Snapshots: Marner, Hischier, Doty
The Toronto Maple Leafs are battling some early injuries on their blueline, and it seems that their current situation has led the team to embrace some more unconventional strategies to fill out their defense. As relayed by Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said that the team is currently exploring different ways to utilize forward Mitch Marner on defense in certain situations. Keefe specifically cited a late-game situation where the team is down a goal as an example of the sort of situation where it could be appropriate to deploy Marner on the blueline.
While such an idea might seem extremely unorthodox or even desperate to some, but there is at least some precedent for these tryouts in the NHL. Legendary coach Scotty Bowman briefly experimented with using Hall of Fame forwards such as Sergei Fedorov and Bob Gainey on the blueline during his coaching career. Marner, a winger who has a well-regarded defensive game, could potentially carry on that tradition if the Maple Leafs’ poor injury luck continues.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- As relayed by Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, New Jersey Devils coach Lindy Ruff told the media that the team will be without captain Nico Hischier as he recovers from a hamstring strain. Hischier was pulled out of Monday’s preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens due to what the team called cramping, and now it seems the injury is a bit more significant than it originally had seemed to be. Ruff said that Hischier will be re-evaluated in ten days, and at that point the full picture of Hischier’s health will likely be a lot more clear.
- The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today that Los Angeles Kings forward Jacob Doty will have a hearing tomorrow related to interference he committed on San Jose Sharks forward Jeffrey Viel in last night’s 3-1 preseason Sharks victory. While Doty is playing in Kings preseason games and attending camp, he is undoubtedly a depth piece for Los Angeles. Doty had just three points in 41 AHL games last season to go along with 89 penalty minutes, so while this disciplinary hearing is an unfortunate development it’s unlikely to have any major impact on where Doty is playing this season.
Minor Transactions: 09/29/22
Training camps are fully underway, and we are now at the point where there are preseason games every night. As training camp rosters are cut down, there is a ripple effect of that player movement that can impact teams in minor or foreign leagues whose seasons may already be underway. We’ll keep track of all the minor league/overseas league transactions here.
- The Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, announced today that they’ve re-signed forward Michael Mersch to a one-year AHL contract extension. Mersch, an AHL veteran scorer, is the Americans’ captain and one of their top players. The 29-year-old had the most productive season of his career in 2021-22, scoring 26 goals and 54 points, and now he receives a contract extension as a reward for his efforts.
- The Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, announced the signings of four players today: forwards Luke Stevens, Nick Pastujov, Pascal Laberge, and Hugo Roy. All three spent most of last season in the ECHL, and were signed to one-year contracts. Some might remember Laberge as a top prospect from the 2016 draft, where he went 36th overall to the Philadelphia Flyers, while others might know Pastujov as the brother of Anaheim Ducks prospect Sasha Pastujov. All four forwards will head to Coachella Valley to compete for a lineup spot in coach Dan Bylsma’s team.
- The ECHL’s Allen Americans announced the signing of forward Colton Hargrove, a 2012 seventh-round pick of the Boston Bruins. Hargrove was a quality middle-of-the-lineup AHL player from 2015-2019 before he left to play overseas in Austria. Hargrove did not play hockey during the 2021-22 season and will resume his professional career with the Americans, a sort of “hometown” club for the Dallas, Texas native.
East Notes: DeBrincat, Severson, Flyers Injuries
When the Ottawa Senators traded the seventh-overall pick at the 2021 draft along with two other picks to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Alex DeBrincat, many assumed that the Senators were making the trade with the idea of signing DeBrincat to a long-term extension. While that’s definitely Ottawa’s preferred option with their new winger, it seems DeBrincat hasn’t made a firm choice on whether to commit to the Senators long-term just yet.
As reported by Ian Mendes of The Athletic, DeBrincat “isn’t ready” to sign a long-term deal in Ottawa at this point, although he did say that he’s “open” to the possibility of it. (subscription link) DeBrincat will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024, and without a long-term deal in place DeBrincat could accept a $9MM minimum qualifying offer this summer, which would take him right to free agency. DeBrincat, who scored 78 points this season, is an extremely talented offensive player and someone who the Senators undoubtedly want to be a cornerstone member of their club. With this development in mind, it will be important to monitor how well DeBrincat fits in his new surroundings in Ottawa because that fit could determine if the Senators get their wish, which is DeBrincat’s signature on a long-term deal.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL’s Eastern Conference:
- New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson has spent the entirety of his eight-year professional career in New Jersey, but with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, his time in red and black could be coming to an end. Severson told the media today, as relayed by James Nichols of The Fourth Period, that contract talks between him and the Devils have not yet begun. That doesn’t mean that a deal won’t get done between now and next summer, of course, but with the signing of Dougie Hamilton, the recent Jonas Siegenthaler extension, the acquisition of John Marino, and the eventual arrivals of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, it’s definitely possible that the Devils don’t see room for Severson long-term in their top-four.
- The Philadelphia Flyers issued a few injury updates today, as reported by NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer. Per the update, both Artem Anisimov and Carter Hart are dealing with lower-body injuries, and Cam Atkinson is dealing with an upper-body ailment. All are officially day-to-day. While these injuries don’t seem likely to have any major impact on Hart or Atkinson, an injury could pose an issue for Anisimov, who is in Flyers camp on a PTO and is battling for a roster spot.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/25/22
Preseason hockey is now in full swing, and as a result more teams have begun to trim their training camp rosters as we inch closer to the regular season. Since many European leagues and junior leagues’ seasons are already underway, cuts at this point in the preseason process are largely made up of younger prospects who entered camp with virtually no chance of making the opening night lineup.
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Robert Orr (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
D Bryce Montgomery (to London, OHL)
G Jakub Vondras (to HC Plzen U20, Czech Juniors)
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
F Eric Alarie (Moose Jaw, WHL)
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (Calgary, WHL)
F Kaleb Lawrence (Owen Sound, WHL)
F James Stefan (Portland, WHL)
D Landon Kosior (Prince Albert, WHL)
D Marc Lajoie (Tri-City, WHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Carson Latimer (Prince Albert, WHL)
D Tomas Hamara (Kitchener, OHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day
Michael Chaput Signs In KHL
Since making his professional debut in the 2012-13 season, forward Michael Chaput has been a quality depth contributor for five NHL franchises. In 445 career AHL games, Chaput has 292 points, and he also has nearly 200 NHL games on his resume.
Now, Chaput will continue his professional career overseas. Kazakhstan’s KHL club, Barys Astana, announced today that they’ve signed Chaput to a one-year contract.
Chaput signs this deal after a moderately successful 2021-22 campaign. While he was a solid contributor for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, scoring 33 points in 57 games, Chaput didn’t find his way into any NHL games. That marked 2021-22 as Chaput’s first season since his rookie pro season in 2012-13 where he couldn’t crack an NHL lineup at least once.
Now 30 years old, Chaput will head to Kazakhstan likely with the goal of playing well and earning a shot in an NHL training camp next fall. Chaput will join Linden Vey, Jeremy Bracco, Nelson Nogier, and Chris Bigras as former members of NHL organizations now looking to help Barys Astana (four wins, six losses through ten games) make the KHL’s playoffs.
Preseason Notes: Jarry, Oilers Injuries, Senators Cuts
Tristan Jarry was in a bad spot after the 2020-21 season. His mistakes at crucial moments heavily contributed to the Penguins’ season-ending first-round loss to the New York Islanders, and there was speculation that offseason on whether the Penguins would go in a new direction in their crease. But last year Jarry issued a powerful response to those doubters, going 34-18-6 with a .919 save percentage in 58 games played. Jarry looked every bit like an elite goalie and ranked just outside the top five goalies in save percentage and goals-against-average.
While we didn’t get a chance to see Jarry play extended time in the Penguins’ playoff games, that hasn’t kept the Penguins from firmly believing in Jarry as their long-term solution in net. Jarry is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, though, so his contract status could possibly keep him from being a Penguin long-term. That being said, the Penguins are likely to make every effort to keep him in Pittsburgh. Speaking to the media today, GM Ron Hextall said (as relayed by Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune) that the team had begun extension talks with Jarry and is fully invested in retaining him. For a team that is intent on remaining competitive for the rest of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang‘s careers, it’s easy to see why they’d want to get a Jarry extension done as soon as possible.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft issued a few injury updates today. Per Woodcroft, as covered by The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, defenseman Vincent Desharnais sustained a “minor injury,” winger Carter Savoie was injured during the team’s prospect tournament and is “out long-term,” and prospect forward Raphael Lavoie “won’t participate” in training camp after finishing last season injured. These updates do have implications for the Oilers’ roster, as Desharnais was expected to compete for a depth role on the team’s blueline, and Lavoie was seemingly entering a do-or-die training camp battle to impress Oilers brass after two straight up-and-down seasons at the AHL level.
- The Ottawa Senators announced three cuts from their training camp today, sending prospects Chandler Romeo, Reid Valade, and Dalyn Wakely to their OHL clubs. Romeo, 19, was a seventh-round pick of the Senators at the 2021 draft while Valade and Wakely have each not been drafted. All three were not expected to play significant roles at training camp or in the preseason.
Snapshots: Gaudette, Lightning Penalty Kill, Lundkvist
While the Toronto Maple Leafs are undoubtedly a team centered around star power, in recent years the organization hasn’t been afraid to give lesser-known players the chance to take the next steps in their careers. Last season, 26-year-old rookie Michael Bunting earned a spot next to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, and played well enough to make the 2021-22 All-Rookie team. At this year’s training camp, it looks as though another under-the-radar player could get a massive opportunity in Toronto.
Per Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, the Maple Leafs have started camp with forward Adam Gaudette on a line with Marner and captain John Tavares. Additionally, Siegel notes that Gaudette will get looks on the team’s top power-play unit in the preseason. Gaudette, the 2017-18 Hobey Baker Award winner, has struggled in recent years to live up to the hype he had as a college hockey star. After a 2019-20 campaign that saw him post 33 points in 59 games, the holes in Gaudette’s all-around game led the Canucks to trade him to the Blackhawks. Gaudette played just 15 games in Chicago before heading to Ottawa as a waiver claim, and he had 12 points in 50 games as a Senator last season. He was not qualified by the team this summer, and then Gaudette signed a one-year, league-minimum deal in Toronto. At this point it, looks as though the Leafs will give Gaudette every chance to showcase his offensive talent and far outproduce what is typically expected from a player on a 750k cap hit.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Detroit Red Wings parted ways with coach Jeff Blashill this summer, and hired former Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde to fill that vacated role. Now, it seems a similar situation is playing out in Tampa. Today, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said (as relayed by The Athletic’s Joe Smith) that Blashill has taken over Lalonde’s old role in Tampa running the team’s penalty kill. Cooper also notes that with the departures of Jan Rutta, Ryan McDonagh, players like Ian Cole and Cal Foote will see roles on the penalty kill this season.
- Nils Lundkvist got his wish earlier this week, as the Dallas Stars traded two picks, including a first-rounder, to acquire him from the New York Rangers. Some questioned why the Stars would pay such a high price for a player with very little NHL experience, but it’s clear the Stars were undeterred by those concerns. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on the 32 Thoughts podcast today that the Stars had been attempting to acquire Lundkvist for “seven to eight months,” and Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek added that the Stars had a strong interest in Lundkvist going back to the 2018 draft. While the Stars’ longstanding interest in acquiring him won’t alone earn Lundkvist a top-four role in camp, it does speak to why the organization felt confident in sending those picks in order to acquire Lundkvist.
Boston Bruins Sign Anton Stralman To PTO
Saturday: The Bruins have made the PTO official with a release on their site this morning. Boston visits the Philadelphia Flyers this evening for their first preseason contest, but it doesn’t appear Stralman will draw in, as he wasn’t skating at practice this morning, details The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.
Friday: The Bruins have made a late addition to their training camp roster, signing veteran defenseman Anton Stralman to a professional tryout agreement, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
Stralman had been lingering on the market as an unrestricted free agent to this point, and while some speculated that retirement could be a possibility for the 36-year-old Stralman communicated a clear desire to continue his career.
In Boston, Stralman will vie for a chance to reinforce a blueline that will be without two crucial players at the start of the regular season. Both Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk are expected to remain unavailable by the time the Bruins take on the Capitals on October 12th. This could give Stralman a leg up as he competes for a role on the Bruins’ defense, as the team could prefer to have Stralman, who has nearly 1,000 games of NHL experience, in their lineup rather than less experienced in-house options such as Jakub Zboril or Jack Ahcan.
Stralman isn’t the quality top-four blueliner he once was, but on a talent-poor Arizona Coyotes team last season Stralman scored a healthy 23 points in 74 games and played more than 21 minutes per night. In a more limited role in Boston, he could find success.
For Stralman, this PTO signing leaves him less secure in his future than a regular NHL contract would, but he nonetheless has a strong opportunity in front of him to earn NHL time.
The Bruins are a good team who also, at least on paper, look to have room for him to win a spot on their blueline. If Stralman can have a good camp and show up well in the preseason, he could see himself wearing Bruins colors for longer than just the preseason.
Minor Transactions 09/19/22
The start of the NHL season is near, and training camps across the NHL are getting started. Many leagues in Europe as well have already begun their seasons. We’ll keep track of any last-minute minor league/foreign league transactions here.
- As part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s announcement of their training camp roster, it was revealed that the team has signed goaltender Brad Barone to a PTO agreement. Barone was the starting netminder for the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears last season, and while potentially earning a contract is likely out of the cards for the 31-year-old playing goalie at the training camp of one of the best teams in the NHL will undoubtedly be the experience of a lifetime.
- Corey Trivino, a 2008 second-round pick of the New York Islanders and former star forward at Boston University, is switching teams. The forward, who has been a top scorer in the second division of German hockey for the past few seasons, has joined Eisbaren Regensburg, another DEL2 team, per a team announcement. Regensburg is currently 1-1 in the current DEL2 campaign and will hope to earn promotion to the top-tier DEL.
- Defenseman Alex Stevens, who turned pro last year after a four-year career at Pennsylvania State University, has signed a contract with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush. Rapid City is actually where Stevens finished his 2021-22 campaign, as he also got into games for the Wheeling Nailers and Norfolk Admirals earlier in the year. The 25-year-old joins a Rush club that is looking to improve upon a strong, 36-win 2021-22 season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Dallas Stars Acquire Nils Lundkvist
7:30 PM: Both teams have now officially announced the trade.
7:28 PM: Per Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News, the conditional 2025 fourth-round pick in the deal becomes a 2025 third-round pick if Lundkvist scores 55 or more total points over the next two seasons.
7:10 PM: The Athletic has reported that the Rangers will also receive a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick as part of the deal.
6:46 PM: Just as training camps are set to begin, Nils Lundkvist has found his new team. As first reported by The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman, Lundkvist has been traded to the Dallas Stars.
The Stars are sending the Rangers a top-10 protected 2023 first-round pick in return, per the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. If the pick lands in 2023 and the Stars keep it, the Rangers would receive an unprotected 2024 first-rounder.
Lundkvist, 22, had requested a trade from the Rangers, a trade request that received significant media coverage in recent days. Because the Rangers’ defense features five players (Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, and Braden Schneider) who are either currently established long-term pieces or on the path to that status, Lundkvist felt that he would not have any chance to earn a top-four spot with power play time in New York.
It’s that locked-out feeling that inspired this trade request rather than any animosity towards the organization, and now Lundkvist heads to a team that features a defensive group that’s a bit less set in stone. On paper, it looks like this acquisition is part of the Stars’ attempt to make up for the loss of John Klingberg. The team signed defenseman Colin Miller to a two-year, $1.85MM deal this summer, and as of now thanks to that deal he has the inside track on winning Klingberg’s old job on the team’s second pairing next to Esa Lindell.
But now Miller has Lundkvist to compete with for that role, and since the Stars surrendered a quality asset to acquire Lundkvist, Miller’s early grip on that second-pairing job might not be as strong as it once looked to be.
Additionally, the team signed defenseman Will Butcher to a contract earlier this summer, and it seemed at the time that Butcher would be Miller’s primary competition for that role as the team’s go-to offensive blueliner. With this trade, Butcher’s status in the team’s blueline mix is more uncertain.
One other lineup factor at play here is the presence of Miro Heiskanen. Heiskanen’s mastery of the defensive side of the game could make him the preferred partner for Lundkvist, whose game has a more offensive bent. Additionally, a Lundkvist-Heiskanen pairing would allow Heiskanen to move to the left side, which he could prefer.
This is not a cheap addition for the Stars, but it’s a clear indication that the team has faith that Lundkvist will be every bit of the dynamic offensive force at the NHL level that he looked to be in the SHL. With Klingberg gone, the Stars need to find a way to replace the offense he brought to their blueline, and Lundkvist currently represents their highest-upside chance at doing so.
For the Rangers, this is a great return for a prospect who had already requested a trade and was unlikely to be in the team’s long-term plans. While the Rangers’ salary cap issues might have made Lundkvist (and his affordable cap hit) especially useful in the next few years, the Rangers do have other young defensemen like Zac Jones who can fill a similar role. Getting a coveted 2023 first-rounder (even if it’s top-ten protected) or an unprotected 2024 first-rounder in return for Lundkvist is about as strong of a return as the Rangers could reasonably expect to receive.
While the cost looks steep for the Stars now, the Stars won’t mind having paid that price if Lundkvist has a breakout year this season. It’s become increasingly common for fans to assign instant winners and losers to every transaction, and this trade will be no different. With that said, though, it’s important to keep in mind this is the type of trade where it will be difficult to truly judge Dallas’ side of the deal until we see how Lundkvist fares in victory green.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images