Nolan Patrick Diagnosed With Migraine Disorder
The Philadelphia Flyers released some bad news today, announcing that young forward Nolan Patrick will not be ready for the start of the season. Patrick has been diagnosed with a migraine disorder and will not travel with the team to Europe. Officially listed as week-to-week, this is a disappointing start to Patrick’s year.
It hasn’t been a smooth ride since the summer of 2016, when Patrick was crowned as the top draft eligible prospect in the world. He had just completed an incredible second season of junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings, scoring 41 goals and 102 points in the regular season while leading the entire WHL playoffs in scoring with 30 points in 21 games. He looked like the sure-fire first overall pick, but hernia surgery before the 2017-18 campaign changed everything. Patrick was limited to just 33 games for the Wheat Kings and missed the entire WHL playoffs with a leg injury suffered on the last day of the regular season. Nico Hischier ended up leapfrogging Patrick for the top spot in the 2017 draft, and his injury trouble never really stopped.
Though Patrick has played in 145 games across the first two seasons of his career, neither one was injury-free and his production has been limited because of it. With 13 goals in each season and 61 total points, some have already started to question whether he was worth the second overall pick. By any measure, that critique is unfair at this point. Patrick only turned 21 a week ago and could still develop into the first-line center that many projected him to be back in 2016. That development is contingent on getting healthy though, and starting an important season with a migraine diagnosis certainly doesn’t inspire confidence.
Hopefully the young forward will be able to deal with this issue and get back into the Flyers lineup—he still skated today, but has already been ruled out to start the year—before too long.
Waivers: 09/24/19
With AHL training camps getting underway, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:
Anaheim Ducks
F Justin Kloos
F Blake Pietila
D Patrick Sieloff
D Chris Wideman
G Anthony Stolarz
Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
F Andy Andreoff
F Kurtis Gabriel
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel
D Chris Bigras
St. Louis Blues
Training Camp Cuts: 09/24/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Boston Bruins (per team release)
G Dan Vladar (to Providence, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
F Jacob Pritchard (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Spencer Smallman (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Fredrik Claesson (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Alex Lintuniemi (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Hunter Shinkaruk (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Cavan Fitzgerald (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Derek Sheppard (to Charlotte, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Mikey Anderson (to Ontario, AHL)
F Martin Frk (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cal Petersen (to Ontario, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia Inquirer)
F German Rubtsov (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Mikhail Vorobyov (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Andy Andreoff (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Kurtis Gabriel (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Chris Bigras (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
G Michal Neuvirth (released from PTO)
Metropolitan Notes: Milano, Texier, Morin
Despite losing all that forward talent this summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in quite a roster jam. With 12 spots all but locked up, there is just one spot remaining for the bubble players. Amongst those is Sonny Milano, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, who looked like a impressive top-six option after the 2017-18 season when he tallied 15 goals as a rookie. However, he found himself instead spending most of 2018-19 with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL and there is no guarantee that he will make the team this year. To make matters worse, Milano would have to pass through waivers if Columbus decides to cut him from the team, which would almost certainly result in another team claiming him.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that the Blue Jackets would prefer to trade him than pass him through waivers, but the market for Milano has been cold. The team could opt to keep him and consider moving on from one of its veteran players, such as Markus Hannikainen or Brandon Dubinsky. However, the team wouldn’t be able to bury Dubinsky in the minors with his $5.85MM salary. However, Hannikainen might be an easier option as he makes just $750K.
- Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Portzine, in a separate article, writes that Columbus is considering giving former star Artemi Panarin‘s first-line position into the hands of rookie Alexandre Texier this season. Panarin, the team’s lead winger last season, left for the New York Rangers over the summer, but the team believes that the 20-year-old may be able to succeed in that role this year. Texier scored one goal in two late regular season games and played in all eight playoff games for Columbus, scoring two goals and three points. The scribe adds that if Texier does win the top-line job, he could become a top candidate for the Calder Trophy.
- Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi believes that the Philadelphia Flyers are likely to keep eight defensemen out of training camp. The team has a numbers problem with defensemen and with only one of them waiver exempt, Philippe Myers, who is a lock to make the team, the Flyers would have to put a player on waivers, likely Samuel Morin. Philadelphia believes there is a good chance they would lose Morin if they put him on waivers and are more likely to keep the extra defenseman instead.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/22/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Brayden Burke (to Tucson, AHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Hamilton, OHL)
F Nicholas Merkley (to Tucson, AHL)
G Ivan Prosevtov (to Tucson, AHL)
F Tyler Steenbergen (to Tucson, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
D Axel Andersson (to Providence, AHL)
F Samuel Asselin (to Providence, AHL)
D Christopher Breen (to Providence, AHL)
D Wiley Sherman (to Providence, AHL)
D Alexey Solovyev (to Providence, AHL)
F Brendan Woods (to Providence, AHL)
D Cooper Zech (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Eric Cornel (to Rochester, AHL)
F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kevin Porter (to Rochester, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Rochester, AHL)
D Jacob Bryson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brandon Hickey (to Rochester, AHL)
D Zach Redmond (to Rochester, AHL)
D Devante Stephens (to Rochester, AHL)
G Andrew Hammond (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)
G Jonas Johansson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Arttu Ruotsalainen (to Ilves, Finland)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team tweet, late Saturday)
G Kevin Lankinen (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
D Mark Alt (requires waivers, to Colorado, AHL)
F Erik Condra (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Davis (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ty Lewis (to Colorado, AHL)
D Anton Lindholm (requires waivers, to Colorado, AHL)
D Nicolas Meloche (to Colorado, AHL)
D Peter Tischke (to Colorado, AHL)
G Adam Werner (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
G Matiss Kivlenieks (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL, pending waivers)
G Brad Thiessen (released from PTO, assigned to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Texas, AHL)
D Emil Djuse (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
D Ben Gleason (to Texas, AHL)
D Dillon Heatherington (to Texas, AHL, pending waivers)
F Tanner Kero (to Texas, AHL, pending waivers)
F Adam Mascherin (to Texas, AHL)
F Riley Tufte (to Texas, AHL)
F Stefan Noesen (released from PTO)
F Scottie Upshall (released from PTO)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Mason Bergh (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
F Lance Bouma (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kale Clague (to Ontario, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (to Ontario, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
D Max Gottlieb (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (to Ontario, AHL)
F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brad Morrison (to Ontario, AHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Ontario, AHL)
D Chaz Reddekopp (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
F Johan Sodergran (to Ontario, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
D Austin Strand (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
D Frederic Allard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Ken Appleby (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Arvin Atwal (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Lukas Craggs (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jeremy Davies (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Brandon Fortunato (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Josh Healy (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Connor Ingram (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tanner Jeannot (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Zach Magwood (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Thomas Novak (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mathieu Olivier (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Joe Pendenza (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Rem Pitlick (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Hugo Roy (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Scott Savage (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Cole Schneider (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Adam Smith (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Eeli Tolvanen (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Yakov Trenin (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Josh Wilkins (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Joey Anderson (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Evan Cormier (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brandon Gignac (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Ludvig Larsson (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Michael Paliotta (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Nikita Popugaev (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Gilles Senn (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Yegor Sharangovich (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colby Sissons (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Blake Speers (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Marion Studenic (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colton White (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Fabian Zetterlund (to Binghamton, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release, late Saturday)
G Joey Daccord (to Belleville, AHL)
F Jonathan Davidsson (to Belleville, AHL)
D Andreas Englund (to Belleville, AHL)
F Alex Formenton (to Belleville, AHL)
G Filip Gustavsson (to Belleville, AHL)
F Morgan Klimchuk (to Belleville, AHL)
F Joseph Labate (to Belleville, AHL)
D Maxime Lajoie (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jordan Murray (to Belleville, AHL)
F Josh Norris (to Belleville, AHL)
F Max Veronneau (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman)
D T.J. Brennan (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Alex Lyon (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Nate Prosser (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Reece Willcox (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tyler Wotherspoon (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Robby Jackson (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Mike Vecchione (to San Antonio, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ross Colton (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cory Conacher (cleared waivers, assigned to Syracuse, AHL)
F Nolan Foote (to Kelowna, WHL)
F Chris Mueller (cleared waivers, assigned to Syracuse, AHL)
F Otto Somppi (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Kristofers Bindulis (to Hershey, AHL)
F Tobias Geisser (to Hershey, AHL)
F Connor Hobbs (to Hershey, AHL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (to Hershey, AHL)
F Bobby Nardella (to Hershey, AHL)
F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team tweet, late Saturday)
D Declan Chisholm (to Peterborough, OHL)
D Giovanni Vallati (to Oshawa, OHL)
Waivers: 9/22/19
A new crop of players have been placed on waivers today. Here they are:
Arizona Coyotes
F Beau Bennett
D Dysin Mayo
F Andy Miele
D Robbie Russo
Buffalo Sabres
G Andrew Hammond
F C.J. Smith
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Nathan Gerbe
F Justin Scott
D Dillon Simpson
Dallas Stars
F Tanner Kero
D Dillon Heatherington
Florida Panthers
G Philippe Derosiers
D Ethan Prow
D Thomas Schemitsch
Nashville Predators
F Colin Blackwell
D Alexandre Carrier
F Laurent Dauphin
D Matt Donovan
G Troy Grosenick
F Anthony Richard
New Jersey Devils
F Brandon Baddock
D Joshua Jacobs
D Dakota Mermis
F Ben Street
Ottawa Senators
F Morgan Klimchuk
D Andreas Englund
Philadelphia Flyers
St. Louis Blues
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Cameron Gaunce
D Dominik Mason
D Ben Thomas
G Scott Wedgewood
Vancouver Canucks
Metropolitan Notes: St. Louis, Mattheos, Patrick, Capitals
It looks like the coaching career of former NHL star Martin St. Louis will be put on hold. The Hall of Famer, who had spent half of last season in an advisory role with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, said that he won’t be back with Columbus in 2019-20, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required).
Blue Jackets’ head coach John Tortorella said that St. Louis’ situation will just be put on pause as he tends to family matters.
“I really enjoyed working with the team last year and want to thank Jarmo (Kekalainen, the general manager), (coach John Tortorella) and everyone at the Blue Jackets for the opportunity,” St. Louis said in a statement released via the team. “While I would have loved to do it again, my priority continues to be my family and those commitments would make it too difficult this year. They have a really good, young team and I wish them the best of luck.”
- The Carolina Hurricanes got some good news today as prospect Stelio Mattheos returned to the ice today after the team announced last month that the 20-year-old would miss training camp after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and would need time to undergo treatment. Those treatments have now been completed and he’s ready to return to hockey, according to NHL.com’s Michael Smith. Mattheos, a third-round pick in 2017, had just completed two impressive years with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, where he combined for 87 goals and 186 points. He then joined the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL in their Calder Cup Championship run in which he scored three goals in 14 games and had hoped to challenge for a spot on the Hurricanes roster this summer. While he’s almost guaranteed to be spending much of the year with Charlotte, although he is now cancer free, which is great news.
- Philadelphia Flyers center Nolan Patrick has been dealing with injuries on and off for years, but was listed was listed as week-to-week several days ago. Now, Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault told Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi that he doesn’t know if Patrick will be ready for the season opener. In fact, it looks unlikely that the 20-year-old will be ready for the start of the season. Patrick, the team’s second overall pick back in 2016, has struggled in his development over two years although injuries didn’t help that. However, the team finally went out and traded for the rights to center Kevin Hayes and then eventually signed him to be their second-line center, which would allow Patrick more time to develop as a third-line option instead. However, now an upper-body injury has held him back throughout training camp even though he has skated on his own since then, suggesting it could be another concussion-related injury, although nothing is confirmed on that. The team hopes Patrick will be back as quickly as possible.
- Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that two Washington Capitals skaters, including Lars Eller and Michal Kempny were skating Saturday. Eller has been out with a upper body injury, while Kempny has been dealing with a hamstring injury. No word on what their status will be for the start of the regular season.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/18/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
D Kevin Bahl (to Ottawa, OHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Matej Pekar (to Barrie, OHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Tyler Angle (to Windsor, OHL)
D Eric Hjorth (to Sarnia, OHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
D Dawson Barteaux (to Red Deer, WHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Luke Esposito (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ostap Safin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Beau Starrett (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Nolan Vesey (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Vincent Desharnais (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Jake Kulevich (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Aidan Dudas (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Arthur Kaliyev (to Hamilton, OHL)
D Jordan Spence (to Moncton, QMJHL)
G Jacob Ingham (to Kitchener, OHL)
G Lukas Parik (to Spokane, WHL)
F Jonathan Yantsis (released from ATO)
D Billy Constantinou (released from ATO)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
D Gianni Fairbrother (to Everett, WHL)
New York Islanders (per Blainville-Boisbriand team release)
D Samuel Bolduc (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
F Egor Serdyuk (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
D Egor Zamula (to Calgary, WHL)
D Mason Millman (to Saginaw, OHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Everett, WHL)
F Max Golod (released from ATO)
F Ben McCartney (released from ATO)
F Mika Cyr (released from ATO)
D Sean Comrie (released from ATO)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Gabriel Fortier (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Maxim Cajkovic (to Saint John, QMJHL)
D Quinn Schmiemann (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Eli Zummack (released from ATO)
D Louis Crevier (released from ATO)
D Cody Donaghey (released from ATO)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
D Xavier Bouchard (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
D Connor Corcoran (to Windsor, OHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Kelowna, WHL)
F Mason Primeau (to North Bay, OHL)
Philadelphia Flyers Agree To Terms With Travis Konecny
The Philadelphia Flyers have locked up their final restricted free agent, this time agreeing to terms with Travis Konecny. The young forward will sign a six-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $5.5MM. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher released a short statement on the deal:
We are happy to have Travis under contract for the next six seasons. Travis has shown progression in each of his three seasons and is an integral part of our group of young forwards. His speed, skill and tenacity sets him apart in today’s NHL.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic—who accurately suggested Bo Horvat‘s six-year $33MM deal was a comparable this morning—provides the full breakdown:
- 2019-20: $1.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
- 2020-21: $3.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2021-22: $5.25MM salary
- 2022-23: $3.75MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2023-24: $6.0MM salary
- 2024-25: $4.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
Konecny, 22, was the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft but quickly acclimated himself to the NHL level. Playing a full season in 2016-17 he showed off some impressive playmaking skills, and has now posted consecutive 24-goal campaigns over the last two years. The talented forward still hasn’t been able to break 50 points in a single year, but at least some of the reason for that is a simple lack of opportunity. Konecny averaged just over 15 minutes of ice time last season which was actually a career-high, and wasn’t a regular member of the first powerplay unit.
There’s no real guarantee that the man-advantage opportunity will increase for Konecny this season, but he should see more time at even-strength. He now slides in as the fifth-highest paid forward on the team, and with a huge investment in him the Flyers should be giving him every chance to succeed. If they do, that $5.5MM cap hit could become a bargain very quickly, especially compared to some of the other numbers his 2015 draft-mates are starting to pull in.
For the Flyers, they now have several pieces of their offense locked in long-term, but will have one more key negotiation coming up next summer with Nolan Patrick. Konecny joins Jakub Voracek, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Shayne Gostisbehere and James van Riemsdyk with deals that carry through at least the 2022-23 season, while Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux still have three years each on their respective contracts.
Still, the team doesn’t have much cap space as they head into the season. Currently projected at just over $80.3MM in salary commitments for 21 roster players, the team may have to move players up and down regularly to accrue any additional room.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Konecny, Laine
With training camp underway and the 2019-20 regular season just around the corner, Bob McKenzie of TSN has released his annual preseason draft rankings. This list is compiled from the opinions of ten active scouts around the league and given context by McKenzie, who will update throughout the year. It comes as little surprise to find Alexis Lafreniere leading the group, though none of them listed him as “in a class by himself.”
That may raise some eyebrows after Lafreniere took home the CHL Player of the Year award following his 105-point season with the Rimouski Oceanic, but it speaks to the strength of the players behind him. Those nipping at Lafreniere’s heels? They include power forwards, pure goal scorers, talented playmakers and even a potential franchise goaltender.
- After the trio of high profile restricted free agents all signed contracts over the past week, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examines what that will mean for next year’s crop. Mikhail Sergachev and Thomas Chabot are the focus of his musing, each in very different situations in Tampa Bay and Ottawa. LeBrun also gives an update on the ongoing negotiations with Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny, noting that there is “at least a path ahead” and giving a potential comparable of Bo Horvat‘s $5.5MM average annual value. Horvat signed a six-year, $33MM deal in September 2017 following his first 20-goal campaign.
- Patrik Laine has begun practicing with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA as expected, explaining that he knew the coaching staff and thought it was a perfect place to stay in shape. The team’s head coach is Kari Jalonen, who had Laine on the Finland World Championship roster in 2016 where they won a silver medal. Laine was named the Most Valuable Player of that tournament, scoring seven goals in ten games.