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Archives for January 2020

Brett Ritchie, Chris Stewart Clear Waivers

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Thursday: Both players have cleared waivers according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Wednesday: The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have placed Brett Ritchie and Chris Stewart on waivers respectively, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Ritchie, 26, hasn’t been a good fit for the Bruins this season after signing a one-year, $1MM deal in the offseason. Unqualified by the Dallas Stars, the big-bodied forward was a free agent looking for a landing spot and the Bruins needed some secondary scoring and size on the wings. That scoring has been nowhere to be found when it comes to Ritchie, who has just two goals and six points in 27 games while bouncing all over the lineup. For a team expected to contend for a Stanley Cup, his play simply hasn’t been good enough.

Stewart meanwhile is beginning to look like a failed experiment of his own. After spending last season in the EIHL with the Nottingham Panthers, the veteran forward returned to the NHL and signed a one-year $750K contract with the Flyers in order to give them a little more physicality at the bottom of the lineup. He’ll likely play tonight for the team, but with just one point in 15 games there’s not a ton Stewart is providing the club at this point.

Like many of the names that grace waivers during the season, Ritchie and Stewart may find themselves unclaimed tomorrow and headed for the minor leagues. That is of course unless another team wants to add some size and will take a chance on one or the other. Both cap hits can be completely buried in the AHL.

Tuukka Rask Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Boston Bruins announced several roster moves today, including the placement of Tuukka Rask on injured reserve. Rask suffered an upper-body injury expected to be a concussion on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his place the team has recalled Dan Vladar from the AHL under emergency conditions, and Karson Kuhlman as a regular call-up.

Rask was already set to skip the All-Star festivities at the end of the month, but now he’ll be nursing an injury while the Bruins are on break. The team has just three games remaining before they will be off for ten days, giving their starter time to recover. As luck would have it, the team already has a more than capable backup in Jaroslav Halak with plenty of experience leading a team.

Vladar meanwhile will get a chance to earn an NHL paycheck for a little while, a deserving candidate after his hot start with the Providence Bruins. The 22-year old goaltender has a .935 save percentage through 12 appearances, with a 1.84 goals against average.

Minor Transactions: 01/16/20

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Nearly the entire league is in action tonight on a busy Thursday that will see 13 games in the NHL. Sidney Crosby is back and ready to challenge the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins, while Peter DeBoer will be behind the Vegas Golden Knights bench for the first time when they take on the Ottawa Senators. As all of these teams prepare for the night’s action, we’ll keep track of any minor moves.

  • Late last night the Montreal Canadiens sent Matthew Peca to the minor leagues, returning him just a few days after activating him from injured reserve. Peca has played in five games for the Canadiens this season but is still looking for his first point.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks and Adam Clendening from the minor leagues, sending Veini Vehvilainen back down. With a home game scheduled against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, Columbus will have Kivlenieks serve as the backup to Elvis Merzlikins.
  • Max Comtois and Isac Lundestrom have been sent to the AHL by the Anaheim Ducks, who have a game tonight and tomorrow before resting through the All-Star break. The two young players will likely continue to play in the minor leagues while the NHL club enjoys more than a week off.
  • After clearing waivers, Chris Stewart has been sent to the minor leagues by the Philadelphia Flyers. The team has recalled Joel Farabee in his place, bringing up the young forward again to continue his rookie season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

College Hockey Round-Up: 01/15/20

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With college students around the country returning to campus, NCAA hockey is back in the spotlight. While games continued here and there through December, many programs returned to action the first weekend of January. The second half of the season will be more conference-centric, with teams focused on positioning themselves as best they can before conference tournaments begin in mid-March. That will all lead up to the six conference champions and ten at-large selections squaring off in the NCAA tournament. Right now, No. 2 North Dakota and No. 3 Minnesota State are the only top five teams who also lead their respective conferences, which should make for an exciting and unpredictable second half.

The Current Landscape

The biggest question entering the second half of the college season may just be whether anyone can stop No. 1 Cornell? The nation’s top team still has just one regulation loss on the year and ranks sixth in goals per game and second in goals against per game. The Big Red are also not an easy team to game plan against. While goaltender Matthew Galajda has been phenomenal while appearing in all 15 of Cornell’s games and Morgan Barron (NYR) is the undisputed star, the team gets a balanced effort from the entire lineup. With that said, the Big Red have shown some cracks in the New Year, going 2-0-2 thus far with ties against Union and No. 11 Providence.

Speaking of the Friars, Jack Dugan (VGK) continues to lead the chase for the Hobey Baker Award with the NCAA’s best total and per-game scoring numbers. He performed especially well in front of his potential future home crowd in the Ice Vegas Invitational. Line mate Tyce Thompson (NJD) remains in the scoring hunt as well, thanks in part to an NCAA-best 17 goals. Providence is currently the leader of Hockey East, but they have their work cut out for them against stiff competition, including No. 5 Boston College and No. 13 UMass Lowell, both of whom have games in hand on PC. With No. 10 UMass and No. 12 Northeastern in the mix as well, Hockey East will be a cutthroat battle the rest of the way, leading up to conference tournament that will shift the national scale.

The NCHC is no slouch either, featuring two top-five teams in No. 2 North Dakota and No. 4 Denver, not to mention two-time defending champs No. 8 Minnesota Duluth. The three teams are all set to be tested by one another in the coming weeks: the Bulldogs host the Fighting Hawks next weekend before traveling to face the Pioneers the following weekend, who themselves will visit the Hawks the weekend after that. The NCHC standings may be in for a shake-up, but none of those three teams look likely to lose their top-ten billing any time soon.

New year, same dominant lone wolf near the top of the national rankings. No. 3 Minnesota State continues to suffocate their opponents behind the stellar play of Hobey Baker hopeful Dryden McKay in net. The team is allowing an NCAA-best 1.33 goals against per game and have outscored opponents 17-2 in a perfect 4-0 start after New Year’s. With wins over UND and Duluth (twice) this season, their record is no fluke, even if they do routinely dominate their WCHA competition. Will Mankato be the team to beat come tournament time?

Kuznetsov’s Stock On The Rise

When NHL Central Scouting released their midyear rankings for the 2020 NHL Draft, it was easy to notice Wisconsin forward Dylan Holloway sitting in 10th among North American skaters. However, you may have missed UConn defenseman Yan Kuznetsov, who was 28th in the same group and has very much entered the conversation as a potential first-round pick this spring. Kuznetsov may not light up the score board, but then again no Huskies have this season. The Russian blue liner’s nine points are in fact tied for eight on the team and second among defensemen. However, the hallmarks of Kuznetsov’s game are his size and composure, especially for a 17-year-old freshman. Kuznetsov projects to be a shutdown defenseman with a high ceiling, as he is already playing at an elite level in the NCAA at a young age. UConn has slim odds of an extended postseason run this season, so scouts will be focused on the team’s remaining regular season schedule as they get a final read on Kuznetsov before he’s available for selection in June.

Pinto Receives A Suspension

Shane Pinto (OTT) has made headlines for a few different reasons lately. The North Dakota center was one of the standout performers on an otherwise disappointing Team USA entry at the recent World Junior Championship, recording seven points in five games and flashing the high-level skill that the Fighting Hawks faithful have come to love this season. The freshman then stayed loyal to his college teammates, allegedly rebuffing attempts by his NHL rights holder, the Ottawa Senators, to convince him to join the nearby Ottawa 67’s of the OHL for the remainder of the season. Pinto’s latest headline is not as positive though. The freshman forward has been handed a one-game suspension from the NCHC for an illegal check against Nebraska-Omaha last weekend, an incident that earned him a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct as well. Pinto, who has 16 points in 20 games for North Dakota this year, will sit for the team first game against Miami on Friday, but will be eligible to return for game two of the series on Saturday.

NHL Announces All-Star Rosters For Women’s 3-On-3 Competition

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The NHL All-Star Weekend will have several new events this year, including the Elite Women’s 3-on-3 competition. 20 of the top players will face off in a game on the first day of the weekend, reigniting the Canada-USA rivalry that has existed since the women’s hockey scene began. This follows the last several years where players like Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker took part in the festivities, with the former even being an official competitor in last year’s fastest skater event.

The full rosters are as follows:

Team USA:

F Alex Carpenter
F Kendall Coyne Schofield
F Brianna Decker
F Amanda Kessel
F Hilary Knight
F Jocelyne Lamoureaux-Davidson
F Annie Pankowski
D Kacey Bellamy
D Lee Stecklein
G Alex Cavallini

Team Canada:

F Meghan Agosta
F Melodie Daoust
F Rebecca Johnston
F Sarah Nurse
F Marie-Philip Poulin
F Natalie Spooner
F Blayre Turnbull
D Renata Fast
D Laura Fortino
G Ann-Renee Desbiens

The game will be on January 24th, broadcast on NBC in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.

Ducks Willing To Provide Cap Relief In Exchange For Young Assets

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The Anaheim Ducks’ season hasn’t gone according to plan. Even with the departures of franchise mainstays like Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, the team was excited about their young group of forwards that looked ready to come up and contribute. With the historically excellent John Gibson in net, there was always a chance that the team could compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, with Gibson in the midst of the worst season of his career and the team in front of him not scoring nearly enough to make up for it, that hasn’t come to pass. The Ducks now sit in last place in the conference and are ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings league-wide. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise when Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports the team is willing to take on bad salary in order to acquire some additional young assets.

Not only do the Ducks already have several million in full-season cap space available, they could also potentially place Kesler and Patrick Eaves on long-term injured reserve to open even more if they needed to. That kind of capability could prove very useful for a contender looking to open a bit of room for a trade deadline addition, though it would surely cost them.

One thing to note with any plan like this is that the Ducks only have three vacant contract slots under the 50-contract threshold. Bringing in bad money plus young players would eat up those slots quickly, and with a prospect like Trevor Zegras lighting up the NCAA (and World Junior tournament) the team needs to keep at least one open if they intend to try and convince him to turn pro at the end of the college season. If they do try to weaponize their cap space, there may have to be bodies going the other way as well, something that only complicates a deal like that even further.

Edmonton Oilers Extend Caleb Jones

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The Edmonton Oilers have seen enough from Caleb Jones to know they want him around for a while. The team has signed Jones to a two-year extension that will carry an average annual value of $850K and keep him under contract through the 2021-22 season. Jones was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

The younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets star Seth Jones, the Oilers’ defenseman hasn’t had quite the same fanfare surrounding his arrival in the NHL. Selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, the 22-year old has taken strong steps forward in his development and now can be considered a real building block.

In 23 games this season he has just three points, but Jones is quickly becoming accustomed to the NHL game and should be in their plans as a full-time member of the defense throughout the deal. The fact that it is so inexpensive gives the Oilers some extra wiggle room when considering how to build the club next season.

Jones will still be a restricted free agent when the deal is finished, as long as he plays in 40 more NHL games by then. There’s little doubt he’ll be able to accomplish that, given the strong impression he’s left so far.

David Rittich Added To All-Star Game

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Another goaltender has been forced to pull out of the All-Star festivities planned for later this month, as Darcy Kuemper of the Arizona Coyotes will not be participating due to injury. In his place, David Rittich of the Calgary Flames will join the Pacific Division squad. No word yet on who will replace Gerard Gallant as head coach of the team, who was fired earlier today.

Kuemper hasn’t played since December 19th, and his recovery is paramount to the Coyotes’ long-term success. The goaltender is out with a lower-body injury that quickly brought speculation that the All-Star game would be out of the question.

His absence however means that the Coyotes will not have a representative at the game, unless someone else is put in as a replacement over the next few days.

Minor Transactions: 01/15/20

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You never know what’s going to happen in the NHL as the Vegas Golden Knights proved this morning. The team fired head coach Gerard Gallant just before they take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night. The whole league will be watching that game to see how Peter DeBoer changes things, but tonight they have some interesting games to view as well. The Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks are both markets that some have suggested coaching changes in, but they’ll try to grab a win tonight to continue their individual streaks. Later, the St. Louis Blues welcome in the Philadelphia Flyers for a chance to extend their Western Conference lead even further. As those teams and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Sam Montembeault under emergency conditions, a quick trip back after only being sent back on Monday. Montembault’s presence suggests that Sergei Bobrovsky still isn’t ready to return for the Panthers, after being called “questionable” earlier this week.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets are starting to get healthy, meaning the roster needs some cleaning up. After activating both Cam Atkinson and Andrew Peeke today from injured reserve, the team has assigned Peeke, Gabriel Carlsson, Matiss Kivlenieks and Ryan MacInnis to the AHL. Veini Vehvilainen has been recalled.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up Michael Chaput from the minor leagues, not for the first time this season. Chaput hasn’t played a game yet in the NHL, but has been recalled on three different occasions as injury insurance.
  • Brian Lashoff is on his way back to the minor leagues, assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins by the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year old has split time between the two teams, but isn’t much more than an injury replacement at this point in his career.

Carter Hart Out With Abdominal Strain

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The Philadelphia Flyers will be without their young goaltender for the next several weeks, as Carter Hart has been ruled out with an abdominal strain. Hart suffered the injury yesterday at practice and will be out for two to three weeks. The team has recalled Alex Lyon from the minor leagues, while also sending Joel Farabee down to the AHL (though Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer still expects him to play for the Flyers on Thursday). Chris Stewart has also been placed on waivers.

Hart, 21, holds the future of the Flyers in his hands as the goaltender expected to hold the net in Philadelphia for the next decade. One of the most decorated goaltenders in CHL history, the young netminder quickly made his ascension to NHL starter in his first professional season and returned this year with high expectations. Those may have been a bit premature given his age, as Hart has been inconsistent throughout the year and currently carries a .905 save percentage.

Still, without him things look even bleaker in Philadelphia. Brian Elliott, brought in to take some of the pressure off of Hart, has been close to dreadful with an .896 save percentage and 9-5-3 record. Lyon, himself once a promising goaltending prospect has been average in the minor leagues and doesn’t appear to have the skill to start on a regular basis in the NHL. That leaves a question mark in goal for the next few weeks, though it may be coming at the perfect time.

After tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues, the Flyers have just three games remaining before their bye week and All-Star break festivities. That means Hart will have some time to recover in time for a stretch run that could come right down to the wire. Philadelphia sits six points behind the New York Islanders for a divisional playoff spot, but still slightly ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the wild card race.

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