The NHL is back at it for another week of action, starting with a set of five games on Monday night. With less than a month before the Christmas break, things are heating up in the trade markets. We’ll keep an eye on all the small roster moves made today right here.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Denis Malgin from the AHL, after Evgenii Dadonov was ruled out for the time being with a shoulder injury. Malgin hasn’t yet scored in his five NHL games this season, but is a point-per-game player in the minor leagues. The undersized forward came over from Switzerland last season and has bounced up and down as he tries to prove his capability in North America.
- Goaltender Eric Comrie has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets after Steve Mason was forced from the team’s last game with an upper-body injury. Interestingly, the press release does not indicate that Comrie is up on emergency conditions. With Comrie, the team had 24 players on their active roster. According to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, they’ll place Mason on injured reserve to make room.
- Seth Griffith, having cleared waivers, has been assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The talented offensive forward has put up huge numbers during his time in the AHL, but can’t seem to stick around whenever given an NHL opportunity. He had just three points in 18 games this season for the Buffalo Sabres, his fourth organization since being drafted in the fifth-round in 2012.
- Jordan Szwarz has been sent back to the AHL after appearing in just one game on emergency loan with the Boston Bruins. The 26-year old forward has three points in ten games for the Bruins this season, but will head back to Providence to wait for his next opportunity.
- With Jared Spurgeon sick for the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Ryan Murphy is hurrying to Winnipeg where the team plays tonight as an insurance policy. Murphy has been playing for the Iowa Wild this season, where he as 11 points in 18 games. The 12th-overall selection in 2011, Murphy had just 151 career games under his belt in Carolina before being traded to and subsequently bought out by the Calgary Flames. He signed a one-year two-way deal with Minnesota this summer, trying to get his once promising career back on track.
- Antoine Bibeau is up in San Jose as Martin Jones deals with injury. Jones suffered an apparent lower-body injury in his most recent game (in which he recorded a shutout against the Winnipeg Jets) and wasn’t at the Sharks’ morning skate. It’s not clear how long Jones will be out, but he told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic that his absence is more “precautionary than anything”.