More signing updates, my opinion on the waiver moves, a PTO update and trade rumours in Pittsburgh, Carolina and Philadelphia
Today I give my opinion on some recent signings plus where all of the guys who signed PTO’s are right now, some Waiver news plays trade rumours from three Metro teams in Carolina, Philly and Pittsburgh.
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Pens could end up moving Pierre Oliver Joseph instead of a veteran.
So we know that the Penguins are actively trying to move a defensemen as they have nine NHL defensemen that are NHL eligible and eight of them would need waivers to be sent to the minors, and while we know that Ty Smith as well as Petry, Rutta and Letang were probably guaranteed a roster spot and it made sense to incorporate POJ into the lineup be moving one of Pettersson or Dumoulin, it may actually make more sense to move Joseph instead of one of those two veterans. Now Smith and Joseph are pretty much in the same predicament as they are both young defensemen who haven’t got the best opportunity yet and would probably play a 3rd pair role on the team and if on of those veterans were to be moved then one of those two may end up being thrust into a top 4 role which might not help the Penguins out that much having a rather inexperienced defensemen playing top 4 minutes so moving Joseph who could probably fetch a decent return to a team who could utilize him better for a pick or maybe young player in return might be the smarter ideas as you could keep Dumoulin on the top pair and Pettersson on the second and they would not need to have a young player thrust into a big role and although Joseph seems like a very good defensemen who could grow into a top 4 defensemen eventually, moving him may be the best option for the Penguins and it may be a risk they are willing to take so keep an eye on this situation as it could end up coming together quick and whoever it ends up being either POJ, Dumoulin or Pettersson expect some sort of defensemen to be moved out of Pittsburgh in the next week or two and keep and eye to see which one may be moved.
Sanheim could be a trade candidate for Philadelphia early in the year I’d the start bad.
So the Flyers have a slew of injuries right now and it seems like that has just ruined their season before it even began and the Flyers could go through a lot of changes if they don’t start out too well and it seems like they could have a lot of moving parts if they start out bad, as they could have guys like Provorov, Konecny and James Van Reimsdyk on the trading block but another player who could be available is Sanheim. Now Sanheim is a really good defensemen and has been mentioned in some trade rumours last year but after the Flyers signed Ristolainen to a new deal it seemed like the Flyers were going to try and keep Sanheim because he and Ristolainen made really good defensive partners last year, but Sanheim is entering the final year of his contract with the Flyers and carry’s a AAV of $4.68 Million dollars and is coming off one of his better seasons putting up 31 goals last year but if he won’t sign a deal due to the Flyers direction they would be taking by moving pieces out or the fact that with Sanheim in the final year of his deal he would be a great trade piece for the Flyers he may be a name to watch out for in the early parts of the season if the Flyers season goes south early or later in the season closer to the deadline cause it looks like the Flyers will probably be heading to a rebuild following this year and it looks like moving Sanheim for a return that could look like a 2RD pick and a decent Prospect might seem intriguing for the Flyers so keep and eye on Sanheim as it seems that he could be a name to watch moving forward.
Bear actively being shopped by the Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes are well into LTIR money right now with Pacioretty and Gardiner on LTIR but it seems like they would still like to shed some money and that could lead to the Hurricanes moving Bear out before the season starts. Now Bear has been a decent defensemen in Edmonton for a few years and definitely had top 4 potential but his first year in Carolina didn’t go so well as he got injured and scratched and only played in 50 games and he was mentioned in trade rumours earlier in the year but there wasn’t any takers for him so the Canes ended up signing him and it seems that they still want to part with him. Now he probably would get a spot on the 3rd pair right now but after De Haan signed and with Coghlan showing he can handle 3rd pair duties in training camp I think that Bear has become expandable and is a piece that should easily be moved before the season starts for the Canes. Now I think the Canes would either ask for a cheaper bottom six forward as I think they could use another weapon or a 3rd draft pick as that would get the money clear off their books but a team like Vancouver, Ottawa or Seattle should be interested as they are teams lacking a good young buck moving defensemen who could still be a top 4 defensemen in the NHL and if they are not happy with their defences then I could see one of those teams be interested but I think that after a lot of trade speculation this offseason that Bear should be moved in the next week and a half and while it will be to a RD needy team I also think the Canes wont give him up for nothing and should be able to get something back in exchange for Bear but definitely something to keep a eye on as Bear is only a few seasons removed from a 21 point campaign and should be able to get his career back on track in another uniform.
The Waivers have been back for a few days now and here is the list of the players who have cleared waivers over the last two days and who were placed on waivers today.
Here is who has been placed on waivers today:
Edmonton
Seth Griffith RW,C (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Montreal
Nathan Schnarr C (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
New York R
Louis Domingue G (2 years left $.775 Thousand dollars)
St.Louis
Nathan Todd C (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Luke Witkowski RW,RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Steven Santini RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Tampa Bay
Sean Day LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Vegas
Sheldon Rempal LW,RW (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Byron Froese C (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Brayden Pachal RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Micheal Hutchinson G (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Winnipeg
Micheal Eyssimont C (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Jeff Malott LW (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Ashton Sautner LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Leon Gawanke LD,RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
For today’s waiver wire there aren’t many significant players who are going through and I think that you could see all clear but a few names I would say to watch out for would be maybe Domingue in New York as he showed last year that he can play as backup if need be and I wouldn’t be surprised if a Metro rival like Washington or Philadelphia were to claim him, another name would be Sean Day in Tampa and Steven Santini in St.Louis as I think both could challenge for a 3rd pair spot on a weaker blueline and could end up playing at the NHL level, and a forward to keep your eye on is Rempal as I think Rempal could contend for a roster spot on a few teams and might even make a 4th line so once again I wouldn’t be shocked if all of these guys were to clear tomorrow but these are a few guys to keep an eye on.
All the players who have Cleared waivers:
Arizona
Micheal Carcone LW,C (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Jean Sebastian Dea C (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Colorado
Spencer Smallman RW (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Charles Hudon LW,C,RW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Brad Hunt LD (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Josh Jacobs RD(1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Andreas Englund LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Dallas
Riley Barber RW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Rhett Gardner C,LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Tanner Kero C,LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Jerad Rosburg LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Benjamin Gleason LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Joseph Cecconi RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Detroit
Chase Pearson C (1 year left $.918 Thousand dollars)
Florida
Connor Bunnaman C,LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Los Angeles
Austin Wagner RW,LW (1 year left $1.13 Million dollars)
New York I
Richard Panik LW,RW (1 year left $1.38 Million dollars)
Ken Appleby G (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
New York R
Turner Elson LW (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
C.J Smith LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Tim Gettinger LW,RW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Andy Welinski RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Philadelphia
Isaac Ratcliffe LW (1 year left $.814 Thousand dollars)
Linus Sandin RW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
San Jose
Andrew Agozzino C,LW (2 years left $.775 Thousand dollars)
C.J Suess LW (1 year left $.775 Thousand dollars)
Tampa Bay
Daniel Walcott LW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Trevor Carrick LD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Darren Raddysh RD (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Maxime Lagace G (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Washington
Micheal Vecchione C.RW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Riley Sutter RW (1 year left $.764 Thousand dollars)
Micheal Sgarbossa C (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Hunter Shepard G (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Here is the one claim that has happened so far
Jonas Johansson G (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars) was placed on waivers but Colorado and was claimed by the Coyotes. This is not a bad claim by the Coyotes as Johansson is more of a third string goalie but the Coyotes really don’t have anyone to be their backup right now so I could see Johansson get into some NHL games early this year and probably start out as backup to Vejmelka unless the Coyotes add another goalie.
With all but Johansson clearing I am surprised that a handful of guys weren’t taken, most surprised by the fact the Ratcliffe in Philly and Hunt in Colorado cleared as I think Ratcliffe could’ve made a teams 4th line and Hunt could’ve probably been a 3rd pair defensemen on a team and even guys like Agozzino in San Jose, Bunnaman in Florida and Gardner in Dallas could’ve probably been 4th line forwards or spares on other teams but other then a handful of players most of these guys were AHL players who just required waivers to be sent down and I am not surprised basically all of them cleared.
Here is all of the PTO’s that have been signed this year and where they are right now.
Here are all the players still on PTO’s right now with the total number of 33:
ANA
Dmitri Osipov LW
Rocco Grimaldi LW, RW
Brent Gates C
Josh Healey D
Nikolas Brouillard D
ARI
Alex Chiasson RW
BOS
Keltie Jeri-Leon RW,C
Anton Stralman RD
CAR
Derek Stepan C
Grigori Dronov LD
CAL
Cody Eakin C
Sonny Milano LW,RW
Micheal Stone RD
COLU
Victor Rask C
James Neal RW,LW
Ben Harpur LD
Edmonton
Jake Virtanen RW,LW
Jason Demers RD
FLO
Eric Staal C
Jean-Francois Berube G
LA
Nate Thompson C
NJ
Zach Senyshyn RW
Thomas Hickey LD
NYR
Jimmy Vesey LW,RW
Mat Bartkowski RD
OTT
Derick Brassard LW,C
Micheal Dal Colle LW
PHI
Artem Anisimov C,LW
SEA
Daniel Sprong RW,LW
ST.L
Tyler Pitlick RW
TOR
Zach Aston Reese LW,RW
Dylan Ferguson G
VAN
Danny Dekeyser LD
Now to this point there have been 6 players who signed PTO’s but have wound up being released and were not able to get a contract
ARI: Christopher Gibson G (now back to being a UFA)
COL: Alex Galchenyuk LW,C,RW (now back to being a UFA)
COLU: Liam Hawel C (now back to being a UFA)
FLO: Andrew Hammond G (has since signed in the KHL)
PHI: Antoine Roussel LW (now back to being a UFA)
VGK: William Riedell LD (now back to being a UFA)
But there have also been three players who have impressed the clubs that gave them a chance so much that they were able to get a NHL contract:
Left Defensemen Scott Harrington played well enough in camp to earn a 1 year contract with the San Jose Sharks that will have a AAV of $.750 Thousand and the deal is two way. Now Harrington had been a very good depth defensemen the past few years in Columbus getting into 19 games in the last two seasons combined and put up a goal and 4 points and I think he will once again have that role in San Jose as I think it might be difficult for him to make the 23 man roster and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was placed on waivers but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up making the roster as the 7th defensemen and got into some game action early in the year.
Defender Calvin De Haan played well enough in camp to earn a 1 year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and that will Have a AAV of $.850 Thousand dollars and the deal is 1 way. De Haan has been a pretty defensive defensemen throughout his time in the league and was a top 4 defensemen for Chicago the past few years so he can carry a heavier load, and he does have experience playing in Carolina as he played the 18-19 season there before being moved to Chicago and put up 14 points in 74 games and I think that he will probably play on the left side of the third line with one of the Carolina youngsters in Coghlan or Bear.
Nathan Beaulieu played well enough in camp to earn a 1 year contract with the Anaheim Ducks and that will have a AAV of $.850 Thousand dollars and the deal is 1 way. Beaulieu has been a serviceable defensemen over the past few years in Winnipeg but was out due to injuries late last year and was never able to play in Pittsburgh after Winnipeg traded him at the trade deadline and only had 4 points in 24 games last year with the Jets but I think he could make the Ducks roster especially if Vaakanainen misses any significant time and he should get the chance to show he belongs in the NHL.
Here is a list of all the NHL signings that have happened between SEPT 21st and SEPT 28th.
Metro
Right Defensemen Andrew Peeke and the Columbus Blue Jackets have come to terms on a 3 year contract extension that will kick in next year and will carry a AAV of $2.75 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. Peeke has started to become a important piece on the backend for the Blue Jackets as he was able to play his first full season last year and get a big role playing mostly in the top 4 and got 2 goals and 15 points and I think for this year he will fit in quite well on the 2nd pair and should be a impactful top 4 defensemen in the near future.
Atlantic
Florida
Goaltender Spencer Knight and the Florida Panthers have come to terms on a 3 year contract extension that will kick in next year and carry a AAV of $4.5 Million dollars in cap space and the deal is 1 way. Knight has been a great goalie in Florida and coming off his first full season he had a good 2.79 GAA and a .908 SV% in 32 games last year and proved that while he is stuck behind Bobrovsky for now he seems to be the goalie of the future and I think that in a year or two if he can continue to grow and the Panthers move Bobrovsky then I think he can become the full time starter for the Panthers at that time but for now he should make a good tandem with Bobrovsky this year.
Left Defensemen Jorian Donovan who was a 5RD pick in the 2022 draft by the Ottawa Senators has now signed his 3 year Entry level contract with the Senators and it will carry a AAV of $.832 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Donavan had a good first year in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs and was able to put up 22 points in 64 games played and I think that he should go back to the OHL and continue to grow this year but I think he is going to be another good prospect for this Sens team in a few years.
Pacific
Right Winger Brett Ritchie and the Calgary Flames have agreed to a 1 year contract that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal is 1 way. I think that Ritchie is once again going to contend for a bottom six role has he has the last few years and has played that role well in Calgary over the past two seasons where he has Gorton into 73 games in those two season with Calgary combined and was able to put up 7 goals and 12 points in those games and I have no doubt that he will make the team but I think he won’t play every game and he should be able to get into some games this year and be a good 4th line contributor for the Flames this year.
Central
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