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Archives for October 2021

25 Players Clear Waivers

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October 3: The New Jersey Devils claimed Mason Geertsen on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. All other players cleared.

October 2: As expected, it’s another busy day on the waiver wire today as Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the following 26 players have been placed on waivers:

F Cavan Fitzgerald (CAR)
F Maxim Letunov (CAR)
F Sam Miletic (CAR)
F Andrew Poturalski (CAR)
F Spencer Smallman (CAR)
F Brayden Burke (LA)
D Kale Clague (LA)
F Martin Frk (LA)
D Jacob Moverare (LA)
G Garret Sparks (LA)
F T.J. Tynan (LA)
F Lukas Vejdemo (MTL)
D Mason Geertsen (NYR)
G Antoine Bibeau (SEA)
D Connor Carrick (SEA)
D Cale Fleury (SEA)
D Gustav Olofsson (SEA)
F Tanner Kaspick (STL)
F Matthew Peca (STL)
F Nolan Stevens (STL)
G Maxime Lagace (TB)
C Otto Somppi (TB)
D Daniel Walcott (TB)
F Shane Gersich (WSH)
D Lucas Johansen (WSH)
D Dylan McIlrath (WSH)

A pair of young defensemen stand out among the long list of those available.  Clague played in 18 games with the Kings last season, recording six assists while logging over 17 minutes a night.  A productive scorer in junior, the 2015 second-rounder hasn’t been able to lock down a regular roster spot in the NHL yet but at 23, it wouldn’t be surprising if a team took a chance on him.  Fleury was selected from Montreal in expansion by the Kraken and while he didn’t see any NHL action last season, he played in 41 games with the Canadiens in 2019-20 on their third pairing.  With Montreal losing Sami Niku to a concussion on Friday night, they might be interested in a reunion.

Up front, Frk has had some success in limited NHL opportunities, notching six goals in 17 games with the Kings in 2019-20 and had a 25-point season with Detroit in 2017-18.  Poturalski led the AHL in scoring last season with 43 points in 44 games with AHL San Diego and had 70-point campaign with Charlotte in 2018-19.

Teams will have until 1 PM CT on Sunday to place a claim on any of these players.

Jake Evans Signs Three-Year Extension With Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed center Jake Evans to a three-year, $5.1MM extension, the team announced today. The contract will pay him $1.7MM per season from 2022-23 to 2024-25. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that the deal carries a flat $1.7MM in salary every season.

Evans signs his extension after seeing his role increase considerably during the playoffs. Evans jumped into a top-six role during a short seven-game stint, forming a formidable shutdown line with Philip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. A concussion suffered on a hit from Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele knocked him out for the majority of June, but Evans returned for three games in their Stanley Cup Final series against Tampa Bay. He finished with a goal and an assist in seven games.

A seventh-round pick in 2014, Evans has gotten into 60 career NHL games, all over the past two seasons. He’s got five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in that timeframe, averaging 11:31 per night.

Those numbers will surely jump this season, as Evans is expected to take on a regular top-nine role with the club. Likely serving as the team’s third-line center behind Nick Suzuki and Christian Dvorak, he’ll be entrusted with more ice time and opportunity after some recent strong showings. He’ll attempt to bridge the gap in the bottom-six left by the departure of Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Moving forward, Evans’ ceiling likely isn’t too high considering he’s now 25 years old. However, he does have the potential to be an important bottom-six piece for the team for years to come, and this extension shows that Montreal feels the same way.

Vancouver Canucks Agree To Terms On Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes Contracts

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October 3: Darren Dreger of TSN has reported that the final contract structure of both deals is as follows:

Pettersson
2021-22: $3MM salary + $1MM signing bonus
2022-23: $7.8MM salary
2023-24: $10.25MM salary

Hughes
2021-22: $4MM salary
2022-23: $6.5MM salary
2023-24: $8.6MM salary
2024-25: $9.5MM salary
2025-26: $10.25MM salary
2026-27: $8.25MM salary

October 1: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Vancouver Canucks have agreed to terms on multi-year deals with restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Pettersson’s deal is for three years at an average annual value of $7.35MM, while Hughes’ deal is for six years at $7.85MM. LeBrun says that the contracts themselves have yet to be finalized.

Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah was the first to report last night that Hughes’ deal would be six years in length, while The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal reported a three-year deal for Pettersson.

Pettersson’s three-year commitment comes after scoring 153 points in just 165 games during his first three seasons in the league. The fifth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft continues to be regarded as a top-ten center in the league by some, but injury issues this season limited his production (and negotiation leverage) with 21 points in 26 games. Winner of the 2019 Calder Trophy, Pettersson’s contract is certainly of spectacular value to the Canucks at this time. The scoring and two-way game Pettersson brings to the table both make it seem like he’s earning about $1.5-$2MM less than he should.

Hughes, a year younger than his forward counterpart, has had a near equal amount of success and accolades throughout his young career. While the soon-to-be-22-year-old has only two full NHL seasons under his belt, his 53 points in 68 games (along with 21:53 average time on ice) in 2019-20 were good enough to place him second in Calder Trophy voting, even earning some Norris Trophy votes along the way. While his defensive game stumbled slightly this year, the point production kept up with 41 points in 56 games. A long-term commitment is key here for Vancouver, ensuring some cost certainty at a reasonable cap hit while he continues to develop.

Concerns were aplenty surrounding Vancouver’s ability to fit both Pettersson and Hughes under an $81.5MM salary cap this season, but with forward Micheal Ferland headed to long-term injury reserve, general manager Jim Benning appears to have successfully manipulated a tight financial situation. CapFriendly projects a current cap hit of $82.9MM with a full 23-man roster for the Canucks, exceeding the salary cap by much less than Ferland’s $3.5MM cap hit. While the specifics of how Vancouver can maximize cap relief haven’t been hammered out quite yet, they’ll at least rest now knowing they’ll be compliant for the start of the season.

These contracts set up an important season for this Canucks core, as they look to return to the playoffs after a surprise run in 2020. Pettersson will likely be reprising his role as the team’s first-line center, being flanked by J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. The secondary scoring’s been bolstered by the addition of Conor Garland, while young wingers Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podkolzin could make big impacts.

Hughes comes in as the undisputed number one defenseman on the team after Alexander Edler’s departure in free agency to the Los Angeles Kings. While the additions of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tucker Poolman to the blueline have been controversial from an outside perspective, the team still hopes bounce-back campaigns are in order for both of them. Hughes’ ice time will undoubtedly increase from the 22:48 he played last year, becoming an increasingly important fixture within the team.

Jake Guentzel Enters COVID-19 Protocol With Positive Test

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel has tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered protocol, the team confirmed Sunday morning. The Athletic’s Rob Rossi reports that due to protocol measures, Guentzel will be available for Pittsburgh’s season opener on October 12 against Tampa Bay so long as he doesn’t have more than two failed tests moving forward.

If for some reason Guentzel can’t go against the Lightning, the Penguins will be opening the season without their three best forwards. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will remain out well into the season with their respective injuries.

Due to that, Guentzel will be relied upon heavily in Pittsburgh once he’s ready to go again. His ice time will undoubtedly stay above the 20-minute mark for the third straight season as the soon-to-be-27-year-old will take the reins as Pittsburgh’s best offensive talent until Crosby and Malkin are at full health.

Guentzel enters 2021-22 aiming for his fifth consecutive 20-goal season, as well as his third straight season above a point-per-game pace. Injuries and the pandemic have limited him to just 95 games over the past two seasons, but the Omaha-born forward’s still managed 43 goals and 100 points in that timeframe.

Pittsburgh will face an uphill battle early on in an airtight Metropolitan Division without their top two Hall-of-Fame centers. If the team (and Guentzel) can’t cover for their absences by committee, the Pens risk missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/21

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As we enter the last week before the regular season starts, teams will be working to trim their rosters down to that final 23-man number. We’ll keep track of today’s cuts right here.

Calgary Flames (via team release)

*D Nick DeSimone (to Stockton, AHL)
F Ryan Francis (to Stockton, AHL)
*D Kevin Gravel (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jakob Pelletier (to Stockton, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Stockton, AHL)
*F Matthew Phillips (to Stockton, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Stockton, AHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Stockton, AHL)
*D Andy Welinski (to Stockton, AHL)
G Dustin Wolf (to Stockton, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)

D Filip Berglund (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Philip Broberg (to Bakersfield, AHL)
*F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Ilya Konovalov (to Bakersfield, AHL)
*F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

*F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F J.C. Beaudin (to Laval, AHL)
D Tobie Bisson (to Laval, AHL)
*F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
*F Jean-Sebastien Dea (to Laval, AHL)
*G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team release)

D Xavier Bouchard (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Robert Carpenter (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Parker Gahagen (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Patrick Harper (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Joseph LaBate (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mitch McLain (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jake McLaughlin (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Grant Mismash (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Juuso Parssinen (to TPS, Liiga)
F Cole Schneider (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Zach Solow (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Tomas Vomacka (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

*F Brian Flynn (to Utica, AHL)
*D Robbie Russo (to Utica, AHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Utica, AHL)
F Chase Stillman (to Sudbury, OHL)

New York Rangers (via team release)

F Will Cuylle (to Windsor, OHL)
G Adam Huska (to Hartford, AHL)
F Lauri Pajuniemi (to Hartford, AHL)
D Matthew Robertson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Braden Schneider (to Hartford, AHL)
G Tyler Wall (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)

*F Pontus Aberg (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jonathan Aspirot (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (to Belleville, AHL)
F Ridly Greig (to Brandon, WHL)
D Max Guenette (to Belleville, AHL)
*D Dillon Heatherington (to Belleville, AHL)
F Mark Kastelic (to Belleville, AHL)
G Kevin Mandolese (to Belleville, AHL)
F Zack Ostapchuk (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Cole Reinhardt (to Belleville, AHL)
*F Kole Sherwood (to Belleville, AHL)
F Egor Sokolov (to Belleville, AHL)
D Lassi Thomson (to Belleville, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

D Tommy Cross (to Springfield, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Springfield, AHL)
G Joel Hofer (to Springfield, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release)

F Jarid Lukosevicius (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Vincent Arseneau (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Tristen Nielsen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Ethan Keppen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Karel Plasek (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Arturs Silovs (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Jett Woo (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F John Stevens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Devante Stephens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
F Sheldon Rempal (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
G Spencer Martin (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Viktor Persson (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Connor Lockhart (to Erie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

*F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)

*-pending the player clearing waivers

Draft Pick Landscape For 2022

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This was a busy summer. With the 2020-21 season only getting underway in January, things got a little condensed in the offseason, what with an expansion draft to fit into the normal schedule. It feels as though the Stanley Cup was only awarded to the Tampa Bay Lightning a few weeks ago, and yet training camp is underway and regular season games will start before you know it. With that condensed, frenzied, transaction period, it’s easy to have missed some of the moves that teams made to prepare their organization moving forward.

Many of those deals had implications that will reach far beyond 2021-22. In particular, next summer’s draft has already been affected drastically, with high picks flying around the league. That could spell disaster or jubilance depending on how the season plays out and how the lottery balls fall, as there is quite the prize coming for the team that selects first overall in 2022.

Shane Wright, who became the fifth player to be granted exceptional status in the OHL and started his rookie season with the Kingston Frontenacs at age-15, is the no-doubt choice at the top of the draft. Now 17, he’s ranked as the top available prospect by basically every list, and Bob McKenzie’s scout poll recently suggested that he would have gone first overall in the 2021 draft as well, had he been eligible. There’s a lot to like about the potential first-line, franchise-defining centerman, even though he won’t turn 18 until January.

As any year beyond that first spot though, there is still plenty of talent to be accrued in the other rounds. That’s where you’ll see most of the draft pick movement through trade anyway, as teams throw around mid- and late-round picks for depth players or as add-ons in bigger deals. So who is heading into 2022 with a leg up on the competition already? Here is how the draft pick landscape sits right now:

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Ty Smith Out Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury

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Per New Jersey Devils reporter Amanda Stein, sophomore defenseman Ty Smith will be out for ’a number of days’ with an undisclosed injury.

While Smith’s absence is of a precautionary nature according to a team spokesman, the timing of the injury and announcement is somewhat concerning. Less than two weeks remain until the Devils’ October 15 season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at home.

The 21-year-old Smith, drafted 17th overall by the Devils in 2018, was one of the brightest spots on a team that finished seventh in the East Division with a 19-30-7 record last season. Finishing seventh in Calder Trophy voting, the rookie defenseman put up 23 points in 48 games while playing over 20 minutes a night. His offensive production combined with impressive two-way play for a rookie remains encouraging signs for Smith’s development into a bona fide top-pair ’D’ for the team.

A product of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, Smith’s production and role could increase considerably next season. Part of a retooled top-four that includes trade acquisition Ryan Graves and free-agent signing Dougie Hamilton, he’ll be surrounded with fortified talent on the blueline.

Those additions, along with Smith’s development and the signing of free-agent netminder Jonathan Bernier, look to propel the Devils much closer to a playoff spot. They’re all solid fixes for a team that allowed 194 goals last season, the fourth-highest in the NHL. While an injured Smith won’t help matters if he isn’t ready to go for the start of the season, an increasingly dependable defense group should be enough to serve as a competent stopgap until Smith returns to full health.

Snapshots: Olympics, Eichel, Cirelli, Knyzhov

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While the Olympics are still a few months away, each participating country will have to submit their long list of eligible players on October 15th, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  That list could contain 50 or more players per country with some having more than others.  The full squads will be announced at some point in January with the exact date to be determined.  At this point, the NHL and NHLPA are discussing whether to do it all in one day or spread it out to add some more buzz.  There will be an extended break in the schedule this season to accommodate both the All-Star Game and the Olympics with most teams only having a small handful of games in February as a result.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • While it will ultimately cost him some money in the end, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News argues that Sabres center Jack Eichel should ultimately go ahead with the surgery he prefers. He would be suspended, would have to pay for it out of pocket, and wouldn’t be paid while suspended but the risk is lessened since Buffalo almost certainly wouldn’t terminate his contract with how high the asking price in a trade remains.  The artificial disc replacement carries a quicker recovery time and as soon as he’s able to show that he’s healthy, it might help the trade process along which is what he ultimately wants.
  • Lightning center Anthony Cirelli left Thursday’s exhibition game early due to a lower-body injury and will be out at least one week, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 24-year-old is coming off a quiet year offensively that saw him put up 22 points in 50 games last season.
  • The Sharks are hoping that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov will be able to start skating next week but his availability for the start of the season is in question, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 23-year-old had sports hernia surgery over the summer after playing through it last season.  Knyzhov still managed to play in all 56 games in 2020-21, picking up 10 points while averaging 16:45 per contest.

Minor Transactions: 10/2/21

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As players start to sign camp tryouts to catch on with AHL squads, there should be an uptick in transactions on that front over the coming days.  We’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

  • While forward Justin Nachbaur was among Florida’s cuts earlier today, he will be sticking around the Panthers organization as their AHL affiliate in Charlotte announced that they’ve signed him to a minor league deal. The 21-year-old wrapped up his junior career last season with Prince Albert of the WHL, recording nine goals, six assists, and 62 penalty minutes in 22 games.  Later on in the day, the Checkers announced (Twitter link) the signing of Ryan Lohin to a one-year, AHL deal.  Lohin was recently cut from Seattle’s camp and the Kraken are sharing Charlotte as an affiliate this season.  The 25-year-old had 15 points in 25 games with AHL Syracuse last season.
  • While the Penguins cut veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski earlier today, he’ll be sticking around the organization. Their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced that they’ve signed the 33-year-old to a one-year, minor league contract.  Bartkowski has played in at least one NHL game in each of his 11 professional seasons but spent most of last year in the minors with Iowa, collecting eight points in 23 games.

Canadiens Claim Samuel Montembeault Off Waivers

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The Canadiens have added to their goaltending depth as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is among those reporting (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed goaltender Samuel Montembeault off waivers from Florida.

The 24-year-old spent last season with Syracuse of the AHL on a split affiliation between the Panthers and Lightning.  As a result, he was limited to just 13 games, posting a 2.86 GAA with a .898 SV% in that span.  However, Montembeault does have some NHL experience under his belt, playing in 25 contests with Florida between 2018-19 and 2019-20.  He started as Florida’s backup in 2019 before Chris Driedger forced his way onto the NHL roster, pushing Montembeault down at that time.

The Canadiens are currently without starting goaltender Carey Price who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery and this move would suggest that Montreal is at least hedging their bets against him not being ready to start the season.  As things stand, Montembeault will back up veteran Jake Allen with prospects Cayden Primeau and Michael McNiven likely to be assigned to AHL Laval.

Montembeault is on a one-year, two-way contract that pays $750K in the NHL, $250K in the AHL, and has a guaranteed payment of $350K.  He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility this summer.

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