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Jiri Patera

Vancouver Reassign Three To AHL, Place Two On SOIR

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The Vancouver Canucks are gearing up to announce their opening night roster for the 2024-25 NHL season. The team has made a few transactions in that effort announcing Arshdeep Bains, Erik Brannstrom, and Jiri Patera have been assigned to their AHL affiliate with Thatcher Demko and Dakota Joshua being placed on the season-opening injured reserve.

None of the moves are surprising with Vancouver trading for, and waiving, Brannstrom yesterday in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Patera was also placed on waivers yesterday by the Boston Bruins and the Canucks can send him down without waivers since they were the only team to place a claim.

Bains played eight games for Vancouver last year but came away scoreless. He should be a relatively frequent call-up depending on the Canucks’ injury outlook with Bains scoring 16 goals and 55 points in 56 games for AHL Abbotsford last year.

The two injured reserve assignments, Demko and Joshua, are the most unsurprising designations among the transactions. Demko continues to work his way back from an injury suffered in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs without any concrete timeline for his return.

According to The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal, there is more positivity with Joshua, who has returned to the ice and is only a few weeks away from joining the team. Joshua missed all of training camp for the Canucks after undergoing surgery for his testicular cancer diagnosis. He’s expected to fully recover and join Vancouver’s roster in a few weeks.

Canucks Re-Claim Jiří Patera Off Waivers From Bruins

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After losing him on waivers to the Bruins last week, the Canucks have re-acquired goaltender Jiří Patera off the wire Monday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If they were the only team to put in a claim, they could assign him directly to AHL Abbotsford without having to expose him to waivers again. Friedman adds that’s the likely scenario.

The Canucks initially tried to sneak Patera through waivers to Abbotsford at the beginning of the month, but Boston claimed him as a backup option to Joonas Korpisalo in case the team didn’t come to terms with restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman before opening night. That dilemma was solved yesterday with an eight-year, $66MM deal for Swayman, making Patera expendable in Boston. He’ll now head to Abbotsford, where he initially planned on playing this season after signing a two-year, two-way contract with Vancouver in July.

It’s no harm, no foul for either team, with the Bruins getting the short-term insurance they needed and the Canucks and Patera getting to resume course on their original plan. Patera, 25, was a sixth-round pick of the Golden Knights back in 2017 and remained in the Vegas organization up until this summer, when he became a Group VI UFA and signed with Vancouver. He made eight NHL appearances while in the Knights’ pipeline, posting a 3-3-1 record, 3.57 GAA, and .902 SV%. On the farm with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, he had a 2.92 GAA, a .907 SV%, 37-40-6 record, and one shutout in 85 appearances.

Those are certainly serviceable numbers for a No. 3 option, which is the role he’ll hold with Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs set to open the season as Vancouver’s two NHL goalies. Star starter Thatcher Demko will land on injured reserve while he continued to recover from the knee injury that sidelined him for all but one postseason game in 2024.

Waiver Wire: 10/6/24

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Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt

Carolina Hurricanes

F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki

Chicago Blackhawks 

D Isaak Phillips

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue

Los Angeles Kings

G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka

Nashville Predators

D Marc Del Gaizo

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White

New York Islanders

D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek

New York Rangers

D Matthew Robertson

Ottawa Senators

F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai

Utah Hockey Club

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

D Erik Brannstrom

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Washington Capitals

G Hunter Shepard

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Bruins Claim Jiří Patera From Canucks

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The Bruins have claimed goaltender Jiří Patera off waivers from the Canucks, PuckPedia reports.

Patera is the only player out of 28 who were waived yesterday to be claimed. The 25-year-old reached Group VI UFA status this summer with only eight career NHL appearances under his belt with the Golden Knights.

Patera signed a two-year, two-way deal in Vancouver to initially serve as their No. 3 option behind Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs, but he’d slipped to fourth on the depth chart after they signed Kevin Lankinen late in the summer. He was still projected to start the season as their third-stringer, with Demko set to start the year on the shelf with a continuing knee injury, but became more expandable with the veteran Lankinen in the fold.

It’s still a blow to Vancouver’s thinning goalie depth and a boon for the Bruins, who add some insurance between the pipes with RFA Jeremy Swayman still likely to be unsigned by the time their season opener rolls around next week. It’s now a two-man competition between Patera and 26-year-old Brandon Bussi, who also requires waivers, to start the year as Joonas Korpisalo’s backup. They’ll now choose which name to expose to the wire before opening night.

Given their similar ages, Bussi is probably the higher-ceiling option for the B’s. He has a strong .918 SV% in 78 AHL games with Providence over the past three years, although he’s yet to make his NHL debut. Patera has worse but still solid career AHL numbers with a .907 SV% through 85 appearances, and his brief NHL action with Vegas was fine – a .902 mark with a 3.57 GAA through seven starts and one relief appearance over the past two years.

Suppose Boston keeps Bussi as the backup to open the season and places Patera on waivers again to try and pass him to Providence. In that case, the Canucks can re-claim him and send him directly to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford if they’re the only team to submit a claim.

If the Bruins decide/manage to retain Patera, it’s a solid move to acquire some experienced goalie depth for not just this season but the next one, too. Vancouver likely hoped the second year of the two-way pact would dissuade teams from making a claim, but it didn’t work out that way.

Waiver Wire: 10/1/24

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28 players hit the waiver wire Tuesday, per PuckPedia. It’s a sharp increase from yesterday’s 12 names as more veterans are assigned to the minors later in camp. All of yesterday’s waived players cleared, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Today’s waiver placements are as follows:

Anaheim Ducks

F Carson Meyer

Buffalo Sabres

F Joshua Dunne
F Mason Jobst
F Brett Murray
D Colton Poolman
D Jack Rathbone
G Felix Sandström

Calgary Flames

D Ilya Solovyov

Edmonton Oilers

G Collin Delia
D Ben Gleason
D Philip Kemp
F Lane Pederson

Los Angeles Kings

D Jacob Moverare

Minnesota Wild

F Reese Johnson

New York Rangers

F Anton Blidh
G Louis Domingue
D Casey Fitzgerald
D Brandon Scanlin

Seattle Kraken

F Brandon Biro
F Max McCormick
F Ben Meyers
D Gustav Olofsson
F Mitchell Stephens
G Ales Stezka

Vancouver Canucks

F Phillip Di Giuseppe
G Jiří Patera
F Nathan Smith
D Christian Wolanin

Canucks Sign Vincent Desharnais, Jiří Patera

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Adding to their defensive core for the 2024-25 NHL season, the Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Vincent Desharnais away from the Edmonton Oilers on a two-year, $4MM agreement. Additionally, the Canucks have agreed to terms with depth netminder Jiří Patera on a two-year, two-way contract, per a team announcement.

Desharnais has been a late bloomer as the 28-year-old didn’t make his NHL debut until 2022-23 and only became a full-time regular last season.  He played in 78 games in 2023-24, picking up a goal and 10 assists to go along with 122 blocks and 135 hits while averaging a little under 16 minutes per game.  He took a regular turn for the Oilers on the penalty kill, making him more than just a big (he’s 6’7) third-pairing player.  He also got into 16 playoff contests where he averaged more than two hits and blocks per game in just over 17 minutes a night.

Desharnais will be counted on to help anchor Vancouver’s third pairing behind recently-re-signed blueliners Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers.  With Nikita Zadorov (Boston) and Ian Cole (Utah) both departing via free agency, he will be asked to help replace some of the physicality that those two brought to the table.  After being a full-time minor leaguer just two years ago, this contract represents a nice reward for Desharnais’ decision to stick it out in the minors.

As for Patera, he was one of the more intriguing Group Six free agents from this year’s class.  He has eight games of NHL experience under his belt with Vegas but spent most of the year with AHL Henderson where he posted a 2.99 GAA with a .903 SV% in 25 games.  It was believed that Vancouver was open to signing a veteran netminder to play behind Thatcher Demko but instead, it looks as if Patera will try to unseat Arturs Silovs for that role with the one not getting the job heading to play at AHL Abbotsford.

Golden Knights Reassign Jiri Patera

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The Golden Knights have assigned netminder Jiří Patera back to AHL Henderson, per CapFriendly. The move suggests Adin Hill, who hasn’t played since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Blue Jackets on March 23, is ready to return tomorrow against the Canucks.

A sixth-round pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, Patera made his NHL debut last year after two seasons with Henderson in a depth role. At 6’2″ and 209 lbs, Patera’s good size and solid positioning helped him develop into the Knights’ top minor-league option last season, with a .911 SV% in 31 appearances. He made his first two NHL starts in March as injuries piled up in the Vegas crease, winning both and posting a strong .929 SV%, 2.50 GAA, and 2.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

After his entry-level contract expired, Vegas signed him to a one-year, two-way contract ($775K/$100K/$145K) last summer to serve as the third goalie on the depth chart behind Hill and Logan Thompson. He slid up from the #4 spot to replace veteran Jonathan Quick, whom they let find a new home on the open market after he gave the eventual Stanley Cup champs some solid performances to close out the regular season. Patera’s more extended NHL audition this season hasn’t gone quite as well, though, putting up below-average numbers with a .893 SV% and 3.98 GAA in five starts and one relief appearance. He’s managed to concede 4.0 goals above expected in that time.

Things haven’t gone quite as well in the minors for Patera either, where his numbers have dropped to a .902% and 3.04 GAA in 24 games. The team in front of him hasn’t exactly been a beacon of defensive responsibility, though, and the other two netminders on the roster, Isaiah Saville and Jesper Vikman, haven’t outperformed him.

Since Patera was on the roster as an emergency call-up, he had to be returned to Henderson or be added to the roster as a standard recall as soon as Hill became available to dress. He made one start on this recall, stopping 30 of 35 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Predators on March 26. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights when his contract expires this summer and will require waivers to be assigned to the minors beginning next season.

Golden Knights Recall Jiri Patera, Move Tomas Hertl To LTIR

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The Golden Knights recalled goaltender Jiří Patera from AHL Henderson on Sunday, per a team release. He’ll serve as the backup to Logan Thompson to kick off their four-game road trip after Adin Hill sustained an undisclosed injury in the third period of yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets. To open up space for Patera’s $775K cap hit, the team moved center Tomas Hertl to LTIR, per CapFriendly, retroactive to when he underwent knee surgery in February as a member of the Sharks.

Patera, 25, sits firmly in the third spot on Vegas’ goaltending depth chart. He’s been recalled multiple times this season in the wake of injuries to Hill and Thompson, yielding mixed results with a .901 SV%, 1-3-0 record, 3.75 GAA, and -2.5 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. The Prague-born netminder was selected in the sixth round of the Knights’ inaugural 2017 Entry Draft class and inked a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$100K/$145K) to remain in the desert after reaching restricted free agency last offseason.

His play has dropped off slightly in the minors this year, however. After taking over as Henderson’s starter last season with a .911 SV% in 31 games, he’s posted a .902 SV%, 3.04 GAA, and 10-10-4 record in 24 AHL games in 2023-24. He’s still posted the best numbers out of any Silver Knights netminder, however, and is at little risk of losing his starting spot for the time being.

Moving Hertl to LTIR does not affect his timeline or eligibility to return to the lineup. He remains listed as week-to-week but is expected to make his Golden Knights debut before the postseason begins. Placing him on LTIR frees up an additional $6.75MM in relief, increasing their salary pool to $21.25MM.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Bellemare, Mintyukov, McTavish

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The Vegas Golden Knights made some roster moves today as they’ve assigned goaltender Jiri Patera and forward Sheldon Rempal to the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.

Patera dressed last night as starting netminder Adin Hill’s backup as netminder Logan Thompson was out of action due to an illness. The 24-year-old Patera has appeared in five games this season for Vegas, registering a 1-3 record with a 3.75 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

Rempal has also appeared in five games at the NHL level this season and has posted the first two goals of his NHL career. The Calgary, Alberta native has appeared sparingly over parts of five NHL seasons and once again finds himself in the AHL where he has posted solid offensive numbers with 21 goals and 12 assists in 43 games.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Roots Sports reporter Scott Malone tweeted that the Seattle Kraken have activated forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare off the injured reserve. The 38-year-old has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury back on December 18th and has appeared in 29 games this season for the Kraken, posting four goals and a single assist while averaging 9:34 of ice time per game. Bellemare is in his tenth NHL season as he was a late arrival to the NHL having spent his first 11 professional seasons playing in his native country of France.
  • Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune is reporting that the Anaheim Ducks have welcomed back defenseman Pavel Mintyukov as the rookie 20-year-old was activated off the injured reserve today. According to Lee, Mintyukov skated on the Ducks’ third pairing tonight alongside Ilya Lyubushkin. Mintyukov has had a solid first season in the NHL, posting two goals and 17 assists in 41 games this season while averaging over 18 minutes a night in ice time.
  • The Ducks also welcomed back forward Mason McTavish after a one-game absence. The 21-year-old was dealing with an upper-body injury that kept him sidelined briefly but was healthy enough to be reinserted into the lineup tonight as the Ducks fell to the Montreal Canadiens 5-0. McTavish is mired in a six-game goalless drought but still has 13 goals on the season to go along with 18 assists in 44 games.

Vegas Golden Knights Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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The Vegas Golden Knights have activated defenseman Ben Hutton off of injured reserve ahead of their Monday night loss to the Minnesota Wild. Hutton served as a healthy scratch for the outing, but he’s now poised to make his return from an upper-body injury that had him designated as week-to-week. The Golden Knights have also moved forward Pavel Dorofeyev onto injured reserve with an upper-body injury that’s held him out of Vegas’ last four games. No update was provided on Dorofeyev’s timeline, though the team has recalled forward Sheldon Rempal, as well as goaltender Jiri Patera, for additional depth. Both recalls were made to address illness on Monday, with Rempal filling in for Paul Cotter and Patera filling in for Logan Thompson.

Vegas swaps out a depth forward and a depth defenseman with their IR moves. Hutton has played in 31 games on a bottom-pair role this season, scoring one goal and nine points – one point more than he recorded in as many games last year. Dorofeyev has found similar success, scoring 14 points, split evenly, through 29 games in Vegas’ bottom six. It’s Dorofeyev’s official rookie season, though he did appear in 20 NHL games prior to this season. He’s up to 23 points across 49 career NHL games.

To help mend the lineup in the face of injury, the Golden Knights bring up two players who have each played in five NHL games this season. Forward Rempal has scored two goals in his outings, appearing in some of the first NHL games of his career. He currently ranks second on the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in scoring, with 21 goals and 33 points through 43 games. Goaltender Patera will be approaching this call-up looking for more, setting a 1-3 record and .901 save percentage this season. Patera is also a rookie, with his only NHL experience prior to this season coming through just two games last year. He’s served as Henderson’s starter when he’s in the minors, recording seven wins and a .903 save percentage in 17 games.

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