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St. Louis Blues Sign Anton Malmstrom

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The St. Louis Blues announced Monday that the team signed defenseman Anton Malmstrom to a two-year entry-level contract. The contract will begin in the 2023-24 season, making Malmstrom a restricted free agent in 2025. Per CapFriendly, the deal carries a cap hit of $910K, and the full structure is as follows:

2023-24: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2024-25: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus

The Blues said Malmstrom, 22, will join the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, on an amateur tryout for the remainder of 2022-23.

The hulking 6’4″ defenseman from Österhaninge, Sweden, is an undrafted free agent signing out of Bowling Green State University, one of the first college signings of the 2023 season. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reported last month that Malmstrom was drawing some NHL interest and named the Blues as the frontrunner to sign him after he attended their development camp in 2022.

This season with Bowling Green, Malmstrom served as an alternate captain and registered three goals and six points in 33 contests, along with a -8 rating. Those both were career-highs for Malmstrom at Bowling Green, and even considering his junior production in Sweden, his point production has never been where you’d expect an NHL-level prospect to be. Even if his defensive game is the appeal behind his signing, Malmstrom must work on his offensive awareness in Springfield for a shot at the NHL.

Toronto Maple Leafs To Place Ryan O’Reilly On LTIR, Recall Two

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12:57 p.m.: It’s the worst-case scenario for the Maple Leafs. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that O’Reilly will be placed on long-term injured reserve with a broken finger, with no timeline for his return. However, TSN’s Mark Masters notes the team expects him back before the playoffs. O’Reilly had three goals and five points in eight games with Toronto since he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in advance of the trade deadline.

Tavares, on the other hand, will not play tomorrow as a precaution, as he’s “not feeling himself.” Keefe told reporters the team is “mindful” that Tavares received some hard hits in the Canucks game, but attributes his absence to a flu bug going around the room and a tough travel schedule. He noted Tavares felt good after practice and that he’s on track to return to the lineup this weekend against the Edmonton Oilers.

12:20 p.m.: With injuries beginning to mount, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced the recalls of forwards Alex Steeves and Pontus Holmberg from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Monday.

The recalls come as injuries have affected two of Toronto’s top centers, although their severity is unknown at the time of writing. Ryan O’Reilly was absent from practice this morning after he took a puck to the hand in Toronto’s Saturday loss to the Vancouver Canucks, while John Tavares was an extra after he was the recipient of a hard hit from Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers in the same game.

A corresponding transaction will need to be made before 4 p.m. CT today, as the two recalls would put Toronto more than $800K over the salary cap.

For Holmberg, it’s a chance to build on a strong start to his NHL career earlier in the season. Although he was pushed down the depth chart with Toronto’s trade deadline acquisitions, he’d been an effective depth piece for the Leafs, recording five goals and 13 points in 36 games while providing solid defensive play. The 2018 sixth-round pick is in his first season in North America after back-to-back standout campaigns with the SHL’s Växjö Lakers HC.

Steeves, 23, is second on the Marlies in scoring, with 44 points in 53 games, and earns his second recall of the season after an emergency call-up in February. The undrafted free agent signing out of Notre Dame has five appearances with the Maple Leafs over the past two seasons, recording his first NHL assist in the process.

AHL Shuffle: 03/06/23

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The following players were either recalled or sent down between their NHL clubs and their respective AHL affiliates.

  • Goalie Matt Murray was an emergency recall by the Dallas Stars from the Texas Stars, according to CapFriendly Murray was signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, and has appeared in one game for Dallas this season, his first NHL action.
  • Forward Fredrik Olofsson was also an emergency recall by the Dallas Stars, according to CapFriendly. Oloffson was a fourth-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014, and has recorded one goal and three assists in 20 games this season, his first in the NHL.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent veteran goaltender Keith Kinkaid to the Colorado Eagles, according to CapFriendly. Kinkaid, 33, has appeared in two games this season, one each for the Boston Bruins and Avalanche. He has been shuffled between the NHL and AHL since arriving in Colorado.
  • Per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, the Montreal Canadiens have reassigned defenseman Frederic Allard to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Montreal acquired Allard in a minor trade with the Los Angeles Kings on deadline day, and the 25-year-old played in just the second game of his NHL career yesterday against Vegas, as Montreal’s defense is depleted with injuries. Allard heads back to the minors, where he had seven points in 35 games with the Ontario Reign before the trade to the Canadiens organization.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled goalie Arturs Silovs from the Abbotsford Canucks under emergency conditions, per the team. He’ll start tonight’s game instead of Collin Delia, who’s unavailable with a non-COVID illness. Silovs has a .908 save percentage and a 2-2-0 record in four NHL appearances, all coming this season.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

San Jose Sharks Recall Nick Cicek, Nikolai Knyzhov

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The San Jose Sharks recalled defensemen Nick Cicek and Nikolai Knyzhov from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Sunday, per a team tweet.

As The Athletic’s Corey Masisak notes, the recalls give San Jose some extra defensemen on the roster as they embark on a three-game road swing. Defenseman Radim Simek also left yesterday’s 8-3 loss to Washington, and his status is still unknown.

For Knyzhov, it’s a chance to get into his first NHL games since his breakout campaign in 2020-21. After just three previous games of NHL experience, Knyzhov appeared in all 56 games during the COVID-shortened campaign, scoring 10 points and mostly played alongside Erik Karlsson.

He’s played just 12 games of hockey since then, all coming this year with the Barracuda. A groin injury cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign, and an offseason Achilles injury kept him out through the end of January 2023. He hadn’t recorded a point with the Barracuda, but the defensive-minded Knyzhov will still get a chance to show that he can still play a role in the NHL.

Cicek, 22, has four assists in 16 games with the Sharks this season. Signed this past offseason after an impressive performance on an AHL deal last year, Cicek has slid up to the seventh or eighth spot on the organization’s defense depth chart.

Dallas Stars Loan Fredrik Olofsson, Matt Murray To AHL

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The well-worn track between the NHL and AHL for a pair of Dallas Stars players saw more traffic today. As announced by the team Sunday afternoon, forward Fredrik Olofsson and goalie Matt Murray have been loaned to the AHL’s Texas Stars.

Murray heading to the AHL could be a sign that backup Scott Wedgewood is ready to return from an undisclosed injury that’s kept him out for much of the past few weeks. Wedgewood last played just over two weeks ago and was heating up with a .920 save percentage in his last five starts, although a lack of goal support left him with just a 1-4-0 record. An AHL presence for most of his career, the 30-year-old Wedgewood has done well since earning the full-time backup gig in Dallas.

The “other” Matt Murray made his NHL debut three nights ago, stopping 19 of 21 shots in a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. He returns to Texas, now indisputably the team’s third-string goalie after Anton Khudobin was dealt to the Blackhawks in this week’s Max Domi trade.

Olofsson, 26, is still waiver-exempt and will likely continue to return to Texas as breaks in Dallas’ schedule allow. With accruing salary cap space nor roster limits in consideration after the trade deadline, Olofsson’s deployment by Dallas isn’t affected by any financial motivations. The undrafted free agent has played in 20 games with Dallas this season, registering a goal and three assists.

Coyotes Assign Three To AHL

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The Coyotes have made a trio of roster moves following their game last night against Carolina, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defensemen Vladislav Kolyachonok and Michael Kesselring plus forward Milos Kelemen to AHL Tucson.

Kolyachonok is the most experienced of the three at the NHL level, making 34 career appearances with the Coyotes although only two of those have come this season.  The 21-year-old has spent most of the year with the Roadrunners, picking up 14 points and 52 penalty minutes in 54 games.  He has one year left on this one on his entry-level deal.

As for Kesselring, he’s new to the organization after coming over from Edmonton as part of the Nick Bjugstad trade earlier this week.  He made his NHL debut last night after spending the full season in the minors with AHL Bakersfield prior to the swap.  After picking up 13 points in his rookie pro campaign, the 23-year-old had 13 goals and nine assists with the Condors in 49 games this season.  He also has one season left on his entry-level pact.

Kelemen, meanwhile, is in his first season in North America after signing a two-year, entry-level deal with the Coyotes back in May.  He played his second NHL contest last night and has also been with the Roadrunners for most of the season, tallying 13 goals and 13 assists in 52 games.

While Arizona added Brett Ritchie and Connor Mackey at the deadline yesterday, neither player was available to suit up against the Hurricanes which resulted in Kesselring and Kelemen being brought up yesterday to fill out their roster.  The newcomers should be available to suit up on Sunday against New Jersey.

AHL Shuffle: 3/4/23

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While there were plenty of recalls yesterday following paper demotions to the minors to maintain AHL eligibility, some of those moves will come today instead.  We’ll keep track of those transactions here while non-paper recalls will be covered separately.

  • The Lightning announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Darren Raddysh from AHL Syracuse. The 27-year-old played for Tampa Bay in Thursday’s loss to Pittsburgh but has spent most of the year with the Crunch, picking up 50 points in 50 games to put him second among all AHL rearguards in scoring.
  • The Penguins announced (Twitter link) the recall of forward Drew O’Connor from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 24-year-old last played in the AHL three months ago and since then, he has been a regular most nights with Pittsburgh, recording five goals and three assists in 27 games.
  • The Flames have recalled wingers Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier from AHL Calgary, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Both players were papered down on Friday.  Duehr has four points in 17 games with the Flames so far this season while Pelletier has seven points in 16 contests, five of which have come in Calgary’s last five outings.
  • Nashville has recalled forwards John Leonard and Luke Evangelista from Milwaukee after sending them down yesterday, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Leonard scored in his first game of the season with the Predators on Thursday while Evangelista has an assist over his first two NHL appearances.
  • The Kings have recalled centers Rasmus Kupari and Quinton Byfield, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Kupari has spent most of the year with Los Angeles, getting into 47 games with them compared to 11 with the Reign while Byfield has suited up 34 times for the Kings compared to 16 in Ontario.  These quick demotions will keep them eligible to play in the AHL postseason.
  • The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) they have sent down Ben Meyers to the Colorado Eagles. Meyers has played 34 games in the NHL this season with the Avalanche, scoring one goal and zero assists.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

New York Rangers Acquire Anton Blidh, Wyatt Kalynuk

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The New York Rangers made two more minor moves just before the bell sounded. First, they acquired Anton Blidh from the Colorado Avalanche sending Gustav Rydahl back in return. Then, they acquired Wyatt Kalynuk from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations. All three players are currently in the minor leagues.

Blidh, 27, is the most experienced player in the deals, with 84 NHL games under his belt. Fourteen of those have come this season with Colorado, but the depth forward has been kept completely off the scoresheet. His acquisition is likely just to extend the Rangers forward depth chart ahead of the playoffs, as he is unlikely to play much unless the team suffers several injuries.

You could say the same for Kalynuk, who last saw NHL action during the 201-22 season and has spent this entire year with the Abbotsford Canucks. His acquisition is likely more about giving the Hartford Wolf Pack a bit more expeirence. Kalynuk was once expected to be a regular at the NHL level, after signing with Chicago out of the University of Wisconsin, but after 26 games in a Blackhawks sweater, his time in the league ran out.

Rydahl, meanwhile, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the SHL, where he has won multiple championships and starred for Farjestads. His first taste of North American hockey hasn’t worked out, with just seven goals and 15 points through 40 games, but perhaps the Avalanche can find a little more juice in the 28-year-old center.

Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks Swap Depth Players

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The San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars have completed a trade to swap AHL centers. The Sharks are sending 23-year-old Scott Reedy to Dallas in exchange for Jacob Peterson. Reedy has been assigned to the Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, while Peterson could end up in the NHL thanks to the Sharks’ trades of two forwards today: Vladislav Namestnikov and Nick Bonino.

This deal swaps two 23-year-old centers who have each spent the year with their club’s AHL affiliate, save for one NHL game completed by Peterson this season. As mentioned, the Sharks have shipped out quite a few forwards in recent trades, so this deal could simply be the team preferring so see what Peterson can do in their system rather than call up Reedy, who played 35 games for the big club last season

Reedy, 23, is a fourth-round pick of the Sharks from the 2017 draft who earned last season’s NHL chance after an impressive AHL performance. He finished with 18 goals and 27 points in 38 games, and ended up scoring nine points in 35 NHL games as the Sharks got to test some of their young in-the-system players in NHL games. He’s struggled in the AHL this season, scoring just 13 points in 38 games, prompting this trade.

The Stars get a player with less NHL experience than Peterson, although he could be someone the team liked back when he was a point-per-game player at the University of Minnesota.

For the Sharks, they are receiving a player with 66 games of NHL experience who has been more productive this year at the AHL level. The 2017 fifth-rounder scored 33 points in 46 SHL games for Farjestad BK in 2020-21, leading to him crossing the Atlantic to play in Texas. Peterson scored 17 points in 65 games for the Stars last year, averaging eleven minutes of ice time per night.

While he could instantly step in to replace Reedy in their AHL affiliate’s top-six, Peterson could also be a more experienced option for head coach David Quinn to tap to fill the spots in his lineup vacated by the departures of Michael Eyssimont and Bonino.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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March 3: All three players on waivers yesterday cleared and are eligible to be sent to the American Hockey League. Derrick Pouliot can continue to play with the San Jose Barracuda while Jean-Francois Berube and Evan Fitzpatrick are likely to stay in the minor leagues as well. James Mirtle added there were no new players place on waivers today.

March 2: Three players have hit the waiver wire, all with brand-new contracts in hand. Derrick Pouliot has signed a one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks for the rest of the season, after previously playing under an AHL deal. To stay with the San Jose Barracuda, he needs to clear waivers first. Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reports that Pouliot’s pro-rated contract is worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 at the AHL level.

Joining him on the wire are Jean-Francois Berube and Evan Fitzpatrick, who have both signed with the Florida Panthers. PuckPedia reports that Berube’s one-year deal is worth $750K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL, while CapFriendly reports Fitzpatrick’s is $75K in the AHL.

Both players from yesterday have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Pouliot, 29, has been effective with the Barracuda this season, but it is a bit curious to see him sign a contract now. It seems unlikely that the Sharks would need to recall him unless they are involved in trade talks on several other defensemen, or don’t want to bring up some of the other younger names available.

For the Panthers, adding two goaltenders is just in case of an emergency, while Spencer Knight continues in the Player Assistance Program. Without him, Mack Guzda was the only other netminder in the organization signed to an NHL contract.

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