The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Filip Hronek to a three-year entry-level contract on Thursday.
Hronek was selected with the club's second-round pick in this year's draft after recording four assists and 22 penalty minutes in 40 games with Hradec Kralove of the Czech National League.
The signing is somewhat intriguing considering the Red Wings elected to sign their second-round selection before fellow defenseman Dennis Cholowski, who was plucked in the first round.
However, Cholowski told Brandon Folsom of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday he expects to spend at least the next three seasons with St. Cloud State, so the team could merely be saving valuable years.
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The Montreal Canadiens didn't agree with their former analytics consultant when it came to evaluating P.K. Subban and Shea Weber before the blockbuster trade was consummated with the Nashville Predators.
Matt Pfeffer - whose contract wasn't renewed by the Canadiens this week - confirmed the difference in opinion Thursday, but said he didn't meet with the team face to face.
"Prior to the trade, I submitted a report comparing both players," he told Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I made a passionate case in favor of P.K. Subban. There was never a meeting with management."
Engels originally reported Wednesday night that Pfeffer had presented his case to Canadiens management.
“Ultimately, this is the nature of this kind of work," Pfeffer said Thursday. "Management makes their decision based on a variety of criteria. Their evaluation may have been different in this case, but there was consensus on other decisions through my time with the team.”
Despite the differing opinions on Subban and Weber, Pfeffer concluded his statement offering praise for the club.
"The Canadiens treated me with the utmost respect," he said. "They are a world-class organization. I understand that they desired to go in a different direction. I was thankful to be a part of their team."
Montreal responded to Engels' earlier reports insisting they will bolster their analytics staff and are considering their options.
Pfeffer was hired by the Canadiens in the summer of 2015. He previously consulted for the San Jose Sharks, Hockey Canada, and the OHL's Ottawa 67's.
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The Buffalo Sabres will have at least another season of Marcus Foligno's services.
The club signed the winger to a one-year contract extension Thursday.
Foligno received a qualifying offer from the Sabres on June 27.
The 24-year-old set career highs with 10 goals and 23 points in 75 games in 2015-16.
It's unlikely that he'll crack Buffalo's top-six, but he should continue to provide depth on the third and fourth lines next season.
Buffalo made Foligno a fourth-round pick in 2009.
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Playing near lightning is bound to get you burned.
Detroit Red Wings fan Zander - or @NyquistSnipe on Twitter - came up with a playful but ill-conceived description of Tampa Bay Lightning supporters Wednesday:
you're 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 real 👏🏼 tampa 👏🏼 bay👏🏼 lighting 👏🏼 fan 👏🏼 unless 👏🏼 you've 👏🏼 been 👏🏼 struck 👏🏼 by 👏🏼 actual 👏🏼 lighting
— zander. (@NYQUISTSNIPE) July 13, 2016
Several hours later, he tried to get validation from the Lightning team account:
@TBLightning do we agree https://t.co/bC2HHSoaj1
— zander. (@NYQUISTSNIPE) July 14, 2016
The Lightning replied Thursday with the ultimate comeback:
@NYQUISTSNIPE you're 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 real 👏🏼 tampa 👏🏼 bay 👏🏼 lightning 👏🏼 fan 👏🏼 unless 👏🏼 you 👏🏼 can 👏🏼 spell 👏🏼 lightning 👏🏼 correctly
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 14, 2016
Zander actually posted an entire series of tweets about various NHL teams with the same clapping emojis, but only one of them was deserving of a thunderous response.
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The Winnipeg Jets made a pair of moves Thursday, signing forwards Joel Armia and Adam Lowry to two-year contracts, the club announced.
Armia's deal carries and AAV of $925,000, while Lowry's is worth $1.125 million annually. Both players are 23 years old.
Armia - drafted 16th overall in 2011 by the Buffalo Sabres - has yet to make his mark in the NHL, but suited up in a career-high 43 games for the Jets last season, recording 10 points.
Lowry endured a slight decline is production last season, registering 17 points in 74 games compared to a career-high 23 points in 2014-15.
Both players should slot into the Jets' bottom six, behind a heavily talented core at the top.
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