- Anaheim has assigned Andrew Agozzino and Alex Stalock, both NHL veterans, to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
[SOURCE LINK]
Ducks Rumors
Senators Re-Claim Lassi Thomson Off Waivers From Ducks
3:25 p.m.: No other team put in a claim for Thomson, and he has been reassigned to AHL Belleville, according to a team announcement.
1:09 p.m.: The Ottawa Senators have re-claimed defenseman Lassi Thomson off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks today after losing him on the waiver wire just days ago, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. If the Senators were the only team to put in a claim for Thomson over the past 24 hours, they can assign him directly to AHL Belleville without having to waive him again.
If Ottawa cannot immediately assign Thomson to Belleville, that will put them in quite the pickle. They need clarity within the next two hours, as claiming Thomson puts them over the salary cap Upper Limit by approximately $800K. They don’t have room for any healthy extras with center Joshua Norris on injured reserve to start the season. Thomson requiring waivers to go to the AHL again would require Ottawa to paper down one of two waiver-exempt players on their opening night roster – center Ridly Greig or defenseman Jake Sanderson – to submit a cap-compliant roster.
Ottawa selected Thomson, 23, with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He spent most of the 2022-23 season in the minors but did receive a two-game call-up with Ottawa, scoring a combined seven goals and 33 points in 58 contests across the two levels. The right-shot defenseman failed to overtake veteran Travis Hamonic for a regular roster spot during Senators training camp this year and, if he ends up back in AHL Bellville, will play leading minutes there once again.
Waivers: 10/08/23
Oct. 9: Four players on this list were claimed today: A.J. Greer (Calgary), John Ludvig (Pittsburgh), Ivan Prosvetov (Colorado), and Lassi Thomson (Ottawa). All others have cleared and are expected to be assigned to their team’s respective AHL affiliates, aside from Boyd, who PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports remains on the Coyotes’ active roster for now.
Oct. 8: It’s expected to be a busy day on the waiver wire, as NHL teams are making their final adjustments to the roster they’ll bring into the start of the 2023-24 season. There have already been numerous notable names exposed to the waiver wire thus far this preseason, and that list could only expand today. All players from yesterday’s waiver wire have cleared.
Anaheim Ducks
D Lassi Thomson
G Alex Stalock
F Andrew Agozzino
Boston Bruins
Arizona Coyotes
F Travis Boyd
F Zach Sanford
G Ivan Prosvetov
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
F Raphael Lavoie
F Lane Pederson
D Ben Gleason
Florida Panthers
F Zac Dalpe
D John Ludvig
D Casey Fitzgerald
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Joel Armia
D Gustav Lindström
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
G Magnus Hellberg
F Colin White
D Mark Friedman
F Vinnie Hinostroza
F Radim Zohorna
St. Louis Blues
F Mackenzie MacEachern
D Calle Rosen
G Malcolm Subban
F Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Zach Bogosian
F Gabriel Fortier
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Martin Jones
F Kyle Clifford
F Dylan Gambrell
D William Lagesson
D Maxime Lajoie
Vancouver Canucks
F Jack Studnicka
D Christian Wolanin
Vegas Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets
D Kyle Capobianco
G Collin Delia
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The big surprise here out of Arizona regards Boyd. The versatile 30-year-old veteran doesn’t have an exorbitant contract (just $1.75MM through the end of the season) and has scored 69 points across the last two seasons.
He’s been something of a breakout player for the Coyotes as his 17-goal, 35-point 2022-23 was far and away his best season in his career, so it’s definitely a surprise to see him exposed on waivers.
For Anaheim, the move to waive Stalock likely means that Lukáš Dostál has won the Ducks’ backup goalie job behind John Gibson, as should Stalock clear the Ducks will have the option to send him down to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
In Edmonton, it comes as a little bit of a surprise to see Lavioe waived. The 23-year-old power forward was drafted just outside of the 2019 first round, and took a real step forward in his development last season. He became a genuinely impactful AHLer, scoring 25 goals and 45 points. He’s a name to watch in terms of players with the potential to be claimed out of this group.
Anderson-Dolan finally made the NHL on an extended basis last season, and scored 12 points in 46 games. He even got some playoff action under his belt, but seeing as he was a near-point-per-game scorer in his last season in the AHL, it seems the Kings could prefer to have him start the season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Rosen appears the likeliest candidate from the Blues’ group of waived players to be of interest to other teams, as he’s owed just a $762.5k cap hit this season and impressed in 49 games of NHL action last season. He scored 18 points in that span and could interest teams in need of some additional defensive help.
Out of Tampa is Bogosian, and it’s reported that the Lightning are hoping to put the veteran blueliner in a position to land on another team where he can play a bigger role than he’d be offered in Tampa. The 33-year-old won a Stanley Cup for the Lightning and it seems that the organization is looking to do right by the player while also turning to other options to staff their defense.
One of the biggest names on waivers comes out of Toronto, as Jones played in 48 games last season but now finds himself exposed to 31 other clubs. With an $875k cap hit, the veteran netminder could end up claimed by teams in need of instant goaltending support, such as the Lightning who don’t have much depth after the injury to superstar Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifteenth Overall
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall: Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
9th Overall: Brayden Schenn, Ottawa Senators (5)
10th Overall: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Edmonton Oilers (6)
11th Overall: Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators (11)
12th Overall: Dmitry Orlov, New York Islanders (55)
13th Overall: Anders Lee, Buffalo Sabres (152)
14th Overall: Tyson Barrie, Florida Panthers (64)
After being an early third-rounder originally, Barrie fares much better this time around, going in the final lottery spot. It was a narrow margin of victory as he checked in with just 18.5% of the votes, barely 2% ahead of the next-highest player.
Barrie was, unsurprisingly, a high-end point producer from the back end in junior. After putting up 52 points in his draft-eligible year, he followed it up with back-to-back seasons with greater than a point-per-game average.
While he spent a good chunk of his first two professional campaigns in the minors, Barrie did see action with Colorado and by the midway mark of that second year, he was a regular with the Avs. Before long, he was one of the more consistent offensive blueliners, putting up a double-digit goal total in five of six years, notching at least 49 points in four of those.
In 2019, the Avs decided to trade for an impact center, acquiring Kadri from Toronto (who went sixth in this redraft) as part of a four-player, two-pick swap. The Maple Leafs were hoping Barrie would be a big boost to their top power play but it didn’t go as planned as he had just five goals and went to Edmonton via free agency the next summer on a three-year deal with a $4.5MM AAV, one that expires at the end of the upcoming season.
Barrie did have some success with the Oilers in that power play specialist role but last season, his contract was needed for cap matching purposes when they picked up Mattias Ekholm from Nashville. A speculative trade candidate over the summer, a move didn’t come to fruition but if the Predators are out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, he could be on the move again.
Very quietly, Barrie sits eighth in scoring among all players from this draft class, second to only Hedman amongst blueliners. All in all, he has had a pretty impressive career for a third-round pick, one that likely will still have a few years left in it after this coming season.
Now, we shift our focus to pick number fifteen, held by the Anaheim Ducks. They opted to look for help down the middle with their original selection, selecting Peter Holland out of OHL Guelph. Holland had a somewhat successful tryout with Colorado this training camp, eventually earning himself a longer look with their AHL affiliate but there are certainly better options for Anaheim in this redraft. Who should they take? Make your selection by voting in our poll below.
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/08/23
NHL final rosters are due tomorrow, Monday, 10/9, at 5 p.m. ET, meaning it’s time for NHL teams to make their final trimmings. As always, we will track these cuts here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
F Zack Kassian (released from PTO)
D Olen Zellweger (to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release)
F Dylan Guenther (to Tucson, AHL)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to Tucson, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
D Sam Malinski (to Colorado, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
F Oskar Bäck (to Texas, AHL)
D Lian Bichsel (to Texas, AHL)
F Matěj Blümel (to Texas, AHL)
F Mavrik Bourque (to Texas, AHL)
F Kyle McDonald (to Texas, AHL)
G Remi Poirier (to Texas, AHL)
F Logan Stankoven (to Texas, AHL)
D Jordie Benn (released from PTO)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Jonatan Berggren (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Simon Edvinsson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Cross Hanas (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nate Danielson (to Brandon, WHL)
F Elmer Soderblom (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Denis Gurianov (to Milwaukee, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Josh Bailey (released from PTO)
F Jiri Smejkal (to Belleville, AHL)
D Maxence Guenette (to Belleville, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
D Matt Kessel (to Springfield, AHL)
F Zachary Bolduc (to Springfield, AHL)
F Zach Dean (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mathias Laferriere (to Springfield, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release)
F Nils Åman (to Abbotsford, AHL)
There are two more notable players that have been sent down from St. Louis, 2021 first-round picks Bolduc and Dean. Seeing as neither player has made his pro debut yet, it’s not exactly a surprise to see them begin in Springfield, although there had to have been some hope that Bolduc could follow up a stellar 50-goal, 110-point QMJHL season by grabbing an NHL job in training camp.
Although that didn’t happen, a quick start in the AHL with the Thunderbirds could quickly land him in St. Louis. Dean is in a similar situation, though his physical skill-and-sandpaper brand of hockey could land him a shot for a fourth-line role down the line in St. Louis, while Bolduc may have to wait until an scoring line role opens up for his call-up.
In Ottawa, a veteran of over 1,000 games, Bailey, was released from his PTO. Reports out of Ottawa noted that Bailey struggled with the pace of the game throughout training camp and preseason, something that Bailey also had difficulty with in his last season on Long Island.
After seeing his production drop year-over-year from 44 points to 25, Bailey will now need to look elsewhere if he wants to continue his pro career.
It’s a surprise to see Guenther, 20, begin the season in the AHL. The 2021 ninth-overall pick was solid in 33 games of NHL action last season, scoring 15 points. But with the Coyotes additions this summer to their forward corps, namely in established offensive players such as Alex Kerfoot and Jason Zucker, perhaps the Coyotes would prefer Guenther develop in a starring role in Tucson than in a middle-six role in Tempe.
Leo Carlsson Not Out Long-Term
- Anaheim Ducks promising center prospect Leo Carlsson will not be out long-term after sustaining a lower-body injury in practice yesterday, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. There is no exact timeline for the 18-year-old’s return, however, meaning he could miss the team’s season-opening game on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights next Saturday. The second-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft is coming off a strong camp, one GM Pat Verbeek said earlier this week has secured him a spot on the Ducks roster for the entire 2023-24 season.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/06/23
Less than a week away from the opening night of the 2023-24 NHL season, teams continue to make roster cuts in an effort to finalize their official roster heading into the year. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Robert Hägg (to San Diego, AHL)
D Noah Warren (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
D Colton White (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
G Brandon Bussi (to Providence, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Zach Aston-Reese (released from PTO)
F Kieffer Bellows (released from PTO)
F Cory Conacher (released from PTO)
F Brendan Perlini (released from PTO)
F Nick Shore (released from PTO)
D Nathan Beaulieu (released from PTO)
F Noel Gunler (to Norfolk, ECHL)
F Blake Murray (to Norfolk, ECHL)
F Justin Robidas (to Norfolk, ECHL)
D Anttoni Honka (to Norfolk, ECHL)
D Griffin Mendel (to Norfolk, ECHL)
D Ronan Seeley (to Norfolk, ECHL)
F Jamieson Rees (to Springfield, AHL)
D Aleksi Heimosalmi (to Pori, Liiga)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
G Jet Greaves (to Cleveland, AHL)
F James Malatesta (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Hunter McKown (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Pearson (released from PTO)
F Stefan Matteau (released from PTO, expected to join AHL Cleveland via tryout)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Alexandre Doucet (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Marco Kasper (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Amadeus Lombardi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Albert Johansson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Antti Tuomisto (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Eemil Viro (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D William Wallinder (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Sebastian Cossa (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Joel L’Esperance (released from PTO)
F Riley Sawchuk (released from PTO)
F Dominik Shine (released from PTO)
F Tyler Spezia (released from PTO)
D Josiah Didier (released from PTO)
G Michael Hutchinson (released from PTO)
Florida Panthers (via team release)
G Spencer Knight (to Charlotte, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
D Brandt Clarke (to Ontario, AHL)
D Alex Laferriere (to Ontario, AHL)
F Alex Turcotte (to Ontario, AHL)
New York Islanders (via team release)
F William Dufour (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Aidan Fulp (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Ruslan Iskhakov (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Eetu Liukas (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Kyle MacLean (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Matt Maggio (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Travis Mitchell (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Reece Newkirk (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Calle Odelius (to Bridgeport, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Brennan Othmann (to Hartford, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster)
F Brendan Brisson (to Henderson, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Ethen Frank (to Hershey, AHL)
F Hendrix Lapierre (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
D Vincent Iorio (to Hershey, AHL)
D Chase Priskie (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
F Parker Ford (to Manitoba, AHL)
It’s relatively big news coming out of Florida today, as Knight’s reassignment to Charlotte means veteran Anthony Stolarz will begin the season as the backup goalie behind Sergei Bobrovsky in Sunrise. Stolarz struggled last season to the tune of an .899 save percentage in 19 games, though he was playing in difficult circumstances as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. Stolarz does have a track record of quality play from as recently as 2021-22, when he posted a strong .917 save percentage in 28 games, and it’s likely the Panthers believe Stolarz will perform closer to how he did in 2021-22 than 2022-23.
As for Knight, he’ll get to build himself back to the NHL by getting some lower-pressure game action under his belt in the AHL. Knight has been away from the ice for the better part of a year as he’s participated in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, so it’s understandable that the Panthers would want to ease him back into the rigors of being an NHL goalie rather than begin the season with him in the NHL and potentially risk losing Stolarz on waivers.
In New York, it’s no real surprise to see Othmann sent to Hartford. While there was an outside chance that the Rangers would take advantage of one of their top prospects’ affordable cap hit for their opening-night roster, Othmann has not yet made his professional debut and thrusting a rookie into a win-now environment with a demanding veteran head coach in Peter Laviolette may not have been the best place for Othmann to develop.
In Hartford, Othmann is likely to play a major all-situations role for head coach Kris Knoblauch and he’s likely to be near the front of the line for a call-up should the Rangers have forward injuries. Assuming he can hit the ground running for the Wolf Pack and put together a productive rookie AHL campaign, he’ll likely be a full-time NHL player a year from now.
A few notable prospects were sent down elsewhere, including on Long Island where a trio of talented wingers were sent to the AHL. Maggio is looking to have a strong first season as a professional hockey player while Iskhakov and Dufour each posted solid numbers in Bridgeport last season, but just missed the cut in terms of making the NHL roster.
In the American capital, Lapierre finished his debut AHL campaign well but his poor start did cause some concern. As a result, it seems as though Washington will look to see him put together a more consistently productive campaign at the pro level before testing him in the NHL. The Golden Knights likely sent down their own 2020 first-round pick, Brisson, for the same reasons after he scored a decent but not overwhelming 18 goals and 37 points in the AHL last season.
There’s a bit of a curious player development decision made in Carolina, where a slate of prospects have been sent to the ECHL. Certain names, such as Honka, who scored 34 points in the AHL last season, are clearly players capable of playing in the AHL and will have to instead play 2023-24 in the ECHL due to the Hurricanes’ lack of an AHL affiliate.
While the lower level of competition does set the stage for players such as Honka, Robidas, and Gunler to have highly productive seasons, one wonders if playing third-tier hockey rather than in the AHL, widely regarded as one of the world’s best leagues outside the NHL, is going to end up the best choice for those players’ development.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Chase De Leo Out Eight Weeks; Leo Carlsson Remains On Roster
Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo will miss the next eight weeks after sustaining an MCL sprain during a Tuesday game against the Los Angeles Kings, per a team announcement. He sustained the injury on a knee-on-knee hit from Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev, whom the league suspended for four games today as a result.
- Sticking with the Ducks, GM Pat Verbeek confirmed on a radio spot on SiriusXM today that the team envisions keeping 2023 second-overall pick Leo Carlsson on the roster for the entire season. Verbeek wouldn’t commit to Carlsson being an everyday player, however, it seems he’ll get that shot out of the gate – multiple websites project Carlsson will slide into Anaheim’s top-six to begin the season, given the finger injury to free-agent signing Alex Killorn. The 18-year-old has had a strong camp and is coming off an incredibly strong draft year that saw him boost his stock into a top-four lock, recording 25 points in 44 games with SHL club Örebro HK and finishing off the season with five points in eight games for Sweden at the World Championship. He already has NHL size at 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds.
Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Jamie Drysdale
The Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have agreed to a three-year, $6.9MM contract with defenseman Jamie Drysdale. Projected to be one of the team’s top two defensemen headed into the 2023-24 NHL season, Drysdale would only play eight games last year, before shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum would keep him out of the lineup the rest of the season.
Rated as the third-best North American skater prior to the 2020 NHL Draft, Drysdale would be the second defenseman off the board, going sixth overall to the Ducks. Capping off an impressive two-year run with the Erie Otters of the OHL, Drysdale would finish off with a nine-goal, 38-assist performance in 49 games heading into his draft year.
Turning pro immediately, Drysdale would split his time during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 NHL season between Anaheim, and their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Showing some signs of growing pains at the NHL level, Drysdale would score three goals and five assists in 24 games for the Ducks in 2020-21.
Earning more playing time in his first full NHL season, Drysdale’s numbers dramatically improved during the 2021-22 season, scoring four goals and 28 assists in 81 games. Acquiring minutes on Anaheim’s powerplay unit as well, Drysdale would produce a total of 12 assists with the man advantage. 
Throughout much of his career in the OHL, as well as a modest amount of NHL experience, there is no doubt that Drysdale has the capabilities to be a solid offensive contributor from the blue line. However, the Ducks will certainly be looking for Drysdale to grow his defensive attributes over the life of this contract, to become a more complete defenseman.
Over his 113 games at the NHL level, Drysdale has a commendable 101 blocked shots but also carries a 25/71 ratio in terms of takeaways/giveaways, as well as a career CF% of 49.1% and a oiSV% of 89.7%. Much of this could be attributed to the lack of talent surrounding Drysdale on Anaheim’s roster, but he will need to improve on this production nonetheless to become the defenseman the Ducks are hoping he can be.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Darren Dreger of TSN was the first to report Anaheim had signed Drysdale.
Ducks Sign Ben King To AHL Deal
- Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced the signing of Ben King to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Ducks in 2022 (107th overall) but has exhausted his WHL eligibility. After putting up 105 points in 2021-22, King’s production dipped to just 35 points in 30 games last season with Red Deer. Anaheim has until June 1, 2024, to ink him to an NHL contract.