Latest On Jeremy Swayman
After Bruins president Cam Neely said Monday that they’d offered an eight-year, $64MM deal to RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman that he didn’t accept, Swayman’s agent, SPM Sports’ Lewis Gross, said they’d never received that offer.
According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Swayman’s camp is telling the truth. The $64MM figure referenced by Neely was a slight exaggeration – the highest total value Boston has offered on an eight-year deal is $62.4MM, Seravalli reports. That’s a cap hit of $7.8MM compared to the $8MM implied by Neely.
Still, that figure more than bridges the halfway point in negotiations. Seravalli adds that since the two sides have zeroed in on a maximum-term contract, the Bruins have held strong at a $52MM total value with a $6.5MM AAV, while Swayman’s representation wants a $68MM deal with an $8.5MM AAV.
“[The Bruins] probably think, ‘Hey, we’ve moved a ton, now it’s your turn,’ and the fact that hasn’t happened apparently has them frustrated,” Seravalli said on Daily Faceoff’s Morning Cuppa Hockey show on Tuesday.
There’s no indication that a smaller gap of $700K per season will soon be bridged. Gross said in yesterday’s statement that Neely’s comment “was extremely unfair to Jeremy” and that they “will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery also said that he fully anticipates Joonas Korpisalo being Boston’s opening night starter against the Panthers on Oct. 8.
Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign a contract to be eligible to play this season. There’s no indication either side has turned their focus toward examining trade options regarding his signing rights, but the longer this goes without any movement, the possibility rises.
Swayman, 26 in November, finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting last season after recording a 25-10-8 record with a .916 SV% and 2.53 GAA in 44 appearances.
David Reinbacher Out Five To Six Months After Knee Surgery
Canadiens top defense prospect David Reinbacher will miss most of the 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery on his left knee Tuesday morning, the team announced. He’s expected to return to play in five to six months.
It’s likely worse news than Habs fans expected after Reinbacher sustained the injury during the first period of Saturday’s preseason loss to the Maple Leafs. After he was on the receiving end of a hit from Toronto defenseman Marshall Rifai, he fell awkwardly into the boards between the benches, landing awkwardly on his left leg. He was able to get off the ice under his own power but was in visible pain.
Montreal didn’t disclose the specifics of Reinbacher’s knee injury. They’re also waiting on official news regarding a return-to-play timeline for top-six winger Patrik Laine, who also sustained an injury later in the first against the Leafs after a knee-on-knee hit from Toronto depth forward Cédric Paré. He’s also likely looking at a long-term absence.
Reinbacher, 20 later this month, was the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft. He spent his 2023-24 season on loan to Switzerland’s EHC Kloten, where his all-around numbers took a step back from his draft year. He managed a goal and 10 assists with a -15 rating in 35 games after posting 22 points and a +7 rating in 46 games for Kloten in 2022-23. He ended the season with a strong stretch of play with AHL Laval, though, logging five points and a +6 rating in 11 appearances.
He would have been looking to make his NHL debut in 2024-25, potentially on opening night, if he could have finished training camp on a high note. His season debut will now have to wait until at least early March, however, and it’s likely that he’ll spend his brief playing time this year back in Laval while getting back up to speed in his development. The Habs will be out one of their most intriguing prospects for most of the campaign, but it does mean less competition for playing time for other young defenders like Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and Jayden Struble.
Since Reinbacher didn’t log any days on the NHL roster last season, he’ll carry a $0 cap hit while on season-opening injured reserve. However, he’ll still collect his prorated $855K base salary as scheduled.
East Notes: Terry, Nedeljkovic, Toronto Expansion
Prolific AHL scoring winger Chris Terry is returning to the Islanders organization on a one-year deal with Bridgeport, the affiliate announced today.
Terry, now 35, was a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2007. He only has 152 NHL games to his name over his lengthy professional career, none coming since the 2016-17 season, but he’s otherwise established himself as one of the top point producers in AHL history. The 5’10” left winger sits 22nd all-time in scoring with 741 points (311 G, 430 A) in 815 games and is a five-time AHL All-Star but has never won the Calder Cup.
The Ontario native spent last season with the independently operated Chicago Wolves, where he served as captain for the first time in his 14-year AHL career. He finished second on the team in scoring with 50 points (21 G, 29 A) in 61 games.
Terry spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns in the Isles organization on AHL deals with Bridgeport. He served as an alternate captain both seasons and led them in scoring each time with showings of 61 and 78 points. He’ll be an important add to a Bridgeport club devoid of much high-powered offensive talent on loan from their parent club.
More from around the Eastern Conference:
- Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic is being evaluated for a lower-body injury after leaving last night’s preseason win over the Red Wings in the first period, head coach Mike Sullivan said (via NHL.com). They’ll have a further update on his status later Tuesday. He’d be a significant loss if he’s not ready to start the season – Nedeljkovic started 12 of Pittsburgh’s final 13 games last season amid a tight race for a playoff spot. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $5MM extension to remain in Pittsburgh last June after posting a .902 SV% in 38 appearances. If he’s set to miss any time, 22-year-old Joel Blomqvist would have the inside track to start the season as Tristan Jarry‘s backup before Nedeljkovic is ready to return.
- There’s long been talk of a second NHL franchise in the Greater Toronto Area if the NHL decided on another round of aggressive expansion. With Rogers recently becoming the majority owner of the Maple Leafs’ parent corporation, however, that’s now likely out of the question, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston outlines.
Canadiens Recall Lucas Condotta, Luke Tuch
The Canadiens have recalled forwards Lucas Condotta and Luke Tuch from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, per a team announcement. They’ll be available again to suit up in preseason action this week after they were a part of separate rounds of camp cuts in the past few days.
Condotta landed on waivers Sunday and cleared Monday without incident. The 26-year-old is entering his third full season in the Habs organization and is an alternate captain with the Rocket. An undrafted free-agent signing out of UMass-Lowell in 2022, the 6’1″, 223-lb center has 24 goals, 27 assists and 51 points in 144 appearances with Laval.
He’s also seen brief NHL action in each of the past two seasons, posting a goal and a +1 rating in four games while averaging 8:23 per contest. He’s coming off a down year with the Rocket, scoring eight goals and 19 points in 65 games after notching 16 goals and 31 points in 72 contests in 2022-23. He won’t need waivers to return to Laval, which will likely happen after tonight’s game against the Senators.
Tuch, the younger brother of Sabres fixture Alex Tuch, is a name with longer-term relevance. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick of the Habs back in 2020 and is beginning his professional career after a four-year run at Boston University. The New York-born left winger had 30 points in 39 games last year as a senior, setting career highs across the board while finishing sixth on the team in scoring. He won’t be on the opening night roster after initially being cut from camp last Saturday, but he could be a name to watch for an in-season recall if he starts off on the right foot in Laval.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/1/24
The calendar has flipped to October, which means we’re one week away from opening night. Most teams now have somewhere between 10 and 15 cuts to make before reaching their final opening night rosters. That means most sweeping cuts have already been made, and we’ll start to see more precise roster moves involving more notable names in the coming days. We’ll continue keeping tabs on all of Tuesday’s cuts in this article.
Last updated 3:18 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
D Drew Helleson (to AHL San Diego)
F Carson Meyer (to AHL San Diego, pending waivers)
F Jan Mysak (to AHL San Diego)
F Yegor Sidorov (to AHL San Diego)
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
F Ty Cheveldayoff (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Konsta Helenius (to AHL Rochester)
G Michael Houser (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Noah Laaouan (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Aleksandr Kisakov (to AHL Rochester)
D Vsevolod Komarov (to AHL Rochester)
D Zach Metsa (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Olivier Nadeau (to AHL Rochester)
F Viktor Neuchev (to AHL Rochester)
D Nikita Novikov (to AHL Rochester)
F Noah Östlund (to AHL Rochester)
D Ethan Prow (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
G Scott Ratzlaff (to WHL Seattle)
F Isak Rosen (to AHL Rochester)
F Graham Slaggert (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Peter Tischke (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Tyler Tullio (to AHL Rochester)
F Anton Wahlberg (to AHL Rochester)
F Brendan Warren (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
D Artem Grushnikov (to AHL Calgary)
G Waltteri Ignatjew (to AHL Calgary)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to AHL Calgary)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Hunter McKown (to AHL Cleveland)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
D Beau Akey (to OHL Barrie)
G Collin Delia (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
D Ben Gleason (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F James Hamblin (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Philip Kemp (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Lane Pederson (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Ryan McAllister (to AHL Charlotte)
F Oliver Okuliar (to AHL Charlotte)
F Wilmer Skoog (to AHL Charlotte)
Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)
F Samuel Helenius (to AHL Ontario)
F Jeff Malott (to AHL Ontario)
G Dryden McKay (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
D Jacob Moverare (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
D John Parker-Jones (released from PTO to AHL Ontario)
Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)
F Reese Johnson (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
G Michael Hutchinson (released from PTO)
New York Rangers (per team release)
D Madison Bowey (released from PTO to AHL Hartford)
F Jaroslav Chmelar (to AHL Hartford)
F Adam Erne (released from PTO to AHL Hartford)
D Blake Hillman (released from PTO to AHL Hartford)
F Blade Jenkins (released from PTO to AHL Hartford)
F Bryce McConnell-Barker (to AHL Hartford)
F Dylan Roobroeck (to AHL Hartford)
F Nate Sucese (released from PTO to AHL Hartford)
F Adam Sýkora (to AHL Hartford)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
F Brandon Biro (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
F Max McCormick (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
F Jacob Melanson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ben Meyers (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
D Gustav Olofsson (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
D Ville Ottavainen (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Mitchell Stephens (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
F Eduard Sale (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Ales Stezka (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
D Christian Felton (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Linus Karlsson (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Kirill Kudryavtsev (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Jonathan Lekkerimäki (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Cole McWard (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Ty Mueller (to AHL Abbotsford)
G Jiří Patera (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
D Elias Pettersson (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Max Sasson (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Nathan Smith (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
G Nikita Tolopilo (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Christian Wolanin (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
F Terik Parascak (to WHL Prince George)
Canucks Release Sammy Blais
The Canucks announced Monday that they’ve released winger Sammy Blais, who’d been in camp on a professional tryout.
Blais, 28, signed a minor league pact with AHL Abbotsford simultaneously with his PTO in Vancouver last month. He made it into three preseason games and went without a point, struggling away from the puck with a -3 rating and posting 2 PIMs.
Blais was essentially competing for a 13th or 14th forward role – with the Canucks signing Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong to bolster their bottom six, as well as with prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki looking to crack the opening night roster, there wasn’t going to room for him to win an everyday spot on their fourth line. The Canucks will stick with in-house options for the extra forward role, though, likely center Nils Åman.
Blais spent the 2023-24 season with the Blues, who re-acquired him from the Rangers midway through 2022-23 in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. He was a sixth-round pick by St. Louis back in 2014 and spent his first four NHL seasons there before being traded to New York in the summer of 2021 with a second-round pick for Pavel Buchnevich.
The 2019 Stanley Cup champ seemed to break out down the stretch after returning to the Blues in 2022-23, posting 20 points in 31 games, but he couldn’t replicate that output in 2023-24. The 6’2″ agitator struggled to stay in the Blues’ lineup last season, averaging 9:41 across 53 contests and scoring just one goal and six assists for seven points with a -11 rating.
He’s squarely a net negative possession player at even strength throughout his career, too, and with career averages of nine goals and 24 points per 82 games, there’s little to suggest he’s capable of anything more than fourth-line duties for a sustained period in the NHL. For the first time since 2017, he’ll need to start in the minors and work his way up. The Canucks (or any team) could still sign Blais to a two-way deal after the season gets underway if he has a strong start in Abbotsford.
Waiver Wire: 9/30/24
Another 12 players have hit the waiver wire today as part of training camp cuts across the league, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. All of the 25 players on waivers yesterday cleared without incident, he adds.
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
F Travis Boyd
F Brendan Gaunce
F Devin Shore
San Jose Sharks
F Justin Bailey
D Jimmy Schuldt
St. Louis Blues
Utah Hockey Club
Oilers Release Mike Hoffman From PTO
The Oilers have released winger Mike Hoffman from his professional tryout, the team said Monday.
It’s a tad surprising given the 34-year-old’s numbers in exhibition play. Hoffman skated in four of the Oilers’ five preseason contests thus far, posting a goal and three assists for a point per game. He did, however, post a -2 rating and managed only four shots on goal. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Hoffman to make the Oilers roster anyway, with plenty of veteran scoring depth pieces on the wings, although there was a small opening with Evander Kane set to miss most of the season after undergoing surgery.
If there was a one-way deal out there for Hoffman, he likely would have landed it already with just over a week to go until opening night. There should be a fair amount of interest in his services on a two-way deal or an AHL contract, though, and signing in Europe remains an option.
The 13-year veteran has averaged 25 goals and 54 points per 82 games throughout his NHL career. His production dipped significantly last year on the league-worst Sharks, though, limited to 10 goals and 23 points in 66 contests. San Jose, which took on the final year of his three-year, $4.5MM AAV contract from the Canadiens as part of last summer’s Erik Karlsson three-team blockbuster, opted not to bring him back and let him become an unrestricted free agent.
While a spot on an NHL opening night roster looks unlikely, he’s a sensible target for teams looking for AHL scoring depth if he’s open to playing in the minors. He hasn’t seen AHL ice since working his way up the professional ladder in the Senators organization, captaining their AHL affiliate in Binghamton during the 2013-14 campaign.
The Oilers’ wings on their top two lines are seemingly a lock, with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flanking Connor McDavid and Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner with Leon Draisaitl. Their bottom six will likely feature Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, and Vasily Podkolzin on the wings in some capacity, although 24-year-old Raphael Lavoie remains on the training camp roster and is gunning for a roster spot to avoid waivers.
Panthers Release Matt Luff From PTO
The Panthers have released forward Matt Luff from his professional tryout, head coach Paul Maurice told Pucks and Palms’ Colby Guy on Monday. Luff wasn’t announced as part of a group of Florida roster cuts earlier today but is nonetheless off the training camp roster.
Luff was offered a tryout with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, which Maurice “believed” he accepted. That means his days within the Panthers organization may not be done yet if he can land an AHL contract.
The 27-year-old has 106 NHL games under his belt but didn’t see the majors last season. He spent an injury-plagued 2023-24 on assignment to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins while on a two-way deal with the Red Wings, recording 10 goals and eight assists in 26 games.
Luff has been a serviceable fourth-liner when given chances in the NHL, but he’s never established himself as a full-timer. He’s suited up for the Kings and Predators in addition to his time in Detroit, posting 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 career NHL points with a -12 rating while averaging 10:19 per game. The Ontario native was an undrafted free agent signing by Los Angeles out of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2016.
He was in contention to earn a two-way deal with the Panthers and serve as a potential mid-season call-up option, but for now, he’ll have to prove he’s still got game on a potential AHL deal. The fact he doesn’t have a guaranteed contract yet is surprising – he’s consistently hovered around a point per game in the minors over the past few years and would be a legitimately impactful addition to the Checkers roster.
Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey Out Multiple Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey will miss “a few weeks” with a lower-body injury, head coach Peter Laviolette said Monday (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh). The 31-year-old will be unavailable for the Rangers’ first few regular season games as a result.
It’s a course reversal from Sunday when Laviolette said he wasn’t concerned about Vesey’s injury and didn’t expect him to miss any significant time. The Boston native sustained the LBI during a practice session yesterday.
Vesey has been a fourth-line fixture for the Rangers over the past two seasons, his second stint in the Big Apple after spending his first three NHL seasons there from 2016 to 2019. The Harvard product opted to test free agency upon graduation instead of signing with the Predators, who drafted him in the third round in 2012.
He played 80 games for the Rangers last year, finishing ninth on the team in scoring with 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in 80 games. Averaging 12:23 per game, he posted far superior possession metrics at even strength than frequent linemate Barclay Goodrow and was deployed as a depth penalty killer.
His absence means the Rangers will need to find another name to serve as their fourth-line left wing on opening night. Line rushes in camp indicated Vesey was likely to skate alongside Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski. Matt Rempe is the most likely name to slide into the lineup after immediately establishing himself as a fan-favorite enforcer in his 17-game NHL debut last year, although either he or Brodzinski would need to play on their off-wing. Natural left-wingers available include 6’7″ 23-year-old Adam Edstrom and camp invite Adam Erne, who’s still competing for a deal after inking a PTO earlier this month.