Blues Sign Samuel Johannesson, Marcus Sylvegard
12:15 p.m.: St. Louis has now confirmed the signings of both Johannesson and Sylvegård, as previously reported, although financial terms were not disclosed. It’s a one-year entry-level agreement for Sylvegard. PuckPedia reports both deals carry cap hits of $870K, broken down into a $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus, and $82.5K minors salary.
10:00 a.m.: The Blues are landing unrestricted free-agent defenseman Samuel Johannesson from the Swedish Hockey League’s Örebro HK, HockeyNews.se reports. League rules dictate it’ll be a two-year, entry-level contract when announced for the 23-year-old.
Johannesson was a sixth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2020, but his exclusive signing rights lapsed in June 2022 after he didn’t ink an ELC. He was already knocking on the door of being a full-time SHL player by the time he was drafted, skating in 44 games for Rögle BK in 2019-20, and has only solidified that standing since then. The 5’11” right-shot blue liner has bounced around with a few organizations, landing with Brynäs IF in 2022-23 and joining Örebro for this season after Brynäs lost their relegation series last summer and ended up in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan.
He’s now emerged as a solid puck-mover and one of the better offensive defenders in the SHL since earning top-of-the-lineup minutes with Brynäs last season. The Halmstad, Sweden, native remained in top-four minutes for Örebro, finishing second on the team in points with 27 (11 goals, 16 assists) in 43 games with a +5 rating. He added a goal in three playoff games as Örebro lost its play-in series to Luleå HF.
Johannesson was under contract with Örebro through 2024-25, so the Blues will need to buy him out – something HockeyNews.se says is important for an Örebro club that’s struggling financially. His deal will expire after the 2025-26 season, and the Blues will control his signing rights as an RFA. He’s their second expected signing out of the SHL this offseason, joining 24-year-old winger Marcus Sylvegård.
Blues Expected To Sign Marcus Sylvegard
Earlier today, we looked at some of the remaining international free agents that could attract NHL interest in the coming weeks. One of those is winger Marcus Sylvegard. It appears he has found his next team as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that Sylvegard is set to sign a one-year, entry-level contract with St. Louis.
The 24-year-old wasn’t particularly productive during his first few SHL seasons but had a breakout campaign in 2022-23, his second year with Malmo. That year, Sylvegard picked up 17 goals and 24 assists in 52 games and helped them avoid relegation to the second-tier Allsvenskan.
Sylvegard followed up that performance with another 41-point effort this season, notching 23 goals and 18 helpers in 51 games with Vaxjo. However, he struggled in the playoffs, collecting just three assists in eight games although Svensson notes that Sylvegard was playing through an injury during the postseason.
Sylvegard also had interest from several other teams over the last couple of months, Florida, Colorado, and Calgary among them. Having said that, he profiles as more of a bottom-six type of energy player so it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Sylvegard to put up big numbers in the NHL. But on a Blues roster that should have a couple of openings in their bottom six with Kasperi Kapanen and Sammy Blais sitting as pending unrestricted free agents, there should be a chance for Sylvegard to push for a roster spot in training camp this fall.
Snapshots: Draft Lottery, Petry, Blues
The NHL announced today the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery will be held on Tuesday, May 7, to determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks of the first round. It’s widely regarded as a deep class at the top with not much separation throughout the top 10 prospects, but there is a clear-cut choice at first overall.
That’s Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, who’s coming off one of the most memorable freshman seasons in NCAA history. He did everything short of winning the national championship, winning the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player after leading the Terriers in scoring with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games. He’s also the youngest player in NCAA history, playing his entire freshman year at age 17. He doesn’t turn 18 until June 13.
The Sharks have the best odds to land him after finishing last in the league with 47 points. They have an 18.5% chance of winning the first lottery draw and a 25.5% chance of exiting the night with the first-overall pick. A rule change that took effect in 2022 ensures only the top 11 teams in the standard draft order have a shot at moving up to first overall, as each team in the drawing can only move up a maximum of 10 spots. The other 10 clubs with a shot at landing Celebrini are the Blackhawks (13.5%), Ducks (11.5%), Blue Jackets (9.5%), Canadiens (8.5%), the yet-to-be-named Utah franchise (7.5%), Senators (6.5%), Kraken (6%), Flames (5%), Devils (3.5%) and Sabres (3%).
Other tidbits from around the league:
- Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry has been added to USA Hockey’s roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, reports NHL Network’s Jon Morosi. The initial roster of 15 skaters, announced earlier this week, includes Red Wings teammates Dylan Larkin at center and Alex Lyon in goal. Petry, a right-shot, projects to serve third-pairing duties for now behind Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. He’s a candidate to be moved down the depth chart as the tournament progresses as players on teams eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs join their national teams partway through. The 36-year-old had a rough first season with his hometown team, posting three goals, 24 points and a -7 rating in 73 contests while averaging 18:47 per game. It was his worst offensive output since the 2015-16 season. He’s suited up for the U.S. at three prior World Championships, all as a member of the Oilers organization in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
- The Blues are one of many teams looking to fill a head coaching vacancy after rolling with an interim down the stretch or making a change over the offseason. Drew Bannister is still a strong candidate to land the job after leading the club to a much-improved 30-19-5 record after taking over for Craig Berube in December, but the organization is still conducting an external search before removing his interim tag. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Matthew DeFranks examined who those external options could be in an article Friday (subscription required), namely University of Denver head coach David Carle, fresh off his second national title in three years. The 34-year-old will likely receive calls from all teams still with a hole, including the Senators and Sharks, so the Blues won’t be alone in their potential pursuit. Carle also added to his trophy case this season by leading the U.S. contingent to a gold medal at the 2024 World Juniors. A trio of coaches fired mid-season also made DeFranks’ list, including ex-Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft and former Kings coach Todd McLellan. Former Wild coach Dean Evason could also be an option, although he’s already been linked to Ottawa’s coaching vacancy.
Snapshots: Buchnevich, Fedotov, Stone, Pietrangelo
The St. Louis Blues are expected to work on a contract extension with winger Pavel Buchnevich, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the latest 32 Thoughts article. This news comes after the Blues were reportedly shopping around Buchnevich at the Trade Deadline, though they were said to be asking for as much as two first-round picks in return. No deal came to fruition and Buchnevich went on to finish the year with 27 goals and 63 points in 80 games. It was the least productive season he’s had in St. Louis, though he’s still totaled an impressive 206 points in 216 games with the club.
St. Louis has been living lavishly with Buchnevich’s current deal – getting nearly point-per-game scoring for just $5.8MM against the cap. They’ll get one more year of that team-friendly deal, before likely having to shell out a hefty amount to Buchnevich on his next deal. The Blues will have to be careful to find the balance between term and salary, though, with Buchnevich set to be 30 when an extension would begin.
Other notes from around the league:
- Friedman also shared that the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to sign goaltender Ivan Fedotov to a two-year extension soon. The 27-year-old netminder was finally able to move to North America this season, playing in the first three NHL games of his career earlier this month. He was admittedly shaky, allowing 10 goals on 53 shots, good for an .811 save percentage in his first looks at North American ice. But the Flyers have to simply be excited to finally have the stout Russian goaltender under their control, and will give him much more of a chance to get comfortable in North America with a new deal.
- The Vegas Golden Knights could be getting another big boost to their lineup, with winger Mark Stone back to full-contact practice and a game-time decision for Game One of the postseason, per the team (Twitter link). They also shared that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo underwent an appendectomy and returned to a full practice on Saturday. Chandler Stephenson and William Carrier also took full practices. All four players will be hopeful to slot into the lineup as the Golden Knights get ready to take on the Dallas Stars.
Drew Bannister Among Finalists For Blues Head Coach Role
The St. Louis Blues have come to a list of finalists for their vacant head coach position, and Drew Bannister is reportedly among the bunch, shares Chris Pinkert of NHL.com. Bannister is St. Louis’ most recent coach, getting promoted from the AHL following Craig Berube’s dismissal in December.
It was the first NHL gig of Bannister’s coaching career and he made good work with it, leading the Blues to a surging 30-19-5 record. He brought the best out of the team’s special teams – improving the power-play from 8.4% to 23.2%, and the penalty-kill from 78.5% to 79.4%. But the push wasn’t enough to get St. Louis over a sub-.500 start to the year, with the team ultimately falling six points outside of a playoff spot.
Bannister previously served as the head coach for the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate. He found plenty of success in the minors, leading the Thunderbirds to two playoff appearances and even making the 2022 Calder Cup Final. That track record, and his early NHL success, could be enough to land Bannister an assistant coaching job on the Blues bench, even if he does miss out on the head role.
Jake Neighbours Likely Done For Season, Torey Krug Ruled Out Tomorrow
- Blues breakout winger Jake Neighbours has likely played his last game of the season, interim head coach Drew Bannister said Saturday (via NHL.com’s Lou Korac). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained on April 6 against the Sharks. He’s missed the last three games and is on track to miss St. Louis’ final two after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night. It puts a bow on a good campaign for the 2020 first-round pick, who set career highs with 27 goals, 11 assists and 38 points in 77 games while creeping into top-six minutes (15:42 per game). While his nearly 19% shooting rate is likely unsustainable, he’s been steadily increasing his shot volume – averaging 1.88 per game this season compared to 1.23 last year. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1, with his entry-level contract set to expire in 2025. Bannister also said that defenseman Torey Krug won’t suit up in tomorrow’s game against the Kraken but could return for their final game of the season in Dallas on Wednesday. The left-shot offensive defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained on April 10 against the Blackhawks, already keeping him out of one game.
Blues Sign Dylan Peterson
With Boston University being eliminated from the Frozen Four on Thursday, some of their players are electing to turn pro. The latest of these is Dylan Peterson as the Blues announced late Friday that they’ve signed the center to a two-year, entry-level deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 22-year-old was a third-round pick by St. Louis back in 2020, going 86th overall after spending the previous season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He had a very limited role in his first two years with the Terriers, collecting just 22 points in 45 games and then followed that up with 18 in 39 appearances in his junior year. At that point, it wasn’t a certainty that the Blues would be looking to sign Peterson.
However, he saved his best performance for last as Peterson upped his output to 20 points in 35 contests this season which certainly helped his case for getting a contract. A 6’4 middleman, Peterson will begin his professional career next season, likely starting with AHL Springfield, and will look to work his way up the depth chart from there.
Krug Questionable For Sunday
- Blues defenseman Torey Krug left Wednesday’s game versus Chicago with an undisclosed injury and it caused him to miss tonight’s game against Carolina at a minimum. Per NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link), he’s listed as out day-to-day and the team will assess on Saturday if he’ll be available to suit up on Sunday. The 33-year-old has put up 39 points through 77 games and with St. Louis still battling for the final playoff spot, they’d certainly like to have the veteran back as soon as possible.
Torey Krug Questionable Friday, Jake Neighbours Ruled Out
- The Blues could be without defenseman Torey Krug and winger Jake Neighbours tomorrow against the Hurricanes due to upper-body injuries. Krug is listed as questionable, while Neighbours has already been ruled out, interim head coach Drew Bannister told Lou Korac of NHL.com and The Hockey News. The former has missed a couple of games recently, sitting out last weekend’s contest against the Sharks due to illness and missing a late-March contest against the Senators with a lower-body injury. He’s been hot lately when in the lineup, recording three points in his last three games. He’s got 39 in 77 appearances, tying last season for his worst points-per-game rate since 2015. It’s been a more successful campaign for the 22-year-old Neighbours, who’s broken out for 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games in his sophomore campaign.
Blues’ Justin Faulk Week-To-Week, Likely Out For Season
An upper-body injury is expected to hold Justin Faulk out for an extended time, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Dispatch (Twitter link). DeFranks shares that head coach Drew Bannister designated Faulk as week-to-week, adding that he’s likely done for the year. The Blues have four games left in their season.
Faulk left the Blues’ Saturday game early, following a fight with San Jose Sharks forward Luke Kunin. He instigated the fight after a bad hit on teammate Jake Neighbours that also forced an early exit. Bannister designated Neighbours as day-to-day with a resulting upper-body injury on Tuesday, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link).
Faulk has again served as a top defender for the Blues, averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time through 60 games this season. But he hasn’t been nearly as productive as usual, with just two goals and 30 points – a far cry from his 50 points last year. Injuries could be to blame, with Faulk missing significant time in December, January, and February with a nagging lower-body injury. He’ll now end his season having played in his fewest games since 2013, excluding the shortened 2020-21 season where he played in all 56 games.
Faulk’s absence will give Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker more lineup security, though they’ll each still compete with Marco Scandella. None of the three have reached 10 points yet, with Scandella’s eight points in 66 games leading the group. Meanwhile, rookies Zach Dean and Zachary Bolduc could hang onto a role with Neighbours out. St. Louis is currently five points back from a Wild Card, and one game in the hole, though they’re not yet mathematically eliminated.