David Schlemko Placed On Waivers
Tuesday: Schlemko has cleared waivers and was immediately assigned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL.
Monday: The Montreal Canadiens have decided to waive another veteran defenseman, this time placing David Schlemko on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Schlemko is currently on injured reserve.
Almost nothing has gone right for Schlemko since he was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights prior to last season. The veteran defenseman has played just 55 games for the Canadiens over that stretch, recording seven points and finding himself paired with different teammates on a regular basis. Unable to stay healthy or consistently in the lineup, waivers and a potential trip to the minor leagues was a logical next step.
Still, it’s always surprising to see a player of his experience and talent available for the whole league. Perhaps it shouldn’t be given Montreal’s moves this season, as the team has made it obvious they won’t wait around for passengers to find their game. Schlemko joins Karl Alzner, Jacob de La Rose, Nikita Scherbak and Xavier Ouellet as waived Canadiens since the beginning of the season, not to mention Tomas Plekanec who saw his contract terminated. GM Marc Bergevin is working hard to provide an opportunity for his young players while also maintaining a competitive roster, and Schlemko is just the next name on the list that isn’t giving the team enough.
It’s hard to see anyone claiming the 31-year old at this point, given his recent injury and $2.1MM cap hit. That hit doesn’t even end this year, as Schlemko has another season on the four-year deal he signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2016. More likely the Canadiens will bury him in the minors for a time like they did with Alzner, or pursue a trade to send him to another organization.
Jason Garrison Signs In Sweden
It has been a tumultuous few years for veteran defenseman Jason Garrison. The now 34-year-old defenseman hit a wall after turning 30 and hasn’t been able to get back to the level of play he displayed as a younger player. His latest team, the Chicago Blackhawks, recently placed him on unconditional waivers and, after clearing, terminated his contract. It was the end of the line for Garrison’s NHL career, but he has quickly landed elsewhere. Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League has announced that they have signed Garrison to a contract for the remainder of the season.
Back in 2012, Garrison signed a six-year, $27.6MM contract with the Vancouver Canucks at the height of his career. Yet, he was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the draft in 2014. After one strong season in Tampa, recording 30 points at the age of 30, Garrison only managed 20 more points over the next two seasons combined. The Lightning exposed Garrison in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and made a side deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, giving up a second-round pick and the rights to KHL star Nikita Gusev, to ensure he was selected. Vegas then put Garrison on waivers early on last season and kept him in the AHL for all but eight regular season games. With his long-term contract expired, Garrison became a free agent but did not attract much attention in the off-season. He managed to land a tryout offer with the Edmonton Oilers and did enough to earn a one-year minimum contract. The Oilers even gave Garrison ample play time, starting him in 17 games. Yet, even with numerous injuries on the blue line, Garrison had not produced and it became clear he was not a legitimate option for Edmonton. They dealt him to the Blackhawks in late December as a salary dump in their trade to acquire actual defensive help in Brandon Manning. The next day, Chicago placed him on waivers and then again on unconditional waivers just a few days later.
However, through many difficult years and with many teams, including many games spent with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, Garrison has shown a determination to keep playing hockey. It comes as little surprise that he has found a new team so quickly. Djurgardens, who is currently fighting for a playoff spot in the SHL, is eager to add Garrison’s knowledge and leadership to the roster. The team lacks very much NHL experience, outside of former New Jersey Devil Jacob Josefson, but has plenty of exciting young talent in need of some stability and guidance. They hope that Garrison can answer that bell. While his days in the NHL are surely over, Garrison clearly wants to continue his playing career and can make a great first impression overseas by helping Djurgardens reach the postseason this year.
Three Players Placed On Waivers
Monday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Sunday: The Los Angeles Kings have come to the same decision that the Montreal Canadiens made earlier this season, and have placed young forward Nikita Scherbak on waivers. He’ll be joined by Jordan Schmaltz of the St. Louis Blues and Chris Wideman of the Florida Panthers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Scherbak was claimed by the Kings in an attempt to add some more speed and youth to their lineup in a hope that it would create more offense, but the 23-year old winger failed to do so through his eight games in Los Angeles. Scoring just a single goal, Scherbak struggled to adjust to his new team and will now be available for the entire league once again. If he clears, Los Angeles would be able to send Scherbak to the Ontario Reign and keep him in the organization.
St. Louis too is hoping to sneak Schmaltz through and send him to the minor leagues, given the fact that he hasn’t played in an NHL game since December 14th. The 25-year old defenseman just can’t seem to crack the Blues lineup on a full-time basis, playing in 20 games this season but earning an average of just 11:29 minutes of ice time. Schmaltz was a first-round pick of the Blues in 2012, but has just five points in 42 NHL games and could very well be on his way to another organization to get a fresh start.
Wideman, meanwhile has seemed to get a fresh start every few days this season. After being involved in the infamous Ottawa Senators Uber video earlier this year, he was eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers in late November. After just five games as an Oiler, the team decided to ship him out to Florida as part of the package that acquired Alex Petrovic. Wideman made his Florida debut last night recording two shots in just under 12 minutes of ice time, but apparently did not do enough to impress Bob Boughner‘s coaching staff. If assigned to the minor leagues, Wideman’s entire $1MM salary would be buried and not count towards the cap for the Panthers.
Minor Transactions: 01/07/19
Another week begins in the NHL with a five-game slate including a prime time matchup between the Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams are among the very best in the league this season but find themselves behind their division leader at the midway mark. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves that lead up to tonight’s games.
- Those Maple Leafs have recalled Kasimir Kaskisuo under emergency conditions once again, indicating that Frederik Andersen will not be healthy enough to suit up tonight. The team will go with Michael Hutchinson in net once again, after Kaskisuo allowed five goals in a start for the Toronto Marlies yesterday afternoon.
- Darren Archibald has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators, a quick promotion for the minor league forward after being acquired earlier this month. Archibald came over in the Anders Nillson trade with the Vancouver Canucks, and will get an NHL opportunity in Ottawa.
- Brandon Pirri has been recalled by the Vegas Golden Knights, after William Carrier was moved to injured reserve. If Pirri plays three more games with Vegas he’ll need to pass through waivers again before being sent down.
- All three players on waivers yesterday—Nikita Scherbak, Chris Wideman and Jordan Schmaltz—have been reassigned to the minor leagues. The St. Louis Blues have recalled Samuel Blais in Schmaltz’ place.
- Ben Street has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks, just a few days after clearing waivers. Street has played 21 games for the Ducks this season, recording five points. The Ducks have also recalled Jake Dotchin, who similarly cleared waivers earlier this season.
- The New Jersey Devils have sent John Quenneville back to the AHL, another setback in a career that just can’t seem to take the next step. Quenneville remains a talented prospect for the Devils, but now has played 17 NHL games the last two seasons without recording a single point. New Jersey has recalled Egor Yakovlev to fill the roster spot.
Snapshots: Lundestrom, Hudon, McGinn
When the Anaheim Ducks loaned rookie Isac Lundestrom to Team Sweden for the World Junior Championship in the midst of a campaign split between the NHL and AHL, it was a hint that perhaps the experiment was over with the 19-year-old for this season. This has now in fact been confirmed, as agent Martin Nilsson tells Swedish news source Aftonbladet that Lundestrom has returned to Sweden for the remainder of the season. Although the Ducks’ recent first-round pick, No. 23 overall last June, showed signs of promise in his first foray into North American hockey, he nevertheless had failed to produce. Lundestrom, in burning the first year of his entry-level contract, played in 15 games with Anaheim but only recorded two assists. In 12 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, Lundestrom only managed six assists. After half a season with zero goals and limited opportunity to score them, Lundestrom is set to return to his Swedish club Lulea, where he played exclusively with the top team last season. After a WJC in which Sweden struggled but Lundestrom excelled, recording four points in five games, Nilsson says that the youngster is eager to return home and take on a key role for his club. He remains in conversation with Anaheim and, more likely than not, will be back with the organization to begin next season. In the meantime, the Ducks hope to see more of his offensive potential as he takes on the Swedish Hockey League.
- Another player who could be on the move soon is Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon. Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic recently sat down with Hudon’s agent, Allain Roy, and discovered that the young forward has asked the Canadiens to give him a chance to play. While Godin would not go so far as to say that Hudon demanded a trade, the 24-year-old did allegedly tell the team that he wants a chance and, if it isn’t in Montreal, he would like to be moved elsewhere. “Charlie wants to play in the National Hockey League”, said Roy, “He’s a good player, and we’re still waiting for an answer whether it’s from Montreal or anywhere else.” After a 30-point performance in his first full NHL season last year, it’s fair for Hudon to be discouraged with how this season is going. Expected to be top-nine contributor, Hudon has instead been a frequent scratch and has played the majority of his 23 games on the team’s fourth line with Matthew Peca and Nicolas Deslauriers, despite ample opportunity to line up elsewhere. The trio has combined for just 17 points and Hudon has only contributed four. The Canadiens have opted to hold on to Hudon rather than risk him on waivers, even at the cost of recent claims Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose, but continue to deny him an opportunity to succeed. Godin wonders what the market would look like for a player like Hudon, whose size and skill set are ill-fitted for checking line work but who has yet to truly prove himself as a top-nine scoring option. Hudon would most likely not clear waivers if any team could grab him for free, but will anyone be willing to ante up to acquire the eager winger from the Canadiens? If the team doesn’t start giving him a larger role, we’ll soon find out the answer to that question.
- Already on his way to a new team is Tye McGinn. Unlike Jamie and Brock, the middle McGinn brother is without an NHL contract this season for the first time in his eight-year pro career. McGinn, 28, had been playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, but yesterday was traded to the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. This ended up being the “future considerations” side of the Jets’ acquisition of defenseman Jimmy Oligny from Vegas. With the Knights looking playoff-bound again this season, the McGinn acquisition could yield an intriguing late-season signing option. The team is sure to take a look at how the veteran two-way forward performs for their farm team and could decide he is worthy of stashing as a deep depth piece for the stretch run and postseason. McGinn was last an NHL regular in 2014-15, but has always produced consistently in the minors and shown good checking ability at the next level. Vegas has only two roster spots open as of now, but depending on how their trade deadline plans shake out, could dedicate one of those slots to McGinn later on.
Minor Transactions: 01/05/19
It’s the first weekend of the new year and the NHL is ready to roll out some marquee match-ups. Two cross-conference contests start the action, with matinees from the Flames and Flyers, as well as the Wild and Senators. Later, P.K. Subban and the Predators visit Shea Weber and the Canadiens, the division rival Sabres and Bruins battle it out for the final time this season, and some of the game’s biggest names clash when the Sharks host the Lightning. With nine games on the docket today and another seven tomorrow, teams are sure to be shuffling their rosters. Expect some movement today and keep track right here:
- Recently-named AHL All-Star Jacob Middleton has been recalled by the San Jose Sharks, CapFriendly reports. The 23-year-old defenseman has shown off his well-rounded game this season with the San Jose Barracuda, with 12 points and a team-leading +15 rating in just 26 games. At 6’3″, 210 lbs., Middleton has NHL size, but over the past year or so has begun to show NHL talent as well. The 2014 seventh-round pick is exceeding expectations for San Jose, becoming yet another capable option on their deep blue line. The only question now is whether he makes his debut on this recall and, if so, how he performs under the pressure. In confirming the recall, the Sharks also announced that Justin Braun has been placed on injured reserve, which may provide Middleton the opportunity to see some action.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced, somewhat unsurprisingly, that Kasimir Kaskisuo is on his way back up today, courtesy of an emergency recall. With starter Frederik Andersen still sidelined with a groin injury and backup Garret Sparks currently in the concussion protocol, the Leafs turned to newly-acquired Michael Hutchinson to start on Thursday and will apparently ask him to do so again tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. There was optimism that Sparks could be ready to at least dress as the backup tonight, but Kaskisuo’s call-up would indicate that won’t be happening. Toronto simply has to hope that Hutchinson can manage the game well enough, as Kaskisuo’s season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies has been nightmarish (.871 SV% and 3.82 GAA) and he should be nowhere near an NHL net right now, if possible.
- Another team to frequently swap their goalies around has done so again, as the AHL lists the St. Louis Blues as having recalled Jordan Binnington and reassigned first-year pro Evan Fitzpatrick to the San Antonio Rampage. Fitzpatrick, a 2016 second-round pick, earned his first NHL recall earlier in the week as the organization dealt with the losses of Chad Johnson (waivers) and Ville Husso (injury), but the green 20-year-old did not see any action. Following the acquisition of Jared Coreau, ironically from the same Anaheim Ducks that claimed Johnson, the Blues now have another veteran option in the AHL and apparently feel comfortable bringing Binnington back up. Binnington has enjoyed a strong season in the minors and is St. Louis’ best option behind starter Jake Allen, even if his limited NHL experience does leave a lot to be desired.
- After clearing waivers, Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Martinsen is headed to the AHL, the team announced. Joining him is rookie Dylan Sikura, who has struggled to produce with Chicago so far but is enjoying a fine season with the Rockford Ice Hogs alongside brother Tyler. As for Martinsen, he is no stranger to the minor leagues; the hulking Norwegian played in 64 games with the Ice Hogs last season compared to just nine with the Blackhawks. Martinsen has registered just four points in 24 games in Chicago this season, so the ‘Hawks likely won’t be rushing to call him back up.
Andreas Martinsen, Korbinian Holzer Placed On Waivers
UPDATE: All three players have cleared waivers. Martinsen has been reassigned to the AHL and the same fate is expected of Holzer. Pedrie will see his contract terminated by the Rangers.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be getting Drake Caggiula on the ice as soon as his visa issues are resolved, and today have prepared some room for him. Andreas Martinsen has been placed on waivers according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. In addition to Martinsen, CapFriendly reports that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Korbinian Holzer and New York Rangers prospect Vince Pedrie are also on waivers, the latter being unconditional for the purpose of a contract termination.
Martinsen, 28, has played just 24 games for the Blackhawks this season and has just four points. The big, physical forward has logged more than ten minutes in a single game just once, but still easily leads the team in hits with 83. That kind of bruising presence is needed sometimes, but with the Blackhawks struggling to stay out of the very bottom of the NHL standings a new approach might be in order. There very well could be another team that believes they can get a bigger contribution from Martinsen, but more likely he’ll be heading to the minor leagues shortly.
Holzer is in a slightly different situation given the injury that has kept him out all season, but he too has little opportunity to play for Anaheim. The team is already loaded with defense and has several prospects knocking on the door, leaving little room for the 30-year old to hit the ice. Holzer has never played more than 34 NHL games in a single season, and doesn’t look like he’ll be breaking that mark anytime soon.
Philadelphia Flyers Claim Mike McKenna
In a move that’s sure to solve their goaltending woes, the Philadelphia Flyers have claimed Mike McKenna off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Canucks now face a dilemma in their minor league crease, given that Thatcher Demko has indeed been recalled as expected. For the Flyers, another goalie was needed after Michal Neuvirth suffered another minor injury. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher explained the decision:
Mike provides our organization added depth as we continue to battle injuries at the goaltending position. He is a veteran goaltender with a tremendous amount of professional experience.
Tremendous amount of experience may be an understatement when it comes to McKenna. The 35-year old goaltender has played just 34 games at the NHL level, but has suited up more than 500 times in the minor leagues since his debut in 2005. While Carter Hart is expected to carry the load, McKenna is a good option to hold the backup role until Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz or Brian Elliott are ready to return to action.
McKenna’s claim is an interesting one for several other teams around the league, including the Canucks themselves. The team had only just acquired the veteran goaltender from the Ottawa Senators and obviously hoped they would be able to get him through waivers today. The Utica Comets, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, were already without Richard Bachman due to a long-term injury and have now lost Demko to the NHL. That leaves them without a starting goaltender for now, something that Vancouver will have to address quickly.
Another is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who very well could have put in a claim on McKenna given their own injury woes in net. Frederik Andersen is still out with a groin injury and the team confirmed that Garret Sparks has been diagnosed with a concussion. That leaves Michael Hutchinson as the lone experienced goaltender in Toronto, something they clearly are uncomfortable with.
Mike McKenna Placed On Waivers
As expected, the Vancouver Canucks have placed goaltender Mike McKenna on waivers today. McKenna was acquired earlier this week from the Ottawa Senators, but will likely swap placed with Thatcher Demko in the AHL so the young goaltending prospect can get a chance at the NHL level with the Canucks. McKenna will almost certainly take over the starting role with the Utica Comets, unless another team believes he can help them more in the NHL.
McKenna, 35, has played all over North America throughout his professional career, hitting the ice for six different NHL teams and 13 AHL cities. Heading to Utica is just the next chapter in a career that has seen it all. During all that time he’s proven to be an extremely capable AHL goaltender, but has struggled at the NHL level. Instead of keeping him as a backup in Vancouver, the Canucks will give Demko the chance to show that he is the next starter for the franchise.
There is a chance that McKenna is claimed, but even with his two-way deal that carries just a $700K cap hit it is unlikely. The veteran cleared before the season started, and there have been other goaltenders with more upside that have passed through recently. Any claiming team would have to try and put him through waivers again in order to send him to the AHL, at which point Vancouver would have a chance to get him back. There’s little reason to believe that McKenna is an upgrade at the NHL level for anyone, though there is always the chance that he’s used as an injury fill-in for a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Chicago Blackhawks Place Brandon Davidson, Jason Garrison On Waivers
Thursday: All four players have cleared waivers. Garrison will see his contract terminated and will pursue other opportunities, while Davidson has been activated from injured reserve.
Wednesday: Despite clearing regular waivers earlier this week, Jason Garrison now finds himself back on the wire. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Garrison on unconditional waivers, presumably in order to terminate his contract. The Blackhawks have also placed Brandon Davidson on waivers, while Wade Megan (Detroit Red Wings) and Ben Street (Anaheim Ducks) find themselves there as well.
Garrison, 34, did not report to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL after clearing waivers, leading to his placement on unconditional waivers today. Though the team has not confirmed it yet, it likely means Garrison has agreed to a mutual contract termination after not reporting, and will see the remainder of his one-year deal disappear. The veteran defenseman earned the contract after signing a professional tryout in Edmonton, but was limited to just 17 games before being included in the recent trade for Brandon Manning.
Davidson meanwhile is hitting waivers once again in his career, something that he experienced last season as well. The defenseman 27-year old was waived by the Montreal Canadiens in December 2017 only to find himself on two more teams before the end of the year. Dealing with injury for much of this year, he has suited up just seven times for the Blackhawks. Despite all that, there’s reason to believe that Davidson will be claimed by a defense-needy team given his league-minimum salary of $650K.