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Jhonas Enroth

Last Minute Reassignments: Bibeau, Froese, Gazdic, Helgeson (Updated)

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UPDATE: (3:30pm): Mike Russo of the Star Tribune tweeted earlier today that the Minnesota Wild have loaned Pat Cannone and Jordan Schroeder to Iowa of the AHL. As Russo points out, the Wild won’t play again until Tuesday thanks to the holiday break while Iowa is slated to host Rockford Monday night. Russo does say that unless Erik Haula or Zach Parise is healthy enough to return Tuesday, the Wild will have to recall a player or two, meaning Cannone and/or Schroeder could be back with Minnesota sooner rather than later. Cannone, who finally made his NHL debut at the age of 30 and after six professional campaigns, was held off the score sheet in three appearances with the Wild.

(1:15pm): While the NHL’s holiday roster freeze officially began at midnight of December 20th, a provision allows teams to reassign or loan waiver-exempt players originally recalled by the parent club after December 11th back to their minor league affiliates. The deadline for those roster transactions passed at 11:59pm on December 23rd (last night). With a majority of AHL teams in action the day after Christmas, a couple of NHL clubs took the opportunity to reassign players to their affiliates with the intent of getting them some game action during the Christmas break.

  • The New Jersey Devils announced via their official Twitter account that they have reassigned rugged forward Luke Gazdic and defenseman Seth Helgeson to Albany of the AHL. Gazdic has appeared in four games with New Jersey, failing to register a point while accumulating seven penalty minutes. In 13 contests for Albany, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound winger has two assists and 19 penalty minutes. Helgeson has seen action in just two games, also failing to record a point. (New Jersey Devils Roster)
  • Goaltender Antoine Bibeau, along with forwards Frederik Gauthier and Byron Froese were loaned by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the AHL Toronto Marlies ahead of last night’s deadline, as reported by Cap Friendly. Meanwhile Jhonas Enroth was recalled from the minors to fill the void as the Leafs backup netminder. Bibeau has appeared in just one game, his NHL debut, this season for Toronto and took the loss in a 3-1 defeat on December 11th against Colorado. Gauthier tallied his first career NHL goal and has added an assist in three games this season for the Leafs while Froese is scoreless in two outings. Enroth was inked by the Leafs this summer to serve as Frederik Andersen’s understudy but failed to win a game in four starts for Toronto and posted a GAA of nearly four. His last appearance for the Leafs came on November 30th in a loss at Calgary. Enroth has seen action in just one contest for the Marlies since his demotion to the AHL. (Toronto Maple Leafs roster)

Maple Leafs, Senators Recall Goalies

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It’s a good thing that the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate is also based in Toronto.

The team has demoted Jhonas Enroth and recalled Antoine Bibeau, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. This is the second time the team has swapped the two goaltenders in four days, and the third time this month. Because he has not spent 30 days on an NHL roster since clearing waivers, Enroth does not need to go through waivers to be sent down.

Shilton believes Bibeau will get the start in one of the Maple Leafs’ upcoming back-to-back against Colorado and Arizona. Bibeau has appeared in just one NHL game earlier this month against Colorado. The Maple Leafs lost 3-1 as Bibeau made 26 saves on 28 shots. He appeared in two AHL games in his most recent stint there, going 1-1-0.

Moving northeast, the Senators have recalled goaltender Matt O’Connor on an emergency basis, as Andrew Hammond is unable to backup for Mike Condon for tonight’s game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. O’Connor was a highly sought-after prospect goaltender following his time at Boston University, but he’s struggled to find his form since turning pro. He’s appeared in just one NHL game; O’Connor started for the Senators opposite his new crease-mate in Condon, when the latter was with the Canadiens last season.

Hammond injured his ankle on Sunday night, and has appeared in just three games so far this season as he battles different injuries. The Senators’ regular number one Craig Anderson is with his wife while she undergoes cancer treatment and is not expected to re-join the team before Christmas.

Leafs Recall Enroth; Reassign Bibeau To AHL

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The Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender Jhonas Enroth from their AHL affiliate in Toronto and reassigned fellow netminder Antoine Bibeau to the Marlies, according to James Mirtle of The Atlantic (Twitter link). Enroth struggled out of the gate for the Leafs after signing a free agent deal with the team in the offseason, posting a 3.94 GAA and a 0.872 Save % in six games. He was sent to the AHL after clearing waivers 10 days ago and has appeared in just one contest with the Marlies, stopping 24 of 27 shots in a Toronto win.

Bibeau made one start for the Leafs, backstopping the Leafs in a 3 – 1 loss to Colorado in the young net minder’s NHL debut. He allowed just two goals on 28 shots. Mirtle reports that the move is likely designed to get Bibeau more game action as the Leafs have just four games over the next 11 days and with Frederik Andersen playing well, it’s assumed the Danish goalie will get all of those starts.

The Leafs also added veteran Karri Ramo on an AHL PTO with the idea he would ultimately replace Enroth as Andersen’s understudy. However Ramo has struggled with the Marlies in three appearances in the minors. Ramo spent the summer recovering from major knee surgery and may simply need more playing time to round his game into shape.

Jhonas Enroth Clears Waivers, Toronto Signs Karri Ramo To AHL Tryout

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December 6: Enroth has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).  He will be sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies; Antoine Bibeau has been recalled to take his place.

Unrestricted free agent goalie Karri Ramo, who has been skating with the Leafs over the last month as he recovers from ACL surgery, has inked a tryout deal with the Marlies, TSN’s Kristen Shilton adds (via Twitter).  This will only further fuel the speculation that Ramo’s eventual destination will be with the Maple Leafs as the new backup to Frederik Andersen once he’s back in playing shape.

December 5: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Jhonas Enroth on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman.

Enroth has not won this year, with an 0-3-1 record in four starts and two relief appearances. He was expected to be a dependable backup who could play 20 games with good numbers. He’s signed for this season at $750K.

Enroth’s career numbers before this season were respectable for a backup, with a 0.911 SV% and a 2.80 GAA in seven years in the NHL. In his six appearances this season, he has a 0.872 SV% and goals-against average of just under four.

Coach Mike Babcock said Enroth “wasn’t playing well enough,” according to Mark Masters.

James Mirtle, Editor-in-chief of The Athletic Toronto, tweeted that the Maple Leafs only gave Enroth four starts, which Mirtle called “rough.” He expects the Leafs to go after Karri Ramo, who practiced with the team last month. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported Ramo is nearing medical clearance from his knee injury. Ramo’s career numbers in his current NHL stint are extremely similar to Enroth’s: they have the same SV% and a nearly identical GAAs.

In our ranking of the Top 50 UFAs last summer, Pro Hockey Rumors ranked Enroth 50th. We called him one of the best backup goalies in the NHL. Enroth signed with the Maple Leafs in late August.

2016-17 Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

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With the start of the regular season less than a week away, we continue to look at each team’s offseason and preview the upcoming year. Today, we focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last Season: 29-42-11 record (69 points), 8th in the Atlantic Division.

Remaining Cap Space: $2.03MM as per Cap Friendly (Roster Size of 23), expected to increase to by ~$14MM when Stephane Robidas, Nathan Horton, Joffrey Lupul are placed on LTIR.

Key Newcomers: W Matt Martin (UFA, NY Islanders), C Auston Matthews (draft, NLA), RW Mitch Marner (draft, OHL), D Roman Polak (UFA, San Jose), G Frederik Andersen (trade, Anaheim), G Jhonas Enroth (UFA, Los Angeles), D Nikita Zaitzev (UFA, KHL), W Kerby Rychel (trade, Columbus)

Key Departures: RW P.A. Parenteau (UFA, NY Islanders), RW Brad Boyes (UFA, unsigned), RW Michael Grabner (UFA, NY Rangers), C Shawn Matthias (UFA, Winnipeg), C Mark Arcobello (UFA, NLA), G Jonathan Bernier (trade, Anaheim)

[Related: Leafs Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

Players To Watch: C Mitch Marner – Obviously, one of the biggest storylines this year will be first-overall draft pick Auston Matthews and his ascension to the number-one center position on the Maple Leafs. Not to be forgotten however, is the other top-five draft pick that the Leafs have yet to unveil: Mitch Marner. Marner is coming off a season where he basically won every team and individual trophy possible, leading the OHL’s London Knights to the Memorial Cup and scoring 160 points in 75 total games (regular and post-season).

The diminutive forward played some center in junior, and was once expected to take that position on the Maple Leafs. Now that Matthews is in the fold though, the Leafs have been playing Marner on the wing to fully utilize his elite offensive skills. In fact, for the last two days at least, Marner has been skating beside Matthews on what would be one of the youngest lines in the NHL regardless of the third player.

D Nikita Zaitsev – One of the most underrated signings of the offseason may come in Leafland, as Nikita Zaitsev will make his NHL debut this year after a number of successful seasons in the KHL. The 24-year old has already completed seven seasons in the Russian professional league, starred internationally for Russia and even made his Toronto debut in the recent World Cup. His right-handed shot fits in nicely with a group sorely lacking them, and should immediately jump to the Leafs top two pairings (depending on if Morgan Rielly moves back to his natural left side or not).

Zaitsev is an all-around blueliner who can work in both ends of the rink, and contribute on both special teams. While he may not possess any one elite skill, he’s proven that he can compete at the highest level. Already turning heads at Maple Leafs camp, Zaitsev scored his first preseason goal against Montreal on Sunday night and, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, should already be considered part of the Leafs’ core.

Key Storyline:

While the Maple Leafs were clearly headed for the basement of the league last year (some would say on purpose), this year has a slightly different feeling in Toronto.  While they’re not expected to make the playoffs or contend for any trophies, the youth injection is exciting enough to hope for a much improved club. With head coach Mike Babcock in no danger of losing his seat, the team can take a slow approach to development and shelter their young prospects.

In truth, the Leafs brass are just hoping for a slightly improved season, but will hope for another high draft pick to continue the rebuild. If they were to select in the top-10 once again, they could add another top prospect to their stocked cupboard, and focus on the free agent market next summer. With cap room, a hugely experienced front office and youth at all positions, the team is poised to succeed in the near future; whether that means contention for the Stanley Cup remains to be seen.

Snapshots: Lundqvist, Rantanen, Crosby

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In a shocking turn of events, Henrik Lundqvist has been scratched from today’s matchup with Russia at the World Cup. As of this morning, Lundqvist was the expected starter, but came down with an illness that is making him unable to play in the game.  Jacob Markstrom will take his place in net, while the backup will be Jhonas Enroth.

For Sweden, it’s a huge blow to their chances against the high-powered Russians who will ice a top line of Nikita Kucherov, Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin. That trio had 96 goals between them last season, even with Datsyuk obviously in the tail end of his career. While the Russian defense isn’t nearly as strong, their top two lines can play with anyone in the world, and probably outscore the majority of them.  Lundqvist would have been a huge part in any Swedish victory.

Week In Review: 8/22/16 – 8/28/16

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With the World Cup of Hockey and NHL training camps both set to start next month, teams are actively trying to wrap up the last of their offseason business and finalizing their rosters. This week saw a couple of late unrestricted free agent signings that look to be bargains at first glance and a major trade completed by two of the league’s more analytically inclined organizations. We’ve got that and more in this installment of Week In Review.

Notable UFA Signings

Jiri Hudler (Dallas) – Hudler’s presence on the open market this late into the summer has been a bit of a mystery. He’s averaged at least 0.64 points-per-game in each of his last three seasons; a rate good enough to prorate into a 50-point campaign in a full schedule. With plenty of clubs looking to add scoring depth this summer it is somewhat surprising that it was the league’s most prolific offensive team that added Hudler on a one-year, $2MM deal. If Hudler remains healthy and in the lineup and reaches the 40-point mark, the deal will go down as a steal for Dallas.

Brandon Pirri (New York Rangers) – Pirri, like Hudler, has been a strong offensive player who surprisingly drew little interest this summer. Based on the last three seasons, Pirri places tied for 30th in goals-per-game averaging 0.33. But concerns about his defensive play may have limited his market. Ultimately the Rangers took a calculated risk and signed Pirri to a one-year pact worth $1.1MM.

Jhonas Enroth (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Toronto finalized their one-year agreement with the veteran backstop weeks after it was initially reported to be close. Enroth should provide a reliable backup to the newly-acquired Frederik Andersen at a great rate relative to other quality #2 goalies in the league.

Notable RFA Signings

Cody Ceci (Ottawa) – The Senators finally locked up RFA defenseman Cody Ceci, signing the three-year veteran to a two-year bridge deal with an AAV of $2.8MM. He will earn $2.25MM in 2016-17 and $3.35MM in year two of the agreement. Ceci tallied a career-high 10 goals and 26 points this past season and believes he has more to offer, particularly on the power play.

Notable ELC Signings

Max Jones (Anaheim) – The Ducks agreed to terms with Jones on an ELC that will pay the 24th overall selection in June $925K at the NHL level and $70K while suiting up in the AHL. As noted, the agreement does not contain any performance bonuses; a relative rarity for first-round picks.

Trades

The Arizona Coyotes continued to convert available cap space into young talent by agreeing to take on the remaining three years and $16.5MM of Dave Bolland’s contract while also adding Florida’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft, Lawson Crouse, in the transaction. In return, the Panthers acquired a conditional second in 2018 and a 2017 third-round choice.

Bolland is unlikely to suit up for Arizona this year and his injuries could actually spell the end of the road for the veteran forward. Consequently, the Coyotes will inevitably place Bolland on LTIR, subtracting his cap hit from their books. Meanwhile, since the contract is insured, the Coyotes will only have to pay Bolland $1.1MM in actual cash this season.

Opinions are mixed on Crouse’s potential with some thinking he profiles only as a bottom-six player who acquiring is not worth also absorbing Bolland’s deal. Others think he has top-six, power forward potential. Count Coyotes GM John Chayka among the latter as he feels players who share Crouse’s skill set are “rare to find, difficult to obtain.”

Florida, meanwhile, gains salary relief which can be reinvested in the 2016-17 product and two draft picks to help add to the team’s diminishing prospect pool.

PTOs

Rene Bourque – Bourque has been invited to attend camp with Colorado.

Brandon Prust – After a down year in Vancouver, Prust looks to latch on with the Leafs as a 4th liner who adds toughness.

Jeff Glass – With Toronto’s expected starter and backup, Frederik Andersen and Jhonas Enroth respectively, participating in the World Cup, Toronto decided to add a body to the training camp roster. Theoretically, Glass could earn a job somewhere in the Maple Leafs organization with a solid training cap performance.

Paul Bissonette – Bissonette will attempt to earn a job with the Kings but seems most likely destined for their AHL affiliate in Ontario, California.

World Cup Notes: Enroth, Holtby, RFAs

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With news hitting the wire that Swedish goaltender Robin Lehner is still recovering from foot surgery and is unable to participate in the upcoming World Cup, newly signed Toronto Maple Leafs backup Jhonas Enroth has been added to the team. He’s not expected to play much, as the team has Henrik Lundqvist and Jacob Markstrom as the primary goaltending tandem.

Lehner played extremely well in his first season with the Buffalo Sabres, despite the relatively low talent iced in front of him. The team will be looking to him to take the reins has the number one goaltender this year with Chad Johnson having moved on.  Anders Nilsson, another Swedish born goaltender will be his primary backup this season after coming over from the Blues earlier this summer.

  • Staying with goalie notes, Team Canada has one of the best trios in the tournament, with Braden Holtby, Carey Price and Corey Crawford suiting up for the squad.  Despite winning the Vesina trophy for the league’s best goaltender last season Holtby thinks the starting job should go to Price: “All of us want to play, but if Carey’s healthy, there’s no reason to not go with him. He has all the experience internationally and the smart choice obviously would be that.”  Indeed, Price has represented Canada multiple times over his career, winning an U-18 silver, World Junior gold, and an Olympic gold medal in 2014.
  • Multiple players will be heading into this World Cup without a contract in hand for 2016-17, and have had to purchase extra insurance on themselves to guard against a potential injury. Two such players, Johnny Gaudreau and Jacob Trouba are suiting up for the North American team and should play big parts in the tournament. Gaudreau has been quoted as saying he will not negotiate while the tournament is ongoing, meaning that if it’s not within the next few days, the team will have a very short window to iron out a deal before the season begins.

Maple Leafs Sign Jhonas Enroth

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As has been predicted for seemingly weeks now, the Toronto Maple Leafs and goalie Jhonas Enroth have officially come to terms on a one-year deal. While Enroth is happy to find work and could see significant time with the Leafs, a quiet 2016 free agent market has claimed another victim, as Enroth signs for $750K after putting up excellent numbers as the backup for the Los Angeles Kings last year to the tune of $1.25MM.

Last season, Enroth joined the Kings, after a tumultuous time with the Buffalo Sabres finally came to an end, and in 16 appearances posted career-highs with a .922 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average. Going into this off-season, it was expected that his performance would lead to either an extension with the Kings or a promotion to a time-share with another team. Neither scenario panned out, and Enroth ended up waiting for either the Maple Leafs or another backup-needy team like the San Jose Sharks to come calling. In the end, the Leafs got Enroth, and on their own terms too, paying him half a million dollars less to have a more important roll: backing up Frederik Andersen in his first season in Toronto rather than simply giving Jonathan Quick a day of rest.

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Jhonas Enroth and the Toronto Maple Leafs

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Earlier this summer we reported on a rumor that free agent goalie Jhonas Enroth was close to signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs had acquired Frederik Andersen from Anahiem, shipped off last Jonathan Bernier (also to Anaheim), and traded away James Reimer at the deadline. As it stands now, one of Garret Sparks or Antoine Bibeau are set for the backup role, but most pundits agree that the Leafs are looking for a more experienced backup. Bibeau has not played an NHL game, and Sparks was wildly inconsistent in his few starts at the season’s tail end.

That is where Enroth comes in. Enroth went 7-5-1 in 13 starts for the Los Angeles Kings last season, collecting a .922 SV% and a 2.17 GAA. It was the goalie’s best performance of his career, though playing on the Kings certainly helped. The backup goalie market is always saturated, and this year is no exception, but Enroth stands out as the best of the bunch. Most backups last year with similar numbers had either a low SV% and a high GAA, or vice-versa. Enroth represents the safe choice for a team looking for a stable veteran backup.

So why hasn’t Enroth signed? If Enroth is going to the Leafs as reported, the team will have to do some creative cap maneuvering. Right now the Leafs have a mere $435,000 in cap space—less than the league minimum salary. Part of the problem is that Jared Cowen’s buyout is being held up due to injury. As we reported here, a player cannot be bought out unless they are healthy. Once Cowen’s situation is worked out, the Leafs will have more cap certainty. But that isn’t the full story. Teams can exceed the cap by 10% during the offseason as long as they are cap compliant once the season starts. That means that the Leafs can exceed the cap by $7.3MM, more than enough to sign Enroth. Becoming cap compliant shouldn’t be an issue either, as Stephane Robidas, Nathan Horton, and Joffrey Lupul are expected (but not guaranteed) to be placed on LTIR once the season starts.

The other explanation is that Enroth will not sign with the Leafs. If so, the Leafs will have slim pickings this late for a backup of Enroth’s caliber. Former Calgary Flames goalie Karri Ramo is the only comparable backup left on the market. He appeared in 37 games for the Flames, going 17-18-1 with a .909 SV% and a 2.63GAA. Those numbers are consistent throughout his career, so the Leafs know what they would be getting. The only other free agent goalies to play meaningful games last year are Anders Lindback (.894 SV% and 3.11GAA) and Joni Ortio (.902 SV% and 2.76 GAA), but neither represent attractive options.

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