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Archives for January 2023

Minor Transactions: 01/21/23

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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. 

Injury Updates: Ekblad, Bennett, Slavin, Foligno

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Just as the Florida Panthers have begun to make a real push to climb the Eastern Conference standings, the team has been hit with a rash of major injuries. The team is down to an Alex Lyon–Mack Guzda tandem in net, and now it seems they could be without their top defenseman. The Panthers have announced that 2014 first-overall pick Aaron Ekblad and 2014 fourth-overall pick Sam Bennett each suffered an upper-body injury in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Per the team, Eklbad is doubtful to return, while Bennett has been ruled out. Ekblad is no stranger to injury troubles, as he has missed chunks of time in each of the past two seasons. Ekblad hasn’t escaped the Panthers’ team-wide regression from their President’s Trophy-winning form of last season, but he still has scored 20 points in 36 games and averages 24 minutes a night. While the emergence of Brandon Montour might help the team weather any extended Ekblad absence, this news is still unwelcome for a club desperate to gain ground on other contenders.

Some other injury notes from tonight’s games:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that defenseman Jaccob Slavin has suffered a lower-body injury, and will miss tonight’s game against the New York Islanders. With Slavin out, the Hurricanes will be missing one of the NHL’s best defensive defensemen. Offseason trade acquisition Dylan Coghlan has moved into the lineup in Slavin’s place, and will have a chance to put some quality play forward in the absence of Carolina’s top blueliner.
  • The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Marcus Foligno will miss tonight’s game against the Panthers due to a non-COVID illness. While this is unlikely to keep him out of the lineup for any extended period, it does come as another piece of bad news in a difficult season for Foligno. The 31-year-old forward scored 23 goals last season and has seen much of that offense dry up this year, as he’s scoring at just a nine-goal 82-game pace.

Pacific Notes: Meier, Ryan, Boudreau

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Talented San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier has been the subject of intense trade rumors in recent weeks, and he could be one of the most sought-after wingers on the trade market over these next few months. The 26-year-old Swiss national has scored 26 goals this season and leads all Sharks forwards with 46 points in 46 games. Meier is a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and is owed a $10MM qualifying offer should the Sharks (or another team) want to keep his RFA rights.

Meier’s agent, former NHLer Claude Lemieux, spoke to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News about his client’s situation, saying “we have not discussed a contract extension and we are very realistic of the possibility of Timo getting traded.” Meier’s expensive qualifying offer makes his status on the trade market somewhat complex, as some teams may only be able to afford to acquire him as a one-year rental. But in any case, it seems that the prospect of the Sharks dealing one of their most valuable players is becoming more and more realistic with each passing day.

Some other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • The Edmonton Oilers are considering signing depth forward Derek Ryan to a contract extension, writes The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. (subscription link) The 36-year-old is playing on a $1.25MM cap hit this season, and Nugent-Bowman makes it clear that the Oilers will communicate to Ryan that any contract offer would come at a pay cut, “with the understanding that Ryan would be battling for no more than an 11th forward position and could be scratched more often on his new deal.” A veteran of nearly 500 NHL games, Ryan has scored eleven points in 45 games for the Oilers this season.
  • One of the worst-kept secrets in hockey in recent weeks has been the Vancouver Canucks’ desire to move on from head coach Bruce Boudreau. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Canucks are expected to officially announce a coaching change in a Monday press conference, and that tonight is likely to be Boudreau’s last game as Canucks coach. The Canucks organization has faced significant criticism from media and fans alike for their handling of this expected coaching change, and now it seems their long-planned Rick Tocchet era is about to begin.

East Notes: Bobrovsky, Kleven, Fasching, Monahan

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The Panthers will be without goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for at least the next three games, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).  However, the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to return soon after that.  Bobrovsky suffered a lower-body injury early in Thursday’s victory over Montreal which was particularly noteworthy with Spencer Knight currently on injured reserve.  However, his conditioning stint is likely to be short-lived as he could rejoin Florida on Monday in advance of their back-to-back set.  If the Panthers are going to claw their way back into the playoff picture, they’ll need both of their regular netminders healthy and it appears they won’t have to wait much longer for that to be the case.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Senators prospect Tyler Kleven is expected to turn pro after this season, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The defenseman was a second-round pick by Ottawa in 2020 (44th overall) and the team tried to get him to sign before this season but the 21-year-old wanted to stay for one more year at North Dakota.  That year is going pretty well as Kleven has 11 points along with 52 penalty minutes in 21 games so far.
  • Islanders winger Hudson Fasching is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 27-year-old missed Thursday’s game and did not take part in the morning skate today.  Despite the setback, it has been a successful season thus far for Fasching who has played in a career-high 19 games so far, notching three goals and two assists while logging over a dozen minutes a night.
  • While the Canadiens lost a key forward in Cole Caufield today, they’re closer to getting another one back as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter link) that center Sean Monahan took part in the morning skate in a non-contact jersey. The 28-year-old has missed the last six weeks with a foot injury but had gotten off to a good start before that with 17 points in 25 games.  A pending unrestricted free agent, Monahan is expected to be one of Montreal’s top trade chips heading into the March 3rd trade deadline.

Maple Leafs Have Shown Interest In Jake McCabe

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With veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin out indefinitely and with it not appearing as if he will be back anytime soon, there has been an expectation that the Maple Leafs will look outside the organization to try to shore up their back end.  It appears one of the options they’re interested in is Blackhawks blueliner Jake McCabe, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link).

The 29-year-old is in his second season with Chicago after spending his first eight NHL seasons with Buffalo.  While McCabe isn’t known for his point production (the 22 he had last season stands as his career-high), he has been a quality defensive defender that can block shots and play with a physical edge which are some of the elements that Muzzin was bringing to the table for Toronto prior to his cervical spine injury.

McCabe has two seasons left on his contract after this one that carries a $4MM AAV.  On the surface, it would be difficult to see McCabe fitting into Toronto’s salary structure but there are a couple of ways it could potentially work.  The first would be convincing Chicago to retain part of the contract to help make the money work; teams can retain up to 50% in a trade.  However, getting them to hold back that much would undoubtedly make the acquisition cost considerably higher, especially with the term left on the deal.

The other option is one that they’ll have to wait on for a while.  Muzzin is expected to be re-evaluated at some point next month and if they get word that the veteran won’t be back at all this season, Toronto could then fit McCabe’s full AAV into their LTIR pool which includes Muzzin’s $5.625MM AAV.  There would still be some questions about making the money work beyond 2022-23, however, barring some sort of indication that Muzzin’s injury is going to continue to linger.

Worth noting is that McCabe also has a seven-team no-trade clause.  While Seravalli notes that the majority of those no-trade teams are Canadian franchises, the Maple Leafs appear to be the one exception which would suggest that he’s amenable to joining them.

Again, with Muzzin’s situation, this isn’t a move that the Maple Leafs will be able to make until they get some further clarity on their veteran.  But that doesn’t stop them from exploring their options in the meantime and McCabe is certainly an interesting target to help replace a lot of what Muzzin brought to the table when he was healthy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Jets, Tarasenko, Avalanche

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The Jets find themselves in a situation that not many expected them to be in at this point of the season as they’re battling for first in the Central Division.  They also happen to have some cap flexibility unlike several of their competitors so they’re likely to be buyers over the next six weeks.  To that end, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that Sharks winger Timo Meier could be the right target for Winnipeg.  While a $10MM qualifying offer looms large, that can be overcome with a long-term agreement beforehand while it could also offer some insurance with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Connor Hellebuyck (plus potentially Pierre-Luc Dubois) all set to hit the open market in 2024.  Winnipeg has all their first-round picks and some young prospects that might be intriguing to San Jose should they decide to move on from the 26-year-old.

More from the Central:

  • While Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko won’t play tonight, he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hand injury, reports Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The veteran suffered the injury on New Year’s Eve and was supposed to be re-evaluated in four weeks to see how much longer he’ll be out.  However, he has already returned to practice and it seems like a matter of days at most before he’ll be able to return.  Tarasenko has 29 points in 34 games this season and would be a welcome addition back to the lineup as St. Louis looks to claw their way back into the playoff race.  If that doesn’t happen, he’ll be an intriguing rental option for teams at the trade deadline.
  • After not picking until the sixth round of the draft last year, it would be understandable for the Avalanche to want to hold onto their first-rounder this season, especially since their next-highest pick is in the fifth round. However, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post posits that with their track record when it comes to first-rounders that are in the back half, they’d be better off moving it to aid in their push for a playoff spot this season.  Colorado enters play today tied for the final Wild Card spot in the West in large part due to a long list of injuries but if and when they can get healthy, they would likely be viewed as a contender even with a lower seed.

Atlantic Notes: Bergeron, Motte, Bertuzzi

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Load management is a term that has become more commonplace in the NBA in recent seasons but it’s not something that’s typically done with any sort of regularity in the NHL.  However, that could be changing as Bruins center Patrice Bergeron acknowledged to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that the team has talked to him about the possibility of selectively resting him down the stretch.  The 37-year-old is in the midst of another strong season and has 36 points in 45 games so far while anchoring their top line but at his age and the minutes he has logged over the years, a night off here and there might not be a bad idea.  Of course, it certainly helps that Boston has a 13-point lead on Toronto in the Atlantic Division, giving them a sizable cushion that lessens any risk from attempting to give their top center some extra rest.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Senators winger Tyler Motte’s recovery from a finger injury isn’t going as well as the team hoped, notes Postmedia’s Ken Warren. The 27-year-old suffered the injury just before the holiday break and will now be out until after the All-Star break and bye week.  Motte was a late signee in the offseason, inking a one-year, $1.35MM deal with Ottawa but things haven’t gone accordingly to plan this season as he has been relatively quiet when he has been in the lineup with just three goals and six assists in 32 games.
  • While the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Bertuzzi won’t be available tonight due to injury, it’s not expected to be a long-term issue, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. It has been a year to forget so far for the 27-year-old who has been limited to just 15 appearances thus far after breaking both hands this season.  Bertuzzi has just a goal and four assists when he has been in the lineup, hardly the type of year he was hoping for as he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.

Tomas Nosek To Miss At Least Four Weeks

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The Bruins will be without a key depth veteran for the next little while as the team announced that center Tomas Nosek suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left foot on Thursday night.  He will miss at least the next four weeks due to the injury and will be re-evaluated at that time.

The 30-year-old is in his second season with Boston after signing a two-year, $3.5MM deal with them last summer.  Nosek is one of their most-used penalty killers, ranking second to only Charlie Coyle in shorthanded ice time among forwards while he has won over 58% of his faceoffs, good for second on the team behind Patrice Bergeron.  Offensively, he has chipped in with three goals and five assists in 42 games but his biggest contributions certainly come at the defensive end.

Notably, this injury dropped the Bruins down to 11 healthy forwards on their active roster so a recall from AHL Providence was expected.  While not announced by the team yet, they have recalled forward Joona Koppanen, per the AHL’s transactions log.  While they have next to no cap space, they do have plenty of flexibility in LTIR with Jake DeBrusk and his $4MM AAV on there while Nosek is eligible to be moved to LTIR as well considering how long he is set to miss and Koppanen’s recall will trim that space.

Islanders Recall Aatu Raty, Cal Clutterbuck Out Indefinitely

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Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday against Buffalo that will keep him out indefinitely.  The team has decided who will take his place on the roster, announcing (Twitter link) that center Aatu Raty has been recalled from AHL Bridgeport.

Raty is in his first full season in North America and has spent the bulk of the year so far in the minors, notching seven goals and eight assists in 27 games.  The 20-year-old has gotten into seven games with New York as well, collecting a pair of goals while averaging 8:25 per game.

Notably, Raty was still 19 as of September 15th which means the nine-game threshold for junior-aged players still applies.  Once he plays in his tenth NHL game this season, he will officially burn the first year of his entry-level contract.  If he plays in fewer than that, he’ll still have three years left on his contract after this season.  That’s something the team will certainly be keeping in mind with this move.

If Raty sticks around for a while on this recall and pushes past that threshold, the next one for them to consider would be 40 games on the active roster which would accrue him a season of eligibility for unrestricted free agency.  However, they’re a long way from that point at the moment.

As for Clutterbuck, it has been a tough season for the 35-year-old who has battled an upper-body injury a couple of times already.  He has suited up in 34 games for the Isles, picking up four goals and four assists while chipping in with 130 hits.

Florida Panthers Loan Spencer Knight To AHL

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8:05 PM: According to CapFriendly, veteran forward Eric Staal was placed on injured reserve today, making room for the recall of Guzda. Staal lands on injured reserve after leaving yesterday’s game after a big reverse hit from Mike Matheson. Matheson earned a fine for the hit earlier today.

4:16 PM: It’s been a wild 24 hours for goaltending in South Florida, as Sergei Bobrovsky left last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens due to injury. Reigning Calder Cup champion Alex Lyon was forced into action, and he guided his team to a victory. Now, it seems there could be some more stability coming to the team’s equation in the crease.

The Panthers have announced that netminder Spencer Knight has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. The move has been made presumably with the intention of Knight staying in the American League for conditioning purposes. He’s working his way back from an injury that landed him on injured reserve ten days ago.

Knight has been solid this season even as the Panthers team around him has regressed. Through 19 games played, he has posted a .906 save percentage. He returns to the AHL level for the first time since last season, when he spent a total of eleven games in Charlotte. In his last tenure there he went 7-4 with a .905 save percentage.

With Bobrovsky’s health status still unclear, getting Knight back to full health will be crucial as the Panthers look to build momentum in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Along with Knight’s departure to the AHL comes the recall of netminder Mack Guzda to the Panthers’ roster. This recall is presumably of the emergency variety, as the Panthers currently don’t have room on their active roster for a third goalie.

Guzda, 22, is in the midst of his first professional season. He’s spent the entirety of this year in Charlotte, and has a 9-4-2 record and .908 save percentage in 16 games played for the Checkers. He’ll be expected to back up Lyon should Bobrovsky not be ready in time for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

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