NHL News: Puis Suter signing, Andrei Svechnikov skating, and more
Ryan Gagne
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Today’s NHL news follows up on the latest regarding Puis Suter joining the Vancouver Canucks and Andrei Svechnikov’s recent return to skating.
Whether you are into the latest trade buzz, signing news, and more, stick with The Daily Goal Horn.
Vancouver Canucks acquire more depth, signing Puis Suter to a two-year deal
As the NHL continues to inch closer to training camp and opening night, most teams have finalized their rosters or are in the final stages of doing so. There have been very few signings recently, with most transactions in the books. However, the Vancouver Canucks announced on Saturday that Pius Suter was coming to town with a new two-year contract valued at $1.6 million.
The 27-year-old is a veteran of 216 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. Despite 87 career points, the native of Zurich, Switzerland, is a minus-19 and only scored 24 points in 2022-23 after a career-high 36 in the year prior.
Surprisingly, Suter has never scored less than 14 goals in three seasons, reaching 15 in 2021-22 while skating in all 82 games. As a multi-positional forward, he can play in most situations, and it will be up to head coach Rick Tocchet to find him more ice time than the 14:04 that he averaged last season, down almost two minutes from prior seasons.
Hurricanes’ GM proclaims Andrei Svechnikov is on track after March ACL surgery.
Although he’s been out of action since Mar. 11, when he tore his ACL in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Andrei Svechnikov has silently been rehabbing and is on track to return to the team soon. According to general manager Don Waddell, who has been signing defenseman all summer, the 23-year-old Russian forward is back skating independently and progressing on schedule.
Realistically, Svechnikov would have given the Hurricanes a significant boost in their Eastern Conference Final sweep at the hands of the Florida Panthers. However, it just wasn’t in the cards. The three-time 20-goal scorer and one-time 30-goal scorer has been a critical component of the team’s offense since his debut in 2018, with 264 points in 347 games.
Heading into 2023-24, Svechnikov is entering his third year of an eight-year deal he signed in August 2021. As a forward making $7.5 million a year, he provides Carolina with a lethal scoring threat alongside Sebastian Aho when healthy.
Recent NHL quotes you may have missed
According to an article by Wes Crosby on NHL.com, Erik Karlsson has this to say about pursuing the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins:
“It’s always been the ultimate drive. I think, for myself, I like to play the important games, and I like to be on successful teams, having success collectively as a group.”
Hugues Marcil on LNH.com got a quote from former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron about what life will be like for the team without him:
“I still expect the same thing from them. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the players who are on the team at the moment. There’s a good mix. Some guys have been in Boston for several years now, and they know how to run things and get the new guys to get on the same page as them and to play the Bruins’ style. I’m expecting a good season from them.”
During a celebrity ball hockey game, Mike Zeisberger from NHL.com talked to Anthony Cirelli about how excited the Tampa Bay Lightning are to go on another deep playoff run:
“Obviously, a bit of a longer summer, so it gives guys a chance to rest here, a chance to get into the gym and work on some things we haven’t been able to in the past. Obviously, you never want to lose, but it’s nice to get some extra time and be ready to go for next season. We’re excited.”
Meanwhile, NHL.com writer Alan Robinson got Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong to talk about prospects training with the club this offseason:
“You walk around through the training facility, and you see the amount of first-rounders and the size of our guys, where we’re moving in a short period of time, I mean, you get excited. It’s a fun place to be right now.”