Hurricanes Sign Calvin De Haan
It was a successful tryout for defenseman Calvin de Haan as the Hurricanes announced that they’ve signed the veteran to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $850K. GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the move:
We obviously knew Calvin from his previous time in Carolina. We like what we’ve seen from him in camp and saw this as an opportunity to increase our depth on the back end.
That time that Waddell speaks of is from the 2018-19 season when he played in 74 games for Carolina, primarily in a shutdown role. It’s a role that the 32-year-old is quite familiar with as it’s the one that he has had for most of his 10-year NHL career which also featured time with the Islanders and Blackhawks. Last season, de Haan played in 69 games for Chicago, picking up four goals and four assists while logging just shy of 19 minutes a game. He also led the Blackhawks in blocked shots (172) and placed second in hits with 146.
With Jake Gardiner not being able to return this season, it opens up a spot for de Haan on the roster although it seems quite likely that he will have a smaller role than he’s accustomed to. Carolina’s top four is fully established with all four of those players being fully capable of logging over 20 minutes a night. That will leave de Haan fighting for ice time on the third pairing and perhaps even being in a seventh defenseman role at times. Even so, he extends his NHL career with this deal and becomes the second defender in as many days to convert a PTO agreement into a full contract.
Waivers: 10/1/22
October 2nd: Per CapFriendly, all players placed on waivers yesterday, October 1st, have cleared (link).
October 1st: It’s expected to be another busy day on the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim down their rosters. We’ll keep track of the players being placed on waivers here.
Edmonton
Montreal
NY Rangers
St. Louis
D Steven Santini
F Nathan Todd
D/F Luke Witkowski
Tampa Bay
D Sean Day
Vegas
F Byron Froese
G Michael Hutchinson
D Brayden Pachal
F Sheldon Rempal
Winnipeg
F Michael Eyssimont
D Leon Gawanke
F Jeff Malott
D Ashton Sautner
All 22 players that were on waivers yesterday cleared.
Urho Vaakanainen Taken To Hospital After Suffering Injury
There was a scary moment partway through the first period in Friday’s preseason contest between the Ducks and Sharks. After setting up a goal, Anaheim defenseman Urho Vaakanainen hit his head into the boards and had to be stretchered off the ice.
The team announced (Twitter link) that the 23-year-old was taken to hospital for evaluation but “has full movement in his extremities and is fully conscious and alert”. Speaking to reporters postgame, head coach Dallas Eakins didn’t have any updates on Vaakanainen’s condition.
Vaakanainen is in his first full season with the Ducks after being acquired near the trade deadline last season as part of the Hampus Lindholm trade. He signed a two-year, $1.7MM contract back in July and was hoping to land a full-time spot in Anaheim’s lineup this season. Unfortunately, it appears those plans are on hold for the time being as the team waits to see how long he’ll be out of the lineup.
Also on the injury front in Anaheim, center Trevor Zegras will be undergoing a second MRI as the team looks to get more information about the upper-body injury he sustained on Wednesday, relays Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Zegras was injured in the second period against Arizona on a hit from Jan Jenik. The imaging is happening today so the team should have an idea of how long the 21-year-old will be out of the lineup in the near future.
Canadiens Extend Jake Allen
Jake Allen will be sticking around with the Canadiens for a little longer as the team announced that they’ve signed the goaltender to a two-year contract extension. The deal will carry an AAV of $3.85MM. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:
2023-24: $500K signing bonus, $3.9MM salary, partial NTC
2024-25: $1MM signing bonus, $2.3MM salary, partial NTC
The 32-year-old is entering his third season with Montreal after being acquired from St. Louis back in 2020. Barely a month after being acquired, he signed a two-year extension, the last season of which will be played this season with that deal carrying a $2.875MM AAV. At the time, he was being brought in as more of a proven second option behind Carey Price. However, that situation has changed with Price missing most of last season, likely all of this year, and the rest of his playing career being in question and this new contract reflects that change in role.
Last season, Allen played in 35 games with Montreal, posting a 3.30 GAA along with a .905 SV% in what was an injury-mired campaign. He missed time in both concussion and COVID protocols while also dealing with groin trouble on two separate occasions. Now healthy, he should get the bulk of the workload for the Canadiens this season with Samuel Montembeault serving as his backup.
Montreal doesn’t have a true goalie of the future just yet with Cayden Primeau representing the closest option to being NHL-ready. This extension will basically serve as a bridge for the Canadiens to navigate through what’s expected to be a bit of an extended rebuild while also giving them some time to plan to draft or acquire their next starter. It also takes what would have been one of the more intriguing rental veterans off the market as without this deal, Allen would have been a speculative candidate leading up to the trade deadline in March.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/30/22
September is coming to a close, meaning the regular season is just around the corner! Teams all across the league have been aggressively slashing their training camp rosters as they start to get down to the group that will suit up on opening night. As always, we’ll keep track of the cuts right here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Nikolas Brouillard (to San Diego, AHL)
F Hunter Drew (to San Diego, AHL)
F Brent Gates (to San Diego, AHL)
F Max Golod (to San Diego, AHL)
D Josh Healey (to San Diego, AHL)
G Daniel Mannella (to San Diego, AHL)
F Blake McLaughlin (to San Diego, AHL)
F Logan Nijhoff (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jacob Perreault (to San Diego, AHL)
D Luka Profaca (to San Diego, AHL)
F Brayden Tracey (to San Diego, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
G Brad Arvanitis (to Calgary, AHL)
D Josh Brook (to Calgary, AHL)
F Calder Brooks (to Calgary, AHL)
G Daniil Chechelev (to Calgary, AHL)
F Lucas Feuk (to Calgary, AHL)
F Alex Gallant (to Calgary, AHL)
F Rory Kerins (to Calgary, AHL)
D Simon Lavigne (to Calgary, AHL)
F Matt Marcinew (to Calgary, AHL)
F Ilya Nikolaev (to Calgary, AHL)
D Rhett Rhinehart (to Calgary, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Justin Robidas (to Val-d’Or, QMJHL)
G Patrik Hamrla (to Rimouski, QMJHL)
F Joseph LaBate (to Chicago, AHL)
F Blake Murray (to Chicago, AHL)
F Alexander Pashin (to Chicago, AHL)
D David Farrance (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Morgan Adams-Moisan (released from PTO)
F Evan Barratt (to Rockford, AHL)
F D.J. Busdeker (released from PTO)
D Louis Crevier (to Rockford, AHL)
F Carson Gicewicz (released from PTO)
F Bobby Lynch (released from PTO)
F Seamus Malone (released from PTO)
F Riley McKay (released from PTO)
F Garrett Mitchell (released from PTO)
D Andrew Perrott (released from ATO)
F Jakub Pour (to Rockford, AHL)
D Cliff Watson (released from PTO)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
F Jordan Dumais (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F James Malatesta (to Quebec, QMJHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
F Matej Blumel (to Texas, AHL)
F Antonio Stranges (to Texas, AHL)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Texas, AHL)
G Adam Scheel (to Texas, AHL)
F Jordan Kawaguchi (released from ATO)
F Curtis McKenzie (released from ATO)
G Matt Murray (released from ATO)
Florida Panthers (via team release)
F Henry Bowlby (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Calle Sjalin (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Nathan Staios (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Zach Uens (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to Charlotte, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (via team release)
F Vladislav Firstov (to Iowa, AHL)
F Damien Giroux (to Iowa, AHL)
F Sam Hentges (to Iowa, AHL)
F Michael Milne (to Iowa, AHL)
G Hunter Jones (to Iowa, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release)
F Peter Abbandonato (to Laval, AHL)
F Anthony Beauregard (to Laval, AHL)
F Gabriel Bourque (to Laval, AHL)
D Santino Centorame (to Laval, AHL)
F Lucas Condotta (to Laval, AHL)
D Tory Dello (to Laval, AHL)
G Philippe Desrosiers (to Laval, AHL)
F Pierrick Dube (to Laval, AHL)
D Gianni Fairbrother (to Laval, AHL)
F Ryan Francis (to Laval, AHL)
D Olivier Galipeau (to Laval, AHL)
D Alex Green (to Laval, AHL)
F Cameron Hillis (to Laval, AHL)
F Danick Martel (to Laval, AHL)
F Jan Mysak (to Laval, AHL)
D/F John Parker-Jones (to Laval, AHL)
F Emile Poirier (to Laval, AHL)
F Brennan Saulnier (to Laval, AHL)
F Brett Stapley (to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Laval, AHL)
D Miguel Tourigny (to Laval, AHL)
D William Trudeau (to Laval, AHL)
G Joe Vrbetic (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Egor Afanasayev (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tommy Apap (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Todd Burgess (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Luke Evangelista (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Cameron Hausinger (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Jachym Kondelik (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F John Leonard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Navrin Mutter (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tommy Novak (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Markus Nurmi (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Juuso Parssinen (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tim Schaller (to Milwaukee AHL)
F Cole Schneider (to Milwaukee AHL)
D Xavier Bouchard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Kevin Gravel (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Luke Prokop (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Spencer Stastney (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Keaton Thompson (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Adam Wilsby (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Yaroslav Askarov (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Devin Cooley (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Tomas Vomacka (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Brennan Othmann (to Flint, OHL)
F Adam Edstrom (to Rogle BK, SHL)
F Turner Elson (to Hartford, AHL)
F Karl Henriksson (to Hartford, AHL)
F Patrick Khodorenko (to Hartford, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Hartford, AHL)
D Brandon Scanlin (to Hartford, AHL)
G Olof Lindbom (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
F Jordy Bellerive (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Jacob Gaucher (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Charlie Gerard (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Alex Kile (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tye McSorley (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Cal O’Reilly (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Garrett Wilson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Zayde Wisdom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Colin Felix (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Linus Hogberg (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Will MacKinnon (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mason Millman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Cooper Zech (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Jonathan Lemieux (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Nolan Maier (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Tyler Wall (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
D Linus Sandin (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Jordan Frasca (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Ty Glover (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Houde (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Brooklyn Kalmikov (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Jon Lizotte (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Josh Maniscalco (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Chris Ortiz (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Lukas Svejkovsky (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
F David Cotton (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
G Callum Booth (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Tristan Mullin (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Eddie Wittchow (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Ludwig Persson (to BIK Karlskoga, Sweden)
F Sam Anas (to Hershey, AHL)
F Ethen Frank (to Hershey, AHL)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
F Bear Hughes (to Hershey, AHL)
F Kale Kessy (to Hershey, AHL)
F Peter Laviolette (to Hershey, AHL)
F Mason Morelli (to Hershey, AHL)
F Julian Napravnik (to Hershey, AHL)
F Matthew Strome (to Hershey, AHL)
F Henrik Rybinski (to Hershey, AHL)
D Logan Day (to Hershey, AHL)
D Martin Has (to Hershey, AHL)
D Benton Maass (to Hershey, AHL)
D Jake Massie (to Hershey, AHL)
D Aaron Ness (to Hershey, AHL)
G Garin Bjorklund (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)*
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)*
F Mike Vecchione (to Hershey, AHL)*
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)*
D Alexander Alexeyev (to Hershey, AHL)**
*requires waivers
**conditioning loan
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: O’Connor, Carrick, Lightning Preseason Games
Undrafted Pittsburgh Penguins winger Drew O’Connor has done just about everything that could be expected of him at the AHL level, as the 24-year-old has 51 points in 53 career AHL games. O’Connor was also a college hockey star, scoring 59 points in 65 career NCAA games at Dartmouth. What’s eluded him so far in his young career, though, is consistent NHL game action, and consistent minutes with the Penguins may remain elusive early this season thanks to the pressures of the salary cap.
As Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, O’Connor might find himself sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre Scranton to start the season not because he did not play well enough to earn a roster spot, but instead because of his $750K cap hit and due to the fact that he is exempt from waivers. The Penguins are currently tight up against the salary cap, and in order to remain cap compliant, the team may need to carry less than the maximum 23 players allowed on their active roster. As a result, that could leave O’Connor on the outside looking in even if he plays well enough to earn a depth role, because the team may prefer to send him down rather than place another player such as Ryan Poehling or Josh Archibald on waivers.
Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Boston Bruins signed defenseman Connor Carrick to provide a different look to the competition for a depth spot on their blueline as well as to shore up their defense in AHL Providence. Today, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters (including Conor Ryan of Boston Sports Journal) that Carrick suffered an upper-body injury and will be out with a day-to-day designation. While this injury is unlikely to have a long-lasting impact on Carrick’s season, it could hurt him in his effort to beat Jakub Zboril and Mike Reilly out for a depth role on the Bruins’ opening-night roster.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning postponed two of their preseason games due to Hurricane Ian, which has caused significant damage to the state of Florida. Today, the team announced that those two preseason games will not be made up, and are now to be considered canceled. While this is unlikely to have any major impact on the team’s roster-building decisions, it does mean that players on the bubble of the team’s opening night roster or battling for their desired roles will have possibly two fewer chances to show what they can do in a preseason setting.
Injury Updates: Copp, Dellandrea, Talbot, Murphy
Red Wings center Andrew Copp re-aggravated a core muscle injury back in August that was nagging him last season, resulting in surgery at that time. The expected timeline for recovery put his availability for the start of the season in question but the veteran told reporters including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that he feels that he’s ahead of schedule enough to the point where he could be available on October 14th when they take on Montreal. Copp signed a five-year, $28.125MM contract this summer to serve as Detroit’s second-line center following a career year that saw him put up 21 goals and 32 assists in 72 games.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Stars forward Ty Dellandrea will be out two-to-three weeks after breaking a bone in his finger during yesterday’s game against Minnesota, relays Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. The 13th pick in 2018 spent most of last season with AHL Texas where he did quite well, notching 23 goals and 27 assists in 68 games but this timeline will end his preseason early which doesn’t bode well for his chances of cracking the opening roster. Dellandrea is still waiver-exempt this season.
- Senators goaltender Cam Talbot was originally expected to play the full 60 minutes against Montreal on Saturday but that won’t be the case now as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that the netminder is listed as day-to-day. He took a shot that wound up underneath his equipment at practice on Thursday and the team will give him a few days to recover.
- The Blackhawks will hold defenseman Connor Murphy out of their two games this weekend due to his continuing back soreness, notes Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, there doesn’t appear to be much concern that the veteran will be out for long. Murphy logged nearly 22 minutes per game for Chicago last season and should be leaned on for heavy minutes once again in 2022-23.
Kings Forward Jacob Doty Receives Two-Game Suspension
The Department of Player Safety has handed down another suspension, announcing (video link) that Kings forward Jacob Doty has received a two-game suspension for interference on Sharks winger Jeffrey Viel.
The incident occurred midway through the second period in Wednesday’s preseason contest. Doty was assessed a five-minute major penalty along with a game misconduct on the play. Viel, meanwhile, was able to remain in the game.
The league’s ruling states that the suspension is to “be served in the next two consecutive games in which he is eligible to participate for his Club”. In this case, it’s likely the next two preseason games that the 29-year-old won’t be suiting up for. Doty has spent the last three seasons in the Kings’ farm system, primarily playing with AHL Ontario; he had three points and 89 penalty minutes in 41 games with the Reign in 2021-22.
Panthers Sign Kai Schwindt
Kai Schwindt‘s tryout with the Panthers was a successful one as prior to returning him to Mississauga of the OHL, the team announced that they signed the undrafted forward to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. GM Bill Zito released the following statement on the signing:
Kai is a competitive, high-effort individual who is able to use his size and skill effectively. We’re excited to welcome him and watch his continued development within our Panthers organization.
The 18-year-old made his OHL debut last season with the Steelheads after not playing due to the pandemic back in 2020-21. His production and role were somewhat limited as he only managed a dozen goals and five assists in 68 games plus two helpers in nine playoff contests. That resulted in Schwindt going undrafted but he has clearly made an impression through rookie camp and his preseason appearance against Nashville where he scored a goal. They believe that there is more to come and he should be in line for a more prominent role in junior this season.
As Schwindt is heading back to the OHL, he won’t be seeing any NHL action this season. That means that his contract for 2022-23 will slide a year and begin in 2023-24.
Sharks Sign Scott Harrington
Scott Harrington‘s tryout with San Jose was a successful one as the team announced that they’ve signed the 29-year-old to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed while he is the first player to get upgraded to a full contract from a PTO agreement. GM Mike Grier released the following statement:
Scott came into camp on a tryout, performed well, and earned his contract. He’s a high character person and we are excited to have him join the Sharks.
Harrington spent most of last season with AHL Cleveland, an affiliate of the Blue Jackets, where he got into 50 games, recording three goals and four assists. On the surface, nothing particularly special. However, it’s worth noting that it was his first taste of action in the minors since a pair of appearances in 2016-17. Between that time, Harrington had been a regular depth defender in Columbus.
For his career, Harrington has 210 NHL games under his belt between Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Columbus with only seven of those appearances coming last season. He has 38 points in those outings while averaging 13:37 per night in ice time. Harrington will still have to battle for a roster spot but there is definitely an opening with the long-term injury to Nikolai Knyzhov. Harrington could slot in as their seventh defender, a role he’s quite comfortable holding if nothing else. If the Sharks want to send him to their AHL affiliate to start the season, however, they will need to send Harrington through waivers over the coming weeks.