Avalanche Claim Ivan Prosvetov Off Waivers From Coyotes
The Colorado Avalanche have shored up their backup situation, claiming netminder Ivan Prosvetov off waivers from the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the news.
Prosvetov, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Coyotes in 2018. He made a career-high seven NHL starts in the desert last season, posting a 4-3-0 record but a poor .880 save percentage and 3.98 goals-against average. Still, he was regarded as a potential long-term fit in Arizona after a strong showing behind a subpar AHL Tucson squad last season, posting a .900 save percentage, 3.06 goals-against average, 16-13-4 record, and a shutout in 40 contests.
He’s signed to a two-way contract paying him $775K in the NHL and $225K in the AHL and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. Many expected Prosvetov to end up on waivers, with the Coyotes’ goaltending tandem of Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram looking solid heading into 2023-24.
With the Avalanche, he could immediately step in as the backup to starter Alexandar Georgiev. Backup Pavel Francouz is on injured reserve to start the season as he continues to recover from offseason adductor surgery, and there’s no clear timeline for his return. The Avalanche’s third-string netminder, 23-year-old Justus Annunen, does not need waivers to head to AHL Colorado, and the Avalanche could very well assign him to the minors within the next two hours.
Waivers: 10/7/23
The final day of the preseason is today so pretty soon, teams will be finalizing their season-opening rosters which means there will be plenty of players on waivers this weekend. Here is today’s group, via TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).
Boston Bruins
F Jesper Boqvist
F Oskar Steen
D Jakub Zboril
Buffalo Sabres
F Brandon Biro
D Kale Clague
D Riley Stillman
Colorado Avalanche
D Jack Ahcan
D Brad Hunt
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
D Cam Dineen
D Philip Kemp
F Brad Malone
G Calvin Pickard
Los Angeles Kings
Nashville Predators
F Denis Gurianov
F Jachym Kondelik (unconditional for the purposes of release, per CapFriendly)
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
F Justin Dowling
F Tyce Thompson
F Maxwell Willman
Seattle Kraken
G Chris Driedger
D Cale Fleury
F John Hayden
As expected at this point in training camp, the majority of these players have some form of NHL experience.
Boston’s trio is certainly intriguing. Boqvist is coming off a 21-point season (10 goals, 11 assists) with the Devils but was non-tendered this summer due to arbitration eligibility, resulting in him signing a one-year deal for the minimum with the Bruins. Still just 24, a rebuilding team might be inclined to give him a shot. Steen played in 20 games with Boston back in 2021-22 and looked like a potential fourth-line center of the future at the time. He cleared waivers last season but teams looking for depth down in the middle could consider him. As for Zboril, he was limited to just 22 games last season but has 76 appearances at the top level under his belt. A first-round pick back in 2015 (13th overall), he has a bit of a higher cap hit ($1.1375MM) which could scare teams off but he could be a fit on the third pairing of some rebuilding squads.
Among the other forwards on the wire today, Gurianov stands out. He put up 20 goals with Dallas back in 2019-20, following that up with 30 points in just 55 games one year later. However, he has struggled considerably since then and notched just seven goals between Dallas and Montreal last season. Still, with an $800K price tag, he’s a player who could be claimed. Madden was viewed as a quality prospect not long ago but has yet to see NHL action. However, he’s only 23 and is signed for the minimum this season which makes him a possible claim candidate as well.
On the back end, Fleury was up with Seattle all of last season but was limited to just a dozen games. He impressed in 2021-22 while playing with AHL Charlotte and as a right-shot defender – the side that many teams covet – he could garner some consideration. Stillman was acquired from Vancouver last season and played in 50 games between the two teams, albeit in a number six role. While he has a fair bit of experience (158 games in total), his contract could hurt his chances of being claimed as a $1.35MM price is more than a lot of teams can afford.
In goal, Driedger is the headliner here but at $3.5MM, there’s very little chance he’ll be picked up. He missed most of last season due to an injury sustained at the 2022 Worlds. Pickard didn’t see any NHL action last season for the first time since 2013-14. The 31-year-old put up a 2.70 GAA with a .912 SV% in Bakersfield last season and has 116 NHL games under his belt. Notably, he’s signed for the minimum which gives him a small chance of being picked up at least.
These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sunday will be the last day for teams to place players on waivers and have them clear prior to Monday’s season-opening roster submission so expect plenty of waiver activity tomorrow.
More to follow.
Golden Knights Claim Grigori Denisenko Off Waivers From Panthers
The Golden Knights dipped into the waiver pool as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed winger Grigori Denisenko off waivers from Florida. Everyone else from Friday’s group cleared.
The 23-year-old was formerly viewed as one of the top prospects for the Panthers after they picked him 15th overall back in 2018 following a good season in the MHL in Russia. He spent two more seasons playing at home, working his way up to the KHL level, before coming to North America in 2020 when he signed his entry-level contract.
Denisenko saw NHL action in each of his three years on that first deal, spanning 26 contests. However, while he has seven assists in those appearances, he’s still looking for his first goal. Meanwhile, he has had some success in the minors and is coming off a year that saw him put up a dozen goals with 24 assists in 56 games with AHL Charlotte.
He opted to take less than his qualifying offer this summer in exchange for a two-year, one-way deal worth the NHL minimum of $775K in the hopes that doing so could help him earn a spot at the end of Florida’s roster. Clearly, that didn’t happen with his placement yesterday but now, he’ll look to stick with the Golden Knights. While Denisenko isn’t a prototypical fourth-liner, he could add some offensive upside to that line or alternatively, bide his time as a low-cost reserve forward. Either way, it’s a low-cost pickup for Vegas that will have a chance to give them a nice reward if Denisenko is able to reach his offensive potential with them.
Waivers: 10/06/23
Today’s slate of waivers features some intriguing names, and as training camp rosters around the league continue to get whittled down to something that more closely resembles an opening-night roster, it’s possible more teams feel comfortable placing a waiver claim than has been the case so far this preseason. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, everyone on yesterday’s waivers cleared. Full waiver list courtesy of PuckPedia.
Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
G John Lethemon
F John Stevens
F Taro Hirose
F Tim Gettinger
D Brogan Rafferty
D Wyatt Newpower
D Jared McIsaac
F Austin Czarnik
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
D Marcus Bjork
D Jake Christiansen
F Joshua Dunne
F Brendan Gaunce
F Carson Meyer
D Billy Sweezey
Florida Panthers (via team release)
F Grigori Denisenko
F William Lockwood
F Alexander True
D Matt Kiersted
New York Islanders (via team release)
G Ken Appleby
D Dennis Cholowski
F Arnaud Durandeau
D Grant Hutton
F Otto Koivula
F Karson Kuhlman
D Paul LaDue
F Brian Pinho
D Robin Salo
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
F Jonny Brodzinski
D Ben Harpur
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
San Jose Sharks
F Oskar Lindblom
F Jacob Peterson
F Ryan Carpenter
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel
F Alex Limoges
F Michael Sgarbossa
F Joe Snively
D Dylan McIlrath
G Hunter Shepard
The most notable player placed on the waiver wire by the Panthers is Denisenko. Denisenko, 23, was the 15th overall pick at the 2018 draft and is coming off of his most productive season in North America so far in his career.
The rambunctious winger scored 12 goals and 36 points in 56 games last season and could be of interest to clubs that may have been high on him at the 2018 draft and therefore might believe a change of scenery will unlock some of the upside he showed a few years ago as a draft-eligible prospect.
In terms of NHL experience, today’s slate of waived players does not disappoint. Aube-Kubel, from Washington, is a Stanley Cup champion who as recently as 2021-22 was viewed as a quality fourth-line player. He scored 11 goals and 22 points that season, and could be of interest to teams looking to add some experience to their bottom-six. His $1.225MM cap hit could be a barrier to him getting claimed, though.
Other experienced players include Jones, 26, who scored 16 points in 73 games playing 19:13 per night last season and Lindblom, 27, who is the 2020-21 Bill Masterton Trophy recipient and has a 17-goal, 33-point season on his resume. Like Aube-Kubel, Lindblom’s cap hit is likely a barrier to getting claimed. He’s making $2.5MM against the cap for 2023-24.
There are also a few younger players available, such as Salo, a 24-year-old Swedish defenseman who was a quality player coming out of the SHL but hasn’t been able to hold down a role on Long Island despite getting some real opportunities over the last two seasons.
Another younger player is Allison, 25, who is a 2016 second-round pick and plays a power forward’s game but has struggled with injuries so far as a professional.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Waivers: 10/05/23
Another set of familiar and intriguing players are set to hit the waiver wire this afternoon, with the Seattle Kraken containing the most quantity of any organization. Per James Mirtle of The Athletic, the entire list is as follows:
Calgary Flames
D Nick DeSimone
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen
F Martin Pospisil
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Andreas Johnsson
F Joona Koppanen
F Alexander Nylander
Seattle Kraken
D Connor Carrick
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
D Gustav Olofsson
F Andrew Poturalski
D Mitch Reinke
D Jimmy Schuldt
F Devin Shore
F Marian Studenic
Waivers: 10/04/23
10/05/23: Per Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman, all players on the waiver wire yesterday have cleared (X Link).
10/04/23: Teams continue to trim their rosters ahead of the regular season, which starts in just six days. That means multiple players will hit the waiver wire daily until opening night rosters are due, and today is no different. Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, 12 players were waived today at 1 p.m. CT, 11 of whom have NHL experience. As a reminder, a waiver placement is a prerequisite for qualified players for assignment to the AHL but not necessarily an indication that a demotion to the minors will immediately happen. NHL teams can send a player down to the minors within 30 days or 10 games played of the date the player originally cleared waivers. After that time, their waiver clock will reset, and they will need to clear again.
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Minnesota Wild
F Jujhar Khaira
F Vinni Lettieri
D Dakota Mermis
F Nic Petan
New Jersey Devils
Nashville Predators
San Jose Sharks
Winnipeg Jets
Waivers: 10/03/23
Oct. 4: All players have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. This means a pair of rather highly-touted Senators, Bernard-Docker and Sokolov, will remain with the organization.
Oct. 3: Following a large list of players hitting the waiver wire this time yesterday, today’s list is quite a bit smaller, but there is some solid talent that could potentially be claimed by a different organization. Today’s full list of players hitting the waiver wire comes courtesy of TSN’s Chris Johnston:
Boston Bruins
D Alec Regula
D Dan Renouf
F Anthony Richard
D Reilly Walsh
D Parker Wotherspoon
Edmonton Oilers
New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators
D Jacob Bernard-Docker
F Matthew Highmore
D Jacob Larsson
F Egor Sokolov
Philadelphia Flyers
Waivers: 10/02/23
10/3/2023: Following yesterday’s list of the waiver wire, Johnston reports that all players on the list have cleared.
10/2/2023: Another large slate of players was placed on waivers today by a handful of teams across the league, with the regular season just eight days away. Today’s full list of players hitting the waiver wire comes courtesy of TSN’s Chris Johnston:
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
F Travis Barron
D Cameron Crotty
F Jan Jeník
D Steven Kampfer
F Justin Kirkland
F John Leonard
F Ryan McGregor
G Matt Villalta
Boston Bruins
Calgary Flames
F Clark Bishop
G Oscar Dansk
F Ben Jones
D Colton Poolman
Colorado Avalanche
D Wyatt Aamodt
D Corey Schueneman
Dallas Stars
D Gavin Bayreuther
F Nicholas Caamano
F Fredrik Karlstrom
D Derrick Pouliot
Florida Panthers
F Rasmus Asplund
D Lucas Carlsson
F Gerald Mayhew
New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators (announcement arrived Monday night, meaning players may be officially on Tuesday’s waivers)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker
D Jacob Larsson
F Matthew Highmore
F Egor Sokolov
Philadelphia Flyers
D Louis Belpedio
F Adam Brooks
F Rhett Gardner
F Cooper Marody
D Victor Mete
Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Jansen Harkins Off Waivers From Jets
The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed winger Jansen Harkins off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Monday. All other players placed on waivers yesterday, aside from new Nashville Predators forward Samuel Fagemo, cleared.
Harkins, 26, had spent his entire NHL career in the Jets organization after they drafted him with the 47th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He’s only logged one true season as a full-time NHLer, suiting up in 77 games for Winnipeg in 2021-22, but the Penguins will bank on him being a solid depth contributor signed to a cheap cap hit (but not league minimum) of $850K. It’s worth noting Harkins is due slightly more actual salary than cap hit this season – $875K, to be exact.
In 154 NHL games dating back to 2019, Harkins has 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points – not awful totals for a player that’s averaged under ten minutes per game. Assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for the first time since 2020 last season, Harkins recorded well over a point per game, notching 25 goals and 50 points in 44 games. That production is what’s bumped his stock coming into this season and, evidently, influenced Penguins management to take a flyer on the 6-foot-2 winger with strong two-way instincts.
With trade acquisition Rem Pitlick having already cleared waivers and been assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pittsburgh has some competition to lock down depth forward spots, especially with Jake Guentzel out for the first few games of the season. Harkins will now compete for a spot on the Penguins’ opening night lineup alongside depth forwards like Vinnie Hinostroza, Alexander Nylander and Radim Zohorna.
Nashville Predators Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Los Angeles
The Nashville Predators have claimed winger Samuel Fagemo off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Monday. All other players placed on waivers yesterday, aside from new Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jansen Harkins, cleared.
While he may only have 13 NHL games to his name, this is a bit of a tough loss for the Kings. The team’s 50th overall pick in 2019, Fagemo has yet to crack the NHL full-time but looked good in a nine-game call-up last season, recording two goals and an assist despite receiving a paltry 7:51 per game. He tore things up in the minors in the goal-scoring department for a second straight season, too, posting 23 goals in 56 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign to finish second on the team in goals.
The Kings have a lot of forward prospects, but it’s a pool that’s quickly evaporating as players like Quinton Byfield and Arthur Kaliyev are now full-time NHLers. Los Angeles had signed Fagemo to a one-year, two-way contract paying him $775K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL in July after his entry-level contract expired.
Fagemo, 23, now battles for a bottom-six spot with the Predators just over a week before the start of the regular season. His addition to the roster puts a fire under veterans like Kiefer Sherwood and Cole Smith to hang onto their fourth-line roles, while a youngster like Philip Tomasino also needs to step things up as he hasn’t quite secured a top-nine role throughout camp thus far. Given Tomasino still does not require waivers for assignment to the AHL, he could very well start the season with AHL Milwaukee after the Fagemo claim despite recording 18 points in 31 NHL contests last season.