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MacKenzie Weegar

Snapshots: Avalanche Depth, Senators, Weegar

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In an article today from Peter Baugh of The Athletic, he takes a look at some of the internal options available to the Colorado Avalanche in terms of their bottom-sixth depth. Baugh argues, that when the season begins, given a clean bill of health, there are 10 forwards that should already have their names penciled in for opening night of 2023-24.

The most oft-mentioned names that Baugh believes will fill out the depth of the Avalanche will be forwards Fredrik Olofsson, who was acquired in a mid-June trade with the Dallas Stars, and Ben Meyers, who was signed out of the University of Minnesota during the 2021-22 regular season. Given the overall youth of some of the players that Colorado could use to fill out their roster, both Olofsson and Meyers seem to be solid projections.

Unfortunately for the Avalanche, and albeit holding a very small sample size, neither player has played particularly well in their short careers. The team still has just over $2MM available in cap space when factoring in the LTIR placement of captain Gabriel Landeskog, and could seek other relatively cheap options still left in unrestricted free agency to fill out their roster. Players such as Paul Stastny, Phil Kessel, Josh Bailey, and Nick Ritchie are still without homes for the 2023-24 regular season, and would likely be seeking contracts that would fit in nicely with Colorado’s current cap situation.

Other snapshots:

  • Adam Proteau of The Hockey News writes that he believes both D.J. Smith and Pierre Dorion are on the hot seat for the Ottawa Senators heading into the 2023-24 NHL season. Over the last several years, the Senators have made a serious attempt in transitioning out of their relatively short rebuild, looking to compete at the game’s highest level once again. With aggressive trading, wise approaches at multiple drafts, and bringing in marquee free agents such as Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko, the team has only inched toward the playoffs, rather than leaped. As the organization transitions to a new principal owner in September, the pressure might be increased on the head coach and General Manager this season.
  • Speaking on ’Flames Talk’ with Pat Steinberg and Ryan Pike, Calgary Flames defenseman, MacKenzie Weegar spoke in great length on the importance of having a captain heading into next season, and that he would even be thrilled to accept the role if presented with the opportunity. Calgary has some other solid options for the role, such as Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm, but with being one of only three members in the organization signed beyond 2026-27, Weegar would be a solid choice to wear the much colder ’C’  on his jersey with the Flames.

Transaction Retrospective: Tkachuk To Panthers

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One year ago today, the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers connected on a blockbuster trade, sending Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers, while Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar were sent to Alberta. At the time of the trade, the public learned that Tkachuk had signed an extension with the Panthers, while Huberdeau and Weegar would each sign eight-year contract extensions of their own with the Flames.

At the time of the trade, Calgary was often considered to be the winner by most experts, acquiring a forward that had just surpassed the season-high in assists by a left-winger, as well as a quality top-four defender in Weegar. On the other hand, Tkachuk was coming off a 104-point season in his own right and was set to join the defending President’s Trophy champions.

Hindsight being 20/20, it is now more clear who is projected to win the trade. Although the Flames finished with one more point than the Panthers to end the 2022-23 NHL season, both teams went on different trajectories. Calgary was unable to qualify for the playoffs in the Western Conference, while Florida went on an unprecedented run to the Stanley Cup Final as a wild-card team.

Both Huberdeau and Weegar experienced drops in play with their new team, as Huberdeau saw his point total from a year prior take a 60-point drop, only earning 55 points on the year this past season. Playing primarily as a playmaker, Huberdeau’s production took a descent without the presence of Aleksander Barkov in the middle of the rink.

Originally, Weegar also started off slow for the Flames, only scoring 18 points in his first 60 games with the team. However, in the last 20 games of the season, Weegar improved tremendously, scoring three goals and 10 assists to end the regular season.

Unlike both Huberdeau and Weegar, Tkachuk thrived on his new team. In 79 games this season, Tkachuk scored 40 goals and 69 assists, topping his career totals in assists and points. In the playoffs, he kept the competitive energy soaring, scoring 11 goals and 13 assists in 20 playoff games.

Tkachuk quickly became both the offensive and emotional leader for the Panthers, willing them to the Stanley Cup Final this past season. As new General Manager, Craig Conroy, takes the reins on the front office of the Flames, it will be interesting to see how this trade plays out long-term.

There is always a probability that the Huberdeau and Weegar take a massive jump in production next season, but Tkachuk taking his team within striking distance of the Stanley Cup will be difficult to beat. A year later, it is safe to say that the Panthers were on the winning end of the bargain.

Free Agency Notes: Gostisbehere, Quick, No-Movement Clauses

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As the defending Eastern Conference Champions start the 2023-24 NHL season, they will reportedly be without defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. Both will be recovering from separate surgeries, and both are expected to be out for about a month after the season kicks off. Needing another defenseman aside from Gustav Forsling to manage the offensive load on the back end, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the team has an interest in unrestricted free agent, Shayne Gostisbehere.

A top-pairing of Gostisbehere and Forsling shouldn’t be expected to replicate the output of Ekblad and Montour, but those two would be serviceable for the first month of the season, and would even represent a superb top-four once Ekblad and Montour make their return. If the Panthers and Gostisbehere do come to an agreement, it will be interesting to see the term handed out, as the team currently doesn’t have any defenseman signed beyond 2024-25.

It wasn’t so long ago that Gostisbehere was considered a salary dump, after being traded along with a second-round pick in 2022 and a seventh-round pick in 2022, to the Arizona Coyotes for nothing but future considerations. After landing in the desert, Gostisbehere had an offensive resurgence of sorts, scoring 24 goals and 58 assists in 134 games with the Coyotes. At last year’s trade deadline, Gostisbehere was moved to the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round pick in 2026. In a combined total of 38 games in Carolina, Gostisbehere scored three goals and ten assists split between the regular season and the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Other notes:

West Notes: Domi, Savard, Weegar, Masters, Puistola

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Stars center Max Domi profiles as one of the top options on what is a thin UFA market for middlemen this summer but he told reporters including Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News that he’s hoping to remain with the team.  Acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, the 28-year-old didn’t make too much of an immediate impact with only seven of his 56 points coming with Dallas but he was more productive in the playoffs, notching 13 points in their 19 contests.

Since his entry-level deal expired back in 2018, Domi hasn’t signed a contract longer than two years but indicated that getting some more stability would be something he’d like to do.  Meanwhile, with the Stars having a little over $7MM in projected cap space per CapFriendly and several forwards needing to be signed with that money, finding a financial fit could be tricky as Domi will certainly be looking for a raise on the $3MM he made this season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Add Marc Savard’s name to the long list of head coaching candidates in Calgary as TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in a recent Insider Trading segment that the long-time NHL center is also under consideration. Savard has spent the last two seasons coaching with OHL Windsor and also has a single season behind an NHL bench, serving as an assistant in St. Louis in 2019-20.  The Flames are seeking a new bench boss after letting Darryl Sutter go at the beginning of the month.
  • Still with the Flames, MacKenzie Weegar has a new agent as Nick Riopel of Propulsion Sports Agency announced (Twitter link) that they are now representing the blueliner. He had previously been with Mazerolle & Lemay.  Weegar will begin his new contract next season, an eight-year deal that carries an AAV of $6.25MM, making him Calgary’s highest-paid defenseman.
  • Wild prospect Kyle Masters was quickly ruled out for the rest of the Memorial Cup after suffering an injury in Kamloops’ second game but he’ll be out for a while longer as Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the lower-body injury will keep the blueliner sidelined for three months. While that means he should be ready for the start of training camp, it will certainly affect his summer training, hardly ideal as he looks to make the jump to playing with AHL Iowa next season.  Masters had 65 points in 66 games with the Blazers this season.
  • The Oilers are not expected to sign prospect Patrik Puistola in advance of tomorrow’s deadline, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal (Twitter link). The 22-year-old was acquired as part of the Jesse Puljujarvi deal back in February and had a strong season with Jukurit in Finland’s top division, notching 40 points in 60 games.  However, Puistola is already under contract overseas through next season meaning Edmonton would have had to wait even longer to get him in North America.

Afternoon News: Capitals, Howden, Maple Leafs

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Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic wrote a piece today that highlighted the nine forwards he believes would fit what the Washington Capitals are looking for this offseason. El-Bashir begins the piece by shining a light on the salary cap crunch that will leave the Capitals with around $5MM in cap space this summer. That leaves Washington with precious little space to work with, however El-Bashir quickly points out that Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha are both trade options that are finding their names on a lot of trade boards.

El-Bashir feels that Washington won’t target players over 30 given their age and Washington’s precarious cap situation. He lists Tyler Bertuzzi, Connor Brown, Andreas Athanasiou, Ivan Barbashev, Michael Bunting, J.T. Compher, Max Domi, Pierre Engvall, and Evan Rodrigues as the likely targets for Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. Washington has an extensive group of forwards signed to contracts for next season but have a glaring hole on the right wing. Given the cost and the need I would likely put current Capitals forward Connor Brown near the top of the list. Brown was acquired from the Ottawa Senators for a second round pick last summer but only dressed in four games before suffering a season ending ACL injury in his right knee.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Jesse Granger of The Athletic is reporting that Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights was on the ice for the team’s morning skate ahead of their game 4 matchup against the Dallas Stars. Granger reported yesterday that the 25-year-old center had tweaked a lower body injury in game 2 and tried to play through it but couldn’t. Howden missed game 3 and given that he’s seen a lot of time in Vegas’ top-6 as of late, his return would be a welcome boost if he can dress tonight. Howden had a pedestrian regular season with 13 points in 54 games, however in these playoffs he has three goals and three assists in 14 games. Vegas has a chance to sweep Dallas this evening.
  • Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star wrote an opinion piece today about why former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving checks so many of the boxes that Brendan Shanahan and the Toronto Maple Leafs would be looking to tick. McGran highlights Treliving’s experience in Calgary working in a collaborative environment with former president of hockey ops Brian Burke. Toronto’s future general manager would be tied to Shanahan as well as the board of MLSE, it is a job that is different from some other NHL clubs, however Treliving has worked within a similar structure. McGran also cites Treliving’s penchant for having the guts to make bold moves, Treliving spent last summer overhauling the Calgary Flames out of necessity by trading Matthew Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar as well as signing Nazem Kadri as a free agent.

Hockey Canada Releases Initial 2023 World Championship Roster

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Hockey Canada has released the initial complement of 20 players that will represent their country at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships next week in Finland.

It’s a more experienced roster than their American counterparts released, at least in terms of current NHL caliber. In net, they’re likely the most well-set team in the tournament, with projected rookie sensation Devon Levi sharing the crease with Montreal Canadien Sam Montembeault, who had a strong season in a tandem role with Jake Allen.

While 2023 presumptive first-overall selection Connor Bedard won’t join the team, likely to avoid risking injuries prier to his rookie season in the NHL, projected second-overall pick Adam Fantilli will. After capturing the Hobey Baker award in what’s likely his only season at the University of Michigan, Fantilli will join seasoned NHL veterans such as Milan Lucic, Scott Laughton, and Tyler Toffoli as Canada goes for gold at the Worlds.

Their defense is highlighted by MacKenzie Weegar. Although he had a tough season in Calgary, he’s not far removed from being a top 20 defender in the world and should make a significant impact at the tournament. Youngsters Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Justin Barron will also get a chance to shine for the Canadians.

The full 20-player roster is as follows:

F Cody Glass
F Jack McBain
F Milan Lucic
F Peyton Krebs
F Scott Laughton
F Jack Quinn
F Jake Neighbours
F Lawson Crouse
F Tyler Toffoli
F Sammy Blais
F Joe Veleno
F Adam Fantilli

D Pierre-Olivier Joseph
D Justin Barron
D MacKenzie Weegar
D Tyler Myers
D Ethan Bear
D Jake Walman

G Devon Levi
G Sam Montembeault

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Johansson, Weegar, Sharks

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Canucks winger Brock Boeser has been featured in plenty of trade speculation in recent months but while a deal didn’t materialize last month, some have wondered if he’ll be on the move this summer.  But if the 26-year-old has his way, he won’t be going anywhere.  He told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that he doesn’t want to be traded and would prefer to remain with Vancouver.  This season was a mixed bag for Boeser who actually came one point shy of matching his career high but he managed just 18 goals which isn’t a great return on a $6.65MM AAV.  He has two years remaining on his contract.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Canucks prospect Filip Johansson will be joining AHL Abbotsford for their playoff run, relays Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Minnesota back in 2018 but the Wild opted to take a compensatory second-round selection instead of signing him; Johansson signed with Vancouver soon after.  He played in 51 games with Frolunda of the SHL this season, picking up five goals and 16 assists, both career highs while also chipping in with five points in a dozen playoff contests.  This will be Johansson’s first taste of action in North America.
  • Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 29-year-old had a bit of a down year in his first season with Calgary, seeing his point output dip from 44 to 31 (in 81 games) while his playing time was shaved by more than two minutes per game.  While Weegar’s current contract expires in June, he has already locked in with the Flames for the long haul, inking an eight-year, $50MM extension back in October.  This will be Weegar’s first time suiting up for Canada in an international tournament.
  • Sharks winger Tomas Hertl won’t be suiting up at the Worlds next month, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old struggled defensively in what he called a challenging season but reached the 60-point mark for the second straight year and third time in his career while winning nearly 55% of his faceoffs.  His 63 points placed Hertl third on the team in scoring.  Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, Pashelka notes that center Nico Sturm will play for Germany in the tournament, his first time representing his home country.  The 27-year-old had a career year this season, collecting 14 goals and 12 assists in 74 games.

Injury Notes: Caufield, Stützle, Tanev

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After exiting tonight’s game early in the second period with an upper-body injury, Montreal Canadiens star sniper Cole Caufield will not return, according to the team. He was hit hard in front of the Canadiens’ net by Flames forward Trevor Lewis and reached for his head after the collision.

Caufield and Nick Suzuki’s chemistry have been instrumental in helping the Habs hover around the .500 mark this far into the regular season. Caufield’s 16 goals lead the team, and his 25 points in 27 games are second behind Suzuki’s 29. Any long-term absence from their top goal-scorer will be extremely difficult to overcome.

  • Another Canadian team also lost an important young forward tonight. Ottawa Senators center Tim Stützle left their game against the Anaheim Ducks and did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury in the first frame, per the team. He was checked by Ducks forward Brett Leason, who was given an interference penalty on the play. Stützle’s 27 points are second on the team, and they’re already without their other top center in Josh Norris.
  • For Calgary, they lost defenseman Chris Tanev after taking a puck to the face. The veteran stayed down on the ice after the impact but didn’t require a stretcher and was helped off the ice by teammates. If Tanev is to miss time, Calgary will need to recall another defenseman with MacKenzie Weegar battling an illness.

 

Snapshots: Flames, Board Of Governors, Capitals

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The Calgary Flames are without two key players tonight as they take on the Montreal Canadiens. Before puck drop, the team announced center Elias Lindholm and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar are out with an upper-body injury and a non-COVID illness, respectively.

Mikael Backlund slides up to the top line in Lindholm’s absence, while Connor Mackey makes his sixth appearance of the season in place of Weegar. Lindholm isn’t quite producing at last year’s clip, but he still leads the team in scoring with 23 points in 28 games. Weegar’s yet to score his first goal as a member of the Flames, but has six assists in 28 games and is averaging over 20 minutes per game. Still, Calgary would like some more offense out of Weegar, who had a career-high 44 points last season as a member of the Florida Panthers.

  • Today wasn’t the most eventful opening day of the NHL’s Board of Governors’ meeting in Florida, but NHL.com’s Dan Rosen expects that to change tomorrow. Rosen notes that tomorrow’s docket includes salary cap projections for the 2023-24 season, updates regarding the ongoing sale process for the Ottawa Senators, and a potential fan code of conduct. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will likely issue an update after tomorrow’s meetings conclude.
  • Speaking to reporters, including ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said the team won’t enter a rebuild while Alex Ovechkin is still chasing the NHL’s all-time goals record. Ovechkin has noted a desire to remain competitive while chasing the record, vying for team and individual success. Leonsis also noted that Wayne Gretzky himself will be in attendance for all Capitals games as Ovechkin inches toward his record of 894 career goals.

MacKenzie Weegar Signs Extension With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames have signed another one of their newcomers to a massive extension. The Flames and MacKenzie Weegar have agreed to an eight-year extension worth $50MM ($6.25MM AAV). Weegar was scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the upcoming season. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff adds that it has a full no-trade clause for the first four years of the deal and a partial no-trade for the final four. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has the full breakdown:

  • 2023-24: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2025-26: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2026-27: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2027-28: $6.25MM salary
  • 2028-29: $6.25MM salary
  • 2029-30: $6.25MM salary
  • 2030-31: $6.25MM salary

Acquired along with Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, and a first-round pick this summer in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk (and a fourth-rounder), Weegar immediately publicized his desire to stay in Calgary long-term. It makes sense that a player who has climbed from being a seventh-round afterthought to a first-pairing star would be looking for some security, and the Flames are happy to oblige.

Still, given that Weegar will turn 29 this season, an eight-year extension is a rather risky commitment. He’ll be 37 by the time the contract ends, not exactly in the traditional prime of an NHL defenseman.

There is a real possibility for surplus value in the first few years, given how well Weegar has played the last few seasons, but even then he’ll already be getting paid like a top-pairing option. A $6.25MM cap hit will tie him with Jeff Petry, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and Josh Morrissey for the 34th highest-paid defenseman in the league.

A couple of those names should send a little bit of hesitation down the spine of Flames fans who don’t want to be stuck with an overpaid, underperforming veteran, but there are a few things in Calgary’s favor.

One, the salary cap is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, meaning Weegar’s contract will not be as significant as those other numbers have been. Second, the team is obviously focused on keeping their competitive window open right now, even after losing Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau in the offseason. Huberdeau’s massive eight-year, $84MM extension proves that. That contract will likely look terrible down the line but for now, the team has at least two years with this exceptional core in place.

Notably, both Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, two of the most important players on the team, are scheduled for UFA status after 2023-24. They will both be looking for raises, and the Flames may have to make some tough decisions with the rest of their roster to keep them. If that means cutting talent elsewhere, they’ll at least have Huberdeau and Weegar (and Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, and Rasmus Andersson) locked in as leaders for the long term.

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