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Minor Transactions: 01/11/19

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Just four games are on the schedule for this evening, but one will feature the return of a former franchise player. Jeff Skinner returns to Carolina for the first time as a Buffalo Sabres forward and has his team on track for the playoffs. The Sabres sit just two points behind the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division and could tie them with their game in hand tonight. Skinner’s 29 goals are a huge part of Buffalo’s success, and have him on pact for a new career high.

  • Kasimir Kaskisuo has been returned to the minor leagues by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but won’t be there for long. Frederik Andersen is not expected to play until Monday according to Lance Hornby of Postmedia, meaning Michael Hutchinson will likely get another start in net tomorrow night.
  • With MacKenzie Blackwood on injured reserve and potentially staying in the NHL long-term, the Binghamton Devils have signed Evan Cormier to an AHL contract for the rest of the season. Cormier had been playing on an amateur tryout previously, but has a .938 save percentage in four games.
  • Speaking of the Devils, the New Jersey variety have sent Egor Yakovlev back down to Binghamton today. Yakovlev is expected to suit up for the minor league game tonight, his ninth game with Binghamton this season.
  • The Ottawa Senators have placed Colin White on injured reserve, recalling Stefan Elliott in his place. White suffered an upper-body injury against the Los Angeles Kings last night when he was crushed by defenseman Jake Muzzin.
  • Troy Grosenick is heading back to the AHL after filling in for Juuse Saros on the bench last night. The minor league goaltender was called up under emergency conditions when Saros was sick, but won’t get into an NHL game just yet.
  • The San Jose Sharks have returned both forward Rourke Chartier and defenseman Jacob Middleton to the AHL Barracuda, the team announced. Considering the Sharks and Barracuda share a building, every recall and reassignment in San Jose is a paper transaction. The duo are expected to play for the Barracuda tonight, but could very well be called up tomorrow when the Sharks host the Ottawa Senators. With both Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun still sidelined, there’s a a good chance that at least Middleton’s return is only temporary.
  • In search of more offense, the Buffalo Sabres recalled top AHL forward C.J. Smith last month. After recording, one point in four games, he’s headed back down. The team announced that Smith has been reassigned to the Rochester Americans. No corresponding move has been made as of yet.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have shuffled their lineup, sending emergency backup J-F Berube and winger Eric Robinson back to the AHL and promoting center Kevin Stenlund, per a team release. The 6’4″ pivot has yet to make his NHL debut, but has performed well in his second season in North America and has the makings of a strong bottom-six center. A second-round pick by Columbus back in 2015, Stenlund’s arrival to the Blue Jackets roster has been long-awaited.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/18

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Saturday is an extremely busy day on the NHL calendar as there are the maximum 15 games on the slate with only Columbus getting the day off.  With that in mind, there is bound to be a lot of roster movement.  We’ll keep tabs of those moves here.

  • With winger Alex Chiasson headed for injured reserve, the Oilers announced the recall of winger Kailer Yamamoto from AHL Bakersfield. The 20-year-old has had some success in his first stint in the minors, collecting four goals and four assists in 11 games since being sent down last month.  Meanwhile, the loss of Chiasson certainly stings as his 16 goals place him third on the team in that department behind only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
  • The Stars have brought back winger Roope Hintz per a team release. The rookie has split the season between Dallas and Texas of the AHL and has had a fair bit of success offensively in the minors, posting 19 points in 17 games.  He has held his own in the NHL as well, logging 11:41 per night in 14 contests while picking up a pair of goals and an assist.
  • The Sabres announced the recall of goaltender Scott Wedgewood from AHL Rochester. He’s taking the place of goalie Linus Ullmark who missed practice on Friday due to illness.  Wedgewood does have some NHL experience under his belt after playing 20 games with Arizona last year and four with New Jersey before that but Buffalo will likely call on Carter Hutton to play in Ullmark’s absence.
  • Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen is day-to-day with a groin injury. Accordingly, Toronto announced the recall of goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo on an emergency basis from the AHLs Marlies.  The 25-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 4.12 GAA with a .866 SV% in 11 games thus far.
  • Two weeks ago, the Lightning weren’t planning to send defenseman Slater Koekkoek on a conditioning stint. They’ve had a change of heart as he has now been loaned to AHL Syracuse.  The 24-year-old last played on November 19th and has been a healthy scratch since then.  Koekkoek’s conditioning stint can last for up to two weeks.
  • Following the injury to Thomas Chabot on Friday, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defensemen Stefan Elliott and Christian Wolanin from AHL Belleville.  Ottawa had two vacant roster spots so no corresponding move needs to be made.  Elliott was acquired from Pittsburgh earlier this month and has already played in two games with the Sens but has spent most of the year at the minor league level.  Meanwhile, Wolanin has been quite productive in the minors with 18 points in 26 games while getting into one game with Ottawa back in late October. The Senators have also recalled forward Jack Rodewald, although it is unclear if he will play tonight. Rodewald has been a frequent call-up this season, but to this point has played in just one game for Ottawa.
  • The Islanders announced (via Twitter) that winger Michael Dal Colle has been recalled from Bridgeport of the AHL.  He takes the place of winger Jordan Eberle who was placed on IR retroactive to December 23rd.  The 22-year-old didn’t fare too well in his first NHL stint but he has been quite productive with the Sound Tigers, averaging a point per game over 28 appearances.
  • Dillon Dube is on his way back up to Calgary, as the Flames have recalled the impressive first-year pro from the AHL’s Stockton Heat. Dube began the season with the Flames, recording five points in 20 games, but since a late-November reassignment to the Heat, Dube has been a point-per-game player in the minors. Dube is expected to slot into the starting lineup right away tonight, taking the place of Michael Frolik.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled free agent addition Matt Bartkowski for the first time this season, as the veteran defenseman will finally get back to the highest level. Bartkowski has made double-digit NHL appearances in each of the past six seasons, including an 80-game effort with the Vancouver Canucks in 2015-16. However, Bartkowski was very much a part-time player for the Calgary Flames the past two years and has even struggled to make much of a difference for the AHL’s Iowa Wild this season. However, with Nick Seeler presently sidelined, Minnesota opted to go with the experienced 30-year-old rather than one of their younger defensive options.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have assigned forward Michael Bunting to the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, according to AZ Sports’ Matt Layman. Bunting was recalled on Thursday and played against Los Angeles, playing 9:36 on the ice, registering only one hit. He will return to Tucscon where he has six goals and 18 points in 20 games there. Bunting was expendable with the return of Vinnie Hinostroza.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have assigned forward Adam Gaudette to the Utica Comets of the AHL, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal. Gaudette was recalled on Oct. 15 due to injuries and managed to stay with the team even when those players returned in a bottom-line role. The 2018 Hobey Baker award winner was averaging just 10:09 of ATOI this season and had just two goals and six points. A return to the AHL where he can get more significant ice time would be better for the young forward in his development.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have swapped out defenseman, recalling defenseman Andy Welinski from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, while assigning Andrej Sustr there at the same time. Welinski last played for the Ducks in November where he played 11 games for Anaheim, posting one assist, while averaging 15:09 of ATOI. Sustr has only appeared in five games for the Ducks this season. CapFriendly adds that the Ducks also returned goaltender Kevin Boyle to San Diego. He was recalled Friday to fill in as an emergency backup while John Gibson and Ryan Miller dealt with injuries. His demotion suggests that one of them is ready to return to the active roster.

Injury Notes: Senators, Miller, Marchand, Eberle

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The blue line of the Ottawa Senators is going to have a different look for the next few weeks. Speaking with the media today, head coach Guy Boucher confirmed that both Thomas Chabot and Christian Jaros are out long-term with injuries suffered in the team’s match-up with the New York Islanders on Friday night. Jaros, who fought the Isles’ Ross Johnston in the games, suffered a broken finger and will be out up to a month. Chabot, who took a big hit from Matt Martin, left the game and did not return. His ailment is being deemed an upper-body injury and is expected to keep him out three weeks. Chabot had played in all 38 of the Senators’ games to this point and is second on the team in scoring with an equal 38 points. He also leads the team in average time on ice by a substantial margin. Chabot’s absence will be crippling to an already-struggling Senators team. Jaros has also played a surprisingly large role for Ottawa, skating in 28 games and providing consistency in his own end. The corresponding call-ups of Christian Wolanin and Stefan Elliott will be hard-pressed to replace Chabot and Jaros by any means, making the outlook for the next month a bleak one for Ottawa. More short-term, Boucher also mentioned that Magnus Paajarvi is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and Marcus Hogberg will make his NHL debut in net tonight with Craig Anderson still sidelined with a concussion.

  • Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois held a press conference today to discuss many aspects of the team and it was overwhelmingly positive, as one would expect from the team with an impressive lead over all their competitors in the league. However, one negative note was BriseBois’ update on forward J.T. Miller. The GM stated that Miller is out “week-to-week” with an upper-body injury and will be placed on injured reserve. He is not expected to be re-evaluated for at least another week. Miller is tied for fifth on the Lightning in scoring and also provides a physical presence to the team’s top-six, which will be sorely missed. Fortunately for Tampa, they have more than enough scoring to go around to make up for Miller’s absence from the score sheet.
  • The Boston Bruins may have gotten Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller, and Jake DeBrusk back from injury for their last game, but they lost Charlie McAvoy (IR – lower body) and David Backes (suspension). Add another name to that list, as head coach Bruce Cassidy announced that Brad Marchand will also be absent from the line-up tonight when the Bruins take on the Buffalo Sabres. While the team did not disclose the nature of the injury, it is reportedly an upper-body issue. For at least one game, the Bruins will have to make do without the dynamic winger and his team-leading 29 assists. Luckily, Cassidy left open the possibility that both Marchand and McAvoy could return to the team in time for the Winter Classic, which would be as close to full health as Boston has had all season long.
  • As the New York Islanders get set to visit John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, they will do so without star forward Jordan Eberle. Eberle missed the team’s last game with an undisclosed injury, but the Isles have now officially placed him on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. A difficult campaign continues for Eberle, who has struggled to score – 17 points in 35 games – and now finds himself sidelined for an indefinite amount of time. The Isles hope that recall Michael Dal Colle can help to offset Eberle’s absence, given that his presence has not been overwhelming so far this year anyway.
  • Zemgus Girgensons is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, the Buffalo Sabres announced, and the team will have to find a replacement to anchor their fourth line. The exact nature of the injury is unclear, as is when it occurred, but the Sabres need to address the absence in short order with the Boston Bruins on the docket tonight. Girgensons leads all Buffalo forwards in hits and has been a dependable defensive forward all season long, posting some of the best possession numbers of his career.

Minor Transactions: 12/16/18

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Alex Ovechkin scored again for the Washington Capitals last night, his seventh goal in his last three games and likely a spot on the Three Stars list this week. The superstar forward now has 29 goals in 32 games this season and is setting new career highs of one sort or another nearly every night. Now 33, Ovechkin sits 15th all-time in NHL goals and could very well pass Dave Andreychuk in the next few games. While we wait to see his next trick, stick right here to follow all the minor moves around the league.

  • The New York Rangers recalled Boo Nieves last night in preparation of their afternoon tilt with the Vegas Golden Knights today. Nieves has seven points in 12 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, but has yet to make his NHL debut this season. The 24-year old has just 29 games under his belt at this level and is still looking for a real opportunity to show what made him a second-round pick in 2012.
  • After the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to Vegas Sunday, the Rangers made more moves as they announced they have recalled goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the Hartford Wolf Pack, while assigning Matt Beleskey and Dustin Tokarski to the AHL team. Georgiev has split time between the Rangers and Hartford, but the 22-year-old has struggled in both places so far this year. Beleskey has appeared in four games this month and has a goal, while Tokarski has yet to make an appearance for the Rangers this season.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer and Stefan Elliott to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. That likely suggests that Ottawa is close to getting back Mark Borowiecki and/or Dylan DeMelo back from injury. Burgdoerfer appeared in three games on this callup, while Elliott appeared in two games and had an assist.
  • After the team’s 3-0 victory over Arizona today, the Carolina Hurricanes have assigned three players to the AHL as the team announced that goaltender Scott Darling and forwards Clark Bishop and Janne Kuokkanen have been returned to the Charlotte Checkers. With Carolina not playing again until Thursday, the team may just be giving playing time to all three, although the team might also have the hope that Micheal Ferland, Jordan Staal and Curtis McElhinney might all be healthy enough to play then.
  • The Minnesota Wild have returned winger Luke Kunin to Iowa of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions Page.  He played in three games with Minnesota after being recalled earlier in the week, averaging just shy of 13 minutes per night of playing time.  However, with both Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker expected to return on Tuesday, there’s no longer a spot in the lineup for Kunin.  He’ll return to Iowa where he sits fifth in scoring with 15 points in 21 games.

Minor Transactions: 12/10/18

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It’s a quiet Monday in the NHL with only four games scheduled for this evening, though it does feature a big matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. After starting the season very poorly, the Penguins have been slowly turning things around and could leapfrog the Islanders with a win and take over third place in the Metropolitan Division (pending the outcome of the New York Rangers game, of course). That division looks like it will be a dog fight until the very end, with only 11 points separating first and last place at the moment. As teams prepare for this week, we’ll be here tracking all the minor moves.

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Stefan Elliott and Paul Carey from the minor leagues, while moving, according to CapFriendly, Dylan DeMelo to injured reserve. The team acquired Elliott earlier this month in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and will now give him an early chance at the NHL level. The 27-year old defenseman would be playing in his first game since the 2015-16 season should Ottawa insert him into the lineup.
  • Vegas Golden Knights forward Reid Duke has been returned to the minor leagues, after failing to get into a game with the NHL squad. The very first player under contract in franchise history, Duke is still waiting for an opportunity to show what he can do at the highest level. The 22-year old forward has 13 points in 22 games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, and will return to them to continue his development.
  • Despite still being under suspension, the Calgary Flames have recalled Ryan Lomberg from the minor leagues while sending Rinat Valiev and Anthony Peluso back down. Lomberg still needs to serve a one-game suspension for initiating a line change with the intent of instigating a fight, because he was in the minor leagues when the Flames took on the Edmonton Oilers on last night.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have sent Joshua Mahura and Andy Welinski to the minor leagues, while recalling Andrej Sustr and goaltender Jared Coreau. There hasn’t been an update on Ryan Miller’s recently sustained injury, but Coreau’s presence likely means the veteran netminder will miss at least some time. Coreau played seven games for the Ducks last season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Ben Sexton, Macoy Erkamps

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The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins have completed a trade, though it isn’t as major as some had hoped. The Penguins will be sending Stefan Elliott and Tobias Lindberg to the Senators in exchange for Ben Sexton and Macoy Erkamps.

The deal will bring Lindberg back to the team that drafted him back in 2013, after quite the tour of the NHL. Traded originally to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Dion Phaneuf deal, Lindberg has since spent time in the Vegas Golden Knights and Penguins organizations. Despite bouncing around, the 23-year old forward still has just six NHL games under his belt, all with Toronto. Armed with good size and some keen offensive instincts, he still hasn’t been able to put it all together in the minor leagues and had just six points in 15 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Elliott meanwhile has much more professional experience, and plenty of success in the minor leagues. The 27-year old defenseman is a legitimate goal-scoring threat every time he touches the ice, and scored 19 times for the Lake Erie Monsters just a few seasons ago. After testing his skills in the KHL and SHL over the last two years, he resurfaced for the baby Penguins this season and has eight points in 20 games.

In return, the Penguins are likely mainly interested in Sexton, who can give them some more depth in the middle. The seventh-round pick from 2009 has just two NHL games under his belt, but has been a dependable two-way player in the minor leagues for several years. Erkamps on the other hand has spent this season exclusively in the ECHL, where he has six points in 21 games.

A flip of two-way contracts, neither team will add or subtract any cap hits unless one of the players is recalled. For now, all four will report to their respective minor league clubs.

Revisiting The January Trade Market

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As front offices around the league call and text trying to find the right fit for their rosters, fans are waiting with bated breath wondering who could be pulling on their favorite sweater in the next few weeks. Will a superstar change hands and take over as the new face of a franchise? Will a veteran finally find his way to the Stanley Cup promised land? The deadline is now less than six weeks away.

We may not have to wait until the very end to answer these questions though, as January has been a busy month for trade action in the past. We’ve already had two moves this year, and several more could be finalized before the calendar turns over. For now, let’s take a look back at the last few years to see what kind of moves are made in the dawn of the new year.

2018:

January 4th: Edmonton acquires Al Montoya from Montreal in exchange for a 2018 conditional fourth-round pick.

January 10th: Chicago acquires Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening from Arizona for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin.

2017:

January 1st: Arizona acquires Mitchell Moroz from Edmonton in exchange for Henrik Samuelsson.

January 11th: Anaheim acquires Jhonas Enroth from Toronto for a 2018 seventh-round pick.

January 13th: Nashville acquires Cody McLeod from Colorado in exchange for Felix Girard.

January 19th: Nashville acquires Andrew O’Brien from Anaheim for Max Gortz.

January 21st: Los Angeles acquires Cameron Schilling from Chicago for Michael Latta.

January 24th: Ottawa acquires Tommy Wingels in exchange for Zack Stortini, Buddy Robinson and a 2017 seventh-round pick.

January 26th: Montreal acquires Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for Jonathan Racine and a 2017 sixth-round pick.

Obviously 2017 wasn’t filled with the most blockbuster trades in the month of January, but several teams did add small pieces for potential playoff runs. Nesterov didn’t really work out in Montreal, and Wingels couldn’t find his scoring touch in Ottawa.

2016:

January 3rd: Chicago acquires Richard Panik from Toronto in exchange for Jeremy Morin.

January 6th: Los Angeles acquires Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn from Philadelphia in exchange for Jordan Weal and a 2016 third-round pick.

January 6th: Nashville acquires Ryan Johansen from Columbus in exchange for Seth Jones.

January 7th: Montreal acquires Max Friberg from Anaheim in exchange for Dustin Tokarski.

January 8th: Vancouver acquires Emerson Etem from New York in exchange for Nicklas Jensen and a 2017 sixth-round pick.

January 14th: Ottawa acquires Conor Allen from Nashville in exchange for Patrick Mullen.

January 15th: Montreal acquires Victor Bartley and John Scott from Arizona in exchange for Jarred Tinordi and Stefan Fournier.

January 15th: Arizona acquires Victor Bartley from Nashville in exchange for Stefan Elliott.

January 16th: Anaheim acquires David Perron and Adam Clendening from Pittsburgh in exchange for Carl Hagelin.

January 21st: Anaheim acquires Ryan Garbutt from Chicago in exchange for Jiri Sekac.

2016 was a much more active January, with big names like Lecavalier, Johansen and Jones all dealt. While the Nashville-Columbus trade might have had the biggest impact long-term, Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Hagelin was a big part of their Stanley Cup run, as he scored 27 points down the stretch and added another 16 in the playoffs.

There is certainly value to be had in January trades, and it’s clear that teams like Nashville and Anaheim aren’t scared of making an early move. While those two might not be the most watched teams on the trade market this year, don’t rule them out of making tweaks once again.

Predators RFA Stefan Elliott Signs In The KHL

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Predators restricted free agent defenseman Stefan Elliott has signed a one year deal with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL, the Russian team announced (link in Russian).  Elliott joined Nashville midway through last season as part of a three way trade also involving Arizona and Montreal.

Between the Coyotes and Predators, Elliott played in 21 NHL games last season, picking up two goals and four assists while logging an average of 14:10 per game.  He also suited up in 35 AHL games for Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, where he added eight goals and 11 assists.

Prior to last year, Elliott had spent parts of four seasons in the NHL with Colorado, who drafted him in the second round (49th overall) back in 2009.  For his career, he has eight goals and 16 assists in 84 NHL contests.

Having issued Elliott a qualifying offer back in June, Nashville will retain Elliott’s NHL rights throughout the season.  He will once again be a restricted free agent next summer.

There are now just ten remaining restricted free agents, seven full-time NHL players plus a trio of minor league players.

Central Division: Remaining RFAs

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We are less than a month away from the start of the World Cup and training camps. However, there are still 15 restricted free agents remaining, and many of them are not who you would expect to be unsigned at this point. Two NHL teams’ leading scorers, four top-four defensemen, and several other high quality players are still looking for new deals.

Let’s continue our break down of the remaining RFAs by taking a look at the Central Division:

Dallas Stars – $7.98MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly – The Stars have yet to re-sign their first round pick from 2013, Valeri Nichushkin. As we reported yesterday, the Stars and Nichushkin are continuing to talk. A trip to the KHL was speculated earlier in the off-season after Nichushkin said he would “perhaps consider”  leaving the NHL because he felt head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t trust him to play big minutes. Nichushkin scored 34 points in his rookie year, 2013-14, but has only posted 30 points in the two seasons since, having missed all but eight games of his sophomore season.

Winnipeg Jets – $9.37MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly – The right-handed defenseman is one of the hottest commodities in the NHL these days, so the Winnipeg Jets have quite a nice problem on their hands. Jacob Trouba is a big, mobile, two-way defenseman who is right handed and should be making huge steps forward in the coming seasons. However, he’s blocked from playing big minutes by other big right-handed defensemen Dustin Byflugien and Tyler Myers. Trouba can play the left side, but performs better on his natural right side. According to Gary Lawless of TSN, Trouba feels he should be playing bigger minutes, and negotiations aren’t going well – the two sides are apart on “everything”. Despite all that, Lawless said a trade was unlikely; no team is likely to want to pay the asking price to acquire Trouba after a down season. Trouba will be playing for Team North America in the next month’s World Cup of Hockey, so like Johnny Gaudreau, expect both sides to try get this resolved before then.

Nashville Predators – $5.41MM in cap space, according to Cap Friendly – The Predators NHL roster appears to be set, but they still have one last minor league signing to go; Stefan Elliott is without a contract. The Predators acquired him from Arizona as part of a bizarre three-way trade that sent Pacific Division All Star Captain John Scott to Montreal. Elliott played 21 games in the big leagues last year, but figures to be a solid AHLer who can step in to the NHL if injuries arise.

Related: our reviews of remaining RFAs in the Pacific and Atlantic Divisions.

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