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Waiver Watching: Sizing Up The Goaltender Market

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With training camps on the horizon, there are still some goaltending situations around the NHL that are unsettled.  Accordingly, those teams may be planning on picking up a second goaltender on waivers during the preseason as Montreal did with Samuel Montembeault last season.  With that in mind, let’s examine who might be looking for a goalie and which teams have a netminder that could be of interest.

Potentially Looking

Arizona: The Coyotes have one of their two goalies locked up for three years in Karel Vejmelka but after that, there is nothing but question marks.  Farmhands Jon Gillies and Ivan Prosvetov have some NHL experience but Gillies struggled last season with New Jersey and Prosvetov hasn’t posted a .900 SV% in the last two seasons in the minors.  Cap space isn’t an issue for them so they can look at any of the options available on waivers or take on a bad contract for additional compensation.

Chicago: Right now, Alex Stalock is their backup goalie.  He has missed most of the last two seasons battling his way back from myocarditis and struggled considerably in the minors last year.  Granted, the Blackhawks certainly aren’t in win-now mode but in a perfect world, they’d like Arvid Soderblom to have an uninterrupted year with AHL Rockford.  Currently, he’s third on the depth chart but if there’s a chance to bring in a low-cost second-stringer and push Stalock into the spot of being the one to be recalled if an injury arises, they might want to take it.  The waiver wire could be the chance to add that.

Philadelphia: With Ivan Fedotov being blocked from going to North America this season due to a military commitment, the Flyers are going to have to turn to Plan B.  Felix Sandstrom is currently their second option but he has just five career NHL appearances under his belt.  They’re looking to be more competitive this season so this could be a spot for an upgrade.  Granted, Sandstrom would then need to be waived to be sent back to Lehigh Valley but that would have been the case if Fedotov had been able to play so it’s a risk they might be comfortable with.

Of course, an injury or two during the preseason could add to the list of suitors in the coming weeks as well.

Teams That Could Lose A Goalie

For the purpose of this exercise, the focus is going to be on either young goalies that could be appealing or veterans with some recent NHL experience that could fill a gap.

Buffalo: Malcolm Subban was brought back to be the veteran to partner with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in AHL Rochester but he has 86 games of NHL experience under his belt and a deal that’s only $100K above the league minimum.  He has been a full-time backup going back to his time with Vegas which would also bolster his chances of potentially being claimed.

Dallas: Right now, Anton Khudobin appears to be the odd one out again with Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood set to be the goalie duo for the Stars.  Khudobin is now in the final year of his deal that carries a $3.33MM AAV.  It wouldn’t be shocking if he cleared waivers but if Dallas wants to free up a bit of extra money for Jason Robertson’s contract, they’ll be calling Arizona to see what it would cost for them to take that contract on.

Los Angeles: Pheonix Copley has cleared waivers without any concerns the last couple of years but also was on a pricey contract for a third-string option.  Now, he’s on a much more palatable deal ($825K) and is coming off an impressive season in AHL Hershey.  The 30-year-old was the backup for the Capitals back in 2018-19.

Nashville: This is the most interesting one to keep an eye on.  Although Connor Ingram held his own in the playoffs for the Preds, they still went and brought in Kevin Lankinen on a one-year, $1.5MM deal.  That’s a lot to pay a third-string option so it could put Ingram in jeopardy.  However, if they try to sneak Ingram through, there’s a very good chance he’ll be claimed, especially with an AAV that’s below the minimum.  Carrying three goalies is a possibility but generally not ideal so something might have to give here.

New York (R): The Rangers went and brought in Louis Domingue on a two-year contract to be their insurance policy but he might appeal to some other teams as well.  He did alright in the playoffs for Pittsburgh and has 142 games of NHL experience over parts of two seasons.  Both years are one-way which was likely to try to deter other teams from claiming him but with an AAV of just $775K, he may attract some interest.

Seattle: With Martin Jones joining the Kraken as their backup, that’s going to push both Joey Daccord and Magnus Hellberg to the waiver wire.  Daccord was viewed as a possible NHL option not long ago and at 26, there could still be some upside after a strong season with AHL Charlotte.  Hellberg, meanwhile, has been dominant in the KHL the last few years which prompted Detroit to give him a brief look down the stretch last season.  Other teams might want to take a look as well depending on how things go over the next few weeks.

Winnipeg: Mikhail Berdin is the one goalie on this list that doesn’t have any NHL experience but at 24, he’s also the youngest in this group.  If a rebuilding team wants to take a look at a younger backup to see if there’s something there, this is the type of goalie they’d probably want to go for.

Of course, there will be other goalies that will hit the waiver wire in the coming weeks that could be of interest to teams as well depending on what transpires over the preseason.  There won’t be a ton of waiver activity between the pipes – there rarely is – but one or two of these players could be changing teams in the coming weeks.

Brett Connolly Signs In Switzerland

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Another NHL veteran has opted to sign in Europe to continue his professional career. Swiss club HC Lugano announced today that the team has signed winger Brett Connolly to a one-year contract for the 2022-23 season.

Connolly spent the last season and a half in the Chicago Blackhawks organization, where he ended up playing just 19 NHL games compared to 37 AHL games for the Rockford IceHogs. Connolly had just a goal and two assists in those 19 games across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, while faring much better in the AHL with 35 points in 37 games in 2021-22 for Rockford.

This past season, Connolly’s NHL time was limited in part due to a four-game suspension for interfering with Dallas Stars forward Tanner Kero. With his bloated seven-figure cap hit, Connolly also cleared waivers multiple times. Connolly was bought out this summer with one season remaining on a four-year, $3.5MM AAV deal signed prior to the 2019-20 season.

At the age of 30, this could very well be the last we’ve seen of Connolly in the NHL. The sixth overall pick in 2010 currently has a career total of 101 goals, 94 assists, and 195 points in 536 games.

He’ll be strong offensive reinforcement for Lugano, who also fortified their goaltending by bringing former Edmonton Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen back to Europe. They’ll look to make it out of the National League quarterfinals for the first time since losing the championship series in 2018.

Alexander Khovanov Clears Unconditional Waivers

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July 27: Khovanov’s contract has been terminated and he will play with the Ak Bars program this season, starting in the VHL.

July 24: The Minnesota Wild announced that they have placed forward Alexander Khovanov on unconditional waivers today. A third-round pick of the Wild in 2018, Khovanov made his North American professional debut in 2021-22, but struggled to make a real impact, putting up six points in eight games with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL and just five points in 22 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Khovanov had one year remaining on the ELC he signed with Minnesota in the spring of 2019.

Once an intriguing prospect for the Wild as a dynamic offensive weapon, Khovanov hasn’t lived up to the promise he had shown in the junior levels in both Canada and Russia. A standout in the Ak Bars development program, Khovanov came to North America prior to the 2017-18 season, spending three seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Khovanov’s best performance came in 2019-20, where he scored 32 goals to go with 67 assists in just 51 games for Moncton. With questions about who would play and when due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Khovanov headed home for the 2020-21 season, once again playing in the Ak Bars organization. The forward spent the majority of that season in the VHL where he again impressed with 24 points in 30 games and was even able to finally make his KHL debut, getting into seven games.

After the 2020-21 season, Khovanov announced he was heading back to North America, splitting this season between the AHL and ECHL in the Wild organization. It’s unclear what the plan is for Khovanov now that he has been placed on unconditional waivers, though a return to the KHL could be likely given his production in the VHL and Ak Bars’ willingness to have him play games at the KHL level just two years ago.

Yauheni Aksiantsiuk Clears Unconditional Waivers

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July 27: After clearing and seeing his contract terminated, Aksiantsiuk has signed with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL.

July 23: It will be one-and-done for Yauheni Aksiantsiuk’s time with the Stars as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Stars have placed the winger on unconditional waivers for the purposes of terminating the remainder of his contract.

The diminutive 21-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Dallas back in 2020 after an impressive season with OHL Flint that saw him put up 33 goals and 45 assists in 58 games.  He spent the 2020-21 campaign playing back home in Belarus where he struggled and then decided to return to North America, signing a three-year, entry-level deal back in June of 2021.

Aksiantsiuk spent most of last season with ECHL Idaho, notching 19 goals and 15 assists in 40 games with the Steelheads while adding two goals and two assists in eight AHL contests.  Overall, those numbers aren’t terrible but when coupled with his tough showing back home the year before, there were certainly questions about whether or not he’d have much of an NHL future.  Aksiantsiuk seems to have the same question as this termination – which can be completed on Sunday once he passes through waivers – will likely be followed up by a contract somewhere overseas.

Dallas won’t have any lingering cap charge from Aksiantsiuk’s termination while they will free up a contract slot, bringing them down to 41 out of the maximum of 50.  That number will go up at some point this summer with the Stars having a trio of restricted free agents still to sign, winger Jason Robertson, defenseman Ben Gleason, and goaltender Jake Oettinger.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Sam Montembeault

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Today, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced that the team has agreed to terms on a two-year, one-way contract with goalie Sam Montembeault. The contract will take him to his first eligible year of unrestricted free agency in 2024. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin reports the deal is worth $1MM per season.

Montembeault found his way to Montreal at the beginning of 2021-22 when the team claimed him off waivers from the Florida Panthers. With Carey Price’s nagging knee injury keeping him out for the vast majority of 2021-22, Montembeault played in 38 games for Montreal this year, more than doubling his previous total of 25 with Florida. Serving as the backup to Jake Allen and the starter for brief periods when Allen was injured, Montembeault had a season to forget with an 8-18-6 record, .891 save percentage, and 3.77 goals against average along with one shutout.

The 2015 third-round pick is still relatively young in goalie years at 25, though, and there may be a small bit of untapped potential in the Quebec native. He’s yet to show it at the NHL level, though, as his save percentage hasn’t hit .900 in any of the three seasons he’s appeared in.

Montembeault’s role this season will once again depend entirely on the health of Price, barring a trade in the Montreal crease. If Price is able to battle back from what’s become an increasingly serious knee ailment to start the 2022-23 season on time, Montembeault and his seven-figure price tag would almost certainly pass through waivers unclaimed.

Michael Del Zotto, Rudolfs Balcers To Be Bought Out

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In addition to Janne Kuokkanen and Oskar Lindblom, who were announced earlier today, two more players are on waivers today for the purpose of a buyout. The Ottawa Senators will buy out Michael Del Zotto, while the San Jose Sharks will be buying out Rudolfs Balcers, according to Chris Johnston of TSN.

For Del Zotto and the Senators, a buyout will result in a $500K cap penalty in 2022-23 and a $750K penalty in 2023-24, but saves the team some money and cap space for the upcoming season. It never really did work out for the veteran defensemen there, and after clearing waivers he ended up playing most of the 2021-22 season in the minor leagues.

He’ll now be a free agent, able to try and secure an NHL deal somewhere else, while still earning a $750K paycheck from the Senators for each of the next two years. Not a bad deal for the 32-year-old, who could be looking at his ninth NHL team, should he sign with someone other than the Senators, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, or Columbus Blue Jackets.

Balcers meanwhile will be almost completely wiped off the books for San Jose, as his age means they are only on the hook for one-third of his remaining $1.85MM salary. For 2022-23, the Sharks will face a penalty of just $8,334 and in 2023-24, just $308,334. Those are certainly worthwhile prices to pay to clear his contract off the books as they look to other players for bottom-six contributions.

Brett Connolly, Henrik Borgstrom Clear Unconditional Waivers

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July 12: Both players have cleared waivers and will be bought out today, making them unrestricted free agents.

July 11: The Chicago Blackhawks have started the buyout process for two players, placing Henrik Borgstrom and Brett Connolly on unconditional waivers today. Because he is under the age of 25, the team will only be on the hook for one-third of Borgstrom’s remaining salary. As a result, they will receive the following cap penalties moving forward:

  • 2022-23: $1,166,667 (Connolly) + $83,334 (Borgstrom)
  • 2023-24: $1,166,667 (Connolly) + $183,334 (Borgstrom)

The two forwards actually arrived in Chicago the same way, through a trade with the Florida Panthers in 2021 that saw Lucas Wallmark and Lucas Carlsson go the other way. While Riley Stillman remains from that deal, it was Borgstrom that was considered a big part of the return, having been a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2016.

After just 52 games with Chicago he’ll hit the market as an unrestricted free agent, an interesting addition just before things open up on Wednesday. While he has just 26 points in 110 games, Borgstrom is still just 24 (he’ll turn 25 next month) and possesses an interesting skill/size mix that could intrigue some teams.

Connolly meanwhile has a much longer track record at the NHL level but not a very good one the last few years. He scored 19 goals and 33 points in 2019-20 but then was an absolute ghost during the 2020-21 season, registering just six points in 31 total games. This season, he spent most of the year at the minor league level with the Rockford IceHogs and although he performed well there, it’s not much of a platform for a free agent deal.

These buyouts continue general manager Kyle Davidson’s rapid house cleaning, and represent another head-scratching move for the young executive. Borgstrom’s contract, which had just one year left on it and carried a cap hit of $1MM, could have been buried entirely in the minor leagues. This buyout will save them around $733K in actual dollars, but now actually has a slightly negative effect on the cap situation.

In fact, it wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable to see a team claim Borgstrom before the buyout can be finalized tomorrow, given how little risk would be involved.

Philadelphia Flyers To Buy Out Oskar Lindblom

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The Philadelphia Flyers have placed Oskar Lindblom on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout, which will clear a considerable amount of cap off the books for next season. Lindblom’s deal has one year left on it at a cap hit of $3MM, but because of his age, they are only required to pay out one-third of the remaining salary.

That will result in a cap credit of $333,333 for the 2022-23 season, and a cap penalty of $666,667 for 2023-24. The team has also announced that in recognition of Lindblom, they will be making a $100,000 donation to a local organization that supports families impacted by cancer. General manager Chuck Fletcher released a statement:

This was a very difficult decision to make and one that we spent a lot of time examining. No one can question the desire, will and strength to overcome all that Oskar has been through off the ice in order to return to the game he loves. Further, Oskar’s commitment to his teammates and impact in our room has been immeasurable. He is truly an inspiration to us all and he will always remain a special part of the Philadelphia Flyers family. We wish him all the best as he continues his NHL career.

This move will essentially clear $3.33MM for the Flyers as they prepare for free agency tomorrow, with rumors also swirling about the future of James van Riemsdyk and his $7MM cap hit. The team has made very clear that they have no intention of rebuilding, making them potential players in several big names tomorrow.

For Lindblom, there is little doubt that another NHL team will give him a chance. After making his way back from a cancer diagnosis, he hasn’t quite reached the level he showed in the early part of his career but still contributed 12 goals and 26 points this season. The 25-year-old is a talented goal-scorer and has already overachieved his fifth-round draft position.

Importantly, if a team were to sign him to a one-year deal, Lindblom would once again be a restricted free agent at its conclusion, meaning any interested club could potentially land some important control for a relative bargain.

New Jersey Devils To Buy Out Janne Kuokkanen

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Though the buyout period is listed as ending today, it is a little misleading. Today is the deadline to place players on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, meaning there could be another flood of names hitting the open market in a few hours. One of those is expected to be Janne Kuokkanen, according to PuckPedia, who will be bought out by the New Jersey Devils.

Because he is still just 24, the Devils would be on the hook for just one-third of Kuokkanen’s remaining contract, and would incur the following cap penalties:

  • 2022-23: $200K
  • 2023-24: $325K

Since he is currently carrying a cap hit of $1.825MM and is owed $2.05MM in salary the buyout represents considerable savings in both dollars and salary cap space this season. With the team hoping to contend for the playoffs, that money can be better used after the disappointing 2021-22 campaign that Kuokkanen endured.

With just six goals and 17 points in 57 games, the young forward didn’t take the expected step forward and now finds himself without a home for next season. Originally selected in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, there is enough talent to play at the NHL level, just not enough (so far) to make much of an impact.

Bottom-of-the-lineup forwards are getting squeezed all over the league this year as the hard cap continues to make it difficult to pay more than the minimum for fringe roster players, and Kuokkanen will join the rest of those unqualified yesterday as late entrants to the free agent market.

Ottawa Senators To Buy Out Colin White

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July 6: White has cleared waivers, meaning the Senators can now exercise the buyout.

July 5: The Ottawa Senators have placed Colin White on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout, ending his time with the team. Because White is still just 25, the Senators will be on the hook for just one-third of the salary remaining on his contract. It will result in the following cap charges:

  • 2022-23: $875K
  • 2023-24: $875K
  • 2024-25: $-$625K*
  • 2025-26: $875K
  • 2026-27: $875K
  • 2027-28: $875K

*Because of the way the contract is structured, the team will actually receive a cap credit in the 2024-25 season.

White had three years remaining on the six-year, $28.5MM deal he signed in 2019 after his first full season in the NHL. When he scored 41 points that year, it appeared as though he was going to be a long-term option in the top-six, potentially even as a future first-line center for the team. Things were never the same after that, with just 51 points in the 130 games since, and plenty of time on injured reserve.

Once the buyout goes through tomorrow, the 2015 first-round pick will sit with more than 220 games of NHL experience and no team, meaning he could be a nice buy-low candidate for a contender looking to add skill around the margins. White has put up strong possession numbers his entire career, though that usually hasn’t resulted in actual offensive success. He also has almost no playoff experience, playing in just one postseason game during the team’s 2017 run.

For the Senators, who operate on an internal budget, a move like this represents savings of $10.5MM in actual salary. The cap change isn’t really all that meaningful for this year, though the Senators could very well be pushing up close to the cap ceiling in the next few years if players like Alex Formenton, Joshua Norris, and Tim Stutzle all sign long-term deals as restricted free agents.

Clearing White’s money off the books not only allows the team to spend more on their other young forwards but also opens up a roster spot for some of their prospects to battle over. It had become very clear that White had played his way out of the team’s long-term plans, meaning a split now was the obvious choice. Had they waited until next year, when he will be 26, they would have had to pay two-thirds of the remaining salary instead.

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