Twenty Players Placed On Waivers
It’s after noon Eastern and that means another round of players has officially been placed on waivers. This is day four that the NHL waiver wire has been open and so far 67 players have been exposed and just one – now Tampa Bay Lightning forward Danick Martel, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers – has been claimed. Another 20 names have hit the wire today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:
F Steve Bernier (NY Islanders)
F Reid Boucher (Vancouver)
F Paul Carey (Ottawa)
D Tommy Cross (Columbus)
F Zac Dalpe (Columbus)
F Tanner Fritz (NY Islanders)
F Nathan Gerbe (Columbus)
G Christopher Gibson (NY Islanders)
D Kevin Gravel (Edmonton)
D Seth Helgeson (NY Islanders)
D Keegan Lowe (Edmonton)
F Brad Malone (Edmonton)
D Jaycob Megna (Anaheim)
D Dakota Mermis (Arizona)
F Julius Nattinen (Anaheim) – unconditional
F Jim O’Brien (Ottawa)
D Ethan Prow (Pittsburgh)
D Ashton Sautner (Vancouver)
D Dillon Simpson (Columbus)
F Mike Sislo (NY Islanders)
The list today is largely devoid of any flashy names likely to draw a claim. The majority of these players are veterans of the waivers process, having cleared several times in the past. It is curious how many are recent free agent additions, including Carey in Ottawa and Gravel in Edmonton, each of whom were one of their team’s biggest off-season signings. Cross and Simpson are also new arrivals in Columbus who were expected to compete for depth roles on the blue line.
Young defensemen Sautner and Mermis are perhaps the two most intriguing names up for grabs. Both made their NHL debuts last season amid strong AHL campaigns. Carey, while a known commodity, may have the best chance of being claimed. The 30-year-old played in 60 games for the New York Rangers last year and has been a reliable checking forward during his career. However, 30 other teams had a chance to sign Carey this off-season and passed up the opportunity, so they won’t all be clamoring for his services now. Boucher has been through the waivers ringer before, but don’t expect another go-round for a forward who has the ability, but can’t seem to put it all together.
Edmonton’s dismissal of Gravel and Lowe could indicate that first-round pick Evan Bouchard and/or young puck-mover Ethan Bear are in line for a job with the Oilers. Gravel in particular was penciled in as the extra defenseman for the team, so his relatively early cut from camp is not without some significance. Gravel is just one year removed from starting 49 games for the Los Angeles Kings.
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Ducks prospect center Nattinen has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. No other details are currently available. Nattinen, 21, was a second-round pick not long ago in 2015 and was entering his second pro season. He recorded 12 points in 55 games last season for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
Thirty-Five Players Placed On Waivers
After 25 players were placed on waivers Friday and another seven Saturday (all of which cleared), the biggest yet came today with 35 more players being placed on waivers, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.
F Andy Andreoff (Tampa Bay)
F Chase Balisy (Ottawa)
D Julius Bergman (Ottawa)
F Connor Brickley (Nashville)
G Peter Budaj (Los Angeles)
F Michael Bunting (Arizona)
D Erik Burgdoerfer (Ottawa)
F Tim Clifton (San Jose)
F Gabriel Dumont (Tampa Bay)
D Stefan Elliott (Pittsburgh)
F Kurtis Gabriel (New Jersey)
F Tyler Gaudet (Nashville)
D Cameron Gaunce (Tampa Bay)
G Troy Grosenick (Nashville)
F Jimmy Hayes (Pittsburgh)
G Maxime Lagace (Vegas)
F Tobias Lindberg (Pittsburgh)
F Stefan Matteau (Vegas)
G John Muse (Pittsburgh)
G Eddie Pasquale (Tampa Bay)
F Nick Paul (Ottawa)
F Blake Pietila (New Jersey)
F Kevin Porter (Buffalo)
D John Ramage (New Jersey)
D Griffin Reinhart (Vegas)
F Ben Sexton (Ottawa)
D Patrick Sieloff (Ottawa)
D Brian Strait (New Jersey)
D Chris Summers (Pittsburgh)
F Adam Tambellini (Ottawa)
F Eric Tangradi (New Jersey)
D Jarred Tinordi (Nashville)
F T.J. Tynan (Vegas)
F Carter Verhaeghe (Tampa Bay)
F Garrett Wilson (Pittsburgh)
One of the more interesting players put on waivers is Reinhart, the fourth-overall pick back in 2012, who the Golden Knights took a flier on in the expansion draft. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound blueliner has never been able to match his size and skills together to make considerable NHL contributions. It was no different in Vegas, where the now 24-year-old never made an NHL appearance for the Golden Knights. He played 60 games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves where he posted just two goals and 12 points.
Budaj, who has been a solid goaltender in previous year, may be past his prime as the 36-year-old couldn’t make an impact in Tampa Bay or Los Angeles last year, both places where they had backup goaltending issues at one point in the season last year. In eight games with the Lightning last year, he posted a 3.75 GAA and a .876 save percentage.
Other interesting players who saw significant NHL time last season include Andreoff, Brickley, Hayes, Dumont and Lagace.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Paul Byron To Four-Year Extension
Despite some speculation from the fan base that Paul Byron might be the next player out the door for the Montreal Canadiens, Byron himself confirmed last week that he was in talks for a contract extension with the team. Those talks have proved fruitful, as the Canadiens announced a new four-year, $13.6MM contract with the veteran forward. Byron has one year remaining on his current contract at $1.17MM, but will get a hefty raise to $3.4MM per year on average through 2022-23. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Byron’s contract does not contain any trade protections and will pay him $4MM in years one and three and $2.8MM in years two and four.
This move lines up nicely with what Montreal wants to do over the course of the contract: continue to be competitive while rebuilding their core. Byron has been a great fit for the Habs since coming over from the Calgary Flames via waivers early in the 2015-16 season. Byron has recorded more points in Montreal over the past two seasons (78) than he did his first 200 NHL games prior (66), including a career-high 43 in 2016-17. He has also proven to be a dependable and durable player, skating in all but one game and logging new highs in ice time in the past two years. One could argue that no Canadien has been more consistent than Byron over the past two seasons, who now has the security to further transition into a leader in the locker room.
The versatile forward joins a new Canadiens’ top six of Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, and Phillip Danault, all signed on for multiple seasons with the team. A good checker, penalty killer, and all-around two-way contributor, Byron has blossomed into a balanced player who should provide responsible play up front for years to come for the Canadiens. Byron may not have the same name value as some of this teammates or others in the mid-$3MM salary range, but make no mistake – this is a savvy signing by Montreal to lock up a very capable player.
Seven Players Placed On Waivers
Not surprisingly, the waiver wire isn’t quite as busy today after 25 players were on it yesterday. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports (Twitter link) that the following seven players have been waived by their respective teams:
G Joe Cannata (Colorado)
D Alex Lintuniemi (Los Angeles)
F Zack Mitchell (Los Angeles)
F Landon Ferraro (Minnesota)
F Cal O’Reilly (Minnesota)
D Hunter Warner (Minnesota)
D Kyle Burroughs (NY Islanders)
Out of the trio from the Wild, O’Reilly is arguably the most notable. He’s coming off of a very productive season with their AHL affiliate in Iowa with 64 points in 75 games, good for a tie for eighth league-wide in scoring. However, while he has 145 career NHL games under his belt, only a dozen have come in the past two years. Ferraro had a quieter season with Iowa, posting just 23 points in 50 contests, his lowest point-per-game average since 2013-14. He also got into two games with the big club, collecting a single goal. Warner spent all of last year at the minor league level, picking up a trio of assists in 37 and is entering the final year of his entry-level deal.
Mitchell split last season between Minnesota (23 games, five points) and Iowa (42 games, 33 points) before signing a two-way deal with the Kings this summer. Lintuniemi wrapped up his entry-level contract last season where he more than doubled his offensive output from the year before (from 10 to 24 points). That was enough to land him a qualifying offer in the offseason.
As for Cannata, the 28-year-old spent most of last year at the ECHL level with the Colorado Eagles and will likely be headed back to that level for 2018-19. Burroughs wrapped up his entry-level pact last year with a strong showing with Bridgeport of the AHL where he collected a career-best 25 points along with 99 PIMS. The Islanders gave him a two-year deal back in July that carries a guarantee of $150K this coming season and $225K in 2019-20.
As for the players on waivers yesterday, 24 of the 25 cleared, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (via Twitter). The one that didn’t was forward Danick Martel, who was picked up by Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay Claims Danick Martel Off Waivers From Philadelphia
The first waiver claim of 2018-19 has been made as the Lightning have claimed forward Danick Martel off waivers from Philadelphia, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).
Martel was a prolific scorer at the junior level, recording 102 points in 64 games in his final QMJHL campaign in 2014-15 which helped land him an entry-level contract with the Flyers in March of 2015. Through the first three years of his career, he has spent the majority of his time with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley and is coming off a strong season that saw him post 25 goals and 15 assists in 59 games with the Phantoms. He also got into four games with Philadelphia and was held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:13 per game. That was enough to land him a one-year, $715K deal this summer, one that carries a $65K salary at the minor league level.
It will be interesting to see where Martel fits in with Tampa Bay. The team hasn’t hesitated to use smaller skilled players in the past and at five-foot-eight, the 23-year-old certainly falls into that category. He will likely push for a spot at the end of their roster but if they want to send him to their AHL affiliate, he will have to go back on the wire.
Washington’s Options At Backup Goalie
The Washington Capitals have four goaltenders under contract for the coming season, Vezina Trophy-winning starter Braden Holtby and three unproven young backups: Pheonix Copley, Vitek Vanecek, and Ilya Samsonov. The defending Stanley Cup champions do not necessarily need to make any changes to their current depth chart and would most likely be fine this season with a tandem of Holtby and the hot hand among the three prospect keepers, with Copley getting the job initially.
However, championships are built on being prepared to handle the worst. This current iteration of the Capitals, while almost identical to the team that hoisted the Cup just months ago, is not. The only major departure out of D.C. this off-season was backup Philipp Grubauer, who was traded away to the Colorado Avalanche where he could compete for the starting job. Grubauer was far from a typical backup last season; the 26-year-old made 35 appearances, including 28 starts, which was tied for 37th-most in the league, among the NHL’s most active backups. When Holtby went through a rough patch down the stretch, Grubauer took over the reins as the starter and even got the call in the Capitals’ first two postseason contests. His 2.35 GAA was fifth among goalies with 30+ appearances, while his .923 save percentage was eighth among the same group. Grubauer was as solid as they come last season. Meanwhile, Holtby quietly had the worst season of his NHL career. His .907 save percentage and 2.99 GAA were a major deviation from his career performance, as he struggled with streaky play all year long. Without Grubauer, the Capitals likely would have had a worse playoff seeding and potentially would not have won the Stanley Cup.
So what happens if Holtby struggles again? Normally, it would be easy to say that the star goalie will regress positively back to the numbers that made him a top ten NHL stopper. However, after a deep playoff run added 23 appearances to his workload and significantly shortened his summer, it is hard to imagine that Holtby is fully refreshed and ready to be back in Vezina shape. His play last year may not be an indication of what is to come, but it may be a more accurate comparison for Holtby’s probable performance in 2018-19 than would his three prior seasons of dominant play. Without a reliable backup, the Capitals may be hesitant to lessen Holtby’s workload, but if they don’t they could risk another breakdown. Either way, the Washington backup goalie will not be a non-factor this season.
The first option behind Holtby will likely be Copley. Copley, 26, is a career minor leaguer with just two NHL appearances. In contrast, every team in the NHL last season began the year with a backup goaltender that had more than two previous appearances. Copley is also far from a prodigy; his numbers with the AHL’s Hershey Bears last season were poor and he only returned to Washington as nothing more than a toss-in to the Kevin Shattenkirk trade. So far in the preseason, Copley has made 41 saves on 46 shots for a paltry save percentage of .891. While the Capitals have put their faith in Copley to this point to be a serviceable backup, the undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech has never been considered anything but minor league depth before now. Jumping to a primary backup for a goalie who may need substantial assistance is quite the task. Next up would likely be Vanecek, the Captials’ 2014 second-round pick who has not yet lived up to expectations. Vanecek is still only 22 and has room to improve, but since coming to North America three years ago, he has impressed at the ECHL level and failed to do so in the AHL. Vanecek’s numbers while splitting time with Copley on the Hersey Bears last year were even worse; Copley had an .896 save percentage and 2.91 GAA, while Vanecek had an .888 save percentage and 3.04 GAA. Vanecek has potential, but is not ready to be an NHL backup. Samsonov, in his first season in North America, is easily the most talented of the group. A 2015 first-round pick, Samsonov has been playing significant minutes in the KHL since he was 18. In three seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Samsonov was the primary backup to Vasili Koshechkin and posted a .925 save percentage or better each year. Some hope that young Samsonov can step in and immediately provide that same level of support for Holtby. However, the adjustment to the NHL – and even AHL – can be a difficult one when coming over from Europe. There is no guarantee that Samsonov’s performance will immediately translate. There is also a question of whether Washington will want to harm their heir apparent’s development by costing him starts as the NHL backup. As such, the Capitals are likely to play it safe with Samsonov this season.
Washington’s in-house options to back-up Holtby are not inspiring. The team could absolutely move forward with this group and hope that Holtby can make 65+ starts without a hitch, but there is ample risk involved with that strategy. Normally, it would be tough to significantly upgrade the goaltender position at this time of year, but not this season. Intriguing names are already available and more soon will be. On the free agent market, veterans Kari Lehtonen and Steve Mason remain unsigned. The Capitals do not have much cap space, but if either is willing to take a show-me deal, they would become a massive improvement on the team’s goalie depth. However, both players have been available for much of the off-season and the Caps have yet to pull the trigger. They may instead have their eye on younger, more affordable options. Michael Hutchinson, a free agent signing of the Florida Panthers this summer, is one possibility, as he was already placed on waivers at the earliest possible time. St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington and Vegas’ Oscar Dansk are other waiver options who may have slightly more upside than Copley. That is just the first subset of the backup goalie market though. Teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs (Curtis McElhinney, Garret Sparks, Calvin Pickard), Philadelphia Flyers (Michal Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz, Alex Lyon), and Los Angeles Kings (Peter Budaj, Jack Campbell, Cal Petersen) have major logjams in goal that are prime for a trade or waiver claim. Washington could also wait to target one of a number of third-string goalies trying to be slipped through waivers, such as Al Montoya, Eddie Lack, Andrew Hammond, Anton Forsberg, Zane McIntyre, Jared Coreau, or J-F Berube. The opportunities are out there to upgrade at backup goalie. The only question is whether the Capitals make the move before it’s too late and those opportunities have disappeared.
25 Players Placed On Waivers
Today marked the opening of the regular waiver period in the NHL and not surprisingly, there are quite a few players on the wire. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports (Twitter link) that the following 25 players are on waivers:
F Matt Moulson (Buffalo)
D Andrew Campbell (Chicago)
F Jordan Schroeder (Chicago)
F Mitch Callahan (Edmonton)
D Ryan Stanton (Edmonton)
D Ludwig Bystrom (Florida)
G Michael Hutchinson (Florida)
F Paul Thompson (Florida)
F Cole Bardreau (Philadelphia)
D T.J. Brennan (Philadelphia)
F Greg Carey (Philadelphia)
F Danick Martel (Philadelphia)
F Phil Varone (Philadelphia)
F Frederick Tiffels (Pittsburgh) (unconditional waivers, per CapFriendly)
G Jordan Binnington (St. Louis)
D Chris Butler (St. Louis)
F Brian Flynn (St. Louis)
F Joey LaLeggia (St. Louis)
F Jordan Nolan (St. Louis)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (St. Louis)
G Richard Bachman (Vancouver)
F Tanner Kero (Vancouver)
G Oscar Dansk (Vegas)
F Brett Gallant (Vegas)
D Zac Leslie (Vegas)
Moulson highlights the list although his placement should come as no surprise. With another year at a $5MM cap hit remaining on his deal, he’s a lock to clear and is expected to find his way back to the Kings’ farm team for the upcoming season. Among other notable forwards, Kero has spent time in the NHL in each of the last three seasons, spanning 72 games in that span. Nolan last played in the AHL back in 2012-13 and has been a regular on an NHL roster since then. Buffalo claimed him off waivers last year in training camp. Schroeder is no stranger to being on the wire but he has played in at least 21 NHL contests in each of the last six seasons.
Among the more notable defensemen, Brennan has been a prolific scorer at the AHL level in recent years but hasn’t seen a lot of NHL action in that time. Wotherspoon is coming off of a career year in the minors, posting 37 points in 67 games and has 30 games of NHL experience while Butler has played in at least one game with St. Louis for three straight years and is six games shy of 400 for his career.
Hutchinson is by far the most well-known goaltender of the group. The Panthers signed him to a $1.3MM deal at the beginning of free agency to give them a capable number three in case of injury. He spent most of last year in the minors and with the higher price tag, he’s a fairly safe bet to clear. Dansk made his NHL debut last season when Vegas was hit hard with injuries and did quite well, posting a 1.78 GAA and a .946 SV% in four appearances.
With the exception of Tiffels, the other 24 players will be eligible to be assigned to their respective minor league teams if they aren’t claimed by 11:00 AM CST tomorrow. In Tiffels’ case, his contract will be terminated if he goes unclaimed as expected.
Vaclav Karabacek Clears Unconditional Waivers
Though there was not a report yesterday, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vaclav Karabacek has now cleared unconditional waivers and will see his contract terminated according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Karabacek played just a single game in the AHL last season, instead suiting up for the majority of the year in the ECHL.
Selected in the second round in 2014, Karabecek has been used as an example of former Sabres GM Tim Murray’s relatively poor draft history. In 2014, just a few months after taking over the team, Murray had the opportunity to select six players in the first three rounds of the draft including four in the top 50 overall. Other than Sam Reinhart, selected second overall after Aaron Ekblad, no other player from that draft class has suited up for the Sabres so far. In fact only Brendan Lemieux (31st overall) has played in the NHL, getting into nine contests for the Winnipeg Jets last season.
While there is obviously so much more to take into account when grading any front office, the 2014 draft for the Sabres looks especially bare—even more so now that Karabacek will be released. The 22 year old will become an unrestricted free agent, and could very well return to the Czech Republic to continue his professional career. Even in the ECHL last season the forward was held without a goal in 28 games.
There was little chance that Karabacek was ever going to be an impact player for the Sabres organization, and given that the team was sitting at 48 contracts it makes sense for the new front office to move on. Buffalo will open up a contract spot that could be used on a camp invitee or college free agent down the road, which is actually an asset in itself as they look to add talent from wherever possible.
Jake Dotchin Situation Could Set A Dangerous Precedent
The situation this past week with former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin is unique unto itself. Rarely, if ever, has a player been released due to conditioning issues. Yet, that is what happened to the 24-year-old Dotchin when he showed up to camp and was deemed so out of shape by the team that they considered it to be a material breach of contract worthy of placing the young blue liner on unconditional waivers and terminating his contract.
However, conditioning is not a defined term in the NHL standard player contract. There are no clauses that dictate a certain body mass index or that demand a player meet certain levels of fitness testing. Instead, the contract only says that players must maintain good health and proper conditioning as determined by the team. The contract does state that a contract may be terminated if the player does “fail, refuse, or neglect to obey the Club’s rules governing training”.
Yet, according to Alex Killorn, the NHLPA representative for the Lightning, who spoke with The Athletic’s Joe Smith, the Lightning do not have any hard line rules governing conditioning and fitness. Killorn cites fitness tests that all players must pass on the Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks and states that some teams do test BMI, but that each team has different benchmarks and procedures. If a clear conditioning mandate is in place, then that is a simple determination of fault in case like Dotchin’s. However, the lack of such rules and a subjective ruling by the team is a slippery slope. What is stopping any team from issuing vague fitness rules or changing their benchmarks for the purpose of deciding that a player they no longer wish to roster is in breach of contract?
To no surprise, this scenario has caught the eye of the players’ association and Dotchin and his agent are likely to file a grievance against the Lightning that would take the case to an independent arbitrator. While, like salary arbitration, going to an independent – and unpredictable – arbitrator can be risky, Dotchin has a strong case. He would only gain more leverage if he was to sign elsewhere before the hearing. Dotchin played in 48 games for Tampa Bay last year and was on the NHL roster all season. Add that to immediately landing with another team and it may be tough for Tampa to argue that he was “materially” out of shape. The Lighting and new GM Julien Brisebois are far too smart to have made this move without thinking it through, but before an arbitrator would they have enough evidence to support a claim that this was an objective, fair decision?
The most likely outcome is a resolution between the two sides that would help to keep this sticky situation from getting more publicity and a decision that is likely to outrage one side or the other. As it stands though, the NHLPA may put the idea of clear, league-wide conditioning rules on the bargaining table for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. Dotchin’s situation has alerted players around the league to the possibility that a team can simply decide that a player is not fit to play and terminate his contract, if they can twist the rules to do so. That simply won’t stand. This is just the beginning of a new dilemma that will need to be sorted out between the players and teams.
Blues Place Dmitri Sergeev On Unconditional Waivers
Sunday: Sergeev has cleared waivers, according to Friedman.
Saturday: The Blues have placed defenseman Dmitri Sergeev on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that head coach Mike Yeo indicated that Sergeev did not meet the teams’ conditioning standards.
The 22-year-old signed with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent back in October of 2014 following a strong showing at their rookie camp. He then returned to the junior level for two years before turning pro in 2016-17.
However, Sergeev has yet to make his mark since then. In his two professional seasons, he has yet to really progress past the ECHL level. Last season, he played in 56 games with Tulsa, recording 22 points while also getting a brief stint for a pair of games with AHL San Antonio.
It’s unlikely that he would have been more than a depth defender at the minor league level once again so assuming he passes through unclaimed and his termination is approved, the Blues will be able to remove him from their 50-contract limit. Considering that St. Louis currently sits at 48, that extra contract slot should come in handy for them later on in the year.