Ottawa Senators Agree To Affiliation With ECHL’s Brampton Beast
The Ottawa Senators have added another layer to their pipeline, announcing today that they have agreed to a one-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. As with all NHL-ECHL relationships, the Ottawa Senators and AHL’s Belleville Senators will be able to assign players to Brampton in 2018-19. The Beast were most recently affiliated with the rival Montreal Canadiens and their AHL team, the Laval Rocket. However, Montreal will not have a specific affiliate this season, opting instead to send some players to Brampton and others to nearby clubs like the Maine Mariners.
Brampton is a logical fit for the Senators, located in Ontario not far from Toronto, a quick flight or manageable drive from Ottawa or Belleville. The Senators were formerly affiliated with the Wichita Thunder, but gave up that exclusive relationship prior to last season. Ottawa used Wichita sparingly, as well as Brampton, last year despite a lack of a formal relationship, and the Thunder took on a new parent club in the Edmonton Oilers. Now, the Senators are back in the ECHL officially and may use Brampton more frequently due to its proximity.
With this agreement in place, the number of unaffiliated NHL and ECHL clubs drops again. There has been much movement in the ECHL this off-season, but with the Vegas Golden Knights and Fort Wayne Komets linking up, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Orlando Solar Bears making a reasonable match, and the Atlanta Gladiators adding the Nashville Predators on alongside the Boston Bruins, very few teams have yet to be paired up with the season about to begin. Currently, the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and San Jose Sharks are without an ECHL affiliate, while the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Rapid City Rush are without parent clubs. The Panthers and South Carolina-based Swamp Rabbits would seem to be an easy match, but only time will tell if and when any further relationships are formed this season.
Zack Smith, 17 Others Placed On Waivers
A substantial group of players again went untouched on the waiver wire yesterday, as there remains just one claim so far this season. Today, a new set of names become briefly available on their way down to the AHL. According to The Athletic’s James Mirtle, these 18 players have been placed on waivers by their respective teams today, highlighted by Ottawa’s longest-tenured player:
F Anton Blidh (Boston)
F Colby Cave (Boston)
D Jake Chelios (Detroit)
F Hudson Fasching (Arizona)
F Byron Froese (Montreal)
D Cody Goloubef (Boston)
F Ryan Haggerty (Pittsburgh)
D Brett Lernout (Montreal)
F Nick Lappin (New Jersey)
F Michael McCarron (Montreal)
F Mark McNeill (Boston)
D Robbie Russo (Arizona)
G Harri Sateri (Detroit)
F Hunter Shinkaruk (Montreal)
F Zack Smith (Ottawa)
F Jordan Szwarz (Boston)
F Chris Terry (Detroit)
D Rinat Valiev (Montreal)
Obviously, Smith is the star of this group and easily the biggest name to hit the wire so far this year. The decision to placed the veteran forward, a career Senator entering his eleventh season, on waivers is a curious one. Admittedly, Smith did not play well last season; beyond only recording 19 points in 68 games, he logged a brutal -32 rating, saw a drop-off in face-off success, and struggled in many possession metrics. Nevertheless, he remained a favorite of head coach Guy Boucher and saw a career high in ice time. After losing the likes of Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman this summer, Smith – while not the strongest player – was one of the few loyal locker room leaders left in Ottawa. There has already been a negative response, as Matt Duchene called the move “a kick in the balls” for the locker room, according to TSN’s Brent Wallace. For some reason, the team has decided to move on, one way or another. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Senators have been shopping Smith for some time and had trade interest, but were not able to come to an agreement with any of the teams not included on Smith’s limited list per his modified No-Trade Clause. Now, they will either lose him for nothing in return or have the ability to bury him in the minors if he clears. Such a demotion would clear $1.025MM in cap space of his $3.25MM salary. It is important to note when considering any potential claims, that Smith is signed for three more years, making his inclusion on waivers even more surprising.
The group of Canadiens could also offer some appeal, particularly the 23-year-old power forward McCarron. Although the 2013 first-round pick has not lived up to expectations yet, he has the one thing you can’t teach and that is size. At 6’6″, 230-lbs., McCarron has the frame to do some damage at his spot on the right wing if put in the right system with the right line mates. It hasn’t happened yet in Montreal, but some other team may be willing to take a shot. Veteran grinder Froese, who played in 48 games with the Habs last year, could also get a passing glance, while trade recent Montreal trade acquisitions Shinkaruk and Valiev are somewhat intriguing albeit not likely to be claimed.
Team in search of young, affordable fourth line help could look at the Bruins’ Blidh and Cave, although such a move is unlikely. The same goes for Haggerty, whose placement on waivers comes as surprise, given that no contract has of yet been announced with Pittsburgh for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/25/18
Another day of camp, another day of cuts. Things are starting to get more difficult though as rosters have become much thinner over the past few days and each release and reassignment is not taken lightly. The pace of roster announcements today is noticeably slower than this past week. Yet, the cuts must be made. Follow along here for all of the camp casualties across the league today:
Note that players placed on waivers today are not included on this list. They can be found here.
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
D Kyle Capobianco (to Tuscon, AHL)
G Adin Hill (to Tuscon, AHL)
F Kevin Klima (to Tuscon, AHL)
F Jens Looke (to Tuscon, AHL)
G Hunter Miska (to Tuscon, AHL)
F Lane Pederson (to Tuscon, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
D Connor Clifton (to Providence, AHL)
F Karson Kuhlman (to Providence, AHL)
D Jeremy Lauzon (to Providence, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
G Callum Booth (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Morgan Geekie (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Andrew Poturalski (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Dan Renouf (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team Twitter update)
D Carl Dahlstrom (to Rockford, AHL)
D Joni Tuulola (to Rockford, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
F Dylan Sadowy (to Toledo, ECHL)
D Brenden Kotyk (released from PTO)
F Bryan Moore (released from PTO)
G Pat Nagle (released from PTO)
D Matt Register (released from PTO)
F Jordan Topping (released from PTO)
F Luke Kirwan (released from ATO)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)
D Kevin Gravel (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Keegan Lowe (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Brad Malone (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
D Michal Moravcik (to Laval, AHL)
D David Sklenicka (to Laval, AHL)
F Nick Suzuki (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Joel Ward (released from PTO)
New Jersey Devils (per team Twitter)
F Joey Anderson (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Michael McLeod (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Marian Studenic (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Islanders (per team Twitter update)
F Steve Bernier (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Christopher Gibson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Seth Helgeson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Mike Sislo (to Bridgeport, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
F Nicholas Aube-Kubel (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal)
F Reid Boucher (to Utica, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Utica, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
G Maxime Lagace (to Chicago, AHL)
F Stefan Matteau (to Chicago, AHL)
D Griffin Reinhart (to Chicago, AHL)
F T.J. Tynan (to Chicago, AHL)
F Cody Glass (to Portland, WHL)
Brian Gionta Announces Retirement
This time last year, many had written off veteran forward Brian Gionta as having played in his last game. Instead, the 39-year-old captained the U.S. Olympic team at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea and then returned home to a contract with the Boston Bruins for the stretch run and two rounds of postseason play. With that adventure added to a 16-year NHL career, Gionta now feels he can hang up his skates. The respected veteran announced at a press conference with the Buffalo Sabres today that he has retired from playing professional hockey. Gionta will remain with Sabres in a small off-ice role moving forward.
One of the most famed locker room leaders of his generation, Gionta served as the captain of both the Sabres and Montreal Canadiens during his career. He began as top prospect of the New Jersey Devils, a 1998 third-round pick out of Boston College. At BC, Gionta was a two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist and helped the Eagles to three Hockey East championships. In his second pro season, Gionta helped the Devils to a Stanley Cup championship in 2003, during which run he played in all 24 playoff games and chipped in nine points. Gionta truly broke out in the first post-lockout season, finishing in the top ten in goal scoring with 48 goals and 89 points in 2005-06. After seven years in New Jersey, Gionta played five seasons with Montreal and then returned home to upstate New York for three seasons with Buffalo.
Altogether, Gionta recorded 595 points in 1026 NHL games. An extremely durable player, Gionta played in 75+ games in nine different seasons, often averaging upwards of nineteen minutes of ice time per night. At just 5’7″, Gionta was a pioneer of the movement toward smaller players in the NHL, as his play proved that small stature doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of toughness and grit. Gionta was also a model player, especially considering his two-way nature, as he stayed out of the penalty box for much of his career. Gionta will always be remembered for his unique style, versatility, hockey IQ, and of course, leadership. Should he really embrace the management side of the game with Buffalo, he will likely continue to find success in the game of hockey.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Drouin, Bruins, Outdoor Game, Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been without winger Tyler Johnson for the last week after suffering an upper-body injury in practice. While the 28-year-old is listed as day-to-day, NHL.com’s Bryan Burns writes that Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois recently hinted that Johnson could miss more time than originally expected, including possibly missing the season opener.
“We’re optimistic that he’ll be ready for the season opener but there are no guarantees,” Brisbois said. “In any event, we don’t expect this to be something that will be long term.”
Johnson is a key player on the Lightning’s top-six as he is coming off a 21-goal, 50-point season and the team needs him on the ice if it wants to make another Stanley Cup run this season.
- Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette writes that Montreal Canadiens Jonathan Drouin, who spent his entire summer working on his skills at the center position was a little surprised when they moved him back to wing on the first day of training camp. “I worked on centre stuff all summer, so I was a bit surprised,” Drouin said. “Starting the season it’s easier to go from centre to wing if you’ve played that. I just need to get my feet wet more a little bit and get back to that elite winger I used to be.” Drouin hopes returning to his original position will give him a chance to develop into the elite winger that Montreal thought they were getting when they traded for him last offseason.
- The Boston Bruins are still making decisions on who will make their opening day roster, but no matter how you look at it, some very talented youngsters will find themselves on the outside looking in, according to Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports. The scribe writes that some players will have trouble making the roster, including defenseman Matt Grzelcyk as well as Anders Bjork. Grzelcyk played in 61 games, but could find himself in a seventh-man role or worse with the depth on the team’s blueline, while a shoulder injury has hindered the chances of Bjork making the team as Ryan Donato and Danton Heinen seem to have surpassed him on the depth chart. Bjork might get a chance to return for a preseason game or two, but is it too late?
- NHL.com’s Bryan Burns writes that the Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik believes the team is closing in on the possibility of getting an outdoor game as weather in February may be good enough in Tampa to host a game. However, NHL executive VP Steve Mayer countered (via The Athletic’s Joe Smith) that by saying that while Tampa Bay is one of many teams up for an outdoor game, no decisions have been made yet. An announcement won’t be made until early next year.
- Two players who were cut by the Tampa Bay Lightning are also going down injured as defenseman Daniel Walcott is expected to be out five to six months with a shoulder injury, while forward Kevin Lynch will miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, according to the Lightning. Both will eventually find their way onto the Lightning’s AHL squad once they have healed.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Paul Byron To Four-Year Extension
Despite some speculation from the fan base that Paul Byron might be the next player out the door for the Montreal Canadiens, Byron himself confirmed last week that he was in talks for a contract extension with the team. Those talks have proved fruitful, as the Canadiens announced a new four-year, $13.6MM contract with the veteran forward. Byron has one year remaining on his current contract at $1.17MM, but will get a hefty raise to $3.4MM per year on average through 2022-23. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Byron’s contract does not contain any trade protections and will pay him $4MM in years one and three and $2.8MM in years two and four.
This move lines up nicely with what Montreal wants to do over the course of the contract: continue to be competitive while rebuilding their core. Byron has been a great fit for the Habs since coming over from the Calgary Flames via waivers early in the 2015-16 season. Byron has recorded more points in Montreal over the past two seasons (78) than he did his first 200 NHL games prior (66), including a career-high 43 in 2016-17. He has also proven to be a dependable and durable player, skating in all but one game and logging new highs in ice time in the past two years. One could argue that no Canadien has been more consistent than Byron over the past two seasons, who now has the security to further transition into a leader in the locker room.
The versatile forward joins a new Canadiens’ top six of Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, and Phillip Danault, all signed on for multiple seasons with the team. A good checker, penalty killer, and all-around two-way contributor, Byron has blossomed into a balanced player who should provide responsible play up front for years to come for the Canadiens. Byron may not have the same name value as some of this teammates or others in the mid-$3MM salary range, but make no mistake – this is a savvy signing by Montreal to lock up a very capable player.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/21/18
Nearly 60 players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday, and today will probably be no different. We’ll keep track of all the cuts here and will update this post throughout the day.
Note that this list does not cover players placed on waivers today. Those players can be found here.
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Justin Auger (released from PTO; to Stockton, AHL)
F Yasin Ehliz (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jordan Ernst (released from PTO; to Stockton, AHL)
F Zach Fischer (to Stockton, AHL)
D Josh Healey (to Stockton, AHL)
G Mason McDonald (to Stockton, AHL)
F Mike McMurtry (to Stockton, AHL)
D Andrew O’Brien (to Stockton, AHL)
D Michael Paliotta (to Stockton, AHL)
F Scott Sabourin (released from PTO; to Stockton, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
D Josiah Didier (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Michael Fora (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Jeremy Helvig (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Steven Lorentz (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Cliff Pu (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Aleksi Saarela (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Spencer Smallman (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Josh Wesley (to Charlotte, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release and team Twitter account)
D Nicolas Beaudin (to Drummondville, QMJHL)
D Lucas Carlsson (to Rockford, AHL)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (to Hamilton, OHL)
D Blake Hillman (to Rockford, AHL)
G Kevin Lankinen (to Rockford, AHL)
F Nathan Noel (to Rockford, AHL)
D Darren Raddysh (to Rockford, AHL)
F Henrik Samuelsson (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News)
D Jakob Stenqvist (IF Bjorkloven, Allsvenskan)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Morgan Adams-Moisan (to Laval, AHL)
F Jeremiah Addison (to Laval, AHL)
F Alexandre Alain (to Laval, AHL)
F Daniel Audette (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex Belzile (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Will Bitten (to Laval, AHL)
D Josh Brook (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Ryan Culkin (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Jake Evans (to Laval, AHL)
D Cale Fleury (to Laval, AHL)
F Alexandre Grenier (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Nikita Jevpalovs (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
G Etienne Marcoux (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Phelix Martineau (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
D T.J. Melancon (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Michael Pezzetta (to Laval, AHL)
D Adam Plant (released from PTO; to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)
F Antoine Waked (to Laval, AHL)
D Scott Walford (to Victoria, WHL)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
D Guillaume Brisebois (to Utica, AHL)
F Jonah Gadjovich (to Utica, AHL)
F Lukas Jasek (to Utica, AHL)
G Ivan Kubalkov (released from ATO; to Utica, AHL)
F Kole Lind (to Utica, AHL)
F Zack MacEwen (to Utica, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
D Dylan Coghlan (to Chicago, AHL)
F Reid Duke (to Chicago, AHL)
G Zach Fucale (to Chicago, AHL)
F Tomas Hyka (to Chicago, AHL)
D Kevin Lough (to Chicago, AHL)
F Brooks Macek (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jimmy Oligny (to Chicago, AHL)
F Gage Quinney (to Chicago, AHL)
D Zach Whitecloud (to Chicago, AHL)
F Tyler Wong (to Chicago, AHL)
Canadiens Sign Joel Teasdale To An Entry-Level Contract
After signing Josh Brook earlier this morning, the Canadiens have locked up another prospect, announcing the signing of winger Joel Teasdale to a three-year, entry-level contract. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a cap hit of just over $753K before performance bonuses which exist in only the first year of the contract.
Teasdale went undrafted back in June but accepted an invitation to Montreal’s development camp shortly thereafter. He performed well enough to get invited to their main camp and even got into a preseason game with the big club.
Last season, the 19-year-old played in 65 games with Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL, recording 32 goals and 33 assists and followed that up with a near point-per-game showing in the postseason, posting eight goals along with 13 helpers in 22 contests. That also helped him earn an invitation to Team Canada’s summer camp for the World Juniors.
Teasdale isn’t eligible to play at the minor league level so he will likely return to the Armada for the upcoming campaign. If he doesn’t play in ten or more games with Montreal in 2018-19, his contract will slide a year and not officially begin until 2019-20.
Canadiens Sign Josh Brook To An Entry-Level Deal
The Canadiens have locked up one of their 2017 draft picks, announcing the signing of defenseman Josh Brook to a three-year, entry-level contract. CapFriendly reports (via Twitter) that the deal will carry a cap hit of just under $810K before potential games played performance bonuses.
Brook was a second-round pick of Montreal (56th overall) back in 2017 and is coming off a quality, albeit injury-shortened, season with Moose Jaw of the WHL. In 45 games with the Warriors, he collected 32 points (3-29-32) along with 36 PIMS and a +48 rating, the second-best mark on the team despite missing 27 games.
Brook isn’t eligible to play in the minors in 2018-19 so he will likely return to the junior level for the upcoming season. If he doesn’t play in ten or more games with Montreal this season, his contract will slide a year and not officially begin until the 2019-20 campaign.
Max Domi To Receive Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
In what was essentially a meaningless preseason affair for veteran players just looking to shake off the rust before the season begins, Max Domi may have risked the start of his Montreal Canadiens career. After coming together with Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and attempting to start a fight, Domi quickly dropped his glove and delivered a punch to the unsuspecting Ekblad, knocking him to the ice. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety will have a hearing today with Domi over the incident, and could potentially hand out a suspension.
Domi did receive a match penalty for the punch, ending his night early in what would eventually become a 5-2 loss for the Canadiens. For a player who is expected to be the first line center in Montreal this season, it wasn’t a great first impression and could get even worse if a suspension is handed down today. It seems unlikely that Domi will miss any regular season games since the incident happened so early in the exhibition schedule, but nothing is certain at this point.
The Canadiens have a lot riding on the 23-year old Domi, and are hoping that he can experience a bounce back offensive campaign after scoring just nine goals last season in 82 games. While this doesn’t change those hopes, it certainly gets him off on the wrong foot.