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Minnesota Wild Reassign Mason Shaw To AHL

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The Minnesota Wild announced Wednesday via Twitter that the team has reassigned forward Mason Shaw to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.

With forward Jordan Greenway now ready to go after missing the team’s first three games of the season with an injury, the team had no use for a second extra forward on the active roster. Greenway missed training camp and the beginning of the season as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.

Shaw is the captain of the Iowa Wild, but he’s also poised to be at the top of Minnesota’s call-up list throughout the season. The 23-year-old does now require waivers, but as he passed through less than 30 days ago, he can be shuttled up and down at will for the time being. He played one game during his call-up, skating just 5:46 in Minnesota’s 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

Top prospect Marco Rossi is set to reenter the lineup now after getting minuscule looks in his first two games of the season, and he could get a shot on a more offensively inclined line between Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy. Connor Dewar will likely be the team’s 13th forward, for the time being, making room for Greenway to return to his checking line role with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno.

Dryden Hunt, Phil Di Giuseppe Placed On Waivers

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Two more players have graced the waiver wire today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Dryden Hunt of the New York Rangers and Phillip Di Giuseppe of the Vancouver Canucks are available for claim.

Di Giuseppe is coming off season-opening injured reserve, suggesting he is ready to return to action now that he’s found himself on waivers. If he clears, he’ll likely join the Abbotsford Canucks where he spent all of last season. The 29-year-old does have 201 NHL games under his belt, but with the recent injury it seems unlikely that he’ll be claimed.

Hunt on the other hand is more of an interesting story. The 26-year-old undrafted forward plays a physical game and never seems to be out of energy, attacking defenders and tracking down the puck every time he hits the ice. In 76 games with the Rangers last season he scored six goals and 17 points while delivering 153 hits and racking up 52 penalty minutes.

While there might not be a lot of offensive upside there, it’s easy to see why another team might want to add Hunt to the bottom-six mix, especially given the fact that he comes with a cap hit of just $762.5K. That number could fit into basically any team’s cap structure and even with some poor results in limited minutes this year, there are signs that he could be a benefit to clubs struggling to find a good mix on the fourth line.

With Sammy Blais returning, the Rangers needed to clear some space, and might end up losing Hunt in the process.

Philadelphia Flyers Claim Lukas Sedlak

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The Philadelphia Flyers have nabbed another forward, claiming Lukas Sedlak off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. To make room, they’ve loaned Olle Lycksell to the AHL.

Sedlak, it should be noted, has quite a bit of familiarity with head coach John Tortorella from their time with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was under Tortorella that the versatile Czech forward ascended to the NHL, and under whom he played more than 160 games.

The 29-year-old signed with the Avalanche after playing the last three years in the KHL (where he was a star) but hadn’t found any consistency playing a handful of minutes on the fourth line. He’ll now join a Flyers team that has gotten off to a 3-0 start, defeating the Devils, Canucks, and Lightning to begin the year. Given his ability to play all three forward positions and familiarity with the coaching staff, Sedlak should be able to slide directly into the lineup whenever he joins the Flyers on the road.

Philadelphia is set to take on the Florida Panthers this evening, before heading to Nashville for a Saturday night matchup.

Sedlak will avoid the minor leagues again with the claim; he hasn’t played in the AHL since the 2015-16 season with the Lake Erie Monsters, going out on top by winning the Calder Cup that year. He’ll now be kept on the Flyers roster, at least for the time being, and try to find some more consistent playing time in Philadelphia.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Anton Blidh

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The Colorado Avalanche, not happy with their fourth line through the early part of the season, are making another change. After placing Lukas Sedlak on waivers and sending Ben Meyers to the minor leagues, the team has now recalled Anton Blidh from the AHL.

Blidh, 27, has played 70 NHL games in his career, including 32 last season with the Boston Bruins. The Swedish winger scored two goals and nine points in those games, while also racking up 82 hits. Signed to a one-year, two-way contract in August, his recall should be a wake-up call for players like Meyers and Sedlak who haven’t been effective enough through the first few games.

Unlike Martin Kaut, who was also recalled yesterday, Blidh isn’t a high draft pick or a top college free agent like Meyers. Instead, he’s a player who has several seasons of minor league experience under his belt, and is used to playing a limited role in the NHL. With a roster that hasn’t really found its identity yet – Evan Rodrigues and Alex Newhook have combined for zero points through the first three games – slotting in a player like this could shake things up.

After being one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL last season, the Avalanche have their work cut out for them this time around. Finding a successful mix for the bottom six will be crucial to maintaining the level of excellence they have set.

Lukas Sedlak Placed On Waivers; Anders Bjork Clears

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Despite no clear timeline on Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm, the Colorado Avalanche appear to be clearing some room on the roster. The team has placed Lukas Sedlak on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Anders Bjork of the Buffalo Sabres has cleared and will be assigned to the AHL.

Sedlak, 29, has played in all three of the team’s games so far this season, seeing fewer than nine minutes in each. During last night’s match against the Minnesota wild, he played just nine shifts and lost all four of the faceoffs he took. Helm, who would normally slot into that fourth-line center role, was on the ice today at Colorado’s option skate but was still wearing a non-contact sweater and does not appear ready to return at this point.

While they don’t need to recall someone else now that they are headed home from a road trip, the team is already at a roster of 20, meaning they can’t re-assign Sedlak without calling someone else up or activating one of their injured players. That player might be Jacob MacDonald, who has been skating as a forward with the club for the last few days after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve.

Sedlak meanwhile is an interesting waiver case, given his recent history. The sixth-round pick has starred in the KHL the last three seasons, and signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to North America this summer. His deal includes a massive $500K AHL salary, meaning he will still be making a good buck if he ends up playing with the Colorado Eagles.

The Avalanche have also sent Ben Meyers to the minor leagues, another sign that there may be changes coming to the fourth line. Meyers does not require waivers and can be recalled as soon as Sedlak is sent down, if needed.

Anders Bjork Placed On Waivers; Sonny Milano Clears

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The Buffalo Sabres have placed forward Anders Bjork on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The move comes after Bjork was scratched in each of the team’s first two games. Should he clear and is assigned to the minor leagues, the Sabres would receive $1.125MM in cap savings, leaving him with a charge of $475K on his $1.6MM contract.

Sonny Milano, who was on waivers yesterday, has cleared and will be assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Bjork, 26, was given that $1.6MM cap hit by the Boston Bruins in 2020, when he signed a three-year, $4.8MM contract after his first full season. He didn’t even last the first year of the deal in Boston, before being part of the Taylor Hall trade in 2021. In Buffalo, things haven’t really gone well for the fifth-round pick. In 73 games he has just eight goals and 14 points, averaging just 12 minutes a night last season. This year he found himself on the outside looking in at a much deeper forward group, and now he very well could be on his way back to the AHL.

There’s a chance a team claims him, though it’s hard to justify passing on Milano’s $750K deal just to take Bjork’s $1.6MM cap hit. More likely he’ll have to go back to the minor leagues, a place where he has spent very little time in his professional career. After becoming a star at Notre Dame, Bjork stepped almost directly into the NHL with the Bruins, playing just 29 games at the AHL level over parts of three seasons.

The Sabres, not needing the cap room, are making this move to create room for Riley Sheahan who is about to return from injury. They are just barely over the salary cap floor as it is, even with Ben Bishop’s contract on the books.

Hayden Hodgson, Anthony Angello Clear Waivers

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Saturday: Both Hodgson and Angello cleared waivers, Friedman reports.  They have both been assigned to the minors.  No one was placed on waivers today.

Friday: Two players hit the wire today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Hayden Hodgson of the Philadelphia Flyers and Anthony Angello of the St. Louis Blues have been placed on waivers.

Earlier today, Flyers head coach John Tortorella didn’t hold back with his comments, telling reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that he didn’t think Hodgson had a good camp, and that he wasn’t ready to play last night.

Even in a game where the team lost Owen Tippett early, Tortorella gave Hodgson fewer than five minutes of ice time. Placement on waivers shouldn’t surprise anyone, though it is a little disappointing after such a great story last year.

Undrafted, the 26-year-old Hodgson grinded his way through several years in the ECHL and then was outstanding for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, earning himself an NHL call-up. He scored three points in six games and looked like a classic late-blooming bottom-sixer. Unfortunately, that run won’t continue just yet, as he’ll be heading to the minor leagues if he clears.

Angello, meanwhile, was always expected to start in the AHL but had been injured and started the year on season-opening injured reserve. A waiver placement suggests that he’s ready to resume playing, and will head to the Springfield Thunderbirds should he clear. The 6’5″ forward has just 31 games of NHL experience under his belt, four of which came last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Dominic Toninato Clears Waivers

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Oct 14: Toninato has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 13: The Winnipeg Jets are sending another player to the minor leagues ahead of opening night, placing Dominic Toninato on waivers for the purpose of reassignment. Toninato appeared to have won a job on the roster for the start of the year but that has apparently changed over the last few days.

The reason might be a combination of two things. Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet tweets that Mason Appleton could be activated ahead of tomorrow night’s game, while team reporter Mitchell Clinton adds that Axel Jonsson-Fjallby will be practicing with the group today. Jonsson-Fjallby was claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Monday and was designated as a non-roster player this week.

With those two joining the group, there needed to be someone sent down, and Toninato is the odd man out. The 28-year-old forward played in 77 games for the Jets last season, scoring seven goals and 14 points. That was by far the most games of his career, having reached a previous high of 46 in 20219-20 with the Florida Panthers.

The bottom-six forward doesn’t offer much scoring upside, and will likely have no issue clearing waivers. Of course, that would have been even more likely before the games started and teams began suffering injuries. If cleared, he will be stashed in the minor leagues with the Manitoba Moose but could be the Jets first call-up, depending on how the season goes.

Linus Sandin Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Oct: 14: Sandin has cleared waivers, had his contract terminated, and is now eligible to sign overseas.

Oct 13: The Philadelphia Flyers placed Linus Sandin on waivers two weeks ago, when it was clear he wouldn’t be making the team. After passing through unclaimed, he was assigned to the minor leagues. Now, his stint in the AHL will come to an end, as the Flyers have placed him on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.

This will make Sandin an unrestricted free agent and allow him to sign somewhere else, a move that is usually followed by a contract overseas. The 26-year-old forward has just one NHL game under his belt and failed to register a point.

It would certainly make sense for the undrafted Sandin to return home. He was a strong contributor in the SHL before coming to North America, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in his final full season with HV71. The older brother of Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin, Linus was good-not-great in his time in the minor leagues.

It is somewhat interesting that the Swedish forward has chosen this route, given he was the one to agree to a two-way contract in May. The deal included a minor league guarantee of $285K, meaning he at least must have known there was a chance he would end up back in the AHL. Should he clear, it would be highly unlikely that he finds another contract in the NHL this year, as you can’t get much more affordable than his league-minimum deal.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 13: All three have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 12: The season is just getting started and waivers won’t stop. Three more players have been placed on the wire today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, including Martin Pospisil of the Calgary Flames, Scott Harrington of the San Jose Sharks, and Pierre-Cedric Labrie of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In Pospisil’s case, he had been on season-opening injured reserve but must have recovered enough to now be sent to the minor leagues. There is little risk of claiming the 22-year-old forward, even if he did have a nice season for the Stockton Heat last year.

Selected 105th overall in 2018, Pospisil had seven goals and 25 points in 47 games for the team, while also racking up 95 penalty minutes. His size and physicality have always been his calling card, going back to his junior days with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL where he had a whopping 253 penalty minutes in 49 games as a rookie.

Harrington, meanwhile, played in one of the two games for the Sharks overseas but now with the team needing to reduce their roster for the return to North America, there isn’t room. The 29-year-old played almost all of last season in the minors with the Cleveland Monsters and appears likely to do it again, this time with the Barracuda.

It was interesting to see Labrie even get an NHL contract, let alone stick around this long on the roster. The veteran forward is an AHL staple with 685 games played at that level, and hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since 2013. He will almost certainly spend the entire year in the minor leagues, though perhaps the team just wanted him signed in case they needed a physical presence for a handful of games this year.

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