Fifteen Players Placed On Waivers
Another busy day on the waiver wire as 15 players were placed on waivers today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). No players was claimed from yesterday’s group of 16 players, but with the regular season fast approaching, teams are continuing to make big decisions.
F Justin Bailey (Buffalo)
F Nicholas Baptiste (Buffalo)
F Riley Barber (Washington)
D Matt Bartkowski (Minnesota)
F Patrick Brown (Carolina)
F Erik Condra (Dallas)
G Andrew Hammond (Minnesota)
F Mike Liambas (Minnesota)
D Evan McEneny (Vancouver)
F Greg McKegg (Carolina)
F Michael Mersch (Dallas)
F Liam O’Brien (Washington)
F Kyle Rau (Minnesota)
F Matt Read (Minnesota)
F Anton Rodin (Anaheim) — placed on unconditional waivers (per Lavoie)
D Matt Tennyson (Buffalo)
There are a few interesting names, including the “Hamburglar,” who lost his bid to unseat goaltender Alex Stalock as the backup goaltender in Minnesota. Hammond hasn’t been a full-time backup since the 2015-16 season, but has shown flashes of brilliance when he’s hot, including getting into three playoff appearances for Colorado last year. One of those games, Game 5, Hammond stopped 44 of 45 shots in leading the Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. However, he wasn’t able to keep that success going as he yielded five goals the following game as Colorado was eliminated.
The 23-year-old Bailey is another interesting player who has worked his way up level-by-level and was on the border of a regular spot. Bailey has had three stints in the NHL now and last year’s was one of the more successful ones has he tallied three goals and four points in 12 games. Baptiste is another 23-year-old in Buffalo, who got an even longer look with the Sabres, 33 games, but only managed four goals in that time.
Read is another player with tons of experience. The 32-year-old had played quite a bit in the NHL before struggling to get playing time in Philadelphia, while the 25-year-old Rau posted 23 goals in Iowa last season in the AHL.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/18
With the season-opening roster deadline fast approaching, many teams will be putting the final touches to their rosters this weekend so another busy day of cuts is expected. We’ll keep tabs on the non-waiver roster cuts here and update this post throughout the day.
Boston Bruins (via CapFriendly)
G Zane McIntyre (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team Tweet)
D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
D Michal Cajkovsky (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Janne Kuokkanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Saku Maenalanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Nicolas Roy (to Charlotte, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge)
F Denis Gurianov (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Jake Chelios (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Patrik Rybar (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per CapFriendly)
G Al Montoya (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Springfield, AHL)
D Julian Melchiori (to Springfield, AHL)
New York Rangers (per CapFriendly)
D Chris Bigras (to Hartford, AHL)
F Peter Holland (to Hartford, AHL)
G Marek Mazanec (to Hartford, AHL)
F Cole Schneider (to Hartford, AHL)
G Dustin Tokarski (to Hartford, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via CapFriendly)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Utica, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via TSN’s Brian Munz)
F Dennis Everberg (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Manitoba, AHL)
F J.C. Lipon (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Nicolas Kerdiles (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Manitoba, AHL)
Training Camp Cuts: 9/28/18
With season-opening rosters due just a few days from now, quite a few more cuts are expected today around the league. We’ll keep tabs on these moves here and will update this post throughout the day.
Please note that this list does not include players placed on waivers today. That group of players can be found here.
Anaheim Ducks (via Eric Stephens of The Athletic)
D Simon Benoit (to San Diego, AHL)
G Kevin Boyle (to San Diego, AHL)
F Sam Carrick (to San Diego, AHL)
G Jared Coreau (to San Diego, AHL)
F Chase De Leo (to San Diego, AHL)
D Jacob Larsson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Steven Oleksy (to San Diego, AHL)
D Josh Mahura (to San Diego, AHL)
F Anton Rodin (to San Diego, AHL)
F Corey Tropp (to San Diego, AHL)
D Andy Welinski (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Ryan Fitzgerald (to Providence, AHL)
F Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (to Providence, AHL)
F Jakub Lauko (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Jordan Szwarz (to Providence, AHL)
D Jakub Zboril (to Providence, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge)
D Dillon Heatherington (to Texas, AHL)
D Reece Scarlett (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
F Wade Megan (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team Twitter)
F Kevin Rooney (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Ty Smith (to Spokane, WHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter)
F Lias Andersson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Steven Fogarty (to Hartford, AHL)
D Libor Hajek (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ryan Lindgren (to Hartford, AHL)
F Michael Lindqvist (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ville Meskanen (to Hartford, AHL)
D Rob O’Gara (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team Twitter)
F Filip Chlapik (to Belleville, AHL)
D Christian Wolanin (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
F Tyrell Goulbourne (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Carsen Twarynski (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F Mason Appleton (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Eric Comrie (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Sami Niku (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jansen Harkins (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Skyler McKenzie (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Nelson Nogier (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Peter Stoykewych (to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (to Manitoba, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)
F Maximilian Kammerer (to Hershey, AHL)
Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/18
With the season now less than a week away, teams are getting closer to finalizing their opening rosters. We’ll keep tabs of the players getting cut here.
Note that this list does not include players that were placed on waivers today. Those can be found here.
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Rasmus Asplund (to Rochester, AHL)
D Will Borgen (to Rochester, AHL)
F Victor Olofsson (to Rochester, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F Cody Bass (released from PTO)
D Sergei Boikov (to Colorado, AHL)
G Pavel Francouz (to Colorado, AHL)
F Martin Kaut (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ty Lewis (to Colorado, AHL)
F Igor Shvyrev (to Colorado, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge)
D John Nyberg (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
RW Colin Campbell (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Carter Camper (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Marcus Crawford (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Turner Elson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Kaden Fulcher (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Matthew Ford (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Trevor Hamilton (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Axel Holmstrom (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Dominik Shine (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D MacKenze Stewart (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
LW Chris Terry (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Trevor Yates (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter)
F Ryan McLeod (to Mississauga, OHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Bokondji Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F Sam Anas (to Iowa, AHL)
F Alexander Khovanov (to Moncton, QMJHL)
F Justin Kloos (to Iowa, AHL)
D Carson Soucy (to Iowa, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team Twitter)
F Bobby Butler (released from PTO)
F Gabriel Fontaine (to Hartford, AHL)
F Tim Gettinger (to Hartford, AHL)
D John Gilmour (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ryan Gropp (to Hartford, AHL)
F Drew Melanson (released from PTO)
San Jose Sharks (per Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News)
D Ryan Merkley (to Guelph, OHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Adam Gaudette (to Utica, AHL)
D Olli Juolevi (to Utica, AHL)
In addition, F Brendan Gaunce will be placed on waivers on Friday.
Vegas Golden Knights (per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
D Erik Brannstrom (to Chicago, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)
D Tyler Lewington (to Hershey, AHL)
G Ilya Samsonov (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
F Sergei Shumakov (to Hershey, AHL)
G Vitek Vanecek (to Hershey, AHL)
Training Camp Cuts: 9/23/18
As training camps roll on, teams continue to thin the herd. Yesterday saw twelve different teams make substantial cuts and the same can be expected today. The Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning got things started early this morning, but we’ll keep track of cuts right here throughout the day:
Arizona Coyotes (via team release)
F Brayden Burke (to Tucson, AHL)
F Trevor Cheek (to Tucson, AHL)
F Matteo Gennaro (to Tucson, AHL)
F Adam Helewka (to Tucson, AHL)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
G Merrick Madsen (to Tucson, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
F Tyler Randell (to Rochester, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
F Nick Caamano (to Texas, AHL)
F Tony Calderone (to Texas, AHL)
G Philippe Desrosiers (to Texas, AHL)
D Ben Gleason (to Texas, AHL)
D Shane Hanna (released from PTO)
D Niklas Hansson (to Texas, AHL)
F Samuel Laberge (released from PTO)
F Joel L’Esperance (to Texas, AHL)
F Colin Markison (released from PTO)
D Chris Martenet (to Texas, AHL)
F Adam Mascherin (to Texas, AHL)
F Robbie Payne (released from ATO)
F James Phelan (released from ATO)
G Colton Point (to Texas, AHL)
D Ondrej Vala (to Texas, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
D Alex Lintuniemi (to Ontario, AHL)
F Zack Mitchell (to Ontario, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
D Frederic Allard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Alexandre Carrier (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Donovan (released from PTO)
D Jack Dougherty (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Jeremy Gregoire (released from PTO)
F Tanner Jeannot (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Justin Kirkland (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Matt Lane (released from PTO)
D Joonas Lyytinen (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Thomas McCollum (released from PTO)
F Zachary Magwood (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tyler Moy (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mathieu Olivier (released from PTO)
F Alex Overhardt (released from PTO)
F Carl Persson (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Emil Pettersson (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Filip Pyrochta (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Anthony Richard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Miroslav Svoboda (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Yakov Trenin (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release & team Twitter)
F Brandon Baddock (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Nathan Bastian (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Jocktan Chainey (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Brandon Gignac (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Josh Jacobs (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Cam Johnson (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Michael Kapla (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Akira Schmid (to Lethbridge, WHL)
F Yegor Sharangovich (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colby Sissons (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Blake Speers (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colton White (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Islanders (via team Twitter)
D Kyle Burroughs (to Bridgeport, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release)
F Rudolfs Balcers (to Belleville, AHL)
F Drake Batherson (to Belleville, AHL)
F Logan Brown (to Belleville, AHL)
D Andreas Englund (to Belleville, AHL)
D Macoy Erkamps (to Belleville, AHL)
F Gabriel Gagne (to Belleville, AHL)
G Filip Gustavsson (to Belleville, AHL)
G Marcus Hogberg (to Belleville, AHL)
F Joseph Labate (to Belleville, AHL)
F Boston Leier (to Belleville, AHL)
F Aaron Luchuk (to Belleville, AHL)
D Stuart Percy (to Belleville, AHL)
F Jack Rodewald (to Belleville, AHL)
F Ryan Scarfo (to Belleville, AHL)
F Andrew Sturtz (to Belleville, AHL)
F Chase Balisy (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
D Julius Bergman (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
D Erik Burgdoerfer (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
F Nick Paul (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
F Ben Sexton (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
D Patrick Sieloff (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
F Adam Tambellini (waivers, for purpose of Belleville, AHL)
F Jack Skille (released from PTO)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Anthony Angello (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Teddy Blueger (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Joseph Cramarossa (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Thomas Di Pauli (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Stefan Elliott (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
F Ryan Haggerty (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jimmy Hayes (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
F Adam Johnson (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Lafferty (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Tobias Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
F Sam Miletic (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G John Muse (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
D Will O’Neill (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Linus Olund (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Ethan Prow (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
D Chris Summers (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
D Jeff Taylor (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Garrett Wilson (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL pending waivers)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
F Tim Clifton (placed on waivers for purpose of sending to San Jose)
D Nick DeSimone (to San Jose, AHL)
D Cavan Fitzgerald (to San Jose, AHL)
F Noah Gregor (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
F Maxim Letunov (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jake McGrew (to Spokane, WHL)
D Jacob Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
F Francis Perron (to San Jose, AHL)
F Vincent Praplan (to San Jose, AHL)
F Lukas Radil (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jeremy Roy (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alex True (to San Jose, AHL)
F Manuel Wiederer (to San Jose, AHL)
D Kyle Wood (to San Jose, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Olivier Archambault (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Corbin Boes (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Troy Bourke (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Michael Bournival (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Brady Brassart (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ross Colton (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Cal Foote (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Cameron Gaunce (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Connor Ingram (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Boris Katchouk (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Hubert Labrie (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexey Lipanov (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Kevin Lynch (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Dominik Masin (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Eddie Pasquale (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Taylor Raddysh (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Otto Somppi (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Oleg Sosunov (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Matt Spencer (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jonne Tammela (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Ben Thomas (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Carter Verhaeghe (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walcott (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Dennis Yan (to Syracuse, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma)
D Guillaume Brisebois (to Utica, AHL)
D Jalen Chatfield (to Utica, AHL)
F Jonathan Dahlen (to Utica, AHL)
F Petrus Palmu (to Utica, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)
D Nic Hague (to Chicago, AHL)
D Keegan Kolesar (to Chicago, AHL)
Central Notes: MacKinnon, Jokiharju, Boqvist, Honka
The Colorado Avalanche had a phenomenal turnaround season last year after many years where the team was considered among the bottom-fodder of the league. Yet in one year, the team now looks like an ever-improving playoff team that is definitely heading in the right direction. The team also has one more thing going for them — that’s Nathan MacKinnon, who in one year also has established himself into one of the top players in the league after posting 39 goals and 97 points last season. The 23-year-old is also, fortunately for the team, locked up for five more years at a very reasonable $6.3MM AAV.
In fact, the young superstar told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post that the money isn’t an issue for him even though he could make a salary much closer to that of Edmonton Oilers’ center Connor McDavid‘s $12.5MM contract if he was a free agent right now.
“If I was up, I would ask for more than what I’m getting now,” MacKinnon told The Denver Post. “I think you want to get paid what you’re worth. And at the time, I thought I was paid what I was worth. But I’m trying to get better every day and money is the last thing on my mind. It really is. I just want the respect of my teammates, respect from my peers and to reach my own expectations.”
Regardless of MacKinnon’s lack of worry about being paid as a top player, he can’t negotiate a new contract until July 1, 2022, when he’ll be 28 years, so he could be even better then.
- The Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield feels that Chicago Blackhawks prospect Henry Jokiharju has already made the team and feels it isn’t too early to declare that fact. The 19-year-old first-rounder in 2017 has impressed in camp and has been among the top seven defenseman in camp. On top of that with injuries to Connor Murphy and Gustav Forsling, who are both expected to be out until at least November, Jokiharju has found that opening that should slot him in with Erik Gustafsson as a third-pairing defenseman to start the season. The hope would be that he would earn the right to stay in the first month of the season and force Chicago to make a tough decision when Murphy and Gustafsson return.
- Speaking of Blackhawks’ defensive prospects, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Madeline Kenney suggests that 2018 first-round pick Adam Boqvist has re-established himself as a candidate for a roster spot on the Blackhawks after an impressive performance Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Many people felt he would be re-assigned after the game, but head coach John Quenneville stated that Boqvist would be staying with the team – for now.
- Matthew DeFranks of SportsDay writes that only two players will have played in all three of their recent preseason games, including Tuesday’s game against St. Louis, Thursday’s game against Minnesota and tonight’s game against Florida in defensemen Julius Honka and Gavin Bayreuther. While Honka is a lock to make the roster, head coach Jim Montgomery wants him to play as much as possible to increase his confidence. However, the team also wants to see as much as it can of Bayreuther, who will likely end up with the AHL Texas Stars, but could be the top defenseman to be called up, if Montgomery likes what he sees.
Marc Methot's Knee Still Tender But Calls The Pain More Manageable
- Stars defenseman Marc Methot dealt with knee issues last season and it doesn’t appear that those have completely gone away. He mentioned to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that his knee is still tender at times but that the situation is more manageable. Even so, that has to be at least a little concerning for the team considering he’s their highest-paid defender and is someone they’ll be counting on to have much more of an impact if they want to make it back to the postseason.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/21/18
Nearly 60 players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday, and today will probably be no different. We’ll keep track of all the cuts here and will update this post throughout the day.
Note that this list does not cover players placed on waivers today. Those players can be found here.
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Justin Auger (released from PTO; to Stockton, AHL)
F Yasin Ehliz (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jordan Ernst (released from PTO; to Stockton, AHL)
F Zach Fischer (to Stockton, AHL)
D Josh Healey (to Stockton, AHL)
G Mason McDonald (to Stockton, AHL)
F Mike McMurtry (to Stockton, AHL)
D Andrew O’Brien (to Stockton, AHL)
D Michael Paliotta (to Stockton, AHL)
F Scott Sabourin (released from PTO; to Stockton, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
D Josiah Didier (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Michael Fora (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Jeremy Helvig (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Steven Lorentz (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Cliff Pu (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Aleksi Saarela (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Spencer Smallman (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Josh Wesley (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release and team Twitter account)
D Nicolas Beaudin (to Drummondville, QMJHL)
D Lucas Carlsson (to Rockford, AHL)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (to Hamilton, OHL)
D Blake Hillman (to Rockford, AHL)
G Kevin Lankinen (to Rockford, AHL)
F Nathan Noel (to Rockford, AHL)
D Darren Raddysh (to Rockford, AHL)
F Henrik Samuelsson (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News)
D Jakob Stenqvist (IF Bjorkloven, Allsvenskan)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Morgan Adams-Moisan (to Laval, AHL)
F Jeremiah Addison (to Laval, AHL)
F Alexandre Alain (to Laval, AHL)
F Daniel Audette (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex Belzile (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Will Bitten (to Laval, AHL)
D Josh Brook (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Ryan Culkin (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Jake Evans (to Laval, AHL)
D Cale Fleury (to Laval, AHL)
F Alexandre Grenier (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Nikita Jevpalovs (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
G Etienne Marcoux (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Phelix Martineau (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
D T.J. Melancon (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Michael Pezzetta (to Laval, AHL)
D Adam Plant (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)
F Antoine Waked (to Laval, AHL)
D Scott Walford (to Victoria, WHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
D Guillaume Brisebois (to Utica, AHL)
F Jonah Gadjovich (to Utica, AHL)
F Lukas Jasek (to Utica, AHL)
G Ivan Kubalkov (released from ATO; to Utica, AHL)
F Kole Lind (to Utica, AHL)
F Zack MacEwen (to Utica, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
D Dylan Coghlan (to Chicago, AHL)
F Reid Duke (to Chicago, AHL)
G Zach Fucale (to Chicago, AHL)
F Tomas Hyka (to Chicago, AHL)
D Kevin Lough (to Chicago, AHL)
F Brooks Macek (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (to Chicago, AHL)
F Gage Quinney (to Chicago, AHL)
D Zach Whitecloud (to Chicago, AHL)
F Tyler Wong (to Chicago, AHL)
Interest Remains High In Acquiring Artemi Panarin
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin is one of the more talented forwards in the NHL and every other team in the league would like to own his services. For a while this off-season, it seemed highly likely that he would indeed move to another club, after rejecting an initial extension offer from the Blue Jackets. Panarin also set an ultimatum for further contract negotiations – a date that passed last week – before which many expected either a new deal or a trade. Yet, neither has come and GM Jarmo Kekalainen has expressed that he never took Panarin’s deadline into account and planned on working through negotiations all the way until July 1st, when the scoring winger will become an unrestricted free agent. That sentiment would seem to indicate that Kekalainen has no plans to trade Panarin this season.
Not so fast. On TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Darren Dreger reported that Kekalainen continues to field many trade calls for the talented forward. Despite teams currently focused on training camp and getting their opening night rosters set and ready to go, interest has not dropped off in acquiring Panarin. The Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks and more have been linked to Panarin this summer and it is easy to imagine that all of those teams and other dark horse candidates continue to keep an eye on his status. Landing a player of Panarin’s caliber, especially with an extension attached, could be a franchise-altering move.
Nevertheless, Dreger adds that Kekalainen is not interested in trading Panarin – though time may eventually force his hand – and right now says “his principle point of interest is trying to convince him to re-sign.” It doesn’t sound as though Panarin’s mind has changed at all and it has been all quiet from his camp for some time. Perhaps he will be convinced to stay in Columbus over another successful campaign or perhaps Kekalainen will get a godfather offer too good to refuse. One way or another, the continued trade interest and extension determination from Columbus make it overwhelmingly likely that one of these two outcomes will occur, rather than Panarin walking away at the end of the year.
Dallas Stars Sign Ty Dellandrea To Entry-Level Contract
The Dallas Stars have signed their first round pick, inking Ty Dellandrea to a three-year entry-level contract. Dellandrea was sent back to the Flint Firebirds of the OHL just moments later, where he’ll be expected to take the next step in his development.
Selected 13th overall in June, Dellandrea was a bit of a surprise pick by the Stars. With other flashy prospects like Joel Farabee, Ty Smith, Rasmus Kupari and Joe Veleno still available, the Stars instead stayed true to their board and picked the well rounded forward from Flint who has yet to really blossom at the OHL level. That could easily happen this year though after an impressive performance in the rookie tournament and an exciting summer from all accounts. He’ll almost assuredly improve on the 59 points he recorded last season in 67 games, especially if the Firebirds can find even a modicum of success after years of turmoil in the front office and coaching staff.
Dallas may have to wait for their newest prospect to develop into an NHL player, but with the franchise expected to experience somewhat of a bounce back campaign and other young stars taking the spotlight off him, Dellandrea can quietly go about his business in the junior and minor leagues for the next year or two. He could be a key player at the World Juniors this winter, after suiting up for Canada at the Summer Showcase.