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Louis Domingue

Louis Domingue Traded To Vancouver Canucks

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After clearing waivers recently it was clear that Louis Domingue would be on the move if the New Jersey Devils could find a taker, and today they have. The Vancouver Canucks have acquired Domingue according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Domingue can report directly to the Utica Comets to serve as depth for the Canucks in net. Zane McIntyre will go back to New Jersey in the deal.

It’s an important move for the Canucks, as Jakob Markstrom is expected to miss some time with an injury he sustained against the Boston Bruins. The star goaltender has flown back to Vancouver to have an MRI done, meaning Thatcher Demko and Domingue are the tandem for the time being.

There is no telling what kind of a performance they would get from Domingue if he was forced into the net, but at least he has plenty of NHL experience. For a team like the Canucks who have their eyes set on a long playoff run, a third goaltender was a necessity.

Carolina Hurricanes Will Make Additions In Net

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4:43 p.m. — As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled Forsberg and Nedeljkovic from Charlotte.

11:11 a.m. — Last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime event for the Carolina Hurricanes. The contest could not have gotten off to a worse start, with starter James Reimer being forced out of the game just six minutes in to the first period following a collision in net. Petr Mrazek entered the game in relief, but allowed a goal late in the period to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Things were looking up in the second frame following three Hurricanes goals, but then Mrazek was injured just over halfway through the period. This forced the team to turn to an emergency backup, 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres, an employee of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment who had not played in a competitive game for more than five years. Yet, Ayres got the job done, allowing only two goals in nearly half a game (with some help from the team allowing just ten shots) to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 win.

While this was of course a tremendous story, the reality now sets in that the Hurricanes are now down both of their NHL goaltenders without any timeline yet as to when they may return to action. The timing of this is poor, seeing as tomorrow is the final day to make a trade this season and there is no time to wait for an official word on Mrazek or Reimer. The team is also in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race and can’t afford to take a chance in goal and miss out on potential points.

For now, TSN’s Pierre LeBurn reports that the team plans to recall both Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers today. Fortunately, both netminders have seen plenty of ice time this season, spitting appearances 50/50, and have performed relatively well. If asked to take on some NHL starts, either one could fair well enough. Forsberg is a veteran of 45 NHL games, while Nedeljkovic has fared well in his two NHL appearances and was arguably the best goalie in the AHL last season.

However, if there is any suspicion that both Mrazek and Reimer could be out long term, it seems unlikely that Carolina would be comfortable fighting for a playoff spot and entering the postseason with only Forsberg and Nedeljkovic. For that reason, LeBrun adds that a number of teams have already reached out to the Hurricanes about moving a goalie and it seems likely that the team could make a move. In fact, the team was kicking the tires on adding another goalie even before these injuries, so many conversations have already been had. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the teams main focus is on Chicago Blackhawks’ keepers Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford, both impending free agents, while other rental options could include veterans Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, or Ryan Miller or available backups like Aaron Dell or Louis Domingue.

One way or another, the names in net are about to change for Carolina. Perhaps it will only be short-term while their current duo heal up or maybe it could be a major long-term addition for the rest of the season and a hopeful playoff run. With the team also needing a replacement on the blue line given the injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce and also rumored to be in on several big-name forwards, including the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, the next 27 hours should be very busy for the Hurricanes.

New Jersey Devils Recall Cory Schneider, Hold Out Louis Domingue

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Friday: Domingue has cleared waivers. The Devils have assigned him to the AHL.

Thursday: The New Jersey Devils may have another trade brewing, as Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports the team will hold out goaltender Louis Domingue tonight for precautionary reasons. In the meantime, Cory Schneider has been recalled from the minor leagues along with Dakota Mermis. Nick Merkley is expected to come out of the lineup after taking a stick to the face in the Devils’ previous game.

Domingue has also been placed on waivers, something teams do at times in order to increase an asset’s trade value. Should Domingue clear, any acquiring club would be able to immediately send him to the minor leagues as a depth option.

The 27-year old Domingue was only acquired by the Devils a few months ago, swapped for a conditional seventh-round pick with the Tampa Bay Lightning. That condition—appearing in seven games—has already been completed, meaning the Devils may be looking to get a similar (or even greater) asset back for the goaltender.

In 16 appearances this season for the Devils, Domingue has a 3-8-2 record and .882 save percentage. Whatever value he may carry is likely due to the 21-5 record he put up for the Lightning in 2018-19, even though he still only had a .908 save percentage in those games.

Schneider meanwhile will return to the NHL after playing 14 games for the Binghamton Devils, posting a 7-7 record and .903 save percentage. It’s hard to imagine that he’ll ever return to being the goaltender that earned a seven-year, $42MM extension in 2014, but perhaps New Jersey can at least squeeze some production out of the 33-year old netminder.

Snapshots: Galchenyuk, Domingue, Gallagher

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It may come as no surprise, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have made it known around the league that they would like to trade Alex Galchenyuk according to Pierre LeBrun on last night’s edition of Insider Trading for TSN. Galchenyuk was only acquired last offseason in the Phil Kessel trade, but hasn’t found a fit in the Penguins’ top-six.

Bob McKenzie on the same panel notes once again that the Penguins’ priority is finding that top-six forward (even if that’s not what Galchenyuk will bring back at this point) in order to replace Jake Guentzel. McKenzie also suggests that Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford is not necessarily only looking at the rental market.

  • Louis Domingue played in last night’s 6-3 loss for the New Jersey Devils, meaning the Tampa Bay Lightning are getting an extra draft pick. The conditional seventh-round pick sent to Tampa Bay for Domingue earlier this season will now transfer hands thanks to the goaltender playing in his seventh NHL game for the Devils.
  • Head coach Claude Julien told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that the Montreal Canadiens are sending Brendan Gallagher for more testing to see why he is having headaches. It apparently could be related to a virus, but the team will not take a chance if it has any connection to the concussion that he only just returned from.

New Jersey Devils Place Louis Domingue On Injured Reserve

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Goaltending troubles continue to follow the New Jersey Devils as the team announced they have placed backup goaltender Louis Domingue on injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team has also recalled Evan Cormier from the ECHL to fill Domingue’s place.

The team was hoping for a solid tandem at the start of the year between veteran Cory Schneider and youngster MacKenzie Blackwood. Instead Schneider has been placed on waiver and sent to the Binghamton Devils in the AHL, while Blackwood hasn’t been as sharp as he was a year ago with a 2.93 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 23 appearances. The Devils opted to trade for Domingue from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 1 for a conditional seventh-round pick. The 27-year-old hasn’t fared much better so far in six appearances, as he has posted just a 4.15 GAA and a .862 save percentage.

Regardless, unless the team can pick up another goaltender soon, the Devils are stuck with Cormier who started the season in the AHL, but was demoted to the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. With Schneider still struggling in the AHL (he gave up five goals Friday night against Springfield) and the backup there, Gilles Senn, still adjusting to the North American rink-size, the team had to turn to Cormier. In six appearances with Adirondack, Cormier has a 2.71 GAA and a .902 save percentage, but struggled with Binghamton with a 3.77 GAA and a .874 save percentage in seven appearances.

Cory Schneider Placed On Waivers

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Tuesday: Schneider has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Monday: The New Jersey Devils have announced that Cory Schneider will be placed on waivers today with the intention of sending him to the minor leagues. The team recalled Louis Domingue earlier today, who joins MacKenzie Blackwood in net for the Devils.

Domingue, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this month, will cost the Devils a 2021 seventh-round pick if he plays in seven games. That apparently was worth it for a team that continues to flounder at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. The Devils do have two wins in their last two games, but are now 16 points behind the division-leading Washington Capitals.

With Schneider, the team simply couldn’t wait for him to figure out his game. The 33-year old hasn’t been very effective since the 2015-16 season, recording a .904 save percentage in parts of four seasons since then. That has culminated in his horrendous .852 number this season in six appearances, all losses.

The Devils already have some cap space, but moving Schneider to the minor leagues would give them an additional $1.075MM in buried savings. The veteran goaltender is carrying a $6.0MM cap hit through the end of the 2021-22 season and now looks like he may be an anchor for the organization.

That contract will almost certainly mean that Schneider clears, giving him the opportunity to try and rebuild his game in the minor leagues.

Minor Transactions: 11/18/19

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Just two games grace the NHL schedule as teams continue to get a little rest after a busy Saturday, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hockey chatter going on all across North America. As we head into the second quarter of the season coaches are already feeling their seat get a little warmer, while pending free agents should start becoming available for trade. As the hockey world continues to turn, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Max Veronneau, the young forward that signed out of Princeton at the end of last season. The 23-year old suited up for 12 games down the stretch for Ottawa but is getting his first chance of this season.
  • Brendan Gaunce and Urho Vaakanainen have both been recalled by the Boston Bruins after the team sent three players (including Vaakanainen) down yesterday. After an incredible start the Bruins have looked mortal lately, going just 5-2-3 in their last ten games.
  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled Louis Domingue, giving them three goaltenders on the roster for the moment. That’s a curious development and one that will make the waiver announcements today something to watch. Cory Schneider has struggled mightily this season, with an .852 save percentage through six appearances.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Joel Persson to the minor leagues, giving them just six defensemen on the active roster for the time being. That should soon be fixed by the return of Adam Larsson, who will be activated off long-term injured reserve.
  • Steven Santini and Mathieu Olivier have been recalled by the Nashville Predators, adding some more youth to their group as they prepare to face the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. Olivier was an undrafted free agent signing out of the QMJHL and has seven points in 17 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this season.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Louis Domingue

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A change in agents has never worked so well. Just 24 hours after a report emerged that goaltender Louis Domingue had switched his representation in hopes of finding a trade out of Tampa Bay, a deal is done. The New Jersey Devils have announced that they have acquired Domingue from the Lightning. The return is just a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick in what is merely a small salary dump for the Bolts.

Domingue, 27, is surely ecstatic not only to be out of the crowded net in Tampa, as well as AHL Syracuse, but also to be moving into a situation where there is a realistic opportunity to see NHL action. Despite a career season last year with the Lightning in which he recorded a 21-5-0 record, Domingue found himself replaced this off-season. The Lightning opted to bring in veteran Curtis McElhinney as the number two to starter Andrei Vasilevskiy, creating a solid NHL tandem and all but sealing Domingue’s fate of being buried in the minor leagues. On top of that, they also acquired Mike Condon as part of the move to rid themselves of Ryan Callahan’s contract and then signed Scott Wedgewood and Spencer Martin, creating a complete logjam in goal. Domingue now moves to an entirely different scenario in New Jersey. The Devils have the fewest wins in the NHL and plenty of their struggles can be traced back to the net. Injury-prone veteran Cory Schneider has an .847 save percentage and 4.71 GAA and young backup MacKenzie Blackwood has not been much better, holding an .871 save percentage and 3.31 GAA. Compared to Domingue’s numbers with Tampa last year – .908 save percentage and 2.88 GAA – Domingue is already lightyears ahead of his competition. Domingue will report to AHL Binghamton for now, but it seems very likely that he will make his return to the NHL level before too long. Whether that makes a difference when it comes to New Jersey’s season is another thing.

For Tampa, they surely would have liked to get more value back for a goalie who performed well last season, but they will settle for a slight salary cap credit. While buried in the AHL, almost all of Domingue’s $1.15MM salary could be removed from the Bolts’ cap calculations. However, $75K remained, and when you’re tight against the cap ceiling as the Lightning are, every little bit helps. As for the draft pick, the conditions are that Tampa Bay will receive the pick if Domingue plays in seven NHL regular season games for New Jersey; plays in one NHL playoff game for New Jersey; or is traded by the Devils prior to the start of the 2020 NHL Draft. If none of those three additions occur, then the Lightning really did just trade Domingue for $75K in savings. Which circles back to the initial point of switching agents really paying off for the savvy netminder.

Louis Domingue Changes Agents

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Lightning goaltender Louis Domingue has switched agencies.  Player agent Allan Walsh announced (Twitter link) that the netminder is now being represented by Octagon Hockey.

Presumably, this switch was made at least in part to try to find Domingue a new team.  After spending last season as the full-time backup in Tampa Bay where he got into 26 games, the Lightning opted to bring in Curtis McElhinney as the number two to starter Andrei Vasilevskiy.  During the summer, GM Julien BriseBois openly acknowledged that there were trade discussions involving the 27-year-old but evidently, nothing came to fruition.

As a result, Domingue now finds himself in an awkward situation.  The team signed Scott Wedgewood to be their number three goaltender in free agency and brought back Mike Condon as part of a salary dump move to clear out Ryan Callahan’s contract and brought in Spencer Martin to serve as Wedgewood’s backup.  Now, they’re carrying three goalies (Domingue, Wedgewood, and Condon) with AHL Syracuse while Martin has had to drop to the ECHL, a level he hadn’t been at since 2015-16 just to get some playing time.

Clearly, there’s a logjam for Domingue to contend with and it has limited his playing time as he has played in just four games with the Crunch this season.  Considering that he’s slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, finding an opportunity to play regularly (even if it isn’t necessarily at the NHL level to start with) would be ideal.  We’ll soon find out if this agent change helps that come to fruition.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Cap Hit: $79,773,331 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Mikhail Sergachev (one year, $894K)
F Alexander Volkov (one year, $864K)
F Mitchell Stephens (one year, $833K)
F Anthony Cirelli (one year, $728K)
F Mathieu Joseph (one year, $728K)
D Erik Cernak (one year, $698K)

Potential Bonuses

Sergachev: $850K
Cirelli: $183K
Joseph: $183K
Cernak: $148K

The Tampa Bay Lightning have done exceedingly well with their young players as they always seem to have key contributors filling out their roster who are on low-cost salaries. Unfortunately for the team all of those entry-level contracts will be expiring after this season. However, for a team that is fighting for a Stanley Cup title, the Lightning should be happy to have several of these players around for this year.

At the top of the list is Sergachev, who came over in the Jonathan Drouin trade a couple of seasons ago. Sergachev has improved greatly, but is still battling for a top-four role, one which he may win this season as he continues to develop his skills. The 21-year-old already has 15 goals and 72 points over two seasons, but spent most of his time last year as a third-line option for Tampa Bay. The team hopes he can win a spot on the first line and earn some power play time to allow his offensive skills to kick in for the Lightning. Another strong season could force Tampa Bay to pay up significantly for him. The team also got some impressive play from Cernak last season who came up and found a permanent home with his physical play.

Cirelli and Joseph have made an impact for Tampa Bay as well. After an solid stint back in 2017-18, Cirelli had a breakout season, scoring 19 goals and 39 points last season and could take another step up this season with J.T. Miller gone. Joseph surprised quite a few when he made the team last year out of training camp, posting 13 goals and 26 points in a third-line role most of the time. The opportunities may continue to increase for the 22-year-old who has showed a hard-working mentality as well as solid skill.

Both Stephens and Volkov are in their last year of their entry-level contract, but both could see time up with the Lightning at some point this season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Mike Condon ($2.4MM, UFA — buried at $1.33MM)
D Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Jan Rutta ($1.3MM, UFA)
G Louis Domingue ($1.15MM, UFA) — buried at $75K)
F Pat Maroon ($900K, UFA)
F Danick Martel ($700K, RFA)
D Luke Schenn ($700K, UFA)

In their pursuit of a Stanley Cup, the team went out and acquired some veteran players to help the team for this year. They signed Shattenkirk immediately after being bought out from the New York Rangers to give the team a key veteran after they lost Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi in the offseason. The team hopes Shattenkirk can find his game and stay healthy this year and be able to provide quality minutes. They also hope Schenn can provide solid depth and physicality at the bottom of their lineup. On offense, the team also went out and signed Maroon to add some grit to their fourth line after the team lost Ryan Callahan to injury. Callahan was very productive in his time with the Lightning, but injuries derailed his last couple of years.

To unload the final year of Callahan’s contract, the Lightning traded him to Ottawa and were forced to accept Condon, who the team has already buried in the minors to give the team more cap flexibility. Domingue has been buried in the AHL as well.

Two Years Remaining

D Braydon Coburn ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Cedric Paquette ($1.65MM, UFA)
G Curtis McElhinney ($1.3MM, UFA)
D Luke Witkowski ($700K, UFA)

Despite a solid backup in Domingue, the Lightning surprised quite a few people when they inked McElhinney to a two-year deal, plucking him away from a number of interested teams. The 36-year-old veteran had an impressive season after being claimed by Carolina at the beginning of last season. McElhinney appeared in 33 games, picking up 20 wins with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage. The hope is the veteran will provide some extra insurance and maybe take some of the workload off the starter this season.

The team also has high hopes that bringing back Coburn as well as a gritty multi-versatile player like Witkowski will give Tampa Bay some much needed depth on their blueline.

Three Years Remaining

F Brayden Point ($6.75MM, RFA)
F Ondrej Palat ($5.3MM, UFA)

The Lightning has done exactly what it wants to do with Point, which was get him signed to a three-year bridge deal, something the team does with all its players before locking them up to long-term deals. Now the team has three more years to evaluate him before they have to lock him up to a long-term deal. The deal is actually quite reasonable, considering how much the center has excelled in each of his three seasons. Point’s rookie season was solid with 18 goals, but that number increased to a 32-goal campaign in 2017-18 and he followed that up with a 41-goal, 92-point season last year, making him one of the top young forwards in the game. Regardless, the team was able to sign him for a reasonable cost, giving the Lightning another strong presence at a discounted rate.

On the other hand, Palat may be the opposite of Point. Having struggled with injuries the past couple of seasons, the 28-year-old has appeared in just 120 out of 164 games over the past two seasons and scored a disappointing eight goals in 64 games last year as he’s slipped to a third-line role after a promising 23-goal rookie season back in 2013-14. Since then he’s scored in the teens, but has seen those numbers dip even further with his injury history. Unfortunately, at $5.3MM, the team hopes he can get healthy and rebound as he would be a hard player to find a trade partner for.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Nikita Kucherov ($9.5MM through 2026-27)
F Steven Stamkos ($8.5MM through 2023-24)
D Victor Hedman ($7.88MM through 2024-25)
D Ryan McDonagh ($6.75MM through 2025-26)
F Yanni Gourde ($5.17MM through 2024-25)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM through 2023-24)
F Alex Killorn ($4.45MM through 2022-23)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy ($3.5MM in 2019-20; $9.5MM through 2027-28)

The team has done a phenomenal job of signing their top talent. Kucherov is arguably one of the top three players in the league and is now just starting his eight-year contract at a reasonable $9.5MM. The 26-year-old scored 41 goals and 128 points to win the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award and should be one of the greats for the Lightning for a long time. Stamkos also continues to put up big numbers for someone whose $8.5MM deal looks pretty good. He potted 45 goals last season and a career-high 98 points, which gives Tampa Bay an impressive one-two punch, which doesn’t even include Point.

The Lightning also has quite a bit tied up into their top two defensemen in Hedman and McDonagh. Hedman is one of the top defensemen in the league, only a year removed from winning the Norris Trophy in 2017-18. He posted an impressive 12 goals and 54 points last season and remains in his prime. It’s too early to see how he will fare as he gets older as his contract will run through his age-34 season. But by the time Hedman truly slows down, there shouldn’t be that much time remaining on his deal. As for McDonagh, the team’s second-best defenseman still posted solid numbers, nine goals and 46 points. However, he is two years older than Hedman and has a seventh year remaining on his contract, meaning he’ll be 37 in his final season, which suggests that his contract could become an issue even in just a few years.

As for Gourde, Johnson and Killorn, the team hopes that with the salary cap likely rising over the next few years, those role players’ deals will still look good, if not very good as they age. All have become solid contributors as middle-six players and hopefully will give the team good value over the next four or five years.

Buyouts

D Matt Carle (1.83MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Point
Worst Value: Palat

Looking Ahead

The job that Steve Yzerman has done to get the franchise to this point, which might be one of the most impressive organizations that have been built, is impressive and the hope that Julien BriseBois will continue that success in Tampa Bay. The team had an amazing regular season a year ago, but a quick exit in the playoffs left many to wonder whether the team is as good as many think. However, BriseBois has done a good job bringing in some more veterans as well as some grit in hopes that this offensive team doesn’t get pushed around too much this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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