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Eric Gryba

Snapshots: Rieder, Bartkowski, Gaudreau, Pederson, Waivers

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Despite signing his two year, $4.45MM bridge deal more than a week ago, Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder was only able to join the team to practice on Wednesday, reports AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan.  The reason for the delay was that Rieder needed to a new his work visa, a process that took longer to complete than anticipated.

Although he joined the team so late, head coach Dave Tippett expects Rieder to be in the lineup on Saturday night for their season opener.  The team isn’t worried about there being much rust either as Rieder played in six games for Team Europe at the recent World Cup of Hockey (recording one assist).  He’s expected to start the season alongside rookie center Dylan Strome and third year winger Anthony Duclair.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have inked UFA defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a minor league PTO, Providence GM John Ferguson Jr. told Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). Bartkowski was in training camp with Ottawa this preseason but failed to secure a contract.  He spent last year with Vancouver but before that, he played 131 games over five seasons with the Bruins.
  • Calgary left winger Johnny Gaudreau has a five team trade-allowed list in the final year of his contract. Among the five teams he would accept a trade to is the Philadelphia Flyers.  As Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, Gaudreau has already expressed an interest in joining the Flyers at some point in his career though it remains to be seen if Calgary would even entertain the idea of trading him there at some point in this contract.
  • The Coyotes announced that they have signed undrafted center Lane Pederson to a three year entry level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Pederson attended Arizona’s rookie camp and is off to a strong start this season with Swift Current of the WHL, picking up nine points in his first seven games.
  • Anaheim has placed center Joseph Cramarossa on waivers, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 23 year old made the team out of training camp but a roster spot needed to be freed up to accommodate the acquisition of Emerson Etem off the waiver wire.  Cramarossa had 11 goals and six assists in 61 games with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego last season.
  • Edmonton defenseman Eric Gryba cleared waivers today but will remain with the team as they have placed fellow blueliner Brandon Davidson on IR, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal (Twitter link).  The Oilers inked Gryba to a one year, two-way deal worth $950K at the NHL level on Wednesday.

Edmonton To Sign Eric Gryba To One-Year Deal

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October 12, 11:05am: The Oilers have confirmed the signing, and announced that Gryba has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL.

October 11, 1:55pm: Gryba will earn $950K in the NHL and $250K in the AHL but comes with a guarantee of $450K, as McKenzie tweets.

According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Edmonton Oilers are about to re-sign defenseman Eric Gryba to a one-year, two-way deal.

Gryba played last season with the Oilers and suited up for 53 games, but was only brought in on a PTO this summer. Still just 28 years old, Gryba hasn’t seen the AHL since 2012-13, but may have to prove that he can still be effective by leading Bakersfield instead of Edmonton.

After the signing of Kris Russell, the team had given Gryba a chance to talk to other teams and see if there was an NHL deal to be had somewhere. Evidently, he hasn’t found a better option than staying in the City of Champions for another year, and waiting for an injury for his chance with the big club.

Pacific Division Notes: Rodin, Gryba, Bennett, Coyotes Prospects

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In need of additional scoring punch up front, the Vancouver Canucks were hopeful Swedish winger Anton Rodin would earn a big league job and contribute some secondary scoring to the lineup. He has impressed during camp but now it looks as if his NHL debut will be postponed as the 25-year-old winger is experiencing soreness and swelling in his surgically repaired knee. Rodin suffered a severed tendon last year while playing in the Swedish Elite League and as Iain MacIntyre of the Province writes, it’s believed that Rodin has simply aggravated the knee by playing too much hockey in a relatively short period of time this preseason.

GM Jim Benning indicated Rodin will be held out of the lineup for up to a week to allow for rest and rehab.

“The injury got aggravated and so he’s going to have to take a step back. We’re going to give him a few days or week off here to get the swelling down, and from there just rehab so he’s a 100 per cent for us. We’re going to need him at 100 per cent.”

MacIntyre notes that Rodin is averaging a point-per-game through five preseason contests and has demonstrated an ability to protect the puck and to play in traffic against bigger opponents during exhibition games. The 2009 second-round pick has some experience in North America, skating in 111 games with Chicago in the AHL, scoring 14 goals and 41 points. He returned to Sweden in time for the 2014-15 season and would go on to win the Swedish League’s MVP in 2015-16.

Fortunately for Vancouver, the injury doesn’t appear serious and it looks as if Rodin will only be out a short time. It could threaten his availability to play in the season opener and as such, his absence could come into play as the Canucks look to finalize their roster.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • After signing Kris Russell to a one-year contract, the Edmonton Oilers have given fellow blue liner Eric Gryba permission to speak with other clubs in an attempt to land a job, tweets Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal. This would seem to suggest Gryba, who is in camp with the Oilers on a PTO, will not make the Edmonton roster. If Gryba fails to find a spot in another organization, Gregor believes he could continue to skate with the team, though of course he would be doing so without a contract. Gryba spent the first three years of his NHL career with Ottawa before a 2015 trade sent the defenseman to Edmonton. He appeared in 53 games in 2015-16 with the Oilers and tallied one goal and six points.
  • It’s looking more and more likely the Arizona Coyotes will break camp with a few rookies among their ranks, writes Sarah McLellan of AZ Central. Dylan Strome was expected to make the team and fill a scoring line pivot role and has done nothing in camp to change that line of thinking. Recently he’s been skating with Lawson Crouse and Anthony Duclair on the team’s second line. Speaking of Crouse, the Coyotes value his grit and toughness though it’s still likely he doesn’t start the season with Arizona. Laurent Dauphin could force his way into a 4th line role and has evidently earned the trust of his teammates with his hard work. McLellan also notes the team is still giving looks to forwards Christian Dvorak and Christian Fischer along with blue liners Jakob Chychrun and Anthony DeAngelo. Whatever happens it seems quite possible that several rookies will be suiting up for the Coyotes in 2016-17.
  • Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett appears poised for a breakout campaign as a sophomore in the NHL, writes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald. Bennett, who scored 18 goals and 36 points in 77 games as a rookie, is already well on his way to earning the trust of new head coach Glen Gulutzan due to his responsible two-way play this preseason. The 20-year-old pivot has also made an impression on veteran winger Troy Brouwer, with whom he has skated with this preseason: “He’s a good player. He sees the ice well and he reads the game well, which is a tough thing and a unique thing to have, especially at 20 years old. I think he’s the type of player, under this coach, who is going to have a lot of responsibility and it’s really going to elevate his game.” Gilbertson notes that with Johnny Gaudreau still unsigned and not playing, Calgary has struggled putting the puck in the net scoring just nine times in seven games. If Gaudreau is out for any extended period of the regular season, Bennett could help fill the scoring void created by his absence.

Eric Gryba Signs PTO With Edmonton

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September 21: The Oilers officially confirmed the PTO via their Twitter account.

September 20: Eric Gryba’s time with the Edmonton Oilers isn’t up just yet.  The unrestricted free agent defenseman has agreed to attend their training camp on a PTO deal, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.

Gryba was acquired by the Oilers back in June of 2015 from the Senators.  He played in 53 games with Edmonton last season, recording a goal and five assists with 75 penalty minutes.  Gryba also logged 17:53 of ice time per night, his highest average since his rookie season.  For his career, he has played in 218 games with Edmonton and Ottawa, scoring five goals while adding 30 assists and 262 PIMS.

Last month, Gryba noted that he had tryout offers from three different teams but was still hoping to get an offer from the Oilers.  He earned $1.3MM in salary last season and presumably will have to take a pay cut if he earns a guaranteed deal after training camp.

Gryba may have a harder time landing a spot on their roster compared to last year.  The team acquired Adam Larsson from New Jersey back in June while youngsters such as Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse, and Griffin Reinhart are all expected to push for bigger roles this season.  What will work in Gryba’s favor is that he is a right shooting blueliner, something the Oilers are lacking beyond Larsson and veteran Mark Fayne.

[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]

Over 30 NHL veterans have already taken tryout deals and there are more expected in the days ahead.  Keep track of who is trying out where with our Invite Tracker.

Free Agent Notes: Russell, Kaleta, Edmonton Tryouts, Gaustad, Richards

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It may be a little while yet before unrestricted free agent defenseman Kris Russell lands with a new home.  Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that it may take a couple more weeks to get done as he has plenty of options to consider with regards to term, teams, and money.  Training camps are still three weeks away so there is still plenty of time to get a deal done.

Russell is the highest rated remaining UFA on our top-50 list, slotting in at 12th overall.  He has been one of the top shot blocking defenders in the league in recent seasons, however, not all teams interpret that as a positive as a high blocked shot total often correlates to being on the ice for a lot of shots against which is an indictment of a players’ defensive ability.

Last year, Russell played in 62 games between Calgary and Dallas, recording four goals and 15 assists to go along with 210 blocked shots, the second highest total in the league.

Earlier this offseason, he was believed to be seeking a long-term deal around $5MM per season (we had originally projected four years with a $4.5MM AAV).  While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to get the big contract he desired, it would appear the 29 year old should still be able to land a solid deal, though perhaps at a shorter term than he originally hoped.

In other UFA news:

  • Long-time Buffalo agitating winger Patrick Kaleta remains without a home for next season. In an interview with Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, he noted that he has bulked up in advance of the season and is fully healthy for the first time in three years.  He also recently switched player agencies, signing with Newport Sports.  Unlike last season, Kaleta doesn’t appear to be interested in signing an AHL deal (he played in 26 games in 2015-16 with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester) at this time though, telling Hoppe: “If the NHL opportunity comes approaching, I’ll be ready.  If it doesn’t, I’ll be prepared for that, too.”  Kaleta has played in 348 career NHL games, all with the Sabres, recording 27 goals, 27 assists, and 542 penalty minutes over that span.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have offered a tryout deal to a UFA center, writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal although GM Peter Chiarelli declined to say who the player was. Chiarelli also didn’t rule out offering more PTO’s to centers as the team not only looks to improve their depth but also to cover for Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl, who all will be suiting up at the World Cup.  Chiarelli also acknowledged that the team has offered a tryout to defenseman Eric Gryba.
  • Also from Matheson’s piece, free agent center Paul Gaustad is expected to announce his retirement in a couple of weeks. The 34 year old played in 63 games with Nashville last year, collecting only six points but won over 55% of his faceoffs.
  • Still from Matheson, three teams have inquired about free agent center Mike Richards, according to his agent Pat Morris. Richards joined Washington partway through last season and while his offensive numbers are nothing to write home about (five points in 39 games), he led all Capitals forwards in shorthanded ice time per game, a unit that had the second best penalty kill percentage in the league.  He’s a prime candidate to land a PTO.

Free Agent Updates: Strome, Orlov, Gryba, Horcoff, Bartkowski

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With training camps just a few weeks away now, several free agents are still jockeying to find a new home or in the case of some restricted free agents, are looking to get new deals with their current teams done.  Here is the latest on several players still looking for new contracts:

Restricted Free Agents

  • Islanders GM Garth Snow and representatives for Ryan Strome continue to talk about a new deal. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that they are likely talking about a two year bridge contract.  Strome is coming off a down season as he recorded just 28 points (8-20-28) in 71 games, considerably lower than the 50 points (17-33-50) he put up in 81 games in 2014-15.
  • Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov has spoken with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. However, he indicated that he is concentrating on securing an NHL deal.  Orlov had a career year with the Caps last season, notching 29 points (8-21-29) in 82 games.  He will suit up for Russia in next month’s World Cup of Hockey, even if a new deal hasn’t been reached by then.

Unrestricted Free Agents

  • Defenseman Eric Gryba, who spent last season with Edmonton, has received training camp offers from three different teams so far, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Gryba’s first choice is to remain with the Oilers but they have yet to offer him a contract.  He suited up in 53 games with Edmonton last year, picking up six points (1-5-6) while seeing greater than a two minute jump in his ice time per game compared to the year before (from 15:39 to 17:53).
  • More from Matheson, center Shawn Horcoff has no interest in taking a tryout contract and is closer to retirement than continuing his playing career (Twitter links). Horcoff played in 59 games with the Ducks last year, tallying 15 points (6-9-15) but most notably was suspended for 20 games back in January after testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.
  • Blueliner Matt Bartkowski is still holding out hope for a one-way contract, reports Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bartkowski told Warner that his agent has been in touch with “a ton” of teams but evidently nothing has materialized in terms of an offer just yet.  He played in a career high 80 games with Vancouver in 2015-16, collecting 18 points (6-12-18).

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