Which Coaches Could Be On The Hot Seat?
There is an expression in sports that coaches are hired to be fired. It is certainly true in hockey, particularly in the summer. This past summer the NHL saw six coaching changes, in the summer of 2022 there were 10. While it is commonplace for teams to make a coaching change after a disappointing season, there is always the possibility of an in-season move to give a jolt to an underperforming hockey team. The Pittsburgh Penguins did it twice in 2009 and 2016 where they made an in-season coaching change and found themselves lifting the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. The same goes for the St. Louis Blues who went through a similar fate in 2019 with Craig Berube at the helm under an interim head coach tag.
Given that the in-season coaching change is possible. Let’s look at which NHL coaches could be on the hot seat this year should their team falter.
D.J. Smith – Ottawa Senators head coach Smith hasn’t had a lot of success in Canada’s capital city. As Steve Warne wrote in The Hockey News back in May, 11 other head coaches have been both hired and fired since Smith took over behind the Senators bench. Ottawa has been incredibly patient with Smith and their rebuilding club given that they have yet to experience any regular season success a half-decade into the rebuild. Many fans in Ottawa were calling for Smith’s job last season, but general manager Pierre Dorion elected to keep his bench boss for the time being. As Adam Proteau wrote in The Hockey News this past month, the new ownership group in Ottawa will be looking for quick results this upcoming season. One must believe that if Ottawa struggles out of the gate this season or appears destined to miss the playoffs by mid-season, Smith could be the first coach to be let go.
Craig Berube – As mentioned above Berube was brought in by St. Louis as a mid-season replacement and led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Since that cup victory, the Blues have just one playoff series win and are coming off a year in which they missed the playoffs. While the blame doesn’t rest squarely on Berube, he did appear at times to be increasingly frustrated with starting netminder Jordan Binnington and he seemed to be unable to answer for some of the problems plaguing St. Louis last season. A fresh start should do Berube well this season, but if the team stumbles out of the gate once again all bets will be off. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic doesn’t believe Berube will be fired, but he also doesn’t rule it out depending on how the team fares this upcoming season.
Mike Sullivan – Sullivan is a two-time Stanley Cup champion as a head coach and has cemented his legacy in the city of Pittsburgh regardless of how his relationship one day ends with the Penguins. While there were many calls last season to relieve Sullivan of his duties, Penguins ownership had little desire to move on from the 55-year-old. Last year the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006, but in the eyes of ownership, it appears that failure rests squarely on the previous management group. The Fenway Sports Group has already shown a lot of faith in Sullivan by extending him prior to the expiration of his current contract and by heavily involving him in the search for the team’s next general manager. At this time, it seems unlikely that Sullivan would be removed unless the Penguins absolutely collapse during the regular season.
While this list is hardly exhaustive, it does give a snapshot of which coaches have had their names bandied about as possible in-season coaching changes. D.J. Smith certainly seems like the likeliest candidate given that he is the only name on the list without a Stanley Cup to his name. But Stanley Cup-winning head coaches have been fired before, and no coach is above being fired no matter how good their track record is.
Summer Synopsis: Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers were a surprise Cinderella story this past spring as they reached the Stanley Cup Finals for just the second time in franchise history. It wasn’t a shocker to see them in the finals, but what was shocking was the path the team took to become the Eastern Conference’s representative in the final series. Florida knocked off the best regular season team of all time in seven games and then quickly dispatched the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round after the Leafs had won their first playoff series since 2004. Most pundits expected the Carolina Hurricanes to bring the Panthers back to reality, but Florida dispatched the Canes in a dominant sweep to reach the finals. Unfortunately for the Panthers the clock struck midnight on the fairy tale, and they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Vegas Golden Knights.
This offseason a lot of the storylines revolving around the team were the injuries they were going to need to navigate to start the 2023-24 season. Matthew Tkachuk is likely to miss the start of the season and Aaron Ekblad could as well. Head coach Paul Maurice has cautioned the teams fans that the club will be in a dog fight to make the playoffs and he likely isn’t wrong. Florida made the playoffs by a single point, and a lot of the teams that fell behind them are much improved heading into next season. 
This offseason the Panthers didn’t have the space to make any big splash and didn’t have any assets to make the big trade. But they tweaked around the edges and made some small moves that could pay off.
Draft
2-63: C Gracyn Sawchyn, Seattle (WHL)
4-127: D Albert Wikman, Farjestad Jr. (Sweden-JR.)
5-159: G Olof Glifford, HV 71 U18 (Sweden-JR. U18)
6–191: D Luke Coughlin, Rimouski (QMJHL)
7–198: LW Stepan Zvyagin, Dinamo-Shinnik Jr. (Russia-JR)
Florida didn’t have many draft picks left after making a litany of moves over the past two seasons. While it isn’t surprising to see teams empty the tank when they are in contention, the Panthers were criticized for mortgaging too much of their future at the 2022 trade deadline in moves they made for Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot.
The club was still able to make some picks to add to their prospect cupboard. Second-round pick Sawchyn was a big-time player for the top team in the WHL this year as the speedster was a point-a-game player helping the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship. While Sawchyn can get around the ice, he has an awkward way of doing it as his powerful stride isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing. Sawchyn has a good set of hands but isn’t likely to be a top-end offensive player in the NHL, he has a very good chance to be an NHL regular as he does possess a wide-ranging skillset.
With their fourth-round pick the Panthers selected Wikman, a smooth skating player who can already get around the ice like a pro. Outside of his ability to move around, there isn’t much more to his game. He isn’t a great puck mover as he lacks a lot of the offensive instincts to get the puck up the ice with any pace. He could be an NHL player as he does have some of the tools needed, but at this point his future is unclear.
Trade Acquisitions
F Steven Lorentz (San Jose)
As mentioned earlier, Florida didn’t have many assets to move this summer in a trade and they made just one move. The Panthers somewhat surprisingly elected to sell low on former 30-goal scorer Anthony Duclair just a year after he posted 31 goals for Florida. In the salary dump, the Panthers acquired a fifth-round pick as well as forward Steven Lorentz from the San Jose Sharks. The 27-year-old Kitchener, Ontario native posted a career-high 10 goals and nine assists last season for the Sharks while averaging almost 12 minutes a night of ice time on a very bad Sharks team. Lorentz won’t fill the scoresheet, but he is a physical player who will make life difficult for opponents and in Florida, he should be able to play in a role that is much more suitable to his skillset.
UFA Signings
C Rasmus Asplund (One year, $775K)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (One year, $2.25MM)
D Dmitry Kulikov (One year, $1MM)
RW William Lockwood (Two years, $1.55MM)
D Niko Mikkola (Three years, $7.5MM)
D Mike Reilly (One year, $1MM)
F Evan Rodrigues (Four years, $12MM)
C Kevin Stenlund (One year, $1MM)
G Anthony Stolarz (One year, $1.1MM)
C Alex True (One year, $775K)
The Panthers targeted several defensemen from the buyout market when they bought low on Ekman-Larsson and Reilly. Ekman-Larsson had a forgettable two years in Vancouver and was bought out by the Canucks in a move that will saddle them with a $2.126MM cap hit until 2031. The 32-year-old rearguard is about four years removed from being a top-end defenseman and was in over his head with Vancouver. Now that he isn’t being paid like a number one defenseman, he should be able to slot into a role that is more suitable to his current skillset. Ekman-Larsson should still have some gas in the tank and be able to offer the Panthers decent two-way play at a reasonable cap hit. If he is forced into big minutes, Ekman-Larsson could find himself in a situation not unlike the one he faced with the Canucks.
Reilly was initially a good fit with the Bruins when he was dealt to Boston mid-season in April 2021. So much so, that he signed a three-year $9MM deal with the team that turned sour almost immediately after the ink dried on the paperwork. Last season, Reilly dressed in just ten games for Boston and had just a single assist as he found himself on the outside looking in. A healthy scratch for much of the season, Reilly also found himself playing in the AHL for a stretch as the Bruins tried to find creative ways to keep the 30-year-old in game shape. Reilly should be able to provide the Panthers with some depth minutes while not eating much in the way of cap space. With their depth on the left side, it is unlikely that Florida will need the Chicago, Illinois native to play anything close to the 17 minutes a night that Reilly has averaged during his NHL career, but injuries could complicate matters as they did at times last year for Florida.
Evan Rodrigues was supposed to cash in with a lucrative long-term contract last summer but misjudged the free agent market and had to settle for a one-year $2MM deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Rodrigues had another good year last year posting 16 goals and 23 assists in 69 games while playing in different roles for the Avalanche. Rodrigues has a terrific track record of being like a Swiss army knife for teams to utilize in many different roles. Rodrigues’ former team the Pittsburgh Penguins really missed his reliability and his ability to play almost anywhere in the lineup and it is something Florida should find useful when navigating injuries and other holes that get created in the lineup. Rodrigues might have signed the most lucrative contract of his career, but he is still a bargain at just $3MM per year.
Speaking of former Penguins players, Dmitry Kulikov had a cup of coffee with the Penguins last season after he was acquired in a trade deadline move from Anaheim. The 32-year-old had a largely forgettable campaign as he like everyone else, struggled with the Ducks and found himself getting caved in on most nights. After the trade to Pittsburgh, Kulikov fared much better, but an injury limited him to just six games and the Penguins faded down the stretch as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. On the Panthers, he will likely take bottom pairing minutes on a regular basis and should be able to provide the Panthers with a good depth option, albeit one who won’t provide much offensively.
RFA Re-Signings
D Lucas Carlsson (One year, $775K)*
F Grigori Denisenko (Two years, $1.55MM)
D Casey Fitzgerald (One year, $775K)*
D John Ludvig (Two years $1.55MM)*
C Gerald Mayhew (One year, $775K)*
*-denotes two-way contract
The Panthers didn’t have much to worry about in the restricted free agent market as the team took care of most of their business on July 1st. Their highest profile RFA was forward Grigori Denisenko who signed with a slew of other Panthers on July 1st. The 23-year-old forward has dressed in 26 games over parts of three seasons and has yet to score an NHL goal but does have seven assists to his name. Last season the native of Novosibirsk, Russian Federation dressed in a career high 18 games and posted just three assists. At the AHL level, Denisenko posted 12 goals and 24 assists in 56 games with the Charlotte Checkers, however he was -18. At this point in his career, it doesn’t appear as though the former 15th overall pick will live up to his draft position, but the door isn’t shut on him becoming a productive NHL player.
Departures
D Anthony Bitetto (Unsigned)
C Connor Bunnaman (Kärpät, Finnish Liiga)
F Anthony Duclair (Traded to San Jose)
D Radko Gudas (Anaheim, Three Years, $12MM)
F Aleksi Heponiemi (EHC Biel-Switzerland)
F Patric Hornqvist (Retired)
G Alex Lyon (Detroit, Two Years, $1.8MM)
RW Givani Smith (San Jose, Two Years, $1.6MM)
D Marc Staal (Philadelphia, One Year, $1.1MM)
F Colin White (Unsigned)
Its commonplace for teams that go deep in the playoffs to lose an integral part of that team to free agency, and that happened to the Panthers, albeit not as heavy as some team’s experience. Radko Gudas was a force for the Panthers in the playoffs and was a big part of some key moments in their run to the finals. None bigger than his drive to the net on the series-clinching goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gudas cashed in on his moment and moved to the West Coast to be a leader in the Anaheim Ducks rebuild. Gudas will be well compensated for what he brings to the table but should be able to help teach some of Anaheim’s younger players in much the same way he did with Florida. His loss will sting for Panthers fans as he was a noticeable part of the Panthers team identity, even if it didn’t show up on the scoresheet.
Speaking of leadership, the Panthers lost a few other key leaders in Hornqvist and Staal. Staal was effectively replaced on day with the dept signings of Kulikov and Reilly, while Hornqvist was largely a non-factor for the Panthers last year having dressed in just 22 games and was only able to muster up a goal and two assists. Hornqvist was forced to retire and while they will miss what he brings off the ice, he wasn’t able to offer the Panthers much last season on the ice.
The other key loss for Florida will be Anthony Duclair. He only dressed in 20 games last season but is just a year removed for posting 31 goals in the 2021-22 season. Duclair was a salary cap casualty and could flourish in San Jose if he is able to get healthy once again.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Panthers will have an interesting summer in 2024 as they have a few key free agents and not a ton of cap space to make moves. Now they are slated to have just over $26MM available, but they have just two defensemen signed past this year and will have to re-sign Brandon Montour and Sam Reinhart to new deals.
The Sergei Bobrovsky contract has loomed large for a few years now, but the Panthers have always been able to navigate it up until this point. Next summer could be the one in which it becomes prohibitive and problematic should his quality of play decrease.
Florida will be okay if the cap goes up, but if it remains relatively flat, they could see a lot of turnover next year.
Key Questions
Can They Get Back to The Playoffs: Paul Maurice said that Florida will be in tough to make the playoffs and given the improvement of the teams below them in the East (Pittsburgh, Detroit) it is easy to see why. The Penguins were uncharacteristically bad last season, but with Kyle Dubas at the helm they have made monumental changes and should be a playoff team. Detroit shuffled a lot of the furniture around as well and should be better. Can Florida get enough milage out of the remaining core to get back to the playoffs once again? Time will tell.
How Will Injuries Impact The Season? Matthew Tkachuk could barely put on his equipment in the Stanley Cup Finals and will miss the start of the year. Aaron Ekblad suffered multiple injuries in the playoffs and will miss training camp. How will these injuries impact the start of Florida’s season and will they create an overreaction?
Can Bobrovsky Match Last Year’s Success? Bobrovsky found his game in last year’s postseason for the first time in a long time. And while he showed that he can carry a team to the Stanley Cup final, he hasn’t been able to put together much in the way of regular season success having posted a save percentage above .910 only once since joining the Panthers. Will he continue to post elite numbers or will Bobrovsky revert to his previous regular season numbers?
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Tenth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall: Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
9th Overall: Brayden Schenn, Ottawa Senators (5)
The Senators get a marked upgrade over their original ninth-overall pick, defenseman Jared Cowen. Schenn won our polling by a narrow margin, beating out Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the honors by just a handful of percentage points.
Instead, Ottawa takes Schenn, who, had he stayed in Ottawa his whole career to date, would rank third in franchise all-time scoring behind Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza. While never quite growing into the elite echelon of players some expected him to be, thanks to his fifth-overall billing, Schenn has been a consistent contributor and is arguably getting better with age, putting up some of his best (and most consistent) point totals in recent seasons. His 589 career points in 858 games are certainly nothing to scoff at, and he ranks fifth in scoring among his draft class – making it a bit of a surprise he’s fallen this far in our reader polling.
A member of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in 2019, Schenn has now cracked the 60-point mark twice in a Blues uniform after recording 65 last season, something he never did earlier in his career with the Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.
Now, the Edmonton Oilers are on the clock at tenth overall. Their original pick continued a trend of three underwhelming selections: first Scott Glennie in Dallas, Cowen in Ottawa, and now Swedish winger Magnus Pääjärvi in Edmonton. He’s certainly the best out of those three players, getting into 467 NHL contests over the course of nine years, but he lasted just three seasons in Edmonton and fizzled out quickly after a strong rookie campaign in 2010-11 that saw him post 15 goals and 34 points in 80 games as a 19-year-old.
He looked like quite a solid pick at the time. He spent nearly all of the 2008-09 season playing Swedish pro-level hockey with Timrå IK in the Elitserien (the SHL’s predecessor) and had decent middle-tier production, recording seven goals and 17 points in 50 games. He took a step forward in his post-draft year, recording 29 points in 49 games in 2009-10, but he could just never regain his offensive confidence after posting just eight points in 41 games during his sophomore year with Edmonton. After later stints with the Blues and Senators, Pääjärvi is now back in Europe playing for Timrå.
While he did have a good stint in the NHL as a depth player, there are surely better options for Edmonton available with the tenth overall selection. Who would you pick, PHR readers? Make your voice heard below:
2009 Redraft: Tenth Overall
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson 29% (193)
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Dmitry Orlov 16% (108)
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Anders Lee 12% (78)
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Ryan Ellis 9% (60)
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Reilly Smith 6% (43)
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Tyson Barrie 6% (37)
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Darcy Kuemper 4% (25)
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Mike Hoffman 2% (14)
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Brian Dumoulin 2% (12)
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Marcus Foligno 2% (12)
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Nick Leddy 2% (12)
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Kyle Palmieri 2% (12)
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Tomas Tatar 2% (11)
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Robin Lehner 2% (10)
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Jakob Silfverberg 1% (7)
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Marcus Johansson 1% (5)
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Dmitry Kulikov 1% (5)
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Sami Vatanen 1% (5)
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Calvin de Haan 0% (3)
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Casey Cizikas 0% (2)
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Erik Haula 0% (2)
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Brayden McNabb 0% (2)
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David Savard 0% (2)
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Nick Jensen 0% (1)
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Mikko Koskinen 0% (1)
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Craig Smith 0% (1)
Total votes: 663
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Colorado Avalanche
Current Cap Hit: $88,475,000 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None projected to make the opening roster
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Andrew Cogliano ($825K, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($825K, UFA)
G Pavel Francouz ($2MM, UFA)
D/F Kurtis MacDermid ($987.5K, UFA)
F Ben Meyers ($775K, RFA)
F Fredrik Olofsson ($775K, UFA)
D Devon Toews ($4.1MM, UFA)
With cap space at a premium, the Avs had to shop for some bargains in free agency this summer. Drouin comes over from Montreal coming off a year that saw him score just twice although he added 27 assists. If he can lock down a role in the middle six, it won’t take much for them to get surplus value on this deal while he’d be positioned for a better contract a year from now. Cogliano returns after being one of the few consistently effective bottom-six forwards for Colorado last season. At 36, he’ll be going year-to-year from now on in all likelihood.
Meyers struggled in half a season with the Avalanche in 2022-23 but should get another look while Olofsson will push for a spot as well after being acquired from Dallas. Those spots on the depth chart will need to stay at or close to the league minimum moving forward. MacDermid can play both the wing and on the back end but while the versatility is nice, his playing time is limited in either role. That makes him more of an end of the roster candidate which will keep his next cap hit around this price point.
The same certainly can’t be said about Toews. Since being acquired from the Islanders as a salary cap casualty three years ago, he has blossomed into a legitimate top-pairing defender. In each of the last two seasons, he has recorded at least 50 points and logged more than 25 minutes a night. Only four other blueliners in the league are in that category: Roman Josi, Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin, and Cale Makar. Not a bad group to be in. Josi, Hughes, and Makar are already on pricey long-term deals and Dahlin is a year away from doing so. Meanwhile, Toews is on the books at second-pairing money for another ten months. He’ll be doubling it and then some soon enough.
Francouz, when healthy, has been quite an effective goalie for Colorado, posting a career save percentage of .919. However, over four seasons, he has only played in 73 games so it’s still a pretty small sample size. That is definitely limiting his earnings upside as he needs to show he can stay healthy for a full year and maintain that strong level of play. If he can do that, his AAV could push up toward the $4MM range if he looks to test the open market.
Signed Through 2024-25
D Bowen Byram ($3.85MM, RFA)
G Alexandar Georgiev ($3.2MM, UFA)
F Ryan Johansen ($4MM, UFA)*
F Logan O’Connor ($1.05MM, UFA)
F Mikko Rantanen ($9.25MM, UFA)
*-Nashville is retaining an additional $4MM on Johansen’s contract
Rantanen has flown under the radar to an extent but he’s undoubtedly a premier winger in his own right and is coming off a career year that saw him score 55 goals. If he’s able to stay near that rate over the next two years, he’ll have a strong chance of beating Artemi Panarin ($11.643MM) for the most expensive contract given to a winger in NHL history. Johansen hasn’t lived up to his contract but with the Preds eating half of it, Johansen should provide some value assuming he locks up the second center position. If he hovers around the 40-point mark, his next deal should check in around what Colorado will be paying him for the next two years. O’Connor has worked his way from being a depth piece to a reliable third liner at a below-market rate. Even if he stays in the mid-20-point range, he could add another million to his next deal.
Byram’s acceptance of a bridge contract this summer came as little surprise. When healthy, he has become an impactful blueliner but with Colorado’s cap situation and his concussion history, it would have been difficult to find a long-term agreement that worked for both sides. Notably, the deal is significantly backloaded, pushing the qualifying offer to $4.62MM. That said, if Byram can stay healthy these next two seasons, there’s a very good chance he’d be getting considerably more than that on a long-term pact at that time.
Georgiev was somewhat of a risky acquisition by then-GM Joe Sakic. He was coming off a down year and hadn’t yet played 35 games in an NHL season. Fast forward to one year later and he put up career-best numbers across the board in 62 appearances. Now, he is a legitimate starter for them making platoon money. Two more years like this would push his price tag into the range of the goalie he replaced (Darcy Kuemper who received five years at $5.25MM from Washington).
Signed Through 2025-26
D Josh Manson ($4.5MM, UFA)
Manson’s first full season with Colorado didn’t go well as he was limited to just 27 games due to multiple lower-body injuries. And when he was in the lineup, his deployment was that of a fifth defender most nights. This price tag for that role is on the high side and it has now been four straight years that Manson has missed significant time due to injury. At this point, it seems like it will be difficult for the Avs to get a good return on this contract.
List Of NHL-Affiliated Prospects Expected To Play In The WHL This Season
NHL preseason is just 20 days away, but the WHL season kicks off even sooner the day prior. One of the NHL’s largest feeder leagues is getting a new market this season – Central Washington’s Wenatchee Wild, who were relocated from Winnipeg earlier this summer. It has the largest United States presence of all three of the major Canadian junior leagues and churned out last year’s first overall pick – Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats (now of the Chicago Blackhawks). Nine teams do not have any drafted prospects projected to suit up in the WHL next year: the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning. If you’re a fan of one of the other 23 NHL teams, keep reading to find out where your team’s future players are skating next season if you’re looking to catch some WHL action.
Anaheim Ducks
F Connor Hvidston (Swift Current Broncos) – 2022 fifth round, 139th overall
F Nico Myatovic (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2023 second round, 33rd overall
D Vojtech Port (Edmonton Oil Kings) – 2023 sixth round, 161st overall
F Yegor Sidorov (Saskatoon Blades) – 2023 third round, 85th overall
Arizona Coyotes
F Conor Geekie (Wenatchee Wild) – 2022 first round, 11th overall
D Terrell Goldsmith (Prince Albert Raiders) – 2023 fourth round, 102nd overall
D Justin Kipkie (Victoria Royals) – 2023 fifth round, 160th overall
Boston Bruins
G Reid Dyck (Swift Current Broncos) – 2022 sixth round, 183rd overall
Buffalo Sabres
F Zach Benson (Wenatchee Wild) – 2023 first round, 13th overall
D Mats Lindgren (Red Deer Rebels) – 2022 fourth round, 106th overall
G Scott Ratzlaff (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2023 fifth round, 141st overall
F Matthew Savoie (Wenatchee Wild) – 2022 first round, 9th overall
Calgary Flames
F Parker Bell (Tri-City Americans) – 2022 fifth round, 155th overall
F Samuel Honzek (Vancouver Giants) – 2023 first round, 16th overall
F Jaden Lipinski (Vancouver Giants) – 2023 fourth round, 112th overall
Chicago Blackhawks
D Kevin Korchinski (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2022 first round, 7th overall
Colorado Avalanche
D Jeremy Hanzel (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2023 sixth round, 187th overall
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Denton Mateychuk (Moose Jaw Warriors) – 2022 first round, 12th overall
F Martin Rysavy (Moose Jaw Warriors) – 2021 seventh round, 197th overall
Detroit Red Wings
F Nate Danielson (Brandon Wheat Kings) – 2023 first round, 9th overall
F Emmitt Finnie (Kamloops Blazers) – 2023 seventh round, 201st overall
Florida Panthers
D Marek Alscher (Portland Winterhawks) – 2022 third round, 93rd overall
F Josh Davies (Portland Winterhawks) – 2022 sixth round, 186th overall
F Gracyn Sawchyn (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2023 second round, 63rd overall
Los Angeles Kings
F Koehn Ziemmer (Prince George Cougars) – 2023 third round, 78th overall
Minnesota Wild
F Riley Heidt (Prince George Cougars) – 2023 second round, 64th overall
D Kalem Parker (Victoria Royals) – 2023 sixth round, 181st overall
Nashville Predators
F Kalan Lind (Red Deer Rebels) – 2023 second round, 46th overall
D Tanner Molendyk (Saskatoon Blades) – 2023 first round, 24th overall
F Austin Roest (Everett Silvertips) – 2023 sixth round, 175th overall
D Graham Sward (Wenatchee Wild) – 2022 fifth round, 146th overall
New Jersey Devils
F Josh Filmon (Swift Current Broncos) – 2022 sixth round, 166th overall
Philadelphia Flyers
G Carson Bjarnason (Brandon Wheat Kings) – 2023 second round, 51st overall
D Carter Sotheran (Portland Winterhawks) – 2023 fifth round, 135th overall
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Owen Pickering (Swift Current Broncos) – 2022 first round, 21st overall
F Brayden Yager (Moose Jaw Warriors) – 2023 first round, 14th overall
San Jose Sharks
G Mason Beaupit (Wenatchee Wild) – 2022 fourth round, 108th overall
D Luca Cagnoni (Portland Winterhawks) – 2023 fourth round, 123rd overall
Seattle Kraken
D Lukas Dragicevic (Tri-City Americans) – 2023 second round, 57th overall
F Jagger Firkus (Moose Jaw Warriors) – 2022 second round, 35th overall
D Kaden Hammell (Everett Silvertips) – 2023 fifth round, 148th overall
D Caden Price (Kelowna Rockets) – 2023 third round, 84th overall
Toronto Maple Leafs
D Noah Chadwick (Lethbridge Hurricanes) – 2023 sixth round, 185th overall
F Brandon Lisowsky (Saskatoon Blades) – 2022 seventh round, 218th overall
F Fraser Minten (Kamloops Blazers) – 2022 second round, 38th overall
Vancouver Canucks
D Sawyer Mynio (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2023 third round, 89th overall
G Ty Young (Prince George Cougars) – 2022 fifth round, 144th overall
Vegas Golden Knights
F Jordan Gustafson (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2022 third round, 79th overall
F Ben Hemmerling (Everett Silvertips) – 2022 sixth round, 177th overall
Washington Capitals
F Andrew Cristall (Kelowna Rockets) – 2023 second round, 40th overall
F Brett Hyland (Brandon Wheat Kings) – 2023 seventh round, 200th overall
F Alexander Suzdalev (Regina Pats) – 2022 third round, 70th overall
Winnipeg Jets
F Connor Levis (Kamloops Blazers) – 2023 seventh round, 210th overall
G Thomas Milic (Seattle Thunderbirds) – 2023 fifth round, 151st overall
Summer Synopsis: Edmonton Oilers
In back-to-back seasons, the Edmonton Oilers have been eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions. In 2022, the team fell via an Artturi Lehkonen overtime winner in Game Four of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche. Last season, the Oilers were eliminated by Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Entering 2023-24, the goal for the Oilers is clear: they want to be the eventual Stanley Cup champion doing the eliminating. To get there, their team needs to provide enough support for twin franchise pillars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to succeed. Whether they’ve done so is still up for debate.
Draft
2-56: D Beau Akey, Barrie (OHL)
6-184: G Nathaniel Day, Flint (OHL)
7-216: F Matt Copponi, Merrimack (NCAA)
The Oilers have gone all-in in recent seasons, and the result of their efforts to add established NHL talent has been the depletion of their reserves of draft choices, especially for the 2023 draft. The team only had three selections in this most recent draft class, so while the level of talent they received from a quantity and quality perspective is hardly overwhelming, it’s hard to argue with their strategy for each of the three choices.
In Akey, the Oilers selected a widely respected right-shot defenseman from the OHL with some puck-moving ability. Most reports are optimistic that he’ll have a long career as an NHL defenseman on a second or third pairing.
In Day, the Oilers effectively bought a lottery ticket on an OHL netminder who took an increased role with the Firebirds in 2022-23. And with their last pick the Oilers selected Copponi, an overage American pivot who plays a professional two-way game and saw his offense jump from just nine points last season to 29 in 2022-23.
Trade Acquisitions
F Jayden Grubbe (from New York Rangers)
While this acquisition technically came in May, it does mark the only Oilers trade since the 2022-23 deadline that saw an incoming player arrive in Edmonton. Grubbe is a rangy six-foot-three center who was picked 65th overall by New York at the 2021 draft.
Despite his offense finally clicking in his final WHL season (he went from 35 points in 2021-22 to 67 in 2022-23) Grubbe likely wasn’t going to end up tendered an entry-level contract by the Rangers, so rather than potentially waiting and attempting to select Grubbe had he re-entered the draft, the Oilers simply sent the pick they may have spent to draft Grubbe to secure his rights a little earlier.
The unexpected retirement of Noah Philp, who scored 19 goals and 37 points for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors last season, left a void in a middle-six center spot for the Oilers’ AHL affiliate. Adding Grubbe gives the Oilers a player to fill that role and a toolsy prospect for their development team to get to work with.
Key UFA Signings
F Connor Brown (one year, $775k with bonuses)
F Lane Pederson (two years, $1.55MM)
F Drake Caggiula (two years, $1.55MM)*
D Ben Gleason (two years, $1.55MM)*
*denotes a two-way contract
The Oilers have precious little cap space to work with, and that dearth of financial flexibility significantly impacted their ability to add outside talent this summer.
The most significant add is of Brown, who the Oilers were able to afford likely due to the uncertainty injected into his profile by the season-ending injury he suffered early in 2022-23.
Brown, 29, is a quality two-way winger and should he get back up to speed quickly could line himself up to cash in handsomely with a good year in Edmonton. He played with McDavid in the OHL for the Erie Otters and has scored at or above a 40-point pace for the last three seasons.
The additions of Pederson, Caggiula, and Gleason were all about bolstering organizational depth. Pederson is likely to be the team’s spare forward on his affordable $775k cap hit, while Caggiula will play an important top-six role in Bakersfield after scoring 53 points in the AHL last season.
The same can be said for Gleason, a 25-year-old blueliner who scored 33 points for the Texas Stars last season and will likely slot into the Condors’ top four on defense.
Key RFA Re-Signings
D Evan Bouchard (two years, $7.8MM)
F Ryan McLeod (two years, $4.2MM)
F Raphaël Lavoie (one year, $874k)*
*denotes a two-way contract
Bouchard is the biggest name here, and the signing of the most consequence from this summer for GM Ken Holland.
Bouchard, 23, has been a revelation on the Oilers’ powerplay since assuming the top defensive role on that unit, and his points totals are a reflection of that.
He scored 40 points in the regular season but his real breakout came in the playoffs, where he scored a stunning 17 points in just 12 games from the blueline.
While the Oilers undoubtedly would have liked to lock up Bouchard for as long as possible, that simply was not going to be possible given the Oilers’ cap situation.
So instead they land Bouchard on an affordable two-year bridge deal that he should begin providing surplus value on as soon as this fall.
As for McLeod, he’s grown into a competent bottom-six enter in Edmonton and was rewarded for posting 11 goals and 23 points last season with a $2.1MM AAV.
Lavoie, 22, was a 2019 second-round pick who has finally put his game together at the AHL level and is knocking on the door of full-time NHL duty in Edmonton. Lavoie’s one-year extension sets up 2023-24 as a massive year for his future with the Oilers.
Key Departures
F Nick Bjugstad (Arizona, two years $4.2MM)
The only free agent departure of much consequence for the Oilers is the loss of Bjugstad, who Edmonton acquired at the 2023 trade deadline. Bjugstad was asked to do too much in Edmonton and only scored three points in 12 playoff games, though his two-way game did keep him in a regular role in coach Jay Woodcroft’s lineup throughout the postseason.
The Oilers will miss having the rangy six-foot-six veteran center in their lineup but if Lavoie can seize an NHL job this fall his arrival soften that blow.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Oilers are one of the many NHL teams walking a salary cap tightrope. The Jack Campbell contract is a major drag on their books due to his regression, but Stuart Skinner‘s surplus value provided from his $2.6MM cap hit more than makes up for that.
The Oilers have their fair share of pricey contracts, but they have quite a few players who are outperforming their cap hits (McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Bouchard) which makes things easier. The cap rising will provide the Oilers with some much-needed breathing room next summer, but for this upcoming season things will be tight and the club will likely struggle to field a full 23-man roster.
Key Questions
Will the Oilers be able to make any major in-season additions?: The Oilers aforementioned lack of trade assets and cap space puts the club in a bind for 2023-24. They have to do everything possible to surround McDavid and Draisaitl with as much talent as possible, but without a strong crop of prospects to trade from, and already missing second and third-round picks from upcoming drafts, will the Oilers have the assets or cap space to make any significant moves?
Will the Oilers’ goaltending be good enough?: Skinner was certainly exceptional as a rookie, but his track record is relatively thin at the NHL level. Campbell, on the other hand, has a more extensive resume of NHL success but struggled to an extreme degree in 2022-23. Will either of those netminders be good enough for the Oilers to win a Stanley Cup? Or will it be back to the drawing board once again next summer?
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Summer Synopsis: Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings haven’t been back to the playoffs since their historic streak ended in 2017, but GM Steve Yzerman, head coach Derek Lalonde, and the whole Red Wings organization have plans on ending that drought this year. Despite the highly competitive nature of the Atlantic division, the Red Wings have added major talent to their roster over the last two years and are hoping to reach the playoffs next season on the back of that veteran talent combined with some intriguing young stars. But in a division that has sent a finalist to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last five seasons, will that be possible?
Draft
1-9: F Nate Danielson, Brandon (WHL)
1-16: D Axel Sandin-Pellika, Skellefteå (SHL)
2-41: G Trey Augustine, USNTDP (USHL)
2-42: D Andrew Gibson, Soo (OHL)
2-47: D Brady Cleveland, USNTDP (USHL)
3-73: F Noah Dower-Nilsson, Frölunda (J20)
4-117: D Larry Keenan, Culver Academy (USHS)
5-137: D Jack Phelan, Sioux Falls (USHL)
5-147: F Kevin Bicker, Mannheim (GER U20)
6-169: G Rudy Guimond, Taft (USHS)
7-201: F Emmitt Finnie, Kamloops (WHL)
The Red Wings have invested heavily in centers in recent years, both in free agency and at the draft table. They signed Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher to deals north of $5MM AAV and invested top-ten picks in Austrian center Marco Kasper and Canadian pivot Nate Danielson. Danielson is a professional two-way center who had a strong draft year for the Brandon Wheat Kings and is widely projected as a future second or third-line center.
Sandin-Pellika played pro hockey in his draft year for Skellefteå and was considered one of the higher-upside blueliners in his class, especially offensively. On day two, the Red Wings reached into their backyard grabbing a Michigan State commit and potential goalie of the future in Augustine as well as Cleveland, a stay-at-home blueliner. Keenan, the team’s fourth-round pick, was drafted straight out of high school hockey but has tantalizing physical tools.
Trade Acquisitions
F Alex DeBrincat (from Ottawa)
D Jeff Petry (from Montreal)
F Klim Kostin (from Edmonton)
The centerpiece of Yzerman’s offseason is the acquisition of DeBrincat from the Senators, a division rival.
Surrendering Dominik Kubalik and a first-round pick to get the deal done, Yzerman managed to add a two-time 40-goal scorer who happens to be right in the thick of his prime.
DeBrincat won’t turn 26 until December and is locked into a $7.875MM AAV contract through 2026-27.
Even if DeBrincat plays more as he did in Ottawa than how he played next to Patrick Kane on the Chicago Blackhawks, the Red Wings will still have added a 66-point scorer into their top six, which will do wonders to improve the production of other members of their top-six, such as Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Andrew Copp, for example.
Seeing as they didn’t have to commit a huge amount of term to DeBrincat, this trade has a chance to be an absolute grand slam for Yzerman. The acquisition of Petry adds a notably less flashy player to the Red Wings lineup but a nonetheless effective one. Petry isn’t what he once was now that he’s turning 36 years old, but the Ann Arbor, Michigan native can still hold his own in a top-four and contributed 31 points in just 61 games last season. He’s undeniably worth the $2.34MM cap hit he’s owed for the next two years.
Kostin is the lowest-profile addition of this trio but his acquisition via trade gives the Red Wings an intriguing name to plug into their bottom-six. Kostin’s NHL career looked to be on life support before a trade to the Oilers sparked a run of strong performances for the 2017 first-round pick. Kostin plays a powerful game and should improve the Red Wings’ bottom-six and overall forward depth.
Key UFA Signings
F J.T. Compher (five years, $25.5MM)
D Justin Holl (three years, $10.2MM)
D Shayne Gostisbehere (one year, $4.125MM)
F Daniel Sprong (one-year, $2MM)
G Alex Lyon (two-years, $1.8MM)
G James Reimer (one year, $1.5MM)
F Christian Fischer (one year, $1.125MM)
When looking at most of the Red Wings’ free agent signings, a clear strategy emerges. Detroit chose to invest heavily in improving their defense, goaltending depth, and bottom-six forwards.
Compher is the outlier to that, as he’s expected to play in a prominent middle-six center role. He had a breakout 2022-23, scoring 17 goals and 52 points, but seeing as that’s the outlier number so far in his career it’s fair to question whether he’ll be able to repeat that kind of offensive performance.
If he can’t, he still has a solid two-way game to provide a floor to the level of value he provides, which is useful. But unless he can reach 50 points in Detroit $5.1MM on a five-year term will look like a real expensive price to pay for a solid if generally unremarkable middle-six center.
While Holl’s mistakes drew some harsh criticism at times during his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he has averaged at least 20 minutes per night in each of the last three seasons.
A $3.4MM price tag with a three-year term is a high price to pay for what Holl provides, to be sure, but there is some context that could explain why Yzerman made this signing. The Red Wings’ right-shot defensive depth took a major hit with the trade of Filip Hronek to Vancouver, so adding Holl gives Lalonde an experienced name to fill that void.
It’s important for a GM to give capable players to his coach so that the coach can succeed, so now it’ll be up to Lalonde to deploy Holl in ways that will help Holl look good, not for more than he’s capable of as many believe Holl was in Toronto.
In Gostisbehere, the Red Wings add a productive offensive defenseman who resurrected his career on the Arizona Coyotes and should serve as the team’s most reliable offensive threat from the blueline outside their top pairing.
Up front, the Red Wings added Sprong, a player who scored 21 goals and 46 points from largely fourth-line minutes in Seattle, and Fischer, who is an energetic bottom-six forward with some valuable leadership qualities. Sprong will help provide some offensive juice to the bottom six while Fischer will likely play in a more traditional fourth-line role.
In Lyon and Reimer, the Red Wings have made significant improvements to their goaltending depth. While Reimer was shaky, to say the least, last season, he does have an extensive track record of quality play in the NHL. Should he falter, Detroit now has Lyon to save the day, something he did with the Florida Panthers last season when his .914 save percentage in 15 games lifted them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
These additions aren’t as flashy as the team’s addition of DeBrincat, to be sure, but they’re strategic investments in areas of the roster that were major weaknesses last season, even if in the case of Holl and Compher they came on the expensive side.
Key Departures
F Pius Suter (Vancouver, two years, $3.2MM)
F Filip Zadina (San Jose, one year, $1.1MM)
F Alex Chiasson (Boston, PTO)
G Magnus Hellberg (Pittsburgh, one year, $785k)
F Adam Erne (UFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (Pittsburgh, one year, $1.5MM)
D Robert Hagg (Anaheim, one year, $775k)
The biggest-name loss on this list is easily that of Zadina, the 2017 sixth-overall pick. Zadina never quite found his game in Detroit and ultimately gave the team very little in return for the significant asset they invested in him, save for a 28-game run in 2019-20 where he flashed some real promise and scored 15 points.
The most effective player Detroit is losing is Suter, 27, who scored 14 goals and 24 points last season. Detroit is undoubtedly upgrading at third-line center if Compher ends up playing in that role, although Suter did score 36 points in 2021-22 and Detroit could surely still find room for that kind of player. Suter just wasn’t able to find consistency in Detroit, and with the Red Wings making a serious playoff push they simply needed to find a more reliable player to fill the role Suter played, even if that player came at a far higher price tag.
Jettisoning Nedeljkovic and Hellberg to bring in Reimer and Lyon represents a full makeover of the Red Wings’ goaltending depth behind starter Ville Husso. Nedeljkovic arrived in Detroit with quite a bit of promise but his reliance on his athleticism was exposed behind the Red Wings’ porous defense, and he heads to Pittsburgh seeking greener pastures. Hellberg, 32, will join him and potentially take up a role as Pittsburgh’s number-three goalie.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Red Wings’ significant outlays this summer have left them in a tighter cap position than years past, but the flip side of that is that their roster is significantly improved as well. The Red Wings have paid high prices to get high-quality players in the door, but some of their most significant costs are yet to be determined. Both Raymond and Moritz Seider will need new contracts before next season, and those two players figure to be two of the most expensive Red Wings moving forward, with Seider holding the potential to receive a highly lucrative long-term deal as one of the top young blueliners in the NHL.
Key Questions
Who will be the Red Wings’ second-line center?: This question isn’t exactly the right one, as we know who will start the year as Detroit’s second-line center: either Copp or Compher. But the important question is who will end up claiming that role moving into the future, seeing as the Red Wings have two quality center prospects in their pipeline in Kasper and Danielson. Will Compher reward Yzerman’s faith and his $5.1MM price tag? Will Copp improve on a first year in Detroit that saw him score only nine goals? Or will both veterans falter as the team pivots towards Kasper or eventually Danielson as Dylan Larkin’s long-term understudy?
Who claims the backup goalie role?: A 475-game NHL veteran, Reimer is undoubtedly the front-runner here. But after posting an .890 save percentage last season, he’s vulnerable. Alex Lyon has largely been a third goalie throughout his pro career. Will that finally change this season in Detroit?
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Ninth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall: Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
With Dallas originally taking Scott Glennie at the eighth spot, this selection certainly represents a significant improvement in outcomes for the Stars with 31.5% of the votes from our readers going to the power forward. That was twice as many votes as the next-highest player.
Kane was originally drafted fourth overall by Atlanta after a dominant showing with WHL Vancouver and they moved him right to the NHL. While it took him some to adjust to playing at the top level, his third season was a breakout campaign as he picked up 57 points in the franchise’s first season with Winnipeg. To date, that is his career-best in a single season.
However, Kane wasn’t without controversy during his time with the Jets and he later admitted that he requested a trade basically every offseason. Eventually, that request was granted – while he was on the injured list, no less – as Winnipeg moved him to Buffalo in February of 2015 in what some would call a blockbuster move at the time. Zach Bogosian also went to the Sabres as part of the swap with Tyler Myers, Joel Armia, Drew Stafford, Brendan Lemieux, and a first-round pick all coming to Winnipeg.
Things weren’t much better for Kane in Buffalo. The injury struggles continued while he produced at close to the same level as he did with the Jets. With his contract coming to an end in 2018 and the Sabres out of contention, he was moved to San Jose at the trade deadline.
This time, the change of scenery helped as Kane played well enough down the stretch and in the playoffs to earn a seven-year, $49MM contract. In his first two full seasons with the team, he had 56 goals and it looked like he had found a long-term home.
However, he didn’t make it past the halfway point of the deal. The relationship between Kane and the Sharks soured amid off-ice allegations that were investigated by the league and found to be unsubstantiated. Then, Kane submitted a fake vaccination card in 2020, resulting in a 21-game suspension and an immediate assignment to the AHL upon its conclusion. Two months later, they terminated the contract, citing a breach of contract and failure to adhere to COVID protocols. Kane and the NHLPA filed a grievance which was settled last September.
In the meantime, Kane caught on with Edmonton in 2022 and was quite productive down the stretch with 39 points in 43 games, earning himself a new four-year deal that still has three years remaining. Injuries limited him to just 41 regular season games in 2022-23 but he was still an important part of their top six and projects to be in that role for the foreseeable future.
Now, we move on to the ninth selection, which was held by the Ottawa Senators. They initially took Jared Cowen out of WHL Spokane but he was only able to hold on to a depth role for a handful of years before calling it a career in 2016. Clearly, he isn’t the best option available in our redraft. Who is? Make your selection for the Sens below.
2009 Redraft: Ninth Overall
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Brayden Schenn 23% (134)
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson 20% (117)
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Dmitry Orlov 13% (74)
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Anders Lee 9% (50)
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Ryan Ellis 7% (42)
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Tyson Barrie 4% (25)
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Reilly Smith 4% (21)
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Tomas Tatar 3% (17)
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Darcy Kuemper 3% (15)
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Mike Hoffman 2% (12)
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Robin Lehner 2% (9)
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Jakob Silfverberg 1% (8)
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Marcus Foligno 1% (7)
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Marcus Johansson 1% (7)
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Kyle Palmieri 1% (7)
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Nick Leddy 1% (5)
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Brian Dumoulin 1% (4)
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David Savard 1% (4)
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Sami Vatanen 1% (4)
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Mikko Koskinen 1% (3)
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Calvin de Haan 0% (2)
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Erik Haula 0% (2)
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Dmitry Kulikov 0% (2)
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Craig Smith 0% (1)
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Casey Cizikas 0% (0)
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Brayden McNabb 0% (0)
Total votes: 572
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Chicago Blackhawks
Current Cap Hit: $70,635,124 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Connor Bedard (three years, $950K)
D Wyatt Kaiser (two years, $917K)
F Lukas Reichel (one year, $925K)
D Filip Roos (one year, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Bedard: $3.5MM
Kaiser: $425K
Reichel: $505K
Total: $4.43MM
Bedard was the player that many non-contending teams were trying to tank for last season. Assuming he pans out as anticipated, he should become Chicago’s top center quite quickly. There’s a good chance he hits his $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses while the ‘B’ ones are tough for anyone to get. It’s far too early to realistically try to project his second contract but if he lives up to the hype, it could be the richest in franchise history. Chicago has slow-played Reichel’s development so far, giving him tastes of NHL action but primarily keeping him in the minors. While not a bad idea from a development perspective, it puts him in the category of being quite likely to land a short-term second contract that will keep his earnings upside down.
On the back end, it’s difficult to pick only a couple to highlight here as at this point, there are quite a few youngsters who could battle for a few spots on the roster. Kaiser didn’t look out of place after leaving college last season, logging just shy of 19 minutes a night so he could have a leg up. So could Roos who didn’t look out of place out of training camp a year ago. But realistically, Alex Vlasic, Isaak Phillips, and Kevin Korchinski should be in the mix as well. But for any of them to be in a position to command any sort of significant second contract, they’ll need to establish themselves as NHL regulars first.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Colin Blackwell ($1.2MM, UFA)
F Jason Dickinson ($2.65MM, UFA)
F Mackenzie Entwistle ($800K, RFA)
F Nick Foligno ($4MM, UFA)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM, UFA)
F Boris Katchouk ($758K, RFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.8MM, UFA)
F Corey Perry ($4MM, UFA)
F Taylor Raddysh ($758K, RFA)
D Jarred Tinordi ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zaitsev ($4.5MM, UFA)
The Blackhawks were compensated for taking on Johnson’s contract back in 2021 with Tampa Bay needing to free up cap room. He isn’t the top-six forward he was in his prime but is still capable of playing in the middle six. While Johnson has been on the wing lately, he’s a natural center which also helps his value. At half this price a year from now on the open market, he should have some interest.
Dickinson is another player they were basically paid to take on. After a disastrous year in Vancouver, he rebounded relatively well. However, it’s hard to see him garnering more than this on his next deal since he has yet to hit the double-digit goal mark in the NHL. A contract around the $1.5MM mark is where his value might fall. Blackwell took a step backward last season offensively but still played an important role on the penalty kill. He was still relatively inexperienced when he received this contract and now with what will be another couple of years under his belt when he returns to free agency, where he’s at now might be close to his earnings ceiling.
Then there are Perry and Foligno. Chicago clearly targeted these two veterans as mentors for their younger core, trading for their negotiating rights and then handing them contracts that were extremely above market value. Both players are best suited to play on the fourth line at this stage of their careers and had they hit the open market, they likely would have received offers for around a quarter of this amount. Barring a high-priced one-year extension if things go well, that price range is where they should expect their next deals to be if they get one.
Among the RFA forwards, Raddysh is the most notable. Coming off a 20-goal campaign, a repeat performance plus arbitration eligibility should push his AAV past the $2MM mark, perhaps even to the $3MM range. Katchouk and Entwistle don’t have quite the offensive upside and are more depth players up to this point. They will also have arbitration eligibility next summer which could work against them if we have a repeat of a run of non-tenders like we did this offseason.
Zaitsev was another player Chicago was paid to take on with him coming over midseason from Ottawa, paving the way for them to complete the Jakob Chychrun trade. Zaitsev never has been able to live up to this contract but can log some minutes on a largely inexperienced back end so he’ll provide some value to the Blackhawks. His next deal should check in closer to the $1MM mark though. Tinordi came over as a waiver claim in training camp and wound up earning a regular role when he was healthy, landing this extension in the process. It’s a bit above what his market value might have been in free agency though.
Mrazek is yet another contract Chicago was compensated to take on. He actually posted a better save percentage than he had in his lone year in Toronto but still had a rough season. On a better team, Mrazek could still attract some NHL interest next summer but at a price tag that’s closer to the $1.5MM mark.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Andreas Athanasiou ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($2MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F Philipp Kurashev ($2.25MM, RFA)
G Arvid Soderblom ($963K, RFA)
This summer was a good time for teams with cap space to acquire impact players for cheap simply by taking on the full freight of the contract. Chicago did that with Hall as Boston needed to move him to create cap room to fill out their roster. His days of being a productive top liner are pretty much finished now based on how the last few years have gone for him but he’s someone who can play big minutes while giving Bedard a legitimate top-six linemate. In a perfect world, Hall’s numbers go up playing alongside Bedard, giving the Blackhawks a chance to flip him in his final year while giving Hall a shot at getting close to this type of money on the open market.
Chicago handed Athanasiou this deal to get him to avoid testing free agency. As is the case with Perry and Foligno, it’s an above-market pact but with ample cap space, it’s an overpayment they can afford. After putting up 20 goals and 20 assists last season, he’ll need to maintain or improve on those numbers if he wants to get a similar-sized contract in 2025. Kurashev was awarded this contract in arbitration coming off a career year that saw him get 25 points. Playing time will be a bit harder to come by now with their extra depth so he’ll need to find a way to improve on those numbers in a lesser role to avoid the risk of being a non-tender candidate in 2025. Donato’s per-60 numbers are pretty impressive but he has yet to lock down a full-time middle-six role. He should get another chance to do so here and if he thrives, he could have a much stronger market as a more proven secondary scorer.
Soderblom had some ups and downs in his limited action with the Blackhawks last season, earning him a one-way deal in the process. He’s perceived as a goalie of the future though not necessarily the goalie of the future for Chicago. This bridge contract gives both sides a chance to see if he’s a future starter, platoon option, or if he’s better off as a pure backup and obviously, which category he falls in will determine his next contract, one that will come with arbitration rights.
Signed Through 2025-26
D Connor Murphy ($4.4MM, UFA)
At a time when stay-at-home defenders are starting to lose some of their open-market value, Murphy has been one of the exceptions. He has logged heavy minutes throughout his time with Chicago but in a ten-year career, he has yet to reach the 20-point mark. Coupled with plenty of bumps and bruises from his style of play, it seems unlikely that Murphy will be able to command this type of deal in three years when he might be better suited for a more limited role on a depth chart.
Summer Synopsis: Dallas Stars
Over the last four seasons, the Dallas Stars have had a tumultuous run in the Western Conference. Now four years ago, the team made a run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, only to miss the playoffs entirely in the shortened 2020-21 season. The year after, the Stars would barely reach the playoffs, clinching the second wild-card spot. Rebounding nicely, Dallas would return to the Western Conference Finals in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, earning big series wins against the Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion, the Vegas Golden Knights.
With limited cap space this summer, the team had little finances to work with to notably improve the club, but many would argue they did the absolute best with what they had available to them. Carrying young stars such as Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz on their roster, mixed with veterans such as Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Joe Pavelski, the Stars are poised to once again reach solid playoff positioning, and may even be an under-the-radar team to fully contend for the Stanley Cup.
Draft
2-61: D Tristan Bertucci, Flint (OHL)
3-79: F Brad Gardiner, Ottawa (OHL)
4-125: D Aram Minnetian, USNTDP (USHL)
5-157: G Arno Tiefensee, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
6-189: F Angus MacDonell, Mississauga (OHL)
7-221: F Sebastian Bradshaw, Elite Hockey Academy (AYHL)
Thanks to the trade that landed Nils Lundkvist in Texas, the Stars were without their first-round pick for the 2023 NHL Draft. Their first selection in Bertucci falls under the umbrella of ‘the rich getting richer’. Last season, although having standout goaltender Jake Oettinger between the pipes, Dallas employed one of the best defensive cores in the league. By almost every metric, the team excelled in keeping the puck out of the net, and with Bertucci being the strong shutdown defender he is, he should see his game translate very well to the Stars’ style of play.
The most under-the-radar selection by the team would be their sixth-round pick in MacDonell. At the OHL trade deadline, MacDonell was acquired by the Mississauga Steelheads from the Sarnia Sting, where he would score 17 goals and 7 assists in 31 games after the move. More importantly; however, is that MacDonell proved to be an exceptional player in clutch situations. In six OHL playoff games for the Steelheads, MacDonell would score three goals and two assists, as well as scoring one goal and four assists in seven games for the Canadian U18 National Team during the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Key UFA Signings
D Gavin Bayreuther (one year, $775K)
F Matt Duchene (one year, $3MM)
D Derrick Pouliot (one year, $775K)*
F Craig Smith (one year, $1MM)
F Sam Steel (one year, $850K)
*-denotes two-way contract
Far and away the biggest addition to the Stars roster comes in adding Duchene to a one-year deal this summer. Given that Dallas’ first line is largely set, Duchene should factor in nicely to the team’s second line. Only scoring 56 points as a top forward for the Nashville Predators during the 2022-23 season, Duchene is only one year removed from a 44-goal, 86-point performance. Given the team’s performance in Nashville last season, most of Duchene’s performance stats did drop, but only subtly. Given this, Duchene should rebound nicely, especially with more talent surrounding him in Dallas. 
Steel represents one of the more interesting free-agent additions this offseason. He had the best season of his career last year in Minnesota, scoring 10 goals and 18 assists in 65 games played, but it is difficult to see where exactly he fits in Dallas’ lineup. He did carry solid possession numbers last year for the Wild, but aside from that, does not impress much in the way of defensive metrics, meaning he may not be a solid option for a bottom-six role in the Stars’ roster. He could factor into the mix given an injury to the team’s middle-six, but Steel appears destined for an extra forward spot this upcoming season.
Key RFA Signings
F Nicholas Caamano (one-year, $775K)*
F Riley Damiani (one-year, $775K)*
F Ty Dellandrea (one-year, $900K)
F Scott Reedy (one-year, $775K)*
*-denotes two-way contract
After a couple of seasons spent primarily with Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, Dellandrea burst onto the scene during the 2022-23 NHL season. In 82 games played, the young forward would score nine goals and 19 assists, good for ninth on the team as a 23-year-old. As his time on ice inevitably increases from above 14 minutes a game, Dellandrea will also see his scoring output increase, even though his other talents are the key for the Stars.
His possession numbers have left a lot to be desired, but Dellandrea’s defensive metrics are inspiring in a middle-six role for an NHL player. Last season, his oiSV% reached a total of 90.6%, and he was also able to contribute heavily to the team’s physical outlook, throwing 125 hits over the year. Given their current roster, it is difficult to see Dellandrea earning a top-six role this season, but as he improves, the Stars become a deeper team overall.
Key Departures
F Max Domi (Toronto, one-year, $3MM)
F Rhett Gardner (Philadelphia, two-year, $1.55MM)
D Benjamin Gleason (Edmonton, one-year, $775K)
F Luke Glendening (Tampa Bay, two-year, $1.6MM)
F Joel Kiviranta (Colorado, PTO)
D Ryan Shea (Pittsburgh, one-year, $775K)
F Marian Studenic (Seattle, one-year, $775K)
F Riley Tufte (Colorado, one-year, $775K)
G Dylan Wells (Nashville, PTO)
Unfortunately, the Stars did lose one of their top playoff performers last year in Domi. Although not performing incredibly well after the team acquired him at the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks, Domi did score three goals and 10 assists in 19 playoff games for Dallas, which would land him at fourth best on the team. Thankfully, and especially with the addition of Duchene to the top of their forward group, Domi should be easily replaceable moving forward.
Glendening will be a bit harder to replace, but not for the same reasons. Not known much for his offensive performance, Glendening excels tremendously in the faceoff circle. During his two-year stint in Dallas, Glendening would finish with an absurd 58.9% faceoff win percentage, one of the best in the league. Both Benn and Radek Faksa do well in the dot, but Dallas did not do much to replace Glendening in the dot this summer.
Salary Cap Outlook
Dallas is one of the highest-paying teams in the league, clocking in at 11th overall in spending heading into the 2023-24 NHL season. The team still has four years and $39.4MM left on Seguin’s contract but does not have much to worry about for next year. Most of the team’s young talent is signed into 2025-26 or beyond, meaning as much as they are spending, they won’t need to spend more in the near future.
There are some fringe players, such as Faksa and Ryan Suter who could be considered ‘overpaid’, but they will conclude before the Stars need to dole out any long-term contracts to some of their younger stars. For the best interest of the team, it would likely benefit Dallas to shed a bit of space before the trade deadline, therefore easily fitting in whatever needs they deem needed for a 2024 playoff push.
Key Questions
What To Do With Seguin? : Still averaging around 50 points a season, Seguin no longer is worth the massive contract extension the Stars gave him shortly before the 2018-19 season. He has stayed relatively healthy and is more than capable of scoring 20 goals a season, but Dallas could certainly do better. It will be hard to move Seguin given his $9.85MM AAV, so the team will have to employ him in a way that is most advantageous to their success. Nevertheless, the Stars are moving in a direction, especially given their salary cap situation, where a harder stance on Seguin’s future may need to be taken. 
What Is This Team’s Ceiling?: Managing to make an appearance in two Western Conference Finals and one Stanley Cup Final in the last four years, the Stars have earned a spot as one of the top Stanley Cup contenders heading into the upcoming season. However, are they truly a solid bet to win the Stanley Cup given their current roster makeup? The Colorado Avalanche and Golden Knights are surefire favorites to win the Western Conference next year, and the Eastern Conference posits a world of trouble if the team does indeed make it to the Stanley Cup Final next season. Dallas still appears a player or two away from being a legitimate threat to Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images