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Overseas Notes: Lagesson, Sproul, Martinsen, Koppanen

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Edmonton restricted free agent defenseman William Lagesson has signed a contract, but not with the Oilers. Lagesson has inked a one-year contract with HC Vita Hasten of the Allsvenskan, the Swedish second tier league. The team announced the contract and emphasized that the deal covered the entire 2020-21 season, but don’t expect the promising young defender to follow through on that commitment. PuckPedia reports that the contract contains an NHL Out Clause, allowing Lagesson to leave Vita Hasten once the NHL season begins, assuming he has a contract. By all accounts, the Oilers are planning to re-sign the 24-year-old RFA, who played in eight games in Edmonton last season. A standout in the Swedish junior ranks and at the University of Massachusetts, Lagesson doesn’t project as a top-four defenseman for the Oilers, but is a valuable, two-way depth option. Expect Lagesson’s contract with Vita Hasten to essentially act as a loan, with the defenseman in Edmonton camp as soon as it opens.

  • Long-time Detroit Red Wings prospect Ryan Sproul left North America last off-season to sign with the KHL’s Chinese contingent, the Kunlun Red Star. The puck-moving defenseman had a strong season and was seeking a contract back home this summer, but has now opted to return to Kunlun. The Red Star announced a new one-year deal with Sproul, retaining yet another of their numerous former NHLers. Playing on a roster that is chock full of fellow North Americans, Sproul will continue to play a familiar style alongside his peers, all in the hopes that another good year can earn him more attention among NHL clubs the next time around.
  • Former NHL grinder Andreas Martinsen is headed home. The big forward has signed a one-year deal back in his native Norway with Lillehammer, the team with which he has played the most games in his pro career. Lillehammer was excited to announce the homecoming of the iconic Norweigian forward, who is one of just five from his country to play in 100+ NHL games. Martinsen, who last played in the NHL in 2018-19, spent the first half of this past season in the AHL before departing for the Swiss NLA. At 30, it is unclear if Martinsen’s return to Norway could mark a retirement phase of his career or if he is simply most comfortable back home given the many repercussions of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
  • The Boston Bruins have loaned prospect forward Joona Koppanen to KOOVEE of the Finnish minor league Metsis, the team announced. As the press release details, Koppanen’s opportunity has been limited in North America, which begs the question whether this loan could extend beyond NHL training camp unlike most others. Koppanen, a 6’5″, 200-lb. forward who plays center and wing, showed improvement in his second full season in North America in 2019-20, recording 18 points in 43 games with AHL Providence. Yet, he was not a full-time player and saw time in the ECHL for the second straight season. With the 2016 fifth-rounder’s entry-level contract expiring after the coming season, the Bruins may prefer to see how Koppanen performs as a top-line forward in the Metsis rather than a part-time bottom-six forward in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 10/15/19

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The Colorado Avalanche stayed perfect last night by tearing apart the Washington Capitals’ defense in a 6-3 win, and now have a two-point lead in the Central Division. The Minnesota Wild, who are at the other end of that spectrum will try to build off their first win when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. That’s just one of seven games on the schedule, including a potential Western Conference playoff matchup between the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights. As teams prepare, we’ll be keeping track of all the minor moves as always.

  • Former NHL forward Alexandre Grenier has signed with Iserlohn of the German DEL for the rest of the season. Grenier played last season for the Laval Rocket, scoring 27 points and serving as an alternate captain. The 28-year old has nine NHL games under his belt, all with the Vancouver Canucks, but never did register a point at that level.
  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Ryan Sproul has signed a one-year deal with Kunlun Red Star in the KHL. Sproul played for three different AHL teams last season, but spent the most time with the Hershey Bears where he scored 23 points in 52 games.
  • The Dallas Stars have sent Joel L’Esperance and Nicholas Caamano back to the minor leagues, after the team suffered their fifth loss of the season yesterday. The Stars are in panic mode already in the young season, but should be getting some help back soon in the form of Corey Perry.
  • With Oscar Fantenberg dealing with injury, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Ashton Sautner from the minor leagues. Sautner played 17 games for Vancouver last season, recording a single point.
  • After activating Sam Steel off of injured reserve yesterday, the Anaheim Ducks have sent Isac Lundestrom to the minor leagues. Lundestrom played three games for the Ducks this season but was held pointless, and can now continue his development in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 11/29/18

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Eight games grace the NHL schedule tonight, including a prime Atlantic Division matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sabres are looking for their 11th consecutive win, while the Lightning will try to leapfrog Buffalo and Toronto for first place in the division. As teams prepare for the night’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Laval Rocket have released Ryan Sproul from his professional tryout contract, the second such transaction of the young defenseman’s season. Sproul was originally on a PTO with the Toronto Marlies, but played just one game for them before moving over to the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate. In 11 games for Laval, Sproul—a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2011—registered five points.
  • Landon Bow is on his way back to the minor leagues, reassigned by the Dallas Stars today. Bow made his NHL debut earlier this month but with Ben Bishop close to a return will no longer be needed at that level. The 23-year old goaltender will return to the AHL and try to continue developing in order to push for a roster spot in the future.
  • The Calgary Flames have decided that it’s better for young forward Dillon Dube to get lots of playing time in the minor leagues instead of watching games from the bench or press box in the NHL. The 20-year old was given just eight minutes of ice time in Calgary’s recent overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, and has now been sent to the AHL. A second round pick from 2016, Dube has a bright future in Calgary and needs time to continue to refine his game at both ends of the rink.
  • Similarly, the Boston Bruins have sent Anders Bjork back to the AHL after getting just over nine minutes on Monday night. The former Notre Dame standout has just 15 points in 50 games since turning pro, and will try to get a reset in the minor leagues to unlock some of that offensive potential.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have brought in reinforcements on the blue line in the form of veteran defender Mark Alt. A free agent addition this summer, Alt has been serving as the captain of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this season, but the team announced today that he is on his way up to the bigs. In a corresponding move, rookie forward Sheldon Dries has been reassigned to the AHL. Dries has registered four points in 15 games with the Avs so far this season and has fit in well with the NHL club.

Gustav Olofsson Out Six Months Following Shoulder Surgery

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It has been a rough month for defenseman Gustav Olofsson.  After suffering a shoulder injury in training camp with Minnesota, he eventually was waived and passed through unclaimed.  He then was flipped to Montreal but in just his second game with their AHL affiliate in Laval, he suffered a recurrence of the injury.  Arpon Basu of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that this latest injury will keep him shelved for six months after undergoing successful surgery today.  Barring a faster-than-expected recovery, this will end his season.

Olofsson is no stranger to shoulder issues as he missed almost his entire rookie year with one back in 2014-15 as well as part of the 2015-16 campaign with another one.  Despite that, he still showed some potential with the Wild and got into 41 games with the team last season.  Clearly, Montreal liked his upside as they dealt a decent prospect in winger Will Bitten to acquire him after he cleared waivers to give them some more depth on the back end.  Anticipating a lengthy recovery, the Canadiens signed blueliner Ryan Sproul to a minor league tryout deal to take Olofsson’s place on the roster last week.

The 23-year-old is in the final season of a two-year contract that pays him $775K.  That means he’ll be owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K and given that this will be the second time in five seasons that he effectively is missing an entire year due to injury, it’s not exactly a given that Montreal will be tendering him that offer in June.

Minor Transactions: 10/14/18

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It’s Sunday in the NHL and that means there are only a few games on tap for today, but not that there won’t be much movement. We’re here to keep track of all the day’s minor moves. Keep refreshing this page to see if your favorite team has swapped anyone from the minor leagues.

  • The Washington Capitals have assigned Jayson Megna to the AHL, giving him a chance to get some playing time after being a healthy scratch through the first part of the season. Megna cleared waivers earlier this month meaning he could be sent directly to the minors, and with the Capitals off until Wednesday they can save some cap space by carrying fewer players on the roster. The team will likely make another move to bring up an extra player early in the week.
  • The Toronto Marlies announced they have signed defenseman Ryan Sproul to a PTO. Sproul has been with the Marlies for much of training camp, but didn’t make their opening day roster and now has signed a a PTO with the hopes of eventually working his way onto the Calder Cup champions’ roster. Sproul tried to make the Calgary Flames NHL roster early in training camp, but was let go. The 25-year-old blueliner has appeared in 44 NHL games over his career, but the Detroit Red Wings traded him to the New York Rangers a few weeks into the season last year due to his defensive deficiencies. He played 49 games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Hartford Wolfpack last season, posting 11 goals and 29 points and was then called up to the Rangers, where he played 16 games for the rebuilding Rangers.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the Vancouver Canucks have recalled center Adam Gaudette after the team lost fourth-line center Jay Beagle to a broken hand or wrist in Saturday’s game. While there is no official word of Beagle’s injury, the team knew it needed to replace him. Gaudette signed with the Canucks after he finished his junior year at Northeastern University and played five games for Vancouver. He was one of the team’s last cuts during training camp and returns after posting two goals and four points in four games with the Utica Comets of the AHL.
  • With a rash of injuries to multiple players, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled Joseph Blandisi from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The team is expected to scratch center Carter Rowney with an upper-body injury, which means the team needs Blandisi. The 24-year-old center was part of the Sami Vatanen – Adam Henrique trade last season, but he hasn’t been able to crack the rotation with the Ducks yet. He had two assists in three games with the Gulls so far this year.
  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled forward Sheldon Dries from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. The 24-year-old was sent down just two days ago, but was brought back for their road trip while the team awaits the return of Sven Andrighetto. Dries has already played in three games for the Avalanche, but hasn’t put up any points. Dries scored 19 goals for the Texas Stars last season, who were the Calder Cup runners-up, but opted to find a better opportunity as a free agent this summer.
  • After a pair of games in the minors, defenseman Jake Bischoff is on his way back to Vegas, their AHL affiliate in Chicago announced.  The 24-year-old earned a spot on the Golden Knights roster to start the season but hasn’t gotten into any games with the big club just yet so they sent him down for the weekend to stay in playing shape.

Red Wings Re-Sign Matt Puempel To Two-Year Deal

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There is one less restricted free agent remaining unsigned. With training camp opening up next week, the Detroit Red Wings have re-signed their lone remaining free agent, forward Matt Puempel. The team announced a two-year deal with Puempel, which will make the 25-year-old an unrestricted free agent when the contract expires after the 2019-20 season. No salary details have been disclosed.

Puempel came to Detroit early last season in a trade from the New York Rangers, a one-for-one swap for defenseman – and current free agent – Ryan Sproul. Although Puempel never suited up for Detroit in 2017-18, he still had an impressive season. The hard-working winger was an AHL All-Star and scored at nearly a point-per-game pace, with 57 points in 62 games. Among forwards with 60+ games played, Puempel had the sixth-best scoring rate in the league. The 2011 first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators has not panned out as expected, and likely won’t, but showed some impressive ability last year and can be a strong depth option for the Red Wings.

Of course, the question raised by any Detroit signing is how it impacts the salary cap. Most likely, Puempel has signed a two-way deal since he did not log and NHL game last season. The bigger question is his salary at the NHL level and whether or not it is a comfortable fit within the Red Wings’ cap crunch. Detroit’s payroll for a 22-man roster, which doesn’t include a seventh defenseman, is currently projected to be $82.77MM, almost $3.5MM over the salary cap. The team will gain cap space when Johan Franzen and likely Henrik Zetterberg are placed on long-term injured reserve, but after a defenseman and at least one replacement forward are added, much of that space will be used up. Whether or not Puempel can then fit into the roster remains to be seen.

Options For The Oilers To Replace Andrej Sekera

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Normally, it takes training camp before any teams begin scrambling for an unanticipated injury replacement among the leftovers of the market. It is unclear how long the Edmonton Oilers knew about the injury to defenseman Andrej Sekera – they announced the surgery today indicating they knew of the injury prior – but what is clear is that the team will need to add another body to the mix in Sekera’s stead. Out indefinitely with a torn Achilles tendon, Sekera is likely to miss a substantial amount of time and extremely unlikely to be back at 100% at any point in the 2018-19 season. It is no coincidence that with Sekera missing most of last season due to a knee injury, the Oilers defense struggled on all fronts. Sekera had easily been the team’s top defender over the two years prior and this will now be the second straight season where he cannot be relied upon. The team must do something to avoid another frustrating campaign on the blue line, but what?

In replacing Sekera, Edmonton will likely target a right-handed defenseman. Although Sekera is a lefty himself, the team is set on the left side regardless with Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, and Kris Russell. There is also free agent addition Kevin Gravel, also a left-handed defenseman, though he is best suited for his current extra man slot. The right side however poses questions behind Adam Larsson, with Matt Benning likely slated for the second pair and now a hole on the third pair. It is unlikely that the Oilers want to press Benning into a top-four role this season, nor do they want a left-handed depth option like Gravel, Ryan Stanton, or Keegan Lowe as a regular on the right side. As such, they are likely looking for a second-pair caliber righty.

The easy answer is the free agent market. In a relatively stagnant summer, there remains ample talent available in unrestricted free agent defensemen. However, the Oilers are not in the most flexible of positions. The team currently has all but approximately $5MM in cap space committed to their roster which doesn’t include restricted free agent defenseman Nurse, still in need of a new contract. If and when Nurse re-signs, the team will be left with little to no cap space. Fortunately, at this point in the summer they face little competition on the free agent market and could negotiate several tryout deals with available defenders, signing one or more after the start of the season once Sekera’s $5.5MM cap hit can be buried on injured reserve. Yet, the pickings are slim on the right side. Cody Franson could be the team’s best bet with Paul Postma potentially as the next-best option. Ryan Sproul or Frank Corrado could be younger dark horse candidates, while the team could possibly look at veteran Kevin Bieksa. However, if the Oilers consider overloading on lefties as they would have anyway with Sekera, then Toby Enstrom, Luca Sbisa, Alexei Emelin, Johnny Oduya, or even old friend Brandon Davidson jump out as attractive options.

If the team is set on adding a right-hander and not sold on the available free agents, they could also wait for training camp cuts. While there is no guarantee that the right player would wind up on waivers, it’s also well within the realm of possibility. Robert Bortuzzo, Nate Prosser, Jake Dotchin, Steven Kampfer, Brad Hunt, Alex Biega, and Adam McQuaid – a former favorite of Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli in Boston – are just some of the names who could wind up on the waiver wire and fit in on the right side of the Edmonton blue line. It would not be a surprise to see the team sign multiple defenders to PTO’s and also keep an close eye on who gets cut from training camps.

Finally, Edmonton could simply stand pat and attempt to replace Sekera internally. On paper, it doesn’t seem like the Oilers have the pieces to do so effectively, but some of their defensive prospects have not yet been given the opportunity to show what they can do at the NHL level. Many will clamor for recent first-round pick Evan Bouchard to get a shot at sticking with the team. Although very talented – and a right shot – it would be asking a lot for the 18-year-old to step into the top pro game and succeed. It’s not unprecedented, but it is unlikely. Recent Swedish import Joel Persson, currently on loan to his SHL club, is a 24-year-old righty who could be an intriguing experiment and has more experience with the pro game. William Lagesson, on loan in Sweden last season but now back in North America, is a left-shot defenseman but played on the right side frequently during his college days at UMass and is a very safe defensive player who could be a stopgap. Elsewhere in the system, small puck-mover Ethan Bear and hulking Ryan Mantha are both righties who could provide some different style options alongside Lagesson in the AHL. Between these young possibilities and some veteran depth, the Oilers could opt to just let camp battles decide who steps into Sekera’s shoes.

The only thing that is for sure is that Sekera is not going to be suiting up for Edmonton any time soon. Whether the team finds a way to add a capable free agent, gets lucky on the waiver wire, or trusts their young depth, the Oilers will need someone to step up in his stead. An injury to a top defenseman is not how they wanted to begin the season, but the Oilers now have some time to figure it out before the puck drops on the new campaign.

Minor Transactions: 02/21/18

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After a busy night in the NHL, the league has just three games on tap for today. Instead, teams might use their time off to cement their status for the trade deadline and make inquiries around the league. All the minor moves we’ll keep track of right here. Refresh the page throughout the day to make sure you stay up to date on all the comings and goings.

Steven Kampfer Out Four To Six Weeks With Broken Hand

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The hits keep coming for the New York Rangers, as the team announced today that Steven Kampfer would be out four to six weeks with a broken hand. Kampfer had recently been given more responsibility on the blue line for New York, logging a season-high 22:39 of ice time last night against the Winnipeg Jets. The team has recalled defenseman Ryan Sproul to fill the roster spot.

Kampfer, 29, was acquired by the Rangers last season in exchange for failed top prospect Dylan McIlrath. The team finally moved on from McIlrath, the 10th-overall pick from 2010, after recording just four points in 38 career NHL games. In Kampfer the team acquired a journeyman of sorts, that has now played 166 NHL games split between four franchises. Though he doesn’t offer much offensively, the team was just looking for anyone who could handle himself in the defensive end.

The Rangers are trying to add speed and youth to their team, and this will certainly give them another opportunity. While Brady Skjei has already proven himself at the NHL level, Neal Pionk and John Gilmour are still trying to show they have what it takes to be part of the future in New York. With Kampfer out for a good chunk of the rest of the season, there is even more ice time to go around.

Eastern Notes: Bergevin, Skinner, Sproul, Harpur

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At 1-6-1, the Montreal Canadiens are off to their worst eight-game start since the 1941-42 season. Sounds shocking. Doesn’t it? Much of the problem is the team’s inability to put the puck in the net as the team is currently ranked last (31st) in the NHL in goals scored at 1.5 per game (just 12 goals scored all year). However, despite that fact, Elliotte Friedman said Saturday on the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada (via Emily Sadler of Sportsnet) that the team isn’t going into panic mode just yet.

“It’s the biggest story in the league and probably for no good reasons,” Friedman said Saturday. “I think the sense you get just from looking around is the Canadiens are determined not to make any panic moves.”

Sadler writes that the team’s start looks even worse compared to last year’s phenomenal start to the season when they were 7-0-1 after the first eight games. To make matters worse, the team is also among the worst in goals allowed as they are ranked 29th after averaging 4.13 goals in these first eight games. That’s with the NHL’s top goalie in Carey Price.

Friedman also said that it’s unlikely the team would make a general manger change and get rid of Marc Bergevin, even though Friedman said that four of the last five GM changes the Canadiens have made were in-season changes.

“I don’t get the sense … that there’s any desire to remove Bergevin right now. He’s under contract until 2022,” Friedman said.

  • Michael Smith of NHL.com writes that Carolina Hurricanes winger Jeff Skinner, who added his fourth and fifth goals of the season in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars is continuing where he left off. Skinner attempted to fuel a comeback with his team down by four goals, but the team fell short. Already a three-time 30-goal scorer, the 25-year-old has been the main offensive firepower for the Hurricanes this season. Smith writes that if you go back to March of last year, Skinner has scored 22 goals in his last 25 games.
  • Peter Wallner of MLive.com writes that the Detroit Red Wings traded defenseman Ryan Sproul Saturday to the New York Rangers to alleviate a logjam of defensemen. Sproul was not likely to ever crack Detroit’s defensive rotation. Talking to Detroit general manager Ken Holland, the scribe writes that the Red Wings made the move to open up playing time in Grand Rapids, where the team hopes to give more minutes to prospects Filip Hronek and Vili Saarijarvi. Hronek, the team’s second-round pick in the 2016 draft, has only played in two games for the Griffins this year, while Saarijarvi, a 2015 third-round pick, had an assist in three games for Toledo of the ECHL, but is expected to get promoted to Grand Rapids shortly.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced that they have reassigned defenseman Ben Harpur to Belleville of the AHL. The 22-year-old was called up early in the season to help with the team’s defensive depth only to get injured in his first game with Ottawa. He was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, and now that he is healthy again, will return to his AHL team.

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