Anaheim Ducks Place Pontus Aberg On Waivers
Monday: Aberg has cleared waivers according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, an interesting move given that the Oilers could have reclaimed him for their minor league squad. That means Aberg will now be able to go to San Diego should the Ducks decide to send him there.
Sunday: The Anaheim Ducks decided that Pontus Aberg may not be the best fit after all. After claiming him on waivers from the Edmonton Oilers last week, Elliotte Friedman reports that the Ducks have put the 25-year-old winger on waivers Sunday.
Aberg played just one game for the Ducks, who added Aberg due to multiple injuries to their roster, including Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Ondrej Kase. Aberg played 20 shifts in the team’s season opener against San Jose and played 13:47, but didn’t register a point. He did have a minus-one rating and picked up two penalty minutes, made one hit and blocked a shot.
There is no guarantee that any team might take a flier on Aberg after being waived after a one-game trial, but if Edmonton opts to claim him back and no one else does, the Oilers can send him directly to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL without having to re-waive him again. If Edmonton opts not to bring him back and he passes through waivers, he can be sent to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.
Snapshots: Hamonic, Russell, Seidenberg, Gionta
When the Calgary Flames recalled Rasmus Andersson yesterday, it was an indication that defenseman Travis Hamonic‘s facial fracture, suffered in the team’s opener, was going to cause him to miss some time. However, the team has now officially announced that Hamonic has been placed on injured reserve. The team has labeled his status as week-to-week with no specific timeline for a return. Hamonic suffered the blow in a first period fight with the Vancouver Canucks’ Erik Gudbranson and was forced to leave the contest early. Hamonic has been sidelined frequently in his career, with his 74 games for Calgary last season actually setting a new career-high. Hamonic missed eight games for the Flames in his first season with the team, but spread throughout the season and not more than four at a time. The Flames would be fortunate if this injury only costs Hamonic four games. In the meantime, Andersson, fellow rookie Juuso Valimaki, and veteran depth defender Dalton Prout will be asked to pick up the slack in Hamonic’s absence.
- The rival Edmonton Oilers are getting one of their top defensemen back from injury, as the team announced that Kris Russell has been activated from the injured reserve. Russell’s injury was never disclosed by the team, nor was a timeline given, making his activation both a surprise and not a surprise at all. Russell traveled with the team to Europe and returns in time for the Oilers’ season opener against the New Jersey Devils in Sweden. Russell will skate with rookie and 2018 first-round pick Evan Bouchard, as he makes his NHL debut. In a corresponding move, Edmonton has returned young puck-moving blue liner Ethan Bear to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Bear has been established as the next man up on defense, so if Bouchard’s early action does not impress and he is returned to junior, expect a prompt recall for Bear.
- The New York Islanders are keeping defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and forward Stephen Gionta with the team on extended PTO’s, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Both veterans played for the Islanders last season and are familiar with the roster and seem willing to hang around in case an opportunity to officially return arises. Per Gross, head coach Barry Trotz called the pair “long-term insurance”. Seidenberg and Gionta will participate in practice and wait to see how the early season unfolds for the Isles, both in health and performance. Neither veteran has much of a ceiling at this point in their career, but are experienced, serviceable, hard-working pros who could step in if needed and provided some immediate support.
Canucks Loan Sam Gagner To AHL’s Toronto Marlies
To add insult to injury, Sam Gagner will not start the 2018-19 with the Vancouver Canucks or with their fellow depth options on their AHL team, the Utica Comets. Gagner, who cleared waivers today, has been loaned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the Canucks announced. Vancouver retains the right to recall Gagner, but normally a reassignment like this is an indication that ties have been cut between the player and the organization.
To be clear, this loan is a favor to the veteran forward. While it stings that Gagner, 29, is not in the Canucks’ plans moving forward, they did him the courtesy of sending him home to Toronto, where he and his wife are raising a young family. A reassignment like this is rare, but not unheard of; for the second season in a row, the Buffalo Sabres sent forward Matt Moulson to the Ontario Reign of the AHL, the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate, to be closer to his family in California. There is no exchange of assets and no financial strings attached in such a move, as Gagner will simply log his AHL minutes for the Marlies instead of the Comets while counting for $2.125 against Vancouver’s salary cap as a buried player, as opposed to his full $3.15MM cap hit.
Gagner was the biggest surprise of this fall’s preseason waiver wire. The talented forward just signed a three-year contract with the Canucks last summer and registered 31 points in 74 games in his first season. His production was not incredible, but it was far from egregious. He managed to maintain a top-nine role and was one of Vancouver’s top shot-producers, with a 6.1% shooting percentage that was the worst of his career and was bound to regress positively. Gagner has proven throughout his up-and-down career to be perhaps the most system-specific player in the NHL. In the right role in the right scheme with the right mix of players, Gagner has been a potent play-maker and offensive asset. He set a career high of 50 points with the Columbus Blue Jackets just two years ago and was a perennial 40+ point player to begin his career with the Edmonton Oilers. Yet, his production tailed off in Edmonton as the team’s composition began to change and he struggled mightily with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015-16, managing just 16 points. The remains of his current contract are not an attractive attachment, but it still remains a bit of a surprise that Gagner was unclaimed on waivers given his history of having a high scoring ceiling in the right system.
This very well might not be the end for Gagner, though. At just 29, he still has the potential to play for a lot longer. Like Moulson, he very well could be one of the top scorers for his on-loan club but, unlike Moulson, maintains value around the league and could use his minor league performance to his advantage. The defending champion Calder Cup winners will give Gagner the chance to show off his ability and, with or without an uptick in shooting luck, should be able to dominate at the AHL level. Meanwhile, the Canucks would have little reason not to entertain trade offers. Even in a potential trade with retained salary, Vancouver stands to benefit rather than his current cap hit as a buried veteran. Gagner will remain an intriguing name permanently on the trade block until there is a resolution to his current situation.
Alex Chiasson Signs With Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have signed another player at the very last moment, inking Alex Chiasson to a one-year contract worth $650K at the NHL level. That deal matches the one given out to Jason Garrison, and will give the team another veteran option to start the year. The team also announced that Ethan Bear has been sent to the minor leagues (though his stint there was very short, given that Andrej Sekera has been placed on long-term injured reserve and Bear recalled), while Kris Russell will begin the year on injured reserve. Chiasson had been with Edmonton on a professional tryout, but has earned himself an NHL contract through an impressive preseason.
Chiasson, 28, won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals last season but ended up fighting for a contract after the team let him walk into unrestricted free agency. Catching on with the Oilers will allow him to avoid the minor leagues, a level he hasn’t played at since the 2012-13 season. Originally a second round pick of the Dallas Stars, Chiasson has bounced around the league as a bottom-six player who can provide a little offense and some size to any lineup. The Oilers struggled to get any offense from their forward group outside of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins last season, and will hope that Chiasson can return to the 35-point man he was in Dallas a few years ago.
Even if he doesn’t, there’s little risk for the Oilers with a signing like this. Chiasson will make the league minimum this season and would be taken entirely off the salary cap if sent to the minors. These two signings helped the Oilers take full advantage of the long-term injury rules, meaning they’ll have plenty of excess cap room now that Sekera has been re-designated. They’ll also provide valuable depth for a team that desperately needs a bounce back season in 2018-19.
Jason Garrison Signs One-Year Deal With Edmonton Oilers
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise after his play in the preseason and the recent trade of Jakub Jerabek, but Jason Garrison has earned a contract for the 2018-19 season. The Edmonton Oilers will sign Garrison to a one-year, one-way deal worth $650K according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, a nice reward for his hard work on a professional tryout at camp this summer.
Garrison, 33, ended up on the Vegas Golden Knights roster in last season’s expansion draft but couldn’t crack the lineup for much of the season. Suiting up for just eight games, he instead spent the majority of the year in the minor leagues with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL where he recorded 28 points in 58 games. That broke a string of seven seasons which he had played entirely in the NHL, not a bad streak for an undrafted defenseman out of the college ranks.
Once a feared weapon on the powerplay because of his shot, Garrison can’t really be relied upon for a ton of offensive production anymore. In Edmonton he’ll be asked to play a depth role, likely starting the season in the press box should the team’s regular group be deemed healthy enough to play. His presence does also complicate things somewhat for young talents like Evan Bouchard and Ethan Bear, though both are right handed—something that the Oilers have lacked depth in over the last few seasons.
If the team does end up relying on Garisson as a full-time player, you can bet things have turned south in Edmonton. The defense was a huge spot of difficulty for the team in 2017-18, but should rebound somewhat if Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom can stay healthy and in the lineup. Though Andrej Sekera‘s injury is painful, all this group has to do is defend well enough in their own end and get the puck quickly up to Connor McDavid and friends in order to compete in the Western Conference. Whether they’ll be able to do that is still yet to be determined.
Anaheim Ducks Claim Pontus Aberg
The Anaheim Ducks have claimed forward Pontus Aberg off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Aberg was a somewhat surprising inclusion yesterday, given that he was only acquired in February and had put up eight points in 16 games down the stretch with Edmonton. Some had hoped he could develop into a secondary scoring option for the Oilers this season, but with the additions of Tobias Rieder and Kyle Brodziak this summer, along with likely full-time graduations for some of the organization’s younger players, there wasn’t enough room for Aberg any longer.
That means the 25-year old forward will get his next chance in Anaheim, where the Ducks are desperately trying to find offense after Corey Perry‘s recent injury and the decline of some of their other weapons. Selected 37th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2012, Aberg has shown elite scoring ability in the minor leagues and has flashed NHL potential at times including a solid performance in the 2017 postseason. It’s not clear exactly where he’ll fit into Anaheim’s lineup, but is a worthwhile addition at this point in the year.
Anaheim will assume the $650K cap hit of Aberg for this season, after which he will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. It’s a big year for him to prove he can cut it in the NHL, and should get at least some opportunity to do just that with the Ducks.
Edmonton Oilers Trade Jakub Jerabek To St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have acquired depth defenseman Jakub Jerabek from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a conditional 2020 sixth round draft selection. Jerabek was recently cut from the Oilers roster but was awaiting an assignment, something he’ll now have to get from his new bosses in St. Louis instead. The draft pick will become a fifth round selection if Jerabek plays in at least 50 games for St. Louis this season. The Blues will be missing defenseman Robert Bortuzzo for the regular season opener after he received a suspension last week, but it’s unclear how the rest of the blue line will shake out after Jerabek’s addition.
Jerabek, 27, was only signed by the Oilers in August after failing to find a contract with the Washington Capitals at the end of last year. Traded to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions by the Montreal Canadiens at the deadline, Jerabek played in just two postseason games for Washington and never found a real fit on their blue line. Unlike fellow deadline acquisition Michal Kempny, the Capitals decided to let Jerabek leave in free agency. A new contract didn’t materialize until the Oilers were in trouble following an injury to Andrej Sekera, but after a poor showing he’ll try his luck in St. Louis instead.
The Blues are also dealing with injuries to Carl Gunnarsson and Joel Edmundson at the moment, meaning they might need some short-term help for the start of the season. It does seem unlikely that Jerabek plays the entire season for the Blues, but with a cap hit of just $1MM he could be completely buried in the minor leagues if he cleared waivers at some point.
A late-round pick doesn’t seem like a lot, but for the Oilers it represents basically a free asset. Jerabek wasn’t a good fit, but they won’t even need to retain any of his salary this season meaning their books are clean of what quickly looked like a bad signing. Instead they’ll hope that late round pick can help them down the road, or become trade bait of their own as they look for other ways to improve their blue line going forward.
Edmonton Oilers Release Jakub Jerabek
The Edmonton Oilers have released veteran defenseman Jakub Jerabek today and the veteran is waiting to be re-assigned, according to the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples. However, the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson adds that Jerabek may opt to head overseas after a so-so camp, rather than report to Bakersfield.
Jerabek was signed on Aug. 21 to a one-year, $1MM deal to help fill the team’s void on defense after the team lost veteran blueliner Andrej Sekera, who underwent surgery. However, Jerabek lost out to the play of a number of defensemen, including Kevin Gravel as well as rookie Evan Bouchard and veteran Jason Garrison.
The 27-year-old split time in the NHL last year between the Montreal Canadiens and the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, in which he played a total of 36 games, posting two goals and six assists. In the end, Jerabek was used as an emergency defenseman, as he only managed to appear in two playoff games for the Capitals, both in the team’s first series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18
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)
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)