Senators Agree To Terms With Shane Pinto To One-Year Contract
The Senators have agreed to terms with RFA center Shane Pinto on a one-year deal worth $775K, the NHL league minimum salary, per a team release.
Pinto, 23, is eligible to make his season debut in Sunday’s game against the Flyers. He will miss tomorrow’s game against the Jets as he serves the final contest of his 41-game suspension for violating the league’s sports wagering rules. His contract cannot be registered with the league until Sunday.
Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch said earlier this week that the team had offered multiple contract options to Pinto as he neared his return, including multiple longer-term deals. While the Senators’ tight salary cap situation prevents them from giving Pinto a significant salary this season, they continue to work on signing a multi-year deal before Pinto reaches RFA status next summer, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He is eligible to sign an extension at any time before July 1.
Unfortunately for the Senators, their 16-24-0 record puts them in last place in the Eastern Conference at the time of Pinto re-joining the team. Any impact the sophomore center has in his return will likely be immaterial to their end-of-season fortunes, but his play will still be closely eyed as the Senators determine who to keep and who to shed as their rebuild remains stuck in first gear.
The 2019 second-round pick churned out play worthy of a high-end third-line center last year, his first full campaign with the Sens after a shoulder injury limited him to five games in 2021-22. Posting 20-15–35 in all 82 games, Pinto ranked sixth on last year’s team in goals and, despite his -21 rating, graded well in terms of two-way play with a 51.9% Corsi share at even strength.
He still carries top-six potential despite his significant time away from the game over the last two seasons. He’ll at least find himself in a top-nine role when he suits up on Wednesday, especially as Josh Norris remains sidelined down the middle with an upper-body injury. Whether or not he usurps another promising youngster, 21-year-old Ridly Greig, for first-line duties between Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux is unclear.
Pinto will earn $387.5K in actual salary this season as a result of his contract being signed with exactly half of Ottawa’s schedule remaining. If he can’t agree to a new deal with Ottawa by the summer, he will not be eligible for salary arbitration. However, unlike last summer, he will be eligible for an offer sheet.
West Notes: Saros, Gaudreau, Pospisil
Earlier this season, Predators general manager Barry Trotz shut down any trade rumors involving star netminder Juuse Saros, stating he had full intent to re-sign him before his contract expires in 2025. That remains the case, but TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes Trotz may at least listen to offers he receives for the 28-year-old, he said in his latest for The Athletic.
It would, of course, take a gargantuan offer for the Predators to part with the third cog in their string of superstar netminders that links back to the days of Tomáš Vokoun in the early 2000s. LeBrun says a trade offer centered around draft picks won’t do the trick – rather, Trotz would require a young but established NHLer with first-line-caliber skills.
Further decreasing the likelihood of a Saros deal is a trade market that LeBrun says, later in the same article, is facing an increased level of parity this year. The Stanley Cup contention field is much more open than in recent seasons, and most teams at the top of the standings have a clear weakness that needs addressing. LeBrun that could lead to just a few teams going “all-in” at the deadline, with most preferring to hold onto their assets. That’s also because buyers will have a smaller market to choose from – many fringe playoff teams are expected to avoid being full sellers on March 8 and could hold onto their high-value assets and pending UFAs in hopes of squeaking into the postseason.
Saros’ .903 SV% this season isn’t terribly impressive, but it’s quite easy to see that it’s an outlier. He’s finished within the top eight of Vezina Trophy voting over the last three seasons and, prior to this year, had never posted a SV% south of .914 in a full season.
Elsewhere from the Western Conference:
- Wild forward Frédérick Gaudreau is doubtful for tonight’s game against the Panthers, said The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 30-year-old skated over nine minutes in last night’s 7-3 loss to the Lightning before leaving with an upper-body injury early in the third period. Per Smith, the Wild don’t yet have a timeline for Gaudreau’s return to the lineup, and he’ll continue to undergo evaluation today. The veteran has three goals in 34 games this year after notching double-digit goal totals in his first two seasons with the Wild. The lack of production is concerning in the first season of a five-year, $10.5MM contract, especially without the aging curve on his side. Winger Adam Raska will return to the lineup in Gaudreau’s absence after being scratched for three straight games.
- Flames rookie Martin Pospisil will avoid a long-term absence after taking a scary fall into the boards last night versus the Maple Leafs, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. The 24-year-old will miss roughly two weeks, though, and will likely return soon after the All-Star break. He sustained an upper-body injury after his skates came together with those of Toronto superstar Auston Matthews, causing him to trip and fold awkwardly (video via Sportsnet, viewer discretion advised). The 2018 fourth-round pick has 4-7–11 in 33 games since being recalled from AHL Calgary in early November. In Pospisil’s absence, 23-year-old Adam Klapka (who stands at a hulking 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds) will make his NHL debut at home in tomorrow’s Battle of Alberta.
Morning Notes: Iskhakov, Kucherov, Barkov
Islanders 2018 second-round pick Ruslan Iskhakov could receive his first NHL recall in the coming days as injuries continue to affect the team’s forwards, speculates Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He notes the team may prefer a more dynamic replacement at the top of the lineup for winger Pierre Engvall, who missed Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Jets with an upper-body injury.
Engvall is listed as day-to-day and remains on the active roster, but head coach Lane Lambert told reporters yesterday that he has no indication when the 27-year-old will resume skating (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). The Swedish winger has disappointed with 5-9–14 in 41 games this season, the first of his seven-year, $21MM contract, and has been a healthy scratch twice.
28-year-old Hudson Fasching slotted into Engvall’s normal second-line role alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for the Winnipeg game and is projected to do so again tonight against the Blackhawks. However, the career AHLer/bottom-six depth piece isn’t a sustainable placeholder on a scoring line for a team maintaining playoff aspirations.
Iskhakov, 23, is undersized at 5-foot-8 and 165 lbs., but he’s adjusted well to the North American pro game since joining AHL Bridgeport in 2022. He’s been their best player this season by a wide margin, posting 13-19–32 in 36 games, leading the team in all major offensive categories. If Engvall’s absence from the lineup is long enough to warrant a stint on injured reserve, it would be prudent to give Iskhakov a brief NHL look in the final season of his entry-level contract.
More from the NHL as teams convene for Friday morning practices:
- Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov‘s meteoric season continued last night, recording three assists against the Wild to reach 500 in his career. He remains third among active Russian players in the stat, trailing future Hall-of-Famers Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin by a significant margin. While the Lightning’s .567 points percentage would have them out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Kucherov has been pulling his weight and then some this season. His 28 goals are fourth in the NHL, his 47 assists are second, and his 75 points in 44 games give him a slim lead on Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon for the lead in the Art Ross Trophy race.
- Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was absent from morning skate today as he continues to rehab a lower-body injury, said the AP’s Colby Guy. Head coach Paul Maurice is expected to issue an update on Barkov’s status later Friday. The 28-year-old missed Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Red Wings, his fourth absence of the season. He missed a late October tilt against the Sharks with illness, while a knee injury kept him out of two games in November. His 35 assists in 40 games lead the Panthers.
Flames Place Walker Duehr On Waivers
January 18th: Duehr has cleared waivers and been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL.
January 17th: The Flames placed winger Walker Duehr on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Calgary on Wednesday, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports.
Duehr, 26, played in 12 straight games to start the season but has seen minimal action since, playing in only 10 of Calgary’s last 35 games. An undrafted free agent signing out of Minnesota State in the spring of 2021, the bottom-six grinder posted 1-3–4 in 19 games this year while averaging only 7:58 per game before landing on the waiver wire.
Away from the puck, Duehr’s performance this year took a sizable step back from his 27-game stint in the Flames lineup in 2022-23. His 46.2% Corsi share at even strength is the worst on the team despite seeing minutes against easier competition, and his minutes on special teams this year are negligible.
Duehr is signed to a one-way deal that runs through next season, so the likelihood of him getting claimed is low. He signed a two-year extension worth $1.65MM last April after spending a decent chunk of the campaign on the Calgary roster, making the team out of camp this year as a result.
In 41 games with AHL Calgary last season, Duehr recorded 11-15–26 with a +5 rating. His middling offensive production in the minors suggests he won’t likely ever be a top-nine threat at the NHL level, but he has shown some skills that suggest he can be an effective fourth-liner in the future. This season, however, it hasn’t come to fruition, and he’ll return to the minors (if he clears) to round out his all-around game.
Devils Place Brendan Smith On Injured Reserve
The Devils have placed defenseman Brendan Smith on injured reserve with a sprained right knee retroactive to Jan. 15. In a corresponding transaction, the team recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from AHL Utica.
Smith, 34, left Monday’s game against the Bruins early in the first period after a collision with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and did not return. He did not play in yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Canadiens.
New Jersey has a packed schedule in the coming days, with games on Friday (vs. the Blue Jackets), Saturday (vs. the Stars), and Monday (vs. the Golden Knights). Placing Smith on IR rules him out of those three games. The soonest he is eligible to return is on Thursday, Jan. 25, against the Hurricanes, one of his three former teams.
The veteran pot-stirrer has filled in at both defense and forward this season, depending on which position has been more affected by injuries. Smith joins forwards Nolan Foote and Tomáš Nosek, as well as top-four defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, on IR/LTIR, while forwards Jack Hughes and Ondřej Palát remain sidelined with injuries but are on the active roster.
At this stage in his career, Smith’s impact is most felt between the whistles. He’s posted 1-4–5 in 34 games this season after not scoring a goal in 2022-23, logging 47 PIMs while averaging 14:25 per game. He’s avoided liability status in terms of possession metrics, though, with a Corsi share of 50.4% at even strength and an expected +0.4 rating.
In Smith’s absence, 25-year-old Callan Foote made his second appearance of the season against the Canadiens yesterday. The Devils had no healthy extras rostered, necessitating Hatakka’s recall.
The 23-year-old Hatakka arrived in the Devils organization by way of San Jose in the February 2023 Timo Meier trade. A sixth-round pick of the Sharks in 2019, Hatakka has not played in the NHL since April 17, 2022.
He spent most of last season injured, only logging eight games with AHL San Jose in October and November of 2022. Now healthy, he’s picked up a regular role with Utica, where he’s posted 2-7–9 in 28 games with a -4 rating. This is his first recall since joining the Devils, and potentially an important one for his next contract as he’s in the final year of his entry-level deal.
East Notes: Rafferty, Norris, Sandin
The Red Wings assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to AHL Grand Rapids today, per a team announcement. Rafferty, 28, was recalled last Saturday but did not see any game action with Detroit.
This indicates defenseman Jake Walman is likely ready to return from an illness that’s sidelined him for three contests. Walman’s absence necessitated Rafferty’s recall, allowing the Red Wings to remain at seven healthy defensemen on the active roster. In the event Walman is ready to return, he would likely reunite with Moritz Seider on the team’s top pairing against the Hurricanes tomorrow.
This was Rafferty’s first recall since signing a two-year, two-way $1.55MM contract in Detroit as a UFA last summer. The right-shooting defenseman has 1-12–13 in 33 games with Grand Rapids this season, a sharp decline from the 9-42–51 he posted in 72 games with the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, Coachella Valley, last season.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference today:
- Senators center Josh Norris skated in a non-contact jersey during an optional skate this morning, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch said. The 24-year-old has missed three games with an upper-body injury, one the team is surely watching carefully after a shoulder injury with multiple setbacks cost him nearly all of the 2022-23 campaign, as well as the first three games of this season. Interim head coach Jacques Martin said Norris was an option to return during their back-to-back against the Jets and Flyers this weekend, although that seems less likely now, given he wasn’t able to take contact today.
- Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin was upgraded to regular contact at this morning’s practice, per The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Sandin, 23, hasn’t played since Jan. 3 and remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 5-foot-11 blueliner has now missed six games, but after getting back on the ice last week, he’s trending toward being available by the team’s Saturday game against the Blues. Washington also faces St. Louis tonight, although head coach Spencer Carbery has not commented on Sandin’s availability. The 2018 first-round pick has 11 assists in 36 games for the Caps while averaging over 22 minutes per game.
Tyler Ennis Announces Retirement
Longtime NHL forward Tyler Ennis announced his retirement today, per an announcement from his first and most tenured team, the Sabres. The 34-year-old was playing with Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) but has terminated his contract and stepped away from the game after sustaining a neck injury during Champions Hockey League play last November.
Ennis gave the following statement on his retirement, translated from German:
After working hard to get healthy with our great team, I ultimately decided to quit hockey. I would like to thank [Mannheim general manager Daniel] Hopp, my teammates, the coaches, our medical staff and of course our great fans for their support. I will continue to cheer on the Adler Mannheim vigorously in the future.
The diminutive, versatile forward was a true top-six threat in his early days with the Sabres, but multiple serious injuries in his prime forced him into a depth scoring role as he remained effective later into his 30s. An unrestricted free agent since the end of the 2021-22 campaign, Ennis has spent the last 18 months playing overseas with Mannheim and SC Bern in the Swiss National League. Before sustaining the career-ending neck injury, Ennis had five assists through seven games with Mannheim and posted 13-20–33 in 37 games with Bern last season.
The Sabres selected Ennis with the 26th overall pick of the 2008 draft, their second selection of the first round, selecting hulking defenseman Tyler Myers 14 picks earlier. Ennis spent one season in junior hockey after his draft, lighting up the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers and recording seven points in six games for Canada at the 2009 World Juniors as the John Tavares-led squad captured gold. He made the transition to the pro game the following year, spending most of the season with AHL Portland, with whom he finished second in scoring with 23-42–65 in 69 games.
His strong minor-league showing earned him a full-time gig in Buffalo the following season. His rookie campaign wasn’t strong enough to get him Calder Trophy recognition, but it wasn’t bad by any means. His 20 goals and 49 points both finished fourth on the Sabres that year, part of a ninth-place offense that led Buffalo to its most recent playoff berth.
Ennis’ production increased the following season, producing at a 58-point pace. There was one key issue: a left ankle injury limited him to 48 games on the year. He would play 80 games in a season just once more throughout his career, in 2013-14. That Sabres team was one of the least memorable of the modern era, finishing with only 21 wins and 52 points. Ennis led that squad in goals with 21, earning himself a five-year, $23MM extension that summer as a result.
He again led the Sabres in scoring in 2014-15, posting 20 goals and 46 points on a team designed to tank for Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft. The lottery balls gave them the second-overall pick, though, giving them Jack Eichel as a consolation prize.
Unfortunately for Ennis, that season was his last near the top of a team’s depth chart. Upper-body and groin injuries limited him to a combined 74 games over the following two seasons, during which time his production tanked – just eight goals and 24 points – while seeing his ice time dip below 15 minutes per game. That was the end of Ennis’ tenure in Buffalo, as they dealt him and Marcus Foligno to the Wild in June 2017 in exchange for Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella.
In Minnesota, Ennis regained his health but not his production. His lone season with the Wild saw him post 8-14–22 in 73 games, averaging fourth-line minutes on the season. The Wild bought out the final season of his $4.6MM cap hit contract that summer, making him a UFA.
He didn’t last long on the open market. Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas signed Ennis to a one-year, $650K contract to continue his career in Toronto one week after Minnesota bought him out. While he saw even more limited usage than he did with the Wild, Ennis’ 12 goals for Toronto were his first time reaching double digits in four years.
Ennis stayed in Canada but made an intra-provincial move the following summer, signing a one-year deal for a more increased role with the Senators. He responded well, posting 16-21–37 in 70 total games in 2019-10, including a deadline move to the Oilers shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the regular season. His 14:43 average that season was the most he’d averaged since leaving Buffalo.
He continued to bounce between Edmonton and Ottawa over the following two seasons, returning for second stints in each city. Between 2020 and 2022, Ennis recorded 27-43–70 in 157 games while seeing third-line minutes. Still a capable point producer, it was puzzling not to see him field any offers in the summer of 2022 and head overseas to continue his pro career.
There had been rumblings of a PTO for Ennis during last year’s training camp cycle, but none came to fruition. The 5-foot-9 forward wraps up his NHL career with 144-202–346 in 700 games, including 13 game-winning goals and a 15:10 time-on-ice average per game.
PHR wishes Ennis well in his recovery from his neck injury and congratulates him on a spectacular career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blues Place Kasperi Kapanen On IR, Out 4 Weeks
Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen will be out a minimum of four weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday. He has been placed on injured reserve.
In a corresponding transaction, the team brought up veteran forward Adam Gaudette from AHL Springfield. The 27-year-old leads all AHLers with 24 goals in 37 games.
The speedy winger has struggled heavily in his first full season with the Blues. Things were looking up for Kapanen after St. Louis claimed him off waivers from the Penguins partway through the 2022-23 campaign, closing out the year with 8-6–14 in 23 games. This season, despite a minimal reduction in usage, he’s notched just 4-9–13 in 42 games, his worst points per game pace since his rookie campaign with the Maple Leafs in 2017-18.
A long-term injury now complicates things further. Kapanen will miss at least ten games and potentially more if his four-week evaluation doesn’t clear him to return.
Blues interim head coach Drew Bannister confirmed today that Gaudette will directly replace Kapanen in the lineup against the Capitals tomorrow, meaning another recent AHL call-up, Nathan Walker, likely sits as a healthy scratch. The Blues are carrying a full 23-player roster, including defenseman Tyler Tucker, who’s suiting up for Springfield on a conditioning loan.
Gaudette didn’t see any NHL action last season, limited exclusively to minor-league play for the first time in his pro career. After notching 34 points in 40 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies while under contract with the Maple Leafs, Gaudette found himself in Springfield after his contract was included in the trade return for Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly last season. Tomorrow will be his first NHL game since April 29, 2022, with the Ottawa Senators.
Blackhawks Place Nikita Zaitsev On IR, Recall Louis Crevier
The Blackhawks placed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev on IR with a right knee injury Wednesday, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. To replace him on the active roster, the team recalled Louis Crevier from AHL Rockford.
Zaitsev logged 8:46 in last night’s shootout win over the Sharks before leaving the game. The 32-year-old had played in all eight Blackhawks games since New Year’s Day after missing the last two games of 2023 with an illness.
A frequent healthy scratch to begin the campaign, Zaitsev stepped into a more regular role in the lineup last month with injuries decimating Chicago at every position. Their defense has gotten healthier recently with the return of Seth Jones, but veteran Connor Murphy is now day to day with a lower-body injury. Zaitsev is the only Blackhawks defender on IR, joining a remarkable eight forwards – many of whom would be in the team’s top six if healthy.
Zaitsev’s bloated seven-year, $31.5MM contract is coming to an end next summer, but he’s providing a tad more value this season with more zone starts in the offensive end. He’s notched 2-5–7 in 26 games this year, and his pairing with rookie Kevin Korchinski has been Chicago’s best at controlling possession with a 46.9% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. Interestingly, Korchinski has graded out far better defensively alongside Zaitsev than when paired with either Jones or Murphy.
The massive Crevier, who stands at 6-foot-8 and nearly 230 lbs., receives his second recall of the season. The 22-year-old played in 13 games between Dec. 2 and Jan. 9, logging three assists and a -7 rating in 16:08 of ice time per game. The 2020 seventh-round pick has notably gone without scoring a goal since May 25, 2022, during the QMJHL postseason as a member of the Québéc Remparts. In 80 games with AHL Rockford since turning pro in 2022, he has 10 assists and a -1 rating.
Cody Hodgson Signs PTO With AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals
2008 first-round pick Cody Hodgson‘s comeback to professional hockey was made official this morning. He’s signed a professional tryout with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per the league transactions log, and is now eligible to suit up with the Predators’ primary minor-league affiliate.
Hodgson, 33, last played organized hockey with the Admirals and Predators in the 2015-16 campaign. After reaching unrestricted free agency the following summer, he eventually announced his retirement due to a malignant hyperthermia diagnosis, which can cause muscle rigidity, fevers, elevated heart rate, and arrhythmia. While traditionally triggered by medications used to trigger general anesthesia, prolonged physical activity can also cause flare-ups.
Selected 10th overall by the Canucks, Hodgson was a decorated junior hockey talent and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting during the 2011-12 campaign, split between the Canucks and Sabres thanks to a controversial midseason trade. When he finished second on the middling Sabres in scoring during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (15-19–34 in 48 games), he looked like a budding long-term top-six center that could fill the role vacated by former number-one center Derek Roy when the Sabres dealt him to the Stars in the 2012 offseason.
Within two seasons, due in part to his malignant hyperthermia symptoms, his production cratered. After posting 6-7–13 in 78 games in 2014-15 while averaging under 13 minutes per game, the Sabres bought out the final four seasons of his six-year, $25.5MM contract, making him a UFA at 25 years old.
Hodgson signed with the Predators for the following campaign, but it didn’t go any better. He posted eight points in 39 games through the first half of the season before being assigned to AHL Milwaukee in January, where he remained for the rest of 2016.
It’s unlikely Hodgson’s second stint in Milwaukee will result in another NHL opportunity after so long away from the game, but it’s promising to see his health improve to the point where pro hockey can be a consideration.