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College Hockey Round-Up: 01/28/20

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The NHL Trade Deadline doesn’t directly impact the college ranks, but there are usually one or two NCAA players whose rights are moved before the end of February. The Hockey News’ Steven Ellis recently wrote about the “under-the-radar” college players who enjoying breakout seasons, but at this time of year the article may as well be titled “Trade Bait”. The leading name, of course, is Hobey Baker hopeful Jack Dugan (VGK) of No. 9 Providence. Dugan leads the NCAA in points – total and per game – and assists, as he has all year, and looks like a steal as fifth-round pick. However, could the Vegas Golden Knights instead opt to sell high on the upstart prospect? The team desperately needs to improve on the blue line and dangling Dugan could help to land them a top-four defenseman.

A number of the others named by Ellis who could also be trade fodder over the next few weeks, including Dugan’s Providence teammate, defenseman Michael Callahan (ARI). The Arizona Coyotes are all in this season after trading for Taylor Hall and Callahan is an expendable piece given the team’s depth in young blue liners. If senior forward David Cotton (CAR) of No. 5 Boston College does not plan to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team could try to use him as piece to make a deal. The same goes for goalie Tyler Wall (NYR) of No. 14 UMass Lowell, as the New York Rangers have a logjam in goal and seem like a poor fit for one of the best keepers in college hockey. Could the Boston Bruins be convinced to part ways with Maine goalie Jeremy Swayman (BOS), another of the NCAA’s elite, if it helps them make a needed deadline deal? Finally, circling back to the Golden Knights, if Vegas deems Dugan to be untouchable, they have another rising star in Bowling Green forward Brandon Kruse (VGK) who they could offer up instead. The next few weeks could change the career path of these players and many more in the collegiate ranks, but they can at least take comfort in knowing that they’ll be closing out this season with their college team regardless.

Recent Results

It has been a tough couple of weeks for just about every team at the top of the national rankings. Over the past two weeks – four games for most teams – only two teams among the top 15 came away with more than two wins, No. 3 Minnesota State and No. 12 Arizona State, and even those teams suffered a loss to go with their three wins. No. 1 Cornell stays atop the charts despite a mediocre 2-0-2 stretch, while No. 2 North Dakota stays put as well, despite a tie to unranked Miami and a loss to No. 10 Minnesota Duluth. The defending champs were happy to get the win after being swept by unranked St. Cloud State the weekend prior. Rounding out the top five are still No. 4 Denver and No. 5 Boston College, despite both struggling through weekend series with unranked teams: two ties for Denver against Nebraska-Omaha and two losses for BC versus Maine.

Hockey East could not be much tighter right with Maine and UConn tied for eighth in the conference, but trailing top seed No. 7 UMass by just six points with a game in hand. Wedged in between are Boston College, No. 14 UMass Lowell (one win in last four games), No. 9 Providence College, Boston University, No. 13 Northeastern, and New Hampshire, who has been red-hot with wins over Northeastern, Providence, and UMass in recent weeks and is on the verge of cracking the national rankings. There’s no telling how Hockey East will shake out, but it’s making for a great conference tournament.

The same can’t be said for the Big Ten, which continues to disappoint this year. No. 8 Penn State and No. 11 Ohio State continue to be ranked among the best in the NCAA, but do they belong? Both teams won just one of their four games over the past two weeks, with each losing at least one game to an unranked opponent. As for their conference competition, preseason darlings Wisconsin and Notre Dame have disappeared from the national rankings and only No. 17 Michigan State is left. Compared not only to Hockey East, but the NCHC, ECAC, and even the WCHA, the Big Ten is looking weak in 2019-20.

Marc Michaelis Sidelined

The formula for No. 3 Minnesota State has been pretty straightforward for the past few year: dominate the WCHA, stay healthy, and try your luck as a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks are well on their way to such a result again this season, but have been dealt a blow in the health department. Senior forward Marc Michaelis suffered a leg injury back on January 17 after a collision with a Bowling Green opponent. Michaelis left the game and did not return and did not play the second game on Saturday, nor the team’s most recent weekend series versus No. 19 Bemidji State, which featured a rare loss. So far, there has been no time line given for his return to action. Even though Minnesota State is a defense-first team centered around goalie Dryden McKay and defenseman Connor Mackey, Michaelis’ absence is a major loss. Michaelis, 24, is the team’s captain and leading scorer and the German forward is an all-situations player for Mankato. If the team hopes to avoid another early exit from the NCAA tournament, they will need a healthy Michaelis.

Luke Reid Commits To UNH

Not only has the University of New Hampshire been making big moves in the standings of late, they have been doing so in the recruiting game as well. UNH landed a major commitment this past weekend in USHL defenseman Luke Reid. Reid, an Illinois native playing for the Chicago Steel, has nevertheless decided to take his talents to Durham, New Hampshire. The right-shot defenseman plays a balanced game and has been a nice piece on a strong Chicago team. However, he is much more than just a complimentary player. Reid is ranked No. 77 by Future Considerations in their 2020 NHL Draft rankings and is considered by many to be a mid-round pick. While UNH has housed many NHL prospects over the years, including current defensive ace Max Gildon (FLA), top recruits have been less frequent in recent years for the Wildcats and Reid will be a welcome addition to the program.

Trade Rumors: Ducks, Senators, DeMelo, Duclair

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When action resumes following the All-Star break, it is the unofficial start of NHL Trade Deadline season. In fact, with a relatively early deadline day of February 24th this year, things should pick up sooner rather than later. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch came prepared to handle the transition from All-Star exit to trade mania, reporting on a number of situations in his latest “Insider Trading” column. Garrioch begins with the further shift in the status quo of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim began the season hoping to return to being contenders with a talented mix of veterans and youngsters. However, it has not played out that way on the ice, as the Ducks hold the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Recently, a report came out that the team was willing to use their cap space to take on bad contracts if it meant that they could add prospects and picks in return. Garrioch now reports that the team is taking it one step further, perhaps in response to winning just three of their past 15 games. He hears from multiple league sources that the Ducks are preparing for a full rebuild and are at least willing to listen on just about every player. For a team with so few valuable impending free agents – Michael Del Zotto and Derek Grant lead the way – this shift in the status quo could make for a much bigger deadline in Anaheim. Ondrej Kase, who has previously been rumored to have fallen out of favor with the team, could be one possible casualty, as could defenseman Josh Manson, who has recently been linked to a few other teams. What about Rickard Rakell, one of the best value contracts in the league and a player that any contender would like to get their hands on? Or long-term players like Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique, and Jakob Silfverberg? Franchise faces Ryan Getzlaf and John Gibson and top defender Hampus Lindholm are likely off the table, but nearly anyone else in Anaheim over the age of 24 appears to be a candidate to move at the right price.

  • Garrioch mentions a number of available players, many of whom won’t comes as much of a surprise, including L.A.’s Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon, and the Rangers’ Chris Kreider (if the team can’t re-sign him). However, he states definitively that the New Jersey Devils’ impending UFA’s are also up for grabs. This means Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, and Wayne Simmonds, three players who many were unsure the Devils would part with, could very well be on new teams in a month’s time. As for teams in the mix, Garrioch claims that the Islanders and Jets are leading the search for defense, while the Bruins, Blues, Flames, and Coyotes are the most eager to add forwards.
  • The Ottawa Senators have ten impending UFA’s on the roster, but not all of them will survive the trade deadline. Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion plans to sit down with each one before the deadline and discuss the possibility of an extension before putting them on the block. At this point in their rebuild, the Senators cannot afford to let valuable players walk away as free agents, meaning the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ron Hainsey, Mark Borowiecki, and Dylan DeMelo and more need to have made a decision on their commitment to Ottawa soon or they could be sent packing.
  • On the DeMelo front in particular, Garrioch reports that the Florid Panthers are the leading suitor for the 26-year-old defenseman, should Ottawa opt to move him. He mentions that that the Carolina Hurricanes are another team with definite interest. Garrioch adds that Florida is also looking for a backup goalie, which could potentially put former Panther Craig Anderson on their radar.
  • As for one player who has made up his mind on his future with Ottawa, All-Star Anthony Duclair tells Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he hopes to re-sign long-term with the Senators. The 24-year-old has excelled since arriving in Ottawa late last season and wants to continue to play a central role for the team through their rebuild:

I just want to focus and really end the season on a positive note like I did last year, and really make a statement to the management and the coaching staff that I want to be a big part of this rebuild. I’m still a young guy. When the change is gonna happen, when Ottawa’s gonna become a contender, I want to be part of that. So I’m working as hard as I can.

Pacific Notes: Oilers Offseason, Green, Hughes, Gretzky

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The Edmonton Oilers are still trying to put together a impact top-six. The team seems to have formed a new No. 2 line between Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, but the team is still trying to find partners for their No. 1 line centered around Connor McDavid.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that throughout his career McDavid has always had a physical winger with him he wonders if that is even necessary any more. While the team is limited in its current options, this summer is likely to be a different story. The scribe writes that general manager Ken Holland will be looking to spend some money this offseason with names such as Taylor Hall and perhaps a more likely candidate could be Mike Hoffman, who might be the perfect linemate for McDavid if the two were paired together.

  • While Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that the team will wait until the summer to discuss a possible contract extension with head coach Travis Green, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal (subscription required) writes that the team needs to lock up Green, considering the work he has put in over the last few years and how the team currently sits in first place in the Pacific Division. Of course, with four teams just one point behind them, Green’s extension could be tied with the team making the playoffs (especially considering the team traded their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to get J.T. Miller this summer). However, the scribe points out that the team needs Green locked up, not dealing with a new coach next season.
  • In a seperate tweet, Dhaliwal notes that Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes finds himself in a good position for an extension on July 1. Agent Pat Brisson said they will deal with it as they get closer to July 1. Hughes has had an impressive rookie year, which includes a trip to the All-Star game and could score quite an extension if Benning is willing. “We can start talking with Canucks on July 1st,” said Brisson. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”
  • As rumored, Pacific Division’s head coach Rick Tocchet, who agreed to take over for fired Gerard Gallant at the All-Star game today, has got NHL icon Wayne Gretzky to serve behind his bench as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Gretzky served as head coach of the Coyotes from 2005 to 2009,

Trade Deadline Primer: Arizona Coyotes

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With the trade deadline just a little more than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Arizona Coyotes.

Coyotes GM John Chayka has made a pair of big swings at upgrading his offense with the acquisition of Phil Kessel over the summer and the addition of Taylor Hall last month.  The moves haven’t paid significant dividends in that regard but at the same time, Arizona is still right in the thick of things in the very tight Pacific Division despite both of their goaltenders dealing with injuries this season.  However, they moved several prospects and draft picks in those moves which will limit the chips that Chayka has to use to try to add more to his roster over the next month.

Record

26-20-5, tied for second in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.875MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: ARI 2nd, ARI 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th, ARI 7th
2021: ARI 1st*, ARI 2nd*, ARI 3rd*, ANA 4th, PIT 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th, ARI 7th

*- Arizona is guaranteed to lose at least their third-round pick to New Jersey as part of the Hall deal.  The pick becomes a second-round selection if Arizona winds a round in this postseason or Hall re-signs with the Coyotes.  It would upgrade to a first-round pick if they win a round and Hall re-signs.

Trade Chips

With basically their top three picks encumbered for next season pending the completion of the Hall trade and missing two of their top three selections this season, Arizona may be limited in terms of shopping at the higher end of the market, especially since they’re not likely going to be willing to part with top prospects like Barrett Hayton or Victor Soderstrom.

One veteran player to keep an eye on though may be goaltender Antti Raanta.  Over his time with the Coyotes, he has played relatively well for the most part (though his last outing was a rough one) but staying healthy has been a concern.  That eventually led to the acquisition of Darcy Kuemper who earned himself a contract extension this season as he played his way into the number one role.  All of a sudden, that leaves Raanta and his $4.25MM AAV as an expensive insurance policy.  With several teams looking for a short-term upgrade at the backup position, the 30-year-old could be of interest.  Moving Raanta would also open up a bit more salary cap flexibility which could be notable with them being open to a bonus overage penalty next year as a result of being in LTIR.

Beyond him, expect their trade chips to be late-round picks or younger players that are on the fringes of being worth an NHL look that other teams will be able to take a longer look at down the stretch.

Five Players To Watch For: F Michael Bunting, F Brayden Burke, D Kyle Capobianco, F Lane Pederson, G Antti Raanta

Team Needs

1) Defensive Depth – Right now, Arizona’s depth options are Jordan Oesterle, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Kyle Capobianco.  With the three can hold their own on the third pairing if need be, it’s an area that can certainly be upgraded on.  Landing a capable third pairing defender would be ideal but even if they don’t do that, some extra depth to hedge in case of injuries would be worth looking into.

2) Scoring Help – Despite adding Hall and Kessel, their offense has only gone up by a quarter goal per game from last season.  Nick Schmaltz is sitting at just seven goals this season while Derek Stepan is at eight; those are their top-paid forwards after Kessel.  Another impact scorer would be ideal although, with their limited cap space, they may have to settle for targeting a complementary piece that fits in better with some of their scuffling forwards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 01/19/20

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Following last night’s results, each of the top five teams in the Pacific Division are within one point of each other, top to bottom. The Vancouver Canucks stand alone in first place with 58 points, but with each of the following four teams sitting at 57. It is the first time since 1978 that the top five teams in an NHL division have all been separated by such a small margin after January 1. Of course, not all point totals are created equal; Vancouver and Edmonton have played just 49 games, while Calgary has 50 games played and Vegas and Arizona have 51. As such, the teams’ point percentages differ more than their total points, especially in the case of the Canucks versus the Knights and Coyotes. Nonetheless, it is still a tight division, and one that has been on the rise this season to now occupy both Western Conference wild card spots. The Central Division’s top three – St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas – may all have better records than any team in the Pacific, but the rest of their division has been overtaken. The 57/58-point range at this point in the year is nothing to criticize either. There are currently eleven teams with 57 or 58 points, all of whom are in playoff positions or just outside. So while the likes of Washington, Boston, and St. Louis might make the high fifties look light, it is actually a great pace for a playoff hopeful. With such a tight postseason picture right now in both conferences, though specifically the Pacific Division, every game counts and every little move made impacts those games. Keep an eye on all of today’s transactions here, as you never know what minor move could shift a season:

  • Many of “today’s” minor transactions occurred late last night, as 17 different teams are entering their bye week and many shuffled their young players to minors once their final game came to an end. The Ottawa Senators are one such example. The team reassigned young forwards Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Belleville following last night’s win.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a similar boat, sending Adam Brooks and Tim Liljegren back to the AHL’s Marlies following last night’s game, which was also Liljegren’s NHL debut. Brooks has played in seven games with the Maple Leafs so far in his rookie season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes also head on bye, and have demoted goalie Adin Hill, defenseman Kyle Capobianco, and forward Michael Chaput to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Hill has played a key role of late for the ‘Yotes, but the team hopes to have Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta at full strength on the other side of this time off.
  • The St. Louis Blues made just one minor move before hitting their bye, assigning young defenseman Niko Mikkola to the San Antonio Rampage. Mikkola has looked good on the ice if not on the score sheet in five games with the Blues this season.
  • Also making just a single demotion before the bye were the Dallas Stars, who sent forward Joel Kiviranta to AHL Texas. Kiviranta is still looking for his first NHL point after seeing limited ice time in seven NHL games and will benefit from an increased role in the minors for a while.
  • Other bye week moves being reported by CapFriendly include the Los Angeles Kings sending forwards Matt Luff and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the Ontario Reign, the San Jose Sharks shifting Joachim Blichfeld, Joel Kellman, and Antti Suomela to the AHL Barracuda locker room, and the Montreal Canadiens reassigning veteran Dale Weise to the Laval Rocket.
  • This morning, the Buffalo Sabres announced their own flurry of moves, reassigning forwards Rasmus Asplund and Scott Wilson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. While Pilut and Wilson have seen limited action, Asplund’s demotion is a bit surprising. Of every player sent down so far for their team’s bye week, none have played as many NHL games this season as Asplund’s 28. Yet, apparently the Sabres do not feel that he has earned the week off.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forward Dylan Sikura to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. The 24-year-old had a more successful run with Chicago this year as he scored his first NHL goal and three points in nine games. He’ll continue to work on his game in Rockford where he has nine goals and 16 points in 22 games.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, including goaltender Cory Schneider and forwards Michael McLeod and Jesper Boqvist. It will be Boqvist’s first trip to the AHL as he made the New Jersey squad directly out of Sweden.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they are sending injured defenseman Matt Benning to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 25-year-old blueliner has been out with a head injury since Dec. 1. The team has been extra cautious with Benning as its his second head injury this season. With the Oilers off until Jan. 29, Benning’s best chance of getting game experience is with the Condors, who have four games coming up this week. Benning has appeared in just 24 games this season, averaging just 13:42 of ice time.

Antti Raanta Expected To Start Saturday

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While Edmonton is believed to be looking for help in the top six, Oilers GM Ken Holland is being cautious with the timeline for when such a move may take place.  While the trade deadline is now less than six weeks away, Holland told Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun that he expects that it will be a while before activity around the league picks up:

When it comes to the trade deadline, I think it’s still another eight to 10 games needs to be played before anything happens. I want to see what happens over the next 10 games leading to the trade deadline.

He acknowledges that it’s unlikely that they’d turn around and sell if things don’t go well over that eight-to-ten-game stretch but with so many teams within striking distance of a playoff spot, it may take the better part of the next month for some of those squads to pick which direction they’re going to go.  If that is indeed the case, the Oilers may be waiting for a while yet for those reinforcements.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta is expected to get the start on Saturday, notes Craig Morgan of The Athletic (Twitter link). He returned from a lower-body injury last week only to sustain another injury in his first game back.  Raanta’s inability to stay healthy has hurt Arizona over the last few seasons and with Darcy Kuemper also out of action, the timing for this latest one was certainly unfortunate.  Fortunately for them, at least this one didn’t keep him out for long.
  • While earlier in the week, it appeared as if Blackhawks winger Brandon Saad wouldn’t return until after the All-Star break, that may not be the case. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Saad participated in a full practice today and is questionable to play on Saturday against Toronto.  There are three games left for Chicago before the break so if Saad is a possibility to play tomorrow, there’s a very good chance he’ll get into one of the other two at least.

Minor Transactions: 01/17/20

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Alex Ovechkin stole the show on a busy night for the NHL with his 25th career hat trick and 687th, 688th and 689th career goals. That takes him within one of Mario Lemieux who sits as the barrier for the top-10 all-time, a mark the Washington Capitals superstar seems ready to blow past over the last part of the season. Ovechkin has recorded at least 30 goals in each of his 15 seasons and is showing barely any signs of slowing down. As the rest of the league marvels at the Great Eight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves:

  • After just a day with the NHL club, Dan Vladar is on his way back to the minors. The Boston Bruins have sent Vladar to the AHL while recalling Maxime Lagace under emergency conditions, who at least has a bit of NHL experience.
  • Yakov Trenin, Alexandre Carrier and Jarred Tinordi have all been sent to the AHL by the Nashville Predators, who have one final game tomorrow evening before a long break. The trio will continue to get playing time in the minor leagues for the time being.
  • With their blue line taking another beating lately, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Cameron Schilling from the AHL. The 31-year old defenseman has just ten games of NHL experience but has been a solid player in the minor leagues for nearly a decade.
  • Ivan Prosvetov has been returned to the minor leagues by the Arizona Coyotes, who recalled Kyle Capobianco with the extra roster spot. Goaltending has been an interesting position for the Coyotes all season, often carrying more than two on the roster.
  • Otto Koivula has been assigned to the AHL by the New York Islanders, after playing his seventh game of the season earlier this week. The 21-year old is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Alexander Volkov back to the minor leagues, where he has spent the majority of the season. The 22-year old forward has flashed moments of brilliance in the NHL, but still has plenty of work to do to become a regular.

David Rittich Added To All-Star Game

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Another goaltender has been forced to pull out of the All-Star festivities planned for later this month, as Darcy Kuemper of the Arizona Coyotes will not be participating due to injury. In his place, David Rittich of the Calgary Flames will join the Pacific Division squad. No word yet on who will replace Gerard Gallant as head coach of the team, who was fired earlier today.

Kuemper hasn’t played since December 19th, and his recovery is paramount to the Coyotes’ long-term success. The goaltender is out with a lower-body injury that quickly brought speculation that the All-Star game would be out of the question.

His absence however means that the Coyotes will not have a representative at the game, unless someone else is put in as a replacement over the next few days.

Minor Transactions: 01/15/20

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You never know what’s going to happen in the NHL as the Vegas Golden Knights proved this morning. The team fired head coach Gerard Gallant just before they take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night. The whole league will be watching that game to see how Peter DeBoer changes things, but tonight they have some interesting games to view as well. The Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks are both markets that some have suggested coaching changes in, but they’ll try to grab a win tonight to continue their individual streaks. Later, the St. Louis Blues welcome in the Philadelphia Flyers for a chance to extend their Western Conference lead even further. As those teams and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Sam Montembeault under emergency conditions, a quick trip back after only being sent back on Monday. Montembault’s presence suggests that Sergei Bobrovsky still isn’t ready to return for the Panthers, after being called “questionable” earlier this week.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets are starting to get healthy, meaning the roster needs some cleaning up. After activating both Cam Atkinson and Andrew Peeke today from injured reserve, the team has assigned Peeke, Gabriel Carlsson, Matiss Kivlenieks and Ryan MacInnis to the AHL. Veini Vehvilainen has been recalled.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up Michael Chaput from the minor leagues, not for the first time this season. Chaput hasn’t played a game yet in the NHL, but has been recalled on three different occasions as injury insurance.
  • Brian Lashoff is on his way back to the minor leagues, assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins by the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year old has split time between the two teams, but isn’t much more than an injury replacement at this point in his career.

Snapshots: Kuemper, Fitzgerald, Pateryn

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It looks like the Arizona Coyotes will be without starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper for a while longer. Despite traveling with the team, giving Coyotes fans some hope that he was close to returning, Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic revealed that Kuemper has been ruled out until before the All-Star break.

While Kuemper had an impressive season last year, challenging for the starters’ role then, the 29-year-old netminder has been even better this year, posting a 2.17 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 25 games. However, he suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 19 and now, at best, isn’t likely to return until Jan. 29. Unfortunately, Antti Raanta has also been out, leaving the team with Adin Hill as its starting goaltender for the time being.

  • While the New Jersey Devils intend to undergo a thorough search for a new general manager sometime in the near future, NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti wonders whether the team already has that man in new interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald. The scribe believes that Fitzgerald is considered to be a future GM and if he can have a quality trade deadline, he could be the top candidate to take the job permanently.
  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn made his season debut today after missing the first 44 games of the season after having bilateral core muscle surgery, according to Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan. Pateryn has struggled in his rehab, however, as he was sent to Iowa on a conditioning stint on Dec. 2, but was later activated and placed back on injured reserve. Pateryn should provide the Wild with some defensive depth. While he doesn’t offer much in offensive ability (one goal, six assists in 80 games last year), he did provide much needed defense, including 144 hits and 118 blocks.

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