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Elliotte Friedman

Snapshots: Hornqvist, Columbus, Colorado

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When Anthony Duclair is eventually ready to return from his Achilles injury, the Florida Panthers are going to need to make some moves. The team is using up nearly all of his $3MM in long-term injured reserve flexibility even with a roster of 20 players, meaning that much will need to come off the books to activate him.

While the easy answer might be to trade Patric Hornqvist, who is playing fourth-line minutes on an expiring $5.3MM cap hit, it might not happen. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet discussed the situation on the 32 Thoughts podcast, and noted that even if there wasn’t a “guarantee” handed over that Hornqvist wouldn’t be traded, to get him to Florida in the first place that kind of agreement was made. While there isn’t anything technically stopping general manager Bill Zito from going back on his word, Friedman doesn’t expect it.

  • Also on the podcast, Friedman and co-host Jeff Marek also brought up the Columbus Blue Jackets as the latest team connected to Jakob Chychrun. While the Blue Jackets aren’t going anywhere this year, they have plenty of young assets that could be of interest to the Arizona Coyotes and expect to be better next season when not dealing with a huge number of injuries. Chychrun looked quite good in his latest game for the Coyotes, recording an assist, eight shots on goal, and a +3 rating in a win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • Now that the Colorado Avalanche don’t need to play today, they’ve returned Sampo Ranta and Anton Blidh back to the AHL. The depth forwards could be back up as early as tomorrow, when the team welcomes the Dallas Stars in.

Detroit Red Wings Claim Magnus Hellberg

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For the third time this season, Magnus Hellberg has been claimed on waivers. The veteran netminder is off to the Detroit Red Wings this time, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

It was Detroit that signed Hellberg out of the KHL last season, and where he made his NHL return for one game. Their interest in him is obvious and yet, this is still something of a curious move.

Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic are in place as the current duo, though the latter has experienced serious struggles this year. With an .873 save percentage, the 26-year-old has been one of the weakest netminders in the NHL and looks quite different from the goalie that was so good down the stretch for Carolina in 2021.

With Hellberg now in the mix, it’s unclear where Nedeljkovic’s future stands. He carries a $3MM cap hit this season and is scheduled for unrestricted free agency at the end of the year.

Latest On Anaheim Ducks

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At last season’s trade deadline, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek decided to sell, and sell hard. Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Rickard Rakell all went out the door, changing the makeup of the dressing room considerably. Those three had been with the team for years and made up a good part of their core.

Now, less than a year into Verbeek’s tenure, the club is flailing at the bottom of the NHL standings and appears to be poised for another selling season. The Ducks are dead last in the league with a -30 goal differential and have just five wins through 18 games.

On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman discusses the Ducks and suggests that they are already talking to a number of teams about potential trades.

I’m sure we’re going to start hearing a lot of things out of the Ducks. Like I said, I heard they have a lot of people out looking to see what’s out there. 

One of those connections is Toronto Maple Leafs and Frank Vatrano, though Friedman pours some cold water on that scenario because of the cap hit involved – Vatrano is signed through the 2024-25 season with a $3.65MM hit.

There are plenty of other names on the Ducks roster that could be of interest to teams though. John Klingberg, Kevin Shattenkirk, Dmitry Kulikov, Derek Grant, Nathan Beaulieu, and Anthony Stolarz are all pending unrestricted free agents, while younger names like Max Comtois and Simon Benoit are set to reach RFA status. Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg have a year remaining after this one before they hit the open market, though they may need to see some salary retention to be moved this season.

One thing to remember when it comes to the Ducks is that the team has all three salary retention slots available, meaning they could be involved in some creative trades over the next few months. The team already has six selections in the top three rounds for the upcoming draft, and will likely be in contention for the first-overall pick.

With some young talent already in place, the idea of a fast-tracked rebuild has to be running through the mind of Verbeek and his staff. He’ll certainly be a popular number as we move through the year.

Nikita Soshnikov Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Nov 16, 5:15 PM: The Islanders have announced that Soshnikov has been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.

Nov 16, 1:05 PM: Soshnikov has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Nov 15: The New York Islanders have placed Nikita Soshnikov on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Should he clear, the team could assign him to the minor leagues, completely burying his $750K cap hit.

Soshnikov, 29, came back to North America after spending the last three seasons in the KHL, and it seemed as though he might find some new life on this side of the ocean. After all, the undrafted forward had been great in his time back home, scoring 98 points in 137 regular season games. Things haven’t gone so well though, with the Islanders only icing him three times this season.

If he does clear, one has to wonder whether Soshnikov will request a contract termination to go back to the KHL instead of reporting to the minor leagues. It’s been years since he played in the AHL on a regular basis, and there would certainly be interest in him by some of the better programs in Russia. We’ll have to wait and see what the Islanders have planned for him and the roster spot he currently occupies, but it might be close to the end of Soshnikov in the NHL.

In those three appearances this season he has not registered a point, meaning his career total is now 16 in 90 games played.

Kieffer Bellows Placed On Waivers

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The New York Islanders have placed former top prospect Kieffer Bellows on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Bellows, 24, has played in only a single game for the Islanders this season, registering three hits and no shots on goal in just over seven minutes of ice time. While he obviously isn’t in the plan at the NHL level right now, his placement on waivers will still come as a shock to many who have been waiting for him to take the next step in his career.

Selected 19th overall in 2016, the high-energy winger went to Boston University for one season before deciding to leave school and join the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. In that league he was incredibly dominant, scoring 41 goals in 56 regular season games, often skating beside Cody Glass. Upon reaching the minor leagues the next season he continued his goal-scoring, tickling the twine 34 times over two seasons. He also racked up 150 penalty minutes in his 125 AHL contests, including four fighting majors.

That kind of player seemed perfectly suited for life with the Islanders, who were focused on “identity” and toughness, but it was difficult to crack the lineup. Last season it appeared as though Bellows had finally done it, scoring six goals and 19 points in 45 NHL games. That led to a one-year, $1.2MM contract this summer, another sign that the Islanders were committed to using the young forward on a regular basis.

The press box has been the regular stop for Bellows early on, and now waivers will likely mean he’s on to a new destination or headed for a familiar one. He stands as an interesting candidate to be claimed, though the $1.2MM contract (and qualifying offer next summer) could stand in the way for some teams struggling with cap issues. If he clears, one would expect him to be sent back to Bridgeport where he can at least get on the ice.

Snapshots: Samuelsson, Bear, Wright

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Buffalo Sabres fans held their breath last night when freshly extended defenseman Mattias Samuelsson went down with an injury in their game against Vancouver. Now, The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that Samuelsson avoided a long-term injury but is still set to miss at least “a few weeks,” joining Henri Jokiharju on the list of injured Sabres top-four defensemen.

An exact timeline won’t be had on Samuelsson until the team returns to Buffalo, head coach Don Granato said today, and the injury will force some depth defenders to shine in order for Buffalo to keep up its strong start. Lawrence Pilut will make his season debut in the team’s next game after two seasons overseas, and free-agent acquisition Ilya Lyubushkin will be tasked with replacing Samuelsson as the defensive anchor on the top pairing alongside the red-hot Rasmus Dahlin.

  • It’s no secret the Canucks are in trouble, winless so far to start the year. With injuries and general positional depth weakness hampering their defense, the team has been looking to add, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts that the team has checked in on defenseman Ethan Bear as a potential trade acquisition. Bear, the 25-year-old right-shot defenseman, has been thrust down the depth chart in Carolina and has yet to appear in a game this season. The Hurricanes were shopping him prior to the season’s start, and the Canucks have more than enough room thanks to LTIR to accommodate his $2.2MM cap hit. He still has some upside and could provide some better matchups once Quinn Hughes returns to the lineup.
  • Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala ponders whether the Seattle Kraken may opt to send Shane Wright back to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs after an unimpactful start to the season. Wright hasn’t received many opportunities, he has shown smooth skating and pace, but Bukala points out that Wright’s had some positional issues defensively and may need a bit more development before being able to execute his playstyle properly at the NHL level.

Colorado Avalanche Claim Dryden Hunt; Phil Di Giuseppe Clears

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After losing Lukas Sedlak to waivers earlier this week, the Colorado Avalanche have made a claim of their own. Dryden Hunt will be heading to Denver, claimed away from the New York Rangers. Phil Di Giuseppe, who was also on waivers, has cleared and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Colorado hasn’t been happy with the makeup of their fourth line, so had been making tweaks in recent days. It appeared as though head coach Jared Bednar still didn’t love the group last night, playing Anton Blidh and Jayson Megna for barely over six minutes in an overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Claiming Hunt gives the team another option for the bottom-six, and likely will result in the assignment of one of the two recently-recalled forwards.

Now 26, Hunt has played in 168 regular season games in his NHL career, and appeared to have solidified his role with the Rangers last season when he put up 17 points in 76 appearances. That came along with 153 hits, a number that trailed only Ryan Reaves among New York forwards.

In Colorado, he’ll get a chance to establish himself as a full-time player once again, and help fill some of the depth issues the club has experienced so far. One of the most impressive groups in the NHL last season, the Avalanche have relied almost exclusively on their top four forwards to start the year. Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon, and Artturi Lehkonen are off to solid starts but beyond that, the rest of the group up front hasn’t been effective enough. Alex Newhook, Evan Rodrigues, and Logan O’Connor are all scoreless through the first four games, while J.T. Compher has just a single assist.

While Hunt isn’t expected to be much of an offensive presence, it does seem to be a great opportunity for him to bring his physicality and energy to a group still trying to find its identity early on.

Dryden Hunt, Phil Di Giuseppe Placed On Waivers

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Two more players have graced the waiver wire today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Dryden Hunt of the New York Rangers and Phillip Di Giuseppe of the Vancouver Canucks are available for claim.

Di Giuseppe is coming off season-opening injured reserve, suggesting he is ready to return to action now that he’s found himself on waivers. If he clears, he’ll likely join the Abbotsford Canucks where he spent all of last season. The 29-year-old does have 201 NHL games under his belt, but with the recent injury it seems unlikely that he’ll be claimed.

Hunt on the other hand is more of an interesting story. The 26-year-old undrafted forward plays a physical game and never seems to be out of energy, attacking defenders and tracking down the puck every time he hits the ice. In 76 games with the Rangers last season he scored six goals and 17 points while delivering 153 hits and racking up 52 penalty minutes.

While there might not be a lot of offensive upside there, it’s easy to see why another team might want to add Hunt to the bottom-six mix, especially given the fact that he comes with a cap hit of just $762.5K. That number could fit into basically any team’s cap structure and even with some poor results in limited minutes this year, there are signs that he could be a benefit to clubs struggling to find a good mix on the fourth line.

With Sammy Blais returning, the Rangers needed to clear some space, and might end up losing Hunt in the process.

Philadelphia Flyers Claim Lukas Sedlak

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The Philadelphia Flyers have nabbed another forward, claiming Lukas Sedlak off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. To make room, they’ve loaned Olle Lycksell to the AHL.

Sedlak, it should be noted, has quite a bit of familiarity with head coach John Tortorella from their time with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was under Tortorella that the versatile Czech forward ascended to the NHL, and under whom he played more than 160 games.

The 29-year-old signed with the Avalanche after playing the last three years in the KHL (where he was a star) but hadn’t found any consistency playing a handful of minutes on the fourth line. He’ll now join a Flyers team that has gotten off to a 3-0 start, defeating the Devils, Canucks, and Lightning to begin the year. Given his ability to play all three forward positions and familiarity with the coaching staff, Sedlak should be able to slide directly into the lineup whenever he joins the Flyers on the road.

Philadelphia is set to take on the Florida Panthers this evening, before heading to Nashville for a Saturday night matchup.

Sedlak will avoid the minor leagues again with the claim; he hasn’t played in the AHL since the 2015-16 season with the Lake Erie Monsters, going out on top by winning the Calder Cup that year. He’ll now be kept on the Flyers roster, at least for the time being, and try to find some more consistent playing time in Philadelphia.

Lukas Sedlak Placed On Waivers; Anders Bjork Clears

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Despite no clear timeline on Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm, the Colorado Avalanche appear to be clearing some room on the roster. The team has placed Lukas Sedlak on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Anders Bjork of the Buffalo Sabres has cleared and will be assigned to the AHL.

Sedlak, 29, has played in all three of the team’s games so far this season, seeing fewer than nine minutes in each. During last night’s match against the Minnesota wild, he played just nine shifts and lost all four of the faceoffs he took. Helm, who would normally slot into that fourth-line center role, was on the ice today at Colorado’s option skate but was still wearing a non-contact sweater and does not appear ready to return at this point.

While they don’t need to recall someone else now that they are headed home from a road trip, the team is already at a roster of 20, meaning they can’t re-assign Sedlak without calling someone else up or activating one of their injured players. That player might be Jacob MacDonald, who has been skating as a forward with the club for the last few days after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve.

Sedlak meanwhile is an interesting waiver case, given his recent history. The sixth-round pick has starred in the KHL the last three seasons, and signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to North America this summer. His deal includes a massive $500K AHL salary, meaning he will still be making a good buck if he ends up playing with the Colorado Eagles.

The Avalanche have also sent Ben Meyers to the minor leagues, another sign that there may be changes coming to the fourth line. Meyers does not require waivers and can be recalled as soon as Sedlak is sent down, if needed.

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