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Minor Transactions: 01/01/24

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One of professional hockey’s marquee events takes place today, with the NHL’s Winter Classic taking place between the two most recent expansion franchises. In addition to that game, games in the CHL, ICEHL and EIHL have been played, as well as an exhibition contest between the U.S. National Team Development Program and the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers. As we begin 2024 in pro hockey, player movement is as active as ever. As always, we’ll keep track of notable transactions here.

  • Former Florida Panthers 31-goal scorer David Booth has found a team for 2023-24. He’s signed a contract with Eisbären Regensburg of DEL2, the second tier of German hockey. Booth, 39, spent last season with Storhamar in Norway’s Eliteserien, scoring 23 points in 17 regular-season games and 18 points in 17 postseason contests. He last played in the NHL in 2017-18 before moving to the KHL to play for Dinamo Minsk. Regensburg are dealing with a long-term injury to star forward Richard Diviš, who originally helped the team achieve promotion from the third-tier Oberliga to the DEL2. Booth has been brought in to cover for that loss, with the hope that he will help keep them in contention for promotion to the DEL.
  • Nick Jermain, a former captain of Quinnipiac University’s men’s hockey team, has signed a contract with Anglet of Ligue Magnus, the top league of pro hockey in France. The 27-year-old Connecticut native actually began his professional career overseas in 2020-21, skating in 15 games in England for the EIHL’s Coventry Blaze. He signed in the ECHL the following year and ended up scoring 31 points in 67 games playing for both the Maine Mariners and Fort Wayne Komets. He was re-signed for the following year by Maine but left mid-season after scoring just nine points, and he spent the rest of 2022-23 with HK Poprad in the Slovak league. This signing marks back-to-back years Jermain has left the ECHL for an overseas transfer mid-season, as this year he began the campaign with the Trois-Rivieres Lions but has now departed for France.
  • 24-year-old German forward Alexander Ehl has signed a one-year contract extension with the DEL’s Düsseldorfer EG, his current team. Ehl, who stands just five-foot-eight, has been a regular in the DEL since 2020-21, and worked his way into the league from the Oberliga. He’s been a consistent bottom-six forward for Düsseldorf in that span and is currently on pace for a career year with 17 points in 29 games.
  • A stable start to the year with Czechia’s HC Litvínov for reliable stay-at-home blueliner Kevin Czuczman has earned him a one-year contract extension. The former AHL alternate captain has played in 15 career NHL games but left North America in 2022-23 to sign with Ilves Tampere of the Finnish Liiga. He played in the Champions Hockey League and 31 league games for Ilves, and now appears to have found a home in the Czech league. In addition to Czuczman, Litvínov has also reached one-year extensions with Latvian import Kristaps Zile as well as veteran Nicolas Hlava.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

David Booth Re-Signs In Norway

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If they want to, an NHL player’s professional career can continue long after he leaves the league. David Booth, who has played just 28 NHL games since 2014-15, has signed another contract in Norway for the rest of the season. He’ll move to Storhamar, after suiting up for Manglerud in 2019-20 and Valerenga in 2021-22.

Booth, 38, was once a solid top-six player in the NHL, scoring 31 goals in the 2008-09 season for the Florida Panthers and totaling 236 points in his career. In 2015, he left for the KHL, before making a short comeback with the Detroit Red Wings in 2017-18.

Last season playing in Norway he dominated, scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 15 games, before putting up a similar pace in the playoffs.

Playing in a league several levels below NHL hockey isn’t for everyone, obviously, but Booth has long been described as a “different cat” who enjoys living in more remote areas. Hamar, where the team is located, has fewer than 30,000 people and is located on the largest lake in Norway.

Morning Notes: PHF/PWHPA, Chabot, 3ICE

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The NHL has requested a meeting between the PHF and PWHPA–the two feuding women’s hockey factions–to attempt to bring the two sides together. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet reports that details of the proposed meeting are still being worked out, but the PWHPA was informed recently of a multi-million dollar funding deal, one that would be an 8-10 year commitment, that would allow their proposed league to move forward. Marek doesn’t specify where the funding is coming from.

The PHF meanwhile recently announced their own massive investment, a $25MM guarantee from several private donors. That led to a huge increase in the salary cap for each team, added health benefits for the players, and other increases throughout the financial landscape of the league. It also recently saw a group of high-profile investors purchase the Toronto Six, bringing more name recognition to the ownership group. The two leagues are currently splitting the player base, with the vast majority of the U.S. and Canadian Olympians on the side of the PWHPA.

  • Bad news for the Ottawa Senators, as Thomas Chabot is expected to be out long-term with a hand injury. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia notes that the team will have more information in the coming days, but Darren Dreger of TSN was told it is a broken hand. This comes after Jake Sanderson, the team’s top defense prospect, was also ruled out for at least a few weeks, which could put his late-season rendezvous with the Senators in jeopardy. After a midseason hot streak, the Senators are back to their losing ways of late, dropping their last three and eight of ten. Without Chabot, things certainly will be more difficult down the stretch. (UPDATE: Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirmed today that Chabot has suffered a broken hand and will miss the rest of the season.)
  • Back in 2020, a new 3-on-3 league called 3ICE was announced with many recognizable NHL players and coaches attached to the product. While the COVID-19 pandemic put many of the league’s plans on pause, it didn’t kill it completely. 3ICE will be back this summer and today they announced some of their first few signings. Sean Shapiro of The Athletic tweets that David Booth, Chris Bourque, Chris Conner, T.J. Hensick, and Aaron Palushaj are the first five players that will be drafted into what will be a six-team league. All five played in the NHL, with Booth even scoring 31 goals and 60 points during the 2008-09 season with the Florida Panthers.

Minor Transactions: 11/29/21

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Perhaps the American Thanksgiving break spurred some action in players and teams alike, as there has been a flurry of intriguing moves of late – and not just in the NHL. Keep up with the action in the minors, Europe, and more right here:

  • After clearing unconditional waivers on Thursday and seeing his contract terminated by the Nashville Predators, Patrick Harper has found a new home. HPK of Finland’s Liiga has announced a deal with the former Boston University standout for the remainder of the season. While Harper recorded 115 points in 128 NCAA games, that scoring touch has all but disappeared in the pros. He recorded only two points in 15 AHL games last season, which earned him a demotion to the ECHL, and was held scoreless through nine AHL games this game as well. Harper seemingly feels a fresh start in a new league could be the answer to this development hiccup – and at just 23 years old he could be right – but a move to Europe via contract termination isn’t a strong signal of a long career to come in North America.
  • Another college star at a crossroads is defenseman Will Cullen. After an excellent 2020-21 season with Bowling Green State University, Cullen was on NHL radars this off-season and could have signed an AHL contract. Instead, Cullen decided to extend his NCAA career as a graduate transfer at Miami University, likely hoping to earn an entry-level contract this spring. However, this lasted just seven games, as Cullen has departed the RedHawks early to sign an AHL deal with the Bridgeport Islanders. While this could be seen as just a delayed inevitability, Cullen’s late transition means that he will head to the ECHL to begin his pro career. He now has to climb a couple of pro ranks if he wants to make his way to the NHL. A puck-moving defenseman who logged 25 points and a +20 rating in 28 games last season, Cullen has the ability but needs to make the most of an unusual midseason transition.
  • NHL veteran David Booth is not quite done. After taking last season off, Booth is back in the game, signing in Norway where he last suited up in 2019-20. The 37-year-old has inked a one-year deal with Valerenga, the team announced. Booth last played in the NHL in 2017-18 with the Detroit Red Wings, but has spent five of his past six seasons in Europe after nine years in the NHL to begin his pro career. With over 500 games and 230 points in the NHL to his credit, Booth is still a major addition for Valerenga – or any roster in Norway – despite his age.
  • The WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes are potentially buying low on a 2022 NHL Draft prospect, hoping he can help turn their season around or at least become a core piece down the road. Forward Tristan Zandee has been acquired from the Calgary Hitmen at the meager price of a 2022 fifth-round pick, the Hurricanes announced. Zandee has desirable size at 6’3″ and 200 lbs. but has struggled to score in the WHL with nine points in 21 games in last year’s shortened campaign and only three points through 15 games so far this year. However, that hasn’t stopped some NHL Draft sources from eyeing Zandee as an intriguing prospect given his stature and previous production in the AJHL. Getting a fresh start in Lethbridge, Zandee could find himself with more scoring opportunity and a chance to boost both his development and his draft stock.

David Booth Signs In KHL

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Though he hasn’t played in a North American professional league since last season, David Booth’s career is certainly not over. The veteran NHL forward has signed on with Dynamo Minsk of the KHL for the remainder of the season. Booth played 28 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2017-18, and has previously played in the KHL for two other teams.

Booth, 34, was once a high-flying forward that could do a little bit of everything and be relied on for lofty offensive totals. Unfortunately that 30-goal ceiling was destroyed by several injuries, including a major concussion suffered in 2009 with the Florida Panthers. Booth was knocked unconscious by a brutal head shot from Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards, and would never reach the same offensive heights. His career continued through Florida and Toronto before heading overseas, where he first recorded 16 points in 23 games for Vladivostok in 2015-16.

For Detroit last season the former Michigan State University star scored just five points in those 28 games, and it was obvious that his NHL journey was nearly over. Still, he will try to continue his playing career in the KHL and show that he still has some of that offensive talent to contribute. Dynamo Minsk is having a terrible season at 9-22-4, but has plenty of NHL pedigree with players like Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, Teemu Pulkkinen and Patrick Wiercioch leading the way.

Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Detroit’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Dylan Larkin — After a great start in his rookie year, there were a lot of questions after he struggled in his sophomore campaign when he put up just 32 points. However, the 21-year-old center brushed away any doubts this year, putting up 16 goals and a team-leading 63 points. With a team full of veterans, the Red Wings must begin to depend more and more on Larkin, who is developing into the franchise player they need to center one of their top lines. Add in a recent appearance at the IIHF World Championships where he helped Team USA win a bronze medal and he’s the key to Detroit’s rebuild.

Now coming off his entry-level deal, Larkin is in line for a significant raise from the $1.43MM deal he’s been on for the past three years. Not arbitration eligible, however, the negotiations might get ugly like the one that Andreas Athanasiou dealt with last year, especially with multiple quality players who will be restricted free agents this summer.

Other RFA’s: F Athanasiou, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Martin Frk, F Matej Machovsky, F Anthony Mantha, F Zach Nastasiuk, F Matt Puempel, D Daniel Renouf.

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: D Mike Green — On a positive note, the team doesn’t have any pressing unrestricted free agents. While Green is quite an offensive defenseman, he’s also 32 years old and not necessarily in the team’s long-term plans. The team’s original plan was to trade the veteran blueliner to a playoff contender at the trade deadline and had hoped that he would provide the team with a big haul of picks and/or prospects. Instead, Green got hurt and missed the two weeks prior to the trade deadline and weren’t able to move Green.

While there has been some talk of bringing him back on a short-term deal, he might be able to get a bigger deal elsewhere, but considering defense is one of the team’s biggest weaknesses and not a lot of defensive prospects there to take his place, a reunion is certainly possible.

Other UFA’s: F David Booth, G Jared Coreau, F Turner Elson, F Matt Lorito, G Tom McCollum, F Ben Street, F Eric Tangradi.

Projected Cap Space: With all the bloated veteran contracts the Red Wings have on the books, cap space is something the team has had little of over the past few years. The team did get the contracts of Green, Tomas Tatar, and Petr Mrazek off the books to free up a little room, but they will likely need all of that to re-sign Larkin, Athanasiou, Mantha and Bertuzzi. While general manager Ken Holland says he doesn’t intend to sign any major free agents to long-term deals this summer, he did say he would look at players with shorter term deals, but in the end, the team hopes to bring in some of their youth to fill in the gaps this year.

Minor Transactions: 01/24/18

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We’ve already seen a signing today that brought Nathan Gerbe back into the North American fold, but there will be several other minor moves around the league. Right here is where we’ll keep track of all of them.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Tucker Poolman from the minor leagues, placing Shawn Matthias on injured reserve. The move could be due to Dmitry Kulikov’s injury, suffered after being hit by Tomas Hertl last night. Poolman has played 13 games this season for the Jets, recording a single point but showing that he could potentially be an answer on defense in the coming years. The 24-year old turned pro out of the University of North Dakota last March, and will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
  • Oscar Dansk has been loaned back to the Chicago Wolves, now that he is healthy enough to return to action. Dansk was moved off injured reserve this week and will continue his development in the AHL. The 23-year old played in four games with the Vegas Golden Knights this season, allowing just five goals and recording a .946 save percentage.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have indeed sent David Booth to the minor leagues now that he’s cleared waivers for the third time. The team recalled Dominic Turgeon, who had only just been sent down this week, to take his place.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Tyler Motte back to the minor leagues, another good sign for Cam Atkinson who is close to returning. Atkinson had his foot broken by a Seth Jones shot just a month ago, but has been skating with the team recently.
  • With James Reimer dealing with a lower-body injury, the Florida Panthers have recalled goaltender Samuel Montembeault from the AHL. That puts the Panthers with a duo of Montembeault and Harri Sateri, who have a combined three NHL appearances (all Sateri). It’s not clear how serious Reimer’s injury is, but we’ll surely find out soon.
  • According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the San Jose Sharks have brought Marcus Sorensen back up from the minor leagues after getting the news that Joe Thornton would be out at least a couple of weeks. Sorensen has played 15 games for the Sharks this season, scoring three goals.
  • The Penguins Penguins have sent goaltender Tristan Jarry to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  This will allow him to play in up to two games in the minors during the NHL All-Star break.  Jarry has lost playing time to Casey DeSmith in recent games so this will serve as an opportunity to keep him in playing shape before deciding whether or not to bring him back afterwards.

David Booth, Michael Chaput On Waivers

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Tuesday: Both Booth and Chaput have cleared waivers and could be sent to the minor leagues, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. While it seems unlikely that Booth will be loaned to the Grand Rapids Griffins and instead will stay in the Red Wings lineup, Chaput has already been sent to Utica to continue playing.

Monday: We knew Michael Chaput would be on waivers today after the Vancouver Canucks announced it yesterday, but he’s joined by David Booth of the Detroit Red Wings according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Booth has already cleared waivers twice this season, but would need them again to be sent to the minor leagues.

Booth has played sparingly this season for the Red Wings, suiting up in 17 games but averaging just over seven minutes of ice time. The 33-year old veteran signed a one-year, two-way deal in the offseason but hasn’t been very effective scoring just four points. A former 30-goal scorer, Booth returned after two relatively unsuccessful seasons in the KHL and appears to be close to the end of his playing career. It would be surprising to see a claim put in on him, especially after already clearing twice.

Chaput on the other hand could be a potential addition for a team looking for some depth down the middle. A good faceoff man, the 25-year old hasn’t shown much offense during his short NHL career and would likely only be added as a fourth-line player or 13th forward. We’ll have to wait and see whether either is on their way to a new team tomorrow.

 

Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Matthews, Bertuzzi

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The Montreal Canadiens seem to be having a roller coaster of a season, although it seems much of it is down. The team had a seven-game losing streak early in the year. Then they rebounded with a three-game mini win streak, followed by another five-game losing streak. Then a five-game winning streak looked like the team might turn their fortunes around until now, a three-game losing streak.

After a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the struggling Edmonton Oilers, The Athletic’s Mitch Melnick writes (subscription required) the team has major flaws and needs to be rebuilt as the team lacks one key philosophy that most teams have adjusted to, which is speed. The Oilers skated right past the slow-moving Canadiens on their way to an easy win.

Melnick writes that captain Max Pacioretty basically admitted that he was intimidated by the speed of the Oilers and has scored only once in the last 13 games. Much of the blame falls on general manager Marc Bergevin, who believes that players such as Jordie Benn and Tomas Plekanec are key pieces to the team’s success and believes they deserve big minutes for the franchise. But blame should also be thrown at Claude Julien, who didn’t play one of their fastest skaters in Victor Mete against the speedy Oilers.

  • Rumors of a concussion circle around Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, who is doubtful to play in tonight’s matchup with the Edmonton Oilers, tweets James Mirtle of The Athletic. Matthews took a blow to the head from teammate Morgan Rielly during Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh  Penguins. He was turning around in the defensive zone when the two players collided in the third period. Matthews took the brunt of the hit, mostly in the chin. The 20-year-old wasn’t put into concussion protocol and played two more shifts after the hit. He had already missed four games earlier this year due to back issues and has only scored once in his last nine games.
  • Max Bultman of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Tyler Bertuzzi’s stint with the Detroit Red Wings Saturday didn’t go as plan. As the team found itself on special teams for a large chunk of the game, Bertuzzi saw little time on the ice (9:23) as he doesn’t play on either unit. Unfortunately with Luke Witkowski returning from a 10-game suspension and a possible return of David Booth, the team will have to make a decision on whether to return Bertuzzi to the Grand Rapids Griffins or allow him to develop his game in Detroit at the expense of some veterans who are struggling. Considering that many feel he is a player that the rest of the team would want around, the move might suggest what direction the team is trending towards in the near future. Regardless, a move will have to be made within the next day or so.

Atlantic Notes: Booth, Lightning, Canadiens

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David Booth had quite the night writes the Athletic’s Katie Strang (subscription required). Booth, who was signed to a PTO after sending general manager Ken Holland an email, has been a healthy scratch for most of the season. Last night, the 33-year-old journeyman netted two goals in a 4-3 Red Wings loss. The second goal tied the game after the Wings fell behind 3-1, gave the team a surge of energy, and nearly potted a hat trick for Booth just seconds later. After two seasons in the KHL that Booth describes as “two very tough years,” returning to the NHL with the team he grew up idolizing seems like a dream come true. A scrappy, “lunch-pail” type player, Booth is trying to follow in the footsteps of former Red Wings–Mikael Samuelsson and Dan Cleary–who struggled to find a niche until landing in Detroit.

  • Should a few losses be a cause for concern in Tampa Bay? The Tampa Bay Times Joe Smith notes that while the Lightning locker room is frustrated, they’re hardly panicking. Smith offers a few bits of advice for the team, specifically getting out to a better start as the Bolts have struggled to start strong. Nikita Kucherov has also cooled off, and teams are keying on him as expected. Smith adds that keeping things simple, instead of trying to “out-skill” teams every game. A team as sound, deep, and skilled as the Lightning will certainly face bumps in the road. It’s keeping a level head, and sticking to simplicity that should bring them out of prolonged slumps.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have a big week in front of them writes the Montreal Gazette’s Pat Hickey, and it will most likely determine where the Habs truly stand. With a home-and-away series with division rival Detroit, Montreal has a chance to surpass Detroit in the standings by taking at least three of  four points when the two teams play.  Columbus and Ottawa are the other two foes in the four game stretch. Columbus proves to be an effective gauge in how the Habs fare against a playoff contender while the Sens are another inter-division game that can yield crucial points. Hickey adds that the fourth line–who is just one of many culprits in Montreal’s inability to score, has been “stunningly” inefficient. To gain any traction in the standings–and ultimately the season–the Canadiens will need to see more from their depth lines.

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