Canadiens Send Filip Mesar To Junior
10/16/22: Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek has issued an update on Mesar’s situation. As things currently stand, Mesar is sorting out IIHF transfer issues and is not expected to be available for selection to the Rangers’ lineup until Friday, when the team takes on the Sudbury Wolves.
10/15/22: It’s not very often that players drafted in the previous summer start the season in the minors as an 18-year-old. For those drafted out of the major junior ranks in Canada, it’s not even an option. But there are a handful of international players who were picked in July that have started this season in the AHL. That list shrunk by one today as the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned Filip Mesar to Kitchener of the OHL.
The 18-year-old was the 26th pick this summer after a decent showing in the Slovak Extraliga where he had eight goals and eight assists in 37 games while adding four more points in six playoff contests. Having played at a professional level the last two years, Mesar’s camp had indicated that his preference was to spend the year in the minors and not go to junior.
However, after seeing limited action on the fourth line with AHL Laval last night, Montreal has decided that the best opportunity for Mesar’s development will be to have him play big minutes in the OHL. As a result of the assignment, his three-year, entry-level deal will slide a season and still have three years left on it leading up to the 2023-24 campaign. His contract will also be credited off the Canadiens’ 50-contract limit which now stands at 45.
Lightning Reinstate Ian Cole
October 15: The NHL has completed their investigation into the matter less than a week after allegations were raised. The league released a statement saying they found no evidence to substantiate the allegations made against Cole, and that the league considers the matter closed.
The investigation included two separate interviews with Mr. Cole as well as interviews with NHL club personnel and other individuals with potentially relevant information. Futher, the investigation included a detailed review of online and social media, public data, and court records and law enforcement checks. In addition, despite attempts by the League to make contact with the anonymous source of the social media post, those efforts were unsuccessful.
October 9: Earlier this week, allegations of sexual assault were made against Lightning defenseman Ian Cole. Tonight, the team announced that they’ve suspended the blueliner and issued the following statement:
The Tampa Bay Lightning is aware of the allegations against player Ian Cole and are cooperating fully with the NHL on an investigation. Our organization takes these allegations very seriously. While we continue to gather more details, we have decided to suspend Ian Cole pending the results of an investigation. No members of the organization, including players, will comment further at this time.
The 33-year-old signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Tampa Bay on the opening day of free agency using some of the cap room they freed up when they traded Ryan McDonagh to Nashville. The suspension is with pay so there is no effect on the salary cap. Cole spent last season with Carolina, collecting 19 points in 75 games while averaging just over 17 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, Cole’s agent Kevin Magnuson released the following statement on behalf of his client to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman:
I take the allegations made against me today in an anonymous tweet very seriously. I completely deny these allegations and will fully cooperate with the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning, their officials and legal departments in the forthcoming investigation. I look forward to clearing my name and demonstrating to the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning that these allegations are unfounded. I will have no further comment until the NHL’s investigation concludes.
Coaching Notes: Laviolette, Green, Keenan
There are currently four NHL head coaches in the final seasons of their contracts. Avoiding the ‘lame duck’ situation is something teams try to do and on that note, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported on the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that extension discussions are believed to be underway between the Capitals and bench boss Peter Laviolette. The 57-year-old is in his third season behind the bench in Washington with the team playing to a .636 points percentage in his 140 games at the helm. With GM Brian MacLellan admitting to LeBrun in a piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that a rebuild is basically off the table with their commitment to their veteran core, it makes sense that they’d want to keep Laviolette, whose reputation is that he’s a win-now coach, in the fold.
Other coaching news from around the hockey world:
- One name who didn’t get much attention for coaching vacancies this summer was former Vancouver head coach Travis Green. As TSN’s Darren Dreger noted in that Insider Trading segment, Green wanted to recharge before putting his name out there for openings. That recharge has now happened and he’ll do some consulting for Switzerland’s national team this season while waiting for his next coaching opportunity at the NHL level to present itself.
- Long-time NHL head coach Mike Keenan is heading behind the bench again. Or, more specifically, he will be coaching again in a few years as the 72-year-old confirmed to the Associated Press that he has been named Italy’s head coach for the 2026 Olympics which will be held in Italy. Keenan was an NHL bench boss for 20 years, last running things in Calgary in 2008-09. His last coaching opportunity was in the KHL back in 2017 with Kunlun. Interestingly, the Italian vacancy was created recently when their head coach was hired away by Kunlun earlier this year.
Ducks Sign Rocco Grimaldi To AHL Deal
It was a semi-successful tryout in Anaheim for winger Rocco Grimaldi. The 29-year-old had a strong preseason for the Ducks with a goal and four assists in four games which has helped him earn a contract. However, it’s of the minor league variety as the team announced that Grimaldi has signed a contract with San Diego, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate.
In 2019-20, Grimaldi was a quality secondary scorer with Nashville, notching 10 goals with 21 assists in 66 games which helped him earn a two-year deal that summer, one that carries a $2MM price tag per season. However, the last two seasons didn’t go as well. He dropped to 13 points in 40 contests in 2020-21 and he spent most of last year in the minors with Milwaukee where he was quite productive with 26 goals and 26 assists in 44 games.
However, that performance wasn’t enough to land even a two-way deal in free agency this summer which forced him to go the tryout route with Anaheim. He still doesn’t come out of it with an NHL deal in tow but he’ll have a chance to play big minutes with the Gulls and perhaps play his way into an opportunity with the Ducks midseason if injuries arise.
Flyers Place Owen Tippett On IR, Recall Olle Lycksell
Flyers winger Owen Tippett left Thursday’s season-opening victory against New Jersey after just four shifts and it appears he’ll be out for a little while at least as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed him on injured reserve which means he’ll be out for a minimum of a week. In a corresponding move, Philadelphia has recalled forward Olle Lycksell from Lehigh Valley of the AHL.
Tippett was a key part of the return that the Flyers received in the swap that sent Claude Giroux to Florida back at the trade deadline. He made a good first impression with Philadelphia down the stretch, picking up seven points in 21 games to push his full-season totals to 10 goals and 11 assists in 63 contests. The 23-year-old signed a two-year bridge deal in late July that carries a $1.5MM cap hit, a contract that allows the team to get a better sense of his upside but that will have to wait a bit until he’s able to return now.
As for Lycksell, the Flyers signed him back in May 2021 but he spent all of last season with Vaxjo of the SHL where he collected 14 goals and 20 assists in 47 games while averaging over a point per game in Champions League play. He had four points during their rookie camp and saw action in four games in the preseason, primarily in a top-six role and appears to have made a positive impression on the coaching staff to get this early recall.
Devils Activate Nico Hischier, Assign Andreas Johnsson To The AHL
The Devils will have their captain back in the lineup tonight against Detroit as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated center Nico Hischier off injured reserve. To make room for him on the roster, New Jersey has assigned winger Andreas Johnsson to Utica of the AHL.
Hischier suffered a hamstring injury in his only preseason appearance close to three weeks ago in Montreal. The original hope was that he’d only miss ten days and that he’d have been ready to start the season but he missed their season-opening loss to Philadelphia on Thursday. The 23-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him put up 21 goals and 39 assists in 70 games while logging over 19 minutes a night and will be a welcome addition to their center group.
Hischier’s absence was basically only delaying the inevitable for Johnsson who cleared waivers at the end of training camp. The 27-year-old is coming off a decent campaign that saw him put up 13 goals and 22 helpers in 71 games; his 35 points were the second-most of his career. However, with a $3.4MM price tag, he’s someone that most teams simply couldn’t afford to claim off the wire. He’ll head to the minors in the hopes of playing his way into a recall if someone else gets injured but it’s certainly not the start to his contract year that he was hoping for. New Jersey will save $1.125MM on the cap with his demotion with the remaining $2.275MM remaining on their books.
Victor Rask Signs In Switzerland
After failing to secure a contract with Columbus after attending training camp with them on a PTO agreement, veteran Victor Rask has found his next team as Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss NLA announced that they’ve signed the center to a one-year deal.
The 29-year-old started his career with Carolina and quickly became a key two-way player for them, breaking in as a full-timer in 2014-15. Early on, it looked as if he was going to be an integral part of their long-term plans. However, Rask’s production fell off considerably in 2018-19 which led to a trade involving a pair of players who were underachieving. It worked out great for the Hurricanes as they landed Nino Niederreiter but not so well for Minnesota as Rask’s struggles continued.
Over the last few seasons, Rask’s role dropped from being a top-six regular to a fourth liner to being out of the lineup as a reserve forward altogether. He cleared waivers last season and was briefly sent to the minors before Seattle acquired him at the trade deadline. Rask played relatively well for the Kraken, notching eight points in 18 games down the stretch but it wasn’t enough to secure him a guaranteed NHL deal this summer.
A move overseas might very well be what is best for Rask at this point in his career. Rather than serving in a reserve forward role (which is likely what he would have had if he earned a deal with Columbus) or as a minor league recall, going to Switzerland will give him an opportunity to play the type of minutes he had with Carolina at the beginning of his career. A good showing in that role with Fribourg-Gotteron could get Rask back on the NHL radar as soon as next summer which would certainly make this decision a wise one.
Maple Leafs Notes: Bunting, Goalies, Simmonds
In the 2021 offseason, Michael Bunting had strong interest but at a limited price tag having only had less than a half-season of NHL playing time under his belt. He signed a two-year deal with Toronto, one that has already become one of the top bargains in the league at a cost of $950K per season. The 27-year-old is a year away from testing the market again where his market will be much stronger. That said, he told reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, that his preference is to remain with the Maple Leafs:
I’m a Toronto boy, I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home. It’s so much fun putting on that sweater every single night and that’s what I will say about it.
Bunting finished third in Calder Trophy voting last season after putting up 20 goals and 43 assists in 79 games. A similar showing this year on Toronto’s top line could put him in a position to command $5MM or more in free agency next summer which could make it tricky for the Maple Leafs to keep him around in that situation.
More from Toronto:
- Goaltender Matt Murray is the scheduled starter tonight against his former team in Ottawa but Sports Illustrated’s David Alter reports (Twitter link) that Murray left the game-day skate early with a groin issue. Ilya Samsonov would get the nod if Murray can’t suit up for this game. However, who would back him up would be in question as Erik Kallgren was injured in the AHL last night while Joseph Woll is still working his way back from injury as well. Their only other NHL-contracted goaltender (Dennis Hildeby) is in Sweden so he’s off the table for tonight. That means that if Murray can’t dress (and that hasn’t been ruled out just yet), they’ll either have to convert one of their AHL-contracted goalies (Keith Petruzzelli, Dryden McKay, or Dylan Ferguson) to an NHL deal and use a cap-exempt goalie recall (teams get two of those a season) or use an emergency backup (EBUG). However, an NHL conversion would be tricky with the team at the 50-contract limit.
- While the team sent winger Wayne Simmonds to the minors earlier this week, Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star notes that the veteran is not on Toronto’s AHL roster at this time. He’s currently skating with the injured Maple Leafs in the hopes of getting some clarity on what’s next for him. In the short-term future, it doesn’t appear that seeing action with Marlies is in the plans.
Glenn Gawdin Clears Waivers
Oct 11: Gawdin has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Oct 10: Over the past couple of weeks, the waiver wire has been a busy place as teams quickly pared down their rosters in preparation for the start of the season. Today, the list of players available is much smaller – just one, in fact – as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks have placed forward Glenn Gawdin on waivers.
Anaheim signed the 25-year-old in free agency back in July on the heels of another very productive season in the minors. He spent the bulk of 2021-22 with AHL Stockton, notching 15 goals and 35 assists in 62 games while also getting into a pair of games with Calgary. Gawdin’s market was strong enough that he was able to get a two-year deal from Anaheim worth the minimum in both seasons including a one-way salary for the upcoming season. Assuming he clears successfully on Tuesday, he’ll be sent to AHL San Diego where he’ll be counted on to play a big role with the Gulls.
Earlier in the day, five players were picked up off waivers – goaltender Connor Ingram (Arizona), defensemen Josh Mahura (Florida) and Jarred Tinordi (Chicago), plus forwards Axel Jonsson Fjallby (Winnipeg) and Brett Leason (Anaheim). The other 59 players from yesterday’s waiver class all passed through unclaimed.
Injury Updates: Grzelcyk, Walman, Wahlstrom
With several key injuries already, the Bruins aren’t the healthiest team heading into the regular season. However, there is good news on one of those fronts as Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will not begin the year on LTIR. He underwent shoulder surgery in early June that was supposed to carry a minimum recovery time of five months. With the minimum LTIR placement time only being 21 days, the expectation was that he’d be a safe bet to go on there to give Boston a little bit of short-term wiggle room on the cap. The fact that he isn’t going there suggests that Grzelcyk will be ready ahead of schedule. The 28-year-old is coming off a career year offensively with 24 points in 73 games and certainly will be a welcome addition when he’s cleared to play.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman skated today at practice and told reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link) that he is ahead of schedule as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery and expects to be back before the original return date of mid-November. The 26-year-old was acquired from St. Louis just before the trade deadline last season and saw his ice time increase considerably from just under 12 minutes a night with the Blues to over 17 minutes per contest with Detroit.
- Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom missed the last three preseason games due to an upper-body issue, notes Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Despite that, it appears as if he’ll be available to suit up in Thursday’s opener. Wahlstrom’s sophomore year was an underwhelming one as he managed just 13 goals and 11 assists in 73 games last season and he’ll certainly be looking for a stronger showing heading into a contract year.