Five games grace the NHL schedule this evening, as we get closer and closer to the March 21 trade deadline. Sam Reinhart will return to Buffalo to take on his old team as a member of the Florida Panthers and in the midst of a career year. With 18 goals and 52 points in 52 games, he’s on the verge of recording his first point-per-game campaign, while helping the Panthers become one of the most feared offensive juggernauts in the NHL. As they and other teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Veleno, with the team back in action tomorrow night. The 22-year-old rookie has five goals and ten points in 40 appearances for Detroit this season, but still isn’t quite living up to the hype that made him the 30th overall pick in 2018. To make room, the team has moved Carter Rowney to injured reserve.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Islanders have recalled Otto Koivula from the AHL, his third transaction in just a few days. The 23-year-old forward has played four games for New York this season but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Jean-Francois Berube to the minor leagues, meaning their goaltending situation is likely clearing up in the NHL. Berube, hadn’t played since the 2017-18 season before his recent stint with Columbus, making his 3-1 record and .924 save percentage even more remarkable.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Louis Domingue from injured reserve, but he’s headed back to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The third-string goaltender has played in just one game for Pittsburgh this season, stopping 40 of 41 shots for a win against the San Jose Sharks partway through January.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned Alex Lyon to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Lyon, 29, has played in 23 games for the Wolves this season and has a .911 save percentage. He has also appeared in 2 games for the Hurricanes and owns a .908 save percentage with the team.
Central Division
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Mackenzie MacEachern and Alexey Toropchenko from the AHL, while reassigning Dakota Joshua and Klim Kostin. The Blues have lost three in a row–two of those against teams well out of the playoff race–and obviously are looking for a change upfront. MacEachern, 27, has yet to play at the NHL level this season but does have over 100 games of experience with the Blues.
- The Minnesota Wild have activated Jordan Greenway off of injured reserve, and reassigned Mason Shaw to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in a corresponding move, Michael Russo of the Athletic reported. Greenway had been suffering from an upper-body injury, and has 14 points in 41 games this season. Mason Shaw, a 2017 4th round pick, has 33 points in 41 AHL games this season and has played in 3 NHL games for the Wild.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Sheldon Rempal from the AHL, loaning Phil Di Giuseppe down in his place. Di Giuseppe was recalled last month but didn’t actually get into a game at the NHL level, meaning he still has yet to make his Canucks debut. In the AHL though, the 28-year-old has 32 points in 35 games, the best offensive season of his career.
- Lukas Dostal has been returned to the AHL, this time without seeing any action with the Anaheim Ducks. The young netminder has appeared three times this season, posting a .929 save percentage and securing his first NHL win.
This page will be updated throughout the day.