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Jordan Oesterle

Predators Claim Jakub Vrána, Jordan Oesterle

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The Predators have claimed winger Jakub Vrána off waivers from the Capitals and defenseman Jordan Oesterle off waivers from the Bruins, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

Nashville needed some depth after trading winger Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild a few days ago and moving Thomas Novak and Luke Schenn to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday evening. Newly acquired Michael Bunting will become a regular feature in the lineup upon his recovery from appendix-removal surgery, but Vrana and Oesterle will fill in in the meantime.

After a few subpar years with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues, Vrána successfully converted a PTO into a one-year, league minimum deal with the Washington Capitals. It was a feel-good story at the time, given that the best years of Vrána’s career had come in the Capitals organization. Before being acquired by Detroit at the 2020-21 trade deadline, Vrána had scored 76 goals and 157 points in 284 games, including a Stanley Cup ring from the 2018 postseason.

Thanks to a relatively healthy forward core this season, the Capitals haven’t utilized Vrána much. The nine-year veteran has been limited to 26 games this season in Washington, scoring four goals and 11 points while averaging 9:50 of ice time per night. There’s no guarantee he’ll have more access to playing time in Nashville, but he could make a decent fit on the team’s fourth line.

Meanwhile, Oesterle joins the seventh organization of his career from the waiver claim. The product of Western Michigan University had recently signed a two-year, $1.55MM agreement with Boston last summer. Similarly to Vrána, Oesterle had been a lightly called upon depth option on the Bruins’ blue line.

He’s likely to find a similar role in Nashville. Oesterle doesn’t appear better on paper than any of the Predators’ other options unless the team has not finished dealing from their defensive core. The 11-year veteran has registered one goal and six points in 22 games for the Bruins this season, averaging 17:36 of ice time. The pair of Nashville’s waiver claims were briefly teammates throughout their time with the Red Wings from 2021 to 2023.

Waivers: 3/5/25

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Four players hit the waiver wire on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

F Christian Fischer (Red Wings) – Fischer, 27, has slipped down Detroit’s depth chart as the season’s progressed. He’s been a healthy scratch in four of their last eight games. His 11:09 ATOI is his lowest in five years, as are his 0.16 points per game (1-6–7 in 45 GP). On an expiring deal worth $1.125MM, he’ll cost $100K against the cap for Detroit if he clears and is sent to the minors. It’s unclear if it’s purely a performance-based demotion or if they’re waiving him to open up roster flexibility ahead of the deadline – likely a bit of both.

D Jordan Oesterle (Bruins) – Oesterle’s waiver placement comes after the 32-year-old scored his first goal since December 2022 in yesterday’s loss to the Predators. He’d been a healthy scratch in 10 straight games before re-entering the lineup for Ian Mitchell. The veteran depth piece has served as a bottom-pairing/depth option for a good chunk of the season with Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy missing significant time on the Boston blue line. He’s been rostered since late November, so today’s waiver placement is likely an effort to get him assigned to AHL Providence on deadline day to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

F Jesse Puljujärvi (Panthers) – Puljujärvi signed a tryout with Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte last month after having his deal with the Penguins mutually terminated. Today’s waiver placement indicates he’s landed an NHL deal with the Panthers for the rest of the season. If he clears waivers and returns to Charlotte, he’ll now be a recall option down the stretch. It’s a two-way, league-minimum deal for the 2016 No. 4 overall pick, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. He has three assists in seven games with Charlotte after posting 3-6–9 in 26 showings with Pittsburgh earlier this season.

F Jakub Vrána (Capitals) – Vrána won’t necessarily be reassigned to AHL Hershey if he clears, at least not immediately. They’ll have a 30-day window to send him to the minors waiver-free to aid in salary cap flexibility around deadline moves, AP’s Stephen Whyno reports. Regardless, it’s been a tough year for the 29-year-old. He landed a PTO with Washington in camp and converted that into an NHL contract for his second stint with the Caps, who drafted him 13th overall in 2014. He’s been reasonably productive when dressed, posting 7-4–11 in 26 games despite seeing just 9:50 of ice time per game, but hasn’t found a regular role in Washington’s league-best offense. He’s suited up just three times since New Year’s, sitting almost exclusively as a healthy scratch. He’s on a one-way deal for 2024-25 worth the minimum $775K.

East Notes: Greenway, Samuelsson, Robertson, Bruins

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The Sabres are getting close to getting a couple of players back in the lineup.  Team reporter Justin Alpert relays that winger Jordan Greenway and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson both took part in practice today in regular (contact) jerseys after previously being limited to non-contact drills.  Greenway has been out for nearly three weeks due to a middle-body injury and has three goals and three assists through 16 games so far.  As for Samuelsson, he last played nearly four weeks ago due to a lower-body issue.  It has been a struggle for him this season as his playing time is down by more than four minutes a night while also briefly spending time as a healthy scratch.  Both players probably aren’t going to be ready for Saturday’s game versus Utah but they should be back soon after that.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • It turns out that Victor Mancini isn’t the only blueliner that the Rangers will bring up today. The team announced (Twitter link) that Matthew Robertson has been recalled from AHL Hartford.  The 23-year-old has yet to play at the NHL level but is off to a good start with the Wolf Pack this season, collecting eight points in 19 games so far.  He’s expected to serve as the seventh defender for the time being with recently acquired rearguard Urho Vaakanainen still out with an upper-body injury.
  • A day after papering them to the minors, the Bruins have recalled forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle from Providence, per the AHL’s transactions log. The move has been made frequently with both players as Boston attempts to bank some extra cap space to utilize later in the season.  McLaughlin has been held off the scoresheet in four games with the big club while Oesterle has three assists in his first six NHL games this season.

Evening Notes: Smith, McLaughlin, Oesterle, Portillo

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The Carolina Hurricanes have brought defender Ty Smith back to the NHL roster per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. He was assigned to the minor leagues in a corresponding move to their recall of goaltender Yaniv Perets, who filled in while Pyotr Kochetkov was day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Smith has been back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL rosters all season, though he hasn’t played an NHL game since 2022-23. His only ice time this year has come through four games with the Chicago Wolves. Smith has three points, all assists, in those outings. Smith has a defined history in North American pros, originally going 17th-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft after a strong WHL career and making his NHL debut in 2020-21. He recorded 23 points in 48 games as a rookie, but has since failed to follow-up – with just 47 games across 123 career games. He’s spent the last two years fully in the minors, recording 67 points across 102 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Smith will now return to a role as Carolina’s seventh defender, hoping to fight for ice time above Sean Walker or Shayne Gostisbehere.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the minor leagues per the AHL transactions log. The move was first reported by Robert Chalmers of Cohen’s Hockey Media. It’s unclear if the move is a paper move – though Chalmers suggests it could be lasting. Neither McLaughlin or Oesterle suited up in Boston’s Wednesday win over the Islanders. In fact, McLaughlin has only stepped into one Bruins game this season – Boston’s loss to Vancouver on Tuesday. He didn’t record any scoring in that outing but did add one block and three hits in 9:36 of ice time. Oesterle has served a bit hardier of a role – albeit as an injury fill-in for Hampus Lindholm – stepping into three games but yet to find his first point of the year. Oesterle’s only stat changes come through three blocks, three hits, and a -2. Both players will return to the minors, where McLaughlin has scored 10 points in 15 games and Oesterle has eight points in nine games.
  • Top Los Angeles Kings goalie prospect Erik Portillo is expected to make his NHL debut on Friday shares team manager of editorial content Zach Dooley. Portillo will take on an Anaheim Ducks with a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, though they’ve tied opponents in scoring 31-to-31. The Kings called Portillo up for the first full recall of his career on November 24th. He’s the only Ontario Reign goaltender with a save percentage above .900 – boasting a .906 through six AHL games this year. Portillo was more formally Ontario’s starter last year, recording 24 wins and a .918 through 39 games as an AHL rookie. He was a standout at the University of Michigan, accumulating a .918 save percentage over 87 games and three seasons with the Wolverines.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/24

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There have been quite a few paper transactions made across the NHL today as teams continue to try to save every little bit of cap room they can.  Here’s a rundown of today’s moves, per the AHL’s transactions log.

  • The Oilers have reassigned defenseman Josh Brown and forward Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield. Brown has been shuffled back and forth in recent days while Caggiula was recalled back on Thursday.  Edmonton is off until Friday and the moves allow them to dip out of using LTIR and bank a small amount of cap space for the next few days.  At least one of them, if not both, will likely be recalled later in the week.
  • A day after being papered down, the Bruins have recalled forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle from AHL Providence. McLaughlin hasn’t played for Boston yet this season while Oesterle suited up three times earlier this month.
  • The Hurricanes have recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from their latest paper loan to AHL Chicago. Both players have been shuffled back and forth routinely in cap-saving moves.
  • A day after the Devils loaned wingers Shane Bowers and Nolan Foote along with defenseman Nick DeSimone to AHL Utica, the trio was recalled today. Sunday’s demotions allowed them to clear LTIR for the day but they are back to using it for the time being now.
  • After being papered down on Sunday, the Golden Knights have recalled wingers Mason Morelli and Callahan Burke, who scored his first NHL goal on Saturday in a win over Montreal. They also brought back blueliner Robert Hagg who was both recalled (on an emergency basis) and sent down on Saturday.  Hagg’s recall moves Vegas back into using LTIR for now.

Bruins Recall Jordan Oesterle

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The Bruins have recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from AHL Providence, per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe. He’ll slot into the lineup for his Bruins debut if Hampus Lindholm, who left Tuesday’s game against the Blues with a lower-body injury, can’t play Thursday in Dallas.

Oesterle, 32, is in his first season with the Bruins after inking a two-year, two-way deal in free agency over the summer. The veteran of 371 NHL games is no longer a full-time fixture at the game’s highest level and has now seen minor-league assignments in back-to-back seasons, but he’s still a capable call-up option who can log third-pairing minutes without much fuss.

The Michigan native spent last season with the Flames, posting two assists and a -6 rating in 22 games while averaging 13:31 per night. He controlled 48.6% of shot attempts at even strength, his highest number since the 2017-18 season.

Oesterle is off to a hot start with the P-Bruins, where he serves as an alternate captain and leads defensemen in scoring with three goals and five assists in nine games. The Bruins had a pair of open roster spots after sending down Matthew Poitras earlier in the week, so no corresponding roster fanfare is needed to accommodate Oesterle’s recall.

It’ll be a tough break for the hot-and-cold Bruins if Lindholm misses any length of time, although he hasn’t been labeled anything aside from day-to-day yet. The 30-year-old is the only Boston defender to post a Corsi share over 50% at even strength this season and leads Bruins blue-liners in scoring with seven points (3 G, 4 A) in 17 games.

Waiver Wire: 10/4/24

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman all 17 players on waivers yesterday have cleared. There are again several players to hit the wire today as reported by Friedman:

Anaheim Ducks

F Jansen Harkins

Boston Bruins

G Michael DiPietro
F Vinni Lettieri
D Jordan Oesterle

Florida Panthers

F William Lockwood

Los Angeles Kings

F Taylor Ward

New Jersey Devils

F Justin Dowling
F Mike Hardman
F Samuel Laberge
F Nathan Légaré
F Maxwell Willman

Philadelphia Flyers

F Olle Lycksell
F Anthony Richard

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Emil Bemström
D Nate Clurman
F Jonathan Gruden
F Joona Koppanen
D Filip Král
D John Ludvig
F Samuel Poulin

Tampa Bay Lightning

G Matt Tomkins

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Alex Steeves

Washington Capitals

D Ethan Bear
F Luke Philp
F Michael Sgarbossa

Minor Free Agent Signings: Atlantic Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Atlantic Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Boston Bruins

F Cole Koepke (one year)
D Jordan Oesterle (two years)
D Billy Sweezey (two years)
F Riley Tufte (one year)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year)

Buffalo Sabres

F Joshua Dunne (two years)
F Mason Jobst (one year)
F Brett Murray (one year)
D Jack Rathbone (one year)
G Felix Sandström (one year)

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries (two years)
F Joe Snively (one year)

Florida Panthers

F Rasmus Asplund (one year)

Montreal Canadiens

none

Ottawa Senators

D Jeremy Davies (one year)
F Hayden Hodgson (one year)
F Garrett Pilon (two years)
D Filip Roos (one year)

Tampa Bay Lightning

D Derrick Pouliot (one year)
D Steven Santini (one year)
F Jesse Ylönen (one year)

Toronto Maple Leafs

none

Bruins Sign Max Jones, Jordan Oesterle, Three Others

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The Bruins have signed winger Max Jones in free agency, the team announced. It’s a two-year deal, per Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. He’ll earn $1MM per season, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports. Jones became a UFA after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Ducks yesterday. Additionally, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reports they’re signing veteran depth defender Jordan Oesterle to a two-year, two-way deal.

Boston later announced they’ve also signed forward Riley Tufte to a one-year contract.. They’ve also signed 28-year-old right-shot defenseman Billy Sweezey to a two-year, two-way deal with a $775K cap hit, per PuckPedia. Anderson also reports they’re signing former Lightning forward Cole Koepke to a two-way deal.

Jones showed some flashes of being an impactful power forward with Anaheim but struggled with injuries and consistency.  The 26-year-old played in 52 games last season, picking up five goals and ten assists while picking up a career-high 127 hits which wasn’t enough to earn his qualifier.  Jones will likely play a similar role with Boston as he did with the Ducks, playing an energy role in their bottom six.

Oesterle had been a full-timer on an NHL roster for six straight years before last season.  He inked a one-year deal with Calgary last summer but split the season between the Flames and AHL Wranglers.  The 32-year-old had two assists in 22 games with Calgary but was much more productive in the minors, picking up 19 points in 30 games.  Oesterle should have a chance to battle for a spot at the end of Boston’s roster in training camp but is likely ticketed for AHL Providence to start next season.

Tufte comes over after spending a year in Colorado’s system.  The 26-year-old got into five games with the Avs last season, picking up a goal and an assist.  He was one of the top scorers for the AHL Eagles, tallying 23 goals and 22 assists in 67 contests.  Standing 6’6, Tufte could get a look on Boston’s fourth line in training camp but otherwise should be in line for a big role with Providence as well.

Sweezey spent the last three seasons with Columbus, primarily playing with AHL Cleveland.  The 28-year-old got into 57 games with the Monsters last season, picking up a goal and three assists along with 73 penalty minutes and will be counted on to play a similar role on the third pairing in Providence.  Sweezey also has nine career NHL appearances under his belt, all in the 2022-23 campaign.

Koepke, meanwhile, got into nine games with the Lightning last season, picking up two assists along with 23 hits despite averaging less than seven minutes a night.  He was a capable secondary scorer at the AHL level as well, recording 20 goals and 19 assists in 53 contests.  The 26-year-old has 26 career NHL games to his credit where he has three points.  It’s expected he’ll start with Providence as well unless he lands a spot on Boston’s fourth line in the fall.

Tony DeAngelo, Seven Others Placed On Waivers

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March 8: Katchouk is heading from the Blackhawks to the Senators, Lagesson is going from the Maple Leafs to the Ducks, and Björnfot is going from the Golden Knights to the Panthers. The five other players on waivers yesterday cleared.

March 7: Eight players, including Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo, were placed on waivers Thursday, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The full list is as follows:

Calgary Flames
D Jordan Oesterle

Carolina Hurricanes
D Tony DeAngelo
F Brendan Lemieux
G Antti Raanta

Chicago Blackhawks
F Boris Katchouk

Florida Panthers
G Evan Cormier

Toronto Maple Leafs
D William Lagesson

Vegas Golden Knights
D Tobias Björnfot

Of note, players who are assigned to the minors after clearing waivers tomorrow will be eligible to play in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Players must be on loan to the AHL at the time of the trade deadline to be cleared to play in postseason action.

The Hurricanes’ trio of waived players is purely for roster flexibility ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic says. It’s unclear if any of the three players will be assigned to AHL clubs if they pass through unclaimed. The Hurricanes are the only NHL team without a dedicated AHL affiliate.

Raanta, a pending UFA with a $1.5MM cap hit, has a decent chance at being claimed by a team looking to add a backup netminder for free by tomorrow afternoon. That could very well include the Flyers, who have struggled to find consistency in the crease outside of breakout starter Samuel Ersson. Raanta has struggled this season with a .872 SV% and 2.99 GAA behind a stout Hurricanes defense, but he’s now posted a SV% above .900 in each of his last three appearances and could be on the upswing at just the right time. With Frederik Andersen returning to health after a months-long absence and both Pyotr Kochetkov and Spencer Martin playing well, Raanta appears unlikely to be back with Carolina this season regardless of whether he gets claimed.

Oesterle will likely head to the minors after being pushed down the Flames’ defensive depth chart. The club has brought in Joel Hanley off waivers and Daniil Miromanov via trade from the Golden Knights this week, eliminating the need for Oesterle as a depth option on the roster for now. The 31-year-old has two assists and a -6 rating in 22 games.

Assigning Katchouk to AHL Rockford will allow Chicago to clear a necessary roster spot ahead of Saturday’s game against the Capitals. Both Andreas Athanasiou and Nikita Zaitsev are expected to play, per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, and will need to come off injured reserve to do so. The Blackhawks only have one open roster spot, so one more needed to be cleared.

Cormier was not signed to an NHL contract, so the Panthers inked him to a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$75K AHL) for the remainder of the season before waiving him, per PuckPedia. The 26-year-old has a .868 SV% and 1-2-2 record in five games for AHL Charlotte this season and a .910 SV% and 8-5-3 record in 18 games for ECHL Florida. By signing him to an NHL contract, he’ll be eligible to be on the Panthers’ roster in the postseason as added goaltending insurance if necessary.

Toronto’s waiving of Lagesson was reported earlier Thursday. He’s been designated non-roster while on the waiver wire, creating the necessary roster space for Joel Edmundson, who was acquired from the Capitals today. He’s dressed in 30 games for the Leafs, notching four assists and a +5 rating while averaging 14:31 per game.

Meanwhile, Björnfot, a 2019 first-round pick of the Kings, lands on waivers for the second time this season. Vegas claimed him off waivers from Los Angeles in January, but he played in just two games for them while battling injuries, posting a -2 rating while averaging 14:01 per game. Assigning him to AHL Henderson would create an open roster spot ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline, allowing the Golden Knights to make a potential third acquisition after bringing in Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha.

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