Jets Place Declan Chisholm On Waivers
The Jets placed defenseman Declan Chisholm on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Manitoba on Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The 24-year-old Chisholm has played sparingly this season and is currently on a run of 23 straight healthy scratches. His only two NHL games came in back-to-back showings against the Blackhawks and Hurricanes in early December, in which he recorded one assist and controlled 47.8% of Corsi events at even strength while averaging 11:33 per game.
He does have five assists in six games with AHL Manitoba this season, coming by way of a mid-November conditioning stint. The Jets have been hesitant to expose last year’s AHL All-Star Classic participant to waivers for fear of losing him for no return.
As Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press points out, placing Chisholm on waivers today is likely an attempt to sneak him through the wire while most teams are beginning their All-Star break. The 2018 fifth-round pick finished second among Manitoba defensemen with 43 points in 59 games last season.
Chisholm signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K with a minimum salary guarantee of $120K to remain with Winnipeg after reaching restricted free agency last summer. He was one of the last remaining RFAs without a contract nearing training camps, waiting until Sep. 13 to put pen to paper on a deal. He will be an RFA again next summer but is not yet eligible for salary arbitration.
Canadiens Place Nicolas Beaudin On Unconditional Waivers For Mutual Contract Termination
The Canadiens placed defenseman Nicolas Beaudin on unconditional waivers with the intent to terminate his contract following a mutual agreement, the team announced Sunday.
Beaudin, 24, has not played a game for Montreal since they acquired him from the Blackhawks in an Oct. 2022 trade. He hasn’t scored in 16 games for AHL Laval this season, posting six assists and a +2 rating.
As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports, Beaudin’s limited minor-league action this season left him unhappy with his role. He was a healthy scratch in seven of 10 games since returning from his Spengler Cup appearance with Team Canada in December.
A Chicago first-round pick in 2018, Beaudin has shown flashes of potential at the AHL level but hasn’t done so with consistency. The speedy puck-mover hasn’t played an NHL game in over two years, last suiting up for the Blackhawks in a Jan. 2022 contest in which he skated only two shifts.
Things were looking up for Beaudin after a strong showing with Laval last season. He posted two goals and 25 points in 39 games, leading Laval defensemen in points per game while tacking on a team-high +17 rating. His momentum couldn’t carry over, however, and assuming he clears waivers tomorrow, he will be free to pursue opportunities with any other NHL team.
There is likely concern from NHL scouts regarding his size – at 5-foot-11 and 185 lbs, he can get overpowered when defending more physically imposing players. That’s been one of the top reasons why consistency has eluded Beaudin throughout his pro career so far, although there is still a fair amount of point-producing potential in his game thanks to his cerebral play and high skating and passing abilities.
Beaudin signed a one-year, two-way deal with a $775K cap hit last July after reaching restricted free agency. He was set to be a RFA again this summer with arbitration rights.
Patrik Laine Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine will be out indefinitely while he receives care from the NHL and NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program, the league announced Sunday.
GM Jarmo Kekäläinen issued the following statement:
Patrik has our complete support, and our sole concern is his well-being. Out of respect for Patrik, we will have no further comment.
Laine, 25, has not played since sustaining a clavicle fracture on Dec. 14 against the Maple Leafs. Head coach Pascal Vincent said yesterday that Laine had suffered a setback in his recovery and left the team’s road trip to return to Columbus.
The Finnish winger is in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets since a Jan. 2021 blockbuster deal saw him arrive in Columbus by way of Winnipeg, who selected him second overall in the 2016 draft. The clavicle injury, as well as an illness, an upper-body injury and one healthy scratch, have limited him to 18 games in 2023-24.
His six goals and three assists equate to 0.50 points per game, a sharp decline after averaging 0.97 points per game across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. This year’s injuries have played a significant role in his lack of production, though. Before sustaining the clavicle fracture, Laine had points in five of his last six games.
Laine has 64 goals, 74 assists and 138 points in 174 games since the Blue Jackets acquired him. His 204 career goals and 388 career points rank fourth among 2016 draftees behind Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Alex DeBrincat.
The 6-foot-5, 215-lb winger is in the second season of a four-year, $34.8MM contract with an $8.7MM cap hit signed in July 2022. He has a 10-team no-trade list and will be a UFA upon expiry in 2026.
Atlantic Notes: Levi, Comrie, Samoskevich, Newpower
The Sabres swapped backup netminders on Sunday, announcing the recall of Eric Comrie from AHL Rochester while returning rookie Devon Levi to the minors. As such, the 22-year-old will get a handful of starts in Rochester over the next ten days or more while the Sabres are off for the All-Star break.
Buffalo’s three-goalie experiment to begin the season has ended. 24-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen now has a firm grasp on the starter’s crease, posting a 12-11-2 record, .909 SV% and 2.61 GAA in 26 games. All of those stats lead the team, as do his 2.4 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
The 22-year-old Levi hasn’t had the rookie season some had hoped for, but despite his subpar .891 SV%, he’s still been solid relative to the high shot quality he’s faced. Like Luukkonen, he’s performed slightly above average, stopping 1.5 goals saved above expected in his 20 appearances. Levi’s played only three times since the beginning of January, though, and without a clear path to the majority of the starts in Buffalo, the organization is rightfully interested in getting their youngster some more playing time. In three games with Rochester, Levi has a .903 SV% and a 2-1-0 record.
While Comrie has done well in the minors as of late, his NHL track record this season suggests he’ll be returned to Rochester once the Sabres’ schedule resumes next month. Injuries and poor play have limited him to seven appearances this year, in which he’s posted a 1-5-0 record and a .863 SV%. The 28-year-old will not need to clear waivers upon his return to the minors after passing through unclaimed on New Year’s Day unless he stays on the roster for more than 30 days.
Other transactions from the Atlantic Division today:
- The Panthers loaned rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich to AHL Charlotte, per the NHL’s media site. The 21-year-old played in all four games since Florida recalled him one week ago, his first NHL action in nearly three months. The Panthers went a perfect four-for-four with Samoskevich in the lineup, but he didn’t manage to record a point and posted a -1 rating while averaging 11:39 per game. Their 2021 first-round pick is still looking for his first NHL point after making the team out of camp last October. He’s done quite well in the minors, however, ranking second on Charlotte with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 32 games.
- Less than 24 hours after recalling him, the Red Wings returned defenseman Wyatt Newpower to AHL Grand Rapids, per a team announcement. Newpower, 26, was a healthy scratch for last night’s 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. Detroit has routinely brought up a defenseman from Grand Rapids on game days to serve as last-minute injury insurance while Ben Chiarot is sidelined with an undisclosed injury, routinely bringing up the more experienced Brogan Rafferty. They decided to give him a break from the roster turmoil yesterday, however, instead giving Newpower his first NHL summons since signing his entry-level contract three years ago.
Zack Kassian Signs With Czechia’s HC Sparta Praha
12-year NHL veteran winger Zack Kassian signed with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga on Sunday, according to a team announcement. Kassian announced his retirement from the NHL last October after failing to convert on a PTO with the Ducks in training camp but will now attempt to extend his pro career overseas.
The 33-year-old stepped away from the league after a disastrous 2022-23 campaign with the Coyotes, where he recorded just two goals and a -18 rating in 51 games, a strikingly poor defensive impact given he averaged less than ten minutes per game. As such, the Coyotes bought out the final season of his four-year, $12.8MM contract last summer, making him a UFA.
No permanent contract offers came across his desk, and injuries hampered his ability to convert on his PTO with Anaheim. While the 6-foot-3 grinder may not be able to keep up with the speed of the NHL anymore, there’s a strong chance he can be effective in a middle-six checking role overseas.
He’s now four years removed from his career-best 2019-20 campaign with the Oilers. The COVID-truncated season saw him post 15 goals and 34 points in only 59 games, averaging over 15 minutes per game for the only time in his career. The 2009 first-round pick of the Sabres ended his NHL career with 92 goals, 111 assists and 203 points in 661 games to go along with 913 PIMs.
Kassian heads to a Prague team that is led by a trio of former NHLers on offense – one-time Senators prospect Filip Chlapík leads his team with 38 points in 37 games, while former Flame Roman Horák and former Panther Michal Řepík rank second and third. The blue line is led by 2018 Stanley Cup champion Michal Kempný, who has 27 points with a +11 rating in 39 games in his second season with the club after injuries ended his successful stint with the Capitals. 548-game NHL veteran Vladimír Sobotka is among the team’s principal secondary scorers with 10 goals and 21 points in 33 games.
As such, the team ranks second in the Extraliga. Kassian joins a team primed to make a run deep into the postseason after losing twice in the league final in the past decade. Prague hasn’t won a championship since back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
Devils Assign Three Players To AHL
The Devils assigned center Justin Dowling and defensemen Santeri Hatakka and Daniil Misyul to AHL Utica on Sunday, per a team announcement. New Jersey recalled all three players within the last two weeks, but they’ll now get some additional playing time in the minors with the Devils entering their bye week.
Dowling, 33, is coming off a brief audition in a top-six role. He centered Tyler Toffoli and Dawson Mercer in Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Lightning, the team’s last outing for 10 days. It was a decidedly failed experiment, as the trio controlled just 20% of expected goals at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck. Dowling also failed to record a shot and posted a -3 rating in 14:24 of ice time.
The 539-game AHL veteran did score in his only other appearance with the Devils since his recall, a loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. Since he played less than ten games and has been on the NHL roster for less than 30 days since clearing waivers during training camp, he doesn’t need to pass through them again to return to Utica. There, Dowling has eight goals and 19 points in 30 games, both ranking sixth on the team.
Hatakka, 23, played in three of five games since his recall ten days ago in place of the injured Brendan Smith. The 2019 sixth-round pick of the Sharks had a strong showing, recording an assist and a +5 rating while logging 16:08 per game. His possession metrics don’t point to the sustainability of that goal differential, though, as he recorded a subpar 43.8% Corsi share at even strength that was 6.4% worse than his teammates’ share without him on the ice.
The 23-year-old Misyul did not play in either of the Devils’ two games since he and Dowling were recalled on Thursday. The Belarus-born defender, who was picked three rounds ahead of Hatakka in 2019, returns to Utica without his NHL debut under his belt. He’ll look to continue a decent rookie season in Utica, where he’s recorded 11 points and an even plus-minus rating in 30 games while occupying a shutdown role. Both Hatakka and Misyul are still waiver-exempt.
Dowling could see another recall in a week and a half if Jack Hughes is not ready to return by the end of the All-Star break. After the Devils claimed blue-liner Nick DeSimone off waivers from the Flames last week, though, it’s unlikely both Hatakka and Misyul will be back on the NHL roster when New Jersey returns to game action.
Filip Chytil Sustains Reported Setback In Recovery From Upper-Body Injury
Rangers center Filip Chytil had to be helped off the ice after an undisclosed injury sustained during Friday’s optional skate left him on the ice for “several minutes,” Peter Botte of the New York Post reports. Post colleague Larry Brooks adds that Chytil has completed evaluation and has returned to his New York home, and the injury sustained today is related to the suspected concussion that’s kept him out since Nov. 2.
Today was the 24-year-old’s second day skating with the team after returning to practice in a non-contact jersey Thursday. Chytil, who has a history of suspected concussions, returned to his native Czechia at the end of December to continue his recovery and arrived back in New York earlier this week.
The 21st overall pick in the 2017 draft posted six assists through 10 games to start the campaign. His average time on ice of 15:56 was a career-high.
A setback in his recovery will likely extend an already lengthy recovery process. Chytil has missed 37 games with the injury, which the Rangers have only officially labeled as upper-body.
Chytil is in the first season of a four-year, $17.75MM deal with a $4.44MM cap hit signed in March 2023. He posted career-highs in every offensive category last season, recording 22 goals, 23 assists and 45 points with a +15 rating in 74 games.
Without his services, the Rangers remain stretched for depth at center. Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad are capable in the top-six, both producing over 0.96 points per game and averaging over 19 minutes. The bottom six, however, features 30-year-old AHL call-up Jonny Brodzinski on the third line and declining checking forward (and natural winger) Barclay Goodrow on the fourth. Goodrow, who’s in the third year of a six-year, $21.85MM deal with trade protection, has one goal and five points in 45 games this season with extremely poor possession metrics. Offseason veteran signing Nick Bonino hasn’t been any better and was assigned to AHL Hartford on Friday after clearing waivers.
The Rangers are still in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 61 points but have a 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games. They’re two points ahead with no games in hand on the surging Hurricanes, who have won two straight and seven of their last 10.
Chytil will stay on long-term injured reserve, where he’s been since Nov. 28. As such, the Rangers have $3.67MM in their LTIR pool available for use, per CapFriendly.
Maple Leafs Place Bobby McMann On IR
Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann is heading to injured reserve with a lingering undisclosed injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday (via Joshua Kloke of The Athletic). The move keeps McMann with the team for the time being after speculation earlier Friday that he was headed for waivers. In placing him on IR, Toronto has now opened a roster spot to activate winger Tyler Bertuzzi from the non-roster list for Saturday’s game against the Jets.
McMann, 27, has two goals and five assists for seven points in 23 games. He’s averaged 9:22 per contest and is putting up passable possession numbers, recording a 49.4% Corsi share at even strength despite starting nearly 70% of his zone starts coming in defensive usage.
Undrafted, Toronto signed McMann to his first NHL contract in 2022 after he spent two seasons suiting up with their AHL affiliate on minor-league deals. He’s transitioned into more of a full-time NHL role this season, skating in only six AHL contests.
McMann played in 19 of Toronto’s last 21 games as a fourth-line fill-in, providing a noticeable two-way upgrade on the services of injured enforcer Ryan Reaves. He missed one game earlier in January against the Red Wings with an undisclosed injury and was listed as a healthy scratch in Sunday’s game against the Kraken.
The IR placement rules McMann out of tomorrow’s game but no further. It coincides well with the timing of the All-Star break, during which his seven-day absence requirement will be satisfied. If he’s healthy, he’ll be eligible to return for the Maple Leafs’ first post-break game against the Islanders on Feb. 5.
Flyers Sign Owen Tippett To Eight-Year Extension
11:53 a.m.: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Flyers have finalized the contract with Tippett at the reported eight-year term and $49.6MM value. It’s unclear what trade protection, if any, the deal will include.
9:19 a.m.: The Flyers and winger Owen Tippett are “closing in” on a long-term deal, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Friday. Friedman added it will be an eight-year deal carrying an AAV between $6MM and $6.5MM. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the total value of the deal will be $49.6MM, or a $6.2MM AAV.
Tippett came to Philadelphia in March 2022 as the focal piece from the Panthers in the Claude Giroux trade. The 2017 10th overall pick had struggled to get out of the gate after nearly five years in the Florida organization, posting 14 goals and 33 points in 94 games while averaging around 12 minutes per game.
The now-24-year-old was drafted for his speed and shooting ability, as evidenced by his 44 goals in 60 games with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads as a 17-year-old. It took a move to the Flyers to make it happen, but those hallmarks of his game have blossomed at the right time.
His first full season in Philadelphia was a success, exploding for 27 goals and 49 points in 77 games on a Flyers offense that finished near the bottom of the league in 2022-23. Through 46 games this year, he’s notched 18 goals and 30 points in 46 games – a 32-goal, 53-point pace over 82 games.
That kind of production, if sustained, will make this contract one of the better value bets in the league at its midpoint. Tippett’s deal will take up 7.1% of the salary cap when it goes into effect, a similar share of the cap to Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich and Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane when they signed mid-term deals with $5.8MM cap hits in 2021 and 2022. Both were similar in age to Tippett when signing their deals.
Mangiapane’s production has stuttered in the years following, while Buchnevich is the Blues’ premier offensive talent and posted over a point per game in the last two seasons. Tippett likely ends up somewhere in the middle. If the consistency in his play between this year and last is any indication, he’s on track to churn out totals in the 30-goal, 55-point neighborhood over the life of the contract.
By signing him to a max-term extension now, the Flyers lock Tippett up at a controlled price throughout his most valuable seasons. He’ll be 32 when the deal ends – young enough so that Tippett could sign a lucrative mid-term deal, but old enough that the Flyers would feel comfortable walking away if the demand is too high. The likelihood of Tippett’s production regressing is also much lower than if Philadelphia waited another two or three years to give him a long-term extension.
It’s unlikely Tippett advances much past what he is now – an extremely high-end secondary scoring threat. With the salary cap increasing at its projected rate, though, $6.2MM per season works out quite well for that kind of production, especially for a player who’s consistently shouldered top-six minutes since coming to the Flyers. He’s posted strong possession numbers, too, boasting a 50.1% Corsi share (2.4% higher than the team’s share without him on the ice) at even strength since the trade to Philly.
Tippett was destined for RFA status this summer with arbitration rights after completing a two-year, $3MM contract. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time when his new contract expires in 2032.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Rafferty, Newhook, Bertuzzi, McMann
Veteran Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson is drawing some interest ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast Friday. Johnson is currently on injured reserve and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, although he’s eligible for activation and hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Sharks.
The 35-year-old is in his first season with Buffalo after signing a one-year, $3.25MM contract in free agency last summer. He hasn’t been the defensively-stabilizing force they hoped for, given the price tag. He’s playing a career-low 14:11 per game and, despite the restricted usage, has a poor 46.1% Corsi share at even strength, 5.5% worse than the Sabres’ share without him on the ice. He’s notched three goals and no assists through 41 games, although they weren’t expecting him to be a factor offensively at this stage in his career.
With Buffalo’s playoff chances down to below five percent, they won’t be buyers at the deadline. It’s unlikely they ship out any high-profile names, either, but Johnson’s role on the team has already dried up, and they could get some value back for him by retaining 50% of his cap hit. His 961 games of experience and a Stanley Cup ring with the Avalanche in 2022 are both points of emphasis for contenders looking to shore up their blue line this time of year, and he carries a small bit of added trade value as a right-shot defender.
Elsewhere from the Atlantic Division:
- The Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to AHL Grand Rapids, the team said in a statement Friday. This is the sixth straight day that the 28-year-old Rafferty has been ferried between leagues. Detroit has brought up the minor-league mainstay on game days only to serve as last-minute injury insurance with Ben Chiarot sidelined with an undisclosed ailment. Rafferty has yet to play an NHL game this season despite his four recalls in January.
- Canadiens forward Alex Newhook skated Friday for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle sprain in early December, the team said. The 22-year-old is nearly eight weeks into his 10-to-12-week recovery timeline, so his return to the ice today means he should have enough time over the next month to gear up for a return. Acquired from the Avalanche last June via trade, the 2019 16th-overall pick was on pace for a career-high 47 points before the injury.
- Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi is back with the team Friday after missing Wednesday’s 1-0 overtime win over the Jets for paternity leave, TSN’s Mark Masters reports. Bertuzzi will be available for the second half of Toronto’s home-and-home with Winnipeg on Saturday, although the Maple Leafs will need to clear a roster spot for him to return. He was placed on the non-roster list, which kept their active roster at 23 when Ryan Reaves was activated from injured reserve earlier in the week. Per The Hockey News’ David Alter, depth forward Bobby McMann was not at practice today, suggesting he may be headed for the waiver wire in the next few hours for the purpose of assignment to AHL Toronto. Bertuzzi has had strong possession impacts in his first season with the Leafs but has struggled to produce in a top-six role, scoring six goals in 45 games.