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Minor Free Agent Signings: Pacific Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Pacific Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Anaheim Ducks

none

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley (two years)
F Martin Frk (one year)

Edmonton Oilers

D Connor Carrick (one year)
G Collin Delia (one year)
F James Hamblin (two years)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (one year)
F Noah Philp (one year)

Los Angeles Kings

F Glenn Gawdin (two years)
F Tyler Madden (one year)
F Jack Studnicka (one year)
D Reilly Walsh (one year)

San Jose Sharks

D Lucas Carlsson (two years, $800K cap hit)
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year)

Seattle Kraken

F Brandon Biro (one year)
D Nikolas Brouillard (one year)
D Maxime Lajoie (one year)
F Mitchell Stephens (two years)

Vancouver Canucks

G Jiří Patera (one year)
F Nathan Smith (one year)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese (one year)

Flames Sign Ryan Lomberg, Martin Frk

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Free agent enforcer Ryan Lomberg is heading back to where his NHL career began, signing a two-year deal with the Flames. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it carries a $2MM cap hit. They’ve also inked winger Martin Frk, who boasts one of the hardest shots in the world, to a one-year, two-way deal, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. It has a $775K cap hit, the team announced.

Lomberg had a very limited role in Calgary in his first stint with the team when he was primarily a minor leaguer.  However, he eventually worked his way into a full-time spot with Florida.  The 29-year-old had 12 goals and eight assists in 2022-23, becoming one of the more valuable fourth liners that year.  However, he wasn’t able to produce at a similar level last season, being held to five goals and two assists in 75 games although he did record a career-best 179 hits.  Lomberg also got into eight playoff games along the way to Florida’s first Stanley Cup title.

Florida had hoped to re-sign Lomberg but pulled out of talks when it became clear he was going to cost more than what they could afford.  Considering this is a 150% increase on his previous contract, this was clearly out of the Panthers’ price range.  Lomberg should have a regular role on Calgary’s fourth line and will give them some grit and energy as they kick off what looks to be a multi-year rebuilding process.

As for Frk, he returns to North America after spending last season in the Swiss NL where he had seven goals and nine assists in 33 games with Bern and Rapperswil.  The 30-year-old has 124 career NHL appearances, the last of which came back in 2021-22 with Los Angeles.  Frk has been relatively productive in that limited action, collecting 2o goals and 21 assists, which could give him a chance to break camp with the Flames in a depth role.  If that doesn’t happen, he should be a key scorer with the Wranglers next season.

Minor Transactions: 11/09/23

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It’s a busy night on the NHL schedule with 11 games, including an Original Six matchup featuring two teams off to surprising starts in the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings. Overseas, however, there’s some news to focus on, mainly in Switzerland, where a pair of teams have made high-profile moves early Thursday. We’re keeping track of all of today’s notable minor transactions right here:

  • Longtime AHL sniper Martin Frk’s stint with Swiss National League club SC Bern is over after just 11 games despite signing a two-year deal this summer. However, he won’t need to travel very far to find his next opportunity – he’s staying in the NL with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers on a contract for the remainder of 2023-24, according to a team release. The team has been hit with injuries to their import players, including former NHL forward Brett Connolly, who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery. That opened up a spot for a non-Swiss-born player, so the Czech goal-scorer will enter the lineup. Frk, 30, had three goals and four assists for seven points with Bern until his tenure with the team ended today.
  • With Frk off the roster, SC Bern has exercised the option of another import player with NHL experience – Finnish winger Joona Luoto, who will remain in Bern through the end of the season after signing a tryout contract in September. Luoto, 26, is currently sidelined with an undisclosed injury but is expected to return to the team in December. He’s off to a strong start this year, recording seven goals and four assists for 11 points in 17 games, leading the team in goals. He made seven NHL appearances with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, failing to register on the scoresheet.
  • Former Florida Panthers forward prospect Henry Bowlby is on his way overseas, signing a contract with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League for the remainder of 2023-24. In doing so, Bowlby terminates the one-year AHL deal he had signed this season with the Colorado Eagles after scoring one goal and three points in seven games. The 26-year-old hasn’t shown the ability to produce much more than an average middle-six AHL forward since turning pro in 2020 and will now try his hand in the European ranks of pro hockey.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Martin Frk Inks Two-Year Deal In Switzerland

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Earlier this month, we covered reports that talented minor-league forward Martin Frk would head overseas to Switzerland next season. That move is now official, as NL team SC Bern announced the signing of Frk to a two-year contract Monday morning.

The move to Europe comes after Frk’s impressive AHL performance in recent seasons, which no doubt caught the attention of overseas suitors. The 29-year-old forward will now bring his skills and experience to Switzerland’s premier ice hockey competition, attempting to help SC Bern improve on last season’s eighth-place finish and quarterfinal loss.

Frk, born in Pelhrimov, Czechia, was a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has since spent time in the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues organizations. Known for his powerful shot and goal-scoring ability, Frk has consistently hovered around a point per game in the minors and notched back-to-back 30-goal seasons in 2022 and 2023.

SC Bern is one of the most successful clubs in Swiss history, capturing five league championships since 2010 and six consecutive Champions Hockey League appearances from 2015 to 2020. They haven’t advanced in the NL playoffs since winning the championship in 2019, however, and they’ll look to Frk’s electric offense to guide them back to contention.

The two-year contract offers Frk some stability, allowing him to settle into a more high-stakes role in European pro hockey. At this stage of his career, a full-time NHL role seems unlikely despite his enticing game.

Frk finished his 2022-23 campaign with 64 points in 67 games for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, failing to earn any NHL ice time with the Blues. He joins former NHL skaters Dominik Kahun, Éric Gélinas, Joel Vermin, Julius Honka, Oscar Lindberg, and Sven Baertschi on next year’s Bern roster.

Martin Frk Linked To Swiss League

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Martin Frk has consistently been one of the top-scoring threats in the AHL for the better part of the last decade.  However, it appears that there’s a chance he’ll be heading elsewhere for next season as Blick’s Stephan Roth reports that the winger could be joining EV Zug in the Swiss NLA for 2023-24.  No agreement has been finalized at this time.

The 29-year-old signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Blues last summer, a contract that guaranteed him $560K in total salary which is quite high for an AHL player.  However, St. Louis has yet to bring Frk up this season.  Instead, he has spent the full campaign with AHL Springfield, notching 30 goals and 34 assists in 64 games, good for tenth in the league in scoring.

Barring a recall in the final week, Frk’s streak of six straight years of seeing NHL action will come to an end.  He has 124 appearances at the top level with decent numbers of 20 goals and 21 assists but hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time role.  With his role now seemingly set as a high-end minor league scorer, the time might be right for Frk to try something new and see how things fare for him overseas.

Waivers: 10/07/22

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It’s an important day for waivers as the regular season approaches, and several potential targets are available. With the preseason wrapping up, teams will try to sneak players through at the last second and keep them in the organization for the time being.

Many of these placements are due to salary cap restrictions or LTIR machinations to give teams maximum flexibility as the season begins. Everyone from yesterday’s list cleared.

Here is today’s group of waiver additions:

Carolina Hurricanes

Jordan Martinook

Dallas Stars

Anton Khudobin

Edmonton Oilers

Mattias Janmark
Dmitri Samorukov

Minnesota Wild

Steven Fogarty

New Jersey Devils

Andreas Johnsson
Brian Pinho

Philadelphia Flyers

Kevin Connauton
Troy Grosenick

St. Louis Blues

Martin Frk
Klim Kostin
Matthew Highmore

Vancouver Canucks

Justin Dowling

Winnipeg Jets

Johnathan Kovacevic

St. Louis Blues Sign Martin Frk

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The hardest shot in the minor leagues is coming to St. Louis. Martin Frk has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues.

Frk, 28, is one of the most feared goal-scorers in the AHL, with a shot that once registered at 109.2 mph during an AHL All-Star competition. While he can’t always control it, the Czech forward managed to find the back of the net 40 times in 58 games this season for the Ontario Reign, and even added two goals in six games for the Los Angeles Kings.

His game isn’t well-rounded, which has kept him from making more of an impact at the NHL level over the years but if the goal is to strengthen your minor league club, there aren’t many better options. He will likely get into a handful of games with the Blues but don’t expect a full-time NHL player on this deal.

Unless, of course, the team decided to implement a powerplay specialist, the way teams sometimes use players on the penalty kill. On the fourth line, Frk could play limited minutes until setting up his huge blast with the man-advantage, adding a lethal weapon to any powerplay unit.

25 Players Clear Waivers

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October 3: The New Jersey Devils claimed Mason Geertsen on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. All other players cleared.

October 2: As expected, it’s another busy day on the waiver wire today as Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the following 26 players have been placed on waivers:

F Cavan Fitzgerald (CAR)
F Maxim Letunov (CAR)
F Sam Miletic (CAR)
F Andrew Poturalski (CAR)
F Spencer Smallman (CAR)
F Brayden Burke (LA)
D Kale Clague (LA)
F Martin Frk (LA)
D Jacob Moverare (LA)
G Garret Sparks (LA)
F T.J. Tynan (LA)
F Lukas Vejdemo (MTL)
D Mason Geertsen (NYR)
G Antoine Bibeau (SEA)
D Connor Carrick (SEA)
D Cale Fleury (SEA)
D Gustav Olofsson (SEA)
F Tanner Kaspick (STL)
F Matthew Peca (STL)
F Nolan Stevens (STL)
G Maxime Lagace (TB)
C Otto Somppi (TB)
D Daniel Walcott (TB)
F Shane Gersich (WSH)
D Lucas Johansen (WSH)
D Dylan McIlrath (WSH)

A pair of young defensemen stand out among the long list of those available.  Clague played in 18 games with the Kings last season, recording six assists while logging over 17 minutes a night.  A productive scorer in junior, the 2015 second-rounder hasn’t been able to lock down a regular roster spot in the NHL yet but at 23, it wouldn’t be surprising if a team took a chance on him.  Fleury was selected from Montreal in expansion by the Kraken and while he didn’t see any NHL action last season, he played in 41 games with the Canadiens in 2019-20 on their third pairing.  With Montreal losing Sami Niku to a concussion on Friday night, they might be interested in a reunion.

Up front, Frk has had some success in limited NHL opportunities, notching six goals in 17 games with the Kings in 2019-20 and had a 25-point season with Detroit in 2017-18.  Poturalski led the AHL in scoring last season with 43 points in 44 games with AHL San Diego and had 70-point campaign with Charlotte in 2018-19.

Teams will have until 1 PM CT on Sunday to place a claim on any of these players.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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April 8: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

April 7: Three players have been placed on waivers today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Richard Panik of the Washington Capitals, Nick Merkley of the New Jersey Devils, and Martin Frk of the Los Angeles Kings all find themselves available to the rest of the league.

Panik was scratched again last night for the Capitals, the third time he had been out of the lineup in the last five games. That is what happens when you are brought in for secondary scoring and record just three goals and nine points in 36 games. Panik hasn’t been close to effective enough in his role this season, failing to record a point in his last eight and only generating five shots on goal during that stretch. Remember that the 30-year-old forward is on a four-year contract he signed with the Capitals in 2019 and carries a $2.75MM cap hit. $1.075MM of that can be buried by putting him on the taxi squad, giving the Capitals a little more cap flexibility as the deadline approaches.

Merkley is in a nearly opposite situation in New Jersey, where he is still just trying to establish himself at the NHL level. The 23-year-old actually has six points in 13 games this season but doesn’t have a consistent enough effort at the defensive end of the rink. A first-round pick in 2015, there is obvious offensive skill locked away in Merkley, but it’s hard to rely on him in a top-six role at this point in his career. The bottom-six isn’t a great fit for the 5’10” forward, meaning he’s stuck in a difficult situation. Just like New Jersey did when they included him in last year’s Taylor Hall deal, perhaps another team believes they can unlock the next level for Merkley and grabs him off waivers. Given he cleared in January though, that seems unlikely.

If Panik is an overpaid veteran and Merkley is a young player trying to find his way, Frk falls somewhere in the middle. The 27-year-old has been given countless opportunities to really establish himself at the NHL level and despite being an elite minor league contributor, can’t seem to keep his head above water when he moves up. Armed with an incredibly hard shot, Frk scores goals on a consistent basis in the minor leagues but has just 18 in 118 NHL contests. He’s played just one game for the Kings this season after spending most of it on injured reserve, and is likely headed for the taxi squad if he clears.

Snapshots: Danault, Simek, Frk

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Montreal Canadiens center Phillip Danault has struggled this season as he is one of just two forwards who have yet to record a goal this season. The 27-year-old is coming off of 53 and 47-point seasons that last two years, but the pending unrestricted free agent reportedly turned down a six-year, $30MM deal during the offseason, according to Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan, and it looks to be weighing on him.

Danault refused to talk about his contract situation Friday, but Cowan said that ice time might play more of a role in his decision-making than money. Danault, who was playing top-six minutes for much of the past two seasons, is now the team’s No. 3 center behind Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

“I needed some time to adapt,” Danault said. “There are a lot of things that changed at the same time, whether it was my ice time or the way I was being used on the penalty-kill. I’m still playing with the same linemates, though. We try to give everything we have every night. I’m ready to do everything I can to help the team win. It’s going really well right now and we’ll keep on going that way.”

  • NHL Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek has been fined $5,000 for spearing Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique Saturday (video here). The fine is the most that is allowed by the CBA.The infraction occurred at 6:21 of the second period when the spearing occurred in front of the Sharks’ net. The two players then fought immediately afterwards with both players receiving two-minute penalties for roughing with the spearing getting missed.
  • The Los Angeles Kings could be without forward Martin Frk for some time, according to Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris. While he hasn’t received an update from the team’s training staff, head coach Todd McLellan said that by the look of the injury, he could be “out for a little while.” Frk missed the first nine games of the season with a groin injury and was making his season debut Friday only to be knocked out with another  lower-body injury.

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