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Dubas Has One Regret From Time In Toronto

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In a new book by Craig Custance of The Athletic, an interview with the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas, was able to reflect on his time at the helm of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun pulled a quote from the interview where Dubas said, “The biggest mistake I think I’ve made in my whole time here has been not taking care of the three incumbent contracts. (William) Nylander was up, (Mitch) Marner and (Auston) Matthews could have been done on July 1 extensions“.

Aside from the externality on those three players from Tavares’ contract, Dubas informed Custance that he had no other regrets from his time in Toronto. Outside of playoff success, the Maple Leafs have achieved multiple 100-point seasons from the team Dubas built and still features some of the biggest stars in the game.

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Connor Dewar Files For Arbitration

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Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and originally produced by the National Hockey Leaguer Players’ Association, 14 players have elected for salary arbitration this summer. The deadline for team-elected arbitration is tomorrow. Friedman also notes the arbitration hearings will happen between July 20th and August 4th. To add context, not every one of these players will appear for a hearing with their respective teams as they may continue to negotiate on a new contract. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet. Here is a list of the players that have elected for arbitration:

F Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
F Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings)
D Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
D Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
D Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks)
D J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Snapshots: Buchnevich, Cajkovic, Leafs, Durandeau

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Just a few months after shopping him around the Trade Deadline, the St. Louis Blues have agreed to terms on a long-term extension with top winger Pavel Buchnevich a year early. But general manager Doug Armstrong acknowledged that the team had to cave to Buchnevich’s term, telling Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post, “We talked [with Buchnevich’s side] again on the first, did the deal on the second. I’ll be honest with you, I budged.” Armstrong added that giving ground on term is the cost of doing business in today’s market.

For their effort in the negotiations, the Blues have now locked up Buchnevich at a manageable $8MM cap hit, set to begin in 2025-26 after his current deal expires. The 29-year-old winger recorded 27 goals and 63 points in 80 games this season, the lowest scoring of his tenure with the Blues. He had a career year in his first year with the club in 2021-22, recording 30 goals and 76 points in just 73 games. Buchnevich scored at a similar pace last year, though an ankle injury would limit him to just 63 games and 67 points.

Buchnevich has emerged as a premier winger in St. Louis, and a great addition to the high-tempo duo of Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. He’ll look to really get comfortable in that role next year, after agreeing to what will be the longest contract of his career.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins forward Maxim Cajkovic has signed with HC Verva Litvinov of Slovakia’s Tipsport Extraliga. The Penguins acquired Cajkovic from the Minnesota Wild in January, sending Will Butcher the other way. The deal proved moot for both teams, as Butcher currently awaits a new deal on the free-agent market. Cajkovic, 23, is returning to Europe after spending all year in the minor leagues, tallying five points in 10 AHL games and four points in 13 ECHL games. He’ll be playing in his third European pro league on this deal, after spending time in Sweden’s SHL and Austria’s ICE Hockey League during his U21 career.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a new ECHL affiliation, signing an agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones set to begin next season. The duration of the deal hasn’t been revealed. Toronto turns to the Cyclones after their previous affiliate, the Newfoundland Growlers, ceased operations before the end of the 2023-24 season. The Cyclones are a familiar face in the ECHL, appearing in 23 of the league’s last 30 seasons. They’ve won two Kelly Cup Championships in that span – in 2008 and 2010. Cincinnati will look to return to those heights now in partnership with the Leafs: the fifth NHL club they’ve been affiliated with.
  • Montreal Canadiens winger Arnaud Durandeau has signed with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Durandeau went on a quick tour around the minor leagues this season, playing for three different AHL clubs this season after a mid-year loan was followed with Montreal acquiring Durandeau from the New York Islanders in exchange for Tyce Thompson. Durandeau scored 24 points across 48 AHL games this season, bringing his career totals to 132 points in 215 games. He also appeared in four NHL games during the 2022-23 season, though he failed to score.

Maple Leafs Had Interest In Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique

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But Edmonton wasn’t the only northern club looking to pounce on their services. The Maple Leafs had demonstrated significant interest in both, especially Skinner, TSN’s Chris Johnston said on SDPN’s “The Chris Johnston Show.” He didn’t say how competitive the offers were compared to the $3MM AAV the duo both landed in Edmonton on two-year and one-year deals, respectively.

Leafs Sign Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Cédric Paré

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Dakota Mermis to a one-year, league-minimum contract, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). The deal was first reported by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Toronto followed up this deal by signing defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Cédric Paré, shares Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). All three deals will expire next summer, with Pare’s deal a two-way contract.

Mermis clawed his way into an everyday role with the Minnesota Wild this season, after starting the year as their de facto call-up for injuries. He pulled into a bottom-line role following an injury to Alex Goligoski, proceeding to post eight points and 33 penalty minutes across 47 games. It was Mermis’ first year in the NHL, having spent the last seven years in the AHL, where he’s totaled 139 points across 431 games. Mermis will serve as a stout, defense-first depth option for Toronto.

Myers spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, shuttling back and forth between the NHL and AHL. Last year, the 27-year-old dressed in five NHL games and went scoreless, while he played 61 AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch, registering four goals and 19 assists in 61 games. Myers was a highly coveted defenseman just a few years ago and was traded for Ryan Ellis in 2021 and Ryan McDonagh in 2022.

Paré will serve as AHL depth for the Toronto Marlies in 2024-25. The 25-year-old is a former sixth-round pick of the Boston Bruins and hasn’t dressed in an NHL game in four professional seasons. The Levis, Quebec native played for two different organizations last season and was relegated to the ECHL at one point. This past year, Paré tallied 14 goals and 21 assists in 61 AHL games.

Maple Leafs Sign Anthony Stolarz, Matt Murray

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July 2: Murray is back in Toronto on a one-year, $875K deal, the team confirmed. They’ve also made Stolarz’s signing official.

July 1: With a huge need for help between the pipes, Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports the Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to a two-year contract with goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms Stolarz will earn an AAV of $2.5MM. Matt Murray is returning to Toronto for goaltending depth on an undisclosed contract, per TSN’s Darren Dreger.

After signing goalie Joseph Woll to a three-year extension shortly before the start of free agency, the Maple Leafs needed to find a reliable backup option in the net. Putting together quality seasons in four years as backup to John Gibson with the Anaheim Ducks, Stolarz landed with the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers last offseason.

The move to Florida did him well as Stolarz put together a 16-7-2 record in 24 starts behind the best defensive team in the league. Stolarz also finished with a career-high mark in save percentage with .925 as well as goals against average with 2.03. Although Stolarz will not have the same defensive prowess in front of him in Toronto, he represented one of the most valuable backup options on the market.

In more surprising news, the team opted to re-sign Murray even though he has not appeared in an NHL contest since the 2022-23 regular season. Suffering from chronic injuries throughout his tenure in the Maple Leafs organization, Murray will be Toronto’s third-string netminder to start the season.

Maple Leafs To Sign Jani Hakanpää

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The Maple Leafs are expected to land UFA defenseman Jani Hakanpää, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. It’s a two-year deal, Dreger adds. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports it’s a $1.5MM cap hit.

Hakanpää is the final item in a Toronto defense shopping list today that also includes Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Now 32, the defensively stout Finn heads to his fourth NHL team since arriving from Europe in 2019.

Last year was a tough ending for Hakanpää. His season ended around the trade deadline due to injury, and he wasn’t able to suit up in postseason action for the Stars as they advanced to the Western Conference Final. Much like he has the past few years in Dallas, he logged fringe top-four minutes in the regular season, also contributing 12 points and a +10 rating in 64 games. He was among the Stars’ most frequent hitters, using his 6’6″, 225-lb frame to lay the body 196 times.

Used almost exclusively in defensive situations, Hakanpää will be a steady and perhaps more competent replacement for depth players like Joel Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin who signed elsewhere for much more money today. In that sense, it’s an extremely shrewd pickup by GM Brad Treliving for a player who could prove to be the right kind of third-pairing partner for the more offensively-inclined Ekman-Larsson.

With their signings today, the Leafs now have a chance to ice a reliable puck-mover on each pairing in Ekman-Larsson, Timothy Liljegren and Morgan Rielly, paired each with Hakanpää, Jake McCabe and Tanev on their flanks. That’s a much more balanced composition than the D-core that largely failed to hold its weight in their first-round loss to the Bruins, plagued by a lack of competent puck-moving defenders.

After today’s moves, the Leafs are fully capped out with a 23-man roster.

Senators Sign David Perron, Michael Amadio, Three Others

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The Senators have picked up forward Noah Gregor on a one-year deal worth $850K, per Sports 1440’s Jason Gregor. He became a UFA after being non-tendered by the Maple Leafs yesterday. Additionally, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch announces the Senators are nearing an agreement with David Perron that will likely check in around $4MM a season. Furthermore, the Senators continue to round out their forward core as Darren Dreger of TSN reports the team has also agreed to terms with Michael Amadio on a three-year, $7.8MM contract.

Attacking the middle and bottom six of their forward core, the Senators made several improvements without having to dish out much capital. As the most sizeable addition regarding salary figures, Perron brings a good work ethic and leadership capabilities to a young Ottawa roster.

Over the last two years spent with the Detroit Red Wings organization, Perron scored 41 goals and 103 points in 158 games, with 39 of those points coming on Detroit’s powerplay. The veteran forward also elevated his physical play as he amassed 218 total body checks in a top-six role. In Ottawa, the Senators can move Perron up and down the lineup depending on team needs and matchups as he enters the twilight years of his career.

Amadio and Gregor will both improve Ottawa’s bottom six this upcoming season. As one of the more underrated bottom six players in the league over the last few seasons, Amadio scored 41 goals and 72 points over 193 games for the Vegas Golden Knights while averaging 11:25 minutes of ice time per night. Gregor has shown flashes of 20-point campaigns in the past but only managed to score six goals and 12 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.

The team also announced they’ve inked minor league forward Garrett Pilon to a two-year, two-way contract with a $775K cap hit. Lastly, there’s another minor-league signing in the form of defenseman Jeremy Davies, who joins on a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$350K AHL.

Leafs Sign Oliver Ekman-Larsson To Four-Year Deal

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year, $14MM contract per TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Dreger adds that the deal will carry a $3.5MM cap hit and a 16-team modified-no-trade clause.

Ekman-Larsson makes out nicely after seeing his previous eight-year, $66MM contract bought out by the Vancouver Canucks only a year ago. Approaching unrestricted free agency for the first time, Ekman-Larsson inked a one-year, $2.25MM contract with the Florida Panthers for the 2023-24 regular season. The Swedish blue-liner put up nine goals and 32 points in 80 games for the Panthers with most of his production coming in the first part of the season with the team dealing with injuries to Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad.

In a more limited role compared to his time with the Canucks and Arizona Coyotes, Ekman-Larsson excelled. He appeared comfortable on an elite Florida defense and saw nearly all of his possession and defensive metrics improve as he finished the season with the lowest xGA average of his career according to HockeyReference.

The Maple Leafs will be looking to take advantage of a career turnaround of Ekman-Larsson on a modest $3.5MM cap hit over the next four seasons. Ekman-Larsson should slot behind Morgan Rielly in the top four of the team’s defensive pairings and will likely slot next to Timothy Liljegren as a Swedish counterpart.

Free Agent Rumors: Stamkos, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson, Grzelcyk, Martinez

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The Devils are in the market for a top-six forward today, and they may end up as one of the finalists for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.

They’ll be one of many teams making Stamkos’ agent’s phone ring off the hook today. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also expects the Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators and Red Wings to make aggressive pushes for the future Hall-of-Fame forward.

A return to Tampa Bay is extremely unlikely for Stamkos, whose 555 career goals and 1,082 games played have all come in a Lightning uniform. They weren’t close to an extension as of last weekend, and their signing of top UFA left winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63MM deal this morning has all but completely boxed him out.

More from around the Eastern Conference amid an already busy morning:

  • The Panthers are working hard on extensions for forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe as they become eligible to sign at 11 a.m. CT today, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. They’ve already gotten one big piece of business done today by keeping Sam Reinhart away from the open market on an eight-year, $69MM deal, but Bennett and Verhaeghe are two crucial pieces of their top-six forward group that remain unsigned past next season. It’s unclear what these deals may look like, but Reinhart taking a considerable discount on market value to remain in South Florida is surely a good indicator that Panthers GM Bill Zito can get them locked into deals that won’t break the bank.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger adds the Panthers are also trying to re-sign UFA netminder Anthony Stolarz, but they have some competition. The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are also in the mix for the veteran’s services. While a career backup, he’s one of the best options on the market in a UFA class devoid of starters. He was electric when used in Florida last year, posting a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA in 27 appearances.
  • After making Chris Tanev’s six-year deal official, expect the Leafs to add another veteran blue liner in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dreger says. OEL is coming off a Stanley Cup win in Florida after putting up 32 points in 80 regular-season games, averaging 18:24 per night. He’d likely anchor a third pairing in Toronto on the left side behind Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
  • The Penguins are among the teams linked to defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports. Grzelcyk is likely on his way out of Boston after spending the entirety of his eight-year, 445-game career there. He had 11 points and a +13 rating in 63 games last season while logging 17:36 per night.
  • Alec Martinez could continue his NHL career with the Blackhawks on a one-year deal, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The three-time Cup winner fell down the Golden Knights’ depth chart last year, limited to 55 games due to injuries and healthy scratches. He still managed 17 points, though, his most offense in three years, but had a -2 rating while averaging 19:03 per game.

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