Cal Burke Placed On Waivers
Colorado Avalanche
Devils Offered Tomáš Tatar A One Year Contract
Colorado Avalanche forward Tomáš Tatar lingered in free agency peril for most of the summer before he finally signed a one-year deal with the team for $1.5MM. However, he recently told the Boris a Brambor Podcast that the New Jersey Devils had offered him a one-year contract earlier in the offseason.
When discussing the one-year offer from the Devils, Tatar said he wanted more term from the Devils when they made their offer, but only realized later in free agency that a multi-year deal wasn’t possible. By the time he’d changed his mind, the Devils had already acquired forward Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames, making his return to New Jersey improbable.
Given Tatar’s timeline of events, it seems likely the Devils made their offer prior to June 27th when Toffoli was dealt to New Jersey. It’s hard to fault Tatar for thinking he could get a multi-year deal as he was coming off a good season in which he scored 20 goals and 28 assists in 82 games. His run-in free agency was one of the more puzzling things that happened this summer in hockey as he didn’t come close to getting the contract that many pundits predicted he would. The Athletic had Tatar projected to receive a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3.9MM but the flat cap and an underwhelming playoff hurt his earning potential.
Tatar’s situation is not unlike that of Evan Rodrigues last summer, he also signed with Colorado on a one-year deal after lingering in free agency for quite a while. Rodrigues signed a four-year $12MM contract this year with the Florida Panthers, something that Tatar could mimic next summer if he has another good year.
Free agency is often a guessing game, and it is sometimes hard to project who will take a one-year deal and who can get term. Many people were blindsided by which players received term on their new deals (Ryan Reaves) and which players took one-year deals (Jason Zucker). But with the flat cap, free agency has become harder than ever as evidenced by a useful middle six forward like Tatar going more than two months unsigned.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/23
Pretty much any team who hasn’t started their preseason yet will do so tonight, as there’s a solid seven-game slate on the schedule tonight, including a nationally televised battle of New York between the Islanders and Rangers. As most teams do have their legs under them almost one week into training camp, roster cuts continue on the daily, mainly involving players being returned to juniors or being released from PTOs and ATOs after getting a look in preseason action. As always, we’re laser-focused on teams posting their roster moves, and we’re conglomerating them all in one place.
Anaheim Ducks (via The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee)
D Rodwin Dionicio (to Windsor, OHL)
F Connor Hvidston (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Nico Myatovic (to Seattle, WHL)
F Coulson Pitre (to Flint, OHL)
D Vojtech Port (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Konnor Smith (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Yegor Sidorov (to Saskatoon, WHL)
F Carey Terrance (to Erie, OHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release) (additional X link)
F Ryan Dzingel (released from PTO)
F Elliot Ekefjärd (to Europe, team unknown)
D Terrell Goldsmith (to Prince Albert, WHL)
F Patrick Harper (released from PTO to South Carolina, ECHL)
D Olli Juolevi (released from PTO)
D Justin Kipkie (to Victoria, WHL)
F Julian Lutz (to Green Bay, USHL)
D Austin Strand (released from PTO to Chicago, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
D Charles Côté (released from ATO to Rimouski, QMJHL)
D Tyson Galloway (released from ATO to Calgary, WHL)
G Jari Kykkanen (released from ATO to Kelowna, WHL)
F Jaden Lipinski (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Quinn Mantei (released from ATO to Brandon, WHL)
D Donovan McCoy (released from ATO to Peterborough, OHL)
F Oliver Peer (released from ATO to Windsor, OHL)
F Nathan Pilling (released from ATO to Edmonton, WHL)
F Oliver Tulk (released from ATO to Calgary, WHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Jiri Felcman (to SCL Tigers, NL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
F D.J. Busdeker (to Colorado, AHL)
D Gianni Fairbrother (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kyle Mayhew (to Colorado, AHL)
F Cédric Paré (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ryan Sandelin (to Colorado, AHL)
F Dalton Smith (to Colorado, AHL)
G Ivan Zhigalov (to Tri-City, USHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
G Austin Elliott (to Saskatoon, WHL)
G Owen Flores (to Niagara, OHL)
F Kalan Lind (to Red Deer, WHL)
D Dylan MacKinnon (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Austin Roest (to Everett, WHL)
D Graham Sward (to Wenatchee, WHL)
F Joseph Willis (to Saginaw, OHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Cole Brown (to Brantford, OHL)
F Cam Squires (to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
D Matthew Andonovski (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Connor Clattenburg (released from ATO to
D Jorian Donovan (to Brantford, OHL)
D Tomas Hamara (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Jackson Stewart (released from ATO to Owen Sound, OHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
F Denver Barkey (to London, OHL)
D Oliver Bonk (to London, OHL)
F Jonathan Fauchon (released from ATO to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
D Sam Sedley (released from ATO to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Carter Sotheran (to Portland, WHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release)
G Mason Beaupit (to Wenatchee, WHL)
D Luca Cagnoni (to Portland, WHL)
D Ethan Frisch (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jake Furlong (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Félix Gagnon (released from ATO to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
D Roman Kinal (to San Jose, AHL)
F Connor MacEachern (to San Jose, AHL)
F Bradley Marek (to San Jose, AHL)
F Anthony Vincent (to San Jose, AHL)
G Beck Warm (to San Jose, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
F Maxim Andreev (released from PTO to Coachella Valley, AHL)
G Jaxon Castor (released from PTO to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to Tri-City, WHL)
F Jagger Firkus (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
F David Goyette (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Kaden Hammell (to Everett, WHL)
F Kyle Jackson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Andrei Loshko (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Carson Rehkopf (to Kitchener, OHL)
F Eduard Sale (to Barrie, OHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)
D Noah Chadwick (to Lethbridge, WHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release)
F Marc Gatcomb (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Jonathan Lemieux (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Jermaine Loewen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Chad Nychuk (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Karel Plasek (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Cooper Walker (released from ATO to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Dmitry Zlodeyev (to Abbotsford, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via CapFriendly’s transactions log)
D Joe Fleming (to Henderson, AHL)
F Mason Primeau (to Henderson, AHL)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to Sarnia, OHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
G Domenic DiVincentiis (to North Bay, OHL)
F Jacob Julien (to London, OHL)
D Simon Kubicek (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
F Connor Levis (to Kamloops, WHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (released from PTO to Manitoba, AHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Avalanche View Kurtis MacDermid As A Forward
According to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, the Avalanche view MacDermid as a forward, not a defenseman, and discussed that sort of change at the end of last season. The change might suit MacDermid as he ages, as his lack of speed would be less likely to be exposed were he a winger rather than a defenseman potentially left to defend against aggressive rushing attackers. MacDermid is playing out the final season of a $987k AAV deal, meaning this position change could also have a financial implication as well, as if it allows him to get into the NHL lineup more regularly (he played in a little over half the Avalanche’s games last season) he could be in a better position hitting the open market.
Devon Toews Wants To Finish Career In Colorado
The Athletic’s Peter Baugh recently shared that defender Devon Toews expressed interest in staying with the Colorado Avalanche through the end of his career. However, Toews also mentioned that he doesn’t want contract extension talks to continue into the regular season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman weighed in on this in the recent 32 Thoughts podcast, sharing that, in his experiences, whether negotiations carry into the season or not can be a good indicator of how close the team and player are. Friedman said, “We’ll see how long they continue to try. If they don’t negotiate into the season that says to me they aren’t close.”
The Avalanche acquired Toews in a 2020 trade with the New York Islanders, sending second-round picks in the 2021 and 2022 NHL Drafts. New York kept the latter pick, drafting Calle Odelius, but traded the former selection to the Arizona Coyotes along with a slew of picks to incentivize Arizona to take Andrew Ladd. Arizona used the pick to select J.J. Moser, who has already appeared in 125 games with the NHL club.
Toews has been a stout part of Colorado’s defense since 2020, recording 138 points in 199 regular season games with the Avs. He also factored heavily into the team’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, ranking second among the team’s defensemen in scoring with 15 points in 20 games. He also averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game during the Cup run, confidently cemented on the team’s top line.
Toews’ current cap hit is $4.1MM and, as Friedman mentions, there’s a good chance that he could make more if he were to go to the open market. Toews’ interest seems to be firm with Colorado but if contract talks stall during the season, there’s no telling where Toews may end up.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Brandon Kozun To PTO
The Colorado Avalanche have signed former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brandon Kozun to a PTO, according to their training camp roster released yesterday. Kozun replaces Saku Maenalanen in camp, who Colorado released from his PTO yesterday after failing his physical.
Even diehard NHL fans might have a hard time remembering Kozun, a 2009 sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings who eventually got his NHL shot with the Maple Leafs for 20 games in the 2014-15 season. A member of the now-forgotten pre-Auston Matthews era of Leafs hockey, the 5-foot-8 winger departed for Europe immediately after making his NHL debut, where he’s remained ever since.
Over the past eight seasons, Kozun has played exclusively in the KHL aside from the 2021-22 campaign, spent with the Swiss National League’s HC Ambrì-Piotta. He’s been rather productive in the process, recording 257 points in 347 games across stints with Jokerit Helsinki, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Dinamo Minsk. Kozun was, at one point, one of the best North American skaters playing overseas – translating into an Olympic appearance for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. There, he recorded two assists in five games.
Given that track record, although his production has begun to trail off slightly at age 33, there’s a decent shot of him earning a contract with AHL Colorado at a minimum. The team is a little short on veteran depth for their minor-league affiliate, especially with the news that offseason signing Chris Wagner will be out through the new year after sustaining an Achilles injury this summer.
It’s likely unreasonable to expect him to turn this PTO into adding to his career NHL games played total, but stranger things have happened, and the Avalanche are quickly garnering a reputation as an injury-prone squad. Kozun is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he captained Minsk and recorded 24 points in 41 games. Despite his size, he does play with an edge and is a skilled passer.
Avalanche Notes: Toews, Cogliano, Manson, Wagner, Maenalanen
Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews told reporters including Bennett Durando of The Denver Post that the two sides had some discussions about a possible contract extension. The 29-year-old has dominated over the past two seasons, reaching the 50-point mark both times while logging over 25 minutes a night. That’s the type of stat line for a number one defenseman but Toews is being paid nowhere near there with the AAV on his expiring deal checking in at $4.1MM; it wouldn’t be surprising to see him double that on a long-term contract. Toews also made it known that his desire is to remain with Colorado but with the big-ticket deals they have on the books and Mikko Rantanen being UFA-eligible in 2025, it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to accommodate Toews’ preference.
More from Colorado:
- Forward Andrew Cogliano will take part in training camp but is unlikely to suit up in the preseason, relays NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding (Twitter thread). He suffered a fractured vertebra in the playoffs against Seattle and it stands to reason that the Avs will opt to be careful with the 36-year-old who signed a one-year, $825K deal with them earlier this offseason.
- Over the weekend, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that the expectation for defenseman Josh Manson would be that he’d be ready for the start of camp. While he’ll be able to meet that timeline, Bednar told Boulding that Manson is dealing with a lower-body injury and won’t be 100% recovered. The 31-year-old battled injuries last season and was limited to just 27 games where he had 10 points but was limited to just 17:41 per game, a career low.
- Offseason signing Chris Wagner won’t be able to push for a roster spot after all as Bednar told Boulding that the forward ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out until sometime in 2024. The 32-year-old has 360 career NHL games under his belt and could have fit in on a new-look fourth line but instead, he’ll miss at least the first half of the season.
- Saku Maenalanen was supposed to push for a roster spot while playing on a PTO but Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the winger failed his physical and has been released from his deal. The 29-year-old had 10 points in 64 games with Winnipeg last season and will now look to catch on elsewhere. Peter Holland and Joel Kiviranta are the remaining PTO forwards that will be aiming to secure a contract with the Avalanche.
Colorado Avalanche Had Interest In Mikael Backlund
The Colorado Avalanche contacted the Calgary Flames about trading for veteran two-way center Mikael Backlund earlier this summer, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his 32 Thoughts written column Tuesday.
Friedman notes these discussions took place before Colorado eventually filled their center vacancies by acquiring Ryan Johansen and the rights to Ross Colton in trades with the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively. Colorado was in need of center depth after it became apparent they weren’t going to keep J.T. Compher, who filled in at second-line center after Nazem Kadri departed during the 2022 free agency period. Compher would sign a rather rich five-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1.
The Flames were likely less open to moving Backlund at the time than they might be now. This was before Backlund said in multiple interviews that his willingness to re-sign with the only NHL organization he’s ever known was contingent on the team’s success this season. He’s just one of many high-end pending UFAs on the Flames roster, a list that also notably includes Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and Chris Tanev.
Backlund, while he’ll be 35 before next season ends, can still shoulder second-line minutes and would’ve been an ideal fit on a team with as much high-end wing depth in the top six as Colorado. He would’ve gotten to play with at least one out of a pair of extremely formidable two-way wingers in Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin, potentially forming one of the deadliest dual-threat trios in the league. However, his stock is at an all-time high after registering a career-high 56 points last season and averaging over 18 minutes per game. For comparison, they acquired Johansen and Colton for a combined return of the signing rights to Alex Galchenyuk and a second-round pick – it likely would’ve cost much more to pry Backlund away from Calgary.
Colorado Avalanche Eyeing Goalie Market
09/19/23: Yesterday, Adrian Dater wrote on X confirming that the Avalanche are indeed “looking for new backup goalie.” He named Halak and DeSmith as options, as well as Calgary Flames netminder Daniel Vladar.
Vladar is an interesting case as the motivation from the Flames to deal him would in all likelihood be in order to clear an NHL spot for top goalie prospect Dustin Wolf. Wolf has accomplished just about everything a goalie could hope to accomplish in the AHL save for a Calder Cup title, posting a 77-20-7 record and .927 save percentage there. He’s a two-time AHL goalie of the year and the reigning AHL MVP, so it’s understandable that the Flames would want to give him a clear path in the NHL next to starter Jacob Markstrom.
What could complicate a Vladar trade is the fact that Vladar is making $2.2mM for the next two seasons, and struggled to the tune of a .895 save percentage last season.
09/14/23: Earlier this afternoon, Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that the Colorado Avalanche will likely be without regular backup goaltender Pavel Francouz to start the year, as the goaltender has not yet fully recovered from an offseason adductor surgery. In one minor comparable to the Gabriel Landeskog situation, the timeline of Francouz’s recovery is seemingly unclear.
As an internal candidate to take over the backup role in Colorado, young netminder Justus Annunen would be the likeliest candidate. Of all the goaltenders in the Avalanche organization, he is one of only three with NHL playing experience, having played in four games over the last two seasons, posting a 2-1-1 record, carrying a .859 SV% and a 3.92 GAA. His numbers in the AHL have been markedly better but he has not struck much confidence at the top level, even with limited playing time, making it unlikely that Colorado will pick him as their second goalie.
In late June, veteran netminder, Jaroslav Halak, indicated that he is committed to playing for the 2023-24 NHL season, despite still finding himself on the free agent market. With little interest in his services up to this point, this may be the situation that Halak had been waiting for. With approximately $500K in cap space after putting Landeskog on LTIR to start the season, if Francouz also finds himself on LTIR to start the year, the Avalanche would have ample space to bring in Halak as a stopgap.
Lastly, in the trade market, the most obvious trade connection for Colorado comes from the Canadian Northeast. Only a few weeks ago, it became public knowledge that after acquiring goaltender Casey DeSmith from the Pittsburgh Penguins due to their involvement in the Erik Karlsson trade, the Montreal Canadiens have committed to finding a different landing spot for him. Last year, as a backup to Tristan Jarry in Pittsburgh, DeSmith posted a 15-16-4 record in 38 games, with a .905 SV% and a 3.17 GAA. Although the backup goaltender position does not typically carry the highest of expectations, DeSmith would likely improve upon those numbers behind a much more capable Colorado defense.
Nevertheless, even in the case of Francouz’s potential placement on LTIR, the Avalanche are going to be a bit close to the cap to start the year and will have to get creative in this situation. Relying heavily on goaltender Alexandar Georgiev last season, if the backup goaltending situation stagnates in Colorado, Georgiev could potentially see even more than 62 starts as he did last season.
Nikolai Kovalenko Could Join Avalanche After KHL Season
Colorado Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland spoke with the DNVR Podcast recently regarding forward prospect Nikolai Kovalenko. During the interview MacFarland spoke about the team’s excitement when the Russian signed his two-year entry-level contract, and that they were going to be paying a lot of attention to his play over the next few months. MacFarland said the plan is to have Kovalenko come over at the expiration of his current season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and where he ends up is wide open.
The 23-year-old is on a tear to start the season with three goals and five assists in six games and is coming off a season in which he posted 21 goals and 33 assists in 56 games. He has been dressing as a regular in the KHL since 2017-18 but hasn’t been much of an offensive threat until the past two seasons. His case could be that of a late bloomer as teams didn’t really project this much offensive upside for Kovalenko, which might explain why he fell to the Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL entry draft.
Kovalenko was born in the United States when his father Andrei Kovalenko was an NHLer with the Carolina Hurricanes but was ultimately raised in Russia and has played hockey there throughout his career. From 2015-2018 Kovalenko played in the MHL which is Russia’s junior league. He dressed in 72 games notching 17 goals and 33 assists while helping Yaroslavl win back-to-back MHL championships.
Kovalenko may be a long shot to make the Avalanche when he does come over to North America next year. Colorado identified their forward depth as an area of concern this summer and made several moves to address it by acquiring Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood, and Tomas Tatar through free agency, as well as Ross Colton and Ryan Johansen via trade.