Rasmus Ristolainen Moved To Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers are 2-0 and they have only allowed four goals on the year. They’ve been able to do that without highly-paid defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered late in camp. Today, they have moved Ristolainen to injured reserve and recalled Zack MacEwen and Louis Belpedio, meaning they’ll have to keep playing without the big Finn for the next little while.
Given that the IR placement is retroactive, Ristolainen can come back basically at any point. But moving him off the roster at least suggests that he’s going to miss some more time.
Many fans of the team will be excited about the move, given it brings back tough guy MacEwen, who became a favorite last season when he was racking up 110 penalty minutes in 75 games. The 26-year-old forward gives the team another player who can skate and throw huge hits, while dropping the gloves whenever necessary.
Belpedio, meanwhile, gives the team another defensive option, though the group has looked pretty good so far. The 26-year-old has played in just four games at the NHL level in the past but is a strong two-way presence in the minor leagues and is coming off an impressive Calder Cup playoff run with the Laval Rocket.
2008 NHL Draft Take Two: Nineteenth Overall
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science, and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
2nd Overall: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings (2)
3rd Overall: Roman Josi, Atlanta Thrashers (38)
4th Overall: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues (4)
5th Overall: Erik Karlsson, Toronto Maple Leafs (15)
6th Overall: John Carlson, Columbus Blue Jackets (27)
7th Overall: Jacob Markstrom, Nashville Predators (31)
8th Overall: Braden Holtby, Phoenix Coyotes (93)
9th Overall: Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders (22)
10th Overall: Jared Spurgeon, Vancouver Canucks (156)
11th Overall: Cam Atkinson, Chicago Blackhawks (157)
12th Overall: T.J. Brodie, Buffalo Sabres (114)
13th Overall: Josh Bailey, Los Angeles Kings (9)
14th Overall: Adam Henrique, Carolina Hurricanes (82)
15th Overall: Tyler Myers, Ottawa Senators (12)
16th Overall: Gustav Nyquist, Boston Bruins (121)
17th Overall: Derek Stepan, Anaheim Ducks (51)
18th Overall: Jake Allen, Nashville Predators (34)
Right now, Pekka Rinne‘s number hangs in the rafters of Bridgestone Arena, just above where another star netminder, Juuse Saros, plays his games. No doubt, Nashville is happy with its goaltending over the past 15 seasons or so. But, in our redraft, it’s hard not to think about what could have been if the Predators had selected both Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen seventh and eighteenth overall, respectively. Instead in 2008, Nashville selected forward Colin Wilson in the seven spot and goaltender Chet Pickard eighteenth.
Ultimately, Pickard never played in the NHL after a hot start in junior and the AHL. The goaltender would bounce between the AHL and ECHL before heading over to Europe, where he’s now a reliable netminder in Germany’s DEL. Even with Rinne and Saros, it’s likely the Predators would’ve preferred to take Allen over Pickard given Allen’s track record of NHL success.
Originally selected 34th overall by the St. Louis Blues, Allen slides nearly halfway up the draft board in our redraft. Allen was a standout goaltender in the QMJHL when he was selected by St. Louis, returning for the 2008-09 season. He would turn pro for 2009-10, playing goal for the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL and began to establish himself as one of the league’s best. He’d make his NHL debut during the shortened 2012-13 season, suiting up for 15 games with the Blues, returning to the AHL for 2013-14, where he put up a sensational 2.03 goals-against average and .928 save-percentage. That AHL performance would be his last, earning him the promotion to the NHL full-time.
Allen gradually took over the starer’s job in St. Louis, peaking from 2015 through 2018. Eventually, with the emergence of Jordan Binnington and Allen’s own performance slipping a bit, he lost the starting job. Prior to the 2020-21 season, St. Louis dealt Allen to the Montreal Canadiens, where he was expected to backup the legendary Carey Price. Now, with Price’s long-term injury, Allen has emerged as the starter for Montreal, recently signing a two-year extension that runs through 2024-25.
From the eighteenth-overall selection, we move on to the nineteenth, which belonged to the Philadelphia Flyers, who selected defenseman Luca Sbisa. The Italian-born Sbisa appears to have represented fair value for the nineteenth-overall pick. Far from flashy, the stay-at-home defenseman made a career as a steady, reliable, and at times physical presence. Sbisa made his NHL debut immediately after being drafted, getting into 39 NHL games for the Flyers before being sent back to the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. That offseason, he was sent to the Anaheim Ducks in the trade that ultimately brought Chris Pronger to Philadelphia.
Sbisa spent parts of five seasons in Anaheim, taking on a regular role on the Ducks’ blueline. In the summer of 2014, Sbisa was again moved as part of the package to bring in a star, this time heading to the Vancouver Canucks, with Ryan Kesler headed the other way. There, he continued to play the role of a quiet, yet effective blueliner, signing a three-year, $10.8MM extension prior to 2015-16. However, he’d spend just two more seasons in Vancouver before the Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the 2017 expansion draft.
The veteran appeared in just 30 games in the inaugural Vegas season, hitting the open market in 2018. There, he signed with the New York Islanders, getting into just nine games. That offseason, once again a free agent, he returned to Anaheim only briefly, selected off waivers by the Winnipeg Jets before he could suit up for an official game with the Ducks. Sbisa played 41 games for the Jets in 2019-20 and appeared set to join them once again for 2020-21, but was claimed on waivers once again, just prior to the start of the season. He’d work his way into the lineup for just one game with Nashville, which appears to be the last of his career. Though no formal retirement announcement appears to hve been made, Sbisa spent the 2021-22 season working with the Ducks and was recently hired by the San Jose Sharks in a player development role.
With names like John Carlson, Jordan Eberle, Jared Spurgeon, and Markstrom, just to name a few, still on the board, the Flyers likely would’ve opted to change their pick with hindsight. Still, taking Sbisa at nineteenth, given his long career wasn’t a bad bet, especially considering he helped them acquire Pronger, a tremendous asset at the time. With hindsight, would the Flyers opt to take Sbisa again with the names still remaining in our redraft? Or could they go for another option, such as Jake Gardiner, Travis Hamonic, or Tyler Ennis?
2008 Redraft: Nineteenth Overall
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Jake Gardiner 21% (86)
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Justin Schultz 16% (67)
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Travis Hamonic 13% (54)
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Zach Bogosian 9% (37)
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Marco Scandella 8% (34)
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Luke Schenn 8% (32)
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Matt Martin 5% (20)
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Tyler Ennis 4% (17)
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Michael Del Zotto 4% (15)
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Jason Demers 3% (14)
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Mikkel Boedker 2% (10)
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Colin Wilson 2% (8)
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Luca Sbisa 2% (7)
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Matt Calvert 1% (5)
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Zack Smith 0% (2)
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Zach Boychuk 0% (2)
Total votes: 410
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Philadelphia Flyers Activate Felix Sandstrom, Loan Samuel Ersson To AHL
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced a change to their current goaltending picture, as they have activated Felix Sandstrom off of season-opening injured reserve. In a corresponding move, Samuel Ersson was sent down to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Sandstrom, 25, has been a member of the Flyers organization since the 2015 draft, where he was made a third-round pick of the team, getting selected 70th overall. Sandstrom spent the bulk of last season as AHL Lehigh Valley’s primary netminder, posting a .902 save percentage in 44 games. Sandstrom also got five games of NHL action, going 4-1 with a .910 save percentage.
The Flyers clearly believe that he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL and become Carter Hart‘s backup, hence the move here he install Sandstrom in that role and send Ersson down.
As for Ersson, the 22-year-old goalie made his North American professional debut last season, playing five games for the Phantoms and posting a .893 save percentage. Before that, Ersson was a starting netminder in his native Sweden’s top league, the SHL. The 22-year-old goalie will now head to Lehigh Valley to compete with veteran Troy Grosenick for time in crease at the Flyers’ AHL affiliate.
Hayden Hodgson, Anthony Angello Clear Waivers
Saturday: Both Hodgson and Angello cleared waivers, Friedman reports. They have both been assigned to the minors. No one was placed on waivers today.
Friday: Two players hit the wire today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Hayden Hodgson of the Philadelphia Flyers and Anthony Angello of the St. Louis Blues have been placed on waivers.
Earlier today, Flyers head coach John Tortorella didn’t hold back with his comments, telling reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that he didn’t think Hodgson had a good camp, and that he wasn’t ready to play last night.
Even in a game where the team lost Owen Tippett early, Tortorella gave Hodgson fewer than five minutes of ice time. Placement on waivers shouldn’t surprise anyone, though it is a little disappointing after such a great story last year.
Undrafted, the 26-year-old Hodgson grinded his way through several years in the ECHL and then was outstanding for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, earning himself an NHL call-up. He scored three points in six games and looked like a classic late-blooming bottom-sixer. Unfortunately, that run won’t continue just yet, as he’ll be heading to the minor leagues if he clears.
Angello, meanwhile, was always expected to start in the AHL but had been injured and started the year on season-opening injured reserve. A waiver placement suggests that he’s ready to resume playing, and will head to the Springfield Thunderbirds should he clear. The 6’5″ forward has just 31 games of NHL experience under his belt, four of which came last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Flyers Place Owen Tippett On IR, Recall Olle Lycksell
Flyers winger Owen Tippett left Thursday’s season-opening victory against New Jersey after just four shifts and it appears he’ll be out for a little while at least as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed him on injured reserve which means he’ll be out for a minimum of a week. In a corresponding move, Philadelphia has recalled forward Olle Lycksell from Lehigh Valley of the AHL.
Tippett was a key part of the return that the Flyers received in the swap that sent Claude Giroux to Florida back at the trade deadline. He made a good first impression with Philadelphia down the stretch, picking up seven points in 21 games to push his full-season totals to 10 goals and 11 assists in 63 contests. The 23-year-old signed a two-year bridge deal in late July that carries a $1.5MM cap hit, a contract that allows the team to get a better sense of his upside but that will have to wait a bit until he’s able to return now.
As for Lycksell, the Flyers signed him back in May 2021 but he spent all of last season with Vaxjo of the SHL where he collected 14 goals and 20 assists in 47 games while averaging over a point per game in Champions League play. He had four points during their rookie camp and saw action in four games in the preseason, primarily in a top-six role and appears to have made a positive impression on the coaching staff to get this early recall.
Linus Sandin Clears Unconditional Waivers
Oct: 14: Sandin has cleared waivers, had his contract terminated, and is now eligible to sign overseas.
Oct 13: The Philadelphia Flyers placed Linus Sandin on waivers two weeks ago, when it was clear he wouldn’t be making the team. After passing through unclaimed, he was assigned to the minor leagues. Now, his stint in the AHL will come to an end, as the Flyers have placed him on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.
This will make Sandin an unrestricted free agent and allow him to sign somewhere else, a move that is usually followed by a contract overseas. The 26-year-old forward has just one NHL game under his belt and failed to register a point.
It would certainly make sense for the undrafted Sandin to return home. He was a strong contributor in the SHL before coming to North America, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in his final full season with HV71. The older brother of Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin, Linus was good-not-great in his time in the minor leagues.
It is somewhat interesting that the Swedish forward has chosen this route, given he was the one to agree to a two-way contract in May. The deal included a minor league guarantee of $285K, meaning he at least must have known there was a chance he would end up back in the AHL. Should he clear, it would be highly unlikely that he finds another contract in the NHL this year, as you can’t get much more affordable than his league-minimum deal.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Jackson Cates
As Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic suggested a couple of days ago, Ronnie Attard‘s days on the Philadelphia Flyers roster were numbered (for now). The young defenseman has been loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this morning, with the team recalling forward Jackson Cates in his place.
Attard, 23, did not play in the team’s season-opening win against the New Jersey Devils, with young Egor Zamula getting the start in his place. If Attard isn’t going to play, he might as well go to the AHL to continue his development and polish his game. That’s not something he’s familiar with, after going right from the college ranks into the NHL lineup last season.
There’s plenty of time for the Western Michigan alum to make it back to the NHL on a more regular basis, and you will likely see Attard back up if the team suffers any additional injuries on the back end. With Rasmus Ristolainen only out day-to-day, even Zamula’s time with the big club might be numbered.
Cates meanwhile will join his brother Noah Cates who played more than 19 minutes last night, seeing time on both the powerplay and penalty kill. The older of the two, Jackson played in 11 games with the Flyers last season and scored his first NHL goal. The two showed incredible chemistry in the preseason (as one might expect) and were one of the leading storylines.
Unfortunately, the recall of Cates might also suggest some more negative consequences from last night’s game. Owen Tippett left after just four minutes of ice time with an upper-body injury, and Cam Atkinson didn’t dress at all. The recall will give the team some extra forward depth in case they need it tomorrow when they welcome in the Vancouver Canucks.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Travis Sanheim
5:30 PM: CapFriendly has detailed the full structure of Sanheim’s deal. It runs as follows:
Year 1: $5.125MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 2: $5.125MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 3: $5.125MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 4: $6.125MM
Year 5: $1.875MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 6: $1.875MM + $3MM signing bonus
Year 7: $4.875MM
Year 8: $4.875MM
Of note is also that Sanheim will have a full no-trade clause for the first four years of the deal, and then the clause will become a twelve-team no-trade for year five through year eight.
4:45 PM: The Flyers have now officially announced a contract extension for Sanheim. The deal is an eight-year pact with an average annual value of $6.25MM. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher gave the following statement regarding the signing:
We’re extremely happy to have Travis under long-term contract and see him as a key piece of our team’s future. Travis has improved each season to become a highly reliable player and key contributor on our blueline. Furthermore, he is someone who has developed his entire career with us and has grown into a valuable leader for our team.
1:45 PM: The Philadelphia Flyers are once again showing that they have no interest in a rebuild. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the team is making progress on an extension with Travis Sanheim, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The long-term deal would pay Sanheim around $6MM per season, though Friedman can’t confirm the actual figure that is being discussed.
It’s been five seasons in the NHL now for Sanheim, the 17th overall pick from 2014, and while he didn’t turn into the superstar defenseman that some early returns suggested, he is arguably the team’s most consistent player on the back end. Averaging close to 23 minutes a night last season, almost exclusively next to Rasmus Ristolainen, Sanheim recorded seven goals and 31 points, racked up 142 blocks, and was one of three regulars who finished the year with a positive goal differential (+9, to lead the team).
An extension in this case makes sense for the 26-year-old, who likely is just entering his true prime as an NHL shutdown defenseman. He was given heavy defensive deployment last year and will likely get much of the same this time around as Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo are given offensive touches and youngsters like Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard are sheltered.
The biggest question, though, is whether or not the Flyers can actually turn things around without stripping down the roster first. Signing their players to big-money extensions only reduces the amount of surplus value they can offer, and a $6MM cap hit for Sanheim would mean the team has five defensemen over the $5MM mark for next year. One of those is Ryan Ellis, whose career is completely up in the air at this point, but even with him on the shelf it is a lot invested in a group that has struggled.
The Flyers were 27th in goals against last season with 294 and finished 29th in the overall standings. Over the summer they failed to really change the lineup very much, outside of adding DeAngelo and some toughness up front. While John Tortorella seems to have the group motivated for the upcoming challenge and players like Kevin Hayes are at a much better place health-wise, the question remains over whether the team would be better off trading away some of these expiring assets instead of extending them.
Regardless, Flyers fans should be excited about the fact they likely will get to watch Sanheim, a player they drafted and developed, for another several years. The big defenseman will start his season tonight against the New Jersey Devils, though partner Ristolainen is out with an injury for the season opener.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Tanner Laczynski, Wade Allison, Egor Zamula
The Philadelphia Flyers needed to work around the salary cap to get the opening day lineup they wanted, and that meant several transactions today. Sean Couturier has been moved to injured reserve, Bobby Brink, Patrick Brown, and Felix Sandstrom to the injured non-roster, and most notably, Ryan Ellis to long-term injured reserve.
That last move gives the team enough flexibility to officially recall Tanner Laczynski, Wade Allison, and Egor Zamula from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Ellis is not expected to play this season.
Laczynski, 25, has dealt with his own injuries over the last couple of seasons and has just six NHL games under his belt to this point. The Ohio State standout is still looking for his first point at that level but does have 27 in 42 career minor league matches.
Allison, 24, has done a little better at the highest level, racking up four goals and seven points in 15 career games. All of those points came in 2020-21 though, as Allison was limited to just 29 professional games last season.
It is Zamula who is perhaps the most interesting among the three, if only because of his upside. The 22-year-old defenseman went undrafted out of the WHL but quickly made an impact at the pro level and was playing minutes with the Flyers in 2020-21. After an excellent season with the Phantoms last year, where he scored 29 points in 58 games, Zamula looks like he could be a long-term piece to the back end.
Still, with such little experience, each of these players will be tested at the NHL level and could find themselves back in the minor leagues at some point. The Flyers aren’t expected to contend for the playoffs – but don’t tell them that. John Tortorella is trying to set a “new standard” with the organization and will be doing everything he can do make them as competitive as possible.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/10/22
A very happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers who are celebrating! Today marks the deadline for NHL clubs to become cap compliant and submit their opening night rosters. More specifically, the 5:00 pm ET deadline is now less than six hours away. With that in mind, we expect to see plenty of players sent to the minor leagues, returned to juniors, or released from their PTOs today, and we’ll keep track of them here.
Arizona Coyotes (via team tweet)
D Cam Dineen (to Tucson, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Tucson, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Tucson, AHL)
F Bokondji Imama (to Tucson, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team tweet)
D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (to Rochester, AHL)
F Olivier Nadeau (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Jack Drury (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jordan Martinook (to Chicago, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team tweet)
D Wyatt Aamodt (to Colorado, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Emil Bemstrom (to Cleveland, AHL)
D David Jiricek (to Cleveland, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Jeremie Biakabutuka (released from ATO)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Jussi Olkinuora (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team tweet)
D Jason Demers (released from PTO)
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Devin Shore (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
G Pheonix Copley (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
F Andre Lee (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via two team tweets)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (to Laval, AHL)
F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)
D Justin Barron (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
D Arber Xhekaj (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mark Jankowski (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Philip Tomasino (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Kevin Gravel (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
D Matt Bartkowski (released from PTO)
F Julien Gauthier (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team tweet)
F Ridly Greig (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per Olivia Reiner, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
F Jackson Cates (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team tweet)
F John Hayden (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Michal Kempny (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Josh Leivo (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Springfield, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team tweet)
F Kyle Clifford (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Gaudette (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pontus Holmberg (to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (to Toronto, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nick Robertson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Wayne Simmonds (to Toronto, AHL)
D William Villeneuve (to Toronto, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team tweet)
F Linus Karlsson (to Abbotsford, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)
F Pavel Dorofeyev (to Henderson, AHL)
F Sakari Manninen (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jonas Rondbjerg (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Henderson, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team tweet)
F Henrik Borgstrom (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team tweet)
D Ville Heinola (to Manitoba, AHL)
This post will be kept updated throughout the day.