Malte Stromwall Placed On Unconditional Waivers
The New York Rangers have placed Malte Stromwall on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Stromwall had been demoted to the ECHL this season, after struggling in his return to North American hockey last year.
Signed in the spring of 2016, Stromwall was coming off an outstanding campaign in the Swedish Allsvenskan, scoring 42 points for AIK. At the time, it seemed like a shrewd depth pickup for the Rangers to find an undrafted offensive player. All the better that Stromwall was familiar with the North American game, having played two seasons for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. He had found success in his final year of junior, but struggled back in Europe when playing in the SHL.
The diminutive forward will likely return to Sweden to play, after recording two points in two games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Riding buses in the East Coast league is likely not what he expected when he inked a contract with the New York Rangers.
Eastern Notes: Fast, Bruins, Koekkoek, Morin
The New York Rangers tweeted that head coach Alain Vigneault announced injured forward Jesper Fast will play tonight vs. the New Jersey Devils. Fast, who had hip surgery on June 5, missed all of training camp and the first five games of the season so far this year. He was cleared for contact last week, and completed on-ice skills testing before practice and had the fourth-highest score. The 25-year-old wing scored six goals and 15 assists in 68 games last year, which was disappointing after a promising second-season in which he put up a 30-point campaign. Regardless, his work as a bottom-six player has been missed. The Rangers have come out of the gate slowly this year, as the team has started with a 1-4 record and have lost two straight.
- Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that the Bruins, who have struggled both offensively and defensively to start the year and find themselves as 1-2, are attempting to simplify their offense for their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Haggerty writes the team had the most success recently in the third period against Colorado when they posted two goals in that period. “The third period [in Colorado] we scored two goals and I don’t think we did anything spectacular other than win pucks, go to the net and be belligerent there. If that’s what it takes to get going, that’s what it takes sometimes to score goals in this league,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.
- Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that despite the Lightning’s logjam of eight defenders on the roster, the team is slowly giving more playing time to Slater Koekkoek. After he received two healthy scratches and playing in only 3:09 in his season debut Monday, Koekkoek got 9:44 in playing time on Thursday’s game, rewarding Tampa Bay with two goals. Despite playing under 10 minutes, Koekkoek still got more playing time than Mikhail Sergachev (5:22) and is starting to earn the coaching staff’s trust and could see another increase in time tonight when they play the St. Louis Blues.
- The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor breaks down (subscription required), why Philadelphia Flyers rookie Samuel Morin was sent down to Lehigh Valley. Many people were upset that Morin was sent down, because they feel he is NHL-ready now. The scribe breaks down some of the criteria of whether he belongs in the NHL, pointing out that he is physically ready for the NHL at 6-foot-6, 202 pounds and he has had success in the AHL so far with two solid seasons there. He then looks whether Morin showed off enough skill in training camp to deserve a spot before finally analyzing whether he is better than another defenseman on the roster, which is where O’Connor points out the problem. He writes that while Morin is right there, he didn’t prove to be better than the other two rookies in Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim and is not ready to beat out veterans like Radko Gudas or Andrew MacDonald.
Jesper Fast Could Return Earlier Than Expected
- Following practice on Wednesday, Rangers winger Jesper Fast acknowledged to Laura Albanese of Newsday that he feels close to fully healed from the hip surgery that he had back in June. While his original return to the lineup wasn’t expected until late October or early November, head coach Alain Vigneault suggested that Fast could be back in the lineup within the next seven-to-ten days. Once he’s green-lit to return, Fast will likely supplant one of Paul Carey or recent waiver wire pickup Adam Cracknell in New York’s lineup.
Nash, Rangers Have Not Discussed Contract Extension
Even with the season now underway, the Rangers have still yet to engage in extension discussions with winger Rick Nash, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts column. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported back in August that no substantive discussions had occurred and it certainly appears that neither side is in a hurry to kick-start discussions on a possible new deal to keep him in New York.
The 33-year-old is in the final year of his contract that carries a cap hit of $7.8MM and a salary of $8.2MM. While he was one of the top goal-scoring threats in the prime of his career, Nash has seen his production tail off in recent years as he has failed to hit 40 points in each of the past two seasons while missing considerable time due to injury in each.
While it seems like a given that Nash will be taking a pay cut on his next deal, determining how much of one it will be is a bit more of a challenge. The contract that Toronto handed Patrick Marleau (three years, $18.75MM) is likely something that his camp will be pointing to in any negotiations and while that would represent a decrease in pay, that contract would probably be too rich for the Rangers who looked to prioritize cap flexibility over the summer and a deal like that would cut into that considerably. On the flip side, New York may look to a contract former Ranger Eric Staal signed a couple of summers ago with the Wild as a potential comparable, three years with an AAV of $3.5MM.
While it’s still early, Nash isn’t off to the greatest start this season as he has been held off the scoresheet through the first four games while he is averaging 15:59 per night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie season back in 2002-03.
Friedman speculates that on top of prioritizing flexibility moving forward, the Rangers may want to see where they’re at in the standings before deciding whether to pursue an extension or potentially put him on the trade block. Nash’s partial no-trade clause requires him to submit a list of 12 teams he’d accept a trade to if the team requests it; Friedman notes that the Rangers have not yet asked for that list.
New York Rangers Re-Assign Chytil, Release Desjardins
After acquiring Adam Cracknell off waivers yesterday, the New York Rangers have decided to assign Filip Chytil to the AHL, and release Andrew Desjardins from his professional tryout. Though it was expected that Chytil would be re-assigned before burning a year of his entry-level contract, most had assumed he would be sent back to the Czech Republic. While that may still happen at some point, for now he will be with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.
Chytil was a huge surprise at training camp after being selected 21st-overall this summer, showing that he could compete with NHL players right away. The 18-year old made the team over fellow first-rounder Lias Andersson, but wasn’t given much of a chance in game action. Still, getting a chance to see what NHL life is like for at least a few days should help Chytil’s development in the long run. The next step is to decide where he should play for the rest of the season. If he does stay in the AHL, the Rangers can use a more hands-on approach for his deployment and practice habits.
Desjardins was always an afterthought for this roster, and the addition of Cracknell removed any hope he had of eventually earning a contract. While he brings experience in the form of 408 career NHL games and a Stanley Cup, he doesn’t offer much more than that. The 31-year old recorded just a single point last season in Chicago, and has just 64 total for his career.
Adam Cracknell Claimed By New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have claimed Adam Cracknell off waivers from the Dallas Stars, while Michael Bournival of the Tampa Bay Lightning has cleared and been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch. Cracknell will now compete for playing time in New York, though it will be interesting to see what corresponding move the Rangers make.
As Brian wrote yesterday, Cracknell spent all of last season with the Stars, suiting up for a career-high 69 games. His 10 goals and 16 points were also both easily career bests, and he provided a big body that was versatile enough to play different forward positions. At 32, he doesn’t offer much upside but can provide decent penalty killing and responsible bottom-six play.
The Rangers had been carrying just 22 players on their roster, with Jesper Fast starting the year on injured reserve. While Cracknell’s addition certainly puts his name in the mix for fourth-line minutes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll get into the lineup right away. The team, who bounced back from an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs to shutout the Montreal Canadiens last night, will have a decision to make on young Filip Chytil.
Chytil was a healthy scratch last night after seeing fewer than 13 total minutes of ice time in the first two games combines. While he was impressive in training camp, if the team is unwilling to give him time to develop in-game he’s not long for the NHL. The 18-year old can play seven more games in the league before burning a year of his entry-level contract.
Morning Notes: Nash, Maple Leafs, Lightning
Even if John Tavares does re-sign with the New York Islanders, next summer’s free agent crop looks to be much more exciting than this year’s. While in-their-prime forwards like Evander Kane and James van Riemsdyk will likely be the focal point of many rumors, the mid-thirties group will also have some very interesting names. One of those, Rick Nash, was profiled by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, who believes the 33-year old New York Rangers forward can still be among the league’s best.
A two-way game has increased Nash’s value, and though he’ll be 34 by the time July 1st, 2018 rolls around there could be plenty of suitors lined up to add him to the mix. With 416 career goals coming into this season, the 2002 first-overall pick is an interesting name to watch this year.
- The Maple Leafs are apparently working with a straight rotation for at least a couple of positions, as Kristen Shilton of TSN reports that Connor Carrick and Dominic Moore find themselves as the odd men out at the team’s morning skate. Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen will likely be the team’s third pair, while Eric Fehr will draw back in as the fourth-line center. Still left out in the cold is Josh Leivo, who can’t seem to earn himself a full-time role with the Maple Leafs despite scoring 10 points in 13 games last season.
- Among teams carrying eight defenseman early in the season are the Tampa Bay Lightning who, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, could dress seven for tonight’s matchup with the Washington Capitals. With Tampa’s decision to keep Mikhail Sergachev on the roster, they put themselves in somewhat of a roster crunch. Sergachev is the only defenseman on the roster who is waiver-exempt, and the team would not risk Jake Dotchin or Slater Koekkoek by sending them down to the minor leagues.
New York Rangers Sign Brandon Crawley To ELC
The New York Rangers have signed Brandon Crawley to a three-year, entry-level contract. The 20-year old defensman was drafted in the fourth round this summer after being passed up in the previous two. Crawley logged big minutes for the London Knights this season, and proved there may be a bit more to his game as he continues to fill out into his 6’2″ frame.
Training Camp Cuts And Recalls: 10/1/17
Today marks the end of the preseason for all those NHL teams who haven’t yet wrapped up their exhibition schedules. With games coming to an end, expect lots of action throughout the day and keep track of it all right here:
Arizona Coyotes
D Dakota Mermis – Tucson (AHL)
Colorado Avalanche
D David Warsofsky – waivers for purpose of assignment
Dallas Stars
D Chris Martenet – Texas (AHL)
Detroit Red Wings
F Colin Campbell – released from PTO
G Jared Coreau – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Matthew Ford – released from PTO
D Joe Hicketts – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Axel Holmstrom – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Filip Hronek – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Brian Lashoff – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Matt Lorito – waivers for purpose of assignment
G Thomas McCollum – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath – waivers for purpose of assignment
F P.A. Parenteau – released from PTO
F Michael Rasmussen – Tri-City (WHL)
D Dan Renouf – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Dylan Sadowy – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Dominik Shine – released from PTO
F Ben Street – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Dominic Turgeon – Grand Rapids (AHL)
Edmonton Oilers
D Mark Fayne – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Jesse Puljujarvi – Bakersfield (AHL)
Florida Panthers
F Brandon Pirri – released from PTO
F Harry Zolnierczyk – released from PTO
D Josh Brown – Springfield (AHL)
Los Angeles Kings
G Jack Campbell – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Justin Auger – waivers for purpose of assignment
New York Rangers
F Robin Kovacs – waivers for purpose of assignment
Ottawa Senators
D Thomas Chabot – Belleville (AHL)
D Ben Harpur – Belleville (AHL)
F Max McCormick – waivers for purpose of assignment
Philadelphia Flyers
F Oskar Lindblom – Lehigh Valley (AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Stefan Fournier – Brampton (ECHL)
Vancouver Canucks
G Richard Bachman – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Michael Chaput – waivers for purpose of assignment
F Jayson Megna – waivers for purpose of assignment
Recalls:
San Jose Sharks
D Nick DeSimone
D Cavan Fitzgerald
F Adam Helewka
F John McCarthy
Rangers Have No Plans To Recall Andersson During The Season
- Although the Rangers can recall recently-cut center Lias Andersson from his SHL team in Frolunda if need be during the season, they don’t intend to do so, reports Brett Cyrgalis of the New York GM Jeff Gorton noted their preference is for Andersson to receive consistent top-six minutes which is something that he could receive in Sweden but not in New York this season. Unlike a junior-aged player in the CHL, the Rangers don’t have to be in an emergency recall situation before they could bring Andersson back across the pond.