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Alex Galchenyuk Assigned To AHL

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Following their victory over Arizona on Friday, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forward Alex Galchenyuk back to AHL Colorado.

The 29-year-old was brought up on an emergency recall after Artturi Lehkonen suffered a broken finger but Galchenyuk wasn’t exactly productive during that stretch.  In the six games he played, he didn’t record a point while averaging less than six minutes per contest.  For the season, Galchenyuk has played in ten games with the Avs, putting up zeros across the board offensively.

To his credit, Galchenyuk has been much more productive in the minors, tallying 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 games with the Eagles.  His time with them has been the longest minor league stint of his career as prior to this season, he had played in all of six career AHL contests.

With Lehkonen and Evan Rodrigues (concussion protocol) both out of the lineup, the Avs will need to make a recall prior to Sunday’s game.  It could be Galchenyuk again but with his performance being underwhelming thus far, they might look to give someone else an opportunity to make an impression.

Flyers Injury Notes: Deslauriers, Tippett, Couturier, Konecny

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Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic is reporting that Nicolas Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t attend today’s optional practice. Deslauriers didn’t play in the Flyers 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild last night and is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. Deslauriers was supposed to be re-evaluated today, but no word yet if he will dress in Philadelphia’s game tomorrow evening against the Detroit Red Wings.

The 32-year-old Deslauriers has five goals and six assists in 70 games this season while playing just over ten minutes a night on the fourth line. His signing last summer was one of the more baffling moves that any team made as the Flyers elected to give a four-year contract with a modified no trade clause to a player that has never been able to score or remain in the lineup.

In other Flyers injury news:

  • Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia is reporting that Owen Tippett has been banged up this week and didn’t attend Flyers practice today. Tippett left practice earlier in the week, and when asked about it coach John Tortorella said Tippett was “Not serious, nicked up.” Tippett has taken massive strides this season for the Flyers after coming over from the Florida Panthers in last year’s Claude Giroux trade. Tippett has a career high 39 points in 66 games and has looked every bit the top-6 winger the Flyers hoped they were getting when they dealt their former captain.
  • Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted that Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny were both present at Flyers practice today and wearing regular contact jerseys. Couturier hasn’t played in over a year after having two back surgeries in less than nine months. The 30-year-old center has had a long road to get back and while it is encouraging to see him practicing with the team once again, it is unknown if he returns to game action in what has been a lost season for the club. Konecny on the other hand has been out since suffering an upper body injury in late February in a game against the Calgary Flames. Konecny had been having a stellar season with 54 points in 52 games before he was put on injured reserve. It was a bounce back season for the 26-year-old after struggling to score in the two seasons previous. Should Konecny return to the lineup soon, he will likely eclipse the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career.

Injury Notes: Chychrun, Zadina, Tanev, Stone

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Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Jakob Chychrun of the Ottawa Senators is doubtful to play Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Ottawa head coach DJ Smith was quoted by TSN’s Claire Hanna as saying that Chychrun, “tugged something there a little bit, we’ll see how he reacts to treatment here.”

Chychrun left Ottawa’s 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday after taking a hit in the third period. He was in obvious discomfort as he skated to the Senators bench before heading down the runway to the locker room. Smith said after the game that he didn’t believe it was an injury, but rather that it was cramping.

Since coming over to Ottawa in the March 1st trade, Chychrun has two goals and three assists in 12 games while averaging 21 minutes of ice time a game. Ottawa can ill afford to lose their prized trade deadline acquisition as they are running out of runway with just ten games left in the season. Ottawa sits five points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and will be in tough tomorrow as they do battle with the Devils in New Jersey.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • The Detroit Red Wings announced today that Filip Zadina is day-to-day with a lower body injury and will not be available for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Zadina also missed over three months earlier this season with a lower body injury after blocking a shot in early November against the New York Islanders. It’s been a tough season for the former Halifax Moosehead, he has struggled to stay on the ice, and when he has played, he has been largely ineffective with just seven points in 30 games. The 23-year-old had a career year last season with 24 points in 74 games but has yet to live up to the expectations the Red Wings had for him when they took him sixth overall in 2018.
  • Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg is reporting that Chris Tanev didn’t practice with the Calgary Flames this morning after missing their previous two games with a lower body injury. The 33-year-old Toronto native has 13 points in 61 games this season and has averaged over 20 minutes a night in ice time. Calgary is a long shot to make the post season with just nine games remaining on the schedule. They sit six points back of Winnipeg for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and would need to leapfrog Nashville who have 12 games remaining. Calgary can ill afford to lose Tanev’s defensive prowess as they battle down to the wire.
  • In a bit of good news for Calgary, injured defenseman Michael Stone has started skating on his own. Stone has missed the Flames last 17 games with a lower body injury that he suffered in late February. Stone has five goals and five assists in 46 games this season while averaging just over 13 minutes a night in ice time. He is hardly an option to replace Tanev should his injury be long term, but Stone could offer some additional depth for the Flames as they head into the final pivotal weeks of the season.

Cutter Gauthier Returning To NCAA For Sophomore Season

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers 2022 fifth overall pick Cutter Gauthier is headed back to Boston College for his sophomore season. Friedman tweeted that he doesn’t view this move as a surprise for the young forward, given that this is likely the best scenario for his development.

Gauthier returns to a club where he played mostly center last season on his way to 16 goals and 21 assists in 31 games. His 37 points were good enough to lead the Eagles in scoring and earn him a Hockey East Third Team All-Star selection.

Gauthier was a very coveted prospect at last year’s draft, and it is easy to see why. He is a center who can skate with good size standing 6’2″ and weighing 194 pounds. He is seen by scouts as a player that plays with a lot of pace who can burn defenders with a wide assortment of offensive tools. While his work with the puck is impressive, his work away from the puck is also quite good. He is seen as a player who is dangerous along the boards and can disrupt cycles and win puck battles.

Gauthier was born in Sweden when his father Sean Gauthier was playing goalie in the Swedish Elite League. However, he grew up playing hockey in the United States after his family moved back to North America. He has represented Team USA internationally on many occasions including the 2022 Under-18 World Championships where he had nine points in six games to help the Americans win a silver medal.

East Notes: Barzal, Levi, Kuraly

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New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert issued an update on his team’s star forward, Mathew Barzal, who has been out since the middle of February with a lower-body injury. As relayed by Newsday’s Andrew Gross, Lambert said that Barzal has not yet resumed skating, indicating that he is still a ways away from making his return to the Islanders’ lineup.

While a 7-2-1 run in their last ten games has gone a long way to put the Islanders in pole position for an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot, the Islanders remain a team below their full capabilities with Barzal out of the lineup. Despite facing some significant criticism in recent years due to the fact that he has not yet seen his numbers reach the heights they saw in his Calder Trophy-winning rookie year, Barzal remains the Islanders’ most talented forward and the skater on their roster most capable of taking over a game. He’s scored 51 points in 58 games this season, and his return would give the Islanders a major boost as they look towards a likely first-round matchup where they’ll be a significant underdog.

  • Devon Levi, one of the game’s top goalie prospects, was on the ice today for Buffalo Sabres practice according to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. The former Northeastern Husky earned a three-year entry-level deal jam-packed with performance bonuses and remains on the Sabres’ active roster. While it’s not officially clear whether Buffalo plans on getting Levi some NHL action over the course of the rest of this season, his presence with the team and on their roster, rather than with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, indicates that the team could be leaning towards giving Levi a chance against NHL competition.
  • Veteran Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly is returning to the lineup for his club’s game tonight against the New York Islanders. As team reporter Jeff Svoboda notes, Kuraly was originally projected to miss the rest of the season with the oblique strain he suffered on March 2nd, but he now returns with a full 12 games left on the schedule. The longtime bottom-sixer has scored 10 goals and 17 points for the Blue Jackets this season, providing valuable grit and veteran leadership to a young Blue Jackets team.

AHL Notes: Hurricanes Prospects, Pouliot, St. Cyr

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The AHL’s Chicago Wolves brought two players in from Europe today, Hurricanes prospects Tuukka Tieksola and Ville Koivunen, according to a team announcement. Tieksola, 21, has already played 40 games for the Wolves this season, scoring 15 points. He was loaned back to Karpat in Liiga in February to help with their playoff push, but now after their elimination from Liiga’s playoffs, he’s back in North America. The 2019 fourth-rounder had five points in 11 games on his loan.

Koivunen, 19, is now put in a position to make his North American professional debut. The 2021 second-round pick has spent most of this season with Karpat and has scored a highly impressive 12 goals and 28 points in 52 games. By allowing him to get some games under his belt in Chicago, the Hurricanes organization is giving Koivunen a head start on getting the positive qualities of his game to translate to North American ice surfaces. While the Wolves have struggled immensely in their post-Calder Cup Championship season, adding two promising Finns to their lineup could spark a more energetic finish to their campaign.

  • The San Jose Sharks have reassigned defenseman Derrick Pouliot to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The 29-year-old Pouliot has been in the Sharks’ lineup mix since early March, and has played in a total of eight games for the team. He played a steady diet of minutes for coach David Quinn, and finishes with two points on his score sheet. With the Barracuda hoping to make one final push to conclude what has so far been a disappointing season, getting Pouliot (who has 21 points in 28 AHL games this year) will certainly give them a boost.
  • Dylan St. Cyr, a 23-year-old former NCAA goaltender, has signed an ATO agreement with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, per a team announcement. The signing comes off the heels of a solid final collegiate season for St. Cyr, who posted a .915 save percentage for the Michigan State Spartans. St. Cyr is the son of Olympic silver medalist and Tampa Bay Lightning exhibition goaltender Manon Rheaume, and he will get a chance to play some professional hockey just as she did.

Coyotes Notes: Ritchie, Dauphin, Imama, Smith, Farinacci

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Several updates on the Arizona Coyotes have come in today via PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, news regarding five players. The first bit of information is that trade deadline acquisition Brett Ritchie is returning to the team’s lineup after he missed their game against the Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury. Ritchie got off to a hot start in the desert, scoring four points in his first three games, but he was moved off of the team’s top line and received just nine minutes of ice time in Arizona’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, and has not registered a point since his three-point game on March 12th.

Now presumably back to full health or at least a healthier position, he’ll have the chance to re-enter coach Andre Tourigny’s lineup and put a good string of games together as the Coyotes enter the final stretch of their season. The 382-game veteran is on an expiring league-minimum contract and will be hoping that some quality play will earn him another NHL contract in a few months.

  • Coyotes forward Laurent Dauphin is injured and out on a day-to-day timeline. Though the 27-year-old is scoreless through 16 NHL games in Arizona this season, he has been a difference-maker for the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, scoring 16 goals and 41 points in 45 games. Like Ritchie, he’s on an expiring league-minimum two-way contract.
  • Forward Bokondji Imama is being sent down to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, per Morgan. He replaced Smith in the lineup for the team’s game against Edmonton and skated in just under seven minutes of ice time. He’s been up and down quite a bit from the NHL and AHL recently and has five total NHL games played in 2022-23. In the AHL, he has 13 points and 96 penalty minutes in 43 games.
  • To replace Imama on their roster, Arizona is recalling forward Nathan Smith. The former Winnipeg Jets prospect played in 10 NHL games last season after signing from Minnesota State University but hasn’t gotten onto NHL ice this year. He’s scored 11 goals and 25 points for Tucson, and will now be in a position to test his mettle against NHL competition once more.
  • Harvard University was defeated by Ohio State University in the first round of the NCAA’s Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, ending their season. With that loss as a backdrop, Morgan reports that it won’t be a surprise to see one of Harvard’s key players, John Farinacci, “sign quickly” with Arizona. The 22-year-old is a 2019 third-round pick who scored 19 points in 18 games this season as Harvard’s captain and would be expected to play a role in Tucson with the hope of developing into an NHL option.

A.J. Greer Suspended One Game

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3:45 PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety has suspended Greer for one game after his hearing. This suspension means Greer will miss Boston’s contest tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning,

10:00 AM: Boston Bruins forward A.J. Greer is facing a potential suspension, as a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety is scheduled today for a cross-check on Montreal Canadiens forward Mike Hoffman during Thursday night’s game.

The incident occurred late in the first period and resulted in a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for Greer. He approached Hoffman as the two teams were lining up for a faceoff, delivering a cross-check directly to Hoffman’s face.

Greer has been an unexpected story this season, becoming a full-time NHLer for the first time on one of the best teams in league history. The 26-year-old winger has played in a career-high 52 games this season for the Bruins after signing a deal in free agency, recording five goals, six assists, and a team-high 85 penalty minutes in a fourth-line role.

Hoffman missed most of the second period to receive care but did return to the game. If suspended, it will be the first supplemental discipline of Greer’s NHL career.

Avalanche Injury Notes: Makar, Rodrigues, Johnson

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The Colorado Avalanche will get a big boost to their lineup tonight, welcoming back defenseman Cale Makar as they take on the Arizona Coyotes, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.

Makar has been sidelined for the past two games with a lower-body injury and missed a combined nine games due to concussion protocols not too long before that. The 24-year-old Conn Smythe winner has once again been an all-world player for the Avalanche this year, recording 61 points in 55 games. With Makar back on the ice, Samuel Girard slides back down to a second-pairing role alongside Bowen Byram, giving Colorado its full complement of top-four defensemen.

There were more positive updates from Colorado practice today:

  • Forward Evan Rodrigues was practicing in a normal jersey on Friday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, suggesting he could be close to returning to the lineup. Rodrigues missed the team’s last game while in concussion protocol and remains day-to-day. The 29-year-old has recorded 33 points in 58 games this season, his first with Colorado. While he’s not currently projected to play tonight against the Coyotes, he could return when Colorado heads to Arizona on Sunday.
  • Also according to Baugh, defenseman Erik Johnson is set to return tonight against the Coyotes after missing 18 games with a broken ankle. This is close to the healthiest Colorado’s defense has been all season, with now only Josh Manson missing from the fold. The 35-year-old will skate in a bottom-pairing role alongside Jack Johnson in his return to the lineup.

Carl Dahlstrom Clears Waivers

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Mar 24: Dahlstrom has cleared waivers, per CapFriendly, clearing the way for him to be assigned to the Marlies.

Mar 23: While you don’t see players on waivers very often after the trade deadline passes, it happens occasionally. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Carl Dahlstrom on waivers, indicating that the veteran defenseman is ready to play after a long absence.

Dahlstrom, 28, suffered a serious shoulder injury in training camp that required surgery and has yet to play this season. By clearing waivers, he can be assigned directly to the Toronto Marlies, where he can get up to game speed.

Dahlstrom played three games for the Maple Leafs last season, but was a regular in the Marlies lineup, scoring 14 points in 49 games. While Toronto likely won’t need him for the NHL playoffs after acquiring so much defensive depth at the deadline, he does represent a potential emergency option should they suffer several injuries down the stretch.

His one-year, two-way contract will expire at the end of this season, making him an unrestricted free agent in the summer.

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