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Florida Panthers Recall Zac Dalpe

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With a pair of preseason games remaining against their cross-state rivals, the Florida Panthers have recalled Zac Dalpe from the minor leagues. The team plays the Tampa Bay Lightning at home tonight and then on the road on Saturday afternoon, with the regular season just around the corner.

Dalpe, 32, played just a single NHL game for the team last season but was an awesome (if hilarious) contributor in the minor leagues. The veteran forward had 30 goals in 68 games but managed to register just nine assists. That was the opposite stat line of prospect Aleksi Heponiemi, who also had 39 points for the minor Charlotte Checkers.

Bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL is nothing new for Dalpe, who has 154 appearances at the highest level over a 12-year career. He has 28 points in those games and likely won’t be playing a regular role for the Panthers this season, even if they suffer several injuries. Instead, he is the kind of player who can jump into a game and quickly understand the team’s system, while posing no risk of claim on waivers when he needs to go back down. Checkers fans will have a much better chance of seeing him, as he continues to serve as the team’s captain this season.

Waivers: 10/2/22

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It’s expected to be another busy day on the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim down their rosters.  We’ll keep track of the players being placed on waivers here.

Buffalo Sabres (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)

G Malcolm Subban


Calgary Flames (via team release)

F Clark Bishop
F Ben Jones
F Matthew Phillips
D Colton Poolman
D Nick DeSimone
G Oscar Dansk

Carolina Hurricanes (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)

D William Lagesson

Dallas Stars (via PuckPedia)

F Riley Tufte
F Marian Studenic
D Alexander Petrovic

Edmonton Oilers (via team release)

F Greg McKegg

Florida Panthers (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, awaiting team announcement)

F Zac Dalpe
D Anthony Bitetto

Los Angeles Kings (via PuckPedia)

D Frederic Allard

Ottawa Senators (via team release)

F Rourke Chartier
F Jake Luccini
D Dillon Heatherington

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Alexander Nylander
F Radim Zohorna
F Drake Caggiula
D Xavier Ouellet
G Dustin Tokarski

Seattle Kraken (via team release)

F Jesper Froden
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
F Austin Poganski
F Andrew Poturalski
F Brogan Rafferty
F Carsen Twarynski
D Gustav Olofsson
G Magnus Hellberg

St. Louis Blues (via team release, PuckPedia)

F Nathan Todd
F Will Bitten
D Luke Witkowski
D Steven Santini

Washington Capitals (via team release)

F Beck Malenstyn
F Garrett Pilon
D Gabriel Carlsson
D Dylan McIlrath
D Bobby Nardella
G Zachary Fucale

Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/22

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As we get closer to the start of the regular season, training camp battles will wind down and opening night rosters will start to take shape. We’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts from today here.

Arizona Coyotes (via team release)

G Ivan Prosvetov (to Tuscon, AHL)

Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Drew Helleson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Axel Andersson (to San Diego, AHL)
G Olle Eriksson-Ek (to San Diego, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

F Walker Duehr (to Calgary, AHL)
F Adam Klapka (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mitch McLain (to Calgary, AHL)
F Jakob Pelletier (to Calgary, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (to Calgary, AHL)
F Connor Zary (to Calgary, AHL)
F Cole Schwindt (to Calgary, AHL)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to Calgary, AHL)
D Ilya Solovyov (to Calgary, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)

D Nolan Allan (to Prince Albert, WHL)
D Adam Clendening (released from PTO)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to Mississauga, OHL)
G Jaxson Stauber (to Rockford, AHL)
G Dylan Wells (released from PTO)

Dallas Stars (via team release)

G Remi Poirier (to Texas, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team release)

F Xavier Bourgault (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Noah Philp (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Michael Kesselring (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Phil Kemp (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Olivier Rodrigue (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (via team release)

F Connor Bunnaman (cleared waivers, to Charlotte, AHL)
F Grigori Denisenko (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Patrick Giles (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Ethan Keppen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Anton Levtchi (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Riley Nash (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Dennis Cesana (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Santtu Kinnunen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D John Ludvig (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Mack Guzda (to Charlotte, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Valtteri Puustinen (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Filip Hallander (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Jamie Devane (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Raivis Ansons (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Corey Andonovski (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
F Drew O’Connor (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Colin Swoyer (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Jack St. Ivany (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)
D Owen Pickering (to Swift Current, WHL)
D Nolan Collins (to Sudbury, OHL)
G Filip Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via team release)

F Luke Henman (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Tye Kartye (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Ville Petman (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Peetro Seppala (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Zachary Bolduc (to Quebec Ramparts, QMJHL)
G Vadim Zherenko (to Springfield, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release)

F Gabriel Dumont (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Shawn Element (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Maxim Cajkovic (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cameron MacDonald (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Dyllan Gill (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
D Tyson Feist (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Ryan Jones (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Jack LaFontaine (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Brad Barone (released from ATO)

Washington Capitals (via team release)

F Hendrix Lapierre (to Hershey, AHL)
D Vincent Iorio (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team release)

G Arvid Holm (to Manitoba, AHL)

This post will be updated throughout the day

Panthers Sign Kai Schwindt

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Kai Schwindt’s tryout with the Panthers was a successful one as prior to returning him to Mississauga of the OHL, the team announced that they signed the undrafted forward to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  GM Bill Zito released the following statement on the signing:

Kai is a competitive, high-effort individual who is able to use his size and skill effectively. We’re excited to welcome him and watch his continued development within our Panthers organization.

The 18-year-old made his OHL debut last season with the Steelheads after not playing due to the pandemic back in 2020-21.  His production and role were somewhat limited as he only managed a dozen goals and five assists in 68 games plus two helpers in nine playoff contests.  That resulted in Schwindt going undrafted but he has clearly made an impression through rookie camp and his preseason appearance against Nashville where he scored a goal.  They believe that there is more to come and he should be in line for a more prominent role in junior this season.

As Schwindt is heading back to the OHL, he won’t be seeing any NHL action this season.  That means that his contract for 2022-23 will slide a year and begin in 2023-24.

Waivers: 09/30/22

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After waivers opened yesterday, quite a few players have ended up on the wire today. Teams keep making cuts to their rosters, and any veteran player needs to clear before being assigned to the minor leagues. Here are the names on waivers today.

Dallas Stars 

Riley Barber
Ben Gleason
Tanner Kero
Jerad Rosburg
Joseph Cecconi
Rhett Gardner

Detroit Red Wings

Chase Pearson

Florida Panthers

Connor Bunnaman

New York Rangers

Andy Welinski
Tim Gettinger

Philadelphia Flyers

Isaac Ratcliffe
Linus Sandin

San Jose Sharks

C.J. Suess
Andrew Agozzino

Tampa Bay Lightning

Daniel Walcott
Darren Raddysh
Maxime Lagace
Trevor Carrick

Washington Capitals

Michael Sgarbossa
Riley Sutter
Mike Vecchione
Hunter Shepard

Latest On Spencer Knight

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The Florida Panthers recently re-signed goalie Spencer Knight to a three-year contract with a $4.5MM AAV. The contract raised some eyebrows due to its cost, as Knight’s extension will be more expensive than the recent Jake Oettinger deal, despite the fact that Oettinger seems to have firmly established himself as a quality starting netminder while Knight had an up-and-down 2021-22. Now that a few days have passed since the signing, though, we have some more context on why the Panthers felt comfortable taking a leap of faith with their extremely talented (but still relatively unproven) young netminder.

As Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN’s Insider Trading, the Panthers were “legitimately worried” about the possibility of another team offer sheeting Knight next summer, when he would have been a restricted free agent. The Panthers, who are paying starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky $10MM AAV through the 2025-26 season, may not have been in a strong enough cap position to retain Knight at what his offer sheet may have cost. So, rather than risk losing the goalie they seem to firmly believe is their long-term future in net, the Panthers decided to sign Knight to this expensive bridge contract in order to ensure he remains in Sunrise for the foreseeable future.

Florida Panthers Extend Spencer Knight

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The Florida Panthers have locked up their future in net, signing Spencer Knight to a three-year extension. The deal kicks in for the 2023-24 season and will carry an average annual value of $4.5MM. Panthers general manager Bill Zito released a statement:

Spencer is a phenomenal goaltender, as well as an exceptional athlete and person. He has thrived in his professional career, dedicating himself to his training through his first two seasons with our organization. With this extension, we are excited about the present and future of Panthers goaltending.

A three-year extension means Knight’s contract status now lines up with Sergei Bobrovsky, with both expiring after the 2025-26 season. While the team will have to carry a combined $14.5MM cap hit those three years, Knight will still be an RFA in the summer of 2026, meaning a long-term extension can still be worked out with the money that Bobrovsky was earning.

For this year, the 21-year-old netminder is still in the final season of his entry-level contract, despite already being a regular at the NHL level. The 13th overall pick from 2019 played in 32 games for the Panthers last season, registering a .908 save percentage. He also got into 11 games with the Charlotte Checkers to stay fresh, posting a .905 in the AHL.

Incredibly composed in net, Knight is basically the prototype for the modern NHL goaltender. Big and agile with strong positioning, there are few goaltending prospects better. While his results do leave a little bit of room for improvement, the Panthers obviously believe he is the real deal, signing him to a rather expensive bridge deal. He comes in ahead of Jake Oettinger (3 years, $4.0MM AAV), and Carter Hart (3 years, $3.979MM AAV), two other young goaltenders with big expectations.

It will be interesting to see how much Knight starts to take over in Florida, and whether the Panthers will ever consider moving on from Bobrovsky. While he holds a full no-movement clause at the moment, that will change to a 16-team no-trade list in the summer of 2024. It would obviously be difficult to move his massive contract but one thing in the Panthers’ favor is the financial structure. Bobrovsky will have earned $57.5MM of the $70MM deal by the end of 2023-24.

Regardless, locking up Knight at this point was important if they plan on giving him more responsibility this season. A breakout campaign would send his price skyrocketing, and potentially take a bridge deal off the table. Locking him in now is a bit risky, as it assumes he will continue to progress, but there aren’t many goaltenders that would be a better bet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports

Florida Panthers Sign Patrick Giles

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The Florida Panthers have reached an agreement with college free agent Patrick Giles, signing him to a two-year entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports the deal will carry a cap hit of $812.5K. The big forward played a handful of games for their AHL affiliate down the stretch after his four-year career at Boston College came to an end. General manager Bill Zito released a short statement:

Patrick is a physical and talented player and we are looking forward to his development within our Panthers organization.

Physical indeed, as Giles stands at an imposing 6’5″ and has started to learn to use that big frame at both ends of the rink. In his senior season with BC, he managed to score 15 goals in 37 games, mostly by being larger than much of his competition. That size will help him in the minor leagues, where he’ll continue his professional journey this year.

In 17 games with the Checkers, split between the regular season and playoffs, Giles registered three points and racked up nine penalty minutes. While he is certainly not a fighter, the Panthers have made it very clear this offseason that they want to get tougher as a team, and adding his size follows that idea.

Signing a player like this is just like playing a lottery ticket. There’s a real chance that Giles amounts to very little even in the minor leagues but if he can carve out a role as a bottom-six player, perhaps they can squeeze some NHL minutes out of another undrafted player. Remember, Mason Marchment was a big, undrafted winger that had a hard time finding much offensive success when he first hit the minor leagues – and he just received a four-year, $18MM contract with the Dallas Stars after breaking out with the Panthers last year.

Marchment’s slow development through the Toronto Maple Leafs system is a blueprint for Giles. He was nearly 26 by the time he became a regular in the NHL and had ground through a year in the ECHL and three more in the AHL.

Jean-Francois Berube Expected To Be In Panthers Camp

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Given that Andrew Hammond is likely no longer attending Florida Panthers training camp on a PTO, with the veteran netminder expected to sign overseas, the team needed another goaltender. George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports that it will be Jean-Francois Berube, who will now be in camp on a tryout basis, competing for a spot in the organization.

Berube, 31, has bounced around the league as a depth option for years now, playing for a number of organizations but rarely seeing much NHL playing time. In 2021-22 he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, appearing six times and posting a .900 save percentage. In 19 appearances with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL he actually fared worse, but despite middling minor league performances, Berube continues to be a trusted option for NHL clubs trying to add experience.

A PTO is about as much as he can hope for at this point, though it is important to remember that this doesn’t lock him into a deal with the Panthers. Berube can showcase himself in the preseason for the entire league and hope to land somewhere once injuries start to pile up.

For his career, Berube has appeared in 40 regular season games and owns a .898 save percentage with a 12-12-4 record.

Florida Panthers Add To Performance Department

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  • The Florida Panthers made some additions to their Performance Department today, announcing the hires of Chris McLellan, Mike Joyce, and Mark Gaydos. McLellan was named vice president of sports performance, Joyce was named head strength and conditioning coach, and Gaydos was named assistant strength and conditioning coach. The Panthers have big plans for this season, and these three hires beef up the off-ice support they’re offering to their players as they hope to achieve their lofty goals in 2022-23.

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