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Archives for March 2023

Canucks Sign Phillip Di Giuseppe To Two-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks have announced via a press release that the team has signed forward Phillip Di Giuseppe to a two-year, two-way contract extension. Di Giuseppe will make $775K in the NHL and $500K at the AHL level. General Manager Patrik Allvin was very happy to report the signing as he described Di Giuseppe by saying, “He has been a reliable forward when called upon in Vancouver this year and has been an impactful player and leader with Abbotsford each of the past two seasons.”

In his second season within the Canucks organization, Di Giuseppe has only received playing time in Vancouver this season. In 13 games this year, he has registered two goals and two assists. In his limited time in Vancouver, Di Giuseppe has also spent time on the penalty kill as well. With a league-worst 68.75% penalty kill percentage, the Canucks have used a rotating door when establishing who will be on the ice when they are a man down this year.

In the minor leagues, Di Giuseppe has been far more productive. Combined over the last two years, Di Giuseppe has played 69 games for the Abbotsford Canucks, registering a total of 25 goals and 43 assists. As Vancouver begins to establish more prospect depth in the minor leagues, and Abbotsford competes for a playoff position, Di Giuseppe will be a valuable part of the Canucks organization for the next two seasons.

Blackhawks Recall Anton Khudobin And Luke Philp

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12:30 PM, Sunday, March 12: After the callup and subsequent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Charlie Roumeliotis for NBC Sports Chicago announces that both Khudobin and Philp have been sent down to Chicago’s AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs. Philp received approximately 14 minutes of ice time, scoring no points and registering a single hit. Although Khudobin did dress yesterday, the Blackhawks chose to start Petr Mrazek instead. Also included in the movement today is defenseman Filip Roos also returning to Rockford. After his emergency recall on March 9th, Roos played in two games for the Blackhawks, registering zero points, with two shots on goal.

9:30 AM, Saturday, March 11: The Blackhawks acquired goaltender Anton Khudobin at the trade deadline as a salary offset to the Max Domi trade.  However, they opted to keep him in the minors at the time.  However, with Alex Stalock’s illness that kept him from suiting up last night, the team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled him from AHL Rockford along with winger Luke Philp.

Khudobin hasn’t seen any NHL action this season but did get into 24 games with AHL Texas prior to the swap.  However, his numbers at the minor league level weren’t the strongest as he has a 2.89 GAA with a .899 SV%, numbers that place him outside the top 30 in both categories among qualifying netminders.  The 36-year-old has played in 259 contests over parts of 13 NHL campaigns, posting a 2.50 GAA along with a .916 SV%.

He’s in the final year of a three-year, $10MM contract that hasn’t aged particularly well with the bulk of that time being at the AHL level once Jake Oettinger took over as the starter in Dallas.  A strong showing in the minors this season could have gotten him back in the mix for a possible NHL backup position (at a much lower price tag, of course) but that is less likely now.

As for Philp, the 27-year-old made his NHL debut back in January when he got into a pair of games and picked up his first point, an assist.  He has spent the bulk of the year with Rockford where he has been quite productive, tallying 18 goals and 20 helpers in 46 contests which helped earn him a one-year extension on Thursday.  Anders Bjork left last night’s game against Florida with an undisclosed injury so Philp will take his place on the roster.

East Notes: Tavares, Lindholm, Flyers

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During a hard-fought battle in front of the net of last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, John Tavares slashed the hand of Oilers’ defenseman Vincent Desharnais, sending him to the ice immediately. The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain will be fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. This will be the second time in his career that Tavares has been fined for slashing, the first time being in a similar incident with then Devils’ forward Zach Parise back in 2011.

Aside from the incident with Tavares, the Maple Leafs managed to secure another big win leading into the playoffs. The group has now managed to go 7-3-0 in their last ten games, gathering steam at just the right time.

Other notes:

  • In a quick meeting with the press, Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery stated that defenseman Hampus Lindholm will be held out of today’s game with the Detroit Red Wings. After blocking a shot in yesterday’s matchup between the two teams, Lindholm’s foot has apparently become very swollen, and he will return to the lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Replacing him in the lineup is defenseman Derek Forbort, who has seen his playing time cut since the Bruins deadline moves. With 42 points already this season, and an incredible 40 +/-, Lindholm’s absence shouldn’t have too big of an impact on the Bruins. Having one of the most dominant seasons of any team in NHL history, the Bruins have put themselves in a position to absorb the loss of Lindholm for one game.
  • Flyers beat reporter Giana Han announces that the Philadelphia Flyers have sent down forwards Elliot Desnoyers and Tyson Foerster to their AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, becoming the first-ever transaction made by General Manager Daniel Briere. As the Flyers’ season has been lost, it will be important for the two forwards to continue their growth in the playoffs this year for the Phantoms.

Mattias Samuelsson Listed As Week-To-Week

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The Buffalo Sabres reported on Sunday morning that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will be listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury after the team’s overtime loss to the New York Rangers last night. Already without top defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the lineup, the Sabres will once again be looking for different players to step up on their back end in the team’s pursuit of a playoff spot.

Unlike Dahlin, Samuelsson is not known for his offensive prowess coming from the blue line. Drafted 32nd overall by the Sabres in the 2018 NHL draft, Samuelsson has become a very serviceable defenseman for Buffalo. With only eight points so far this season, before the injury, Samuelsson was well on his way to recording over 100 blocks and 100 hits this season. Becoming one of the more physical players on the Sabres’ back end, the team rewarded his work ethic with a 7-year, $30MM contract extension which will kick in next year.

Thankfully for Sabres fans, Scott Harrington of TBN Sports reports that head coach Don Granato clarified it is not a season-ending injury for Samuelsson. As the Sabres continue their hunt towards making the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season, they will be without one of their most physical players for the foreseeable future.

East Notes: Sabres Injuries, Stamkos, Steeves

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The Buffalo Sabres issued updates on several key injuries this morning. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is still day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not practice with the team this morning. A few moments later, the team announced that goaltender Eric Comrie is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, Mike Harrington of TBN Sports shared a video of Alex Tuch practicing in a regular jersey this morning; he has been out of the lineup since their February 24th game against the Florida Panthers.

Going 4-5-1 in their last ten games, the Sabres are beginning to falter in the Eastern Conference playoff race. After their loss last night, they are now seven points behind the New York Islanders, the current holder of the final wild-card spot. With three games in hand, the Sabres are not out of it yet, but the injuries to the back end will not help their playoff aspirations. On the bright side of things, the potential return of Tuch gives Buffalo the ability to put another point-per-game player back into their lineup. In 57 games this year, Tuch has scored 28 goals and 34 assists, helping create a solid trio with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner.

Other notes:

  • In an awkward collision into the boards with new Chicago Blackhawks forward Joey Anderson, Steven Stamkos left yesterday’s game with an apparent leg injury. After getting up, Stamkos appeared to be unable to put any pressure on his left leg, hobbling back to the bench. The Tampa Bay Lightning have given no official update as to the status of Stamkos, but the team did report that head coach Jon Cooper believes he will be “OK”, and they kept him out last night’s game as a precaution. With 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Lightning are battling with the Toronto Maple Leafs for home territory in the first round.
  • In a press release this morning, the Maple Leafs announced that forward Alex Steeves has been recalled from their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, a day after he was demoted to the minors. In 55 games this season with the Marlies, Steeves has scored 17 goals and 28 assists. The Maple Leafs have employed him more sparingly throughout the year, playing in only three games with the NHL club, and averaging just under eight minutes of ice time.

 

Minor News and Notes: Griffith, Bruins, Puljujarvi

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After a three-goal and four-point performance in the Bakersfield Condors 6-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday night, Seth Griffith became the 100th player to record 500 points in the American Hockey League. Over the past ten seasons, Griffith has quietly been one of the most productive and consistent forwards in the AHL, scoring 77 points during the 2015-16 season with the Providence Bruins, and scoring an even 80 points last year.

Aside from his dominance in the AHL, Griffith has only played in 80 total games at the NHL level, scoring eight goals and 11 assists. His last action in the NHL came last year, when he played one game with the Edmonton Oilers, getting just over five minutes of play. After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, Griffith has cultivated a great career in the minors, cementing himself in the history books of the AHL.

Other notes:

  • With a 3-2 victory against the Detroit Red Wings yesterday afternoon, the Boston Bruins have officially clinched a playoff spot, becoming the first team this year to do so. Through 64 games this season, the Bruins are on pace for a 64-12-6 record, which would break the split record of wins (62) shared by the Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as the points record (132) set by the Montreal Canadiens. Continuing the most dominant season by any team in NHL history, the Bruins will now look to clinch their division, conference, and finally the President’s Trophy.
  • Since being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on February 28th, Jesse Puljujarvi finally made his Carolina Hurricanes’ debut during their 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights last night. Playing on a line with Stefan Noesen and Paul Stastny, Puljujarvi received just under 13 minutes of ice time, recording three shots on goal. As the Hurricanes continue to stave off the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers as the top team in the Metropolitan Division, expect Puljujarvi to continue to be slowly introduced into more important moments for Carolina.

Flyers Notes: Briere, Laperriere, Flahr

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Earlier this morning, Interim General Manager Daniel Briere of the Philadelphia Flyers held a press conference introducing his new title to the media. Briere touched on many aspects of where he expects Flyers hockey to go. One of the more popular soundbites coming out of the press conference is that Briere believes the Flyers must enter a “rebuild that will be a multi-year process”. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet also noted that Briere doesn’t believe a fire sale is justifiable, as he believes there are still talented players on their current roster.

Since his retirement from the NHL after the 2014-15 season, Briere has been working in various capacities for Philadelphia since 2017. Briere was initially put in charge of the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, a team that was purchased by Comcast Spectacor, the same ownership group of the Flyers. After serving as General Manager for the Mariners, Briere was named a special assistant to the General Manager for the Flyers halfway through last season.

The Flyers are expected to go through a hiring process to determine who will oversee this team full-time, and although Briere may be the front-runner, there is no guarantee that he will be given the job. With a deep 2023 NHL Draft on the horizon, and the Flyers having some money coming off the books before free agency begins, it will be interesting to see how Briere handles putting the beginning touches on the Flyers’ rebuild.

Other notes from the press conference:

  • Briere gave a lot of credit to former Flyer Ian Laperriere in his development of key prospects on Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Since being named the head coach before the 2021-22 AHL season, Laperriere has helped graduate several Flyers prospects such as Cameron York, Tyson Foerster, and Morgan Frost. With a lot of changes expected to come internally to the Flyers organization, Laperriere may be a popular name for promotion.
  • Since taking a job with the Flyers during the 2018-19 season, Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr has seen many ups and downs in Philadelphia. Briere noted during his press conference that the expectation is that Flahr is expected to remain with the team for the foreseeable future. Since working his way up as a scout with the Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks, Flahr spent a few short seasons with the Ottawa Senators as their Director of Hockey Operations. Beginning in the 2009-10 season until his eventual move to Philadelphia, Flahr was the Assistant General Manager of the Minnesota Wild.

 

Rangers Reassign Jonny Brodzinski

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The New York Rangers announced they have reassigned Jonny Brodzinski. He will be sent back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack following the Rangers 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres. Brodzinski was called up on March 7 on an emergency loan, but with 12 other healthy forwards available to participate against the Sabres, Brodzinski had to be returned to the minors.

Brodzinski did play two nights ago when the Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens in overtime. It was his 17th NHL game of the season and though he has just one goal and two points, he has been a top scorer for the Wolf Pack.

The 29-year-old forward has 12 goals and 30 points in 34 games at the AHL level while serving as the Wolf Pack’s captain. He has scored 224 career AHL points in 284 games while also suiting up for 101 NHL games in his career, scoring nine goals and 17 points in that time.

The Rangers made some big swings at the trade deadline adding Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane up front. It doesn’t leave much room for a scrappy veteran like Brodzinski, especially within the salary cap which is why he needed to be sent down as soon as the team had 12 healthy forwards.

Predators Recall Egor Afanasyev

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The Nashville Predators have announced they have recalled Egor Afanasyev from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The Russian winger is playing in his second season with the Admirals and has 13 goals and 26 points in 55 games this season. He had 12 goals and 33 points in 74 games as an AHL rookie last season.

Afanasyev was a second-round pick of the Predators in the 2019 NHL Draft. He was playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL before being selected, and had 27 goals and 62 points in 58 games for them. He headed to Windsor to join the Spirfires in the OHL in 2019-20 where he piled up 31 goals and 67 points in 62 games as an 18 year old.

The 2020-21 season saw him bounce around different Russian leagues during Covid lockdowns which put a halt to the OHL. Afanasyev did score two goals and five points in seven World Junior games in the 2021 tournament.

The 6-foot-4 winger obviously brings a lot of size to the Predators lineup, but he also showed at the OHL, World Juniors and AHL that he has some scoring punch as well. Afanasyev is an interesting 22-year-old forward who is third on the Admirals in goals scored.

The Predators took a sellers approach at the trade deadline and shipped out Mikael Granlund, Tanner Jeannot and Nino Niederreiter. That opens the door for younger wingers to step into the lineup, and Afanasyev looks like he will be getting an audition and a chance to make his NHL debut tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.

East Notes: Hedman, Duclair, Puljujarvi

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are getting a boost to their lineup tonight with the return of Victor Hedman, according to Dave Randorf, the team’s play-by-play commentator. Hedman missed the team’s past two games after crashing heavily into the boards against the Carolina Hurricanes last weekend. The 6-foot-7 defenseman is having a solid season with six goals and 42 points in 60 games, but it is a bit off his pace after he put up 85 points last season. Still, the team leans heavily on their star defender who is averaging 23:59 per night which leads the team.

The Lightning have not been playing their best hockey lately, so they will be happy to have Hedman back. The team is 1-4-2 in their past seven games and though they appear destined to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round once again, they will need to get back on track in a hurry if they want to gain home-ice advantage in that series. The Lightning are currently four points back of the Leafs in the standings.

  • The Florida Panthers announced Anthony Duclair will be in the lineup tonight. Duclair missed last night’s overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks with an illness, but is good to go this evening as the Panthers host the Winnipeg Jets. The Panthers are scratching and clawing for every point as they sit four points back of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Duclair has been limited to just five games this season after suffering an achilles tendon injury in the offseason, and has added three points in those games.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes finally get to welcome Jesse Puljujarvi to the lineup this evening. Nearly two weeks after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers, the Finnish winger will play his first game in Carolina. He dealt with some visa issues that delayed his arrival, and then joined the team in Montreal just before they faced the Canadiens on Tuesday. The coaching staff elected to have him settle in and practice with the team for a few days before finally taking the ice on the fourth line tonight with Paul Stastny and Stefan Noesen.

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