Senators Have Had Erik Brannstrom Trade Talks
As Ottawa looks to clear up cap space to sign Shane Pinto, a second trade option has emerged. While it’s well-known that the Senators have had discussions surrounding Mathieu Joseph, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the Sens have also had trade discussions involving defenseman Erik Brannstrom.
The 24-year-old was the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade back in 2019 as Ottawa hoped that the 2017 first-rounder would become a key cog on their back end, particularly on the offensive side of the ice. That hasn’t exactly happened though as Brannstrom has just four goals in 191 career appearances at the top level. While he established himself as an every-game regular last season, he averaged just 16:07 per game, basically being their sixth defender.
On the surface, moving Brannstrom should be an easier task for GM Pierre Dorion than Joseph. While Joseph has three years left on his deal at a $2.95MM cap hit, Brannstrom is on a one-year agreement at a $2MM cost. With a lot of teams capped out or close to it, even $2MM isn’t the easiest for some clubs to take on but with a shorter-term agreement, a few teams might be more open to it.
That said, with Ottawa’s cap situation (they have less than $65K in room, per CapFriendly), moving out Brannstrom alone isn’t enough to get them enough money for Pinto as he’s expected to come in around the $2.5MM mark on his contract. In Brannstrom’s case, they’d need to bring a sixth defender back onto the roster if he was to be moved, eating into their cost savings. A follow-up move would need to be made – potentially via the waiver wire – in order for the money to fall into place.
On top of that, it’s worth noting that if Pinto gets a two-year bridge deal as expected, the cap hit for this season will be higher than the AAV (while next season would be lower). That gap from the AAV increases each day he goes unsigned, creating a bit more pressure for Dorion to find a suitable cap-clearing trade sooner than later whether it involves Brannstrom, Joseph, or someone else.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Lindholm, Schenn, Kings, Harrington
There has been some optimism about the Flames and pending UFA center Elias Lindholm working out an extension after the veteran indicated a desire to get a deal done. However, the two sides aren’t close to an agreement, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link). Calgary could point to the extension that Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele just signed, a seven-year deal that carries a cap hit of $8.5MM as a possible comparable, if not a bit lower given that Lindholm’s career numbers aren’t as high as Scheifele’s. However, if the Flames want to get a deal done early, their offer might have to get closer to the $9MM range on a max-term agreement or close to it.
More from the Western Conference:
- Predators defenseman Luke Schenn was a late scratch for tonight’s game against Seattle with what the team is calling (Twitter link) a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old logged a little more than 15 minutes in his first game with Nashville after inking a three-year, $8.25MM contract with them this past summer.
- Earlier this month, the Kings wrapped up a one-year extension with head coach Todd McLellan. He won’t be the only member of the coaching staff on an expiring deal next season as GM Rob Blake told reporters including LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley that all of their coaches are now under contract through the 2024-25 campaign.
- Scott Harrington is still looking to land a full contract for this season. After failing to secure a deal with the Ducks in training camp, he’ll remain with the organization for now on another tryout agreement, this time of the AHL variety as their affiliate in San Diego announced they’ve inked him to a PTO deal. The 30-year-old has primarily been in the NHL over the last six years but he’ll have to work his way back up this season. In the minors, a PTO can last for 25 games and a player can sign two of them in a playing year.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Current Cap Hit: $93,989,461 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Matthew Knies (two years, $925K)
F Fraser Minten (three years, $845K)
Knies made an immediate impression late last season, eventually playing his way into Toronto’s playoff lineup. He should be counted on to play a regular role this year but if he spends a lot of time on the third line as he’s starting on, it’ll be hard to make a case for an early extension. If he progresses as planned, a bridge deal could push around the $2.5MM mark. Minten somewhat surprisingly made the team after a strong training camp. It’s possible his stint is a short-term one so it’s a bit premature to forecast what his next deal might cost. Neither deal has performance bonuses (no player in the organization has any) so they’re not as risk of carryover charges on that front.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5MM, UFA)
D T.J. Brodie ($5MM, UFA)
F Max Domi ($3MM, UFA)
D Mark Giordano ($800K, UFA)
F Noah Gregor ($775K, RFA)
D John Klingberg ($4.15MM, UFA)
D Timothy Liljegren ($1.4MM, RFA)
G Matt Murray ($4.6875MM, UFA)*
D Jake Muzzin ($5.625MM, UFA)
F William Nylander ($6.962MM, UFA)
G Ilya Samsonov ($3.55MM, UFA)
*-Ottawa is retaining another $1.5625MM on Murray’s deal.
Nylander is shaping up to be one of the more interesting pending unrestricted free agents. He has certainly outproduced his contract, becoming a legitimate top-line threat. Now, the team has dabbled with him playing down the middle (which could resume if/when Minten is returned to junior) and even killing penalties. If he does well in those situations, his value will only go up. It’s believed his asking price is at least $10MM on a max-term agreement, a price tag Toronto isn’t willing to pay at the moment. Negotiations were hard-fought last time around with a deal coming down to mere minutes before the deadline that would have made him ineligible. It won’t come quite to that point next summer though as he’ll have enough suitors to get a deal done quickly if he makes it to the open market.
Bertuzzi’s market didn’t materialize to his liking this past summer. Seeking a long-term deal and bigger money, he landed neither of those, quickly pivoting instead to a pillow contract. He’s a good fit inside their top six and if things go as planned (while staying healthy), he should line himself up for at least a small raise and a multi-year deal next summer. The same can’t be said for Domi, a player who has bounced around the last few years. His two UFA contracts have been at this price point and unless he drastically improves (or regresses), it’s reasonable to think the next one should check in close to this as well. Gregor was able to convert a PTO into a full deal after being non-tendered by San Jose. Arbitration eligibility could work against him next summer as this is a roster spot the Maple Leafs will need to keep at the league minimum while he could make a case for a bit more than that if he holds down a spot on the fourth line.
Brodie is capable of logging big minutes but, in recent years, his offensive production hasn’t been the most consistent. If he’s putting up 30 points as he was in Calgary, this price tag is one he can justify. When that’s not the case, it becomes an above-market deal and considering he’ll be 34 next summer, he might be hard-pressed to command this much at that time. Klingberg, for the second year in a row, had to settle for a pillow deal with the hopes of bolstering his market for the following summer. On a more offensive-minded squad, he might have a better chance of succeeding this time around. A big raise might not be likely but a multi-year agreement might be in reach.
Liljegren has been eased into the league with last season being his heaviest workload even though it was still in a limited role. On a thinner back end depth-wise, that should change as in-season injuries come into play. If he does well, he should be in a position to push for $1MM more than his $1.5MM qualifying offer. But if he remains in a depth role, Toronto will be trying to keep his price closer to where it is now. Giordano left a lot of money on the table to stay with his hometown team. Yes, he’s now the oldest player in the league but he can provide a lot of surplus value on this agreement. If he plays another season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it around this price tag as he aims for one last push for a Stanley Cup.
Muzzin and Murray are both done for the season already and have been placed on LTIR. Muzzin, who was recently named as a scout for the Maple Leafs, is likely done for his career while Murray’s situation isn’t quite as certain. The two sides opted to wait several months for surgery, allowing him to stay on LTIR for the whole season but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to catch on somewhere. However, with his injury history, it’ll be on a contract that’s close to the minimum.
Samsonov wound up going to a hearing to get this contract, one that felt a bit lower than some expected. However, he still doesn’t have the track record of being a successful long-term starter. One more good, healthy year with Toronto might get him there and if that’s the case, he could push toward the $5MM or more range on a multi-year agreement next summer.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Mitch Marner ($10.903MM, UFA)
D Jake McCabe ($2MM, UFA)*
F John Tavares ($11MM, UFA)
D Conor Timmins ($1.1MM, RFA)
G Joseph Woll ($767K, RFA)
*-Chicago is retaining another $2MM on McCabe’s contract.
Tavares has had a good run with Toronto, averaging nearly a point per game since signing with them in 2018. Of course, at that price tag, they were expecting a bit more production from him while the stagnation in the salary cap has made this contract sting more as well. He’ll be 35 when his next contract starts and it’s fair to say he’ll be heading for a fairly significant dip in pay. The same can’t be said for Marner who will still be in his prime (28) when this deal is up. Assuming his next two seasons are similar to the last two, he’ll be in a position to take aim at the priciest deal for a winger in NHL history; he’s about $740K below that now.
McCabe fared a bit better in Chicago compared to his time with Buffalo, resulting in the Maple Leafs parting with a first-round pick to get him near the trade deadline. He won’t light up the scoresheet but can play in the top four and log some tough minutes. Those players aren’t getting huge deals on the open market now but McCabe should be able to land a small raise (on his full deal, not just Toronto’s portion) and another multi-year agreement. Timmins has shown some flashes of offensive upside in his limited NHL action but first, he’ll need to establish himself as a third-pairing regular before his value will start to go up. If he can eventually work his way onto the second power play pairing, he’ll have a chance to double his current AAV in a couple of years. Otherwise, his arbitration eligibility could work against him.
This is Woll’s first season as a full-fledged NHL backup which means he doesn’t have much of a track record to build on yet. If he has success in the number two role over the next couple of years, an AAV in the $2MM range is achievable. If he forces his way into more playing time though, then he could push his way toward Samsonov’s deal.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($1.35MM, UFA)
Jarnkrok opted for a longer-term deal than many expected last summer, a deal that worked out pretty well for Toronto in year one as he put up 20 goals for the first time in his career. History suggests he might not get back to that point but even if he drops a few from that total, they’ll still get good value here. Reaves also signed for longer than many expected as 36-year-old fourth liners typically don’t command three years. However, while enforcers aren’t as plentiful as they were before, there’s a reason that Reaves always seems to be coveted by teams. Speculatively, it’s hard to see him getting another contract in three years but stranger things have happened.
Lightning Recall Alex Barre-Boulet, Place Tyler Motte On IR
Alex Barre-Boulet’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the Lightning announced that they’ve recalled the winger from AHL Syracuse. To make room for him on the roster, winger Tyler Motte was placed on injured reserve, a move that will keep him out of the lineup for the next week.
Barre-Boulet cleared waivers just yesterday after starting the year on Tampa Bay’s roster for cap-related purposes, allowing the Lightning to maximize their LTIR pool. The 26-year-old is coming off a career year in the minors, notching 84 points in 69 games with the Crunch last season, good for second in the league in points while he led the league in assists with 60.
As for Motte, he suffered a hand injury in Tuesday’s season opener against Nashville. The 28-year-old was a late signee with the Lightning, only getting a one-year, $800K contract after Josh Archibald decided against playing this season. Austin Watson will likely take Motte’s place in the lineup on the fourth line after his PTO was converted to a one-year contract earlier this week.
Five Key Stories: 10/2/23 – 10/8/23
With the start of the regular season now just days away, activity across the NHL picked up over the past few days. Here’s a rundown of the biggest news of the past week.
Ducks Sign Two: There won’t be any in-season holdouts in Anaheim this year as the Ducks agreed to bridge deals with their two remaining restricted free agents. First, they inked center Trevor Zegras to a three-year pact which carries a cap hit of $5.75MM. He’s coming off a career-best year offensively with 65 points and is one of the young pillars up front for the Ducks. Both sides get more time to evaluate with this deal to see if Zegras can become a top-end producer. They took a similar approach with defenseman Jamie Drysdale, giving him a three-year deal with a $2.3MM AAV. Drysdale missed most of last season after suffering a torn labrum but showed plenty of promise before that, making a part of their very strong young blueline corps. Notably, the salary structure for both contracts is uniform, making it that their qualifying offers in 2026 will be the same as their cap hits.
Stepan Hangs Them Up: Veteran middleman Derek Stepan has decided to call it a career, announcing his retirement at the age of 33. In his prime, he was a capable second center who also brought some defensive value to the table. He had at least 44 points in each of his first eight NHL seasons, surpassing the 50-point mark in six of those. That helped Stepan play in over NHL games between the regular season and the playoffs, the bulk of which came with the Rangers who drafted him in the second round back in 2008.
Three For Hartman: After inking Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno to extensions last week, the Wild took care of their other prominent pending unrestricted free agent, signing forward Ryan Hartman to a three-year, $12MM extension. The 29-year-old is entering his fifth season with Minnesota and has gone from more of a depth piece to a core part of their top six after putting up 65 points in 2021-22 and 37 more last year despite missing 23 games due to injuries. Along the way, he has shown himself to be capable of playing down the middle, helping to fill a big need on the depth chart. As long as he can produce at a second-line rate, this is a deal that should work out well for both sides.
Four For Kaliyev: Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev received a four-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety for his kneeing incident on Ducks forward Chase De Leo. The ban covered the final two games of the preseason and the first two games of the regular season, meaning that the 22-year-old won’t be eligible to suit up for Los Angeles until October 17th. Kaliyev was an effective secondary scorer last season, notching 28 points in 56 games. Meanwhile, De Leo will miss roughly the next eight weeks with a knee injury and will begin the year on season-opening injured reserve.
One More Year: Still with Los Angeles, Kings head coach Todd McLellan was heading into the final year of his contract. Teams don’t typically like to have their bench bosses in their ‘lame duck’ season so they worked out a one-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2024-25. The veteran has been behind the bench for 290 games with Los Angeles with his team posting a 141-115-34 record. However, the team hasn’t won a playoff series with him at the helm. This extension allows for any possible distraction to go away but it stands to reason that with the summer they had, simply making the postseason is no longer the bare minimum so even with a new deal in hand, the pressure will be on McLellan this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Current Cap Hit: $90,448,333 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None that are projected to make the roster or play a prominent role this season.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Alex Barre-Boulet ($758K, UFA)
D Zach Bogosian ($850K, UFA)
F Logan Brown ($775K, RFA)
D Calvin de Haan ($775K, UFA)
D Haydn Fleury ($762.5K, UFA)
F Tyler Motte ($800K, UFA)
D Philippe Myers ($1.4MM, UFA)
D Brent Seabrook ($6.875MM, UFA)
F Steven Stamkos ($8.5MM, UFA)
Considering the number of times that Tampa Bay has extended its core players as soon as possible under GM Julien BriseBois, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the same thing would happen to Stamkos. Surprisingly, it hasn’t, an outcome that the captain himself isn’t too pleased about. While his output slowed last season, he still put up 34 goals and averaged more than a point per game. At this price point, that’s still pretty good value. Stamkos will be 34 next summer and in a position to earn another multi-year agreement, likely with a market value around what he’s making now unless he slows down considerably this year. BriseBois is taking a wait-and-see approach to see if Stamkos still fits on the team moving forward, a question that might not be able to be answered until we know the actual Upper Limit for 2024-25.
Motte was a late-summer signing after Josh Archibald decided to not play this year. This is the second straight summer where his camp has misread the market, resulting in a lower-than-expected contract. Assuming he has a similar showing this year as he has had lately, a small raise should be achievable as long as he doesn’t set his sights too high again early in free agency. Brown comes in after being non-tendered by St. Louis and if he can earn a spot in the lineup when he returns from an injury that will keep him out at the start of the season, he could get a small raise or at least more guaranteed money next year. Barre-Boulet is listed here as he’s tied for the lowest cap hit in the league which gives him a shot at a spot on the fourth line. Primarily a minor leaguer the last two years, he’s likely to stay around the minimum salary next year.
Among the blueliners, Seabrook’s career has been over since late 2019. He’ll be on LTIR for one more season and then the Lightning can try to work back to being a non-LTIR team, ideally giving them a chance to back a bit of in-season flexibility. Meanwhile, Myers isn’t even on the roster now as a decision to extend him around this time last year didn’t pan out as he’s already cleared waivers. However, they’ll still carry a $250K charge even with him in the minors. Considering what they’re currently over their LTIR ceiling by, that small amount is notable. Myers will likely wind up with a deal close to the minimum next summer.
Bogosian’s days of being an every-game player are done but he can still hold his own on a third pairing. With his usage the last few years though, it’s hard to see him getting more than this on the open market next year. Tampa Bay brought in de Haan this summer and it’s possible he winds up platooning with Bogosian in that part-time role. Barring him having a bounce-back year, this is the range he’ll be in price-wise moving forward. Fleury is another player on a sub-minimum contract which gives him some value from a depth perspective. He has had a very limited role the past couple of years and at this point, he might be heading for a two-way deal next summer.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Michael Eyssimont ($800K, UFA)
F Luke Glendening ($800K, UFA)
D Victor Hedman ($7.875MM, UFA)
F Tanner Jeannot ($2.665MM, UFA)
G Jonas Johansson ($775K, UFA)
D Nick Perbix ($1.125MM, UFA)
The Lightning paid a high price at the trade deadline to land Jeannot and they weren’t exactly rewarded for their investment. He’s poised to have an important role this season and if he can get close to his 2021-22 performance, he could be in line for a decent-sized raise with the premium power forwards typically get. Eyssimont opted to take some job security over testing the open market in the summer, understandable considering he was a waiver claim last year. If he can secure a full-time spot with Tampa Bay, he could set himself up for a small bump, even if he stays on the fourth line. Glendening is basically a faceoff specialist who can kill penalties at this point of his career. He might have left some money on the table to sign with Tampa Bay but his value is going to be limited moving forward.
The same can’t be said for Hedman. While he couldn’t match his career-best 85 points from 2021-22, he still produced at better than a 50-point pace while averaging nearly 24 minutes a night. While he’ll be 34 when his next contract starts (turning 35 early the following season), he should still be capable of covering 20 minutes a night while playing in all situations. A small pay cut might be needed but he’ll have plenty of interest if he gets to the open market. Perbix had a nice rookie season after being a college free agent signing. He’ll be tasked with covering a regular role on the third pairing and if he can hold that down for two years, he’ll hit the market in his prime (at 27) which could allow him to possibly double this AAV at that time.
Johansson was a bit of a curious signing to be Tampa Bay’s backup given his lack of NHL success but keeping the cost as low as possible (in this case, it couldn’t be lower) was a priority. Now that he’ll be thrust into the number one role for a couple of months, this will be his chance to show the league that he’s a capable netminder at the top level. A good showing in this stretch – even though it’s not his free agent year – might be enough to allow him to push for a seven-figure AAV next time out.
Signed Through 2025-26
D Darren Raddysh ($762.5K in 2023-24, $975K in 2024-25 and 2025-26)
F Conor Sheary ($2MM, UFA)
Sheary comes over from Washington after two consecutive seasons of being a capable secondary scorer. The risk here is relatively low for the Lightning as if he even produces 30-35 points, they should get a good return on this deal.
Raddysh didn’t play a lot during the regular season but logged more than 25 minutes a game in the playoffs, giving him enough leverage to get a two-year, one-way extension back in June, a pretty good outcome for someone who has cleared waivers in each of the last two training camps. That shouldn’t be the case this time around and as a capable producer in the minors, this could be a team-friendly deal if he’s able to become a secondary point provider from the back end.
Players Still On Training Camp Tryouts
While there have been many players who had been in training camps on tryout deals cut over the past week or so, there are quite a few whose fates have not yet been determined. Here’s a rundown of players who are still on PTO agreements with their respective teams.
Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Erne
F Sam Gagner
Gagner did not play in the preseason as he works his way back from hip surgery.
Florida Panthers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Libor Hajek
D Mark Pysyk
F Austin Wagner
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vegas Golden Knights
Some of these players will likely receive an NHL contract but cap-strapped teams will wait until it’s absolutely necessary to convert them to a guaranteed deal, either to optimize their LTIR pool or to try to save a day or two worth of cap space. Meanwhile, other teams could also come calling if a waiver target doesn’t make it to them. One way or the other, their fates will likely be decided soon.
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.
2009 Redraft: Fifteenth Overall
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Reilly Smith 19% (83)
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Darcy Kuemper 17% (73)
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Tomas Tatar 10% (43)
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Kyle Palmieri 8% (36)
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Mike Hoffman 6% (25)
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Marcus Foligno 5% (21)
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Nick Leddy 5% (21)
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Robin Lehner 4% (17)
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Jakob Silfverberg 4% (17)
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Marcus Johansson 3% (13)
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Sami Vatanen 3% (12)
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Brian Dumoulin 3% (11)
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Ben Chiarot 2% (9)
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Erik Haula 2% (8)
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Dmitry Kulikov 2% (7)
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Brayden McNabb 1% (6)
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Kyle Clifford 1% (5)
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David Savard 1% (5)
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Calvin de Haan 1% (4)
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Casey Cizikas 1% (3)
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Mikko Koskinen 1% (3)
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Craig Smith 1% (3)
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Alex Chiasson 0% (2)
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Zack Kassian 0% (2)
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Cody Eakin 0% (1)
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Nick Jensen 0% (0)
Total votes: 430
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Norris, Bennett, Red Wings
It was expected that Senators center Josh Norris would be fully ready for the start of the season after recovering from shoulder surgery that cost him most of last year. However, he hasn’t seen any preseason action and won’t play tonight against Montreal in their final tune-up. Now, head coach D.J. Smith told reporters including TSN’s Claire Hanna (Twitter link) that it now looks as if the 24-year-old won’t be ready to start the season. Now, the focus will shift to him either starting on IR or LTIR. If it’s the latter, he’d have to miss at least 10 regular season games and 24 days but the placement would at least open up enough temporary cap space to sign RFA Shane Pinto, giving GM Pierre Dorion more time to try to find a way to clear up cap room and give the Sens a capable center to cover for Norris in the short term.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Jordan MacPherson of the Miami Herald that center Sam Bennett is doubtful for Florida’s season opener next week against Tampa Bay. Bennett was spotted in a walking boot prior to practice earlier today. While Maurice termed Bennett’s timeline as longer than day-to-day, he added that the hope is that the forward won’t miss more than a couple of weeks. Eetu Luostarinen is likely to move from the wing back to the middle in Bennett’s absence.
- The Red Wings appear to be leaning toward carrying three goalies to start the season, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit signed James Reimer to be the backup with fellow newcomer Alex Lyon presumptively being the ideal third option with AHL Grand Rapids. However, with how well Lyon finished last season and some teams believed to be looking to add goalie depth, it appears that they’re not willing to risk losing Lyon on waivers at this time. Detroit sits well below the cap ceiling so they can easily afford to go this route with their roster if they choose to do so.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/7/23
While teams have considerably whittled down their rosters compared to where they were just a weekend ago, there are still plenty more cuts to be made in the coming days. Here are today’s roster trimmings excluding earlier waiver placements.
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
D Ryan Johnson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Lukas Rousek (to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
D Nick DeSimone (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Calgary, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Calgary, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
G Yaniv Perets (to Norfolk, ECHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
D Marcus Bjork (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Joshua Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Billy Sweezey (to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)
D Alexander Petrovic (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team Twitter)
F Austin Czarnik (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G John Lethemon (to Toledo, ECHL)
D Jared McIsaac (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Wyatt Newpower (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brogan Rafferty (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per ESPN’s John Buccigross)
D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)
D Santeri Hatakka (to Utica, AHL)
G Isaac Poulter (to Utica, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter)
F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)
F Wade Allison (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team Twitter)
F Ryan Carpenter (to San Jose, AHL)
F Oskar Lindblom (to San Jose, AHL)
F Quentin Musty (to Sudbury, OHL)
F Jacob Peterson (to San Jose, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (per team Twitter)
D Ryker Evans (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Shane Wright (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to Hershey, AHL)
G Mitchell Gibson (to Hershey, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to Hershey, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)
This post will be updated throughout the day.