Training Camp Cuts: 10/9/16
With the opening roster deadline now barely 48 hours away, teams will be making their final cuts in the near future. Here are today’s cuts:
Arizona Coyotes (via Bob McKenzie):
RW Stefan Fournier (on waivers for purposes of AHL assignment)
G Justin Peters (on waivers for purposes of AHL assignment)
Calgary Flames (via team Twitter):
LW Lauri Korpikoski (released from PTO)
(Per The Fan960’s Pat Steinberg, head coach Glen Gulutzan noted that Korpikoski was released to pursue an opportunity with another team.)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):
D Dillon Fournier (assigned to Rockford, AHL)
D Ville Pokka (assigned to Rockford, AHL)
D Viktor Svedberg (assigned to Rockford, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team Twitter):
RW Justin Fontaine (released from PTO)
D Julius Honka (assigned to Texas, AHL)
C Gemel Smith (assigned to Texas, AHL)
League Notes: Ovechkin, Olympics, Las Vegas, Gudas
Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is standing by his star player, pledging his support for Alex Ovechkin and his commitment to playing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, regardless of whether the NHL plans to participate. Ovechkin has officially stated that he plans to suit up for Russia in the next Olympics, with or without his NHL peers playing alongside him. In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt, Leonsis said that he hopes the NHL and IOC can come to an agreement on the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but if they can’t, he is okay with Ovechkin or any of his players choosing to participate:
“The Olympics are incredibly meaningful to Alex and his family. So my commitment to them was, I will always do what’s in Alex’s best interest, and I said it 10 years ago, I’ll say it today: If Alex Ovechkin says this is really important to me to go represent and play for my country, I’m going to support him. What’s the worst that could happen? We’ll get fined or something. I hope it doesn’t get to that. But I’ve got to have my captain’s back, and I will.”
The IOC has given the league until January to make a decision on their participation, and with the pressure or high profile players and now an owner in Washington fighting for inclusion, the NHL may have to bite the bullet and commit to the 2018 Games. With Beijing, China and potentially Calgary or Salt Lake City after that as the two Winter Olympics following Pyeongchang, continued NHL participation seems likely, but skipping South Korea continues to be an option for the NHL. However, if many players plan to go regardless in 2018, the league may as well stay the course as Olympic participants.
Other news around the league:
- The Las Vegas expansion franchise is set to finally reveal it’s name to the world on November 11th, according to NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika. Owner Bill Foley shared that the name has indeed been chosen, as has the logo, and the team’s colors are in the final stages of becoming official as well. Everything will be made public in about a month, as Las Vegas will truly begin to transform from an idea to reality. It was previously reported that the team will likely take up either Golden Knights, Silver Knights, or Desert Knights, but with all the secretive strategy that has surrounded the process, don’t be surprised if another moniker is revealed on 11/11.
- The NHL is reviewing a high, late hit on Bruins roster-hopeful Austin Czarnik in last night’s preseason finale between Boston and Philadelphia by, who else, Radko Gudas. This is the second time already this preseason that Gudas has had a bad hit along the boards reviewed, the first being on Ranger’s rookie Jimmy Vesey. This time though, Gudas seems more likely to be punished by the league, as Czarnik took a shoulder to the face well after he had passed the puck, and was forced to leave the game because of the hit. Bruins coach Claude Julien was especially critical of the hit, saying that “this seems to be happening to (Gudas) every game”. With a strong stance by one the league’s most well-respected coaches adding fuel to the fire, expect Gudas to miss some time and miss quite a few dollars after a decision is handed down this time. The Department of Player Safety offered him an in-person hearing (which allows for a suspension of five or more games) but he declined and will have a telephone hearing on Monday (Twitter links).
Training Camp Cuts: 10/8/16
Opening night is just a few days away and teams are quickly finalizing their rosters in advance of the regular season. With announcement likely coming throughout the day in a steady stream, we’ll track all of the day’s cuts here.
Anaheim Ducks (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports)
G Dustin Tokarski (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via Craig Morgan)
D Anthony DeAngelo (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
C Christian Fischer (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
RW Stefan Fournier (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
D Dakota Mermis (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
G Justin Peters (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
G Linus Ullmark (Assigned to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
RW Garnet Hathaway (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G David Rittich (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Hunter Shinkaruk (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
C Patrick Brown (Assigned to Charlotte, AHL)
LW Brock McGinn (Assigned to Charlotte, AHL)
C Derek Ryan (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports)
D Duncan Siemens (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to San Antonio, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports)
D Brian Lashoff (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Eric Tangradi (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Martin Frk (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Nick Jensen (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Mitch Callahan (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports and team release)
C Landon Ferraro (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Chicago, AHL)
D Petteri Lindbohm (Assigned to Chicago, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
C Paul Carey (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hersehy, AHL)
RW Stanislav Galiev (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hershey, AHL)
C/LW Brad Malone (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hershey, AHL)
RW Christian Thomas (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hershey, AHL)
Capitals Reach Four-Year Extension With Hershey
According to a team release, the Washington Capitals have reached a four-year extension with the Hershey Bears, to keep the team’s AHL affiliate in the chocolate capital. The team will play through the 2019-20 season.
In Hershey, the Capitals have one of the best organizations in the AHL. The Bears have reached the post-season in 10 of their 11 seasons as the Washington affiliate, including Calder Cup championships in 2006, 2009 and 2010. They also went to the finals just last season where they would eventually lose to the Lake Erie (now Cleveland) Monsters.
With the stability, the Capitals can continue their pipeline of talent, one remeniscint of past Red Wings teams. Many of the Caps’ players have spent time in the AHL, including Vezina trophy winner Braden Holtby and defensive stud John Carlson.
Led by Chris Bourque, who scored 80 points to lead the team last season, the Bears were first in AHL attendance once again (their 10th consecutive season as such), drawing close to 400,000 fans in 2015-16. Once again they will be a powerhouse in the league and continue to develop young players for the Capitals for the next few years.
Training Camp Cuts: 10.05.16
We’re now a week away from the beginning of the NHL regular season. Teams are getting closer to their final rosters, and with that comes more cuts.
Here are the cuts made on October 5, 2016:
Carolina Hurricanes (via General Fanager):
G Michael Leighton (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Keegan Lowe (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
C Brody Sutter (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Tennyson (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
LW Brendan Woods (on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):
D Keith Aulie (released from PTO)
D Marc-Andre Bergeron (released from PTO)
RW Mike Brown (released from PTO)
C Jarret Stoll (released from PTO)
RW Daniel Zaar (assigned to Cleveland, AHL)
Training Camp Cuts: 10-04-2016
Camps continue to trim down as the deadline of October 11th approaches. Here is where we’ll keep track of all the cuts.
Calgary Flames (via team release):
D Kenney Morrison (to Stockton, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):
LW Spencer Abbott (to Rockford, AHL)
C Sam Carrick (to Rockford, AHL)
LW Pierre-Cedric Labrie (to Rockford, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Rockford, AHL)
D Viktor Svedberg (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):
D Dean Kukan (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Oleg Yevenko (to Cleveland, AHL)
RW Aaron Palushaj (to Cleveland, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via General Fanager):
G Edward Pasquale (on waivers, to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (via General Fanager):
D Zach Trotman (on waivers, to Ontario, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Pontus Aberg (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Anthony Richard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Yakov Trenin (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
D Samuel Girard (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
G Juuse Saros (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release):
F Blake Coleman (to Albany, AHL)
F Rod Pelley (to Albany, AHL)
F Blake Pietila (to Albany, AHL)
D Brandon Gormley (to Albany, AHL)
D Vojtech Mozik (to Albany, AHL)
D Karl Stollery (to Albany, AHL)
New York Rangers (via General Fanager):
D Chris Summers (on waivers, to Hartford, AHL)
D Tommy Hughes (on waivers, to Hartford, AHL)
F Chris Brown (on waivers, to Hartford, AHL)
D Mat Bodie (on waivers, to Hartford, AHL)
F Maxim Lapierre (released)
Philadelphia Flyers (via General Fanager):
RW Colin McDonald (on waivers, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release):
F Travis Boyd (to Hershey, AHL)
D Tyler Lewington (to Hershey, AHL)
F Chandler Stephenson (to Hershey, AHL)
LW Nathan Walker (to Hershey, AHL)
RW Garrett Mitchell (on waivers, to Hershey, AHL)
D Darren Dietz (on waivers, to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release):
F JC Lipon (on waivers, to Manitoba, AHL)
D Brenden Kichton (on waivers, to Manitoba, AHL)
F Quinton Howden (on waivers, to Manitoba, AHL)
G Eric Comrie (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Kevin Czuczman (to Manitoba, AHL)
RW Scott Kosmachuk (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jan Kostalek (to Manitoba, AHL)
C Jack Roslovic (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Logan Stanley (to Windsor, OHL)
Injury Notes: Duchene, Andersen, Johansson, Wilson
Colorado forward Matt Duchene played through a separated shoulder for Team Canada at the recently completed World Cup of Hockey, writes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. The injury was sustained on September 13th, four days before the opening round of the tournament.
Duchene noted to reporters that it was a Grade One separation which equates to a small displacement of the joint. He practiced with the Avalanche for the first time today since returning from the tournament and while it doesn’t sound like he is fully healed, he isn’t likely to miss any time from it either:
“It’s better. It’s a little stiff in the mornings, but once I get warmed up, I don’t feel it. Obviously, the first time you go out, you’re a little tentative on it, but after that, it’s just fine. I feel good.”
After a discussion with new head coach Jared Bednar, Duchene expects to start the season on the right wing but wouldn’t be surprised if he still spends time at center, his natural position.
[Related: Avalanche Depth Chart]
Other injury news from around the league:
- After suffering an upper body injury while representing Denmark at the Olympic Qualifying tournament last month, Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen will make his preseason debut with the team on Tuesday night, reports the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan. Head coach Mike Babcock wouldn’t confirm how much action he’ll see but noted that Andersen will play at least one period. The Leafs acquired the 27 year old netminder from Anaheim back in June for first and second round draft picks and immediately signed him to a five year, $25MM contract. Assuming there are no setbacks tomorrow, he should be on pace to start the season next week.
- Capitals winger Marcus Johansson skated on his own before practice today but is expected to miss a few days, notes Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. He suffered a lower body injury in Sunday’s preseason contest against the Islanders. In the same report, right winger Tom Wilson participated with limited contact at practice as he continues to recover from an upper body injury suffered last week.
Snapshots: Capitals, Matthews, Benn
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Washington Capitals have released two more players from camp this morning. Goalies Adam Carlson and Drew MacIntyre were both released back to Washington’s AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Drew MacIntyre was the more seasoned of the two, playing professionally since 2003-04. MacIntyre last played for Chicago’s AHL Rockford IceHogs, going 2-3-2 in eight games with a 3.03 GAA and an .895SV%. Neither goalie was expected to make the team—both were brought in to temporarily cover for World Cup playing Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer.
- 2016 first overall draft pick Auston Matthews is set to make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs have high expectations for Matthews after his impressive performance for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey. He scored 2G and 1A in 3 games and teamed up with last year’s number one pick Connor McDavid for highlight reel plays. Matthews is expected to center a line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman, reports the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan.
- Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn is expected to play the rest of the preseason, reports Mark Stepneski of the Dallas Stars’ official website. Benn underwent surgery this offseason to repair core muscles, and skipped the World Cup of Hockey to properly recuperate. He’s be at training camp this fall but has not played a preseason game yet. The Stars will be watching the game intently to gauge Benn’s recovery—he is the team’s most expensive asset after Benn signed an eight-year deal worth $9.5MM a year this summer.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/16
There were more training camp cuts today as teams continue to pare down their rosters. Here is today’s list of players that have been cut so far and where they have been assigned to:
Anaheim Ducks (Via Team Release)
D Josh Mahura (Red Deer, WHL)
RW Deven Sideroff (Kamloops, WHL)
C Tyler Soy (Victoria, WHL)
C Sam Steel (Regina, WHL)
Arizona Coyotes (Via Team Release)
D Brandon Burlon (Tuscon, AHL)
C Mark Olver (Tuscon, AHL)
C Matia Marcantuoni (Tuscon, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (Via Team Release)
C Janne Kuokkanen (London, OHL)
C Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
World Cup Notes: Forsberg, Datsyuk, Marchand
When the Washington Capitals traded away Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat in an attempt at the Stanley Cup a few years ago, they gave away one of the games most dynamic young players – one that has developed into a legitimate goal-scoring threat from anywhere on the ice. They also lost their chance at having Forsberg potentially skate alongside Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin. It would likely have been an unstoppable offensive trio, and Backstrom said as much today when speaking with Dan Rosen of NHL.com:
He reminds me of playing with Alex with his quick release. He loves shooting the puck. He loves to go to the net. He loves creating stuff. In that way he reminds me of Ovi.
Forsberg, who has already scored 60 goals in his brief NHL career, has a long way to go to catch one of the all-time great goal scoring wingers but even without 50-per-season he’ll be an elite player. Swedish defenders like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm, all excellent players in their own right, agree that Forsberg is one player you can’t give much space. Had he stayed in Washington, playing with Backstrom and Ovechkin would have afforded him that room.
- Pavel Datsyuk took the ice at team Russia’s morning skate prior to their evening matchup against Canada, but will still be a game-time decision. He didn’t take part in the entire practice, instead doing some skating at center ice by himself. He sat out the Russian’s final round-robin game against Finland with a “lower-body injury”, and hasn’t been the same dynamic force he used to be.
- Always known for a good soundbite, Drew Doughty told reporters “that’s a bonus, that’s for sure” in regards to missing the first part of Kings camp due to the World Cup. While the players remaining won’t get to practice with their squads for at least a few more days, the work they’ve put in with and against the best players in the world should be more than enough to get them ready for the season. The only worry is injuries, like the one suffered by Matt Murray which will now keep him out 3-6 weeks.
- In his latest column, AP’s Stephen Whyno speculates that Brad Marchand may be a top target for the Pittsburgh Penguins if he reaches free agency next summer, due to the growing chemistry between the Boston winger and his Team Canada center Sidney Crosby. The two have scored seven points in three games and look like they are a natural fit together on the ice. Fitting Marchand into their salary structure may prove difficult however, if Marchand can duplicate his outstanding 37-goal campaign from a year ago.