Time is running out for unsigned players to find a team before the season starts, regardless of the location or level. The European leagues are off and running, the NHL preseason is winding down with puck drop on the regular season arriving early next week, and now the AHL preseason is underway. Free agents are now scrambling to find a new home before it’s too late. Keep track of these last-minute moves every day right here:
- From NHL contract to AHL tryout, goaltender Evan Cormier is just looking to stay involved in the North American pro ranks. The former New Jersey Devils prospect, who was not extended a qualifying offer this summer, may have stumbled into an unexpectedly good situation with the Toronto Marlies. Though the Marlies net looked extremely deep heading into this season, young Maple Leafs keepers Joseph Woll and Ian Scott are both battling injuries, leaving only Michael Hutchinson and Keith Petruzelli healthy for AHL camp. The result is a PTO for Cormier, who brings some AHL experience to camp. While in the long run Cormier would be unlikely to see much AHL time this season behind so many options, he could earn a contract merely to provide depth early on.
- Detroit Red Wings prospect Albin Grewe will remain overseas even after leaving his Liiga club, Ilves. Swedish club Mora IK of the second-tier Allsvenskan has announced that they have inked Grewe – and for two years at that. The 20-year-old winger, who was selected in the third round in 2019, played briefly in the AHL last year with the Grand Rapids Griffins but signed on in Finland for this season rather than remain in North America. When he left Ilves, it seemed possible that he had opted to return to Grand Rapids, but instead returned home to Sweden. A two-year deal in a second-tier European league after having a taste of the North American game raises some questions about Grewe’s future with the Red Wings.
- NHL veteran Michael Latta is doing whatever it takes to extend his career. The 30-year-old forward last played in North America with Binghamton and Tuscon in the AHL in 2017-18. In the years since, he has spent one season apiece in the KHL, SHL, and ICEHL. Without a contract to begin this new campaign, he is now on to a new locale, signing a unique deal with HC Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga. Latta’s deal is guaranteed for only two months, but there is a club option for the full season. Both sides will see how the early season goes and then re-evaluate before the end of the calendar year.
- The Vegas Golden Knight have turned around and reassigned the trio of players they recalled yesterday for their preseason game. The team announced that Jonas Rondbjerg, Daniil Miromanov, and Jake Leschyshyn have been sent back to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, as expected. Yet, all three bear watching as recall possibilities this season.