Penguins Sign Brayden Yager To Entry-Level Contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed 2023 first-round pick Brayden Yager to his entry-level contract. Contract details have not yet been released. This move will likely turn Yager pro after a successful four-year career with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He was one of many offensive stars on the Warriors lineup, flanked by players like Jagger Firkus, Denton Mateychyuk, and, this season, Matthew Savoie. Moose Jaw vindicated such a talented lineup with a WHL championship this year, though they fell to third place in the 2024 Memorial Cup. Yager was a crucial piece all year long, tallying 35 goals and 95 points across 57 regular season games, and 27 points in 20 playoff games.
The season was a fantastic encore to Yager’s draft-year performance in 2022-23, when he managed 78 points in 67 games on a, relatively, weaker Moose Jaw lineup. He showed all of the makings of a top prospect, and even earned top-10 and top-five hype from some public sources. He earned the attention with some fantastic playmaking abilities, showing a special ability to orchestrate play even at top speeds. But a lanky six-foot, 170-pound frame had some teams apprehensive come draft day, ultimately pushing Yager to 14th overall.
Only four players selected above Yager have made their NHL debuts – Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli, and Zach Benson – and they’ve each quickly carved out lineup roles. Yager will have the chance to do the same in Pittsburgh’s training camp, and could even wind up an X-factor for an aging Penguins core. But he seems more likely set for a trip to the AHL first, where he could join Moose Jaw teammate Atley Calvert, as well as Tristan Broz and Owen Pickering, as a top prospect fighting for minutes.
AHL Notes: Weissbach, Penguins, Wolf Pack
Free agent forward Linus Weissbach has signed with Frölunda HC of the SHL. Weissbach was a Group-VI UFA with the Sabres, effectively moving to unrestricted free agency after not receiving a qualifying offer from the team before July 1st.
This move returns Weissbach to his hometown of Göteborg, Sweden, where Weissbach grew up through the Frölunda pipeline. He made his debut with the organization’s top club in 2016, though he only played in one game before moving to North America and pursuing a four-year career with the University of Wisconsin. He graduated college in 2021 and has since spent the last three seasons with the Rochester Americans, accumulating 117 points across 191 games in the minor leagues. But despite consistent production and a stout role in Rochester’s top-six, Weissbach was never the top option for a call-up, losing standing to more robust minor leaguers like Lukas Rousek and Brett Murray, and more recently bumped out by prospects like Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen.
With that logjam only increasing after Buffalo’s successful 2024 NHL Draft, Weissbach will change his focus to pursuing a career with his hometown club. Frölunda’s sporting director Fredrik Sjöström shared his excitement for the move, saying, “We have lost two offensively skilled players in [Malte Strömwall] and [Jere Innala]. We wanted to bring in offensive skill and “Weiss” is just that. He is a skilled forward with good speed and plays like a pattern breaker. He fits what we wanted. We’ve been on him for a while and knew we needed to wait for some other parameters before he could choose us (Linus has been a free agent in North America). But he did and we are happy about that, says Fredrik Sjöström, sports director.”
Other notes out of the minor leagues:
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have added Nick Luukko as an assistant coach. Luukko, 32, has spent the last three seasons as the head coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen, leading the team to the postseason in each year, though they never made it past the second round. He earned the role with Jacksonville just two seasons after ending his own playing career – which spanned 274 ECHL games – after just one season as an ECHL assistant coach. He’ll now fast-track to the next level, joining a Penguins organization in the midst of cycling out much of their org chart.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack have hired Brendan Burke as a goaltending coach. Burke has spent the last two seasons as a goaltending coach for his former youth and junior hockey teams – the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and Portland Winterhawks. He earned an NHL Draft selection with Portland in 2012-13, hearing his name called in the sixth round by his hometown Phoenix Coyotes. Burke is the son of legendary NHL goaltender Sean Burke, who is now serving as Vegas’ Director of Goaltending.
Hurricanes Sign Dominik Badinka To Entry-Level Contract
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed 2024 34th-overall selection Dominik Badinka to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry a league-minimum $775K salary at the NHL level, an $85K salary at the AHL level, and $282.15K in signing bonuses. Badinka becomes the third player from this year’s second round to earn his first NHL contract, joining Pittsburgh forward Tanner Howe and Washington defenseman Leon Muggli.
Badinka earned a near-first-round selection with a standout season in Sweden, where he fought his way into routine SHL ice time with the Malmo Redhawks on the back of 13 points in 17 U20 games. That production didn’t carry to the top flight, though, with Badinka posting just four points in 33 SHL games. Still, his aggressive edge and strong puck skills shined through despite the low scoring. He didn’t shy away from physicality, either, showing no fear engaging in puck battles with players 10 or 15 years his senior. He’s at his best with the puck on his stick, a knack for carrying the puck into the neutral zone and joining the rush. Badinka knows how to match the pace of a pro game – and did well at using quick passes and sharp skating to create space in the offensive end. But his aggressive positioning and naive fundamentals are both apparent drawbacks, and will no doubt be Badinka’s key areas of improvement as he prepares for North American pros.
Badinka is currently committed to joining Malmo for next season, surely hoping to take his first step forward in the SHL after planting his feet last year. But this entry-level contract could be enough to sway the young, feisty defender towards making a move to America before the end of the season. Badinka shared his eagerness to move to North Carolina with Chip Alexander of The News & Observer, saying he feels he can be NHL-ready within a year or two. He’ll become the next in a long string of Hurricanes defenders to jump to the pro level should that hold true, joining Scott Morrow and Ronan Seeley in the fight for NHL ice time.
Snapshots: Dillon, Swayman, Yager
The New Jersey Devils were quick to bring in defenseman Brenden Dillon when free agency opened on July 1st, signing him to a three-year, $12MM contract. But that wasn’t the first time the Devils tried to acquire the physical defender, with Dillon sharing on Sportsnet’s The Hockey PDOcast that the Devils also wanted to acquire him at the Trade Deadline. He added that Winnipeg was hesitant to move any of their pending unrestricted free agents amid a strong season.
Dillon was a focal piece of the Jets’ success, once again returning to his stout role on the team’s second pairing and posting 20 points for the third year in a row. He found ways to make his presence felt every single game, leading Winnipeg with 241 hits in 77 games – 20 hits ahead of anyone else on the team – and ranking third with 111 blocked shots.
It’s clear to see why the Devils of all teams would be interested in Dillon’s services. New Jersey is entering next season with an incredibly skilled, but underdeveloped, blue-line – headlined by Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. Both players are still rounding out their two-way game early in their careers and could stand to benefit from the physical punch that Dillon brings to the lineup. His veteran status is a nice perk as well, with Dillon appearing in 892 games across 13 seasons in the league.
Other notes from around the league:
- The deadline for clubs to file for salary arbitration with their arbitration-eligible restricted free agents passed on Saturday with no clubs filing additional cases, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Notably, this leaves star goaltender Jeremy Swayman off the list of arbitration cases. Swayman has emerged as one of the league’s strongest goalies over the last four seasons, posting 79 wins and a .919 save percentage across 132 career games. All of those games came in tandem with Vezina Trophy goaltender Linus Ullmark, though, making Swayman’s value as a standalone starter hard to gauge. That led many to anticipating arbitration, though the Bruins will now get to negotiate with Swayman directly. He’ll be set up for the lions share of Bruins’ starts next season, regardless of how these contract talks pan out.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are leaving the door open for top prospect Brayden Yager to make the 2024-25 roster, shares Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Yager is coming off a championship-winning season in the WHL, scoring 122 points across 77 games while serving as the Moose Jaw Warriors’ top centerman. He also posted five points in five World Juniors games – on the back of very dynamic playmaking in the middle lane. It was a standout year for Yager, capping off what’s been a stellar WHL career, with Yager totaling 250 points in 211 juniors games. Even with the optimism around his chances next season, Yager has not yet signed his entry-level contract and remains eligible for the WHL next season.
Canucks Sign Jett Woo To One-Year Extension
The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Jett Woo to a one-year, two-way extension. The deal will pay him a league minimum $775K at the NHL level and $150K at the AHL level, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News (Twitter link).
Vancouver drafted Woo in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft – among company like Alexander Romanov, Martin Fehervary, and Sean Durzi. But Woo still sits as one of 12 players from that round to not yet make his NHL debut, instead spending the last four seasons with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate. Woo had a slow start to his pro career, scoring just 10 points through his first two seasons, and 70 games, in the AHL. He’s picked up that scoring in the two seasons since, netting 21 points in 68 games last year and 31 points in 62 games this year. Woo has also picked up his intensity, also totaling 189 penalty minutes in the last two years.
The climb towards more high-event hockey earned Woo the first NHL call-ups of his career in February, though he couldn’t slot into Vancouver’s lineup. Still, he’s begun to grab the Canucks’ attention. With the team expected to move on from Nikita Zadorov, Woo could have a chance on this new deal to fight for his NHL debut, and a more confident contract next summer.
Leafs Among Teams Interested In Nikita Zadorov
It was announced yesterday that defenseman Nikita Zadorov will be testing the open market, after not finding agreeable terms with the Vancouver Canucks. Now, TSN’s Darren Dreger has reported the specifics of those negotiations – sharing that Vancouver’s highest offer to Zadorov was $5MM. The veteran defender feels he can up that price in free agency, where Dreger adds at least 10 teams have expressed interest, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto’s interest comes as no surprise. General manager Brad Treliving has shared that the team will be prioritizing size and grit in their defensive additions this year – two traits that Zadorov brings in abundance, even if he may need reigned in elsewhere. Toronto were among the teams pushing to trade for Zadorov before his move to the Canucks, though they were joined by the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and New York Islanders in the race.
Each of those competitors should be expected to return to Zadorov this
summer. The Devils recently drafted highly acclaimed Russian defender Anton Silayev – who plays a similarly brazen and aggressive style to Zadorov. That could make the older Russian a great mentor, though it’d also likely limit New Jersey to a short-term deal, as they anticipate the emergence of both Silayev and Seamus Casey in the NHL. Dallas and New York could be in better spots to give Zadorov term – with the Stars facing the possibility of losing Chris Tanev to the market while the Islanders could use all of the defensive help they can get.
It’s that kind of desperation that Zadorov will be banking on, looking to inspire a bidding way among teams in need of stout top-four defenders. But teams could run a risk of buying in a player’s market. In his age-29 season, Zadorov posted six points in 21 games with the Flames and 14 points in 54 games with the Canucks. What’s more, he added a career-high 125 penalty minutes in those matchups. It was one of Zadorov’s most eventful seasons, though 2021-22 still stands as his career-year, when he recorded 22 points and 77 penalty minutes in 74 games.
With July 1st just days away, Zadorov has set his price north of $5MM. Even with his low scoring, he’ll still stand as one of the market’s top defensemen, behind players like Tanev, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Shayne Gostisbehere. It will be likely in Zadorov’s best interest to sign as quickly as he can, before more acclaimed defenders have a chance to set the market price.
Toronto could also be pushed off the scent here, after acquiring the rights to pending UFA Chris Tanev for Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick. The Leafs haven’t yet engaged in talks with Tanev, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Twitter link), though the two sides will have through the weekend to find Tanev a deal in his hometown. Tanev is likely pushing for a similar dollar figure as Zadorov, and fills a like role on the right-side of the top four. Even then, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that both Zadorov and Oliver Ekman-Larsson could remain in Toronto’s plans (Twitter link).
Steven Stamkos Expected To Reach Open Market
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is expected to reach the open market, his agent shared with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Twitter link). Stamkos has been a pillar of the Tampa lineup since his first-overall selection in the 2008 NHL Draft. He’s since accomplished it all in Tampa Bay – claiming the franchise record for games played, goals, and points; succeeding Vincent Lecavalier as captain in 2013; and leading Tampa to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
Not to be outdone, Stamkos followed the Cup wins with the first 100-point season of his career in 2022. He since shown zero signs of slowing down, recording 34 goals and 84 points last year and 40 goals and 81 points this year. Through his seasons that weren’t limited by injury, Stamkos has failed to reach 50 points just once – in 2008-09, when he scored 46 points as a rookie. He’s since been as consistent of a scorer as teams could ask for, still offering high-end goal-scoring at the age of 34.
The Lightning are in the rare position to stomach losing a consistent 80-point scorer, thanks to
Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point‘s continued challenging of the 100-point mark. But Tampa will still need to find a way to replace the reliable upside that Stamkos brought year after year, should he move away from the club. That could be a very tough bill to meet as the Lightning boast just $5.335MM in projected cap space, with seven pending free agents on their NHL roster. That includes winger Anthony Duclair, who scored eight goals and 15 points in 17 regular season games after Tampa Bay acquired him at the Trade Deadline. Duclair had a career year in 2021-22, scoring 31 goals and 58 points, though he’s failed to reignite his scoring since. While he’s bound for a pay raise after a hot second-half to the year, Duclair could be a cheaper option with scoring upside to try and fill Stamkos’ top-six role.
Meanwhile, the question of what Stamkos’ next contract could look like is seemingly impossible to answer. He’s nearing the end of his career but still seems fit for a few more years in the league. And he’ll undeniably be among the year’s highest paid players, after concluding an eight-year contract with an annual cap hit of $8.5MM. There seems to be no price he couldn’t demand after potting 40 goals this season. At the very least, he likely isn’t set for a pay cut. And he’s a future Hall-of-Famer entering the open market, which could quickly inspire a bidding war.
Tampa Bay is at risk of losing the face of their franchise for much of the 2000s. That will be an impossible role to fill, especially with such limited cap space. Meanwhile, Stamkos will plan for a rare career-first in free agency – and surely plenty of interest from around the league.
Senators Hoping To Extend Ullmark, Not Done Making Moves
Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios went on Ottawa radio show TSN 1200 on Tuesday morning to discuss the aftermath of his first big move with the team – the acquisition of former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins. The Senators gave up this year’s 25th-overall pick and players Joonas Korprisalo and Mark Kastelic for Ullmark, and don’t plan on letting their new star walk soon – with Staios sharing the team is already focused on an extension, captured by Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan (Twitter link). Staios added that an extension is all part of the process and thus may not come quickly, though it is a priority.
Ullmark will begin the final year of a four-year, $20MM contract signed with the Bruins in 2021. He’s emerged as a star goaltender on the deal, so far
recording 88 wins and a collective .924 save percentage in 130 games on the contract. That stat line includes his Vezina-winning performance in 2023, when Ullmark posted 40 wins and a .938 save percentage in 49 games. The dazzling year not only earned him the Vezina – and he and Jeremy Swayman the William Jennings Trophy – but also ranked Ullmark tenth in Hart Trophy voting.
The 2022-23 season elevated Ullmark into the conversation with goaltenders like Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Naturally, it took a significant amount of time for the Senators to work out a deal for that caliber of player, with Ullmark trade-talks starting at the 2024 Trade Deadline, shares Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia Hockey (Twitter link). Ullmark was a very popular name at the Deadline, using his no-movement clause to reject a move to the Los Angeles Kings and even ending up in discussions of a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. Boston wasn’t able to find a move that worked, though, and now settles for what many argue is a meager return from the aggressive Senators.
Per Staios, that aggression on the market isn’t set to end any time soon. The team will continue to look at all of their trade options leading up to the draft, including continuing to shop around the seventh-overall pick, shares Scanlan (Twitter link). Ottawa is also poised to test the free agent market after July 1st, with Staios sharing that the team is looking to add pieces to build around their strong core (Twitter link). Staios didn’t specify who these core pieces were, though he did express a lot of hope in their ability to take the next step under new head coach Travis Green. Ottawa has each of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson, and Thomas Chabot signed through at least the next three seasons. With extensions to Ullmark and Shane Pinto, the Senators would solidify a young cohort of talent that stretches through the bottom of their lineup.
Staios’ faith in his lineup was apparent through his interview, with the rookie GM even heaping praise onto the depth of his coaching staff, which features Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Yeo, Nolan Baumgartner, and Ben Sexton behind Green. The Senators are entering the summer with a measly $11.3MM in cap space – and will need to be smart spenders as they prepare for a hefty Ullmark extension. But it seems the eagerness to build a contender is there – giving Senators fans plenty to be excited about after a year of major turnover.
Snapshots: Pinto, Gomez, Demidov
The Ottawa Senators and forward Shane Pinto are discussing the possibilities of a two-year bridge contract, shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Garrioch adds that Ottawa still prefers to sign Pinto to a deal closer to five or six years in length, though they’re off-put by Pinto’s request for $5MM-a-year on a long-term deal. Pinto is coming off the end of a year he’ll want to forget quickly, having been suspended for half the season for violating the league’s gambling policy and only scoring 27 points in the games he did play in.
Pinto scored 20 goals and 35 points as a rookie last season, appearing in all 82 games. The performance stamped him as one of Ottawa’s most promising young players, though his extended absence this year kept him from truly breaking out. The Senators will be hoping for that breakout on the first year of his new deal – and get the dreaded task of putting a number to their faith this summer.
Other notes from around the league:
- Legendary New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomez has taken to hockey management, assuming the general manager role and head coach for the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles (Twitter link). Gomez played in one season with the Eagles in 1996-97, posting 124 in 56 games as part of a championship-winning Eagles offense. He spent his next two seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, before beginning an iconic NHL career, including two years as the assistant coach of the New York Islanders from 2017 to 2019. Gomez took a break from the game after that tenure, returning with an assistant coaching role with Surry this season. He’ll now kick off his managerial career in the same place he started his playing career, certainly looking to achieve the same results.
- Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Ivan Demidov was dismissive when asked when he expects to move to North America in an interview with Scott Powers of The Athletic, saying only, “We’ll see what happens.” Demidov has been entrenched in rumors early in his hockey career, with many speculating that he and defenseman Artyom Levshunov are the top options for second overall. One of the few knocks against Demidov’s game has been his limited exposure to the KHL – instead playing nearly all of his hockey in the MHL, Russia’s U21 league. He similarly played off the question of whether he expects more KHL ice time next season, saying he wasn’t sure and likely wouldn’t know until after the draft. While neither answer was an outright no, Demidov’s uncertainty certainly doesn’t elicit excitement. He’ll remain an incredibly skilled player, surrounded by a litany of questions, as June 28th’s First Round draws closer.
Utah Signs Noel Nordh To Entry-Level Contract
June 17: The Utah Hockey Club is officially in business, making Nordh’s signing official as the first in franchise history (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN).
May 5: The loom of a summertime move hasn’t stopped the day-to-day affairs of the former Arizona Coyotes front office. Now representing Utah, they’ve signed 2023 third-round pick Noel Nordh to a three-year, entry-level contract, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). The contract carries a $865K cap hit and both signing and performance bonuses. Nordh becomes the 11th player from 2023’s third-round to sign his first NHL contract.
Nordh is coming off his first full season of pro hockey, earning a role in Sweden’s second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan, after starting the season in the country’s U20 league. He was limited to just six goals and 15 points in his 50 appearances with Brynas IF, averaging 9:41 in ice time. While he certainly posted an anti-climactic stat line, Nordh improved significantly in his ability to make plays and work with teammates at high speeds this season.
He’s still a bit of an awkward skater who doesn’t inspire many flashy plays – both complaints levied against him in his draft year – but Nordh fit nicely into Brynas’ systems and showed a clear ability to use his size and long reach to shut down defenders. He seems to have all of the tools needed to develop into a reliable bottom-six forward. Utah now seems ready to test that, signing Nordh to a deal that strongly suggests he’ll be moving to North America next season.
The Coyotes iced 19 different forwards over the 2023-24 season, showing no fear in rewarding minor-league standouts with their NHL debut. That could bode well for Nordh, who will now enter a race with players like Aku Raty, Jan Jenik, and Milos Kelemen for some of the last spots on Utah’s lineup.