Articles in NHL Teams

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Ryan Hartman to a three-year, $12,000,000 contract extension ($4,000,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2026-27 season.

Hartman, 29, recorded 37 points (15-22=37), 90 penalty minutes (PIM), a plus-seven rating and six game-winning goals (GWG) in 59 games last season and scored a career-high two shorthanded goals (SHG). The 6-foot, 197-pound native of Hilton Head, SC, ranked T-1st on the team in GWG, second in PIM, T-3rd in SHG, sixth in points and goals, and seventh in assists last season.

from Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Is it just me or are we giving too much of a pass to a team that is living off its Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017?

Those championships were incredible, but they seem like a lifetime ago.

The Penguins missed the playoffs last season for the first time in 17 years. No big deal, right? That impressive streak wasn’t going to last forever. But how about the previous four seasons when the Penguins were eliminated in the first round? Their record in those four series was 6-15.

Yes, awful.

I would have made a lot of money the past five seasons if I had violated my No. 1 rule when it comes to the Penguins:

Never bet against Sid and Sully.

I still have a hard time betting against Sidney Crosby and Mike Sullivan. Crosby is one of the five greatest players of all-time. Sullivan is a Hall of Fame-caliber coach. I can’t respect a coach or a player more.

But the two — especially Crosby — are running out of time for their team to be a legitimate Cup contender.

This season has to be their last, best chance.

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from Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

But for 60 minutes in about 60 games, Binnington becomes the heel — lofting verbal barbs at opposing benches and physical ones at forwards in his crease, egging on a road crowd in Denver or Pittsburgh or Dallas and energizing a home one at Enterprise Center. He becomes a lightning rod for criticism and an irritant to fans around the league.

The tales are well-told by now.

The near fight with the Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury. The two-game suspension for punching Ryan Hartman with his blocker. The collisions with Jason Zucker and Jordan Staal. The bump of Ilya Sorokin. The water bottle toss at Nazem Kadri. The exit after being pulled against the Sharks. The slash of Jamie Benn and Ben Bishop.

In the spring, Binnington hinted at potentially a different man returning to St. Louis in the fall. He was getting married in July. Four days later, he would turn 30 years old. Following his suspension in March, and within sight of the summer, he told the Post-Dispatch, “You might see a new JB coming at you.”

So as the Blues approach a new season, and Binnington begins his fifth full season as their starting goaltender, does he feel different after passing two of life’s checkpoints?

“I feel a little different,” Binnington said. “I feel calmer and more present, staying in the moment, I would say, whatever that’s from.”

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There is a lot of optimism in Ottawa ahead of the Senators’ season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. The sale of the Senators to Michael Andlauer has energized the organization, and the lineup looks solid. Even so, the Senators have a tough hill to climb to make it back to the playoffs.

-Adam Vingan of Sportsnet where you can read more on the Senators.

from John Romano of The Tampa Bay Times,

The Lightning have been bold when it comes to bringing in necessary help and ruthless when it comes to recognizing when to let familiar faces walk away. In fact, the hope is that the lack of sentimentality is what will set Tampa Bay apart from other teams facing similar questions.

That explains why the Lightning are facing a possible future without Stamkos.

There is not a single Lightning player — there may not be a single athlete in Tampa Bay history — who can match Stamkos’ impact, longevity and popularity in the community. It would be a crying shame if he did not finish his career in a Bolts uniform.

But general manager Julien BriseBois is doing the prudent thing to wait out this season to get a better feel for the team’s direction and Stamkos’ future. Three things must coincide — the salary cap, the Lightning’s chances of winning and Stamkos’ continued value — for another long-term deal to make sense.

I’m pretty sure Stamkos will continue to play at a high level, and I’m certain the salary cap will continue to be a challenge.

The only remaining question is can the Lightning continue to win?

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from Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic,

Caps watch

Is there any team getting less love this year than Washington? It’s understandable, perhaps, because so many of the key pieces there are aging, and — as with Montreal — the Capitals are also relying heavily on players with long, challenging injury histories. Every year, I’m reminded of something Craig Button, the former NHL GM and now television commentator, once wryly observed: “The only problem with injury-prone players is they frequently get hurt.”

Exactly.

But in Washington’s case, two key pieces seem to be healthy again, after missing important time last year. Their perennial ice-time leader, John Carlson, has gotten into two preseason games, managed four points and played 24:24 per night. That’s key. Also, Tom Wilson, limited to 33 games a year ago, has two goals and two assists in two games, averaging 17:34. Wilson will play in the top six and likely on the top power play as well.

Moreover, it’ll be interesting to see what Nicklas Backstrom has left in the tank. Backstrom came back midway through last year and had a decent return from major surgery, with 21 points in 39 games. But the time off this summer has given him better recovery time and for now, anyway, he’s scheduled to play with Alex Ovechkin again, as Ovechkin pursues Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. Ovechkin goes into the season with 822 goals, and needs 72 to tie the Gretzky mark (894). Ovechkin had 42 last year, in 73 games.

And finally

Probably no team has greater uncertainty with recovering players as Philadelphia, where two top-six mainstays, Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson, both missed the entire last season, Couturier because of back surgery and Atkinson with a neck problem. Couturier has played three preseason games thus far and averaged 19:07; Atkinson two games and averaged 17:59. People forget how much of an impact they could have. Couturier won the 2020 Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward — never a small feat to take that title away from Bergeron. Atkinson, meanwhile, is a seven-time 20 goal scorer, who scored 41 goals for Columbus in the 2018-19 season. Healthy, he could be a 30-goal man again and, for better or worse, keep the Flyers out of the NHL cellar.

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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – The Arizona Coyotes and Scripps Sports have formed a multi-year agreement to televise all locally broadcast Coyotes games over the air to residents of Arizona and surrounding states within the team's broadcast territory.

The agreement allows The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) to televise all non-nationally exclusive Coyotes games over the air (OTA). As per club policy, the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The deal has obtained the necessary approvals from the National Hockey League.

NEW YORK (Oct. 5, 2023) – Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev has been suspended for two preseason games and two regular-season games, without pay, for kneeing Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo during NHL Preseason Game No. 80 in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 3, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 1:29 of the second period. Kaliyev was assessed a minor penalty for kneeing.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Kaliyev will forfeit $9,314.24. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/kaliyev-suspended-four-games-6338457483112.

Looks like the NHL has removed the ability to embed a video.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

For each of the last two days, Alexis Lafreniere skated at left wing on what appeared to be third line-type units.

Tuesday, he rotated with Will Cuylle on a line that included Barclay Goodrow in the middle and Tyler Pitlick on the right.

This, though, apparently does not represent a response from head coach Peter Laviolette on No. 13’s largely disappointing play thus far.

Neither does this mean that Laviolette has seen enough of Lafreniere at right wing as the Blueshirts prepare for these back-to-back exhibition matches in New Jersey on Wednesday and at the Garden on Thursday against Boston....

Lafreniere has been ineffective in his three preseason contests, all on the right.

He first skated with Cuylle and Filip Chytil, next with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad and then with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.

But Laviolette said that he has not yet made a decision on which wing Lafreniere will open the season.

“I am still wide open,” he said. “And I haven’t said, ‘No, he’s back on the left.’ ”

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TORONTO (Oct. 3, 2023) Forward Derek Stepan has officially announced his retirement from the National Hockey League today following 13 NHL seasons and 890 regular-season games.

Born in Hastings, Minnesota, Stepan was drafted 51st overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. After playing seven seasons with the Rangers, he played three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, one season with the Ottawa Senators and his final two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.

from Mike Zeisberger of the NHL's website,

When the Timbit minor hockey kids came out on the ice at Scotiabank Centre during the first intermission of the Nova Scotia Showdown to play a truncated five-minute game Monday, each one of them was wearing No. 87.

Much like many of the fans in the stands who were watching them.

This, after all, was the first time in 17 years that center Sidney Crosby -- No. 87 in your programs for the Pittsburgh Penguins, No. 1 in the hearts of most hockey fans here -- was playing an NHL game in his hometown area, and the entire region was stoked. Wearing his jersey was their way of paying tribute to their local hero.

Message received.

Crosby is a native of Cole Harbour, 10 miles from downtown Halifax, and had been champing at the bit for months in anticipation of the Penguins’ preseason game against the Ottawa Senators, much like his legions of supporters here. His previous NHL appearance here came in a preseason game in 2006 when the team, in Crosby’s words, “was in and out of town.”

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from the Anaheim Ducks,

The Ducks have signed center Trevor Zegras to a three-year contract extension through the 2025-26 NHL season.

Zegras, 22 (3/20/01), has scored 49-90=139 points with 150 penalty minutes (PIM) in 180 career games with Anaheim after making his NHL debut in 2020-21. Zegras recorded a career-high 23-42=65 points with 88 PIM in 81 games in 2022-23, setting new career highs in assists and matching his personal best in goals. He led Anaheim in points, assists and power play points (4-13=17), and co-led in goals (also Troy Terry). He was the third-youngest NHL player (22 years) to lead his team in points, trailing only New Jersey’s Jack Hughes (21) and Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle (21).

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from Julian McKenzie of The Athletic,

Mike Penny is a hockey lifer.

The 71-year-old has spent the majority of his adult life as a professional scout or a director of player personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks. Over that time, Penny has scouted a number of players who have gone on to become NHLers. But he refuses to take full credit for arguably the most talented one he ever scouted. A dynamic future Hall of Fame talent who was already skating with the vaunted Central Red Army as a teenager.

He might not have ever known about him if another Russian player he had drafted, Igor Larionov, didn’t give him a heads up.

“I said to (Igor), who’s that guy there? And he said ‘Oh, that’s Pavel Bure,’” Penny said. “He’s 17 years old. This was before he was draft eligible.”...

“So, when we got through to the sixth round, I said to Pat (Quinn) ‘Why don’t we just take him?'” Penny said. “He said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said I know I’m right.

“What’s the worst-case scenario? If we’re wrong? If we’re right, you’ve got a heck of a player.”

Despite other general managers being up in arms, the NHL eventually ruled that the Canucks were correct to draft him.

“And the rest is history,” Penny said.

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from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- The quality of young defenceman in the NHL may be at all time high. Under the age of 25: Cale Makar, Rasmus Dahlin, Quinn Hughes, Miro Heiskanen, Adam Fox, Owen Power, Jake Sanderson, Mo Seider, Evan Bouchard, Mikhail Sergachev, K’Andre Miller, Noah Dobson. And Charlie McAvoy is only 25.

- NHL Network has put together its top 100 list for the coming season. The weird thing — and it might well be accurate at this time in history — is Alexander Ovechkin listed as No. 30. Because it’s Ovie, though, it just seems wrong.

- Great goaltenders who have not won Stanley Cups: Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo, Pekka Rinne, Miikka Kiprusoff and Curtis Joseph.

- When I talked to Jon Cooper before training camp began in Tampa, one of the first things he said was “if you have Andrei Vasilevskiy, you always have a chance.” Now Vasilevskiy is out for two months. The Bruins begin play with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired. There is an opening to start for the Maple Leafs atop the Atlantic Division and an opening for Ottawa and Buffalo to push into playoff contention.

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from Jason Bukala of Sportsnet,

The first cuts at NHL training camps have been made as players are returned to junior or released from amateur and pro tryouts.

Here are some of my observations from pre-season action around the NHL

IS DEVON LEVI READY TO BE BUFFALO'S STARTER?

Everyone recognizes an extra save by your goaltender can lead to key victories over the season. The Buffalo Sabres, who finished one point out of playoffs last season, need those victories in 2023-24.

Here are the five goaltenders the Sabres have in training camp, with their number of NHL games played in brackets: Dustin Tokarski (80), Eric Comrie (47), Ukko-Pekka Luukonen (46), Devon Levi (7), Devin Cooley (0).

It's a big year for the Sabres so to say they are rolling the dice hoping one of these goalies can elevate and prove themselves worthy of being a number one for the team, is an understatement.

Having said that, I believe Levi is on the cusp of winning the net in Buffalo.

Just four years ago Levi was tending net for the Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL, but after two successful seasons at Northeastern University and a cup of coffee at the NHL level last spring, he looks ready for the NHL. I believe he is ready to tackle this challenge.

His numbers, over the past three seasons have been dominant. His goals-against average and save percentage leading up to his NHL debut speak for themselves.

Levi isn’t a towering figure between the posts – he’s listed at 6-feet, 185 pounds – but he has a stocky frame with how he stations himself between his posts.

more and a few other names too...

via the NHL's website,

Alex Killorn is expected to be out 4-6 weeks for the Anaheim Ducks because of a fractured finger.

The forward was injured in a 4-2 preseason win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. He played 19:59 and had two shots on goal.

Killorn signed a four-year contract with the Ducks on July 1 after spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

Killorn had NHL career highs in goals (27), assists (37) and points (64) in 82 regular-season games last season and five points (three goals, two assists) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.

from Mark Lazerus of The Athletic,

Let ’em go. Let ’em run. Let it rip.

Let Connor Bedard try to beat four guys on his own instead of making the smart chip-in. Let Kevin Korchinski pinch a little too far, a little too often instead of worrying about the two-on-one the other way. Let Lukas Reichel be a little too aggressive in the offensive zone, forcing his wingers to bail him out defensively. Let Wyatt Kaiser see just how far his skating can take him, instead of hanging back and playing it safe.

Let them score crazy goals. Let them attempt crazy passes. Let them make mistakes. Let them do the kinds of things that make coaches staple players to the bench. And then send them right back over the boards for their next shift to do it again.

See, coach Luke Richardson and the Blackhawks have a rare opportunity this season to get away with all that. To let their young guys run wild, to get a feel for the NHL, to understand the pace of the game and the time and space they have within it. To learn what they can and can’t get away with. To see just how good they can be, and to do it with impunity.

Because this season doesn’t matter. Not in terms of wins and losses. If anything, general manager Kyle Davidson is likely hoping for another top-five pick next summer to flesh out this potentially spectacular top six for the next decade-plus. The excitement surrounding Bedard’s arrival — and fans’ open-eyed understanding that this rebuild is still a multi-year process — will provide a full season’s worth of cover. Jerseys and hoodies are flying off the shelves. Ticket sales are spiking. With the Bears Bearsing and the Cubs Cubsing and the Sox Soxing and the Bulls stuck in their perpetual pedestrian purgatory, the Blackhawks are suddenly the most appealing team in town.

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Marcus Foligno to a four-year, $16,000,000 contract extension ($4,000,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2027-28 season.

Foligno, 32, recorded 21 points (7-14=21) and led the team with 97 penalty minutes (PIM) and 237 hits last season. Since joining Minnesota in 2017, the 6-foot-3, 226-pound native of Buffalo, NY, leads the team in PIM (415) and hits (1,159), ranks fourth in games played (396) and goals (67), fifth in points (156) and sixth in assists (89).

5 1/2 minutes to watch.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League club has signed right wing Mats Zuccarello to a two-year, $8,250,000 million contract extension ($4,125,000 average annual value) that goes through the 2025-26 season.

Zuccarello, 36, recorded 67 points (22-45=67), including 29 (9-20=29) power-play points (PPP) in 78 games last season and averaged a career-best 20:12 in TOI/game and set new career-highs in power-play goals (PPG) and shots (198). The 5-foot-8, 184-pound native of Oslo, Norway, led the team in assists and power-play assists (PPA), was second in points and power-play points, third in goals and fourth in PPG.

from Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

During his meandering pro career, Magnus Hellberg has stopped pucks in several countries passionate about hockey. His homeland of Sweden. The U.S. and Canada. A big international tournament in Finland. Three years in Russia.

He also played in China, a place that was, well, still learning about the game.

Sitting at his locker at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex the other day, the outgoing and oversized goalie laughed while sharing a story from his time there.

Once, a public address announcer in China had to tell the crowd to stick around after the first period. Apparently, some fans watched the players head to the locker room and the Zamboni drive out, so they assumed the game was over....

Now, the 6-foot-6 goalie hopes to play for another — the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After battling his way back to the NHL and suiting up for three teams last season, Hellberg is competing with fellow newcomer Alex Nedeljkovic for their backup role. Nedeljkovic’s practice usage and his bigger contract strongly suggest that he has the inside track. But Hellberg is trying his best to push him.

“There’s a lot of good goalies [in camp]. Obviously, I want to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I know a lot of other goalies want to do that, as well,” he said. “So I’m just going to enjoy my time, work my ass off here and show what I can do. Then it’s up to management and coaches to make the decision.”

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from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

My understanding is that everything is on the table, but salary-cap implications will obviously limit what they can pull off. They have next to no cap space (like just about every NHL contender), and they want to be in the best shape possible, cap-wise, when Vasilevskiy returns. That doesn’t give them a ton of flexibility.

Vasilevskiy makes $9.5 million against the cap and is eligible to go on long-term injured reserve, which would allow the Lightning to go over the cap by that amount — but then they’d need to get back down under the cap when he’s back. And the bottom line is that Tampa Bay wants to have as strong a roster as possible at that point....

Jonas Johansson is No. 2 on the depth chart, the next man up at this point. He’s appeared in 35 career NHL games in parts of four seasons in Buffalo, Colorado, Florida and Colorado again. The 2014 third-round pick of the Sabres signed a two-year deal at a bargain $775,000 per season with the Bolts on July 1, replacing veteran Brian Elliott as the Lightning backup....

The most obvious unrestricted free agent option would be to bring back Elliott, 38, who remains unsigned and hasn’t retired. Or there’s Jaroslav Halak, who is skating and training in Boston, where he still keeps a home.

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