Several NHL teams made some last-second roster moves just before the NHL season faced off on October 4th. Here’s an update on the biggest transactions. The Columbus Blue Jackets and 23-year-old restricted free-agent forward Josh Anderson finally came to an agreement on a new contract on October 2nd. Anderson signed his name to a new three-year deal which is reportedly worth a total of $5.5 million. Anderson said he didn’t want to miss any game action at the start of the season as he wants to continue to develop as a player. The 6-foot-3-inch, 221 lb Anderson played 78 games last season and racked up 29 points on 17 goals and 12 assists by basically playing as a bottom-six forward.
The Pittsburgh Penguins decided to give up on defenceman Derrick Pouliot as they shipped him off to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for fellow blueliner Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round draft pick. Pouliot was taken in the 2012 draft by Pittsburgh with the eighth-overall pick, but never fulfilled his potential to be a top-four defenceman during his three-year stint with the Penguins. The trade was a bit of a surprise considering Pouliot inked a new one-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason. The 23-year-old has played in just 67 regular-season games with two goals and 12 assists to his name. However, he has 20 goals and 70 points in 114 AHL contests. The 24-year-old, 6-foot-5-inch Pedan has appeared in 13 NHL games with no points, but has 29 points in 84 AHL outings.
The NHL waiver wires were active as the Colorado Avalanche claimed Swedish defenceman Patrik Nemeth from the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knight took goaltender Malcolm Subban from the Boston Bruins. The 25-year-old Nemeth was taken 41st overall in the 2010 draft by Dallas and has 14 assists in 108 regular-season NHL contests. The 23-year-old Subban was chosen 24th in the 2012 draft by Boston He’s 0-2 in the NHL with a goals-against average of 5.81 in 62 minutes of play along with a save percentage of 72.7. Subban has also played in 127 AHL games with a GAA of 2.40 and a 91.8 save percentage with a record of 56-45-14. He’s also gone 3-5 in 11 playoff games with a 2.21 GAA and 91.9 save percentage
Several veteran players who attended training camp on professional tryout contracts hit the jackpot as they earned a spot on the roster. These include forwards Scottie Upshall of the St. Louis Blues, Jimmy Hayes, of the New Jersey Devils, David Booth of the Detroit Red Wings and Tanner Glass of the Calgary Flames. It also appears defenceman Cody Franson has also made the Chicago Blackhawks and forward Alex Chiasson will stick around with the Washington Capitals. However, other players who were on tryouts weren’t as lucky, such as Teddy Purcell (Boston), Cody Goloubef (Buffalo), P. A. Parenteau (Detroit), Brandon Pirri (Florida), Brooks Laich (Los Angeles), Ryan Malone (Minnesota), Eric Gelinas (Montreal), Jay McClement (Pittsburgh) and Roman Polak (Toronto).
Both Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks and Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been place on their club’s long-term injured reserve list after being checked out by independent doctors. The forwards were given second physicals after Lupul claimed through social media that he was healthy enough to play and the Leafs were abusing the system. Hossa will miss the 2017/18 campaign due to a severe skin condition and his $5.25-million salary won’t go against the cap. As for Lupul, he has now failed his physical for the second straight season and his $5.25-million salary also won’t go against the Leafs’ cap.
In addition, there was also a big-name signing as 20-year-old forward Jack Eichel signed an eight-year contract extension with Buffalo worth $10 million a year. Eichel has scored 48 goals and 65 assists for 113 points for the Sabres in 142 games. He was drafted second-overall in the 2015 draft by Buffalo, with Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid going first. McDavid recently signed his own eight-year deal, which was worth $100 million.