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Flames Assign Nick DeSimone To AHL

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The Flames assigned defenseman Nick DeSimone to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on Sunday, per a team announcement. As Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson points out, DeSimone finds himself on the outside looking in for a regular spot in the Flames lineup, and with the team not feeling a need to carry an extra defender during their upcoming homestand, the veteran blueliner will head back to the minors for the time being.

Returning DeSimone to the Wranglers also delays when he’ll need to clear waivers again to return to the AHL, which could be an impactful decision. The 29-year-old has been a healthy scratch in three straight contests but was impactful in over eight prior games, serving in a third-pairing role but seeing some offensive zone usage that translated to good possession numbers. An undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks after three seasons at Union College, DeSimone has played for three NHL organizations but has only appeared in the big leagues for the Flames.

After four full pro seasons spent mainly with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate and a brief stop with the AHL’s Rochester Americans while on loan from the Vegas Golden Knights in late 2021, DeSimone signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Flames that summer. He again spent the entire season in the minors with the AHL’s Stockton Heat.

Still, he opted to re-sign with the Flames after reaching unrestricted free agency, signing a two-year contract with a salary guarantee of $350K in both seasons. It’s proved to be a wise choice, as DeSimone tied his AHL career-high with 46 points in 65 games with the Wranglers last season and earned a handful of call-ups, which resulted in him making his NHL debut.

DeSimone passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of this season but was called up to the Flames less than a month in. He’s been on the roster since his initial recall on November 3, aside from a one-day paper transaction that saw him briefly head back to the Wranglers two days later.

The right-shot defender recorded his first NHL point in his season debut against the Kraken on November 4 and managed to record four assists across eight games, although he averaged just 12:50 per game when in the lineup. However, he was far from a defensive liability, posting a 56.5% Corsi share at even strength. That’s much improved from his 47.9% mark in four games last season.

As he has been on the Flames’ roster for less than 30 days and played less than 10 games since clearing waivers at the beginning of the campaign, he does not need to clear them again to return to the AHL at this time. He’ll suit up for the Wranglers again in the coming days, with whom he has four assists and a +4 rating in six games.

Coyotes Reassign Jan Jeník

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The Arizona Coyotes announced Sunday that they’ve assigned forward Jan Jeník to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL.

In doing so, the team has freed up a spot on the active roster, potentially indicating one of their three players on injured reserve, likely forward Jack McBain or defenseman Travis Dermott, could be nearing a return. It could also be a transaction to give the 23-year-old Jeník some playing action in tonight’s contest with the Roadrunners against the Henderson Silver Knights, as the Coyotes are out of action until Tuesday.

Arizona summoned Jeník from the minors over a week ago after announcing that center Barrett Hayton would be sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Jeník was a healthy scratch in three of four games during his call-up, making his lone appearance (and season debut) last Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. In that contest, he logged just 8:21 of ice time, one shot on goal and a -1 rating.

He’s been used in a similarly limited role during previous call-ups this season, also serving as a healthy scratch for a couple of games last month. A third-round pick of the Coyotes in 2018, Jeník is now in his fourth professional season after making his NHL debut during the 2020-21 campaign. He’s on his second NHL contract after his entry-level deal expired last summer, inking a one-year, two-way pact with a minimum guaranteed salary of $125K after reportedly seeking a trade upon reaching restricted free agency.

In 18 NHL games, Jeník has tallied four goals, one assist and a -4 rating while averaging 10:10 per game. While not a highly-touted prospect on draft day, he had a solid finish to his junior career that positioned him as a potential top-six fixture in Arizona if things panned out the right way. That seems unlikely now, as he’s yet to come close to carving out a full-time role for himself and is off to a mediocre start with Tucson, notching two goals and three assists in nine games. His professional point production has continued to decrease from its peak in 2021-22 when he notched 47 points in 51 games for the Roadrunners.

Next summer, Jeník will once again be a restricted free agent. Unlike last year, he will be eligible for salary arbitration. He’s due a qualifying offer of $813,750 per CapFriendly; however, if things continue in their current direction, Jeník seems like a strong non-tender candidate and could find himself on the open market when July 1 rolls around.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Carolina Hurricanes

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As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Carolina Hurricanes

Who are the Hurricanes Thankful For?

Seth Jarvis.

Of all the Hurricanes players, so far this season Jarvis has been the most impressive and taken the biggest step forward. 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a contender for this title until the calendar flipped to November and his hot start faded quickly.

While Kotkaniemi still appears on track to have the best season of his NHL career, it’s Jarvis who has stood out the most.

At the moment, Jarvis is only behind franchise pivot Sebastian Aho on the team’s scoring leaderboard and is on pace to register 35 goals and 65 points by the end of the season. But based on how he has been performing, there is a distinct possibility that Jarvis’ pace even increases over the course of the season.

A player who is defined by his aggressive and fearless approach to creating offense, Jarvis stands just five-foot-ten and yet is an extremely difficult player to win battles against.

The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette reported that Jarvis added eight pounds of muscle this offseason, and his diligent preparation for 2023-24 stands in contrast to how he began last season. Hurricanes head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston told Lavalette that last season, Jarvis “really wasn’t where we thought he should be or could be” in terms of his preparedness to handle the rigors of the NHL season. (subscription link)

That’s changed in 2023-24, and the Hurricanes are reaping the benefits on an almost nightly basis.

What are the Hurricanes Thankful For?

The struggles of several of their Metropolitan Division rivals.

Entering the season, most neutral observers viewed the Metropolitan Division as easily the NHL’s most cutthroat collection of teams. The division boasted three clear-cut Stanley Cup contenders in Carolina, the New York Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils, while fans were also optimistic that both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin would lead their teams to bounce-back campaigns.

In addition, aggressive offseason additions made by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the returns of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers, and the presence of elite netminder Ilya Sorokin between the pipes for the Islanders meant that the entire Metropolitan division could conceivably have entered the season with legitimate hopes of making the postseason.

So far, things haven’t shaken out quite as expected in the Metro. The Rangers have clearly separated themselves and the Washington Capitals are close to doing the same after a slow start, but otherwise, each team in the division has had its fair share of struggles.

So while the Hurricanes have had a less-than-ideal start to their season, they still find themselves firmly in the mix for a playoff spot due to similarly uneven starts from expected contenders.

The Devils, for example, are currently second-to-last in the division. The Penguins are at the moment sitting on a flat .500 record with 10 wins and 10 losses, while the Islanders have not been able to carve out any sort of consistency under head coach Lane Lambert, whose seat may be starting to warm.

In prior seasons, the Hurricanes’ slow start could very well have doomed them in such a competitive division. This year, the Hurricanes remain firmly in the playoff picture thanks to many division rivals also struggling. That’s definitely something for the franchise to be thankful for in a Stanley Cup-or-bust season.

What Would the Hurricanes be Even More Thankful For?

An improved penalty kill.

When looking for explanations as to why the Hurricanes are currently 11-8-0 and a point behind the still-rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, the penalty kill might be one of the most obvious choices. Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Hurricanes fans have grown accustomed to having among the best short-handed units in the entire NHL.

From 2018-19, Brind’Amour’s first season as the bench boss in Carolina, through 2022-23, the Hurricanes rank a clear first place in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. Their 84.7% kill rate stands a full percentage point above the next-best team, and has been a clear driver of team success throughout the club’s entire Brind’Amour era.

That longstanding track record of success short-handed makes this season’s immense struggles all the more confusing. The team currently ranks eighth-worst in the NHL in penalty killing with a 74.6% kill rate, a far lower number than any years prior. There do not appear to be major structural differences driving this decline, as NHL Edge indicates that the Hurricanes are actually spending even less time in their defensive zone while short-handed than they did last year.

So why has their penalty kill been so uncharacteristically bad? The answer could lie in goaltending. Last year, according to MoneyPuck, Carolina saved 88.24% of its shots on goal while on a four-on-five penalty kill. This season, that number has crashed all the way to 75%, which is by far the lowest mark in the NHL. To put it simply: Hurricanes goalies are not making the saves while short-handed that they once made.

The Hurricanes’ penalty kill, for the entirety of Brind’Amour’s tenure as coach, had served as the bedrock for the team’s exceptional team play. That team play, in turn, translated into success in the standings and multiple deep playoff runs. So far this season, that bedrock has eroded and the penalty kill has dropped to the league’s basement. So the number-one thing that the Hurricanes would be even more thankful for would likely be a return to form for its short-handed units.

What Should Be On the Hurricanes Holiday List?

Potential reinforcements in net.

Expected number-one netminder Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely with a blood-clotting issue. As a result, the Hurricanes have relied more heavily upon a tandem of Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, and that tandem has appeared to be a major weakness so far this season.

According to MoneyPuck, Raanta currently ranks fourth-worst in the NHL in goals-saved-above-expected. Kochetkov, in just six games played, has also posted a below-expected mark.

Using more traditional numbers, both Raanta and Kochetkov have posted disastrous save percentages. Kochetkov has a grisly .874 mark, while Raanta’s .854 save percentage through ten games is a glaring issue.

Although the Hurricanes have found ways to win despite Raanta’s struggles (he has a 6-3-1 record) the veteran netminder will be 35 years old come the postseason and looks far worse than last season, when he posted a respectable .910 save percentage.

Moreover, Raanta’s tendency to run into injury trouble throughout his professional career raises questions as to whether the Hurricanes can rely on him to endure the rigors of being an NHL starting goalie. With each day that passes, it appears more and more necessary for Carolina to seek outside help between the pipes. They already did so in the form of signing veteran Jaroslav Halak to a PTO, but that tryout was relatively short-lived.

Moving into the Holiday season, the Hurricanes should be scouring the goalie market to find a netminder capable of leading them to a Stanley Cup championship. Should contract talks between 27-year-old Sam Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens end without an extension in place, he could be the kind of goalie the Hurricanes target.

Montembeault ranked as one of the league’s better goalies by goals-saved-above-expected last season and has excelled for the Canadiens so far this season. It’s possible that in an environment where his club is likely entering almost every game with a talent advantage, Montembeault could post even greater numbers, just as he did for Canada at the recent IIHF Men’s World Championships. (6-1-0, 1.42 GAA .939 save percentage)

Regardless of if it’s Montembeault or someone else, the Hurricanes should be looking for external help between the pipes. Raanta has simply played too poorly and proven himself to be too injury-prone for the Hurricanes to count on him as their number-one goalie this season, a year where the team is looking to win the Stanley Cup. Entering the Holiday season, a talented goalie should be number one on the team’s wish list.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ottawa Senators Reassign Roby Järventie, Mads Søgaard

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In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators have reassigned netminder Mads Søgaard and forward Roby Järventie to their AHL affiliate, the Bellville Senators.

With Søgaard, this reassignment is likely an indication that starter Joonas Korpisalo is ready to at least dress as the backup goalie tomorrow against the Panthers. Korpisalo had been injured, prompting the Søgaard recall, but there was hope that he’d be ready for the Florida game tomorrow. With this reassignment, it now appears those hopes have become reality.

Søgaard, 22, did not see game action in his latest NHL stint with Ottawa. He has been strong in eight games as the starter for Belleville, posting a 4-3 record, 2.35 goals-against-average, and .923 save percentage.

As for Järventie, this reassignment is less based on roster juggling and likely more about performance. Given the first NHL opportunity of his career, Järventie didn’t receive many minutes and didn’t do very much with the ice time he did receive. Other than registering his first NHL point in a surprising victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on November eighth, Järventie didn’t make much of a mark.

He’s been significantly better at the AHL level, though, and has scored 33 points in his last 46 games there. Now headed back to Belleville, the 21-year-old 2020 33rd overall pick will look to have a productive stretch and potentially earn another shot at the NHL level.

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Kaedan Korczak

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled defenseman Kaedan Korczak from their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The move appears to be motivated by the fact that Vegas is currently missing two defensemen due to injury.

Alec Martinez is currently out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while Shea Theodore is out with his own upper-body injury on an unclear timeline. The Golden Knights already roster eight defensemen, meaning they can still have a full unit of six blueliners with these two injuries.

But as Vegas begins a three-game road trip that will take them through Western Canada, it appears the team has decided it needs to carry a fully healthy seventh defenseman, which in this case would be Korczak.

Should Korczak get into the Golden Knights’ lineup during their road trip, he would be playing in relatively familiar surroundings. Korczak, a Saskatchewan native, played the entirety of his junior career with the Kelowna Rockets. As a result, he frequently played road games in all three of Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary.

A 22-year-old right-shot defenseman, the Golden Knights drafted Korczak 41st overall at the 2019 draft. He’s developed nicely for them, currently serving as a depth blueliner who plays heavy minutes at the AHL level and a more sheltered role when called upon by the big club. This season, he’s already played in seven games for the Golden Knights and tallied four points. He last played for Vegas in a November 5th loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Dmitri Voronkov Considering Return To Russia

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Columbus Blue Jackets rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov has been one of the team’s better stories so far this season, as the 23-year-old has jumped out to a strong start to his North American pro career. According to the Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, his time with Columbus, at least for this season, could be coming to an end. (subscription link)

Portzline wrote today that Russian media outlets have reported that “Voronkov is homesick and has considered returning to Russia,” adding that Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen has confirmed those reports.

Kekäläinen told Portzline that the Blue Jackets are “dealing with it internally,” adding “It’s normal for a young player to feel homesick at times. And so we’re dealing with it.”

If Voronkov does indeed decide he wants to return to Russia, his current contract status dictates that the Blue Jackets would have to send him there via a loan to his KHL team, Ak Bars Kazan.

According to Portzline, “the biggest hurdle” for Voronkov and his adjustment to life in North America has been that the forward “speaks almost no English.”The hope was that the presence of a few other Russians on the Blue Jackets’ roster, namely Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko, and Yegor Chinakhov, would smooth out his adjustment. Portzline added, “The Blue Jackets took steps to help Voronkov acclimate when he first arrived, but those efforts will be redoubled in the coming days.” Former Blue Jacket Fedor Tyutin, who helped Marchenko acclimate to life in Columbus, could be enlisted to help.

In terms of how the loss of Voronkov would impact the Blue Jackets on the ice, it would be a significant blow. Voronkov is currently playing on the team’s second line next to two of the franchise’s most important players: Patrik Laine and Adam Fantilli.

A big power forward with a goal-scoring touch, Voronkov’s solid KHL numbers have translated to the NHL thus far. He’s currently scoring at a 16-goal, 49-point 82-game pace, and his physicality is well-appreciated as well.

With Columbus desperate to revive their playoff hopes early in this 2023-24 campaign, the status of Voronkov and his potential return to Russia will be a key storyline to monitor for Blue Jackets fans.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Korchinski, Lehkonen, Texier

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Chicago Blackhawks rookie Kevin Korchinski won an IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal for Canada last season, but is unlikely to get another chance at glory at this year’s edition of the tournament. As relayed by NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson says his “inclination would be for [Korchinski] to stay” in Chicago, rather than go to the tournament which begins in exactly one month and is set to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Korchinski has, according to Davidson, “been playing really well,” making his fair share of mistakes as well as excellent plays. The former WHL star is currently scoring at a nine-goal, 27-point 82-game pace, although there is hope that those numbers will see an uptick as Korchinski gets more game experience under his belt in the world’s top league. Currently averaging 19:32 time on ice per game, which ranks third on the entire Blackhawks team, Korchinski is believed by many to be a potential top-pairing defenseman for a future contender in Chicago.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar issued an update on the status of injured forward Artturi Lehkonen, according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Bednar said that the Avalanche are lucky that Lehkonen’s injury didn’t end up worse, and added that the player is now out of his neck brace and making progress toward a return. No timeline on Lehkonen’s return was provided, though.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier, who missed the team’s last two games due to an illness, will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda. The 24-year-old has been solid for the Blue Jackets so far this season after a year spent in the Swiss National League, as he has four goals and seven points in 19 games.

New York Islanders Acquire Tyce Thompson

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The New York Islanders have acquired forward Tyce Thompson from the New Jersey Devils. In exchange, the Islanders have sent forward Arnaud Durandeau to New Jersey.

The deal is a swap of 24-year-old wingers with minimal NHL experience who are each playing for their team’s AHL affiliates this season.

Thompson is the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres superstar Tage Thompson. Formerly an NCAA hockey star as the captain of Providence College, Thompson has struggled to translate the success of his collegiate career to the professional level.

After his final game for Providence, the Devils gave Thompson his first taste of professional hockey near the end of 2020-21, and even had him play in seven contests at the NHL level.

Seven NHL games made it clear that Thompson would need some development at the AHL level before he’d truly be NHL-ready. So the Devils had him spend most of his injury-shortened 2021-22 campaign with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Thompson scored 15 points in 16 games and at times for Utica looked like the dominant player he was at Providence, but the injury he suffered meant that he couldn’t display that form over the course of an entire AHL season.

Last year, Thompson struggled to have the same kind of impact he had the year prior. In a year where he would have ideally made a strong push toward becoming a true NHLer, Thompson only managed 26 points in 56 games in the AHL. He only received two NHL games as a result, and lost ground on the Devils’ depth chart to more prolific AHL scorers such as Graeme Clarke.

With this trade, Thompson receives a change of scenery. It’s something that appeared necessary for his chances of becoming an NHLer, due to the fact that he so far has only scored five points in 15 games for Utica. A pending restricted free agent, this season is a crucial one for Thompson’s development.

This trade allows Thompson to develop in a new AHL environment, and it also lands him in an organization his family has some deep ties to. Thompson’s father, Brent, served as the Islanders’ AHL head coach from 2014-15 through 2022-23. Thompson’s assistant for two years, Rick Kowalsky, is now Bridgeport’s head coach. Beyond just the family connection, Kowalsky also has experience with Tyce Thompson, as he served as a coach in the Devils organization when Thompson originally signed with the club out of Providence.

As for the Devils’ side of this trade, the deal first and foremost is a nice service to Thompson, who looked less and less likely to be part of the club’s future plans. By sending him to an organization he already has some ties with, some may believe that they’re sending him to the place where he stands the best possible chance of developing into an NHL player.

Beyond just doing a favor to Thompson, they’re also receiving a quality player in return. Durandeau has been a nice developmental success story for the Islanders, as he’s already become a better player than most organizations would typically expect sixth-rounders to become.

A former teammate of Timo Meier and Nico Hischier with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, Durandeau worked his way up from the ECHL to become a solid top-six forward for the Bridgeport Islanders. In 2021-22, Durandeau cemented himself as a quality AHLer by scoring 15 goals and 37 points in 64 games. Then last season Durandeau had a real breakout campaign, putting together 24 goals and 55 points in 68 games. That performance ranked Durandeau third in team scoring and even earned him his first-ever NHL call-up.

Over the summer, Bridgeport lost two of its top scorers in Chris Terry and Andy Andreoff. The Islanders have struggled mightily to score goals as a result, and Durandeau’s production has declined sharply. At the time of writing, he has just four points in 12 AHL games, which is far below what Bridgeport’s fans have come to expect of him. Perhaps playing in a new environment in Utica will help Durandeau return to his production levels from the past two years.

He’s not heading to an extremely favorable environment, though, as although he’s leaving the AHL’s second-lowest scoring club, he’s only upgrading to a team that ranks 23rd in the AHL in goals scored.

It’s possible the plan for Durandeau in Utica is to pair him with fellow former QMJHL star and Montreal native Xavier Parent. Parent, who earned his way to Utica via a spectacular rookie professional campaign in the ECHL last season, would give Durandeau a caliber of linemate similar to what he grew accustomed to playing with Terry and Andreoff last year.

The bottom line for these deals is relatively simple: both players are in need of changes of scenery and both AHL squads need an offensive spark. The Islanders receive a former NCAA star who current and former members of their organization are likely highly familiar with, while the Devils receive a former QMJHL star who could potentially have chemistry with key AHLers in Utica.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Notes: Kraken, Sharks, Sebastian Aho

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Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol shared that Brandon Tanev’s status for the team’s upcoming four-game road trip is still up in the air. Tanev is working back from a lower-body that had him expected to miss four-to-six weeks in mid-October. It’s been five weeks and it seems his status is progressing enough to earn a questionable tag.

Hakstol also shared that goaltender Philipp Grubauer will join the team on the road trip. Grubauer was placed on injured reserve in early November and activated off of it on November 18th. He played in two games after being activated but then suffered an undisclosed injury that held him out of the team’s last two games. If Grubauer slots in for the road trip, fans can expect Chris Driedger to be reassigned to the AHL.

The early season injury has held Tanev out of all but eight games this season. He managed two goals in those games, also recording nine penalty minutes and a -3. He scored 35 points in 82 games with Seattle last season. Grubauer has played in 12 games this year, setting a .885 save percentage and 3.36 goals-against-average. Both metrics are a step down from his totals last season when he recorded a .895 save percentage and 2.85 GAA in 39 games.

More injury news from around the league:

Nick Ritchie Signs In Finland

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Earlier this month, Brett Ritchie decided to head overseas after failing to secure an NHL contract, signing with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL.  Now, his brother has also decided to cross the pond as Karpat of the SM-liiga in Finland announced that they’ve inked Nick Ritchie to a one-year contract.

The 27-year-old was the tenth overall selection back in 2014 but while he showed flashes of some upside, he wasn’t able to lock down a regular spot in the top six.  Over the past few seasons, he has bounced around in depth roles, playing for four teams in the last three years.

Last season, Ritchie spent time with both Arizona and Calgary, notably being traded for his brother at the trade deadline.  Between the two teams, he collected 13 goals and 13 assists in 74 games along with 218 hits.  Despite that, he failed to secure a guaranteed contract over the summer and eventually settled for a PTO with St. Louis.  He didn’t fare particularly well with them, picking up an assist and 17 penalty minutes in three preseason contests, leading to his release.

Now that a contract elsewhere in North America has failed to materialize, Ritchie heads overseas.  A strong showing over the final few months with Karpat could very well get him back on the NHL radar for next season on a minimum-salary contract.  However, if Ritchie struggles, this could be the beginning of an extended stint overseas which is hardly the outcome many expected after being such a high draft pick a decade ago.

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