Undrafted, 6th year goaltender Adam Carlson(31) makes the easy decision to return for another, third season to tend net for Rapid City Rush.
He had an ok enough campaign in 2020/2021, but we’re thinking the 6’3″ 190 lbs. back stop will look more like he did when he arrived in 2018/2019.
Originally signed to a 2-year entry level deal by Washington Capitals after coming off just one year of college at Mercyhurst University Lakers, he would mostly be reassigned to ECHL affiliate South Carolina Stingrays.
The 27-year old may have found a pretty solid place to call his hockey home for awhile.
He would spend all of 2021/2022 on the injured reserve list and even ended up as assistant coach on the bench as the frame was wrapping up, but will return to the net for 2022/2023, his 4th in a Rush uniform.
After 35 Rush starts last season, posting an admirable 15-15-2 record with a 3.35 GAA and .897 SV% on a non-playoff team, he has decided maybe that is enough for suiting up for a pro hockey game again and onto a different path.
He was behind the bench when he was injured likely comes with some managerial smarts, so we do believe that’s where we will see him next.
Boston Bruins‘ prospect, center Matt Filipe(17) was signed to a 2-year entry level deal as draft team Carolina Hurricanes (3rd round, 2016, #63 overall) was not showing interest, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
The 6’2″ 195 lbs. power forward skated four seasons at Northeastern University Huskies, producing his best output as a senior with a collegiate career tying 9 goals, best 13 assists and 22 points.
He was assigned to affiliate Providence Bruins as their season was getting underway in the new calendar and has picked up 2 goals and 3 assists in 17 AHL games with a +2 rating and he has one game-winning tally.
The 23-year old MA native will undoubtedly play himself into a position where the big club needs to take notice, but that may take just a little bit of seasoning time in the minor league.
After putting up 7 goals and 10 assists as a rookie, the Newton, MA native signs a 1-year, 2-way extension to stay.
He becomes a group 6 UFA upon completion of his 2nd contract and signs a minor league deal with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 2023/2024.
11th year right wing Bobby Butler(8) returns to sign for 2022/2023 with hometown club, Worcester Railers after spending 20 ECHL with the team last season, suiting up as he saw fit.
The 6′ 191 lbs. forward has 4 times produced 20+ goals in an AHL season, 32 assists once and as a rookie helped Binghamton Senators capture the Cinderella-like run to the 2011 Calder Cup Championship.
He did not play in 2019/2020 and the follow-up COVID-busted season.
The former University Of New Hampshire Wildcats‘ senior captain, who blew the lid off scoring that campaign to become a Hobey Baker finalist, has also skated 130 NHL games with 20 goals and 29 assists.
He also head a variety of team positions as he was looking beyond the ice to become Director Of Player Development and even spent a pair of sessions as a volunteer assistant coach at Holy Cross College Crusaders.
The 35-year old obviously is not finished.
He would serve as team captain and score 17 goals and 21 assists in 63 games, so put in a full slate.
That is enough though, as he announce it’s time to retire from the game he loves.
He already has some office experience, so we will wait to see what office he holds.
11th year retired defenseman Nate Guenin(2) accepts the job as Assistant Head Coach at his former school of 4 years, where he was a captain as a senior with Ohio State University Buckeyes.
A former 2002 4th round pick (#127 overall) by New York Rangers but never signed and ultimately inked with Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent.
He retired from pro hockey after playing for San Diego Gulls in 2016/2107, at age 35 years old with 521 AHL and 205 NHL games to his credit.
There is little doubt, the Aliquippa, PA native will do fine in his new role.
Boston Bruins‘ 11th year, former 2-year University Of Wisconsin Badgers‘ captain, center Craig Smith(12) has twice accumulated 50+ points, once 40+, 5 time 30+ including 32 last season, his first with his new NHL team after 9 for draft club Nashville Predators (4th round 2009, #98 overall).
The 6′ 207 lbs. power forward is in the 2nd year of a 3-year deal he signed in unrestricted free agency and the relationship has certainly been a healthy one.
A bit hard to believe the 32-year old skated 3 seasons for Waterloo Blackhawks, blowing the lid off scoring and getting everyone’s attention in that final frame.
It’s got to be nice still getting really good deals.
Traded to Washington Capitals as his contract was set to expire, he went to a non-playoff team, but fit in decently, getting 5 goals and an assist in 22 games with a +1 rating to grab a new deal from Dallas Stars worth $800,000 AAV with a $200,000 signing bonus.
Good beans.
9th year center Carter Rowney(24) waits fairly deep into unrestricted free agency after a down season hampered by injury and the last of his 3-year deal with Anaheim Ducks for a new 1-year contract to Detroit Red Wings in 2021/2022.
The 6’1″ 208 lbs. forward started his 1st three seasons on AHL deals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he was almost literally climbing the ranks.
By his 3rd year the former University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ 4-year skater was 100% with the team and took his scoring up to a new level with 24 goals and 32 assists with a +23 rating, then added another 12 points (4-8) in 10 playoff contests.
This earned him his first NHL contract with Pittsburgh Penguins, where you split time during the season between the two leagues, but were mostly up near the end and figured in 20 playoff games, scoring 3 assists and a +3 rating on the way to the 2017 Stanley Cup Championship.
An unrestricted free agent going into the next frame, he signed his three year deal worth $1.133,333 AAV.
Other than last season’s bit of a fiasco, he’s a pretty decent scorer, who earn the money he was getting on a team almost in constant rebuild.
The 32-year old should find good space with his new team to be a contributor on the scoresheet.
For his 10th season, he leaves for Germany’s top league DEL and signs for 2022/2023 with Lowen Franfort, already putting up 2 assists in his debut game.
Through 55 games, he had a career best 37 assists and 58 points to earn him easily another year to stay German.
11th defenseman Mark Borowiecki(90) is in the 2nd year of his deal he signed as an unrestricted free agent with Nashville Predators after spending his first 375 NHL games with draft club Ottawa Senators (5th round, 2008, #139 overall).
Through 40 games in the current frame, the 6’2″ 204 lbs. blue liner has a pair of assists and is a +2 rating to earn a midseason 1-year extension worth $900K AAV to stay on in music city.
The Ottawa native attended Clarkson University Golden Knights for 3 seasons, including serving as captain in his junior year.
He was a huge part of Binghamton Senators’ 2011 Calder Cup Championship after finishing up school and signing an entry level contract.
The 32-year old has to wearing a huge smile on his face looking back over his huge career.
Limited to only 4 games last season, he has to rethink his position moving forward and decides it’s time to leave the game for a different look and quickly is hired up by his last team to become NHL Pro Development Coach, a role he will be perfect in.
After getting scooped off waivers from Boston Bruins, Seattle Kracken‘s 5th year center Karson Kuhlman(25) re-ups to stay a full season after scoring career bests 6 assists and 8 points in 25 games for his new club.
He finished last season having appeared in his 100th NHL game, scoring 9 goals and 14 assists with a 0 rating.
The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward was a twice 10+ goal scorer at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and team captain as a senior.
From Esko, MN, the just turned 27-year old may be starting to arrive.
Not sure what his team was thinking putting him on waivers to not be claimed with his easily digestible contract, and Winnipeg Jets step in and claim his rights.
He would get 2 goals and 2 assists in 33 games, but as an unrestricted free agent he is able to look around and sees a 1-year deal from New York Islanders to come back east that appeals to him for 2023/2024.
Boston Bruins‘ unrestricted free agent signing, consecutive NCAA Division 1 Champion, University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019, but was unavailable due to COVID shutting down hockey to finish 2020, defenseman Nick Wolff(65) signed a 1-year entry level deal just as the season was going belly up.
The Minnesota native who stands at a gigantic 6’5″ 224 lbs. was captain in his final year at college hockey.
Never the biggest scorer he finished up his senior year with 10 assists in 33 games.
He started his first pro season by heading over to Slovakia‘s top league joining DVTK Jegesvedmek and sort of came alive a little with 3 goals and 2 assists in 18 games.
The 24-year old has two assists in 24 AHL games on reassignment with Providence Bruins but we’re betting that as his career goes, goals are going to start to go with it.
For 2021/2022, he was fairly quickly retained on a 1-year 2-way deal, which we think could be counted as his rookie campaign.
He is currently in contract club, Black & Gold training camp.
After coming away from last season with 8 assists in 32 games with a +7 rating and adding his 1st league goal in 2 playoff appearances, he signs for 2022/2023 on another one year, two-way NHL deal.
Almost 3 years with one club out of college and it’s time to move on for the Eagan, MN native, who signs for 2023/2024 with San Diego Gulls, who could definitely use him to sure up their zone.
9th year right wing Josh Archibald(15) circles back to the team that drafted him in the 6th round of 2011 (#174 overall), Pittsburgh Penguins to sign a 1-year NHL deal for 2022/2023.
The 5’10” 176 lbs. oddly played his fewest games with the team he 1st skated for before being traded to Arizona Coyotes, where he finished playing 39 games, his rookie season 4 years into his playing career.
He would next sign a 1-year deal with Edmonton Oilers, where he was decent enough with 12 goals to keep on board for another two years, but in the 2nd year of that contract came down with a weird heart condition that sidelined him until the playoffs, where he returned for 13 games, recording an assist.
The 29-year old, former University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks from Regina, SK will likely find some room to possible put up some career numbers.
Through 62 games, he scores 6 goals and 6 assists with a +6 rating, but as an unrestricted free agent looks around to find a 2-year deal with Tampa Bay Lightning to hopefully increase those numbers.
