Milano, Demers, DeKeyser, Virtanen try to crack NHL rosters on PTOs – TSN.ca

Sonny Milano had a long summer — and not just because his team missed the NHL playoffs.

Though the winger had 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22, he was surprisingly let loose and hit the open market after failing to receive a qualifying offer.

All the 26-year-old could do was wait for another organization to show an interest and sign him on an unrestricted free hand.

The problem? A new deal never materialized.

“I was hoping for a contract,” said Milano. “But that’s where we are.”

In his case, that’s with the Calgary Flames in training camp at a professional tryout (PTO) — a situation that a number of previously established NHLers across the league find themselves in every fall.

It is a non-binding agreement for both parties.

The player gets the chance to present themselves to a new pair of eyes in hopes of finding a home, while teams get a free look to see if it’s a match.

The PTO signee has no guarantees or contracts to fall back on, but he may also audition for 31 other clubs if things don’t work out in a particular market or a better opportunity arises elsewhere.

As the 14th overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Milano saw an opportunity to break Calgary’s top 9 forward group.

“Stay positive,” he said of his mindset. “I just have to make the best of it.”

According to capfriendly.com, there are currently 42 players in PTOs at NHL camps, including 10 on Canadian rosters.

Calgary leads the way north of the border with three (Milano, Cody Eakin and Michael Stone), followed by the Edmonton Oilers (Jason Demers and Jake Virtanen), Toronto Maple Leafs (Zach Aston Reese and Dylan Ferguson), Senators from Ottawa (Derick Brassard and Michael DalColle) and Vancouver Canucks (Danny DeKeyser).

Of the 30 players who were at PTOs last fall, 10 later received NHL deals.

Demers has played a total of 760 games in the league but didn’t get a chance last season. Instead, he played five times in Russia’s KHL and five more with Canada at the Beijing Olympics.

“New territory for me,” said the 34-year-old, who was trying to force his way into Edmonton’s lineup. “You never think you’ll find yourself in this situation, but I was grateful for the opportunity.”

Players on PTOs are in a difficult situation. You want to impress, but you also know that the camp invitation arrived for a reason.

“I don’t think I have to dangle a guy, go coast to coast and score every game,” said Aston-Reese, 28, who has eye on a job in Toronto. “They want to see me play physically and be a good deep guy.”

DeKeyser, who has 10 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and is hoping to earn a spot on Vancouver’s blue line, said the idea of ​​auditioning for more than one team is something he tries to ignore.

“Maybe someone will watch if it doesn’t work out here,” said the 32-year-old. “The main goal of a PTO is to impress as many people as possible.”

With the NHL still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, its salary cap increased by just $1 million this season to $82.5 million — the first increase since 2019-20.

With Cap space often in short supply, Aston-Reese said it was disheartening that the phone didn’t ring with a contract offer this summer.

“What’s kept me going is that there are a lot of people in my position,” he said. “A lot of good players have waited all summer and a lot of good players have ended up at PTOs.”

“Sometimes guys get squeezed out,” DeKeyser added.

Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said giving PTOs legitimate opportunities is important on several levels.

“That’s why you recruited her,” he said. “(And) if you don’t, you probably won’t get anyone in the future. You gotta treat these guys good.

“Anyone who is here can compete for a place on our team… I want to put them in a position to be successful.”

An extreme long shot to make the Leafs a goalie Dylan Ferguson said it was his job to stay in the building as long as possible.

“Things are going as they should,” said the 24-year-old, with just one game of NHL experience, as a juniors emergency recall for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017.

“I had a cool opportunity and I was like, ‘Let’s do it.'”

The nature of a PTO means that in many cases it is a last minute decision, forcing players to launch into unfamiliar environments with new systems and teammates.

Milano said he first spoke to Flames head coach Darryl Sutter the day before he arrived in Calgary.

“I have a lot to prove,” he said. “I thought I was worthy of a contract after last season.

“I just have to prove that I can do it again.”

Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said it’s difficult for PTOs to unseat someone on contract, but it happens every year in the league.

“(PTOs) know they have to be good,” he added. “You have to be more than good to oust someone.”

Oilers general manager Ken Holland, who called in Virtanen after the winger was found not guilty by a BC Supreme Court jury in July, said high-profile PTOs like the No. 6 in the 2014 draft needed to understand the changed landscape .

“You’re just another player who has to come and give the team a dimension that makes them better,” said Holland. “You have a short window of opportunity to try to impress.”

Aston-Reese said he has a few PTO offers but Toronto is the right choice after more than 250 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It came down to, ‘Where’s the best opportunity for me?'” he said.

And what about the possibility of getting through elsewhere – possibly higher up the lineup – even if the Leafs have a spot open?

“I like to think that I’m a loyal guy,” he said with a smile. “Not in the cards.”

Demers, meanwhile, is grateful for his last kick at an NHL can.

“I kept the faith,” he said. “You always hope someone will give you a chance.

“A lot of guys don’t understand that.”

-With files from Gemma Karstens-Smith in Whistler, BC, Donna Spencer in Calgary and Steven Sandor in Edmonton.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 26, 2022.

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