at CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 8 Comments
With the start of the season just a few days away, teams are still trying to pare down their roster with a number of those players requiring waivers for them to send to the AHL. Here’s a final list of players put on waivers today, provided by TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:
Boston Bruins
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
D Kevin Connauton
F A.J. Greer
F T.J. Tynan
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Charles Hudon
G Charlie Lindgren
Tampa Bay Lightning
at CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment
The Los Angeles Kings are only just starting their rebuilding phase of their franchise, and the team has already decided that KHL veteran winger Nikolai Prokhorkin won’t be part of their immediate future as the team announced that they have assigned him to the Ontario Reign of the AHL.
The 25-year-old was brought in to Los Angeles with the hopes of immediately jumping into their lineup. He has played six full seasons in the KHL already, and had his best season last year when he picked up career highs with St. Petersburg SKA with 20 goals and 41 points. A fourth-round pick back in 2012, he opted to sign with the Kings in May to a one-year, entry-level contract, which would make him a restricted free agent next season. He did attempt to sign with the franchise back in 2012 and played eight games with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, before his contract was ruled illegal and was forced to return to Russia.
Prokhorkin does have a European assignment clause that can go into effect at a later date, according to Fox Sports Jon Rosen, but there so far has been no indication that Prokhorkin intends to return to the KHL. With a significant amount of young players on the roster, Prokhorkin may just want to play for Ontario to get used to North American rinks and hope the team will recall him at some point so he can prove he belongs in the Kings’ lineup at a later date.
at CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment
It’s a position that no NHL veteran wants to find himself in, but sometimes it’s the only way to stay employed in North America. With NHL training camps starting to cut mass amounts of participants, AHL camps are opening for another round of evaluation and to prepare young pros for the start of the minor league season. However, these AHL camps can also be a last-ditch source of hope for older players looking to stay relevant with an NHL affiliate. Every year a few recognizable names opt for this route, and this year is no different.
Of the many invites announced thus far, Jimmy Hayes stands out as the top AHL camp participant. The Iowa Wild specifically acknowledged the veteran winger’s presence in camp when announcing their roster. Hayes, 29, has 334 NHL games and over 100 points to his credit over eight seasons with five different NHL teams. However, Hayes’ two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season saw him play exclusively in the AHL. While he was productive, recording 30 points in 72 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, it wasn’t enough to earn another two-way deal. To this point, Hayes hasn’t even earned an AHL deal. He’ll work to earn a contract, and hopefully the attention of the Minnesota brass, when he takes part in Iowa camp.
Griffin Reinhart is another name that sticks out among the crowd of AHL camp invites. Like Hayes, Reinhart is a player whose trade value far outweighed what he ever produced on the ice in the NHL. The 25-year-old was drafted fourth overall in 2012 by the New York Islanders, who dealt him to the Edmonton Oilers a few years later for a first- and second-round pick. Yet, Reinhart has just two points in 37 games to show for his NHL impact. Even in three straight seasons of exclusive AHL action, Rienhart has failed to impress. However, on name value alone he will be able to find a shot somewhere. This time around, the Belleville Senators have invited the young defenseman to camp. Former Vancouver Canucks prospect Cole Cassels, the son of long-time NHLer Andrew Cassels, will also join the junior Senators in camp after playing in Germany last season.
Among the other recognizable faces in minor league camp is veteran forward Lance Bouma. After missing almost all of last season due to injury, Bouma signed a PTO with the Los Angeles Kings and seemed like a dark horse candidate to earn a contract. The 29-year-old has a proven track record as a checking forward in the NHL and has flashed offense from time to time as well. However, the Kings opted to go with their younger options, but not before asking Bouma to take part in AHL camp with the Ontario Reign, the team announced. Bouma could still earn a spot with the organization yet. Talented young goaltender Hayden Hawkey surprisingly remains a free agent searching for a landing spot. The property of both the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers during his four years at Providence College, Hawkey nevertheless ended up without an NHL team after graduation and became a UFA in August. He recently took part in training camp with the Washington Capitals, but was cut. He will now join the Stockton Heat in camp, the team revealed, and could prove to be a sneaky addition to the organization for the Calgary Flames. Hawkey posted a 2.19 GAA or lower in each of his four dominant collegiate seasons. Finally, Connor Brickley seems determined to stay with the New York Rangers organization at all costs. Brickley, 27, is a big, capable bottom-six forward who performed well down the stretch for the Rangers last season following a deadline trade. However, New York would not commit to a contract extension for the former second-round pick. Instead, he accepted a PTO to join the team in camp. When that ended today with his release from Rangers camp, the team announced that he will still participate in minor league camp with the Hartford Wolfpack and could stay in the organization after all.
None of these players are likely happy with their current predicament, but if they work hard in camp and in the AHL regular season, the fastest way back to NHL relevance is through production and consistency at the minor league level. Even for veterans and especially for those still considered prospects, AHL training camp can still be a valuable stepping stone toward a return to the top level.
at CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment
The Anaheim Ducks are clearly in a rebuilding phase this season. Afterall, they bought out Corey Perry earlier this summer, the team lost Ryan Kesler for the season and the Ducks hired their AHL coach, Dallas Eakins, who is familiar with many of the team’s prospects. Regardless, Eakins has made it clear, that the best players on the ice are the ones that are going to make the team and no favoritism will be given to the young players, according to Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register.
“Do we all quietly hope our draft picks work out? Yeah,” Eakins said. “We’ve got scouts who’ve put in thousands of miles and countless hours driving around everywhere looking at these players. They’ve got their names on them and our organization has invested in them. But nothing is going to be given here. We’re not just going to shuffle people out of the way and give our young people jobs. They’ve going to have to earn it. We’re not interested at all in any kind of breaking this down and shuffling out real good players and hand the team over to a younger group.”
at CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Brayden Burke (to Tucson, AHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Hamilton, OHL)
F Nicholas Merkley (to Tucson, AHL)
G Ivan Prosevtov (to Tucson, AHL)
F Tyler Steenbergen (to Tucson, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
D Axel Andersson (to Providence, AHL)
F Samuel Asselin (to Providence, AHL)
D Christopher Breen (to Providence, AHL)
D Wiley Sherman (to Providence, AHL)
D Alexey Solovyev (to Providence, AHL)
F Brendan Woods (to Providence, AHL)
D Cooper Zech (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Eric Cornel (to Rochester, AHL)
F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kevin Porter (to Rochester, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Rochester, AHL)
D Jacob Bryson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brandon Hickey (to Rochester, AHL)
D Zach Redmond (to Rochester, AHL)
D Devante Stephens (to Rochester, AHL)
G Andrew Hammond (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)
G Jonas Johansson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Arttu Ruotsalainen (to Ilves, Finland)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team tweet, late Saturday)
G Kevin Lankinen (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
D Mark Alt (requires waivers, to Colorado, AHL)
F Erik Condra (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Davis (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ty Lewis (to Colorado, AHL)
D Anton Lindholm (requires waivers, to Colorado, AHL)
D Nicolas Meloche (to Colorado, AHL)
D Peter Tischke (to Colorado, AHL)
G Adam Werner (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
G Matiss Kivlenieks (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL, pending waivers)
G Brad Thiessen (released from PTO, assigned to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Texas, AHL)
D Emil Djuse (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
D Ben Gleason (to Texas, AHL)
D Dillon Heatherington (to Texas, AHL, pending waivers)
F Tanner Kero (to Texas, AHL, pending waivers)
F Adam Mascherin (to Texas, AHL)
F Riley Tufte (to Texas, AHL)
F Stefan Noesen (released from PTO)
F Scottie Upshall (released from PTO)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Mason Bergh (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
F Lance Bouma (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kale Clague (to Ontario, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (to Ontario, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
D Max Gottlieb (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (to Ontario, AHL)
F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brad Morrison (to Ontario, AHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Ontario, AHL)
D Chaz Reddekopp (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
F Johan Sodergran (to Ontario, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
D Austin Strand (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
D Frederic Allard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Ken Appleby (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Arvin Atwal (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Lukas Craggs (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jeremy Davies (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Brandon Fortunato (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Josh Healy (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Connor Ingram (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tanner Jeannot (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Zach Magwood (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Thomas Novak (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mathieu Olivier (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Joe Pendenza (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Rem Pitlick (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Hugo Roy (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Scott Savage (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Cole Schneider (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Adam Smith (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Eeli Tolvanen (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Yakov Trenin (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Josh Wilkins (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Joey Anderson (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Evan Cormier (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brandon Gignac (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Ludvig Larsson (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Michael Paliotta (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Nikita Popugaev (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Gilles Senn (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Yegor Sharangovich (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colby Sissons (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Blake Speers (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Marion Studenic (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colton White (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Fabian Zetterlund (to Binghamton, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release, late Saturday)
G Joey Daccord (to Belleville, AHL)
F Jonathan Davidsson (to Belleville, AHL)
D Andreas Englund (to Belleville, AHL)
F Alex Formenton (to Belleville, AHL)
G Filip Gustavsson (to Belleville, AHL)
F Morgan Klimchuk (to Belleville, AHL)
F Joseph Labate (to Belleville, AHL)
D Maxime Lajoie (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jordan Murray (to Belleville, AHL)
F Josh Norris (to Belleville, AHL)
F Max Veronneau (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman)
D T.J. Brennan (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Alex Lyon (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Nate Prosser (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Reece Willcox (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tyler Wotherspoon (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Robby Jackson (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Mike Vecchione (to San Antonio, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ross Colton (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cory Conacher (cleared waivers, assigned to Syracuse, AHL)
F Nolan Foote (to Kelowna, WHL)
F Chris Mueller (cleared waivers, assigned to Syracuse, AHL)
F Otto Somppi (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Kristofers Bindulis (to Hershey, AHL)
F Tobias Geisser (to Hershey, AHL)
F Connor Hobbs (to Hershey, AHL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (to Hershey, AHL)
F Bobby Nardella (to Hershey, AHL)
F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team tweet, late Saturday)
D Declan Chisholm (to Peterborough, OHL)
D Giovanni Vallati (to Oshawa, OHL)
at CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment
With the regular season less than two weeks away, there will likely be plenty more training camp cuts today. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
D Dane Birks (to Tucson, AHL)
D Cam Dineen (to Tucson, AHL)
F Giovanni Fiore (to Tucson, AHL)
F Jeremy Gregoire (to Tucson, AHL)
F Keeghan Howdeshell (to Tucson, AHL)
G Erik Kallgren (to Tucson, AHL)
F Kelly Klima (to Tucson, AHL)
G Merrick Madsen (to Tucson, AHL)
F Jonathon Martin (to Tucson, AHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Tucson, AHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Tucson, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Alex Gallant (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jeremy McKenna (to Stockton, AHL)
F Mason Morelli (to Stockton, AHL)
G Nick Schneider (to Stockton, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
G Callum Booth (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Jeremy Helvig (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
D Nicolas Beaudin (to Rockford, AHL)
D Lucas Carlsson (to Rockford, AHL)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (to Rockford, AHL)
F Alexandre Fortin (to Rockford, AHL)
F Brandon Hagel (to Rockford, AHL)
F Mikhael Hakkarainen (to Rockford, AHL)
F Matthew Highmore (to Rockford, AHL)
F Reese Johnson (to Rockford, AHL)
F Philipp Kurashev (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
G Matt Tomkins (to Rockford, AHL)
D Joni Tuulola (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Derek Barach (released from PTO)
D Gabriel Carlsson (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Ryan Collins (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Maxime Fortier (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brett Gallant (released from PTO)
D Anton Karlsson (released from PTO)
F Nikita Korostelev (released from PTO)
F Stefan Matteau (released from PTO)
F Bryan Moore (released from PTO)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Eric Robinson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Kole Sherwood (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Kevin Stenlund (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Calvin Thurkauf (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (released from PTO)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)
D Reece Scarlett (to Texas, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Rodrigo Abols (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jonathan Ang (to Springfield, AHL)
G Ryan Bednard (to Springfield, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Springfield, AHL)
F Joel Lowry (to Springfield, AHL)
D Jake Massie (to Springfield, AHL)
F Serron Noel (to Oshawa, OHL)
F Kevin Roy (to Springfield, AHL)
F Paul Thompson (to Springfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team Twitter)
F Samuel Fagemo (to Frolunda, SHL)
F Akil Thomas (to Niagara, OHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Morgan Adams-Moisan (to Laval, AHL)
F Alexandre Alain (to Laval, AHL)
F Joe Cox (to Laval, AHL)
D Ryan Culkin (to Laval, AHL)
F Nikita Jevpalovs (to Laval, AHL)
G Connor LaCouvee (to Laval, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
F William Pelletier (to Laval, AHL)
F Michael Pezzetta (to Laval, AHL)
D David Sklenicka (to Laval, AHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)
F Hayden Verbeek (to Laval, AHL)
F Antoine Waked (to Laval, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Gabriel Fontaine (to Hartford, AHL)
D Mason Geertsen (to Hartford, AHL)
D Joey Keane (to Hartford, AHL)
F Patrick Newell (to Hartford, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
D Jake Dotchin (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Joey LaLeggia (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Nick Lappin (to San Antonio, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Peter Abbandonato (released from PTO)
G Louis Domingue (to Syracuse, AHL, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Boris Katchouk (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexey Lipanov (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ryan Lohin (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Kevin Lynch (released from PTO)
F Taylor Raddysh (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mikhail Shalagin (released from PTO)
D Luc Snuggerud (released from PTO)
D Oleg Sosunov (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Matthew Spencer (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Nolan Valleau (released from PTO)
G Clint Windsor (released from PTO)
F Dennis Yan (to Syracuse, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter)
G Brandon Halverson (to Toronto, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Justin Bailey (to Utica, AHL)
F Landon Ferraro (released from PTO)
F Lukas Jasek (to Utica, AHL)
D Olli Juolevi (to Utica, AHL)
F Kole Lind (to Utica, AHL)
D Brogan Rafferty (to Utica, AHL)
D Josh Teves (to Utica, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team Twitter)
F Tyrell Goulbourne (to Chicago, AHL)
D Brett Lernout (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jaycob Megna (to Chicago, AHL)
at CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
D Kevin Bahl (to Ottawa, OHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Matej Pekar (to Barrie, OHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Tyler Angle (to Windsor, OHL)
D Eric Hjorth (to Sarnia, OHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Red Deer, WHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Luke Esposito (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ostap Safin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Beau Starrett (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Nolan Vesey (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Vincent Desharnais (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jake Kulevich (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Aidan Dudas (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Arthur Kaliyev (to Hamilton, OHL)
D Jordan Spence (to Moncton, QMJHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Kitchener, OHL)
G Lukas Parik (to Spokane, WHL)
F Jonathan Yantsis (released from ATO)
D Billy Constantinou (released from ATO)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
D Gianni Fairbrother (to Everett, WHL)
New York Islanders (per Blainville-Boisbriand team release)
D Samuel Bolduc (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
F Egor Serdyuk (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
D Egor Zamula (to Calgary, WHL)
D Mason Millman (to Saginaw, OHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Everett, WHL)
F Max Golod (released from ATO)
F Ben McCartney (released from ATO)
F Mika Cyr (released from ATO)
D Sean Comrie (released from ATO)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Gabriel Fortier (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Maxim Cajkovic (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Quinn Schmiemann (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Eli Zummack (released from ATO)
D Louis Crevier (released from ATO)
D Cody Donaghey (released from ATO)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
D Xavier Bouchard (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Windsor, OHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Kelowna, WHL)
F Mason Primeau (to North Bay, OHL)
at CDT | by Gavin Lee 9 Comments
Late last night the Los Angeles Kings added another defensemen to their group, agreeing to terms with Ben Hutton on a one-year, $1.5MM contract. The deal comes after a competitive market failed to develop for the 26-year old, but will get him into training camp before the season starts.
Hutton has spent the last four seasons as a regular on the Vancouver Canucks blueline, playing in 276 games and recording 70 points. He averaged more than 22 minutes a night last season, but was likely a bit over his head as the Canucks dealt with injuries. The fifth-round pick has been effective at the professional level since signing out of the University of Maine, but failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Canucks who were looking to move in a different direction.
In Los Angeles, Hutton joins a group that is just looking to start moving in the right direction. His one-year deal lines him up with nearly the entire rest of the defense corps, as only Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez have any type of term on their deals. Derek Forbort, Paul Ladue and Joakim Ryan will all join Hutton in unrestricted free agency again next summer, giving the team some potential trade bait at the deadline if they are out of the race once again.
Going to the Kings gives Hutton the potential to play in the top-four once again, and perhaps even with a partner like Doughty if the team decides to go that route. For a player trying to rebuild his value that’s not a terrible situation to be in. We ranked Hutton 38th among our Top 50 UFAs this summer, predicting he would land a two-year deal with the Kings.
at CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments
While several players are simply struggling to find a team that’s interested in them, that doesn’t appear to be the case for defenseman Ben Hutton. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that the blueliner is weighing his options at the moment and mentions the Kings, Wild, Rangers, and Red Wings among the teams to have shown interest.
Hutton is coming off an improved season relative to his 2017-18 performance. After struggling to merely stay in the lineup that year, he wound up logging a career-high in ice time at 22:31 per night, a mark that ranked second on the Canucks. Despite that and an uptick in his point production from six to 20 points, Vancouver opted to non-tender him over qualifying him at $2.8MM this summer.
That made him one of the better options available on the UFA market but that one has been particularly slow to develop; even Jake Gardiner had to wait until earlier this month to get a new deal. Nonetheless, Hutton should be able to find a landing spot soon if this many teams are still interested.
The Kings have been linked back to him going back to July. Their back end isn’t the strongest and he’s young enough that he could be part of the picture for a few years if things went well. However, GM Rob Blake tried to downplay the idea of them signing him late last month saying they took a look but it didn’t go further than that.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s back end hasn’t undergone any changes this summer but head coach Bruce Boudreau was hesitant to give big minutes to players like Brad Hunt and Nick Seeler. Accordingly, someone that can log a heavier workload would certainly be appealing to the Wild.
The Rangers are a bit of a surprise on this list. While they could certainly use Hutton on their back end, they’re unlikely to be able to afford RFA Anthony DeAngelo without having to use some creativity when it comes to the cap and adding Hutton would only compound that.
As for the Red Wings, they lost Niklas Kronwall to retirement earlier this month which would seemingly open up a spot. However, they added Patrik Nemeth early in free agency this summer and still have veterans Danny DeKeyser and Jonathan Ericsson on the team so there may not be a full-time spot for Hutton to work with.
Nevertheless, although training camps are underway, it appears that Hutton won’t be without a team for much longer. However, at this stage, it’s hard to envision him getting the $2.8MM that he received last season despite his improved performance.
at CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments
With several NHL teams announcing their full training camp rosters today, there have been a number of previously unreported training camp invites, amateur tryouts and professional tryouts alike, revealed. Below is a list of players not under contract with an NHL team or their AHL affiliate, but will be attending NHL camp:
Buffalo Sabres (link)
F Kyle Olson, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
Calgary Flames (link)
D Eric Gryba, New Jersey Devils (AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (link)
F Egor Sokolov, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
Los Angeles Kings (link)
D Billy Constantinou, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
F Jonathan Yantsis, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Montreal Canadiens (link)
F Liam Hawel, Guelph Storm (OHL)
New York Rangers (link)
F Connor Brickley, New York Rangers (NHL)
Ottawa Senators (link)
F Tristan Scherwey, SC Bern (NLA)
F Scott Sabourin, Stockton Heat (AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (link)
D Marc-Antoine Pepin, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (link)
D Brayden Pachal, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Washington Capitals (link)
F Casey Bailey, HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL)
G Beck Warm, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
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