Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues Put Three On Waivers
Wednesday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Tuesday: The Ottawa Senators have decided that two assists in 37 games from Tom Pyatt just isn’t enough as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Senators have placed the veteran forward on waivers today. A moment later, Friedman added that the St. Louis Blues put a pair of players on waivers as well, including defenseman Chris Butler and forward Jordan Nolan. Friedman also writes that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jason Garrison cleared waivers.
After losing five games in a row, the move to put Pyatt on waivers comes as no surprise as general manager Pierre Dorion is obviously sending a message to head coach Guy Boucher that the team needs to turn its fortunes around as the new year comes about. Pyatt, a favorite of Boucher, has struggled offensively as he has no goals and just two assists in 37 games as a bottom-line forward, but even more disappointing is his minus-16 rating on the ice. The 31-year-old has already seen his playing time drop to under 10 minutes in the nine of the past 10 games. The move could have been made as Jean-Gabriel Pageau is expected to return to the ice soon, possibly as early as Wednesday. Pyatt is in the final year of a two-year, $2.2MM contract and could generate some interest from a team looking for some veteran depth options.
Both Butler and Nolan have already been on waivers earlier this season as both cleared to start the season. Butler, however, has already seen 12 games and with the imminent return of defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, who has missed quite a bit of time with an upper-body injury, the team was required to place the 32-year-old on waivers. As for Nolan, he has also appeared in 11 games this year and has two assists to go with 14 penalty minutes. The 29-year-old Nolan, who has played parts of eight seasons in the NHL, will likely return to San Antonio where he has seven goals and 15 points there.
Coyotes Send Calvin Pickard To Tucson On Conditioning Stint
It’s been more than a month since the Arizona Coyotes claimed goaltender Calvin Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. However, in all that time, Pickard hasn’t seen one minute of hockey with the Coyotes, which prompted the team to announce they intend their netminder to the Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint.
Pickard has had a rough time of it the last couple of years as he started with the Colorado Avalanche, but got taken by Vegas in the expansion draft. However, it didn’t take Vegas long to realize that they didn’t want him as their back-up to Marc-Andre Fleury, instead claiming Malcolm Subban on waivers, while putting Pickard on waivers and eventually trading him to Toronto. Pickard only played one game with Toronto, spending most of the season last year with the AHL Toronto Marlies, which he helped win a Calder Cup Trophy. However, he became a popular goaltender at the beginning of the season as he was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers, who were dealing with injuries and made 11 appearances for the team. However, he struggled, posting just four wins and a .863 save percentage. Once the team got healthier, the Flyers placed him back on waivers and was claimed by Arizona.
The Coyotes needed a goaltender to fill in as a backup for Antti Raanta, who is likely out for the season after complications with surgery. However, the play of Adin Hill and backup Darcy Kuemper this season has made Pickard expendable as Hill has filled in nicely for Raanta stead. Regardless, the team holds onto Pickard as insurance and now hopes to get him some work in the AHL.
Nashville Predators Claim Phillip Di Giuseppe Off Waivers
With injuries mounting, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Nashville Predators claimed forward Phillip Di Giuseppe off of waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes and to make room for the young forward, the team placed center Kyle Turris on injured reserve once again with a lower-body injury, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan.
In Di Giuseppe, the Predators gets themselves a 25-year-old forward with 147 NHL games under his belt, but the winger hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time role in all the years he’s been with Carolina. He has one goal and four assists in 21 games this season with the Hurricanes. However, with the Hurricanes struggling themselves and Di Giuseppe being a healthy scratch for four straight games, Carolina opted to risk losing him by putting him on waivers. The team already lost Valentin Zykov on waivers to Edmonton (and then Vegas), so it’s another key loss for their minor league team.
Nashville has been plagued with injuries as the team is currently without forwards Filip Forsberg and Colton Sissons. Turris has also missed a game and was expected to be out Monday before the team returned him to IR and with Eeli Tolvanen playing at the World Junior Championships, the team opted to bring in Di Giuseppe to provide some added depth. The team also recalled Nicholas Baptiste to help fill in as well. There is no word whether Turris’ trip to injured reserve will be a long one. It’s very likely the Predators used Turris’ injury to open up a roster spot so they could take Di Giuseppe. Turris last played on Dec. 27, so assuming the trip to the IR is retroactive to that game, he won’t be eligible to return until their game on Friday at Detroit. He already spent almost three weeks on IR in late November and early December.
Phil Di Giuseppe, Jason Garrison Placed On Waivers
Just a day after acquiring him from the Edmonton Oilers, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Jason Garrison on waivers. The veteran defenseman will be joined by Carolina Hurricanes forward Phillip Di Giuseppe, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Garrison, 34, was included alongside Drake Caggiula in the package that sent Brandon Manning back to Edmonton, but apparently isn’t in the NHL plans for the Blackhawks. Chicago had been looking for ways to rid themselves of Manning in order to give more ice time to their young defensemen, and apparently agreed to take Garrison off the Edmonton books without much use for him. Given the $650K cap hit he carries, Garrison would be completely buried in the minor leagues and not take up any salary cap for the Blackhawks while giving them an experienced option if injuries ever struck. That’s exactly the role he played last year with the Vegas Golden Knights, when he suited up 58 times for the Chicago Wolves. This would appear to be the end of Garrison’s NHL career, though there may be another team who offers him a professional tryout again next summer.
For Di Giuseppe, things are much different. The 38th overall pick from 2012 is still just 25 years old and has actually shown flashes of solid performance at the NHL level. Despite that, he can’t seem to keep him self up with the Hurricanes and will be available for the entire league once again. In 21 games this season, Di Giuseppe has just four points.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Goaltender Michael Hutchinson
With Frederik Andersen currently day-to-day with a groin injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs had already been forced to call up Kasimir Kaskisuo – and his .866 AHL save percentage. The team was a Garret Sparks injury away from having the struggling Kaskisuo as their starter in the short term. Depth in net had become a dire need for the organization and today GM Kyle Dubas was quick to address that need. The Maple Leafs have announced that they have acquired goaltender Michael Hutchinson from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round pick.
Hutchinson, 28, is a shrewd pickup for Toronto, especially for a future late-round selection. Hutchinson is not far removed from being a regular fixture in net for the Winnipeg Jets from 2014 to 2017. While Hutchinson lost that job in Winnipeg last season, making only three appearances, he managed to play in 76 games over the three seasons prior. In a total of 106 NHL appearances, including four with Florida this year, Hutchinson has a .907 save percentage and 2.70 GAA. Hutchinson has had his fair share of struggles at both the NHL and AHL level this season and has not been the reliable third-string option to injury-prone Roberto Luongo and James Reimer as the Panthers had hoped when they signed him this past off-season. However, his minor league play has been vastly superior to Kaskisuo’s and his career NHL numbers are quite similar to Sparks’. The Leafs still don’t have a stalwart backup goalie to Andersen, but have cheaply acquired an experienced veteran keeper that is a clear upgrade to their depth in net.
Perhaps the best part about adding Hutchinson is that he has already cleared waivers this season and may be moved back and forth between the Maple Leafs and Marlies at will. Toronto’s goaltending depth issues began just prior to the start of the season, when both Calvin Pickard and Curtis McElhinney were claimed on waivers when the Leafs opted to protect Sparks. Pickard had a rough experience with the Philadelphia Flyers early on, but the Maple Leafs nevertheless tried to reclaim their lost property when the Flyers also placed him on waivers. However, they failed to bring Pickard back in as he was claimed by the Arizona Coyotes. McElhinney, on the other hand, has been the best of the Carolina Hurricanes’ trio of goalies and is unlikely to be up for claim again this season. Hutchinson was likely one of the top two-way keepers available and apparently one of the more affordable.
As for the Panthers, when healthy the duo of Luongo and Reimer have the roster spots in Florida locked up. Hutchinson was never going to overtake either keeper, especially given his performance this season. The team also hoped to get young Sam Montembeault some NHL experience this season and the Springfield Thunderbirds starter now takes over as the organization’s No. 3. It makes sense that the Panthers got what they could for a disappointing signing. However, if injury does strike Luongo again, Reimer’s struggles and Montembeault’s inexperience become of greater concern for Florida, especially if they are fighting for a playoff spot. Expect the Panthers to keep an eye on waivers and the goalie market for the remainder of the season.
Vegas Golden Knights Claim Valentin Zykov
Valentin Zykov is no stranger to being claimed off waivers. The 23-year-old forward landed with the Edmonton Oilers less than a month ago after being placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. As such, it comes as no surprise that Zykov is on the move yet again, after Edmonton also opted to place him on waivers yesterday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Zykov has been claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights and will remain in the Pacific Division for the time being.
Zykov continues to be an enigma in his pro career. The young Russian winger led the AHL with 33 goals last season and topped 50 points while playing a top-line role for the Charlotte Checkers. He also performed well in a brief NHL tryout with Carolina, recording seven points in ten games. However, when handed a roster spot with the Hurricanes to begin this season, Zykov disappeared. He was unable to score even one goal, registering just three assists in 13 games. When the ‘Canes decided to risk Zykov on waivers to move him back to the AHL, they did so knowing that they could be giving up considerable offensive potential. Originally a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings back in 2013, Zykov’s ability has always been well-regarded, but questions remain about whether he can put it all together at the NHL level. The Oilers decided to take a chance on his upside and claimed the AHL standout. In five games with Edmonton, Zykov was even more invisible than he had been in Raleigh. Zykov failed to record a point and struggled to log even seven minutes of ice time in four of his five outings. The Oilers were unimpressed by the performance, but apparently the Golden Knights were not. They become the third team to give the talented, but inconsistent winger a chance this season. Whether or not they will be the last remains to be seen. Vegas is currently over the 23-man roster limit and have some immediate roster decisions to make. Zykov is likely on a short leash with this club as well.
Friedman also notes that the three other players placed on waivers yesterday cleared. This means that defenseman Jake Dotchin, who also could have been on to his third team of the season, will instead remain with the Anaheim Ducks organization. Dotchin is likely to be demoted to the AHL after clearing waivers, given his dwindling ice time in recent games and the team’s depth on the blue line. Dotchin is a nice asset for the Ducks to have as an option should they need a dose of physicality, but the former Tampa Bay Lightning rearguard is probably best suited for the depth role he now finds himself in. The other two players to clear – placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination – were Carolina’s Michal Cajkovsky and Nashville’s Joonas Lyytinen. Given that Cajkovksy had already signed with Dynamo Moscow ahead of the KHL Trade Deadline, his clearance is not a surprise. The same goes for Lyytinen, who has struggled to carve out a role for himself with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in two seasons in North America and was nowhere close to an NHL call-up. Lyytinen is likely to return to the Liiga in his native Finland following his release.
Jake Dotchin, Valentin Zykov Placed On Waivers
The roster freeze is over, and teams can use waivers once again to try and move players to the minor leagues. The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers have done so, placing defenseman Jake Dotchin and forward Valentin Zykov there. Both players found themselves on waivers earlier this year, with Dotchin seeing his contract terminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Zykov claimed from the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Michal Cajkovsky and Joonas Lyytinen have also been placed on unconditional waivers by the Hurricanes and Nashville Predators respectively.
Dotchin, 24, is still in a grievance over how his deal was terminated earlier this year when the Lightning found him in “material breach of contract” when he showed up to camp out of shape. Though he was cut loose from the Tampa Bay organization, the young defenseman found a new team in Anaheim and worked hard to get back to the NHL level. He has played 16 games for the Ducks, though saw the end of the bench for much of his last one, playing fewer than seven minutes in a loss to San Jose.
The physical—and sometimes dangerous—Dotchin looked like a promising asset for Tampa Bay just a few years ago, when he recorded 11 points in 35 games down the stretch in 2017. Right-handed, he seemed like a perfect complement to some of the more skilled defenders on the Lightning blue line and was extremely inexpensive. Even the draft capital invested in him was minuscule, as the Lightning had found Dotchin in the 2012 sixth round after just a single year of junior hockey. He could be claimed by another team, but after inconsistent play and the recent trouble, some organizations may look the other way.
Zykov on the other hand just can’t seem to make good on his limited opportunities in the NHL. Claimed by the Oilers to give them some more offense on the wing, the 23-year old forward didn’t score a single point during his five-game stint and now finds himself in limbo. The Hurricanes could reclaim the second round pick, and if they are the only team that tries they would be allowed to immediately move him to the minor leagues. If not, Edmonton might try to build up his confidence and performance at the minor league level before giving him another opportunity.
Radel Fazleev Clears Unconditional Waivers, Signs In KHL
Dec. 25: It hasn’t taken long for Fazleev to find a new team. The KHL announced that he has signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan for the remainder of the season.
Dec. 21: Friedman reports that Fazleev has cleared waivers.
Dec. 20: Along with Patrik Berglund of the Buffalo Sabres, another player is gracing unconditional waivers today. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Radel Fazleev will see his contract terminated provided he clears waivers as expected. The 22-year old forward is in the final year of his three-year entry-level deal signed in 2015, and has just two points in 15 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.
Fazleev was a sixth-round selection in 2014 out of the WHL, where he had put up good numbers in his first year of junior hockey. Those numbers continued to grow as he developed with the Calgary Hitmen, eventually leading to a 71-point season in 2015-16 and a silver medal at the World Juniors. Unfortunately, that kind of playmaking talent wasn’t carried over to the minor leagues and Fazleev has struggled in the minor leagues with Lehigh Valley.
As CapFriendly pointed out today, situations like this are almost always due to a player failing to report or leaving the club. There have been plenty of examples of contract terminations this year, and Fazleev will likely join the majority of them in finding a new job overseas. The Russian forward could very well be headed to the KHL to try his luck.
Patrik Berglund Placed On Unconditional Waivers, Will Have Contract Terminated
Thursday: Berglund has cleared waivers, and is now expected to have his contract terminated.
Wednesday: The Buffalo Sabres have put an end to the situation revolving around Patrik Berglund. The team today placed Berglund on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Berglund is currently suspended by the team for failing to report. Terminating the contract will completely remove Berglund’s remaining $3.85MM cap hit and average salary, which was meant to continue through 2021-22. He will be an unrestricted free agent.
Assuming that the contract termination is of the mutually agreed upon variety—opposed to the “material breach” of contract kind that ended Jake Dotchin‘s Tampa Bay career—Berglund is walking away from more than $12MM in order to leave the Sabres. CapFriendly explains how exactly these terminations are perhaps mislabeled as mutual, though do usually give the player the opportunity to report and avoid the termination.
In recent days, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Berglund failed to submit his partial no-trade clause in time to block a deal to Buffalo in the first place, when he was included in a trade that saw Ryan O’Reilly go to the St. Louis Blues. The veteran forward was also apparently frustrated with his role on the team and being scratched multiple times in the early part of the season.
For the Sabres, this actually comes as something of a blessing. Berglund had played quite poorly for Buffalo this year, and even in St. Louis had never taken the next step to become a consistent top-six forward. Though he does have some offensive upside given his multiple 20-goal seasons, the Sabres have other players who can take over the load for much cheaper. Wiping his cap hit from the books going forward will only help the team re-sign a player like Jeff Skinner, who is scheduled for unrestricted free agency and could be looking for a huge payday.
It’s not clear yet what Berglund’s plans are, but after termination he will be free to sign with any team in the NHL. There undoubtedly will be interest, but it will likely be hard to trust him after this latest stunt. Berglund’s absence was originally explained as a sickness, but after not showing up to the team he was indefinitely suspended.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/18
Though the NHL transaction freeze is now underway, there is bound to be some roster movement throughout the holidays. The freeze only stops teams from trading, waiving or loaning players away from their current roster, and there are certain loopholes. One of those is that any player recalled after December 11th can still be loaned back to the minor leagues, which is why we saw so many teams making paper transactions yesterday. Like always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Phil Varone is back up with the Philadelphia Flyers after a quick trip to the minor league roster. The team now has some flexibility and will be able to send both Varone and Carter Hart back to the minor leagues if necessary over the break. Varone, who has just five points in his NHL career, is an outstanding offensive player that hasn’t been able to break through at the highest level just yet. He’ll serve as some forward insurance for the club over the next little while.
- After clearing waivers yesterday, Garrett Wilson is on his way to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Wilson was just an injury fill-in for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but will now wait his turn in the minor leagues as Dominik Simon approaches a return to action. The team is allowed to do this because of the timing of Wilson’s waiver stint.
- Tyler Gaudet has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, which according to Paul Skrbina of the Tennessean could mean a trip to injured reserve for Colton Sissons. Gaudet hasn’t played in the NHL since 2016-17, but does have 14 points in 27 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this year.
- As expected, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled Adin Hill and Conor Garland after just a day on the minor league roster. The pair were sent down just to create some more flexibility over the break.
- In Calgary, Buddy Robinson and Ryan Lomberg have been recalled while Kerby Rychel has been sent back to the Stockton Heat. Robinson, 27, brings a huge body up to the Flames as the forward stands 6’6″ but also comes with some skill. With 53 points for the Manitoba Moose last season, Robinson outscored top prospects like Michael Spacek, Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux.