West Notes: Kane, Kunin, Boeser
After his incident with the linesman this weekend, San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane could potentially be facing a lengthy suspension. As Darren Dreger of TSN reports, the abuse of an official penalty that Kane received brings with it an automatic 10-game suspension. Different from those given out by the Department of Player Safety however, this suspension will have to be enforced by the commissioner’s office, something that Dreger does not expect until at least tomorrow.
If Kane does face the full 10-game suspension he would be out until October 25th when the Sharks face the Toronto Maple Leafs, something that has led some to speculate on the possibility of bringing in former franchise icon Patrick Marleau who remains unsigned. Of course, there is also the possibility that the team uses the time to evaluate a young player in the lineup.
- Speaking of suspensions, Luke Kunin will not receive any supplementary discipline for his hit on Bryan Little according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, who reports that the league has deemed it an accidental collision. Kunin collided with Little in front of the Winnipeg Jets’ net, taking him out of the game with an undisclosed injury. Jets’ head coach Paul Maurice didn’t like the hit, but the Minnesota Wild forward won’t face any punishment.
- The Vancouver Canucks put some interesting names on waivers today when they decided to risk Sven Baertschi and Nikolay Goldobin to the rest of the league, but will at least have another goal-scoring forward in the lineup on opening night. Brock Boeser has been cleared to return to action after his concussion from earlier in the preseason and will be on the ice when the Canucks take on the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. Oscar Fantenberg, who was dealing with a concussion of his own, has also been cleared.
AHL Approves Palm Springs Expansion Club
The NHL may be moving into Seattle, but the AHL is headed to Palm Springs. The minor league Board of Governors announced today that the Seattle expansion group has been granted an AHL franchise located in Palm Springs, California that will begin playing in the 2021-22 season. AHL President David Andrews released a short statement:
On behalf of the AHL’s Board of Governors, I am thrilled to welcome the NHL Seattle and OVG ownership teams and the city of Palm Springs as the league’s 32nd franchise. Palm Springs has all the makings of an outstanding hockey market, and will further strengthen the growing base of our sport in California.
The team will give California another professional hockey team to continue the strong footprint the sport has developed across the state, while also providing another Pacific Division team for the AHL. Getting their own AHL affiliate from the very beginning was a priority for the Seattle group, who will use it to develop their young talent after they enter the league.
Minor league reporter Mark Divver tweets that the Palm Springs team will likely be allowed two additional veteran slots in their first year, also giving the Seattle team a chance to stock up on depth in the expansion draft and provide the AHL club with some experience and skill right from the beginning.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/30/19
Teams will be finalizing their opening day rosters today, meaning that plenty of players will be removed from training camp. As always, we’ll keep track of all those cuts right here. Keep checking back as this list will be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
G Adin Hill (to Tuscon, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Peter Cehlarik (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Anders Bjork (to Providence, AHL)
F Trent Frederic (to Providence, AHL)
F Jack Studnicka (to Providence, AHL)
F Cameron Hughes (to Providence, AHL)
G Maxime Lagace (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Remi Elie (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Curtis Lazar (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Scott Wilson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Casey Nelson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Rasmus Asplund (to Rochester, AHL)
F Tage Thompson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
F Anton Wedin (to Rockford, AHL)
D Dennis Gilbert (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Marko Dano (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Eric Robinson (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Hayden Stewart (released from PTO)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Sam Gagner (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Brandon Manning (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D William Lagesson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Mario Kempe (to Ontario, AHL)
D Paul Ladue (to Ontario, AHL)
D Derek Forbort (designated injured/non-roster)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F J.T. Brown (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Louie Belpedio (to Iowa, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Charles Hudon (to Laval, AHL)
G Charlie Lindgren (to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
D Jeremy Groleau (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Boo Nieves (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Filip Chytil (to Hartford, AHL)
F Vitali Kravtsov (to Hartford, AHL)
F Vinni Lettieri (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ryan Lindgren (to Hartford, AHL)
G Igor Shesterkin (to Hartford, AHL)
D Tarmo Reunanen (to Lukko, Liiga)
D Joseph Morrow (released from PTO)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
D Luke Schenn (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Danick Martel (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
F Kenny Agostino (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nic Petan (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Garrett Wilson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Kevin Gravel (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Kalle Kossila (designated injured, non-roster)
F Mason Marchment (designated injured, non-roster)
F Egor Korshkov (to Toronto, AHL)
F Matt Read (released from PTO, signs AHL contract)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Sven Baertschi (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nikolay Goldobin (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Alex Biega (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
F Keegan Kolesar (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Chicago, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F J.C. Lipon (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Nelson Nogier (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
G Eric Comrie (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joona Luoto (to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (to Manitoba, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Liam O’Brien (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Michael Sgarbossa (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Christian Djoos (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
Matt Read Signs AHL Contract
After a fairly successful training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, veteran forward Matt Read has decided to stay with the organization. The team announced today that Read has been released from his professional tryout, but will sign a one-year AHL contract. In order to call Read up the Maple Leafs would need to sign him to an NHL deal.
The 33-year old Read was once a shining example of the value you can find in undrafted college free agents, after he scored 57 goals in his first 196 games with the Philadelphia Flyers. Unfortunately, given he didn’t play his first NHL game until he was 25, that period of offensive success quickly disappeared as Read’s career continued. By the 2014-15 season he was scoring just a handful of goals per season and eventually found himself in the minor leagues fighting for playing time.
A shining star that burned bright but quickly, Read will now try to prove that he still has a bit left in the tank for the Toronto Marlies, who should be poised to challenge for the Calder Cup once again. Perhaps with a few impressive weeks or months in the minors another NHL team will take notice and give him an opportunity, but at this point he looks like he may play the role of veteran leader with a young group.
Waivers: 09/30/19
Today is the last day to use waivers in order to get a roster cap compliant for the start of the regular season, so we will see a lot of players available for selection.
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
F Remi Elie
F Curtis Lazar
F Scott Wilson
D Casey Nelson
Calgary Flames
Carolina Hurricanes
F Clark Bishop
D Gustav Forsling
G Anton Forsberg
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
F Sam Gagner
D Brandon Manning
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
F Miikka Salomaki
D Steven Santini
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
F Joshua Ho-Sang
F Tanner Fritz
D Thomas Hickey
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Kenny Agostino
F Nic Petan
F Garrett Wilson
D Kevin Gravel
Vancouver Canucks
F Sven Baertschi
F Nikolay Goldobin
D Alex Biega
Winnipeg Jets
F J.C. Lipon
D Nelson Nogier
G Eric Comrie
Washington Capitals
Snapshots: Rieder, Paquette, Perry
The Calgary Flames are in talks with the agent for Tobias Rieder according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet, after the free agent forward impressed on a professional tryout. Rieder failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers this summer after he infamously scored zero goals in 67 games with them last season. The 26-year old had tallied at least 12 in each of his previous NHL seasons.
After signing Matthew Tkachuk earlier this week, the Flames are in quite the tight financial situation and would need to clear someone else off the roster to fit in Rieder even on a minimum $700K deal. Given that he needed to take a PTO in the first place however, there seems to be a good chance that they could get Rieder through waivers and have him in the minor leagues as some useful depth if they chose to go that direction.
- The NHL has fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette $2,500 for high-sticking Florida Panthers forward Frank Vatrano last night. This the first and only supplementary discipline the NHL has given out during the preseason, something that Vancouver Canucks fans won’t be very happy with after Chris Tierney hit Brock Boeser from behind, resulting in a concussion for the young forward. For Paquette, this isn’t the first time he’s been involved with the Department of Player Safety, but his on-the-edge play is something the Lightning value given the lack of physicality elsewhere in the lineup.
- Corey Perry could need another week before his fractured foot is re-evaluated, meaning he likely won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Dallas Stars reporter Mike Heika notes that things should be more clear tomorrow, but regardless, this is a disappointing start to what was supposed to be a bounce-back season for the veteran forward. Perry was bought out by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer and signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal that could climb all the way to $3.25MM if he hits all of the performance bonuses. In terms of the ones given for games played, Perry needs only 50 to secure a total of $1.25MM.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The 2019-20 NHL regular season is just over a week away and there are still several top restricted free agents unsigned. Even without those players in camp however, teams are completing their final preparations for what should be an extremely exciting year. Teams like the New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes have big aspirations as they try to get back to the playoffs, while perennial contenders like the Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators will try to overcome that final hurdle.
With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of our mailbag. You can submit your query by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. Make sure you get your questions in early and we’ll try to get through as many as possible when the mailbag runs on the weekend.
If you missed our last edition it was split into two parts you can read here and here. In the first part, Brian tackled questions regarding salary cap projections, the Washington Capitals pending free agents and of course touched on the RFA situations. In the second, he speculated on where he thought Jesse Puljujarvi would fit and gave some predictions on potential surprise playoff teams.
Ottawa Senators Sign Scott Sabourin
The Ottawa Senators have decided that Scott Sabourin has done enough to deserve a contracting, signing the veteran AHL forward to a one-year two-way contract. Sabourin had been in training camp on a professional tryout. The deal is worth $700K at the NHL level.
Now 27, Sabourin has carved out quite the career for himself after going undrafted. Taking on a physical role, he has played 308 AHL contests and recorded 646 penalty minutes. His pesky forechecking style and willingness to drop the gloves endeared himself to Senators fans in training camp, and he’ll get a chance to continue showing what he can do this season.
His two-way deal by no means guarantees any time in the NHL, but for a team like Ottawa that is using this season as a development track, having a player like Sabourin wouldn’t be the worst idea. With so many young players expected in the lineup, the veteran could help them along with anything he’s learned over his years in professional hockey while being a sort of protection on the ice.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Patrik Laine
The Patrik Laine saga is over as the Winnipeg Jets have signed the star forward to a two-year deal. The contract will carry an average annual value of $6.75MM. Craig Custance of The Athletic confirms that it will pay Laine $6MM in 2019-20 and $7.5MM in 2020-21.
Laine, 21, secured the same number that Brayden Point did earlier this month, but for one fewer year thanks to his huge goal totals in the NHL since entering in 2016. The second overall pick in 2016, Laine immediately burst onto the scenes with one of the most lethal shots on the league and the ability to get to dangerous spots in order to unleash it. With 36 goals as a rookie he came second in Calder Trophy voting and followed it up with an outstanding 44-goal, 70-point sophomore year. That included a league-leading 20 goals on the powerplay, where Laine seemingly took up residence in Alex Ovechkin‘s left-circle mansion.
Unfortunately, basically every offensive statistic declined for Laine in 2018-19 (except for shots, amazingly). Suddenly an extremely inconsistent offensive player, he went long stretches without a single goal and recorded 18 of his 30 total in a 12-game stretch through November. That consistency simply has to get better if Laine ever wants to become the elite talent he has shown flashes of, and return to the upper-echelon of stars in the NHL.
If he does get back there, this two-year bridge deal could certainly pay off for him. He’ll already become Winnipeg’s second-highest paid player (at least while Kyle Connor remains unsigned) for this season ahead of Mark Scheifele but behind captain Blake Wheeler, and could potentially sign an extremely lucrative long-term deal down the road. He’ll have two years of restricted free agency left after this deal expires, but will have arbitration rights as well, meaning another situation like this is extremely unlikely.
The question now becomes if Laine is ready to jump right into game action with the Jets starting next week. Even with a two-year window, he needs to start performing right away if he wants to put this difficult negotiation behind him and set himself up to earn the most he possibly can.
For the Jets, it was extremely important to get Laine back under contract before the season started. After losing Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot, Brandon Tanev and potentially Dustin Byfuglien this summer, the team looks completely different and thin at several positions. Had the year begun without Laine or Connor under contract they would be even more undermanned and at an extreme disadvantage in the Central Division playoff race.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 09/27/19
As teams finish their final week of preparation before the 2019-20 season, there will likely be several transactions around the league. As always, we’ll keep track of all those moves right here:
- All of the players from yesterday have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled eight players before their preseason finale against the Carolina Hurricanes. Rem Pitlick, Anthony Richard, Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin, Josh Wilkins, Alexandre Carrier, Jeremy Davies and Ken Appleby have all been called up for the time being, though they had already been cut from the roster and will likely not open the season with Nashville.
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed Steven Oleksy to a professional tryout, bringing in the familiar face for a chance at an AHL contract. Oleksy played two seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and wore an “A” as an alternate captain during his time there.
- The Calgary Flames have returned the same eight players they recalled yesterday to the AHL, along with Jon Gillies who cleared waivers earlier today. These players had already been cut from the training camp roster, but filled in for the team as they continued the preseason.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled 18 players from the AHL for tomorrow’s game against the Boston Bruins. Among them are several names that will continue to try and land NHL jobs throughout the season and some more veteran minor league players. This group will be sent back down before the start of the season.