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Cory Schneider Placed On Waivers

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Tuesday: Schneider has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Monday: The New Jersey Devils have announced that Cory Schneider will be placed on waivers today with the intention of sending him to the minor leagues. The team recalled Louis Domingue earlier today, who joins MacKenzie Blackwood in net for the Devils.

Domingue, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this month, will cost the Devils a 2021 seventh-round pick if he plays in seven games. That apparently was worth it for a team that continues to flounder at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. The Devils do have two wins in their last two games, but are now 16 points behind the division-leading Washington Capitals.

With Schneider, the team simply couldn’t wait for him to figure out his game. The 33-year old hasn’t been very effective since the 2015-16 season, recording a .904 save percentage in parts of four seasons since then. That has culminated in his horrendous .852 number this season in six appearances, all losses.

The Devils already have some cap space, but moving Schneider to the minor leagues would give them an additional $1.075MM in buried savings. The veteran goaltender is carrying a $6.0MM cap hit through the end of the 2021-22 season and now looks like he may be an anchor for the organization.

That contract will almost certainly mean that Schneider clears, giving him the opportunity to try and rebuild his game in the minor leagues.

Micheal Haley, Dryden Hunt Put On Waivers

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Monday: Hunt has cleared waivers and was assigned to the minor leagues immediately. Haley has also cleared.

Sunday: Two more names have hit the waiver wire as Elliotte Friedman announces that the New York Rangers have put enforcer Micheal Haley on waivers, while the Florida Panthers have done the same with winger Dryden Hunt.

Haley’s time was coming in New York. His playing time was decreasing by the game as the 33-year-old “tough guy” was only averaging 5:49 on the ice. Haley may have worn out his welcome on the team’s two-game trip to Florida where he racked up 24 penalty minutes against Tampa Bay in 4:09 of ice time on Thursday and then immediately picked up two more after 1:26 on the ice against Florida on Friday after which he was benched for the rest of the game. To make matters worse for the Rangers, they found themselves on the penalty kill 10 times between the two games, allowing seven power play goals. With a penalty kill ranked 29th with a 73.2 percent success rate, Haley, and his ability to accrue penalties, might seem expendable.

Hunt, on the other hand, has not been productive on an offensive standpoint. The 23-year-old has no goals and just four assists over 20 games and has just one assist over his last 11 appearances. His playing time seems to have dwindled as well over the last few games, playing a season-low 7:50 against the Rangers on Saturday. While he’s been known as a hard-worker, Hunt just hasn’t been able to justify his place with the Panthers due to his lack of production. Hunt did produces at the AHL level last year, scoring 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games, while scoring three goals in 31 games with Florida last season.

Vegas Golden Knights Place Brandon Pirri On Waivers

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Sunday: Elliotte Friedman reported that Pirri cleared. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that Pirri will report to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

Saturday: With just one point in 11 games, the Vegas Golden Knight decided to make a change and have placed third line forward Brandon Pirri on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The move is somewhat surprising as Pirri has proven to be a solid depth-line option despite his struggles scoring so far this year and might be the perfect candidate to be claimed off waivers tomorrow. Pirri is currently on the first of a two-year, $1.55MM deal with a very affordable $775K AAV, which even the tightest of cap teams would be able to make room for. The 28-year-old has just one assist in 11 games for the Golden Knights and that lone point came on Oct. 4.

Pirri signed with the Golden Knights in the organization’s first year, but spent his first season with the Chicago Wolves, potting 29 goals and 52 points back in 2017-18. He continued to post big numbers last season in just 29 games, scoring 18 goals and 42 points before finally getting the call to Vegas where he went on an impressive scoring streak, scoring eight goals in his first 11 games for Vegas. However, he wasn’t able to maintain that pace, scoring just four more over the next 20 goals.

Most expected Pirri to find a better situation elsewhere when he hit free agency in the summer as playing time in Vegas was hard to come by. However, instead, Pirri surprised everyone by signing a team-friendly deal with the Golden Knights instead.

Vegas likely feels it has enough depth in their bottom-six to live without Pirri. The team has Cody Glass, Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch on the third line with winger Valentin Zykov expected to return to the lineup on Nov. 29 after his 20-game suspension is finished. The team also has a number of options in the AHL, including 20-year-old prospect Lucas Elvenes, who is second in the AHL in scoring with five goals and 21 points.

 

Brian Gibbons Placed On Waivers

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Saturday: Elliotte Friedman reports that Gibbons has cleared. The Hurricanes announced that he has been assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.

Friday: The Carolina Hurricanes have placed Brian Gibbons on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This move comes as the team activates Jordan Martinook from injured reserve, just over a month after he had core muscle surgery.

Gibbons, 31, has turned a four-year stint at Boston College as an undersized, undrafted forward into a long professional career. Starting first with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as a minor league depth player, he worked his way to the NHL and has now played in 200 career games. Though he’ll continue as injury depth for the Hurricanes, he is an important piece for them to have sitting in the minor leagues if they can get him through waivers again. He cleared at the end of September but needed them again after playing in 11 games this season.

Martinook meanwhile returns to his role on the ice and in the locker room as one of the Hurricanes’ most trusted leaders. The 27-year old wears an “A” as alternate captain and provides a physical, grinding presence in the bottom-six. Taking players like Andrei Svechnikov under his wing and helping them to become professionals, he is an important part of the success the Hurricanes have experienced over the last year, even if his offensive production—which is not entirely lacking, he did score 15 goals last season—is not at the same level as some of his more talented teammates.

Andrew Ladd Placed On Waivers

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Friday: Ladd has cleared waivers and will report to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Thursday: The New York Islanders have placed Andrew Ladd on waivers. Ladd recently finished a conditioning stint with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and was not in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has not played a game for the Islanders this season. GM Lou Lamoriello explained the situation:

He’s played the maximum number of conditioning games–five games. He needs to play in games to see exactly where the strength is and where the liabilities are and so forth. So we’ll get him down, he’ll leave today to go up to Belleville and play this weekend at Belleville and Laval.

There’s no timetable. His play and physical fitness will determine that. 

Ladd is coming off a major knee injury and the Islanders obviously believe he’s not ready to compete in NHL games at this point. The veteran forward is apparently “very receptive” to this plan however as he tries to get his career back on track.

Signed to a seven-year, $38.5MM contract at the start of free agency in 2016, Ladd has managed just 71 points in 177 games with the Islanders over the last three seasons. While his value to a team has always stretched far beyond his offensive production—there’s something to be said about the experience of two Stanley Cups—the Islanders can’t rely entirely on intangibles. His contract carries a $5.5MM cap hit through the 2022-23 season and though they will get some savings (a prorated $1.075MM) with him buried in the minors, it looks like an anchor on their payroll at this point.

Michael Hutchinson Placed On Waivers

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Tuesday: Hutchinson has cleared waivers. The Maple Leafs have already recalled Kaskisuo and didn’t take long to send Hutchinson to the AHL.

Monday: Michael Hutchinson has been placed on waivers today. It appears as though his opportunity as the Toronto Maple Leafs backup goaltender is over, as Bob McKenzie of TSN expects Kasimir Kaskisuo to be called up to take the role.

It’s been a nightmare season so far for Hutchinson, who lost his fifth start last night after giving up four goals to the Chicago Blackhawks in the first period. The Maple Leafs only really play their backup in back-to-back situations, giving Hutchinson the short end of the stick each time, but his .879 save percentage simply hasn’t been good enough.

That’s not to say that Kaskisuo will fare any better, given he has never appeared in an NHL game previously. The 26-year old was an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth and only really started to find minor league success during last season’s playoff run with the Toronto Marlies. He has a .928 save percentage this season however and has been a rock in net for the AHL club.

For the Maple Leafs, there is some chatter that they could look elsewhere for a different option in net. David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period tweets that they have looked at the market, even reaching out to Scott Darling before he decided to go overseas. The problem is their cap situation that will only really allow the backup to earn a minimum NHL salary of $700K. The team does have some potential flexibility given Mitch Marner will be out at least a month with an ankle injury, but that will come to an end when the star forward returns. Any move for a more expensive backup would complicate things quite a bit.

Washington Capitals Place Tyler Lewington On Waivers

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Monday: Lewington has cleared waivers and was assigned along with Travis Boyd to the AHL.

Sunday: The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Tyler Lewington on waivers, according to the Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno. It could be a precursor towards activating injured forward Richard Panik, who has been out with an upper-body injury and could be eligible to be activated off of LTIR on Monday.

With the Capitals set on defense with their six top defenders, Lewington has become that emergency forward who has just stayed in the press box for more than three weeks. He last played on Oct. 16 while the team was without Michal Kempny. who was still recovering from offseason surgery. Now that he’s back, however, Lewington hasn’t been any use. It could also be stated that even when he did play for five games to start the season, the 24-year-old wasn’t of much use to Washington as averaged just 10:26 in those five games. It’s likely he will clear waivers and be assigned to the Hershey Bears in the AHL.

The only issue with putting Lewington on waivers, assuming the team plans to activate Panik soon, is the team will be left with just six healthy blueliners, something that could be an issue if a player gets hurt. However, with no long road trips coming up in the near future, Washington might be able to get away with just carrying six defensemen for the time being until the Capitals decide which of their 14 forwards needs to be moved out.

Minor Transactions: 11/09/19

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The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning squared off in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday in the first of their two NHL Global Series games. Yet, the international event was overshadowed by the result of another game between Atlantic Division opponents later in the day. The Detroit Red Wings, keepers of the league’s worst record, knocked off the Boston Bruins in convincing fashion, bumping them from their position as the league’s best record holder in the process. The pair of contests made for a noteworthy day in the NHL, despite just eight teams taking the ice. Buffalo and Tampa are back it today along with 20 other clubs on a busy Saturday. There will be NHL action spanning about 12 hours from start to finish and early indications are that there will be plenty of minor moves to accompany the action. Keep up with those transactions here:

  • Alex Lintuniemi didn’t engage in contract termination talks with the Carolina Hurricanes without a plan in place. Less than 24 hours after clearing unconditional waivers, the Finnish defenseman has found a new home. The Lahti Pelicans of the Liiga have announced a one-year contract with Lintuniemi. While the 2014 second-round pick never panned out in North America, Lintuniemi and his physical, two-way game will undoubtedly provide a major boost for the Pelicans, one of the weakest teams in Finland’s top league.
  • Mired in an injury-driven slump, the Colorado Avalanche are trying to shake things up to find a way out of their current struggles. The AHL Eagles announced that their parent club has recalled veteran forward Jayson Megna. Megna, 29, has over 100 games of NHL experience, but 58 of them came in one season with the Vancouver Canucks. Otherwise, he has never played in more than a dozen games at the top level in one season. Yet, in his first year with Colorado, he has already played in four games with the Avs through the first month of the season and could be suiting up for this fifth on Saturday. Although, it’s worth noting that he has been held scoreless thus far and could be sent back down after another unproductive appearance.
  • Colin White’s conditioning stint in the minors didn’t last long. The Ottawa Senators sent the Boston College product down to AHL Belleville on Thursday, allowed him to play for the team last night (he recorded two assists), and have now called him back up this morning. White has just two points in eight games so far this season, a far cry from his near 50-point pace from last season, and the Senators hope that he can get going as soon as possible.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have assigned goaltender Eric Comrie to Tucson of the AHL on a conditioning stint.  Comrie was claimed off waivers at the start of the season with Antti Raanta not available to start the year but has since served as their third-stringer and as a result, he has yet to play so far this season.  Conditioning stints can only last up to two weeks so this won’t clear up the logjam for very long but it will at least give him a chance to work off some of the rust.  Comrie will count against Arizona’s 23-man NHL roster while on this assignment.
  • After carrying just six defensemen following the injury to Josh Manson, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled blueliner Simon Benoit from San Diego of the AHL, reports Elliott Teaford of The Athletic.  Benoit is in his second professional season but the first of his entry-level deal after he signed back in March.  This will be his first stint at the NHL level.
  • CapFriendly reports that the San Jose Sharks have assigned forward Lean Bergmann to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. The 21-year-0ld forward, who signed out of Germany in the offseason, was recalled on Nov. 4 and played in two games for the Sharks, but he averaged just 7:41 in ATOI over those two games and had a minus-two rating against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. He has one assist in eight games.
  • The New York Islanders announced they have assigned forwards Otto Koivula and Cole Bardreau to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. The 21-year-old Koivula has been up and down the last week, but still has yet to make an appearance for the Islanders. He has two goals and two assists in eight games with Bridgeport. The 26-year-old Bardreau has fared well in his NHL debut this season. He has now appeared in nine games for the Islanders this year with a goal and an assist and 15 hits.

Several Players Placed On Waivers

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Friday: All four players have cleared waivers. Lintuniemi will now see his contract terminated, while the other three can be sent to the minor leagues.

Thursday: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed a pair of players on waivers in order to start clearing room for the nearing return of Zach Hyman. Martin Marincin and Nic Petan find themselves on waivers alongside Edmonton Oilers forward Tomas Jurco today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Alex Lintuniemi of the Carolina Hurricanes has also been placed on unconditional waivers.

Petan actually made it through waivers already this season but needs them again after spending at least 30 days on the NHL roster. The Maple Leafs had been trying to find a landing spot for him and Marincin, but neither appear to have generated much trade interest at this time. Teams can now claim them for free, though they would then have to stay on the NHL roster. Clearing waivers could potentially increase their value, though they also may just end up with the Toronto Marlies.

Toronto needs to clear a third roster player before activating Hyman off long-term injured reserve, and though the consensus seems to be that Jason Spezza is that player, Dmytro Timashov and Nick Shore remain candidates.

In Edmonton, the Oilers have apparently made the same determination other organizations had previously come to that Jurco isn’t consistent enough to keep on the NHL roster. Given a glorious opportunity to play in the top six with some of the game’s best players, Jurco never did grab hold of the spot and has just two points in 12 games. The 26-year old would be on his sixth organization if he were claimed.

For Lintuniemi, unconditional waivers likely precedes a mutual contract termination. After being left unqualified by the Los Angeles Kings, the 24-year old defenseman signed a one-year deal with Carolina this summer but has played just four games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. He would become an unrestricted free agent once again should the termination go through.

Maple Leafs Expected To Waive Jason Spezza

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The Jason Spezza era in Toronto could be over as soon as it began. With Zach Hyman set to return from injury, the consensus from media members around the league, such as TSN’s Shawn Simpson, is that Spezza will be the odd man out for the Maple Leafs. The respected veteran centerman had plenty of suitors this off-season, but opted to take a hometown discount to suit up for the Leafs. However, his opportunities with Toronto have been limited by head coach Mike Babcock and it is now expected that Spezza could be on his way to the waiver wire and then off to another NHL team or down to the minors.

For whatever reason, Babcock has not seen Spezza as a valuable piece of his roster so far this season. While GM Kyle Dubas and company likely saw the former perennial 50+ point scorer as a potential bargain at the $700K minimum contract they signed him to, he has been unable to maximize that value. Babcock has been hesitant to give Spezza the opportunity to make the most of his affordable contract. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston states that it was apparent all the way back in training camp that Babcock wasn’t enthused by Spezza’s addition and didn’t see a particular fit for him in the lineup. Granted, Spezza is not exactly an ideal fourth-line center, but surely the team could find a way to use the former All-Star, right? In fact, only the injury issues with John Tavares have allowed Spezza to make regular appearances – although he has been a healthy scratch frequently as well – but even in those games his ice time has been limited to a career-low 11:06 ATOI. Spezza has still managed four points in nine games and has an impressive 57.3% Corsi, but nothing he has done has seemed to change Babcock’s mind as to his role on the team, likely forcing management’s hand when it comes to waiving him upon activating Hyman.

Spezza, a veteran of more than 1000 NHL games, stands a very good chance of being claimed on waivers. The Maple Leafs were far from the only team to pursue the capable pivot this summer and that interest has likely only risen given his minimal cap hit and the pressure that many teams are facing to add talent in the face of a salary cap crunch or injury crisis. While Spezza is no longer the top scorer he once was, he did produce nearly 30 points in each of his final two seasons with the Dallas Stars despite noticeable regression and could do so with another club. Spezza’s face-off numbers are down this season and he seems to have lost a step in his skating, but otherwise he still plays a complete, two-way game. On top of that, he brings invaluable experience and locker room leadership to any team.

The one club that sticks out as a possible landing spot is of course the Ottawa Senators. The team with which Spezza has spent most of his career, the Senators were one of his most aggressive suitors this summer and their young squad could certainly benefit from his veteran presence. GM Pierre Dorion has made it known that he is looking to make an addition up front and may be able to do so without parting with trade capital by simply claiming Spezza. His minimal cost would also be attractive to a team that often seems allergic to spending. Both Simpson and The Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan see Spezza as an ideal fit in Ottawa as a mentor and a player who can contribute throughout the lineup. While Spezza signed in Toronto this summer to return to his hometown, a reunion with the Senators would truly be a homecoming for the former face of the franchise.

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