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Corey Crawford To Take Indefinite Leave

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that goaltender Corey Crawford, who had already been absent from the last several days of training camp, will take an indefinite leave of absence from the club due to personal reasons.

Crawford, 36, signed a two-year, $7.8MM deal with the Devils in the offseason to become the partner and mentor for young Mackenzie Blackwood, who has shown starter-level promise in his short NHL career. The veteran netminder has spent his entire career to this point with the Chicago Blackhawks and actually had a nice bounce-back campaign in 2019-20. After dealing with lingering concussion issues, Crawford returned to post a .917 save percentage in 40 appearances last season.

There’s no information on why he is taking the leave or how long Crawford is expected to be away from the team. About as beloved of a teammate as you can find in the NHL, the entire hockey world is wishing him well.

The Devils will need to find a replacement goaltender for the time being and their depth chart isn’t exactly bursting with NHL options. Scott Wedgewood holds the most experience of the group with 24 NHL games, but hasn’t seen any time at that level since 2017-18. One suggestion from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is Scott Darling, who is expected to be released from his professional tryout with the Florida Panthers and would be an unrestricted free agent.

Large Group Of Players Placed On Waivers

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With just a few days before the start of the regular season, a huge number of players have been placed on waivers. The full list includes:

Anaheim Ducks: 

Anthony Stolarz
Andy Welinski
Christian Djoos
Andrew Poturalski
Chase De Leo
Vinni Lettieri
Sam Carrick
Andrew Agozzino
David Backes

Carolina Hurricanes:

Antoine Bibeau
Steven Lorentz
Spencer Smallman
Jeremy Bracco
Gustav Forsling
Drew Shore
Max McCormick

Colorado Avalanche:

Jacob MacDonald
Dan Renouf
Kyle Burroughs
Mike Vecchione
T.J. Tynan
Miikka Salomaki
Jayson Megna
Sheldon Dries

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Nic Petan

These massive waiver placements are no different than the normal training camp cuts that would occur in late-September in a normal year. Should they clear, these players will be eligible to report to the taxi squad or AHL. There are a few names that stand out from the crowd though.

Backes, a veteran of 950 NHL games, still carries a $6MM cap hit on the final season of the five-year, $30MM contract he signed with the Boston Bruins in 2016. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports, this is not a move by the Ducks to try and rid themselves of Backes, but create some additional flexibility. At any rate, his contract basically makes him waiver-proof as no other team would want to take it on at this point in the season.

Bracco, a former top prospect that scored 79 points in 75 games for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL as recently as 2018-19, has seen his development stall and finds himself on the outside looking in for the Hurricanes once again. Djoos, once an up-and-coming defenseman in the Washington Capitals system, is now 26 and available to the whole league, should they want to take a chance.

Josh Anderson Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Jan 8: Anderson has cleared and will have his contract terminated.

Jan 7: The Colorado Avalanche have placed Josh Anderson on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to CapFriendly. The 22-year-old defenseman was a third-round pick of the team in 2016 and has spent most of the last two seasons with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. Anderson had one year remaining on his entry-level contract but will become an unrestricted free agent after the termination goes through.

It’s not clear what’s next for Anderson, but after failing to make any sort of impression in his first two seasons it seems unlikely that he will earn another NHL contract anytime soon. In 23 games with the Grizzlies last season, he scored six points, raising his career total in the ECHL to 13. He did play in 12 games with the Colorado Eagles and even scored his first AHL goal, but he clearly wasn’t making the progress the Avalanche hoped for when selecting him 71st overall five years ago.

Like all the other players that have been put on waivers so far, it’s unlikely that Anderson generates a claim. Perhaps a job is waiting for him overseas, or another ECHL team will extend him a minor league contract.

Columbus, Dallas Hold Players Out Of Practice Due To COVID-19 Concerns

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Both the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets are facing COVID-19 issues today and have either canceled or held players out of practice. This seems to be the first instance of what could become a regularity this season as the NHL tries to navigate the current public health situation.

Saad Yousuf of The Athletic reported this morning that the Stars have canceled practice and media availability for today, confirming with colleague Sean Shapiro that it is COVID-19 related. Yousuf is reporting that at least one Stars player has tested positive. The team has not released an official statement and all communication is expected to come directly from the league.

In Columbus, the team did issue a press release, though it is not very informative. It reads:

The Columbus Blue Jackets have held a number of players out of today’s scheduled practice out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with NHL Covid-19 protocols.

The team has also completely canceled practice for their second group that was scheduled for this afternoon. Important to note, the Blue Jackets do have Max Domi on the team, who is a Type 1 diabetic and considered opting-out of the summer restart at one point because of the COVID-19 concerns. At this point, it seems unlikely that Columbus will provide any additional information, but Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets the long list of players (including Domi) that are missing from practice.

Though it’s hard to think about, situations like this are bound to pop up throughout the year as the league continues to travel and even in some situations host fans. Still, missing any of the already very short training camps will be detrimental as teams try to prepare for the grind of the regular season.

Carolina Hurricanes Announce Front Office Promotions

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The Carolina Hurricanes have promoted a few promotions to key members of their front office, announcing that Eric Tulsky and Darren Yorke will now serve as assistant general managers. Aaron Schwartz has been hired as a director of hockey operations. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a statement on the moves:

Eric and Darren have earned this opportunity through their hard work and creativity in assisting player decisions and evaluation. Aaron has a great deal of experience in hockey and we are excited to add his knowledge and relationships to our organization. We are confident in Eric, Darren and Aaron’s abilities, and they will play a vital role in bringing a championship to Raleigh.

Tulsky, one of the leading minds in hockey analytics, has been with the team since 2014 and is behind many of the data-driven decisions the team has made over the last several years. He will now be involved in all hockey-related matters, manage the team’s pro scouting and continue to oversee the hockey information department. Yorke meanwhile has been with the team even longer, originally hired as a video scout in 2009. He will oversee the amateur scouting and player development and continue to run the team’s draft.

Schwartz, who comes with a varied resume that includes time with the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, will be tasked with assisting in negotiations and salary cap compliance.

The Hurricanes begin play in one week, heading to face the Detroit Red Wings for two games.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Riley Sheahan

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It’s hard to say that Riley Sheahan was hoping for an injury when he took a PTO with the Buffalo Sabres, but it certainly benefited him when Zemgus Girgensons went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him out the whole year. Just a few days later, the Sabres have signed Sheahan to a one-year, $700K contract for the upcoming season.

The 29-year-old Sheahan isn’t just some minor league journeyman that is getting a chance just before the start of the season. The 2010 first-round pick has played in more than 500 NHL games and twice recorded more than 30 points in a season. Even last year in a depth role with the Edmonton Oilers he managed to score eight times in 66 games, more than Girgensons has tallied in four of his seven seasons in Buffalo. Sure, it seems unlikely that Shehan will be given all of the exact same responsibilities and ice time that Girgensons would have, but he does make a handy replacement to have in training camp, making his PTO quite a savvy move for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

A $700K league-minimum contract won’t do anything to the Sabres financial situation and is the lowest amount that Sheahan has signed for in his career. In 2018 he earned himself a $2.1MM deal from the Pittsburgh Penguins and last season brought a $900K contract with Edmonton. If nothing else, that suggests that he could be a nice little bargain piece for Buffalo if he can turn back the clock a few years and reach his former level of play as a responsible two-way pivot.

East Notes: Rask, Kapanen, Komarov

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Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask spoke with reporters yesterday, including Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty, for the first time since leaving the bubble to tend to a family emergency.  During the discussion, he was asked about the potential of playing elsewhere as the 33-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.  While there is no extension in place, Rask didn’t mince words about his preference:

I have no intentions of playing anywhere else except for with the Bruins. If I’m good enough to play one, two or three more years then so be it and if not then so be it. That’s where my head is at.

Rask has been a fixture in Boston’s lineup since the 2009-10 season and has suited up in 536 NHL games, all for the Bruins who acquired him from Toronto back in 2006.  His playing time has been more limited recently though so he should be expecting to take a dip from his current $7MM AAV in order to stick around.

Elsewhere in the East Division:

  • Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen is expected to have his work visa in hand by Friday, notes Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That’s an important hurdle to clear as he looks to join his new team after being dealt during the postseason but it still seems quite unlikely at this point that he’ll be available on opening night.  Kapanen will still have to go through a mandatory quarantine period of seven days so unless there is some sort of exception granted which seems extremely unlikely at this point, he will have to miss the first two games of the year against Philadelphia.
  • The Islanders are trying to trade winger Leo Komarov, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). GM Lou Lamoriello is trying to free up some extra cap room with Mathew Barzal still needing a new deal and with Komarov underachieving since joining them, he’s a logical player to try to move.  Of course, in this cap environment, an underachieving fourth-liner with two years left on his contract at $3MM is going to be a tough sell and will likely require some sort of incentive to get another team to take the 33-year-old on.  Komarov had just four goals and ten assists in 48 games last season.

Ducks Sign Anthony Stolarz To Two-Year Extension

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Thursday: Anaheim officially announced the two-year extension for Stolarz.

Wednesday: The Ducks have locked up their insurance goalie and fulfilled an expansion draft requirement in the process.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they have signed netminder Anthony Stolarz to a two-year contract extension worth $950K per year.  It is a one-way pact in both seasons.

The 25-year-old joined Anaheim last offseason after signing as a Group VI unrestricted free agent from Philadelphia.  He ultimately had a similar role as he did with the Flyers as he was their third-string option and spent the majority of the season with AHL San Diego as a result, compiling a 2.66 GAA with a .922 SV% in 39 games.  He did get into one game with the Ducks, allowing two goals on 36 shots in a losing effort to St. Louis back in March.

Stolarz has 26 career NHL games under his belt so it’s quite possible that he’ll be in the mix for the number two spot behind John Gibson with Ryan Miller going year-to-year at this stage of his career.  However, the primary impetus for this contract would appear to be the looming Seattle expansion draft.  The only signed goalie that was eligible for exposure (each team must leave one unprotected) was Gibson and clearly, they intended to protect him.  Giving Stolarz a new deal paves the way for them to unprotect him and ensure Gibson stays put and for agreeing to do so, Stolarz gets a small raise and a couple of years of job security, even if he winds up being as the third-string option throughout.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Islanders

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the calendar having now flipped to 2021.

What are the Islanders most thankful for?

Some goaltending stability.

When Jaroslav Halak started to falter towards the end of his tenure with New York (one that had him buried in the minors at one point), there were some patchwork replacements added in Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner (for one year) but neither were viewed as long-term starting options.  Then came Semyon Varlamov in the 2019 offseason on a four-year deal, providing some stability at the position.

They’re certainly also thankful that they were finally able to lure Ilya Sorokin to North America, using the ability to burn his one-year entry-level deal in the bubble to do so.  The 25-year-old has long been viewed as one of the best goalies outside the league and if he lives up to his potential, he could be pushing Varlamov for playing time before long.  All of a sudden, things appear to be set between the pipes.

Who are the Islanders most thankful for?

Center Mathew Barzal.  How could it not be him?  He has been in the league for three years and has led the team in points all three times.  The 23-year-old has quickly become one of the better playmakers in the league despite playing for a team that isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut.  Getting a player like that in the middle of the first round is a great return on their investment, one that hasn’t cost them a lot financially so far.  That will soon change whenever his next contract gets signed.  While a long-term deal would be desirable from GM Lou Lamoriello’s standpoint, their cap situation would make doing so quite difficult.  Nevertheless, even a bridge deal will cost a pretty penny but the price will be well worth it.

What would the Islanders be even more thankful for?

Beyond getting a contract for Barzal in place?  The Islanders would be thrilled if they could get a similar performance from their back end this season as they did last year but that will be tricky without Devon Toews (a cap casualty that was traded to Colorado) and the injured Johnny Boychuk.  That will put a lot of pressure on youngster Noah Dobson, in particular, for the upcoming season.  He was certainly eased in last year but that is a luxury they can’t afford now; instead, they’re likely hoping for top-four minutes from him most nights.  Barzal adapted quickly to the NHL and became a star almost overnight.  Dobson is taking the slower approach but they’d be quite thankful for Dobson taking more than a step or two forward in his development in 2020-21.

What should be on the Islanders’ wish list?

Cap space.  They need some flexibility even with Boychuk’s eventual LTIR placement and with many teams either capped out or facing budgetary restrictions, this is hardly an ideal market to try and shed salary.  The Isles have several higher-priced veterans that have underperformed since signing their contracts so Lamoriello is going to have to be creative in order to make that happen.  There are plenty of dominoes to fall still (including Barzal’s contract and several PTOs being converted into NHL contracts) so this is certainly something that needs to be addressed quickly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Among Teams That Have Checked In On Brian Boyle

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At this stage of free agency, there isn’t a lot left, especially when it comes to UFA centers.  In terms of proven options that aren’t at camp somewhere, the list basically starts and ends with veteran Brian Boyle.  But don’t mistake the fact that he’s unsigned as a suggestion that no one has any interest in him.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that multiple teams, including the Rangers, have reached out to the veteran but for now, the intention for those squads to see what they have first in training camp and will circle back if they feel they need more depth down the middle.

The 36-year-old spent last season with Florida, picking up six goals and nine assists in 36 games and has been consistent in his points-per-game output over the past four seasons, ranging from 0.33 the previous three seasons to 0.38 last year.  Of course, Boyle is more known for his play in his own end as a capable defensive pivot who can kill penalties, play with some physicality, and win some key faceoffs; he has been below the 50% mark just once since the 2011-12 campaign.

Considering the fact Boyle is still without a contract, it shouldn’t cost much more than the league minimum to get him signed at this point and while he is more of a fourth-line option now after being able to log a bigger workload earlier in his career.  But in a season where depth is going to be crucial, it wouldn’t be surprising for at least one of the teams – be it New York or someone else – to decide to bring Boyle into the fold.

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