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Canucks Place Jack Studnicka On Waivers

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The Vancouver Canucks placed forward Jack Studnicka on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks on Monday, general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement.

Studnicka, 24, has been a healthy scratch in nine out of the last ten contests. The 2017 second-round pick last played on November 2 in the team’s 10-1 drubbing of the San Jose Sharks, logging 17:09 of ice time but failing to get on the scoresheet or record a shot on goal.

This is Studnicka’s second time on the waiver wire this season. He cleared just before the season started but was recalled under emergency conditions after the Canucks’ first game after salary cap constraints forced them to dress only 17 skaters.

Studnicka was placed on the active roster from his emergency exception five days later and has remained with the Canucks since. Since more than 30 days elapsed since his initial recall on October 12, his temporary waiver exception has lapsed, and he must clear again to return to Abbotsford.

In five games with Vancouver this season, Studnicka has one goal, coming in his season debut on October 14 against the Edmonton Oilers. He has averaged 10:11 per game but attempted just eight shots during his time in the lineup, four of which got on goal.

If he clears, Studnicka could make his debut for Abbotsford this week. He has not played for Vancouver’s primary minor-league affiliate since they acquired him from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goalie prospect Michael Dipietro and defense prospect Jonathan Myrenberg early in the 2022-23 season.

In 90 NHL games across five seasons with the Bruins and Canucks, Studnicka has six goals, ten assists, 16 points, and a -16 rating. He’s been much more productive in the AHL since his pro debut in 2018, recording 34 goals and 62 assists for 96 points in 117 contests with the Providence Bruins.

Studnicka is in the final season of a two-year, $1.525MM contract with a $762.5K cap hit. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Gustav Lindström, Loan Joel Armia To AHL

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The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenseman Gustav Lindström, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding move, the Canadiens loaned Joel Armia to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

The rationale behind these two roster moves is quite clear. The Canadiens were carrying only six defensemen, in large part thanks to the fact that they are carrying three goalies on their 23-man roster.

With defenseman Jordan Harris dealing with an injury and currently a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks, the Canadiens needed an extra defenseman on their roster to provide security in case Harris can’t play.

With David Savard injured, the state of the Canadiens’ defensive depth chart leaves Lindström as the team’s seventh defenseman. So the veteran has been elevated to the NHL roster, leaving the Rocket just before their game against the Manitoba Moose.

In order to recall Lindström the Canadiens needed to clear room on their roster, and to do so they’ve sent Armia to the AHL. Armia, who cleared waivers earlier this season, was a healthy scratch for the Canadiens’ win last night over the Boston Bruins. With four goals and five points for the Rocket this season, he’d be a major addition to the Laval lineup should he dress for any games.

Kings Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Nashville

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Samuel Fagemo is once again a member of the Kings.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has claimed the winger off waivers from Nashville.  Back in training camp, the Predators had claimed him off waivers from the Kings.

The 23-year-old was a second-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2019 (50th overall) and is waiver-eligible for the first time this season.  Fagemo has shown a scoring touch in the minors, notching 27 goals with AHL Ontario in his first year in North America in 2021-22 and followed that up with a 23-goal effort last season.  Despite that, he didn’t see much action with the Kings, seeing just 13 games over those two campaigns.

With Los Angeles not having much in the way of cap and waiver flexibility, Fagemo was waived back in training camp where Nashville scooped him up.  However, he didn’t get much of an opportunity with them either, playing in just four games, scoring once while averaging just under ten minutes per game.  That was still enough for the Preds to decide that his roster spot would be better used elsewhere.

Because the Kings were the only team to claim Fagemo, they were allowed to send him down to Ontario, a move they have now announced (Twitter link).  Jordan Spence, who was papered down yesterday, has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Predators Place Samuel Fagemo On Waivers

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The Nashville Predators placed winger Samuel Fagemo on waivers Friday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.

If another team places a claim for Fagemo, it will end a very short stint for the Swedish winger in Music City. Nashville claimed Fagemo off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings just before the 2023-24 season started.

Fagemo, 23, has appeared in four out of 13 games for the Preds this season, serving as a healthy scratch for the other seven. He recorded a goal, four shots, and a season-high 12:30 of ice time in his Predators debut, which came October 21 against the San Jose Sharks, but he hasn’t gotten back on the scoresheet since.

Head coach Andrew Brunette has scratched Fagemo in three straight contests. His last appearance was November 2 against the Seattle Kraken, in which he registered two shots on goal in 8:44 of ice time.

The 50th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft carries significant goal-scoring upside. He’d notched north of 20 goals in his last two seasons in the minors, including 23 in just 56 games last season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

He’s received minimal chances to show he can translate that ability to NHL ice thus far, though. Fagemo only appeared in 13 NHL games with the Kings before they waived him, meaning he’s made 17 NHL appearances over three seasons. He’s lit the lamp three times but averaged under ten minutes per game.

His limited usage in Nashville is curious, especially given the lack of offensive production coming from their bottom six. Yakov Trenin, who’s appeared in all 13 contests and is averaging north of 15 minutes per game, has yet to record a point. Veteran center Colton Sissons has been one of their few sources of offense coming from their third and fourth lines, registering five goals and adding one assist in 13 games.

If Fagemo clears waivers, the Predators can assign him to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals tomorrow. However, if the Kings opt to put in a claim and are the only team to do so, they may send him directly to their affiliate in Ontario.

Calgary Flames Place Dryden Hunt On Waivers

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Nov. 8: Hunt has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, per a team announcement.

Nov. 7: With the news coming earlier today that forward Adam Ruzicka will be back in the lineup tonight against the Nashville Predators, the Calgary Flames have placed forward Dryden Hunt on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg. Primarily serving as a depth forward for Calgary up to this point, Hunt has zero points in four games, averaging just under 13 minutes of ice time per night.

If he ultimately clears waivers by tomorrow, Hunt will return to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, Hunt will return to a team where he had tremendous success after a midseason trade last year from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. In 17 games for the Wranglers to finish the year, Hunt put up five goals and 10 assists in 17 games, as well as six points in nine playoff appearances.

This past summer, Hunt chose to re-sign with the Flames on a two-year, $1.55MM contract, hoping to crack Calgary’s NHL roster. Only playing in one game prior to the shoulder injury sustained by Ruzicka, his missing presence in the lineup allowed Hunt to sneak into a few more games before finally being sent down this afternoon.

As a benefit to Hunt, if he does clear waivers, the Flames will not need to send him through waivers again for the next 30 days, giving him and the team more flexibility to move him up and down throughout the organization. However, for the time being, Hunt at the very least will have much more access to playing time for the Wranglers.

Edmonton Oilers Place Jack Campbell On Waivers, Recall Calvin Pickard

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Nov. 8: As expected, Campbell has cleared waivers, and Pickard has been recalled from AHL Bakersfield, per the team’s Twitter/X account.

Nov. 7: In a surprising announcement, the Edmonton Oilers have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers today, for the purpose of assignment. With plenty of changes seemingly coming to the Oilers after a horrific start to the year, Edmonton has decided to expose Campbell and the $20MM remaining on his contract to the rest of the league.

Back during the 2021-22 regular season, the Oilers ran with a duo of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith throughout the year, a duo who led the team to the Western Conference Finals before ultimately being swept at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. In an attempt to dramatically improve their goaltending, Edmonton inked Campbell to a five-year, $25MM contract, prying him away from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

However, the investment has not gone accordingly for either side of the deal. In his first year as an Oiler, Campbell maintained a solid 21-9-4 record in 34 starts but also carried a .888 SV% and a 3.41 GAA. Ultimately, Campbell was replaced in the crease by rookie netminder, Stuart Skinner, who held a .913 SV% and a 2.75 GAA in 48 starts, comparatively. Nevertheless, Campbell was able to get in four starts during the 2022-23 NHL playoffs, posting dramatically improved numbers with a .961 SV% and a 1.01 GAA.

If there was any hope of Campbell carrying his playoff performance in this year’s regular season, that hope has quickly evaporated. In five starts on the year up to this point, Campbell has a 1-4-0 record, coupled with a .873 SV% and a 4.50 GAA. Although not the entire reason, the lack of adequate goaltending is a substantial factor in the Oilers’ ugly 2-8-1 record to start the 2023-24 season.

In the meantime, as it would be more than reasonable to assume Campbell will go unclaimed on waivers over the next 24 hours, PuckPedia reports that Edmonton will save approximately $1.15MM once Campbell clears and is sent down. Furthermore, Frank Seravalli of the DailyFaceoff indicates that the Oilers plan on replacing Campbell with Calvin Pickard, who is currently serving as the primary starter of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. If the team does call up Pickard, PuckPedia reports that Edmonton will only be saving approximately $388K with the move.

Although Pickard should not be seen as a long-term answer in the net, he ultimately may serve as an upgrade to both Edmonton goaltenders. Similarly to Campbell, Skinner has gotten off to an incredibly slow start with a 1-4-1 record, .856 SV%, and a 3.99 GAA. Pickard, on the other hand, holds a 2-2-0 record for the Condors so far this season, with a .939 SV% and a 2.03 GAA.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that the Oilers were placing Campbell on waivers. 

Flames Place Jordan Oesterle On Waivers

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Nov. 3: Oesterle has cleared waivers and can be assigned to AHL Calgary, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Nov. 2: Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the Calgary Flames have placed defenseman Jordan Oesterle on waivers. Oesterle recently joined the Flames organization this summer after finishing up a two-year contract signed with the Detroit Red Wings back in 2021.

Primarily being used as the team’s seventh defenseman, Oesterle would play in a few more games with Calgary due to the four-game suspension given to defenseman Rasmus Andersson over the last week. In four games this season, Oesterle has averaged a touch over 14 minutes of ice time a night, garnering a -2 rating with zero points.

It is unlikely that Oesterle will be claimed within the next 24 hours, but with an affordable cap hit, there are teams such as the Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks that could certainly use some short-term help on defense. At any rate, if he is claimed by tomorrow, it shouldn’t be an expectation that Oesterle’s current role with Calgary would change too much in a different organization.

Even with Oesterle’s cap hit being relatively affordable, and with the Flames now running with six defensemen on the active roster, with only $295K in salary cap space after LTIR usage, clearing $925K off of the books is imperative for Calgary for the time being. In the future, if the Flames wish to keep an extra defenseman on the team, there are players such as Colton Poolman and Nick DeSimone currently playing for their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, who would provide short-term depth with even lower cap hits than Oesterle.

Oilers Place Adam Erne On Waivers

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The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Adam Erne on waivers. The 28-year-old has played in six games for Edmonton this season, going without a point and recording one fight. His most recent game with the club was the Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames.

Erne is on his third NHL club in Edmonton, after splitting seven years between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. He played in 61 games with the Wings last season, netting eight goals and 18 points. It was only two points shy of his career-high of 20 points; a mark he reached in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Erne played nine AHL games last season, netting no goals and five assists. They were his first AHL games since 2017-18, speaking to the depth role he managed to carve out with his previous clubs. But without a correlating move, it seems the Oilers are transitioning to an 11-forward, seven-defenseman setup, icing Vincent Desharnais in Erne’s place.

Edmonton could also opt to recall a forward in Erne’s absence, as they aren’t currently carrying any healthy scratches. Raphael Lavoie currently leads Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in scoring with seven points in five games. Xavier Bourgault has also had a strong showing through his first five games of the year, nettings four points and a +4 +/-.

Whatever move Edmonton makes following Erne’s assignment will need to be impactful. The team currently sits at a desolate 2-5-1 record, with a slim 22 goals-for on the season. Connor McDavid took a maintenance day at the team’s Tuesday practice and will hope to remain consistent in the lineup, helping alleviate some of Edmonton’s scoring woes.

Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers

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10/26/23: Mitchell has cleared waivers, according to Johnston, paving the way for his assignment to the Providence Bruins.

10/25/23: Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports Wednesday that the Bruins have placed defenseman Ian Mitchell on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Providence.

Mitchell, 24, made the Bruins’ opening night roster earlier this month after Boston acquired his signing rights in the Taylor Hall trade with the Blackhawks last summer. He’s appeared in just two of six contests this season, though, and can now be claimed by any team in the league after playing very limited minutes in his lone Bruins appearances.

Since turning pro with the Blackhawks in 2020, Mitchell has four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in 84 games. He dealt with injuries last season that limited him to just 35 games in Chicago and only five games with AHL Rockford, although he did light up the minors with two goals and four assists in those five appearances.

A second-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2017, Mitchell was looking like a slam-dunk prospect after three strong seasons at the University of Denver, where he amassed 18 goals, 71 assists and 89 points in 116 games. He has been solid in the AHL since turning pro, but the point totals haven’t translated to NHL play yet. That’s partly because he’s yet to average more than 16 minutes a night in a single season, posting rather poor possession numbers against weak competition. He’ll need to improve his defensive game to earn an everyday NHL job.

That said, his strong showings in AHL play could be enough to convince a team to take a flyer on him and put in a claim. After all, he is making the league minimum salary of $775K on a one-year, one-way deal and will be under team control at the end of the season as a restricted free agent.

Whether or not the Bruins will make a corresponding transaction tomorrow after Mitchell’s stint on the waiver wire is over remains unknown. Losing Mitchell on waivers or assigning him to Providence leaves the team with just 13 forwards and six defensemen on the active roster, including injured forward Milan Lucic, who’s sidelined on a day-to-day basis.

Ottawa Senators Return Jacob Bernard-Docker To AHL

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Saturday: Following their game against Detroit, the Senators announced that Bernard-Docker has been returned to Belleville.  With Ottawa off until Tuesday now, the move will allow them to bank a little bit of extra cap space between now and then.

Friday: The Ottawa Senators have announced that defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. In a corresponding move, Zack MacEwen, who cleared waivers earlier today, was reassigned to Belleville.

Earlier today, we covered the fact that Senators blueliner Artem Zub’s status for the team’s Saturday game is currently in doubt. If Zub ends up missing Saturday’s contest, the Senators will need an extra defenseman on their roster to dress in his place. With this recall, Ottawa has positioned Bernard-Docker as that player.

Bernard-Docker, 23, is a 2018 first-round pick who cleared waivers near the start of the season. The owner of a $805k cap hit through next season, Bernard-Docker has so far skated in two games this season at the AHL level. Last season, he scored six points in 41 AHL games, and got into 19 contests with the NHL Senators.

Since Zub is currently slotted into the Senators’ second pairing on defense next to Jake Sanderson, it’s possible that Bernard-Docker will end up on that pairing due to this recall.

Should Bernard-Docker end up slotted directly into Zub’s role, this recall will serve as a major opportunity for Bernard-Docker to showcase his skills in front of an NHL audience, as Zub averages nearly 18:00 time on ice per game.

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