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Waivers: 10/2/22

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It’s expected to be another busy day on the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim down their rosters.  We’ll keep track of the players being placed on waivers here.

Buffalo Sabres (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)

G Malcolm Subban


Calgary Flames (via team release)

F Clark Bishop
F Ben Jones
F Matthew Phillips
D Colton Poolman
D Nick DeSimone
G Oscar Dansk

Carolina Hurricanes (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)

D William Lagesson

Dallas Stars (via PuckPedia)

F Riley Tufte
F Marian Studenic
D Alexander Petrovic

Edmonton Oilers (via team release)

F Greg McKegg

Florida Panthers (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, awaiting team announcement)

F Zac Dalpe
D Anthony Bitetto

Los Angeles Kings (via PuckPedia)

D Frederic Allard

Ottawa Senators (via team release)

F Rourke Chartier
F Jake Luccini
D Dillon Heatherington

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Alexander Nylander
F Radim Zohorna
F Drake Caggiula
D Xavier Ouellet
G Dustin Tokarski

Seattle Kraken (via team release)

F Jesper Froden
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
F Austin Poganski
F Andrew Poturalski
F Brogan Rafferty
F Carsen Twarynski
D Gustav Olofsson
G Magnus Hellberg

St. Louis Blues (via team release, PuckPedia)

F Nathan Todd
F Will Bitten
D Luke Witkowski
D Steven Santini

Washington Capitals (via team release)

F Beck Malenstyn
F Garrett Pilon
D Gabriel Carlsson
D Dylan McIlrath
D Bobby Nardella
G Zachary Fucale

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Nolan Lalonde To Entry-Level Deal

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have made an addition to their prospect pool, signing goaltender Nolan Lalonde to a three-year entry-level deal, per a team announcement. Lalonde went undrafted in the 2022 draft and was a training camp invitee for the Blue Jackets.

Last season, Lalonde was the starting netminder for the Erie Otters, a squad who struggled and ultimately missed the OHL playoffs. Lalonde went 24-25-3 with a .877 save percentage and 3.62 goals-against average, but that’s not what earns him this professional contract. Instead, it looks to be Lalonde’s impressive performance this preseason with the Blue Jackets, a performance highlighted by him saving 28 of 30 shots through two preseason games, that earned him this deal.

The Blue Jackets currently boast 23-year-old Daniil Tarasov as their top goalie prospect, but beyond him, the team’s prospect pool in net is quite thin. Adding Lalonde gives the team another goalie prospect to develop, and Lalonde will head back to the OHL looking to improve his performance for in his sophomore season.

East Notes: Chychrun, Nyquist, Larsson

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A few days ago, we covered an update on the ongoing Jakob Chychrun trade rumors. In that update, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that trade talks on Chychrun were more active than they’d been in recent months, and he specifically named the Columbus Blue Jackets as a potential suitor for Chychrun’s services. Today, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline has added some more details to Columbus’ side of the equation. (subscription link)

Portzline reports that earlier this summer, Chychrun was not interested in being traded to Columbus because he did not view the Blue Jackets as a legitimate playoff contender. Now, though, after they added the offseason market’s top free agent, he seems to have changed his tune. Portzline cites sources who say that Chychrun has “informed those close to him” that he is now willing to join Columbus in a trade. Chychrun would certainly make the Blue Jackets a better team for next season, but one wonders how they would fit his not-insignificant $4.6MM cap hit into their currently tight cap sheet, especially since the term left on Chychrun’s deal would seemingly rule out any significant retention.

Now, for some other notes from the league’s Eastern Conference:

  • In another piece of Blue Jackets news, we have an update on forward Gustav Nyquist’s injury situation after he left last night’s preseason contest early. As reported by Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, Nyquist has suffered a lower-body injury and is injured on a day-to-day designation. This injury is hopefully not one that will nag Nyquist this season, as the forward is in a platform year, meaning he is set to hit free agency this summer, so he’ll want to stay healthy and have as strong of a season as possible to set him up for his next contract.
  • The Ottawa Senators’ defensive situation hasn’t garnered nearly as much attention as their new-look offense has, but that doesn’t mean their blueline is without notable additions. Per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, 25-year-old defenseman Jacob Larsson could be playing his way into “notable addition” territory. Larsson, a 2015 first-round pick, was not qualified by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer and arrived in Ottawa on a one-year deal. Garrioch says that although Larsson may not make the Senators’ opening-night roster, there’s “no doubt” that he’ll play in games for the team this season and has “made an impression” on the team’s management.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/22

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As we get closer to the start of the regular season, training camp battles will wind down and opening night rosters will start to take shape. We’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts from today here.

Arizona Coyotes (via team release)

G Ivan Prosvetov (to Tuscon, AHL)

Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Drew Helleson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Axel Andersson (to San Diego, AHL)
G Olle Eriksson-Ek (to San Diego, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

F Walker Duehr (to Calgary, AHL)
F Adam Klapka (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mitch McLain (to Calgary, AHL)
F Jakob Pelletier (to Calgary, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (to Calgary, AHL)
F Connor Zary (to Calgary, AHL)
F Cole Schwindt (to Calgary, AHL)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to Calgary, AHL)
D Ilya Solovyov (to Calgary, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)

D Nolan Allan (to Prince Albert, WHL)
D Adam Clendening (released from PTO)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to Mississauga, OHL)
G Jaxson Stauber (to Rockford, AHL)
G Dylan Wells (released from PTO)

Dallas Stars (via team release)

G Remi Poirier (to Texas, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team release)

F Xavier Bourgault (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Noah Philp (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Michael Kesselring (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Phil Kemp (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Olivier Rodrigue (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (via team release)

F Connor Bunnaman (cleared waivers, to Charlotte, AHL)
F Grigori Denisenko (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Patrick Giles (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Ethan Keppen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Anton Levtchi (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Riley Nash (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Dennis Cesana (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Santtu Kinnunen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D John Ludvig (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Mack Guzda (to Charlotte, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Valtteri Puustinen (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Filip Hallander (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Jamie Devane (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Raivis Ansons (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Corey Andonovski (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Drew O’Connor (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Colin Swoyer (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Jack St. Ivany (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Owen Pickering (to Swift Current, WHL)
D Nolan Collins (to Sudbury, OHL)
G Filip Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via team release)

F Luke Henman (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Tye Kartye (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Ville Petman (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Peetro Seppala (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Zachary Bolduc (to Quebec Ramparts, QMJHL)
G Vadim Zherenko (to Springfield, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release)

F Gabriel Dumont (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Shawn Element (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Maxim Cajkovic (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cameron MacDonald (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Dyllan Gill (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
D Tyson Feist (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Ryan Jones (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Jack LaFontaine (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Brad Barone (released from ATO)

Washington Capitals (via team release)

F Hendrix Lapierre (to Hershey, AHL)
D Vincent Iorio (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team release)

G Arvid Holm (to Manitoba, AHL)

This post will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: O’Connor, Carrick, Lightning Preseason Games

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Undrafted Pittsburgh Penguins winger Drew O’Connor has done just about everything that could be expected of him at the AHL level, as the 24-year-old has 51 points in 53 career AHL games. O’Connor was also a college hockey star, scoring 59 points in 65 career NCAA games at Dartmouth. What’s eluded him so far in his young career, though, is consistent NHL game action, and consistent minutes with the Penguins may remain elusive early this season thanks to the pressures of the salary cap.

As Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, O’Connor might find himself sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton to start the season not because he did not play well enough to earn a roster spot, but instead because of his $750K cap hit and due to the fact that he is exempt from waivers. The Penguins are currently tight up against the salary cap, and in order to remain cap compliant, the team may need to carry less than the maximum 23 players allowed on their active roster. As a result, that could leave O’Connor on the outside looking in even if he plays well enough to earn a depth role, because the team may prefer to send him down rather than place another player such as Ryan Poehling or Josh Archibald on waivers.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Boston Bruins signed defenseman Connor Carrick to provide a different look to the competition for a depth spot on their blueline as well as to shore up their defense in AHL Providence. Today, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters (including Conor Ryan of Boston Sports Journal) that Carrick suffered an upper-body injury and will be out with a day-to-day designation. While this injury is unlikely to have a long-lasting impact on Carrick’s season, it could hurt him in his effort to beat Jakub Zboril and Mike Reilly out for a depth role on the Bruins’ opening-night roster.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning postponed two of their preseason games due to Hurricane Ian, which has caused significant damage to the state of Florida. Today, the team announced that those two preseason games will not be made up, and are now to be considered canceled. While this is unlikely to have any major impact on the team’s roster-building decisions, it does mean that players on the bubble of the team’s opening night roster or battling for their desired roles will have possibly two fewer chances to show what they can do in a preseason setting.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Joe Fleming

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The Vegas Golden Knights have made an addition to their prospect pool, signing defenseman Joe Fleming to a three-year entry-level deal, per a team announcement.

Fleming attended the Golden Knights’ development camp in July and had been at the team’s training camp until Tuesday when he was cut from the training camp roster.

Fleming’s performance in both development camp and training camp has seemingly impressed Golden Knights management enough for Fleming to earn this entry-level deal. Fleming will play the 2022-23 season in the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix and spent last season playing at the USHL level for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. There, the 19-year-old blueliner scored 16 points in 60 games and spent a whopping 202 minutes in the penalty box.

Those penalty minutes are a bit of a tell as to Fleming’s play style, as well as why he is an appealing prospect to the Golden Knights management. Fleming stands six feet tall and weighs over 200 pounds, and uses that size to play a bruising physical game. He’s a handful for opposing players to deal with whenever they’re on the ice against him, and he’ll bring that imposing style to Sherbrooke.

One element to this signing that is notable is the similarities between Fleming and Montreal Canadiens prospect Arber Xhekaj. Fleming, like Xhekaj, is an undrafted blueliner who plays a physical, bruising style. As Xhekaj continues to get attention (and notoriety) this preseason for his “throwback” style of play, it’s possible that other teams could look to try to find their own versions of Xhekaj, which could be a factor at play with this signing.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported yesterday on Sportsnet’s broadcast of the Canadiens’ loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs that “a number” of NHL clubs share the attitude that they wish they had found and signed Xhekaj before the Canadiens did. So, with that in mind, it could be that this signing of Fleming signals a coming trend of teams looking to acquire the sort of physical, “throwback” defenseman that had gone out of style in recent years.

Evening Notes: Knight, Chychrun, Clark

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The Florida Panthers recently re-signed goalie Spencer Knight to a three-year contract with a $4.5MM AAV. The contract raised some eyebrows due to its cost, as Knight’s extension will be more expensive than the recent Jake Oettinger deal, despite the fact that Oettinger seems to have firmly established himself as a quality starting netminder while Knight had an up-and-down 2021-22. Now that a few days have passed since the signing, though, we have some more context on why the Panthers felt comfortable taking a leap of faith with their extremely talented (but still relatively unproven) young netminder.

As Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN’s Insider Trading, the Panthers were “legitimately worried” about the possibility of another team offer sheeting Knight next summer, when he would have been a restricted free agent. The Panthers, who are paying starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky $10MM AAV through the 2025-26 season, may not have been in a strong enough cap position to retain Knight at what his offer sheet may have cost. So, rather than risk losing the goalie they seem to firmly believe is their long-term future in net, the Panthers decided to sign Knight to this expensive bridge contract in order to ensure he remains in Sunrise for the foreseeable future.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • In another piece of information reported on today’s Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger shed some more light on the current situation with Jakob Chychrun and the Arizona Coyotes. Chychrun recently spoke on his desire to be traded to a contending team, and Dreger has reported that leaguewide trade interest in Chychrun is “intensifying.” Dreger specifically names the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and Columbus Blue Jackets as suitors for Chychrun, and notes that the Coyotes are apparently more willing to “take on a contract or contracts” in order to facilitate a deal. Given the issues the above-listed teams are facing with the flat salary cap, it seems that the biggest barrier to a Chychrun deal will be the complicated cap situation of the involved teams rather than the trade compensation package that will need to be agreed upon.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have re-shaped the look of their organization under Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes’ new management, both on and off the ice. With the season about to begin, the Canadiens have made another off-ice move. In an interview on former NHLer Chris Nilan’s Raw Knuckles podcast, Gorton said that the team would be “bringing on” former New York Rangers executive Gordie Clark. Before his contract was not renewed this summer, Clark had been working for the Rangers for two decades and will bring experience and leadership to this still-growing Canadiens front office.

Snapshots: Marner, Hischier, Doty

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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

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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

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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.

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