Pucks and Ponderings: This Week in the NHL
NHL Player Retirements
Jordie Benn Retires
Always a fan of players who are undrafted and can grind their way to an NHL career. Read more about Benn's retirement here.
Alex Goligoski Retires
A solid player for a long time, Goligoski retires with a cup ring. Drafted in 2004, the only players still active from that draft are Ovechkin, Malkin, and Wheeler. More on Goligoski's career.
NHL Professional Tryouts (PTOs)
A PTO (professional tryout) is a no-risk, moderate-reward opportunity for NHL GMs. Teams must dress a minimum of 8 veteran players in each preseason game, and players on PTOs count towards that requirement. This allows GM’s to sit their star players to avoid injuries and if the PTO player does well then they may earn a contract with the team or another team. There are a number of players on PTO’s but two of note are:
Max Pacioretty Joins Toronto Maple Leafs on PTO
Pacioretty joins a long list of players of older players who have joined the Maple Leafs at or around league minimum to try and push the team over the hump. While he is on a PTO as of right now, most of the rumors out there suggest he will be signed prior to the start of the season. I generally like moves like this as I mentioned, low risk, moderate reward as long as it’s not blocking the path of a younger player who could contribute.
Pacioretty has actually been on my mind a few times this summer due to his trade (along with Dylan Coghlan) from Vegas to Carolina in July 2022. Vegas received future considerations in the trade. I’m fascinated on why this type of trade doesn't happen more in the NHL. Full post to come on this in the future.
Tyson Barrie Joins Calgary Flames on PTO
Barrie is an interesting player because he is well known for his powerplay prowess and is only one season removed from a 55 point year where fun fact, he played 85 games split between Edmonton and Nashville. While things clearly didn’t work out in Nashville, I wouldn't be surprised to see Barrie end up signing with Calgary or another team who has needs for his special set of skills.
Recent NHL Signings
Adam Larsson Signs Extension with Seattle Kraken
An original member of the Kraken is sticking around for 4 more years as he has signed a 4 year, 5.25M AAV extension that kicks in after this season. Will he be the next captain?
Nicholas Robertson Signs Extension with Toronto Maple Leafs
Signed a 1-year, $875,000 contract extension. High pedigree player who hasn’t done much in the NHL. He has been trapped down the depth chart and had some injuries. Can he make a difference this year and even if so, does he keep his trade request in place?
Other NHL News
Four Nations Roster Deadline Announced
As noted by Pierre LeBrun, the deadline for teams to submit their full rosters for the Four Nations Face off is Dec. 2. This would give the national team GM’s roughly two months of games to evaluate their players.
PWHL Releases Team Names and Logos
The PWHL teams have their identity as the team names and logos were released this week! The league received a bit of criticism for not having team names or logos during season one, but the NHL’s newest team (Utah) is following suit and taking their time to craft their branding. The schedule for PWHL season two has yet to be released.