Nathan Walker Placed On Waivers By Washington Capitals
According to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, forward Nathan Walker will be placed on waivers by the Washington Capitals today. Walker made his NHL debut this season and was the first Australian ever to play in the league, but is expected to be sent back to the minors should he clear.
Walker has suited up for seven games this season but had been pushed out of the lineup recently and didn’t have a clear path back. The 23-year old could be a potential claim for a team wanting to add some speed and tenacity to their bottom-six, but he does still lack the size many teams covet for their fourth line.
Nate Prosser, Kyle Quincey, Jordin Tootoo Placed On Waivers
The St. Louis Blues will be forced to make a move as Patrik Berglund returns from injured reserve, and it is Nate Prosser exposed to waivers this time around after being absent from the morning skate. Prosser had played in just one game this season with the Blues, but the team had shielded him from waivers even when it meant carrying eight healthy defensemen for long stretches. Now the 31-year old will be up for grabs, though a claim is far from certain.
Prosser signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Blues this summer after spending the first eight seasons of his professional career with the Minnesota Wild. An undrafted free agent out of Colorado College, Prosser jumped right to the NHL in 2010 and has played 238 games since. Though he’s never played more than 63 games in a single season, he is a potential depth option for teams looking for a bit of help on the back end. The 6’2″ 206-lbs defender is a capable penalty killer known for his shot blocking, and is willing to engage physically when needed.
If he does clear, he’ll St. Louis will have to decide where exactly to send him. The Blues are operating without a primary AHL affiliate this season, instead sending players to the Chicago Wolves, San Antonio Rampage and other clubs. Next season will see them start a five-year agreement with San Antonio, but Prosser could end up anywhere on loan if they feel there isn’t a spot for him there.
The Minnesota Wild will similarly make a veteran defenseman available by placing Kyle Quincey on waivers. Quincey is on a one-year, $1.25MM contract with the Wild but has been generally underwhelming in his 18 games. The former Detroit Red Wings defenseman hasn’t been able to find a home on three different clubs in the past year, and looks like his NHL viability is coming to an end.
Quincey was once a very effective two-way option in the league, even recording a career-high 38 points in 2008-09 with Los Angeles. The 32-year old had just three this season though, and has clearly lost a step in both ends of the rink. With Minnesota pushing right up against the salary cap ceiling this year, burying Quincey in the minors (if he’s not claimed) would save them a prorated $1.025MM and allow some breathing room. With younger, more affordable options available to them it seemed only a matter of time before he was waived.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes that Minnesota had previously let teams around the league know Quincey was available, which could perhaps mean a deal is coming should he clear. Like we saw with Calvin Pickard earlier in the year, clearing waivers and gaining the ability to be sent to the minors actually improves a player’s trade value somewhat. Should he clear, it would also mean the Wild would have the ability to bring him up and down without waivers for 30 days on the active roster, or 10 NHL games. It wouldn’t change how much actual money they pay him, but they could use that to manipulate the salary cap and bank some extra space by having Quincey technically in the minors on off days.
Jordin Tootoo is the third player on waivers, likely meaning he’s now healthy enough to return from his long-term injured reserve stint. It will be interesting to see what happens to the veteran forward, as the Blackhawks don’t seem to have room for him on the NHL roster at the moment. Tootoo signed a one-year, $700K contract extension with the Blackhawks last season to help with expansion draft requirements, but hasn’t suited up this season so far.
Aaron Ness of the Washington Capitals has cleared and can be assigned to Hershey of the AHL.
Minor Transactions: 11/29/17
The NHL was busy last night with twenty teams taking the ice to try and continue or turn their seasons around. Today is much quieter with only four games on the docket, meaning teams there will likely be several fringe roster moves to get ready for the rest of the week. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here. Be sure to check back throughout the day.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Gabriel Carlsson and Jordan Schroeder to the AHL. Carlsson was called up yesterday on emergency conditions when Ryan Murray couldn’t go last night. Schroeder had played six games for the Blue Jackets, but cleared waivers already this season and can be moved up and down for the time being without having to go through the process again.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Garnet Hathaway from the Stockton Heat of the AHL, while placing Kris Versteeg on injured reserve. Versteeg is out with a lower-body injury and has missed the last two games for the Flames already. Hathaway meanwhile has 19 points in 18 games for the Heat, and can offer a bit of size and energy to the Calgary lineup should he be inserted. The Flames lost 4-1 at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, a game in which they were thoroughly outplayed.
- After clearing waivers, the Washington Capitals have sent Aaron Ness to Hershey of the AHL. Ness’ departure opens the door for a return of Christian Djoos to the Washington lineup, which is expected tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Kings.
- Danick Martel is headed back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after a short stint with Philadelphia. Martel played four games with the Flyers over the past week, but wasn’t able to record his first NHL point. The 22-year old was signed out of the QMJHL in 2015 after going undrafted, and has been a solid offensive contributor in the AHL.
- After Niklas Hjalmarsson left last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled Andrew Campbell from the AHL. Campbell signed a two-year deal to return to the Coyotes organization this summer after two seasons with Toronto, but hadn’t gotten into an NHL game yet. The 29-year old defenseman has just 42 contests and two points under his belt, and is just a short-term depth option for the club at this point.
Washington Capitals Place Aaron Ness On Waivers
The Washington Capitals have placed Aaron Ness on waivers according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, likely with the intention of sending the 27-year old defenseman back to the minor leagues. Christian Djoos returned to practice yesterday for the Capitals, meaning the team has eight healthy defensemen if he’s ready to suit up. Though Madison Bowey is waiver-exempt, his play (and handedness) has earned him a role on the team going forward.
Ness is another case of an undersized defenseman not quite being able to crack an NHL lineup on a full-time basis. His excellent skating and offensive chops have allowed him to dominate the minor leagues, but have resulted in just six points across 47 career NHL games. He was a high draft selection (40th-overall) by the New York Islanders almost a decade ago, but hasn’t yet been able to establish himself in the league.
As a pending unrestricted free agent on a two-way deal, there could be some interest in him around the league. He certainly would bring some mobility to a defense-starved organization, and cost them almost nothing to keep on the NHL roster. Otherwise, he’ll head to Hershey to help the struggling Bears try to make the AHL playoffs.
Griffith Placed On Waivers, Laich On Unconditional Waivers
Monday: After clearing waivers, the Kings have indeed terminated Laich’s contract. It looks like the end of the line for the 34-year old, who has seen his play diminish greatly since scoring 20+ goals in three consecutive seasons earlier in his career.
Sunday: Two more players have been placed on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman, who reports that the Buffalo Sabres have placed Seth Griffith on waivers, while the Los Angeles Kings have placed Brooks Laich on unconditional waivers with the intention of terminating his contract.
Griffith didn’t just make the Buffalo squad out of training camp, but earned top-six minutes to start the season. However, he has since fallen out of favor. He had been a healthy scratch the past two games before playing in Saturday’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens. However, the 24-year-old center only received 9:03 of playing time on one of the bottom lines. Griffith is not new to being waived. He was waived by the Boston Bruins in October last year and was subsequently claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Almost a month later, Toronto waived him again and he was claimed by the Florida Panthers. In January of 2017, the Panthers waived him and he was re-claimed by the Maple Leafs again and eventually ended up playing with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.
As for Laich, the veteran forward was placed on waivers on Friday and then cleared waivers yesterday. James Mirtle of The Athletic adds that it appears Laich intends to retire. The 34-year veteran, who has spent much of his 30’s plagued by injuries, played 12 games with the Kings this year, picking up just one assist during that span.
Brooks Laich Clears Waivers
Saturday: Laich has cleared waivers, per James Mirtle of The Athletic (Twitter link). It will be interesting to see if he opts to report to Ontario of the AHL given his low minor league salary or if they will possibly consider a mutual contract termination.
Friday: Following Thursday’s acquisition of Torrey Mitchell from the Canadiens, the Kings have placed center Brooks Laich on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).
Laich attended training camp with Los Angeles but wasn’t given a contract at that time. He did, however, remain with the team on a PTO into the season and when Jeff Carter went down with a long-term ankle injury, he signed a one-year contract worth the league minimum $650K in the NHL and $50K at the minor league level.
While the 34-year-old has largely played a regular role since then, the results just haven’t been there. Through 12 games with the Kings, he has just a single assist while averaging 11:12 of ice time per game, his lowest since becoming a regular NHL player back in 2005-06.
In other waiver news today, Friedman notes that both Eddie Lack (Calgary) and Jaycob Megna (Anaheim) cleared waivers. Lack has already been sent to Stockton of the AHL.
Lightning Claim Chris DiDomenico Off Waivers From Senators
Tampa Bay has added some depth up front by claiming forward Chris DiDomenico off waivers from the Senators, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).
DiDomenico cleared waivers at the end of training camp but injuries up front gave him a chance to be recalled early on. He made quite the impact as well, recording five points in his first five games. However, his ice time decreased in recent games and he picked up just a lone assist in his final seven games with the team.
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman acknowledged earlier today with their recall of Cory Conacher that a couple of forwards were nursing minor injuries so adding DiDomenico should serve as insurance in the short-term.
Intriguingly, this claim comes just two days after Ottawa claimed forward Gabriel Dumont off waivers from the Lightning. It was DiDomenico who wound up losing his roster spot as a result of Dumont’s addition so in essence, this wound up being a trade completed over the span of several days.
Minor Transactions: 11/23/17
Even though there aren’t any games today in the National Hockey League, the movement up and down from the minor leagues never stops. We’ll keep track of all the day’s transactions right here.
- The Edmonton Oilers have sent Ryan Stanton to the AHL, after just a single day with the club. Stanton was up with the team but didn’t dress for last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, as he waits to make his Edmonton debut. The veteran of 120 NHL games cleared waivers at the beginning of the month, so can be sent up and down for the time being without needing them again.
- The Arizona Coyotes have called up goaltender Marek Langhamer on an emergency basis, after starter Antti Raanta was forced from last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Langhamer has one NHL appearance under his belt, but has played well in limited action for AHL Tucson this year. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start in Raanta’s absence.
- Another day, another transaction for Julius Honka, who has been recalled once again by the Dallas Stars. The promising young defenseman was sent down just yesterday by the team when they needed some help up front in case of injury. Curtis McKenzie and Mike McKenna have both been sent to the AHL in a corresponding move.
- Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, potentially giving the 21-year old another shot at the NHL. Blais made his debut for the club earlier in the season, recording his first NHL point just over a month ago. The sixth-round pick has flourished offensively since the Blues drafted him in 2014, and has 13 points in 11 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season in the AHL.
Three Players On Thanksgiving Waivers
While the United States portion of the NHL celebrates Thanksgiving, several teams are still hard at work fine tuning their roster for the winter stretch. On Thursday, Eddie Lack (Calgary), Jaycob Megna (Anaheim) and Chris DiDomenico (Ottawa) were all placed on waivers.
Lack may be the most well-known name in the trio, but you certainly can’t say his appearance is surprising. After being acquired by the Calgary Flames this offseason to help solidify their goaltending position, the former Carolina Hurricanes netminder has performed extremely poorly. With an .813 save percentage and 12 goals allowed on just 64 shots the Flames couldn’t wait around to see if Lack could turn his season around.
There’s no guarantee that he’s assigned to Stockton if he does clear waivers, but with Jon Gillies and David Rittich both performing extremely well in the minor leagues you can bet one of them will get the call. With Carolina retaining half of Lack’s $2.75MM cap hit, he would cost the Flames just $350K against the cap if he is buried in the minors.
Megna has played eleven games for the Anaheim Ducks this season, recording one point and a -4 rating. With Cam Fowler back healthy and in the lineup, the team was carrying too many defensemen and would need to send at least one to the minor leagues.
DiDomenico has six points on the season for the Ottawa Senators, but has seen his ice time dwindle recently and was scratched in last night’s game. The former Maple Leafs prospect has been a good story this season, recording his first NHL point at the age of 28, but isn’t a key player for the Senators going forward.
Senators Claim Gabriel Dumont Off Waivers
The Ottawa Senators have made the best kind of in-season roster addition, the kind that doesn’t cost them anything. After trading away substantial resources for Matt Duchene, it would have been easy to assume that the Sens would stand pat for the remainder of the season. However, that is not the case, as Ottawa has announced that they have claimed forward Gabriel Dumont off of waivers.
Dumont, 27, has been a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past year plus, after leaving the Montreal Canadiens to sign with Tampa in 2016. While it may not look like much, Dumont’s 39 games, two goals, and four points last season were all career highs, as the undersized forward carved out a role for himself as an energy liner and reliable AHL depth. Before coming to Tampa, Dumont was a high-scoring AHLer for the Canadiens, but has settled into a more gritty, two-way role that better serves his NHL pursuits. In seven games so far in 2017-18, Dumont has been held scoreless, but is averaging over ten minutes of ice time per night for the first time in his NHL career.
Yet, Dumont has cleared waivers multiple times since signing with the Bolts. Why now have the Senators claimed him? It may have less to do with Dumont’s talent and more to do with Ottawa’s lack of talent. Dealing with many different injuries this season, at times the Senators lineup has featured a majority of players best suited for their minor league affiliate in Belleville. Rather than continue to depend on the likes of Nick Paul, Chris DiDomenico, Jack Rodewald, Max McCormick and even defenseman Ben Harpur at forward, Dumont brings some experience and fourth-line reliability that the Senators could really use.