Canucks Notes: DiPietro, Dermott, Di Giuseppe
Back in the offseason, it was revealed that Canucks prospect Michael DiPietro had requested a trade. To this point, there hasn’t been a move made but as president Jim Rutherford told Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province (Twitter link), it wasn’t for a lack of effort on their end:
We were open to it and when a player like that requests it, Patrik made teams aware that we would be willing to give him a chance (with) someone else, but nothing came along.
DiPietro was once a fairly highly-touted goalie prospect after a strong junior career but that has yet to translate into much success in the pros. Last year, he posted a .901 SV% along with a 2.95 GAA in 34 games with AHL Abbotsford, numbers that don’t scream NHL-ready by any stretch. He accepted his qualifying offer this summer and he’ll be battling for the backup job in the minors as things stand this season.
More from Vancouver:
- Tyler Myers isn’t the only Vancouver defender dealing with an injury as Travis Dermott has been out of the lineup recently as well. As Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province relays, the team has now acknowledged that Dermott is dealing with a concussion which means he’s out indefinitely. It feels like a make-or-break year for the 25-year-old. He’s in the final year of his contract and has had a limited role the last few seasons with limited offensive production (seven points in 60 games last year). Owed a $1.75MM qualifying offer next summer, that might be a bit pricey for a depth defender but Dermott will have to wait for a little while now to start making his case.
- GM Patrik Allvin told reporters including Harman Dayal of The Athletic (Twitter link) that winger Phillip Di Giuseppe is expected to miss two-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old had a nice season with Abbotsford in 2021-22, collecting 36 points in 42 games. Injured players can’t be waived so he’ll start the year on season-opening injured reserve and then be waived for assignment when he’s cleared to return.
Vancouver Canucks Acquire Riley Stillman
We have a trade to announce. Per a team release, the Vancouver Canucks are trading center Jason Dickinson and a 2024 second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Riley Stillman. The Canucks have also announced the deal.
From both the Canucks’ side of the trade and the Blackhawks’, the deal makes a lot of sense. From Chicago’s point of view, this swap fits their overarching organizational vision. The Blackhawks are undergoing a full-scale rebuild, and this whole past offseason they proved they would leave no stone unturned in their quest to accumulate as many draft picks and prospects as possible.
At a time when the value of cap space is at an absolute premium, the Blackhawks, by acquiring Dickinson, (who has a $2.65MM cap hit for the next two seasons) have cashed in some of their cap space in order to land a valuable draft pick from another club.
Additionally, the acquisition of Dickinson fits in with some of their other additions from this offseason, in the sense that he is a player whose value has declined from previous seasons and has room to rebound. In the summer of 2021, the Canucks thought highly enough of Dickinson to surrender a third-round pick for his services, and now after just one season he’s relegated to being a negative-value asset in a cap-shedding trade.
While Dickinson’s lone season in Vancouver was admittedly a poor one, the Blackhawks are now hoping that he will respond well to greater opportunity on their team and rehabilitate his value enough to possibly be flipped for even more draft picks either at this trade deadline season or this summer.
Dickinson, 27, was a 2013 first-round pick and has at times shown the ability to be a quality defensive center. But in Vancouver his offense almost completely dried up, meaning improving Dickinson’s play offensively will likely be the first priority for head coach Luke Richardson and his staff.
From Vancouver’s perspective, this deal seems less about acquiring Stillman and more about clearing Dickinson’s contract off their books. Just a few hours ago, we covered how 22-year-old Swedish import Nils Aman was in pole position to seize the Canucks’ fourth-line center role, a development that, prior to this trade, would have left Dickinson either without a regular spot in the lineup or perhaps even on waivers and headed to AHL Abbotsford. Now, the Canucks’ roster decision-making process will be a lot simpler.
While clearing Dickinson’s deal off the cap-strapped Canucks’ books was likely the main purpose of this trade, acquiring Stillman is not without its usefulness as well. Today we learned that Tyler Myers would be out with an injury for the start of the regular season, so perhaps Stillman was acquired in part to help the team make up for his absence.
Stillman, 24, played 52 games last season in Chicago and scored 12 points. The former Oshawa General is a defense-first, physical defenseman who saw some time on the Blackhawks’ penalty kill as well. While it’s unlikely that he’ll climb the Canucks’ competitive defensive depth chart, he’ll be a useful reinforcement as Vancouver looks to pick up where they left off under Bruce Boudreau last year.
Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 10/07/22
The NHL regular season began today, and while the world’s top league is just getting going, there are teams in minor/overseas leagues that are still making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll recap all of today’s minor league/foreign league moves here.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Andrew Nielsen, signed a contract with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies today, per the league’s official transactions page. Nielsen, 25, was the 65th overall pick of the 2015 draft and played 36 games last season with the Grizzlies, scoring 27 points. The defenseman has extensive experience in the AHL and should be a major addition to the Grizzlies’ blueline.
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds signed Nick Pastujov and Hugo Roy to contracts in late September, and now it seems that they won’t be with the Firebirds to start their seasons. The ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks announced today that both Pastujov and Roy have been reassigned to their club, meaning both players will likely begin the year in Kansas City and hope to play well enough to earn a call-up to Dan Bylsma’s Firebirds squad.
- The Idaho Steelheads made a big move today, signing three-time ECHL defenseman of the year Matthew Register to a one-year contract. Register spent last season with the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL, the United Kingdom’s top professional league, and will re-enter the ECHL as a defenseman capable of putting up elite production.
- Kevin Lohan, the captain of the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, announced his retirement today via a letter posted to the team’s website. Lohan spent the past four seasons with the Solar Bears and earned his first AHL recalls this past season, skating in games for both the Syracuse Crunch and Ontario Reign.
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits made two signings today, adding forwards Jake Elmer and Carter Souch. Elmer, scored 32 points in 50 ECHL games last season and should bolster their offensive attack. Souch is perhaps the more intriguing name here as he will be making his professional debut after an impressive finish to his WHL career. Souch scored 71 points in 68 regular-season games for the Edmonton Oil Kings and also scored 21 points in 19 playoff games, helping lead Edmonton to a WHL championship. He’ll look to begin a climb up the North American pro hockey ladder in Greenville.
Snapshots: Phillips, Aman, Janmark
The Chicago Blackhawks’ 2022-23 season is unlikely going to be one where the team is focused intensely on winning games, but instead one where player development is the main goal. To that end, the lack of established talent on the Blackhawks’ roster means that younger players might have more of an opportunity to see NHL time in Chicago than they would have on other teams. One of the players who might benefit from that opportunity is Isaak Phillips, a 2020 fifth-round pick who was just called up by Chicago for their final preseason game.
The Blackhawks’ new coach Luke Richardson said, as relayed by The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, that he thinks that Phillips will ultimately begin the season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs and play as a top-pairing shutdown defenseman there. The 21-year-old Phillips played in four NHL games last season and this call-up suggests Phillips could be near the front of the line for a regular-season recall should the Blackhawks end up needing another defenseman on their roster.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Colorado Avalanche drafted Swedish forward Nils Aman in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, but didn’t sign him to an entry-level deal, letting his rights expire. The Vancouver Canucks scooped him up in June on an entry-level deal, and now it’s beginning to look like that was a savvy move on the part of GM Patrik Allvin and his front office. Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report (subscription link) that there is “increasing industry buzz” that Aman has done enough to cement himself as the Canucks’ opening-night fourth-line center. If that ends up being the route the team chooses to go, it will be a major step forward for the 22-year-old, as he has no experience in North American pro hockey. Aman spent the last two seasons as a full-time player for Leksands in the SHL, scoring 14 points in a limited role.
- Veteran forward Mattias Janmark was waived by the Edmonton Oilers today, and while he’s just one of the several notable NHLers to hit waivers today, he may be one of the few who actually get claimed by another team. Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe speculates that the Winnipeg Jets could be a team that possibly files a claim for Janmark. Wiebe notes that Jets are currently trying to figure out who will play in their bottom six, and since Janmark has a connection with new coach Rick Bowness, (Janmark played for Bowness as a member of the Dallas Stars) it’s possible that the Jets attempt to add him to their roster. Janmark signed a one-year, $1.25MM deal with the Oilers this summer and had 25 points in 67 games last season.
West Notes: Milano, Robertson, Hague
Forward Sonny Milano turned some heads when he signed a PTO with the Calgary Flames this fall, in part because many believed that the former Anaheim Duck would receive a full NHL contract offer from a team. Last season Milano set career highs in production, scoring 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games, but that contract offer never materialized.
Milano was recently released from his PTO after an underwhelming preseason, but that may not mean the end of his NHL journey. Per Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, (subscription link) the Vancouver Canucks invited Milano to their training camp before he ultimately chose to go to Calgary, and they “still like” Milano as a player. But given the complex roster and cap situation that the Canucks’ front office will need to manage in the coming days, Drance and Dhaliwal do state that the team isn’t able to acquire Milano at this moment. The bottom line, though, is that despite how rapidly his stock seemed to decline over the course of this summer and preseason, there still are teams who believe Milano can contribute in the NHL.
Now, for some other notes from the Western Conference:
- One of the biggest contract sagas of this offseason reached its conclusion this week, as Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson signed a four-year contract to remain in victory green. In order to get there, it seems some compromise was required. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet speculated on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that Robertson’s camp had been eyeing an AAV “in the tens” on any max-term deal. Due a $9.3MM qualifying offer after his new contract expires, Robertson seems to have set himself up nicely to break into that range once this current deal expires.
- While Robertson’s contract saga came to an end earlier this week, the contract standoff between the Vegas Golden Knights and restricted free agent defenseman Nicolas Hague is still ongoing. Per Friedman on 32 Thoughts, the Golden Knights’ desire to maximize the cap benefits they gain from long-term injured reserve is not considered to be a barrier to getting Hague’s deal done. The 23-year-old former Mississauga Steelhead had a breakout season of sorts in 2021-22, seeing time with Alex Pietrangelo on the team’s top pairing, and it looks like the main obstacle to getting a deal done is based more on value disagreements than anything related to the Golden Knights’ cap management.
Tyler Myers Out 2-4 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
The Vancouver Canucks will be without another one of their key players for the start of the season, as Tyler Myers has been ruled out for the next two to four weeks. Myers is dealing with a lower-body injury according to head coach Bruce Boudreau.
The Canucks are already without Brock Boeser and Ilya Mikheyev, though there was some optimism surrounding both players when Boudreau spoke with the media. Harman Dayal of The Athletic relays that both will be with the team on the season-opening road trip and that Boeser could practice in full contact as soon as Sunday.
While Myers continues to be a source of frustration for Canucks fans, given his performance since arriving in Vancouver, there’s no denying his place in the lineup. The 6’8″ defenseman carries a huge amount of responsibility, averaging 22 minutes a night including more short-handed time than anyone else.
Without him (and Travis Dermott, while he continues to work back from his own injury) the team is currently working with a less-than-ideal defense group that likely includes Quinn Hughes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Kyle Burroughs, Tucker Poolman, Luke Schenn, Christian Wolanin, and Jack Rathbone on opening day.
That is of course unless another move is made in the days ahead. If Myers were sure to miss four weeks, the team could place him on long-term injured reserve and gain some extra flexibility to add a defenseman off waivers – today’s group includes several interesting names – or the free agent market.
Either way, Myers won’t be in the lineup for a while.
Waivers: 10/07/22
It’s an important day for waivers as the regular season approaches, and several potential targets are available. With the preseason wrapping up, teams will try to sneak players through at the last second and keep them in the organization for the time being.
Many of these placements are due to salary cap restrictions or LTIR machinations to give teams maximum flexibility as the season begins. Everyone from yesterday’s list cleared.
Here is today’s group of waiver additions:
Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Mattias Janmark
Dmitri Samorukov
Minnesota Wild
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Kevin Connauton
Troy Grosenick
St. Louis Blues
Martin Frk
Klim Kostin
Matthew Highmore
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
MacKenzie Weegar Signs Extension With Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have signed another one of their newcomers to a massive extension. The Flames and MacKenzie Weegar have agreed to an eight-year extension worth $50MM ($6.25MM AAV). Weegar was scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the upcoming season. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff adds that it has a full no-trade clause for the first four years of the deal and a partial no-trade for the final four. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has the full breakdown:
- 2023-24: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2024-25: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2025-26: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2026-27: $4.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2027-28: $6.25MM salary
- 2028-29: $6.25MM salary
- 2029-30: $6.25MM salary
- 2030-31: $6.25MM salary
Acquired along with Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, and a first-round pick this summer in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk (and a fourth-rounder), Weegar immediately publicized his desire to stay in Calgary long-term. It makes sense that a player who has climbed from being a seventh-round afterthought to a first-pairing star would be looking for some security, and the Flames are happy to oblige.
Still, given that Weegar will turn 29 this season, an eight-year extension is a rather risky commitment. He’ll be 37 by the time the contract ends, not exactly in the traditional prime of an NHL defenseman.
There is a real possibility for surplus value in the first few years, given how well Weegar has played the last few seasons, but even then he’ll already be getting paid like a top-pairing option. A $6.25MM cap hit will tie him with Jeff Petry, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and Josh Morrissey for the 34th highest-paid defenseman in the league.
A couple of those names should send a little bit of hesitation down the spine of Flames fans who don’t want to be stuck with an overpaid, underperforming veteran, but there are a few things in Calgary’s favor.
One, the salary cap is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, meaning Weegar’s contract will not be as significant as those other numbers have been. Second, the team is obviously focused on keeping their competitive window open right now, even after losing Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau in the offseason. Huberdeau’s massive eight-year, $84MM extension proves that. That contract will likely look terrible down the line but for now, the team has at least two years with this exceptional core in place.
Notably, both Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, two of the most important players on the team, are scheduled for UFA status after 2023-24. They will both be looking for raises, and the Flames may have to make some tough decisions with the rest of their roster to keep them. If that means cutting talent elsewhere, they’ll at least have Huberdeau and Weegar (and Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, and Rasmus Andersson) locked in as leaders for the long term.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Tyler Pitlick Released From PTO
There was a time not so long ago when Tyler Pitlick was considered a solid bottom-six option in the NHL. The big, physical forward was even selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, and then netted them a fourth-round pick when the Calgary Flames wanted to add him to their squad.
Today, Pitlick was released from his PTO by the St. Louis Blues, meaning he’s without a job just a few days before the season begins. The 30-year-old forward played just 39 games last season split between the Flames and Montreal Canadiens, scoring just five points in the process. It appears as though his days in the NHL may be numbered, and a minor league landing spot may be next.
Selected 31st overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, Pitlick never did become the two-way center that some expected. In fact, he barely played in the middle at all at the NHL level, instead settling into a depth role on the wing, where he used his physicality more than anything else. His best season came in 2017-18 with the Dallas Stars, when he scored 14 goals and 27 points but otherwise he has just 62 other points in the remaining 245 games of his career.
What follows is unclear for Pitlick but with so few opportunities available around the league, the minor leagues or overseas may have to be an option. He hasn’t played in the AHL since the 2015-16 season when he had 21 points in 37 games for the Bakersfield Condors.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/07/22
It’s hockey time! The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will play regular season hockey this afternoon from Czechia, while the rest of the league finishes up their preseason schedule.
With the North American start just a few days away, teams will be cutting down their rosters to a final 23-man group. Importantly, some of these will be reversed as soon as the season begins and are just because of salary cap implications.
Here are today’s cuts:
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Colton Dach (to Kelowna, WHL)
G Mitchell Weeks (released from ATO)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
F Mattias Janmark (to Bakersfield, AHL)*
D Dmitri Samorukov (to Bakersfield, AHL)*
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
F Lias Andersson (to Ontario, AHL)
F T.J. Tynan (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jordan Spence (to Ontario, AHL)
D Tobias Bjornfot (to Ontario, AHL)
G David Hrenak (to Ontario, AHL)
F Jacob Doty (released from PTO)
Minnesota Wild (via team release)
F Steven Fogarty (to Iowa, AHL)*
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Graeme Clarke (to Utica, AHL)
F Nolan Foote (to Utica, AHL)
F Brian Halonen (to Utica, AHL)
F Aarne Talvitie (to Utica, AHL)
D Reilly Walsh (to Utica, AHL)
D Nikita Okhotiuk (to Utica, AHL)
G Nico Daws (to Utica, AHL)
D Akira Schmid (to Utica, AHL)
F Brian Pinho (to Utica, AHL)*
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via Olivia Reiner, Philadelphia Inquirer)
D Kevin Connauton (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
G Troy Grosenick (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Will Bitten (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mathias Laferriere (to Springfield, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Springfield, AHL)
D Matthew Kessel (to Springfield, AHL)
D Brady Lyle (to Springfield, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Springfield, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Springfield, AHL)
G Joel Hofer (to Springfield, AHL)
F Tyler Pitlick (released from PTO)
Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release)
D Nick Perbix (to Syracuse, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
F Brad Lambert (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Johnathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)*
*Pending waivers
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