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Nashville Predators Claim Phillip Di Giuseppe Off Waivers

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With injuries mounting, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Nashville Predators claimed forward Phillip Di Giuseppe off of waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes and to make room for the young forward, the team placed center Kyle Turris on injured reserve once again with a lower-body injury, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan.

In Di Giuseppe, the Predators gets themselves a 25-year-old forward with 147 NHL games under his belt, but the winger hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time role in all the years he’s been with Carolina. He has one goal and four assists in 21 games this season with the Hurricanes. However, with the Hurricanes struggling themselves and Di Giuseppe being a healthy scratch for four straight games, Carolina opted to risk losing him by putting him on waivers. The team already lost Valentin Zykov on waivers to Edmonton (and then Vegas), so it’s another key loss for their minor league team.

Nashville has been plagued with injuries as the team is currently without forwards Filip Forsberg and Colton Sissons. Turris has also missed a game and was expected to be out Monday before the team returned him to IR and with Eeli Tolvanen playing at the World Junior Championships, the team opted to bring in Di Giuseppe to provide some added depth. The team also recalled Nicholas Baptiste to help fill in as well. There is no word whether Turris’ trip to injured reserve will be a long one. It’s very likely the Predators used Turris’ injury to open up a roster spot so they could take Di Giuseppe. Turris last played on Dec. 27, so assuming the trip to the IR is retroactive to that game, he won’t be eligible to return until their game on Friday at Detroit. He already spent almost three weeks on IR in late November and early December.

 

Phil Di Giuseppe, Jason Garrison Placed On Waivers

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Just a day after acquiring him from the Edmonton Oilers, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Jason Garrison on waivers. The veteran defenseman will be joined by Carolina Hurricanes forward Phillip Di Giuseppe, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Garrison, 34, was included alongside Drake Caggiula in the package that sent Brandon Manning back to Edmonton, but apparently isn’t in the NHL plans for the Blackhawks. Chicago had been looking for ways to rid themselves of Manning in order to give more ice time to their young defensemen, and apparently agreed to take Garrison off the Edmonton books without much use for him. Given the $650K cap hit he carries, Garrison would be completely buried in the minor leagues and not take up any salary cap for the Blackhawks while giving them an experienced option if injuries ever struck. That’s exactly the role he played last year with the Vegas Golden Knights, when he suited up 58 times for the Chicago Wolves. This would appear to be the end of Garrison’s NHL career, though there may be another team who offers him a professional tryout again next summer.

For Di Giuseppe, things are much different. The 38th overall pick from 2012 is still just 25 years old and has actually shown flashes of solid performance at the NHL level. Despite that, he can’t seem to keep him self up with the Hurricanes and will be available for the entire league once again. In 21 games this season, Di Giuseppe has just four points.

Central Notes: Dallas Stars, Byfuglien, Hellebuyck, Crawford

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The Dallas Stars made the news Friday when Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites went on a rant due to the poor play of franchise stars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The must-read rant suggests that ownership is not happy with the duo’s production and expect to see immediate changes on the ice.

In hopes of getting more answers and whether ownership is ready to make some major changes regarding those two players or whether general manager Jim Nill’s job is in jeopardy, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman interviewed owner Tom Gaglardi.

“Our best players have to be our best players,” Gaglardi said. “This is not about trading anyone. This is not about firing anyone. We are in danger of missing the playoffs for the third straight year, and this team is built to win and contend now. We need to take advantage of the opportunity we have in front of us.”

While Gaglardi made it clear that the franchise hopes to impart the importance of turning their season around now, Friedman believes that major changes are coming if the team fails to make the playoffs again. The Stars are currently in fourth place in the Central Division with a 19-16-3 record and 41 points, just two points in front of Minnesota. The Vancouver Canucks, in the Pacific, are one point out of that wildcard spot with 40 points.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have to hold their breath after Dustin Byfuglien went down with an apparent leg injury during the third period of Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild and didn’t return. Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice had no update on their star blueliner after the game, according to Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defenseman collided with Minnesota’s Luke Kunin midway through the period and replays show that Kunin’s leg collided with Byfuglien’s knee. The 33-year-old is having a solid season, posting four goals and 29 points in 32 games. Any long-term loss could be crippling for a team that is trying to hold off both Nashville and Colorado in the Central Division.
  • Staying with the Jets in the Central, Luke Fox of Sportsnet wonders how long they can keep up their solid play with the play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck this year. A Vezina finalist just last year, the 25-year-old ranks 27th in the NHL in save percentage (among goalies that have appeared in 12 or more games) with a .909 percentage, same as the league average. Last year, Hellebuyck had a .924. Hellebuyck was vocal at the beginning of the year about the shrinking goalie equipment and more recently about players entering the crease with more frequency. “They don’t want it to change,” Hellebuyck told reporters, referring to the league. “They like the goals. They want more goals and want to take more from us … What needs to happen is a penalty needs to be called.”
  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton said that there remains no timetable on a potential return for starting goaltender Corey Crawford, who suffered another concussion on Dec. 16, according to the Daily Herald’s John Dietz. Colliton said he’s reached out to Crawford via texts, but he refuses to push the veteran goaltender for a timeline on when he may be ready to return. “That’s part of what my experience (is) going through this,” said Colliton, who retired at age 28 due to concussions himself. “There is no timeframe. You get better when you get better, and putting pressure or me asking him everyday how he’s feeling, that serves no purpose. When he feels better, I’ll know. And then we’ll proceed accordingly.”

Vegas Golden Knights Claim Valentin Zykov

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Valentin Zykov is no stranger to being claimed off waivers. The 23-year-old forward landed with the Edmonton Oilers less than a month ago after being placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. As such, it comes as no surprise that Zykov is on the move yet again, after Edmonton also opted to place him on waivers yesterday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Zykov has been claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights and will remain in the Pacific Division for the time being.

Zykov continues to be an enigma in his pro career. The young Russian winger led the AHL with 33 goals last season and topped 50 points while playing a top-line role for the Charlotte Checkers. He also performed well in a brief NHL tryout with Carolina, recording seven points in ten games. However, when handed a roster spot with the Hurricanes to begin this season, Zykov disappeared. He was unable to score even one goal, registering just three assists in 13 games. When the ’Canes decided to risk Zykov on waivers to move him back to the AHL, they did so knowing that they could be giving up considerable offensive potential. Originally a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings back in 2013, Zykov’s ability has always been well-regarded, but questions remain about whether he can put it all together at the NHL level. The Oilers decided to take a chance on his upside and claimed the AHL standout. In five games with Edmonton, Zykov was even more invisible than he had been in Raleigh. Zykov failed to record a point and struggled to log even seven minutes of ice time in four of his five outings. The Oilers were unimpressed by the performance, but apparently the Golden Knights were not. They become the third team to give the talented, but inconsistent winger a chance this season. Whether or not they will be the last remains to be seen. Vegas is currently over the 23-man roster limit and have some immediate roster decisions to make. Zykov is likely on a short leash with this club as well.

Friedman also notes that the three other players placed on waivers yesterday cleared. This means that defenseman Jake Dotchin, who also could have been on to his third team of the season, will instead remain with the Anaheim Ducks organization. Dotchin is likely to be demoted to the AHL after clearing waivers, given his dwindling ice time in recent games and the team’s depth on the blue line. Dotchin is a nice asset for the Ducks to have as an option should they need a dose of physicality, but the former Tampa Bay Lightning rearguard is probably best suited for the depth role he now finds himself in. The other two players to clear – placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination – were Carolina’s Michal Cajkovsky and Nashville’s Joonas Lyytinen. Given that Cajkovksy had already signed with Dynamo Moscow ahead of the KHL Trade Deadline, his clearance is not a surprise. The same goes for Lyytinen, who has struggled to carve out a role for himself with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in two seasons in North America and was nowhere close to an NHL call-up. Lyytinen is likely to return to the Liiga in his native Finland following his release.

Jake Dotchin, Valentin Zykov Placed On Waivers

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The roster freeze is over, and teams can use waivers once again to try and move players to the minor leagues. The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers have done so, placing defenseman Jake Dotchin and forward Valentin Zykov there. Both players found themselves on waivers earlier this year, with Dotchin seeing his contract terminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Zykov claimed from the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Michal Cajkovsky and Joonas Lyytinen have also been placed on unconditional waivers by the Hurricanes and Nashville Predators respectively.

Dotchin, 24, is still in a grievance over how his deal was terminated earlier this year when the Lightning found him in “material breach of contract” when he showed up to camp out of shape. Though he was cut loose from the Tampa Bay organization, the young defenseman found a new team in Anaheim and worked hard to get back to the NHL level. He has played 16 games for the Ducks, though saw the end of the bench for much of his last one, playing fewer than seven minutes in a loss to San Jose.

The physical—and sometimes dangerous—Dotchin looked like a promising asset for Tampa Bay just a few years ago, when he recorded 11 points in 35 games down the stretch in 2017. Right-handed, he seemed like a perfect complement to some of the more skilled defenders on the Lightning blue line and was extremely inexpensive. Even the draft capital invested in him was minuscule, as the Lightning had found Dotchin in the 2012 sixth round after just a single year of junior hockey. He could be claimed by another team, but after inconsistent play and the recent trouble, some organizations may look the other way.

Zykov on the other hand just can’t seem to make good on his limited opportunities in the NHL. Claimed by the Oilers to give them some more offense on the wing, the 23-year old forward didn’t score a single point during his five-game stint and now finds himself in limbo. The Hurricanes could reclaim the second round pick, and if they are the only team that tries they would be allowed to immediately move him to the minor leagues. If not, Edmonton might try to build up his confidence and performance at the minor league level before giving him another opportunity.

Radel Fazleev Clears Unconditional Waivers, Signs In KHL

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Dec. 25: It hasn’t taken long for Fazleev to find a new team.  The KHL announced that he has signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan for the remainder of the season.

Dec. 21: Friedman reports that Fazleev has cleared waivers.

Dec. 20: Along with Patrik Berglund of the Buffalo Sabres, another player is gracing unconditional waivers today. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Radel Fazleev will see his contract terminated provided he clears waivers as expected. The 22-year old forward is in the final year of his three-year entry-level deal signed in 2015, and has just two points in 15 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.

Fazleev was a sixth-round selection in 2014 out of the WHL, where he had put up good numbers in his first year of junior hockey. Those numbers continued to grow as he developed with the Calgary Hitmen, eventually leading to a 71-point season in 2015-16 and a silver medal at the World Juniors. Unfortunately, that kind of playmaking talent wasn’t carried over to the minor leagues and Fazleev has struggled in the minor leagues with Lehigh Valley.

As CapFriendly pointed out today, situations like this are almost always due to a player failing to report or leaving the club. There have been plenty of examples of contract terminations this year, and Fazleev will likely join the majority of them in finding a new job overseas. The Russian forward could very well be headed to the KHL to try his luck.

Several KHL Stars Eyeing Return To NHL

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The Kontinental Hockey League is well past the midway point of their season and players are beginning to look ahead to next year. The NHL off-season is still a ways away, but many KHLers are already hoping to get a chance at the highest level next year. While few European pros who would like to play in the NHL actually possess the name value or ability to do so, those with experience in the league stand a far better chance. In his latest “31 Thoughts” article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman identified three former NHLers currently excelling overseas who have the interest and the talent to end up back in the league next season: Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and Victor Antipin.

Of the trio, Grigorenko stands out as truly shining this season in the KHL. The CSKA Moscow star has 34 points through 35 games, leading the team in scoring and in the top ten league-wide in per-game production. Grigorenko looks far better in his second season in the KHL than he did last year and could be catching the eye of NHL teams. The 2012 No. 12 overall pick possesses immense skill, as well as good size and physical ability. However, in stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche over five seasons, he could never quite put it all together. Grigorenko was traded away by Buffalo as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade in 2015 and improved substantially during two seasons in Denver, but nevertheless bolted for his native Russia after he was not qualified by the team and became a free agent two years ago. CSKA is thankful that he did, as Grigorenko’s play has fueled the team to the top spot in the standings as of now. Grigorenko has likely matured as a player  and leader since his NHL days and could be an intriguing option this summer.

Nesterov also has his fair share of NHL experience, skating as the sixth or seventh defenseman for the Tampa Bay Lightning for parts of three seasons before being dealt to the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the 2017 NHL Trade Deadline. Nesterov showed good two-way ability in his limited roles with the Bolts and Habs, but was also prone to poor stretches and bad mistakes. He signed with CSKA the same off-season as Grigorenko, but was able to make an immediate impact in his first season, posting 19 points in 42 games while often playing top-pair minutes. Yet, Nesterov is already about to surpass that mark this season, with 18 points through 35 games. Nesterov is within the top ten defensemen in the KHL in scoring this season and his play is also part of the reason that CSKA has allowed far fewer goals than nearly every other team in the league.

One of few blue liners with more points than Nesterov this season is Antipin, who unlike the other two is just one year removed from the NHL. However, he also has just the one season in the league to his credit and it was far from impressive. Antipin made his NHL debut last year after signing with the Buffalo Sabres. He skated in 47 games with the team, but failed to score a goal and only added ten assists. It was far from a surprise that he left Buffalo to return home this summer. A failed first NHL season won’t stop the hype over the swift skating defenseman though; Friedman reports that the speculation of an Antipin return is fueled more so by interest from NHL teams than the player’s own desire to play in the league. Antipin has 21 points in 40 games this year for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, fourth-best on the team. A balanced two-way game, especially in the offense-heavy KHL, is often a good way to impress NHL scouts and Antipin may get his second chance far sooner than he might have expected.

Teams Showing Interest In Former Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall

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It’s now been nearly a month since Ron Hextall was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, replaced as GM by Chuck Fletcher after a poor start. The Flyers expected to be in the playoff hunt this season, but were 10-11-2 when Hextall was relieved of his duties. Not surprisingly, there has been some interest from around the league according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that a few teams have “reached out” about the former goaltender’s availability. Friedman notes that the teams may not be looking at Hextall as GM, but to join their team in some capacity.

That shouldn’t surprise anyone, given Hextall’s successful post-playing career as a front office executive. Starting with the Flyers as a scout, he ended up as an assistant GM with the Los Angeles Kings when the team won their 2012 Stanley Cup and had only just left to return to Philadelphia when they won again in 2014. Twice he was also part of the Canadian World Championship management group, taking home a silver medal as GM in 2017. There are plenty of organizations who could use that kind of experience, and there are plenty of other benefits.

As Friedman writes in his latest 31 Thoughts, under Hextall the Flyers were a tightly run ship that very rarely leaked information. He was also notoriously patient with his development plan, to the point where some have wondered whether that is what got him fired this season. Hextall had long-term goals for the Flyers, and certainly had built up quite the prospect pool.

Any team that wants to hire Hextall would have to go through the Flyers, and it’s not clear that they would allow him to change organizations mid-season. We’ve seen front office members have to wait before, like former Toronto Maple Leafs AGM Mark Hunter who was relieved of his duties but kept under contract through the draft. Still, it doesn’t seem like it will take too long before we see Hextall back in an NHL front office somewhere.

Gemel Smith, Garrett Wilson Placed On Waivers

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Wednesday: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Tuesday: With the transaction freeze coming into effect tomorrow, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins have both placed players on waivers. Gemel Smith and Garrett Wilson find themselves back on the wire again this season according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Smith was only claimed by the Bruins less than two weeks ago from the Dallas Stars, a team that could very likely reclaim him and try to send him to the minor leagues. The Stars will be allowed to do so if they are the only team to put in a claim, but that actually may be risky given the upcoming freeze. Any claiming team will not have time to get a different player through waivers and off the roster, though there are obviously other ways to clear roster spots (like injured reserve).

The 24-year old forward played three games for the Bruins since his claim, but registered no points and was a -3. A fringe bottom-six player, he couldn’t provide any punch to a forward group in Boston looking for someone to provide secondary scoring. That was Smith’s problem in Dallas too, as he has recorded just 20 points through 77 games with the Stars.

Wilson on the other hand cleared waivers before the season began, but needed them again given he has played 13 games with the Penguins this year. The veteran minor league forward has 12 points in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but only two points in those 13 games with Pittsburgh. Never more than minor league depth, those two points are actually Wilson’s first in the NHL (during the regular season at least), making him not much of a risk to be claimed.

Snapshots: Blues, Bieksa, Bakos

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For fans of the Blues, hoping that the team can turn the season around, as well as fans of other teams hoping for a chance at acquiring their top players, today’s news comes as a welcome change to the status quo in St. Louis. The Blues announced that three players were back at practice today and looking healthy and ready for game action. Alex Pietrangelo, Carl Gunnarsson, and Robby Fabbri all took the ice today and are expected to return to the lineup as early as tonight, when St. Louis takes on the Edmonton Oilers on the road. “Obviously we missed those guys tremendously”, said teammate Patrick Maroon, one of a number of Blues players who spoke about their excitement to have three difference-makers back at practice. Pietrangelo is clearly the greatest addition to the lineup, but Gunnarsson is also a regular on the Blues blue line and Fabbri has struggled with constant injurie issues for parts of three seasons and St. Louis would like to see him stay healthy for the rest of the campaign. At full strength, the Blues do have plenty of talent on paper and could put together a comeback of sorts this season. However, if that doesn’t happen, the team will continue to take calls on nearly anyone on the roster. GM Doug Armstrong won’t trade anyone whose value has dipped, so getting Pietrangelo and company back to health also improves his asking price should he decide to make some moves down the stretch.

  • On a recent appearance on the “31 Thoughts” podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa made it clear that he is not retired. In fact, Bieksa has already committed to play with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland later this month. A strong performance from the 37-year-old could earn him a contract from a contender for the second half of the NHL season. Brian Gionta and Chris Kelly accomplished similar feats after the Olympics last year and Bieksa has the experience and claims to still have the physical conditioning to follow suit. The long-time Vancouver Canuck and Anaheim Duck was unwilling to sign long-term with any team far from his family in California this off-season, but on a half-season deal he will likely be more open to taking the offer that gives him the best chance at an elusive Stanley Cup title.
  • After his time with the Boston Bruins didn’t go according to plan due to an early-season injury and a lack of opportunity, Martin Bakos had his contract terminated last week after clearing unconditional waivers. He’s now on to a new opportunity, as HK Sochi of the KHL announced that they have inked Bakos to a contract for the remainder of the season. Bakos has several seasons of KHL experience on his resume, but this is first time playing for one of the league’s many Russian squads after previous stints with HC Bratislava in his native country of Slovakia, as well as a year in China with the Kunlun Red Star. Bakos only managed to record four points in 16 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, a skilled minor league squad, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on a Sochi roster that lacks much talent up front. Bakos joins recent NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Yohann Auvitu in Sochi, hoping to push for a playoff spot with the team this season.

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