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Karsen Dorwart

East Notes: KeyBank Center, Ovechkin, McLaughlin, Dorwart

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The Buffalo Sabres are staying in their current home for a few more years. As part of its agreement with Erie County, the Sabres have declined an opt-out clause in their lease at the KeyBank Center and have extended the deal for another five years, according to a team announcement.

The KeyBank Center has been home to the Sabres since 1996, although it has been known as Marine Midland Arena, HSBC Arena, and First Niagara Center during that time. Once the lease concludes after the 2030-31 NHL season, it will have served as Buffalo’s home arena for 35 years, which is on the shorter side compared to the typical NHL stadium’s lifespan.

If the Sabres’ ownership decides to build a new arena for the 2031-32 NHL season, it likely won’t be very far from the KeyBank Center. As cited in the team’s announcement, a third-party consulting firm conducted a study, revealing that the arena had an economic impact of $694.2 million in 2023, generating tax revenue of $48.6 million.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • For more than a week, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has been struggling with a lower-body injury, which has limited his participation in the team’s practices and preseason games. Fortunately, Ovechkin continues to take positive steps back to action, as Sammi Silber of the DC Backcheck reported that Ovechkin is participating in the team’s practice this morning, albeit in a non-contact jersey. There are no concerns for Ovechkin’s availability for Washington’s first game on October 8th.
  • The New Jersey Devils have lost a potential depth forward for the rest of training camp. Earlier this morning, Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News passed along a note from Devils’ head coach, Sheldon Keefe, saying that Marc McLaughlin has sustained a significant injury. In the report, Keefe said, “There’s a definite injury there that will require him to miss some time. [..] He is not going to be available for the remainder of this camp, for sure.“
  • In another injury update from the Metropolitan Division, a prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury sustained earlier in training camp. According to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, forward Karsen Dorwart is taking part in on-ice activity before the team’s practice. Despite playing in a handful of games for the Flyers last season, the Michigan State University alumnus will have a difficult time cracking Philadelphia’s opening night roster after missing so much time.

Flyers’ Ethan Samson Out Long-Term, Three Out Day-To-Day

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The Philadelphia Flyers shared updates on four injured players on Thursday morning. Most notably, depth defenseman Ethan Samson is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with an upper-body injury. Samson appeared to be outside of the NHL roster as training camp went on, but he was a standout during the team’s rookie showcase. His absence will alter Philadelphia’s plans for building their minor-league defense through the season’s first couple of months.

Samson was a pivotal piece of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season. He led the team’s defense in goals (12) and ranked second in points (24). Both were substantial improvements over the three goals and 12 points that Samson managed as an AHL rookie in 2023-24. He’s proven to be a diligent offensive-defenseman in the minor ranks, with an impressive bit of grit behind his downhill drive. He appears close to earning a spot on Philadelphia’s call-up sheet, though will now need to wait until at least mid-season to see that through.

The Flyers also announced that defenseman Oliver Bonk, and forwards Karsen Dorwart and Lane Pederson, are all day-to-day with upper-body injuries.

Bonk has carried a day-to-day designation for a full week now. He has been on and off of the ice since Philadelphia’s rookie camp, both donning a non-contact jersey and in a regular jersey. Bonk played through 69 games last season, as the London Knights blazed to an OHL and Memorial Cup championship. It seems the Flyers’ top defense prospect is still working his way back to 100 percent – a factor that could default him to the AHL when the season opens up.

While a part of Philadelphia’s injury updates, Dorwart did briefly return to the ice on Thursday after missing the last few days. He played through the first five games of his NHL career at the end of last season, after signing with the Flyers as an undrafted college free agent. He didn’t manage any scoring in those appearances. Even still, with a strong return from injury, Dorwart could still be a candidate for a depth role when the Flyers break camp. Pederson, who was injured in Philadelphia’s last preseason game, will more likely start in the AHL. He appeared in 18 games and scored 12 points with the Bakersfield Condors last season, before a separate injury ended his campaign early.

Injury Notes: Wild, Dorwart, Huberdeau

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During today’s scrimmage in the Minnesota Wild’s training camp, Michael Russo of The Athletic provided updates on a few injuries to the Wild’s roster. Notably, Russo reported that Nico Sturm was removed for precautionary reasons, and Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin participated in a light shootaround before the scrimmage.

Although he was originally expected to return for the team’s practice this afternoon, Russo later reported that Sturm was absent, though there are no concerns about his long-term availability. The same can’t be said for the latter two mentions.

There’s no surprise with Brodin’s absence from the skates, given that he’s expected to miss the start of the regular season due to offseason upper-body surgery. Meanwhile, reports from yesterday indicated that Zuccarello could also miss the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. While specific details about the injury have not been disclosed, Russo indicated in his report that more information will be available after Zuccarello has a longer appointment with the team’s medical staff.

Other injury updates from around the league:

  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced that forward prospect Karsen Dorwart would miss the next few days due to an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old was signed out of Michigan State University as an undrafted free agent with the Flyers last year, appearing in five games down the final stretch of the regular season. Despite debuting in the NHL already, Dorwart’s spot on Philadelphia’s opening night roster was not set in stone, and he’ll have to make the most of his training camp after returning from injury.
  • Earlier this morning, Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reported, and later confirmed by the Calgary Flames, that Jonathan Huberdeau would miss the second day of training camp for maintenance. There are no present injury concerns surrounding Huberdeau, and it’s not uncommon for established veterans to take maintenance days throughout training camp.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Karsen Dorwart

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Mar. 29: According to a team announcement, the Flyers have confirmed Dorwart’s two-year contract, also sharing that he’ll join the team immediately.

Mar. 28: Dorwart’s deal is done, per PuckPedia. He lands the maximum entry-level cap hit of $975K on his two-year deal, which begins immediately. His 2024-25 salary figure will be prorated. Dorwart will earn an $877.5K base salary, a $97.5K signing bonus, and an $85K minors salary each season with no performance bonuses.

Mar. 22: College free agency has already started for some players while some of the more notable ones will become available in the coming weeks once their Frozen Four tournament comes to an end.  One of the players in that category is Michigan State forward Karsen Dorwart.  He’s expected to have several suitors with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that several teams feel the Flyers are expected to strongly pursue Dorwart’s services.

The 22-year-old is in his junior year with the Spartans, one that has seen him take a bit of a step back offensively.  After putting up 15 goals and 19 assists in 38 games last season, Dorwart has 11 goals and 16 helpers in 33 games so far.  Despite the drop in output, he’s still second on the team in scoring behind Tampa Bay winger Isaac Howard.

Dorwart was viewed as one of the top college free agents available last year with Friedman noting that the Maple Leafs nearly landed him at that time before he decided to remain in school.  With that in mind, it seems likely that Toronto will take a run at trying to sign him again as well.  Dorwart is among the top options available again this year so it’s likely he’ll be able to secure a contract that allows him to play down the stretch this season (he won’t be playoff-eligible, however) and burn one of the two years of his entry-level deal in the process.

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