Rasmus Sandin, Mitch Marner Placed On Injured Reserve
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a new look lineup tonight, as several roster moves were made this morning to deal with notable injuries. Rasmus Sandin and Mitch Marner were both placed on injured reserve, while Joey Anderson was sent back to the minor leagues. Alex Biega, Kristians Rubins and Alex Steeves have been recalled. At today’s morning skate, Travis Dermott was also absent, while Petr Mrazek was back with the NHL group after his short AHL conditioning stint.
Sandin faces a few weeks on the shelf thanks to a Neal Pionk hit that earned a two-game suspension yesterday. Chris Johnston explained on TSN radio yesterday that the young Maple Leafs defenseman is expected to miss two to three weeks, but it looks more like three to four now according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet. That’s probably a good outcome given how serious the injury appeared, but it will still throw off the strong season Sandin was having as a full-time player.
Marner meanwhile could be out a week or two, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The star forward collided with a teammate in practice a few days ago and has missed the last two games, both losses for the Maple Leafs. The team seemed a bit out of sorts without their top playmaker, who also logs big minutes on the powerplay and penalty kill. Marner had 21 points in 24 games before the injury. Both he and Sandin will need to miss at least seven days from when they last played.
Remember, the Maple Leafs are also going to be down Jason Spezza after his in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety is concluded this afternoon. Spezza retaliated for the Pionk hit by targeting the Winnipeg Jets defenseman with an ugly check of his own, and faces the possibility of a much longer suspension.
It appears as though both Rubins and Steeves will be making their NHL debuts this evening,
PHR Mailbag: Flyers, Kane, Trade Deadline, Jets, TV Coverage
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the tough starts for the Flyers and Jets, Evander Kane’s situation, trade candidates closer to the deadline, and the television deal in the United States. If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.
BlackAce57: It seems like the most consistent part of the Flyers the last three to five years has been their inconsistency. With the injuries to older big salary players and the young guns still not stepping up to what was expected, will this just be another season of mediocrity?
DarkSide830: What should the Flyers do? Is sacking AV and seeing if the new coach can spark the team a good start?
Being consistently inconsistent is certainly a hallmark of Philadelphia’s hockey teams in recent years and enough coaches, players, and general managers to make it a baffling trait. There has been enough turnover on all fronts that it shouldn’t keep happening. Making more big changes as they’ve now done certainly isn’t going to guarantee that this stops being the case.
Injuries haven’t helped their cause this season and yes, the minimal progression of some of their younger players like Joel Farabee, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim has compounded that problem. That said, I’m not willing to write off their playoff chances just yet; one of their hot streaks would get them right back in the race. They’re not good enough to contend and not bad enough to bottom out and if you’re worried about them being in that mediocre zone, that’s probably where they’re going to land.
As for Vigneault, my original answer that was going to run Sunday night before Vancouver’s shakeup occurred was that I thought GM Chuck Fletcher would wait it out until the end of the season and re-assess from there. Clearly, that isn’t the route they took given today’s news. I’m not sure that promoting Mike Yeo is going to spark them but he does have some experience in the top role and he’s certainly a reasonable one to turn to.
In his recent press conference, Fletcher preached patience for his roster and I take him at his word. They haven’t had a healthy squad for most of the season so it’s harder to evaluate the ceiling for this team and now the coaching change will make that a bit more challenging. I think they’re a bubble team and as long as they hang around the playoff mix, I don’t think they’ll do much.
As for what they should do, I’d let the season play out and if they fall out of the race a bit more, try to get something for some of their expiring contracts. By then, hopefully they’ll have had some more games at full strength to get a sense of what they can do at full strength. They have a window where they can make some notable changes again next summer with Claude Giroux and several defenders heading for free agency. That’s a good spot to decide on pivoting towards a reset or whether some more core tinkering (and perhaps another coaching change if it’s decided Yeo isn’t the long-term option) will be enough to get them battling for top spot in the Metropolitan. I’d lean towards the reset; we’ll see eventually if they see it the same way.
trak2k: Why doesn’t the NHL require mouth guards for forwards and defensemen?
Also is there any way for the Sharks to get rid of Evander Kane without owing him his full salary?
On the first one, most already do but there are always some holdouts, just like with helmets back in the day. It’s sort of a CBA issue as there is a joint committee between the league and NHLPA to determine what is and isn’t needed. Obviously, enough players are against it enough to the point where the NHLPA isn’t going to want it mandatory and it’s not vital enough of an issue for the league to try to push something through like they did with visors. If players want to run the risk of losing some more teeth, it’s their call to make.
As for Kane, there are a couple of ways to move him without paying his full salary, at least in theory. The first is a trade with retention which is allowable up to 50% of the contract, or $3.5MM of Kane’s AAV; the same percentage is taken off his salary each year. At this point, San Jose has indicated a willingness to go that route even though there are three years left after this one; they’d be paying a lot of money for him to not play there. But with the behind the scenes stuff, will there be a taker at $3.5MM? That’s hardly a guarantee which is why some have wondered if a third team will need to get involved, retain more of the contract (while receiving some sort of compensation for that), and then move him on. Kane will need to play well with the Barracuda for a while before any type of trade could take place.
Another option – and perhaps the likelier one at this point – is a buyout in the summer. San Jose can pay two-thirds of his remaining salary (plus all of the signing bonus money) spread out over six years for him to leave. Doing so would cost them $10MM in actual money and drop his AAV from $7MM to $3.667MM in 2022-23, $2.667MM in 2023-24, $4.667MM in 2024-25, and $1.667MM for three years after that. The Sharks don’t have the ability to void Kane’s contract for his fake vaccine card – Forbes’ Eric Macramalla explained the reasoning for that back in October – and while he could, in theory, agree to a contract termination, it’s quite unlikely he’d do so given his bankruptcy situation.
Y2KAK: Who would you see as some of the biggest players traded at the trade deadline?
Barring a bunch of extensions, I think it could be a fun trade deadline for rentals. On the wing, Phil Kessel seems like a lock to move. With his low salary and high cap hit, it’s one that Arizona may prefer to keep until closer to March 21. I’m not sure Nashville is willing to lock up Filip Forsberg on a contract similar to the one that Gabriel Landeskog got to stay with the Avalanche and losing him for nothing but cap space wouldn’t be a good return at all so I think he goes.
Can San Jose afford to keep Tomas Hertl? Getting any sort of cap relief (however minimal) for Kane would help but the prospect of letting him walk without a trade return would hurt. The Sharks don’t have a deep farm system and he’s the one piece that could help to replenish it. It’d be hard to part with him if they’re still in the playoff picture but it may be the better play long term.
I’m really curious to see what happens in Anaheim. Defensemen Josh Manson and Hampus Lindholm plus winger Rickard Rakell are all probably in extend or trade situations. Can interim GM Jeff Solomon work out new contracts for any of those three? If not, while a shot at a playoff round would be nice from a financial standpoint, the smarter play would still be to sell.
Are all of these players going to move? Probably not. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these names are traded over the next few months.
FearTheWilson: What’s with the Jets? Year after year they ice a highly talented team yet other than a trip to the WCF they haven’t had much success. Is it finally time to part ways with Paul Maurice?
For the talent Winnipeg has, it has been a flawed roster over the years. Their defense last year had to be in the mix for the bottom five in the league after they lost so much so fast with not enough brought in to replace them and it’s hard to have a lot of playoff success with a bad back end. Center depth – even when Bryan Little was healthy – always seemed to be an issue. Their cap management hasn’t been the greatest either which has resulted in a few too many league minimum players on their roster lately.
In terms of this season, I think they’re going to be just fine. Mark Scheifele will find another gear. Blake Wheeler isn’t going to be held without a goal forever; he’ll get going again. Connor Hellebuyck is still one of the top goalies in the league and their defense is a lot better this season.
How far they go will determine Maurice’s fate as I think he’s getting really close to a make-or-break situation. Either they get through that ceiling and have a better playoff showing or it’ll be time to ask if he’s taken them as far as he can. How they perform in May (and maybe June) will answer whether or not it’s time for a change.
CPL: Seems there is less NHL on TV under the new contract. TNT games are at 10 pm EST and most ESPN games are on ESPN+/Hulu. Will that continue all year?
There certainly haven’t been many national telecasts early on but that’s not surprising. TNT doesn’t have the ‘A’ package so they don’t have a lot of games and ESPN is trying to get people to subscribe to ESPN+ in the early going. That will change a bit as the season progresses as in the second half when there will be a national game on ESPN most weeks as well as ABC picking up some Saturday games as well. ESPN’s full schedule can be found here.
As for TNT, their schedule is back-loaded as well. Of their 50-game slate (which can be seen here), 40 still remain and there are a lot of double-headers in the second half of the season. Yes, there are a lot of late games in there still but there will be more earlier games for them as well for you to look forward to.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Canucks, Coyotes Injuries, Ducks
Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and interim GM Stan Smyl held a press conference today following the sweeping changes that were made late Sunday. Aquilini told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there is no timeline to try to find a replacement and that they will conduct “a thorough and exhaustive search” to find the right candidate. It’s a similar line to what Chicago and Anaheim have used following their vacancies being created and it would suggest that Vancouver may wait until the offseason when they’re able to speak to candidates currently employed with other teams.
Meanwhile, earlier today, Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reported (Twitter link) that former Montreal GM Marc Bergevin is someone the Canucks are very interested in. When asked about that, Aquilini acknowledged (via Drance) that he hasn’t approached Bergevin about whether or not he’d be interested in the position.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Coyotes should be getting some help on the injury front soon. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (Twitter link) that centers Nick Schmaltz (upper body) and Jay Beagle (lower body) could return from their respective injuries this weekend while center Johan Larsson (lower body) is a couple of weeks away after being re-injured on Friday. Meanwhile, goaltender Carter Hutton has cleared COVID protocol but isn’t yet fully recovered from his ankle injury; with Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood providing decent goaltending in his absence, they’re in a spot where they can afford to be cautious in bringing him back.
- Ducks centers Adam Henrique and Ryan Getzlaf could rejoin the team at some point on their five-game road trip, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. The veterans are having strong bounce-back seasons; Henrique is only five points shy of his total from 2020-21 while Getzlaf has already surpassed his total from last season and sits second in team scoring. Both are dealing with lower-body injuries.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets
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 heading for the 2021-22 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.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Current Cap Hit: $70,831,138 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Emil Bemstrom (one year, $925K)
D Adam Boqvist (one year, $894K)
F Yegor Chinakhov (two years, $925K)
F Cole Sillinger (three years, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Bemstrom: $850K
Boqvist: $850K
Chinakhov: $500K
Sillinger: $425K
Total: $2.625MM
Sillinger took advantage of the Blue Jackets being thin down the middle to push himself into a regular roster spot and he is the only player from this draft class to make it past the nine-game threshold to start his rookie deal. His offensive numbers are certainly decent but it’s what he does in the last half of the contract that will determine if he gets a short-term second deal or a long-term pact as a franchise fixture. His two ‘A’ bonuses for this season could very well be hit, giving him a nice jump in pay. Columbus somewhat surprisingly agreed to burn the first year of Chinakhov’s deal last season without him playing a single game. That, coupled with a quiet start to his rookie campaign, puts the 2020 first-round pick on a path for a bridge contract. Bemstrom was a capable secondary offensive player in his rookie season and was a bit below that pace last season but has yet to play this season due to an oblique strain. Players like that rarely get long-term pacts but he should be able to land a small raise and be closer to the $1.5MM mark in 2022-23.
Boqvist was one of the key pieces of the trade return for Seth Jones but things haven’t gone as planned with his new team. He underwhelmed early on, got hurt, wound up being a healthy scratch for a little bit, and has been up and down since returning. While Columbus surely still views the 21-year-old as a long-term fixture, it’d be next to impossible to find a price point that both sides are content with on a contract that buys out UFA years. A bridge deal – potentially even a one-year contract to try to restore some value – makes the most sense for Boqvist while giving both sides more time to determine whether or not he can reach his offensive ceiling.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
D Gabriel Carlsson ($725K, RFA)
F Justin Danforth ($750K, UFA)
F Max Domi ($5.3MM, UFA)
D Scott Harrington ($1.633MM, UFA)
F Gregory Hofmann ($900K, UFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($2.8MM, UFA)
D Dean Kukan ($1.65MM, UFA)
F Patrik Laine ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Jack Roslovic ($1.838MM, RFA)
After a tough season split between Winnipeg and Columbus, Laine accepted his qualifying offer which didn’t come as much of a surprise. Doing so takes him to one year away from UFA eligibility so the time to work out a long-term contract is soon approaching. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll be in trade speculation before too long. As for how much a deal like that should cost, it’s likely in the high-$8MM/low-$9MM range and whether or not it’s worth paying remains in question. Domi has a lot riding on this season after failing to produce in his first season with the Blue Jackets. At this point, he’s likely heading for a pay cut and the question will be, does he take a one-year pillow deal to try to restore some value or opt for a bit less and get some stability after bouncing around the last few years (and probably again by the trade deadline)?
Roslovic ended his holdout after being part of the Laine trade and did quite well, outproducing the others in the swap last season. That hasn’t carried over to this season where he has been more of a secondary player. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Jarmo Kekalainen try to buy out some UFA time with his next contract, they shouldn’t be willing to go much beyond the $3MM mark to achieve that. Hofmann and Danforth were brought over after strong seasons overseas. Hofmann has been okay while Danforth has had a very limited role. Neither have really earned big raises which could have them heading back overseas or re-signing for a similar price tag.
Kukan needed to show that he was capable of holding down a full-time spot in the lineup to have a shot at getting a small raise or even a similar contract next summer. Injuries have limited him to just two games which is going to make it hard for him to get that raise. Something closer to $1MM seems more likely for him. The exact same thing could be said for Harrington who, despite the three-year commitment from Columbus, hasn’t been able to establish himself as more than a seventh defender. The price tag for that is about half of what he’s making now. Carlsson has cleared waivers a couple of times but is still just 24. A small bump is all he’d need to stick around for another year.
Get used to seeing Korpisalo’s name in trade speculation over the next few months. He is no longer the starter of the future for the Blue Jackets and with them rebuilding, it’s unlikely they’d want to pay the price to extend him. His recent performance has hurt his value but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eclipse $3MM on his next deal and he, too, might benefit from a one-year pillow contract elsewhere to try to improve his long-term value.
Two Years Remaining
D Gavin Bayreuther ($750K, UFA)
D Vladislav Gavrikov ($2.8MM, UFA)
F Gustav Nyquist ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Andrew Peeke ($788K, RFA)
F Alexandre Texier ($1.525MM, RFA)
Nyquist was supposed to come in and be a reliable top-six winger and for the first year, he was. However, he missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury and he has gotten off to a bit of a quieter start this season as well. As a result, his deal – which could have been argued as a slight overpayment when it was signed – now is a contract that’s well above market value. Texier has shown flashes of top-six upside but the consistency hasn’t been there which made a bridge deal for him a wise move for both sides. He’ll be owed a small raise with a $1.75MM qualifying offer and if he can start to produce with more consistency, there’s room for it to go up considerably from there.
Gavrikov has taken some steps forward in the early going this season, taking full advantage of his extra ice time to already surpass his point total from 2020-21 while logging nearly 21 minutes a game. He has become a capable top-four defenseman at a price tag that is well below what one of those can get on the open market. If he can keep this pace up through next season, he could double his current AAV. However, expecting him to maintain that production may be a bit unrealistic and accordingly, something in the $4MM range may be more probable. Peeke has played his way into a regular role and based on the contracts that Harrington and Kukan have, it’s possible that he could double his price tag on his next deal. Bayreuther has had a limited role when he’s in the lineup and that extra spot on the depth chart should be staying at or near the minimum which is where his price tag should be as well.
Three Years Remaining
D Jake Bean ($2.333MM, RFA)
F Eric Robinson ($975K in 2021-22, $1.6MM in 2022-23 and 2023-24, UFA)
F Jakub Voracek ($8.25MM, UFA)
Voracek was acquired over the summer from Philadelphia as the Flyers looked to shake up their veteran core. The 32-year-old has only scored once but with 17 assists in 21 games, he has been one of their top offensive forwards. That said, that isn’t a level of production worthy of that salary and at this point, it’s only likely it will decline. However, they have the cap space to be able to absorb the overpayment. Robinson worked his way from a sparingly used depth piece to a regular in the bottom six which earned him the raise for next season. He’ll need to show that he’s capable of producing double digits in goals if he’s going to have a shot at a higher AAV in 2024.
Columbus thought Bean had more to bring and flipped a second-rounder to Carolina for his rights, then signed him to a deal that was above the market rate for someone with just 44 games under his belt, most of which were in a limited role. It was a bit of a gamble by Kekalainen but it looks pretty good early on as Bean has thrived with the Blue Jackets, becoming a quality two-way blueliner. All of a sudden, this looks like a nice bargain on their books. He’ll be owed a $2.8MM qualifying offer when this contract expires and he’ll have arbitration eligibility while being a year away from unrestricted free agency. If Bean’s strong play continues, they’ll need to double his current price tag at a minimum to keep him in the fold.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Toffoli, Jaros
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers taking home the top spot. Huberdeau put up nine points in three games and helped the Panthers to the top spot in the entire NHL. Sometimes overlooked when hockey fans consider the top offensive players in the league, Huberdeau is now working on his fourth consecutive season scoring at a better than point-per-game rate.
Second and third place went to Victor Hedman and Jake Guentzel respectively, after their own outstanding performances. The Tampa Bay Lightning star had eight points in four games, jumping him up to top spot among all defensemen in the league. His 26 points in 24 games puts him in the running for the Norris Trophy once again, an award he has been a finalist for (or won), five years in a row. Guentzel, another player who may not get his due credit when discussing the top offensive players in the league, had five goals and six points in three games last week. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is tied for 21st in the league with 24 points, including 13 goals in 23 games.
- The Montreal Canadiens will be without Tyler Toffoli for the next few weeks. The team announced Toffoli’s absence “could be quite long” as he deals with an upper-body injury. The Canadiens are dealing with several key injuries as they try to turn over the organization from the recently-fired Marc Bergevin to the newly-hired Jeff Gorton.
- The New Jersey Devils have activated Christian Jaros from injured reserve, a month after he went on the shelf with a hand injury. Jaros has played just two games this season for the Devils and will likely go back to just a depth role for the team. The 25-year-old defenseman has 85 games of NHL experience and was acquired from the San Jose Sharks last summer.
Neal Pionk Suspended Two Games
The Department of Player Safety has decided on a two-game suspension for Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk. The reason for the suspension was a dangerous knee on Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin, which caused the third period of last night’s game to become a “gong show” according to Auston Matthews. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that Pionk is in control of this play. We acknowledge Pionk’s argument that this is an attempted full body check, but this play cannot be classified as merely a collision between players where one or both move reflexively or defensively at the last moment to avoid contact.
If he wants to deliver this hit, the onus is on Pionk to take an angle of approach that ensures that he is in a good position to make a legal, full body check. Instead, having taken an angle which has him lined up outside of Sandin’s path, Pionk turns his right leg and extends his knee, jutting it forward to avoid missing the check entirely.
Not only is Pionk getting suspended, but Toronto’s Jason Spezza will have an in-person hearing tomorrow to determine what level of supplementary discipline will follow his retaliatory hit on the Jets’ defenseman.
The fact that Pionk’s hit went unpenalized by the on-ice officials, along with the fact that Sandin suffered what appears to be a serious injury on the play, helped make the decision on a two-game suspension. Pionk will miss games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken as he serves his time.
San Jose Sharks Sign Brandon Coe
The San Jose Sharks have signed prospect Brandon Coe to an entry-level contract. Coe currently plays for the North Bay Battalion of the OHL, where he will remain through the end of this season. Sharks director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr. released the following statement about the team’s newest forward:
Brandon is a developing power forward with great skating ability. Last year he gained valuable experience playing in the AHL and we’re proud of how he has taken his offense to the next level this season. He’s leading the OHL in scoring and is a key player on a first place North Bay team.
Coe, 20, was a fourth-round pick by the Sharks in 2020, selected 98th overall after a strong performance in the OHL. He ended up playing in 17 games with the San Jose Barracuda last season on an amateur tryout while the junior league wasn’t in action, but returned to North Bay this season to be part of a dominant group.
In 24 games, he’s shown exactly why his return was such a huge boost to the Battalion’s OHL championship hopes. The 6’5″ forward has 46 points in those two dozen games, good enough to lead the entire league.
His year has only continued to get better with this entry-level contract, which will actually kick in for this season despite his assignment to junior. Once the OHL season ends, he’ll likely join the Barracuda once again to start his professional career.
Kevin Connauton, Riley Nash Placed On Waivers
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Winnipeg Jets have placed Riley Nash on waivers today, but he won’t be there alone. The Florida Panthers have put Kevin Connauton on waivers as well, after announcing that Gustav Forsling will accompany the team on their upcoming road trip.
Nash, 32, hasn’t played in over two weeks and has zero points in 15 games so far this season. A player that was once a perfect bottom-six center, capable of checking the opponent’s best and chipping in some offense, Nash now looks like he’s on his way out of the league. He’s averaged fewer than nine minutes of ice time when he has been in the Winnipeg lineup, so at this point it makes more sense to give a younger player an opportunity. That, and the Jets are facing a potential suspension for Neal Pionk, meaning they could require some additional defensive depth in the coming days.
Still, he costs only $750K and is a pending free agent, so there certainly wouldn’t be much risk if a team thought Nash could still hold his own at the NHL level. He does have more than 600 games of NHL experience, certainly enough to make him at least a bit intriguing to other teams.
Connauton meanwhile has suited up in 13 games for the Panthers this season after inking a one-year, two-way deal in the offseason. Simply defensive depth at this point in his career, the 31-year-old hasn’t been an NHL regular since the 2018-19 season. In the years since he’s played just 28 games at the highest level, recording just two points in that time.
He too could be claimed if a team is desperate for some defensive help, but more likely he’ll clear as he did last season.
Pontus Aberg Clears Unconditional Waivers
Dec 6: Aberg has cleared waivers and the Senators have announced his contract will be terminated. He becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Dec 5: Pontus Aberg‘s North American comeback will be short-lived. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the veteran forward has been placed on unconditional waivers today for the purpose of contract termination. Aberg will return to Europe once clear of the Senators, likely heading back to the KHL where he played last season.
Aberg, 28, returned to North America this season by signing a one-year deal with Ottawa. He had last played in the NHL in 2019-20 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and even earned a qualifying offer from the team, but opted to head to the KHL in search of greater opportunity. Aberg had only played in five NHL games with Toronto and had only 132 career games over six pro seasons. Though a second-round pick in 2012 and always an impressive performer in the AHL, Aberg had rarely been given a fair shake with five different clubs and likely felt that he could burn his final year as a restricted free agent and better showcase his ability and boost his market value in Russia. He did just that, recording 23 points in 49 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk and attracting an offer from the Senators.
However, it was right back to the same old thing for Aberg this season. The veteran forward failed to crack the Ottawa roster out of training camp, despite the rebuilding club’s apparent lack of depth, and had not been recalled by the Senators either. He has 11 points in 19 games with AHL Belleville, but it seemingly has not put him in line for an NHL opportunity. As frequently is the case, Aberg can very likely get a better contract in the KHL than his AHL salary, which is a palatable trade-off for an older player if NHL action (and pay) does not seem likely. Given his age and track record, this is likely the last of Aberg in North America.
Dmitry Zavgorodniy Assigned To KHL
After assigning Yan Kuznetsov to the CHL a few days ago, the Calgary Flames have found some extra playing time for another one of their prospects. Dmitry Zavgorodniy has been assigned to HC Sochi in the KHL, which will hopefully give him a bit of a bigger opportunity.
Zavgorodniy, 21, was a seventh-round pick of the Flames in 2018 and signed his entry-level contract a year later. That deal, which slid forward one season, will expire after the 2022-23 campaign. He spent most of last season with the Stockton Heat, scoring four points in 29 games, but has been held scoreless in six appearances for the AHL squad this year.
The most recent of those appearances was weeks ago, as he fell out of the regular rotation even for the bottom six. He’ll now head overseas, but remain under contract with the Flames. A very strong junior player, Zavgorodniy had 29 goals and 67 points in 40 games for the Rimouski Oceanic in 2019-20.