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Bowen Byram To Remain In NHL This Season

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It should not come as much of a surprise that Bowen Byram isn’t going anywhere. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman will be in the lineup on Saturday for his sixth NHL game. In this shortened season, that means any further action will result in the first year of his entry-level contract tolling. His play tonight will not change the team’s mind, though. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that the decision has already been made that Byram will remain with the Avalanche for the rest of the season (and likely for much longer than that.)

If it wasn’t clear enough when the Avalanche traded away Ian Cole or when they subsequently risked the return, Greg Pateryn, on waivers, Byram’s role was never really in doubt. The 2019 No. 4 overall pick is an exceptional young defenseman and, as a player that Colorado hopes will be a core piece for years to come, they wanted to get him to the NHL as soon as possible. Through five games, he has given them no reason to doubt their decision. Byram recorded his first NHL point in his second game and topped 20 minutes of ice time in his fourth. He’s logged ten shots on goal, a few blocked shots, and a very impressive 59.1 Corsi For percentage. Perhaps the best thing that can be said about the rookie defenseman early on is that he actually hasn’t been that noticeable. The 19-year-old has stepped directly into a starting NHL job and has played relatively sound, mistake-free hockey thus far.

Now that his NHL job is secure, especially since he is still too young to play in the AHL, the next step for Byram is to take on even more responsibility. That may be coming sooner than later, too. The news on injured defenseman Devon Toews is not optimistic, with head coach Jared Bednar telling The Athletic’s Peter Baugh that it could be a long-term absence. Byram is among those who will be asked to step up in Toews’ place. So far, he has been somewhat sheltered in terms of minutes, match-ups, and defensive zone starts, but the two-way wunderkind will need to be ready to play a larger role moving forward. Fortunately for the Avalanche, there is no reason to believe he won’t continue to meet expectations.

Minor Transactions: 01/30/21

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The NHL season is well on its way and the start of the AHL season is right around the corner, not to mention an ongoing ECHL and NCAA season, several leagues in Europe already entering the stretch run, and North American junior leagues starting to work toward a return. Yet, there are still players out there looking for a place to play this season, many of whom are familiar to NHL fans. Keep up with those moves right here over the course of the day:

  • Veteran forward Matt Lorito has found a new AHL home for the coming campaign. Lorito, who has spent the past four years under NHL contracts, has instead inked a one-year minor league deal with the San Diego Gulls, the team announced. Lorito recorded 23 points in 50 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season, but finished the year with the Toronto Marlies after the Islanders traded him to the Maple Leafs for defenseman Jordan Schmaltz. A veteran of two NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Lorito has been a highly productive scorer in the AHL with 215 points in 283 games over six seasons.
  • Victor Hadfield, the grandson of New York Rangers legend Vic Hadfield, will get his first taste of the pro game on a tryout with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, per the team’s training camp roster. The Barrie Colt, who was selected No. 1 overall in the inaugural OHL U-18 Priority Selection Draft, got off to a slow start to his major junior career, but started to show signs of potential last season with 26 points in 46 games. The Moose want to see for themselves in camp if Hadfield might be a later bloomer who is ready to keep growing in the pros. Hadfield’s grandfather, whose number is retired by the Rangers, played in over 1,000 NHL games for New York and Pittsburgh in the 60’s and 70’s, including a 106-point 1971-72 campaign.
  • After spending last season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, defenseman Anton Karlsson has been back home in Sweden playing for the SHL’s HV71. However, on the eve of a new AHL season, Karlsson and HV71 have agreed to mutually terminate his current contract, the team announced. Coincidence? Keep an eye out for more on Karlsson, who carved out a nice role for himself with Cleveland last year despite battling for ice time with a number of NHL talents on the blue line. At 27, Karlsson may still have NHL ambitions.
  • The AHL’s San Diego Gulls have received some reinforcements from their ECHL affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers. The ECHL transactions register indicates that the Anaheim Ducks, parent club to both, have reassigned forwards Bryce Kindopp and Maxim Golod and goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek to San Diego.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/30/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day.

East Division

  • The Penguins announced that they have recalled defenseman Yannick Weber from the taxi squad. The 32-year-old signed a two-way deal with Pittsburgh earlier this week and with their injury situation on the back end, they need him already.  The team also converted the emergency recalls of blueliners Kevin Czuczman and Pierre-Olivier Joseph to regular recalls.
  • The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned center Connor McMichael from the taxi squad to AHL Hershey, recalling Phillipe Maillet from Hershey to fill the vacated slot. McMichael, a first-round pick of Washington back in 2019, made his NHL debut on Sunday, logging nearly 10 minutes against Buffalo.  As for Maillet, he led the Bears in scoring last season with 44 points in 61 games.
  • Nick Merkley is back up with the Devils as New Jersey announced (via Twitter) that the winger has been recalled from the taxi squad. The 23-year-old has played in two games with the Devils so far this season, recording one assist and will take the place of Travis Zajac who was placed on the CPRA list yesterday.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced a number of moves, including a pair of recalls and an injured reserve switch. Up from the taxi squad are forwards Connor Bunnaman and former defenseman Samuel Morin. Bunnaman has played in four games with the Flyers thus far, but Morin would be making his season debut if he draws into the lineup. Also, defenseman Philippe Myers has been activated from the IR, while forward Sean Couturier has officially been transferred to the reserve.

Central Division

  • With Ryan Lomberg clearing waivers, the Florida Panthers forward has been assigned to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The team has also transferred defenseman Gustav Forsling to the injured reserve, with head coach Joel Quenneville believing that he could miss a week or two. Filling those two open spots on the roster for now are young forwards Aleksi Heponiemi and Owen Tippett, both of whom have been recalled from the taxi squad. Should he find his way into the lineup on this recall, it would be the NHL debut for Heponiemi in his second season with the Panthers.
  • The Detroit Red Wings are re-stocking their active roster after a day off. Forwards Taro Hirose, Michael Rasmussen, and Givani Smith and goaltender Calvin Pickard have been elevated from the taxi squad ahead of tonight’s game against the Panthers. Rasmussen has played in six games so far this season, Hirose and Smith have each played in three, and Pickard has not seen any action as the club’s No. 3 goalie.

North Division

  • As expected, the Canadiens have recalled Corey Perry from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. The recall is once again classified as on an emergency basis with Joel Armia out with a concussion as Perry’s promotion brings them to 12 forwards.  The veteran has a goal and an assist in two games this season.
  • A frequent move this season for the Winnipeg Jets, the team has again shuffled rookies Kristian Vesalainen and Logan Stanley between the active roster and taxi squad, this time announcing that the pair have been recalled. The first round picks have played in a combined seven games thus far this season.
  • At long last, the Edmonton Oilers have a veteran backup back on the roster. Waiver claim Troy Grosenick has been added to the active roster alongside Tyler Ennis, who has been recalled from the taxi squad. They take the places of Stuart Skinner and Joakim Nygard, who have been demoted to the taxi squad per a team release. Additionally, forward Alan Quine has been reassigned from the taxi squad to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors – not a small move considering how difficult it will be for Quine to be recalled from the American affiliate to the Canadian parent club.

West Division

  • Lias Andersson is headed back to the taxi squad, the Los Angeles Kings announced. The off-season addition has played in six of the team’s eight games so far but has seen limited minutes and produced just one point. The Kings want to see more from the 2017 seventh overall pick.

Ryan Lomberg Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Lomberg has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.  Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards adds that the winger is expected to be assigned to the taxi squad.

Friday: The Florida Panthers have placed Ryan Lomberg on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The 26-year-old has played just a single game this season.

Markus Nutivaara was activated to the roster and played for the first time last night, taking away one of the open spots that the team was moving players in and out of. Waiving Lomberg will allow them to move him back and forth whenever needed, opening up roster sports as required. The undersized forward faces little risk of claim, given he’s played in only 12 career NHL games and is still looking for his second point. No, Lomberg isn’t around for his offense, but with a two-year one-way guarantee, it seems unlikely that anyone will snatch him up.

In fact, it seems unlikely that any depth skater will be claimed at this point in the season unless it’s a dire situation on the other end. Of the dozens of players that have been through waivers since the start of the season, only goaltenders—Anton Forsberg, Troy Grosenick, and Aaron Dell—have been claimed. Luca Sbisa and Rudolfs Balcers were both snatched in the flood of cuts before the season started, but now that things are chugging along, players have moved through the wire untouched.

Snapshots: Sabres, Capitals, Blues

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Sabres winger Sam Reinhart is dealing with an upper-body injury, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  While he didn’t leave Thursday’s game, he was absent from practice on Friday and he will at least miss today’s game while his availability for Sunday’s rematch against New Jersey is still up in the air.  The 25-year-old is off to a good start this season with three goals and three assists in eight games and will be a restricted free agent for the final time this summer.

Meanwhile, Lysowski adds (Twitter link) that prospect Jack Quinn is dealing with an upper-body injury of his own.  He’s currently on the taxi squad but the Sabres may send him to AHL Rochester once he recovers.  While he’s still junior-aged, Quinn can go to the minors as long as the OHL season continues to be delayed.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov have been cleared from the CPRA list, relays Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The two took part in Washington’s morning skate today but Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov weren’t, meaning their time on the list will continue.  Meanwhile, Pell adds in a separate tweet that center Lars Eller also skated earlier today in a non-contact sweater after missing Thursday’s contest due to an upper-body injury.
  • The Blues will be without center Tyler Bozak for their two games this weekend against Anaheim, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was injured on a hit from Vegas winger Mark Stone on Tuesday night, one that had St. Louis hoping for some sort of supplemental discipline although none was coming.  Sammy Blais will take Bozak’s spot in the lineup.  As for defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, he’s expected to take the gameday skate today with head coach Craig Berube hoping that he’ll be available on Sunday.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Pittsburgh Penguins

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the calendar having now flipped to 2021.

What are the Penguins most thankful for?

Their dynamic duo down the middle.

Yes, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin aren’t in the primes of their careers anymore but they still form one of the more formidable one-two punches at center.  Both are sure-fire future Hall of Famers and in Crosby’s case, he still has five years left on a contract that has wound up being a team-friendly one.  Malkin’s deal is up after next season but it’s safe to say there will be interest in keeping him in the fold.  Both players are off to a bit of a quieter start than usual this year but while there are some valid question marks surrounding other elements of the team, Pittsburgh fans should be quite confident in believing that those two will be able to produce more in the near future.

Who are the Penguins most thankful for?

It would be easy to pick Crosby – too easy perhaps – so let’s go with Jake Guentzel instead.  When he signed his five-year, $30MM contract, it was a deal that carried some risk given that he had only been a full-time NHL player for one season.  However, he has produced just under a point per game since the day the contract was signed.  In this environment, a $6MM price tag for a point per game front-line player is a bargain.  Pittsburgh’s veteran core has turned over considerably in recent years and there will likely still be some changes to come but Guentzel should be around through that and then some with three years left on a below-market contract still to go.

What would the Penguins be even more thankful for?

A return to form from Tristan Jarry.

After being on the trade block at the start of last season, Jarry got off to a great start, earning an All-Star Game nod and outperformed Matt Murray.  With their cap situation, they were only going to be able to afford to keep one of the two and opted for the cheaper one in Jarry, a decision that was certainly the expected outcome but one that carried risk given his inexperience.  They’re currently seeing the downside of that right now as the 25-year-old has struggled considerably in his first six starts this season.  That cap situation also limited them to having Casey DeSmith as the backup, someone who is relatively unproven.  They need Jarry to turn his performance around if they want to be battling for top spot in the East.

What should be on the Penguins’ wish list?

Before their rash of injuries, they could have benefitted from some defensive upgrades.  Now, with multiple injuries, they really need some defensive upgrades and more depth on top of it as they’ve had to go ten-deep on the back end already.  Can they really afford an impact upgrade?  Not really and the fact they’ve had to dip into LTIR already is eating into the limited cap room they do have.  Low-priced depth additions like Yannick Weber’s recent signing is more of what they’re going to be able to do so interim GM Patrik Allvin is going to be working the phones if he hasn’t been already since taking over for Jim Rutherford to try to get something done on that front sooner than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ron Hextall And Scott Mellanby To Interview For Pittsburgh’s GM Position

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The Penguins aren’t wasting time when it comes to their sudden GM search.  Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that Pittsburgh has already received permission to speak to two of their desired candidates in Los Angeles (Ron Hextall) and Montreal (Scott Mellanby).

Of those two, Hextall is the only one with general manager experience at the NHL level as he held the post with Philadelphia from 2014 through late 2018.  He had been out of the league since then until rejoining Los Angeles as a senior advisor; he had previously served as their assistant GM before getting the job with the Flyers.

As for Mellanby, he has been with the Canadiens since 2012 after leaving St. Louis as an assistant coach.  He was promoted to assistant GM back in 2014 and has held that role ever since.  He has been a candidate for most vacancies around the league the last couple of years although he hasn’t gotten that opportunity just yet.

Meanwhile, current interim GM Patrik Allvin will get the first interview for the position.  He has been with Pittsburgh since 2006, holding several different roles along the way.  Rossi notes that Pittsburgh already has a shortlist of five external candidates to consider (although Rangers assistant Chris Drury isn’t likely to be granted permission to interview) although they will cast a wider net from there.  Their hope remains to have a decision made within the next month.

West Notes: Dunn, Avalanche, Balcers, Talbot

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The report earlier this week that the Blues are engaging in trade discussions around defenseman Vince Dunn came as a surprise to some but a slow start and eventual cap challenges once Vladimir Tarasenko is cleared to return is certainly among the reasons his name is out there.  In a reader chat, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posits another idea in that there is potentially a wide divide between what the team feels he’s worth versus what Dunn believes he’s worth.  Timmermann draws some parallels to former Blue Joel Edmundson who went year-to-year on his deal as the two sides were just too far apart to find common ground on a long-term agreement.  If that is indeed the case, moving Dunn now with three years of team control left after this one would make more sense than what happened with Edmundson who was moved to Carolina last year as salary ballast in the Justin Faulk trade.

More from the West Division:

  • The injuries continue to pile up for the Avalanche as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is expected to miss an extended amount of time, joining winger Matt Calvert and goalie Pavel Francouz in that particular category. Bellemare sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday’s game against San Jose.  Meanwhile, defenseman Devon Toews, who also briefly left yesterday’s contest, is also banged up with head coach Jared Bednar indicating that he’s unsure regarding the blueliner’s status.
  • Sharks winger Rudolfs Balcers has been cleared to play and will head to the minors for a conditioning stint, reports CapFriendly (Twitter links). The 23-year-old was claimed off waivers back on January 12th and received a non-roster designation the next day that lasted through today.  Balcers will be able to skate with AHL San Jose for up to two weeks before he must be recalled.
  • Minnesota is hoping to have goalie Cam Talbot available for their next game against Colorado on Saturday, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury with Kaapo Kahkonen making all three starts in his absence.  The team has sent Andrew Hammond back to the taxi squad while Dereck Baribeau has gone from the taxi squad to the minors, reports CapFriendly (Twitter links), suggesting that Talbot is indeed ready to return.

AHL Players Agree To CBA Modifications

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The Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA) has agreed to the AHL’s proposal regarding salary modifications for the upcoming season and a CBA extension, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link).  The agreement still has to be ratified by the Board of Governors but it is a significant hurdle that has been cleared with an eye on their season officially getting underway next week.

Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that players on one-way AHL agreements will be guaranteed 40% of their listed salary regardless of how many games are played.  Players on NHL two-way deals will be guaranteed 48% if they’re assigned to the AHL or to the ECHL.  No player will make less than $30K under the terms of the agreement which also carries a one-year CBA extension through the 2024-25 season.

While all professional leagues have certainly took a beating to their finances due to the pandemic, the AHL has been hit even harder as there is no significant television contract to fall back on.  They are an even more gate-driven league and without that revenue stream, they have had to cut down costs accordingly and guaranteed salaries were among those to take a hit.  Some teams have opted to play out of their practice facilities to keep game day costs down.

For most of the divisions, the season will get underway on February 5th with schedules ranging from 24 to 44 games in length.  The Canadian division has not yet been scheduled as Ontario still needs to provide approval for Belleville and Toronto while Calgary’s farm team has now relocated to Calgary with that being made official just yesterday.  Things look a lot different in the NHL this season and the same can certainly be said for the top minor league circuit.

Kevin Fiala Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has handed down a stiff penalty, suspending Kevin Fiala for three games after his boarding penalty last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note Fiala is entirely in control of how this play develops. From the time the puck is dumped in, he sees nothing but Roy’s numbers. This is not a case of a player turning his back immediately prior to contact in a way that turns a legal body check into an illegal one.

While we acknowledge Fiala’s assertion that he did not intend to cause Roy’s impact with the boards, the contact is delivered at high speed and at a dangerous distance from the boards. The onus is on Fiala to create a new angle of approach that allows him to deliver this hit legally, avoid the hit entirely, or at the very least minimize the contact to ensure this is not a dangerous play.

Fiala has not been suspended previously, but Roy did suffer an injury on the play and was forced from the game. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that Fiala will forfeit $77,586 in salary for the suspension.

It will also go on his record and be taken into account for any future incidents. Fiala will miss three straight games against the Colorado Avalanche, a tough blow for the Wild who are directly behind them in the standings.

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