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Kyle Capobianco Recalled By Arizona Coyotes

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After waiving defenseman Joel Hanley earlier today, it seems that another rookie is poised to make his debut in Arizona. The Coyotes have recalled 20-year old Kyle Capobianco for the first time in his professional career, and could insert him in the lineup should Niklas Hjalmarsson not be ready to return on Thursday. The team is in the midst of a four-game road trip, and will take on the Boston Bruins later this week.

Capobianco leads all defenseman in Tucson with 14 points this season and is another very intriguing prospect for the Coyotes. Drafted in the third round in 2015, he has continued to show off his high-end skating ability and developed into a formidable two-way presence. Though he’s not imposing physically, he does have the height and reach needed to succeed in the defensive end, and can move the puck out of trouble quickly with his feet. Whether that immediately translates to the NHL is still to be seen.

After a summer of moves to accelerate the Coyotes rebuild process—acquiring veterans like Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan, Jason Demers and Antti Raanta—the team looked lost at the beginning of the season, unable to win in regulation. With a strong recent stretch they’ve turned that around and are trying to climb back into the race in the Pacific Division. To do that, they’ll have to really rely on their young players and Capobianco could be one of them. We’ll have to watch and see if he gets into the lineup, or if this is just a taste of NHL life.

Chychrun To Make Debut Tonight

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The NHL Department of Player Safety handed down a $5,000 fine to San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton Saturday for his slash Saturday night on Tampa Bay Lightning’s Tyler Johnson. The $5,000 is the maximum allowable fine allowed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The incident occurred late in the second period of the game and he received a two-minute for high-sticking. Thornton, who has been playing through multiple minor injuries has struggled to get his offense goinas picked up the pace the last few games. He currently has four goals and 12 assists in 25 games. The money is designated to go to the players’ emergency assistance fund.

  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have activated Jakob Chychrun off of injured reserve and he is expected to play tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. Chychrun, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, played a full season for the Coyotes as an 18 year old last year and held his own. He picked up three goals and 17 assists in 68 games. He underwent knee surgery in early August and has made a quick recovery. He was assigned last week to the Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning loan, but didn’t play in any games for them. In a corresponding move, the team sent defenseman Andrew Campbell back to Tucson. He had been recalled as an emergency defenseman on Wednesday, but didn’t appear in a game.
  •  Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp tweeted that Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said that starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who has been out since Oct. 13 with concussion symptoms, has passed his tests and has been cleared to return to practice on Wednesday assuming the veteran goalie has no setbacks. Fleury, the face of the franchise, has only appeared in four games for the Golden Knights and has a 2.48 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Vegas has struggled with injuries in goal, although backup Malcolm Subban returned last week and has assumed the starting job. McPhee said he was not sure when Fleury would be ready to return to a game, however.
  • Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider writes that Torrey Mitchell, acquired in a trade on Nov. 23, could make his Kings’ debut tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to coach John Stevens. “As long as there’s no issues during the day, I think he’s a good consideration to come in,” Stevens said. “He’s been off the ice for a few days, so skated him yesterday, skated him today, and he said he felt pretty good, so he’s an option to go in, for sure.” Mitchell had some trouble acquiring his work visa after being traded from Montreal to Los Angeles, but is now cleared to play. The 32-year-old didn’t have a point with the Canadiens in 11 games this year, but is expected to help center one of the team’s bottom two lines.

 

Evening Notes: Division Realignment, Roussel, Engelland, Chychrun

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With the Toronto Maple Leafs making stops in Calgary on Tuesday and Edmonton on Thursday, the rivalry between those Canadian Eastern and Western Conference matchups are off the charts. The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) wonders if it wouldn’t be a smart idea to change the conferences, especially down the road when the Quebec Nordiques return to the NHL.

The scribe’s suggestion is create an all-Canadian conference to replace the Central Division, moving all eight Canadian teams including the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Quebec City in the same division. Non-Canadian Central Division teams would be moved to either the Atlantic Division or the Pacific Division where the Canadian teams left holes.

There would be two key outcomes to this move, including increased revenue as rivalry matchups in 34 out of each team’s 82-game schedule will increase ratings and increase ticket sales. Currently, Canadian teams only play 16 games against in-country rivals. Playoffs would also promote multiple Canada-vs.-Canada rivalries and also would increase TV ratings.

Mirtle mentions some downsides to realigning the divison, which would include increased travel times for other teams such as the Minnesota Wild if they were moved to the Pacific Divison, but still feels the NHL should seriously look into that over the next few years.

  • The Dallas Stars will be without wing Antoine Roussel, who is expected to miss tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with the flu, according to coach Ken Hitchock. The coach added that Roussel is day-to-day regarding Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Roussel has three goals and eight points in 25 games for Dallas.
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen writes that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland remains day-to-day after suffering an injury to his hand in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. The 35-year-old blueliner missed last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. He has two goals and nine points in 24 games this season and has been a key piece to the expansion team’s successful run so far this year.
  • Craig Morgan of NHL.com tweets that Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said that defenseman Jakob Chychrun might play Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 2016 first-round pick hasn’t played this year and is currently on a conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. He had knee surgery in August and would make a big addition the Coyotes defensive core. He played 68 games for Arizona last year as an 18-year-old.

Jakob Chychrun Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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Arizona Coyotes fans get ready, Jakob Chychrun is almost back. After getting back on the ice recently, the team has sent the young defenseman to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL on a conditioning stint to acclimate to game action. Chychrun has been working his way back from knee surgery in early August, and has made incredible progress so far.

Jakob ChychrunChychrun of course jumped right from junior hockey to the NHL last season for the Coyotes, playing in 68 games and recording 20 points. The fact that an 18-year old defenseman even held his own in the NHL was impressive enough, but Chychrun did more than just get by. The son of former NHL tough guy Jeff Chychrun, Jakob showed he had a little more offensive upside than dad, trailing only Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski in points among Coyotes defenders.

An interesting case heading into his draft year, Chychrun had once been considered a potential top-3 pick with his blend of size, skill and mobility. He dropped significantly down boards though as some believed his game regressed in 2015-16, or that a lack of dedication and work ethic was shown. It may have simply been a case of Chychrun not being challenged at the junior level, as he seemed to get his drive back to make the Coyotes out of camp.

There are still some who question his decision making and offensive ceiling, but the Coyotes will certainly be happy to get him back and plug him into an overhauled defensive unit. With Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers added, the team was supposed to be a more dangerous group on the back end but have still struggled immensely to keep the puck out of their net. With 95 goals allowed (the most in the NHL), any added depth will be a tremendous help.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dylan Strome Recalled, Mario Kempe Assigned To Tucson

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Veteran winger Jarome Iginla is set to begin skating within the next week or two after undergoing a procedure on his hip last month, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (video link).  He has recently spoken with Team Canada officials regarding the upcoming Olympics and it’s believed that they are willing to extend an invitation to the unrestricted free agent to play in next month’s Spengler Cup.  If he can get back into playing shape and do well in international play, the 40-year-old could draw some late-season NHL interest, especially after a strong finish to last season with the Kings where he scored six goals in 19 games.

More news and notes from around the hockey world:

  • Dylan Strome is back with the Coyotes. The team announced that they have recalled him from Tuscon of the AHL while sending center Mario Kempe down.  Strome made Arizona’s roster out of training camp but didn’t see much ice time early on which resulted in his demotion.  However, he was extremely productive at the minor league level, collecting 26 points (8-18-26) in just 15 games.  It will certainly be interesting to see how the Coyotes use him; will they ease him in or try to capitalize on his hot streak or work him into the lineup in a bottom six role?  The latter is where Kempe was in Arizona’s lineup where he picked up two goals and two assists in 18 games.
  • The Flyers are expected to get back defenseman Andrew MacDonald back in their lineup for Monday’s game in Pittsburgh, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He’s expected to be thrown right into the fire by skating on the top pairing alongside Ivan Provorov.  MacDonald has been out for more than a month with a leg injury and ranks fourth on the team in ice time by a defenseman at 19:38 per game.

Minor Transactions: 11/23/17

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Even though there aren’t any games today in the National Hockey League, the movement up and down from the minor leagues never stops. We’ll keep track of all the day’s transactions right here.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Ryan Stanton to the AHL, after just a single day with the club. Stanton was up with the team but didn’t dress for last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, as he waits to make his Edmonton debut. The veteran of 120 NHL games cleared waivers at the beginning of the month, so can be sent up and down for the time being without needing them again.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up goaltender Marek Langhamer on an emergency basis, after starter Antti Raanta was forced from last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Langhamer has one NHL appearance under his belt, but has played well in limited action for AHL Tucson this year. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start in Raanta’s absence.
  • Another day, another transaction for Julius Honka, who has been recalled once again by the Dallas Stars. The promising young defenseman was sent down just yesterday by the team when they needed some help up front in case of injury. Curtis McKenzie and Mike McKenna have both been sent to the AHL in a corresponding move.
  • Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, potentially giving the 21-year old another shot at the NHL. Blais made his debut for the club earlier in the season, recording his first NHL point just over a month ago. The sixth-round pick has flourished offensively since the Blues drafted him in 2014, and has 13 points in 11 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season in the AHL.

Trade Rumors: Coyotes, Canadiens, Jets, Islanders

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In all likelihood, the recent three-way trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators will be the biggest deal made this season. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the whispers of an bustling trade market, especially this early in the season. At the quarter pole of the 2017-18 campaign, it’s been an unpredictable season, prompting an unexpectedly active market. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch has had his ear to the ground and has plenty of input on who the buyers and sellers are right now:

  • To no one’s surprise, Garrioch states that the floundering Arizona Coyotes are “willing to talk about pretty much every player on their roster”. That of course doesn’t include Calder-hopeful Clayton Keller or many of their other 21-and-under starters, but the rest of the roster may as well be up for grabs. The big off-season acquisitions of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Jason Demers have done nothing to change this team’s ability to win hockey games. At some point, GM John Chayka is going to go from “up-and-coming” to “up-and-went” and that pressure could force him to make some major moves as he rethinks his rebuild. While impending UFA’s like Raanta, Brad Richardson, and Luke Schenn would be the easiest pieces to move, the stakes are high for a Coyotes team whose core has done next to nothing for years and key pieces like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Tobias Rieder could soon be on their way out.
  • Perhaps the only team more disappointing than Arizona in 2017-18 is the farthest team from them across North America: the Montreal Canadiens. Under new head coach Claude Julien, the Habs have fallen apart. However, the newly-signed coach isn’t going anywhere, putting GM Marc Bergevin, who Garrioch calls ” the NHL’s most active GM”, on the hot seat. Bergevin may be willing to make a big move to save his job, and of course the first name that comes to mind is young forward Alex Galchenyuk, who has predictably struggled under the defense-first Julien. Galchenyuk seems lost in Montreal, without an identifiable position, role, or spot in the lineup, and could use a change of scenery. However, he is not wholly to blame for the Canadiens’ struggles. Tomas Plekanec has long been on the block and if the team truly commits to a rebuild, big names like Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber, and (if anyone is willing to take on his monstrous new contract) even Carey Price could soon join the list.
  • Garrioch mentions both the Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders as possible sellers, but given the surprising success of both clubs thus far, neither is likely rushing to trade pieces away unless they can make their teams better this season. Impending Jets UFA’s Shawn Matthias and Matt Hendricks may draw interest, but if Winnipeg is in playoff position come deadline time, they would want veteran depth for themselves. It seems more likely that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could use his overflow of young forwards like Marko Dano, Joel Armia, Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, or Brandon Tanev as trade bait to bring in another top-six forward for a team that doesn’t shoot the puck nearly enough. As for the Islanders, Garrioch singles out first-time UFA Calvin de Haan as the player to watch. Yet, de Haan is one of, if not the best shot-blocker in the NHL, can play major minutes, and is reliable in both ends. If the Isles can resign him, wouldn’t they? Obviously, John Tavares is the main focus and the team thinks highly of younger options like Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, but the loss of a player like de Haan, especially with Travis Hamonic now in Calgary, could cripple a playoff-bound Islanders squad. Odds are de Haan sticks around, at least as long as New York remains playoff-bound.
  • So who’s looking? Garrioch mentions the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins as suitors for forward help, with the Dallas Stars potentially looking to make another big blue line trade to turn their season around. With that many buyers and several disappointed sellers, the trade NHL trade market may not wait until 2018 to heat up.

Morning Notes: McDonagh, Ekman-Larsson, Kane

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The New York Rangers haven’t encountered this type of season often before, if ever. The team seems to be a bubble team with no true chance of making a deep playoff run or even winning a Stanley Cup. Yet, the team also finds itself with a handful of expiring contracts who could be utilized as key trade chips to refuel their retooling process.

New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes the Rangers need to think about dealing players like Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and Nick Holden and get what they can for them. The scribe believes that general manager Jeff Gorton will have one of the biggest challenges in front of him in a long time as he will have to make a decision on which direction the team should go. Could Nash bring back a first-rounder in next year’s draft and if they can, would it be worth his value anyway? What can they get for Grabner? Should the team go full in and start shopping captain Ryan McDonagh now?

The latter claim, Brooks writes, might make the most sense. The Rangers should be able to bring in a huge haul for McDonagh, who is still in his prime, is locked up until 2019 and is one of the top defensemen in the league. As there are quite a few playoff teams in need of defense, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers could truly change the way the franchise is heading at the trade deadline.

New York wouldn’t be better off without McDonagh, but with long-term deals already having been handed out to Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith and the young talent the team has on defense in Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo, the team should be able to survive without him if they can get a talented scorer in his place.

  • Hidden among yesterday’s stories was TSN’s Bob McKenzie refuting rumors that the Arizona Coyotes are thinking about dealing defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Toronto Maple Leafs for William Nylander. McKenzie writes that as of Sunday, there had not been one conversation between the two teams about Ekman-Larsson. He also points out that since most teams do not view Nylander as a center, he wouldn’t bring enough of a return for Ekman-Larsson as just a sniper. However, from what McKenzie can see, the Coyotes are not willing to discuss moving Ekman-Larsson as of now. The Atheltic’s Sean Tierney tweeted today that with general manager John Chayka in charge, it’s hard to see the team trading Ekman-Larsson at all.
  • John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes that frustration is hitting in Buffalo as the 5-12-1 Sabres continue to struggle, yet one player is thriving in Evander Kane. Dating back to last year, the 26-year-old wing has scored 40 goals in his last 79 games. He also has 11 points in the last 11 games. Kane added his 12th goal of the season Monday in the team’s 3-2 loss to Columbus. The secret to his success? Shooting the puck. He leads the team with 96 shots on goal this year.

Minor Transactions: 11/20/17

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With just six games on a Monday and a couple of suspensions last night, many teams may look to make minor changes to their roster for the coming week. Keep up with those moves right here:

  • The Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled defenseman Philip Holm from the Utica Comets and reassigned Patrick Wiercioch in a corresponding move. Holm will be recalled for first time as the undrafted free agent signed a one-year deal with Vancouver this summer. At 25 years of age and coming over from Sweden, he needed time to adjust to the North American hockey, but appears to be ready. He has played 15 games for Utica, leading all Comet defensemen in scoring as he has put up two goals and eight assists on the year. Wiercioch, who had been shuttled up and down for most of the season has been up with the team since Oct. 23, but has been serving as an emergency defenseman and hasn’t seen any action yet this year. He has only played two games for the Comets this season.
  • The Nashville Predators announced they have recalled forward Pontus Aberg and goaltender Juuse Saros as well as Frederick Gaudreau from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The team also reassigned Anders Lindback to Milwaukee. Aberg had been serving in Milwaukee on a conditioning stint since Nov. 11. The 24-year-old had cracked the team’s lineup last year  after putting up a 30-goal season in Milwaukee. He then proceeded to play in 16 playoff games for Nashville, but had trouble finding playing time this year as he had only played in nine games to start the year and was often a healthy scratch. In four games for the Admirals, he had four goals and two assists. Saros, the team’s backup behind starter Pekka Rinne, has struggled in his time with the Predators. In four games, he has posted a 3.94 GAA and a .855 save percentage. He was sent down to start for Milwaukee to get in some playing time. Although he took the loss in Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Monsters, he only allowed two goals in the game, stopping 20 shots. Lindback returns to Milwaukee after serving as an emergency backup for the team on Saturday.
  • Arizona Sports reported that the Arizona Coyotes have assigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to the AHL Tucson Roadrunners. The 23-year-old blueliner has played seven games for Arizona with the team’s rash of defensive injuries from Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun. Hjalmarsson is expected to return to the lineup tonight.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled goaltender Mike McKenna from the AHL Texas Stars Monday as backup Kari Lehtonen is unavailable due to personal reasons, according to the team. The 34-year-old McKenna has been a journeyman in the AHL and last got into an NHL game with the Arizona Coyotes back in the 2014-15 season and has played in 22 NHL games in his career. In 12 games with Texas, he has a 3.51 GAA. The Stars also announced they have recalled defenseman Julius Honka from Texas. The 2014 first-round pick has been unable to carve out a full-time role with Dallas as he struggled to earn playing time at the start of the year. He was sent down on Oct. 31 after playing six games, putting up no points. He played eight games with the Texas Stars, but also failed to produce a point.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/17

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There are only five games on tap today, but teams may use their time to make some roster adjustments in preparation of a new week of play. Keep up with everything right here:

  • Winnipeg Jets insider Jamie Thomas tweets that the Jets will recall defenseman Tucker Poolman to replace defenseman Toby Enstrom, who will reportedly miss eight weeks due to a lower-body injury. Poolman has been up with the team before and has played three games for Winnipeg. He had played seven games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, picking up an assist. The 24-year-old blueliner signed with the club earlier this year after playing three years with the University of North Dakota.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have sent Wade Megan to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Megan was recalled Friday by the Blues for Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, but was a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old center has played in just one game for the Blues, but has played 10 games with the Wolves and has three assists in that span.
  • According to Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens, Anaheim has returned rookie Kalle Kossila to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. After making his NHL debut with one game in 2016-17, the French-Finnish forward has already skated in seven games for the Ducks this season and has performed well. A four-year product of St. Cloud State, Kossila was a major scoring threat for the Gulls last year and has shown flashes for the Ducks, with a goal and an assist already. Undersized, but strong on the puck, Kossila is likely to get another shot at the NHL soon enough.
  • The Florida Panthers have announced that Curtis Valk is headed back to the AHL, as they have loaned him to their affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Valk made his NHL debut on Tuesday, albeit he played only 3:25 and contributed only three face-off losses, but in doing so reached a level that likely seemed impossible at a time. Despite a solid junior career in the WHL, Valk spent almost all of his first two pro seasons in the ECHL, a rare way for a future NHLer to start out. It was only after a breakout AHL campaign with the Utica Comets last season that he drew any big league attention, signing a one-year deal with Florida on July 1st. Valk is small, but has a scoring touch that should keep him in the AHL for a while and could afford him some more looks at the highest level.
  • Arizona Coyotes promising defender Dakota Mermis is on his way back to the AHL, the team announced. Mermis has played in seven games for the ’Yotes thus far, but can get some more work in with the Tuscon Roadrunners, especially with the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun soon returning from injury. However, Mermis has looked good in his limited exposure and will continue to be the next man up on the Arizona blue line.
  • Following the first two games of his NHL career, Andrew Crescenzi has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, their parent club, the L.A. Kings, announced. The 6’5″ forward debuted on Tuesday vs. the Vancouver Canucks and skated again on Thursday against the Boston Bruins, but failed to make much of an impact in limited ice time. He’ll head back to the minors for some more seasoning.

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