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Danny DeKeyser Waived By Detroit Red Wings

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In a stunning move, the Detroit Red Wings have placed defensive mainstay Danny DeKeyser on waivers. The career Red Wing still has one year remaining beyond this season on his current contract at a $5MM AAV, but Detroit appears ready to move on. Will that mean DeKeyser clears waivers and is assigned to the taxi squad or AHL? Or will another team swoop in and steal the defenseman?

DeKeyser, 30, is a polarizing figure in Detroit. On one hand, he’s second only to Darren Helm as the longest-tenured member of a team that has seen a mass amount of turnover in recent years that scrubbed nearly every reminder of their days as a Western Conference powerhouse. On the other hand, he has also been part of the problem as the club has devolved into a perennial bottom dweller in the Eastern Conference. DeKeyser impressed as an unheralded undrafted free agent out of nearby Western Michigan University, quickly claiming a top-four role for Detroit in his first few pro seasons. However, since signing his six-year, $30MM extension in 2016, DeKeyser has had – at most – one season where he has lived up to expectations. He has been plagued by injuries and when healthy has had diminishing offensive ability, has been prone to turnovers, and has simply struggled to help a team that needed him to be a savior on the back end.

Yet, with all that said, many question whether DeKeyser has himself been unfairly impacted by the lack of talent around him in Detroit. Are his struggles his own or is he still capable of being a well-rounded, minutes-eating, 30-point puck-mover? This season with the Red Wings has not helped to answer that question. The team has moved on from DeKeyser as a centerpiece on the blue line even before he hit waivers. The veteran has played in only 10 of 16 games and almost exclusively in a bottom-pair role, averaging just 15:30 of ice time with no special teams role. Claiming DeKeyser is a massive risk, especially in a flat cap era where being saddled with a $5MM salary this year and next for an unproductive player would be devastating. However, DeKeyser has his supporters around the league and it is hard to judge his true ability given his recent injury history and his position with Detroit. Don’t eliminate all possibility that someone might be willing to take a chance or that DeKeyser could still return to form if he moves elsewhere.

Also on waivers today are Montreal’s Paul Byron (link), Boston’s Par Lindholm (link), Columbus’ Gabriel Carlsson, and Carolina’s newly-acquired Alex Galchenyuk. Edmonton’s James Neal has cleared after being waived yesterday.

Montreal Canadiens Waive Paul Byron

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In a move that was foreseeable yet is still somewhat surprising, the Montreal Canadiens have placed veteran forward Paul Byron on waivers. The team explicitly stated that their intention is for Byron to clear waivers and be assigned to the taxi squad, but that is out of their hands for the next 24 hours. The veteran forward could be claimed by a team who sees the upside in him if given the proper role and adequate ice time.

Given Montreal’s tight salary cap squeeze and the role that Byron has played this season to the tune of $3.4MM AAV, it is no surprise that the club sought a change. Byron has been forced into a checking role for the Habs as a result of a busy off-season and the emergence of several young players. His ice time is down to just 12:36 per night, a new low since he became an NHL regular in 2013-14, and he has no goals and just three assists in 14 games. The Canadiens could not afford to have a substantial amount of cap space chewed up by such production.

However, there is a reason that Montreal has been actively trying to trade Byron and is hoping that he clears waivers: the 31-year-old still has value. A versatile and hard-working forward, Byron may have meager numbers so far this year and had his production limited by injury last season, but he still has plenty of scoring potential. Byron is just two years removed from a 2018-19 season in which he recorded 31 points in just 56 games, a 45-point full-season pace. Had he played 82 games, it almost certainly would have been his third straight season of 20+ goals and 35+ points. While health is a concern, Byron has shown to be an effective forward otherwise. As Byron is signed through 2022-23 at a healthy cap hit, any team looking to claim him is surely taking a risk. For this reason, combined with the hassle for U.S. teams of moving any player from Canada to south of the border this season, Byron may very well go unclaimed. However, if a club still believes that a healthy Byron has that same 40+ point upside, then he could be a value as an experienced top-nine forward, even over the next several years.

Also on waivers today are Detroit’s Danny DeKeyser (link), Boston’s Par Lindholm (link), Columbus’ Gabriel Carlsson, and Carolina’s newly-acquired Alex Galchenyuk. Edmonton’s James Neal has cleared after being waived yesterday.

Oilers’ James Neal Clears Waivers

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Sunday: As expected, Neal has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the Oilers’ taxi squad. His $5.75MM cap hit will be reduced to $4.675MM once the move is completed. Edmonton has waived a number of forwards this season who have made their way back to the active roster eventually, as will likely be the case for Neal.

Saturday: It hasn’t been a great season for James Neal and the news got a little tougher for him today as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been placed on waivers.

The 33-year-old has been a healthy scratch several times already this season and is off to a quiet start with just two goals and an assist in nine games.  Both goals came in the same game and he was out of the lineup for a week after that. With his lineup spot being far from guaranteed, there’s little risk in putting him on the waiver wire.

Neal has failed to live up to the five-year, $28.75MM contract he signed with Calgary back in 2018 and while he had a bit of a bounce-back 19-goal season with Edmonton last year after being acquired for another free agent mistake in Milan Lucic, he still hasn’t come close to being worth his $5.75MM price tag.  With two years left on his deal after this one, it’s a safe bet he will go through unclaimed.

With Edmonton deep into using LTIR, they’re not going to be in a position to free up some cap space by sending Neal to the taxi squad or to AHL Bakersfield.  Instead, what this move does is just give them a bit of extra roster flexibility to be able to shuffle veterans to and from the taxi squad with ease.  They’ve already gone this route with Devin Shore, Tyler Ennis, and Alex Chiasson this season and now Neal will join the group once he goes unclaimed on Sunday.

Leo Komarov Clears Waivers

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Saturday: As expected, Komarov has once again cleared waivers, Johnston reports.

Friday: According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the New York Islanders have placed Leo Komarov on waivers for the second time this year. The veteran forward cleared just before the season began, but the team needed to reset his clock in order to have the ability to place him on the taxi squad. Once a player clears, they must go through the waiver process again after spending 30 days on the active roster or playing in ten NHL games. Komarov only spent one day of the last month on the taxi squad, meaning his time was about to be up.

Frankly, it appears as though the end may be approaching for Komarov, who has failed to record a single point in six games this season. The in-your-face winger was always known for his physicality and defense, but even those skills have slipped over the last year. Once a participant in the All-Star Game, Komarov has scored just 17 goals since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, despite playing 210 regular season games over that stretch.

The fact that he is still signed through next season with a $3MM cap hit all but assures that Komarov will get through waivers unclaimed, but it is not clear where his role with the Islanders really lies.

Loui Eriksson, Artem Anisimov Among Those On Waivers

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Feb 11: All three players have cleared waivers. They can now be assigned to the taxi squad or AHL.

Feb 10: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Loui Eriksson on waivers again, after clearing just before the season began. Eriksson has played in just one game, but the team has decided to reset his waiver clock so that they can continue to move him to the taxi squad. He isn’t alone on waivers today. Artem Anisimov of the Ottawa Senators and Taylor Fedun of the Dallas Stars have also both been placed on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Seeing Eriksson there shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite carrying a $6MM cap hit, tied for the highest on the team, the 35-year-old forward is basically a practice player at this point in his career. He suited up 49 times last season for the Canucks but recorded just six goals and 13 points. Eriksson received an odd chance to skate beside Bo Horvat on the weekend, but was quickly moved back off that line and scratched the following game. He won’t be claimed, not at that price.

Anisimov’s story isn’t all that different. Now 32, Anisimov hasn’t been a regular in the Senators lineup this season and has just one point in four games. His contract carries a $4.55MM cap hit (though the actual salary remaining is very low) and he is a shell of his former self. There was a time when Anisimov could be relied on for 20 goals and forty points, but that seems to be in the past—at least while he remains in Ottawa.

Fedun is a much different kind of player, still scratching by for any chance he can get in the NHL. The 32-year-old undrafted defenseman has played in just 127 games over the course of his long professional career and none this season with the Stars. He does have some interesting possession statistics over the last two seasons and has recorded 20 points in 81 games, but it seems unlikely that anyone would claim him, given the other names that have slipped through waivers already this season.

 

Scott Sabourin Clears Waivers

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Feb 8: After signing an NHL contract yesterday, Sabourin has cleared waivers and can join Toronto’s taxi squad.

Feb 7: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward Scott Sabourin on waiver, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. That likely means the Maple Leafs have signed Sabourin to an NHL deal (although they have not announced that), considering he is currently signed to an AHL deal and wouldn’t require waivers. The move is likely a result of the injury to Wayne Simmonds, who is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a hand injury.

Sabourin, 28, made his entrance into the NHL last season when he won a spot on the Ottawa Senators’ fourth line as an enforcer and even had some run-ins with Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews. However, a horrible collision in early November with then-Bruins forward David Backes knocked the forward out for more than a month due to a concussion. He did eventually return to the lineup in December, finishing the season with two goals, six points and 33 penalty minutes in 35 games.

The forward then signed an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies during the offseason. Assuming he clears, he will likely be assigned to the team’s taxi squad to bolster the team’s forward depth as the team is now missing Simmonds, Joe Thornton (rib) and Nicholas Robertson (knee).

Kings Claim Troy Grosenick Off Waivers

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After just getting through quarantine protocols, Troy Grosenick is heading back to where his season began.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Kings have claimed the netminder off waivers from Edmonton.

The 31-year-old was originally signed by Los Angeles early in unrestricted free agency in October to serve as their third-string option behind Jonathan Quick and Calvin Petersen.  Once Petersen was cleared shortly after the start of the regular season, Grosenick was waived for the purposes of sending him to the taxi squad but Edmonton claimed him with Mike Smith being injured though Grosenick had to serve a two-week quarantine period before he could suit up as Mikko Koskinen’s backup.

If Los Angeles was the only team to claim Grosenick, they will be able to send him to their taxi squad since they were the team that originally had and waived him.  Otherwise, he’ll have to remain on the NHL roster or go through waivers again if they want to send him down.

The veteran has just two games of NHL experience, both with San Jose back in 2014-15 and has effectively been an AHL starter since then.  Last year, he played in 33 games with AHL Milwaukee, posting a 2.29 GAA with a .920 SV% along with two shutouts which helped him earn a small raise at the AHL level in his one-year, two-way deal worth $700K in the NHL and $350K in the minors.

Meanwhile, Friedman adds in a separate tweet that Jets forward Dominic Toninato went through waivers unclaimed and that there wasn’t anyone placed on waivers today.

Troy Grosenick, Dominic Toninato Placed On Waivers

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The Edmonton Oilers have placed Troy Grosenick on waivers, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, just a few days after finally activating him. The Oilers claimed Grosenick off waivers on January 16, but he never did play a game for them. Joining Grosenick on waivers is Dominic Toninato of the Winnipeg Jets, who had previously been placed on long-term injured reserve.

This could suggest that Mike Smith is close to returning for the Oilers, who have leaned heavily on Mikko Koskinen in his absence. Koskinen leads the league in games played, shots faced and minutes this season (not to mention losses and goals against) as he operated as the only real NHL-caliber goaltender on the Edmonton roster. Smith’s return would take some of that pressure off, though it is still not certain that the 38-year-old can really contribute much at this point in his career. Smith has a .900 save percentage over his last two seasons, though has gone 42-28-8 in that time.

Toninato meanwhile was put on LTIR just as the season began after he failed his training camp medicals. He too could be approaching a return, though it’s not clear if he has a role on the Jets NHL roster at this point. The 26-year-old forward did play 46 games for the Panthers last season but seems ticketed for the taxi squad or minor leagues (whenever the Manitoba Moose get started, that is) whenever he is healthy enough to do so.

There hasn’t been a skater claimed since the start of the season, but Grosenick perhaps could be claimed once again. The 31-year-old has been a strong minor league option for many years, including posting a .920 in 33 appearances with the Milwaukee Admirals last season. For teams like Toronto, Carolina or Colorado who are dealing with injuries, claiming Grosenick could represent a chance to add some goaltending depth for the next little while.

Braydon Coburn Clears Waivers

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Feb 4: Coburn has cleared waivers. Almost immediately, the Senators moved him to the taxi squad and recalled Brannstrom.

Feb 3: The Ottawa Senators have placed Braydon Coburn on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The veteran defenseman carries a cap hit of $1.7MM this season and was part of the cap-clearing package acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason.

Coburn, 35, is only a few months away from winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, though he certainly wasn’t a huge part of their postseason run. He suited up just three times during the playoffs and ended up traded along with Cedric Paquette and a draft pick as part of Tampa’s attempt to get cap compliant. In eight games this season with the Senators (which include seven losses), he has one point and has averaged just over 17 minutes a night.

In a corresponding move, it appears as though Erik Brannstrom may be getting his next NHL opportunity. The Senators have recalled the young defenseman to the taxi squad while sending Jonathan Aspirot back to the minor leagues. Should Coburn clear tomorrow, he could be swapped with Brannstrom and end up on the taxi squad as a depth piece.

That’s likely where he should be as the Senators try to develop their young core, but it certainly isn’t what he was hoping for. Coburn was a very well-liked teammate in Tampa Bay, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain at times. Where his career goes from here isn’t clear, though he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Trade Rumors: Bennett, DeAngelo, Goaltending

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Following up on a report yesterday that the Calgary Flames were “blindsided” by rumors of forward Sam Bennett’s discontent with his current situation, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported during this evening’s edition of “Insider Trading” that the club is in no rush to trade the young forward. Of course, Bennett has not formally requested a trade anyhow and the Flames are not feeling any pressure to rush into a move. Instead, Dreger states that this is a matter of “if” rather than “when” as it pertains to a Bennett deal. Calgary will only trade Bennett, the 2014 fourth overall pick, if they can find a perfect fit. Otherwise, they expect to retain the forward. Dreger notes than many within the organization still feel that Bennett can be an impact player and would rather work through the issues of his role on the team rather than move him, especially at discount price. One way or another, the time is coming for the Flames to make a decision on Bennett; if he is not traded this season then the team will need to fully commit by protecting him in the upcoming Expansion Draft. If not, they risk a strong chance of losing him for nothing to the soon-to-be division rival Seattle Kraken.

  • While he may have cleared waivers on Monday, and amidst some ugly rumors at that, there is no shortage of interest in New York Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo. While he may not play for the Rangers ever again, per the team’s own pronouncement, he most certainly will continue to play in the NHL. Dreger reports that there is “a ton of interest” in DeAngelo on the trade market. He feels that a resolution to his fall out with the Rangers is imminent, expecting a trade within the next few days. DeAngelo’s ability, especially in the offensive aspects of the game, are clear, but some felt that his clearance on the waiver wire might have indicated that teams were hesitant to take on the alleged behavioral issues. Instead, it seems teams were more inclined to DeAngelo clear waivers to gain that extra layer of flexibility, as well as to gain the possibility of receiving additional trade capital or possibly some retained salary in a trade with the Rangers.
  • Most NHL teams prepared for an unusually dense schedule this season by ensuring that they had a concrete goalie tandem and in many cases additional depth in net. However, for those with remaining concerns or those who have been impacted by injury, the need for multiple options at net minder is about to become even more crucial. Dreger reports that with the growing frequency of COVID-related postponements across the league, the NHL is going to have little option but to hand a number of teams very difficult make-up schedules toward the latter half of the season. Specifically, Dreger notes that there is a real chance that teams will face five games in a seven night span, perhaps even on several occasions. A capable No. 2 and a reliable No. 3 in case of injury will be absolutely necessary with no starter being able to handle such a heavy workload. With few options remaining on the free agent market, trade talks will likely heat up for those contending teams who need the wins more than others with goalies to spare.

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