Canucks Still Working Out Where To Assign Juolevi
- The Canucks have not yet decided where to assign defenseman Olli Juolevi. His agent Markus Lehto told Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 (Twitter link) that a team in Europe could be a possible landing spot. The OHL’s London Knights – where he has spent the past two seasons – seems to remain the likeliest destination for the 19-year-old for now.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/29/17
The last Friday before the season begins, and just a few more days until teams have to submit their final rosters. As we head into the final few preseason contests, some teams are still holding onto a huge roster. The waiver wire is sure to be filled over the next few days as teams make their final cuts. As always, we’ll have all the movement right here throughout the day.
Anaheim Ducks
F Sam Steel – Regina (WHL)
F Max Jones – London (OHL)
F Jack Kopacka – Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
D Josh Mahura – Regina (WHL)
Arizona Coyotes
F Emerson Etem – Tucson (AHL)
G Hunter Miska – Tucson (AHL)
Boston Bruins
F Kenny Agostino – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
Chicago Blackhawks
F David Kampf – Rockford (AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin – Rockford (AHL)
D Erik Gustafsson – Rockford (AHL)
D Ville Pokka – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
Colorado Avalanche
D Duncan Siemens – Waivers for purpose of assignment.
Florida Panthers
F Henrik Haapala – Springfield (AHL)
D Ed Wittchow – Springfield (AHL)
G Harri Sateri – Springfield (AHL)
Minnesota Wild
D Carson Soucy – Iowa (AHL)
F Ryan Malone – Released from PTO, will join AHL camp
Montreal Canadiens
F Chris Terry – Laval (AHL)
New York Rangers
F Matt Puempel – Hartford (AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Tom Sestito – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Alexander Volkov – Syracuse (AHL)
San Jose Sharks
D Jacob Middleton – San Jose (AHL)
D Nick DeSimone – San Jose (AHL)
Vancouver Canucks
F Nikolay Goldobin – Utica (AHL)
D Philip Holm – Utica (AHL)
D Olli Juolevi – Assignment team TBD
F Anton Rodin – Will be placed on waivers tomorrow.
F Scottie Upshall – Released from PTO
Vegas Golden Knights
F Stefan Matteau – Chicago (AHL), cleared waivers
Jeff Tambellini To Retire, Coach At Michigan
Former NHL forward Jeff Tambellini may be retiring from pro hockey, but he seems to have his next career already planned out. The University of Michigan revealed tonight that Tambellini will return to campus to finish his degree and has been named an “undergraduate assistant coach”. Tambellini himself has yet to recognize his retirement, but may never actually do so in any official capacity.
Normally, “graduate assistant coach” is a title given to recent grads helping out with their alma mater’s program in some way. Tambellini’s new title of “undergraduate assistant coach” is almost unheard of, but fitting for the former All-American who left Michigan a year early after three dominant seasons. He returns to finish his degree with over a decade of pro hockey experience under his belt.
A first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2003, there were high expectations of Tambellini that only increased with each collegiate season. Yet, once he turned pro, the small, speedy forward struggled to skate around the opposition like he could in the NCAA. The Kings traded him to the Islanders after only four games with the team, sending he and Denis Grebeshkov to New York for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. Tambellini carved out a bottom-six/AHL depth role for himself on the island and played for New York for four more seasons, accumulating 46 points in 176 games. Tambellini played his final NHL season in 2010-11 with the Vancouver Canucks, posting a career-best 17 points and +10 rating in 62 games and playing in the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins.
Since then, Tambellini has had an up-and-down experience as a globe-trotting veteran. He was a force to reckon with in his first pro season outside the NHL, scoring 45 points in 50 games with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NLA. Injuries limited his production in his second season with the Lions, so he moved on to Sweden, where he played well for MODO. He again struggled in the following year, splitting his time between the SHL and NLA, but not finding results in either location. 2015-16 marked an attempted NHL comeback, as Tambellini signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite impressive production in the AHL, Tambellini did not see any NHL action and headed back to Sweden last season, where he struggled mightily and, at the age of 33, likely decided it was time to hand up his skates.
However, his new opportunity with the Wolverines should allow Jeff to follow in his father’s footsteps. Steve Tambellini played ten years in the NHL, but is likely best known for his later work off the ice. Steve was the GM of the Edmonton Oilers from 2008 to 2013 and also previously worked for the Vancouver Canucks and Team Canada. He is currently a scout for the Anaheim Ducks. While Jeff seems to be heading more in a coaching route rather than toward a front office future, it is clear that hockey intelligence runs in the family and Jeff could have a shot a great coaching career, beginning with his return to Ann Arbor this season. Who knows, if coaching is a great fit for Jeff, he may end up back in the NHL, this time behind the bench, before little brother Adam Tambellini, a New York Rangers prospect, makes it to the big time himself.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/25/17
Another week begins with a full preseason schedule and teams starting to use their expected opening day rosters more and more. With that, cuts will be happening each day and PHR will keep you updated on each one.
Arizona Coyotes
F Michael Latta – Tucson (AHL)*
F Tyler Gaudet – Tucson (AHL)*
G Adin Hill – Tucson (AHL)
Anaheim Ducks
F Nicolas Kerdiles – San Diego (AHL)
F Dustin Tokarski – San Diego (AHL)*
Boston Bruins
F Jordan Szwarz – Providene (AHL)*
D Tommy Cross – Providence (AHL)*
Chicago Blackhawks
D Viktor Svedberg – Rockford (AHL)
Colorado Avalanche
F Brendan Ranford – San Antonio (AHL)
F Brady Shaw – San Antonio (AHL)
F Shawn St. Amant – San Antonio (AHL)
F Alex Belzile – San Antonio (AHL)
D Nolan De Jong – San Antonio (AHL)
D Mason Geertsen – San Antonio (AHL)
G Spencer Martin – San Antonio (AHL)
F Felix Girard – San Antonio (AHL)*
F Trent Vogelhuber – San Antonio (AHL)*
F Rocco Grimaldi – San Antonio (AHL)*
F Andrew Agozzino – San Antonio (AHL)*
D Jesse Graham – San Antonio (AHL)*
G Joe Cannata – San Antonio (AHL)*
Dallas Stars
F Justin Dowling – Texas (AHL)
F Mark McNeill – Texas (AHL)
D Andrew Bodnarchuk – Texas (AHL)
D Ludwig Bystrom – Texas (AHL)
G Mike McKenna – Texas (AHL)
Detroit Red Wings
F Zach Nastasiuk – Grand Rapids (AHL)
D Dan Renouf – Grand Rapids (AHL)
G Matej Machovsky – Grand Rapids (AHL)
F Mike Borkowski – Released from tryout
F Austen Brassard – Released from tryout
F Connor Crisp – Released from tryout
F Luke Esposito – Released from tryout
F Dominik Shine – Released from tryout
D Simon Denis – Released from tryout
D Pat McCarron – Released from tryout
D Kevin Tansey – Released from tryout
D Pat Nagle – Released from tryout
Florida Panthers
F Chase Balisy – Springfield (AHL)
F Dryden Hunt – Springfield (AHL)
F Juho Lammikko – Springfield (AHL)
D Michael Downing – Springfield (AHL)
G Sam Montembeault – Springfield (AHL)
D Nikolai Belov – Released from PTO
F Alexandre Grenier – Springfield (AHL)*
D Reece Scarlett – Springfield (AHL)*
Los Angeles Kings
F Brandon Prust – Released from PTO
F Shane Harper – Released from PTO
G Matthew Villalta – Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Nashville Predators
F Pierre-Cedric Labrie – Milwaukee (AHL)
F Trevor Smith – Milwaukee (AHL)
F Emil Pettersson – Milwaukee (AHL)
F Yakov Trenin – Milwaukee (AHL)
D Alexandre Carrier – Milwaukee (AHL)
D Petter Granberg – Milwaukee (AHL)
D Jack Doughtery – Milwaukee (AHL)
D Andrew O’Brien – Milwaukee (AHL)
G Anders Lindback – Milwaukee (AHL)
F Cody Bass – Milwaukee (AHL)*
New York Rangers
F Daniel Catenacci – Hartford (AHL)
F Cole Schneider – Hartford (AHL)
F Scott Kosmachuk – Hartford (AHL)
D Brandon Crawley – Hartford (AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Brett Howden – Moose Jaw (WHL)
F Anthony Cirelli – Syracuse (AHL)
F Adam Erne – Syracuse (AHL)
F Mathieu Joseph – Syracuse (AHL)
F Matthew Peca – Syracuse (AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens – Syracuse (AHL)
F Dennis Yan – Syracuse (AHL)
D Erik Cernak – Syracuse (AHL)
D Jamie McBain – Syracuse (AHL)
D Ben Thomas – Syracuse (AHL)
D Daniel Walcott – Syracuse (AHL)
F Tye McGinn – Syracuse (AHL)*
Vancouver Canucks
F Reid Boucher – Utica (AHL)*
Vegas Golden Knights
F T.J. Tynan – Chicago (AHL)*
F Paul Thompson – Chicago (AHL)*
*Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment.
Tryamkin On Why He Left For The KHL
- Defenseman Nikita Tryamkin’s decision to leave the Canucks to go back to the KHL caught some by surprise. The blueliner told Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko (Twitter links) that a lack of playing time was a big factor in his decision to leave. Tryamkin averaged 16:44 per night last season, the lowest of any regular blueliner in Vancouver. He added that he could see himself back with the team but he won’t discuss that possibility while still under contract to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg; he’s signed there through the 2019-20 season.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks
Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Vancouver Canucks
Current Cap Hit: $73,012,499 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Brock Boeser (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Jake Virtanen (One year remaining, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Boeser: $850K
Virtanen: $850K
Boeser is one of the Canucks hope for the future. The team’s 2015 first-round pick has been playing exceptionally well in camp and looks ready to take a major role on the team. After two years at the University of North Dakota, Boeser managed to play in nine games for Vancouver last year, putting up four goals and an assist in that span and averaged 2.78 shots per game as well. Virtanen, on the other hand is just trying to cement a starting role on the team. The sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Virtanen has been disappointing and has had trouble finding a role with the club, playing 55 games two years ago and then settling for just 10 games last year. A solid camp so far suggests, he might have turned it around as he looks to take his game to the next level.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Daniel Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
F Henrik Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Thomas Vanek ($2MM, UFA)
F Sven Baertschi ($1.85MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($925K, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($900K, RFA)
F Alexander Burmistrov ($900K, RFA)
F Anton Rodin ($700K, UFA)
F Reid Boucher ($688K, RFA)
D Patrick Wiercioch ($625K, UFA)
On a positive note, there are many contracts that are set to expire next year, which could give the Canucks quite a bit of cap space. What the team will do with the Sedin brothers, long-time franchise players, is still up in the air. Rumors that they have no interest in going to a contender to finish out their careers suggest that they may choose to retire or sign up for a much shorter, much cheaper deal with Vancouver. While both have been leading the franchise, their numbers have begun to decline now that they are 36 years old with Daniel Sedin putting up just 15 goals and 44 points a year ago, while brother Henrik also just putting up 15 goals and 51 points.
There are very few potential unrestricted free agents that are critical to the team’s building of the future. While Gudbranson is just 25 years old, the team has shown a willingness to move on from the defenseman and has been talked about in trade rumors all offseason. The former third-overall pick in 2010 didn’t fare well in his first year in Vancouver, suffering a wrist injury and playing in only 30 games. The team may want to move on before they lose him. Vanek, signed late in the offseason, is also likely a trade chip at the trade deadline.
As for restricted free agents, the team still has high hopes that Baertschi will continue to improve. After struggling to break into the Calgary Flames starting unit, Vancouver picked him up and got 15 goals in 2015-16 and another 18 last year. The 24-year-old could easily wind up on the team’s second line and have a big year. Granlund, 24, is another youngster who stepped up a year ago, putting up 19 goals as a full-time starter. Stecher will also be a free agent. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season after coming to the Canucks from the University of North Dakota. He is penciled in as a first-line defender. The team also has high hopes they can turn around Burmistrov’s career. The former top-10 pick in 2010 was signed away from Arizona with the hopes he can fill a need in the bottom six.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/22/17
The cuts keep coming from training camps around the league as the season draws near, with less than two weeks from opening night. Teams are starting to whittle down the players they’ll take in the regular season. Like every day, we’ll keep track of all the cuts right here:
Anaheim Ducks
F Antoine Morand – Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
Colorado Avalanche
F Travis Barron – Ottawa (OHL)
F J.C. Beaudin – San Antonio (AHL)
F Julien Nantel – San Antonio (AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Hayden Hodgson – released from PTO
Dallas Stars
F Nick Caamano – Flint (OHL)
Los Angeles Kings
F Shane Walsh – released from PTO
F Evan Weinger – released from PTO
D Clayton Kirichenko – released from PTO
Minnesota Wild
D Gustav Bouramman – Iowa (AHL)
D Dylan Labbe – Iowa (AHL)
D Hunter Warner – Iowa (AHL)
F Adam Gilmour – Iowa (AHL)
F Pavel Jenys – Iowa (AHL)
F Chase Lang – Iowa (AHL)
F Mario Lucia – Iowa (AHL)
F Gerald Mayhew – Iowa (AHL)
F Dante Salituro – Iowa (AHL)
G Adam Vay – Iowa (AHL)
Montreal Canadiens
F Niki Petti – Laval (AHL)
F Yannick Veilleux – Laval (AHL)
F Thomas Ebbing – Laval (AHL)
F Antoine Waked – Laval (AHL)
D Stefan Leblanc – Laval (AHL)
D Simon Bourque – Laval (AHL)
D Tom Parisi – Laval (AHL)
F Markus Eisenschmid – Laval (AHL)
G Michael McNiven – Laval (AHL)
New York Islanders
F Kieffer Bellows – Portland (WHL)
F Arnaud Durandeau – Halifax (QMJHL)
D David Quenneville – Medicine Hat (WHL)
New York Rangers
D Sean Day – Hartford (AHL)
D Sergey Zborovskiy – Hartford (AHL)
F Dawson Leedahl – Hartford (AHL)
Vancouver Canucks
F Carter Bancks – Utica (AHL)
F Wacey Hamilton – Utica (AHL)
D Jaime Sifers– Utica (AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights
D Dylan Coghlan – Tri-City (WHL)
F Bryce Gervais – Chicago (AHL)
F Cody Glass – Portland (WHL)
D Nicolas Hague – Mississauga (OHL)
F Stephen MacAulay – Chicago (AHL)
D Kenney Morrison – Chicago (AHL)
D Dmitry Osipov – Chicago (AHL)
F Nick Suzuki – Owen Sound (OHL)
Winnipeg Jets
F Patrice Cormier – Manitoba (AHL)
F Francis Beauvillier – Manitoba (AHL)
F Brody Sutter – Manitoba (AHL)
D Kirill Gotovets – Manitoba (AHL)
D Peter Stoykewych – Manitoba (AHL)
G Eric Comrie – Manitoba (AHL)
Snapshots: Sheahan, Robinson, Aaltonen
In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, the venerable hockey insider touches on several different trade topics we’ve heard about over the last few weeks. The most interesting is perhaps one brewing between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings surrounding Riley Sheahan. Friedman seems to think the deal could be contingent on whether Detroit comes to terms with restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou, who is currently still holding out of training camp without a contract.
The Red Wings wouldn’t want to lose Athanasiou and Sheahan both, but if they wait much longer Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford might move on to one of his other two options. The Red Wings need to take advantage of trades when they can, even if moving Sheahan would weaken their center depth considerably.
- Larry Robinson has been hired by the St. Louis Blues as a Senior Consultant to Hockey Operations. Robinson is a legendary hockey player and mind who has found success everywhere in the game. From a player, winning six Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens to a coach, raising three more championships with the New Jersey Devils. Most recently, he has been an associate coach and director of player development with the San Jose Sharks, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their history.
- Jonas Siegal of The Athletic penned an interesting piece on Toronto Maple Leafs’ new acquisition Miro Aaltonen, outlining his battle for a roster spot this season. Aaltonen was a free agent after the Anaheim Ducks—the team who originally drafted him—chose not to sign him in 2015, and apparently decided between the Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights on where to start his North American career. It’s interesting that he chose Toronto, as he likely could have made the Vegas roster out of camp but will have a tough battle for the Maple Leafs. Part of that likely has to do with him signing way back in March, before Vegas even had a roster at all.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/19/17
After many teams opened their preseason schedule last night, there will continue to be training camp cuts this week. Teams will be paring down their rosters up to opening night, when they’ll carry just 23 skaters. Here we’ll keep track of all the days cuts.
Calgary Flames
F Brett Findlay – Stockton (AHL)
F Rod Pelley – Stockton (AHL)
F Hunter Smith – Stockton (AHL)
D Kayle Doetzel – Stockton (AHL)
D Oleg Yevenko – Stockton (AHL)
G Mason McDonald – Stockton (AHL)
F Sam Dove-McFalls – Saint John (QMJHL)
F Zach Fischer – Medicine Hat (WHL)
F Glenn Gawdin – Swift Current (WHL)
F Ben Hawerchuk – Barrie (OHL)
F Brad Morrison – Vancouver (WHL)
F Matthew Phillips – Victoria (WHL)
F Mark Rassell – Medicine Hat (WHL)
F Adam Ruzicka – Sarnia (OHL)
D Tyson Helgesen – Spokane (WHL)
G Nick Schneider – Calgary (WHL)
F Joel Lowry – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Daniel Maggio – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Dylan Olsen – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Sam Ruopp – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
D Cliff Watson – released from PTO, will attend AHL training camp
Dallas Stars
F Shaw Boomhower – Missisauga (OHL)
F Zach Roberts – Owen Sound (OHL)
F Tomas Soustal – Kelowna (WHL)
F Cole Tymkin – London (OHL)
F Brett Davis – Kootenay (WHL)
F Jason Robertson – Kingston (OHL)
D Ondrej Vala – Kamloops (WHL)
Detroit Red Wings
F Givani Smith – Guelph (OHL)
New Jersey Devils
F Nikita Popugaev – Prince George (WHL)
F Marian Studenic – Hamilton (OHL)
F Nicolas Guay – Drummondville (QMJHL)
D Jocktan Chainey – Halifax (QMJHL)
D Colby Sissons – Swift Current (WHL)
G Evan Cormier – Saginaw (OHL)
New York Rangers
F Robin Kovacs – Hartford (AHL)
F Adam Chapie – Hartford (AHL)
D Brenden Kotyk – Hartford (AHL)
F Tim Gettinger – Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
F Ty Ronning – Vancouver (WHL)
Ottawa Senators
F Pius Suter – Zurich (NLA)
Vancouver Canucks
F Kole Lind – Kelowna (WHL)
F Jonah Gadjovich – Owen Sound (OHL)
D Matt Brassard – Oshawa (OHL)
D Cole Candella – Hamilton (OHL)
D Dylan Plouffe – Vancouver (WHL)
G Michael DiPietro – Windsor (OHL)
Vegas Golden Knights
D Scooter Vaughn – released from PTO
D Nikolas Brouillard – released from PTO
F Alex Barre-Boulet – Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
F Ben Jones – Niagara (OHL)
F Patrick Bajkov – Everett (WHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs – Moose Jaw (WHL)
D Keoni Texeira – Portland (WHL)
D Will Warm – Edmonton (WHL)
G Jiri Patera – Ceder Rapids (USHL)
G Dylan Ferguson – Kamloops (WHL)
Snapshots: Josi, Faceoffs, White
The Nashville Predators have named their on-ice leadership group for the 2017-18 season, starting with Roman Josi as the newest team captain. Josi will replace the recently retired Mike Fisher in that role, after wearing an alternate captain’s “A” for the last two years. Josi will be joined by “associate captain” Ryan Ellis and alternates Ryan Johansen, Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg.
Josi will become the leagues second Swiss-born captain following Mark Streit, who wore the “C” for the New York Islanders between 2011-2013. The Predators’ players had a big part in selecting him, but head coach Peter Laviolette had great things to say about his all-star defenseman.
Roman has led by example every day of his life. He is respected by all of his teammates and his peers. His work ethic, communication skills and accountability to his team make him the perfect choice to lead this group moving forward.
Other notes from around the league…
- As anyone who watched the first few preseason games will have noticed, the NHL is cracking down on slashes to try to stop incidents like the Marc Methot–Sidney Crosby injury last season. Almost everyone is on board with trying to reduce hand injuries, but it’s not so clear cut on the other rule they’ve chosen to enforce. Faceoff violations drew 10 different penalties on Monday night, and the league says they’ll continue to enforce where a player can put his feet—signified by the in-circle hashes—and where they must start their stick. Neither the slashing rule nor the faceoff rule are actually new, they’re just being cracked down upon to try and quicken pace of play and reduce injuries.
- The Vancouver Canucks have announced that Ryan White likely suffered a concussion and is in the league’s protocol, which doesn’t bode well for his chance to earn a contract in camp. White is on a professional tryout, trying to prove that he’s worth an NHL deal after splitting last year between Arizona and Minnesota. An effective fourth-line player, he could have potentially seen a regular shift for the Canucks who are in full rebuild mode.