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Ducks Sign Frank Vatrano To Three-Year Extension

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In an announcement from himself and his young daughter, Frank Vatrano is committing to Orange County for another three seasons. In a quick follow-up from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Vatrano’s three-year pact will pay him $16MM in total but carries an uncommon method of deferred salary.

LeBrun shares that Vatrano will earn a base salary of $3MM each year of the deal with $9MM deferred. From 2035, Vatrano will earn $900K annually from the Ducks until 2044. LeBrun asserts that Vatrano plans to live outside of California in retirement giving him the flexibility to earn his annual disbursement in a tax-free state. Additionally, the creativity of the deferred salary brings Vatrano’s cap hit down to $4.67MM (instead of $6MM) which provides cost-savings to Anaheim.

Being primarily used in Major League Baseball, this is the most creative use of deferred salary in recent memory in the National Hockey League and may be a sign of things to come. There are increasing concerns that teams within states without an income tax have a competitive advantage over other teams, particularly in comparison to the Canadian market in recent years. The use of deferred salary by Anaheim may be a way to show players, particularly unrestricted free agents, that there are creative ways to dodge financial impediments.

For Vatrano’s part, it’s a healthy raise on his modest $3.65MM salary for the last three years. After a disappointing year with the New York Rangers, the Ducks signed Vatrano to a three-year, $10.95MM contract as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

Subsequently, he’s enjoyed the two most productive seasons of his career. Vatrano scored 22 goals and 41 points in 81 games for Anaheim during the 2022-23 season finishing tied for third on the team in goal-scoring. Vatrano followed up that performance with the best season of his career scoring 37 goals and 60 points in 82 games last year shattering his previous record of 24 goals in 2018-19 with the Florida Panthers.

Vatrano’s goal-scoring output has dissipated slightly this year with nine goals and 20 points in 37 games but he’s still proving to be a physical, offensive threat in the Ducks’ top-six. Unsurprisingly, the defensive side of Vatrano’s game is improving under head coach Greg Cronin’s hard-nosed system, with the veteran sniper managing the best 5-on-5 on-ice save percentage since his time with the Panthers.

The extension reflects Vatrano’s earnest commitment to a rebuilding organization. It also removes an important trade candidate from consideration as the deadline approaches. Vatrano’s style of play would be an asset to almost any contending team’s middle-six, but they will now have to seek such an advantage elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Utah Hockey Club Claims Nick DeSimone On Waivers

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1/5: The Utah Hockey Club has claimed DeSimone off of waivers from the Devils, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. DeSimone will replace Dakota Mermis’ role as Utah’s seventh defenseman, after the Leafs reclaimed Mermis off of waivers from Utah. New Jersey also acquired DeSimone off of waivers, claiming him away from Calgary last season.

1/4: The Devils are making a move to open up a roster spot.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Devils have placed defenseman Nick DeSimone on waivers.

It’s the second time this season that the 30-year-old finds himself on the wire.  DeSimone was put on waivers late in training camp and passed through unclaimed.  That wasn’t the case last year when he was waived, however, as he wound up with New Jersey via a midseason claim from Calgary, getting into 11 games after that where he had a pair of points along with 21 blocked shots in 16:29 of playing time per contest.  However, with the team much healthier and deeper on the back end going into the season, DeSimone lost his roster spot at the time.

DeSimone has been up with the Devils a few times this season.  Those combined stints totalled more than 30 days which is why he needs to go back on waivers to return to AHL Utica even though he didn’t suit up once with the Devils while on recall.  DeSimone has played in 12 games with the Comets when he hasn’t been in New Jersey, picking up three assists.

DeSimone is playing on a one-year, one-way contract worth the league minimum salary of $775K this season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.  Considering that some teams are dealing with some short-term injuries on the back end, it’s possible that DeSimone could find himself on the move when his waiver period expires at 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Kings Place Arthur Kaliyev On Waivers

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The Los Angeles Kings have placed winger Arthur Kaliyev on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Kaliyev sustained a fractured clavicle in the pre-season, and wasn’t activated from season-opening injured reserve until December 28th. He was assigned to the AHL for a conditioning stint on December 10th, and scored two points in five games with the Ontario Reign. But being activated off of IR returns Kaliyev to waiver eligibility, and the Kings will now attempt to pass his through waivers to return him to the minor leagues.

Kaliyev played in his first minor league games since 2020-21 on his conditioning stint. He’s spent the years since fighting, and struggling, to earn a consistent role in the Kings’ lineup, under a very bright spotlight. Kaliyev has stood as one of Los Angeles’ top prospects since 2019, when the Kings drafted him with the first pick of the second round. He played through his rookie NHL season in 2021-22, scoring 14 goals and 27 points. Kaliyev began to improve on those numbers in year-two, but suffered an undisclosed injury in December that forced him out through mid-February, limiting him to just 56 games. Kaliyev managed 13 goals and 28 points, impressively rivaling his rookie scoring despite the injuries. But he couldn’t continue that improvement into last season, netting just 15 points in 51 games and falling into routine healthy scratches.

Even with minute intentions, this move stands as a major wedge in Kaliyev’s drive to earn an NHL role. He’s totaled 35 goals and 71 points in 188 career games, but never seemed to find a fit in the lineup, no matter how often the Kings changed up his role. He could be an interesting, high upside bet on the waiver wire – offering teams the chance to land an impactful middle-six scorer for no cost. Kaliyev is set to be a restricted free-agent with arbitration status this summer, and carries an affordable $825K cap hit.

Senators’ Linus Ullmark, Travis Hamonic Out Week-To-Week

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Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green issued a laundry list of injury updates on Sunday, captured by TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. Most notably, starting goaltender Linus Ullmark was designated as week-to-week with a back injury. Ullmark hasn’t skated since leaving the team’s December 22nd match against Edmonton early after his back tightened up. He’s missed five games since, and will now continue to sit out through the bulk of January.

Losing their star netminder has been a tough blow for Ottawa to bear. They’ve turned to a mix of Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen in his absence, but totaled a bleak 1-4-0 record and 3.20 goals-against per-game. Ullmark has been far more successful in net, ranking 16th in the league wins (12) and seventh in save percentage (.915). He’s everything Ottawa was hoping for when they traded two players and a first-round pick for him this summer. But with him on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Senators are once again faced with a lack of goaltending depth.

Forsberg should continue his role of de facto starter, giving him a chance to improve on his .885 Sv% in 12 games this year. But Merilainen will receive the biggest opportunity with this news. He’s spent the season moving back-and-forth between the major and minor rosters, in the mix posting a team-best .901 Sv% in 13 games for the Belleville Senators. The 22-year-old has also set a 2-2-0 record and .884 in his NHL appearances this season, and could earn a big role if he proves to be the piece the pulls Ottawa out of their lump.

Green also shared that defenseman Travis Hamonic will miss two-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury. Hamonic played down to the final minute of Ottawa’s Friday loss to St. Louis, and didn’t seem noticeably limited in his final shift. But he’ll now be out for the long-term, likely opening the door for Jacob Bernard-Docker to step back into the lineup. Bernard-Docker has four points in 25 games this season, continuing his scoring slump after he scored just 14 points in 72 games last season. If he proves a shaky addition, the Senators could also turn towards Nikolas Matinpalo, who has only played one NHL game this season but has scored seven points in 24 AHL games.

In brighter news, forwards David Perron and Michael Amadio have both returned to skating. Both are recovering from upper-body injuries. Perron has been injured for much of the season, only appearing in nine games and not yet scoring for his new club. Amadio has been a bit more impactful, scoring 10 points in 33 games in the mix of Ottawa’s bottom-six. Placing Hamonic and Ullmark on injured reserve would clear the space for Ottawa to activate both forwards.

Wild Assign Carson Lambos, Brendan Gaunce To AHL

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The Minnesota Wild have assigned forward Brendan Gaunce and defenseman Carson Lambos to the AHL’s Iowa Wild, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Russo points out that these moves could indicate that Minnesota could get multiple injured players back before they host St. Louis on Tuesday. Minnesota is facing an extensive list of absentees, including injuries to superstar Kirill Kaprizov, team captain Jared Spurgeon, and top-four defender Jacob Middleton. Both Kaprizov and Middleton could reasonably make it back for Tuesday’s game, should they hit an upswing in their recovery. Russo also shared that forward Devin Shore should be clear to practice, after being a last-minute scratch for Minnesota’s Saturday win over Carolina.

The focal piece of this move is former first-round pick Lambos, who will now have the first NHL call-up of his career cut short without an NHL debut. Lambos was the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, selected with the pick Minnesota acquired after sending Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lambos was a smooth and diligent two-way defender in his draft year and managed double-digit goals and point-per-game scoring in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 WHL seasons, even captaining the Winnipeg Ice in the latter season. But unfortunately, that production has yet to appear at the pro flight. He scored 14 points in 69 games as an AHL rookie last season, but may not even reach that point this season – with five points in 27 games putting him on track for just 12 points in a full year. He’ll now return to the minors and continue fighting to improve his game-to-game impacts.

Lambos will be joined by Gaunce, who’s found far more success in the AHL this year. His 11 goals and 17 points through 22 games currently leads the Iowa Wild in goals and ranks second in points. Gaunce has stepped into the mix of depth forwards used to fill in for Wild injuries, playing in five NHL games but yet to score a point this season. His only notable stat changes stand as four penalty minutes and a -3.

West Notes: Olofsson, Fleury, Wedgewood

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Victor Olofsson didn’t play last night due to an illness (as per Golden Knights Twitter). The 29-year-old was a late scratch as Tanner Laczynski took his spot in the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres. Olofsson was previously a member of the Sabres for six seasons after being drafted in the seventh round in 2014. He signed a one-year deal in Vegas in the summer and has fared well thus far in limited action, posting eight goals and five assists in 18 games.

The Golden Knights have the day off today and will return to practice tomorrow, head coach Bruce Cassidy was hopeful that the day off will allow Olofsson the chance to recover from whatever is ailing him (as per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review Journal).

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury skated in a non-contact jersey yesterday as he looks to return from a lower-body injury (as per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). Fleury hasn’t played since suffering a frightening-looking leg injury against Toronto on December 23rd, he was originally considered week-to-week and will likely remain so for now, as his return doesn’t appear to be imminent. The fact that Fleury is already back skating is a good sign for the former seventh-overall pick, but his eventual return will force the Jets to make some roster decisions as it will further crowd their back end.
  • The Colorado Avalanche received some good news on the injury status of goaltender Scott Wedgewood (as per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette). The veteran netminder’s scan came back negative, indicating that he does not have a high ankle sprain. The Avalanche have hopes that the 32-year-old will be able to get back into the lineup in the next two weeks but should receive confirmation soon as he is meeting tomorrow with a specialist. Wedgewood was acquired from the Nashville Predators on November 30th and has helped steady the Avalanche goaltending situation, posting terrific numbers in seven games with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

Yanni Gourde Out With Lower-Body Injury, Joey Daccord Progressing

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Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde missed last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers with an apparent lower-body injury (Twitter link). Gourde skipped practice on Friday, taking what was called a “Maintenance day” but did take the morning skate with the Kraken yesterday. The injury could be a bit of a concern, given that the 33-year-old did miss time in December with a lower-body injury. The two-time Stanley Cup Champion has been durable during his ten-year career, missing just a couple dozen games.

Gourde has been a reliable depth scorer throughout his NHL career, although he has never been able to recapture his offensive touch from his first full NHL season when he posted 25 goals and 39 assists in 82 games. This season, the Saint-Narcisse, Quebec native has registered six goals and 10 assists in 35 games.

Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord also missed last night’s game as he remains sidelined with an upper-body injury (as per Kraken producer Scott Malone). Like Gourde, Daccord took part in yesterday’s morning skate but isn’t quite ready to return. The 28-year-old hasn’t played since December 22nd and lost his last four appearances prior to going down to injury.

Despite recent struggles, Daccord has been good overall this season for Seattle, ranking 11th in the entire NHL with a goals saved above expected of 9.3 (as per Money Puck), and a record of 12-9-2.

Vancouver Canucks Fielding Offers On Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller

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There was one major talking point in tonight’s rendition of ’Saturday Headlines’ with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman reports the Vancouver Canucks are fielding offers on forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller with all options currently on the table.

Friedman asserts the Canucks are “definitely” looking at the market for both forwards but it appears to be a stronger version of due diligence rather than active trade talks up to this point. There’s a possibility neither are traded, one is, or both are traded and Friedman wasn’t willing to commit to any of the options. Still, the trade chatter has gotten to the point of Vancouver telling interested parties they’ll need an NHL-caliber center as a part of the return package for either player.

Due to the complexity of any hypothetical trade involving Pettersson or Miller, there haven’t been many legitimate connections to any teams. Friedman pointed out that neither player had requested a trade from the Canucks although Miller would likely prefer to return to the United States.

There appears to be something brewing in Vancouver though. In a recent interview with Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, the general manager of the Canucks, Patrik Allvin spoke candidly about Pettersson saying, “Petey has shown up to this point that he is an extremely talented, quality player that could and should be a No. 1 centre. I believe in him. I believe that he’s capable. (But) he needs to mature and understand that there are certain expectations and it does not get easier. And you need to face the music when things don’t go well. Is it (a trade) possible? I guess I would say anything is possible.”

It doesn’t take much scrutiny to notice the apparent rift between them. This year alone, Pettersson scored two goals and 15 points in the 10 games Miller missed from mid-November to mid-December. Throughout 23 games playing with Miller this season, Pettersson has eight goals and 13 points in 23 contests. Miller has been a consistent performer regardless of Pettersson’s availability but he may hold less value in Vancouver given he’s five years Petterson’s elder.

Miller has more control over a potential trade given the no-movement clause in his contract and Pettersson’s not starting until next year. Still, Pettersson’s contract may be more difficult to move given his $11.6MM salary compared to Miller’s $8MM price tag.

It will be an interesting saga to see play out regardless. This is an issue that the Canucks could continue an attempt to solve internally. However, being no stranger to moves of magnitude, GM Allvin may take it upon himself to create a resolution via trade.

Oilers Expected To Wait Until Deadline To Add Defenseman

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To the surprise of few, the Edmonton Oilers are monitoring nearly every available defenseman as the trade deadline approaches. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period lists Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens, and Brian Dumoulin of the Anaheim Ducks as the most viable candidates.

As hasty as the Oilers are to acquire a top-four defenseman they are severely limited by their salary cap space and Evander Kane’s availability for the rest of the campaign. Kane’s $5.125MM salary is currently on long-term injured reserve giving Edmonton plenty of flexibility in the present but they’ll be handcuffed if he returns for the regular season. PuckPedia gives the Oilers a deadline cap space of only $1.02MM.

Edmonton should be able to acquire any of the aforementioned trade candidates but another fish may become available closer to the deadline. It’s becoming apparent the New York Rangers are headed toward a complex roster retooling after a 5-15-0 record in their last 20 games. Does former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox make sense for the Oilers? Both sides would have to get creative considering Fox’s $9.5MM salary for the next five years but the 2024-25 campaign is the last year on the deal without a full no-movement clause.

Depending on how aggressively both teams want to be with their respective aspirations, the Oilers could form a package with Kane’s contract, Jeff Skinner’s expiring deal, prospect Matthew Savoie, and their 2027 first-round pick. It’ll be difficult for Edmonton to reach the price of what it would take to acquire a defenseman with Fox’s stature but there are other possible candidates on the Rangers’ roster.

K’Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren fit the mold of an ideal trade acquisition for the Oilers. They are both on expiring contracts (with the former not becoming an unrestricted free agent until after the 2026-27 season) and hold valuable roles on the penalty kill. Edmonton’s penalty kill is ranked 23rd in the league with a 76.4% success rate while New York’s sits third thanks to help from Miller and Lindgren.

Needless to say, Edmonton is on the hunt to put themselves over the top in preparation for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Multiple reports indicate that it’s a matter of when, not if, the Oilers acquire a top-four defenseman to plug into their lineup.

Atlantic Notes: Petry, Bennett, Bryson

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As mentioned yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings’ concerns regarding the availability of veteran defenseman Jeff Petry have unfortunately been realized. According to team broadcast reporter Daniella Bruce, the Red Wings won’t have Petry in the lineup tonight due to an undisclosed injury suffered in the team’s recent game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Petry may be out for longer than just tonight. Head coach Todd McLellan is hopeful it’ll be a shorter-term injury for Petry but did say the team would know more once they get back to Detroit. In the meantime, McLellan will choose between youngster Albert Johansson or recently recalled William Lagesson for tonight’s contest.

There is a valid argument that either option may prove to be an improvement over Petry. He’s experiencing one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, reminiscent of the 2013-14 season when he had only seven goals and 17 points in 80 games with the third-to-last-place Edmonton Oilers. While Petry has performed slightly better defensively this year with the Red Wings, he has not approached the level of the consistent 40-point defenseman he once was.

Other happenings in the Atlantic Division:

  • The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has fined Florida Panthers’ center Sam Bennett $5K for roughing Pittsburgh Penguins’ Drew O’Connor in last night’s contest. It’s the second time Bennett has been issued a fine by the Department of Player Safety and the fourth time he’s faced supplemental discipline. During the incident, Bennett attempted to hit O’Connor behind Pittsburgh’s net and threw his right hand into O’Connor’s face.
  • According to Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports, the Buffalo Sabres will be down a defenseman tonight. Jacob Bryson, who has picked up a more consistent role in Buffalo’s bottom defensive-pairing this season, won’t play tonight due to an illness. Dennis Gilbert, seldomly used by head coach Lindy Ruff this season, will draw in for Bryson against the Vegas Golden Knights. Gilbert has tallied one assist in 12 contests this year averaging 10:45 of ice time per game.

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