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Dudek, Carpenter Sign Amateur Tryouts

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Another pair of NCAA players have inked amateur tryouts in the AHL, as J.D. Dudek and Bobo Carpenter have signed with the Binghamton Devils and Bridgeport Sound Tigers respectively. Carpenter signed his entry-level contract with the Islanders earlier this week but won’t see it kick in until next season.

Dudek meanwhile will be rejoining an organization he was previously associated with. Originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, Dudek’s rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers last season as part of the package for Patrick Maroon. It’s interesting then that he’ll be playing with Binghamton, and may suggest that he is going to wait until August and become an unrestricted free agent. In his four-year career at Boston College, Dudek recorded 56 points in 149 games.

In related moves, Binghamton have released both Nick Sorkin and Desmond Bergin from their professional tryouts. Bergin has played for three different AHL teams this season, but both players spend most of their time in the ECHL.

Brad Malone Placed On Waivers

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Thursday: Malone has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.

Wednesday: The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Brad Malone on waivers. Malone is eligible for the AHL playoffs, and could join the first place Bakersfield Condors tomorrow if he clears.

Malone, 29, most recently played a game for the Oilers on March 11th, and has just 13 under his belt this season. The journeyman forward has played for four minor league and three NHL clubs since being selected in the fourth round in 2007, but has just 30 points in 196 career games at the highest level. That includes exactly zero across his two years with the Oilers.

Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, it is unlikely that Malone will be claimed. It also isn’t clear if the Oilers intend on bringing him back to the organization on another two-way deal, or if he will have to look for another opportunity this summer.

Nominees Announced For 2019 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2019.

Past winners of the award include Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014) and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Patrick Eaves

Arizona Coyotes – Michael Grabner

Boston Bruins – Zdeno Chara

Buffalo Sabres – Jason Pominville

Calgary Flames – Mark Giordano

Carolina Hurricanes – Curtis McElhinney

Chicago Blackhawks – Corey Crawford

Colorado Avalanche – Carl Soderberg

Columbus Blue Jackets – Nick Foligno

Dallas Stars – Taylor Fedun

Detroit Red Wings – Niklas Kronwall

Edmonton Oilers – Andrej Sekera

Florida Panthers – Derek MacKenzie

Los Angeles Kings – Jack Campbell

Minnesota Wild – Ryan Suter

Montreal Canadiens – Andrew Shaw

Nashville Predators – Rocco Grimaldi

New Jersey Devils – Cory Schneider

New York Islanders – Robin Lehner

New York Rangers – Brendan Smith

Ottawa Senators – Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Philadelphia Flyers – Brian Elliott

Pittsburgh Penguins – Matt Cullen

San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton

St. Louis Blues – Jay Bouwmeester

Tampa Bay Lightning – Ryan Callahan

Toronto Maple Leafs – Tyler Ennis

Vancouver Canucks – Jacob Markstrom

Vegas Golden Knights – Ryan Carpenter

Washington Capitals – Brooks Orpik

Winnipeg Jets – Dmitry Kulikov

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 03/28/19

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Just a handful of games remain in the 2018-19 NHL regular season, and eight of them will be played tonight. All the focus is on Columbus as the Blue Jackets will host their playoff competition in the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens sit two points ahead of the Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot but have played one extra game and do not hold the tiebreaker, meaning tonight is an absolute must-win for the team. Columbus meanwhile can’t fall any further behind after spending so many assets to put themselves in a position of contention this season. As they and the rest of the league prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • After recalling Victor Olofsson from the AHL yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Tage Thompson down in his place. Thompson hasn’t had the kind of impact the Sabres hoped for this season, recording just 12 points in 65 games after being acquired as part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal. The 21-year old still has quite a bit of potential, but will have to really take a step forward next year to be considered a core piece.
  • Before their game against the New York Rangers last night, the Boston Bruins returned Karson Kuhlman to the minor leagues. Kuhlman has played seven games for the Bruins this season, recording two goals and three points in his first year of professional hockey. Signed out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the 23-year old has 30 points in 58 games at the minor league level.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled Landon Bow after Ben Bishop suffered another minor injury, but the veteran goaltender is expected to stay with the team on their current road trip. That means Bow will likely not see any action, though he is expected to back up Anton Khudobin tonight.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson, despite having ten defensemen on the roster already. Jake McCabe was back at practice today, though both Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen remained out. Tennyson has played four games for the Sabres this season, spending most of the time in the AHL instead.
  • Jake Dotchin is back up with the Anaheim Ducks, possibly through the end of what has been a difficult season for the big defenseman. Dotchin had his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning terminated in training camp due to his physical fitness levels, but was able to find a new home with Anaheim. Yet, he has so far suited up in just 20 games for the Ducks, recording one lone point, after he played in more than half of Tampa’s games last season and registered double-digit point. Dotchin will be a restricted free agent this off-season and it will be interesting to see if the Ducks opt to qualify him or not.
  • The San Jose Sharks have called Nick DeSimone over from the AHL locker room. The team continues to shuffle through Barracuda defenders and DeSimone is the next in line. The 24-year-old is tied for second in scoring for AHL San Jose and has certainly earned his NHL debut at this point.
  • Martin Frk has been reassigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, their parent club, the Detroit Red Wings, announced. Frk has been disappointingly unproductive in the NHL this season, recording five points in 25 games. He’s done much better in the AHL, with 13 points in just ten games, but Detroit was hoping for that contribution to be at the top level. Frk is an RFA this off-season and the Red Wings will have to decide whether or not to bring him back.

East Notes: Talbot, Smith, Ceci, Panthers

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When the Flyers acquired goaltender Cam Talbot prior to the trade deadline, the expectation was that he’d take some pressure off Carter Hart and potentially sign on for beyond this season.  The former certainly hasn’t happened as he has played all of 93 minutes since the trade and as John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports, no progress has been made on the latter either as there have not yet been talks regarding a new deal.  Despite the lack of playing time, the 31-year-old indicated that he’d like to stick around in Philadelphia beyond this season.  With Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth both unlikely to return, Talbot could wind up getting his wish but will need to take a reduction on his current $4.167MM AAV.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Senators could have center Zack Smith back in the lineup on Thursday night, reports Postmedia’s Ken Warren. He has missed the last two games with lingering back issues so it’s possible he’ll see limited action down the stretch.  Meanwhile, defenseman Cody Ceci is making progress in his recovery from an upper-body injury that has caused him to miss the last three games although there remains no timetable for his return.
  • While the Panthers have been speculatively linked to winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, GM Dale Tallon told Ken Campbell of The Hockey News that they will be looking to utilize their cap room (which figures to be in the $20MM range depending on the increase to the Upper Limit) to bolster their back end. Florida has struggled considerably keeping the puck out of their net this season as only two teams have allowed more goals than they have.  However, aside from Erik Karlsson (who is more of an offensive blueliner than a defensive one), there aren’t many impact rearguards that project to be available on the open market.  With that in mind, there’s a good chance they’ll have to go the trade route to upgrade on defense.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Karlsson, Pavelski, Marino

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The Kings have head coach Todd McLellan at the top of their wish list for next season, reports Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.  Interim bench boss Willie Desjardins is not likely to return for the 2019-20 campaign.  McLellan was let go by Edmonton earlier this season following a 9-10-1 start to their season but had plenty of success in his first stint back in San Jose.  There will likely be other teams on the lookout for a new head coach in the coming weeks so expect the 51-year-old to garner some interest from elsewhere as well next month.

More notes from the Pacific Division:

  • Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has had his skating schedule scaled back as he continues to work his way back from a groin injury, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Instead of skating daily, he’s now hitting the ice every second day which suggests his return is further away than expected.  San Jose has already clinched a playoff spot and appears to be locked into a matchup with Vegas so they can afford to be cautious but they also would undoubtedly feel better if he had some game action before the postseason gets underway.  Meanwhile, Pashelka adds that center Joe Pavelski, who has missed four straight games due to a lower-body injury, is progressing in his recovery and could be available for their game on Thursday against Chicago.
  • The Oilers are in discussions with prospect John Marino, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. The defenseman was a sixth-round pick (154th overall) back in 2015 and is just finishing up his junior year at Harvard, a team that is participating in the upcoming NCAA tournament.  Although he still has a year of college eligibility remaining, he’s also eligible for August 15th free agency as it has been four years since he has been drafted.

Kings Interested In A Pair Of College Free Agents

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The Kings have been a team that has been active in college free agency in recent years inking players like wingers Sheldon Rempal and Alex Iafallo, defensemen Oscar Fantenberg and Daniel Brickley, as well as goalie Cal Petersen (after he declined to sign with Buffalo).  It appears that they have their eyes set on adding to that list as Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports that Los Angeles is interested in Clarkson center Nico Sturm as well as Bowling Green winger Lukas Craggs.

Sturm is widely considered to be one of the top players on the college free agent market following a strong junior season.  The 23-year-old put up 45 points in 38 games this season and is viewed as someone that could step in and play a lower line role as early as next year.  His team is set to play Notre Dame on Friday as the NCAA tournament gets underway.

Meanwhile, Craggs is a player that hasn’t generated as much attention.  The junior had 24 points in 34 games this season and surpassed the 100 penalty minute mark for the second straight year.  Not surprisingly, he profiles as a bottom-six physical player.  Bowling Green is seeded 15th in the tournament and could be eliminated as early as Friday so a decision on whether or not to try to sign him may come quickly.

Los Angeles hasn’t hesitated to burn the first year of an entry-level deal early by giving the player some game action at the end of the season.  With the Kings squarely out of the playoff picture and having seven open contract slots at the moment, expect that trend to continue with these free agents and any others they may try to pursue in the coming days.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Victor Olofsson

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The Buffalo Sabres aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, so they’ve decided to take a look at some of their young players. Alexander Nylander has already been up with the team for the last few weeks, and now another Swedish forward is on his way. The Sabres recalled Victor Olofsson today for the first time in his career.

Olofsson, 23, is off to an outstanding start to his professional career in North America, recording 60 points in 64 games for the Rochester Americans this season. The seventh-round pick from 2014 signed his two-year entry-level contract last spring after several years in the SHL.

Obviously what Olofsson has done in the European and minor leagues is impressive, but he’ll have to show he can bring that offense to the NHL in order to stick around. This summer could very well bring more change for the Sabres lineup, given that Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville both remain unsigned while others like Vladimir Sobotka haven’t proven reliable. If Olofsson can impress in his short recall, it would go a long way to securing a roster spot next season. The front office has obviously not believed he was ready until now, a head-scratching decision given his dominance in the AHL.

He should be quite comfortable in Buffalo, as Olofsson was teammates with Rasmus Dahlin last season for Frolunda and knows Lawrence Pilut well from their battles in the SHL.

Boston Bruins Extend AHL Affiliation

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The AHL is well known for its continually changing landscape, with teams switching cities, franchise affiliations and names regularly. Not so with the Providence Bruins, who have been affiliated with the Boston Bruins since they became a team in 1992. That agreement is not going to end at 27 years, as the two organizations finalized a 10-year extension today taking them through the 2028-29 season. Boston president Cam Neely explained the decision:

Player development is one of the most important parts of our hockey operations strategy which has the goal of achieving long term and sustainable success. Our partnership with the Providence Bruins has been a key part of our player development over the past three decades and we are very happy to have a long-term deal solidifying this relationship for 10 more years.

The Providence-Boston affiliation has long been the gold standard for any organization, as they represent everything you want in a development agreement. Their geographical proximity has been copied by most of the league, and their commitment to development and AHL success is a testament to the work both parties have put in. The P-Bruins have won just a single Calder Cup since coming into the league, but have missed the playoffs just five times in 27 years. They’re set to head there again, even while providing countless players for Boston to use while dealing with NHL injuries.

The number of players that have played at least one game for both Bruins organizations is more than 200, and includes names like David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron. Providence will continue to try and churn out NHL-caliber talent while vying for the Calder Cup every single year.

Snapshots: Lehtera, Red Wings, Byron

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera was convicted Wednesday of buying cocaine, according to Tricia L. Nadolny and Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lehtera had been charged in Finland with the offense earlier this season, and has been sentenced to a four-month suspended prison sentence. He will not serve any time in jail as long as he is not arrested again before October 2021.

The Flyers placed Lehtera on waivers in early February and sent him to the AHL where he has played five games. His contract is set to expire at the end of this season, at which point he will become an unrestricted free agent. It is not clear what this conviction will mean for his playing career, though early reports out of Finland say he will be appealing the decision.

  • The Detroit Red Wings likely won’t see either of Michael Rasmussen or Jacob de La Rose on the ice again this season. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that de La Rose saw a specialist today about his accelerated heart beat, and Rasmussen is unlikely to return from his upper-body injury before the end of the year. The Red Wings have just six games left in their season and are currently sitting in 29th place in the NHL.
  • Paul Byron will not travel with the Montreal Canadiens to Columbus after suffering an injury in a fight last night. Byron took on MacKenzie Weegar of the Florida Panthers and was knocked down with a hard punch. After stumbling to the bench he did not return. Byron’s agent told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) his thoughts on how fights like these have no business in the game today, explaining that the only reason for it was a hit from earlier in the season. Byron received a three-game suspension for the hit in January. It is unclear when the speedy forward will return to the Montreal lineup.

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