Jets Claim Axel Jonsson Fjallby Off Waivers
Winnipeg’s bottom six forward group has undergone some changes over the offseason and one more change has been made as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Axel Jonsson Fjallby off waivers from Washington.
It’s the second season in a row that the 24-year-old has been claimed off waivers as Buffalo scooped him up a season ago only to waive him less than a week later with a visa issue playing a role in that. Washington reclaimed Jonsson Fjallby at that time and sent him to the minors where he had a productive season with Hershey, notching 16 goals and 18 assists in 44 games. However, he also got his first taste of NHL action, picking up two goals and two assists in 23 games while logging over 11 minutes a night with the Caps.
Jonsson Fjallby is in the final season of a two-year, two-way deal that pays the league minimum at the NHL level and will need to have much more of a regular role in Winnipeg for him to play enough games to avoid being eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer. He’ll take the place of Jansen Harkins on the roster for the Jets after Harkins cleared waivers earlier today.
Panthers Claim Josh Mahura Off Waivers
Florida has added some extra depth on the back end as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed defenseman Josh Mahura off waivers from Anaheim.
The 24-year-old spent all of last season with the Ducks, his first full year at the NHL level. However, his role was somewhat limited as he suited up in just 38 games (while only missing 13 due to injury). He had three goals and four assists in those games while logging a little over 14 minutes per night. Over parts of a four-year NHL career (all in Anaheim), Mahura has six goals and 14 helpers in 79 contests while averaging more than a hit and block per game.
Mahura is in the final season of a two-year deal that’s worth the league minimum of $750K so he’s a low-cost flyer for the Panthers. With Lucas Carlsson and Michael Del Zotto both clearing waivers today, they’ll be sent down to make room on the roster for Mahura while team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link) that fellow blueliner Matt Kiersted is listed as day-to-day.
Coyotes Claim Connor Ingram
For the second time this preseason, the Coyotes have added to their goaltending depth as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed Connor Ingram off waivers from Nashville.
The 25-year-old saw his first NHL action last season, getting into three games during the regular season with the Predators, posting a 3.71 GAA along with a .879 SV%. However, after David Rittich struggled in the opening game of the playoffs (with Juuse Saros out of the lineup), Nashville turned to Ingram for the rest of their series against Colorado and he held his own with a .913 SV% in the three games he suited up in.
Ingram has a much better track record of success in the minors which is likely what prompted the Coyotes to put in a claim. He has a save percentage of .919 over parts of six seasons in the AHL, spanning 149 games. He’s in the final season of a three-year minimum contract that carries a $733K AAV so he’s certainly a low-cost option for them to try.
Karel Vejmelka is set to enter the season as the starter while Ingram will be battling fellow waiver claim Jonas Johansson for the second-string role. Meanwhile, Jon Gillies, who entered camp as the potential backup, cleared waivers today and will be on his way to Tucson of the AHL.
Five Key Stories: 10/3/22 – 10/9/22
The regular season is underway for two teams while the rest of the league gets started in the coming days. Accordingly, activity has picked up over the coming days and the upcoming week will likely be a busy one. Before that, let’s take a look back at the key stories from the week that was.
Under The Knife Again: The long-term injury to Marco Scandella was supposed to present an opportunity for Scott Perunovich to earn a regular spot in the lineup. Unfortunately for him and the Blues, that’s not going to happen as he’ll miss at least the next six months and will need shoulder surgery. It’s the second major shoulder injury of his career although it’s not the same issue as the torn labrum that cost him the 2020-21 campaign. Perunovich was a productive defenseman in college and averaged more than a point per game in 17 contests with AHL Springfield last season but he’ll be waiting a while now to have a chance at making a consistent impact in St. Louis.
Extending In Calgary: MacKenzie Weegar’s camp was hoping to get an extension worked out before the season and they got their wish, inking a max-term eight-year deal that carries a $6.25MM AAV. The defenseman was the other key roster player that came as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade this summer. (The other roster piece, Jonathan Huberdeau, inked a max-term extension himself not long ago.) Weegar has blossomed from being a late-round pick in his second year of eligibility to an all-around impact defender and will help anchor Calgary’s back end for years to come. Meanwhile, the team will continue to be led behind the bench by Darryl Sutter, who agreed to a two-year extension of his own. The reigning Jack Adams Award winner was entering the final year of his deal and at 64, a short-term agreement was expected. He’ll be leading a new-look Flames squad that also lost Johnny Gaudreau this summer while they also picked up Nazem Kadri.
Staying With The Islanders: Recently, Mathew Barzal had indicated a desire to get a long-term deal done with the Islanders and they were able to do just that as the center signed a max-term eight-year, $73.2MM ($9.15MM AAV) contract extension that begins next season. The pact will give him a 22-team no-trade clause when he becomes eligible for one in 2024-25. Barzal burst onto the NHL scene in 2017-18, leading the team in points with 85 while winning the Calder Trophy. However, he has failed to come close to that output since then, topping out at 62 over the last four years. With that in mind, the price tag might seem a little steep but this deal ensures that New York will have their top center locked up for quite a while as they hope that the coaching change to Lane Lambert will help Barzal regain some of his lost production.
Creating Cap Room: There are some teams that need to free up cap space and not a lot of teams are willing to take on extra money. Vancouver was a team wanting some flexibility while Chicago had made it known they’d be open to doing so at the right price. That right price evidently was a 2024 second-round pick as the Blackhawks acquired one along with center Jason Dickinson from the Canucks in exchange for defenseman Riley Stillman. Dickinson struggled mightily in his only season with Vancouver (after they moved a third-rounder to get him) with just 11 points in 62 games, hardly a good return on a $2.65MM investment that runs through 2023-24. Stillman, meanwhile, makes $1.35MM in each of the next two seasons, giving Vancouver $1.3MM in cap room while filling a short-term void on the back end with both Tyler Myers and Travis Dermott out of the lineup right now.
Finding Middle Ground: The belief was that the Stars were going to work out either a short-term bridge deal or a long-term pact with RFA winger Jason Robertson. In the end, they settled on something in between, agreeing to a four-year deal that carries a $7.75MM AAV. Notably, this does not walk the 23-year-old to unrestricted free agency as he’ll still have one year of RFA eligibility remaining where he’ll have arbitration rights and be owed a $9.3MM qualifying offer. Robertson is coming off a breakout year that saw him finish second on Dallas in scoring for the second straight year while posting 41 goals and 38 assists in 74 games, becoming an integral part of their forward group in the process. This deal ensures he’ll be in the lineup on opening night while guaranteeing him an even bigger payday in 2026.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Hague, Donskoi, Romanov
With the start of the season fast approaching for the 30 teams that didn’t play overseas, Golden Knights defenseman Nic Hague remains one of two remaining restricted free agents. Jesse Granger of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is believed to be seeking an AAV a little under $2MM on a two-year contract or under $3MM on a three-year agreement. On the surface, those asks are certainly reasonable as Hague had 14 points in 52 games last season while averaging 18:40 per night; that cost for a fifth defender isn’t particularly high. However, as is quite often the case with Vegas, their cap situation is quite tight which probably isn’t helping things here.
Speculatively, they might prefer a one-year deal that could be closer to the $1MM mark, one that hands him arbitration rights next summer but gives them more flexibility this season. Either way, the pressure will be on both Hague and the Golden Knights to get something done sooner than later.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Kraken have placed winger Joonas Donskoi on injured reserve, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). He has been battling an upper-body injury for the last couple of weeks and while his official designation has been day-to-day up to this point, clearly, he’ll be out a little longer. He’s coming off a tough first season with the team after scoring just twice in 75 games and this certainly isn’t the start to the year he was hoping for. His absence should allow Daniel Sprong – whose tryout was recently converted to a full contract – to break camp with Seattle.
- The Department of Player Safety announced that Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov has been fined $5,000 for charging, the maximum allowed under the CBA. The incident occurred early in the third period on Rangers center Vincent Trocheck with a minor penalty being assessed on the play. Romanov was the Islanders’ big acquisition this summer, being acquired back at the draft along with a fourth-round pick from Montreal in exchange for the 13th selection.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals
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 2022-23 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.
Washington Capitals
Current Cap Hit: $88,821,666 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Martin Fehervary (one year, $791K)
F Connor McMichael ($two years, $863K)
McMichael had a relatively quiet rookie campaign with the Capitals easing him into the thick of things. If he gets put into a more prominent role this season due to injuries, his offensive production could jump to a point where Washington wants to do something longer-term but at this point, a bridge deal is likely heading his way two years from now.
Fehervary’s rookie campaign was more impressive. He ranked third among Washington’s defensemen in ATOI while chipping in with plenty of physicality and some decent secondary production. This is the type of profile that some teams will look to try to do a long-term deal now to try to get him at a lower rate than market value at the end of the deal (think six years and an AAV over $3MM) but Fehervary would be better off waiting until next summer as a repeat performance could push a bridge deal towards the $2.5MM mark.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Connor Brown ($3.6MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($3.5MM, UFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($800K, UFA)
F Carl Hagelin ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Garnet Hathaway ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Matt Irwin ($750K, UFA)
D Nick Jensen ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Marcus Johansson ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM, UFA)
F Conor Sheary ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Dylan Strome ($3.5MM, RFA)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk ($950K, UFA)
Brown was Washington’s big addition up front this summer, coming over in a trade from Ottawa. With the Sens, he became a crucial two-way winger that can log heavy minutes but he likely won’t need to play 20 minutes a night with the Capitals which won’t help Brown’s market next summer. Right now, his next AAV should be in the $4.5MM range but if he’s able to show more offensively, he could surpass the $5MM threshold. Eller has been a solid third center for a long time in Washington for the last six years but is getting toward the point where there should be an expectation of diminishing returns. A return is definitely possible but after being at this AAV for nine years (including this one), he’s likely looking at a small dip a year from now.
How Strome fares will also play a role in Eller’s future. Non-tendered by Chicago, he signed with Washington where he’ll have a legitimate shot at a consistent top-six role. If he thrives, they’re likely to want to keep him over Eller moving forward. He had a strong market this summer in free agency and even a decent season in the 40-point range should nudge him towards at least a small raise next summer where he will once again be arbitration-eligible. Hagelin’s short-term future is in question as he tries to work his way back from an eye injury. He has been skating but didn’t suit up in the preseason. At this point, if he gets another deal, it’ll be a one-year agreement at a substantially lower rate (closer to the minimum) while he’s heading for LTIR to start the season.
Sheary is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and should be in line for a similar spot on the depth chart this year. That said, his profile (small and skilled) is the one we’ve seen have weaker markets than expected in free agency lately. Another 40-point season wouldn’t hurt his value but he might be someone that lands closer to $2MM on the open market than $3MM even with that production. Hathaway had a career year last season with 14 goals which chipping in with his usual physicality. Depth players often don’t have big markets in free agency but if he produces near that level again, power forwards are the exception which could push his AAV over the $2MM mark. Johansson decided to stick around after being brought back at the deadline and after two straight low-price, one-year deals, it’s safe to say that this is his market moving forward unless he has a surprisingly strong offensive season.
Onto the defense where all but one player is on an expiring deal this season. Orlov is the most prominent of the group and is also coming off a career season offensively. A few years ago, he was logging upwards of 23 minutes a night but over the last two years, that has dipped to the point where his usage is more of a second-pairing player which is notable. He’ll be 32 next season and while the offensive boost helps, that should more or less offset the reduced role. Orlov will still get a long-term deal but if he prioritizes getting as long of a deal as possible, there’s a chance that the AAV could come in slightly below his current rate. Otherwise, a medium-term agreement should cost somewhere in the $5.5MM to $6MM range.
Jensen also had the best year of his career and provided some value on what previously looked like a deal that was well above market value. Even so, his long-term track record is that of a third-pairing player and that will be hard to shake. The fact he’s right-handed certainly helps (the side that’s typically in higher demand) but it’s hard to forecast a raise at this point. A similar season to 2021-22 could help him land a similar AAV next summer though. Gustafsson, van Riemsdyk, and Irwin are all veteran depth players who aren’t going to command sizable raises at this point of their careers. It’s possible that van Riemsdyk will eclipse the $1MM mark but he shouldn’t get much more than that while the other two are likely to be close to the minimum moving forward.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Anthony Mantha ($5.7MM, UFA)
F Tom Wilson ($5.167MM, UFA)
The Capitals paid a high price to acquire Mantha and they haven’t been rewarded for it thus far as the veteran has missed most of the last two seasons due to injuries. When he has played, he hasn’t produced at the level of someone at his current AAV either. Some of that again is injury-related but it’s safe to say that they haven’t got what they bargained for from Mantha so far. The same can’t be said for Wilson. His contract seemed like a considerable overpayment at the time to many but that isn’t the case now. Despite the penalty and suspension trouble he gets into, he produces at a high enough rate to make him a true top-six power forward which is something that is very hard to find and is always in high demand. At this point, he should surpass the $6MM mark on his next deal.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Nicklas Backstrom ($9.2MM, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM, UFA)
G Charlie Lindgren ($1.1MM, UFA)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM, UFA)
Backstrom picked the right time to sign this contract as it came just before the pandemic shutdown that has since flattened the cap; had he waited, the AAV almost certainly would have been lower. His hip injury situation has been well-documented and he’ll begin the year on LTIR. It wouldn’t be surprising if he was there for the entire year which would give Washington some extra space to work with this season. Kuznetsov has had some ups and downs which makes the value he provides each year range from poor to solid. He’s coming off a year that saw him produce at nearly a point per game and if he stays near that mark, they’ll get good value moving forward. With Backstrom out long-term, there’s extra pressure on Kuznetsov now.
Oshie saw his output dip sharply last season on a points-per-game basis which wasn’t entirely unexpected as he’s now 35. He’s in the back half of the long-term deal he signed which provided Washington with some cap-friendly years and now they’re entering the years that won’t be so team-friendly. Dowd is being paid as a fourth-line center but his usage has been closer to that of a third liner the last couple of seasons and as someone that can kill penalties, win draws, and can score at a decent depth rate, the Capitals are doing quite well with this deal. He’ll be 35 when this deal is up though so chances are that he won’t be able to command much more than this on his next contract.
Lindgren has spent the majority of his career in the minors but is coming off a strong season in the minors that was good enough to land him a three-year guarantee. Notably, the full amount can be buried in the AHL without cap penalty if he struggles but if he can give them 20-25 serviceable starts, Washington will be pleased with the contract and he’ll be boosting his value for his next trip through free agency.
Injury Updates: McCabe, Jones, Hagg, Sundqvist, Dubois
Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe has been cleared for contact after undergoing cervical spine surgery in the offseason, reports NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. However, he’ll still need time to get into game conditioning and at this point, it seems unlikely that he’ll be ready to play during their three-game road trip to start the season. However, a return for their first home game on October 21st appears to be a realistic possibility. While Chicago certainly isn’t planning on contending this season, getting a veteran back that’s capable of playing 20 minutes a night can only help. Meanwhile, Roumeliotis adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Caleb Jones is also unlikely to play in Wednesday’s opener but should play later on in the trip.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Red Wings defenseman Robert Hagg had a rough start to his Detroit career, taking a puck to the head that has kept him out of preseason action so far. However, he told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he has been cleared to play although he won’t play in tonight’s preseason finale. Hagg signed a one-year deal after fellow offseason acquisition Mark Pysyk underwent Achilles surgery but might have to settle for starting as an extra defender to start with no exhibition action under his belt.
- Still with Detroit, center Oskar Sundqvist is expected to be ready for Friday’s season-opener against Montreal, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link). He has been battling an undisclosed injury throughout training camp and has yet to see any preseason action. The 28-year-old was acquired from St. Louis near the trade deadline last season and did relatively well in his first stint with the Red Wings, collecting four goals and four assists in 18 games down the stretch.
- Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois exited yesterday’s game after the first period but the injury is not believed to be a serious one, notes Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun. Head coach Rick Bowness indicated that the 24-year-old had a minor lower-body issue that flared up so they pulled him out as a precaution. Despite leaving early, Dubois had his first two goals of the preseason on Friday and should be ready to return for their season opener on Friday.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Pittsburgh Penguins
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 2022-23 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.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Current Cap Hit: $84,055,175 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Ty Smith (one year, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Smith: $400K
Smith came over in an offseason trade from New Jersey that saw John Marino go the other way. It was a move that was designed to clear some cap space that was later used to add another blueliner but it also gives them a 22-year-old that has shown some promise in his first two seasons, albeit with some struggles in his own end. This is the type of player that typically signs a bridge deal and a decent showing this season could put that contract close to the $2MM range.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Josh Archibald ($900K, UFA)
F Teddy Blueger ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Brian Dumoulin ($4.1MM, UFA)
F Danton Heinen ($1MM, UFA)
G Tristan Jarry (3.5MM, UFA)
F Ryan Poehling ($750K, RFA)
F Jason Zucker ($5.5MM, UFA)
Zucker has struggled since joining the Penguins, both in terms of production and staying healthy. At 30, he could still turn things around but right now, it looks like he’ll be heading for a significant cut next summer, one that will almost certainly come with another organization. Blueger has shown some offensive improvement over the last couple of years while his performance at the faceoff dot has also improved. He’s on track to become a sought-after third-line center in free agency which should add at least another million to his current AAV.
Heinen was non-tendered by Pittsburgh this summer but eventually came back at a discounted rate relative to the 18 goals he put up last season. On paper, he should be worth more but he has had a soft market for a couple of years now so his ceiling might not be much higher than this for now. Archibald comes over after missing most of last season with Edmonton. As a fourth-liner, his earnings upside isn’t going to be much higher unless he has a breakout year with his new team. Poehling came over from Montreal this summer and will be battling for a depth role with the Penguins. He shouldn’t cost much more than this if he plays like he did a year ago but he’ll be arbitration-eligible which could make him a non-tender risk if they believe he could push for more than they’re comfortable with in terms of paying a depth player next season.
Dumoulin has been a steady defensive defender for several seasons now but he has never been able to be much of an offensive threat. That won’t help his market next summer as he looks to land one last long-term deal. A small raise is achievable given his ability to play hard minutes but there could be a trade-off between maximizing his AAV and securing as long of a deal as possible that could keep the cap hit close to what it is now.
Jarry is likely Pittsburgh’s top priority in terms of trying to work out an extension sooner than later. He’s coming off arguably his best season, one where he was able to sustain top-level performance for a full year. At the moment, he’s tied for 30th in the league in terms of AAV, behind some second-string or platoon options. While he’s not an elite starter, he’ll hit the open market at 28 and still in the prime of his career which should allow him to push for an AAV in the $6MM range. A similar performance in 2022-23 to that of his play last season could move the cap hit closer to $6.5MM per year. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see something get worked out before he gets to free agency.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Jeff Carter ($3.125MM, UFA)
G Casey DeSmith ($1.8MM, UFA)
D Mark Friedman ($775K, UFA)
F Jake Guentzel ($6MM, UFA)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph ($825K, RFA)
F Kasperi Kapanen ($3.2MM, UFA)
D Chad Ruhwedel ($800K, UFA)
Guentzel signed his deal before he had proven himself to be a consistent top-line threat and it was a decision that worked out terrific for the Penguins who have had a sizable bargain for several years now. He’s coming off another 40-goal season and has averaged more than a point per game for the last three. If he stays at that pace and the jump in the cap comes in 2024, it’s possible to see him in the $9MM range on his next deal.
There was some uncertainty as to whether or not Kapanen would be tendered a qualifying offer this summer and what he ultimately received worked out to be another bridge contract. If he can establish himself as a consistent second-line winger, he could add a million or more a year from now. However, more of the same inconsistency will put him in third line territory and cap his earnings upside close to what he’s getting on this deal. Carter will be 39 at the end of this contract and it’s quite possible there won’t be another one for him. If he does stick around, a one-year deal with a lower base salary but some games played bonuses that brings the total compensation close to the $3MM mark might be doable if he can still play 15 or so minutes a night and be productive.
Joseph’s short-term future has come into question as he hasn’t locked down a spot in Pittsburgh’s defensive rotation. Whether he’s with them or someone else though, he’ll need to become a regular on the third pairing if he wants to get much more than his $850K qualifier in 2024. Ruhwedel has become a steadying piece on the third pairing but his track record resulted in him taking some guaranteed money over testing the market this summer. Two more years at that level of performance would give him a much better case in free agency and could put him in a spot to come closer to $1.5MM per year. Friedman is a cheap seventh defender and it’s unlikely Pittsburgh will be able to afford more for someone in that spot but if he’s not playing regularly, he won’t be able to command much more either. We’ll see if he’s still in the organization after being waived earlier today.
DeSmith opted to forego testing free agency to stay in Pittsburgh on a contract that’s a fair bit cheaper than what other capable backups have received. But again, like Ruhwedel, his track record was somewhat limited which didn’t help things. He has posted a save percentage between .912 and .914 in each of his last three NHL seasons, better than the league average. Two more years of that should propel him past the $3MM mark in 2024.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Sidney Crosby ($8.7MM, UFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Jeff Petry ($6.25MM, UFA)
D Marcus Pettersson ($4.025MM, UFA)
D Jan Rutta ($2.75MM, UFA)
Crosby continues to provide strong value on his deal. While he’s not the leading scorer in the league anymore, he continues to produce more than a point per game, a rate he has hit in each of his 17 seasons. There will come a time when he slows down but that will be factored into his next deal, if he chooses to sign one at what would likely be a lower rate than this. McGinn had a decent first season with Pittsburgh filling the role he was supposed to as a defensive winger that could produce more than a typical depth piece. However, the contract he has for that role is overpriced. At a time when cap space is at quite a premium, they’re not getting good value on him and as a result, he’ll be tough to try to trade if GM Ron Hextall wants to move him to open up some cap flexibility.
Petry was acquired from Montreal this summer as part of the Mike Matheson deal. He’s coming off a down year by his standards but is capable of being a number two defender that can be used in all situations. Assuming he rebounds, this will be a fair-market deal for the Penguins. The same can’t be said for Pettersson who has yet to rediscover the form he had when he first joined Pittsburgh in a midseason trade from Anaheim. He’s a good third-pairing player but is making top-four money. His is another contract that will be difficult to move out as a result. Rutta’s deal was a bit of a surprise this summer but at the time, they didn’t have Petry and they were intent on shoring up the right side of their blueline. He’s also someone that’s best utilized on the third pairing and this price tag for that role is on the high side. Of course, two straight long playoff runs only helped boost his open-market value this summer.
Canadiens Claim Johnathan Kovacevic From Jets
The Canadiens have added some depth on the back end as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic off waivers from Winnipeg.
The 25-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into four games with the Jets where he averaged just shy of 11 minutes per game. Kovacevic spent most of the year with AHL Manitoba where he put up 11 goals and 19 assists in 62 games, both career-bests. That was enough for Winnipeg to sign him to a three-year contract this summer, one that’s worth the NHL minimum in each season, carrying a cap hit of $766.7K. The deal is two-way for the first two years and one-way for the last season.
Montreal, who has the top waiver priority for all of October after finishing last in 2021-22, has several open spots on their back end with only veterans Mike Matheson, David Savard, Joel Edmundson, and Chris Wideman assured of spots and Edmundson has yet to play this preseason due to back injuries. They’ve spent most of the preseason running through several prospects and minor leaguers with varying results. Adding Kovacevic will fill one of those openings and push a prospect or a younger veteran on the fringes to the minors (and/or waiver wire) in advance of Monday’s season-opening roster deadline.
Waivers: 10/8/22
With Monday’s season-opening roster deadline quickly approaching, the activity on the waiver wire is likely to pick up as teams get closer to making their final cuts. We’ll keep track of today’s waiver placements here.
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
D Jeremy Davies
D Chase Priskie
Calgary Flames
D Dennis Gilbert
D Juuso Valimaki
F Radim Zohorna
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings
F Austin Czarnik
D Steven Kampfer
F Matt Luff
Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Joey Anderson
D Mac Hollowell
Seattle Kraken
G Joey Daccord
F Alexander True
Vancouver Canucks
F Sheldon Dries
D Christian Wolanin
With the exception of Winnipeg’s Johnathan Kovacevic (claimed by Montreal), all other players from Friday’s group passed through unclaimed.