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Devils Place Max Willman On Waivers

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Feb. 12: Willman has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to Utica, per Johnston.

Feb. 11: The Devils placed forward Max Willman on waivers Sunday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Utica, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

Willman, 28, has been a fourth-line fill-in as necessary as injuries weakened New Jersey’s forward group over the past few months. He cleared waivers once already this season when he was cut from the team during training camp, but after playing more than ten games (and no longer being on an emergency loan), he needs them again to return to Utica.

With Jack Hughes and Tomáš Nosek recently returning from long-term absences, though, there’s no longer a need for Willman in the team’s bottom six. He was a healthy scratch in the team’s last two games and is the second healthy extra forward on the active roster alongside Chris Tierney.

Willman has a goal and an assist in 13 games with the Devils, his most in a single season since playing in 41 contests for the Flyers in 2021-22. The Devils struggled to maintain puck possession with Willman on the ice in his limited role, posting a Corsi share of 42.9% at even strength while he averaged less than 10 minutes per game.

The Massachusetts-born winger has enjoyed his highest level of offensive success when in the AHL this season, posting nine goals and 16 points in 20 games. A draft choice of the Sabres in 2014, he remains a top-six AHL presence at this stage of his career and is slated for unrestricted free agency this summer.

Red Wings Place Nolan Stevens On Unconditional Waivers

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Feb. 12: Stevens has cleared unconditional waivers and will have his contract terminated, per Johnston.

Feb. 11: The Red Wings have placed minor-league forward Nolan Stevens on unconditional waivers Sunday with the intent to terminate his contract, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Stevens’ pending contract termination is likely mutual and not for off-ice reasons. The 27-year-old has no NHL experience and has been disappointing with AHL Grand Rapids this season, scoring three goals and 11 points in 31 games.

A fifth-round pick of the Blues in 2016, Stevens was an offensive force in collegiate play with Northeastern University but hasn’t been able to translate his scoring to the pro level with much consistency. He developed into a decent top-nine AHL contributor after turning pro with the Blues’ AHL affiliate in 2018, but after failing to make much progress up the depth chart, he was dealt to the Wild in a minor-league prospect swap in Dec. 2021.

Stevens then posted only seven points in 33 games to close out the 2021-22 campaign with AHL Iowa, becoming a Group VI UFA that summer with the Wild opting not to re-sign him. He received no other NHL offers and signed a minor-league deal with the Devils’ AHL affiliate in Utica for 2022-23.

It proved to be the right choice for Stevens, who looked to get his confidence back with a career-high 15 goals and 33 points in only 48 games. That performance got him another NHL contract with Detroit last summer, who signed him to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $150K in the NHL.

With his production and ice time continuing to trail off, however, both sides would like a fresh start. If Stevens clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent on Monday and can sign with any other NHL club.

Jets Place Dominic Toninato On Waivers

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Feb. 12: Toninato has cleared waivers and will be assigned to Manitoba today, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

Feb. 11: The Jets placed center Dominic Toninato on waivers Sunday and intend to assign him to AHL Manitoba if he clears, per TSN’s and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.

Winnipeg needed to open a roster spot with forward David Gustafsson now ready to come off injured reserve. Toninato, who’s been a healthy scratch in three straight, is the odd man out and finds himself on waivers for the third time this season.

The 29-year-old Minnesotan has been a serviceable fourth-line center when called upon for the Jets, appearing in 99 games over the past four seasons since signing as a free agent before the 2020-21 season. He’s played in 15 games this season, the most since he played in a career-high 77 contests in 2021-22, and has a goal and four assists while averaging 10:11 per game. His possession metrics are quite respectable, too, with a 53.4% Corsi share at even strength and an expected +1.3 rating.

Having already cleared waivers twice in the past few months, the risk of Toninato being claimed this time around still seems low despite his solid showing this year. He’s not a pending free agent – he’s signed to an affordable two-year, two-way deal with a $775K cap hit through the 2024-25 season, but that second year certainly dissuades some teams from putting in a claim.

Toninato has two goals and six points in nine games on the farm with Manitoba this season. In 50 games with the Moose in 2022-23, he posted a career-high 19 goals and 35 points.

Tomáš Hertl To Undergo Knee Surgery, Out Several Weeks

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Sharks center Tomáš Hertl will be out for several weeks while he recovers from a surgical procedure to clean out loose cartilage in his left knee, GM Mike Grier said Monday. Hertl has been placed on injured reserve as a result, per the NHL media site.

Hertl was previously listed as day-to-day with a recurrent lower-body injury. He issued the following statement on his decision to play in this month’s All-Star Game despite missing the two prior games with the knee ailment:

I have been experiencing soreness in my left knee on and off this season. After speaking with doctors and our medical staff earlier this year, it was clear that the injury was not going to get any worse and I could continue to play through it, including attending the NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto. After returning from Toronto and having additional conversations with my family and our team medical staff over the last week, I made the decision to have this procedure done now so that I can return to 100% as soon as possible. I look forward to returning to the ice and getting back with my teammates as soon as I can.

With just over two months remaining in the regular season and the Sharks contending for the draft lottery instead of the postseason, the surgery could very well be season-ending. If so, San Jose will have had their top two centers, Hertl and captain Logan Couture, available for the same game only four times in 2023-24.

Now two seasons into an eight-year, $65.1MM extension signed in 2022, Hertl has done everything he can for a bottom-feeder Sharks team without much of a supporting cast this year. The 30-year-old is averaging nearly 21 minutes per game, a career-high, and leads the team in goals (15) and points (34). He’s excelled in the faceoff circle, too, winning upwards of 56% of his draws for the first time since his rookie year.

He’s managed to stay above water possession-wise relative to his teammates despite extremely difficult usage, posting a 46% Corsi share at even strength that ranks seventh on the team. Hertl’s been worth the money early into his massive extension, even if the team’s lack of success has largely rendered it irrelevant.

San Jose’s 17th overall pick in the 2012 draft, the Sharks lifer has now appeared in over 700 games for the club in parts of 11 seasons. He ranks seventh in franchise history in games played (712), fifth in goals (218), seventh in assists (266), and sixth in points (484).

With Hertl out long-term, expect shutdown men Ryan Carpenter and Nico Sturm to see a slight increase in minutes for the rest of the year, especially with Couture still not at full health. It could also mean another NHL look for 2020 second-round pick Thomas Bordeleau, who has 19 points in 26 games with AHL San Jose this season.

Canucks Move Carson Soucy To Injured Reserve, Recall Jett Woo

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The Canucks have placed defenseman Carson Soucy on injured reserve with a hand injury, the team announced Monday. In a corresponding transaction, blue-liner Jett Woo was recalled from AHL Abbotsford.

Soucy, 29, has been out since Jan. 20, when he caught a puck to the hand off a shot from Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner. He’s missed Vancouver’s last seven games and is just over three weeks into a five-to-six-week recovery timeline, so the IR placement likely isn’t an indication of a setback in his return to the lineup and is instead a move to get Woo onto the roster. The Canucks can activate Soucy off IR at any time since he’s already missed more than seven days.

The 6-foot-5 left-shot defenseman has been hurt more than he’s played in his first season in British Columbia, now missing a combined 32 games with hand and lower-body injuries. He has two goals and six points with a +6 rating in 21 games after signing a three-year, $9.75MM contract in free agency.

This is Woo’s first NHL call-up after being cut from training camp three years in a row. The 23-year-old was exposed to waivers for the first time last October and passed through unclaimed.

A 2018 second-round pick, Woo inked a one-year, two-way extension worth $775K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL to remain a Canuck before completing his entry-level contract last summer. He will be an RFA with arbitration rights at the end of the season.

The former point-per-game player in the WHL hasn’t yet made his mark in Abbotsford, and his stat line this year doesn’t read much different from his first three pro campaigns. Through 42 games, the Winnipeg-born Woo has five goals, 16 points, and a -2 rating. He will not require waivers to return to the AHL if he stays on the roster for less than 30 days and plays less than 10 games.

Kraken Receiving Interest In Jordan Eberle, Alexander Wennberg

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The Kraken are receiving interest from multiple teams regarding winger Jordan Eberle and center Alexander Wennberg ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

Both players are again top-six fixtures for Seattle, who have yo-yoed their way in and out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference all season long. They’re pending UFAs with hefty cap hits of $5.5MM and $4.5MM, respectively, but the Kraken have all three salary retention spots open and could keep money on the books for the rest of the season to facilitate a deal if they do intend on selling at the deadline.

The Oilers have already been linked to Eberle in their pursuit of a complementary top-six winger, with Pagnotta reporting another one of his former teams, the Islanders, as well as the Maple Leafs, have demonstrated interest. The Bruins and Avalanche have called about Wennberg, who’s one of the few quality centers remaining on the deadline rental market.

Whether the Kraken will decide to sell off assets at the deadline is an entirely different question. A recent 3-6-1 stretch now has them six points out of playoff position, but there’s still a shot for Seattle to squeak in for their second consecutive playoff appearance. With a quickly aging group still comprised primarily of expansion draft selections, however, they’d likely do well to recoup value for some veterans and retool around Vince Dunn, Matthew Beniers, and Jared McCann.

Eberle would presumably fetch more value than Wennberg, and rightfully so. He’s having a down season in the goals department – just nine in 49 games, but his 28 points are fifth on the team, and he leads all Kraken players in even-strength Corsi share. He’s been their best two-way skater this season – not just forward – and with eight 20-goal seasons under his belt, he carries immense breakout potential if paired with the skill level of a contending team’s top six.

Thus, a reunion with Edmonton makes the most sense out of the three teams listed. There’s no better breakout potential for Eberle at right wing than alongside Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ second unit, and he could do wonders for Draisaitl-anchored lines that have struggled defensively without Connor McDavid.

Wennberg is more of a depth add than an impact pickup for a contender – he’s likely not suited for anything above a third-line role on a team with contending aspirations. He has leveraged major minutes since joining Seattle, logging 18:23 per game over the last three seasons.

Like Eberle, he’s struggled on the scoresheet with eight goals and 21 points in 51 games. Unlike Eberle, he’s shooting above his career average and has some of the worst possession metrics on the Kraken – only Brandon Tanev has a worse Corsi share at even strength among full-time members. His expected -3.6 rating is the worst on the team, and he’s won less than 50% of his faceoffs for the 10th time in 10 NHL seasons. As such, he’s likely a complement to the Bruins’ and Avs’ cast of middle-six centers that lack punch, not a significant upgrade. Even at a half-retained $2.25MM cap hit, his disappointing season might be too much to swallow and a third team may need to retain another 50% of his salary to facilitate a trade.

Predators Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Predators recalled forwards Egor Afanasyev and Mark Jankowski from AHL Milwaukee on Monday, per a team release. Nashville also assigned winger Philip Tomasino to Milwaukee in a corresponding transaction.

The three moves give the Predators a full 23-player roster with two extra forwards in case of injuries. They’re also another puzzling step in the development of the 22-year-old Tomasino who, despite producing at a 40-point pace, has been a healthy scratch in three of the last seven games.

Nashville’s 2019 first-round pick made the team out of camp in 2021 and churned out strong rookie numbers with 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games, but he split his sophomore season evenly between the NHL and AHL. This year’s been more consistent and more fruitful on the scoresheet for Tomasino, although he still hasn’t earned the full trust of the Predators’ coaching staff despite an expected +3.4 rating that’s tied for fourth on the team.

Tomasino is still waiver-exempt, but that won’t last for long. The pending RFA only has nine NHL games remaining before he loses that status, per CapFriendly.

For now, Tomasino will look to continue tearing it up in Milwaukee, where he had 12 goals and 32 points in 38 games last season. He notched over a point per game in his first pro campaign with AHL Chicago during the shortened 2020-21 season.

Today’s news does mean that Afanasyev, who was picked one round after Tomasino in 2019, should get his first NHL look of the season. The 23-year-old leads Milwaukee in goals with 21 and has added another 21 assists for 42 points in 42 games, ranking sixth in the AHL. In a 17-game stint with the Predators last year, the first of his career, he posted one goal and a -7 rating. Like Tomasino, he is in the final year of his entry-level contract, and he’ll require waivers to head to Milwaukee starting next season.

The veteran Jankowski has a pair of NHL showings this year, both coming in early December. The 6-foot-4 29-year-old has been the only better offensive player in Milwaukee than Afanasyev, posting 15 goals and 47 points through 40 games. It’s his second consecutive season tallying over a point per game for the Admirals. A first-round pick of the Flames in 2012, Jankowski will battle for fourth-line ice time with veterans Michael McCarron and Kiefer Sherwood. He’ll be a UFA this summer after completing a one-year, one-way $775K extension.

East Notes: Richard, Lajoie, Smith, Vaněček, Foerster

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The Bruins reassigned winger Anthony Richard to AHL Providence on Monday, per CapFriendly. Richard, 27, was summoned from the minors on Thursday and made his Boston debut in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Capitals, recording one shot on goal in 10:38 of ice time.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney will likely make a corresponding recall ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Lightning, whether it’s bringing up Richard again or someone else. After sending Richard down, the Bruins are carrying 13 forwards on the NHL roster, but only 12 of them are healthy. Rookie Matthew Poitras remains on the roster despite requiring season-ending shoulder surgery, meaning he’ll end up on long-term injured reserve at some point, but they remain without an extra forward to insert into the lineup if a game-day injury strikes or if head coach Jim Montgomery wants to tinker with his personnel.

Despite being undersized, Richard has leveraged his speed to be a point-per-game producer in the AHL over the past two seasons. He has 49 goals and 105 points in 101 games since the beginning of 2022-23 and has posted 19 goals and 38 points in 41 games for Providence. After spending last season in the Canadiens organization and playing a career-high 13 NHL games as a result of his strong production with their AHL affiliate in Laval, Richard earned a relatively lucrative one-year, two-way deal from the Bruins in free agency that guarantees him $475K in salary.

Drafted 100th overall in the 2015 draft by the Predators, Richard is in his eighth season of professional hockey after wrapping up his junior career with the QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs, during which he won a league championship in 2014. He will be a UFA this summer upon the expiration of his contract.

Other morning updates from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Maple Leafs returned left defenseman Maxime Lajoie to AHL Toronto from his emergency loan on Monday, according to CapFriendly. Lajoie was rostered for Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Senators but was a healthy scratch, as he has been eight other times this season for Toronto. The 26-year-old was brought up in case all three Maple Leafs defensemen who were questionable for Saturday’s loss were unable to play, but only Mark Giordano and Conor Timmins were ruled out of the contest due to a lower-body injury and an illness, respectively. Lajoie has averaged 9:31 per game in his four showings with Toronto this year and has two goals, 15 assists, 17 points, and a +5 rating in 31 AHL games. The 2016 Ottawa draft pick is in his first season with the Maple Leafs after signing a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $450K in the AHL in free agency.
  • Devils defenseman/left wing Brendan Smith participated in their morning skate on Monday but won’t return from a knee sprain tonight against the Kraken, Amanda Stein of the Devils’ official site reports. His return to the lineup seems imminent, however, and New Jersey will have an open roster spot to activate him from injured reserve after left wing Max Willman clears waivers or is claimed later today. He has not been ruled out of Tuesday’s game against the Predators. The 35-year-old has been out for nearly a month, sustaining the injury in the first period of a Jan. 15 game against Boston. He has one goal and five points in 34 games, averaging 14:25 per game with average possession metrics. The 2007 first-round pick will be a UFA this summer upon completion of his two-year, $2.2MM contract signed in free agency in 2022.
  • One Devil absent from practice is goaltender Vítek Vaněček, who Stein says is dealing with both an illness and a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old has started New Jersey’s four games and has seen a rare hot streak in an otherwise poor season, recording a 1-2-1 record and .914 SV%. If he’s not healthy enough to back up presumptive starter Nico Daws tonight, the Devils will summon farmhands Akira Schmid or Erik Källgren on an emergency basis.
  • Flyers forward Tyson Foerster is doubtful for Monday’s game against the Coyotes with an undisclosed injury, head coach John Tortorella said (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz). Foerster, 22, was absent from this morning’s practice. The rookie has played in 52 consecutive games after being scratched for the season opener, recording ten goals and 21 points while averaging nearly 17 minutes per game and cementing himself in the team’s top nine. Their 2020 first-round pick has also controlled possession well with a 53.7% Corsi share at even strength, third on the team behind Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.

Five Key Stories: 2/5/24 – 2/11/24

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The first full week of February is in the books.  While there wasn’t any activity on the trade market (compared to two notable swaps last week), there was still some notable news around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.

Kings Hire Smith: With Jim Hiller taking over as interim head coach, the Kings elected to bring in an experienced assistant, hiring D.J. Smith.  Smith began the season with Ottawa as their head coach but was let go a little under two months ago after the team got off to a sluggish start.  Smith spent parts of five seasons behind the bench with the Sens but his time in this role with Los Angeles could be short-lived as the contract is only for the rest of the season.  Smith could be considered for other head coaching positions this summer or perhaps even the top job with the Kings if it’s decided that Hiller won’t be the full-time bench boss.

Kuznetsov Takes A Leave: Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov has taken a leave of absence from the team and has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  This is the second time he has been in the program with the first one coming back in 2019.  The 31-year-old has struggled on the ice this season, averaging just 0.40 points per game, the lowest rate of his career.  There is no timeline for his return and while he is away from the team, his $7.8MM AAV will not count against Washington’s salary cap.

Injured Again: In his first game back after recovering from a left leg injury, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev suffered another long-term injury, fracturing his fibula and tibia in that same left leg.  He underwent surgery the next day.  While no official timetable for his return was released, head coach Jon Cooper indicated that the blueliner would miss the rest of the regular season at a minimum.  Sergachev is a big part of Tampa Bay’s back end, logging over 22 minutes a night while being a key contributor so he will definitely be missed.  The Lightning now will be able to go over the cap by an additional $8.5MM once they place him on LTIR, giving them some extra flexibility heading into the trade deadline, albeit at a key cost with Sergachev out long-term.

Edmundson On The Block: In the weeks leading up to the March 8th trade deadline, buyers will be looking to add some extra depth on their back end.  One of the players they’ll be considering is Joel Edmundson as the Capitals are believed to be shopping the veteran.  The 30-year-old was acquired at the start of free agency for a pair of draft picks with Montreal retaining half of his $3.5MM cap hit.  However, Edmundson has underachieved with Washington, logging just over 16 minutes a night, well below his career average while chipping in with just three points in 34 games.  However, he has two deep playoff runs under his belt (2019 with St. Louis and 2021 with Montreal) and was effective in both of those which should help generate some interest in him as a proven postseason performer.

Suspensions: The Department of Player Safety handed out a pair of suspensions to defensemen this week.  First, Jets blueliner Brenden Dillon received a three-game ban for an illegal check to the head on Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, keeping him out of their lineup until this coming Saturday against Vancouver.  Speaking of those Canucks, rearguard Nikita Zadorov was handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Detroit’s Lucas Raymond.  He’ll be eligible to return on Thursday in a rematch against the Red Wings.  Meanwhile, another defender is likely to receive a suspension as Toronto’s Morgan Rielly will have an in-person hearing on Tuesday for his cross-check on Ottawa’s Ridly Greig following a late goal on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The Rental Center Market Has Thinned Out Quickly

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Center depth is something that many teams covet at the trade deadline.  A key upgrade to balance the lineup could be a key difference-maker in the playoffs while even a useful addition to the bottom six could be helpful.  Centers play the premium position up front and teams will often pay a premium to get one.

We saw just that with the recent Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan trades.  Vancouver paid a high price to get Lindholm early and Winnipeg, having seen Lindholm go, was motivated to push a deal for Monahan across the finish line quickly to make sure no one else swooped in.  Those two were clearly the best options on the market.  What’s left among players that can play higher than the fourth line?  Let’s take a look.

Anaheim’s Adam Henrique now stands alone at the top of the rental class.  He’s having a decent season offensively with the Ducks, producing at a 25-goal, 57-point pace.  He can kill penalties and has been above average at the faceoff dot for six straight years now.  He’s not a true top-six player on a contender but he’d be a nice third liner who could move up when needed.  But at a $5.825MM cap hit, that will be hard for most teams to acquire, even if the Ducks retain 50%.  Still, barring an injury, he’s very likely to be dealt.

Jack Roslovic’s time with his hometown Blue Jackets has been up-and-down.  At times, he has looked like a viable top-six piece and at others, his performance has been poor enough to make him a healthy scratch.  His numbers this season are far from pretty (two goals and eight assists in 28 games).  But the 27-year-old put up 44 points last season and 45 the year before.  With this being a contract year, a change of scenery could give him a spark and with his struggles and a $4MM cap charge, it’s unlikely that Columbus could command a significant return for his services but there is some potential upside for whoever winds up acquiring him.

In terms of impact or upside plays for rental centers that are almost certain to be available, that might be it for the list.  Chicago’s Tyler Johnson is at a 20-goal pace this season but he’s also playing more on a rebuilding Blackhawks team than he would elsewhere.  With max retention, he could yield a later-round pick but Johnson would likely be a depth player more than an offensive one on a new team.

There are a couple of players who could be wild cards to become available depending on how things go the next few weeks and certain teams potentially fall out of the playoff picture.  Alexander Wennberg hasn’t lived up to his contract with Seattle but could be an upgrade on the third line for a few playoff-bound teams although maximum retention will be needed to make his $5MM price tag more affordable.  That shouldn’t be the case for Nashville’s Thomas Novak, who checks in at just $800K.  He isn’t quite producing at the level of a year ago when he had 43 points in 51 games but he is above the half-point-per-game mark.  If the Predators make him available, his cheap contract will make him highly sought after.

On top of these players, there are some depth pieces that will likely be moved as potential fourth line additions or reserve forwards as there are every year.  But if you’re a team looking for someone with some offensive upside, the pickings were already slim and just got a whole lot slimmer.  That should be good news for a team with one of those players while others may decide to look at shopping a non-rental middleman to try to capitalize on the lack of impact supply remaining on the market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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