The Golden Knights place Kallionkieli on unconditional waivers and the Capitals place Phillips on waivers.
A few players, one of whom will be able to search for a new home, have been placed on waivers.
The Washington Capitals placed Matthew Phillips on waivers on Thursday. The 25-year-old has spent the majority of the previous month as a healthy scratch, but on February 8, he managed to get into the starting lineup in the Capitals’ 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. Phillips hadn’t appeared since January 3.
On July 1 of last offseason, the Calgary native signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $775,000. Phillips has four assists and one goal in 27 games.
He can choose to play for the American Hockey League affiliate of the Washington Capitals, the Hershey Bears, who currently own the best record in the league, if he clears. Since joining the Calgary Wranglers, the major affiliate of the Calgary Flames, last season, Phillips has not participated in minor league baseball.
From 2017 to 2023, Phillips was a member of the Flames organization for 298 games. There were only three in the NHL.
Marcus Kallionkieli was also given unconditional waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights in order to end his contract.
No NHL game has featured Kallionkieli. The Golden Knights selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NBA Draft. At the conclusion of the 2020–21 season, he made his AHL debut with the Henderson Silver Knights before rejoining the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings the following year. The Finnish native played just six games with the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL in 2022–23 due to injury issues.
After being loaned to STS Sanok in the Polish Polska Hokej Liga, Kallionkieli scored 16 goals in 10 games. Since joining Kiekko-Espoo (Mestis, Finland), he has played in four games and scored five points.
Kallionkieli will have the choice to sign with any NHL team he wants if he passes.
With six points separating them from the Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals (23-21-8) are currently sixth in the Metropolitan Division. The Vancouver Canucks, who are leading the league, are 10 points ahead of the Golden Knights (31-16-6) in the Pacific Division.
Kallionkieli will have the choice to sign with any NHL team he wants if he passes.
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In the 4 Nations Face-Off, Stuart Skinner and Adin Hill are the front-runners to be Canada’s best goalies.
Regards: USA Today Sports
The days of Canada fielding three future Hockey Hall of Famers to a tournament are long gone.
Arguably the most impressive goalie trio to have graced international hockey, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and Marc-Andre Fleury supported Canada’s 2010 gold medal effort. While Fleury ranks second all-time in wins, the first two were obvious favorites well before they retired. When Carey Price took over in 2014, he had limited opportunities to wear the red, white, and black uniform, but he still managed to establish one of the most impressive goalie resumes in Hockey Canada history.
However, the country’s internet challenges are well-recorded. While Fleury is still active, the 2025 4 Nations will see him turn 40.
It permeates the men’s game at every level, particularly in the World Juniors. Although it seems like a coin flip every year, Devon Levi and Thomas Milic have recently put on some incredible shows.
For the first time since the NHL began sending players to the Olympics, one thing is certain: there isn’t a superstar Canadian goaltender. However, it might not be as serious of an issue as some have made it seem before the 4 Nations Face-Off.
With Connor Hellebuyck, Thatcher Demko, and Jake Oettinger among their top three, the United States has depth that Canada lacks. However, two names have surfaced as the front-runners to take the top spot very quickly: Adin of Vegas
These aren’t well-known brands. However, they’re incredibly good.
Both have been among the NHL’s top goalies this season statistically. Hill has missed 22 games because of injuries, but he is a fantastic player when well. His 12.19 goals saved above average puts him in fifth place in the NHL, while his.943 save percentage in 5-on-5 play is the second best in the league. Although Vegas has a strong defensive scheme, Hill has been a key member of the team, as evidenced by his third-place high-danger save percentage of 0.876.
Considering that Skinner’s save percentage after 10 games was.880, his season-long statistics seem a little off. However, only Ukko Pekka Luukkonen of Buffalo (.944) has a higher SV% in his last 12 games than Skinner (.939).
Neither goalie appeared to emerge from relative obscurity. While in Arizona, Adin Hill was regarded by numerous scouts as one of the game’s top goaltending prospects. After bouncing around a few bottom-feeders, he made his way to Vegas in the summer of 2022, adding some depth to the team’s goaltending. Hill fared well in the regular season, but the Golden Knights began with Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit in a 1-2 combo.
