Nick Shore Placed On Waivers
The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Nick Shore on waivers today, as Mitch Marner nears his return. The team will have to make several other moves tomorrow when the high-priced forward is eligible to return from long-term injured reserve. Shore has found himself on the outside looking in more often than not since Sheldon Keefe took over as head coach, and seemed an obvious choice to try and sneak through.
It will be interesting to see if Shore does make it through waivers though. While he has just three points in 21 games for the Maple Leafs this season, his versatility may be of some use around the league. The 27-year old is a legitimate option at center or wing and has experience penalty killing. Before this year—during which he has been used almost exclusively as a defensive option—Shore actually had strong possession numbers in his more than 200 games of NHL experience.
Still, even with a contract that carries just a $750K cap hit, there may not be teams that can really fit him in. More than half the league has used long-term injured reserve space at one point or another this season and sometimes can’t justify bringing in another NHL body. The fact that Shore earns that $750K whether he plays in the NHL or AHL is of no matter to the Maple Leafs, who routinely stash one-way deals in the minor leagues.
Marner’s return puts the Maple Leafs at close to full health—Trevor Moore remains sidelined—but will also force them into a tight cap crunch. As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet explains, the team will likely send Nic Petan, Pierre Engvall and Martin Marincin back down tomorrow along with Shore to create enough room to activate Marner.
Keith Kinkaid, Joseph Blandisi Clear Waivers
Tuesday: Both players have cleared waivers and can be sent to the minor leagues.
Monday: The Montreal Canadiens have decided to place goaltender Keith Kinkaid on waivers today, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Kinkaid will be assigned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL should he clear, where the organization will give him a chance to rebuild some confidence facing minor league opposition. The Pittsburgh Penguins have also placed Joseph Blandisi on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
After signing a one-year, $1.75MM contract in the offseason, Kinkaid has been an utter disappointment so far for the Canadiens. In six appearances he has allowed a total of 24 goals and sits with a 1-1-3 record. His .875 save percentage is second-worst in the league among goaltenders who have made more than one appearance, only coming in ahead of Cory Schneider‘s .852. That performance simply isn’t good enough for a team hoping to make a playoff run this season, and after the Canadiens lost their eighth straight game on Sunday, something had to change.
There is at least an argument to be made in favor of Kinkaid, who had a career save percentage of .906 coming into the year. Carey Price has looked completely mortal in net for the Canadiens as well, left out to dry too often, leading to an .898 save percentage of his own. That’s easily the worst of his career, and perhaps not entirely a product of bad goaltending. Montreal needs to figure out some way to protect their net more regularly, or hope that Price and his next backup can find some next level of performance.
Blandisi meanwhile already cleared waivers before the season began and needs them again to continue bouncing up and down between the AHL and NHL. The 25-year old has played nine games for Pittsburgh and ten games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the season, and will likely continue to split time should he clear.
Joel Hanley Clears Waivers
Saturday: Hanley has cleared waivers and has been sent to AHL Texas, reports Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News.
Friday: The Dallas Stars have placed defenseman Joel Hanley on waivers with the intention of moving him to the minor leagues should he clear. Hanley cleared before the season began, but needed to go through the process again after spending more than 30 days on the NHL roster.
Hanley, 28, has played in eight games with the Stars this year, recording two points while logging just over 11 minutes a night. The undrafted journeyman has just 46 NHL games under his belt, with most of his professional experience coming at the AHL level.
On a two-year, two-way contract, it seems unlikely that Hanley will be claimed at this point in his career.
Valentin Zykov Placed On Waivers
Thursday: Zykov has cleared waivers and is now on his way to the minor leagues. The Golden Knights quickly assigned him to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
Wednesday: It may come as no surprise after the way his suspension was handled earlier this year, but Valentin Zykov has been placed on waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Tonight’s Golden Knights game is the last of Zykov’s 20-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, after which he could potentially return to the lineup.
Notably when the suspension was issued, the Golden Knights immediately distanced themselves from any guilt, releasing a statement that put the blame entirely on Zykov. Vegas indicated that he “knowingly used a banned substance without the consent, recommendation or knowledge” of the team, a far cry from the support they gave Nate Schmidt when he was given a similar suspension a year prior.
Obviously waivers isn’t necessarily an end to the relationship, but it does show that the team is willing to risk losing Zykov to another team and go with the group they currently have. The 24-year old forward has played in just 47 games at the NHL level but does have 15 points, including two assists earlier this year in the seven games he played before getting suspended.
Dylan McIlrath Placed On Waivers
Wednesday: McIlrath has cleared, but according to Ansar Khan of MLive will be staying with the Red Wings for the time being. Given Mike Green is not ready to play, McIlrath will be in the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tuesday: The Detroit Red Wings have placed Dylan McIlrath on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. McIlrath cleared waivers before the season began but needed them again after playing in ten games for the Red Wings.
McIlrath, 27, was selected tenth overall in 2010 but never has lived up to his prospect billing as a shutdown defenseman in the NHL. The 6’5″ behemoth has now bounced around through a few organizations and has just 60 NHL games under his belt.
It seems extremely unlikely that he will be claimed at this point in his career, especially because he comes on a two-year contract. The Red Wings signed McIlrath to the extension in May, keeping him in the organization through the 2020-21 season on a two-way deal.
John Gilmour Placed On Waivers
Saturday: Gilmour has cleared waivers, the Sabres have reported. He has been assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. With a roster spot open, head coach Ralph Krueger stated that Bogosian is likely to re-join the team this weekend.
Friday: The Buffalo Sabres have decided to place John Gilmour on waivers. The move likely precedes the return of Zach Bogosian, and is the first to start clearing the log jam of defenders on the Buffalo roster.
Gilmour, 26, has played just four games this season for the Sabres, his first after signing a one-year, $700K contract with them in the offseason. The left-handed defenseman spent the first three seasons of his NHL career with the New York Rangers, but after failing to become a full-time player with them qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency.
A member of the 2015 Providence College team that took home the National Championship, Gilmour was actually a relatively high profile college free agent when he first signed with the Rangers. Originally selected in the seventh round by the Calgary Flames, he never signed with them and instead took his talents to New York.
The Sabres have a huge number of defensemen ready to contribute at the NHL level, a group that they’ve been trying to deal from for some time. Looking for a forward to help kickstart their offense, the team will try to slip Gilmour through the cracks to open up a spot on the roster.
Mario Kempe Placed On Unconditional Waivers
Wednesday: Kempe has cleared waivers.
Tuesday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Los Angeles Kings have placed Mario Kempe (no, not Adrian Kempe) on unconditional waivers, a move that usually precedes a mutual contract termination. Kempe has played 16 games with the Ontario Reign this season, scoring 11 points. He is expected to sign in the KHL, with Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reporting that he has been in talks with Omsk Avangard.
The 31-year old Kempe returned to North America in 2017 after spending several years back in Sweden and the KHL, signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes. He ended up playing very well for their minor league affiliate and earned himself 70 games of NHL action over two seasons with the organization, before signing with the Kings in the summer.
Though losing him may be hard on his brother, the Kings aren’t really giving up much by letting Kempe head back overseas. The organization is in a rebuild and needs room in the minor leagues for their young prospects, and obviously weren’t going to give a real opportunity to him at the NHL level.
Technically, Kempe will become an unrestricted free agent and could sign with another NHL team, though that doesn’t seem likely at this point.
Cory Schneider Placed On Waivers
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
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
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.