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Wednesday’s Waiver Wire Roundup

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Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston provides the latest updates on what has proven to be a busy day on the NHL’s waiver wire.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Reid Boucher off of waivers from New Jersey. Boucher recently returned to the Devils organization, albeit for only a short time, after they reclaimed the winger off of waivers from Nashville over the weekend. The Predators had earlier acquired the 23-year-old via waivers from New Jersey. All told, Boucher has one goal and three points in 12 appearances this season. It’s clear there is still much interest around the league in the former fourth-round draft pick and based on last season’s eight-goal, 19-point output in 39 games, it’s easy to see why. Vancouver currently ranks 23rd in the NHL in scoring and has been in the market for a scoring-line winger since this past summer. Boucher represents a low-cost, low-risk option to fill that need.
  • Ty Rattie is headed to Carolina after the Hurricanes were awarded their claim on the 23-year-old winger. Rattie was placed on waivers yesterday by St. Louis, the team that drafted the 6-foot, 195-pound forward in the second-round of the 2001 entry draft. Carolina ranks 19th in scoring this season and has just two players who have scored more than eight goals. The skilled Rattie has an excellent track record of offensive production at both the junior and minor league levels. He netted 105 goals over his final two junior campaigns in 131 games and has registered 69 goals and 137 points in 196 AHL games in the Blues organization. After appearing in just four NHL games with St. Louis this season, Rattie should be given a better opportunity in Carolina to show what he can do.
  • Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins have placed veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin on waivers this afternoon. Khudobin has struggled between the pipes in his second stint with the organization, winning just one of seven starts and posting a GAA above three. The net minder, now in his eighth NHL season, is in the first season of a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.2MM. If he clears waivers and is sent down to Providence of the AHL, Khudobin would still account for $250K against the Bruins cap. It’s possible another team in need of goaltending depth takes a chance on the 30-year-old back-up and if he is claimed the Bruins will be in need of a goalie with enough NHL playing experience to expose in next June’s expansion draft. Likewise, other club’s could have interest in Khudobin for the same reason if they don’t currently have a second goalie that meets that requirement under contract for next season. Should Khudobin be claimed or assigned to the minors after clearing waivers, the Bruins will likely recall Zane McIntyre to serve as the team’s back-up behind Tuukka Rask.
  • Joining Khudobin on waivers is four-year veteran left wing Matt Nieto. The 24-year-old has struggled to put up points this season, posting just two assists in 16 games this season for San Jose. However, Nieto scored 10 goals in each of his first two NHL campaigns and could provide another team with solid production in a bottom-six role should he be claimed. He will be a RFA next summer after earning $735K on a one-year deal and might represent a low-cost, low-risk acquisition for a club looking to add forward depth.

Minor Transactions: 1/4/2016

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A day after calling up Daniel Altshuller from Charlotte of the AHL, the Carolina Hurricanes have returned the goaltender to the Checkers, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Meanwhile, the club has recalled veteran net minder Michael Leighton from their top minor league affiliate to serve as the team’s back-up between the pipes behind starter Cam Ward.

Altshuller did not see action in last night’s 3 – 1 loss to Carolina and has yet to make his NHL debut. The 22-year-old was selected in the third-round of the 2012 draft, 69th overall, by the Hurricanes and has appeared in 33 contests across the last two seasons with Charlotte, posting a record of 11 – 12 – 5.

Leighton, 35, has seen action in three games with Carolina this season, starting two, and has a 2 – 1 – 0 record with a GAA of 3.53 and a Save % of 0.875. He has appeared in 109 games over parts of 10 NHL seasons, spending time in the Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia and Hurricanes organizations during that time. He famously backstopped the Flyers to a surprising berth in the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Final, ultimately losing to the Blackhawks in six games.

  • The Florida Panthers have loaned blue liner Dylan McIlrath to the Springfield Thunderbirds on a conditioning assignment, the team announced on their website. McIlrath, a first-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2010, has appeared in four games with the Panthers since joining the team after being acquired from New York in a November trade for fellow defenseman Steven Kampfer and a seventh-round pick in 2018. The hulking defender has tallied a single goal and has 14 penalty minutes on the season, while averaging just 9:39 of ice time per game.
  • Yanni Gourde was reassigned by the Tampa Bay Lightning to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, tweets Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. The 25-year-old pivot made two appearances this season, failing to register a point while seeing about nine minutes of action per night. The Lightning welcomed veteran forward Ryan Callahan back into the lineup last night and his return allowed the team enough roster flexibility to send Gourde to the minors.
  • In a procedural move necessitated by the activation of goaltender Michal Neuvirth from IR, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed blue liner Mark Streit on LTIR, according to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio. Streit last played on December 11th and is expected to be out until sometime later this month due to a shoulder injury. By placing the veteran defender on LTIR, the Flyers are temporarily able to clear his $5.25MM cap hit from their ledger, thus allowing for the activation of Neuvirth. Had the transaction not been made, Philadelphia would have been over the salary cap by around $682K.

Metro Division Notes: Blue Jackets, Read, Hurricanes

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The Columbus Blue Jackets last night extended their remarkable winning streak to 16 games and the team undoubtedly qualifies as one of the league’s biggest surprises of the 2016-17 season. Expected to have a better chance of contending for the top pick in next June’s draft than a playoff spot, the Jackets currently have the best record in the NHL and sit at or near the top in a number of statistical categories. It’s gotten to the point where Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch wonders, “who are these guys?”

As Arace notes, the team is getting balanced scoring from throughout the lineup, excellent play between the pipes from Sergei Bobrovsky and have the ability to employ a stifling defense. The common refrain among Blue Jackets players, however, is hard work and a dedication to improving every day is the secret behind their success.

“The key thing is everyone works hard and for the team,” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. “The leaders push the key players, and (it filters down). The most important thing is we work hard for each other.”

The team’s captian, Nick Foligno, who has 33 points in 34 games, concurs.

“We have won by hard work and continuing to play to an identity,” Foligno said. “You don’t win 16 by luck. That is something the guys in here can hang their hat on, but also know it has to continue.”

“We can’t just sit on it now. That’s what I’ve seen as the big difference in here. We’re not a team that is content with that. We want to be a better team. … We know who we are and we’ve played to that for the first 30 or so games, and it has to continue for the next 40.”

Head coach John Tortorella, much-maligned and thought to be on the hot seat following a horrible showing by Team USA’s entry in the World Cup of Hockey, is proving to again be among the top coaches in the game with his deft guidance of the Blue Jackets and should garner plenty of support for the Jack Adams trophy if Columbus can parlay their outstanding start into a playoff berth.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • Not long ago, the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and comfortably residing in a playoff spot in the competitive Metro Division. However, after dropping six of seven with their lone win coming via shootout, the Flyers are clearly scuffling and in need of a spark. As Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post writes, the team is hopeful that winger Matt Read, recently activated from IR, can help get the Flyers back on track. Read returned to the lineup Sunday in the team’s shootout loss to Anaheim and was held off the score sheet while skating on a line centered by Sean Couturier and with Dale Weise on the other side. Head coach Dave Hakstol liked what he saw from his reconstituted third line: “I like that group the other night,” coach Dave Hakstol added. “I thought Dale Weise played, the last two games, really well. In Anaheim he was in on forechecks. He was in and heavy on pucks. That whole line was. I thought that line was effective the other night.” As Isaac notes, the Flyers have roughly 40 games left on their 2016-17 schedule but with other team’s in the division playing well, the team needs to start stringing some wins together.
  • Ron Smith, who spent seven seasons coaching in the Carolina Hurricanes minor league system, recently passed away at the age of 72. Luke DeCock of The News & Observer details the impact Smith had not only on the Hurricanes organization, but on the development of video analysis and statistical tracking. Smith helped develop Erik Cole, Eric Staal, Mike Commodore and Craig Adams, players who would be go on to help Carolina win a Stanley Cup in 2005-06. He also tracked scoring chances for and against long before anyone had heard of possession metrics such as Corsi or Fenwick, as DeCock notes. After his coaching career ended, Smith spent another decade as a pro scout for the Hurricanes before retiring from hockey altogether.

Hurricanes Sign Equipment Manager To Serve As Emergency Back-up Goalie

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In what is shaping up as the year of the emergency goaltender, the Carolina Hurricanes have become the latest team to extend a PTO to an inactive player to ensure the have two healthy netminders for tonight’s game. Unlike Chicago, who earlier this season famously inked Eric Semborski to a PTO an hour before a game in Philadelphia, the Canes didn’t have to search too hard to find their emergency fill-in. Jorge Alves, Carolina’s equipment manager, is suiting up this evening to back up starter Cam Ward with Eddie Lack battling an illness and unable to go tonight.

Apparently Alves is no stranger to taking the ice with Carolina. According to the team’s official Twitter account, he often practices with the club. Even though the Hurricanes are utilizing Alves in a different role tonight, the team isn’t allowing him a break from his normal responsibilities. He painted his own goalie mask while a fellow equipment manager drew the caricatures.

The team’s Twitter account is having some fun with the event. They’ve posted several pictures of Alves performing his normal duties, including sharpening skate blades and taping stick blades. They’ve also created the hash tag “#HipHipJorge” which was trending in Raleigh earlier this evening.

Alves actually does have professional playing experience, appearing in seven ECHL league games over parts of the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. That would seem to give him a slight edge should the Hurricanes have the need to go to their back-up at some point this evening.

P.K. Subban May Have Herniated Disc

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According to Elliotte Friedman, Predators defenseman P.K. Subban is expected to meet with doctors tomorrow to discuss a course of treatment for “what is believed to be a herniated disc.” In a follow-up tweet, Friedman states the two options the talented blue liner and the Predators have are resting the back and hoping for improvement or surgery, which would sideline Subban for “quite a while.”

Subban has already missed seven games with what had been termed an upper-body injury and while the team has considered the defender day-to-day, this latest bit of news obviously throws serious doubt on that belief.

Acquired in the summer blockbuster trade which sent Shea Weber to Montreal, Subban has tallied seven goals and 17 points in 29 games in his first campaign with Nashville.

More to come as new information comes to light.

Dater’s Latest: Trades, Duchene, Landeskog

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In the most recent edition of “Avalanche Talk with Adrian Dater,” a podcast appearing on 5280 Sports Network, longtime Colorado Avalanche scribe Adrian Dater offers his thoughts on the team’s dreadful season and what he would do if he was in the GM’s chair to fix the issues. The whole podcast is well worth a listen but here are a few of the highlights.

  • On the cause of the team’s struggles, Dater points to the young core receiving lucrative long-term deals before helping to lead the team to any real on-ice success as a contributing factor. He suggests that without the added motivation of earning a big contract, complacency set in leading to some of the Avalanche’s issues. Matt Duchene inked his five-year, $30MM extension prior to the 2013-14 campaign and on the heels of a nearly point-per-game performance. Later that summer, Gabriel Landeskog was awarded a seven-year, $39MM deal. Midway through the 2013-14 season Colorado also extended goalie Semyon Varlamov with a five-year, $29.5MM pact. The other members of the team’s core, Erik Johnson, Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie, have all agreed to new deals since the start of the 2015-16 season. The Avalanche have made the playoffs just once in the last seven seasons and were eliminated in the first round in 2014, perhaps lending further validity to Dater’s hypothesis.
  • In terms of fixing the team, Dater isolated the blue line corps and suggested the club should pursue two young top-four defensemen while utilizing their 2017 first-round pick and one of Landeskog or Duchene as bait. As it stands now, the Avalanche own the worst record in the league at 12 – 22 – 4. Should that remain the case at the conclusion of the season, the Avalanche would be guaranteed one of the top two selections in June’s drat. Nonetheless, Dater opines that this crop of draft-eligible prospects lacks the flair of past years and Colorado would be better suited to cash the pick into a top-flight young blue liner. He also argues that Duchene likely has more value on the trade market than Landeskog and would also be able to return the Avalanche another solid defender. Among the names Dater mentions as the type of players the team should target are Jacob Trouba of Winnipeg and Colton Parayko of St. Louis. To be clear, Dater wasn’t reporting on any specific rumor he has heard or even suggesting the defensemen are in play in any trade discussions; he was simply identifying Trouba and Parayko as the type of players the team needs to improve their overall defensive play.
  • Dater also mentions that Landeskog, the team’s captain, is playing through an undisclosed lower-body injury and that might be a factor in the player’s offensive struggles this season. In 25 appearances, the Swedish winger has just six goals and 11 points, numbers far below the normal expectations of a top-six forward. His track record also suggest better production as he has tallied 20 or more goals in each of the three previous campaigns. Landeskog missed 10 games earlier this season with a lower-body injury and it’s possible the issues Dater alluded to are related to the prior problem. His so-far underwhelming production is further evidence that he wouldn’t have as much value in a potential trade as Duchene.

Devils Blue Liner John Moore Taken Off Ice On Stretcher

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New Jersey Devils defenseman John Moore was taken off the ice on a stretcher in the first period of today’s game against Washington after a hit from behind by Capitals forward Tom Wilson. Devils head coach John Hynes later announced that Moore had been taken to the hospital and subsequently released, according to Andrew Gross via Twitter. Hynes provided no further update but indicated the fact he was released from the hospital was a good sign.

Wilson was not penalized on the play but it’s possible he will be hearing from the Department of Player Safety about the matter. In a statement released following the 6 – 2 Capitals win, Wilson stated he “tried to let up a bit,” and instead “kind of rubbed him out.” The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan posted the full statement on Twitter.

Moore has been a solid fit in New Jersey’s top-four since signing with the club as a free agent prior to the 2015-16 campaign. The 26-year-old has tallied five goals and 13 points in 36 games while averaging just less than 19 1/2 minutes per contest this season. He leads Devils defenders in goals and is second in scoring. It’s assumed at this time he will be out indefinitely.

Wilson is known throughout the league as a physical player who finishes his checks and is always willing to drop the gloves but has managed to avoid suspension to this point in his career. The league did, however, fine the forward last season for a knee-on-knee to hit to Pittsburgh’s Conor Sheary in the playoffs.

Devils tough guy forward Luke Gazdic took Wilson to task and challenged the Capitals winger to a scrap in the second period and again according to Gross, he would have this to say after the game about the altercation: “It’s not like I was waiting for the right moment. I was waiting for the first moment.”

For his part Hynes felt it should have been a penalty, saying:

“It’s good that he’s for sure getting released from the hospital,” Hynes said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a dirty play. It looked like a hit from behind. His back was turned on the glass and he was hit pretty hard into the glass. It looked like it was a penalty. The refs felt because he didn’t get launched into the glass it wasn’t a penalty. It’s not my decision to buy or not buy [that].”

To this point there has been no indication from the league in regards to whether the DoPS will have another look at the play.

Central Division Snapshots: Haula, Parise, Varlamov

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The Minnesota Wild have been on quite the run recently winning 10 in a row and earning points in all 11 games they’ve played in the month of December. They put that streak on the line tonight when the Wild travel to Nashville to play the Predators. But as Mike Russo of the Star Tribune reports, boosting Minnesota’s chances to extend their streak is the return of forwards Erik Haula, who missed three games with a hip injury, and Zach Parise, who was out for two games with strep throat.

Strep throat has become an all too common occurrence for Parise as he’s come down with the condition four times since the World Cup tournament. Parise considered having his tonsils removed to prevent an additional recurrence but was told by doctors that the surgery would “sideline him for a bit,” as Russo notes. The repeated illnesses have likely contributed to a lackluster start to the season as Parise has registered just five goals in 24 contests, though he seemed to be heating up with four points in the five games prior to coming out of the lineup.

Haula’s return is also a welcome one for the Wild. Minnesota bench boss Bruce Boudreau is glad to be able to slot the 25-year-old back into his usual third-line pivot role.

“Centers a very difficult position up front,” Boudreau said. “[Haula’s] probably going to be a little rusty. Grao played pretty good for us, and now he’s the fourth-line center, so it gives you more things to do if people aren’t going.”

Haula has contributed five goals and 10 points in 23 games while averaging 14:13 of ice time per game. He set career highs in goals and assists last season with 14 and 20 respectively while leading the club in plus-minus with a +21 rating.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Semyon Varlamov’s troublesome groin is once again keeping the Avalanche’s starting goalie sidelined, according to Terry Frei of The Denver Post. Frei notes that this will be the third stretch of games Varlamov has missed due to the groin and also a wrist ailment. Calvin Pickard, who earned the win in Colorado’s 2 – 1 victory over Chicago Friday night, will be between the pipes against Calgary tonight and Jeremy Smith was recalled from San Antonio to serve as the backup. Smith, 27, has never appeared in an NHL game but has spent eight seasons in the minors, primarily in the AHL, in the Nashville, Boston, Minnesota and now the Colorado organizations. Spencer Martin was up with the team last week but was left in the AHL in order to get some game action.

Metro Division Injury Updates: Faulk, Lundqvist, Raffl, Couturier

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With teams resuming their normal practice and game-day routines after the three-day holiday break, news and updates regarding several Metro Division players have been released today. Here’s a quick roundup:

  • Justin Faulk, Carolina’s #1 defenseman, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury evidently suffered in the latter half of the team’s recent game against Boston, according to Michael Smith, who covers the team for the Hurricane’s official NHL.com website. Faulk is averaging better than 23 minutes-per-game for Carolina and has tallied seven goals and 16 points in 30 games this season. He currently leads the team’s blue line corps in scoring and is second behind Jaccob Slavin in ice time.
  • The New York Rangers have recalled goalie Brandon Halverson from Hartford to backup Antti Raanta tonight as the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators at MSG, according to this tweet from the team’s official Twitter account. New York’s starter, Henrik Lundqvist is battling the flu and has been ruled out for the game. Though unlikely, should Halverson see any action tonight, it would qualify as the 20-year-old netminder’s NHL debut.
  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com has several developments after the Flyers practiced today. With Michael Raffl expected to miss up to two weeks with an upper-body injury suffered against New Jersey last Thursday night, rookie winger Taylor Leier is likely to fill in on the team’s top line. Leier scored his first NHL goal on December 17th and has two points in eight games this season.
  • Meanwhile, Flyers GM Ron Hextall is hopeful that center Sean Couturier will be back in the lineup for the first time since November 22nd. Couturier has missed the last 16 games with a knee injury.
  • Michal Neuvirth is nearing a return to the team after practicing with the team today, though he is not expected to play during the Flyers upcoming three-game road trip. Neuvirth has not played for Philadelphia since November 12th because of a knee injury. In his absence, Anthony Stolarz has given the Flyers two quality starts, winning both and posting a GAA of 1.84 and a Save % of 0.932.

Jannik Hansen Out For Up To Six Weeks

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The Vancouver Canucks announced today via Twitter that right wing Jannik Hansen is expected to miss 4 – 6 weeks with a knee injury suffered Friday night. Hansen was apparently hurt on a knee-to-knee hit from Mathieu Perreault of Winnipeg. Replays show the hit may also have been late but the league later said that no further action will be taken against the Jets forward.

Hansen, obviously feeling the hit was illegal, immediately dropped his gloves and went after Perreault who refused the invitation.

The Danish forward has appeared in only 18 games this season and has five goals and four assists while averaging 16:11 of ice time per contest. Hansen was starting to heat up and had tallied three times in his previous three games.

The Canucks had been searching much of the season for a right wing to skate with the Sedins, Daniel and Henrik, and Hansen had been filling that role of late. Prized free agent acquisition Loui Eriksson previously failed his audition with the twins before the team turned to Hansen. The 10-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Canucks after being selected by the club in the 9th round of the 2004 draft. Hansen will be a UFA after the 2017-18 season and is currently in the third year of a four-year, $10MM deal he inked with the Canucks in September of 2013.

 

 

 

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