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New Jersey Devils Reassign Max Willman

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According to the AHL’s official transactions wire, the New Jersey Devils have reassigned forward Max Willman to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. In a corresponding move, the Comets have reassigned forward Erik Middendorf has been reassigned to the Devils organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder.

Willman is a 28-year-old center who signed a one-year, $775k contract with the Devils in the offseason. After his five-year collegiate career ended, Willman, a former Buffalo Sabres draft pick, began his pro career in the ECHL with the Reading Royals. He scored 25 points in just 20 games, earning a quick call-up to the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Willman would go on to establish himself as a regular player for the Phantoms over the next few years, even earning a total of 50 NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers.

He was signed by the Devils over the summer to bolster the organization’s forward depth, and he has played a heightened role for the Comets than what he normally received with Lehigh Valley. He’s responded to getting first-line minutes with production, as he’s posted seven points in seven games.

The Devils rewarded his hot start with an NHL call-up, and he played in two games for the club. He played 11-12 minutes in each contest and even scored a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks before settling in as a healthy scratch.

With the Devils optimistic that Colin Miller will be able to return to the lineup on their two-game road trip, sending down Willman clears a spot on the Devils’ roster that can go to Miller when he is able to be activated off of injured reserve.

With Willman back on Utica’s roster, Middendorf was returned to Adirondack. The 23-year-old former Michigan State Spartan is in his first full season as a professional player, and he has gotten off to a good start for the Thunder. He’s scored three goals and four points in five games, and was rewarded with an AHL call-up. He registered one shot on goal during the Comets’ loss against the Rochester Americans on November 10th, and now he’ll return to the Thunder having gotten a taste of AHL hockey.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Gustav Lindström, Loan Joel Armia To AHL

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The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenseman Gustav Lindström, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding move, the Canadiens loaned Joel Armia to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

The rationale behind these two roster moves is quite clear. The Canadiens were carrying only six defensemen, in large part thanks to the fact that they are carrying three goalies on their 23-man roster.

With defenseman Jordan Harris dealing with an injury and currently a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks, the Canadiens needed an extra defenseman on their roster to provide security in case Harris can’t play.

With David Savard injured, the state of the Canadiens’ defensive depth chart leaves Lindström as the team’s seventh defenseman. So the veteran has been elevated to the NHL roster, leaving the Rocket just before their game against the Manitoba Moose.

In order to recall Lindström the Canadiens needed to clear room on their roster, and to do so they’ve sent Armia to the AHL. Armia, who cleared waivers earlier this season, was a healthy scratch for the Canadiens’ win last night over the Boston Bruins. With four goals and five points for the Rocket this season, he’d be a major addition to the Laval lineup should he dress for any games.

Winnipeg Jets Assign Declan Chisholm To AHL On Conditioning Basis

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Declan Chisholm has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for conditioning purposes. The move will put Chisholm in a position to make his 2023-24 debut, having exclusively played in the preseason to this point.

Chisholm, 23, starred for the Moose last season scoring 43 points in 59 games. The 23-year-old is now waiver-eligible, meaning the Jets would have to risk exposing him to 31 other teams in order to have him return to the Moose on an outright assignment.

So instead, they will assign him to Manitoba on a conditioning basis (as they are allowed to due to how little he’s played in the AHL) with the assignment likely to last for two weeks at maximum.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre, Chisholm’s “only immediate path to playing time” in Winnipeg “is an unfortunate injury or two,” given the Jets’ depth at the defensive position. Chisholm has maintained a positive outlook on his situation, telling the media that despite not playing, “being a sponge” around the Jets players has helped his development.

He’ll surely be happy to get back into some games thanks to this assignment, though, just as the 4-4-0 Moose will be happy to have their best defenseman from last season back on their roster.

Carolina Hurricanes Reassign Three Prospects To AHL

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There appears to be some thawing in tensions between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Chicago Wolves, their former AHL affiliate.

The Wolves made the highly unexpected choice to go it alone in the AHL, deciding to not have an NHL affiliate while the Hurricanes were left without an AHL franchise to partner with. As an independently-owned franchise that has historically prioritized Calder Cup contention above all else, there had been some tension between the Wolves and the Hurricanes, the latter of whom is likely to care more about the development of its prospects rather than Calder Cup contention.

Although the Wolves had signed some big-name veteran players such as Max Comtois, Rocco Grimaldi, Chris Terry, and Keith Kinkaid, they have struggled immensely so far this season. They currently have just one win, and their .222 points percentage ranks them last in the AHL, behind the 2-7-1 Laval Rocket.

The AHL’s development rule, which stipulates that most of a team’s lineup must be composed of players with under 260 professional games under their belt, poses an issue. Most players of quality who fit under those limits have been scooped up by NHL teams, so finding players un-affiliated with an NHL franchise that not only fit under those limits but also are up to the task of playing more than just depth roles in the AHL, is challenging.

It appears now that the Hurricanes and Wolves have found their way back to each other. Carolina team reporter Walt Ruff has reported that prospects Domenick Fensore, Griffin Mendel, and Ronan Seeley have been reassigned from the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals to the Wolves. This comes just shortly after Vasily Ponomarev was reassigned to Chicago from the Tucson Roadrunners.

Fensore, 22, is a skilled offensive defenseman who has 10 points in nine games so far this season for the Admirals. The 2019 90th overall pick will likely take up an important offensive role for a Wolves team only really getting offensive production from one blueliner.

Seeley, 21, was a 2020 seventh-round pick who skated in 70 games for the Wolves last season, scoring 25 points. He’s likely to resume his role as a top-four defenseman in Chicago. Mendel, 24, is an undrafted former University of Denver and Quinnipiac University blueliner who offers imposing size at six-foot-six, 220 pounds. He played in 72 games for the Wolves last season, scoring 19 points, and will be a quality add for the Wolves.

Seeing as the Wolves seem to have prioritized forwards in their offseason signings of AHL veterans, it’s not a huge surprise that they’ve come to an agreement with the Hurricanes in order to get some valuable defensemen from their ECHL roster, including two with prior experience playing for Chicago.

For as much as each side of this now-shrinking divide between former affiliates may have believed they could go it alone, it appears the best path forward for both the Hurricanes (who likely don’t want to keep quality prospects in the ECHL) and the Wolves (whose early struggles indicate the necessity of an NHL affiliation) is to return to the sort of partnership that won Chicago a Calder Cup in 2022.

Avalanche Issue Injury Updates, Recall Riley Tufte And Caleb Jones

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11/12: Riley Tufte has been re-assigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.

11/11: Colorado finds itself down a pair of forwards for tonight’s game against St. Louis as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding that forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano are both out of the lineup.  Lehkonen is expected to miss several weeks with an upper-body injury while Cogliano is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.  In a corresponding move, the team announced (Twitter links) the recall of forward Riley Tufte and defenseman Caleb Jones from AHL Colorado.

Lehkonen suffered the injury after crashing head-first into the boards on Thursday against Seattle.  That said, Bednar clarified that the upper-body issue that the 28-year-old has is not a head injury.

Last season, Lehkonen put up career highs across the board in his first full season with the Avs, notching 21 goals and 30 assists in 64 games while seeing his playing time surpass the 20-minute-a-night mark for the first time.  His numbers are down a bit this year but he still has been an important part of their top six, picking up three goals and five helpers in a dozen contests while logging 18:30 per contest.  There is no firm timeline for how long he will be out for.

As for Cogliano, the 36-year-old has been a regular on Colorado’s fourth line this season and is their second-most used forward on the penalty kill behind Logan O’Connor.  He has three assists in 11 games so far after missing the season opener as he finished recovering from two fractured vertebrae in his neck that occurred during the playoffs last spring.

Jones, meanwhile, signed with Carolina during the offseason but after clearing waivers and being loaned to AHL Colorado, the Avs acquired his NHL rights last month.  This will be his second recall of the season although he didn’t see any action during his first one.  The 26-year-old has 213 career NHL appearances under his belt and has six assists in a dozen games with the Eagles so far this season.

The Avalanche had two open roster spots following Tufte’s paper demotion to the minors yesterday so no corresponding moves needed to be made to add him or Jones onto the active roster.  Speculatively, Lehkonen will likely be heading for injured reserve at some point which would open up another spot on the roster.

Capitals Place Martin Fehervary On IR, Recall Dylan McIlrath

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Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary left last night’s game with a lower-body injury last night and it appears the injury will keep him out for a little while.  NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that Washington has placed the blueliner on injured reserve.  In a corresponding move, blueliner Dylan McIlrath was recalled from AHL Hershey.

Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday (video link), head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t provide any specifics about Fehervary’s injury, only saying that it was not ideal.  That’s certainly a fair assessment as the 24-year-old went into last night’s contest averaging over 19 minutes a game while holding down a spot in their top four.

So far this season, Fehervary has a pair of assists in a dozen appearances along with 20 hits and 29 blocked shots.  He also takes a regular turn on Washington’s second penalty killing unit so his absence will be hard to fill internally.  Alexander Alexeyev was the reserve blueliner on Friday so it stands to reason that he’ll get the first chance to do so while Lucas Johansen and Hardy Haman Aktell will each have to cover more minutes as well.

As for McIlrath, the 31-year-old is in his third season in Washington’s system.  He got into six games with the Caps last year, his first taste of NHL action since the 2019-20 campaign when he was with Detroit.  McIlrath is best known for his physicality but he does have three assists in 11 games so far with the Bears this season, along with 23 penalty minutes.  Last year in the minors, he had 13 helpers in 60 contests plus 102 minutes in the box.

Penguins Recall Vinnie Hinostroza, Assign Joel Blomqvist To AHL

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The Penguins are set to welcome back Tristan Jarry between the pipes tonight against Buffalo, meaning that they’re now able to return Joel Blomqvist to the AHL.  Per a team announcement (Twitter link), they’ve done just that, sending the young netminder down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Taking his place on the roster will be forward Vinnie Hinostroza.

Blomqvist was recalled on Thursday and served as the backup to Magnus Hellberg on Thursday night in Los Angeles.  The 21-year-old is in his first full season in North America and has yet to see any action at the top level.  Blomqvist is off to a nice start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting a 1.91 GAA and a .920 SV% in his first seven appearances; his GAA is the fifth-best among qualifying netminders at the minor league level.  He’ll go back to being their undisputed starter with Hellberg, who started the season in the minors, still up with Pittsburgh.

As for Hinostroza, this is already his fifth promotion to the NHL this season as he has frequently been shuffled to and from the minors.  The 29-year-old has suited up twice for the Penguins so far, picking up a goal and an assist despite averaging just 9:10 per contest.  He has been similarly productive in the minors, collecting two goals and two helpers in five contests.  Signed to a one-year contract last summer, Hinostroza is likely to continue to be one of the first forwards recalled when Pittsburgh has the roster and cap space to do so.

Blackhawks Recall Isaak Phillips, Place Jarred Tinordi On IR

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In advance of their game tomorrow in Florida, the Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves.  Per the AHL’s Transactions Log, Chicago has recalled defenseman Isaak Phillips from AHL Rockford.  To make room for him on the roster, Jarred Tinordi has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 9th.

Phillips has split the season between the Blackhawks and IceHogs, having spent a week with the big club in late October before being sent down last week.  He has one appearance with Chicago this year but has logged regular minutes with Rockford, picking up three points in eight games so far.  The 22-year-old is in his fourth professional season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.

As for Tinordi, he left Thursday’s game in the first period with an oblique injury and did not return.  The team didn’t provide any further updates but clearly, he’ll miss at least a week with the IR placement.  The 31-year-old has played in nine games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 19 blocks and 23 hits while averaging 14:46 per night.

Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann, Assign Pontus Holmberg To AHL

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Following their shootout win over Calgary last night, the Maple Leafs have made a roster move up front in advance of their game against Vancouver tonight.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bobby McMann from AHL Toronto while they have assigned center Pontus Holmberg back to the Marlies.

McMann was briefly on the NHL roster at the start of the season while on season-opening IR but cleared waivers as soon as he was activated.  The 27-year-old has played in six AHL contests so far this season, picking up two goals and an assist.

Last season, McMann saw his first taste of NHL action, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs where he had an assist and 17 hits while averaging 10:34 per night.  While he was limited to just 30 games with the Marlies a year ago due to injury, McMann was quite productive, tallying 21 goals along with eight assists.  If he can show any sort of that scoring touch on the NHL fourth line, he could stick around for a little while.

As for Holmberg, he has spent the bulk of the early going this season with the Maple Leafs, getting into seven games where he has been held off the scoresheet while logging a little under nine minutes per contest.  The 24-year-old has a pair of points so far with AHL Toronto and will go back to playing a much bigger role for the Marlies for the time being.

Blue Jackets Activate Patrik Laine, Send Jiříček To AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they’ve activated forward Patrik Laine off the IR and sent defenseman David Jiříček to their AHL affiliate the Cleveland Monsters. Laine suffered an upper-body injury on October 20th and has missed the Blue Jackets past nine games.

The news means that Laine will most likely dress for Columbus when they take on the Detroit Red Wings this afternoon. It is welcome news for the Blue Jackets as they currently sit eighth in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-6-3 record in their first 13 games. Laine has been a point-a-game player over the past two years but started slowly this year registering a goal and an assist in four games thus far.

The Blue Jackets were carrying eight defensemen and needed to move someone out to facilitate Laine’s return to the lineup. However, the Jiříček demotion is perplexing for several reasons. The 19-year-old has already exceeded the games played limit for his entry-level contract slide meaning that Columbus will burn a year off his deal regardless and according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic the team told him to find a place to live in Columbus just last week. The native of Klatovy, Czech Republic has been okay in ten games this season with a goal and two assists while keeping his head above water at 5 on 5. He hasn’t seen any time on the powerplay thus far and just over one minute in time on the penalty kill.

Columbus can always recall Jiříček from the AHL if they sustain another injury, but for a team that is developing a lot of young players, demoting a 19-year-old after telling him to find lodging might not sit well in their dressing room.

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