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Archives for November 2021

AHL Shuffle: 11/21/21

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The NHL has typically lined up light Sunday schedules in the first half of the season, but the 2021-22 campaign has been different. The league is back at it today with seven games on the docket to follow up a dozen on Saturday. With some teams having to make changes on the fly for games today while others react to yesterday’s results or prepare for the week ahead, it could be a busy day for roster moves. Keep up with the shuffle right here:

Atlantic Division

  • One of an elite group, former Seattle Kraken forward Alex Barre-Boulet is back up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced. Barre-Boulet was re-claimed on waivers last month after suiting up for the Kraken in a pair of games earlier this season before hitting the wire again. Barre-Boulet has three points in seven games with Tampa so far this season, matching his total in 15 games last season.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have returned goaltender Cayden Primeau to the AHL, which implies that either Jake Allen or Carey Price are nearing a return to action. Primeau, who was recalled after Allen’s injury, started two games for the Habs but lost both with eight goals allowed on 65 shots. He heads back to the Laval Rocket for more seasoning.
  • Winger Joey Anderson is back up with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as tweeted by the team today. Anderson’s yet to suit up for the big club this season, but he’s tallied four goals and an assist in 11 AHL games with the Toronto Marlies in 2021-22.

Metropolitan Division

  • With his conditioning stint complete, defenseman Libor Hajek has been recalled by the New York Rangers. The question remains whether the once-promising prospect is now ready to get back into the NHL lineup – or if he will even be afforded that opportunity. It seems more probable than not that the next time Hajek plays for a team other than the Rangers, it won’t be the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack but instead another organization.
  • Just a day after sending him down to the Hershey Bears, Brett Leason is back up with the Washington Capitals today. In a corresponding move, the team re-assigned center Garrett Pilon to Hershey, per a team release. Leason, who has three points in 10 games, was sent down to make room for T.J. Oshie and Nic Dowd to come off injured reserve.

Central Division

  • Per The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild have recalled top defense prospect Calen Addison to fill in for captain Jared Spurgeon who was injured in Saturday’s match-up with the Florida Panthers. Although the Wild will continue their sunshine state swing with a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening, Russo expects that Addison will arrive from AHL Iowa in time to suit up. Addison scored his first NHL goal earlier this season in a brief two-game recall.
  • The Dallas Stars recalled forward Tanner Kero from Texas today, sending down Riley Tufte to complete the swap, per The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf. Kero’s got two assists in seven games with the big club this year, and he’ll now get a chance to add to those totals.

Pacific Division

  • After a short stint at the top level, Daniil Miromanov is returning to the AHL. The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that the big, offensive defenseman has been reassigned to the Henderson Silver Knights, where he has seven points in 11 games this season. The former KHL standout has not looked out of place in three NHL games this year.
  • The Anaheim Ducks recalled forwards Bo Groulx and Vinni Lettieri from the San Diego Gulls today, per a team release. Both have already spent time up in Anaheim this season, Groulx especially. The 21-year-old rookie has

Government Of Quebec Talks With NHL About Potential Nordiques Return

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On this week’s edition of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts intermission segment, Jeff Marek reported “public musings” from Quebec premier Francois Legault about the revival of the Quebec Nordiques, who played their last NHL season in 1994-95 before relocating to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche.

It continues what’s been a long-running push to bring NHL hockey back to Quebec City, but at virtually every point, the NHL has remained uninterested. While it’s unknown if their stance as changed, Legault has said publicly this week that the Quebec government plans to meet with commissioner Gary Bettman.

It’s strong messaging from Legault, who Marek reports went on to say that the government of Quebec would be willing to invest their capital in a project that would see the Nordiques return to Quebec. Marek notes that this project would be a consortium — rather, not a single investor or group that would be financially responsible for funding the team.

In terms of recent history, it seems unprecedented that a provincial government would provide significant financial backing for a professional sports team.

Marek reports that NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirms that he’s spoken over the phone with Legault, and while Daly admits dialogue may continue, he says “[the league] is obviously pleased with what we have right now.”

It’s worth noting that Quebec City does have a suitable venue in place. The Videotron Centre, which opened in September 2015, has a capacity of 18,259 for ice hockey. That’s greater capacity than highly regarded NHL arenas such as Madison Square Garden, the fresh-off-the-press UBS Arena, T-Mobile Arena, and TD Garden.

Injury Notes: Forsberg, Cousins, Brown

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The Nashville Predators are on a roll, winning seven out of their past 10 games, but they’ve been without their best forward in Filip Forsberg since early November. Placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, Forsberg is now “trending in the right direction” according to head coach John Hynes. Forsberg is now skating, a good sign for the 27-year-old Swede. At the time of his injury, he’d scored four goals and seven points in nine games while averaging a tick over 18 minutes per game. Forwards like Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene (both with 16 points in 16 games) have done an admirable job stepping up in his absence, but still, Forsberg’s return to this lineup gives this team an added scoring boost. Hynes notes, however, that there’s no definitive timetable for Forsberg’s return.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • There’s more good news on the Predators front, as the team’s activated forward Nick Cousins from injured reserve. Cousins was originally placed on injured reserve on November 7 and he’s missed the team’s past four games. The versatile 28-year-old forward has been spending most of his time on the wing this season, scoring three points in 12 games while averaging 12:24 per game. He’s expected to ride shotgun with Ryan Johansen and Eeli Tolvanen in his return to the lineup.
  • Newly claimed Philadelphia Flyers forward Patrick Brown didn’t get much of a chance to show what he can do with the team before suffering a dislocated thumb earlier in the month. Listed as week-to-week, Brown is now deciding between rehab or surgery for the thumb, per head coach Alain Vigneault. The 29-year-old Brown had gotten into just six games with Philadelphia, notching one assist while playing 9:18 per game. It’s a hit for a team that’s seen a lot of turnover in its bottom six in this short season, gaining Zack MacEwen but losing Nicolas Aube-Kubel to waivers.

Three New York Islanders Added To COVID Protocol

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Just under two hours ahead of the New York Islanders’ home opener against the Calgary Flames, Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelech, and Andy Greene were added to the NHL’s COVID protocol, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross.

It’s an extremely tough situation for the team, which now has six total players in COVID protocol. Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, and Ross Johnston were added over the past week. Their number one defenseman, Ryan Pulock, is on injured reserve.

The Islanders recalled forwards Richard Panik and Andy Andreoff as well as defensemen Grant Hutton and Paul LaDue today from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Hutton, along with Robin Salo, who the Islanders recalled earlier, could make his NHL debut.

Losing Beauvillier and Pelech, in particular, is tough to swallow for the Islanders, who sit third-last in the Eastern Conference with a 5-6-2 record after their season-opening 13-game road trip. Beauvillier is one of the team’s top point producers with three goals and seven points through 13 games this season. While Pelech has just two assists, he’s counted on for his defense, not his scoring ability. He’s averaged 21:07 per game and with a +4 rating, his minutes will be tough to replace.

Mika Zibanejad Removed From COVID Protocol After False Positive

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4:12 pm: Zibanejad experienced a false positive test and has been removed from COVID protocol, per a team tweet. He’ll be available for Sunday’s game versus the Buffalo Sabres.

10:09 am: The Rangers announced (Twitter link) before their practice today that center Mika Zibanejad has been placed in COVID protocol.  As is often the case with these announcements, there is no indication as to whether or not he tested positive or entered the protocol for another reason.

The 28-year-old is off to a bit of a quieter start by his standards this season, scoring just four times in 17 games although Zibanejad has chipped in with ten assists to place him fourth in scoring for New York.  Zibanejad once again leads the way in terms of ice time by a forward, logging over 20 minutes a game.  He’s in the final year of his contract that carries a $5.35MM AAV, a considerable bargain compared to the eight-year, $68MM extension that he signed last month.

Zibanejad tested positive for the virus prior to training camp for last season but that was only back in January.  If this is indeed another positive test, he would be out for at least the next ten days which would cause him to miss New York’s next four games at a minimum.  While that wouldn’t be enough time missed to accelerate their shopping for more forward depth, it would still be a tough blow to a team that has gotten off to a solid start this season with a 10-4-3 record.

Washington Capitals Activate T.J. Oshie, Nic Dowd

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The Washington Capitals activated forwards T.J. Oshie and Nic Dowd from injured reserve today, per a team release. In a corresponding move, the release states the team also reassigned forward Brett Leason to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Oshie’s been absent from the Capitals lineup since October 28, when he was designated as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. At the time, he was in the middle of a good start to the 2021-22 campaign with four goals and six points in seven games.

Dowd, however, has missed just a week and a half with this undisclosed injury. He’s been in and out of the lineup due to injury this year, but after the placement on injured reserve, the Capitals hope he’s good to go at 100%. The 31-year-old has a goal in nine games.

As Washington deals with a variety of absences that include Nicklas Backstrom, Anthony Mantha, and Lars Eller, Oshie’s and Dowd’s returns couldn’t come at a better time. Oshie likely returns as a veteran presence on a line with Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Garrett Pilon, while Dowd reprises his role as the fourth-line center between Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway.

Despite all the injuries, Washington’s soldiered on to a 10-2-5 record this year and sit at second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Decision Pending For Hurricanes Regarding Seth Jarvis

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While teams around the NHL have made decisions on most of the junior-aged players as to whether or not to send them back to their previous team – including one earlier today – another one is soon pending in Carolina’s Seth Jarvis.

Jarvis was a healthy scratch early on in the year which has bought the Hurricanes some extra time to evaluate his development.  However, he has played in nine games including today’s action which means the decision on whether or not to activate the first year of his entry-level contract will soon be upon them as that will occur in his tenth contest.

Jarvis has played better as of late, scoring in three straight games including today and is up to four goals and an assist on the season while averaging nearly 14 minutes per night.  That’s certainly enough playing time to justify keeping him around although GM Don Waddell will need to weigh that against the benefits of having Jarvis on the books for an extra year on his entry-level deal if his contract was to slide and end in 2024-25 with a slightly lower AAV on the books as well.  Mike Johnston, the coach of WHL Portland which is where Jarvis would go if he’s returned to junior, indicated to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he hasn’t heard which way the Hurricanes are leaning but that he doesn’t expect the youngster to return.

The other threshold that has to be brought up in situations like these is the 40-game one.  If a junior-aged player is on the active roster for 40 games, he accrues a season of service time, giving him a year towards UFA eligibility.  Some teams are okay with a player burning a cheap entry-level season but not losing a year of club control in the process.  Edmonton notably did that with Leon Draisaitl back in 2014-15.

So far this season, there has basically been a split on slide decisions.  William Eklund (San Jose), Hendrix Lapierre (Washington), Mason McTavish (Anaheim), and Jake Neighbours (St. Louis) were all returned while Dawson Mercer (New Jersey), Lucas Raymond (Detroit), and Cole Sillinger (Columbus) have all played past the nine-game mark already.  Carolina will soon need to decide which group their promising winger will be joining in the near future.

No Extension Talks Yet Between Rangers And Ryan Strome

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Throughout his tenure with the Rangers, Ryan Strome’s job security has seemed to be relatively thin.  Two years ago, the team acknowledged that they gave consideration to not tendering him a qualifying offer in part to avoid the risk of salary arbitration.  Instead, they agreed on a two-year, $9MM contract, one that ends in July.

For that money, New York has received a pretty good return.  Last season, the 28-year-old had 49 points in 56 games, the highest point per game average of his career (slightly besting his point per game average from 2018-19, his first full season as a Ranger).  This year, Strome is off to another good start with 10 points in 13 games.  Granted, a lot of that production has come alongside top winger Artemi Panarin but the combination has worked pretty well overall.

With that in mind, it would only seem logical for the two sides to be discussing an extension.  Not so fast, as Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports that there have been no such talks nor is there a plan for any to be held in the near future.

New York has some significant additions to their salary cap for next season which certainly plays a role in their current approach.  Mika Zibanejad’s AAV goes up by $3.15MM while Adam Fox goes from a base salary of $925K to a $9.5MM cap charge.  Add that to the likes of Sammy Blais, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexandar Georgiev all needing new deals as pending restricted free agents and all of a sudden, there isn’t a lot of money left; they have more than $70MM in commitments already per CapFriendly with the Upper Limit only expected to go up by a million or so for next season.

As a result, it looks like Strome could wind up being the odd one out even though it would open up a big hole inside their top six to try to fill, particularly internally with Filip Chytil looking like more of a bottom-six forward than a top-six option.  That’s something that GM Chris Drury will need to be mindful of as he looks to add to his current group with Blais out for the year.  In the meantime, Strome will look to pile up the points and hope that it will land him a sizable deal somewhere for next season, even if it’s not with Panarin and the Rangers.

AHL Shuffle: 11/20/21

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It’s another busy Saturday across the NHL with 24 teams in action today so it should be an active day on the transactions front as well.  We’ll keep track of today’s roster movement here.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Sharks have recalled center Noah Gregor and winger Jeffrey Viel, per the AHL’s transactions log. Gregor played in 30 NHL games with San Jose last season and had five goals but has yet to play with the Sharks this season.  Viel, meanwhile, was recently activated off SOIR and played his first game with the Barracuda last night.  He played in 11 NHL contests in 2020-21 where he had 23 penalty minutes.  Lane Pederson was placed on IR in a corresponding move.
  • A day after sending him back to Henderson, the Golden Knights have recalled defenseman Daniil Miromanov, the team announced (Twitter link).  The 24-year-old has an assist in three games with Vegas this season but has been more productive with the Silver Knights, recording seven points in 11 contests.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Ducks Return Mason McTavish To Junior

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Mason McTavish’s time with the Ducks this season has come to an end as the team announced that they have assigned the center back to Peterborough of the OHL.  Interim GM Jeff Solomon provided the reasoning for the decision:

While we are happy with Mason’s development to date, we believe it is in his best long-term interests to continue his development playing in the OHL for the remainder of this season and, hopefully for Team Canada in the upcoming World Junior Championships. Among other things, this move should afford Mason the opportunity to gain additional experience playing his natural center position, which we believe will be beneficial to Mason and the Ducks in the long run.

The 18-year-old, who was the third-overall pick in this year’s draft, made the team out of training camp but dealt with a lower-body injury early in the year which stopped his games played clock and actually created a window for him to be sent to AHL San Diego on a conditioning stint, something that can’t be done on a regular assignment as he’s too young to be sent down as part of the CHL-NHL agreement.  That allowed Anaheim to delay a decision on what to do with McTavish until now.

McTavish posted decent numbers offensively with two goals and an assist in his nine games but struggled on the possession side of things.  What certainly would have complicated the decision for Anaheim is that they’re banged up at the moment with wingers Max Comtois, Max Jones, and Rickard Rakell all out with injuries which has thinned their forward depth as a result but they’ve opted for the longer-term play here.

With this move, Anaheim will not activate the first season of his entry-level deal meaning that McTavish will still have three years remaining on his three-year contract after this season while the Ducks will still have seven seasons of club control.  Meanwhile, McTavish will go back to Peterborough, a team he hasn’t spent a lot of time with since that league didn’t play at all last season; he last suited up for the Petes more than 18 months ago.

Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was the first to report McTavish’s assignment.

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