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Minor Transactions: 10/30/21

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The NHL’s got a busy schedule today as the Florida Panthers attempt to maintain their undefeated record today on the road against a strong Boston Bruins team. Yet still, there are still many minor moves to keep track of across the AHL and ECHL on this busy Saturday. We’ll keep a record of those right here:

  • The AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights have added a pair of forwards to the roster in Lynden McCallum and Colt Conrad, per a team release. McCallum signed a one-year contract after spending five games with the team on a professional tryout contract, impressing with a goal and three assists in those games. Conrad joins the team on a PTO after spending the 2020-21 campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, scoring four points in 22 games. The Golden Knights organization faces a thin forward group at the NHL level due to injury, which has cost the Silver Knights some players early on that they expected to be important contributors.
  • Per a team tweet, the AHL’s Stockton Heat released forward Ryan Francis from his PTO, assigning him to the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Francis went pointless in four games with the Heat before being released from the PTO. A fifth-round pick of the Flames in 2020, Francis was old enough to spend the entire season in the AHL, but the team has decided that his development would be better served with an overage season in the QMJHL.
  • The AHL’s Belleville Senators recalled defenseman Xavier Bernard from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today and signed forward Kameron Kielly to a PTO, per a team tweet. Bernard was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils but was never signed and now finds himself in the Senators organization playing his first professional season. He has no points and a +1 rating with the Gladiators this season. Kielly is a 24-year-old entering his second professional season looking to play his first AHL game. He totalled 19 points in 39 ECHL games last season, split between the Allen Americans and Indy Fuel.

Injury Notes: Saad, Girard, Kraken, Johnson

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St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad is skating Saturday after spending the past nine days on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, per Blues reporter Chris Pinkert. Saad is expected to return to the lineup for their Wednesday game against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s ineligible to play in Saturday night’s game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. It appears to be a huge boost for the Blues, who are also without captain Ryan O’Reilly as he was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list on October 26. Saad had two points in three games before being placed in the protocol, but his absence has caused him to miss the last three (that number will be made four tonight). In his absence, younger forwards such as Klim Kostin and Jake Neighbours have gotten extended looks in the lineup.

Other injury notes from around the league on Saturday:

  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports defenseman Samuel Girard will return to the lineup for tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild. Expected to play on a pairing with Erik Johnson, it’s another step closer to full health for a Colorado blueline that’s faced injuries to their best two left-shot defensemen early on this season. Girard missed Colorado’s last two games after suffering an injury on a hit from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos at the end of a game on October 23.
  • Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol issued injury updates today on forward Mason Appleton and goaltender Chris Driedger. Appleton was placed on injured reserve today and is now out indefinitely, while Driedger is now labeled as day-to-day. Kraken reporter Bob Condor relays information that Driedger practiced today, and could potentially work his way into game action as the Kraken have a back-to-back this Sunday and Monday. Appleton was in the midst of a rough start to his Kraken tenure, posting just one assist in seven games and playing just 11:14 per game.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope reports that Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson suffered an apparent arm or wrist injury during the team’s 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, if not more time. Johnson was playing in a top-line role, flanking Kirby Dach along with Dominik Kubalik prior to the injury with Patrick Kane in COVID-19 protocol. Johnson’s scored one goal and two assists in eight games this season. Forward Dylan Strome could draw into the lineup tonight in his place.

Minnesota Wild Place Jordan Greenway On Injured Reserve

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The Minnesota Wild placed winger Jordan Greenway on injured reserve Friday afternoon, recalling Adam Beckman from the Iowa Wild in his place, per a team release.

Greenway suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken after taking a hit from Kraken captain Mark Giordano.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo expands on the nature of a recent injury bug that’s hit the Wild, stating defenseman Alex Goligoski is out one to two weeks with an upper-body injury while Dmitry Kulikov is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

If Beckman draws into the lineup, it will be his NHL debut. The 75th overall pick in 2019 has seen his stock rise sharply and now finds himself mentioned in a trio of skilled forward prospects in Minnesota’s system, along with Marco Rossi and Matthew Boldy. Beckman has three points in four AHL games this season.

Greenway’s had somewhat of a rough start to the season with just two assists in seven games. He was expected to be a major contributor in the team’s top-six forward group after scoring a career-high 32 points in 56 games last season.

Beckman could certainly get a look playing directly in Greenway’s spot with Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, but head coach Dean Evason could also shuffle the team’s line combinations to put Beckman in less of a checking role.

Minor Transactions: 10/29/21

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The hockey world got some unexpected news this morning with the Toronto Maple Leafs extending defenseman Morgan Rielly for eight seasons. That’s certainly quantifiable as a major transaction, but many other teams and players at lower levels of hockey have made paper moves today as they deal with the ripple effects of moves at the NHL level. Here are today’s minor transactions:

  • The AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have loaned defenseman Montana Onyebuchi to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, per the Solar Bears’ Twitter. Onyebuchi joined the Barracuda on an AHL contract after taking part in the San Jose Sharks’ training camp this past offseason. The 21-year-old Onyebuchi served as an alternate captain for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers during the past two seasons, and had 12 points in 20 games in a COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL affiliate of St. Louis, added two players to the roster today in forward Nic Pierog and defenseman Nick Albano. Both Pierog and Albano had been playing with the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers, but only Pierog was under an AHL contract. He was recalled after scoring two points in two games with Worcester and has five points in 15 career AHL games. Albano was on an ECHL contract and was signed to a professional tryout agreement with Springfield. Albano had one goal in three games after not playing during the 2020-21 campaign.

Injury Notes: Penguins, Golden Knights, Avalanche, Wood

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The Pittsburgh Penguins received some extremely welcome news today, as head coach Mike Sullivan says centers Sidney Crosby and Jeff Carter are game-time decisions for tomorrow’s contest against the New Jersey Devils as they begin the journey to full health. That’s only 40% of the key contributors they have currently out of the lineup, however, as Kris Letang remains in COVID-19 protocol and Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust are on injured reserve. Still, seeing one of the best players in the world close to full health again and nearly ready to make his season debut is always promising news. The return of Carter shouldn’t be overlooked either, as the veteran forward had four points in four games before entering COVID-19 protocol.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The Golden Knights, along with the Penguins, have been one of the most injury-affected teams in the NHL this season. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger issued updates on the health of many Golden Knights today, as the team has six regulars currently sitting out with injury. The most notable of those updates is Mark Stone, who is still out indefinitely but skated today for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on October 15. However, it could potentially become seven regulars out of the lineup for tonight’s game as William Carrier suffered an injury Wednesday night against Dallas and is a game-time decision.
  • Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen is day-to-day with a lower-body injury per head coach Jared Bednar, but defenseman Devon Toews is expected to make his season debut during the next two games. Rantanen was scratched from Thursday night’s game against the Blues. Toews’ return will give Colorado a fully healthy defense core for the first time this season, as Samuel Girard is also ready to go.
  • Devils head coach Lindy Ruff gave an update today on forward Miles Wood, who he calls “the furthest away” from returning out of all the Devils’ injuries. Considering Jack Hughes was issued a five-week timeline today, that’s not promising news. Wood has not played this season after suffering a lower-body injury just prior to the start of the campaign.

Michael Amadio Placed On Waivers By Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs placed 25-year-old forward Michael Amadio on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The move leaves Toronto with no extra forwards on the roster as Ilya Mikheyev remains on injured reserve. While Petr Mrazek is healed from injury and ready to return against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, he was never officially placed on injured reserve. It’s possible that there’s a corresponding call-up coming from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe inserted Amadio into the lineup in only three games up until this point, averaging only 9:10 per game with no points and a +1 rating. Keefe deployed Amadio exclusively on the fourth line with Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds, a role that offseason addition Nick Ritchie finds himself in now after a slow start influenced a massive line shuffle.

Playing parts of five seasons in the league, Amadio’s played 176 contests with the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Maple Leafs. 168 of those 176 games came in a Kings uniform, as well as all of his 16 goals and 39 of his 40 career points.

The likelihood of a claim here is relatively low, as he’s done little in the past two seasons to show that he’s an everyday NHL player. If he clears, he’ll likely report to a Marlies team that’s dealing with a significant injury to top prospect Nicholas Robertson.

San Jose Sharks Approaching Decision On William Eklund

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The entry-level slide is a rather well-known concept now in the salary cap world. Otherwise known as the ’nine-game rule’, it permits teams to conserve years on an 18- or 19-year-old player’s entry-level contract by deferring or sliding the start of the contract by a season (or two), provided they don’t play nine games or less at the NHL level in a season.

It’s not something often thought about with players of European origin, as it’s rather uncommon for a European-based player to make a team out of camp at this age unless fully NHL-ready. But the San Jose Sharks took a chance this year on 2020 draft selection William Eklund, and it’s largely paid off. As the team’s roared off to a 4-1-0 start, they’ve largely been propelled by the competence of their rookie class — including Eklund. With three assists in four games, Eklund’s showing flashes of potential and already showing the value the Sharks got with a seventh-overall selection.

Yet Eklund was scratched today for their first loss of the season against the Boston Bruins, allowing Alexander Barabanov to draw back into the lineup. Eklund’s spent the season playing on a line with Tomas Hertl and Rudolfs Balcers, but sits as a -3 with none of his points coming at even strength.

There’s no doubt that Eklund was a slam-dunk selection, but if he can’t stick in the lineup, it would be the wiser move to loan him back to his native Sweden without burning the first year of his contract. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz notes that the team is likely to take as long as possible before making that choice, giving Eklund every chance to prove that he can stay in the lineup at the NHL level this season. But the team, understandably, also doesn’t want him spending too much time in the press box, especially after he impressed with 23 points in 40 SHL games last season with Djurgardens IF.

Regardless, the Sharks can dress Eklund in five more games before being able to loan him back to Sweden without burning a season on his entry-level deal. For a team that now looks to be on the rise sooner rather than later, it could be a choice with long-term ramifications in terms of his second contract.

Minor Transactions: 10/24/21

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It’s been a busy day across the hockey world as leagues elsewhere adjust their rosters. Moves at the NHL level can have ripple effects everywhere else, especially in North America in the AHL and ECHL. Here’s a list of today’s minor transactions from across the hockey world.

  • The Belleville Senators brought up goalie Tyler Parks from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today in place of Filip Gustavsson, who was brought up to the big club in Ottawa. Parks, a 29-year-old undrafted netminder from Missouri, has a .885 save percentage in a single loss with Atlanta this year. Parks is somewhat of a late bloomer but performed well during his most recent AHL stint, posting a 2-1-2 record and .920 save percentage with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2019-20.
  • The Colorado Eagles reassigned former Avalanche prospect Luka Burzan to the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies today. Burzan was a sixth-round draft pick of the team in 2019, but let his rights expire this offseason. Burzan chose to stay in the organization, but for now, he’ll likely make his ECHL debut this season. He posted four points in 14 games last year with the Eagles.

Department Of Player Safety Fines Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf For Dangerous Trip

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a $1,000 fine for Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf for a dangerous trip on the Minnesota Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek.

During yesterday’s overtime period against Minnesota, Getzlaf and Eriksson Ek engaged in a net-front battle. With Getzlaf standing behind Eriksson Ek as they both faced the Ducks’ net, Getzlaf tripped Eriksson Ek by pushing the Wild forward’s left skate out from under him with his stick. Neither player had control of the puck.

It’s worth noting that Getzlaf was not fined the maximum allowable amount as defined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Getzlaf has started strong this season, scoring four assists in six games.

The money from the fine goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Minor Transactions: 10/23/21

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A slow news day Saturday at the NHL level doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been movement in other parts of the hockey world. The season is in full swing at all tiers of the game, and movement at the minor and junior levels of the game is a constant. Here are some of today’s minor moves from around the hockey landscape.

  • The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds have added a duo of youngsters to the squad, as the St. Louis Blues reassigned Keean Washkurak and Mathias Laferriere there from the ECHL’s Worcester Railers per the ECHL’s transactions page. The 20-year-old Washkurak was a Blues fifth-round selection in 2019 and will play his first full professional season in North America this year. He spent last season with HK Levice in the second-tier Slovakian league. Laferriere is a year older but will play his first professional season in 2021-22 after spending last season as an overage player with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL, scoring 39 points in 30 games.
  • The WHL’s Victoria Royals acquired hulking defenseman Anson McMaster via trade from the Winnipeg Ice today. McMaster, now 19, is a long shot to be drafted with just seven points in 80 career WHL games. Yet his 6′ 6″, 209-pound frame is appealing and makes him a candidate to succeed at the minor-league level when his junior career has concluded. The Alberta native enters his final year of junior eligibility next season.

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