Week In Review

With training camps now less than a week away, there was a bit of an uptick in activity around the NHL.  As always, we recap the biggest news in our key stories.

Third Time’s A Charm? Things didn’t go particularly well the first two times the NHL set up shop in Atlanta.  Despite that, the league appears to be open to the idea of giving that market another opportunity should they decide to expand beyond 32 teams.  Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly feels that the demographics in Atlanta have changed enough since the Thrashers left in 2011 and that a better-placed arena could give that market an opportunity to succeed the next time around.  Despite this, expansion isn’t believed to be at the top of the priority list for the league right now but when the time comes, it might be a familiar city that gets another chance.

Latest Round Of PTOs: As expected, there was another sizable batch of veteran players accepting training camp tryout offers in the hopes of eventually landing a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season.  Adam Erne will look to catch on with Edmonton while Zach Aston-Reese is one of many tryouts in Carolina.  The Ritchie brothers inked tryout agreements on the same day; Nick Ritchie is heading to St. Louis while Brett Ritchie will look to crack Florida’s roster.  Josh Bailey was linked to Ottawa earlier this summer and is indeed now taking part in their camp while defenseman Olli Juolevi is one of many players getting an opportunity with Arizona.  Dozens of PTOs have been signed around the league and there are still more to come.

Tatar To Colorado: It was a busy summer for Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland as he had already brought in five new forwards to his group.  Make that six now as Colorado signed winger Tomas Tatar to a one-year, $1.5MM deal.  It’s a considerable pay cut for the 32-year-old who made $4.5MM in each of the last two years and $5.3MM for the four before that.  Tatar is actually coming off a pretty good season in New Jersey, one that saw him record 20 goals and 28 assists although he struggled considerably in the playoffs, managing just a single point in 12 games.  Tatar adds to what should be an interesting battle on the left side in training camp with Gabriel Landeskog out for the regular season (but returning for the playoffs is a possibility).

Wright AHL-Eligible: It was looking like Kraken center Shane Wright was going to be facing another year of either playing in the NHL or returning to major junior.  However, that’s no longer the case as the NHL and OHL has granted Wright an exemption that allows him to suit up with AHL Coachella Valley this season if Seattle elects to send him down.  CHL players are typically ineligible to play in the minors unless they are 20 years old on or before December 31st and Wright doesn’t turn 20 until January 5th.  The other way to get out of that situation is to play four CHL seasons.  Wright wasn’t able to do so as the OHL didn’t play at all in the 2020-21 campaign.  However, they’ve basically decided that since he would have done so had the league taken to the ice, they’ll grant him the year of service time, enabling him to become AHL-eligible this season.  That’s an ideal outcome for one of Seattle’s top prospects.

Coaching Change In Columbus: Mike Babcock’s tenure as head coach in Columbus is already over before he stepped behind the bench for a single game.  Following a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players, it was mutually decided that Babcock would resign.  Babcock had been out of the league since 2019 and after what transpired here, it would be surprising to see him back behind an NHL bench.  Meanwhile, Columbus has looked to an internal candidate to take over, promoting associate coach Pascal Vincent to the top job while giving him a new two-year deal.  Vincent has seven years of NHL coaching experience between Columbus and Winnipeg but this will be his first time as the head coach at the top level.

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The first full week of September is in the books and with training camps fast approaching, there was some news of note around the hockey world which is recapped in our top stories.

More Tryouts: The month of September can be colloquially thought of as PTO season as unsigned players look to catch on before camps start.  Last week, several veterans inked tryout deals and several more did so over the past seven days.  Among those with recent NHL experience, Danton Heinen will look to have a second go-round with Boston while Ryan Dzingel will try to do the same with Arizona. Noah Gregor is hoping to catch on with Toronto, Saku Maenalanen is the latest to join Colorado’s camp, while Colin White will be heading to a very crowded forward battle in Pittsburgh.  Quite a few more tryouts are expected to be coming over the next week or two.

Late Moves For Tampa Bay: The Lightning thought they had filled a spot on their fourth line early in free agency when they signed winger Josh Archibald to a two-year deal.  However, after he informed the team that he no longer intends to play this season, Tampa Bay elected to terminate his contract.  They quickly found a replacement though, inking Tyler Motte to a one-year deal worth the same $800K that they were set to pay Archibald.  It could be argued that the moves work out to a net upgrade for the Lightning with Motte being a bit younger and having a slightly better track record of production.

Eight For Sanderson: The Senators haven’t shied away from extending their core players early.  They’ve elected to do so once more, signing defenseman Jake Sanderson to an eight-year, $64.4MM extension that will begin in the 2024-25 season.  The deal buys out Sanderson’s five remaining RFA years plus three seasons of UFA eligibility.  The 21-year-old had a strong rookie year last season, collecting 32 points in 77 games while logging nearly 22 minutes a night.  This deal will make Sanderson, the fifth-overall pick in 2020, Ottawa’s highest-paid defenseman as it checks in just ahead of Thomas Chabot.  Ottawa’s young core consisting of Sanderson, Chabot, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Josh Norris, are all signed through at least the 2027-28 campaign.

Off-Ice Moves: After handing out extensions to Arizona’s coaching staff, it was GM Bill Armstrong’s turn to receive one as well as he inked an agreement that will keep him in charge of the Coyotes through the 2028-29 season.  Armstrong has been at the helm for four seasons now, embarking on a full-scale rebuild.  This deal means he’ll be the one to take them out of it down the road.  Meanwhile, Bruce Boudreau has a new job but not with an NHL team.  Instead, he has joined Niagara of the OHL as a Senior Advisor.  Boudreau ranks 21st all-time in NHL games coached and wins and it remains to be seen if he’ll one day get a chance to add to those numbers.  Lastly, after not being with a team last season, Doug Wilson is back in an NHL front office as he was hired by Pittsburgh as a Senior Advisor.  He spent over 25 years on San Jose’s management team and will now serve as a member of Kyle Dubas’ new-look front office.

Second Bridge For Frost: With Philadelphia’s cap situation, the only way they could afford to re-sign Morgan Frost was with another short-term bridge contract.  The two sides have now agreed on one as he signed a two-year, $4.2MM deal.  The 24-year-old had a career year last season, notching 19 goals and 27 assists in 81 games, providing quite a nice return on a one-year, $800K deal.  The move gives the Flyers a chance to evaluate if he’s indeed a long-term piece of the puzzle.  If he is, they’ll owe him a $2.4MM qualifying offer in 2025.

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The calendar has turned to September and training camps are now on the horizon.  While many teams are enjoying the last bit of their summers, there was some news of note around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.

PTO Season: At this point of the summer, there are generally more players landing tryout agreements compared to full contracts.  With that in mind, several veterans found PTOs to give them a chance to take part in training camps.  Sam Gagner will look to earn a third opportunity with Edmonton and extend his 16-year career.  Other forwards of some significance catching on with teams are Joel Kiviranta (Colorado), Zack Kassian (Anaheim), and Max Comtois (Vegas).  Meanwhile, on the back end, Jordie Benn is hoping to have a second stint with his brother in Dallas while Pittsburgh is bringing in a pair of blueliners in Libor Hajek and Mark Pysyk.  Expect the number of PTO agreements to continue to go up in the coming days.

Fedotov Plays In Russia: The Ivan Fedotov saga has taken another turn.  Last month, the IIHF ruled that the contract the Flyers have with the netminder is the valid one, a ruling that the KHL and CSKA Moscow clearly disagree with as in their season opener, Fedotov was between the pipes in direct violation of their ruling.  The IIHF has now referred Fedotov to the disciplinary board and fined the Russian Hockey Federation but neither of those actions are likely going to change the situation.  Clearly, there is more to come on this particular file.

Hanging Them Up: Veteran winger Carl Hagelin has called it a career at the age of 35 as he announced his retirement.  His contract with Washington expired this summer and he wound up missing the entire 2022-23 campaign due to an eye injury along with a hip issue.  Hagelin had hoped to come back this season but in his announcement, he indicated that the eye injury is too severe to keep playing.  His career spanned 713 regular season games over 11 seasons where his speed and defensive ability made him an effective two-way winger that also chipped in with 296 points.  Hagelin also took home a pair of Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, his first two years with them.

Extension For Keefe: While Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving didn’t hire head coach Sheldon Keefe, he decided that he likes what he’s seen from him as Toronto handed their bench boss a two-year extension.  Keefe was set to enter the final year of his contract so this move takes any possibility of his contractual situation being a distraction.  The Leafs have had plenty of regular season success with Keefe behind the bench, posting a 166-71-30 regular-season record in 267 games.  However, they’ve only won one playoff series in that stretch, that coming this past postseason in a six-game victory over Tampa Bay.

Kessel Not Worried About Ironman Streak: When Keith Yandle was nearing the end of his career, there was some pressure from teammates to keep him in the lineup to continue his ironman streak, one that eventually came to an end.  Phil Kessel is in a similar situation; while he played all 82 games last season to bring the streak to 1,064, he was a frequent scratch in the playoffs.  At this point, his best spot might be as a part-timer.  To that end, Kessel indicated that he’s not concerned about extending the streak in the hopes that doing so will increase his chances of landing a guaranteed deal for the upcoming season.  The 35-year-old was still relatively productive last year, picking up 36 points despite logging less than 13 minutes a night and is one of the more notable veterans still unsigned.

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The final full week of August is in the books and with training camps now just a few weeks away, there was some important news around the NHL over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Bridge Deals: A pair of core young players signed short-term contracts, reducing the number of remaining restricted free agents to nine.  The Rangers inked Alexis Lafreniere to a two-year, $4.65MM deal which carries a $2.65MM qualifying offer in 2025.  The 2020 first-overall pick posted career bests in assists (23) and points (39) last season but three years into his career, it’s fair to say New York was expecting more.  This gives both sides more time to see if he can become the top liner they were hoping for.  Meanwhile, the Oilers agreed to a two-year, $7.8MM pact with blueliner Evan Bouchard which carries a $4.3MM qualifier in 2025.

Eight For Hagel: In a move that might be fair to call as a surprise, the Lightning signed winger Brandon Hagel to an eight-year, $52MM extension which will begin in the 2024-25 campaign.  The AAV of this contract ($6.5MM) is worth more than four times his current $1.5MM AAV.  The 25-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, prompting the Lightning to trade a pair of first-round picks to acquire him.  Last season, he took another big step forward, notching career highs in goals (30), assists (34), points (64), and ATOI (18:39).  Tampa Bay is certainly banking that this type of production will be the new norm for Hagel who now will be part of their long-term future.

Record-Setting Deal For Matthews: Auston Matthews made it clear that he wanted to sign a new contract with Toronto and did just that as the two sides worked out a four-year, $53MM extension that begins in 2024-25.  The $13.25MM AAV is the highest in NHL history, surpassing Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM mark.  Matthews is coming off a quiet year by his standards but still picked up 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 games last season, marking the fifth straight campaign that he has averaged more than a point per game.  The 25-year-old has a pair of Rocket Richard trophies as the NHL’s leading goal-getter and is a true franchise center for the Maple Leafs.  Notably, the contract is almost completely paid by performance bonuses so if the minimum salary across the NHL by the end of this agreement is higher than $900K, Matthews could wind up with a bit more money and a higher cap hit before all is said and done before getting another shot at a big-ticket contract at 31.

No Extension For Pettersson: While Hagel and Matthews signed early extensions, one player who won’t be doing so is Canucks center Elias Pettersson.  Instead, he revealed that he doesn’t want any stress around the idea of in-season negotiations while his agent Pat Brisson stated that the decision to hold off allows both sides to evaluate before restarting discussions next spring.  The 24-year-old is coming off a career season that saw him surpass the 100-point mark for the first time, the first time he has ever surpassed the point-per-game mark.  At this point, an extension for Pettersson was likely to land somewhere in the $10MM to $10.5MM range; that number would certainly be higher if he can put up another campaign like his 2022-23 performance.

Hanging Them Up: Veteran goaltender Jonathan Bernier has officially called it a career at the age of 35.  The 2006 first-round pick (11th overall) wasn’t quite able to become a true franchise netminder but still carved out a quality career for himself, playing in more than 404 games over 14 NHL seasons while posting a 2.78 GAA along with a .912 SV%.  Unfortunately, Bernier’s playing days ended back in the 2021-22 campaign as he missed the majority of that season and all of this past one due to a hip injury.  Meanwhile, free agent winger Joonas Donskoi also hung up his skates at the age of 31 after missing all of last season with a concussion.  He suited up in seven NHL seasons with three different organizations and was a capable secondary scorer, collecting 208 points in 474 career appearances.

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With training camps now just a month away, many teams and players are enjoying what’s left of their summers but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some news of note around the hockey world (though not all of it good).  Here’s a rundown of the top stories from the past week.

IIHF Agrees With Flyers: Both the Flyers and CSKA Moscow feel they have legally registered contracts with goaltender Ivan Fedotov.  Considering one league can’t poach a signed player from the other, both can’t be correct.  The IIHF intervened and ultimately ruled in Philadelphia’s favor, saying that Fedotov’s contract with them is the one he should be playing under this season while imposing penalties on both Fedotov and CSKA.  The 26-year-old didn’t play at all in 2022-23 due to military service but before that, he was one of the top netminders outside North America.  However, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation has filed an appeal so this case certainly isn’t settled just yet.

Toews To Sit: While he stopped shy of calling it a career, veteran center Jonathan Toews revealed that he will not play in the upcoming season.  The 35-year-old has been battling Chronic Immune Response Syndrome since 2020 which has caused him to miss considerable time, including the entire 2020-21 campaign.  Toews played in 53 games last season and was relatively productive with 31 points but the Blackhawks indicated late in the season that they wouldn’t be offering the 15-year veteran a new contract and for now, he will focus on getting back to full health instead of looking for a new place to play.

Krejci Retires: While Toews wouldn’t rule out returning to the NHL, another veteran middleman has done just that as long-time Bruins center David Krejci announced that he has played his last NHL contest.  The 37-year-old returned to Boston last season and was a key secondary scorer, notching 16 goals and 40 assists in 70 games while crossing the 1,000 games played mark, all with the Bruins.  His departure along with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron sees Boston now without their top two centers as they look to stay in the mix in the tight Atlantic Division.  Notably, Krejci hasn’t ruled out playing altogether and with the World Championship in his native Czechia in 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him suit up in that tournament as his final send-off.

Three Pass Away: It was a sad week in the hockey world as three people passed away.  Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov succumbed to the brain tumor that he was diagnosed with two years ago when he was just 19.  He didn’t play last season but was training with the hopes of returning to game action at some point in 2023-24 before this tragic outcome.  Then it was 17-year veteran Bob Baun who passed away at the age of 86.  Baun won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs in a six-year span in the 1960s and suited up for over 1,000 appearances (including playoffs) with three different organizations.  Lastly, legendary broadcaster Rick Jeanneret passed away at the age of 81 after a two-year battle with multi-organ failures.  His work for the team spanned parts of five decades and he was the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in league history.

On The Move Again: For the second time this month, veteran defenseman Jeff Petry found himself traded.  The 35-year-old is now a member of the Red Wings with the Canadiens picking up blueliner Gustav Lindstrom and a 2025 fourth-round pick in return.  Additionally, Montreal held back half of Petry’s remaining cap hit, meaning both teams will be responsible for a $2.34MM cap charge in each of the next two seasons.  Petry should help fill the void created by the trade of Filip Hronek last season as someone that’s capable of logging big minutes (he has averaged at least 22 minutes a night for seven straight years) and chipping in offensively.  Meanwhile, Montreal will get a look at the 24-year-old Lindstrom while clearing out at least some of the money they had to take back as part of their facilitation of the Erik Karlsson trade.

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The first full week of August is in the books and, as is usually the case at this time of year, it was a relatively quiet one.  However, there were a few moves of some note which are recapped here.

Goalie Moves: A pair of teams shored up their goaltending depth with training camps now only a month away.  First, the Ducks signed Alex Stalock to a one-year, $800K deal.  The 36-year-old posted an impressive .908 SV% with Chicago last season, ten points higher than the team save percentage.  He’ll battle youngster Lukas Dostal for the number two spot behind John Gibson.  The Maple Leafs also got in on the action, inking Martin Jones to a one-year, $875K agreement.  Jones played in 48 games with Seattle last season but posted a career-low .886 SV%.  The 33-year-old will battle Joseph Woll for the number two spot but is likely ticketed to start with the AHL Marlies and be available as a recall if needed.

Capitals Seeking Top-Six Help: While there aren’t many top-six options left in free agency, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged that he’s still hoping to add an impact forward to their roster for the upcoming season.  Washington missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and while they’ll eventually get Max Pacioretty when he’s cleared to return from his Achilles injury, that addition alone might not be enough to get them back to the postseason.  However, Washington is basically capped out at this point so if they do find a trade for a forward they’re coveting, they will need to create some cap room to do so; speculative trade candidates including Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Kuznetsov but both veterans are coming off down years which won’t help their value around the league.

Suter To Vancouver: One of the top forwards left on the market now has a new home as the Canucks signed center Pius Suter to a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $1.6MM.  The 27-year-old has scored at least 14 goals in each of his three NHL seasons and will give Vancouver a boost to their secondary scoring while he should slot in as a regular on the penalty kill as well.  Suter’s addition adds to what already looked like a bit of a logjam up front, especially if Tanner Pearson is able to return.  That will present GM Patrik Allvin with a bit of a cap and roster crunch to navigate through but considering that the Canucks were a little thin up front behind J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, Suter’s addition is certainly a worthwhile one for them.

Sutter To Edmonton: Free agent center Brandon Sutter is looking to make a comeback after missing the last two seasons due to recurring symptoms from Long COVID and has picked the roster he wants to make as he has agreed to a PTO deal with Edmonton.  The 34-year-old was a key third-line middleman in his prime but over his last few seasons with Vancouver, he was more of a defensive specialist while he won more than 55% of his draws in 2020-21.  That’s basically all the Oilers would be looking for him to do as if Sutter was to earn a contract, he would almost certainly be signing for the league minimum.

New Arena Site For Arizona? After their plan to build a new arena in Tempe fell through following a public referendum, the Coyotes went back to the drawing board to see what other options might exist.  It appears they’ve found one as they’ve submitted a letter of intent to purchase a parcel of land in Mesa to house an arena and entertainment district.  While this certainly isn’t the end of what has been a very long process, it’s definitely a step in the right direction although the team will also continue to explore possible sites in Phoenix and Scottsdale even with their announcement.

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The first week of August isn’t typically the busiest on the NHL calendar but there was quite a bit of news of note over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Goalie Deals: Minnesota was able to avoid salary arbitration with goaltender Filip Gustavsson, instead signing him to a three-year contract that carries a cap hit of $3.75MM.  The 25-year-old had a breakout showing last season, posting a 2.10 GAA along with a .931 SV%, the second-best mark in the league, in 39 games.  However, he still has just 66 appearances at the top level under his belt which helped keep the price tag in this range.  The deal buys the Wild two more years of team control.

Meanwhile, the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman weren’t able to come to terms before the hearing.  Instead, he was awarded a one-year, $3.475MM contract, a deal that came in just above the midpoint of the filings (Boston: $2.4MM, Swayman: $4.8MM).  The 24-year-old was a key part of Boston’s high-end tandem between the pipes with Linus Ullmark, putting up a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SV% (fourth in the league) in 37 games.  Swayman will once again be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

Oilers Hire Jackson: Agents have slowly started to get more opportunities in an NHL front office and the Oilers are the latest team to go that route as they hired Wasserman’s Jeff Jackson as their new CEO.  Jackson takes the place of longtime executive Bob Nicholson who will remain in a lesser capacity.  Jackson’s most prominent client before being hired happens to be Edmonton center Connor McDavid and that existing relationship could be critical with the Hart and Pearson winner two years away from being eligible to work on a contract extension.  Speculatively, with GM Ken Holland being 67 and entering the final year of his deal, Jackson could be a candidate to take over in the relatively near future.

The Big Domino Falls: For the past few weeks, the market has largely been held up by Erik Karlsson.  Would the Sharks move him and who would get him?  In the end, it was indeed the Penguins who landed him, picking him up as part of a 12-piece three-team trade that also involved Montreal.  Pittsburgh picked up Karlsson (with 13% retention), wingers Rem Pitlick and Dillon Hamaliuk along with a 2026 third-round pick from San Jose.  The Sharks acquired wingers Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Jan Rutta, and Pittsburgh’s 2024 first-round selection (top-ten protected).  Meanwhile, the Canadiens brought back defenseman Jeff Petry (with 25% retention), goalie Casey DeSmith, winger Nathan Legare, and Pittsburgh’s 2025 second-rounder.  Karlsson is coming off a career year, becoming the first blueliner since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to surpass the 100-point mark, helping him earn the Norris Trophy.  He immediately makes Pittsburgh’s offense more dangerous while San Jose adds a first-round selection and potentially some later picks if they flip some of the players they got down the road, a strategy that Montreal may be looking to take as well.

With Karlsson off the board, it didn’t take long for Mathew Dumba, the top defenseman left on the market, to find his next home as he agreed to terms with Arizona on a one-year, $3.9MM contract.  It’s an underwhelming contract relative to what he likely was expecting to get but if nothing else, the 29-year-old will have a chance to be an all-situations player with the Coyotes, potentially giving him an opportunity to boost his stock heading into next year’s free agent market.

Seven And Seven: While Anaheim and winger Troy Terry got as far as filing arbitration submissions, it didn’t get that far in the end.  Instead, the two sides worked out a seven-year, $49MM contract to keep him with the Ducks for the long haul.  Terry had two RFA years remaining so the contract gives Anaheim five extra years of control; those years will see the 25-year-old submit a ten-team no-trade list.  Terry had a breakout showing in 2021-22, putting up 37 goals and 30 assists and followed that up with a 23-goal, 38-assist performance last season, cementing himself as a go-to top-line option in the process.  Anaheim’s center depth is in great shape with Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and second-overall pick Leo Carlsson and now their top winger will be playing with one of those three youngsters for years to come.

Sticking Around: The Capitals will have Tom Wilson around for the foreseeable future as the two sides agreed to a seven-year, $45.5MM extension.  The deal, which begins in the 2024-25 campaign, carries partial no-trade protection in all seven seasons.  The 29-year-old already has ten years in Washington under his belt and if he plays out this full deal with the Caps, he’ll become one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history.  Wilson is coming off an injury-shortened year but still had 13 goals and 97 hits in 33 games in 2022-23.  A legitimate top-six power forward, how well (or poorly) this deal plays out will largely be determined by Wilson’s ability to stay healthy, a challenge for many power forwards in the back half of their careers.

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While activity across the NHL has certainly slowed down compared to a few weeks ago, there was still some notable news around the league over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.

Four For Colton: Avalanche forward Ross Colton currently has just under $3MM in career earnings, per CapFriendly.  That will be going up in a hurry as the two sides agreed to a four-year contract to avoid salary arbitration with the deal carrying a cap hit of $4MM per season.  The 26-year-old was acquired from Tampa Bay before the draft for a second-round pick that was part of the package they picked up when they moved Alex Newhook to Montreal.  Colton saw his numbers dip slightly last season but he still managed 16 goals and 16 assists in 81 games during the regular season despite averaging just over 12 minutes a night while recording 188 hits and winning over 56% of his faceoffs.  Colorado has shaken up their bottom six group with Colton being the centerpiece acquisition on that front and he should get a bigger opportunity to produce than he did with the Lightning.

Hakstol Extended: Last season was a successful one for the Kraken as they locked down their first-ever playoff berth in their sophomore year.  On top of that, they knocked out the defending Cup champs in the first round before falling to Dallas in seven in a hard-fought second round.  That performance certainly reflected well on head coach Dave Hakstol who was rewarded for his efforts with a two-year contract extension that gets him under contract through the 2025-26 campaign; financial terms were not disclosed.  Hakstol will be entering his seventh year as an NHL head coach next season (he also spent four years in Philadelphia) and is now one of ten coaches known to be signed through 2026.

Four For Dunn: The biggest settlement of the arbitration process thus far was done by Seattle and defenseman Vince Dunn.  The two sides worked out a four-year, $29.4MM front-loaded contract, buying out his final year of arbitration eligibility while giving the Kraken three extra years of club control.  The deal, which makes Dunn their highest-paid player, also carries some form of trade protection in the final three seasons.  The 26-year-old had a breakout showing last season, notching 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 games while logging nearly 24 minutes a night.  That performance put him tenth in the NHL in scoring by a blueliner while helping him finish 11th in Norris Trophy voting.

Arbitration Awards: While most players that filed for arbitration so far have settled, two made it to a hearing.  First, Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev was awarded a two-year, $4.5MM contract with Chicago electing for a two-year award instead of the one-year agreement Kurashev requested.  The 23-year-old set new benchmarks last season, notching nine goals along with 16 assists and should have a chance to improve on those numbers in 2023-24.

Meanwhile, Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov received a one-year, $3.55MM award, nearly doubling his salary from 2022-23.  The 26-year-old had by far his best NHL season, posting a 2.33 GAA with a .919 SV% in 42 games but was only eligible for a one-year award since it was his final season of UFA eligibility.  Toronto now has nearly $96MM in commitments on the books per CapFriendly against an $83.5MM salary and will be deep into LTIR with Jake Muzzin for next season while some have suggested that buyout candidate Matt Murray could also land on there.  Even with those two on there, some roster trimming would still need to occur.

More Settlements: There were two other contracts of some note that were done to avoid salary arbitration.  The Golden Knights settled with forward Brett Howden on a two-year, $3.8MM contract after the 25-year-old took a step back offensively last season, recording just six goals and seven assists in 54 regular season games.  Notably, the deal will walk Howden straight to UFA eligibility in 2025.  Winnipeg also got in on the settlement fun, reaching a two-year, $6.875MM agreement with forward Gabriel Vilardi.  Arguably the centerpiece of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, the 23-year-old had his best showing in 2022-23, collecting 23 goals and 18 assists in 63 games with the Kings last season.  Vilardi will still have one more RFA year remaining in 2025.

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With the NHL electing to cram as much offseason activity as possible into a few short days, it was quite a busy week around the NHL.  We’ll recap the biggest stories here which are much too plentiful to summarize in just five headlines.

Draft Night: It was a draft that was supposed to feature plenty of intrigue, especially on the trade front.  Instead, not a single swap materialized.  However, there was a surprise at the beginning of the draft.  While Chicago picked Connor Bedard first as expected, Anaheim opted to not go with the consensus second choice, instead selecting Leo Carlsson.  That freed up Columbus to grab that consensus second choice, Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli.  The full results of the draft can be found here.

Chicago Adds Veterans: Following the addition of Bedard, the Blackhawks decided that they needed to bring in some quality veterans to help take some pressure off him (and also to get to the cap floor).  They did that by acquiring Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno from Boston in exchange for defensemen Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell.  Hall has two years left on his deal with a $6MM AAV and will give Bedard a legitimate top-six winger to play with.  Foligno, meanwhile, was a pending unrestricted free agent but quickly inked a one-year, $4MM deal to stick around; Chicago handed that same agreement to Corey Perry days later.  Boston, meanwhile, used that freed-up cap space to sign several players to short-term contracts early in free agency.

Busy Buyout Market: The buyout market started with a splash when Vancouver bought out Oliver Ekman-Larsson.  It ended with one too as Winnipeg was unable to find a taker for Blake Wheeler, instead buying out the final year and $8.5MM on his contract, taking on $2.75MM in dead cap charges for the next two years.  That wasn’t the priciest one of the week either as Nashville somewhat surprisingly bought out the final three years and $24MM of Matt Duchene’s contract, taking on more than $19MM in dead cap charges spread out over the next six seasons.  Detroit (Kailer Yamamoto) and Boston (Mike Reilly) also executed buyouts on the final day.

Dubois Traded: After many months of speculation, Pierre-Luc Dubois is on the move.  However, it wasn’t to Montreal where it was believed his preference would be to play.  Instead, he was dealt to Los Angeles in exchange for Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round pick; as part of the trade agreement, Dubois signed an eight-year, $68MM contract.  Dubois will team up with Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault to form one of the deepest center groups in the NHL while serving as Kopitar’s eventual replacement when the captain calls it a career.  As for Winnipeg, they get a pair of top-six forwards headlined by the 23-year-old Vilardi who put up 41 points in 63 games last season.  They’re looking to stay in the playoff mix and while they don’t have a top-end talent in Dubois anymore, their forward group is certainly deeper now.

Eight For Meier: The Devils were in a situation where they skirted the $10MM qualifying offer owed to Timo Meier by filing for club arbitration but it put some pressure on them to get a long-term deal done before the hearings came around.  They did just that, signing the winger to an eight-year deal that carries an $8.8MM AAV, making him the highest-paid forward on the team.  Meier reached the 40-goal mark for the first time in his career last season with New Jersey making a big move to acquire him at the deadline.  They have found a way to fit in max-term deals for both Meier and Jesper Bratt now while they also quietly picked up Tyler Toffoli from Calgary to give them more firepower for next season.

Free Agent Frenzy: Buoyed by the addition of more than 100 players to the open market after a busy non-tender deadline, July 1st represented a very busy day on the NHL calendar with more than $650MM in contract commitments to 166 players.  The biggest signings by position in terms of AAV were the Hurricanes picking up Dmitry Orlov on a two-year deal with a $7.75MM price tag, a sizable overpayment in money to get a short-term agreement that better fits their pay structure.  Up front, Alex Killorn wasn’t able to work a deal out with Tampa Bay, instead landing a four-year pact worth $6.25MM per season with Anaheim, a surprise day-one spender.  Meanwhile, in goal, the biggest contract given to a UFA was Pittsburgh re-signing Tristan Jarry to a five-year agreement that carries a $5.375MM AAV, one of three contracts handed to goalies that saw NHL action last season.

Islander Spending Spree: The biggest contract of the first day of the new league year came from the Islanders who handed goaltender Ilya Sorokin an eight-year, $66MM extension that will begin in the 2024-25 season.  The 27-year-old has been nothing short of stellar since coming to the NHL in 2020-21, posting a 2.34 GAA with a .924 SV% and 16 shutouts in his first three seasons.  His deal ensures that the Islanders will have top-level goaltending for the long haul.  They also brought back veteran Semyon Varlamov on a four-year, $11MM agreement to serve as Sorokin’s backup.  The 35-year-old was one of the better options on the open market although few expected him to get four years.  Few also expected GM Lou Lamoriello to hand out a pair of seven-year contracts to keep Pierre Engvall ($3MM AAV) and Scott Mayfield ($3.5MM AAV) in the fold.  Both players are quality role pieces but it’s fair to say there’s some sticker shock on the length of those contracts.  All told, nearly 19% of the $650MM in commitments from Saturday came from the Isles.

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With the draft and free agency almost upon us, activity around the league has started to pick up with an expectation of plenty more to come, including resolutions to trades that are reportedly in the works.  Here’s a rundown of the top stories from the past seven days.

Middlemen Off The Market: This isn’t the greatest free agent crop for centers and the crop got considerably thinner over the past week with four players coming off the market.  First, Montreal re-signed Sean Monahan to a one-year contract that’s worth $2MM if he meets his games played bonus, giving the veteran a chance to prove he has recovered from his injuries this past season.  Then it was Buffalo’s turn as they inked long-time Sabre Zemgus Girgensons to a one-year, $2.5MM deal to keep him as a fixture in their bottom six.  Erik Haula made it known that he wanted to remain with New Jersey and he got his wish, signing a three-year contract that carries a $3.15MM AAV.  Then, following reports that contract talks were stalling out, Carolina and Jordan Staal were able to reach a new four-year contract, one that carries an AAV of $2.9MM and has a full no-move clause for the first three seasons.

Coyotes Make Moves: In recent years, the Coyotes have willingly taken on unwanted contracts in exchange for future assets with those players either staying on the roster or landing on injured reserve.  Now, the team is changing course as they’ve parted ways with a pair of those unwanted deals, buying out defenseman Patrik Nemeth and winger Zack Kassian.  The moves result in $1.833MM in dead cap for next season and $1.983MM in 2024-25.  Then, Arizona opted to trade away one of their surplus selections, sending Montreal’s 2024 second-round pick to Los Angeles to acquire defenseman Sean Durzi.  The 24-year-old had 38 points in his sophomore year for the Kings and could be part of the back end for the Coyotes for several years.  After that, they re-upped goaltender Connor Ingram to a new three-year deal with a cap hit of $1.95MM.  In 17 appearances in 2023, the 26-year-old put up a .922 SV% and if he can stay even close to that level, it could wind up being a club-friendly deal.

Johansen To Colorado: The Avalanche decided to get a head start on their center shopping as they acquired Ryan Johansen from Nashville in exchange for the rights to pending UFA forward Alex Galchenyuk.  As part of the move, the Predators are retaining half of Johansen’s $8MM for the final two seasons of his contract.  The 30-year-old is coming off a down season that saw him put up just 28 points in 55 games before missing the last couple of months after undergoing emergency leg surgery.  However, he’s just a year removed from a 63-point campaign so Colorado is hoping that a change of scenery could give him a spark.  In a move that basically amounts to acquiring him for future considerations, it’s certainly a worthwhile chance to take for them while Nashville settles for simply clearing half of his contract off their books.

Hall Of Famers: Away from the rink, the next group of Hockey Hall of Famers was announced.  A total of seven people will enter the Hall next season, including builders Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix (posthumously), goaltenders Mike Vernon, Tom Barrasso, and Henrik Lundqvist, plus forwards Pierre Turgeon and Caroline Ouellette.  Of the seven inductees, only Lundqvist was named in his first year of eligibility.  Meanwhile, it’s the second Hall of Fame honor of the year for Ouellette who was also named to the IIHF Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Departures In Calgary? Last week, there was a belief that defenseman Noah Hanifin would be on the way out in Calgary.  He might not be the only one.  First, reports emerged that center Elias Lindholm hasn’t accepted a long-term extension offer from the Flames while fellow middleman Mikael Backlund may also be leaning toward leaving the team.  Then, another report suggested that Tyler Toffoli isn’t likely to re-sign either.  All four players are eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer but if they’re not willing to stick around, GM Craig Conroy could be busy in the coming days and weeks by sending those players to teams that they might be willing to ink new deals with.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.