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Anaheim Ducks Place Pontus Aberg On Waivers

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Monday: Aberg has cleared waivers according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, an interesting move given that the Oilers could have reclaimed him for their minor league squad. That means Aberg will now be able to go to San Diego should the Ducks decide to send him there.

Sunday: The Anaheim Ducks decided that Pontus Aberg may not be the best fit after all. After claiming him on waivers from the Edmonton Oilers last week, Elliotte Friedman reports that the Ducks have put the 25-year-old winger on waivers Sunday.

Aberg played just one game for the Ducks, who added Aberg due to multiple injuries to their roster, including Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Ondrej Kase. Aberg played 20 shifts in the team’s season opener against San Jose and played 13:47, but didn’t register a point. He did have a minus-one rating and picked up two penalty minutes, made one hit and blocked a shot.

There is no guarantee that any team might take a flier on Aberg after being waived after a one-game trial, but if Edmonton opts to claim him back and no one else does, the Oilers can send him directly to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL without having to re-waive him again. If Edmonton opts not to bring him back and he passes through waivers, he can be sent to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.

Jordan Maletta Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Friday: Maletta has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated.

Thursday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Jordan Maletta on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. Maletta was acquired by the Blackhawks as part of the Marian Hossa trade with the Arizona Coyotes and is in the final season of his entry-level contract.

Maletta, 23, is likely facing the end of his playing career after not being medically cleared to attend camp this season and instead taking a role with the Niagara IceDogs coaching staff (though he’s not listed in any official capacity so far). The young forward played parts of four seasons in Niagara during his junior career, and is originally from the area.

Though he obviously wasn’t the central target for the Hossa trade, Maletta had shown some promise as an undrafted minor league player. In 2016-17 with the Cleveland Monsters, he scored 12 goals and 23 points in 76 games while being a big part of the team’s penalty kill. There was little chance he would play a big role in the NHL at any point in his career, but there was certainly reason to believe he could contribute at the minor league level if healthy. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, and he’ll see his contract terminated by the Blackhawks tomorrow.

Latest On William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs get their season started against the Montreal Canadiens tonight, there is one player conspicuously missing from the lineup. That’s William Nylander, who is still without a contract and now missing regular season games as he holds out for a lucrative long-term deal. The Maple Leafs are moving forward without Nylander on the wing of Auston Matthews, but certainly don’t want to wait very long for one of their young stars to re-enter the lineup.

Still, the Maple Leafs know they can’t give in to demands and pay Nylander an exceptional amount of money. Toronto will soon be faced with a very real cap crunch as Matthews and fellow star forward Mitch Marner finish their own entry-level contracts this season, and with John Tavares already locked up for $11MM per season there isn’t a ton of money to go around. It’s Tavares that the team hopes its young forwards take a lesson from according to President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan, who told reporters today including Kristen Shilton of TSN that the club expects their players to want to win hockey games more than earn the absolute most money possible. That’s what Tavares did this summer according to Shanahan, and also what he believes his Stanley Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings teams did when he was still on the ice.

Tavares did indeed leave money on the table to come to Toronto, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports in his excellent recent piece detailing the offseason signing. Friedman writes that the San Jose Sharks were rumored to be willing to offer $13.5MM per season, while the New York Islanders basically had a blank check waiting for Tavares, one that would have been filled out in “McDavid territory.”

While that may have been Shanahan just sharing some honest feelings with the media as he approached the season opener, it also seems as though it is a bit of a negotiation tactic with his unsigned star. The Maple Leafs are forging on ahead without Nylander at the moment, and aren’t willing to put themselves in a tough spot financially by catering to whatever the player is asking for. It’s a tough stance for Toronto fans to appreciate, but it might end up saving them in the end if they plan on keeping their young core together long-term.

Injury Notes: Tuch, Johns, Hayton

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Although the nature of his injury remains a complete mystery, Vegas Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch is headed to the injured reserve. The team announced this evening that the young power forward has been placed on IR, but did not add any further detail to the release. Tuch’s unavailability paired with the recent demotions of Daniel Carr and Curtis McKenzie leaves the Knights with just twelve healthy forwards and an open roster spot heading into their opener, indicating that the team will soon name a replacement to the roster, likely a recall from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Meanwhile, Tuch is eligible to return on October 8th, when Vegas travels to his hometown Buffalo Sabres. The Golden Knights will try to get Tuch back to full strength as soon as possible, as the 22-year-old recorded 37 points in his first full NHL season last year and appears primed for a breakout campaign in 2018-19.

  • The Dallas Stars clarified the status of defenseman Stephen Johns today, while also shedding light on their recent acquisition of fellow right-handed defenseman Connor Carrick. Sportsday’s Matthew DeFranks writes that Johns has been dealing with post-traumatic headaches over the past few weeks and the condition has landed him on the injured reserve. While head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that Johns could return to practice as soon as Wednesday – he has only practiced once since September 16th – but there is no timeline for his return to game action. The team will likely take it slow while Johns works through a sensitive diagnosis and in the meantime Carrick can help to pick up the slack. Johns was one of Dallas’ more consistent blue liners last season and the team will welcome him back when he is ready to go. Outside of Johns and forward Valeri Nichushkin, out day-to-day with a lower body injury, the Stars have had good luck with injuries in camp and enter the regular season with a solid depth chart of healthy players.
  • Last week, we noted that the Arizona Coyotes had reached the maximum of 50 contracts for the organization and had technically exceeded the limit with entry-level contracts for Barrett Hayton and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. However, the two youngsters were expected to be returned to juniors which would discount their contracts against the limit. While Joseph has returned to the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, Hayton has in fact been officially named to the opening night roster, the team announced. How does such a move work? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Hayton will not count against the contract limit until he has played in the minimum ten games for his contract to toll. As such, Hayton’s stay in the desert could be predetermined to just a short nine-game stint. However, if he wins a long-term spot on the roster, the Coyotes will be pressed to trade away one or more players under contract to make space. Why give Hayton this chance considering their roster inflexibility? Arizona is currently dealing with a laundry list of injuries, with Alex Galchenyuk, Christian Dvorak, and Josh Archibald on injured reserve and Nick Merkley additionally sidelined. The recent first-round pick may present the best opportunity in the system to make up for these losses.

Anaheim Ducks Claim Pontus Aberg

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The Anaheim Ducks have claimed forward Pontus Aberg off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Aberg was a somewhat surprising inclusion yesterday, given that he was only acquired in February and had put up eight points in 16 games down the stretch with Edmonton. Some had hoped he could develop into a secondary scoring option for the Oilers this season, but with the additions of Tobias Rieder and Kyle Brodziak this summer, along with likely full-time graduations for some of the organization’s younger players, there wasn’t enough room for Aberg any longer.

That means the 25-year old forward will get his next chance in Anaheim, where the Ducks are desperately trying to find offense after Corey Perry’s recent injury and the decline of some of their other weapons. Selected 37th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2012, Aberg has shown elite scoring ability in the minor leagues and has flashed NHL potential at times including a solid performance in the 2017 postseason. It’s not clear exactly where he’ll fit into Anaheim’s lineup, but is a worthwhile addition at this point in the year.

Anaheim will assume the $650K cap hit of Aberg for this season, after which he will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. It’s a big year for him to prove he can cut it in the NHL, and should get at least some opportunity to do just that with the Ducks.

New Jersey Devils, Miles Wood Agree To Four-Year Deal

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The New Jersey Devils announced they have signed restricted free agent Miles Wood to a four-year, $11MM deal with an AAV of $2.75MM. Wood is expected to report to practice tomorrow at the Prudential Center, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein.

Wood had a breakthrough season last year when he tallied 19 goals, 32 points and 84 penalty minutes in his second season for New Jersey, while playing in a bottom-six role. Despite losing playing time once the playoffs hit, the 23-year-old restricted free agent opted to hold out during training camp. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak reports that the Devils management and Wood went back and forth between one, two, three, and four-year contracts before finally agreeing to the four-year deal. It’s likely Wood was willing to give up term in order to get more money from the Devils. Despite the four-year deal, Wood will still be a restricted free agent when this contract ends as he’s not eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2023.

With Wood off the board, there remain just three restricted free agents remaining that have not signed a deal and are holding out, including Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, Vegas Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore and Anaheim Ducks’ Nick Ritchie.

Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Wood’s AAV.

Jake Dotchin Reported “Extremely Out Of Shape”

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Just last night, it was reported that Jake Dotchin’s recent termination by the Tampa Bay Lightning for a material breach of contract due to poor conditioning had caught the attention of the NHLPA and players across the league. Many felt that if the Lightning did not have any hard line rules in place regarding fitness, Dotchin’s termination could open a can of worms about teams’ subjective use of a player’s conditioning to cut them from the roster and could become a major bargaining point. However, if the latest news on the situation proves true, the status quo has changed considerably and Tampa Bay will have a much easier time justifying their actions.

Speaking on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver this evening, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman relayed some new information on Dotchin. Friedman stated that sources told him that Dotchin reported to training camp with a body fat percentage of 25%, which was described as “extremely out of shape” and “way too high for an NHLer”. BMI, or body mass index, is the percentage of an individual’s body that is made up of fat, is a commonly used measure to determine health and physical fitness. The CDC lists a 25% BMI as the beginning of the “overweight” range for adults, which – as Friedman says – is totally unacceptable for a professional hockey player. While the CDC’s BMI formula only takes height and weight into account, which would not be accurate for any athlete weighed down by lean muscle, there are different ways to determine body fat percentage in athletes, procedures that Tampa Bay’s medical team are surely aware of. If these BMI results are indeed true, few could argue that Tampa was out of line to terminate Dotchin.

Again, Dotchin played a full season of hockey last season and didn’t appear to be slowed by poor conditioning. There were also reports that Dotchin has already received ample interest from other teams, though he has yet to sign anywhere. If Dotchin is able to pass a conditioning inspection with another team and return to being a competent NHL player, he would retain a solid case if he choose to file a grievance against the Lightning. However, Tampa Bay now has an equally strong argument that – regardless of Dotchin’s performance with another team – such a high BMI was simply unacceptable to the team and a completely objective decision. It still remains more likely that the two sides come to a resolution on this manner, but this news certainly brings the Lightning’s motivations into a new light.

Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Darnell Nurse

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After a lengthy negotiation that has led to several missed days of training camp, the Edmonton Oilers and Darnell Nurse have reached a conclusion. The two sides have reached an agreement on a two-year, $6.4MM contract. Nurse will earn just slightly more than fellow restricted free agent defenseman Josh Morrissey, who signed a two-year deal worth $6.3MM just yesterday.

Nurse, 23, is one of the most important players on the Oilers this season given their struggles on defense last year. With Andrej Sekera already dealing with a long-term injury, other options like Jakub Jerabek and Kevin Gravel not inspiring much confidence, starting the season without Nurse in the lineup could have been devastating. As it turns out, he’ll miss just a few days of training camp and be able to get into form before the season begins.

The Oilers meanwhile were almost forced into signing a bridge deal with Nurse, whether they wanted to or not. The team had approximately $3.9MM in cap space for the upcoming season, meaning they’re now down to under $1MM as we approach the year. Though there is some flexibility to be gained by moving Sekera to long-term injured reserve if they choose, signing a longer deal with Nurse would have put them in a much more difficult situation. The young defenseman broke out last season with 26 points in a full 82 game schedule, and likely would have demanded a healthy raise if he was going to sign away any of his unrestricted free agent years.

For Nurse too though, a long-term deal didn’t really make sense. Just skimming the surface of his potential as a top-four defenseman, he has the potential over the next two seasons to prove that he deserves a huge raise during the next negotiation. Just like Morrissey in Winnipeg and the still unsigned Shea Theodore in Vegas, there just isn’t a long enough track record to really demand a cap hit of $5MM or more on a long-term deal. That will certainly be possible in the summer of 2020 though, when he is a 25-year old that could potentially be the best defenseman on the Edmonton roster. When this contract ends, Nurse will have just two years of restricted free agency remaining and will have arbitration rights, something he lacked this time around.

That step towards becoming a top-pairing defenseman is what Nurse is working towards, but it’s also what Edmonton desperately needs over the length of this deal. With Connor McDavid currently one of the very best players in the world, the Oilers can’t afford to throw away seasons of his prime without an appearance in the playoffs. That’s what happened last season even while McDavid led the league in scoring, and could happen again this year without a significant bounce back from the blue line. Edmonton’s roster is much the same as it was a year ago, save for some fringe changes up front and a new backup goaltender. If the team is going to get into the playoffs, it will be on the back of an improved effort from players like Nurse.

This contract leaves just five restricted free agents left unsigned, with Theodore in Vegas already mentioned above. William Nylander (TOR), Miles Wood (NJD), Nick Ritchie (ANA) and Sam Reinhart (BUF) are the others, and will need a contract before suiting up with their respective teams this preseason. Morrissey and Nurse getting deals done might push along Theodore’s negotiations, but we’ll have to wait and see how long it takes for the others to end their holdouts.

John Shannon and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet were first to report the contract details.

Toronto’s Dubas Isn’t Budging On Contract Standoff With William Nylander

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With still a number of restricted free agents around the league opting not to attend training camp, many people find themselves looking at the most prominent of them in Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, who still hasn’t come to an agreement with Toronto and rumor have the two sides being far apart. The 22-year-old winger, who was the eighth-overall selection back in 2014, has put up two solid 20-goal, 60-point campaigns and could be ready for a breakout season.

Regardless, negotiations seem to be at a standstill. Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas did a Q&A with students from his alma mater, Brock University this morning and had an interesting response when asked when the team was going to sign Nylander.

“As soon as possible,” said Dubas. “If we want to sustain success here we can’t be setting any marketplace records.”

According to Kevin McGran of the Star, Dubas made it clear that the team wasn’t budging on its offer to Nylander, who is rumored to be seeking $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs are offering around $6.5MM. Dubas also said he isn’t worried if Nylander misses some of training camp. Due to all its salary cap issues over the next several years, Dubas has to make sure not to overpay any one player, considering he still has to sign Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to extensions as well.

While there is no confirmation of the $8MM salary demand from Nylander, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in his most recent 31 Thoughts column, writes that he believes that Nylander is asking for Leon Draisaitl money at $8.5MM per season and is likely accurate for several reasons. He writes that agents are always high, but they are using the Draisaitl comparison since Draisaitl posted 129 points in his first two seasons, while Nylander has posted 122. Throw in the fact that Connor McDavid new contract last season pushed Draisaitl’s pricetag up, the same is likely to happen as Nylander will want to be near the salaries that Matthews and Marner will eventually get (not to mention the money that Tavares got this offseason).

Dubas and the Maple Leafs are hoping that Nylander will take a little less money being on a deep, dominant playoff team, something that other players have already done such as Tavares, Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly already have.

Jake Dotchin Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Saturday, 11:00am: Dotchin has cleared waivers, Smith reports.

Friday, 4:15pm: Smith reports this afternoon that the agent for Dotchin will look at any available option to appeal the decision to terminate his contract. Dotchin’s camp apparently “respectfully disagree” with the decision. There is definitely more to come in this story.

11:11am: It wasn’t so long ago that Jake Dotchin was an up and coming young defender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, with high hopes given the lack of options on the right side. Today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Dotchin has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports the transaction has been made due to a “material breach” of Dotchin’s contract, though doesn’t go into specifics on what has occurred. The Lightning will not comment further, though Friedman adds that the team was “unhappy with Dotchin’s conditioning at arrival” for their training camp.

Dotchin, 24, looked like he might solidify himself as Victor Hedman’s partner at the end of 2016-17, when he played 35 games in the second half of the season and saw his ice time increase to over 20 minutes a night at times. That number dropped back down last year in just 48 contests, and now Dotchin will have to find himself another job in another organization. If his contract is terminated tomorrow as expected, he will be an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team in the league.

There was just one year remaining on Dotchin’s contract that would have paid him $925K this season, but there wasn’t even a guaranteed role on the blue line given the additions Tampa Bay has made over the last year. Mikhail Sergachev and Ryan McDonagh are both set to eat up huge minutes this season while Dan Girardi will still be a full-time option for the club.

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