Morning Chirps: Development Camp Begins, Possible Tampering Charges Coming

Sunday was a slow news day for the Chicago Blackhawks, but the news was fast and furious across the NHL. New deals were handed out in Toronto, Ottawa, and Boston, and we already have tampering accusations a day before free agency opens.

Blackhawks Chirps

• It turns out, Joe Veleno will never wear a Seattle Kraken sweater as he was placed on waivers to buy out the final year of his contract. Veleno was traded to the Kraken on June 21 for Andre Burakovsky. Veleno will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. I’d imagine he’d get a two-way contract from an NHL team. Otherwise, he might have to wait for a professional tryout (PTO) in the fall.
• Blackhawks’ development camp starts today, with no on-ice activities. Seven of the eight members of the 2025 draft class will be in attendance. Russian goaltender and seventh-round pick Ilya Karnasky will be the only one not making the trip.

• Speaking of the 2025 draft class, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal, fourth-round pick Julius Sumpf, is expected to play at Providence College next season. He’ll be a teammate of 2024 third-round pick John Mustard.

NHL Chirps

• One of the biggest reasons I can’t wait for free agency to come and go tomorrow is that I no longer have to track reports on Mitch Marner. Saturday, reports surfaced of a possible sign-and-trade deal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast that the Maple Leafs are prepared to file tampering charges against the Golden Knights if they sign Marner right away on July 1. The NHL has been itching to punish a team for tampering, and this would be a giant fish to fry.
• A day after trading long-time goaltender John Gibson, the Anaheim Ducks announced they have signed netminder Ville Husso to a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension. Husso will form a tandem with the newly acquired Petr Mrazek. I’m not sure going with two Detroit Red Wings castoffs in the crease is the soundest strategy, but we’ll see if it works.
• Staying with the Red Wings, according to Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, Steve Yzerman is still confident in getting a contract extension done with Patrick Kane.
• The Ottawa Senators and Claude Giroux finally agreed to a new deal before free agency began. Danny McCloskey of Ottawa Hockey Now broke down the one-year contract. The veteran will earn a $2 million base salary, with potential performance bonuses of up to $2.75 million, contingent upon the number of games played and playoff success.
• TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that Glen Gulutzan is expected to be the next head coach of the Dallas Stars. This is a fun hire to consider, given that one of the first things Jim Nill did when he took the Stars’ general manager job was to fire Gulutzan as head coach. He went 64-57-9 in his two seasons behind the Dallas bench. Gulutzan spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers, following two seasons as the head coach of the Calgary Flames.
• Friedman was the first to report that the Maple Leafs signed forward Matthew Knies to a six-year contract extension worth $46.5 million. The 22-year-old had a breakout season with 29 goals and 58 points. Toronto is hopeful that his $7.75 salary cap hit will soon look like a bargain.
• The Boston Bruins made some late-night news, as TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that they signed forward Morgan Geekie to a six-year, $33 million contract extension.
• NHL Birthday Roll Call, June 30: Randy Ladouceur, Steve Duchesne, Jim Montgomery, Jamie McLennan, and Andrew Alberts.