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Snapshots: Gagner, Aubry, Blue Jackets, Howard

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Free agent forward Sam Gagner is back on the ice rehabbing after undergoing double hip surgery late last season, relays Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription link).  The 33-year-old was injured at the end of February but had provided Winnipeg with a bit of depth scoring prior to that point as Gagner had eight goals and six assists in 48 games.  Gagner already has more than 1,000 career NHL appearances under his belt and doesn’t appear to be ready to call it a career just yet.  Considering the year he had and the recovery from injury, Gagner might have to settle for a training camp PTO in the coming weeks with the hopes of converting it to a full-fledged deal closer to the start of the season.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The University of Nebraska-Omaha announced that they have hired now-former Blackhawks development coach Peter Aubry as their associate coach. The 46-year-old spent the last eight seasons in Chicago’s organization, working with goaltenders at both the NHL and AHL levels.  It won’t be Aubry’s first time behind the bench at the college level as he previously served as an assistant with both Mercyhurst and Lake Superior State.
  • The Blue Jackets aren’t planning to replace former coach Kenny McCudden, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). McCudden spent the past eight seasons as a skills coach with Columbus but resigned earlier this month to join Washington as an assistant coach.  Mike Babcock (head coach) and Niklas Backstrom (goalie coach) are the newcomers to their coaching staff, joining holdovers Pascal Vincent (associate coach) and Steve McCarthy (assistant coach).
  • Lightning prospect Isaac Howard was one of the most prominent players in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, moving from Minnesota-Duluth to Michigan State. Speaking with NHL.com’s Corey Long, the 2022 31st selection indicated that he wanted to go to a more offensive-oriented environment which he felt would be a better fit.  Tampa Bay assistant GM Stacy Roest added that Howard didn’t consult with the team prior to the decision but that they’re hopeful that the Spartans will be a better fit for the 19-year-old after he put up just six goals and 11 assists last season.

Snapshots: Pekarcik, ECHL, Hurricanes

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One St. Louis Blues 2023 draft choice has found a playing home for next season. 76th overall pick Juraj Pekarcik will be heading stateside to the USHL, committing to the Dubuque Fighting Saints for 2023-24 after spending his career until now in his native Slovakia.

This is a rather consequential choice for the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who just used the second overall pick on Pekarcik in this year’s CHL Import Draft. However, the USHL has had quite the influx of Slovak talent in recent seasons, and it makes sense Pekarcik would choose to go to a league where he knows what the development experience will be like. The 6-foot-2 winger doesn’t turn 18 until September and registered 20 points in 16 games with HK Nitra’s junior club in the Slovak U-20 circuit last season. He also added ten points in seven games for Slovakia at last year’s IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship.

More from across the league today:

  • The Buffalo Sabres confirmed the Jacksonville Icemen as their next ECHL affiliate today, as expected. It amounts to a swap of affiliates between the Sabres and New York Rangers, now affiliated with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Buffalo’s previous affiliate in the second-tier minor league. The current Sabres team does have one connection to the Icemen – assistant coach Jason Christie, who coached the Icemen for four seasons before heading to the Sabres in 2021 and remains the ECHL’s all-time leader in games coached.
  • Without an AHL affiliate to store their prospects next season, the Carolina Hurricanes have loaned a trio of Finnish prospects back to their home country, per team reporter Walt Ruff. 20-year-old defenseman Aleksi Heimosalmi will head back to Assat, where he’s spent the past two seasons on loan from Carolina after they selected him 44th overall in 2021. Right wing Tuukka Tieksola, their 2019 fourth-round pick, is heading back to Finland with Lukko after recording 24 points in 52 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last year. Lastly, forward Ville Koivunen is heading back to Karpat, where he’s played most of his career to date after recording 28 points in 52 games with them last season. Doing this early in the summer gives Carolina less to worry about when figuring out where to assign their prospects closer to the start of the season.

Snapshots: Blues, Lightning, Coyotes

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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.

Snapshots: Kane, Tatar, Khusnutdinov

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With winger Patrick Kane recovering from hip resurfacing surgery, he isn’t expected to be signing a contract in the foreseeable future.  When the time does come for him to sign, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski relays that the veteran is expected to ink a one-year deal.  Kane is coming off a bit of a down season by his standards although he still put up 21 goals and 57 points in 2022-23 and was one of the highest-scoring UFAs.  Accordingly, it’s quite possible that he could have landed a multi-year commitment.  Instead, he appears to be looking for a one-year pact, one that could allow him to join a contender but he’ll likely be leaving money on the table to do so as he won’t be eligible for performance bonuses on this deal since it will be his age-34 season.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Todd Reynolds, the agent for UFA winger Tomas Tatar, told Wyshynski in that same column that there has been strong interest in his client so far, even with teams currently being squeezed by the salary cap. The 32-year-old had to wait a little while to sign in his last trip through free agency in 2021, eventually inking a two-year deal with New Jersey.  He was relatively productive in that stretch, picking up 35 goals and 43 assists in 158 games, showing he can still hold down a top-four role.  Even so, it seems likely that Tatar will have to take a cut on his previous $4.5MM AAV, even if a team is able to clear out a player or two to make room for him on their roster.
  • Wild prospect Marat Khusnutdinov is heading into the final year of his contract in the KHL and he may not be seeing any AHL time once it’s done. Player development director Brad Bombardir told Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link) that organizationally, they feel the 20-year-old is ready to step into Minnesota’s lineup at any point from this point.  Khusnutdinov was a second-round pick back in 2020 (37th overall) and has over 100 KHL appearances and 55 points under his belt, showing that he’s capable of producing in the pros.  He could be a candidate to sign late in the season with Minnesota depending on how far they and SKA St. Petersburg go in their respective playoffs should they get there.

Snapshots: Gibson, Columbus, Slavin

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Touching on all three of the New York metro teams in a New York Post column, Larry Brooks reports that the New Jersey Devils are indeed interested in John Gibson, but only for the right price. The Devils are still weighing the possible tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, and determining whether that is the right fit to earn them a Stanley Cup championship.

New Jersey’s interest in Gibson shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has been highly focused on building a lasting winner this offseason. As the trade market also includes Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, Gibson makes more sense given his current contract status.

Currently, Hellebuyck has one year, $6.17MM remaining on his current contract, but is reportedly seeking around $9MM in the next deal he signs. Articulating his displeasure with Winnipeg’s direction (similar to Gibson with the Anaheim Ducks), it is safe to say that Hellebuyck will not be getting that contract in Manitoba.

Gibson, on the other hand, has four years, $25.6MM left on his contract, a term that fits much better with the Devils’ long-term planning. No matter how much the cap increases next offseason, paying a goaltender $9MM a season for the next eight years will be tough to swallow for just about any team.

Other snapshots:

  • The main columnist of the Columbus Blue Jackets on The Athletic, Aaron Portzline, reported in his article today that the Blue Jackets still have some work to do in thinning out their forward core. One of the main areas of focus, Portzline adds, will be moving out some of the centers that Columbus has on their roster. Already carrying eight forwards with the ability to play center, and a couple more possibly in the minor leagues, the Blue Jackets could make a trade to fill out weaker areas of their team.
  • According to a press release, the Toronto Marlies have announced they have signed forward Josiah Slavin to a one-year deal. Slavin has spent the last several seasons playing for the Rockford IceHogs but was moved to the San Diego Gulls prior to last season’s trade deadline. Slavin has shown flashes in the past of being a solid third-line depth scorer, and the Marlies will be hoping for much of the same from him this season.

 

 

Snapshots: Clifton, Novak, Marlies

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Signing a three-year, $10MM contract with the Buffalo Sabres shortly after the market opened on July 1st, defenseman Connor Clifton had no shortage of offers. In an article from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, he passes along a note from Clifton’s agent, Eric Quinlan, that the defenseman had as many as 10 offers, one of which was for a longer-term and higher AAV than what he eventually signed in Buffalo.

It’s not difficult to ascertain why Clifton ultimately picked the Sabres as his landing spot, as they are considered one of the most exciting upstart teams in all of hockey. Clifton ultimately brings what the organization needs. The Sabres were great offensively last season, illustrated by their 3.57 GF/G (third in NHL), but they struggled defensively, finishing 27th in the league in GA/G with a 3.62 mark.

Clifton is most known for his skill on the defensive side of the puck, but he did produce better offensively with the Boston Bruins last season, scoring five goals and 18 assists in 78 games. His defensive attributes will be more of what the Sabres are expecting on this deal, as Clifton’s career oiSV% (Team On-Ice Save Percentage in All Situations) of 92.4% will dramatically help the team keep the puck out of their net.

Other snapshots:

  • In a very heartwarming story, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports that Minnesota Wild prospect, Pavel Novak, is now completely cancer-free. Unfortunately, he will not participate in the team’s development camp due to a lower-body injury, but beating cancer is a big enough victory in and of itself. Novak was originally drafted 146th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, last playing competitive hockey during the 2021-22 season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. In that last full year of play, Novak impressed at the junior level, scoring 72 points in 62 games.
  • The Toronto Marlies filled out a good majority of their roster today, announcing one-year extensions for Matthew Hellickson, Tommy Miller, Matteo Pietroniro, Zach Solow, and Keenan Suthers. Of the group, Suthers is the only player that did not feature for the Marlies last season, as the rest of the players will likely be used mostly as depth next season.

Snapshots: Snow, Flames, Morozov

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Former Islanders GM Garth Snow hasn’t been officially on the job since 2018 but is only now officially a free agent with his payout from the team ending last month.  Now that he’s allowed to speak publicly, he told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription link) that he is hoping to join another franchise in some sort of front-office capacity.  Snow had a rather strange journey to the front office, going from being New York’s backup goalie to their GM in a matter of weeks.  The team didn’t have a lot of playoff success under his watch (they got past the first round just once) but several players he drafted during his tenure are playing key roles for the Isles.  While a GM job doesn’t seem likely, it’s possible that Snow could land a different role in someone’s front office in the coming months.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Speaking with reporters today including Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (Twitter link), Calgary GM Craig Conroy stated that he’s hoping to have a new AHL head coach in place within the next week or so. Mitch Love was the reigning two-time Louis AR Pieri Memorial Award winner for Coach of the Year but after being passed up for the top job in Calgary, he accepted an assistant coaching role with Washington earlier this summer.
  • Vegas’ AHL team in Henderson announced that they have loaned winger Ivan Morozov to Spartak of the KHL for next season. The 23-year-old played his first full season in North America last season, picking up six goals and 11 assists in 57 games.  Morozov has one year left on his contract with the Golden Knights and considering that he’ll be spending next season overseas, it seems safe to infer that he’s unlikely to be re-signed at this point in time.  If that’s the case, it won’t be a great return on a late second-round selection from back in 2018 (61st overall).

Snapshots: Pettersson, Blackhawks, Draper, Rangers

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In an appearance on CHEK’s Donnie and Dhali (video link), J.P. Barry, the agent for center Elias Pettersson, indicated that he doesn’t expect to have any discussions about a possible contract extension for his client until the end of the summer.  It’s not a matter of early discussions not going well but rather a decision to just take a break for the summer and reassess closer to training camp.  The 24-year-old is eligible to put pen to paper on a new deal now and is certainly coming off a great showing in 2022-23, notching 39 goals and 63 assists (both career highs) while finishing tenth in league scoring.  The Canucks owe him a qualifying offer of $8.82MM next summer and his performance last year coupled with an anticipated jump in the salary cap could have his camp looking to surpass $10MM on his next agreement.  That’s a deal that is going to take some time to put together.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Speaking with reporters today including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson indicated he feels that the bulk of the heavy lifting this summer is done although they will need to finalize a deal with RFA Philipp Kurashev who filed for arbitration today. Chicago has been active this summer, adding veterans Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, Corey Perry, and Ryan Donato up front to augment an offense that has also added top pick Connor Bedard (who also needs to sign his entry-level deal).  They still have ample cap space so if the opportunity presents itself to utilize it over the coming weeks, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Blackhawks make another move at some point.
  • After spending the last four seasons as Detroit’s Director of Amateur Scouting, the team announced that Kris Draper has been named as the Red Wings’ new Assistant GM; Draper will retain his old position as well. As a player, Draper spent 17 seasons with the Red Wings as a key checking center, helping them win four Stanley Cup titles.  He retired in 2011 and immediately joined Detroit’s front office, working his way up from Special Assistant to the GM.
  • The Rangers have a new affiliate team as the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones announced that they have affiliated with the organization. Previously, the Cyclones had been with Buffalo for the past six seasons while New York had been with Jacksonville since 2021.

Snapshots: Granlund, Wheeler, Canadiens

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Taylor Haase of DKPittsburghSports is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins are not going to buyout Mikael Granlund before the 5pm buyout window later today. Granlund has had his name thrown around for weeks as a player that was likely to bought out, but it appears he will remain with the Penguins barring a trade, or a buyout in the second buyout window should one open for Pittsburgh.

Granlund was acquired on trade deadline day by previous Penguins general manager Ron Hextall and did not fit in well with the club. After posting 36 points in 58 games with the Nashville Predators, Granlund was traded to Pittsburgh for a second-round pick and put up just a goal and four assists in 21 games as the Penguins failed to qualify for the playoffs. If he does remain with the Penguins, it’ll be interesting to see how head coach Mike Sullivan deploys the 31-year-old as he was not a fit in the Penguins bottom-6 and the recently acquired Reilly Smith is expected to take their vacant left-wing spot on the second line.

Some more snapshots from around the league:

  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweeted that recent buyout recipient Blake Wheeler would prefer to play for an Eastern Conference team to have a new experience and less travel. The news comes from Wheeler’s agent Matt Keator and it makes sense given Wheeler’s age and his family considerations. The former Winnipeg Jets captain is a free agent for the first time and should have several teams to consider given that is coming off a season in which he posted 16 goals and 39 assists in 72 games.
  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet is reporting that he expects the Montreal Canadiens to be quiet in free agency as the team has a lot of players that they would like to move to open roster spots for their younger prospects. While Engels jokes about Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes putting his phone on silent, he does concede that the Canadiens could add a player if they fit into both the short-term and long-term parts of their rebuild plan. He mentions Mike Hoffman, Joel Edmundson, and Christian Dvorak as players Montreal would like to move on from and given that all three are veterans on expensive cap hits it does seem unlikely for the Canadiens to acquire more of that through free agency.

Snapshots: Dubois, Lucic, Galchenyuk

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The Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets appeared close to a Pierre-Luc Dubois trade over the weekend, but things haven’t progressed as quickly as expected. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there is “still work to be done” and that the Jets haven’t even given Los Angeles permission to discuss an extension with the center.

Arpon Basu of The Athletic, meanwhile, tweets that the Montreal Canadiens are still open to finding a way to make it work, if the Kings aren’t able to close the deal. Darren Dreger of TSN adds that the Canadiens have re-engaged, making it unclear where Dubois will actually end up.

  • One landing spot has been ruled out for Milan Lucic, as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that the Vancouver Canucks are no longer in the mix. The Canucks had reportedly expressed interest in the pending free agent forward, who will be leaving the Calgary Flames after three seasons. Now 35, there is no longer much offensive upside in the veteran forward, but he can still be an imposing physical presence on the ice.
  • Alex Galchenyuk, the player acquired by the Nashville Predators in yesterday’s Ryan Johansen deal, will not be re-signed by the team according to LeBrun. His inclusion was simply to clear a contract slot off the books for the Colorado Avalanche. The 29-year-old Galchenyuk played just 11 games in the NHL this season, failing to record a single point.

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