A handful of NHL prospects proved to their teams they deserve a longer look with the big club to begin the season. Tony Ferrari examines whether five players will play longer than nine games and burn a year off their contract.
The NHL season kicking off means a new wave of young players are making their NHL rosters and will be vying for a shot at sticking in The Show.
Every year, we see a new rookie crop enter the league. While the likes of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Logan Cooley will surely surpass the nine-game plateau that burns the first year off of their entry-level contracts, a group of rookies are being given an extended tryout of sorts. That group will force their club to decide whether they will ‘slide’ their entry-level contract.
If a player signed to an entry-level contract is 18 or 19 years of age (as of Sept. 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to ‘slide,’ or extend, by one year. For example, if a player signed an ELC for three seasons from 2023-24 to 2025-26, and their contract slides, their contract is now effective from 2024-25 to 2026-27.
This year has given us several players in the nine-game tryout club looking to extend their NHL stay this season and start their NHL careers. Who is set to stick in the NHL, and who is set to have their contract slide?
Zach Benson, LW, Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres were elated to select Benson at 13th overall in the draft this past June, but they couldn’t have expected the WHL star to look this good, this fast. From the moment he stepped onto the ice in the Sabres rookie camp, he has been the star of the show. His agility and intelligence have been evident, and his undying need to advance play positively has left an impression on the coaching staff.
His ability to play up and down the lineup will be an asset as he looks to keep his roster spot with the Sabres as the season wears on. With Jack Quinn out long-term with an Achilles injury, a roster spot on the wing in the middle six is open, and Benson has been practising on the third line with Casey Mittelstadt and Jordan Greenway. There is a real shot for him to play on the second line if Victor Olofsson struggles as well.
Benson is in prime position to secure a roster spot assuming his pre-season play continues into the regular season. If it does, he might be one of the Sabres' most effective players by season’s end.
Verdict: Benson will stick with the Sabres
Fraser Minten, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs aren’t in the business of adding young players to their roster for the purpose of getting experience and developing their talent – ask Nick Robertson. That’s why when the murmurs out of Toronto began to mention Minten as a possible NHLer to start the season, many were shocked.
The 2022 second-round pick showed more and more as camp wore on. His ability to do so many of the little things away from the puck has led to finding some success with the puck.
Toronto started training camp with William Nylander playing center, and he looked fairly solid in his run down the middle. But Minten slid into the third-line center spot late in camp. As they prepare for the NHL campaign to open up, he could have a chance to make a big impact in that role, flanked by fellow NHL rookie Matthew Knies and veteran Calle Jarnkrok.
That said, Minten’s on-puck game is a bit unpolished still, and he remains raw offensively. He could use another season in the WHL and see his fairytale camp end before he hits 10 NHL games.
Verdict: Minton will play a few games and then head back to the Kamloops Blazers
Matthew Poitras, C, Boston Bruins
Sometimes, a player plays extremely well in training camp, and the local media go absolutely wild with comparisons and expectations. That’s exactly what has happened in Boston with Matthew Poitras. From former Bruin turned analyst Andrew Raycroft saying Poitras reminds him of Patrice Bergeron when he was coming into the NHL to the Bruins broadcast gushing over his every move, there has been quite a bit of hype for Poitras in the pre-season – and it’s been well deserved.
Poitras’ path to an NHL roster spot was made easier by the complete lack of center depth on the Bruins roster after Bergeron and David Krejci retired, but he will have to continue to prove his worth. His pace on open ice and his 200-foot game are going to remain his biggest barriers.
The question for Poitras may not be the nine-game mark but rather the 40-game mark. If Poitras plays in 40 games, he will accrue a season towards free agency, which could send him to market earlier in his career than most. Teams are becoming more and more cognizant of this.
If Poitras looks out of place at all, the Bruins could look to find some center depth on the trade market. They could opt to send Poitras to the World Junior Championship in December and then back to the OHL afterward. Either way, Poitras is one of the most interesting cases in this group.
Verdict: Poitras will stick with the Bruins but head back to the OHL before the 40-game mark
Tristan Luneau and Pavel Mintyukov, D, Anaheim Ducks
It'll be interesting to see which defenders get a spot on the Ducks. Jackson LaCombe seems to be the rookie blueliner who has earned his spot full-time, but with four other NHL defenders locked into a roster spot, that leaves one gig for Pavel Mintyukov and TrIstan Luneau to battle it out.
Mintyukov is an offensive dynamo with game-breaking ability at times with the puck on his stick. He activates up ice and acts as a fourth forward, attacking the slot and looking to create dangerous chances. Luneau, on the other hand, is a more defensive-minded blueliner who uses his size and intellect to quickly get the puck out of trouble and move it up ice. His offensive boon last season in the QMJHL was also a welcome sight, showing he can be a capable puck-mover and offensive zone asset.
While both have looked solid in the pre-season, the battle may come down to something out of control for both players – handedness. Mintyukov is a left shot, and Luneau is a right shot. With three NHL-caliber defenders on the right side and a clearer path on the left, Mintyukov may be the odds-on favorite to win this job early in the season.
The final factor to all of this is that because Mintyukov turns 20 before the end of 2023, he will be eligible to head to the AHL. That means there is a bit more flexibility to send him down if he starts slow or falters partway through the season, and they can then call him back up.
Verdict: Mintykov sticks with the Ducks, Luneau heads back to the Gatineau Olympiques
Kevin Korchinski, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Whether or not Korchinski sticks with Chicago could be the most intriguing of all of the slide candidates.
From a pure skill perspective, Korchinski is clearly the Hawks' most talented left-shot defender, but he could use some time to clean things up in his own zone. He has wowed in transition and flashed some of his offensive capabilities throughout the pre-season, but the defensive zone is still a work in progress. His skating and passing may be the best on the Chicago blueline, period.
That said, the Hawks are in no rush to win this season, and they have several young players who are a few years older and could get a longer stint while the team determines if they should be part of the core moving forward. Wyatt Kaiser, Alex Vlasic and even the recently demoted Isaak Phillips could all be in line for NHL ice time, along with veteran left-shot defender Jared Tinordi.
The Hawks may ultimately decide to send their most skilled and dangerous creator from the back end back to major junior because they aren’t in a rush to get him into the lineup despite him earning his spot.
Verdict: Sticks in the NHL until the World Junior Championship and then heads back to the WHL