Week In Review

While the number of teams still in contention for the Stanley Cup continues to be cut down, there was plenty of notable news away from the ice which is highlighted in our key stories.

Flyers Set Front Office: The Flyers have found their replacements for former GM Chuck Fletcher.  Daniel Briere has had the interim tag removed to become the full-time GM while long-time Flyer broadcaster Keith Jones takes over as President of Hockey Operations.  While Briere has some front office experience as an assistant, it will be Jones’ first opportunity to work for a team.  Some had wondered if Philadelphia would opt for an experienced President to offset Briere’s relative inexperience but clearly, that wasn’t the case.  The two will be tasked with trying to get the Flyers out of the tough cycle they find themselves in as a team that has effectively spun its wheels in recent years and as a result, they could be heading for at least a short-term rebuild.

Suspensions: The fifth game of the Oilers-Golden Knights series was played without two key defensemen.  For Edmonton, Darnell Nurse had an automatic one-game ban upheld after being assessed an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of the game before.  Meanwhile, for Vegas, Alex Pietrangelo received a one-game suspension of his own for a slash on Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl.  The common sentiment was that Pietrangelo’s suspension was lighter than expected but both players returned to action on Sunday as the series continued.

Landeskog To Miss 2023-24: Throughout this season, the Avalanche were hoping that they’d get captain Gabriel Landeskog back from his knee injury, so much so that they opted not to use all of his LTIR room at the trade deadline.  However, he was ruled out for the postseason before the playoffs began and now, he’s expected to miss the entire 2023-24 campaign after undergoing cartilage replacement surgery, a procedure that is a substitute for a joint replacement.  That means that Colorado will be without one of their top wingers for two full seasons.  Landeskog and his $7MM cap charge will once again be LTIR-eligible next season and it’s quite likely that the Avs will make full use of it this time around.  The 30-year-old is signed through the 2028-29 season.

Treliving Unable To Interview: After stepping away from the Flames, some have wondered if Brad Treliving could be in the mix for any of the open front office vacancies around the league.  However, that’s unlikely to happen as he is reportedly unable to interview with other teams until his contract expires on June 30th.  Teams typically grant former coaches and executives permission to speak to other teams about positions while they’re technically still under contract but once in a while, that doesn’t happen.  It appears this is one of those times.

Blackhawks Win Draft Lottery: The Draft Lottery resulted in a change at the top of the draft order and it was the Blackhawks who were the winners, moving up from the second spot to first, placing them in a position to draft WHL superstar center Connor Bedard next month.  Bedard would immediately become Chicago’s franchise player, giving them a foundational piece as they work through their rebuild.  Meanwhile, Anaheim, who went into the event with the top odds, won the draw for the second selection, positioning them to likely take Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli.

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The calendar has flipped to May and on the ice, only eight teams remain.  Away from the rink, there was some notable news around the hockey world which is recapped in our key stories.

Sutter Fired: Before the season started, the Flames gave head coach Darryl Sutter a two-year, $8MM contract extension.  He won’t coach a single second under that new deal, however, as the team fired the 64-year-old after a tough year that saw them miss the playoffs.  Calgary had some success during the regular season in his second stint with the team, posting a 103-63-28 record but after team president Don Maloney met with players following the departure of GM Brad Treliving, he decided that a change was needed.  This vacancy will likely sit open for a while as the Flames are likely to hire a new GM first before bringing in a new bench boss although AHL coach Mitch Love has to be considered a contender to take Sutter’s spot behind the bench.  Sutter now sits ninth all-time in NHL coaching victories with 737 but with his coaching style, it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll get a chance to add to that total.

Kylington To Return: Still with Calgary, the Flames will get an important part of their defense back for next season as Oliver Kylington will return to the club.  The 25-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, picking up 31 points in 73 games, resulting in a two-year, $5MM contract last summer.  However, Kylington was not with the team at all this season and instead was in Sweden as he was dealing with a personal matter.  While cap space will be at a premium for whoever takes over as GM in Calgary, they’ll certainly be happy to welcome Kylington back for next season, giving the Flames another quality defenseman in the fold.

Gallant Leaves Rangers: After the Rangers added Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane leading up to the trade deadline, expectations were quite high for their playoff run.  Instead, they were ousted in the opening round by New Jersey and the first casualty is head coach Gerard Gallant as it was announced that he and the team are mutually parting ways.  Gallant helped lead New York to a .662 points percentage in the regular season in his two years behind the bench but they were one game below .500 in the postseason at 13-14.  His departure along with Sutter’s this week and Andrew Brunette leaving Florida last season means that the three finalists for the 2022 Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year) were all let go.  While there was some speculation that the Rangers might ask the league to look into reinstating Joel Quenneville, that’s no longer expected to be the case.

Sticking Around: Marcus Johansson’s first stint with Minnesota was short-lived and one to forget.  However, after the Wild acquired him at the trade deadline this year, his performance was much better as he recorded 18 points in 20 games down the stretch while adding a pair of goals in the playoffs.  While cap space is at a premium for them this summer, they still rewarded the 32-year-old with a two-year, $4MM extension.  Johansson has played on declining one-year deals the last two seasons so he gets a small raise and some much-desired security with this contract and if he is able to even come close to this level of production next season, Minnesota should get excellent value with this signing.

Klima Passes Away: Long-time NHL forward Petr Klima passed away at the age of 58.  He is remembered by many for scoring the goal to end the longest Cup Final game in history, helping Edmonton win the Stanley Cup in 1990.  Klima also will be remembered for being the first player from a country under Soviet control to defect to a United States-based team as he joined Detroit in 1985.  That led to a 13-year NHL career with stints with five different organizations where he picked up 313 goals and 260 assists in 786 games.  He returned to play at home for two more years before hanging up his skates in 2003 at the age of 38.

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The month of April has come to an end with the bulk of the first round now concluded.  Meanwhile, off the ice, there was some news of note around the hockey world which is recapped in our key stories.

Hallander Signs In Sweden: Penguins prospect Filip Hallander has shown some promise in his young career after being drafted in the second round in 2018.  The 22-year-old has seen limited NHL action in his two North American seasons but that will be it for a while as Hallander signed a five-year contract with Timra in Sweden.  Pittsburgh can tender him a qualifying offer to keep his rights but since he will be an unrestricted free agent when his deal is up in 2028, there won’t be much value in holding those rights.  It’s certainly a disappointing outcome for the Penguins as one of their more intriguing prospects has ended his time with the team much earlier than expected.

Braun Retires: After a tough season with the Flyers that saw him spend time as a healthy scratch and on the wing, defenseman Justin Braun has opted to not test the open market this summer and instead has called it a career, announcing his retirement.  The 36-year-old hangs up his skates following a 13-year career spanning over 800 regular season appearances in the NHL plus another 119 playoff games with the Sharks, Rangers, and Flyers.  Braun was never a big point producer (he finishes just one shy of 200) but was a reliable defensive defender in his prime that could kill penalties and provide a physical presence while playing around 20 minutes a night.

Cogliano Injury: Andrew Cogliano’s playoffs have come to an early end as the veteran suffered a fractured neck on a hit from Seattle winger Jordan Eberle in the sixth game of their series.  The 35-year-old has been a reliable bottom-six forward throughout the year, chipping in with ten goals during the season.  He has had a similar role for the bulk of his career which spans more than 1,200 games with five different teams over 16 years.  Eberle received a minor penalty on the play and no further supplemental discipline, something that couldn’t be said for Cogliano’s teammate Cale Makar who received a one-game suspension for his hit on Jared McCann earlier in the week.

Offer Sheet Thresholds: It’s very rare that a player actually signs an offer sheet but it is a tool that teams have at their disposal if they want to try to use it.  With that in mind, the various compensation tiers were set.  The top rate, one that would see a team surrender four first-round picks, kicks in just past the $10.75MM mark, one that teams will likely want to stay away from while a $6.435MM offer would only cost a team first- and third-round selections.  Of note, the divisor on an offer sheet is five; if an offer sheet is signed that’s longer than five years, the total salary is divided by five to determine the compensation tier.  Also worth noting is that teams must have their own draft picks to sign a player to an offer sheet, they can’t substitute one acquired from another team.

Global Series: Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the NHL would host preseason games in Australia but that’s only part of their international schedule.  There is typically a regular season component and this one will feature four teams this time as Sweden will play host to four games in November.  Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit, and Minnesota will be the four teams participating.  The Red Wings and Wild will each have one home and one away game while the Senators will have both of their contests qualify as home games while both Maple Leafs’ ones will be road affairs.

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The playoffs are well underway and while there has been some notable news from on the ice, there has also been some key news off it.  We recap the most prominent ones in our key stories.

More Changes In Calgary: Last summer, the Flames were quite busy reshaping their roster following the departures of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.  However, they came up short of reaching the playoffs and now, it’ll be up to a new GM to reshape their roster this summer following the departure of GM Brad Treliving.  Officially, it’s being termed as a mutual departure although there has been speculation that it was Treliving’s choice to go.  He had been at the helm in Calgary for the past nine seasons with the team making five trips to the playoffs although they were never able to get past the second round.  Don Maloney will serve as Calgary’s interim GM until a permanent replacement is found.

Three For Bunting: It didn’t take long for there to be a suspension in the playoffs as Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting received a three-game ban for his hit on Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in the opening game of the series.  It’s the first suspension of his career and it certainly didn’t come at an opportune time as the 27-year-old has been part of Toronto’s top six all season long.  Bunting also happens to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and will be hoping for some positive playoff moments before testing the open market.

Stone Activated: The Golden Knights welcomed back a key part of their attack prior to their series opener against Winnipeg when they activated winger Mark Stone off LTIR.  The veteran had missed more than three months with a back injury that required surgery.  Vegas wasn’t in a financial position to be able to activate him late in the season as they used his LTIR-created cap space to add Ivan Barbashev, Teddy Blueger, and Jonathan Quick at the trade deadline but since there’s no salary cap in the playoffs, they were able to activate Stone without having to do any roster juggling.  The captain has certainly made an early impact in the series, picking up two goals and two assists through the first three games.

Texier Returns: After missing the entire 2022-23 campaign citing personal issues and a desire to be closer to his family, Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Texier will return to the NHL next season.  The 23-year-old has 123 career NHL games under his belt over parts of four years and has shown flashes of being a potential top-six forward down the road.  He had a productive season with Zurich of the Swiss NLA, picking up 13 goals and 22 assists in 46 games to finish third on the Lions in scoring.  Texier had one year left on his deal heading into this season and that will still be the case next year as the contract, which carries a $1.525MM AAV, will toll and roll over to 2023-24.

Playoff Injuries: A pair of key players are already out for the rest of their respective first-round series, if not longer.  Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen suffered a broken hand and has already undergone surgery.  There’s no word for how long he’ll be out but Carolina will likely need a long postseason run for him to be able to return.  Teravainen was a key part of their playoff run last year, picking up 11 points to tie for the team lead in scoring.  Meanwhile, the Jets will have to try to come back against the Golden Knights without their top defenseman as Josh Morrissey suffered a lower-body injury and has been ruled out for the rest of the series.  The 28-year-old had a breakout year, picking up 76 points in 78 games to finish tied for second in the NHL for points by a defenseman.

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The regular season has come to an end and as is often the case, there was plenty of notable news around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.

Pittsburgh Shakes Up Front Office: After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006, changes are coming in Pittsburgh as the team fired GM Ron Hextall, assistant GM Chris Pryor, and President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke.  Hextall and Burke hadn’t been at the helm for long with their tenures lasting a little over 26 months in total.  However, the Penguins haven’t had much on-ice success over that stretch and many of their moves made over the past year haven’t worked out as intended.  Whoever takes over for Hextall will be tasked with navigating a tough salary cap situation to try to get Pittsburgh back into the postseason as it’s hard to see them entering a rebuild with as many core veterans locked up as they have.

Five For Gaudreau: It’s safe to say that Wild center Frederick Gaudreau has been a late bloomer.  He only became a truly full-fledged regular last season at the age of 28 but has quickly become a reliable secondary part of Minnesota’s attack.  He was rewarded for his efforts with a five-year, $10.5MM extension that begins next season, a deal that more than doubles his career earnings thus far and gives him some long-term stability for the first time.  Gaudreau set a new career high in goals with 19 this season while picking up 38 points, six shy of his benchmark from a year ago.  On top of that, the 29-year-old led all Minnesota forwards in shorthanded ice time.  If he continues to play at this level, this contract should become a team-friendly one fairly quickly.

Landeskog Won’t Return: Throughout the year, the recovery timeline for Gabriel Landeskog’s knee injury kept getting pushed back but there remained optimism that he’d be back for the playoffs.  That won’t be the case, however, as he has been ruled out for the entire postseason.  In the end, instead of missing 12 weeks after undergoing surgery in October, he’ll wind up missing at least 12 months assuming he’s cleared to return for the start of 2023-24.  While Colorado won the Central Division, Landeskog’s absence will certainly be felt as they look to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.  Last season, the veteran had 59 points in 51 games in the regular season before adding 22 more in 20 playoff contests.

Coaching Changes: As is often the case when the season ends, coaching changes have started around the league.  First, on Friday, the Ducks announced that they won’t renew the contract of Dallas Eakins.  He spent four seasons behind the bench in Anaheim but they managed just 100 wins over that stretch in 291 games.  Then, the Capitals revealed that they and Peter Laviolette had mutually agreed to part ways.  Laviolette was at the helm for three seasons with the team posting a 115-78-27 record along the way.  He will likely come up as an option for the other openings this spring.  Then, on Saturday, the Blue Jackets parted ways with Brad Larsen after just two years.  Columbus underachieved under his tutelage, posting a record of just 62-86-16.  All three teams will now begin their searches for their new bench bosses.

Moving On: At this point, it remains unclear whether Jonathan Toews will play next season; there has been some recent speculation that he might retire.  However, if he does come back for a 16th NHL campaign, it won’t be with Chicago as the team announced that they will not be re-signing the 34-year-old.  Toews, who scored in his final game with the Blackhawks, winds up his time with the franchise with 883 points in 1,067 games plus a trio of Stanley Cup titles.  All in all, Chicago did quite well selecting him third overall back in 2006.

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The playoffs are almost upon us but there was still some notable news around the hockey world which is recapped in our top stories.

Going Independent: It has been nearly 30 years since an AHL team has been completely independent but that will change next season as the Chicago Wolves notified their parent team in Carolina that they will not renew their affiliation agreement and instead will be an unaffiliated squad.  GM Wendell Young indicated that it’s time for them to “follow their own philosophy” over following developmental instructions from the Hurricanes.  Carolina will now have to work to find a place for their prospects next season, either through a split affiliation or by loaning a handful of players out to multiple organizations.  Meanwhile, the Wolves could still look to add some NHL-affiliated players on loan agreements to help fill out their roster but those loans would come with the understanding that Chicago will have full control of their playing time.

Fantilli Wins Hobey Baker: Friday was a good day for Michigan center Adam Fantilli.  After taking home NCAA Rookie of the Year earlier in the day, the draft-eligible forward won the Hobey Baker Award, given to the best player in college hockey.  The 18-year-old led the NCAA in scoring this season with 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games to make him the third Wolverine to take home the award.  Fantilli is the consensus second-overall pick in the upcoming draft and after a freshman year like that, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be given the opportunity for an encore performance or if he’ll be playing in the pros in 2023-24.

Not Calling It A Career Yet: Long-time winger Zach Parise has been going year-to-year when it comes to his playing future since being bought out by Minnesota in 2021.  However, the veteran knows that he isn’t ready to hang up his skates yet, revealing that he intends to play a 19th NHL season in 2023-24.  The 38-year-old has had a decent season with the Islanders, chipping in with 21 goals in 80 games, giving them a decent return on a $1.5MM contract (half base salary, half bonuses).  With how he has performed and Parise’s history with GM Lou Lamoriello dating back to their time in New Jersey, it’s hard to imagine that the two sides won’t be able to work out another one-year agreement but if it doesn’t happen, he should be able to generate some interest elsewhere.

Colorado Injuries: This is hardly an ideal time for injuries, especially for teams with eyes on a long playoff run.  That’s the case for the Avalanche who now find themselves without defenseman Cale Makar and forward Darren Helm who are both out indefinitely with lower-body injuries.  Makar, Colorado’s top defender, is logging a career-high 26:23 per night which leads the NHL while chipping in with 66 points in 60 games.  Any sort of extended absence for him would certainly hurt them heading into the first round while making it more difficult to lock down the top seed in the Central.  Helm, meanwhile, has missed most of the season with injury trouble and has been limited to just 11 appearances so far.

Key Activations: It wasn’t all negative news on the injury front across the league as a pair of Eastern Conference contenders welcomed key players back.  The Maple Leafs activated center Ryan O’Reilly from LTIR after missing a little over a month with a hand injury.  Toronto added him well before the deadline to give him time to get acclimated down the stretch but instead, they’ll be using the final few games to determine his best spot for the playoffs.  Meanwhile, the Bruins welcomed back winger Taylor Hall after the veteran missed over a month with a lower-body injury.  Hall has been a capable secondary scorer this season with 36 points in 59 games and will make an already deep lineup even deeper heading into the playoffs.

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The month of March has come to an end and, as usual, college signings were plentiful throughout the NHL.  Some of those moves are included in our key stories.

Avs Sign Three: One team that was particularly active on the college free agent front was Colorado.  They made a trio of moves, signing winger Jason Polin to a one-year deal, defenseman Sam Malinski to a two-year contract, and center Ondrej Pavel to a two-year pact.  Polin was the leading goal-getter in the NCAA this season, scoring 30 goals in 39 games with Western Michigan which drew him considerable interest on the open market.  Malinski also had interest from multiple teams after a four-year stint at Cornell where he finished strong with 26 points in 34 contests.  Meanwhile, Pavel had a bit of a down year at Minnesota State University, seeing his production dip to just 15 points after putting up 22 in his sophomore year.  The Avalanche have moved several draft picks and these signings are a chance to replenish their prospect pool.

Livingstone To Nashville: This year’s college free agent class isn’t the strongest but one player that stood out was defenseman Jake Livingstone.  He received interest from numerous teams and ultimately chose to sign with Nashville who allowed him to burn his one-year, entry-level contract this season, paving the way for him to potentially play down the stretch.  The 23-year-old had a standout campaign with Minnesota State, picking up 35 points in 39 games, putting him tied for third among NCAA blueliners in scoring.  Because it’s a one-year deal that was signed late in the season, Livingstone is actually carrying a cap hit of over $2MM down the stretch for the Predators.  He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer and won’t be capped by the entry-level system at that time.

Four For Chytil: Rangers center Filip Chytil has had a breakout season and was rewarded for his efforts as the team signed him to a four-year contract extension that carries a cap hit of $4.4375MM.  The deal, which begins next season, does not carry any sort of trade protection and gives New York an extra two years of team control.  Chytil entered this season having put up two straight 22-point seasons after two straight 23-point campaigns.  However, his output has nearly doubled in 2022-23 as he entered play Sunday with 22 goals and 21 assists in 68 games despite still averaging less than 14 minutes a night.  If this is the beginning of Chytil being able to take on a bigger role offensively, this deal could become a team-friendly contract fairly quickly.

Hobey Baker Finalists: Still with college hockey, the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award were revealed.  They are Michigan center Adam Fantilli (draft-eligible), Minnesota winger Matthew Knies (Maple Leafs), and Minnesota center Logan Cooley (Coyotes).  Fantilli leads all NCAA scorers this season with 64 points in just 35 games in his freshman year and is widely expected to go second overall at the draft in June.  Knies, meanwhile, had a strong sophomore campaign with 41 points in 38 games and there’s a strong likelihood that he’ll be foregoing the rest of his college eligibility to turn pro with Toronto once the Frozen Four comes to an end next week.  As for Cooley, the third-overall pick last year is second in scoring this season with 57 points in 37 games in what has been a dominant freshman year.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign with Arizona before too long as well.

Knyzhov Rewarded: It has been a tough couple of years for Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov.  He missed all of last season with a groin injury, then suffered a torn Achilles while training for this season.  However, he was able to return to San Jose’s lineup last month and has gotten into nine games so far.  He was rewarded for his efforts to get back with a two-year extension that begins next season and carries a $1.25MM AAV.  It’s a move that carries a bit of risk for San Jose given Knyzhov’s history but he was a regular on their back end back in 2020-21 and if he can once again lock down a full-time spot, he should be able to live up to the deal.

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