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Tobias Rieder

Buffalo Sabres Sign Tobias Rieder

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The Buffalo Sabres have dipped into the bargain bin to add a speedy, two-way winger. Veteran forward Tobias Rieder will sign with the team, according to The Score’s John Matisz. It is expected to be one-year, one-way contract for the league minimum $700K.

Rieder, 27, seemingly peaked at a young age, as he has recorded just 21 points over the past two years with Edmonton and Calgary after totaling 117 points in his first four NHL seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. However, a minimum contract is not much of a risk for Buffalo to take on the off-chance that Rieder can return to 30+ point form.

Even if this is just a minor depth addition, Rieder is a good penalty killer and a capable bottom-six forward. Should the Sabres succeed in re-signing non-qualified forward Dominik Kahun, Rieder could also come in handy with furthering the development of his fellow German. Kahun is a similar player to what Rieder was in his prime and the duo could work well together.

Sam Bennett Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve

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The Calgary Flames have moved forward Sam Bennett to long-term injured reserve, taking him out of the lineup for the next while. With the added cap flexibility however they have recalled Tobias Rieder and Alexander Yelsesin, giving them some added depth while they deal with the injury.

Bennett missed Calgary’s last game with the upper-body injury, and will now be out at minimum 24 days or ten games from the last time he played, November 16th. Previously listed as week-to-week, there’s no clear indication of when he will be ready to return.

Reider’s return isn’t much of a surprise after he was sent to the minor leagues just yesterday, but Yelesin is an intriguing new face for fans to watch. The 23-year old defenseman was signed out of the KHL this summer and has played in 15 games with the Stockton heat this season. Not much of an offensive threat, he nevertheless was a KHL All-Star last season and will help the team fill in the absence of T.J. Brodie who continues recovering after his collapse at practice recently.

Yelesin was signed to a two-year entry-level contract, that interestingly includes some hefty potential performance bonuses. The only way he would earn those is in the NHL, meaning this represents a big opportunity for the young defenseman.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tobias Rieder Placed On Waivers

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Tuesday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Rieder has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Monday: The Calgary Flames have decided to place Tobias Rieder on waivers, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic. Rieder has just one goals and zero assists in nine games this season, after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Flames in September.

Even though Rieder hasn’t been quite the offensive catalyst the team may have hoped for, this move reeks of cap implications more than performance. The Flames in the midst of a delicate cap ceiling dance thanks to injuries, and getting another player through waivers would give them some flexibility. Should Rieder clear tomorrow he could be shuttled back and forth between the NHL and AHL for quite some time, as players don’t need waivers again until they have played in ten NHL games or spent 30 days on the NHL roster.

Still, that lack of offensive production is still concerning for a player that struggled so mightily last season. Rieder was infamously unable to score a single goal for the Edmonton Oilers in 67 games, leading to plenty of frustration from the team leadership.

After earning a contract after skating with the Flames on a professional tryout, there was some hope that Rieder could get back to the level that had him recording double-digit goal totals in four consecutive seasons between 2014-18. This latest move may be a sign that he isn’t ever going to be an impact player for the Flames, though there perhaps will be another team that believes they could use him.

Trade Rumors: Pysyk, Goligoski, Flames

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The Florida Panthers did not enter this past off-season with all that much space under the salary cap ceiling, yet still went and handed out over $20MM in AAV to Sergei Bobrovsky, Anton Stralman, Brett Connolly, and Noel Acciari. As a result, the team has just $788K in cap leeway and no way to alleviate that pressure without making a move. Seeing as defenseman Mark Pysyk heard his name on the rumor mill last season, when the Panthers had ample cap space, the pressure on him has increased tenfold to prove that he is a valuable contributor to the team and not just $2.73MM in wasted space. Pysyk, an impending unrestricted free agent at year’s end, likes Florida and would like to stay with the team. However, he’ll find it hard to make his case that he should stick around when he is not on the ice. As The Athletic’s George Richards writes, Pysyk has found himself in a unfamiliar spot through the team’s first two games as a healthy scratch. New head coach Joel Quenneville opted to go with MacKenzie Weegar and Josh Brown as his bottom pair to begin the year, leaving Pysyk in the press box. Fortunately for Pysyk, he’s expected back in the lineup on Tuesday according to Quenneville. “He was always in consideration. He has some experience, gives us some versatility on the back end and can play both sides,” the veteran coach remarked. Yet, the trick is that even if Pysyk plays well in his return to the lineup, it doesn’t guarantee his safety from a trade. With his contract expiring, the 27-year-old is an expendable asset, especially for a team that hopes to contend for a playoff spot and could be eyeing cap space to make a trade addition of their own on the blue line later this season. If Pysyk is playing well and drawing attention from other teams, he could very well be on his way out of town. The two-way defender has heard those rumors before though, and all he can do is continue to focus on brining his best to the Panthers’ lineup whenever he’s active in hopes of proving he’s worth more as a long-term fit than as a cap dump.

  • Optimism was high to begin the season in Arizona and Coyotes GM John Chayka isn’t about to overreact to an 0-2 start to the year. However, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan admits that one valuable member of the team could become expendable if the team’s struggled do continue. The status quo has changed for Alex Goligoski, as the veteran defenseman’s No-Movement Clause expired last season and has been replaced with a Modified No-Trade Clause of a mere eight-team no-trade list. Morgan is adamant that the team has shown no desire to move Goligoski to this point, but at 34 years old and with only one year remaining on his contract beyond this season, Goligoski could be more valuable to a contender than to Arizona, especially if this season proves to be yet another step in the rebuilding process rather than the much-awaited jump to contender status. With a field of 22 possible suitors, there would surely be interest in the reliable puck-moving defender, even with his $5.475MM cap hit. The Coyotes hope it doesn’t come to that, but Goligoski will be a name to keep an eye on later this year if Arizona’s season begins to slip away.
  • It’s not strange for a team to be painfully close to the salary cap this season, and the Calgary Flames are just one of many teams who will have to manipulate the cap constantly this season to maintain what little flexibility they have. However, an easier solution would be to trade a high-salary player and Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg writes for SB Nation that the team is actively looking to make a “financially-motivated trade”. The name that has come up in trade conversation for more than a year now is back in the rumor mill already: Michael Frolik. Steinberg notes that Frolik has not looked great through the team’s first two games and his $4.3MM cap hit isn’t earning him the benefit of the doubt. Steinberg believes that the Flames should not hesitate to move Frolik if the opportunity arises, as he feels the likes of Andrew Mangiapane, Tobias Rieder, Austin Czarnik, and Alan Quine could easily make up for Frolik’s absence. If there isn’t a market for Frolik, Steinberg adds that the team could consider moving Mark Jankowski as well. The 25-year-old center is not as much of a salary cap stinger, but Steinberg writes that the drop-off in salary between he and Quine is a larger gap than the drop-off in talent, believing the AHL veteran to be more than capable of taking over for Jankowski. With solid depth to make up for potential trade casualties, the Flames could make a move sooner rather than later and work on banking cap space for later in the year, as the team was criticized for not adding more at the deadline last year ahead of their short-lived playoff run.

Flames Agree To Terms With Tobias Rieder

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Sunday: The Flames officially announced the deal, which as reported, is a one-year, two-way deal at $700K.

Saturday: Reports surfaced yesterday that the Flames and Tobias Rieder were working towards a contract.  It appears a deal has been reached as both John Matisz of The Score (Twitter link) and PuckPedia (Twitter link) report that Rieder has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the latter adding that the winger will receive a guaranteed $400K while his salary in the NHL will be the league minimum $700K.

To say that last season was a disaster for the 26-year-old would be an understatement as he went the entire year without a goal, collecting just 11 assists in 67 games despite logging a respectable 12:39 per night in ice time.  That resulted in him being non-tendered by Edmonton back in June over giving him a $2MM qualifying offer and him needing to go the PTO route to secure a new contract.

However, Rieder’s speed still makes him an effective weapon in the bottom six and on the penalty kill and while he didn’t score last year, he had double-digit goal totals in his previous four NHL seasons between Arizona and Los Angeles so there’s a little upside with this move if he can return to his previous form.  If not, it’s a no-risk proposition that would see his entire cap hit removed if he cleared waivers and was sent to the AHL so the move is certainly a worthwhile one for the Flames.

Snapshots: Rieder, Paquette, Perry

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The Calgary Flames are in talks with the agent for Tobias Rieder according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet, after the free agent forward impressed on a professional tryout. Rieder failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers this summer after he infamously scored zero goals in 67 games with them last season. The 26-year old had tallied at least 12 in each of his previous NHL seasons.

After signing Matthew Tkachuk earlier this week, the Flames are in quite the tight financial situation and would need to clear someone else off the roster to fit in Rieder even on a minimum $700K deal. Given that he needed to take a PTO in the first place however, there seems to be a good chance that they could get Rieder through waivers and have him in the minor leagues as some useful depth if they chose to go that direction.

  • The NHL has fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette $2,500 for high-sticking Florida Panthers forward Frank Vatrano last night. This the first and only supplementary discipline the NHL has given out during the preseason, something that Vancouver Canucks fans won’t be very happy with after Chris Tierney hit Brock Boeser from behind, resulting in a concussion for the young forward. For Paquette, this isn’t the first time he’s been involved with the Department of Player Safety, but his on-the-edge play is something the Lightning value given the lack of physicality elsewhere in the lineup.
  • Corey Perry could need another week before his fractured foot is re-evaluated, meaning he likely won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Dallas Stars reporter Mike Heika notes that things should be more clear tomorrow, but regardless, this is a disappointing start to what was supposed to be a bounce-back season for the veteran forward. Perry was bought out by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer and signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal that could climb all the way to $3.25MM if he hits all of the performance bonuses. In terms of the ones given for games played, Perry needs only 50 to secure a total of $1.25MM.

Poll: Which Young Free Agent Is Worth A Flier?

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More than a month into free agency, most teams left scouring the open market are looking to take a chance on an affordable option with the potential, however slim, to make a difference at the NHL level. While some veterans can be willing to take a discount to continue their careers, they tend to be known commodities whose ceilings are capped at a certain level. More often, the better risk is to invest in a young player, who perhaps didn’t have the right opportunity of fit in their last locale and still have the ability to break out. The youngest members of the unrestricted free agent market are those former restricted free agents who did not receive qualifying offers. Eight such players are still available, including many familiar names. Which one would you most like your team to take a look at?

Ben Hutton, 26, was arguably the biggest surprise among non-qualified players and it is even more of a shock that he remains available. Hutton was a top-four regular for the Vancouver Canucks last season – the past four seasons really – logging more than 22 minutes per night and recording 20 points in 69 games. Hutton also recorded a career-high in hits and his third season of more than 100 blocked shots. However, Hutton was a key piece of a Canucks defense corps that simply wasn’t very good at their main job: preventing goals. Hutton had a team worst -23 rating and Vancouver was unwilling to qualify him at $2.8MM, especially as they set their sights on a long-term contract for Tyler Myers. Hutton could certainly play a regular role again for a number of NHL teams, but a “flier” for the UMaine product would really be more of a multi-year deal worth $2MM or more per year. That’s a significant investment for a player that still has to prove he can be a consistent positive contributor.

Fredrik Claesson, 26, played in just 37 games for the New York Rangers this past season, but in that limited action did average more than 17 minutes of ice time per night and added six points. The Swedish rearguard also finished third-best on the team with a +3 rating. Claesson would have been better served spending some time in the AHL as well last season, rather than watching 45 games from the press box, but the lack of immediate interest in him this off-season suggest that whichever team takes a chance on him likely doesn’t need to worry about his waivers viability. Claesson could be an asset as a very capable defensive blue liner who can mentor others at the AHL and also play a competent game as an NHL depth option. In the right situation, he could even hold down a regular role on a third pairing. Claesson only made $700K last season, so a minimum deal should be all he’s expecting.

Joe Morrow, 26, has never stuck around long enough to earn a regular role on a team. Traded twice before he even made his NHL debut, Morrow was buried in Boston for several years before hitting free agency for the first time two years ago at just 24, when the Bruins opted not to extend a qualifying offer. Morrow signed in Montreal and was well on his way to his first season of 41+ NHL appearances when he was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline. Fortunately, instead of playing a depth role, Morrow won a starting job and played well in 18 games down the stretch, totaling 56 games and 16 points on the year. Finally, he was expected to at least have a fighting chance at a regular role this past season in Winnipeg. The team gave him that chance, 41 games to be exact, and he disappointed, recording just seven points and earning less than 14 minutes of ice time. Morrow is still a good puck-moving defenseman, but some of the allure of the “what if he was given a fair shake” has worn off. For now, Morrow is simply a depth defenseman who can be a nice NHL substitute, but perhaps there is still a chance the former first-rounder can take advantage of an injury and put up some points.

Tobias Rieder, 26, might be the most recognizable name on this list and certainly the most accomplished forward. Rieder was a budding star early in his career, posting double-digit goals in each of his first four seasons, including a 37-point sophomore campaign. All of this came with the Arizona Coyotes, but when the ’Yotes traded Rieder midway through the 2017-18 season, things began to fall apart. Rieder disappointed in L.A., recording just six points down the stretch and zero in a first-round sweep, leading to the Kings not qualifying him last off-season. The Edmonton Oilers took a flier on Rieder, and as could happen with any of these players next season, it just didn’t pan out. Rieder failed to score a goal all season long and finished with just 11 assists in 67 games. The German winger bet on himself as well, signing a one-year, $2MM deal, but due to his poor results, Rieder will have to again take a one-year deal for even less this time to stay in the NHL. However, when it comes to upside, a 26-year-old with multiple successful scoring seasons on his resume, not to mention a strong two-way game, certainly brings some intrigue.

Dmitrij Jaskin, 26, was not prepared for what happened to him last season. Jaskin, who made his NHL debut as a teenage in 2012-13, was entering his seventh season with the St. Louis Blues. Jaskin had just completed a career-high 76-game season the year prior, contributing 17 points and a whopping 207 hits as an effective fourth-liner for St. Louis. Yet, the Blue placed him on waiver before last season began, and Jaskin was scooped up by the Washington Capitals. The Capitals used him sparingly, as the Russian winger saw his games played, ice time, and points all drop to their lowest in his five years as an NHL regular. Washington then opted not to qualify Jaskin at $1.1MM, even though their usage of him was largely the cause of his down season. Jaskin is arguably still worth around that much, as he could be a very capable checking line forward given his big frame and his experience using it. Jaskin’s ceiling might be limited offensively, but he could nevertheless be a value addition as a depth option for many teams.

Stefan Noesen, 26, seemed like he had found the perfect fit with the New Jersey Devils. The Anaheim Ducks lost Noesen to the Devils on waivers during the 2016-17 season and he proceeded to record eight points in 32 games the rest of the way after registering just two points in 14 NHL games over the past three seasons combined. Noesen then broke out the following year, earning a starting role with the Devils to the tune of 13 goals, 27 points, and +12 rating in 72 games. So what was the encore performance this past season? Eight points and -19 rating in 41 points, as the wheels fell off entirely for Noesen. The Devils decided to move on and now Noesen is left wondering what his NHL role can be moving forward. His 27-point campaign seems like the exception rather than the rule, and while his two-way game has impressed, he has not earned the opportunity to show that his even strength ability can also be used to kill penalties, which further limits his value. The question of what Noesen can really bring to the table explains why he’s still available, but also makes him an interesting target, especially at what has to be far from his $1.725MM salary from last season. A team that thinks they have Noesen figured out and can sign him to a minimum contract could be in for a surprising return.

Rourke Chartier, 23, was one of the more surprising players not to receive a qualifying offer, as the young forward just wrapped up his entry-level contract. The San Jose Sharks were unwilling to offer Chartier a qualifying offer that would have only been marginally higher than the league’s $700K minimum salary, and it would have been a two-way offer at that. San Jose apparently was not thrilled with the 2014 fifth-round pick, who made his NHL debut this past season, but recorded one lone point in 18 games. Chartier did register 18 points in 26 AHL games this year and as been a consistent contributor at the minor league level. However, there are concerns about whether the offensive upside that Chartier displayed as a junior player can translate to the pros. Chartier may be a total wild card at this point, but he is young enough and affordable enough to be a decent gamble for some team who believes in his potential.

Marko Dano, 24, rounds out the group. A first-round pick in 2013 out of Slovakia, Dano has immense ability, but has struggled to put it all together. As a rookie with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014-15, Dano contributed 21 points in just 35 games and looked like he was well on his way to becoming a top-six NHL forward. In fact, Columbus parlayed his strong first season into using him as a key piece in the (first) Brandon Saad trade. With the Chicago Blackhawks, Dano put up good numbers in the AHL but was not given much opportunity in the NHL and was traded after less than a year to the Winnipeg Jets. Dano looked like an immediate fit in Winnipeg, recording eight points in 21 games down the stretch of his sophomore season. Yet, in the three years since, Dano has just 14 points in 69 NHL games. This past season, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Colorado Avalanche; the Avs put him back on waivers a month later after he had been held scoreless in eight games. The Jets brought Dano back in, but kept him in the AHL for the remainder of the year – where he again showed great offensive ability – before opting not to extend a qualifying offer. Four NHL teams have now taken a look at Dano in his young career and have passed. Although his ability is obvious, it’s fair to question whether teams still believe that Dano can figure out how to put it to use at the NHL level. Is a minimum contract worth answering that question though?

Of these eight players, which one is most worthy of an investment? Is it the more established, but more expensive veteran? The serviceable depth option? Or the unproven, but intriguing gamble? You choose which of these players you would like your favorite team to take a chance on, based on value and upside.

Rieder, Rattie Not Expected To Receive Qualifying Offers

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The Edmonton Oilers have plenty of work to do this summer in order to get back into Stanley Cup playoff contention, but they’ve already made decisions on a pair of restricted free agents. Jason Gregor of TSN reports that the team will not issue qualifying offers to Tobias Rieder or Ty Rattie, making the pair of forwards unrestricted free agents. The team could still negotiate a new contract with either one, but after disappointing seasons it would not be surprising for both to have to find work elsewhere in 2019-20.

Rieder, 26, failed to score a single goal for the Oilers this season despite appearing in 67 games. The German forward was eventually called out by CEO Bob Nicholson at an Oilers’ function for his lack of offensive production, making it clear that the team wouldn’t bring him back next season. Despite his terrible year, Rieder actually has shown in the past that he can be a fine depth scoring option, scoring at least 12 times in each of his first four years in the league. A qualifying offer would have been for $2MM however, more than anyone will likely pay after a zero-goal season.

Rattie, 26, wasn’t quite as bad for the Oilers as he recorded four goals and 11 points in 50 appearances. Still, the depth forward was never able to really capture the same offensive ability he has shown in the minor and junior leagues. Originally selected 32nd overall in 2011 by the St. Louis Blues, Rattie has just 30 points in 99 career NHL contests.

Edmonton Oilers Will Not Re-Sign Tobias Rieder

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It’s not often that you see a full-time forward in the NHL go a whole season without a goal, but that’s what has happened so far for the Edmonton Oilers’ Tobias Rieder. Rieder has just 11 assists in 59 games this season, despite recording 78 shots on goal. Now, in an inexplicable rant by CEO Bob Nicholson at a season ticket holder event, it became clear that Rieder will not be back with the Oilers, if that was ever in doubt. Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal was in attendance, and gives a transcript of Nicholson’s comments on the struggling forward:

Toby Rieder will not be signed by the Edmonton Oilers at the end of the year.

Toby Rieder was a player that other teams wanted. He came here for one year because he wanted to play with Leon Draisaitl who he plays with on the German national team. He thought if he wasn’t playing with Leon he’d be playing with Connor [McDavid], he’d score 15-16 goals and instead of making two million he’d sign a four-year deal at three and a half million.

Toby Rieder hasn’t scored a goal.

Toby Rieder has missed so many breakaways.

If Toby Rieder would have scored 10 or 12 goals we’d probably be in the playoffs.

Rieder, 26, signed a one-year $2MM contract with the Oilers as an unrestricted free agent on July 1st after the Los Angeles Kings decided not to extend him a qualifying offer. He is actually still scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, but after these comments from Nicholson it is clear that he will not be tendered a qualifying offer once again, making him a UFA. That makes sense given his poor performance this season, but it’s unusual for management to be so public with comments like this.

It’s not like Rieder doesn’t have a history of offensive production. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Oilers back in 2011, he would never actually sign with the team. Instead his rights were traded to the Arizona Coyotes, where he recorded 51 goals in 292 games, including a career-high of 16 in 2016-17. The swift skating forward was a dominant player in the OHL and minor leagues, but just hasn’t been able to put it together in Edmonton this time around.

The Oilers are currently sitting seven points behind the Coyotes for the final Western Conference playoff spot, and have a goal differential of -38 this season.

Pacific Notes: Gagner, Russell, Rieder, Sharks

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Canucks center Sam Gagner is known to be available after he was sent back to the AHL earlier this month.  In an appearance on TSN 1040 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested that Ottawa could make sense as a fit for the 29-year-old given their rash of injuries up front.  He also added that it would take them retaining on his $3.15MM per year (through 2019-20) to get something done.  Gagner hasn’t fared too poorly in his NHL action this season but clearly, Vancouver is prioritizing defensive play with their forwards at the bottom of the lineup which has left him on the outside looking in.  If the Sens don’t have much interest, it’s likely that Vancouver will have to wait until some other teams get hit with injuries and look to make an opportunistic deal.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • The Oilers announced that they have placed defenseman Kris Russell on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. With fellow blueliner Oscar Klefbom being placed on IR yesterday, Edmonton’s defensive depth is starting to run thin.  On the flip side, they are getting a regular back in Tobias Rieder, who was activated to take Russell’s spot on the roster.  The winger missed the last dozen games with an upper-body issue and is slated to suit up on their fourth line tonight against Winnipeg.
  • The recent emergence of defenseman Radim Simek could make it easier for the Sharks to move one of Tim Heed or Joakim Ryan, suggests Paul Gackle of The Mercury News. The 26-year-old rookie has played in the last five games and has fared well, picking up a pair of points while averaging 15:34 per night and in the process, he has given San Jose another third pairing option for their back end.  The team is currently carrying eight blueliners and could perhaps flip some of that extra depth for some desired help down the middle.  Both Heed (27) and Ryan (25) are on expiring contracts at the league minimum $650K with Ryan still being eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

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