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Canucks Sign Aidan McDonough

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The Vancouver Canucks announced they have signed Aidan McDonough to an entry-level contract. General Manager Patrik Allvin announced the contract is a two-year deal, as McDonough elected to forego free agency and join the Canucks.

McDonough was a seventh-round pick of the Canucks in 2019. He has gone on to prove he should have been drafted much higher due to a stellar college career at Northeastern. He became a trusted offensive producer for them from day one of his college career and just wrapped up his fourth consecutive season as one of the team’s top offensive players.

McDonough scored 66 goals and 124 points in 124 games at Northeastern. This season was his best as he put up 20 goals and 38 points in 34 games. He helped Northeastern to a third-place finish in the Hockey East conference but they were eliminated on Saturday by Providence who pulled off a 2-1 upset victory in overtime.

The 23-year-old could have waited until this summer and became an NHL free agent, but instead elected to sign with the team that drafted him. The Canucks sure can use the help as they sit 25th in the league standings with 61 points in 65 games. They traded away Bo Horvat, signalling a retooling of the roster that has proven not to be good enough to compete with the best teams in the league, so it would not have been good to lose one of their best prospects to free agency this summer.

The 6-foot-2 and 201 pound forward will likely get a chance to jump right into the NHL lineup. The Canucks are not chasing down a playoff spot so they can afford to test him out right away and Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports he will join the team immediately.

Cole Guttman Injured For Rest Of Season

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman will be out for the rest of the season according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. Guttman is heading to Los Angeles to have shoulder surgery to repair the injury, and should be available to the Blackhawks at next season’s training camp.

The 23-year-old center was a sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017. Since then, he had a tremendous college career at Denver that included a national championship last spring. Guttman was a pivotal player for Denver in that run, scoring 19 goals and 45 points in 41 games last season.

Following that season, Guttman elected to not sign with the Lightning, instead waiting until August when he became an NHL free agent. Then, he signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks.

The 5-foot-9 and 168 pound forward is a skilled playmaker who has put up solid production in his first pro season. The Northridge, CA native scored 16 goals and 30 points in 39 AHL games this season and added four goals and six points in 14 NHL games. He had points in three consecutive contests with the Blackhawks before being shut down today.

Powers also noted this injury is something Guttman has been dealing with more a while. He was not sent down to the Rockford Ice Hogs on trade deadline day and therefore not eligible for the AHL playoffs this spring. As it turns out, the reason for that was because the team knew Guttman was working through this shoulder problem, but they thought he could play through it until the end of the NHL’s regular season.

Evidently, things got worse and now the Blackhawks are without Guttman for the remainder of the season. They had already called up Buddy Robinson and Mike Hardman this morning to fill out the roster.

 

Bruins Recall Jakub Lauko On Emergency Basis

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March 13: Lauko was recalled on an emergency basis by the Bruins per a team release. The Bruins are travelling to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks tomorrow night.

March 12: Lauko was returned to Providence shortly after the Bruins game against the Detroit Red Wings began per a team release. He had been recalled on an emergency basis, but was not dresses for the game so needed to be sent down.

The Boston Bruins have called up Jakub Lauko according to a team release. The Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 earlier today, becoming the fastest team in NHL history to 50 wins, doing it in their 64th game of the season. The two teams are set for a rematch tomorrow afternoon in Detroit, and it appears the Bruins will need reinforcements with Lauko being called up.

The 22-year-old winger has already played 12 games with the Bruins this season, scoring three goals and five points. In 35 AHL games with the Providence Bruins, he has put up ten goals and 17 points. The native of Czechia is joining a team with a strong contingent from his home country with David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Pavel Zacha, Tomas NosekandJakub Zboril already on the roster.

The question now is why do the Bruins need an emergency recall? Typically, these types of transactions are used when a team does not have enough healthy players to fill out a roster. The Bruins finished a game today with 12 forwards in the lineup and there has been no announcement of an injury or illness that will keep one of those players out of tomorrow’s game.

Minor Transactions: 03/13/23

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The NHL is into the stretch drive now as the trade deadline is well behind us and teams are pushing to be among the 16 that make it to the postseason. This time of year, the games take on greater meaning, but there are less transactions going on as everyone positioned themselves ahead of the deadline for the final quarter of the regular season. That being said, there is still player movement going on around the hockey world, and we will keep track of those transactions here.

  • Sasha Chmelevski is staying put with Ufa in the KHL next season, according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic. The Russian winger scored 26 goals and 48 points in 67 games with Ufa this season after spending three years in the San Jose Sharks organization. He remains an NHL restricted free agent but the Sharks will retain his rights through 2023-24 while he plays overseas.
  • Former Washington Capitals defenseman Christian Djoos is changing teams in Swizerland next season per a team release. The 28 year old is currently play for EV Zug but has signed with Lausanne HC for the 2023-24 season. The native of Sweden scored nine goals and 36 points in 52 games this season, his second in Switzerland and will bring his two-way game to Lausanne.
  • Also joining Djoos in Lausanne is Antti Suomela, the team announced. The Finnish forward is making the jump to Switzerland after one successful season in Sweden. The former San Jose Shark had 37 goals and 66 points for IK Oskarshamn, leading the SHL in goals and points.
  • The San Jose Barracuda announced the signing of Anthony Vincent to an amateur tryout. Vincent is a 25 year old forward coming off a strong college season for Long Island University. He scored 17 goals and 37 points in 36 NCAA games and will look to continue that success at the AHL level.

Nashville Predators Sign Mark Jankowski

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The Nashville Predators announced they have signed Mark Jankowski to a contract extension. The team also said it is a one-year contract with a cap hit of $775K which is a slight raise on the $750K he earns this season. Of note, the minimum salary for NHL players rises from $750K to $775K next season, so Jankowski effectively remains on a minimum contract.

The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Predators, scoring five goals and eight points in 32 games. He also added ten points in nine AHL games when he was sent down to the Milwaukee Admirals. This signing will provide a little stability for Jankowski who has played for four different organizations in the past four seasons.

The 6-foot-4 center was originally a first-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2012. He played four full college seasons at Providence before finally turning pro, but never lived up to the draft billing in Calgary. His best season was in 2018-19 when he scored 14 goals and 32 points. He has since played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres as well as the Predators.

With just over 300 games played in the NHL, Jankowski does provide some veteran experience for the Predators who are transitioning from perennial playoff contender to seller status. They traded Mikael Granlund, Mattias Ekholm and Nino Niederreiter at the trade deadline and appear to be entering a bit of a retooling phase.

Jankowski will provide some bottom six depth for the team for another season at a low cap hit as the Predators try to turn themselves back into a playoff team in the near future.

Chicago Blackhawks Recall Buddy Robinson, Mike Hardman

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have called up a pair of forwards on an emergency basis. Mike Hardman and Buddy Robinson were both recalled by the team this morning. The Blackhawks were busy ahead of the trade deadline, moving out a handful of veterans and have been relying on depth players from the minors to fill the gap ever since.

Hardman is a 23-year-old forward who signed with the Blackhawks in 2021 following two seasons at Boston College. He has scored four goals and 16 points in 49 AHL games for the Rockford Ice Hogs this season but is yet to play an NHL in 2022-23. He has suited up for 29 career games with the Blackhawks over the previous two seasons, scoring one goal and five points.

Robinson is a 31-year-old winger who has been up and down between the NHL and AHL for the past decade. At 6-foot-6 and 232 pounds he bring a physical presence to the lineup and has shown a bit of a scoring touch at the AHL level over the years. This season he has nine goals and 19 points in 45 games for the Ice Hogs. He suited up for one game with the Blackhawks in October, skating for just over 11 minutes against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Blackhawks are off today before hosting the league-leading Boston Bruins tomorrow night.

Florida Panthers Sign Marek Alscher

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5:03 p.m.: Alscher’s contract carries a cap hit of $897K, per CapFriendly. The breakdown of his contract is as follows:

2023-24: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus
2024-25: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus

In the minors each season, Alscher will receive a salary of $82.5K. Given Alscher is yet to turn 19, his contract is eligible to slide to 2024-25 if he’s returned to the Winterhawks next year. He’ll be due a qualifying offer of $897,750 upon hitting restricted free agency.

9:19 a.m.: The Florida Panthers have signed Marek Alscher, according to a team release. The entry-level contract is a three-year agreement that will begin next season, keeping the prospect in the Panthers organization through the 2025-26 season.

Alscher was a third-round pick of the Panthers in the 2022 NHL Draft and is playing in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks. The 18-year-old has scored seven goals and 21 points in 54 games this season, his second in Portland. Last season, Alscher scored seven goals and 16 points in 61 games. The Winterhawks have been a strong team each season, and Alscher has carved out a big role for them.

The 6-foot-3 and 196-pound left-shooting defenseman has put up decent production for his age and position, but he is known more for his defensive game. He is a big, strong defender that is counted on to shut down the opposition and clear out the front of the net, making life easier for his goaltenders.

Alscher suited up for Czechia at the 2022 Ivan Hlinka tournament, scoring one point in four games.

The Panthers are a team that has no problem scoring goals but could use some help on the blue line. Alscher will need some time to refine his all-around game, but after trading away many draft picks in recent years, Alscher was their first selection in last year’s draft. They will be counting on him to continue his development with the Winterhawks this season, and possibly next as a 19-year-old, before turning pro in 2024-25.

Rangers Reassign Jonny Brodzinski

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The New York Rangers announced they have reassigned Jonny Brodzinski. He will be sent back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack following the Rangers 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres. Brodzinski was called up on March 7 on an emergency loan, but with 12 other healthy forwards available to participate against the Sabres, Brodzinski had to be returned to the minors.

Brodzinski did play two nights ago when the Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens in overtime. It was his 17th NHL game of the season and though he has just one goal and two points, he has been a top scorer for the Wolf Pack.

The 29-year-old forward has 12 goals and 30 points in 34 games at the AHL level while serving as the Wolf Pack’s captain. He has scored 224 career AHL points in 284 games while also suiting up for 101 NHL games in his career, scoring nine goals and 17 points in that time.

The Rangers made some big swings at the trade deadline adding Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane up front. It doesn’t leave much room for a scrappy veteran like Brodzinski, especially within the salary cap which is why he needed to be sent down as soon as the team had 12 healthy forwards.

Predators Recall Egor Afanasyev

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The Nashville Predators have announced they have recalled Egor Afanasyev from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The Russian winger is playing in his second season with the Admirals and has 13 goals and 26 points in 55 games this season. He had 12 goals and 33 points in 74 games as an AHL rookie last season.

Afanasyev was a second-round pick of the Predators in the 2019 NHL Draft. He was playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL before being selected, and had 27 goals and 62 points in 58 games for them. He headed to Windsor to join the Spirfires in the OHL in 2019-20 where he piled up 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games as an 18 year old.

The 2020-21 season saw him bounce around different Russian leagues during Covid lockdowns which put a halt to the OHL. Afanasyev did score two goals and five points in seven World Junior games in the 2021 tournament.

The 6-foot-4 winger obviously brings a lot of size to the Predators lineup, but he also showed at the OHL, World Juniors and AHL that he has some scoring punch as well. Afanasyev is an interesting 22-year-old forward who is third on the Admirals in goals scored.

The Predators took a sellers approach at the trade deadline and shipped out Mikael Granlund, Tanner Jeannot and Nino Niederreiter. That opens the door for younger wingers to step into the lineup, and Afanasyev looks like he will be getting an audition and a chance to make his NHL debut tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.

East Notes: Hedman, Duclair, Puljujarvi

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are getting a boost to their lineup tonight with the return of Victor Hedman, according to Dave Randorf, the team’s play-by-play commentator. Hedman missed the team’s past two games after crashing heavily into the boards against the Carolina Hurricanes last weekend. The 6-foot-7 defenseman is having a solid season with six goals and 42 points in 60 games, but it is a bit off his pace after he put up 85 points last season. Still, the team leans heavily on their star defender who is averaging 23:59 per night which leads the team.

The Lightning have not been playing their best hockey lately, so they will be happy to have Hedman back. The team is 1-4-2 in their past seven games and though they appear destined to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round once again, they will need to get back on track in a hurry if they want to gain home-ice advantage in that series. The Lightning are currently four points back of the Leafs in the standings.

  • The Florida Panthers announced Anthony Duclair will be in the lineup tonight. Duclair missed last night’s overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks with an illness, but is good to go this evening as the Panthers host the Winnipeg Jets. The Panthers are scratching and clawing for every point as they sit four points back of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Duclair has been limited to just five games this season after suffering an achilles tendon injury in the offseason, and has added three points in those games.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes finally get to welcome Jesse Puljujarvi to the lineup this evening. Nearly two weeks after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers, the Finnish winger will play his first game in Carolina. He dealt with some visa issues that delayed his arrival, and then joined the team in Montreal just before they faced the Canadiens on Tuesday. The coaching staff elected to have him settle in and practice with the team for a few days before finally taking the ice on the fourth line tonight with Paul Stastny and Stefan Noesen.

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