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Metropolitan Notes: Chytil, Andersen, Jarvis, Erne, Letang

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Rangers center Filip Chytil will not accompany the team on its upcoming four-game road trip, relays Vince Z. Mercogliano of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.  The 25-year-old suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday versus San Jose with the team declining to provide further specifics.  Chytil, who has missed considerable time with concussions in the past (including the final 72 games of last season), is off to a good start this year for New York, notching four goals and five assists in 15 appearances despite an ATOI of just 13:40, his lowest since his rookie season.  It’s possible that Chytil could be cleared to join the Rangers partway through the trip if the injury winds up being a minor one.

More from the Metro:

  • Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen’s injury is not related to the blood clots that kept him out for a significant chunk of last season, notes Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). After initially being listed as out week-to-week, he’s now out for considerably longer than that.  Lavalette adds that the team is weighing the possibility of Andersen having surgery although no decision has been made on that front yet.
  • Still with the Hurricanes, the team announced that winger Seth Jarvis has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 10th. He has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and the team hopes he can return to practice next week.  Because of the retroactive placement, he’s eligible to be reactivated as soon as Sunday.  The move creates a roster spot for recently-recalled goaltender Yaniv Perets with the team also quietly recalling Ty Smith late Thursday.
  • The Rangers’ farm team in Hartford has released winger Adam Erne from his PTO, per the AHL’s transactions log. The veteran was previously listed as out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.  Erne had just one assist in ten games with the Wolf Pack prior to getting hurt.  A veteran of 379 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons (including 24 last year in Edmonton), Erne will now try to catch on elsewhere, presumably when he has recovered from the injury.
  • Before tonight’s game between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins, the latter announced Kris Letang would miss his second straight game due to illness. When healthy this year, Letang has gotten off to one of the worst scoring paces of his career since his early days in Pittsburgh with two goals and six points in 18 games.

Rangers Sign Adam Erne To PTO

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TSN’s Darren Dreger reports the New York Rangers are bringing in forward Adam Erne to training camp on a professional tryout agreement. Erne had difficulty finding recurring playing time with the Edmonton Oilers last year and will now try his luck at the bottom of the Rangers’ forward core.

Erne was considered a mid-first-round talent heading into the 2013 NHL Draft but ultimately fell to the second round at 33rd overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Erne debuted with the Lightning in the 2016-17 season, collecting three goals in 29 contests. Most of his success early on in his professional career came with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch where Erne’s physicality and knack for goal-scoring made him an effective player in the NHL.

His “coming out party” came during the 2018-19 season when he scored seven goals and 20 points in 65 games. The Lightning iced one of the best teams in NHL history that season and Erne played an important role in the team’s bottom-six. Erne’s entry-level contract expired at the end of the season and with cap struggles beginning in Tampa Bay the team traded him to the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round pick in 2020.

Erne’s run in Detroit is the most successful stretch in his career. He had much larger access to ice time on a rebuilding Red Wings roster as he worked his way into the team’s middle-six. Erne skated in 241 games with Detroit scoring 27 goals and 62 points while earning a two-year, $4.2MM contract with the team from 2021-2023.

Almost a year ago today, Erne signed with the Oilers on a PTO and signed a one-year, league-minimum contract nearly a month later. He skated in 24 games for Edmonton throughout the 2023-24 regular season scoring one goal and two points overall. Much of his time was spent with the organization’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield where he scored six goals and 12 points in 36 games.

The Rangers’ top three forward lines are effectively set heading into the 2024-25 NHL season but there could be some wiggle room on the bottom line. Erne will compete with Jimmy Vesey, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe for playing time on the team’s fourth line and will have nearly a month to prove his worth to the organization.

Oilers Recall Eight Players

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May 6: Forward Xavier Bourgault has also been added to the Oilers’ playoff roster, the team said Monday. Bourgault, 21, was the 22nd overall pick of the 2021 draft. He’s yet to make his NHL debut and struggled in his sophomore season with Bakersfield, limited to eight goals and 20 points in 55 games. He has one year remaining on his entry-level contract

May 4: After bringing up goaltender Jack Campbell and defenseman Philip Broberg earlier, the Oilers have finalized the rest of their ‘Black Ace’ recalls.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards Adam Erne, Raphael Lavoie, and Lane Pederson, defensemen Philip Kemp, Cam Dineen, and Ben Gleason, and goaltender Olivier Rodrigue from AHL Bakersfield.

Among the forwards, Erne played the most with Edmonton this season, getting into 24 games but was limited to just two points and less than eight minutes a night of ice time but did average nearly three hits per game.  The 29-year-old didn’t light it up with the Condors either, recording six goals and six helpers in 36 minor league appearances.  However, if the Oilers decide they want some extra physicality on the fourth line here and there, the pending UFA could get into the lineup.

Lavoie cleared waivers at the end of training camp but that didn’t deter him.  Instead, the 23-year-old had his best AHL campaign, notching 28 goals and 22 assists in 68 games while also making his first seven NHL appearances.  That should have him in the mix for a roster spot with Edmonton against next season although it would be surprising to see him get into the lineup now.

Pederson, meanwhile, failed to make an NHL appearance for the first time since 2019-20.  He did, however, have a strong year with Bakersfield, collecting 22 goals and 30 helpers in 66 contests.  He’s under contract for one more year at the league minimum on a one-way deal.

As for the blueliners, only Kemp saw NHL action this season, making his first (and only) appearance at the top level.  The 25-year-old played in 64 games with the Condors this year, recording a pair of goals and 13 assists.  He’s signed through next season on a two-way contract.

Dineen has the most NHL experience among the blueliners brought up today, having gotten into 34 games with Arizona back in 2021-22.  He had his first full year in Bakersfield this season after being acquired last year, picking up five goals and 20 assists in 58 games.  The 25-year-old will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency for the second straight year this summer.

Gleason’s last taste of NHL action came back in 2018-19 in his first professional season back when he was with Dallas.  Since then, the 26-year-old has been one of the more consistent offensive producers from the back end in the AHL and this year was no exception as he put up 10 goals and 22 assists in 62 appearances.  His contract converts to a one-way agreement next season for the league minimum.

Rodrigue was expected to split time with Calvin Pickard this season with Bakersfield but those plans changed with Campbell struggling and Pickard taking over as the backup in Edmonton.  Still, the 23-year-old posted a 2.73 GAA with a .916 SV% in 37 games with the Condors this season, earning himself a one-year extension along the way.

Most, if not all of these players won’t see any action during the rest of Edmonton’s postseason action but will be staying ready in case injuries warrant them suiting up.

AHL Shuffle: 4/19/24

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Half the league has played their last games for the 2023-24 campaign, while the other half is gearing up for postseason action starting tomorrow. Either way, squads are making roster adjustments today, whether it’s assigning players back to the minors after their NHL seasons came to a close or recalling reinforcements for their playoff runs. We’ll keep track of all of today’s moves here:

  • The Bruins have recalled center John Beecher and defenseman Mason Lohrei from AHL Providence. Both will be available for tomorrow’s Game 1 of Boston’s first-round series against the Maple Leafs. The pair of youngsters were assigned to the minors throughout the last week for playing time down the stretch after spending most of the campaign on the NHL roster. They’ll likely be scratches for tomorrow’s contest, but after combining for 93 games played in the regular season, head coach Jim Montgomery won’t hesitate to plug them into the playoff lineup.
  • The Flames have assigned forwards Matthew Coronato and Adam Klapka, defenseman Ilya Solovyov, and goaltender Dustin Wolf to AHL Calgary. The NHL club’s regular season came to an end last night in a 5-1 win over the Sharks, a game all four players involved in today’s transaction played in. Wolf, one of the league’s top goaltending prospects, ended his season on a high note with 16 saves on 17 shots after putting up underwhelming numbers down the stretch for the Flames. All four will play major roles for the Wranglers over the next couple of weeks, at the very least, as they’ve clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • The Capitals have recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from ECHL South Carolina. The 24-year-old, who has no NHL experience, is in his first full season of pro hockey after spending the last four seasons in collegiate hockey at Harvard. He’ll serve as a Black Ace and emergency backup as their first-round matchup against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers gets underway. A fourth-round pick of the Caps back in 2018, he has a .899 SV%, 2.56 GAA, three shutouts, and a 22-14-3 record in 42 appearances with South Carolina this year, as well as a .915 SV% and a perfect record in two showings with AHL Hershey.
  • In a similar move, the Predators have brought up netminder Gustavs Grigals from ECHL Atlanta. Undrafted, the Latvian had spent the season in the Nashville organization on a minor-league contract before receiving a two-way deal from the Preds on deadline day. The 25-year-old was excellent last year for UMass-Lowell after transferring from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, posting a .924 SV% in 24 games and earning Hockey East Third All-Star Team honors. He’s adjusted decently well to the pro ranks, posting a .900 SV% and three shutouts behind a defensively challenged Atlanta squad in 34 appearances with an 11-19-0 record.
  • The Blackhawks have assigned forward prospect Lukas Reichel to AHL Rockford to finish his season. Chicago expected the 21-year-old to take a major step forward in his development this season and supplant himself as a top-six fixture for the future along with Connor Bedard, but it didn’t work out that way. The 2020 first-round pick was arguably among the worst players in the league this season, limited to five goals and 16 points in 65 games with a -29 rating despite seeing second-line looks for much of the season. His average ice time dipped to almost 14 minutes per game by the end of the campaign, however.
  • The Jets have assigned forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford, Brad Lambert, and goaltender Collin Delia to AHL Manitoba. Winnipeg recalled the foursome yesterday to provide reinforcements for yesterday’s regular-season finale against the Canucks. Chibrikov and Lambert made their NHL debuts, with the former notching his first NHL goal in the process. Delia backed up Laurent Brossoit while Jennings Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck was given the night off entirely, while Ford was a healthy scratch. Delia was again recalled under emergency conditions later Friday, suggesting he’ll be available as a Black Ace/emergency backup for Game 1 against the Avalanche on Sunday.
  • The Coyotes have made likely the final group of transactions in franchise history, returning forwards Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Aku Raty, and defensemen Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Kolyachonok to AHL Tucson. The sale of the team’s hockey operations to Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group was approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors yesterday, rendering the Coyotes franchise inactive and establishing a new franchise in Utah. The five youngsters will finish the season in the Calder Cup Playoffs with the Roadrunners. Some of these players, likely Guenther and Doan at a minimum, will travel to Salt Lake City and will be a part of that team’s opening-night squad next season. The others may remain in Tucson, which is expected to serve as the Utah franchise’s minor-league affiliate.
  • The Oilers have assigned defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Adam Erne to AHL Bakersfield. The pair were recalled earlier in the week to allow the Oilers to rest stars like Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard before kicking off their first-round playoff series against the Kings in a few days. They’ll return to playoff-bound Bakersfield for now but will be among the first in line for recalls if necessary.
  • The Kings have assigned forward Alex Turcotte to AHL Ontario. He’d spent most of the last week in the minors on an LTI conditioning loan, but was activated off LTIR and reinstated to the NHL roster on Tuesday. He didn’t play in the Kings’ final game of the regular season last night, though. The 23-year-old presumably won’t be in their Game 1 lineup against the Oilers and will report for playoff action with the Reign.
  • The Islanders have summoned goaltender Jakub Skarek from AHL Bridgeport, per the league’s media site. The 23-year-old comes up to serve as the extra/reserve netminder as the Islanders begin their first-round series with Bridgeport eliminated from playoff contention. The 2018 third-round pick has again struggled in the third-string spot, posting a .888 SV% and 7-22-6 record in 36 appearances for the AHL Isles this year. He was passed over for recalls earlier in the regular season in favor of veteran Kenneth Appleby.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Oilers Recall Sam Gagner And Adam Erne

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The Oilers will have some extra depth on hand for their final couple of games of the season.  The team announced today that they’ve recalled forwards Sam Gagner and Adam Erne from AHL Bakersfield.

Gagner had an extended PTO with Edmonton back in training camp but was converted to a full-season deal back at the end of October.  Since then, he has split time between the Oilers and Condors.  The 34-year-old has been reasonably productive in limited minutes with Edmonton, tallying five goals and five assists in 27 games while averaging a little over ten minutes a night.  He has fared better in the minors on a per-game basis, collecting three goals and six helpers in 15 contests.

As for Erne, he also signed in-season with the Oilers, inking a two-way deal back on October 13th.  The 28-year-old has suited up 23 times for Edmonton so far but has just two points along with 67 hits while logging less than eight minutes a night.  Meanwhile, in Bakersfield, Erne has six goals and six assists through 35 contests.

Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents in July and aren’t expected to be in the lineup tonight against Arizona.  However, they could suit up on Thursday versus Colorado if the team decides to rest some forwards heading into the playoffs.

Adam Erne Clears Waivers

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1/23: Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports that Erne has safely cleared waivers meaning he will now be assigned to AHL Bakersfield for the foreseeable future.

1/22: The Oilers placed winger Adam Erne on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bakersfield on Monday, per a team announcement.

This is the second time that Edmonton has placed Erne on waivers this season. He cleared in early-November and was sent down to the minor leagues for just two weeks, before rejoining the Edmonton lineup until now. He played in four AHL games while down, scoring one goal and setting a -5. He’s been relatively unproductive in the NHL as well, netting two points, nine penalty minutes, and a +2 through 23 games. Erne has been largely an afterthought in the Oilers’ lineup, averaging just 7:46 in ice time, the lowest of any player with 10 or more games with the club.

It’s Erne’s first season in Edmonton, with the 28-year-old winger joining the team’s training camp on a professional try-out contract. He ultimately earned a deal in Edmonton, signing a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the team two days after their season kicked off. The Oilers become the third team of Erne’s NHL career, adding to his three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and four years with the Detroit Red Wings.

Erne’s placement on waivers lines up with Edmonton’s signing of veteran forward Corey Perry. Perry started the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, playing in 16 games and scoring nine points for the club. He is well along in an NHL career that kicked off in the 2005-06 season. Perry has since totaled 1,273 career games and 1,392 career points. Edmonton will hope he can add a much-needed spark on the wing.

Edmonton Oilers Make Several Roster Moves

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The Edmonton Oilers have announced several roster moves: defenseman Philip Broberg as well as forwards Raphael Lavoie and Adam Erne have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, while forwards Mattias Janmark and Dylan Holloway have been placed on long-term injured reserve. Janmark’s LTIR placement is retroactive to October 26th.

Janmark, 30, has not played since that date and is currently dealing with a shoulder injury. He still has not yet returned to skating, so his LTIR placement reflects the long-term nature of his absence. A veteran bottom-six forward, Janmark scored 10 goals and 25 points last season but has been held off the scoresheet through seven games this year.

Holloway has been hit with some really poor luck, as just shortly after playing what some in the Edmonton media referred to as his “best game as an Edmonton Oiler” Saturday against the Seattle Kraken he has landed on LTIR.

Holloway went hard into the boards against the New York Islanders Monday night, leaving the game before its conclusion.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game that Holloway’s absence would be “longer-term,” an unfortunate reality that Holloway’s placement on LTIR reflects.

A fast and energetic forward, Holloway’s offensive production in the NHL hasn’t quite matched what he posted at the University of Wisconsin or what the Oilers likely expected when they drafted him 14th overall in 2020. This season was viewed as a crucial one for Holloway’s offensive development, and now with this injury, he has been hit with a potentially significant setback.

As for the recalls, bringing Broberg back into the fold affords Knoblauch more options on defense as he, before these moves, had just six defensemen on his roster. With Broberg now available, he could opt to shift Vincent Desharnais out of the everyday lineup, something that might be necessary as the hulking six-foot-seven rearguard has struggled this season.

Broberg, who is just a few short months older than Holloway, is in many ways in a similar situation. He’s also a player the Oilers spent a premium pick on who has yet to truly figure out how to make an impact in the NHL. Perhaps with the games afforded to him by this recall, Broberg will be able to make strides in establishing himself as a regular at the game’s highest level.

Erne, 28, is a veteran bottom-six forward who has been recalled to bolster the depth Knoblauch has at his disposal on offense. While he has not scored in six NHL games this season, he does bring nearly 400 games of NHL experience to the table. Lavoie, 23, is notably less experienced but has had a genuine AHL breakout over the last two seasons, putting together an impressive run of offensive production.

He’s gotten a chance in the Oilers’ top-nine already this season, but now with two new voices behind the Oilers bench it’s unsurprising that he’s gotten another shot to impress.

These recalls fill out the Oilers roster to a degree the team may not have been able to do without Janmark’s $1MM cap hit on LTIR. Now Knoblauch has additional players at his disposal on the NHL roster who can hopefully help the Oilers dig themselves out of the colossal early-season hole they dug themselves into.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evening Notes: Oilers, Faksa, Fabbri

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Sam Gagner’s contract with the Edmonton Oilers has officially been registered today and the 34-year-old was called up by the team to their NHL roster (CapFriendly). The move coincided with winger Adam Erne clearing waivers and being assigned to the club’s AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors. Gagner will begin his third stint with the Oilers after missing the end of last season and training camp with a hip injury.

The former sixth overall pick played three AHL games last week picking up a goal and four assists while driving a lot of the offense for the Condors. The Oilers will be looking for him to provide depth scoring for a lineup that has appeared top-heavy this season. Gagner has been a solid offensive contributor throughout his career despite bouncing around the league to seven different teams during his 16-year NHL career.

For Erne, he returns to the AHL after going scoreless in six games for the Oilers this season. The 28-year-old split last season between the NHL and AHL in the Detroit Red Wings organization. He posted five points in nine AHL games last season while registering eight goals and 10 assists in 61 NHL games.

In other evening notes:

  • Dallas Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine is reporting that Stars forward Radek Faksa will miss tonight’s game with what is being described as an upper-body injury. Faksa skated with the team yesterday before leaving on their road trip and by all accounts seemed fine. No word yet on what has changed between then and now or any specifics on the ailment. Faksa is off to a slow start offensively this season with no points in seven games, however the Stars are off to a torrid 5-1-1 start thanks in part to Faksa’s penalty killing and defensive acumen.
  • Detroit Hockey Now writer Kevin Allen is reporting that Robby Fabbri of the Detroit Red Wings returned to practice today and could be coming off the injured reserve sooner rather than later. Fabbri is ahead of schedule according to Allen but will still miss the Red Wings next two games. The 27-year-old has dressed in just a single game this season and has one goal thus far. He has been sidelined with a lower-body issue but could return next week against the New York Rangers or Montreal Canadiens.

Oilers Place Adam Erne On Waivers

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The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Adam Erne on waivers. The 28-year-old has played in six games for Edmonton this season, going without a point and recording one fight. His most recent game with the club was the Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames.

Erne is on his third NHL club in Edmonton, after splitting seven years between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings. He played in 61 games with the Wings last season, netting eight goals and 18 points. It was only two points shy of his career-high of 20 points; a mark he reached in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Erne played nine AHL games last season, netting no goals and five assists. They were his first AHL games since 2017-18, speaking to the depth role he managed to carve out with his previous clubs. But without a correlating move, it seems the Oilers are transitioning to an 11-forward, seven-defenseman setup, icing Vincent Desharnais in Erne’s place.

Edmonton could also opt to recall a forward in Erne’s absence, as they aren’t currently carrying any healthy scratches. Raphael Lavoie currently leads Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in scoring with seven points in five games. Xavier Bourgault has also had a strong showing through his first five games of the year, nettings four points and a +4 +/-.

Whatever move Edmonton makes following Erne’s assignment will need to be impactful. The team currently sits at a desolate 2-5-1 record, with a slim 22 goals-for on the season. Connor McDavid took a maintenance day at the team’s Tuesday practice and will hope to remain consistent in the lineup, helping alleviate some of Edmonton’s scoring woes.

Oilers Sign Adam Erne To Two-Way Deal

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4:28 p.m.: Erne’s contract carries a $250K salary in the AHL and a $300K guarantee, per PuckPedia.

3:33 p.m.: The Edmonton Oilers signed veteran winger Adam Erne to a one-year, two-way deal, per a team announcement. Erne, 28, will earn $775K at the NHL level after spending camp with the Oilers on a professional tryout.

This contract likely won’t be officially registered until tomorrow after defenseman Markus Niemeläinen is off the roster one way or another – he was placed on waivers today. The Oilers currently have just $395K in cap space with a roster of 11 forwards and eight defensemen, per CapFriendly, and two of their defenders (Niemeläinen and Mattias Ekholm) were out with short-term injuries that prohibited them from dressing in Wednesday’s season opener. Putting Niemeläinen’s $762.5K cap hit in the minors – or on another team, if claimed – will afford the Oilers space to put Erne’s new deal on the books, giving them 12 forwards.

Signing Erne will also give them an extra skater for tomorrow’s game against Vancouver, as Ekholm is now expected to play after missing all of camp and the team’s first game of the season with a nagging hip injury. One of Philip Broberg or Vincent Desharnais will likely come out of the lineup to give Edmonton 12 forwards and six defensemen.

Erne is coming off a 2022-23 season in which he scored eight goals, ten assists and 18 points with 21 penalty minutes and a -12 rating in 61 games for the Detroit Red Wings. It was the type of production we’ve come to expect from the bottom-six winger, who’s amassed 40 goals, 49 assists and 89 points in 355 games over seven NHL seasons. Erne, a typical grinder and an early second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, will likely slot in alongside Mattias Janmark and Derek Ryan on the Oilers’ fourth line.

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