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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

Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/21

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As we enter the last week before the regular season starts, teams will be working to trim their rosters down to that final 23-man number. We’ll keep track of today’s cuts right here.

Calgary Flames (via team release)

*D Nick DeSimone (to Stockton, AHL)
F Ryan Francis (to Stockton, AHL)
*D Kevin Gravel (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jakob Pelletier (to Stockton, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Stockton, AHL)
*F Matthew Phillips (to Stockton, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Stockton, AHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Stockton, AHL)
*D Andy Welinski (to Stockton, AHL)
G Dustin Wolf (to Stockton, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)

D Filip Berglund (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Philip Broberg (to Bakersfield, AHL)
*F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Ilya Konovalov (to Bakersfield, AHL)
*F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

*F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F J.C. Beaudin (to Laval, AHL)
D Tobie Bisson (to Laval, AHL)
*F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
*F Jean-Sebastien Dea (to Laval, AHL)
*G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team release)

D Xavier Bouchard (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Robert Carpenter (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Parker Gahagen (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Patrick Harper (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Joseph LaBate (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mitch McLain (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jake McLaughlin (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Grant Mismash (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Juuso Parssinen (to TPS, Liiga)
F Cole Schneider (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Zach Solow (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Tomas Vomacka (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

*F Brian Flynn (to Utica, AHL)
*D Robbie Russo (to Utica, AHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Utica, AHL)
F Chase Stillman (to Sudbury, OHL)

New York Rangers (via team release)

F Will Cuylle (to Windsor, OHL)
G Adam Huska (to Hartford, AHL)
F Lauri Pajuniemi (to Hartford, AHL)
D Matthew Robertson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Braden Schneider (to Hartford, AHL)
G Tyler Wall (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)

*F Pontus Aberg (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jonathan Aspirot (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (to Belleville, AHL)
F Ridly Greig (to Brandon, WHL)
D Max Guenette (to Belleville, AHL)
*D Dillon Heatherington (to Belleville, AHL)
F Mark Kastelic (to Belleville, AHL)
G Kevin Mandolese (to Belleville, AHL)
F Zack Ostapchuk (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Cole Reinhardt (to Belleville, AHL)
*F Kole Sherwood (to Belleville, AHL)
F Egor Sokolov (to Belleville, AHL)
D Lassi Thomson (to Belleville, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

D Tommy Cross (to Springfield, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Springfield, AHL)
G Joel Hofer (to Springfield, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release)

F Jarid Lukosevicius (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Vincent Arseneau (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Tristen Nielsen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Ethan Keppen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Karel Plasek (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Arturs Silovs (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Jett Woo (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F John Stevens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Devante Stephens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
F Sheldon Rempal (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
G Spencer Martin (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Viktor Persson (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Connor Lockhart (to Erie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

*F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)

*-pending the player clearing waivers

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jean-Francois Berube

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have added some more goaltending depth to the organization, signing Jean-Francois Berube to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $200K, and a minor league guarantee of $225K according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. Berube had been in training camp with the Blue Jackets on a professional tryout.

Berube, 30, hasn’t seen the NHL since the 2017-18 season, but is a veteran minor league option that will serve as little more than injury insurance in Columbus. In fact, he could very well be nothing more than a practice option if the league goes to taxi squads for goaltenders this season at any point. With only two netminders other than Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo signed to NHL contracts though, the Blue Jackets needed to add at least one more to cover any call-up issues.

There was a time when Berube was one of the best goaltenders in the minor leagues, but even those days are passed now. He posted a .885 save percentage in 19 appearances with the Ontario Reign last season, the third consecutive year he was sub-.900. While he can give the team another option, don’t expect him to receive the majority of the starts so long as prospect Daniil Tarasov stays healthy.

21 Players Placed On Waivers

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Today is the first day of waivers for the upcoming season, meaning any player that needed to clear them in order to be sent to the AHL had to wait until now to be officially reassigned. That also means that the waiver wire will be quite active over the coming weeks as teams move through their final few rounds of cuts and try to sneak players down to their minor league affiliates. Today, 21 players have hit the wire, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet:

None of the players listed today are really surprises, as all of them were expected to be sent to the minor leagues before the season began. In terms of players who pose any risk of claim, Miska perhaps leads the way simply because of his success the last two seasons in the minor leagues. The 26-year-old goaltender had a .924 save percentage in 2019-20 with the Colorado Eagles and appeared in five games for the Avalanche last season.

Of note for those keeping track, waivers are now processed daily at 1 pm CT, two hours later than in previous seasons.

Prospect Notes: Draft Rankings, CHL Rankings, Oilers

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TSN’s Bob McKenzie has come out of his semi-retirement to provide one of the most interesting lists of the year, releasing his preseason rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft. McKenzie polls ten active NHL scouts and Shane Wright, the Kingston Frontenacs superstar center, was a unanimous choice as the top player heading into this season. Not only that, but the scribe suggests that Wright probably would have been the top-ranked player in the 2021 draft had he been eligible.

That’s incredibly impressive, given that Wright isn’t a late-September birthday that just missed the cutoff. He won’t turn 18 until January, but already has teams drooling over his potential as a true first-line center. Granted exceptional status for the OHL, he scored 39 goals and 66 points in his first season of CHL hockey in 2019-20, but missed last season when his league failed to hold a season. Still, Wright dominated at the U18 Worlds with nine goals and 14 points in five games, taking home the gold medal with Canada.

  • The presence of Wright in Kingston makes the Frontenacs a team to feat this season, but that still didn’t put them at the top of the CHL rankings released today. That spot went to the Edmonton Oil Kings, who look like a powerhouse in the WHL with top draft picks Dylan Guenther and Sebastian Cossa leading the way. Jake Neighbours, who is still in camp with the St. Louis Blues, will also likely be returning to Edmonton where he could very well contend for the league scoring title. Neighbours has been the talk of camp in St. Louis, with Blues head coach Craig Berube calling him a “dog on a bone” this week and Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest suggesting that he could even join the NHL team at the end of the 2021-22 season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers sent cut several prominent prospects today, including Raphael Lavoie, who will have to wait for his chance at the NHL level. The 21-year-old forward had an outstanding first season of professional hockey in 2020-21, racking up 45 points in 51 games during a loan to Sweden and then returning with a strong performance for the Bakersfield Condors down the stretch. While there are several more experienced names in Oilers camp vying for the last few spots, it is somewhat surprising that he was already sent to the AHL with five more preseason games to go.

Minor Transactions: 09/29/21

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Though the numbers have dwindled, there are still many players looking for work this season. The includes in North America, where some are seeking minor league deals or hoping to capitalize on PTOs, as well as in Europe, where most leagues are already underway but players are still trying to find their way into the action. Keep up with all of these transactions here:

  • Miraculously, 38-year-old power forward Evgeny Artyukhin is back for another year of hockey. The Russian forward has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Admiral Vladivostok, the team announced. Admiral becomes his ninth different KHL club in his 18-year pro career, which also included a multi-year stint in the NHL. Artyukhin is so old (how old is he?) that the last NHL club he played for was the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010. A 2001 Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, Artyukhin spent two seasons with the Bolts, collecting 33 points in 145, before splitting his final NHL season between the Anaheim Ducks and the Thrashers with 16 points in 54 games. An effective bottom-six forward who played a physical game and could chip in on offense, Artyukhin likely could have played longer in North America, but was always drawn back to Russia. And KHL teams are drawn to him; it seemed that Artyukhin’s career could be over back in 2018-19 when he missed the whole season due to injury, but now he is on to his second contract in two years as he continues to elongate an already impressive career.
  • Two Boston PTO’s have earned a contract with the Bruins, the AHL’s Providence Bruins that is. Defensemen Aaron Ness and Jack Dougherty have signed on with the junior Bruins for this season reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. The organization has yet to confirm, but it would not be a shock given that both players are currently in camp. Ness, who turned down a PTO with the Seattle Kraken to join the Bruins instead, is coming of a contract with the Arizona Coyotes and saw NHL action just last year. He brings 72 NHL games and over 500 AHL games worth of experience to Providence. Dougherty, 25, is a former top prospect of the Nashville Predators who has struggled to make his mark in the pros but has been extremely consistent in the minors.
  • Jared Cockrell will have to spend another year in the ECHL to prove he is ready for the next level. The former Colgate standout transferred to St. Cloud State last year and appeared in the NCAA Championship with the Huskies. Soon after he signed with the Wheeling Nailers and got in 16 games, but disappointed with only one point and a -8 rating. His college play suggests that he is far better than that performance and he will look to show that this season after re-upping with Wheeling, per a league release. Cockrell will have his eye on establishing more consistent play at both ends in the Coast and then maybe he could be in line for an AHL loan at some point this year.

Seattle Kraken Sign Max McCormick

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The Seattle Kraken have signed depth forward Max McCormick to a one-year, two-way contract according to CapFriendly. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $150K, and a minor league guarantee of $200K.

McCormick, 29, played in 12 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season and has a total of 83 NHL contests under his belt. The sixth-round pick will bring some versatility and toughness to the Kraken organization, giving them another depth forward to send to the minor leagues if necessary. Though he’ll have to clear waivers to do so, it shouldn’t be a problem for McCormick who has cleared them four times in the past.

Willing to drop the gloves against much bigger opponents, McCormick has racked up penalty minutes at the minor league level while also providing a strong offensive presence. In 2019-20, which he spent entirely with the Charlotte Checkers, the veteran forward scored 16 goals and 35 points in 56 games while also registering 120 penalty minutes.

The Kraken are facing several interesting choices when it comes to finalizing a roster for the upcoming season, as several of their fringe players could be nabbed on waivers if they try to send them to the minor leagues. There’s also the issue of not actually having an AHL affiliate for the 2021-22 season, but just providing a handful of players to the Checkers this year. A player like McCormick, at very little risk of being claimed but still effective enough to be used as an injury call-up, is exactly the kind of player that can help the Kraken build risk-free depth as the season approaches.

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.

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.

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