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Archives for October 2021

Minor Transactions: 10/08/21

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Training camp cuts continue all across the league and another dozen names are on waivers. But there are also some recalled and reassignments of players who were already cut earlier this preseason, and we’ll keep track of those here.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Kaedan Korczak from the Henderson Silver knights for their final preseason game tomorrow. Korczak actually scored for Henderson just yesterday in the AHL exhibition game but will get another chance to show what he can do for the big club this weekend.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Adam Raska, giving them an extra forward for that game against the Golden Knights. The 20-year-old is an interesting prospect to follow this season, his first in the AHL after being so good for the Rimouski Oceanic. The seventh-overall pick signed his entry-level deal in May and was assigned to the minor league club just yesterday.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled Oskar Back, Joseph Cecconi, Tye Felhaber, Jordan Kawaguchi, and Ryan Shea from their AHL club, according to Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News. The group of minor league talent should get into tomorrow night’s preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche, before ending up back with the Texas Stars.

New Jersey Devils Sign Frederik Gauthier

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After releasing Mark Jankowski from his PTO earlier today, the New Jersey Devils have ended another tryout this afternoon. Frederik Gauthier has signed a one-year, two-way contract, ending his PTO and officially joining the organization. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $800K, an AHL salary of $175K and comes with a solid minor league guarantee of $200K.

Gauthier, 26, spent last season with the Arizona Coyotes on a one-year, two-way deal as well, but failed to receive a qualifying offer this offseason. That was a familiar decision as he had been cut loose by the Toronto Maple Leafs the summer previous, even after playing in 61 regular season games with the team. In 170 career contests, the big center has recorded just 13 goals and 31 points, a disappointing total even for a player that was always lauded more for his defensive ability than scoring touch.

That defensive ability, or at least the ability the Maple Leafs hoped would develop, is exactly why they made him the 21st overall pick in 2013. He has size too, but Gauthier has never been a physical player, even when he towers over the competition. Instead, he can get by in a fourth-line role just by his defensive awareness, though even that has been a difficult role for him to secure lately. In New Jersey, he should only fill an extra forward/injury call-up spot and could very well find himself on waivers before camp is finished.

COVID Notes: Blackwood, Bednar, Jarnkrok

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The New Jersey Devils didn’t actually end up playing last night due to an electrical issue in the rink, but there was an issue with the roster even before the scoreboard went dark. Mackenzie Blackwood, who was originally scheduled to play the first two periods for the Devils, didn’t hit the ice with the team for warmup. Corey Masisak of The Athletic reported this morning that it was because Blackwood, one of the handful of players who have decided not to be vaccinated, had inconclusive COVID-19 test results. According to Masisak, the team is expecting to know for sure one way or the other on Blackwood’s status by Sunday.

When both Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier were missing from today’s practice, speculation ramped up that it was because he would be a close contact as the other goaltender. That is not the case, as Bernier was taking a maintenance day, not because of anything to do with Blackwood’s status. While testing positive is certainly a possibility for every player in the league, vaccinated or not, the fact that Blackwood has declined means that should he miss regular season action because of a positive case, the Devils could suspend him without pay.

  • If there was any hope that Jared Bednar would be back quicker than expected from his positive test, it didn’t come true today. Bednar was still absent from Colorado Avalanche practice today according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, with skills coach Shawn Allard leading the drills instead. When the Avalanche announced Bednar’s status earlier this week, they included that he would be out for the team’s final two preseason games. One of those came yesterday, a loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars, and the other comes tomorrow in the back half of the home-and-home.
  • The Seattle Kraken haven’t had Calle Jarnkrok on the ice the last few days, and today head coach Dave Hakstol explained why. Jarnkrok has been put into the league’s COVID protocol, meaning he can’t join his teammates on the ice and is out indefinitely. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times confirms that Jarnkork is vaccinated, meaning that he will be able to return once he registers a confirmed negative test. It is not clear if Jarnkrok tested positive, only that he has entered the protocol for some reason.

12 Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 8: All 12 players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 7: There were 30 players that hit waivers yesterday, but today’s list is quite a bit smaller. Just a dozen names are available for claim according to Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star. Those names are:

Troy Grosenick (BOS)
Brian Lashoff (DET)
Ryan Murphy (DET)
Andrew Hammond (MIN)
Kyle Rau (MIN)
A.J. Greer (NJD)
Louis Domingue (PIT)
Sam Anas (STL)
Charlie Lindgren (STL)
Calle Rosen (STL)
Steven Santini (STL)
Nathan Walker (STL)

Once again there are some interesting names on the list, including a quartet of experienced netminders. As teams deal with late-camp absences, those goaltenders could end up switching teams for a short period of time. There will be many, many more names placed on waivers in the coming days, however, as the regular season starts in less than a week.

Caleb Jones Out Six Weeks With Wrist Injury

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The Chicago Blackhawks have announced another serious injury to a depth defenseman, this time ruling Caleb Jones out for six weeks with a wrist injury. He joins Wyatt Kalynuk on the sideline, taking out two options for the team to start the year.

Jones, 24, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers as part of the package that sent Duncan Keith north, and was immediately seen as a precursor to Chicago’s eventual trade for his brother Seth Jones. The two were united with the Blackhawks (though their compensation is a touch different) and set to start the season together for the first time in their NHL careers.

It wasn’t exactly clear what Caleb Jones’ role would be with the team, but given Kalynuk’s injury, there were plenty of minutes to go around on the bottom pair. Ian Mitchell may be the beneficiary of these injuries as a spot has opened for him on the NHL roster, though newcomer Jakub Galvas could also potentially slot in on his off-side. Regardless of how they work it out, losing two legitimate NHL options so early puts a lot of pressure on the depth chart immediately.

Not to be forgotten though is the cap situation, which is actually positively affected by this injury. Jones was unlikely to be sent to the minor leagues, meaning the team has a little more added flexibility in terms of who to place on LTIR and when to do it. The Blackhawks will be dancing a delicate routine this season after acquiring big-ticket players like Seth Jones, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Tyler Johnson this summer.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/08/21

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Just a few more days remain until the start of the regular season, meaning teams will be cutting down to the final roster soon. As always, we’ll keep track of all the cuts from around the league right here.

Anaheim Ducks (via press release)

D Olen Zellweger (to Everett, WHL)
G Lukas Dostal (to San Diego, AHL)

Arizona Coyotes (via press release)

F Bokondji Imama (to Tucson, AHL)
G Josef Korenar (to Tucson, AHL)

Boston Bruins (via Matt Porter, Boston Globe)

F Steven Fogarty (to Providence, AHL)
G Troy Grosenick (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

D Brandon Davidson (to Rochester, AHL)*

Chicago Blackhawks (via press release)

F Colton Dach (to Kelowna, WHL)
D Nolan Allen (to Prince Albert, AHL)
F Evan Barratt (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dmitri Osipov (to Rockford, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via press release)

F Shane Bowers (to Colorado, AHL)
F Martin Kaut (to Colorado, AHL)
F Artem Anisimov (released from PTO)

Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)

F Fredrik Karlstrom (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via press release)

F Chase Pearson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brian Lashoff (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Ryan Murphy (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Adam Brubacher (released from PTO)

Minnesota Wild (via team Twitter)

F Kyle Rau (to Iowa, AHL)
G Andrew Hammond (to Iowa, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via press release)

F A.J. Greer (to Utica, AHL)
D Nikita Okhotiuk (to Utica, AHL)
F Chase De Leo (to Utica, AHL)*
F Mark Jankowski (released from PTO)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via press release)

F Kasper Bjorkqvist (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Filip Hallander (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Poulin (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Louis Domingue (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (via press release)

F Simon Ryfors (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Amir Miftakhov (to Orlando, ECHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via press release)

G Michael Dipietro (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Sheldon Dries (to Abbotsford, AHL)*

*Pending waivers

This page will be updated throughout the day

Germany, Switzerland, Russia Announce Members Of 2022 Olympic Team

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The first three members of each participating Olympic hockey nation are being announced this week, with top names like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak and Victor Hedman already locked in to compete for their respective countries. Today, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Latvia, Denmark and Russia all revealed the first three names on their roster sheet.

For Germany, it comes as no surprise that Leon Draisaitl leads the way. The Edmonton Oilers superstar is one of the most dangerous playmakers in the world, winning the Hart and Art Ross trophies in 2020. He’ll be joined by Philipp Grubauer, who gives the German squad an elite goaltending option for the tournament.

The third member is an interesting choice though, as Moritz Seider, the Detroit Red Wings prospect who has yet to even make his NHL debut, has already locked in his spot at the Games. The 20-year-old defenseman was the sixth-overall pick in 2019 and has is expected to make an impact for the Red Wings in short order.

Switzerland has a trio of impressive NHL talents, starting with Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi. The 31-year-old defenseman won the Norris Trophy in 2020 and has helped his small country take home two silver medals at the World Championship. In fact, in 2013 when Switzerland came in second, Josi was named tournament MVP. Josi will be joined by Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks and Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils, two established NHL forwards that have represented Switzerland on several occasions in the past.

The Slovaks may now have quite the same star power, but there’s still plenty of NHL experience announced today. Andrej Sekera, Erik Cernak and Jaroslav Halak will all be donning their nation’s colors next year, bringing the building blocks of a strong defensive unit. Cernak, 24, has developed into an extremely valuable and versatile player for the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning two Stanley Cup championships in his first three years of NHL action.

Latvia and Denmark, who don’t usually have much of a chance at a medal actually have some NHL talent of their own to announce today. Rudolfs Balcers, Zemgus Girgensons and Kristians Rubins will take part for Latvia, while Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nikolaj Ehlers and Alexander True make up a great start for the Danes.

It’s Russia that will draw the most attention today though, as the three players announced have all been considered among the best in the world at some point. Alex Ovechkin, a player who is chasing down history by attempting to catch and break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record, Nikita Kucherov, the 2019 Hart Trophy winner and Andrei Vasilevskiy, the most recent Conn Smythe recipient, make up a trio that’s hard to match. Russia, who will be competing as the “Russian Olympic Committee” is the reigning Olympic champion after taking home the award (then as the Olympic Athletes from Russia) in 2018 when the NHL did not participate.

Florida Panthers Extend Aleksander Barkov

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The news that every Florida Panthers fan has been waiting for is about to happen. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team has signed a long-term extension with Aleksander Barkov, their star center, inking a new eight-year contract that will kick in for the 2022-23 season. The deal will carry an average annual value of $10MM according to Friedman, with the majority of the money coming in the form of signing bonuses. PuckPedia reports that the deal will have a no-move clause for the first six years, and a 16-team no-trade clause in the final two. The modified no-trade clause Barkov had for this season has also been converted to a full no-move. The contract has now been officially announced, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $1.0MM salary + $11.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $1.0MM salary + $11.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $1.0MM salary + $11.0MM signing bonus
  • 2025-26: $1.0MM salary + $10.6MM signing bonus
  • 2026-27: $1.0MM salary + $9.0MM signing bonus
  • 2027-28: $1.0MM salary + $7.0MM signing bonus
  • 2028-29: $1.0MM salary + $6.2MM signing bonus
  • 2029-30: $1.0MM salary + $6.2MM signing bonus

Panthers GM Bill Zito released a statement on the deal:

Over his past eight years in South Florida, Sasha has demonstrated his leadership, character and elite playmaking ability, cementing himself as one of the best all-around players in hockey. He has earned the respect of the hockey community through work ethic and a team-first attitude. Most importantly, he is a tremendous person, athlete and friend and we are thrilled to secure Sasha as our leader on and off the ice for the next eight years.

Barkov, 26, will carry just a $5.9MM cap hit this season on the last year of a deal that turned into one of the biggest bargains in the NHL. Signed in 2016 just a few months into his third NHL season, the six-year, $35.4MM contract was an absolute steal for the Panthers, who watched their young phenom turn from a lanky, inconsistent presence to a powerful two-way force. In 2018-19 Barkov recorded a career-high of 35 goals and 96 points, but the 6’3″ 215-lbs center is much more than his offensive numbers.

The reigning Selke Trophy winner, Barkov has been nominated as one of the best defensive forwards in the league every year since his sophomore season, finishing in the top-6 four times. His faceoff numbers have improved dramatically in the last few seasons and he took home the Lady Byng Trophy in 2019 as a nod to his minuscule penalty totals. Through 529 games, with an average of 20 minutes a night, Barkov has recorded just 98 penalty minutes.

There’s no way the team was going to let him get anywhere near unrestricted free agency if they could help it, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of risk in a deal like this. Barkov likely could have secured even more on the open market, but that $10MM cap hit will tie him for 11th in the entire NHL moving forward–a tie with teammate Sergei Bobrovsky, whose free agent deal has certainly not worked out. With both of those in the fold, the Panthers become just the fourth team in the NHL with at least two players earning in excess of $10MM. The Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs (who have three), have had well-documented salary cap crunches that have cost them depth over the years because of the big money deals at the top.

That cap crunch will be real for the Panthers, who also have $7.5MM Aaron Ekblad and $6.5MM Sam Reinhart to fit in. The team now has more than $77.8MM committed to just 16 players for next season, not leaving them a ton of room to fill out the rest of their roster.

Still, if there was ever a player to spend on, it’s Barkov. Not only does he represent the best skater Florida has seen in quite some time (or perhaps ever), he also only turned 26 a month ago. An eight-year term always buys out years that could see a decline in production, but at least the Panthers aren’t going into his late-thirties with this new extension.

This is also a new comparable for other top centers around the league, including Nathan MacKinnon who has just two years left on his current deal. There’s no telling just how high the Colorado Avalanche will have to go with their franchise player, given his offensive numbers the last several years are even more impressive than Barkov’s. It’s also one of the first big dominoes for next year’s free agent market, which currently includes high-end names like Mika Zibanejad, Johnny Gaudreau, and Filip Forsberg. The former in particular will be looking at Barkov’s deal, though there is plenty of time for each of them to reach new extensions before free agency even approaches.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Islanders-Devils Preseason Game Canceled Due To Power Outage

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Tonight’s preseason game between the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils won’t take place, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. A partial power outage at Prudential Center in Newark prevented the game from taking place.

Per Gross, the contest has been cancelled and won’t be made up, ending New Jersey’s preseason prematurely. Their focus now turns to their season opener at home on October 15th against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Islanders, on the other hand, have one exhibition match remaining. They have a tilt scheduled for Saturday against the New York Rangers to be played in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

It’s a tough break for New Jersey, who was expecting to give multiple players just one more audition tonight. The team still has 33 players on their training camp roster, needing to cut ten more before opening night.

Jimmy Vesey, Mark Jankowski, Frederik Gauthier, and Tyler Wotherspoon remain with the Devils on professional tryout contracts. The team will now need to make a snap evaluation on whether to offer contracts to any one of them, if at all.

The team will also need to decide what to do with young forwards Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer, who’ve both impressed at camp. They both stand chances of making the team, fighting with other forwards like Marian Studenic and Tyce Thompson for the final spots on the roster.

The Athletic’s Arthur Staple was first to report a possible cancellation.

Jonathan Drouin Out With Non-COVID-Related Illness

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that forward Jonathan Drouin will miss tonight’s preseason tilt against the Ottawa Senators, citing a non-COVID-related illness as the reason for the late scratch.

While the team hasn’t given any further information on Drouin’s health, a preseason absence from a guaranteed roster player usually isn’t too much to worry about. With Montreal already entering the season with a depleted roster, the full health of their players is of utmost priority right now, so Drouin’s absence can best be predicted as precautionary.

However, if Drouin does miss any period of time, it could be yet another challenge for the team at the beginning of the season. Montreal starts the season with three games in four nights against the Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Rangers. They’re currently without Carey Price, Shea Weber, Paul Byron, Mike Hoffman, and Joel Edmundson to begin the year, with all players expected to be out for varying lengths of time.

Drouin returns to the team in 2021-22 after taking a leave of absence at the end of last year, missing the entire playoffs as well. He’s struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, tallying just nine goals and 38 points in 71 games. Expected to fit into the team’s top-nine forward group this season, his return is greatly anticipated for a team looking to return to the playoffs this season.

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