The Anaheim Ducks traded defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the signing rights to prospect Cutter Gauthier on Monday.
Drysdale, 21, was drafted sixth overall by the Ducks in 2020. He's played just 18 games the past two seasons due to injury.
Gauthier, 19, starred with the United States at the recently completed World Junior Championship. The 2022 fifth overall pick is currently playing at Boston College.
Dan and Sat get you ready for Canucks gameday. The guys open the show discussing Nylander's new contract and the future of the salary cap in the NHL. What does Nylander's contract mean for Petey? The guys suggest he wants to wait until the offseason. Dan & Sat debate what the Canucks options are with Pettersson. Don Taylor joins the show. Donnie talks Nylander, Noah Juulsen, Canadian teams playing well, and Pius Suter.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Matt and Blake discuss the return of the Lotto Line, whether can it last and is it the best way for the Canucks to go. Other topics include the hunt for a second-line centre if Lotto Line stays together, dressing the best regular season lineup of the season with Soucy and Zadorov both back healthy, the 3rd line turning into the 2nd line, Quinn Hughes' Norris Trophy candidacy, and tests in Gotham. The guys also talk about a critical offseason for the Seahawks, the NFL playoff matchups,
Rink Wide: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson stops by to discuss the win in Jersey, the Lotto line and its trickle-down effect, Ian Cole getting tried on the right side, the future of Andrei Kuzmenko minus Elias Pettersson as his centre, the 3rd line getting 2nd line duty and matchups, and the games in New York.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and leading scorer William Nylander are finalizing an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $11.5 million, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The agreement will keep Nylander in Toronto through his age-35 season and reportedly include a full no-movement clause.
The cap hit will tie Nylander with Erik Karlsson as the fifth-highest paid player in league when the contract begins in 2024-25.
In terms of total value, it'll be the richest contract in Maple Leafs franchise history, surpassing John Tavares' seven-year, $77-million deal. Auston Matthews' cap hit on his extension beginning next season is an NHL-high $13.25 million, but it's only for four years.
The Maple Leafs will employ four of the 11 highest-paid players in the NHL next season, although Tavares and Mitch Marner ($10.9 million AAV) will be entering the final year of their deals.
Nylander is in the midst of a career season, registering 21 goals and 33 assists in 37 games. His 54 points are tied with Connor McDavid for fifth-most in the league. Nylander's best full campaign was 2022-23 when he tallied 40 goals and 47 assists in 82 contests.
The Swede's offensive underlying numbers are among the NHL's elite, although his defensive play is below average.
Evolving-Hockey
Despite the team's playoff failures, Nylander has arguably been the Leafs' most consistent postseason performer. He's recorded 14 goals and 15 assists in 30 playoff games over the last four years. For his career, he's produced 40 points in 50 postseason contests.
The Maple Leafs drafted Nylander eighth overall in 2014. His previous contract carried an AAV of $6.96 million.
Yet another thrilling edition of the World Junior Championship is in the rearview mirror.
A U.S. squad full of NHL-drafted talent went undefeated en route to gold, while a Canadian squad with a similar amount of NHL draftees flamed out in the quarters.
It's time to break down how each team's prospects fared at the 2024 edition of the tournament.
Note: The Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers had no prospects play at the world juniors.
Dionicio was superb for Switzerland, ranking top 10 in cumulative game score, per Elite Prospects' tracking. He was the only Swiss player to average over 20 minutes per game and won his minutes 5-2 at five-on-five.
Warren was a fine defensive second-pairing blue-liner for Canada.
Lamoureux anchored Canada's top pairing with Denton Mateychuk, playing over 24 minutes per game, and won his five-on-five minutes 5-1. He was leaned on to take a bigger role than anticipated with Tristan Luneau's absence, and he excelled.
Geekie had positive moments for Canada but ultimately wasn't the game-breaker the team needed in big games. Hrabal was good against Canada and the U.S. but faltered in marquee spots in the semis and the bronze-medal game.
Expectations for Poitras were high as Canada's only addition from the NHL. He was consistent but never truly became the game-changer Canada was hoping he could be as the tournament progressed.
In a much different situation, Locmelis was the player Latvia needed him to be to avoid relegation. He played over 20 minutes per game and was particularly good in Latvia's significant 6-2 victory against Germany.
Kulich led Czechia to a bronze medal with a tournament-best 12 points. Though he didn't get recognition on the All-Star team, there's a strong case that Ostlund was Sweden's best forward. And Strbak made playing over 23 minutes a game as an 18-year-old blue-liner look remarkably easy.
At the same time, Savoie's lack of production was one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament. He created looks, but the lack of finish was a factor in Canada's early dismissal.
Honzek scored in the opening three games for Slovakia, and they won them all. He failed to score against the U.S. and Finland, and Slovakia lost both. The 2023 first-rounder was good in a secondary role but needed to break through in big games if Slovakia was to go deeper.
Unger Sorum was among the best bottom-six forwards at the tournament. He only played 14:35 per game but notched six points, won his five-on-five minutes 8-2, and was excellent in transition.
Vondras' lone appearance came in relief in the bronze-medal game.
After an injury-shortened season last year, how great is it to see Nazar back and excelling? As the United States' second-line center, Nazar racked up a tournament-best five primary assists at five-on-five.
Gajan had an exceptional start to the tournament but faltered against Norway and, most importantly, Finland in the quarterfinals.
Mateychuk was easily Canada's best defenseman. He played huge minutes - 24:33 a game, to be exact - and was among the tournament's best in transition, per Elite Prospects' tracking.
Brindley was effective all tournament long. On the other hand, Dumais' lack of production was very underwhelming, while Keskinen was good but not great in Finland's middle six.
Augustine should've won the top goaltender award. He was outstanding all tournament, and the only reason he didn't was because he missed a pair of games with illness. Oh, and he can return next year for the United States.
Sandin Pellikka was named the top defenseman by the IIHF directorate, led Sweden in minutes, and contributed to some significant goals. But he wasn't a huge factor at five-on-five, which prevented him from landing on the All-Star team as voted on by the media.
Few were as good in group play as Petrovsky. He was great in his own zone and was the finisher that Filip Mesar needed on his line.
Ohgren, meanwhile, left a lot to be desired. As Sweden's captain and in his third world juniors, he failed to score a goal on 26 shots, didn't record a point at even strength, and was outscored 3-1 at five-on-five.
Hutson didn't dominate the tournament in the way some expected him to, but he still led the gold-medal-winning team in minutes, racked up seven points, and outscored the opposition 10-4 at five-on-five.
Mesar was similarly great. Dominant in transition, he would've made the tournament All-Star team had Slovakia won in overtime against Finland in the quarters.
As Canada's only returnee, Beck underwhelmed with one goal. He was good in a checking role, but Canada ultimately needed him to be more.
Kulonummi anchored Finland's top pairing, playing over 22 minutes a game. Wood didn't play much for Canada but scored a marquee goal in the quarters against Czechia.
Casey didn't play a huge role for the Americans - that went to Lane Hutson - but was exceptional in a secondary position. He won his five-on-five minutes 10-2 and ranked top five among defenders in scoring despite missing a game. Hameenaho was consistently dangerous around the net front.
Perreault continues to excel wherever he plays. From the U.S. NTDP to under-18s, NCAA, and now the world juniors, all he does is put up points.
Sykora, an AHL regular this season, tallied only two points in big minutes with Slovakia. He was good defensively, but Slovakia needed its captain to provide more offensively.
Hamara was Czechia's top blue-liner, playing over 23 minutes per game and quarterbacking the power play. He wasn't the tournament's best by any means, but he adequately filled a significant role on a Czech back end that lost the likes of David Jiricek, Stanislav Svozil, and David Spacek from a year ago.
Donovan played a minimal role as an injury replacement, while Pettersson was a fourth-liner for Sweden.
It was slightly surprising that Gauthier led the tournament in assists rather than goals. Still, the top-five pick was vital to the United States' gold-medal efforts as he co-led the event in scoring and landed on the media All-Star team.
The deflection off him that ended Canada's tournament overshadowed Bonk's performance, which was impressive for an 18-year-old blue-liner. Canada outscored opponents 7-3 with Bonk on the ice at five-on-five, and he got minutes on the second power-play unit.
If Alan Letang had a do-over, Yager likely would've played a much bigger role for Canada. Despite playing the 10th-most minutes among Canadian forwards, he was second on the team in scoring and won his five-on-five minutes 7-1 - the best differential for any Canadian.
The duo of Kangas and Pieniniemi weren't notable on the Finnish blue line.
It came as no surprise that Smith found success alongside his Boston College teammates, racking up seven primary points at five-on-five.
Bystedt wasn't as much of a factor as anticipated, while Havelid was usurped on the depth chart by the likes of Theo Lindstein and Tom Willander.
Furlong was a pleasant surprise on Canada's back end, providing strong defensive minutes in a top-four role. And Halttunen's wicked shot was on full display with 30 shots on goal while averaging only 14:26 per contest.
Nyman led the tournament in shots with 40 but only managed to score twice. A bit more puck luck for him, and we're talking about Nyman as one of the stars of the event.
Sale was productive for Czechia, while Nelson and Rehkopf impressed in small usage for Canada. Kokko didn't have a great showing as Finland's starter.
Snuggerud missed a game but still registered five goals and eight points while battling illness. Stenberg potted five as well and can return next year. And how about Lindstein? He wasn't even on Sweden's initial roster and ended up on the media All-Star team with eight points and a plus-9 goal differential at five-on-five.
That's not all. Dvorsky was dominant in transition en route to six points. Stancl, Kaskimaki, and Pekarcik were all effective in their own right for their teams, too.
If it wasn't evident with his play at Michigan State, Howard has his swagger back. The co-leader in goals with seven, the U.S. outscored the opposition 11-1 with him on the ice at five-on-five. Oh, and he scored twice in the gold-medal game.
In retrospect, Minten should've been used in a defensive role rather than playing in the top six. He was good in his own zone but failed to provide the dynamic, breakthrough offense required of a Canadian top-six forward who also features on the No. 1 power-play unit.
Cowan was good in a bottom-six role and wasn't on the ice for a five-on-five goal against. He's set for a bigger spot in Canada's lineup next year.
Lekkerimaki surged late in the tournament to snag MVP honors in a silver-medal effort. His one-timer was near automatic down the stretch, firing nine shots on goal against both Switzerland and Czechia in elimination games.
But don't overlook Willander. The right-shot blue-liner was superb in his own zone, outscoring opponents 11-2 at five-on-five. And Pettersson was Axel Sandin Pellikka's counterpart on the top pairing, playing over 20 minutes a night.
Sapovaliv was good in the defensive zone, but Czechia was likely hoping for more offense from the three-time world junior veteran. Karki had an up-and-down tournament, and Edstrom was effective in Sweden's middle six.
Leonard loves to break Swedish hearts. He did it at the under-18s, where he scored the golden goal in overtime, and did it again on Friday with a late dagger and a kiss to the crowd.
Chesley was the perfect counterpart to Hutson's electric offense. The U.S. won his minutes 9-2, and he allowed Hutson to do his thing.
McGroarty returned from injury just in time for the tournament opener, and he never looked back. The American captain was a two-way beast throughout the event.
Salomonsson and Wagner played smaller roles for Sweden.
"If we want to be a playoff team, that's a game we've got to win, find a way to win," he said. "It wasn't good enough."
"I felt like we were just not dialed in enough and (there are) just no excuses for that," he added.
Flames head coach Ryan Huska had a more succinct view.
"They were hungrier and harder than we were," he said.
Colin Blackwell scored twice for the Blackhawks, including the goal that made it 4-2 and would be the eventual game-winner. Nazem Kadri replied with his second tally of the contest, but that's as close as Calgary would get.
Chicago was playing its first game without Connor Bedard, the first overall pick in this year's draft who leads all rookies in scoring. The 18-year-old is also pacing his club in terms of offense, leading all three primary categories - including points by 10.
But the Blackhawks were severely undermanned even before Bedard landed on injured reserve with a broken jaw. Chicago is missing eight of its top 12 forwards including Taylor Hall, plus top defenseman Seth Jones. They played Sunday's game with only 11 forwards, and currently have more salary on injured reserve than on the active roster.
The Flames were playing their third road game in four nights. They went 2-2-0 on the trip, losing back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Blackhawks on the weekend after beating the Nashville Predators on Thursday and topping the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Calgary fell to 17-18-5 on the season with Sunday's defeat. They're only two points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but they've played four more games than the Edmonton Oilers, two more than the St. Louis Blues, and one more than the Seattle Kraken.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel declined to delve into his pending unrestricted free agency on Saturday after his agent raised eyebrows about the uncertainty of impending negotiations.
"Jake Guentzel is in a great spot," his agent, Ben Hankinson, said on a radio show, according to The Athletic's Rob Rossi. "What's going to happen? I don't know. But I'm going to lean on conversations I've already had with (general manager) Kyle (Dubas), including in the summer, including conversations with Jake. I think the good thing is we'll all be on the same page.
"Could it get ugly? Yes, it could. Kyle has to make decisions, too - which way the team is going and the investment he's going to make with Jake. Is it the same direction? It's going to come down to how they play, and we'll put our heads together. All the things that go into trade deadlines, (Kyle) might look into what he can get for Jake or what it costs to sign him. There's a lot that will happen in two months, and I don't know the answers to that."
Guentzel was asked about his agent's take following Saturday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
"I mean, I'm not going to go too much into detail about it," he said. "I'm just trying to play, and we'll see what happens as we go."
Guentzel expressed his desire to stay in Pittsburgh in October. He was drafted by the Penguins in the third round of the 2013 draft and has gone on to produce 457 points in 491 games while helping the club win the Stanley Cup in 2017. The Nebraska native has been a staple on Sidney Crosby's wing for much of his career and would be one of the biggest names on the open market this summer if he doesn't sign an extension.
The Penguins are projected to have approximately $18 million in financial flexibility for next season, according to CapFriendly, but only have 13 players signed. Guentzel has earned a raise over the $6 million he's made annually since 2019, but Pittsburgh's superstars, including Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, have made a habit of taking less than market value for the sake of the team.
Pittsburgh is 19-15-4 on the season so far, good for seventh in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division. The Penguins are currently two points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06 last season.
