Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Team Sweden Announces First Three Members Of 2022 Olympic Team

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The 2022 Winter Olympics are coming fast, with just a few months before NHL stars jet off to Beijing, China to compete for their respective countries. Hockey Canada announced recently that Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Alex Pietrangelo were the first three players selected to their team, and now Sweden has announced their counterparts. Mika Zibanejad, Gabriel Landeskog, and Victor Hedman have been named to Team Sweden for the 2022 Games.

Zibanejad may not have reached the incredible heights of 2019-20 last season, but he’s still a force for the Rangers and projects to be Sweden’s first-line center at the upcoming tournament. He scored 41 goals in just 57 games during the COVID-shortened season two years ago and came back with a strong enough 50 points in 56 games this past season. In fact, center is actually a position of great strength for the Swedes this time around, with Elias Pettersson, Nicklas Backstrom, Mikael Backlund, and William Karlsson all strong candidates to take a spot down the middle.

They won’t be too bad on the wing either, starting with Landeskog who was already an alternate captain for the nation at the 2014 Olympics when he was just 21. A born leader, he has represented Sweden at every major event, including the U18 WJC, U20 WJC, World Championship and World Cup. He took home a silver as part of that 2014 group and has become a reliable point-per-game player at the NHL level, complementing world-class talent and bringing versatility to any lineup.

Few NHL fans would be surprised if Hedman was given the captaincy of Sweden, but it would actually be an interesting decision given his history with the national program. He was left off the 2014 team despite the obvious skill he showed in the early part of his career, with players like Johnny Oduya, Jonathan Ericsson and even 35-year-old Henrik Tallinder going to Sochi over him. Because of the regular playoff success of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hedman also has gone to the World Championship just once since 2013 and three times total, going on long playoff runs most seasons instead. It’ll be his first chance to represent his country at the Olympics, and he was an obvious choice this time around.

Each participating country was required to declare three players, while the full “long-list” of 55 potential names will be submitted by October 15.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minnesota Wild Claim Rem Pitlick

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Minnesota Wild have decided to claim Rem Pitlick off waivers from the Nashville Predators according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, adding a versatile depth forward to their roster.

Pitlick, who signed a one-year, two-way contract in August, gets a chance to return home to the state of hockey just two years after leaving the University of Minnesota. The 24-year-old forward was a third-round selection of Nashville in 2016 but has played just 11 NHL games to this point, spending most of last season on the taxi squad. A top offensive player in college, he does have 28 goals and 46 points in 71 career AHL contests, suggesting that he can certainly hold his own at the professional level.

Instead of returning to the minors though, Pitlick will join the Wild’s active roster for the time being. He adds another center to the mix in Minnesota which is still anything but clear, and could potentially give them a skilled option for the bottom-six. If the Wild decide to put Pitlick back on waivers at some point, Nashville will have a chance to send him directly to the minor leagues if they’re the only team to put in a claim. For now, it looks like he’ll get a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level, even if it is in a part-time role at the fringe of a roster.

21 Players Clear Waivers

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Oct 5: The Minnesota Wild claimed Pitlick from the Nashville Predators, but the other 21 players have cleared and can now be assigned to the minor leagues if necessary.

Oct 4: The waiver list for October 4 is out, and it includes another 22 players that have been cut from their respective NHL teams. The full list is as follows:

Alexander True (SEA)
Carsen Twarynski (SEA)
Pheonix Copley (WSH)
Matt Luff (NSH)
Cole Smith (NSH)
Rem Pitlick (NSH)
Matt Tennyson (NSH)
Frederic Allard (NSH)
Jordan Gross (COL)
Austin Poganski (WPG)
Luke Johnson (WPG)
Mikey Eyssimont (WPG)
Michael Carcone (ARI)
Tyler Sikura (CBJ)
Brendan Gaunce (CBJ)
Jean-Francois Berube (CBJ)
Gavin Bayreuther (CBJ)
Nicholas Caamano (DAL)
John Stevens (VAN)
Devante Stephens (VAN)
Spencer Martin (VAN)
Sheldon Rempal (VAN)

There are several names on this list that could be claimed, including both players from the Seattle Kraken. The pair of forwards were each part of the team’s expansion draft, selected from the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers respectively. While both seemed like odd decisions at the time, this may have been the plan all along; acquire some young players who are capable of playing in the NHL, but who could also slip through waivers before the season begins in order to have some injury insurance in the minor leagues.

Other names, like Copley, could potentially be targeted as an extra goaltender by those clubs currently dealing with some injuries in net.

Latest On Brady Tkachuk

at CDT | by 12 Comments

The Ottawa Senators have two preseason games left. This Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, and Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Right now, it looks like they may not have star forward Brady Tkachuk for either of them.

Tkachuk is the final major restricted free agent left to sign this offseason after his most recent training partners, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, both signed multi-year deals with the Vancouver Canucks. Neither of those contracts, which were six and three years in length respectively, seem to be what the Senators are looking for in their negotiation with Tkachuk. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that Ottawa is “set” on only signing Tkachuk to a seven or eight-year deal.

One of the closest comparables to Tkachuk in terms of age and production was Andrei Svechnikov, who reached an eight-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in August. The two were both picked at the top of the 2018 draft, and have similar numbers through their first 200 NHL games (Svechnikov has one less goal but 15 more points in seven more games). The simple fact is though that not many premium restricted free agents are signing deals of that length for their second contract, instead trying to maximize earning potential by selling off fewer years of unrestricted free agency. That can be a nice compromise for most teams, given they also have salary cap concerns to worry about and a shorter deal keeps the cap hit down, but Ottawa isn’t really in that situation.

The Senators have more cap space than any other team in the league, as they currently sit below the cap floor. It makes sense then that they would want to lock in Tkachuk for as long as possible, as they did with Thomas Chabot in 2019 when they signed him to an eight-year, $64MM contract extension. Given their history of losing key players in free agency (or, rather trading them away as they approached it), buying out as many years as they can now is likely their best option. Avoiding a bridge deal, which would open up the path to arbitration in a few seasons, also seems prudent for a team that works on an internal budget.

But this season was also about turning the corner for Ottawa, moving away from the complete rebuild, and starting to play competitive hockey. Without Tkachuk in the lineup, their roster suddenly doesn’t look like it is ready to take that next step. Missing training camp and the start of the season has different effects on every player but has negatively impacted the performance of many in the past. The Senators have already accepted that risk as Tkachuk has missed most of camp, but if they don’t want him to miss many games they have just a few days left to find a compromise of some sort.

Though it is a long way away, one date to remember is December 1, when restricted free agents must be signed by if they are to play at all. In 2018, William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs made a deal at the very last second on his current six-year contract, which allowed him to suit up for the rest of the season. He had a dreadful year, scoring just seven goals in 54 games, and both sides expressed regret that they didn’t get something done sooner. There’s plenty of time to avoid that situation, but once the season begins, December comes quickly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Training Camp Cuts: 10/05/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With minor league camps opening across the league, many more cuts will be made today in the NHL. The regular season is right around the corner and final decisions will have to be made soon. As always, we’ll keep track of the cuts right here.

Anaheim Ducks (via press release)

F Sasha Pastujov (to Guelph, OHL)
D Tyson Hinds (to Rimouski, QMJHL)
F Morgan Adams-Moisan (to San Diego, AHL)
F Hunter Drew (to San Diego, AHL)
G Olle Eriksson Ek (to San Diego, AHL)
G Frank Marotte (to San Diego, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via press release)

F Ryan MacInnis (to Rochester, AHL)*
F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)*
F Matej Pekar (to Rochester, AHL)
F Linus Weissbach (to Rochester, AHL)
D Oskari Laaksonen (to Rochester, AHL)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (to Rochester, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via Tracey Myers, NHL.com)

G Arvid Soderblom (to Rockford, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via press release)

F Gabriel Fontaine (to Colorado, AHL)
F Jean-Luc Foudy (to Colorado, AHL)
D Andreas Englund (to Colorado, AHL)
G Justus Annunen (to Colorado, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via Aaron Portzline, The Athletic)

F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)

F Nicholas Caamano (to Texas, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via press release)

F Matt Luff (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Cole Smith (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Frederic Allard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (to Milwaukee, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

F Elliot Desnoyers (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Samu Tuomaala (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Maksim Sushko (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Max Willman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Matthew Strome (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Logan Day (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mason Millman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Samuel Ersson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team Twitter)

F Sasha Chmelevski (to San Jose, AHL)
D Ryan Merkley (to San Jose, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via AHL release)

F Alexander True (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Carsen Twarynski (to Charlotte, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team Twitter)

F Mikhail Abramov (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jack Kopacka (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy McKenna (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nicholas Robertson (to Toronto, AHL)
D Joseph Duszak (to Toronto, AHL)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to Toronto, AHL)
D Teemu Kivihalme (to Toronto, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

F Aliaksei Protas (to Hershey, AHL)
D Alex Alexeyev (to Hershey, AHL)
D Tobias Geisser (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)*
F Mike Vecchione (to Hershey, AHL)*
F Brian Pinho (to Hershey, AHL)*

*Pending waivers

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Johnson, Price, Lehner

at CDT | by 10 Comments

Jack Johnson is in Colorado Avalanche camp on a professional tryout, but that could be converted to an NHL deal before long. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports that things are “trending in the direction” of a new contract, though nothing has been filed just yet. An injury to Devon Toews has opened a potential spot for the veteran defenseman, who, according to Baugh’s source, had interest from other teams before deciding to head to Colorado.

The 34-year-old is coming off a one-year, $1.15MM deal with the New York Rangers, but is still earning a little more than $916K from the Pittsburgh Penguins in each of the next five seasons, thanks to a buyout in 2020. It’s been a brutal few years for Johnson, who has played in 950 regular season games over a long career but has posted terrible analytics for many of them. In a depth role perhaps he can be effective for the Avalanche, but there’s little chance of him being a real impact player for them at this point.

  • The Montreal Canadiens were hoping that Carey Price would be ready for the start of the regular season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this offseason, but that may not be the case. Head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters including John Lu of TSN that Price is currently dealing with a non-COVID illness that is keeping him off the ice and the team is “less confident now” that he’ll be ready for the first game. The fact that the Canadiens claimed Sam Montembeault off waivers this weekend makes sense if that’s the case, though Price is still not expected to miss a huge chunk of the regular season schedule.
  • Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner stirred up hockey Twitter this weekend with a series of tweets alleging various wrongdoings across the league and tagged both the NHLPA and NHL to offer to speak directly to them. League commissioner Gary Bettman joined Jeff Marek on Sportsnet radio this afternoon and commented on the situation, explaining that the league will soon speak directly to Lehner to “hear his concerns directly” and then “follow up to see what merit there may be.” So far, the league has not announced any official investigations into any of the concerns raised by the veteran goaltender, which included allegations of team personnel providing benzodiazepines and Ambien to players.

Tim Schaller Signs AHL Contract

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Bakersfield Condors have signed a veteran forward, adding Tim Schaller on an AHL contract. The 30-year-old spent last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a similar minor league deal.

Once a regular in the NHL, Schaller spent the entire 2020-21 season in the AHL, scoring 18 points with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That’s a far fall from 2017-18 when he played in all 82 games with the Boston Bruins, and is a surprising turn for a player that has suited up 276 times in the NHL. Schaller isn’t an offensive threat, with just 29 goals during that span, but had been considered a worthwhile bottom-six forward in the past, even signing a two-year deal with Vancouver in 2018 that carried an average annual value of $1.9MM.

It appears as though that period of his career is over though with this deal, though he could always ink an NHL contract at some point if the Edmonton Oilers deal with injury concerns. He’ll be a valuable asset to their AHL team for the time being, helping insulate the younger players in the organization while still providing good production at the minor league level.

Washington Capitals Sign Vincent Iorio

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Washington Capitals lost a young player on waivers today but immediately added a new one to the organization. The team has signed 2021 draft pick Vincent Iorio to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $875,833.

Iorio, 18, was sent back to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL a few days ago after appearing in one preseason game. Selected 55th overall in this year’s draft, the young defenseman is already off to a quick start with Brandon, recording two points in his first two games. Unfortunately, both of those games were blowouts that didn’t go the way of the Wheat Kings, as they were outscored 17-3 by the Winnipeg ICE.

Still, the 6’3″ defenseman has a bright future and can now focus entirely on his development and not worry about earning an entry-level deal with the Capitals. He won’t turn 19 until November and is already in his fourth WHL season. Because he’s spending the year in junior, the first year of his deal will not be burned. Instead, the contract will slide forward and keep Iorio under control through the 2024-25 season–it could even side forward again next year, should he fail to play in the NHL.

Buffalo Sabres Claim Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres have nabbed a young forward off waivers, claiming Axel Jonsson-Fjallby from the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Jonsson-Fjallby, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Capitals in 2016 that found success overseas while playing in the SHL, but still hasn’t been able to crack an NHL lineup. That could change in Buffalo with the Sabres going through (another) rebuild, desperately searching for young talent. In 31 games for the Hershey Bears last season, Jonsson-Fjallby did record ten goals and 15 points.

This was the first time the young forward had hit waivers, and though that is normally a disappointing time in a player’s career, it is a great opportunity for Jonsson-Fjallby. He’ll be kept on the NHL roster for the time being, meaning not only will he potentially get a chance to make his debut, he’ll also be earning his NHL salary if he lasts into the regular season. Jonsson-Fjallby signed a new two-year, two-way contract in June which carries an NHL salary of $750K and an AHL salary of $175K this season.

Scott Wilson Signs AHL Contract

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After attending the Seattle Kraken training camp on a professional tryout, Scott Wilson has settled for an AHL deal with the Charlotte Checkers for the upcoming season. The Checkers of course will be affiliated with the Kraken this season, along with the Florida Panthers, their primary NHL partner.

Wilson, 29, was an NHL regular as recently as 2017-18, but spent nearly the entire 2020-21 season on the Panthers taxi squad. He did get into eight games with the Syracuse Crunch, but was forced into a practice role for most of the year. That obviously left him scrambling for work this offseason after his one-year deal expired with Florida, and he’ll have to settle for an AHL contract for the first time in his career.

A veteran of 193 NHL games, Wilson was actually a regular in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup during their 2017 Stanley Cup run, scoring six points in 20 games. Though not a dominant player in the minor leagues, he should give the Checkers a strong option up front this season and could even be in line for an NHL deal down the road should the Kraken or Panthers face injury issues. Remember, without a full minor league affiliate, the expansion team will have to delicately navigate the season with just a handful of call-up options.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top