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Archives for February 2023

Ducks Recall Lukas Dostal

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The Ducks have decided to swap out their backup goaltenders, announcing that they’ve recalled Lukas Dostal from San Diego of the AHL.  In a corresponding move, Olle Eriksson Ek was returned to the Gulls.

Dostal got into seven games with Anaheim on his first recall earlier this season, posting a 3.53 GAA along with a team-high .909 SV%.  The 22-year-old has spent the bulk of the year in the minors, playing in 34 contests with San Diego where he has a 2.97 GAA with a .912 SV%, earning himself an appearance at the AHL All-Star game which was earlier this week.

As for Eriksson Ek, he backed up John Gibson last night with Anthony Stolarz dealing with a lower-body injury that has him listed as day-to-day.  The 23-year-old has yet to make an NHL appearance and has struggled considerably in the minors this season with a 4.79 GAA and a .851 SV% in 13 games, numbers that are significantly worse than his first three seasons in North America.

Sharks Recall Aaron Dell

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The Sharks have made a roster move in advance of their game tomorrow against Washington as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Aaron Dell from AHL San Jose.

The veteran has gotten into a pair of games for the Sharks this season, stopping 61 of 68 shots in a pair of losses.  Those appearances make it that the 32-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last seven years.  That’s not bad for an undrafted goaltender who turned pro at the age of 24.

Dell has spent most of the season with the Barracuda, posting a 3.23 GAA and a .898 SV% in 21 appearances as he splits time with prospect Eetu Makiniemi.  Those numbers are a bit weaker than his performance from a year ago when he was in Buffalo’s system.

It’s unclear which goaltender Dell is being called up to cover for.  Kaapo Kahkonen has played in both games since the All-Star break while James Reimer served as the backup.  It would appear one of them is either injured or sick for this recall to be needed.  San Jose had an open roster spot available so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Dell up.

Los Angeles Kings Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Los Angeles Kings are getting a pair of forwards back from the injured list. The team announced today that Arthur Kaliyev and Trevor Moore were activated from injured reserve, and defenseman Jacob Moverare has been recalled from the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

It’s been more than a month out of the lineup for Moore, who signed a five-year contract extension in December. Placed on injured reserve in early January with an upper-body injury, he actually last played before Christmas. All told, it’s been a 16-game absence for the 27-year-old.

The late bloomer has had another successful offensive campaign in SoCal, recording seven goals and 19 assists in 37 games. One of the Kings’ most important secondary scorers, they’ll be ecstatic to have Moore back in the fold as they try to hang in the Western Conference playoff race.

Kaliyev exited the lineup just days before Moore with an undisclosed injury. The 21-year-old forward has been extremely productive in limited ice time, recording nine goals in 19 points in 34 games despite largely sitting in a bottom-six role. The 33rd overall selection in 2019, Kaliyev has incredible scoring potential and could fight for more minutes as the season progresses.

Moverare comes up from the minors to give the Kings an extra defenseman on the roster. The 24-year-old Swede has been shuttled up and down multiple times this season but has played just two games with the Kings. In 35 games with the Reign, he has two goals, 10 assists, and 12 points.

Kieffer Bellows Clears Waivers

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Feb 11: Bellows has cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Philadelphia is cleared to assign him to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Feb 10: The Philadelphia Flyers have placed Kieffer Bellows on waivers today, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. This is his third stint of the season. Bellows cleared on December 2 but has spent enough time on the NHL roster to need them again before being assigned to the minor leagues.

It just hasn’t worked out for the 24-year-old Bellows, who has 12 goals and 26 points in 83 career games. Those have been spread out across parts of four seasons, with just 16 appearances this year. The 19th overall pick from 2016 got just a handful of shifts in the last two games with Philadelphia, and isn’t doing enough at either end of the rink to warrant consistent playing time.

The thing is, with a $1.2MM contract, he also will likely go unclaimed for the second time this season. Roster spots are valuable, even with rebuilding clubs, and the fact that he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the year likely actually decreases his value. Bellows would need a $1.2MM qualifying offer and is arbitration eligible, something no team will want to pay after this season.

It’s not that his time in the NHL is over. The Flyers could sign him for a more reasonable deal and keep trying to develop him into an asset. But right now, he’s just not getting it done. Through 15 games with Philadelphia, he has one goal on 23 shots and hasn’t seen a single second of penalty-killing time. That’s not the recipe for a regular fourth-liner, especially under John Tortorella’s effort-and-defense system.

Logan Thompson Out Week-To-Week, Vegas Recalls Laurent Brossoit

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Vegas Golden Knights All-Star netminder Logan Thompson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun. The team announced Saturday morning that Laurent Brossoit has been recalled from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights to stand in.

Thompson, 25, has been one of the best feel-good stories in the NHL over the past calendar year. Taking over the starting role late last season, Thompson played exceptionally well as the injury-stricken Golden Knights battled to make the playoffs but ultimately failed. It’s a different story this year, as Thompson, now the full-time starter, has the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division lead with a .914 save percentage and a 20-13-3 record in 36 games.

Thompson was credited with winning Vegas’ 5-1 win against the Wild Thursday but left the game early in the third period. Moving to his left, attempting to make a save on a flurry of plays, he appeared to strain something in his left leg and was helped off the ice.

In the interim, the starting role now falls to Adin Hill, who’s had an inconsistent first year in Vegas. He’s been on the upswing lately, though, a good sign for a Golden Knights team that can’t fall back in a tight Pacific race. Hill has a .909 save percentage and an 11-5-1 record in 20 games.

Brossoit comes up from Henderson after slipping to third on Vegas’ goalie depth chart after backing up Robin Lehner for most of last season. Injured to start the 2022-23 season, he was waived and assigned to Henderson after the strong play of Thompson and Hill. Now in his potential first NHL opportunity this season, Brossoit has two shutouts, a .909 save percentage, and an 8-11-3 record in the minors.

Injury Notes: Slavin, Brodin, Raymond

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Carolina Hurricanes top defender Jaccob Slavin is returning to the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers, according to Hurricanes content producer Walt Ruff.

Slavin had missed the past six games before the All-Star break with a lower-body injury. His last game was on January 19, leaving late in a matchup against the Minnesota Wild. Carolina has won all six games in Slavin’s absence, three of them in regulation, and they’ll look to continue a seven-game winning streak tonight in Raleigh. Slavin, averaging over 22 minutes per game this season, is expected to return to his spot on the top pairing alongside Brent Burns.

  • Another important shutdown defenseman is returning to the lineup: Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild. The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes he’s set to return to the lineup tonight against the New Jersey Devils alongside Matt Dumba on the second pairing. Brodin missed the team’s last two games with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old has two goals and eight points in 43 games this season, posting a +6 rating and 22:32 average time on ice.
  • Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond is absent from today’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury, ending his 132-game iron man streak. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press notes that Raymond suffered the injury in a collision with teammate Ben Chiarot yesterday during practice. Raymond’s status is day-to-day. The sophomore forward has 15 goals and 33 points in 50 games this season.

Latest On Jake McCabe

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Defensive defensemen with a top-four pedigree are always a hot commodity around the trade deadline. That hasn’t changed this year, as names like Columbus’ Vladislav Gavrikov expect to generate significant returns as March 3 approaches.

Another name in that conversation is Chicago Blackhawks defender Jake McCabe. Last month, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that McCabe was drawing interest from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic added to McCabe’s interest, noting that “multiple contenders” are interested and Chicago’s asking price revolves around a first-round pick, especially if they’re asked to retain salary.

Also driving McCabe’s value is his contract. He’s cost-controlled and signed for two more seasons at a cap hit of $4MM. Based on recent quotes from Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, that type of player is one for whom they’d be willing to part with a valuable asset. Dubas said earlier in the week that he’s hesitant to part with a first-round pick or a top prospect for a player on an expiring contract.

However, Toronto already has a group of six quality defensemen, and it’s unclear how McCabe would fit into the team’s roster. While Justin Holl is a pending unrestricted free agent, the team signed Conor Timmins to a contract extension earlier this week and has six NHL defensemen locked in for next season.

It shouldn’t diminish McCabe’s value, though. A first-round pick may be a steep asking price, but it could be worth it for a team on the precipice of winning a Stanley Cup. McCabe has continued to post strong advanced defensive metrics this season, even on a hapless Blackhawks team. He’s not a complete offensive liability either and has years of experience playing a top-four role.

McCabe has 15 points in 47 games this season, averaging 19:25 per game.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell

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The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Olle Lycksell from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Giana Han of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Saturday.

Lycksell, 23, comes to Philadelphia to replace the roster spot vacated by Kieffer Bellows after he either clears or gets claimed on waivers today. The one-for-one roster swap still leaves the Flyers with 12 healthy forwards on the active roster, as the team has not moved Zack MacEwen to injured reserve as he recovers from a jaw injury.

Drafted 168th overall in 2017, Lycksell is having an exceptional first season in North America. It’s already earned him some short call-ups, but he’s still searching for his first NHL point after three appearances earlier this season. In Lehigh Valley, he’s among the team’s leading scorers with nine goals, 25 assists, and 34 points in 34 games.

In contrast, Bellows has just one goal in 15 games with Philadelphia since being claimed on waivers earlier this season. He has nine points in 11 games with Lehigh Valley, where he’ll return if he clears waivers.

Lycksell will have to fight for increased minutes in the Flyers’ lineup. Youngsters like Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, and Wade Allison have had impressive campaigns and locked down spots in Philadelphia’s top three lines. Lycksell will likely replace Bellows’ spot on the fourth line alongside Nicolas Deslauriers and Patrick Brown, which is not an ideal spot for offensive production. The two have combined for just 12 points this season.

Morning Notes: Crouse, Bonino, Hughes

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New names will enter the rumor mill daily within three weeks of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. The jaw-dropping potential of holding a top-five pick in the 2023 NHL Draft should only exacerbate this, with Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov, Leo Carlsson, and others making up one of the most talented groups of top prospects in league history. While they won’t admit it, it’s a phenomenon that incentivizes flawed teams to get worse. It explains a surprising new name on Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli’s newest Trade Targets board, released Saturday morning.

Arizona Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse signed a five-year extension before this season, but Seravalli says that hasn’t stopped his name from popping up in trade conversations. He clarifies that Crouse isn’t someone Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong is actively looking to offload but notes that given the team’s position, he isn’t putting the phone down on any interested trade party. The 2015 11th overall pick has come into his own over the past two seasons, recording 36 goals and 62 points in 112 games across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns while logging heavy minutes. Locked into an attractive $4.3MM cap hit for four more seasons, he’ll need to garner a strong return for Arizona to consider moving on.

More chatter from the post-All-Star break weekend:

  • Another new name on Seravalli’s trade board is San Jose Sharks shutdown center Nick Bonino. In the final year of a two-season, $2.05MM average annual value pact, the 34-year-old Bonino can still provide value in a bottom-six role. He’s played both center and wing for San Jose this year, but is capable in the faceoff dot and brings Stanley Cup-winning experience. With nine goals and 17 points in 50 games and decent defensive play, he’s an ideal target for teams looking to shore up their fourth line. He could make sense for a team like the New York Rangers, who can now focus on improving their depth forwards after acquiring their big fish, Vladimir Tarasenko, earlier this week.
  • In positive news for New Jersey Devils fans, team reporter Amanda Stein confirms that center Jack Hughes and defenseman Brendan Smith are with the team on their current road trip, taking them through the Midwest and northeast United States over the next week. It’s a somewhat expected tidbit about Hughes, who’s listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury sustained in the past few days. While a return to action during their four-game road trip seems unlikely, it’s a good sign that he’s well enough to stay with the team. Smith is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury as of Thursday.

Trade Deadline Notes: Chychrun, Myers, Zaitsev, L’Heureux

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One of the top players on the market for this trade deadline season is Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. His trade saga has been in headlines for quite some time now, and a deal could finally be materializing for the former top prospect. We covered how the league-leading Boston Bruins were rumored to have interest in Chychrun, and now another team with interest has been revealed. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period cites “multiple well-placed sources” who say that “the Kings and Arizona Coyotes have taken things up a notch or two and have been in consistent dialogue over a potential trade.”

The Kings could use a left-handed blueliner like Chychrun, and have the sort of prospects and draft picks to interest the Coyotes. While 2020 second-overall pick Quinton Byfield is probably too much of an ask, the Kings do have the seventh-ranked prospect system according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. (subscription link) The Coyotes have reportedly set a high asking price for Chychrun, but whether it’s 2019 fifth-overall pick Alex Turcotte, Harvard star Alex Laferriere, or others the Kings have the capital to meet it.

Now, for some other notes regarding the trade deadline:

  • Pagnotta also reports that the Vancouver Canucks “have been engaged in trade talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs” regarding veteran defenseman Tyler Myers. While it might be quite the challenge to find a way to make the cap hit fit into the Maple Leafs’ current structure, Pagnotta did note that Toronto is not part of Myers’ no-trade protection, eliminating that potential barrier to a deal. While most (including PHR) have concluded that the Maple Leafs’ biggest needs for the deadline lie up front, it seems GM Kyle Dubas could be targeting help for his back end as well.
  • Another defenseman that could be on the move according to Pagnotta is Ottawa Senators blueliner Nikita Zaitsev. The Senators are reportedly “actively trying to move” Zaitsev, who played in 23 NHL games this season. According to the report, the price in order to incentivize a team to take on Zaitsev’s deal could be a second-round pick.
  • Nashville Predators 2021 first-round pick Zachary L’Heureux was indefinitely suspended by the QMJHL today. The Nashville Post’s Michael Gallagher reports that the incident in question saw L’Heureux allegedly poke a 16-year-old fan with his stick after his game against the Gatineau Olympiques. While these developments have no direct impact on the Predators’ chase of a playoff spot this season, what it could impact is their deadline possibilities. L’Heureux is one of the Predators’ top-ranked prospects and would have been one of their more valuable assets to be able to surrender in exchange for an impact NHL-er. With this indefinite suspension, it now seems highly unlikely that L’Heureux would figure in any deadline deal, meaning the team’s possibilities for who to acquire could change.

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