There is just one more game remaining in the 2023-24 season.
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However, there is a bunch of off-ice news, as a top prospect is coming to North America. Moreover, there is a trade to announce, while a Pacific Division rival re-signs a past first-round pick.
Let’s get into all that in the latest Around the NHL!
<h2>Matvei Michkov will play for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024-25</h2>
It seems like the Philadelphia Flyers have received a gift, as it was reported by numerous sources on Sunday that seventh-overall pick in the 2023 draft, Matvei Michkov, will play for the Flyers in 2024-25.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;m told that it looks like Matvei Michkov is leaving SKA and will be joining the Philadelphia Flyers.
&mdash; Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) <a href="https://twitter.com/ADiMarco25/status/1804899478362632591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Many, including the Flyers, believed that Michkov wouldn’t be available to come to the National Hockey League until after the 2025-26 draft thanks to his contract with SKA Saint Petersburg. However, a league source noted that the release from the Kontinental Hockey League team is due to “compassionate grounds,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5584834/2024/06/23/matvei-michkov-flyers-nhl-plans">according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz and Pierre LeBrun</a>.
In any other situation, Michkov would’ve likely gone after Connor Bedard. However, due to the contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, he fell to seventh. The 19-year-old had a terrific season on loan with Sochi HC, scoring 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games in the second-best league in the world.
This will expedite the Flyers’ rebuild, the same rebuild that nearly snuck into the postseason. What a great pick from the Flyers.
<h2>Sharks and Predators made a deal</h2>
On Sunday, the San Jose Sharks traded Ozzy Wiesblatt to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Egor Afanasyev in a one-for-one prospect trade.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
TRADE 🔄
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SJSharks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SJSharks</a> acquire forward Egor Afanasyev from the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Ozzy Wiesblatt.
&mdash; San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) <a href="https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1804937551242736056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wiesblatt was selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Sharks and played briefly for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League, scoring three goals and 11 points in 34 games. The 22-year-old was loaned to the Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, where he scored a goal and six points in 16 games. Moreover, he scored two goals and nine points in 15 post-season games.
Afanasyev, 23, was a teammate of Wiesblatt with the Admirals, scoring 27 goals and 54 points in 56 regular season games. Moreover, the Tver, Russia-native scored five goals and nine assists in 15 post-season games.
The 6’4” left winger also has experience in the National Hockey league, scoring a goal in 17 games with the Predators in 2022-23, and playing in two additional games in 2023-24.
On paper at least, the Sharks won this trade, but we’ll see what happens on the ice.
<h2>Alex Turcotte signed a three-year deal</h2>
Speaking of California teams and prospects, the Los Angeles Kings signed Alex Turcotte to a three-year contract worth $775,000 annually.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/LAKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAKings</a> have signed forward Alex Turcotte to a three-year contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000 through the 2026-27 season. <a href="https://t.co/7glmupBrn0">pic.twitter.com/7glmupBrn0</a>
&mdash; LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAKingsPR/status/1804620378050101264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Turcotte was selected with the fifth-overall pick in the 2019 draft out of the U.S. National Under-18 Team, before spending one season with the Wisconsin Badgers. Unfortunately for the centre, his game hasn’t quite caught on at the pro level, scoring just 28 goals and 85 points in 126 American Hockey League games. In any given season, Turcotte had never played more than 35 games at the AHL level.
For the first three seasons of his professional career, that was partially due to injury, but the 23-year-old got into a significant number of National Hockey League games with the Kings in 2023-24. In total, he scored a goal and four points in 20 games, on top of the career-high 10 goals and 29 points in 35 AHL games.
Hopefully, Turcotte can find a role in the NHL next season.
<h2>Derick Brassard retires</h2>
So far in this article, we’ve looked at a player picked fifth overall in 2019, a player picked seventh overall in 2023, and now, we’ll look at a player who was picked sixth overall in the 2006 draft.
On Saturday, it was reported that long-time National Hockey League centre Derick Brassard was retiring from the sport.
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After a career spanning 1,013 games with 10 different teams, Derick Brassard has announced his retirement! 
Best of luck on your future endeavors, Derick! 👏 <a href="https://t.co/kwL1X1OihT">pic.twitter.com/kwL1X1OihT</a>
&mdash; NHL (@NHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1805029550427926800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Selected sixth overall in 2006 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, he spent six seasons with the team, scoring 58 goals and 169 points in 309 games before he was traded to the New York Rangers. There, he scored 69 goals and 174 points in 254 games, along with 18 goals and 44 points in 59 postseason games. This included a Rangers’ Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014.
In one of the most lopsided trades in hockey history, the Ottawa Senators traded Mika Zibanejad for Brassard. While that trade has aged poorly, Brassard played a role for the Ottawa Senators, who were a post away from making the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. 
Afterwards, Brassard bounced around, playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, before playing for the Senators for his final season in 2022-23, where he scored 13 goals and 23 points in 62 games.
<h2>The Oilers are the third team to erase a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals</h2>
Well, the Stanley Cup Finals have seen a drastic turn of events.
The Florida Panthers, along with former Flames Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, were riding high with a 3-0 series lead. However, the Edmonton Oilers blew the Panthers in Game 4, won a close one in Sunrise in Game 5, before winning a close-one-until-it-wasn’t in Edmonton to send the series to a decisive Game 7 on Monday.
There have only been two other teams to erase a 3-0 deficit in Stanley Cup Final history. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs were down 3-0 to the Detroit Red Wings, before coming back to win the Stanley Cup in seven games.
Three seasons later, the same two teams were involved, but this time the Leafs blew a 3-0 series lead. However, the Wings were unable to win Game 7. Hopefully, the same rings true for the Oilers when all is said and done on Monday.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

There is just one more game remaining in the 2023-24 season.
<div id="2109" class="bam-inline-promotion-block"></div>
However, there is a bunch of off-ice news, as a top prospect is coming to North America. Moreover, there is a trade to announce, while a Pacific Division rival re-signs a past first-round pick.

Let’s get into all that in the latest Around the NHL!
<h2>Matvei Michkov will play for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024-25</h2>
It seems like the Philadelphia Flyers have received a gift, as it was reported by numerous sources on Sunday that seventh-overall pick in the 2023 draft, Matvei Michkov, will play for the Flyers in 2024-25.

https://twitter.com/ADiMarco25/status/1804899478362632591

&nbsp;

Many, including the Flyers, believed that Michkov wouldn’t be available to come to the National Hockey League until after the 2025-26 draft thanks to his contract with SKA Saint Petersburg. However, a league source noted that the release from the Kontinental Hockey League team is due to “compassionate grounds,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5584834/2024/06/23/matvei-michkov-flyers-nhl-plans">according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz and Pierre LeBrun</a>.

In any other situation, Michkov would’ve likely gone after Connor Bedard. However, due to the contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, he fell to seventh. The 19-year-old had a terrific season on loan with Sochi HC, scoring 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games in the second-best league in the world.

This will expedite the Flyers’ rebuild, the same rebuild that nearly snuck into the postseason. What a great pick from the Flyers.
<h2>Sharks and Predators made a deal</h2>
On Sunday, the San Jose Sharks traded Ozzy Wiesblatt to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Egor Afanasyev in a one-for-one prospect trade.

https://twitter.com/SanJoseSharks/status/1804937551242736056

Wiesblatt was selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Sharks and played briefly for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League, scoring three goals and 11 points in 34 games. The 22-year-old was loaned to the Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, where he scored a goal and six points in 16 games. Moreover, he scored two goals and nine points in 15 post-season games.

Afanasyev, 23, was a teammate of Wiesblatt with the Admirals, scoring 27 goals and 54 points in 56 regular season games. Moreover, the Tver, Russia-native scored five goals and nine assists in 15 post-season games.

The 6’4” left winger also has experience in the National Hockey league, scoring a goal in 17 games with the Predators in 2022-23, and playing in two additional games in 2023-24.

On paper at least, the Sharks won this trade, but we’ll see what happens on the ice.
<h2>Alex Turcotte signed a three-year deal</h2>
Speaking of California teams and prospects, the Los Angeles Kings signed Alex Turcotte to a three-year contract worth $775,000 annually.

https://twitter.com/LAKingsPR/status/1804620378050101264

&nbsp;

Turcotte was selected with the fifth-overall pick in the 2019 draft out of the U.S. National Under-18 Team, before spending one season with the Wisconsin Badgers. Unfortunately for the centre, his game hasn’t quite caught on at the pro level, scoring just 28 goals and 85 points in 126 American Hockey League games. In any given season, Turcotte had never played more than 35 games at the AHL level.

For the first three seasons of his professional career, that was partially due to injury, but the 23-year-old got into a significant number of National Hockey League games with the Kings in 2023-24. In total, he scored a goal and four points in 20 games, on top of the career-high 10 goals and 29 points in 35 AHL games.

Hopefully, Turcotte can find a role in the NHL next season.
<h2>Derick Brassard retires</h2>
So far in this article, we’ve looked at a player picked fifth overall in 2019, a player picked seventh overall in 2023, and now, we’ll look at a player who was picked sixth overall in the 2006 draft.

On Saturday, it was reported that long-time National Hockey League centre Derick Brassard was retiring from the sport.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1805029550427926800

&nbsp;

Selected sixth overall in 2006 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, he spent six seasons with the team, scoring 58 goals and 169 points in 309 games before he was traded to the New York Rangers. There, he scored 69 goals and 174 points in 254 games, along with 18 goals and 44 points in 59 postseason games. This included a Rangers’ Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014.

In one of the most lopsided trades in hockey history, the Ottawa Senators traded Mika Zibanejad for Brassard. While that trade has aged poorly, Brassard played a role for the Ottawa Senators, who were a post away from making the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. 

Afterwards, Brassard bounced around, playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, before playing for the Senators for his final season in 2022-23, where he scored 13 goals and 23 points in 62 games.
<h2>The Oilers are the third team to erase a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals</h2>
Well, the Stanley Cup Finals have seen a drastic turn of events.

The Florida Panthers, along with former Flames Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, were riding high with a 3-0 series lead. However, the Edmonton Oilers blew the Panthers in Game 4, won a close one in Sunrise in Game 5, before winning a close-one-until-it-wasn’t in Edmonton to send the series to a decisive Game 7 on Monday.

There have only been two other teams to erase a 3-0 deficit in Stanley Cup Final history. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs were down 3-0 to the Detroit Red Wings, before coming back to win the Stanley Cup in seven games.

Three seasons later, the same two teams were involved, but this time the Leafs blew a 3-0 series lead. However, the Wings were unable to win Game 7. Hopefully, the same rings true for the Oilers when all is said and done on Monday.

Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

Around the NHL: Matvei Michkov will play for the Flyers in 2024-25, the Sharks and Predators made a trade, and more!

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