With the start of the season just a few days away, teams are still trying to pare down their roster with a number of those players requiring waivers for them to send to the AHL. Here’s a final list of players put on waivers today, provided by TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:
Boston Bruins
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
D Kevin Connauton
F A.J. Greer
F T.J. Tynan
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Charles Hudon
G Charlie Lindgren
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Calgary Flames announced they have signed forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way contract for $700K AAV. The 29-year-old was on a professional tryout with the Flames and he obviously did enough to earn himself a contract. Puckpedia reports Rinaldo will get $175K in the minors and gets $225K guaranteed in the deal.
The forward is known as a gritty bottom-six player, and while he saw some significant time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Arizona Coyotes, Rinaldo has struggled finding a full-time job with an NHL team. He played last year for the Nashville Predators, splitting his time with the NHL squad and the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. He played 23 games with Nashville last season, scoring one goal and three points and 20 penalty minutes. Overall, Rinaldo has played 351 career games with 15 goals, 37 points and 317 penalty minutes.
Rinaldo played in four preseason games for the Flames, picking up two assists, while playing an average of 11:02 of ATOI. While the team looks to have a set opening day roster, what the team really lacks is depth as there are only a handful of solid options the team can recall in case of injuries, especially for a team that is coming off a first-place finish in the Pacific Division last season. Rinaldo might be the perfect player who can either stay on the Flames’ roster as the 13th man or give the Stockton Heat some veteran leadership until the team needs him.
Sunday: The Flames officially announced the deal, which as reported, is a one-year, two-way deal at $700K.
Saturday: Reports surfaced yesterday that the Flames and Tobias Rieder were working towards a contract. It appears a deal has been reached as both John Matisz of The Score (Twitter link) and PuckPedia (Twitter link) report that Rieder has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the latter adding that the winger will receive a guaranteed $400K while his salary in the NHL will be the league minimum $700K.
To say that last season was a disaster for the 26-year-old would be an understatement as he went the entire year without a goal, collecting just 11 assists in 67 games despite logging a respectable 12:39 per night in ice time. That resulted in him being non-tendered by Edmonton back in June over giving him a $2MM qualifying offer and him needing to go the PTO route to secure a new contract.
However, Rieder’s speed still makes him an effective weapon in the bottom six and on the penalty kill and while he didn’t score last year, he had double-digit goal totals in his previous four NHL seasons between Arizona and Los Angeles so there’s a little upside with this move if he can return to his previous form. If not, it’s a no-risk proposition that would see his entire cap hit removed if he cleared waivers and was sent to the AHL so the move is certainly a worthwhile one for the Flames.
The final weekend of the preseason is upon us with the regular season getting underway next week. Final training camp cuts will be coming in with regularity over the next 48 hours or so. We’ll keep track of all of today’s right here. Keep up with the news, as the page will be updated throughout the day:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Michael Bunting (to Tucson, AHL)
F Michael Chaput (to Tucson, AHL)
F Hudson Fasching (to Tucson, AHL)
D Aaron Ness (to Tucson, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Devante Smith-Pelly (released from PTO)
Dallas Stars (per team releases)
D Joseph Cecconi (to Texas, AHL)
D Joel Hanley (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Oliwer Kaski (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Ryan Kuffner (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Gustav Lindstrom (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Jarid Lukosevicius (released from ATO)
F Gregor MacLeod (released from ATO)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominik Shine (released from PTO)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Evgeny Svechnikov (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Joe Veleno (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Anton Burdasov (released from PTO)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Nikolai Prokhorkin (to Ontario, AHL)
New York Islanders (per team release)
F Travis St. Denis (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Matthew Lorito (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Cole Bardreau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Kyle Burroughs (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Seth Helgeson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Christopher Gibson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Jared Coreau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
D Jacob Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
F Antti Suomela (to San Jose, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team releases)
F Pontus Aberg (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Gaudet (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
D Jordan Schmaltz (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
F Darren Archibald (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Hudson Elynuik (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
D Teemu Kivihalme (to Toronto, AHL)
G Joseph Woll (to Toronto, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team tweet)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Fort Wayne, ECHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
F Beck Malenstyn (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brian Pinho (to Hershey, AHL)
G Vitek Vanecek (to Hershey, AHL)
D Colby Williams (to Hershey, AHL)
The Calgary Flames are in talks with the agent for Tobias Rieder according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet, after the free agent forward impressed on a professional tryout. Rieder failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers this summer after he infamously scored zero goals in 67 games with them last season. The 26-year old had tallied at least 12 in each of his previous NHL seasons.
After signing Matthew Tkachuk earlier this week, the Flames are in quite the tight financial situation and would need to clear someone else off the roster to fit in Rieder even on a minimum $700K deal. Given that he needed to take a PTO in the first place however, there seems to be a good chance that they could get Rieder through waivers and have him in the minor leagues as some useful depth if they chose to go that direction.
With the NHL regular season approaching quickly, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:
Arizona Coyotes
F Michael Bunting
F Michael Chaput
F Hudson Fasching
D Aaron Ness
Calgary Flames
Dallas Stars
Vancouver Canucks
F Tyler Graovac
G Richard Bachman
Winnipeg Jets
On the surface, Matthew Tkachuk’s $7MM AAV on his bridge deal with the Flames appears to put Calgary in a situation where they will need to clear out some salary. However, GM Brad Treliving told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that the contract should allow the team to avoid having to do what he calls a “distressed transaction”, a move that would have forced a player out for salary cap reasons or made Calgary add an incentive to move a player. CapFriendly currently projects them at being more than $650K over the cap at the moment. LTIR for Juuso Valimaki (torn ACL) would get them back into compliance while carrying less than the maximum 23 players would also free up some space although it wouldn’t leave much wiggle room for in-season movement or injury replacements. It’s doable but it’s safe to say that the Flames will be tight to the Upper Limit all season long.
The hockey world held its breath when news broke that Guy Lafleur was heading in for quadruple bypass heart surgery. The Montreal Canadiens were proud to report however that the procedure was a success and Lafleur is expected to make a full recovery. We here at PHR wish the entire Lafleur family the best as they work through the recovery period, and are glad everything went smoothly. The 68-year old is one of the most well-known and successful players in NHL history, scoring 1,353 points in 1,1127 games over his long career.
Here are some more notes from around the league:
The Calgary Flames have finally found some common ground with restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk. The young forward has signed a three-year contract worth a total of $21MM, ending a long negotiation and getting him back in the fold before the season begins. Darren Dreger of TSN adds that like Brayden Point, Tkachuk will have a $9MM salary in the third year, securing a large qualifying offer that could take him right to unrestricted free agency.
A deal of this magnitude not only gives Tkachuk the highest three-year bridge deal in history (eclipsing Point, who signed for three years at $6.75MM), it also makes him the highest-paid player on the entire Flames roster. While that has more to do with the bargains that are Johnny Gaudreau ($6.75MM) and Sean Monahan ($6.375MM), it also shows just how good Tkachuk has been throughout his young career.
Still just 21 years old, the sixth-overall pick from the 2016 draft has now amassed 174 points in 224 NHL games and is coming off a 34-goal campaign. His offense has continued to improve while the rest of his game—most notably his physicality and ability to get under the skin of opponents—allows him to make an impact no matter the score. The fact that he is able to compete in that fashion while not taking a ton of penalties (his 62 PIM in 2018-19 put him alongside players like Nikita Kucherov, Blake Wheeler and Ryan Strome) makes him one of the unique talents in the NHL and incredibly valuable to the Flames.
Even so, this deal certainly isn’t a perfect scenario for the Flames. Not only does it keep them in an extremely difficult cap situation this season, Tkachuk could now potentially get to unrestricted free agency as soon as possible by accepting that $9MM qualifying offer. The team will have to open extension talks at some point before that happens or risk their prize hitting the open market. Coincidentally, both Gaudreau and captain Mark Giordano have contracts that expire in 2022 as well, giving the team some real flexibility when it comes to extensions.
There’s no doubt that getting Tkachuk back under contract is cause for celebration in Calgary, but the new structure of these bridge deals is something to be concerned about for many teams. Introduced really for the first time by Timo Meier earlier this year, restricted free agents have found a way to create leverage for themselves as they near UFA status. Meanwhile those who sign long-term and give up UFA years like Mitch Marner are getting huge dollar figures right up front, meaning teams will have to be more and more conscious of leaving enough room to get their young players signed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
It’s a position that no NHL veteran wants to find himself in, but sometimes it’s the only way to stay employed in North America. With NHL training camps starting to cut mass amounts of participants, AHL camps are opening for another round of evaluation and to prepare young pros for the start of the minor league season. However, these AHL camps can also be a last-ditch source of hope for older players looking to stay relevant with an NHL affiliate. Every year a few recognizable names opt for this route, and this year is no different.
Of the many invites announced thus far, Jimmy Hayes stands out as the top AHL camp participant. The Iowa Wild specifically acknowledged the veteran winger’s presence in camp when announcing their roster. Hayes, 29, has 334 NHL games and over 100 points to his credit over eight seasons with five different NHL teams. However, Hayes’ two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season saw him play exclusively in the AHL. While he was productive, recording 30 points in 72 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it wasn’t enough to earn another two-way deal. To this point, Hayes hasn’t even earned an AHL deal. He’ll work to earn a contract, and hopefully the attention of the Minnesota brass, when he takes part in Iowa camp.
Griffin Reinhart is another name that sticks out among the crowd of AHL camp invites. Like Hayes, Reinhart is a player whose trade value far outweighed what he ever produced on the ice in the NHL. The 25-year-old was drafted fourth overall in 2012 by the New York Islanders, who dealt him to the Edmonton Oilers a few years later for a first- and second-round pick. Yet, Reinhart has just two points in 37 games to show for his NHL impact. Even in three straight seasons of exclusive AHL action, Rienhart has failed to impress. However, on name value alone he will be able to find a shot somewhere. This time around, the Belleville Senators have invited the young defenseman to camp. Former Vancouver Canucks prospect Cole Cassels, the son of long-time NHLer Andrew Cassels, will also join the junior Senators in camp after playing in Germany last season.
Among the other recognizable faces in minor league camp is veteran forward Lance Bouma. After missing almost all of last season due to injury, Bouma signed a PTO with the Los Angeles Kings and seemed like a dark horse candidate to earn a contract. The 29-year-old has a proven track record as a checking forward in the NHL and has flashed offense from time to time as well. However, the Kings opted to go with their younger options, but not before asking Bouma to take part in AHL camp with the Ontario Reign, the team announced. Bouma could still earn a spot with the organization yet. Talented young goaltender Hayden Hawkey surprisingly remains a free agent searching for a landing spot. The property of both the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers during his four years at Providence College, Hawkey nevertheless ended up without an NHL team after graduation and became a UFA in August. He recently took part in training camp with the Washington Capitals, but was cut. He will now join the Stockton Heat in camp, the team revealed, and could prove to be a sneaky addition to the organization for the Calgary Flames. Hawkey posted a 2.19 GAA or lower in each of his four dominant collegiate seasons. Finally, Connor Brickley seems determined to stay with the New York Rangers organization at all costs. Brickley, 27, is a big, capable bottom-six forward who performed well down the stretch for the Rangers last season following a deadline trade. However, New York would not commit to a contract extension for the former second-round pick. Instead, he accepted a PTO to join the team in camp. When that ended today with his release from Rangers camp, the team announced that he will still participate in minor league camp with the Hartford Wolfpack and could stay in the organization after all.
None of these players are likely happy with their current predicament, but if they work hard in camp and in the AHL regular season, the fastest way back to NHL relevance is through production and consistency at the minor league level. Even for veterans and especially for those still considered prospects, AHL training camp can still be a valuable stepping stone toward a return to the top level.