Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Tim Schaller

Minor Transactions: 02/08/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The AHL (at least most of its teams) has now joined the NHL in a new season, but there are still plenty of moves being made in the minors as teams solidify their lineups for the new campaign. Of course, many of those who were not successful in securing a contract in the NHL or AHL continue to find work overseas, while other are returning to juniors. Keep up with all of the minor moves made today right here:

  • A pair of veterans have been successful with AHL tryouts in Pennsylvania. Tim Schaller has earned a spot with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, per a league release, while Chris Mueller will be back in the AHL for a 13th consecutive season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms announced a one-year deal. Schaller, 30, had been an NHL regular for several years before last season, when his lack of production for the Vancouver Canucks finally caught up with him and he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and subsequently demoted. Schaller has been an effective fourth liner in the past and will look to earn his way back to the NHL with a strong season in the minors. Mueller, 34, is likely beyond an NHL comeback at this point, having not played in the league since 2014-15, but the decorated AHLer is only a couple seasons away from cracking the league’s top 20 in all-time games played.
  • An intriguing prospect has signed on with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Pavel Gogolev, fresh off of a 96-point season in the OHL last year, has returned to Ontario to join the Marlies, according to the AHL’s transactions log. He had been playing with Vasby IK of Sweden’s Allsvenskan to begin the year, but the club confirms that his contract has been terminated. Gogolev, 20, was passed over yet again in the most recent NHL Draft despite finishing sixth overall in OHL scoring last season. Perhaps this was due to his advanced age relative to other draft-eligible prospects or the lack of development in his defensive ability, but there is no doubting that Gogolev has impressive offensive skill and has shown repeatedly that he is committed to North American hockey and pursuing an NHL career. He will take another step closer to that goal this season with AHL Toronto.
  • Blake Pietila is looking to stick around the North American game and has signed a PTO with the Hershey Bears, the team announced. The former New Jersey Devils prospect signed with the Anaheim Ducks for the 2019-20 season, but played exclusively in the AHL despite having set a new career high in NHL appearances the season prior. The hard-working forward is looking for another opportunity to show he can still be an NHL asset and hopes to not only crack the Hershey roster, but carve out a top role as well. Pietila has recorded 142 points in 266 career AHL games, proving himself to be an impact player in the minors.
  • Despite appearing in training camp for the San Jose Barracuda, Sharks prospect Vladislav Kotkov will wait another season to turn pro. The Sharks have reassigned Kotkov to the QMHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs for one final junior campaign, the team announced. The Sea Dogs are certainly happy about the decision; Kotkov was acquired this summer for a pair of draft picks which would have been squandered if he had never suited up for the team. The overage import forward is a big, powerful offensive presence who is sure to make a major impact for Saint John before inevitably doing so for the Barracuda and possibly the Sharks down the road as well.
  • Former NHL journeyman Andrew Ebbett made a career as a hired gun, playing for six different teams over eight seasons but still managing to suit up for 32 games each year on average. However, when his luck in North America ran out in 2015, he made the unlikely discovery of the first long-term home of his career with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA. Ebbett has spent the last five seasons with Bern, the past four of which as a captain and a top-five scoring forward. However, it is time for Ebbett to move on yet again. At 38, he is not ready to call it a career just yet, but has said goodbye to Bern and signed with EHC Munich of the German DEL. Having recently lost other names familiar to NHL fans in Derek Roy and Kalle Kossila, the Red Bulls were excited to land the veteran Ebbett as a replacement for the remainder of the year.

Tom Kuhnhackl And Tim Schaller Sign Minor League Tryouts

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The way back to the NHL for wingers Tom Kuhnhackl and Tim Schaller will first require making an AHL team.  The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (affiliate of the Islanders) announced that they’ve inked Kuhnhackl to a PTO agreement for training camp while the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (affiliate of Pittsburgh) did the same for Schaller.

Kuhnhackl split last season between the Islanders and Sound Tigers with the majority of his playing time coming in New York where he played in 28 regular season games and three postseason contests compared to just four AHL games.  However, he was unable to land a contract in free agency and didn’t secure a two-way deal with the Isles in their training camp.  He’ll now look to land a one-way AHL deal in the hopes of getting converted to an NHL contract later on.

As for Schaller, the 30-year-old played in 53 NHL games last season, the majority of which came with Vancouver.  He had just five goals and one assist to speak for it and cleared waivers at the trade deadline, largely due to his $1.9MM AAV.  He could be an option for Pittsburgh if injuries strike midseason but in the meantime, he’ll be forced to try to lock down a guaranteed AHL deal first.

Canucks Acquire Tyler Toffoli

at CDT | by 11 Comments

The Canucks are currently in a battle for top spot in the Pacific Division and GM Jim Benning has made a move to bolster their attack. They have acquired winger Tyler Toffoli from Los Angeles in exchange for winger Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-round pick that is contingent on Toffoli re-signing with Vancouver.  Both teams have confirmed the trade and there is no salary retention on anyone.

The 27-year-old has already matched his point total from last season following a hat trick against Colorado in the Stadium Series game on Saturday.  Through 58 games this season, he has 18 goals and 16 assists; his 34 points ranked third on the Kings.

Vancouver has very quietly put together a top-ten attack this season and have a very balanced attack.  Toffoli’s addition will give the Canucks seven forwards with at least 16 goals and not many other teams can contend with that type of depth.

While that certainly bodes well for Vancouver, it may not be the best thing for Toffoli’s free agent fortunes.  He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season and will likely be seeking a contract that’s close to his current $4.6MM AAV.  If he winds up spending time on the third line for the Canucks, that has the potential to hurt his value on the open market.

As for Schaller, his inclusion in the deal is solely to help make the money work.  Two years ago, he had a 22-point season with Boston but has failed to reach that mark over his two years in Vancouver combined.  Through 51 games this season, he has five goals and one assist which isn’t a great return on a $1.9MM AAV.  He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Even with Schaller’s inclusion, the money isn’t close enough to work under Vancouver’s salary cap.  Accordingly, CapFriendly notes (Twitter link) that wingers Josh Leivo and Tyler Motte plus center Tyler Graovac have all been transferred to LTIR which frees up enough room for now although there could be complications down the road when any of them are ready to be activated.  Micheal Ferland is also on LTIR but the Canucks announced (via Twitter) that he has been shut down for the rest of the season due to recurring concussion-like symptoms.  They also revealed that Brock Boeser will miss at least three weeks due to a rib cartilage fracture which likely was part of the impetus for this move.

Madden was a third-round pick of Vancouver (68th overall) back in 2018 but is quickly outperforming his draft stock.  He leads Northeastern in scoring in his sophomore season with 19 goals and 18 assists; his 37 points put him fourth in NCAA scoring.  However, he broke his finger over the weekend that will keep him out for the next month or so.  Los Angeles will have two years after this one to sign him and while he may still be a year or two away from turning pro, he is a nice addition to a Kings prospect pool that is quickly being stocked up.

With Toffoli now gone, the focus in Los Angeles will certainly shift towards defenseman Alec Martinez.  The 32-year-old is believed to be one of the more sought-after defenders that could move by next week’s trade deadline as he carries a $4MM AAV and unlike many of the players who will be moved between now and then, he’s not a rental player as he is signed through 2020-21.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that Toffoli had been dealt to Vancouver.

Pacific Notes: Canucks, Eriksson, Miller

at CDT | by 4 Comments

While Vancouver hasn’t had a lot of success in the standings in recent years, they have managed to accumulate some depth along the way.  However, Canucks are now at the point where they need to clear out some of that depth, argues Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.  With that in mind, he suggests that wingers Ryan Spooner and Tim Schaller could be buyout candidates when the window to do so opens up next month.  Spooner had a particularly rough season with just nine points in 52 games, hardly a good return on a $4MM contract.  Meanwhile, Schaller was expected to be a regular in the bottom six but wound up playing in just 47 games and had a minimal impact.

More from the Pacific:

  • Still with the Canucks, TSN’s Ray Ferraro speculates (audio link) that the Senators could be a team that has some interest in winger Loui Eriksson. While his $6MM AAV is a concern, he’ll only be owed $9MM over the final three years of his deal after his signing bonus is paid on July 1st.  For a team with a tight budget like Ottawa, that could certainly be appealing, especially since Vancouver would need to include a sweetener for taking the contract off their books.  Eriksson had 29 points this past season, his highest in three years with the team and indicated earlier this month that he and head coach Travis Green do not always see eye to eye.
  • With several significant contract extensions kicking in next season plus center William Karlsson being in need of a new deal, the Golden Knights are likely to move at least one regular player to free up some salary cap space. Jesse Granger of The Athletic suggests (subscription required) that defenseman Colin Miller makes some sense to move out.  Vegas has put together a decent group of prospects on the back end while Miller has been productive in his two seasons with the team.  He’s signed for three more years at a reasonable rate of $3.875MM so there should be several suitors if he’s made available.

Canucks Notes: Hughes, Utica Comets, Schaller, Defense

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Earlier today, the University of Michigan announced that defenseman Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks 2018 first-round pick, will return to the team, crushing hopeful fans of having the smooth-skating blueliner from starting the season with the Canucks.

Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that he interviewed Hughes’ agent and father, Jim Hughes about the decision the Hughes family had to make last night about him returning to college for another season.

“Quinn talked to Jim and Travis last night, everyone was on the same page. Because we were travelling so much in last month, finally we got together and made the call,” said Jim Hughes. “Quinn went back and forth, he struggled with the call to go to the NHL, every kid wants to get there fast but we did not rush. 1 more year in college will not hurt him, he wants to get stronger and pack on some pounds.”

TSN’s Ray Ferraro suggests the team take a similar approach to Quinn Hughes to the direction that Boston took when they drafted Charlie McAvoy in the first round back in 2016. The Bruins allowed him to return to Boston University, then play at the World Juniors and then after his college season signed him and brought him in to play in six playoff games for them.

  • Ben Birnell of the Observer-Dispatch wonders how the resignation of Trevor Linden, the Canucks president of hockey operations, will affect the team’s long-term standing with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Linden has been a supporter of Vancouver’s affiliation with the Comets over the years despite the distance between the two cities and with the six-year affiliation agreement between the two teams up in less than a year, there are questions whether Linden’s departure could end their long-time affiliation. Utica has been home to many of the Canucks top prospects and will likely be a focal point for the team’s depth at the forward position as several key prospects are likely going to be headed for Utica this season.
  • JD Burke of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a look at what forward Tim Schaller will bring to the Canucks, especially pointing to the veteran’s ability to play high-quality defensive hockey. Schaller, who was one of three bottom-six forwards to sign on July 1 to multiple-year contracts along with Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel, was the one with the most reasonable deal. He signed a two-year, $3.8MM deal and might be worth that money, according to the scribe, who breaks down the 27-year-old’s positive qualities, which also include solid penalty killing skills.
  • TSN’s Jason Brough reports that while the loss of Hughes is likely going to keep the team’s defense the same, he wouldn’t be surprised if Vancouver makes a move to improve a below average defense that at the momemt is made up of Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev, Erik Gudbranson, Michael Del Zotto, Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher.

Boston Bruins Sign Joakim Nordstrom

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Boston Bruins have signed Joakim Nordstrom to a two-year contract worth $2MM total. Nordstrom became an unrestricted free agent when the Carolina Hurricanes failed to qualify him last week.

Nordstrom played the past three years with Carolina, but failed to impress as he scored just two goals in 75 games last year, which is down from 10 goals in the 2015-16 season and seven the year after that. However, a change of scenery could be good thing for Nordstrom.

The 26-year-old should be able to provide solid bottom-line depth for the Bruins as he is versatile forward, who can play both center and wing. That might be essential as the team has lost Tim Schaller to Vancouver and could also lose Riley Nash and Boston may be forced to rebuild their bottom-six lines.

 

Injuries Unending In Boston; Krejci, DeBrusk Join Sidelined

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Boston Bruins beat writer Joe Haggerty could not have said it better: “You can’t make this stuff up”. The unbelievable rash of injuries continues in Boston, as center David Krejci and rookie winger Jake DeBrusk have been ruled out for Wednesday night’s match-up against the Atlantic-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

The sheer number of injuries suffered by the Bruins this season, especially among the forward corps, is hard to comprehend. 22 games into the 2017-18 campaign the only forward to have played every game are David Pastrnak and energy-liners-turned-top-nine-mainstays Riley Nash, Sean Kuraly, and Tim Schaller. While there is no word yet on the extent of DeBrusk’s injury, the young scorer has been one of the Bruins’ more dependable forwards with 12 points in 21 games, but of course he now joins the long list of casualties. Currently out of the lineup alongwith DeBrusk and Krejci, who had only just returned to action, are 2016-17 leading scorer Brad Marchand, veteran David Backes, power play catalyst Ryan Spooner, promising rookies Anders Bjork and Peter Cehlarik and, of course, defenseman Adam McQuaid as well. Spooner just recently re-injured the groin that had kept him out all but eight games on the season. In the same game, Cehlarik suffered a leg injury that should keep him out at least a month. Marchand and Bjork have been sidelined since November 13th and there has been no concrete information on when exactly either can be expected back.  Backes has made a remarkably quick recovery from major surgery to cure his diverticulitis, but he too is not quite ready to return and there are doubts about how he will play once he is back. Other Bruins forward who have missed time already this season: Patrice Bergeron (5 games), Noel Acciari (13 games), and Matt Beleskey (2 games).

The defense has done a bit better though, with captain Zdeno Chara and talented youngsters Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo all suiting up for every game. Kevan Miller has missed only one game, while Torey Krug’s four-game absence seems like nothing. A platoon of Paul Postma, Rob O’Gara and Matt Grzelcyk has performed well enough in the absence of McQuaid.

In total, the Bruins have missed a whopping 100 man-games already this season, far more than any other team in the league and heavily weighted toward their forwards. That makes it all the more impressive that the team is still sitting pretty in the Atlantic Division. In terms of points percentage, the B’s are third in the Atlantic and just behind the two-time Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins overall. Their 60 goals for may a bottom-five number in the NHL, but what would you expect from a two-way team missing most of its offensive talent? A recent winning streak showed that the Bruins and head coach Bruce Cassidy can get it done, even with a makeshift roster. There is no sign of when Boston will get back to full strength, if ever this season, but if they do it could be dangerous for the rest of the NHL.

Erik Gudbranson Suspended One Game

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Department of Player Safety has handed out another suspension, this time to Erik Gudbranson of the Vancouver Canucks. Gudbranson has been given a one-game ban for hitting Frank Vatrano from behind last night. The Boston Bruins’ forward would initially leave the game, but would find his way back to the bench later on. Gudbranson was immediately confronted by Tim Schaller in a fight, but would also be given a five minute major for boarding. Boston would get some measure of revenge by scoring three times during the ensuing powerplay, but the league has issued even more punishment.

As the video explanation states:

From the moment Vatrano gains possession of the puck behind the net, Gudbranson sees nothing but Vatrano’s numbers. While Vatrano shifts slightly as he attempts to move the puck to his teammate, he makes no sudden movements just prior to contact that turn this from a legal hit into an illegal one.

Gudbranson has never been suspended by the DoPS before, but has toed the line of legality quite a few times. He’s previously been involved in borderline hits, and was reported to have yelled threats towards Matt Martin after an incident in Toronto last year. Still, having no recorded history of discipline helped him keep the suspension to just one game. Going forward he’ll have to exercise a bit more caution, or else face stiffer penalties.

Boston Bruins Re-Sign Austin Czarnik

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Tuesday: The team has officially announced the signing.

Monday: A day after extending young goalies Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban, the Boston Bruins have come to terms with another one their restricted free agents. According to CapFriendly, two-way forward Austin Czarnik has re-signed with the Bruins on a one-year, two-way deal. Czarnik will make just $675K at the NHL level, which may end up being a bargain for GM Don Sweeney and company after a solid rookie season.

Czarnik, the former captain of the Miami University RedHawks and a highly sought-after college free agent in 2015, has found success in all aspects of the game so far in his pro career. In 2015-16, Czarnik, alongside Boston’s Frank Vatrano and former Bruin Seth Griffith, had a breakout campaign in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, scoring 61 points in 68 games in his first pro season. Czarnik led all AHL rookies in points, and that offensive production earned him an NHL shot last season. The small, shifty center took on an important bottom-six role for the first half of the season, recording 13 points in 49 games and leading the team’s third penalty kill unit. While Czarnik did not show the same offensive explosion, he proved that he had the intelligence, composure, and versatility to be an NHL player. Czarnik was eventually returned to Providence for much of the second half and the postseason, where he again was an offensive juggernaut with 23 points in 22 games, but has earned another shot in Boston in the near future. Czarnik is one of many young forwards who will fight for a roster spot this season, including fellow two-way forwards Noel Acciari and college teammate Sean Kuraly, veteran minor leaguers Tim Schaller and Kenny Agostino, and promising prospect scorers Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Zach Senyshyn, Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, Peter Cehlarik, and Danton Heinen. Czarnik may need some luck to hold off a plethora of NHL-ready talent, but has the advantage of NHL experience on his side.

With Czarnik signed, the Bruins’ only two remaining restricted free agents are a couple of notable names: 21-year-old star winger David Pastrnak and play-making third-line center Ryan Spooner. While Boston is high on Czarnik and other young forwards, with more than enough competition as is, many also believe that they could stand to add another veteran winger into the mix as well. However, such a move will likely come after the extensions for Pastrnak and Spooner are over with. Negotiations with Pastrnak have been ongoing for a while now and Spooner has his arbitration date set for July 26th, so it’s only a matter of time before the Bruins have more news to announce. Re-upping Czarnik is another step in the right direction, but there’s still work to be done in Boston.

Bruins Re-Sign Tim Schaller

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Boston Bruins have re-signed depth forward Tim Schaller to a one-way contract worth $775,000, per the team’s beat writer Ty Anderson of WEEI. This move will avoid arbitration, which the player filed for earlier today. Schaller is only 26 years old, but has shown little flair at the NHL level. He potted 7 goals and 7 assists through 59 games last year in Boston. For Buffalo’s AHL affiliate Rochester Americans, he never broke 15 goals, and he never bested that total at Providence College either.

Despite his meager offensive touch, he’s a solid defensive forward who has a decent frame at 6’2 and 219 pounds. He even used to skate as a defenseman earlier in his career, so he is naturally relentless in his own zone. He doesn’t earn a ton of ice time, at just over 12 minutes a night last season, but has become a useful cog that earned trust under head coach Bruce Cassidy. He even added a goal in last year’s series against Ottawa. His overall improvement from his Buffalo days should inspire some hope, even as his advanced stats don’t inspire a ton of confidence. He actually performed far worse in Corsi Relative (-7.2%) than his previous year (+1.6), but this is a player where the analytics aren’t telling the whole picture. The larger sample size likely brought those numbers down as well.

Schaller will get a chance to further prove himself with defensive consistency, and the ability to chip in the odd goal, next season. He may still find himself a healthy scratch on occasion, but he’s being given every opportunity to claim his roster spot. For Boston, this agreement avoids the overall hassle and uncertainty that an arbitration can bring, without breaking the bank. They also needed some help on the defensive side of the puck as a team after losing Dominic Moore to free-agency. Schaller will also look to assume a larger role on the penalty kill, barring any further player movement.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top