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Snapshots: Blues, Orlov, Senyshyn

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The St. Louis Blues are not technically out of the playoff race, sitting 26-26-3 after today’s loss, but the front office decided that this wasn’t their year weeks ago. General manager Doug Armstrong spoke with Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his recent selling spree, moving Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, Ryan O’Reilly, and Noel Acciari over the last ten days.

As we have suggested in the past, the Blues aren’t guaranteed to use the draft picks they’ve landed this month. Instead, they could flip them for established NHL talents to try and reload this offseason. Armstrong admitted as much, explaining that the team needs to “retrench with players 25, 26, and under that have term on their contracts.”

  • The Washington Capitals are trying to work out an extension with Dmitry Orlov, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes that “term is a significant issue” in the negotiations. Orlov, 31, has a lot of miles on his body, with more than 750 NHL games (regular season and playoffs) in an 11-year career, and is probably looking for one more big payday as he nears unrestricted free agency. Coming off a six-year, $30.6MM deal, he is playing nearly 23 a night for Washington, who have been without John Carlson for a big chunk of the year.
  • Zachary Senyshyn has been traded again, this time in the minor leagues. The former Boston Bruins prospect was traded from the Utica Comets to the Chicago Wolves in exchange for future considerations. Ben Birnell of the Daily Sentinal gives some context on the deal, explaining that the Comets have had to sit a player all season, because of the rule that limits the number of minor league veterans that can be in the lineup at any one time. Senyshyn, 25, is approaching 300 regular season games in the AHL.

Stars Recall Fredrik Olofsson

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The Stars have added some extra forward depth in advance of their game tonight against Columbus, announcing the recall of winger Fredrik Olofsson from AHL Texas.  Dallas had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.

The 26-year-old is in his first season in North America after signing with the Stars as a free agent last May, inking a one-year, one-way contract worth the NHL minimum of $750K.  Olofsson was initially drafted by Chicago back in 2014 but didn’t sign with the team, allowing him to become a free agent.  He will once again hit the open market in July.

Olofsson has been up for two separate stints with Dallas this season, getting into 13 games.  He has held his own in a limited role, picking up a goal and three assists while averaging a little under ten minutes per night on the fourth line.  Olofsson has been a bit more productive in the minors, tallying five goals along with nine helpers in 37 contests.  Knowing he’ll be testing free agency again in a few months, he’ll need to make an impact if he wants a shot at landing another one-way agreement.

Washington Capitals Re-Assign Dylan McIlrath To AHL

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Saturday: McIlrath’s time with Washington has come to an end for the time being as the team announced that they’ve returned him to AHL Hershey.  He suited up in Thursday’s game against Florida, logging 11:31 of ice time in his first action since 2019-20.

Wednesday: The Washington Capitals recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the team said in a statement.

McIlrath’s recall comes as Washington has two players out of the lineup on personal leave: captain Alex Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas. The Capitals don’t expect Ovechkin back in the lineup this week, as he remains in Russia after the passing of his father, while Protas returned to the team today after the birth of his and his wife’s first child, said NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.

With Alexander Alexeyev already on Washington’s roster as an extra defenseman, the chances of McIlrath’s season debut appear slim, barring injuries. Now in his second season in the Capitals organization, all 118 professional games since 2021-22 have come in a Bears uniform.

The 10th overall selection in the 2010 draft by the New York Rangers, McIlrath hasn’t played an NHL game in over three years. Now 30, McIlrath has kept up the physical pedigree that earned him his lofty draft position, but his play with the puck never translated into a meaningful NHL role.

In 44 games with Hershey this season, McIlrath has logged 10 assists and leads all Hershey skaters with 83 penalty minutes.

Canucks Recall Christian Wolanin, Place Travis Dermott On IR

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The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their tonight against Philadelphia, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Christian Wolanin from AHL Abbotsford while placing defenseman Travis Dermott on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

Wolanin is up for only the second time this season with the first stint lasting less than 48 hours.  The 27-year-old has found another gear offensively in the minors this season, recording an impressive 55 points in 49 games.  That’s good for a tie for fourth overall in AHL scoring while he leads all blueliners by 10 points at a minimum.  Prior to this season, the most points that Wolanin had in the minors in a single season was 31.  He has 70 games of NHL experience under his belt with three different teams and has seen NHL action in each of the last five years.

Dermott, meanwhile, has had a tough season, missing more than 30 games with a concussion and now he’s on the shelf again having last played on January 25th.  When healthy, the 26-year-old has been limited to just 11 games where he has only a single goal while averaging 13:45 per game, a career low.  He’s in the final season of a two-year, $3MM contract and is owed a qualifying offer of $1.75MM this summer.  With his struggles and Vancouver’s cap situation, he looks like a potential non-tender candidate this summer.

Canadiens Recall Corey Schueneman

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With the Canadiens carrying just six healthy defensemen on their roster and Justin Barron leaving Thursday’s game early due to injury, they’ve brought up an extra rearguard as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports (Twitter link) that Corey Schueneman has been recalled.

It’s the third recall of the season for the 27-year-old who was brought up for a pair of short stints in October although he didn’t get into any NHL appearances during that time.  Schueneman has suited up in 43 games with AHL Laval this season, picking up five goals and 13 assists.  Schueneman does have some NHL experience under his belt, however, as he got into 24 games with the Canadiens last season where he picked up six points and 40 blocked shots while averaging 16:36 per night.

Early indications are that Barron should be able to play tonight against Toronto so Schueneman, a pending unrestricted free agent, is likely just being added to the roster as an insurance policy at this point.  To make room for him on the roster, defenseman Arber Xhekaj was placed on injured reserve.  He’s out indefinitely after sustaining an upper-body injury last weekend.  The team announced (Twitter link) that he’ll see a specialist next week with an update to come at that time.

Maple Leafs Recall Erik Kallgren On Emergency Basis

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With Matt Murray still injured and Ilya Samsonov missing practice yesterday due to illness, the Maple Leafs needed a second goalie on the active roster.  That goaltender is Erik Kallgren as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him while assigning forward Pontus Holmberg to AHL Toronto in a corresponding move.

Kallgren has split this season between the NHL and AHL and actually has fared better with the Maple Leafs than the Marlies.  In 10 NHL contests, the 26-year-old has a 2.67 GAA along with a .898 SV% while in 16 minor league appearances, his GAA jumps to 3.33 while his SV% dips to .884.  He’s in the final season of a two-year, two-way contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

Holmberg, meanwhile, has acquitted himself well in his first taste of NHL action this season.  He has played in 36 games with the Leafs so far, picking up five goals and eight assists but with yesterday’s additions of Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari, playing time was going to be difficult to come by.  He’ll return to the Marlies where he has seven points in 16 games so far.

While unannounced by the team yesterday, veteran Wayne Simmonds was also papered to the minors.  But even after that, Toronto is currently over the maximum 23-player roster with Kallgren’s promotion.  Teams get two emergency goalie recalls per season that allows them to go over the limit for up to 48 hours and barring another roster move, it appears that’s what they’re going with here.

Minor Transactions: 02/17/23

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With the trade deadline just around the corner, we’ve reached a busy section of the NHL schedule. Tonight’s matchups feature some divisional rivalries, such as the Anaheim Ducks against the Los Angeles Kings as well as the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild. Additionally, Connor McDavid will continue his chase for 100 points against the New York Rangers. As fans across the hockey world get ready to enjoy tonight’s games, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making roster moves. We’ll keep track of those transactions here.

  • 2011 Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick Stuart Percy will be leaving his current club, HC Motor Ceske Budejovice, at the end of the season, according to a report from Michal Kosturik of iSport.cz. Per this report, the 29-year-old blueliner is likely to remain in the Czech Extraliga, albeit with a new club. If Percy does end up departing Ceske Budejovice, he would end a two-year run there which saw him help lead Budejovice to the Extraliga semifinals, where they lost to HC Sparta Praha. Percy last played in North America in 2019-20, when he got into 5 AHL games for the Belleville Senators.
  • The AHL’s Syracuse Crunch have signed University of Waterloo forward Daniel Walker to a one-year AHL contract, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old Walker played four years in the OHL, splitting time between the North Bay Battalion and Oshawa Generals. While led the OHL in penalty minutes with 129 in 2018-19, he found his goal-scoring touch in college, and finishes his time at Waterloo with 24 goals in 35 games. He’ll now begin his professional career in Central New York with an AHL contract in hand.
  • The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings have signed Canadian University defenseman Franco Sproviero, fresh off of an above-point-per-game season with the University of Western Ontario. The five-foot-nine blueliner scored 60 points in his final OHL season with the Sarnia Sting, and will now get the chance to begin his professional career in North America’s third-tier pro league. He joins a Wings team that has had a difficult season and is looking to add some scoring from their back end as their top-scoring defenseman has 21 points in 36 games.
  • The ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays have signed forward Ian Mackey, meaning he’ll join his third ECHL team of the season. The 26-year-old has gotten into games this year for the Savannah Ghost Pirates and Atlanta Gladiators and now heads to South Carolina. Last season, Mackey plied his trade playing lower-level hockey in Sweden.
  • German youngster Bennet Rossmy is reportedly transferring from the DEL’s Eisbaren Berlin to DEL rival Dusseldorfer EG for next season, according to B.Z.’s Joerg Lubrich. The 19-year-old already has 61 games of DEL experience under his belt despite still being a teenager. He helped Berlin win the DEL last season, and while he hasn’t had a ton of scoring success in Germany’s top league he has been a more impactful contributor at the DEL2 level.
  • Czech forward Jakub Izacky is concluding a six-year stint in the Hungarian Erste Liga in order to make a move to the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers for the rest of the season. The 29-year-old heads to the United Kingdom having scored 247 points in 221 career games in the Hungarian league. He has not yet played in the EIHL,  and before Hungary the bulk of his experience came playing in Czechia’s second and third divisions. Izacky played one season in North America, scoring 21 goals and 38 points for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in 2012-13, which ranked him second in team scoring behind Jonathan Huberdeau, who would go on to win the Calder Trophy later that season.
  • Alexandr Peresunko has transferred from the Hungarian Erste Liga to HK Poprad of the Slovak Tipos Extraliga. The 23-year-old Ukrainian scored 37 points in 29 games for UTE Budapest, and heads to Slovakia which puts him a step up in difficulty on the European professional hockey ladder. The move is solid progress for the former Victoriaville Tigre, who scored 31 points in 57 games during the 2019-20 QMJHL season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Seattle Kraken Reassign John Hayden

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The Seattle Kraken have reassigned John Hayden to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, clearing an open spot on Seattle’s 23-man roster for GM Ron Francis to work with.

Hayden, 28, was last on the ice for Coachella Valley on February 4th, when he helped the Firebirds defeat the San Diego Gulls 4-0. That wrapped up a two-game stay in Coachella Valley before he headed back to the Kraken’s roster. He got into two games for coach Dave Hakstol, scoring a goal in the Kraken’s shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on February 14th.

This season, Hayden has been a priory call-up for the Kraken when they need a reliable veteran forward to fill a down-the-lineup roster spot. He’s scored two goals in five NHL games so far this year, and has nearly 250 total games of NHL experience.

Hayden has been more of a difference-maker in the AHL, helping the Firebirds to an exceptional season. Hayden has 25 points in 36 AHL games, and has scored at a healthy rate whenever he’s been in the AHL in his career. He’ll now head back to coach Dan Bylsma’s squad with the hope that he can continue to play a helpful role for the Firebirds while waiting for his next NHL opportunity.

Boston Bruins Reassign Jakub Lauko

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As the Boston Bruins prepare for the imminent return of forward Jake DeBrusk from injury, the team has reassigned forward Jakub Lauko to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Lauko last played in the AHL on February 4th, when he scored a goal in Providence’s 4-1 win over the Utica Comets.

Lauko, 22, is a speedy, forceful forward who has earned eleven games with the Bruins this season thanks largely to his off-puck play. A 2018 third-round pick, Lauko has scored moderately well at the AHL level this year, with nine goals and 15 points in 30 games.

In the NHL, Lauko is averaging a shade under nine and a half minutes of ice time per game, and has registered three points, 22 hits, and two blocked shots.

He’s gotten a few looks on the Bruins’ penalty kill during his time on their roster, and has begun to establish himself as an energetic, cheap depth piece for coach Jim Montgomery. Lauko will be eligible for restricted free agency in the offseason, although The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa has speculated that Lauko could be one of the Bruins’ trade chips as they chase upgrades to their team at the deadline. (subscription link)

Now back in the AHL, the best thing Lauko can do is continue being a difference-maker at that level as he bides his time waiting to return to the NHL roster.

New Jersey Devils Reassign Alexander Holtz

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The New Jersey Devils have cleared a roster spot by sending prospect Alexander Holtz back to the minor leagues, but don’t get too excited. Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com tweets that there is no imminent trade, and that the team just wanted to get the young forward some game reps.

Holtz, 21, has only appeared in 19 games for the Devils this season, and even when he is in the lineup, he barely sees the ice. Averaging just over ten minutes a game, there have been several matches where Holtz has received fewer than ten shifts. He has just one NHL game since January 7, and has only appeared three times in the AHL this season.

Getting him some actual playing experience is important, especially given how well he transitioned to the AHL last year. In 52 games, Holtz scored 26 goals to lead the Utica Comets and showed that he was already advanced for that level.

Now, with Jack Hughes getting closer to a return and the Devils poking around on other forward additions, Holtz might as well go back to start playing regularly in the minor leagues.

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