USHL Gaining Top Players With Canadian Junior Leagues Out Of Action
The United States Hockey League, USHL, is the top junior league in the U.S. and has been growing as a top developmental destination in recent years. Yet, they have never seen an influx of talent as they have this season. Early on, it was NCAA players whose teams (mostly Ivy League programs) canceled play this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, as the CHL leagues – OHL, WHL, and QMJHL – and other Junior-A Canadian leagues remain out of action, the flow of top players has continued. The USHL season is ongoing and has thus far operated without much delay, making it the greatest beneficiary on the other side of the border from the stalled Canadian leagues. This past week has shown that talented players throughout Canada are running low on patience with their current leagues and are now making the move south.
On Tuesday, the trend really began to pick up steam when the BCHL announced nine departures, four to the USHL including two top players from the powerhouse Penticton Vees. Buffalo Sabres forward prospect Matteo Costantini, who had joined Penticton this season before heading to the University of North Dakota next year, has now joined the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. Well-regarded 2021-eligible defenseman Owen Murray is also headed to the NCAA next season as a University of Massachusetts commit, but instead of staying with the Vees this year, he has now joined the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers.
On Wednesday, Penticton lost another top defenseman, as projected 2021 second/third-round pick Jack Bar left for the USHL’s Chicago Steel and will not return to the Vees next season with Harvard University in his sights. However, the bigger story was the exodus from the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Detroit Red Wings 2020 second-round pick Cross Hanas and potential 2021 first-round forward Jack O’Brien, along with two other teammates, all left for the USL’s Lincoln Stars. Lincoln also picked up 2021 defenseman and Boston University commit Charles-Alexis Legault from the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors.
The biggest move to date is a major addition for the Sioux Falls Stampede. Forward Cole Sillinger, a consensus 2021 first-round pick, left the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to head to the U.S. Sillinger recorded 53 points in 48 games with the Tigers last year and may just be one of the best players in the USHL now that he has arrived in Sioux Falls.
The question of course with all of these transfers is whether any of these players will leave if their Canadian teams are able to play this season. These USHL clubs undoubtedly hope they can retain their newfound talent throughout their season and postseason and they almost certainly will if junior play in Canada is unable to return. However, the WHL is already taking steps toward a possible return and other leagues will try to follow. Regardless, this influx of talent is great for the competition level of the USHL this year and its reputation moving forward as it looks to compete for top players with the CHL elite in the future.
Minor Transactions: 01/16/21
While there will be plenty of taxi squad activity around the league today, there will be plenty other transactions around the hockey world as well. We’ll keep tabs on those here:
- The Predators announced that they’ve assigned defenseman Alexandre Carrier to Chicago of the AHL. The 24-year-old played in three games with Nashville last season but spent most of the year with AHL Milwaukee where he had five goals and 32 assists, exactly matching his 2018-19 output but did so in 21 fewer games (55 in 2019-20, 76 the year before).
- Buffalo has recalled goaltender Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen from his loan to TPS Turku, the Finnish team announced. The 21-year-old is regarded as a potential goalie of the future for the Sabres and he held his own in Finland’s top league, posting a 2.52 GAA with a .908 SV% in 13 games. He split last season between AHL Rochester and ECHL Cincinnati but should more action in the AHL this year.
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned center Tanner Laczynski to Lehigh Valley of the AHL. The 23-year-old is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career with Ohio State where he had 11 goals and 23 assists in just 36 games last season.
- Lehigh Valley is also prepared to bring in a trio of minor league veterans on AHL contracts as well. AHL reporter Tony Androck notes that the Phantoms are expected to sign goaltender Zane McIntyre and forwards Ryan Fitzgerald and Tanner MacMaster to one-year deals. McIntyre, who was recently in training camp with the Arizona Coyotes, is a former teammate of Fitzgerald’s with the Providence Bruins. MacMaster is coming off a 30-point campaign with the Toronto Marlies and is looking to prove that he is a dangerous scorer worthy of an NHL look.
- The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have signed a number of Avalanche prospects to amateur tryout agreements, including goaltender Trent Miner and forwards Jean-Luc Foudy, Sasha Mutala, and Luka Burzan. All four prospects play in either the OHL or WHL and have been out of commission for some time. They’ll at least get a chance to suit up in AHL training camp with the Eagles, if not longer.
- Winnipeg Jets prospect Daniel Torgersson, a 2020 second-round pick, may have an eye on a extended development period at home in Sweden before making his way across the Atlantic. Torgersson’s current team, the SHL’s Frolunda HC, have announced a two-year extension with the young power forward, keeping him under contract through 2022-23. The NHL and SHL have a transfer agreement in place, but the term of Torgersson’s new deal at least implies he has considered spending a couple more years in Sweden with the Indians.
- NHL veteran Matt Puempel will also be playing in Sweden this season. The 27-year-old forward, unable to find a new NHL contract, has signed on with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks for the remainder of the season, the team announced. Puempel is coming off a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings, but saw just eight total games of NHL action in that time. Puempel has 87 NHL games and 340 AHL games on his resume.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Buffalo Sabres
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2020-21 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Buffalo Sabres
Current Cap Hit: $79,614,282 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Dylan Cozens (three years, $894K)
D Rasmus Dahlin (one year, $925K)
D Henri Jokiharju (one year, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Cozens: $850K
Dahlin: $2.85MM
Jokiharju: $637.5K
Total: $4.3375MM
Cozens made the team despite a shortened training camp due to him playing at the World Juniors where he was one of the top performers in the tournament. He isn’t eligible to play in the AHL whenever the WHL gets underway so a decision will have to be made in a few weeks as to whether or not to burn the first year of his entry-level deal. The threshold has been cut to seven games meaning that if Cozens plays in that seventh contest, his contract officially burns a year.
Dahlin hasn’t been the flashiest player since being taken first overall in 2018 but he has already established himself as an important part of their back end and a player they’ll want to build around. Discussions surrounding a long-term deal would likely use Florida’s Aaron Ekblad ($7.5MM AAV for eight years) as a potential comparable and with the flexibility that they’re about to have on the cap, they can easily afford to go that route if they want. As for Jokiharju, he played a regular role on the third pairing after being acquired from Chicago. Unless he’s able to jump into their top four though, a short-term contract makes the most sense and without arbitration eligibility, he shouldn’t be able to command a sizable raise.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Taylor Hall ($8MM, UFA)
G Carter Hutton ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Matt Irwin ($700K, UFA)
D Jake McCabe ($2.85MM, UFA)
D Brandon Montour ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Sam Reinhart ($5.2MM, RFA)
F Tobias Rieder ($700K, UFA)
F Riley Sheahan ($700K, UFA)
F Eric Staal ($3.25MM, UFA)
G Linus Ullmark ($2.6MM, UFA)
The Sabres made a big splash in free agency by getting Hall to sign with them. It was a surprise on multiple fronts in that a non-playoff team landed him and that it was just for one year although the state of the UFA market helped push his fate in that direction fairly quickly. He’ll get a chance to rebuild his value a little bit in the hopes of getting a similar price tag on a long-term deal this summer but with many teams trending to tight to the cap for next year as well, a contract similar to this one can’t be ruled out either. Staal was brought in from Minnesota in the offseason and is coming off a solid season. He’s slowing down but as long as he can produce like a second-liner, there’s a spot for him around his current price tag. Rieder and Sheahan are both depth players and will either be retained or replaced by others making the minimum.
Reinhart’s situation largely has flown under the radar due to Hall but it’s reaching the point where a decision is going to need to be made. Instead of inking a long-term deal this past offseason, Reinhart and the Sabres opted for a one-year deal, giving him another crack at restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility in the summer. However, he’s now only one year away from UFA eligibility so if talks on a long-term deal don’t go well, he can easily just file for arbitration, get his one-year contract, and hit the open market in the prime of his career. They’ve kicked the can as far as they can and GM Kevyn Adams will need to get a long-term agreement in place with Reinhart this offseason.
Montour was a speculative non-tender candidate after a tough first full season with the Sabres although he wound up accepting a small raise that walks him to UFA eligibility. But if he doesn’t show the promise that he did in his time with Anaheim, he’ll be hard-pressed to receive his current salary on the open market. McCabe has seen a lot of second pairing playing time in recent years and has held his own although he’s better used as a fifth option. While he doesn’t produce much offensively, he’s still fairly young and it wouldn’t be surprising if he winds up with a deal around what Joel Edmundson signed to avoid hitting the open market with Montreal, a multi-year deal in the $3.5MM range. Irwin has been at or near the minimum for a few years now and that’s unlikely to change.
Ullmark was expected to be part of the long-term solution for Buffalo between the pipes and while that’s still possible, the fact that he only received a one-year deal to get him to UFA eligibility means that the Sabres aren’t yet sold on that possibility. While he should be able to do enough to earn a small raise at a minimum given the recent demand for quality backups, he’ll need a big year to have a shot at starter money. Hutton is coming off of a tough season and will need a bounce-back year to garner some interest. At the very least, he’ll be going year-to-year moving forward as any future contracts will have 35-plus rules attached to them.
Two Years Remaining
F Cody Eakin ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Curtis Lazar ($800K, UFA)
D Colin Miller ($3.875MM, UFA)
F Victor Olofsson ($3.05MM, RFA)
D Rasmus Ristolainen ($5.4MM, UFA)
Olofsson was one of the pleasant surprises in what was a tough season for the Sabres as he was one of the top-scoring rookies in the league before a lower-body injury derailed his momentum. A bridge deal made a lot of sense for both sides given how his production caught many off guard but if he picks up where he left off and scores at a 20-goal or more pace, he could easily add another million or two to his price tag. Eakin was brought in as an unrestricted free agent to give them some veteran depth down the middle although the price tag was on the high side given what other role players had to sign for. Lazar hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft billing but he’s affordable depth that will either be replaced or retained at that price tag.
Ristolainen continues to be one of the more polarizing blueliners in the league. There’s no denying that he has a strong offensive game but his play in his own end isn’t graded anywhere near as favorably. Still, he will enter the market at 27 in the prime of his career and is a right-shot player, the side where supply is much shallower than demand. A small raise, even in this marketplace, is a definite possibility. After being a key part of the back end in Vegas, Miller didn’t fare anywhere near as well with Buffalo and his ice time has been cut further in the early going this year. He will need to establish himself as a viable top-four option if he wants to have a chance at getting something close to his current AAV in 2022.
Three Years Remaining
F Zemgus Girgensons ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Kyle Okposo ($6MM, UFA)
F Tage Thompson ($1.4MM, RFA)
Okposo is now officially in the back half of the deal he signed in the ill-fated 2016 offseason. His days of being an impact player have come and gone but he’s still serviceable in a bottom-six role. It’s too bad for the Sabres that he’s paid way too much for that particular role though. Girgensons also got an above-market deal for a depth player and it’s certainly not off to a good start as he’s already out for the season. Thompson is the lone player left from the Ryan O’Reilly deal to St. Louis and battled injury troubles last year. He accepted a bit of security by taking the three-year agreement and it shouldn’t take much for Buffalo to get a good return on it but he’ll need to establish himself as a top-six forward to have a shot at a significant raise in 2023.
Casey Nelson Opts Out Of The Upcoming Season, Retires
January 15: Not only will Nelson be absent this season, but his playing career has ended. The defenseman has announced his retirement on Instagram, ending any speculation on his future in Buffalo. The 28-year-old will finish his career with 93 NHL games and 18 points.
December 27: The deadline for players to opt out of the upcoming season has come and gone with only one player exercising the option to do so. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that Sabres defenseman Casey Nelson has elected not to play this season due to concerns surrounding the ongoing pandemic. It is not known at this point if this is precautionary or if there is a pre-existing condition that could be worsened if he contracted the virus. If it’s the latter, Buffalo will still be required to pay him.
The 28-year-old re-signed with Buffalo on a one-year, two-way deal back in October. He spent all of last season with their AHL affiliate in Rochester, picking up four goals and eight assists in 48 games. Nelson last saw NHL action back in 2018-19 when he got into 38 games with Buffalo and has 93 career NHL contests under his belt, all with Buffalo. As a result, he would have been a candidate to be on their taxi squad.
The Sabres will now have the option to toll Nelson’s contract. If they do, his deal will roll over to the 2021-22 season with his NHL salary being boosted from $700K to $750K to account for the pending increase in the minimum salary. If not, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again next offseason.
Jack Quinn Moved To Taxi Squad
Earlier this morning, the Buffalo Sabres completed the expected move of Jack Quinn to the practice squad, opening up a spot for Riley Sheahan on the active roster. The Sabres host the Washington Capitals later this evening for their season debut.
Quinn, 19, has impressed the Sabres so far with his play at the World Junior and short time in training camp, but still is unlikely to be ready to step directly into the limelight. He has practiced with the AHL-bound players the last few days and Sheahan is expected to be activated from his non-roster designation to play on the fourth line this evening. Still, even getting this far can only be beneficial for Quinn, the Sabres first-round pick from October.
As one of the highly-touted players out of the OHL, Quinn is currently in a state of limbo with nowhere to play. His Ottawa 67’s don’t have a clear timeline to return to action as the OHL waits out a provincial lockdown, while suiting up in the NHL would mean burning the first year of his entry-level contract and likely putting Quinn in over his head. The AHL seems a logical fit and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Quinn assigned to Rochester Americans camp when it starts tomorrow. The young forward can play in the minor league until the OHL gets up and running without any danger of burning his ELC.
Quinn’s World Junior partner, Dylan Cozens, doesn’t have to wait. He’ll be in the opening night lineup playing alongside Cody Eakin and Tobias Rieder on the third line.
Training Camp Cuts: 01/12/21
It’s the last day before NHL hockey returns, so teams will have to finalize their rosters and get ready for action. Though most of the heavy lifting was done yesterday, there will still be some cuts made today. We’ll keep track of them right here. This page will be updated throughout the day as more releases come in.
Buffalo Sabres (via team release):
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Arttu Ruotsalainen (to Rochester, AHL)
D Jacob Bryson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Mattias Samuelsson (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):
F Jeremy Bracco (to Chicago, AHL)
F David Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jason Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Seth Jarvis (to Chicago, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jamieson Rees (to Chicago, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Chicago, AHL)
F Drew Shore (to Chicago, AHL)
F Spencer Smallman (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Chicago, AHL)
D Joey Keane (to Chicago, AHL)
D Maxime Lajoie (to Chicago, AHL)
G Antoine Bibeau (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):
F John Quenneville (to Rockford, AHL)
D Anton Lindholm (to Rockford, AHL)
D Nick Seeler (to Rockford, AHL)
G Matt Tomkins (to Rockford, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release):
F Riley Barber (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Turner Elson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Chase Pearson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Evgeny Svechnikov (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Joe Hicketts (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brian Lashoff (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Kaden Fulcher (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Pat Nagle (released)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release):
F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex Belzile (to Laval, AHL)
F Joseph Blandisi (to Laval, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
F Jacob Lucchini (to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Laval, AHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)
F Jordan Weal (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
D Gustav Olofsson (to Laval, AHL)
D Xavier Ouellet (to Laval, AHL)
G Vasili Demchenko (to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
F Kevin Lynch (to Laval, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release):
F Pascal Laberge (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Zayde Wisdom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Linus Sandin (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tyson Foerster (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Matthew Strome (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mason Millman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Chris Bigras (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Derrick Pouliot (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Egor Zamula (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Max Willman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Roddy Ross (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release):
F Kurtis Gabriel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Antti Suomela (to San Jose, AHL)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nick DeSimone (to San Jose, AHL)
D Fredrik Claesson (to San Jose, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release):
F Sam Anas (to Utica, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to Utica, AHL)
F Tanner Kaspick (to Utica, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Utica, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (to Utica, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Utica, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to Utica, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Utica, AHL)
F Nathan Walker (to Utica, AHL)
D Scott Perunovich (to Utica, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to Utica, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Utica, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Utica, AHL)
D Jake Walman (to Utica, AHL)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to Utica, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Utica, AHL)
F Matthias Laferriere (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release):
F Jonah Gadjovich (to Utica, AHL)
F Lukas Jasek (to Utica, AHL)
F Kole Lind (to Utica, AHL)
F Will Lockwood (to Utica, AHL)
D Josh Teves (to Utica, AHL)
D Jett Woo (to Utica, AHL)
G Jake Kielly (to Utica, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release):
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
F Phillippe Maillet (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
D Paul Ladue (to Hershey, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Hershey, AHL)
43 Players Placed On Waivers
As teams begin to make their final camp decisions with the 2020-21 season getting started this week, the ramifications are apparent in today’s waiver wire group. All nine players from Saturday’s waivers cleared, but that is less likely to occur Sunday with a much longer list, including some more notable names. The following players have been placed on waivers today:
Buffalo Sabres
D Brandon Davidson
F Steven Fogarty
F C.J. Smith
G Dustin Tokarski
Calgary Flames
G Louis Domingue
F Byron Froese
F Justin Kirkland
D Alex Petrovic
F Buddy Robinson
Colorado Avalanche
F Kiefer Sherwood
Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Cracknell
F Seth Griffith
Florida Panthers
G Philippe Desrosiers
F Scott Wilson
Los Angeles Kings
D Daniel Brickley
F Boko Imama
Minnesota Wild
D Matt Bartekowski
D Louie Belpedio
F Joseph Cramarossa
F Gabriel Dumont
G Andrew Hammond
F Luke Johnson
F Gerald Mayhew
D Dakota Mermis
D Ian McCoshen
F Kyle Rau
Montreal Canadiens
F Brandon Baddock
F Alex Belzile
F Joseph Blandisi
F Laurent Dauphin
D Noah Juulsen
G Charlie Lindgren
D Gustav Olofsson
D Xavier Ouellet
F Jordan Weal
New York Islanders
F Joshua Ho-Sang
F Mason Jobst
Ottawa Senators
D Maxime Lajoie
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Kevin Czuczman
F Josh Currie
F Frederick Gaudreau
G Maxime Lagace
D Zach Trotman
Among the names likely to receive attention on the wire are a trio of intriguing young players. Defensemen Noah Juulsen and Maxime Lajoie and forward Josh Ho-Sang have all seen NHL action in the past and have shown promise but for different reasons are now available to claim. Juulsen in particular looked like a long-term permanent piece on the Montreal blue line, but vision issues brought on by head injuries knocked him out of the 2018-19 season after 21 games with the Habs and limited him to just 13 AHL games in 2019-20. The Canadiens clearly want to see him get in some game action before returning him to the NHL roster, but another club may have more faith in the young defenseman, who allegedly is back at full strength. After 56 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2018-19, including a hot scoring start, Lajoie was somewhat inexplicably reduced to just six games with the team this past season. A versatile all-around defenseman who has already shown in a small sample size that he can hack it in the NHL, Lajoie could certainly draw interest from a team more willing to give him another chance. Ho-Sang, a first-round pick of the Islanders back in 2014, is on the outs with his club. A future in New York seems non-existent for a player whose effort and attitude have been called into question. His limited action last season also doesn’t help his case. Yet, Ho-Sang’s skill is apparent and that alone is a cause for pause for teams scouring the waiver wire.
As for a more polished possible pick-up, Jordan Weal leads the pack as a veteran of over 200 NHL games who has posted an 82-game scoring pace of 25 points or more in three straight seasons. Seth Griffith is also no stranger to being passed around via waivers and Frederick Gaudreau is coming off a career-high 55 NHL appearances last season and has strong scoring numbers throughout his AHL career.
This waiver group could also provide goalie depth for a team in need (see: New Jersey Devils). Andrew Hammond, Louis Domingue, Dustin Tokarski, and Charlie Lindgren are all veteran net minders with NHL experience who could provide some stability in net.
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.
Zemgus Girgensons Undergoes Surgery
The Buffalo Sabres have already experienced some pain this season. Zemgus Girgensons, who was injured a few days ago after taking an awkward fall at practice, underwent successful hamstring surgery today and will be out for the next six months. That effectively ends Girgensons’ season before it even begins, and leaves the Sabres with a decision to make on who will fill his roster spot.
Just today, the Sabres added three players to their training camp roster and have other candidates like Riley Sheahan already competing for an NHL contract. With Girgensons out, an extra spot opened in the bottom-six, especially for someone that has experience on the penalty kill. Though Girgensons also hasn’t regularly played center the last few years, perhaps someone with the ability to play the middle of the ice would also have a leg up.
It’s brutal news for a player that just signed a new three-year deal in October, locking him in at a reasonable $2.2MM cap hit through 2022-23. Girgensons doesn’t offer much offensively—though he did score 12 goals in 69 games last season—but is a strong defensive presence and brings some more size and physicality to the Sabres lineup.
Sheahan seems a good bet for a deal now unless he has disappointed in camp. It also could potentially open a spot for younger players like Rasmus Asplund, though at today’s practice he was on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Arttu Ruotsalainen, two other players who seem destined for the taxi squad to start the year given their waiver-exempt status.
Buffalo Sabres Add Three To Training Camp Roster
The World Junior Championship ended less than twelve hours ago, with Canada losing the gold medal game to Team USA in a perfect defensive performance. For at least two Canadian players, there was no time to mope around. Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn have already been added to the Buffalo Sabres training camp roster, with John Vogl of The Athletic noting that a private jet left Edmonton in the middle of the night, arriving in Buffalo a few hours later. The team has also signed defenseman Ryan Jones to a professional tryout and will have him at practice today.
Jones, 24, is signed to an AHL contract with the Rochester Americans after four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha but will get his chance to perform at Sabres camp as well. The 6’2″ defenseman was originally a fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 but became an unrestricted free agent after failing to reach an entry-level contract with them last summer. Jones isn’t an offensive player but could add another minor league depth option for the Sabres to develop.
It’s Cozens and Quinn that will steal the headlines today though, despite their international disappointment last night. The eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Quinn had a solid tournament, scoring five points in seven games but generally looking the part of a junior player. Like many players drafted just a few months ago, he appears to need more seasoning and development time.
Cozens meanwhile looks like he will step directly into the Sabres lineup this season and play a significant role. Serving as one of Team Canada’s rotating captains he was outstanding, scoring 16 points in the seven games and earning tournament All-Star honors. The seventh-overall pick from 2019 is a force coming down the wall, using his 6’3″ frame to shield the puck while speeding towards the net. His ferocious back-checking and defensive stick will make him a coach favorite quickly, even if he does start his NHL career on the wing.
Perhaps though there will be an opening down the middle for Cozens sooner than originally expected. After going down awkwardly in practice, Zemgus Girgensons is dealing with an injury from the first few days in camp. Former NHL defenseman Aaron Ward tweets that Girgensons could be facing a “lengthy absence” and a significant injury. In better news, Jack Eichel and Linus Ullmark were back at practice after missing the first few days.