Large Group Of Players Placed On Waivers
With just a few days before the start of the regular season, a huge number of players have been placed on waivers. The full list includes:
Anaheim Ducks:
Anthony Stolarz
Andy Welinski
Christian Djoos
Andrew Poturalski
Chase De Leo
Vinni Lettieri
Sam Carrick
Andrew Agozzino
David Backes
Carolina Hurricanes:
Antoine Bibeau
Steven Lorentz
Spencer Smallman
Jeremy Bracco
Gustav Forsling
Drew Shore
Max McCormick
Colorado Avalanche:
Jacob MacDonald
Dan Renouf
Kyle Burroughs
Mike Vecchione
T.J. Tynan
Miikka Salomaki
Jayson Megna
Sheldon Dries
Toronto Maple Leafs:
These massive waiver placements are no different than the normal training camp cuts that would occur in late-September in a normal year. Should they clear, these players will be eligible to report to the taxi squad or AHL. There are a few names that stand out from the crowd though.
Backes, a veteran of 950 NHL games, still carries a $6MM cap hit on the final season of the five-year, $30MM contract he signed with the Boston Bruins in 2016. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports, this is not a move by the Ducks to try and rid themselves of Backes, but create some additional flexibility. At any rate, his contract basically makes him waiver-proof as no other team would want to take it on at this point in the season.
Bracco, a former top prospect that scored 79 points in 75 games for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL as recently as 2018-19, has seen his development stall and finds himself on the outside looking in for the Hurricanes once again. Djoos, once an up-and-coming defenseman in the Washington Capitals system, is now 26 and available to the whole league, should they want to take a chance.
Josh Anderson Placed On Unconditional Waivers
Jan 8: Anderson has cleared and will have his contract terminated.
Jan 7: The Colorado Avalanche have placed Josh Anderson on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to CapFriendly. The 22-year-old defenseman was a third-round pick of the team in 2016 and has spent most of the last two seasons with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. Anderson had one year remaining on his entry-level contract but will become an unrestricted free agent after the termination goes through.
It’s not clear what’s next for Anderson, but after failing to make any sort of impression in his first two seasons it seems unlikely that he will earn another NHL contract anytime soon. In 23 games with the Grizzlies last season, he scored six points, raising his career total in the ECHL to 13. He did play in 12 games with the Colorado Eagles and even scored his first AHL goal, but he clearly wasn’t making the progress the Avalanche hoped for when selecting him 71st overall five years ago.
Like all the other players that have been put on waivers so far, it’s unlikely that Anderson generates a claim. Perhaps a job is waiting for him overseas, or another ECHL team will extend him a minor league contract.
Columbus, Dallas Hold Players Out Of Practice Due To COVID-19 Concerns
Both the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets are facing COVID-19 issues today and have either canceled or held players out of practice. This seems to be the first instance of what could become a regularity this season as the NHL tries to navigate the current public health situation.
Saad Yousuf of The Athletic reported this morning that the Stars have canceled practice and media availability for today, confirming with colleague Sean Shapiro that it is COVID-19 related. Yousuf is reporting that at least one Stars player has tested positive. The team has not released an official statement and all communication is expected to come directly from the league.
In Columbus, the team did issue a press release, though it is not very informative. It reads:
The Columbus Blue Jackets have held a number of players out of today’s scheduled practice out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with NHL Covid-19 protocols.
The team has also completely canceled practice for their second group that was scheduled for this afternoon. Important to note, the Blue Jackets do have Max Domi on the team, who is a Type 1 diabetic and considered opting-out of the summer restart at one point because of the COVID-19 concerns. At this point, it seems unlikely that Columbus will provide any additional information, but Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets the long list of players (including Domi) that are missing from practice.
Though it’s hard to think about, situations like this are bound to pop up throughout the year as the league continues to travel and even in some situations host fans. Still, missing any of the already very short training camps will be detrimental as teams try to prepare for the grind of the regular season.
Carolina Hurricanes Announce Front Office Promotions
The Carolina Hurricanes have promoted a few promotions to key members of their front office, announcing that Eric Tulsky and Darren Yorke will now serve as assistant general managers. Aaron Schwartz has been hired as a director of hockey operations. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a statement on the moves:
Eric and Darren have earned this opportunity through their hard work and creativity in assisting player decisions and evaluation. Aaron has a great deal of experience in hockey and we are excited to add his knowledge and relationships to our organization. We are confident in Eric, Darren and Aaron’s abilities, and they will play a vital role in bringing a championship to Raleigh.
Tulsky, one of the leading minds in hockey analytics, has been with the team since 2014 and is behind many of the data-driven decisions the team has made over the last several years. He will now be involved in all hockey-related matters, manage the team’s pro scouting and continue to oversee the hockey information department. Yorke meanwhile has been with the team even longer, originally hired as a video scout in 2009. He will oversee the amateur scouting and player development and continue to run the team’s draft.
Schwartz, who comes with a varied resume that includes time with the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, will be tasked with assisting in negotiations and salary cap compliance.
The Hurricanes begin play in one week, heading to face the Detroit Red Wings for two games.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Riley Sheahan
It’s hard to say that Riley Sheahan was hoping for an injury when he took a PTO with the Buffalo Sabres, but it certainly benefited him when Zemgus Girgensons went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him out the whole year. Just a few days later, the Sabres have signed Sheahan to a one-year, $700K contract for the upcoming season.
The 29-year-old Sheahan isn’t just some minor league journeyman that is getting a chance just before the start of the season. The 2010 first-round pick has played in more than 500 NHL games and twice recorded more than 30 points in a season. Even last year in a depth role with the Edmonton Oilers he managed to score eight times in 66 games, more than Girgensons has tallied in four of his seven seasons in Buffalo. Sure, it seems unlikely that Shehan will be given all of the exact same responsibilities and ice time that Girgensons would have, but he does make a handy replacement to have in training camp, making his PTO quite a savvy move for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.
A $700K league-minimum contract won’t do anything to the Sabres financial situation and is the lowest amount that Sheahan has signed for in his career. In 2018 he earned himself a $2.1MM deal from the Pittsburgh Penguins and last season brought a $900K contract with Edmonton. If nothing else, that suggests that he could be a nice little bargain piece for Buffalo if he can turn back the clock a few years and reach his former level of play as a responsible two-way pivot.
RFA Deadline Approaching Quickly
In a normal season, even restricted free agents that miss all of training camp have plenty of time to sign. To be eligible to play, they must have a contract signed and filed with the league by December 1, nearly two months after a normal NHL season begins. Two years ago we saw a negotiation go down to the witching hour between the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander, with the young forward eventually signing a six-year, $45MM deal just before the deadline. Nylander was in the lineup by December 6, though he never seemed to get comfortable and ended up having arguably his worst season as a professional.
With a few notable restricted free agents still unsigned, now less than a week before the season begins, it’s important to note that they don’t have that two-month in-season window anymore. In fact, it’s less than a month between the start of the regular season and the RFA signing deadline of February 11 in this unique, shortened campaign.
That means for Jack Roslovic, Jesper Bratt, and, most importantly, Mathew Barzal, the clock is ticking. If they are not signed by that date, they cannot play this season at all.
In Roslovic’s case, the negotiations have led to a formal trade request. That doesn’t mean the only way he plays this season is with another team, but it certainly should inspire confidence that he’ll be inking a deal with the Winnipeg Jets anytime soon. The 23-year-old forward hasn’t gotten a ton of playing time in Winnipeg’s deep forward group but did generate 12 goals and 29 points last season in 71 games. Selected 25th overall in 2015 he obviously believes a change of scenery would be beneficial to his career, and it’s hard to argue that at this point given where he’ll still slot in on the Jets depth chart. If Winnipeg doesn’t give in or doesn’t receive an acceptable offer though, that signing deadline will put a lot of pressure on Roslovic to take whatever deal he can get just so he doesn’t spend an entire year away from NHL ice.
For Bratt, it doesn’t seem as contentious, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported recently that the New Jersey Devils forward is still in Sweden and there is a “bit of a gap” between the two sides. New Jersey just spent another $2MM on Sami Vatanen in free agency and, like in all of these situations, every day that passes gives another player a chance to show what they can do at camp. Perhaps playing in the SHL would be an option for the 22-year-old Bratt, but after a 32-point season in 2019-20 you would think he’d want to be part of what they’re building in New Jersey. He has just over a month to get something done if he wants to be there this season.
There are technically some other restricted free agents, including names like Henrik Borgstrom and Aleksi Saarela of the Florida Panthers, but they are already playing overseas and don’t have the kind of track record of the three mentioned.
That brings us to Barzal, who is one of the most fascinating stories of training camp so far. He was listed on the New York Islanders camp roster, but hasn’t appeared on the ice as the negotiations continue. Like any other situation that includes GM Lou Lamoriello, there is little information coming out, but Friedman discussed it today on the radio, explaining that this situation is not like some of the other high profile RFAs that have been in the news lately:
I don’t look at this situation here and see—like we know obviously there is a issue with [Pierre-Luc] Dubois in Columbus and we know there is an issue with [Patrik] Laine in Winnipeg, I don’t get any sense there is an issue with Barzal and the Islanders.
That doesn’t mean they have forever though, as not only has Barzal now missed a chunk of the already-shortened training camp, he’ll need a new deal before that February 11 deadline if he wants to play at all. For the Islanders, who have their eyes fixed squarely on a playoff spot in the tough East Division, missing Barzal even for a single game would have grave repercussions. The heartbeat of their offensive attack, the 23-year-old has 207 points through his first 234 NHL games and is expecting quite the salary bump on any contract.
The deadline isn’t two months into the season anymore. It’s just about a dozen games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: 2021 UFAs, Ontario, Hoglander
The NHL season is almost here, but with just 56 games and a condensed schedule, it will be over before you know it. Perhaps that doesn’t mean we should look past it already, but it didn’t stop Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic from taking a quick look at the 2021 unrestricted free agent field and giving his thoughts on a few of the top names. There are several elite players included, but like he does when he’s on the ice, Alex Ovechkin steals the spotlight of the piece. That doesn’t mean he’s leaving Washington though, as LeBrun’s colleague Tarik El-Bashir points out:
I’m going to cut to the chase: There’s a 0.00-percent chance of Ovechkin signing with another team, in my opinion. He wants to be a Washington Capital for life, and management and ownership have voiced a similar desire. The big question is how much longer does he want to play? To me, it makes a lot of sense for Ovi to sign an extension that lines up with the one Backstrom inked a year ago. Backstrom’s deal expires after the 2024-25 season.
Among the other players examined are winners of the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, and Stanley Cup, making the entire thing a valuable read for those looking ahead to next offseason. It seems like a long way away right now, but it’ll be here before you know it.
- Though we’re just a few days away and the schedule has been set, there was technically still some dispute over whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators would actually be allowed to host NHL games in their facilities given provincial restrictions. This afternoon, Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Minister released an official ruling allowing those North Division matches to take place. Of course, fans will not be allowed to attend those matches, a restriction that Ian Mendes of The Athletic points out is very unlikely to be relaxed at any point this season.
- If you took a guess at who was turning heads in Vancouver Canucks camp, Elias Pettersson or Quinn Hughes may come to mind first. But perhaps the most interesting performance has been that of Nils Hoglander, who has routinely flashed his brilliant skill while lining up beside captain Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet highlights that Hoglander performance in his latest piece and suggests that the young forward may just make the NHL out of camp. Selected 40th overall in 2019, Hoglander only turned 20 a few weeks ago but has already wowed the hockey world on multiple occasions with his lacrosse goals.
New Jersey Devils Sign Sami Vatanen
The New Jersey Devils have brought back a familiar face, signing free agent defenseman Sami Vatanen to a one-year deal. The contract is worth $2MM this season and leaves him an unrestricted free agent once again next offseason.
Vatanen, 29, spent parts of three seasons with the Devils before a midseason trade took him to the Carolina Hurricanes last year. As he was dealing with an injury at the time, he failed to play in a single regular season game with the Hurricanes before the season was shut down. He did suit up seven times in the postseason, but that’s all the Hurricanes have to show for a package that included Janne Kuokkanen and a 2020 third-round pick. Now the Devils have their cake and are eating it too as Vatanen returns on a very reasonable deal.
The Devils had already added some new faces to the back end this offseason, acquiring Ryan Murray from the Columbus Blue Jackets and signing Dmitry Kulikov to a one-year deal. With Vatanen’s new short-term deal, it means only Damon Severson is signed through the 2022-23 season among Devils (one-way) defensemen. That could lead to some pretty impressive turnover in the coming months, especially when considering the organization has several top defensive prospects like Ty Smith, Reilly Walsh, and Kevin Bahl waiting in the wings.
Of course, even though Vatanen is coming in late to the party, that doesn’t mean he’s a player to overlook. The veteran defenseman has been a do-it-all option throughout his entire career, lining up in all situations and logging huge minutes. In 434 games he has recorded 194 points, a nice 82-game average of 36. It’s hard to find that kind of offensive production on the free agent defensive market at any time, let alone a few days before the season begins. Vatanen, who is right-handed, also has experience playing both sides and could end up on the left regularly in New Jersey.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Egor Afanasyev Loaned Back To KHL
After finishing in fourth place at the World Junior Championship, Egor Afanasyev is on his way back to the KHL. The Nashville Predators have loaned the young forward back to CSKA Moscow, where he had been playing earlier this season.
Afanasyev, 19, was the 45th overall selection in the 2019 draft after dominating the competition in the USHL. He played for the Windsor Spitfires in 2019-20 and once again showed his impressive blend of power and skill, scoring 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games. The 6’3″ winger is a force when he comes flying down the wall and should be a good fit in the North American professional game when he eventually comes over.
For now, he’ll continue his development in Russia where he had three points in four KHL games and a pair of goals in two MHL games before joining the national junior team. Since Afanasyev won’t turn 20 until later this month, his entry-level contract (signed in 2019), should slide again and kick in for the 2021-22 season. That is of course he makes a late-season debut on the Predators and plays in seven games, but that seems an unlikely scenario at this point.
Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes To Share AHL Affiliate
When news broke that three AHL teams would be pulling out of the 2020-21 season, it left a question of what the NHL affiliates would do with their minor league players and prospects. An early report had the St. Louis Blues sending players to the Utica Cometa, while just yesterday it was announced that the Florida Panthers will be sharing the Syracuse Crunch with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, a similar agreement has been formed between the Nashville Predators, who are normally affiliated with the opting-out Milwaukee Admirals, and the Carolina Hurricanes who will share the Chicago Wolves.
Admirals GM Scott Nichol explained the confidence the organization has that their prospects will still have a strong developmental season:
We want to thank the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Wolves organizations for the opportunity to partner with them for this coming season. With our players skating for Chicago in the AHL and others competing in European leagues and with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, we are confident about where our prospects will continue their development during this unprecedented season. We look forward to resuming our relationship with the Admirals in the 2021-22 campaign.
The Wolves and the rest of the AHL are set to begin in early February if all goes according to plan. They’ll have quite the squad this year after picking from two NHL organizations, an easy explanation of why the independently-owned franchise would be interested in a situation like this. It’s not ideal for the Hurricanes or the Predators, but sacrifices have to be made in this unique season.