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Los Angeles Kings’ Jonathan Quick Placed On Injured Reserve

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UPDATE: The Kings have in fact placed Quick on injured reserve, per a team release. Quick is thus likely to miss at least a week with the injury. In a corresponding move, L.A. has recalled Budaj from the AHL.

One of the biggest fears for Los Angeles Kings fans would be an injury to their superlative goaltender Jonathan Quick and now the veteran has been deemed day-to-day with a lower-body injury after getting injured in practice Saturday, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen. Quick was not at practice today as Jack Campbell and goaltending coach Bill Ranford covered practice.

Rosen adds Campbell, a Michigan native, is expected to start in goal today against Detroit and the team is expected to recall a goaltender from the Ontario Reign of the AHL shortly. The team has 36-year-old veteran Peter Budaj there as well as prospect Cal Petersen as potential call-ups. The team departs Monday for a four-game road trip through Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. There is no word on whether Quick will join them.

Fans remember that Quick suffered a groin injury during their season opener in 2016 and went to miss more than half the season, crippling their season as they failed to make the playoffs without his presence for much of the season. The team has already suffered numerous injuries early in the season as Dustin Brown is expected to miss time with a broken finger, while Jonny Brodzinski is also on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery. Rookie Gabe Vilardi is also an injured-non roster player due to a back injury.

 

 

Minor Transactions: 10/07/18

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After the first handful of games and a handful of injuries, many teams should be active as they make changes and/or additions to their roster. Keep checking to see what teams do.

  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have assigned veteran defenseman Chris Butler to the San Antonio Rampage now that Jakub Jerabek has gotten his visa and is ready to join the team. With Jerabek, the team has nine defenseman on the roster, forcing them to send Butler down. The 31-year-old blueliner played in the Blues’ first two games for the injured Joel Edmundson, faring well and even scored a goal. Once an NHL regular, Butler has spent the past few years in the AHL, being utilized as an emergency recall.
  • The Minnesota Wild announced they have assigned forward Luke Kunin to the Iowa Wild of the AHL. That means that Kunin has been cleared to play since he’s been working to return from a torn ACL he sustained on Mar. 4. The team’s 2016 first-rounder, Kunin bounced back and forth between Iowa and Minnesota last season, playing in 19 games for the big-league club before sustaining the injury. He has been rehabbing since and passed coach Bruce Boudreau’s infamous skating test Saturday and looks ready to continue his return.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Laurent Dauphin from his conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, the team announced. The 23-year-old played one game there, putting up a goal and an assist and will now return to the Coyotes. Dauphin has been recovering from a lower-body injury he sustained at the end of last season and had been limited at training camp. The hope is he can fill in for injured Coyotes’ such as Alex Galchenyuk and Christian Dvorak.
  • The Los Angeles Kings announced they have recalled veteran goaltender Peter Budaj to be the team’s backup for Jack Campbell for the near future while starter Jonathan Quick sits out after he suffered a lower-body injury in practice Saturday. The 36-year-old Budaj has only played one game for Ontario in the AHL as he allowed five goals, posting a .833 save percentage.
  • With Joe Thornton landing on the IR, the San Jose Sharks have promoted center Dylan Gambrell, per CapFriendly. The first-year pro out of the University of Denver was a perennial point-per-game player in the college ranks and will be looking to live up to his second-round pick billing in his first opportunity with the Sharks.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have promoted center Vladislav Kamenev from Colorado of the AHL in advance of their upcoming road trip, per the AHL’s Transactions page.  The 22-year-old was added as part of the Matt Duchene trade last season but was sidelined shortly thereafter.  In two games with the Eagles so far this season, Kamenev has one assist.

Thirty-Five Players Placed On Waivers

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After 25 players were placed on waivers Friday and another seven Saturday (all of which cleared), the biggest yet came today with 35 more players being placed on waivers, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

F Andy Andreoff (Tampa Bay)
F Chase Balisy (Ottawa)
D Julius Bergman (Ottawa)
F Connor Brickley (Nashville)
G Peter Budaj (Los Angeles)
F Michael Bunting (Arizona)
D Erik Burgdoerfer (Ottawa)
F Tim Clifton (San Jose)
F Gabriel Dumont (Tampa Bay)
D Stefan Elliott (Pittsburgh)
F Kurtis Gabriel (New Jersey)
F Tyler Gaudet (Nashville)
D Cameron Gaunce (Tampa Bay)
G Troy Grosenick (Nashville)
F Jimmy Hayes (Pittsburgh)
G Maxime Lagace (Vegas)
F Tobias Lindberg (Pittsburgh)
F Stefan Matteau (Vegas)
G John Muse (Pittsburgh)
G Eddie Pasquale (Tampa Bay)
F Nick Paul (Ottawa)
F Blake Pietila (New Jersey)
F Kevin Porter (Buffalo)
D John Ramage (New Jersey)
D Griffin Reinhart (Vegas)
F Ben Sexton (Ottawa)
D Patrick Sieloff (Ottawa)
D Brian Strait (New Jersey)
D Chris Summers (Pittsburgh)
F Adam Tambellini (Ottawa)
F Eric Tangradi (New Jersey)
D Jarred Tinordi (Nashville)
F T.J. Tynan (Vegas)
F Carter Verhaeghe (Tampa Bay)
F Garrett Wilson (Pittsburgh)

One of the more interesting players put on waivers is Reinhart, the fourth-overall pick back in 2012, who the Golden Knights took a flier on in the expansion draft. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound blueliner has never been able to match his size and skills together to make considerable NHL contributions. It was no different in Vegas, where the now 24-year-old never made an NHL appearance for the Golden Knights. He played 60 games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves where he posted just two goals and 12 points.

Budaj, who has been a solid goaltender in previous year, may be past his prime as the 36-year-old couldn’t make an impact in Tampa Bay or Los Angeles last year, both places where they had backup goaltending issues at one point in the season last year. In eight games with the Lightning last year, he posted a 3.75 GAA and a .876 save percentage.

Other interesting players who saw significant NHL time last season include Andreoff, Brickley, Hayes, Dumont and Lagace.

 

Washington’s Options At Backup Goalie

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The Washington Capitals have four goaltenders under contract for the coming season, Vezina Trophy-winning starter Braden Holtby and three unproven young backups: Pheonix Copley, Vitek Vanecek, and Ilya Samsonov. The defending Stanley Cup champions do not necessarily need to make any changes to their current depth chart and would most likely be fine this season with a tandem of Holtby and the hot hand among the three prospect keepers, with Copley getting the job initially.

However, championships are built on being prepared to handle the worst. This current iteration of the Capitals, while almost identical to the team that hoisted the Cup just months ago, is not. The only major departure out of D.C. this off-season was backup Philipp Grubauer, who was traded away to the Colorado Avalanche where he could compete for the starting job. Grubauer was far from a typical backup last season; the 26-year-old made 35 appearances, including 28 starts, which was tied for 37th-most in the league, among the NHL’s most active backups. When Holtby went through a rough patch down the stretch, Grubauer took over the reins as the starter and even got the call in the Capitals’ first two postseason contests. His 2.35 GAA was fifth among goalies with 30+ appearances, while his .923 save percentage was eighth among the same group. Grubauer was as solid as they come last season. Meanwhile, Holtby quietly had the worst season of his NHL career. His .907 save percentage and 2.99 GAA were a major deviation from his career performance, as he struggled with streaky play all year long. Without Grubauer, the Capitals likely would have had a worse playoff seeding and potentially would not have won the Stanley Cup.

So what happens if Holtby struggles again? Normally, it would be easy to say that the star goalie will regress positively back to the numbers that made him a top ten NHL stopper. However, after a deep playoff run added 23 appearances to his workload and significantly shortened his summer, it is hard to imagine that Holtby is fully refreshed and ready to be back in Vezina shape. His play last year may not be an indication of what is to come, but it may be a more accurate comparison for Holtby’s probable performance in 2018-19 than would his three prior seasons of dominant play. Without a reliable backup, the Capitals may be hesitant to lessen Holtby’s workload, but if they don’t they could risk another breakdown. Either way, the Washington backup goalie will not be a non-factor this season.

The first option behind Holtby will likely be Copley. Copley, 26, is a career minor leaguer with just two NHL appearances. In contrast, every team in the NHL last season began the year with a backup goaltender that had more than two previous appearances. Copley is also far from a prodigy; his numbers with the AHL’s Hershey Bears last season were poor and he only returned to Washington as nothing more than a toss-in to the Kevin Shattenkirk trade. So far in the preseason, Copley has made 41 saves on 46 shots for a paltry save percentage of .891. While the Capitals have put their faith in Copley to this point to be a serviceable backup, the undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech has never been considered anything but minor league depth before now. Jumping to a primary backup for a goalie who may need substantial assistance is quite the task. Next up would likely be Vanecek, the Captials’ 2014 second-round pick who has not yet lived up to expectations. Vanecek is still only 22 and has room to improve, but since coming to North America three years ago, he has impressed at the ECHL level and failed to do so in the AHL. Vanecek’s numbers while splitting time with Copley on the Hersey Bears last year were even worse; Copley had an .896 save percentage and 2.91 GAA, while Vanecek had an .888 save percentage and 3.04 GAA. Vanecek has potential, but is not ready to be an NHL backup. Samsonov, in his first season in North America, is easily the most talented of the group. A 2015 first-round pick, Samsonov has been playing significant minutes in the KHL since he was 18. In three seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Samsonov was the primary backup to Vasili Koshechkin and posted a .925 save percentage or better each year. Some hope that young Samsonov can step in and immediately provide that same level of support for Holtby. However, the adjustment to the NHL – and even AHL – can be a difficult one when coming over from Europe. There is no guarantee that Samsonov’s performance will immediately translate. There is also a question of whether Washington will want to harm their heir apparent’s development by costing him starts as the NHL backup. As such, the Capitals are likely to play it safe with Samsonov this season.

Washington’s in-house options to back-up Holtby are not inspiring. The team could absolutely move forward with this group and hope that Holtby can make 65+ starts without a hitch, but there is ample risk involved with that strategy. Normally, it would be tough to significantly upgrade the goaltender position at this time of year, but not this season. Intriguing names are already available and more soon will be. On the free agent market, veterans Kari Lehtonen and Steve Mason remain unsigned. The Capitals do not have much cap space, but if either is willing to take a show-me deal, they would become a massive improvement on the team’s goalie depth. However, both players have been available for much of the off-season and the Caps have yet to pull the trigger. They may instead have their eye on younger, more affordable options. Michael Hutchinson, a free agent signing of the Florida Panthers this summer, is one possibility, as he was already placed on waivers at the earliest possible time. St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington and Vegas’ Oscar Dansk are other waiver options who may have slightly more upside than Copley. That is just the first subset of the backup goalie market though. Teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs (Curtis McElhinney, Garret Sparks, Calvin Pickard), Philadelphia Flyers (Michal Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz, Alex Lyon), and Los Angeles Kings (Peter Budaj, Jack Campbell, Cal Petersen) have major logjams in goal that are prime for a trade or waiver claim. Washington could also wait to target one of a number of third-string goalies trying to be slipped through waivers, such as Al Montoya, Eddie Lack, Andrew Hammond, Anton Forsberg, Zane McIntyre, Jared Coreau, or J-F Berube. The opportunities are out there to upgrade at backup goalie. The only question is whether the Capitals make the move before it’s too late and those opportunities have disappeared.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Los Angeles Kings

Current Cap Hit: $77,345,227 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alex Iafallo (one year, $925K)
F Sheldon Rempal (one year, $925K)
F Gabriel Vilardi (three years, $925K)
D Daniel Brickley (one year, $925K)
F Adrian Kempe (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Rempal: $850K
Brickley: $850K
Vilardi: $500K

With a franchise filled with veteran contracts, the team has been forced to slowly integrate some youth onto the team. What the team has recently done successfully is signing several undrafted collegiate free agents, including Iafallo, Brickley and Rempal. Iafallo made the Kings’ team out of training camp after four years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and even started on the team’s top line, posting nine goals and 25 points. This year, the team has the same hopes for Brickley and Rempal, two of the top college free agents, who each signed earlier this year and have solid chances to make the club out of training camp.

The team also have high hopes that Kempe can continue to develop into a top-six forward after finally breaking into a full-time role with the Kings this year. The 21-year-old 2014 first-round pick posted 16 goals and 37 points last year and could be primed to take that next step next season. Vilardi, the team’s 2017 first-rounder, might have made the L.A. team last year if he hadn’t suffered a back injury at the end of the 2016-17 season. He missed half of last season, but still posted solid numbers in junior on his return, posting 22 goals and 58 points in just 32 games. He could easily win a bottom-six role immediately and work his way up the depth chart as the season rolls on.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Nate Thompson ($1.65MM, UFA)
G Peter Budaj ($1.03MM, UFA)
F Jonny Brodzinski ($650K, RFA)
F Zack Mitchell ($650K, RFA)
D Oscar Fantenberg ($650K, UFA)

The team has few contracts that they have to worry about among non-entry level deals. Fantenberg may be the most intriguing of the bunch as the 26-year-old defenseman showed some offensive potential in limited action after coming over from the KHL last year. While he played in just 27 games last season, he posted 13 points and managed to play a significant role in their four-game playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights. Other than Mitchell, who came over from Mitchell, all are unrestricted free agents and will have to prove their value to get a new contract in the future.

Two Years Remaining

F Tyler Toffoli ($4.6MM, UFA)
D Jake Muzzin ($4MM, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($2.53MM, UFA)
F Trevor Lewis ($2MM, UFA)
F Kyle Clifford ($1.6MM, UFA)
D Kurtis MacDermid ($675K, RFA)
G Jack Campbell ($650K, UFA)

Toffoli posted solid numbers for the fourth straight year, putting up 24 goals and 47 points as he enters the second year of a three-year, $13.8MM deal. The 26-year-old flashed some offensive potential two years ago when he scored 31 goals. Hoping that he might build on that number, Toffoli has scored just 40 goals in the past two years, so the team hopes he can return to an elite level soon. Muzzin is a solid top-four defenseman on a team that is loaded in defense and proved his value by putting up a career-high in points with 42, despite missing eight games last seasons.

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Pacific Notes: Canucks, Campbell, Hathaway

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The situation in Vancouver surrounding the sudden resignation of President Trevor Linden continues to be murky at best. Francesco Aquilini and the ownership continue to avoid prying questions, while GM Jim Benning and coach Travis Green continue to be on the hot seat instead. Many would like to know what led to the departure of a young executive with deep loyalties to the organization, but answers have been few and far in between. Mike Johnson of Sportsnet talked to Benning and Green, but found out little. Benning spoke highly of Linden, but said “I don’t know all the reasons why (he resigned) and it’s not my place to comment on it.” Johnson suggests, as many have, that Linden’s departure may not have been as independent as it appears and that he may have been forced out due to conflicts with the ownership. For his part, Benning says that he never noticed any discourse and says that nothing has changed about the team’s vision and direction. Green added that he thought the best of Linden, but that his departure won’t change the organizations game plan. However, that could change and so could the dynamic of the team’s front office. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reports that Benning has been told that the Canucks are not searching for a replacement for Linden, implying that Benning would absorb some of the responsibilities that he has been given already in Linden’s absence. However, that directly contradicts another report that former Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi has already been connected to the vacancy. It seems that there is still a lot to be revealed about both the past and future conditions of Vancouver’s leadership.

  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman wonders if Los Angeles Kings backup goalie Jack Campbell will be the second coming of Martin Jones for the team. Campbell, who endured a bust label for years as a Dallas Stars first-round pick in 2011 who struggled to find success early on as a pro, finally looked like a legitimate NHL goaltender in five appearances with the Kings last season in his second year since being traded away by Dallas. Campbell started four games and made one relief appearance, posting a save percentage of .924 and a goal against average of 2.48 and also played well in the AHL. Dillman reports that this performance has L.A. expecting Campbell to be the primary backup to Jonathan Quick next season, despite the presence of veteran Peter Budaj and promising prospect Cal Petersen. The Kings hope that by committing to the young keeper that they could end up with another reliable asset like Jones. Jones also struggled to stick out in his early pro seasons, albeit as an undrafted free agent, before putting up stunning numbers as Quick’s backup for two seasons once he was given a real shot. The Kings have Campbell locked up for two more years – and Quick for five – so they would love to get a repeat performance of Jones, with Campbell providing elite play as the backup until the point that they can trade him away. This time they just hope that he won’t get flipped back into the division like the Boston Bruins did with Jones, who now frustrates the Kings on a regular basis as the starter for the San Jose Sharks.
  • The Calgary Flames received the salary arbitration award for defenseman Brett Kulak on Wednesday and also agreed to terms on extensions with forward Mark Jankowski and goalie David Rittich in the past 48 hours, avoiding arbitration, yet they still aren’t done. The next scheduled arbitration hearing is none other than another Flame: forward Garnet Hathaway. Hathaway and his side are set to sit down with Calgary and an arbitrator on Monday if nothing can be agreed upon by then. With the Flames preoccupied working out three other contracts over the past two days, it would be no surprise if the two sides at least exchange briefs and filing numbers over the next day or two which could perhaps speed up negotiations. Hathaway played in only 59 games with Calgary last season and has less than 100 NHL games total to date, so it would be a surprise to see the fourth liner actually go through the arbitration process without a deal. However, most would have made a similar argument about Kulak, whose case was actually farther apart in terms of perceived value than many would have thought given his somewhat minor role. Garnet could be the same way, as their has been little talk of an agreement, and the Flames could be destined for yet another hearing.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Eddie Pasquale

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The Tampa Bay Lightning traded away Peter Budaj earlier this month due to a glut of goaltenders in their organization, and now have brought back one of those from the minor leagues. Eddie Pasquale has re-signed under a one-year two-way contract, bringing back the goaltender they acquired in a midseason trade.

Pasquale, 27, has had quite the minor league career since being drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009. Seeing time with the Chicago Wolves, St. John’s IceCaps, Grand Rapids Griffins and Bakersfield Condors, he played the best hockey of his career after joining the Syracuse Crunch this season. Posting a .938 save percentage down the stretch, he’ll be an excellent goaltender to pair with the young Connor Ingram going forward.

While Louis Domingue is the NHL backup—which is far from guaranteed at this point, as he remains a restricted free agent—Ingram is the next in line to back up Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning hope they can mold their young goaltender into another starting-caliber netminder, and having a veteran backup like Pasquale to rely on will be a big boost for his development.

Kings Acquire Peter Budaj From Lightning In Exchange For Andy Andreoff

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The Kings are bringing back a familiar face between the pipes as they have acquired goaltender Peter Budaj from the Lightning in exchange for winger Andy Andreoff.

Budaj spent two seasons in Los Angeles before being dealt to the Lightning near the 2017 trade deadline as part of the Ben Bishop trade.  He was expected to serve as the backup to Andrei Vasilevskiy this past season but struggled considerably, posting a 3.76 GAA and a .876 SV% in eight appearances which forced Tampa to go and acquire Louis Domingue in a midseason swap to take his place.

As for Andreoff, he has been in and out of the lineup for the Kings as a depth forward for the past four seasons.  In 2017-18, he played in 45 games, collecting nine points (3-6-9) along with 50 PIMS while averaging 9:23 of ice time.  He will likely battle for a similar role with the Lightning next season.  Andreoff has one year remaining on his contract with a $678K cap hit.

After the Kings dealt Darcy Kuemper to Arizona last season, Jack Campbell took over as the understudy for Jonathan Quick and it appears nothing will change there.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles intends to use Budaj with their AHL affiliate in Ontario as a mentor for youngster Cal Petersen.   The 35-year-old has one year remaining on his contract with a $1.025MM cap hit, an amount that can be buried in the minors full with no cap charge hitting the Kings’ books.

Minor Transactions: 3/17/18

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All eyes will be on Tampa tonight as the Lightning host the Bruins in a match-up with major playoff implications. Boston trails Tampa Bay by four points for the lead in the Atlantic Division and top seed in the Eastern Conference, but also holds a game in hand. A win for the Bolts would give them considerably more wiggle room, while a win for the B’s would put them in striking distance of the coveted top spot when they square off with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Outside of this clash of titans though, there are nine other game on the docket on a busy Saturday, yet they might all be caught up in Bruins-Lightning, as it’s been all quiet on the transactions front:

  • The Dallas Stars are back to just two goalies, having reassigned Mike McKenna to AHL Texas. McKenna was briefly called up as a precaution, but did not see any action with Dallas. The veteran journeyman has made 29 AHL appearance this season though, posting a 2.64 GAA and .908 save percentage. Despite those pedestrian numbers, he will remain the next man up for the Stars should injury befall Ben Bishop or Kari Lehtonen down the stretch or (potentially) in the postseason.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets will have recently-extended defenseman Dean Kukan back in the lineup, as the team announced that they have activated him from injured reserve. Kukan had missed the past 12 games with an upper-body injury that landed him on IR back in mid-February. It remains to be seen if Kukan will stay in Columbus or instead see some guaranteed game action with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he has 15 points in 32 games this year.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have recalled goaltender Louis Domingue from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. After stopping 26 of 28 saves for the Crunch Friday, the belief is that Domingue will share backup goaltending duties with veteran Peter Budaj, who only recently came back from injury. The belief was that Domingue, who has played eight games for the Lightning, has been stronger in goal than Budaj has been. Domingue has a 5-2-0 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage, while Budaj has a 3-3-1 record with a  3.76 GAA and a .876 save percentage in eight games. The transaction leaves Tampa Bay with just one final recall remaining for the rest of the season as this is the team’s third of four.

Minor Transactions: 03/13/18

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The entire hockey world was watching last night as the league’s top two goal scoring talents went up against each other in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Though Patrik Laine is quite the challenger, Alex Ovechkin showed once again why he is regarded as one of the greatest of all-time. Ovechkin scored two, including the 600th of his career, just the fourth player in history to do so in fewer than 1,000 games.

As the league sends out congratulations to Ovechkin for his impressive accomplishment, they’ll continue to try and make minor tweaks to their roster to take him down once again in the postseason. We’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here.

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