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Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Jansen Harkins Off Waivers From Jets

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed winger Jansen Harkins off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Monday. All other players placed on waivers yesterday, aside from new Nashville Predators forward Samuel Fagemo, cleared.

Harkins, 26, had spent his entire NHL career in the Jets organization after they drafted him with the 47th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He’s only logged one true season as a full-time NHLer, suiting up in 77 games for Winnipeg in 2021-22, but the Penguins will bank on him being a solid depth contributor signed to a cheap cap hit (but not league minimum) of $850K. It’s worth noting Harkins is due slightly more actual salary than cap hit this season – $875K, to be exact.

In 154 NHL games dating back to 2019, Harkins has 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points – not awful totals for a player that’s averaged under ten minutes per game. Assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for the first time since 2020 last season, Harkins recorded well over a point per game, notching 25 goals and 50 points in 44 games. That production is what’s bumped his stock coming into this season and, evidently, influenced Penguins management to take a flyer on the 6-foot-2 winger with strong two-way instincts.

With trade acquisition Rem Pitlick having already cleared waivers and been assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pittsburgh has some competition to lock down depth forward spots, especially with Jake Guentzel out for the first few games of the season. Harkins will now compete for a spot on the Penguins’ opening night lineup alongside depth forwards like Vinnie Hinostroza, Alexander Nylander and Radim Zohorna.

Nashville Predators Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Los Angeles

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The Nashville Predators have claimed winger Samuel Fagemo off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Monday. All other players placed on waivers yesterday, aside from new Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jansen Harkins, cleared.

While he may only have 13 NHL games to his name, this is a bit of a tough loss for the Kings. The team’s 50th overall pick in 2019, Fagemo has yet to crack the NHL full-time but looked good in a nine-game call-up last season, recording two goals and an assist despite receiving a paltry 7:51 per game. He tore things up in the minors in the goal-scoring department for a second straight season, too, posting 23 goals in 56 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign to finish second on the team in goals.

The Kings have a lot of forward prospects, but it’s a pool that’s quickly evaporating as players like Quinton Byfield and Arthur Kaliyev are now full-time NHLers. Los Angeles had signed Fagemo to a one-year, two-way contract paying him $775K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL in July after his entry-level contract expired.

Fagemo, 23, now battles for a bottom-six spot with the Predators just over a week before the start of the regular season. His addition to the roster puts a fire under veterans like Kiefer Sherwood and Cole Smith to hang onto their fourth-line roles, while a youngster like Philip Tomasino also needs to step things up as he hasn’t quite secured a top-nine role throughout camp thus far. Given Tomasino still does not require waivers for assignment to the AHL, he could very well start the season with AHL Milwaukee after the Fagemo claim despite recording 18 points in 31 NHL contests last season.

Waivers: 9/30/23

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With the start of the NHL season now just ten days away, daily waiver activity will be continuing league-wide.  Here is a listing of the players that are on the wire today per various team announcements and TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).

Buffalo Sabres

G Devin Cooley
F Justin Richards
G Dustin Tokarski

Edmonton Oilers

F Drake Caggiula
F Greg McKegg

Montreal Canadiens

D Nicolas Beaudin
F Lucas Condotta
D Brady Keeper
F Mitchell Stephens

Nashville Predators

F Anthony Angello
D Kevin Gravel
G Troy Grosenick
D Jordan Gross

New York Rangers

F Jake Leschyshyn

Ottawa Senators

F Josh Currie
D Dillon Heatherington
F Garrett Pilon
D Lassi Thomson

While Ottawa’s players were announced as being waived on Friday, it was after the 1 PM CT cut-off which means their waiver clock starts today.

Vegas Golden Knights

F Byron Froese
D/F Mason Geertsen
D Dysin Mayo
F Gage Quinney
F Sheldon Rempal
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Most of the forwards on this list have cleared waivers in the past with Condotta being the lone exception as this is his first time eligible for waivers.  He spent most of last season in the minors but scored in his lone NHL appearance.  Quinney and Rempal were productive in the minors last season, averaging just shy of a point per game while Caggiula had over 50 points as well.

Among the defensemen, Thomson could be one to keep an eye on for a potential claim.  The 23-year-old was the 19th overall pick in 2019 and is still on his entry-level contract.  He hasn’t had much success at the NHL level so far but as a young right-shot defender, a rebuilding team or two might be inclined to take a flyer on him.

Mayo logged nearly 21 minutes a night on the back end for Arizona back in 2021-22 but cleared waivers last season and was eventually traded to Vegas in exchange for Shea Weber’s LTIR-eligible contract.  He has two years left on a one-way deal worth $950K per season which could scare teams off.  Beaudin is a former first-rounder himself back in 2018 (27th overall) but has just 22 NHL games under his belt, none of which came last season between Montreal and Chicago.

Grosenick and Tokarski are no strangers to the waiver wire.  Tokarski has cleared all five times while Grosenick has cleared six out of eight times he has been waived over the years.  This will be Cooley’s first time on waivers but while he had a decent season in Nashville’s system last season (posting a .909 SV% with AHL Milwaukee), it would be surprising to see him picked up.

Each player will be available to teams until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Sharks Claim Ty Emberson Off Waivers From Rangers

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There was one player claimed from Friday’s batch of waivers as Chris Johnston of TSN reports (Twitter link) that the Sharks have claimed blueliner Ty Emberson off waivers from the Rangers.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Arizona back in 2018 (73rd overall) out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.  He was the player who came to New York when they dealt two draft picks to the Coyotes to take on the remainder of Patrik Nemeth’s contract (which has since been bought out).  The change of scenery seemed to work quite well for Emberson as he went from 11 points in his final season with Tucson to 27 points last season with AHL Hartford although it didn’t land him an NHL look.

That helped secure Emberson a qualifying offer from the Rangers although he ultimately accepted less than that in exchange for a higher AHL pay.  He’s on a one-year deal that pays $775K in the minors and $85K at the minor league level.  He’ll be a restricted free agent once again next summer.

San Jose is an interesting landing spot for Emberson since they already have seven blueliners on one-way deals plus Jacob MacDonald who is on a two-way deal but played in 58 NHL games last season.  However, the Sharks are a team that’s squarely in the middle of a rebuild so from that standpoint, it makes sense that they would want to take a look at a young right-shot defender.

Waivers: 9/29/23

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As training camps and the preseason continues, teams continue to trim down their roster to get closer to the final group of players they’ll carry when the regular season gets underway next month. We’ll keep track of the names that hit the waiver wire here.  Today’s list was provided by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

Colorado Avalanche (per team Twitter)

D Keaton Middleton
F Spencer Smallman

New York Rangers

F Alex Belzile
F Anton Blidh
F Turner Elson
D Ty Emberson
D Connor Mackey
F Riley Nash

New Jersey Devils

D Tyler Wotherspoon

St. Louis Blues

F Adam Gaudette

The Rangers have the players of some note on this list.  Belzile held his own as a midseason recall with Montreal last season, notching six goals and eight assists in just 31 games.  That allowed the 32-year-old to get a two-year commitment from New York this summer including a one-way salary in 2024-25.  Nash didn’t see any NHL action last season but is no stranger to playing at the top level as a fourth-line center, suiting up 627 times over parts of 11 years.  Blidh struggled in limited action with Colorado last season while Elson has just three NHL appearances thus far in his career.

Mackey could be a name to keep an eye on.  The 27-year-old split last year between Calgary and Arizona, getting into a career-best 30 games.  His performance there also earned him an opportunity to play at the Worlds for Team USA, his second appearance in that tournament over the last three years.  This will be Emberson’s first time on waivers.  The 23-year-old saw his production in the minors improve considerably last season, going from 11 points to 27 but he still sits fairly low on New York’s depth chart.

As for the other players on waivers today, Gaudette has 218 career NHL appearances under his belt and last season was the first time he didn’t see action at the top level in his six-year professional career.  He was a productive scorer in the minors in 2022-23, notching 51 points between the affiliates of the Maple Leafs and Blues, who acquired him at the trade deadline.  Wotherspoon last played in the NHL back in 2016-17 with Calgary while Middleton has three NHL games under his belt back in the 2020-21 campaign.  Smallman, meanwhile, hasn’t seen any NHL action over his seven professional campaigns and is coming off a career-best 13 goals with AHL Colorado last season.

These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Saturday.

Blue Jackets Claim Spencer Martin Off Waivers From Canucks

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The Blue Jackets have added some depth between the pipes as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed goaltender Spencer Martin off waivers from the Canucks.

Martin came into last season as the backup in Vancouver following a strong showing with their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford in 2021-22 plus an impressive six-game effort with the Canucks that saw him post a .950 SV%.  However, the 28-year-old wasn’t able to come anywhere close to duplicating that success as he posted a 3.99 GAA along with a SV% of just .871 in 29 games with the Canucks before eventually clearing waivers in mid-February.  He was much better on the farm, however, putting up a 2.43 GAA with a .916 SV% in 16 appearances down the stretch.

That gave Martin the presumptive edge to be Thatcher Demko’s backup again this season.  However, those plans changed quickly when Vancouver acquired Casey DeSmith from Montreal earlier this month, a move that pushed Martin to the waiver wire.  His removal from the roster should give prospect Nikita Tolopilo, a free agent signing back in March, a spot in Abbotsford’s tandem with Arturs Silovs.

Columbus had plenty of struggles of their own between the pipes last season with Elvis Merzlikins having a year to forget and youngster Daniil Tarasov taking a step back as well.  Tarasov is currently dealing with a knee injury and has yet to take part in training camp, creating the opening for Martin to step into as Merzlikins’ backup for the time being.  Martin is in the final season of a two-year contract worth the league minimum in both seasons, meaning his cap hit of $762.5K actually checks in below the $775K minimum salary.

All other players that were on waivers yesterday cleared, per Friedman.

Waivers: 09/28/23

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As training camps and the preseason continues, teams are trimming down their roster and getting closer to the final group of players they’ll bring into opening night. We’ll keep track of the names that hit the waiver wire here. Today’s list comes courtesy of CapFriendly.

Colorado Avalanche

F Callahan Burke

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Jonathan Gruden
F Rem Pitlick
D Ty Smith
D Taylor Fedun
D Xavier Ouellet

Vancouver Canucks

G Spencer Martin

Smith is the biggest name here is Smith. Smith was a 2018 first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils and became a star WHL blueliner for the Spokane Chiefs. He turned pro in 2020-21, scoring 23 points in 48 games. That performance landed him on the NHL’s All-Rookie team, as well as some down-ballot Calder Trophy votes.

The Devils dealt Smith and a third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for John Marino, who went on to have a stellar 2022-23 season. Smith, on the other hand, played in only nine NHL game for the Penguins. He spent most of last season in the AHL, scoring 24 points in 39 games, and now the AHL is where he’ll be once again assuming he can clear waivers.

Given the promise Smith showed earlier in his career and his pedigree as a former top prospect, it would not be shocking whatsoever to see a team put a claim in on Smith, who is playing on a one-year, league-minimum cap-hit.

In terms of the other names on the waiver wire, Martin’s placement comes as no surprise after the Canucks’ acquisition of Casey DeSmith from the Montreal Canadiens. Martin posted a dreadful .871 save percentage in the NHL last season, but fared far better in the AHL. The Canucks will hope he’ll clear waivers so he can provide quality goaltending alongside prospect goalie Artūrs Šilovs in AHL Abbotsford.

Another recognizable name on the waiver wire is that of Rem Pitlick. Pitlick scored 37 points in 2021-22 on the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators, but struggled in 2022-23. He was dealt to Pittsburgh by Montreal as part of the Erik Karlsson trade with the hope, from Pitlick’s perspective, that the Penguins would provide a solid change-of-scenery NHL opportunity.

He now finds himself on the waiver wire, though, and his $1.1MM cap hit could be a barrier towards another team putting in a claim. The versatile forward scored at an above-point-per-game rate in the AHL last season, and could end up an impact player for AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Senators Notes: Sokolov, Pinto, Andlauer

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The biggest-name Ottawa Senator who remains an unsigned restricted free agent is undoubtedly center Shane Pinto, though he’s not alone in that status. Forward Egor Sokolov is also without a contract for next season, although that isn’t anticipated to impact his ability to participate in the team’s training camp.

Sokolov was officially named to the club’s training camp roster today, while Pinto was not. And according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, the expectation is that even if Sokolov doesn’t have a deal in place, he’ll still report to training camp tomorrow. Garrioch adds that Sokolov’s camp and the Senator have “continued to talk” on finalizing a new contract. It’s an extremely important preseason for Sokolov, who will be in a battle for an NHL job in Ottawa. He’s waivers-eligible for the first time in his career, and after scoring 109 points across the last two AHL campaigns it’s clear this is a make-or-break training camp for Sokolov’s NHL dreams in Ottawa.

Some other notes regarding the Senators:

  • Garrioch relayed an update from a radio appearance by Senators GM Pierre Dorion today, regarding the status of Pinto. Dorion said he has gone “back and forth with Pinto’s camp this morning ” negotiating an extension, but although he “wants to get a deal done as quickly as possible” he can’t actually put a timeline on when that would happen. It’s possible that the Senators are staring down the prospect of an extended absence for Pinto, something that would be a significant loss for the club. The Senators are desperate to finally escape their rebuild and make the playoffs, but have been prone to slow starts to seasons under head coach D.J. Smith. Being without a strong two-way center who scored 20 goals last season would certainly not help matters.
  • Incoming Senators owner Michael Andlauer told the media today at the Senators Foundation golf tournament that he hopes his purchase of the Senators will officially close by the end of the week. The Senators’ sale process has been a long process, but now it appears that the sale is finally reaching a conclusion, assuming Andlauer’s hopes become reality.

Josh Archibald Clears Unconditional Waivers; Contract Terminated

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09/10/23: According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, Archibald has cleared unconditional waivers and has had his contract terminated.

09/09/23: After signing Josh Archibald back in July, his time with the Lightning has come to an end.  The team announced today that they have placed the winger on waivers today for the purpose of terminating his contract.  GM Julien BriseBois released the following statement:

Yesterday, I was informed by Josh’s agent, and by Josh himself in a subsequent conversation, that he was not planning on playing hockey for the time being and that he would not be reporting to training camp. Consequently, Josh was placed on unconditional waivers earlier today for the purpose of terminating his contract.

The 30-year-old spent last season with Pittsburgh, primarily playing on their fourth line.  Archibald got into 62 games with the Penguins, picking up six goals and six assists while averaging just shy of ten minutes per night.  Looking to add to their toughness, Tampa Bay signed Archibald to a two-year deal that carried a cap hit of $800K along with a 16-team no-trade clause.  To create the cap room to fit him in, they flipped Pat Maroon with partial retention to Minnesota, a move that freed up precisely $800K.

However, it appears that Archibald had a change of heart and has now decided against playing this season altogether according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).  Tampa Bay could have elected to suspend Archibald without pay which would have kept him on their reserve list if he had a change of heart but instead, they’re parting ways altogether, a move that opens up a contract slot, one they quickly utilized to sign Tyler Motte to a one-year, $800K deal.

Archibald’s NHL career stands at 305 games played over eight seasons with Pittsburgh (two separate stints), Arizona, and Edmonton.  He has 83 points and 855 hits in those appearances but for now, at least, those totals won’t be going any higher.

Arizona Coyotes Place Liam Kirk On Unconditional Waivers

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Sept. 7: Although it was academic at this point that Liam Kirk would clear waivers, CapFriendly has officially announced it.

2:33 p.m.: Morgan reports Kirk has already found a new home for 2023-24, as he’s signed with HC VERVA Litvínov in the Czech Extraliga. There, he joins an offense led by a pair of brothers and former NHLers, David Kase and Ondrej Kase.

1:06 p.m.: The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward prospect Liam Kirk on unconditional waivers, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. The move was likely made for the purpose of mutually terminating his entry-level contract.

Arizona selected Kirk, 23, with the 189th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In the process, Kirk became the first player born and developed in England to be taken in an NHL draft.

However, just over five years later, the two parties have decided to cut ties with one season remaining on Kirk’s entry-level deal. It’s a tough break for the hardworking prospect, who missed most of the 2021-22 season with injury and faced instability throughout the 2022-23 campaign, suiting up in three different leagues across two countries.

Kirk began last season in the minors with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, making his season debut in November after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out for months on end, but was quickly demoted a level further to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators after just one game in Tucson.

He did well enough there, scoring 11 points in 15 games, but was loaned out of the organization entirely around New Year’s Day to Finnish club Mikkelin Jukurit in the Liiga. He did post one of the highest point-per-game rates on the team, scoring 19 points in 25 games, and he capped off the season with 10 points in five games for Great Britain at the Division 1A World Championships en route to a promotion to the top division next year. The decision to move on from Kirk is a bit puzzling after he managed to perform at a high level internationally despite a roller-coaster ride of the months preceding his loan.

It could be he’s just a victim of unfortunate contract math. The Coyotes are at 48 out of 50 maximum contracts signed, and with Jan Jeník remaining as an unsigned RFA (although he has reportedly requested a trade), it makes things tight for in-season adds and potential early-season waiver claims.

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