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Eastern Notes: Lightning Roster, Hall, Ryan

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The Tampa Bay Lightning started their bye week Friday, yet made news this afternoon when they placed forward J.T. Brown on waivers. However, Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that general manager Steve Yzerman said the move was made to open some roster flexibility for potential callups from their AHL Syracuse Crunch roster.

Smith writes the team is enamored with the play of several of their AHL players, including Adam Erne, Carter Verhaeghe, Alexander Volkov and Matthew Peca and have suggested on many occasions the team may want to see some of them in a Lightning uniform this season.

“I wanted the flexibility within our roster, when the time comes, to recall players currently excelling in Syracuse and give them an opportunity to play,” Yzerman told the Times.

Erne has received some praise from Yzerman already, saying he’s “been playing his way out of the American League.” The 22-year-old wing was a second-round pick in 2013 and has 11 goals and 25 points in 37 games with the Crunch. He played 26 games for Tampa Bay last year. Verhaeghe, a former third-rounder in 2013, has eight goals and 16 assists in 24 games. Volkov, the team’s second-round pick in the 2017 draft, has 10 goals and 22 assists in his first season in the AHL and is just 20 years old. Peca was named as an AHL all-star and leads the team with 29 points.

  • The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) interviewed New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes, who says that wing Taylor Hall has made a successful transition to team leader, but it took a while. Hall, who was acquired by trade in the offseason two years ago was unhappy about being traded to New Jersey, although he said it had more to do with the troubles in Edmonton and his inability to turn the franchise’s success around. Hynes added that it took a full year for Hall to recover from the change. However, the 26-year-old former first overall pick in 2010 spoke with general manager Ray Shero after last season and they talked about him taking over the leadership role this season and he’s done just that. He has 15 goals and 27 assists in 39 games this year. “Now, I think you see a guy, he’s gone through that mourning period and now, this is his team,” said Hynes. “New Jersey’s his team, it’s his city, he has pride in what we’re doing. He’s bought in and he’s helping drive our team to become a much more competitive team than we have been in the past.”
  • The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek writes (subscription required) that the best way for the Ottawa Senators to make a contract work for future 2019 unrestricted free agent Erik Karlsson work would be spend this offseason working hard to unload the contract of veteran Bobby Ryan. The scribe writes that while center Matt Duchene will also need a new contract, he is already making $6MM and likely wouldn’t command a contract too much more than that. However, Karlsson is likely to cost at least $10MM per year and possibly as much as $12MM per year if the salary cap continues to rise. If the team can find a way to unload Ryan, who will make $7.25MM for the next four seasons after this one, that would solve a lot of Ottawa’s problems. Duhatschek suggests finding a way to have the Vegas Golden Knights, who should have up to $40MM in cap space available next year, take Ryan off their hands and even suggests the Senators retain half his salary to make that work.

An Avalanche Is Beginning In Colorado

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Over the last year, the Colorado Avalanche—and GM Joe Sakic in particular—have taken a lot of heat from media and fans for their performance on and off the ice. Heading into 2017 with a 12-23-1 record, they would go 10-33-3 over the last few months of the 2016-17 season to finish what was a historically bad campaign. Their players seemed to quit on the ice, and rumors of discontent in Jared Bednar’s locker room were rampant. Matt Duchene, one of the long-time faces of the franchise asked for a fresh start elsewhere, but was forced to finish the year and wasn’t promised anything going forward.

Cale MakarIn June, the team lost a young goaltender in Calvin Pickard to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights and were bumped all the way out of the top-3 in the draft lottery despite their last-place finish. Duchene trade rumors persisted, but Sakic wouldn’t lower his high asking price. Still, on the draft floor the Avalanche would be able to select exactly what they needed at fourth-overall. Cale Makar, an undersized defenseman whose most noticeable flaw was that he hadn’t played against high-level competition, dropped into their laps.

They’d be even more excited when Conor Timmins, a more traditional two-way defenseman from the OHL would slip out of the first round entirely. Timmins had climbed to 18th on the CSS rankings among North American skaters—and fourth among North American defensemen—by the end of the 2016-17 season, and yet still fell all the way to Colorado at 32nd-overall.

The rest of the summer went relatively uneventful, with all eyes still on Duchene, and the season began with a relatively similar Avalanche squad. The on-ice performance wouldn’t look anything like the end of the previous year though, as Colorado would go 8-5-0 through their first 13 games, led by a determined Duchene and energized Nathan MacKinnon. Then, on November 5th against the New York Islanders, Blake Comeau would be helped off the ice and down the tunnel to assess an injury. Behind him, Duchene would slip away as well, just informed that he’d been traded to the Ottawa Senators mid-game.

That deal, the one that Sakic had been pursuing for months, came about by involving both Ottawa and the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche finally received their asking price of a young NHL-ready defenseman (Samuel Girard), top prospect (Vladislav Kamenev) and first-round pick. Amazingly, they also added another top prospect in Shane Bowers, and two additional draft picks (Nashville’s 2018 second-round pick, and Ottawa’s 2019 third-round pick). It’s more than anyone expected Sakic would get for a player that now had fewer than two years remaining on his contract.

Colorado would lose that game against the Islanders, and the next two against the Duchene-led Senators while in Sweden. But since then, the team has gone 11-9-2 and is still in the playoff mix in the Western Conference. Their 41 points puts them at the bottom of the Central Division, but only three points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the final wildcard spot. That’s a huge step forward for a team that finished with only 48 points total in 2016-17.

It’s not going to end there.

While Girard is showing that he’s ready for a full-time role in the NHL at the tender age of 19, Makar and Timmins are starring for Team Canada at the World Junior tournament. Makar started as the team’s seventh defenseman, but has shone as Canada deals with injuries to several older and more experienced players. Both defensemen scored today against Switzerland, skating together at even-strength. Timmins is part of a powerhouse Sault Ste. Marie team in the OHL that has lost just three games in regulation, and could be in line for a Memorial Cup berth.

Suddenly, when you start imagining a blueline patrolled by those three and an offense led by MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, only 22 and 21 respectively, the future doesn’t look so bleak in Colorado. Add in other high-upside players like Tyson Jost (19) and Alexander Kerfoot (23), a captain in Gabriel Landeskog who just turned 25, and four selections in the top two rounds in what is shaping up to be an incredible draft class, and it might not be very long until there is more than just hope in the Avalanche dressing room.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Ottawa Senators

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered the following teams:

Atlantic: BOS, BUF, DET, FLA, MON, TOR
Metropolitan: CAR, CBJ, NJD, NYI, NYR, PHI, PIT, WSH
Central: COL, MIN, NSH, STL
Pacific: ANA, ARZ, CGY, EDM, LAK, SJS, VAN, VGK

What are the Senators most thankful for?

They have to be thankful for that no matter how bad things have gotten in Ottawa in recent weeks, the Senators are only six points away from earning a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Shocking isn’t it. The Boston Bruins, currently holding the third playoff spot in the division, have 35 points, while Ottawa has 29 points with their 11-13-7 record. While that might require the team to actually win a few games, a sudden turnaround could easily have them competing for a playoff spot. The team might also be thankful for a solid performance at Saturday’s Centennial Classic where they shutout the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 in front of a national audience.

Who are the Senators most thankful for?

Several players are having solid seasons, but the play of Mark Stone has been solid this season. Even while on a current scoring drought (one goal in the past 13 games), he leads the team with 14 goals in 31 games, which should be an improvement over the 22 goals he had last season in 71 games. His defensive abilty is also a big plus on the ice. What’s even better is that he is just a restricted free agent next season, so the team has some remaining control of the 25 year old. In all likelihood, even if the team begins a rebuild, it’s likely Stone will be considered a part of that and wouldn’t be shipped off for picks or prospects.

What would the Senators be even more thankful for?

More than anything, the team needs to see some production from Matt Duchene. After trading away Kyle Turris, prospects and picks to win the Duchene sweepstakes, the 26-year-old center hasn’t improved the team’s offense at all and so far looks like the team may have made a mistake. He has six goals and nine assists in 31 games this season, but Duchene has put up just two goals and three assists in the 17 games that he’s been with the Senators. The team needs him to figure things out and begin leading a line that can put points on the board every night. It doesn’t help that the Nashville Predators addition of Turris only seems to have helped them. Turris has four goals and 13 assists in his 17 games with the Predators, which only makes the deal look worse.

What should be on the Senators Holiday Wish List?

The Senators have found themselves in the news for many things, but defenseman Erik Karlsson’s comments that he won’t take a hometown discount when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2019 didn’t sit well with many fans or their owner. In a perfect world, the Senators would find a way to recapture the magic they had a year ago and find a way to convince Karlsson to sign long-term and pay him what he’s worth. The question is what is the long-term plans for this franchise. Are they playing to win or should they blow up their team and rebuild for the future? A rebuild would go much quicker if they trade Karlsson, but finding a franchise defenseman isn’t an easy task either.

Kyle Turris Speaks Out About Not Signing In Ottawa

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When Kyle Turris was dealt to the Nashville Predators earlier this season, he immediately signed a six-year extension with the club for an average annual value of $6MM. He and Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion both spoke to media saying a deal like that was never on the table between the two sides, basically pointing the finger at each other. Now, Turris is pointing the finger at an entirely different member of the Ottawa executive group.

Kyle TurrisSpeaking to media including Josh Clipperton of the Canadian Press ahead of the Predators’ matchup with the Vancouver Canucks tonight, Turris explained who really stopped any extension talks in Ottawa:

It’s tough because I think management did want to sign me, but I think that the owner didn’t. And that was his decision.

Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has been known to interfere with the hockey operations in many instances, and is about as hands-on as any around the league. While Turris’ comments don’t prove anything, you can be sure there was something that happened between he and management before being jettisoned to the Western Conference.

The Senators meanwhile have taken a nosedive since sending Turris out of town for Matt Duchene, and are now inspiring normally level-headed journalists like Ian Mendes of TSN to suggest a quick surrender this season. With trade rumors circling constantly around the team, the idea that Turris could have been kept on a reasonable extension won’t please many fans.

For his part, Dorion organized a press conference today to address some of the issues from the last few days. On Turris’ comments, he made his stance clear (via Arash Madani of Sportsnet):

Everything in hockey goes through me. Not Mr. Melnyk…

The contract he signed with [the Predators], he wouldn’t make with us. It’s that simple.

If there is any truth to the claim, it is curious why ownership wouldn’t want to keep Turris around. While he’s not the flashiest or most marketable player, he was a solid piece on an Eastern Conference final squad last season and will likely provide at least a few valuable years during the extension. Immediately, questions will go up over whether the fiscally conservative Melnyk was trying to save money, something that Senators fans have been dreading over the upcoming Erik Karlsson decision.

Karlsson is likely looking for an extension around twice as expensive as Turris, something that the Senators might not be able to afford even though Dorion made it clear today that he wants “Karlsson to be here for the next 10 years”. If they can’t, then perhaps Mendes is right and the “Ottawa Senators need to give up on this season and start thinking about the future.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Worst Case Scenario In Ottawa

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While the result is not yet final, the Ottawa Senators are in the midst tonight of what will likely end as a big loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the only team in the Eastern Conference with a worse record (for now). The team is in free fall, losing four straight games and eleven of their past twelve, not including tonight’s result. At 9-12-7, the Senators hold the third worst record in the NHL and rumors are swirling that no one on the roster is safe.

Back on November 5th, things seemed to be trending upward for Ottawa as GM Pierre Dorion was finally able to swing a trade to bring in coveted center Matt Duchene. In the process, the Senators gave up another legitimate top six center in Kyle Turris, goalie Andrew Hammond, 2016 first-rounder Shane Bowers, a 2019 third-round pick and a conditional 2018 first-round pick. Duchene has just four points and a -11 rating in 14 games with Ottawa so far and it’s already safe to say that the trade hasn’t worked out as planned.

So what’s next? With the Senators struggling, the conditional first-round pick sent to the Avalanche becomes very interesting. The 2018 pick is “top-ten protected”, meaning – as is likely – if Ottawa finished in the bottom third of the league, they retain their first round pick. Colorado would then get the Senators’ 2019 first-rounder. However, there is significant risk associated with that scenario. While the 2017-18 Sens have been underwhelming, there is enough talent on the roster to avoid falling apart entirely. The 2018-19 Senators though are another story. Ottawa just recently requested no-trade lists from ten key players and a fire sale could begin this season. The result could be an even worse squad next season and an even better pick heading to Colorado, perhaps even a top pick like center Jack Hughes or defenseman Bowen Byram.

So what is the worst case scenario in Ottawa? The team continues to struggle this year and is even worse next season, missing out on a potential franchise-altering prospect. After two years of failure, the team loses, via trade or free agency, Duchene, Erik Karlsson, Derick Brassard, and more. It may seem like a stretch, but it is in fact very possible. These are dark days in Ottawa, but the truth is that this could just be the beginning.

Ottawa Senators Plummet While Trade Speculation Heats Up

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The Ottawa Senators were within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final last season. On the backs of heroic performances by Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson, a trapping, defensive team pushed the Pittsburgh Penguins to the brink of elimination before bowing out in double overtime of game seven. That had fans of the team excited about this season, and pushing for GM Pierre Dorion to add to a team that was close to the Stanley Cup.

As former NHL executive Frank Provenzano notes for The Athletic though, thinking your team is close to winning it all after one unexpected playoff run can be dangerous. Provenzano is among the first (of what is sure to be many) to suggest what had previously been unthinkable: perhaps it’s time to consider trading Karlsson.

Erik KarlssonJust a few weeks ago the Senators went out and added Matt Duchene, bringing in a former Olympian who was expected to kick-start their offense. The fact that he had just a year and a half left on his deal (coincidentally the same length as Karlsson) didn’t matter, as they were close enough that he could push them over the edge right away. They needed to move out Kyle Turris (and several other pieces) to do so, but he seemed unlikely to re-sign with the team after this season when he became an unrestricted free agent. The problem there is, as Craig Button screamed into the radio airwaves yesterday on TSN 1050, “they traded a better player for a lesser player.” Button believes Turris is better than Duchene right now, and the early returns would back him up.

Turris has 12 points in 13 games for the Nashville Predators since the deal, while Duchene has just two. The Senators meanwhile have gone 3-8-1 with Duchene in the lineup, including losing seven of their last eight in regulation. That has seen them tumble down in the standings, even as they play in arguably the weakest division in the NHL. As of Thursday, they find themselves ahead of only Buffalo in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Florida Panthers with 24 points. Not good enough for a team that expected to compete.

While the NHL season is far from over, and a rebound from the team is more than just possible, it may be time to start thinking about drastic changes to their core group. As noted above, Karlsson is only signed until the summer of 2019 and has made it clear that he’ll cost a boatload on the open market. Derick Brassard and Mike Hoffman are signed for one and two years respectively after this season, and are both no longer young players with years of improvement ahead of them. Mark Stone, the team’s best forward will hit restricted free agency this summer and should expect a big deal, but it’s not clear how long-term he’ll want to go with the club. Stone will turn 26 before the summer hits, and could get to unrestricted free agency himself with just a one-year deal.

It’s not over for the Senators just yet, but Provenzano’s article won’t be the first written about the possibility of a Karlsson trade. After July 1st hits, and an extension is possible, every passing day will fuel speculation on whether the team should move him before he hits the open market. As one of the most valuable players in the league, it’s not clear who would even have the guts to give up the kind of package Ottawa would need in return. But it’s an interesting possibility if the season continues to progress as it has so far for the Senators.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ottawa Senators’ Struggles Could Lead To More Movement

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The Ottawa Senators were facilitators of the biggest trade of the season so far, when they acquired Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche while sending out Kyle Turris and a package of picks and prospects. That deal certainly shook things up in the Canadian capital, but so far not for the better. The Senators have gone 3-7-1 with Duchene in the lineup, and the former Avalanche center has just two points during that stretch. The struggles may lead to some more changes, as Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.

Cody CeciGarrioch singles out Cody Ceci as the team’s top trade asset, noting that the Avalanche did try to acquire him in a deal for Duchene before the Nashville Predators were involved. Ceci’s high value isn’t all that surprising given his relative youth and experience, but some would say that it’s not warranted. The 23-year old defenseman rates very poorly in possession statistics, but at least part of that is due to his role playing against some top competition. Still, with just three even strength points on the year Ceci is struggling just like the rest of the roster.

The problem with Ottawa looking to acquire more talent though is that they don’t operate as a cap ceiling team. Moving out money—including Andrew Hammond’s $1.35MM contract, that was already barely affecting the cap—was an important part of the Duchene deal, as the team can’t afford to pay out much more salary, especially if there are no playoff revenues on the way. That would suggest a player would be on his way out, but there are few obvious options.

Ceci is a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and will be expected a substantial raise from his current $2.8MM deal, but it’s obviously the Senators’ preference to keep him. Derick Brassard has just one more season at $5MM on the books, but would leave a gaping hole in the team’s center depth should he be moved. Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf are both too expensive for their performance, but likely have too much money left on their deals to really drum up any interest, and you’re not trading Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone or Erik Karlsson.

The next move for the Senators might have to come internally as Garrioch suggests, but they’ve already given Thomas Chabot a bump in responsibility and it hasn’t worked. Bringing up young forwards like Colin White, Filip Chlapik or Nick Paul could be next, but none look like game-changing presences at the moment. There’s no clear answer in Ottawa, but you can be sure GM Pierre Dorion is working to find one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Colorado Avalanche

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. Yesterday we examined at the Washington Capitals.

What are the Colorado Avalanche most thankful for?

A conclusion to the Matt Duchene saga.

The hockey world has been all over the Avalanche and GM Joe Sakic for how they handled a trade request from one of their star players. Duchene wanted to get out of Colorado during a brutal 2016-17 season, but Sakic wasn’t willing to make a move until his high price was met. Earlier this month the bill was paid by the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators, and the unhappy Duchene can finally move on.

Sakic needed to include a third team in the deal but eventually did get his reported ask of a young mobile defenseman, first-round pick and top prospect. In fact, he even added another prospect and two other draft picks to that total, coming away with quite the haul for a single player. Samuel Girard (the young defenseman) has flashed his top-pairing potential early, while Duchene has struggled to get on the scoresheet in Ottawa. Though it is far from decided, Sakic came out of a hard situation quite well after months of harsh criticism.

Who are the Avalanche most thankful for?

Nathan MacKinnonNathan MacKinnon.

Overshadowed by the terrible record of the team, MacKinnon once again had a solid season for the Avalanche a year ago. With 53 points he easily led the team, and set career highs in shots and faceoff percentage. While nothing from last year’s Avalanche can be considered a positive, he at least wasn’t the anchor pulling the team down.

This year is another story. MacKinnon, surrounded by a young more dangerous offensive squad is off to a tremendous start with 25 points in 20 games. That number puts him among the leaders in the league, and at the ripe old age of 22 there is still a legitimate chance his game could get even better over the next few years. Locked in at just $6.3MM per season through 2022-23, the Avalanche are in a prime position to build around their underpaid superstar with the next wave of talent.

What would the Avalanche be even more thankful for?

A return to form for Semyon Varlamov.

In 2013-14 a 25-year old Varlamov played in 63 games for the Avalanche, recording a league-leading 41 wins and posting a .927 save percentage. That was good enough to earn him a fourth-place finish in Hart Trophy voting, while coming in just behind Tuukka Rask for the Vezina. Varlamov was an elite goaltender in the league and was rewarded with a five-year extension mid-season.

Since then, his save percentage has dropped to an average .913 and sits at just .903 this season. While last year’s struggles can be explained away at least somewhat by injury, this year has shown him to be an average-at-best netminder in the league. A bounce-back to his previous highs would make the Avalanche an legitimate bubble candidate for the playoffs, if they aren’t already.

Varlamov has another year left on that extension after this season at $5.9MM, and will have to prove he can still be a starting goaltender in this league if he wants another contract with the Avalanche.

What should be on the Avalanche Holiday Wish List?

More young defensemen.

Even though the team has added Girard, brought over Andrei Mironov and drafted Cale Makar, there is still a shortage of NHL-caliber defenders in their system. Nikita Zadorov fulfilling some of his potential would help, but the team will likely still be after other intriguing young defensemen on the trade market.

With some interesting trade chips to use this season—there is no telling whether Gabriel Landeskog and Tyson Barrie are still on the market, but they weren’t part of Sakic’s “untouchable” group last year—the Avalanche could once again infuse some immediate talent into the back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Senators Claim Gabriel Dumont Off Waivers

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The Ottawa Senators have made the best kind of in-season roster addition, the kind that doesn’t cost them anything. After trading away substantial resources for Matt Duchene, it would have been easy to assume that the Sens would stand pat for the remainder of the season. However, that is not the case, as Ottawa has announced that they have claimed forward Gabriel Dumont off of waivers.

Dumont, 27, has been a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past year plus, after leaving the Montreal Canadiens to sign with Tampa in 2016. While it may not look like much, Dumont’s 39 games, two goals, and four points last season were all career highs, as the undersized forward carved out a role for himself as an energy liner and reliable AHL depth. Before coming to Tampa, Dumont was a high-scoring AHLer for the Canadiens, but has settled into a more gritty, two-way role that better serves his NHL pursuits. In seven games so far in 2017-18, Dumont has been held scoreless, but is averaging over ten minutes of ice time per night for the first time in his NHL career.

Yet, Dumont has cleared waivers multiple times since signing with the Bolts. Why now have the Senators claimed him? It may have less to do with Dumont’s talent and more to do with Ottawa’s lack of talent. Dealing with many different injuries this season, at times the Senators lineup has featured a majority of players best suited for their minor league affiliate in Belleville. Rather than continue to depend on the likes of Nick Paul, Chris DiDomenico, Jack Rodewald, Max McCormick and even defenseman Ben Harpur at forward, Dumont brings some experience and fourth-line reliability that the Senators could really use.

Minor Transactions: 11/22/17

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With everyone but St. Louis in action tonight before the day off tomorrow, it could be a busy day for promotions and demotions across the NHL. Keep up with all the action right here:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled blue liner Jakub Jerabek from the AHL, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Jerabek is in his first season in North America after signing with the Habs this summer. However, the Czech native has yet to make his NHL debut, as Montreal has plenty of veteran albeit under-performing defensive depth. However, with the Laval Rocket, Jerabek has 11 points in 17 games and is a +10; impressive totals worthy of a recall. Jerabek also had the option of returning to Europe if he had not been recalled by mid-December, so there is strategy to the Canadiens’ move as well.
  • Another young import, Finnish forward Henrik Haapala, could also make his NHL debut tonight. Per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the Florida Panthers have called up the small scoring winger. Haapala is in his first season in North America after scoring 60 points in 51 games in the Finnish Liiga last year. Thus far in 2017-18, Haapala has seven points in 11 games for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The Panthers have been liberal with number of call-ups and variety of players called up so far this season, as Haapala is just the latest to join the list.
  • Philadelphia is bringing in reinforcements. The team announced the return of young defenseman Samuel Morin and the first recall for forward Danick Martel. Morin is a name most fans recognize as a former first-round pick of the Flyers, however it is Martel who may be more intriguing. In his fourth pro season, Martel has exploded this year, leading the AHL with 14 goals. Martel scored just 20 goals last season and already has half as many points in 17 games as he did all of last year in 68 games. The Flyers surely hope that his hot hand continues at the next level.
  • In a corresponding move, Philly also sent defenseman Mark Alt and veteran forward Matt Read to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It was only a matter of time (and health) before Morin replaced Alt on the NHL roster, but the demotion of Read is certainly a big deal. The long-time Flyer cleared waivers last week and will now head to the minors, his 400+ games of NHL experience not enough to keep him around.
  • Colorado has recalled goalie Andrew Hammond and the former Senators keeper could make his Avalanche debut sooner than expected. Hammond was acquired as more or less a salary dump by Ottawa in the recent Matt Duchene–Kyle Turris blockbuster. With Semyon Varlamov and Jonathan Bernier in the net, no one thought Hammond would be anything more than a depth asset for the Avs. However, with Varlamov too sick to even suit up, “The Hamburglar” will get his chance. After a remarkable run for the Sens in 2015-16, Hammond struggled greatly in both the NHL and AHL last season and could use a fresh start.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have made a flurry of moves already today, first terminating the contract of Ziyat Paigin, who predictably cleared unconditional waivers yesterday. Paigin came over from the KHL last season, but it was never a good fit between the two sides. Paigin failed to record a point in the only 12 AHL games he played. With no chance of a bump up to the NHL, Paigin wished to return to Russia and the Oilers were more than willing to oblige him. Edmonton then recalled defenseman Ryan Stanton from the Bakersfield Condors. A free agent acquisition this off-season, the journeyman rearguard could help out the struggling Oilers with his sound defensive game. In a corresponding move, veteran forward Brad Malone was reassigned to the AHL.
  • Julius Honka is headed back to the minors, as the talented, young blue liner was demoted by the Dallas Stars today in exchange for forward Curtis McKenzie, per a team announcement.  The Stars have been underwhelming in 2017-18, but their biggest issues continues to be goal prevention. As promising an offensive defenseman as Honka may be, he’s not what Dallas needs right now. Perhaps two-way forward McKenzie, who is also scoring at a point-per-game pace in the AHL, can help the cause.

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