however, been an offensive struggle for Leschyshyn as he has just three goals and three assists in 14 games with Hartford.

Leschyshyn was unable to tally any points in 13 appearances with the Rangers last season and has just two goals and four assists in 76 NHL career games up to this point. However, with Tyler Pitlick out of the lineup week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the Rangers deemed Leschyshyn as their best option in the interim.

New York Rangers Recall Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edström

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The New York Rangers have recalled forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edström, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding move, the Rangers have reassigned Connor Mackey to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The recalls of these two forwards is likely an indication that the Rangers expect to be without Kaapo Kakko for some time. Kakko left last night’s game with an injury and no more detail has been released in an official capacity beyond that.

The recall of Brodzinski is no surprise seeing as he appears to have cemented himself as the Rangers’ first-choice call-up over the last few years. A blisteringly hot start with the Wolf Pack (25 points in just 16 games) has further entrenched him in that role, and as a result, he’s likeliest to step into coach Peter Laviolette’s roster in place of Kakko.

The 30-year-old forward offers versatility (he can play both center and wing) and abundant energy. He’s also regarded as a high-character player, as he is in his third season as captain in Hartford. Since November 15th, Brodzinski has scored 13 points in six games, so maybe with another chance to play in the NHL Brodzinski will be able to chip in some offense.

As for Edström, his recall gives the Rangers a different flavor of forward to potentially plug into their lineup. While Brodzinski is undersized and relies on his work ethic and compete level to succeed at the game’s highest level, Edström boasts rare size at his center position.

The six-foot-eight Swedish pivot was a sixth-round pick of the Rangers at the 2019 draft who is currently in his rookie AHL campaign after a lengthy stint developing with the SHL’s Rögle BK. He has posted decent numbers in Hartford so far (nine points in 18 games) though one does wonder if he’s truly ready for NHL minutes.

Since the Rangers called up two forwards, it is somewhat notable that they passed over veteran Alex Belzile in favor of Edström. Belzile, a former AHL captain, currently ranks second on Hartford in scoring with 18 points in 18 games. He scored at a 16-goal, 37-point pace with the Montreal Canadiens late last season while playing fourth-line minutes, and has experience playing wing, center, and in the NHL playoffs.

But rather than call up Belzile, who may have offered a somewhat similar package of skills as Brodzinski, the Rangers have opted for a player with rare size in Edström, giving the prospect the chance to potentially make his NHL debut.

New York Rangers Assign Three Players To AHL

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4:18 PM: The Rangers announce that all three players have been recalled from Hartford.

9:15 AM: The New York Rangers have reassigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack: forward Jonny Brodzinski, defenseman Connor Mackey, and goaltender Louis Domingue. The trio of players were recalled on November 3rd for the team’s eventual shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Brodzinski filled in as the team’s third-line center with Filip Chytil injured and veteran Barclay Goodrow away from the team to be with his wife for the birth of their child. Mackey was recalled to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman due to the Adam Fox injury, and Domingue was recalled in order to back up Jonathan Quick, due to an injury to starter Igor Shesterkin.

Now the three players have been returned to Hartford with just Brodzinski managing to skate in an NHL game. These reassignments are of significant consequence for the Wolf Pack, who rely on Brodzinski as their captain and offensive engine. (he has six goals, 11 points in seven games) Mackey plays a top-four role in Hartford while Domingue splits starts with prospect Dylan Garand.

For the Rangers, the return of Brodzinski to the minors indicates that, at the very least, Goodrow is ready to return to the lineup. Chytil could still take some time to recover from his injury, though it’s not expected to keep him out long-term.

As for the situation in net, Domingue’s reassignment indicates that Shesterkin could be ready to at least take up backup duties for the Rangers’ next game, which is Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Beyond the lineup implications, these reassignments have an impact on the Rangers’ salary cap situation. USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano reports that these reassignments mean that the Rangers no longer have to dip into their pool of newly available cap space (due to placing Fox on LTIR) and as a result, the team is now able to accrue cap space.

New York Rangers Recall Jonny Brodzinski

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The New York Rangers recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday, according to a team announcement.

Brodzinski’s recall comes after the Rangers lost defenseman Adam Fox and center Filip Chytil to injuries in yesterday’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Chytil left the contest with an upper-body injury after colliding with Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast and did not return. The 24-year-old Czech had been elevated to top-six duties, centering a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière. He had six assists through ten games while averaging nearly 16 minutes per game.

The Rangers already had an extra forward on the roster that could draw into the lineup, Tyler Pitlick, but he’s been a healthy scratch for eight out of ten games this season. Unlike Pitlick, Brodzinski is a natural center – the position at which the Rangers will need some depth with Chytil sidelined.

The team has not issued a timeline for Chytil’s return to the lineup, nor have they confirmed that he’ll miss time. However, recalling Brodzinski certainly isn’t a good sign for his availability for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Brodzinski, 30, serves as the Wolf Pack’s captain and leads the team in scoring with six goals and 11 points in seven contests. His four years with the Rangers organization have been spent mainly in Hartford, although he has made 44 NHL appearances in that time, recording five points.

It’s his time in the minors that’s borne the most fruit, however. The minor-league mainstay has notched over a point per game in all four of his campaigns with Hartford, including this season, and has 253 points in 304 career AHL games since turning pro in 2015.

The Minnesota-born center has also spent time with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks organizations, amassing 17 points in 101 career NHL games. He was initially a Kings draft selection, taken 148th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/7/23

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While teams have considerably whittled down their rosters compared to where they were just a weekend ago, there are still plenty more cuts to be made in the coming days.  Here are today’s roster trimmings excluding earlier waiver placements.

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

D Ryan Johnson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Lukas Rousek (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

D Nick DeSimone (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Calgary, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Calgary, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

G Yaniv Perets (to Norfolk, ECHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

D Marcus Bjork (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Joshua Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Billy Sweezey (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)

D Alexander Petrovic (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team Twitter)

F Austin Czarnik (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G John Lethemon (to Toledo, ECHL)
D Jared McIsaac (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Wyatt Newpower (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brogan Rafferty (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Nashville Predators (per ESPN’s John Buccigross)

D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

D Santeri Hatakka (to Utica, AHL)
G Isaac Poulter (to Utica, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter)

F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

F Wade Allison (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team Twitter)

F Ryan Carpenter (to San Jose, AHL)
F Oskar Lindblom (to San Jose, AHL)
F Quentin Musty (to Sudbury, OHL)
F Jacob Peterson (to San Jose, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (per team Twitter)

D Ryker Evans (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Shane Wright (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to Hershey, AHL)
G Mitchell Gibson (to Hershey, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to Hershey, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Metro Notes: Bowman, Rangers, Lindberg

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This morning, Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, reports that there may be some mutual interest between front office executive Stan Bowman and the Pittsburgh Penguins. On April 14th, the Penguins fired President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and General Manager Ron Hextall after a disappointing season.

Bowman, who recently resigned as President of Hockey Operations with the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2021-22 season, has some serious connection to the Penguins organization. His father, legendary coach Scotty Bowman, coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup victory during the 1991-92 season.

Starting as Director of Hockey Operations with the Blackhawks ahead of the 2005-06 season, Bowman was at the head of all decision-making beginning in the 2009-10 season, when he was named General Manager in Chicago. Under his tenure, the Blackhawks would go on to win three Stanley Cups, and would routinely put on a master class in retooling his roster to stay competitive in the salary cap era.

The major sticking point with not just the Penguins, but any team beginning a relationship with Bowman, is the involvement he had in hiding information about the former video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual abuse of former player Kyle Beach. The lead investigator at the time, Reid Schar, reported that Bowman’s failure to report the abuse likely led to further abuse of the player.

Other Metro notes:

  • As their season came to an end on Monday night, the New York Rangers have assigned Jonny Brodzinski, Jake Leschyshyn, Libor Hajek, and Louis Domingue to their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack. Because their services are no longer needed for the year in the NHL, these four will undoubtedly help Hartford compete for the Calder Cup. As things stand currently, Hartford is one win away from knocking out the Providence Bruins, shortly after knocking out the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first round.
  • Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that Penguins prospect Filip Lindberg has signed a contract with TPS of the Finnish Liiga. Lindberg was originally drafted by Pittsburgh at 197th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. Dealing with injuries the last couple of years playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Lindberg finished this year with a 6-11-1 record, posting a .896 SV% and a 3.13 GAA.

 

Rangers Reassign Jonny Brodzinski

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The New York Rangers announced they have reassigned Jonny Brodzinski. He will be sent back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack following the Rangers 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres. Brodzinski was called up on March 7 on an emergency loan, but with 12 other healthy forwards available to participate against the Sabres, Brodzinski had to be returned to the minors.

Brodzinski did play two nights ago when the Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens in overtime. It was his 17th NHL game of the season and though he has just one goal and two points, he has been a top scorer for the Wolf Pack.

The 29-year-old forward has 12 goals and 30 points in 34 games at the AHL level while serving as the Wolf Pack’s captain. He has scored 224 career AHL points in 284 games while also suiting up for 101 NHL games in his career, scoring nine goals and 17 points in that time.

The Rangers made some big swings at the trade deadline adding Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane up front. It doesn’t leave much room for a scrappy veteran like Brodzinski, especially within the salary cap which is why he needed to be sent down as soon as the team had 12 healthy forwards.

East Notes: Canadiens, Lazar, Steeves, Motte

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Canadiens centers Kirby Dach and Jake Evans both skated before practice today, relays TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link).  Dach has been out for nearly a month with a lower-body injury, stalling the momentum on what had been a solid first year with Montreal as the 22-year-old has a career-high 35 points in 53 games this season.  He is listed as out indefinitely.  Evans, meanwhile, has missed almost two months with a lower-body injury of his own, one that is expected to keep him out for a couple more weeks.  The 26-year-old has struggled prior to the injury, notching just 11 points in 43 games after putting up 29 in 73 contests last season.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Devils forward Curtis Lazar has now been cleared to join the team, notes Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger. The veteran was acquired from Vancouver at the trade deadline but had been waiting to get through work visa and immigration issues which have now been resolved.  Lazar has joined up with New Jersey in Montreal but isn’t expected to be in the lineup just yet.  The 28-year-old has five points and 124 hits in 45 games so far this season.
  • A day after being recalled from the minors, the Maple Leafs have returned winger Alex Steeves to AHL Toronto, per the AHL’s transactions log. Steeves had been on an emergency recall but with John Tavares expected to play tonight, Toronto had to send one of the two players they brought up back to the Marlies.  Steeves has 17 goals and 28 assists in 54 games so far this season in the minors, good for second on Toronto in scoring.
  • Rangers winger Tyler Motte was listed as a game-time decision for today’s game against Buffalo but is expected to play, relays Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). The 28-year-old suffered an upper-body injury earlier this month against his former team in Ottawa and has 10 points in 44 games this season.  Motte’s return means that New York will have to return Jonny Brodzinski to AHL Hartford as the cap exemption permitting his recall will expire since the Rangers will once again have 12 healthy forwards.

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