Brock McGinn, Mark Friedman Clear Waivers
March 1: Both players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues, giving the Penguins additional cap space.
Feb 28: The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to use the waiver wire to clear salary off the books, this time waiving Brock McGinn and Mark Friedman, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. As the deadline approaches, clearing room could give the Penguins enough flexibility to pull off a more significant move.
McGinn, 29, was one of Ron Hextall‘s first big moves when he took over as general manager in 2021. He signed a four-year, $11MM contract with the Penguins on the first day of free agency after several up-and-down seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Almost immediately, it was clear that McGinn’s offensive production would never really materialize as he settled into a checking role in Pittsburgh.
In 2021-22, he scored 12 goals and 22 points in 64 games, numbers that he has yet to match this season. By placing him on waivers, the Penguins could bury $1.125MM of his $2.75MM contract in the minor leagues, or—perhaps hopefully—lose the entire contract to another team, as they did Kasperi Kapanen recently.
Cap space is more valuable for the team right now, especially if the team has something big in the works for the deadline. Reports have emerged several times about Hextall trying to trade McGinn, but it seems like they couldn’t find a taker before being forced into this move.
While Friedman certainly isn’t as expensive—he carries a cap hit of just $775K through next season—he is another asset that can be buried in the minor leagues to open up some room. His entire cap hit will be removed if he clears and is assigned to the AHL, though it isn’t much more than the league minimum.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Evan Cormier
The Winnipeg Jets have added some goaltending depth, signing Evan Cormier to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level. Cormier had been playing in the organization on an AHL contract but has been limited to ECHL action. This deal allows him to be brought to the NHL as an emergency backup, though it also required him to be placed on waivers today to stay in the minor leagues for now.
Cormier, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2016, but wasn’t given a qualifying offer after his entry-level deal expired in 2021. He’s rarely even appeared at the AHL level, and has a .905 save percentage in 27 games with the Kalamazoo Wings this season.
With Mikhail Berdin playing overseas, this is simply a move to give the Jets a little more depth at the position so that they aren’t in an emergency spot at some point down the road. Cormier isn’t expected to dress for the Jets unless several injuries happen simultaneously.
St. Louis Blues Sign Michael Buchinger
The St. Louis Blues have inked Michael Buchinger to a three-year entry-level contract, rewarding the young defenseman after an excellent OHL season. Buchinger plays for the Guelph Storm, where he will remain through the end of the year.
It’s been a pretty good day for Buchinger, who scored two goals, including the overtime winner in Guelph’s afternoon matchup against the Mississauga Steelheads. The 18-year-old now has 13 goals and 56 points through 51 games, after being the 88th overall pick last summer.
A smooth skater that loves to jump into the rush or lead it himself, he has 163 shots on goal this year, fifth in the league among defensemen. He leads everyone with 28 powerplay assists, and should only improve on those numbers next season when he returns to junior.
While there is still work to be done polishing out his game, there’s plenty for Blues fans to get excited about as they watch Buchinger rack up the points.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Lars Eller
The Colorado Avalanche have added some more forward depth, as they try to go on another long playoff run. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that they have acquired Lars Eller from the Washington Capitals. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that the Capitals will receive a 2025 second-round pick in return, and retain 31% of Eller’s contract.
Like they did last season, Colorado is focused on experienced, versatile forwards to help lengthen their lineup, and Eller fits that bill perfectly. The 33-year-old center was a key factor in Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup run, leading the playoffs with three game-winning goals that spring, and collecting 18 points in 24 games.
That’s more than he has this entire season, though, as Eller’s best days are clearly behind him. With just seven goals and 16 points through 60 appearances in 2022-23, he comes to Colorado as a bottom-six option that shouldn’t be relied on for much offensive production.
Still, he is a very capable defensive center, who still logs significant time on the penalty kill and is good (if inconsistent) in the faceoff dot. That doesn’t really answer Colorado’s second-line center question mark, but does give the group some more stability down the middle.
Eller is in the last season of a five-year, $17.5MM contract extension he signed just before that Stanley Cup run, and carries a cap hit of $3.5MM. That means he’ll cost the Avalanche a pro-rated $2.415MM through the end of the season.
For Washington, landing a second-round pick seems like a big win, given the lack of real impact Eller would have on any future contending club. The Capitals are focused on surrounding Alex Ovechkin with another winner next season, and trying to pull off a “rebuild-on-the-fly” by selling off veterans in a season that obviously isn’t headed toward the Stanley Cup.
They showed their intentions yesterday by flipping the pick they received for Dmitry Orlov, landing Rasmus Sandin from the Toronto Maple Leafs. This second-round selection could suffer the same fate, traded before the Capitals ever actually take the podium to make a pick.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New York Islanders Sign Tristan Lennox To ELC
The New York Islanders have come to an agreement with their 2021 third-round pick, goaltender Tristan Lennox, on a three-year entry-level contract.
Lennox, 20, is in his fourth season with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and has posted a 22-15-1 record this year, with a 3.28 GAA and an .880 save percentage. He has twice been named the OHL Goaltender of the Week this season. For his OHL career, Lennox has played 116 games, and his 56 career wins rank fifth-most in Saginaw franchise history.
While the Islanders have a superstar in current goaltender Ilya Sorokin, this signing shows that they see Lennox has potential between the pipes. With goaltender size becoming more of a concern for NHL teams, Lennox has the size to be a star as he stands 6’4” and weighs 190 pounds. While his size is an obvious strength, some scouts view his ability to position his large frame as an area that can be improved on.
Lennox is eligible to spend next season in the minor leagues, where he could tandem with Jakub Skarek for AHL starts, or head to the ECHL for more regular playing time. With pending unrestricted free agent Semyon Varlamov potentially leaving town, the Islanders will be looking for a goaltender to make the jump at some point in the next few years.
Edmonton Oilers Looking To Add A Forward
The Edmonton Oilers have been on the hunt for defensive help for the better part of this season. GM Ken Holland was able to put that need to rest yesterday by swinging a trade for Mattias Ekholm. Despite the upgrade, it appears that Holland is not done.
Darren Dreger reported last night on TSN’s Insider Trading that Edmonton is still looking to add a forward and have shown interest in Tyler Bertuzzi as well as Nick Bjugstad.
Bertuzzi would be a tough add for Edmonton as his $4.75MM cap hit could prove problematic given the Oilers cap situation, but Bjugstad’s cap hit is just $900K. Both Bertuzzi and Bjugstad are pending unrestricted free agents playing on teams that appear likely to miss the playoffs.
Bertuzzi has had a down year this season with the Detroit Red Wings. He has just four goals in 29 games after scoring 30 goals last season in 68 games. He has missed considerable time this year and also missed most of the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season. Given his recent history, injury risk could be a concern to any team interested in Bertuzzi’s services. Cost could also be a concern as Detroit is reportedly asking for a first round pick.
Bjugstad on the other hand has dealt with injuries his entire career, but he has remained relatively healthy this season. He has had somewhat of a resurgence with the Arizona Coyotes scoring 13 goals, his first time breaking the 10-goal mark since 2017-18. The former first round pick appeared to be a budding star with the Florida Panthers back in 2014-15 when he scored 24 goals, but since that time he has yet to crack the 20-goal mark.
Any Oilers addition will likely need to be a dollar for dollar move at this point, or require a team or two to retain salary. The Oilers have just $450K of deadline cap space to make a move as they are still dealing with dead cap hits from the buyouts of James Neal and Andrej Sekera, as well as the retained salary from the Milan Lucic trade with the Calgary Flames. Lucic and Sekera come off the books at the end of this season, which should open the door for Holland to add to the Oilers this summer.
Washington Capitals Sign Ryan Hofer
The rush on entry-level contracts continues, with the Washington Capitals signing Ryan Hofer to a three-year deal. It will carry an average annual value of just over $850K, and likely starts next season. Today is the first day to register entry-level contracts for 2023-24.
Hofer, 20, is currently playing for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, this year’s host of the Memorial Cup. He was selected in the sixth round last summer after being passed over in each of his first two years of eligibility.
The late bloomer didn’t even crack major junior until 2020-21, before exploding onto the scene last year with 25 goals and 58 points in his first full season in the WHL. This year, as an overage player, he has 36 goals and 56 points in just 53 games, split between Kamloops and the Everett Silvertips.
Hofer will get a chance to play deep into the spring with a Memorial Cup appearance as the host city gets an automatic bid. Next year, he’ll be sent to the minor leagues where he can start his pro career with the Hershey Bears.
Philadelphia Flyers Taking Calls On Ivan Provorov
The market for defensemen has gotten spicy over the last few days, with Mattias Ekholm, Vladislav Gavrikov, Jake McCabe, Dmitry Orlov, and others all on the move. The Philadelphia Flyers might be the next to jump into the deadline dealing.
Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Flyers are taking calls on Ivan Provorov, noting how it will still take a significant package to pry him out of Philadelphia.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Provorov is available. There have been rumors for quite some time that a split might be necessary between the Flyers and their top defenseman, as Provorov’s progression hasn’t gone according to plan.
Once considered among the best up-and-coming defensemen in the league, Provorov had 17 goals and 41 points in his sophomore season and even got some down-ballot Norris Trophy votes two years later. In 2019, he turned that production into a six-year, $40.5MM contract with the Flyers, jumping to a $6.75MM cap hit directly out of his entry-level contract.
Since then, though, things haven’t really improved. Philadelphia has slowly become a worse team, they have struggled to find a good match to play with Provorov, and his effectiveness has waned. Through 61 games this season, he has just four goals and 22 points, totals that would be career lows should they finish that way. He’s still playing more than any other Flyer, averaging more than 23 minutes a night, but the fit hasn’t seemed right for some time.
With the new leadership of John Tortorella clearly looking to put a stamp on the roster, changes are coming in Philadelphia. James van Riemsdyk will likely be traded before the deadline, and questions have been asked about every other veteran on the club.
With two years left on his current deal, Provorov would represent a huge swing by a contending team—one with high risk and high reward. If a fresh start rejuvenates the 26-year-old defenseman, they could add a true difference-maker to anchor a top pairing and play in all situations. If he takes another step backward, they would be giving up significant assets and cap space for underwhelming performance.
Montreal Signs Xavier Simoneau To ELC
The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have signed forward Xavier Simoneau to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal covers the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and carries a cap hit of $855K. Simoneau gets an $80K signing bonus for each season and would be paid $775K at the NHL level, or $80K in the AHL.
The former sixth-round pick has spent this season with the Laval Rocket of the AHL where he has 28 points in 44 games. At 5’7” and 175 pounds, Simoneau is certainly undersized, this might explain him falling to Montreal that late in the draft. Although he is on the smaller side, Simoneau is regarded as a high energy forechecker and a bit of an agitator. Scouts also consider him an excellent shot blocker and penalty killer. He does have some playmaking to his game as he averaged over a point per game in his final three seasons in the QMJHL. He’s also shown himself to be a leader, having spent several seasons as captain of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, as well as winning the CHL Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2019-20.
While Montreal has a lot of veteran forwards signed for next season, they have just five signed to NHL deals for 2024-25. Should Simoneau continue to develop his game in Laval, he may be able to join some of the Canadiens other young forwards and carve out a role in Montreal’s bottom 6.
This contract indicates that the Canadiens are encouraged by the development of their former sixth round pick. While Simoneau doesn’t project to be an answer in their top-6, he could fill a role in their bottom-6 sooner than later.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Alexandre Doucet
The Detroit Red Wings took a short break from their deadline preparation today to add a player to the organization, signing Alexandre Doucet to a three-year entry-level contract. The undrafted forward currently plays with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.
Doucet, 21, is playing as an overager in junior this year, but making good on his last chance to show what he can do at the amateur level. Through 58 games, split between Halifax and the Val d’Or Foreurs, he has 45 goals and 89 points.
The Red Wings likely believe they have found a late bloomer, as Doucet was never one of the top prospects in Quebec. Selected in the sixth round of the 2018 QMJHL draft, he would still play another year of midget before jumping to the Q and was a slow starter with just 17 goals over his first two years of junior combined.
Because of his age, Doucet can join the Grand Rapids Griffins next year (and this spring, if his junior season ends in time) to start his professional career.