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San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Carolina Hurricanes enter the offseason aiming to punch through an Eastern final roadblock
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — There's been plenty of disappointment for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in another Eastern Conference final. General manager Eric Tulsky and coach Rod Brind'Amour view that as a positive. The franchise that went nine straight years without a playoff berth has nearly matched that with seven straight seasons of winning at least one postseason series, with this year's loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers marking a third trip to the Eastern final in that span. Now Tulsky faces a familiar challenge after taking over as GM last summer: improving the roster so it can punch through its roadblock amid higher expectations. 'We set the bar very, very high,' Tulsky said Tuesday during an end-of-year news conference with Brind'Amour. 'Every year we expect to be at least competing for a Cup and our goal is to win one or more. ... I love that we are where we are and we're going to keep pushing to get to where we want to go.' Carolina's 519 regular-season points over the past five seasons is tied for the NHL's best with the Colorado Avalanche. Its 35 postseason wins in that span trail the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, the last two playoff teams standing for a second straight year. Carolina has top players locked up to long-term deals in forwards Sebastian Aho (through 2031-32), Seth Jarvis (2031-32) and Andrei Svechnikov (2028-29), and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin (2032-33). They also recently reached an extension with trade addition Taylor Hall (through 2027-28) and goaltender Frederik Andersen for another year. And forward Logan Stankoven, who thrived in the postseason after being the primary return from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen deadline deal, has another season before becoming a restricted free agent. Additionally, the Hurricanes are projected to have roughly $28.4 million cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia, which is most among playoff teams and fifth overall. The Hurricanes have fallen to the Panthers twice in three seasons in the Eastern final, this time in five games after ending a 15-game skid in that round dating to 2009. In theory, the Hurricanes have enough assets in money and draft picks — Carolina acquired two first-rounders and two third-rounders in the Rantanen/Stankoven deal — to boost the roster. 'You take a step back and you're like, 'Wait a minute, there's four teams playing left,' and we're feeling like crap because we lost,' Brind'Amour said. "This is where you want to be. This is the level of standard you want to have as an organization.' Blue-line look Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov are unrestricted free agents. Burns, 40, routinely got top-pair work with Slavin, while the 33-year-old Orlov worked with Jalen Chatfield as second pair. Carolina also returns Chatfield, offensive threat Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker (signed to a five-year deal last summer), while top prospect Alexander Nikishin drew in for four playoff games as his NHL debut and is projected to be among Carolina's regulars next year. UFA forwards Carolina has unrestricted free agents among its regular forwards lines in Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic. Both joined Carolina last summer on one-year deals. Robinson posted career-highs of 14 goals and 18 assists while playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. He also scored a critical goal in Game 4 of the second-round series against Washington, helping Carolina maintain control of that series from the fourth line. Roslovic finished third on the team with 22 regular-season goals, though he was a healthy scratch for multiple playoff games. Banged-up Jarvis Jarvis is again dealing with a lingering shoulder injury. He opted against surgery last summer in favor of rehabbing and strengthening work, then said last week he quickly aggravated it in the regular season. Jarvis — who led the team with 32 regular-season goals and 16 postseason points — plans to stick with rehab and strengthening work again instead of surgery. 'It's not an organizational decision, it's a personal decision,' Tulsky said. 'It's his medical care. And he's going to do what's best for him and the team. If he wants to rehab it and strengthen it and keep playing, he was very effective this year and I'm optimistic that'll continue going forward, and that he'll keep helping us compete for a championship."
Fox Sports
6 hours ago
- Business
- Fox Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes enter the offseason aiming to punch through an Eastern final roadblock
Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — There's been plenty of disappointment for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in another Eastern Conference final. General manager Eric Tulsky and coach Rod Brind'Amour view that as a positive. The franchise that went nine straight years without a playoff berth has nearly matched that with seven straight seasons of winning at least one postseason series, with this year's loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers marking a third trip to the Eastern final in that span. Now Tulsky faces a familiar challenge after taking over as GM last summer: improving the roster so it can punch through its roadblock amid higher expectations. 'We set the bar very, very high,' Tulsky said Tuesday during an end-of-year news conference with Brind'Amour. 'Every year we expect to be at least competing for a Cup and our goal is to win one or more. ... I love that we are where we are and we're going to keep pushing to get to where we want to go.' Carolina's 519 regular-season points over the past five seasons is tied for the NHL's best with the Colorado Avalanche. Its 35 postseason wins in that span trail the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, the last two playoff teams standing for a second straight year. Carolina has top players locked up to long-term deals in forwards Sebastian Aho (through 2031-32), Seth Jarvis (2031-32) and Andrei Svechnikov (2028-29), and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin (2032-33). They also recently reached an extension with trade addition Taylor Hall (through 2027-28) and goaltender Frederik Andersen for another year. And forward Logan Stankoven, who thrived in the postseason after being the primary return from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen deadline deal, has another season before becoming a restricted free agent. Additionally, the Hurricanes are projected to have roughly $28.4 million cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia, which is most among playoff teams and fifth overall. The Hurricanes have fallen to the Panthers twice in three seasons in the Eastern final, this time in five games after ending a 15-game skid in that round dating to 2009. In theory, the Hurricanes have enough assets in money and draft picks — Carolina acquired two first-rounders and two third-rounders in the Rantanen/Stankoven deal — to boost the roster. 'You take a step back and you're like, 'Wait a minute, there's four teams playing left,' and we're feeling like crap because we lost,' Brind'Amour said. "This is where you want to be. This is the level of standard you want to have as an organization.' Blue-line look Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov are unrestricted free agents. Burns, 40, routinely got top-pair work with Slavin, while the 33-year-old Orlov worked with Jalen Chatfield as second pair. Carolina also returns Chatfield, offensive threat Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker (signed to a five-year deal last summer), while top prospect Alexander Nikishin drew in for four playoff games as his NHL debut and is projected to be among Carolina's regulars next year. UFA forwards Carolina has unrestricted free agents among its regular forwards lines in Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic. Both joined Carolina last summer on one-year deals. Robinson posted career-highs of 14 goals and 18 assists while playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. He also scored a critical goal in Game 4 of the second-round series against Washington, helping Carolina maintain control of that series from the fourth line. Roslovic finished third on the team with 22 regular-season goals, though he was a healthy scratch for multiple playoff games. Banged-up Jarvis Jarvis is again dealing with a lingering shoulder injury. He opted against surgery last summer in favor of rehabbing and strengthening work, then said last week he quickly aggravated it in the regular season. Jarvis — who led the team with 32 regular-season goals and 16 postseason points — plans to stick with rehab and strengthening work again instead of surgery. 'It's not an organizational decision, it's a personal decision,' Tulsky said. 'It's his medical care. And he's going to do what's best for him and the team. If he wants to rehab it and strengthen it and keep playing, he was very effective this year and I'm optimistic that'll continue going forward, and that he'll keep helping us compete for a championship." ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Carolina Hurricanes enter the offseason aiming to punch through an Eastern final roadblock
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — There's been plenty of disappointment for the Carolina Hurricanes after falling short in another Eastern Conference final. General manager Eric Tulsky and coach Rod Brind'Amour view that as a positive. The franchise that went nine straight years without a playoff berth has nearly matched that with seven straight seasons of winning at least one postseason series, with this year's loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers marking a third trip to the Eastern final in that span. Now Tulsky faces a familiar challenge after taking over as GM last summer: improving the roster so it can punch through its roadblock amid higher expectations. 'We set the bar very, very high,' Tulsky said Tuesday during an end-of-year news conference with Brind'Amour. 'Every year we expect to be at least competing for a Cup and our goal is to win one or more. … I love that we are where we are and we're going to keep pushing to get to where we want to go.' Carolina's 519 regular-season points over the past five seasons is tied for the NHL's best with the Colorado Avalanche. Its 35 postseason wins in that span trail the Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, the last two playoff teams standing for a second straight year. Carolina has top players locked up to long-term deals in forwards Sebastian Aho (through 2031-32), Seth Jarvis (2031-32) and Andrei Svechnikov (2028-29), and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin (2032-33). They also recently reached an extension with trade addition Taylor Hall (through 2027-28) and goaltender Frederik Andersen for another year. And forward Logan Stankoven, who thrived in the postseason after being the primary return from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen deadline deal, has another season before becoming a restricted free agent. Additionally, the Hurricanes are projected to have roughly $28.4 million cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia, which is most among playoff teams and fifth overall. The Hurricanes have fallen to the Panthers twice in three seasons in the Eastern final, this time in five games after ending a 15-game skid in that round dating to 2009. In theory, the Hurricanes have enough assets in money and draft picks — Carolina acquired two first-rounders and two third-rounders in the Rantanen/Stankoven deal — to boost the roster. 'You take a step back and you're like, 'Wait a minute, there's four teams playing left,' and we're feeling like crap because we lost,' Brind'Amour said. 'This is where you want to be. This is the level of standard you want to have as an organization.' Blue-line look Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov are unrestricted free agents. Burns, 40, routinely got top-pair work with Slavin, while the 33-year-old Orlov worked with Jalen Chatfield as second pair. Carolina also returns Chatfield, offensive threat Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker (signed to a five-year deal last summer), while top prospect Alexander Nikishin drew in for four playoff games as his NHL debut and is projected to be among Carolina's regulars next year. UFA forwards Carolina has unrestricted free agents among its regular forwards lines in Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic. Both joined Carolina last summer on one-year deals. Robinson posted career-highs of 14 goals and 18 assists while playing all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. He also scored a critical goal in Game 4 of the second-round series against Washington, helping Carolina maintain control of that series from the fourth line. Roslovic finished third on the team with 22 regular-season goals, though he was a healthy scratch for multiple playoff games. Banged-up Jarvis Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Jarvis is again dealing with a lingering shoulder injury. He opted against surgery last summer in favor of rehabbing and strengthening work, then said last week he quickly aggravated it in the regular season. Jarvis — who led the team with 32 regular-season goals and 16 postseason points — plans to stick with rehab and strengthening work again instead of surgery. 'It's not an organizational decision, it's a personal decision,' Tulsky said. 'It's his medical care. And he's going to do what's best for him and the team. If he wants to rehab it and strengthen it and keep playing, he was very effective this year and I'm optimistic that'll continue going forward, and that he'll keep helping us compete for a championship.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
How the Lightning benefit short and long term from 6-year deal to keep Yanni Gourde through age 39
Yanni Gourde just became the first 33-year-old forward to land a six-year contract since the NHL introduced a salary cap two decades ago. It's no coincidence that he signed his deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts front office seeks out surplus value wherever it can find it, and general manager Julien BriseBois tried (and failed) to pursue similarly structured deals with Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos before they left town as unrestricted free agents the past two summers. Advertisement In getting Gourde to agree to a six-year extension carrying a $2.33 million average annual value Monday, BriseBois inked a deal with very few comparables. Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang are the only other players to get that long of a commitment at the same age since 2011, according to PuckPedia, and neither of them was a middle-six winger on the cusp of free agency. Gourde's deal includes signing-bonus payments due each year to mitigate any future risk of a buyout and a full no-trade clause to guarantee he remains in Tampa as long as he wants to be there. Yanni Gourde 6 year $2.33M Cap Hit #Bolts deal: Yr 1 $1M Salary, 2.01M Signing BonusYr 2 $1M & 2.01M SBYr 3 1M & 1.56M SBYr 4 1M & 808K SBYr 5 1M & 806K SBYr 6 1M & 806K SB Includes full No Trade Clause throughout Rep'd by Paul Corbeil of Paraphehttps:// — PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 2, 2025 However, what makes the contract especially unique is the fact that Gourde had leverage and still wound up with a salary cap number that will immediately be reduced by roughly 55 percent from where it was previously. This comes at a time when the cap is taking a significant jump leaguewide, and it arms the Lightning with the space needed to build a better roster in the immediate term. In exchange, Gourde gets to remain with an organization he loves while locking in a significant amount of security coming off a season where he lost 25 games to a groin injury. Gourde first established himself as a full-time NHLer with Tampa Bay, winning Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, before landing with the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. The Lightning then reacquired him ahead of the March 7 trade deadline with the belief it would be able to keep him long term. Advertisement 'He's still a really good player,' BriseBois said of Gourde at the time. 'His main quality is his speed, his competitiveness, his relentlessness, his fearlessness. He still has all that.' Gourde also owns eight consecutive seasons with at least 30 points and brings versatility as a winger who can line up down the middle. The Lightning's contractual bet can effectively be boiled down to a belief that he'll deliver excess value at the beginning of the deal and fair value through its middle portion before leaving the organization with some outs once he hits the age of 38 or 39 seasons, if needed. In the event that he's not healthy at that juncture, Gourde can be placed on long-term injured reserve. If he's still able to play but is ineffective, most of his cap hit will almost certainly be eligible to be buried in the AHL at that point. And if Gourde is still performing in Years 5 and 6, the Lightning just hit a towering home run with this contract. No matter how it plays out, they've assumed very little risk while showing some ingenuity at the bargaining table. Any discussion about the tax advantages Sun Belt teams enjoy should also factor in how well-run the Lightning and Stanley Cup-bound Florida Panthers have been while constructing organizations that few can match. A fundamental operating principle for BriseBois has always been to borrow from the future to improve the present. He verbalized that after acquiring Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from Seattle in March for two first-round picks and a second-rounder. 'I'd rather have a lineup full of good players than a bank of a ton of draft picks,' BriseBoise said. 'Because I think ultimately, what we're trying to do is win hockey games. We want to win a lot of hockey games this season, next season, every season. We're chasing a championship now this season, but we're going to be chasing a championship next season and for the foreseeable future. Advertisement 'So if I can use those picks to help me accomplish those objectives of winning as many hockey games as possible and chasing championships, I think that's my job to go ahead and get those transactions done and acquire those players.' The other part of the equation is keeping those players on contracts that they're likely to outperform on the ice. In signing Gourde beyond his 39th birthday, he's done just that.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Flyers Offseason: Grading the Tyson Foerster Contract Extension
Flyers winger Tyson Foerster exploded for six goals in his final five games of the season, crossing the 20-goal threshold for the second time. (Photo: Eric Bolte, Imagn Images) The Philadelphia Flyers signed budding winger Tyson Foerster to a highly anticipated contract extension Thursday afternoon, but the details tell the bigger story. The contract is a temporary solution to a complex situation, but there are benefits, too. Advertisement Foerster, 23, put pen to paper on a two-year, $7.5 million extension ($3.75 million AAV), signing a much shorter contract than what most were expecting. For reference, hockey analytics mavens Evolving-Hockey gave Foerster a 27% chance of signing an eight-year extension, with a predicted annual cap hit of $6.94 million in that instance. A two-year deal for Foerster had the second-highest odds, according to Evolving-Hockey's model, at 23%. They predicted Foerster to pull in a $4.161 million cap hit in this scenario, so the Flyers, by most accounts, got a great deal on their former-first round pick's bridge contract. One underrated aspect of Foerster's new Flyers contract is the fact that he will still be under team control on its expiry; Foerster will still be a restricted free agent in 2027 at 25 years old. Advertisement By getting him on a short-term bridge deal, the Flyers save themselves some cap space for the potential to make a bigger move in the next two seasons and don't lose any leverage when the time comes to negotiate another contract. Tyson Foerster's 2024-25 player card, courtesy of Evolving-Hockey. And that time could be as soon as July 1, 2026, when Foerster will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the Flyers. It's not dissimilar to what Cam York just went through with the Flyers as a pending RFA himself. Additionally, Foerster's new deal does not come with any form of trade protection, meaning that, now through the end of the contract, the Flyers control the 23-year-old's fate. Advertisement This could become especially prudent if a season passes and the two sides are unable to come to an agreement on a longer-term contract, or if Foerster struggles massively and is no longer deemed a fit for the future of the Flyers. The 6-foot-2 winger's UFA year, according to PuckPedia, is 2029, so the Flyers could have pushed for more team control, but 2027 will have to suffice. It's an amicable solution for two sides who clearly wanted to get a deal done, and so Foerster will remain with the Flyers. Grade: B+ This piece of business by the Flyers was as close to perfect as can be. Personally, a longer-term deal would have been preferable, especially considering that having some extra years of team control was, apparently, a factor of some kind. Advertisement With Foerster's contract becoming official, the Flyers now have a shade under $23 million to operate with, needing only to re-sign York, Noah Cates, Jakob Pelletier, and fringe players like Olle Lycksell and Helge Grans. Last year, the contracts given out to Travis Konecny, Ivan Fedotov, and Owen Tippett raised some eyebrows, but the Foerster contract is a clear win for a Flyers organization that desperately needs one.
