Drysdale signs 3-year contract with Ducks, was restricted free agent

Posted on October 5, 2023 by PHN Staff Report with official press release

Jamie Drysdale signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The 21-year-old defenseman was a restricted free agent and had yet to join his teammates during training camp.

“Jamie is a talented young defenseman with a bright future’,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “We are happy this process is complete and look forward to his growth as a valued member of our organization.”

Drysdale had no points in eight games for the Ducks last season before having season-ending shoulder surgery in October 2022.

Selected by Anaheim with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Drysdale has 40 points (seven goals, 33 assists) in 113 NHL games.

Drysdale is the second restricted free agent to come to terms on a new contract with Anaheim this week; center Trevor Zegras signed a three-year contract on Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

After reporting to Ducks training camp Tuesday, Zegras spoke about Drysdale’s contract situation.

“I talk to Jamie pretty much every day,” Zegras said. “Obviously going through this is tough. When you’ve got your best buddy going through it too, it makes it a lot easier, so definitely checking in with him pretty much every day.”

Philadelphia Flyers 2023 Right Wing Prospects

Posted on October 5, 2023 by Brian Jennings

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – If it is one position that the Philadelphia Flyers have plenty of depth at it is on the right side of the hockey rink. On the Flyers current parent club, they have Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Wade Allison, and Garnett Hathaway. That’s not a bad crop of players. Tippett has turned heads ever since he was trade to Philly from the Florida Panthers easily having his best season to date with a 27-goal campaign.

Despite the trade rumors, Konecny had a great season but Allison, along with Tanner Laczynski, have to prove they can stay healthy, or the Flyers will have to move on from both. With some of the Flyers best prospects waiting in the wings, including Russian phenom Matvei Michkov, who is at most three years away, their time in south Philly will come to an and this season in south Philly.

Today we look at the top five Philadelphia Flyers right-wing prospects in the Flyers system.

Tyson Foerster – A first round pick in 2020, his NHL ready shot and scoring ability has Flyers fans begging for more. Foerster is almost a lock to make the big club when the season starts. He is exactly what the Flyers need right now.

Matvei Michkov – When Foerster graduates from our prospect list, Michkov will take the throne as the Flyers #1 prospect overall. People forget that at the beginning of last season Michkov was seen as the #2 best prospect heading into the 2023 Draft. Falling to the Flyers seventh overall was a coupe and a blessing. Time will tell if their patience pays off.

Bobby Brink – The second-round pick in 2019 out Denver University, Brink is highly regarded prospect. After winning the NCAA Tournament, Flyers management has been drooling to get him back on the ice sooner rather than later. Hopefully he will crack the lineup this year but unless someone is moved to another position, or is traded, Brink might have to wait one more year.

Samu Tuomaala – The Finish native had a slow start last season, but Tuomaala finished strong with 26 goals in 29 games playing for two teams in Finland. He also had a very good showing at the U18 tournament. Tuomaala will be worth the wait when he finally states in the US and makes the Flyers roster. Keeping him out of the Flyers lineup might be tough to do if he discovers his scoring touch.

Bryce Brodzinski – Brodzinski is one of those players that had done nothing but improve every year he has played since playing for the University of Minnesota. A seventh-round gem, the right-handed shot is a solid choice for a Flyers roster spot and one players worth keeping your eye on.

Zayde Wisdom – Wisdom had a down year eventually being demoted to the ECHL. Wisdom is not flashy by any means, but what he lacks in skill he makes up for in other ways. Wisdom is a very popular player among his peers and could be a solid third or fourth winger one day.

Brian Jennings covers the Philadelphia Flyers for prohockeynews.com and can be found on twitter at @Flyersfan22.

Montreal Canadiens season preview

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Brian Jennings

The Montreal Canadiens have had a difficult few years in the NHL. A thin roster, inexperience, and injuries have all combined to deal the Habs a bad hand or two or 20.

Sean Monahan re-signed with Montreal over the off season, and his healthy presence is essential to the Canadiens making a U-turn.

Last season, the Habs were flirting with a .500 record, Monahan was injured, half the club followed with injuries, and the Habs finished near the bottom of the NHL standings for 2022-23.

“We had a lot of injuries last year, so you never know where the team actually could have went,” Monahan said. “Coming in healthy with everybody in the lineup it’s going to be exciting. And they’ve done a great job building the team and the style of play we’re going to be playing.”

That epidemic of injuries left the Canadiens with a host of young, eager, and woefully inexperienced defensemen including Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Justin Barron.

Those young defensemen will continue to benefit from the blueline leadership of veterans Mike Matheson and David Savard.

“We’re young on defense, we were often young last season,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. “We think our young players gained a lot of experience last season because of the injuries and they’re ready for more of a workload this year.”

One addition up front, Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche, should provide some consistency to the forward lines.

“I think Montreal’s style fits my game pretty well, playing off the rush,” Newhook said. “I’m a guy that likes to attack with speed in every area of the game and I think being able to bring that speed to a rush-attacking team and a team that likes to play transition, I think it’s exciting, yeah. I think it’ll be good for me, and it will be good for the team to just kind of have another guy that can play off the rush and create offense.”

The Canadiens have one prospect possibly ready to step back up to Montreal.

Forward Juraj Slafkovsky is expected to make the club in Montreal this season. It will not be his first effort in Montreal. Last season was ended in January with a knee injury. He had iced in 39 games with 10 points on four goals.

“I know what I need to work on, what type of player I am, I know my size and everything, I just need to make it work all together,” Slafkovsky said in April. “In this League it’s very specific, and I’m just trying to find a balance between all the things I can do. And the coaches are helping me to find the best version of myself so I can help the team win.”

The Canadiens will be leaning on Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault in goal. That’s a tall order. Neither was supported by a seasoned defensive corps last season.

Allen went 5-24-3 with one shutout in 2022-23, a 3.55 goals-against-average and an .891 save percentage.

Through 40 games played last season, Montembeault went 16-19-3 with a 3.42 GAA and .901 save percentage in 40 games.

“I think with the roster that we have, we’re in a position to improve on what we did last year,” Hughes said. “And where that takes us, hopefully we’re a lot healthier than we were last year and we’ll see what happens.”

It’s a big ask for the Canadiens make it to the playoffs this season. The Atlantic Division is going to more competitive this year. Montreal still has holes to fill, and experience added to their young core of future heroes.

Flyers blueline prospects

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Brian Jennings

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The Philadelphia Flyers defensive core had a bit of a shake up in the off-season with the trade of Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flyers are in the midst of a rebuild and trading and key defenseman was a bit of a shock to the system. Flyer fans will have to make do the lose with either a home-grown prospect or go with one of the veteran defensemen they signed in the summery.

The Flyers defense has taken a bit of a hit publicly for their poor play in recent years. Travis Sanheim’s no-trade clause officially kicked in so unless he asks for a trade, don’t expect him to go anywhere, anytime soon. Rasmus Ristolainen should remain paired with Sanheim. Since we are looking only at the Flyers top prospects, Cam York graduated off our prospects list and will be a core defenseman for Philly. After those three, the Flyers blue line is in flux.

Today we look at the top defensemen in the Flyers farm system for 2023.

Egor Zamula – An undrafted free agent signing by the Flyers in 2020, Zamula just might be ready for prime time with the big club. The Flyers have been high on him but with the prospect pool growing with each NHL Draft, his time to shine has to be now.

Ronnia Attard – If Zamula doesn’t get a job this season, Attard is clearly their second choice. An offensive minded defenseman that the Flyers need, he could be a regular member of the Flyers for years to come.

Adam Ginning – Flyers really like his progression. The former second rounder could be paired with fellow Swede Emil Andrea once they both make the parent club. Ginning has good size opposite to what Andrea brings which to the table and could make for a solid one-two punch together.

Emil Andrea – Andrea is only 5’ 9” but that has deterred the Flyers from overlooking his talents. A second-round pick in 2020, the Flyers see him as another in the same mold as former Flyer Kimmo Timonen. His four goals and four assists in the U20 tournament in 2022 made sure the Flyer and solid play in Sweden has Flyer brass looking very smart taking him. He will most likely play in the AHL this year then make the big club next year.

Oliver Bonk – Taken in the first round in this year’s draft, Bonk looks like a solid pick. The London Knight might be paired with teammate Sam Dickinson, who might be a top 10 prospect heading into the 2024 draft. Flyer fans have this pair dancing in their heads should the Flyer have another top-10 pick in the first round. They already have their own pick, plus the one from the Claude Giroux trade with the Florida Panthers.

Honorable Mention – Ethan Samson – Samson has turned heads despite being a 6^th round pick in 2021. Another six footer on the blueline is just what the Flyer need for their future once they decide to move past Ristolainen.

Brian Jennings covers the Philadelphia Flyers for prohockeynews.com and can be found on twitter at @Flyersfan22.

Kal Tire and the National Hockey League Announce Multiyear Canadian Partnership

Posted on October 4, 2023 by PHN Staff Report with official press release

NEW YORK – Kal Tire and the National Hockey League (NHL®) today announced a multiyear Canadian partnership, naming Kal Tire the Official Tire Expert of the NHL.

The new agreement provides Kal Tire with an array of exclusive marketing rights and designations that will connect the brand with the NHL and its fans through the NHL’s vast marketing, digital, and social media channels.

The partnership begins immediately, and Kal Tire will receive broadcast exposure through Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards, the League’s advanced approach to dynamic dasherboard advertising during NHL regular season and Stanley Cup® Playoffs games broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. Fans will also see the Kal Tire brand displayed in camera visible virtual slot in-ice ads during NHL regular season games and Stanley Cup Playoffs games broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.

The Kal Tire partnership will be visible in various ways at tentpole NHL events throughout the partnership, such as with compelling on-site activation, branded dasherboards, and in-arena and in-stadium signage at the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic™ in Edmonton and the 2024 Rogers (Canada) / Honda (U.S.) NHL® All-Star Game in Toronto to engage fans and consumers.

“2023 marks Kal Tire’s 70th anniversary in Canada, with a store footprint now stretching into Atlantic Canada,” said Greg Waring, Vice President of Marketing, Kal Tire. “With a truly coast to coast brand and a long history of helping Canadian hockey fans of all ages safely drive to practices and games, it’s a perfect time to build strong ties with the greatest hockey League on earth.”

“With the NHL regular season starting next week, we are thrilled to welcome Kal Tire to the NHL family where we will provide Kal Tire high-profile brand visibility at NHL games and tentpole events,” said Kyle McMann, NHL Senior Vice President, North American Business Development. “We look forward to working with one of Canada’s leading automotive brands to create unique initiatives that engage our passionate fans and Kal Tire consumers across Kal Tire and NHL media platforms, and in Kal Tire stores across Canada.”

To further engage fans, Kal Tire will have in-store and customer-specific shopper marketing programs, and the NHL logo will be featured on Kal Tire products and in-store displays. Kal Tire also has an NHL Club sponsorship deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

Pittsburgh Penguins season preview

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Joe Bartnick

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs last season ending a sixteen-year playoff streak. The streak was the longest current playoff streak among the four major North American sports. Penguins legendary Captain Sidney Crosby had made the playoffs every year except his rookie year. Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins other Hall of Fame bound center had never missed playoffs. The 2022-23 campaign was the first season Crosby and Malkin each played all 82 regular season games. Each also averaged over a point a game. The truth is the Penguins top two lines were among the best in the NHL. The rest of the roster so was putrid it didn’t matter. This led the Penguin’s organization to make a major roster overhaul in the summer offseason.

Tristan Jarry signed a five-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguin’s first order of business was firing GM Ron Hextall and President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke. Former Toronto Maple Leaf’s GM Kyle Dubas was hired. Dubas is now the Czar of Penguins hockey. Dubas quickly jumped headfirst into the job of restructuring the Penguins roster.

Kyle Dubas’ number one job was to build up the Penguins pathetic bottom six forwards. He signed Lars Eller and Noel Accairi to be the team’s 3^rd and 4^th line centers. Dubas acquired Rielly Smith to replace Jason Zucker in the top six forwards. He signed Ryan Graves to replace aging out Brian Dumoulin as Kris Letang’s defensive partner. He signed or resigned depth forwards Alex Nylander, Radim Zahorna, Matt Nieto and Vinnie Hinostroza. He also brought in a several PTO’s to make a lively camp.

Dubas sorted out the Penguins’ goaltending mess by resigning Tristen Jarry to a five-year deal and acquiring Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg to be adequate backups.

Dubas did not rest on his laurels. When many GM were already at their summer cabins Dubas traded for reigning Norris winner defenseman Erik Karlsson. If Karlsson never plays a second for the Penguins, it is still a top five trade in Penguin’s history. Dubas unloaded four underachieving, overpriced in the trade.

What do the Penguins have in 2023-2024.

Forwards – The Penguins top two forwards lines are elite. While Crosby and Malkin aren’t what they were ten years ago, they still control the game most nights. Wingers Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rackell and Reilly Smith compliment the centers with good hands and high hockey IQs. The bottom two lines should be much improved with Lars Eller and Noel Accairi now centering them. Dubas’ signings with make these lines harder to play against. Hopefully they will chip in a few goals as well. The Penguins would love to see home grown forwards Drew O’Connor, Sam Poulin or Valterri Puustinen take a big step this season.

Defensmen – The Penguins top two defensive pairings are set. Newly acquired Ryan Graves will partner with the third member of the Penguins Big Three Kris Letang. Erik Karlsson will partner with fellow Swedish defenseman Marcus Pettersen. Pettersen is a stay home defenseman. He was the only Penguins defenseman last year who played above his pay grade. The bottom pairing will be P O Joseph and either Chad Ruhwedel or Ryan Shea. Not the best bottom pair but a situation that could be addressed at the trade deadline.

Goaltending – Tristen Jarry was handed a hefty five year contract this summer but is still somewhat of a question mark in big games. Jarry’s highs are high but he is inconsistent. The Penguins chose the devil they knew in a weak goalie market this summer. One of Jarry’s problems last year was his unreliable back up Casey DeSmith. This season Jarry will be backed up by Nedjelkovic and Hellberg. Nedjelovic will be looking to bounce back from a rotten year. Hellberg is young and has promise.

Outlook – The Penguins missed the playoffs last season by one point but never looked like a Stanly Cup contender. The Penguins offseason acquisitions should help the Penguins make the playoffs this season. Erik Karlsson will bolster the Penguins power play. The Penguins power play is never as good as it should be with all their talent. The penalty kill should also be improved with the new depth forwards and more consistent goaltending. Karlsson with also help the Penguins in overtime. A few more overtime points will make the Penguins either the third seed in the Metro or a wildcard in the playoffs.

The Penguins can beat any team in a seven-game series. It’s very doubtful they could win four straight seven games series though. Anything short of winning one playoff round would put Head Coach Mike Sullivan on the hotseat. Sullivan has never been on the hotseat in Pittsburgh. It would be the sixth season in a row the Penguins failed to get past the first round of the playoffs.