Los Angeles Kings Sign Austin Strand
Austin Strand has accepted his qualifying offer and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Los Angeles Kings worth $771,750. He was not eligible for arbitration this summer.
Strand, 24, made his NHL debut this season, playing 13 games for the Kings and registering a single point. The undrafted defenseman has worked his way up through the minor leagues but will have to fight for playing time again this season. Waiver-exempt for 2020-21, he was involved in daily transactions between the minor leagues, taxi squad and NHL roster. That opportunity won’t be available this time around, meaning Strand will be at risk to the rest of the league if he fails to make the team out of camp.
The Kings already have five defensemen signed to one-way contracts, plus Michael Anderson, Tobias Bjornfot, and Christian Wolanin fighting for playing time, not to mention the unsigned Kale Clague and Jacob Moverare. There’s plenty of options for the coaching staff to work with as the Kings try to find a mix that can get them back to the playoffs, with Strand serving as valuable depth even if he’s not in the NHL lineup on a regular basis.
West Notes: Krebs, Strand, Kostin, Wiesblatt, Robins
With the WHL getting closer to a start date, many teams are beginning to send their prospects back to their junior leagues. The Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, announced they have assigned center Peyton Krebs to the Winnipeg Ice.
With the WHL shutdown for most of the season so far, the Golden Knights’ top pick in 2019 (17th overall) got a rare opportunity to play amongst men in the AHL. He managed to get in five games with the Silver Knights, posting a goal and five points and looking like he’s ready for his next challenge. However, with the WHL starting back up soon, Krebs either had to be on the Golden Knights roster or return to his junior team. The 20-year-old posted impressive numbers with Winnipeg last season, including 12 goals and 60 points in just 38 games before joining the Golden Knights in the bubble for the playoffs last summer even if he didn’t get to appear in an NHL game.
- The Department of Player Safety announced that they have fined Los Angeles Kings defenseman Austin Strand $3,168 for cross-checking forward Conor Garland. The incident occurred at 19:52 of the second period (video here) in which Strand used the shaft of his stick to strike Garland in the face. Strand received a two-minute minor penalty for cross checking. The fine was the maximum amount allowable under the CBA.
- With Sammy Blais on the COVID Protocol list, the St. Louis Blues find themselves down to 11 forwards. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that despite their lack of depth at the forward position all of a sudden, there is no plan to bring back prospect Klim Kostin from Russia. The 2017 first-rounder was loaned for the season to Omsk Avangard of the KHL in September, but the team has indicated that’s where he’ll stay until the KHL season ends. Of course, their regular season ends at the end of this month, but Omsk Avangard is expected to be in the playoffs, lengthening his stay there. While the forward’s numbers aren’t overly impressive (seven goals and 18 points in 41 games), Thomas notes that he has been much more impressive lately with four goals and nine points in his last six games.
- The San Jose Sharks announced they have assigned two of their top picks in the 2020 NHL draft to the WHL. Both Ozzy Wiesblatt and Tristen Robins, who were playing with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL while junior play has been suspended, will return to their teams. Wiesblatt, the team’s first-round pick (31st overall), played in three games for the Barracuda, scoring one goal and will return to Prince Albert of the WHL. Robins, the team’s second-round pick (56th overall), played in two games with the Barracuda and will return to Saskatoon of the AHL.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/16/21
It appears as though there will be daily movement this season between the active roster and taxi squad, and although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of shuffle news each day.
- The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Jake Evans from the taxi squad in advance of their game tonight against Edmonton. The 24-year-old served as their fourth-line pivot in their opener against Toronto and should be in that role against the Oilers as well.
- Morgan Geekie has been summoned from Carolina’s taxi squad, per a team release. The recall is on an emergency basis and may pertain to Jordan Staal’s placement on the COVID-protocol list on Friday. Geekie played in two games with the Hurricanes last season, recording three goals and one assist.
- The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned defenseman Conor Timmins to the taxi squad. Meanwhile, blueliner Bowen Byram was recalled from AHL Colorado. To make room on the taxi squad, forwards Shane Bowers and Logan O’Connor were assigned to the Eagles. Timmins has played in both games so far this season, logging a little over 15 minutes per night.
- The Maple Leafs have recalled winger Nicholas Robertson from their taxi squad and sent Alexander Barabanov down, the team announced. Robertson played in four games against Columbus in the Qualifying Round last summer but tonight marks his first regular season NHL contest. Barabanov, meanwhile, has played in both games for Toronto so far but logged just 4:19 on Friday night against Ottawa.
- The Kings have made a series of roster moves, notes Jack A. Harris of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). With Cal Petersen, Sean Walker, and Kurtis MacDermid all being activated to the roster from the COVID protocol list, defenseman Mark Alt and Tobias Bjornfot along with goalie Jacob Ingham were sent to the taxi squad. To make room on that group, Los Angeles also assigned defenseman Austin Strand and goalie Matthew Villalta to Ontario (AHL).
- Nashville has recalled forward Mathieu Olivier from the taxi squad, adding some physicality up front. The big forward made his NHL debut last season and saw eight games of action with the Predators while also setting new AHL career highs with the Milwaukee Admirals in his second pro season. The Mississippi native could be a frequent fourth line option for Nashville this season given his size, engery, and propensity for checking.
- Derek Ryan and Oliver Kylington have been activated to the roster of the Calgary Flames, the team announced. Two of the bigger names to hit the waiver wire during training camp, Ryan and Kylington both cleared and were assigned to the taxi squad. However, it didn’t take long for the pair to get back in action for Calgary.
Kings Re-Sign Austin Strand
Oct. 19: Los Angeles announced the contract today at the previously-reported terms.
Oct. 12: The Kings have agreed to terms on a deal with one of their restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed defenseman Austin Strand to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract pays $735K in the NHL and $70K in the minors which means he accepted his qualifying offer.
The 23-year-old signed with Los Angeles as an undrafted free agent back in 2017 and then went to finish off his junior career with WHL Seattle where he flirted with the point per game mark, picking up 25 goals and 39 assists in 69 games. However, that production hasn’t quite carried over to the professional level.
This past season, Strand played in 41 games with AHL Ontario, picking up eight goals and seven assists in 41 games, numbers that were a bit lower than his rookie campaign. Nonetheless, he has shown a bit of offensive intrigue which was enough for Los Angeles to tender him his qualifier last week. Strand will almost certainly start next season with the Reign but could emerge as a recall option if he has a strong start to 2020-21.