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Schmaltz, McCartney, Dineen Day-To-Day With Lower Body Injuries

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There’s really no way around it: expectations are high for the Vancouver Canucks this season. After a slow start to the 2021-22 season, the team fired head coach Travis Green and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau and proceeded to go on a sensational run that took them from the NHL’s basement to the fringes of a playoff spot. This offseason, the organization made moves to build upon the core they had and solidify it in the long-term, adding forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev, then extending J.T. Miller. After all is said and done, the team finds itself $2.75MM over the salary cap ceiling. However, that is without factoring in injured forward Michael Ferland, who holds a $3.5MM cap hit for this season. While the team could utilize LTIR for Ferland and be alright, Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff says Vancouver prefers not to go that route.

Instead, Seravalli says, the Canucks are actively looking to move Ferland’s contract. The reason for doing so is two-fold: one, Vancouver would prefer not to operate in LTIR, and two, because Ferland is injured, the insurance on the contract will not kick-in and whatever team has Ferland will have to pay the entirety of the $2.75MM in salary remaining on his deal. Though there are some teams that would actually benefit from taking on Ferland’s contract for salary cap purposes, similar to the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring Shea Weber this summer, Seravalli says the $2.75MM of real money owed is likely acting as a barrier to getting a deal done and would force the Canucks to give something up to move Ferland. The 30-year-old wing signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Canucks during the 2019 offseason, but has managed to play just 14 games in that span, all coming in the first half of the 2019-20 season.

  • The Arizona Coyotes received some relatively good news today on the injury front, as forwards Nick Schmaltz and Ben McCartney, as well as defenseman Cam Dineen have all been listed as day-to-day with lower body injuries says PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. No team wants any of it’s players to be injured, however having all three be limited to just day-to-day status is a positive sign. The Coyotes play their next preseason game Tuesday in Vegas, and it’s unclear as of yet whether any of the three will be able to participate. For Schmaltz, who has a prominent roster spot secured, missing tomorrow night’s action wouldn’t be a major setback, but for Dineen and McCartney, who are both battling for roles in the organization, a missed opportunity in the preseason is far from ideal.
  • Speaking of injuries, after the Toronto Maple Leafs found out that depth defensemen Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom would miss time, the former set to miss three weeks an the latter set to miss six months, the team was rumored to be in contact with several defensemen who were in NHL camps on PTO’s. Thus far, that has not come to fruition and in the past few days, several defenseman on PTO’s, including Nathan Beaulieu, Calvin de Haan, and Scott Harrington, signed with the teams they were trying out with. On today’s 32 Thoughts Podcast featuring Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Friedman cleared the air on these rumors, believing that the Maple Leafs had not been in on any of these defensemen, as the team would also like to sign forward Zach Aston-Reese, who is in camp with Toronto on a PTO.. Still, Friedman adds that the team could instead try to move one of its depth forwards out in exchange for a defenseman who is either waiver exempt or has already cleared. Right now, Toronto sits just below $2.9MM over the salary cap ceiling after re-signing defenseman Rasmus Sandin.
  • If Derick Brassard can catch on with the Ottawa Senators this season, it will mark his eighth different team since Ottawa dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins mid-way through the 2017-18 season. Once a dynamic offensive threat in the top-six group of the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and the Senators, Brassard has become a veteran journeyman capable of playing whatever role his team needs, anywhere in the lineup. Earlier today on TSN 1200 in Ottawa, Brassard mentioned that he would like to try to play a similar role to the one Jason Spezza played with the Maple Leafs the past few seasons, one which was to be deployed in a myriad of different situations as his team saw fit. The Hull, Quebec native added that when the offseason began, his primary focus was on joining the Ottawa Senators and hadn’t thought much about other options. Brassard has of course been playing that role for a few seasons now, but being able to do so with a team so close to home as they turn the corner from rebuilder to contender, just as Spezza did, seems like a no-brainer if he can secure the opportunity.

Arizona Coyotes Add Kurtis Foster, Jeff Shantz To Development Staff

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This morning, the St. Louis Blues took a big step in honoring their storied franchise history. The team announced the establishment of the Blues Hall of Fame, created to “recognize franchise legends.” The inaugural class will be announced on Opening Night for the team; which is October 15, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The release notes that the Blues Hall of Fame won’t just be limited to players. The franchise’s internal upper echelon will also be open to coaches, managers, and broadcasters “that have made a profound impact on the franchise,” per the team. Members will be added to the Hall of Fame each season, with voting occurring during the offseason. Members of the Blues Hall of Fame committee, current and former members of the Blues organization, Blues alumni members, media members, and Blues fans will be able to nominate people for consideration each year. Eight players will be inducted automatically as their numbers have been retired by the team – Al MacInnis, Bob Gassoff, Bob Plager, Barclay Plager, Brian Sutter, Brett Hull, Bernie Federko, and Chris Pronger. Original owner Sid Salomon Jr. and broadcaster Dan Kelly will also be inaugural members.

  • Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong announced today that the team is adding Kurtis Foster and Jeff Shantz to the team’s player development department as coaches. The duo of former NHLers will work under another former NHLer in Lee Stempniak, who remains the team’s director of player development. Foster played in 405 NHL games from 2002 to 2013 and served as an associate coach for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last year. Shantz, 48, has only had coaching experience in U15 leagues and last played NHL hockey in 2003, with a career in Europe that extended to 2011.
  • As reported by TSN’s John Lu, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness today commented on 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert, whose opening night spot “has yet to be determined.” He went on to say that Lambert’s skating and speed are NHL-ready, but is unsure about his ability to elevate his intensity and decision-making to NHL standards at this time. Lambert, who’s still just 18, slipped to the Jets at 30th overall after scoring 10 points in 49 Liiga games last season.

Oilers Not Among The Teams Discussing Jakob Chychrun

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While Jaromir Jagr last played in the NHL back in 2017-18 with Calgary, he continued to play through last season when he suited up for the team he owns in Kladno in the Czech Extraliga.  Notably, the 50-year-old hasn’t suited up for his squad this season and he told Denik Sport’s Miroslav Horak that he “lacks the desire and motivation” to play this year.  While he acknowledged he’d have to try to get back into playing shape for a Winter Classic game (not an NHL one) that he had been a part of trying to put together, that doesn’t seem likely to happen so perhaps the future Hall of Famer has played his last game.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Sharks will be without winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Markus Nutivaara for the first two games of the regular season, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The pair did not accompany the team on their trip to Czechia against Nashville.  The two have been listed as day-to-day for the last week and they’ll have nearly two more weeks to recover with their first game back in North America not until the 14th.  San Jose is carrying the maximum of 27 players on the trip.
  • The Oilers are not believed to be among the teams that are involved in trade talks with Arizona regarding defenseman Jakob Chychrun, reports Sportsnet’s Mark Spector (Twitter link). He notes that top prospects Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg are off the table in discussions which would certainly limit the top young assets that the Coyotes will be seeking.  As a team with very limited cap space, Edmonton would also likely need to send salary out that matches or exceeds Chychrun’s $4.6MM AAV which also wouldn’t be appealing to Arizona.

Looking For A Partner In An Anton Khudobin Trade

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It’s not much of a secret that the Dallas Stars would be interested in moving Anton Khudobin. That desire isn’t for a lack of liking the player or appreciating the tremendous run he went on over the COVID-shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, as well as a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 bubble. Instead, the team has just over $7MM left in salary cap space and still needs to re-sign breakout superstar winger Jason Robertson. The remaining $7MM could, technically, be enough to sign Robertson, but clearing some, or ideally all, of Khudobins”s $3.33M cap hit would make it not only much easier to re-sign the forward, but could allow Dallas to negotiate it’s way into a max-term deal.

The problem for Dallas is that trading Khudobin is easier said than done. For one, finding a team that is interested in a goaltender who’s dealt with injuries for much of the last year who is owed a $3.75MM salary (and $3.33MM cap hit) would be difficult. Second, even if a match is found, it’s clear this would be a cap-dump and Dallas is already in a tough position with Robertson still not in camp. If Dallas wants to make that deal, they’ll have to pay the market price to do so, but before going that far, let’s take a look at their options and who Dallas could turn to.

Bury The Contract

If the Stars are unwilling to pay the price to move Khudobin, or if they genuinely cannot find a suitor, one option would be burying Khudobin’s contract in the minors. Under the terms of the current CBA, teams can bury a player and their cap hit in the minor leagues and recoup $1.125MM against the salary cap. By doing this, Dallas would give itself $8.21MM in cap space with which to re-sign Robertson. That figure might be just enough to get a deal done with Robertson, but with little coming out of the Dallas or Robertson camps when it comes to any specific figures and considering the recent contracts given to Jack Hughes, Tim Stutzle, Joshua Norris, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou, it’s not hard to believe that $8MM AAV, whether on a long or short-term deal, is only the starting point in these negotiations.

Potential Need:

Philadelphia Flyers: When talking about teams who could take on a salary-cap trade, generally the obvious rebuilding clubs with plenty of space come to mind, and that’s no exception for Khudobin. However, some would argue the Flyers aren’t in that same position, having not committed to the rebuild and without a ton of cap space. Right now, the team is just under $2.4MM over the salary cap ceiling. But, factoring in the expected LTIR stints of forward Sean Couturier and defenseman Ryan Ellis, they will be left with a little over $11.6MM available.

In net, the Flyers will rely on young netminder Carter Hart to make a bulk of the starts and an apparent backup slotted in with Felix Sandstrom. However, with Sandstrom suffering an injury in yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins, the organization may find itself in need of another goaltender beyond Troy Grosenick and Samuel Ersson. More impactful though, would be the ability to have Sandstrom continue his development by making the bulk of starts in the AHL and allowing Khudobin to backup Hart.

Minnesota Wild: Another peculiar team on this list, the Wild made their way into this offseason with a goaltending glut and cap issues of their own, issues which necessitated the trade of star winger Kevin Fiala and goaltender Cam Talbot. But, now, they could be a fit for a Khudobin trade. Today, the Wild have roughly $5.74MM in cap space, enough to acquire Khudobin outright. The team projects to start the legendary Marc-Andre Fleury in net, backstopped by a young Filip Gustavsson. The younger goaltender has 27 games of NHL experience under his belt, but has struggled to an extent in that time. Should the Wild want to see him continue his development in the AHL and have a veteran backstop for Fleury, taking on Khudobin might make sense. Still, the Wild had to make tough sacrifices to be cap compliant, namely Fiala, so relying on Gustavsson and looking to use their cap room to address other needs could be the more prudent option.

Cap Room To Give:

More than a few teams have the room to take on Khudobin’s contract; in fact, Robertson aside, the Stars are one of them. But, there are only a handful that not only have the room, but are in the position to do so.

Chicago Blackhawks: With $7.54MM in available cap space, the Blackhawks could afford to take on Khudobin’s contract with ease. An issue with doing so for Chicago is, given their rebuild and desire to stockpile draft picks, they will likely want to make as many cap-trades of this nature as possible. Acquiring Khudobin would bring them to just over $4.2MM in available cap space, making trades of this nature a bit more difficult, at least for this season. Moving one or both of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would free up some space, but the team will likely be expected to retain significant portions of their salary.

Anaheim Ducks: Clocking in with $15.75MM in available cap space, acquiring Khudobin would be no issue for Anaheim. But, this Ducks team, unlike the Blackhawks above, is no longer in the depths of their rebuild. Making a trade of this sort is still possible, but considering where the Ducks stand, holding on to as much of their cap space as they can to see if they may wish to buy at this year’s trade deadline might make the most sense. If the team finds it’s not in that position yet, they can still utilize their cap space to aid other teams (for a price) at that time. Also at issue is the team’s goaltending situation as it stands now. Of course, John Gibson is not going anywhere, and behind him, Anthony Stolarz has proven to be an incredibly sound backup. Anaheim could bury Khudobin in the AHL, but would presumably like to give the overwhelming majority of the playing time there to promising young netminder Lukas Dostal, as well as Olle Eriksson Ek.

Buffalo Sabres: Like the Ducks, the Sabres are looking to turn a corner this year and take the next step, whether that’s a playoff spot or at least putting up a fight for one. That wouldn’t necessarily mean they aren’t interested in utilizing their league-best $20.54MM in cap space to their benefit, however it might not be top of mind. In addition to that, Buffalo has an even more crowded net than Anaheim. The team projects to rely on veterans Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie in net after waiving Malcolm Subban earlier today. Even if Subban were to be claimed, the development of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the AHL is of great importance to Buffalo.

The Arizona Coyotes:

Given that the Coyotes are in a full rebuild and set to play at least the next two seasons at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena, their $19.47MM in cap space, and their well-documented desire for goaltending, a deal sending Khudobin to Arizona seems obvious. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong has made clear this offseason he would continue to monitor the goaltending market, whether that be in free agency, the waiver wire, or via trade. Arizona has acted on it thus far, signing Jon Gillies, offering a PTO to Christopher Gibson (who has since been released), and most recently claiming Jonas Johansson off of waivers. Even after claiming Johansson, Armstrong reiterated his commitment to monitoring the goaltending market.

As of today, Arizona currently has Karel Vejmelka, Ivan Prosvetov, Johansson, and Gillies all under contract and with NHL experience. Adding Khudobin into the fold would make an already crowded situation more so, but would give the Coyotes a veteran netminder who could serve to mentor their less experienced ones. Worth noting as well, the Coyotes have been in this situation more than a couple of times and know what they can get in exchange for their cap help. Most recently, they acquired second and third round draft picks and swapped the 32nd overall pick in 2022 for the 29th overall pick to take on the contract of forward Zack Kassian from the Edmonton Oilers. What the price for Khudobin would be is unclear, but this sort of trade has paid dividends for the Coyotes before.

Latest On Jakob Chychrun

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A few days ago, we covered an update on the ongoing Jakob Chychrun trade rumors. In that update, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that trade talks on Chychrun were more active than they’d been in recent months, and he specifically named the Columbus Blue Jackets as a potential suitor for Chychrun’s services. Today, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline has added some more details to Columbus’ side of the equation. (subscription link)

Portzline reports that earlier this summer, Chychrun was not interested in being traded to Columbus because he did not view the Blue Jackets as a legitimate playoff contender. Now, though, after they added the offseason market’s top free agent, he seems to have changed his tune. Portzline cites sources who say that Chychrun has “informed those close to him” that he is now willing to join Columbus in a trade. Chychrun would certainly make the Blue Jackets a better team for next season, but one wonders how they would fit his not-insignificant $4.6MM cap hit into their currently tight cap sheet, especially since the term left on Chychrun’s deal would seemingly rule out any significant retention.

Now, for some other notes from the league’s Eastern Conference:

  • In another piece of Blue Jackets news, we have an update on forward Gustav Nyquist’s injury situation after he left last night’s preseason contest early. As reported by Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, Nyquist has suffered a lower-body injury and is injured on a day-to-day designation. This injury is hopefully not one that will nag Nyquist this season, as the forward is in a platform year, meaning he is set to hit free agency this summer, so he’ll want to stay healthy and have as strong of a season as possible to set him up for his next contract.
  • The Ottawa Senators’ defensive situation hasn’t garnered nearly as much attention as their new-look offense has, but that doesn’t mean their blueline is without notable additions. Per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, 25-year-old defenseman Jacob Larsson could be playing his way into “notable addition” territory. Larsson, a 2015 first-round pick, was not qualified by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer and arrived in Ottawa on a one-year deal. Garrioch says that although Larsson may not make the Senators’ opening-night roster, there’s “no doubt” that he’ll play in games for the team this season and has “made an impression” on the team’s management.

Arizona Coyotes Plan To Continue Working Goalie Market

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As this offseason was wrapping up with most team’s rosters relatively clear, the Arizona Coyotes and GM Bill Armstrong made it known that the team was still looking for goaltending with all options, internal and external, on the table. To that end, the team had signed journeyman Christopher Gibson to a PTO ahead of training camp, but released him a couple of days ago. A day later (yesterday), the team claimed another journeyman netminder in that of Jonas Johansson off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche. Should Johansson stick with the Coyotes, it would be his fourth team in three seasons.

Earlier today, Armstrong talked with PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan about Johansson and where the team’s goaltending situation stands. Armstrong said Johansson is expected to be on the ice at the team’s practice facility tomorrow and they will get as many looks as possible at the goaltender during their final three preseason games. The GM added that they will continue to monitor the goalie market and waiver wire going forward. Johansson could have a chance as the Coyotes’ primary backup to Karel Vejmelka, a role that seemed destined for either Ivan Prosvetov, who was assigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners earlier this evening, or the recently-signed Jon Gillies.

  • St. Louis Blues forward Anthony Angello left tonight’s game with an apparent injury and will not return to the game, the team announced. The injury is a tough break for Angello, 26, who is in camp with the Blues after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them earlier this summer. Angello spent his entire career to-date in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, spending time in both the NHL and AHL. It’s unclear how severe the injury is and no timetable has been announced yet, but any significant absence would be bad news for the former Cornell University standout who could have a chance to latch on with St. Louis as a quality depth option.
  • Buffalo Sabres prospect Josh Bloom took another intriguing step in his development, having been named Captain of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, the team announced. While the honor doesn’t necessarily develop any on-ice skills for the 19-year-old, his ability to be a leader on his team does seem to bode well for his off-ice development and his future in the NHL. The winger had 30 goals and 31 assists in 67 games last year for Saginaw. Mitchell Smith and Dean Loukus will serve as full-time Alternate Captains for the Spirit, while a third alternate will be split between T-Bone Codd and Brayden Hislop.
  • Earlier today when New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert met the media, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz asked the new bench boss about top prospect Aatu Raty, who has impressed so far in Islanders camp. Specifically, Kurz wondered if Raty, who is a natural center, could be a fit on the wing, to which Lambert replied that the 19-year-old is a center only. This would seem to indicate that despite his strong impression, Raty is unlikely to make the Islanders opening night roster, given the team’s strong depth down the middle with Brock Nelson, Mathew Barzal, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas. Considering the prospect’s struggles in his first full season in the Finnish Liiga, which contributed to his draft stock slipping, it might make sense that Raty doesn’t spend his first full season in North America in the NHL. However, if he can produce similarly to how he did last season with Jukurit (40 points in 41 games), it is possible Raty could force his way into the NHL sooner rather than later.

Arizona Coyotes Recall Michael Carcone

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This afternoon saw a preseason rivalry contest with the Boston Bruins playing host to the Philadelphia Flyers. For the most part, things went the Bruins’ way, as they defeated the Flyers 4-0 with young forwards John Beecher and Marc McLaughlin each netting a pair of goals. Despite the promising performance, the team did have a couple of injury scares when both Fabian Lysell and Taylor Hall were forced to leave the game with injuries.

However, it looks like Boston avoided the worst with these injuries. In speaking to the media, including The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said both players only have minor injuries. Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now adds that both will be out only one or two days. Injuries are never good news, but for a Boston team trying to compete despite a myriad of long-term injuries already on the books, missing a dynamic forward like Hall and a top prospect trying to make the team like Lysell for only a few days is certainly a relief.

  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled forward Michael Carcone from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Carcone, who is entering the second year of a two-year, two-way deal, had only just cleared waivers yesterday. The 26-year-old winger is a veteran of six AHL seasons, and just made his NHL debut last year for Arizona where he contributed four goals and two assists in 21 games. Clearing waivers may not feel like a great sign for a player, however given Arizona’s current state as well as Carcone’s track record of AHL production and his NHL contributions last season, he should still be able to find opportunities going forward.
  • For his career, when healthy, forward Drake Caggiula has proven he can be an impactful depth player for whatever team he’s been on. The key words there, though, are ’when healthy.’ Perhaps the most notable injury of Caggiula’s came last season, when the forward missed the final 64 games of the Buffalo Sabres’ season with a herniated disc in his neck. Recently, Caggiula had a chance to speak with Trib Live’s Seth Rorabaugh about his injury last season, his recovery, and his play this preseason. The forward mentioned that before his surgery in February, not only was he unable to play hockey, but his quality of life was severely impacted. However, after having surgery, relief was immediate and he was able to recover. Now, the 28 year old says he feels fully healthy. That much appears clear now, not just from Caggiula’s own words, but he has impressed in training camp as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who he signed a one-year, two-way contract with this summer. In three intra-squad scrimmages, Caggiula has three goals, in addition to scoring the Penguins’ only goal of the day in today’s 3-1 loss to the Sabres.
  • The San Jose Sharks and GM Mike Grier today announced several new hockey operations hires. Dominik Zrim, Director of Salary Cap Management/CBA Compliance; A.J. Bernstein, Coordinator, Hockey Analytics; Martin Uhnak, European Scout, Czechia, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland; Cody Ward, Assistant Video Coach; and Brian Ganz, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach. Already with the Sharks, but now promoted, is Stephen DiLustro, who was promoted to Director of Strength and Conditioning, who had been working under Mike Potenza in that role. Interestingly, Zrim is one of the co-founders of website CapFriendly, which tracks player transactions and salary, as well as salary cap related topics.

Arizona Coyotes Claim Jonas Johansson

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The Arizona Coyotes were waiting to see which goaltenders would end up on waivers at the end of training camp, and they’ve found one they like (for now). Jonas Johansson has been claimed off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The other players from yesterday have all cleared.

Johansson, 27, had signed back with the Avalanche after playing this waiver merry-go-round last year, but will have to pack his things again. After being claimed by the Florida Panthers on December 13, 2021, he ended up playing in just two games for his new organization. He was being paid to stay in the NHL and serve as a backup, but the Panthers would routinely bring up Spencer Knight to actually play the games.

That’s sort of been the theme of Johansson’s career to this point. Since first being brought up in the 2019-20 season, he has just 32 appearances in the NHL, and no more than nine for a single team in a single season. Now, even as he goes to Arizona, he likely can’t unpack.

There’s no guarantee that Johansson is on the Coyotes’ roster by the time the season rolls around. As training camps close and roster crunches occur, they could just as easily select another netminder off of waivers. If he ends up back on, the Avalanche would have a chance to bring Johansson back and send him directly to the minor leagues, as long as they were the only team to put in a claim.

For now, he is part of the Coyotes organization and will potentially slot in as the team’s second NHL netminder. While many assumed Ivan Prosvetov would assume that role, he is still waiver-exempt and can play big minutes at the AHL level to continue his development, if they wish.

Latest On Jakob Chychrun

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The Florida Panthers recently re-signed goalie Spencer Knight to a three-year contract with a $4.5MM AAV. The contract raised some eyebrows due to its cost, as Knight’s extension will be more expensive than the recent Jake Oettinger deal, despite the fact that Oettinger seems to have firmly established himself as a quality starting netminder while Knight had an up-and-down 2021-22. Now that a few days have passed since the signing, though, we have some more context on why the Panthers felt comfortable taking a leap of faith with their extremely talented (but still relatively unproven) young netminder.

As Pierre LeBrun reported on TSN’s Insider Trading, the Panthers were “legitimately worried” about the possibility of another team offer sheeting Knight next summer, when he would have been a restricted free agent. The Panthers, who are paying starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky $10MM AAV through the 2025-26 season, may not have been in a strong enough cap position to retain Knight at what his offer sheet may have cost. So, rather than risk losing the goalie they seem to firmly believe is their long-term future in net, the Panthers decided to sign Knight to this expensive bridge contract in order to ensure he remains in Sunrise for the foreseeable future.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • In another piece of information reported on today’s Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger shed some more light on the current situation with Jakob Chychrun and the Arizona Coyotes. Chychrun recently spoke on his desire to be traded to a contending team, and Dreger has reported that leaguewide trade interest in Chychrun is “intensifying.” Dreger specifically names the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and Columbus Blue Jackets as suitors for Chychrun, and notes that the Coyotes are apparently more willing to “take on a contract or contracts” in order to facilitate a deal. Given the issues the above-listed teams are facing with the flat salary cap, it seems that the biggest barrier to a Chychrun deal will be the complicated cap situation of the involved teams rather than the trade compensation package that will need to be agreed upon.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have re-shaped the look of their organization under Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes’ new management, both on and off the ice. With the season about to begin, the Canadiens have made another off-ice move. In an interview on former NHLer Chris Nilan’s Raw Knuckles podcast, Gorton said that the team would be “bringing on” former New York Rangers executive Gordie Clark. Before his contract was not renewed this summer, Clark had been working for the Rangers for two decades and will bring experience and leadership to this still-growing Canadiens front office.

Waivers: 09/29/22

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Waivers will officially open today, meaning teams around the league can start cutting eligible players with the purpose of sending them to minor league clubs. While the full list will come out at 2 pm ET, some have already started announcing their initial placements. You can see all of the day’s cuts here, but we’ll also keep track of just the waiver portion in this post.

Arizona Coyotes

F Michael Carcone
F Jean-Sebastien Dea

Colorado Avalanche

F Charles Hudon
F Spencer Smallman
D Andreas Englund
D Brad Hunt
D Joshua Jacobs
G Jonas Johansson

Los Angeles Kings

F Austin Wagner

New York Islanders

F Richard Panik
G Kenneth Appleby

New York Rangers

F C.J. Smith
F Turner Elson

This page will be updated throughout the day

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