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.
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.
RPI Engineers‘ sophomore left wing 6’6″ 240 lbs. tower Sutter Muzzati(19) gets maybe the ultimate surprise, as he is selected off the radar by Nashville Predators at the 2023 draft, round 5 (#143 overall).
Almost maybe oddly he was actually in Nashville with the other prospects, so could have had an inside word.
The Okemos, MI native played his youth hockey close, but took to the roads to sign with Austin Bruins for 2 NAHL seasons, his 2nd with a dangerously good 34 assists.
He just turned 20 years old and is set to head back for his sophomore year, which should be better than the last.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats‘ sophomore defenseman Charles Alexis Legault(6) maybe scored himself a nice little surprise, being selected in the 5th round of the 2023 draft (#139 overall) by Carolina Hurricanes, when only one indicator had him being chosen.
The fairly sizable 6’3″ 216 lbs. blue liner notched 2 goals and 7 assists in 40 games, en route to a nice surprise 2023 NCAA Division 1 Championship.
From Laval, QC, the 19-year old was a hit and miss scorer through school and juniors, but really popped during BCHL playoffs, grabbing 11 points in 11 games for West Kelowna Warriors.
Unrestricted 4th year, free agent center Ryan Donato(9) picks up a 1-way NHL at the league minimum to start skating with Seattle Kracken 2021/2022.
The 6′ 192 lbs. forward had a career high 14 assists in 2020/2021 for San Jose Sharks, but was not given a qualifying offer to stay.
Originally a Boston Bruins‘ 2nd round draft pick in the 2014 draft (#56 overall), he left Harvard University Crimson after 3 years to sign his entry level contract.
He played only a short time in junior hockey after graduating Dexter Southfield School, originally joining USPHL Premiere South Shore Kings before moving along to 4 games with the US National U18 Team and finally 8 contests in the USHL for Omaha Lancers, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists, then adding another tally in 3 playoff games.
The Scituate, MA native was traded during his rookie season to Minnesota Wild, where he really seemed to gel, but was traded as the new season approached.
Old enough to know the league pretty well at this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 25-year old connects in a new environment.
After playing a career high 74 games, he scores a new best 16 goals and 15 assists, but is left unsigned at the beginning of free agency to negotiate his comeback: 1-year, $1.2M AAV for 2022/2023 and he will try to add to his totals on what’s definitely going to be a better 2nd year team.
He finds success in his 2nd frame in the Pacific Northwest, but is a free agent and heads off to the big rebuilding rink in the sky, signing through 2024/2025 for $2M AAV with Chicago Blackhawks.
University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2023/2024 commit, 2-year USNTDP defenseman Paul Fischer(7) hasn’t a lot of points, but definitely showed much better accountability with a +9 rating.
The 6′ 183 lbs. blue liner from River Forest, IL came up through the Chicago Mission program.
Draft eligible, the 18-year will likely be sitting on his hands in a week.
UMass Minutemen freshman center Tyson Dyck(40) decides to change things up after only one season, heading into the transfer portal to next play at University Of Wisconsin Badgers for his sophomore year 2023/2024.
He maybe wanted to play a little closer to his Abbotsford, BC home and draft club, Ottawa Senators (7th round 2022, #206 overall).
The 6′ 170 lbs. forward had 5 goals and 4 assists in 28 games last season.
He played only 1 full session of BCHL junior hockey, running up the stat sheet to the tune of 75 points (34 goals, 41 assists) in 54 games for Cranbrook Bucks.
8th year center Joel Lowry(17) has switched leagues each of the three seasons he’s been away.
He started scoring well in DEL, then moved over to Austria’s top league IceHL to sign with Vienna Capitals before returning for 2022/2023 to Germany, but going down a rung to DEL2, joining EC Kassel Huskies, where he’s basically a point-per-game player.
The big 6’2″ forward played 208 AHL games with good marks, including a +11 rating.
A former 4-year Cornell University Big Red graduate, it will be interesting to see how and where the 31-year old, son of NHL great Dave Lowry from Calgary, AB will go.
In the 2nd tier German league, he puts up almost point-per-game numbers, then adds more in the playoffs with a combined +30 rating to rightly earn himself another season to stay with the Huskies, but he could also be in line for a promotion is what we are seeing.
13th year center Cory Conacher(10) initially played a couple of games for Belleville Senators, but that was short lived and is likely going to be more comfortable joining Charlotte Checkers for the remainder of 2023.
Undrafted, he was initially signed to a minor league deal and won the fantasy run 2012 Calder Cup for Norfolk Admirals.
The 5’8″ 185 lbs. forward was next signed for a pair of seasons on a 2-way deal with Tampa Bay Lightning, but traded midway through his debut campaign to Ottawa Senators.
They lost him in the 2nd year of his term to Buffalo Sabres, who claimed him off waivers.
He would next sign the 1st of 4 1-way NHL contracts with New York Islanders, but toiled more time in the minors.
The Burlington, ON native would leave for the NL, hooking up with SC Bern, striking for more than point-per-game numbers en route to a 2016 Championship.
He would return on nice deals for the next few runs with the Lightning before again returning to Switzerland to win more titles.
The 33-year old former Canisius College Golden Griffins standout is likely just smiling, still playing hockey.
In 15 games he grabs 4 goals and 5 assists with a +3 rating, then adds another 3 points in 7 playoff matchups.
For 2023/2024, he moves on in the league to sign with Chicago Wolves.
7th year, German-born left wing Frederik Tiffels(95) trades DEL teams after a tremendous IIHF World Cup showing, where his country captured an unprecedented silver medal for which he contributed an overtime game-winner and a couple important assists.
The 6′ 201 lbs. forward signs for 2023/2024 with rivals Eisbaren Berlin after spending the last 2 at EHC Red Bull Munchen and Kolner Hale the 3 previous, when he first came over from only a single minor league season.
He started his junior hockey back home, but quickly came over with 2 USHL sessions before attending Western Michigan University Broncos for 3 years before turning pro.
The 28-year old still has lots left in the tank and continues to have good fun with his game.
