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Archives for January 2019

Wild Acquire Pontus Aberg From Ducks

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The Wild have acquired winger Pontus Aberg from Anaheim in exchange for minor league center Justin Kloos.  Both teams have announced the deal.

It has been an interesting year for Aberg.  He was waived by Edmonton late in training camp and was claimed by Anaheim.  However, less than a week later, he was back on the wire and with the Oilers passing on reclaiming him (as well as the rest of the league taking a pass), he was quickly assigned to San Diego of the AHL.

After just two games with the Gulls, Aberg was recalled to the Ducks and has done rather well.  His 11 goals in 37 games are just one shy of the team lead and have more than doubled his career total of five heading into the season.  Unfortunately for him and Anaheim, Aberg’s output has tailed off in recent weeks which has caused him to be a healthy scratch as of late.

The 25-year-old will add some depth on the wing for Minnesota at a cheap price.  Aberg is in the second and final season of a two-year, one-way contract that pays him the league minimum $650K.  He will be a restricted free agent this summer and will have salary arbitration eligibility.  Minnesota GM Paul Fenton is familiar with Aberg having drafted him back in Nashville back in 2012.

As for Kloos, he has had a very productive season with Iowa of the AHL, leading the team in scoring with 30 points (12-18-30) in 34 games, putting him on pace to surpass the 50 points he put up in his first full AHL campaign last season.  The 25-year-old will give the Ducks some extra firepower in the minors and the move allows them to get something in return for a player in Aberg that wasn’t likely to make it through waivers unclaimed once again.  Kloos is in the final season of his entry-level contract with an NHL cap hit of just over $790K and he will also be arbitration-eligible this summer.

Michael Russo of The Athletic was the first to report that the two sides were discussing the trade.

Paul Byron Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has decided that Paul Byron’s hit on MacKenzie Weegar was deserving of a suspension, and have issued a three-game ban to the Montreal Canadiens forward. The accompanying video explains exactly why the league felt three games was the appropriate punishment:

It is important to note that this is not a case where a player comes off the ice after contact due to the force of the hit. This is also not a case where slightly as part of a natural hitting motion when delivering a full-body hit into a larger player. Byron launches himself excessively upwards, coming off the ice to deliver the hit and in the process makes significant and forceful head contact. While we recognize that Weegar is turning as he makes a play on the puck, the onus is on Byron not to elevate excessively and launch into the hit.

Byron, not known by any standard as being a dirty player in the league, has released his own statement on the incident.

I accept and respect the decision made by the Department of Player Safety. I would like to make it clear I had no intention of causing injury or finishing my check through MacKenzie Weeger’s (sic) head. I think my history and the way I conduct myself on the ice show a lack of intent to injure other players. Despite the lack of intention, I have to accept responsibility for my hit and realize the result of the hit was to the head and caused injury. I would like to sincerely apologize for my hit and wish MacKenzie all the best and hope he is okay. I’ve learnt a lesson through this and will make sure any future hits result in a clean and legal fashion.

Though first-time offenders rarely get three games, the league also took into account that Weegar suffered an injury on the play. That will force Byron to sit out for a week, missing games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately, that takes the Canadiens right up to the All-Star break and CBA mandated bye week, meaning he won’t actually be able to suit up for the team until February 2nd.

Troy Terry, Max Jones Recalled As Anaheim Makes Several Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks are sick of losing, and they won’t be going into battle with the same group again. The team has made several roster moves today, including bringing up a little youth to inject into the lineup. Troy Terry, Max Jones and Andrej Sustr have all been recalled from the San Diego Gulls, while Jake Dotchin and Kiefer Sherwood have been assigned to the AHL. Patrick Eaves will be joining them in San Diego on a conditioning stint.

Terry, 21, has been destroying the AHL in his first year of professional hockey, recording 37 points in 32 games for the Gulls. Signed out of the University of Denver last spring, the versatile forward is still waiting for his first NHL point as he has been held off the scoresheet in eight outings. That’s not something he’s used to at any level, and the Ducks are hoping he can break through in the second half of this season.

Jones, 20, comes with a much higher draft pedigree than Terry but is still a step behind him at the AHL level. The big OHL winger has 24 points in his first season of professional hockey, and offers a much different skill set with his willingness to engage physically when necessary. Both players are part of an impressive group of forward prospects that could turn the Ducks’ fortunes around down the line, but will have their work cut out for them this season.

Kailer Yamamoto Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Edmonton Oilers are looking just about everywhere for forward help as they try to climb back into the playoff race, and today will get some from within. Young forward Kailer Yamamoto has been activated from injured reserve and will make his return to the lineup tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. To make room for Yamamoto on the roster, Alex Petrovic has been moved to injured reserve.

Yamamoto has played just two NHL games since the end of October, and could be just the answer the Oilers need up front. Selected in the first round in 2017, the undersized forward has incredible offensive upside and has shown an ability to score at the minor league level this year. Starved for some speed and skill to keep up with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers could very well give Yamamoto every chance to prove he can stick at the NHL from here on.

If Yamamoto can’t get it done, it’s not clear where the Oilers will turn to get their much needed offensive boost. Recent reports had the team considering moving a “young developing forward” for help this season, and while many immediately assumed that meant struggling prospect Jesse Puljujarvi, there’s no telling how many teams have inquired on a name like Yamamoto or if the Oilers would even consider moving him.

CHL/NHL Top Prospect Game Invitees Announced

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January 16: Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach have been named captains for the two teams. Both players are expected to go in the first handful of picks in the upcoming draft.

December 13: One of the most interesting events of the year when it comes to draft-eligible prospects is the annual CHL/NHL Top Prospects game. For the game, every NHL franchise helps select the 40 players they would like to see compete from across the entire CHL, giving them better insight as the entry draft approaches. Almost every player that takes part in the game ends up selected a few months later, many of them in the first round.

The showcase will be held on January 23rd in Red Deer, Alberta. The full roster includes:

G Colten Ellis (Rimouski Océanic)
G Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
G Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
G Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers)

D Samuel Bolduc (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
D Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
D Billy Constantinou (Kingston Frontenacs)
D Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
D Artemi Kniazev (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds)
D Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
D Jake Lee (Seattle Thunderbirds)
D Nikita Okhotyuk (Ottawa 67’s)
D Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
D Lassi Thomson (Kelowna Rockets)
D Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)

F Nikita Alexandrov (Charlottetown Islanders)
F Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs)
F Joe Carroll (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
F Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
F Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
F Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
F Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
F Matvey Guskov (London Knights)
F Dillon Hamaliuk (Seattle Thunderbirds)
F Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs)
F Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE)
F Raphaël Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
F Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders)
F Nathan Légaré (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
F Connor McMichael (London Knights)
F Sasha Mutala (Tri-City Americans)
F Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats)
F Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
F Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
F Nick Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
F Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts)
F Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
F Josh Williams (Medicine Hat Tigers)
F Oleg Zaytsev (Red Deer Rebels)

Most notable among the roster is a group of forwards all vying for spots in the top-10 during June’s draft. Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Raphael Lavoie, Peyton Krebs and Ryan Suzuki could all creep into the top third of the first round, though obviously nothing is set at this point. Others like Nolan Foote and Arthur Kaliyev could easily leapfrog up the draft board with a strong showing in this event and the second half of the CHL season.

On defense, all eyes will be on Bowen Byram who is starting to establish himself as a potential franchise player on the blue line. The Vancouver Giants defender has 25 points in 29 games and has been considered well ahead of his age group defensively since making his WHL debut in 2016-17. For fans already looking forward to the June festivities, this event is must-see action.

Pittsburgh Penguins “Ready To Start Dealing”

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Derick Brassard will be traded. That’s the news coming out of nearly every outlet in Pittsburgh as the Penguins prepare to shake up their roster for another Stanley Cup run. The latest to report on the Penguins is Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts column, which includes a note saying that GM Jim Rutherford is “ready to start dealing.”

That notion comes just a day after the Penguins lost badly at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, their second consecutive defeat and one that has dropped them to fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. That’s a dangerous place to be in at the moment every team out of the playoff picture is gunning for the Penguins’ spot, including the Buffalo Sabres who are just four points back. Rutherford is never one to just wait around and hope things get better, and with the imperfect fit that is Brassard there’s work to be done.

Friedman notes that the Penguins have expressed interest in Carolina Hurricanes forward Micheal Ferland, but also writes that the list of teams after the pending free agents is long and also includes the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Ferland would be a nice fit to provide some physicality and secondary scoring for the Penguins, but he doesn’t fill that third-line center role that Brassard has failed to run with.

If that’s the position most sought after, there are certainly several avenues to go down. Matt Duchene’s representation is meeting with Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion today in California according to Darren Dreger of TSN, meaning there should be at least some feeling of where his contract negotiations are headed. If the Senators can’t get Duchene under an extension in the next few weeks, you have to expect them to see what they could get for him on the trade market. Kevin Hayes stands out as another center that could fit in behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though there will be plenty of competition for his services too.

Like other teams that are squarely in their competitive window, the Penguins aren’t worried about building for the future and will try to give themselves the best shot at a Stanley Cup this season. Brassard was that move a year ago as the team had to part with multiple pieces to multiple teams in order to get a cheaper version of the veteran center onto their team. That leaves Brassard as a fairly appetizing trade chip this time around, given that he carries just a $3MM cap hit this season. Moving that cap hit will be important to any moves that the Penguins do make, given their relative proximity to the salary cap ceiling.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 01/16/19

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Just five games are on tap for tonight in the NHL but those matchups feature some of the brilliant young stars around the league. The Colorado Avalanche kick things off when they travel to see Matt Duchene and the Ottawa Senators in a chance to get back moving in the right direction. Colorado beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday to record just their second win in the last ten games, far from a dominant stretch for a team expecting to be in the playoffs this season. As the Avalanche and other teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Cameron Schilling from the minor leagues, an insurance policy with Ben Chiarot dealing with a minor injury. Schilling played four games with the Jets earlier this season, his first NHL action since 2014-15.
  • After six games with the Dallas Stars, Erik Condra is heading back to the AHL. Condra was reassigned today after registering just one point in those six games. The 32-year old veteran is one of the Texas Stars’ best players and leads the club with 35 points in just 32 games.
  • Karl Alzner was sent back to the minor leagues late last night, something the Montreal Canadiens can still do without putting him through waivers again. The Canadiens don’t play again until Friday and can save a substantial amount of cap space with each day Alzner spends in the minor leagues, though he is expected to travel with the team tomorrow when they head to Columbus.

2019 Hobey Baker Award Voting Opens

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With the collegiate hockey season entering the home stretch, voting for this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award has opened with 83 players nominated for the award. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country, and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2013-14, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015-16. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher and 2017-18 winner Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact, but look like they’ll each have long NHL careers.

The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.

The fan vote will be added to the opinions of NCAA head coaches to come up with a 10-man finalist group, which will then have another fan vote and go through a selection committee. The nominees are as follows:

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Philadelphia Flyers Place Dale Weise On Waivers

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Wednesday: Weise has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Tuesday: The Philadelphia Flyers have started to make some changes, beginning with Dale Weise. The veteran forward has been placed on waivers and is available for claim by the entire league.

Weise, 30, is a perfect example of how the Flyers have underperformed over the last few seasons. Signed to a four-year $9.4MM deal in 2016, the defensive winger has not been able to reproduce the level of offensive production he experienced in Montreal. With just 34 points in his 152-game Flyers career so far, there just isn’t enough reason to keep him in the lineup over some of the team’s younger players if GM Chuck Fletcher is looking towards the future.

Still, Weise is an extremely well-liked teammate and could very well find himself on a new team within the next few days. It may be a stretch for a team to claim him and his entire $2.35MM cap hit—that extends through 2019-20—but should he clear the Flyers could find him a new home with the added benefit of being able to go straight to the minor leagues. We’ve seen moves like this before after a player clears waivers, though there is no guarantee that is what Fletcher has planned.

If Weise does go to the minor leagues for Philadelphia, a pro-rated $1.025MM will come off his cap hit while he is buried in the AHL. That number actually increases to $1.075MM next season, meaning he would be even less of a cap liability if the team decides to keep him there.

The Flyers are moving in a new direction after a season that has seen them go 17-23-6 through the first 46 games and it is obvious that there will be other casualties. Most eyes will be focused on Wayne Simmonds next as the trade deadline approaches, given the apparent lack of any extension interest and his status as an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

Florida Panthers Make Bogdan Kiselevich Available For Trade

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It looked like the Florida Panthers were getting an inexpensive depth addition for a potential playoff run when they convinced KHL veteran Bogdan Kiselevich to come to North America last summer. The 28-year old defenseman had been an excellent player for years, suiting up at the World Championships and even the Olympics for Russia. That playoff run hasn’t gone according to plan though as Florida finds themselves near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference standings after a seven-game losing streak. If the playoffs are out of the question the Panthers aren’t going to hold on to Kiselevich, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that GM Dale Tallon has informed the rest of the league that the Russian defenseman is available for trade.

While that news may not be surprising, Kiselevich could very well be a savvy pickup for a playoff team looking for depth. Despite averaging fewer than 15 minutes a night, Kiselevich has actually been relatively effective for the Panthers, recording eight points in 31 games and posting positive possession statistics. Though he’s not going to step into a first pairing and change the outlook of a blue line, there’s reason to believe he could be a third-pairing upgrade especially given his experience in pressure-heavy tournaments and playoff situations in Russia.

An easy comparison for Kiselevich is the Washington Capitals acquisition of Michal Kempny last season. The smooth-skating Kempny was picked up in mid-February by the Capitals for a third-round pick and found immediate success in his new home. He would go on to be a key player in a Capitals Stanley Cup run, and earned himself a four-year extension. There are much less successful examples, but that’s the one teams will point to in order to justify acquiring Kiselevich over the next few weeks. We’ll have to wait and see if he can have the same kind of impact.

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