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Coyotes To Recall Dylan Guenther

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The Coyotes are bringing up one of their top prospects as PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (Twitter link) that the team is expected to announce the recall of winger Dylan Guenther from AHL Tucson.

The 20-year-old made Arizona’s roster out of training camp last season and acquitted himself fairly well, picking up six goals and nine assists in 33 games while averaging over 13 minutes a night.  The Coyotes decided that it was best for him to return to junior after that and he joined WHL Seattle for the stretch run.  Guenther was dominant there, collecting 29 points in 20 regular season contests and 28 more in 19 postseason appearances.  By sending him back when they did, the Coyotes ensured that Guenther would not accrue a season of service time toward his UFA eligibility.

This season, Guenther was eligible to go to the AHL unlike last year and Arizona opted to send him to the Roadrunners after training camp.  He has fared quite well in his first taste at that level, leading the team in scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists in 29 games; he’s on a bit of a hot streak with eight points in his last five appearances.

Arizona finds itself only a point out of a Wild Card spot as we near the midway point of the season but has only scored more than two goals once in their last five games.  They’re hoping that bringing up one of their top offensive prospects can help get things going on that front.

Oilers Activate Dylan Holloway, Assign Him To AHL

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Oilers forward Dylan Holloway has been cleared to return but he won’t be suiting up in Edmonton for the time being.  The team announced that Holloway has been activated off LTIR but he has been assigned to AHL Bakersfield.

The 22-year-old has been limited to just 14 games this season after suffering a knee injury in mid-November.  Holloway has also dealt with wrist and shoulder injuries in the past which have certainly slowed down his development.

While in Edmonton’s lineup this season, Holloway struggled offensively as he tallied just one goal while averaging a little over 11 minutes a night.  That ATOI is actually an improvement on a year ago when he averaged just 9:35 per contest while notching just nine points in 51 games.  For someone who was a first-round pick back in 2020 (14th overall) and was an impactful scorer at Wisconsin, the lack of production has to be some cause for concern.

With that in mind, a stint with the Condors certainly makes some sense.  It would allow Holloway to get his skating legs back under him while also playing much higher up the lineup than he would have had he remained with Edmonton.  It could also give him an opportunity to play his natural center position after primarily playing on the wing with the Oilers.  From a long-term development standpoint, Holloway contributing as a middleman would be a nice outcome for Edmonton but one that they’ll need to be patient for with how much time he has missed already.

Worth noting from a salary cap perspective is that this transaction takes Edmonton out of using LTIR altogether.  Accordingly, they’re now in a position to try to bank at least a little bit of cap space between now and the trade deadline, barring further injuries throwing a wrinkle into those plans.  If that cap space isn’t used, it would reduce the amount of the carryover penalty from Connor Brown’s games played bonus.

West Notes: Zucker, Geekie, Schwartz, Karlsson

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Coyotes winger Jason Zucker is set to have a disciplinary hearing today for his hit on Florida winger Nick Cousins on Tuesday, the league announced.  The incident occurred late in the second period with Zucker receiving major penalties for boarding and fighting plus a game misconduct.  The 31-year-old is in his first season in the desert after inking a one-year, $5.3MM contract with Arizona in free agency last summer.  Zucker, who has no prior fine or suspension history, has six goals and six assists in 29 games so far this season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Still with Arizona, prospect Conor Geekie could be on the move in junior as soon as Thursday, reports Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was the 11th overall pick in 2022 and has been quite productive with WHL Wenatchee, notching 20 goals and 29 assists in just 26 games.  Now that his time with the World Juniors has ended following Canada’s elimination, his trade restriction has been eliminated and it appears that little time will be wasted moving him; Swift Current is believed to be his next destination.
  • Seattle could be close to getting a key winger back as head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network (Twitter link) that Jaden Schwartz is near a return to the lineup. The 31-year-old has missed a little more than a month with a lower-body injury and is currently on LTIR.  Schwartz had gotten off to a nice start to his year with 15 points in 23 games before the injury.
  • The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Linus Karlsson from AHL Abbotsford. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this season, getting into three games with Vancouver but has spent the bulk of the year in the minors where he has been quite productive, notching 23 points in 25 games.  Vancouver has an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Karlsson up.

Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Fleury, Murray, Ciernik, Viel

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With Ilya Samsonov’s struggles, the Maple Leafs have been among the teams that have been sniffing around the goalie market.  However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Toronto’s foray into the market was believed to be them offering up a late-round pick – possibly a sixth-rounder – but teams were seeking a better return and preferred a prospect for even the lower-end options.  Clearly, there wasn’t anything out there to GM Brad Treliving’s liking which resulted in today’s recall of prospect Dennis Hildeby, a move that is likely only a short-term option given his inexperience.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • As part of today’s roster shuffle that brought up defenseman Philippe Myers to Tampa Bay, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that blueliner Haydn Fleury has been placed on LTIR. He exited yesterday’s victory over Montreal early and it appears the injury is significant enough for him to miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days.  Fleury has had a limited role so far this season but does have four points in 12 contests with the Lightning.
  • The Stars announced that they sent down goaltender Matt Murray to AHL Texas today. With Jake Oettinger unavailable for a little longer, it’s likely this is a cap-related move and that he’ll be recalled before their game tomorrow against Montreal.  With Oettinger remaining on the active roster, they’re allowed to make this move even with their starter injured.  Murray has yet to play in Dallas this season but has a 2.86 GAA and a .908 SV% in 13 AHL appearances.
  • Flyers prospect Alex Ciernik has been replaced on Slovakia’s World Junior roster due to injury, relays Dennik Sport’s Matej Deraj (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was in his second appearance in the tournament and had one assist in three preliminary round contests.  Ciernik was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia back in June, going 120th overall.
  • One day after being brought up on an emergency recall, the Jets announced (Twitter link) that winger Jeffrey Viel has been returned to AHL Manitoba. The 26-year-old didn’t suit up versus Minnesota and has nine points in 24 games with the Moose this season along with 70 penalty minutes.

St. Louis Blues Recall Nathan Walker

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The St. Louis Blues have announced that forward Nathan Walker has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Walker fills the open spot on the Blues’ roster that was created by yesterday’s reassignment of Mackenzie MacEachern. MacEachern had been on the Blues’ NHL roster since early December and played in a total of eight games for the Blues. They went 5-3 in that span, but after consecutive losses it appears St. Louis has opted to make a change.

Replacing MacEachern is Walker, a veteran of 111 NHL games who has not yet dressed for the Blues in 2023-24. Walker stands just five-foot-nine compared to MacEachern’s six-foot-two, though he offers more recent NHL experience. Walker played 56 NHL games for the Blues last season, while MacEachern’s last extended NHL run came in 2019-20.

Walker won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, and has been excellent in the AHL this season. He has 13 goals and 29 points for the Thunderbirds, and he leads the team in points scoring. The reward for his success in Springfield is this call-up, and he’ll likely skate on the Blues’ fourth line alongside Sammy Blais and Oskar Sundqvist.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Merzlikins, Puljujarvi, Halonen

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The Rangers could be prioritizing adding some grit over another skilled forward, reports Lohud’s Vince Z. Mercogliano.  That type of player would ideally then help shore up their defensive play in the bottom six as well.  At the moment, New York has ample spending room with both Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko on LTIR but if both of those players return by the end of the season, that spending flexibility becomes much more limited.  Accordingly, doing some scouting work on an impactful gritty depth player who doesn’t cost as much against the salary cap could be a wise course of action for them for now.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that Elvis Merzlikins’ early departure from last night’s victory over Toronto was due to illness. Spencer Martin played the final two periods and overtime in relief.  He will also miss today’s game versus Buffalo as team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays (Twitter link) that Merzlikins did not accompany the team on the trip.  With Columbus carrying three goalies on its active roster, they don’t need to bring another netminder up from AHL Cleveland.
  • Winger Jesse Puljujarvi skated with the Penguins on Friday for the first time since joining them on a PTO earlier this month, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 25-year-old has been working his way back from double hip surgery and still hasn’t been fully cleared to play.  If that comes after a few more skates with Pittsburgh, Puljujarvi could be an intriguing addition in the second half of the season on what’s quite likely to be a deal at or near the league minimum.
  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated forward Brian Halonen off of season-opening IR and assigned him to AHL Utica. The 24-year-old is in the second and final year of his entry-level contract and had 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with the Comets last season.  Since Halonen wasn’t in the NHL at any point last season, he did not count against the cap while on SOIR.

Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard, Assign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Minors

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With Charlie Lindgren exiting Friday’s contest early with an upper-body injury and the Capitals back in action tonight versus Nashville, a move needed to be made to get another goalie on the active roster.  That move has now been made as the team announced that goaltender Hunter Shepard has been recalled while winger Ivan Miroshnichenko has been sent back to AHL Hershey.

Shepard made his first two NHL appearances earlier this season, picking up a pair of wins against division rivals while stopping 54 of 59 shots.  The 28-year-old has spent the bulk of the campaign in the minors with the Bears, getting into 16 games where he has a 2.28 GAA and a .908 SV%.  He also has 14 victories, good for the second-most in the AHL.  He’ll serve as Darcy Kuemper’s backup in Lindgren’s absence.

As for Miroshnichenko, the 19-year-old made his NHL debut just before the holiday break and has played in four games with Washington so far.  He’s still looking for his first point at the top level while averaging a little over ten minutes a night of ice time.  The 20th pick in 2022, Miroshnichenko has eight goals and seven assists in 27 games with Hershey, his first taste of NHL action.  As long as he plays in fewer than ten games at the top level, Miroshnichenko won’t burn the first year of his contract this season, meaning he’ll still have three years left on his entry-level agreement heading into 2024-25.  Accordingly, expect the Capitals to limit his NHL action over the final few months of the season.

Meanwhile, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out (Twitter link) that winger Max Pacioretty remains on LTIR, at least for now.  The veteran has been speculated to potentially be available for tonight’s contest.  Washington would have to make another roster move to open up a spot for Pacioretty’s potential activation if he is indeed cleared.  The easiest way to do that could be moving Martin Fehervary to IR if he’s going to miss a week or more after sustaining an upper-body injury of his own last night.

Red Wings Assign Jonatan Berggren And Austin Czarnik To AHL

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Earlier today, the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that both Joe Veleno and Christian Fischer will return to the lineup tomorrow against Boston.  With Fischer being on injured reserve, at least one player would likely be sent back down.  Instead, Detroit has opted to send two players down in corresponding moves as CapFriendly reports (Twitter links) that both Jonatan Berggren and Austin Czarnik have been assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.

Berggren was a regular with Detroit for most of last season, getting into 67 games with the big club where he acquitted himself relatively well, notching 15 goals and 13 assists while logging 13:28 per game.  But after GM Steve Yzerman added several pieces up front over the summer, Berggren found himself on the outside looking in at a regular roster spot and was assigned to Grand Rapids at the start of the season.

In the minors, the 23-year-old has been quite productive, picking up seven goals and 11 assists in just 19 contests.  That has helped Berggren earn six separate recalls over the last two months which has resulted in nine appearances with the Red Wings.  Despite limited playing time in those contests (just 10:08 per contest), he has been fairly productive, tallying a pair of goals along with three assists.  He’ll likely be a top recall option when the next injury arises in Detroit.

As for Czarnik, the 31-year-old has played in 18 games with the Red Wings this season despite clearing waivers twice already.  While he has typically been quite productive in the minors, that hasn’t carried over to the NHL this season as he has just one assist in those appearances.  Meanwhile, in nine games with the Griffins, Czarnik has three goals and four assists.

Meanwhile, the return of Fischer from injured reserve tomorrow will be a welcome one.  The 26-year-old has been a regular on Detroit’s fourth line this season, playing in 33 games where he has eight points and 39 hits while logging a little less than 11 minutes per night.  He has been out since just before the holiday break with an undisclosed injury.

Oilers Recall Raphael Lavoie, Assign Ben Gleason To AHL

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The Oilers have opted to make a pair of moves before tonight’s game versus Los Angeles.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled forward Raphael Lavoie from AHL Bakersfield while sending blueliner Ben Gleason to the Condors.

Lavoie opted to accept his qualifying offer this summer worth just over $874K over signing a lower-cost one-way deal or two-way pact with more guaranteed money.  He hoped that he’d land the final roster spot in training camp which would ultimately get him more in the long run.

But that didn’t quite work as planned as Edmonton waived the 23-year-old in training camp and after he cleared, assigned him to Bakersfield.  He has been quite productive with the Condors so far, notching 10 goals in just 19 games, picking up where left off on that front last year.  Lavoie also got into six games with Edmonton last month on a pair of recalls; he was held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging 7:36 per game.  If he plays in four more games with the Oilers, he will need to pass through waivers once again.

As for Gleason, he cleared waivers in training camp and spent the first two months of the years with the Condors where he did well, picking up nine points in 14 games, earning him a recall three weeks ago.  However, the 25-year-old has been a healthy scratch in every game since then so this assignment will at least give him a chance to get some games in.  Gleason is in the first season of a two-year deal after coming over in free agency from Dallas with his contract converting to a one-way agreement next season.

Islanders Place Ryan Pulock On LTIR, Assign Ken Appleby To AHL

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The Islanders have made a pair of roster moves in advance of tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved defenseman Ryan Pulock to LTIR and assigned goaltender Ken Appleby to AHL Bridgeport.

Pulock has been out with a lower-body injury since December 8th, meaning he has already missed the majority of the 10 games and 24 days that he’s required to be out for with this placement; he’d be eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday’s game in Colorado.  The fact they’re going this route suggests he should be out at least a little longer than that.

While Pulock’s placement doesn’t open up a roster spot, it does expand their LTIR pool, giving GM Lou Lamoriello more short-term flexibility to manage his roster without having to be worried about salary cap considerations.

As for Appleby, he has been back and forth from Bridgeport in recent days with Semyon Varlamov missing the last couple of games with an undisclosed injury.  His demotion opens up a roster spot and if Varlamov is good to at least dress as the backup for tomorrow’s game, the Islanders will likely look to bring a defenseman up from the AHL as they’ve been carrying just six in recent days.

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