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Golden Knights Claim Raphael Lavoie, Cole Schwindt

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10/11: The Vegas Golden Knights have reclaimed Lavoie from Edmonton, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, continuing the young forward’s bouncing between Edmonton and Vegas. He has now been waived and claimed by both teams and will be eligible to be assigned to Vegas’ minor leagues should no other team place a claim.

10/7: The Oilers and Flames have each lost a forward to the Golden Knights on waivers. Raphael Lavoie is heading from Edmonton to Vegas, while the Knights also claimed Cole Schwindt from Calgary, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Both enter a competition with recent veteran pickup Tanner Pearson to begin the season as Vegas’ 11th and 12th forwards. That’s assuming center William Karlsson is sidelined for the season opener against the Avs on Wednesday with the undisclosed injury that’s kept him out of action for over a week. They’re also significant reinforcements after Vegas lost Zach Aston-Reese on waivers to the Blue Jackets today.

Lavoie is an intriguing pickup. The 24-year-old has just seven games under his belt without a major league point, all coming last season. But Edmonton’s second-round pick in 2019 has turned into a standout offensive forward at the AHL level and has a 6’4″, 216-lb frame. He put up 28 goals and 22 assists for 50 points in 68 games last season with AHL Bakersfield, all career highs.

Schwindt has the same exact career NHL offensive stat line – no points in seven combined games for the Flames and Panthers, but he has a -5 rating compared to Lavoie’s -2. All in all, they’re players at very similar stages of their careers. Schwindt is a tad younger – he’s still 23, but was also a member of the 2019 draft class. Sent from Florida to Calgary in the Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster, he doesn’t have as much offensive success as Lavoie at the AHL level. He posted 36 points in 66 games for the Calgary Wranglers last year, which was a career-high.

Only one will draw in against Colorado if Karlsson isn’t ready to play. With their lack of NHL experience, it’s anybody’s guess. Both have experience suiting up at right wing and center.

After the claims, the Golden Knights have $652K in projected cap space, per PuckPedia. They need to clear a roster spot, perhaps by placing Karlsson on injured reserve.

Golden Knights Recall Brendan Brisson

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Brendan Brisson and he will reportedly be in the lineup tonight when they take on the Colorado Avalanche to open the 2024-25 season (as per Jesse Granger of The Athletic). The 2020 first-round pick will play on the third line with fellow winger Ivan Barbashev and center Nicolas Roy.

The 22-year-old didn’t make Vegas’ roster initially out of training camp but with the William Karlsson going on IR with an injury, it opened up room for the Golden Knights to make the recall and insert Brisson into the lineup.

The Los Angeles, California native had a run last year in the NHL with Vegas after making his NHL debut on January 15th. His offensive numbers were solid for a player who averaged just over 12 minutes of ice time per game, as he posted two goals and six assists in 15 games.

His underlying numbers weren’t sparkling, but they weren’t terrible either as he registered an even-strength CF% of 47.5% (as per Hockey Reference) while starting over half of his shifts in the defensive zone. He certainly appears ready to take a big step this year and utilize the offensive instincts that got him drafted 29th overall. The knock on Brisson is his strength and his skating, but there is no doubt that his passing and shot are ready for the NHL.

Oilers Re-Claim Raphael Lavoie Off Waivers

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The Oilers have re-acquired Raphael Lavoie off waivers, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He was lost on the wire to the Golden Knights just two days ago. If Edmonton was the only team to submit a claim, they can now assign him directly to AHL Bakersfield.

Even if Edmonton wasn’t the only team to submit a claim, they can still get away with having him on the active roster for now. They had two open spots and were up to $1.06MM in cap space before the claim after moving Evander Kane to LTIR, per PuckPedia, enough to shoulder Lavoie’s league minimum cap hit.

It’s good tidings for the Oilers, who never wanted to lose Lavoie in the first place. A victim of roster math, he’s on the cusp of a full-time NHL role after posting 50 points in 66 games for their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield last season. The 2019 second-round pick has intriguing size at 6’4″ and 216 lbs and can play both center and wing – an appealing mix for a depth scorer.

He’s especially so on a contending and cap-strapped Oilers club, who would likely insert him into the lineup the first chance they get if an injury strikes. The Golden Knights were hoping to see what they had in him by giving him some runway with their AHL affiliate in Henderson, but it wasn’t in the cards.

Golden Knights Place Raphael Lavoie On Waivers

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The Golden Knights have placed forward Raphael Lavoie on waivers in an attempt to assign him to AHL Henderson, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Lavoie was claimed by Vegas just yesterday after being waived by the Oilers over the weekend.

Lavoie, 24, made his NHL debut just last year. The 6’4″ center/winger made seven appearances for Edmonton in November and December, posting a -2 rating with four shots on goal while averaging a paltry 7:17 per game. His 50 points in 66 games on assignment to AHL Bakersfield had him on the cusp of making the opening night roster, but he just missed the cut and landed on the waiver wire.

The Golden Knights also claimed Cole Schwindt off waivers from the Flames yesterday, but they don’t have the roster space to keep both long-term. Center William Karlsson will start the year on injured reserve to keep their roster at the maximum of 23 players, but he won’t be out for much if any time. Someone would have needed to hit waivers upon his return – likely one of the new guys so as to avoid exposing valuable defensive depth in the form of Ben Hutton or Kaedan Korczak to the wire. While a waiver placement today wasn’t necessary, the Knights hope that attempting to send Lavoie down now before more injuries pop up across the league gives them a chance to stash him in Henderson.

That likely won’t be the case, though. Derek Van Diest of NHL.com reports the Oilers have an interest in retaining Lavoie and will likely submit a claim before tomorrow’s deadline. If they’re the only team to do so, they can send him directly to Bakersfield without having to pass him through waivers again.

Blue Jackets Claim Zach Aston-Reese Off Waivers From Golden Knights

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The Blue Jackets have picked up depth forward Zach Aston-Reese off waivers from the Golden Knights, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Aston-Reese, 30, had signed a one-year, two-way pact ($775K/$475K) to join Vegas in July. After failing to carve out a roster spot in Vegas, losing it chiefly to PTO signee Tanner Pearson, he’ll now play out that deal in the Blue Jackets organization.

It’s not surprising to see Aston-Reese land somewhere else, especially with a Columbus club in need of forward depth. During his five seasons as a full-time NHLer from 2018 to 2023 with the Penguins, Ducks, and Maple Leafs, he was a regular in a fourth-line role and had some of the best even-strength defensive impacts in the league, even earning Selke votes in 2020. But he had to settle for a two-way deal with the Red Wings last year and barely played in the NHL, clearing waivers and spending most of the season with AHL Grand Rapids. He logged just three appearances with Detroit and averaged just 5:09 per game, going without a point.

Aston-Reese’s point production in Grand Rapids was what you’d expect for a defensive forward with NHL upside, totaling 30 points in 61 games. With his career 52.2 xGF% in heavy defensive zone usage, he’ll provide value to Columbus’ bottom six early on even if he’s not finding the back of the net with any frequency.

He could potentially shift to left wing for the Jackets and comprise a fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mathieu Olivier. Columbus still needs to send one forward to AHL Cleveland in the next couple of hours, either James Malatesta or Mikael Pyyhtia, to get their active roster down to 23 players.

Waiver Wire: 10/6/24

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Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt

Carolina Hurricanes

F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki

Chicago Blackhawks 

D Isaak Phillips

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue

Los Angeles Kings

G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka

Nashville Predators

D Marc Del Gaizo

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White

New York Islanders

D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek

New York Rangers

D Matthew Robertson

Ottawa Senators

F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai

Utah Hockey Club

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

D Erik Brannstrom

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Washington Capitals

G Hunter Shepard

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Tanner Pearson

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Another professional tryout agreement has ended in a guaranteed contract. The Vegas Golden Knights organization has announced they have signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $775K contract for the 2024-25 NHL season.

It’s a feel-good story for Pearson who has been limited by injuries the last few years. His last year with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23 saw Pearson skate in only 14 contests during the season as a hand injury requiring three surgeries lost him much of the year. He managed to skate in more than half of the games last year with the Montreal Canadiens but another hand injury lost him 38 games on the season.

The injuries to his hand have certainly limited his offensive production over the last two years but Pearson has been known as a reliable depth scorer in the past. He’s no longer a player who can carry responsibility in the top six for a playoff contender like his days with the Los Angeles Kings in the mid-to-late 2010s.

He has shown glimpses of his goal-scoring capabilities recently with 21 goals in 69 games for the Canucks in 2019-20 with another 24 in 119 games from 2020-22. The Golden Knights will likely use Pearson in a bottom-six role on the wing for some offensive punch toward the bottom of the lineup.

The signing is not all that surprising despite Pearson’s waning abilities over the last couple of years. Vegas has experienced a dramatic decrease in depth thanks to spending toward the upper limit of the salary cap and will have to supplement their roster with league minimum contracts.

TSN’s Chris Johnston was the first to report the signing.

Robin Lehner Won’t Count Against Golden Knights’ Salary Cap

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Goaltender Robin Lehner will carry a $0 cap hit for the Golden Knights this season, reports Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. They’d reportedly been exploring options to terminate his contract after he failed to report for his pre-training camp physical, which Lehner said was pre-planned.

The 33-year-old is entering the final season of a five-year, $25MM contract, but he’s missed all of the last two seasons after undergoing double hip surgery. He was expected to remain on long-term injured reserve for all of the 2024-25 campaign as well, but Vegas couldn’t have placed him there without him failing a physical.

Since he didn’t report, Vegas was in a tricky situation, requiring the league and NHLPA to step in. They’ve now reached a resolution that will still involve Lehner receiving his $4.4MM salary for this season, per Seravalli, but he’ll effectively be suspended without pay as it relates to Vegas’ salary cap picture.

That takes a ton of workload off general manager Kelly McCrimmon’s plate. The Golden Knights would have had no issues starting the season with a cap-compliant roster with Lehner on LTIR, but that wouldn’t have allowed them to accrue cap space throughout the year. They’ll now be able to accrue space by operating without LTIR. It’ll be a significant amount of flexibility, too – with a full roster, they’ll have $1.36MM in projected space on opening night with Lehner essentially off the books, per PuckPedia.

At this stage, if it wasn’t already, Lehner’s NHL career should be considered over. The Swedish netminder made 364 appearances in parts of 12 seasons with the Senators, Sabres, Knights, Islanders, and Blackhawks, posting a strong .917 career SV% and 2.71 GAA with a 152-141-49 record and 17 shutouts.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/24

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We’re in the final stages of teams making sweeping training camp cuts before the true final roster battles come into play. There are only six days to go until opening night, and most teams now only have five to 10 players – if that – to trim from their rosters to comply with the 23-player maximum. We’ll list all of Wednesday’s cuts here.

Last updated 1:33 p.m.

Carolina Hurricanes (per the team’s Walt Ruff)

G Spencer Martin (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)

Chicago Blackhawks (per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports)

D Louis Crevier (to AHL Rockford)
D Kevin Korchinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Frank Nazar (to AHL Rockford)
F AJ Spellacy (to OHL Windsor)

Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)

D Jack Ahcan (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
D Sean Behrens (to AHL Colorado)
F Jean-Luc Foudy (to AHL Colorado)
F Jere Innala (to AHL Colorado)
F Jayson Megna (released from PTO to AHL Colorado)
G Trent Miner (to AHL Colorado)
F Matthew Phillips (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
F Jason Polin (to AHL Colorado)
D Calle Rosén (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
F Matthew Stienburg (to AHL Colorado)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Trey Fix-Wolansky (to AHL Cleveland, pending waivers)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Anton Blidh (to AHL Hartford)
G Louis Domingue (to AHL Hartford)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to AHL Hartford)
G Dylan Garand (to AHL Hartford)
D Brandon Scanlin (to AHL Hartford)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

F Avery Hayes (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Dan Renouf (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

F Andrew Poturalski (to AHL San Jose)
F Scott Sabourin (to AHL San Jose)
F Colin White (released from PTO to AHL San Jose)

Utah Hockey Club (per team announcement)

F Tij Iginla (to WHL Kelowna)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

D Robert Hägg (to AHL Henderson)
F Mason Morelli (to AHL Henderson)
G Akira Schmid (to AHL Henderson)

Robin Lehner Update Expected To Be Announced This Week

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Edmonton Oilers reporter Tony Brar tweeted that Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse will most likely play tomorrow. Nurse has missed Edmonton’s first six preseason games to rest an undisclosed injury. Nurse might have missed some games, but he has been on the ice skating during his absence as he can ill afford to start slowly this year after a difficult 2023-24 season.

The Oilers are firmly in their Stanley Cup window and need everything they can get from the 29-year-old especially when he is counting $9.25MM against the salary cap. Nurse has historically been a solid two-way defenseman for Edmonton but struggled considerably last year, especially in the playoffs where his even-strength play fell off a cliff.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic tweeted that Oilers forward Roby Jarventie will be out for a few days beyond the season-opening rosters being finalized and then will go to the AHL. The 22-year-old has been dealing with a knee injury that has kept him out of training camp and will be looking to build on a successful albeit brief AHL run last season with the Senators. Jarventie had nine goals and 11 assists in 22 AHL games last season with the Belleville Senators and a single assist in seven NHL games. Edmonton acquired Jarventie (along with a fourth-round pick) in a trade that sent Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson to Ottawa.
  • ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski tweeted that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says there will be more information about Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner later this week. Lehner was deemed unfit to play just two weeks ago and didn’t report for training camp. At the time, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said that “”There are unique circumstances surrounding this situation that the NHL, the NHLPA and the club are currently working through. Collectively, we are assessing our next steps and when we have more to say, we will.” One would have to assume that the news later this week will be a follow-up to McCrimmon’s comments from September 19th.

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