Central Notes: Khudobin, Reichel, Knak
Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin has been given a clean bill of health, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. He underwent hip surgery in the spring and Dallas was very careful with how they used him in the preseason. With a trade market unlikely to materialize, it’s likely that the veteran will be on waivers in the coming days, allowing them to free up $1.125MM of his $3.33MM cap hit. Notably, the return to health takes away any chance of them placing Khudobin on LTIR to start the season which might have aided in terms of freeing up cap flexibility to re-sign Jason Robertson.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Chicago’s decision to cut top prospect Lukas Reichel raised some eyebrows as the 20-year-old showed plenty of offensive skill in training camp. However, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, that they felt that his defensive game needed considerable improvement and it’s much easier for that development to happen in the minors than in the NHL. Richardson hinted that Reichel would have been battling for a spot on the fourth line had the youngster stayed on the roster and he’ll get considerably more ice time with the IceHogs than being in that role with the Blackhawks.
- The Predators will be waiting a while to sign prospect Simon Knak as HC Davos of the Swiss NLA announced that they’ve signed the winger to a three-year extension that runs through the 2025-26 season. Nashville selected the 20-year-old in the sixth round in 2021 (179th overall) on the heels of a season split between Davos and Portland of the WHL. Knak is off to a solid start this season with four points in his first seven games but he’ll be staying in Switzerland for the foreseeable future.
John Tavares “Not Ruled Out” For Season Opener
Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares isn’t ruled out of next Wednesday’s season opener, said head coach Sheldon Keefe today, but as NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger notes, the chances of him playing are waning.
Tavares suffered an oblique injury in his preseason debut on September 24. At the time, Tavares was slated to miss three weeks – likely missing the team’s first three games and returning on October 17 against the Arizona Coyotes.
But Tavares began skating again two days ago on Monday, a welcome sign for the team and its fans. Today, Keefe commented on his status:
It’s all going to be (based) on his recovery. I think it was a really positive day for him today, but the way that it would track out in terms of the plan that was set was that he wouldn’t be available. What his body is telling him is going to dictate that.
In the meantime, the Maple Leafs could make some interesting decisions. William Nylander took line rushes at center today during practice, centering a prospective second line between preseason stars Nicholas Robertson and Denis Malgin. It would be the first time Nylander had meaningfully played center at any point since the 2019-20 season.
Regardless, the Leafs are hoping their team’s leader can get back in the room and on the ice in game action as soon as it’s feasible.
Preseason Notes: Carcone, Oilers Injuries, Canadiens Injuries
The NHL Department of Player Safety is getting their preseason’s worth of action in, too. They announced today that Arizona Coyotes forward Michael Carcone was fined the maximum allowable under the CBA ($2,027.03) for roughing Vegas Golden Knights forward Gage Quinney during last night’s game.
Quinney did not return to last night’s game after taking a high hit from Carcone. He immediately left the ice after the hit and went to the team’s dressing room near the end of the second period. Carcone received a penalty on the play. A 26-year-old minor-league veteran, Carcone played his first 21 NHL games last year with the Coyotes, registering six points.
- There’s some good news and bad news on the injury front for the Edmonton Oilers. TSN’s Jason Gregor reports that winger Kailer Yamamoto is banged up, but that his injury is nothing serious and he could be ready for the team’s final preseason game on Friday. However, winger Tyler Benson isn’t so lucky, as Gregor reports he’ll be out “longer” and the team will know more in the coming days. Benson was a candidate to find a spot in the team’s bottom-six out of camp.
- The Montreal Canadiens provided a medical update today, saying captain Nick Suzuki is remaining in Montreal for treatment along with forwards Joel Armia and Emil Heineman. All three have upper-body injuries and, Suzuki is listed as day-to-day. The Canadiens say the trio will be reevaluated on Monday, two days ahead of the season opener.
St. Louis Blues Recall Five Players
Don’t panic, Blues fans, the team didn’t suffer a sweeping wave of injuries. The St. Louis Blues have recalled five players that were previously cut from training camp to fill out the roster for tomorrow’s preseason game. The match is in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, and Will Bitten, Hugh McGing, Mathias Laferriere, Brady Lyle, and Steven Santini have been recalled ahead of it.
St. Louis has just two games left on their exhibition schedule, with Saturday’s home game against the Chicago Blackhawks wrapping up the preseason. Then things kick off, coincidentally, against those same Blue Jackets next weekend, another reason why they might not want to show them the full NHL lineup tomorrow night.
It’s another chance for some of the minor league talent to show what they can do, though none of these five are likely to see extended time with the NHL club this season. Santini is the only one with any experience at the highest level, having played 119 NHL games, but after spending the entire 2021-22 campaign with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he shouldn’t expect much time with the Blues.
There will likely be several moves like this by teams around the league in the coming days, as they try to avoid any injuries to starters before the season begins. A week from now, though, things will be full speed ahead on the 2022-23 season.
Snapshots: Novak, Robertson, DeBrincat
There’s no better news than the kind Minnesota Wild prospect Pavel Novak shared today, announcing that he is now cancer-free. The 20-year-old forward was diagnosed in June and after undergoing treatment, released the following on his Instagram page today:
After a few months of troubles, I’m happy to share with you that I beat the cancer. There is no better feeling than to be healthy again. I would like to say thank you to all the doctors who helped me get over this. You’re my heroes. The biggest thank you to my parents and sister who always supported me and went through treatment with me. It wouldn’t work without you. Also thank you to everyone who was praying for me!
I’m really excited about what the future brings.
Novak, 20, was the 146th pick of the 2020 draft and dominated with the Kelowna Rockets last season, scoring 29 goals and 72 points in 62 games. It is not clear yet when he will return to competitive hockey but the news is certainly encouraging.
- While Kevin Weekes of ESPN tweeted this morning to keep an eye on the Dallas Stars, Darren Dreger of TSN suggests that a “major shift” might be needed in order to have Jason Robertson signed in time for the start of the regular season. There is still more than a week before Dallas kicks things off against the Nashville Predators on October 13 but there is no indication at this point that a deal is imminent. Robertson remains unsigned and will have to ink a contract by December 1 to play at all this season.
- That wasn’t the only contract situation that Weekes tweeted about. The NHL insider also suggested that the Ottawa Senators are “actively working” to try and reach an extension with Alex DeBrincat, after acquiring him this summer. The situation is “fluid” according to Weekes, which suggests nothing is imminent on that front either. It does make sense that the Senators would be trying to sign the two-time 40-goal man but it will take a big number to lock up DeBrincat. The 24-year-old is owed a $9MM qualifying offer for next season, his last before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2024.
Carolina Hurricanes Part Ways With Grigori Dronov
October 5: The rollercoaster summer for Dronov continues, as this time the Hurricanes have announced the young defenseman will not be joining the organization after all. Both sides have “agreed to mutually part ways,” suggesting his contract was not (and will not be) filed.
October 3: Another player has converted his PTO into an NHL contract today. The Carolina Hurricanes announced via a team release that the team has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal with defenseman Grigori Dronov. He has subsequently been assigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
According to the team, Dronov’s two-way deal carries a $770,000 cap hit and pays him $70,000 at the AHL level.
Team president and general manager Don Waddell spoke on the deal:
Grigori possesses a nice blend of skill and physicality, which stood out to us in camp. He is a young but experienced player coming off an impressive postseason in the KHL, and we’re excited to see how he performs in North America.
That impressive postseason is what earned Dronov a professional tryout in the first place, as injuries limited him to just one assist in six KHL games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk last season. He did come alive in the postseason, though, scoring five goals, nine assists, and 14 points in 24 games for Magnitogorsk.
Dronov, 24, was never drafted. He originally came to North America this offseason on a PTO with the Arizona Coyotes, which ended even prior to rookie camp. There, he joined the Hurricanes and had an impressive performance.
Dronov is expected to report to Chicago and serve a top-four role there to begin the season.
Waivers: 10/05/22
Another large group of players finds themselves on waivers today, hoping to get picked up by an NHL roster. The AHL awaits most that clear, though placement on the wire doesn’t necessarily indicate assignment to the minor leagues. Some players will clear just to give their team a little more roster flexibility over the next few weeks. Everyone from yesterday has cleared, and waivers today include:
Carolina Hurricanes
Ryan Dzingel
Maxime Lajoie
Lane Pederson
Stelio Mattheos
Mackenzie MacEachern
Minnesota Wild
New York Islanders
Dennis Cholowski
Cory Schneider
Parker Wotherspoon
Hudson Fasching
Arnaud Durandeau
Cole Bardreau
Andy Andreoff
Philadelphia Flyers
Adam Brooks
Max Willman
Louis Belpedio
This page will be updated as more reports come in
Victor Rask Released From PTO
The Columbus Blue Jackets released James Neal from his professional tryout a few days ago, and now Victor Rask has joined him on the free agent market. The veteran forward’s PTO has come to an end without an NHL contract, meaning he’ll have to find another place to play this season.
Rask, 29, played in 47 games last season, splitting time between the Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken. It was the end of a six-year, $24MM contract that he signed in 2016 with the Carolina Hurricanes, one that turned into one of the worst deals in the league as Rask went from solid middle-six center to barely even a fourth-line contributor.
Now, released from a PTO, there should be legitimate questions over whether his NHL career will continue at all. Selected in the second round back in 2011, Rask has more than 500 games of NHL experience and could potentially find a landing spot as injuries start to pile up around the league, but a departure for Europe seems more likely. The Swedish forward hasn’t played there in a decade, but at this point, it might be the SHL or the AHL, unless a new team emerges for his services in the next few days.
If it is the end of his days in the NHL, he still scored 223 points at the highest level, including a career-high 21 goals and 48 points in 2015-16.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/05/22
Regular season NHL hockey is now just two days away, with the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators doing battle in Czechia on Friday. The North American schedule starts just a few days after that, meaning teams will have to cut down their rosters as the preseason wraps up. As always, we’ll keep track of those cuts right here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
G Lukas Dostal (to San Diego, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Noel Gunler (to Chicago, AHL)
F Vasily Ponomarev (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jamieson Rees (to Chicago, AHL)
F Malte Stromwall (to Chicago, AHL)
F Tuukka Tieksola (to Chicago, AHL)
D Anttoni Honka (to Chicago, AHL)
D Griffin Mendel (to Chicago, AHL)
G Pyotr Kochetkov (to Chicago, AHL)
G Zachary Sawchenko (to Chicago, AHL)
D Grigori Dronov (released from PTO)
F Ryan Dzingel (to Chicago, AHL)*
F Lane Pederson (to Chicago, AHL)*
F Stelio Mattheos (to Chicago, AHL)*
F Mackenzie MacEachern (to Chicago, AHL)*
D Maxime Lajoie (to Chicago, AHL)*
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Rockford, AHL)
F Luke Philp (to Rockford, AHL)
D Nicolas Beaudin (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
F Kirill Marchenko (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Victor Rask (released from PTO)
Minnesota Wild (via team release)
D Carson Lambos (to Winnipeg, WHL)
F Adam Beckman (to Iowa, AHL)
F Mitchell Chaffee (to Iowa, AHL)
F Nick Swaney (to Iowa, AHL)
D Ryan O’Rourke (to Iowa, AHL)
F Brandon Baddock (to Iowa, AHL)*
G Zane McIntyre (to Iowa, AHL)*
New York Islanders (via team release)
D Isaiah George (to London, OHL)
F William Dufour (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Simon Holmstrom (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Ruslan Iskhakov (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Aatu Raty (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Jakub Skarek (to Bridgeport, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
G Mads Sogaard (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
F J.R. Avon (to Peterborough, OHL)
F Tyson Foerster (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Olle Lycksell (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Ginning (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Karashik (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Cameron York (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Pat Nagle (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
F Max Willman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
D Louis Belpedio (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)*
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
D Taylor Fedun (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
*Pending waivers
This page will be updated throughout the day
Montreal Canadiens Sign Logan Mailloux
The Montreal Canadiens have signed prospect Logan Mailloux to a three-year, entry-level contract, inking the 2021 first-round pick a few days ahead of the start of the NHL season.
Mailloux, 19, asked not to be drafted at all a year ago, after being charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent while playing in Sweden. At the time, he wrote that it was “best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL draft and ask that no one select me.” The Canadiens did not feel the same, and selected the young defenseman with the 32nd overall pick. The OHL then suspended Mailloux for several months, reinstating him in the New Year. He played 12 games for the London Knights, registering nine points.
In today’s press release, new general manager Kent Hughes, who was not part of the staff that selected Mailloux, released a statement:
This is a decision that we have thought through carefully. Having Logan around members of our team and hockey operations staff for a good part of the summer allowed us to gain a greater appreciation of Logan Mailloux the person. He has an opportunity to affect positive change and we will work to support him in any effort towards that goal. Logan recognizes the impact of his gesture and of course, the process continues.
When the OHL decided to reinstate him, the league explained that Mailloux had gone through a “personal development plan” that included therapy, counseling, and certification in programs like Respect in Sport, Mental Health in Sport, and Cultural Awareness. The Canadiens, apparently comfortable with his progress, have now brought him into the organization on a full-time basis under this contract. He will likely be re-assigned to the Knights to start the year, and his contract will slide forward.
For the rest of his career, Mailloux will likely be a hot-button player in hockey circles. The hope at this point must be that he has learned from his actions and can move forward to “affect positive change” as Hughes puts it. His contract will pay $750K in the first year and $832.5K in the following two, along with a $92K signing bonus in each.