Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Flyers Rumors

Eastern Notes: Green, Murray, Neuvirth, Schneider, Ferland

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Detroit Red Wings have been without defenseman Mike Green since the Traverse City portion of training camp ended when Green complained of fatigue. However, the worst of it is behind him, according to Red Wings’ general manager Ken Holland, who says that according to a infectious disease specialist, Green is “on the backside” of a viral infection, according to Detroit Free-Press’ Helene St. James.

While there is no firm timetable of a return, the team is preparing for the upcoming regular season without Green’s availability.

“Once he feels better, we’ll gradually start to push him a little bit and if his body doesn’t respond, we’ll back off and wait a few more days,” said Holland. “It’s sort of like concussion protocol – slowly see how a player responds. We have no time frame for when he will rejoin the team.”

The team will likely keep two of their four defensive prospects to open up the season for Detroit in Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts and Libor Sulak. The Athletic’s Max Bultman (subscription required) handicapped each of the four blueliners chances of making the team.

  • Injuries continue to plague Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray, who has been out since Tuesday after getting kicked in between the legs in their preseason games against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline confirms it’s not a back injury, which has been an issue with him in the past, but a groin problem. He suffered a soft-tissue groin injury and could be out between a couple to a few weeks.
  • It doesn’t look like Philadelphia Flyers backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth will be ready for the regular season opener after injuring his groin on Friday, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. That likely means that the Flyers will start the season with Anthony Stolarz as the team’s backup to Brian Elliott, although Carchidi suggests that 20-year-old phenom Carter Hart is making a strong bid for the opening night roster. “There haven’t been many huge peaks or valleys in his play, and that’s a good place to start when you’re battling for an NHL job,” head coach Dave Hakstol said about the 20-year-old.
  • The Athletic’s Corey Masisak reports that New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider expects to go to Europe with the team for a preseason game in Bern, Switzerland, on Oct. 1. “We’ll see where it goes from there,” Schneider said. The 32-year-old goaltender, who is recovering from hip surgery practiced with the team’s second unit today and stayed on the ice for extra drills with Keith Kinkaid.
  • Michael Smith of NHL.com reports that Carolina Hurricanes forward Micheal Ferland is dealing with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour said he will hold Ferland out of the lineup for the rest of preseason.

Metropolitan Notes: Riikola, Duclair, Mrazek, Hagg

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins are already loaded at the defense position, but the team is finding it harder and harder not to notice Finnish defenseman Juuso Riikola, who has dominated the preseason with his impressive play. The 24-year-old did it again today with a highlight-reel goal (link here) in a 7-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, it isn’t just his offense, a few minutes later Riikola made an impressive defensive play on the other end of the ice.

“His hockey sense jumps out at you,” Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a real good puck mover. He can skate. He’s a mobile guy. What’s really surprised me is his willingness to embrace the physical aspect of the game. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in battles, and he’s done a real good job in that regard.”

Jonathan Bombulie of the Tribune Review writes that while it’s hard to imagine Riikola bumping one of the team’s top-six defensemen, his well-rounded game may be having Pittsburgh management consider keeping eight defensemen instead of holding onto 14 forwards.

“We’ll let the training camp play out,” Sullivan said. “But certainly, he’s a guy that has raised eyebrows and he’s going to make decisions for the coaching staff very difficult.”

  • Brian Hedger of NHL.com writes that Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has made it his mission to try to figure out how to harness the speed and skill that winger Anthony Duclair has and how to take those abilities and turn him into a dominant NHL player. Duclair who is already on his fourth team at the age of 23 has struggled since his rookie campaign when he netted 20 goals. Since then, his totals have decreased to five in his sophomore campaign and 11 between two teams last year. “I need to watch,” Tortorella said. “Why is this his fourth team? I need to ask that question. Why? Maybe I can find out by watching and maybe I can help him by watching, to maybe have him stop some habits that made this happen, as far as him bouncing around. This guy here, talking to a couple of his [former] teammates, there’s so much there. I think we have to take a little responsibility to try to get it out of him, but it has to be a two-way street [and] he has to give too. So, we’ll see where it goes.”
  • Michael Smith of NHL.com writes that Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour has been quite impressed with goaltender Petr Mrazek, who has been sharp in two consecutive outings, though he’s only faced 19 shots in 70 minutes so far. Is that enough to choose a starter? “Well, for me it certainly is,” Brind’Amour joked. “For him, I don’t know. He’s looked good from day one, and he looked good again tonight. Just real calm in there. The one goal he had zero chance on. It was a breakdown on our part.”
  • After struggling early in preseason, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg is slowly working his way back “up to speed,” according to NHL.com. Head coach Dave Hakstol has been impressed with the physicality that the 6-foot-2, 204-pounder brings, but has worked Hagg hard on other areas of his game that have been weak, including managing gaps and being more clean with the puck. Hakstol has frequently played Hagg in the preseason, so he can work on those key skills.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/22/18

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Plenty of players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday and today will probably be no different, especially with the waiver wire now open.  We’ll keep track of all the cuts here and will update this post throughout the day.

Note that this list does not cover players placed on waivers today.  Those players can be found here.

Anaheim Ducks (per team release)

D Terrance Amorosa (to San Diego, AHL)
G Lukas Dostal (to SK Horacka Slavia Trebic, Czech league)
F Alex Dostie (to San Diego, AHL)
D Hunter Drew (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
F Justin Ducharme (released from ATO)
G Olle Eriksson-Ek (to BIK Karlskoga, SHL)
D Chris Forney (to San Diego, AHL)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (to Halifax, QMJHL)
D Scott Moldenhauer (to San Diego, AHL)
F Antoine Morand (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Julius Nattinen (to San Diego, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Tri-City, WHL)
F Tyler Soy (to San Diego, AHL)
F Ben Thomson (to San Diego, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

F Eric Cornel (to Rochester, AHL)
F Vasily Glotov (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kevin Porter (to Rochester, AHL)
D Zach Redmond (to Rochester, AHL)
D Devante Stephens (to Rochester, AHL)
G Adam Wilcox (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (per team release)

G Nick Schneider (to Stockton, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team Twitter)

F Radovan Bondra (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
F Alex Broadhurst (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)
D Andrew Campbell (to Rockford, AHL)
D Dennis Gilbert (to Rockford, AHL)
F Matheson Iacopelli (to Rockford, AHL)
F Graham Knott (to Rockford, AHL)
F Anthony Louis (to Rockford, AHL)
F Jordan Schroeder (to Rockford, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)
D Luc Snuggerud (to Rockford, AHL)
G Matt Tomkins (released from PTO; to Rockford, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)

G Shane Starrett (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Jonathan Ang (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ludwig Bystrom (to Springfield, AHL)
G Chris Driedger (released from PTO, to Springfield, AHL)
F Sebastian Repo (to Springfield, AHL)
F Paul Thompson (to Springfield, AHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release; PTO cuts via Sirius XM’s Jonathan Davis)

D Kyle Bauman (released from PTO)
F Jamie Devane (released from PTO)
F Mike Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sam Herr (released from PTO)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (to Ontario, AHL)
F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (released from PTO)
F Brad Morrison (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
D Chaz Reddekopp (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
D Matt Roy (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
D Austin Strand (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (released from PTO)
D Sean Walker (to Ontario, AHL)
F Spencer Watson (to Ontario, AHL)Read more

Tampa Bay Claims Danick Martel Off Waivers From Philadelphia

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The first waiver claim of 2018-19 has been made as the Lightning have claimed forward Danick Martel off waivers from Philadelphia, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

Martel was a prolific scorer at the junior level, recording 102 points in 64 games in his final QMJHL campaign in 2014-15 which helped land him an entry-level contract with the Flyers in March of 2015.  Through the first three years of his career, he has spent the majority of his time with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley and is coming off a strong season that saw him post 25 goals and 15 assists in 59 games with the Phantoms.  He also got into four games with Philadelphia and was held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:13 per game.  That was enough to land him a one-year, $715K deal this summer, one that carries a $65K salary at the minor league level.

It will be interesting to see where Martel fits in with Tampa Bay.  The team hasn’t hesitated to use smaller skilled players in the past and at five-foot-eight, the 23-year-old certainly falls into that category.  He will likely push for a spot at the end of their roster but if they want to send him to their AHL affiliate, he will have to go back on the wire.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Yegor Zamula

at CDT | by 2 Comments

For those undrafted players invited to training camps, it may be their only chance to impress the NHL brass and put themselves on the map for a professional contract. That’s exactly what Yegor Zamula has done, earning himself a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The undrafted defenseman will play for the Calgary Hitmen this season, but is now part of an NHL organization for the next few years.

If there ever was a prime example of a young player who needs to mature physically, Zamula is it. The 6’3″ defenseman is still rail thin and weighed in at just 160 lbs for the Flyers, but showed enough poise with the puck and raw talent to earn a contract. While he’ll likely never be a big, bruising player the 18-year old Russian soared up draft rankings after a mid-season trade from the Regina Pats. Ending up at 64th among all North American skaters according to the final ranking from NHL’s Central Scouting, it was a surprise when he was passed over entirely in the draft process.

Alex Lyon Out Four Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have lost one of their intriguing young goaltenders, announcing that Alex Lyon will be out for four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. Lyon was expected to contend for the starting role with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, but will have to miss the start of the year as he gets healthy.

With basically the entire goaltending group in Flyers training camp either nursing or coming back from injury, the rest of the preseason may feature some more looks at youngster Carter Hart who played on Monday and Wednesday and has impressed so far in preseason action. That’s not unexpected for Hart, who is arguably the best goaltending prospect in the world right now, but good to see for Philadelphia fans worried about the situation in net once again. Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth still project as the NHL tandem to start the season, but there’s obviously a lot of pressure on the veteran pair to perform or else be replaced by one of the younger netminders.

Lyon, Hart and even Anthony Stolarz—who is finally healthy and ready to resume his career—are all ready to jump at an NHL opportunity if one presents itself at some point this season. The 25-year old Lyon did play in 11 games last season for the Flyers and posted a 4-2-1 record with a .905 save percentage. Those numbers aren’t outstanding, but the undrafted college netminder has played well in the minor leagues and still has high expectations from the organization.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/20/18

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Almost 80 players were cut from training camps around the league yesterday, and today will likely be no different. We’ll keep track of all the changes right here, so make sure to refresh or return to this page throughout the day:

Calgary Flames (per team release)

F D’Artagnan Joly (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Milos Roman (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Dmitry Zavgorodniy (to Rimouski, QMJHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Everett, WHL)
D Igor Merezhko (to Lethbridge, WHL)
D Brayden Pachal (to Prince Albert, WHL)
D Merrick Rippon (to Ottawa, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Tyler Benson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Josh Currie (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Joseph Gambardella (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Caleb Jones (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D William Lagesson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Dylan Wells (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Colin McDonald (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F David Kase (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F German Rubtsov (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Mike Vecchione (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Connor Bunnaman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Zach Palmquist (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Reece Willcox (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D David Drake (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Frank Hora (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D James de Haas (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Yegor Zamula (to Calgary, WHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)

F Freddie Tiffels (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Troy Josephs (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Dane Birks (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Joe Masonius (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Anthony Peters (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Justin Almeida (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
F Jan Drozg (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
F Jordy Bellerive (to Lethbridge, WHL)
D Calen Addison (to Lethbridge, WHL)
G Alex D’Orio (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Antti Palojarvi (to Lukko, Finland)

San Jose Sharks (per team release)

F Matt Fonteyne (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jonathon Martin (to San Jose, AHL)
F Colby McAuley (to San Jose, AHL)
F Filip Sandberg (to San Jose, AHL)
F Alex Schoenborn (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jeffrey Viel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Evan Weinger (to San Jose, AHL)
D Michael Brodzinski (to San Jose, AHL)
D Cody Donaghey (to San Jose, AHL)
D Thomas Gregoire (to San Jose, AHL)
G Josef Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joachim Blichfeld (to Portland, WHL)
F Ivan Chekhovich (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Vladislav Kotkov (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
G Max Paddock (to Regina, WHL)

St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic)

F Alexei Toropchenko (to Guelph, OHL)

Vancouver Canucks (per team release)

F Carter Bancks (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Jesse Graham (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Jagger Dirk (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
G Michael DiPietro (to Windsor, OHL)

Training Camp Cuts: 09/18/18

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

NHL regular season action is just a few weeks away, and as the preseason schedule gets started teams are reducing their training camp rosters. We’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:

Buffalo Sabres (per Gene Pereira of Rogers TV)

F Matej Pekar (to Barrie, OHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Mitch Callahan (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Luke Esposito (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Dave Gust (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Cameron Hebig (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Colin Larkin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F John McFarland (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ryan Van Stralen (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Tyler Vesel (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Logan Day (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jake Kulevich (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jared Wilson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Stuart Skinner (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Patrick Bajkov (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jayce Hawryluk (to Springfield, AHL)
D Michael Downing (to Springfield, AHL)
D Thomas Schemitsch (to Springfield, AHL)
F Blaine Byron (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Bobby Farnham (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Jake Horton (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Matt Mangene (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Harry Zolnierczyk (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Dylan MacPherson (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
D Linus Nassen (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
G Evan Cormier (released from tryout, will attend AHL camp)
F Serron Noel (to Oshawa, OHL)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F Connor Dewar (to Quebec, QMJHL)
F Ivan Lodnia (to Niagara, OHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Everett, WHL)

New Jersey Devils (per team release)

F Ryan Schmelzer (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Tariq Hammond (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Mitch Hoelscher (to Ottawa, OHL)
D Xavier Bernard (to Drummondville, QMJHL)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Dawson Leedahl (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ty Ronning (to Hartford, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Hartford, AHL)
D Vince Pedrie (to Hartford, AHL)
G Brandon Halverson (to Hartford, AHL)
G Chris Nell (to Hartford, AHL)
F Nico Gross (to Oshawa, OHL)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from PTO)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

F Morgan Frost (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to Guelph, OHL)

St. Louis Blues (per team release)

G Joel Hofer (to Swift Current, WHL)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

D Xavier Bouchard (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Ryan Chyzowski (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Windsor, OHL)
F Raphael Harvey-Pinard (to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
F Ben Jones (to Niagara, OHL)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to Regina, WHL)
F Alex Gallant (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Wagner (to Chicago, AHL)
F Matthew Weis (to Chicago, AHL)

 

Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe Sent Back To Junior

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have cut their training camp roster by two players, sending star prospects Morgan Frost and Isaac Ratcliffe back to their respective junior teams. While it doesn’t come as a total surprise, there were some who hoped Frost would push for a roster spot with the Flyers this season after his outstanding 2017-18 campaign. Instead, both young players will return to the OHL where they can continue to dominate the competition and develop towards their full potential.

As we discussed during our most recent PHR Live Chat, Frost still has some developing to do at the junior level despite his huge step forward last season. After scoring just 62 points in the 2016-17 season, Frost became the go-to offensive weapon for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and led the club with 112 points. That production continued into the OHL playoffs with another 29 points in 24 games and shouldn’t stop this season. Selected 27th overall in 2017, Frost was always known to have a huge offensive ceiling but there was some who doubted his ability to reach that full potential given his slight frame. He’ll get a chance to keep working on his defensive ability while being a candidate for the OHL scoring lead, and should play a key role on the Canadian World Junior team.

While Ratcliffe was selected a few picks later at number 35 in 2017, he is almost as exciting for Philadelphia fans who are looking towards the future. The opposite of Frost, Ratcliffe is an imposing physical specimen standing 6’6″ and is able to use his size effectively in the offensive zone. His 41 goals easily led the Guelph Storm—in fact, the second most was 24—and he even scored in his two-game stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the end of the year. There is a lot of room to grow for Ratcliffe in his overall game, but he should be able to continue to put the puck in the net this year at the OHL level.

Metropolitan Notes: Kuznetsov, Shumakov, Domoulin, Sullivan, Stolarz

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Washington Capitals can’t be happier with one of their top players in Evgeny Kuznetsov, who took that next step last year when the won the Stanley Cup, putting up career highs in goals scored and points with 27 goals and 83 points. However, general manager Brian MacLellan feels that he can do even more this year — help out on the penalty kill, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan.

That’s not a role that Kuznetsov has played much of over the course of his career. The 26-year-old has played a grand total of just 11 minutes over the last four years, which averages out to two seconds per game. However, while new head coach Todd Reirden probably won’t make too many changes to the team’s lineup after last year’s success, he has made it clear that he wants to make changes to their penalty kill, which was 15th in the league last year at 80.8 percent. One way to do that would be to inject more speed into it. That’s where Kuznetsov comes in, who could add a new element to their shorthanded line and perhaps improve his own defensive play at the same time.

“It’s a situation where we are going to try any option we can,” Reirden said. “We want to get better in that area, we need to get better in that area, and we’re going to be more aggressive, and if we’re going to be more aggressive then we have to have guys that can skate and think the game at a high level. He’s certainly one of many options we’re considering right now and he certainly seems to be up to the challenge.”

  • The Capitals are without recent signee Sergei Shumakov so far in training camp, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. The 26-year-old winger who has spent his entire career in the KHL, signed a one-year, entry-level contract worth $925K. Shumakov posted 17 goals and a career-high 40 points last year for CSKA Moscow. He is expected to arrive from Russia today.
  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) analyzes the play of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who had a breakout season for Pittsburgh and who was arguably the team’s best player in their five-game series against the Washington Capitals in the playoffs last year. Domoulin, who partners with oft-injured Kris Letang, seemed to take off last year. Always a top defender, he even has started to show a little offense as he scored five goals. That may not sound like much, but considering his career-high had previously been one goal, that’s a big improvement. The team hopes he continues to get more involved in the offense this season.
  • In the same article, Yohe reports that head coach Mike Sullivan will miss a few days after the death of his father, George Sullivan. Assistant coach Jacques Martin will take over for Sullivan until he returns.
  • Sam Donnellon of Philly.com examines Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who just two years ago was looked at as a big part of the Flyers future. Fast forward to today and Stolarz is the fifth wheel in a goaltending system that already has too many goaltenders. Assuming things go as expected, the Flyers will be keeping Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth on their big-league club and will send Alex Lyon and top prospect Carter Hart to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That leaves Stolarz, who missed most of last year after undergoing a second knee surgery. Donnellon writes while injuries are an issue amongst the veteran goalies, the likelihood that Lehigh Valley will institute a three-goalie system is unlikely, especially considering that the team needs to further develop Hart, their goalie of the future.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top