Killorn, Fox, Friedman Earn Fines
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a pair of fines on Thursday afternoon, stemming from last night’s incidents in the Tampa Bay Lightning-New York Rangers game. Alex Killorn owes $5,000 for his slash on Igor Shesterkin, while Adam Fox will pay $5,000 for slashing Corey Perry.
While they might be called slashes by the league, both were actually spears. Killorn came flying in to poke at a puck in the crease while Shesterkin was sitting in the net, causing a massive brawl as the Rangers attempted to protect their netminder. Fox speared Perry in the gut, sending him sprawling to the ice.
Neither one was likely to draw a suspension, but will certainly put some more gasoline on a pretty intense rivalry. While a playoff matchup between the two clubs may be difficult this year, plays like this won’t be forgotten.
The league also issued a $2,000 fine to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman for embellishment. That means it was his second citation of the year for diving, as the fines escalate and start with a warning. The first incident came during a December 28 game against Detroit, while the latest was in Sunday’s match against the Flyers.
Boston Bruins Recall Oskar Steen
The Boston Bruins have recalled Oskar Steen under emergency conditions ahead of their game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’ll serve as some insurance for Taylor Hall and David Krejci, both out for now.
Head coach Jim Montgomery explained this morning that Hall is still not cleared to play, and that Krejci will miss tonight’s game. Steen was not in the group that Montgomery announced, so he could be in the press box unless someone else misses action unexpectedly.
There’s not much for the Bruins to play for right now after hitting the 60-win mark and locking up top seed weeks (months?) ago. Not much, except for a chance to go down as the best regular season team of all time. The 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning both won 62 games, a mark within reach given Boston’s five remaining games.
The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens might have something to say about the claim, however, given their .825 winning percentage, a number the Bruins can’t quite match even if they run the table. Either way, some history can be made over the last few weeks, even if it’s just playoff prep for Boston at this point.
Gustav Nyquist Could Return This Weekend
When Gustav Nyquist was shut down with a shoulder injury in late January, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that he was expected to miss the rest of the regular season. That was curious, given he wasn’t going to undergo surgery, and the veteran forward quickly came out to say that he would not give up on the chance to return before the end of the year.
Many speculated that he could potentially be an LTIR playoff addition for a contender, sitting out the whole regular season only to return at some point in the postseason. When the Minnesota Wild sent a fifth-round pick for him at the deadline, it seemed like that wasn’t even a guarantee, given the low cost.
Now, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports, Nyquist could debut Saturday for the Wild after returning to full practice with the club. That’s quite an impressive addition for a fifth-round pick, given his long history of success in the NHL.
Nyquist, 33, had recorded at least 40 points in the previous eight seasons (save for one lost entirely to injury), including 53 last year. Given how much time he’s missed due to injury, he won’t reach that number this time around, but he’s still a solid middle-six player who can contribute on special teams.
In fact, his six shorthanded goals tie him for third in the league over the last two years, behind only Mitch Marner and Chris Kreider, who each have seven. For a Minnesota team still fighting for the top spot in the Central Division and in need of a little boost, it’s a perfect time for him to return.
Nashville Predators Recall Zach Sanford
With just five games left in their season, the Nashville Predators are still in the race. They remain just three points behind the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames, with one and two games in hand, respectively.
They’ll try to make up some ground tonight with the Carolina Hurricanes in town and have recalled Zach Sanford to give them some reinforcements.
It would be quite the feat should the Predators pull it off, given how their trade deadline went. Tanner Jeannot, Nino Niederreiter, Mattias Ekholm, and Mikael Granlund were all moved, leaving Nashville with several young players in the lineup nightly.
They’ve also been without captain Roman Josi since the middle of March, and his return is still questionable. Despite that, the Jets and Flames have each failed to really grab hold of that final playoff spot, opening the door for some Juuse Saros-led magic in the final few weeks.
Sanford, 28, has played just 11 games in the NHL this season, the fewest total of his career. The big forward has scored two points with the Predators and 28 with the Milwaukee Admirals during his time in the AHL.
St. Louis Blues Recall Dmitri Samorukov
The St. Louis Blues have made a roster swap this morning, recalling Dmitri Samorukov under emergency conditions. Matthew Kessel, who recently made his NHL debut, has been returned to the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Samorukov, 23, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the deal that saw Klim Kostin sent out of town at the beginning of the season. Should he enter the Blues lineup, it would be his St. Louis debut and just the second game of the young defenseman’s career.
The 6’3″ Samorukov was a third-round pick in 2017 and is on a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, so a late-season showcase might be valuable for his negotiations.
Kessel, meanwhile, signed last spring after his college career ended and had played well enough for the Thunderbirds that he earned a call-up. The 22-year-old averaged 15 minutes in his two NHL contests and recorded three shots on net.
Ryan Siedem Enters Transfer Portal
Mark Divver of NHL.com is reporting that NCAA defenseman Ryan Siedem has entered the college transfer portal. Siedem is a senior at Harvard and just completed a season in which he registered 17 points in 34 games for the Crimson.
In college hockey the transfer portal is an online database that allows student athletes to declare their desire to transfer to a different school. Divver reports that he has heard rumors that Michigan is the favorite to land the 22-year-old New Jersey native.
Siedem was never drafted but he did attend the Washington Capitals 2022 development camp. He didn’t walk away with a contract or any type of a guarantee, but now as he finds himself in the transfer portal, it is being reported that he does have some AHL offers.
Siedem won’t put the puck in the net very often, in fact his lone goal this season came by the way of an empty netter. Looking back, he hasn’t put up more than four goals in any season since 2014-15. While he isn’t a shooter, he is a strong passer and can facilitate breakouts utilizing a good first pass.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Adam Henrique from IR
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they have activated centre Adam Henrique from the IR. Henrique has been sidelined with a sprained MCL since February 21. He has been effective this season for the lowly Ducks scoring 19 goals and 14 assists in 57 games.
The 33-year-old appeared on a lot of trade bait boards prior to the NHL’s trade deadline but was effectively removed from it when he went down to injury. He will likely remain a trade target for a lot of teams this summer as he enters the final year of his contract with Anaheim. Henrique is set to count $5.825MM against the cap and has a modified no trade clause. With the Ducks in the middle of a long rebuild Henrique would likely welcome a move to a contender.
It’s been a long road for Anaheim, they haven’t made the playoffs since they lost in the first round in 2018 and are currently in the running for the first overall pick, with the chance to draft Connor Bedard. Anaheim is tied for last place in the league with the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ducks do have some intriguing young pieces in place and some solid veterans that can be moved for additional draft capital and prospects. Henrique is likely to be at the top of the list of pieces the Ducks would like to move.
Chicago Wolves To Play As An Independent AHL Team
Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News is reporting that the Chicago Wolves have e-mailed agents to let them know that the club is planning to end its affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of this season and operate as an independent organization without an NHL affiliate. They will become the first AHL independent organization since 1994-95.
In an e-mail that was obtained by The Hockey News Wolves GM Wendell Young reportedly let NHL teams know that Chicago would be open to receiving NHL players on loan. Young was also quoted in an article from The Athletic as saying this about the club’s relationship with the Hurricanes, “some organizations are development-only, but we think if we have development and win playoff games, guys learn how to win, which you’re trying to do all the time. That’s changed. It’s time to go independent and follow our own philosophy.”
Stoller tweeted today that he doesn’t see this as a surprise and that he thinks this is what Chicago has always wanted. It is hard to argue with Stoller’s thinking, given what Young had to say in the media. Stoller added that he doesn’t think any NHL team would sign an affiliation agreement with the Wolves.
The news today gives Chicago a lot of flexibility heading into next season, but it also makes Young’s job as general manager a whole lot more difficult. He will no longer have an NHL club providing players to the Wolves, which will require him to sign a lot more players to AHL contracts. The Wolves will also still be required to follow the AHL’s development roster rule which states that 13 of 18 skaters must have played 260 games or less of pro hockey.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Joel Blomqvist
Although brought back to the organization very recently after signing an amateur tryout agreement with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed top-prospect Joel Blomqvist to a three-year entry-level contract. The contract will begin next year, and it will run until the 2025-26 season.
Blomqvist spent the majority of this season with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga, going 6-5-8 in 21 games, carrying a .907 SV% and a 2.29 GAA. Blomqvist was unable to play the full season due to concussion issues he experienced throughout the year.
The young goaltender was originally drafted 52nd overall by the Penguins in the 2020 NHL Draft. In his draft year, he played for Karpat’s U20 team, playing in 34 games, posting a 26-6-0 record and a .931 SV% with a 1.66 GAA.
In the international scene for Finland, Blomqvist participated in the 2021 World Junior Championship, playing on a Finland team that took home the bronze medal after beating the Russian Federation.
This season, the baby Penguins will not make the playoffs in the AHL, but Blomqvist will likely get some more starts as their season wraps up. If Blomqvist continues his progression, it would be safe to assume that he will join the team in Pittsburgh within the next three seasons under this contract.
Sharks Reassign Daniil Gushchin
The San Jose Sharks have announced that they have sent forward Daniil Gushchin down to their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda. This will be Gushchin’s second demotion to the minors in the month of April.
Drafted 76th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Gushchin did not make the jump to North America until the 2020-21 season, suiting up for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. In 46 games for the Lumberjacks, Guschin put up 32 goals and 32 assists, finishing fifth in all USHL scoring. Last season, he made the jump to the OHL, joining the Niagara IceDogs.
In 51 games for Niagara, he continued his torrid pace in North America, scoring 41 goals and 30 assists, good for 29th in league scoring. At the end of last season, Gushchin finally got his call-up to the Sharks organization, playing three games for the Barracuda.
This year, he has spent the majority of his season in the AHL, playing in 61 games for the Barracuda and putting up 17 goals and 20 assists. In his two separate call-ups, he has played in two games for the Sharks, scoring two points, one of which was his first goal in his first game against the Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately, both the Sharks and the Barracuda are well outside playoff contention, meaning Gushchin will have to wait at least another season to play important games in late April.