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New York Islanders Reassign Otto Koivula

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Feb 14: Koivula has been returned to the AHL. He played in one game, but only received nine shifts.

Feb 13: The New York Islanders have made a few roster moves, dealing with a Casey Cizikas non-COVID illness. Samuel Bolduc has been returned to the minor leagues, while Otto Koivula is on his way back up.

Bolduc, 22, has played six games for the Islanders this season, most recently appearing last Thursday. The young defenseman is averaging just 15 minutes a night but did score his first NHL goal against the Seattle Kraken. Bolduc’s ceiling looks rather high, but he may have to wait a little while before he’s a regular in the NHL.

Koivula, meanwhile, hasn’t played at all for New York this season, spending the whole year in the AHL. The big winger has 10 goals and 21 points in 42 games there, but hasn’t been impressive enough to really force his way into the NHL. Through 20 career games, Koivula still hasn’t scored, adding just two assists in the process.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Ben Meyers, Justus Annunen

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With Pavel Francouz still out with a lower-body injury, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled Justus Annunen from the minor leagues to serve as the team’s second goaltender. It’s the young netminder’s first call-up this season, and he’ll come along with Ben Meyers, who is back up after a few days in the minor leagues.

Annunen, 22, is Colorado’s top goaltending prospect and has been excellent in his second AHL season. With a 16-8-4 record and .912 save percentage, he has taken a big step forward from last year and now looks on track to push for some NHL playing time in the near future. He received that chance last year, when he appeared in two games and posted an .863.

Given that Francouz is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024 and Alexandar Georgiev the year following, all eyes will be on Annunen to see if he can grow into an NHL starter. The third-round pick may get his chance to play this weekend, as the Avalanche are headed for a back-to-back before their CBA-mandated bye week.

It certainly won’t be easy. Unless the team puts him in tomorrow’s afternoon tilt against the St. Louis Blues, it means Annunen is likely to face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in his season debut on Sunday. Welcome back to the NHL, kid.

Snapshots: Sharks, DeBrusk, Smith

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The San Jose Sharks may be prepared to buck a recent trend among the NHL’s sellers. Head coach David Quinn has not talked to the team’s general manager, Mike Grier, about benching players for trade-related reasons, he told reporters, including The Athletic’s Corey Masisak, today.

Quinn emphasized that both of the Sharks’ high-profile trade targets, Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson, are currently under contract or team control for the next season, and the team is not obligated to trade them by the March 3 trade deadline. However, given the fervent pace of recent rumors surrounding both players, it would be shocking if neither were moved. While the financial hurdles to a Karlsson trade are understandable, Meier’s status as a pending restricted free agent gives his acquiring team some control in dictating his financial future, and a trade seems inevitable.

  • Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery is reportedly optimistic about the return of winger Jake DeBrusk, says The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont. DeBrusk has been out of the lineup since January 2 due to a fractured fibula and is two weeks behind schedule. Still, Montgomery is hopeful that he’ll be able to return for their game against the New York Islanders on Saturday. DeBrusk’s return will be a welcome addition to the Bruins lineup, as his 0.83 points per game rank fourth among Bruins forwards. He’s excelled with significant playing time on the top line alongside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.
  • In a puzzling move, the Tampa Bay Lightning today loaned forward Gemel Smith to the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. Tampa’s affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, announced the news this afternoon. Smith hasn’t played with the Lightning this season, but has lit up the minors with 37 points in 35 games with Syracuse thus far. It’s unclear what, if any, compensation Syracuse might receive for losing their third-leading scorer to a different organization.

Arizona Coyotes Reassign Dysin Mayo

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After he was called up earlier in the week, the Arizona Coyotes assigned defenseman Dysin Mayo to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, per the team.

Mayo has played 15 games for the Coyotes this season, but he’s been held without a point and averages under 12 minutes of ice time per game. In his limited playing time, Mayo’s defense has seen a marked improvement from last season and has been a solid contributor.

The 26-year-old Mayo has been with the Coyotes for almost a decade after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The decision to assign Mayo to the Roadrunners doesn’t come as a significant surprise, given his role. However, he did log significant minutes for the Coyotes blueline in 2021-22, earning a three-year extension in the process.

The Roadrunners are currently sixth in the AHL’s Pacific Division, with a record of 21-25-4. That’s despite having the AHL’s leading scorer, Michael Carcone, who has 63 points in just 43 games in Tucson. Mayo’s return should shore up some defensive depth for Tucson, which has allowed the third-most goals in the league this season.

This last call-up to the Coyotes saw Mayo get into the lineup on two occasions, registering a shot on goal, a minor penalty, and a -1 rating.

In 24 games with the Roadrunners this year, Mayo has two goals and five assists for seven points in 24 games after the Coyotes first sent him down back in December 2022. He’s among the longest-tenured players with the team, playing 277 games in a Roadrunners uniform over seven seasons.

Kailer Yamamoto Expected To Play Tomorrow

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The Edmonton Oilers have something up their sleeves. For a week now, the hockey world has been wondering how they would clear enough cap space to activate Kailer Yamamoto. The overwhelming sentiment was that Jesse Puljujarvi would end up on waivers. Either he would be claimed by another team, removing his entire $3MM cap hit, or buried in the minor leagues, giving them the needed $1.125MM.

Today, Puljujarvi was missing from practice but did not appear on waivers. The wire was silent, meaning something else would have to happen if Yamamoto is going to play tomorrow. He looks healthy and even told reporters that he is “feeling really good right now.”

According to head coach Todd Woodcroft, who spoke with reporters, including Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic, a roster move is coming, and Yamamoto will play tomorrow. He also called it a “maintenance day” for Puljujarvi, who played a little over 11 minutes last night.

That means a trade is in the pipe, or someone else is going on long-term injured reserve to make room. Either way, all eyes will be on Edmonton over the next 24 hours given how many big names they have been connected to over recent weeks.

The team has shown (sometimes limited) interest in Erik Karlsson, Jakob Chychrun, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Patrick Kane, among others.

There is one other way that they could fit Yamamoto in, without making a trade or waiving someone. Edmonton could send two of their three waiver-exempt players to the minor leagues, and hold a 20-man roster. Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, and Vincent Desharnais can all be loaned back to the AHL without clearing and could create enough cap space, according to PuckPedia.

Carrying a 20-man roster is extremely difficult for any length of time, given how one small injury can leave you shorthanded. Perhaps it is the only way to get around this problem at the moment, or maybe the Oilers have something else coming down the pipe.

San Jose Sharks Reassign Eetu Makinemi

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Feb 15: Makiniemi, along with Nick Cicek, has been returned to the AHL. Despite having players on long-term injured reserve, the club has a low enough payroll at the moment that they can still accrue some extra cap space. There may be more transactions to follow tomorrow, as they travel to play the Vegas Golden Knights.

Feb 14: The San Jose Sharks recalled goalie Eetu Makiniemi from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Tuesday, the team announced via Twitter. San Jose placed forward Jonah Gadjovich on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

The move leads to a bit of a logjam on the Sharks roster. The Sharks recalled Aaron Dell from the minors just a few days ago, as starter James Reimer is out of the lineup with an undisclosed illness and is day-to-day.

Now, backup Kaapo Kahkonen appears to be out of the lineup short-term, says head coach David Quinn, after he didn’t finish San Jose’s win against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. That makes four goalies on the Sharks’ active roster, with neither Reimer nor Kahkonen expected to miss enough time to qualify for injured reserve.

Gadjovich officially lands on injured reserve less than an hour after the Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka reported he is considered week-to-week with an injury.

Makiniemi, 23, arrived in the Sharks organization this summer when the Carolina Hurricanes included him in their trade package to acquire defenseman Brent Burns. He posted an impressive .922 save percentage in an injury-shortened 2021-22 campaign with their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Still, the organization’s logjam of young goalies incentivized Carolina to move on.

His AHL numbers have taken a dip this season, down to a .900 save percentage and an 8-10-3 record in 22 appearances with the Barracuda. He made his first NHL start earlier this season, stopping 23 of 24 shots in a 6-1 thrashing of the Anaheim Ducks on December 9, 2022.

Expect the Sharks to return Makinemi to the Barracuda as soon as one of Reimer or Kahkonen can play.

Jonathan Toews Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks have completed a number of transactions ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Cole Guttman, Brett Seney, and Isaak Phillips have been recalled from the AHL. To make room, Jarred Tinordi, Jonathan Toews, and Alex Stalock are all going on injured reserve.

Toews is certainly the biggest name among that group, especially as the trade deadline nears. His mysterious illness has kept him away from the team for more than a week, and he has not played since the end of January. Given how long he’s been out, Toews will be able to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, but there’s no clear timeline on that at this point.

Stalock, meanwhile is dealing with “ocular dysfunction,” as it was recently revealed that it is not a concussion keeping him sidelined. He is dealing a “cranial thing” affecting his eyesight and ability to track the puck, according to head coach Luke Richardson yesterday.

Tinordi is out with a knee sprain suffered last night against the Montreal Canadiens and will have to miss at least a week after landing on injured reserve.

Notably, this is Guttman’s first NHL recall, after joining the program last summer as a college free agent. The 23-year-old forward has been good in his first year of pro hockey, scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games. Undersized, he will try to prove that his height won’t stop him from contributing at the highest level.

Brandon Davidson Signs In SHL

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It’s off to Sweden for former NHL defenseman Brandon Davidson, who has signed a contract with Farjestad BK for the rest of the season. Davidson had previously been playing on an AHL deal with the Cleveland Monsters, which had followed a PTO with the Rochester Americans.

Last appearing in the NHL during the 2020-21 season, the 31-year-old Davidson has 180 games under his belt at the highest level in a long professional career. Most of those came with the Edmonton Oilers over two stints following his selection 162nd overall in 2010.

He has also played for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and Buffalo Sabres, as he bounced around trying to find a home. Now it’s off to Europe to try and keep that professional career going, with little chance of an NHL return in the future.

Davidson scored nine goals and 23 points in the NHL, and appeared in the postseason on three occasions.

Morning Notes: Knies, Shore, Studenic

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the teams rumored to be interested in several top names at the trade deadline, but they might have their late-season addition already in the system. Matthew Knies has 17 goals and 31 points in 30 games this year for the University of Minnesota and is “likely” to sign with the Maple Leafs at the end of the college season, according to Joshua Kloke of The Athletic.

Knies also joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill and explained he believes he can be a production pro player this spring, after choosing to go back to college last year. The 20-year-old winger recently came in at No. 42 in Scott Wheeler’s ranking of the best drafted prospects across the league.

  • Devin Shore has been sent back to the AHL once again, leaving the Edmonton Oilers with the opportunity to activate Kailer Yamamoto if they can clear just $1.125MM in cap space. That happens to be the exact amount that is buried when a player costing more than that is sent to the minor leagues. Jesse Puljujarvi remains the most likely player to be waived, though there are countless other ways the Oilers could clear the room, including the trade market.
  • Speaking of bouncing back and forth, Marian Studenic is on his way back to the Texas Stars today. The 24-year-old forward played fewer than ten minutes for the Dallas Stars yesterday, his third appearance of the season. As one of the few teams not currently using long-term injured reserve relief, Dallas can bank cap space between games by reducing their roster as much as possible.

Alex Steeves Reassigned To AHL; Auston Matthews Expected To Return

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The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their roster tweaks, this time sending Alex Steeves back down to the minor leagues. The move comes with Wayne Simmonds on waivers and Auston Matthews appearing to be ready to return after taking in a full practice yesterday.

Steeves, 23, will be down in time to rejoin the Toronto Marlies for their morning match against the Utica Comets today, but likely means he won’t be playing for the Maple Leafs this evening. The young undrafted forward has been outstanding at the AHL level, scoring 39 points in 44 games this season and generally being one of the team’s most reliable players.

Through two games this season and three last year, Steeves has just one point at the NHL level and hasn’t recorded a goal just yet. After becoming a star at Notre Dame, he signed an entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs that keeps him under contract through the 2023-24 season.

If this indicates Matthews’ return, it will be nearly bang on the three-week timeline he was originally given. The star forward last played on January 25 against the New York Rangers, before being shut down due to a knee sprain.

Without him, Toronto has gone 2-3, including an embarrassing loss to the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, in which they were outshot 40-29. Getting him back ahead of the deadline is no small thing, as the Maple Leafs can assess the strength of their group at full health.

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