Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Anders Bjork
The Chicago Blackhawks have made another deadline move, acquiring Anders Bjork from the Buffalo Sabres. Bjork has been buried in the minor leagues for almost the entire season but carries a $1.6MM cap hit.
Darren Dreger of TSN reports Buffalo promised Bjork they would find him a new home.
It never did work out in Buffalo, where he was supposed to come and flourish after some up-and-down years with the Boston Bruins. Bjork was part of the trade that sent Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar to Boston in 2021, but he’ll leave Buffalo with just eight goals and 14 points to show for his 64 games in a Sabres sweater.
At 26, it’s hard to believe Bjork will ever really become an impact player at the NHL level, though Chicago will have plenty of offensive opportunities to hand him as they try to shine another asset.
The only issue with this one is that Bjork would need a $1.8MM qualifying offer for the Blackhawks to retain his rights as an RFA, which seems unlikely. Perhaps the two sides will work out a cheaper extension over the next few months; otherwise, Bjork could hit the open market this summer looking for another fresh start.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke news of the deal on Twitter.
Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Jonathan Quick
Jonathan Quick never really did join the Columbus Blue Jackets. After this week’s trade, the veteran goaltender was immediately back on the market, following some reports that he was blindsided and upset about being traded from the Los Angeles Kings.
He didn’t make much sense for the Blue Jackets, given their current situation, so they have quickly found him a new home. Columbus has negotiated a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights to send Quick back to the Pacific Division. The Blue Jackets will receive Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick, while retaining 50% of Quick’s contract.
Given how little Columbus received in this deal, it seems like more of a favor than anything to a veteran goaltender who didn’t want to join a losing team for the last few months of the season.
A 2025 seventh-round pick is about the lowest-valued asset you can receive, and Hutchinson is on an expiring deal that will be of little use to the Blue Jackets.
What this trade does set up, however, is a potential matchup between Quick and the Kings in the playoffs. With question marks around the health of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit, there is a real chance that Quick gets playing time in Vegas, and potentially some revenge on the team that he believed he would spend his entire career with.
The question now is whether Quick has any effective hockey left in him. The 37-year-old has been bad this season, posting an .876 save percentage in 31 appearances, and has an .896 over his past five seasons combined. Perhaps the Golden Knights can find a way to unlock prime Quick for a few months, but it seems unlikely at this point.
Dallas Stars Sign Gavin White
The Dallas Stars have locked up a player from last year’s draft, signing prospect Gavin White to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will likely kick in for the 2023-24 season.
White, 20, was selected 115th overall last summer, after being passed over in his previous year of eligibility. The young defenseman went from three points as a rookie with the Hamilton Bulldogs to 56 in his sophomore OHL season, putting him on the radar of NHL scouts.
This year, he has 37 points in 42 games split between Hamilton and the Peterborough Petes. That’s enough for Dallas to give him an NHL deal, and it will mean he is headed to the AHL next season to play for the Texas Stars.
Ottawa Senators Sign Dylan Ferguson
The Ottawa Senators have added some goaltending depth for the rest of the year, signing Dylan Ferguson to a one-year, two-way contract through 2022-23. The deal follows the recent AHL acquisition of Ferguson, and sets him up to be a restricted free agent in the summer.
Despite being a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Stars who wasn’t tendered a contract after his entry-level deal expired, the 24-year-old Ferguson has actually appeared in the NHL before. That came way back in 2017-18, when he was an emergency recall directly from the WHL to play for the Vegas Golden Knights as they dealt with several injuries.
He hasn’t returned in the years since, but after posting a .930 save percentage through his first two appearances for the Bellville Senators, you can understand why the organization wanted to keep him around. After the stretch run, Ottawa will get to decide whether tendering him is worth it.
In the meantime, he’s now eligible for recall to the NHL should they need a backup.
Anaheim Ducks To Sign Jaxsen Wiebe
The Anaheim Ducks are going to add an interesting prospect to the pipeline, as Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports they will sign undrafted forward Jaxsen Wiebe to an entry-level contract that starts in 2023-24.
Wiebe, 20, was nothing more than a bottom-six physical presence for his first couple of seasons in the WHL, but with his offensive game rounding into form, he’s become more than just a junior hockey afterthought.
There are plenty of drafted prospects that don’t earn entry-level deals, so for him to land one just two years after scoring just three points for the Red Deer Rebels is an impressive accomplishment. Wiebe’s 27 points in 28 games—to go along with 49 penalty minutes—suggest that he might be able to fill a variety of roles at the professional level.
Whether that ever translates into NHL success remains to be seen, but the Ducks will take the chance.
Arizona Coyotes Acquire Jakub Voracek
The Arizona Coyotes continue their run on contracts they will never have to pay out. The team has acquired Jakub Voracek from the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with a 2023 sixth-round pick, in exchange for Jon Gillies. Voracek’s career is in doubt, and according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, there is insurance coverage for next year’s $7.8MM salary.
The move is important for a few different reasons. One, it gets the Coyotes much closer to the salary cap floor for next season, meaning they can make additional trades in the next 24 hours to jettison more expensive pieces like Nick Schmaltz or Lawson Crouse that may be drawing interest.
For the Blue Jackets, the move lets them get out from long-term injured reserve and under the salary cap ceiling, meaning performance bonuses from this year will no longer be carried over to 2023-24. With only the cost of a sixth-round pick to pay, it makes plenty of sense to get Voracek’s contract off the books.
If it is the end of his career as suspected, thanks to multiple head injuries, Voracek will go down as one of his generation’s more underrated offensive players. With over 800 points in his career, he sits 177th all-time and is just shy of the top 100 in assists with 583.
He’ll join a long list of players who have technically been part of the Coyotes organization but never played a game for the team, should he miss next season as expected.
Arizona now has Voracek, Shea Weber, and Bryan Little on the books for next season, a total of nearly $21.4MM in cap hits that won’t play a minute of ice time. On the other hand, they also have 36 draft picks over the next three years, including 21 in the top three rounds.
St. Louis Blues Extend Sammy Blais
After re-acquiring Sammy Blais earlier this year, the St. Louis Blues have already reached a contract extension with him. The team announced a one-year, $1MM deal for the 2023-24 season.
While he never fit with the New York Rangers, Blais, and the Blues have always been a perfect match. One of the most physical forwards in the NHL, his return to St. Louis has gone exactly as expected, with 34 hits in just nine games. The fact that he’s chipped in two goals after failing to score a single one through 49 games in New York is just even more evidence that he belonged in St. Louis the whole time.
A one-year deal for less money than he is currently making was likely always going to be the outcome after his ACL injury and disappointing campaign, and the Blues will give him a chance to bounce back next season.
While he’ll never be a top-line contributor, head coach Craig Berube is adamant about getting back to the hard-working, lunchpail style that brought the Blues so much success in the past.
Washington Capitals Sign Ethen Frank
Sometimes, reinforcements come from unexpected places. After signing Ethen Frank to an AHL contract last spring, the Washington Capitals have now inked the undrafted forward to a one-year, two-way NHL contract for the 2023-24 season. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $775K, and an AHL salary of $205K.
Frank, 25, has taken the long route to get to this point but just never stopped improving. A five-year career at Western Michigan University culminated in an outstanding 2021-22 season where Frank led the nation in goals with 26 through 38 games.
Most attributed that to simply playing competition much younger than him, but the right-shot forward has proved his doubters wrong this year, acclimating to the AHL without issue. Through 45 games with the Hershey Bears, Frank has 24 goals to lead the team, to go along with the 41 points that put him third on the squad.
At this point, after succeeding at every lower level, the Capitals might as well give him a real tryout next training camp. Either he can continue to produce at the highest level, and becomes a great undrafted story, or he struggles to adapt to the speed of the NHL and doesn’t factor into their future plans.
A one-year deal poses very little risk to the club, and at the very least secures him as a featured contributor for the Bears again next year.
Minor Transactions: 03/02/23
With all of the excitement of trade deadline week, the shuffling of players between the NHL and minor leagues often gets overlooked. Luckily, we’ll keep track of all that movement right here!
- The Ottawa Senators have reassigned Jacob Larsson to the minor leagues, as Jakob Chychrun met them on the road in New York. Larsson has played in seven games with the Senators this season, failing to record a point.
- Darren Raddysh is up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving them another defenseman for their road trip after tonight’s game against Pittsburgh. Raddysh hasn’t played in the NHL yet this season but has been incredible in the minor leagues, scoring 50 points in 50 games for the Syracuse Crunch.
- With several changes made to the Pittsburgh Penguins roster, Drake Caggiula has been recalled for now. The 28-year-old has 37 points in 47 games in the AHL this season, the first time he has played in the minor leagues.
- Arnaud Durandeau has been returned to the minor leagues by the New York Islanders, as Pierre Engvall jumps into the lineup. The 24-year-old Durandeau failed to register a point in his four NHL games.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have returned Elliot Desnoyers and Olle Lycksell to the minor leagues, after explaining that it was important for their development to join the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ playoff chase. Desnoyers, in particular, seems to have made an impact on the Flyers coaching staff, despite playing just two NHL games so far.
- Lukas Reichel has been recalled from the Rockford IceHogs, now that Patrick Kane and company have left the building. A top prospect for the Chicago Blackhawks, Reichel scored three points in four games during an earlier call-up.
- Mason Appleton has been moved to injured reserve by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Axel Jonsson Fjallby is returning to the NHL.
- With so many Detroit Red Wings players on their way out, Adam Erne is on his way up. The veteran forward has been recalled today.
- Curtis Lazar has been activated from injured reserve by the Vancouver Canucks, meaning he can return after two weeks on the sidelines. The depth forward has five points in 45 games this season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno Placed On Injured Reserve
It’s not all roses for the Boston Bruins today. After acquiring Tyler Bertuzzi and signing David Pastrnak to a long-term extension, the team has announced some injury news. Taylor Hall has been placed on long-term injured reserve, and Nick Foligno on regular injured reserve. With the extra roster spot, Jakub Lauko has been recalled.
Hall’s placement on LTIR explains how the team was able to fit Bertuzzi under the cap, but also means the winger will miss at least ten games with the lower-body injury he suffered a few days ago.
Darren Dreger of TSN reported earlier today that he is getting a second opinion, though it seems he’ll be out for a while either way.
Hall hadn’t scored in his last five games and has been rather pedestrian this season compared to his previous lofty performances, though with so much talent in Boston, it’s hard to really stand out. His 16 goals and 36 points in 58 games represent a solid secondary contributor, one that will now effectively be replaced by Bertuzzi in the lineup.
Foligno, 35, has slowed down tremendously from his fast start, with only 13 points coming since the beginning of December (38 games). The veteran forward is still capable defensively and can fill in up the lineup in a pinch, but is more of a depth player for the Bruins at this point in his career. Even before the injury, he had averaged less than 13 minutes in his ten previous games.
The Bruins can afford some injuries, but these are still things to monitor as the postseason approaches. Boston is built to win the Stanley Cup this season and has poured assets into the trade deadline to chase it.