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East Notes: Suzuki, Falk, Pulkkinen

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The Canadiens essentially picked up two new top-six forwards, which should give them the offense they need to challenge for a playoff spot this season, captain Nick Suzuki told Arpon Basu of The Athletic.

“I think we can beat anybody,” Suzuki said. “I thought last year we competed against really good teams all the time. We’re still a young group, but with the addition of (Patrik Laine), and (Kirby Dach) coming back up front, it makes our forward unit look pretty scary.”

Montreal’s offense is largely headed in the right direction, especially with the emergence of 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky as a legitimate top-six option. But last year, especially with Dach sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the campaign, their top unit of Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Cole Caufield was their only true impact line. As Basu points out, a more legitimate secondary attack spearheaded by Dach and Laine should force defending teams to spread their matchups, alleviating some defensive pressure against the Suzuki line.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Former Sabres depth defenseman Justin Falk has returned to the team as a scout, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Falk, 35, retired after splitting the 2019 season between the Avalanche and Senators organizations and has spent the last three years as the general manager and head coach of Manitoba’s Winkler Flyers, a Junior ’A’ club. He spent two years as a Sabre, posting a goal and nine assists with a -19 rating in 98 games in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. He made 279 NHL appearances over a 10-year career, also suiting up for the Avs, Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Wild.
  • Defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen became the first member of the Islanders’ 2024 draft class to put pen to paper on his entry-level contract last month, but his on-ice debut with the team may have to wait. The 19-year-old has sustained a lower-body injury that may prevent him from participating in training camp, as relayed by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The overage 6’6″, 220-lb blue liner was the No. 54 overall selection earlier this summer and will be loaned back to his Finnish club, JYP, in the fall.

Edmonton Oilers Place Ty Rattie, Ryan Spooner On Waivers

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Tuesday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Monday: With the Edmonton Oilers continuing to slip out of playoff contention, the team has placed forwards Ty Rattie and Ryan Spooner on waivers. They’ll be joined by Justin Falk of the Ottawa Senators, who is finally healthy enough to resume playing but will be sent to the minor leagues if he clears.

Spooner’s placement on waivers will be the one that dominates headlines for the next 24 hours, given how he came to be part of the Oilers organization. The 26-year old forward was acquired from the New York Rangers for Ryan Strome earlier this season, who in turn had been the entire return for Jordan Eberle when the Oilers felt they needed to shed some salary up front. The idea that Spooner could now be gone for nothing will enrage Edmonton fans that have watched Eberle find success with the New York Islanders while their team struggles to find anyone who can put the puck in the net outside of their top three. The Oilers have even been described as desperate to add offensive touch on the wings, something that basically describes Eberle (not to mention Taylor Hall, another traded winger) perfectly.

Still, it’s not really surprising that Spooner finds himself in this position. The forward has recorded just three points in 24 games since being acquired by the Oilers and has recently spent time in the press box as a healthy scratch. His perimeter game has not gelled with head coach Ken Hitchcock’s system at all, and without regular powerplay time his offensive production has almost completely dried up.

There may be some reason to believe Spooner will be claimed though, given his history as a 40-50 point center in the league. In 2015-16 with the Boston Bruins Spooner recorded 49 points in 80 games while playing more than 15 minutes a night, before settling for 39 and 41 points the next two years while playing on the wing more often. That kind of production is exactly what the Oilers were hoping for when the acquired him, and what another team could take a chance on. With one more year on his contract at $3.1MM though, Edmonton may be forced to try and bury him in the minor leagues for the time being to open up some cap space.

Rattie meanwhile was likely one of the people most upset when Hitchcock was given the Edmonton job, given their history with the St. Louis Blues. The 32nd-overall pick from 2011 was never really able to get into the lineup under Hitchcock, and eventually found himself claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. In 30 games with the Blues, Rattie recorded eight points, the same number he has in 29 contests with Edmonton this year.

East Notes: Simmonds, Zuccarello, Senators, Rasmussen

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Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds projects to be one of the top rental forwards available between now and next month’s trade deadline.  In an appearance on the NHL Network (video link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the Predators are a team that has been linked to the 30-year-old.  Nashville has plenty of cap room to absorb Simmonds’ $3.975MM deal this season and has enough players on below-market contracts that it’s certainly possible that they could fit him in on an extension as well.  His 15 goals on the year would rank second to only Filip Forsberg among Nashville players and GM David Poile is known for trying to make a splash around the deadline.

Elsewhere around the Eastern Conference:

  • In the same video, Friedman notes that Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello has seen his value take a hit with the way he’s played this season. The veteran came into this season with at least 49 points in each of the last five years but he has been limited to just 18 in 32 games so far while dealing with groin issues.  Zuccarello is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and with New York in rebuilding mode, it appears quite likely that he’ll be dealt although the return may not be as high as it seemed heading into the season.
  • The Senators will be without center Colin White until after the All-Star break, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He’s dealing with a shoulder injury sustained back on Thursday against Los Angeles.  White very quietly sits second in rookie scoring this season with 26 points in 44 games.  Meanwhile, Garrioch adds that defenseman Justin Falk is also nearing a return from a concussion sustained late last month while fellow blueliner Ben Harpur is taking contact in practice and should be able to return in the near future as well.
  • Detroit has placed forward Michael Rasmussen on injured reserve, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. The move was done to create a roster spot so the Red Wings could activate defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who returns after missing the last 19 games with a fractured wrist.  Rasmussen last played on January 5th, meaning that he has already missed the required seven days from a back-dated IR placement so he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time.

Craig Anderson Diagnosed With Concussion

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We now know what the upper-body injury is that kept Craig Anderson out of the Ottawa Senators last game. The veteran goaltender has suffered a concussion and will not be available to the team this weekend. Defenseman Justin Falk has also been diagnosed with a concussion and will not be available. In the meantime, the team has recalled goaltender Marcus Hogberg from the minor leagues.

The Senators season is trending the way many expected after a surprisingly effective start, and losing Anderson for any length of time will only weaken their position in the league. The veteran goaltender has a .905 save percentage on the season but is obviously the Senators best choice, given the rest of their depth at the position. Hogberg will join Mike McKenna in the crease for the time being, while former backup Mike Condon has still played in just a single game for the Belleville Senators while dealing with a hip injury.

The 37-year old Anderson still has another year on his contract at $4.75MM and was considered a potential trade candidate before the injury. That potential may disappear now if he can’t get himself back to playing well before the deadline comes around in a couple of months, especially given that his contract is of the 35+ variety. That means Anderson’s cap hit will stay on the books even if he retires or is bought out, which should scare off any potential buyers when added to a recent concussion. Hopefully he’ll be able to put this injury behind him quickly and get back to playing.

Ottawa Senators Sign Justin Falk

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Justin Falk saw his professional tryout with the Colorado Eagles terminated today, but he didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity. The veteran defenseman has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators that will carry a cap hit of $650K at the NHL level.

Falk, 30, is by no means a savior for the Senators, but does bring a healthy amount of experience to a blue line that lacks it at times. The left-handed defenseman has suited up for 269 regular season NHL games, split between the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets and most recently the Buffalo Sabres. In that time he’s only registered 33 points, but is a big—6’5″ big—body that can be used on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone.

There’s no guarantee that Falk plays a ton for the Senators, but with Mark Borowiecki on injured reserve and Chris Wideman recently traded, the team is employing six defensemen all 25 or under. Dylan DeMelo, the elder statesman of the group, has only 159 regular season NHL games under his belt. For now, Falk will likely be asked to fill in and play the role of the veteran seventh defenseman while the young group gets their legs under them at this level. His first task will be to serve as insurance for Max Lajoie, who is currently dealing with a minor injury.

Justin Falk Signs PTO With Colorado Eagles

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Just last season Justin Falk was a semi-regular player for the Buffalo Sabres, suiting up for 46 games and giving them some extra size on the blue line. After being allowed to leave via unrestricted free agency, Falk spent training camp with the Calgary Flames on a professional tryout (PTO), trying to show someone around the league that he still had enough skill to compete in the NHL. He’s going to try that again, after signing a PTO with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL yesterday.

Falk, 30, has played in 269 regular season games since being selected 110th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2007. The 6’5″ defenseman has never been much of an offensive presence, but has found himself routinely inserted into the lineup of whatever team he was playing for to give them a bottom pairing option and presence on the penalty kill. While not overly effective, he’s certainly been fine depth for the Wild, Sabres and both New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The fact that he hasn’t even played this season on an AHL deal likely means he’s trying hard to work out a two-way contract with an NHL club, given that there are many minor league affiliations that could use his experience on a nightly basis.

If all goes well on the Colorado PTO, you may see Falk signed at some point as a depth option for a team looking to make a deep playoff run. At the very worst, he’ll be able to continue his playing career in the minor leagues and try to show someone enough to keep him on next season. The veteran defenseman has a history of winning at the lower levels, taking home a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs and a Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters. Even if his game has slowed a step, it would be surprising to see him forced out of professional hockey so soon.

Flames To Invite Justin Falk And Zach O’Brien To Training Camp

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After bringing in veteran goaltender Jeff Glass on a PTO deal on Monday, the Flames may not be done yet.  Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports (Twitter link) that Calgary is expected to invite defenseman Justin Falk as well as winger Zach O’Brien to training camp as well.

Falk spent the last two years with the Sabres in a sixth/seventh role.  He played in 46 games with Buffalo last season, recording a goal and an assist while logging 16:05 per night in ice time, his highest ATOI since 2011-12.  The 29-year-old has 269 games of NHL experience under his belt over parts of nine seasons with the Wild, Rangers, Blue Jackets, and Sabres.

Meanwhile, O’Brien split last season between AHL Bakersfield and ECHL Wichita, the affiliates of the Oilers.  He spent the majority of the year at the AHL level, picking up six goals and 17 assists in 43 games.  The 26-year-old has yet to play in the NHL and is already on a minor league contract for the upcoming season with Toronto.

With Calgary being one of the teams heading overseas for part of the preseason, they will need some extra bodies to ice lineups for their games both in China and in North America which is where O’Brien fits in.  Meanwhile, Falk will look to battle Dalton Prout for the number seven role in Calgary and could be a candidate for a two-way deal otherwise.

Poll: How Many Remaining Veteran Free Agents Will Sign?

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With just one day left in July, free agents have had a month to find employment in the NHL. Last summer, there were less than 20 unrestricted free agents signed after the end of July through the beginning of the regular season. This off-season, there are a plethora of notable names left on the market, but at this point is is unlikely that they all find a new home in the league. The question now is how many of these top names get lucky.

Rick Nash could find a landing spot if he wanted to. The six-time All-Star is currently evaluating his future in hockey versus his health after suffering yet another concussion this season. Should he decide to return, he would likely have more than a few teams interested in a short-term deal.

If Nash opts not to return, the top-scoring forward from last season left on the market is actually Mike Cammalleri. Cammalleri, 36, quietly put up 29 points last season after a hot start with the Los Angeles Kings and then a trade to the Edmonton Oilers. The former point-per-game player is not quite that kind of scorer any more, but could still contribute to a number of teams.

Benoit Pouliot was a perennial 30-point player until he turned 30 and has struggled the past two years. In the right situation, he could still make an impact. The same goes for Mark Letestu, Drew Stafford and Jannik Hansen. Ales Hemsky was highly productive before injuries derailed his career, but remains a possible high-ceiling gamble if back at 100%.

Other available forwards bring more of a two-way game such as Daniel Winnik, Scott Hartnell, Scottie Upshall, Chris Stewart, Antoine Vermette, Jussi Jokinen, Tommy Wingels, Jason Chimera, Joel Ward, Dominic Moore, Matt Stajan, and Lee Stempniak. There are also some younger options like Alex Chiasson, Nick Shore, Logan Shaw, Tomas Jurco, and Freddie Hamilton.

On the blue line, Luca Sbisa is reportedly drawing interest from several teams across the league. Although he suited up for just 30 games with the Vegas Golden Knights, he managed to register 14 points and plays a strong checking game. It would seem that Sbisa is in line for a contract at some point.

But what about Toby Enstrom? A free agent for the first time in his long career, the well-respected veteran was expected to land a contract early on but still remains unemployed. Enstrom has always been a reliable presence on the back end, but at 33 years old, he has shown signs of slowing down.

Other aging options on defense include Alexei Emelin, Johnny Oduya, Kevin Bieksa, Dennis Seidenberg, Kyle Quincey, Paul Martin, Josh Gorges, and Jason Garrison. However, experience may not be able to outweigh ability with many younger defenseman still out there. Brandon Davidson, Cody Franson, and Paul Postma seem like players who should be signed, while Justin Falk, Frank Corrado, Ryan Sproul, and Duncan Siemens are all intriguing targets as well.

In net, the options are pretty straightforward. One would think that Kari Lehtonen, Steve Mason, and Ondrej Pavelec had all done enough in their careers to earn a continued stay in the NHL, especially when there are no other legitimate goaltenders available at this point. Yet, its hard to pinpoint three teams that need another option in goal. These three keepers may need to wait until injuries strike to find work.

So, how many of these remaining free agents will sign before the season starts?

Pacific Notes: Vancouver’s Defense, Kane, Muzzin, Sekera

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The Vancouver Canucks have been hurting for offense for quite some time. Yet despite adding veteran Thomas Vanek and rookie sensation Brock Boeser to the team’s lineup, the team is ranked 27th in the league in scoring. The Vancouver Sun’s Jason Botchford writes that the main reason is due to the defense’s inability to move the puck forward and help create offense.

Vancouver lacks a true offensive defenseman as the team seems to have little, but defensive blueliners in their rotations. The team’s top offensive defenseman is offseason acquisition Michael Del Zotto, who has 12 points this year, but Botchford says that the 27-year-old has rarely been the answer this season. The teams had hoped that third-year defenseman Ben Hutton might improve on his rookie year’s 25 points. Yet he has no goals and just six assists so far this year. Alexander Edler also has failed to improve on his offense as well.

Botchford says the team does have one possibility in AHL’s Philip Holm, who has seven goals and 19 points in 30 games this year in Utica. However, the team has not used him this year despite their need for an offensive spark. The team has a logjam of defenders and a trade deadline deal to move out Erik Gudbranson might be the best thing for the Canucks as it would allow the team to start playing the 26-year-old Holm.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that while he believes that San Jose Sharks might be interested in acquiring Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane at the trade deadline, there are definitely some issues with doing that. While Kane would provide the Sharks an immediate top scorer (his 35 points would make him San Jose’s top point-getter) which could offer the Sharks the depth needed to field three solid lines, there are other factors San Jose would have to consider before making a trade. The current asking price by Buffalo is a first-rounder, a top prospect and a conditional pick. The team lacks resources as they attempt to retool their franchise, so moving those three assets would be tough to do. On top of that, the team would have to have confidence to re-sign Kane to a long-term deal and would they want to do that. He has a history of concerning incidents in his past, including a recent scuffle with teammate Justin Falk. Would the team want to sign him to a seven or eight year deal?
  • Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin is listed as doubtful, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen. Muzzin, who had played in a consecutive 281 games, broke that streak last Saturday when he missed a game against Nashville with an undisclosed injury. He is not expected to play tonight against the Ducks, but is making progress.
  • Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal grades the performances of all the Oilers after Friday’s victory over Arizona and points out the defenseman Andrej Sekera has improved every game he’s played since returning and is already looking more as himself since returning from a torn ACL.

Morning Notes: Buffalo, Prospects, Offside

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After another disappointing loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets last night, the Buffalo Sabres were back on the ice today trying to right the ship. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so smoothly. According to Amy Moritz of the Buffalo News, Zach Bogosian was helped off the ice unable to put weight on his left leg.

Not only that, but tempers appear to be flaring as according to Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat, Evander Kane and Justin Falk got into a shoving match with the latter calling the former “selfish.” Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Sabres this year, who are now in the midst of a five-game losing streak and just three points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes for last place in the NHL.

  • ISS Hockey and Jeff Marek of Sportsnet each released their new draft rankings today, with both agreeing that Rasmus Dahlin has solidified his position as the no-doubt first-overall pick in June’s draft. After that though, the lists diverge with Marek leaving Andrei Svechnikov in the second spot while ISS has moved Brady Tkachuk into that position. The remaining top 10 is a mixed bag, and should make for an incredibly interesting draft day with teams having very different boards.
  • While the entire league is wondering whether the current offside review process will stay the same after another “skate blade incident” for the Edmonton Oilers last night, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell will bring up the issue once again at the GM meetings in March. There is a growing belief that the rule should be changed to that of a endzone-type plane that extends straight up, so that a player’s skate doesn’t necessarily need to be touching the ice to be onside.

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