Training Camp Cuts: 10/10/22
A very happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers who are celebrating! Today marks the deadline for NHL clubs to become cap compliant and submit their opening night rosters. More specifically, the 5:00 pm ET deadline is now less than six hours away. With that in mind, we expect to see plenty of players sent to the minor leagues, returned to juniors, or released from their PTOs today, and we’ll keep track of them here.
Arizona Coyotes (via team tweet)
D Cam Dineen (to Tucson, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Tucson, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Tucson, AHL)
F Bokondji Imama (to Tucson, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team tweet)
D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (to Rochester, AHL)
F Olivier Nadeau (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Jack Drury (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jordan Martinook (to Chicago, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team tweet)
D Wyatt Aamodt (to Colorado, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Emil Bemstrom (to Cleveland, AHL)
D David Jiricek (to Cleveland, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Jeremie Biakabutuka (released from ATO)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Jussi Olkinuora (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team tweet)
D Jason Demers (released from PTO)
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Devin Shore (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
G Pheonix Copley (to Ontario, AHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (to Ontario, AHL)
F Andre Lee (to Ontario, AHL)
D Jacob Moverare (to Ontario, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via two team tweets)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (to Laval, AHL)
F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)
D Justin Barron (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
D Arber Xhekaj (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Jimmy Huntington (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mark Jankowski (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Philip Tomasino (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Kevin Gravel (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jordan Gross (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
D Matt Bartkowski (released from PTO)
F Julien Gauthier (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team tweet)
F Ridly Greig (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per Olivia Reiner, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
F Jackson Cates (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Seattle Kraken (via team tweet)
F John Hayden (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
D Michal Kempny (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Josh Leivo (to Springfield, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Springfield, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team tweet)
F Kyle Clifford (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Gaudette (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pontus Holmberg (to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (to Toronto, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Toronto, AHL)
F Nick Robertson (to Toronto, AHL)
F Wayne Simmonds (to Toronto, AHL)
D William Villeneuve (to Toronto, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team tweet)
F Linus Karlsson (to Abbotsford, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)
F Pavel Dorofeyev (to Henderson, AHL)
F Sakari Manninen (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jonas Rondbjerg (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Henderson, AHL)
D Kaedan Korczak (to Henderson, AHL)
G Michael Hutchinson (to Henderson, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team tweet)
F Henrik Borgstrom (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team tweet)
D Ville Heinola (to Manitoba, AHL)
This post will be kept updated throughout the day.
Joonas Donskoi Placed On IR
- The Kraken have placed winger Joonas Donskoi on injured reserve, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). He has been battling an upper-body injury for the last couple of weeks and while his official designation has been day-to-day up to this point, clearly, he’ll be out a little longer. He’s coming off a tough first season with the team after scoring just twice in 75 games and this certainly isn’t the start to the year he was hoping for. His absence should allow Daniel Sprong – whose tryout was recently converted to a full contract – to break camp with Seattle.
Jaden Schwartz Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
- Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury says Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol, who spoke to Mike Benton of 93.3 KJR radio. Schwartz had left last night’s preseason contest against the Edmonton Oilers early and did not return. Also of note, forward Daniel Sprong, who recently signed with Seattle after being invited to camp on a PTO, was not in practice today. Fortunately, today was simply a day off for Sprong, Benton adds.
Waivers: 10/8/22
With Monday’s season-opening roster deadline quickly approaching, the activity on the waiver wire is likely to pick up as teams get closer to making their final cuts. We’ll keep track of today’s waiver placements here.
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
D Jeremy Davies
D Chase Priskie
Calgary Flames
D Dennis Gilbert
D Juuso Valimaki
F Radim Zohorna
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings
F Austin Czarnik
D Steven Kampfer
F Matt Luff
Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Joey Anderson
D Mac Hollowell
Seattle Kraken
G Joey Daccord
F Alexander True
Vancouver Canucks
F Sheldon Dries
D Christian Wolanin
With the exception of Winnipeg’s Johnathan Kovacevic (claimed by Montreal), all other players from Friday’s group passed through unclaimed.
Francis Belives Wright Will Spend Full Season In NHL
- While it’s not set in stone just yet, Kraken GM Ron Francis told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that he believes Shane Wright will spend the full season in the NHL. Seattle took the center fourth overall back in July which came as a surprise to many as he was viewed as the projected top selection for most of the season. With Matthew Beniers, Yanni Gourde, and Jared McCann all ahead of him down the middle on the depth chart, Wright might not get a lot of playing time early on but that will also allow him to be eased in from a development perspective which, in the long run, might be ideal for the 18-year-old.
Seattle Kraken Sign Daniel Sprong
Finally, a player has converted on his PTO, receiving an NHL contract. The Seattle Kraken today signed winger Daniel Sprong to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23 worth $750,000. PuckPedia adds that his minors salary is $325,000.
Sprong, 25, will get a second look in the Kraken lineup after playing in 16 games for them last season. Acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline (along with a 2022 fourth-round pick and 2023 sixth-round pick) for Marcus Johansson, Sprong had six goals and no assists down the stretch for the expansion Kraken. It was the third time Sprong had been traded in his young, yet bumpy career.
Hailing from Amsterdam, the Dutch forward was drafted 46th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. While he hasn’t been able to make it stick with one team, Sprong’s provided solid depth scoring wherever he’s gone. He’s scored 14, 13, and 14 goals in his last three full NHL seasons. He played just eight games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2019-20, instead spending significant time with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
Sprong will need to work hard to crack what’s a considerably deeper Kraken forward core this season, especially on the wing. The additions of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andre Burakovsky at the top make the Kraken’s top six more compelling, but it’s scorers like Sprong who will be relied upon to generate depth offense in The Deep this season.
Ottawa Senators Claim Magnus Hellberg
With the recent injury of Cam Talbot, the Ottawa Senators have nabbed another goaltender. The team has claimed Magnus Hellberg off waivers from the Seattle Kraken, giving Anton Forsberg a new backup for the time being.
The Senators have announced that Talbot’s upper-body injury will keep him out five to seven weeks, though Darren Dreger of TSN reports it might not be quite so long. Dreger tweets that Talbot is believed to have suffered a fractured rib, suggesting it might only be three to four weeks before he returns.
Either way, the team now hands the reins to Forsberg, with the 31-year-old Hellberg behind him. The latter actually made his NHL debut back in 2013 but has just five appearances overall. For most of his career, Hellberg has played in the KHL, before signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings at the very end of last season.
That gave him a chance to showcase himself and show he is ready to return to North America, eventually earning him a $750K contract with the Kraken this summer. It will be interesting to see how much playing time he receives in Ottawa, and whether the Senators can potentially flip the 6’6″ goaltender to another team once Talbot is eligible to return. If not, they would have to waive him in order to send him to the minor leagues, giving a chance for Seattle to reclaim the big netminder.
Waivers: 10/2/22
It’s expected to be another busy day on the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim down their rosters. We’ll keep track of the players being placed on waivers here.
Buffalo Sabres (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
F Clark Bishop
F Ben Jones
F Matthew Phillips
D Colton Poolman
D Nick DeSimone
G Oscar Dansk
Carolina Hurricanes (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)
Dallas Stars (via PuckPedia)
F Riley Tufte
F Marian Studenic
D Alexander Petrovic
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
Florida Panthers (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, awaiting team announcement)
Los Angeles Kings (via PuckPedia)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Rourke Chartier
F Jake Luccini
D Dillon Heatherington
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Alexander Nylander
F Radim Zohorna
F Drake Caggiula
D Xavier Ouellet
G Dustin Tokarski
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
F Jesper Froden
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
F Austin Poganski
F Andrew Poturalski
F Brogan Rafferty
F Carsen Twarynski
D Gustav Olofsson
G Magnus Hellberg
St. Louis Blues (via team release, PuckPedia)
F Nathan Todd
F Will Bitten
D Luke Witkowski
D Steven Santini
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Beck Malenstyn
F Garrett Pilon
D Gabriel Carlsson
D Dylan McIlrath
D Bobby Nardella
G Zachary Fucale
Jacob Melanson Suspended Two Games
7:03 pm: As announced by NHL Player Safety, Melanson has been suspended for two games for his illegal check to the head against Hamblin. In the video explanation for the decision, the Department provided the following justification:
This is an illegal check to the head. It is important to note that both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this hit. First, the head is the main point of contact; as Melanson’s shoulder makes contact with the head of Hamblin, and it is the head that absorbs the majority of the force of this hit. Second, the head contact on this hit is avoidable. Melanson chooses an angle of approach that cuts across the front of Hamblin’s body, missing his core and picking the head. If Melanson wants to deliver this hit, he must stay low and choose an angle that leads to a full-body check through the shoulder or chest, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact.
Melanson will serve the suspension in the next two consecutive games that he is eligible to participate for Seattle.
11:05 am: There is a chance that Jacob Melanson is suspended for an NHL game before he even makes his debut. The young winger will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today for an illegal check to the head of Edmonton Oilers prospect James Hamblin.
Should he earn a suspension that stretches into the regular season, there is a way around it. The team could essentially keep him on the roster for an extra few days before sending him back to junior, though with the waiver crunch the Kraken are already going to experience, that may not be an option. Otherwise, the suspension would be waiting for Melanson whenever he does make it back to the NHL.
Of course, it also might just keep him out of preseason action, and not carry over to the regular season, given it happened so early in the exhibition schedule.
Melanson, a fifth-round pick of the Kraken in 2021, is known for his physicality and for going over the line at times. Earlier this year he was given a four-game suspension in the QMJHL for taking a run at an opponent, extending his leg to contact knee-on-knee. He also racked up 85 penalty minutes in his 54 games, though his game did prove effective. The young forward also registered 35 goals, breaking out offensively and becoming an interesting NHL prospect.
For now, he’ll have to wait to see what punishment is coming down from the league. If he ever does make the NHL, he’ll be under a watchful eye, as a preseason suspension will be taken into account in any further supplementary discipline decisions.
Jimmy Schuldt, Callum Booth To Attend Seattle Training Camp
With training camps starting this week, we’ll end up finding out where several unsigned players will showcase their talents on professional tryouts. Andy Eide of NHL.com shared the Seattle Kraken roster last night, a group which includes several interesting names. The tryout contract for Daniel Sprong was previously reported, and Matt Tennyson will be there after signing an AHL contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. But the Kraken also have Callum Booth, and Jimmy Schuldt listed under PTOs, after they became free agents this summer.
Booth, 25, qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency after failing to progress up the Boston Bruins’ depth chart. The fourth-round goaltender has spent more time in the ECHL than the AHL over the years, though he did play well for the Maine Mariners in 2021-22. There are often late-blooming goaltenders that take big development steps around Booth’s age, but it is hard to think anyone would sign him to an NHL contract this season. To be considered depth, he’ll have to first prove he can handle AHL duties first.
Schuldt meanwhile is already 27, and reached regular unrestricted free agency after spending last season under contract with the Buffalo Sabres. The undrafted defenseman was a hot commodity when he was coming out of St. Cloud State in 2019, and though he ultimately signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, he played only one game at the NHL level.
One wonders if things would have gone differently for him in another organization with more opportunities (and cap space) in the NHL, but he now sits as an AHL depth option after spending the last three full seasons in the minor leagues. In 61 games with Rochester last year, he recorded 17 points.