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Pittsburgh Penguins Send Archibald, Sundqvist To AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are headed home after a grueling five game road trip, and will send Josh Archibald and Oskar Sundqvist back to the AHL for the time being. The two will re-join the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins for their back-to-back starting tomorrow night against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Archibald got into just a single game during this most recent call-up, while Sundqvist skates in three contests. Both players saw very little ice time when they did make it into a game, but will return to successful seasons in the AHL. The pair have 27 and 39 points respectively in the minor league, with Sundqvist showing his physical dominance against the lower level. The two will likely be back up at some point if injuries strike the Penguins down the stretch.

Pittsburgh had a chance to keep pace with the Washington Capitals for first place in the NHL last night, but were beaten in every aspect of the game by the Philadelphia Flyers. Outshot 28-24, the Penguins will limp away following the 4-0 victory that saw Wayne Simmonds collect his 200th career goal and 29th of the season. The Penguins will welcome the lowly Devils into town tomorrow night, before playing an afternoon game against Florida on Sunday.

Minor Moves: Froese, Hellberg, Lashoff

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Yesterday, Byron Froese was sent down by the Tampa Bay Lightning after it appeared they were on the verge of getting one of Tyler Johnson or Vladislav Namestnikov back from their recent injuries. Well not so fast, as the team has recalled Froese again for their matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.

Froese knows Toronto well, as he has spent most of the past three years with the organization before being dealt along with a second-round pick for Brian Boyle just prior to the trade deadline. Froese had been leading the Toronto Marlies in goals with 24, and looks like he’ll get his second chance in the Tampa Bay lineup tonight.

  • The New York Rangers have indeed called Magnus Hellberg back up from the AHL on an emergency basis. The goaltender was sent down this week most likely to save some money, as Henrik Lundqvist is out for at least another two weeks. Hellberg has gotten into just one game for the Rangers this season, stopping all four shots he saw in relief. The former second-round pick has posted underwhelming numbers during his time in the AHL, but still has time to grow.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have decided to recall Brian Lashoff according to Brendan Savage of MLive. The 26-year old defenseman has a total of 122 games of NHL experience, and gives them a big body on the blue line to insert if they feel it necessary.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Samuel Vigneault

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According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, the Columbus Blue Jackets have gotten off to an early start Thursday morning. The team has signed college free agent Samuel Vigneault to a two-year entry-level contract. The 6’5″ center played at Clarkson University for the past three seasons, scoring 36 points in 39 games this year.

Vigneault (who has no relation to New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault) is a big, playmaking center that always looks for his teammates first, and can work the half wall on the powerplay. Even at 200-lbs, he hasn’t really filled out yet and should put on weight as he matures. With it, his physical game should improve, though he can already use solid body positioning to protect the puck.

Like many college-aged prospects, Vigneault has trouble staying consistent in his own end. He can get caught flat-footed and doesn’t have the instant acceleration of some of the other top prospects. The good thing though, is that he is usually playing with the puck at the other end of the rink, finding open teammates all over the ice.

The deal will most likely begin in 2017-18, and Vigneault may report to Cleveland on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season. If he does, he’d be joining a team in the thick of a playoff race as last year’s Calder Cup champions currently sit five points back of the Iowa Wild. With just eight games remaining, it will be tough for them to jump into the postseason this year.

West Notes: Jets, Shore, Gibson

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The Jets are likely to be without defenseman Jacob Trouba on Thursday night despite the fact he was able to practice with the team today, suggests Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.  Trouba missed Monday’s game with an upper body injury (and would have sat out Tuesday had that game not been postponed due to weather); it’s believed the injury was sustained during a fight over the weekend against Calgary in which five stitches were required just above his eye.

Winnipeg may also be without left winger Shawn Matthias who missed practice with an undisclosed injury and is listed as questionable for Thursday.  Left winger Nic Petan would likely take his place although he may be in the lineup regardless of whether or not Matthias is available.  Leading scorer Mark Scheifele (illness) didn’t practice but is expected to suit up against the Islanders.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • Winger Drew Shore had offers from other NHL teams before deciding to join Vancouver for the rest of the season, reports Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Province. GM Jim Benning admitted that with the team as far as they are out of the playoff race, they’re likely to start giving their younger players more playing time which should bode well for Shore among others.  Benning also noted that part of the rationale for signing Shore was that he’d like to avoid calling anyone else up from their minor league affiliate in Utica, who are in a tight race for the final playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division.
  • The Ducks are monitoring goalie John Gibson daily after some of the lingering soreness from his lower body injury resurfaced on Friday, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. There’s no timetable for when he’ll make his next start but head coach Randy Carlyle doesn’t think he’ll need that much time to be ready as soon as he’s cleared to return to practice.  In the meantime, Jonathan Bernier will remain as the starter, a role he has handled fairly well as of late, going 5-2 with a 2.17 GAA and a .933 SV% in his last seven outings.

Snapshots: Pastrnak, Sabres, Keenan, Wideman

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The Bruins and representatives for winger David Pastrnak are interested in getting a long-term contract done instead of pursuing a bridge deal in the summer, reports CSN New England’s DJ Bean.  Pastrnak is slated to become a restricted free agent in July and is poised to land a significant raise from the $925K he is receiving this season in the final year of his entry level deal.

Bean adds that Pastrnak’s agent, J.P. Barry, is viewing Sean Monahan (Calgary), Filip Forsberg (Nashville), and Mark Scheifele as suitable comparable players for negotiations.  All of those players landed new deals worth at least $6MM last summer.  The Bruins should have the room to accommodate a long-term deal on their cap moving forward as well; they have a little over $61MM already committed next year to 17 players per CapFriendly.

Other news from around the hockey world:

  • The Sabres are planning to recall defenseman Taylor Fedun from Rochester of the AHL in time for Thursday’s game in Los Angeles, reports Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. He’s expected to take the place of Justin Falk, who has been ruled out of the lineup for at least the next two games.  Buffalo is also likely to have winger Hudson Fasching back in their lineup for the first time since late October.  The 21 year old has spent the last two months in the AHL after recovering from a groin injury, collecting seven points in 23 games in that span.
  • It appears Mike Keenan’s coaching career isn’t over just yet. The 67 year old is slated to become the new head coach of Kunlun of the KHL pending league approval of the contract, notes TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).  The veteran of 1,440 career NHL games as a bench boss last coached back in 2015 with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL and won a Gagarin Cup with them back in 2014.  Keenan will have plenty of familiar with his team as he is currently serving as an advisor for them.
  • The NHL lost its appeal in New York court to vacate an arbitrators’ ruling that dropped Dennis Wideman’s suspension from last season from 20 to 10 games, reports TSN’s Rick Westhead (Twitter link). The league had made its case back in June to try to have the remainder of his suspension reinstated.  Wideman was suspended for hitting linesman Don Henderson but it was cut in half by arbitrator James Oldham last March.  The NHL dismissed Oldham back in July.

Metropolitan Notes: Halak, Letang, Raanta

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The New York Islanders are considering bringing goaltender Jaroslav Halak back from Bridgeport of the AHL, notes Newsday’s Laura Albanese.  Halak cleared waivers back at the beginning of January and has been in the minors ever since.  With the Sound Tigers, the 31 year old has played quite well, collecting a 2.17 GAA and a .926 SV% in 24 games.

On the flip side, Jean-Francois Berube has not played well since moving into the number two role and has posted a 3.42 GAA and a .889 SV% on the season, both well below the league average.  As a result, the team has asked Thomas Greiss to take on a much heavier workload which is starting to take its toll.

Just a couple of months ago, carrying three goaltenders was speculated as one of the reasons why the Islanders were struggling.  Now, it may actually give them the boost they need to continue their push for a postseason spot.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is making progress as he recovers from an upper body injury and the team is hopeful that he will be able to start skating shortly, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There remains no timetable for his return and given where Pittsburgh sits in the standings, they can afford to ere on the side of caution and give him plenty of time to come back so that he’s healthy for the playoffs.  Despite already missing 27 games heading into tonight, Letang is second on the team in blueline points with 34, trailing only Justin Schultz (46).
  • While the injury to Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist might put a damper on their attempts to get out of a wild card spot and into a top three spot, it also represents quite the opportunity for backup Antti Raanta to show that he can handle a starting workload for at least a few weeks. He’s slated to be left unprotected in expansion and ESPN’s Craig Custance reports (Insider required) that multiple scouts from Las Vegas were scouting New York over the weekend.  With one year left on his contract after this season at a cap hit $1MM, he could very well be someone the Golden Knights look to target.

Minor Moves: Gillies, Froese, Bayreuther

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Brian Elliott is sick. Expected to start tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and continue his recent hot streak, the netminder will be held off the ice entirely tonight. Chad Johnson will go in his stead, and Jon Gillies has been recalled to serve as the backup goaltender. This will serve as the prospect’s first taste of NHL action, despite him likely not getting onto the ice. According to Kristin Hallett of Flames TV, Gillies will be cutting it close for game time tonight as he caught a plane today to get to Calgary.

Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia reports that the Stockton Heat, where Gillies was set to play will be looking for an emergency backup of their own around San Diego. Emergency goalies are one of the best stories in hockey, ranging from video producers to bankers by day to professional hockey players by night. Someone in San Diego will likely be added to the trope tonight when the Heat take on the San Diego Gulls.

  • Byron Froese has been sent back down by the Tampa Bay Lightning after just a couple of days. The minor league forward played in one game while the Lightning continues to nurse Tyler Johnson and Vladislav Namestnikov back to health. Namestnikov played in Monday’s game as well, but aggravated the injury and is still questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The re-assignment of Froese however does signal good news on one of the centers (no, it’s likely not Steven Stamkos).
  • After announcing his signing late last night, the Dallas Stars—or, more accurately the Texas Stars—have signed Gavin Bayreuther to an amateur tryout and will see him join the AHL squad right away. The NCAA standout should help them right away, though they don’t have any playoff aspirations any longer. Bayreuther will get some professional experience before trying to crack the Dallas team next fall.

Snapshots: USA Hockey, Vecchione, DeMelo

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After several members of the US Women’s National Team extended a message to USA Hockey about their boycotting the upcoming World Championships, the national program released its own statement on the subject. Understanding the frustration of the women who are reportedly given just $6000 each for their Olympic training and participation, USA Hockey stated that they have long supported their female athletes.

The support USA Hockey is implementing in order to prepare the Women’s National Team for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games includes a six-month training camp, additional support stipends and incentives for medals that could result in each player receiving nearly $85,000 in cash over the Olympic training and performance period. The sum is in addition to a housing allowance, travel allowances, meal expenses, medical and disability insurance and the infrastructure that includes elite-level support staff to train and prepare the players.

The statement goes on to explain that the organization was “disappointed” in the player’s demands and will continue to keep dialogue open in hopes they’ll play in April. The players shot back at the release, with captain Meghan Duggan telling Bob McKenzie of TSN it was “incredibly dishonest and misleading”. As McKenzie notes, the two sides seem ready for a battle over their compensation leading up to next year’s Olympics.

  • After the Pittsburgh Penguins added Zach Aston-Reese yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping for some help from the college ranks of their own. Sam Carchidi of The Inquirer opines that the team may have interest in both Spencer Foo and Mike Vecchione of Union College. The team is familiar with the school from the years Shayne Gostisbehere spent there, including one season with Vecchione in 2013-14. The pair of undrafted forwards are among the highest scoring in the NCAA, with 59 and 62 points respectively. If the Flyers want to keep pace with what has been a busy Metropolitan Division—the Capitals also inked a couple of forwards earlier this month—they would do well with Vecchione. The 24-year old senior is considered by some even better than Aston-Reese, and ready to step into the NHL right away. Anyone will have to wait for Union’s season to be over though, as they’re still alive in the ECAC playoffs.
  • Kevin Kurz of CSN reports that David Schlemko rejoined his teammates in practice today for the first time in nearly two weeks. The defenseman is getting close to a return, but Dylan DeMelo has used the opportunity to show that he’s ready for an NHL role. DeMelo tells Kurz that getting back into the lineup is “definitely a lot better playing than sitting out for seven weeks. I’m just happy to be back in the lineup and [helping] the team win.” DeMelo had surgery to repair a broken wrist in January and only returned to the lineup on March 5th.

Adam Gaudette Will Return To Northeastern For Junior Year

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After seeing his teammate Zach Aston-Reese graduate and sign a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks prospect Adam Gaudette will return to Northeastern for one more season according to Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. There had been some thought that he would leave school early and join the Canucks organization, but Kuzma reports he’ll stay at least one more year to add strength.

It’s a good plan for Gaudette, who showed just about as much as any fifth-round pick could in 2016-17. In just 37 games for Northeastern, the 6’1″ 184-lbs center scored 26 goals and 52 points and showed his incredible skill on a nightly basis. More creative than Aston-Reese, he nevertheless trailed him in goals and points all season long due to the undrafted Penguins’ prospect being a dominant net presence.

Gaudette played the half-wall on the powerplay and was often a setup man for Aston-Reese in front of the net, but does tend to drift in his own end on occasion. He’ll need to clean up his defensive zone play and make sure he’s engaging physically every night before making the jump to professional hockey.

For now, he’ll go back and try to battle for the NCAA scoring title next season. Though there is no indication of this, he could technically stay for his senior year and then become a free agent in the summer of 2019. Canucks fans shouldn’t worry just yet though, as that is still a long way away for the 20-year old.

Tim Gettinger Signs Entry-Level Contract With New York Rangers

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According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, the New York Rangers have come to an agreement with their fifth-round pick from last summer, Tim Gettinger. No details have been released, but it will most likely come into effect in 2017-18.

Gettinger was playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL this season, where he scored 30 goals and 52 points in 59 games. The 6’6″ winger is a dominant physical presence in the junior league, and doesn’t turn 19 until April. His ability at both ends of the rink has improved dramatically this season, making him an easy choice to extend a professional contract to.

Since he is still so young, Gettinger won’t be able to join the AHL club next season. He’ll either have to make the NHL team (which is still an extreme long-shot despite his advanced size and success this season) or head back to the Greyhounds for another year. He’s going to get a chance this year to win it all though, as his team currently sits first in the OHL’s West division and will be a tough matchup for anyone in the playoffs.

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