Minor Transactions: 09/29/23
It’s another busy day for player movement in the world of hockey. Not only are more reductions to the size of NHL training camp rosters expected, but numerous teams in both top European leagues and North American minor leagues are expected to add and/or subtract players for the 2023-24 campaign. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Former NHLer and original Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft choice Teemu Pulkkinen signed a one-year contract to return to the KHL, landing with the Kunlun Red Star. The 31-year-old has an exceptional track record outside the NHL, honored as an AHL All-Star twice and named the Liiga rookie of the year. He’s been solid in the KHL as well, with 159 career points in 258 games. Pulkkinen spent last season with Traktor Chelyabinsk, scoring 15 goals and 27 points in 63 games. Kunlun have gotten off to a decent 6-6 start so far in KHL play, and are likely hoping Pulkkinen’s scoring can give their offense the boost it needs to help the club reach the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.
- After impressing with the Ottawa Senators’ prospect tournament team, 22-year-old undrafted free agent Tarun Fizer has signed a one-year, one-way AHL contract with the Belleville Senators. The signing is a big opportunity for the former Victoria Royals center, as it’s a chance for him to become a full-time AHLer after spending most of his pro career thus far in the ECHL. Fizer scored 27 goals and 50 points in 62 games for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last season, and has now earned a spot in one of the best leagues in the world.
- Former OHL star Shawn Lalonde made his NHL debut in 2012-13, capping off three consecutive years of hard work and development in the AHL. That offseason, though, rather than stay another year in North America Lalonde made the choice to continue his career overseas, and since that point he’s become an accomplished, well-traveled veteran of the European pro circuit. Two days ago, HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak top league terminated its contract with defender Matt Murphy with just one game played, and today the club has announced the addition of Lalonde as his replacement. In Lalonde, Slovan is receiving a player who was once a top offensive defenseman in the DEL and a stable offensive contributor in the KHL. After spending all of last season with the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk (scoring 14 points in 48 games) Lalonde should be able to make a positive impact at a bit of a lower level of competition with Slovan.
- Yesterday, former ECHL MVP Shawn Szydlowski returned to his old stomping grounds, signing a contract with the Fort Wayne Komets. The former Erie Otters star, 33, has had an exceptional ECHL career, taking home numerous awards (such as an MVP and multiple All-Star honors) as well as a Kelly Cup championship. He has scored 519 points in 528 career ECHL games, which ranks him inside the all-time top-40 of players with the most career points in North America’s third-tier league. Szydlowski took home a Kelly Cup with Fort Wayne in 2021, and now after a season away in Orlando he’s returned with the goal of taking home another one.
- Defenseman Rinat Valiev, who once played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, has reached a contract termination agreement with his club Neftyanik Almetievsk of Russia’s second-tier VHL. Valiev, 28, has struggled in recent seasons, bouncing between three clubs across the top two levels of Russian pro hockey. Last season, he played in 18 KHL games with Dinamo Minsk, and now he will look for another opportunity after playing in four games for Neftyanik.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Ottawa Senators Appoint Steve Staios As President of Hockey Operations
The Ottawa Senators have made a big move at the top of their hockey operations department, naming former NHLer Steve Staios to be their new President of Hockey Operations.
According to the team announcement, Staios will report directly to new owner Michael Andlauer, and “will preside over the Senators’ hockey department.” A statement on the hire was given by Andlauer, which reads:
I am so excited that Steve is joining me in Ottawa to lead our hockey operations. I have worked with Steve for many years and know first-hand that he will strengthen our team with his hockey acumen, attention to detail, commitment to excellence and enthusiasm for the game and its players. In hockey you can never accumulate too much talent. Having Steve and Pierre leading our hockey department gives us a formidable team.
This move isn’t one that comes as a complete surprise, in large part due to the deep existing ties between Andlauer and Staios. Before he became a special assistant to the GM for the Edmonton Oilers, Staios served as President and General Manager for the Hamilton Bulldogs (Andaluer’s OHL franchise) starting in 2015-16.
Staios’ NHL experience extends beyond his year in Edmonton, as he also worked in player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs and does bring 1,001 NHL games of experience from his playing days.
What this addition means for the Senators is that it’s a first look at how an Andlauer-managed hockey operations department could differ from how the Senators’ hockey operations have been organized for many years. For years, GM Pierre Dorion has been at the top of Senators hockey operations, the unequivocal leader of that department.
Now, there’s another voice of importance there, and one that reports directly to ownership rather than Dorion. While it’s unclear whether this change will materialize into any concrete hockey operations decisions in the near future, this is a hire with significant long-term implications for the Senators franchise.
West Notes: Mukhamadullin, Jets Injury Updates, Blackhawks Camp Battle
When the San Jose Sharks dealt star forward Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils last season, a centerpiece asset the team received in return was young blueliner Shakir Mukhamadullin. The 2020 20th overall pick is a rangy six-foot-four, 185-pound defenseman who has spent the bulk of his time developing since his draft date with Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL. Although some fans might be optimistic that Mukhamadullin might break camp with the Sharks’ NHL roster, it appears in reality he’s ticketed for the Barracuda.
Sharks head coach David Quinn told the media today, including Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka, that Mukhamadullin will almost assuredly start the season in the AHL. Quinn cited a desire for Mukhamadullin to play big minutes in the AHL and develop more confidence on North American ice. Mukhamadullin does, after all, have just 15 games of experience in North American pro hockey, though even if he does begin the season with the Barracuda it would be no surprise to see him eventually make his NHL debut in 2023-24.
Some other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Winnipeg Free Press’ Ken Wiebe relays word from Winnipeg Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness on the health status of several Jets players. Mason Appleton, Nate Schmidt, Kyle Capobianco, Nikita Chibrikov and Danny Zhilkin are all out on a day-to-day basis due to lower-body injuries, while Nikolaj Ehlers is nearing a return to the ice with the aim of playing in Monday’s preseason contest against the Calgary Flames. While no injury seems to be a long-term issue for any of the players listed, the health of these names will be something to monitor as the Jets ponder how to construct the roster they’ll open the regular season with next month.
- Chicago Sun Times’ Ben Pope took a look at a fierce battle for a roster spot currently underway at Chicago Blackhawks training camp, with forwards MacKenzie Entwistle, Boris Katchouk, Reese Johnson, Joey Anderson and Colin Blackwell all battling for a job as one of the team’s spare forwards, looking to avoid a waiver placement and potential assignment to the AHL. Each player spent notable time on the Blackhawks’ NHL roster last season, but currently find themselves out of head coach Luke Richardson’s top-four lines. It’s an open question as to which player ends up winning the job, though what is known for certain is that a few players who played regular NHL minutes last season will be available on waivers thanks to the Blackhawks’ many offseason additions up front.
Andrei Vasilevskiy Out Two Months After Back Surgery
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes has reported that Tampa Bay Lightning superstar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent successful back surgery, and is expected to be out of commission on an eight-to-ten-week timeline. The Lightning confirmed the news, with GM Julien BriseBois stating that Vasilevskiy is expected to miss “the first two months of the regular season.”
Vasilevskiy hasn’t been a regular participant in Lightning camp in recent days, with head coach Jon Cooper previously telling reporters that Vasilevskiy was out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
This is obviously a major blow to the Lightning, who have come to rely on the brilliant goaltending provided by Vasilevskiy in order to remain among the top teams in a highly competitive Atlantic Division.
While this development is something of a surprise, it doesn’t come completely out of nowhere.
Vasilevskiy has in the past commented on how his high workload has impacted his body, which is something to be expected given the number of deep playoff runs the Lightning have made in recent seasons, led by Vasilevskiy in the crease on a nightly basis. The hope here will be that Vasilevskiy can make a full recovery before the new year, and get back to playing like one of the league’s best netminders.
The 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner’s injury thrusts new backup Jonas Johansson into an unfortunate spotlight. It’ll be up to him to keep the Lightning competitive in the Atlantic for the first two months of the regular season, which is something of a tall task for a player with a career .887 save percentage in the NHL.
That being said, Johansson’s more recent form does provide reason for optimism. He posted a .932 save percentage playing in parts of three NHL games last season, and had a .920 save percentage in the AHL. But with only 35 total games of NHL experience, a massive test is coming up for the 28-year-old.
Behind Johansson on the depth chart is Hugo Alnefelt, who has just 20 minutes of NHL experience, and Matt Tomkins, a player who represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing but has never skated in an NHL game.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Waivers: 09/28/23
As training camps and the preseason continues, teams are trimming down their roster and getting closer to the final group of players they’ll bring into opening night. We’ll keep track of the names that hit the waiver wire here. Today’s list comes courtesy of CapFriendly.
Colorado Avalanche
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Jonathan Gruden
F Rem Pitlick
D Ty Smith
D Taylor Fedun
D Xavier Ouellet
Vancouver Canucks
Smith is the biggest name here is Smith. Smith was a 2018 first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils and became a star WHL blueliner for the Spokane Chiefs. He turned pro in 2020-21, scoring 23 points in 48 games. That performance landed him on the NHL’s All-Rookie team, as well as some down-ballot Calder Trophy votes.
The Devils dealt Smith and a third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for John Marino, who went on to have a stellar 2022-23 season. Smith, on the other hand, played in only nine NHL game for the Penguins. He spent most of last season in the AHL, scoring 24 points in 39 games, and now the AHL is where he’ll be once again assuming he can clear waivers.
Given the promise Smith showed earlier in his career and his pedigree as a former top prospect, it would not be shocking whatsoever to see a team put a claim in on Smith, who is playing on a one-year, league-minimum cap-hit.
In terms of the other names on the waiver wire, Martin’s placement comes as no surprise after the Canucks’ acquisition of Casey DeSmith from the Montreal Canadiens. Martin posted a dreadful .871 save percentage in the NHL last season, but fared far better in the AHL. The Canucks will hope he’ll clear waivers so he can provide quality goaltending alongside prospect goalie Artūrs Šilovs in AHL Abbotsford.
Another recognizable name on the waiver wire is that of Rem Pitlick. Pitlick scored 37 points in 2021-22 on the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators, but struggled in 2022-23. He was dealt to Pittsburgh by Montreal as part of the Erik Karlsson trade with the hope, from Pitlick’s perspective, that the Penguins would provide a solid change-of-scenery NHL opportunity.
He now finds himself on the waiver wire, though, and his $1.1MM cap hit could be a barrier towards another team putting in a claim. The versatile forward scored at an above-point-per-game rate in the AHL last season, and could end up an impact player for AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 09/26/23
It’s another busy day across the world of hockey, both in the NHL and in Europe. In the NHL, the slate of preseason games today is highlighted by a rivalry contest in New York between the Islanders and Rangers.
Overseas, there are a few intriguing contests including a Liiga matchup between Ilves Tampere and KalPa Kuopio where NHL second-rounders Jani Nyman and Oliver Kapanen will do battle, as well as some quality games in Switzerland such as a battle between two top teams, Patrik Nemeth‘s SC Bern and Derek Grant‘s ZSC Lions.
As the schedule becomes more and more packed with hockey, player movement across the hockey world remains as active as ever. We’ll keep track of notable moves here:
- Former Arizona Coyotes prospect David Tendeck has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. Tendeck played in 32 games last season for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, posting a 12-12-5 record with an .892 save percentage. The 25-year-old 2018 sixth-round pick has posted strong numbers in the AHL (.914 save percentage in nine games) but hasn’t gotten an extended shot in the American League. He’ll look to change that by having a strong season backstopping the Nailers.
- Anthony Beauregard outscored three future NHLers in his final season with the Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL, (Julien Gauthier, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Anthony Richard) but his first foray into pro hockey was a short one. The undersized scorer ended up in the Canadian University circuit before finally turning pro full-time in 2018-19 with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. He wasn’t great in Brampton, though, and ended up signing in England with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers. Beauregard starred in Nottingham, starting a span of three seasons where he went from England to Wichita, Kansas to Switzerland, posting star scoring numbers at each stop. He was especially prolific in Wichita, winning ECHL MVP with 71 points scored. Last season, Beauregard scored 49 points for the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and now he’s earned himself a shot to make the AHL on more than a call-up basis. He’s earned a PTO with the Springfield Thunderbirds, per his representation, and will look to earn a spot on the Blues’ affiliate’s roster to finally become a full-time AHL player.
- Former Tri-City Americans captain Tyler Sandhu has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the South Carolina Stingrays. The 27-year-old made his professional debut this past season after playing four seasons with the University of British Columbia. He began his pro career overseas in Central Europe, skating in 32 games for the ICEHL’s Vorarlberg Pioneers. He scored 19 points in 32 games, earning himself a chance to play full-time in North America’s third tier of pro hockey.
- After a half-decade of NCAA hockey with the Arizona State University Sun Devils, former Calgary Flames prospect Demetrios Koumontzis seems to have found a place to truly begin his professional career. The 23-year-old blueliner signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Idaho Steelheads, a deal that allows Koumontzis to remain with the club he finished 2022-23 with. Koumontzis appeared in ten regular-season games in Idaho, scoring 10 points, and added three playoff games as well, a solid first step into the world of professional hockey.
- Veteran Liiga center and one-time Hershey Bears forward Juuso Ikonen has signed a one-year contract with Liiga’s Ässät Pori. Although Ikonen, a former 39-point scorer in Liiga, ended up winning a Liiga title and Champions Hockey League championship last season, he actually only played in 18 games for Tampere. Now he’ll get a chance in Pori, hoping to shore up a spot on a scoring line to help the club reach the postseason, something they have only done once since their championship season in 2012-13.
- After four strong campaigns in HockeyAllsvenskan with Västerås IK, forward William Wikman finally earned an extended SHL shot with Leo Carlsson‘s Örebro HK last season. Wikman’s play in the bottom six and 12 points in 52 games helped Örebro make a run to the SHL semifinals, and now Örebro has extended their relationship with Wikman by two additional seasons.
- Despite having not even turned 25, Swiss forward Sven Leuenberger has already won two National League titles with his club, EV Zug, a team whose academy he first joined when he was 14. Now, he’s extended his relationship with Zug even longer, signing an extension through 2028 with the team. Never a high-scoring player, Leuenberger has a knack for seeing his production tick up in the postseason and has represented both his club and country in some big moments. He’s been on many deep playoff runs with Zug and also represented Switzerland at two IIHF Men’s World Junior Championships. Now confirmed to play for Zug through 2028, the hope will be that more National League titles will follow.
- Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen is returning once again from Germany in order to play in the ECHL. Olsen has signed with the Tulsa Oilers, a team he played three games for in 2016-17. The 29-year-old 2012 Jets draft pick was the DEL’s most penalized player in 2022-23 despite playing in just 39 games, as he racked up 91 PIMs to go alongside 15 points. Olsen’s ECHL experience is strong, as he has 65 points in 81 career games as well as a Kelly Cup championship on his resume. In Tulsa, Olsen will be tasked with bringing his signature combination of grit and offensive touch to the table to help the Oilers have a bounce-back season after a poor 2022-23.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Injury Notes: Pysyk, Panarin, Chytil
521-game NHL veteran Mark Pysyk will be out with a “longer term” injury according to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, as relayed by the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune’s Seth Rorabaugh. Pysyk has been with the Penguins on a PTO, attempting an NHL comeback after missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign with an injury to his Achilles.
While the exact nature of Pysyk’s injury is undisclosed, this is a brutal blow for the veteran defenseman. A widely well-liked stay-at-home defenseman, Pysyk’s injury could cost him his chance at a contract with the Penguins, and further cloud his future in a league he’s played in since his NHL debut in 2012-13.
Some other injury notes from across the NHL:
- The New York Rangers have announced that star forward Artemi Panarin did not practice today due to a lower-body injury, and is out on a day-to-day designation. Panarin, 31, has been the Rangers’ leading scorer and top offensive generator in every season he’s played on Broadway. While there’s no word on how serious this injury is beyond this announcement, the team will need him up to speed on opening night to stand the best chance of pulling ahead in what figures to be a cutthroat Metropolitan Division.
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays word of another Rangers injury. Ascending pivot Filip Chytil left today’s practice with an upper-body injury, and like Panarin is considered day-to-day. While Chytil, 24, is not in the same stratosphere of importance as Panarin, he is an impactful Ranger in his own right. He enjoyed a breakout 2022-23, scoring 22 goals and 45 points. He’s expected to push to shake Vincent Trocheck‘s tight grip on the Rangers’ second-line center job this season, though that task may become more difficult should he be forced to battle through injuries.
Latest On Mathieu Joseph
The Ottawa Senators began their preseason on a high note, but still have one major issue remaining. One of the team’s key young players, center Shane Pinto, still does not have a contract for next season and the Senators simply do not have the cap space at the current moment to pay for Pinto’s next deal.
Pinto, 22, is coming off of a strong rookie season where he displayed impressive two-way abilities and potted 20 goals and 35 points.
In order to clear enough cap space to retain someone who profiles as a long-term middle-six center in Ottawa, the Senators have reportedly looked at moving Mathieu Joseph, who is under contract through 2025-26 at a $2.95MM cap hit.
Joseph struggled in his first full season in Ottawa, posting just three goals and 18 points in 56 games. He drew praise for his work on the Senators’ penalty kill, but otherwise was viewed as a disappointment.
Joseph’s relatively high cap hit came from last summer, when he was coming off of a blisteringly hot first 11 games as a Senator. He connected with two of the team’s stars, Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle to score 12 points in that span.
The Senators were likely optimistic that Joseph, a former QMJHL star, could build on that chemistry and potentially find a long-term home in the team’s top-six.
While Joseph proved himself to be a useful player in Ottawa, it seems unlikely at this point that he’ll become quite as good as the Senators were betting on. That leaves the team in a position where dumping his $2.95MM cap hit might be the best course of action to take in order to clear the room to sign Pinto.
That’s where the Philadelphia Flyers enter the picture. The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco reports that the cost the Senators will have to pay in order to entice another team to take on Joseph’s deal is “a first-round pick or a prospect equivalent.”
The Flyers are undergoing a full-scale rebuild under new GM Daniel Brière, so it’s understandable that they would be interested in leveraging some of their available cap space to add a high-end future asset.
Di Marco specifically mentioned the name of 2021 tenth-overall pick Tyler Boucher as a possible player of interest for the Flyers in any Joseph trade. Boucher already has some ties to the Flyers, as his father is a former Flyers netminder who is now serving as an analyst on the team’s local broadcasts on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Although Boucher was widely considered a “reach” pick at the number-ten slot and has struggled mightily with injuries and underperformance since he was drafted, his prototypical power-forward game and impressive physical tools keep him a prospect with an intriguing amount of upside.
Boucher was ranked the number-four prospect in the Senators’ system by EP Rinkside, (paywall link) and would represent a major price to pay for Dorion. But if paying Boucher or another top-end future asset is what allows Dorion to carve out the cap space to afford an extension for Pinto, he just might have to consider it.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vancouver Canucks Sign Sawyer Mynio To Entry-Level Contract
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that Sawyer Mynio has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract, the financial terms of which were not disclosed.
Mynio, 18, was a third-round pick of Vancouver at the 2023 draft. A member of the WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds, the six-foot-one left-shot blueliner was ranked 62nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He scored 31 points in 68 games last year, solid points production to go alongside a massive +50 plus/minus rating.
With some significant names graduating from Seattle, Mynio is set to play a larger role on their blueline moving forward. This entry-level deal is likely to end up sliding for two years, as Mynio will probably end up playing out two more years of major junior eligibility before joining the pro ranks in the Canucks organization.
Injury Notes: Zibanejad, Ehlers, Bastian
Earlier today, we covered reports from New York Rangers training camp stating that top-line center Mika Zibanejad left the ice with an apparent injury. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple has now relayed word from the Rangers on Zibanejad’s status: he’s suffered an upper-body injury, and is considered out on a day-to-day basis.
This isn’t ideal news for the Rangers, as any Zibanejad absence would deal a major blow to the Rangers’ ability to compete in what is likely to be a hotly contested Metropolitan Division. Zibanejad, 30, scored 39 goals and 91 points last season, and has been a true first-line center for the club for the last four years. New head coach Peter Laviolette does have solid center depth behind Zibanejad, with both Vincent Trocheck and Filip Chytil capable of playing on scoring lines, but neither compares to Zibanejad. His health status will definitely be an important storyline to track this preseason.
Some other injury updates from across the NHL:
- Winnipeg Jets star Nikolaj Ehlers has been dealing with neck spasms so far in camp according to Jets head coach Rick Bowness, and his status is something to watch for Jets fans and hockey fans alike. The Jets’ Jamie Thomas reports that Ehlers was on the ice this morning, but won’t be making the trip to Edmonton for tonight’s preseason contest. It’s not known at this moment whether Ehlers’ availability for opening night is at all in question, but given how Ehlers has struggled with injuries the past two seasons one would hope that this current ailment is only a temporary setback.
- New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein relays word from Devils forward Nathan Bastian, who says that he’s hoping to see some preseason action as he prepares for opening night in October. Bastian spent the offseason recovering from a shoulder injury, and is expected to be ready for the regular season although that has not been officially confirmed. The six-foot-four 25-year-old grinder is an important role player for the Devils, helping cause chaos with their fourth line on a nightly basis. If the Devils want to have Bastian on the ice wreaking havoc when they host New Jersey on October 12, they’ll likely be hoping Bastian’s recovery allows him to see the ice in the preseason.