With AHL training camps getting underway, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:
Florida Panthers
F Anthony Greco
D Ian McCoshen
G Chris Driedger
New York Rangers
Winnipeg Jets
Jets Rumors
Training Camp Cuts: 09/25/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Boston Bruins (per team release)
F Jakub Lauko (to Providence, AHL)
D Josiah Didier (to Providence, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
F Ty Dellandrea (to Flint, OHL)
F Joel Kiviranta (to Texas, AHL)
F Joel L’Esperance (to Texas, AHL)
G Landon Bow (to Texas, AHL)
G Jake Oettinger (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Alec Regula (to London, OHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
D Evan Bouchard (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Shane Starrett (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
F Troy Brouwer (released from PTO)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Riley Barber (to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
D Julian Melchiori (to Binghamton, AHL)
New York Islanders (per team release)
F Kieffer Bellows (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Arnaud Durandeau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Scott Eansor (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Ryan Hitchcock (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Mason Jobst (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Otto Koivula (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Jeff Kubiak (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Kyle MacLean (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Nick Schilkey (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F John Stevens (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Sebastian Aho (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Grant Hutton (to Bridgeport, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to Hartford, AHL)
F Tarmo Reunanen (to Hartford, AHL)
G Adam Huska (to Hartford, AHL)
D Matthew Robertson (to Edmonton, WHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
F Alexander True (to San Jose, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colt Conrad (to Toronto, AHL)
D Joseph Duszak (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell (to Toronto, AHL)
D Jesper Lindgren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Kristians Rubins (to Toronto, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Alexander Alexeyev (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
F Skylar McKenzie (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jansen Harkins (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Jonathan Kovacevic (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Luke Green (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Mikhail Berdin (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
F Emile Poirier (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
F Cole Maier (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
D Jacob Cederholm (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
G Adam Carlson (released from tryout, will report to AHL camp)
F Seth Griffith (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Logan Shaw (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
Latest On Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
After the Tampa Bay Lightning signed Brayden Point to a three-year deal earlier today, fans in Calgary, Winnipeg and Colorado may have received a boost of hope that their own restricted free agent standoffs would be resolved soon. Not so for the Jets apparently, as both Bob McKenzie of TSN and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) report that things aren’t close with Kyle Connor. Connor’s agent Rich Evans told LeBrun that any speculation that the two sides are close to a deal is “just not true.”
Connor, 22, was considered a more straightforward RFA negotiation than teammate Patrik Laine by many thanks to his consistent production through the first two-plus years of his NHL career, but things have obviously not progressed as quickly as expected. The 17th overall pick from 2015 has 65 goals over the last two seasons and is an extremely important part of the Jets’ offense, but is now at risk of missing all of training camp and perhaps even the start of the regular season.
While Connor would likely not command the near $11MM cap hit that Mitch Marner pulled in on a six-year term, he also wouldn’t come cheap for the Jets if they were buying out unrestricted free agent years. That puts the team in a bit of a pickle given the uncertainty around their cap situation right now. Not knowing what Laine will come in at and with no decision yet on Dustin Byfuglien’s playing career, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is in a tough negotiating position. If they knew for sure that Byfuglien wouldn’t come back at some point they might be able to reach a little further into their pocketbooks for Connor and Laine, but right now he’s holding $7.4MM in cap space hostage. Suspended by the team, Byfuglien’s deal is currently not counted towards the cap ceiling, but that would change if he returned.
LeBrun also notes that things get even trickier for the Jets (and Flames too) if these negotiations last into the season. While the daily cap charge on a multi-year contract doesn’t change if signed in-season, the year-long charge does as we saw with William Nylander last year. When the Toronto Maple Leafs finally signed Nylander at the end of November, his prorated annual cap hit for 2018-19 shot up to almost $10.3MM. Though there are CBA machinations to allow the Jets some flexibility when it comes to that increased hit, it still makes things more complicated once the season begins.
Central Notes: Tolvanen, Koivu, Chibisov
A few people were surprised when the Nashville Predators assigned top prospect Eeli Tolvanen to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL Sunday. Many believed with a solid training camp that Tolvanen was close to earning a full-time job with Nashville.
Nashville Post’s Michael Gallagher reported that it was a tough decision for Nashville staff, but with Tolvanen being waiver exempt and a team that is vying for a Stanley Cup, the team wasn’t ready to take a chance yet on Tolvanen, despite the progress he’s made since last year.
“He’s closer (to being NHL ready); let’s put it that way,” said Predators assistant coach Kevin McCarthy. “The biggest thing for him were the strides he’s made physically and coming in in better shape”
- The Minnesota Wild got good news on Saturday when injured forward Mikko Koivu returned to the ice and played in his first preseason game, playing 16:41 and showing that his season-ending injury is a thing of the past, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required). Koivu won 10 of 18 faceoffs and played 6:34 on the penalty kill, two key elements that Minnesota was lacking without him last season. “He did what we missed last year,” head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “He won faceoffs in our zone, he defended really well, he was responsible. For his first game in eight months, I thought that was really good.”
- In an early prediction of what the Winnipeg Jets opening day roster might look like, Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck writes that it looks like Russian forward Andrei Chibisov has already earned a spot on the fourth line and with restricted free agents Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor still holding out, Chibisov might be able to earn a spot on the team’s third line. The 26-year-old signed with Winnipeg this summer on a one-year, entry-level contract and can be an unrestricted free agent next season. He played in the KHL for five years already and scored seven goals and career-high 20 points last season for Magnitogorsk Metallurg.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/22/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Brayden Burke (to Tucson, AHL)
F Jan Jenik (to Hamilton, OHL)
F Nicholas Merkley (to Tucson, AHL)
G Ivan Prosevtov (to Tucson, AHL)
F Tyler Steenbergen (to Tucson, AHL)
Boston Bruins (per team release)
D Axel Andersson (to Providence, AHL)
F Samuel Asselin (to Providence, AHL)
D Christopher Breen (to Providence, AHL)
D Wiley Sherman (to Providence, AHL)
D Alexey Solovyev (to Providence, AHL)
F Brendan Woods (to Providence, AHL)
D Cooper Zech (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Eric Cornel (to Rochester, AHL)
F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kyle Olson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Kevin Porter (to Rochester, AHL)
F C.J. Smith (to Rochester, AHL)
D Jacob Bryson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)
D Brandon Hickey (to Rochester, AHL)
D Zach Redmond (to Rochester, AHL)
D Devante Stephens (to Rochester, AHL)
G Andrew Hammond (to Rochester, AHL)
G Michael Houser (to Rochester, AHL)
G Jonas Johansson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Arttu Ruotsalainen (to Ilves, Finland)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team tweet, late Saturday)
G Kevin Lankinen (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
D Mark Alt (requires waivers, to Colorado, AHL)
F Erik Condra (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Davis (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ty Lewis (to Colorado, AHL)
D Anton Lindholm (requires waivers, to Colorado, AHL)
D Nicolas Meloche (to Colorado, AHL)
D Peter Tischke (to Colorado, AHL)
G Adam Werner (to Colorado, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
G Matiss Kivlenieks (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL, pending waivers)
G Brad Thiessen (released from PTO, assigned to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (per team release)
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Texas, AHL)
D Emil Djuse (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
D Ben Gleason (to Texas, AHL)
D Dillon Heatherington (to Texas, AHL, pending waivers)
F Tanner Kero (to Texas, AHL, pending waivers)
F Adam Mascherin (to Texas, AHL)
F Riley Tufte (to Texas, AHL)
F Stefan Noesen (released from PTO)
F Scottie Upshall (released from PTO)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Mason Bergh (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
F Lance Bouma (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
D Daniel Brickley (to Ontario, AHL)
D Kale Clague (to Ontario, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (to Ontario, AHL)
F Mikey Eyssimont (to Ontario, AHL)
D Max Gottlieb (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
F Boko Imama (to Ontario, AHL)
G Cole Kehler (to Ontario, AHL)
F Matt Luff (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brad Morrison (to Ontario, AHL)
D Markus Phillips (to Ontario, AHL)
D Chaz Reddekopp (to Ontario, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Ontario, AHL)
F Drake Rymsha (to Ontario, AHL)
F Johan Sodergran (to Ontario, AHL)
D Ryan Stanton (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
D Austin Strand (to Ontario, AHL)
F Brett Sutter (released from PTO, assigned to Ontario, AHL)
G Matthew Villalta (to Ontario, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
D Frederic Allard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Ken Appleby (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Arvin Atwal (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Lukas Craggs (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jeremy Davies (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Brandon Fortunato (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Josh Healy (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Connor Ingram (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Tanner Jeannot (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Zach Magwood (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Thomas Novak (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mathieu Olivier (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Joe Pendenza (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Rem Pitlick (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Hugo Roy (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Scott Savage (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Cole Schneider (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Adam Smith (released from PTO, assigned to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Eeli Tolvanen (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Yakov Trenin (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Josh Wilkins (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
F Joey Anderson (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Evan Cormier (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brandon Gignac (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Ludvig Larsson (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Mikhail Maltsev (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Michael Paliotta (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Nikita Popugaev (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Binghamton, AHL)
G Gilles Senn (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Yegor Sharangovich (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colby Sissons (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Blake Speers (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Marion Studenic (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Colton White (to Binghamton, AHL)
F Fabian Zetterlund (to Binghamton, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release, late Saturday)
G Joey Daccord (to Belleville, AHL)
F Jonathan Davidsson (to Belleville, AHL)
D Andreas Englund (to Belleville, AHL)
F Alex Formenton (to Belleville, AHL)
G Filip Gustavsson (to Belleville, AHL)
F Morgan Klimchuk (to Belleville, AHL)
F Joseph Labate (to Belleville, AHL)
D Maxime Lajoie (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jordan Murray (to Belleville, AHL)
F Josh Norris (to Belleville, AHL)
F Max Veronneau (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman)
D T.J. Brennan (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Alex Lyon (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Nate Prosser (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Reece Willcox (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tyler Wotherspoon (cleared waivers, assigned to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Robby Jackson (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Mike Vecchione (to San Antonio, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ross Colton (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cory Conacher (cleared waivers, assigned to Syracuse, AHL)
F Nolan Foote (to Kelowna, WHL)
F Chris Mueller (cleared waivers, assigned to Syracuse, AHL)
F Otto Somppi (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Kristofers Bindulis (to Hershey, AHL)
F Tobias Geisser (to Hershey, AHL)
F Connor Hobbs (to Hershey, AHL)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (to Hershey, AHL)
F Bobby Nardella (to Hershey, AHL)
F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (per team tweet, late Saturday)
D Declan Chisholm (to Peterborough, OHL)
D Giovanni Vallati (to Oshawa, OHL)
Winnipeg Jets Suspend Dustin Byfuglien For Failing To Report
With a need to protect their roster and salary cap flexibility, the Winnipeg Jets have suspended defenseman Dustin Byfuglien for not reporting to camp, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. An expected move for the Jets, the team will lose his cap hit until the veteran blueliner reports.
McKenzie reports that the paperwork has been filed to suspend Byfuglien, but it can be reversed at any time. McKenzie adds that Byfuglien is aware of the Winnipeg transaction and it is just looked at as a formality as the team waits for the blueliner to decide on his future in the league. The 34-year-old asked Winnipeg at the start of training camp for a leave of absence although no reason was given. However, three days ago, it was revealed that the veteran was actually contemplating his future and retirement is certainly an option for him.
Injuries did play a part for Byfuglien last season as he dealt with a concussion amongst several injuries and only appeared 42 games last season. He has two years remaining on a five-year, $38MM contract that pays him $7.6MM per year. With the suspension in place, the team will not have his cap hit affect the team, which CapFriendly now projects at $23MM in available cap space. The team might need that money, however, as the team still has two key restricted free agents looking to sign, including Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. Both are asking for a major pay raise, which in theory, could now be paid out with the available cap space the Byfuglien has given the team.
Of course, Byfuglien could opt to return at any point and then the Jets would have to lift their suspension and then would be responsible for fitting that $7.6MM into their cap.
Latest On Patrik Laine, Mikko Rantanen
When the Mitch Marner saga came to an end, some believed that it would move along some of the other restricted free agent negotiations around the league. That may not be the case for two Finnish forwards, who are currently training overseas. Mikko Rantanen and Patrik Laine are both practicing with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, and don’t appear close to new deals with the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets respectively. In fact, their agent Mike Liut joined Sportsnet radio this morning and talked about the negotiations, bluntly stating that they’re “not close” on either player. Liut went on to draw comparisons for one of his clients to Marner:
I think that Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen are probably the two closest comparables in terms of how they play the game. Where you have wingers that are adept at creating offense for those that they’re playing with. They do it maybe a little bit differently. Mikko’s 225 (lbs) and Mitch is not, but Mitch is a carrier and a great player. The Leafs have really looked into the future. You’re going to have a salary cap at $81.5MM, there’s no growth factor, one half of one percent. History has shown what the league does on a year-over-year basis, it’s going to 2.5% revenue growth.
Your top line, your top three players whether they’re defensemen or forwards are going to be in that range that the Leafs have created.
Liut also discussed how teams are going to have to roll through players on a more constant basis in order to keep their top players paid. Laine and Rantanen both certainly want to be compensated like top players, and it’s easy to see why. Laine has scored 110 goals in his three-year career, one of the highest rates in the league thanks to his incredible shot and ability to float away from traffic at the right time. Though his overall point totals declined sharply last season, goal-scorers are rewarded handsomely in the NHL and Laine should be no different.
Rantanen meanwhile has become one of the most impressive offensive players in the league, recording 171 points over the last two seasons. While some of that is because of his time with Nathan MacKinnon, there’s no doubting Rantanen’s talent. The tenth overall pick from 2015, Rantanen stands 6’4″ but has the puck skills and playmaking ability often associated with much smaller players. Even in the playoffs where young players often struggle, the Colorado forward led his club with 14 points in 12 games and was a force on the ice on almost every shift. If his camp truly sees a direct comparison to Marner, they must be looking for a pretty big raise. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward recently signed a six-year deal worth more than $65MM, putting him among the top handful of salaries ($10.893MM AAV) in the NHL.
While both are practicing overseas at the moment, Liut downplayed the idea that either one would sign with a European club even if the contract included an NHL-out clause. That should settle some nerves in Colorado and Winnipeg, but if contracts aren’t close at this point there should be real concern that the Finns will miss a good chunk of training camp or perhaps even the start of the regular season.
Dustin Byfuglien Contemplating NHL Future
When the Winnipeg Jets announced recently that Dustin Byfuglien was taking a leave of absence from the team but it was not due to injury, eyebrows raised all around the league. Support poured out for whatever Byfuglien was dealing with, hoping that it would not affect his playing status for this year. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, it might. McKenzie reports that the Winnipeg Jets defender is “using the time to ponder his NHL future” and explained there is no timetable for a decision.
Byfuglien is currently on the fourth of a five-year contract and is set to earn $8MM this season and $6MM next, all in salary. Retirement would forfeit all of that and remove one of the Jets’ most consistent defensemen from the team right before they are expected to contend for the Stanley Cup again. Winnipeg has already seen Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot leave through various methods this summer, meaning a loss of Byfuglien would sting even more.
Of course, there is also a potential silver lining for the Jets, who are still without Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor as they negotiate new contracts. The team doesn’t have a ton of cap space to fit the pair in if they wanted to go for long-term contracts, a problem that would be alleviated if Byfuglien retired. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic also suggests that the team could then pursue either Rasmus Ristolainin or Justin Faulk in trade to try and replace some of what Byfuglien brings, though that is just speculation at this point.
Central Notes: Spurgeon, Koivu, Thomas, Avalanche, Copp
The Minnesota Wild announced earlier today they signed Jared Spurgeon to a seven-year, $53MM extension that will kick in during the 2020-21 season. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Spurgeon’s deal has a no movement clause this year as well as the first four years of the first contract. After that, Spurgeon has a 10-team modified no-trade clause for the final three years, which will kick in during the 2024-25 season.
- Sticking with the Wild, Minnesota got some good news about injured forward Mikko Koivu, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL back in February. The 36-year-old, who was expected to be eased back into practices and scrimmages in training camp, told coach Bruce Boudreau that he’s ready and is expected to participate in scrimmages on Monday, according to StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan. Koivu was cleared for practice on Thursday, but now looks like he’s ready for full play. He scored eight goals and 29 points in 47 games last season before going down with the knee injury.
- NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that the St. Louis Blues have been without forward Robert Thomas for a second straight day as he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a tendon in his left wrist. He and Jordan Kyrou, out with a knee injury, are expected to be brought back slowly from their injuries. “We’ve got them in that third group right now,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve got to be a little cautious with them right now.”
- BSN Denver’s A.J. Haefele writes that Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar had quite a few positive to point out after Day 2 of training camp. Bednar pointed out quite a bit of improvement in the play of winger Andre Burakovsky and the standout play of A.J. Greer and the impressive leaderships skills of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. He also said that he believes that the next step for defenseman Samuel Girard is his offensive game. The 21-year-old scored four goals and 27 points last season. While both were career highs, Bednar would like to see those numbers rise this season.
- The Athletic’s Ken Wiebe reports that the Winnipeg Jets are without a few player at the moment. The team has been without forward Andrew Copp due to a minor groin injury, while Kristian Vesalainen and Sami Niku were stiff Saturday after being in a fender-bender on Friday. They should return soon.
Patrik Laine To Skate With SC Bern
Jets winger Patrik Laine will soon be beginning his training camp but it won’t be in Winnipeg. Vili Pesu of Ilta-Sanomat in Finland reports that Laine will soon begin skating with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA; head coach Kari Jalonen indicated that it would be on a week-to-week basis. Laine is coming off an intriguing season; while he had 18 goals in the month of November alone, he also only had a dozen tallies the rest of the season. As a result, a short-term bridge deal has been the expectation for a while but it appears that there is still a ways to go to get an agreement in place. While Laine will be practicing with Bern, he will not be participating in any games while he’s with them.