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Vancouver Canucks Acquire Erik Brannstrom From Colorado

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The Vancouver Canucks announce they have acquired left-handed defenseman Erik Brannstrom from the Colorado Avalanche. Heading back to Colorado will be defenseman Tucker Poolman with 20% of his salary retained by Vancouver and a fourth-round pick in 2025.

It’s a rare move for a recently signed unrestricted free agent to be moved before ever suiting up for the team. The Avalanche signed Brannstrom to a one-year, $900K contract after the young defenseman was non-tendered by the Ottawa Senators. He was expected to serve as a bottom-pairing puck mover for Colorado on a low-cost deal but the team has decided to go a different route.

He was originally drafted with the 15th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights but was shipped to Canada’s capital in the deal that sent Mark Stone to Nevada in 2019. He was always known as a fluid defenseman who could move the puck in transition and on the attack with 52 assists and 63 points in 90 AHL contests.

Unfortunately, Brannstrom has not been able to put it all together at the NHL level. He’s scored only seven goals and 69 points in 266 games for Ottawa — falling well short of expectations. He’s coming off the most offensively fruitful season of his career with three goals and 20 points in 76 games during the 2023-24 NHL season.

The Canucks placed Brannstrom on waivers relatively quickly after acquiring him meaning this trade was largely based around the salary cap. Vancouver will only be on the hook for $500K of Poolman’s contract for the 2024-25 NHL season.

The remaining $2MM on Poolman’s contract will comfortably sit in Colorado’s LTIR. He’s not expected to play this season after missing all of last year and playing only three games in the 2022-23 season. The Avalanche will continue to accrue salary cap space giving them more flexibility down the road when Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin can return.

Edmonton Oilers Place Four Players On Waivers

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The defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers are placing four players on waivers as they put the finishing touches on their 2024-25 opening night roster. The organization announced it had placed forwards Drake Caggiula and Raphael Lavoie, defenseman Josh Brown, and goaltender Olivier Rodrigue on waivers.

Caggiula and Brown are depth players with an outside chance of making the roster in specific roles. Neither player was expected to play meaningful minutes for the Oilers this season but will now start the season with their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, assuming both clear waivers tomorrow.

The demotion of Brown will give Edmonton some cap relief, as well. The organization signed Brown to a three-year, $3MM contract on the opening day of free agency this past summer and the Oilers can now entirely remove that cap hit since his salary falls below the $1.25MM threshold.

Placing Lavoie on waivers to start the season may be a bold call by Edmonton’s brass. The team drafted Lavoie with the 38th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft and he’s coming off back-to-back quality campaigns with the Condors. He’s proven to be a quality scorer at the AHL level with 53 goals and 95 points in 127 games since the start of the 2022-23 AHL season.

Lavoie appeared to be an NHL-caliber scorer the Oilers could plug into their bottom-six to start the year and there’s a legitimate chance he’ll be on another team’s roster by tomorrow afternoon. If not, he will start the year in Bakersfield and should serve as an immediate call-up should the Oilers find themselves in injury trouble early.

Rodrigue struggled early upon his start with the Condors during the 2020-21 AHL season but has grown his prospect quality since. He finished last season with a 19-12-5 record in Bakersfield with a .916 SV% and 2.73 GAA. His demotion is mostly circumstantial as Edmonton doesn’t have the financial flexibility to carry three netminders during the season. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard will start the year as the team’s tandem.

Blue Jackets Place Dmitri Voronkov On Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to open the 2024-25 NHL season without forward Dmitri Voronkov. The team announced they’ve placed Voronkov on injured reserve with an upper-body injury from their most recent preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He originally came to the organization as the 114th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft from the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent four more years suiting up for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan but the Blue Jackets quickly pulled him to North America after his impressive 2022-23 KHL season where he scored 18 goals and 31 points in 54 games.

Voronkov became one of the few bright spots on Columbus’ roster last year scoring 18 goals and 34 points in 75 contests finishing fifth on the team in scoring as a rookie. The season was good enough for some outside consideration for the Calder Memorial Trophy as Voronkov placed 11th in voting.

It will be a while before Voronkov follows up on his strong rookie campaign with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic indicating that Voronkov will be out long-term. The Blue Jackets did not give a timeline for his return in their original announcement.

It’s another blow to a forward core that is still facing the void of Johnny Gaudreau after his tragic death in August. Voronkov was expected to be a reliable scorer Columbus could plug into their top- or middle-six even before the team signed unrestricted free agent forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal. The Blue Jackets will need big years out of several players if they hope to improve or maintain their 2.85 GF/G from a year ago.

Jack Campbell Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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The National Hockey League and its Players’ Association have announced Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell has entered the Player Assistance Program and will be away from the team indefinitely. Campbell signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Red Wings on the opening day of free agency this past offseason.

It’s an unfortunate turnaround for Campbell as he had hoped to rebuild his value on a one-year contract in Detroit after a disappointing 2023-24 season with the Edmonton Oilers. Campbell signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Oilers after a 2021-22 season in which he earned a .914 save percentage in 49 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Campbell would only see two years of his five-year, $25MM contract in Edmonton.

The team bought him out at the end of the 2023-24 season after Campbell posted a 22-13-4 record in 39 starts from 2022-24 with a .886 SV% and 3.53 goals-against average. The Oilers sent Campbell down to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, after only five games last year and he proved much better in the minor leagues. He secured an 18-13-1 record with the Condors in 33 games with a .918 SV% and 2.63 GAA in his first AHL competition since 2018-19.

Campbell was always likely to find himself with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, with the team having one of the most crowded creases in the league. Detroit was poised to enter the 2024-25 NHL season with Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and prospect Sebastian Cossa already under contract and brought in Campbell and Cam Talbot over the offseason. Campbell will now look to the Player Assistance Program for help and work through whatever he is going through.

Waiver Wire: 10/4/24

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman all 17 players on waivers yesterday have cleared. There are again several players to hit the wire today as reported by Friedman:

Anaheim Ducks

F Jansen Harkins

Boston Bruins

G Michael DiPietro
F Vinni Lettieri
D Jordan Oesterle

Florida Panthers

F William Lockwood

Los Angeles Kings

F Taylor Ward

New Jersey Devils

F Justin Dowling
F Mike Hardman
F Samuel Laberge
F Nathan Légaré
F Maxwell Willman

Philadelphia Flyers

F Olle Lycksell
F Anthony Richard

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Emil Bemström
D Nate Clurman
F Jonathan Gruden
F Joona Koppanen
D Filip Král
D John Ludvig
F Samuel Poulin

Tampa Bay Lightning

G Matt Tomkins

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Alex Steeves

Washington Capitals

D Ethan Bear
F Luke Philp
F Michael Sgarbossa

San Jose Sharks Assign Yaroslav Askarov To AHL

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The San Jose Sharks have made one of the more notable training camp cuts up to this point. The team announced today they have assigned goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda where he will begin the 2024-25 season.

It would typically be surprising for a team to demote a trade acquisition so quickly especially considering the price. In late August, the Sharks acquired Askarov from the Nashville Predators for Magnus Chrona, David Edstrom, and Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025 before inking him to a two-year, $4MM extension.

The context behind this move is although San Jose believes Askarov will be their starting goaltender of the future he has been injured for much of training camp. The lower-body injury suffered by the young netminder in early September has prohibited him from playing in any preseason contests up to this point. Still, he should now be able to with the Barracuda. He’s expected to practice with the team today but will not appear in tonight’s game against the Bakersfield Condors.

It’s more than likely the Sharks are viewing this demotion as a pseudo-training camp for their young netminder. Askarov can work his way back from injury in a league he has already dominated before making his full-time transition to the NHL.

This confirms San Jose will start the year with Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as their two netminders. The Sharks should be able to deploy three goalies throughout most of the regular season meaning Askarov will receive the call-up when he is fully healthy.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Tanner Pearson

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Another professional tryout agreement has ended in a guaranteed contract. The Vegas Golden Knights organization has announced they have signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $775K contract for the 2024-25 NHL season.

It’s a feel-good story for Pearson who has been limited by injuries the last few years. His last year with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23 saw Pearson skate in only 14 contests during the season as a hand injury requiring three surgeries lost him much of the year. He managed to skate in more than half of the games last year with the Montreal Canadiens but another hand injury lost him 38 games on the season.

The injuries to his hand have certainly limited his offensive production over the last two years but Pearson has been known as a reliable depth scorer in the past. He’s no longer a player who can carry responsibility in the top six for a playoff contender like his days with the Los Angeles Kings in the mid-to-late 2010s.

He has shown glimpses of his goal-scoring capabilities recently with 21 goals in 69 games for the Canucks in 2019-20 with another 24 in 119 games from 2020-22. The Golden Knights will likely use Pearson in a bottom-six role on the wing for some offensive punch toward the bottom of the lineup.

The signing is not all that surprising despite Pearson’s waning abilities over the last couple of years. Vegas has experienced a dramatic decrease in depth thanks to spending toward the upper limit of the salary cap and will have to supplement their roster with league minimum contracts.

TSN’s Chris Johnston was the first to report the signing.

Calgary Flames Sign Tyson Barrie

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6:10 PM: The Flames have officially announced the signing, confirming the one-year, $1.25MM terms.

3:45 PM: Defenseman Tyson Barrie’s professional tryout agreement with the Calgary Flames organization appears to be a success. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Flames and Barrie have agreed to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 NHL season worth $1.25MM.

The Flames entered the offseason desperately needing help on defense after the team moved on from Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Oliver Kylington over the last calendar year. Barrie is no longer a steady top-four defenseman able to quarterback a top powerplay unit. Still, he serves as a veteran puck-moving defenseman Calgary can utilize during their transitionary period.

He will likely suit up on the right side of the Flames’ bottom defensive pairing next to Kevin Bahl making Brayden Pachal the team’s seventh defenseman. He likely won’t serve on either of Calgary’s powerplay units unless the team trades one of MacKenzie Weegar or Rasmus Andersson during the 2024-25 regular season.

It will be an important year for Barrie as he looks to prove he has more left in the tank after a disappointing finish to his tenure with the Nashville Predators. He was originally acquired from the Edmonton Oilers to fill the void left by Mattias Ekholm and got off to a strong start with three goals and 12 points in 24 games. Unfortunately, last season did not treat Barrie well as he finished with one goal and 15 points in 41 games largely serving as a healthy scratch most nights.

He’s only a few years away from regularly producing between 40-60 points from the blue line. If Barrie’s first half of the season goes well in Calgary he would immediately become a trade candidate at next year’s trade deadline.

Atlantic Notes: McCabe, Senators, Laine

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There may be one more contract to sign for the Toronto Maple Leafs before they take the ice for the regular season. Nick Kypreos, co-host of the show, Real Kyper and Bourne, promoted yesterday that Toronto and defenseman Jake McCabe may have an extension finalized by the end of the week.

The Sportsnet co-host said, “The one thing I did hear is potentially a Jake McCabe extension coming, maybe before the season starts. I heard talks were real good. Now, still maybe debatable on how much term and maybe that still might fluctuate the AAV. But I’m thinking right now that he’d have no problem right now next season making $30 million over six years“.

A contract of this magnitude would only mark a slight pay increase for McCabe who is entering the last year of a four-year, $16MM contract originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. The term may be the deciding factor as a six-year deal would take McCabe into his age-37 season which could prove too lengthy for the Maple Leafs. It’s tough to argue with the results as McCabe has fit like a glove in Toronto’s system since being acquired from the Blackhawks in 2022-23.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The Ottawa Senators received good news on the injury front with Alex Adams of Sportsnet reporting that Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Thomas Chabot were all on the ice for practice this afternoon. All three players were seemingly injured in the team’s most recent preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens but none of the ailments proved costly. The game between the Canadiens was one of the more chaotic preseason games in recent memory with a whopping 79 PIMs bestowed upon the clubs.
  • Montreal avoided a major blow to their forward core earlier this week with the announcement Patrik Laine would only be out two to three months with a knee sprain and would not require surgery which likely saved his season. Laine spoke briefly about his desire to forego surgery when he said, “It was one of those you could go either way. I don’t think there’s ever any guarantees whether you do surgery or not…they did a good job of explaining the whole process and reassuring the chances are very high, that made me feel better about it” (X Link).

Metro Notes: Panarin, Sorokin, Fasching, Michkov

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The New York Rangers have had a couple of scares over the last week with All-Star forward Artemi Panarin leaving two preseason games with a lower-body injury. There was a fear that Panarin’s most recent injury could be longer term but Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that won’t be the case.

The Russian superstar is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury which is a best-case scenario for the player and the organization. Panarin left the Rangers’ preseason contest against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night and previously left the team’s game against the New York Islanders last week with a similar injury.

New York’s regular season success does not completely center around Panarin’s availability but he does account for much of it. He’s coming off the best statistical season of his career scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 82 contests while finishing fifth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting.

Other Metro notes:

  • On the flip side of the New York rivalry, the Islanders are getting a boost between the pipes. Andrew Gross of Newsday reports goaltender Ilya Sorokin was a full participant in New York’s practice today for the first time in camp. The Islanders will likely ramp up Sorokin’s training relatively quickly as he recovers from offseason back surgery. He could even feature in the team’s game tomorrow night against the Rangers. The organization is hopeful for a bounceback campaign from their number one netminder after Sorokin posted a 16-point decrease in save percentage last year compared to his previous career average.
  • Again from Gross – another player returning to the ice for the Islanders is depth forward Hudson Fasching (X Link). He’s been nursing a lower-body injury that has kept him off the ice since September 27th. Because of his injury, he’s only suited up in one preseason game so far and will now be able to suit up in one more before the regular season kicks off on October 10th.
  • A panel of writers from the NHL has made their prediction for the Calder Memorial Trophy winner for the 2024-25 NHL season. The panel predicts Philadelphia Flyers’ youngster Matvei Michkov will take home the award by season’s end. Still, he will have some tough competition from San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini and Dallas Stars’ Logan Stankoven. It’s tough to argue with the panel on their choice as Michkov already has three goals and seven points in four preseason contests.

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