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Wayne Simmonds Clears Waivers

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Feb 15: Simmonds has cleared waivers, meaning the Maple Leafs can now send him to the minor leagues (at least on paper) when necessary.

Feb 14: The Toronto Maple Leafs have again placed Wayne Simmonds on waivers, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, allowing them to move him up and down when necessary. Simmonds has already cleared twice this season.

The veteran forward is essentially a practice player at this point in his career, suiting up just 13 times for the Maple Leafs so far. He isn’t going to play in the minor leagues – in fact, he has never suited up for a minor league club in his 15-year professional career – but the team will move him down whenever they have a bit of a cap crunch.

That is likely in preparation for the trade deadline, which Simmonds will now be waiver-exempt through should he clear tomorrow. If the Maple Leafs add a forward, which is expected at this point, cap will need to be opened up.

One thing to remember is that after the deadline, there is no longer a 23-man roster limit. If you have the cap space, you can carry as many players as you want. In Toronto’s case, Simmonds will likely be up whenever someone is injured, and at the very least is going to be with the team for the playoffs, staying ready to go in if necessary.

Injury Notes: Pageau, Tinordi, Faber

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The New York Islanders are without one of their best depth pieces tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is out for tonight’s game against his former team with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, per the team.

Pageau sustained the injury at practice yesterday, says Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now. Reportedly, Pageau was “clipped” during a drill and was slow to get up, yet stayed on the ice for the remainder of practice. The 30-year-old center has 10 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season. This is his first absence of the 2022-23 campaign.

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury, the team said. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope notes that Tinordi had fallen awkwardly on a shift in the first period. Tinordi, 30, was claimed on waivers by the Blackhawks at the beginning of the season and has suited up in 26 games, recording five points.
  • One of the best prospects in hockey on one of the best teams in college hockey is out long-term. The Athletic’s Michael Russo agreed with reports today that Minnesota Wild defense prospect and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade, Faber has 20 points in 30 games with Minnesota this year after representing the United States at the Olympics and World Junior Championships last season.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Spencer Martin Clear Waivers

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Feb 14: Both players have cleared and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Feb 13: According to Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness, who spoke with reporters including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has been placed on waivers today. The club needed room for the return of Dylan DeMelo and is “selfishly” hoping that Jonsson-Fjallby clears and can stay with the organization.

He isn’t alone. Spencer Martin has also been placed on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks, suggesting that Thatcher Demko will soon return from injury.

It’s a significant fall for Martin, who signed a two-year, one-way contract with the Canucks in April to serve as the team’s primary backup. At the time, it seemed rather undeserved given he had only played in nine NHL games, but the Canucks were confident in his ability to play at the highest level after posting a .950 save percentage in his short time with them.

Unfortunately, he’s come nowhere near that number this season, with an .871 through 29 appearances. The goaltending in Vancouver has been rather dreadful, even if their defensive performance has hung netminders out to dry far too often.

The move essentially signals that Collin Delia has passed him on the depth chart, and will remain as the backup for Demko moving forward.

For Jonsson-Fjallby, this could potentially lead to another fresh start somewhere else. Not only do the Washington Capitals have the option of re-claiming him and sending him directly to the minor leagues if they are the only team interested, but his play could draw the gaze of some other teams looking for depth forwards. Through 45 games with Winnipeg, the 25-year-old has four goals and 11 points, routinely showing off his speed to get in on the forecheck.

He won’t be a top-six impact player, but could be of interest for clubs looking to add penalty killing and energy to a fourth line.

Philadelphia Flyers Make Several Roster Moves

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Kieffer Bellows and goaltender Samuel Ersson have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In addition, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Olivier Reiner notes that Zack MacEwen has been placed on injured reserve.

These moves bring Bellows back to the Flyers’ active roster just days after he was placed on waivers by the team. Bellows played one game in his stint in the minors, tallying an assist and three shots on goal in Lehigh Valley’s 3-0 win over the Bridgeport Islanders.

Bellows now has ten points in 12 AHL games this season, although he has found NHL success harder to come by. He has just one goal in 16 total games this season, but will at least bring some size and grit to reinforce the Flyers’ forward corps for their road trip.

In Ersson, the Flyers add a third goalie to their active roster. The 23-year-old 2018 fifth-round pick has had a strong season serving as the Flyers’ number-three goalie. At the AHL level, he’s played in 26 games and boasts a 15-10-1 record, a 2.58 goals-against-average, and a .911 save percentage.

In the NHL, Ersson has won five of his six starts with strong overall numbers: a 2.37 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. While teams typically don’t like to carry three goaltenders, it’s possible this recall is designed to give the Flyers a chance to use a contest on this four-game road trip to further evaluate Ersson.

The final move, putting MacEwen on injured reserve, comes as no surprise. The forward underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw in late January, and was given a five-week timeline to return to the ice. His placement on injured reserve frees a roster spot for the Flyers to work with, allowing them to bring extra bodies on their road trip.

MacEwen is on an expiring $925k AAV deal and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. He became an NHL regular with Philadelphia last season after he was claimed off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks, and he ended up skating in 75 contests, where he registered three goals, nine points, and 110 penalty minutes.

Devin Shore Clears Waivers

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As most sports fans prepared nacho dips and buffalo wings ahead of the Super Bowl, the Edmonton Oilers quietly placed Devin Shore on waivers to help clear additional cap space. The veteran forward has cleared and can now be sent to the minor leagues.

The demotion of Shore, 28, should come as no surprise. He hasn’t scored a single goal through 29 appearances and has just three points on the year, a far cry from the player that was once a 30-point contributor in Dallas. He is averaging fewer than nine minutes a night and has been held without a single shot on goal in half of his games.

By waiving him and sending him down, the team is getting closer to having enough cap room to activate Kailer Yamamoto. It will still require an additional transaction, though, which could end up being Jesse Puljujarvi hitting waivers as well tomorrow.

Because of their cap situation, every move from here on will be complicated for the Oilers. Adding anyone before the deadline will require money to go the other way, unless more players end up on long-term injured reserve.

Brad Hunt Clears Waivers

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02/12/23: Hunt has cleared waivers, according to an announcement from the Avalanche. He has been re-assigned to the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and will likely resume his important role there as the Eagles look to solidify a playoff spot.

He has 20 points in 22 AHL games this season, which still ranks first among all Eagles blueliners despite the fact that Hunt has split time between Denver and Loveland this season.

02/11/23: The Colorado Avalanche placed defenseman Brad Hunt on the waiver wire Saturday, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Colorado signed Hunt, 34, to a two-year, two-way contract before this season. He’s played in 26 games for the Avs, called into action with a slew of injuries affecting the team. He has three goals and three assists for six points and has been restricted to a bottom-pairing role.

Hunt had played in every game for Colorado after he was recalled in early December. It’s unclear why Colorado has opted to place Hunt on waivers, although the team has made a habit out of waiving players but not sending them down purely to create roster flexibility in advance.

It could also be a sign that Josh Manson, who’s been on injured reserve with a lower-body injury since December 3, will be ready to return soon. There were whispers that he could return on the team’s current road trip, but he’s not expected to play in their final game of the trip today against Florida.

Kieffer Bellows Clears Waivers

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Feb 11: Bellows has cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Philadelphia is cleared to assign him to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Feb 10: The Philadelphia Flyers have placed Kieffer Bellows on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. This is his third stint of the season. Bellows cleared on December 2 but has spent enough time on the NHL roster to need them again before being assigned to the minor leagues.

It just hasn’t worked out for the 24-year-old Bellows, who has 12 goals and 26 points in 83 career games. Those have been spread out across parts of four seasons, with just 16 appearances this year. The 19th overall pick from 2016 got just a handful of shifts in the last two games with Philadelphia, and isn’t doing enough at either end of the rink to warrant consistent playing time.

The thing is, with a $1.2MM contract, he also will likely go unclaimed for the second time this season. Roster spots are valuable, even with rebuilding clubs, and the fact that he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the year likely actually decreases his value. Bellows would need a $1.2MM qualifying offer and is arbitration eligible, something no team will want to pay after this season.

It’s not that his time in the NHL is over. The Flyers could sign him for a more reasonable deal and keep trying to develop him into an asset. But right now, he’s just not getting it done. Through 15 games with Philadelphia, he has one goal on 23 shots and hasn’t seen a single second of penalty-killing time. That’s not the recipe for a regular fourth-liner, especially under John Tortorella’s effort-and-defense system.

Libor Hajek, Linus Hogberg Clear Waivers

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Feb 10: Both players have cleared waivers. That means Hajek can be sent to the minor leagues, and Hogberg is free to pursue other opportunities overseas.

Feb 9: As we await the official announcement of Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers, the team has started clearing some space. Libor Hajek has been placed on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The Philadelphia Flyers have also placed Linus Hogberg on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.

Hajek, 25, came into the Rangers organization with high hopes as part of the return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, but never lived up to expectations. The 2016 second-round pick has 110 games played over parts of five seasons (all with New York), and has produced just 12 points, averaging fewer than 15 minutes in his appearances.

While he was never supposed to be a big offensive threat, the 6’2″ defenseman hasn’t been effective in his own end, either, At this point, he was a potential candidate to go unqualified in the summer. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll pass through, though, as teams often give high draft picks (especially defensemen) extra chances to prove their worth at the NHL level. On a one-year, $800K contract, it might be worthwhile for a rebuilding club.

Hogberg, meanwhile, played just five games for the Flyers last season and had been buried in the organizational depth chart this year, sitting in the press box even at the AHL level. The 24-year-old will likely return to Sweden to continue his career overseas after the short stint in North America.

Dennis Gilbert Returned To AHL

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The Calgary Flames have reassigned Dennis Gilbert to the AHL now that Chris Tanev is healthy and activated from injured reserve.

This has been Gilbert’s fate for most of the season, bouncing up and down between leagues whenever required. He has played in nine games with the Flames and 26 more with the Calgary Wranglers, scoring six points in total between the two levels. Perhaps more notable are the 61 penalty minutes he has, which include six fighting majors.

That total likely would have gone up had he been dressed yesterday, given the three fighting majors the team received after huge hits from the New York Rangers. When the Flames need a little bit more bite, or suffer another defensive injury, you will likely see Gilbert back up in the NHL.

Whenever his next appearance does happen with the Flames, Gilbert would then need to clear waivers again before being assigned to the minor leagues. Sending him down now will keep him available for those injury call-ups and maintain the organizational depth he represents.

Adam Erne Clears Waivers

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02/05/23: Erne has cleared waivers, according to CapFriendly. He’ll now be able to head to AHL Grand Rapids to continue his season.

02/04/23: While the Red Wings are off until Tuesday, they have made a roster move today as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed winger Adam Erne on waivers.

The 27-year-old has played in 43 games with Detroit so far this season, picking up six goals and eight assists while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night.  Those numbers are actually better than a year ago on a per-game basis while he has a chance of setting a career high in points if he stays in the NHL and produces at a similar pace the rest of the way.  Erne also has recorded 122 hits; his 2.84 per game average is a career best.

With that in mind, it might be a bit surprising to see him on waivers.  However, it’s not the riskiest of moves for GM Steve Yzerman as Erne carries a $2.1MM cap hit while he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  While Erne would fit on quite a few teams in terms of roster needs, not many of them have enough cap room to try to add him.  Filip Zadina is currently on a conditioning loan with AHL Grand Rapids and it’s possible that he’d come back to take Erne’s place in the lineup.

Assuming he clears on Sunday, Erne would be the third veteran Red Wing to be buried in the minors in recent weeks.  Jakub Vrana cleared waivers a month ago today while Alex Nedeljkovic was unclaimed two weeks later.  Even with those players in the AHL where they still mostly count against Detroit’s salary cap, they project to finish the season with more than $6.5MM in cap space, per CapFriendly so it’s safe to say these moves aren’t cap-related.  The Red Wings have some good depth and as their team gets healthier, the roster crunch is starting to be felt.  Erne appears to be the next casualty of that.

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