It’s that time of year again, as the PSHL season is about to begin, and the Portland Vipers locked in their opening night roster. After a better-than-expected 42/43 season, the Vipers are back, missing a few big names but adding a few new ones. The biggest news this offseason was star LW Christopher Maus leaving the team as a free agent and signing with the Blue Jackets. His two seasons in Portland ended with 152 points, and his contribution won’t be easy to replace. Joining him in free agency were two-thirds of the 2nd line, Russians Maksim Ivantsov and Nikita Varganov, plus goaltender Henrik Valtanen, who retired after 2 years in Portland. 

 

With a few key players on the way out, the Vipers front office got to work scouring free agency and the trade market. One of the headliners was the re-signing of 26yo RFA Jaydan Staunton to a 4-year $4.02m AAV contract. The Two-way center and PK specialist has been a favorite in Portland since his arrival in the expansion draft. The other big name and fresh face is winger William Christensen, who joins the Vipers via trade with Philadelphia. The expected first-liner scored 23 goals and had 24 assists in Philly last year, but will have big shoes to fill in the gap left by Christopher Maus. Another new name is Russian winger Yevgeny Pestrovo, who signed asd a free agent after returning to the KHL for the past two seasons. A former Leaf and Wild, Pestrovo will be competing for a spot on the 2nd line and will also see time on the power play. While naturally a center, Pestrovo has spent time practising on the wing, which is where he is expected to slot in. Finally, former Sharks goalie Aleksey Makiyevsky joins on a 3-year deal to backup starting goalie Nathan Morley.  

 

After a busy preseason, a few young guys are expected to debut this season, while others will start the year in the AHL. Pekka Eklund, the 21st overall pick in the 2042 draft, has made the roster as the 3rd line Center. While defenceman Aaron Warren, could play a depth role as a 7th/8th D-man. Travis Verheyden, a promising prospect, will begin the season in the AHL after a red-hot year in the OHL. Joining him are goalie Heath Henry and C James Dunne, who both are notably high picks in previous drafts. 

 

Portland opens the season at home vs Edmonton with this roster:

 

1L: William Christensen - Julian Wegmüller - Marko Pojedinec

2L: Ayaz Huseynov - Jaydan Staunton - Yevgeny Pestrovo

3L: Cayden Eylander - Pekka Eklund - Sebastian Højberg

4L: Jake Meola - Sakari Poskiparta - Olivier Mirao

Press Box: Björn Egger - Luke Matoush

 

1D: Shane Tonogai - Guido Stucchi

2D: Ryan Meyer - Andrey Pavlov

3D: Jan Olah - Sergey Gayduchik

Press Box: Julian Stucki - Aaron Warren

 

Goalies: Nathan Morley - Aleksey Makiyevsky

Following a decent showing in their first season in the PSHL, the Portland Vipers moved quickly on the opening of Free Agency to improve heading into the 2041/2042 season. The end of last season brought the departure of a few key pieces, including G Cal Lennox, D Alexander Erlansson, and the ever-injured Matvei Michkov. In their place, Portland targeted short-term improvements with a proven track record to step in and fill the gaps.

 

The first big signing came in the form of Christopher Maus, the 33-year-old left wing fresh off a 68-point season in Toronto. A two-time PSHL champion, Maus signed a two-year deal and is projected to feature on the first line next to former Sharks teammate Julian Wegmuller. With a few big names still sitting in the goalie market, Portland pulled the trigger on the cheaper option, signing 31-year-old Henrik Valtanen to a 2 year deal. Valtanen spent 7 seasons with the New York Rangers and won the Shafer Cup in 37/38, but has played in the KHL for the past 2 seasons with Avangard Omsk. Valtanen will form a tandem with Nathan Morley between the pipes. And finally, more recently, Portland came to an agreement with defenceman Will Kendricks on a 1 year deal. The long-time Lightning D-man spent last year in Columbus but will now likely pair with Guido Stucchi in Portland.

 

To further shore up any gaps in the roster, Portland made two notable trades this offseason. The first was bringing in RW Marko Pojdinec from Edmonton, who is on a 5-year deal. Pojedinec is an electric offense-first winger with top-level speed and an eye for goal. The 2nd deal was with the Philadelphia Flyers, which brought defenceman Andrey Pavlov to Portland. Pavlov is a hard-hitting 3rd line defenceman who will help fortify what was a very offense-heavy defensive core last year.

 

While Portland does have a bit of cap remaining to play with, the core roster appears to be locked in. The Vipers' attention will now turn to contracts expiring at the end of 2042, as well as preparing for the upcoming season.