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Mack Guzda

Snapshots: Panthers, Kuznetsov, Boldy, NCAA Bracket

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The Panthers have once again flipped their backup goalies, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Alex Lyon from AHL Charlotte while sending Mack Guzda back to the Checkers.  Lyon was sent down on Wednesday to get in some game action with starter Sergei Bobrovsky in the middle of a 12-game consecutive start streak.  Lyon has a 3.89 GAA with a .887 SV% in six starts with Florida this season while he has been much better in the minors, putting up a 2.43 GAA with a .910 SV% in 23 contests.  Guzda, meanwhile, is in his first professional season after signing as an undrafted free agent a little over a year ago.  He hasn’t seen any NHL action while posting a 2.85 GAA and a .900 SV% in 25 games with Charlotte.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was injured in today’s game against Minnesota. Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post relayed (Twitter link) that there was no word following the contest about how long he might be out.  The 30-year-old has 12 goals and 39 assists in 70 games so far this season.
  • After recording a hat trick today against Washington, Wild winger Matt Boldy has reached one of his Schedule A bonuses, triggering a $212.5K payout, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Minnesota is projected to finish well below the salary cap despite making several additions at the trade deadline so barring a significant rash of injuries, they should be able to absorb that on their cap this year instead of using the bonus cushion to push it to 2023-24.
  • The NCAA has released the official bracket for the tournament leading to the Frozen Four and the DI Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. The action gets underway on March 23rd and as teams get eliminated, there should be an influx of players signing with NHL teams soon after, both drafted prospects and undrafted free agents.

Minor Moves: Red Wings, Bruins, Kraken, Coyotes, Panthers

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This morning, the Detroit Red Wings assigned Matt Luff and Austin Czarnik to the AHL, as they await a game later this week. The Red Wings don’t play again until Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche, giving them a chance to save some money in the meantime.

Here are some other minor moves from around the league today:

  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Jakub Lauko under emergency conditions, after sending him down yesterday. Lauko hasn’t played since March 2 and has just 12 appearances this season, but has been bounced back and forth between leagues whenever the team is dealing with injuries. Through those 12 matches, he has five points in his first taste of NHL action.
  • The Seattle Kraken have recalled John Hayden from the AHL, as they hit the road for a game in San Jose tomorrow night. The Kraken are coming off consecutive losses to the Dallas Stars and have now slipped below the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division playoff race. Hayden, 28, has just two points in five NHL games this year.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have reassigned forward Bokondji Imama to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. The 26-year-old is an alternate captain for the Coyotes’ farm team, where he has provided hard-working physical play and 12 points of offense at that level. He’s played the last two games for the Coyotes, seeing time in both of the team’s consecutive overtime wins.
  • The Florida Panthers have swapped goalies on their NHL roster, sending down 2022 Calder Cup Champion Alex Lyon in favor of rookie Mack Guzda. The move allows the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, to get the more experienced goaltender as they look to clinch a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Snapshots: Motte, Tarasenko, Guzda

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Yesterday, we covered how Ottawa Senators netminder Cam Talbot could be a name in play around the trade deadline. Today, The Fourth Period has added Senators forward Tyler Motte’s name to the mix, reporting that Senators GM Pierre Dorion has “started to get engaged in trade discussions” involving players such as Motte.

The Senators have been long-rumored to be seeking a blueline upgrade, and perhaps dealing Motte is one way they can reach that goal. Motte, who will turn 28 in March, signed with the Senators this past summer on a one-year, $1.35MM deal. He’s a well-regarded bottom-sixer who was dealt as a rental last year, helping the New York Rangers make a run to the Eastern Conference Final. Perhaps he’ll find himself in a similar situation this year.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • It has been widely reported that the New Jersey Devils are seeking to upgrade their forward corps by adding a top-six winger this deadline season. One option for the team could be St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke on the 32 Thoughts podcast about this, stating that the Devils have had interest in acquiring Tarasenko in the past. Timo Meier’s name is also in the mix, but now it seems possible that the Devils could be targeting Tarasenko as well.
  • The Florida Panthers have sent netminder Mack Guzda back to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. With Spencer Knight seemingly close to returning to the ice for Florida, Guzda will head back to Charlotte, where he has a .911 save percentage in 17 games.

Snapshots: Islanders, Tanev, Guzda

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The New York Islanders have now lost six in a row, scoring just 11 goals in the process. A group that was once expected to be serious buyers at the trade deadline have nearly fallen out of the playoff race entirely, making it a much different situation as February approaches.

When discussing the team’s deadline plans (as best as he can figure, with Lou Lamoriello at the helm), Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that there was real interest in Jakob Chychrun at one point. Apparently, the Islanders balked at the asking price, something that Friedman understands, given their current position.

  • With Chris Tanev already ruled out through the All-Star break, the Calgary Flames have moved him to injured reserve. Brett Ritchie has been activated to fill his spot, and is expected to be in the lineup tonight when the team takes on the Seattle Kraken. Ritchie last played on New Year’s Eve, leaving the game after just six shifts.
  • The Florida Panthers will go with Alex Lyon in net again tonight, and are set to have Mack Guzda as the backup after recalling him this morning. To make room, Grigori Denisenko was returned to the minor leagues. Lyon has allowed 17 goals in four games so far, including seven on 49 shots Tuesday night.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Canucks, Knight

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The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Zach Hyman leading the way. The Edmonton Oilers swiss army knife had four goals and nine points in three games. Hyman has already flown past the 54 points he had last season and with every point is setting a new career high. It’s been an incredible run for the 30, who has been everything the Oilers hoped for (and more) when they signed him to a seven-year, $38.5MM deal in 2021.

Second and third place went to Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks, two players in very different stages of their careers. Stamkos reached the 500-goal mark last week, joining just 46 other players in the history of the NHL and essentially sealing his future in the Hall of Fame (if it was ever in doubt). Zegras, meanwhile, put up eight points in four games, taking his career total to 114. He’s got quite a way to catch the Lightning captain, but Zegras continues to excite fans every time he touches the puck.

  • The Vancouver Canucks now have three head coaches on the books, as they are still paying Travis Green, the bench boss that preceded the recently-fired Bruce Boudreau. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Tocchet’s deal is for two years and carries a $2.75MM salary, meaning altogether, the team is forking out $7.5MM this season for head coaches.
  • The Florida Panthers have swapped Mack Guzda and Spencer Knight once again, with the latter coming back up to the NHL. Knight hasn’t played in the NHL since January 8, but did quite well in his two-game conditioning stint, recording a 23-save shutout for the Charlotte Checkers in his first AHL game since last season.

Florida Panthers Loan Spencer Knight To AHL

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8:05 PM: According to CapFriendly, veteran forward Eric Staal was placed on injured reserve today, making room for the recall of Guzda. Staal lands on injured reserve after leaving yesterday’s game after a big reverse hit from Mike Matheson. Matheson earned a fine for the hit earlier today.

4:16 PM: It’s been a wild 24 hours for goaltending in South Florida, as Sergei Bobrovsky left last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens due to injury. Reigning Calder Cup champion Alex Lyon was forced into action, and he guided his team to a victory. Now, it seems there could be some more stability coming to the team’s equation in the crease.

The Panthers have announced that netminder Spencer Knight has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. The move has been made presumably with the intention of Knight staying in the American League for conditioning purposes. He’s working his way back from an injury that landed him on injured reserve ten days ago.

Knight has been solid this season even as the Panthers team around him has regressed. Through 19 games played, he has posted a .906 save percentage. He returns to the AHL level for the first time since last season, when he spent a total of eleven games in Charlotte. In his last tenure there he went 7-4 with a .905 save percentage.

With Bobrovsky’s health status still unclear, getting Knight back to full health will be crucial as the Panthers look to build momentum in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Along with Knight’s departure to the AHL comes the recall of netminder Mack Guzda to the Panthers’ roster. This recall is presumably of the emergency variety, as the Panthers currently don’t have room on their active roster for a third goalie.

Guzda, 22, is in the midst of his first professional season. He’s spent the entirety of this year in Charlotte, and has a 9-4-2 record and .908 save percentage in 16 games played for the Checkers. He’ll be expected to back up Lyon should Bobrovsky not be ready in time for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Florida Panthers Sign Mack Guzda

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The Toronto Maple Leafs may have been aggressively pursuing Mack Guzda, but they didn’t land him. The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with the undrafted free agent goaltender to a three-year entry-level contract, winning the sweepstakes that included more than a dozen NHL teams. Panthers GM Bill Zito released a statement on his newest prospect:

Guzda has been a standout goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League this season. We are excited about his growth and are thrilled that he will continue his development in our organization.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, and Anaheim Ducks were all included in the teams that had shown interest in the 6’5″ goaltender, who has a .925 save percentage 16 appearances for the Barrie Colts this season. It’s been a steady progression for Guzda, who was a very inconsistent talent in his early OHL years, leading him to go undrafted completely each time he was eligible.

An entry-level deal is more than some late-round picks get though, so he’s already ahead of some of those lucky enough to be selected in the NHL draft. Because of his age, that three-year deal will kick in right away, meaning he’s scheduled for restricted free agency following the 2023-24 season. He recently did a one-on-one with Mark Masters of TSN, explaining what he thinks has led to his breakout campaign:

My dad is a goalie coach for the Seattle Thunderbirds now, so [during the canceled 2020-21 OHL season] I was with him just about every day on the ice. Looking over video, all the goals I gave up over the last couple of years, trying to find any patterns. I was able to rebuild parts of my game, which has helped out a lot.

Of course, the team he decided on certainly doesn’t have a lack of netminding. The Panthers have Sergei Bobrovsky signed to a massive contract that runs through 2025-26 and top prospect Spencer Knight fighting to take over the crease. That said, they also have one of the best goaltenders in NHL history to help his development as Roberto Luongo runs the Panthers’ “goaltending excellence” department. That’s likely a big selling point for a player that is still quite a distance from seeing NHL action and will need more coaching to bring out the most of his potential.

Free Agent Profile: Mack Guzda

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Generally, we use this profile series for players that are about to hit the open market or for restricted free agents with a notable contract that needs to be negotiated.  However, there is a free agent that is currently generating a lot of interest in undrafted goaltender Mack Guzda.

Last season, the OHL was the one major junior league that didn’t play at all and while some of their players were able to catch on with teams overseas, many, including Guzda, didn’t.   He was second in the OHL in games played in 2019-20 but it wasn’t enough to be drafted despite being a starter the season before as well.  That, coupled with not playing last season, largely had him off the radar heading into 2021-22.

That changed pretty quickly once this season got underway.  He got off to a strong start with Owen Sound but with the Attack having another capable netminder in Nick Chenard and wanting to clear an overage slot, he was flipped to Barrie.  Since joining the Colts, he has been one of the top goalies in the league, earning Goaltender of the Month honors for December and January, garnering the attention of several NHL teams in the process.

Stats

2021-22: 25 GP, 16-7-1 record, 2.61 GAA, .920 SV%, 2 SO
OHL Career: 155 GP, 74-52-18 record, 3.22 GAA, .894 SV%, 7 SO

Potential Suitors

Last weekend, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported in a 32 Thoughts segment (video link) that there are at least seven teams showing interest in the 21-year-old.  The Maple Leafs were classified as an aggressive suitor with Guzda mentioning to TSN’s Mark Masters that he recently met with them.  Marek indicated that the Predators, Penguins, and Rangers are perceived to be frontrunners for the Tennessee native while the Hurricanes, Islanders, and Ducks have also shown interest in Guzda.  Other teams could get into the mix as well; these are just the ones that have already been linked to him.

Guzda will need to evaluate which organization provides the best way to playing time at the AHL level to start and who could have an NHL opening a few years from now; it’s quite unlikely that an undrafted junior goalie would push for NHL minutes within the first couple of seasons of his contract.

Projected Contract

With that many teams interested in him, Guzda should be able to land an entry-level contract worth the maximum before bonuses, one that would carry an AAV of $925K, 10% of which would be in the form of a signing bonus.  Significant performance incentives wouldn’t be likely, especially with goaltenders typically having a longer development curve than skaters.

At this point, the bigger question will be the timing of the contract.  If he signs now, he’d burn the first year of the contract immediately, allowing him to get to restricted free agency a year earlier.  Of course, at that time, he’s likely still in the minors so the allure of trying to get to bigger money quicker like some prospects do doesn’t necessarily apply to him.  Accordingly, he could wait until March to sign when future contracts could be signed, permitting him to sign for three years with the first season being 2022-23.  That’s likely the preferred option for his suitors.

Whether it’s over the next few weeks or next month when contracts for next season can be signed, it appears Guzda will be landing an NHL deal somewhere, a nice reward after being passed up in the draft multiple times.

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