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Michael Chaput

Montreal Canadiens Sign Xavier Ouellet, Kenny Agostino, Michael Chaput

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The Montreal Canadiens have committed to making their AHL team better this season, and have signed three players who could easily contribute to that. Xavier Ouellet, Kenny Agostino and Michael Chaput have all agreed to join the Montreal organization on two-way contracts, with the former two signing for one season and the latter signing for two. All three will carry a $700K cap hit in the NHL. The team also signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to his three-year entry-level contract.

Ouellet was in the news recently as the 24-year-old was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings earlier this week. The blueliner was on the roster all season long for Detroit, but only saw action in 45 games and averaged just 13:51 of ATOI. With a large group of unmovable contracts on defense and some younger options to choose from, Ouellet became expendable and since he was just 24 years of age, a buyout would only pay him one-third of his salary. With Montreal on a two-way deal, he can provide both depth for the Canadiens, but also have a big role with the AHL Laval Rockets if he can’t make the team.

For the third straight year, Agostino has signed a one-year deal with a new team only to look for a new job the following year. The 26-year-old forward has had trouble breaking into an NHL lineup after failed tenures in Calgary, St. Louis and now Boston. Agostino has only appeared in 22 NHL games since the 2013-14 season. However, he has been a solid AHL player over the past few years, which is likely what Montreal wants from him. He has scored 63 goals in the past three years in the AHL.

Chaput was just recently dealt from the Vancouver Canucks to the Chicago Blackhawks for Tanner Kero, but Chaput who was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, was not given a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. With a two-year deal, the Canadiens plan to use the forward for depth purposes, but also to augment their AHL team as Chaput picked up 17 goals and 25 assists for the Utica Comets last year. However, he managed just nine games for Vancouver, although he did play in 68 game for the Canucks in 2016-17.

As for Kotkaniemi, the third-overall pick in the 2018 draft signed his three-year entry-level deal with the Canadiens. The center will earn $832K with a $92K signing bonus, making his deal worth a total of $925K, according to Dan Braverman of NHL.com. The team selected Kotkaniemi over several other more highly regarded prospects including Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk, but the team was more interested in adding centremen to their franchise. He tallied 10 goals and 29 points in Finland’s top SM-Liiga league.

Blackhawks Acquire Michael Chaput from Vancouver

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced a small trade today with the Vancouver Canucks between two players who have been unable to crack their respective lineups as Chicago acquired Michael Chaput from the Canucks in exchange for Tanner Kero.

Chaput has been a valuable commodity for Vancouver’s AHL team as he has bounced back and forth between the Comets and the Canucks. The 26-year-old forward tallied 17 goals and 25 assists last year with Utica in 55 games and only managed to appear in nine games for the Canucks, averaging 9:47 of ATOI and tallying no points. He did appear in 68 games in 2016-17, but couldn’t hold onto that job. With an influx of young talent pouring into the system, it appears that players such as Adam Gaudette or Jonathan Dahlen (unless they make the Canucks outright) will likely take over as top-line forwards for Utica, making Chaput expendable.

A restricted free agent with arbitration rights, Chaput will need to be signed, but again provides a cheap depth forward that Chicago needs with all its bloated, high-priced contracts at the top of their books. Already with 135 games of NHL experience, he provides the perfect bubble addition for the team that has a lot of youth that may or may not be ready for Chicago next season.

As for Vancouver, the team brings in Kero, who also has considerable experience playing between the AHL and NHL levels, but hasn’t been as successful. Kero tallied eight goals and 20 points in 36 games for the Rockford IceHogs last year, while he played eight games for Chicago, putting up a goal and two assists. He has 72 career NHL games under his belt. He provides value at the AHL level for the Comets, who need help at the center position there and he still has one year remaining on a $750K one-way deal.

 

Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Vancouver’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Sven Baertschi — Considered to be a player who could break out at any time, the 25-year-old restricted free agent never has had the opportunity as injuries have derailed any true success so far. Having already played in parts of seven seasons and three complete seasons, Baertschi has never played a full season or even close to that much (his season high is 69 games back in 2015-16). This past year, the winger only got into 53 games as he dealt with a jaw injury in December after being hit in the face with a puck and then separated his shoulder in March that ended his season. With 14 goals and 29 points, Baertschi has the potential to contribute to a young team if he can stay healthy.

While the team will likely find a way to ink him to a one-year extension (he made $1.85MM each of the last two years), the team must also determine if he’s a core player who will be a major contributor on his team in the future. Another injury prone year could force the team to move on from him if he can’t prove that he can stay on the ice.

Other RFA’s: F Reid Boucher, F Cole Cassels, D Anton Cederholm, F Michael Chaput, F Markus Granlund, F Griffen Molino, D Derrick Pouliot, D Troy Stecher, D Mackenze Stewart, F Jake Virtanen.

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Darren Archibald — Archibald’s name suggests that the team has little to worry about when it comes to their own free agents. With just three NHL-level unrestricted free agents, Archibald’s value stands out. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound wing provides the team with grit, solid skating and physicality and has started to step up for Vancouver this season. A long-time AHL player, Archibald got into 27 games for the Canucks this season, putting up four goals and nine points and was a favorite of coach Travis Green and might be a cheap fourth-line option for Vancouver (he made $650K last season) rather than the franchise go out and sign a veteran for that spot.

Other UFA’s: G Richard Bachman, F Nic Dowd, F Jussi Jokinen, F Joseph Labate, F Jayson Megna, D Patrick Wiercioch.

Projected Cap Space: The team should have plenty of cap space if the team is ready to spend after the retirements of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. They have a little less than $53MM committed to players for the 2018-19 season and few contracts of their own that they have to deal with. The team could attempt to add a few veterans to mesh with their young core of Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson and must focus more of their attention on their defense, but they do have plenty of space to do that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

David Booth, Michael Chaput On Waivers

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Tuesday: Both Booth and Chaput have cleared waivers and could be sent to the minor leagues, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. While it seems unlikely that Booth will be loaned to the Grand Rapids Griffins and instead will stay in the Red Wings lineup, Chaput has already been sent to Utica to continue playing.

Monday: We knew Michael Chaput would be on waivers today after the Vancouver Canucks announced it yesterday, but he’s joined by David Booth of the Detroit Red Wings according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Booth has already cleared waivers twice this season, but would need them again to be sent to the minor leagues.

Booth has played sparingly this season for the Red Wings, suiting up in 17 games but averaging just over seven minutes of ice time. The 33-year old veteran signed a one-year, two-way deal in the offseason but hasn’t been very effective scoring just four points. A former 30-goal scorer, Booth returned after two relatively unsuccessful seasons in the KHL and appears to be close to the end of his playing career. It would be surprising to see a claim put in on him, especially after already clearing twice.

Chaput on the other hand could be a potential addition for a team looking for some depth down the middle. A good faceoff man, the 25-year old hasn’t shown much offense during his short NHL career and would likely only be added as a fourth-line player or 13th forward. We’ll have to wait and see whether either is on their way to a new team tomorrow.

 

Canucks Place Michael Chaput On Waivers

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The Canucks have placed center Michael Chaput on waivers, per a team announcement on Twitter.  This comes on the heels of center Bo Horvat being activated off injured reserve earlier in the day although they didn’t need to waive Chaput to free up the roster spot because of defenseman Erik Gudbranson being transferred to IR.

Chaput has only played nine games with Vancouver this season but he has been up with the team for longer than 30 days since he last cleared so the Canucks have to put him on the wire once again.  In those nine games, he was held off the scoresheet while averaging 9:47 per game.  He has been more productive at the AHL level with Utica though, collecting nine goals and seven assists in 23 contests.

The 25-year-old is only a year removed from playing a somewhat regular role in the NHL and has been well above average at the faceoff dot the last three seasons so there is a chance that someone in need of center depth could be interested.  He carries a cap hit of just over $687K and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility next summer.

Because the announcement came past the 11:00 AM CST daily deadline, Chaput won’t officially hit the wire until Monday which means that teams will be eligible to claim him until Tuesday.

Minor Transactions: 12/30/17

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While much of the hockey world’s focus has been on the World Juniors in Buffalo this week, the NHL is still rolling along with the 2017 segment of the season about to end. With six games tonight and another nine tomorrow on New Year’s Eve, teams are still making moves even with a day off for all but the Rangers and Sabres coming on Monday:

  • The Winnipeg Jets announced today that young forward Brandon Tanev has been placed on injured reserve. Coach Paul Maurice told the media that it is a lower-body injury and that Tanev is expected to be out two to three weeks. While Tanev has only ten points thus far, he is enjoying his best NHL season to date, now in his third year with the Jets. His absence only compiles the loss of Mark Scheifele, as another possible depth player who could step up is now out of the picture.
  • However, Winnipeg has responded by calling up highly-touted prospect Jack Roslovic from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Last season, Roslovic led the Moose in scoring as a rookie and in 2017-18 is the third-leading scorer in the entire AHL with 35 points. With Scheifele out, now is the time for Roslovic to jump in and show that he can be an offensive force in the NHL as well and is deserving of a roster spot for the remainder of the season.
  • The St. Louis Blues have activated Jay Bouwmeester from his second stint on the injured reserve this season and expect him to suit up tonight for their game against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. In turn, the Blues have demoted rookie blue liner Jordan Schmaltz to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Schmaltz, 24, has been held scoreless in four games so far this season, but has 19 points to his credit in 24 AHL games.
  • Andy Welinski has been returned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks announced. The move comes after a call-up in which Welinski made his NHL debut and recorded his first NHL point and ended a four-game stint with two assists and a +1 rating. The long-time Minnesota-Duluth star may have to wait awhile for another chance in Anaheim, but he made a good first impression.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have brought Michael Chaput back up, according to a team release. Chaput was a  frequent contributor in Vancouver last season, playing in 68 games, but has only three to date in 2017-18. While Chaput is having a good year down in the AHL with the Utica Comets, he would undoubtedly rather stick with the ’Nucks on this recall.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Nashville Predators have recalled forward Frederick Gaudreau from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, but also notes that this move would put the NHL roster at 24. With the placement of Filip Forsberg on IR, the roster returned to 23.
  • In an on-paper move, the Washington Capitals recalled both forward Jakub Vrana and defenseman Madison Bowey from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Even though neither player moved anywhere, both were sent down Friday to help ease the team’s tight salary cap situation.
  • The Boston Bruins activated center David Krejci off injured reserve today after having missed the past six games, according to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 31-year-old Krejci has only played in 18 games this year, having put up five goals and nine assists this year. He scored 23 goals a year ago.

Minor Transactions: 12/20/17

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Despite the NHL being in their holiday roster freeze, there are still minor moves that can be made. As we’ve discussed before, players can still be recalled from the minor leagues during this time, and those who were recalled after December 11th can still be loaned to the AHL until 11:59pm eastern on December 23rd. Thus, the league is not completely frozen and we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL, due to an injury to Zach Werenski that will keep him out of the lineup tonight against Toronto. Carlsson played 10 games with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, and is another highly touted defenseman in their system. Though he has quite a few excellent players ahead of him, expect Carlsson to make an impact on the Blue Jackets before long.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have assigned Michael Chaput to the minor leagues, meaning either the move technically went through last night or Chaput had been up previously on emergency conditions. He’d previously been called up on December 6th, and played in three games with the club.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Kevin Gravel from the AHL, bringing the hulking defenseman up for the first time this year. Gravel played 49 games with the NHL club last season, but has been toiling in the minor leagues all year, scoring nine points in 24 games. With Christian Folin headed to injured reserve yesterday, the Kings needed a seventh defenseman for the time being.
  • Tomas Hyka has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Vegas Golden Knights, after sitting out last night’s match against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hyka still hasn’t made his NHL debut after signing out of Europe in the summer, but has 12 points in 16 games for the Chicago Wolves.
  • Joseph Blandisi has been sent to the minor leagues by the Anaheim Ducks, something Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register suspected yesterday. Blandisi has dealt with injury since coming over from the Devils in the Adam Henrique–Sami Vatanen trade, and only played in three games with the Ducks.
  • Shane Prince is back with the New York Islanders after a lengthy conditioning stint, where he registered two points in four AHL contests. Prince spent ten days in the minor leagues with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but is ready to return and contribute for the surging Islanders.

Bo Horvat Potentially Out Long-Term; Canucks Recall Chaput, Demko

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As if our “Thankful For” series was a jinx, Bo Horvat was injured in Tuesday’s Vancouver Canucks game and will be out long-term. The team announced the injury is a broken foot, and that he will be out at least “multiple weeks.” Horvat is seeing a specialist to get a more accurate timeline. In light of that, the team has recalled Michael Chaput from the AHL along with Thatcher Demko.

The reason for Demko’s call-up is less obvious. As Patrick Johnson of The Province explains, it most likely is a move to get the Canucks as close to the salary cap as possible before placing Derek Dorsett on long-term injured reserve. That way they can receive the largest benefit from his injury status, and use his entire $2.65MM cap space if need be.

Horvat has been excellent for the Canucks this season, and with Brandon Sutter also currently on injured reserve the team’s depth at center will be tested. The pair were leading the team in ice time among forwards, meaning others like Sam Gagner and Henrik Sedin will need to step up in their absence. Vancouver, who have had an admirable start to the season, will have to find a new way to shut down their opponent’s top players.

Minor Transactions: 10/29/17

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Here’s where we’ll keep tabs on the minor news and notes throughout the day with the most recent moves at the top:

  • After a fleury of goaltending moves in the last few days that saw the team trade for New Jersey goalie Scott Wedgewood and place backup Louis Domingue on waivers, Elite Prospects tweeted that the Arizona Coyotes have called up goaltending prospect Hunter Miska today. Miska, who signed in April this year after dominating year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in which he took the team to the Frozen Four finals, wasn’t fairing as well with the Tucson Roadrunners, where he had a 4.02 GAA and a .884 save percentage in four games. The call-up suggests that starting goaltender Antti Raanta may not be as healthy as the team thought.
  • Mark Divver of the Providence Journal tweets that the Boston Bruins will recall Providence Bruins’ goaltender Zane McIntyre today as an emergency backup. The 25-year-old AHL goalie has been called up for this reason before, but has not made it into a game yet for the Bruins. He is currently 4-1 with Providence and has played well, with a 1.81 GAA and a .928 save percentage. Divvers adds that he believes it’s due to the fact that Bruins’ starting goalie Tuukka Rask kept getting run into during Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.
  • The Minnesota Wild announced they have also sent three players down to the Iowa Wild of the AHL, including two former first-round picks, including 2015 first-round pick Joel Eriksson Ek and 2016 first-round pick Luke Kunin as well as Zack Mitchell. No corresponding moves have been made yet. Eriksson-Ek who many believed might have a breakout year has struggled in nine games with the Wild. The 20-year-old center has had just one goal and two assists in that span after putting up better numbers in a 15-games stint with the team last year when he put up three goals and four assists. Eriksson-Ek struggled in the preseason and was a candidate to not make the team at one point, but the team instead sent down Kunin instead. Kunin has been going back and forth between Iowa and Minnesota all year. However, Kunin has been more successful lately as his minutes and numbers have started to increase. The 19-year-old has a goal and two assists that all have come recently, as his short-handed goal against the Islanders Thursday makes him the first player in team history to score his first goal short-handed. Mitchell has also been up and down quite a bit this year, helping out the team’s fourth line while the team deals with multiple injuries. Mitchell has a goal and an assist in five games.
  • Vancouver Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning announced the team has recalled center Jayson Megna today. The 27-year-old returns to the team after having played in 54 games for Vancouver a year ago, tallying four goals and four assists. He has been with the Utica Comets since the start of the season, putting up an assist in four games this year. The move was expected after the team sent Michael Chaput down to Utica on Friday, leaving the team with only 12 healthy forwards.
  • The Colorado Avalanche tweeted that they have assigned forward Andrew Agozzino to the San Antonio Rampage today. He was recalled yesterday for their evening game against the Chicago Blackhawks, but was a healthy scratch. Agozzino has been an offensive force for the Rampage, putting up two goals and six assists in seven games so far this year. He was called up as an emergency forward after the team placed Gabriel Bourque on injured reserve due to an upper body injury.

Michael Chaput Recalled By Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks promised a recall from the AHL earlier today, and finally announced it would be Michael Chaput on his way up to join the NHL squad. Chaput is well known to Canucks fans after spending 68 games with the team last season. The Canucks are without Loui Eriksson for at least the first part of their current road trip after he suffered a knee injury this weekend and isn’t travelling with the team. They will have to complete a corresponding move, which will likely be placing Alexander Edler on injured reserve as he deals with an MCL sprain.

Vancouver will start a five-game road trip tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators, and are already stretched fairly thin at forward. Brandon Sutter missed today’s practice with an illness, and Brendan Gaunce is still on the IR with a shoulder injury. The team decided to go with Chaput instead of younger options like Nikolay Goldobin and Reid Boucher, likely because of the uncertain minutes available.

Chaput is not waivers-exempt, meaning he’ll have to clear to be sent back down. Boucher has the same problem but is likely more valuable to the Canucks, while Goldobin needs all the development time he can get as he looks to fulfill his impressive potential. The 25-year old Chaput has plenty of experience playing limited minutes in a bottom-six role, and could be moved in and out of the lineup throughout the trip.

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