Cole’s Notes From Around the League: 6/19/21-6/25/21

3 years ago  /  Arctic Ice Hockey  /  Read Time: 4 minutes 34 seconds

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports


The latest in transaction news from across the NHL. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks made no moves this week.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes made no moves this week.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins signed left winger Trent Frederic to a two-year contract extension.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres made no moves this week. Defenceman Andrej Meszaros, who last played in the NHL for Buffalo in 2014/15, has signed a one-year contract in Slovakia with HK Dukla Trencin.
Calgary Flames
The Flames made no moves this week.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes made no moves this week.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks made no moves this week.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche made no moves this week. Left winger Miikka Salomaki has signed a two-year contract in Sweden with the SHL’s Orebro HK.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets made no moves this week.
Dallas Stars
The Stars signed left winger Blake Comeau to a one-year contract extension. They signed left winger Rhett Gardner to a two-year contract extension.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings made no moves this week.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers made no moves this week.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers made no moves this week.
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings signed centre Blake Lizotte to a one-year contract.
Centre Brooks Laich, who last played in the NHL for Los Angeles in 2017/18, has retired from pro hockey. Drafted in the sixth round, 193rd overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, Laich has 332 points (134G, 198A) in 776 games, as well as 32 points (10G, 22A) in 65 games, for Ottawa (part of 2003/04), Washington (partway through 2003/04-partway through 2015/16), Toronto (part of 2015/16), and Los Angeles (2017/18). The forward made his name with the Capitals as more of a defensive forward, balancing out Washington’s heavily offensive playing style during Alex Ovechkin’s prime years. Laich had productive offensive years too, with career highs of 59 points, 25 goals, and 34 assists in 2010 with the Capitals. As the 2010s wore on, age and injuries took a major toll on both his offensive production and his ability to produce offence, with 2011/12 being the last time Laich would even reach double-digit goals, and the last time he reached 40 points, or 30 for that matter. He finished his last NHL season with one point (0G, 1A) in 12 games for the Los Angeles Kings. Laich, 38, announced his retirement formally on Instagram after three seasons out of the NHL.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild made no moves this week.
Right winger JT Brown, who last played in the NHL for Minnesota in 2018/19, has retired from pro hockey. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brown has 72 points (23G, 49A) in 365 games, as well as six points (1G, 5A) in 41 playoff games, for the Tampa Bay (2011/12, 2013/14-partway through 2017/18), Anaheim (part of 2017/18), and Minnesota (2018/19). Brown spent his career as a fourth-line forward, with career-highs 22 points and eight goals in 2016 and 15 assists in 2014, all with Tampa Bay. He may not have necessarily been a star player on the ice, he has been one of the few to really march forward in hockey. He began dabbling in video game streaming on Twitch.tv during his playing career, and even hosted a 24-hour fundraiser in 2018 to raise money for the NHL’s inclusivity initiative “Hockey Is For Everyone.” More importantly, Brown has been vocal in his support for racial justice, and wasthe first NHL player to do a form of anthem protest, raising his fist to protest police brutality in 2017 in the wake of the conservative-led backlash to Colin Kaepernick’s anti-police-brutality kneeling. Brown played his last NHL season in 2018/19, scoring eight assists (3G, 5A) in 56 games for Minnesota and six points in six games for AHL Iowa. After spending all of 2019/20 in the AHL, Brown played his last pro season in 2020/21 with IF Bjorkloven of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier major pro league, and scored 12 points in 19 games. Brown, 30, is set to join ROOT Sports Northwest as colour commentator for the Seattle Kraken, who begin play in 2021/22.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens signed centre Lukas Vejdemo to a one-year contract extension. They signed centre Laurent Dauphin to a one-year contract extension.
Nashville Predators
The Predators made no moves this week.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils made no moves this week.
New York Islanders
The Islanders made no moves this week. Centre Mathew Barzal has been fined $5000 for cross-checking Tampa Bay’s Jan Rutta.
New York Rangers
The Rangers made no moves this week.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators made no moves this week.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers made no moves this week.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins made no moves this week.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks signed left winger Matt Nieto to a two-year contract extension.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken have hired Dave Hakstol as head coach.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues made no moves this week.
Defenceman Carl Gunnarsson has retired from pro hockey. Drafted in the seventh-round, 194th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Gunnarsson has 138 points (30G, 108A) in 629 games, as well as seven points (1G, 6A) in 68 playoff games, for Toronto (2009/10-2013/14) and St. Louis (2014/15-2020/21). Gunnarsson was generally a second- or third-pair defencemen during his career, and had career highs of 20 points and 16 assists in 2011 with Toronto and five goals in 2018 with Toronto. Gunnarsson won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the Blues. He finished his last pro season with two points (0G, 2A) in 12 games for the Blues. Gunnarsson, 34, retires after having played 73 of the last 209 games across the last three seasons due to various injuries.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning made no moves this week.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs made no moves this week.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks made no moves this week.
Defenceman Cam Barker, who last played in the NHL for Vancouver in 2012/13, has retired from pro hockey. Drafted in the first round, third overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Barker has 96 points (21G, 75A) in 310 games for Chicago (2005/06-partway through 2009/10), Minnesota (partway through 2009/10-2010/11), Edmonton (2011/12), and Vancouver (2012/13). He has career highs of 40 points and 34 assists in 2009, as well as six goals in 2008 and 2009 with Chicago. Despite some promising results early in his career, his production dropped dramatically in 2009/10, resulting in his being traded by the Blackhawks for Nick Leddy before they won a Cup. He played 52 games in 2010/11, 25 in 2011/12, and 14 of a possible 48 in 2012/13 before winding up out of the NHL for good. He finished his last NHL season with two points (0G, 2A) in 14 games for Vancouver and eight points in 23 games for AHL Texas. He finished his last pro season with eight points in 22 games for Les Dragons de Rouen of France’s top-level Ligue Magnus. Barker, 35, will join the Pentiction Vees of the junior-A BC Hockey League as an assistant coach.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights made no moves this week.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals signed centre Shane Gersich to a one-year contract.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets made no moves this week.
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