KHL Notes
Aivis Kalnins: Lokomotiv of the KHL put forward Ty Rattie on waivers.
Aivis Kalnins: Dinamo Minsk of the KHL has signed Ryan Spooner to a one-year deal.
Waiver Notes
Winnipeg Jets PR: The Winnipeg Jets have claimed defenseman Luca Sbisa off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.
- Darren Dreger: The Jets and Sbisa’s camp have been talking for awhile.
- Jason Gregor: (Replying to Dreger) “so did his agent want to sign with another team, so Jets could claim him on waivers? Smart, if that was the strategy.”
- Cap Friendly: The Ducks signed Sbisa on Tuesday to a one-year deal at $750,000. He’ll count for $665,323 for the Jets if he’s with the team for the rest of the season.
- Mike McIntyre: The Sbisa waiver claim is interesting … “Doesn’t seem like a move you’d make if Ville Heinola is sticking around and/or Dustin Byfuglien is returning soon. Especially with Nathan Beaulieu getting closer to a return and Tucker Poolman’s presumably minor injury.”
Joe Smith: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Daniel Walcott on waivers.
Ted Kulfan: Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson cleared waivers and is assigned to the AHL.
Outdoor game in Tampa?
Bryan Burns: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the NHL looking at holding an outdoor game in Tampa with the heat and humidity issue.
“The game matters. Points count. We know how competitive our races are to the playoffs. We have to make sure the ice not only can be competitive but it’s safe.”
Jon Cooper shouldn’t be on the hot seat.
Joe Smith of The Atlantic: (mailbag) The Tampa Bay Lightning signed head coach Jon Cooper to a three-year extension last March. Hard to see them making a coaching change even with their slow start.
Haven’t seen anything that would suggest Cooper has lost the Lightning dressing room.
“I feel in Tampa, kind of the way everyone was raised, the way people were hired here, people have grown together, we’ve won together, and we know a formula,” Cooper said. “Steve Yzerman was our leader, and now it’s Julien. But we’ve all won together; we won together in the minors and now in the NHL. I do believe there’s a little bit of family atmosphere here. I’ve never once thought. ‘Gosh, my job is done.’ You can never coach that way.
“You coach to your beliefs. Whatever happens, happens, but if you start doing things to keep your job, you’re basically going to lose your job. The reason, I believe, teams (of mine and Julien’s have) had success … (is) we’ve stuck to our beliefs. We’re two guys who never played in the NHL, but we’ve found ourselves here. Well, why? Because we’ve put ourselves out there.”