West Notes: Holloway, Oilers Defense, Lindgren
The Edmonton Oilers have had a busy offseason, signing Jack Campbell, Evander Kane, and Brett Kulak in an attempt to shore up their roster after a promising run to the Western Conference Final. One of the natural consequences of that spending has been that the team will rely on placing Oscar Klefbom and Mike Smith on long-term injured reserve in order to remain cap compliant. Today, Thomas Drance of The Athletic released an interview he conducted with Oilers GM Ken Holland, and in it, Holland spoke on the team’s cap situation as well as the state of their blueline. (subscription link)
When asked about the LTIR situation and how it relates to training camp battles, Holland said that top prospect Dylan Holloway is “probably going to have to be on the opening night roster” in order to maximize the benefit the team receives from those LTIR placements. He didn’t commit to keeping Holloway beyond that point, though, and did state that he’d rather Holloway play “20 minutes a night” in the AHL rather than play in a limited role in the NHL.
Now, for some other notes from across the Western Conference:
- One other topic Holland touched on in his interview was the team’s defense. While Holland did state that he didn’t think the team would be able to carry 23 players on its roster, he did touch on the upcoming battle for spots on the Oilers’ blueline. Holland said that he wanted “one of” the group of Vincent Desharnais, Dmitri Samorukov, Markus Niemelainen, Philip Broberg, and Mike Kesselring “to make the team.” Of note here is that all but Samorukov on that list are waivers-exempt per CapFriendly, so that factor alone may give Samorukov the leg up in the battle for a spot on that defense.
- While Karel Vejmelka impressed at times last season, describing the Arizona Coyotes’ goaltending situation as anything but wide-open would be a mistake. The team didn’t make major additions in their crease this summer, adding Jon Gilles on a minimum deal and Christopher Gibson on a PTO, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. Craig Morgan of PHNX.com cites sources to report that the Coyotes “targeted” goalie Charlie Lindgren on the open market before he ended up signing with the Washington Capitals. Lindgren earned a three-year $1.1MM deal, a contract that surprised some in both its cost and length due to the fact that Lindgren was an AHL goalie last year, albeit a brilliant one. That contract should be less of a surprise now though as its clear there was competition to secure Lindgren’s services.
Washington Capitals Sign Lindgren, Irwin, Gustafsson
The Washington Capitals have found their entire NHL goaltending tandem on the free agent market, adding Charlie Lindgren to the previously signed Darcy Kuemper. Lindgren has inked a three-year deal that will carry an average annual value of just $1.1MM.
They’ve also added some defensive depth, inking Matt Irwin to a one-year, two-way deal worth $750K at the NHL level according to PuckPedia, and Erik Gustafsson to a one-year contract worth $800K.
Their first signing, Lindgren, is one that might confuse more casual fans but will make a ton of sense to fans who closely followed either the St. Louis Blues or the 2021-22 AHL season. Lindgren was incredible with both the Blues and their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In St. Louis, Lindgren played five games and went 5-0-0 with a .958 save percentage and 1.22 goals against average. While he wasn’t as absurdly dominant in the AHL, he was still great, going 24-7-1 with a .925 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against-average. It’s on the back of this breakout year that Lindgren gets this (relatively) sizeable deal, and along with the money attached Lindgren gets the chance to be a backup on what looks to be a contending NHL team.
The second signing is of Matt Irwin, who has been a depth defenseman for most of his NHL career. The defense-first blueliner skated in 17 games for the Capitals this season and provides steady injury fill-in play. He’s the sort of defenseman the Capitals likely hope doesn’t play too often but also won’t really have to worry about for the games he does play, as he’s best when he’s not noticed.
The same cannot be said about Erik Gustafsson. Gustafsson’s profile is, well, different, to say the least. Gustafsson is an offense-first, puck-moving defenseman who has a 60-point season on his resume. The Capitals aren’t likely signing him thinking he’ll be a 60-point player for them but after the loss of Justin Schultz in Seattle he might be able to help them as a secondary offensive defenseman. He had 18 points in 59 games on a bad Blackhawks team and played bottom-pairing minutes on a Montreal Canadiens team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Blues Assign Charlie Lindgren To AHL
While the season has come to an end for the Blues, at least one player will play on for a little while longer as goaltender Charlie Lindgren has been sent back to Springfield of the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log. He had been serving as the backup to Ville Husso after Jordan Binnington was injured earlier in their second-round series against Colorado.
The 28-year-old had his best professional campaign this season, posting a 2.21 GAA and a .925 SV% in 34 games with the Thunderbirds, both career bests. On top of that, he also impressed in his limited NHL action, putting up a stellar 1.22 GAA with a .958 SV% in five appearances with St. Louis, numbers that had some wondering if the Blues might have considered giving Lindgren a chance against Colorado over sticking with Husso. But with just 29 career NHL games under his belt, sticking with Husso certainly made sense.
Lindgren will now have a chance to reclaim the starting job with the Thunderbirds as they look to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals against his former team in Laval, the affiliate of the Canadiens. With a good finish to his AHL playoffs plus his performance during the regular season, Lindgren should have a strong market this summer in unrestricted free agency as a veteran third-string goaltender that can be called on to make a few NHL starts when injuries arise.
St. Louis Blues Recall Charlie Lindgren
With starter Jordan Binnington out for the foreseeable future, the St. Louis Blues have made a move to solidify their backup goalie position behind new starter Ville Husso. The Blues announced today that Charlie Lindgren has been recalled from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds on an emergency basis. The Thunderbirds are still in the mix in the Calder Cup playoffs, and will likely have to turn to goal-scoring goalie Joel Hofer in Lindgren’s absence.
While St. Louis would undoubtedly prefer to have Binnington healthy, there are few teams that can boast the goaltending depth that the Blues’ organization has. Lindgren, 28, has had a brilliant season so far. His work in the AHL, a 24-7-1 record and a .925 save percentage, has been superb. His brief time in the NHL has also gone extremely well, and he has a .958 save percentage and a 1.22 goals-against-average in five games played.
Lindgren is expected to back up Husso, who is set to take the starters’ crease that he occupied for much of the regular season. While this scenario is admittedly unlikely, should Husso struggle as he did early in the playoffs, it’s definitely possible that Lindgren could see game action. Should that happen, Lindgren will have a massive opportunity to showcase the talent he’s flashed this season on one of hockey’s biggest stages.
Jordan Binnington Placed In COVID Protocol
The St. Louis Blues’ battle with COVID continues, as this time their starting goaltender has entered the protocol. Jordan Binnington is now unavailable to the team and the Blues have recalled Charlie Lindgren to take his place on the roster, but unfortunately, they don’t have the cap space to use him tonight. The team will have to use an emergency goalie for one game–similar to what the Toronto Maple Leafs did earlier this season–and then add Lindgren under the emergency recall rules for Friday. Kyle Konin, a 23-year-old netminder who last played at Grand Valley State University, will be the backup tonight.
Binnington joins Tyler Bozak, who was placed in the protocol a few days ago. This isn’t the first time the Blues have been without key players though, and as things are currently going around the league, appears it likely won’t be the last. St. Louis confirmed that Binnington has tested positive, meaning if he experiences any symptoms, he’ll be held out for a minimum of ten days.
That means tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blues will likely have Ville Husso in net, who dealt with his own stint in the COVID protocol earlier this season. The team is also scheduled to play the Florida Panthers on Saturday before traveling home, something that Binnington won’t be able to do if he’s stuck in quarantine. He’ll have to stay behind and re-join the team down the line, potentially after he misses the next five or six games.
12 Players Clear Waivers
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.
St. Louis Blues Sign Three Players
The St. Louis Blues have announced three minor signings, adding some depth to the organization. Matthew Peca, Nathan Todd and Charlie Lindgren have all agreed to one-year, two-way contracts.
Peca, 28, spent most of this season playing with the Belleville Senators, but does have 78 NHL games under his belt. A seventh-round pick of the Lightning in 2011, he has shown a strong offensive ability at the college and AHL level. Even in his limited NHL time the 5’8″ forward has 20 points, but likely won’t get much of an opportunity to play at that level in St. Louis.
Instead, Peca and Todd are likely ticketed for the AHL, where they can provide some scoring depth for the Springfield Thunderbirds. Todd hasn’t ever played in the NHL, but did score 32 points in 36 games for the Manitoba Moose last season.
The interesting name of the bunch is Lindgren, if only because the Blues’ goaltending depth chart isn’t very deep. The team appears to be going into next season with the sam Jordan Binnington–Ville Husso duo they had this year, but beyond that, only two 20-year-old prospects are under contract. That would mean Lindgren is coming in as the third-string option after spending nearly the entire 2020-21 campaign on the taxi squad.
Now 27, the undrafted Lindgren has appeared in 24 NHL games over the years and has a .907 save percentage. His numbers in the AHL during that same stretch have actually been worse, but he’s it appears as though he could be in line for some more NHL action if the Blues run into any injuries. At the very least, he’ll give the team an experienced option in the minor leagues.
Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Montreal Canadiens come bitterly into the offseason after a Stanley Cup Final loss, but a large amount of unrestricted free agents mean it’s a pivotal time for the franchise.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Artturi Lehkonen – An up-and-down season ended strongly for the first Finnish Canadiens RFA. While in part due to the shortened season, Lehkonen had his worst offensive season to date, failing to post either 10 goals or 20 points for the first time in his five-year NHL career. He didn’t fare too well under either Claude Julien or Dominique Ducharme, at least in the regular season. It resulted in the lowest usage of his career, being played just 13:25 minutes per game. However, when the opportunity arose during their playoff run, Lehkonen rose to the challenge. Taking the left-wing spot with Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, Lehkonen helped formed a line that shut down opponents’ top players for the majority of the playoffs. He added an overtime series winner to boot, as one of his three playoff goals sent Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. Yet the reality stands that Lehkonen was inconsistent at best overall this season, and his next deal will likely reflect that. A shorter-term deal should be expected for a depth player like Lehkonen.
F Jesperi Kotkaniemi – It’s hard to know what to make of Montreal’s 2018 top draft pick at this stage in his career. Coming off of his entry-level deal, Kotkaniemi has broken expectations during each of his playoffs runs, totaling nine goals and 12 points in 29 games. Yet Kotkaniemi didn’t even score that amount in a full 56-game campaign this year, potting only five goals. While the young Finnish center has oozed potential during Montreal’s playoff appearances, he hasn’t been able to perform at the same level over the course of his regular seasons. With all that being said, it’s extremely unlikely that general manager Marc Bergevin commits to Kotkaniemi long-term this offseason. At just 21 years old, Kotkaniemi still has four more seasons of RFA eligibility. It’s impossible to imagine that Montreal would give him a deal longer than that, instead allowing Kotkaniemi to live up to his potential over the course of a lower-stakes bridge deal.
Other RFAs: F Joseph Blandisi, F Michael Pezzetta, F Ryan Poehling, F Jacob Lucchini, D Otto Leskinen, D Cale Fleury, G Michael McNiven
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Phillip Danault – Danault had largely been regarded as one of the more underrated defensive centers in the NHL over the past few seasons. That’s no longer the case. Danault’s shot-suppressing expertise was on full display throughout the regular season and playoffs. And while his offense took a backseat in the playoffs with just one goal and four points in 22 contests, he’s scored 124 points in 205 games over his past three seasons. The offense will come back next season if history is any indicator. It’s why Danault is expected to get a significant raise on his $3.083MM cap hit. With Danault possibly receiving offers over $5MM and even $6MM on the open market, Montreal will have to shell out the cash to retain their Quebec-born top-six center.
F Tomas Tatar – Montreal’s usage of Tatar this season, especially in the playoffs, was puzzling to many. It was just last year where Tatar had emerged to lead the Habs in scoring with 61 points in just 68 games. While Tatar was limited to just 30 points in 50 games this year, his line with Danault and Gallagher had performed extremely well from a possession standpoint. Even through the beginning of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tatar’s line had succeeded at silencing Toronto’s top talent. Yet Tatar soon found himself scratched for the rest of the playoff run, with Lehkonen taking his role on that line. It’s hard to expect that Montreal will want to retain Tatar at this point, especially with outside teams knowing what they can get out of him. Expect Tatar to be in a top-six role again next season — just not with Montreal.
Other UFAs: F Corey Perry, F Joel Armia, F Eric Staal, F Michael Frolik, F Jordan Weal, F Alex Belzile, D Jonathon Merrill, D Erik Gustafsson, D Gustav Olofsson, G Charlie Lindgren
Projected Cap Space
While Montreal sits with a respectable $14.7MM in cap space, the team has a lot of expiring talent. Retaining the expected pieces and building on this roster’s weaknesses will likely bring Bergevin and Montreal into a tricky dance with the salary cap yet again next season. And while no drastic moves are expected from this year’s Stanley Cup finalist, it might be challenging for Montreal to navigate the free-agent waters after they’ve re-signed key pieces. However, Montreal’s camaraderie and team strength were on full display this season. It’s the type of performance that incentivizes players to take pay cuts to play for a winner, something that may very well be a reality for Montreal this offseason.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
43 Players Placed On Waivers
As teams begin to make their final camp decisions with the 2020-21 season getting started this week, the ramifications are apparent in today’s waiver wire group. All nine players from Saturday’s waivers cleared, but that is less likely to occur Sunday with a much longer list, including some more notable names. The following players have been placed on waivers today:
Buffalo Sabres
D Brandon Davidson
F Steven Fogarty
F C.J. Smith
G Dustin Tokarski
Calgary Flames
G Louis Domingue
F Byron Froese
F Justin Kirkland
D Alex Petrovic
F Buddy Robinson
Colorado Avalanche
F Kiefer Sherwood
Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Cracknell
F Seth Griffith
Florida Panthers
G Philippe Desrosiers
F Scott Wilson
Los Angeles Kings
D Daniel Brickley
F Boko Imama
Minnesota Wild
D Matt Bartekowski
D Louie Belpedio
F Joseph Cramarossa
F Gabriel Dumont
G Andrew Hammond
F Luke Johnson
F Gerald Mayhew
D Dakota Mermis
D Ian McCoshen
F Kyle Rau
Montreal Canadiens
F Brandon Baddock
F Alex Belzile
F Joseph Blandisi
F Laurent Dauphin
D Noah Juulsen
G Charlie Lindgren
D Gustav Olofsson
D Xavier Ouellet
F Jordan Weal
New York Islanders
F Joshua Ho-Sang
F Mason Jobst
Ottawa Senators
D Maxime Lajoie
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Kevin Czuczman
F Josh Currie
F Frederick Gaudreau
G Maxime Lagace
D Zach Trotman
Among the names likely to receive attention on the wire are a trio of intriguing young players. Defensemen Noah Juulsen and Maxime Lajoie and forward Josh Ho-Sang have all seen NHL action in the past and have shown promise but for different reasons are now available to claim. Juulsen in particular looked like a long-term permanent piece on the Montreal blue line, but vision issues brought on by head injuries knocked him out of the 2018-19 season after 21 games with the Habs and limited him to just 13 AHL games in 2019-20. The Canadiens clearly want to see him get in some game action before returning him to the NHL roster, but another club may have more faith in the young defenseman, who allegedly is back at full strength. After 56 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2018-19, including a hot scoring start, Lajoie was somewhat inexplicably reduced to just six games with the team this past season. A versatile all-around defenseman who has already shown in a small sample size that he can hack it in the NHL, Lajoie could certainly draw interest from a team more willing to give him another chance. Ho-Sang, a first-round pick of the Islanders back in 2014, is on the outs with his club. A future in New York seems non-existent for a player whose effort and attitude have been called into question. His limited action last season also doesn’t help his case. Yet, Ho-Sang’s skill is apparent and that alone is a cause for pause for teams scouring the waiver wire.
As for a more polished possible pick-up, Jordan Weal leads the pack as a veteran of over 200 NHL games who has posted an 82-game scoring pace of 25 points or more in three straight seasons. Seth Griffith is also no stranger to being passed around via waivers and Frederick Gaudreau is coming off a career-high 55 NHL appearances last season and has strong scoring numbers throughout his AHL career.
This waiver group could also provide goalie depth for a team in need (see: New Jersey Devils). Andrew Hammond, Louis Domingue, Dustin Tokarski, and Charlie Lindgren are all veteran net minders with NHL experience who could provide some stability in net.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/30/19
Teams will be finalizing their opening day rosters today, meaning that plenty of players will be removed from training camp. As always, we’ll keep track of all those cuts right here. Keep checking back as this list will be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
G Adin Hill (to Tuscon, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Peter Cehlarik (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Anders Bjork (to Providence, AHL)
F Trent Frederic (to Providence, AHL)
F Jack Studnicka (to Providence, AHL)
F Cameron Hughes (to Providence, AHL)
G Maxime Lagace (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Remi Elie (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Curtis Lazar (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Scott Wilson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Casey Nelson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Rasmus Asplund (to Rochester, AHL)
F Tage Thompson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
F Anton Wedin (to Rockford, AHL)
D Dennis Gilbert (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Marko Dano (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Eric Robinson (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Hayden Stewart (released from PTO)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Sam Gagner (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Brandon Manning (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D William Lagesson (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Mario Kempe (to Ontario, AHL)
D Paul Ladue (to Ontario, AHL)
D Derek Forbort (designated injured/non-roster)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F J.T. Brown (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Louie Belpedio (to Iowa, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Charles Hudon (to Laval, AHL)
G Charlie Lindgren (to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
D Jeremy Groleau (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Boo Nieves (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Filip Chytil (to Hartford, AHL)
F Vitali Kravtsov (to Hartford, AHL)
F Vinni Lettieri (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ryan Lindgren (to Hartford, AHL)
G Igor Shesterkin (to Hartford, AHL)
D Tarmo Reunanen (to Lukko, Liiga)
D Joseph Morrow (released from PTO)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
D Luke Schenn (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Danick Martel (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
F Kenny Agostino (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nic Petan (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Garrett Wilson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Kevin Gravel (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Kalle Kossila (designated injured, non-roster)
F Mason Marchment (designated injured, non-roster)
F Egor Korshkov (to Toronto, AHL)
F Matt Read (released from PTO, signs AHL contract)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Sven Baertschi (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nikolay Goldobin (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Alex Biega (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
F Keegan Kolesar (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Chicago, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F J.C. Lipon (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Nelson Nogier (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
G Eric Comrie (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joona Luoto (to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (to Manitoba, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Liam O’Brien (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Michael Sgarbossa (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Christian Djoos (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)