Metropolitan Notes: Orlov, Flyers, Hollowell
The expectation is that Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov will test the open market next month, reports Pierre LeBrun in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link). The 33-year-old was somewhat of a surprise signing two years ago when he joined Carolina, eschewing a longer-term offer to accept a two-year, $15.5MM deal, one that was above-market at the time. Orlov averaged 20 minutes a game this season while chipping in with six goals and 22 assists, making it nine straight years that he has eclipsed the 20-point mark. While he likely won’t beat his most recent price tag, he should generate some strong interest in free agency.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Flyers have been suggested as a possible team interested in Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) word from a team source that this is not the case. Hague is a pending restricted free agent and with the expectation that he’ll be looking for a fair bit more than his $2.7MM qualifying offer, he has become a speculative trade candidate. Philadelphia already has four left-shot blueliners signed for next season with Cameron York, another lefty, becoming a restricted free agent next month.
- Pending UFA defenseman Mac Hollowell won’t be hitting the open market to see what North American options he might have. Instead, the 26-year-old has signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL, the league announced. Hollowell has been a productive player in the minors but outside of six appearances with Toronto in 2022-23, his NHL opportunities have been limited so he’ll try his hand overseas now. He had a goal and 30 assists in 56 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season after a 44-point showing with Hartford in 2023-24.
Mac Hollowell Signs In Russia
June 11: Yaroslavl made Hollowell’s addition official today, announcing a one-year deal for the defender on their Telegram channel.
May 29: Pending Group VI unrestricted free agent defenseman Mac Hollowell “is in the final stages of negotiations” to join Russia’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League, Andrey Pchelintsev of Sovsport.ru relays.
Hollowell, 26, hasn’t played in the NHL since receiving a six-game trial with the Maple Leafs in the 2022-23 campaign. He spent this season on a two-way deal with the Penguins after also becoming a Group VI UFA last summer, but he cleared waivers during training camp and went the entire year without a call-up.
The 5’10’, 176-lb righty thus played out his sixth minor-league season with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, leading their defensemen in scoring with 31 points (1 G, 30 A) in 56 games along with a minus-three rating. Pittsburgh was his third NHL organization. He was initially drafted by current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in 2018 in the fourth round when he was at the helm in Toronto, playing four years in their system before being non-tendered in 2023. He signed a two-way deal with the Rangers that summer but was stashed with their AHL affiliate in Hartford for the entirety of the campaign before inking his most recent two-way agreement with Pittsburgh.
Without a clear pathway to NHL minutes, the Ontario native will look for an expanded role in one of the top leagues in the world. Lokomotiv is fresh off its first Gagarin Cup championship in franchise history. However, they’ve already lost a piece of their back end to the NHL in the form of 2023 No. 6 overall pick Dmitri Simashev, who signed his entry-level contract with the Mammoth yesterday. Hollowell, an adept puck-mover with a career 0.56 points per game rate in 244 AHL games, would be an impact pickup for a club with just three defenders under contract for next season at the time of writing.
Metro Notes: Palát, Berard, Hollowell
In a recent article from Todd Cordell of Infernal Access, he opines that the New Jersey Devils should look to move on from veteran winger Ondřej Palát this offseason. Whether through a buyout or trade, Cordell believes the salary cap savings could be better used to improve other areas.
Cordell’s argument is credible. Palát is making $6MM in 2025-26 and 2026-27 with a full no-movement clause and a modified 10-team no-trade clause. He hasn’t scored more than 31 points in a season since joining the Devils, and his ice time has dropped significantly over the last three years.
Assuming New Jersey is unable to find a trade partner, given the heavy trade protection, it’s likely the Devils buy out the remaining two years of Palát’s contract if they no longer want him on the team. Using PuckPedia‘s buyout calculator, New Jersey would be on the hook for $3.533MM in 2025-26, $2.533MM in 2026-27, and $1.483MM in 2027-28 and 2028-29. Aside from Luke Hughes, the Devils don’t have many high-end players to retain this offseason. Should they need the extra cap savings to pursue a notable free agent, buying out Palát’s contract may be the best route.
More notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, New York Rangers forward Brett Berard has been removed from Team USA in the IIHF World Championships due to “physical limitations”. Neither Walker nor team representatives shared specifics regarding Berard’s injury, but he’s expected to be ready for the Rangers’ training camp in September.
- In his recurring segment analyzing players within the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review recently looked at defenseman Mac Hollowell of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hollowell led all WBS defensemen in scoring this year with one goal and 31 points, but injuries limited him to only 56 games. Despite his offensive maturity in the AHL, there’s Rorabaugh doesn’t believe the Penguins will retain him, given they never recalled him this season.
Waiver Wire: 10/2/24
Twelve new faces were placed on waivers Wednesday, per PuckPedia. All who were waived yesterday cleared, aside from goaltender Jiří Patera, who’s heading from Vancouver to Boston. Here’s the listing of today’s players who hit the wire:
Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche
D Jack Ahcan
F Matthew Phillips
D Calle Rosén
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Mac Hollowell
F Jimmy Huntington
F Marc Johnstone
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
East Notes: Marchand, Hollowell, Norlinder
While Jeremy Swayman’s contract situation is rightfully getting the attention in Boston right now, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News highlights the other contract of note the Bruins will have to work out, which is an extension for Brad Marchand. At the time he signed his team-friendly deal that carries a $6.25MM AAV, the talk was about how their top players left some money on the table to keep the core together. Since then, David Pastrnak ($11.25MM AAV) and Charlie McAvoy ($9.5MM AAV) have signed pricey deals with Swayman believed to be looking for $8MM or more as well. While Marchand is nearing the end of his career (he’ll be 37 when his next contract starts), Campbell wonders if he could be inclined to look to maximize his potential earnings this time around. He adds that there have been no discussions about an extension between the two sides so far.
Elsewhere in the East:
- With the Penguins lacking right-shot depth on the back end, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if free agent addition Mac Hollowell could be this year’s version of Ryan Shea. Shea didn’t have any NHL experience heading into last season but wound up playing in 31 games. Hollowell does have six games at the top level under his belt with Toronto in 2022-23 but spent last season with AHL Hartford, notching 44 points in 64 games. Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas is familiar with Hollowell from their time in Toronto which could help his cause this coming season.
- Free agent defenseman Mattias Norlinder has decided to decline the offer the Canadiens made to him over the weekend, relays Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom. Montreal non-tendered the 24-year-old in June after a quiet season with AHL Laval that saw him record just nine points in 50 games. Norlinder’s agent indicated that his client’s preference was to play in an environment that would allow him more freedom offensively which has him wanting to play with MoDo, an organization he spent several years with previously. However, the team lacks the budget to sign him and announced the creation of a crowdfunding campaign to raise $1MM SEK (a little under $100K in USD) to be able to get Norlinder signed.
Minor Free Agent Signings: Metropolitan Division
With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Metropolitan Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.
Carolina Hurricanes
none
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Cole Clayton (one year, $950K entry-level cap hit)
F Owen Sillinger (one year)
New Jersey Devils
F Mike Hardman (two years)
D Colton White (two years)
New York Islanders
none
New York Rangers
none
Philadelphia Flyers
none
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Nathan Clurman (one year)
D Mac Hollowell (one year)
F Jimmy Huntington (one year)
F Bokondji Imama (one year)
D Ryan Shea (one year)
Washington Capitals
G Mitchell Gibson (one year)
D Chase Priskie (one year)
Penguins Sign Matt Grzelcyk, Mac Hollowell, Ryan Shea
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $2.75MM contract. Additionally, agent Dan Milstein reports his client Mac Hollowell has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Penguins which will pay $775K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. They’ve also re-upped defenseman Ryan Shea to a one-year, league-minimum contract, per a team announcement.
A few years ago, Grzelcyk was a key piece on Boston’s back end. However, the 30-year-old saw his ice time dip below the 18-minute mark for the last two seasons. To make matters worse, after being a consistent secondary contributor who had put up at least 20 points in four straight years, Grzelcyk was limited to just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season, leading to some time as a healthy scratch.
That said, he’s still an intriguing pickup for the Penguins as someone who should start on their third pairing but could move up to the top four when injuries arise. On a one-year term, it’s also a relatively low-risk contract compared to some of the pricier multi-year contracts handed out throughout the day.
Hollowell is coming off his best professional season. The 25-year-old joined the Rangers as a Group Six free agent last summer and had a productive campaign with AHL Hartford, tallying 44 points in 64 games. However, that wasn’t enough to get him a recall to New York. A Group Six free agent once again this year, he has opted to sign for a GM who has plenty of familiarity with his game as he previously was in Toronto’s system under then-GM Kyle Dubas.
As for Shea, the decision to sign with Pittsburgh last summer was a fruitful one. The 27-year-old got his first taste of NHL action, playing in 31 NHL games where he had his first career NHL goal while logging more than 12 minutes a night. Shea also got into 23 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, picking up six points. He’ll likely be in a similar role this season as one of the first recalls when injuries strike on the back end.
Injury Notes: Harpur, Hollowell, Lizotte
The Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, shared a pair of updates on injured defensemen. The team most notably shared that Ben Harpur will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing pectoral surgery. Hartford head coach Steve Smith also shared that Mac Hollowell is also out with injury, but the team is hopeful he’ll be able to return this week.
This is a heavy blow to a Rangers’ depth chart that extended Harpur to a two-year, one-way contract in January of last season. The contract carries an annual cap hit of $787.5K and provided a reward in the midst of Harpur’s first year in New York. He finished last season with 42 NHL games played, two points, and 20 penalty minutes. The defender has started this year in the minors, playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. He’s recorded three points, two penalty minutes, and a -1 through seven games with the team this season.
Hollowell is another blow to the Rangers’ options, if he’s out for longer than this week. The 25-year-old is in his first year with the Rangers organization, after spending the last five with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hollowell has proven productive in his AHL experience this year, netting 10 points in 10 games and recording a +5. It’s a continuation off of his productive 2022-23 season, which saw him score 13 points in 18 AHL games and two points in six NHL games. His season was, however, cut short by a fractured kneecap that required surgery.
Other injury news:
- The Los Angeles Kings have announced that Blake Lizotte will miss the team’s Monday night game with an undisclosed injury. The forward left the team’s most recent matchup against the St. Louis Blues in the third period and didn’t travel with the team on their two-game road trip to Arizona and Anaheim. No official timetable for his return has been provided.
New York Rangers Sign Mac Hollowell
Per a team release this morning, the New York Rangers have announced the signing of defenseman Mac Hollowell. It will be a one-year deal for Hollowell according to the release, and CapFriendly confirms it will be a $775K, two-way contract for the young defenseman.
Hollowell, who recently went unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, joins the second organization of his career, after having spent the last four in the Maple Leafs system. Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Hollowell has spent much of his time playing for the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Early last season, Hollowell got his first taste of NHL action, playing six games for Toronto in November. In those six games, Hollowell managed two assists, playing just under 13 minutes a night for the Maple Leafs. For the next two months, Hollowell was a frequent emergency loan option for Toronto, having been recalled a total of eight times between November and December.
In the AHL, Hollowell only skated in 18 games for the Marlies but still produced very well by tallying 13 assists. Unfortunately for Hollowell, his minor league season was very limited due to a knee injury suffered in January, which would keep him out of the lineup for the next four months.
Nick Robertson, Mac Hollowell Undergo Surgery
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that Nick Robertson and Mac Hollowell have both undergone surgery. Robertson’s procedure was to his shoulder, and will keep him out for the next six months. Hollowell had a procedure on a fractured kneecap and will be out a minimum of 12 weeks.
It’s a brutal blow for Robertson, who has not been able to stay healthy in his pro career. The undersized forward (and younger brother of Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson) has now played just 82 total games over the last three seasons. That’s at all levels, with just 31 of them coming with the Maple Leafs.
For a player who scored 55 goals in 46 games during his post-draft year, there were huge expectations for the 2019 second-rounder. He made his NHL debut during the Maple Leafs’ 2020 bubble playoffs, and scored his first goal. But injuries have kept him off the ice since then, and inconsistent playing time has limited him to just seven NHL points.
By the time he’s ready to return next season, he’ll be 22 and quite removed from that exceptional junior season. There’s no telling whether Robertson will ever be able to live up to the potential he showed, given how much time he has missed.
Hollowell, meanwhile, made his NHL debut this season and recorded two assists in six games for the Maple Leafs. The fourth-round pick had progressed steadily through the system and appeared to have climbed considerably up the organizational depth chart.
Now, with a 12-week recovery timeline, it seems likely that he won’t get any more NHL time this season. As a restricted free agent this summer eligible for arbitration, he needs a new deal. After missing so much time, it might end up being prudent for him to accept a qualifying offer and hope to rebound from a tough injury.