Montreal Canadiens Acquire Jon Merrill
The Montreal Canadiens have added a defenseman that can potentially replace the recently-waived Victor Mete, acquiring Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens will send a 2021 fifth-round pick (OTT) and minor league forward Hayden Verbeek.
While the Canadiens obviously hope Mete clears waivers, they’ll add another depth defenseman to the group in Merrill, who was held out of the lineup by the Red Wings last night as a trade came together. The 29-year-old has played nearly 400 games in his career, and though Merrill isn’t much of an offensive producer, he does add some more size and experience to Montreal’s back end for a playoff run.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Merrill also comes with just a $925K cap hit (which Detroit did not retain any of), making him one of the more affordable options on the defense market. He could potentially be extended by Montreal, but this move is more about the upcoming North Division postseason run than anything else.
The Canadiens certainly looked like they needed some defensive help last night. The Winnipeg Jets picked them apart with a 5-0 victory, pushing Montreal to 17-12-9 on the season and just six points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the last playoff spot. Mete wasn’t even part of that game, watching Otto Leskinen skate just over 16 minutes instead. It’s that sixth spot that Merrill projects to fit into, though the team could still work with a rotation through the bottom pairing to find the right fit.
Adding defensive depth at the deadline is never a mistake, especially when it comes at the low cost of a fifth-round pick. But many will question the move if Mete ends up claimed off waivers. Still, Merrill definitely adds a better defensive presence and it’s clear that Mete isn’t a favorite of the current coaching staff after suiting up just 14 times this season.
In terms of the return, the Red Wings seem happy to collect as many mid-round picks as possible in a rebuilding season, but the deal also comes with a bit of fun. Verbeek is the nephew of former NHL forward Pat Verbeek, who just so happens to be the Red Wings assistant general manager.
Washington Capitals Trade Jonas Siegenthaler To Devils
The Washington Capitals traded from their defensive depth, as they announced they have sent Jonas Siegenthaler to the New Jersey Devils for the Arizona Coyotes’ 2021 third-round pick (acquired in the Taylor Hall trade). The move should free up some salary for the team to add a depth piece before the trade deadline.
Last year it looked as if Siegenthaler had won himself a full-time role with the organization as the 23-year-old played 64 games for the Capitals in 2019-20, posting two goals, nine points and a plus-11 rating. However, things had changed under new coach Peter Laviolette, who chose to play veterans over him as the blueliner has seven games this season with no points.
For Washington, the team which is into LTIR and had just $375K in available cap space, this move opens up some extra space as Siegenthaler carried an AAV of $800K, giving the team ample room to bring aboard a cheap veteran for their stretch run before tomorrow’s trade deadline. The team had eight defenseman on their roster, which means they don’t have to replace Siegenthaler on the roster with another defenseman.
For New Jersey, the team brings in a young defenseman to join their rebuild. The team will have to hope that he can fit in somewhere in their lineup, but with the potential of a trade of either Sami Vatanen or Dmitri Kulikov, Siegenthaler is a solid addition. The blueliner also reunites with countryman Nico Hischier as both come from Switzerland and are quite familiar with each other.
Minnesota Wild Sign Nick Swaney To One-Year Entry-Level Deal
The Minnesota Wild announced they have signed collegiate star Nick Swaney to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin in the 2021-22 season, with Swaney joining the AHL’s Iowa Wild on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.
Swaney, 23, was a seventh-round pick in 2017, just a few selections from the end of the draft. An undersized forward, he had done well in the USHL but was barely considered an NHL prospect at that point. Four years later after an excellent college career and he’s earned an NHL deal with his hometown team.
A native of Lakeville, just outside Minneapolis, Swaney went to the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he had 101 points in 134 games, winning two national championships. He was an NCHC First Team All-Star this season after scoring 28 points in 28 games, but UMD wasn’t able to complete the trifecta.
With his college career behind him, Swaney could have waited until August to become an unrestricted free agent. But what better way to start your career than with Minnesota, where he’ll join the AHL and try to continue to prove everyone wrong.
Florida Panthers Sign Nikita Gusev
Sunday: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Panthers have indeed signed Gusev to a contract. It will be a one-year deal for $1MM.
“Nikita is a highly skilled and creative forward who plays the game with great speed and playmaking ability,” said Florida general manager Bill Zito. “He has proven himself to be a tremendous offensive talent throughout his career. We are thrilled for Nikita to join the Panthers and look forward to what he can add to our team.”
Saturday: After terminating the end of his contract with the New Jersey Devils, Nikita Gusev is now an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team in the league. As long as he signs before Monday’s deadline, he will be eligible to take part in the postseason. That makes it seem likely that Gusev could be a deadline addition for a contender, and tonight Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported on Hockey Night In Canada that the Florida Panthers are the frontrunner to sign the winger.
Gusev, 28, registered just five points in 20 games this season for the Devils after a strong rookie campaign in 2019-20, and ended up scratched several times near the end of his time in New Jersey. While he worked his way out of Lindy Ruff‘s good graces, there’s no doubting his offensive talent. Once considered among the best players outside of the NHL, Gusev recorded 82 points in 62 games during his final season in the KHL. Last season for the Devils he had 44 in 66 games, suggesting a bright future in North America.
As Corey Masisak of The Athletic points out on Twitter, Gusev and his family actually didn’t return to Russia during the offseason—they stayed in Florida. While that obviously doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll sign with the Panthers, Gusev does seem like a strong fit for a team that is trying to get things back on track after a short blip. Florida has lost its last three games, dropping behind the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning in the Central Division standings. They acquired Brandon Montour earlier today to add depth on defense but could use another offensive weapon as well.
Gusev can sign for the league minimum, but the Panthers could actually pay more than that given how much cap room they have. Florida has plenty of wiggle room even without putting Aaron Ekblad on long-term injured reserve, which could be another option if they add more salary in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nashville Predators Sign Josh Healey To One-Year Deal
The Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Josh Healey to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. The 26-year-old has been playing with an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves.
After a solid four-year career at Ohio State University, signed with the Calgary Flames as an undrafted free agent, playing two years with the Stockton Heat. However, he never received a promotion to the NHL. He became an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season, signing an AHL deal with the Milwaukee Admirals where he has stayed other than the fact that he is now playing with the Wolves since the Admirals shut down for the 2020-21 season, forcing Predators’ prospects to join Chicago.
The defenseman has a goal and an assist in 20 games to go with 36 penalty minutes, which could be a reason for the NHL deal. He has 108 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Predators’ AHL organization. With numerous injuries on defense, Healey might be a good choice to add depth to the organization. On top of that, while Nashville has been winning of late, that doesn’t mean they won’t move a defenseman before the trade deadline and the team might want some depth at that position just in case, hence why the team signed him for the rest of this season.
New Jersey Devils Place Sami Vatanen On Waivers
The New Jersey Devils placed Sami Vatanen on waivers Sunday, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, a move that the team hopes could be useful just before the trade deadline.
Vatanen is a name that has been brought up as a trade chip for the selling Devils and while New Jersey has struggled this year, Vatanen has been solid. The 29-year-old has two goals and five points in 29 games and has a plus/minus of +1 this season, something hard to do with a losing team. Another positive is that Vatanen has remained healthy all season, something he hasn’t been successful at doing the last few years.
The veteran defenseman carries a cap hit of $2MM this season, an amount that actually isn’t that easy to fit in for many teams around the league. The Devils may have a better chance in trading him should he clear though, given the acquiring team could then place him on their taxi squad, burying $1.075MM of the deal until they make room. On top of that, the Devils can offer to retain half of his salary, making his contract easy to swallow. Teams also wouldn’t have to worry about his salary for next year as he will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Montreal Canadiens Place Victor Mete On Waivers
The Montreal Canadiens have placed defenseman Victor Mete on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. With it being the last day to place players on waivers before the trade deadline, it could ignite suggestions that the team is ready to let the youngster go. The 22-year-old defenseman has been involved in trade rumors most of the season.
While many interesting players have hit the wire and not claimed this season, it would seem hard to imagine that Mete will clear waivers considering he is making just $735K, is so young, can be controlled for three more seasons and has 185 NHL games under his belt. He is a perfect candidate to be claimed by weaker teams, looking to add a solid defensive defenseman as well as playoff teams looking to add cheap blueline help. One positive stat from Mete is his plus/minus which is a plus-30 throughout his career.
While offense has never been Mete’s strength and he actually did struggle scoring a goal for much of the early part of his career, Mete did score four goals and 11 points last season in 51 appearances, but has fallen out of favor this year in Montreal, only appearing in 14 games. While the general belief was that the Canadiens would trade the blueliner, the team would now have to hope that no team claims him, making him more valuable as a taxi squad player. However, there could be a number of teams willing to keep him on their roster for the rest of the year.
Penguins’ Colton Sceviour And Juuso Riikola Clear Waivers
Sunday: Both Sceviour and Riikola have cleared, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Saturday: The Penguins are trying to give themselves a bit of roster flexibility heading into Monday’s trade deadline as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that forward Colton Sceviour and defenseman Juuso Riikola have been placed on waivers.
Sceviour was acquired from Florida back in September as part of the Mike Matheson-Patric Hornqvist deal but while he had been a capable secondary scorer during his time with the Panthers and Stars, that hasn’t materialized with the Pens. Instead, the 31-year-old has just three goals and three assists in 31 games this season while averaging a career-low 9:30 per night of playing time. This led to him clearing waivers back in early March and he has played in 14 games since then, requiring him to pass through waivers before he can be loaned back to the taxi squad. Sceviour is in the final year of his contract which carries a $1.2MM AAV, meaning all but $125K can be buried on the taxi squad. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
As for Riikola, the defenseman has had a limited role with Pittsburgh since signing with them back in 2018. While he played in at least 36 NHL games in each of his first two seasons in North America, he has been limited to just two this season. Part of that is due to an upper-body injury that cost him 22 games but as a result of the moves the Penguins made to add defensive depth when they were hit hard with injuries, he has yet to play since being cleared to return. The 27-year-old has another year left on his deal after this one with a $1.15MM AAV and if a team is willing to absorb a low seven-figure cost next season to add some free defensive depth, there’s a chance he could be claimed. If not, all but $75K of his cap hit can be wiped out by a taxi squad assignment.
Ottawa Senators Sign Cody Goloubef To One-Year Deal
The Ottawa Senators announced they have signed defenseman Cody Goloubef to a one-year, two-way pro-rated contract for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Goloubef had been playing under a professional tryout contract with the Belleville Senators this year, but has earned an NHL deal now. The deal is worth $700K.
Goloubef has moved around the league quite a bit over his career, but is not an unfamiliar name in Ottawa. The 31-year-old was acquired via trade from the Boston Bruins back in 2019 and played for the Senators for more than a year before he was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Red Wings in February of 2020. Most of his NHL experience comes years ago when he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he did appear in 29 games for Ottawa.
With no NHL contract option available to him, he did return to the Senators and played with their AHL affiliate where he has appeared in 19 games with the organization with three goals and four points this year.
Goloubef could offer much-needed depth just before the trade deadline if the Senators choose to move out any of their defenseman, especially with names such as Erik Gudbranson as legitimate candidate to be moved. He will likely play a role as a depth defenseman with the organization and will spend most of his time between Belleville and the taxi squad, assuming he clears waivers.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/11/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
Central Division
- With the Carolina Hurricanes off, they returned Jake Gardiner and Jake Bean to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Spencer Smallman and Joey Keane were sent to the minors in corresponding moves.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Kole Sherwood to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Sherwood played in his first game of the season on Saturday, playing just under nine minutes.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve returned Frans Nielsen to the taxi squad. They’ve made that move many times this season after the veteran cleared waivers though the 36-year-old has still played in 27 games this season.
- The Nashville Predators announced the recall of Tanner Jeannot from the taxi squad. The Preds also added to their long list of injuries, transferring Mathieu Olivier to injured reserve.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning sent Ben Thomas back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 24-year-old has played in four games this month, his first taste of NHL action.
- The Vegas Golden Knights recalled Nicolas Hague from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Nick Holden, who recently cleared waivers, was sent to the taxi squad to keep them cap compliant.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned forwards Clark Bishop and Alex Formenton to the taxi squad. Both players played Saturday night with Formenton scoring a goal on four shots. Both will likely wait until the team plays again on Monday against Winnipeg.
- CapFriendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens made a number of moves. The team has Otto Leskinen, Jake Evans and Cayden Primeau to the taxi squad, leaving the club with $2.825MM in LTIR relief. Montreal has also sent Brandon Baddock and Lukas Vejdemo to the Laval Rocket of the AHL while bringing Xavier Ouellet back to the taxi squad from Laval.
- The Edmonton Oilers sent James Neal and Tyler Ennis to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. While they won’t bank any cap space from this, it does extend their waiver exemptions.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs sent Martin Marincin back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Like Edmonton, Toronto doesn’t gain any cap space from this as they’re in LTIR but they extend Marincin’s waiver exemption.
- The Winnipeg Jets returned Kristian Vesalainen to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 21-year-old has played in eight games this season, recording one assist.
East Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have recalled forward Tanner Laczynski from the taxi squad. The 23-year-old is expected to make his season debut Sunday. Laczynski signed last season after a successful four-year career at Ohio State University and has been faring well at Lehigh Valley in the AHL with six goals and 10 points in 14 games there. The Flyers promoted both Laczynski and Wade Allison to the taxi squad late Saturday.
- The Boston Bruins promoted Jack Ahcan from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The blueliner made his NHL debut last month against Buffalo.
- The Buffalo Sabres recalled Arttu Ruotsalainen from the taxi squad before their game against Philadelphia today, per CapFriendly. He made his NHL debut on Friday, playing nearly 16 minutes.
- The New Jersey Devils brought up Marian Studenic from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly and will have the winger make his NHL debut tonight. Nicholas Merkley was sent to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The New York Islanders are back in action which means that Oliver Wahlstrom is back up from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The winger has played in 32 games this season despite being sent to the taxi squad 25 times.
- The New York Rangers have brought up Vitali Kravtsov, Kaapo Kakko, and Anthony Bitetto from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. With the vacancies on the taxi squad, Jonny Brodzinski was recalled from the minors to bring it back to the minimum four players.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins returned Drew O’Connor to the taxi squad and Josh Currie to the minors, per a team release. O’Connor has an assist in ten games this season while Currie has played just once.
West Division
- The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from the taxi squad. The 25-year-old was sent down to the taxi squad five days ago but looks ready to return to the team. He has appeared in five games for the Coyotes this season. Michael Bunting was also promoted later in the day.
- The Anaheim Ducks sent David Backes to the taxi squad and Chase DeLeo to the minors, per CapFriendly. Backes has three goals and an assist in 13 games with Anaheim so far this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche are back in action today which means several promotions were needed from the taxi squad to fill out the roster. Per CapFriendly, those were once again Kyle Burroughs, Keaton Middleton, and Liam O’Brien.
- The Dallas Stars announced that Tanner Kero was returned to the taxi squad. His spot on the roster was taken by Jason Dickinson who was activated off injured reserve.
- The Los Angeles Kings returned Christian Wolanin and Kale Clague to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. They then sent Matt Luff, Lias Andersson, and Austin Strand to Ontario of the AHL.
- The Minnesota Wild sent Nico Sturm, Kyle Rau, and Joseph Cramarossa to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. With them back in action Monday, all three will likely be recalled for that one.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Jeffrey Viel, Antti Suomela, and John Leonard to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. That put them over the limit so Fredrik Handemark was then sent to the minors.
This page will be updated throughout the day.