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Minor Transactions: 09/22/22

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Training camps opened across the league today, with players getting on the ice in formal settings for the first time. With just a few more days before preseason hockey starts, minor league teams are keeping their eye on cuts or desperate players looking for a home. As always, we’ll keep a track of any notable minor moves right here.

  • The Coachella Valley Firebirds have announced a trio of signings, inking David Cotton, Jimmy Schuldt, and Eddie Wittchow to AHL deals. Of note, Schuldt was set to attend Buffalo Sabres training camp on a PTO. Cotton, meanwhile, was unqualified by the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason after scoring just 16 points in 55 games with the Chicago Wolves.
  • Chris Terry and Kyle MacLean both appeared on the New York Islanders training camp roster as members of AHL Bridgeport, meaning they have likely re-signed with the minor league club. Terry, 33, is an AHL star, who scored 30 goals and 61 points in 61 games last season. MacLean, meanwhile, happens to be the son of Islanders assistant John MacLean.

This page will be updated with any further transactions

Anaheim Ducks Sign Rocco Grimaldi To PTO

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After spending most of the 2021-22 season in the minor leagues, Rocco Grimaldi has agreed to a professional tryout with the Anaheim Ducks to try and show he can still compete in the NHL, according to CapFriendly.

The 29-year-old forward has suited up 203 times at the highest level, and was a lineup regular with the Nashville Predators as recently as 2019-20. That season in 66 games, the undersized forward scored ten goals and 31 points, despite playing fewer than 13 minutes a game. Last year in 44 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, he was a force of nature, scoring 26 goals and 52 points.

There’s a fine line between NHL regular and AHL superstar, and Grimaldi has found himself on the wrong side of it too many times in the past. His diminutive stature – he stands just 5’6″ – is likely the cause of that, despite relatively strong results whenever he has played. In Anaheim, where they are continuing the transition to a young, exciting lineup, perhaps there will be some extra ice time for a veteran like Grimaldi. He’ll have a chance to show off his skills at camp this week, and likely play in some preseason action.

Florida Panthers Sign Patrick Giles

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The Florida Panthers have reached an agreement with college free agent Patrick Giles, signing him to a two-year entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports the deal will carry a cap hit of $812.5K. The big forward played a handful of games for their AHL affiliate down the stretch after his four-year career at Boston College came to an end. General manager Bill Zito released a short statement:

Patrick is a physical and talented player and we are looking forward to his development within our Panthers organization.

Physical indeed, as Giles stands at an imposing 6’5″ and has started to learn to use that big frame at both ends of the rink. In his senior season with BC, he managed to score 15 goals in 37 games, mostly by being larger than much of his competition. That size will help him in the minor leagues, where he’ll continue his professional journey this year.

In 17 games with the Checkers, split between the regular season and playoffs, Giles registered three points and racked up nine penalty minutes. While he is certainly not a fighter, the Panthers have made it very clear this offseason that they want to get tougher as a team, and adding his size follows that idea.

Signing a player like this is just like playing a lottery ticket. There’s a real chance that Giles amounts to very little even in the minor leagues but if he can carve out a role as a bottom-six player, perhaps they can squeeze some NHL minutes out of another undrafted player. Remember, Mason Marchment was a big, undrafted winger that had a hard time finding much offensive success when he first hit the minor leagues – and he just received a four-year, $18MM contract with the Dallas Stars after breaking out with the Panthers last year.

Marchment’s slow development through the Toronto Maple Leafs system is a blueprint for Giles. He was nearly 26 by the time he became a regular in the NHL and had ground through a year in the ECHL and three more in the AHL.

Kurtis Gabriel Retires From Pro Hockey

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In a Twitter post Monday, forward Kurtis Gabriel announced his retirement from professional hockey after a nine-year career.

Gabriel, 29, spent last season with the Toronto Marlies and Rockford IceHogs in the AHL, also getting two NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also spent time in the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks organizations.

He retires with 371 AHL games under his belt, including 72 points and a whopping 639 penalty minutes. He had five points in 51 NHL games, totalling 153 penalty minutes as well.

With his 6’4″, 212-pound frame, Gabriel was one of the few prototypical enforcers left in pro hockey. Off the ice, he’s a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Well-loved wherever he played, Gabriel promises to have many post-career options if he wants to stay in the game.

The Newmarket, Ontario native was originally a third-round draft pick of the Wild in 2013.

Brennan Menell Signs In KHL

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Sep 19: Menell has indeed signed a one-year contract with Dynamo Moscow, becoming only the third American-born player to join them in team history.

Sep 14: It wasn’t so long ago that Brennan Menell was considered an up-and-coming defenseman who would soon push for NHL playing time. Undrafted, he had become a star for the Iowa Wild of the AHL, and even got into five games with the Minnesota Wild. Now, it appears he’s headed back to the KHL, as Sport-Express is reporting that he has signed a contract with Dynamo Moscow.

Menell, 25, already spent one season overseas, playing the 2020-21 campaign with Dinamo Minsk. He was outstanding for the KHL club that year, registering the most assists by any KHL defenseman and finishing with 38 points in 47 games. He was even better in the playoffs where he had seven points in five games, but that success didn’t follow him back to North America.

In easily his worst professional season to date, Menell had just 11 points in 38 games split between the Toronto Marlies and Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Perhaps that is why he’s headed back overseas, along with the fact that he became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. There just hasn’t been much NHL opportunity for the smooth-skating Menell, who is a classic example of offensive defensemen not being able to crack into the higher level as a depth option. Still just 25, it likely isn’t the last we’ve heard of him.

New York Rangers To Sign Matt Bartkowski To PTO

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It appears the New York Rangers, who had been rumored to be looking to add some defensive depth, have found their man, signing defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a PTO for the upcoming preseason, according to CapFriendly. The addition is a smart, cost-effective way for the team to add a veteran into the mix in the preseason, insure themselves in case of any injuries to those above him on the depth chart, and give an added level of competition to the third-pair, left-defense battle that appears to be between Libor Hajek and youngster Zachary Jones. The Rangers have not yet confirmed the transaction.

Bartkowski comes to the Rangers as an experienced journeyman, dressing for four NHL teams and three AHL teams over his 12-year professional career. A seventh-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2008, the defenseman got his start with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, where he spent two years prior to joining The Ohio State University for a pair of seasons. Bartkowski turned pro at the start of the 2010-11 season, primarily suiting up for the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but did see a handful of games in the NHL with Boston. His main NHL action came between 2013 and 2016, where he suited up for 191 games between Boston and the Vancouver Canucks.

The veteran received a PTO offer last offseason as well, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins for camp. While it didn’t result in an NHL offer, he was able to play a key role over a full season on the backend for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins. Now 34, the defenseman is likely to use this opportunity to prove he still belongs in the NHL and push for time on the Rangers’ third-pairing, which appears to be welcoming competition.

Right now, the Rangers project to already have seven defenseman under contract and bound for the NHL roster, however two of those players, Jones and Braden Schneider, are relatively young and inexperienced. Presumably the team would like to roll with those two, but with the possibility of having them paired together and for the sake of testing their competitiveness with several veterans in camp, players like Bartkowski, Hajek, and Andy Welinski, who the club signed back in July, could prove valuable in the roles they serve.

Andrew Hammond Signs In KHL

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As reported a few days ago, Andrew Hammond will no longer be headed to Florida Panthers’ training camp. A one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk was announced today, as the Hamburglar heads to the KHL for 2022-23. The release indicates that Hammond will fly to Russia as soon as his visa is worked out.

While he is 34 now and getting closer to the end of his playing career, it is somewhat surprising that Hammond has chosen to go to the KHL. He has never played overseas before, he had secured a PTO with the Panthers, he is coming off a season with 11 NHL appearances, and he has been a strong AHL performer for nearly a decade.

Still, perhaps he is excited about the opportunity he will receive with Traktor, where he can form a goaltending room with Emil Garipov, who has been brutal through two games so far this season. Ilya Proskuryakov, a 35-year-old netminder who spent last season in the VHL, and Sergei Mylnikov, a young goalie with barely any KHL experience are there too, not much competition for the consistent play of Hammond.

At this point in his career – Hammond will turn 35 in February – a year in the KHL may end any chance of another appearance in the NHL. Through 67 appearances at the highest level, Hammond posted a 31-20-7 record with a .916 save percentage and four shutouts. He also posted a .924 in five playoff appearances, losing three of them.

Snapshots: League Revenue, Coyotes Arena, Mesar

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As many of the league’s bright young stars convened today at the Lifeguard Arena in Henderson, Nevada for the North American Player Media Tour, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly had a chance to meet with the media to discuss a wide range of topics relevant to the league. Daly touched on a recent wave of women being hired and promoted into upper-level management roles with NHL teams, the promising overall start to the Seattle Kraken franchise, the youth movement of NHL teams, the Arizona Coyotes arena situation, and the league’s revenue.

There’s been much speculation around the league’s revenue projections and what it could mean for a significant raise to the salary cap ceiling moving forward. Given the agreement between players and team owners to split revenue 50/50, revenue being naturally down due to the impact of COVID-19, and the players need to pay the difference back in escrow, the salary cap has had to remain relatively flat the past few seasons. The expectation has been that the cap will rise by $1MM next offseason before seeing a meaningful increase ahead of the 2024-25 season, with some speculation that it could happen even sooner. Much of that was confirmed by Daly, who reported a league-record in revenue for this past season, the first time its surpassed $5BN. With the unprecedented revenue last season, one which was still impacted by COVID-19, Daly said that if they see the same kind of excess revenue this season, the timeline for a significant cap increase could come sooner than expected. Ultimately, Daly still believes that based on their current projections for 2022-23, that increase may have to wait another year.

  • Also from Daly’s availability, the Deputy Commissioner was optimistic about the state of the Arizona Coyotes and their short and long-term arena plans. Daly cited the Tempe City Council’s approval of their proposed arena plan in the city, which does still need further approval, as a positive. He also referenced the positive impact playing in an arena of that size could have on the players, expecting it to be filled nightly, thus enhancing the atmosphere, as well as the relative success of this strategy with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and their brief stint in an MLS stadium while their current stadium was being built. Finally, when asked about the duration the team might have to spend playing at Arizona State University, Daly said the worst case scenario appears to be three years, while the best case would be two. No matter which way you frame it, this situation is surely difficult and awkward for the team and the league, however seeing the silver linings laid out does give the team some hope as it rebuilds not only on the ice, but off of it too. Final approval on a new arena plan and setting it into motion would be the best possible outcome for the organization, and when it happens, it could certainly have major, immediate impacts on the team and fanbase.
  • As prospect games got underway today, including one contest between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens featuring prospect Filip Mesar, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu provided an update on Montreal’s plans for Mesar for the upcoming season. Basu reports the team isn’t sure if they would like Mesar to play with the Laval Rocket, their AHL affiliate, or with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, who hold Mesar’s rights. However, it appears clear Mesar will not be returning Europe for the upcoming season. The 26th overall selection from this year’s NHL draft, Mesar played the last two years for Poprad in his native Slovakia, recording 30 points in 73 games over the two campaigns. The decision not to keep Mesar in Europe makes sense, given the need to help him adjust to North American ice and its style of hockey. Deciding between the AHL and OHL could be tough, as the OHL won’t give Mesar opportunities to play against older and more experienced competition, but will give him experience as a top of the lineup player, like Montreal hopes he will be. The AHL will give Mesar a taste of what playing in the NHL will be like in some respects, but may be a bit too advanced for him to see the top of the lineup and thrive like he might in Kitchener.

Snapshots: Weegar, Nash, Keith

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Last week, we covered reports on the Calgary Flames’ attempts to sign defenseman Mackenzie Weegar to an extension. Now, we have some more details on the deal being discussed. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the “general area” that the Flames are “looking at” with a Weegar extension is eight years, $6.5MM AAV, which some might remember as the parameters of Hampus Lindholm’s contract extension with the Boston Bruins.

For the Flames, an extension at around that number would represent solid value, especially when the potential rise of the salary cap in the near future is factored in. Weegar, who will turn 29 in January, had 44 points in 80 games last season and has blossomed into a top-pairing defenseman. If we consider the costs of comparable defensemen, such as Darnell Nurse ($9.25MM) or Jacob Trouba ($8MM), a cap hit at around $6.5MM would represent solid value for the Flames, especially since it could be argued that Weegar is a better defenseman than either Nurse or Trouba. If this deal indeed gets signed at around this number, it will be another big move in what could go down as a summer for the ages for Flames GM Brad Treliving.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Veteran forward Riley Nash has signed a two-year AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers, per a team announcement. Nash, 33, saw time with three different NHL teams last season, and he also played 17 games for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. In his 17 games with the Crunch, Nash scored 10 goals and 18 points, and should add some experience and veteran leadership to the Checkers’ top-six.
  • Per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, legendary defenseman Duncan Keith is joining the Oilers’ hockey operations department in a player development role. Keith recently ended his NHL career and will bring his over 1,200 games of NHL experience to the table as he helps develop the Oilers’ promising crop of young players.

Jean-Francois Berube Expected To Be In Panthers Camp

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Given that Andrew Hammond is likely no longer attending Florida Panthers training camp on a PTO, with the veteran netminder expected to sign overseas, the team needed another goaltender. George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports that it will be Jean-Francois Berube, who will now be in camp on a tryout basis, competing for a spot in the organization.

Berube, 31, has bounced around the league as a depth option for years now, playing for a number of organizations but rarely seeing much NHL playing time. In 2021-22 he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, appearing six times and posting a .900 save percentage. In 19 appearances with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL he actually fared worse, but despite middling minor league performances, Berube continues to be a trusted option for NHL clubs trying to add experience.

A PTO is about as much as he can hope for at this point, though it is important to remember that this doesn’t lock him into a deal with the Panthers. Berube can showcase himself in the preseason for the entire league and hope to land somewhere once injuries start to pile up.

For his career, Berube has appeared in 40 regular season games and owns a .898 save percentage with a 12-12-4 record.

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