Minor Transactions: 11/30/18
As we close in on the end of November, there are storylines aplenty around the league. William Nylander‘s contract situation should come to a close, while the Philadelphia Flyers continue to search for a new GM. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche are pushing for the top spot in the entire NHL. With five games on the schedule for tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Those Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson from the minor leagues while placing Marco Scandella on injured reserve. That may mean it’s time for talented young defenseman Lawrence Pilut to make his debut, trying to prove he can bring his elite minor league production to the NHL.
- Andrew Mangiapane is on his way up to join the Calgary Flames after a great start in the AHL. The 22-year old forward has 14 points in 13 games for the Stockton Heat, continuing his strong minor league career. The Flames welcome in the Los Angeles Kings tonight as they try to extend their lead in the Pacific Division.
- The Anaheim Ducks have made a defensive swap, sending Andrej Sustr to the minor leagues in exchange for Josh Mahura. The 20-year old Mahura made his NHL debut earlier this year and is a top prospect for the Ducks, armed with explosive skating ability and offensive upside. They also assigned Kalle Kossila back to San Diego to create a roster spot for Hampus Lindholm who was activated off injured reserve.
- After acquiring Calvin Pickard yesterday off waivers, the Arizona Coyotes have assigned goaltender Hunter Miska back to the AHL. Miska played one game with the Coyotes but had to know his time was coming to an end with Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper both also working their way back from injury. In his place, the Coyotes have recalled Mario Kempe once again.
Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames Swap Prospects
The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a late-night trade, exchanging long-time prospects. Leaving Calgary is native son and former first-round pick Morgan Klimchuk, while productive defenseman Andrew Nielsen departs Toronto.
Klimchuk, 23, entered his pro career with high expectations in Calgary, not only as a local product and high draft pick, but due to his consistently impressive production at the junior level. However, Klimchuk has struggled to stand out against the Flames’ other prospects over the years. Despite solid production for the AHL’s Stockton Heat, Klimchuk has only played in one NHL game and has never asserted himself as a top depth option for Calgary. Moving forward, Klimchuk brings a capable offensive game and good offensive mind to Toronto, but will still have to fight for attention among a deep AHL roster and even deeper NHL lineup.
Nielsen, 22, brings both a strong, physical presence and checking game, as well as good passing ability and a hard shot. Nielsen was a point-per-game player in his final junior season and has been a strong contributor in two plus seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Nielsen has earned a shot at the NHL, but has not been given one with the Maple Leafs and was due a change of scenery. He should immediately take over a major role with Stockton and hopefully will get his shot in Calgary sooner rather than later.
College Notes: Henrikson, Crone, Risers
The jump to North America has not been kind to Arvid Henrikson thus far and it has impacted his college recruitment. Yet, the big Swedish defenseman has made his decision on where he will begin his NCAA career and hopes that transition yields better results than his move to the USHL this year. Henrikson, 20, was a seventh-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, following a point-per-game campaign in the Swedish juniors. His success in the pro ranks in Sweden has been less impressive, prompting a change in career path this off-season. Henrikson joined the Des Moines Buccaneers for the 2018-19 campaign, but has only registered one point through 18 games so far. While Henrikson has the size – 6’5″, 212 lbs. – and physical style to make a career out of being a stay-at-home defender, he has shown ample offensive ability before and hoped to showcase that side of his game in the USHL. Instead, he will hold out hope that perhaps his production will improve when he enrolls at Lake Superior State University next season. The Buccaneers announced today that Henrikson has committed to join the Lakers, where he will replace senior defenseman and Anaheim Ducks prospect Steven Ruggiero as the only drafted player in the program. Lake Superior may not be a powerhouse college program, but less spotlight and fewer expectations may be exactly what Henrikson needs to develop into the defenseman that the Canadiens hoped they were getting with a late flier a few years ago.
- When Hank Crone finished third in scoring in the USHL in 2016-17, ahead of the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Eeli Tolvanen, and future Boston University teammate Shane Bowers, many expected that it would be enough to get him drafted. Yet, the talented albeit undersized forward again was passed up. Last season, his first with BU, also did not go according to plan. Crone managed to record just twelve points and failed to live up to the offensive prowess he showed in juniors. As a result, Crone is back in the USHL this season, re-joining the Fargo Force rather than staying on with the Terriers. Unsurprisingly, he’s back at his old ways with 21 points in 19 games. As a result, he’s also willing to try his hand at the college game again and has committed to another top program. Hockey Commitments announced today that Crone has signed on to join the University of Denver next season, where he will have three years of eligibility left to show NHL teams what they missed. If Crone is able to get it right on his second try in the NCAA, he should draw considerable interest from the pro ranks down the road.
- In his latest article about the biggest early “risers” of the most recent draft class, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman tabbed college or college-bound players as half of the most surprising performers so far this season. The top played named, who Pronman says has established himself as a “legit NHL prospect”, is Calgary Flames pick Emilio Pettersen. The Denver forward was a sixth-round pick out of the USHL after a strong but unspectacular season, but has been better than a point-per-game so far through twelve games and has looked like an elite play-maker against tough competition. Northeastern forward Tyler Madden, the Vancouver Canucks’ third-round pick, is next up. Madden has ten points through twelve games for the Huskies and has easily transitioned his two-way game to the college level. Also on Pronman’s list are UConn center Jachym Kondelik (NSH, Rd. 4), UMass center John Leonard (SJ, Rd. 6), Pettersen’s Denver teammate Brett Stapley (MTL, Rd. 7), and St. Lawrence-bound Martin Pospisil (CGY, Rd. 4), as the college game continues be a great developmental option for the NHL’s top prospects.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Calgary Flames
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Calgary Flames.
What are the Flames most thankful for?
A high-powered attack that not many people saw coming. Calgary has been well-known for its defensive depth and to be fair, they still have a pretty deep back end. However, some offseason movement and a new head coach have helped the Flames boast the highest-scoring team in the Western Conference (tied with Nashville). Considering they were in the bottom five in that department last season, this has been a very impressive turnaround and has helped lead them to first in the Pacific Division so far.
Who are the Flames most thankful for?
After being a player that has typically put up roughly 40 points per season, Carolina opted to part ways with Elias Lindholm and dealt him (along with Noah Hanifin) to Calgary at the draft. The Flames thought Lindholm may still have some untapped offensive potential and so far, they’ve been proven right. He is already halfway to his career-high in points with 23 through his first 24 games while leading all Calgary forwards in ice time per game. While some viewed Hanifin as the centerpiece of the trade, Lindholm has stepped in and given their top line the fit that they’ve been missing in recent years.
Matthew Tkachuk has largely flown under the radar with the number one line drawing most of the attention. However, he is tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 goals and 15 assists through 24 games. He’s setting himself up for a significant raise as a restricted free agent this summer.
What would the Flames be even more thankful for?
Mike Smith playing like the goaltender he has in the past. The 36-year-old had a decent first year with the Flames last season but his performance this year has been rather disastrous. He has just a .883 save percentage, a career low while ranking 47th out of 50 qualifying goaltenders. A strong start from David Rittich has helped offset that somewhat but if Calgary wants to remain where they are in the standings, they’re going to need Smith to at least get back to league average territory.
James Neal was another key acquisition over the summer, inking a five-year, $28.75MM contract but he has failed to live up to it. He has just three goals so far in 24 games and him rediscovering his scoring touch would make their attack that much deeper.
What should be on the Flames’ Holiday Wish List?
For the time being, they’ll keep Smith and hope that he can eventually round back into form. If that doesn’t happen, they’re going to have to venture into the trade market and try to find a replacement. They don’t have a lot of cap space to work with so they’d be wise to save what they have for now to potentially give them more options if they have to go after a goalie. If Smith returns to form, adding a checking forward that can help on the penalty kill would be a good idea as that has been an area of concern through the first quarter of the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Juuso Valimaki Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
- Flames defenseman Juuso Valimaki is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). The injury was sustained on Friday against Vegas and kept him out of the lineup earlier today in their win over Arizona. The 20-year-old has fared well in his first professional season as he made the team out of training camp and has held down a regular spot in the lineup while averaging a little over 15 minutes per night of ice time.
Calgary Flames Recall Oliver Kylington, Ryan Lomberg
It’s been a long wait for Oliver Kylington, but he’s finally back in the NHL after the Calgary Flames recalled him today. Kylington made his NHL debut back in 2016 as an 18-year old, but has spent the last two seasons in the AHL with the Stockton Heat. The team has also recalled Ryan Lomberg, as both Michael Stone and Michael Frolik were placed on injured reserve.
Kylington, 21, was one of the most impressive defensemen in the Swedish junior and minor league ranks when he was selected 60th overall in 2015 and has continued to record solid offensive numbers in North America for Stockton. The incredibly smooth-skating defenseman has tremendous upside despite the fact that he hasn’t made an impact at the NHL level yet, and could still become a force in the top-4 for Calgary one day. That may not necessarily come today, but just the fact that he was one of the first recalls when injury struck has to be reassuring to the young defenseman.
Lomberg meanwhile is a 23-year old winger, but comes with a much different pedigree and play style. The bang-and-crash forward has put up solid numbers in the AHL since signing as an undrafted free agent, and could provide some energy to the fourth line for Calgary. Lomberg played in seven games last season for the Flames, but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
Michael Stone Placed On Injured Reserve With Blood Clot
Scary news for the Calgary Flames today, as the team has placed defenseman Michael Stone on injured reserve with a blood clot in his arm according to Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia. GM Brad Treliving told reporters that Stone wasn’t feeling right last night, but they will know more in a few days. Joining him on the shelf is Michael Frolik, who is dealing with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
Blood clots are not totally uncommon for hockey players or any athlete, but it is always an uneasy situation when one is diagnosed. For Stone, there is no indication of a recovery timeline at this point, though it is obviously a positive that the team found it at all. The 28-year old defenseman has only played 11 games for the Flames and hadn’t been in the lineup since November 11th, but could still be a useful part if he can get himself healthy again.
The Flames meanwhile are on something of a roll, taking home wins in their previous three games and opening up a one point lead on the San Jose Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division. A team that was considered a Stanley Cup contender at the beginning of last season, Calgary stumbled all year and missed the postseason entirely. The club underwent big changes in the offseason as Bill Peters was brought in as coach and a blockbuster deal sent Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland to Carolina. Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, the returns in that deal, have played extremely well for the Flames of late and have them looking to compete for the Stanley Cup this year.
That’ll need some luck and health, something that neither of these announcements represents. With Frolik only day-to-day and the blue line looking strong they should be able to handle these setbacks, but only for so long.
Flames’ Dalton Prout Reassigned To AHL For Conditioning Stint
The Calgary Flames are flying high right now, sporting the best record in the Pacific Division and winners of seven of their last ten. The Flames owe their success to a number of players, but veteran defenseman Dalton Prout has not been one of them. Prout has been a healthy scratch for all but one game this season, the team’s second game of the season back on October 6th. That inactivity has finally become a concern for the team, as the Flames announced that they have sent Prout down to the AHL on a conditioning assignment.
Prout, 28, was acquired by Calgary in a trade with the New Jersey Devils last season, in which goaltender Eddie Lack headed back to New Jersey. Prout did not suit up for the Flames, but instead played out the rest of the season with the Stockton Heat. It was the first time since his rookie season that Prout did not play at least a quarter of the NHL season, but now looks as if it could be a sign of things to come rather than a fluke.
Prout is a big, physical defender, but struggles with skating and and lacks finesse in his game. Calgary has shown that they don’t need to or want to rely on him, even last year, and are even deeper on the blue line this season. The play of rookies Juuso Valimaki and Rasmus Andersson have made Prout an unnecessary fixture in Calgary thus far. This conditioning stint will get him some play time, key on the off chance that they do need him, but seems more like a preface to a more permanent solution for Prout.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Matthews, Dube
The NHL has released their Three Stars of the week, and Cam Atkinson will take home the top spot this time around. The diminutive Columbus Blue Jackets forward scored five goals and eight points in three games and is now producing at more than a point-per-game pace for the season. The 29-year old Atkinson is trying to put his injury plagued 2017-18 season behind him and get back to the 35-goal scorer he showed capable of being the year prior.
Corey Crawford and Joe Pavelski arrive at second and third respectively, and it’s the former whose performance is so impressive given his long way back from injury over the last year. Crawford now sits with a .922 save percentage on the season and is one of the sole reasons the Blackhawks are still within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Central Division. A team that has already fired their legendary coach and replaced him with the youngest bench boss in the league, Chicago will need Crawford to continue his strong play if they’re to have any chance at a postseason berth this year.
- Auston Matthews was back on the ice with the Toronto Maple Leafs this morning, and he wasn’t wearing the red no-contact jersey. While the Maple Leafs have made no indication that Matthews will be back ahead of schedule, his presence with the team can only give them another morale boost as they try to reclaim the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Even without their young superstar—and his usual linemate William Nylander, who is still without a contract—the Maple Leafs sit at 14-6-0 on the year and have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.
- The Calgary Flames have inserted rookie Dillon Dube into the lineup 15 times this season, but have given him more than 13 minutes of ice time in only three of those contests. Still with just two points on the season, Dube is looking for his first NHL goal and a way to establish himself as a bigger presence at both ends of the ice. That opportunity is tough to carve out when the team has such solid depth up front, something that head coach Bill Peters is aware of. Speaking to reporters including Kristen Anderson of Postmedia, Peters explained that the team will soon have to decide whether keeping Dube in the NHL only to play a few minutes a game is really the best for his development. Instead, the team could send him back to the AHL where he has still yet to play a full season.
Atlantic Notes: Bergeron, Helm, Marner, Price
The Boston Bruins already have plenty of injury concerns this season, especially on the defensive end. However, it may have gotten worse as the Bruins announced in an injury breakdown, that they have sent Patrice Bergeron back to Boston to be re-evaluated for his upper-body injury by team doctors with two games left on their road trip. That means that Bergeron is out for Saturday’s game against Arizona, although considering their next game won’t be until Wednesday, he could return to the team before then.
The team also reported that defenseman John Moore, already listed as day-to-day, has also left with Bergeron for Boston to get his lower-body injury looked at by doctors. The release also notes that Zdeno Chara, who was listed as out for four to six weeks, will not be re-evaluated for another four weeks.
While many were already aware of the defensive injuries, however the loss of Bergeron would be another devastating blow. The 33-year-old was driven into the boards on Friday on a hit from Dallas’ Radek Faksa. Bergeron has nine goals and 26 points in 19 games this season and anchors one of the top lines in the NHL.
- The Detroit Red Wings may be without a forward as well as Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that Darren Helm, who left the first period of today’s game against New Jersey after taking a hard hit from Travis Zajac, could be out for a while. Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said that he had no timetable for his injury, but the 31-year-old winger was holding his right wrist after it had taken the brunt of his fall to the ice.
- Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun writes that with the way that Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner has been playing lately, he is likely to fetch a huge price when he hits restricted free agency at the end of the year. The 21-year-old Marner, who has 26 points in the first 20 games is currently on a trajectory to hit 106 points this season and become the franchise’s first 100-point winger. That could cost the team that has carefully weighed each players’ salary carefully before signing John Tavares this summer. With holdout William Nylander asking for big numbers on his next contract, Marner could complicate things for Toronto as well as he might be the best young winger outside of Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen and Boston’s David Pastrnak.
- Montreal Canadiens Carey Price‘s numbers may not be particularly impressive as he owns a 2.99 GAA and a .899 save percentage. However, after an impressive performance against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, The Athletic’s Paul Campbell (subscription required) analyzes the 31-year-old’s play and notes that Price is starting to adapt to a combination of his aging skills and the improved shootings skills of younger forwards. The scribe breaks down his play Thursday, writing that if Price can continue to play like that, then the Canadiens have a chance to fare well this season.