Three interesting San Diego AHL UFA:
Keegan Lowe LD, 'A', 'C' with Bakersfield prior two seasons, 28
Alex Limoges Cener, undrafted Penn State grad, teammate of Talvitie, 'C' senior year, 23
Matt Lorito RW/LW, Albany retread, 31
Anaheim NHL UFA
Andrew Poturalski C/RW, Gulls leading scorer last season, 27
Poturalski is interesting because the Ducks particularly like to spend big on their AHL team since they have an arena that holds 14.6k for hockey and play in the 8th biggest city in the US.
It looks like they swapped him out for Danny O’Regan from Henderson Silver Knights. They gave O’Regan a two year deal with a minors salary of 450k. He got 300k from Vegas last year.
The Ducks had snagged Poturalski from Carolina, who definitely don’t pay AHL tweener ringers to help their AHL club they just draft really well, and he made 350k two seasons in a row.
Chase De Leo was making 140k on the Gulls and we stole him by paying him 300k.
We lured the 33 year old Flynn from Europe by paying him 280k.
This was all to replace Street, who the Devils were paying 425k. The season before we got Street he was with the Gulls, making 750k with a one way contract with the Ducks in 2018-19 (after two huge AHL season in Grand Rapids for Detroit) and he played 21 games with Anaheim.
And as I think (and write) about it, Poturalski might be hoping for a one way deal and/or the best opportunity to play a little in the NHL. Or he might just be looking for the biggest payday. It’s possible that the Devils might have simply assumed the Ducks were keeping the AHL’s leading scorer. (Just in point totals, most guys didn’t play 44 games like Poturalski did.) He is the puck-handing playing facilitator we need (though the guys we got have skillz.)
I don’t see them going that veteran heavy in scoring forwards in Utica and Flynn has the advantage of being 6’1” and having played in 275 NHL games. I’d like a vet defenseman more than anything. (Though Poturalski would be pretty cool, don’t get me wrong.)
This more than anyone could have wanted written about San Diego Gulls players lol
And I really want Ben Thomas (RD oh! ah!) even though the best read I can get on him from Tampa fans is he was fine in his call up and they want to keep him. I don’t know why I bothered checking because fans opinions of defensemen from short call-ups are typically useless (even our own). Still fixated on him though. Barely know a thing about him, go get him Fitz!
