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Two Players Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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Oct 19: Both Maksimov and Timashov have cleared waivers and will see their contracts terminated.

Oct 18: While Alex Belzile and Leo Komarov hit regular waivers today, two other players are on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract terminations. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Kirill Maksimov of the Edmonton Oilers and Dmytro Timashov of the New York Islanders will become unrestricted free agents should the termination process go through tomorrow.

Maksimov, 22, is in the final year of his entry-level contract, originally signed in 2018 after the Oilers selected him in the fifth round the year prior. The young forward seems destined to return to the KHL, where he spent last season. In 16 games with CSKA Moscow in 2020-21, Maksimov scored just three points. That’s not all that much different than his production in the minors though, as he had just 13 points in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors in 2019-20 and hadn’t yet suited up this year.

Timashov on the other hand has 45 games at the NHL level under his belt and has been a strong performer in the AHL as well. He signed a new one-year, two-way contract with the Islanders in September, but apparently is going to split ways with the organization just a month later. The KHL is certainly an option for him too, but there have been interested NHL clubs in the past.

One thing to note for the Islanders is that they were previously operating with 49 of their 50 allotted contract slots filled. Terminating Timashov’s deal will open up another, allowing them to make moves in-season to either bolster their current NHL group or add prospects like college free agents. They can’t just cut him, but if Timashov had other offers this termination would make sense for both sides.

Belzile, Komarov Clear Waivers

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Oct 19: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 18: With Mike Hoffman ready to make his debut, the Montreal Canadiens have placed Alex Belzile on waivers. The team was at the maximum 23 roster spots after claiming Adam Brooks earlier this month, and needed to make room for Hoffman to come off injured reserve. The New York Islanders have also placed Leo Komarov on waivers after the veteran forward played just 10:50 on Saturday night in his only appearance of the season. Matt Martin is likely the cause in this case, as he too is ready to come off injured reserve and reclaim his spot on the team’s fourth line.

Belzile, 30, was the definition of a minor league journeyman until he appeared in the 2020 playoffs for the Canadiens, suiting up six times and registering his first NHL point. He appeared twice for the team last season, recording another assist, but is still without a goal at the NHL level. That’s certainly not the case in the minor leagues, where he is often among the scoring leaders on whatever team he suits up for. Belzile has donned the sweater of the Gwinnett Gladiators, Hamilton Bulldogs, Alaska Aces, Idaho Steelheads, Fort Wayne Komets, San Antonio Rampage, Colorado Eagles and Laval Rocket over his long career. His one-year, two-way contract carries an AHL salary of $250K, should he clear and be assigned to the Rocket once more.

Komarov meanwhile is much more expensive, as he’s in the final season of a four-year, $12MM contract signed in 2018. The 34-year-old forward will actually only earn $2MM this season but carries a $3MM cap hit, which only $1.125MM of can be buried should he be assigned to the minor leagues. Because of that, clearing waivers certainly shouldn’t be a challenge, just like he did in January, February, and March of this year. While Martin is set to jump back on the line with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, Komarov will still likely be a useful call-up should the Islanders run into any injury trouble.

Ducks Waive Derek Grant And Greg Pateryn

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Oct 17: Both players have cleared waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Oct 16: The Ducks have placed a pair of players on waivers today as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Anaheim has waived center Derek Grant and defenseman Greg Pateryn.

Grant’s third stint with Anaheim hasn’t gone as well as his second.  While he twice hit double digits in goals in his second tenure with the Ducks, he has struggled offensively since rejoining them last October.  Last season, he managed just six goals and nine assists in 46 games and was held off the scoresheet in his first two contests this season.  The 31-year-old has managed a faceoff win percentage of over 50% in each year of his career which could be appealing to some teams although his $1.5MM cap hit for this season and next will likely scare those teams off.  Anaheim will receive $1.125MM in cap relief if he clears and is sent to the minors.

As for Pateryn, his stock has dipped considerably since he signed a three-year, $6.75MM contract with Minnesota back in 2018.  He has played in just 33 NHL games over the past two seasons and cleared waivers a year ago when he was on that deal, spending most of the season the taxi squad for Colorado and San Jose.  Pateryn inked a one-year, two-way deal with Anaheim this summer that pays the minimum of $750K in the NHL and $300K in the minors.

Mikko Lehtonen Signs Long-Term Contract In KHL

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The brief experiment of KHL stud defenseman Mikko Lehtonen plying his trade in North America is over, perhaps for good. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that Lehtonen has signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg. At 27 years old, this could mark the end of his NHL career. The move comes less than a week after his contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets was terminated.

Lehtonen’s time in North America was tumultuous, to say the least. Lehtonen signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a one-year deal in May 2020. Despite the future contract being signed in-season, implying that Lehtonen was a player that Toronto had been closely following and had prioritized, his time with the Leafs was short-lived. Lehtonen was traded to Columbus in March after playing in just nine games. He played much more frequently for the Blue Jackets down the stretch, logging 17 games. Yet, he produced the same three points in Columbus as he did in Toronto, totaling zero goals, six points, and a -2 rating to show for his first year. Unsurprisingly, Lehtonen failed to crack the Columbus roster in training camp this season. However, he refused to report to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, leading to a pass through unconditional waivers and a contract termination.

Though some players have contracts terminated and are still able to find another landing spot in the NHL, such as Sami Niku last month, it should come as no surprise that Lehtonen has instead opted to return to Russia. The KHL’s Defenseman of the Year in 2019-20, Lehtonen recorded 17 goals and 49 points in 60 games for Jokerit. He was then a point-per-game player in 17 games with the club before reporting to Toronto last year. A player who has previously produced at a high level in Sweden and his native Finland, Lehtonen simply seems built for the European game. Joining a powerhouse like SKA, Lehtonen is returning to a more comfortable style of play and skill level and will have the surrounding talent to produce and chase a Gagarin Cup every year. Once his current deal is over in 2025, it is doubtful that a then-31-year-old Lehtonen will try to return to the NHL.

Sabres Claim Christian Wolanin Off Waivers

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The Sabres have added some depth on the back end as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is among those reporting (Twitter link) that they have claimed defenseman Christian Wolanin off waivers from the Kings.  To make room on the roster, the Sabres moved defenseman Henri Jokiharju to injured reserve.

The 26-year-old spent most of last season in Ottawa where he played a limited role, getting into 15 games with the Sens, recording three assists while averaging 13 minutes per game.  After clearing waivers in late March, he was then traded to Los Angeles in exchange for Michael Amadio.  With the Kings, Wolanin was sparingly used, suiting up only three times and was on the outside looking in at a spot in the lineup this season which led to his placement yesterday.

With the claim, Buffalo will once again have seven healthy defensemen on the roster and with Jokiharju set to miss at least a couple of weeks, Wolanin will have a short-term chance to stake a claim to a spot on the roster with the Sabres.  It’s a low-risk pickup for Buffalo as Wolanin is making the league minimum of $750K at the NHL level with an AHL salary of $375K and a total guarantee of $400K.

Washington Capitals Claim Dennis Cholowski

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The Seattle Kraken have lost one of their expansion picks to waivers, as Dennis Cholowski has been claimed by the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. To make room on the roster, the team has loaned Beck Malenstyn back to the AHL.

This is exactly the risk that we discussed earlier this summer, as the Kraken had collected almost a dozen defensemen who all required waivers to go to the minor leagues. While they managed to get several through in the preseason, Cholowski is now lost just a few months after being selected from the Detroit Red Wings in the Seattle expansion draft. He did not play for the team in the opener after Jamie Oleksiak was cleared from the COVID protocol at the last minute, and will now head to Washington where it’s nearly as crowded on the back end.

The Capitals used all six of their defensemen last night for at least 16:50, with Justin Schultz being the lowest on that pole but contributing a goal and six shots to the effort. Matt Irwin, who was serving as the team’s seventh defenseman, seems likely to be the odd man out when their newest player arrives. That doesn’t mean the 23-year-old Cholowski is in line for big minutes though, he’ll have to prove that his poor results in Detroit were more because of the team around him than his own shortcomings.

But he’s also a 2016 first-round pick that has over 100 games at the NHL level already, something that’s certainly worth another look for a team that can afford it. Roster spots are thin around the league, but given that Malenstyn can be moved down without issue and Irwin might even clear waivers if needed, the Capitals could take a chance. If they ever want to place Cholowski back on waivers and send him down, the Kraken would have a chance to reclaim him.

Injuries Delaying Roster Decisions For Islanders, Kraken

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The NHL season is now underway and yet the well-documented roster crunches of the New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken have gone completely unnoticed even as the league’s 23-man roster deadline came and went. What happened? Well, it may seem counterintuitive, but both teams have been helped out by injuries and health-related absences. However, they aren’t out of the woods yet and may only be delaying the inevitable.

In New York, the Isles knew that they would receive salary cap and roster flexibility by placing defenseman Johnny Boychuk on Long-Term Injured Reserve, but veteran forward Matt Martin also landed on IR. While just one unexpected injury may not seem like a lot, it has had a massive impact on how the Islanders prepare for the start of the season. While the club was successfully able to pass pricier veterans Richard Panik and Thomas Hickey through waivers and on to AHL Bridgeport, they have not yet had to make the tough decision between any of their other more attractive fringe players. Once Martin returns, someone else has to go. Martin’s fourth line replacement Ross Johnston appears to be safe as the apparent next man up, but is at least in the mix. Serviceable veteran Leo Komarov is not expected to be in the Isles’ Opening Night lineup on Thursday, but has been a valuable depth player for years in New York and is even more attractive to other teams now that he is on an expiring contract. Young Kieffer Bellows, whose new contract was finally registered with the league, would also be very interesting to other teams and represents the Islanders’ best top-six substitute. There is no easy choice as all three are more likely than not to be claimed, which explains why GM Lou Lamoriello has reportedly been exploring the trade market.

Things are a little more dire in Seattle, where the league’s newest team would like to keep their Opening Night roster intact but stand little chance of doing so. Already the team has had to make some risky waiver placements, including Kole Lind and Cale Fleury, but have been lucky thus far. Dennis Cholowski’s time on the wire could yield a different result, but even that loss would pale in comparison to what is coming down the line if the Kraken don’t make a move first. The lone holdover from the team’s recent mini-breakout of positive COVID-19 tests, veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok will be available sooner rather than later. Marcus Johansson, placed on injured reserve today, will likely be the next one back and Colin Blackwell is only expected to miss the first month of the season. Further down the road, the team will also need room for Yanni Gourde, who is expected back closer to December. That’s four valuable veterans forwards who all need spots on the Seattle roster, which already sits at 23 members with only one – Lind – that can safely be sent to the minors. On one hand, these early injuries allow the Kraken to take a look at some players who otherwise would not have made the roster, like waiver claim Alex Barre-Boulet for example. On the other hand, these “extra” players will eventually need to be waived, traded, or force the team to trade others instead. Lind and Barre-Boulet seem like easy cuts, but that is just two of four. Would Ryan Donato, who scored the first goal in franchise history on Tuesday, clear waivers? Would young grinder Nathan Bastian? Veteran center Riley Sheahan? The Kraken have a number of questions left to answer and their early injuries have only kicked the can down the road. The longer they wait, especially if the team is playing well, the less likely their fringe players are to clear waivers and the less likely that potential trade partners may be to make a deal rather than wait them out. GM Ron Francis and company have their work cut out for them.

While the preseason trade market remained quiet and there were no earth-shattering waiver claims, this is at least partially due to some unexpected injuries in New York and Seattle. At some point these situations will need to be resolved and, one way or another, players will wind up changing hands.

Dennis Cholowski Placed On Waivers

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The Seattle Kraken have placed defenseman Dennis Cholowski on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Kraken got good news on several players that were in the COVID protocol just ahead of their game last night, meaning Cholowski–who started the year on the injured/non-roster list–isn’t needed right away, and will likely be assigned to the minor leagues should he clear.

Cholowski was expected to play last night for the Kraken until Jamie Oleksiak cleared at the last minute, making it curious how he was even moved to the non-roster list at all. The team could have submitted him to waivers with the purpose of assigning him to the AHL, which would force them to send him down at least temporarily should he clear. While that may have not been the ideal situation for the team, they were going to have to waive defensemen eventually after collecting so many in the offseason.

Without him on the roster, the team is still carrying eight options at the position. William Borgen and Carson Soucy were both scratched last night, but either is more than capable of stepping into the lineup if needed. They also likely pose more of a waiver claim risk, even with Soucy’s $2.75MM contract. After Cholowski’s disappointing 2020-21, he very well could clear unscathed.

A first-round pick in 2016, the 23-year-old defenseman has not developed the way the Detroit Red Wings hoped and finds himself battling to even stay in the NHL. The Kraken are currently sharing the Charlotte Checkers as they wait for their own AHL affiliate to start play in 2022-23, meaning that’s where Cholowski would likely end up should he go unclaimed.

Philadelphia Flyers Claim Zack MacEwen

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The Philadelphia Flyers have claimed another player off waivers, this time grabbing Zack MacEwen from the Vancouver Canucks. The Flyers added Patrick Brown earlier this week.

MacEwen was basically pushed out of the Canucks’ lineup by Alex Chiasson, who finally signed an NHL contract after attending training camp. The 25-year-old forward has never shown much offensive upside at the NHL level with just nine points in 55 games, but does bring a high level of physicality and size. The 6’3″ power forward recorded 65 hits in 34 games for the Canucks last season despite averaging fewer than nine minutes a game, racking up 44 penalty minutes in the process.

Undrafted, he actually has shown a strong offensive touch in the minor leagues, scoring 22 goals and 52 points in the 2018-19 season. But MacEwen isn’t being brought into Philadelphia to play in the top six or the powerplay. Instead, if he gets into the lineup at all he’ll likely be a fourth-line player. The question now is how he fits in, given Brown’s recent addition. Both have experience at center and could be in direct competition for ice time while the team continues to deal with the absence of Kevin Hayes. Hayes was included on the team’s opening night roster but has been moved to long-term injured reserve as he recovers from core muscle surgery.

Both claims, Brown and MacEwen, would need to pass through waivers in order to be assigned to the minor leagues. Should the Flyers place them on waivers, their previous teams would have a chance to nab them and send them directly to the AHL, should they be the only team to submit a claim.

Mikko Lehtonen Suspended; One Of Four Players On Waivers

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Oct 13: MacEwen was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers, but the other three have cleared.

Oct 12: The Columbus Blue Jackets have suspended Mikko Lehtonen for failing to report to the AHL after he was assigned to the Cleveland Monsters this week. The team has also placed him on unconditional waivers and will terminate his contract. Lehtonen isn’t alone though, as the Chicago Blackhawks have also placed Matej Chalupa on unconditional waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Zack MacEwen of the Vancouver Canucks and C.J. Suess of the Winnipeg Jets are also on regular waivers.

Lehtonen, 27, was expected to make a big impact at the NHL level after putting up strong numbers in the KHL, even winning that league’s Defenseman of the Year award in 2020. Instead, he struggled to crack the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup on a regular basis and then was sent to Columbus, where he signed a new one-year, $900K deal this offseason but still failed to make the team out of camp. Instead of going to the AHL, he’ll likely head back overseas where he can once again star as a top-four puck-mover. His NHL career could very well end with just 26 games and six points.

Chalupa meanwhile is just 23, but apparently isn’t going to spend another year in the minors trying to establish himself as a call-up option for Chicago. He played 27 games for the Rockford IceHogs last season and scored seven points, but he too is likely headed back overseas. Both contracts will come entirely off the books for the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks.

MacEwen, 25, will lose his spot to Alex Chiasson, who the Canucks signed today to a one-year deal. The depth forward has actually played in 55 games for the Canucks over the last three seasons, but isn’t much of an offensive contributor at the NHL level and is unlikely to be claimed.

The same can be said about Suess, who has just one NHL game under his belt and is likely headed to the Manitoba Moose. Suess has been dealing with an undisclosed injury throughout training camp and won’t even be the first call-up option for the Jets this season.

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