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Mark Friedman

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Mark Friedman

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have completed some contract work that has nothing to do with the impending trade deadline, signing Mark Friedman to a two-year extension. The deal, which keeps him in Pittsburgh through the 2023-24 season, is a one-way contract that carries an average annual value of $775K. Penguins’ general manager Ron Hextall released the following statement:

Friedman is an impactful defenseman who has strong offensive instincts and plays with an edge. He’s added depth to our defense corps and we are excited to see his continued development over the next two years.

Claimed off waivers last season Friedman has been a nice find for the Penguins, playing regular–if limited–minutes down the lineup. In 20 games this season the 26-year-old defenseman has one goal and five points while racking up 17 penalty minutes. Though he certainly isn’t an imposing figure, standing just 5’11”, Friedman is actually quite physical and willing to drop his gloves on occasion. While that doesn’t make him an incredibly important piece, he does seem to fall into the category of player that Penguins’ executive Brian Burke has always coveted.

For such a small cap hit, Friedman can continue in his role as a sixth or seventh defenseman for the Penguins but his time in the minor leagues is likely over for the next while. He would have to clear waivers in order to be assigned there, and Pittsburgh isn’t generally one of the teams that like to pay one-way contracts to players in the AHL (though, they have done so recently).

There’s no comparison between a player like Friedman and Kris Letang, though the latter’s situation will always be discussed when the Penguins are completing something with a defenseman. Letang is a pending unrestricted free agent and could, if he chooses to go elsewhere, leave a giant hole on the right side. While Friedman won’t be logging 25 minutes a night and leading a powerplay, getting him locked up now at least secures some depth at the position.

Shayne Gostisbehere To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety took a lot of heat for their decision to not suspend Tom Wilson yesterday, but that won’t stop them from moving forward with other supplementary discipline. The league has announced that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere will have a hearing today for his hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman last night.

The incident occurred with a few minutes left in the game just as Friedman slid home an empty-net goal. The Penguins player turned away from the net, and Gostisbehere delivered a cross-check that sent Friedman sliding into the boards at a high speed. A scrum ensued, and it looks like Gostisbehere will earn more than just the two-minute minor he was assessed on the play.

Obviously, any decision the DoPS makes today will be scrutinized even more than normal, but the two incidents don’t have anything to do with each other. In the eyes of the league, this was a dangerous play by Gostisbehere that is deserving of a harsh penalty. The Flyers have three games remaining on the schedule.

Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Mark Friedman

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We finally have some skater movement on waivers. Today, the Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed defenseman Mark Friedman from the Philadelphia Flyers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

The easy connection to make here is straight from Friedman (the player) to Ron Hextall, who recently took over as Penguins GM. It was Hextall who drafted Friedman 86th overall in 2014 just a month after he was promoted to Flyers GM. It was also Hextall who would have seen Friedman at his best, a dominant all-situations force for the Bowling Green State University team.

The 25-year-old defenseman hasn’t made that kind of impact in the NHL yet, playing just 11 games to this point. Just four of those have come this season, but perhaps he’ll receive a bigger opportunity once he gets to Pittsburgh. The Penguins have dealt with injuries to their defense corps all season and still have two regulars on long-term injured reserve. Defense, in particular, will be an interesting test of Hextall’s new philosophy with the Penguins, given they had previously been invested in reclamation projects like Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci.

Friedman becomes the first skater to be claimed off waivers since before the season started. The other three players on waivers with him yesterday—Tanner Kero, Tommy Cross and Luke Schenn—all cleared.

Four Players Placed On Waivers

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Feb 24: Friedman has been claimed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The other three have cleared and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Feb 23: The Philadelphia Flyers have placed Mark Friedman on waivers, a move that would allow them to send him to the taxi squad or minor leagues. The Flyers are expected to get several players back from the COVID Protocol list in the coming days, including Claude Giroux today as he re-joined the team for practice.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, three other players–Tanner Kero, Tommy Cross and Luke Schenn–have also been placed on waivers today.

Friedman (the player, not the scribe), has played in four games for the Flyers this season, including their outdoor match at Lake Tahoe. He was forced to play both forward and defense in that game thanks to the large number of regulars out of the lineup, but that just shows how far down he is on the defensive depth chart at this point. His placement on waivers shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given how easily players have passed through this season.

Kero is much of the same story, having already cleared waivers earlier this year. The 28-year-old center has played in nine games and has two points, but usually shuffles between the active roster and taxi squad for the Dallas Stars and isn’t expected to be claimed. Kero has two points and 24 total in his 81-game NHL career. Cross meanwhile has just three games under his belt at the NHL level and none since the 2015-16 season. The 31-year-old put up 21 points in 50 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season.

It’s Schenn that is the interesting name here, even if he too is unlikely to be claimed. The 31-year-old defenseman has nearly 800 games of NHL experience and a recent Stanley Cup on his resume with the Tampa Bay Lightning. For just an $800K salary that’s a ton of experience that could be useful to a banged-up team. In 14 games this season Schenn has just one point, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. He has just 149 points in his long career and hasn’t scored more than 16 since the 2011-12 season.

Mark Friedman Signs Two-Year Extension

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The Philadelphia Flyers have inked Mark Friedman to a new two-year, one-way contract extension that will keep him in the organization through the 2021-22 season. Friedman was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season when his entry-level deal expired, but will now get some financial stability with a $725K average annual value over the next two years.

Friedman, 24, was a third-round pick of the Flyers back in 2014 and has slowly climbed up the organizational depth chart. Three seasons at Bowling Green State University led to an NHL contract and opportunity with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he has spent the last three seasons almost exclusively. In 186 regular season games for the Phantoms, Friedman has recorded 61 points and earned himself seven games with the NHL club. That NHL opportunity will likely only increase with the one-way contract, though Philadelphia certainly doesn’t have a lack of defensive options.

This marks the first of many contracts that will likely be signed over the next few days and weeks as front offices start to prepare for next season. Given how condensed the offseason will be after the 24-team playoffs are finished, teams may want to get a head start on negotiations during these few weeks of training camp. For the Flyers specifically, Friedman’s signing leaves seven pending restricted free agents in the organization including important names like Oskar Lindblom and Nolan Patrick.

Nate Thompson Out With Knee Sprain

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The Philadelphia Flyers were starting to show what they’re capable of, but now will have to battle through injury. After losing Philippe Myers recently, the team has now announced that trade deadline acquisition Nate Thompson will miss a minimum of two weeks with a knee sprain. Connor Bunnaman has been recalled in his place, while Mark Friedman was also recalled earlier today.

Thompson, 35, was brought over from the Montreal Canadiens at the deadline to give the Flyers a little more depth in their bottom-six and some versatility. Able to play both center and the wing while never being afraid to engage physically, Thompson had fit right in and was getting just over 12 minutes a night.

Those 12 minutes will have to go to someone else now that he’s out, and his absence certainly doesn’t come at the most opportune time. While a two-week vacation may not be the end of the world in the middle of the regular season, the Flyers only have 13 games remaining in the season and need all hands on deck if they are to catch the Washington Capitals.

Two weeks likely means Thompson will miss at least the next seven games.

Minor Transactions: 02/22/20

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At this time of year, every game is important to both ongoing playoff battles and teams’ final decisions on their trade deadline stance. Friday was no different, as the Blues asserted themselves against the division rival Stars, the Avalanche narrowly edged the Ducks to keep up in the Central as well, the Islanders got a much-needed win, and the Oilers, Predators, and Hurricanes all failed to come away with two points in upset losses. However, the fiercest battle in the NHL right now is at the top of the league, where the Bruins and Lightning are simultaneously batting for the Atlantic Division title, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and the President’s Trophy. As good as Boston has played of late, they have still lost ground to a Tampa club that has been unstoppable since December. After a rare Bolts loss to Vegas on Friday, the Bruins needed to take advantage in a Pacific clash of their own in Calgary. The odds seemed bleak after allowing three goals to the Flames in the first six minutes of play, but Boston shut out Calgary for the rest of the game and came away with a meaningful 4-3 win to increase their lead over Tampa Bay to five points. Whether it is a top contender, a fringe playoff team, or a bottom-dweller, every minor move also has significance at this time. With the trade deadline arriving in just two days, look for today to be a busy day for roster tweaks:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled a pair of players, including Las Vegas native Gage Quinney. The 24-year-old forward has finally earned an NHL appearance with 32 points in 42 games so far this season, among the top producers on the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The trade of Cody Eakin opens up a roster spot up front in Vegas for Quinney and his teammates in the minors, at least until Alex Tuch returns from injury or the Knights make a trade addition. Also returning to the top level is defenseman Zach Whitecloud, who has skated in seven games with Vegas so far this season.
  • Scott Wilson is on his way back down to the minors, as the Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned the veteran forward. The move is somewhat surprising, as Wilson has contributed two points in four games since being recalled earlier this month and seemingly looked like he would either stick with Buffalo for a while longer or could potentially be a candidate to be traded as an affordable depth addition for a contender. Instead, the impending free agent will head back to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he has 19 points in 29 games this year.
  • After losing Cody Goloubef on waivers yesterday, the Ottawa Senators have promoted Christian Jaros to fill his place on the back end. Jaros, 23, played in 61 games with Ottawa last season but only six so far in 2019-20. As the Senators get set to trade away multiple pieces before the deadline on Monday, Jaros is one of a number of minor leaguers from AHL Belleville expected to see an increased role down the stretch.
  • The injury-riddled Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Carlsson was just sent down yesterday, but the team will need him as they take on the Predators tonight without any regulars expected to return to the lineup. Carlsson, a big, stay-at-home defender, has been a good fit in Columbus as a spot starter, even if he has yet to produce a point in six games this season.
  • Darcy Kuemper is taking an important step towards returning to the lineup as the Arizona Coyotes have assigned him to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint.  He has missed just over two months with a lower-body injury but was one of the top goalies in the league before being injured.  Assuming there are no setbacks, he should return to Arizona sometime next week and give them a huge boost in their push for a playoff spot.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have returned defenseman Mark Friedman to AHL Lehigh Valley, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer.  He has been shuffled back and forth in recent days and managed to get into Thursday’s game with the big club where he logged more than 16 minutes of ice time.
  • With Erik Gustafsson being held out of the lineup with the trade deadline on the horizon (he won’t be joining the Blackhawks for their upcoming road game), Chicago will be recalling defenseman Lucas Carlsson from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.  If he gets into the lineup, it will be his first NHL action.  Carlsson is in his second season with Rockford and has 26 points in 48 games this season.
  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled forward Logan O’Connor from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. With only 12 healthy forwards on the roster, O’Connor should provide some insurance in case of injury for the time being. The 23-year-old returns after a stint with the Avalanche in December where he played seven games with one goal. The forward has 12 goals and 25 points in 40 games with the Eagles.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have assigned forward Colby Cave and defenseman Evan Bouchard to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Cave has played in six games since being recalled on Feb. 10, but hasn’t picked up a point in that span. He has one goal in 11 games for Edmonton this season. His assignment likely indicates that Connor McDavid is ready to return to the Oilers’ lineup. As for Bouchard, the 10th-overall pick in 2018, he will have to wait to make his 2019-20 debut. He was recalled Wednesday and has been a healthy scratch twice. He is expected to play with Bakersfield on Saturday and could return to be Edmonton’s seventh defenseman on Sunday again.

Minor Transactions: 2/15/20

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As usual, the Saturday slate of games across the NHL is a busy one with 22 teams in action including Colorado and Los Angeles facing off at the U.S. Air Force Academy as part of the Stadium Series.  There is likely to be plenty of roster movement today which we’ll keep track of here.

  • The Sabres announced (Twitter link) the recalls of defenseman John Gilmour and goaltender Andrew Hammond from AHL Rochester. Gilmour has spent most of the season in the minors but hasn’t come close to his 54-point output from a year ago with just 13 points in 32 games.  He will likely be taking the place of Zach Bogosian on the roster.  Meanwhile, Carter Hutton is taking a maintenance day which warranted Hammond’s recall to get them back to two goalies on the active roster.  Buffalo is back in action on Sunday against Toronto.
  • Joey Keane’s first NHL stint was a short one as the Rangers announced last night (Twitter link) that they had returned him to AHL Hartford.  He didn’t suit up against Columbus as the team opted to dress Brendan Smith instead.
  • Andrei Chibisov has twice been recalled by the Jets this month but he’ll be waiting a little while longer to make his NHL debut as the team announced (via Twitter) that he has been sent back to AHL Manitoba.  The 26-year-old is in his first season in North America after previously playing in Russia and has 24 points (7-17-24) in 47 games with the Moose this season.
  • The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Mark Friedman from AHL Lehigh Valley.  The 24-year-old has played in five games this season with Philadelphia where he recorded his first career NHL point (an assist).  Friedman has spent the bulk of the year with the Phantoms where he has 13 points in 38 games. The team followed that up hours later by announcing that Friedman has been returned to Lehigh Valley. The team obviously didn’t need him.
  • With the return of Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have assigned forward Mathieu Joseph to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The forward was originally sent to Syracuse to find his confidence back in December, but was brought up recently to fill in with all of the team’s injuries. In three games since being promoted, Joseph was scoreless with just three shots on goal.

Minor Transactions: 01/18/20

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The final Saturday before the All-Star break features a busy schedule with a dozen games on the docket which means there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep tabs on those here.

  • The Bruins have reversed yesterday’s goaltender flip, recalling Dan Vladar from AHL Providence while sending Maxime Lagace down, per the AHL’s Transactions page. It appears that Friday’s roster move was solely designed to get Vladar a start to keep him fresh as he made 24 stops in a 2-1 loss to Bridgeport.
  • With its defense numbers down with their extensive injuries, the Winnipeg Jets announced they have recalled defenseman Nelson Nogier from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The 23-year-old played one game for the Jets last season and did make a 10-game appearance back in 2016-17. He has no goals and six assists in 42 games with the Moose.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have assigned defenseman Mark Friedman to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The 24-year-old blueliner has only played in five game for the Flyers, but has appeared in 28 games for the Phantoms, tallying two goals and 10 points there. He is expendable with the return of Justin Braun.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have assigned defenseman William Lagesson to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. With the upcoming all-star break approaching, it’s likely the team wants Lagesson to get more work in. The 23-year-old has only appeared in two games for the Oilers since being recalled on Dec. 29. He has three goals and 18 points for the Condors in 21 appearances.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have assigned forward Mitchell Stephens and defenseman Luke Schenn to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. Neither are expected to report, however, as The Athletic’s Joe Smith writes that both are paper transactions to save the team some money over the All-Star break and the team’s bye-week.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have decided to shake things up in their forward corps, announcing the demotions of Max Jones, Daniel Sprong and Chase De Leo and recalling Blake Pietila. This will be Pietila’s Ducks debut if he draws into the lineup. The veteran has 14 points in  games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls this season.
  • Alexander Yelesin has been returned to the AHL’s Stockton Heat, the Calgary Flames have revealed. The young defenseman did not see any NHL action while on recall with the Flames, but has played well in the AHL in his first season in North America.

Minor Transactions: 01/08/20

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After an interesting night of NHL hockey, the league is back with three games this evening including the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in a Metropolitan battle. The Flyers are in fifth place in the division but still within striking distance of the top three. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of the minor moves right here:

  • Joachim Blichfeld has been returned to the minor leagues by the San Jose Sharks after failing to get into a game during this call-up. Blichfeld has just two NHL games under his belt at this point, and needs to keep playing to continue his development.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to call up Mark Friedman, sending Andy Andreoff back to the minors in the process. Friedman, 24, made his NHL debut last season and has ten points in 28 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year.
  • Barrett Hayton has been officially added back to the Arizona Coyotes roster after winning gold at the World Juniors. Hayton suffered a shoulder injury during the tournament, but played through it and scored the tying goal for Canada in the final.
  • With Robin Lehner ready to return to action for the Chicago Blackhawks, Kevin Lankinen has been returned to the minor leagues. Lankinen didn’t get any NHL action in his recent call-up, but did get a little extra money and some experience from being up at the highest level.

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