Generally speaking, the week leading up to the roster freeze (a freeze that still allows for a lot of roster movement) in the NHL isn’t particularly busy. That wasn’t the case as there was plenty of news of note across the league which is recapped in our key stories.
Johnson Released: Veteran Tyler Johnson was patient while waiting for his opportunity to play in Boston as his preseason PTO extended nearly a month before he inked a one-year, $775K contract. However, his time with the Bruins was short-lived. After getting into just nine games with them, Johnson and the team mutually agreed to terminate his contract and after he cleared unconditional waivers, he became a free agent. A veteran of 747 career games at the NHL level, Johnson is hoping to still play in the NHL and intends to speak to teams after the holiday break. Speculatively, considering he was on a league minimum deal and no one claimed him, this could be a situation where he needs to wait for an injury or until closer to the trade deadline in March before inking another deal.
Key Injuries: Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was off to a strong start to his first season in Toronto with a 2.15 GAA and a .927 SV% in his first 17 games. However, he had to undergo knee surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for the next four to six weeks, meaning Joseph Woll will be the undisputed starter for a while. Meanwhile, the Lightning won’t have blueliner J.J. Moser available to them for at least the next two months due to a lower-body injury. Acquired as part of the Mikhail Sergachev trade, Moser has 10 points in 27 games while logging nearly 20 minutes a night on their back end. Lastly, Sabres winger Jordan Greenway is set to undergo mid-body surgery that will keep him out long-term although he’s expected back before the end of the season. Greenway was doing relatively well when healthy with seven points and 54 hits in 20 games but an extended absence won’t help his cause as he heads toward UFA eligibility for the first time in July.
Kakko To Kraken: After being made a healthy scratch last weekend by the Rangers, winger Kaapo Kakko expressed some frustration with the situation. Soon after, New York moved the 2019 second-overall pick to Seattle in exchange for defenseman William Borgen plus a 2025 third-round pick and a 2025 sixth-rounder. Kakko had a career-best 40 points last season but the Rangers weren’t ready to commit a long-term deal to him, instead giving him a one-year, $2.4MM deal for this year, avoiding arbitration. He’ll hope for a strong second half with the Kraken that could help him earn that long-term commitment. Meanwhile, Borgen will help replace some of the physicality that Jacob Trouba used to provide but he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. The move is more of a win-now one for a Rangers team who has plummeted down the standings in recent weeks and it’s possible one or both of the draft picks they landed could be flipped in the coming weeks.
Eight For Rempe: With Kakko being traded, the Rangers used his roster spot up front to bring back Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford. However, he wound up getting ejected in his first game back with the big club following a hit on Dallas blueliner Miro Heiskanen. The hit drew the ire of the Department of Player Safety who handed Rempe an eight-game suspension. Rempe has been ejected four times in his first 22 regular season games and this is the second suspension of his young career. As he’s considered a repeat offender, the financial cost is considerably higher; he’ll forfeit $80K in salary for the infraction. As it’s greater than five games, Rempe has the right to appeal this suspension but won’t be eligible to play during any potential appeal process.
Swapping Blueliners: The Canadiens and Predators swapped right-shot defenseman with Montreal picking up Alexandre Carrier in exchange for Justin Barron. Carrier was off to a bit of a tough start to his season but played well enough to earn a three-year, $10.25MM deal last summer, one the Canadiens will absorb in full. Barron, meanwhile, is a former first-round pick who was unable to secure a full-time spot on Montreal’s blueline. He has another year left after this one at a $1.15MM price tag, giving Nashville $2.6MM in cap savings this season and next with the move and they’ll hope to help him reach his potential. Meanwhile, the Canadiens add some experience to a young back end while giving them some insurance should they choose to move David Savard closer to the trade deadline.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.