Kurt Overhardt, the agent for Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell, told Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (subscription link) that he has held talks with Toronto roughly once a week although, to this point, no numbers have been exchanged between the two sides. He also reiterated that the 31-year-old would like to return to Toronto. Campbell had an up-and-down year, being named to the All-Star Game but also posted a save percentage of just .893 from January on to the end of the season. He’s going to be in line for a sizable raise on the $1.65MM AAV he had for the last two years but the shaky finish certainly won’t help his market. While there are still a few weeks before free agency opens up, the fact neither side has tabled a firm proposal yet throws some uncertainty onto whether or not he’ll be back with the Maple Leafs next season.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Minor Transactions: 06/16/22
As the Stanley Cup Final is officially underway, all but two NHL organizations are fully focused on preparing their teams for next season. Oftentimes, that includes their AHL affiliates fortifying their depth with veterans and younger players not quite ready for NHL deals. We’ll keep track of those signings and transactions today right here.
- After a rough season for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies that saw them miss the league’s expanded 23-team playoffs, they’re keeping a pair of defensemen around through next year. The Maple Leafs’ affiliate announced today that they’ve re-signed Noel Hoefenmayer and Matteo Pietroniro to one-year AHL contracts. Hoefenmayer excelled with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers this season, finishing 12th in scoring among defensemen with 40 points in just 46 games. He was third in playoff scoring for defensemen, contributing 16 points in 19 games to help the Growlers on a long playoff run. The offensively-gifted defenseman and former Arizona Coyotes prospect will likely see more AHL time next season in hopes of earning an NHL contract with the Maple Leafs in the future. Pietroniro, undrafted, had 27 points in 59 games with Newfoundland last year.
- A Detroit Red Wings prospect remains in the organization, albeit without an NHL contract. Their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, announced today the re-signing of forward Kirill Tyutyayev to a one-year AHL contract. Selected in the seventh round (190th overall) in 2019, the 21-year-old Tyutyayev played just nine games last season in Grand Rapids due to injury, registering just three assists. It was his first campaign in North America. After having not played since early November 2021, Tyutyayev will look for a much smoother sophomore campaign.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Pontus Aberg, Ryan Spooner Staying In Europe
A pair of former NHLers are staying across the Atlantic Ocean for the 2022-23 campaign. Swedish winger Pontus Aberg has signed a one-year agreement with BK Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Extraliga, while Canadian forward Ryan Spooner is remaining in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk.
Aberg, 28, attempted an NHL comeback last season when he signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators. However, he was waived prior to the season and spent 17 games with the Belleville Senators before mutually terminating his contract to return to Sweden with Timrå IK in the SHL. He netted two goals, nine assists, and 11 points in those 17 games with Belleville. Aberg’s last taste of NHL action came in 2019-20, where he got a five-game look with the Toronto Maple Leafs, registering one assist. A second-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2012, Aberg could really never hold onto a full-time NHL role, shuffling between the NHL and AHL in nearly every season he spent in North America.
Spooner hasn’t been in the league since 2018-19, when he split the season between the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks. He’s been one of the best scorers in the KHL since then, and after one year in Yekaterinburg, he returns to Dinamo Minsk where he led the club in scoring in 2019-20 with 37 points in 43 games. Spooner had a few NHL stretches where it looked like he could become a great middle-six depth piece, especially when he scored 41 points in 59 games between the Rangers and Boston Bruins in 2017-18. His offense disappeared the next season, however, and he hasn’t returned to North America. Now 30 years old, it’s unlikely he ever will.
Carter Hutton Retires From NHL
A journeyman netminder has hung up his skates today. Veteran Carter Hutton announced his retirement from the NHL today, talking with Tom Annelin of the Chronicle Journal.
Speaking with Annelin today, Hutton had the following to say on his decision:
Honestly, I’ve been preparing myself for hockey to be over in some aspect for a while… The NHL has evolved into a young man’s league. The average age is now in the early 20s, so I know that this job wouldn’t be a lifelong one for me. Ultimately, I suffered an ankle injury in early 2021, which made the decision a lot easier for me. It restricted a lot of the mobility I needed to be as effective as I once was. This, compiled with a few other things helped me decide on retirement.
The news isn’t surprising in any aspect. Hutton appeared in just three games at the beginning of the season with the Arizona Coyotes, earning a 0-2-0 record and .741 save percentage. He spent the majority of the rest of the season injured before he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the trade deadline for injury insurance there, but the team loaned him back to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. He did spend a few days at Leafs practice, however.
An undrafted free agent, Hutton had a long and arduous path to NHL success. Hutton spent four years developing at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell before signing an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks for 2010-11. Hutton was the backup for the AHL affiliate in Worcester that season, posting a .902 save percentage. A restricted free agent, he was left unqualified and settled for an AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs in 2011-12.
Strong play there got him an NHL contract later in the season and again with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012-13, when he made his NHL debut at age 27. As an unrestricted free agent in 2013, the Nashville Predators snapped up Hutton in free agency, where he broke into the NHL and never looked back. After stops with the Predators, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, and Coyotes, Hutton retires with a career 94-90-27 record in 235 games played (207 starts), .908 save percentage, and 2.76 goals-against average, and 13 shutouts. For an undrafted free agent who wasn’t a full-time NHLer until 28, it’s an improbable and impressive resumé.
Maple Leafs Starting Negotiations With Pending RFAs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are pushing on to sign some of their pending free agents, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, who breaks down each UFA and RFA in the group. Mirtle suggests that both Ilya Mikheyev and Jack Campbell will be elsewhere next season, and examines the tricky situations that Pierre Engvall and Ondrej Kase represent as arbitration-eligible restricted free agents.
Toronto Maple Leafs Part Ways With Steve Briere
It seems the chaotic season in the crease that was for the Toronto Maple Leafs has met a resolution. Sportsnet reports that the team is parting ways with long-time goalie coach Steve Briere, whose contract was set to expire this offseason.
The Maple Leafs brought Briere into the organization for the 2015-16 season as an unknown. Briere had spent the previous five seasons as the goalie coach for the Topeka Roadrunners in the NAHL, the second-most competitive American junior league. He’s proceeded to serve as Toronto’s goalie coach for seven consecutive seasons, but he won’t be back for an eighth.
Across the board, Maple Leafs goalies struggled this season outside of Jack Campbell, who was injured for a good portion of the regular season. Backup Petr Mrazek battled multiple injuries as well, but even when in the lineup, posted just a .888 save percentage, which was the first time he’d posted a sub-.900 save percentage in a season at the NHL level. Now, whether or not Briere’s coaching or Mrazek’s health was to blame for that performance is up for debate, but the team still felt like a change was necessary to get the most out of their netminders moving forward.
Toronto’s goaltending situation is incredibly murky next season, though, and adding a new goalie coach into the mix will heed a complete refresh in the crease. Campbell is an unrestricted free agent and it’s unclear whether the team will have the cap space necessary to retain his service, and they’ll certainly try to trade Mrazek and his $3.8MM cap hit. One of Erik Kallgren or Joseph Woll is sure to get a shot at a full-time NHL role to help keep the team’s cap hit down, and the team will need to select their next goalie coach carefully as to not put a wrench into their development.
Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs
Free agency is now less than six weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Maple Leafs.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Rasmus Sandin – Having barely played a full season’s worth of games in his career, Sandin has impressed in his young career, totaling 28 points in 88 career games on the backend for Toronto. The 2018 first-round pick can expect a reasonable raise over his $895K AAV on his previous contract, his ELC. The Maple Leafs are currently, like many teams, up against the salary cap ceiling, and will have some tough decisions to make as they try to bring back as much of their roster as they can, while improving too.
Sandin may be a casualty of Toronto’s moving parts, as the team already has Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Mark Giordano, and T.J. Brodie under contract for next season, all of whom, like Sandin, play the left side. It’s not that Sandin has disappointed or that his raise will be too much to handle, but dealing a 22-year-old defenseman with upside from a position of strength could provide tremendous value for Toronto.
D Timothy Liljegren – Much of what can be said about Sandin, can be said about Liljegren. A first-round pick of Toronto in 2017, Liljegren has spent parts of the last three seasons in the NHL, getting a bulk of his action, 61 games, this season. Liljegren hasn’t taken the world by storm, but has impressed and was a steady presence in Toronto’s defensive core this year, and like Sandin, played a role in helping the much-discussed Maple Leafs defense take a real step forward. Unlike Sandin, Liljegren plays the right side, a position Toronto only has one player signed for next season: Justin Holl. Even if Toronto re-signs Ilya Lyubushkin (see below), they would still need Lilejgren to round things out. Liljegren can expect a raise over his ELC salary, however, it should be one modest enough for Toronto to handle, especially given their need for right defense.
F Pierre Engvall – After two solid seasons to start his career, Engvall found himself having a breakout 2021-22 season for Toronto, setting career-highs in goals with 15, assists with 20, points with 35, and games played with 78. These numbers won’t blow anyone away compared to teammates Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner, but the massive Swedish winger was able to turn heads coming off of a two-year, $2.5MM contract that carried a $1.25MM cap hit, which he is likely now due a raise on and is eligible to go to arbitration for.
F Ondrej Kase – After signing as a free agent with Toronto last offseason, Kase finds himself once again as a RFA. Kase’s case should be interesting, as the winger signed a three-year, $7.8MM contract following the expiration of his ELC in 2018, then with the Anaheim Ducks. He would struggle greatly with injury after being traded to the Boston Bruins, playing in just nine games in a season and a half, and being allowed to walk as a free agent. Toronto would sign Kase for one year and $1.25MM, where he would again struggle with injury, but play to a more respectable 27 points in 50 games. With a rebound on his resume, Kase could be dealt a raise over his previous $1.25MM salary, perhaps closer to the $2.6MM cap hit he signed in 2018. However, given Toronto’s need to improve while balancing a tight cap, Kase could be a candidate to be let go as an RFA, just as he was last offseason.
Other RFAs: D Joseph Duszak, D Chad Krys, D Kristians Rubins, G Ian Scott
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Jack Campbell – When it comes to pending free agents for Toronto, no player has a bigger spotlight than Campbell. Toronto’s starting goaltender had an up and down season in 2021-22 after several strong seasons playing part-time for the Los Angeles Kings and the Maple Leafs. The 30-year-old’s first half was good enough to earn him All-Star honors, however, he struggled after the All-Star break and even missed time due to injury. Upon his return, Campbell was again stellar down the stretch before a less-than-impressive showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
After letting previous starting goaltender Frederik Andersen go in free agency last summer, eventually winning the Jennings Trophy with the Carolina Hurricanes this season, Toronto is still unsure about its future in net. If Campbell can routinely be the player he was in the first half of 2021-22, the answer for the Maple Leafs is clear, but his more recent struggles loom large. Those struggles also don’t change the fact that Campbell was an All-Star and has performed well for more than a few games, which should lead to a relatively large salary increase from the $1.65MM cap hit he had in 2021-22. Considering a limited goalie market and several teams having a need in net, Toronto may have to prioritize Campbell and find a number they are comfortable with, then make adjustments to handle the salary cap afterward.
D Ilya Lyubushkin – The aforementioned spotlight on Campbell as Toronto’s primary UFA seems to overshadow Lyubushkin’s impending free agency. A large, physical defender who Toronto acquired from the Arizona Coyotes along with Ryan Dzingel for a second-round pick and Nick Ritchie earlier this season, Lyubushkin fills a role Toronto, as mentioned, is short on–right defense. Arguably their best player at that position, the Maple Leafs will have to do their best to keep a player they know they can trust, otherwise, their options for a cost-controlled right defenseman may be hard to come by. Lyubushkin likely won’t see big money this offseason, but coming off of a one-year, $1.35MM contract, the 28-year-old will absolutely have his own leverage.
F Ilya Mikheyev – The 27-year-old Mikheyev may be as likely as anyone to depart from Toronto. After requesting a trade from the organization, Mikheyev stayed put and put up a career year, finding the back of the net 21 times, a career best, with a career-high 33 points in 53 games. Mikheyev will surely receive a raise over his $1.645MM cap hit the previous two seasons in Toronto, a luxury Toronto likely can’t afford, and though Mikheyev never was traded, his UFA status will give him the freedom to choose where he plays.
Other UFAs: F Colin Blackwell, F Brett Seney, D Teemu Kivihalme, G Michael Hutchinson, G Carter Hutton
Projected Cap Space:
The theme of this article, and likely of Toronto’s offseason, is limited cap space. The team needs to improve if it wants to have deep, sustained playoff success. However, they have just under $7.185MM in projected salary cap space for next season. That’s plenty to make an addition or two, but they first need to re-sign their starting goaltender, one of their top right defensemen, and give modest raises to two young defensemen in Liljegren and Sandin and a breakout forward in Engvall. At that point, an addition would be nearly impossible. All of this before trying to perhaps re-sign Kase and Mikheyev.
One bright spot for Toronto in this difficult situation is its depth. Going back to Sandin, the organization boasts several quality NHL left-defensemen, allowing them to potentially deal from this strength to add a cost-controlled option at a weaker position. The team also has several high-quality prospects that could be ready to make that jump to full-time NHL work, including Matthew Knies, Nicholas Robertson, and Nicholas Abruzzese.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Luke Cavallin Signs AHL Contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs have obviously decided on a very specific development path for goaltenders. Like Keith Petruzzelli and Dryden McKay before him, Luke Cavallin has signed a two-year AHL contract with the organization, following his outstanding season for the Flint Firebirds.
Cavallin, 21, was an undrafted overage prospect playing in the OHL this season, where he posted a 36-14-4 record and a .910 save percentage. A few days ago, he was ousted from the third round of the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion, his team failing to score a goal in the deciding game seven after losing game six in overtime. In 19 playoff appearances, Cavallin registered a .929 save percentage.
If he is a late bloomer, he’ll now have the time and resources to continue his path through professional hockey with this two-year minor league contract. The young netminder will likely start in the ECHL given how many goaltenders are now in the Maple Leafs system, giving him the chance to play for the Newfoundland Growlers in 2022-23.
For Toronto, finding a long-term solution in net has been extremely difficult. Jack Campbell, the team’s starter this year, is a pending free agent and could be headed to the open market next month. Taking swings with these young netminders could potentially pay off, but there is still lots for Cavallin to improve on before he makes a mark in the NHL.
Former Maple Leafs Defenseman Larry Hillman Passes Away
Former NHL defenseman and Stanley Cup Champion Larry Hillman has passed away, confirm the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hillman was 85 years old. The Maple Leafs released the following statement following his passing:
“We are deeply saddened to learn the passing of Larry Hillman. Larry played in the National Hockey League between 1955 and 1973 and had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup six times, including four with the Maple Leafs in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. An active member of our alumni, Larry was a gentleman with a warm and generous smile. He was a proud husband, father and family man. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Not the household name of some of his Stanley Cup teammates, Hillman made a long career for himself, spanning 22 seasons, as a reliable, shutdown defenseman for his teams. The defenseman began his career in 1954-55 with the Detroit Red Wings as a teenager, a team that would go on to win the Stanley Cup. After parts of three seasons with Detroit, Hillman was claimed on waivers by the Boston Bruins, where he would play parts of three more seasons before again being claimed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hillman would spend the next eight seasons in Toronto, helping the team to four Stanley Cups.
Jack Campbell Likely To Test Free Agency
- At this point, it appears as if Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell will test unrestricted free agency next month, TSN’s Chris Johnston suggested in a recent appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link). Toronto knows what Campbell’s asking price has been for quite some time dating back to contract talks in the fall and they haven’t been willing to meet that just yet. Campbell, who was named to the All-Star Game this season, had an up and down year, posting a 2.64 GAA along with a .914 SV% in 49 games. He’s set to be one of the better goalies to hit the open market and could push for three times the AAV he had on his expiring deal which checked in at $1.65MM.