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Minor Transactions: 01/13/21

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While many players spent the day preparing to finally return to play, some for the first time in close to a year, while some awaited the final cuts of training camp and assignments to the minors or taxi squad, others still were involved in different transactions. The NHL season getting started is the dominant headline, but  other pro and junior leagues are already underway and  there were plenty of moves to be made involving former and current NHL players and prospects alike:

  • While oldest brother Jamie has seemingly called it a career after more than 600 NHL games and youngest brother Brock was a lock to make the Carolina Hurricanes roster for a sixth consecutive year, middle child Tye McGinn is of course the odd man out. While the 30-year-old forward has not played on an NHL contract since  2017-18, he has remained a force in the minors on AHL contracts. However, whether he was unable to find another minor league deal or simply unsatisfied with doing so yet again, McGinn is on the move overseas. McGinn has signed a one-year deal with the Fischtown Pinguins of Germany’s DEL, the team announced. Fischtown was a playoff team last year and is off to a good start through six games, but the roster is largely devoid of North American experience and McGinn should step into a core role right away.
  • Fellow former NHL forward Landon Ferraro is also on the move in Germany. After suiting up for the DEL’s Eisbaren Berlin last year, Ferraro has been playing for the second-tier Lowen Frankfurt so far this season. However, with the top level back in action, Ferraro has secured a new contract with Kolner Haie, the club announced. The Cologne-based team includes a number of NHL veterans and should be a top contender in the DEL this year.
  • Back across the Atlantic, the AHL’s Binghamton Devils have signed AHL veteran Cameron Darcy to a one-year deal. The former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect spent last season with the San Antonio Rampage, recording 18 points in 45 games. The two-way center is entering his sixth pro campaign and will play in his 250th AHL game in his season debut.
  • Jack and Nick Poehling, the twin brothers of Montreal Canadiens top prospect Ryan Poehling, are on their way to AHL training camp after being recalled by the Ontario Reign. The duo left St. Cloud State University last spring after four seasons, one year after Ryan’s early departure, and signed a one-year deal with the Reign, AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. However, given the AHL’s delayed start, they got their pro careers started on loan to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits. While the Poehling brothers are no Sedin twins, they were top scorers for a strong St. Cloud program in their senior year and could make an impact for Ontario this season.

Several Players Claimed Off Waivers

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With the sheer number of players on waivers yesterday, you could bet at least a couple would be claimed by teams in need of added depth. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Carolina Hurricanes have claimed Anton Forsberg (EDM), the San Jose Sharks have claimed Rudolfs Balcers (OTT), the New Jersey Devils have claimed Eric Comrie (WPG) and the Nashville Predators have claimed Luca Sbisa (WPG). The rest of the 100+ players have all cleared.

Forsberg, 28, returns to the organization he played for last season, an interesting move given the Hurricanes did not re-sign him in the offseason. The veteran goaltender has spent time with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks as well but has been limited to minor league duty for most of the past two years. In 2019-20 he played three games for the Hurricanes, posting an .897 save percentage. In the minor leagues, he had a .905. Forsberg will likely serve as the team’s third goaltender this season but would have to clear waivers in order to go to the taxi squad. Perhaps the team believes they can slip him through in a few days after carrying three goaltenders for the first part of the season.

The Oilers now must find another option for their own taxi squad, though Dylan Wells or Stuart Skinner could fill that role for the time being. Both goaltenders are waiver-exempt, though they were destined to fill the net in the minor leagues this season. The Hurricanes did put Alex Nedeljkovic on waivers today, though with the complicated salary cap dance the Oilers are performing they may not be able to fit him in on the NHL roster at this point.

Balcers, 23, is also rejoining a familiar organization, heading back to the team that drafted him in 2015. The young Latvian forward was part of the Erik Karlsson deal in 2018 and has played 51 games for the Senators over the last two seasons. His name was a surprising one on waivers yesterday, given how well he has played in the minor leagues so far in his short career. Balcers has 115 points in 143 career AHL games, including 56 goals. For a team still just barely turning the corner on a rebuild, it’s hard to watch a young prospect disappear for nothing.

Where he fits into the San Jose lineup isn’t clear at all, but Balcers is worth a claim if you believe that he can still become a regular in the NHL. The Sharks need young talent as badly as anyone.

Comrie becomes the answer in New Jersey, where the Devils suddenly lost Corey Crawford to retirement and needed some depth at the goaltending position. Whether he can actually help them at the NHL level is still to be determined, given the 25-year-old goaltender has just an .868 save percentage in eight career games. Comrie has been an excellent option for the Manitoba Moose however, including posting a .918 save percentage last season after returning to the Jets organization (he was claimed by Arizona, traded to Detroit, and then claimed back by the Jets all in the span of a few months during the 2019-20 season).

Sbisa is an interesting one, given his long history at the NHL level. The 30-year-old defenseman has played in 548 games over a long career, including 44 last season with the Jets. As we wrote last month, the Predators were in dire need of another depth defenseman if only to provide some injury insurance this season and they’ve now found just the player. Sbisa can come in and out for them whenever needed but costs very little with an $800K contract. Still, Jarred Tinordi may end up the casualty here, though it seems likely he would clear waivers if necessary.

San Jose Sharks Sign Fredrik Claesson To One-Year Deal

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Jan 11: The Sharks have officially announced the Claesson contract, while also placing him on waivers earlier today. GM Doug Wilson released a short statement:

Fredrik is a strong defensive player who has the ability to shut down the opposition quickly. His NHL experience provides value to our organization’s defensive depth. We are happy to have him.

Jan 10: The San Jose Sharks have added some depth on their defense, signing free agent Fredrik Claesson to a one-year, two-way contract, according to CapFriendly. The deal includes a $700K NHL salary as well as $200K in the AHL, although $300K is guaranteed.

The 28-year-old Claesson has spent quite a bit of time in the NHL, having appeared already in 155 contests, but will be joining his fifth franchise already, including four teams in the last two years. A talented player, known for his hard slapshot, Claesson played 113 games with the Ottawa Senators, the team who drafted him, but due to defensive concerns, the team opted not to offer him a qualifying offer. He signed with the New York Rangers in July 2018 and played 37 games for them, but also wasn’t given a qualifying offer. He then signed with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, but never played for the NHL squad. He was traded at the trade deadline to the New Jersey Devils in the Sami Vatanen deal and played five games for New Jersey before play was suspended. The Devils did not bring him back.

Claesson’s addition could suggest that the team needs depth in their system. Top-four defenseman Radim Simek said several days ago that his knee continues to hurt from last season. The addition of Claesson would suggest the Sharks are worried about Simek and hope that Claesson can fill a void in their system. If Simek goes down for any time, it’s likely that second-year defenseman Mario Ferraro would move up into the top-four, opening a spot on the third pairing, where Claesson would at least get a shot.

New Jersey Devils Sign Jesper Bratt To Two-Year Deal

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It took a bit longer than everyone hoped for the two sides to find common ground, but the New Jersey Devils announced they have signed restricted free agent Jesper Bratt to a two-year, $5.5MM deal, with a $2.75 AAV. With the start of the season days away, Bratt will miss at least the first three games of the season as he now must apply for a work visa, travel from Sweden to New Jersey and then quarantine for seven days before he can join the team.

The breakdown of the deal is as follows (via Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta):

2020-21: $2,050,000
2021-22: $3,450,000

Bratt, 22, will still be a restricted free agent when this two-year deal expires, but the forward will then have arbitration rights, something he didn’t have here, which is what forced the holdout.

It’s a big signing for the Devils, who are putting together quite a bit of talent on their top-six. Bratt is a key piece to their youth movement. He put up solid numbers last year, scoring a career-high 16 goals and 32 points in 60 games and could be ready to take that next step. He led the team with 15 even-strength goals last season and didn’t spend much time on the power play, something that could change this year. Bratt was a sixth-round pick in 2016, but needed just one year before surprising many when he made the Devils’ roster for the 2017-18 season as a 19 year old, scoring 13 goals in his rookie campaign. His numbers dipped a bit in his sophomore year, but now is beginning to look like a key piece to the Devils’ rebuild.

With Bratt signed, there are only four remaining RFA’s unsigned, including Winnipeg’s Jack Roslovic, New York Islanders’ Dmytro Timashov and Florida’s duo of Henrik Borgstrom and Aleksi Saarela. The deadline for RFA’s to sign for this year is Feb. 11.

NHL beat writer Brennan Klak was the first to report the signing.

East Notes: Zibanejad, Islanders, Devils, Voracek, Marchand

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The New York Rangers have been trending upwards as they look forward to the upcoming season. However, one troubling aspect of training camp is the fact that their team leader and MVP Mika Zibanejad has missed the entirety of training camp with no explanation for his absence (standard league policy).

However, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that Zibanejad did skate Saturday before the team’s practice, suggesting he might be close to returning to the team. Head coach David Quinn said that Zibanejad has “had a couple of good days.”

The 27-year-old center had a breakout season last year, scoring 41 goals in 57 games and will be looked upon to lead the team once again.

  • The New York Islanders and general manager Lou Lamoriello signed Mathew Barzal to a three-year deal early Saturday, but there was hope that the two sides could agree to a six-year pact instead, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required). The two sides were discussing a deal similar to the six-year, $9.25MM contract that Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen signed last year, but the Islanders could not make that work. The hope was the team could unload the contracts of Leo Komarov and/or Thomas Hickey to free up the necessary cap room, but no team was willing to take either contract.
  • The New Jersey Devils could be looking the trade route to fill its backup goaltending spot on the roster after veteran Corey Crawford announced his retirement. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that they might be looking towards the Arizona Coyotes, who have quite a bit of goaltending depth, including Adin Hill, who Arizona would have to pass through waivers to get on the taxi squad. That could give New Jersey a chance to trade for Antti Raanta, who is in the last year of his contract and is earning $4.25MM.
  • Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault is completely focused on a long playoff run this season and has sent a message to veteran Jakub Voracek, who was moved off the first-team power play in practice and was told to step up, according to Philadelphia Enquirer’s Marcus Hayes. Voracek scored just 12 goals during the regular season, but especially struggled during the Flyers’ seven-game playoff series against the New York Islanders in which he had just one point. “I talked to Jake about this. I challenged him about this season. There’s a man who’s been in the league for a long time,” Vigneault said. “Basically, he’s won two playoff rounds.” Other young players are ready to take bigger roles on the team, including Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick and Joel Farabee, which could put even more pressure on Voracek.
  • Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who is coming off sports hernia surgery, left practice early Sunday, according to Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. The 32-year-old was given a four-month recovery window in September, but Marchand returned early from that prognosis. While there is no word on why he left practice early, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he was getting treatment and doesn’t believe the injury is serious. He is a game-time decision for Monday’s scrimmage.

Minor Transactions: 1/9/21

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With NHL training camps nearing their completion, unsigned players are now facing a crunch to find a place to play for the rest of the year, whether it’s in North America or overseas.  We’ll keep track of any players who find a new home here.

  • New Jersey’s farm team in Binghamton announced the signings of wingers Danick Martel and Travis St. Denis plus goaltender Jeremy Brodeur to one-year, AHL contracts. Martel split last season between Tampa Bay and Florida’s farms, notching 20 goals and 19 assists in 60 games.  He has 13 career games of NHL experience under his belt.  Denis spent the last four years in the Islanders’ system, tallying 136 points in 259 games in that span.  As for Brodeur, who is the son of Hall of Famer Martin, he split last year between the SPHL and Bulgaria and at this point, probably won’t play any higher than the ECHL level this coming season.
  • Winger Ryan Gropp has joined Vasterviks of the Allsvenskan in Sweden, per a team release. The 24-year-old played in 36 games last season with AHL Hartford, affiliate of the Rangers but it wasn’t enough to secure a qualifying offer as he was non-tendered by New York back in October.

Poll: How Should New Jersey Replace Corey Crawford?

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There has been no shortage of praise for young New Jersey Devils netminder Mackenzie Blackwood over the past two years. The 24-year-old goalie has already posted back-to-back seasons with a save percentage of .915 or better over a combined 70 appearances. Last year, he got the results to boot, recording a 2214-8 record – a .591 points percentage versus the Devils’ .493 points percentage on the year. Yet, New Jersey still went out and signed veteran keeper Corey Crawford to a substantial two-year deal this off-season. The move signaled that the Devils do not believe that Blackwood is ready to be a workhorse solo act just yet. So, now that Crawford has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team, what comes next for the Devils in net? New Jersey trusts Blackwood to carry the load in an emergency, but the club does not want to start off a fresh season already short-handed.

How should the Devils replace Crawford?

Internally

Although Crawford is currently gone, there is still no word as to the reasoning nor any projected timeline for his return. Rather than make a move, the Devils could simply look at their internal options to pair with Blackwood for the time being and hope that Crawford’s absence is not too lengthy. Veteran Scott Wedgewood made his return to New Jersey as a free agent this off-season and could be the top option to back up Blackwood as things currently stand. Wedgewood, 28, has 24 games of NHL experience with middling results. He also has considerable AHL experience, but after years as a top workhorse in the league, his numbers have tailed off of late. Wedgewood would be a safe choice given his familiarity with the NHL game, but lacks upside. On the flip side, there is Gilles Senn. Senn, 24, is only in his second season in North America, but already played two games with New Jersey last season. The Swiss wunderkind has been playing games at a top pro level as a teen as well. While he is not yet a polished product and is still adjusting to the competition level of the NHL and AHL, Senn is certainly not afraid of the pressure and is arguably the superior talent to Wedgewood. Evan Cormier, 23, struggled in the AHL and ECHL last year and is not a realistic candidate for an NHL job. So are Wedgewood and/or Senn enough? Or do the Devils need to look elsewhere?

Free Agency

The simplest way to add a goaltender to the mix would simply be to sign one. However, there are not many options to choose from. The top possibility maybe long-time Detroit Red Wing Jimmy Howard, simply because he is an established NHL goaltender and is not currently tied up in a PTO. Yet, there is a genuine question as to whether the sun has set on Howard’s career. Of the 57 NHL goalies who made at least 20 appearances last year, Howard finished dead last in both save percentage and goals against average. At 35, he may be done and not worth another look. However, 2019-20 did mark a steep drop-off in performance for Howard, who had remained a sold starter prior and was an elite keeper for Detroit as recently as 2016-17. So perhaps there is hope for another go-round for Howard.

A similar option to Howard, an aging vet whose play fell off considerably last season but has a long track record of success is Craig Anderson. The former Ottawa Senators starter is currently on a PTO with the Washington Capitals, though. Are the Devils willing to wait for the Capitals’ decision? And if so, is Anderson really much better than Howard, especially given his greater age and injury history?

Another option on a PTO, though expected to be released, is Scott Darling. Darling spent last season overseas, but is back in North America looking for an opportunity. When last he played in the NHL, Darling struggled greatly in two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. However, he was playing in the starter’s role at that time. Prior to Carolina, Darling was an incredibly effective backup – arguably the league’s best – in three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Could the possibility that he returns to form in a fallback role behind Blackwood combined with his familiarity with Crawford make him the top candidate?

Ex-Devil Cory Schneider is also awaiting the results of a PTO with the New York Islanders, but either way a reunion seems unlikely. Mike Condon is another option and while he has shown promise in the past, two straight horrendous seasons make it difficult to trust him. Zane McIntyre and Richard Bachman round out the list of uninspiring free agent options.

Trade/Waivers

Of course, the Devils have the best chance to find a more suitable backup in the much deeper pool of already-signed players. While they could go the direct route and pursue a trade, there are also going to be numerous strong options available on waivers in the coming days, including the Anaheim Ducks’ Anthony Stolarz who already hit the wire today. Here are some other trade and waivers possibilities:

Adin Hill, Arizona Coyotes
Dustin Tokarski, Buffalo Sabres
Louis Domingue, Calgary Flames
Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina Hurricanes
Calvin Pickard, Detroit Red Wings
Anton Forsberg, Edmonton Oilers
Andrew Hammond, Minnesota Wild
Charlie Lindgren, Montreal Canadiens
Keith Kinkaid, New York Rangers
Alex Lyon, Philadelphia Flyers
Jon Gillies, St. Louis Blues
Aaron Dell, Toronto Maple Leafs
Michael Hutchinson, Toronto Maple Leafs
Oscar Dansk, Vegas Golden Knights
Pheonix Copley, Washington Capitals
Eric Comrie, Winnipeg Jets

With some established NHL backups, plenty of intriguing young options, and even soma familiar faces like Kinkaid and Domingue, the Devils certainly have plenty to choose from. Do they feel the need to make a trade and give up assets? Or can they hold out for waivers? Or is all the uncertainty just too much for a situation that needs an immediate and clear solution?

Stand pat, scour the remnants of the open market, or make a move for a signed player? What do you think the Devils should do in light of the news of Crawford’s indefinite leave?

[mobile users vote here]

 

 

Corey Crawford To Take Indefinite Leave

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that goaltender Corey Crawford, who had already been absent from the last several days of training camp, will take an indefinite leave of absence from the club due to personal reasons.

Crawford, 36, signed a two-year, $7.8MM deal with the Devils in the offseason to become the partner and mentor for young Mackenzie Blackwood, who has shown starter-level promise in his short NHL career. The veteran netminder has spent his entire career to this point with the Chicago Blackhawks and actually had a nice bounce-back campaign in 2019-20. After dealing with lingering concussion issues, Crawford returned to post a .917 save percentage in 40 appearances last season.

There’s no information on why he is taking the leave or how long Crawford is expected to be away from the team. About as beloved of a teammate as you can find in the NHL, the entire hockey world is wishing him well.

The Devils will need to find a replacement goaltender for the time being and their depth chart isn’t exactly bursting with NHL options. Scott Wedgewood holds the most experience of the group with 24 NHL games, but hasn’t seen any time at that level since 2017-18. One suggestion from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is Scott Darling, who is expected to be released from his professional tryout with the Florida Panthers and would be an unrestricted free agent.

RFA Deadline Approaching Quickly

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In a normal season, even restricted free agents that miss all of training camp have plenty of time to sign. To be eligible to play, they must have a contract signed and filed with the league by December 1, nearly two months after a normal NHL season begins. Two years ago we saw a negotiation go down to the witching hour between the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander, with the young forward eventually signing a six-year, $45MM deal just before the deadline. Nylander was in the lineup by December 6, though he never seemed to get comfortable and ended up having arguably his worst season as a professional.

With a few notable restricted free agents still unsigned, now less than a week before the season begins, it’s important to note that they don’t have that two-month in-season window anymore. In fact, it’s less than a month between the start of the regular season and the RFA signing deadline of February 11 in this unique, shortened campaign.

That means for Jack Roslovic, Jesper Bratt, and, most importantly, Mathew Barzal, the clock is ticking. If they are not signed by that date, they cannot play this season at all.

In Roslovic’s case, the negotiations have led to a formal trade request. That doesn’t mean the only way he plays this season is with another team, but it certainly should inspire confidence that he’ll be inking a deal with the Winnipeg Jets anytime soon. The 23-year-old forward hasn’t gotten a ton of playing time in Winnipeg’s deep forward group but did generate 12 goals and 29 points last season in 71 games. Selected 25th overall in 2015 he obviously believes a change of scenery would be beneficial to his career, and it’s hard to argue that at this point given where he’ll still slot in on the Jets depth chart. If Winnipeg doesn’t give in or doesn’t receive an acceptable offer though, that signing deadline will put a lot of pressure on Roslovic to take whatever deal he can get just so he doesn’t spend an entire year away from NHL ice.

For Bratt, it doesn’t seem as contentious, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported recently that the New Jersey Devils forward is still in Sweden and there is a “bit of a gap” between the two sides. New Jersey just spent another $2MM on Sami Vatanen in free agency and, like in all of these situations, every day that passes gives another player a chance to show what they can do at camp. Perhaps playing in the SHL would be an option for the 22-year-old Bratt, but after a 32-point season in 2019-20 you would think he’d want to be part of what they’re building in New Jersey. He has just over a month to get something done if he wants to be there this season.

There are technically some other restricted free agents, including names like Henrik Borgstrom and Aleksi Saarela of the Florida Panthers, but they are already playing overseas and don’t have the kind of track record of the three mentioned.

That brings us to Barzal, who is one of the most fascinating stories of training camp so far. He was listed on the New York Islanders camp roster, but hasn’t appeared on the ice as the negotiations continue. Like any other situation that includes GM Lou Lamoriello, there is little information coming out, but Friedman discussed it today on the radio, explaining that this situation is not like some of the other high profile RFAs that have been in the news lately:

I don’t look at this situation here and see—like we know obviously there is a issue with [Pierre-Luc] Dubois in Columbus and we know there is an issue with [Patrik] Laine in Winnipeg, I don’t get any sense there is an issue with Barzal and the Islanders.

That doesn’t mean they have forever though, as not only has Barzal now missed a chunk of the already-shortened training camp, he’ll need a new deal before that February 11 deadline if he wants to play at all. For the Islanders, who have their eyes fixed squarely on a playoff spot in the tough East Division, missing Barzal even for a single game would have grave repercussions. The heartbeat of their offensive attack, the 23-year-old has 207 points through his first 234 NHL games and is expecting quite the salary bump on any contract.

The deadline isn’t two months into the season anymore. It’s just about a dozen games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Sami Vatanen

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The New Jersey Devils have brought back a familiar face, signing free agent defenseman Sami Vatanen to a one-year deal. The contract is worth $2MM this season and leaves him an unrestricted free agent once again next offseason.

Vatanen, 29, spent parts of three seasons with the Devils before a midseason trade took him to the Carolina Hurricanes last year. As he was dealing with an injury at the time, he failed to play in a single regular season game with the Hurricanes before the season was shut down. He did suit up seven times in the postseason, but that’s all the Hurricanes have to show for a package that included Janne Kuokkanen and a 2020 third-round pick. Now the Devils have their cake and are eating it too as Vatanen returns on a very reasonable deal.

The Devils had already added some new faces to the back end this offseason, acquiring Ryan Murray from the Columbus Blue Jackets and signing Dmitry Kulikov to a one-year deal. With Vatanen’s new short-term deal, it means only Damon Severson is signed through the 2022-23 season among Devils (one-way) defensemen. That could lead to some pretty impressive turnover in the coming months, especially when considering the organization has several top defensive prospects like Ty Smith, Reilly Walsh, and Kevin Bahl waiting in the wings.

Of course, even though Vatanen is coming in late to the party, that doesn’t mean he’s a player to overlook. The veteran defenseman has been a do-it-all option throughout his entire career, lining up in all situations and logging huge minutes. In 434 games he has recorded 194 points, a nice 82-game average of 36. It’s hard to find that kind of offensive production on the free agent defensive market at any time, let alone a few days before the season begins. Vatanen, who is right-handed, also has experience playing both sides and could end up on the left regularly in New Jersey.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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