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Minor Transactions: 10/9/21

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It has been a busy day on the transactions front as some teams have pulled up previously cut players to round out their roster for their final preseason games while other players will be looking to catch on either in the minors or overseas.  Here’s a rundown of those moves.

  • The Senators announced (Twitter links) that they’ve recalled defensemen Dillon Heatherington, Mark Kastelic, and Lassi Thomson plus winger Egor Sokolov from AHL Belleville. All four were previously cut in training camp but will be on the roster for their preseason finale against Toronto tonight.
  • With Cam Talbot unavailable due to a personal matter, the Wild announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Andrew Hammond from AHL Iowa. He’ll serve as Kaapo Kahkonen’s backup for their preseason finale in Chicago.
  • Vegas’ AHL affiliate in Henderson revealed (Twitter link) that the Golden Knights have brought up forwards Jonas Rondbjerg and Jake Leschyshyn from the Silver Knights for their final preseason game tonight versus San Jose.
  • Greg McKegg gets another look with the Rangers as Rick Carpinello of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the veteran forward has been recalled for tonight’s game against the Islanders. McKegg returned to New York this season after spending 2020-21 with Boston.
  • After having his contract terminated by Winnipeg last month, Joona Luoto is heading back home as Tappara in the SM-liiga announced that they’ve inked the 24-year-old to a one-year deal. Luoto played in Tappara’s program – his hometown team – before making the jump to North America in 2019 where he played in 16 games with the Jets.
  • Marko Dano’s two-month tryout in Trinec was a successful one as the Czech squad announced they’ve extended his contract for the rest of the season. The 26-year-old was non-tendered by Winnipeg this summer after not seeing any NHL action for the first time in his professional career.
  • Kunlun Red Star of the KHL announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed winger Cliff Pu to a one-year deal. The 23-year-old wrapped up his entry-level contract last season, recording 10 points in 16 games with AHL Cleveland but was non-tendered by Columbus this summer.
  • Veteran winger Brandon Mashinter has decided to call it a career and has joined Jacksonville of the ECHL as an assistant coach. The 33-year-old played in parts of four NHL seasons with the Sharks, Rangers, and Blackhawks, notching five points and 50 PIMS in 64 games.  Mashinter spent last season in Slovakia after a two-year stint in Germany.
  • After clearing waivers, Sonny Milano has been reassigned to the AHL by the Anaheim Ducks. Milano played in just eight games total last season, two of which were with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. It seems like that total could increase considerably this season unless the Ducks decide he is worthy of a recall at some point.
  • The Dallas Stars have demoted defenseman Andreas Borgman to AHL Texas. However, with 36 players still on their training camp roster, the team has a ways to go. Borgman, 26, suited up for seven games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season but appears to be no better than tenth on the Stars’ depth chart.

31 Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 4: 31 of the 32 players placed on waivers have cleared. The Buffalo Sabres have claimed Jonsson-Fjallby from the Washington Capitals.

Oct 3: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that, originally, 13 names have hit the waiver wire today. PuckPedia reports an additional 19 names that have found themselves on waivers today. The 13 names are as follows:

D Trevor Carrick (ANA)
D Kodie Curran (ANA)
D Brendan Guhle (ANA)
F Vinni Lettieri (ANA)
F Danny O’Regan (ANA)
D Brogan Rafferty (ANA)
F Zachary Senyshyn (BOS)
D Nick DeSimone (CGY)
D Kevin Gravel (CGY)
F Matthew Phillips (CGY)
D Andy Welinski (CGY)
D Jalen Chatfield (CAR)
D Joshua Jacobs (CAR)
F Seth Griffith (EDM)
F Cooper Marody (EDM)
F Brandon Baddock (MTL)
F Laurent Dauphin (MTL)
F Jean-Sebastien Dea (MTL)
G Michael McNiven (MTL)
F Anthony Richard (NSH)
F Brian Flynn (NJD)
F Robbie Russo (NJD)
F Greg McKegg (NYR)
F Pontus Aberg (OTT)
D Dillon Heatherington (OTT)
F Kole Sherwood (OTT)
D Tommy Cross (STL)
D Sean Day (TBL)
F Gabriel Dumont (TBL)
F Charles Hudon (TBL)
F Darren Raddysh (TBL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (WSH)

More to come…

Ottawa Senators Sign Dillon Heatherington, Kole Sherwood

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The Ottawa Senators have inked a pair of minor-league veterans to two-way contracts. They’ve signed Dillon Heatherington and Kole Sherwood to one-year, two-way contracts worth $750,000. Heatherington’s deal is worth $250,000 at the AHL level, while Sherwood’s deal is worth $150,000.

Heatherington, a 2013 second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is now 26 and carries very limited NHL upside. He’s returning to North America after spending one season overseas with the KHL’s Barys Nur-Sultan. His first trip overseas earned him only moderate success, potting seven points in 41 games. A strictly defensive defenseman, Heatherington’s got only 11 career NHL games to his name and just two assists.

Their other signing, Sherwood, is also a former Columbus prospect and an Ohio native. Sherwood has played NHL games for Columbus in every season since graduating from the OHL in 2017-18, but he hasn’t managed to stick a full-time role. He’s yet to find his offensive touch at the pro level, but at 24 years old, still carries some potential late-bloomer upside.

Dillon Heatherington Signs In KHL

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After spending the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL, Dillon Heatherington has decided to look elsewhere for his hockey employment. Heatherington has signed a one-year contract with Barys Nur-Sultan in the KHL.

The 25-year-old defenseman was originally a second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013 but ended up traded to the Dallas Stars organization before ever playing a game in the NHL. With the Stars, he ended up becoming a core member of their AHL team, reaching the Calder Cup Finals in 2018 and wearing a letter as alternate captain the following year. He also played in 12 games for Dallas during his time there, including a playoff game in 2019.

Now heading to the KHL, Heatherington is certainly not off the radar of NHL teams down the line. Still young enough to develop further and big enough to make scouts believe he could play a role, it seems likely that you’ll hear his name again down the line as a potential free agent signing in North America.

Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars

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With free agency now just a couple weeks away,  teams are looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Fresh off of a heart-breaking loss in the Stanley Cup Final, the Dallas Stars will have to evaluate the cost of bringing back the veteran UFA’s that contributed to their playoff run while also maintaining enough space to extend several core RFA forwards.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Roope Hintz – Hintz came out strong as a rookie in 2018-19 with 22 points in 58 games only to top that this year with 19 goals and 33 points in 60 games. The 23-year-old is still trending upward and projects to be a core piece for a long time for the Stars. Coming off of his entry-level contract, Hintz is in for a major raise, especially on a long-term deal. And with so many of their top forwards on the wrong side of 30, Dallas will likely aim for a lengthy deal to make sure Hintz is around to help take over.

F Denis Gurianov – Gurianov is part of that next wave of core forwards in Dallas as well. The 2015 first-round pick took some time to arrive on the NHL stage, but in his first full season with the Stars this season shook off any doubts about his potential. With a team-leading 20 goals and 29 points in 64 games, backed up by 17 points in 27 playoff games, Gurianov proved himself to be a dangerous scoring threat. With his entry-level contract expiring, Gurianov is in for a payday, perhaps even more so than Hintz, due to the possibility that he could be Dallas’ top goal-scorer for years to come.

F Radek Faksa – Faksa’s future with the Stars may be a bit more uncertain than his fellow RFA forwards. The 26-year-old center, who is owed at least a $2.2MM qualifying offer, declined this season and his role moving forward in Dallas is unclear. Faksa snapped a three-year streak of 30+ points with just 20 on the year, his lowest per-game rate since his rookie season. He also finished outside the top nine scoring forwards for the Stars and saw his ice time slashed as a result. A good two-way player, Faksa is best suited for a bottom-six role but Dallas may question how much that role is worth to them. Faksa could sign a short-term deal, especially given the current flat cap conundrum, with the chance to prove himself worthy of an extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency.

Other RFAs: F Tony Calderone, F Joel L’Esperance, F Josh Melnick, G Landon Bow

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Anton Khudobin – Has Khudobin priced himself out of Dallas? After outplaying Ben Bishop this season and then taking over for the injured starter in the playoffs and marching the team to the Stanley Cup Final, Khudobin’s stock has never been higher. Which is saying a lot about a player who has been considered one of the top backups in the league for many years. With so many teams looking for a shake-up in net this off-season, including several teams with young netminders who would love a reliable veteran to share starts, Khudobin should draw a ton of interest on the open market. With a solid starter in Bishop and a promising young option in Jake Oettinger pushing for opportunities, will the Stars keep up with the top bidders to retain Khudobin? It seems unlikely.

F Corey Perry – Perry is another player whose stock soared this postseason. A former superstar now past his prime, Perry was still clutch in the playoffs and showed over the course of the whole year that he can still be an effective player. An intense physical presence and a smart offensive mind, Perry can still make a difference even if his 21 points this season is more reflective of his new ceiling. In fact, while Perry may be limited to another one-year deal this off-season, he might be able to command more than his $1.5MM “show me” salary from this season. As the price goes up on the open market, it becomes less likely that Perry returns to Dallas. However, if he’s seeking consistency in his older age, Dallas was a good fit and a return makes sense.

D Andrej Sekera – Dallas has everything you could want in a defense corps: high-end talent, depth, size, experience in the minors, and budding young prospects. However, sometimes a respected veteran and leader is the finishing touch that a contender needs. Sekera is not the player he once was -not really even close – but was a great fit on the bottom pair in Dallas. Sekera can still play meaningful minutes, provides solid defense, blocks shots, and can contribute on offense from time to time. An experienced asset who can help bring along the Stars’ young defenders while playing a reliable role, Sekera fits well in Dallas and should return on another minimal deal as long as he wants to keep playing.

Other UFAs: F Mattias Janmark, F Michael Mersch, F Oula Palve, D Gavin Bayreuther, D Dillon Heatherington

Projected Cap Space

CapFriendly projects the Stars to have about $15.5MM in current cap space. However, that projection includes two-way players whose roster spots are not necessarily secure, such as forward Justin Dowling and defensemen Taylor Fedun and Ryan Shea. It also seems likely that forward Joel Kiviranta and defenseman Joel Hanley have earned roster spots next season with strong playoff performances, but are not included in the current projection. All things considered, the Stars should have at least $16.2MM in flexible cap space heading into the off-season. This will be plenty to extend Faksa, Hintz, and Gurianov while leaving room to explore the free agent market.

Stars Make Final Roster Cuts

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Although the official rosters aren’t expected to be released until tomorrow, Stars GM Jim Nill told reporters, including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) which four players will not be on their roster.  Those that won’t be making the trip to Edmonton are goalie Colton Point, defenseman Dillon Heatherington, plus forwards Joel L’Esperance and Rhett Gardner.

Point spent most of his sophomore professional season with Idaho of the ECHL where he posted a 2.86 GAA with a .898 SV% in 20 games.  However, even with him being cut, Dallas will be taking four goaltenders with them into the bubble.  As for Heatherington, this was the first time in three seasons that he didn’t see any NHL action.  Instead, he played exclusively with AHL Texas where he had 14 points in 59 games.

L’Esperance has been one of the top scorers in Texas in each of the last two seasons so his exclusion is a little more surprising.  He finished second on the team in scoring this year with 25 goals and 15 assists in 58 games while chipping in with a goal in three contests with the big club.  Gardner just wrapped up his first professional year and while he only had 24 points in 55 games with Texas, he did manage to get into eight games with Dallas.

The cuts mean that a pair of their top junior prospects, defenseman Thomas Harley and center Ty Dellandrea, will go into the bubble.  They are the most recent first-round picks of the Stars and while they may not play, they will benefit from being around the team, especially with the start of the 2020-21 season at the lower levels still in question.

The Unleashed 2020: Potential Group VI Unrestricted Free Agents

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Though most players have to wait until after their 27th birthday to become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team in the league without compensation, there are a few other ways to get to the open market. Players that complete seven full seasons in the NHL are eligible for UFA status, as are restricted free agents that do not receive qualifying offers. There is another way however, offered to those players who don’t get a long opportunity in the NHL but have put in several years at the professional level: Group VI unrestricted free agency.

Earlier this month, CapFriendly compiled a complete list of players on track to become free agents early. To refresh your memory on how a player qualifies for Group VI free agency, they must meet three requirements:

  1. The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
  2. The player has completed 3 or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19 year old player), or 1 or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
  3. The player has played fewer than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender.

The entire list of players at risk can be found below, but make sure you check out CapFriendly for more detailed information on how they could avoid the designation this summer.

*Indicates that the player could still play in enough games this season to become ineligible for Group VI free agency

Anaheim Ducks

Andrew Poturalski
Justin Kloos

Arizona Coyotes

(none)

Boston Bruins

Ryan Fitzgerald

Buffalo Sabres

(none)

Calgary Flames

Ryan Lomberg
Rinat Valiev
Jon Gillies

Carolina Hurricanes

(none)

Chicago Blackhawks

(none)

Colorado Avalanche

Antoine Bibeau

Columbus Blue Jackets

Doyle Somerby

Dallas Stars

Gavin Bayreuther
Dillon Heatherington

Detroit Red Wings

(none)

Edmonton Oilers

Colby Cave*
Shane Starrett

Florida Panthers

Danick Martel
Jack Rodewald

Los Angeles Kings

(none)

Minnesota Wild

Carson Soucy

Montreal Canadiens

Laurent Dauphin
Gustav Olofsson

Nashville Predators

Michael McCarron*

New Jersey Devils

Brandon Baddock
Dakota Mermis

New York Islanders

Jordan Schmaltz

New York Rangers

Boo Nieves*
Vinni Lettieri
Danny O’Regan
Nick Ebert

Ottawa Senators

Morgan Klimchuk

Philadelphia Flyers

Reece Wilcox

Pittsburgh Penguins

Riley Barber
Thomas Di Pauli
Adam Johnson

San Jose Sharks

Anthony Greco

St. Louis Blues

Mackenzie MacEachern*
Andreas Borgman

Tampa Bay Lightning

Daniel Walcott
Patrick Sieloff
Spencer Martin

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kasimir Kaskisuo

Vancouver Canucks

Ashton Sautner

Vegas Golden Knights

Valentin Zykov
Oscar Dansk

Washington Capitals

Liam O’Brien
Colby Williams
Tyler Lewington

Winnipeg Jets

J.C. Lipon

Dillon Heatherington Re-Signs With Dallas Stars

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Dillon Heatherington didn’t bother filing for arbitration recently and instead has re-signed with the Dallas Stars. The depth defenseman inked a one-year two-way contract with the club that could take him right into unrestricted free agency depending on what happens this season. The Stars would need to play Heatherington in 69 NHL games this season to avoid Group VI unrestricted free agent status next summer. He will earn $700K at the NHL level this season, according to CapFriendly.

The 24-year old Heatherington has played in just 11 NHL games over the last two seasons, but is a key part of the Texas Stars’ blue line. Suiting up 73 times for them in 2018-19 the 6’4″ defenseman recorded 24 points and 75 penalty minutes while wearing an “A” as one of the alternate captains. Texas is likely where he is headed again this season, though he’ll have to clear waivers at the beginning of the season in order to go there.

Originally a second round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Heatherington has not yet been able to crack an NHL roster for very long. He’ll try to make that a tough decision this fall, but it will be difficult. The Stars have several strong options on the left side already, including newcomer Andrej Sekera. If one of them struggles or suffers an injury though, you can bet Heatherington will be one of the first few call-ups.

Gavin Bayreuther Re-Signs With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have to be happy about taking a waiver on a little-known college free agent out of St. Lawrence University two years ago. Gavin Bayreuther has proven to be a more than capable pro, successfully translating his game from NCAA level. After back-to-back strong AHL campaigns, as well as 19 NHL games this past season, Bayreuther has been rewarded with a new contract. Dallas has announced a one-year, two-way extension with the blue liner. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Bayreuther, 25, is a New Hampshire native and the cousin of former Stars teammate Ben Lovejoy, who also grew up in New England. An undrafted prospect out of The Holderness School, Bayreuther played on season in the USHL before enrolling at St. Lawrence, where he immediately became a force on the blue line for the Saints. Over four seasons, Bayreuther compiled 111 points in 142 games and twice led the team in scoring. His play caught the attention of Dallas, who signed him to a two-year entry-level contract after graduation. It paid off immediately, as Bayreuther continued to dominate as a puck-moving defender, recording 32 points in his first pro season to lead all defenseman in scoring for AHL Texas, proving he was an NHL asset. He added another 25 points in just 53 AHL games this year, but also added five NHL points over 19 games with Dallas.

The challenge moving forward for Bayreuther is no longer to prove he belongs in the NHL, but to prove that he is more worthy of starts and ice time than his many competitors. The Stars are deep on the blue line, led by the likes of John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen. Veterans Roman Polak and Andrej Sekera will also have a leg up in the position battle, as will the re-acquired Jamie Oleksiak. That potentially leaves one roster spot available for Bayreuther, Taylor Fedun, injured Stephen Johns, and still-unsigned restricted free agents Julius Honka and Dillon Heatherington to fight over. It won’t be easy for Bayreuther to crack the NHL roster or even ensure that he spends considerable time at the top level this year, but if he continues to produce regardless of the level, the Stars may be left with little choice but to give the young rearguard a regular role.

Central Notes: Laine, Predators Prospects, Gunnarsson, Honka

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With teams worrying about players’ second contracts more than ever, the Winnipeg Jets may have one of the most challenging tasks this summer when they have to lock up star forward Patrik Laine, who hits restricted free agency on July 1. While many may ask why not offer him what he wants, the Jets have two other serious issues, including an already full salary cap as well as the fact that Laine has proven to be wildly inconsistent so far in his early career.

While Laine still tallied 30 goals this past season (his lowest total of his career), 18 of those goals came in November with Laine scoring no more than four goals in any other month. Regardless, The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that while a long-term deal could net Laine close to $9MM per season, he might even get more if he opts to take a bridge deal and bank on the potential to get back to 40 goals in the next two years. With the potential to hit his peak within that time, he could really hit payday if he waits. However, that could be an even bigger problem to the team’s long-term salary outlook.

  • The Athletic’s John Glennon (subscription required) writes that while the Nashville Predators have been ranked near the bottom when it comes to the franchise’s prospect cupboard, the Nashville Predators have some hope. The team does have a team in the AHL, the Milwaukee Admirals, who have slowly developed players that are ready to compete for spots on the NHL roster such as Eeli Tolvanen, Anthony Richard and Yakov Trenin, while the team has added some college depth to bolster their depleted group of prospects. Much of the team’s problems is that they have traded many picks to add talent over the last few years, but Glennon adds that the team has drafted well with the picks it has had whether they are in college, in juniors or playing overseas.
  • The St. Louis Blues will be missing a defenseman Saturday when they open up Game 1 against the Dallas Stars as NHL.com’s Chris Pinkert writes that Carl Gunnarsson will sit out after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the second round. Veteran Robert Bortuzzo is expected to replace him in the lineup. Gunnarsson, a third-pairing defenseman, saw his playing time decrease somewhat in the second-round series.
  • SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks writes that one offseason task that the Dallas Stars must look at is what to do with defenseman Julius Honka, who has been a healthy scratch for the final four months of the season as he hasn’t played a games since Jan. 15. The former first-round pick in 2014 has fallen down the depth chart as he has slipped behind Jamie Oleksiak, Ben Lovejoy, Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. “We’re going to sit down over the summer now and we’re going to decide is he a part of this group or is he an asset to go get something else?” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “That’s what we’ve got to figure out.”

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