Minor Transactions: 09/28/19
As teams finish their final week of preparation before the 2019-20 season, there will likely be several transactions around the league. Alongside of NHL camp cuts, there are recalls and reassignments for preseason action, AHL camp decisions, and even some teams at both levels still looking to fill out their rosters with a signing or two. As always, we’ll keep track of all those moves right here:
- The same group of players recalled by the Nashville Predators yesterday to suit up for their preseason game have been returned: Rem Pitlick, Anthony Richard, Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin, Josh Wilkins, Alexandre Carrier, Jeremy Davies and Ken Appleby. However, the team added that Appleby has formally been released from his PTO contract. He will head to the Milwaukee Admirals with the rest of the group, but is now solely property of the AHL club.
- The St. Louis Blues are already making standard recall transactions, although it’s unclear if the move is anything more than a personnel change for the preseason finale. The Blues announced that defenseman Jake Walman has been sent down to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, essentially being cut from training camp, but that forward Alexey Toropchenko has been recalled in his place. The first-year pro had been previously dismissed from camp, but will get another chance to impress the St. Louis brass.
- From heir apparent to fifth string, goaltender Spencer Martin has had a tough year or so. Last off-season, the 2013 third-round pick looked like he might be in line for the backup role with the Colorado Avalanche. Instead, the Avs traded for Philipp Grubauer and signed Pavel Francouz. Martin sat behind Francouz, an AHL All-Star, all year and then was not extended a qualifying offer from Colorado. Martin signed as a UFA early this summer with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who at the time had only two goalies slotted above him on the depth chart. Since then, the Bolts have traded for Mike Condon and signed Curtis McElhinney. With Condon and Louis Domingue both established NHL veterans currently confined to the AHL, today’s move was inevitable, but still a tough blow for Martin. The 24-year-old was reassigned to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, the Syracuse Crunch announced. Another former top prospect, Zach Fucale, has also been sent down to Orlando. The duo will likely be relegated to the ECHL for much of the season, barring an injury or trade. It’s certainly not the future imagined for Martin just a few short years ago.
- The Blue Jackets have recalled winger Eric Robinson from Cleveland (AHL), reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. He has already been cut this preseason but is expected to suit up in their final exhibition game on Sunday before being sent back down.
- The Florida Panthers announced that they have recalled forward Anthony Greco from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. The 25-year-old was cut from the NHL camp on Thursday, but may get a chance to prove himself again. Greco scored 59 goals over the past two seasons with Springfield, but has only made one NHL appearance so far.
Ottawa Senators Sign Scott Sabourin
The Ottawa Senators have decided that Scott Sabourin has done enough to deserve a contracting, signing the veteran AHL forward to a one-year two-way contract. Sabourin had been in training camp on a professional tryout. The deal is worth $700K at the NHL level.
Now 27, Sabourin has carved out quite the career for himself after going undrafted. Taking on a physical role, he has played 308 AHL contests and recorded 646 penalty minutes. His pesky forechecking style and willingness to drop the gloves endeared himself to Senators fans in training camp, and he’ll get a chance to continue showing what he can do this season.
His two-way deal by no means guarantees any time in the NHL, but for a team like Ottawa that is using this season as a development track, having a player like Sabourin wouldn’t be the worst idea. With so many young players expected in the lineup, the veteran could help them along with anything he’s learned over his years in professional hockey while being a sort of protection on the ice.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Antoine Bibeau
The Colorado Avalanche have added some more goaltending depth, acquiring Antoine Bibeau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for prospect Nicolas Meloche. Bibeau, who recently cleared waivers with the Sharks, will report to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
A trade of Bibeau solves problems for both teams, as the Sharks already had two goaltenders ticketed for the AHL while the Avalanche had just three in the entire organization under NHL contracts. Colorado will still be going with Pavel Francouz as their backup to start the year, but Bibeau does give them another player to turn to if he struggles. The new goaltender has just two games of NHL experience under his belt but has been an AHL All-Star as recently as 2017-18.
Perhaps more interestingly though is the inclusion of Meloche, who is still just 22 and was a second-round pick in 2015. The young defenseman had a strong season for the Colorado Eagles last year putting up 21 points in 55 games, but just wasn’t going to get anywhere in the Avalanche system. Even if he took another step forward this year it would be hard to find room for him on a team that has Cale Makar, Samuel Girard, Conor Timmins and Bowen Byram all still 21-and-under and in line for huge minutes going forward.
In San Jose, Meloche will get a new chance and opportunity to show the coaching staff he has what it takes to get to the NHL level. On the final year of his entry-level deal, he’s a worthwhile lottery ticket for a team that will need cheap defenders to offset the $26.5MM that their top three are eating up every year.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/27/19
We’re getting closer and closer to the start of the regular season and teams are making their final cuts. We’ll keep track of them right here. Keep checking back throughout the day as this page will be updated regularly.
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Lane Pederson (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Tucson, AHL)
D Kyle Capobianco (to Tucson, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
F Nicholas Caamano (to Texas, AHL)
F Rhett Gardner (to Texas, AHL)
F Jason Robertson (to Texas, AHL)
D Thomas Harley (to Mississauga, OHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
G Kaden Fulcher (to Toledo, ECHL)
F Matthew Ford (released from PTO)
F Josh Kestner (released from PTO)
F Troy Loggins (released from ATO)
F Tyler Spezia (released from PTO)
D Marcus Crawford (released from PTO)
D Charle-Edouard D’Astous (released from ATO)
D Alec McCrea (released from ATO)
G Pat Nagle (released from PTO)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Nathan Bastian (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Michael McLeod (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Steven Fogarty (to Hartford, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F Gerry Mayhew (to Iowa, AHL)
F Nico Sturm (to Iowa, AHL)
F Drew Stafford (released from PTO)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Zack MacEwen (to Utica, AHL)
D Jalen Chatfield (to Utica, AHL)
F Tyler Graovac (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
G Richard Bachman (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F Andrei Chibisov (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Michael Spacek (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Vesalainen (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Logan Stanley (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/19
Like always, we’ll keep you aware of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
F Alex Broadhurst (to San Diego, AHL)
D Hunter Drew (to San Diego, AHL)
D Zack Hayes (to San Diego, AHL)
F Justin Kloos (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jack Kopacka (to San Diego, AHL)
D Patrick Sieloff (to San Diego, AHL)
D Chris Wideman (to San Diego, AHL)
G Anthony Stolarz (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Ryan Fitzgerald (to Providence, AHL)
F Joona Koppanen (to Providence, AHL)
F Zach Senyshyn (to Providence, AHL)
F Pavel Shen (to Providence, AHL)
F Oskar Steen (to Providence, AHL)
D Jeremy Lauzon (to Providence, AHL)
D Urho Vaakanainen (to Providence, AHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Providence, AHL)
F Paul Carey (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Brendan Gaunce (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Alexander Petrovic (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Dylan Cozens (to Lethbridge, WHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
F Morgan Geekie (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Janne Kuokkanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Steven Lorentz (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Eetu Luostarinen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jake Bean (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Kyle Wood (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jesper Sellgren (to Lulea HF, SHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Barrie, OHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
D Bowen Byram (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Martin Kaut (to Colorado, AHL)
F Sheldon Dries (to Colorado, AHL)
F Logan O’Connor (to Colorado, AHL)
F Michael Joly (to Colorado, AHL)
G Hunter Miska (to Colorado, AHL)
D Jacob MacDonald (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Dan Renouf (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Kailer Yamamoto (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Springfield, AHL)
G Chris Driedger (to Springfield, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Matthew Peca (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Phil Varone (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Dale Weise (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Karl Alzner (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Xavier Ouellet (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Daniel O’Regan (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release)
F Parker Kelly (to Belleville, AHL)
G Marcus Hogberg (to Belleville, AHL)
F Nick Paul (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Jordan Szwarz (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Vegas Golden Knights (per Jesse Granger, The Athletic)
F Reid Duke (to Chicago, AHL)
D Dylan Coughlan (to Chicago, AHL)
Waivers: 09/25/19
With AHL training camps getting underway, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:
Florida Panthers
F Anthony Greco
D Ian McCoshen
G Chris Driedger
New York Rangers
Winnipeg Jets
Training Camp Cuts: 09/25/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Jakub Lauko (to Providence, AHL)
D Josiah Didier (to Providence, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
F Ty Dellandrea (to Flint, OHL)
F Joel Kiviranta (to Texas, AHL)
F Joel L’Esperance (to Texas, AHL)
G Landon Bow (to Texas, AHL)
G Jake Oettinger (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Alec Regula (to London, OHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
D Evan Bouchard (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Shane Starrett (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Troy Brouwer (released from PTO)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Riley Barber (to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
D Julian Melchiori (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Islanders (per team release)
F Kieffer Bellows (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Arnaud Durandeau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Scott Eansor (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Ryan Hitchcock (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Mason Jobst (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Otto Koivula (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Jeff Kubiak (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Kyle MacLean (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Nick Schilkey (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F John Stevens (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Sebastian Aho (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Grant Hutton (to Bridgeport, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to Hartford, AHL)
F Tarmo Reunanen (to Hartford, AHL)
G Adam Huska (to Hartford, AHL)
D Matthew Robertson (to Edmonton, WHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
F Alexander True (to San Jose, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colt Conrad (to Toronto, AHL)
D Joseph Duszak (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell (to Toronto, AHL)
D Jesper Lindgren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Kristians Rubins (to Toronto, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Alexander Alexeyev (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F Skylar McKenzie (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jansen Harkins (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jonathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Luke Green (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
F Emile Poirier (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
F Cole Maier (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
D Jacob Cederholm (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
G Adam Carlson (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
F Seth Griffith (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Logan Shaw (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Pittsburgh Penguins Announce Scouting Changes
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made several changes to their front office and scouting departments as the season approaches. Derek Clancey has been promoted from director of pro scouting to director of player personnel, while Ryan Bowness will take his old job after serving as a pro scout. Kevin Stevens, Jay McClement and Duane Sutter have all been added as pro scouts, while Al Santilli will be a global crossover scout. Erik Heasley, who serves as manager of hockey operations, has also been promoted to the assistant general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.
McClement may stand out to recent hockey fans, given he last played in the NHL just two years ago. The 36-year old spent the 2017-18 season in Switzerland before hanging up his skates, but had previously played 12 seasons in the NHL. A veteran of 906 games, he scored just 244 points but was always heralded for his hard-nosed play and work ethic on the third or fourth line.
Sutter too will stand out as a pretty notable addition, after spending the last eight seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. One of the famed Sutter brothers, Duane has spent several decades in the hockey world as a player, coach, scout and front office executive. The 59-year old was most recently the vice president of hockey operations in Edmonton.
Waivers: 09/24/19
With AHL training camps getting underway, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:
Anaheim Ducks
F Justin Kloos
F Blake Pietila
D Patrick Sieloff
D Chris Wideman
G Anthony Stolarz
Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
F Andy Andreoff
F Kurtis Gabriel
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel
D Chris Bigras
St. Louis Blues
Minor Transactions: 09/24/19
Minor league training camps open this week and their NHL affiliates will be sending players down to compete for jobs in the AHL. With that in mind, there will likely be several more minor transactions coming across the wire. Like always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor league, college and European moves right here:
- All the players from yesterday have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Kasimir Kaskisuo, following their release of Michal Neuvirth earlier today. The team needed another goaltender in camp, but unless a waiver claim is made at some point it looks like the NHL backup job is now Michael Hutchinson‘s to lose. Kaskisuo is also fighting to show the organization what he can do, as two young goaltenders in Ian Scott and Joseph Woll are pushing for the AHL jobs.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled eight players from the AHL, giving them some extra bodies for the last few preseason contests. Joachim Blichfeld, Ivan Chekhovich, Sasha Chmelevski, Nick DeSimone, Noah Gregor, Nikolai Knyzhov, Andrew Shortridge and Jeffrey Viel have all been brought back up for the time being.