Nashville Predators Recall Mark Jankowski
After Kiefer Sherwood cleared waivers, the Nashville Predators made an interesting roster swap. Mark Jankowski has been recalled from the AHL, with Sherwood going down in his place.
Jankowski, 28, was once a regular in the NHL, scoring 31 goals and 57 points over his first two seasons with the Calgary Flames. The first-round pick appeared to be a solid middle-six forward that could chip in offensively and use his 6’4″ frame to add some physicality.
It’s been several years since that was the case though, and Jankowski spent more time last season in the minor leagues than in the NHL. This year he settled for a one-year, two-way contract with the Predators that came with a huge minor league guarantee, suggesting that he would be spending most of his time with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Now, after scoring five goals and nine points in his first seven AHL games, Jankowski will join the big club as an extra forward. Whether he gets another chance to get his NHL career back on track remains to be seen but he couldn’t have done much more for Milwaukee to begin his year.
Kiefer Sherwood Clears Waivers
Nov 3: Sherwood has cleared, and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Nov 2: Not every NHL season will have two Kief(f)ers placed on waivers. After Kieffer Bellows was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this year, Nashville Predators forward Kiefer Sherwood now finds himself on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.
Sherwood, 27, made the Predators roster rather unexpectedly out of training camp and has played in five games so far with the team. He has one goal (the first goal of the NHL season) and two points, but had found his way to the press box recently. After being re-inserted into the lineup yesterday and receiving just 9:18 of ice time, it appears as though he’s headed for the minor leagues.
Undrafted, Sherwood has 92 NHL games under his belt and was one of the AHL’s most dangerous players a year ago. He set new career highs with 36 goals and 75 points in 57 games for the Colorado Eagles, and appeared to be in the mix for full-time NHL minutes.
If someone claims him, that could still be possible, but given the face that he cleared twice last season, he’s probably headed to the minors.
Evgenii Dadonov Moved To Injured Reserve; Joel Edmundson Activated
The Montreal Canadiens have moved Evgenii Dadonov to injured reserve, clearing the way for the activation of Joel Edmundson. The veteran defenseman no longer appears on the injured reserve list on the NHL media site, but John Lu of TSN reports that he will be a game-time decision.
Dadonov’s placement is interesting, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet suggested that the forward may end up on waivers today to clear room for Edmundson and referred to this transaction as “kicking the can down the road.”
The 33-year-old Dadonov has essentially played his way out of the mix in Montreal with zero points through eight games. He’s only taken ten shots on goal during that stretch and saw his minutes reduced to fewer than 12 before ending up in the press box as a healthy scratch.
It seems that his time in Montreal might be running out, though they’ll now have a little bit of flexibility to make a decision. With a $5MM cap hit it seems unlikely that there would be much of a trade market for Dadonov, even if he did score 20 goals last season. Notably, he’s actually making $6.5MM in salary this season in the final year of his contract.
Seattle Kraken Re-Assign Christopher Gibson
Nov 3: With Jones rejoining the team, Gibson has been sent back to the AHL.
Nov 1: According to the team’s public relations department, the Seattle Kraken have recalled goaltender Christopher Gibson from the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Gibson, who had been playing on an AHL contract with the Firebirds to start the season, signed with the Kraken late last week and subsequently cleared waivers.
Exactly why the team has opted to recall Gibson at this point is unclear, and it could mean more bad news on the injury front for a team already reeling from both Philipp Grubauer‘s and Chris Driedger‘s absences. It could also mean that the team is giving current starter Martin Jones the night off as he and his wife welcomed a child last week, with Joey Daccord already expected to start tonight in Calgary. In that case, Gibson is purely up for a day or two to serve as the backup before he can be immediately returned to Coachella Valley, given he cleared waivers less than 30 days ago.
Gibson, 29, has a less-than-stellar .706 save percentage in two appearances with Coachella Valley so far, also credited with one loss. The minor-league veteran has 16 NHL appearances under his belt, the majority of which came with the New York Islanders in the mid-to-late 2010s. He has an NHL career goals-against average of 3.33, a save percentage of .903 and a 4-5-3 record.
Jeremy Swayman Out Week-To-Week
The Boston Bruins will be in the hands of Linus Ullmark for the next little while, as Jeremy Swayman is out on a week-to-week basis and has returned to Boston for evaluation. Derek Forbort is also out week-to-week, though the team will have an official announcement on his status later today, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
David Krejci and Craig Smith are day-to-day and could be available for Saturday’s game.
The Bruins recalled Keith Kinkaid yesterday, signaling that it would be a little while for Swayman to get back in the net. The 23-year-old was off to a shaky start to the year with ten goals allowed on just 82 shots but is a key part of the team’s goaltending tandem.
Ullmark meanwhile has been outstanding, posting a .932 save percentage through eight appearances, winning all seven of his starts. While the Bruins won’t want to overload the 29-year-old, as he has never started more than 41 games in a single season, he’s certainly more than capable of carrying the load for a little while.
Filip Bratt Released From AHL Contract
The Utica Comets have released Filip Bratt from his AHL contract, allowing him to return to Sweden if he so chooses. The young defenseman had played three games for their ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder.
Bratt, 20, is the younger brother of New Jersey Devils star Jesper Bratt and had agreed to a two-way minor league deal this fall. Undrafted, he had worked his way up to the Swedish second league the last two seasons and appeared to at least have a chance of sticking in North America.
Maybe he will try again in a few years, but a release at this point usually suggests a return to Europe. Given that he won’t turn 21 until May, there’s still plenty of development time left for the younger Bratt.
Remember, his brother was also something of a late bloomer, selected 162nd overall in his draft year and playing an extra year in the second tier before bursting onto the NHL scene in 2017.
KHL Contract Terminated For Chris Bigras
A long-time AHL defenseman may be on his way home. The KHL announced today that Barys Astana has terminated its deal with Chris Bigras after 23 games. Bigras is a free agent once again.
The 27-year-old was once a highly regarded prospect for the Colorado Avalanche, selected 32nd overall in 2013. He would make it to the NHL at the age of 20, but failed to stick around for long. In 46 career games, all with Colorado, he has four points.
In the AHL, Bigras has played 279 games and racked up 120 points. Amazingly, he hasn’t suited up for a single playoff game during that time – even despite winning a Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves last season.
During those 23 games for Astana, he generated just a single assist and was a -8 rating, something that was even included in the termination announcement. His time there was certainly not very productive, and now he enters the free agent market again partway through the season.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2022-23 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
St. Louis Blues
Current Cap Hit: $84,237,279 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Jake Neighbours (three years, $835K)
Potential Bonuses
Neighbours: $82.5K
After holding his own in a nine-game stint last season, Neighbours is expected to hold down a regular spot this year. It’s too early to forecast the next contract for the 2020 first rounder but it’s worth noting that his bonuses are games-played based and with St. Louis into LTIR, those could roll over and be applied on their cap next season.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Noel Acciari ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Ivan Barbashev ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Logan Brown ($750K, RFA)
G Thomas Greiss ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Niko Mikkola ($1.9MM, UFA)
D Scott Perunovich ($750K, RFA)
F Tyler Pitlick ($750K, UFA)
F Ryan O’Reilly ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Alexey Toropchenko ($750K, RFA)
Potential Bonuses
Greiss: $250K
O’Reilly is the veteran that many expect to be the one that ultimately gets re-signed. While he’s off to a particularly tough start this season, the 31-year-old has been a strong two-way center over the past several years while being elite at the faceoff dot. Those are elements that will certainly be in high demand and should keep his cost high even as he slows down offensively. Right now, a small dip could be expected but if he turns around and has a 25-goal, 60-point year when all is said and done, his next contract could be very close to this one.
Tarasenko’s future in St. Louis has been in question dating back to last season when his trade request wasn’t granted. To his credit, he responded in the best way possible with a career year that saw him pick up 82 points in 78 games while he’s off to a pretty good start early on this season as well. In doing so, he has put some of the questions about the health of his shoulders to rest as well. At this point, it’s still difficult to see him staying in St. Louis (especially with who else needs to be re-signed) but the 30-year-old is certainly positioning himself to be one of the top wingers on the open market next summer. Accordingly, another contract in this range could be doable.
Barbashev is a player many are keeping an eye on this season to see if his 60-point performance was a one-off or a sign of things to come. If it’s the former, a small raise to an AAV starting with a three could still be doable but a repeat showing could double that on the open market. Acciari has impressed the coaching staff early on and was bumped up to the front line but that’s likely a short-term promotion. He’s more of an energy player and as long as he stays healthy, it should be mission accomplished on bolstering his value which could put him in a spot for a multi-year agreement in the $1.5MM range. Pitlick couldn’t land a guaranteed deal through training camp but got one off an extended PTO. That’s likely to be the route he needs to take next year.
As for the RFA-bound forwards, both Brown and Toropchenko are at the stage where they’re looking to establish themselves as NHL regulars. Both have had limited ice time in the games they’ve played so far and that alone isn’t going to be enough to land a raise of significance. St. Louis will need to keep these end-of-roster spots at or near the minimum so it will be interesting to see if they can get these two to take another year around this price tag.
Mikkola was scratched at times last season but still managed to get this deal in exchange for avoiding arbitration this past summer. His role has been quite limited this year which doesn’t bode well for his market value. However, he still has fewer than 100 NHL games under his belt so there could be a team that feels there’s some untapped upside so even if he stays in a number six role, his market could be strong enough to get a small raise next summer. Perunovich took a one-year show-me deal and then fractured his shoulder which will probably keep him out for the rest of the year. Accordingly, another one-year, low-cost pact could be coming his way, especially since he won’t accrue a season toward arbitration eligibility if he doesn’t play this season.
Greiss was brought over in free agency to be a more cost-friendly backup goaltender but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him kept below 20 starts to avoid the bonus payout. He’ll be 37 next summer so he’ll likely be on one-year deals from here on out but after a tough year with Detroit, a bounce-back showing could give him a stronger market in July.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Robert Bortuzzo ($950K, UFA)
D Calle Rosen ($762.5K, UFA)
D Marco Scandella ($3.275MM, UFA)
F Nathan Walker ($750K in 2022-23, $775K in 2023-24, UFA)
Walker is a nice story of perseverance as next season will be his first one-way contract after nine seasons on a two-way deal. He’s one of those players that fits at the minimum in an end-of-roster spot but it’s hard to see him getting much more than what he will get next year.
Scandella fit in well after he was acquired midseason in 2020 but this contract hasn’t been a good one for them. He struggled last year and will miss most (if not all) of this season after undergoing hip surgery which has created the LTIR space that they’re currently using. At this point, he’s someone that could be looking at a pay cut of 50% or more in 2024. Bortuzzo is a depth defender that has signed a variety of low-cost deals to stay with the Blues. If they’re comfortable with him in a seventh role two years from now, that trend could continue with a contract similar in value to this one. Rosen has bounced around in recent years between the NHL and AHL and is likely to stay at or close to the minimum unless he’s able to establish himself as a full-timer at the top level.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Pavel Buchnevich ($5.8MM, UFA)
The 27-year-old fit in quite well last season, putting together a career year in his first season with St. Louis. If he can repeat that performance over the next few seasons, Buchnevich could be highly sought after in 2025 with a price tag that would be similar to Tarasenko’s. That’s a big if, however, but even if he checks in closer to the 60-point range instead of the 76 from a year ago, he could get closer to the $6.5MM range on his next contract.
West Notes: Mrazek, Nieto, Meyers
While Chicago was forced to convert Dylan Wells’ minor league agreement to an NHL deal earlier today, it seems like he won’t be around for long. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that Petr Mrazek might be a week away from returning to the lineup and it’s a light rest of the week for the Blackhawks. He has been dealing with a groin injury for the last couple of weeks but with Alex Stalock and Arvid Soderblom both doing alright, there was no immediate need to try to rush him back and risk a recurrence which has plagued him in the past. However, Mrazek indicated that the injury wasn’t as bad as last season which certainly is a good sign as he looks to re-establish himself after a tough showing with Toronto last year.
More from the West:
- With the Sharks believed to be open to moving just about anyone, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News examines a handful of veterans that could be on the move. One candidate that might fly under the radar is winger Matt Nieto. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has four points in 12 games so far this season while holding his own in a top-six role. He wouldn’t have that role on a contender but a veteran making just $800K that can move up and down the lineup could be intriguing to some cap-strapped teams. Accordingly, Pashelka posits that San Jose could do a little better than the fifth-rounder they received for Andrew Cogliano who was moved at the deadline last season.
- The Avalanche sent Ben Meyers down to the minors a couple of weeks ago to get some playing time after having a very limited role with the big club earlier in the season. However, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays (Twitter link), the 23-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in his second game with the Eagles. He’s hoping to get back on the ice within a week but this certainly isn’t helping his development in his first full professional season.
East Notes: Penguins, Kravtsov, Cassels, Puistola
There should be some good news on the horizon for the Penguins on the injury front. As relayed by the team’s Twitter account, GM Ron Hextall indicated that the hope is that center Teddy Blueger will be ready to be activated from LTIR on Saturday, the first day he’s able to come off. What initially started as a day-to-day injury back in training camp has now cost the 28-year-old the better part of a month of action as he has yet to play this season. His pending return will be a welcome one as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds (Twitter link) that middleman Jeff Carter is missing his second straight game tonight due to a lower-body injury; if that issue lingers, Blueger would likely slide right into his spot in the lineup.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Going to the AHL has been a point of contention for Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov in the past. However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that he should give some consideration to doing so if New York approaches him about a conditioning stint once he’s cleared to return from his current upper-body injury. This season has seen multiple stops and starts already which is hardly ideal for a young player that’s trying to get reacclimated to playing in North America. A conditioning stint – which can last for up to two weeks and would not require waivers – would give him a chance to ease into a few games which would be preferable for New York but the 22-year-old would have to agree to go down there.
- After inking Cory Conacher to an AHL tryout deal earlier this week, the Senators made another AHL signing today, announcing that they’ve inked forward Cole Cassels to a one-year, minor league contract. The 27-year-old has spent time in Vancouver, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Columbus but has yet to secure an NHL opportunity. Cassels started the season in Sweden’s second division but now will have a chance to play a lot closer to home.
- Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola has signed a one-year extension with Jukurit through the 2023-24 season, the Finnish team announced. The 21-year-old was a third-rounder back in 2019 (77th overall) and is off to a nice start to his season with nine points in 17 games. Notably, Carolina only has until June 1st to sign Puistola to an NHL deal and the fact he is already signed in Finland now for next year probably won’t help his chances of landing an entry-level contract.