Islanders Place Julien Gauthier On Waivers
Julien Gauthier‘s short stint with the New York Islanders is now on hold. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the organization has chosen to place Gauthier on waivers for the next 24 hours, putting them at 12 healthy forwards without factoring in the late injury to Anthony Duclair last night.
To the surprise of some, Gauthier made the Islanders’ opening night roster out of camp instead of the relatively pricey Pierre Engvall. He hasn’t factored into much of the team’s success up to this point with his only game on the year coming last night against the Montreal Canadiens. He skated in 7:42 of yesterday’s game and managed two hits despite his name not finding the scoresheet.
Gauthier, who signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023, is in his second year with the organization. His lack of NHL play during his time with the Islanders should make for a pass through the waiver wire by tomorrow afternoon.
He’s managed quality production in the American Hockey League, when healthy, throughout his career so there is an argument that a team could claim him to stash in the minors if they’re certain they’ll make the only claim. Gauthier’s appeared in 205 AHL contests since making his professional debut in the 2017-18 season scoring 78 goals and 115 points overall.
Devils Place Adam Beckman On Waivers
The New Jersey Devils have placed forward Adam Beckman on waivers. Beckman recently returned from starting the year on the injured non-roster list, taking part in a handful of Devils practices before this waivers designation. New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old winger in a June trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent Graeme Clarke the other way.
Beckman has struggled ot find his footing at a pro level since making his AHL debut with the Iowa Wild in 2020. He recorded 39 points across his first 77 AHL games, split between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons – just enough to earn the first three NHL games of his career. But Beckman only managed one assist in those outings and would continue the cycle of promising production in the minors followed by lackluster production in the NHL through last season. Beckman has totaled 108 points across five years and 181 games in the minors, but only three points – all assists – in 23 NHL games.
It’s been a far fall for Beckman, originally the 75th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft after a strong year with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. He followed the draft with a dazzling 107 points in 63 WHL games in the 2019-20 season. That hot scoring continued through 27 games of the next season, propelling his juniors scoring to 196 points in 153 games. He was scouted as a swift playmaker with strong shooting and passing – capable of exploding through the neutral zone and quickly finding teammates. But his explosivity hasn’t carried over to the pro flight, and he hasn’t yet found a way to lean into the physical upside of his six-foot-two, 185-pound frame. Beckman will need to first clear waivers, but seems set to return to productivity with the Utica Comets – and hopefully bring the strong production up to the top flight when he’s called up next.
Snapshots: Panthers, Joshua, Honzek, Harkins
Already missing three forwards due to illness or injuries, the Panthers won’t have forward Jonah Gadjovich available to them tonight against Vegas due to an undisclosed injury, relays team reporter Jameson Olive. The 26-year-old has taken a regular turn on the fourth line so far this season, picking up a goal in Florida’s first six games. As Florida doesn’t have enough cap space to afford a recall from the minors, they will dress just 17 skaters for this one, ten forwards and seven blueliners.
It’s not all bad news on that front, however. Head coach Paul Maurice indicated that winger Matthew Tkachuk is expected to return from his illness on Tuesday while captain Aleksander Barkov should be back not long after that. Meanwhile, Tomas Nosek is due to return early next month for their Global Series games. With that in mind, while the Panthers will be eligible for a cap-exempt recall after tonight’s contest, they’re unlikely to actually need to use it.
More from around the NHL:
- Canucks forward Dakota Joshua skated today for the first time as he continues to recover from surgery to address a cancerous lump from earlier this summer, mentions NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman (Twitter link). The 28-year-old had a breakout effort last season, notching career-highs in goals (18), assists (14), points (32), and hits (245) across 63 regular season contests, earning him a four-year, $13MM extension in late June. There remains no timetable for Joshua’s return but the fact he has returned to the ice is certainly a good sign.
- The Flames have placed forward Samuel Honzek on injured reserve, relays Tim Hiebert of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 19-year-old is in his first professional season and played in four games before sustaining an upper-body injury that will keep him out on a week-to-week basis. Calgary now has an open slot on their active roster and it stands to reason that it won’t take too long for it to be filled, likely with the expected pending return of Kevin Rooney who was a full participant in practice on Friday.
- The Ducks have re-assigned forward Jansen Harkins to AHL San Diego, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 27-year-old is in his first season with Anaheim after signing with them in free agency but cleared waivers at the end of training camp. Harkins was brought up yesterday following the injury to Isac Lundestrom and Frank Vatrano’s absence from the team for paternity leave and he suited up in their loss to Colorado, recording one shot on goal in 10:11 of ice time. In a corresponding move, Vatrano is now back on the active roster.
Blue Jackets’ Dylan Gambrell Clears Waivers
10/17: The Blue Jackets can reassign Gambrell to AHL Cleveland as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports he has cleared waivers.
10/16: Dylan Gambrell‘s brief return to the NHL will be shortlived as James Mirtle of The Athletic reports the Columbus Blue Jackets have placed him on waivers. He had not suited up in any of Columbus’ first three games to begin the 2024-25 regular season.
The Blue Jackets will be down to 12 healthy forwards on the roster for tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss against the Florida Panthers which may indicate the team will make a corresponding transaction today or tomorrow.
Gambrell spent all of last season with the Toronto Marlies making him no stranger to the American Hockey League. He scored 14 goals and 36 games leading to a one-year, $775K contract with Columbus this past offseason.
He no longer carries the pedigree of being a late second-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in the 2016 NHL Draft. He’s managed 17 goals and 40 points over 233 NHL contests without scoring more than 12 points in any season.
Should he clear waivers tomorrow, he’s likely to spend much of the season in AHL Cleveland despite Columbus’ need for additional forward depth. The team is off to a mild 1-1-0 start to begin the current campaign and is looking to stay competitive in a difficult North Division.
Carolina’s Brendan Lemieux Clears Waivers
10/17: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Lemieux has cleared waivers and the team can now safely reassign him to their AHL affiliate in Chicago.
10/16: James Mirtle of The Athletic reports the Carolina Hurricanes have placed forward Brendan Lemieux on waivers after fully recovering from an undisclosed injury late in the preseason. This is the best pathway for the Hurricanes to shuffle Lemieux back and forth from the AHL while making him waiver ineligible for the next 10 games or 30 days if he clears by tomorrow afternoon.
Lemieux, represented by his father, Claude Lemieux, extended with the Hurricanes last March on a one-year, $775K contract. His exploits in the NHL are well known at this point totaling 548 PIMs in 307 games in the regular season split between the Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, and Winnipeg Jets.
Carolina hardly utilized Lemieux in his first season with the organization. Lemieux only suited up in 32 games last year for the Hurricanes while being on the roster for much of the campaign. He averaged only eight minutes of ice time during those contests, his lowest average since his rookie year in 2017-18.
It’s unlikely that Lemieux will suit up for the Chicago Wolves if he clears waivers. According to PuckPedia, Carolina is close to the salary cap with only $721K in wiggle room, which suggests that Lemieux will be the frequent recipient of a paper transaction throughout the regular season.
Hurricanes Activate, Reassign Joakim Ryan
10/16: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Ryan has safely cleared waivers allowing the Hurricanes to safely reassign him to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
10/15: The Hurricanes have defenseman Joakim Ryan on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. As such, he’s ready to be activated from season-opening injured reserve. He’s been out for the past few weeks with an undisclosed injury.
Ryan, 31, is attempting an NHL comeback after spending the last three seasons playing for Sweden’s Mälmo Redhawks. The left-shot defender played 145 games for the Hurricanes, Kings, and Sharks, posting 24 points and a +1 rating, before returning to his home country in 2021. He landed back with Carolina, where he spent his last season under an NHL contract, on a two-way deal as a free agent this offseason.
The 5’11”, 181-lb defender was historically a solid two-way option in the minors and overseas. He had some upward mobility in an NHL lineup, once averaging as much as 19:09 per game in his lone season in Los Angeles in 2019-20. But his point production in the last two seasons in Sweden was underwhelming, and he’s likely an AHL option at this stage of his career. If he clears, he’ll get that chance with the Chicago Wolves, where he had two assists in four games back in 2020-21 while in the Hurricanes organization.
With his NHL experience, though, Ryan could be an option for a mid-season call-up if injuries decimate Carolina’s defense corps. He’ll be a UFA next summer and will earn a salary of $110K while in the minors.
Canadiens Place Alex Barre-Boulet On Waivers
The Montreal Canadiens have placed winger Alex Barre-Boulet on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the AHL. Barre-Boulet signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on July 1st and made the team out of training camp. He’s since filled a fourth-line role for Montreal’s first two games of the season, though he failed to record a point and served as a health scratch on Saturday.
Barre-Boulet has played in the AHL in each of the last six seasons, kicking his career off on an undrafted free-agent deal with the Syracuse Crunch in 2018. He potted a dazzling 68 points, split evenly, in 74 games as an AHL rookie, quickly earning a confident top-six role. He continued his hot scoring through the 2019-20 season, netting 56 points in 60 games and earning the first NHL contract of his career. But Barre-Boulet wasn’t able to find the same production through appearances with Tampa Bay in 2020-21 and 2021-22, ultimately scoring just eight points in his first 29 NHL games.
Seattle claimed Barre-Boulet from the Lightning early into the 2021-22 season but only iced him in two scoreless games before waiving him themselves, allowing Tampa to reclaim him. He was a Kraken for just 10 days, and would proceed the vacation with his first point-per-game season in the AHL, netting 63 points in 58 games. That point-per-game scoring continued through 2022-23, earning Barre-Boulet the first extended NHL stay of his career last season. But he stayed in his rut, netting just nine points in 36 games. A deal with Montreal this summer was supposed to bring a change of scenery capable of sparking Barre-Boulet’s career – which seemed possible when he made the Canadiens roster out of camp – but instead he finds himself on waivers for the sixth time in his career. He’s scored 302 points in 294 career AHL games and brings exciting upside to the AHL’s Laval Rocket, should he clear waivers.
Red Wings Place Ville Husso On Waivers
The Detroit Red Wings have placed goaltender Ville Husso on waivers for the purpose of a loan to the AHL, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Husso is in the final year of a three-year, $14.25MM contract signed with Detroit in the summer of 2022. His $4.75MM cap hit is tied for the eighth-highest in Detroit.
Detroit’s plan to carry three goaltenders has been clear since they signed Cam Talbot to a two-year, $5MM contract on July 1st. Talbot joined a room already rife with competition between Alex Lyon and Husso. Lyon has been the odd-man-out in the early going, standing as the only Wings goalie to not yet start a game. Husso wasn’t inspiring in the matchup he received, allowing four goals on 14 shots and getting pulled for Talbot. That weak performance seems to be the spark behind his waiving today, despite Husso’s .940 save percentage through three pre-season games suggesting some upside.
The Red Wings will now move forward with Cam Talbot as their clear-cut starter, rewarding his 54 saves on 56 shots (.964) through two games so far. Lyon will step up as the team’s backup just a few months removed from winning the starting role over Husso, recording 21 wins and a .904 in 44 games last season. Meanwhile, Husso’s path to ice time won’t become any clearer if he heads to the minor leagues, with Grand Rapids currently led by top prospect Sebastian Cossa. Cossa managed one win and 64 saves on 68 shots (.941) through Grand Rapids’ first two games of the season this weekend, and has posted a .913 save percentage in each of the last three seasons. Even pitted against the near-$5MM man that is Husso, it’d be hard to award starts to any other Griffins goalie – only increasing the excitement around Detroit’s crowded goalie room.
Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers
Saturday: Mitchell passed through waivers unclaimed, Friedman reports. No one was placed on waivers today.
Friday: The Boston Bruins have placed defenseman Ian Mitchell on waivers for the purposes of being assigned to the AHL, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Mitchell began the year on Boston’s injured non-roster list, and will now head to the minors after returning to full health.
Mitchell joined the Bruins via trade in 2023, packaged alongside Alec Regula in the deal that landed Chicago Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno. Mitchell made the move out East having totaled 82 games and 16 points worth of NHL experience with the Blackhawks. His first season in the Bruins organization was split between the NHL and AHL lineups, with Mitchell ultimately slotting into 13 games and scoring two points with the Bruins. He was one of many minor-league defenders rotated into the lineup as Boston battled through injuries, though he was far more productive in the minors. Mitchell managed six goals and 24 points in 42 games with the Providence Bruins, falling just 11 points shy of his career-high, set in 57 games with Rockford in 2021-22.
Mitchell was originally drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft and proceeded to spend three impactful years at the University of Denver. He recorded 89 points in 116 games on the Pioneers’ blue-line. He’s yet to find that same production at the pro level, though could be in store for an increased role with Providence this year, following Mason Lohrei‘s promotion to an everyday NHL role.
Avalanche Claim Kaapo Kahkonen From Jets
The Colorado Avalanche have claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. The Avalanche are already carrying two goaltenders – Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen – on their NHL roster. Neither are exempt from waivers, likely indicating Colorado’s plan to carry three goaltenders. Colorado used both netminders in their season opener, with Georgiev allowing five goals and getting pulled for Annunen, who let in two goals of his own.
That’s certainly far from an ideal start for the Avalanche netminders, leading the team to reel in the veteran presence of Kahkonen, who’s spent the last five seasons bouncing around the NHL. His career began with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted Kahkonen in 2014’s fourth round and assigned him to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in 2018. He was called up after two strong seasons as Iowa’s starter and proceeded to post a stout 31 wins and .907 save percentage in 54 games, and three seasons, as Minnesota’s backup. His consistency drew interest from around the league, and Kahkonen was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in 2022 alongside a fifth-round pick in the deal that landed Minnesota defender Jacob Middleton.
Kahkonen continued to serve as a consistent backup in San Jose, recording 17 wins and a .892 behind a struggling Sharks defense. But with little short-term success in sight, San Jose swapped Kahkonen with New Jersey’s Vitek Vanecek at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Kahkonen was one of two depth goaltenders acquired by the Devils, alongside Montreal’s Jake Allen, and would only play in six games with the club as a result – though he did manage a career-high .923 save percentage in those appearances.
Still, the Devils opted to stick with the Stanley Cup-winning precedent of Allen, letting Kahkonen sign a one-year, $1MM contract with the Jets on July 1st. He was one of three goalies to make the Jets roster out of camp, next to Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, and now moves to a similarly-crowded room in Colorado. He’s posted a modest .899 save percentage across 139 career games, and will look to provide relief in the event that Colorado’s netminders continue to dip.