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.
Erik Johnson Not Able To Join Practice Yet
Defenseman Alec Martinez was the big addition for the Golden Knights at last year’s trade deadline and he fit in quite well with his new team. Now, the 33-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible for an extension. For the time being at least, that doesn’t seem to be on the forefront, as he told reporters including David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
I think if the team’s successful, then individuals are successful. The business side will take care of itself. To answer your question if I put a whole lot of thought into it, no, I haven’t. I’m just trying to get ready for this year.
While Martinez has never been a big point producer, he has been an effective top-four shutdown defender for several years now. As a result, he should be able to land a raise in free agency on his current $4MM AAV. Vegas only has a little over $5MM in cap room for next season with multiple roster spots to fill though so they may have to get creative if they want to keep him in the fold.
More from the West Division:
- Sharks defenseman Radim Simek missed time with two separate knee issues last season, ultimately undergoing surgery. However, he told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that the pain was coming back while skating in the spring and continues to linger in training camp. Despite that, head coach Bob Boughner is confident that the 28-year-old will be good to go for opening night. Even so, the fact that these issues are persisting is hardly ideal considering Simek is in the first season of a four-year deal that was signed last March.
- While Colorado got goalie Philipp Grubauer plus wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad back at practice yesterday, defenseman Erik Johnson remains unfit to participate with no word yet on when he’ll be available, relays Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. Meanwhile, blueliner Keaton Middleton, invited to camp as a PTO player as he is only signed to an AHL contract, has left the team to seek a second opinion after failing his physical.
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.
NHL Will Not Require Blanket Quarantine Period For AHL Recalls
Alongside the news of three teams opting out, four teams temporarily relocating, and realigned divisions for the coming season, more information continues to emerge following today’s AHL Board of Governors meeting. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that NHL clubs and their AHL affiliates have been informed that there will be no blanket quarantine period for player recalls and reassignments this season. Instead, quarantine measures will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering the totality of the circumstances. This will include team protocols, travel logistics, and accordance with local COVID-19 health guidelines.
As Johnston notes, this will make AHL recalls much easier for those teams whose affiliates share a city or even a state or province. Short, safe travel ability and uniform local policies will allow for much shorter quarantine periods. Teams in this situation may even ask their affiliate to maintain the same NHL-level of day-to-day quarantine protocols to make recalls even easier, perhaps even without any quarantine. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and San Jose Sharks (if and when the team returns home from Arizona) all share a city with their AHL affiliate, as do the New Jersey Devils temporarily. The Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins (temporarily), Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins all have their AHL affiliates within state or provincial lines as well.
For those teams with some distance between themselves and their minor league clubs, recalls could remain difficult. Especially for those Canadian teams whose affiliates remain in the U.S. – the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks – quarantine logistics will be a struggle. Johnston points out that for these teams and the American clubs with affiliates elsewhere in the country, travel will be a major obstacle. The one blanket policy for all NHL and AHL players this season is that a seven-day quarantine period is required following a commercial flight. This could also stand to effect any team on a long-term road trip that is desperate enough to make a recall.
However, while this policy will help a great number of teams, it is important to remember that taxi squads were established for this season to reduce the reliance on AHL recalls, at least as a frequent measure. Regardless of each NHL team’s location relative to their AHL affiliate, most teams will largely use their six-man taxi squad for emergency substitutions and will have options in the meantime should they decide to recall a player who must quarantine.
Injury Notes: Patrick, Dallas, Colorado, Marchand
The Philadelphia Flyers had a welcome face join them for the first on-ice session of training camp today. Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played an NHL game since April of 2019, was present and taking part in practice. In fact, he’s even cleared for contact and says he’s feeling better every day as he recovers from the migraine issues that kept him off the ice for so long.
Patrick, the second overall pick from 2017, is still just 22 and could be a big part of the Flyers lineup this season should his health hold. Without any leverage in negotiations, he accepted a one-year contract at his qualifying offer salary of $874,125. Even if he never becomes the top-line center they hoped for, Philadelphia can still certainly use a bargain in the middle-six.
- The Dallas Stars were without two postseason standouts as camp opened, announcing that Anton Khudobin is still dealing with some immigration issues and Joe Pavelski is listed as day-to-day pending further examination results on an undisclosed injury. Remember, with such a short training camp this year every day is even more important, meaning there may be some extra rust to shake off for Dallas early on.
- Speaking of missing important time, five Colorado Avalanche players were deemed “unfit to play” today and head coach Jared Bednar wasn’t sure when they would be back. Gabriel Landeskog, Brandon Saad, Erik Johnson, Philipp Grubauer, and Keaton Middelton (AHL contract) were all held out, though the exact reasoning was not given. The first four are obviously extremely important to the Colorado lineup, so hopefully they can get back on the ice before long.
- While David Pastrnak wasn’t on the ice and will still miss the first part of the regular season, the Boston Bruins had Brad Marchand out there in his familiar place next to Patrice Bergeron. Marchand is coming back from sports hernia surgery in September and explained today that he had been dealing with the injury for the last two and a half years. The veteran forward also spoke about Kevan Miller‘s return to the ice with the Bruins, calling him an “animal” and saying that he hasn’t missed a beat. Miller last played an NHL game in April of 2019 and has had multiple major surgeries in the interim. He signed a new one-year, bonus-laden deal with the Bruins in October.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche
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 heading into 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.
Colorado Avalanche
Current Cap Hit: $79,676,386 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Cale Makar (one year, $880K)
Potential Bonuses
Makar: $2.5MM
Makar’s rookie season was nothing short of dominant as he took home the Calder Trophy for the top rookie while finishing in the top-10 of Norris voting for the top defenseman in the league. He finished second on the team in scoring and logged over 21 minutes a night. Better still, he played even better in the playoffs. He looks like a franchise blueliner already and is going to command a substantial raise next offseason, even without arbitration eligibility. The fact they burned a year of his entry-level deal in the 2019 playoffs might help keep the AAV down slightly (he’ll have less than two full seasons of games under his belt) but if his sophomore campaign is anything like 2019-20, that shouldn’t make much of a difference. Makar may not get the top cap hit of $9.25MM but he should come fairly close to that mark.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Matt Calvert ($2.85MM, UFA)
D Ian Cole ($4.25MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Tyson Jost ($874K, RFA)
F Gabriel Landeskog ($5.571MM, UFA)
F Brandon Saad* ($5MM, UFA)
*- Chicago is paying an additional $1MM on Saad’s contract.
Landeskog hasn’t been able to get to the lofty offensive levels of his linemates but the captain has nonetheless been an integral part of their forward group for the last nine years. He’s only 28 and should be able to get close to a max-term deal on the open market if he gets that far. Even with the UFA market being unkind to most wingers this year, Landeskog should be able to buck that trend and pick up a million or so on his AAV on his next contract. That may not be doable for Saad, however. His second go-around with Chicago was not as productive as his first and he is viewed as more of a middle-six player than a top liner. The latter are still going to get paid but the former will feel the squeeze so he has a lot at stake with his new team this season to restore some value. Calvert and Bellemare are useful role players but with the cap staying flat, they are in spots that will need to be replaced by cheaper options in Colorado and with other teams feeling the crunch as well, both will almost certainly have to take a less-expensive deal next summer. Jost accepted his qualifying offer after three relatively quiet seasons. He’s too young to write off but they’re expecting him to take a step forward and play his way into a bigger deal. A repeat performance may not be enough for a non-tender but his value around the league will take another dip if he doesn’t show some offensive improvement.
Cole has been an effective veteran on the third pairing and he’ll be asked to play that role again this season. It’s a premium price for the role but it’s one they can afford for now. That won’t be the case next year as he’ll almost certainly be replaced by Conor Timmins or Bowen Byram, players that likely won’t see much NHL action this season but should be ready for a full-time spot in 2021-22. Cole, meanwhile, could see his price tag cut in half if not more with teams looking to go cheaper on the third pairing.
Grubauer was brought in to be the goalie of the future but even after Semyon Varlamov left to join the Islanders, he wasn’t able to really step into that number one role. Injuries certainly played a role in that, including in the postseason as well. He certainly hasn’t been bad by any stretch in his two seasons with the Avs but he has yet to establish himself as a full-time starter either. If he can do that this year, he could add a couple million to his price tag but if not, he may not be able to command much more than he’s getting now.
Two Years Remaining
F Andre Burakovsky ($4.9MM, UFA)
G Pavel Francouz ($2MM, UFA)
F Nazem Kadri ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Valeri Nichushkin ($2.5MM, UFA)
Burakovsky struggled with consistency in Washington but things certainly came together in Colorado as he had a career year offensively by a significant margin despite the pandemic cutting things short plus missing another 13 games due to injury. The fact that he signed what amounted to another bridge contract coming off of that signifies that neither side is entirely convinced about what his offensive ceiling may be. If he reverts back to his previous level of production, he’ll be looking at a big pay cut two years from now but continuing at that pace should have him in line for at least a small raise and perhaps more importantly, a long-term deal. Kadri is another player that did well following his change of scenery. While his output didn’t jump like Burakovsky’s, he had a key role on the second line and played extremely well in the playoffs. Impact centers are always in high demand and low supply so even in a deflated marketplace, Kadri should be able to land a decent-sized raise two years from now. Nichushkin’s return to the NHL was a successful one as he was a capable secondary scorer as the change of scenery certainly worked for him as well. Given his relative inexperience, Colorado is certainly hoping that he can still take another step forward offensively. If he doesn’t, it’s hard to see him getting much more than this on his next deal.
Francouz’s first full NHL season was a strong one as he actually outperformed Grubauer from a statistical standpoint (2.41 GAA, .923 SV% compared to 2.63 and .916) with a similar workload. Things weren’t as good for him in the playoffs before injuries forced him out of the lineup as well. His inexperience didn’t give him much leverage in talks but if he performs even close to this level for the next two years, he’ll be well-positioned for another million or more on his next contract.
Three Years Remaining
F J.T. Compher ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Joonas Donskoi ($3.9MM, UFA)
D Ryan Graves ($3.167MM, UFA)
D Erik Johnson ($6MM, UFA)
F Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM, UFA)
MacKinnon’s contract has turned into one of the biggest bargains in the NHL in recent years with three straight seasons of more than 90 points under his belt. As things stand, he should be in a position to command more than $10MM per year on his next deal and considering he’ll still only be 28 at that time, he’s a near-lock for a max-term contract as well (eight years with Colorado, seven years if he goes elsewhere). GM Joe Sakic will certainly be planning around what this deal will cost as he continues to shape his roster. Donskoi’s contract seemed a bit pricey when he signed it although he hit a new career best in points per game last year. Nonetheless, it’s still a bit on the high side and it wouldn’t be too surprising if he would be a player that gets dangled if they want to free up some cap flexibility over the next three years. Compher’s offensive numbers have been relatively consistent over his three full NHL campaigns where he has produced like a third-line center. However, the fact he can play down the middle certainly boosts his value. He’ll need to get into the 40 or more point range to have a chance at landing a bigger deal on the open market.
Johnson’s contract held up better a few years ago than it does now. He once was their top defender but his ice time has been reduced the last couple of seasons while staying healthy has been a challenge. With a no-move clause and an 11-team no-trade clause, this could be a difficult deal to try to get out of, especially as their younger defenders move up the depth chart. Graves fit in well alongside Makar, earning him a big raise after spending the previous two seasons on one-year, two-way contracts. If he can hold down a top-four role, they’ll get a good return on this deal but given his relative inexperience, it does come with some risk as well.
Kirby Dach Named Team Canada Captain
Though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Kirby Dach was officially named team captain today for Canada at the World Junior Championship. The Chicago Blackhawks forward has a full NHL season under his belt and is expected to be one of the most effective players in the entire tournament. He’ll be joined in the leadership group by Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram, who have both been named alternate captains for the event.
The captaincy is often given to a returning player, but Dach actually didn’t get to play for Canada last year because he was too busy with the Blackhawks. The 19-year-old forward was picked third overall in 2019 and stepped nearly directly into the NHL, scoring 23 points in 64 games with Chicago. His play in the postseason bubble was even more impressive when he was one of the most dangerous players on the ice for the Blackhawks and recorded six points in nine games.
Cozens meanwhile returns to the WJC after dominating a year ago, scoring nine points in seven games for Canada to help them win the gold medal. The Buffalo Sabres prospect trailed only Alexis Lafreniere and then-captain Barrett Hayton in scoring for the team and should be another top player for Canada this year. An absolute freight train when he gets up to full speed, Cozens’ size, skating ability, and reach make him an incredibly difficult player to contain.
Byram will wear an “A” and likely anchor the top pairing for Canada after playing a lesser role last year at the tournament. The fourth-overall pick from 2019 has almost limitless upside at the offensive end and should be a big part of Canada’s quick transition game. Another excellent young defenseman in the Colorado Avalanche system, this WJC could certainly be his coming out party in front of the rest of the hockey world.
Arizona Coyotes Expected To Hire Cory Stillman
Dec 15: The Coyotes have officially announced the hiring, bringing Stillman in as an assistant coach. In the release, GM Bill Armstrong explains just why they believe Stillman can help the team:
We are very pleased to have Cory join Rick Tocchet’s coaching staff. Cory was a great player who won back to back Stanley Cups during his career. He is a very good coach who has a strong work ethic and a passion for the game. I’m confident that our players and staff will benefit from his knowledge, insight and expertise.
Dec 14: The Arizona Coyotes have rebuilt the front office and are about to add to their coaching staff as well, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Cory Stillman is expected to be hired as an assistant coach, leaving his job with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL where he served as head coach the last two seasons.
Stillman, 46, had previously worked with the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, serving as director of player development with the latter. As Jeff Marek of Sportsnet points out on Twitter, a move like this comes at an interesting time, given that Stillman coaches his draft-eligible son with the Wolves.
Of course, there is more than just a few years of OHL experience in Stillman, who played more than 1,000 games in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup twice. A member of the hall-0f-very-good, Stillman managed to rack up 727 points in the regular season and even hit the 80-point mark in 2003-04. He has another son, Riley Stillman, who is an NHL player in his own right, playing 34 games this season for the Panthers.
In Arizona, Rick Tocchet remains head coach after managing to lead the club past the Nashville Predators in this summer’s qualification round. While the Coyotes went out with a whimper against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, Tocchet has been reasonably successful, posting winning records with Arizona the past two seasons.
Former Avalanche CEO Pierre Lacroix Passes Away
The Colorado Avalanche fans received some bad news today when TVA’s Renaud Lavoie announced that former longtime Avalanche president and general manager Pierre Lacroix passed away at the age of 72.
The Avalanche released a statement:
It is with great sadness that the Colorado Avalanche organization has learned of the passing of Pierre Lacroix. Pierre was the architect of the Avalanche’s two Stanley Cup championships, which included the city of Denver’s first major sports championship in 1996. Pierre was instrumental in not only the team’s on-ice success but also building the Avalanche brand into what it is today. His legacy reaches far beyond the NHL level and his impact can be felt throughout all of youth hockey in the Rocky Mountain region. Our thoughts are with the Lacroix family during this difficult time, his wife, Colombe, his sons Martin and Eric, and his three grandchildren.
Lacroix was the master builder of two Stanley Cup Champion teams in both 1996 and 2001. He was known as a GM who was only focused on winning during his tenure. He might be best known for his big-time deals before both Stanley Cup championships, including trading for goaltender Patrick Roy during the 1995-96 season and then acquiring Ray Bourque during 1999-2000 and Rob Blake in 2000-01.
The GM was actually named general manager of the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 and traveled with the team on its move to Denver the following year. Lacroix eventually stepped down from his general manager role in 2006 and stayed on as president of the team until 2013 before taking on an advisory role with the team.
Everyone at PHR wishes the best to the family and friends of Lacroix and all who he touched during his life.