Anaheim Claims J.T. Brown, Places Logan Shaw On Waivers
The Anaheim Ducks claimed J.T. Brown off of waivers Sunday and placed Logan Shaw on waivers to make space for him, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Brown, who was placed on waivers Saturday by the Tampa Bay Lightning, will now join the Ducks in hopes of providing some bottom-six offense for them.
Brown played sparingly in Tampa Bay, who was looking to free up roster space so the team can audition some of its top youngsters from their AHL franchise. They 27-year-old has spent six seasons with Tampa Bay, but has seen his playing time drop to an all-time low of 9:22. He has played in just 24 games for the Lightning this year, often being a healthy scratch. He has a goal and three assists on the year and might be best known this season for raising his fist in protest during the national anthem on Oct. 7. Brown is the second Lightning player to be lost to waivers this season as they lost Gabriel Dumont earlier this year to Ottawa.
The 25-year Shaw, on the other hand, has seen a significant amount of action this year, mostly on the team’s fourth line, as he’s played in 42 of the team’s 44 games. However, with just two goals and six assists this year while averaging 11:29 of ice time, the team hopes he might clear waivers and they can keep him with their AHL affiliate.
Lightning Place J.T. Brown On Waivers
The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed right winger J.T. Brown on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).
Brown is in his sixth NHL season, all spent with Tampa Bay. He has had more of a sparing role in 2017-18 though as he has played in only 24 games so far this season while spending considerable time as a healthy scratch. He has a goal and three assists on the year (his last point came more than two months ago) while averaging a career-low 9:22 per game in ice time. In his career, Brown has 19 goals and 42 assists in 286 games while adding six points in 37 postseason contests.
The 27-year-old is in the final season of a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $1.25MM. As a result, if he clears waivers on Sunday and is sent to the minors, the Lightning will still carry a prorated cap charge of $225K on their books.
Cody Franson Clears Waivers
Well, so much for the report that there were several teams interested in Cody Franson. The veteran defenseman has cleared waivers for the Chicago Blackhawks, and has been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t be traded in the coming days, as we’ve seen previously with players immediately after they clear waivers. In his place, the Blackhawks have recalled Erik Gustafsson.
Gustafsson hasn’t played in an NHL game in nearly two years, but is still just 25 and has been playing exceptionally well at the AHL level. The Swedish defenseman has 17 points in 25 games for Rockford, and has earned another shot with the big club. Amazingly, Brent Seabrook is the defenseman who stayed out late after practice today according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times and could be a scratch for tonight’s Blackhawks’ game.
Seabrook of course has six more seasons on his current contract at a cap hit of $6.88MM, and holds a full no-trade clause through 2021-22. His decline has been rapid and unfortunate for the Blackhawks, who don’t have the luxury of wasting cap space while still paying Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane some of the highest salaries in the league.
Chicago Blackhawks Place Cody Franson On Waivers
8:15pm: Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that it’s likely that Franson is claimed on waivers tomorrow, citing a “playoff team” that is very interested in selecting him. That mystery team apparently believes that he’ll be claimed before they even get a chance, and Johnston weighs in on why. Franson is a potential asset at the trade deadline, even with his divisive play style, and could be a free asset to flip for a non-playoff team. With his low cap hit it would be a very low-risk move for a team out of the playoffs even if it results in just a late-round pick at the deadline.
11:05am: The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Cody Franson on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It’s an interesting move for several reasons, not the least of being the fact that they could bury his entire $1MM salary in the minor leagues should he clear. The Blackhawks are notorious for living right up against the salary cap ceiling, and are in a familiar position this season living in cap room created by Marian Hossa‘s long-term injured reserve status.
Franson, 30, continues to draw both extremely positive and extremely negative performance reports depending on who you speak to. The defenseman once again had to wait out a contract all summer, signing a professional tryout with the Blackhawks to attend camp before signing his one-year, $1MM deal in early October. He’s played 23 games for Chicago this season, recording seven points, but still receives criticism for his diminishing foot speed and lack of defensive presence.
Despite everything that looks wrong about his game however, Franson continues to record extremely positive possession statistics. This season he leads all Chicago players in CF%, a measure of shots taken versus shots against while the player is on the ice. That’s not a new thing for Franson, who has never posted a negative shot differential in his entire career. Whether that can be explained by his penchant of throwing the puck on net from the point, or a sheltering from the Chicago coaching staff (and others in the past), Franson remains a frustrating player to watch at times despite the numbers showing he gives a positive impact on the game.
While surely the Blackhawks hope to slip him through waivers unclaimed, he does seem like a candidate for several teams. His right-handed shot, ability on special teams and still strong first pass are things needed by several clubs including places like Montreal and Toronto (the Maple Leafs of course are at the 50 contract limit, meaning they’d need to make a move to put in a claim). It wasn’t long ago that he couldn’t find a contract around the league, and nothing has really changed in his game since then. Still, there may be someone who thinks he can help them, at least temporarily.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 01/08/18
Teams around the NHL are beginning their mandated bye weeks, marking an unofficial midpoint of the season. With that, there is only a single game on tap for tonight, between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets. That won’t stop clubs from making minor moves to improve, and we’ll have all the recalls and reassignments right here.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled young defenseman Brendan Guhle and goaltender Linus Ullmark, an interesting move to say the least. The team was already at 23 players on the roster, meaning a corresponding move—be it injured reserve, waivers or loans—will be sure to follow shortly. Victor Antipin and Robin Lehner were both absent from practice due to minor ailments, and it’s not clear if they’ll miss any game action.
- The Chicago Blackhawks are giving Tomas Jurco another shot, recalling the forward while sending John Hayden back to the minor leagues. Jurco has played all season for the Rockford IceHogs, scoring 25 points in 36 games. The 25-year old was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings last season but recorded just one point in his 13 games with the Blackhawks.
- Vinni Lettieri is on his way back to the minor leagues, reassigned by the New York Rangers. Lettieri scored two points in three games, but with the Rangers on their bye week will continue to see game action back with the Hartford Wolf Pack. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him back up before Saturday’s game against the Islanders.
- The St. Louis Blues have activated Vince Dunn from injured reserve, sending Jake Walman back to the AHL. Dunn was only out with the flu, and had his IR stint backdated to allow him to return so quickly. Walman, who still didn’t get into his first NHL game, will have to wait for another opportunity.
- Lee Stempniak has been activated off injured reserve for the Carolina Hurricanes, meaning Lucas Wallmark is heading back to the AHL. Wallmark scored his first NHL goal on December 30th, but will now return to the Charlotte Checkers where he 23 points in 20 games this season.
- Brendan Lemieux is back up with the Winnipeg Jets as Adam Lowry deals with an upper-body injury, meaning Tucker Poolman is headed back to the AHL. Poolman has looked sharp in limited minutes for the Jets, but with Dustin Byfuglien healthy and back in the lineup the team has their six defensemen pretty much set in stone. Lemieux on the other hand will try to force his way into the lineup after 24 points in 24 games for the Manitoba Moose this year.
Laurent Brossoit And Frank Corrado Clear Waivers
Sunday — Friedman reports that both Brossoit and Corrado have cleared waivers. Broissoit has been assigned to the Bakersfield Condors, while Corrado is headed for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Saturday — A pair of players are on the wire today as the Oilers have placed goalie Laurent Brossoit on waivers while the Penguins have done the same with defenseman Frank Corrado, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).
Brossoit’s placement comes as no surprise on the heels of their acquisition of Al Montoya from Montreal earlier in the week. Montoya is now ready to be activated off of injured reserve with his concussion symptoms now gone so Brossoit became the odd man out.
This season, the 24-year-old netminder has posted a 3.22 GAA and a .886 SV% in 13 appearances, numbers that are well below the league average. However, he had fared better as of late, allowing two or fewer goals in three of his last four starts.
As for Corrado, he has been up-and-down with Pittsburgh this season but has seen limited action. In five games with the big club, he has averaged just 11:30 in ice time while being held off the scoresheet. He has been more productive with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, putting up nine points in 19 games. Although he already cleared waivers once this season, Corrado has spent more than 30 days on the NHL roster since then which requires him to pass through once again.
Calgary Flames Place Freddie Hamilton On Waivers
The waiver wire has just one name on it today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, and that name is Freddie Hamilton of the Calgary Flames. It’s an interesting move for the Flames, who only recently recalled the waiver-exempt Andrew Mangiapane when Michael Frolik was placed on injured reserve.
Hamilton, who has only played eight games for the Flames, has been waived twice now this season, originally clearing in early November. He was never assigned to the minor leagues that time, as the Flames waived and demoted Tanner Glass just a few days later instead. On this occasion, Hamilton might not be as safe. Though Mangiapane only played a bit over seven minutes in his debut, the 21-year old is a dynamic offensive player that could work his way into a higher spot in the lineup, similar to the path Mark Jankowski has taken this season.
Hamilton, the older brother of teammate Dougie Hamilton, now has just six points in 67 career NHL games despite a tag of being an offensive player himself when working his way through the system. He’s rarely been given the chance to show that offense at the NHL level, and will have to re-establish himself at the AHL level should he clear and be sent to the Stockton Heat.
Arizona Officially Terminates Emerson Etem’s Contract
The Arizona Coyotes placed Emerson Etem on unconditional waivers on Sunday, and today officially announced that they had terminated his contract according to Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Etem had informed the team that he didn’t want to continue playing in the AHL, and is now looking at other options to continue his playing career.
Etem, 25, signed a one-year deal with the Coyotes this summer and has played 16 games for the Tucson Roadrunners this year recording just five points. That’s a long way from the first-round, top prospect status he held when drafted by the Anaheim Ducks 29th-overall in 2010. Etem never did fulfill that promise for Anahiem, though there were certainly flashes. In 2013-14 he scored 11 points in 29 games for the Ducks, while leading their AHL affiliate with 54 points in 50 contests. In 173 career NHL games, the winger has 46 points.
He’ll now likely look at Europe or the KHL, but there is another interesting opportunity that could arise. USA Hockey could potentially look at Etem as a late addition to the Olympic team if they deem him still fit enough to compete on the international stage. A native Californian, he was once a star in the US Development Program and participated in two World Junior tournaments, taking home a bronze medal. Team USA revealed their roster at yesterday’s Winter Classic, but could still make changes up to the February tournament.
Minnesota Wild Place Zack Mitchell On Waivers
Tuesday: Mitchell has cleared, and will be assigned to the Iowa Wild.
Monday: The Minnesota Wild have placed Zack Mitchell on waivers, continuing what has been a transaction-filled season for the forward. The 24-year old cleared waivers before the season, and bounced up and down throughout the first month of the year. Now that he’s been up for some time, he’ll have to clear again before heading to the Iowa Wild. The team needed a roster spot to make room for Zach Parise‘s imminent return from injured reserve.
Mitchell has played 21 games for the Wild this season, registering his first NHL goal and recording five points so far. The undrafted forward signed with Minnesota after an impressive end to his junior career, and has continued showing some offensive skill in the minor leagues. He made his NHL debut last season, and is now an interesting option for the team as a depth forward with the ability to fill several roles. If he does make it back to Iowa, he’ll likely retake his role as a key offensive contributor—he has 16 points in 11 AHL contests this season. That versatility could actually make him an interesting claim for another team, as he has experience on both the penalty kill and powerplay at the minor league level.
For Minnesota, activating Parise has been part of the plan all along. The team had banked salary cap room whenever possible, knowing that Parise would make his return at some point and bring his $7.54MM cap hit with him. For a team trying to crawl back into the postseason, they certainly don’t have a lot of roster flexibility. They’ve been right up against the cap all season, and are at the limit of 50 contracts. That’ll be tough to deal with as they head towards the trade deadline and navigate any new opportunities.
Arizona Places Emerson Etem On Unconditional Waivers
The Arizona Coyotes have placed winger Emerson Etem on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract, according to Elliotte Friedman. The 25-year-old was signed by the Coyotes this summer, but did not make the team out of training camp and was placed on waivers back on Sept. 27. He was recalled for one game this season on Oct. 11, but was a healthy scratch and was sent back down two days later. He played 16 games for the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and has had four goals and an assist.
A former first-round pick back in 2010, Etem has struggled, especially recently. He has played 173 games, but has never played what constitutes a full NHL season to date. The most NHL games he’s played in a season was back in the 2015-16 season when he played 19 games for the New York Rangers and then traded at midseason to the Vancouver Canucks, where he played another 39 games. He combined for seven goals and 15 points that year, his best in the NHL. Vancouver had hoped he would become a regular from that point on, but Etem failed to earn a spot in their lineup the following season and was placed on waivers. He was picked up by Anaheim last year, but only saw three NHL games.
Friedman also says that Edmonton Oilers defenseman Eric Gryba, who was placed on waivers Saturday, cleared. He will likely be assigned to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL unless the team finds a trade partner.