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Kyle Turris

Several Players Clear Waivers

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Saturday: All four players passed through waivers unclaimed, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

Friday: The Ottawa Senators have placed Clark Bishop on waivers in order to be able to place him on the taxi squad once again. He’s not the only one on the wire, as the Edmonton Oilers have placed veteran forward Kyle Turris and the Montreal Canadiens have placed Paul Byron on waivers. The New York Islanders have also signed Kenneth Appleby to an NHL contract, meaning he has to clear waivers to remain in the AHL.

For Bishop and the Senators, this is a simple move to regain the roster flexibility they have had for most of the season. After clearing waivers before the season began, Bishop was able to move freely between the active roster and taxi squad depending on need, saving the Senators some cash on off days. His exempt status expired earlier this month, meaning he needed to clear again to be assigned to the taxi squad. With just three points in 12 games, Bishop is likely to clear again.

Byron too should be used to this by now, given he has cleared waivers twice this season and is part of a near-daily rotation through the taxi squad. The 31-year-old forward was once an important part of the Canadiens attack but is limited to mostly fourth-line duties these days. Given his contract carries a $3.4MM cap hit through the end of the 2022-23 season, he will clear again.

Turris hasn’t cleared this season, but it won’t be a surprise if he does. The 31-year-old forward is a shadow of the player that once scored 64 points for the Ottawa Senators and is overpaid even at $1.65MM this season. Turris signed a two-year deal with the Oilers in the offseason that the team is probably already regretting after he registered just five points in his first 25 games this season. Moving his deal to the taxi squad could bury $1.075MM of it, giving the Oilers some added flexibility.

Appleby, the biggest unknown of the bunch, is a 25-year-old minor league goaltender that would need an NHL deal in order to serve as the taxi squad netminder. In two appearances with Bridgeport this season he has an .896 save percentage and there is no suggestion that he’ll ever see time in the Islanders net.  CapFriendly reports that Appleby receives a two-year contract, making him eligible to be exposed to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/16/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list so far:

NY Islanders – Noah Dobson
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe, Pavel Buchnevich, Adam Fox

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Kyle Turris, Edmonton Oilers; Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils

No new additions so far today and a couple of names come off the list. Importantly, Turris ended up being the only Oiler that hit the list. The North Division hasn’t had a single game postponed so far, a record that the league would obviously like to keep intact as long as possible.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/15/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list so far:

Edmonton – Kyle Turris
New Jersey – Will Butcher
NY Islanders – Noah Dobson
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe, Pavel Buchnevich*, Adam Fox*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, New York Islanders; Olli Maatta, Los Angeles Kings

For the Rangers, seeing two more names pop up is certainly not a good sign. The team canceled their morning skate today but as of now are still scheduled to take on the Flyers this evening. Perhaps that will change in the next hour, but if not, the team will be without some key players. Fox, in particular, is an important cog who averages over 24 minutes a night and plays on both special teams. In fact, one could argue that he is the team’s most important player given how much he contributes at both ends of the rink. Losing him for tonight is bad, but if he remains on the list for a while the Rangers will be hard-pressed to replace his production.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/14/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. With a full report in on time from all 31 teams, here is the list for today:

Edmonton – Kyle Turris
Los Angeles – Olli Maatta
New Jersey – Will Butcher
NY Islanders – Noah Dobson*, Jean-Gabriel Pageau*
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Jake DeBrusk, Boston Bruins; Marcus Sorensen, San Jose Sharks

It wasn’t quite an even day for the NHL in their battle against the Coronavirus. Boston’s DeBrusk is off the CPRA list after just 24 hours, while Sorenson is removed after a longer stint. However, there are three new additions out of New York in the Islanders’ Pageau and Dobson plus the Rangers’ Di Giuseppe. Pageau in particular was curiously absent from the Isles’ lineup for their Sunday afternoon contest without any explanation from the club, but as assumed he has been sidelined by the league’s COVID Protocol. The team surely hopes it is a case of a false positive or some other minor occurrence, as Pageau is even more important to New York right now given the long-term injury absence of Anders Lee. 

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/13/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Though the complete update came in late, here is the list for today:

Boston – Jake DeBrusk*
Edmonton – Kyle Turris
Los Angeles – Olli Maatta
New Jersey – Will Butcher
San Jose – Marcus Sorensen

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

Although a new name was added to the CPRA list today while none were subtracted, the NHL is still operating at a low number and have avoided any team-wide breakouts for weeks now. The few cases at a time in recent weeks seem to be limited to isolated infections or, in many case, false positives. The last Boston Bruins to enter the COVID Protocol, Charlie Coyle, was found to be the victim of a false positive and was back in action after just two days. The injury-plagued Bruins expect and hope that the same will be true with DeBrusk.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/12/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Though the league is still waiting on one report, here is the list for today:

Edmonton – Kyle Turris
Los Angeles – Olli Maatta*
Minnesota – TBA
New Jersey – Will Butcher
San Jose – Marcus Sorensen

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Cal Petersen, Los Angeles Kings; Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights have confirmed that Fleury’s presence on the list yesterday was because of a false positive. He can now rejoin the team, though it is unclear if he will be in the net for the team tonight against the Blues.

Petersen also comes off, though he will be replaced on the Kings list by Maatta, who is now out tonight. The defenseman has been quickly placed to the non-roster list.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/11/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today, which includes a few new names:

Edmonton – Kyle Turris
Los Angeles – Cal Petersen
New Jersey – Will Butcher*
San Jose – Marcus Sorensen
Vegas – Marc-Andre Fleury*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Erik Haula, Nashville Predators

The big news today is Fleury’s addition, meaning the Golden Knights will be without a starting goaltender for the time being. Robin Lehner is currently on a conditioning loan in the AHL. The Golden Knights play tomorrow against the Blues so Fleury technically could be back, but more likely one of the team’s younger backups will be forced into action. The worrying part, in this case, would be the fact that Fleury played last night in Minnesota. Hopefully, he hasn’t tested positive and was just forced into the protocol for another reason.

The Devils have also lost Butcher for now, meaning he won’t be available for tonight’s game against the Islanders. Interestingly, Butcher played just 12:47 in his last appearance and then was a supposed healthy scratch for the Devils in their last two. He’ll now miss at least a third consecutive game this time for a different reason entirely.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/10/21

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*UPDATED*

Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Following a late report from the Kings, the list is in for today:

Edmonton – Kyle Turris
Los Angeles – Cal Petersen*
Nashville – Erik Haula
San Jose – Marcus Sorensen

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: None

The league released their initial list today with only the L.A. Kings absent. The hope was that it was purely due to their West Coast location and not a pending placement. Alas, the latter was true. Petersen ends up on the list and the CPRA list adds a new name while not removing one in return. The league is still miles ahead of where they were just a few short weeks ago and there still have not been any team-wide outbreaks in some time, but they just can’t seem to empty the list, as Petersen becomes the latest addition.

*denotes new addition

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/09/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. The list is in for today:

Edmonton – Kyle Turris*
Nashville – Erik Haula*
San Jose – Marcus Sorensen

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks

It’s terrible news for the Predators to see Haula appear after losing Roman Josi to injury. The team has been stripped of almost all of their important players lately and now must deal with at least one other absence for tonight’s game.

Turris also becomes one of just a handful of players in the North Division to have appeared on the list and will be a very important situation to monitor in Edmonton. So far, the teams north of the border have not had any games postponed. Hopefully that continues.

*denotes new addition

West Notes: Saad, Schmidt, Turris

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The Colorado Avalanche bolstered their offense during the offseason by trading for veteran winger Brandon Saad. The 28-year-old has done nothing but score goals over the last seven years, having scored 169 goals over his career and he should be a perfect fit with the Avalanche. Of course, Saad has just one year remaining on his contract, but has expressed interest in signing a long-term extension in Colorado.

However, what are the chances that the Avalanche bring him back?

NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz writes that there are quite a few factors that determine whether Saad comes back. However, while his numbers are solid, they don’t stand out either. However, Saad brings other aspects to his game, which Colorado might appreciate. He is a possession driver and really excels when around better players, which the Avalanche has a lot of.

However, while the Avalanche have done quite well with managing their cap space over the years, those days will soon be past. The team has already inked Mikko Rantanen to a six-year, $55.5MM deal (with five years still on it). Colorado also will have forward Gabriel Landeskog hitting free agency next season, while defenseman Cale Makar will be a restricted free agent. Those two deals are likely going to cost Colorado quite a bit.

Of course, how he performs in his one year in Colorado will have a huge impact, but unless he takes less to stay in Colorado, the team will likely have too many other contracts to deal with in the next season to bring Saad back.

  • Much credit has been given to Vancouver for being able to acquire defenseman Nate Schmidt from the cap-strapped Vegas Golden Knights for just a third-round pick. The team had just lost Chris Tanev, so bringing in Schmidt is a solid if not significant upgrade to the defense. However, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that the real question is will it be an upgrade defensively. Schmidt is mostly known for his puck-moving skills and his ability to move the puck up the ice quickly, not necessarily for his defensive prowess, while Tanev was basically the opposite — a ruthless defensive player. Dayal looks at Schmidt’s underrated defensive game, although he also notes that Schmidt’s defensive numbers took a significant decline this past season. Was it just a down season or is his game slipping in his late 20s. While it looks like Schmidt is a solid top-four acquisition, the scribe wonders if the team needs to acquire a defensive-first blueliner to fill in the unit’s current deficiencies.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have emphasized the need for a solid third-line center for a number of years and feel good about the recent acquisition of Kyle Turris, who should fill that role. Of course, Turris, who has struggled for the past two years with the Nashville Predators and was bought out, could still struggle. If Turris can’t handle the Oilers’ No. 3 center position, the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes the team would then only have one option for that spot, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a player they really want in their top-six. The lack of depth centers could end up being a significant issue if Turris fails.

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