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Ottawa Senators Sign Tyler Ennis To PTO

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Sep 21: Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report that the Vancouver Canucks also offered Ennis a PTO and will “continue to monitor” his situation with the Senators. It is important to note that a tryout with one team does not stop a player from signing an NHL contract with another, meaning at any point Ennis could decide to join the Canucks if an offer is put on the table.

Sep 19: The Ottawa Senators are bringing back a familiar face. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team will bring veteran forward Tyler Ennis to training camp on a PTO after he spent time with the team in 2019-20.

Last season with the Edmonton Oilers, Ennis struggled to stay in the lineup consistently and was limited to just nine points in 30 games. But while Ennis isn’t the 20-goal scorer of yore, he’s still shown the ability to be a valuable depth contributor at the NHL level. He maybe demonstrated that most during his time in Ottawa, scoring 14 goals and 33 points in 61 games. He was dealt to the Oilers at that year’s trade deadline, but now the Edmonton native will have another chance to show he can make an impact in Ottawa.

It’s hard to imagine Ennis receives anything more than league minimum based on his production last season. Still, Ennis remains a reliable play-driving forward who’s good at helping chance generation in the bottom six. Ottawa’s forward depth may have gotten a slight boost with the signing of Logan Brown yesterday, but the team still needs more bodies to fill out depth roles. Ennis could very well help alleviate this weakness for Ottawa at a bargain-bin price. It’s hard to argue with most any professional tryout contract, but Ottawa could see some serious dividends here if Ennis performs similarly to his 2019-20 numbers.

Winnipeg Jets Place Sami Niku On Unconditional Waivers

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Sep 21: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Niku has cleared waivers. He can now have his contract terminated and become a free agent.

Sep 20: Somewhat surprisingly, the Winnipeg Jets have placed Sami Niku on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, according to CapFriendly. Niku was heading into the second season of a two-year one-way contract he signed in 2020 that carried an average annual value of $725K. That entire cap hit will come off the books with the termination and Niku will become an unrestricted free agent.

While usually these terminations are followed by a contract overseas, it does not appear to be the case for Niku. Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star tweets that Niku is hoping for a fresh start with another NHL organization and Europe is not his current focus. It’s understandable that the 24-year-old defenseman believes he can play at the highest level, given his dominance of the AHL and 54 games in the NHL.

Despite that early experience, it seemed obvious that Niku was not going to get regular playing time with the Jets this season after the team brought in several new options on the back end. Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon have joined the group, while Logan Stanley, Dylan Samberg, and Ville Heinola all represent young options that have passed him on the organizational depth chart. Niku played just six games for the Jets this season.

A seventh-round pick in 2015, Niku’s stock skyrocketed in the next few years, as he established himself as a top prospect in Finland. He found success at the World Juniors, winning a gold medal in 2016, found regular playing time in Liiga, the highest level of Finnish hockey, and then won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman in an outstanding rookie season in North America. That 2017-18 campaign, when Niku registered 54 points in 76 games for the Manitoba Moose, earned him a one-game call-up with the Jets and a regular role the following season. Since then things haven’t gone as smoothly, but there is still a lot of upside in the smooth-skating defender.

Of course, this is basically just giving Niku a chance to pick his next team. If the Jets had tried to send him down this season he would have required waivers, meaning any team in the league could have claimed him for that $725K cap hit (actually lower than the league minimum this season). A contract termination will allow him to negotiate with whoever he wants and find a spot where he can receive NHL minutes, if available. For teams looking for young assets, there are certainly worse gambles to take.

Zac Rinaldo Not Invited To Blue Jackets Camp

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Despite signing a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets just over a month ago, Zac Rinaldo is not invited to their training camp. When speaking with the media today, Blue Jackets president John Davidson explained that Rinaldo has chosen not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and because of that, will appear at the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters training camp instead. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN tweeted the full quote:

Forward Zac Rinaldo, who we signed to a two-way contract this summer, is not vaccinated and because of that – and that’s his decision – the plan is to start him in the American Hockey League and he will not be coming to our training camp.

Rinaldo, 31, has played 374 games in the NHL but is known much more for his skill with his fists than the puck. The veteran forward has just 42 career points but has racked up 758 penalty minutes. The likelihood of him securing a full-time role on the Blue Jackets was already very slim, but appears to be non-existent now as the league’s strict policies make it difficult to carry a player who has refused the vaccine. Recently, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly projected that only 10-15 players on NHL rosters will be unvaccinated by the start of the season. The Blue Jackets announced that the other 67 players invited to NHL training camp are vaccinated.

Still, it is likely that Rinaldo and his agents already knew that he would be playing in the AHL for a good portion of the year since they negotiated a hefty $300K minor league guarantee. Despite his $275K AHL salary, he’ll receive the full $300K even if he fails to play a single game for Columbus.

Additionally, The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that the NHLPA will review the situation, considering Rinaldo has not officially been sent to AHL Cleveland as of yet.

Rinaldo played four games last season for the Calgary Flames, scoring zero points.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Alex Galchenyuk To PTO

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The Arizona Coyotes are bringing a familiar face back to training camp, signing Alex Galchenyuk to a professional tryout according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Galchenyuk, 27, appeared to be on his way out of hockey entirely before the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him up this season and worked to rebuild his game. It proved effective–at least somewhat–in the regular season when he registered 12 points in 26 games, but Galchenyuk was back to his frustratingly inconsistent self in the postseason. Flashes of brilliance were marred by one brutal giveaway, making his four points in six games against the Montreal Canadiens not mean much of anything.

It’s that inconsistency that has plagued Galchenyuk since his 30-goal season in Montreal when he looked like the star they hoped to select at third overall in 2012. He has struggled to find a fit with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators since then, meaning his last successful season was actually in Arizona in 2018-19. He had 19 goals and 41 points that year playing away from the bright lights of a big market, a form he is obviously hoping to regain with this tryout contract.

For the Coyotes, skill, inconsistent as it may be, is needed on this year’s roster. The team has Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, and Nick Schmaltz at the top, but otherwise have a group of forwards that are all basically bottom-six options at this point. In fact, many of them couldn’t even secure that role on other teams, meaning Galchenyuk should have at least a fighting chance for an NHL contract.

Philadelphia Flyers Announce Several Injuries

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Philadelphia Flyers training camp hasn’t even officially opened yet and the team is already announcing multiple injuries. Kevin Hayes will be out six to eight weeks following abdominal surgery, Samuel Morin was given a six to eight-week timeline after knee surgery on September 10 and Wade Allison, who was injured at the recent rookie tournament, is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain. Zayde Wisdom is still out indefinitely following his shoulder surgery and Cooper Zech is out six to eight weeks with an upper-body issue.

Hayes is the obvious headline here, given he is expected to be a key part of the Flyers’ attack again this season. According to head coach Alain Vigneault, the veteran center felt pain in his groin yesterday and went in for surgery today. Six weeks from today is November 2, meaning he will miss at least the first ten or so games of the regular season should the timeline prove accurate.

In fact, the head coach specifically noted how difficult the first month of the season will be without Hayes and Allison, who also made quite an impact in his short time last season. The 23-year-old Allison scored four goals and seven points in 14 games with the Flyers after showing he was more than ready for the jump to the NHL. Selected 52nd overall in 2016, he could very well push up the depth chart this season as the team tries to find a new identity.

For Morin, this latest surgery was to have loose bodies removed, not a repair of any major ligament. That should inspire at least a bit of confidence that he’ll be able to return at full strength, but it’s difficult to project anything for the 26-year-old at this point. Once a promising defensive prospect, his professional career has been ravaged by injuries, limiting him to just 58 games (at any level) since the start of the 2017-18 season. After a failed attempt to restart his career as a forward, Morin returned to the defensive side of the puck late last season and is listed again as a defenseman this season.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Bobby Ryan To PTO

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The Detroit Red Wings will give Bobby Ryan another chance to play this season, or at least a chance to earn a contract. The veteran forward has signed a professional tryout with Detroit and will be at training camp when it starts in a few days.

Ryan, 34, played 33 games for the Red Wings last season, scoring seven goals and 14 points before injury shut him down. He quickly explained then that he wanted to continue his playing career if possible, but a PTO wasn’t an unforeseeable conclusion at this point. There was a time that Ryan was one of the most feared power forwards in the league, scoring 30+ goals on a regular basis, but that player has been gone for years now. Over the last two seasons, he has combined for just 22 points in 77 games, though he remains a beloved teammate and locker room presence.

The interesting thing about Ryan is that a league minimum contract shouldn’t be a problem, given that he will still earn $1.83MM from the Ottawa Senators this season after a 2020 buyout. In fact, he’ll earn that amount in each of the next four seasons after they bought out the final two years of his seven-year, $50.75MM deal. Ryan played for the Red Wings last year with a $1MM salary, but likely won’t even command that much if he does earn a deal again this year.

Of course it may not be in Detroit at all, given how many youngsters they also want to fit into the lineup. A tryout gives Ryan the chance to showcase himself for the whole league and prove that there’s still something left in his tank.

Filip Lindberg Eyeing NHL Role With Penguins

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Training camp is a time for special interest stories. Seasoned vets and rookies alike sit down with their teams’ communications staffs and talk about their summers, their history with the team – or for newcomers their introduction, and their hopes and dreams for the seasons. However, no team is going to provide their fans with false hope about a prospect’s chances to help the team with stories of unreasonable expectations for the season. They may ask an AHL-bound player about his aspirations for the year, but will keep their own statements at least relatively grounded.

So when the Pittsburgh Penguins publish an article about premier college free agent signing Filip Lindberg hoping to win a job with the NHL team in his first pro season, it isn’t just puffery. When the team writes that “Lindberg is in [a] competition for playing time amongst the other netminders here in Pittsburgh as he looks to earn a starting role”, it doesn’t require much reading between the lines. It appears that the reigning NCAA National Champion, at just 22 years old, will actually have a chance to battle for a roster spot this preseason.

The Penguins were expected to bring in a veteran goaltender this off-season following inconsistency issues with starter Tristan Jarry and injury concerns with backup Casey DeSmith. Louis Domingue is not exactly what fans were expecting. Instead, Lindberg was the real value addition to the crease this summer. A seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2019 following his freshman season at UMass, Lindberg had far outplayed his draft stock by the time he decided to leave college early and turn pro this year, spurning Minnesota for free agency in the process. In three NCAA seasons, Lindberg never posted a GAA over 2.00 nor a save percentage below .927. In 50 appearances for the Minutemen, he recorded a stunning .937 SV% and 1.55 GAA and, unsurprisingly, a .711 points percentage. This culminated in an NCAA Tournament performance for the ages, earning two shutouts for a .986 save percentage and 0.33 GAA in three games en route to UMass’ first ever title.

As accomplished as he may be at the college level, is Lindberg really ready for the NHL as a first-year pro? Maybe not for most NHL teams, but the Penguins have limited options. Jarry, 26, still appears to be locked in as the team’s starter, especially with another season left on his contract. However, 30-year-old DeSmith who has had struggles with injuries and inconsistency and is in the final year of his deal with the Penguins may not have much left to offer. Even if DeSmith begins the season on the NHL roster, he may not last. Would it really then benefit Pittsburgh to bring in journeyman Domingue over potential future NHL starter Lindberg? A strong performance in camp would be a good start for the college star, but may not be enough to win him a job outright. However, continued excellence in the AHL, including stealing starts from Domingue, could quickly put Lindberg in line for an NHL shot and perhaps even a full-time job in year one.

Before too long, even the starter’s job could belong to the lightning-quick netminder. Lindberg already unseated one Matt Murray in his career. Who’s to say he can’t do the same to Matt Murray’s replacements in Pittsburgh?

Health Notes: Morin, Drouin, Ylonen

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The news out of Philadelphia surrounding Samuel Morin does not sound good. Anthony SanFillipo, co-host of Flyers podcast “Snow The Goalie”, reports that multiple sources have shared that the defenseman-turned-forward has suffered another “significant” knee injury. Morin, 26, has previously suffered two torn ACL’s in his career, both occurring within a 20-month period in 2018 and 2019. As a result, Morin played just six NHL games and five AHL games over those two affected seasons. To date, the 2013 No. 11 overall pick has played in only 29 NHL games and has just one point. While this has had a serious impact on Morin’s development as a pro, he appeared to be back on track this past season with 27 games played between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms and was adjusting nicely to his new position. However, yet another knee serious knee injury could very well mean another lost season for Morin, if not the end of his playing career. It’s a devastating result for a player who showed so much promise coming out of the QMJHL. SanFillipo says to expect a formal announcement from Philadelphia this week.

  • Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has finally spoken up about his leave of absence this past season. Drouin told Chantal Machabee of RDS in a one-on-one interview that he dealt with mental health issues last year. While Drouin notes that he has dealt with anxiety for years, it turned more serious late in the 2020-21 campaign when that anxiety led to insomnia. Drouin tried to push through, but it became too difficult to handle and he decided he needed to take a break. “It was really a step back, to have a lifestyle that was easier for me,” Drouin said. “There are times when I could go three evenings without sleeping and go and play two games in two nights. This is not something that is normal for any human and I had to change that a bit.” The Canadiens placed Drouin on LTIR and he missed the team’s miraculous run to the Stanley Cup. However, he is ready to get back to work this season. Drouin said he’s “doing very well” and that “the passion never left” and that he is excited to return to the game. Habs fans hope that the talented forward is ready to get back to his scoring ways as well.
  • Montreal will have no shortage of health issues to monitor this season. Young forward Jesse Ylonen, who is expected to challenge for an NHL roster spot, will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 this season, reports TVA. This is apparently a “personal decision” that will leave Ylonen as one of only 15 or so players expected to be unvaccinated. It has already forced Ylonen into a quarantine upon his arrival to Montreal which caused him to miss a rookie game on Saturday. That could be just the beginning though, as Ylonen will be subject to unpaid suspension if he is unable to travel due to local health policies or worse if he contracts COVID.

Snapshots: Petruzzelli, Lowe, Kimball

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When the signing deadline came and went for college draft picks without a deal for Keith Petruzzelli, it wasn’t clear what the plan was for the towering goaltender. The Detroit Red Wings had picked him 88th overall in 2017 and he had played four seasons at Quinnipiac University. Normally that would mean he would be forced to turn pro, but he actually could have returned to school for a fifth NCAA season because of the extra year of availability granted after COVID-19 caused many schools to pause their programs.

That’s exactly what the Red Wings wanted Petruzzelli to do, according to a report from Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, but the 22-year-old was ready to test himself at the next level. He signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, joining a Maple Leafs’ organization that is still searching for its “goaltender of the future.” The 2021 Hobey Baker finalist explained to Wheeler exactly why he chose Toronto to start his pro career and went in-depth on the struggles he has had to add weight to his 6’6″ frame in the past. There’s still a long way to go for the young netminder, but an NHL deal at some point down the road seems likely.

  • Kevin Lowe, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2020 will have his No. 4 retired by the Edmonton Oilers on November 4. It’s fitting that the New York Rangers are in town on that night, as that’s the only other NHL team Lowe played for during his 19-year career. A veteran of 1,254 regular season games, Lowe was a core member of the Oilers teams that won five Stanley Cup championships in seven years and was still effective enough to help the Rangers take home the 1994 title at age-35. Lowe now serves as alternate governor for the Oilers after previously serving as head coach, general manager, and president of hockey operations for the club.
  • The Washington Capitals have named Dr. Aimee Kimball as the senior director of team and organizational development. Kimball has spent the last 15 years in the NHL, including the last four years with the New Jersey Devils as director of player development. The Capitals explain that in her role, Kimball will provide “skilled direction and support in the areas of player development falling outside the standard skills (strength, and on-ice training).” As a mental training consultant, Kimball spent a decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, including during their championship seasons of 2009 and 2016. She also currently serves as a mental performance coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team as the prepare for the upcoming 2022 Olympics.

New York Islanders Sign Otto Koivula, Cole Bardreau

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Sep 20: The Islanders have officially announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Andreoff, Bardreau, Koivula, Timashov and Paul LaDue, all players whose deals had been previously reported. The team did not confirm any of the contract details.

Sep 16: Just following the news that Andy Andreoff and Dmytro Timashov are signing with the New York Islanders, CapFriendly reported two other players that are now under contract with the team. Otto Koivula, one of the teams remaining restricted free agents, has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K in the NHL, $125K in the AHL and carries a $175K minor league guarantee. Cole Bardreau meanwhile has inked a two-year, two-way contract that carries an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level, pays him an average of $170K in the AHL and contains minor league guarantees of at least $205K.

Koivula, 23, split last season between Finland and the AHL, suiting up 20 times for the Bridgeport Sond Tigers. He had just two goals and nine points in those games, but has been a very strong contributor in the past. In fact, he played well enough to earn 12 games at the NHL level in 2019-20, though he failed to record a single point during them. The 6’5″ forward was a fourth-round pick by the Islanders in 2016 and is coming off his entry-level contract.

Bardreau, 28, is a little bit of a different story. The undrafted center has been a long-time minor league staple, first playing five years for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before joining Bridgeport in 2019. He scored ten goals and 16 points for them in 24 games last season and shouldn’t be expected to have much of an impact in the NHL. Bardreau did get ten games with the big club in 2019-20, but is likely getting locked up to be a key part of the Sound Tigers attack for the next two seasons.

Like all of the other reported deals, the Islanders have not yet officially confirmed either Koivula or Bardreau.

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