Waivers: 10/04/22
After all of the players from yesterday cleared, there is a new batch of talent on waivers today. Placement here is usually indicative of a training camp cut, though not necessarily. It gives teams the option to send a player to the minor leagues, but that doesn’t have to happen right away. Until a player spends 30 days on the active roster or plays in ten regular season games, they won’t have to clear waivers again.
Here are the players on waivers today:
Boston Bruins
Oskar Steen
Nick Wolff
Connor Carrick
Buffalo Sabres
Chicago Blackhawks
Luke Philp
Nicolas Beaudin
Dylan Sikura
Brett Seney
Columbus Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Alex Belzile
Anthony Richard
Mitchell Stephens
New Jersey Devils
Tyler Wotherspoon
Robbie Russo
Joseph Gambardella
Jeremy Groleau
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
Collin Delia
John Stevens
Noah Juulsen
Brady Keeper
Guillaume Brisebois
Thomas Hickey, James Neal Released From PTOs
With training camps starting to wrap up and the regular season about to begin, some professional tryouts are coming to an end. Thomas Hickey and James Neal have been released by the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets respectively, the latter according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Neal, 35, did a bit in the preseason of what he has always done – score goals – but it wasn’t enough to earn an NHL contract with the Blue Jackets. The veteran forward embraced a minor league role with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season and seems likely to do the same this year, if he wants to continue his career.
Over parts of 14 seasons in the league, Neal has 296 goals and 559 points in 869 games, reaching the 20-goal mark in each of his first ten years. While that NHL production has vanished recently, he did score 14 goals and 26 points in 28 games for the Thunderbirds and helped them reach the Calder Cup finals (which they ultimately lost).
Hickey, meanwhile, was also playing the minor league game last season, spending most of the year with the Bridgeport Islanders and Ontario Reign. The 33-year-old defenseman has more than 450 games played at the NHL level but quickly fell out of favor after signing a hefty contract with the New York Islanders.
With just seven NHL appearances since the start of the 2019-20 season, it seems unlikely that Hickey will get another full-time role at this point. If he wants to continue, perhaps another team will give him a chance on a two-way deal for minor league depth.
Update On Nico Hischier
- As relayed by Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, New Jersey Devils coach Lindy Ruff told the media that the team will be without captain Nico Hischier as he recovers from a hamstring strain. Hischier was pulled out of Monday’s preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens due to what the team called cramping, and now it seems the injury is a bit more significant than it originally had seemed to be. Ruff said that Hischier will be re-evaluated in ten days, and at that point the full picture of Hischier’s health will likely be a lot more clear.
Evening Notes: PWHPA, Hischier, Hodgson
There’s some exciting news coming on the women’s hockey front. In an interview with The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy, Canadian National Team captain Marie Philip-Poulin confirmed that the current touring structure for PWHPA games will turn into a league for the 2023-24 season, bringing two professional women’s leagues back into the fold for the first time since the CWHL and NWHL were both active.
The PWHPA Dream Gap Tour is the main pool of talent that Canada and the United States select for their national teams. They’ve effectively been limited to playing exhibition games without a league structure governing competition, although that shouldn’t diminish the level of talent and competition on display. A league structure should bring more financial stability and a better plan for growing the women’s game in North America.
- New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier left the team’s in-progress preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens at the first intermission. The team reports that Hischier’s absence is simply due to cramping and that he won’t return to the game for precautionary reasons. Hischier registered a shot on goal and played 6:24 in the first period, his preseason debut.
- Philadelphia Hockey Now’s Sam Carchidi tabs winger Hayden Hodgson as a candidate to crack the Flyers’ roster out of camp this year. Hodgson made waves in the Flyers organization this season after a breakout year in AHL Lehigh Valley, earning an NHL contract near the end of the season and a six-game call-up, where he registered three points. Hodgson hadn’t even played in the AHL since 2017-18, spending every season since then entirely in the ECHL (and partly in Slovakia).
Latest On Damon Severson
- New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson has spent the entirety of his eight-year professional career in New Jersey, but with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, his time in red and black could be coming to an end. Severson told the media today, as relayed by James Nichols of The Fourth Period, that contract talks between him and the Devils have not yet begun. That doesn’t mean that a deal won’t get done between now and next summer, of course, but with the signing of Dougie Hamilton, the recent Jonas Siegenthaler extension, the acquisition of John Marino, and the eventual arrivals of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, it’s definitely possible that the Devils don’t see room for Severson long-term in their top-four.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2022-23 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
New Jersey Devils
Current Cap Hit: $82,426,625 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Alexander Holtz (three years, $894K)
F Dawson Mercer (two years, $894K)
D Simon Nemec (three years, $950K)
Potential Bonuses
Holtz: $850K
Mercer: $400K
Nemec: $3.25MM
Total: $4.475MM
Mercer’s rookie season was a strong one as he finished fourth in freshman scoring with 42 points while grabbing hold of a spot in their top six. Assuming he stays there and boosts his production, he could be a candidate to skip a bridge deal and do a long-term pact as they’ve done with some of their other core pieces. Holtz may be up and down at times this season for cap purposes but when he’s in the NHL, he should be in the top six, allowing for some point production. If he winds up being up for the bulk of the season, he could hit several of his ‘A’ bonuses which is noteworthy with how tight the Devils are to the cap ceiling.
Nemec is another player that could be up and down at times this season. The second-overall pick from July is eligible to go to the AHL since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL and shuffling him back and forth would allow them to manage his minutes in New Jersey and then get him to play bigger roles in the minors. If he surprises in training camp and lands a top-four spot, however, then he’ll have a good chance at reaching some of his ‘A’ bonuses as well.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Nathan Bastian ($825K, RFA)
G Jonathan Bernier ($4.125MM, UFA)
G Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.8MM, RFA)
F Jesper Boqvist ($874K, RFA)
F Jesper Bratt ($5.45MM, RFA)
D Ryan Graves ($3.167MM, UFA)
F Erik Haula ($2.375MM, UFA)
F Andreas Johnsson ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Michael McLeod ($950K, RFA)
D Damon Severson ($4.167MM, UFA)
F Yegor Sharangovich ($2MM, RFA)
F Tomas Tatar ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Miles Wood ($3.2MM, UFA)
Let’s start with the pending UFA forwards. Tatar continues to be a strong possession player but his production has dropped the last couple of seasons. He’s a placeholder for someone like Holtz and while waiting out the market worked relatively well for him last summer, he’ll be hard-pressed to get this on his next contract. Johnsson had a much better showing last season compared to his first year in New Jersey and considering he’ll be 28 in free agency, he could get a contract that’s somewhat close to this rate assuming he produces at a similar rate next season.
Wood played just three games last season as he worked his way back from hip surgery so this deal was largely based on his past production. If healthy, he’s an effective middle-six winger that can contribute in a few different ways. But if the injury woes persist or he struggles, he’s a candidate for a one-year deal closer to the $2MM range. Haula came over in a trade from Boston for Pavel Zacha and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He won’t get as much top-six time with the Devils but even if his production goes closer to the 30-point mark (compared to 44 in 2021-22), he should be able to get at least a small raise on this contract.
Bratt has been through a couple of long negotiations already and the one-year settlement they reached last month only kicked the can down the road. This is clearly a prove-it contract after leading the team in scoring last season. A repeat performance could push him towards the $7.5MM range on a long-term agreement when he’ll have the hammer next summer in his final season of RFA eligibility. Sharangovich didn’t improve much on his per-game rates as a rookie but he has certainly shown that he’s a top-six winger for the Devils. His qualifying offer is $2.2MM and right now, his next deal could be in the $3.5MM range if he plays at a similar level next season.
McLeod’s offensive production hasn’t come around compared to his days in junior but he has been a strong middleman on the fourth line the last couple of seasons. With Zacha gone, he could get more of an offensive chance although Haula will cut into those chances as well. He should land a bit more than his $1MM qualifying offer next summer and a one-year deal might be an option if he has a similar offensive showing this season. Boqvist is now waiver-eligible so he shouldn’t see any time with Utica this season. He took his qualifying offer this summer and will have arbitration eligibility next offseason where, if he can produce at a similar rate as he did in 2021-22, he could push for something in the $1.75MM range. Bastian returned after being claimed back on waivers from Seattle and provided decent production from the fourth line. His qualifier is just under $920K but with teams trying to stay cheap on their depth players, he might have a hard time getting much more than that unless he can crack the double-digit mark in goals again.
Onto the defensemen. Severson has been on a team-friendly deal for a while now and with his jump in production last season, his contract looks even better for the Devils now. He’ll be 29 when his next contract kicks in and has logged top-pairing minutes for the last few seasons. He could find himself with a long-term deal worth more than $6MM per year at this time in 2023. Graves has become a quality option on the second pairing over the past four seasons and he’ll only be 28 next summer. He won’t produce enough to command the type of money that Severson will but he could push his way into the $4.5MM range a year from now.
Bernier was signed to platoon with Blackwood but hip troubles ended his season early and will delay the start of this one. Between that and the fact he’ll be 35 next summer, he’ll be looking at a one-year deal if he’s able to play at all and it should be considerably cheaper than this one. Blackwood is coming off a tough year and his numbers have dipped in each of the last three seasons. His qualifying offer is $3.36MM next summer and if he’s once again on the weak side of the platoon, he could be a non-tender candidate. On the flip side, he’s still young enough to potentially establish himself as at least a medium-term solution beyond 2022-23.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Brendan Smith ($1.1MM, UFA)
Smith has been a serviceable and versatile veteran at the end of the roster for the last few seasons with an ability to play up front when needed as well. He’s likely to have a depth role with New Jersey which will likely have him in line for a similar contract a couple of years from now.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Vitek Vanecek ($3.4MM, UFA)
With Blackwood’s struggles and Bernier’s injury concerns, GM Tom Fitzgerald elected to bring in another goaltender and quickly inked Vanecek to this three-year deal. He has been part of the platoon in Washington for the past two seasons, posting a .908 SV% each time. He’s probably still going to be a platoon option with Blackwood but he gives New Jersey some medium-term depth with the other two on expiring contracts with prospects like Nico Daws and Akira Schmid needing more AHL time.
Kurtis Gabriel Retires From Pro Hockey
In a Twitter post Monday, forward Kurtis Gabriel announced his retirement from professional hockey after a nine-year career.
Gabriel, 29, spent last season with the Toronto Marlies and Rockford IceHogs in the AHL, also getting two NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also spent time in the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks organizations.
He retires with 371 AHL games under his belt, including 72 points and a whopping 639 penalty minutes. He had five points in 51 NHL games, totalling 153 penalty minutes as well.
With his 6’4″, 212-pound frame, Gabriel was one of the few prototypical enforcers left in pro hockey. Off the ice, he’s a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Well-loved wherever he played, Gabriel promises to have many post-career options if he wants to stay in the game.
The Newmarket, Ontario native was originally a third-round draft pick of the Wild in 2013.
New Jersey Devils Tried To Acquire Matthew Tkachuk
The New Jersey Devils have been an interesting team to watch for the last few offseasons. With Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier in place as franchise cornerstones up the middle, it has been obvious that the front office wants to put a rebuild behind them and start competing in the Metropolitan Division.
In 2021, the team went hard after one of the top free agents available and signed Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63MM contract to be patrolling their blueline, potentially for the rest of his career. That deal hasn’t worked out exactly as planned, with Hamilton playing just 62 games in his first season, but it hasn’t deterred them from chasing more big fish.
The team was in the running for Johnny Gaudreau when free agency rolled around this year, and now Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald also tried to acquire Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames, before he was ultimately traded to the Florida Panthers.
Tkachuk, who was unwilling to sign a long-term deal in Calgary, had given the team a short list of places where an extension was possible, thus giving them the best return. Florida was on that list, along with Colorado, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Vegas, and St. Louis, but New Jersey was not.
Still, the fact that they were going after big-ticket free agents and top trade names shows exactly how serious the Devils are about competing in the short term. The team is entering this season with just a tiny bit of cap space (they ended up pivoting from Gaudreau to Ondrej Palat, while acquiring other names like John Marino and Vitek Vanecek), but that could be drastically different next year.
Jonathan Bernier, Damon Severson, Ryan Graves, Tomas Tatar, Andreas Johnsson, Miles Wood, and Erik Haula are all unrestricted free agents after this season, opening up a huge amount of cap space for the Devils to work with. They went after Hamilton last offseason, Gaudreau and Tkachuk this year, and will have plenty of flexibility to land a big fish a year from now.
While a player like Nathan MacKinnon likely isn’t going to get anywhere close to the open market, there are a number of outstanding players still unsigned for 2023-24. Free agency looks a lot different now than it will in June, but you have to believe that the Devils are already putting together a list of potential targets. Patrick Kane, Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, David Pastrnak, Dylan Larkin, Matt Dumba, Bo Horvat, Joe Pavelski, and plenty of others are currently scheduled for unrestricted free agency, though some are more likely than others to go unsigned throughout the year.
It will be interesting to see how this year’s performance impacts how the Devils operate next summer. With second-overall pick Simon Nemec waiting in the wings, youngsters like Dawson Mercer already showing huge upside, and a goaltender in Vanecek brought in to stabilize the crease, the Devils might already be substantially better. If the past is any indication, they’re going to try hard to land another marquee player to join that group at some point.
New Jersey Devils Sign Zach Senyshyn To PTO
The 2015 NHL Draft is one Boston Bruins fans would very much like to forget. Now, one of their three infamous first-round picks is joining his potential third NHL organization in a matter of months. Forward Zach Senyshyn today signed a PTO with the New Jersey Devils, the team announced.
Boston’s 15th overall pick in 2015, Senyshyn was a member of the Bruins organization up until the trade deadline this past season. He’s played just 16 NHL games, all spread out over the past four seasons, and has only one NHL goal and two assists. He hasn’t been consistently producing in the AHL, either, averaging under 0.50 points per game throughout his 250-plus game career in the minors, mostly with the Providence Bruins. Although he had finally broken out offensively in the minors over the past two seasons, he had just three points in 16 AHL games with the Belleville Senators after he was traded to the Ottawa organization in exchange for Josh Brown.
Needless to say, Senyshyn is attending Devils camp just for a shot at a contract within the organization, less so the NHL roster. Now 25, Senyshyn will need to have a strong enough camp to prove he can be a dependable top-nine contributor for their AHL affiliate in Utica.
Senyshyn joins veteran defenseman Thomas Hickey as players attending Devils camp on PTOs.
New Jersey Devils Sign Thomas Hickey To PTO
There was a time a few years ago when Thomas Hickey was an extremely consistent two-way defenseman, capable of filling out any defense corps. That led to him signing a four-year, $10MM contract with the New York Islanders in 2018. Unfortunately, as he dealt with injury and his play declined, Hickey has been mostly limited to minor league duty the last several seasons.
Now a free agent, he has signed a professional tryout contract with the New Jersey Devils and will report to training camp later this month. The 33-year-old played two games for the Islanders last season, splitting the rest of his time between the Bridgeport Islanders and Ontario Reign. He hasn’t played more than five NHL games in a single season since 2018-19.
Given where the New Jersey defense sits right now, there is certainly no guarantee that Hickey will land an NHL contract with the Devils. Dougie Hamilton, John Marino, Damon Severson, Ryan Graves, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Brendan Smith are all signed to one-way contracts of at least $1.1MM, while prospects Simon Nemec, Reilly Walsh, and Kevin Bahl will all be pressing for NHL playing time at camp. That doesn’t leave a lot of room on the roster for Hickey, though he could land a two-way deal and be valuable veteran depth in the minor leagues in case of a call-up.
The fourth overall pick from 2007, Hickey has 456 regular season games under his belt, all with the Islanders.