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Kevin Shattenkirk

Latest On Rangers’ Kevin Shattenkirk

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When the New York Rangers inked restricted free-agent Pavel Buchnevich to a two-year deal Friday, the Rangers also opened up a 48-hour buyout window starting Monday in which the team could opt to buy out one of their defenseman, including Kevin Shattenkirk, Brendan Smith and Marc Staal. While the Rangers did not buy any players out earlier this summer, things have changed after the team paid out $19.65MM AAV combined for Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba in the last month.

And while there is no evidence as to what New York intends to do, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks believes wholeheartedly that Shattenkirk will be bought out and will not be a Ranger by Wednesday evening. Considering that the Rangers traded for two right-handed defensemen this offseason, it should make it obvious the team is ready to move on from the veteran, who the team signed to a four-year deal two summers ago at $6.65MM AAV.

After signing Buchnevich for two years at $3.25MM per season, New York is projected to be $4.16MM over the cap (assuming that the team buries Brendan Smith and Matt Beleskey and both restricted free agents Anthony DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux sign for their qualifying offers) and will be forced to make a cost-cutting move. While it’s already been discussed that the team is under no obligation to buy out one of their defenseman as they have a couple of players they could trade including Chris Kreider and Vladislav Namestnikov to get back under the cap, the scribe believes that Shattenkirk’s contract makes the most sense to buyout.

2019-20: $1.48MM (savings of $5.17MM)
2020-21: $6.08MM (savings of $567K)
2021-22: $1.43MM
2022-23: $1.43MM

The buyout would give the Rangers a little over $1.1MM to work with after that and wouldn’t require the team to trade off Kreider just to save the team some money, one of the top wingers on the team who will be an unrestricted free agents next offseason. Trying to trade one of your best players when you are over the cap isn’t exactly the best bargaining position. Of course, the Rangers would have to assume 90 percent of Shattenkirk’s contract next season if the team does choose to buy him out, which really will make things challenging for New York next season.

The Rangers, however, can do nothing until Monday and there is no sign that they are currently committed to buying out Shattenkirk.

East Notes: Rangers, Johansen, McAvoy

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With the Rangers needing to find out ways to clear out salary cap space in the near future, their trade chips don’t appear to be drawing much interest.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Brendan Smith has yielded no interest while the only way they can move fellow buyout candidate Kevin Shattenkirk is if they take back another onerous contract (which wouldn’t do much to help their cap situation).  Meanwhile, they haven’t had any takes for winger Vladislav Namestnikov yet either.  With basically two weeks until their second buyout window opens up (which could come earlier if both Jacob Trouba and Pavel Buchnevich re-sign before their scheduled hearings), GM Jeff Gorton will certainly be active in the coming days to try to find a fit on the trade front.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Lucas Johansen was once Washington’s top defensive prospect but he has been passed on the depth chart over the last couple of seasons. Accordingly, NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan posits that the blueliner could ultimately find himself on the trade block before too long as a result.  The Capitals have some quality depth on the back end in their system and his first-round pedigree could still be of interest to some teams; with only a small group of plausible trade chips, it’s possible that Johansen could be made available at some point next season.
  • While Charlie McAvoy is among the sizable class of notable restricted free agents this summer, NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty suggests that a bridge deal for the defenseman may be the best way to go. McAvoy has lots of offensive upside but he hasn’t yet been able to put it together on a consistent basis while also dealing with injury troubles.  Between that and the fact he’s not eligible for an offer sheet, he doesn’t have a lot of leverage.  From the Bruins standpoint, a shorter-term contract would also make it easier for them to re-sign fellow RFA Brandon Carlo without needing to free up much salary.  That said, that route is probably a Plan B at this point as finding a suitable long-term fit is likely the priority for both sides.

Rangers May Need To Use The Second Buyout Window

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The fact that Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich and defenseman Jacob Trouba filed for salary arbitration yesterday isn’t particularly noteworthy in itself.  However, them doing so opens up a second buyout window later this offseason and it certainly appears as if GM Jeff Gorton is going to need to use it.

As things stand, New York has a little over $8MM in cap space, per CapFriendly.  Most, if not all of that, will be earmarked to Trouba.  Buchnevich is looking at a sizable raise on the $925K he made on his entry-level deal.  Meanwhile, defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and winger Brendan Lemieux are also restricted free agents in need of raises on their new contracts but weren’t arbitration-eligible this summer.  There’s no way all four sign new deals without the Rangers going over the $81.5MM Upper Limit.

There are two prominent buyout candidates on their roster in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith.  Both have two years left on their contracts and have been shopped around the league with no takers thus far.  Buying one (or both) blueliners out would give Gorton some much-needed cap space to work with.

A buyout for Shattenkirk would free up over $5MM alone for next season.  However, given the front-loaded nature of the contract, the savings would drop to just $567K for 2020-21 while adding an extra $1.433MM on the books for two years after that so there would be some long-term pain for that short-term gain.  Smith’s deal was also slightly front-loaded but doesn’t have as extreme of year-to-year variances in the buyout cost.  Buying him out would save $3.379MM next season and $1.2MM in 2020-21 while adding $1.145MM for two seasons after that.

Back when the first buyout window closed, Gorton didn’t know whether or not he’d be able to land the big fish on the free agent market in Artemi Panarin.  That wound up happening with the winger signing for over $11.6MM per season so their financial situation is a lot different now than it was just a week ago.  They didn’t need to buy anyone out then.  Unless they decide to start trading a couple of players away for future assets, they may need to this time.

The window will open up once both Buchevich and Trouba are under contract, something that could still take a month or more to happen depending on where they’re slated on the arbitration schedule.  As a result, it may be a while before Gorton is forced to make a decision on how to free up that extra cap room but he certainly still has some work to do to get the team cap compliant for October.

New York Rangers Involved In Multiple Trade Discussions

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“This may mean we lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect.”

That’s what the New York Rangers front office stated in a letter dated February 8, 2018 as they began their deconstruction of a roster that had brought such immense regular season success. That day they waived Brendan Smith less than a year after signing him to a four-year extension, and two weeks later started the process of selling off all the aging or expiring assets. First out the door was Nick Holden, then Michael Grabner and Rick Nash. That could have been a shocking trade deadline it its own right, but GM Jeff Gorton had an even bigger deal up his sleeve, sending captain Ryan McDonagh and power forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning. A year later Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes were shipped off as well.

Now, even after starting to turn the corner from tear down to rebuild with acquisitions like Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, the Rangers still might have a few items for sale. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Rangers are “involved in multiple discussions to improve their club” at the moment, and lists Chris Kreider, Jimmy Vesey, Vladislav Namestnikov, Kevin Shattenkirk and Pavel Buchnevich as potential trade options. Indeed Vesey even rose to the eighth spot on his Trade Bait board, noting that the Rangers have “a lot on the go.”

That TSN report comes at nearly the same time as Larry Brooks’ latest column for the New York Post, which suggests that this is likely the end for Kreider in New York. Brooks reports that the Rangers and Kreider’s agent Matt Keator of Olympic Sports Management haven’t yet held a “substantive conversation” about what a contract extension would look like. The 28-year old forward has just one year remaining on his current deal, and would likely fetch the biggest return out of the group listed above.

The questions will now become what the Rangers are after. Do they move Kreider for more draft picks and continue to collect young talent, or do they try and bring in more established players like Trouba to start the turnaround right away. With just two players on the entire roster signed for more than two years—Mika Zibanejad and Brady Skjei—the team has more flexibility than almost any in the league. Free agency will be a tempting pool to jump into this season, especially with the expected interest of Artemi Panarin and others in playing for a New York-area team.

First though the team must navigate the next few days and decide whether or not they will be losing some more familiar faces—even ones that they care about and respect.

New York Rangers Won’t Rule Out Buyouts

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The New York Rangers are on their way to a quick rebuild, armed with a huge number of young talented players that should make an NHL impact as soon as this season. That’s why they’ve been connected to several top free agents, who could potentially propel them back into the playoffs right away. The question of whether they can afford said free agents has also been asked however, given some of the bad contracts still on the books for another few seasons. GM Jeff Gorton spoke about that with Larry Brooks of the New York Post about the team’s offseason, and admitted that they haven’t ruled out buying someone out this summer.

Brooks suggests two candidates for the process, Brendan Smith and Kevin Shattenkirk, who combined would save the Rangers more than $8MM in cap space this season if bought out. The first buyout window opens on Saturday, but another one will also open later in the summer as long as multiple restricted free agents file for arbitration (the Rangers currently have six players in the organization eligible to file). The scribe also notes that the team has found no interest on the trade market for either player, even offering to retain 50% of their remaining salary.

Smith, 27, has performed poorly since signing his four-year $17.4MM contract with the Rangers in 2017. He ended up clearing waivers and being sent to the minor leagues in 2017-18, and even suited up at forward several times this season just to get him into some game action. In 63 games during the 2018-19 season he recorded just 13 points.

Shattenkirk meanwhile was the prize of free agency in 2017, but ended up signing just a four-year $26.6MM deal in order to play for New York. That relatively short term looks like a brilliant decision by the Rangers now, given how far his game has fallen since the deal was inked. Once a premiere offensive defenseman that logged at least 40 points in five consecutive (full-length) seasons, Shattenkirk has seen his point production fall off and his playing time with it. He recorded just 28 points in 73 games this season and was a healthy scratch at times. While he still provides excellent possession numbers, it’s clear that head coach David Quinn can’t trust him enough in the defensive zone to give him the 22+ minutes a night he was once earning in St. Louis.

Even if they don’t go down the buyout road, the Rangers are in pretty good health financially when it comes to the salary cap. Only two players on the entire roster are signed for more than two seasons, and both—Brady Skjei and Mika Zibanejad—are young enough that a decline should not be expected during those deals. Nearly the entire forward core is on their last season under contract, meaning the team can structure their salary situation however they please over the next 12 months. If that includes going after a big name in free agency so be it, but it also could revolve around new deals for players like Chris Kreider, who will enter next season as a pending unrestricted free agent and top trade bait if the year starts without an extension.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buyout Watch: Most Likely Candidates As Buyout Window Nears

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At this time next week, there could already be a few notable additions to the impending unrestricted free agent class. The NHL’s buyout window is set to open on Saturday, June 15th, after which teams will have 15 days to buy out unwanted contracts before the month ends and free agency begins on July 1st. This year in particular, there seem to be a surplus of teams upset with their current salary cap position and itching to remove a contract from their books that has not yielded the expected results. Yet, at a cost of two-thirds of the remaining salary and double the remaining term (in most cases), as well as the side effects of pay and bonus structure, it may not always be the best route. The following are some of the top names that could be bought out later this month and the cost to do so:

Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks

Contract Remaining: Two years, $8.625MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $2.625MM/$6.625MM/$2MM/$2MM

The most recent name to hit the buyout rumor mill, Perry’s contract is undoubtedly an albatross and it is difficult to see him getting back to the pace and production that initially warranted his high cap hit. A buyout would give the Ducks immediate relief this year and $2MM in years three and four is not bad. However, the 2020-21 cost is not ideal. However, it’s hard to see anyone trading for Perry’s contract with so many unknowns about his game, so this could be the only choice for Anaheim.

Dion Phaneuf, Los Angeles Kings

Contract Remaining: Two years, $7MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $2.917MM/$5.417MM/$1.417MM/$1.417MM

The Kings want to get younger and faster and want some cap space to improve. Moving Phaneuf accomplishes all of that, and L.A. has good blue line depth to fall back on in the short-term. Like Perry, this buyout hurts in year two, but is otherwise tolerable. The Kings will try to trade Phaneuf and may succeed, otherwise this is a likely buyout scenario.

Scott Darling, Carolina Hurricanes

Contract Remaining: Two years, $4.15MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $1.233MM/$2.333MM/$1.183MM/$1.183MM

One of the earliest reported buyout rumors was that of Darling, and for good reason. The former star backup has not panned out as a starter for Carolina, a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Final with a tandem of a UFA flier and a veteran waiver claim. The Hurricanes may not have any experienced goalies under contract for next season yet besides Darling, but that won’t stop them from moving on and going back to the free agent market or their talented pipeline for answers, especially with this very palatable buyout and few cap concerns.

Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning

Contract Remaining: One year, $5.8MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $2.667MM/$1.567MM

Callahan won’t be in Tampa one way or another next season. The team is facing a difficult cap crunch and there’s no room for the veteran, who has played little role in recent years. A buyout doesn’t give the Bolts the full savings they’d hope for this upcoming season and a trade likely remains preferable, but Callahan’s stock is not high and a buyout remains the more likely resolution.

Valeri Nichushkin, Dallas Stars

Contract Remaining: One year, $2.95MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $700K/$450K

Nichushkin’s age makes his buyout fall under the second category of buyout wherein only one-third of the remaining salary is accounted for. As such, his buyout would mean almost nothing for Dallas’ cap calculations. The young winger failed to score a goal last season as a regular player and both sides would seemingly benefit from a split. It’s not certain that the Stars will move on, but should they choose to, a buyout is a painless option.

Brendan Smith, New York Rangers

Contract Remaining: Two years, $4.35MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $971K/$3.146MM/$1.146MM/$1.146MM

Smith has been a disaster in New York and certainly not the player that the Rangers saw perform well in the postseason as a deadline addition in 2016-17. It’s hard to see a fit for Smith moving forward, even more so than other unfriendly defense contracts like Marc Staal and Kevin Shattenkirk. It’s even more difficult to see him having any trade value, so the team would have to go the buyout route. It’s not a terrible option, but as frequently happens, the year one savings come back to bite with a hefty year two increase.

Karl Alzner, Montreal Canadiens

Contract Remaining: Three years, $4.625MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $1.069MM/$4.194MM/$2.194MM/$1.069MM/$1.069MM/$1.069MM

Alzner had one point in nine games with Montreal last season, which is enough to say he’s not in the Canadiens’ long-term plans. He could be on their books for a long time to come with a potential six-year buyout structure, but at a relatively low cost most years. Alzner needs a fresh start and it’s fair to assume that Montreal will give him one.

Milan Lucic, Edmonton Oilers

Contract Remaining: Four years, $6MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $3.625MM/$5.625MM/$4.125MM/$5.625MM/$625K/$625K/$625K/$625K

Loui Eriksson, Vancouver Canucks

Contract Remaining: Three years, $6MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $5.556MM/$5.556MM/$3.556MM/$556K/$556K/$556K

Lucic and Eriksson have been tied together by rumors all off-season and one more thing they share: poor buyout possibilities. As bad as Lucic’s contract is, based on his drop-off in performance, his buyout is still very expensive for four more years and then extends another four years beyond that. The Oilers would be better off continuing to search for some way to trade him, no matter how slim the chances. As for Eriksson, his front-loaded contract makes a buyout pointless. The Canucks would pay almost the same amount in each of the next two years as if he was still on the team, then would have the cap penalty for another four years after that. Vancouver and Edmonton are likely stuck with these players, unless of course they swap them for each other.

Rangers Tried To Trade Kevin Shattenkirk During The Season

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Kevin Shattenkirk’s time in New York has not gone as well as he or the Rangers had hoped.  Two years into his pricey contract, he found himself a healthy scratch at times last season.  Not surprisingly, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team tried to trade the 30-year-old earlier in the season while being willing to retain 50% of his contract but had limited interest.

While Shattenkirk has never been known as a defensive dynamo, he had been a consistent point producer, notching at least 43 points in five of the six seasons before signing with New York.  (The one season he didn’t was the lockout-shortened campaign.)  However, that level of production hasn’t followed him; Shattenkirk had just 28 points in 2018-19, the lowest of any full season he has played.

New York has Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo returning for next season on the right side while Brendan Smith, who Brooks notes is a buyout candidate, is also on the roster.  The recently-acquired Adam Fox just put pen to paper on an entry-level deal and could very well push for a roster spot right away.  That could very well push Shattenkirk outside of the lineup on a regular basis which should only increase their efforts to move him.

Shattenkirk has two years remaining on his contract that carries a $6.65MM AAV although the salary is lower than that in each season.  While he hasn’t fit in well at all with the Rangers, there could be a team this summer that could show some interest depending on how things go on the trade market or in free agency.  Even if that happens, it appears that GM Jeff Gorton will be selling quite low to do so, a rough turn of events for their prized free agent signing just two years ago.

Rangers Notes: Tanking, Panarin, Shattenkirk

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A concern of New York Rangers fans all season long has ironically been that they aren’t bad enough. The team had little expectation of pushing for a playoff spot in 2018-19, yet continued to hang around with the likes of the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference standings, rather than down with the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils. When the postseason is out of reach, many focus only on an improvement of their draft lottery odds, which has certainly been true with New York fans. While the Rangers’ pipeline is well-stocked and deep with talent at every position, the team is still looking for their next surefire star. Surely after the trade deadline, in which their third- and fourth-highest scorers – Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello – were dealt away, the Rangers’ play would drop off, right? Entering last night, the team was on a six-game win-less streak; however, they had picked up the loser point in four of  those six games and then got back in the win column by taking down the Devils. The Rangers continue to stay afloat, currently ranked 13th in the East and 23rd in the NHL, with multiple teams less than two points ahead of them. If they stay on their current trajectory, the Rangers will likely have between a 3% and 6.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and combined odds of no more than about 20% of landing any of the top three lottery spots. They stand a much higher chance of picking outside the top ten than inside the top three. And there’s no reason to believe that their pace won’t continue. According to NHL.com’s strength of schedule calculations for the remainder of the season, the Rangers have the easiest stretch run of any team in the Metropolitan Division and are second only to the Sabres in the conference. Only half of their remaining games are against playoff-bound competition and five of their final 14 games come against teams presently below them in the standings. So as for those hopes of tanking, they may be all for not. With weak competition on the schedule and top young talent taking more responsibility in the lineup, the Rangers could potentially improve or at the very least stay the course for the remainder of the campaign.

  • If they can’t land one of the top prospects in the coming draft, will Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and company look to add star power in the free agent market? The Athletic’s Craig Custance writes that the expectation that New York will add heavily in the off-season may be overblown after speaking with Gorton. The GM states that he is only looking for players that will be “part of the rebuild, not someone who is going to restrict it.” This likely means a free agent on the younger side who fits the preferred system and the style of the Rangers’ up-and-coming young players. While Custance knows Gorton would never say it outright, Columbus Blue Jackets star winger Artemi Panarin sounds like the ideal target to fit that mold. The 27-year-old has the immense talent to be a short-term difference-maker and the youth and longevity to be a long-term fit who doesn’t clog up cap space down the road. All three of the New York-area teams have been considered likely landing spots for Panarin, the top free agent forward this summer, but the draw of playing in the heart of the Big Apple in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd could be enough to entice Panarin, who has his sights set on growing his persona in the next stage of his career.
  • If the Rangers are going to sign Panarin, it is going to take money and a lot of it. One player who could be shown the door to accommodate the need for extra cap space could be defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. The Rangers’ big free agent addition just two years ago has not been the player that the team expected and the New York Post’s Larry Brooks believes that he is fighting for life in these final games of the season. Shattenkirk was a healthy scratch the other night for the second time this season, parking himself and his $6.65MM AAV salary in the press box. He has just 23 points on the year so far, the same amount as last season when he missed close to half of the season due to injury. Compare that to 40+ points in five of his six seasons prior to joining New York and it explains why patience is running out. Brooks feels that if Shattenkirk cannot show substantial improvement in his effort and results down the stretch, he could be a prime candidate for a buyout this summer. Per CapFriendly, such a move would save the Rangers more than $5MM against the cap next season, with minor savings in 2020-21 as well, at a cost of just $1.433MM in each of the two seasons after. Despite it being a buyout that makes sense on paper, Brooks writes that “no one wants this”. He has spoken to both Shattenkirk and head coach David Quinn about what Shattenkirk needs to do to improve on his slow, overly-methodical style and it sounds as if they are on the same page. “I know what I have to do, I know how I have to play,” Shattenkirk says, but the question is whether he can actually do it. Failure to act on his shortcomings could mean his days in New York are numbered.

Snapshots: Jarry, Shattenkirk, Red Wings, Chicago’s Goaltending

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The Hurricanes have shown an interest in Penguins goalie prospect Tristan Jarry in the past, notes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  With Pittsburgh signing Casey DeSmith to an extension recently, Jarry’s name has come up as a speculative trade candidate between now and the February 25th trade deadline.  Carolina’s top two goalies at the moment in Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Hurricanes circle back on Jarry at some point over the next month.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Kevin Shattenkirk has fared better in recent weeks compared to his tough start to the season. With that in mind, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that this stretch may give the Rangers an opportunity to trade him.  The 29-year-old hasn’t lived up to his four-year, $26.6MM contract signed back in 2017, one that has two years remaining on it.  However, he has been a quality point producer before his time in New York and with teams looking for help on the right side, there may be an opportunity to get out from under his deal (or at least most of it).  Shattenkirk has a no-move clause in his deal as well as a 10-team no-trade list.
  • While the Red Wings are believed to be likely to move some of their pending unrestricted free agents, GM Ken Holland indicated to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (video link) that he’s open to moving anyone that isn’t part of their young core (which likely includes winger Anthony Mantha plus centers Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou) or future assets such as prospects and draft picks. Detroit wound up making a deal of significance involving a player like that last season when they moved winger Tomas Tatar to Vegas and since they have several other veterans on long-term deals, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to go that route again.
  • With Corey Crawford resuming on-ice drills as he works his way back from a concussion, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times mentions that there will be a roster logjam when he’s cleared to return. The team thinks highly of youngster Collin Delia and likely won’t want to return him to Rockford of the AHL while Cam Ward and his no-move clause is also on the roster.  Assuming Crawford gets the green light to return before the trade deadline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago ask Ward to consider waiving his clause to accept a trade somewhere else.

Minor Transactions: 12/31/18

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On the last day of 2018, 26 of the league’s 31 teams will be in action. The day starts with an epic matchup between the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, and ends with a pair of Western Conference battles that could have a big impact on the playoffs. While teams prepare for 2019, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves they make today.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Eric Robinson from the minor leagues, after a great start from the former Princeton University standout. Signed last spring as an undrafted college free agent, Robinson played in one game down the stretch for the Blue Jackets but was held scoreless. That hasn’t been the case very often in the minor leagues, where the 23-year old forward has recorded 19 points in 33 games and is tied for second on the team in goals with 10.
  • C.J. Smith is on his way up to the Buffalo Sabres, recalled from the AHL today. Smith has followed up an outstanding first professional season with 29 points in 33 games this year, and is tied with Victor Olofsson for the Rochester Americans scoring lead. The 24-year old has two NHL games under his belt, but is still waiting to score his first goal at the highest level.
  • The Washington Capitals are preparing for the return of Brooks Orpik by assigning Tyler Lewington to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, his NHL stint over for now. Lewington played two games for the Capitals and actually recorded two points, also getting into a fight to kick off his NHL career.
  • Nicholas Baptiste is on his way up to the Nashville Predators, the first time he’ll be part of an NHL locker room that doesn’t belong to the Buffalo Sabres. Baptiste, 23, has 14 points with the Milwaukee Admirals this season after being acquired from the Sabres in early October.
  • While they deal with a lengthy injury to Dustin Byfuglien, the Winnipeg Jets will rely on their defensive depth to keep them afloat in the Central Division. Relying on that depth means Sami Niku is headed back to the NHL, where he could see some additional playing time. Niku played in five games earlier this season for the Jets but is still looking for his first point of the year.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore under emergency conditions once again, and the young forward will continue to fill in for the injured Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis. Moore has two points in his first three NHL games and has injected some more speed into the Maple Leafs’ fourth line.
  • Egor Yakovlev has played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils this season, but for now he is heading back to the minor leagues. The team sent Yakovlev down before their afternoon tilt against the Vancouver Canucks.
  • The Ottawa Senators have officially placed Christian Jaros on injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Jaros broke his finger while in a fight with Islanders’ Ross Johnston Friday and will be out for a month. The team already placed Thomas Chabot on IR further weakening the team’s defense.
  • He’s already playing, but before the game today, the New York Rangers activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old was expected to miss two to four weeks with a separated shoulder, but has returned closer to the two-week mark. The veteran has struggled with injuries since signing with New York in the summer of 2017. Shattenkirk has appeared in 29 games this season, but has clashed at times with new head coach David Quinn, and is playing a career-low 18:23 of ATOI this season. He will attempt to boost those numbers again now that he’s healthy.
  • The Minnesota Wild announced they have assigned veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski to the Iowa Wild of the AHL after their 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh today. That could suggest that defenseman Nick Seeler will be ready to return to the team for Thursday’s game at Toronto. Bartkowski played in two games filling in, scoring a goal Saturday.

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