Maple Leafs Sign Simon Benoit To Three-Year Extension
The Maple Leafs announced Friday that they’ve signed defenseman Simon Benoit to a three-year extension. The deal is worth $4.05MM, carrying an AAV and cap hit of $1.35MM. His salary is evenly distributed across all three seasons with no signing bonuses, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.
Benoit, 25, has played a larger role than expected in Toronto this season and has quickly become a fan favorite. Few expected the Quebec native to even make the NHL after he went undrafted and failed to secure an NHL deal when his time in major junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes ended in 2018. He began his professional career on a minor league contract with AHL San Diego in 2018-19, impressing with a defensively sound rookie season and earning an entry-level contract from the Ducks near the end of the season.
It was still a while before he’d make his NHL debut, receiving a couple of short recalls in 2019-20 that didn’t result in any major league action. His first shot came near the end of the 2020-21 campaign, where he impressed with a positive shot-attempt share at even strength in heavy defensive usage while logging 17:12 per game across six appearances.
Benoit didn’t make the Ducks out of camp in 2021 but wasn’t in the minors for long, breaking onto the NHL scene for most of the season and notching a goal and four assists in 53 showings. His possession numbers dragged slightly but were still above acceptable for a depth defender on a rebuilding and defensively challenged team. He then earned a qualifying offer from Anaheim, who re-signed him to a one-year, two-way deal for 2022-23.
Last season, injuries forced Benoit into a top-four role with the Ducks, who remain the worst defensive team of the salary cap era, allowing 4.09 goals per game. Unsurprisingly, Benoit’s boxcar stats read as some of the worst in the league, recording 10 points and a -29 rating in 78 games while playing over 19 minutes per game, often saddled with the defensive responsibility of covering for the rather one-dimensional John Klingberg at even strength as his partner. His possession metrics struggled as a result, although maybe not as much as expected. He logged a 41.4 CF% at even strength, which was only two points worse than his off-ice CF% despite 63.8% of his zone starts coming in the defensive end.
However, with Anaheim looking to make room for a deep group of young defense prospects like Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, they opted to not qualify Benoit last summer and let him reach unrestricted free agency, where the Leafs picked him up on a one-year, league-minimum deal, also the first one-way contract of his career. Still, most expected Benoit to serve as the eighth or ninth option on the organization depth chart behind other depth defenders like Klingberg, who also signed a one-year deal with Toronto over the summer, veteran Mark Giordano, and Conor Timmins.
He did end up beginning the season with AHL Toronto, clearing waivers near the end of training camp. Just two days later, an early-season rash of injuries over the Toronto blue line forced Benoit’s first recall of the season. After bouncing up and down between leagues over the next two months, he was permanently recalled to the Leafs on Nov. 27 and hasn’t looked back.
With Klingberg’s season finishing prematurely due to a lingering hip injury and Giordano, Timmins and Timothy Liljegren all missing significant time, Benoit has made 54 appearances for the Leafs, scoring once and adding four assists. His even-strength CF% has rebounded to 49.3, and he’s controlled possession quality at the best rate of his career, posting a 50.3 xGF%. While a decrease in ice time and some easier matchups certainly help, he’s been on the ice for 0.54 expected goals against per game this year compared to 0.96 last season with Anaheim. He also leads Toronto with 205 hits.
Benoit has continued to factor in down the stretch with the Leafs still cycling through injuries on defense, even skating in a top-pairing role alongside Jake McCabe in last night’s 5-1 win over the Capitals. His role in the postseason once players Liljegren, Joel Edmundson and Morgan Rielly are ready to return from their injuries is less clear, though.
The physical 6’3″ blue-liner now gets legitimate stability for the first time in his professional career and will continue in a depth role for Toronto until his deal expires in 2027. He’ll be a UFA upon expiry.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Kraken Sign Lukas Dragicevic To Entry-Level Contract
The Seattle Kraken have signed top defense prospect Lukas Dragicevic to his entry-level contract (Twitter link). The deal will carry a $950K annual-average-value (AAV). Seattle drafted Dragicevic in the second-round of the 2023 NHL Draft, using a pick acquired in the trade that sent Mark Giordano to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s the 12th player from the second-round to sign a pro deal.
Dragicevic has spent the last three seasons carving out a prominent role with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans – becoming just the 58th Tri-City player to play in over-200 league-games this season, scoring a career 157 points across 202 career games. That equates to a 0.78 point-per-game pace, the most a Tri-City defenseman has managed since Juuso Välimäki in 2018.
And it’s clear to see how Dragicevic earned that title when watching him play. He’s an offensive defenseman who excels at driving the puck down the ice and quickly finding plays. He has slick skating and strong puck-handling – made better by a powerful frame. And while there have been concerns about Dragicevic’s play outside of the offensive zone, playing off the puck has clearly been a focus this season – with Dragicevic taking on a more prominent role in all three zones and even serving as an alternate captain. The shift towards defense and leadership held him to just 50 points this year – a far step down from his 75 points last year – but he hasn’t sacrificed his goal-scoring, still lighting the lamp 14 times. Dragicevic will now take his skillful play to the pros, where his high tempo and defensive capabilities will be put to the test.
Colorado Avalanche Recall Jean-Luc Foudy
The possibility of the Colorado Avalanche being without forwards Valeri Nichushkin and Joel Kiviranta tonight has come to pass, as Megan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports that Nichushkin is out with a lower-body injury and Kiviranta is out with an illness. Carrying an open roster spot left to fill, the team recalled Jean-Luc Foudy on an emergency loan.
It will mark Foudy’s second emergency loan recall of the season, with the first coming on March 6th after Colorado’s flurry of trade deadline activity. Over that recall, Foudy played in one game for the Avalanche against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring one goal in almost 11 minutes of ice time.
Unfortunately, Foudy has not been able to accrue much playing time at the AHL level this season, as a lower-body injury suffered in training camp kept him off the ice until mid-January. Due to the injury, Foudy has registered only 18 games with Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, scoring three goals and nine points overall.
Nevertheless, with the Avalanche having the ability to clinch a playoff spot this evening, it will be a valuable matchup for Foudy to be a part of. As Foudy will undoubtedly return north to Loveland by the end of the regular season, he will be a factor in the Eagles’ pursuit of a playoff position, as well.
Ottawa Senators Recall Tyler Kleven
A few moments ago, the Ottawa Senators announced that the team has recalled defenseman Tyler Kleven from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Since the transaction is being registered as an emergency loan, it will not count against the four potential call-ups the Senators have available to them since the trade deadline.
Albeit positive news for Kleven to be back up at the NHL level, it was preluded by some unfortunate news, as top defenseman Thomas Chabot was injured last night in the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, necessitating the transaction. It is unclear how long Chabot will be out with this specific injury, but it has certainly been a theme this season for one of Ottawa’s best players.
Because of these injuries, Chabot has only played in a total of 44 out of a possible 71 games for the Senators this year, projected to be his lowest total since the 2020-21 NHL shortened season. When healthy, Chabot has still been heavily relied upon by Ottawa, scoring eight goals and 28 points while averaging 23:31 of ice time per game.
Kleven, on the other hand, is not as heavily utilized by the Senators, as he’s only suited up in five games at the NHL level this season. In those five contests, the former 44th overall pick has registered only one assist while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game.
At the AHL level, Kleven has shown flashes of being a quality shutdown defenseman in professional hockey, scoring three goals and 17 points in 45 games for Belleville, while also registering a +13 rating. While still carrying six healthy defensemen on the NHL roster, it remains to be seen if Kleven will suit up in the team’s game tonight.
Panthers Reassign Uvis Balinskis
The Panthers have assigned defenseman Uvis Balinskis to AHL Charlotte, per a team announcement. He’ll head back to the minors after being recalled last week for the first time since signing a two-year extension in January. Florida’s roster size drops to 25.
Balinskis, 27, is in his first NHL season after inking an entry-level contract with the Cats last summer. The Latvian blue-liner was coming off a breakout season in the Czech Extraliga, where he was named the league’s best defenseman after leading the league with 11 goals and 35 points in 50 games as a member of Bílí Tygři Liberec. He’s been a fixture of the Latvian national team since making his debut at the 2017 World Championship and was a member of last year’s bronze-medal winning squad at the tournament.
With stars Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour unavailable for the start of 2023-24 due to off-season shoulder surgeries, Balinskis got a look on the opening night roster and was a serviceable depth option. After posting a goal and an assist through his first 16 games, he was assigned to Charlotte shortly after Montour was cleared to return. He was recalled again a few weeks into December but only played three games, going without a point and averaging 12:34 per game before being returned to the minors. On this month’s recall, he added an assist in four games and played a season-high 20:19 in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Rangers.
Balinskis’ strong play in the minors, despite being yo-yoed up and down, has given the Panthers’ front office confidence in his abilities to contribute during their current window of championship contention, and rightfully so. His 21 points in 35 games with Charlotte is second in scoring among the team’s defenders behind star minor-league blue-liner Lucas Carlsson, who hasn’t played in nearly a month and is out for the season due to injury.
His reassignment could indicate that Ekblad, who’s been out since March 9 with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return. He was ruled out for at least two weeks after the injury, and with that benchmark passed, head coach Paul Maurice has signaled in recent days that the star blue-liner is feeling better. He’s unlikely for Thursday’s game against the Islanders but could be ready to go for Saturday’s matinee against the Red Wings.
Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks recalled winger Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford on Wednesday, GM Patrik Allvin said. To create the cap space required to add Bains’ $816.7K cap hit, the team moved goaltender Thatcher Demko to long-term injured reserve, retroactive to when he sustained a knee injury against the Jets on March 9. Bains’ recall is an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, suggesting another forward aside from Elias Lindholm (undisclosed, day-to-day) may be absent for Thursday’s game against the Stars.
This is Bains’ second recall of the season. The 23-year-old was first summoned in mid-February and made his NHL debut in Colorado three days later. He made another four appearances but was held without a point and managed only three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. Bains was then returned to Abbotsford on March 1, one week before the trade deadline.
An undrafted free agent pickup out of WHL Red Deer in 2022, Bains’ signing is looking like one of Allvin’s shrewder moves at the helm of the Canucks. The Surrey, British Columbia native adjusted well to the pros, putting up 38 points in 66 games in a middle-six role after leading the WHL in scoring during his overage season. Bains has taken things up a notch this year, breaking out as a first-line talent with Abbotsford and leading the team with 35 assists and 49 points in 53 games.
Bains didn’t look entirely out of place under the eye test in his call-up last month, but the stats weren’t kind. He was used in a checking role by head coach Rick Tocchet and struggled to control shot attempts, logging a 45.5 CF% at even strength that was a staggering 13.9% worse than the Canucks’ overall CF% when Bains was off the ice over his five-game stint. Keeping his head above water in terms of possession quality was even more of a struggle, logging a 33.3 xGF%.
Nonetheless, he’ll get a second chance to inject some energy into their bottom six. He was quite good in the minors after being returned to Abbotsford a few weeks ago, scoring five goals and adding five assists for 10 points in 11 games. He still has another season left on his entry-level contract and remains waiver-exempt.
As for Demko, the LTIR placement indicates the star starter will be out until at least April 6 against the Kings, meaning he’ll miss at least Vancouver’s next four games. The likely Vezina Trophy candidate remains out on a week-to-week basis but is expected back before the end of the regular season. Casey DeSmith has been the Canucks’ crease’s sole occupant since Demko got hurt, posting a 3-2-1 record and .903 SV% since replacing him against the Jets.
Sabres To Activate Jack Quinn From Injured Reserve
The Sabres will activate winger Jack Quinn from injured reserve ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Senators, head coach Don Granato said. The 22-year-old is expected to draw in after a two-month absence due to a lower-body injury.
Quinn looks to end a difficult 2023-24 campaign on a high note. The 2020 eighth-overall pick has been severely limited by injuries dating back to an Achilles injury sustained during training last offseason. Recovery from that surgery landed him on IR to start the season and kept him out until mid-December, costing him the first 32 games of the season. This lower-body injury, which he sustained against the Sharks on Jan. 27, sidelined him for an additional 24.
When in the lineup, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat from last year’s strong rookie campaign. The Ottawa native notched five goals, seven assists, and 12 points in 17 games between injuries, tied with JJ Peterka for sixth on the team in scoring during that time. He averaged 15:58 per game, up drastically from last season’s 13:51, and saw his points per game increase from 0.49 to 0.71. Along with improved possession numbers – his 53.1 CF% at even strength is fifth among active Sabres – his short stint in the lineup went a long way toward bookmarking him a spot in the team’s top six going forward.
A continued strong showing through the last 10 games of the season would surely secure a sustained increased role in 2024-25. After COVID and injuries cost him most of his post-draft campaign, Quinn has done nothing but score, posting 26 goals and 61 points as a rookie in 45 games with AHL Rochester in 2021-22. Unsurprisingly, he captured the league’s Rookie of the Year award as a result and cracked the Sabres’ opening night roster the following October.
Line rushes indicate Quinn will slot on a quite youthful second line alongside the 22-year-old Peterka and 23-year-old Dylan Cozens tonight against the Sens. He spent 123 minutes with that trio over 15 of his 17 games this year, controlling 56.2% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. That’s the second-highest mark of any Sabres forward line with over 100 minutes together, trailing Zach Benson, Jordan Greenway, and Casey Mittelstadt (61.5%), the latter of whom was traded to the Avalanche earlier this month for defenseman Bowen Byram.
It may be a wasted season for the Sabres to sneak value out of Quinn’s entry-level contract, but he does have one season remaining at a cap hit of $863.3K. He’ll be due a sizable raise before his deal expires in 2025, and a strong finish this season could also sway Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to kick off extension talks sooner rather than later.
Atlantic Notes: Ratzlaff, Bruins, Hedman, Point
One of the Sabres’ goaltending prospects has taken an intermediate step toward joining the organization. 2023 fifth-round pick Scott Ratzlaff signed an ATO with their AHL affiliate in Rochester on Wednesday and could make his professional debut before the 2023-24 season draws to a close. The Sabres still have until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an entry-level contract before losing his exclusive signing rights, though, and the 19-year-old still has one season of major junior eligibility remaining. As such, the Alberta native will return to WHL Seattle for a fourth season in 2024-25. He took over the starting role for the first time this season, but his numbers dived along with the team in front of him, which lost multiple high-caliber talents to NHL clubs after capturing the WHL championship last year. He still managed a respectable .905 SV% and 3.33 GAA in 52 games – decent numbers for that level of hockey – and posted a 21-26-1 record with one shutout. The 6’1″, left-catching netminder was part of Canada’s contingent at this year’s World Junior Championship but didn’t see any playing time.
More notes out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Bruins can become the second team to clinch a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight by avoiding a regulation loss against the Lightning, per the league. Still in contention for the Atlantic title and the President’s Trophy, the franchise is poised to earn a postseason berth for the eighth consecutive season and for the 15th time in the last 17 years. While not on last season’s record-breaking tear, the retirements of team legends Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí haven’t thrown the ever-consistent Bruins into complete turmoil, and a 9-0-1 start to the season back in October has helped buoy them throughout the ups and downs of the campaign. A second-place finish behind the Panthers still seems likely, but after coming from behind late last night to defeat Florida 4-3 in regulation, a third division title in the last five years isn’t out of the question. Boston has not missed the playoffs for more than two seasons in a row since the Original Six era.
- Lightning stars Victor Hedman and Brayden Point were on the ice for Tampa’s morning skate on Wednesday and are likely to suit up against Boston tonight, per Chris Krenn of the team’s official site. Both players carry day-to-day injury designations and missed Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks with lower-body ailments. The team is certainly ecstatic to have their second and third-leading scorers back in the lineup in what could be a key two points for playoff positioning, potentially helping them leapfrog the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic down the stretch. After Toronto lost to the Devils on Tuesday night, Tampa is four points back with no games in hand.
Red Wings Sign Emmitt Finnie To Entry-Level Contract
The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward prospect Emmitt Finnie to his entry-level deal (Twitter link). Finnie just concluded his third season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and will join the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur try-out for the remainder of the season.
Finnie has earned his entry-level deal just one year after being selected in the seventh round – turning pro after recording 19 goals, 40 assists, and 59 points in 62 WHL games this season; career-highs in all three stats and Finnie’s first point-per-game juniors season. He recorded just 35 points in 64 games last season, but his off-puck impact was too notable for Detroit to ignore at the draft. Finnie makes a play every single shift, showing a keen understanding of where to place himself to force puck battles or intercept passes He may not be the fastest or the flashiest, but he’s a physical forward who doesn’t shy away from a challenge. That mantra has earned Finnie big minutes with Kamloops this season, averaging 22:47 across 75 games – including the preseason. His role amped up in the final stretch, too, with Finnie recording over 27 minutes of ice time in two of his last three games.
Detroit has now awarded Finnie’s efforts, making him the first player from the 2023 seventh round to sign his entry-level deal. He’s bound to face an uphill battle with the AHL’s quicker pace and heavier hitting, though he’ll join a Griffins lineup that’s managed 31 wins in 60 games and ranks 11th in the league in points – giving him the security of joining in a winning lineup.
Pacific Notes: Pietrangelo, Hoffman, Emberson, Gibson, Stalock, Evans
Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo indeed did not travel with the team to kick off their road trip and is out tonight against the Blues due to illness, Lou Korac of NHL.com relays. The 34-year-old has already missed three games with the illness, last factoring into the lineup on March 17 against the Devils. It’s his second multi-game absence of the campaign – he missed five games with an upper-body injury back in October. The seven-year, $61.6MM deal he signed in free agency in 2020 continues to age relatively well as it crosses the halfway point. He’s again logging number-one minutes, averaging 23:38 per game. He’s not the highest-producing Golden Knights defender – Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore have him beaten in that regard – but he’s still managed 32 points in 62 games this year. The two-time Stanley Cup champion will be replaced by Nicolas Hague on the team’s top pairing alongside Hanifin in what is perhaps Vegas’ biggest game of the season tonight in St. Louis against their biggest threat for a playoff spot.
Other updates from the Pacific Division:
- Sharks winger Mike Hoffman has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury since March 9 against Ottawa, which the winger confirmed Sunday to Colby Guy of San Jose Hockey Now was the first concussion of his career. Hoffman has been a full participant in practice in recent days but hasn’t yet been cleared for game action. The former top-six fixture has continued to regress after potting six straight 20-goal seasons between 2015 and 2020, posting 10-12–22 in 61 games with the Sharks this year in mainly third-line minutes. The 34-year-old is in the final season of a three-year, $13.5MM deal signed with the Canadiens in 2021 and found his way to San Jose in last offseason’s Erik Karlsson three-way swap with the Penguins.
- Sticking in the Bay Area, promising shutdown prospect Ty Emberson‘s season is likely over due to a lower-body injury, head coach David Quinn said Monday (via Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now). The 23-year-old has missed over 20 games already this season with different injuries and hasn’t played since Feb. 29 against the Ducks. It’s a tough end to an otherwise promising rookie campaign, as Emberson logged 10 points in 30 games and will finish the season with a team-high -4 rating among skaters with at least 10 games played. The 2018 third-round pick of the Coyotes is on his third NHL organization after being dealt to the Rangers in July 2022 and being claimed off waivers by the Sharks to begin the 2023-24 season.
- The Ducks have starter John Gibson back at practice today after he missed Sunday’s loss to the Lightning for personal reasons, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports. As such, the team has returned veteran Alex Stalock to AHL San Diego after he backed up Lukáš Dostál last night. Gibson’s numbers have taken a tumble lately after putting together a solid season prior to the All-Star break, now down to a .891 SV% and 3.40 GAA on the season with a 13-24-2 record. He’s also at risk of failing to record a shutout in a season for the first time in his 11-year career. He hasn’t posted a SV% above .900 in a single outing in over a month.
- The Kraken lost big-time last night, 5-1 to the Canadiens, but that wasn’t the only downside of the game. Promising rookie blue-liner Ryker Evans sustained a lower-body injury in the first period and is out on a day-to-day basis, head coach Dave Hakstol told Scott Malone of ROOT Sports NW. The 22-year-old has formed one of the better depth pairings in the league this year when used with veteran Brian Dumoulin, as they’ve controlled 61.4% of expected goals through 142 minutes of action, according to MoneyPuck. That’s 10th in the league among pairings with at least 100 minutes together this season. Through 25 contests, Evans has eight points while logging 18:30 per game and has remained on the roster since being called up on deadline day.