Evgeny Svechnikov Clears Waivers
Saturday: Svechnikov has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.
Friday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Detroit Red Wings have placed Evgeny Svechnikov on waivers for the second time this season after the young forward cleared in early January. Now that he has played 10 games for the Red Wings this season, he needed to clear waivers again to be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.
Svechnikov, 24, has never developed into the top-six power forward that Detroit hoped for when they selected him 19th overall in 2015. His younger brother Andrei Svechnikov has reached those heights in Carolina, but the Red Wings forward has instead toiled at the minor league level for almost all of his professional career. In 30 NHL games, Svechnikov has nine points, five of those coming this season. Even in the minor leagues though things haven’t gone smoothly, with Svechnikov only recording 60 points in 112 AHL games since the start of 2017-18.
Of course, part of the reason why that number is so low is the entire season he missed in 2018-19 after suffering a major knee injury. While that can’t be completely blamed for his stalled development, it certainly didn’t help things.
There have been flashes of potential this season, but Svechnikov doesn’t appear to really be in the long-term plans for the Red Wings. His one-year contract will expire at the end of this season and leaves him a restricted free agent again. Should a team want to claim him now, he’d have to remain on their NHL roster until clearing waivers in the future.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/02/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:
Boston – Jake DeBrusk
Chicago – Brandon Hagel*
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
Vancouver –Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Alexander Edler*, Braden Holtby*, Quinn Hughes*, Zack MacEwen*, Antoine Roussel*
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Brett Howden, New York Rangers
It’s a terrible day for the Canucks, who have added five more players to the protocol. The team is currently shut down through April 6, but there are obviously questions about whether they will need to stay dark longer than that as the team recovers. For now, their game on April 8 is still scheduled, but the league will be monitoring the situation on a daily basis.
Hagel’s addition was already reported by the Blackhawks earlier, though it is not clear how long he will be in the protocol.
*denotes new addition
Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Vinnie Hinostroza
The Chicago Blackhawks have brought back a familiar face, reacquiring Vinnie Hinostroza from the Florida Panthers. In return, the Panthers will receive minor-league forward Brad Morrison.
Hinostroza, 26, was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2012 and played his first 106 NHL games for the club before a trade took him to the Arizona Coyotes. He returns to the club in the midst of a brutal season for the Panthers, where he has dressed just nine times and doesn’t have a point. The undersized forward reached a career-high of 16 goals and 39 points in the 2018-19 season for the Coyotes but hasn’t been the same player since. Now on just a one-year, $1MM contract, he is a low-risk, low-reward play for the Blackhawks ten days before the deadline.
It’s low-risk because Morrison isn’t much of a prospect, despite his five points in six games so far this season for the Rockford Icehogs. He’s been up and down between the ECHL and AHL since turning pro and is a non-tender candidate when his entry-level contract expires at the end of this season.
If Hinostroza wasn’t going to play for the Panthers, they didn’t need to be carrying his $1MM cap hit on the books any longer. While Florida isn’t in desperate need of cap space and they could have freed up this amount simply by putting him on waivers and then the taxi squad, this at least gets them a closer look at Morrison down the stretch. Really, this is a deal about getting Hinostroza–a Chicago native–back where he feels most comfortable and with the management group that drafted and developed him.
He still may find himself on waivers at some point, but perhaps Hinostroza can refresh his career and find the level he had in the past. For a team still on the playoff bubble, adding some NHL-level depth is never a bad thing.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/02/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Lias Andersson, Kale Clague, and Austin Strand from the taxi squad. The 22-year-old Andersson is trying to finally work his way to being a valuable NHL player and scored just his fifth career goal in a Kings win on Wednesday. Matt Luff was sent to the taxi squad after clearing waivers while Sean Durzi was recalled to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Arizona Coyotes have brought up Lane Pederson and Jordan Gross from the taxi squad in advance of tonight’s game against Anaheim. Gross has played in three games on Arizona’s back end while Pederson has yet to make his NHL debut but has 17 points in 16 AHL games this season.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Cody Glass from AHL Henderson. Injuries and yesterday’s suspension to Chandler Stephenson caused Vegas to only dress 10 forwards on Thursday night. That now gives them a cap-exempt recall option which they’ve used on Glass who has 10 points in 25 games this season. Per CapFriendly, Nicolas Hague and Nick Holden were also recalled from the taxi squad, Dylan Coghlan was sent to the taxi squad, and Dylan Sikura was sent to the minors.
- The Anaheim Ducks made their usual large sequence of moves. Per CapFriendly, Lukas Dostal and Kodie Curran were recalled to the taxi squad with Axel Andersson going to the minors after being recalled from his loan in Sweden. Trevor Zegras and Anthony Stolarz were also recalled from the taxi squad.
- The Colorado Avalanche recalled Liam O’Brien, Dan Renouf, and Kiefer Sherwood from the taxi squad on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly. O’Brien is expected to make his Colorado debut tonight after recently being converted to an NHL contract.
- With the Minnesota Wild off tonight, they’ve sent Kyle Rau and Luke Johnson to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both players were on the fourth line in Thursday’s game against Vegas.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Christian Jaros and Antti Suomela from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Suomela has been held without a point in four games this year while Jaros has yet to debut with the Sharks.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Jake Walman from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 25-year-old has seen limited action this season and has spent time both on the back end and up front.
North Division
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent Laurent Dauphin and Xavier Ouellet to AHL Laval to get them into a game after spending most of the last couple of weeks on their taxi squad. Cole Caufield and Lukas Vejdemo were recalled in corresponding moves to keep the tax squad at four players; Caufield is currently ineligible while quarantining while Vejdemo is injured.
- The Ottawa Senators have made several roster moves. Artem Anisimov has been recalled from the taxi squad with Clark Bishop and Alex Formenton going from Ottawa to the taxi squad. Additionally, Logan Shaw and Olle Alsing were recalled from AHL Belleville to the taxi squad.
- After clearing waivers, the Edmonton Oilers assigned Tyler Ennis to the taxi squad. Additionally, Alex Stalock was activated from IR, giving them three goalies on the active roster which allowed them to send Dylan Wells from the taxi squad back to the minors.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Alex Galchenyuk from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Timothy Liljegren was moved back to the taxi squad in a corresponding move. Galchenyuk has three assists in six games so far with Toronto.
Central Division
- After placing Evgeny Svechnikov on waivers, the Detroit Red Wings have moved Frans Nielsen, Michael Rasmussen, and Givani Smith to the taxi squad. The team continues to swap players in and out to maximize cap and salary savings.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Mitchell Stephens and Taylor Raddysh to the Syracuse Crunch, the former on a conditioning loan. Stephens hasn’t played since suffering an injury in January but is close to a return. Ben Thomas was also recalled from the taxi squad with Andreas Borgman being sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- Just before trading for Vinnie Hinostroza, the Chicago Blackhawks made several roster moves. Brandon Pirri, Mikael Hakkarainen and Alec Regula were re-assigned to the taxi squad, while Reese Johnson, Mackenzie Entwistle, Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell and Lucas Carlsson were all assigned to the AHL. Phillip Kurashev was also sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- After playing on a conditioning stint, Petr Mrazek and Max McCormick were recalled from the minors, per CapFriendly, with McCormick going to the taxi squad. Carolina will now carry three goalies for the time being which allowed them to send Beck Warm back to the AHL.
- The Dallas Stars have sent Justin Dowling and Tanner Kero back to the taxi squad. Both players have a goal and three assists so far this season.
- The Nashville Predators returned Mathieu Olivier to the taxi squad. The 24-year-old has five points in 26 games this season.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Matt Tennyson to the AHL, recalling Joshua Jacobs in the process. Nikita Gusev also cleared waivers today and was moved to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, along with Tyce Thompson. Mikhail Maltsev and Jesper Boqvist were recalled to the active roster.
- The Buffalo Sabres have assigned C.J. Smith and Brandon Davidson to the AHL. The Rochester Americans play tonight and tomorrow and will apparently get some reinforcements. Rasmus Asplund and Steven Fogarty were also assigned to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- With the Boston Bruins off tonight, they returned Trent Frederic and Zach Senyshyn to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both players are quite used to the daily shuffle now and will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh.
- The New York Islanders have sent Oliver Wahlstrom and Austin Czarnik to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Wahlstrom has 16 points in 30 games this season and is certain to be recalled for Saturday’s game against Philadelphia.
- With the New York Rangers not in action, they’ve sent Kaapo Kakko to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The sophomore has five goals and two assists in 29 games this season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
San Jose Sharks Sign Scott Reedy
The San Jose Sharks have added another prospect to the depth chart, signing Scott Reedy to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal will kick in for the 2021-22 season and Reedy is expected to join the San Jose Barracuda on an amateur tryout for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a short statement on the signing:
Scott just capped off a tremendous career at Minnesota, leading the Gophers in goal scoring each of the last two years, and as one of the nation’s youngest seniors he has steadily improved with each season. His big frame allowed him to play a very important, versatile role and some tough minutes on one of the top teams in college hockey this past season.
Reedy, 21, was originally selected 102nd overall by the Sharks in 2017 but is coming off a strong four years of development at the University of Minnesota. The 6’2″ forward managed a point-per-game senior season, scoring 28 in 28, though he didn’t actually lead the Gophers in goal scoring as Wilson suggests. Reedy had just 11 tallies this season, well behind Colorado Avalanche draft pick Sampo Ranta‘s 19.
Still, there is a bright future for Reedy in professional hockey. His versatility and size should allow him to seamlessly move into an AHL lineup, playing either center or the wing. Whether he can ever make it all the way to the NHL is still very much uncertain, but the Sharks obviously believed in him enough to hand out an entry-level contract.
Nathan Beaulieu Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
It’s the end of the line for Nathan Beaulieu, who underwent shoulder surgery yesterday and will not play again this season. The surgery was done to repair a torn labrum and though head coach Paul Maurice did not give a timeline for his return, did say that Beaulieu is expected to make a full recovery.
Beaulieu had been playing with the injury this season but hadn’t suited up since exiting a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in early March. In all, his year will end with 25 games played and just a single assist. Fortunately for the 28-year-old defenseman, his contract extends through next season so he won’t have to try and find work coming off a major injury.
Though obviously losing Beaulieu isn’t ideal, being able to move his contract—which carries a $1.25MM cap hit—to long-term injured reserve does give the Jets a little more flexibility at the upcoming trade deadline. The team was already into their LTIR space created by Bryan Little, meaning Beaulieu’s number can just be added on top to give them more room for any additions.
Brandon Hagel Placed In COVID Protocol
The Chicago Blackhawks will not have Brandon Hagel available to them today as the young forward has been placed in the league’s COVID Protocol. His name will be added to the list that comes out later today, but no specific details on his absence have been (or likely will be) revealed.
It is important to note that entering the protocol does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact.
Hagel, 22, has played in 35 games for the Blackhawks this season, scoring 14 points in his first taste of full-time action. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres, he never signed with them and instead inked his entry-level deal with the Blackhawks in 2018. Now just a few years later he has become an important depth piece for Chicago, one that the team will be without for now.
It is not clear how long Hagel will be out, but notably, he did play in yesterday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks are back in action tomorrow afternoon.
Three Players Clear Waivers
April 2: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to their respective taxi squads or minor league teams.
April 1: The waiver wire has some interesting names on it today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Tyler Ennis of the Edmonton Oilers, Nikita Gusev of the New Jersey Devils, and Matt Luff of the Los Angeles Kings have all been placed on waivers. The trio of forwards are available for claim by the rest of the league.
Gusev’s name will stand out among the group, given how recently he was considered an up-and-coming name in the NHL. The 28-year-old made a splashy debut for the Devils last season, scoring 44 points in 66 games after signing a two-year, $9MM deal. The Devils only had his rights in the first place after trading second and third-round picks to the Vegas Golden Knights, a deal they might want to reverse if they had the chance.
In 20 games this season, Gusev has just five points and has received 16 or more minutes of ice time just twice. Since the beginning of March he has registered just one point and played a season-low 8:41 just a few games ago. With his $4.5MM cap hit that just isn’t cutting it, meaning the end to his Devils career might be coming quickly. Gusev is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the team has several top forward prospects pushing for roster spots. One of them, the recently-signed Tyce Thompson, joined practice today for the first time. While it seems very unlikely that Gusev will be claimed, perhaps a deal could be made with a team should the Devils be willing to eat some of his cap hit. Clearing waivers would make him a more desirable trade asset, since he will be able to be placed on the taxi squad.
Ennis has been here before, clearing waivers in January for the Oilers. The undersized forward is a useful player, but one that can only fit certain roles. For Edmonton, room was needed on the active roster and under the salary cap to add Alex Stalock, who will serve as additional goalie depth down the stretch. Given Ennis has already cleared once, the chance of claim this time around remains low.
Luff started the year on injured reserve and has played just 11 games for the Kings, but doesn’t represent much offensive upside anyway. The 23-year-old winger went undrafted and has made it to the NHL after grinding it out in the minor leagues, but has just one point this season. His contract is a two-way deal worth $700K, which means he might actually draw the most interest on the wire, but just like most of the other skaters this season is more likely to clear and be assigned to the taxi squad.
Vancouver Canucks Dealing With More Positive Test Results
The Vancouver Canucks are expected to have several names added to the COVID Protocol when the list comes out later today, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that there have been “a number of additional positive COVID-19 cases.” Dreger reports it is eight total players and one staff member that have tested positive. On Sportsnet radio today, Rick Dhaliwal said the same thing, calling it an “interesting number” of names that will be added to the list.
Yesterday, Travis Hamonic joined Adam Gaudette on the list and the league shut the Canucks down through April 6. In the postponement release, the NHL expressed hope that the team would be back in action by April 8, but if a number of players have tested positive that may be optimistic. As usual, the details on testing will not be made available, only that players are in or out of the protocol today.
The concern obviously lies with the health of the players and staff, but the league must now also try to find a way to reschedule the missed games. Vancouver already was set to play almost every other day for the rest of the regular season, with just three two-day breaks left. With three games already postponed those breaks will likely disappear, but if any more are pushed games might have to be tacked onto the end of the schedule. Currently, the team is set to finish its campaign on May 8—which seems unlikely to remain.
Dallas Stars Sign Adam Scheel
During their game last night, the Dallas Stars announced a new member was joining the organization. The team has signed Adam Scheel to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin in the 2021-22 season. Scheel has signed an amateur tryout with the Texas Stars of the AHL for the remainder of 2020-21.
The 21-year-old goaltender is coming off an incredible junior season with the University of North Dakota and will take this opportunity to leave the college ranks. Undrafted, Scheel posted a .931 save percentage in 26 appearances this season, winning 20 games on the back of a 1.74 goals-against average. That was by far his best season for UND, though he had started in his freshman and junior years as well.
The intriguing part about Scheel is that, unlike many other undrafted goaltenders who find success at the college or junior level, he isn’t undersized. In fact, he stands at an imposing 6’3″ and at first glance looks the part of an NHL goalie. As Corey Pronman of The Athletic wrote last month there is some concern about his lateral quickness, but the frame is there for him to succeed at the next level.
Obviously, it takes more than just a big body to stop pucks as a pro, but Scheel should certainly be feeling confident in his abilities right now. He won the NCHC Goaltender of the Year award this season.