Penguins, Egor Zamula Terminate Contract
Jan. 6, 1:04 p.m.: Zamula has cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’s expected to sign another NHL deal this week with at least six teams expressing interest, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Jan. 5, 1:10 p.m.: Zamula has officially hit unconditional waivers, per Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
Jan. 5, 11:28 a.m.: The Penguins are set to place defenseman Egor Zamula on unconditional waivers on Monday, PuckPedia reports. He will have his contract terminated if he clears tomorrow, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Zamula was suspended without pay on Saturday for refusing to report to Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Russian rearguard had been acquired just days before from the Flyers in exchange for winger Philip Tomasino.
It’s not surprising to see Zamula opt for a contract termination, although few expected it to happen after a trade. Zamula cleared standard waivers while with Philadelphia and initially reported to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where he remained assigned at the time of the swap. The 25-year-old then quickly changed his agents and was reportedly considering triggering a contract termination by failing to report, with the Flyers being open to taking a forward contract back in a separate trade for future considerations.
That was, of course, assuming Zamula signed with said team after clearing unconditional waivers with the Flyers. Since he was traded before hitting the wire, Pittsburgh will now have parted ways with Tomasino without getting anything out of Zamula in his brief time under contract with the organization.
Zamula will be walking away from about half of the $1.4MM base salary he was owed this season. There is still interest in his services from other NHL teams, and he’s expected to quickly sign a new deal – likely for the prorated league minimum – quickly after becoming a free agent tomorrow, per PuckPedia.
The 6’3″, 200-lb lefty will bring an 8-33–41 career scoring line in 168 NHL games to the open market. That includes one assist and a +4 rating in 13 appearances with the Flyers earlier this year.
Penguins Reassign Ryan Graves
Dec. 31: The Penguins announced they’ve reassigned Graves to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after he cleared waivers today.
Dec. 30: Graves was formally waived today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Dec. 29: After acquiring Yegor Chinakhov earlier today, the Penguins needed to open up a spot on their active roster for him. They’ve determined how to do that, as Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter link) that the team has designated defenseman Ryan Graves as a non-roster player and will place him on waivers on Tuesday when the next waiver period opens.
This will be the second time this season that the 30-year-old will land on the waiver wire. Graves also found himself on waivers during training camp as he was among Pittsburgh’s last group of training camp cuts.
Despite passing through unclaimed and starting the season with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Graves has actually spent more time in Pittsburgh than with them. He got into 10 games at the minor league level to start the year and was productive, picking up a goal and six assists. That earned him a recall in early November and has been up since then, a stint that’s about to come to an end.
Graves has played in 17 games with Pittsburgh this season, albeit in a limited role as he’s barely averaging 15 minutes per night of ice time. In those outings, he has just one point – a goal – along with 31 blocked shots. While offense has never been his calling card, it’s fair to say that Graves isn’t living up to his $4.5MM per season contract, one that runs through the 2028-29 campaign.
Given that price tag, it’s a certainty that Graves will once again pass through unclaimed and be sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he’ll join Mathew Dumba on a high-priced AHL back end. From there, he’ll look to work his way back to Pittsburgh, an outcome that could happen should the Penguins move any of their pending UFA blueliners, a group that includes Connor Clifton, Brett Kulak, and Ryan Shea.
Penguins Activate Blake Lizotte, Reassign Danton Heinen
Dec. 29th: Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review reports that Heinen has cleared waivers and has been reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Dec. 28th: The Penguins announced they’ve activated center Blake Lizotte from injured reserve and placed winger Danton Heinen on waivers in the corresponding move. Since Heinen’s waiver placement comes in conjunction with an IR activation, he can be designated non-roster until tomorrow while he’s on the wire to open a roster spot.
Lizotte has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the past few weeks. He last played on Dec. 7 against the Stars, then was placed on IR two days later.
The 28-year-old was a pleasant surprise for the Pens last year after inking a two-year, $3.7MM deal in free agency. In 59 appearances, he tied his career high in goals (11) and won 51.2% of his draws while averaging 12:43 of ice time per game.
That offensive production hasn’t quite carried over into this year, but the high-energy pivot has still scored five points in 27 games while serving as part of one of the league’s better checking lines. His unit with Noel Acciari and Connor Dewar may not generate much offensively, but they’ve limited opponents to just 2.10 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
Lizotte and Dewar also comprise Pittsburgh’s top penalty kill unit. He’s been a big part of a respectable shorthanded complement that clicks at 81.1%, 14th in the league.
Meanwhile, Heinen lands on the waiver wire for the second time this season. The veteran of 579 NHL games was a surprising cut from Penguins training camp and, as expected, cleared without incident, given his $2.25MM cap hit.
The versatile 30-year-old won’t be happy with today’s news, though. He’s been outright dominant in the AHL, rattling off 17 points in 12 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’s gotten a few recalls throughout the year, and although he’s been a healthy scratch in three straight, he’s gotten into 13 NHL contests for Pittsburgh with a goal and an assist.
Heinen’s high cap hit remains a likely deterrent for a claim, but given his minor-league production, it stands to reason he can still be a fourth-line piece at worst on more than a few teams. With a base salary of $775K this season – most of his money was paid out via a preseason signing bonus – he wouldn’t be walking away from much if he refused to report to WBS and triggered a contract termination. That would allow him to catch on with another team down the stretch on a new deal with a lower cap impact.
Mammoth’s Juuso Valimaki Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL
Dec. 29th: According to a team announcement, Välimäki has successfully cleared waivers and has been reassigned to AHL Tucson.
Dec. 28th: The Mammoth announced Sunday they’ve placed defenseman Juuso Välimäki on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Tucson.
Välimäki, 27, has been IR-bound for the entire season and then some. The former Flames first-rounder played 43 games for Utah last year before being waived and reassigned to Tucson in January. Weeks later, he sustained a season-ending ACL tear and was given an eight-to-nine-month recovery timeline. Given the surgery was in early March, he ended up missing that target by a couple of weeks.
As expected, he won’t stick around with the Mammoth after being medically cleared. He struggled to hold onto a bottom-pairing job in Salt Lake last year, averaging 16:33 per contest while being limited to a 2-3–5 scoring line and a -5 rating.
The 6’2″, 201-lb lefty will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after inking a two-year, $4.4MM extension with Utah in 2024. That deal came after Välimäki had put up back-to-back solid bodies of work in top-four minutes for the Coyotes, notching 51 points and a +2 rating in 146 appearances from 2022-24 while averaging 18:36 per game.
When Välimäki got pushed down the depth chart thanks to the additions of Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, and Ian Cole before Utah’s inaugural season, his performance no longer justified his cap hit. While he’s been costing $2MM against the Mammoth’s picture while on IR, his cap impact will drop to $850K if he clears waivers and is reassigned to Tucson.
Islanders’ Ethan Bear Clears Waivers
Dec. 29th: Insider Frank Seravalli reported that Bear has successfully cleared waivers and can be safely reassigned to AHL Bridgeport.
Dec. 28th: The New York Islanders have placed depth defenseman Ethan Bear on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Bear began the year on season-opening injured reserve with an upper-body injury. His waiver placement serves as a strong indication that Bear has fully recovered from that injury. Should he clear, he will likely be assigned to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.
Bear spent the entirety of last season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. It was his first full AHL season since 2018-19 and he took full advantage of the lighter competition. Bear, who had struggled in the NHL for a few years in a row, led Hershey in scoring with 46 points in 62 games last season. The performance was the most a Hershey defenseman has scored since Aaron Ness scored 55 points in the 2018-19 season.
It is too late into Bear’s career to call his AHL season a breakout year – but it went far in solidifying the role he offered an NHL team. He’s stood out as a top-end offensive-defenseman in the minor-leagues, who can offer serviceable, bottom-pair impact with an NHL club. That standing lines up with Bear’s career stat line. He has recorded 67 points and 112 penalty minutes in 275 NHL games, to go with 95 points and 76 penalty minutes in 151 AHL games.
The Islanders will look to add that puck-moving ability to the top of Bridgeport’s lineup with this move. Bridgeport has struggled to win this season. They are currently ranked dead-last in the Atlantic Division and have been outscored by a combined 82-to-94. Bear won’t buoy the team’s defense, but his offensive talent should remove some responsibility from more well-rounded defenders Marshall Warren and Cole McWard.
Hurricanes Claim Noah Philp Off Waivers, Reassign Bradly Nadeau
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed center Noah Philp off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. The Hurricanes shared that they’ve reassigned forward Bradly Nadeau in a corresponding roster move.
Interestingly enough, Friedman reported this morning on 32 Thoughts that this could be coming down the pipeline for Philp. Friedman suggested that multiple teams had contacted the Oilers regarding Philp. It stands to reason that the Hurricanes were one of those teams.
It would have been much easier for Edmonton to trade Philp after he had cleared waivers, given that he wouldn’t have to be waived again for some time if a team was wishing to stash him in the AHL. Given that the Hurricanes claimed him today, they’ll need to attempt to pass Philp through waivers again should they try to reassign him to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
Regardless, Philp will have a new opportunity in Carolina for the time being, though it’s not clear where exactly he fits into the lineup. Seth Jarvis is currently the only injured forward on the team, and there’s little chance of Philp taking a hold of a first-line role.
Realistically, if the Hurricanes want him in a consistent role, Philp will take over for Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Mark Jankowski, each of whom has disappointed throughout the season. Philp doesn’t have much experience to fall back on, though, scoring two goals and five points across 30 games in Edmonton.
Still, his relatively large frame and respectable output in the AHL likely inspired Carolina to take a flyer on him. Despite briefly retiring for the 2023-24 season, Philp owns a 38-34-72 scoring line in 130 AHL contests.
Meanwhile, Nadeau returns to AHL Chicago after being recalled to replace Jarvis on the active roster. The 20-year-old winger played in two games for the Hurricanes throughout the recall, scoring one goal while averaging 13:54 of ice time per game.
Oilers Place Noah Philp On Waivers
The Oilers announced Sunday they’ve placed center Noah Philp on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bakersfield. Now that the holiday roster freeze has lifted, Edmonton has also made official the unconditional waiver placement for David Tomasek that was reported on Friday, meaning he’ll have his contract terminated tomorrow.
Philp had been out since Nov. 17 with an upper-body injury and was on long-term injured reserve. Technically, he needs to be activated from LTIR before being placed on waivers. The Oilers created a roster spot and cap space by suspending Tomasek without pay, something they were eligible to do because he’d already left the club to return to Sweden, where he’ll be signing with the SHL’s Färjestad BK.
Before his injury, the 27-year-old Philp had rotated in and out of the lineup as the Oilers’ fourth-line center. Entering the year with only 15 games of NHL experience, all coming with Edmonton last season, he was given extremely difficult 5-on-5 deployment and started just 27.8% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
As a result, Philp’s numbers at face value were underwhelming. He had a 2-1–3 scoring line in 15 games with a -7 rating, ranking last among Oilers forwards in Corsi for percentage (41.9), shots for percentage (42.9), and expected goals for percentage (36.4) at 5-on-5.
Those are excusable figures given his deployment, though, and he has been one of Edmonton’s best faceoff men this year at 56.9%. There’s a definite risk of losing Philp on the wire as a result if a team is looking for affordable fourth-line help, particularly thanks to his league minimum salary, two-way contract structure, and expiring deal.
Wild Reassign Ben Jones, Carson Lambos
Dec. 19: Minnesota announced it has reassigned Jones to AHL Iowa after clearing waivers, along with defenseman Carson Lambos. The 22-year-old Lambos made his NHL debut in Columbus last night after being recalled on Wednesday, recording a +1 rating and a shot on goal in 10:16 of ice time. After reassigning Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and David Spacek to Iowa earlier today, the Wild now has four open roster spots with only 11 forwards and six defensemen available for tomorrow’s game against the Oilers, ensuring multiple IR activations are coming between now and then.
Dec. 18: The Wild placed forward Ben Jones on waivers today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If he clears, he’s still expected to remain with the team, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Jones clearing waivers now means they won’t need to expose him again if they decide to send him to the minors in the 30 days following his clearance. It also makes him eligible to be assigned to the AHL during the holiday roster freeze if they need a spot to activate a player from injured reserve.
The 26-year-old will make his 20th appearance of the season and 48th of his career tonight against the Blue Jackets. He’s gone the previous 47 without recording a point, setting a post-expansion era record for most career games without an appearance on the scoresheet. The only player in league history to log more appearances with zero career points is defenseman Gord Strate, who played 62 games for the Red Wings in the late 1950s.
A lack of surplus options in the minors, plus a continually rotating cast of injuries to Minnesota’s forward group, has kept him in the lineup. For what it’s worth, the former seventh-round pick of the Golden Knights hasn’t been given many opportunities to score. He’s started just 22.2% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone, getting understandably shelled with a 35.0 CF% and getting outscored 6-1.
Jones brings two things to the table: faceoff acumen and physicality. The 6’0″ pivot leads the team with a 57.8% win rate on the dot this year (min. 100 draws) and ranks fourth with 2.47 hits per game.
Flames Waive Dryden Hunt, Recall Justin Kirkland
Dec. 19: Hunt cleared waivers and can now be reassigned to the Wranglers, per Friedman.
Dec. 18: The Flames placed forward Dryden Hunt on waivers Thursday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move will allow Calgary to assign him to the AHL before the holiday roster freeze goes into effect Saturday if he clears.
Calgary later announced it’s recalled forward Justin Kirkland from the Wranglers, signaling Hunt will be heading down to the AHL tomorrow if he clears and should remain there through the holiday freeze, barring multiple injuries. The 29-year-old Kirkland was on the Flames’ opening night roster but was waived in November after scoring one assist in nine games.
In 14 games for the Wranglers since being demoted, he’s rattled off five goals and two assists with a -8 rating. He’s now set for another run at being Calgary’s 13th forward. The Flames have an open roster spot, so they don’t need to wait for Hunt to clear waivers before adding Kirkland to the roster.
This is Hunt’s fifth time on waivers since the Flames acquired him from the Maple Leafs before the 2023 trade deadline, and his second time this season, so it seems likely he’ll pass through without incident. Calgary hasn’t leaned on the 30-year-old for much playing time over three separate recalls this season, as he’s only entered the lineup twice. However, since he’s now spent more than 30 days on the active roster since clearing waivers during training camp, he now needs them again to return to the minors.
While the nine-year NHL vet may not be of much use to the Flames outside of serving as a no-fuss 13th forward, he’s continued to light up the AHL. In 16 games for the Calgary Wranglers this season, the 6’0″ winger has five goals, 13 assists, and 18 points to lead the team in points per game (1.13).
Without Hunt rostered, Calgary won’t be carrying any extra forwards. They can still add him back to the active roster during the freeze if they sustain an injury because not being able to ice 12 forwards counts as an emergency condition. They might also simply keep him on the roster if he clears tomorrow, resetting the 30-day clock until he needs them again.
Flyers To Reassign Egor Zamula
Dec. 19: Zamula cleared waivers and will be reassigned to Lehigh Valley, according to Friedman.
Dec. 18: The Flyers have waived left-shot defenseman Egor Zamula, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Zamula has been a healthy scratch in five straight contests and has only played in 13 out of 32 games on the year. When Philadelphia needed some extra defensive depth earlier this month as Cameron York sustained a minor injury, they opted to make a roster move and recall Ty Murchison from the AHL instead of playing Zamula.
That was a clear indication that the writing was on the wall for his standing on the active roster. Today is the last day for teams to waive a player if they want to send him down to the minors before the holiday roster freeze begins on Dec. 20.
If Zamula clears and reports to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, it will mark his first minor-league action since the 2022-23 season. Now in his sixth NHL campaign, the 25-year-old had played 60-plus games for the Flyers in each of the last two seasons but was only on pace for 33 appearances this year.
The 6’3″ lefty looked like he could make a push for a fringe top-four role long-term after breaking out with 21 points and a +3 rating in 66 games in 2023-24, but his production has declined from that summit. This season, he’s got a +4 rating in 13 outings but has only managed one assist while averaging 14:02 of ice time per game, a decrease of over two minutes from last year.
Zamula is in the back half of the two-year, $3.4MM deal he signed with Philly as a restricted free agent in 2024. The Flyers can remove $1.15MM of his $1.7MM cap hit if they bury him in the minors, leaving them on the hook for a $550K cap charge if he’s in the AHL. If he’s not claimed, it’s clear the Flyers will be walking away from Zamula next offseason instead of extending him the $1.4MM qualifying offer he’s owed.