Oilers Release Mike Hoffman From PTO
The Oilers have released winger Mike Hoffman from his professional tryout, the team said Monday.
It’s a tad surprising given the 34-year-old’s numbers in exhibition play. Hoffman skated in four of the Oilers’ five preseason contests thus far, posting a goal and three assists for a point per game. He did, however, post a -2 rating and managed only four shots on goal. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Hoffman to make the Oilers roster anyway, with plenty of veteran scoring depth pieces on the wings, although there was a small opening with Evander Kane set to miss most of the season after undergoing surgery.
If there was a one-way deal out there for Hoffman, he likely would have landed it already with just over a week to go until opening night. There should be a fair amount of interest in his services on a two-way deal or an AHL contract, though, and signing in Europe remains an option.
The 13-year veteran has averaged 25 goals and 54 points per 82 games throughout his NHL career. His production dipped significantly last year on the league-worst Sharks, though, limited to 10 goals and 23 points in 66 contests. San Jose, which took on the final year of his three-year, $4.5MM AAV contract from the Canadiens as part of last summer’s Erik Karlsson three-team blockbuster, opted not to bring him back and let him become an unrestricted free agent.
While a spot on an NHL opening night roster looks unlikely, he’s a sensible target for teams looking for AHL scoring depth if he’s open to playing in the minors. He hasn’t seen AHL ice since working his way up the professional ladder in the Senators organization, captaining their AHL affiliate in Binghamton during the 2013-14 campaign.
The Oilers’ wings on their top two lines are seemingly a lock, with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flanking Connor McDavid and Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner with Leon Draisaitl. Their bottom six will likely feature Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, and Vasily Podkolzin on the wings in some capacity, although 24-year-old Raphael Lavoie remains on the training camp roster and is gunning for a roster spot to avoid waivers.
Pacific Notes: Pickard, Honzek, Räty
Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard left Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Kraken midway through the first period with an apparent upper-body injury, writes The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. The 32-year-old did not return to the bench after the play, and he saw his head hit the post as he fell backward after colliding with Kraken forward Yanni Gourde and teammate Philip Kemp.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch said postgame that Pickard is undergoing further evaluation and should receive an update on his status Sunday afternoon. For now, though, Edmonton’s No. 2 goalie option behind Stuart Skinner is questionable for the start of the regular season next week.
Pickard found his way back into full-time NHL action last season for the first time since 2018-19 after Jack Campbell faltered early, leading the Oilers to waive him and promote Pickard from AHL Bakersfield. The nine-year veteran was above-average the rest of the way, posting a .909 SV% and 2.45 GAA in 20 starts and three relief appearances en route to a 12-7-1 record. He signed a two-year, $2MM extension on June 28 to avoid hitting unrestricted free agency and stay in Edmonton.
The Oilers are projected to open the season with $946K in cap space and an open roster spot, per PuckPedia. That gives them plenty of flexibility to roster a third goalie on their opening night roster if Pickard’s absence is short-term and he isn’t eligible for long-term injured reserve.
That third goalie could be 24-year-old Olivier Rodrigue. The 2018 second-round pick is coming off a strong season in Bakersfield, where he posted a .916 SV% in 37 games. 52-game NHL veteran Collin Delia is also an option, but the 30-year-old struggled mightily with a .872 SV% in 32 games for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose last year while in the Jets organization.
More from the Pacific Division:
- Flames 2023 first-round pick Samuel Honzek is getting a long leash in the preseason, playing in four exhibition contests thus far. After he posted a +1 rating in 16:20 of ice time Saturday against the Canucks, Calgary head coach Ryan Huska said Honzek is “going to make it really hard on us” to leave him off the opening night roster. The 19-year-old Slovak sniper will be turning pro this season regardless. After posting 31 points in 33 games with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants last year, his November birthday means he’s old enough for a full-time AHL assignment in 2024-25.
- In Vancouver, center prospect Aatu Räty is making a similarly strong impression. Acquired from the Islanders in the Bo Horvat swap in 2023, the 21-year-old pivot has looked promising in the preseason in a potential third-line role between Conor Garland and Nils Höglander, opines The Province’s Patrick Johnston. The 2021 second-round pick did have 52 points in 72 games for AHL Abbotsford last season, finishing fourth on the team in scoring. One factor working in his favor, as Johnston points out – he’s a right-shot center on a team without any others.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/26/24
With less than two weeks to go until the regular season, most teams have made their initial cuts to their training camp roster. Roster moves will continue Thursday, with players still being released from tryouts and returned to their junior teams. As always, we’ll keep track of all of today’s moves here.
Last updated 3:22 p.m.
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Andrew Basha (to WHL Medicine Hat)
F Matvei Gridin (to QMJHL Shawinigan)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)
F Luca Pinelli (to OHL Ottawa)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Ethan de Jong (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Maximus Wanner (to AHL Bakersfield)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Arvid Caderoth (released from ATO to ECHL Greenville)
G Carter George (to OHL Owen Sound)
F Liam Greentree (to OHL Windsor)
D Matthew Mania (to OHL Flint)
D Jared Woolley (to OHL London)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
D Andrew Gibson (to OHL Soo)
F Hiroki Gojsic (to WHL Kelowna)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Raivis Ansons (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jack Beck (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Isaac Belliveau (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Scooter Brickey (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Atley Calvert (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Mathieu De St. Phalle (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Sam Houde (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Gabe Klassen (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Justin Lee (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Mats Lindgren (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Bennett MacArthur (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Logan Pietila (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Luke Richardson (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Philip Waugh (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
F Sam Bitten (released from PTO to AHL Springfield)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO to AHL Springfield)
F Matthew Peca (released from PTO to AHL Springfield)
Training Camp Cuts: 9/25/24
Teams will begin to make more aggressive cuts from their training camp roster as we enter the second week of camp activities. Players continue to be released from amateur tryouts and returned to their junior clubs, while those already in the organization on AHL contracts are also being returned to teams’ minor-league affiliates. As always, we’ll update this article with all of Wednesday’s camp cuts.
Last updated: 6:42 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
G Brett Brochu (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
D Connor Corcoran (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jayden Grubbe (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matvey Petrov (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Stefan (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Connor Ungar (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jasper Weatherby (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
F Cameron Wright (released from PTO to AHL Bakersfield)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)
G Carson Bjarnason (to WHL Brandon)
F Sawyer Boulton (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Nick Capone (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Émile Chouinard (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Alexis Gendron (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Spencer Gill (to QMJHL Rimouski)
G Sam Hillebrandt (released from ATO to OHL Barrie)
D Matteo Mann (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Matthew Miller (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Ethan Samson (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Sam Sedley (released from PTO to AHL Lehigh Valley)
D Carter Sotheran (to WHL Portland)
F Zayde Wisdom (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Josh Zakreski (released from ATO to WHL Portland)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
D Finn Harding (released to OHL Brampton)
F Tanner Howe (released to WHL Regina)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times)
D Jan Golicic (to QMJHL Gatineau)
F Ethan Hay (to OHL Saginaw)
G Harrison Meneghin (to WHL Lethbridge)
F Kaden Pitre (to OHL Flint)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
F Berkly Catton (to WHL Spokane)
F Carson Rehkopf (to OHL Brampton)
F Nathan Villeneuve (to OHL Sudbury)
Utah Hockey Club (per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune)
F Kyle Crnkovic (released from PTO)
F Reggie Newman (released from ATO to WHL Victoria)
Evening Notes: Lavoie, Carlsson, Lindgren
Edmonton Oilers forward Raphael Lavoie will miss the next few days with an apparent lower-body injury (as per Daniel Nugent-Bowman from The Athletic) Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told the media that the 23-year-old will likely get back on the ice Friday and will miss tomorrow night’s game against Winnipeg. Lavoie has played well in preseason scoring a goal on Sunday night against the Jets.
Lavoie was a bit of a long shot to make the Oilers out of training camp as the team is pretty set at forward in the top nine, and his style of play isn’t what most teams would prefer on a fourth line. Lavoie’s pace has always been the thing that kept him out of the NHL, and it remains to be seen if this will be the year he finally breaks through.
In other evening notes:
- Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that San Jose Sharks defenseman Lucas Carlsson could be ready for the club’s AHL training camp. Carlsson hasn’t dressed for the Sharks NHL training camp after offseason surgery to repair a lower-body injury. He spent all of last season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, registering 15 goals and 24 assists in 52 games and hasn’t seen NHL action since November 1st, 2022. Given the fact that Carlsson hasn’t dressed in an NHL game in nearly two years and that he will miss NHL training camp, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will start the year with the Barracuda.
- New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren left tonight’s preseason game with an apparent upper-body injury (as per Remy Mastey of The Hockey News). Lindgren fought New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in the first period after Mayfield hit Filip Chytil with an open-ice knee-on-knee hit. The fight may or may not have been when the injury occurred, and no update has been provided on Lindgren’s status going forward. Fortunately, Chytil was able to continue in the game, but Lindgren did not return.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/24/24
Training camps have been ongoing across the league for almost a week already. With the preseason schedule now officially in full swing, teams will begin to think about making more sweeping cuts to their rosters. We’re keeping track as teams continue to trim their rosters on Tuesday. This article will be updated throughout the day as more transactions come in.
Boston Bruins (per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe)
D Loke Johansson (to QMJHL Moncton)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Jacob Battaglia (to OHL Kingston)
D Axel Hurtig (to WHL Calgary)
D Eric Jamieson (to WHL Everett)
F Hunter Laing (to WHL Prince George)
F Luke McNamara (released from ATO to OHL Kingston)
D Henry Mews (to OHL Ottawa)
F Luke Misa (to OHL Brampton)
D Étienne Morin (to QMJHL Moncton)
Chicago Blackhawks (per Tracey Myers of NHL.com)
D Ty Henry (to OHL Erie)
F Martin Misiak (to OHL Erie)
F Alex Pharand (to OHL Sudbury)
F Marek Vanacker (to OHL Brantford)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
D Charlie Elick (to WHL Brandon)
G Evan Gardner (to WHL Saskatoon)
F Tyler Peddle (to QMJHL Saint John)
Dallas Stars (per team announcement)
D Tristan Bertucci (to OHL Barrie)
F Emil Hemming (to OHL Barrie)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
F Connor Clattenburg (to OHL Flint)
G Nathaniel Day (to OHL Flint)
F William Nicholl (to OHL London)
F Dalyn Wakely (to OHL North Bay)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Cole Brown (to OHL Brantford)
G Zach Pelletier (released from ATO to QMJHL Gatineau)
F Kasper Pikkarainen (to WHL Red Deer)
D Spencer Sova (to OHL Brampton)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
D Quinton Burns (to OHL Kingston)
D Lukas Fischer (to OHL Sarnia)
F Jake Gudelj (released from ATO to WHL Tri-City)
F Adam Jecho (to WHL Edmonton)
D Matthew Mayich (to OHL Ottawa)
D Will McIsaac (to WHL Spokane)
F Tomas Mrsic (to WHL Prince Albert)
F Juraj Pekarcik (to QMJHL Moncton)
F Jakub Stancl (to WHL Kelowna)
G David Tendeck (released from PTO to ECHL Florida)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)
D Noah Chadwick (to WHL Lethbridge)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
D Ayodele Adeniye (released from PTO)
D Cam Allen (to OHL Guelph)
G Garin Bjorklund (to AHL Hershey)
F Grant Cruikshank (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
G Seth Eisele (released from PTO to ECHL South Carolina)
F Ryan Hofer (to AHL Hershey)
D Brad Hunt (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Jayden Lee (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Eriks Mateiko (to QMJHL Saint John)
D Leon Muggli (to NL Zug)
F Justin Nachbaur (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Aaron Ness (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
D Dmitry Osipov (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Garrett Roe (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Brennan Saulnier (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Matthew Strome (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Patrick Thomas (to OHL Brantford)
D Hudson Thornton (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Tyler Weiss (released from PTO to AHL Hershey)
F Oasiz Wiesblatt (released from ATO to WHL Medicine Hat)
Winnipeg Jets (per team color analyst Mitchell Clinton)
D Dylan Anhorn (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
D Dawson Barteaux (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Kevin He (to OHL Niagara)
F Jacob Julien (to OHL London)
F Ben King (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Connor Levis (to WHL Vancouver)
F Chaz Lucius (to AHL Manitoba)
F Markus Loponen (to WHL Victoria)
F Henri Nikkanen (to AHL Manitoba)
D Ashton Sautner (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Kieron Walton (to OHL Sudbury)
F Danny Zhilkin (to AHL Manitoba)
Evander Kane Expected To Miss At Least Four Months
Oilers winger Evander Kane had surgery Friday in New York City to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias, and two torn lower abdominal muscles, as indicated last week. There’s no firm timeline for his return, but he won’t be back in the lineup until January or February at the earliest, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
All those injuries stemmed from Kane playing through a sports hernia for much of last season, including the playoffs. They didn’t limit his availability too much, costing him just 10 games combined over the course of the regular season and postseason.
They did significantly hamper his effectiveness, though. Kane’s 0.31 goals per game and 0.57 points per game were his worst rates since the 2015-16 season. He was especially diminished in the playoffs, posting four goals and eight points in 20 games while averaging under 15 minutes per night. It was a far cry from his showing just two years ago in the 2022 playoffs, where he averaged nearly 20 minutes per game for the Oilers and led the league in postseason goals with 13 despite Edmonton being eliminated in the Western Conference Final by the Avalanche.
Now, as expected, the Oilers will have the opportunity to place Kane’s $5.125MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve. However, it’s unlikely they will. It was viewed as a potential necessity a few weeks ago, but after opting not to match the offer sheets the Blues tendered for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway and trading Cody Ceci and his $3.25MM cap hit to the Sharks, Edmonton projects to be fully cap-compliant with a 22-player roster that includes Kane, per PuckPedia.
The Oilers can place Kane on standard IR to free up a roster spot if they so choose. They enter the season with $945,833 in space, so the player they’re adding to the roster to replace Kane will need to have a cap hit equal to or lower than that amount. Potential candidates include recent PTO signee Mike Hoffman and minor-leaguers James Hamblin and Raphael Lavoie.
Oilers Promote Warren Rychel, Hire Dominik Zrim
The Oilers announced multiple hockey operations promotions and additions today, chief among them confirming Zack Kassian‘s return to the organization as a pro scout, as previously reported. But that wasn’t the only notable hiring.
They’ve also promoted former NHLer Warren Rychel to their director of pro scouting. Edmonton didn’t have that role in the organization last year – it was included in assistant general manager Brad Holland’s responsibilities. But they needed to fill Holland’s duties by committee after mutually parting ways with him on Tuesday. Rychel had served as a pro scout with the Oilers since the 2022-23 season and will have his job filled by Kassian.
Jarventie Out For A Couple Of Weeks
- New Oilers prospect Roby Jarventie will have to wait a little while longer to make his case for a roster spot. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal notes that while the 22-year-old has recovered from his midseason knee surgery, he overcompensated on the other knee while recovering, leading to him needing to shut things down for a couple of weeks to recover. Jarventie played in seven games with Ottawa last season while adding 20 points in 22 AHL games and was acquired from the Sens this summer in mid-July.
Central Notes: Holland, Perfetti, Sundqvist, Jiricek
Longtime executive Ken Holland may be joining the third team of his career with former player Jordan Schmaltz reporting Holland will be joining the Utah Hockey Club in some capacity. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff slightly downplayed the report by indicating Holland had merely been invited to Utah’s camp and no formal hire had been made.
Both reports from Friedman and Seravalli indicated that Holland maintained several connections in Utah’s front office leading to the invite to training camp. There may even be a pathway for Holland to work with his son Brad in some capacity with the newly relocated franchise as the latter recently parted ways with the Edmonton Oilers as assistant general manager.
A hire of Holland would undoubtedly bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the new franchise with Holland starting his professional career as an amateur scout for the Detroit Red Wings in 1985-86. He went on to win four Stanley Cups with Detroit (three as general manager) in six attempts and one attempt with the Oilers last year. Any hypothetical role he takes in Utah will be a lesser one than he is accustomed to with the organization already having a president of hockey operations in Chris Armstrong and a general manager in Bill Armstrong.
Other Central notes:
- Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke at length today regarding the extension negotiations with forward Cole Perfetti (X Link). Cheveldayoff was adamant the team is still trying to craft a resolution with Perfetti now that training camp has kicked off. Perfetti is looking for other skating arrangements while the contract negotiations play out to be ready for the start of the regular season. It doesn’t appear the lengthy negotiations will tarnish the relationship between the Jets and Perfetti with Cheveldayoff saying, “Personally, I’d give these guys the moon. I’d love to have the ability to pay them everything they want and deserve. In a salary cap world I have to make business decisions“. Winnipeg currently has approximately $5.77MM in cap space with no other RFA’s to sign according to PuckPedia.
- The St. Louis Blues will be without a couple of players to start training camp with Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting Oskar Sundqvist and Adam Jiříček are out with knee injuries. Neither player is expected to play any preseason contests but Sundqivst should already have a guaranteed spot on the roster despite his early absence. Jiricek, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, David Jiříček, was recently selected by the Blues as the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Jiricek was limited to 19 games last year with Czechia’s HC Plzeň due to a season-ending knee injury and his availability for the 2024-25 season is still in the air.