- A panel of writers from the NHL has made their prediction for the Calder Memorial Trophy winner for the 2024-25 NHL season. The panel predicts Philadelphia Flyers’ youngster Matvei Michkov will take home the award by season’s end. Still, he will have some tough competition from San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini and Dallas Stars’ Logan Stankoven. It’s tough to argue with the panel on their choice as Michkov already has three goals and seven points in four preseason contests.
[SOURCE LINK]
Flyers Rumors
Injury Notes: Pesce, Sorokin, Lehkonen, Seeler
The New Jersey Devils could soon receive a silver lining in their long list of injury news, with general manager Tom Fitzgerald designating defender Brett Pesce as day-to-day with a strong chance of playing in the team’s home opener, per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. Pesce suffered a fractured fibula in May, forcing him to miss the final nine games of Carolina’s postseason. Recovery didn’t dissuade teams from talking with Pesce when he hit the open market, with New Jersey ultimately signing the 29-year-old to a six-year, $33MM contract.
Pesce could get a chance to earn that money soon. The Devils have been careful not to rush him back to action – instead opting to take top prospect Seamus Casey in their trip to Prague – though Pesce will have a clear spot in the team’s top-four whenever he returns. He’s averaged at least 20 minutes of ice time in each of the last eight seasons, including playing upwards of 23 minutes a night in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Pesce’s held onto that role despite never being much of a scorer, with a career-high of 30 points set two seasons ago. New Jersey could be the fiery offense to boost Pesce’s scoring, though it’s his stalwart defense that’ll prove invaluable on a team that allowed the fifth-most goals in the league last season.
More injury updates:
- Star New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin was spotted on the practice ice today, shares Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. It’s Sorokin’s first appearance on the training camp ice, after undergoing back surgery this off-season. The details of Sorokin’s surgery and timeline have been kept quiet by New York, though head coach Patrick Roy recently shared that he expects the star to be ready for opening day. Sorokin is among the best in the league when he’s healthy, posting a combined .919 save percentage across 192 games in the last four seasons – and previously recording 134 wins, a .930, and one championship across eight seasons and 244 games in the KHL.
- Colorado Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen returned to the ice in a no-contact jersey, shares the Denver Post’s Corey Masisak. In speaking with head coach Jared Bednar, Masisak adds that the team wants to keep Lehkonen away from contact as long as possible, though he’ll ramp up quickly when he’s fully cleared. Lehkonen has scored 38 goals and 85 points in 109 games with the Avalanche over the last two seasons, though upper-body injuries routinely pull him out of the lineup.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have shared that defender Nick Seeler is fully healthy despite sitting out most of Tuesday night’s third period, per Charlie O’Connor of All Phly Sports. Seeler is fighting to retain his role on Philadelphia’s third-pairing, where he’s served admirably in each of the last two seasons. He’ll face competition from Yegor Zamula, who outscored Seeler by eight points last season.
Waiver Wire: 10/2/24
Twelve new faces were placed on waivers Wednesday, per PuckPedia. All who were waived yesterday cleared, aside from goaltender Jiří Patera, who’s heading from Vancouver to Boston. Here’s the listing of today’s players who hit the wire:
Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche
D Jack Ahcan
F Matthew Phillips
D Calle Rosén
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Mac Hollowell
F Jimmy Huntington
F Marc Johnstone
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/24
With just five days to go until the NHL’s first regular-season games for 2024-25, the rate of training camp cuts is speeding up. More players are beginning to land on waivers, while waiver-exempt fringe players are heading to teams’ AHL affiliates en masse. As always, we’ll keep track of Sunday’s cuts in this article.
Last updated 1:52 p.m. Monday
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
F Judd Caulfield (to AHL San Diego)
F Ruslan Gazizov (released from PTO to AHL San Diego)
D Dillon Heatherington (released from PTO to AHL San Diego)
D Tyson Hinds (to AHL San Diego)
F Travis Howe (released from PTO to AHL San Diego)
F Josh Lopina (to AHL San Diego)
F Nico Myatovic (to AHL San Diego)
D Roland McKeown (released from PTO to AHL San Diego)
F Sasha Pastujov (to AHL San Diego)
F Coulson Pitre (to AHL San Diego)
D Konnor Smith (to AHL San Diego)
F Jaxsen Wiebe (to AHL San Diego)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Joey Abate (assigned to AHL Providence)
D Drew Bavaro (assigned to AHL Providence)
G Ryan Bischel (assigned to AHL Providence)
D Frederic Brunet (assigned to AHL Providence)
D Michael Callahan (assigned to AHL Providence)
F Riley Duran (assigned to AHL Providence)
F Trevor Kuntar (assigned to AHL Providence)
F Fabian Lysell (assigned to AHL Providence)
G Nolan Maier (assigned to AHL Providence)
D Ryan Mast (assigned to AHL Providence)
F Adam Mechura (assigned to AHL Providence)
F Georgii Merkulov (assigned to AHL Providence)
D Mason Millman (assigned to AHL Providence)
F Jaxon Nelson (assigned to AHL Providence)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Clark Bishop (assigned to AHL Calgary)
D Jonathan Aspirot (assigned to AHL Calgary)
Chicago Blackhawks (per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope)
F Colton Dach (to AHL Rockford)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to AHL Rockford)
F Cole Guttman (to AHL Rockford)
F Ryder Rolston (to AHL Rockford)
F Samuel Savoie (to AHL Rockford)
F Landon Slaggert (to AHL Rockford)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F Chase Bradley (to AHL Colorado)
F Tye Felhaber (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
D Jacob MacDonald (to AHL Colorado) pending waivers
F Oskar Olausson (to AHL Colorado)
F Nikita Prishchepov (to AHL Colorado)
Edmonton Oilers (per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector)
F Sam O’Reilly (assigned to OHL London)
F Matthew Savoie (assigned to AHL Bakersfield)
F Seth Griffith (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
Los Angeles Kings (per team releases)
F Martin Chromiak (assigned to AHL Ontario)
F Aatu Jamsen (assigned to AHL Ontario)
F Kaleb Lawrence (assigned to AHL Ontario)
F Francesco Pinelli (assigned to AHL Ontario)
F Koehn Ziemmer (assigned to AHL Ontario)
D Angus Booth (assigned to AHL Ontario)
D Jakub Dvorak (assigned to AHL Ontario)
G Erik Portillo (assigned to AHL Ontario)
F Bryce Brodzinski (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
F Jacob Doty (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
F Shawn Element (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
F Charles Hudon (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
F Patrick Moynihan (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
F Quinn Olson (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
F Jake Wise (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
D Parker Berge (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
D Dru Krebs (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
D Jack Millar (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
D Luke Rowe (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Anthony Angello (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Easton Armstrong (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
F Alexander Campbell (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
G Magnus Chrona (to AHL Milwaukee)
G Drew DeRidder (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
F Jordan Frasca (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Kevin Gravel (to AHL Milwaukee)
G Ethan Haider (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
D Jeremy Hanzel (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kale Howarth (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
D Lucas Johansen (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
F Joakim Kemell (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Jake Livingstone (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Jake Lucchini (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kyle Marino (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
D Jack Matier (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Navrin Mutter (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Chad Nychuk (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
F Cal O’Reilly (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
D Luke Prokop (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Reid Schaefer (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Ryan Ufko (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kevin Wall (released from PTO to AHL Milwaukee)
New York Islanders (per Newsday’s Andrew Gross)
F William Dufour (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Aidan Fulp (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Marc Gatcomb (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Isaiah George (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Alex Jefferies (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Eetu Liukas (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Matthew Maggio (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Travis Mitchell (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Calle Odelius (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Cam Thiesing (to AHL Bridgeport)
G Henrik Tikkanen (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Marshall Warren (to AHL Bridgeport)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)
G Eetu Mäkiniemi (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
F Mitchell Russell (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)
D Artem Guryev (to AHL San Jose)
D Braden Hache (to AHL San Jose)
D Valtteri Pulli (to AHL San Jose)
D Joey Keane (to AHL San Jose)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
D Jérémie Biakabutuka (to AHL Springfield)
D Michael Buchinger (to AHL Springfield)
G Will Cranley (to AHL Springfield)
F Tanner Dickinson (to AHL Springfield)
F Antoine Dorion (to QMJHL Québec)
F Dalibor Dvorský (to AHL Springfield)
G Colten Ellis (to AHL Springfield)
D Marc-Andre Gaudet (to AHL Springfield)
D Samuel Johannesson (to AHL Springfield)
F Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (to AHL Springfield)
D Leo Lööf (to AHL Springfield)
D Anton Malmström (to AHL Springfield)
F Dylan Peterson (to AHL Springfield)
F Marcus Sylvegård (to AHL Springfield)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per Bally Sports Florida’s Gabby Shirley)
F Dylan Duke (to AHL Syracuse)
F Gabriel Dumont (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
F Jaydon Dureau (to AHL Syracuse)
F Lucas Edmonds (to AHL Syracuse)
G Ryan Fanti (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
D Tyson Feist (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
D Dyllan Gill (to AHL Syracuse)
G Brandon Halverson (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
F Niko Huuhtanen (to AHL Syracuse)
F Kale Kessy (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
F Jujhar Khaira (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
F Milo Roelens (to AHL Syracuse)
D Roman Schmidt (to AHL Syracuse)
F Lukas Svejkovsky (to AHL Syracuse)
F Gabriel Szturc (to AHL Syracuse)
F Joel Teasdale (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
F Daniel Walcott (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
D Scott Walford (released from PTO to AHL Syracuse)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
F Tristen Nielsen (assigned to AHL Abbotsford)
F Danila Klimovich (assigned to AHL Abbotsford)
G Ty Young (assigned to AHL Abbotsford)
F Chase Wouters (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
F Vilmer Alriksson (assigned to OHL Guelph)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
D Logan Day (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Pierrick Dube (to AHL Hershey)
F Zac Funk (to AHL Hershey)
G Mitchell Gibson (to AHL Hershey)
D Vincent Iorio (to AHL Hershey)
D Nicky Leivermann (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Jake Massie (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Jon McDonald (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Luke Philp (to AHL Hershey) injured, pending waivers
F Ilya Protas (to OHL Windsor)
F Henrik Rybinski (to AHL Hershey)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey) injured, pending waivers
G Clay Stevenson (to AHL Hershey)
F Alexander Suzdalev (to AHL Hershey)
F Bogdan Trineyev (to AHL Hershey)
Winnipeg Jets (per the team’s Mitchell Clinton)
F Colby Barlow (to OHL Owen Sound)
G Domenic DiVincentiis (to AHL Manitoba)
F Parker Ford (to AHL Manitoba)
F Daniel Torgersson (to AHL Manitoba)
F Brayden Yager (to WHL Moose Jaw)
East Notes: Laine, Lindholm, Brink, Othmann
Canadiens fans are still waiting with bated breath for news about top offseason acquisition Patrik Laine. The winger left last night’s preseason loss to the Maple Leafs in the first period after he was on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee collision with Toronto AHL depth piece Cédric Paré, preventing him from skating off under his own power (via The Athletic’s Arpon Basu).
It certainly didn’t look good for Laine, whose left knee bent awkwardly during the hit and laid on the ice for several minutes before being helped off. Paré, who inked his first NHL deal with the Maple Leafs in July, isn’t yet facing supplemental discipline. He also wasn’t penalized on the play.
Laine was visibly angry while heading back to the Montreal room, an understandable reaction for a player who desperately needed a healthy season. The 26-year-old was limited to 18 games with the Blue Jackets last season with a collarbone fracture and a lengthy stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, recording six goals and three assists for nine points with a -10 rating. Montreal acquired the 2016 second-overall pick from Columbus last month, sending depth defenseman Jordan Harris the other way.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Bruins center Elias Lindholm is back practicing in a non-contact jersey today, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports. He’s been day-to-day with an undisclosed injury since Tuesday and hasn’t played in any preseason action thus far. It’s a good sign the 29-year-old will be ready for opening night. He’s still on track to begin the season as Boston’s No. 1 center, anchoring a line between David Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha. He inked a seven-year, $54.25MM deal with the Bruins this summer after posting 44 points in 75 games for the Flames and Canucks last season.
- Bobby Brink is trending toward cracking the Flyers’ opening night roster for the second year in a row, writes The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. Brink, 23, was solid in a middle-six role last year, posting 11 goals and 23 points in 57 games. But he spent some time in the minors as well, and his path to ice time in Philly this year became a bit murkier after 2023 seventh overall pick Matvei Michkov came over from Russia and signed his entry-level contract. He’ll still need to “earn his ice time,” Kurz writes, but Brink has drawn praise from head coach John Tortorella with his strong camp performance and will challenge for a third-line role at right wing after signing a two-year, $3MM deal this summer.
- Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann’s chances of cracking the roster appear slim after he skated with a group of players mostly ticketed for the AHL on Sunday, relays The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. Othmann, 21, went pointless in three NHL games last season – his first in the majors. The 2021 first-round pick was great in his first pro showing with AHL Hartford last season, though, posting 49 points in 67 games and earning a spot in the league’s All-Star Game. He’ll get a few more NHL looks in 2024-25 even if he’s not up with the Rangers to start.
Waiver Wire: 9/27/2024
A growing list of players is hitting the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim their rosters heading into the 2024-25 NHL regular season. The Vancouver Canucks became the first team to test waivers by putting defensemen Guillaume Brisebois and Jett Woo through and both have cleared this afternoon. PuckPedia announced the list of players on the wire for the next 24 hours and the waiver priority will still be the reverse order of last year’s standings until November 1st.
Columbus Blue Jackets (confirmed in team announcement)
G Zachary Sawchenko (reassignment to AHL Cleveland)
New York Rangers
F Alex Belzile (reassignment to AHL Hartford)
D Ben Harpur (reassignment to AHL Hartford)
F Jake Leschyshyn (reassignment to AHL Hartford)
Ottawa Senators (confirmed in team announcement)
D Jeremy Davies (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
D Maxence Guenette (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
F Hayden Hodgson (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
D Nikolas Matinpalo (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
F Garrett Pilon (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
F Jamieson Rees (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
F Cole Reinhardt (reassignment to AHL Belleville)
Philadelphia Flyers (confirmed in team announcement)
D Ronald Attard (reassignment to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Louis Belpedio (reassignment to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Rhett Gardner (reassignment to AHL Lehigh Valley)
Seattle Kraken (confirmed in team announcement)
D Nikolas Brouillard (reassignment to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Luke Henman (reassignment to AHL Coachella Valley)
Flyers Sign Spencer Gill To Entry-Level Contract
The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have signed defenseman Spencer Gill to a three-year entry-level contract. Gill played in the Flyers’ development, rookie, and main training camp this summer after being selected by the team with the 59th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Gill only managed one preseason contest for the Flyers before being returned to his junior team, the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic a few days ago. He accrued the third-highest ice time for all Philadelphia defensemen in their game against the Washington Capitals and blocked two shots.
He’s a solid two-way defenseman combining physicality and puck mobility from the blue line. He finished last season with 12 goals and 46 points for the Océanic in 65 contests with another five assists in five playoff contests. The Flyers will be looking for Gill to expand his offensive output from the 2023-24 QMJHL season and become more mature after earning 62 PIMs.
There is a strong possibility Gill will join Canada’s U20 team for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships after playing for the country’s U18 team last year. He tallied two assists in seven tournament games, finishing with a -1 rating. Gill skated in nearly 19 minutes of the gold medal game despite staying off the score sheet as Canada defeated the United States to end the tournament.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/24
As we finish out the first week of the preseason schedule, teams are beginning to get more aggressive with their training camp cuts. We’ll see more on Friday after seven teams trimmed their rosters on Thursday. With most junior-eligible players returned to their CHL clubs, we should see more AHL assignments and waiver placements in the coming days. As always, we’ll update this article with all of today’s cuts.
Last updated 4:49 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)
F Carey Terrance (assigned to OHL Erie)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Alex Gallant (to AHL Calgary)
F Trevor Janicke (to AHL Calgary)
F Rory Kerins (to AHL Calgary)
G Connor Murphy (to AHL Calgary)
F Ilya Nikolayev (to AHL Calgary)
D Zayne Parekh (assigned to OHL Saginaw)
G Matt Radomsky (to AHL Calgary)
F David Silye (to AHL Calgary)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)
F Jake Gaudet (to AHL Cleveland)
F Stefan Matteau (to AHL Cleveland)
F Justin Pearson (to AHL Cleveland)
D Stanislav Svozil (loaned to AHL Cleveland)
Florida Panthers (per team announcement)
G Kenneth Appleby (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
G Evan Cormier (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
G Talyn Boyko (to AHL Hartford)
Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to AHL Belleville)
F Tyler Boucher (to AHL Belleville)
F Xavier Bourgault (to AHL Belleville)
F Jake Chiasson (to AHL Belleville)
F Angus Crookshank (to AHL Belleville)
F Phillippe Daoust (to AHL Belleville)
D Jorian Donovan (to AHL Belleville)
F Stephen Halliday (to AHL Belleville)
D Tomas Hamara (to AHL Belleville)
F Oskar Pettersson (to AHL Belleville)
G Michael Simpson (to AHL Belleville)
D Djibril Toure (to AHL Belleville)
F Keean Washkurak (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)
F Jon-Randall Avon (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Brendan Furry (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Jacob Gaucher (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Massimo Rizzo (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Nikolai Knyzhov (released from PTO)
San Jose Sharks (per a team announcement)
D Artem Guryev (to AHL San Jose)
D Braden Haché (to AHL San Jose)
D Valtteri Pulli (to AHL San Jose)
D Joey Keane (to AHL San Jose)
F Mitchell Russell (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)
Seattle Kraken (per a team announcement)
F Jagger Firkus (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F David Goyette (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Jack LaFontaine (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ian McKinnon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Logan Morrison (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Ty Nelson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Victor Ostman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Tucker Robertson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
Utah Hockey Club (per a team announcement)
D Tomas Lavoie (assigned to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Gabe Smith (assigned to QMJHL Moncton)
D Veeti Vaisanen (assigned to WHL Medicine Hat)
East Notes: Michkov, Marchand, Sillinger, Giles
If preseason is any indication, there won’t be many growing pains for Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov as he adjusts to playing in North America. The 2023 seventh overall pick put his stamp all over the Flyers’ first home win of the exhibition schedule last night, recording a secondary assist and scoring an empty-net insurance marker in a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, quite literally making all the game’s offense go through him one way or another.
“He’s been working really hard,” assistant coach Rocky Thompson said Thursday (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz). “You can tell within our practices and with our skating, he’s made a diligent effort. So, that’s good. He’s backchecking hard, he’s doing all those things. But, you can see his ability to make plays. He generated opportunities for his teammates, he scores himself tonight with a goal and an assist. Played good.”
Many worries about how Michkov might adjust to the NHL centered around a potentially rocky relationship with bench boss John Tortorellaregarding his all-around play. But he’s been complimentary of Michkov’s effort and willingness to go into one-on-one puck battles, calling him “certainly willing to be in the areas to go get the puck.”
More from the Eastern Conference:
- If Bruins captain Brad Marchand has his way, Morgan Geekie will open the season on his right flank in second-line duties. “I love playing with Geeks,” Marchand told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “He’s so great in some of the different areas, the way he can hold onto pucks and makes plays. Shoots it. Great in the corners. I think he really complements our line as well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together, so we’ll continue to work on it. But I’ve always really liked his game.” His assessment about not having a ton of reps together is correct – Geekie logged just 25 minutes of ice time last season with Marchand and Charlie Coyle, per MoneyPuck. The 26-year-old is on the upswing after a career-high 17 goals and 39 points for Boston last year but faces competition from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell, whose preseason showing Marchand called “encouraging” but added there’s room for improvement.
- The Blue Jackets might have a second Sillinger on their opening-night roster. 27-year-old Owen Sillinger, Cole Sillinger’s older brother, is among the leading candidates to snag a spot with Justin Danforth potentially not ready to start the season while recovering from wrist surgery, writes The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Sillinger spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on minor-league deals and finished third on the team in scoring last season with 40 points (11 G, 29 A) in 69 games. That showing earned him a promotion to a two-way deal with Columbus this summer. He could briefly factor into a bottom-six role before likely landing on waivers when Danforth is ready to return.
- Panthers prospect Patrick Giles finds himself in a similarly unexpected situation. The 24-year-old has been getting reps on Florida’s fourth line over the past couple days with Tomáš Nosek set to miss a few weeks and has a shot to open the campaign in the NHL, David Dwork of The Hockey News relays. An undrafted free agent signing out of Boston College in 2022, Giles stands at 6’4″ and 203 lbs and posted a career-high 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games last season for AHL Charlotte.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Sign Mason Primeau
- Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reports the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are signing forward Mason Primeau on a one-year AHL contract. Primeau has spent the last four years split between the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights and the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates producing tepid results. He already has a strong connection to the Flyers organization with his uncle, Keith Primeau, who played in Philadelphia from 1999 to 2006.
[SOURCE LINK]