The Bolts placed the defenseman on waivers Thursday to terminate his contract, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The team is calling it a "material breach of contract," Friedman adds.
In 83 career games with the Lightning, Dotchin picked up just three goals and 22 points. It may not take him long to find a new home because of his age (24), size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds), and right-handedness.
Thursday's blockbuster trade to acquire Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators wasn't the first time San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has fleeced one of his counterparts. In fact, it's not even the first time this offseason he's schooled Sens GM Pierre Dorion.
The Karlsson deal will be Wilson's best transaction if the five-time All-Star gets the Sharks over the hump and they win the Stanley Cup. Here are five other moves (listed in chronological order) Wilson has made to help turn the Sharks into a juggernaut:
Drafting Joe Pavelski
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Wilson took over as Sharks GM in May 2003, and about a month later made arguably the franchise's best draft pick, selecting Joe Pavelski in the seventh round (205th overall).
Pavelski has been one of the NHL's most underrated players since entering the league in 2006-07. On a per 82-game basis, he's averaging 30 goals and 64 points per season, and the 34-year-old has also been reliable on both the power play and penalty kill, with the versatility to play either center or wing.
During the Wilson era, the Sharks have missed the postseason just once. They've traded many first-round picks, but have still managed to draft and develop homegrown talent on a level nearly any team in the league would envy.
The Joe Thornton robbery
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Joe Thornton is in the twilight of his career now, so it might be easy to forget that he was the centerpiece of a historically lopsided trade.
On Nov. 30, 2005, Wilson acquired the then 26-year-old Thornton from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, and Wayne Primeau. That's it.
Thornton went on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy that season, and he sits second in franchise history with 973 points in 961 games, trailing only Patrick Marleau.
The Brent Burns thievery
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At the 2011 draft, Wilson pulled off another blockbuster, trading Charlie Coyle, Devin Setoguchi, and a first-round pick (28th overall, Zack Phillips) to the Minnesota Wild for Brent Burns and a second-round pick.
Burns, who was 26 years old at the time, was a good player, but not a great one yet. After rotating between forward and defense during his first few seasons in the Bay Area, he was permanently moved to defense for the 2014-15 season, and a star emerged. Over the last four seasons, he's averaged 21 goals and 70 points, taking home the Norris Trophy in 2016-17.
Meanwhile, Setoguchi didn't reach 20 goals or 40 points again, Coyle still hasn't established himself as a top-six forward, and Phillips never played in the NHL.
Dealing a prospect and a first-rounder for a 25-year-old goaltender with only 29 NHL starts under his belt was a risky move. But it's become one of Wilson's savviest trades, as Jones has proven to be a capable No. 1 goalie and a clutch performer.
Here's a look at his career playoff numbers:
GP
W-L
GAA
SV%
SO
42
22-18
2.07
.926
6
Frederic is a good-looking prospect, and Kuraly is a solid depth player. But the Sharks definitely wouldn't have gone to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final without Jones in the crease.
Buying low on Evander Kane
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Time will tell if this move turns out to truly be one of Wilson's best, but so far, so good.
At the 2018 trade deadline, Wilson sent prospect Danny O'Regan, a second-round pick, and a conditional fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Evander Kane (the second-round pick turned into a first once Kane signed an extension).
Since being selected fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kane has shown flashes of brilliance and the ability to become a premier power forward. But a combination of injuries, some off-ice incidents, and playing for poor teams have prevented him from reaching his full potential.
In 17 games with San Jose following the deadline, Kane scored nine goals, then added four more in nine postseason contests. A full season in a winning environment, surrounded by some of the best linemates of his career, could result in a 40-plus-goal campaign if he stays healthy.
Acquiring a talented player at a bargain price has worked out for Wilson in the past. Kane and Karlsson are just the most recent examples.
Honorable mentions: Acquiring Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay, Dany Heatley from Ottawa.
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford revealed to reporters Friday that he's been sidelined by a concussion he suffered last year. He also said he believes he's close to a full recovery as the team begins its training camp.
Crawford's final game of the 2017-18 season came on Dec. 23. He was initially ruled out with vertigo-like symptoms without a clear timeline on a potential return.
Corey Crawford said he suffered the concussion before his last game on Dec. 23. "It was something before that and things just kept getting progressively worse. It just got to a point where it was time to sit out, and things never really got better."
The 33-year-old was on the ice with the Blackhawks' goalie coach prior to practice Friday, but Crawford reaffirmed he's not 100 percent yet.
"It's hard to say right now, but things have been progressing really well," Crawford told ChicagoBlackhawks.com's Chris Wescott. "It's really hard to put a timeline on it right now. It's nice to be on the ice and it feels like I didn't miss that much time, compared to being out this long. I was moving pretty good."
Crawford was outstanding when healthy last season, managing a .929 save percentage across 27 starts.
The Montreal Canadiens have invited veteran forward Joel Ward to their training camp on a professional tryout basis, the club announced on Friday.
Ward, 37, is coming off the worst season of his career. He recorded just five goals and seven assists over 52 games during the 2017-18 season with the San Jose Sharks.
Known as a proven playoff performer (22 goals and 52 points in 83 postseason games), Ward brings 726 regular-season games of NHL experience to the table.
McGinn tallied 13 goals and 29 points in 76 games for the Panthers last season. The left winger was set to play a bottom-six role with the club for the 2018-19 campaign.
McGinn was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to Florida last September in exchange for defenseman Jason Demers.
He has one year left on his contract, which carries a $3.3-million cap hit.
Holland added that Zetterberg is not retiring, but will instead be placed on long-term injured reserve, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. He has three years remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $6.083 million.
Zetterberg has dealt with back issues dating back to the 2014-15 campaign, but incredibly didn't miss a game the last three seasons. He labored through most of last season and wasn't able to practice for half the year, Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said last month, but still managed to put up 56 points. His back didn't allow him to train this offseason either.
The 37-year-old Swede finishes his career as one of the best players in his generation.
NHL PT Leaders – During Zetterberg’s Career (02-03 to 17-18) Player GP Pts Joe Thornton 1138 1180 Ovechkin 1003 1122 Crosby 864 1116 Henrik Sedin 1166 1005 Daniel Sedin 1152 975 Zetterberg 1082 960
Zetterberg was a member of the elusive Triple Gold Club, winning Olympic and World Championship gold medals in 2006, and leading the Wings to a Stanley Cup title in 2008 while also being awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Things are going from bad to worse in Canada's capital.
One day removed from trading the face of their franchise, the Ottawa Senatorsannounced Friday that forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau will miss at least six months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in his right leg during training on Thursday.
Pageau registered 14 goals and 29 points this past season, primarily serving as Ottawa's third-line center. His best season came in 2015-16 when he led the league with seven shorthanded goals.
The Ottawa native is best known for his playoff heroics, netting a hat trick in the Sens' first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, and scoring four goals - including the OT winner - against the New York Rangers in the second round of the team's magical run to the conference finals in 2017.
Pageau, 25, signed a three-year, $9.3-million contract last summer.
His injury will likely result in an increased role for newly-acquired center Chris Tierney and could open up a spot for former first-round pick Logan Brown on the team's opening-night roster.
