Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ben Meyers

Waiver Wire: 10/1/24

at CDT | by 2 Comments

28 players hit the waiver wire Tuesday, per PuckPedia. It’s a sharp increase from yesterday’s 12 names as more veterans are assigned to the minors later in camp. All of yesterday’s waived players cleared, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Today’s waiver placements are as follows:

Anaheim Ducks

F Carson Meyer

Buffalo Sabres

F Joshua Dunne
F Mason Jobst
F Brett Murray
D Colton Poolman
D Jack Rathbone
G Felix Sandström

Calgary Flames

D Ilya Solovyov

Edmonton Oilers

G Collin Delia
D Ben Gleason
D Philip Kemp
F Lane Pederson

Los Angeles Kings

D Jacob Moverare

Minnesota Wild

F Reese Johnson

New York Rangers

F Anton Blidh
G Louis Domingue
D Casey Fitzgerald
D Brandon Scanlin

Seattle Kraken

F Brandon Biro
F Max McCormick
F Ben Meyers
D Gustav Olofsson
F Mitchell Stephens
G Ales Stezka

Vancouver Canucks

F Phillip Di Giuseppe
G Jiří Patera
F Nathan Smith
D Christian Wolanin

Kraken Sign Ben Meyers To One-Way Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Kraken have signed left winger/center Ben Meyers to a one-year, one-way, league minimum deal, the club announced last night. He became a UFA early, thanks to his Group VI status, and moves on to his third NHL club in the past few months.

Meyers, 25, will be a familiar face for Minnesotans and avid national team followers. The 5’11”, defensively-sound pivot was a star for the University of Minnesota not all that long ago and represented the United States at the 2022 Olympics, where he had four points in four games. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a smooth NHL ride for Meyers, who signed with the Avalanche as an undrafted free agent after wrapping up his collegiate career two years ago.

He couldn’t make a consistent NHL impact in Colorado, spending about half his time in the Avs organization in the minors. Even when in the NHL, he had a minimal impact, limited to six goals and no assists in 53 games across parts of three seasons in solely fourth-line minutes. A trade deadline deal sent him to the Ducks for a fifth-round pick a few months back, where nothing really changed. While he wasn’t demoted to their minor-league affiliate, he didn’t do much to elevate himself in the Anaheim lineup, recording two assists and a -2 rating in 14 games.

Meyers had good numbers with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles over the past two years, though, and now looks to parlay that into an NHL roster spot in Seattle. A one-way deal, while still completely buriable in the minors, suggests he has the inside track on one of the forward spots up for grabs out of training camp in the fall. He’ll be competing to replace depth forwards like Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and Kailer Yamamoto, who are unlikely to return to the Kraken after reaching UFA status yesterday.

If Meyers plays at least 13 games for Seattle next year, they’ll control his signing rights next summer as an RFA with arbitration rights. If not, he maintains his Group VI status and will be a UFA upon expiry.

Ducks Acquire Ben Meyers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ducks have acquired forward Ben Meyers from the Avalanche in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick, per a team announcement. Meyers, who was on assignment to AHL Colorado, will report to the Ducks’ NHL roster.

Meyers has seen limited NHL action over the past three years, logging five games in 2021-22 after signing as an undrafted free agent, 39 games in 2022-23, and just nine games this season. The former University of Minnesota star center has spent most of this year with the Avs’ AHL squad, last suiting up for an NHL game in early January. He’s signed to a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K and had six goals and a -10 rating across 53 career games in Colorado.

The trade has no salary cap ramifications for the Avs since he was not on the active roster. This is purely a pickup of a potential mid-ceiling player who’s failed to adjust to the NHL by Anaheim, who will give Meyers some runway in their bottom six as they close out another rebuilding season. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.

Avalanche Place Bowen Byram On IR

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Avalanche quietly placed defenseman Bowen Byram on injured reserve over the weekend, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed the news yesterday after their 8-4 loss to the Panthers, saying that Byram’s lower-body injury isn’t considered severe and is expected to sideline him for seven to 14 days (via DNVR Sports’ Meghan Angley).

Drafted by the Avalanche with the fourth overall pick in 2019, Byram had a breakout campaign last season with ten goals, 14 assists, 24 points and a +7 rating in 42 games despite being hampered significantly by a lower-body injury that sidelined him for over three months in the first half of the campaign. After reaching restricted free agency last summer, that performance earned him a two-year, $7.7MM deal to remain in Denver.

For the first time since turning pro in 2020, Byram started the season by staying healthy for a long stretch, playing in every one of the Avalanche’s games until missing yesterday’s loss to Florida. While he isn’t producing as much as last season with 12 points in 39 games, his defensive game has taken a step forward. Per Hockey Reference, Byram has been on the ice for 0.76 expected goals against per game at even strength while logging 18:22 per game at 5-on-5 or 4-on-4, down significantly from his 0.85 xGA per game last season.

While the knowledge he won’t be out long-term is reassuring, it’s another tough break for a young player who’s already had his development significantly marred by injuries. The 22-year-old does look well on his way to being a bona fide second-pairing defender throughout his time in the NHL, but the likelihood of him reaching his top-pairing ceiling is diminishing. According to data from NHL Injury Viz, Byram has missed 126 regular season games due to illness or injury over his first four seasons.

After last night’s game, the Avalanche also reassigned forward Ben Meyers to AHL Colorado after bringing him up to play fourth-line duties the day prior while depth winger Miles Wood is sidelined with an illness. The two transactions leave the Avalanche with 21 out of a maximum of 23 players on the active roster. Thus, Meyers could return to the Avalanche before tomorrow’s game against the Bruins if Wood isn’t healthy enough to play. Including last night, the 25-year-old Meyers has one goal in nine NHL appearances this season, averaging a career-low 9:34 per game.

Central Notes: Bedard, Meyers, Kirkland

at CDT | by 20 Comments

In what has become an unexpectedly scary night for the Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced that star rookie, Connor Bedard, would not return to tonight’s game due to injury. The play in question took place during the first period, as New Jersey Devils defenseman, Brendan Smith, distributed a heavy hit to Bedard just over the blue line, causing the young phenom to head to the locker room for the rest of the evening.

For the sake of level-headedness, there could be a plethora of reasons for Chicago to keep Bedard out of the game, ranging from simply being cautionary with their top player, or expecting that Bedard could be out for a lengthy amount of time. Ultimately, it is unlikely that an update on Bedard’s status will be given after the game tonight, as most teams tend to wait until the next day to announce any meaningful news.

It is hard to put into words how detrimental Bedard’s absence would be for the Blackhawks, regardless of the amount of time he is out of the lineup. Even with only 11 wins through 38 games, Chicago’s offense completely runs through Bedard, as he has quickly shown that he was worth all of the hype.

To put his value into perspective on the Blackhawks specifically, with 15 goals and 33 points through 38 games, Bedard accounts for 17% of all goals scored, 12% of all assists, and 14% of all points scored for Chicago this season at 18 years old. With the future of the Blackhawks organization comfortably resting on Bedard’s shoulders, Chicago will likely be extremely cautious with Bedard’s health in hopes that he can be in the lineup as much as possible.

Other notes:

  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward Ben Meyers from the Colorado Eagles after sending him down yesterday, per a team announcement. It is unknown whether or not he will factor into the team’s lineup tomorrow afternoon against the Florida Panthers, as he has largely been used as an extra forward by the Avalanche this season.
  • Unfortunately for Justin Kirkland, it will be his second consecutive emergency call-up without a game played, as the Arizona Coyotes announced they have returned him back to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Luckily, he has appeared comfortable in his first season in the Coyotes organization, as he’s scored one goal and 13 points in 12 games for the Roadrunners so far.

Afternoon Notes: Golden Knights, Puljujarvi, Meyers

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy shared updates on the team’s long list of injuries, sharing that Daniil Miromanov is back on the ice, Keegan Kolesar is still out of the lineup with illness, and that starter Adin Hill has returned to skating on his own but isn’t quite ready to rejoin the team. Cassidy also shared that Shea Theodore is still a ways away from returning. The star defenseman is joined by Miromanov and Hill on injured reserve.

These injuries have underscored what’s been a battered Vegas lineup to start the year. The club currently has a top-six forward in William Karlsson, starter Adin Hill, and four different defensemen on IR. The only on the list to not yet make his season debut is NHL newcomer Miromanov, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury that’s held him out since the start of the year.

The amount of talent being held out of Vegas’ lineup is impressive. Karlsson ranks third on the team in scoring with 32 points in 38 games. Theodore still leads all Knights defenders in scoring, despite missing 18 games, with 18 points in 20 games. And Hill has returned to the impeccable goalie that made him an icon last postseason, boasting a .934 save percentage through 15 games this season. The Golden Knights will be in for a big boost when they’re able to get each of these players back, although how long that may take is still up in the air.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed Jesse Puljujarvi to a professional try-out agreement, extending his time in the Penguins organization. Puljujarvi is working his way back from double hip surgery and has been skating with the Pittsburgh lineup at practices. And while his return still seems to be a ways out, this move helps set him up for an AHL conditioning stint once he’s ready to go.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Ben Meyers to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. This is likely in an effort to maintain the young forward’s waiver exemption status. Meyers has played in a collective 58 NHL games since joining the Avalanche in 2021-22 and will lose his exemption once he hits 60 games. The 25-year-old centerman has totaled six goals and no assists through those 58 games, adding 37 points in 49 AHL games.

Avalanche Recall Forward Ben Meyers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have announced that they’ve recalled forward Ben Meyers from their AHL affiliate less than a week after sending him down. Meyers was reassigned to the Colorado Eagles on December 22nd and has been shuttled back and forth on several occasions in December.

The 25-year-old has a goal in five games thus far this season with the Avalanche at the NHL level and has averaged just a shade over nine minutes of ice time a game. While he hasn’t been much of an offensive contributor, he has been difficult to play against with seven hits in those five games. At the AHL level with the Eagles, Meyers has been much more noticeable on the offensive side of things with six goals and seven assists in 19 games.

Last year the Avalanche gave Meyers a long audition to lock down an NHL spot, but he could not do so with just four goals in 39 games. While he didn’t necessarily hurt the Avalanche’s bottom six, he didn’t offer a lot as he doesn’t provide much scoring and doesn’t kill penalties making it tough for him to claim a full-time spot in the NHL.

The Avalanche recalled Meyers presumably due to Ross Colton’s availability being in question after he left last night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Colton was treated after he blocked a shot and while the Avalanche are hoping he can play Friday night against the St. Louis Blues, nothing has been reported yet.

West Notes: Meyers, Landeskog, Carlsson

at CDT | by 5 Comments

For the second time in as many days, the Colorado Avalanche have sent forward Ben Meyers back down to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. In the team’s victory last night against the Ottawa Senators, Meyers skated in just under six minutes of ice time, producing a -1 rating on the evening.

Before his call-up yesterday, Meyers had been rostered on the Avalanche from December 11th to December 20th, scoring one goal in four games, averaging just under 10 minutes of ice time over that stretch. Fortunately for Meyers, although taxiing back and forth from the AHL and NHL can be stressful, the Eagles’ home arena is only located about an hour north of Ball Arena in Denver.

It will likely not be the last time that Meyers is used as a depth forward stashed in the minor leagues throughout his career, as his tenure with the Avalanche has been largely unsuccessful since coming over from the University of Minnesota in 2022. Including this season, Meyers has spent three years in the Avalanche organization, scoring six goals in 49 games at the professional level.

Other notes:

  • Staying with Colorado, Kyle Fredrickson of the Colorado Gazette indicated that Avalanche captain, Gabriel Landeskog is very close to resuming skating. Even if Landeskog does return to the ice to resume skating, there will still be no way to guarantee his return to the NHL. After missing the last two regular seasons, including this year, the knee cartilage surgery underwent by Landeskog does not have any sort of track record on returning athletes to their respective sports.
  • Derek Lee of the Sporting Tribune reports standout rookie for the Anaheim Ducks, Leo Carlsson, is still undergoing tests on his right leg to determine the severity of the injury. In last night’s game against the Calgary Flames, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar awkwardly fell on Carlsson’s leg, which caused his right knee to collapse under the weight.

AHL Shuffle: Petersen, Day, Meyers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled netminder Cal Petersen back to their NHL roster, indicating that netminder Carter Hart isn’t quite ready to return and back up Samuel Ersson for the Flyers’ game tonight against the Nashville Predators. Petersen was the Flyers’ backup for their last game as well, though he has spent most of the year with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The former Los Angeles Kings $5MM man has played in 11 games for the Phantoms, going 4-6-1 with an .898 save percentage and 3.20 goals-against-average. Those numbers are certainly a decline for Petersen, though they are not entirely out of line with his 2022-23 season as he went 16-20-4 with a .904 save percentage and 2.88 goals-against-average last year.

Some other AHL “paper” transactions:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Sean Day from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Day has been recalled to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman, which is a role he’s played relatively frequently over the last week or so. Day did play in the Crunch’s contest last night against the Laval Rocket, but otherwise, he has been on the NHL roster for a decent stretch this season. What he hasn’t done so far this year is dress for an NHL game, and he last played in the NHL in 2021-22.
  • The Colorado Avalanche sent forward Ben Meyers back down to the AHL after their most recent game, but today the team recalled him, making the move effectively a paperwork-only transaction. Meyers, 25, has been involved in numerous transactions of the sort so far in his young career. He’s played in four NHL games this year and 17 AHL contests, and has scored 13 points in 21 games across both levels combined.

Avalanche Recall Ben Meyers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Avalanche recalled forward Ben Meyers from AHL Colorado on Monday, per a team announcement. With the Avalanche sitting at 22 out of the maximum 23 players on the active roster before the move, no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Meyers, 25, signed a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K to remain in Denver last summer but did not make the Avalanche’s roster out of camp. The 2022 college free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota responded to the demotion well, posting five goals and 12 points in 17 contests to start the campaign, good enough for third on the team in scoring.

Over the past two seasons with the Avalanche, Meyers appeared in 44 games. He’s logged five goals and a -8 rating while averaging 9:38 per game, but he’s still looking for his first NHL assist. Meyers made six appearances in last year’s First Round elimination at the hands of the Kraken, but he was held of the scoresheet and posted a -2 rating in a paltry 5:30 of ice time per game.

The Avalanche are in an uncharacteristic lull, dropping five of their last six games and falling to third in the Central Division based on points percentage behind the Jets and Stars. Meyers’ recall comes as depth forward Joel Kiviranta is battling an illness, so either Meyers or defenseman-turned-winger Kurtis MacDermid will suit up for fourth-line duties tonight against the Flames. Colorado has struggled to get secondary scoring going this season. Outside of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, only Valeri Nichushkin is scoring at a clip higher than 0.5 points per game.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top