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Archives for September 2021

Training Camp Cuts: 09/29/21

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With just two weeks left before the start of the regular season, teams across the league are starting to pare down their rosters to the last few competitions. As always, we’ll keep track of all the cuts and loans right here.

Colorado Avalanche (via press release)

F Alex Beaucage (to Colorado, AHL)
F Nick Henry (to Colorado, AHL)
F Dalton Smith (to Colorado, AHL)
G Trent Miner (to Colorado, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)

D Max Wanner (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Simon Kubicek (released from ATO)

Los Angeles Kings (via team Twitter)

F Martin Chromiak (to Kingston, OHL)
F Francesco Pinelli (to Kitchener, OHL)
D Cade McNelly (released from ATO)

New York Rangers (via team Twitter)

F Justin Richards (to Hartford, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (via Joe Smith, The Athletic)

F Jack Finley (to Spokane, WHL)
F Niko Huuhtanen (to Everett, WHL)
F Cameron MacDonald (to Saint John, QMJHL)
F Declan McDonnell (to Kitchener, OHL)
D Roman Schmidt (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Xavier Cormier (released from ATO)
D Avery Winslow (released from ATO)

This page will be updated throughout the day

Roster Decisions Loom For Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken approached the Expansion Draft differently than the Vegas Golden Knights in a number of ways. They did not make any side deals, they wasted fewer selections on players they did not intend to sign, and they made fewer trades after the draft. While the results were too similarly deep teams, with the Knights adding talent through side deals and the Kraken going after several big free agents, Vegas did not face the roster crunch that Seattle is now staring down. The Knights pared down their roster strategically early on, while the Kraken are seemingly waiting to see how the preseason plays out. With those game already underway, the regular season is right around the corner and the Kraken’s inaugural 23-man roster is far from set.

The biggest question facing the NHL’s newest franchise is just how risk-averse are Ron Francis and company. Francis was a slow and methodical builder in Carolina who was actually criticized for taking too few changes and missing out on potential big swings. That Francis would look at this current roster and see a worrisome number of potential waivers casualties – and he would be right. CapFriendly currently projects forwards Morgan Geekie and Kole Lind and defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Cale Fleury as being among those sent down to the AHL. The odds of any of those players clearing waivers, nevertheless all five, seem slim. Geekie especially would be a can’t-miss waiver claim (and as such won’t be waived). Lind and Fleury are each only 22 and were highly-regarded prospects in the 2017 NHL Draft, while Cholowski has a 2016 first-rounder and already has 100+ NHL games under his belt.

Yet, the trade-off is obvious. The Kraken could take their chances and try to slip some or all of these names through waivers and establish elite depth in the minors or they could find space on the roster to avoid the threat of waivers. The latter would not be easy. Again, CapFriendly already has Seattle at 24 roster members, one more than is permissible. This is likely in recognition that Yanni Gourde is expected to begin the season on the injured reserve, but still presents issues once he returns. Clearly space for upwards of four additional contracts is a daunting task. The roster is rife with veteran talent, all of whom have been skating together in camp and building chemistry. The vast majority simply will not be assigned to the AHL, but even those on the bubble may have carved out a role for themselves already. Could the Kraken demote late-summer signings Riley Sheahan and Ryan Donato? Possibly, but that is just two openings and both at forward. On defense, there is seemingly no one that could be sent down and the Kraken are not going to carry nine or ten blue liners.

All of this leads to the real roster crunch question: trade or cut? Seattle will have to decide who they want on the 23-man roster and from there decide whether to test the trade market on the outliers or take the zero-sum approach of waivers. They would have little leverage in making deals with the roster crunch looming unless they decide to dangle players with enough value to create a bidding war. Constructing their opening night roster thus could mean determining not the 23 best players, but the 23 players that maximize their value with the others either possessing trade value or lesser waivers risk.

The roster crunch could go in a number of different directions for the Kraken. The one thing that is certain is that NHL’s newest roster is not going to look the same by the franchise’s regular season debut. Change is coming and it is key for the expansion club that they are the right changes.

Tampa Bay Lightning Extend GM Julien Brisebois

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Steve Yzerman may have built the foundation, but it was Julien Brisebois who put the finishing touches on a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion. For that, the Tampa Bay Lightning have awarded their general manager a much deserved extension. As first reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Brisebois has signed a new multi-year contract to remain in Tampa.

Brisebois is just 44 years old and already has one of the most impressive front office resumes in hockey. Brisebois was promoted to GM of the Lightning in 2018 after eight years as Assistant GM and GM of the club’s AHL affiliate, at first the Norfolk Admirals and then the Syracuse Crunch. Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Brisebois has worked for his hometown Montreal Canadiens for six years as a Director/Vice President of Hockey Operations and also as AHL GM. In addition to these two Cups with the Lightning, Brisebois oversaw Calder Cup titles with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2010 and the Admirals in 2012.

This extension should squash any remaining belief out of Montreal that Brisebois could take after his mentor Yzerman and return to his hometown team. With current Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin on an expiring contract this year, there was some hope from Habs fans that perhaps the historic team could poach Brisebois. Instead, he will stick with Tampa, which still has one of the most talented rosters in the NHL even after several key departures this off-season. The salary cap could continue to chip away at the Lightning core, but with Brisebois at the helm the team can rest easy that they are in good hands.

Snapshots: Blackwood, Coyotes, Dach

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The New Jersey Devils were one of the teams to announce during the start of training camp that a player in their organization was unvaccinated, and today Mackenzie Blackwood confirmed that it was him. When speaking with media including Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, Blackwood explained that he hasn’t decided whether or not he will be vaccinated in the future, but has “a couple of health concerns and health reasons” why he has not received it yet.

Though Blackwood will be held to stricter protocols because of his status, the Devils won’t be forced to go without him at the start of the season like some other teams with unvaccinated players. New Jersey is not scheduled to travel to Canada until a December 3 game against the Winnipeg Jets, meaning there would still be time for the young goaltender to receive a league-approved vaccine in time to accompany them on the road trip if he chooses to do so. Blackwood was one of the players to test positive for Coronavirus earlier this year, missing several games.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have hired David Oliver and Scott Pellerin as pro scouts, adding to a scouting department that has experienced a complete overhaul since general manager Bill Armstrong took over the front office. Oliver has spent the last several years as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, and before that worked for years with the Colorado Avalanche organization. Pellerin meanwhile was previously the Toronto Maple Leafs’ director of player development and had been with the club for seven years.
  • While Kirby Dach is busy preparing for an important season with the Chicago Blackhawks, little brother Colton Dach is heading to a new team in the WHL. The 18-year-old forward, who was picked 62nd overall by the Blackhawks this year, has been traded from the Saskatoon Blades to the Kelowna Rockets. Colton Dach has not yet signed his entry-level with the Blackhawks, but is another big-bodied two-way player that has a legitimate future in the middle of the ice. He had 11 goals and 20 points in 20 games for Saskatoon last season, but will try to build on that this time around in Kelowna.

Dallas Stars Sign Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven

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The Dallas Stars have signed prospect Wyatt Johnston to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected 23rd overall in the 2021 NHL Draft and is expected to head back to the Windsor Spitfires for the upcoming season. The team has also signed Logan Stankoven to a three-year entry-level deal. Stankoven was picked 47th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft and will be playing for the Kamloops Blazers this season.

Johnston, 18, is one of the OHL prospects that missed an entire year of development in 2020-21, waiting for the league to return from their indefinite COVID suspension. He did get some time in with Hockey Canada at a long camp provided for CHL players with nowhere to go and won a gold medal with the program at the U18 World Juniors, but still missed a great chance to make his mark on the league.

That meant when Dallas selected the 6’1″ center it was based on just 53 appearances at the OHL level, in which he scored just 12 goals and 30 points. That’s not the production most first-round picks have on their resume, but there are huge things expected from Johnston this season as he returns more physically mature than in 2020. A star for the Toronto Marlboros minor program that has produced countless NHL players including first overall picks like Connor McDavid, Rick Nash, John Tavares, and Jack Hughes, Johnston will be a player to watch for the Spitfires this season and already has his entry-level deal inked for whenever he turns pro.

Stankoven, 18, was also on that U18 team that won gold and actually heads into this season with quite a bit more production at the junior level. Though he played just six games with the Blazers last season, Stankoven now has 59 points in 72 WHL games. Though undersized–he stands just 5’8″ 170-lbs–Stankoven plays with a fearlessness that always has him around the net and battling for the puck in the corners. He was ranked 31st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting before the draft, and very likely would have been a first-round pick had he measured in a few inches taller. That small frame will always be an obstacle for Stankoven, but it hasn’t stopped him from producing at any level in the past.

Should both players return to junior, their contracts will slide forward, not burning the first year of the entry-level deals.

Injury Notes: Matthews, Theodore, Karlstrom, Dach

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The Toronto Maple Leafs had a welcome sight at practice today when Auston Matthews joined the main group for the first time. Matthews is rehabbing from offseason wrist surgery and had been working out on his own previously, but will now be part of the non-contact drills as he progresses toward full strength. The star center is still on track to be ready for the start of the season, though it is not clear if he will participate in any of the team’s remaining exhibition games.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights were missing Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb at practice today, though neither one is considered seriously injured. Head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic that Theodore is day-to-day, while McNabb does not have any structural damage to his injured leg. Mark Stone, who was also dealing with a minor injury, was back at practice and “is going to be fine” according to DeBoer.
  • The Dallas Stars had both Jani Hakanpaa and Fredrik Karlstrom leave last night’s game with injuries, but head coach Rick Bowness tells team reporter Mike Heika that the former will be just day-to-day. Karlstrom meanwhile will be out “longer” than that, though it’s not clear exactly what that means. The 23-year-old forward has spent the last several seasons in the SHL but is in camp competing for a spot on the NHL roster as his entry-level deal approaches its expiry. Karlstrom is only under contract through the end of this season and has to this point not played a professional game in North America.
  • Kirby Dach, who missed a huge chunk of last season due to wrist surgery, told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that he’s feeling back to 100 percent and has for a while now. He no longer has to think about the injured wrist, which limited him to just 18 games in 2020-21. Still just 20 years old, Dach is poised to assume a huge amount of responsibility for the Blackhawks as a top-six center and should be considered a true breakout contender, given his likely linemates. If the Blackhawks want to contend for the playoffs this season, they’ll need a big performance out of the young forward.

Bode Wilde Loaned To Vasterviks IK

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The New York Islanders have loaned prospect Bode Wilde to Vasterviks IK in Sweden for the upcoming season. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello explained earlier this month that one unvaccinated player in the organization would be loaned overseas, and as Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweeted last week, Wilde appears to be that player.

Wilde, 21, is under contract through the 2022-23 season and appeared in 22 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season. The 41st overall pick in 2018, his skating ability and size made him a scout’s dream but Wilde has yet to show he is ready for the NHL. In 42 games at the AHL level, he has eight points and still likely needs some development before taking the next step. How this loan affects his status in the Islanders organization is obviously not clear, though he now will not be able to work on a day-to-day basis with their development or coaching teams.

Of note, Vasterviks IK is not in the SHL, but the second tier in Sweden which is called HockeyAllsvenskan. That lower league should provide Wilde with an opportunity to excel if given the ice time and opportunity.

Conner Bleackley Signs In ECHL

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In 2013, the Colorado Avalanche selected Nathan MacKinnon. In 2015, they picked Mikko Rantanen. Those two players would go on to be the building blocks of a team that is a top contender for the Stanley Cup, but in between, there was a draft class as forgettable as any in franchise history. The 2014 Colorado class has just 66 games to its name, all by Anton Lindholm, who currently plays in the KHL.

The first pick by Colorado that year was a WHL center named Conner Bleackley, selected 23rd overall after he scored 68 points in 71 games for the Red Deer Rebels. He had been named captain of the Rebels at a young age and looked like a good bet as a two-way contributor down the middle, a nice complement to MacKinnon’s huge upside. Bleackley would never get that chance with the Avalanche though, as he was shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes (along with fellow 2014 draft pick Kyle Wood) for Mikkel Boedker in 2016 before he even signed an entry-level contract. With just months to go before his draft rights expired, Bleackley didn’t reach a deal with the Coyotes either, meaning he could re-enter the 2016 draft.

This time, after dealing with injuries and failing to take a step forward in his final two years of junior, Bleackley fell to the fifth round where the St. Louis Blues used the 144th pick on him. The Coyotes ended up getting a compensation pick instead (which helped them move up in the first round to select Jakob Chychrun), and Bleackley would finally sign his entry-level deal, this time with St. Louis.

Unfortunately, that promising two-way NHL center never appeared, and Bleackley has bounced around the minor leagues ever since. He’s no longer an NHL prospect, but that doesn’t mean his playing career is over. The 25-year-old has signed with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners for the 2021-22 season, returning to a team he played for in 2019-20. Overall, Bleackley has suited up for the Chicago Wolves, Missouri Mavericks, Tulsa Oilers, San Antonio Rampage, Texas Stars, Idaho Steelheads, Hartford Wolf Pack, Allen Americans, and the Mariners since turning pro in 2016.

NHL Opens New Investigation Into Evander Kane

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Sep 28: Though Kane has been cleared of the gambling allegations, two new investigations will keep him away from training camp for the time being. The Sharks released a statement on September 23 explaining that the two sides had agreed he will stay away from camp until the matter is resolved. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the league is investigating a potential breach of COVID protocol, though could not provide any details on the violation. In a story published on NHL.com when the gambling investigation was concluded, the league announced that there was an “allegation of inappropriate behavior potentially jeopardizing the health and safety of Club members.”

Sep 22: The NHL has concluded its investigation into Evander Kane and the allegations that he gambled on league games. They have found no evidence to support those allegations, or allegations that Kane made any effort to negatively impact his own games. The investigation was conducted by Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, in conjunction with NHL Security. Earlier this offseason, allegations were made on social media by Kane’s estranged wife, which triggered the investigation.

The report states:

The investigation uncovered no evidence to corroborate Ms. Kane’s accusations that Mr. Kane bet or otherwise participated in gambling on NHL games, and no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Mr. Kane ‘threw’ games or did not put forward his best effort to help the Sharks win games. To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations.

While Mr. Kane denied the accusations, our findings are not based on these denials but instead on other evidence uncovered during the investigation.

This investigation reviewed social media, public data, court filings from Kane’s bankruptcy and divorce proceedings, sports betting data and analysis, while also interviewing members of the Sharks organization and Kane himself. His wife refused to participate in the investigation.

While he has been cleared of the gambling allegations, the release indicates that a separate investigation into Kane is ongoing:

Additional unrelated allegations, however, involving potential wrongdoing by Mr. Kane have been brought to our attention. These allegations are being thoroughly investigated and the National Hockey League will have no further comment regarding their substance pending completion of that process.

A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reported that Kane’s wife filed a domestic violence restraining order application yesterday as part of her divorce case that alleges sexual assault and multiple instances of domestic battery. Kane’s attorney made it clear that the Sharks forward denies all of those allegations. It is not clear if these are the allegations that the NHL is investigating, or what kind of timeline this separate investigation will be on.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/28/21

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Training camp is still just a few days old, but teams continue to pare down their rosters. The waiver process doesn’t open until later this week, but junior and minor league players are already being sent away from the main group. As always, we’ll keep track of all of the cuts right here.

Anaheim Ducks (via press release)

F Sean Tschigerl (to Calgary, WHL)
F Logan Nijhoff (released from ATO)
D Mikael Diotte (released from ATO)
D Miguel Tourigny (released from ATO)

Florida Panthers (via team Twitter)

F Justin Sourdif (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Evan Nause (to Quebec, QMJHL)
D Braden Hache (to Kingston, OHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

D Daniil Sobolev (to Windsor, OHL)

New York Rangers (via team Twitter)

F Tanner Fritz (to Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)
F Austin Rueschhoff (to Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)
D Tarmo Reunanen (to Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via press release)

F Justin Almeida (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jan Drozg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via press release)

F Tanner Dickinson (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

F Haakon Hanelt (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
F Bear Hughes (to Spokane, WHL)
D Martin Has (to Kitchener, OHL)
D Dru Krebs (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
G Garin Bjorklund (to Medicine Hat, WHL)

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