We’re now in the arbitration period which resulted in several players inking deals to avoid going to a hearing. Those contracts are included in our key stories from the past seven days.
Five For Luukkonen: Of the players who reached a contract before their arbitration hearings, all took a short-term deal except for one, Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Following a career year, the 25-year-old agreed to a five-year, $23.75MM contract with Buffalo. The deal gives Buffalo an additional three seasons of club control and also contains a five-team no-trade list in those final three years, the only ones he was eligible for trade protection. Luukkonen posted a 2.57 GAA with a .910 SV% in a career-best 54 games last season, showing the potential of a full-fledged starter. If he can play at that level for this contract, it should be a team-friendly deal while allowing the Sabres to be patient in bringing Devon Levi along.
More Arbitration Moves: Several other players avoided arbitration this week. First, Buffalo signed newly acquired winger Beck Malenstyn to a two-year, $2.7MM agreement. The 26-year-old played his first full NHL campaign last season, notching 21 points and 241 hits in 81 games with Washington. Toronto then reached an agreement on a one-year, $1.18MM deal with center Connor Dewar. The Maple Leafs acquired the 25-year-old at the trade deadline from Minnesota; Dewar had a career-best 11 goals and 19 points last season. The other player to settle before a hearing was Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom, who worked out a one-year, $1MM agreement although his future in New York remains in question following a tough year that saw him record just two goals and four assists in 32 games. Meanwhile, one case went to a hearing with Nashville blueliner Spencer Stastney receiving a two-year, $1.675MM award; the agreement is two-way next season before converting to a one-way deal for 2025. Stastney had four points in 20 games with the Predators last season.
Konecny Extension: The Flyers will have their leading scorer for the long haul as they worked out an eight-year, $70MM extension with winger Travis Konecny. The deal begins in the 2025-26 season and runs through the 2032-33 campaign. The 27-year-old averaged just over a point per game in 60 appearances in 2022-23 and then followed that up with new career highs in goals (33) and points (68) in 76 games last season, giving him some leverage entering negotiations. While…
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