Minor Transactions: 12/20/19

It’s always a date to circle on the NHL calendar when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers meet, as battles between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid never fail to impress. Unfortunately tonight one side will be without their superstar as Crosby continues to recover from injury, meaning Evgeni Malkin and company will have to try and hold off McDavid on their own. That is just one of the four matchups this evening, and as teams prepare we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

• It’s not just Crosby who is hurting for the Penguins, meaning they needed even more bodies from the minor leagues today. The team has recalled Thomas Di Pauli and Kevin Czuczman from the AHL in time for tonight’s game.
• The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Brian Gibbons back to the minor leagues. Gibbons has been the team’s insurance forward all season, bouncing up and down whenever they need another body. The 31-year old has played in 15 NHL games, but hasn’t scored a single point.
• David Kase has been sent back to the minor leagues after just a single day in the NHL. This is already Kase’s fourth transaction this month, serving as an insurance policy for the Philadelphia Flyers on game days.
• The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Curtis Lazar after Jack Eichel was made a late scratch last night. The captain was out with an upper-body injury, technically ending his 17-game point streak.
• Yakov Trenin has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators, who will conclude their road trip with a date against the Boston Bruins tomorrow. Trenin, 22, has played in six games with the team this season but has been a force in the AHL.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled both Jakob Lilja and Ryan MacInnis from the minor leagues. MacInnis, 23, has actually still not made his NHL debut despite being a second-round pick from 2014 and playing regularly in the minor leagues.
• Zack MacEwen has been recalled by the Vancouver Canucks, after Josh Leivo was injured in last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. MacEwan has become a favorite call-up of the Canucks after signing as an undrafted free agent, with eight games already played in the NHL this season.