Flames Recall Justin Kirkland, Place Kevin Rooney On IR
The Flames announced today they’d recalled center/left wing Justin Kirkland from AHL Calgary. He could make his season debut tomorrow against the Flyers. In a corresponding move, fellow center Kevin Rooney was placed on injured reserve, opening up the necessary spot on the 23-man roster to recall Kirkland, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.
Kirkland, 28, has never played an NHL game for the Flames but is quite familiar with the organization. The Predators selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft, but he was non-tendered in 2019 and landed with the Flames as a free agent. He spent the next three seasons playing for their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, scoring 33 goals and 50 assists for 83 points in 135 games. Only after leaving the Calgary organization would Kirkland make his NHL debut, skating in nine games for the Coyotes and Ducks over the past two seasons. He posted a combined -3 rating and six shots on goal but is still looking for his first NHL point.
The lanky 6’3″ forward is a playmaker, first and foremost. He spent last year in Arizona, primarily with their AHL affiliate in Tucson. He posted eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points in 43 games for the Roadrunners, working out to the second-highest per-game production of his AHL career. His best offensive season came back in Stockton in 2021-22 when he placed fourth on the team with 25 goals and 48 points in 66 games.
A UFA last summer, Kirkland returned to Calgary on a two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $200K in the minors. He can spend up to 30 days on the NHL roster or play 10 games before he needs waivers to return to the Wranglers.
Rooney, 31, was in the lineup for Wednesday’s season opener against the Canucks but left the game in the first period after taking a heavy hit from Vancouver center J.T. Miller. He was listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury yesterday. The IR placement means he’ll miss seven days retroactive to the date of the injury, so he’s automatically been ruled out of their next three games. The soonest he’s eligible to return is Oct. 18 against the Kraken.
Rooney made 33 appearances last season after shoulder surgery delayed his debut until after the New Year. The fourth-line checker averaged 11:13 per game, posting three goals and an assist while laying 65 hits. They were all clean, as he only received one minor penalty all season. He’s logged time for the Wranglers in the past two seasons and could be a candidate to land on waivers if there isn’t a clear spot for him in the lineup upon his return.
Rangers, Alexis Lafrenière Discussing Long-Term Extension
The Rangers have a few high-profile pending free agents. While none of them eclipse the value of potential top UFA goalie Igor Shesterkin, 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière has finally broken out as a core piece of their top-six forward group. He’ll be an RFA next summer without a new deal.
While a report at the beginning of the summer from USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano indicated Lafrenière was unlikely to kick off extension negotiations over the summer, that wasn’t the case. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said late last night that they’ve been discussing different contract options for a few months, including an eight-year deal in the $64MM range.
That offer undoubtedly indicates the massive step in the right direction Lafrenière took last season. The two-time CHL Player of the Year was finally given a lengthy runway in top-flight minutes alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck last year after Peter Laviolette took over behind the bench, responding with a career-high 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games. It still wasn’t quite the level of production most initially expected him to provide, but if his 14 points in 16 playoff games to end the year were a sign of things to come, he’s looking at another significant leap forward in 2024-25.
The Quebec native is still just 23 years old (his birthday is today), and he’ll play his 300th regular-season game when the Blueshirts host Utah tomorrow. While he’s only produced at a half-point-per-game clip throughout that time, he’s also had enough NHL opportunities to demonstrate a linear development path offensively over the past couple of years. With a consistently positive trajectory entering his prime, an $8MM AAV may be a gamble worth taking on a long-term deal for Rangers general manager Chris Drury to keep one of his top players cost-controlled through the rest of their championship contention window.
Lafrenière is in the back half of a two-year, $4.65MM bridge deal he signed after his entry-level contract expired in 2023. An $8MM AAV would be nearly a 350% raise on what he’s currently making.
The Rangers could likely shoulder it without too much fanfare. That would give them roughly $67MM wrapped up in 12 players for 2025-26. While that would leave only $25.5MM to fill 11 roster spots with a projected salary cap rise to $92.5MM, most expect them to try and move the final year of captain Jacob Trouba‘s deal at an $8MM cap hit after failing to do so this offseason. Suppose they get a long-term deal done with Lafrenière in that range. In that case, it shouldn’t severely handicap their ability to retain Shesterkin and refresh their depth as they gear up to remain in championship contention through the rest of the decade.
East Notes: Kapanen, Grimaldi, Thompson
After a strong training camp, Canadiens center prospect Oliver Kapanen was a surprise inclusion on the opening night roster. The 21-year-old pivot sat in the press box for their season opener against the Maple Leafs but made his NHL debut in last night’s loss to the Bruins, recording an assist and a shot on goal in 10:22 of ice time.
The 2021 second-round pick is demonstrating he has a decently high offensive ceiling. After all, he did show up in a big way for Liiga’s KalPa last year, posting 34 points (14 G, 20 A) in 51 games. That’s strong production for a youngster in a European pro league, and tacking on his six goals in eight games for the Finns at the 2024 World Championship, it’s clear he’s knocking on the door of full-time NHL minutes.
But there isn’t an extremely clear path to them yet, with Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Christian Dvorak down the middle. It’s foreseeable that Kapanen won’t spend the whole year on the NHL roster. While they would typically be required to first offer him back to his European team (now Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League) due to transfer regulations for some international non-first-round picks, that may not be the case. He could spend the rest of the season on assignment to AHL Laval if he spends at least 60 days on Montreal’s roster to open the campaign, as Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler pointed out. That’s a decently likely scenario with Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Patrik Laine facing long-term injuries. Kapanen would likely play out the rest of the year in the minors once one is ready to return.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, have landed minor-league scoring star Rocco Grimaldi on a 25-game tryout, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. He’ll suit up with the Monsters to start the year while he continues his quest to land a two-way NHL contract. The undersized 31-year-old last saw NHL minutes with the Predators in the 2021-22 campaign, but he’s been an adequate depth offensive presence when given the chance, with 30 goals and 37 assists in 203 career NHL appearances. The former second-round pick of the Panthers has posted over a point per game in three straight AHL campaigns, including 73 in 72 games last year with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
- Capitals netminder Logan Thompson has returned to the team today after missing a few days while on personal leave, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The Caps don’t open their season until tomorrow, so it’s unclear if their offseason trade pickup from Vegas will get the opening-night start over resident No. 1 Charlie Lindgren. Thompson made a career-high 42 starts for the Golden Knights last year, posting a 25-14-5 record with a .908 SV%, 2.70 GAA, one shutout, and 6.5 GSAA.
Avalanche Recall Nikolai Kovalenko, Ivan Ivan
Oct. 11: Ivan and Kovalenko are back up with the Avs this morning, the team announced.
Oct. 10: The Avalanche have shed two names from the active roster, reassigning forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko to AHL Colorado after last night’s 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights. It’s likely a paper transaction to accrue cap space, as shedding their combined $1.74MM cap hit gets them out of LTIR for now and allows them to accrue cap space before their next game on Saturday. Both players should be recalled by then, as they’re down to 10 forwards on the active roster without them.
Ivan made his NHL debut last night after cracking the opening night roster. While Vegas held him off the scoresheet, his line with Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta fared well defensively. Ivan logged 9:44 of ice time and managed to control 78.6% of shot attempts at even strength in heavy shutdown usage. An undrafted free agent signing out of QMJHL Cape Breton, the Czech forward posted 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in 67 games with the Eagles last season.
Kovalenko, meanwhile, made his regular-season debut after making his NHL debut in last year’s playoffs. The 24-year-old played nearly 15 minutes in a top-six role on the left wing alongside Casey Mittelstadt and Calum Ritchie, posting a -1 rating, two shots on goal, and a hit. The 2018 sixth-round pick may be papered between leagues often this year due to his waiver-exempt status, but the expectation is for him to remain with the Avs for most of the season if not all of it. The son of longtime NHLer Andrei Kovalenko already has seven years of professional experience in Russia’s KHL, where he scored 142 points (59 G, 83 A) in 257 games. He averaged nearly a point per game over the last two years with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod before arriving in North America at the end of last season.
Colorado has precisely $9,746,250 in cap space after making the transactions, more than their LTIR pool of $8,937,500, per PuckPedia. Since the league calculates cap space daily and teams don’t accrue additional spending power while using LTIR, getting out of the pool whenever possible helps create additional spending flexibility later in the season.
Hurricanes Place Tyson Jost On Waivers, Move Jesper Fast To LTIR
Oct. 10: Jost cleared waivers, per PuckPedia. The team later announced he’s been sent to the AHL.
Oct. 9: The Hurricanes have placed center Tyson Jost on waivers to be assigned to AHL Chicago, per the team’s Walt Ruff. It’s the latest in a series of minor moves for the Canes over the past 24 hours, including moving winger Jesper Fast from IR to LTIR, according to PuckPedia.
It’s not an unsurprising waiver placement, given Jost’s tumble down the depth chart with the Sabres in 2023-24. The 26-year-old was limited to just six points in 43 games and saw AHL action for the first time since 2018-19, passing through waivers unclaimed on his way to AHL Rochester. The 2016 10th overall pick also averaged a career-low 10:36 per game in Buffalo last year, posted a -11 rating, and logged extremely underwhelming possession metrics (44.0 CF%, 37.3 xGF%).
Jost still managed to land a one-way deal with the Canes this summer, although it was for the league minimum. He was projected to be in the press box for Friday’s home opener against the Lightning after Jackson Blake was recalled yesterday, but it now looks like he’ll be off the roster entirely, whether by virtue of assignment after clearing waivers or if he gets claimed.
In parts of eight NHL seasons with the Avalanche, Wild, and Sabres, Jost has made 456 appearances with 57 goals, 83 assists, and 140 points (0.31 per game) and a -14 rating. He’s a persistent shooter, averaging 123 on goal per 82 games, but has a pretty mild 8.3% shooting percentage. The natural center also struggles to win draws with a 39.9 FOW%. He’ll be a UFA next summer.
With Jost still rostered and Fast on LTIR, the Hurricanes have $2.35MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. Fast will miss the entire season after undergoing neck surgery.
Capitals Activate, Waive Spencer Smallman
The Capitals have placed right winger Spencer Smallman on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Hershey, PuckPedia reports. That signals he’s been activated from season-opening injured reserve and is cleared to return from the undisclosed injury that kept him out of training camp.
Smallman, 28, has never cracked an NHL roster. His career began as a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2015. He spent his first five professional seasons playing for the organization’s AHL and ECHL affiliates before becoming a Group VI UFA in 2022 and signing with the Avalanche.
His time with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles didn’t yield him any NHL call-ups, but he did post a career-best 13 goals in 61 AHL games in 2022-23. The 6’1″, 198-lb winger is a decent skater but hasn’t posted the point totals at the minor-league level to even receive outside consideration for a call-up at this stage. The Prince Edward Island native has 95 points (38 G, 57 A) in 244 career appearances at the AHL level.
Washington inked Smallman to a two-way deal ($775K/$350K) this summer, bringing him in to join the Hershey Bears as they try for their third straight Calder Cup championship.
Jets Place Kaapo Kähkönen On Waivers
The Jets have placed goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen on waivers, per PuckPedia. It appears he’s lost the backup battle to Eric Comrie and can be claimed by any team after signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg over the offseason.
It’s likely not the result the Jets nor Kähkönen expected after coming to terms on the deal. Most assumed Comrie, who struggled to the tune of a .874 SV% in 10 games with the Sabres last year, would be the one to end up on waivers and sit at No. 3 on Winnipeg’s goaltending depth chart after inking a two-year, $825K AAV deal to kick off his fourth stint in the Jets organization.
The Jets were able to wait to make their decision, as starter Connor Hellebuyck‘s brief absence due to personal reasons forced them to carry three goalies on their opening night roster. But Hellebuyck returned to pitch a shutout in last night’s season opener against the Oilers with Comrie on the bench, meaning Kähkönen watched from the press box.
It’s worth noting that taking Kähkönen off the roster instead of Comrie frees up an additional $175K in cap space. But it’s hard to imagine him passing through waivers. His $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors if he doesn’t work out with a new club and lands back on the waiver wire, and he’s an intriguing pickup after he managed a .898 SV% in 37 games last year despite spending most of the campaign with the league-worst Sharks. The 28-year-old’s numbers weren’t too far below average, and he closed the campaign on a tear with a .923 SV% in six games for the Devils after New Jersey acquired him via trade.
Kähkönen was a Minnesota fourth-round pick back in 2014. He has a career .899 SV%, four shutouts, and a 49-67-15 record in 139 appearances with the Wild, Sharks, and Devils.
Oilers Place Raphael Lavoie On Waivers
Forward Raphael Lavoie has hit waivers for the third time this week. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports that the Oilers will try again to sneak him through to AHL Bakersfield.
Lavoie, a second-round pick of Edmonton in 2019, initially hit waivers on Sunday as the Oilers needed him off their opening night roster to be cap-compliant. The Golden Knights pounced on the 24-year-old, taking him out of the Oilers organization, but they weren’t interested in keeping him on the NHL roster and instead claimed him in the hopes they could pass him through to AHL Henderson the following day.
The Oilers never wanted to lose Lavoie, though, and took the opportunity to re-claim him off the wire yesterday. They weren’t the only team to submit a claim, though. One of the eight teams who finished ahead of them in the league standings last season also made one, meaning Edmonton couldn’t assign Lavoie directly to Bakersfield after re-claiming him. As such, he’s back on the wire today as Edmonton tries to return him to the minors for a second time.
Lavoie cracked the AHL All-Star Game roster for the first time last season while recording 28 goals and 50 points in 66 games for the Condors, all career-highs. He also made his NHL debut, going without a point and posting a -2 rating in seven appearances for Edmonton. After a brief dance with restricted free agency, he signed a one-year, two-way pact ($775K/$200K) to return to the Oilers over the offseason.
Canadiens Sign, Waive Gustav Lindström
Oct. 10: The Habs announced that Lindström has cleared waivers and has been assigned to Laval.
Oct. 9: The Canadiens have signed depth defenseman Gustav Lindström to a two-way contract, per a team release. The Swede spent training camp on a PTO with the Ducks but didn’t make the roster and was released last week. He’s subsequently been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Laval, the team said.
Lindström, 26 later this month, has played in parts of five NHL seasons. The 2017 second-round pick of the Red Wings established himself as a bottom-pairing/press box option there, posting 25 points (2 G, 23 A) and a -33 rating in 128 appearances. The nephew of former Shark Marcus Ragnarsson has minimal offensive upside and mostly relies on his footspeed to put himself in position to break up plays, leading to some unimpressive but not catastrophic possession metrics (44.6 career CF%, but playing on rebuilding clubs).
The Red Wings parted ways with Lindström last year, trading him to the Canadiens in a late-summer swap for Jeff Petry. He’s now back for his second stint in Montreal. He posted four points in 14 games, averaging 15:17 per night, but couldn’t avoid the waiver wire and was claimed by the Ducks in January. He finished out the year with a strong run of play in Anaheim, logging six assists with an impressive +12 rating in 32 games on one of the league’s worst defensive teams. He did so in heavy defensive usage, too, with a 60.2 dZS%. His 44.6 CF% still managed to check in 0.1% better than the Ducks’ shot attempt share without Lindström on the ice.
There’s a bit of defensive upside there, one that may convince a team to claim him off waivers. But since he had to wait until Day 2 of the regular season to earn even just a two-way deal, it seems interest in his services is low. The Canadiens don’t have a huge need for depth help at the NHL level, with youngsters like Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble set to lock down full-time roles, but they only have three healthy non-roster defenders under contract, and Laval is seriously understaffed. That’s where they’ll hope to fit him in for now. Lindström has made 62 AHL appearances in parts of three years, posting eight assists and a -18 rating.
Lindström won’t count against the 23-man roster limit while on waivers since he was signed and waived on the same day.
Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks have recalled left winger Arshdeep Bains, per a team announcement. The Canucks had an open spot on the 23-man roster and ample cap space, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Bains, 23, has just eight NHL games under his belt – all coming with the Canucks last year. He went without a point and struggled with a -5 rating and 6 PIMs in that small sample. Vancouver signed Bains as an undrafted free agent out of WHL Red Deer in 2022 after he led the league in scoring with 112 points (43 G, 69 A) in 68 games.
It’s been a smooth adjustment to the pros for Bains, who dominated with AHL Abbotsford last season. The Surrey, British Columbia native was one of Abbotsford’s best per-game producers, posting 55 points (16 G, 39 A) in 59 games en route to a trip to the league’s All-Star Game.
Bains is still waiver-exempt, so he didn’t make the opening night roster to give Vancouver some initial flexibility. But he’s back up now, and he’ll compete to move one of Nils Åman or Kiefer Sherwood out of the lineup to make his season debut. There’s increased opportunity for him to play while Pius Suter is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.