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MacKenzie MacEachern

Waivers: 10/05/22

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Another large group of players finds themselves on waivers today, hoping to get picked up by an NHL roster. The AHL awaits most that clear, though placement on the wire doesn’t necessarily indicate assignment to the minor leagues. Some players will clear just to give their team a little more roster flexibility over the next few weeks. Everyone from yesterday has cleared, and waivers today include:

Carolina Hurricanes

Ryan Dzingel
Maxime Lajoie
Lane Pederson
Stelio Mattheos
Mackenzie MacEachern

Minnesota Wild

Brandon Baddock

New York Islanders

Dennis Cholowski
Cory Schneider
Parker Wotherspoon
Hudson Fasching
Arnaud Durandeau
Cole Bardreau
Andy Andreoff

Philadelphia Flyers

Adam Brooks
Max Willman
Louis Belpedio

This page will be updated as more reports come in

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Mackenzie MacEachern

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made another free agent signing this evening, inking experienced forward Mackenzie MacEachern to a one-year, two-way contract, per a team announcement. The deal carries a $750k cap hit, $225,000 AHL salary, and $275,000 total guarantee. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell had the following to say about his newest addition:

Mackenzie is a big power forward who is willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice to score, he’s got NHL experience and is capable of contributing at this level.

MacEachern spent most of 2021-22 with the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In Springfield, MacEachern had 12 goals and 25 points, helping lead the Thunderbirds to the Calder Cup Final. MacEachern also got into 14 NHL games with the Blues, recording two assists. The 28-year-old MacEachern has 115 NHL games to his name and 11 career NHL goals.

As Waddell mentioned, MacEachern is a big power forward who can make an impact on both ends of the ice. He was a penalty killer for the Thunderbirds and should be a capable middle-six forward at the AHL level. This deal will allow MacEachern to compete for a spot on the Hurricanes’ roster during training camp before in all likelihood being sent to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

If MacEachern doesn’t make the Hurricanes’ roster and is sent to Chicago, it will actually be his second tour of duty with the Wolves. MacEachern made his professional debut there in 2016-17, signing with the Wolves after a successful career with the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA.

MacEachern is useful depth for the Hurricanes and should help the Wolves in their attempt to defend their Calder Cup title.

St. Louis Blues Place Mackenzie MacEachern On Waivers

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Per CapFriendly, the St. Louis Blues have placed forward Mackenzie MacEachern on waivers.

MacEachern, 28, has been on long-term injured reserve for the past month after sustaining an upper-body injury on April 8 in a regular-season game against the Minnesota Wild. He was assigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds on a conditioning loan a few days ago, where he’s tallied two points in two playoff games for them. Luckily for the Thunderbirds, the Blues have opted to waive MacEachern to allow him to stay there with the team.

This season saw the first minor-league action for MacEachern since 2018-19 with the San Antonio Rampage. St. Louis’ 67th overall selection in 2012, MacEachern had carved out a role as the team’s 13th forward over the past few seasons. He played in just 14 games with the Blues this season, though, amassing two assists.

If Springfield does get eliminated from the Calder Cup Playoffs before the Blues do, expect MacEachern to be one of the first Black Aces called up to the Blues due to his NHL experience.

MacEachern is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Mackenzie MacEachern Sent On AHL Conditioning Stint

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If the St. Louis Blues are able to get past the Minnesota Wild, it appears as though they might be getting another physical option to insert into the lineup at some point. Mackenzie MacEachern has been loaned to the Springfield Thunderbirds on a conditioning stint, after spending the last month on long-term injured reserve.

MacEachern, 28, has played just 14 games for the Blues this season, but could potentially be used as a bottom-six option if other injuries take place. For now, he’ll join a Springfield team that is headed into a playoff series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tomorrow evening. Given he hasn’t played since suffering an injury in early April, it may take him a little while before he’s able to step into an NHL playoff game–if they decide to do that at all.

The Blues, known for their physical playoff run from a few seasons ago where they beat and battered opponents into submission, are tied 2-2 with the Minnesota Wild in their first-round series. The two teams are back at it again tonight, with games six and seven scheduled for Thursday and Saturday respectively.

Injury Notes: MacEachern, Bruins, Flyers

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The regular season is over for Mackenzie MacEachern, but fortunately his Blues are planning to play well beyond then. The team announced today that MacEachern has been placed on the Long-Term Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury. The LTIR placement requires that MacEachern sit for ten games and the Blues have just eight games left on the regular season slate. The 27-year-old forward did his best to stay off the shelf; after missing the past three games, MacEachern was back at practice today but was forced to leave early, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The cap-strapped Blues had little choice but to add MacEachern to the LTIR and recall forward Dakota Joshua from AHL Springfield on an emergency basis. The swap actually adds the superior player to the roster, as Joshua has more games played, average time on ice, goals, points, plus/minus and more with the Blues this season.

  • It took injuries to David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm, Matt Grzelcyk, Brandon Carlo, and Linus Ullmark to send the Boston Bruins into their first three-game losing streak of the season, the final team in the NHL to fall in three straight this year. As the team looks to right the ship on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they’re hoping that improved health could help. Grzelcyk was back in the lineup on Thursday night and defense partner could be the next to return, reports beat writer Eric Russo. Carlo was back at practice on Friday and there is optimism that he can return tomorrow from an undisclosed injury. Ullmark, who left Thursday’s game after the first period, did not practice and could be dealing with a concussion, but for now is considered day-to-day. Pastrnak and Lindholm skated by themselves on Friday and there is still no timetable for their return. While there is something to be said for being bit by the injury bug before the postseason, especially for a Boston team that has been decimated in the playoffs in recent years, this rough patch is potentially costing the Bruins their shot at divisional playoff berth as opposed to a wild card spot.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers had no update on injured defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen today, as it is looking increasingly likely that his season is over. Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays that head coach Mike Yeo does not expect Ristolainen to return “any time soon” from an upper-body injury. There was also no update on Cam York, who is out with a lower-body injury and considered day-to-day. There is slightly more optimism surrounding Cam Atkinson, who is also out with a lower-body ailment. Atkinson won’t play on Saturday at Buffalo, but could suit up on Sunday for the second game of the home-and-home with the Sabres.

14 Players Clear Waivers

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Sunday: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that all 14 names from yesterday have cleared waivers.

Saturday: As expected, it’s another busy day on the waiver wire with opening rosters being submitted to the NHL on Monday.  Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star and TSN reports (Twitter links) that the following 14 players are on waivers today:

D John Moore (BOS)
F Chris Wagner (BOS)
F Byron Froese (CGY)
F Justin Kirkland (CGY)
G Calvin Pickard (DET)
D Thomas Hickey (NYI)
F Richard Panik (NYI)
F Anthony Angello (PIT)
F Dylan Gambrell (SJ)
F Logan Brown (STL)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (STL)
D Alex Biega (TOR)
F Kurtis Gabriel (TOR)
D Michal Kempny (WSH)

As expected, today’s list is a little more interesting as teams get closer to making their final cuts with more notable players.  Several veterans are on the wire today, headlined by Kempny and Moore on the back end.  Both players are coming off injury-plagued seasons (Achilles for Kempny, hip for Moore) and could benefit from some regular action in the minors to get back into playing shape.  If they clear, Washington and Boston would only receive $1.125MM in cap relief; Kempny carries a $2.5MM AAV for this season while Moore is at $2.75MM for the next two seasons.

Up front, Panik and Wagner are a pair of veterans that have considerable NHL experience.  Panik split last season between the Capitals and Red Wings, picking up 13 points in 48 games.  Detroit is retaining half of his $2.75MM AAV, meaning that if he was claimed, the team that picks him up would only be carrying him at $1.375MM.  Wagner is in the second season of a three-year deal with a $1.35MM AAV and while his production tumbled last season to just five points in 41 games with the Bruins, he has been one of the more physical players in the league in recent years.  Again, if they clear, those teams would only get $1.125MM in cap space.

Brown’s stint with his hometown team didn’t go particularly well evidently with him being on waivers so quickly.  As part of the trade from Ottawa, the Senators will send a fourth-round pick to the Blues if the 2016 first-round pick doesn’t play in 30 games with St. Louis.  All of a sudden, that pick looks a lot likelier to transfer.

Among the other forwards, Angello and Gambrell are somewhat interesting as well.  Angello played in 19 games on the fourth line with the Penguins last season, picking up four points along with 51 hits and actually carries a cap hit that’s $25K below the league minimum which could be appealing to cap-strapped teams.  As for Gambrell, he has played in 99 games with the Sharks over the last two seasons and logged over 16 minutes a game for them last season.  He was a highly-speculated candidate to be selected by Seattle in expansion although they went with Alexander True instead.  Gambrell makes $1.1MM this season and is controllable through arbitration through 2024.

Snapshots: Murray, MacEachern, Raffl, Graovac

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The Senators were expected to start Matt Murray in goal tonight in their matchup against Toronto.  However, the team announced (Twitter link) just before the game began that the netminder suffered an upper-body injury in the pregame warmup and would not dress for the game.  It’s the latest negative in what has been a tough first season with Ottawa for the 26-year-old as Murray has a bloated 3.84 GAA along with a .880 SV% in 22 games so far.  Joey Daccord got the start as a result with the team recalling Kevin Mandolese from the taxi squad on an emergency basis to dress as the backup.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Blues announced that they have placed winger Mackenzie MacEachern on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old was frequently shuffled to the taxi squad early on in the season after he cleared waivers but has been on St. Louis’ roster for nearly a full month now.  He has played in 17 games so far this season, picking up a goal and an assist while logging 9:29 per game.
  • Flyers winger Michael Raffl could return for tomorrow’s contest against the Rangers, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia (Twitter link). Raffl has missed the last four games due to a swollen right hand and was off to a decent start to his season before the injury with three goals and four assists in 21 games.
  • Canucks center Tyler Graovac has been cleared to play after recovering from a concussion, notes Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. The veteran actually suffered the injury last week in the minors but was quietly recalled anyway from AHL Manitoba to begin quarantine protocols due to some of the injuries they had up front.  Vancouver’s farm team is in Utica which means any direct recalls would require a two-week quarantine which is why they placed a couple of players with other Canadian-based teams where that time is cut in half.  Graovac was their only available forward to recall which is why he was brought up as soon as he was injured, making for an unusual situation.

Blues Activate Robert Bortuzzo Off Injured Reserve

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The Blues now have their full complement of defensemen available to them as the team announced that they have activated Robert Bortuzzo off injured reserve.  He had missed the last ten games due to an upper-body injury.

The 31-year-old has played just twice this season before sustaining the injury.  He has been in a depth role with St. Louis for the past several years and will likely battle Carl Gunnarsson and Niko Mikkola for playing time.  They’re currently carrying eight blueliners on the roster although Mikkola is waiver-exempt but their AHL affiliate in Springfield opted out of playing this season which presents some challenges if they want to send him down.

The team also made several other roster moves.  Robert Thomas was played on IR after it was revealed earlier today that he’ll miss four-to-six weeks with a broken thumb.  With Bortuzzo returning, Jake Walman was sent to the taxi squad.  Lastly, St. Louis recalled center Jacob de la Rose from their taxi squad, sending winger Mackenzie MacEachern down to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.  Both Walman and MacEachern have played once with the Blues this season while de la Rose has yet to suit up.

St. Louis Blues Place Vladimir Tarasenko On LTIR

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The St. Louis Blues had to wait until the first day of the regular season, but as expected, Vladimir Tarasenko has been placed on long-term injured reserve. The move allows them to recall both Jordan Kyrou and Mackenzie MacEachern from their taxi squad.

Tarasenko, 29, will miss the first part of the regular season following his multiple shoulder surgeries and is set to be re-evaluated in February. The powerful winger was able to play in just ten regular season games last season but did manage to return for four postseason contests. He seemed a shadow of himself in those matches, recording zero points and now it’s unclear exactly what kind of season he’ll be able to put together in 2021.

The Blues have now used long-term injured reserve for both Tarasenko and Alex Steen, though as CapFriendly explains on Twitter they actually were unable to maximize the relief available. Moving Tarasenko to LTIR gives them his full $7.5MM in room, at least until he returns to the lineup later in the season. That’s why Kyrou and MacEachern can move back to the active roster.

The team will now be able to fill those two taxi squad spots with other names, providing even more depth for the NHL team to travel with.

Mackenzie MacEachern Signs Two-Year Extension

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The St. Louis Blues aren’t on holiday. After extending both Sammy Blais and Marco Scandella earlier this week, the team has announced a new two-year contract for Mackenzie MacEachern. It’s a one-way contract for the depth forward, that will carry an average annual value of $900K and take him through the 2021-22 season.

Interestingly, MacEachern was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season after playing in exactly 80 NHL games through the first part of his career. That’s the threshold he needed to meet to be ineligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency, meaning the Blues may have dodged a bullet by having him in the lineup just before the season was suspended.

The 26-year old forward has recorded 10 goals and 15 points in those 80 games, seeing fewer than nine minutes of ice time on average. MacEachern will serve as some inexpensive depth for the Blues as they head into next season trying to squeeze a talented roster into a stagnant salary cap, something that will be made even more difficult if they try to bring back captain Alex Pietrangelo.

MacEachern’s new contract leaves just two more pending restricted free agents on the Blues roster—Jacob De La Rose and Vince Dunn.

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