Flames Place Ilya Nikolaev On Unconditional Waivers
Nov. 29: The Flames announced Friday that Nikolaev has been released from his contract, confirming that he cleared unconditional waivers. They now have five open contract slots.
Nov. 28: It appears that the Flames will be parting ways with one of their prospects. James Mirtle of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the team has placed forward Ilya Nikolaev on unconditional waivers, a move that is generally made to pave the way to terminate a player’s contract.
The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Calgary back in 2019, going 88th overall. Nikolaev spent the next two seasons in Russia before coming to North America for the 2021-22 campaign where he joined USHL Tri-City. A strong showing there that saw him record 23 goals and 49 assists in 58 regular season games helped earn him an entry-level deal soon after.
However, things haven’t gone well for Nikolaev since then. He spent his first two professional seasons split between AHL Calgary and ECHL Rapid City. In 2022-23, he played the bulk of his outings with the latter while last season, it was the other way around. The hope was that he’d at least be able to move up to the AHL level full-time this year but that didn’t happen. Nikolaev got into a pair of games with the Rush plus nine more with the Wranglers where he had four assists but clearly, he hadn’t cemented a full-time spot with them yet.
Nikolaev is in the final season of his entry-level contract and with how things had been going to this point, he was likely heading for a non-tender in June. Assuming that he clears waivers on Friday, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and will likely look for another opportunity overseas. Once the deal is terminated, he’ll come off Calgary’s contract list which will bring them down to 45 out of the maximum of 50.
Blue Jackets Sign, Waive Joseph LaBate
The Blue Jackets announced Friday that they’ve signed unrestricted free agent center Joseph LaBate to a two-way contract for the remainder of 2024-25. The team subsequently placed him on waivers for assignment to AHL Cleveland.
LaBate, 31, has 13 games of NHL experience to his name. However, they came quite some time ago – seven years, to be exact, suiting up in a fringe fourth-line role for the 2016-17 Canucks.
Since then, he’s spent most of his time in the minors. After his NHL contract with Vancouver ran out following the 2017-18 campaign, he spent the next five seasons on AHL contracts with Belleville, Milwaukee and Chicago.
The Minnesota native ventured overseas for the first time last season, inking a one-year pact with Kazakhstan’s Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League. The 6’5″, 209-lb enforcer posted 18 points and 53 PIMs in 49 games before deciding to take his talents back stateside.
LaBate had technically already been in the Columbus organization before today. He landed a tryout with Cleveland last month, and after scoring once and adding three assists through five games, he’s earned a contract and the opportunity for his first NHL call-up since his age-23 season.
The Blue Jackets didn’t disclose LaBate’s NHL or AHL salary, but the contract is presumably worth the prorated league minimum of $775K at the NHL level. In any event, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Columbus now has 46 of a maximum of 50 contracts on the books.
Kings Recall Andre Lee, Place Akil Thomas On IR
The Kings called up forward Andre Lee from AHL Ontario under emergency conditions on Friday, per a team announcement. Center Akil Thomas landed on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction to open a roster spot.
Lee, 24, returns to the NHL roster after spending most of the season with the big club. He didn’t quite crack the opening night roster but was recalled just a couple of days later, making his NHL debut and skating in 15 out of 18 contests after his recall.
The 6’5″, 206-lb winger didn’t make much of an impact offensively with two assists, but he did make his mark physically with 32 hits without being a significant drag on the Kings’ possession numbers. L.A. controlled 49.6% of shot attempts and 53.8% of expected goals with Lee on the ice at 5-on-5, perfectly serviceable stats for a fourth-line piece.
Selected in the seventh round in 2019, Lee had one assist and a +1 rating in a pair of appearances for Ontario over the past week and a half, his first pair of the season. The Karlstad, Sweden, native had a career-high eight goals and 13 points in 36 AHL games last season and signed a fresh two-way extension in June to avoid restricted free agency.
Meanwhile, Thomas lands on IR with an undisclosed ailment despite being listed as a healthy scratch for their last outing, a 4-1 win over the Jets. If he was banged up, they could make his placement retroactive to his last appearance on Nov. 25 against the Sharks, which means he’d be eligible to return next Wednesday against the Stars. He’ll miss at least two more games with the injury.
Thomas, 24, has been a frequent healthy scratch this season, only appearing in 10 of the Kings’ 23 games. He has a goal and an assist while averaging 11:07 per game. The 2018 second-round pick is fourth-worst on the team with a 50.0 CF% and has managed 14 shots on goal.
Metropolitan Notes: Ersson, Duclair, Chytil, Kreider
Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson will be out for the eighth straight time with his reaggravated lower-body injury when they take on the Rangers today, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
The injury has limited Ersson, 25, to starting only three of the Flyers’ 12 games in November. When healthy, he’s far and away been Philadelphia’s best netminder. He still leads the team with 10 starts and five wins despite the extended absence, as does his .902 SV%, 2.70 GAA, one shutout, and 0.2 GSAA.
Ersson’s lack of availability means the Philly crease has been guarded by a tandem of rookies Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov for most of the past few weeks. The former is starting today against the Blueshirts but has struggled in eight appearances this season, logging a .874 SV% and 3.69 GAA. The younger Kolosov’s numbers are slightly better but still unimpressive, with an .885 SV% and 3.11 GAA in six appearances.
Ersson remains on injured reserve but can be activated at any time since he’s missed well over a week.
More out of the Metropolitan Division:
- Islanders winger Anthony Duclair has begun skating on his own as he begins the first tangible step in his recovery from the leg injury he sustained last month, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com relayed Friday. The 29-year-old had two goals and an assist in his first five games with the Isles in a top-line role alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat before leaving an Oct. 19 tilt against the Canadiens. He’s missed 18 games and is near the end of his initial four-to-six-week timeline, so since he’s yet to practice with the team and take contact, his return will likely push past that mark.
- The Rangers will still be without forwards Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil in the lineup against the Flyers as they remain day-to-day with upper-body injuries, head coach Peter Laviolette told Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. It’s Kreider’s third straight absence – they’re 0-2-0 without him as part of a four-game skid – while Chytil has been day-to-day for over two weeks and hasn’t played since Nov. 14 despite skating with the team.
Blue Jackets Recall Jet Greaves
The Blue Jackets announced Friday that they’ve recalled goaltender Jet Greaves under emergency conditions. He’ll back up Elvis Merzļikins this afternoon against the Flames instead of Daniil Tarasov, who Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports is dealing with an illness.
It’s the second recall of the season for the 23-year-old Greaves. He was summoned to back up Tarasov for a pair of games in mid-October while Merzļikins was dealing with an upper-body injury, but he did not play.
Greaves, an Ontario native, is now in his fourth season of pro hockey, all of them coming in the Columbus organization. He’s been decent so far for Cleveland this season, posting a 3.23 GAA, .908 SV%, one shutout, and a 7-3-1 record in 11 games.
However, it’s not really the step forward in his development that the Jackets were hoping for. Columbus appeared to have found a diamond in the rough with Greaves, who they inked as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL’s Barrie Colts. He’s been solidly above average in his limited NHL action to date, posting a .912 SV% and 3.44 GAA in nine starts and one relief appearance for the Jackets over the past two seasons despite facing over 34 shots per game on average.
The 6’0″ Greaves may not have yet taken a demonstrable step forward in his play in Cleveland this season, but there’s still plenty of runway left in 2024-25 to do so. He remains waiver-exempt this season but will need them to head to the AHL starting with 2025-26.
Tarasov, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Nov. 16 and has backed up Merzļikins for four straight. The 25-year-old has had a tough year, logging a career-low .861 SV% and 4.04 GAA with a 3-4-1 record in eight starts.
Lightning Recall Matt Tomkins
The Lightning announced Friday that they’ve recalled goaltender Matt Tomkins from AHL Syracuse. Presumably, Jonas Johansson or Andrei Vasilevskiy is unavailable or uncertain for this afternoon’s game against the Predators, although the team hasn’t confirmed either’s status yet. The Lightning have an open roster spot and $1.43MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia, so they don’t need to make a corresponding transaction to accommodate Tomkins’ addition.
Tomkins, 30, has a subpar .890 SV% and 3.12 GAA in eight showings for Syracuse this season, although it’s somewhat irrelevant what his numbers are. Tampa Bay has no other option for a recall – they only have three goaltenders under contract. They would likely need to sign 28-year-old Brandon Halverson, who’s outperformed Tomkins by a wide margin in Syracuse this season while on an AHL contract, to an NHL deal if either Johansson or Vasilevskiy is out for any time.
Tomkins, an Edmonton native, is in his second season with the Bolts. The Ohio State grad started last season as Johansson’s backup while Vasilevskiy was on the shelf recovering from back surgery, posting a 3-2-1 record in six starts with a .892 SV% and 3.33 GAA in his first-ever NHL action.
A seventh-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2012, Tomkins spent four seasons playing for their AHL and ECHL affiliates before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2021 and heading overseas, playing two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League with Frölunda HC and Färjestad BK. He also appeared for Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Championship, winning a silver medal at the latter as the third-stringer behind Chris Driedger and Logan Thompson.
Tomkins passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. He can remain on the Bolts’ roster for up to 30 days or appear in 10 games before he requires them again to return to Syracuse.
Rangers Have Shown Interest In Canucks’ J.T. Miller
The Rangers have “recently inquired” with the Canucks about the trade availability of star center J.T. Miller, a league source told Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
Those discussions have likely taken place in the last week or so amid general manager Chris Drury putting up an open-for-business sign on Monday, with Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reporting that he’d made both captain Jacob Trouba and three-time 30-goal scorer Chris Kreider available for trade. Four straight regulation losses and some concerning shot-attempt and scoring-chance numbers at 5-on-5 throughout the season have set Drury’s urgency dial to high as he tries to avoid last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners slipping out of a playoff spot.
There’s still a fair bit of cushion for the Rangers, who have slipped to a wild-card spot but have games in hand on the three teams ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division. But they’re now on pace for 98 points after finishing with 114 a season ago and have a 29% chance of missing the playoffs, per The Athletic.
That could mean the Rangers are willing to leverage one of their aforementioned trade chips, or more likely struggling center Mika Zibanejad, to bring Miller back to where he started his NHL career. But as Staple and Baugh write, it’s “a long shot” to make a midseason move for such a rich contract – Miller is signed through the 2029-30 season at an $8MM cap hit. Moving Zibanejad, who’s signed for the same length at an $8.5MM cap hit, would likely require some salary retention amid his poor start and may be impossible regardless, thanks to his full no-movement clause.
There’s also the question of whether Miller, who also has an NMC in his contract with Vancouver, would entertain a move back to Manhattan. The 31-year-old does have six goals and 16 points in 17 games this season with a +1 rating but is currently out indefinitely while on a leave of absence for personal reasons.
Even though Miller is on pace for his lowest offensive output since the 2020-21 season, he would still be a significant upgrade over Zibanejad’s performance this year, which would likely require a larger package heading Vancouver’s way than a one-for-one swap. Zibanejad has been a relative non-factor with just four goals in 21 games, only three hits, and the worst possession numbers of his 14-year career by far with a 42.8 CF% and 40.9 xGF% at even strength.
While Drury’s initial inquiry likely won’t lead to a move, at least not imminently, it’s likely not the last time he’ll gauge Miller’s availability this season. As Baugh and Staple write, they also had interest in a reunion at the 2022 trade deadline when he was slated to become an unrestricted free agent the following summer, but he ended up sticking in Vancouver and inking his aforementioned extension.
Miller, selected 15th overall by the Rangers back in 2011, had 72 goals, 100 assists and 172 points in 341 games with the Blueshirts before he was traded to the Lightning at the 2018 deadline. After being flipped to Vancouver in the 2019 offseason, he’s had over a point per game in four of his five full seasons as a Canuck.
Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic
The Stars announced Friday that they’ve recalled defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Texas. No corresponding transaction is required since the team has an open spot on the active roster and nearly $2MM in current cap space, more than enough to accommodate his league-minimum $775K cap hit.
Dallas summoned Petrovic, 32, once earlier this season to serve as injury insurance on the blue line for a few games in mid-October, but he didn’t get into game action. The 6’5″, 207-lb righty is now in his fourth season with the Stars organization, where he’s served as an alternate captain for their AHL club since day one and is off to an unusually hot start offensively, racking up three goals and six assists for nine points in 14 games to tie for the team lead in scoring among defensemen.
Once a depth mainstay on the Panthers’ NHL roster in the mid-2010s, call-ups have been few and far between for Petrovic in the last few years. He made one regular-season and seven playoff appearances for Dallas last season, marking his first NHL action since splitting 2018-19 between Florida and the Oilers.
Petrovic’s recall will likely yield an appearance or two this time, notes team radio analyst Bruce LeVine. He’s expected to replace Mathew Dumba in the lineup tonight against the Avalanche in a third-pairing role alongside Brendan Smith. The duo struggled in the Stars’ 6-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday, controlling 31.4% of expected goals at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck. This will be Dumba’s third healthy scratch of the season after signing a two-year, $7.5MM contract in free agency that looks like a rare misguided investment from Dallas general manager Jim Nill.
Petrovic’s previous recall lasted five days, so he can remain on the Stars’ roster for 25 more (or play 10 games) before he needs waivers to return to the AHL.
Andy Welinski Signs In Germany
Unrestricted free agent defenseman Andy Welinski has signed a contract with Germany’s Löwen Frankfurt for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign, per a team announcement.
Welinski, 31, hasn’t appeared in the NHL since a 13-game stint with the Ducks in 2020-21. He’s spent the last few seasons jumping around the AHL on NHL and minor-league contracts.
The Devils inked the Minnesota native to a PTO during training camp in September but subsequently released him and had him suit up for their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, on a tryout. He was released earlier this month after struggling with one assist and a -6 rating through eight games.
The former Minnesota-Duluth captain now heads overseas for the first time in his 10-year professional career. All of his 46 NHL appearances have come for the Ducks, who drafted him in the third round in 2011, posting a goal and five assists with a -2 rating.
His AHL resume is far more diverse. Aside from playing 149 games for Anaheim’s affiliate in San Diego in parts of five seasons, he’s spent time suiting up for the Flyers, Flames, Rangers, Blackhawks, Wild, and Panthers farm clubs before his brief run in Utica this season. In 327 AHL games over the last decade, he has 42 goals and 111 assists for 153 points (0.47 per game) with 121 PIMs and a -23 rating.
Welinski heads to a Löwen club that suits up in Germany’s top-flight league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club is off to a 9-7-1-3 start and is on pace for their best record since being promoted from the DEL2 in 2022. He joins a squad headlined up front by former NHL grinder Carter Rowney and Blues 2018 first-rounder Dominik Bokk.
Oilers Recall Drake Caggiula
As expected, Drake Caggiula’s stint in the minors was short-lived. The team announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the veteran forward from AHL Bakersfield.
Edmonton re-assigned the 30-year-old back to the minors on Monday alongside defenseman Josh Brown (who notably wasn’t brought back up this time around). With the Oilers off until Friday, the demotions allowed them to exit LTIR for a few days and bank a bit of cap space. While Caggiula is on a contract for the league minimum of $775K, his remaining money is still more than the $382K they can afford per PuckPedia which means they’ll be back into using LTIR once the recall officially hits their books on Friday.
Caggiula has played in four games with Edmonton so far this season, all within the last four weeks. He has one assist in those outings while averaging a little over eight minutes a night of playing time while also spending time in a reserve role. He’s likely to still have a limited role on this stint with the Oilers as well. While he was held off the scoresheet on Wednesday, Caggiula has been much more productive with the Condors, recording five goals and four helpers so far.
With the recall, Edmonton’s roster now stands at 22 players, one below the limit. With them now back in LTIR, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that spot get filled in the near future.