Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Toby Enstrom

Snapshots: Sestito, Thomas, Letang, Koivu

at CDT | by 8 Comments

It looks like enforcer Tom Sestito will be getting another chance to work his way back to the NHL as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Toronto Marlies have signed the 6-foot-5, 228-pound forward to a professional tryout. A veteran of 154 NHL games, the 31-year-old had been playing in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the previous two years, but he wasn’t able to get a contract this year.

Friedman says that his source said he was thrilled that Sestito was getting one last shot to work his way back and referred to him as a great teammate. Sestito’s best season came in the 2013-14 season with the Vancouver Canucks when he played 77 games and scored five goals and nine points and accumulated 213 penalty minutes. He was probably best known for hits that netted him a pair of four-game suspensions, including one against New York Rangers’ Andre Deveaux from behind in 2011 and another one in 2017 when he boarded Winnipeg’s Toby Enstrom. His last NHL team was the Pittsburgh Penguins where he played 17 games in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons combined.

  • St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said that forward Robert Thomas will not be loaned to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships, according to Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland. The 19-year-old has just two goals and seven points so far in his rookie campaign in St. Louis while averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game, so many have speculated the Blues could loan him out temporarily to get him extra playing time at the World Juniors. However, Thomas has seen a small spike in his playing time since head coach Mike Yeo was fired and replaced by Craig Berube as the team hopes that the 2017 first-rounder continues his development while learning on the bottom lines.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins got some good news on the injury that defenseman Kris Letang suffered Friday in the third period against the Boston Bruins when the blueliner collided with Boston’s Joakim Nordstrom and had his knee buckle. Fans began to get concerned when he wasn’t able to stand on his own. However, while he did miss tonight’s game, the Penguins announced that he’s day-to-day, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It could’ve been a lot worse,” coach Mike Sullivan said. The 31-year-old has been having a solid season this year with seven goals and 25 points in 30 games this season.
  • NHL.com’s Kevin Falness reports that Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau said that he expects center Mikko Koivu to return to the Wild’s lineup on Tuesday when they face San Jose. The 35-year-old has missed four games with a left leg injury, but a return could be a big addition as Koivu has put up solid numbers this year as he has four goals and 21 points in 27 games.

Toby Enstrom Signs In Sweden

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After being recruited by his former team all summer, Toby Enstrom has finally made the decision to return to Sweden for the upcoming season. The veteran defenseman has signed a one-year contract with MODO, the club he played with before coming to the NHL.

It will be a big jump for Enstrom, who goes from playing in the NHL to the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second league. MODO was relegated from the SHL in recent seasons, and are trying to claw their way back up to the highest league in the country. He’ll also be joining his brother Tommy Enstrom who returned to the club in 2016-17 and wore an “A” as an alternate captain last season.

If this is the end of his NHL career, Enstrom will leave after 719 games in the league all played with the same franchise. Selected 239th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2003, when Enstrom made his debut in 2007 for the club he didn’t look back. Scoring 38 points as a rookie, he immediately became the most reliable defenseman in the Thrashers organization and logged more than 24 minutes a night in his first year. Eventually hitting a career-high of 51 points in the 2010-11 season, Enstrom would then join the Thrashers as they relocated to Winnipeg, where he played another seven seasons.

Unfortunately things didn’t end on a high note for Enstrom, who sat as a healthy scratch in the playoffs and was overtaken by younger options in Winnipeg. He certainly could have helped an NHL team in 2018-19, but instead will return home and likely dominate the lower league. Turning 34 in November, he remains an excellent example of how undersized defensemen were overlooked for years in the NHL draft, as only Brent Burns, Shea Weber, Dustin Byfuglien, Dion Phaneuf and Brent Seabrook rank ahead of him in points among defensemen from the 2003 group.

Toby Enstrom Practicing With Swedish Team, Expected To Make Decision Soon

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

When we polled the PHR readership recently and asked who was the best remaining free agent, Toby Enstrom’s name quickly rose to the top. With almost 12% of the votes, readers thought that Enstrom had the most to offer among the extremely thin defense market, something that has had the spotlight turned on it in the last few days. When the Edmonton Oilers lost Andrej Sekera to Achilles surgery, many immediately speculated on a possible veteran signing that could help replace the defenseman’s minutes. Enstrom was clearly one of those names, though there has been no report of contact between the two sides.

That might be because Enstrom is currently practicing with his former team in Sweden, MODO, and has yet to make a decision on where to play in 2018-19. Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet spoke with MODO GM Michael Sundlov, who wants to sign Enstrom and expects the veteran NHL defenseman to make a decision soon. Interestingly MODO was relegated in 2016 and actually now plays in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second tier. Enstrom’s brother Tommy Enstrom plays on the club and wore an “A” as an alternate captain last season, giving the team another bargaining chip to bring to the table.

The 33-year old Enstrom is an unrestricted free agent this summer after a decade in the NHL, originally making his debut for the Atlanta Thrashers back in 2007. A steady contributor, he has been slowed by injuries in recent years and no longer has quite the same offensive touch at the NHL level. The Winnipeg Jets made it clear they wouldn’t be bringing him back given their impressive depth on defense, though there was expected to at least be some interest in him on the open market. It does seem as though he has at least some sort of a North American opportunity according to Sundlov, though there are no specifics listed.

Options For The Oilers To Replace Andrej Sekera

at CDT | by 5 Comments

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.

Free Agent Profile: Toby Enstrom

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While he was often banged up in his final few seasons in Winnipeg, defenseman Toby Enstrom has been a dependable blueliner over an 11-year NHL career.  With a return to the Jets off the table, the 33-year-old is now looking for a new team for the 2018-19 season.

Last year, Enstrom dealt with multiple lower-body injuries and also was a scratch the odd time on a deep Jets back end.  As a result, he wound up playing in just 43 regular season contests while suiting up 11 times in the playoffs.  It was Winnipeg’s decision to sit him late in the postseason that played a role in him deciding to leave even before free agency began.

Although that certainly isn’t a great year with which to market himself, it should be noted that Enstrom has logged at least 20:51 per night in every season except for 2017-18.  While he is probably better suited to play closer to 18 minutes per game at this stage of his career, the fact that he can move up and take on a bigger when called upon should be appealing to some teams.

While Enstrom is long removed from his days as a 50-point player, his mobility and puck-moving skills fit in well as the league transitions to quicker, more skilled defenders.  That could still make him useful on a power play although he isn’t much of a shooting threat at this stage of his career.  Enstrom isn’t a top-four player anymore but he could still upgrade the third pairing on a lot of teams.

Potential Suitors

At this stage of his career, it’s hard to imagine rebuilding teams looking at Enstrom and vice versa so let’s just focus on teams that have playoff aspirations.

In the West, Chicago has freed up some cap space and could stand to upgrade their defensive depth which would make them a logical fit for Enstrom.  Nashville’s back end is full with three players on cheap contracts but they have more than enough cap flexibility to add a one-year upgrade.  San Jose is who we originally projected Enstrom signing with as he would certainly serve as an improvement on their third pairing.  If they’re unable to land a notable player via trade over the coming weeks or months, upgrading their depth by signing someone like Enstrom becomes a more feasible option.

Out East, Washington has some salary cap flexibility and could stand to use another veteran to help round out their back end.  New Jersey has been surprisingly quiet this summer and after not being able to land much in free agency, shoring up their depth makes sense as a next way to turn.  Meanwhile, Columbus lost a pair of left-shot defenders in free agency and while they have some lower-end replacements signed, Enstrom would represent an upgrade on their third pairing.

What will be interesting here is if Enstrom is willing to play a six/seven role where he is a healthy scratch at times which is what his role would be with some of these teams.  He didn’t take too well to being in that spot in Winnipeg and if that’s still the case now, that could limit his options.  With that in mind, returning home to play in Sweden is certainly on the table as well.

Projected Contract

Enstrom was ranked 37th on our Top 50 Free Agents listed with a projected one-year, $1.75MM contract.  That represents a significant decrease from the $5.75MM he received in each of the last five seasons but is in line with what veteran third pairing players can get on the open market.  While he has yet to sign thus far, it’s hard to envision the price going much lower knowing that he can simply choose to go back home to Sweden and sign a sizable contract there.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Toby Enstrom Won’t Re-Sign With Winnipeg

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom has informed the team that he will not be returning next season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts column.  This came shortly after he was a healthy scratch for Game Five of their second round series against Nashville.

This means that Enstrom will be leaving the only organization he has ever been a part of, going back to their days as the Atlanta Thrashers.  The 33-year-old was an eighth-round pick of Atlanta back in 2003 and has suited up in 719 NHL games between the Thrashers and Jets since then.

His role was drastically reduced in 2017-18 so this departure doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.  Enstrom played in just 43 regular season games due to various injuries while his ice time was cut by nearly five full minutes per game.  For someone used to being a top-four defender and the fact that when healthy, Josh Morrissey and Dmitry Kulikov are ahead of him on the depth chart on the left side (plus their core of Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba on the right), a parting of the ways was likely.

Enstrom will now hit the open market in search of a new team this summer.  While his offensive numbers have eroded in recent years, he is still an effective puck mover from the back end and the fact he has logged heavy minutes in the past will certainly help him garner interest from other teams around the league.  Despite that, he will certainly be faced with the prospect of taking a significant pay cut as he stands no chance of coming close to the $5.75MM he has made for each of the last five years.

Snapshots: Kinkaid, Jets, Malkin

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

He won’t be facing any Taylor Hall shots, but Keith Kinkaid of the New Jersey Devils is headed to the World Championships for Team USA. Kinkaid started six games in the 2016 tournament, but struggled to find any consistency and his team failed to medal. This time around, things are a little bit different in his career.

Kinkaid essentially took the net from Cory Schneider this season, registering a .913 save percentage in 41 games and showing that he could have what it takes to be a starting goaltender in the NHL. It came at a good time, as the 28-year old goaltender is eligible to sign an extension on July 1st, but could hold out to hit free agency in 2019. Though he struggled in the postseason allowing nine goals on 46 shots, his body of work over a relatively short career is impressive enough to put him among the candidates for a long-term deal on the open market. A good performance at the Worlds would only add to that resume.

  • The Winnipeg Jets happily welcomed Toby Enstrom and Nikolaj Ehlers back to the ice today without their previous non-contact sweaters, meaning a return for the beginning of the second round seems possible. Ehlers played in just four games in the opening series, while Enstrom has yet to suit up in the postseason. According to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, Enstrom took his normal place beside Dustin Byfuglien in practice, while Ehlers was alongside Paul Stastny on the second line. Though nothing is official yet, the Jets are expected to kick off their second round series against the Nashville Predators on Friday night.
  • Evgeni Malkin was spotted by The Athletic’s Josh Yohe today, who noted that though there were no apparent casts, the superstar forward was walking with a “hint of a limp.” Malkin didn’t play in Game 6 of the first round, but is apparently “day to day” according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Getting Malkin back soon is imperative for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they prepare for another second round matchup with the Washington Capitals.

Injury Notes: Hornqvist, Couturier, Jets

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins will have Kris Letang in the lineup despite missing practice as a “maintenance day” but won’t be as lucky with Patric Hornqvist. The high-energy winger is out for Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers and has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Hornqvist has three points in the first three games for the Penguins, and is an integral part of their powerplay unit as the net front presence. The team certainly has enough firepower to get by without him, but any loss to their forward group will test the depth of the lower lines.

Injury Notes: Jets And Bruins

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Two of the best teams in hockey, the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets, are both in action today and will both see changes to their lineups due to injury. The Bruins take on the Minnesota Wild with a chance to climb within two points of the Atlantic-leading Tampa Bay Lightning while still holding a game in hand. The Jets need a win over the Central leading Predators to clinch a playoff spot with their own efforts, but could also get in today with at least one point and an Anaheim Ducks loss. However, the Jets will have to do so tonight and going forward down a man, whereas it seems like the Bruins task is about to get easier as their mountain of injuries is shrinking.

The Winnipeg Jets have a tough situation on their hands, but it could be worse. The team announced today that veteran defenseman Toby Enstrom will be shut down for the remainder of the regular season. Head coach Paul Maurice told TSN’s Brian Munz that Enstrom will not play again over the final two weeks as he nurses a lower-body injury. However, the important distinction is that this was the team’s choice and that it only includes the regular season. The team seems optimistic that some time off will give Enstrom a better chance of being ready to go in the postseason. With Dmitry Kulikov all but done for the year, the Jets could really use a healthy Enstrom if they want to make waves in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Bruins also have their eye on the Cup and have somehow stayed on course through mounting injuries over the past month. Boston’s last two games in particular have lacked Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, Zdeno Chara, Jake DeBrusk, David Backes, Rick Nash, and Torey Krug, yet the Bruins picked up a combined three points against the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. Overall, the Bruins are shockingly 9-2-2 since Bergeron went down in late February, with McAvoy out since March 3rd and Chara and DeBrusk having missed the last two weeks. Now, the team is getting healthier, announcing that Bergeron and Krug are set to return to the lineup tonight and adding that Chara, McAvoy, and Backes are making their way back as well. That just leaves DeBrusk and Nash without an update and neither injury was reported to be overly serious when they first occurred, which means that Boston could be back at full strength before the start of the playoffs. Given the emergence of Ryan Donato and the strong play of Brian Gionta, Nick Holden, and others, that begs the question posed by beat writer Joe Haggerty today: who will start for the Bruins if everyone is healthy?

Dmitry Kulikov Out Eight Weeks Following Back Surgery

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

When Dmitry Kulikov was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury last week, it seemed completely innocuous. Now, it appears to be anything but and potentially season-altering for the Winnipeg Jets. Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds reports that Kulikov is undergoing back surgery and will be out about eight weeks. For perspective, that would be a return around May 12th, most likely the conference finals round. This is likely season-ending surgery for Kulikov and Winnipeg hopes it won’t contribute to a premature end to their 2017-18 run as well.

For those trying to think of when Kulikov could have suffered such a major injury, you would have to go all the way back to the 2016-17 preseason. Then a newly-acquired Buffalo Sabre, Kulikov suffered a back injury before the season even began and dealt with repercussions all year. Kulikov missed 35 games due to injury last year, at least 22 of which were officially credited to his back, and landed on injured reserve twice. Now, Reynolds adds, the lingering issue has returned to plague him again. In his first season of a three-year deal with the Jets, one has to wonder what the future looks like for Kulikov as this back problem continues to stick around.

Until this point, Kulikov has been relatively healthy for Winnipeg, skating in 62 games thus far. Kulikov has fit in nicely for the Jets, far exceeding his performance in Buffalo last season. His numbers may not jump off the page, offensively or defensively, but as a third-pair pair blue liner he has done everything asked of him, including playing a solid game in his own zone and possessing the puck safely. While his absence may not hurt as much as the loss of a Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, or Tyler Myers would for the rest of the year, it will certainly be felt. Especially with Toby Enstrom already on the shelf as well, the Jets are hurting for the strong defensive depth they began the year with. More pressure will certainly fall on the likes of Tucker Poolman and Joe Morrow for the remainder of the year, as Winnipeg looks to keep injuries from slowing down an incredible campaign.

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

scroll to top