Maple Leafs Claim Ben Smith Off Waivers
The Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed Ben Smith off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
Smith will be joining Toronto for a second stint with the team. Late last season, he was acquired from San Jose by the Leafs as a salary throw-in as part of the James Reimer trade and evidently the team liked what it saw from Smith even though they didn’t re-sign him in the offseason. He had two goals and four assists with the Leafs in 16 games but was held off the scoresheet in six contests with San Jose.
This season, Smith has played in four games with the Avalanche, collecting zero points and a -2 rating while averaging 10:46 per night. For his career, he has played in 201 NHL contests between Chicago, San Jose, Toronto, and Colorado, picking up 27 goals and 23 assists.
Smith will likely reprise his fourth line penalty killing with the Maple Leafs, who also waived Milan Michalek on Monday. He’ll earn $675K in the NHL this year and $150K in the minors after signing a two-way deal back in the offseason. As James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail points out, the Leafs will actually save $275K on the cap by adding Smith in place of Michalek although just over $3MM of Michalek’s salary will still count on their cap if he clears and is sent to the minors.
[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart]
Islanders Sign, Waive Steve Bernier
Although they cut him in training camp, the New York Islanders have brought back Steve Bernier; the team announced that they have inked him to a one year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bernier played a sparing role with the Islanders last season, playing in just 24 games, notching a goal and five assists after making the team off a training camp tryout last year. He also suited up in six playoff contests, being held pointless. However, he’s only one year removed from a 16 goal, 32 point campaign with the Devils. In the preseason, Bernier saw action in four games with the Islanders, picking up two assists while averaging 10:07 per game.
The 31 year old has bounced around in his career, spending time in six different organizations since being a first rounder of San Jose back in 2003. He has 633 NHL games under his belt, scoring 105 goals while adding 125 assists.
[Related: Islanders Depth Chart]
Last season, Bernier earned $750K on a one-way contract per Cap Friendly. It’s likely that this new contract will carry a similar cap hit at the NHL level.
In the meantime, it appears that Bernier will be starting his season in the AHL. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that the team has placed Bernier on waivers and will assign him to their affiliate in Bridgeport if he clears on Tuesday.
Devils Assign Blake Speers Back To Junior; Recall Steven Santini
While we’re still a week or two away from a lot of teams having to make decisions on their junior-aged players, the New Jersey Devils didn’t want for the nine game mark when it comes to right winger Blake Speers as the team announced that they have sent him back to Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL.
Teams can play junior-aged players up to nine NHL games before the first year of their entry-level contract officially kicks in. This allows teams to give some of their top young prospects an extended tryout beyond training camp to determine if they are ready for a full-time roster spot or not. There are 20 remaining junior-aged players league-wide that teams will have to make a decision on in the coming weeks.
Speers has suited up in three games with the Devils this year, being held off the scoresheet with three shots on goal while averaging 9:29 of ice time per game. Last season with the OHL Greyhounds, the 2015 third round pick (67th overall) had 26 goals and 48 assists in 68 games.
The team also announced that defenseman Steven Santini has been recalled and will take Speers’ spot on the roster. The team recently sent him down to give him a game in the AHL over the weekend.
[Related: Devils Depth Chart]
Detroit Notes: Helm, Sproul, Howard, Abdelkader
Detroit’s decision to re-sign Darren Helm to a five year deal worth nearly $4MM per season moments before the beginning of free agency came as a surprise to many but in the early stages of this season, Helm is living up to the contract. Through six games, he has four goals and one assist, leading the team in the goal department. As is often the case, Helm offered up the standard lines when asked about his early success but one comment in particular stands out from the 29 year old:
“I’m just having fun right now.”
As Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News notes, that wasn’t exactly the case for everyone last season which was part of the reason why it was surprising that Helm, who was disenchanted with being viewed strictly as a checking center, opted to come back. However, head coach Jeff Blashill currently has him with a pair of strong offensive wingers in Gustav Nyquist and Thomas Vanek which is allowing Helm to show that he can bring more to the table than just his speed.
[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]
More from Detroit, who have won four straight games to match their longest winning streak from last season:
- Defense has been the key to their recent success, writes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Blashill in particular has been impressed with rookie Ryan Sproul, who made his season debut recently and has two points in two games. The team is currently carrying seven defensemen which will turn to eight when Niklas Kronwall returns. Sproul is waiver eligible which means he’s playing for his job right now, or least an opportunity with another organization if the team decides to try to send him down over carrying two extra blueliners.
- After a tough season last year, goaltender Jimmy Howard is off to a much better start this season, with a .980 SV% while allowing just one goal in two starts so far. He tells Khan that a big reason for the strong start is better understanding the backup role. After being the starter for several years, he lost that spot to Petr Mrazek last season, a role he maintains to start 2016-17. With a cap hit just under $5.3MM, the Wings are undoubtedly hoping he can keep up his hot start to build back some trade value or perhaps entice Las Vegas in next June’s expansion draft.
- Left winger Justin Abdelkader didn’t play over the weekend due to a lower body injury. GM Ken Holland told reporters, including Dana Wakiji of their team site, that he’s listed as day-to-day. Abdelkader has a goal in five games this season.
Snapshots: Bruins, Demers, Stars
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Boston Bruins reassigned goaltender Zane McIntyre to the AHL Providence Bruins tonight just one day after recalling him. McIntyre was called up on an emergency basis yesterday morning after Bruins starter Tuukka Rask hurt himself in practice. The Bruins drafted McIntyre in the 6th round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft but have yet to start the prospect in a NHL game. Last season McIntyre posted a 2.67 GAA and a .898 Sv% in 31 starts for Providence. This season, however, he is rocking an incredible 0.44GAA and a .977 SV% in three games. McIntyre’s current hot start is probably why the Bruins recalled him rather than highly-touted prospect Malcolm Subban.
- Former NHL Coach Jacques Demers has been released from hospital following a serious infection. Demers was rushed to hospital yesterday after suffering what was believed to be a stroke before receiving a more accurate diagnosis. Demers previously suffered a stroke in April 2016 and endured over three months of physical therapy as he recovered. Demers last coached in Tampa Bay, but is fondly remembered for bringing the Montreal Canadiens to their last Stanley Cup in 1993.
- The Dallas Stars reassigned forward Jason Dickinson today to the Texas Stars, Dallas’s AHL affiliate. Dickinson surprised the organization last year with a tremendous performance in the AHL, scoring 22G and 31A in 73 games. The young prospect played one NHL game last season and managed to score his first NHL goal in the process. Dickinson—Dallas’s 2013 first round draft pick—is expected to spend the majority of the season in the minors, but Dallas’s mounting injury problem may change those plans quickly.
Sunday Evening Review: The Week’s Most Important Posts
Did you miss a post this week? PHR has you covered by highlighting the most important news in the NHL last week:
Top KHL Salaries and their NHL Comparables
KHL insider Aivis Kalnins reported the top 30 KHL player salaries on Monday, and the amounts pale in comparison to their NHL counterparts. The highest paid KHL player is Ilya Kovalchuk, who makes $5.5MM. PHR’s Brett Barrett notes that 99 NHL players make more money than Kovalchuk.
Penguins Goalie Matt Murray Signs Extension
The Penguins signed goaltender Matt Murray to a three-year contract extension worth $3.75MM a year. Murray is currently on the shelf as he recovers from a broken hand suffered in the World Cup of Hockey. The signing signifies the team’s commitment to Murray, and also to moving Marc-Andre Fleury sooner rather than later.
Patrick Sharp Out With Concussion
Dallas Stars forward Patrick Sharp will be out for a significant amount of time after suffering a concussion earlier this week. Sharp was hit by Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb and appeared to hit his head as he fell to the ice. This marks yet another significant injury for the Dallas Stars—Patrick Eaves, Ales Hemsky, and Cody Eakin have yet to start a game this season due to injury.
Douglas Murray Retires
Swedish defenseman Douglas Murray announced his retirement on Friday. The veteran had not received an NHL contract offer this season and did not consider joining another league. He last played in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens in 2013-14.
Kings Goalie Jeff Zatkoff Injured
The Los Angeles Kings were dealt another goaltending blow as backup Jeff Zatkoff went down with a groin injury. The Kings are already without starter Jonathan Quick, and Zatkoff’s injury means the Kings have to rely on a tandem of Peter Budaj and Jack Campbell. The former is a 34 year-old perennial backup who started one game last season, and the latter was acquired from the Dallas Stars for defenseman Nick Ebert.
Jacques Demers Hospitalized Saturday
Former NHL Coach Jacques Demers was hospitalized yesterday after suffering what appeared to be a second stroke—but was later determined to be an infection. Demers is remembered for coaching the Montreal Canadiens to their last Stanley Cup, and also coached in Tampa Bay, Detroit, St. Louis, and Quebec.
Coyotes Goalie Mike Smith Injured
The Arizona Coyotes are without goaltender Mike Smith again as he suffered a left knee injury in the Coyotes’ loss to the Ottawa Senators. Backup goaltender Louis Domingue will take over the starting duties and the Coyotes will need him to shine if they want to avoid a slow start to the season.
Western Conference Snapshots: Ducks, Preds, Duchene
The Ducks have been busy making moves the last couple of days, according to Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register, though none included the highly anticipated re-signing of top defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Off to just a 1 – 3 – 1 start out of the gates, Anaheim demoted Mason Raymond – who recently cleared waivers – forward Nick Sorensen and blue liner Jacob Larsson. All three will report to San Diego of the AHL.
Meanwhile, the Ducks have recalled forwards Joseph Cramarossa and Michael Sgarbossa, along with defenseman Shea Theodore. Theodore was partnered with veteran defender Kevin Bieksa in practice and appears poised to make his 2016-17 debut for Anaheim.
The Ducks will also insert one of Cramarossa or Sgarbossa into the lineup for the first time this season. For the soon-to-be-24-year-old Cramarossa, an appearance would also represent his NHL debut. Cramarossa has played in 164 AHL games in the Anaheim organization since being drafted in the third-round of the 2011 draft, and has netted 17 goals and 31 points.
Additionally, the team also placed defenseman Simon Despres on LTIR as we noted earlier.
Whether these moves will spark the team and help shake the Ducks out of their early season doldrums or not remains to be seen. If not, and given the team just brought back head coach Randy Carlyle, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team make a trade or two to help try to right the ship.
More from around the Western Conference:
- Nashville is another team that has had a busy weekend with regards to making transactions. With the team ravaged by food poisoning, the Predators were forced to recall five players from the AHL just to field a full lineup for Staurday night’s showdown against Pittsburgh. Team captain Mike Fisher, wing Craig Smith and goaltender Pekka Rinne all missed the game, which Nashville somehow managed to win despite the depleted lineup. Today the club announced that they’ve sent three of the call-ups back to Milwaukee of the AHL. Juuse Saros, who made his NHL debut in goal and earned the win, joins forwards Frederick Gaudreau and Trevor Smith in returning to the minors.
- It might be hard for some to believe but 25-year-old Matt Duchene appeared in the 500th NHL game of his career in last night’s loss to Florida, as Terry Frei of The Denver Post writes. Afterwards, Duchene said, “it’s the first real milestone game that made me feel a bit old.” Duchene is the third player from the 2009 draft class to reach the 500-game mark, joining the top overall pick, John Tavares, and former Colorado teammate Ryan O’Reilly. For his career, Duchene has scored 159 goals and 382 points in his eight seasons with the Avalanche.
Metro Division Snapshots: Nash, Capitals, Devils
New York Rangers forward Rick Nash is the team’s highest-paid skater with an annual salary cap charge of $7.8MM. Since being acquired from Columbus, Nash has been expected to lead the Rangers offensive attack while serving as a vital cog on a Stanley Cup contender. The team has made it to the Eastern Conference Final on two occasions and appeared in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final since the gifted winger joined the team. However, following a first-round playoff exit and a disappointing, injury-filled season from Nash in 2015-16, the Rangers focused on adding youth and speed to the forward ranks this summer, and as Brandon Cohen of Today’s Slapshot writes, the spotlight does not shine as brightly on Nash anymore.
As Cohen noted, in the past when the Rangers offense would struggle to put the puck in the net or convert on the power play, Nash “would have a target on his back.” But with the additions made in the offseason, and the continued development of players already on the roster, Nash can be just another one of the guys, so to speak, and essentially function in a complementary role.
Jimmy Vesey was the team’s most notable addition, signing with New York as a college free agent following a four-year career at Harvard. Through five games, the 23-year-old rookie winger has three goals and has proven he belongs in the top-six of a playoff team.
Michael Grabner and Brandon Pirri add depth and serve as specialists, with Grabner seeing a lot of action on the penalty kill and Pirri with the man advantage. They’ve combined to tally four goals while playing mostly fourth-line minutes.
New #1 center Mika Zibanejad is off to a fine start, averaging better than a point-per-game with two goals and four assists. He’s been fantastic in the face-off circle winning nearly 60% of his draws and his right-handed shot gives the team an added dimension on the power play.
On top of the new additions, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider have combined to add five goals and 15 points. For his part, Nash has two goals and an assist through five games and is playing his usually terrific two-way game. With the talent and depth added up front, it appears Nash no longer has to be relied on to carry the load for the Rangers.
Elsewhere in the Metro Division:
- After losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh in the second round of the playoffs last season, Washington, much like the Rangers, went to work in the offseason to add speed to their lineup. Those efforts resulted in a rebuilt third line with Lars Eller, acquired in a draft-day trade with Montreal, centering a combination of Brett Connolly, rookie Zach Sanford and Justin Williams. As the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan writes, the new line is beginning to pay dividends for the Capitals. Eller, who cost the Capitals two, second-round choices, replaces veteran Mike Richards at the pivot position and tallied his first marker for his team in Washington’s 4 – 2 loss last night to the Rangers. Richards was signed during the 2015-16 campaign to fill a role on the third line but was a shadow of his former self, scoring just five points in 39 games with the Caps. Connolly was originally selected sixth overall in the 2010 draft but has yet to fulfill his potential at the NHL level. Still just 24, the untapped upside exists for this to turn out to be a smart signing for Washington. Sanford was inked after playing two years at Boston College and while he’s yet to find the score sheet, he’s had several quality scoring chances his last couple of games.
- The New Jersey Devils, who finished last in goals scored in 2015-16, made it a point to upgrade in that department this offseason. The team traded for Taylor Hall and Beau Bennett and added P.A. Parenteau via waivers just prior to the beginning of the season. Those additions were expected to boost the goal-scoring output for New Jersey, but as Chris Ryan of NJ.com opines, it hasn’t worked out as planned quite yet. Hall is off to a good start with three goals in five games, including the OT winner last night, but the Devils have managed to pot just eight so far this season. Fortunately for the Devils, they’ve allowed just nine goals and with Cory Schneider between the pipes should remain one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league. But if they want to challenge for a playoff spot, the Devils need to get their offense cranked up.
Wild Notes: Dumba, Niederreiter, Spurgeon, Stewart, Haula
Mike Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune had a productive morning today, publishing an article with news and notes on a number of intriguing Minnesota Wild-related topics. The full post is of course worth a read but here are some of the highlights:
- Mathew Dumba was set to be scratched for Thursday night’s game against Toronto but drew into the lineup because Marco Scandella was ill and could not suit up. Wild bench boss Bruce Boudreau thinks the threat of a benching alone might have served as a wakeup call for the talented, fourth-year pro: “I think the fact he was supposed to sit out one game and go back in could be the Wally Pipp syndrome. It might have opened his eyes for him to start playing the way he’s capable of playing.” Dumba agreed with his coach, saying: “I didn’t like it. I took it in a way that if I got back in the lineup I was never going to let that happen again. That’s the kind of motivation that I have. Just pride as a player. I hold myself to a higher standard. Just what the be the best I can for my teammates.” The 22-year-old Dumba tallied an assist in the Leafs game and followed that up with a solid performance against New Jersey last night, finishing with four shot attempts and five hits, according to Russo. Dumba was moved up to the top pairing to play with Ryan Suter since Jared Spurgeon – more on him in a bit – sat out with an upper-body-injury.
- Through five games this season, six-year veteran winger Nino Niederreiter is averaging just 12:18 of ice time per game. That’s down 1 1/2 minutes off his average from 2015-16. The diminished ice time might be a factor in Niederreiter’s sluggish start – two points, both assists – but as Russo writes, Boudreau hasn’t seen enough from Niederreiter to award him additional ice time: “Not enough. Not enough. Granted he hasn’t played a lot of minutes, probably averaged 10 ½ minutes, 11 minutes a game. He’s a big, strong guy with a good shot. He’s got to get more.” When asked whether moving him up in the lineup would spark the Swiss left-wing, the coach said: “I don’t think you get anything for free in this league. Hopefully he’ll earn them. I thought he was better last night than he was the previous night, which is good. So he might get a few more minutes tonight.” Niederreiter has posted back-to-back campaigns of 20 or more goals and has averaged 1.9 shots-per-game over the last two years. The Wild need Niederreiter to be better though the usual disclaimer about small-sample sizes applies here.
- As noted above, Jared Spurgeon missed Saturday’s game with the Devils due to an upper-body-injury he originally suffered Thursday when Matt Martin of the Leafs crunched the Wild defender against the boards. As Russo indicates, Spurgeon will miss his second consecutive game tonight and there doesn’t appear to be a timetable for his return.
- Erik Haula, like Spurgeon, is expected to be held out of the lineup tonight. According to Russo, Haula has been wearing a walking boot since the home opener though last night was the first time the injury has kept him out of the lineup. Russo considers a potential lengthy absence of Haula “a significant loss for the Wild.”
- Finally, free agent addition Chris Stewart, who inked a two-year pact with the Wild over the summer, is off to a slow start despite recording three points in five games. The big winger was signed to add physicality and some scoring punch to the club’s bottom-six. However, Stewart has just two hits and three shots on goal while averaging better than 13 minutes per contest. During a career which has spanned 524 regular season games, Stewart has averaged 1.25 hits and more than two shots per game, numbers which suggest the big winger does in fact have more to offer the Wild on the ice.
Snapshots: Flyers, Escrow, Murray, Despres
While the Flyers are receiving some good news on the injury front, it will be a while before they can actually benefit from it, writes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. Center Scott Laughton has been skating since Friday and is hoping to be ready in the next seven to ten days to return to the lineup from a knee injury. As for Michael Del Zotto, he skated for the first time on Sunday after suffering a knee injury of his own.
On the surface, that might sound promising that both are nearing returns to the lineup but there is one hiccup they have to deal with. At the start of the season, the Flyers placed both players on long-term injury reserve (LTIR), allowing them to have replacement players while remaining cap compliant. As a result, both players must miss at least 10 games and 24 days of action. Even though both players may be ready to go before the 24 days are up, neither will be able to return to playing until their November 5th game against Montreal.
Other news from around the league:
- The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to set the first quarter escrow rate on pay at 15.5%, notes TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Teams withhold the escrow amounts in order to maintain an equal 50/50 split of revenues as listed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. While the 15.5% represents a reduction compared to last year (17%), it’s still unlikely that the players will receive a lot of that money back. In 2014-15 – the last season where total revenues have been finalized – the players had 15% withheld as escrow and only received 2.05% of it back. The large gap will likely continue to be a problem as league revenues begin to flat line with the NHLPA exercising at least some part of their cap escalator each offseason.
- Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray is not currently with the team on their road trip but could join them at some point this week, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Murray missed Saturday’s game in Dallas with a head injury after a collision with Chicago’s Brent Seabrook on Friday night.
- The Ducks have placed blueliner Simon Despres on LTIR, TSN’s Bob McKenzie notes (Twitter link). The move gives Anaheim some more financial flexibility in the short-term as they look to re-sign RFA defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Despres is currently out with an upper body injury that is believed to be concussion-like symptoms.