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Jean-Sebastien Dea

Jean-Sébastien Dea, KHL Club Mutually Terminate Contract

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Former NHLer Jean-Sébastien Dea and his KHL club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, elected to terminate the player’s KHL contract by mutual consent yesterday.

Dea was originally under contract with an NHL team for the 2023-24 campaign, but Dea and the Arizona Coyotes mutually terminated the deal in August in order for Dea to pursue an opportunity in the KHL.

Dea, 29, is an undrafted center who worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL but had seen his call-up opportunities grow less frequent as he got closer to his thirties. Dea spent last year mostly with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, scoring a solid 23 goals and 50 points in 67 games. An established top-six quality AHLer, Dea has scored 50 or more points in the AHL three times.

Rather than remain in the AHL for another season where he might have potentially been called up once again, Dea elected to head overseas to pursue his first opportunity to play in a European professional league. Dea only managed six points in 18 KHL games for Metallurg, though, and his ice time had begun to slowly decline.

So rather than continue with Magnitogorsk, both the team and Dea have elected to end their business relationship.

It’s possible Dea returns to North America, where he would be a significant addition to the offensive attack of any club he signs with. It’s also possible Dea pursues other opportunities in Europe, though he may very well be weary of signing again in the KHL given how his first stint in that league has turned out.

West Notes: Kadri, Dea, Halttunen

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In an interview with Mike Zeisberger of the NHL, Nazem Kadri lamented about the lack of success for the Calgary Flames last season, both as an individual and as a team. One of the most important quotes from Kadri came when he said, “For whatever reason, we got a little restricted last year, so I’m just looking forward to a clean slate and starting the year off strong”.

Zeisberger notes that Kadri would not elaborate if the use of the word ’restrict’ was mostly attributed to former-head coach Darryl Sutter, but most would guess this is the case due to Sutter’s infamous coaching style. Nevertheless, after experiencing a 31-point drop year-on-year in his first season with the Flames, Kadri is excited about once again getting a clean slate coming into the season.

Although Calgary did miss the playoffs last season, they were not far off from crossing the finish line, finishing two points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. As much as the team would like to make its way back to the postseason, all signs are pointing to a year of transition rather quickly, as Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin have all refused to sign extensions, causing them to see their names pop up in trade rumors rather frequently.

Other notes:

  • Only four days ago, word came out that the Arizona Coyotes had put forward Jean-Sebastien Dea on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the final year of his contract. Going several days without a home for the upcoming season, we now have clarity on Dea’s future. Per the team’s X account, Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL has announced a one-year contract agreement between them and Dea. A 10-year veteran of the American Hockey League, this will be Dea’s first time playing professionally overseas, perhaps finishing his time in North American hockey.
  • A few months after being drafted in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, San Jose Sharks prospect, Kasper Halttunen, will be joining the London Knights of the OHL for the 2023-24 season (X Link). Halttunen spent last season playing for HIFK of the Finnish Liiga, producing one assist in 27 games. Although not much of a speed threat on the ice, Halttunen is a power forward through and through, providing a lot of physicality and a heavy shot from the wing.

Coyotes Place Jean-Sebastien Dea On Unconditional Waivers

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The Coyotes are parting ways with one of their minor league veterans as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they have placed center Jean-Sebastien Dea on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the final year of his contract.  He is the only player on waivers today.

The 29-year-old has been a productive player in the AHL throughout his career.  Last season, he finished third in scoring with AHL Tucson, notching 23 goals and 27 assists in 67 games.  That helped earn him four appearances with Arizona, the most single-season games he had played at the top level since 2020-21.

For his career, Dea has played in 517 career AHL games spanning 11 seasons, recording 153 goals and 188 assists.  However, his NHL time has been limited as he has just 37 appearances with four different organizations where production has been much harder to come by as he has just five goals and two helpers to his name.

Dea had one year left on his contract which paid $775K in the NHL and had a guaranteed salary of $300K in the minors that he will be walking away from; Arizona will have no lingering cap charge.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie adds (Twitter link) that Dea requested his release to pursue an opportunity in Europe.  Once Dea clears waivers on Sunday, the Coyotes will be free to terminate his deal, making him a free agent and lowering their number of contracts to 47 out of the limit of 50.

Waivers: 09/29/22

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Waivers will officially open today, meaning teams around the league can start cutting eligible players with the purpose of sending them to minor league clubs. While the full list will come out at 2 pm ET, some have already started announcing their initial placements. You can see all of the day’s cuts here, but we’ll also keep track of just the waiver portion in this post.

Arizona Coyotes

F Michael Carcone
F Jean-Sebastien Dea

Colorado Avalanche

F Charles Hudon
F Spencer Smallman
D Andreas Englund
D Brad Hunt
D Joshua Jacobs
G Jonas Johansson

Los Angeles Kings

F Austin Wagner

New York Islanders

F Richard Panik
G Kenneth Appleby

New York Rangers

F C.J. Smith
F Turner Elson

This page will be updated throughout the day

Arizona Coyotes Sign Jean-Sebastien Dea, Boko Imama

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The Arizona Coyotes have added another minor league standout, signing Jean-Sebastien Dea to a two-year, two-way contract according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The scribe reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $750K in the NHL, though that isn’t actually possible as the league minimum will increase to $775K next season. Dea will earn $300K in the minor leagues.

Not to be forgotten is Bokondji Imama, who has re-signed with the team on a one-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old had qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agent but will return to the team that gave him his first taste of NHL action this season.

Dea, 28, is an excellent AHL forward, capable of putting up big offensive numbers no matter where he’s playing. He had 26 goals and 52 points in 70 games with the Laval Rocket this year and also has experience with the Rochester Americans, Springfield Thunderbirds, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during his time in the minors. He also has 33 games of NHL experience, though any chance of him becoming an impact player at that level has long passed. He might get a handful of games in with the rebuilding club but is probably joining more for the Tucson Roadrunners than anything else.

The same is likely true for Imama, even if he did make his first NHL appearance this year. The 25-year-old played four games with the Coyotes and scored a goal, an impressive performance given he has never even reached double-digit tallies in the AHL. For Tucson this year he had five goals, 12 points, and 178 penalty minutes, bringing a physical presence to every shift.

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…

Kalle Kossila, Jean-Sebastien Dea Clear Waivers

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December 29: Kossila and Dea have both cleared waivers.

December 28: Today is the first day for the playing season waiver period and two teams have already taken advantage of it. Kalle Kossila of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jean-Sebastien Dea of the Buffalo Sabres have both been placed on waivers according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

Kossila was recently loaned to EHC Munchen by the Maple Leafs, where he has played two games so far. The fact that he has now been placed on waivers likely confirms that he will not be returning to North America for training camp, at least not until things start up for the AHL. The 27-year-old forward has played in 19 NHL games over the years, all of them coming with the Anaheim Ducks. Last year he was limited by injury to just 12 appearances for the Toronto Marlies, meaning this season is something of a comeback for the former St. Cloud State star.

Dea meanwhile signed a two-year, one-way deal with the Sabres in 2019 but played just three NHL games with the team last season. With some new faces coming into Buffalo his chance to make the roster always seemed slim and this move likely confirms he will not be there when games start in a few weeks. The 26-year-old did have 39 points in 57 games for the Rochester Americans last season, so he would still be an asset to the AHL organization if minor league games get underway.

Both players will be available to the rest of the league, but neither seems likely to be claimed at this point.

Minor Transactions: 01/31/20

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Seven games are on tap in the NHL this evening, including a Pennsylvania rivalry and Connor McDavid welcoming in the Stanley Cup champs. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are back in action as well as he looks to pass another great on the all-time leaderboard. Ovechkin sits just a single goal behind Mark Messier for eighth and just seven shy of becoming the newest member of the 700-club. Given his history of 29 goals in 47 games against the Ottawa Senators, another giant could fall later tonight.

  • After last night’s win over the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens have decided to send Cale Fleury to the minor leagues. Fleury hasn’t played for Montreal in a few weeks, so he needed to get some games in to continue his development.
  • Adding injury to insult, the Buffalo Sabres appear to have lost Kyle Okposo in the game last night. The team recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea today to replace him, though it is not yet clear how serious the injury is.
  • Kevin Gravel has been recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving them another defensive option as they head into a Saturday matchup against the Senators. It is a bit of an interesting move as the team is coming home from a road trip, but perhaps someone is fighting a new injury (Update: After Gravel filled in at practice with Travis Dermott fighting an illness, he has been returned to the minor leagues.)
  • Justin Dowling has been placed on injured reserve by the Dallas Stars, while Joel Kiviranta is on his way up to the NHL club. Kiviranta played seven games earlier in the season for Dallas, but has spent most of the season with the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/19

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A new week is upon us in the NHL and nine games will kick things off tonight. That schedule includes the struggling Calgary Flames heading to Pittsburgh to try and get another win to slow the bleeding, while the super-hot Dallas Stars welcome the Vegas Golden Knights into their arena. With plenty of action on the schedule we’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to prepare.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Matthew Highmore from the minor leagues, his first opportunity at the NHL level since the 2017-18 season. That year Highmore played in 13 games for the Blackhawks and scored two goals, but missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.
  • Riley Stillman has been sent back to the AHL by the Florida Panthers, while the team takes a few days off. Florida doesn’t play again until Wednesday, when they will try to stop their short two-game losing streak in its tracks.
  • After just a couple of days in the minors for cap reasons, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee have been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers. Both players were in the lineup when the Flyers took on the Calgary Flames on Saturday and were sent down just to bank some cap space on the off day.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea from the AHL, giving them another option with Evan Rodrigues unavailable for tonight. While Dea gives the Sabres a fine option, the team is really testing their organizational depth with all the recent injuries.
  • Daniel Carr has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, a little more than a month after he cleared waivers and was sent down. Carr absolutely tore up the AHL during that time, posting 21 points in 16 games. The 28-year old is an elite AHL offensive weapon, but has just 103 NHL games under his belt.
  • Jack Studnicka and Brendan Gaunce have both been recalled by the Boston Bruins. The team will not have Patrice Bergeron, Brett Ritchie or Par Lindholm for their two-game road trip that starts tomorrow in Montreal.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Michael Hutchinson, sending Kasimir Kaskisuo back to the minor leagues. The backup goaltender usage under new head coach Sheldon Keefe isn’t clear, but the Maple Leafs do have a back-to-back situation coming up this weekend.

Minor Transactions: 10/03/19

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The NHL regular season is underway, and the stars have already made their mark. Auston Matthews showed why he’s a perfect prop bet in season-openers by scoring his eighth and ninth goals through four opening games, while Connor McDavid showed that his knee is just fine as he cut through the Vancouver Canucks defense for the game-winner late in Edmonton. Eight more games are on the schedule for tonight including Jacob Trouba’s first test against his former club and a top tier matchup between the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche. As teams prepare, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the moves.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Victor Olofsson and Henri Jokiharju as expected, while sending Jean-Sebastien Dea, Curtis Lazar and Lawrence Pilut back to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. These moves had been done just as some cap gymnastics to get Buffalo the most room possible, and were always expected to be reversed before they start their season in Pittsburgh tonight.
  • After keeping Timothy Liljegren on the opening night roster, the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent the top prospect back to the minor leagues. Liljegren was kept up for salary cap purposes, but will switch spots with the recently-waived Nic Petan today. Petan should serve as one of the extra forwards for the Maple Leafs that might rotate in, alongside Jason Spezza who was a healthy scratch last night.
  • Manuel Wiederer has been assigned to the San Jose Barracuda, where he is expected to spend the season. The 22-year old forward suffered an upper-body injury earlier in the preseason, but is likely recovered enough to rejoin his teammates now that he has officially been sent down.
  • With Sam Steel and Ondrej Kase being cleared ahead of tonight’s home opener, the Anaheim Ducks have opened up space on the roster by reassigning Isac Lundestrom and Max Comtois to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Lundestrom and Comtois, as well as Steel, a part of a large group of impressive young NHL-ready forwards pushing for ice time this season. This is certainly not the last you’ll hear of them this year.

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