Waivers: 10/08/23
Oct. 9: Four players on this list were claimed today: A.J. Greer (Calgary), John Ludvig (Pittsburgh), Ivan Prosvetov (Colorado), and Lassi Thomson (Ottawa). All others have cleared and are expected to be assigned to their team’s respective AHL affiliates, aside from Boyd, who PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports remains on the Coyotes’ active roster for now.
Oct. 8: It’s expected to be a busy day on the waiver wire, as NHL teams are making their final adjustments to the roster they’ll bring into the start of the 2023-24 season. There have already been numerous notable names exposed to the waiver wire thus far this preseason, and that list could only expand today. All players from yesterday’s waiver wire have cleared.
Anaheim Ducks
D Lassi Thomson
G Alex Stalock
F Andrew Agozzino
Boston Bruins
Arizona Coyotes
F Travis Boyd
F Zach Sanford
G Ivan Prosvetov
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
F Raphael Lavoie
F Lane Pederson
D Ben Gleason
Florida Panthers
F Zac Dalpe
D John Ludvig
D Casey Fitzgerald
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Joel Armia
D Gustav Lindström
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
G Magnus Hellberg
F Colin White
D Mark Friedman
F Vinnie Hinostroza
F Radim Zohorna
St. Louis Blues
F Mackenzie MacEachern
D Calle Rosen
G Malcolm Subban
F Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Zach Bogosian
F Gabriel Fortier
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Martin Jones
F Kyle Clifford
F Dylan Gambrell
D William Lagesson
D Maxime Lajoie
Vancouver Canucks
F Jack Studnicka
D Christian Wolanin
Vegas Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets
D Kyle Capobianco
G Collin Delia
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The big surprise here out of Arizona regards Boyd. The versatile 30-year-old veteran doesn’t have an exorbitant contract (just $1.75MM through the end of the season) and has scored 69 points across the last two seasons.
He’s been something of a breakout player for the Coyotes as his 17-goal, 35-point 2022-23 was far and away his best season in his career, so it’s definitely a surprise to see him exposed on waivers.
For Anaheim, the move to waive Stalock likely means that Lukáš Dostál has won the Ducks’ backup goalie job behind John Gibson, as should Stalock clear the Ducks will have the option to send him down to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
In Edmonton, it comes as a little bit of a surprise to see Lavioe waived. The 23-year-old power forward was drafted just outside of the 2019 first round, and took a real step forward in his development last season. He became a genuinely impactful AHLer, scoring 25 goals and 45 points. He’s a name to watch in terms of players with the potential to be claimed out of this group.
Anderson-Dolan finally made the NHL on an extended basis last season, and scored 12 points in 46 games. He even got some playoff action under his belt, but seeing as he was a near-point-per-game scorer in his last season in the AHL, it seems the Kings could prefer to have him start the season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Rosen appears the likeliest candidate from the Blues’ group of waived players to be of interest to other teams, as he’s owed just a $762.5k cap hit this season and impressed in 49 games of NHL action last season. He scored 18 points in that span and could interest teams in need of some additional defensive help.
Out of Tampa is Bogosian, and it’s reported that the Lightning are hoping to put the veteran blueliner in a position to land on another team where he can play a bigger role than he’d be offered in Tampa. The 33-year-old won a Stanley Cup for the Lightning and it seems that the organization is looking to do right by the player while also turning to other options to staff their defense.
One of the biggest names on waivers comes out of Toronto, as Jones played in 48 games last season but now finds himself exposed to 31 other clubs. With an $875k cap hit, the veteran netminder could end up claimed by teams in need of instant goaltending support, such as the Lightning who don’t have much depth after the injury to superstar Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Islanders Place Ross Johnston On Waivers
The New York Islanders placed veteran enforcer Ross Johnston on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This will not allow the Islanders to assign him to AHL Bridgeport before tonight’s 4 p.m. CT opening-night roster deadline. However, as Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports, the Islanders will designate Johnston as a non-roster player while on waivers, eliminating his $1.1MM cap hit from the books within the next few hours to help the Islanders get under the salary cap’s $83.5MM Upper Limit.
Johnston’s waiver assignment comes as a bit of a surprise, as New York has carried him as an extra forward since 2018-19. He’s played 109 NHL games in that span, scoring 18 points. Johnston is currently in the second year of a four-year, $4.4MM contract. This deal was signed at the start of the 2021-22 season. Johnston would go on to score seven points and record 44 penalty minutes in 32 games that year.
The Islanders signed Johnston as an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL in 2015. His appeal was largely as an enforcer, leading his QMJHL team in the final two years of his four-year juniors career. He brought this precedent to pro hockey as well, leading the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL in penalty minutes as soon as his sophomore year in the league. He even led the New York Islanders in penalty minutes, recording 62 in only 24 games, during the 2017-18 season; Johnston’s rookie year. This was nine minutes more than Cal Clutterbuck, whose 53 penalty minutes through 76 games ranked second on the team.
While Johnston’s return to the AHL is surprising given his duration with the NHL club, it’s not likely that this is the last fans have seen of him at the top level. The Islanders clearly have an affinity for his reckless style. He’ll certainly remain one of the team’s top options to fill in gaps in the NHL lineup.
PHR’s Gabriel Foley added to this report.
Penguins Claim John Ludvig Off Waivers From Panthers
The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed defense prospect John Ludvig off waivers from the Florida Panthers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Monday.
Ludvig, 23, was a third-round pick of the Panthers in the 2019 NHL Draft. He turned pro in 2020 but dealt with significant injuries over the following two seasons, only gaining an extended look in the pros for the first time last season. With AHL Charlotte, Ludvig skated in 54 games, recording 17 points and a +18 rating – finishing second on the team in that regard. There’s obviously some defensive upside here with Ludvig, who broke out for 62 points in 60 games while serving as captain of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks during his final season in juniors.
Ludvig signed his first deal with the Panthers in 2020, following his 62-point season in Portland. He immediately moved to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, playing in 13 games and recording eight points during an early taste of professional hockey – shortened by the AHL only playing during part of the 2020-21 season.
This move brings competition in for Ryan Shea, who was already slated to be Pittsburgh’s seventh-man. It also brings Pittsburgh within $170K of the cap ceiling – adding to the tension caused by the claim. Luckily, Dubas has a proven ability to find little bits of cap space throughout the season, although that doesn’t settle the competition for the seventh-man role. Like Ludvig, Shea has yet to see his NHL debut, playing his last three seasons in the AHL. This includes 70 games last year, where Shea recorded 28 points. Pittsburgh will need to decide which of the two young defenders is fit to back up a defense room filled with proven NHL veterans.
PHR’s Gabriel Foley added to this report.
Flames Claim A.J. Greer Off Waivers From Bruins
The Calgary Flames claimed winger A.J. Greer off waivers from the Boston Bruins on Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Boston had initially acquired Greer, 26, by signing him to a two-year, $1.525MM contract in free agency during the summer of 2022. Eyebrows raised when it was announced Greer received a one-way deal after spending most of his pro career in the minors, but he managed to crack the record-breaking Bruins out of camp and never looked back. The gritty winger avoided AHL assignment for the first time in his career and notched five goals, seven assists, and 12 points in 61 contests with Boston – as well as 114 penalty minutes. After the team’s trade deadline moves, however, he was mostly a healthy scratch and did not play during their first-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers.
With younger players like Jakub Lauko and Matthew Poitras taking strides in their development, Greer lost his roster spot and was waived yesterday. He heads to a team in need of forward depth in Calgary, who is down two initially projected regulars for this season after Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney sustained long-term injuries during training camp. Greer will challenge other depth forwards like Walker Duehr and Dryden Hunt for ice time on the Flames’ fourth line to begin the season.
Avalanche Claim Ivan Prosvetov Off Waivers From Coyotes
The Colorado Avalanche have shored up their backup situation, claiming netminder Ivan Prosvetov off waivers from the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the news.
Prosvetov, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Coyotes in 2018. He made a career-high seven NHL starts in the desert last season, posting a 4-3-0 record but a poor .880 save percentage and 3.98 goals-against average. Still, he was regarded as a potential long-term fit in Arizona after a strong showing behind a subpar AHL Tucson squad last season, posting a .900 save percentage, 3.06 goals-against average, 16-13-4 record, and a shutout in 40 contests.
He’s signed to a two-way contract paying him $775K in the NHL and $225K in the AHL and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. Many expected Prosvetov to end up on waivers, with the Coyotes’ goaltending tandem of Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram looking solid heading into 2023-24.
With the Avalanche, he could immediately step in as the backup to starter Alexandar Georgiev. Backup Pavel Francouz is on injured reserve to start the season as he continues to recover from offseason adductor surgery, and there’s no clear timeline for his return. The Avalanche’s third-string netminder, 23-year-old Justus Annunen, does not need waivers to head to AHL Colorado, and the Avalanche could very well assign him to the minors within the next two hours.
Columbus Blue Jackets Assign David Jiricek To AHL, Make Other Roster Moves
The Columbus Blue Jackets have their final 23-man roster in place to start the season, making a flurry of camp cuts today to do so. Those cuts are headlined by defenseman David Jiricek, who’s been assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for the second straight season after the club selected him sixth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Defenseman Nick Blankenburg and forward Dmitri Voronkov were also assigned to the AHL, while their other top pick in 2022, defenseman Denton Mateychuk, has been returned to the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. Lastly, Columbus placed forwards Yegor Chinakhov and Jordan Dumais, as well as goaltender Daniil Tarasov on the season-opening injured/non-roster list. Forward Mathieu Olivier was also placed on injured reserve.
Many believed Jiricek, 19, would make Columbus out of camp thanks to a strong showing in his rookie season with the Monsters. However, after Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen added a pair of veteran bodies to his blueline this summer in Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, the path to a roster spot muddied significantly for the Blue Jackets’ many young defense prospects. Jiricek is still looking for his first NHL point after skating in four NHL contests with Columbus last season. With Cleveland, he recorded six goals, 32 assists, 38 points, and a -11 rating in 55 games.
Blankenburg and Voronkov were also both strong candidates to make Columbus’ opening-night roster. Blankenburg, a 5-foot-9, 174-pound right-shot defenseman, joined the Blue Jackets in 2022 via free agency after captaining a star-studded University of Michigan squad. The 25-year-old immediately stuck in the NHL, thanks partially in part to the Blue Jackets’ rash of injuries on the blue line last season, but he didn’t look out of place at all. While injuries affected Blankenburg too, limiting him to 36 contests, the diminutive defender recorded four goals and ten assists for 14 points – an impressive 32-point pace over 82 games. He’s destined for a major role in Cleveland to start the season and will be one of Columbus’ first call-up options aside from Jiricek.
Voronkov, 23, will get his first taste of North American hockey in the minors. The 2019 fourth-round pick was expected to make a push for a roster spot after breaking out for 18 goals and 31 points in 54 contests with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan last season. Like the two others mentioned before him, expect a recall for Voronkov at some point during the 2023-24 campaign.
Mateychuk, however, will likely have to wait until 2024-25 (or at least the very end of 2023-24) to get his first taste of NHL hockey. The 12th-overall selection in 2022 returns to Moose Jaw, where he will reclaim his role as the team’s captain after registering 129 points in 128 games over the past two campaigns.
There’s nothing new regarding the injuries to the four players destined for IR. All injuries were previously reported and were expected to keep them out through at least opening night. These are paper moves to get the team’s roster compliant before tonight’s deadline.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Austin Watson
12:10 PM: The Lightning have officially announced Watson’s signing, confirming a cap hit of $776,665.
PuckPedia notes that the specific $776,665 cap hit was made to put the Lightning just $2 below the combined cap hits of Brent Seabrook and Logan Brown, two players slated to be placed on long-term injured reserve. PuckPedia writes that because of this optimization, the Lightning will be able to place Vasilevskiy on injured reserve and gain $9.5MM in cap space.
10:42 AM: The Tampa Bay Lightning brought Austin Watson to their training camp and preseason on a PTO, allowing him the chance to make an impression and potentially earn an NHL deal. It appears he has done exactly that, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Lightning “will be signing” Watson “to a one-year, one-way deal.”
The 31-year-old veteran forward has played in 482 career games and is no stranger to the Atlantic Division. Watson has tormented the Atlantic’s teams for the past three seasons as a member of the Ottawa Senators, 254 penalty minutes, 478 hits, and 37 points across 176 games in Canada’s capital.
Watson’s last contract was worth a $1.5MM AAV, but it’s likely that this deal with the Lightning will come in at a lower cap charge. The Lightning will have some cap space to play with, as PuckPedia notes that once Andrei Vasilevskiy and Logan Brown hit long-term injured reserve, the team will add over $10MM in cap space.
A recent report out of Lightning practice from Tampa Bay Times reporter Eduardo A. Encina places Watson outside head coach Jon Cooper’s regular lineup.
That’s understandable, though, as Watson could very well end up a better fit as an enforcer-type presence who is a scratch some nights than an everyday starter.
Looking at how Watson has earned this contract from the Lightning, it’s possible that his impactful preseason performances motivated Tampa Bay management to extend their relationship with the player beyond just a PTO.
Per Natural Stat Trick, Watson has played in three preseason games for Tampa, scoring one goal and one assist. He’s also tallied 22 penalty minutes, fighting twice against Florida Panthers defenseman Casey Fitzgerald.
In addition to those concrete contributions, Encina has reported that Watson “has been a seamless fit” into the Tampa Bay Locker room, adding that he brings an “enforcer” element the team lost when it traded Patrick Maroon to the Minnesota Wild in the offseason.
Although Watson may not receive a nightly role in Tampa Bay the same way he did in Ottawa, it’s still a positive development for his career that he’s reportedly turned this PTO agreement into an NHL contract with the Lightning.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Atlantic Notes: Leafs Hires, DeBrusk, Power
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a few staff changes, notably hiring ex-NHLers in off-ice roles. Per the announcement, former Maple Leafs backup goalie Curtis McElhinney has been hired as the team’s Director of Goaltending Development and Scouting, defenseman Jake Muzzin has been named a pro scout, and Chris Bourque will be a college free agent scout.
The most notable announcement here is that of Muzzin, as he still has an active playing contract with the Maple Leafs. As noted on CapFriendly, Muzzin is set to spend the season on long-term injured reserve as repeated injuries have ended his playing career. This announcement confirms that although Muzzin won’t provide his services on the ice with Toronto, he’ll still contribute to the organization’s success in an off-ice role.
Some more notes from what is expected to be a hotly contested Atlantic Division:
- After scoring 27 goals and 50 points last season, Jake DeBrusk has cemented himself as a capable NHL goal scorer just entering the prime of his career. With an expiring $4MM AAV contract, DeBrusk is in a position to hit the unrestricted free-agent market next summer. The Boston Bruins, who selected DeBrusk 14th overall at the 2015 draft, are expected to make a push to retain their three-time 25-goal scorer, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed to reporters today (including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub) that there are currently “ongoing discussions” regarding a new deal for DeBrusk.
- Buffalo Sabres franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin earned a massive eight-year, $11MM AAV contract extension from the club today. As a result, focus has shifted to 2021 first-overall pick Owen Power and the significant contract extension he might receive. The Times Herald’s Bill Hoppe relays word from Sabres GM Kevyn Adams that Adams is “still talking” to Power’s representatives regarding a contract extension. Power’s deal would undoubtedly come in at a lower cost than Dahlin’s, though the price is still expected to be significant. 2020 fifth overall pick Jake Sanderson earned an $8.05MM AAV on an eight-year contract from the Ottawa Senators after a 32-point rookie season. Power is a few months younger than Sanderson and scored 35 points in his own impressive rookie year, so it’s possible that Power’s next contract exceeds Sanderson’s AAV, if only by a small margin, should the parties involved agree on an eight-year term for the extension.
Carolina Hurricanes Expected To Loan Pyotr Kochetkov To Syracuse Crunch
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes has reported on X that the Carolina Hurricanes will loan netminder Pyotr Kochetkov to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, the top affiliate of the Hurricanes’ Eastern Conference rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The move comes in the wake of two significant events: the injury to Lightning superstar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, as well as the move by the Hurricanes’ prior AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to move forward as an independent AHL franchise.
The Wolves’ move has left the Hurricanes without an AHL affiliate of their own, and the result has been significant to the developmental pathways for Hurricanes prospects. A few prospects, some of whom are notably AHL-caliber players (such as Anttoni Honka and Noel Gunler) will be playing in the ECHL for 2023-24, while others such as Jamieson Rees have latched on with AHL clubs.
It has also complicated things for Hurricanes goaltending, as the team had previously been able to count on an AHL affiliate to provide starter-level opportunity for their organization’s third goalie.
Placing Kochetkov in Syracuse will allow Kochetkov to see regular game action, something he was unlikely to receive as a third goalie behind Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta.
Making $2MM against the cap through 2026-27, the Hurricanes likely believe that the 24-year-old Kochetkov will be a long-term face in Carolina, so getting him the chance to continue his development in the AHL is an important step.
The Crunch are one of the AHL’s few remaining independently-owned franchises, and they have always prioritized a healthy balance between development and playing winning hockey.
As other AHL teams have jumped head-first into prioritizing development above all else, the Crunch have continuously attempted to field a contending roster, and the addition of Kochetkov will help them dramatically for the early part of the season.
The injury of Vasilevskiy may have a ripple effect on goaltending depth for the Lightning organization, as one of the goalies expected to see time with the Crunch, Matt Tomkins, is now in Tampa with the Lightning.
Getting Kochetkov will not only make it so the Crunch won’t have to rely on offseason signing Evan Fitzpatrick to start games, (he has just 13 AHL games on his resume) it will also land them one of the most talented goalies in the AHL, even if just for a limited time.
While it’s certainly not a common sight to see an NHL team loan a notable player to a rival team, this move is not without precedent. The St. Louis Blues once loaned netminder Jordan Binnington to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, just one year before Binnington defeated the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
Although it’s far from an ideal situation for the Hurricanes and Kochetkov, this move does have its benefits for all parties involved and it’ll be interesting to see how the Crunch split starts between Kochetkov and Hugo Alnefelt, a valued Tampa Bay prospect.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Matt Murray Undergoes Successful Surgery
Sportsnet is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Matt Murray has undergone successful bilateral hip surgery and is expected to miss between six and eight months. This likely means he will miss the entire 2023-24 NHL season. Murray was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in July 2022 along with a third-round pick in exchange for a seventh-round pick and future considerations. It was essentially a salary cap dump at the time by the Ottawa Senators, who retained over $1.5MM of Murray’s $6.25MM cap hit.
The former two-time Stanley Cup champion has fallen on hard times in recent years as his health has kept him out of the lineup for extended periods of time in each of the past five seasons. Murray hasn’t played more than 30 games in a season since the 2019-20 season when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. When he has been available to play, he hasn’t been able to match the levels of play that made him a Stanley Cup champion in 2016 and 2017. Murray hasn’t posted a goals-against average below 3.00 since 2019-20 and has seen his save percentage hover around .900 since 2018-19.
Murray has has struggles with his health for a long time now and one must wonder if he will be able to overcome his latest setback and get back into an NHL lineup. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native has never been able to capture the magic that he put on display early in his career and has seen his stock tumble to the point of being a cap dump last summer.
Murray appeared to be on the cusp of superstardom in 2017 when the Penguins elected to keep him over franchise icon Marc-Andre Fleury who was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The Penguins had signed Murray to a three-year extension at the time and thought they had an elite netminder that could lead them to more Stanley Cups. Unfortunately, Murray’s play flatlined and he was unseated as the starter by Tristan Jarry. He was then dealt to the Senators in 2020 and signed to an extension in a move that proved disastrous for Ottawa.