Maple Leafs Recall Mac Hollowell On Emergency Basis
The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled defenseman Mac Hollowell from Toronto of the AHL on an emergency basis. They had an open roster spot to work with so no corresponding move needed to be made.
Hollowell got into six games with the big club on his last recall, his first taste of NHL action. The 24-year-old acquitted himself relatively well, picking up a pair of assists in those contests while averaging just shy of 13 minutes a night of playing time. While he hasn’t scored with the Marlies so far, he has collected 10 assists in a dozen contests with them, one of which came last night in Rockford.
Timothy Liljegren was injured in Thursday’s game but was a full participant in practice on the second pairing while head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated after practice to Sports Illustrated’s David Alter (Twitter link) that Liljegren isn’t the only blueliner that’s banged up which is what necessitated Hollowell’s recall. For the time being, Toronto now has eight blueliners on their active roster and all of them were present at the morning skate.
Flyers Place Cam Atkinson On IR
It has been a strange year thus far for Flyers winger Cam Atkinson. Originally diagnosed as being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury in training camp, the 33-year-old has still yet to play this season. He was said to be nearing a return and has been participating in practices but CapFriendly noted last night (Twitter link) that the veteran has now been moved to injured reserve.
The placement stems from them needing a roster spot for Olle Lycksell who was recalled on Thursday. Originally, it was supposed to be Anthony DeAngelo ceding his spot as the defenseman was away from the team for personal reasons, allowing Philadelphia to designate him as non-roster status. However, Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that DeAngelo is back at practice today which takes that option off the table.
It’s possible that Atkinson might have suffered some kind of setback, one that is going to take at least a little bit of time to heal so they’ve opted to simply place him on IR until he’s cleared to return. Because he hasn’t played this season, Philadelphia is eligible to back-date the placement; accordingly, he’s eligible to be activated at any time. For a few weeks now, it looked like the 700-game veteran was just about ready to come back but now, that wait appears likely to be even longer.
Minor Transactions: 12/13/22
While it was a relatively quiet day on the transactions front in the NHL today, there have been some moves made overseas involving players with ties to the NHL, both past and present. Here’s a rundown of those transactions.
- Nick Shore’s international travels continue as HV71 in Sweden announced they’ve signed the forward to a deal for the rest of the season. The 30-year-old was last a regular in the NHL back in 2019-20 but has since spent time in Slovakia, Switzerland, and Russia before today’s move. With a quiet showing in Switzerland this season, it’s unlikely that the veteran of 299 career NHL contests will be on the radar in free agency next summer.
- Former Colorado blueliner Chris Bigras is also changing leagues as Iserlohn in Germany revealed that they’ve signed him to a deal for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old decided to try his hand overseas this season after spending the last four years exclusively in the AHL and signed in the KHL but was released last month after picking up just a single assist in 23 games with Barys Astana.
- Former Anaheim winger Kevin Roy has found a place to play this season as he has joined Brynas in Sweden, per a team release. Roy played in 28 games with the Ducks but had been a regular in the minors for the last few years. He had 33 points in 62 games with AHL Laval last season but hadn’t signed anywhere until now.
- The Ducks have re-assigned prospect Maxim Golod to Tulsa of the ECHL, per the ECHL’s transactions log. Anaheim signed the 22-year-old as an undrafted free agent back in 2020 but has seen only sparing time at the AHL level thus far. Golod has 10 points in 13 games at the ECHL level this season. Considering he’s in the final year of his entry-level deal, he will need to turn things around in the second half if he wants a chance at being tendered a qualifying offer next summer.
- The Senators have activated defenseman Jonathan Aspirot off season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to AHL Belleville, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is entering his fourth professional season, all with the Sens, and had 18 points and 52 penalty minutes in 47 games in 2021-22. Aspirot is set to become a restricted free agent this summer as his entry-level contract comes to an end.
Blackhawks Activate Tyler Johnson Off IR
The Blackhawks will welcome a veteran forward back into their lineup tonight as the team announced that center Tyler Johnson has been activated off injured reserve and will suit up against Washington.
The 32-year-old had gotten off to a nice start to his season with two goals and four assists in his first six games. However, in that sixth contest back in late October, he suffered an ankle injury, one that has kept him out for the last 20 contests.
With Chicago certainly isn’t looking to make a push for the playoffs, getting Johnson back and into game shape will help give them some stability in their middle six while he should be able to at least slightly bolster an offense that comes into tonight’s action ranked last in the league in goals scored. He’ll start on the third line for the time being.
While the Blackhawks will be sellers over the next few months, Johnson almost certainly won’t be among those that they’re able to move. He has another year left on his contract after this one with a $5MM AAV plus partial no-trade protection. In this market, with so many teams lacking cap space, that’s not a deal they’re easily going to be able to move.
The team also confirmed that goaltender Petr Mrazek was activated off IR and he will get the start against the Caps. Jaxson Stauber has been returned to AHL Rockford in a corresponding move. However, it’s not all good news on the injury front when it comes to players returning as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes (Twitter link) that defenseman Caleb Jones isn’t quite ready to come back from his hip injury.
Penguins Place Jeff Petry On LTIR, Recall Two Players
The Penguins will be without one of their top defenders for at least a little while as the team announced that they have placed Jeff Petry on long-term injured reserve retroactive to December 11. The move frees up some short-term cap space and Pittsburgh used some of that right away as they recalled defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Drew O’Connor from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
Petry was injured in Saturday’s victory over Buffalo with what appeared to be a hand or wrist injury. Following the game, he suggested it wouldn’t be a long-term issue but clearly, this placement suggests otherwise. The Penguins acquired the 35-year-old over the offseason from Montreal with the hopes of giving them a strong one-two punch on the right-hand side with Kris Letang. Petry has fit in well with a dozen points in 28 games while averaging over 22 minutes a night, a number that jumped to over 26 minutes per contest while Letang was recovering from his stroke. Now, Letang will be counted on to take on a heavier workload with Petry out for at least the next 10 games and 24 days. Chad Ruhwedel will likely slot in as a regular on the back end in Petry’s absence.
O’Connor is the top scorer for Pittsburgh’s farm team as he has eight goals and 14 assists in 20 games so far this season, a rate that’s a small improvement over the 32 points in 33 AHL contests he had last year. The 24-year-old played in 22 games with Pittsburgh last season where he had three goals and two assists but so far this year, he has been limited to just three contests, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 8:32 per night.
As for Friedman, he played in a career-high 26 NHL contests last season but Pittsburgh was able to get him through waivers back in October and assigned him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton upon clearing. He has played in 19 games in the minors so far, collecting a goal and four assists. For Pittsburgh to be able to activate Petry when he’s able to return, they will have to get cap-compliant which likely means that Friedman and O’Connor will have to go back to the minors at that time, barring other injuries.
Blue Jackets Recall Daniil Tarasov, Joonas Korpisalo Out At Least A Week
Dec 12: The Blue Jackets have swapped, sending Greaves back down and recalling Tarasov.
Dec 10: Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo left last night’s game against Calgary after the first period with what was called lower body discomfort. Head coach Brad Larsen told reporters, including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the veteran will be out for at least a week due to the injury. That designation allows him to be placed on injured reserve, creating an open roster spot for the team to recall Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland.
Korpisalo returned to the lineup last month after missing the start of the season due to the hip surgery he underwent back in March. It’s unknown if this issue is related to that procedure but Columbus will understandably err on the side of caution here. Through his first 12 appearances, he has a 3.53 GAA along with a .903 SV% and while those numbers may not look great, they’re considerably better than what starter Elvis Merzlikins has put up so far (4.82 and .862, respectively).
At first glance, it seems a bit surprising that Daniil Tarasov wasn’t the one brought up from the Monsters. He has held his own in limited action with Columbus this season and as the presumptive backup starting in 2023-24, a chance to get him some more NHL experience at a time when the season is already well off the rails would have made some sense. Instead, they’ll prioritize the 23-year-old getting steady playing time in the minors.
This will be Greaves’ second recall of the season although this one should last a little longer than his first one. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent signing has played in 10 games with Cleveland this season, posting a 4.09 GAA with an .878 SV%. His promotion means that it should be Merzlikins’ net exclusively until Korpisalo is able to return.
Five Key Stories: 12/5/22 – 12/11/22
The first full week of December is in the books and while it was rather quiet on the transactions front, there was still some news of note around the NHL which is recapped in our top stories.
Another Injury In Colorado: One of the common consequences of a long playoff run is a team that deals with an uptick in injuries the following year. When it comes to the Avalanche, that’s underselling things as they’ve been hit hard by the injury bug this year. The latest is their top star as Nathan MacKinnon will miss at least a month due to an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old was off to arguably the best start of his career, averaging a career-best 1.48 points per game including 26 assists in 23 contests. At this point, pretty much the only core Colorado forward to not suffer some sort of injury yet this season is winger Mikko Rantanen.
Three For Two: While Sabres winger Jeff Skinner is off to the best start of his career with 32 points in 27 games, his week ended on a low note. He received a match penalty for a late cross-check on Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel, one that gave Pittsburgh the power play they eventually scored on in overtime. The Department of Player Safety then weighed in, issuing a three-game suspension that will keep him out of the lineup until Saturday. It’s the second suspension of Skinner’s career but it will still leave him considerably lighter in the wallet as he forfeits nearly $146K in salary. Later in the day, Kraken blueliner Jamie Oleksiak also received a three-game ban for an illegal hit to the head on Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev. It’s Oleksiak’s second suspension for a hit to the head and this one results in a forfeited salary of just under $75K.
Hornqvist To LTIR: The Panthers have been in LTIR all season thanks to winger Anthony Duclair being out as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon. However, they were in a position where they’d need to make a trade to free up salary when he returns in the coming weeks. That has changed, at least for the time being as Florida has placed winger Patric Hornqvist on LTIR, alleviating that potential problem for now. The 35-year-old is believed to have some assurances that he won’t be traded as he plays out the final year of his contract that carries a $5.3MM AAV and as long as he’s on there, the Panthers have the ability to activate Duclair when he’s ready and carry a full-sized roster which is notable considering they have played short a player on multiple occasions this season due to salary cap constraints. There is no word on how long Hornqvist will be out.
Leaves Of Absence: A pair of players have stepped away from their respective teams for the time being. Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. The 21-year-old is in his second professional season and made his NHL debut with three games between late October and early November. Meanwhile, Predators forward Michael McCarron will be out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The 27-year-old has played in 15 games with Nashville this season, picking up a goal and an assist.
Talks Not Going Well: One of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents next summer is Canucks center Bo Horvat. However, while many expected a deal to be done back in the offseason, that hasn’t materialized and extension discussions aren’t progressing to the point where they might have to move him closer to the trade deadline. The 27-year-old already has 20 goals this season in just 27 games which is certainly only adding to his asking price. Of course, it looked like things were heading this way with J.T. Miller just a few months ago before they ultimately settled on an extension. However, with their cap situation, it’s possible that Miller’s contract might also help push their captain out the door.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens
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 2022-23 season and beyond. 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.
Montreal Canadiens
Current Cap Hit: $93,451,094 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Cole Caufield (one year, $880.8K)
D Kaiden Guhle (three years, $863K)
D Jordan Harris (one year, $842.5K)
F Juraj Slafkovsky (three years, $950K)
D Arber Xhekaj (two years, $828.3K)
Potential Bonuses
Caufield: $850K
Guhle: $420K
Harris: $507.5K
Slafkovsky: $3.5MM
Total: $5.2775MM
Slafkovsky has the richest entry-level deal in league history as the ceilings got a small boost this season (and will go up again in 2024 and 2026). The first-overall pick has had a limited role so far as they ease him with a decision on whether or not to run him past the 40-game mark and accrue a season of service time still to come. If he can become the impact power forward they hope he can be in the next couple of seasons, he’s a strong candidate to bypass the bridge deal. With the limited usage, he’s unlikely to achieve any of his bonuses at this point.
Caufield’s next contract is shaping up to be an intriguing one already. He recently reached 100 career NHL regular season appearances but has been one of the top goal-scorers in the league dating back to midway through last season. If Montreal wants to sign him to a max-term agreement (which they likely do at this point), they’ll have to make him the highest-paid forward on the team (and in franchise history) while a bridge contract could run in the range of Jason Robertson’s $7.75MM with Dallas. Notably, he still is five years away from UFA eligibility so a four-year bridge deal (like Robertson’s) is a legitimate option for both sides to consider. He’s on pace to reach all his ‘A’ bonuses.
Guhle hasn’t been eased into things in his rookie season, logging more than 20 minutes a night, often on the top pairing. If he stays in that role, he’s likely to hit his two ‘A’ bonuses this season and if he continues there for the next couple of years, he’s someone GM Kent Hughes will likely want to try to lock up long term. Harris, meanwhile, already is in line for a new deal after burning his first season down the stretch last year. He’s likely heading for a bridge contract with an AAV likely checking in a bit below the $1.5MM range while he’s on pace to hit his two ‘A’ bonuses and most of his ‘B’ ones for games played. Xhekaj has gone from being an undrafted free agent signing a year ago to a regular in Montreal’s lineup on the third pairing. Having burned the first year while playing in junior last season, he’ll be hard-pressed to command a long-term second deal and is likely heading for a bridge contract himself, potentially a little above the $1.5MM mark if he remains a fixture on the third pair.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Paul Byron ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($5MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Sean Monahan ($6.375MM, UFA)
F Michael Pezzetta ($750K, RFA)
Calgary had to pay a high price tag (a first-round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026) to dump the final year of Monahan’s deal, allowing them to sign Nazem Kadri in the process. He has recovered well from the hip issues that plagued him over the last couple of years and is at his highest point-per-game pace since 2018-19. As a capable defensive forward that can kill penalties and do well at the faceoff dot, it’s certainly not impossible to think that he could get some interest as a second-line center on the open market this summer. If that happens, there’s a good chance that Monahan could land a contract similar to this one, a scenario that not many would have thought possible at this time a year ago.
Drouin hasn’t panned out as expected when Montreal sent Mikhail Sergachev (plus a conditional second-round pick that didn’t materialize) to Tampa Bay to secure him. He has the skills to play in the top six but hasn’t been able to produce with consistency or stay in the lineup with any consistency. He’s a prime candidate for a one-year pillow value elsewhere next season to try to rebuild some value in a new situation. Dadonov was picked up from Vegas in exchange for Shea Weber’s LTIR contract with the Canadiens likely hoping that they could flip him with retention at the trade deadline. Instead, he’s off to the worst start of his career offensively. His next deal could be closer to the $2MM mark if not a bit lower and at that point, it’s possible that he could look to return to the KHL if a significant offer materializes there.
Byron’s availability to play this season is in question as he continues to battle hip trouble. If he’s able to play next year, Byron would be eligible for a one-year deal with incentives due to his injuries (even though he’s not 35); such a contract would likely have a base salary closer to $1MM before bonuses. Pezzetta is on his first career one-way contract and has had a limited role so far. Assuming that continues, even with arbitration rights, it’s unlikely he’d be able to land more than $1MM for next season.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Joel Edmundson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM, UFA)
G Samuel Montembeault ($1MM, UFA)
F Rem Pitlick ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Chris Wideman ($762.5K, UFA)
Hoffman was expected to help Montreal’s power play but that hasn’t been the case over his first year and a bit with the team to the point where he was scratched earlier this season. He’ll need to produce with much more consistency in the back half of this deal to have a shot at matching this price tag in 2024. Pitlick played well after coming to the Canadiens on waivers last season, earning this two-year deal, his first one-way pact. However, some early struggles landed him on the waiver wire again this season where he passed through unclaimed. Barring a change in his production, he’ll be in tough to match let alone beat this contract two summers from now.
Edmundson has battled injury trouble this season and last but when he has been in the lineup, he has been a dependable second-pairing option that can kill penalties and play physically. There’s a ceiling for those types of players in terms of their earnings upside but a small raise closer to the $4MM mark on a multi-year agreement could be doable if he’s able to stay healthy as he’ll hit the market at 31. Wideman is on a minimum deal for the second straight season and has a very limited role. In his second stint in the NHL, he’s more of a depth player so it’s likely that his next deal will also be close to the minimum salary.
Montembeault’s first full NHL season was a rocky one with Montreal struggling mightily last season. That allowed the team to give him a low-cost two-year commitment that could be fully buried in the minors. However, he’s off to a much better start this season and is starting to push for a little more playing time. He’s making well below the league average for a backup and a decent showing the rest of the way this season and next could push him closer to the $1.75MM range at least. Otherwise, he might be looking at something closer to this deal, a lower-cost one-way pact on a cap-strapped team.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Jake Allen ($2.875MM in 2022-23, $3.85MM in 2023-24/2024-25, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Christian Dvorak ($4.45MM, UFA)
F Jake Evans ($1.7MM, UFA)
D Johnathan Kovacevic ($766.7K, UFA)
D David Savard ($3.5MM, UFA)
Dvorak was acquired to replace Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the 2021 offseason with the hopes that he could become a legitimate second-line center. That hasn’t happened yet. Instead, he appears to be heading for another season around the 30-point mark. His defensive game and faceoff ability give him some extra value but if this type of production is indeed his ceiling, he’s going to be in tough to get more than this on the open market. A similar contract is possible but even in a pricier cap environment, it’s hard to see him pushing for $5MM.
Armia’s strong showing in Montreal’s improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final strengthened his market to the point where he was able to land this commitment. Since then, he has 16 points in 76 games. Armia can kill penalties but he’s more of a fourth liner that should have a price tag closer to half of his current one. Evans had a strong year last season with 28 even-strength points in a bottom-six role but his playing time has been more limited this year. If he can get back to pushing for 30 points in that lower spot on the depth chart, he could generate enough interest to push his AAV past the $2MM mark in 2025.
Savard is playing a much bigger role than he was used to at the end of his time with Columbus (and a brief stint in Tampa Bay) as he sits second on the team in ATOI. Right now, they’re getting some value for their buck but he’ll turn 35 early on his next deal and at that point, Savard will likely be best suited for a third-pairing role. That should push his price tag down a little bit. Kovacevic was claimed off waivers late in training camp and has played in most of Montreal’s games since then. It’s still a bit early to forecast what’s next as he’s a late-bloomer rookie but if he plays more often than not on this deal, he could have a shot at doubling his AAV on the open market. If Kovacevic turns into a full-time regular, the cost will only go up.
Allen has had some ups and downs since effectively taking over as the starter last season, a role he struggled with when he had it in St. Louis. Even with the inconsistency, what he’s making now is well below market value for a starter and on his next contract, as long as he can hold down a regular spot in the platoon, Montreal should get a reasonable return on it as well.
East Notes: Capitals, Krejci, Voronkov, Hellberg
The Capitals got some good news and bad news on their back end for tonight’s contest against Winnipeg. The good news is that after missing 16 games, defenseman Dmitry Orlov was activated off IR, relays Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, they also lost blueliner Erik Gustafsson to an upper-body injury, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The net trade-off is certainly a positive as Orlov, a long-term top-four player for them, is jumping right back onto their top pairing although Gustafsson is tied for the team lead in assists by a defender with ten.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Prior to their game tonight against Vegas, the Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center David Krejci is out due to a lower-body injury sustained on Friday against Arizona. Fortunately for Boston, the absence is likely to be short-lived as the team hopes he’ll be ready to play in their next game on Tuesday. Krejci’s return to the NHL has been a very good one so far as the 36-year-old has 21 points in 23 games so far, the highest point-per-game average of his 16-year NHL career.
- Blue Jackets prospect Dmitry Voronkov is expected to sign with Columbus once his KHL season comes to an end, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 22-year-old center was a fourth-round pick by Columbus back in 2019 (114th overall) and has been a regular in the KHL since then. This season, he has 13 points in 28 games and is on pace for his best year offensively at that level. The Blue Jackets certainly could use some help down the middle and it appears they’ll get someone else to try at that position for next season in Voronkov.
- The Red Wings announced that they have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from his conditioning stint with AHL Grand Rapids. The 31-year-old had a 2.50 GAA and a .932 SV% in four starts with the Griffins. He’ll be Detroit’s third-stringer so this might be the last game action he sees for a little while.
Jamie Oleksiak Suspended Three Games
4:00 PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Oleksiak will serve a three-game suspension for his hit to the head on Alexeyev. He will be eligible to return when the Kraken take on the Winnipeg Jets on December 18th.
9:16 AM: It will be a busy day for the Department of Player Safety today. After previously announcing a hearing for Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner, they also announced (Twitter link) that they will have a hearing today with Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.
The veteran defender received a match penalty in the second period yesterday for a hit to the head on Washington blueliner Alexander Alexeyev. Alexeyev, who recorded his first career point earlier in the game, left with an upper-body injury and did not return. A clip of the hit can be seen here courtesy of NBC Sports Washington’s Matt Weyrich (Twitter link).
Oleksiak has been suspended once before in his career back in 2016. Notably, that was a two-game ban for an illegal check to the head, the same issue he’s being looked at for here. Seattle isn’t in action today with their next contest coming Sunday against Florida so if they want, the league can hold off on a decision for any potential supplementary discipline until tomorrow.