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Kings Place Viktor Arvidsson On LTIR, Recall Jordan Spence

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It was less than two weeks ago that the Kings got Viktor Arvidsson back from his back injury.  However, after already returning to injured reserve recently, the team has gone a step further, announcing that they’ve transferred him to LTIR for the second time this season.  Meanwhile, the Kings also recalled defenseman Jordan Spence from AHL Ontario.

Arvidsson missed the first four months of the season before returning to the lineup on February 15th.  The 30-year-old picked up two assists in his first three games but then suffered a lower-body injury on his first shift on Tuesday versus Columbus.  The good news is that this injury won’t carry as long of a recovery time as the first one did as he is expected to be back before the end of the regular season.  Assuming that the placement was back-dated to the time of injury (their release didn’t specify the effective date), Arvidsson could be eligible to return as soon as March 15th against Chicago.

As for Spence, his recall was needed due to Michael Anderson suffering an upper-body injury on Thursday versus Nashville.  The exact timeline for his recovery isn’t known but he has been ruled out for tonight’s game against Anaheim already.  That would have put the Kings down to five defenders and they had nowhere near enough cap space to bring Spence up, resulting in them needing to transfer Arvidsson to LTIR to create the short-term cap room.

It’s the fourth recall of the season for Spence, who has spent the majority of the campaign in the NHL.  The 22-year-old has played in 44 games so far with Los Angeles, collecting 16 points (all assists) while averaging just shy of 15 minutes a night on the third pairing.  Spence has made just one AHL appearance with the Reign which was one Wednesday; he was held out of Ontario’s lineup on Friday with his recall pending.

Maple Leafs Assign Marshall Rifai To AHL

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After making his NHL debut earlier this week with a pair of appearances, the Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they have re-assigned defenseman Marshall Rifai to AHL Toronto.

The 25-year-old was brought up earlier in the week to give the Maple Leafs a bit of extra depth on the back end and suited up twice where he had four hits and averaged a little under 12 minutes per contest.  Rifai, who is on his first NHL contract after playing on an AHL deal last year, has spent most of the season with the Marlies where he has 11 points and 38 penalty minutes in 34 games.

William Lagesson (injury) and Morgan Rielly (suspension) both returned to Toronto’s lineup on Thursday which pushed Rifai back to the press box.  Mark Giordano has also been away from the team for a little more than a week following the death of his father; the timing of this assignment suggests he might be ready to return.

Toronto now has an open roster spot which is notable with Joseph Woll’s LTI conditioning loan set to expire in a few days.  With Rifai’s demotion, they could elect to carry three goalies upon Woll’s recall and activation to avoid the risk of having to place Martin Jones on waivers who might be more likely to be claimed this time around.

Lightning Recall Max Crozier, Assign Alex Barre-Boulet To AHL

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The Lightning made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game this afternoon against the Islanders, announcing they’ve recalled defenseman Max Crozier from AHL Syracuse.  To make room on the roster, winger Alex Barre-Boulet was sent to the Crunch.

Crozier has played in seven games for Tampa Bay this season, all coming last month.  The 23-year-old has a pair of assists in those outings along with ten hits and ten blocks while averaging 14:30 per night in his first taste of NHL action.  Crozier also has played in 32 games with Syracuse, collecting a goal and seven assists.  His recall is likely a precautionary one with Erik Cernak’s status being uncertain for this game having missed Thursday’s contest.

As for Barre-Boulet, his demotion shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after he cleared waivers on Friday.  The 26-year-old has six goals and three assists in 36 games with the Lightning so far and has yet to see any action in the minors despite also clearing waivers at the beginning of the season.  Barre-Boulet finished second in AHL scoring last season with 84 points in 69 games and will be a big boost to a Syracuse team that enters play today four points out of first in the North Division.

East Notes: Tarasenko, Tomek, Bruins

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With the Senators being nowhere close to a playoff spot, pending UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko sits atop their list of trade chips.  However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that there is some talk that the 32-year-old might prefer to finish the year in Ottawa.  Tarasenko can control his fate as he has a full no-move clause.  Sticking with them might allow Tarasenko to play a bit higher in the lineup which certainly doesn’t hurt from a negotiating perspective but at the same time, the potential to go deep in the playoffs and contribute could also help his case for securing a multi-year deal on the open market, something he wasn’t able to do last July, instead settling for a one-year, $5MM pact.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Flyers goalie prospect Matej Tomek has signed a one-year extension with Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga, per a team release. The 26-year-old was a third-round pick (90th overall) back in 2015 but struggled in limited college action, resulting in him heading back overseas in 2019.  Since then, Tomek has spent time in both Slovakia and Czechia.  This season, he has a 3.00 GAA and a .911 SV% in 31 games with Litvinov.  The Flyers hold his rights indefinitely so this extension won’t have any impact on that front.
  • A day after recalling defenseman Ian Mitchell and assigning Justin Brazeau to the minors, the Bruins reversed those moves, per the AHL’s transactions log. Brazeau scored in his NHL debut back on Monday after his AHL deal was converted to a two-year NHL pact.  Mitchell, meanwhile, has been shuffled back and forth several times this season.  He has two assists in 13 NHL games so far while adding 14 points in 22 games with Providence.

Vancouver Canucks Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed centerman Dakota Joshua on injured reserve retroactive to February 13th and Carson Soucy on long-term injured reserve. Joshua is currently week-to-week with a hand injury, while Soucy has already missed the required 10 games, making him eligible to be activated off of LTIR whenever he’s healthy.

In a corresponding move, Vancouver has also recalled defenseman Jett Woo from the AHL. Woo recently received the first midseason call-up of his career, though he’s still waiting to play in his first NHL game. Woo has scored 18 points in 44 AHL games this season, a mark that, surprisingly, ranks second among Abbotsford Canucks defensemen.

Vancouver has promoted rookie forward Arshdeep Bains to the NHL to help fill in for Joshua’s absence. Bains, who has nine goals and 39 points in 42 AHL games this season, made his NHL debut in the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, recording no points, one penalty, and a -2 in roughly 13 and a half minutes of ice time. Bains also added two shots on net, three hits, and one takeaway. He will likely get an extended look in the lineup, though Vancouver also has Sam Lafferty operating as a healthy scratch.

Woo will join Mark Friedman as the extra defenseman on the Canucks roster, backing up Noah Juulsen, who has filled in while Soucy is out. Friedman has appeared in 20 games with Vancouver this season, scoring one point and tallying 21 penalty minutes. Juulsen has six points and 16 penalty minutes of his own, scored through 41 games. Woo would offer a change of pace from each veteran depth defenseman, though the Canucks could be wanting more from the 23-year-old before they rely on him as anything more than added depth.

Minor Transactions: 2/20/24

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While we wait for the trade market to pick up with the deadline now less than three weeks away, there still have been plenty of transactions but largely of the minor variety.  Here’s a rundown of some recent moves with NHL ties.

  • Logan Stankoven’s NHL debut will have to wait. After being recalled earlier today for precautionary reasons, the Stars announced (Twitter link) that the 20-year-old was returned to AHL Texas.  Stankoven has been dominant in his first professional campaign, notching 24 goals and 33 assists in 46 games to lead the AHL in scoring.
  • The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned center Byron Froese to AHL Henderson. The 32-year-old played in two games with Vegas on this latest recall, bringing his season total to nine although he’s still looking for his first point.  Froese has 15 points in 37 games so far with the Silver Knights.
  • Artem Anisimov’s time in the Rangers organization has come to an end as he was released from his PTO with AHL Hartford, per a team release. The 35-year-old joined the Wolf Pack early last month and got into 18 games but managed just a goal and three assists.  A veteran of 771 career NHL games, it looks unlikely that Anisimov will be adding to that total.
  • A trio of former NHL players are sticking around in Switzerland as Fribourg-Gotteron of the NL recently announced that forwards Lucas Wallmark, Marcus Sorensen, and Jacob de La Rose have all signed two-year extensions through the 2026-27 season. Each player last saw time at the NHL level back in the 2020-21 campaign with de la Rose having the most experience, suiting up in 242 games between Montreal, Detroit, and St. Louis.

Bruins Move Matthew Poitras To LTIR, Recall Mason Lohrei

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The Boston Bruins have moved rookie forward Matthew Poitras to long-term injured reserve and recalled rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei from the AHL, per team reporter Joe Haggerty. Poitras has been declared as out for the season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. He was 33 games into his NHL career, scoring five goals and 15 points, after surprising fans by making the roster out of training camp. Lohrei also had a strong training camp, leading many to believe he’d join Poitras in making the NHL roster. That didn’t come to fruition, with Lohrei starting the season in the AHL, but he quickly earned a call-up and NHL debut. He’s since played in 27 NHL games, scoring six points, split evenly, while also scoring 13 points in 17 AHL games.

Lohrei has emerged as a top prospect in Boston’s system this year – his first full professional season. The 23-year-old defenseman made his pro debut last year, following the end of The Ohio State University’s season, playing in eight AHL games between the regular season and playoffs and recording one assist. He’s since only added one more AHL goal to his resume, though he has managed three NHL goals already, speaking to where he might fit better. Lohrei has always been a productive defender, scoring 61 points in 71 games over the course of two seasons at Ohio State. The Bruins drafted Lohrei 58th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He’s since become one of 15 players from that round to make their NHL Debut, including rookie standout Brock Faber and sophomore scorer John-Jason Peterka.

Poitras was also a second-round selection, joining the Bruins in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s played in the most NHL games of any player not taken in the Top 10 of that draft, and scored more than all but three players. His success speaks to Boston’s ability to find difference makers throughout the draft, a trait that’s kept them on top of the league for so long. While season-ending surgery is the worst news you can hear in a rookie season, the Bruins have certainly seen enough from Poitras to be eager for his return to the NHL lineup.

Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie

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The Maple Leafs have brought up some extra depth on the back end before their game tonight against Anaheim as the team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Maxime Lajoie has been recalled from AHL Toronto.

The 26-year-old has been shuffled back and forth twice already this month although it didn’t result in any playing time.  Lajoie did play four games with the Maple Leafs earlier this season, getting held off the scoresheet while averaging just 9:32 per game.  However, he has been productive in the minors with the Marlies, recording 17 points in 31 appearances so far.  With 74 career NHL contests under his belt, Lajoie has been in the recallable depth role for the past few years now.

Toronto had a full 23-player roster before making this recall so there’s a corresponding roster move that hasn’t officially been announced yet.  Speculatively, that could be blueliner Mark Giordano landing on the non-roster list following the death of his father; Lajoie would then need to be sent back down upon Giordano’s return to the team.  While Morgan Rielly remains out as he continues to serve his suspension, the Maple Leafs don’t get an extra roster spot while he’s out of the lineup.

Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains, Assign Jett Woo To AHL

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The Canucks made a pair of roster moves on Friday, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford.  In a corresponding move, defenseman Jett Woo was re-assigned to the AHL.

It’s the first career recall for Bains, who signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent two years ago.  The 23-year-old is the top scorer for Abbotsford, notching nine goals and 30 assists, sitting a dozen points clear of second-place Max Sasson.  Bains is expected to take the place of Dakota Joshua who is listed as week-to-week after injuring his hand in a fight on Tuesday.

As for Woo, his first NHL recall came back on Monday but it winds up being a short-lived one; the 23-year-old didn’t suit up with Vancouver during that time.  Woo is on his second NHL contract having inked a one-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum at the NHL level.  He has 16 points in 42 games so far this season, sitting just five points high of his career high set last season.

While Vancouver could have made an open roster spot available by placing Joshua on injured reserve, they didn’t have enough cap space to afford Bains’ recall on its own, resulting in Woo having to be sent down.

Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner

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With Logan O’Connor dealing with a lower-body injury, the Avalanche have made a roster move to bring up some extra depth up front, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Chris Wagner from AHL Colorado.

It hasn’t been a great season for the 32-year-old.  Wagner signed with Colorado with the hopes that he could battle for a spot on the fourth line with 360 career NHL appearances under his belt.  However, he then ruptured his Achilles tendon in training camp, putting an end to those hopes before he even had a chance to suit up for them in the preseason.

Wagner was cleared to return a little over a month ago, clearing waivers which resulted in him being assigned to the Eagles.  To his credit, he has been fairly productive over the last few weeks, notching three goals and four assists in 11 games.

Colorado had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Wagner up.  They’re now at the maximum 23-player roster with this transaction.

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