KHL’s Barys Astana Signs Wade Allison
Former Flyers right winger Wade Allison is headed overseas. Barys Astana, the lone Kazakhstan-based club in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, announced today they’ve signed Allison to a one-year deal.
Allison, 26, is coming off a difficult 2023-24 season spent entirely in the minors after landing a full-time job in Philadelphia the year prior. The 2016 second-round pick failed to crack the team out of camp last fall and was placed on waivers, subsequently clearing and heading back to AHL Lehigh Valley, where he spent significant portions of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
The 6’2″, 205-lb power forward had previously put up good offensive production in the minors, tallying 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 38 games across his first two professional seasons. That, plus his physical acumen and good skating ability, landed him a job on the Flyers’ roster entering 2022-23, where he managed nine goals, six assists, 15 points and a -3 rating in 60 appearances in his lone full NHL season. He shouldered bottom-six minutes, averaging 12:54 per game, and had a negligible possession impact, with his CF% and xGF% both falling in line roughly with team averages.
They were solid enough contributions for someone who projected as an energy player regardless, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the fold entering last year. The AHL demotion was evidently demoralizing for Allison, who lost his scoring touch and managed only 10 goals and 17 points in 46 games on the farm before being traded to the Predators for Denis Gurianov in a swap of reclamation projects at the trade deadline. Allison didn’t earn a call-up to Nashville after the trade and finished the season with three goals and two assists for five points in 14 games on assignment to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee.
Since he’d played less than 80 NHL games throughout his career and accumulated enough years of professional service, Allison became eligible for UFA status this summer via a Group VI exemption. Both he and Gurianov failed to stick with their new clubs, and the latter is expected to join him in the KHL next season.
Allison, a Manitoba native, hits pause on his North American professional career with 13 goals, nine assists, 22 points, a -3 rating and 40 PIMs in 75 games across parts of three seasons in Philly. A strong performance with Astana, whose roster for next season boasts former NHLers Nathan Beaulieu and C.J. Smith along with Avalanche center prospect Andrei Buyalsky, could guide him back to the NHL next summer.
Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Sammy Walker
The Minnesota Wild organization has brought back a depth player from the past two years as they announced a one-year contract for forward Samuel Walker. Walker will earn a salary of $775K in the NHL and $125K in the AHL for the 2024-25 season.
Although Walker started as a seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2017 NHL Draft, he decided to forego his entry-level contract with the Lightning to spend the next four years in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota. Walker spent three years as the team captain for the Gophers and helped his team make it as far as the Frozen Four during his tenure with the school. Overall, Walker played in 144 games for the Gophers and scored a total of 48 goals and 112 points.
Walker became a collegiate free agent after his NCAA career ended and he quickly signed on with the Wild organization to a two-year, $1.85MM agreement. Since then, Walker has only played in 13 games for the Wild in the last two years where he has scored one goal and two points.
He has been a solid player in the minor leagues as he’s spent most of his time in the AHL with the Iowa Wild. Over the past two seasons, Walker has suited up in 126 games for AHL Iowa and has scored 41 goals and 93 points. With decent depth on the NHL roster, it may be tough for Walker to challenge for a spot on the opening night roster out of training camp. However, if there are injuries to the NHL-squad, Walker should serve as one of the first call-ups to fill in.
Utah Signs Tij Iginla To Entry-Level Contract
The Utah Hockey Club has signed its first-ever selection in franchise history as the organization announced an entry-level contract for forward Tij Iginla. According to PuckPedia, Iginla will earn $877.5K at the NHL level with a signing bonus of $97.5K each season and $1MM worth of ‘A’ Performance Bonuses included in each year of the deal.
The son of Hall of Fame forward Jarome Iginla officially joins the new Utah franchise after being selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. Iginla has spent the last two years in the Western Hockey League playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds and Kelowna Rockets and may very well end up back in Kelowna for the 2024-25 WHL season. During his rookie campaign in Seattle, Iginla scored six goals and 18 points in 48 games while playing with fellow Utah forward, Dylan Guenther. The Thunderbirds would eventually win the WHL playoffs but Iginla only factored into three games in the first round.
The Thunderbirds traded Iginla to his hometown Kelowna team and he was not viewed as a top draft prospect heading into the 2023-24 campaign. However, Iginla became one of the highest risers in the 2024 NHL Draft after scoring 13 goals and 21 points in the first 12 games of the season. He finished the year with 47 goals and 84 points in 64 games while posting another nine goals and 15 points through 11 postseason contests. Iginla also suited up for Team Canada in the 2024 under-18 World Junior Championship where he collected six goals and 12 points in seven tournament games en route to a gold medal.
Due to the depth up front possessed by Utah entering the 2024-25 season, it is highly unlikely that Iginla will crack the roster. However, after a near 50-goal campaign in the WHL last year, Iginla has little else to prove in major junior. It will be interesting to see where Utah places Iginla for the upcoming season as his development will surely be top of mind as the organization’s new top forward prospect.
San Jose Sharks Sign Ty Emberson To One-Year Deal
11:03 AM: The Sharks have confirmed the one-year agreement with Emberson per a team announcement.
10:22 AM: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that defenseman Ty Emberson and the San Jose Sharks have avoided arbitration. The Sharks organization will sign the young defenseman to a one-year, $950K contract for the 2024-25 NHL season, and will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal if he doesn’t play more than 50 games next year.
Emberson was originally drafted with the 73rd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes before he spent three years at the University of Wisconsin in the NCAA. Emberson turned pro after his junior season with the Badgers and scored one goal in five games with Arizona’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. He did not perform well during his first professional campaign with the Roadrunners as he scored four goals and 11 points in 58 games while posting a -25 rating.
The Coyotes organization parted ways with Emberson the following summer by trading him to the New York Rangers in exchange for Patrik Nemeth, a second-round pick in 2025, and a conditional second-round pick in 2026. Emberson performed much better with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate as he scored seven goals and 27 points in 69 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack while posting a +17 rating. He also performed markedly well for the team in the postseason as he scored two goals and five points in only nine Calder Cup playoff contests.
After signing a one-year league minimum contract with New York during the following offseason, the team placed him on waivers shortly before the 2023-24 NHL season; eventually being claimed by the Sharks. With a middling defensive core, Emberson had access to NHL minutes in San Jose and scored one goal and 10 points over 30 games in his rookie season. Emberson showed effectiveness as a physical defensive defenseman with the Sharks as he posted 94 hits on the year while also achieving a 91.7% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
San Jose has made a few moves this offseason to improve their defensive core but it should not prohibit Emberson from reaching the 50-game mark. As a right-handed shot, Emberson should compete for top-four minutes as one of the best shutdown defensemen on the Sharks’ roster.
Lightning Sign J.J. Moser To Two-Year Contract
2:52 PM: The Lightning have confirmed the signing via a public announcement.
9:18 AM: After electing for salary arbitration on July 5th, defenseman J.J. Moser and the Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly agreed on a new contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the team has signed Moser to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $3.375MM.
According to the report from Friedman, Moser will make $2.7MM during the 2024-25 season and $4.05MM in 2025-26. It will be a significant raise over Moser’s previous contract where he averaged $887K during his entry-level contract.
It will be interesting to see how the Lightning deploy Moser after acquiring him as a part of the package for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in a draft-day trade with the Utah Hockey Club. During a three-year stint with the Arizona Coyotes, Moser quickly became a part of the team’s top four after making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 NHL season.
Over 205 regular season games with the Coyotes, Moser scored 16 goals and 72 points while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per night. Moser played in nearly all situations in Arizona and showed flashes of being an effective two-way defenseman but did have some shortcomings on the defensive side of the puck. According to HockeyReference, Moser produced an expected +/- of -35.6 throughout his tenure in the desert — coming out to an average of nearly -12 each season. Additionally, Moser averaged an on-ice save percentage in all situations of 89.5% over his first three seasons, but some of the blame could be shared with a subpar Arizona defensive core.
With Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh expected to receive a bulk of the minutes on the left side of Tampa Bay’s blue line crew, Moser should get bumped down to a bottom-pairing role with the Lightning. Although his salary for next year is right on par with a bottom-pairing defenseman, his 2025-26 salary will become a bit rich if Tampa Bay decides to keep him in a similar role.
Minor Transactions: 7/10/24
As the NHL transaction activity dries up, we’re seeing an uptick in their farm teams making moves to add to their roster for the upcoming season. Here’s a rundown of today’s movement.
- After spending last season with AHL Charlotte on an NHL contract with Florida, goaltender Mack Guzda is returning to the Checkers but this time on a minor league deal as the team announced they’ve signed him to a one-year contract. The 23-year-old was limited to just two games last season due to injury but made 29 appearances in 2022-23 where he had a 2.88 GAA with a .897 SV%. Guzda was non-tendered by Florida last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Former Calgary farmhand Riley Damiani is off to Germany as Augsberger of the DEL has signed him to a one-year deal per a team release. The 24-year-old split last season between Dallas and Calgary after being part of the Chris Tanev deal before the trade deadline. Damiani had 11 goals and 13 assists in 67 games between the two teams which wasn’t enough to yield him a qualifying offer in June.
- Boston’s farm team in Providence announced a pair of additions in forward Evan Vierling and defenseman Mason Millman on one-year deals. Vierling played his first professional campaign last season and the 22-year-old was productive in limited AHL duty, notching seven points in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while adding 25 points in 34 ECHL contests. As for Millman, the 22-year-old picked up four assists in 15 games with AHL Lehigh Valley last season while adding 26 more in 44 ECHL appearances.
- Veteran defenseman Robbie Russo is heading for a second stint in Tucson, per a team release. The 31-year-old spent two seasons with the Roadrunners before moving on in 2020. Last season, Russo recorded 30 points in 69 games with Utica. He has 19 career NHL appearances under his belt, all with Detroit back in the 2016-17 campaign.
- Winger Marcel Marcel will remain in Rockford as the IceHogs announced that they’ve re-signed him to a one-year deal. Rather than return to major junior for a final season, the 20-year-old opted to turn pro and got into 26 games with Rockford where he had five assists. With Chicago adding considerable depth over the summer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Marcel spend more time with ECHL Indy next season.
Capitals Sign Leon Muggli To Entry-Level Deal
7/11: Washington has confirmed the signing according to a team announcement.
7/10: The Capitals have been active in recent days when it comes to signing their prospects. The latest to receive a contract is Leon Muggli as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will carry a cap hit of $941K and an AAV of $975K; the difference being $102.5K of games-played bonuses in the agreement’s first year.
The 18-year-old was a second-round pick by Washington last month, going 54th overall. Muggli spent most of the season with EV Zug in Switzerland’s top division where he had three goals and nine assists in 42 games; his 12 points were the most ever by a defenseman aged 17 or younger in league history. Muggli also suited up for the Swiss internationally at the World Under-18 Championship as well as the World Juniors.
It’s worth noting that Muggli still has two years left on his deal in Switzerland. At this point, it makes the most sense for him to remain with Zug for those seasons, allowing him to play a regular role while staying at home. Assuming that happens, Muggli’s contract is eligible to slide twice and still have three years remaining on it heading into the 2026-27 campaign as long as he doesn’t play in ten or more NHL contests in either season.
Islanders Sign Liam Foudy, Re-Sign Tyce Thompson
The Islanders have made a pair of moves up front as PuckPedia reports (Twitter links) that they’ve signed winger Liam Foudy to a one-year, two-way deal and re-signed winger Tyce Thompson to a one-year, two-way agreement. Foudy will make $775K in the NHL and $225K in the minors while the agreement has a guaranteed salary of $275K. Thompson, meanwhile, will receive $775K at the NHL level, $175K in the minors, with a total guarantee of $200K.
Foudy was a first-round pick back in 2018, going 18th overall to Columbus. However, he has had a limited role at the top level so far. After playing in 62 games with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23, the thought was that he’d turned the corner and had at least secured a full-time roster spot heading into last season.
However, that wasn’t the case as the 24-year-old was waived early in the season and was claimed by Nashville. The Predators kept him around for a dozen games before waiving Foudy again in December. He cleared that time and was sent to AHL Milwaukee where he remained for the rest of the season. He was productive at that level with 10 goals and six assists in 28 games but was non-tendered by the Preds last month. While New York adds Foudy via unrestricted free agency, he’s still under club control through the 2026-27 season.
As for Thompson, he started last season in New Jersey’s system before being flipped to the Isles in late November. Between their two farm teams, the 24-year-old played in 66 games, notching three goals and 16 assists but still landed a qualifying offer. Thompson has 11 career NHL appearances under his belt but will need to play in 69 games next season to avoid becoming a Group Six unrestricted free agent next summer.
Blues Sign Ryan Suter
Veteran Ryan Suter will play his 20th NHL season in the fall as the Blues announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a one-year contract. The deal carries a base salary of $775K and contains an additional $2.225MM in performance bonuses. The team did not reveal the breakdown of the bonus structure but Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports (Twitter link) that it’s as follows:
10 GP: $225K
30 GP: $400K
40 GP: $500K
60 GP: $600K
60 GP and qualifies for the playoffs: $500K
Suter spent the last three seasons in Dallas but saw his minutes drop in 2023-24, dipping to 18:56 per night, the lowest since his rookie year back in 2005-06 when he was with Nashville. The 39-year-old’s point total also dropped to the lowest it had been since then as he managed just two goals and 15 assists although he played in all 82 games for the third straight year. Suter added four points in 19 postseason contests but his ice time was a bit lower, checking in at 17:50 per contest.
As a result of the dip in performance and playing time, the Stars opted to buy out the final year and $3.65MM remaining on his contract. Considering he’s also still being paid by Minnesota on his buyout with them back in 2021, he will be paid by three Central Division teams next season. He’s the second player in NHL history to be bought out twice, joining fellow rearguard Tony DeAngelo.
A veteran of 1,444 career NHL appearances, Suter sits fifth all-time among U.S.-born players. Assuming he stays healthy and plays a regular role for St. Louis, he could climb up to second on that list; he sits 72 games behind Matt Cullen for that slot. He has 681 points in those appearances with an average TOI of more than 24 minutes a night.
Of course, those numbers don’t reflect where Suter is in his career. At this point, he’s more of a depth player than one who will be expected to anchor a back end but with the Blues, he can be more of a depth piece as he’ll slot in behind Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, and Torey Krug. With them in place, Suter will be battling with Scott Perunovich, Tyler Tucker, and newcomer Pierre-Olivier Joseph for playing time on the third pairing.
The fact the contract is structured this way is interesting as St. Louis has more than ample cap space to cover the full amount should his bonuses be reached; they still have more than $7.3MM in room, per PuckPedia with RFA Nikita Alexandrov still in need of a new deal. However, by making the base salary the league minimum, that will be a lower daily charge on the cap which could make him an intriguing option for buyers near the trade deadline if the Blues find themselves out of a playoff spot. If he remains in St. Louis, they should be able to cover any of those bonuses on the 2024-25 cap instead of rolling those charges over to the following season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Tanner Howe To Entry-Level Contract
A former linemate of Connor Bedard in the Western Hockey League has signed on with the team that drafted him almost two weeks ago. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have signed winger Tanner Howe to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Howe was selected with the 46th overall pick by the Penguins organization in the 2024 NHL Draft and was quickly signed to an entry-level deal after a noticeable development camp showing. The young forward made his presence known as he regularly became the instigator in net-front battles and had two goals to show for it.
During the 2022-23 WHL season, Howe found himself on a line with Bedard while playing for the Regina Pats. He came a perfect complimentary piece to Bedard as an annoying pest on the ice and scored 36 goals and 85 points in 67 games while putting up another two goals and four points in seven postseason contests. After Bedard left Regina to join the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2023-24 NHL season, Howe became the new captain of the organization.
He proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he could perform without Bedard down the middle as Howe scored 28 goals and 77 points in 68 games. Unfortunately, the Pats were unable to qualify for the 2024 WHL playoffs meaning his season came to an end after the regular season concluded. Howe has been a bit quiet on the international stage for Team Canada as he’s played in a total of 11 games for Canada’s under-18 World Junior Championship squad the past two years but only has one assist to show for it.
It’s unlike that Howe will play for any team in the Penguins’ organization next season and may even spend another year in the WHL with the Regina Pats. However, there is a case to be made that Howe’s physical game is mature enough to play for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Wherever Howe winds up for the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh has a definite middle-six prospect in the making if his development continues on its current trajectory.