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Archives for October 2021

Scott Wilson Signs AHL Contract

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After attending the Seattle Kraken training camp on a professional tryout, Scott Wilson has settled for an AHL deal with the Charlotte Checkers for the upcoming season. The Checkers of course will be affiliated with the Kraken this season, along with the Florida Panthers, their primary NHL partner.

Wilson, 29, was an NHL regular as recently as 2017-18, but spent nearly the entire 2020-21 season on the Panthers taxi squad. He did get into eight games with the Syracuse Crunch, but was forced into a practice role for most of the year. That obviously left him scrambling for work this offseason after his one-year deal expired with Florida, and he’ll have to settle for an AHL contract for the first time in his career.

A veteran of 193 NHL games, Wilson was actually a regular in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup during their 2017 Stanley Cup run, scoring six points in 20 games. Though not a dominant player in the minor leagues, he should give the Checkers a strong option up front this season and could even be in line for an NHL deal down the road should the Kraken or Panthers face injury issues. Remember, without a full minor league affiliate, the expansion team will have to delicately navigate the season with just a handful of call-up options.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/21

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Just over a week before the regular season begins and camp cuts are still coming fast and furious. We’ll keep track of them right here:

Anaheim Ducks (via press release)

G Gage Alexander (to Winnipeg, WHL)
F Jack Badini (to San Diego, AHL)
F Max Golod (to San Diego, AHL)
F Bryce Kindopp (to San Diego, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to San Diego, AHL)
F Vincent Marleau (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jacob Perreault (to San Diego, AHL)
F Greg Printz (to San Diego, AHL)
F Danny O’Regan (to San Diego, AHL)
F Brayden Tracey (to San Diego, AHL)
D Nikolas Brouillard (to San Diego, AHL)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Diego, AHL)
D Kodie Curran (to San Diego, AHL)
D Brendan Guhle (to San Diego, AHL)
D Louka Henault (to San Diego, AHL)
D Nathan Larose (to San Diego, AHL)

Arizona Coyotes (via press release)

G Anson Thornton (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Tucson, AHL)
D Janis-Jerome Moser (to Tucson, AHL)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (to Tucson, AHL)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to Tucson, AHL)
F Michael Carcone (to Tucson, AHL)*

Carolina Hurricanes (via press release)

D Jalen Chatfield (to Chicago, AHL)
D Joshua Jacobs (to Chicago, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via press release)

F Matej Chalupa (to Rockford, AHL)
F Cam Morrison (to Rockford, AHL)
D Chad Krys (to Rockford, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via press release)

F Callahan Burke (to Colorado, AHL)
F Tarun Fizer (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nate Clurman (to Colorado, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to Colorado, AHL)
G Hunter Miska (to Colorado, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via press release)

F Tyler Angle (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Josh Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tim Berni (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)*
F Tyler Sikura (to Cleveland, AHL)*
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Cleveland, AHL)*
G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)*

Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)

F Antonio Stranges (to London, OHL)
D Artem Grushnikov (to Hamilton, OHL)
F Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (to Texas, AHL)
F Oskar Back (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
F Jordan Kawaguchi (to Texas, AHL)
F Joel L’Esperance (to Texas, AHL)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Texas, AHL)
D Joseph Cecconi (to Texas, AHL)
D Ben Gleason (to Texas, AHL)
D Jerad Rosburg (to Texas, AHL)
D Ryan Shea (to Texas, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)

F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
F Jean-Sebastien Dea (to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via press release)

F Tommy Novak (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Anthony Richard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D David Farrance (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Donovan (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Josh Healey (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Devin Cooley (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New York Rangers (via press release)

F Greg McKegg (to Hartford, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via press release)

F Alexander True (to Charlotte, AHL)*
F Carsen Twarynski (to Charlotte, AHL)*

Tampa Bay Lightning (via press release)

F Maxim Cajkovic (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jaydon Dureau (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Shawn Element (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Remi Elie (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gabriel Fortier (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gage Goncalves (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cole Koepke (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexei Lipanov (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Antoine Morand (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Otto Somppi (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Odeen Tufto (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walcott (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gabriel Dumont (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Charles Hudon (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Darren Raddysh (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Alex Green (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Ryan Jones (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Wyatt McLeod (to University of Alberta, USports)
D Dmitri Semykin (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Jack Thompson (to Sudbury, OHL)
G Hugo Alnefelt (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Maxime Lagace (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Eamon McAdam (released from PTO)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team Twitter)

F Pavel Gogolev (to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (to Toronto, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

G Pheonix Copley (to Hershey, AHL)*

Winnipeg Jets (via team Twitter)

F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jeff Malott (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jonathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Simon Lundmark (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Declan Chisholm (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Arvid Holm (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Manitoba, AHL)*
F Luke Johnson (to Manitoba, AHL)*
F Austin Poganski (to Manitoba, AHL)*

*Pending waivers

This page will be updated throughout the day

New Jersey Devils Claim Mason Geertsen

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Oct 4: The Devils have answered the question of where Geertsen fits into the roster, noting that he will play left wing tonight against the Washington Capitals in a preseason game. Geertsen has played forward in the minors for the past year and is now, according to Devils reporter Amanda Stein, comfortable at the position.

Oct 3: Waiver season is in full swing, with dozens of players exposed over the last few days. Today, the New Jersey Devils decided to select one of those players and add him to their organization. Mason Geertsen, who was waived by the New York Rangers has been claimed by New Jersey.

Geertsen, 26, has exactly zero NHL games played in his professional career but adds a level of physicality to the fringe of the Devils roster. Even the team’s press release suggests that his size and the fact that he “likes to play a tough, physical, and gritty game” is the reason the team went after him.

Interestingly enough, the Devils have had several chances to acquire Geertsen in the past but have passed them up. The minor league defenseman–who notably has been playing some forward in the AHL as well–has cleared waivers twice before, including in March of this year, and was an unrestricted free agent in 2019 after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Colorado Avalanche, the team that drafted him back in 2013.

He ended up signing an AHL contract with the Rangers and spent a year and a half before earning his current two-year, two-way deal. When he did so, New York put him on waivers in order to keep him in the minor leagues and the Devils–and every other team in the league–passed.

They won’t this time, a curious decision given the added depth the Devils have acquired at the position this offseason. Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Christian Jaros were brought in this summer, while Jonas Siegenthaler was retained after a deadline trade last season. It’s hard to see where exactly Geertsen fits in, though with Ty Smith’s recent injury there may just be a short-term need for some added depth.

If the Devils put Geertsen back on waivers, the Rangers will have a chance to reclaim him and send him directly to the minor leagues, should they be the only team to put in a claim.

Team Canada Announces First Three Members Of 2022 Olympic Team

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The first three members of the 2022 Canadian Olympic team have been announced, as general manager Doug Armstrong revealed to Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com that Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Alex Pietrangelo have made the team. Each participating country was required to declare three players, while the full “long-list” of 55 potential names will be submitted by October 15.

Crosby is an easy choice and likely the team’s captain, after finding so much success at the head of Team Canada in the past. The 34-year-old center has won World Junior, World Championship, World Cup, and Olympic Gold (x2) throughout his dazzling career, including scoring one of the most well-known goals in Canadian hockey history at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Conn Smythe winner, two-time Hart Trophy winner, there was never any thought of leaving Crosby off of the team.

If Crosby is the legend, McDavid is the focus though, entering his first Olympics as the best player in the world. The 24-year-old has won gold at the World Juniors and World Championship but hasn’t been able to suit up for Team Canada at the Olympic level to this point due to the NHL not going in 2018. The reigning Hart winner, McDavid had 105 points in just 56 games last season and has already won the Art Ross Trophy three times in a six-year NHL career. There’s no doubt he will be the forward that the rest of the roster is built around, and it makes sense he would be announced at this early stage.

Pietrangelo may be the most surprising of the three, but that doesn’t mean he’s much of a surprise. The 31-year-old has his own long history of success with Team Canada, taking home World Junior, Olympic, and World Cup gold medals. He has a long history with Armstrong from their days in St. Louis and there was little doubt he would be one of the defensemen to suit up in February. Pietrangelo finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting in 2020 and has received votes for the award in seven different seasons.

The list of potential names that will be submitted later this month will include many that won’t end up going to Beijing, making the first part of this NHL season something of a tryout. Only these three have their spots guaranteed, but that wasn’t something that really was in question even before this announcement.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Arber Xhekaj

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After making a name for himself at training camp, Arber Xhekaj isn’t going back to junior empty-handed. The Montreal Canadiens have signed the young defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $828K, including signing bonuses in all three seasons. Though he’ll now be under an NHL contract, Xhekaj is on his way back to the OHL to join the Kitchener Rangers for the upcoming season.

If you are looking for feel-good hockey stories, look no further than Xhekaj. The 20-year-old was not only passed over in the NHL draft multiple times but was also not even selected in the OHL draft, despite hailing from Hamilton, Ontario. He received a tryout with the Kitchener Rangers after dominating in the GOJHL and made the team in 2018. His first year of major junior resulted in just three points in 59 games, but Xhekaj is nothing if not adaptive. He scored six goals and 17 points in his sophomore season for the Rangers and was one of the team’s most important defensemen.

Now, after being invited to NHL training camp and earning an entry-level deal, he’s proved his doubters wrong once again. The 6’3″ 204-lbs defenseman is part of the Montreal organization and well on his way to playing at the professional level. He’ll return to Kitchener this season for his overage year, giving the Rangers a bit of a roster crunch. They’ll take it though, as Xhekaj should be an imposing figure on the blueline once again as things get back to normal in the junior league.

Five Key Stories: 09/27/21 – 10/03/21

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Training camp is already well underway and we’re now less than two weeks from the start of the regular season. Things are heating up all around the league, plus a few key restricted free agents finally sign.

Back To Work: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety had to get back to work, suspending Ridly Greig of the Ottawa Senators and Dylan McIlrath of the Washington Capitals for preseason and regular season games. Notably, Greig was loaned to junior today, meaning whenever he’s ready to start his NHL career he’ll have to sit out a game.

More Investigations: When the NHL announced that Evander Kane had been cleared of any allegations related to gambling on his own games, they also indicated that he was involved in another investigation into “potential wrongdoing.” The league then changed that press release, including an explanation that Kane was actually involved in two different new investigations. One of those, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, had to do with a potential breach of COVID protocol. Kane remains away from Sharks camp for the time being.

Atlantic Extensions: An executive that has won a pair of Stanley Cup championships and a head coach that hasn’t won a playoff series each received an extension this week, as the Tampa Bay Lightning gave Julien BriseBois a multi-year deal and the Toronto Maple Leafs added two years onto Sheldon Keefe’s contract. BriseBois was a dream candidate for several other teams but will stay with the powerhouse he built in Tampa for the time being. Keefe meanwhile is heading into his first 82-game season with the Maple Leafs and has plenty of pressure to get the team deeper into the postseason.

Waiver Bait: Nearly 100 players have been put on waivers since they opened on Thursday, with a few claimed by new organizations. The Montreal Canadiens have added Sam Montembeault as an extra goaltender, while the New Jersey Devils added some size by grabbing Mason Geertsen. With the season approaching even more players will be exposed in the coming days and could get their chance with a new team.

Breathe, Vancouver: The Vancouver Canucks can get back to preparing for the regular season with their full complement of talent, after signing both Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson to multi-year deals. Hughes landed a six-year, $47.1MM deal, while Pettersson is now on a three-year bridge worth $22.05MM. The team is tight to the salary cap now, but can easily get under the upper limit for the start of the season and now have everyone back together. Brady Tkachuk now sits as the only major restricted free agent without a contract.

Camp Notes: Matthews, Rasmussen, Canucks

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have big expectations once again this season as they enter the 2021-22 campaign in a win-now mode. The team has already stripped out most of their 2022 draft capital, meaning they can’t afford to go down early this time around.

One of the keys to their potential success, Auston Matthews, underwent wrist surgery this offseason after attempting to rehabilitate the injury. That surgery could have potentially forced Matthews to miss the early part of the season, but he is making strong progress and rejoined the team for nearly an entire practice according to Jonas Siegal of The Athletic. The Maple Leafs kick off their season in ten days.

  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without Michael Rasmussen for the next few days, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Max Bultman of The Athletic. It’s just a “little tweak” for the young forward, but he won’t be playing in the next few preseason games for the Red Wings. Rasmussen signed a new three-year, $4.38MM deal with Detroit this offseason after playing in 40 games during the 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Vancouver Canucks finally have their best two players joining camp after signing Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, but they won’t be playing tonight or Tuesday at the team’s next preseason matches. Travis Green told reporters including Harman Dayal of The Athletic that the plan currently is for Hughes and Pettersson to play in the team’s final two games, Thursday and Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Minor Transactions: 10/03/21

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There are plenty of transactions happening between NHL and AHL clubs as training camp cuts continue, but those minor league squads are also making other moves to fill out their training camp rosters. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves right here:

  • The Hershey Bears released their training camp roster today, and it has some interesting names included on tryouts. Jake Massie, who was forced to sign an ECHL contract with the South Carolina Stingrays, will get a chance to show the AHL affiliate what he can do as well. The 24-year-old defenseman signed an entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers in 2019 when his college draft rights expired, but was not given a qualifying offer this summer.
  • The Ontario Reign will have undrafted WHL defenseman Bobby Russell in camp on a tryout, after he signed an ECHL deal with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Russell had 12 points in 21 games for the Spokane Chiefs last season and will get a chance to show what he can do in the minor leagues this fall.
  • Pascal Laberge, a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016 will be at Providence Bruins camp according to Mark Divver after signing with the Maine Mariners earlier this summer. Laberge, 23, haas played the last three seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but failed to receive a qualifying offer this offseason.
  • Brandon Saigeon, a fifth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2018, will be in camp with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 23-year-old spent the 2019-20 season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies and never did sign an entry-level deal with the Avalanche.

This page will be updated with further transactions as they are reported

Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning Begin Extension Talks

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have begun contract extension talks with head coach Jon Cooper. Cooper is entering the final season of a three-year deal paying him $3.5MM per season.

A raise is undoubtedly in order for Cooper, who’s now guided the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. It’s an incredible achievement for Cooper, who’s already the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL. He took over the reins with 15 games left in the 2012-13 season after Guy Boucher was fired.

The Lightning have never won less than 40 games in a full season coached by Cooper, who’s now 54 years old. His coaching record stands at 384-197-53, good enough for a .647 points percentage during his time as a head coach in the league. Those numbers tie him for 42nd all-time in wins and 11th among all current head coaches in the league.

Cooper’s job could get more challenging this year. Salary cap constraints hit the Lightning hard this offseason, and they’re now a team that will be relying on their youth more than in recent years. He’s shown at multiple junctures in the past that he can get the most out of Tampa’s prospect system, helping coach underappreciated assets like Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli to the heights of their success.

He’ll have to perform a similar act this year with names such as Ross Colton, Callan Foote, Mathieu Joseph, and other potential roster players such as Alex Barre-Boulet and Taylor Raddysh. If Cooper’s able to guide Tampa Bay to yet another Stanley Cup championship, he could become the first coach to win three straight Stanley Cups since Al Arbour won four in a row from 1980 to 1983.

Edmonton Oilers’ Josh Archibald Diagnosed With Myocarditis

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TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald has been diagnosed with myocarditis and is out indefinitely. The diagnosis comes after it was revealed Archibald contracted COVID-19 over the summer.

It was revealed last month by general manager Ken Holland that Archibald entered training camp as the only unvaccinated member of the Oilers. Just days ago, head coach Dave Tippett announced that Archibald was being held out of camp, saying he “[wasn’t] feeling like he should be.”

The 28-year-old right wing carries a cap hit of $1.5MM. Due to the nature of the condition, he’ll likely be placed on long-term injured reserve and could very well miss the entire season.

Archibald’s spent the last two seasons in a depth role for the Oilers, playing on the third and fourth lines for the most part. He’s tallied 19 goals and 34 points in 114 games as an Oiler.

Over the course of his career, the sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011 has bounced around the league, now on his third team after making a stop with the Arizona Coyotes in between. He currently sits with 39 goals and 70 points in 235 games.

Archibald becomes the third player under NHL contract to miss time due to a COVID-related heart condition. Oilers netminder Alex Stalock will miss the entire campaign this year after contracting COVID-19 during last season, while the Wild’s Marco Rossi is returning to play after missing an entire year due to the condition.

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