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Evening Notes: Couture, Motte, Nylander

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Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News is reporting that San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture will miss the team’s home opener on October 12th against the Vegas Golden Knights. Couture remains week-to-week currently but has started some light skating over the last few days. Couture suffered a lower-body injury prior to the start of training camp and failed his physical which has kept him out of pre-season action. This will be the first time Couture starts a season on the IR.

The Sharks are likely to use Tomas Hertl in Couture’s usual spot centering their first line. While Hertl can play on the team’s top unit, it does create a domino effect on an already thin forward group. Mikael Granlund appears likely to center the team’s second unit which could be problematic given how much he struggled last season.

The Sharks appear poised to finish the season near the bottom of the standings and seem prepared to take their time with Couture’s injury. Couture is only halfway through his eight-year contract and could become a tradeable asset for the Sharks if he is able to get healthy and contribute this season.

In other evening notes:

  • Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Motte left the game in the second period of their 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators. The 28-year-old took a puck in the hand with just under six minutes left in the middle frame and did not return to the game. Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper told reporters that the team will know more about Motte’s condition at some point tomorrow. Motte signed a one-year deal in the offseason after setting a career-high with 19 points last season in 62 games.
  • Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN Insider Trading that the Toronto Maple Leafs and pending unrestricted free agent forward William Nylander are continuing contract extension discussions into the season with both sides remaining tight-lipped on the proceedings. LeBrun added that Maple Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving had a face-to-face discussion with Nylander at training camp as the sides try and work towards a resolution. LeBrun finishes by saying that it appears from the outside that all parties are on the same page as far as getting the deal done.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/7/23

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While teams have considerably whittled down their rosters compared to where they were just a weekend ago, there are still plenty more cuts to be made in the coming days.  Here are today’s roster trimmings excluding earlier waiver placements.

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

D Ryan Johnson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Lukas Rousek (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

D Nick DeSimone (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Calgary, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Calgary, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

G Yaniv Perets (to Norfolk, ECHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

D Marcus Bjork (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Joshua Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Billy Sweezey (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)

D Alexander Petrovic (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team Twitter)

F Austin Czarnik (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G John Lethemon (to Toledo, ECHL)
D Jared McIsaac (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Wyatt Newpower (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brogan Rafferty (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Nashville Predators (per ESPN’s John Buccigross)

D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

D Santeri Hatakka (to Utica, AHL)
G Isaac Poulter (to Utica, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter)

F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

F Wade Allison (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team Twitter)

F Ryan Carpenter (to San Jose, AHL)
F Oskar Lindblom (to San Jose, AHL)
F Quentin Musty (to Sudbury, OHL)
F Jacob Peterson (to San Jose, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (per team Twitter)

D Ryker Evans (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Shane Wright (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to Hershey, AHL)
G Mitchell Gibson (to Hershey, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to Hershey, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Speculation Swirling Around Logan Couture

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Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News wrote an article speculating on the future of San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture. In the article, Richardson wonders if the Sharks will look to move the Guelph, Ontario native once he is back in the lineup. The Sharks have made moves in recent years to shed their high-priced veterans, and at 34 years of age, Couture would fit that description. He is entering the fifth year of an eight-year $64MM contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8MM.

Richardson is not the first pundit to suggest that the Sharks will move on from the center. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said earlier this week that he believed that Couture was a prime trade candidate, and even added that he could see the Sharks using their final retained salary slot to facilitate a move. It would make sense for the Sharks to move on as they are unlikely to be contenders in the remaining years of Couture’s contract. The team has moved on from Brent Burns, Timo Meier, and Erik Karlsson and has little reason to keep Couture other than to be a mentor for some of their younger players.

Couture is coming off a very productive season in which he scored 27 goals and 40 assists in 82 games. His 67 points last year weren’t far off his career high of 70 points that he registered in 2018-19. While he was part of a power play that was led by Norris Trophy winner Karlsson, he only recorded 20 points with the man advantage, a number that isn’t above his average production. And while San Jose has little urgency to trade him, Couture’s trade value is probably the highest it will be for the remainder of his contract.

For Couture’s part, he has talked about his predicament before. On an August episode of the San Jose Hockey Now podcast, Couture said that he would love to end his career in San Jose, but he wanted to play more meaningful games. Something that isn’t likely to happen in San Jose for at least a few seasons. While some might view Couture’s statement as neutral, his words do show that he has a desire to play for a winning team.

San Jose Sharks Sign Jake Furlong To Entry-Level Contract

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After signing forward Quentin Musty to an entry-level contract yesterday, the San Jose Sharks have inked another prospect to an entry-level deal as well. According to a team release, the organization has signed defenseman Jake Furlong to a standard three-year entry-level contract.

Coming to San Jose as the 140th overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft, Furlong has recently begun his fourth season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, earning the captaincy just before the start of the year.

In back-to-back solid point-scoring seasons for the Mooseheads, Furlong has racked up 11 goals and 81 assists in 134 games over his sophomore and junior campaigns. In last year’s playoff race, playing in 21 total postseason games, Furlong scored one goal and 11 assists, nearly helping his team to the Memorial Cup Tournament before being ousted in the QMJHL Finals to the Quebec City Remparts in six games.

Clearly showing leadership capabilities, as well as solid on-ice play, Furlong has a legitimate shot to make San Jose’s roster over the next couple of seasons. With a willingness to join the play on offense, and being of adequate size for an NHL blue line, Furlong will have every opportunity to earn a spot on the Sharks in their rebuilding efforts.

Granlund On Track To Play In Opener, Labanc Could Play Thursday

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  • Sharks center Mikael Granlund was injured just before training camp began but Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that the veteran appears to be on track to be ready to play in the season opener. The 31-year-old saw his production drop last year, going from 64 points to 41, resulting in him being a salary matcher in the Erik Karlsson trade.  With Logan Couture’s availability for the season opener still in question, having Granlund – who can play down the middle – available would certainly help.

San Jose Sharks Sign Quentin Musty To Entry-Level Contract

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2:09 p.m.: PuckPedia has confirmed the details of Musty’s entry-level deal, which carries the ELC maximum cap hit of $950K:

Year 1: $855K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K minors salary
Year 2: $855K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K minors salary
Year 3: $855K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K minors salary, $250K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus

1:46 p.m.: The San Jose Sharks have signed left wing and 2023 first-round pick Quentin Musty to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. San Jose will likely return Musty to junior hockey before opening night rosters are due, but they’ll do so with a contract in hand for one of their better forward prospects.

This is Musty’s first NHL training camp after the Sharks selected him 26th overall in June. He is, perhaps, the largest piece of the trade return received from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Timo Meier in February – the pick they used on Musty originally belonged to New Jersey.

Born in Hamburg, New York, and a graduate of the Buffalo Sabres’ youth program, Musty spent last season as an alternate captain for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves in his second season with the team. He potted 26 goals in 53 games, adding 52 assists for 78 points alongside 71 penalty minutes and a +16 rating. The well-rounded winger stands at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds and was named to the OHL’s second All-Rookie Team in 2021-22.

Despite signing him to his entry-level contract now, returning Musty to Sudbury will slide the start of his contract to the 2024-25 campaign. Given Musty’s age, the Sharks can execute this maneuver twice – should he play less than ten NHL games in 2024-25 as well, his contract would then start in 2025-26 and run through 2027-28.

Waivers: 10/04/23

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10/05/23: Per Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman, all players on the waiver wire yesterday have cleared (X Link).

10/04/23: Teams continue to trim their rosters ahead of the regular season, which starts in just six days. That means multiple players will hit the waiver wire daily until opening night rosters are due, and today is no different. Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, 12 players were waived today at 1 p.m. CT, 11 of whom have NHL experience. As a reminder, a waiver placement is a prerequisite for qualified players for assignment to the AHL but not necessarily an indication that a demotion to the minors will immediately happen. NHL teams can send a player down to the minors within 30 days or 10 games played of the date the player originally cleared waivers. After that time, their waiver clock will reset, and they will need to clear again.

Anaheim Ducks

D Robert Hägg
D Colton White

Boston Bruins

F Jayson Megna

Buffalo Sabres

F Brett Murray

Minnesota Wild

F Jujhar Khaira
F Vinni Lettieri
D Dakota Mermis
F Nic Petan

New Jersey Devils

D Callan Foote

Nashville Predators

F Mark Jankowski

San Jose Sharks

D Leon Gawanke

Winnipeg Jets

F Jeffrey Viel

Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/23

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The start of the regular season is less than a week away, and clubs are narrowing down their opening-day rosters. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.

Anaheim Ducks (via team release)

G Calle Clang (to San Diego, AHL)
F Glenn Gawdin (to San Diego, AHL)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO to San Diego, AHL)
F Nikita Nesterenko (to San Diego, AHL)
F Pavol Regenda (to San Diego, AHL)

Boston Bruins (via team release)

F Trevor Kuntar (to Providence, AHL)
F Marc McLaughlin (to Providence, AHL)
F Jayson Megna (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Georgii Merkulov (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (via team release)

F Jiri Kulich (to Rochester, AHL)
F Brett Murray (to Rochester, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Isak Rosén (to Rochester, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via CapFriendly)

G Jaxson Stauber (to Rockford, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via team release)

F Peter Holland (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nate Clurman (to Colorado, AHL)
F Oskar Olausson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ondrej Pavel (to Colorado, AHL)
G Trent Miner (to Colorado, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team release)

F Artem Anisimov (released from PTO, remains free agent)

Minnesota Wild (via team release) (supplementary release)

F Jujhar Khaira (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Vinni Lettieri (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Dakota Mermis (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Nic Petan (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Samuel Walker (to Iowa, AHL)
G Jesper Wallstedt (to Iowa, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team release)

D Callan Foote (to Utica, AHL) pending waiver clearance
G Erik Källgren (to Utica, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)

D Ronald Attard (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Ginning (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tanner Laczynski (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Calvin Petersen (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Samu Tuomaala (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team release)

F Justin Bailey (released from PTO to San Jose, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to San Jose, AHL) pending waiver clearance

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Radim Simek Could Miss Season Opener With Lower-Body Injury

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek could miss the team’s season opener at home on October 12 against the Vegas Golden Knights, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Simek has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the past few days and did not skate today as planned.

Pashelka notes Simek starting the season on injured reserve is a “real possibility,” meaning the 31-year-old defender would miss at least seven days from the retroactive placement, which likely would not impact Simek’s ability to return after the start of the season given he sustained the injury four days ago already. His lack of availability is a huge blow to a paper-thin Sharks defense, as he’s quietly been one of their most effective defenders over the past few seasons. He’s a strong two-way force at even strength and quite adept on the penalty kill, where his absence is felt the most. Simek played in just 44 games last season due to injuries, recording three points and averaging just 14:37 per game – arguably under-utilized by head coach David Quinn. If unavailable for opening night, someone like Nikolai Knyzhov, Jacob MacDonald, or the young Henry Thrun could draw into the lineup.

Sharks Claim Ty Emberson Off Waivers From Rangers

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There was one player claimed from Friday’s batch of waivers as Chris Johnston of TSN reports (Twitter link) that the Sharks have claimed blueliner Ty Emberson off waivers from the Rangers.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Arizona back in 2018 (73rd overall) out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.  He was the player who came to New York when they dealt two draft picks to the Coyotes to take on the remainder of Patrik Nemeth’s contract (which has since been bought out).  The change of scenery seemed to work quite well for Emberson as he went from 11 points in his final season with Tucson to 27 points last season with AHL Hartford although it didn’t land him an NHL look.

That helped secure Emberson a qualifying offer from the Rangers although he ultimately accepted less than that in exchange for a higher AHL pay.  He’s on a one-year deal that pays $775K in the minors and $85K at the minor league level.  He’ll be a restricted free agent once again next summer.

San Jose is an interesting landing spot for Emberson since they already have seven blueliners on one-way deals plus Jacob MacDonald who is on a two-way deal but played in 58 NHL games last season.  However, the Sharks are a team that’s squarely in the middle of a rebuild so from that standpoint, it makes sense that they would want to take a look at a young right-shot defender.

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