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A.J. Greer

Boston Bruins Sign Four Players

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The Boston Bruins have added some organizational depth, signing A.J. Greer to a two-year contract, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The deal will pay him $750K in 2022-23 and $775K in 2023-24, the league minimum in both years. The Athletic’s Michael Russo also reports the team’s agreed to terms on a “lucrative” two-way contract with Vinni Lettieri, one of the better skill forwards in the minors. The team also announced the signings of defenseman Connor Carrick and goalie Keith Kinkaid to one-year, two-way contracts worth $750K.

This deal should help the Providence Bruins more than the Boston Bruins, in all likelihood. Greer, 25, is an accomplished AHL scorer who has had very limited success at the NHL level. This past season, Greer scored 22 goals and 52 points in 53 games on the Utica Comets, good for third on the team. Greer is a big forward, standing at six-foot-three, 210 pounds, and uses that big frame to create space at the AHL level. At the NHL level, Greer has only played in limited-minutes, depth roles and as a result, doesn’t have a similar level of production there as he does at the AHL level.

The Bruins value their AHL affiliate and this signing is proof of that. Greer will have a chance to make Jim Montgomery’s Bruins squad but will in all likelihood be sent to the AHL and be one of the AHL Bruins’ most important players.

Lettieri split the 2021-22 season between the NHL and AHL with the Anaheim Ducks. He finished the year with five goals and 10 points in 31 games, showing flashes of NHL reliability, and he also had 22 points in 24 AHL games. 27 years old now, the Minnesota native is building a long history of producing well in the minors.

Carrick and Kinkaid both bring NHL experience to the table and are valuable options in the case of injury-related recalls. Kinkaid takes the reigns as the likely starting goalie in AHL Providence, serving as solid insurance for an injury to either Jeremy Swayman or Linus Ullmark.

Snapshots: Makar, Detroit, New Jersey

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Not only did Cale Makar take home the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman and win a Stanley Cup after just his third season in the league, but he was awarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. It wasn’t a close race. All 18 voters selected the young Colorado Avalanche defenseman as the winner, utterly demolishing his only real competition in Nathan MacKinnon, who appeared on all but one ballot (15 second place votes, two third place).

It has been an incredible start to a career for Makar, who currently sits at 180 points in 178 regular season games, 60 more in 55 postseason contests, and now has three major individual awards before he even turns 24. His 29 points in this postseason are the fourth-most ever for a defenseman in a single year, trailing only Paul Coffey (37 in 1985), Brian Leetch (34 in 1994), and Al MacInnis (31 in 1989).

  • The Detroit Red Wings are getting closer to naming a head coach, now that they will be able to interview Tampa Bay Lightning assistants Jeff Halpern and Derek Lalonde. Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News writes that Lalonde is currently considered a slight favorite for the job after his impressive rise through the ranks as a head coach. The Tampa Bay assistant has previous stops as head man with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, and Iowa Wild of the AHL, having never experienced a losing season at any stop.
  • The New Jersey Devils have had preliminary contract talks with several pending free agents, including Mason Geertsen and A.J. Greer according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, but not Frederik Gauthier, who is set to hit the open market next month. It appears as though the 2013 first-round pick might have to find a new place to ply his trade, even after his best minor league season to date. The 27-year-old Gauthier had 32 points in 51 games for the Utica Comets but was held scoreless in eight NHL contests.

Christian Jaros Clears Unconditional Waivers

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March 24: Jaros has cleared waivers and will now have his contract terminated.

March 23: The New Jersey Devils have placed Christian Jaros on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Just this week, Jaros already cleared regular waivers and was assigned to the minor leagues. If he clears again, he will become an unrestricted free agent. He would then be able to sign with any club he wanted, though he would not be eligible for the NHL playoffs.

The Devils have also recalled A.J. Greer and Kevin Bahl from the AHL, who will join the team in Toronto when they face the Maple Leafs this evening.

Jaros, 25, has actually not played a single game in the minor leagues this season, suiting up 11 times for the Devils instead. Originally selected 139th overall in 2015, he quickly rose through the ranks and was making his debut by the 2017-18 season with the Ottawa Senators. It looked as though he would quickly establish himself as a full-time NHL option, though after his progression stalled, he’s now bounced around and could be headed back to Europe.

In Bahl, the Devils have the big ticket from the Taylor Hall trade up with the big club, after his successful sophomore AHL campaign. The 6’6″ defenseman has 15 points in 49 games for the Utica Comets and from all accounts has taken a strong step forward in his development. He’s now played 11 games and is still looking for his first goal.

12 Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 8: All 12 players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 7: There were 30 players that hit waivers yesterday, but today’s list is quite a bit smaller. Just a dozen names are available for claim according to Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star. Those names are:

Troy Grosenick (BOS)
Brian Lashoff (DET)
Ryan Murphy (DET)
Andrew Hammond (MIN)
Kyle Rau (MIN)
A.J. Greer (NJD)
Louis Domingue (PIT)
Sam Anas (STL)
Charlie Lindgren (STL)
Calle Rosen (STL)
Steven Santini (STL)
Nathan Walker (STL)

Once again there are some interesting names on the list, including a quartet of experienced netminders. As teams deal with late-camp absences, those goaltenders could end up switching teams for a short period of time. There will be many, many more names placed on waivers in the coming days, however, as the regular season starts in less than a week.

New Jersey Devils Sign Marian Studenic

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The New Jersey Devils have announced the contract for A.J. Greer that was reported yesterday, but he’s not alone. Marian Studenic has also signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level.

Studenic, 22, made his NHL debut this season, playing eight games for the Devils. The fifth-round pick opened some eyes while playing back in Slovakia, showing just how far he’s come from his junior-age days. In 25 games with Bratislava before returning to North America he scored 15 points, tying the mark he had early in his career in far fewer games.

Now he’ll be in the mix for games with New Jersey next season, given how little they did to change the forward group heading into the season. Just six forwards in the entire organization are signed to one-way contracts, meaning there will be plenty of competition for playing time among their young prospect group.

New Jersey Devils Re-Sign A.J. Greer

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The New Jersey Devils have added their name to the list of teams making transactions today. PuckPedia reports that the team’s re-signed forward A.J. Greer to a one-year, two-way deal. It pays $750,000 at the NHL level and $130,000 at the minor-league level.

Greer joined the Devils organization this year by way of trade. He was part of the package sent to the team by the New York Islanders in the deadline deal that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac the other way. It was a blessing in disguise for Greer, who had an extremely slow offensive start in the AHL with just two points in 10 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. After the trade and subsequent assignment to Binghamton, Greer performed spectacularly with 14 points in just 16 games.

While it may not ever translate to the NHL level, as Greer’s now aged 24, there’s still some possible upside left in the former second-round pick. He’s a reliable body that can be used as a call-up in the case of injury and is a reliable producer at the minor-league level who can help assist young talent that the Devils are trying to develop. While he may not be in the organization’s long-term plans, it’s still a good idea to re-sign him for one year.

Trade Deadline Summary: East Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the East Division.

Boston Bruins
Status: Buyer

In – F Taylor Hall, F Curtis Lazar, D Mike Reilly
Out – F Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick

Buffalo Sabres
Status: Seller

In – F Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick (BOS), 2021 third-round pick (FLA), 2021 third-round pick (MTL), 2021 fifth-round pick (MTL), 2021 sixth-round pick (COL)
Out – F Taylor Hall, F Eric Staal, D Brandon Montour, F Curtis Lazar, G Jonas Johansson

New Jersey Devils
Status: Seller

In – D Jonas Siegenthaler, F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, 2021 first-round pick (NYI), conditional 2021 fourth-round pick (NYI), conditional 2022 fourth-round pick (EDM)
Out – F Kyle Palmieri, F Travis Zajac, D Dmitry Kulikov, 2021 third-round pick

New York Islanders
Status: Buyer

In – F Kyle Palmieri, F Travis Zajac, D Braydon Coburn
Out – F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, 2021 first-round pick, conditional 2021 fourth-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick

New York Rangers
Status: Neutral

In – 2021 fourth-round pick (LAK)
Out – F Brendan Lemieux

Philadelphia Flyers
Status: Neutral

In – 2021 fifth-round pick (VGK via WAS), 2022 seventh-round pick (STL via MTL)
Out – F Michael Raffl, D Erik Gustafsson

Pittsburgh Penguins
Status: Buyer

In – F Jeff Carter
Out – conditional 2022 third-round pick, conditional 2023 fourth-round pick

Washington Capitals
Status: Buyer

In – F Anthony Mantha, F Michael Raffl, conditional 2021 third-round pick (ARI/NJ)
Out – F Jakub Vrana, F Richard Panik, D Jonas Siegenthaler, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2021 fifth-round pick

New York Islanders Sign A.J. Greer

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After trading for the rights to forward A.J. Greer last week, the New York Islanders have now come to terms on a new contract with the restricted free agent. CapFriendly reports that Greer has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract to begin his tenure with the Islanders. The deal carries the minimum $700K salary at the NHL level and $100K at the AHL level, with a minimum of $125K overall guaranteed.

Greer, 23, landed in New York early last week in a deal that saw defenseman Kyle Burroughs go to the Colorado Avalanche. In four seasons with the Avs, Greer struggled to stick in the NHL lineup. It’s been a theme in the career of the talented forward, who also didn’t fit at Boston University and ended up leaving for the QMJHL. A 2015 second-round pick, Colorado gave Greer chances to carve out a role, but he consistently struggled to make the most of his opportunities. This past season, Greer did not play in the NHL at all. He counts just 37 games and six points at the top level for his career thus far.

With that said, Greer has always showed promise even if it hasn’t translated to the NHL. A big, two-way winger with good AHL numbers, a fresh start may be exactly what Greer needs. In the Islanders’ defense-oriented system, he may actually be an ideal fit in the bottom-six if he can win a job in camp or work his way into the lineup during the season. On just a one-year deal, Greer is hoping to establish his value before another round of RFA negotiations. A strong campaign could land him a multi-year extension, while a failure to make anything of his new chance could cost him a qualifying offer and land him on the open market. It’s a do-or-die season for the young forward.

Islanders Swap Kyle Burroughs To Colorado For A.J. Greer

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The New York Islanders have made a minor swap of players, sending defenseman Kyle Burroughs to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for winger A.J. Greer, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross.

With the swap, the Islanders add the 23-year-old Greer, who looks to be on the cusp of earning his way onto a team’s fourth line. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound winger is a restricted free agent, but has the potential to step into the Islanders line-up if the team doesn’t sign unrestricted free agents Matt Martin and Derick Brassard. A second-round pick in the 2015 draft, Greer spent the entire 2019-20 season with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL where he posted 16 goals, 32 points and 87 penalty minutes in 47 games. He has appeared in 37 career NHL games and could fill in on their well-known fourth line, if needed.

The Avalanche add some depth to their defense in bringing in Burroughs, who has yet to make his NHL debut. The 25-year-old blueliner has spent the last five seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. Never a particularly offensive-minded player, Burroughs scored two goals and eight points in 58 games with 69 penalty minutes. He is likely earmarked to join recently acquired Dennis Gilbert with the Eagles to replace Anton Lindholm and Mark Alt.

Snapshots: McDavid, Manning, Milano

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The legend of Connor McDavid is about to grow at the NHL All-Star Game, where not only will he be a participant, but a documentary will air examining his return after a knee injury at the end of last season. Ryan Rishaug of TSN spoke today about how McDavid turned down the surgical option that could have kept him out for the entire 2019-20 campaign, and instead went down a road of grueling rehab.

McDavid, who turned 23 just over a week ago, is having another outstanding season with 76 points through 49 games. The young forward is on track for his fourth consecutive season with more than 100 points, and third Art Ross Trophy as the top offensive player in the league.

  • While McDavid is heading to St. Louis to represent the Edmonton Oilers organization, Brandon Manning won’t even be getting on the ice for a while. The Oilers’ minor league defenseman has been suspended five games for using a racial slur towards an opponent last night. Keith Gretzky, the Bakersfield Condors’ general manager, released a statement supporting the league’s suspension and condemning Manning’s actions.
  • Sonny Milano missed Columbus Blue Jackets practice today due to a court appearance in New York, according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. Milano and Colorado Avalanche forward A.J. Greer had their assault charges dismissed after showing proof of community service and paying the medical bills of the victim.

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