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Training Camp Cuts: 9/25/24

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Teams will begin to make more aggressive cuts from their training camp roster as we enter the second week of camp activities. Players continue to be released from amateur tryouts and returned to their junior clubs, while those already in the organization on AHL contracts are also being returned to teams’ minor-league affiliates. As always, we’ll update this article with all of Wednesday’s camp cuts.

Last updated: 6:42 p.m.

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

G Brett Brochu (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
D Connor Corcoran (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jayden Grubbe (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matvey Petrov (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Stefan (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Connor Ungar (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jasper Weatherby (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
F Cameron Wright (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)

G Carson Bjarnason (to WHL Brandon)
F Sawyer Boulton (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Nick Capone (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Émile Chouinard (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Alexis Gendron (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Spencer Gill (to QMJHL Rimouski)
G Sam Hillebrandt (released from ATO to OHL Barrie)
D Matteo Mann (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Matthew Miller (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Ethan Samson (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Sam Sedley (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Carter Sotheran (to WHL Portland)
F Zayde Wisdom (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Josh Zakreski (released from ATO to WHL Portland)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

D Finn Harding (released to OHL Brampton)
F Tanner Howe (released to WHL Regina)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times)

D Jan Golicic (to QMJHL Gatineau)
F Ethan Hay (to OHL Saginaw)
G Harrison Meneghin (to WHL Lethbridge)
F Kaden Pitre (to OHL Flint)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

F Berkly Catton (to WHL Spokane)
F Carson Rehkopf (to OHL Brampton)
F Nathan Villeneuve (to OHL Sudbury)

Utah Hockey Club (per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune)

F Kyle Crnkovic (released from PTO)
F Reggie Newman (released from ATO to WHL Victoria)

Utah’s Nick Bjugstad Expected To Miss Start Of Season

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Utah center Nick Bjugstad is expected to miss the franchise’s first-ever regular season game with an upper-body injury, a source tells ALL Utah Hockey’s Craig Morgan. The 32-year-old pivot has yet to participate in training camp due to the injury and was listed as week-to-week when it opened last week.

It’s a tough break for a solid veteran fixture that’s done well to shed his injury-prone label. Bjugstad has appeared in 70-plus games in each of the past two seasons, his first time doing that on back-to-back occasions since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.

The Minneapolis native spent the last two years with the Coyotes, aside from a brief post-trade deadline stint with the Oilers in 2023, returning to Arizona as a free agent the following offseason. He’s entering the second season of a two-year, $4.2MM deal and followed the rest of the former Coyotes roster to Utah this summer.

Last season marked a career resurgence for Bjugstad, a first-round pick of the Panthers back in 2010. His 22 goals, 23 assists, 45 points, and +11 rating in 76 games were all his best totals since posting a career-high 49 points with Florida in the 2017-18 season. He also logged a career-high 17:27 per game for the Yotes last year, finished seventh among qualified Arizona skaters with a 49.4 CF%, and finished fifth on the team with 118 hits.

The 6’6″, 209-lb pivot is projected to be an all-around fixture for Utah in its first season when he returns to health. But for now, his absence is a good indication that 22-year-old Josh Doan, who finished last season with five goals and nine points in 11 games for the Coyotes after a call-up from AHL Tucson, should crack the opening night roster and take the ice on Oct. 8 for their home opener against the Blackhawks.

In better injury news, defenseman John Marino has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day with his upper-body injury, Morgan said. Marino, acquired from the Devils in a trade for draft picks on June 29, also has yet to skate in training camp. The 27-year-old posted 25 points (4 G, 21 A) with a -6 rating in 75 games for New Jersey last year, averaging over 20 minutes per game for the fifth straight season to begin his NHL career. He’ll slot into Utah’s top four to begin the season.

Utah Signs Dylan Guenther To Eight-Year Extension

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According to a team announcement, the Utah Hockey Club has signed forward Dylan Guenther to an eight-year extension. The organization does not typically share financial details but Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports shares that it will be a $7.143MM cap hit for Guenther making the total value just north of $57.14MM.

It’s the richest deal the franchise has signed since being birthed from the ashes of the Arizona Coyotes. He’ll be the team’s second-highest-paid forward starting next season, trailing Clayton Keller’s $7.15MM cap hit by a slim margin.

Guenther, 21, was projected as a future cornerstone piece for the Coyotes when they drafted him ninth overall in 2021. That hasn’t changed since the move to Utah this offseason, but it’s still a considerable chunk of change for a player who’s yet to remain on an NHL roster for an entire regular season.

After spending his post-draft campaign entirely in juniors with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, Guenther cracked the Coyotes’ opening night roster for 2022-23. He churned out solid numbers for a 19-year-old winger on a rebuilding team, scoring six goals and adding nine assists for 15 points in 33 games.

But with Guenther averaging third-line minutes at best, seeing 13:07 per game, the Coyotes returned Guenther to juniors in February with the bigger picture in mind. That wasn’t surprising, but it was eye-raising to see him left off the opening night roster last season. The Edmonton native was assigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners as part of Arizona’s final cuts.

Quickly, the 6’2″ winger showed he’d outgrown the farm. He opened the campaign with 28 points in 29 games for the Roadrunners before being recalled in January.

Guenther spent the back half of 2023-24 in the NHL, where he quickly proved he was ready to shoulder top-six minutes. He scored 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points in 45 games, posting above-average possession metrics while averaging 16:17 per game. Had he spent all 82 games in the majors, he would have scored 64 points, placing him second on the team behind Keller’s 76.

There’s no question about Guenther’s standing in the Utah organization entering this season. He’ll be on the opening night roster, likely slotting in behind Keller as the team’s second-line right wing. But a max-term commitment making him one of the team’s highest-paid players is risky for someone with less than a full season’s worth of experience, high as his ceiling may be.

It could certainly end up being a bargain deal for Utah if Guenther checks in as a perennial 70-point winger, especially as the salary cap rises. However, a looming extension places a great deal of immediate pressure on Guenther to live up to that cap hit starting this season.

An eight-year deal walks Guenther to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2033, when he’ll be 30 years old. If there’s any trade protection coming as part of the extension, it can’t go into effect until the 2030-31 season at the earliest, when he otherwise would have been eligible to first test the UFA market.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Utah and Guenther were nearing an eight-year agreement with an AAV close to $7MM. 

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Ken Holland Linked To Utah Hockey Club

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Longtime executive Ken Holland may be joining the third team of his career with former player Jordan Schmaltz reporting Holland will be joining the Utah Hockey Club in some capacity. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff slightly downplayed the report by indicating Holland had merely been invited to Utah’s camp and no formal hire had been made.

Both reports from Friedman and Seravalli indicated that Holland maintained several connections in Utah’s front office leading to the invite to training camp. There may even be a pathway for Holland to work with his son Brad in some capacity with the newly relocated franchise as the latter recently parted ways with the Edmonton Oilers as assistant general manager.

A hire of Holland would undoubtedly bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the new franchise with Holland starting his professional career as an amateur scout for the Detroit Red Wings in 1985-86. He went on to win four Stanley Cups with Detroit (three as general manager) in six attempts and one attempt with the Oilers last year. Any hypothetical role he takes in Utah will be a lesser one than he is accustomed to with the organization already having a president of hockey operations in Chris Armstrong and a general manager in Bill Armstrong.

Other Central notes:

  • Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke at length today regarding the extension negotiations with forward Cole Perfetti (X Link). Cheveldayoff was adamant the team is still trying to craft a resolution with Perfetti now that training camp has kicked off. Perfetti is looking for other skating arrangements while the contract negotiations play out to be ready for the start of the regular season. It doesn’t appear the lengthy negotiations will tarnish the relationship between the Jets and Perfetti with Cheveldayoff saying, “Personally, I’d give these guys the moon. I’d love to have the ability to pay them everything they want and deserve. In a salary cap world I have to make business decisions“. Winnipeg currently has approximately $5.77MM in cap space with no other RFA’s to sign according to PuckPedia.
  • The St. Louis Blues will be without a couple of players to start training camp with Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting Oskar Sundqvist and Adam Jiříček are out with knee injuries. Neither player is expected to play any preseason contests but Sundqivst should already have a guaranteed spot on the roster despite his early absence. Jiricek, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, David Jiříček, was recently selected by the Blues as the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Jiricek was limited to 19 games last year with Czechia’s HC Plzeň due to a season-ending knee injury and his availability for the 2024-25 season is still in the air.

Victor Soderstrom Signs Two-Year Deal In SHL

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Sunday: TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the deal is finalized and Soderstrom will join Brynäs on a two-year agreement. It will mark the first time since the 2019-20 season that Soderstrom has suited up for the Swedish squad. The Utah Hockey Club will retain his signing rights as a restricted free agent should he choose to return to North America after the end of the contract.

Saturday: Should the deal get finalized, it will be a two-year agreement for Soderstrom in Brynäs, Abrahamsson and Rose report.  There is no word if the deal contains an NHL out clause should Utah move Soderstrom’s NHL rights.

Thursday: One of the remaining restricted free agents around the NHL is Utah defenseman Victor Soderstrom.  He has made it known that he wasn’t a fan of how things went last season when he only got into three games with the Coyotes after playing in 30 in 2022-23.

While the plan seemed to be for him to remain in North America for the upcoming season, that may not be the case anymore.  Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Rose report that Utah is not inclined to part with the 2019 first-round pick.  Meanwhile, while Soderstrom’s preference would be to sign an NHL deal, it appears as if he’s unwilling to do so with Utah at this time, resulting in him looking into overseas options.

Abrahamsson and Rose note that quite a few Swiss League teams and SHL squads have shown interest in the 23-year-old with his old team in Brynäs believed to be finalizing a deal with him.  In doing so, Soderstrom will be leaving some money on the table compared to other offers out there but it would allow him to return to the program he spent several years in before being drafted by Arizona.

Last season, Soderstrom played in 62 games with AHL Tucson, notching nine goals and 23 assists, both career-bests at that level but it didn’t seem to help his fortunes for a recall.  Now, with Utah overhauling its back end with the additions of Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, and Ian Cole, securing a roster spot to start the season will be even more difficult.

It’s worth noting that Soderstrom is now waiver-eligible so had he signed an NHL deal, he’d have had to go through waivers to return to the minors, giving other teams an opportunity to add him.  Instead, it appears as if he’ll return home at least for the upcoming season.  Utah will retain his rights as a restricted free agent and the stalemate between the two sides will continue for the foreseeable future.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Utah Hockey Club

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We begin with a look at the Central Division; next up is Utah.

Utah Hockey Club

Current Cap Hit: $78,079,643 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Logan Cooley (two years, $950K)
F Josh Doan (two years, $925K)
F Dylan Guenther (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses
Cooley: $3.5MM
Guenther: $850K
Total: $4.35MM

Cooley’s first NHL season was a solid one.  They kept him in the top six for most of the year while not frequently exposing him to top checking.  While he struggled mightily at the faceoff dot (many rookies do), Utah still views Cooley as their top center of the future.  If he can take a step forward offensively this season, he could be a candidate for a long-term extension next summer.  If that happens, his camp will likely use Juraj Slafkovsky’s contract (eight years, $60.8MM) as a comparable.

Doan impressed in his first taste of NHL action down the stretch, giving him a shot at earning a full-time spot in camp.  But even if that happens, he’ll likely have too small of a track record for an early extension next summer.  Guenther, meanwhile, was able to play in the minors last season but played his way into a promotion relatively quickly where he picked up 35 points in 45 games.  With just 78 games under his belt, an extension in the coming weeks is unlikely but if he puts up a full season at that level of production, he could push for a long-term deal starting with a seven next summer.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Nick Bjugstad ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Michael Carcone ($775K, UFA)
D Ian Cole ($3.1MM, UFA)
F Alexander Kerfoot ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Jack McBain ($1.599MM, RFA)
G Karel Vejmelka ($2.725MM, UFA)

Kerfoot was a nice addition by Arizona last summer, giving them a capable two-way pivot who is capable of playing high in the lineup, allowing them to ease Cooley in.  If he can have a similar offensive showing this season (45 points), he could push for upwards of $5MM on a multi-year agreement next summer given the consistently high demand for centers.  Bjugstad made the decision to return to the Coyotes last summer and it was a good one as he had his best season offensively since 2017-18.  While they’re certainly pleased with the performance, his track record is as a player with limited offense.  Accordingly, an early extension would be hard to come by as both sides would be better off seeing if his production can be repeatable.  If it is, he could come in closer to $4MM next time out.

McBain has become a capable checking center who has chipped in a bit offensively while throwing his body around.  That’s a solid profile for a player at this price point.  If the upcoming season is similar to these last two, he could double this price tag with arbitration eligibility.  Carcone reached 20 goals last season, his first full NHL campaign at the age of 27.  Obviously, getting a 20-goal scorer for the league minimum is excellent value but how close he comes to repeating that will dictate if he’s going to stay close to this price tag or easily reach seven figures in 2025-26.

This is the fourth year in a row that Cole has taken a one-year deal with a price point between $2.9MM and $3.1MM.  Barring a significant change in his performance, it seems fair to infer that he could be in line for something close to that range next summer as well.

Vejmelka is an interesting case in terms of his free agent value.  On the surface, his numbers are rather pedestrian; he has yet to record a save percentage of .900 or better while the lowest GAA of his three-year career is 3.35, set last season.  And yet, the general perception around him has been that perhaps on a better team, he’s someone who might be more impactful.  With the overhaul Utah has had on the back end this summer, this could be a good test of that theory.  If that happens, Vejmelka could conceivably push for a contract in the higher tier of backup or platoon goalies with a price tag approaching $4MM.  If that doesn’t happen, however, a small pay cut might be coming his way.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Barrett Hayton ($2.65MM, RFA)
G Connor Ingram ($1.985MM, UFA)
D Michael Kesselring ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Matias Maccelli ($3.425MM, RFA)
F Nick Schmaltz ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Kevin Stenlund ($2MM, UFA)
D Juuso Valimaki ($2MM, UFA)
D Shea Weber ($7.857MM, UFA)

Schmaltz has very quietly been one of the steadier Coyotes in recent seasons, ranging between 58 and 61 points in the last three seasons, two of which saw him over a point per game while dealing with injury trouble.  While he’s not a full-time center anymore, he can still play down the middle which will help from a value perspective.  Assuming this production keeps up, he should push past the $7MM mark on his next deal.  Maccelli, meanwhile, wasn’t quite able to produce at the same level as 2022-23 but he came close, giving Arizona solid value on the first year of his bridge deal.  Staying around this level of offensive numbers could put him around the $6MM range on his next contract.

Hayton followed up a career year with arguably his worst one, resulting in what amounts to a second bridge contract.  He’ll only have one season of club control left after this contract expires and both sides will be hoping that he can become much more impactful by then.  Stenlund had a solid season with Florida, chipping in 11 goals in a limited role which allowed him to double his price tag from a year ago and tack on a second season.  This is more on the upper tier for someone who projects as a fourth liner but if he can hang around the double-digit goal mark, he could beat this price tag.

Weber has been on LTIR for the past three years and will continue to be there for the rest of the deal.  With Utah having ample cap space, he won’t be a burden on their cap.  Valimaki has become a reliable second-pairing defender at a price point well below market value.  While the additions could push down his playing time, he could still conceivably double this in 2026.  Kesselring spent most of last season in Arizona for his first consistent taste of NHL action.  He fared pretty well all things considered but with his limited track record, a bridge deal was the way to go.  He’ll have arbitration rights next time out and could double this if he holds onto a regular spot on the third pair.

Ingram has turned into one of the better waiver claims in recent years, going from a third-string option with Nashville to a starter as he played in 50 games last season while leading the league in shutouts.  If he continues on that trajectory and becomes a consistent starter, he could push past $5MM two years from now.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Lawson Crouse ($4.3MM, UFA)
D John Marino ($4.4MM, UFA)
F Liam O’Brien ($1MM, UFA)

It took some time but Crouse has emerged as a consistent top-six power forward, hitting the 20-goal mark in three straight years while averaging 183 hits per season in that span.  Given the high demand for players like this, Crouse appears to be well on his way to passing the $6MM mark on his next deal.  If the cap goes up quickly before 2027, $7MM could be possible if he stays at that level of production.  O’Brien had a career year offensively last season while leading the league in penalty minutes.  That helped earn him this three-year contract, something that a lot of enforcers don’t typically get.  Even if O’Brien struggles, the deal can come off the cap entirely if he’s in the minors, making it a low-risk signing.

Marino was acquired at the draft from New Jersey to help bolster the back end.  While he hasn’t been able to get back to the level of production from his rookie year (which largely helped him earn this agreement), he has been a consistent minutes-eater, logging over 20 minutes a night in each of his five NHL seasons while recording 25 points in two of the last three years.  For a second-pairing player, that’s solid value.

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Tij Iginla Being Evaluated For Lower-Body Injury

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Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside spoke with Dallas Stars general manager about the team’s negotiations with restricted free-agent defenseman Thomas Harley. Nill showed no sense of urgency to speed along the process, highlighting the fact that training camp doesn’t start for another week so both sides have some time to agree to terms.

The 23-year-old is coming off a career year in which he posted 15 goals and 32 assists in 79 games and is a tough contract to project due to the small sample size in which he’s played at a high level. Prior to last season, the Syracuse, New York native had only played 40 NHL games over parts of two seasons and hadn’t yet established himself as an everyday NHLer. Now, a year later, Harley has broken through and appears to be everything the Stars were hoping for when they drafted him 18th overall in 2019.

In other evening notes:

  • Utah’s 2024 first-round pick Tij Iginla is reportedly being evaluated for a lower-body injury and will be listed as day-to-day going forward (as per Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports). Brogan Houston of Deseret News added specifics on the injury saying that Iginla is dealing with a hip issue that will keep him off the ice for a few days. Iginla is Utah’s first-ever draft pick and appears unlikely to play for the team at the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles this weekend.
  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Artyom Levshunov will miss the prospect tournament this weekend in St. Louis after taking a shot off the foot (as per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic). Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the young defenceman is expected to miss a few weeks and is in a walking boot which will be a disappointment for all of those who were looking to catch a glimpse of this year’s second overall pick. Levshunov was facing a battle to try and make the NHL roster, but with the injury, it seems very likely that he won’t begin the season in the NHL.

Utah Signs Kailer Yamamoto To PTO

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Kailer Yamamoto has found a home, at least for training camp. The unrestricted free-agent winger has inked a professional tryout with Utah, the team announced today.

Yamamoto, 26 later this month, was drafted 22nd overall by the Oilers in 2017. The 5’8″, 152-lb forward played spot duty in Edmonton in his first two post-draft seasons, mainly sticking in juniors with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs and in the minors with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

He cemented himself as a full-time NHLer after a mid-season recall in 2019-20, closing the COVID-truncated season with 26 points (11 G, 15 A) in 27 games while fitting in on a line with star forwards Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. But during the rest of his time in Edmonton, he couldn’t sniff the near point-per-game rate he flashed in his first real NHL chance.

Yamamoto hit 20 goals once, adding 21 assists for 41 points in 81 games during a career-best showing in 2021-22, but otherwise was a perfectly average middle-six scoring presence with average possession numbers. That career-best year landed him a two-year, $6.2MM contract in restricted free agency the following summer, but he regressed to 25 points (10 G, 15 A) in 58 games the following season.

The Oilers had seen enough, trading him to the Red Wings the following summer. Detroit promptly bought out the last year of his $3.1MM cap hit deal, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Yamamoto took the opportunity to return to his native Washington, inking a one-year, $1.5MM pact with the Kraken for last season. Unfortunately for both sides, it was a failed reclamation project.

The Spokane-born winger slipped to a fourth-line role, posting just eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 59 contests with a -9 rating and averaging a career-low 11:59 per contest. A frequent healthy scratch, he was non-tendered in June and became a UFA for the second straight summer.

Without any guaranteed offers, he’ll look to land his next NHL contract in Utah. The club has plenty of cap space to sign him to a deal – $9.92MM, per PuckPedia.

But they have a full roster, especially on offense. With 14 forward spots accounted for, competition will be stiff for Yamamoto to land a one-way deal or a spot on the opening night roster. He’d need to unseat someone like Michael Carcone, who was one of the best depth shooters in the league last season with 21 goals in 74 games while averaging 11:16 per night, or 22-year-old winger Josh Doan, who finished last year with nine points in 11 games in his first NHL shot with the Coyotes.

That makes a two-way deal most likely for Yamamoto if he sticks within the Utah organization following his PTO. He’d need to clear waivers to be assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. In that case, it would be Yamamoto’s first minor-league action in five years.

Poll: Which Team Is The Best Landing Spot For Cam Fowler?

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Earlier today it came to light that the Anaheim Ducks and long-time cornerstone defenseman Cam Fowler were working on a trade to move Fowler to a new organization. Fowler has spent nearly 1000 games as a member of the Ducks. Still, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explained that Anaheim wants to give their young blue-liners more opportunity moving forward.

Fowler owns a modified no-trade clause in his current deal which gives him a relative amount of control over where he ends up. Friedman reported that Fowler is willing to edit the list if prompted but there are only a handful of teams with the cap space and the need for a top-four defenseman. One could reasonably assume for various reasons that Fowler likely won’t end up on the Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, or San Jose Sharks which helps iron out a more concrete list of hypothetical landing spots.

The Winnipeg Jets immediately jump out as a team that could have interest in Fowler as one of Dylan Samberg, Ville Heinola, or Logan Stanley are currently pegged for top-four duties. That trio leaves much to be desired in a top-four role which could lead the Jets to pivot to Fowler. Winnipeg has just under $6MM in cap space with Cole Perfetti the only restricted free agent left to sign. Perfetti shouldn’t eat up too much of the available space which should allow the Jets to comfortably fit Fowler’s contract into the fold for the next two years especially if the Ducks retain some salary off the top.

Utah Hockey Club has already added heavily to their defensive group this summer swinging separate trades for Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. The team is looking to contend in their first season in Salt Lake City and Fowler would give them a complete blue line. Most lineup predictions have Juuso Valimaki on the second defensive pairing but his inconsistency over the last two seasons may give general manager Bill Armstrong some pause. Utah still owns one of the better prospect pools in the league and would not need Anaheim to retain any salary in a hypothetical trade.

Another team looking to make it back to the playoffs after an eight-year drought is the Detroit Red Wings. The team nearly swung a trade for New York Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba earlier this summer although he used his no-movement clause to block the deal. The nixed trade for Trouba indicated that the Red Wings are still looking to upgrade their blue line making them an enticing fit for Fowler. The team largely has no reliable options outside of youngster Moritz Seider and Fowler would represent a veteran defenseman who has maintained plenty of responsibility throughout his career as evidenced by his career average of 23:15 time on ice. There is a bit more uncertainty with the Red Wings salary cap picture as they still need to look down Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Jonatan Berggren on new deals.

Fowler and the Ducks organization will inevitably agree on a trade profitable for both sides. It’s uncertain at this time whether a trade will come together relatively quickly or if Fowler will start the 2024-25 season as a member of the Ducks. Will one of the abovementioned teams swing for Fowler or will another team off the board pull the trigger?

For mobile users, click here to vote

Utah Signs Robert Bortuzzo

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It has been a busy offseason for Utah as the former Coyotes get set for their first season in their new home.  With training camp approaching, they’ve added some extra depth on the back end as the team announced (Twitter link) that they have signed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a one-year deal.  PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that it’s a two-way agreement that pays $775K in the NHL and $450K in the minors.

The 35-year-old is a veteran of 13 NHL seasons, spanning 560 games.  Last season, Bortuzzo started the year in St. Louis but had a very limited role and spent considerable time as a healthy scratch.  He was then acquired by the Islanders in December with New York dealing with considerable injuries at that time.  Bortuzzo played a regular role after being acquired but then was injured himself, missing 28 games due to a lower-body issue.  The veteran then returned to his third-pairing role for the stretch run and playoffs.

Between the two teams, Bortuzzo played in 27 regular season games last season.  While he was held off the scoresheet entirely, he collected 51 blocked shots and 38 hits while averaging 13:44 per night.  For his career, he has 74 points, 711 blocks, and 1,095 his to his credit while spending time with Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and New York.

Bortuzzo is the latest addition to a Utah back end that has undergone significant changes this summer.  The team added Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on the second day of the draft in trades with Tampa Bay and New Jersey and then inked veteran Ian Cole to a one-year, $3.1MM deal in free agency.  The four newcomers join holdovers Sean Durzi, Juuso Valimaki, and Michael Kesselring on a much-improved blueline as the franchise looks to take a step forward toward emerging from its long-term rebuild.

Former NHL winger Scottie Upshall was the first to report the signing.

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