10th year center Patrice Cormier(28) takes a solid outing for Barys Astana (18-22-40 with a +21 rating in 56 KHL games) to a new deal with the opposition, Ak Bars Kazan for 2019/2020.
He played in Winnipeg Jets‘ system for 6 seasons appearing in 28 NHL games but only had three assists, all 2013/2014, but could always be counted on for his big physical presence.
The group 6 UFA next signed with affiliate Manitoba Moose for the next two campaigns and was named team captain to begin 2016/2017.
He posted a career high 22 goals and 21 assists with a +25 rating in 69 AHL games before deciding to pursue better offers overseas.
The soon-to-be 29-year old has seemingly found a nice new hockey home in Russia that should continue for as long as he’s productive in their top league.
Boston Bruins‘ 9th year defenseman Steve Kampfer(44) scored a 1st NHL Stanley Cup Playoff goal recently in only his 2nd ever game in the postseason.
Picked up in a trade with New York Rangers as the new session was set to begin, it was a return for the 30-year old, who signed with the team as a rookie and was with them when they raised their last Cup in 2011.
He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current campaign but looks like the veteran of 201 games played could either stay or get scooped by another club early summer.
10th year defenseman Michal Jordan(47) has played in the KHL since heading there in 2016/2017 and recently signed on for his third season with Amur Khabarovsk.
The one-time Carolina Hurricanes‘ prospect signed his first extension after appearing in his first 5 midseason NHL games, while continuing to pitch in more for affiliate Charlotte Checkers.
Almost ironically he wasn’t recalled at all within the next session but put up a career high 21 assists and 25 points in 70 AHL games to earn another look.
It was within this season that he started to show an ability to play at the highest level and was recalled just over a month in and stayed for another 30+ days before being returned, but then summoned soon after for the rest of the frame.
The restricted free agent signed for a third year on a one-way deal and played 36 games with only four in the minors but also found himself to be a healthy scratch on a number of occasions.
He was not given a qualifying offer to stay and that’s when he found new life in Russia.
The 28-year old had a career year scoring 13 assists with a +7 rating in 2018/2019 and could continue that uptick.
3rd year right wing Reid Gardiner(14) takes 21 AHL games with contract team Utica Comets (2-1-3) and a hugely successful campaign on reassignment to affiliate Kalamazoo Wings scoring 26 goals and best tying 27 assists with a +26 rating in just 36 ECHL contests overseas to Dusseldorfer EG of DEL for 2019/2020.
The 23-year old should find great success in Germany’s top league.
Boston Bruins‘ 11th year Swedish-born left wing Marcus Johansson(90) has been sort of quietly ticking under the radar since a deadline trade brought him over from a short-lived experiment with New Jersey Devils.
In 10 games, while sometimes a healthy scratch, he added only a goal and 2 helpers to his 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games, which was on par to being another solid 40+ point before he was dealt to a playoff bound club in the final season of his 3-year extension from original draft club Washington Capitals (1st round 2009 #24 overall).
He spent most of 2017/2018 on the sidelines with an injury but still has 588 NHL games to his credit and played 2 campaigns with Farjestad BK of the SHL before coming over.
The 6’1″ 205 lbs. forward has come alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs scoring 2 goals and 3 assists in 11 games en route to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current calendar, the 28-year old made a whopping $4.75M in the last year of his deal but may have to settle for another one-year contract to prove his worth.
Undrafted 5th year center Greg Wolfe(86) isn’t having quite a career year with new club Toledo Walleye but has scored a very solid 18 goals and 33 assists in 63 ECHL games to earn what is a yearly loan up to the AHL.
He’s actually scored a pair of call-ups this season, first to Binghamton Devils and later with Cleveland Monsters.
The 5’10” 183 lbs. forward has yet to affect the scoresheet in a few contests as he did in years prior through more appearances, but definitely has the ability to start that moving.
Although he may not quite ascend to marks he set as a rookie for Alaska Aces (22 goals, 38 assists in 59 games), the former two-time Michigan State University captain has been effectively plugged in at the higher level.
The 28-year old spent 2017/2018 overseas with Sparta Sarpsborg of GET ligaen as an assistant captain, and it would be little surprise to see him head back for some other pro hockey with maybe slightly better pay but first he’s lightly it up in the Kelly Cup Playoffs and has 6 goals and 6 assists in 11 games heading to the Conference Finals.
11th year right wing Spencer Machacek(93) has found a home with Grizzlys Wolfsburg, as he’s been extended to stay on a second season after scoring 18 goals and 12 assists in 49 DEL games.
2019/2020 will be his 6th campaign in Germany’s top league.
The veteran of 415 AHL games will turn 31 right after the start of the new calendar but seemingly has plenty left in the tank to contribute.
Hershey Bears‘ Chris McCarthy(39) was maybe a bit of an unexpected but you could see it pick up for the team as they headed into the postseason picture.
He was coming off a yet again phenomenal campaign scoring 20 goals and a tied for league 2nd 54 assists for 74 points in a full 72 ECHL game slate before a non-playoff bid came to an end for Reading Royals freeing him up for loan.
And that happened.
When he arrived he got an assist in his first visit to the league in more than a year, then added a goal and two more helpers in the last game of the season and was off.
In 6 AHL Calder Cup Playoff games he has 2 goals, the 1st in his debut, which also marks his first appearances in the postseason.
The 27-year old former University Of Vermont captain and one-time New York Rangers‘ prospect looks to be making a strong argument for a contract as 2019/2020 approaches.
13th year pro Dane Byers(34) calls it a career after two successful seasons with Manchester Storm of the EIHL.
The big power forward was captain in 2018/2019 and had a league high 182 penalty minutes to go along with 55 points in 56 games.
In the prior season he would grab a career best 46 assists and 70 points.
The 33-year old calls it a day having played 564 AHL games, 14 NHL (with a goal), 111 in the United Kingdom, 49 DEL and 47 Liiga, which ain’t so bad as he moves into the next phase of his life.
