Edmonton Oilers Reassign Markus Niemelainen
The Edmonton Oilers have sent Markus Niemelainen to the minor leagues, clearing a roster spot for the imminent return of Evander Kane. Speaking with reporters including Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic today, Kane – who was a full participant at practice – explained that he is meeting with doctors later today.
Of course, the Oilers will have to make some other moves to activate Kane from long-term injured reserve. The team currently does not have the cap space to fit him back in, and will need to be rather creative to open it.
One easy way would be moving Kailer Yamamoto to LTIR, though that would require him to miss nearly a month. Yamamoto is still being evaluated, according to head coach Jay Woodcroft, after missing the last couple of games.
They could also just waive a player like Devin Shore, who also wasn’t at practice today. Ryan Murray, who hasn’t played since November, could also be shifted to LTIR depending on what other moves they make.
Either way, it’s the end of Niemelainen for a while, after he was essentially passed on the depth chart by Vincent Desharnais. The last two times Niemelainen appeared, he received just five and six shifts respectively. The 24-year-old defenseman will try to polish his game further in the minor leagues and wait for his next opportunity.
Detroit Red Wings Activate Robert Hagg
With Alex Nedeljkovic clearing waivers today, the Detroit Red Wings were able to clear a roster spot by sending him to the Grand Rapids Griffins. While some expected that spot to go to Filip Zadina, it is a different injured player who will be activated. Robert Hagg is coming off injured reserve to take Nedeljkovic’s spot, after missing more than a month.
Hagg, 27, has played just 13 games this season, with his only appearance in two months coming on December 8. The depth defender was brought in as part of a physical overhaul on the back end, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy or in the lineup so far.
His activation gives the team eight healthy defensemen, meaning someone may end up getting moved out when Zadina is ready. If that’s Hagg, he would require waivers to go to the AHL.
While Steve Yzerman and company have now slid two big names through waivers in Nedeljkovic and Jakub Vrana, it might not be so safe to expose Hagg, even if he has struggled this year. Signed to just $800K, there may be a defense-needy team on the lookout for someone like him. Remember, less than a year ago the Florida Panthers sent a sixth-round pick for Hagg to bring him in at the deadline – and that was when he had a cap hit of $1.6MM.
The Red Wings can likely make a similar move, if they can prove he is healthy enough to contribute. In 313 career games, the big-hitting Hagg has 58 points.
Tucker Poolman Not Expected To Return This Season
The Vancouver Canucks press conference with Jim Rutherford has resulted in several major news items, including the fact that he will be performing “major surgery” on the roster before next season.
Another was the status of Tucker Poolman, who has been on long-term injured reserve since October. Rutherford explained that he does not believe Poolman will return this season, though they are still waiting on the evaluation of some specialists on his future.
Poolman, 29, is signed through the 2024-25 season and carries a $2.5MM cap hit. That contract was one signed by the previous management group, and one that quickly looked like a mistake. The former Winnipeg Jets defenseman has played just 43 games for the Canucks, and is averaging fewer than 17 minutes of ice time when he’s in the lineup.
He has just four points as a Canuck, and never has looked like the right-shot solution that the team desperately needs.
Given that Rutherford mentioned buyouts, it is important to note that an injured player cannot go through that process. If the team wants to move on in that manner, Poolman will have to be cleared medically in the coming months.
Alex Nedeljkovic, Nicholas Caamano Clear Waivers
Jan 16: Both have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Jan 15: A pair of players are on the waiver wire today. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Detroit Red Wings have waived former rookie sensation Alex Nedeljkovic, while the Dallas Stars have waived forward Nicholas Caamano.
Nedeljkovic’s storybook run in 2020-21 with the Carolina Hurricanes seems like a distant memory now. As a 25-year-old rookie, the 37th overall selection in 2014 led the league with a .932 save percentage and 1.90 goals-against average as Carolina starter Petr Mrazek missed most of the season with an injury.
He was then dealt to Detroit, where while his numbers dropped last season, they were still quite respectable as he neared 60 starts behind a team with many holes. It hasn’t been the same results this year, though, as a .880 save percentage and 2-4-2 record in just eight starts have caused him to slip to third on the team’s goalie depth chart behind Ville Husso and waiver claim Magnus Hellberg.
Nedeljkovic has already spent six games in the minors this season on conditioning stints, but he will now need to clear waivers to continue playing there. Even as a pending unrestricted free agent, his $3MM cap hit is likely prohibitive for any team needing goalie help making a claim. He has strong numbers with the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting a shutout, a .920 save percentage, and 3-2-2 record. An extended stay in the minors could help Nedeljkovic regain confidence long-term.
Regarding Caamano, the 24-year-old has yet to play this season and was just activated from season-opening injured reserve. A 2016 fifth-round pick, Caamano had just 14 points in 47 AHL games last season with the Texas Stars. He was a taxi squad fixture for Dallas during the shortened 2020-21 season, recording an assist in 24 games in the NHL.
Vancouver Canucks Looking At “Major Surgery” To Roster Before Next Season
When Jim Rutherford sat in front of the collected Vancouver media today, it was to address the Tanner Pearson situation. Flanked by two of the team’s medical staff, he tried to explain that the club had done everything right in Pearson’s case, but setbacks had resulted in an issue that will keep him out the rest of the year.
Quickly, the conversation turned to the Canucks roster and how it has struggled. Rutherford admitted that he is disappointed in his own performance since arriving in Vancouver, pointing out that the team is still in a tighter cap situation than he expected to be.
When discussing the core players, Rutherford said that his stance has changed. What he thought would be minor changes to the depth, he now calls “major surgery” to the roster before next season. He went so far as saying that not all of the core players were going to still be there.
On captain Bo Horvat, who is a pending free agent, Rutherford explained that the team offered their “best shot” but it was still under market value for what the talented center has done this season.
Head coach Bruce Boudreau “is the coach now” according to Rutherford, who explained that the two are friends. That said, he admitted he has made calls to potential replacements, despite not knowing whether he’ll make a change at this point.
It’s not clear what major surgery will look like, but there are obvious issues for the club. The Canucks are sixth in the Pacific Division with an 18-22-3 record, and can’t seem to find any consistency. Rutherford refused to call any moves he does make a rebuild (using the term “retool” instead), but admitted he might be going after some draft picks and young players as he tries to turn things around.
He also mentioned buyouts as a potential way out from certain contracts, though that wouldn’t be the first option. A player like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, for instance, could be bought out with a massive cap saving for 2023-24, giving the Canucks a chance to bridge the gap to the increase that is expected thereafter.
Florida Panthers Recall Grigori Denisenko
After waiving Zac Dalpe over the weekend, the Florida Panthers have replaced him on the roster with Grigori Denisenko. The young forward is expected to play with Eetu Luostarinen and Nick Cousins this afternoon when the Panthers take on the Buffalo Sabres.
Denisenko, 22, was the 15th overall pick in 2018 but still hasn’t done anything to establish himself at the NHL level. In 14 career games, spread across parts of three seasons, the Russian winger has failed to score a single goal and has just five points for his troubles.
Even in the minor leagues things haven’t gone according to plan. Denisenko has just 18 points in 32 games with the Charlotte Checkers this season, the same total he had in 2021-22.
There’s still time for him to find a place in Florida, but the high hopes that followed his draft year have fizzled out. Instead of a top-line player, the Panthers will have to hope they can just coax an NHL regular out of Denisenko. Perhaps that starts today with this latest recall, though with Anthony Duclair set to return relatively soon, it may not be an extended one.
Florida is going to need to make some additional roster moves to fit in Duclair’s salary, and Denisenko’s waiver-exempt status makes him a ripe option to be sent back down when they need the room.
Morning Moves: Luukkonen, Blidh, Heinola
The shuffle in Buffalo continues, as the Sabres recall Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen once again. Peyton Krebs is the player headed back to the Rochester Americans this time. Luukkonen is the starter for Buffalo still, but as the only waiver-exempt goalie on the roster is moved down between appearances.
The young goaltender showed on Saturday exactly why they are going through all the trouble. He stopped 38 of 41 shots to outduel Juuse Saros for the win against the Nashville Predators, taking the Sabres to 21-18-2 on the year. They begin a back-to-back situation today with an important game against the Florida Panthers, a team they are competing with directly in the Atlantic Division.
- Anton Blidh is back up for the Colorado Avalanche, after last appearing more than a month ago. The 27-year-old forward has failed to score in his nine NHL appearances so far, and has just nine points in 23 games for the Colorado Eagles. He represents nothing more than a fourth-line replacement for this afternoon’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
- The Winnipeg Jets have swapped Jansen Harkins and Ville Heinola again, recalling the latter. Harkins was up while several forwards dealt with an illness, but will head back to continue his strong play for the Manitoba Moose. Heinola, who still has only 33 NHL appearances spread over four seasons, will try to get back into the lineup with the Jets on a more regular basis.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Nathan Beaulieu From Conditioning Stint
Jan 16: It didn’t last quite the maximum of 14 days, as Beaulieu was recalled today by the Ducks. He played in four games with the San Diego Gulls, recording his first AHL goal in years.
Jan 5: After playing just a few days ago, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has now been curiously sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan. He’ll join the San Diego Gulls for the time being, with the loan lasting a maximum of two weeks.
Beaulieu, 30, received 15 shifts in Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, his 22nd appearance of the season. Nothing has really gone well for the Ducks this year but Beaulieu’s play specifically has been lacking, with the defenseman rarely impacting things in a positive manner. He has a -12 rating in his 22 games, despite only averaging 13 minutes a night.
The curious part is that conditioning loans are usually only for players who have missed a good amount of time due to injury or those that have faced several healthy scratches in a row. While Beaulieu did miss yesterday’s game, against the Dallas Stars and two last week, he has been dressed relatively frequently so far.
Sending him on a conditioning loan doesn’t clear a roster spot the same way a regular loan would. For the latter, he would need to clear waivers, though it’s hard to believe there would be a ton of interest in claiming him, given his $850K salary and struggles this season.
Regardless of why the Ducks did it, Beaulieu will get the chance to play in the minor leagues for the first time in years. He hasn’t appeared in an AHL game since the 2014-15 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, while still a part of the Montreal Canadiens organization. For his career, Beaulieu has 441 NHL regular season appearances and has recorded 97 points.
Carolina Hurricanes Reassign Pyotr Kochetkov
With all three goaltenders healthy, the Carolina Hurricanes had to make a decision. Since Pyotr Kochetkov is still waiver-exempt, he’s the one on the way out. The young netminder has been reassigned to the minor leagues, despite his strong performance so far this year.
This certainly won’t make many Hurricanes fans happy, as of the three – Kochetkov, Antti Raanta, and Frederik Andersen – there has been only one consistent presence. Andersen has a .903 save percentage in just ten appearances, while Raanta has an .894 despite having one of the strongest defensive teams in the league playing ahead of him.
Kochetkov, 23, has a .913 through 19 games, losing just four of them in regulation. That earned him a four-year extension a few months ago, one that locks him into a roster spot in the future.
Not yet, though, as he now heads back to the Chicago Wolves for the time being. The club will go with an Andersen-Raanta tandem.
If there’s a silver lining for Kochetkov fans, it’s that those veteran goaltenders have never really shown the ability to stay healthy for long. Their combined history suggests that the young netminder will be back up before long, and could very well be the starting goaltender again by the time the playoffs roll around.
Minnesota Wild Extend Matt Boldy
The Minnesota Wild have some good news for fans on a Monday morning. Matt Boldy has signed a seven-year extension, keeping him locked up through the 2029-30 season. The $49MM deal will carry an average annual value of $7MM and avoids any restricted free agency with the young forward. It does not include any signing bonuses. PuckPedia has the full breakdown:
- 2023-24: $8.0MM
- 2024-25: $9.7MM
- 2025-26: $7.7MM
- 2026-27: $6.0MM
- 2027-28: $5.96MM
- 2028-29: $5.82MM + 10-team NTC
- 2029-30: $5.82MM + 10-team NTC
It’s hard to find a more worthwhile young player to extend around the league, as Boldy has been excellent for Minnesota since the moment he entered the lineup. Last season as a rookie, skating mostly beside Kevin Fiala, Boldy managed 39 points in 47 games. He was credited as a huge reason why his linemate finally reached a consistent performance, and it helped Fiala land a massive contract of his own.
This time around, he hasn’t had quite the same level of offensive teammates, most often hitting the ice with 29-year-old undrafted center Frederick Gaudreau. Still, Boldy has 12 goals and 29 points in 42 games, good enough for fourth on the Wild.
While those numbers are down a bit from last year, there’s no one that doubts Boldy anymore. The 12th overall pick from 2019 is a good bet to be a core piece of Minnesota’s attack for the next decade, and they got an early jump on extending him in order to save some money down the line.
Of course, given his youth, it will seem like quite a hefty expenditure. Boldy, 21, becomes the fourth-highest-paid 23-and-under player in the league, only trailing Tim Stutzle, Jack Hughes, and Andrei Svechnikov. Those are big names to follow, but there’s plenty of optimism that he’ll quickly outpace a $7MM price tag.
Notably, despite the excitement, the Wild are going to have some tough decisions to make now. The team now has more than $74MM committed to just 14 players for next season, with several RFAs still to go. Calen Addison, for instance, will be in line for a hefty raise after his breakout season, while Filip Gustavsson, Sam Steel, Brandon Duhaime, and Mason Shaw also need new deals.
With the buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter actually increasing for the next two years, the team is going to need to cut money elsewhere.
Still, Boldy represents a big part of the future of the Wild, and is now locked in at a reasonable rate. If the salary cap does take a substantial jump in a few years, and he continues to develop, it could even look like a bargain.