After last night’s light schedule, today has been and will be full of NHL games. Highlights include a classic Saturday night rivalry matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, a Metropolitan Division showdown between the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes and a 2018 Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. As fans across the hockey world soak in the wealth of games to be played tonight, teams in foreign and minor leagues are tweaking their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.
- Reid Duke, the first ever Vegas Golden Knight, has transferred to the Slovakian capital. HC Slovan Bratislava have signed Duke, 26, after he spent 16 games with rival Slovak club HK Nitra. It was Duke’s first professional season in Europe, having spent the past half-decade as a minor leaguer in the Golden Knights organization.
- The ripple effect of today’s news that Cole Caufield will miss the rest of the season has stretched to all three levels of the Montreal Canadiens organization. Laval Rocket star Alex Belzile was called up to the NHL roster, and taking his spot in the AHL is forward Ryan Francis. Francis, 21, was a fifth-round pick of the Calgary Flames at the 2020 draft. He starred for the Saint John’s Sea Dogs in the QMJHL last season, and won the Memorial Cup. He’s had a solid professional debut this year, scoring 21 points in 31 ECHL games, and now he’ll head to Laval with a chance to impress at the AHL level.
- With yesterday’s news that goaltender Daniil Tarasov has returned from injury, the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters have sent goalie prospect Pavel Cajan to their ECHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings. Cajan, 20, is an undrafted prospect who is in his first season as a professional. He’s struggled in the AHL thus far, with an .879 save percentage on a talent-depleted Cleveland team, although he has fared better in the ECHL, with a 3-0 record and .964 save percentage.
- Netminder Joe Murdaca has now landed on his fourth ECHL roster of the month. The 24-year-old former QMJHL goalie has been signed by the Atlanta Gladiators. Gladiators netminder Tyler Parks was called up to the AHL yesterday, so the team needed a goalie, hence this signing of Murdaca. Murdaca, a champion in both the OHL and QMJHL, has a .897 save percentage in 26 career ECHL games.
- Two players who were set to be released by their ECHL clubs yesterday, Neil Robinson and Brennan Blaszczak, were claimed off of waivers. Robinson, 27, is headed to the Jacksonville Icemen, his third team of the season, while Blaszczak, 26, was claimed by the Tulsa Oilers.
This page will be updated with any new notable moves.