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Stars Sign Tristan Bertucci To Entry-Level Deal

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The Stars signed left-shot defenseman Tristan Bertucci to his entry-level contract on Friday, per a team announcement. The three-year deal with a cap hit of $878K will begin in 2024-25, making him an RFA upon expiry in 2027 – which could push to 2028 if he plays less than 10 NHL games next season and activates an entry-level slide. PuckPedia has the full breakdown of the deal, which is as follows:

2024-25/2025-26: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus, $82.5K minors salary
2026-27: $800K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $55K games played bonus, $82.5K minors salary.

The initial $95K signing bonus will get paid out next season regardless of whether he plays more than 10 NHL games or not, which, in the case of a slide, would lower the cap hit of his deal slightly when it does go into effect in 2025-26.

Bertucci, 18, was a late second-round pick of the Stars in last year’s draft. Taken off the board at 61st overall, the Ontario native’s production has stagnated in his post-draft season, logging 41 points and a +10 rating in 56 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds this season compared to 50 points and a +12 rating in 63 games last season. He’s still a solid two-way presence with good shutdown and transition potential at the NHL level, though, and doesn’t have much support on a Firebirds team that’s been relegated to mediocrity this year with a 29-30-4 record.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 180 lbs, Bertucci has to fill out his frame a little bit more before he’s ready for NHL action. He’ll likely return to the Firebirds next year for his fourth season of major junior play, sliding the beginning of his ELC to 2025, and will join the AHL’s Texas Stars at the end of next season. He’ll take a year or two of development there as well before hopefully cracking the NHL roster in 2026 or 2027.

Bertucci’s deal will not count against the 50-contract maximum next season if he’s not in the NHL. The Stars had until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an ELC before his draft rights lapsed.

Blackhawks Sign Landon Slaggert

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The Blackhawks have inked one of their more intriguing prospects, signing forward Landon Slaggert to a two-year, entry-level deal, per a team announcement. The deal, which begins immediately, carries a $912.5K cap hit, per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports.

As such, Slaggert will be eligible to make his NHL debut for Chicago down the stretch. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2020 and had his collegiate career with Notre Dame end yesterday after Michigan eliminated him and the Fighting Irish in the Big 10 Tournament. The South Bend, Indiana native ended his stint at Notre Dame with a 20-goal, 31-point showing in 36 games, both of which were career highs.

Slaggert is already decorated internationally, capturing the gold medal as a depth forward with Team USA at the 2021 World Juniors. He returned to the team for the 2022 tournament where he was among their best, posting six points in five games while serving as an alternate captain.

A speedy forward with decent size (6-foot, 190 lbs), Slaggert can play both wing and center but likely slots in at left wing at the NHL level. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler left Slaggert out of Chicago’s top 15 prospects in his latest pipeline ranking in February, while Dobber Prospects lists him as their fourth-best left-wing prospect. If he hits his long-term ceiling, he’s a good fit on a two-way third-line that can be relied upon for depth scoring and checking situations. He has a decent shot but will likely be most effective in the pros with his ability to create puck retrievals out of board battles.

Slaggert will be an RFA when his ELC expires in 2025.

Senators Notes: Bernard-Docker, Kubalik, Belleville

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The Ottawa Senators had a quiet deadline – only moving winger Vladimir Tarasenko – but it wasn’t from lack of trying, with Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reporting that teams called about defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker but weren’t willing to pay Ottawa’s high asking price. What that asking price was isn’t clear, though there’s no doubt that Ottawa highly values their former first-round pick, despite his struggles at the top level. Garrioch added that Ottawa likely wasn’t eager to move the 23-year-old, happy to continue letting him grow now in a full-time NHL role. Bernard-Docker, the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, is still searching for a groove in the league, with just four goals and 12 points in 53 games this season. It’s his first full season in the NHL, entering the season with just 32 career games across the last three years.

Other Senators trade notes:

  • Garrioch also reports that Ottawa continued to try and find a trade for winger Dominik Kubalik, who the team has been shopping around since December. Garrioch adds that Kubalik will likely be out the door when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The 28-year-old winger has 10 goals and 14 points in 58 games this season, netting double digit goals for the fifth-straight season, despite a down-year in overall production. Kubalik has managed 92 goals and 175 points across 341 career NHL games.
  • Tarasenko’s move opened up space on the Senators lineup that the team hopes to fill creatively. While they did claim bottom-six staple Boris Katchouk off of waivers, Senators general manager Steve Staios shared that the team could give top Belleville Senators prospects – including Tyler Kleven, Zack Ostapchuk, and Oskar Pettersson – a chance at the majors as well. He told Garrioch, “All of those players have progressed nicely. They’re worthy of an opportunity to play.” Ottawa currently sits second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, with just 25 wins on the season. With a quiet deadline not providing much change, they could be well-poised to try out their top young names.

Avalanche Sign Jeremy Hanzel To Entry-Level Contract

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The Avalanche inked defense prospect Jeremy Hanzel to a three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Colorado selected Hanzel, 21, in the sixth round of last year’s draft. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native is in his fourth and final season of major junior hockey with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, where he’s on pace for career highs with 13 goals and 50 points in 58 games.

A strong outlet passer, Hanzel is a left-shot blue-liner who stands at 6-foot-1 and 196 lbs. Initially eligible for selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, he was passed over twice before heading to the Avs last summer. He was a league-leading +70 on a Thunderbirds team that won the WHL championship last season en route to a Memorial Cup appearance.

Given his age, Hanzel’s ELC is not eligible to slide. The contract will begin next season, when he’ll likely be assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, and runs through 2026-27. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry.

Avalanche Sign Ivan Ivan To Entry-Level Contract

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The Avalanche have signed undrafted free agent center Ivan Ivan to a two-year entry-level contract, per a team announcement Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed, although the deal will begin next season and make him an RFA in 2026.

Ivan, 21, was on an AHL contract with the Avalanche’s affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. He’s had a promising inaugural professional season, scoring 12 goals, 15 assists, and 27 points in 51 games with a +3 rating.

The 6-foot Czech pivot was impressive on an otherwise middling Cape Breton Eagles team over three years in the QMJHL, closing out his major junior career with a 33-goal, 90-point campaign in 64 games last year. He was named to Czechia’s 2022 World Junior Championship roster, where he notched one assist in seven games en route to a bronze-game loss.

Ivan’s transition to the pro game has created some buzz about his ceiling as a solid bottom-six playmaking center who can log some penalty-kill time. Size won’t be a hurdle in his NHL adjustment, weighing in at nearly 200 lbs, and he’s got plenty of experience playing on North American ice, joining Cape Breton in 2019 after playing out his youth career in Czechia.

Signing Ivan brings the Avs to 47 out of the maximum 50 contracts, so they’ll be cognizant of the limit as they navigate the trade waters this week. He’ll remain waiver-exempt throughout his ELC if he plays 80 NHL games or less.

Ducks Recall Olen Zellweger

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The Ducks recalled top defense prospect Olen Zellweger from AHL San Diego on Friday, per a team release.

This is the 20-year-old’s second recall of the season. He played in four games for the Ducks just before the All-Star break, recording an assist and a +2 rating while logging 16:20 per game.

Zellweger had middling possession impacts with a 46.8 CF% at even strength and an expected -0.5 rating, but that’s not awful on a bottom-dwelling team. He also looked decent in limited power-play reps, recording his only point as a primary assist on a Sam Carrick marker with the man advantage.

An early second-round pick of Anaheim in 2021, Zellweger leads his team’s defenders and all AHL rookie defensemen with 12 goals and 37 points in 44 games. He fell in the draft due to scouts being concerned about his 5-foot-9, 174-lb frame, but he’s quieted most of those concerns in his transition to the minor leagues.

The Calgary native is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he added significantly to his trophy cabinet. After posting 32 goals, 48 assists, 80 points, and a +30 rating in just 55 games with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers, he took home the league’s Bill Hunter Trophy, awarded to the top defenseman, as well as the Canadian Hockey League’s Defenseman of the Year honors. He also took home the gold medal with Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championship, recording six assists in seven games.

Zellweger could be in for an extended stint in the NHL after the Ducks traded veteran shutdown blue-liner Ilya Lyubushkin to the Maple Leafs on Thursday night in a three-team deal. At the very least, he earned the first recall in Lyubushkin’s vacancy ahead of more experienced options like Trevor Carrick, Robert Hägg and Colton White.

It’s unclear if Zellweger will return to the Ducks’ lineup tonight against the Devils or if he’ll sit as a seventh defenseman. He’ll mainly compete for minutes with bottom-pairing blue-liner Gustav Lindström, who’s been an occasional healthy scratch since the Ducks claimed him off waivers from the Canadiens in January.

Predators Sign Austin Roest To Entry-Level Deal

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The Predators signed right-wing prospect Austin Roest to a three-year, entry-level contract Friday, per a team release. The deal will begin next season, expiring and making him an RFA in 2027. Terms were not disclosed.

Nashville selected Roest, 20, in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The son of former Red Wings and Wild center Stacy Roest has played the last four seasons with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and has served as team captain this season. He’s tied for the team lead in goals this season with 31, and his 59 points in 54 games rank fourth.

Roest becomes the third player selected by the Predators in last year’s draft to ink his entry-level deal. All have come from the WHL. First-round pick Tanner Molendyk and second-round pick Kalan Lind signed theirs last summer.

The 5-foot-10, 181-lb forward’s production has dipped slightly from last season’s 78 points in 60 games that got him selected last year after being passed over in 2022. If he cracks the NHL lineup further down his development path, he projects as a playmaker whose forechecking game makes him an ideal fit for an offensively-inclined third or fourth line.

His chances of cracking the NHL lineup next season are slim. Thus, his professional career will begin with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals or ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators in 2024-25.

Capitals Sign Zac Funk To Entry-Level Contract

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The Capitals have nabbed one of the top undrafted free agents hitting the market today, signing WHL leading goal-scorer Zac Funk to a three-year, entry-level deal. In a team release, the Capitals confirmed the contract will carry a cap hit of $810K, equivalent to his NHL salary, and $82.5K in the AHL.

Funk, 20, has exploded for 56 goals and 99 points in just 58 games with the Prince George Cougars, sitting third in the league in points behind Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus and Wild prospect and Prince George teammate Riley Heidt. The 6-foot, 209-lb Funk can play both wings and has NHL-ready size.

He’s unlikely to crack Washington’s NHL roster next season, but he will join one of the best minor-league franchises in the world in the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The defending Calder Cup champions are on a roll again in 2023-24, boasting a league-best 41-9-3 record.

Their success stems mainly from more veteran minor-leaguers. Still, they will likely continue to be staffed by top Capitals prospects Ivan Miroshnichenko and Vincent Iorio next season, giving Funk a solid core of young players to grow with.

Funk will be an RFA when his deal expires in 2027. He will require waivers after playing three professional seasons or skating in 80 NHL games, whichever comes first.

Lightning Sign Milo Roelens To Entry-Level Contract

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4:12 p.m.: Roelens’ ELC carries a cap hit of $870K, per PuckPedia. In all three seasons, the deal carries a $775K salary, a $95K signing bonus, up to $80K in games played bonuses, and a minors salary of $82.5K.

12:01 p.m.: Free agent center prospect Milo Roelens signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning on Friday, per a team release. The agreement, for which terms were not released, will begin next season and make Roelens an RFA in 2027.

Roelens, 21, is in his final season of junior hockey and has spent the last four seasons in the QMJHL. The massive 6-foot-6, 207-lb pivot was traded from the Sherbrooke Phoenix to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last summer, a move that’s allowed him to break out for 25 goals, 37 assists, and 62 points with 90 PIMs in 56 games this year.

Crossing over the point-per-game threshold for the first time in his major junior career, Roelens now has his professional home secured for the next three seasons. The Canadian-Belgian dual national was born in Ste-Pétronille, Québec, and received some outside consideration for selection in last year’s NHL Entry Draft but was ultimately passed over.

A decent two-way pivot, Roelens can also play left wing. Like many young UFAs who will sign deals over the coming days, his NHL prospects are limited given his delayed offensive breakout at the junior level, but he’s done well enough in junior play this year to likely secure a spot with Tampa’s primary affiliate, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, next season. If he doesn’t crack their roster out of camp, he’ll be demoted to the second-tier ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears.

Roelens’ +17 rating leads Acadie-Bathurst this season, as do his 25 goals. His 62 points are second on the team behind former Hurricanes prospect Robert Orr, another potential free-agent pickup for teams in the coming days or over the summer.

Roelens is the second unsigned prospect to ink an entry-level deal today, joining former Sharks draft pick Max McCue. McCue inked a three-year contract with the Blue Jackets to open this year’s free-agent signing period for UFA prospects coming out of junior hockey.

Blue Jackets Sign Max McCue To Entry-Level Deal

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2:01 p.m.: The contract carries a cap hit of $858K, per PuckPedia. The deal pays him $775K salary in all three years, a $82.5K signing bonus in 2024-25 and 2025-26 that jumps to $85K in 2026-27, and a minors salary of $82.5K in all three years.

10:37 a.m.: Today marks the first day teams can sign unaffiliated prospects in free agency, and the Blue Jackets are the first team to make a splash. They’ve inked 21-year-old center Max McCue to a three-year entry-level contract that begins in 2024-25, per a team release. Terms were not disclosed.

McCue was a fifth-round pick of the Sharks in 2021, but San Jose lost his exclusive rights after opting not to sign him to an entry-level contract by June 1, 2023. He’s suited up for the OHL’s London Knights since 2019 but lost out on the 2020-21 campaign entirely due to COVID-19, putting a pause on his development.

Still with London as an alternate captain, McCue has set or tied career highs with 24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points, and a +20 rating in 52 games. The 6-foot-1, 174-lb native of Sudbury, Ontario, relies on his speed to generate offense and projects as more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer at the professional level.

McCue has ideal size for the NHL level if he can add more muscle. However, his delayed offensive production in juniors doesn’t bode well for his chances of being a full-time major leaguer.

He’ll likely begin his pro career next season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, although an assignment to the lower-level ECHL isn’t out of the question. Columbus is one of the handful of NHL teams without a dedicated ECHL affiliate.

Columbus now has 32 out of a maximum of 50 standard player contracts signed for next season, so they still have plenty of room to re-sign their pending RFAs and add a few more bodies to the organization in free agency.

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