With most NHL teams making their final training camp cuts in preparation for the full start of the 2007-08 season, here’s the latest free agent news. I’ll be updating this as further cuts and signings occur during the first week of October 2007.
- Defenseman Brent Sopel staged a bit of a surprise late last week, leaving the Detroit Red Wings training camp to sign a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wings invited Sopel to training camp for a tryout where he found himself battling for a job. While the Wings coaching staff liked his offensive game they apparently weren’t impressed with his defensive play in pre-season.
Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon had been seeking a veteran blueliner for several weeks and obviously isn’t as concerned over Sopel’s defensive game as the Wings.
Tallon’s search for veteran depth also led him to claim defenseman Karel Pilar off waivers from the Atlanta Thrashers but in the aftermath of Sopel’s signing the ‘Hawks GM placed Pilar on waivers once again, where he was reclaimed by the Thrashers on October 2nd.
- Another training camp invitee defenseman who failed to stick with the Wings was Jassen Cullimore, who was cut by the club last week.
It’s still possible however that Cullimore could land a spot with an NHL team as injuries start to take its toll. One possibility could include his former club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost Dan Boyle for six weeks to a freak off-ice injury and could use some extra depth.
Cullimore obviously won’t replace Boyle’s offence but given some of the concerns about the overall depth of the Lightning’s blueline he might be of interest to them.
The Red Wings have also demoted highly-touted forward Igor Grigorenko,
demoted Mark Hartigan and offered enforcer Aaron Downey a two-way
contract.
It was thought Grigorenko would earn a roster spot to
start the season but given their other areas of concern it was easier
to demote him as he doesn't have to pass through waivers. Don't be
surprised if he returns to the big club later this season.
- The Montreal Canadiens demoted goaltender Jaroslov Halak and center Maxim Lapierre as part of their final three roster cuts.
Demoting Halak and Lapierre comes as a bit of a surprise, as it was expected the club would demote Carey Price rather than having him perhaps cooling his heels backing up starter Cristobal Huet. Lapierre meanwhile impressed down the stretch last season with his pesky style and was a key factor in the Hamilton Bulldogs (the Canadiens farm team) winning the AHL Calder Cup last spring.
Halak's demotion will undoubtedly give rise to speculation of the Canadiens shopping him or entertaining offers but I'm of the opinion the Habs might keep him in the system and possibly recall him at some point this season.
Huet's on the final year of his contract, and if Price outplays him or the Canadiens are out of playoff contention by the February trade deadline they could shop Huet instead and recall Halak to back up Price.
As for Lapierre, he may not be on the Habs farm club for long this season, especially if injuries take a toll on the forward lines as the season progresses.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed training camp invitee forward Adam Hall to a one-year contract. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
Hall has struggled in recent seasons to stick with any one team, bouncing from Nashville to the NY Rangers to Minnesota since the summer of 2006 before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.
He'll likely see third or fourth line duty with the Penguins this season.
- A radio report out of Edmonton claims the Oilers have released winger Anson Carter, who was invited to training camp but saw little action due to a concussion suffered in a pre-season game.
- The St. Louis Blues have reportedly placed winger Petr Cajanek on waivers and are apparently waiting for him to clear (by 11 pm ET Tuesday) to decide on signing forward Mike Johnson.
The Blues have also released defenseman David Tanabe, who like Johnson was a training camp invitee.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Scott Clemmensen and forward Tony Salmelainen on waivers.
Both were signed as unrestricted free agents during the off-season but are destined to begin this season with the Leafs farm club.
The New York Rangers have place defenseman Andrew Hutchinson on waivers. If he clears he'll be demoted to their farm team.
Hutchinson was acquired by the Rangers this summer as part of the deal that sent forward Matt Cullen back to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Washington Capitals reports defenseman Ben Clymer has cleared waivers and was demoted to the Capitals farm team.
- The Vancouver Canucks have released defenseman Dan McGillis, who was invited to their training camp nearly two weeks ago.
It was erroneously reported McGillis had signed with the Canucks but it's been since confirmed he was merely invited to camp on a tryout basis but was not signed.
- The Edmonton Oilers have demoted defenseman Ladislav Smid to their minor league affiliate.
Smid was acquired by the Oilers in July 2006 as part of the return in the Chris Pronger trade with the Anaheim Ducks. Smid played in 77 games with the Oilers last season.
- Several veterans NHL’ers who didn’t make the cut: Joel Bouchard (released by Columbus), Toby Petersen (demoted by Dallas), Jon Klemm(demoted by the LA Kings), Mike Weaver (demoted by Pittsburgh, must clear waivers first).
Some interesting movements...I was in Aruba for a week and out of the hockey world, so its nice to get back to at least that. I love that Sopel "spurned" the wings and went to the hawks, they look like they might not be that terrible this year. I really hope Price is the real deal, I'd love to see montreal keep him playing then trade away Huet for something big that they could actually use and go with the tandem of Price and Halak. I really like Smith going to Calgary, even if he doesn't play that much, he's a sparkplug and might bring back some of their "tough to play against" reputation they lost last year.
I agree with the idea that Huet actually ends up as the trade bait in this situation. I'll leave the prospect analysis to those closer to the situation than I, but I fully expect Price to battle and claim the starting job within a few months. That will enable Huet to be swapped out for help elsewhere. It's always interesting to note which players end up clinging on after the training camp cuts, but the names thus far haven't really been too surprising. Sopel will love the Windy City, because there are tons of candidates to take the blame every night rather than him being the focal point as in past situations. I think defense is the position to play in the NHL if you want to stay past your prime, likely due to how long it takes young blueliners to develop their game to play consistently at the NHL level. That's fairly evident when guys like Cullimore and McGillis are still kicking around team's camps.
Spector: I your opinion, what in the world happened to Anson Carter? He was such a wonderful power forward his first go-around in Edmonton. It's a shame what he has become. Why did the Rangers bother with Hutchinson?
Last edited by seniahs66 on October 4th at 6:43 AM.
seniahs66: Carter's game has been in decline for the last few seasons. Granted, he got a boost in 2005-06 playing with the Sedins, but that says more about the Sedins ability than anything else.
As for Hutchinson they obviously were hoping he be ready to step up and fill a spot on their blueline but sadly it didn't pan out.
liquidHAWKS: The Thrashers demoted Pilar but he had to pass through waivers first. They reclaimed him because they wanted to keep him within their system in case they'd need to call him up at some point.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
