Philip Svedeback Commits To Providence College
Although Philip Svedeback was viewed as somewhat of an unheralded prospect when the Boston Bruins selected him 117th in the 2021 NHL Draft, behind the scenes there was a recruiting war being waged for the talented Swedish goaltender. It now appears that Providence College has emerged victorious. The Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, who themselves are just getting accustomed to Svedeback’s strong play in net, have announced that the netminder has committed to join the Friars. Svedeback is expected to make his way to Providence next season.
Svedeback, who is advised by former NHLer Michael Nylander, stated in the release that he has been talking to PC for some time and enjoyed a recent campus visit. Head coach Nate Leaman leads a well-regarded staff and a strong program that has been a perennial contender for some time, so it is no surprise that Providence emerged as the front-runner. Svedeback also noted that the proximity to Boston also made a difference in his college decision. While Svedeback had drawn interest from a number of schools, including some Boston area programs, he is now set up in Providence for the long haul. Whenever Svedeback wraps up his time with the Friars, there is at least a good chance that his next stop will be across town to the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
At 6’4″ and nearly 200 pounds, Svedeback is a big, technical goaltender who has already shown that composure is one of his top traits. Playing for a defensively weak Vaxjo Lakers junior team in Sweden the past few years, Svedeback has still put up strong numbers despite facing considerable pressure. His transition to the USHL, his first time playing in North America, has also been seamless thus far. Svedeback is 1-0-1 in his first two starts for Dubuque, recording a .942 save percentage and 1.99 GAA. If he continues to perform like that this season, both the Providence College Friars and the Boston Bruins will be excited for the future.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Ben Hutton To PTO
Better late than never, huh Ben Hutton? With most NHL teams trimming their training camp rosters down considerably over the past few days, the Anaheim Ducks have gone in the other direction. CapFriendly reports that the team has extended a PTO to veteran free agent defenseman Hutton. With Hutton unlikely to suit up for the Ducks tonight, he will have only two preseason games and just over a week of camp to prove he can stick with the team before they open the regular season on October 13.
The timing of this late tryout offer could imply that is is simply a precursor to a signing, merely getting Hutton into camp while the two sides hammer out the fine print on a contract. After all, it is not as if Anaheim is unaware of what Hutton brings to the table. The 28-year-old blue liner began the 2020-21 campaign with the Ducks after signing a one-year deal in free agency (another late-offseason deal). Hutton skated in 34 games with the team, recording five points and over 18:30 of ice time per night, before he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick. Hutton is an experienced defender who was logging major minutes and recording substantial minutes with the Vancouver Canucks not too long ago and would easily bolster a shallow Anaheim defense corps at a cheap price.
With that said, Hutton’s numbers have been on decline for years now and he did next to nothing with Toronto following last season’s trade. This PTO may simply be a courtesy by the Ducks to see if Hutton has any gas left in the tank and to let other teams take a look at his game in preseason action. While likely still a capable competitor, Anaheim may be better off going with younger options such as Josh Mahura or even Axel Andersson over Hutton, especially knowing that they do have some solid call-up options in Brendan Guhle, Brogan Rafferty, and Greg Pateryn. Hutton will have to show that he is a significantly superior option to any of these players if he wants to lock down a job with Anaheim.
Snapshots: Johnson, Price, Lehner
Jack Johnson is in Colorado Avalanche camp on a professional tryout, but that could be converted to an NHL deal before long. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports that things are “trending in the direction” of a new contract, though nothing has been filed just yet. An injury to Devon Toews has opened a potential spot for the veteran defenseman, who, according to Baugh’s source, had interest from other teams before deciding to head to Colorado.
The 34-year-old is coming off a one-year, $1.15MM deal with the New York Rangers, but is still earning a little more than $916K from the Pittsburgh Penguins in each of the next five seasons, thanks to a buyout in 2020. It’s been a brutal few years for Johnson, who has played in 950 regular season games over a long career but has posted terrible analytics for many of them. In a depth role perhaps he can be effective for the Avalanche, but there’s little chance of him being a real impact player for them at this point.
- The Montreal Canadiens were hoping that Carey Price would be ready for the start of the regular season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this offseason, but that may not be the case. Head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters including John Lu of TSN that Price is currently dealing with a non-COVID illness that is keeping him off the ice and the team is “less confident now” that he’ll be ready for the first game. The fact that the Canadiens claimed Sam Montembeault off waivers this weekend makes sense if that’s the case, though Price is still not expected to miss a huge chunk of the regular season schedule.
- Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner stirred up hockey Twitter this weekend with a series of tweets alleging various wrongdoings across the league and tagged both the NHLPA and NHL to offer to speak directly to them. League commissioner Gary Bettman joined Jeff Marek on Sportsnet radio this afternoon and commented on the situation, explaining that the league will soon speak directly to Lehner to “hear his concerns directly” and then “follow up to see what merit there may be.” So far, the league has not announced any official investigations into any of the concerns raised by the veteran goaltender, which included allegations of team personnel providing benzodiazepines and Ambien to players.
Tim Schaller Signs AHL Contract
The Bakersfield Condors have signed a veteran forward, adding Tim Schaller on an AHL contract. The 30-year-old spent last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a similar minor league deal.
Once a regular in the NHL, Schaller spent the entire 2020-21 season in the AHL, scoring 18 points with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That’s a far fall from 2017-18 when he played in all 82 games with the Boston Bruins, and is a surprising turn for a player that has suited up 276 times in the NHL. Schaller isn’t an offensive threat, with just 29 goals during that span, but had been considered a worthwhile bottom-six forward in the past, even signing a two-year deal with Vancouver in 2018 that carried an average annual value of $1.9MM.
It appears as though that period of his career is over though with this deal, though he could always ink an NHL contract at some point if the Edmonton Oilers deal with injury concerns. He’ll be a valuable asset to their AHL team for the time being, helping insulate the younger players in the organization while still providing good production at the minor league level.
Washington Capitals Sign Vincent Iorio
The Washington Capitals lost a young player on waivers today but immediately added a new one to the organization. The team has signed 2021 draft pick Vincent Iorio to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $875,833.
Iorio, 18, was sent back to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL a few days ago after appearing in one preseason game. Selected 55th overall in this year’s draft, the young defenseman is already off to a quick start with Brandon, recording two points in his first two games. Unfortunately, both of those games were blowouts that didn’t go the way of the Wheat Kings, as they were outscored 17-3 by the Winnipeg ICE.
Still, the 6’3″ defenseman has a bright future and can now focus entirely on his development and not worry about earning an entry-level deal with the Capitals. He won’t turn 19 until November and is already in his fourth WHL season. Because he’s spending the year in junior, the first year of his deal will not be burned. Instead, the contract will slide forward and keep Iorio under control through the 2024-25 season–it could even side forward again next year, should he fail to play in the NHL.
Buffalo Sabres Claim Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The Buffalo Sabres have nabbed a young forward off waivers, claiming Axel Jonsson-Fjallby from the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Jonsson-Fjallby, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Capitals in 2016 that found success overseas while playing in the SHL, but still hasn’t been able to crack an NHL lineup. That could change in Buffalo with the Sabres going through (another) rebuild, desperately searching for young talent. In 31 games for the Hershey Bears last season, Jonsson-Fjallby did record ten goals and 15 points.
This was the first time the young forward had hit waivers, and though that is normally a disappointing time in a player’s career, it is a great opportunity for Jonsson-Fjallby. He’ll be kept on the NHL roster for the time being, meaning not only will he potentially get a chance to make his debut, he’ll also be earning his NHL salary if he lasts into the regular season. Jonsson-Fjallby signed a new two-year, two-way contract in June which carries an NHL salary of $750K and an AHL salary of $175K this season.
31 Players Clear Waivers
Oct 4: 31 of the 32 players placed on waivers have cleared. The Buffalo Sabres have claimed Jonsson-Fjallby from the Washington Capitals.
Oct 3: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that, originally, 13 names have hit the waiver wire today. PuckPedia reports an additional 19 names that have found themselves on waivers today. The 13 names are as follows:
D Trevor Carrick (ANA)
D Kodie Curran (ANA)
D Brendan Guhle (ANA)
F Vinni Lettieri (ANA)
F Danny O’Regan (ANA)
D Brogan Rafferty (ANA)
F Zachary Senyshyn (BOS)
D Nick DeSimone (CGY)
D Kevin Gravel (CGY)
F Matthew Phillips (CGY)
D Andy Welinski (CGY)
D Jalen Chatfield (CAR)
D Joshua Jacobs (CAR)
F Seth Griffith (EDM)
F Cooper Marody (EDM)
F Brandon Baddock (MTL)
F Laurent Dauphin (MTL)
F Jean-Sebastien Dea (MTL)
G Michael McNiven (MTL)
F Anthony Richard (NSH)
F Brian Flynn (NJD)
F Robbie Russo (NJD)
F Greg McKegg (NYR)
F Pontus Aberg (OTT)
D Dillon Heatherington (OTT)
F Kole Sherwood (OTT)
D Tommy Cross (STL)
D Sean Day (TBL)
F Gabriel Dumont (TBL)
F Charles Hudon (TBL)
F Darren Raddysh (TBL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (WSH)
More to come…
Scott Wilson Signs AHL Contract
After attending the Seattle Kraken training camp on a professional tryout, Scott Wilson has settled for an AHL deal with the Charlotte Checkers for the upcoming season. The Checkers of course will be affiliated with the Kraken this season, along with the Florida Panthers, their primary NHL partner.
Wilson, 29, was an NHL regular as recently as 2017-18, but spent nearly the entire 2020-21 season on the Panthers taxi squad. He did get into eight games with the Syracuse Crunch, but was forced into a practice role for most of the year. That obviously left him scrambling for work this offseason after his one-year deal expired with Florida, and he’ll have to settle for an AHL contract for the first time in his career.
A veteran of 193 NHL games, Wilson was actually a regular in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup during their 2017 Stanley Cup run, scoring six points in 20 games. Though not a dominant player in the minor leagues, he should give the Checkers a strong option up front this season and could even be in line for an NHL deal down the road should the Kraken or Panthers face injury issues. Remember, without a full minor league affiliate, the expansion team will have to delicately navigate the season with just a handful of call-up options.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/21
Just over a week before the regular season begins and camp cuts are still coming fast and furious. We’ll keep track of them right here:
Anaheim Ducks (via press release)
G Gage Alexander (to Winnipeg, WHL)
F Jack Badini (to San Diego, AHL)
F Max Golod (to San Diego, AHL)
F Bryce Kindopp (to San Diego, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to San Diego, AHL)
F Vincent Marleau (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jacob Perreault (to San Diego, AHL)
F Greg Printz (to San Diego, AHL)
F Danny O’Regan (to San Diego, AHL)
F Brayden Tracey (to San Diego, AHL)
D Nikolas Brouillard (to San Diego, AHL)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Diego, AHL)
D Kodie Curran (to San Diego, AHL)
D Brendan Guhle (to San Diego, AHL)
D Louka Henault (to San Diego, AHL)
D Nathan Larose (to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via press release)
G Anson Thornton (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Tucson, AHL)
D Janis-Jerome Moser (to Tucson, AHL)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (to Tucson, AHL)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to Tucson, AHL)
F Michael Carcone (to Tucson, AHL)*
Carolina Hurricanes (via press release)
D Jalen Chatfield (to Chicago, AHL)
D Joshua Jacobs (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via press release)
F Matej Chalupa (to Rockford, AHL)
F Cam Morrison (to Rockford, AHL)
D Chad Krys (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via press release)
F Callahan Burke (to Colorado, AHL)
F Tarun Fizer (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nate Clurman (to Colorado, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to Colorado, AHL)
G Hunter Miska (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via press release)
F Tyler Angle (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Josh Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tim Berni (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)*
F Tyler Sikura (to Cleveland, AHL)*
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Cleveland, AHL)*
G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)*
Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)
F Antonio Stranges (to London, OHL)
D Artem Grushnikov (to Hamilton, OHL)
F Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (to Texas, AHL)
F Oskar Back (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
F Jordan Kawaguchi (to Texas, AHL)
F Joel L’Esperance (to Texas, AHL)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Texas, AHL)
D Joseph Cecconi (to Texas, AHL)
D Ben Gleason (to Texas, AHL)
D Jerad Rosburg (to Texas, AHL)
D Ryan Shea (to Texas, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)
F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
F Jean-Sebastien Dea (to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via press release)
F Tommy Novak (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Anthony Richard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D David Farrance (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Donovan (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Josh Healey (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Devin Cooley (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Rangers (via press release)
F Greg McKegg (to Hartford, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via press release)
F Alexander True (to Charlotte, AHL)*
F Carsen Twarynski (to Charlotte, AHL)*
Tampa Bay Lightning (via press release)
F Maxim Cajkovic (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jaydon Dureau (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Shawn Element (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Remi Elie (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gabriel Fortier (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gage Goncalves (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cole Koepke (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexei Lipanov (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Antoine Morand (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Otto Somppi (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Odeen Tufto (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walcott (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gabriel Dumont (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Charles Hudon (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Darren Raddysh (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Alex Green (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Ryan Jones (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Wyatt McLeod (to University of Alberta, USports)
D Dmitri Semykin (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Jack Thompson (to Sudbury, OHL)
G Hugo Alnefelt (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Maxime Lagace (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Eamon McAdam (released from PTO)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team Twitter)
F Pavel Gogolev (to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (to Toronto, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)
G Pheonix Copley (to Hershey, AHL)*
Winnipeg Jets (via team Twitter)
F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jeff Malott (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jonathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Simon Lundmark (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Declan Chisholm (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Arvid Holm (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Manitoba, AHL)*
F Luke Johnson (to Manitoba, AHL)*
F Austin Poganski (to Manitoba, AHL)*
*Pending waivers
This page will be updated throughout the day
New Jersey Devils Claim Mason Geertsen
Oct 4: The Devils have answered the question of where Geertsen fits into the roster, noting that he will play left wing tonight against the Washington Capitals in a preseason game. Geertsen has played forward in the minors for the past year and is now, according to Devils reporter Amanda Stein, comfortable at the position.
Oct 3: Waiver season is in full swing, with dozens of players exposed over the last few days. Today, the New Jersey Devils decided to select one of those players and add him to their organization. Mason Geertsen, who was waived by the New York Rangers has been claimed by New Jersey.
Geertsen, 26, has exactly zero NHL games played in his professional career but adds a level of physicality to the fringe of the Devils roster. Even the team’s press release suggests that his size and the fact that he “likes to play a tough, physical, and gritty game” is the reason the team went after him.
Interestingly enough, the Devils have had several chances to acquire Geertsen in the past but have passed them up. The minor league defenseman–who notably has been playing some forward in the AHL as well–has cleared waivers twice before, including in March of this year, and was an unrestricted free agent in 2019 after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Colorado Avalanche, the team that drafted him back in 2013.
He ended up signing an AHL contract with the Rangers and spent a year and a half before earning his current two-year, two-way deal. When he did so, New York put him on waivers in order to keep him in the minor leagues and the Devils–and every other team in the league–passed.
They won’t this time, a curious decision given the added depth the Devils have acquired at the position this offseason. Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Christian Jaros were brought in this summer, while Jonas Siegenthaler was retained after a deadline trade last season. It’s hard to see where exactly Geertsen fits in, though with Ty Smith‘s recent injury there may just be a short-term need for some added depth.
If the Devils put Geertsen back on waivers, the Rangers will have a chance to reclaim him and send him directly to the minor leagues, should they be the only team to put in a claim.