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Edmonton Oilers Place Brandon Manning On Waivers

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Tuesday: Manning has cleared waivers and is on his way to the Bakersfield Condors.

Monday: The Edmonton Oilers have placed defenseman Brandon Manning on waivers today for the purpose of a minor league assignment. Manning will head to the Bakersfield Condors if he clears tomorrow. This move will help the Oilers clear enough cap space to activate Andrej Sekera, who is close to returning from injury.

Waiving Manning is just the latest move to seemingly undo one of former GM Peter Chiarelli’s recent transactions, as the defenseman was only acquired by the Oilers at the end of December. Edmonton gave up Drake Caggiula in order to bring in Manning and his $2.25MM average salary that runs through next season, but have decided he’s the easiest player to part with to make room for Sekera. The 28-year old defenseman played in just 12 games for the Oilers and recorded a single point.

Even though some have speculated that a claim is possible, it seems unlikely that anyone will have interest in assuming Manning’s entire remaining contract. The Blackhawks had tried for weeks to move Manning with no luck before finding the desperate Oilers, and Edmonton too has attempted to find a buyer. More probable is that Manning will go to the minor leagues for the time being in order for the team to clear a prorated $1.025MM from their cap, giving them some additional flexibility to activate Sekera.

Like the move on Sunday to trade away Ryan Spooner, Manning’s demotion will be seen as the latest failure of an organization that made many under Chiarelli. Keith Gretzky has taken over as interim GM but the team is still searching for a permanent solution. After dealing with the Spooner, Manning and Cam Talbot situations—the latter was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers over the weekend—the team must now decide what to do with young forward Jesse Puljujarvi.

Four Players Placed On Waivers

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Four players have been placed on waivers. Patrick Eaves of the Anaheim Ducks and Micheal Haley of the Florida Panthers are on regular waivers, while goaltenders Thomas McCollum and Michael Leighton have both signed NHL contracts for the rest of the season and were required to be put through the process. McCollum’s two-way deal with the Nashville Predators will see him earn a prorated $650K at the NHL level ($100K in the AHL) for the rest of the season, while Leighton’s contract with the Vancouver Canucks will carry the same NHL salary.

Eaves is perhaps the most surprising of the group, given the excitement over his arrival in Anaheim at the end of the 2016-17 season. The veteran forward found a perfect fit with the Ducks and scored 11 goals down the stretch for them, finishing with a career-high of 32 on the season. Unfortunately, things took a disastrous turn last season when Eaves was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and played just two games for the Ducks. This year has been marred by injury after injury, leading to just seven games played by the 34-year old winger.

With another season remaining on his three-year, $9.45MM contract it will be hard for any team to justify a claim on Eaves, who doesn’t have a point this year. With that in mind, using waivers will give the Ducks a chance to move him back and forth if need be.

Vancouver has been strapped for goaltending help since trading away Anders Nilsson and losing Mike McKenna on waivers, and Leighton has done enough to deserve an NHL deal. The 37-year old netminder has a .912 save percentage over four games with the Utica Comets and will likely serve as emergency insurance for the Canucks down the stretch.

Brian Gibbons Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Gibbons has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

Friday: The Anaheim Ducks have very few impending free agents to peddle at the deadline, especially as they continue to pursue an extension with forward Jakob Silfverberg. One of the few rentals of value was thought to be veteran forward Brian Gibbons. Well, instead the team placed Gibbons on waivers today, reports The Athletic’s James Mirtle, and contenders are now free to scoop him up.

Gibbons, 30, had played exclusively in the minors for more than two years before the start of the 2017-18 season. An aging, undersized forward, Gibbons was an unlikely candidate for a breakout year. Yet, he won a job with the New Jersey Devils and recorded 12 goals and 26 points in 52 games, both career highs and among the Devils’ top nine forwards. When he reached free agency this summer, Gibbons turned down opportunities elsewhere to sign a one-year, $1MM contract in Anaheim, where he saw a chance to remain in the NHL full-time through another season. Barring a claim in the next 24 hours, that might not happen.

Gibbons has been a non-factor for the Ducks this year, registering just five points in 43 games. With the team trying to turn their season around, and GM Bob Murray now at the helm as head coach, it seems they have opted to move on from Gibbons, who has not lived up to his performance from last season. However, that doesn’t mean another team won’t take a chance. Gibbons’ affordable cap hit is virtually meaningless at this point in the season, so a team with some roster flexibility looking for a veteran body may be interested in taking a risk-free, cost-free gamble. Gibbons showed last year that in the right situation he can still be a capable goal-scoring winger and even with the Ducks has shown consistent effort and two-way contribution. There are many players of Gibbons’ caliber available at the deadline, but not often are they up for grabs on waivers. A playoff contender could certainly put in a claim if they have not been scared off by the drop in production this year.

Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we continue our look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Atlantic Division, here is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

By every metric, the Detroit Red Wings should be total sellers at the deadline and they have a laundry list of notable UFA’s to move. Yet, the team claims they would prefer to re-sign starting goaltender Jimmy Howard, top-six forward Gustav Nyquist, and dependable defenseman Nick Jensen. There is also word that veterans Thomas Vanek and Niklas Kronwall are happy in Detroit and unwilling to waive their No-Trade Clauses. That doesn’t leave much on the table.

In most cases, these rumors could be dismissed as the team simply trying to up the offers on their available rentals. But not in Detroit. The fatal flaw of the current Red Wings franchise and GM Ken Holland is total, unapologetic loyalty to long-time players. If a team says they won’t move someone or will only do so for a first-round pick, this is the one team worth believing. It could be a quiet deadline in Detroit.

Record

23-28-7, seventh in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Moderate Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$5.06MM in full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYI 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, BUF 5th, CLB 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2020: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th

Trade Chips

Of course, the aforementioned players are the top trade chips that the team has. Howard and Nyquist are having great years and are surely drawing plenty of attention. Will Detroit get the first-round pick they desire to move either? That remains to be seen. Jensen and Kronwall could both step in as a solid bottom-pair addition for a contender, while Vanek would fill his frequent role as a capable depth addition to any forward corps. The fact remains that if any of these players want to stay in Detroit beyond this season, the Red Wings are unlikely to move them, extension in place or not.

So looking elsewhere, Luke Witkowski is a UFA that the Red Wings don’t seem as attached to. The market may be limited for the versatile skater, but if a team wants to take a shot, Detroit will be willing to move on. Recently waived and demoted, Martin Frk is in need of a change of scenery. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and any number of teams might like to get a look at how he fits in their system down the stretch. The one-dimensional forward is more valuable now that he has cleared waivers and can be sent back and forth. Wade Megan, Dylan McIlrath, Brian Lashoff, and Harri Sateri are all free agents as well who could be targeted as deep depth additions.

The Jonathan Bernier signing looks like a mistake so far and the Red Wings seem eager to re-sign Howard rather than give Bernier the starting job. If another team is willing to take on the remaining two years of Bernier’s contract, Detroit would move him. Luke Glendening is another term player who could be on the move. He is still well-liked by the organization, but if the market is there they could move him. As always, if there was any way to move Justin Abdelkader or Danny DeKeyser, you would think Detroit would pull the trigger. Then again there’s that whole loyalty thing…

Five Players To Watch For: F Gustav Nyquist, D Nick Jensen, F Martin Frk, F Luke Glendening, G Harri Sateri

Team Needs

1) Cap Space: For several years now, the Red Wings have had one of the highest payrolls in the NHL, yet have been one of the league’s worst teams. That’s not a good mix. The flip side of wanting to re-sign top free agents, like Howard and Nyquist, is that you’re not opening up any more cap space. If Detroit wants to be players on the free agent market this summer, they need to try to move out some of their more cumbersome cap hits if possible.

2) Picks and Prospects: The Red Wings have a lot of good talent in the AHL and some others still at the junior and collegiate level. Adding picks, especially 2019 picks in a deep, talented draft class, is always helpful, though. However, there should room for some camp battles next season, particularly up front, so some pro-ready forward prospects would also be helpful.

Michael Bunting Placed On Waivers By Arizona Coyotes

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Friday: Bunting has cleared waivers and has been returned to the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, reports The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Bunting clearing waivers for the second time this season is a slight surprise and the ’Yotes are surely happy to hold on to him. Meanwhile, his roster spot was used to bring veteran Brad Richardson back from the injured reserve last night.

Thursday: On one hand, the Arizona Coyotes are excited to be getting healthy just in time for the stretch run. On the other hand, the influx of healthy players means that some tough roster decisions have to be made. Today, that meant placing young scoring forward Michael Bunting on waivers, per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

Bunting, 23, has been moved back and forth freely and frequently between Arizona and the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners this season, after clearing waivers prior to this season, but never in Arizona long enough that he would need to clear waivers again. That is, until his latest recall in late January. Now, for Bunting to go back to Tuscon, he must be subjected to the wire again.

The AHL All-Star only has one goal – scored in his NHL debut – in five games with the ’Yotes this year, but has been close to a point-per-game with the Roadrunners and recorded 23 goals and 43 points in 67 AHL games last year. A fourth-round pick in 2014, Bunting has been a slow developing prospect but is coming into his own as a goal-scoring forward. Bunting did clear waivers in the preseason, but since displaying even more consistent scoring in the minors, may have caught the eye of another NHL team. A 24-hour stint on the waiver wire will tell one way or another.

Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers Discussing Cam Talbot Trade

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Friday: Dreger reiterated today that the Flyers and Oilers continue to talk of a Talbot trade. He claims the two sides are in a “holding pattern” and are trying to work out the kinks. The biggest new piece of news is that Stolarz, Philly’s impending RFA goaltender, is expected to be a piece of the return for Edmonton. Stolarz would presumably take over the backup job behind Koskinen this season, fitting under the salary cap without issue, and then challenge for the job again next year.

Thursday: The Philadelphia Flyers have already used seven goalies this season, so why not make it eight? According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Flyers and Edmonton Oilers are “definitely talking” about a Cam Talbot trade. The 31-year-old keeper is an impending free agent and known to be at the top of the Oilers’ deadline sale list, while the Flyers are not exactly looking for short-term help, but a long-term tandem option.

Were these talks purely for the purpose of Philadelphia using Talbot as a rental, they wouldn’t make much sense. The Flyers are eight points back of the rival Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card slot in the Eastern Conference and would have to leapfrog the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres to get there. The team is also already carrying three goaltenders – Carter Hart, Anthony Stolarz, and Mike McKenna – and has season-opening starter Brian Elliott on a conditioning stint. As it is, the team is probably going to have to place McKenna on waivers when Elliott is ready to return. They also have Alex Lyon in the minors and could get Michal Neuvirth back from injury by the end of the year.

The Flyers don’t need a goalie right now; what they do need is a goalie for the future. The rookie Hart has been phenomenal at just 20 years old and is a core piece in Philly moving forward, but he needs a reliable veteran presence for the next few years as well. Elliott and Neuvirth (and McKenna) are all unrestricted free agents and Stolarz is an RFA with an injury history. The Flyers were destined to bring in a new goalie for next season and beyond and have apparently tabbed Talbot as a top option. Dreger notes that Talbot and Hart already share a good relationship, making it an ideal pairing of a promising young goalie in need of a mentor and a capable veteran who can no longer support a full work load. Talbot initially arrived in Edmonton after a breakout year as the backup for the New York Rangers, but truly broke out as a Vezina candidate in 2016-17 with a .919 save percentage and 2.37 GAA in 73 games. It would be the first of back-to-back seasons in which Talbot would lead the NHL in games played and this season he has felt the effects of being overworked. Talbot has an .893 save percentage and 3.36 GAA on the year, much of the reason why he lost out on an extension to backup Mikko Koskinen. Talbot needs a new home moving forward, and preferably one with a share in net, but there are questions about how much interest he will garner on the free agent market. Philadelphia appears to be the ideal landing spot, especially if he gets to play there before the end of the season. The Flyers would also benefit from an early opportunity to sign Talbot, rather than just waiting for free agency.

As for the Oilers, there is no hiding the fact that Edmonton is struggling to manage the cap and their roster right now. The team needs to make room for defenseman Andrej Sekera, but need to clear cap space and a roster spot to do so and have only through this weekend to figure it out. Trading Talbot, who the team has already determined is not a long-term fit, would be the easiest way to accommodate Sekera, which explains why trade talks are heating up. What the return will be for the veteran netminder remains to be seen. Since the Flyers could just wait until the off-season to sign Talbot, it likely won’t be impressive. However, with the Oilers maintaining that they are a buyer at the deadline, it will be interesting to see if Elliot or another Flyers goalie ends up as part of a hypothetical package. Edmonton’s odds at the postseason are slim, but asking Koskinen to start nearly every game down the stretch backed up by Al Montoya or unproven Shane Starrett certainly won’t help.

Red Wings Place Martin Frk On Waivers

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Thursday: Friedman reports that Frk has indeed cleared waivers. He is expected to be reassigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Not expected to be in demand on the trade market, the Red Wings’ next decision regarding Frk is likely whether or not to make him a qualifying offer this summer.

Wednesday: The Detroit Red Wings are over the Martin Frk experiment, at least for now. The team has placed the 25-year-old forward on waivers, writes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and this isn’t the first time. Frk was lost on waivers by the Red Wings early in the 2016-17 season, only to be reclaimed later when the Carolina Hurricanes also placed him on waivers. Will he survive the wire this time around? Limited game action and production could suggest so.

Although Frk has earned one-year extensions from Detroit in each of the past two seasons, he continues to be a difficult player to figure out. A 2012 second-round pick, Frk is known for his heavy shot and offensive instincts, but lacks the skating ability and awareness to put himself in scoring position often. Frk found some success last season, recording 25 points in 68 games, but has been limited to just 25 games, minimal ice time, and a resulting five points this year. At 25, the question is whether there’s still time and coach-ability left in Frk for him to develop into a complete player. If another team thinks so, Frk’s offensive potential may be worthy of a claim. If not, a pass through waivers could be the first step toward the impending RFA being out of the league sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Friedman adds that the lone player on waivers yesterday has cleared. Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Chaput went untouched on the wire and remains with the Habs organization. The team was quick to announce that Chaput has been reassigned to the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Oilers Struggling To Find Space For Andrej Sekera

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Veteran Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera has missed the entire NHL season thus far following an off-season Achilles tear, but he’s making his way back. Sekera finally returned to action with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors last week on a conditioning loan and the initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with some believing the 32-year-old looks ready to be dependable NHL defender once again. The Oilers would really like to call him up, but they’re finding that it’s easier said than done.

When Sekera takes the ice again for the Condors tonight, it will be the third game of his conditioning stint and in most cases the last. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports that Edmonton will file a request to Sekera and his representation that he extend his conditioning assignment for two more games and Spector expects that they will accept. Why? Because right now the Oilers have no way to call him up. Edmonton is currently right up against the salary cap ceiling and even this late in the season can only afford to add $4.27MM in salary to their roster, per CapFriendly. Sekera’s $5.5MM cap hit is thus problematic. The Oilers need to open up close to $1.25MM at the very least to bring Sekera up and there are no good options for demotion among players whose salaries exceed that value. The team is also restricted by their current roster structure; Edmonton is already carrying only 13 forwards compared to eight defensemen. Of the forwards making more than $1.25MM, only Tobias Rieder at $2MM is a trade candidate and his roster spot would need to be filled by another minor league forward which would still not open up much cap space.

So what do the Oilers do? Well, the team is known to be shopping goaltender Cam Talbot, whose $4.17MM cap hit is significant. While that drop-off, even offset by the recall of a new backup like Al Montoya ($1.06MM) or Shane Starrett ($818K), would open up enough cap space for Sekera, it wouldn’t open up an additional roster spot and the team would still be forced to put a defenseman on waivers. For that reason, it makes sense that TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports the team is trying to solve this situation by trading away a defenseman. Ironically, the two blue liners named are Brandon Manning and Alex Petrovic, both of whom were acquired by Edmonton earlier this season.  Manning at $2.25MM and Petrovic at $1.95MM would both clear enough room for Sekera if traded away for a pick or prospect. However, McKenzie states that there has been little interest in the pair on the trade market. If the Oilers can’t find a taker by the time Sekera completes another two games on his conditioning stint, they will have no choice but to place one or the other on waivers. Should they trade Talbot or Rieder first, the team would likely prefer to either trade or waive Kevin Gravel instead, as his $700K cap hit is no help but his roster spot is.

One way or another, the clock is ticking for the Oilers and interim GM Keith Gretzky to figure this out. They are fortunate that Sekera’s camp is willing to extend the conditioning loan, but at most the team has through this weekend. It is hard to imagine a team being in this kind of scenario, the epitome of a cap crunch, but it’s especially tough to see a team below .500 likely being forced to give up assets for pennies on the dollar via trade or for free on waivers to add another inflated contract to their roster. This is yet another mark on Edmonton’s disappointing season.

Montreal Places Michael Chaput On Waivers

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As expected, the Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Michael Chaput on waivers. The team needed to make a move after recalling Dale Weise and trading for Nate Thompson yesterday, and Chaput was the obvious waiver candidate.

The Canadiens have shown a willingness to expose depth forwards to waivers this year, already losing Nikita Scherbak, Jacob de La Rose and just yesterday Kenny Agostino. The team clearly believes it has the depth to handle these losses given their recent additions, and have now risked another player. Chaput, 26, has actually played 137 games in the NHL during a winding career, 32 of those coming this season with the Canadiens. Originally a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chaput has just five points in 2018-19.

Since Montreal used the non-roster designation on Chaput yesterday in order to get under the 23-man threshold, he must immediately be assigned to the minor leagues if he clears tomorrow. If that does happen, he very well could be back up with the team in a few weeks after the roster limits are relaxed.

Chicago Blackhawks Place Luc Snuggerud On Waivers

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Monday: Snuggerud has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated.

Sunday: The Chicago Blackhawks have put defenseman Luc Snuggerud on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination, according to CapFriendly. The 23-year-old has struggled with concussions and has appeared in just 44 games over the past two seasons with the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL.

Snuggerud was a fifth-round pick in 2014 and was signed after his junior year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and looked like a promising prospect. He tallied five goals and 17 points in 40 games last season in the AHL. However, his concussion issues have been even worse this year as he has managed to appear in just four games with Rockford.

The blueliner is in the second year of a three-year entry-level deal. With little flexibility in signing potential college free agents, something that the Blackhawks have been in on in recent years, this should free up a contract slot for the upcoming future.

 

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