Minnesota, Ottawa Put Three Players On Waivers
Monday: All three players have cleared waivers and can now be sent to the minor leagues.
Sunday: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators put three players on waivers Sunday as the Wild placed defenseman Nate Prosser and winger J.T. Brown on waivers, while the Senators put winger Nick Paul on waivers as well. Friedman also reported that Toronto Maple Leafs’ Martin Marincin and Buffalo Sabres’ Remi Elie both cleared waivers.
Loaded with eight defensemen after the team traded for Brad Hunt and claimed Anthony Bitetto off waivers from Nashville, the Wild had to add some roster flexibility. Wild general manager Paul Fenton is starting to get more active as this is the sixth roster move the team has made in less than three weeks. The team had no choice to make a move and still have two of their top young players, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin sitting in Iowa, awaiting a recall since the All-Star break.
For Prosser, the move likely means the end of the line in Minnesota. The Wild also have defenseman Matt Dumba on IR currently and while he’s not expected back too soon, the team does expect him back at some point this season, meaning they had to make some move. The 32-year-old veteran was a great locker-room presence, but he has appeared in just 15 games this season and hasn’t registered a point. Prosser has played most of his career in Minnesota since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He did opt to sign in St. Louis before the 2017-18 season, but only played one game for the Blues before the Wild claimed him off of waivers from him. He played 56 games for Minnesota last year. If he passes through waivers, which is no guarantee as many teams might be interested in a veteran defenseman, the team can opt to keep him on the roster or send him to the Iowa Wild of the AHL.
Brown makes his second trip to the waiver wire as Brown was put on waivers last year in January by the Tampa Bay Lightning and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, playing in a bottom-six role for the Ducks. He then opted to sign with the Wild and has played sporadically, often being designated as a healthy scrtatch. He played in 35 games for Minnesota this year, posting a goal and four points.
As for Ottawa, NHL teams could find some interest in the 6-foot-4 Paul, who is still just 23 years old and has some potential. Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown that in 20 games with Ottawa as he’s put up just one goal and two points, while averaging just 8:28 of ice time. He played just 5:17 against Pittsburgh Friday and if he clears looks like he’ll be headed back to Belleville of the AHL. Paul cleared waivers to start the season, but the team had to place him back on waivers to return him to the AHL. He has played 15 games there, posting two goals and 11 points.
Maple Leafs Place Martin Marincin On Waivers
The Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Martin Marincin on waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). A move like this was expected after the acquisition of Jake Muzzin as Toronto was carrying nine defenders on their roster for Friday’s game in Detroit.
Marincin has seen very limited action this season. Despite being healthy throughout the year, he has played in just ten games with Toronto and has been a scratch the rest of the way. In those ten contests, the 26-year-old has a pair of assists while logging 15:07 per night, a career low. He has a total of 187 career NHL contests under his belt across parts of six seasons but while his 6’5 frame would have been enticing to quite a few teams in the past, the shift towards more mobility on the back end has hurt his stock.
Considering Marincin passed through waivers unclaimed last year and has played only sparingly this season, there’s a good chance he will make it through unclaimed. If that happens, his entire $800K cap hit will come off of Toronto’s books upon being assigned to the minors.
Sabres Place Remi Elie On Waivers
The Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they have placed winger Remi Elie on waivers. It’s expected that Buffalo will recall someone from Rochester of the AHL once he’s either claimed or clears waivers on Sunday.
This is the second time this season that Elie has been on the wire as the Stars waived him late in training camp despite the fact he was a regular on their fourth line last season. He hasn’t been able to hold down a regular spot with Buffalo, however. The 23-year-old has played in just 16 games this season despite being healthy throughout the year and hasn’t contributed much, picking up just a single assist while logging 10:21 per night.
Given those struggles, there is a good chance he will go unclaimed this time around although if a team wanted to take a gamble on him, it wouldn’t cost much as Elie is only making $735K this season after accepting his qualifying offer in July. He’s slated to be a restricted free agent this summer with salary arbitration rights.
Jamie McGinn Placed On Waivers
Friday: McGinn has cleared waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and will now be assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Thursday: The Florida Panthers have placed Jamie McGinn on waivers, likely indicating that he’s healthy enough to resume playing. McGinn underwent back surgery in September and has not played a game yet this season. The team has also recalled Jayce Hawryluk, Josh Brown and Ian McCoshen from the minor leagues.
McGinn, 30, is in the final season of a three-year, $10MM deal signed with the Arizona Coyotes in 2016. He arrived in Florida as the entire return for Jason Demers before last season, after GM Dale Tallon was given back control of the organization and made several moves to clear what he believed to be problem contracts. McGinn scored 13 goals and 29 points for the Panthers last year, but it’s unclear now what his future holds with the team.
Instead of returning to a Panthers team that is still trying to push for a playoff spot in the second half, McGinn will head to the minor leagues and try to rebuild his value with the Springfield Thunderbirds. A two-time twenty goal scorer, McGinn is a big frame that can bring some touch around the net and is more than willing to engage physically. This injury will cause many to pause when considering him for their team this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, but if he can show he’s healthy enough to compete in the second half there should be a future for him in the league still.
If McGinn immediately returns to the Thunderbirds lineup there may even be some interest in him at the trade deadline. Should Florida decide that he doesn’t fit into their forward group any longer, the team might be able to cash in for at least a draft pick. Teams are always looking for physical players to plug into a playoff lineup, and McGinn does have 36 games of playoff experience.
Snapshots: Pominville, Moravcik, Winnipeg
When the Buffalo Sabres take the ice tonight against the Dallas Stars, they will do so without veteran forward Jason Pominville. Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News, after speaking with head coach Phil Housley, relays that Pominville will sit out Wednesday night’s contest as a healthy scratch. Some quick research by the Olean Times Herald’s Bill Hoppe indicates that this is Pominville’s first healthy scratch since April 4, 2006 – during his rookie season. Pominville, 36, has been an All-Star and frequent Selke Trophy candidate over his 15 years in the league, split between two stints with Buffalo and five seasons with the Minnesota Wild. So why now is he out of the Sabres’ lineup? Lysowksi writes that the only reason Housley gave was to rest the veteran of more than a thousand games in the second night of a back-to-back and give young Remi Elie a shot. However, Pominville’s streak of one goal and two assists in his past 24 games likely contributed as well. Even though Pominville is on pace to meet or exceed his 34 total points from last season, he has cooled off significantly after a hot start, much like the Sabres overall. His spot in the lineup could be in jeopardy, especially if Elie proves to be the spark that Buffalo is seeking.
- It didn’t take long for defenseman Michal Moravcik to find new employment. Just a day after clearing unconditional waivers and having his contract terminated by the Montreal Canadiens, Moravcik has returned home to the Czech Republic. HC Plzen has announced a contract with the 24-year-old blue liner for the remainder of the season. Plzen is the same team that Moravcik had come up through the system with and was playing for before signing in North America. As such, Morazcik should soon return to the elite form that first caught the eye of NHL scouts. Plzen is surely looking forward to the boost, as the team that also employs familiar names like Jakub Kindl and Petr Straka hopes to make up ground in the standings.
- The city of Winnipeg already hosts the NHL’s Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but it will have yet another tenant beginning next season. The WHL’s Kootenay Ice have decided to move to Winnipeg, as first reported by The Winnipeg Free Press’ Jeff Hamilton. The team is expected to keep the “Ice” moniker and same logo and will soon get to work on a long-term development plan for a new arena and sports complex on the south side of the city. While Winnipeggers already have two good teams to root for, no one in the area is likely to complain about the return of major junior hockey and should be excited to watch presumptive top-15 pick Peyton Krebs lead a young, rebuilding team next season.
Michal Moravcik Placed On Unconditional Waivers
Tuesday: Moravcik has cleared waivers and will now see his contract terminated.
Monday: The Montreal Canadiens have placed Michal Moravcik on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Moravcik is on a two-year entry-level contract that was signed last May, but will become an unrestricted free agent when the process is complete and able to return to the Czech Republic.
Moravcik just hasn’t found a fit for the Canadiens this season, spending 20 games in the AHL with the Laval Rocket and four with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL. Surely toiling away in the low minors wasn’t exactly what the 24-year old defenseman was expecting when he signed, especially given the success he has found in the Czech league over the last few years. Moravcik recorded 16 points in 52 games for HC Plzen in 2017-18 and suited up for the Czech Republic at the World Championship for the first time. He very well could be back there this year, as he certainly won’t be playing in the NHL playoffs.
For Montreal, terminating Moravcik’s contract opens up another slot under the 50-contract limit that they can use to their advantage come the trade deadline. The team has been open with the idea that they would go after bad contracts in order to acquire good players like Joel Armia, who arrived in Montreal on the back of Steve Mason‘s undesirable cap hit. When this deal is terminated, the team will have 43 contracts on the books and plenty of cap space to work with.
Minnesota Wild Claim Anthony Bitetto
The Minnesota Wild have added another depth defenseman in their search to change their fortunes this season, claiming Anthony Bitetto off waivers from the Nashville Predators according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Bitetto obviously has ties to Minnesota GM Paul Fenton, who was with Nashville when the defenseman was drafted in 2010.
Claiming Bitetto actually may have a real impact on some of the other players vying for spots on the Wild, given how full their roster will now be. The team is expected to activate Eric Fehr within the next few days, meaning that there isn’t any room for the recently demoted Luke Kunin and Joel Eriksson Ek. Someone else would have to go, and likely face waivers themselves.
Bitetto’s claim also is a bit of a head-scratcher given the depth the Wild already have on defense after trading for Brad Hunt recently. The team is now carrying eight defenders with Matt Dumba on injured reserve, but have others like Louis Belpedio and Ryan Murphy in the minor leagues who could fill in if necessary. The claim doesn’t cost them much of anything though given Bitetto’s minimum salary contract, and perhaps they can sneak him through waivers themselves in a few days. Nashville at that point would have a chance to reclaim him.
Nashville Predators Place Anthony Bitetto On Waivers
Even as the NHL breaks for the All-Star festitivies, front offices are hard at work. Today according to CapFriendly, the Nashville Predators have placed Anthony Bitetto on waivers.
The Predators are carrying eight defensemen at the moment and none of them are waiver-exempt, so if someone was going to go down it makes sense that it would be Bitetto. The 28-year old has played just 18 games this season and is averaging fewer than 11 minutes in those appearances. It seems unlikely that he would be claimed, meaning that he can be at the ready for the team in the minor leagues or just give them a little more last minute flexibility in the NHL.
Bitetto is on a one-year minimum salary contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. His NHL career consists 114 games and 19 points, while possession statistics reflect very poorly on the veteran minor league defenseman.
Andrej Sustr Placed On Waivers
Thursday: Sustr has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Wednesday: The Anaheim Ducks have decided to place Andrej Sustr on waivers once again, after clearing earlier this season. Sustr hasn’t played an NHL game since November and has suited up just five times for the Ducks this season.
It’s hard to know what Sustr would bring to another team at this point in his career, but there was a time that he was considered a key part of the Tampa Bay Lightning blue line. The 6’7″ right-handed shot recorded a career-high 21 points in 2015-16, but quickly fell out of favor over the last few years. He signed with the Ducks for $1.3MM this year but hasn’t been able to get into the lineup on a consistent basis.
That price tag is also what likely kept him in the Ducks organization the first time through waivers, but this time perhaps a team will take a chance on the big defenseman. With Michael Del Zotto ready to play for Anaheim it seems unlikely that Sustr will be getting into any game action soon, and may have to spend another chunk of the year in the minor leagues with the San Diego Gulls.
Edmonton Oilers Place Ty Rattie, Ryan Spooner On Waivers
Tuesday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Monday: With the Edmonton Oilers continuing to slip out of playoff contention, the team has placed forwards Ty Rattie and Ryan Spooner on waivers. They’ll be joined by Justin Falk of the Ottawa Senators, who is finally healthy enough to resume playing but will be sent to the minor leagues if he clears.
Spooner’s placement on waivers will be the one that dominates headlines for the next 24 hours, given how he came to be part of the Oilers organization. The 26-year old forward was acquired from the New York Rangers for Ryan Strome earlier this season, who in turn had been the entire return for Jordan Eberle when the Oilers felt they needed to shed some salary up front. The idea that Spooner could now be gone for nothing will enrage Edmonton fans that have watched Eberle find success with the New York Islanders while their team struggles to find anyone who can put the puck in the net outside of their top three. The Oilers have even been described as desperate to add offensive touch on the wings, something that basically describes Eberle (not to mention Taylor Hall, another traded winger) perfectly.
Still, it’s not really surprising that Spooner finds himself in this position. The forward has recorded just three points in 24 games since being acquired by the Oilers and has recently spent time in the press box as a healthy scratch. His perimeter game has not gelled with head coach Ken Hitchcock’s system at all, and without regular powerplay time his offensive production has almost completely dried up.
There may be some reason to believe Spooner will be claimed though, given his history as a 40-50 point center in the league. In 2015-16 with the Boston Bruins Spooner recorded 49 points in 80 games while playing more than 15 minutes a night, before settling for 39 and 41 points the next two years while playing on the wing more often. That kind of production is exactly what the Oilers were hoping for when the acquired him, and what another team could take a chance on. With one more year on his contract at $3.1MM though, Edmonton may be forced to try and bury him in the minor leagues for the time being to open up some cap space.
Rattie meanwhile was likely one of the people most upset when Hitchcock was given the Edmonton job, given their history with the St. Louis Blues. The 32nd-overall pick from 2011 was never really able to get into the lineup under Hitchcock, and eventually found himself claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. In 30 games with the Blues, Rattie recorded eight points, the same number he has in 29 contests with Edmonton this year.