Four Players Added To AHL All-Star Rosters
While the NHL All-Star Game has to deal with players pulling out due to injury, the AHL contest also has to deal with players being recalled at a moment’s notice. That forces the league to replace players regularly, and today they’ve added four new names to the upcoming event.
Jordan Szwarz, Christian Wolanin, Nathan Gerbe and Cooper Marody have all been added, given the lack of availability for Ryan Fitzgerald, Lawrence Pilut, Zac Dalpe and Conor Garland. Wolanin was just sent down by the Ottawa Senators today, just in time to play in the AHL even that takes place on Sunday and Monday. The full rosters now sit as follows:
Atlantic Division:
F Greg Carey, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Michael Dal Colle, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
F Colin McDonald, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Anthony Greco, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte Checkers
F Jordan Szwarz, Providence Bruins
D Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
D Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Trevor Carrick, Charlotte Checkers
D John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack
G Samuel Montembeault, Springfield Thunderbirds
G Vitek Vanecek, Hershey Bears
North Division:
F Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
F Alex Belzile, Laval Rocket
F Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
F Cory Conacher, Syracuse Crunch
F Nathan Gerbe, Cleveland Monsters
F Trevor Moore, Toronto Marlies
F John Quenneville, Binghamton Devils
D Christian Wolanin, Belleville Senators
D Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans
D Calle Rosen, Toronto Marlies
G MacKenzie Blackwood, Binghamton Devils
G Connor Ingram, Syracuse Crunch
Central Division:
F Joel L’Esperance, Texas Stars
F Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves
F Denis Gurianov, Texas Stars
F Jordan Kyrou, San Antonio Rampage
F Cal O’Reilly, Iowa Wild
F Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins
F Logan Shaw, Manitoba Moose
D Erik Brannstrom, Chicago Wolves
D Andrew Campbell, Rockford IceHogs
D Matt Donovan, Milwaukee Admirals
G Troy Grosenick, Milwaukee Admirals
G Kaapo Kahkonen, Iowa Wild
Pacific Division:
F Andrew Agozzino, Colorado Eagles
F Joseph Gambardella, Bakersfield Condors
F Cooper Marody, Bakersfield Condors
F Curtis Lazar, Stockton Heat
F Francis Perron, San Jose Barracuda
F Sheldon Rempal, Ontario Reign
F Troy Terry, San Diego Gulls
D Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
D Jacob Middleton, San Jose Barracuda
D Sean Walker, Ontario Reign
G Pavel Francouz, Colorado Eagles
G Josef Korenar, San Jose Barracuda
Zack Smith, 17 Others Placed On Waivers
A substantial group of players again went untouched on the waiver wire yesterday, as there remains just one claim so far this season. Today, a new set of names become briefly available on their way down to the AHL. According to The Athletic’s James Mirtle, these 18 players have been placed on waivers by their respective teams today, highlighted by Ottawa’s longest-tenured player:
F Anton Blidh (Boston)
F Colby Cave (Boston)
D Jake Chelios (Detroit)
F Hudson Fasching (Arizona)
F Byron Froese (Montreal)
D Cody Goloubef (Boston)
F Ryan Haggerty (Pittsburgh)
D Brett Lernout (Montreal)
F Nick Lappin (New Jersey)
F Michael McCarron (Montreal)
F Mark McNeill (Boston)
D Robbie Russo (Arizona)
G Harri Sateri (Detroit)
F Hunter Shinkaruk (Montreal)
F Zack Smith (Ottawa)
F Jordan Szwarz (Boston)
F Chris Terry (Detroit)
D Rinat Valiev (Montreal)
Obviously, Smith is the star of this group and easily the biggest name to hit the wire so far this year. The decision to placed the veteran forward, a career Senator entering his eleventh season, on waivers is a curious one. Admittedly, Smith did not play well last season; beyond only recording 19 points in 68 games, he logged a brutal -32 rating, saw a drop-off in face-off success, and struggled in many possession metrics. Nevertheless, he remained a favorite of head coach Guy Boucher and saw a career high in ice time. After losing the likes of Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman this summer, Smith – while not the strongest player – was one of the few loyal locker room leaders left in Ottawa. There has already been a negative response, as Matt Duchene called the move “a kick in the balls” for the locker room, according to TSN’s Brent Wallace. For some reason, the team has decided to move on, one way or another. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Senators have been shopping Smith for some time and had trade interest, but were not able to come to an agreement with any of the teams not included on Smith’s limited list per his modified No-Trade Clause. Now, they will either lose him for nothing in return or have the ability to bury him in the minors if he clears. Such a demotion would clear $1.025MM in cap space of his $3.25MM salary. It is important to note when considering any potential claims, that Smith is signed for three more years, making his inclusion on waivers even more surprising.
The group of Canadiens could also offer some appeal, particularly the 23-year-old power forward McCarron. Although the 2013 first-round pick has not lived up to expectations yet, he has the one thing you can’t teach and that is size. At 6’6″, 230-lbs., McCarron has the frame to do some damage at his spot on the right wing if put in the right system with the right line mates. It hasn’t happened yet in Montreal, but some other team may be willing to take a shot. Veteran grinder Froese, who played in 48 games with the Habs last year, could also get a passing glance, while trade recent Montreal trade acquisitions Shinkaruk and Valiev are somewhat intriguing albeit not likely to be claimed.
Team in search of young, affordable fourth line help could look at the Bruins’ Blidh and Cave, although such a move is unlikely. The same goes for Haggerty, whose placement on waivers comes as surprise, given that no contract has of yet been announced with Pittsburgh for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin.
Jordan Szwarz Signs One-Year Extension With Boston Bruins
Though the team sent him down to the minor leagues earlier today, it’s not all bad news for Jordan Szwarz. The Boston Bruins forward has signed a one-year two-way contract extension which will keep him in the organization through 2018-19. Szwarz will earn $650K at the NHL level, while securing $350K while in the AHL. Szwarz was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Now 26, Szwarz has really flourished as an offensive player since joining the Providence Bruins in 2016. Last season, he led the club in scoring with 54 points before being a key part of a deep playoff run. This season has been much of the same, with 44 points in 46 games for the AHL club. Though he won’t lead the team this year—that honor is held by Austin Czarnik and his 61 points in 56 games—he is still one of the leaders for the minor league squad and a useful player to keep around for Boston.
In 12 NHL games this season, Szwarz has just three points and is still looking for his first goal, but has been used in various roles including some time (albeit limited) on the powerplay. Useful depth pieces are important for every organization, and especially one that is expecting to challenge for the Stanley Cup this year and in the immediate future. Long playoff runs almost always result in several injuries, and with the Bruins already dealing with various ailments throughout the lineup Szwarz could be just a shift or two away from being needed in the postseason.
Minor Transactions: 11/25/17
Despite a busy Friday, there is a large slate of games on the schedule for Saturday which means there should be several roster moves made leading up to puck drop. We’ll keep tabs on those here.
- The Blue Jackets have once again shuffled their backup goaltenders, announcing that Joonas Korpisalo (along with forward Markus Hannikainen) have been assigned to Cleveland of the AHL while netminder Matiss Kivlenieks has been recalled. Korpisalo has only played in four NHL contests this season which isn’t ideal for a waiver-exempt goalie so this will allow him to get a game or two in at the minor league level before swapping back in the near future. As for Hannikainen, he has been in and out of the lineup this year and has four points in 12 games despite playing just over eight minutes per game.
- The Bruins announced that they have recalled winger Jordan Szwarz on an emergency basis and have returned defenseman Rob O’Gara to AHL Providence. Szwarz rejoins Boston after being sent down back on Wednesday. He has played time times with the big club in 2017-18, collecting three assists but has been quite productive in Providence, picking up eight points in only six games. Meanwhile, O’Gara has split the season between the NHL and AHL so far. In eight appearances with Boston, he has been held off the scoresheet while logging 10:59 per night and has collected two assists in seven minor league contests.
- Chris DiDomenico‘s debut with Tampa Bay will have to wait a while yet as the team has assigned him to Syracuse of the AHL on a conditioning stint, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. The Lightning claimed him off waivers from the Senators on Friday but he hasn’t played in nearly a week.