Defenseman Michael Del Zotto announced his retirement from professional hockey in an Instagram post Wednesday.
"Today is a bittersweet day," Del Zotto wrote. "I was fortunate enough to play 14 years of professional hockey. The blood, sweat, tears, broken bones, triumph, heartbreak, and sacrifice were worth every second."
The 33-year-old played 736 games over the course of his 13-season NHL career. He spent the 2022-23 campaign in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers and San Diego Gulls, finishing the year with 41 points in 65 contests.
Del Zotto was drafted 20th overall in 2008 by the New York Rangers. The Stouffville, Ontario, native spent five seasons in a Rangers uniform from 2009-14, the longest stint of his career with one team.
He burst onto the scene in 2009-10 when he tallied nine goals and 37 points in 80 games as a 19-year-old. Del Zotto landed on the All-Rookie Team and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting. At the end of the year, he made his lone appearance with Team Canada when he suited up at the 2010 World Championship.
After a slight sophomore slump, Del Zotto bounced back in 2011-12 for the best season of his career. He racked up 10 goals and 41 points in 77 contests and finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting.
The Rangers traded Del Zotto to the Nashville Predators in January 2014 in exchange for Kevin Klein. He spent 25 games with the Predators, registering five points, and left the team as a free agent that summer, signing with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Del Zotto accrued 20 goals and 63 points in 167 contests with the Flyers over three seasons. After joining the team on a one-year pact, Del Zotto signed the biggest deal of his career with Philadelphia in 2015 when he inked a two-year, $7.75-million contract.
Following his Flyers tenure, Del Zotto bounced around the league. He was traded twice in the 2018-19 campaign and signed three one-year contracts over a four-year period. The two-year deal he inked during this stretch was bought out by the Ottawa Senators in 2022.
Del Zotto appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice with New York in 2012 and 2013. He made the final in 2012 when the Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings.
He was on the St. Louis Blues' roster for the 2019 playoffs. Despite not playing a postseason game with the team, Del Zotto's name was engraved on the Cup after the Blues' victory.
In total, Del Zotto accumulated 63 goals and 262 points across stints with the Rangers, Predators, Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators.
Matt and Blake are together again and talking Canucks' summer. Who had a good/great/big summer to endear themselves to Coach Tocchet? What did you miss -- or may have forgotten -- about the Canucks this summer? What was Tyler Myers' summer like? And which players unsigned over the summer might make for interesting PTO candidates in Vancouver? Frank Corrado stops by to talk what passing Labour Day means for NHL players. He talks about catering to a coach's whims while working out in the summer, and how he's still sore about being bypassed for a rookie showcase way back when. Plus, we go To The People with listeners chiming on whether Tanner Pearson can help the Canucks; the team's lack of a practice facility; Andrei Kuzmenko's Bali adventure; Tyler Myers' trade watch; the CFL Labour Day weekend; Canada basketball and the unmasking of Piero, the man behind the visitors' bench at Rogers Arena. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
With the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series carries on with an in-depth look at each Metropolitan Division club.
Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrew Lahodynskyj / National Hockey League / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
The Hurricanes nabbed arguably the top available free agent on July 1 by signing Orlov to a reasonable short-term deal, further strengthening one of the league's top D corps. Carolina has three impressive pairings to roll out each night, which bodes well for the pair of veteran netminders the club re-signed. This summer's netminder market wasn't enviable in the slightest, so we won't fault the Canes for sticking with familiarity. Neither Andersen's nor Raanta's new contracts are financial burdens, and the club has proven it can cruise to the playoffs with that tandem between the pipes.
Carolina's big splash up front was signing Bunting, who's fresh off back-to-back 23-goal seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He put up those numbers playing primarily with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, so we're not convinced he's the guy to galvanize the Hurricanes' 15th-ranked offense from a year ago. He's a fine complementary piece, but a bigger splash on the offensive side of things - via free agency or trade - would've made Carolina's offseason near flawless.
In addition to some shrewd shopping in free agency, general manager Don Waddell aced some key in-house business. Locking up Aho, the face of the franchise, for max term and less than $10 million is a coup given what the 26-year-old brings to the ice each season. Fair new deals for Staal and Fast also earn passing grades from us as they're two key pieces of Carolina's offensive identity.
Grade: B+
Columbus Blue Jackets
Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Unsigned
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Columbus didn't steal the show in free agency like it did last summer with the Johnny Gaudreau signing, but the Blue Jackets took a step in the right direction this offseason. Mike Babcock's reputation as a head coach is at an all-time low, but he flat-out knows how to guide teams to the playoffs. We're not suggesting the Blue Jackets are a shoo-in for a top-eight spot in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24, but they're likely to play a tighter system than they did under Brad Larsen. Some notable additions on the back end should make the club much more difficult to play against.
Severson and Provorov should each slot into Columbus' top four, and their arrivals are sorely needed for a club that ranked 31st in goals against per game (4.01) last season. The Blue Jackets also hardly surrendered any notable assets to add either player. Free-agent splashes don't matter when you can find quality players on the trade market for cheap.
Last but not least, the Blue Jackets' biggest acquisition of the summer was at the draft. The club was undoubtedly bummed to lose out on the chance to select Connor Bedard, but Fantilli falling into their laps at third overall is one hell of a consolation prize. The University of Michigan product is an old-school blend of size and skill, and he projects to be able to immediately contribute at the NHL level. Fantilli joining the likes of Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger, and Jiricek creates one of the league's top young cores.
Grade: B+
New Jersey Devils
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Tom Fitzgerald cemented New Jersey's status as an elite NHL team with some tidy work across the board this offseason. The three players listed in the arrivals section came at a minimal cost, and the addition of a perennial 25-goal threat in Toffoli gives the Devils arguably the most dangerous top six in the league that's equally responsible in its own end.
Fitzgerald's in-house work is what earns New Jersey the bulk of our praise. The Devils had ample cap space but didn't get carried away with extensions for Meier and Bratt - two of their most important players. Those two, along with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, are locked in together through 2027 for less than 40% of New Jersey's cap. As the salary limit rises in coming years, the contracts for the Devils' big four forwards are likely to age better and better. Fitzgerald has created one of the league's most enviable salary-cap structures and currently projects to have over $21 million available in the summer of 2024 to keep New Jersey in the mix as a Cup contender.
If there's one knock on the Devils' offseason, it's that they didn't go out and get a goalie. The club was linked to Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck, and a move of that magnitude would lock up an A+ from us. New Jersey's incumbent tandem of Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek should be good enough to get the club to the playoffs with ease, but they're relatively unproven. That said, the Devils aren't desperately in win-now mode like many other Cup hopefuls, so we can let it slide for now.
Grade: A
New York Islanders
Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
No one expected the Islanders to be active in free agency after making a big-ticket move with the Bo Horvat trade last season, but Lou Lamoriello found a way to be busy on July 1 with a trio of long-term extensions that left the hockey world mostly confused.
We'll start with the good: signing Sorokin for maximum term is a win for the Islanders. As long as he's in the crease, New York will have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs given the Vezina runner-up has proven to be one of the world's best netminders across only two full seasons at the NHL level. Sorokin's age (28) makes this deal risky down the line, but the Islanders' identity has long been goal prevention, and the star goaltender is far and away the most important piece of that puzzle.
The Engvall and Mayfield deals make much less sense. Giving term to depth pieces has proven to age poorly time and time again. Though Engvall impressed after a trade from the Maple Leafs, he doesn't have a body of work worth committing to for seven seasons. He turned 27 this summer and has a career high of 35 points. The rising cap makes this deal somewhat palatable for now, but it's difficult to imagine suitors were lining up at Engvall's door with seven-year deals when he hit free agency.
Mayfield has been an underrated piece of New York's defensive structure for several seasons, but he's trapped behind Ryan Pulock and Noah Dobson on the right side of the Islanders' depth chart now and throughout the foreseeable future. It'd have been sensible to let Mayfield walk and find a cheaper replacement for the bottom pairing, but Lamoriello opted to give the stay-at-home rearguard $3.5 million until he's 37 - with trade protection to boot. Mayfield isn't a bad player by any means and is by all accounts a prominent leader. That said, it was a major surprise to see him get the longest deal of any free-agent defenseman this summer.
Grade: C-
New York Rangers
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Salary-cap limitations prevented the Rangers from making any signings of financial significance this summer, but Chris Drury was able to pull off a slew of cheap additions to fill out the fringes of the lineup. The most intriguing signing was Wheeler, who should slot into the top six and earn power-play minutes. The 37-year-old has long been one of the game's top playmakers, but after the failed Patrick Kane experiment, it feels a bit odd for the Rangers to target another pass-first veteran without speed. The Blueshirts' lack of pace was a significant problem in the first round against the Devils, and the addition of Wheeler won't fix that.
Beyond transactions, the big story out of Broadway this summer was the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant, who reportedly clashed with Drury after the club let a 2-0 series lead slip away to its archrivals. Gallant led New York to the playoffs in each of his two seasons behind the bench, but the Rangers have turned to Peter Laviolette, who's led three different franchises to the Stanley Cup Final through a 21-year career. He didn't find much success during his stint with the Washington Capitals and will face immense pressure off the bat to keep the Rangers in the Metropolitan mix.
The Rangers can't receive a completely fair grade until we see how Laviolette's influence impacts the team over the course of a full season, but their collection of low-level signings is enough to earn a middling result.
Grade: C
Philadelphia Flyers
Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Unsigned
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Daniel Briere began what projects to be a long-term rebuild for the Flyers this summer, offloading an array of veterans while staying away from potentially burdensome contracts in free agency. Many felt a fire sale was imminent in the City of Brotherly Love, but the rookie general manager kept things pretty tame in his first offseason in charge.
Briere's most significant piece of business was the three-team deal that sent Provorov to the Blue Jackets. The Flyers made out pretty well in the end, recouping two high draft picks and a reliable big-league defenseman in Walker. The deal allowed Philadelphia to add promising blue-liner prospect Oliver Bonk to a development pool that desperately needs an infusion of top-end talent.
Speaking of, drafting Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick is a resounding win for the Flyers. It signified a much-needed leap of faith for the disgruntled fanbase and was the pick with the most upside. It's up to Briere to keep laying the foundation as Michkov plays out his KHL contract, but the dynamic Russian forward is an outstanding building block and single-handedly raises Philly's grade.
Grade: B-
Pittsburgh Penguins
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Welcome to Pittsburgh, Kyle Dubas. The Penguins president and general manager showed no fear or hesitation in his first few months in his shiny new role, renewing optimism for a fanbase and organization that was in the doldrums after missing the playoffs for the first time since Sidney Crosby's rookie season.
Dubas managed to swing the biggest trade of the summer by adding Karlsson and shed a series of problematic contracts authorized by his predecessors along the way. Bringing in the reigning Norris Trophy winner isn't without risk, but a puck-mover of Karlsson's caliber should go a long way toward revitalizing a Pittsburgh offense that almost inexplicably ranked 16th league-wide in goals per game and 14th in power-play proficiency last season.
Even before the Karlsson blockbuster, Dubas was one of the league's busiest executives. He went to work July 1, dishing out a bevy of contracts to bolster Pittsburgh's depth, which was arguably the club's most prominent flaw a season ago. Eller and Acciari are dependable bottom-six options, and Smith, acquired via trade at the draft, has 25-goal upside. If there's one move that gives us pause, it's the Jarry contract. Five years might as well be a lifetime for a goalie in today's NHL, and the 28-year-old has been unable to find consistency to this point in his career. It's easy to understand why Dubas didn't go elsewhere given the weak market and years of trouble between the pipes in Toronto, but Jarry will need to prove he's worth such a lucrative contract - and fast.
Grade: A-
Washington Captials
Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
The Capitals were tabbed as strong candidates for major changes this summer after missing the playoffs, but they laid low despite reportedly placing a pair of notable forwards - Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha - on the trade block. Nothing materialized on either front, and the Capitals will head into 2023-24 with largely the same lineup that struggled a season ago. General manager Brian MacLellan may be hopeful that health will be the biggest difference, as his club was ravaged by injuries to key players for the majority of 2022-23.
Washington's most significant addition was Pacioretty, who was a cheap bet to help provide some offense. He has six 30-goal seasons to his credit, but consecutive Achilles tendon tears could seriously jeopardize what he has left to contribute as a 34-year-old. Acquiring Edmundson at a retained cost was a shrewd move, too, but like Pacioretty, his addition probably isn't enough to move the needle in a highly competitive Metropolitan Division.
Despite bringing in some new blood, the Capitals' headliner from the summer was Wilson's mammoth extension. The veteran enforcer is a key piece of Washington's core, but paying him $6.5 million from until age 37 is a dicey decision, especially considering he's fresh off a major knee injury. The Capitals' nucleus is already on the back nine of their respective careers, and it's difficult to imagine where a player like Wilson fits into a potential rebuild.
As mentioned in the Rangers section, we can't accurately assess a coaching hire until we see the on-ice product. Spencer Carbery is said to be capable of reviving Washington's offense, which is imperative for the club to get back on track. We commend the Capitals for making a change behind the bench, but their overall lack of action this summer outweighs the swap in our assessment.
The Arizona Coyotes signed general manager Bill Armstrong to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.
"For the past three years, Bill has done an excellent job restructuring our hockey operations department and rebuilding our hockey team," Coyotes owner, chairman, and governor Alex Meruelo said in a statement. "He has acquired elite talent through the draft, trades, and free agency and has established a winning culture by adding a great coaching staff and other key hockey operations personnel."
"I am confident that under his leadership, the Coyotes will soon become a perennial playoff team, and we will continue to work towards our goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to the Valley," Meruelo continued.
Armstrong, 53, was hired as the Coyotes' GM in September 2020. Arizona's 77-116-27 record is the second-worst in the NHL since Armstrong took over.
"Being the general manager of the Arizona Coyotes is an honor and a privilege and I am very proud of all the hard work that our hockey operations staff, coaching staff, and players have done to improve our organization," Armstrong said in a statement. "We still have a lot of work to do but I firmly believe that we are on the right track to becoming a playoff-caliber team for years to come. We have a very bright future here in Arizona."
Prior to joining the Coyotes, Armstrong was a member of the St. Louis Blues organization for 16 seasons. The Richmond Hill, Ontario native worked his way from an amateur scout to assistant GM by the end of his tenure with the Blues. He won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019.
Arizona signed head coach Andre Tourigny to a three-year contract extension in August.
With the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series marches on with an in-depth look at each Pacific Division club.
Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.
Anaheim Ducks
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Unsigned
Rookies who could crack the lineup
The Ducks' offseason isn't done until they give Zegras and Drysdale new deals, but Anaheim got one part of its long-term future locked in by signing Terry to a seven-year, $49-million extension. The 25-year-old is one year removed from a 37-goal season and, while didn't reach those same heights in 2022-23, he did post his second-straight 60-point campaign. Couple his offensive potential with the rising cap, and Terry's pact can look like a steal in the coming years. The immediate question is how his deal will impact Zegras'. The latter is three years younger, led the Ducks in points last season, and can play center - not to mention the fact that he's the current face of the franchise.
But enough about the youth movement. GM Pat Verbeek lured in a couple of established players in Killorn and Gudas, who, in all likelihood, will be more useful to the Ducks than veterans they've brought in in the past. Gudas adds a bone-crushing physicality to Anaheim's blue line, while Killorn injects some Stanley Cup pedigree. Sure, four years for an almost 34-year-old Killorn isn't ideal, but his leadership and experience can prove invaluable to a young squad, and he led this crop of UFAs with 64 points.
There's also the question of whether the Ducks will part ways with goalie John Gibson. As of now, Anaheim is rolling with Gibson, Stalock, and Dostal in the crease. Dostal, the promising 23-year-old, seems ready to make the leap to full-time NHL action, but picking up Stalock - who was respectable on the struggling Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23 - gives the team a little insurance.
Trying to put it all together is new head coach Greg Cronin, who is a first-time NHL bench boss at age 60. Anaheim will likely make improvements this season, but the playoffs are still a long way out.
Grade: B
Calgary Flames
Derek Leung / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Rookies who could crack the lineup
The Flames' offseason strategy probably features GM Craig Conroy repeating this phrase into the mirror daily: "Please, please, please let Jonathan Huberdeau and Jacob Markstrom be better next season."
It isn't like Calgary has the cap space to add too much of consequence, anyway, at least not without moving money out - like the Toffoli trade that brought Sharangovich into the mix. Many thought that swap would be the first domino to fall for the Flames, but Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and Mikael Backlund - who all have one year remaining on their current pacts and don't appear to be keen on signing extensions - have yet to be moved.
For that reason, Calgary's offseason doesn't feel complete, but we can only grade what's happened so far. The Flames' biggest move might have been firing hard-nosed head coach Darryl Sutter, who didn't appear to be vibing with the players - Huberdeau chief among them - after winning the Pacific Division in 2021-22. Taking over is newbie Ryan Huska, who spent the previous five seasons as an assistant with the club.
The Flames didn't have a single player averaging over one point per game last season and just dealt their leading scorer in Toffoli. Barring any additional moves, Calgary has to hope that a coaching change will provide enough of a shock to the system to get things back on track.
Grade: D+
Edmonton Oilers
Chris Tanouye / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
The 2023-24 Oilers won't look much different from last season, and that's OK: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are firmly in their primes, while the club can only benefit from Mattias Ekholm's first full season on the back end.
Edmonton's biggest addition was Brown, McDavid's teammate for two seasons in the OHL. Their connection worked out well for the Erie Otters, with the pair combining for 227 points as linemates in 2013-14. With those numbers, it's no wonder McDavid lauded Brown as the "perfect addition" to the Oilers. If Edmonton opts to reunite the duo on the top line, Brown has an excellent chance to rebound from the 2022-23 campaign, when he was limited to just four games due to an ACL injury. GM Ken Holland also pulled off some cap manoeuvres with the signing: Brown carries a cap hit of $775,000, but he can make an additional $3.225 million in performance bonuses. If Edmonton exceeds the ceiling due to those bonuses, the overage won't count against the cap until 2024-25. Just kick that can down the road.
Speaking of the cap, the Oilers sacrificed Kostin and Yamamoto for a little wiggle room. Some of that went to retaining rising star defenseman Bouchard on a bridge deal. Getting him to put pen to paper was a must: Bouchard flourished once his role increased down the stretch last year and he proved vital to the power play after joining the top unit in February.
Edmonton's biggest question is its goaltending, with Holland running back the tandem of Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner. The former improved as the 2022-23 season progressed, while the latter impressed as a rookie. If they implode, though, the Oilers do have a knack for outscoring their problems.
Grade: B
Los Angeles Kings
Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Just like in 2021-22, the Kings finished in third place in the Pacific Division before getting taken down by the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. Acquiring Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets in a sign-and-trade helps Los Angeles' chances of avoiding that fate for a third consecutive campaign.
The Kings have to hope that the third team is the charm for Dubois, but injecting the seemingly reenergized and motivated 6-foot-4 pivot into a center group that already includes Kopitar and Phillip Danault gives them a deadly one-two-three punch on paper. If this exercise only graded a team's look down the middle, the Kings would get an A+.
As much as Dubois' presence can aid L.A.'s dream of seeing the second round, its situation in the crease arguably hinders it. Sure, Talbot and Rittich came to the West Coast on a pair of cheap deals, but they're joining a platoon that features ... Pheonix Copley. Are you filled with confidence? Probably not.
On the back end, the Kings will look a little different after shipping out Walker and Durzi, but those moves only open the door for the promising Clarke to step in. Finally, Los Angeles handed Kopitar a two-year, $14-million extension beginning in 2024-25. That's a hefty chunk of change for a player who will be 38 once it expires (it certainly isn't as team-friendly as the one-year, $2.5-million pact Patrice Bergeron signed last summer) but it's well-deserved for the responsible two-way forward just the same.
Grade: B-
San Jose Sharks
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
Like a particularly daunting final exam, the Karlsson trade is going to make up the bulk of San Jose's offseason grade - and the Sharks didn't ace it.
We would've liked to see GM Mike Grier get ... more for the reigning Norris Trophy winner beyond a pair of aging forwards who are declining in efficacy in Granlund and Hoffman (at full price), defenseman Rutta, and Pittsburgh's 2024 first-rounder (top-10 protected). Understandably, Grier didn't want to retain an ample portion of Karlsson's $11.5-million cap hit for the next four seasons, and he accomplished that goal by only taking on 13%. But the return package likely would have improved if he was willing to take on a little more. At the end of the day, losing Karlsson makes the team far, far worse, which is good news for the Sharks' tanking mission, but bad news for people who want watchable hockey in San Jose.
Elsewhere in the lineup, we have to applaud the Zadina and Duclair additions. Zadina couldn't put the pieces together in Detroit, and taking a flyer on the 2018 sixth overall pick to the tune of $1.1 million is a savvy, low-risk, high-reward signing for the Sharks. Duclair is one year removed from a 30-goal season and can make the most of an increased role in San Jose, thus making him an attractive trade chip in a few months' time.
In the crease, Blackwood's cap hit might seem a bit steep given his struggles and recent run of injuries, but the Sharks only needed to give up a sixth-round pick to acquire his rights.
Grade: C-
Seattle Kraken
Kavin Mistry / National Hockey League / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
The Kraken are the Western Conference's most-improved club after rebounding from an abysmal inaugural season. Consider us not shocked that Seattle opted to stay the course (including new deals for GM Ron Francis and head coach Dave Hakstol), enjoying a quiet summer that kept the team's chemistry largely intact.
The crown jewel of the Kraken's offseason was signing the 26-year-old Dunn to a four-year, $29.4-million extension, rewarding the cornerstone of their blue line after a breakout season that saw him post a career-high 64 points in 81 games while leading the team in average ice time (23:40). Borgen and Fleury join Dunn as rearguard returnees while Dumoulin replaces Soucy. Francis revealed that he only wanted to sign Soucy or his replacement to a two-year deal so they wouldn't block top prospect Evans' progress. Mission accomplished.
The larger changes in Seattle came in goal and up front. The Kraken lost Jones, who started the lion's share of the games last season, so the pressure is on Philipp Grubauer to stay healthy. Free agency took a bite out of the Seattle's fourth line, with Donato, Geekie, and Sprong all signing elsewhere on $2-million cap hits. The Kraken brought in Yamamoto and Bellemare to offset the loss while saving some cash.
All eyes will be on 2022 fourth-overall pick Wright to see if he can convincingly claim one of those bottom-six forward spots after struggling in 2022-23. Also vying for a spot is Kartye, who impressed in the playoffs.
Grade: B
Vancouver Canucks
Derek Cain / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key arrivals
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
These moves certainly don't have us penciling Vancouver into the playoff picture, but the Canucks were smart and responsible with their signings this summer and they've earned some props.
The Canucks cleaned up their blue line, and buying out the final four years of Ekman-Larsson's contract was just the cost of doing so. He'll be on their books until 2031, but Vancouver will save a combined $12 million over the next two years. Entering the mix in his stead is veteran Cole and stay-at-home rearguard Soucy, who join Filip Hronek (acquired in March) as the newest members of the Canucks' defense. At 34 years old, Vancouver was wise to sign Cole to a one-year pact. Soucy, 29, inked a three-year, $9.75-million deal, which shouldn't raise too many eyebrows: Justin Holl (three years, $10.2 million), Gudas (three years, $12 million), and Connor Clifton (three years, $10 million) all signed for more on July 1.
In addition to Soucy and Cole, Blueger's acquisition will also do well to fix the Canucks' penalty kill, which can use all the help it can get after finishing dead last in the league in 2022-23. Suter caps off the new notable additions and could slide in as the Canucks' third-line center on a tight $1.6-million cap hit for the next two seasons. Vancouver was hurting for forward depth, so that was an astute addition in our books.
To truly make Vancouver's offseason a home run, we would have liked to see an extension for Elias Pettersson, who can become a restricted free agent next summer, but it appears those talks have been tabled.
Grade: B+
Vegas Golden Knights
Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Key departures
Re-signed
Rookies who could crack the lineup
After winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, Vegas' summer motto came through loud and incredibly clear: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Keeping the band together is a tonal shift from an organization that's more known for its aggressive roster-building than its loyalty, but the strategy makes sense.
Instead of injecting any new, substantial talent into their roster, the Golden Knights re-signed Hill and Barbashev - their biggest free agents - rewarding them for their integral roles in Sin City's championship run. Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith was a victim of those signings, though, as he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-rounder to clear cap space.
Barbashev's pact may raise some eyebrows seeing as he's only hit the 60-point mark once in his career, but he built up incredible chemistry with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault and was a beast in the playoffs, amassing 18 points while ranking second on the team with 64 hits in 22 games.
Hill's deal may be a bit of an overpay for a goalie who has never started more than 25 games in a single regular season, but he was downright heroic in the playoffs. Even if Hill can't replicate that performance, Vegas only signed him for two years, so they aren't locked into long-term trouble. Waiting in the wings if Hill can't hack it is Logan Thompson, who was outstanding in his rookie season when he was healthy. Unlike last summer, Vegas enters the new season with a clear-cut tandem. Score one for consistency.
Matthew Knies may be biased, but he believes his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Auston Matthews is the top player in the game.
"He's not just the best goal-scorer in the NHL, but he plays defense, too," Knies said Tuesday at the NHL's rookie showcase, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "He's kind of the best overall player (in the NHL) in my eyes."
The two teammates go way back: Both natives of Arizona, Knies' older brother, Phil, grew up playing with Matthews.
Matthews is coming off a down year with 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 contests. But he led the league in goals in each of the prior two campaigns and won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2021-22 when he potted 60 goals and added 46 helpers in 73 contests. He also received downballot Selke Trophy votes in each of the last four years.
Knies' opinion runs contrary to the general consensus that Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is the best player in the game. McDavid has won three straight Art Ross Trophies and captured the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award this past season after recording 64 goals and 153 points.
Knies, who's only skated in three NHL regular-season games and seven playoff contests, will get his first taste of McDavid when the Leafs visit the Oilers on Jan. 16.
Danton Heinen is looking to take a second tour of duty with the Boston Bruins. The club announced they signed the veteran forward to a professional tryout on Tuesday.
The Bruins drafted Heinen in the fourth round in 2014 and he spent the first four years of his career in Boston. His most productive season came with the Bruins in 2017-18 when he tallied 47 points in 77 games.
Heinen recorded eight goals and 14 assists while averaging 10:45 per game in 65 contests with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season. He posted decent defensive underlying numbers, though:
Evolving-Hockey
The Bruins are thin up front after losing several key forwards in the offseason, so Heinen, 28, will compete for a bottom-six role.
Now that we're past Labour Day and NHL training camps are right around the corner, Blake and Jeff Paterson(in for Sekeres) broke down their start date for "hockey season" and also started the countdown to September 15th which is also known as Tyler Myers bonus day.
Patrick Johnston joined the guys to talk about what changes there might be to J.T. Miller now that his extension has kicked in and also talked about Canuck players on the ice today at UBC.
