dlbalr Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 The Habs added RD Johnny Kovacevic on waivers today. Some AHL numbers: And my quick write-up: http://www.habsworld.net/2022/10/habs-claim-johnny-kovacevic-off-waivers/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyrealist Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 Without knowing anything besides what I’ve read today, looks like a decent wire pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 39 minutes ago, hockeyrealist said: Without knowing anything besides what I’ve read today, looks like a decent wire pickup. Agree, now fingers crossed the big young guy is NHL ready and doesn't have any real struggles defending vs NHL forwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted October 8, 2022 Author Share Posted October 8, 2022 Some thoughts from Winnipeg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 Yep - seems a canny pickup 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 2 hours ago, DON said: Agree, now fingers crossed the big young guy is NHL ready and doesn't have any real struggles defending vs NHL forwards. Agreed ... but the most important thing is that he provides 6'4" of insulation for the youngsters ... and I have a funny feeling that there may be another waiver pickup in the near future, unless Edmundson is healthier than they haven't told us (HINT: I am annoyed by the lack of updates on an injury that was not supposed to be serious). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 5 minutes ago, GHT120 said: Agreed ... but the most important thing is that he provides 6'4" of insulation for the youngsters ... and I have a funny feeling that there may be another waiver pickup in the near future, unless Edmundson is healthier than they haven't told us (HINT: I am annoyed by the lack of updates on an injury that was not supposed to be serious). Valimaaki would be a good pickup imo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyrealist Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 2 hours ago, DON said: Agree, now fingers crossed the big young guy is NHL ready and doesn't have any real struggles defending vs NHL forwards. Definitely agree, and am actually a little optimistic as after looking into him more It appears he has been consistent (not prolific) at all levels. Given our RHD depth this pickup is really impressing me as being smart gamble with potentially high returns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plutarch Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 2 hours ago, Commandant said: Valimaaki would be a good pickup imo. I thought his injuries had crippled him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted October 8, 2022 Share Posted October 8, 2022 3 minutes ago, Plutarch said: I thought his injuries had crippled him? For whatever it's worth: Valimaki’s injury problems Ever since the 2018–19 season, Valimaki has had his fair share of injuries. He suffered a high ankle sprain in 2019 which limited him to only playing 24 games in the NHL that year. In the summer of 2019, Valimaki received a torn ACL during offseason training, and sat out the entire 2019–20 season, hurting his development tremendously. Thankfully, ever since he tore his ACL, Valimaki has only had a minor injury that occurred this prior season when he was in the AHL. He was sidelined for five games with a lower-body injury due to a hit he received from former Ontario Reign now Calgary Wrangler Brett Sutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted October 9, 2022 Author Share Posted October 9, 2022 4 hours ago, Commandant said: Valimaaki would be a good pickup imo. It's a pricey flyer though. $1.55M cap hit, $2M in salary, $1.86M QO if they like him. It also makes their season-opening roster optimizing scenario a lot harder. For anyone wondering what I mean, on Monday, they want to get a cap hit as close to $10.5M over the cap as possible, then LTIR Price. They want to do that with the ELC guys (Slafkovsky, Caufield, Guhle, even Barron and Harris) if they can for performance bonus reasons. Right now, with this claim, they can get within about $131,000 of that threshold but if they claim Valimaki, it could make it harder to recall whichever ELC players get sent down to accommodate Valimaki's claim. (This is one of the really goofy cap machinations for season-opening roster purposes with those rosters rarely actually being the opening game rosters.) With Byron being LTIR-bound, it's not an impossible scenario to work around (if they really want him, it's worth the claim) but it would complicate things a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 "Kovacevic graduated from Merrimack Engineering in 2020, finishing the fourth year of his degree via remote learning. He says he’s always done “pretty well” at school. Merrimack’s website lists his GPA as 4.0" https://theathletic.com/3099765/2022/01/29/how-johnathan-kovacevics-family-story-helps-him-put-his-hockey-pursuit-in-perspective/ I already like this kid, I know how hard it is to graduate from engineering, and to have a GPA of 4.0 while playing hockey! just tells me he is disciplined, committed and smart. Seems like he was playing lots of minutes in the AHL and that he didn't look out of place with the Jets https://thehockeywriters.com/winnipeg-jets-2022-restricted-free-agents/ Good pickup! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IN THE HEARTS OF MEN Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Is he Croatian? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 2 hours ago, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said: Is he Croatian? Born in Canada (Grimsby) but his father is from Montenegro -- and his mother is from Bosnia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmethead Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Don’t underestimate the power of the immigrant gene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Si siñor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasuto Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 On 10/10/2022 at 4:35 AM, Helmethead said: Don’t underestimate the power of the immigrant gene. Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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