Canadian Notes: Robertson, Perfetti, Demko
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Nicholas Robertson has emerged as a top name on the trade market headed into training camp, following reports that he’s still hoping to start the year on a new team. But Sportsnet’s Luke Fox shared he isn’t expecting the recent momentum to spark a trade before the Leafs kick off camp, citing Robertson’s lack of much negotiating power.
Robertson’s name has floated around trade rumors since last season’s Trade Deadline and peaked with a formal trade request at the start of free agency. But nothing has come together yet, placing Robertson in a mix of young, shoot-first wingers on the trade market, alongside the likes of Arthur Kaliyev (link) and Connor McMichael (link).
Robertson played in his first full NHL season this year, though it only resulted in 56 games and a third-line role. He showed flashes of strong play, ultimately scoring 14 goals and 27 points. That brings his career totals up to 34 points, split evenly, in 87 games – commendable production for a former second-round pick and in line with Kaliyev and McMichael. That lack of distinction might make Robertson a tougher sale so close to the season. That is if the Leafs even choose to fulfill his trade request – which seems growingly unlikely as the team’s brass continues sharing excitement over Robertson’s potential in a growing role.
More notes from around the league:
- The Winnipeg Jets are one of many teams still negotiating with top RFAs, needing to work out a deal for winger Cole Perfetti after he managed a stout 29 goals and 75 points in 140 NHL games on his entry-level contract. The Athletic’s Murat Ates took to projecting what Perfetti’s next deal could look like given his minimal experience in Winnipeg’s top-six. Ates drew a strong comparison to Ottawa’s negotiations with Shane Pinto, which ultimately ended in a two-year, $7.5MM bridge contract. Pinto also has 140 games of NHL experience and 70 total points, earned while planting his feet as Ottawa’s third-line center. That’s proven a more reliable role than Perfetti’s earned up to this point, though Ates reasoned that the two are comparable enough to earn Perfetti a similar bridge deal.
- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko has reportedly returned to the ice, shares CHEK Sports’ Rick Dhaliwal, who added that the starting goaltender could be healthy enough to participate in training camp. The Canucks were previously prepared for Demko to sit out of the team’s opening camp as he recovered from a groin injury taking longer than expected to heal. That’s certainly a timely update, with Vancouver recently sharing that Arturs Silovs – Demko’s presumed backup – is also bearing through a lower-body injury. The Canucks have been connected to free agent goaltenders like Kevin Lankinen but could be waiting out Demko’s early steps back before they make any signings official.
Blue Jackets RFA Kirill Marchenko Still Awaiting Offer
The Columbus Blue Jackets are entering the dog days of July with a long list of chores still not done, including four remaining restricted free agents. New general manager Don Waddell has shared that the team is solely focused on finding their next head coach, but the dragging negotiations have started to get to forward Kirill Marchenko, who voiced his unease to Daria Tuboltseva of Responsible Gambling. Marchenko said he hasn’t yet spoken with Waddell, adding, “I haven’t received any worthy offers yet, so I can’t say for sure… I’m considering both a long-term and a bridge contract, but I prefer the process to move faster.”
Marchenko went on to describe the 2023-24 season as up-and-down, both in his feelings with the Blue Jackets and his performance on the ice. He managed a career year despite the mixed feelings, recording a team-leading 23 goals and a third-ranked 42 points in 78 games. It was his first full year with the Blue Jackets, after spending last season – his first year in North America – split between the NHL and AHL lineups. He showed off unusually high goal-scoring as a rookie as well, potting 21 goals and just four assists through his first 59 NHL games.
And while Marchenko improved that imbalance this year, he’s still hard to project beyond next season. On the one hand, he’s managed two 20-goal seasons in the first two years of his career – impressive for any rookie, especially one on the desolate Blue Jackets. But he’s also shooting at a gaudy 13.6 percent through 137 career games, tied with Patrik Laine for the highest of any active Blue Jacket. Columbus signed a heap of prospects to entry-level deals at the end of the season, including Gavin Brindley and Luca Del Bel Belluz, who received their NHL debuts. That burgeoning prospect pool gives Waddell a unique challenge ahead – with plenty of young and promising forwards deserving ice time and core pieces Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger, and Marchenko still left unsigned.
List Of Players Not Receiving A 2024 Qualifying Offer
The window to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents closed at 5 pm CT today, making any player who did not receive an offer eligible to become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer, listed by team. Players with an asterisk next to their name carry arbitration eligibility.
This is a complete list as of 6:00 a.m. CT, the morning after the deadline.
Anaheim Ducks
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx, F Max Jones, F Brett Leason, D Gustav Lindstrom, F Blake McLaughlin, F Brayden Tracey, D Urho Vaakanainen
Boston Bruins
F Joey Abate, F Jesper Boqvist, F Curtis Hall
Buffalo Sabres
D Jacob Bryson, D Calle Sjalin, D Riley Stillman
Calgary Flames
F Riley Damiani, F Dillon Dube
Carolina Hurricanes
F Max Comtois, F Tuuka Tieksola, F Blake Murray, D Griffin Mendel
Chicago Blackhawks
F Filip Roos, F Michal Teply, F Joey Anderson, F Reese Johnson, G Jaxson Stauber
Colorado Avalanche
(none)
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Tyler Angle, F Alexander Nylander, D Jake Bean
Dallas Stars
D Nils Lundkvist, F Sam Steel, F Max Ellis, G Matthew Murray
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
G Ryan Fanti, F Carter Savoie
Florida Panthers
(none)
Los Angeles Kings
F Blake Lizotte, F Tyler Madden, G Jacob Ingham
Minnesota Wild
F Mason Shaw, F Sam Hentges, F Dmitry Ovchinnikov, D Simon Johansson, G Hunter Jones
Montreal Canadiens
F Lias Andersson, F Filip Cederqvist, D Mattias Norlinder, F Jesse Ylonen
Nashville Predators
(none)
New Jersey Devils
F Michael McLeod, D Michael Vukojevic, D Callan Foote
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
(none)
Ottawa Senators
F Parker Kelly, F Boris Katchouk, D Erik Brannstrom
Philadelphia Flyers
G Carter Hart, D Mason Millman, D Will Zmolek
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
D Calen Addison, F Jacob Peterson, F Jack Studnicka, F Filip Zadina
Seattle Kraken
St. Louis Blues
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Logan Brown, F Felix Robert
Toronto Maple Leafs
Utah Hockey Club
(none)
Vancouver Canucks
F Aiden McDonough, D Filip Johansson, D Nick Cicek
Vegas Golden Knights
F Ivan Morozov, F Mason Primeau, D Layton Ahac, G Akira Schmid
Washington Capitals
(none)
Winnipeg Jets
2023 Salary Arbitration Tracker
Originally published July 10th
This morning, the NHLPA announced the calendar of dates for this offseason’s slate of salary arbitration hearings. 23 players are slated for hearings, including the 22 players who elected arbitration last week, although some names below have been settled. As contracts are reached before hearing dates arrive, we’ll continuously update this article with the terms of settled contracts.
July 20
F Philipp Kurashev, Chicago (decided, two years, $4.5MM)
F Brandon Duhaime, Minnesota (settled, one year, $1.1MM)
F Alexey Toropchenko, St. Louis (settled, two years, $2.5MM)
F Noah Cates, Philadelphia (settled, two years, $5.25MM)
July 21
G Ilya Samsonov, Toronto (decided, one year, $3.55MM)
July 24
F Brett Howden, Vegas (settled, two years, $3.8MM)
D Vince Dunn, Seattle (settled, four years, $29.4MM)
F Tanner Jeannot, Tampa (settled, two years, $5.33MM)
July 26
D Ian Mitchell, Boston (settled, one year, $775K)
D William Borgen, Seattle (settled, two years, $5.4MM)
July 27
F Ross Colton, Colorado (settled, four years, $16MM)
July 28
F Gabriel Vilardi, Winnipeg (settled, two years, $6.875MM)
D Cale Fleury, Seattle (settled, two years, $1.6MM)
July 30
G Jeremy Swayman, Boston (decided, one year, $3.475MM)
F Jack McBain, Arizona (settled, two years, $3.2MM)
July 31
*F Alex DeBrincat, Detroit (settled, four years, $31.5MM)
*The Ottawa Senators filed for team-elected arbitration with DeBrincat before trading his rights to Detroit
August 1
F Trent Frederic, Boston (settled, two years, $4.6MM)
August 2
F Morgan Barron, Winnipeg (settled, two years, $2.7MM)
F Troy Terry, Anaheim (settled, seven years, $49MM)
August 4
F Ryan McLeod, Edmonton (settled, two years, $4.2MM)
D Brandon Scanlin, NY Rangers (settled, one year, $775K)
G Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota (settled, three years, $11.25MM)
F Drew O’Connor, Pittsburgh (settled, two years, $1.85MM)
A reminder of the rules surrounding salary arbitration, per CapFriendly:
- A player and team can settle on a deal at any point before the hearing starts
- Once the hearing has taken place, the arbitration decision must be issued by email within 48 hours of the closing
- Arbitration awards can only be one or two years in length
- Players who are in their final year of restricted free agency are only entitled to a one-year term
- The team decides on the awarded term, save for any team-elected arbitration cases
- The team can walk away from the arbitration decision if a contract with an average annual value of more than $4.54MM is granted
Snapshots: Blues, Lightning, Coyotes
Settling with Alexey Toropchenko today gave the St. Louis Blues come salary cap flexibility, says CapFriendly. Much like the Philadelphia Flyers did with Anthony DeAngelo, settling with Toropchenko, the Blues’ last remaining player who had filed for arbitration, opens a second buyout window for the team, which will open in three days and last for 48 hours. The rules for this unique buyout are limited, though – a player must have been on their reserve list at the trade deadline and must carry a cap hit of at least $4MM.
The Blues are cap-compliant but barely – CapFriendly projects them with roughly $290K in space with a full 23-player roster. They’ve expressed a clear desire to move out one of their aging top-four defensemen via trade, but nothing’s manifested yet, and it’s becoming less and less likely as the offseason trods on. It’s entirely possible general manager Doug Armstrong could choose to execute a buyout for someone like Nick Leddy, who’s struggled during his time in St. Louis and carries a $4MM cap hit through 2026. It would be a hefty buyout, running through 2028-29, but it wouldn’t carry a cap penalty of more than $2MM in any of the six seasons – it might be appealing.
More from around the NHL this weekend:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are also granted a second buyout window after settling with forward Tanner Jeannot before arbitration. The team has cut costs wherever possible, but they still have less than $1MM in cap space, even taking into account Brent Seabrook‘s long-term injured reserve relief. Unfortunately for them, there are no possible candidates here – all of their players carrying a cap hit of $4MM are core parts of the team and won’t be considered for a buyout. General manager Julien BriseBois is prepping for another long season of cap management on a day-to-day basis.
- PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan today offered updates on a pair of Arizona Coyotes RFA forwards – Jan Jenik and Jack McBain. Morgan notes that Jenik’s deadline to accept his qualifying offer passed yesterday, meaning the team now has to negotiate a new deal with him to return to the desert. The 22-year-old was a 2018 third-round pick and notched 23 points in 30 games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners last season. Morgan also notes that there hasn’t been any progress between the Coyotes and McBain on a new contract with his arbitration hearing looming at the end of the month, although they still have about two weeks to come to a deal before the hearing.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Olle Lycksell
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed restricted free agent forward Olle Lycksell to a two-year, two-way contract, per a team announcement. The deal is worth $1.575MM and carries an average annual value of $787.5K.
A 2017 sixth-round pick, Lycksell is quickly climbing up the organizational depth chart after a pair of very impressive seasons in other leagues. The 23-year-old Swede posted 45 points in 53 games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, finishing second on the team in scoring during his first campaign in North America while playing heavy minutes.
It was the season before that where he saw a real breakout, though, finishing off his Swedish pro career (for the time being) with 34 points in 47 games for SHL side Vaxjo Lakers HC while on loan from the Flyers. Now, Lycksell has some financial security for the next two seasons, during which time he’ll attempt to break through into the Flyers’ lineup full-time.
He did make his NHL debut last season, not looking entirely out of place and registering an assist in eight appearances. With some free agent additions (and a healthy Cam Atkinson and Sean Couturier) in the fold, however, the chances of him being on the Flyers’ opening night roster are slim.
That being said, he’s set to reprise a top-line role with the Phantoms and continue working toward rounding out his game. With another year of pro hockey under his belt, look for Lycksell to provide some solid value for the Flyers in the second year of this deal.
When his contract expires in 2025, he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
Dallas Stars Sign Ty Dellandrea
The Dallas Stars’ most important remaining restricted free agent has a new contract. Today, the team signed forward Ty Dellandrea to a one-year deal worth $900K.
Drafted 13th overall in 2018, Dellandrea’s development has been a slow burn, but he burst onto the scene last season as a full-time player in the strictest sense of the word. One of eight Stars to play in all 82 regular-season games, Dellandrea tallied nine goals and 28 points. Interestingly enough, Dellandrea was not eligible for Calder voting, nor was he considered a rookie – he suited up in 26 games for Dallas two seasons ago in 2020-21, putting him just above the cut-off mark.
Nevertheless, Dellandrea demonstrated high-end two-way upside in a bottom-six role, posting high-end possession numbers and even excelling when used on the penalty kill. Still just 22 years old, there is still plenty of time for his offensive totals to improve. He showed strong scoring flashes in the minors in 2021-22, posting 23 goals and 50 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
Despite those positive strides, Dellandrea will likely get boxed out of a top-nine role, at least to start next season. The team’s re-signing of Evgenii Dadonov and acquisition of Matt Duchene via free agency gives them one of the best top-nine forward units in the entire league, but it does diminish Dellandrea’s potential for increased ice time. If injuries strike, however, he carries the most upward mobility of any depth forward on the Stars and will get a chance higher up in the lineup.
New York Rangers Sign Ty Emberson
The New York Rangers have negotiated a new contract for one of their more underrated defensive prospects, signing Ty Emberson to a one-year contract extension for 2023-24. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 23-year-old Emberson had a breakout development season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, his first season there after the Rangers acquired him last summer from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for them taking the final two seasons of defenseman Patrik Nemeth‘s contract, which Arizona bought out last month. He posted career-highs across the board, tallying seven goals and 27 points in 69 games, and was also named the best defensive defenseman in the AHL’s Eastern Conference.
He earned those honors by playing consistent top-four minutes for Hartford all season long and finishing second on the team with a +17 rating. Arizona had selected the 6-foot-1 right-shot defender with the 73rd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The Wisconsin-born Emberson likely isn’t a candidate to make the Rangers out of camp yet, and might actually slip down the depth chart in Hartford after the Rangers signed Connor Mackey and Mac Hollowell to bolster their AHL depth. That being said, he doesn’t get discussed as much as he should when talking about Rangers prospects, and he’ll look to keep up the strong two-way play in the face of increased internal competition next season.
Emberson will be a restricted free agent again next summer.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Nicolas Beaudin, Lucas Condotta
The Montreal Canadiens have signed a pair of depth players this morning, inking defenseman Nicolas Beaudin to a one-year, two-way contract and forward Lucas Condotta to a two-year, two-way contract.
CapFriendly reports Beaudin’s contract has an NHL salary of $775K, an AHL salary of $90K, and a minimum guaranteed salary of $110K. Condotta’s compensation hasn’t been reported yet.
A 2018 first-round pick, Beaudin found himself in the Canadiens organization this season after they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for minor-league forward Cameron Hillis just weeks into the campaign. The move has since panned out extremely well for both Beaudin and the Habs.
The 23-year-old defenseman had gone through some troubles adjusting to the pro game while in Chicago, issues undoubtedly exacerbated by the inconsistencies of playing time during the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s also got a rather slight frame, standing at just 5-foot-11 and 168 pounds.
But things took off for the left-shot defender with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, where he scored twice and added 23 assists for 25 points in 39 games after the trade, trouncing last season’s offensive production. He saw some limited minutes at even strength, but he dominated them defensively – per data from Pick224, he was on the ice for just 16 goals at even strength in 42 total AHL games last year. He’s not expected to earn a spot with the Canadiens out of camp, but do look for him to take on an increased role in Laval next year.
The 25-year-old Condotta, meanwhile, made his NHL debut last April against the Boston Bruins, scoring a goal in the process. An undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Condotta scored 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points in 72 games with the Rocket in his first full pro season in 2022-23. He did so largely in a bottom-six role in the minors, where he’ll likely stick around as some younger and higher-ceiling Canadiens prospects take precedence.
Beaudin will be a restricted free agent again at the end of his deal, while Condotta’s extension walks him to unrestricted free agency in 2025.
Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Kevin Mandolese
The Ottawa Senators have re-signed restricted free agent netminder Kevin Mandolese to a one-year, two-way contract, PuckPedia reports Tuesday. The 22-year-old’s new deal will carry a $775K cap hit and NHL salary and pay him $110K in the minors.
Mandolese made his NHL debut last season, posting a .916 save percentage in three games when injuries struck both Anton Forsberg and Cam Talbot near the end of the year. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound netminder now has three pro seasons under his belt, mostly bouncing between the AHL’s Belleville Senators and ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators and Allen Americans.
After posting strong numbers in limited ECHL time, Mandolese should compete for a true full-time role in Belleville next season. He’ll face some tough competition, though – 2019 second-round pick Mads Sogaard and 20-year-old Leevi Merilainen are also gunning for development time in the AHL and have higher ceilings than Mandolese.
In 43 games with Belleville over the past three seasons, Mandolese has an 18-19-3 record, a 3.40 goals-against average, and a .893 save percentage. Ottawa selected him 157th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The deal comes in under his qualifying offer of $840K in the NHL, but his AHL salary is above the $70K he was due. He’ll be a restricted free agent next season, and he’ll be eligible for arbitration this time around.