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Andrej Sustr

Overseas Notes: Puljujarvi, Jooris, Murphy

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Even with interest from the KHL, Jesse Puljujarvi seems focused on playing in the NHL next season. Where he’ll do that though is still up in the air, as several reports have come out explaining that a trade may be the best outcome. Now the player himself admits that is a strong possibility, as Puljujarvi spoke to Finnish outlet Iltalehti and explained he may be wearing a different jersey next year. He also revealed that he’s back skating after the hip surgery that ended his 2018-19 season prematurely.

Puljujarvi, 21, was the Oilers’ top pick in 2016 going fourth overall after Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Unfortunately he hasn’t quite worked out like that impressive trio, and has just 37 points through 139 NHL games. Now as he heads into the offseason without a contract—his entry-level deal is set to expire and make him a restricted free agent—his future in the league is up in the air. Puljujarvi will not be waiver-exempt next season, meaning wherever he does land will have to at least give him a shot at the highest level. That likely makes a trade more difficult, as he hasn’t shown to this point an ability to produce at either end of the rink in the NHL.

  • Despite a long playoff run with the Toronto Marlies, Josh Jooris won’t be re-signing in North America. The veteran forward has inked a three-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland. Jooris, 28, scored 55 points in his 213-game NHL career including an impressive rookie season with the Calgary Flames, but will take his talents overseas. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent after his one-year, $650K contract with the Maple Leafs expired this summer.
  • Not only did Kunlun Red Star confirm that Andrej Sustr will be heading to the KHL next season, but also that Anaheim Ducks prospect Trevor Murphy has signed a two-year deal. The 23-year old Murphy was acquired by the Ducks last December and played 37 games for the San Diego Gulls this season, registering 18 points. An undrafted defenseman, he made his NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes in 2017-18 and had three points in eight games. Set to be a restricted free agent this summer, the Ducks can retain his exclusive negotiating rights by issuing him a qualifying offer.

Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Skinner, Sustr

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It’s draft season, and the final rankings from several of the hockey world’s leading scouts are starting to come out. Today marked the release of Corey Pronman’s first 2019 mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required), and Craig Button’s top-31 prospects for TSN. Pronman’s mock details some of the rumblings he has heard at the draft combine and elsewhere, and interestingly notes there is still no consensus on who the Chicago Blackhawks will be taking at third overall.

While Pronman lists Alex Turcotte there hesitantly, Button has CHL defenseman Bowen Byram as the third best prospect available. More notable than that even is Button’s ranking of Cole Caufield, who has continued to fly up boards as we close in on the draft later this month. The diminutive forward climbs to fourth on the TSN list, with even more lauding of his ability to put the puck in the net.

  • Bob McKenzie of TSN will release his final draft rankings a little later in the month, but he did tweet out a note regarding Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner today. McKenzie notes that it is “crunch time” in the negotiations between Buffalo and Skinner, and expects either a deal will get done in the next few days or the sniper will wait until unrestricted free agency. The TSN insider expects an eight-year deal worth $72MM, or something thereabouts. Skinner, 27, is coming off a 40-goal season and has made it clear he does enjoy playing with the Sabres. Still, a $72MM price tag is awfully expensive for any team.
  • A report out of Russia has Andrej Sustr signing a one-year deal with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, though there has been no formal confirmation at this point. The 28-year old defenseman is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after his current deal expires, and spent last season almost entirely in the minor leagues. Sustr was once a full-time member of the Tampa Bay Lightning blue line, but fell out of favor and never found his footing in the Anaheim Ducks organization.

Anaheim Ducks Make Several Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks have made a ton of roster moves today as they break for the All-Star festivities. Going down to the minor leagues are Troy Terry, Max Jones, Sam Carrick, Andy Welinski, Jacob Larsson and Andrej Sustr, while Korbinian Holzer and Jake Dotchin will take their place on the NHL roster. Jakob Silfverberg is also no longer listed on injured reserve. The team is doing this both as a cost saving measure and to allow some of their young players to continue suiting up while the NHL squad is off until February 2nd.

It’s been a tough year for the Ducks, who were just told that they would be without Ondrej Kase for the rest of the season and have now gone 2-6-2 in their last ten to fall out of the playoffs entirely. While they’re certainly not out of the race, it’s going to be a tough challenge for them to overcome the rest of the bubble teams and get to the postseason. Luckily, John Gibson is a thing.

The Ducks are pushed right up against the cap and will likely soon be activating Corey Perry’s $8.625MM hit off of long-term injured reserve. Every day they keep players down in the minors they are banking a little bit more, and since all of them are now waiver-exempt (after Sustr cleared today) there was no risk. Expect several to be back up with the NHL team in a week.

Andrej Sustr Placed On Waivers

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Thursday: Sustr has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Wednesday: The Anaheim Ducks have decided to place Andrej Sustr on waivers once again, after clearing earlier this season. Sustr hasn’t played an NHL game since November and has suited up just five times for the Ducks this season.

It’s hard to know what Sustr would bring to another team at this point in his career, but there was a time that he was considered a key part of the Tampa Bay Lightning blue line. The 6’7″ right-handed shot recorded a career-high 21 points in 2015-16, but quickly fell out of favor over the last few years. He signed with the Ducks for $1.3MM this year but hasn’t been able to get into the lineup on a consistent basis.

That price tag is also what likely kept him in the Ducks organization the first time through waivers, but this time perhaps a team will take a chance on the big defenseman. With Michael Del Zotto ready to play for Anaheim it seems unlikely that Sustr will be getting into any game action soon, and may have to spend another chunk of the year in the minor leagues with the San Diego Gulls.

Troy Terry, Max Jones Recalled As Anaheim Makes Several Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks are sick of losing, and they won’t be going into battle with the same group again. The team has made several roster moves today, including bringing up a little youth to inject into the lineup. Troy Terry, Max Jones and Andrej Sustr have all been recalled from the San Diego Gulls, while Jake Dotchin and Kiefer Sherwood have been assigned to the AHL. Patrick Eaves will be joining them in San Diego on a conditioning stint.

Terry, 21, has been destroying the AHL in his first year of professional hockey, recording 37 points in 32 games for the Gulls. Signed out of the University of Denver last spring, the versatile forward is still waiting for his first NHL point as he has been held off the scoresheet in eight outings. That’s not something he’s used to at any level, and the Ducks are hoping he can break through in the second half of this season.

Jones, 20, comes with a much higher draft pedigree than Terry but is still a step behind him at the AHL level. The big OHL winger has 24 points in his first season of professional hockey, and offers a much different skill set with his willingness to engage physically when necessary. Both players are part of an impressive group of forward prospects that could turn the Ducks’ fortunes around down the line, but will have their work cut out for them this season.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/18

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Saturday is an extremely busy day on the NHL calendar as there are the maximum 15 games on the slate with only Columbus getting the day off.  With that in mind, there is bound to be a lot of roster movement.  We’ll keep tabs of those moves here.

  • With winger Alex Chiasson headed for injured reserve, the Oilers announced the recall of winger Kailer Yamamoto from AHL Bakersfield. The 20-year-old has had some success in his first stint in the minors, collecting four goals and four assists in 11 games since being sent down last month.  Meanwhile, the loss of Chiasson certainly stings as his 16 goals place him third on the team in that department behind only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
  • The Stars have brought back winger Roope Hintz per a team release. The rookie has split the season between Dallas and Texas of the AHL and has had a fair bit of success offensively in the minors, posting 19 points in 17 games.  He has held his own in the NHL as well, logging 11:41 per night in 14 contests while picking up a pair of goals and an assist.
  • The Sabres announced the recall of goaltender Scott Wedgewood from AHL Rochester. He’s taking the place of goalie Linus Ullmark who missed practice on Friday due to illness.  Wedgewood does have some NHL experience under his belt after playing 20 games with Arizona last year and four with New Jersey before that but Buffalo will likely call on Carter Hutton to play in Ullmark’s absence.
  • Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen is day-to-day with a groin injury. Accordingly, Toronto announced the recall of goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo on an emergency basis from the AHLs Marlies.  The 25-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 4.12 GAA with a .866 SV% in 11 games thus far.
  • Two weeks ago, the Lightning weren’t planning to send defenseman Slater Koekkoek on a conditioning stint. They’ve had a change of heart as he has now been loaned to AHL Syracuse.  The 24-year-old last played on November 19th and has been a healthy scratch since then.  Koekkoek’s conditioning stint can last for up to two weeks.
  • Following the injury to Thomas Chabot on Friday, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defensemen Stefan Elliott and Christian Wolanin from AHL Belleville.  Ottawa had two vacant roster spots so no corresponding move needs to be made.  Elliott was acquired from Pittsburgh earlier this month and has already played in two games with the Sens but has spent most of the year at the minor league level.  Meanwhile, Wolanin has been quite productive in the minors with 18 points in 26 games while getting into one game with Ottawa back in late October. The Senators have also recalled forward Jack Rodewald, although it is unclear if he will play tonight. Rodewald has been a frequent call-up this season, but to this point has played in just one game for Ottawa.
  • The Islanders announced (via Twitter) that winger Michael Dal Colle has been recalled from Bridgeport of the AHL.  He takes the place of winger Jordan Eberle who was placed on IR retroactive to December 23rd.  The 22-year-old didn’t fare too well in his first NHL stint but he has been quite productive with the Sound Tigers, averaging a point per game over 28 appearances.
  • Dillon Dube is on his way back up to Calgary, as the Flames have recalled the impressive first-year pro from the AHL’s Stockton Heat. Dube began the season with the Flames, recording five points in 20 games, but since a late-November reassignment to the Heat, Dube has been a point-per-game player in the minors. Dube is expected to slot into the starting lineup right away tonight, taking the place of Michael Frolik.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled free agent addition Matt Bartkowski for the first time this season, as the veteran defenseman will finally get back to the highest level. Bartkowski has made double-digit NHL appearances in each of the past six seasons, including an 80-game effort with the Vancouver Canucks in 2015-16. However, Bartkowski was very much a part-time player for the Calgary Flames the past two years and has even struggled to make much of a difference for the AHL’s Iowa Wild this season. However, with Nick Seeler presently sidelined, Minnesota opted to go with the experienced 30-year-old rather than one of their younger defensive options.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have assigned forward Michael Bunting to the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, according to AZ Sports’ Matt Layman. Bunting was recalled on Thursday and played against Los Angeles, playing 9:36 on the ice, registering only one hit. He will return to Tucscon where he has six goals and 18 points in 20 games there. Bunting was expendable with the return of Vinnie Hinostroza.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have assigned forward Adam Gaudette to the Utica Comets of the AHL, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal. Gaudette was recalled on Oct. 15 due to injuries and managed to stay with the team even when those players returned in a bottom-line role. The 2018 Hobey Baker award winner was averaging just 10:09 of ATOI this season and had just two goals and six points. A return to the AHL where he can get more significant ice time would be better for the young forward in his development.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have swapped out defenseman, recalling defenseman Andy Welinski from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, while assigning Andrej Sustr there at the same time. Welinski last played for the Ducks in November where he played 11 games for Anaheim, posting one assist, while averaging 15:09 of ATOI. Sustr has only appeared in five games for the Ducks this season. CapFriendly adds that the Ducks also returned goaltender Kevin Boyle to San Diego. He was recalled Friday to fill in as an emergency backup while John Gibson and Ryan Miller dealt with injuries. His demotion suggests that one of them is ready to return to the active roster.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/18

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After another busy Saturday night in the NHL that saw some outstanding performances—not to mention a career defining five-goal explosion by Patrik Laine—just four games are on the schedule for today. The action kicks off with an afternoon tilt between the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes, while the Edmonton Oilers travel to Los Angeles to take on the Kings to close out the night. As teams prepare for the upcoming week of action, we’ll be here to keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have sent Luke Johnson to the AHL for the time being, assigning the 24-year old forward to the Rockford IceHogs. Johnson has just a single point in 13 games with the Blackhawks this season, his first in the NHL.
  • It wasn’t a long NHL visit for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Trevor Carrick, who was recalled for just one game this weekend and is now on his way back to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Carrick, like usual, has been lighting up the minor leagues with his quick first pass and ability to jump into the rush, scoring 17 points in 19 games. The 24-year old can’t seem to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, but is one of the most effective puck-moving defensemen in the AHL.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled defensemen Andrej Sustr and Andy Welinski from the San Diego Gulls and have assigned defenseman Joshua Mahura to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. For Sustr, he returns after being placed on waivers on Oct. 26 and assigned to the AHL. A veteran of 322 NHL games, the 27-year-old played seven games for the Gulls tallying one assist. The team also brought up Welinski after assigning him to San Diego Saturday, making it a likely paper transaction. As for Mahura, the 20-year-old fared well in his NHL debut. He had been faring well in San Diego, posting eight points in 12 games and had a point in three games for the Ducks.
  • The turntable for Timothy Gettinger continues as the 6-foot-6, 220-pound power forward has been recalled by the New York Rangers after being assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday evening after being recalled by the Rangers on Friday. Gettinger, who made his NHL debut Saturday with a 7:00 minute performance, returns to the team. In 20 games for the Wolf Pack, Gettinger has seven goals and 11 points.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled forward Valentin Zykov and defenseman Jake Bean from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Zykov has been recalled after a playing in Charlotte on a conditioning loan posting two goals in six appearances with the AHL squad. Bean will likely replace Carrick who was assigned to Charlotte earlier Sunday (see above). The team’s 13th-overall pick in 2016 will hope to make his NHL debut Tuesday in Montreal. He has three goals and 10 points in 20 games with the Checkers.

Anaheim Ducks Place Maxime Comtois On Injured Reserve

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The Anaheim Ducks have placed winger Max Comtois on injured reserve today after he sustained a lower-body injury earlier last week, according to CapFriendly. The hope was that the 19-year-old Comtois might be ready for Sunday’s matchup against San Jose after a two-day break. No word if the move was retroactive. Regardless, Comtois will likely miss a few games after this transaction.

Comtois has been one of the Ducks’ bright spots this season as he has two goals and seven points in his first 10 games of the season. A bit of a surprise to make Anaheim’s opening day roster out of training camp, the second-round pick from the 2017 draft has already burned the first year of his entry-level deal and continues to thrive in the Ducks struggling offense. He had a breakout season last season with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL after posting 44 goals and 85 points in 56 games there.

The Ducks made a couple of other roster moves, including officially sending Andrej Sustr to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL after the veteran blueliner cleared waivers earlier today. The team has now recalled defensemen Jacob Larsson and Andy Welinski from San Diego, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens. Larsson, the team’s first-rounder from 2015, has struggled with injuries over the last year, but the 21-year-old has been heathy so far this year with two assists in six games this season. The 25-year-old Welinski started the year in San Diego on fire, posting two goals and five points in five games so far this year. The offensive defenseman played in seven games for the Ducks last year.

Stephens also notes that Jakob Silfverberg could be close to returning to the Ducks lineup. That could be a significant return as Silfverberg was hot before getting injured against St. Louis on Oct. 14. The 28-year-old had three goals and seven points before going down with a hand injury.

 

Andrej Sustr Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Sustr has cleared waivers, Friedman reports (Twitter link).

Friday: The Anaheim Ducks have had a rough start to the season, and have decided to make some changes. Andrej Sustr, signed this offseason to a one-year contract, has been placed on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Sustr, 27, was not so long ago a full-time player for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The right-handed behemoth, who stands 6’7″ and can seemingly reach from hashmark to hashmark, suited up for more than 70 games in three straight seasons for the team, recording a career-high of 21 points in 2015-16. That came crashing to a halt last season when he played in just 44 games, and was allowed to leave in unrestricted free agency given their new options like Mikhail Sergachev and Ryan McDonagh.

It took just a few days on the open market for Sustr to find a home though, as he signed with the Ducks for $1.3MM and was expected to take a spot on the third pairing. The team had also signed veteran defenseman Luke Schenn, but for far less money. They’d waived Korbinian Holzer even before he ended up with wrist surgery, and all signs pointed to Sustr improving on the 13 minutes of ice time he averaged last season. That didn’t happen through his first four opportunities, as the team gave him fewer than that in each game. He still managed to take a minor penalty in three of those games, and didn’t help the Ducks do much at either end.

That $1.3MM price tag will likely keep Sustr in the Ducks organization, and allow them to move him to the minor leagues if necessary. Though there is always a need for right-handed defensemen in the league, his play so far has not shown much reason to believe he can be one of them. The Ducks would receive $1.025MM in cap relief by burying him in the minor leagues, though they’re not right up to the ceiling at the moment anyway.

2018-19 Season Primer: Tampa Bay Lightning

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last Season: 54-23-5 record (113 points), third in the Atlantic Division (lost to Washington in the Eastern Conference Finals)

Remaining Cap Space: $2.646MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: D Cameron Gaunce (free agent, Columbus); Kevin Lynch (free agent, Syracuse Crunch (AHL))

Key Departures: F Chris Kunitz (free agent, Chicago Blackhawks); D Andrej Sustr (Anaheim Ducks); F Matthew Peca (Montreal Canadiens); F Erik Condra (Dallas Stars); Mathew Bodie (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)); F Alex Gallant (Vegas Golden Knights)

[Related: Lightning Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Nikita Kucherov – The 25-year-old superstar quietly signed a eight-year, $76MM extension this offseason and after breaking the 100-point barrier, many wonder if Kucherov takes another step this season. He broke the 100-point barrier last year as his assist totals took a jump, most likely in part because of his success playing next to center Steven Stamkos.

However, is there more that Kucherov can do to help the team capture a Stanley Cup? The winger took his game up a notch after the 2016-17 season when he jumped from 30 to 40 goals. Then last season, he took those assists up a notch, raising his assist totals from 45 to 61, while maintaining his goal-scoring prowess as he still tallied 39 goals last season.

The real question is whether the 100-point performance last season is just Kucherov scratching the surface of his potential or whether he will slip back to his 80-pont ways. No matter what, he remains one of the best plaeyrs in the NHL, but one wonders how much better he can be.

Key Storyline: General manager Steve Yzerman has never been shy of making a big trade to add talent for their Stanley Cup run. He did that at the trade deadline last year when the team went out and acquired two key pieces for their run when they got defenseman Ryan McDonagh and winger J.T. Miller, both who were critical to their playoff run. Unfortunately, they hit the Washington Capitals’ wall and failed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, but they were extremely close.

The team didn’t make many moves in the offseason, but were rumored to be in on a potential Erik Karlsson trade and at one point it looked like it was a done deal. However, the team may not have been ready to part with talented defenseman Mikhail Sergachev at the time. However, with Karlsson still in Ottawa, don’t be shocked if the Lightning do everything it can to bring the star defenseman aboard. If the team could find itself with a top-four of Victor Hedman, McDonagh, Karlsson and Sergachev, the team’s defense might be the best in hockey.

Overall Outlook: There may be only eight teams that could be considered legitimate candidates to win the Stanley Cup this year and Tampa Bay would likely be considered among the top two or three teams this year. With their offensive success throughout their forward lines as well as a developing defense with two solid top-two defenders on the roster and the most talented young goaltender in the NHL at the moment in Andrei Vasilevskiy, the team is in good hands for the 2018-19 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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