Snapshots: Despres, Shero, Hextall, Flames
Anaheim general manager Bob Murray released a statement regarding the buyout of defenseman Simon Despres. The 25-year-old was placed on waivers earlier in the day with the intention of being bought out. Murray said the following from Anaheim’s twitter account:
“Simon Despres is a good hockey player and a good person. But, at this point, we feel it is the best interests of both Simon and the organization to part ways. We wish him the very best in the future.”
Despres responded as well on Twitter, writing:
“I’d like to thank the
@AnaheimDucks for a wonderful 2 and a half years. I wish my teammates all the best moving forward.”
- Ray Shero still has the #1 pick with a week to go before the draft writes the AP’s Tom Canavan. Shero isn’t denying that he could still trade the pick away, but for all intents and purposes, he told his staff to prepare for taking someone with the first overall choice. The next question: who would they take? Shero told Canavan that the draft reminds him of 2013, where there were four very good players in Nathan MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin, and Seth Jones. Canavan writes that the Devils need a goal scorer, which would definitely be found in either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier, both believed to be the top two prospects in the draft.
- Flyers general manager Ron Hextall might still make a move writes Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Saying there was a 25-75% chance he makes a move, Hextall is going with the 7-3-1 format and has to decide between Michal Neuvirth and Anthony Stolarz when choosing the one goaltender to protect. Hextall calls it a more “philosophical” decision than a “difficult” one since it essentially comes down to picking a veteran or a rookie. Carchidi also writes that Hextall may still re-sign Steve Mason while saying that he will not be buying out any contracts. Sitting behind New Jersey with the second pick, Hextall also professes to having “no idea” what the Devils will do with the first overall pick.
- Postmedia’s Kristen Odland reports that the process of an expansion draft is especially taxing to players who have no idea what to expect. She quotes assistant general manager Craig Conroy, who survived an expansion draft with the St.Louis Blues in both 1998 and 2000. Conroy likened it to the trade deadline, saying there’s nothing players can do about it and that they “signed up for this.” Odland lists netminder Brian Elliott as a question mark, wondering if he’ll be protected as free agency looms. With a goalie market that isn’t exactly full of options, she believes that he could be protected, but his struggles during the playoffs may be a reason he’s left off the list.
Anaheim Ducks To Buy Out Simon Despres
In a surprising move, the Anaheim Ducks have placed Simon Despres on waivers in order to buy out his contract. Despres had four seasons remaining on his current contract, meaning the buyout cap-hit will be as follows:
- 2017-18: $1.26MM
- 2018-19: -$338K
- 2019-20: -$338K
- 2020-21: $963K
- 2021-22: $663K
- 2022-23: $663K
- 2023-24: $663K
- 2024-25: $663K
Interestingly, completing the buyout now when Despres is only 25 means that the team only has to pay out 1/3 of the remaining salary, and because that needs to be spread over eight years they will actually receive a cap credit in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Had they waited any longer, Despres would have turned 26 (July 27th) and the team would have had to pay twice as much in terms of salary.
Despres missed all but one game last season for the Ducks, but began skating with the team late in the year and now must have been officially cleared in order for the team to buy him out. The defenseman has dealt with concussion problems for quite some time, but could try to and come back somewhere around the league. Once a first-round pick that showed big potential as a two-way horse, if he wants (and is able to) play again he’ll have to rebuild his value.
This move is almost certainly linked to a possible Cam Fowler extension, as the team moves money out in order to hand out a long-term contract to their star defenseman. Despres was set to go unprotected in the expansion draft anyway, meaning this has little to do with that situation. The Ducks, who were right up against the cap already will save almost $2.5MM this season and more than $4MM each of the next two, room enough to help them fit in Fowler or any free agent they deem worthy.
Morning Notes: Hischier, Predators, Frk
The AHL-CHL agreement is an interesting part of every offseason, stopping players who otherwise would be ready to join the professional ranks of the minor leagues and keeping them in junior hockey. That agreement, which limits anyone under the age of 20, doesn’t apply to players on loan from their European clubs. We saw it last year when Alexander Nylander played for Rochester of the AHL despite being just 18 at the start of the season.
It was expected that Nico Hischier, a top prospect in this year’s draft could do the same, but according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com he isn’t on loan from his former Swiss club Bern, and will not be eligible for the AHL should he not make his NHL club next season. That means the 18-year old Hischier will likely return to Halifax for one more season and try to win a Memorial Cup.
- Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that despite trying to reach a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in order to protect both James Neal and Calle Jarnkrok from selection in the upcoming expansion draft, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement. As we discussed in our Nashville Expansion Primer, the Predators are at real risk of giving up the most talented player in the entire draft. LeBrun suggests they’ll look elsewhere for a deal, but protection lists are due tomorrow evening and they’re running out of time.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Martin Frk has been qualified by the Red Wings, just days after scoring the Calder Cup-winning goal. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and had an outstanding AHL season with 50 points in 65 games after being claimed off waivers from Carolina. The qualifying offer for Frk would have been $715K, though he still qualifies for a two-way offer.
Minor Moves: Bratt, Carey, Carrick
The New Jersey Devils have inked one of their 2016 draft picks, signing Jesper Bratt to a three-year entry-level contract. The sixth-round pick played this season for AIK of the Swedish second league, scoring 22 points in 46 games. Bratt is a small, shifty winger that is still a long way away from being considered a real NHL prospect. Still just 18 years old, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him stay in Sweden next season, perhaps moving up to the SHL at some point.
Bratt will also have a chance to appear in this year’s World Juniors, after playing in the U18 tournament last year. He’s shown a good hard shot at international competitions in the past, though only scored six goals with it for AIK this season.
- Washington Capitals forward Paul Carey has cleared waivers and been re-assigned to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Hershey won game 3 of their series against the Providence Bruins last night, and will hope Carey can help them all the way to the Calder Cup finals. If there has been one complaint about the Bears this postseason it’s that they haven’t scored enough goals, notching just 17 in the 8 games thus far. Carey will likely change that, after his point-per-game season that saw him register 24 goals for the Bears.
- Sam Carrick has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks once again, as they get set to start their series against the Nashville Predators. The Ducks have been beat up by injuries all playoffs, and will rely on Carrick as insurance should they get into any trouble before the game tonight. Carrick hasn’t played in the NHL this season, though he did put up 11 points in 15 AHL games after coming over in a mid-season trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also has recorded five points in the playoffs for the San Diego Gulls, who are currently down 2-1 to the San Jose Barracuda in their second-round series.
Snapshots: Simek, Carey, AHL
While just today Jan Rutta‘s agent told us that his client was getting NHL offers, it seems that perhaps another Czech defender will soon sign. TSN analyst Ray Ferraro responded on Twitter to the fact that Vancouver GM Jim Benning is only watching games in Paris at the World Championships, saying that the most interesting players are Rutta and teammate Radim Simek. There have been reports floating around that Simek has already signed an NHL deal, and it is supported by his own words that he plans on coming across the Atlantic this season.
Ferraro seemed to agree with the idea that Simek was already signed, though still had no details on who the team is. The 24-year old is another puck-moving defender that can put up points and skate well enough to make the jump, though he didn’t have quite the offensive impact of Rutta or Jakub Jerabek (another Czech teammate) this season. While the Sharks are rumored in the above article as having scouted him this year, several teams likely have shown interest at the tournament.
- The Washington Capitals placed Paul Carey on waivers today, with the intent of sending him back to the Hershey Bears for the remainder of the AHL playoff run. Hershey will play game three in their series with the Providence Bruins later tonight after splitting the first two matchups. The addition of Carey will certainly help; he scored 55 points in 55 games this season for the Bears, and led the team in goals with 24.
- Speaking of the AHL, the league has announced re-alignment for next season. The Charlotte Checkers will be moving from the Central Division to the Atlantic, while several changes will hit the North. The Senators will now be based out of Belleville, ON while the Albany Devils are moving to the vacant Binghamton. The Devils were one of the worst-attended teams in the league despite their recent success. The St. John’s IceCaps will also be moving, heading closer to their parent team in Montreal. They’ll become the Laval Rocket for next season, and stay in the North Division.
Snapshots: Babcock, Fehr, Diaby
As always with Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated, his latest piece is an outstanding example of storytelling and should be required reading for most hockey fans. In it, he chronicles the ’93-94 Lethbridge University championship hockey season and their young head coach Mike Babcock. Even now, after so many years in the NHL and victories everywhere he goes, Babcock maintains his proudest moment as a coach was turning the Pronghorns into a championship squad.
Babcock now helms a Toronto Maple Leafs team as they head back into the playoffs for the first time in a non-lockout shortened season since 2003-04. His squad, who finished dead last in 2015-16, would love to remind Babcock a little more of the Cinderella-like run the Pronghorns took to the number one spot. They’ll take on the powerhouse Washington Capitals tonight.
- Those Maple Leafs did get some good news on the injury front today, as Eric Fehr rejoined the team at practice. The forward was acquired by the Leafs at the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but broke his hand blocking a shot in his first game for the squad. While he won’t figure into the lineup right away, he’s getting close according to Kristen Shilton of TSN, who Babcock told “[the medical staff] let him out of jail today. Looks like the science project’s almost over.” Fehr could provide the Maple Leafs with some size for the fourth line should they feel like Kasperi Kapanen isn’t cutting it.
- James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that the Nashville Predators have placed Jonathan-Ismael Diaby on unconditional waivers. This likely means that his release will soon follow, as the team clears contract spots for next year. Though the Predators are only at 46 currently, they have recently promised one of those spots to Tyler Moy, and have four draft picks that will become free agents if not signed by June 1st. Diaby was a third-round pick in 2013, but hasn’t quite turned out the way they’d hoped when they saw his 6’5″ frame. He’ll become a free agent should the team release him after clearing.
Snapshots: Waivers, Panthers Coaching Candidates, Budaj
It’s not a regular occurrence to see someone on waivers at this time of the season but that’s the case with Tampa Bay center Gabriel Dumont who hit the wire today, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The move is required as the 26 year old has been up with the team for more than a month since last clearing waivers on trade deadline day.
Assuming he clears again this time around, Dumont will be eligible to participate for their farm team, the Syracuse Crunch, in the upcoming AHL playoffs. He’s only the second player to go on waivers since the trade deadline, the other being Vancouver’s Drew Shore, who needed waivers in order to join the team last month.
This season, Dumont played in a career high 38 games with the Lightning, collecting two goals and two assists along with 29 penalty minutes while averaging 9:35 of ice time per contest. He has been a more productive player at the minor league level, picking up five goals and five helpers in just 19 games. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Panthers are likely to interview University of Denver head coach Jim Montgomery and San Diego (AHL) bench boss Dallas Eakins for their soon-to-be-vacated coaching job, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (video link). Montgomery led the Pioneers to the NCAA title last night and has a 102-47-18 record over four years at the school and was named Coach of the Year this season. However, he has never coached at the professional level. As for Eakins, he coached parts of two seasons with the Oilers where his teams struggled to a 36-63-14 mark. He has had more success in the AHL though, posting a .589 points percentage over six seasons.
- Although goaltender Peter Budaj didn’t see much action after being acquired by Tampa Bay as part of the Ben Bishop trade leading up to the trade deadline, he noted to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that he would be interested in signing a new deal with the team this offseason. Budaj played in only seven games after the trade but was instrumental in keeping the Kings afloat when Jonathan Quick went down early in the season. On the year, he has played in a career high 60 games, posting a strong 2.18 GAA with a .915 SV% and should be able to land a guaranteed NHL spot for next season in free agency this summer after opening 2016-17 as a third stringer.
Minor Moves: Varone, Graovac, Shore
The Ottawa Senators have decided they no longer have a use for Phil Varone, after the news that Kyle Turris should return to the lineup. Monday afternoon they announced that Varone has been re-assigned to the AHL. The 26-year old Varone only received just five minutes of ice time in Saturday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche, and is more useful in the AHL where he currently leads the baby-Sens in points. With 42 points in 51, Varone has continued his minor-league dominance this season, part of a longer trend. In his six seasons of professional hockey, he has scored at least 35 points in each of them with a career high of 61 in 2013-14.
Obviously Varone isn’t in the Senators’ current NHL plans, but perhaps he’ll get a chance somewhere else next season. The former fifth-round pick is an unrestricted agent this summer, and will likely be looking for an opportunity at the highest level.
- According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Wild are set to recall Tyler Graovac from Iowa. The 23-year old forward was waived a month ago but has spent most of the season in the NHL, playing in 49 games for the Wild. The massive Graovac is an effective bottom-six player who can play center or wing when needed. With Martin Hanzal out with the flu, Graovac is likely just up as insurance for the rest of the road trip. If the team wants a shake up, they could insert him into the fourth-line center spot, currently occupied by Jordan Schroeder.
- After signing this weekend and clearing waivers today, Drew Shore will indeed make his debut for the Vancouver Canucks tonight against the Boston Bruins. The former second-round pick will compete to prove that he deserves another look in the NHL next season. “I want to show the Canucks I can be part of their future,” Shore said today to the media. The Canucks will also get Mikael Grandlund back into the lineup, skating alongside the Sedins.
Drew Shore Returns From Europe, Signs With Canucks
Monday: According to CapFriendly, Shore has cleared waivers and is now eligible to play though it’s not yet clear when he would debut.
Sunday: Former-NHLer Drew Shore is a current-NHLer once again. Shore is on entry waivers today and has signed with the Vancouver Canucks for the remainder of the season, per a team announcement. Shore makes his way back from Europe after playing this season with EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League A (NLA). It is because he played overseas this year while not being on Vancouver’s reserve list that he has to clear waivers before he can join the team.
Rarely does leaving the NHL work out as well for one’s hockey career as it has thus far for Shore. A second-round pick of the Florida Panthers back in 2009 and the brother of the L.A. Kings’ Nick Shore, Kings’ minor-leaguer Quentin Shore, and 2017 draft-eligible Baker Shore, a lot was expected of the eldest of a talented hockey family out of Denver, Colorado. However, Shore struggled to find his footing in the NHL early on, scoring just 20 points in 67 games with the Panthers over the course of his first two pro seasons. In 2014-15, Shore had not played a single NHL game by mid-January, when he was dealt to the Calgary Flames. The trade made matters worse, as Shore was only given 13 games with Flames in a season and a half with the organization and scored only four points in that time. Tired of the minors and his lack of production at the highest level in North America, the 26-year-old center signed with Kloten in Switzerland this summer. In the NLA, Shore seemed to finally find his game, recording 24 goals and 24 assists in 50 games. His 24 goals ranked third in the league, while his 48 total points finished sixth. Shore achieved these numbers on a team that was significantly less talented than most of its competition and featured only one other former NHL forward, James Sheppard. Shore carried the squad and helped them to avoid relegation.
Now that Shore has re-established his game, at least in what many consider the second-best hockey league in Europe, he is going to try his hand at the NHL once more. His signing with Vancouver is yet another shrewd move to add to the recent streak of GM Jim Benning. Shore is still young and spent the last year dominating talented competition and developing the open, offensive European game that the Canucks try to implement. The team is out of playoff contention – though Shore would not have been eligible to compete anyway – but can still take the rest of the season to assess their new asset for his future fit. Gambling on Shore is a low-risk, high-reward investment for Benning as well as something for disheartened Vancouver fans to follow for the remainder of the season. Little downside for the team, fans, or player in this scenario.
Deadline Day Waiver Update
One player is headed to a new team today, and not via trade. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Joseph Cramarossa off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. Cramarossa was one of seven players placed on the waiver wire yesterday, but Friedman reports that Eric Fehr (PIT), Marc-Andre Bergeron (CBJ), Jyrki Jokipakka (CAL), Mike Weber (MIN), Chris DiDomenico (OTT), and Gabriel Dumont (TB) have all cleared today.
Cramarossa, 24, had finally developed into an NHL-caliber player this season in Anaheim, after earning skating in his first pro game earlier this season. The rookie winger has been a mainstay on the Ducks’ fourth line, skating in 49 games and recording ten points, while playing a physical two-way game. He’ll now bring that aggressive, high-energy style to Vancouver. A third-round pick of the Ducks in 2011, it may have taken Cramarossa a while to get to the NHL, but the Canucks can now capitalize on years of development in Anaheim by bringing an NHL-ready checking line forward into the fold.
Cramarossa will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, so expect the stretch run to be a tryout for an extension in Vancouver.