Brendan Perlini, Petteri Lindbohm Clear Waivers
Mar 1: Johnston reports that both have cleared waivers. Either one can now be assigned to the minor leagues, though Lindbohm’s placement on waivers was simply to enter the NHL after playing overseas this season.
Feb 28: Two players have hit waivers today. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Brendan Perlini of the Edmonton Oilers and Petteri Lindbohm of the Florida Panthers have both been waived and are available to the rest of the league. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Lindbohm has signed through the end of this season, and PuckPedia reports that it is a one-year, one-way, $750K contract for the European free agent.
This is the second time that Perlini has hit waivers this season, after he cleared in December. The 12th-overall pick from 2014 has been his frustratingly inconsistent self again this season, showing flashes of brilliance too often followed by long stretches of invisibility. The 6’3″ forward has all the raw tools to be an impact power forward at the NHL level, but still has just four goals and five points in 23 games for the Oilers this season.
It’s not that the team needs Perlini to step into a top-six role, but it’s very clear that the Jay Woodcroft-led coaching staff doesn’t trust him to play regular minutes in any lineup spot. In the nine games since he took over behind the bench, Perlini has played just twice and has seen the ice for a total (not average) of 11 minutes and one second. In yesterday’s loss to Carolina, he was given just nine shifts even in a game when they had just 11 forwards dressed and logged the lowest ice time of any forward on the Oilers.
With a $750K cap hit on a one-year deal, perhaps someone else will take a chance and try to coax out the player that scored 17 goals and 30 points in 2017-18, or even the one who had 12 goals in 46 games down the stretch for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19. But more likely Perlini is headed back to the minor leagues, where he has played two games for the Bakersfield Condors this season.
In Lindbohm’s case, it’s a very different story. The 28-year-old defenseman must have signed a contract with the Panthers after his KHL season came to an end with Jokerit pulling out of the postseason this weekend. The former St. Louis Blues player hasn’t seen NHL action since 2016-17, and has spent the last four seasons playing overseas.
A big, mobile defenseman, Lindbohm just won gold at the Olympics with Finland and has been a strong contributor at both the Swiss and KHL levels over the last few years. He has just 40 games of NHL experience, but would provide Florida with another depth option as they trek toward the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Bennett MacArthur
Stop if you’ve heard this one before: the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed an undrafted forward out of the QMJHL. Bennett MacArthur has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Lightning that will begin in the 2022-23 season. He’ll continue to play with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the rest of this year. PuckPedia reports that the contract will carry an NHL cap hit of $859K.
MacArthur, 21, has put up huge numbers this season, scoring at nearly a goal-per-game pace. Twenty-five goals and 43 points in 26 games has earned him an NHL contract, and with a team that is famous for turning undrafted talent into legitimate contributors.
Yanni Gourde and Alex Barre-Boulet are recent examples of high-scoring QMJHL talent that went overlooked in the draft, but have made their way to the NHL in some capacity. MacArthur will try to follow those footsteps in an organization that has been the gold standard for development for the last several years.
The young forward attended development camp with the Arizona Coyotes last year and “learned a lot” about how to take care of his body and act like a professional. It appears to have paid off, as his outstanding season has landed him an NHL deal.
Henri Jokiharju Out Week-To-Week
The Buffalo Sabres released an updated injury report today, one that still includes Drake Caggiula and Malcolm Subban listed simply as “out” as they deal with long-term issues. Will Butcher, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Jack Quinn are all now day-to-day, suggesting they’ll be back in the near future, while Henri Jokiharju has joined Colin Miller and Zemgus Girgensons in the week-to-week category.
Jokiharju is the big news, as the young defenseman left a game last week but had not yet received an official timeline. The 22-year-old has really taken a step forward this season into the legitimate top-four option that many had projected when he was selected 29th overall in 2017, a role that he will now have to vacate while he works on his recovery.
In 36 games, Jokiharju has 12 points and is averaging more than 21 minutes a game. Most of that–in fact almost all of it–has come beside Rasmus Dahlin, giving the first-overall pick a stable defensive partner to help even out his development after some up-and-down years.
Both Jokiharju and the Sabres don’t have to worry about an injury affecting contract negotiations this time around, as the young defenseman signed a three-year, $7.5MM deal in September.
Chicago Blackhawks Name Kyle Davidson GM
The Chicago Blackhawks have made it official, removing the interim tag from Kyle Davidson and naming him the tenth general manager in team history. Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz released a statement on the hire:
We have a vision here for the future of Blackhawks hockey and today we are a step closer to that coming together. As an organization, we know we have a lot of work to do on and off the ice and Kyle is the leader we trust to oversee our hockey operations.
The thorough process we undertook affirmed much of what we believed we had in Kyle and he stepped up to lead and make tough decisions during his time in the interim role. He without a doubt met every qualification we were looking for, is passionate about the game and represents the high character across everything we do.
I’d like to thank Jaime and the members of our Advisory Committee for their help in this process. We had several strong candidates; I am confident Kyle is the right answer. I look forward to working with him for years to come and I am excited about what this means for the future of the club.
Davidson, 33, had served as interim GM since Stan Bowman left the organization last October following the investigation into sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich.
Though this appointment comes with huge expectations, not only for the on-ice product but also the off-ice structure, accountability, and public relations of the organization, it is also an incredible rise for an executive that started as an intern with the Blackhawks a little more than a decade ago.
Davidson joined Chicago as an intern in the summer following the 2010 Stanley Cup championship and was hired into the analytics department full-time in 2011. By 2018, he was named assistant general manager.
He now has the daunting task of turning around a once-proud franchise, that has suffered countless losses both on and off the ice over the last year. Transparency and accountability throughout the front office will have to come first, but the on-ice product will also need drastic changes if the Blackhawks want to become a Stanley Cup contender once again. After last summer’s blockbuster acquisitions of Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury, the team has cratered and currently sits 19-27-8 on the season with one of the worst goal differentials in the league.
While the trade deadline will have to be dealt with in the coming weeks, the futures of players like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are also hanging in the balance, with each set to become unrestricted free agents following the 2022-23 season.
AHL Shuffle: 03/01/22
It’s a new month and a busy one for the NHL, which will hold the trade deadline in three weeks. Today is also the first day that teams can sign players from their reserve list or undrafted prospects to entry-level contracts that begin in 2022-23. That likely means several deals will be inked this week, but there are also games to play and minor league shuffling to focus on. As always, we’ll keep track of it right here.
Atlantic Division
- With some Ottawa Senators dealing with the flu, the team has recalled Dillon Heatherington from the minor leagues. Heatherington, 26, has played in nine games for the Senators this season but is still looking for his first career goal. The big 6’4″ defenseman had 18 hits in those nine games, despite playing just a handful of minutes in each.
- The Buffalo Sabres have assigned Jack Quinn to the Rochester Americans, despite listing him as day-to-day in this morning’s injury update. The young forward has played in just two games at the NHL level but has two points, both in his most recent appearance January 20.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Rangers have recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack, and have sent down defender Zac Jones in a corresponding move. Brodzinski recently signed a two-year extension with the Rangers and leads the Wolf Pack with 18 goals and 39 points this season. Jones, 21, is one of the Rangers’ top defensive prospects and returns to the AHL where he has 18 points in 27 games.
Central Division
- The Nashville Predators have assigned Matt Tennyson to the Milwaukee Admirals, where he is having a nice season. In 40 games, the veteran defenseman has 14 points and is a perfect depth option to fill in whenever Nashville has injury issues.
Pacific Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Jake Leschyshyn from the minor leagues, as Mattias Janmark hits injured reserve. Leschyshyn has 24 points in 31 games for the Henderson Silver Knights this season and has played in 20 games for Vegas.
- The Edmonton Oilers have activated Duncan Keith off injured reserve, while sending both Brendan Perlini–who cleared waivers today–and Philip Broberg to the AHL. Broberg, one of the team’s top prospects, has split the year between Edmonton and Bakersfield, logging a combined 43 games between the two levels.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
New York Rangers Extend Jonny Brodzinski
6:41 pm: Per CapFriendly, Brodzinski’s new two-year deal carries a $762,500 cap hit and is two-way in nature. The breakdown is as follows:
2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary / $315,000 AHL salary ($362,500 guaranteed)
2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary / $325,000 AHL salary ($362,500 guaranteed)
9:11 am: Ahead of the trade deadline in a few weeks, the New York Rangers have locked up some of their forward depth. Jonny Brodzinski has agreed to terms on a new two-year contract extension, keeping him from becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. The financial details of the contract were not immediately released.
Brodzinski, 28, has played just five games for the Rangers this season but that doesn’t mean his value to the organization has been negligible, the veteran forward has been a star for the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 18 goals and 39 points in 36 games. Armed with a powerful shot and good offensive instincts, Brodzinski has always been an excellent offensive player at the minor league level.
While that offense hasn’t really materialized at the NHL level, or even resulted in much NHL experience–he has 13 points in 67 games, most of which came in 2017-18 with the Los Angeles Kings–having a top minor league talent like that in the organization is still quite helpful. Not only can he support the Rangers’ prospects as they come through the system, but he’s also a strong injury call-up whenever necessary.
Given the fact that he’s on a two-way deal this season, it seems likely that the new contract is of a similar variety. It will likely once again come with a hefty minor league guarantee though, one that makes sure Brodzinski is well compensated for his play with Hartford. In fact, PuckPedia later reported that the two-way contract will carry an NHL cap hit of $762.5K, with minor league guarantees of $362.5K in each season.
Snapshots: Russia, Vegas, Vancouver
The NHL has made its stance public in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, releasing a statement explaining what actions it will take:
The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.
We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.
The statement came just moments after the IIHF suspended Russian and Belarusian clubs from several international competitions. More from around the league:
- The Vegas Golden Knights have been struggling of late, losing their last two and six of their last ten. They still sit in a playoff position in the Pacific Division, but things are as tight as ever, with the sixth-place Vancouver Canucks just ten points out of first place in the division. It’s good news that Robin Lehner is set to return tomorrow night, but head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic that both Max Pacioretty and Mattias Janmark are out tomorrow and “wouldn’t call either close” to a return. Pacioretty has played just 25 games this season–though he does have 15 goals and 27 points in those appearances.
- Speaking of Vancouver, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was on CHEK TV today and spoke about the Canucks current trade talks. The insider explained that the Canucks have “thrown everyone’s name out there” except for Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko, asking teams how they view and what they would pay for them should they become available. Still, the Canucks are still not out of the Pacific race by any means and don’t really have to make any decisions by the trade deadline, with players like J.T. Miller still under contract for next season and Brock Boeser still a restricted free agent this summer.
More On Anaheim Ducks Deadline Strategy
Since the beginning of the season, even before Pat Verbeek took over as general manager, the Anaheim Ducks have been one of the most talked-about teams in the league when it comes to potential trades. Rickard Rakell, Josh Manson, and Hampus Lindholm, all on expiring contracts, could be huge pieces that move at next month’s deadline. The Ducks meanwhile are still in a playoff hunt, even with their recent struggles. The team is at 25-21-9 on the season and just three points out of a divisional playoff spot, let alone the wildcard race.
Recently, reports emerged that the team has reached out to Lindholm’s camp to try and make progress on a potential extension. The question then became whether the team would try to continue those negotiations through the trade deadline if a deal hadn’t yet been hammered out. Verbeek made it pretty clear how he feels about that while speaking with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
I think going into this, I’m looking at it like we could make the playoffs, we could miss the playoffs. At the end of the day, there’s no guarantee I can get those three free agents back. I’m going to attempt to sign them, if it doesn’t happen, I just can’t let them walk out the door free.
With just three weeks to go before the March 21 deadline, the Ducks have nine games to show Verbeek whether they’re true playoff contenders–though that may not even matter. They could win all nine and it seems as though the new GM would have to move on, should extensions not be on the table with Rakell, Manson, and Lindholm.
For Anaheim, this isn’t just one crucial player that they might normally keep for a stretch run. These are three sought-after talents that could bring back assets that could drastically change the direction of the franchise. Lindholm alone will bring back a huge package if he’s dealt, especially if an acquiring team believes they can sign him long-term. At 28, he is still in the prime of his career as a true first-pairing defenseman capable of playing in all situations. Averaging nearly 23 minutes a game, Lindholm has 20 points in 53 games, plays hard defensive matchups, and logs plenty of time on the penalty kill.
Manson and Rakell too could bring back substantial packages, if lesser ones than Lindholm. The former is a tough-as-nails defensive defenseman that punishes attackers in front of the net and in the corners, though his offensive upside is limited. The latter, a two-time 30-goal scorer, is having a nice bounce-back season with 14 goals and 25 points in 45 games and could likely slot into the top-six on several contenders. The fact that all three of them come at reasonable cap hits–Lindholm at $5.2MM, Manson at $4.1MM, and Rakell at $3.8MM–makes them a possible target for almost anyone, especially if the Ducks ate a bit of salary for the post-deadline stretch of games.
The Ducks already have a wave of young talent making an impact at the NHL level, making this a crucial set of decisions for Verbeek that could have a serious impact on the league’s playoff picture for years to come. There’s no guarantee that any future picks or prospects ever turn into someone like Lindholm, and taking him out of this lineup could have serious ramifications. Fans of the team should be happy to hear that their big assets aren’t going to be allowed to walk away for nothing though, which would certainly seem like the worst of the three possible outcomes in this situation even if they do make a playoff run this season.
AHL Shuffle: 02/28/22
Just three games grace the NHL schedule this evening, including a battle between two of the league’s best goal scorers. Auston Matthews, currently the leader in the Rocket Richard race with 37 goals, heads to Washington to take on Alex Ovechkin (32 goals) and the Capitals. Matthews won his first Rocket last season after Ovechkin had taken home the trophy in seven of the eight previous years. Has the torch been passed? Or does the 36-year-old eventually get his tenth trophy? As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Vitek Vanecek as expected after he got into one conditioning game with the Hershey Bears yesterday. Vanecek has been injured for the past month but is ready to return to the Capitals’ crease and lessen the load on partner Ilya Samsonov.
- Morgan Frost is once again on his way back to the minor leagues. The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Frost to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he will presumably continue his season in the AHL. The 22-year-old was selected 27th overall in 2017 and has just 52 NHL games to his name so far, recording 30 of those this season with inconsistent results.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Jake Christiansen under emergency conditions, giving them an extra defenseman for tomorrow’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Christiansen, 22, has played in three games for the Blue Jackets this season, his first taste of the NHL.
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned Josiah Slavin and Isaak Phillips to the minor leagues, given they don’t play again until Thursday. Phillips is still looking for his first point at the NHL level after making his debut and appearing in four games so far. The 20-year-old defenseman made a meteoric rise through the ranks after being a fifth-round pick in 2020, and has 13 points in 38 games for the Rockford IceHogs this season.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Matias Maccelli from the AHL, a fourth-round pick who has dominated in his first year of North American pro hockey. The 21-year-old has 55 points in 42 games for the Tucson Roadrunners, continuing his blistering development since that 2019 draft.
- The Winnipeg Jets have assigned Dylan Samberg and C.J. Suess to the AHL, suggesting that the former is ready to come off injured reserve and the latter ready to return to minor league action. Samberg hasn’t played a game at either level for more than a month, and will likely need some time to get his legs back under him before getting another chance in the NHL.
Pacific Division
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from the AHL, after playing yesterday with just 11 forwards. To accomplish it, Kris Russell was moved to long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Malone, signed to an NHL contract partway through the year, has yet to make his season debut for the Oilers.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Santeri Hatakka from the AHL, after Mario Ferraro went on injured reserve. Ferraro is expected to miss six to eight weeks, meaning there could be an extended look for some of the team’s even younger defenders.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Arizona Coyotes Extend Dysin Mayo
The Arizona Coyotes have signed Dysin Mayo to a three-year contract extension, that will keep him signed through the 2024-25 season. Mayo was scheduled to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer. Instead, he’ll sign a multi-year extension just halfway through his rookie year. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a cap hit of $950K, paying Mayo $850K in 2022-23, and $1MM in each of the other two years. Bill Armstrong, general manager of the Coyotes, had this to say:
We are very pleased to sign Dysin to a new three-year contract. Dysin has worked extremely hard on and off the ice and has established himself as a reliable NHL defenseman. We look forward to having him on our blue line for years to come.
Mayo, 25, is a brilliant example of perseverance. After being selected 133rd overall in 2014, he played two more years at the WHL level then entered the minor leagues as something of an afterthought. In his first season with the Coyotes organization he spent half the year with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, but quickly showed he could dominate at that level. That didn’t mean the NHL was calling though, as it would be four more full seasons in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners before finally making it to the Coyotes roster this year.
In 42 games with Arizona, he’s proven he belongs. Mayo is averaging almost 21 minutes a night for the rebuilding club, more than anyone but Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere. He is the anchor of the team’s penalty-killing unit, seeing more than three minutes a night shorthanded, and leads all Coyotes in blocked shots with 83. While he may not be suited for that kind of deployment on a contending team, Mayo has held his own at the NHL level and earned this extension. He’ll no longer need to worry about riding the bus in the AHL and should be a regular in the Coyotes lineup for the foreseeable future.