Golden Knights Recall Tanner Laczynski
The Golden Knights have recalled depth center Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson, per a team announcement. He’ll make his Vegas debut tonight against the Canucks with Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy battling upper-body injuries, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It will be the first NHL appearance in just over a year and a half for the 6’1″ pivot. Laczynski, an Ohio State product, was a sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2016. He spent his entire professional career in the Philadelphia organization, playing mostly with AHL Lehigh Valley but getting a few call-ups along the way, before reaching unrestricted free agency last summer and signing a two-year, $1.55MM contract with the Knights.
Laczynski hasn’t been an offensive factor in his NHL looks, only managing four points in 38 games with the Flyers. But he’s blossomed into a top AHL point producer in recent years, and his pickup has proved prudent for Vegas’ minor-league depth. He leads the Silver Knights in scoring with 19 points (6 G, 13 A) in 17 games and has a -2 rating, a decent mark on one of the league’s worst teams this season.
Laczynski spent all of last season in the minors, posting 44 points in 49 games for AHL Lehigh Valley. He appeared in a career-high 32 NHL games for Philadelphia the year prior, though, averaging 9:31 per game and recording all four of his career points. He won 51.5% of his draws, although he’ll suit up as a third-line winger tonight for Vegas alongside Tomáš Hertl and Alexander Holtz.
Both Barbashev and Roy sustained their injuries on Sunday against the Wild. It’s a damper on a huge season for Barbashev, who’s got 30 points in 31 games and is on pace to smash his career-high of 60 set with the Blues in 2021-22. Pavel Dorofeyev, who has 12 goals to rank second on the team, moves into his first-line left-wing role alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Roy, who’s been averaging over 16 minutes per game and has 13 points in 31 appearances, will be replaced more directly by Laczynski.
Vegas had an open roster spot before executing the transaction, so no corresponding moves are necessary.
Waiver Wire: 10/6/24
Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek
Calgary Flames
G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt
Carolina Hurricanes
F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue
Los Angeles Kings
G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama
St. Louis Blues
D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai
Utah Hockey Club
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets
Golden Knights Sign Zach Aston-Reese, Tanner Laczynski
The Vegas Golden Knights will shore up some depth at the forward position as player agent Dan Milstein reports the team has signed forward Zach Aston-Reese worth $775K at the NHL level and $475K in the AHL. They’re also bringing in depth forward Tanner Laczynski on a two-year, one-way deal worth $775K, per PuckPedia.
This move continues Aston-Reese’s journey across the NHL, with his last stop coming on a two-way deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Aston-Reese spent the bulks of that deal in the AHL, recording 14 goals and 30 points in 61 appearances and adding two points in nine playoff games. It was a down year, underlined by Aston-Reese’s lack of scoring through three NHL appearances.
Aston-Reese was once a stoutly-valued fourth-liner, staking his claim with five meager years with the Pittsburgh Penguins between 2017 and 2022. He was traded to the Anaheim Ducks ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, as a part of a package for Rickard Rakell that also featured goaltender Calle Clang, forward Dominik Simon, and the second-round pick used to select top defense prospect Tristan Luneau. Aston-Reese would play in just 17 games with the Ducks, posting four points, before leaving the team for the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency. Toronto brought Aston-Reese a career-high 77 games, though his scoring remained meager, at just 14 points. Now in Vegas, Aston-Reese should provide an added layer of forward depth, though his overall NHL upside appears to be close to snuffed out.
Vegas also adds Laczynski for the same depth purposes, signing him after a breakout season in the AHL that saw Laczynski post 17 goals and 44 points in 49 games. It was the first high-scoring year of Laczynski’s professional career, which has been hampered at all levels by injury since his debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s suffered a string of hip and lower-body injuries, even requiring two separate hip surgeries in 2021. A healthy year ahead could pay dividends for Laczynski and the Golden Knights – with scoring upside evident but a full season hard to come by.
Waivers: 10/03/23
Oct. 4: All players have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. This means a pair of rather highly-touted Senators, Bernard-Docker and Sokolov, will remain with the organization.
Oct. 3: Following a large list of players hitting the waiver wire this time yesterday, today’s list is quite a bit smaller, but there is some solid talent that could potentially be claimed by a different organization. Today’s full list of players hitting the waiver wire comes courtesy of TSN’s Chris Johnston:
Boston Bruins
D Alec Regula
D Dan Renouf
F Anthony Richard
D Reilly Walsh
D Parker Wotherspoon
Edmonton Oilers
New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators
D Jacob Bernard-Docker
F Matthew Highmore
D Jacob Larsson
F Egor Sokolov
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Couturier, Hayes, Injuries
Winger James van Riemsdyk is one of the more prominent names left on the board heading into the trade deadline. However, with a cap hit of $7MM, not many teams can get involved in the bidding, at least without the possibility of double retention. To that end, Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the current asking price for the 33-year-old is a third-round pick.
Johnston adds that the Golden Knights, Jets, and Kraken are among the teams that have inquired about van Riemsdyk so far. Notably, none of those teams have enough cap space to take on his contract outright while Vegas would need either a third team to get involved to be able to add him. The veteran has nine goals and 14 assists in 41 games this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
More from Philadelphia:
- Center Sean Couturier skated before practice today as he works his way back from his back injury, relays Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has yet to play this season but GM Chuck Fletcher acknowledged last month that there was a possibility Couturier could return before the end of the season. At this point, the goal of a return would simply be to try to remove any questions about the possibility of the injury lingering into 2023-24.
- The Flyers are open to offers for center Kevin Hayes, reports Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now. The veteran is having a nice season with 17 goals and 32 assists in 61 games which would be appealing to many buyers. However, his cap hit of $7.143MM through 2025-26 will make the 30-year-old difficult to move without considerable salary retention. A trade involving Hayes is likely easier to make in the summer when other teams will be more willing to move a roster player back to help match salary.
- Philadelphia has activated wingers Zack MacEwen and Tanner Laczynski from IR, notes Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link). MacEwen has missed more than a month after undergoing surgery on his fractured jaw while Laczynski has missed the last three months with a lower-body injury. If the Flyers wind up moving out some forwards today, MacEwen and Laczynski should be their replacements in the lineup, meaning no recalls would be needed from AHL Lehigh Valley.
Tanner Laczynski Placed On Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers are without another forward for the next little while, as Tanner Laczynski has been moved to injured reserve and is out week-to-week according to Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He joins Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, Bobby Brink, and Wade Allison as forwards on IR.
The silver lining, if one can call it that, is that van Riemsdyk practiced and appears to be ready to return when the Flyers play tomorrow night.
Laczynski, 25, has been a regular in the Flyers lineup this season, playing in 19 games so far. The late-round pick had just six appearances before this year and had never registered an NHL point – something he has four of now. One of those came last night against the Colorado Avalanche in a statement win for the club, pouring on five goals against the defending (albeit banged up) champions.
Moving him to injured reserve opens up the roster spot needed for van Riemsdyk, meaning no one else will have to be sent down. The Flyers have actually been playing much better of late, even if their overall results haven’t been strong. They still sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 9-12-5 record.
Philadelphia Flyers Re-Assign Egor Zamula
The Philadelphia Flyers can’t just have Egor Zamula sitting in the press box all season, so they’ve loaned him back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Over the weekend, head coach John Tortorella explained that it’s been tough for the young defenseman because he isn’t getting into the lineup and the team doesn’t have much practice time. In his place, the Flyers have recalled Tanner Laczynski once again.
Zamula, 22, is already way ahead of most undrafted defensemen in terms of development but given his upside, it’s important to keep him playing as much as possible. The last time he suited up for Philadelphia was November 5, and even then he played just over nine minutes of ice time. Through nine appearances this season, he has two points – the first two of his young career.
Signed out of the WHL in 2018, the big Russian defenseman quickly stormed his way to the NHL, making his debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s played 21 games overall, but still isn’t trusted to be one of the team’s regular six just yet. The Phantoms will certainly take him back with open arms, though, as he was outstanding for them last year with 29 points in 58 games.
In a platform year, with his entry-level contract expiring at the end of the season, a lack of NHL playing time will actually make Zamula cheaper for the Flyers to sign next summer. That said, if the team suffers any more injuries on defense, he’ll likely be one of the first call-ups.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Max Willman
The Philadelphia Flyers have made a roster swap, recalling Max Willman from the minor leagues while assigning Tanner Laczynski back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. He’ll be joined there by Patrick Brown, who has been loaned on a long-term injury conditioning assignment as he approaches a return.
Willman, 27, will potentially give the team a better replacement for Wade Allison, who left a game on the weekend. Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reported that initial tests suggested that it wasn’t overly serious, but he missed yesterday’s game against the Dallas Stars.
In that game, the Flyers actually played decent but were blown out of the building by special teams, allowing two powerplay and one shorthanded goal to the Stars. Laczynski, who played just nine minutes, doesn’t contribute to either of those. Whether Willman gets a chance to kill penalties remains to be seen but it is Brown that could really help on that side of the ice.
Brown won 58.5% of his faceoffs last season and averaged nearly two minutes of short-handed ice time in his 44 appearances. While those games resulted in just nine points, he could give the team another useful body to put in the bottom six. Willman, meanwhile, had just six points in 41 games last season and was rarely used shorthanded. The conditioning loan does not mean Brown has been activated from LTIR, only that he is ready to get into some game action to test out his recovery.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Tanner Laczynski
The Philadelphia Flyers have reached an agreement with restricted free agent Tanner Laczynski, signing him to a two-year contract. The first year of the deal, (2022-23) will be a two-way contract, while the second will be one-way. It will carry an average annual value of $762.5K at the NHL level, meaning it is worth the league minimum in both years. Per CapFriendly, the deal breakdown is as follows:
2022-23: $750K NHL / $125K minors / $175K guaranteed
2023-24: $775K NHL
Laczynski, 25, is an interesting candidate for a bottom-six role with the Flyers this season, after playing six games with them since turning pro. A sixth-round pick in 2016, he played four years at Ohio State University before joining the organization in 2020, and has spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Still, with his versatility–Laczynski can play both center and wing–size, and work ethic, he could be in line for a shot at the opening night roster. That is likely helped by another injury, this time to Bobby Brink, coming down the pipe in recent weeks.
One thing that could hurt his chances is his waiver-exempt status, which will allow him to be freely moved to the minor leagues this season. That status will change in 2023-24 when his contract also switches to a one-way deal, suggesting that the Flyers plan on having him in the NHL by that point. There’s no guarantee that happens though, and Laczynski will still need to fight and claw for ice time if he wants to be a full-time option. If he can accomplish that, he’ll set himself up for a nice negotiation down the road, as this contract will take him right to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024.
Tanner Laczynski To Undergo Surgery
The Philadelphia Flyers will be without Tanner Laczynski once again, as the young forward is expected to undergo hip surgery according to head coach Alain Vigneault. At this point, Laczynski is expected to miss the entire season.
As Vigneault explained, he simply hasn’t been able to see much of Laczynski to this point because of the series of injuries the young forward has dealt with. After signing out of Ohio State University in 2020, the sixth-round pick has had high expectations and barely any game action. Laczynski has played in just 19 games with the organization, 14 of those at the AHL level. In his five games with the Flyers, he has failed to register a point.
Now with another lost season, it’s hard to know what lies ahead for the 24-year-old. He will not reach Group VI unrestricted free agency because he doesn’t have the required professional seasons, meaning he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. The Flyers could extend him a qualifying offer or work out a different deal, but it’s not clear at all where he would sit on the depth chart after missing the entire 2021-22 campaign. A late-round pick that made his name in a four-year college career, this is an extremely disappointing result for Laczynski’s early time as a pro.
Wade Allison meanwhile, who was ruled out earlier this month with a high ankle sprain, is also consulting with doctors on whether he needs surgery. Just a few days ago it was reported that the sprain was believed to be quite serious and could keep the young forward out several months, likely the result if it is determined surgery is indeed required. The 23-year-old Allison was expected to push for a full-time role with the Flyers this year, but could now be one of four players–including Laczynski, Zayde Wisdom, and Kevin Hayes–who have required surgery in the preseason.