Portillo a trade chip for Buffalo, Anaheim could move Stolarz and could a team pry Vejmelka from Arizona as well as Injury Updates and waiver news.
Here is my latest blog post as today I give my opinion on some recent Waiver news, a few ELC signings in Anaheim, Vegas and Detroit , as well as a few recent goalie trade rumours involving the Sabres and Portillo, Ducks and Stolarz and Vejmelka in Arizona.
Could Portillo be used as a trade chip by Buffalo.
Now with the Sabres having a very deep goalie group right now could they dangle goalie Erik Portillo who has yet to sign with Buffalo as a trade chip to help out another part of their organization. Now this isn’t something that is a guarantee to happen and it is possible that Portillo stays and signs with Buffalo but this is something I have heard about over the past few weeks and it may happen. So basically the Sabres have some really good goalie prospects as they still have Comrie beyond this season and on top of that Luukkonen has showed since Comrie has been injured and he was called up to the NHL roster and has been a very good goalie when he has gotten into NHL games and while
he is still the 3rd stringer this season I could see and might even expect him to be the backup in Buffalo next year as Luukkonen is showing his NHL potential right now and on top of those two goalies Devon Levi who the Sabres acquired last year in the Reinhart trade has been having a monter season in College this year and may be one of the top goalie prospects in the NHL right now and he should sign with Buffalo probably after his college season finishes and I wouldn’t be surprised if he competed for a NHL roster spot next year so with those goalies all expected to be signed for next year and Luukkonen and Levi most likely the Sabres future tandem it does leave one to wonder how Portillo feels about signing with Buffalo. Now if Levi and Luukkonen are the future in Buffalo maybe Portillo who would most likely have to be third stinger doesn’t want to sign and then is trade or the Sabres look at Portillo and move him to maybe help another area on the team as they could maybe get a nice piece for him as there would definitely be interest in a goalie who may become a starter in the NHL so I definitely think that it isn’t a guarantee that he is moved and I still think he could easily sign with Buffalo but with the goalies in front of him and the Sabres having too good, young goalies maybe trading him is the move as he have seen a few times that good college players could be moved for something like a 2RD pick and I think teams like Arizona, San Jose and maybe even Vancouver would maybe be willing to acquire the young goalie if indeed he does wind up maybe moving so something to think about as the trade deadline draws nearer as the Sabres could use Portillo to maybe land a piece for their team or a draft pick and could move him somewhere where he could be a NHL goalie in a couple of years.
Could Vejmelka be moved by Arizona before the deadline.
As discussed a few times these past couple weeks could the Coyotes wind up parting with good goalie Karel Vejmelka possibly before the deadline if he continues to be a stellar player. Now I still think that the Coyotes will hold on to Vejmelka past the deadline as he has shown he is a really good goalie and has often kept Arizona in games they probably shouldn’t have been in, but over the past few weeks with everyone talking about how the Coyotes are going to be sellers prior to the trade deadline and big names like Chychrun and Gostisbehere as well as smaller names like Ritchie and Stecher could be on the move, Vejmelka name has also come up as a possible trade chip for the Coyotes. Now Vejmelka had a great first season last year in the NHL getting into 52 NHL games and putting up a 3.68 GAA and a .898 SV% and on a team in Arizona that was worst in the West last year those were pretty good numbers and it earned him a 3 year contract that carry’s a $2.75 Million dollar Cap hit that started this year and so far this season he has continued his great play from last season as he has a 3.33 GAA and a .903 SV% in 28 games and given he is on a bad Coyotes team does are good numbers and if he was dealt he could probably have better numbers on a contender. Now first he still has two years on his contract after this season so the Coyotes would not be in a rush to move him right now and while Arizona will probably sell off lots of pieces I am not sure that Vejmelka would be one they would like to part with prior to the deadline so while I do think that if a team were to offer enough then the Coyotes would probably consider moving him and a team with a cloudy goaltending future like Toronto, LA or Pittsburgh might be interested I personally still think he will remain in Arizona for the rest of the year and a more likely time he may be traded would be in the offseason.
Will Anaheim move Stolarz before the deadline.
With the Ducks well out of a playoff spot they will most likely be looking to sell off some pieces before the deadline comes and one piece that I think may be moved but hasn’t really been talked about much would be Anthony Stolarz. Now the Ducks are going to be big time sellers at the deadline again this year as they were big time sellers last year as well getting rid of guys like Manson, Deslauriers, Lindholm and Rakell and got picks as well as guys like Helleson, Vaakanainen and Clang in return and they are shaping up to sort of do the same as last year as they could sell of guys like Klingberg, Kulikov, Shattenkirk, Beaulieu, Vatrano and Henrique amongst others but one name who I think could be moved and hasn’t gotten enough attention is Anthony Stolarz. Now Stolarz had a brief showing in Philly and Edmonton when he started out and didn’t do very well in either place and signed as a free agent in Anaheim and has been with the Ducks for four years now and really found his stride there as he didn’t get into very many NHL games his first but put up stellar numbers in the AHL and split time in the shortened season between the NHL and AHL and put up some good numbers and then last year really broke out as with Gibson occasionally out with injury last year he got into 28 games (surpassing 20 for the first time in his career) and put up a great .917 SV% and a 2.67 GAA and this year he hasn’t done overly well putting up a .891 SV% and a 4.01 GAA in 14 games but this Ducks team is a whole bunch worst then last years Ducks and I fully expect Stolarz to get a backup role in free agency next year and I think with how well he has played over the last few years, the Ducks could probably get a 3RD or 4RD pick for him as I don’t think it would be anything mind blowing but with the Ducks full on sellers, Stolarz in the final year of his deal and Anaheim most likely not bringing him back, it does seem like a trade could happen and I think a team who is going to the playoffs and would like some goaltending insurance like Toronto, Minnesota or maybe even California rival LA could be teams interested in acquiring the goalie so it definitely isn’t 100% going to happen but with the Ducks suiting up to be sellers at the deadline in a month and a half expect Stolarz to maybe be a name to watch out for as well as a lot of the players on Anaheim.
Here is what has happened with the waiver wire from DEC 14th to DEC 19th.
Cleared Waivers
Edmonton
Brad Malone C,LW (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Boston
Craig Smith RW,C (1 year left $3.1 Million dollars)
Detroit
Austin Czarnik C,RW (2 years left $.763 Thousand dollars)
Edmonton
Jason Demers RD (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Unconditional waivers
Toronto
Axel Rindell RD (2 years left $.838 Thousand dollars)
Philadelphia
Lukas Sedlak C,LW,RW (1 year left $.800 Thousand dollars)
New York I
Nikita Soshnikov RW (1 year left $.750 Thousand dollars)
Colorado
Danila Zhuravlyov LD (2 years left $.855 Thousand dollars)
Analysis: over this stretch of waivers there was definitely a lot of players being placed on unconditional waivers to get their contracts terminated as there were a handful of players to gon waivers before the roster freeze before Christmas. Now the situation was similar for both Zhuravlyov and Rindell, as for Zhuravlyov he was a 5RD pick of the Avalanche a few years ago in 2018 and has spent every season before this one in the KHL and he has done quite well in Russia over the past few years and earned himself a 2 year ELC that kicked in this year but after only playing 14 AHL games and getting only one assist, the Avalanche and Zhuravlyov decided to terminate the contract and part ways as he would try to look for more opportunity elsewhere, while for Rindell he was a 6RD pick in a much recent 2020 draft and looked like he could possibly be a good steal for the Maple Leafs in the 6RD as he had played in Liiga for the past couple years and had a stellar season two years ago and a pretty good season last year and it allowed him to sign a 2 year ELC with the Maple Leafs that started this season but after only playing 6 AHL games and then being sent to the ECHL to play a little bit it was clear that Rindell was going to have troubles just getting into the Marlies lineup so he and the Maple Leafs both decided to part ways and terminate the contract, and for both Zhuravlyov and Rindell they had both played their first PRO seasons this year and hadn’t even had a taste of NHL action yet so I think it should t come as a surprise that they both cleared waivers as they couldn’t get opportunities with their teams and have now gone overseas to try and get more playing time there. Now there were also similar situations between Soshnikov and Sedlak as well, for Soshnikov he had played a few seasons with the Maple Leafs and Blues from the 15-16 to the 18-19 season playing 87 games and getting 8 goals and 16 points before he left and spent the next 3 years in the KHL and he played very well in the KHL especially in the second half of last year and was able to make a comeback to the NHL by signing a 1 year league minimum deal with the Islanders and he was hoping to be a consistent bottom six forward for the Islanders especially with the Isles having a weaker forward group but after only playing in 2 NHL games with NYI he was sent to the minors as guys like Fasching and Holmstrom past him on the death chart, and after playing in 4 AHL games Soshnikov and the Islanders decided that the deal wasn’t working out so they terminated the contract to allow him to go back overseas, and for Sedlak he had also had some NHL action years ago as he played at the NHL level from the 16-17 season to the 18-19 season and he did quite well putting up 15 goals and 27 points in 162 games but left Columbus and went to the KHL were he has been the last few years and he had some pretty good years in the KHL including last year which was his best year and had teams drawing interest in the former NHL’er and he wound up signing a 1 year $.800 Thousand dollar contract with the Avalanche and looked to contend for a spot in the Av’s bottom six but only got into 3 games before being placed on waivers and he was claimed by the injured Flyers and he started to get into a lot of games with Philly having 3 goals and 8 points in 27 games but I guess he still wasn’t happy with his role so he and the Flyers decided to terminate the contract so he can go back overseas and find more playing time so while I thought that even though they were on Unconditional waivers to terminate the contract, I thought there might be a slight chance that one was claimed but given we never usually see players on Unconditional waivers get claimed I guess it isn’t too surprising that Soshnikov and Sedlak cleared and hopefully all 4 players who had their contracts terminated can find better opportunities elsewhere.
Now in my opinion Czarnik and Malone were sort of in the same situation when they were placed on waivers. Now Malone has been a good AHL forward in Edmonton since jointing them but has started to play some in the NHL over the past year as last year he had one of his best AHL years getting 39 points in 52 games and that lead him to getting 8 games of NHL action where he had a goal and 2 points and was able to earn himself a 2 year contract extension in the offseason and has done pretty well this season as he has mostly been a 13th/14th forward for the Oilers and came up when they had injury troubles as he had 0 points in 10 games before being placed on waivers and He cleared and I was a tad bit surprised as I thought a team who had some injuries might claim him but I’m not too surprised as while he is a good forward, he is only a depth forward and while I did think there was a chance he was claimed I don’t think I can be too surprised he cleared. And same goes with Czarnik as the forward has been a good 13th/14th forward as well over the past few years as well as he got into 4 NHL games in the shortened season with NYI and showed he could be a good depth forward and then started last year with NYI and finished with the Isles while having a short stint in Seattle as in the NHL with both the Kraken and Islanders he had 2 goals and 7 points in 17 games and in the AHL he was nearly a point per game having 37 points in 38 games and was able to earn a two year contract with Detroit in the offseason and due to some injuries he was called up and played some games and has done alright in the games he got into getting 2 goals and 3 points in 12 games before he was placed on waivers and cleared and just like Malone he is a good Depth forward and I did think he might’ve been claimed but I am not too surprised he cleared as he is more of a AHL forward and I think for both Malone and Czarnik they will get more chances in the NHL but for now they will have to wait and continue to play well in the minors.
Now for Craig Smith I thought he was going to be the most likely claimed and him being placed on waivers fought me off guard. Now Smith has played the past few seasons with Boston and is in the final year of a three year contract and his first two seasons in Boston were great as he played majority of the time in a middle six role and was a great point producer having 13 goals and 32 points in 54 games in the shortened season and 16 goals and 36 points in 74 games last year but toward the end of the year and in the playoffs he wasn’t playing too well and that transferred over to this season as he has put up only 2 goals and 5 points in 25 games and been a healthy scratch on occasion so he hasn’t been the good middle six forward he was a couple years ago but he is still a good forward and with Smith in the final year of his deal I thought a team with a bit of cap space may claim the bottom six forward but that $3.1 Million dollar cap hit scared teams off and he wound up clearing so part of me was surprised he cleared but with little cap room right now for NHL teams I don’t think it really is very surprising he cleared. And lastly the Oilers had signed Jason Demers to a 1 year contract and the only reason he was placed on waivers was so that he could be reassigned to the AHL. Now Demers last played a NHL games in the shortened season when he had 4 assists in 41 games with Arizona but he couldn’t find a contract after that so he signed overseas in the KHL and played last year there and was able to get a AHL contract from Edmonton’s affiliate after being released from his PTO but had done well enough in the AHL to earn a two way contract with the Oilers after having 11 points in 28 AHL games and while he isn’t the good 2nd/3rd pair defensemen that he once was he is still a good 7th/8th defender for Edmonton so while he probably won’t be called up until the Oilers run into injury troubles he can still be a good AHL player for Edmonton and given he could’ve signed with anyone earlier in the year I don’t think it is too surprising that Demers wound up clearing waivers and hopefully he should continue his good AHL play.
Here is a list of all the NHL signings that have happened between DEC 22nd and DEC 30th.
Metro
Atlantic
Center Amadeus Lombardi who was a 4RD pick in the 2022 draft by the Detroit Red Wings has signed his 3 year entry level contract with the Red Wings that will carry a AAV of $.862 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Lombardi has played very well over the past two seasons in the OHL and has shown that he could eventually be a good forward with the Red Wings as last year before he was drafted he put up 18 goals and 59 points in 67 games and was able to be drafted by the Red Wings who took him in the 4RD and he has continued to go forward and produce even more this season putting up 23 goals and 49 points in 36 OHL games this year and looks really good and I expect him to maybe play another year in Juniors and then a year or two in the AHL but in 2-3 years I could definitely see Lombardi possibly contented for a bottom six role in Detroit as he is another good forward prospect for the Red Wings and the future looks bright in Detroit and I think in time Lombardi could be a big part of it so good for him to get his ELC and hopefully he can continue to produce.
Pacific
Goalie Gage Alexander who was a 5RD pick in the 2021 draft by the Anaheim Ducks has signed his 3 year entry level contract with the Ducks that will carry a AAV of $.810 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Gage Alexander seems like another good goaltending prospect for the Ducks and while he still has a ways to go it does seem like he could have a NHL future. Gage Alexander has played the past few seasons in the WHL and really did well especially last year when he got into 29 games putting up a 2.40 GAA and a .911 SV% and even though he has worse numbers this year (only playing 15 games and having a 3.47 GAA and a .898 SV%) he is on a worse team so that is expected but the former 5RD pick seems like he still needs some more seasons to develop probably another year in Juniors and another year or two in the minors but in a few seasons I think it is possible that Alexander competes for the backup job in Anaheim and the Ducks have a deep prospect pool right now in Net with Dostal and Clang both in their system so having another good goalie in Alexander signed now is good and hopefully he can continue to play well.
Center Matyas Sapovaliv who was a 2RD pick in the 2022 draft by the Vegas Golden Knights has signed his 3 year entry level contract with the Golden Knights that will carry a AAV of $.860 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Sapovaliv was a decent prospect and was selected in the middle of the second round last year and looks like he could be a really great pickup for the Golden Knights as Sapovaliv had a pretty good season in Sarnia of the OHL putting up 18 gold and 52 points in 68 games and has done even better this year putting up 11 goals and 31 points in 32 games which is nearly a point per game pace, so he seems like he could be a good top 9 forward in time for Vegas as he will probably have to play another year in Juniors after this season and then maybe play a year in the AHL but in 2-3 years I could see him challenging for a bottom six role with Vegas and being perhaps a good 3rd line Center and that started with signing him so good on him to get his ELC and hopefully he continues to play well.
Central
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