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Nicolas Aube-Kubel Placed On Waivers

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Just a few months after hoisting (and dropping) the Stanley Cup, Nicolas Aube-Kubel finds himself on waivers. James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed the depth forward on waivers, and earlier today he was skating as an extra defenseman in practice. The Maple Leafs recalled Wayne Simmonds earlier today and still needed a spot to activate Timothy Liljegren, who is expected to make his season debut tomorrow night.

Aube-Kubel, 26, was signed to a one-year, $1MM contract this summer by the Maple Leafs and was expected to play a full-time role in the bottom six. After six scoreless games, it appears as though the team is ready to move on.

Should he clear he can be assigned to the AHL but there is at least a good chance that someone decides to take Aube-Kubel after his strong performance last year. In 67 regular season games with the Colorado Avalanche (after a waiver claim), he scored 11 goals and 22 points. He then suited up for 14 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup championship.

He did fail to score a point in those 14 postseason contests, which could have been a bit of foreshadowing for this season. In those six games with Toronto, he generated just two shots on goal but did record 21 hits. His limited minutes included almost no offensive starts, leading to brutal possession numbers.

It’s been a few years since Aube-Kubel played regularly in the AHL but that’s likely where he’s headed should he clear waivers tomorrow. The entire $1MM cap hit would come off the books for the Maple Leafs, giving them a little more flexibility than sending down Simmonds or a younger player like Pontus Holmberg.

Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets tweets that Toronto made Aube-Kubel available for trade this week. Waivers don’t necessarily mean those negotiations have ended. Sometimes a player clearing can actually improve his value, as the acquiring team can then stash him in the minor leagues. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s what happens here.

Nashville Predators Recall Mark Jankowski

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After Kiefer Sherwood cleared waivers, the Nashville Predators made an interesting roster swap. Mark Jankowski has been recalled from the AHL, with Sherwood going down in his place.

Jankowski, 28, was once a regular in the NHL, scoring 31 goals and 57 points over his first two seasons with the Calgary Flames. The first-round pick appeared to be a solid middle-six forward that could chip in offensively and use his 6’4″ frame to add some physicality.

It’s been several years since that was the case though, and Jankowski spent more time last season in the minor leagues than in the NHL. This year he settled for a one-year, two-way contract with the Predators that came with a huge minor league guarantee, suggesting that he would be spending most of his time with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Now, after scoring five goals and nine points in his first seven AHL games, Jankowski will join the big club as an extra forward. Whether he gets another chance to get his NHL career back on track remains to be seen but he couldn’t have done much more for Milwaukee to begin his year.

Kiefer Sherwood Clears Waivers

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Nov 3: Sherwood has cleared, and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Nov 2: Not every NHL season will have two Kief(f)ers placed on waivers. After Kieffer Bellows was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this year, Nashville Predators forward Kiefer Sherwood now finds himself on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.

Sherwood, 27, made the Predators roster rather unexpectedly out of training camp and has played in five games so far with the team. He has one goal (the first goal of the NHL season) and two points, but had found his way to the press box recently. After being re-inserted into the lineup yesterday and receiving just 9:18 of ice time, it appears as though he’s headed for the minor leagues.

Undrafted, Sherwood has 92 NHL games under his belt and was one of the AHL’s most dangerous players a year ago. He set new career highs with 36 goals and 75 points in 57 games for the Colorado Eagles, and appeared to be in the mix for full-time NHL minutes.

If someone claims him, that could still be possible, but given the face that he cleared twice last season, he’s probably headed to the minors.

Minnesota Wild Waive Dakota Mermis

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October 29: Mermis has cleared waivers and is cleared to head to Iowa, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and NorthStar Bets.

October 28: The Minnesota Wild have placed defenseman Dakota Mermis on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

The move was necessitated by Mermis’ return to health from an injury he suffered in the preseason. He had been on the team’s injured reserve list, and now that he’s healthy he must clear waivers in order to be sent to the AHL.

Mermis, 28, is an undrafted defenseman who has fashioned a nice career for himself as a depth defenseman. The former London Knight made his professional debut for the Springfield Falcons of the AHL in 2015-16, and then moved on to the Tucson Roadrunners and Arizona Coyotes organization after that season. In Arizona, Mermis’ development accelerated, and by his second season there he had even earned his first NHL call-up.

Now a member of his third NHL organization, Mermis has 25 NHL games played on his resume. He spent most of last season with the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa, and will now head back to Des Moines to begin his 2022-23 season.

Last year Mermis had a healthy 24 points in 59 games and this year should resume his role as a valuable veteran contributor for the Wild’s top minor league affiliate.

Lukas Klok Clears Unconditional Waivers; Contract With Coyotes Terminated

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October 29: According to Chris Johnston of TSN and NorthStar Bets, Klok has cleared unconditional waivers and will have his contract with the Coyotes terminated.

October 28: Lukas Klok’s short time playing professional hockey in North America seems to have come to an end. As reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Klok, a member of the Arizona Coyotes organization, has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutual contract termination.

Fellow Czech blueliner Michal Kempny recently took this route to head overseas rather than remain in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and now Klok is following suit.

Klok, 27, was signed by the Coyotes this summer off the back of a successful KHL season. Klok spent 2021-22 with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik and scored 31 points in 44 games, which was just a point off of the team lead.

The six-foot-one blueliner had spent the two seasons before that playing for Lukko Rauma in the Finnish Liiga. He also has four seasons of Czech pro experience under his belt, and first popped onto the radar in North America playing for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms in 2013-14.

Klok’s current club, the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, will be without Klok now (assuming he clears these unconditional waivers and has his contract terminated) but likely have the defensive depth to make up for his absence. Klok hadn’t registered much of an impact in four AHL games and the Roadrunners (who are 3-1 so far to start their season) should be able to manage to fill his vacated role moving forward.

Philadelphia Flyers Claim Kieffer Bellows

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The Philadelphia Flyers have claimed Kieffer Bellows off waivers from the New York Islanders, giving the team a new young forward to add to the lineup. Bellows has played in just a single game so far this season.

After making sure they added quite a bit of toughness in the offseason, the Flyers continue to target physical players with the acquisition of Bellows. The difference here is that the 2016 first-round pick also has quite a bit of scoring upside. The 24-year-old was once an incredible sniper at the junior level and has shown the ability to score at the AHL level as well.

Even in the NHL, he has 11 goals and 25 points in 68 games, despite averaging just over 11 minutes a night. He has added 154 hits during that time and had a fight against Max Pacioretty after the Vegas Golden Knights forward took a run at Andy Greene. That sort of protect-your-teammates style is certainly going to fit in well with John Tortorella’s group, though Bellows will have to bring some consistency to his game if he wants to remain a regular in Philadelphia.

Given that the Flyers issued grim updates on both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson this morning, it comes as no surprise that they would be interested in an addition. Whether Bellows can live up to expectations remains to be seen, but there are certainly worse bets to make. The young forward is on a one-year, $1.2MM contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Ben Harpur; Place On Waivers

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10/28/22: As reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Harpur has cleared waivers. He will now be able to remain with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL.

10/27/22: The New York Rangers are adding a little defensive depth, agreeing to terms with Ben Harpur after his solid showing in the minor leagues. Harpur had been playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack on a PTO but will convert that into a one-year NHL contract. PuckPedia reports that it is a two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level and $300K in the AHL. The team has placed him on waivers, a necessary step for him to stay in the AHL.

Harpur, 27, has 156 games of NHL experience, plus a handful of matches in the postseason over his career so far. The 6’6″ defenseman suited up 19 times last season for the Nashville Predators, registering one assist and 27 penalty minutes. He won’t offer much offense – in fact, he has just a single NHL goal to his name – but is a big body who can defend well enough to hold his own on a third pair.

The Rangers don’t necessarily need that right now, but there wasn’t much experience in the system to call up if they deal with injuries. Harpur will represent a body that can bounce between the NHL and AHL without any concern for his development.

A deal like this could have potentially happened in Columbus, where he spent training camp on a PTO, but Harpur suffered an injury and missed a good chunk of the action. He’s found a spot now, though, and will just add some extra depth to the Rangers organization for the long season ahead.

Kieffer Bellows Placed On Waivers

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The New York Islanders have placed former top prospect Kieffer Bellows on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Bellows, 24, has played in only a single game for the Islanders this season, registering three hits and no shots on goal in just over seven minutes of ice time. While he obviously isn’t in the plan at the NHL level right now, his placement on waivers will still come as a shock to many who have been waiting for him to take the next step in his career.

Selected 19th overall in 2016, the high-energy winger went to Boston University for one season before deciding to leave school and join the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. In that league he was incredibly dominant, scoring 41 goals in 56 regular season games, often skating beside Cody Glass. Upon reaching the minor leagues the next season he continued his goal-scoring, tickling the twine 34 times over two seasons. He also racked up 150 penalty minutes in his 125 AHL contests, including four fighting majors.

That kind of player seemed perfectly suited for life with the Islanders, who were focused on “identity” and toughness, but it was difficult to crack the lineup. Last season it appeared as though Bellows had finally done it, scoring six goals and 19 points in 45 NHL games. That led to a one-year, $1.2MM contract this summer, another sign that the Islanders were committed to using the young forward on a regular basis.

The press box has been the regular stop for Bellows early on, and now waivers will likely mean he’s on to a new destination or headed for a familiar one. He stands as an interesting candidate to be claimed, though the $1.2MM contract (and qualifying offer next summer) could stand in the way for some teams struggling with cap issues. If he clears, one would expect him to be sent back to Bridgeport where he can at least get on the ice.

Andrej Sustr And Michal Kempny Clear Waivers

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Saturday: Sustr has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.  No one was placed on waivers today.

Friday: With Jon Merrill set to get back into the Minnesota Wild lineup, the team has placed Andrej Sustr on waivers. Michal Kempny, who was placed on unconditional waivers yesterday, has cleared and will have his contract terminated.

Sustr, 31, hasn’t even played a game yet for the Wild, but is no longer even needed for insurance purposes. Merrill is expected to take Alex Goligoski’s spot in the lineup tomorrow, after the veteran defenseman played in his 1,000th game yesterday. Goligoski will become the player that rotates in when needed, and Sustr can report to the minor leagues.

That is, of course, if he clears waivers, which isn’t necessarily guaranteed. Just last season he was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks when the Tampa Bay Lightning tried to sneak him through, and he ended up playing in 23 games down the stretch. The 6’7″ behemoth has played in 361 regular season NHL games, and is a useful veteran to have on the roster as a seventh option.

For teams that might be dealing with injuries on the back end, Sustr and his one-year, two-way contract might not be a bad option. Still, he doesn’t offer much upside, so if he slips through the Wild will be able to keep him in the organization as an injury replacement. Sustr played in the minor leagues without complaint last season, registering 12 points in 25 games for the Syracuse Crunch. Because the team has designated him for assignment already, they’ll be able to activate Merrill even before his waivers resolve tomorrow afternoon.

Michal Kempny Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL is apparently not what Michal Kempny had in mind when he signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Seattle Kraken. The defenseman is on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, opening him up to sign somewhere else.

That usually means a player is going overseas, though Kempny would be eligible to sign a new deal with any other NHL team. The 32-year-old defenseman spent most of last season in the minor leagues as well, playing 24 games for the Hershey Bears and just 15 for the Washington Capitals.

Remembered as one of the key pieces that the Capitals acquired in 2018 en route to their Stanley Cup championship, Kempny has never seemed to fully recover from the Achilles surgery he had in 2020. That was preceded by surgery to repair a torn hamstring in 2019, an injury history that has robbed any chance of seeing him play at that high level again.

If this is it for his NHL career, he’ll finish with 247 games in the league and 63 regular season points. The undrafted Czech-born defender became a star overseas before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016, and reached his peak with that short run with the Capitals. His best season – the year after winning the Cup – Kempny had 25 points in 71 games while averaging more than 19 minutes a night in Washington.

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