An intriguing Sunday of NHL hockey is already underway, including a Stanley Cup Final rematch that sees the Chicago Blackhawks host the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Seattle Kraken making their first trip to Carolina, and playoff implications already, as the Minnesota Wild, in third place in the Central Division with 67 points, host the Dallas Stars, who are holding onto the second Wild Card in the Western Conference with 65 points. Despite all the action, there are still plenty of transactions happening throughout the NHL and AHL today:
Metropolitan
Atlantic
- To make room for today’s waiver claim in Olli Juolevi, the Detroit Red Wings have sent down center Joe Veleno to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Veleno, the 30th overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, has been productive at the AHL level this season with 10 points in 11 games. At the NHL level, though, he has had to adapt to a different role, and has 10 points in 40 games for the big club.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled goalie Spencer Knight to the NHL from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Knight, 20, is one of the top goalie prospects in hockey but has struggled so far this season with the Panthers, with a .898 save percentage in 18 starts. He has been better at the AHL level in Charlotte, though, with a .917 in 10 starts, and clearly his performance was enough to motivate the Panthers to bring him back up for another run as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled goalie Filip Gustavsson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Gustavsson has split time this season between Ottawa and Belleville. He has 13 NHL starts and a .896 save percentage in Ottawa, and 10 starts in Belleville where he has posted a .905 save percentage.
Pacific
- The San Jose Sharks announced that they have placed goaltender James Reimer on IR. In a corresponding move, they have recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Reimer had been having a solid season for the Sharks, posting a 2.84 goals against average and .916 over 34 games in net this season. Meanwhile, Hatakka will return to the NHL for the third time this season. The defenseman tallied just one assist in seven games for the Sharks this season, last playing November 18th against St. Louis. Hatakka was recalled for three days last week, but did not play. The 21-year-old has also suited up for 21 games for the Barracuda this season, recording one goal and three assists.
- The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have assigned winger Phillip Di Giuseppe to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Di Giuseppe has yet to get into a game with the Canucks this season after an energetic 2020-2021 campaign with the New York Rangers. He has been a crucial player in Abbotsford, though, with 11 goals and 32 points in 35 games.
- Edmonton Oilers interim head coach Jay Woodcroft has said, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic, that goalie Stuart Skinner will be recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors because incumbent starter Mike Smith is dealing with an illness. Skinner, 23, has been a lonely bright spot in net for the Oilers this season, with a .913 save percentage in 13 games played. Skinner also owns a .919 save percentage at the AHL level.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that they have recalled goaltender Lukas Dostal from San Diego of the AHL. The 21-year-old made his NHL debut back in January but has been in the minors for the last seven weeks and last week, had a 51-save performance while scoring his first career professional goal. Dostal will take the place of John Gibson who is out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced the recall of defenseman Daniil Miromanov from AHL Henderson. The 24-year-old has been up and down several times this season and has seven NHL games under his belt where he has an assist in just over ten minutes of playing time per game. Miromanov is in for Brayden McNabb who has been placed on injured reserve.
Central