Minor Transactions: 11/16/19

It’s a very busy Saturday in the NHL today as 30 of 31 teams are in action with Columbus being the lone squad with a night off following their overtime victory over St. Louis last night.  There is only one other time where that will happen this season and that’s on April 4th (where Columbus will once again be the only squad not playing).  There will likely be plenty of roster movement around the league as a result of the 15 games on the schedule and we’ll keep track of those here.

• The Penguins announced that they have recalled center Joseph Blandisi from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. This will be his second stint with Pittsburgh this season after he collected a goal and an assist in a seven-game stint last month.  The 25-year-old has played in 87 games over his NHL career and has been reasonably productive overall in that span with 28 points under his belt.  To make room for Blandisi on the roster, the team has transferred Sidney Crosby to injured reserve as he’s expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this week.
• With Washington only having enough cap room to dress 11 forwards (with seven defensemen) last night, they’ve announced some roster shuffling to get them a 12th forward.  Blueliner Tyler Lewington and goalie Ilya Samsonov have been assigned to Hershey (AHL) while center Travis Boyd and goalie Vitek Vanecek have been recalled.  Samsonov has fared well with the Capitals this season but makes a bit over $200K more than Vanecek so sending him down temporarily at least gives them the short-term ability to dress the usual number of forwards.
• The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have activated defenseman Connor Murphy off of long-term injured reserve. The 26-year-old blueliner has been out 11 games with a groin injury, but is ready to return to action Saturday against the Predators. Murphy has no points in six games this season, but should help the team’s defense.
• The Colorado Avalanche announced they have assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Connauton was recalled Tuesday and played Thursday against Edmonton where he played 17:14.