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Training Camp Cuts: 10/02/18

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At 4pm today every team in the league must submit their final roster of 23 players, meaning several around the league still have a few final cuts to make before the season begins. As always, we’ll keep track of all those moves right here:

Anaheim Ducks (per team Twitter update)

F Joseph Blandisi (to San Diego, AHL)
D Jaycob Megna (to San Diego, AHL)

Calgary Flames (per team release)

F Andrew Mangiapane (to Stockton, AHL)
F Anthony Peluso (to Stockton, AHL)
D Rasmus Andersson (to Stockton, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Stockton, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

F Logan O’Connor (to Colorado, AHL)
D David Warsofsky (to Colorado, AHL)
D Mark Alt (to Colorado, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Alex Broadhurst (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Matiss Kivlenieks (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (per team release)

F Justin Dowling (to Texas, AHL)
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Texas, AHL)
D Joel Hanley (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team release)

F/D Luke Witkowski (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Joe Hicketts (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Filip Hronek (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

D Ethan Bear (to Bakersfield, AHL) – Immediately recalled after Andrej Sekera was placed on long-term injured reserve.

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

F Emerson Etem (released from PTO)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

D Ryan Murphy (to Iowa, AHL)
F Matt Read (to Iowa, AHL)

New York Islanders (per team release)

F Jan Kovar (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Devon Toews (to Bridgeport, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (per team release)

D Christian Jaros (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Taylor Leier (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (per team release)

F Dylan Gambrell (to San Jose, AHL)
F Lukas Radil (to San Jose, AHL)
G Antoine Bibeau (to San Jose, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (per team release)

F Chris Thorburn (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Zachary Sanford (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Jake Walman (to San Antonio, AHL)
G Ville Husso (to San Antonio, AHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

F Daniel Carr (to Chicago, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (to Chicago, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team release)

D Jonas Siegenthaler (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (per team release)

D Logan Stanley (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Tucker Poolman (to Manitoba, AHL)

Training Camp Cuts: 10/01/18

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The regular season is just around the corner, and teams are making the very final cuts to their opening night roster. Almost two dozen players have also been placed on waivers today, though they can’t actually be assigned until they clear tomorrow. We’ll keep track of all the final moves right here:

Boston Bruins (per team release)

F Peter Cehlarik (to Providence, AHL)
F Trent Frederic (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

F Alexander Nylander (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brendan Guhle (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brandon Hickey (to Rochester, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Kevin Stenlund (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Jonathan Davidsson (to Djurgardens, Sweden)

Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski, NHL.com)

G Landon Bow (to Texas, AHL)
G Colton Point (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter)

D Dylan McIlrath (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Matt Puempel (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Lane Zablocki (to Kelowna, WHL)

Florida Panthers (per George Richards, The Athletic)

F Henrik Borgstrom (to Springfield, AHL)
F Juho Lammikko (to Springfield, AHL)
F Dryden Hunt (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Springfield, AHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kale Clague (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kurtis MacDermid (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cal Petersen (to Ontario, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Mike Liambas (to Iowa, AHL)
F Kyle Rau (to Iowa, AHL)
F Matt Read (to Iowa, AHL)
D Matt Bartkowski (to Iowa, AHL)
D Josh Thrower (to Iowa, AHL)
G Andrew Hammond (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

F Kenny Agostino (to Laval, AHL)
F Michael Chaput (to Laval, AHL)

Nashville Predators (per team release)

F Colin Blackwell (to Milwaukee, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Zach Aston-Reese (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Zach Trotman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (per team release)

F Michael Spacek (to Manitoba, AHL)

2018-19 Season Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets

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With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last Season: 45-30-7 record (97 points), fourth in the Metropolitan Division (lost in the first round of the playoffs to Washington)

Remaining Cap Space: $5.61MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: D Adam Clendening (free agent, Chicago), F Anthony Duclair (free agent, Chicago), F Riley Nash (free agent, Boston)

Key Subtractions: F Matt Calvert (free agent, Colorado), D Taylor Chorney (free agent, Lugano, NLA), D Ian Cole (free agent, Colorado), D Jack Johnson (free agent, Pittsburgh), F Thomas Vanek (free agent, Detroit)

[Related: Blue Jackets Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: D Zach Werenski – While Werenski had a down year offensively relative to his rookie campaign, his all-around game took a step forward while he was trusted to play more minutes.  Now, he heads into 2018-19 with a fair bit of pressure on him.

For starters, he will likely take on an even greater workload with Seth Jones out to start the season and will be asked to take on more of a role offensively as well.  As their depth is a little weaker this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him approach the 24 minutes per game mark, the type of ice time that’s reserved for the best defenseman on the team.

How he handles it will go a long way towards helping shape his next contract.  While Werenski is undoubtedly looking at a significant raise already next summer (as a restricted free agent without arbitration rights), ascending into a true number one role would set him up for potentially one of the bigger post-ELC deals we’ve seen.  Needless to say, there’s a lot riding on this season for the 21-year-old.

Key Storyline: In a time where teams are moving quickly to lock up their top pending unrestricted free agents as soon as possible, it isn’t very often now that one remains unsigned heading into the season.  It’s very rare for a team to have two prominent potential UFAs but that’s the case in Columbus when it comes to winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Panarin’s camp has already indicated to the team that he doesn’t have interest in signing there on a max-term deal and had set a deadline of the start of training camp for any extension negotiations.  As things stand, it certainly appears as if he’s heading for the open market in July.

Bobrovsky’s case isn’t quite so clear.  He’s looking to become among the top-paid goalies in the league and his performance the last couple of years should have him in that mix.  Is he willing to sign an extension (and are the Blue Jackets willing to pay the asking price)?

If Columbus is in the playoff mix by the trade deadline, they’re going to have some interesting decisions to make.  Do they use both players as internal rentals and run the risk of losing them for nothing to make a run?  Or, do they deal them for the best return they can get and opt to forego short-term success for longer-term assets?  This is going to be one of the more intriguing stories around the league to follow this season.

Overall Outlook: For the most part, the Blue Jackets are bringing back the same roster as last season and that team was good enough to be in the mix for one of the three divisional playoff spots right to the very end.  It’s hard to imagine that this won’t be the case again at least up until the trade deadline when they’ll have to make a call on what to do with Panarin and Bobrovsky.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18

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It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)

F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)

G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)

F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)

D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)

D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)

D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)

F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)

Eastern Notes: Tkachuk, Formenton, Nylander, Carrick, Bobrovsky, Knight

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The Ottawa Senators were always planning on bringing in a group of young talent to join their NHL team this year and when Senators’ head coach Guy Boucher said that his forwards were set to start the year, Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas tweets that means that forwards Brady Tkachuk and Alex Formenton made the team.

While neither player’s appearance on the roster is much of a surprise, the team has been impressed with Tkachuk’s offensive and physical play as well as the impressive speed that Formenton adds. Tkachuk, the team’s fourth-overall pick in the 2018 draft, and Formenton, a second-round pick in the 2017 draft, both are expected to take on significant roles for a team that many feel could finish at the bottom of the league this season. Formenton made the team out of training camp last year, but appeared in just one game before being returned to his junior team.

  • The Hurricanes were among the teams to inquire regarding the availability of Maple Leafs winger William Nylander, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in an appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link).  However, Toronto GM Kyle Dubas informed them (and other seekers) that they have no intention of dealing the restricted free agent.  LeBrun also suggested that an offer sheet for the 22-year-old is quite unlikely given Toronto’s cap space for 2018-19 and the fact that a lot of the teams that could afford him and have the requisite picks to surrender are far from postseason locks; they probably won’t want to risk potentially losing a lottery pick.
  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reports that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said that he will know his roster by tonight, with final cuts coming tomorrow. One person who has an uncertain future with Toronto is defenseman Connor Carrick, who according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton, is facing an uphill battle to making the team. When asked if he’s spoken to Babcock, Carrick’s responded: “We haven’t talked much. I’m not sure there’s a ton to talk about.”
  • Brian Hedger of NHL.com asked Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who could be a potential unrestricted free agent next season, whether it is easy to keep the business and hockey sides separate. His answer: “Yeah, well, we’ll see. I’m a human too. I’ve developed some skills, some mental skills, some technical skills, so I’m a human … it is what it is.” The 29-year-old Bobrovsky is believed to be asking for a contract equal or surpassing the eight-year, $84MM deal that Montreal handed to Carey Price last offseason. Negotiations haven’t gotten very far.
  • Despite an impressive preseason, veteran AHL’er Corban Knight will not make the Philadelphia Flyers’ opening day roster after all after the team announced that Knight will miss the next three weeks with an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old forward has played in 291 AHL contests over his career, compared to just 29 NHL games and was one of the last players fighting for a roster spot before being injured.

Ryan Murray (Groin) Won't Be Available To Start The Season

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  • Columbus is already down one regular blueliner in Seth Jones and now they will be missing a second to start the season. Brian Hedger of the Blue Jackets’ team site notes that blueliner Ryan Murray is expected to miss the next couple of weeks due to a soft-tissue groin injury.  The 25-year-old has dealt with injury issues in four of his five NHL seasons and it could very well become five out of six.  Meanwhile, forward Alex Broadhurst is dealing with an undisclosed injury that is preventing him from being placed on waivers to be sent to Cleveland of the AHL.

Eleven Players Recalled In Advance Of Saturday's Preseason Finale

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Blue Jackets Sign Michael Prapavessis

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4:12 PM: Columbus has confirmed the signing (Twitter link).  Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

2:13 PM: The Blue Jackets are expected to sign defenseman Michael Prapavessis to an entry-level contract, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link).  This would represent an upgrade on the minor league deal he signed with the team last week.

The 22-year-old was a fourth-round pick (105th overall) of Dallas back in 2014 but the Stars opted against signing him to an entry-level deal following the conclusion of his collegiate career which made him an unrestricted free agent last month.  In four years at RPI, Prapavessis collected seven goals and 55 assists in 154 games along with 80 PIMS and a -46 rating.

He played well enough in college to earn an ECHL deal late in 2017-18 and he got into 11 games with Cincinnati, picking up a pair of helpers.  That helped earn him an invite to the rookie tournament with Columbus and he has now apparently worked his way up to an NHL two-way deal.  That’s a nice turn of events for someone that was let go by his original team less than six weeks ago.

Blue Jackets Sign Mark Letestu To A One-Year Contract

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Center Mark Letestu is returning to the Blue Jackets.  The team announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year, two-way contract and have placed him on waivers for the purpose of sending him to their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the deal will pay $750K at the NHL level, $300K in the minors, and contains a guarantee of $350K.

The 33-year-old spent most of last season with Edmonton before being dealt to Columbus in advance of the trade deadline to give them some more depth down the middle.  Between the two teams, he played in 80 games, scoring nine goals and 14 assists while averaging 12:51 per night in ice time.  However, that was a big drop in his production as in 2016-17, he collected 35 points (16-19-35, a career high) and that likely played a role in him not landing a guaranteed deal until now.  Letestu attended training camp with Florida but was cut earlier this week.

The veteran is still an above average player at the faceoff dot, winning 53.3% of his draws last season and has a career mark of 52.1%.  Accordingly, when the Blue Jackets suffer an injury or two down the middle, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them turn to Letestu as they know he can hold down a fourth line role without too much trouble, assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed on Friday.

NHL Eyeing Columbus For Outdoor Game?

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Could an outdoor NHL game be coming to Columbus, Ohio? NHL commissioner Gary Bettman seemed to hint that it could be a possibility on Tuesday night, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. While the Blue Jackets’ efforts to host an outdoor game have continually been spurned, Bettman suggested that the league has considered the city for a future contest.

“It’s obvious that the (Blue Jackets are) competitive, that they’re playing exciting hockey and the fans are reacting in positive ways,” Bettman said. “It’s even at the point internally — we’re not there yet — (but) we’ve even started focusing on the possibility of an outdoor game. We view Columbus as a great success story.”

The organization is clearly ready for a bigger stage, especially after they made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in team history. They also hosted a successful All Star weekend back in 2015. The team would push to hold the game at Ohio Stadium, the home of the Ohio State football team. Portzline notes that it’s uncertain if the school would be willing to host, although the 100,000-plus capacity would certainly be enticing to Bettman.

“Other than six or seven teams, every (NHL) team has participated (in an outdoor game),” Bettman said. “We look for a mix. Part of it is to assure we get a national (TV) rating. Part of it is to ensure that when we play in a 70,000-seat facility there’s no doubt it will be sold out. We try to be opportunistic. It’s a function of market. It’s a function of team history and fan base, and it’s a function of performance at the time.”

Bettman cautioned that the league hasn’t taken any tangible steps in bringing an outdoor game to Columbus, but it is the first time the commissioner has openly spoken about the topic.

The Bruins and Blackhawks will participate in the “Winter Classic” at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana on New Years Day. The Penguins and Flyers will later face off in February at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly.

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