Los Angeles Kings Extend Quinton Byfield
According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Quinton Byfield to a five-year, $31.25MM contract. The deal will pay the former second-overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft an AAV of $6.25MM and will end after the 2028-29 NHL season.
Shortly after the Kings announced the signing, PuckPedia reported the breakdown of his contract:
2024-25: $775K salary with $5.5MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4MM salary with $3MM signing bonus
2026-27: $4MM salary with $1.5MM signing bonus
2027-28: $6.25MM salary
2028-29: $6.25MM salary (10-team M-NTC clause)
The deal comes as a mid-term agreement between Byfield and the Kings organization which likely gave both sides a little of what they wanted. The Kings will buy up the rest of Byfield’s RFA eligibility and one year of unrestricted free agency at a reasonable price tag while Byfield has set himself up for a long-term agreement heading into his age-27 season.
The first three years of Byfield’s career did not go as planned as the young forward scored eight goals and 33 points in 99 games. Despite the modest production on the scoresheet, Byfield showed an ability to be a physical player at a young age, maturity in the dot with a faceoff percentage of 45.0%, and above-average production in terms of defensive and possession metrics. One of the biggest counterarguments to Byfield’s lack of scoring during the early stages of his career centered around his usage by Los Angeles as he only averaged 13:21 of time per game.
Finally averaging more than 15 minutes a night and thrust into a role in the team’s top six — Byfield had a breakout campaign this past season. The young forward scored 20 goals and 55 points in 80 games while primarily playing next to Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Playing well in the Kings’ defensively sound system, Byfield also achieved a CorsiFor% of 59.4% during the 2023-24 season as well as a 93.2% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
With Kopitar potentially entering the last two years of his career, Byfield may begin to challenge for a center position. Nevertheless, Byfield should continue to be a factor in the team’s top six and will likely continue on the team’s top line. After securing the first 20-goal campaign of his young career — Byfield could become a 30-goal player rather quickly on this new contract.
Dallas Stars Sign Emil Hemming To Entry-Level Contract
The Dallas Stars have inked their first-round selection of the 2024 NHL Draft as the team announced they have signed winger Emil Hemming to a three-year entry-level contract. The contract is scheduled to start during the 2024-25 NHL season but the Stars organization has not indicated where Hemming will suit up next season.
Hemming is coming off his first professional season with TPS of the Finnish Liiga where he suited up in 40 games and scored seven goals and 11 points. The young forward also spent 13 games with TPS U20 in the U20 SM-sarja where he scored 11 goals and 18 points. Including all the offensive prospects available in the 2024 NHL Draft, Hemming arguably featured the best possible shot from the forward group.
The Vaasa, Finland native was electric on the international stage for Team Finland last year as he scored seven goals and 11 points in nine total contests for Team Finland’s U18 club and posted two goals and eight points in eight games for Team Finland’s U20 roster. Hemming should return to TPS for the 2024-25 season but may feature with the organization’s AHL club in Texas towards the end of next season.
The Stars still have a deep forward group up front for the next couple of years but it is aging. Forwards Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene, and Evgenii Dadonov are well into their 30s and Dallas may have decent timing with Hemming’s eventual debut.
New Jersey Devils Sign Adam Beckman
The New Jersey Devils have agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with forward Adam Beckman. Beckman will earn the league minimum of $775K in the NHL with a salary of $125K in the AHL ($150K guaranteed).
Beckman was recently acquired from the Minnesota Wild organization in exchange for Graeme Clarke. Beckman spent three professional seasons for the Wild after finishing his major junior career with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. He quickly became one of the better point producers with the team’s AHL affiliate in Iowa as he scored 57 goals and 108 points in 181 games.
There is some criticism of Beckman’s play on the defensive side of the puck during his time with the AHL Wild as he finished with a -29 rating in total. Iowa finished top-15 in goals against during the first two years of Beckman’s tenure with the team but finished tied for 29th this past season with the San Diego Gulls.
Beckman did suit up in 23 games for Minnesota over the last three years as an injury replacement but didn’t factor too much as he averaged 10:02 of ice time per game. He still has yet to register his first goal at the NHL level but has collected three assists up to this point.
It’s unlikely that Beckman will start the season in New Jersey as he’s most likely destined for the AHL with the Utica Comets. The Devils improved their forward depth this offseason by bringing in Tomas Tatar, Stefan Noesen, and Paul Cotter which should eliminate space for Beckman to crack the roster. Beckman should likely serve as an injury replacement in New Jersey while adding solid scoring depth to the Comets.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Kevin Mandolese
The Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche got together on a minor trade today as the Senators announced the team had sent the signing rights to goaltender Kevin Mandolese and a seventh-round pick in 2026 to the Avalanche in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2026. Colorado has also confirmed the trade.
Mandolese will join the second organization of his career after spending his entire professional life with the Senators organization after being selected by the team with the 157th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s mostly spent time as the backup for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, as he’s earned a 28-28-5 record in the last four years in 66 games while posting a .896 save percentage and 3.30 goals against average.
He has fared slightly better in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators and Allen Americans in limited action by posting a 6-7-1 record over the last three years in 15 contests while recording a .921 SV% and 2.77 GAA. Mandolese will likely end up with Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and could even spend time with the Utah Grizzlies, the organization’s ECHL affiliate.
The native of Montreal, Quebec suited up in three games for the Senators during the 2022-23 NHL season and stopped 109 of 119 shots. Mandolese recorded two quality starts in his only NHL appearances and earned the only NHL win of his career after stopping 46 shots against the New York Islanders.
Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Ville Heinola
The Winnipeg Jets will keep around a depth defenseman for the next two years as the organization announced a two-year, $1.6MM contract for defenseman Ville Heinola. The contract will keep Heinola around for his fifth and sixth seasons with the club while becoming arbitration-eligible at the end of the deal.
The future was bright for Heinola after being selected by the Jets with the 20th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft but the organization’s habit of slow-playing prospects to the NHL level has prohibited Heinola from showing the best of his abilities up to this point in his career. Heinola has factored into a handful of games for Winnipeg over the last five years but has failed to play more than 12 games in a season up to this point.
Because of his usage as one of the team’s depth defensemen, Heinola has played 35 games for the Jets since the start of the 2019-20 season and has registered one goal and 11 points. The Finnish blue-liner has averaged 15:15 of ice time in his games at the NHL level but recently recorded the lowest average of his career in 2022-23 with 13:16.
Heinola spent the entire 2023-24 season with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose where he recorded 10 goals and 27 points in 41 games. He demonstrated more of an ability to score goals after posing three goals and 37 points in 48 games the year prior.
Winnipeg’s defensive core has been thinned out this offseason which may lead to a regular role for Heinola this upcoming season. However, with defensemen Dylan Samberg and Logan Stanley also looking for a regular spot in the lineup, Heinola may have his work cut out for him during training camp in September.
Ducks Re-Sign Jackson LaCombe, Nikita Nesterenko
The Anaheim Ducks are getting some work done today on a few restricted free agents as the team announced a two-year contract for defenseman Jackson LaCombe and a one-year, two-way contract for forward Nikita Nesterenko. PuckPedia reports that LaCombe will earn $925K each year of his contract while Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports Nesterenko will earn $874K at the NHL level and $70K in the AHL.
LaCombe’s agreement is identical to the one he signed with the Ducks organization in 2023 after finishing his senior season with the University of Minnesota. LaCombe was originally selected with the 39th overall pick by Anaheim in the 2019 NHL Draft after an impressive season with Shattuck St. Mary. During his time with the Gophers, LaCombe demonstrated his ability to be an effective puck-mover from the blue line as 80 of his 99 points in the NCAA came from assists.
The young defenseman struggled in his rookie campaign with the Ducks where he registered two goals and 17 points in 71 games while posting a -24 rating. LaCombe’s possession and defensive metrics do not paint a positive picture either as Anaheim played him for an average of 19:23 per game. He did get some mild usage on the team’s powerplay and penalty kill for the 2023-24 season but the Ducks may be better served by taking away some responsibility from LaCombe to keep his confidence up.
In a similar fashion to LaCombe; Nesterenko spent three years with Boston College of the NCAA after being selected with the 172nd overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL Draft. Anaheim acquired Nesterenko’s signing rights as a part of the return for defenseman John Klingberg during the 2022-23 trade deadline and Nesterenko signed his entry-level contract with the Ducks only a few days later.
The native of Brooklyn, NY has collected 12 games at the NHL level up to this point but spent most of his rookie campaign with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Nesterenko suited up in 70 games for the Gulls last season and scored 16 goals and 37 points. With the ability to play well on the defensive side of the puck, Nesterenko may have a spot in the middle-six of Anaheim’s forward core in the future.
Sharks Re-Sign Brandon Coe To Two-Way Deal
The Sharks have re-signed right winger Brandon Coe to a one-year, two-way deal, according to a team release. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Coe, 22, was a fourth-round pick of San Jose in 2020 and was an RFA after completing his entry-level contract. He’s yet to make his NHL debut.
The 6’4″ winger had a quite unusual development path. Selected out of the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, he didn’t have a place to play in his post-draft season after the league paused operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That led to Coe making his professional debut ahead of schedule, recording five points in 17 games for AHL San Jose on a tryout as a teenager in the 2020-21 campaign.
Coe returned to North Bay for his final season of junior hockey the following year, exploding for 101 points in 62 games and earning a spot on the OHL’s First All-Star Team. He’s since served in a depth role for AHL San Jose since returning to the professional ranks in 2022, now totaling 18 goals and 38 points in 130 career games for the Baby Sharks. He set career highs with 12 goals and 17 points in 57 contests last season.
He isn’t close to seeing NHL ice, but he has shown slow yet steady development. It’s worth noting Coe hasn’t had a ton of help – San Jose’s farm team has finished at or below .500 in all three seasons he’s been there. He’ll look to take a step forward next year and ideally put himself in contention for a late-season call-up before becoming an RFA again next summer.
Oilers, Senators Swap Xavier Bourgault, Roby Jarventie
The Senators have already completed one transaction today, signing goaltender Mads Søgaard to a two-year deal, and they’ve now completed a second. They’ve sent left winger Roby Jarventie and their 2025 fourth-round pick to the Oilers in exchange for forward prospects Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson, per announcements from both teams.
“This trade provides us with additional competition and depth at forward,” Senators general manager Steve Staios said in a press release. “Both Xavier and Jake are trending in the right direction with their respective development. With the potential for greater playing opportunity next season, they should both benefit considerably.”
Bourgault, 21, is the big fish in this trade. He was the Oilers’ first-round pick in 2021, taken 22nd overall, a pick acquired from the Wild in a pick swap on draft day that resulted in Minnesota selecting top goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt at 20. Unfortunately, Bourgault hasn’t progressed as hoped and is yet to make his NHL debut.
After wrapping up his junior career with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, Bourgault signed his entry-level contract in March 2022 and turned pro the subsequent season. He did okay in his first season on assignment to AHL Bakersfield, finishing 2022-23 with a solid 13 goals, 21 assists and 34 points in 62 games and finishing fourth on the team in scoring. But this past season was unkind to the Quebec native, whose offense was limited to only eight goals and 20 points in 55 games with Bakersfield. He was also held without a point in two playoff games.
Edmonton recently rejuvenated their forward prospect pool in a big way, acquiring 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie in a trade with the Sabres earlier this month. That made Bourgault somewhat expendable for a team in the middle of a championship contention window, especially one with their forward corps set for the immediate future.
But with Ottawa, Bourgault should have a much clearer path to his NHL debut. He can play center and right-wing, both of which are positions of need for the Sens – at least in depth roles. He joins a group that includes veterans Noah Gregor and Zack MacEwen as well as up-and-comers Jan Jeník and Zack Ostapchuk that will be competing for roster spots out of camp.
The Sens also added Chiasson in this deal, but he’s far off from seeing NHL ice. The 21-year-old was selected three rounds after Bourgault in 2021 but stayed in juniors for his overage season, meaning he didn’t turn pro until last year. After signing his ELC with Edmonton, Chiasson played just one game with AHL Bakersfield and was instead sent to ECHL Fort Wayne for most of the campaign, where he had nine goals and 20 points in 68 games with a -12 rating.
In exchange for parting ways with a pair of prospects, the Oilers recoup Jarventie, a player that the team’s Bob Stauffer reports they’ve liked for quite some time. Selected 33rd overall by Ottawa in 2020, the 6’2″, 214-lb Finnish winger made his NHL debut last season, recording an assist and a -5 rating in seven games while averaging a paltry 7:31 per night. The 21-year-old has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, which will presumably be spent with Bakersfield.
While he doesn’t have Bourgault’s billing as a first-round pick, Jarventie does have a much better recent track record in the minors. Injuries and roster moves limited him to 22 games with AHL Belleville last season, but he clicked at nearly a point per game with nine goals and 11 assists in 22 contests. He has 86 points (38 goals, 48 assists) in 136 career games with Belleville since arriving in North America in 2021.
Rangers, Matthew Robertson Agree To Two-Way Deal
The Rangers have come to terms on a new one-year deal for RFA defender Matthew Robertson, the team announced Monday. It’s a two-way deal, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Robertson, 23, was coming off the final season of his entry-level contract. He’ll stick around in the Big Apple for at least another season while he tries to get what was once a promising development path back on track.
The 2019 second-round pick carries appealing size at 6’4″ and 201 lbs, but the left-shot defender hasn’t yet been able to work his way up to making his NHL debut. He received a handful of call-ups last season as injury insurance but didn’t get into any game action. He’s displayed solid puck-moving ability while on assignment to AHL Hartford, totaling 55 points over 190 games during his three professional campaigns. But like most of his teammates over the past few years, he hasn’t had a standout impact defensively, posting a cumulative -25 rating and never logging anything better than a -7.
With Erik Gustafsson out of the picture from last season’s defense group, there’s a little bit of increased opportunity for depth defenders in the Rangers organization. Robertson will hope to take advantage of that, but he’ll need to jockey for positioning with some more experienced names slated for minor-league action to start the year, such as Connor Mackey and UFA addition Casey Fitzgerald.
Robertson will be an RFA again next summer upon expiry.
Senators Sign Mads Søgaard To Two-Year Deal
The Senators have agreed with RFA goalie Mads Søgaard on a two-year contract, per a team announcement. It’s a two-way deal in 2024-25 before upgrading to a one-way in 2025-26. It comes in with a $775K cap hit and will pay him $225K in the AHL next season.
Søgaard, 23, made his NHL debut with Ottawa in 2021-22 and has served primarily as their third-string netminder since. The 2019 second-round pick brings his gargantuan 6’7″ frame to the crease, yielding some rather strong numbers on the farm with AHL Belleville last season. He posted a .916 SV% and 2.45 GAA with an 18-9-3 record in 32 appearances, all setting or hovering around career highs.
But while the Dane has shown solid development at the minor league level, he’s yet to succeed with any consistency in his NHL time. Over 24 starts and three relief appearances over the past three seasons, he’s struggled with a .884 SV% and 3.44 GAA, although he’s managed to help keep the Sens in float in front of him nonetheless with a 10-10-3 record. His advanced metrics aren’t pretty, though, as he’s conceded 15.2 goals above the average netminder during his limited run in the Ottawa crease, per Hockey Reference. He particularly struggled in his call-up action this season, limping to a .859 SV% and 4.05 GAA in six appearances with a 1-3-0 record. Søgaard allowed 10.3 goals above expected in just 282 minutes of action, per MoneyPuck, more than backup Anton Forsberg allowed over the course of 30 games.
Sens general manager Steve Staios called this season an “important stepping stone” for Søgaard in the team’s press release, and it’s easy to see why. He won’t start the season on the NHL roster with Forsberg still under contract and Linus Ullmark set to be their new starter after being acquired from the Bruins last month. But he will remain their top call-up option from Belleville should injuries affect either of the two, and they’ll look for him to at least get closer to a league-average save percentage when given a chance.
Søgaard is still under team control for another four seasons. He’ll be an RFA once again when his deal expires in 2026.