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Archives for October 2021

Five Kraken Players In COVID Protocol

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Oct 12: Johansson has been cleared and can play tonight, but Hakstol told reporters including Clark that Jarnkrok, McCann, Oleksiak and Donskoi are all still unavailable. The lineup is a “work in progress” for the Kraken.

Oct 11: Just after the Vegas Golden Knights announced that Mattias Janmark is in the COVID protocol, their opponent for tomorrow night had some even worse news. Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that Calle Jarnkrok, Marcus Johansson, Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak and Joonas Donskoi are all in the COVID protocol.

Just like with Janmark, it is important to remember that inclusion in the protocol does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.

Still, this is troubling news for a Kraken team that is expected to play the first game in franchise history tomorrow. Clark notes that the team is trying to get Alex Barre-Boulet, claimed off waivers today from the Tampa Bay Lightning to Vegas in time to play tomorrow night for the Kraken. Losing Jarnkrok, Johansson, McCann and Donskoi from the forward group is taking a huge chunk of the team’s offensive potential off the ice, though it is not confirmed yet if all of them will miss tomorrow’s game.

The team will have to make some adjustments to the roster before today’s deadline, not exactly the start that GM Ron Francis was likely hoping for as the Kraken get ready to take the ice for the first time.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Alex Chiasson

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As expected, the Vancouver Canucks have reached an agreement with veteran forward Alex Chiasson on a one-year contract. The deal will carry a salary of $750K. Chiasson was in Canucks camp on a professional tryout but did enough to earn a contract with the team. GM Jim Benning explained exactly how:

Alex is an established veteran who plays a physical game and brings a valuable net-front presence to our team, particularly on the power play. He’s a bigger player that doesn’t shy away from the tough areas of the ice and has fit in well with the rest of our forward group so far.

This isn’t the first time Chiasson has earned his way onto a roster through a PTO. In 2017 he joined Washington Capitals training camp on a tryout basis and quickly landed a contract, and in 2018 did the same with the Edmonton Oilers. A versatile player that set a career-high with 22 goals and 38 points in 2018-19, he actually could step directly into a pretty substantial role with the Canucks, at least at the start of the season.

In fact, he’s been skating next to Elias Pettersson in recent days, suggesting that he very well may start the season there when the Canucks kick things off tomorrow night. He’ll be in a familiar stomping ground, as Vancouver travels to Edmonton where Chiasson has spent the last three seasons.

New York Islanders Sign, Waive Michael Dal Colle

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Oct 12: Dal Colle has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 11: After hundreds of players have found themselves on waivers the last few weeks the wire was silent today save for one name. Michael Dal Colle has been placed on waivers by the New York Islanders, meaning he has officially signed a contract with the team. Dal Colle was an unrestricted free agent after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Islanders earlier this offseason, but spent camp with the team and will now likely report to the minor leagues should he clear. CapFriendly reports that Dal Colle receives a one-year, one-way contract worth the league minimum salary of $750K.

Though he’ll never shed the label of a fifth-overall pick, Dal Colle has worked to grind his way up to being a reliable depth option for the Islanders. He played in 26 games for the team last season, recording just four points but posting strong possession numbers in a limited role. This will be his first time on waivers, meaning perhaps a team will make a claim, but the Islanders likely are confident that he can clear and serve in an injury call-up role this time around.

The 6’3″ forward isn’t going to be an impact player, but for an Islanders team that has its sights set on the Stanley Cup, depth like Dal Colle is important to add whenever possible.

Several More Players Placed On LTIR

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Today, several teams around the league will place additional players on long-term injured reserve. The complicated calculations that are done to maximize LTIR relief and accruable cap space are different on the last day of training camp and the first day of the season, meaning in some cases it benefited a team to wait until today.

The players that receive the designation today will be out for a minimum of ten games and 24 days, meaning they are not available for their teams through the rest of October. Several prominent names are among them:

F Nicklas Backstrom (WSH)
F Andrew Shaw (CHI)
D Wyatt Kalynuk (CHI)
F Oskar Sundqvist (STL)
F Evgeni Malkin (PIT)

These designations have opened up some additional cap room, leading to recalls by each team. The Washington Capitals brought Connor McMichael and Beck Malenstyn up, the Chicago Blackhawks brought Mackenzie Entwistle and Philipp Kurashev back up, the St. Louis Blues recalled Klim Kostin and the Pittsburgh Penguins recalled Anthony Angello and Drew O’Connor (and signed Brian Boyle).

Other candidates, including Vegas Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber, New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk, Vancouver Canucks forwards Micheal Ferland and Brandon Sutter, and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev will likely be placed on LTIR at some point in the coming days. We will update this list as teams make those moves official.

Nikita Gusev Signs In KHL

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After failing to earn an NHL contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with who he attended training camp on a professional tryout, Nikita Gusev is headed back to the KHL. The free agent forward has signed a contract with SKA St. Petersburg through the end of the 2021-22 season.

Gusev, 29, is one of the more impressive one-and-done performances in recent NHL history. He came to the NHL with huge expectations in 2019 after a long successful career in Russia and put up 44 points in 66 games with the New Jersey Devils. Since then, he’s scored four goals, registered ten points and now couldn’t even find a contract.

That doesn’t mean a future in the NHL is completely out of the picture, Gusev is still young enough to try again next year. But unless his skating ability drastically improves in the next few months, it’s hard to see how any team would trust him in a top-six role. Given he doesn’t offer much outside of creative offensive play, the KHL may end up being where he plays out the rest of his career.

One thing on the horizon is the Olympics, where Gusev could still very likely be part of the Russian contingent. He was outstanding at the 2018 Games (which did not include NHL players) and has been dominant at World Championship tournaments in the past. That could be a place to catch the eye of another North American team, but whether he even wants to continue that path is unclear at this point.

Vitali Kravtsov Given Permission To Seek Trade

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One of the surprises among yesterday’s opening day roster submissions was in New York, where the Rangers decided to send Vitali Kravtsov back to the minor leagues. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team has given Kravtsov’s camp permission to seek a trade. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Kravtsov has refused the assignment to the AHL and will likely be suspended by the team.

The 21-year-old Kravtsov was the ninth overall pick just three years ago, but has had an up-and-down relationship with the Rangers ever since. After playing a handful of games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL at the start of the 2019-20 season, Kravtsov exercised his European Assignment Clause to return to the KHL. He’d been benched and even made a healthy scratch in the minor leagues, so he returned home to continue his development with a team he expected to play a lot for. That didn’t work out as planned, however, and Kravtsov was back in North America, playing for the Wolf Pack before the season was through.

Last season, with the KHL starting earlier than the professional leagues in North America, Kravtsov once again suited up for Traktor and showed he had reached a new level of consistency. The Rangers left him there through the end of the KHL campaign, and then added him to the NHL roster where he played in his first 20 games. He had just two goals and four points in those contests, but things seemed to be back on the right track.

Notably, Kravtsov changed agents a few months ago and is now represented by Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. In the final year of his entry-level contract, he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. After seeing Julien Gauthier and Dryden Hunt make the roster over him, it’s clear that Kravtsov’s time in New York may be coming to an end.

Ottawa Senators Extend Parker Kelly

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The Ottawa Senators have signed Parker Kelly to a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2023-24 season. The deal is two-way in 2023-24, paying Kelly $750K at the NHL level and $100K in the AHL, and is one-way in the final season and carries an NHL salary of $775K. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on the deal:

Parker has long been a consistently tenacious player for us. He’s competitive, hard-nosed, an efficient penalty killer and someone we can rely on to provide us with an energetic and determined effort every game.

It hasn’t really been very long, despite what Dorion says, as Kelly only played his first full season with the organization in 2019-20, but the tenacity has certainly been apparent from day one. An undrafted free agent signing in 2017, he returned to the Prince Albert Raiders for two seasons where his offensive production increased and then stepped into a role with the Belleville Senators without issue. Last season, Kelly made his NHL debut, scoring in his first and only game.

Kelly made the team’s opening night roster, though he seems likely to be the first send down should Brady Tkachuk reach a deal at some point in the near future. The 22-year-old is now locked up though and can provide some valuable bottom-six depth for the next several years at a low price point. If the Senators ever believed that Kelly could break out and land a full-time role, perhaps extending him early will save them some money down the road. Regardless, he’ll be making the league minimum for at least two more seasons.

Columbus Blue Jackets Name Boone Jenner Captain

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With Nick Foligno gone in free agency, the Columbus Blue Jackets needed a new captain. That decision has been made, and Boone Jenner will wear the “C” this season as the seventh captain in franchise history. He’ll be joined by Zach Werenski, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Gustav Nyquist, who will each serve as alternates. New head coach Brad Larsen explained why Jenner was the choice:

We had a lot of discussions as a coaching staff and with management and, while we were in no rush to make a decision regarding the next captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, it became obvious to all of us that Boone was the right choice. He has tremendous character and a work ethic that has earned the respect of his teammates and he’s been an important part of our leadership group for several years. Zach, Gus and Oliver also have been part of that group and we are fortunate to have these guys lead our team.

Jenner, 28, has spent his entire career with the Blue Jackets to this point, suiting up 530 times in the regular season for the club. He reached a career-high of 30 goals in 2015-16 but has never really come close to matching that total, settling into more of a two-way role behind some of the team’s more offensive players. He had eight goals and 17 points in 41 games last season, but with some of the changes the team has made in recent months, could find himself more involved at that end of the rink this season.

At the very least, he will serve as a strong leader among a group that is going through a big transition. Foligno, Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson, huge parts of the franchise’s identity, are all playing for other teams this season. Werenski is now the face of the franchise, but he’ll be supported by Jenner now who takes on the responsibility of captain with an extension in pocket. The veteran forward is signed through 2025-26, meaning there doesn’t have to be any changes for several years.

The Blue Jackets, though considered something of a rebuilding group after trading away Jones, still have quite a few talented skaters on the roster and could surprise people this season. If it goes south, however, it’ll be up to Jenner and his alternates to keep the ship on course.

Montreal Canadiens Extend Nick Suzuki

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With their season starting tomorrow night, the Montreal Canadiens have locked up their future. Nick Suzuki has signed an eight-year extension that will carry an average annual salary of $7.875MM. The deal will start in the 2022-23 season and keeps Suzuki far away from restricted free agency and any potential offer sheet. Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star reports that the deal will include a 10-team no-trade list (which is only applicable for the final four seasons of the contract). PuckPedia tweets the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $6.0MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $10.0MM salary
  • 2024-25: $10.0MM salary
  • 2025-26: $8.75MM salary
  • 2026-27: $6.25MM salary
  • 2027-28: $6.0MM salary
  • 2028-29: $3.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
  • 2029-30: $3.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus

Suzuki, 22, is coming off a very strong season with the Canadiens and has assumed the team’s first-line center spot, an undisputed role now that both Philip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are playing elsewhere. The young forward recorded 41 points in 56 games, but it was once again his outstanding postseason that really put him on the map for many fans. In 22 games on Montreal’s quest for the Stanley Cup, Suzuki scored seven goals and 16 points while averaging almost 19 minutes a game.

That ice time is likely to only go up from here as he transitions from up-and-comer to established leader, helming the Canadiens attack every night. This extension is betting that he’ll take on that responsibility without issue, making him the team’s highest-paid skater for next season, even eclipsing Shea Weber’s LTIR-bound contract.

Make no mistake, there is risk in a deal of this magnitude for someone so young. Suzuki’s career-high in goals is 15 and he has just 82 points through his 127-game career to this point. While those are fine totals, this deal is assuming they will increase as he enters the prime years of his career; a safe assumption, but one nonetheless.

With the deal registered, the Canadiens now have more than $84MM committed to 18 players for next season. A good chunk of that–$7.86MM–is Weber’s deal that will likely be moved to LTIR once again, but it still means that the team won’t have a ton of extra space to work with moving forward. Long-term deals for Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry, David Savard, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and Carey Price mean that this group is unlikely to see sweeping changes for quite some time. Even Mike Hoffman, Joel Edmundson, and Tyler Toffoli are signed for two more years after this season, meaning this is essentially the group for the next while.

No matter what, this is a contract extension that has a high probability of looking like a steal in a few years, should Suzuki continue on his current development path. At worst, he’s a little overpaid as he settles into the level he has already reached. But the Canadiens haven’t had a franchise center in some time, and certainly weren’t going to risk letting this one get poached in restricted free agency, or increase his price with a true breakout offensive campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Brian Boyle

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Oct 12: Now that we’re into the first day of the regular season, the Penguins have made a few more cap moves to fit in Boyle. The team placed Evgeni Malkin on long-term injured reserve, moved Sidney Crosby to injured/non-roster, added Zach Aston-Reese to the COVID protocol and officially signed Boyle to a one-year, $750K contract. Anthony Angello and Drew O’Connor have also been recalled.

Oct 11: The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to sign Brian Boyle on Tuesday, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirms that the one-year deal will be worth $750K when finalized. Boyle had been in Penguins camp on a professional tryout after failing to even play professional hockey in 2020-21.

Now 36, Boyle’s story is one of incredible perseverance and hard work, with this just the latest impressive chapter. The veteran forward seemed to be out of the NHL last season, but took earned himself a spot on the U.S. World Championship team, was given the captaincy and proved he could still play at a high level. Even that wasn’t enough to land him an actual contract, but his performance at Penguins’ camp on a PTO–combined with the team’s injury concerns–will be enough to get him another chance.

No one is mistaking Boyle for a top-line player at this point, but he does bring size, experience and versatility to the bottom of the lineup. The 6’6″ forward can play center or left wing, while contributing on both special teams. In 2019-20 with the Florida Panthers he recorded six goals and 15 points in 39 games, while providing a physical presence and a reliable faceoff percentage. If the Penguins, who are without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to start the season, get a few months of respectable performance out of Boyle, it will be well worth the one-year deal.

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