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Archives for January 2023

Morning Notes: Tinordi, Kane, Boldy, Brassard

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Things might not be going so well on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks this season and while falling down the standings might be the ideal situation for now, the team does still need to ice a healthy lineup for several reasons. For one, the team will need to assure its prime trade assets, such as Patrick Kane, are healthy in order for the team to trade them and maximize their return. For those who might not necessarily be on the move, the team will still want a mix of veterans, perhaps like Jarred Tinordi, in the lineup, along with their young players who need time and experience to develop.

It appears Chicago might have some news on both of the aforementioned players. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, Kane participated in the Blackhawks’ morning skate once again this morning. The winger, who has been skating, missed the team’s game Friday against the Arizona Coyotes and will not play tonight either, adds Powers. Tinordi, who suffered a facial fracture back on December 18th against his former team, the New York Rangers, was also spotted on the ice this morning by NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis.

  • The Minnesota Wild are dealing with a difficult cap crunch at the moment which has made, and will continue to make, extending their players and bringing in new ones rather challenging. One player the team will certainly have to work in a new contract for is 21-year-old Matt Boldy. The second-year forward is in the final year of his entry-level contract, set to hit the RFA market this summer. Fortunately, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports, both the Wild and Boldy’s agent, Brian Bartlett, have begun working on a new deal. Russo adds that talks are in the very early stages, but the expectation is that Boldy’s next contract will be a bridge deal.
  • After a brief recall to the AHL, the Providence Bruins have sent netminder Francois Brassard back to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, according the AHL’s transactions page.. The 28-year-old has spent the majority of his professional career in the ECHL, but did have a five game stint with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season. He didn’t play for Providence during this recent recall. Brassard did make headlines recently when he scored a goal for the Mariners back in December.

Vegas Golden Knights Activate Jonathan Marchessault, Alec Martinez

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The Vegas Golden Knights have activated two key players off of injured reserve: Jonathan Marchessault and Alec Martinez. These activations come after it was reported earlier today that both players were nearing returns.

Marchessault, 32, has missed six straight games with a lower-body injury. When healthy, he’s among the best forwards Vegas has to offer. He’s been with the team since the franchise first took the ice, and has been among their most productive players.

This season has been no different, as Marchessault has 27 points in 35 games. Marchessault is under contract for this season and next at a $5MM AAV, meaning he is inching toward the end of the six-year extension he signed in 2018.

Marchessault’s return to the lineup could allow Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy to re-unite the “misfits” line, putting the talented Canadian forward back with William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Recently, Karlsson has been skating with Paul Cotter and Phil Kessel, while Smith has played with Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy on the team’s top line.

Martinez, 35, is a crucially important defenseman for the Golden Knights, and his return could help lessen the load shouldered by younger blueliners such as Brayden Pachal.

Martinez averages the third-most ice time on the penalty kill for Vegas and should help stabilize a defensive corps that has suffered some significant injuries. He has this season and next left on his $5.25MM AAV, and has scored five points in 37 games this year.

Minor Transactions: 01/07/23

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We’re in the full swing of the NHL season, and today featured a busy slate of games. The New Jersey Devils secured a thrilling overtime victory over their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, while the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout. There are seven additional games today for NHL fans to enjoy, and while hockey fans take in all the action, teams in foreign leagues, minor leagues, and junior leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.

  • Quinton Howden, a 2010 first-round pick and former NHLer, has found a new club to play for. The 30-year-old forward, who is the brother of Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden, has signed with Grenoble, the reigning French champions. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster year for Howden, who began the year on a tryout with Jukkurit in Liiga. He then joined Orebro for the Spengler Cup tournament, and now lands in France.
  • Former OHL Playoff MVP Logan Morrison has been traded to the Ottawa 67’s. His former team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, will receive a package of six draft picks in return, bolstering their ability to add talent via the OHL Priority Selection. Morrison, 20, is an elite scorer at the junior level, scoring 100 points in 60 games last season. He has 55 points in 34 games so far this year.
  • High-scoring QMJHL defenseman Kale McCallum has left his current team, the Val d’Or Foreurs. Reporting from Pierre-Olivier Poulin of Le Citoyen indicates that McCallum’s departure is due to the fact that the Foreurs did not trade him to a team with legitimate playoff hopes. He has scored 34 points in 36 games this year, and 69 points in 68 games last season. Per Poulin, McCallum will look to continue his career on the Canadian University circuit.
  • Veteran netminder Brad Barone, a well-traveled minor league veteran, has signed with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. The Nailers will be the ninth club Barone has suited up for in the East Coast league, having made his debut there in the 2014-15 playoffs. Barone signed an extension to continue his career with the Orlando Solar Bears in August and ended up playing 19 games for the club this season. He was released from that contract after the Solar Bears acquired 24-year-old Joe Murdaca, though, paving the way for today’s move. Barone has a .910 save percentage through 19 games this season and had an impressive .919 mark in 48 games in 2021-22.
  • The ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets acquired defenseman Max Balinson from the Reading Royals in exchange for cash considerations. Balinson, 26, is a former college hockey defender for both Arizona State University and Long Island University. The Komets will be his third career ECHL club, and he has four points in 15 games this season.
  • Former top WHL draft pick Rhett Rhinehart was released from his standard player contract today, per the AHL’s official transactions page. Rhinehart, 21, was the 13th overall pick by the Prince Albert Raiders at the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft and played parts of six seasons in the WHL. Rhinehart earned a one-year AHL deal from the Calgary Wranglers in August after attending Calgary Flames development camp. He made his professional debut at the ECHL level, and played in seven games for the Rapid City Rush.
  • Martin Gran, a top scorer in lower-level European leagues, has signed with Kristianstads IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish Hockey. Gran, 26, comes from Lillehammer, a team in the top division of Norwegian professional hockey, where he has scored 28 points in 27 games.

Snapshots: Penguins Injury Updates, Trade Deadline, Del Bel Belluz, Del Mastro

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan issued several injury updates earlier today. Firstly, Penguins forward Ryan Poehling did not practice due to injury, and his status is considered out day-to-day. Accordingly, Sullivan stated that Poehling is unlikely to play in the Penguins’ game tomorrow against the Arizona Coyotes. Next, Sullivan revealed that injured defenseman Jeff Petry skated after the official portion of practice. Petry has been out since December 10th and is on long-term injured reserve.

Sullivan also updated the media on the status of Tristan Jarry and Josh Archibald, stating that both are away from the team rehabbing in Pittsburgh, their statuses unchanged from the last update he issued. Finally, Sullivan noted that top defenseman Kris Letang remains away from the team with his family. Letang originally took a step back from the team for personal reasons on January 2nd.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The NHL trade deadline is still a ways away, but it isn’t too early to start taking a look at what deadline season might look like. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli did just that, taking a look at the market for third-party “cap brokers” who could use the retained salary function to help facilitate trades, in exchange for some compensation. (typically in the form of draft picks) Seravalli reports that the teams most interested in serving as a “cap broker” are the Coyotes, the Chicago Blackhawks, and Anaheim Ducks. He also listed the Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Florida Panthers as teams to potentially look out for in this space.
  • Both Blue Jackets prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz and Blackhawks prospect Ethan Del Mastro were part of a major trade in the OHL today. Del Bel Belluz, a 2022 second-round pick, and Del Mastro, a 2021 fourth-rounder, were sent to the Sarnia Sting in exchange for a package of forwards and draft picks. Both players are expected to play major roles for the Sting going forward, with Del Bel Belluz having scored 41 points in 34 OHL games so far this season, while Del Mastro played a role in Team Canada winning gold at the World Junior Championships.

Atlantic Notes: Edmundson, Jokiharju, Beck, Joseph

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After a relatively hot start, the Montreal Canadiens’ season has seemingly gone off the rails. The team is mired in a six-game losing streak, and has lost nine of their last ten games. The team also came in last place in the entire NHL last season, but the difficulties that have hit the Candadiens haven’t stopped some of their players from wanting to remain a member of the NHL’s most storied franchise.

One of those players who’d like to stay is defenseman Joel Edmundson, whose contract is expiring at the end of next season. As reported by The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin, Edmundson has communicated a desire to remain in Montreal despite trade rumors featuring his name. (subscription link) The 29-year-old blueliner didn’t have the best season last year, but he remains a crucial member of the team’s leadership group and had an impressive campaign two years ago as the Canadiens made a run to the Stanley Cup final. One does wonder, though, if the Canadiens would be best suited to retain Edmundson beyond the trade deadline and into next season when instead they could potentially trade Edmundson to another team seeking a rental defenseman in order to net a younger player or draft pick.

Some other notes from across the Atlantic Division:

  • Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato told the media, including the Olean Times Herald’s Bill Hoppe, that defenseman Henri Jokiharju could return to play in a week. The 23-year-old defenseman was placed on injured reserve on December 11th.  Should Jokiharju return at that point, the Sabres will likely need to create room on their roster, as they’re currently running a full roster of 23 players. Since they have seven defensemen currently active, it stands to reason that a depth blueliner such as Kale Clague would be the odd man out.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph has made progress in his recovery from a lower-body injury that’s kept him sidelined since early December. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Joseph wore a contract jersey during practice this morning, meaning he could be nearing a return to full health. The former Tampa Bay Lightning winger has scored nine points in 25 games this season and has scored 21 points in 36 games in his Senators career.
  • The Sabres have announced that two of the team’s top prospects, Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, have been re-assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Both Kulich and Rosen are returning from the World Junior Championships. Kulich has had a wildly successful year in the AHL so far, scoring 16 points in 24 games as an 18-year-old rookie, while Rosen has been solid, scoring 15 points in 25 games.
  • Canadiens prospect Owen Beck has been traded to another OHL club, sent to the Peterborough Petes as part of a major blockbuster deal. Beck, 18, was drafted 33rd overall by the Canadiens at the 2022 draft and has 40 points in 30 games in the OHL this season.

Arizona Coyotes Re-Assign Michael Carcone To AHL

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced that forward Michael Carcone has been re-assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

The move comes after Dylan Guenther was recalled back to the Coyotes roster, following the conclusion of the World Junior Championships. With Carcone sent down, the Coyotes now have an open spot on their roster in advance of tomorrow’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The move is one of major significance for the Roadrunners, as they get the AHL’s leading scorer back on their roster. The Coyotes called Carcone up to their active roster on December 27th, and he got into a total of six games for the team. In that six-game stretch, Carcone played over 13 minutes per game and managed to pot two goals.

The 26-year-old undrafted forward hasn’t been able to find sustained success at the NHL level just yet, but he’s been elite at the level below. In 27 AHL games this season, Carcone has scored 16 goals and 42 points. His numbers were strong last year as well, when he scored 41 points in 48 games, a performance that earned him a total of 21 games in the NHL.

The Roadrunners currently sit in the middle of the pack of the AHL’s Pacific division, so adding Carcone back to their roster will do wonders as they attempt to climb their league’s standings.

St. Louis Blues Recall Tyler Tucker

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The St. Louis Blues have announced that defenseman Tyler Tucker has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

In order to create room to add him to their roster, the team has placed forward Logan Brown on injured reserve.

This move brings Tucker back to the Blues roster just a few days after he was sent back down to the AHL. With Steven Santini up to the Blues roster as part of that transaction, this recall gives the Blues eight defensemen on their active roster.

The recall of Tucker, then, could be motivated by recent news that Nick Leddy will miss tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens due to injury. With Leddy out of commission, Tucker’s recall gives the team seven healthy blueliners to work with.

Tucker, 22, is a nice developmental success story for the Blues. St. Louis selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, 200th overall, and let him marinate for a few years in the OHL. He had a solid season in the AHL last year, helping the Thunderbirds reach the Calder Cup final, and earned his first few NHL games this season.

He’s averaging 13 minutes per game in the NHL this season and has registered six blocked shots and eight hits through four games of action. At the AHL level, Tucker has played in a top-four capacity and has posted 13 points and 45 penalty minutes in 25 games.

West Notes: Leddy, Dach, Knyzhov, White

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The Blues will be without defenseman Nick Leddy tonight against Montreal due to an upper-body injury, relays Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).  The 31-year-old is in his first full season with St. Louis after being acquired back at the trade deadline from Detroit last year.  While Leddy isn’t putting up the points that he did earlier in his career, he has been a steady presence in the top four, logging more than 21 minutes a night while contributing 11 assists in 39 games.  Head coach Craig Berube indicated that this injury is one that has been lingering for a while for Leddy and that he’s not sure how long the blueliner will be out.  Leddy joins a rapidly growing injured list for the Blues that also includes Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Torey Krug, among others.

More from the West:

  • Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach is on the move as Seattle of the WHL announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old from Kelowna for two players and three draft picks. The center was injured while playing for Canada at the World Juniors but is expected to recover well before the playoffs begin in March.  Dach has already signed his entry-level deal with Chicago and will be able to play in the minors next season making this a pure rental on the part of the Thunderbirds.  Dach has 17 points in 14 games so far this season.
  • Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov appears to be well ahead of schedule as he works his way back from Achilles surgery, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Knyzhov has yet to play in nearly 20 months due to a variety of injuries with this latest one coming in August and carrying a six-month recovery timeline.  The 24-year-old was a regular on San Jose’s blueline when he last played in 2020-21 and while he’ll undoubtedly need some time in the minors to get back up to speed, he has been participating in full practices which suggests that game action could be coming sooner than later.
  • Stars prospect Gavin White is on the move in the OHL as Peterborough announced that they’ve acquired the blueliner as part of a multi-player swap. The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Dallas last year (112th overall) and was quite productive for Hamilton before this move, averaging a point per game in 22 contests.  White, who hasn’t signed yet with Dallas, is eligible to play in the minors next season but could also return for his overage year in junior.

Pacific Notes: Kylington, Golden Knights, Fanti

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While the Flames have been without defenseman Oliver Kylington all season so far due to a personal matter, GM Brad Treliving told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that they’re not giving up on the idea that he will be back at some point in the second half.  Kylington had a breakout year in 2021-22, collecting 31 points in 73 games, earning himself a two-year, $5MM contract in the process and his return would certainly be a big boost to Calgary’s back end.  At the moment, there haven’t been any discussions with him about when he might be able to return but with the trade deadline now less than two months away, it stands to reason that those conversations will be taking place at some point in the near future as if Kylington isn’t able to return, Calgary may have to make a move to find a replacement for the stretch run.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • There’s more help on the horizon when it comes to the Golden Knights. After getting center Jack Eichel and winger Paul Cotter back on Thursday, they could get winger Jonathan Marchessault back in the lineup tonight against Los Angeles, reports Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  The 32-year-old has missed six straight games with a lower-body injury but still sits third on the team in goals with 14.  Gotz adds that defenseman Alec Martinez also has a chance to return tonight although, with the team off until Thursday after this game, they could opt to give him a few more days of rest.  The veteran has been out for four straight games after being injured in the Golden Knights’ first game after the holiday break.  He has five assists in 37 contests this season.
  • The Oilers have re-assigned goaltender Ryan Fanti to Fort Wayne of the ECHL, per the AHL’s transactions log. Edmonton signed the 23-year-old to an entry-level deal back in March but he has struggled in his first full professional season, posting a save percentage below .900 in both the AHL and ECHL.  He had a 3.46 GAA and a .895 SV% in seven games with AHL Bakersfield during his seven-week stint with the Condors.

Oilers Assign James Hamblin To AHL

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The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves today in advance of their game tonight against Colorado.  The team announced (Twitter link) that forward James Hamblin has been assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL.  So too has Justin Bailey after he cleared waivers earlier today following having his AHL deal converted to an NHL one on Friday.

The 23-year-old has been a nice success story for Edmonton this season.  After playing well with the Condors last season, the team gave the undrafted free agent a two-year, entry-level contract back in March with the hopes he’d eventually play his way into an NHL opportunity.  He had a strong stretch in training camp before being one of their final cuts.

Hamblin got off to another good start in the minors with nine points in 15 games, earning himself a recall in late November.  He had been up with Edmonton since then, seeing action in ten games.  While he didn’t record a point, he won over 64% of his faceoffs while logging just shy of nine minutes a night.  However, Hamblin has played just once in the last two and a half weeks which isn’t ideal for a prospect so he’ll head back to the Condors where he’ll see more regular ice time.  As a result of his demotion, the Oilers now have an open spot on their active roster.

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