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Coyotes Recall Laurent Dauphin

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The Coyotes have added some depth up front to their roster as they’ve recalled center Laurent Dauphin from AHL Tucson, per the AHL’s Transactions Log.  They now have 14 forwards on their active roster although one of those, Matias Maccelli, is out for several more weeks and can easily be moved to injured reserve.

It’s the second recall of the season for the 27-year-old as Dauphin was also up with the team on an emergency basis for a week and a half in mid-November.  He saw action in just one game during that stretch, however.  Last season, Dauphin was a regular for Montreal in the second half of the campaign as he got into a career-high 38 games, picking up 12 points.

Dauphin has spent most of the season with the Roadrunners and has been quite productive, collecting 12 goals and 15 assists in 26 games, good for second on the team in scoring.  The only player he’s behind is league leader Michael Carcone who was recalled to Arizona on Tuesday.

Injury News: Wild, Morrissey, Guhle

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The Wild should get a key winger back for tomorrow’s game against St. Louis as Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Marcus Foligno is expected to return from the lower-body injury he sustained a week and a half ago.  The 31-year-old had a career-high 23 goals last season but has managed just three in 27 games so far this year although he’s still averaging more than three hits per game.  Minnesota has an open spot on their roster so no corresponding move will need to be made to activate him off IR.

However, it might not be all good news for the Wild as center Joel Eriksson Ek missed practice today with head coach Dean Evason acknowledging that he’s banged up at the moment.  The 25-year-old sits tied for third in team scoring with 27 points (12-15-27) in 35 games.  He’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Although Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, head coach Rick Bowness told reporters including Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun that he’s hopeful that the blueliner will be able to play on Saturday against Edmonton. The 27-year-old has already set new career highs in assists (36) and points (42) this season while sitting second among NHL rearguards in scoring.
  • The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss Saturday’s game against Washington due to a lower-body injury sustained late in Thursday’s loss to Florida. The 20-year-old sits third in the league for average ice time for a rookie, logging 20:46 per night while picking up 14 points in 36 games.  David Savard joined the team for practice today and could be activated off injured reserve although they’d have to free up a roster spot for that to happen.

Central Notes: Jets, Johnson, Avalanche

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The Jets looked to be a team that had the cap space to make a splash in the second half of the season.  However, as Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press outlines, that’s no longer the case.  As a result of their injuries, Winnipeg has had to recall several players and in doing so, they’re at a spot where they’re going to need to dip in short-term LTIR if they have to bring anyone else up.  All of a sudden, any ideas of making a key addition in the near future will have to be shut down until most of their regulars return.  The good news for Winnipeg is that none of the injuries are season-ending but there aren’t many near-term recoveries on the horizon which isn’t ideal with nearly $25MM currently out of the lineup.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • While Blackhawks center Tyler Johnson returned to the lineup a little more than two weeks ago, he isn’t fully healthy yet. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the 32-year-old is still dealing with a left ankle injury, one that may not be fully recovered until the end of the season.  Despite still being banged up, Johnson has logged more than 15 minutes a night since returning and has three goals and five assists in 12 games so far this season.
  • The Avalanche could have Nathan MacKinnon back in the lineup on Saturday against Toronto, relays Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The star center has missed nearly four weeks due to an upper-body injury and while he took the skate in a non-contact jersey today, that won’t automatically preclude him from returning tomorrow.  Meanwhile, forward Darren Helm was a full participant in practice for the first time today but has not yet received the green light to suit up.  He has yet to play this season and underwent hip surgery last month.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Johansen, O’Brien

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The Penguins got some help on the injury front tonight as the team announced that they’ve activated center Ryan Poehling off injured reserve.  The 23-year-old had missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury.  Poehling is in his first season with Pittsburgh after coming over in a summer trade from Montreal and has been a fixture in their bottom six, collecting eight points in 30 games while logging a little over 11 minutes per night.  To make room for Poehling on the roster, winger Drake Caggiula has been sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.  Caggiula has played in just three games with Pittsburgh so far this season but has 14 points in 23 games at the minor league level.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Lucas Johansen’s latest stint with the Capitals has come to an end as the team announced that they’ve returned the defenseman to Hershey of the AHL. The 25-year-old was recalled on Tuesday following the roster freeze being lifted but didn’t play.  Johansen has suited up twice with Washington so far this season while he has a goal and an assist in 13 games with the Bears in the minors.  Johansen’s assignment suggests that blueliner Martin Fehervary is ready to return from his upper-body injury.
  • The Flyers don’t have a second-round pick next summer as a result of the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. However, as Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes (subscription link), it is possible for Philadelphia to get one next summer for Jay O’Brien.  Assuming they don’t sign the 2018 first-rounder, they’d receive the 19th pick of the second round as compensation.  Normally, since O’Brien plays in college, his free agency wouldn’t start until mid-August which would push the compensatory pick to 2024.  That said, if Philadelphia wants the 2023 selection, there is an appeal process that could play out which would allow O’Brien to become a free agent in June, allowing them to get the second-rounder a year earlier.

Ducks Sign Gage Alexander To Entry-Level Contract

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The Ducks have signed one of their 2021 draft picks, announcing the signing of goaltender Gage Alexander to a three-year, entry-level contract.  CapFriendly reports that the deal carries an AAV of $810K.

The 20-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Anaheim back in 2021 (148th overall) out of Winnipeg of the WHL.  Prior to this season, Alexander was moved to Swift Current where he was splitting time with Boston prospect Reid Dyck.  Alexander had the better numbers of the two, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .898 SV% in 15 games.

While most players that sign their entry-level contracts in-season typically return to their junior teams, that’s not the case here.  Instead, the Ducks have assigned Alexander to San Diego of the AHL.  With Lukas Dostal still up with Anaheim for the time being, Alexander should be paired up with Olle Eriksson Ek with the Gulls and get a chance to start his professional career in the near future.

Although he started the year in junior, Alexander will burn the first year of the contract this season even if he doesn’t get into an NHL action with Anaheim in the second half of the season.

Minor Transactions: 12/30/22

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The NHL is getting back into the swing of things as the holiday break wraps up and the calendar turns to 2023. It also means that activity is heating up at minor and junior levels of the sport, especially as some teams keep their eyes locked on the ongoing World Junior Championships. We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions right here.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned prospect Jordan Frasca to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers today. He was up in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s yet to record a point in three games. Frasca signed with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent earlier this year after a 42-goal, 87-point season with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs last year.
  • Arizona Coyotes prospect Manix Landry was dealt in the QMJHL today, with the Gatineau Olympiques dealing him to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 QMJHL draft. Landry, Gatineau’s captain, has been injured since the second game of the season.
  • NHL veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski has found a permanent home for the rest of the 2022-23 season. The AHL’s Rochester Americans converted his PTO into a full AHL contract for the remainder of the season today. He’d played 20 games for Rochester this year, where he has five points.

Devante Smith-Pelly Announces Retirement

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NHL veteran and Stanley Cup Champion forward Devante Smith-Pelly announced his retirement from hockey today. The 30-year-old announced his choice via Instagram.

Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2010, Smith-Pelly broke into the NHL just two seasons after being drafted. He recorded 13 points in 49 games during his rookie season in 2011-12 with the Ducks.

He spent most of the following two seasons with their AHL affiliate at the time, the Norfolk Admirals, but was called up near the end of 2013-14 for the first of his two clutch playoff performances. Smith-Pelly recorded 10 points in 19 games down the stretch in Anaheim and notched five goals in 12 playoff games as the Ducks fell in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. He scored a last-minute goal in Game 6 of their first-round series against Dallas, tying the game and sending it to overtime, where Anaheim eventually won the series.

Smith-Pelly was a full-time NHLer the next few seasons but bounced around between the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, and New Jersey Devils before finding a home with the Washington Capitals for 2017-18. It was there where Smith-Pelly achieved his dream of winning the Stanley Cup, equaling his regular-season goal total by scoring seven goals in 24 playoff games for Washington.

His last NHL games came in 2018-19, when he appeared in 54 games for Washington, scoring eight points. He spent the following three seasons playing in the KHL and AHL. In 2021-22, his last season of professional hockey, Smith-Pelly had eight points in 24 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

PHR wishes the best of luck to Smith-Pelly in his retirement and issues congratulations on a clutch, championship-winning career.

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Sheldon Rempal

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The Vegas Golden Knights recalled forward Sheldon Rempal from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, according to a team tweet.

Rempal, 27, is in his first season in the Vegas Golden Knights organization. The undrafted free agent out of Clarkson University began his professional career in 2018-19, signing with the Los Angeles Kings and making his NHL debut.

Since then, he’s spent time in the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks organizations, getting into NHL games with each team. He’s suited up 11 times in the NHL across three seasons but is still looking to record his first NHL point.

He’s been a solid minor-league presence after a sophomore slump in 2019-20. He was among the AHL’s leaders in points per game last season when he tallied 33 goals and 36 assists for 69 points in just 55 games with the Abbotsford Canucks. It led to him signing a two-year contract with Vegas this past offseason, receiving a hefty minors salary of $450,000.

Rempal’s pace in Henderson is still respectable but not quite at last season’s level. He has seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 30 games, which still leads the team.

With four forwards (Jonathan Marchessault, Paul Cotter, Jack Eichel, Brett Howden) out due to injury, Vegas is beginning to reach deeper into their system for scoring depth. Expect Rempal to make his season debut on New Year’s Eve tomorrow while Pavel Dorofeyev sits as the 13th forward.

Lawrence Pilut Clears Waivers

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Dec 30, 1:20 pm: Pilut has now cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Buffalo is free to reassign him to the AHL.

Dec 29, 2:49 pm: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut has been placed on waivers, according to CapFriendly. If Pilut clears waivers, he’ll be eligible to be assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Pilut, 26, has spent most of the season in Buffalo after being originally called up in late October. The Swedish blueliner hasn’t been there for his offensive production — he’s scored just three points — but he’s chipped in sporadically on the penalty kill (he averages just under a minute played per game shorthanded) and given his team over twelve minutes of ice time per night.

The Sabres announced that defenseman Jacob Bryson would be returning to the lineup tonight, meaning Pilut’s placement on waivers cleared the roster spot necessary to facilitate Bryson’s return from injured reserve.

As he costs just $750K and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, it’s possible a team in need of some low-cost reinforcement on their back end will place a claim on the former SHL star.

The Sabres are likely hoping he passes through waivers and can be assigned to Rochester, though. Pilut has been extremely successful in Rochester in the past, such as when he scored 26 points in 30 games there as a rookie in 2018-19.

The Americans have had the second-worst power play in their division so far this season, so perhaps if he clears waivers Pilut can be of assistance there.

The Americans’ top-scoring defenseman is Ethan Prow, who has just 13 points in 26 games. Should Pilut clear waivers and spend an extended period in Rochester, he should quickly become their go-to offensive option from the back end.

Injury Notes: Wild, Penguins, Zub

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A mixed bag of news is coming out of Minnesota Wild practice this morning. The Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan reports Joel Eriksson Ek is absent from practice, although injured forwards Brandon Duhaime and Marcus Foligno are skating.

Eriksson Ek has been invaluable to Minnesota, even more so on both sides of the puck this year. He’s on pace for a career year offensively, recording 27 points through 35 contests (tied for third on the team). Duhaime has been very limited this year, playing in just 14 games due to two separate upper-body injuries. On the other hand, Foligno has been out with an undisclosed injury since December 22.

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