Minor Transactions: 12/15/19

After a full slate of game Saturday night, the NHL quiets down on Sunday with just eight teams in action. Regardless, many teams will start making moves before the league’s Holiday Roster Freeze that kicks in on Thursday, Dec. 19. Keep your eyes this transaction page throughout the day to catch every team’s moves:

• The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have assigned forward Julien Gauthier to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 22-year old and former first-round pick in 2016 picked up his first career NHL point Saturday in Carolina’s victory over Calgary. Gauthier has fared well in the AHL this season with 10 goals in 22 games after a 27-goal season a year ago. He has now five NHL games to his career.
• The Montreal Canadiens announced they have recalled center Lukas Vejdemo from the Laval Rocket of the AHL, while re-assigning defenseman Otto Leskinen. Vejdemo is the Rocket’s second-leading scorer with eight goals and 16 points. The 23-year-old is in his second season in North America, having scored 13 goals and 29 points last season and looks to be exceeding that mark. If he can get into a game, it will be his NHL debut. Leskinen made his NHL debut on Dec. 5 and played in five games with Montreal. He failed to record a point in that time, but did contribute 13 hits.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they loaned forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Martin Marincin to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. While the move could be just a simple paper transaction, it’s also possible the team hopes it can get back forward Trevor Moore, which would require the move.
• CapFriendly reports that the New Jersey Devils have assigned center Michael McLeod to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. McLeod had an impressive performance Saturday in the Devils’ victory over Arizona. Playing center for the team for the first time ever, the 21-year-old picked up two assists and a plus-two rating in the game, suggesting he might be ready for more extensive callups at a later time. McLeod has 13 points in 24 games with Binghamton.
• The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark reports that the Colorado Avalanche have recalled defenseman Anton Lindholm from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Lindholm will fill in for defenseman Cale Makar, who was recently put on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Lindholm has appeared in 23 games with the Eagles, scoring one goal and two points.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the have assigned forward Mitchell Stephens to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward made his NHL debut on Dec. 9 and has appeared in four games. While he didn’t register a point, Stephens was useful in the faceoff circle where he 18-of-26 (69.2 percent). He will return to the Crunch where he had five goals and 10 points this season.
• The Vancouver Canucks have activated forward Tyler Motte from injured reserve and made space for him by assigning forward Zack MacEwen to the Utica Comets, the team announced. Motte suffered a lower-body injury on Oct. 25 and was expected to be out for four weeks. It’s taken quite a bit longer, but the 24-year-old is expected to join the team. He has only appeared in six games for the Canucks this season with one assist. The 23-year-old MacEwen has appeared in eight games with Vancouver, posting a goal and an assist.
• As the Ottawa Senators continue to shuffle young players to and from the NHL, the latest move comes with Jonathan Davidsson being returned to AHL Belleville. Davidsson, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, has played in six games with Ottawa this season, recording just one point. He has four points in eleven games with Belleville and, in just his first season in North American, will benefit more from a large role in the AHL. than his limited action with Ottwa.