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Pontus Aberg Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Dec 6: Aberg has cleared waivers and the Senators have announced his contract will be terminated. He becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Dec 5: Pontus Aberg’s North American comeback will be short-lived. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the veteran forward has been placed on unconditional waivers today for the purpose of contract termination. Aberg will return to Europe once clear of the Senators, likely heading back to the KHL where he played last season.

Aberg, 28, returned to North America this season by signing a one-year deal with Ottawa. He had last played in the NHL in 2019-20 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and even earned a qualifying offer from the team, but opted to head to the KHL in search of greater opportunity. Aberg had only played in five NHL games with Toronto and had only 132 career games over six pro seasons. Though a second-round pick in 2012 and always an impressive performer in the AHL, Aberg had rarely been given a fair shake with five different clubs and likely felt that he could burn his final year as a restricted free agent and better showcase his ability and boost his market value in Russia. He did just that, recording 23 points in 49 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk and attracting an offer from the Senators.

However, it was right back to the same old thing for Aberg this season. The veteran forward failed to crack the Ottawa roster out of training camp, despite the rebuilding club’s apparent lack of depth, and had not been recalled by the Senators either. He has 11 points in 19 games with AHL Belleville, but it seemingly has not put him in line for an NHL opportunity. As frequently is the case, Aberg can very likely get a better contract in the KHL than his AHL salary, which is a palatable trade-off for an older player if NHL action (and pay) does not seem likely. Given his age and track record, this is likely the last of Aberg in North America.

Dallas Stars Shopping Anton Khudobin

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The Dallas Stars have a goaltending tandem they trust – and it doesn’t include veteran Anton Khudobin. Free agent addition Braden Holtby leads the team with ten appearances and has looked like his old self, posting a .927 save percentage and 2.30 GAA. Yet it is young Jake Oettinger who has been making headlines, recording a stunning .951 save percentage and 1.41 GAA in six games. In contrast, Khudobin is playing the worst hockey of his NHL career with an .837 save percentage and 3.73 GAA in seven appearances. While the Stars have been hot of late, currently riding a six-game winning streak, Khudobin has not played since November 18.

With Holtby and Oettinger having earned the NHL jobs and (though easy to forget) former starter Ben Bishop still trying to work his way back from a long-term knee injury, Khudobin has become expendable. However, despite his struggles, the Stars will not simply just waive the respected veteran, at least not yet. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that the team is actively shopping Khudobin in hopes of finding a trade partner.

While the Stars surely will not receive nearly the package they might have commanded for Khudobin just a couple years ago when he led the NHL with a .930 save percentage, the Stars still have incentive to search for a trade rather than keeping him for depth. The first is obvious; Khudobin may still have some value around the league. In fact, Marek states definitively that the Buffalo Sabres have expressed interest in the experienced netminder and there are certainly other teams that could also use help in net. With confidence in their current options, there is no reason for Dallas to pass up potential trade capital. However, Khudobin’s contract is another factor that the Stars need to manage. Simply waiving and demoting Khudobin only saves the team $1.075MM of the goaltender’s $3.33MM cap hit. That contract also carries an additional year. Dallas needs the space that could be opened up from moving Khudobin’s contract in its entirety, which means they will work to find a team with enough need in net to trade for the veteran. The next step would be to waive Khudobin and hope he is claimed; even if he is unclaimed the Stars will continue to shop Khudobin, who will have some extra transactional versatility should he clear.

One way or another, it seems like the Stars have come to the conclusion that they can benefit more from being rid of Khudobin than continuing to keep him around. At some point, it is likely that the veteran keeper will find a new home this season.

 

Matt Murray Will Play Again For Ottawa

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The Matt Murray era has been an unmitigated disaster in Ottawa. Since the Senators gave up a second-round pick and prospect Jonathan Gruden to acquire the up-and-down netminder from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the 2020-21 season and signed him to an unsubstantiated four-year, $25MM contract, they have seen almost all down and no up. Murray has a 10-18-1 record with an .892 save percentage and 3.35 GAA, easily the worst numbers of his career.  The Senators ran out of patience with their overpriced and underperforming starter last week, placing Murray on waivers and, after he unsurprisingly cleared, reassigned him to the AHL’s Belleville Senators. It seemed like it could be the beginning of the end of a troubled relationship between team and player.

Yet, Pierre Dorion feels otherwise. The Ottawa GM made it clear when speaking with the media on Saturday that that Senators are not done with Murray. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that Dorion stated definitively that Murray will play for the Senators again and Dorion expects that to come at some point this season. “He’s just got to find his game, not be under the NHL microscope,” Dorion said. “At some point in time he’ll be back with Ottawa.” Dorion added that Murray has had factors working against him during his time in Ottawa, including injuries and a change in goaltending coach, but that the team remains confident that he can return to form and re-gain a role on the NHL roster.

Seeing as the Senators don’t need the cap savings afforded by having Murray in the minors nor will they part ways with trade capital to move Murray, it does seem likely that the veteran netminder will play out his contract in Ottawa barring a buyout or mutual termination or a major shift in the status quo of his trade value. However, that does not mean that Murray’s welfare needs to take precedence for the rebuilding Senators. Murray’s replacement on the NHL roster is Filip Gustavsson and the well-regarded 23-year-old is much more important to Ottawa’s future than is Murray, as evidenced by the club’s decision to protect the former over the latter in the Seattle Expansion Draft this past summer. With Anton Forsberg playing well and NHL experience of vital importance to potential future starter Gustavsson, why rush Murray back this season? What is more is that Ottawa also has several other impressive prospects pushing their way through the system, such as Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese, who could also come into play next season and beyond and would seemingly be of greater importance than trying to force Murray to perform in the NHL. Unless Murray, at one point a budding star with an incredible postseason resume, can greatly improve his play – first in the AHL and then consistently in the NHL – Dorion and company should be careful not to confuse the priorities of a rebuilding team.

Canadiens Claim Kale Clague Off Waivers From Kings

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Down multiple defensemen at the moment, the Canadiens have added some depth on the back end as they’ve claimed Kale Clague off waivers from the Kings, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link).

The 23-year-old somewhat surprisingly cleared waivers at the start of the season and picked up four assists in five games with AHL Ontario which helped him earn an opportunity when Los Angeles was really battling injury issues to their defense corps.  Clague was actually relatively productive in his 11 games with the team, picking up five assists while logging nearly 18 minutes a game but with Drew Doughty recently returning and Clague sitting for nearly two weeks, they decided to try to send him down again.

The Canadiens have battled injury issues all season and find themselves without Jeff Petry (upper-body injury), Joel Edmundson (back injury), and Sami Niku (COVID protocol) so there is definitely a chance that Clague can secure a spot with Montreal in the short term at the very least.  Laurent Dauphin was sent back to AHL Laval to make room for Clague on the roster; they will have to make another move later as well as they’ve already committed to activating Mike Hoffman off IR before tonight’s game.

Clague is making just over $761K this season and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights next summer.

Los Angeles Kings Place Kale Clague On Waivers

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Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Los Angeles Kings placed defenseman Kale Clague on waivers today.

This is Clague’s second time on waivers this season. The Kings waived him on October 2, prior to the start of the season, and he passed through unclaimed.

With Drew Doughty returning from injured reserve earlier this week and the re-acquisition of Christian Wolanin on waivers, the Kings had nine defensemen on the active roster. It’s telling that the team opted to expose Clague to the rest of the league rather than send down Michael Anderson, Tobias Bjornfot, or Sean Durzi, all of whom do not require waivers.

Clague’s performed well at the minor-league level in recent seasons, including four assists in five games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign this year, but hasn’t been able to play his way into a full-time NHL role just yet. There’s likely still a bright future ahead for the 23-year-old, who was drafted 51st overall by the Kings in 2016.

In 11 games with the big club this season, Clague has five points in 11 games while registering a -2 rating and averaging 17:49 per game.

Calgary Flames Assign Juuso Valimaki To AHL

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The Calgary Flames have assigned defenseman Juuso Valimaki to the AHL’s Stockton Heat, per a team tweet.

Valimaki doesn’t require waivers, so there’s no chance of the Flames losing one of their best defense prospects. However, Valimaki’s cap hit is $1.55MM, and not all of that can be buried in the minors. It appears as though roughly $500,000 of Valimaki’s cap hit will still count towards the cap while he’s buried in the minors.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Valimaki, who hasn’t meshed well with coach Darryl Sutter and has played in just eight games, registering two assists.

He still has the pedigree and potential of a 16th overall pick, however. The 23-year-old was one of the team’s more impressive players last season, playing the full season with the team and scoring 11 points in 49 games.

The assignment to Stockton is an effort to get Valimaki into some more game action, as it’s not doing him much good to just sit on the bench.

The Flames still have Michael Stone, who’s played in just one game this season, to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman.

Kirill Semyonov Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Dec 2: Semyonov has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated. Yesterday, Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe explained that the forward expressed a desire to return to the KHL on the way back from the team’s latest road trip.

Dec 1: The Kirill Semyonov experiment in Toronto is coming to an end, as the Russian forward has been placed on unconditional waivers. Semyonov will see his contract terminated, making him a free agent that can sign with a new NHL team or return to the KHL.

Semyonov, 27, signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs this season, expecting to be in the mix for the bottom-six after a long, successful career in the KHL. The undrafted forward hit a career-high of 46 points in 62 games during the 2019-20 season and won a Gagarin Cup championship in 2021. When he arrived it seemed to be going well, with a strong showing in the preseason for Toronto. Still, he ended up in the minors to start the year, where he played nine games and put up nine points.

Recently, Semyonov had been recalled to the main roster but with the addition of veteran forward Kyle Clifford, even the spare roster spot was going to be difficult to secure. Now, after being sent down yesterday in favor of Joey Anderson, Semyonov is on waivers and will leave the organization entirely.

It will be interesting to see whether he tries to catch on with another NHL team at some point, or if Semyonov’s NHL story ends after just three games. He failed to score a point in any of those and will leave the Maple Leafs still waiting for his first NHL goal. When terminated, the contract will come completely off the books for Toronto.

Christian Wolanin Claimed By Los Angeles Kings

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The Los Angeles Kings have claimed Christian Wolanin of waivers. Given that the team has immediately assigned him to the minor leagues, they were the only team to put in a claim. The Buffalo Sabres, who claimed Wolanin earlier this year, will lose him after putting him in the lineup just once.

This likely isn’t what Wolanin was expecting when he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kings in July, one that came with a very healthy minor league guarantee of $400K. Instead of playing for the Ontario Reign so far though, he’s been in the NHL all year acting as a practice option. He has suited up for just a single game, that one in Buffalo, and it occurred back on November 8. He’ll now have to head to the minors and hope he can get back up to game speed quickly, if he wants to contribute at all for Los Angeles down the road.

The Kings do have defensive injuries, even though they got Drew Doughty back last night. Adding some experienced depth like Wolanin is important, especially now that they can hide him in the minors until needed. It’s been a long time since he even played regularly there, with only 12 AHL games since the end of the 2018-19 season.

Christian Wolanin Placed On Waivers

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The Buffalo Sabres have placed Christian Wolanin back on waivers, the place they claimed him from last month. The defenseman ended up playing just one game with the Sabres so far and needs to clear to be sent to the minor leagues. Should his former team the Los Angeles Kings claim him and are the only club to do so, they will be able to send him directly to the AHL.

Buffalo recently added Mark Jankowski on an NHL deal and are expected to get Casey Mittelstadt back from injury soon, meaning there needed to be a roster spot opened somewhere. Wolanin wasn’t being used anyway and has a real chance to clear, so the team has decided he’s the one to risk to the rest of the league. It’s not that he doesn’t have NHL experience, as Wolanin has played in 62 games at the highest level, but it’s been extremely inconsistent playing time to this point.

His biggest opportunity came in 2018-19 with the Ottawa Senators, when he ended up playing in 30 games for the team and recorded 12 points. Since then though it’s been up, down, and a lot of healthy scratches for the 26-year-old. Perhaps a team like the Edmonton Oilers or Carolina Hurricanes, both dealing with massive absences on the blueline, would take a chance, but it’s hard to see how Wolanin will get regular playing time in the league this season.

Evander Kane Clears Waivers, Has “Multiple Options”

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San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has cleared waivers and is expected to be assigned to the AHL. Previous reports have made it clear that the Sharks would retain salary in order to facilitate a trade of the veteran forward, and Kane’s new agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey told Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV that there are “multiple options on the table.” Milstein even included the Vancouver Canucks specifically as one of the teams he will be contacting as he tries to get his client a new home.

Remember that once Kane is activated from his suspension, assigning him to the minor leagues will not remove his entire cap hit from the Sharks books, nor will it mean the team owes him any less in salary. His $7MM cap hit would only be reduced by $1.125MM and the remainder of his salary would need to be paid out. So far in the season his cap hit was removed because of the 21-game suspension he received for violating league COVID protocols, but that expired when the Sharks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks last night.

It’s unclear at this point whether Kane will actually suit up for the Barracuda, but perhaps playing AHL games would be beneficial to both sides if a trade is to be worked out. Of course, despite all of the off-ice issues that have followed Kane around for most of his career, he’s coming off an excellent season with the Sharks in 2020-21. In the team’s 56 games, he registered 22 goals and 49 points, the best per-game rate of his career.

Professional sports organizations are often willing to overlook off-ice (or field, or court) transgressions because of the skill of a player, and it is important to note that Kane was cleared of both the gambling and domestic abuse investigations that the NHL held this offseason. Whether a team will take the chance on him remains to be seen, but his time with the Sharks does appear to be over, at least for now.

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