Montreal Sends Streit, Schlemko To AHL
UPDATE: TVA’s Renaud Lavoie confirms that Streit will not report to Laval and will take some time to evaluate his options. It seems the two sides are likely headed toward a mutual split, which is best for both.
12:00PM: The Montreal Canadiens have sent defensemen Mark Streit and David Schlemko to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, according to a pair of team releases. However, for those proponents of keeping Streit in Montreal, it is not just a clean-cut demotion for Schlemko. Schlemko is coming off an injury – the exact reason why Streit was placed on waivers yesterday and cleared today – but for now he will play with Laval on a conditioning stint. Once Schlemko is healthy, he will be back with the Habs and nine defenseman would be one too many to fit on the roster.
There will remain increased focus on the play of young Victor Mete and a fringe talent like Joe Morrow, but for now the easiest move was to waive 39-year-old Streit and subsequently loan him to Laval to make eventual room for Schlemko upon his return. On a one-year, 35+ deal, the entirety of Streit’s $700K contract can be buried in Laval for now, while the team further evaluates their blue line situation.
However, the question becomes what the next step is for Streit and the Habs. The nearly-40-year-old defenseman can’t be happy about being placed on waivers, nevertheless being assigned to the minors. Having cleared waivers, it will be easier for Streit to be traded now, but the market may not be there for his services. The most likely result is that Streit asks for his release and heads overseas, likely home to Switzerland and perhaps later Pyeongchang. Stay tuned.
Minor Transactions: 10/13/17
Today’s minor news and notes from around the league:
- The Florida Panthers have loaned forward Denis Malgin to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, per a team release. Malgin, 20, was not expected to play much of a role for the Panthers in 2016-17, but ended up skating in 47 games and recording 10 points. This year, however, Malgin has yet to play to suit up for any of Florida’s first three games. With 2017 first-round pick Owen Tippett in the same boat, the Panthers needed to free up some opportunity and sending Malgin back to Springfield is no surprise. The Swiss forward was nearly a point-per-game player in the minors last season and can continue honing his skills while waiting for another opportunity to arise in Florida.
- Luc Snuggerud remains sidelined after a preseason upper-body injury, but now he’ll be sitting on the sidelines in Rockford rather than Chicago. The Blackhawks announced today that the young, offensive defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL Ice Hogs. Snuggerud is no good to the ‘Hawks injured, but even if he is ready to go by the end of his original three-week prognosis, Chicago has no space in the lineup for him to play next week or any time in the near future. The Nebraska-Omaha product is in his first full pro season, but if he can produce at a similar rate in the AHL as he did in the NCAA, then Chicago will have him back up sooner rather than later.
- After clearing waivers today, Calgary Flames beat reporter Wes Gilbertson says that Marek Hrivik is on his way to the AHL. The free agent addition will join the Stockton Heat, a squad already full of talented young forwards such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark Jankowksi, and Spencer Foo. Hrivek will not only have to find his place on the new club, but also show that he is more worthy of the next Calgary call-up than some of his younger, more exciting new teammates.
- With the Minnesota Wild facing some major injury questions up front. Marcus Foligno suffered a serious blow to the face in a fight with Chicago’s John Hayden last night, while Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund are day-to-day with lingering issues and the conditions of Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter are also drawing some interest. There’s no easy solution is all five of those forwards are beyond playing condition, but for now the team has announced the call-up of rookie Luke Kunin from the AHL. Defenseman Mike Reilly was demoted to AHL Iowa to make room. Kunin, Minnesota’s 2016 first-round pick, decided to leave the University of Wisconsin after just two years to pursue his pro career and will almost certainly be rewarded with his NHL debut tomorrow. An intelligent, well-rounded center, it should come as no surprise if Kunin impresses in his role as an injury replacement and manages to keep a spot on the team going forward.
- Another Central Division team has swapped a pair of players, as the St. Louis Blues announced that forward Tage Thompson has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, with fellow forward Sammy Blais getting the call-up. The two players are about as different as can be. Thompson is a 6’5″ center from Phoenix, Arizona who was drafted by the Blues in the first round in 2016 and played the past two seasons at the University of Connecticut before jumping right into the NHL this year. Blais is a 5’10” winger from Quebec who was drafted in the sixth round in 2014 and put up outstanding numbers in the QMJHL before playing a full AHL season last year. Yet, it’s Blais getting the call after an impressive preseason and a largely invisible first four games for Thompson. As the season goes on, watch for these two to be switched in and out depending on the personnel and style needs of St. Louis.
Mark Streit, Marek Hrivik Placed On Waivers
10/13: Both players have cleared waivers as expected, per Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman.
4:40pm: Louis Jean of TVA Sports tweets that Streit is unlikely to report to the farm should he clear waivers, noting that the veteran will likely ask for his release so he can play for Switzerland during the Olympics. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer echoes that sentiment (via Twitter), adding that Streit could ultimately choose to retire.
11:05am: The Montreal Canadiens, so far unable to find a trading partner, have placed Mark Streit on waivers today according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the team would try to assign him to the minors. Instead, it would help find a potential trade partner or rid them of the contract entirely should someone claim him.
Streit signed with the Canadiens just this summer, coming back to the place he started his career in 2005. While he was expected to help a defense corps that was lacking much puck-moving ability, young Victor Mete has taken that role and run with it. While it’s not certain that Mete will stay with the Canadiens for the whole season, Streit is clearly the odd man out in the defense shuffle. With David Schlemko set to return from injury, the team has to rid themselves of at least one defender.
It could be Mete, Brandon Davidson or Joe Morrow, but it seems ever more likely that Streit will be jettisoned in some fashion. Whether he would be willing to go to the AHL is unclear, as he’s now 39-years old. The Canadiens will be on the hook for his entire cap hit regardless, since he signed it after the age of 35.
Johnston also tells us that Marek Hrivik of Calgary will join Streit on waivers, before he ever plays a game for the team. Hrivik was signed this summer to a two-way deal, but was injured in training camp. He started the year on season-opening injured reserve, but it was likely always the plan to put him on waivers and send him to Stockton once he got healthy. Hrivik played 16 games for the New York Rangers last year, but is just a depth option for the Flames.
Overseas Notes: Da Costa, Streit, Steen
Yet another NHL veteran who was trying to hold out for a new contract in North America is now close to settling for European employment. The Swiss Hockey News reports that Stephane Da Costa is nearing an agreement with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss NLA. Da Costa, 28, was a superstar at Merrimack College from 2009 to 2011 and looked to be the next great story in the NHL after signing with the Ottawa Senators – an undrafted player coming from a non-traditional hockey country of France. While Da Costa proved to be a lethal producer in the AHL, he could never quite stick in Ottawa and left the NHL in 2012. Da Costa spent the past three years with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, putting up solid numbers, but it has been his international play on the part of France that has really turned heads. Beginning with a stellar 10-point performance at the World Championships last spring, Da Costa had reportedly been drawing interest from NHL teams and fully planned on playing with the world’s best this season. Yet, with the new season underway, those offers never came and it seems Da Costa is now ready to move on. While Geneve-Servette is off to a tough start in the NLA – second-to-last currently – they are not without considerable talent up front, including NHL veterans Nathan Gerbe, Nick Spaling, and Cody Almond, as well as San Jose Sharks prospect Noah Rod. Da Costa could help kick start a team that typically performs near the top of the NLA and made it to the final of the 2017 Swiss Cup tournament.
- Da Costa hasn’t yet signed with Geneve-Servette, but by the time he does he may no longer be the biggest name in terms of recent additions. With Mark Streit being placed on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens yesterday (with a very good chance of clearing today), it seems more likely that the veteran defenseman will ask for his release than be assigned to the AHL but the Canadiens. Given that the soon-to-be-40-year-old could have simply rode off into the sunset after winning the Stanley Cup last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is clear that he wants to keep playing. That opportunity will likely come in his native country of Switzerland, where Streit has suited up for the NLA’s HC Davos, ZSC Lions, and SC Bern over his career. A return home to much fanfare and a chance to play in the Olympics seems like much more fitting end for Streit than playing in the minors
- A seemingly minor move in the KHL could be of some interest to Boston Bruins fans. In a round-up of their minor transaction over the past few days, the league revealed that the rights to forward Oskar Steen, Boston’s sixth-round pick in 2016, had been acquired by SKA St. Petersburg. While Steen has been playing for Farjestad of the SHL for three years now, an opportunity to play for SKA may be tough for the young Swede forward to pass up. Farjestad is no slouch, but SKA has been wildly successful in recent years, winning two of the past three KHL titles and again tearing up the league with a 17-point lead over the next-best team. SKA graduated players like Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Dadonov to the NHL this off-season, but still carry top prospects like Nikita Gusev and Igor Shestyorkin and talented veterans like Ilya Kovalchuk, Viktor Tikhonov, Sergei Plotnikov, and even long-time defenseman Maxim Chudinov, former property of the Bruins. Joining that mix could be a good career-move for the under-utilized Steen, could give SKA a further boost, and could help round out yet another promising prospect to add to the Bruins’ ranks.
West Notes: Boeser, Clifford, Oesterle
Brock Boeser‘s wait is over. The young forward hadn’t gotten into a single game for the Vancouver Canucks this season, but his chance will come tonight when the team takes on the Winnipeg Jets. Expecting big things, Boeser was on many lists of Calder Trophy favorites this summer after his electrifying debut last year. The 20-year old came straight from the NCAA tournament to the NHL and scored four goals in the final nine games of the season.
The Canucks haven’t guaranteed anyone a spot on their team this year, and new coach Travis Green believes his players have to earn their way on. Still, it looks like Boeser will jump right onto a line with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, a group that could all be key parts to the Canucks future. Alex Burmistrov, despite two pretty solid games, will come out of the lineup.
- Kyle Clifford sustained an upper-body injury against the Calgary Flames last night, and is now considered week-to-week according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Clifford had never shown much offensive ability but is still a big part of the Kings’ forward group, providing physicality and a knack for suppressing shot totals. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but the team could turn to Nic Dowd or Johnny Brodzinski, both of whom were scratched on Wednesday night.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the league’s best teams through the early going, but none of that is because of Jordan Oesterle. The 25-year old defenseman has yet to get into a game, and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times believes his could be almost up. Lazerus quotes head coach Joel Quenneville, who admits that it’s been a long time without getting Oesterle on the ice. Oesterle was a Group VI free agent this summer, and decided to sign a two-year, one-way contract with the Blackhawks, sensing their lack of defensive options. Unfortunately for both sides, he’ll be exposed to waivers should the Blackhawks send him to the AHL, meaning he could have to pack up and head for a new city once again.
New York Rangers Re-Assign Chytil, Release Desjardins
After acquiring Adam Cracknell off waivers yesterday, the New York Rangers have decided to assign Filip Chytil to the AHL, and release Andrew Desjardins from his professional tryout. Though it was expected that Chytil would be re-assigned before burning a year of his entry-level contract, most had assumed he would be sent back to the Czech Republic. While that may still happen at some point, for now he will be with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.
Chytil was a huge surprise at training camp after being selected 21st-overall this summer, showing that he could compete with NHL players right away. The 18-year old made the team over fellow first-rounder Lias Andersson, but wasn’t given much of a chance in game action. Still, getting a chance to see what NHL life is like for at least a few days should help Chytil’s development in the long run. The next step is to decide where he should play for the rest of the season. If he does stay in the AHL, the Rangers can use a more hands-on approach for his deployment and practice habits.
Desjardins was always an afterthought for this roster, and the addition of Cracknell removed any hope he had of eventually earning a contract. While he brings experience in the form of 408 career NHL games and a Stanley Cup, he doesn’t offer much more than that. The 31-year old recorded just a single point last season in Chicago, and has just 64 total for his career.
Dallas Stars Recall Forward Remi Elie
The Dallas Stars have replaced the outgoing Adam Cracknell by recalling Remi Elie from the AHL. Cracknell was claimed off waivers yesterday by the New York Rangers. The Stars continue to carry eight defensemen, making Elie their only spare forward on the roster.
With the loss of Cracknell, the Stars have decided to turn to Elie who brings and excellent blend of speed and toughness to their bottom-six. The 22-year old played 18 games with the NHL club last season, scoring seven points and racking up 30 hits. While he was originally drafted—40th-overall in 2013—as more than a bottom-six player, he nevertheless can fit into an energy role on the team and wear down defenders.
The Stars are off to a disappointing 0-2 start after being one of the most active teams this summer. Bringing in Alexander Radulov, Marc Methot, Ben Bishop, Martin Hanzal and others, the team hasn’t seemed to click just yet and has just four goals on the season. Though Elie isn’t the solution to all of their problems, he will offer some youth to the club and perhaps spark them whenever he does get into the lineup. The Stars take on the Red Wings tonight as they look to get back on track.
Latest On Vadim Shipachyov
2:35pm: Vegas GM George McPhee spoke to reporters, including those from SinBin.vegas, to clarify the Shipachyov situation. McPhee said that Shipachyov’s camp didn’t understand the situation at the beginning, but do now and that “he can’t [return to the KHL], he’s under contract with us.”
While that’s partly true, Shipachyov can’t just go home to play in the KHL, he could technically “retire” from the NHL to return home. It would void his contract, burn bridges and likely be the very last option. It’s more likely that he just waits out this period and eventually makes his return to the Golden Knights.
11:06am: The Vegas Golden Knights were backed into a corner to start the year, unable to trade any of their NHL defensemen. Unwilling to lose any on waivers for nothing, the team instead decided to send Vadim Shipachyov and Shea Theodore—two waiver-exempt players—to the minor leagues despite being obvious NHL talents. Shipachyov especially was an interesting choice, after the team signed him to a two-year $9MM contract this summer.
Now, according to a report out of Russia, Shipachyov’s representatives are already looking for a way out of the contract. The 30-year old KHL veteran isn’t with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, despite being listed on their opening roster, and is also not travelling with the Golden Knights.
Obviously, this entire fiasco (if you can even call it that) could be resolved at any moment by an injury or opening a roster spot through trade or waivers. The Golden Knights could recall Shipachyov to the NHL, plug him into the lineup and forget anything even happened. But as long as he remains off the roster—Vegas is now 2-0 after their first two games—the more defecting back to Russia for the KHL and Olympics would seem attractive. Of course, that would mean sacrificing his salary with the Golden Knights.
There is no telling if that option is a realistic one, or if this is just a way of his camp expressing their frustration with the situation. While taking the idea of defection with a grain of salt, expect the speculation around the Golden Knights trade block to continue to increase.
Adam Cracknell Claimed By New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have claimed Adam Cracknell off waivers from the Dallas Stars, while Michael Bournival of the Tampa Bay Lightning has cleared and been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch. Cracknell will now compete for playing time in New York, though it will be interesting to see what corresponding move the Rangers make.
As Brian wrote yesterday, Cracknell spent all of last season with the Stars, suiting up for a career-high 69 games. His 10 goals and 16 points were also both easily career bests, and he provided a big body that was versatile enough to play different forward positions. At 32, he doesn’t offer much upside but can provide decent penalty killing and responsible bottom-six play.
The Rangers had been carrying just 22 players on their roster, with Jesper Fast starting the year on injured reserve. While Cracknell’s addition certainly puts his name in the mix for fourth-line minutes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll get into the lineup right away. The team, who bounced back from an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs to shutout the Montreal Canadiens last night, will have a decision to make on young Filip Chytil.
Chytil was a healthy scratch last night after seeing fewer than 13 total minutes of ice time in the first two games combines. While he was impressive in training camp, if the team is unwilling to give him time to develop in-game he’s not long for the NHL. The 18-year old can play seven more games in the league before burning a year of his entry-level contract.
Lightning Place Michael Bournival On Waivers
The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed winger Michael Bournival on waivers, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link). If he clears on Monday, it’s expected that he will report to their AHL affiliate in Syracuse.
Bournival had been dealing with an undisclosed injury that caused him to start the season on injured reserve although it appears he has been given the green light to return now as injured players are not eligible to be waived.
The 25-year-old split last season between Tampa Bay and Syracuse. He suited up in 19 games for the Lightning, scoring a pair of goals while adding an assist. However, he was much more productive with the Crunch, tallying 19 points (9-10-19) in 38 regular season contests. He also played a big role in Syracuse’s run to the Calder Cup Final (where they lost to Grand Rapids) as he notched eight goals and seven helpers in just 22 games.
Bournival has played in parts of three NHL seasons in his career between the Canadiens and Lightning. In total, he has 108 games under his belt, notching 22 points (12-10-22). Assuming he clears, Bournival will be a candidate to move back and forth as injuries arise in Tampa Bay.