Mark Friedman Clears Waivers, Reassigned To AHL
10/9: Vancouver was able to pass Friedman through waivers unscathed. The organization announced they have reassigned Friedman to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.
10/8: The Canucks announced today they’ve placed defenseman Mark Friedman on waivers for the purpose of assignment, opening up a roster spot ahead of tomorrow’s home opener against the Flames.
Friedman, 29 in December, has emerged as a quality No. 7/8 option on the blue line in his prime. After spending most of his 20s as a true farmhand, he’s played in at least 20 games in each of the past three seasons.
He’s never avoided AHL action entirely, though, aside from the 2020-21 campaign he spent mostly on the Flyers’ and Penguins’ taxi squads. He started last season in Pittsburgh but was traded to the Canucks early on, posting an assist and a +4 rating in 23 games in Vancouver uniform while averaging 12:14 per night. He inked a one-year, one-way league minimum extension in June to keep him with the Canucks for 2024-25, but he’ll now land on waivers a year to the day after he was last on the wire with the Penguins. One way or another, he won’t be rostered for tomorrow night’s game – he’ll either be in Abbotsford or with a new team if one claims him.
Friedman has serviceable possession metrics and has demonstrated value as a cheap plug-and-play guy who won’t be a defensive liability, even if he lacks any legitimate long-term upside. That could convince a team dealing with injuries on the blue line to submit a claim.
Canucks Sign Mark Friedman To One-Year Extension
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in an early season trade — it appears that defenseman Mark Friedman will continue his time in British Columbia. The Vancouver Canucks announced they have signed Friedman to a one-year contract extension that will pay him $775K at the NHL level.
Friedman was originally brought into the Canucks organization to serve in a depth role and the team may have to elevate him into a consistent bottom-pairing role depending on how their offseason plays out. Vancouver got a head start on their defensive core yesterday signing pending restricted free agent Filip Hronek to an eight-year extension but Ian Cole, Nikita Zadorov, and Tyler Myers are set to hit the open market in a few short weeks.
In his role as a depth defenseman, Friedman suited up in 23 games for the Canucks this season while tallying only one assist after averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game. Outside of his offensive production, Friedman did post solid defensive and possession metrics in limited action with a 50.3 CorsiFor% and a 92.6% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
Additionally, Friedman spent a brief period with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. In mid-January, the Canucks placed Friedman on a six-day conditioning loan allowing him to suit up in four games for the AHL Canucks which saw him post one goal and four points in total.
After the Canucks offseason finally reaches its conclusion, Friedman should once again be bumped into a depth role, but he now serves as one of five defensemen on the roster with a contract for the 2024-25 NHL season. Nevertheless, General Manager Patrik Allvin will allow Friedman to see more minutes by saying, “Mark’s addition to our group last year gave us some much needed depth and he is someone we can count on if plugged into our lineup. He is a team first player and is always ready to step in if called upon. We expect him to come into camp and compete hard for a regular spot this season“.
Canucks Recall Mark Friedman, Linus Karlsson
Jan. 22: GM Patrik Allvin announced the team has reversed this transaction today, recalling Friedman from his conditioning loan and Karlsson from his regular loan. Karlsson has been papered up and down once already in the span of the last week, coming up to serve as a healthy scratch for Saturday’s win over the Maple Leafs. He’s been a frequent scratch for the Canucks this month but was returned to Abbotsford yesterday so he could play in their game against San Diego. Friedman was spectacular in his minor-league stint, posting four points and a +5 rating in four games with the Baby Canucks.
Jan. 16: The Vancouver Canucks have assigned defenseman Mark Friedman and Linus Karlsson to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, with Friedman’s demotion coming by way of a conditioning loan. Without a corresponding roster move, the Canucks will now be down to 12 forwards and seven defensemen on the team’s active roster.
Friedman was originally brought over to Vancouver by way of a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 17th to serve as extra depth for the team’s defensive core. Now, he will spend a max of 14 days in the AHL, unless the team desires to bring him up earlier.
In his 18-game stint with the Canucks, Friedman had very little usage rages, scoring one assist while averaging just under 12 and a half minutes of ice time per night. Since November 30th, although he has been on the active roster, Friedman has served as a healthy scratch as Vancouver’s blue line has regained much of its health.
It will mark Friedman’s first time back in the AHL since his time with the Penguins earlier this season when he was able to suit up in two games for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Throughout his career, Friedman is a veteran of 214 games in the AHL, scoring 11 goals and 67 points since his debut in the 2016-17 season.
For Karlsson, it will now mark his third reassignment to the AHL this year, suiting up for Vancouver in early January and early December, after making his NHL debut on November 16th. Only managed four games in total for the Canucks this season, Karlsson is still scoreless at the NHL level.
In contrast, Karlsson has been one of the best players in Abbotsford this season, scoring seven goals and 23 points in 25 games, sitting third on the team in scoring. Now, with both Friedman and Karlsson back in the AHL, they will help an Abbotsford team on the cusp of earning a playoff spot in the Pacific Division, as they hold a 19-11-2-1 record entering play tonight.
Vancouver Recalls Friedman, Sends Hirose To AHL
The Vancouver Canucks have recalled their latest player acquisition, Mark Friedman, to the NHL club. Akito Hirose has been sent to the AHL to accommodate this move. The Canucks acquired Friedman in a four-player trade that sent Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Friedman and Ty Glover.
Friedman has split time between the NHL and AHL over the last two seasons, recording 23 NHL games and 24 AHL games last year. He netted three NHL points and six AHL points in those games. Friedman’s longest tenure in the NHL came during the 2021-22 season, when he spent 26 games with the Penguins, tallying five points. Friedman joined the Penguins via waivers from the Flyers during the 2020-21 season, after operating as a healthy scratch for much of Philadelphia’s season. But despite the NHL attention, Friedman only appeared in nine games that year, losing time to healthy scratches and an upper-body injury sustained in the Spring.
Hirose has yet to play in his rookie NHL season, appearing in seven NHL games last season and a pair of games so far this year. He’s tallied three points, all coming during the 2022-23 season. This assignment will be Hirose’s first experience in the AHL, after signing with Vancouver following the conclusion of Minnesota State University-Mankato’s 2022-23 season. Hirose was a successful two-way defender in college, recording 27 points in 38 games last year – his junior year of school.
Vancouver is 2-1-0 to start the season, with a +6 goal-differential. Friedman will likely slot in as the team’s seventh defenseman, adding pressure to Noah Juulsen‘s role on the team’s third pair.
Pacific Notes: Carrier, Martinez, Vlasic, Carlsson, Soucy/Friedman
Golden Knights forward William Carrier will return to the lineup Tuesday against the Stars, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed today. Carrier, 28, missed Vegas’ last two games with an upper-body injury.
The defending Stanley Cup champions are picking up where they left off, receiving spectacular goaltending from Adin Hill and Logan Thompson en route to a 3-0-0 record and league-high +9 goal differential. Carrier hasn’t been a part of that, however – he played just over five minutes in the season opener against Seattle before leaving with the UBI and sitting out their following two wins against San Jose and Anaheim. He’s entering the final season of a four-year, $5.6MM contract that’s paid dividends for the Knights. Carrier has become one of the more dependable fourth-liners in the league since Vegas claimed him in the 2017 Expansion Draft, and he’s now played well over 300 games as a Knight. He posted a career-high 16 goals and 25 points last season and added six points in 18 postseason contests, playing a crucial depth role en route to the team’s first Stanley Cup win.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Cassidy also said defenseman Alec Martinez practiced in a non-contact jersey today and will travel with the team on their upcoming road swing through Winnipeg and Chicago. The 36-year-old defender has been day-to-day with an upper-body injury since the beginning of the month and has remained on injured reserve since the season began one week ago. Entering the final season of a three-year deal earning him $5.25MM per season, the veteran of 763 NHL games was arguably Vegas’ most important shutdown defender last season, posting a team-high +30 rating and blocking 244 shots – the most in the NHL by far. His absence has meant increased ice time for the younger Nicolas Hague, who’s stepped up to the plate with three points in three games while averaging 21:20 per game.
- Sharks defenseman Marc-Édouard Vlasic practiced with the team this morning but is not expected to suit up Tuesday night against the Hurricanes, The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka reports. Vlasic did not play the final two periods of the Sharks’ shootout loss at the hands of the Avalanche Saturday and is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. 22-year-old Henry Thrun will step into Vlasic’s place on the Sharks’ second pairing alongside Matt Benning after the former was scratched against Colorado.
- 2023 second-overall pick Leo Carlsson has returned to practice for the Ducks after missing the first two games of the season with a leg injury, writes Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Carlsson told The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee Tuesday that he wants “to be 100% [for] the first game,” of course referring to his first NHL appearance. He hopes to be ready for the Ducks’ next game, a Thursday showdown against the Stars. Carlsson is currently on season-opening injured reserve but can be activated at any time.
- Tuesday’s trade acquisition Mark Friedman will join the Vancouver Canucks on their upcoming road trip, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. His recall likely spells the end of 24-year-old Akito Hirose‘s time on the NHL roster, as he does not require waivers to return to AHL Abbotsford, and Vancouver is now carrying eight healthy defensemen on the roster with Carson Soucy now expected to make his season debut today against the Flyers. Friedman has appeared in two games thus far in 2023-24, both with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, recording no points and a -1 rating.
Penguins Acquire Jack Rathbone From Canucks
The Penguins have acquired once-promising defense prospect Jack Rathbone from the Canucks and minor-league forward Karel Plasek, per a team release. In return, the Canucks receive a pair of players designated for AHL Abbotsford in defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Ty Glover.
Rathbone and Friedman will report to their new teams’ respective AHL affiliates, while Plasek and Glover will report to their new teams’ respective ECHL affiliates.
While a fourth-round pick in 2017, Rathbone’s stock as a prospect rose wildly in the 2019-20 season after recording 31 points in 28 games during his sophomore campaign at Harvard. He then turned pro with Ivy League schools shutting down in 2020 due to COVID, but he didn’t play much – just eight games with Vancouver and eight with AHL Utica, instead spending most of the season on the taxi squad.
2021-22 saw him put together an incredible rookie season in the minors, again notching over a point per game with Abbotsford – although he was held without a point in a nine-game NHL call-up. That led to optimism he would become a full-time fixture on the Canucks’ blueline in 2022-23, but it wasn’t to be. He played just 11 NHL games, recording two points, and his production took a significant step back in the minors – just five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 37 contests. He has a goal through two games with Abbotsford this season.
He’ll now try and get back on track with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he joins another young defenseman looking to reclaim his game – 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith, who’s just a year removed from posting back-to-back 20-point years with the New Jersey Devils. The 24-year-old Rathbone is a pending restricted free agent who’s owed a rather pricey qualifying offer of $997.5K this summer.
Pittsburgh also receives the 23-year-old Plasek, a Canucks sixth-round selection in 2019. He only has one season in North America under his belt – an injury-plagued 2021-22 campaign that saw him play eight games for AHL Abbotsford, failing to record a point. On loan with HC Olomouc in the Czech Extraliga last season, Plasek recorded six goals and nine assists for 15 points in 31 contests.
Vancouver’s return is not puny – Friedman is a two-way defender who excels defensively at the minor-league level and can provide reliable bottom-pairing minutes in a pinch. The 27-year-old pending UFA is signed to a one-way contract this season but cleared waivers pre-season with the Penguins. He appeared in 23 games for the Penguins in 2022-23, recording a goal and two assists while averaging 14:27 per game. He has the most career NHL games of anyone involved in this trade, with 65.
Glover, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing by Pittsburgh in 2022 after a pair of campaigns with Western Michigan University. He spent all of 2022-23 at the AHL level with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 49 contests. However, he failed to crack the AHL squad out of camp this season and was assigned to ECHL Wheeling before the trade, although he’ll now likely join Vancouver’s affiliate at that level, the Kalamazoo Wings.
Waivers: 10/08/23
Oct. 9: Four players on this list were claimed today: A.J. Greer (Calgary), John Ludvig (Pittsburgh), Ivan Prosvetov (Colorado), and Lassi Thomson (Ottawa). All others have cleared and are expected to be assigned to their team’s respective AHL affiliates, aside from Boyd, who PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports remains on the Coyotes’ active roster for now.
Oct. 8: It’s expected to be a busy day on the waiver wire, as NHL teams are making their final adjustments to the roster they’ll bring into the start of the 2023-24 season. There have already been numerous notable names exposed to the waiver wire thus far this preseason, and that list could only expand today. All players from yesterday’s waiver wire have cleared.
Anaheim Ducks
D Lassi Thomson
G Alex Stalock
F Andrew Agozzino
Boston Bruins
Arizona Coyotes
F Travis Boyd
F Zach Sanford
G Ivan Prosvetov
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
F Raphael Lavoie
F Lane Pederson
D Ben Gleason
Florida Panthers
F Zac Dalpe
D John Ludvig
D Casey Fitzgerald
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
F Joel Armia
D Gustav Lindström
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
G Magnus Hellberg
F Colin White
D Mark Friedman
F Vinnie Hinostroza
F Radim Zohorna
St. Louis Blues
F Mackenzie MacEachern
D Calle Rosen
G Malcolm Subban
F Nathan Walker
Tampa Bay Lightning
D Zach Bogosian
F Gabriel Fortier
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Martin Jones
F Kyle Clifford
F Dylan Gambrell
D William Lagesson
D Maxime Lajoie
Vancouver Canucks
F Jack Studnicka
D Christian Wolanin
Vegas Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets
D Kyle Capobianco
G Collin Delia
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The big surprise here out of Arizona regards Boyd. The versatile 30-year-old veteran doesn’t have an exorbitant contract (just $1.75MM through the end of the season) and has scored 69 points across the last two seasons.
He’s been something of a breakout player for the Coyotes as his 17-goal, 35-point 2022-23 was far and away his best season in his career, so it’s definitely a surprise to see him exposed on waivers.
For Anaheim, the move to waive Stalock likely means that Lukáš Dostál has won the Ducks’ backup goalie job behind John Gibson, as should Stalock clear the Ducks will have the option to send him down to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
In Edmonton, it comes as a little bit of a surprise to see Lavioe waived. The 23-year-old power forward was drafted just outside of the 2019 first round, and took a real step forward in his development last season. He became a genuinely impactful AHLer, scoring 25 goals and 45 points. He’s a name to watch in terms of players with the potential to be claimed out of this group.
Anderson-Dolan finally made the NHL on an extended basis last season, and scored 12 points in 46 games. He even got some playoff action under his belt, but seeing as he was a near-point-per-game scorer in his last season in the AHL, it seems the Kings could prefer to have him start the season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Rosen appears the likeliest candidate from the Blues’ group of waived players to be of interest to other teams, as he’s owed just a $762.5k cap hit this season and impressed in 49 games of NHL action last season. He scored 18 points in that span and could interest teams in need of some additional defensive help.
Out of Tampa is Bogosian, and it’s reported that the Lightning are hoping to put the veteran blueliner in a position to land on another team where he can play a bigger role than he’d be offered in Tampa. The 33-year-old won a Stanley Cup for the Lightning and it seems that the organization is looking to do right by the player while also turning to other options to staff their defense.
One of the biggest names on waivers comes out of Toronto, as Jones played in 48 games last season but now finds himself exposed to 31 other clubs. With an $875k cap hit, the veteran netminder could end up claimed by teams in need of instant goaltending support, such as the Lightning who don’t have much depth after the injury to superstar Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign A Pair Of Defensemen To PTOs
CapFriendly has announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed a pair of defensemen to PTOs for their upcoming training camp in September. Mark Pysyk and Libor Hajek have both inked tryout agreements with the Penguins that will give both defenders an opportunity to earn a contract with the team.
Pysyk last played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22 in a season that saw the Sherwood Park, Alberta native put up three goals and nine assists in 68 games. That season earned him a contract with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2022-23 season, however, the 31-year-old tore his Achilles tendon and missed the entire season.
The 25-year-old Hajek has spent the past five seasons shuttling back and forth between the New York Rangers and their AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack. In 118 AHL games Hajek has three goals and 13 assists, while he has posted four goals and eight assists in 110 NHL games. The former second-round pick has good size at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds but hasn’t found a way to utilize it at the NHL level. He has really struggled with the puck on his stick and is frequently guilty of turning the puck over.
Given where the Penguins are at with the bottom pairing in their defence core, it seems very likely that Hajek will struggle to gain an NHL contract with the team. Pittsburgh already has Ty Smith and Pierre-Olivier Joseph competing for the left-side spot on the third defensive pairing and both men can offer more offensively than Hajek. However, Hajek does have more sandpaper and size, which is something the Penguins are lacking in their lineup. It could make for an interesting battle right up until the season starts.
Pysyk on the other hand offers a lot of intrigue to the team’s training camp. Pittsburgh currently has Chad Ruhwedel pencilled in on the third pairing with Mark Friedman as another player looking to compete for a spot. Should Pysyk be able to regain his form from previous seasons it is very possible that he could bump both of those men down the depth chart and capture that final spot on the Penguins third defensive pairing.
Mark Friedman Clears Waivers
April 13: Friedman has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues before tonight’s game.
April 12: As the team is getting healthier with their season on the line, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Mark Friedman on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
While it’s rare for a player to hit waivers after the trade deadline, let alone this late in the season, the move comes out of salary cap necessity for Pittsburgh. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson has progressed in his recovery from a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision tomorrow night, per head coach Mike Sullivan, meaning the team needs to clear some cap room to activate Pettersson from long-term injured reserve.
Friedman and his $775,000 salary are the odd factors out here, and assuming the near-given scenario that he clears waivers, will be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tomorrow. The 27-year-old has split the season evenly between the two teams, playing a total of 47 pro games and recording nine points.
After dropping their last home game of the regular season to the Chicago Blackhawks last night, 5-2, the Penguins must rely on the 68-point Montreal Canadiens to defeat the New York Islanders in regulation tonight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Pittsburgh would then need a regulation win against Columbus on Thursday to continue their 16-year postseason streak.
Friedman, strictly a depth defender, had suited up in 12 straight games for Pittsburgh before he was a healthy scratch against Chicago.
Killorn, Fox, Friedman Earn Fines
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a pair of fines on Thursday afternoon, stemming from last night’s incidents in the Tampa Bay Lightning-New York Rangers game. Alex Killorn owes $5,000 for his slash on Igor Shesterkin, while Adam Fox will pay $5,000 for slashing Corey Perry.
While they might be called slashes by the league, both were actually spears. Killorn came flying in to poke at a puck in the crease while Shesterkin was sitting in the net, causing a massive brawl as the Rangers attempted to protect their netminder. Fox speared Perry in the gut, sending him sprawling to the ice.
Neither one was likely to draw a suspension, but will certainly put some more gasoline on a pretty intense rivalry. While a playoff matchup between the two clubs may be difficult this year, plays like this won’t be forgotten.
The league also issued a $2,000 fine to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman for embellishment. That means it was his second citation of the year for diving, as the fines escalate and start with a warning. The first incident came during a December 28 game against Detroit, while the latest was in Sunday’s match against the Flyers.