Cole Caufield will join his Montreal Canadiens teammates for training camp after shoulder surgery cut his 2022-23 season short.
"It feels better than it did before, I can tell you that," Caufield said, according to NHL.com's Sean Farrell. "So, I'm really excited, ready to go, and it feels 100%."
He added, "It's been a long summer and I'm just happy to be back."
Caufield was injured during a game in December and shut down for the season nearly a month later. He conceded at the time that the operation was the best option for his long-term health but said he would have played through the ailment if the Canadiens were in the playoff hunt.
Montreal finished 15th in the Eastern Conference last season with a 31-45-6 record. Caufield tied for the team lead in goals (26) despite only playing in 46 games.
Caufield has flourished since Martin St. Louis took over as Canadiens head coach, racking up 48 goals in 83 games. Montreal rewarded the star winger for his offensive breakout with an eight-year, $62.8-million extension that kicks in this season.
Matt and Blake discuss the coronation of Quinn Hughes as Canucks captain. Will Bettman ever present him the Cup? What kind of leader will he be? His ascension to this point. His leadership style. The captains he is following. And the timing of this announcement before training camp and not letting it fester til a ceremony at the home opener. Other topics include: Canada winning bronze at the FIBA World Cup, opening weekend of the NFL season and a devastating loss for the Seahawks, the BC Lions getting a bye week at the right time in advance of the game versus Ottawa; and things breaking right in the MLS for the Whitecaps. Rink Wide: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson joins with his thoughts on the new appointment. Why it wasn't Elias Pettersson. What this means (if anything) for J.T. Miller? As well as his discussions with Dakota Joshua and Anthony Beauvillier on how things will shake out at winger. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
The Vancouver Canucks named defenseman Quinn Hughes the 15th captain in franchise history Monday.
"It means a great deal to me to be named captain of the Canucks," Hughes said in a statement. "When I came here five years ago, I knew what I was walking into having grown up in Toronto; just a crazy hockey market and a passionate fan base.
"It has been a pleasure and treat to play for this franchise, and to be the captain is something that is incredibly special and something that I couldn't ever imagine would happen."
Hughes succeeds Bo Horvat, who was traded to the New York Islanders in January. The 23-year-old is the first rearguard to don the "C" for the Canucks since 1991 when Doug Lidster shared the honor with Dan Quinn and Trevor Linden. A blue-liner hasn't been the captain of the Canucks on a full-time basis since Kevin McCarthy from 1979 to 1982.
Though he's entering just his sixth season in the NHL, Hughes has already built a strong reputation. He became the fastest defenseman to hit 200 career assists in March by accomplishing the feat in just 263 games. Hughes posted a career-high 76 points in 78 games in 2022-23, breaking his own record - set in the previous campaign - for the most points by a defenseman in a single season in franchise history.
Hughes served as an alternate captain for the first time last season.
"Quinn is such a competitor, workhorse, and offseason rink rat," head coach Rick Tocchet said. "There are lot of ways to lead, and Quinn does it by example and by always giving his teammates, coaches, and organization the upmost respect.
"When he does address the locker room, it is very powerful and his growth and maturation in just the short time I have been here is very impressive. Quinn isn't afraid to get uncomfortable and voice his thoughts during both good and bad times which says a lot about his character and desire to win."
The Canucks selected Hughes with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He's amassed 26 goals and 215 helpers in 283 games since his NHL debut in 2018-19, and his 241 points in that span are the third most on the team, trailing only Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
In February, Horvat said Pettersson would get his vote to take over as captain. Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said the Canucks were "enthusiastic and supportive" of the team's decision to give the mantle to Hughes.
"He is very well liked and respected inside our dressing room, and we know he will continue to grow and develop his leadership skills in the years to come," Allvin said.
Hughes has four seasons remaining on his current deal and carries a cap hit of $7.85 million.
After analyzing some of the biggest head-scratching moves of the offseason Friday, we're now breaking down some of the savviest. Below is a list of players who aren't household names and signed on the cheap but could vastly outplay their low-cost deals.
Players are listed positionally and then alphabetically.
Connor Brown ➡️ Oilers
Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Position: RW Cap hit: $775K Term: 1 year
The Oilers got creative with the Brown signing. Since he played just four games last season due to a torn ACL, he was eligible to sign a deal allowing him to earn $3.225 million in additional performance bonuses. However, he'll count for only $775,000 on the cap. It'll likely result in overages next year, but kicking the can down the road makes sense with the Oilers in win-now mode and the cap set to rise significantly in 2024-25.
It's easy to envision Brown starting the season on Connor McDavid's wing. He's a hard-working, responsible, two-way winger with just enough skill and smarts to shine alongside high-end players. He and McDavid were also teammates for two years with the OHL's Erie Otters. That history will help his case to start the year on the top line.
Jonathan Drouin ➡️ Avalanche
Vitor Munhoz / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: LW Cap hit: $825K Term: 1 year
Continuing the theme of old junior teammates reuniting this offseason, Colorado is the perfect landing spot for Drouin, who desperately needed a fresh start after a tumultuous end to his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens.
Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon were an unstoppable duo with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. It wouldn't be surprising if the Avalanche gave him the first crack at playing on the team's top line with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. It'll be on Drouin to seize the opportunity, but he should play like his career depends on it.
There's no denying Drouin's last few years with the Habs were a nightmare. However, some bad luck was involved, as the winger shot a paltry 4.8% since 2020-21. The 2013 No. 3 pick has always been a better playmaker than a shooter, but he's still due for some bounces to go his way at some point.
Daniel Sprong ➡️ Red Wings
Michael Martin / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: RW Cap hit: $2M Term: 1 year
Sprong has been one of the game's most efficient scorers over the past three seasons, ranking seventh in goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five since the 2020-21 campaign. He's coming off his best year with 21 goals and 25 assists in 66 games despite averaging just 11:25 per contest.
It's a mystery why the Seattle Kraken didn't issue Sprong a $737,500 qualifying offer to retain his rights considering he's only 26 years old and coming off his best season. But the Red Wings stand to gain.
Scoring efficiency doesn't always translate when a player is bumped up the lineup. Still, it's worth a shot for Detroit to see if Sprong can do more damage with extra opportunities. At the very least, the Red Wings have a bottom-six winger they know can provide offense.
Pius Suter ➡️ Canucks
Norm Hall / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: C Cap hit: $1.6M Term: 2 years
Quality centers were tough to come by in free agency, and the Canucks entered the offseason needing depth down the middle behind Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. They added a solid fourth-line center early in Teddy Blueger but snagged Suter late after his market dried up.
At just 5-foot-11 and 179 pounds, Suter doesn't have the ideal build for a shutdown center. However, he's posted superb defensive metrics throughout his three-year career. He's also excellent on the penalty kill, an area Vancouver ranked last in the league a year ago.
Suter is no slouch offensively, averaging 16 goals and 16 assists per 82 games in his career. He's entering his age-27 season, so there aren't many ways this contract could go poorly.
Filip Zadina ➡️ Sharks
Dave Reginek / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: LW Cap hit: $1.1M Term: 1 year
Zadina needed a fresh start as much as anyone on this list. He failed to carve out a clear role in parts of five seasons with the Red Wings, who drafted him sixth overall in 2018.
The fact that Zadina forewent $4.56 million to terminate his contract with Detroit should say a lot about his character. He desperately wanted a change of scenery. Sometimes, that's all it takes to get everything to click for a talented player.
It's a smart gamble by the Sharks, who can afford him the opportunity to play high in the lineup as they continue to rebuild. If he busts, they don't have to issue a qualifying offer to him after the campaign. If the 23-year-old shines, he's under team control until 2027.
Travis Dermott ➡️ Coyotes
Steph Chambers / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Position: LD Cap hit: $800K Term: 1 year
The signing of Dermott carries no risk. Even if he plays most of the year in the AHL, he's on a two-way deal that pays him only $450,000 in the minors - an important note for the frugal Coyotes.
Dermott played in just 11 games last season due to concussion symptoms, but he posted strong defensive metrics in each of the first five seasons of his career - albeit in sheltered, third-pairing minutes.
While Dermott can play both sides, his path to ice time in Arizona is on the left side. The Coyotes have a glut of right-shooting options. The only lefties are Juuso Valimaki and J.J. Moser. Don't be surprised if Dermott, who's still just 26 years old, establishes himself as a reliable NHL defenseman again.
Erik Gustafsson ➡️ Rangers
Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: LD Cap hit: $825K Term: 1 year
The Maple Leafs used Gustafsson sparingly down the stretch after a deadline trade brought him to Toronto, but he was playing stellar for the Washington Capitals beforehand. He tallied seven goals and 35 assists in 70 regular-season games between the two clubs last campaign. His 42 points ranked 27th among all NHL defensemen.
So he must be a disaster defensively, right? Wrong. While nobody would confuse him for Jared Spurgeon, he proved last season that he's not a liability as long he's used properly. He's on the left in the chart below.
Evolving-Hockey
Who's the chart beside him? That would be John Klingberg, who signed with the Leafs for one year, $4.125 million, despite arguably being the worst defensive defenseman in the NHL. Sure, Klingberg played for the awful Anaheim Ducks, but there's no way he should make more than four times the amount of a similar style of player.
The Rangers are strong defensively on the left side with Ryan Lindgren and K'Andre Miller. If Gustafsson is given easy matchups and lots of offensive zone starts, he should be in for another strong season on New York's third pair alongside youngster Braden Schneider.
Caleb Jones ➡️ Hurricanes
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Position: LD Cap hit: $775K Term: 1 year
It's a mystery why Jones had to wait until August to sign, inked only a near-league minimum deal, and joined a team he's buried on the depth chart.
Jones is just 26 years old, and he posted strong underlying numbers last season while playing top-four minutes on a poor Chicago Blackhawks team. He's not undersized at 6-foot-1 and plays a physical game, dishing out 116 hits last season.
With Jaccob Slavin, Dmitry Orlov, and Brady Skjei making up the left side, Jones' path to playing time is blocked. But if injuries strike, or Skjei - who's in the last year of his deal - is traded, Jones will be an excellent fill-in.
Mike Reilly ➡️ Panthers
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Position: LD Cap hit: $1M Term: 1 year
If Reilly's previous contract didn't carry a $3-million cap hit, he almost certainly would've been in the NHL full time rather than logging 36 games in the AHL.
But with a small cap hit, Reilly is poised to become a nice find for the Panthers. Their system benefits defensemen who excel at skating and moving the puck. Look at Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour. Both turned around their careers after arriving in Florida without much expectations.
At 30 years old, it's unfair to expect Reilly to have a similar turnaround. However, there are minutes up for grabs. The Panthers have issues on the left side behind Forsling and will likely be without Montour and Aaron Ekblad on the right side to begin the season. Florida brought in other left-shooting defensemen on low-cost deals - Niko Mikkola, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Dmitry Kulikov - but don't be surprised if Reilly, an analytics darling, shines with Florida's high-powered offensive attack.
Jonas Johansson ➡️ Lightning
Jack Dempsey / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Position: G Cap hit: $775K Term: 2 years
Johansson has been less than inspiring throughout his 35 career NHL games, sporting a .887 save percentage across parts of six seasons with three different teams. But Johansson was dialed in last campaign, recording a .920 save percentage in 26 AHL contests and a .932 mark in three NHL appearances.
That playing time could prove valuable for Johansson's development, as he only got into 28 games in the two prior seasons. He's still just 27 years old, which isn't an uncommon age for goalies to breakout. And with a 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame, the Swede has the physical tools to succeed in the NHL.
Rather than opting for an aging veteran, the Lightning are taking a swing for upside with Johansson. On a two-year deal, they could reap the benefits if he becomes a solid backup to Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Ladd last played in 2021-22, when he tallied seven goals and 12 points in 51 contests with the Arizona Coyotes. He failed his physical prior to last season and spent the entire campaign on long-term injured reserve.
The winger helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006 during his first season in the NHL. He chipped in with two goals - including one game-winner - and five points while appearing in 17 postseason games.
Ladd would lift Lord Stanley's Mug for the second time in his career four years later, this time with the Chicago Blackhawks. He contributed six points in 19 matchups.
The 37-year-old spent the bulk of his career with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, amassing 139 goals and 305 points in 429 games over six seasons from 2010-16. Ladd posted a career-best 62 points in 81 games in 2014-15 to help the Jets clinch their first playoff berth since their relocation to Winnipeg in 2011.
He was named captain of the Thrashers in 2010 and was subsequently the first player to don the "C" in Jets history.
Ladd signed a seven-year, $38.5-million extension with the New York Islanders in July 2016, but he was traded to the desert five years later. He played his 1,000th game on April 20th, 2022, against the Blackhawks.
Ladd totaled 256 goals and 550 points across 16 regular seasons in the NHL and added 18 points in 65 career playoff games.
The Hurricanes selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.
Devon Levi may be shouldering a ton of pressure as the hungry Buffalo Sabres' projected No. 1 goaltender in 2023-24, but the 21-year-old is feeling "super excited" ahead of his first full season in the NHL.
"I can't wait to see the guys again and to go out and compete with them," he said in an interview with The Buffalo News' Lance Lysowski. "I'm really just focusing on myself. It doesn't matter if I'm going into a game or into practice or training camp. ... I'm just doing my best to get my game to be the best it can be and keep working on it, keep improving.
"I don't think you could ever be your best. There's always more, you can keep pushing that level. It's like building up your character in a video game. Just keep leveling up."
Buffalo leaned on Levi heavily at the end of the 2022-23 campaign with the team in the thick of the wild-card race. He started seven games - many of which had dire implications for the Sabres' playoff hopes - and went 5-2-0 with a .905 save percentage and 2.94 goals against average.
Levi was in net for the Sabres' 6-2 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on April 11, which officially knocked Buffalo out of the playoff picture. He'd played the night before in a spectacular 3-2 shootout victory against the dangerous New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden, but Levi said he still thinks about that crushing defeat in New Jersey.
"It definitely left a sour taste, but it's a lot of motivation to knowing how close we were in that it's possible. It's right there," he said. "We're really close and the organization has been building up to this for a lot of years now. … It was like you're a baby with candy in your hands and it was snatched away right before you're about to eat it."
The Sabres ended up finishing one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Levi isn't the only Sabre feeling motivated ahead of the new campaign. In August, young defenseman Owen Powersaid he and his teammates are "confident" heading into 2023-24 and that he thinks jockeying for a playoff spot in a crowded Atlantic Division is "going to be fun."
The Sabres are looking to snap a 12-season playoff drought. Puck drops on their pursuit on Oct. 12 against the Rangers.
