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Colorado Avalanche Sign Alex Galchenyuk

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After a training camp tryout and an AHL PTO, Alex Galchenyuk has secured another NHL deal. The Colorado Avalanche have signed the veteran forward to a one-year contract for the rest of this season. According to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets, the deal is worth a pro-rated $750K, the league minimum. If the team wants him to continue in the minor leagues, he would have to clear waivers.

This may well have come a few months earlier had Galchenyuk not suffered an injury in camp that ended any chance of him starting the year with Colorado. At the time of his injury, head coach Jared Bednar had explained that the team would reconsider a deal when the injury was dealt with. Earlier this month, that resulted in an AHL tryout with the Colorado Eagles, where Galchenyuk managed seven points in seven games.

The 28-year-old forward has had a fascinating career thus far, one which includes a 30-goal season and seven different NHL stops. The third-overall pick from 2012 has the obvious skill required to compete at the NHL level and over the years developed a strong work ethic, but his game is still rife with inconsistency. He will look like a difference-making player for three shifts in a row, and then be completely out of position on the next.

Still, over the last few years, Colorado has built up a reputation for finding the perfect fit for players who may have been cast off from other organizations. Valeri Nichushkin may be the best example – the big Russian was once bought out by the Dallas Stars after going an entire season without scoring a goal, only to develop into an elite two-way winger for the Avalanche. Players like Ryan Graves, Jacob MacDonald, Kurtis MacDermid, and Jack Johnson have all found fits with the Avalanche after other teams moved on, learning how to play a specific role.

If Colorado can do the same with Galchenyuk, there is at least enough history to suggest that he can become a valuable piece this season. Given how their forward depth has been tested with injury so far, there will certainly be an opportunity for him to prove he still belongs. There is probably no better chance coming for Galchenyuk, so he’ll have to make the most of this one.

Los Angeles Kings Re-Assign Frederic Allard

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Nov 28: After coming up as an insurance policy, Allard has been returned to the Ontario Reign today without playing.

Nov 27: According to a team release Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Lias Andersson and defenseman Brandt Clarke from the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

While Andersson has been continually shuffled up and down between the two leagues (he was sent down just yesterday), Clarke returns to the active roster after a two-week conditioning stint in the AHL. Due to the NHL-CHL eligibility agreement, the 19-year-old Clarke cannot be assigned to the minors full-time. However, the team had scratched him for five games in a row, making him eligible for a two-week, five-game conditioning stint in Ontario before returning to the NHL.

Clarke, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, had a goal and an assist in five games with Ontario. He’s also played nine games in the NHL this season, meaning that one more game with the Kings will set his entry-level contract in motion. If not, his deal is eligible to slide until next season.

Despite spending a handful of days on the Kings’ roster, Andersson has yet to play an NHL game this season. The former New York Rangers prospect does have five goals and nine points in 12 games with the Reign, though, and may still be worth a few NHL looks at 24 years old.

One defenseman just wasn’t enough perhaps. After recalling Clarke and Andersson earlier this afternoon, the Kings announced they’ve recalled defenseman Frederic Allard from the Ontario Reign as well. Allard’s recall rounds out their roster at a complete 23 players. The 24-year-old has played in just five games this season, all with the Reign, recording one assist, and has played in just a single NHL game in his career, coming with the Nashville Predators back in 2020-21.

St. Louis Blues Recall Jake Neighbours

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The St. Louis Blues have brought up top prospect Jake Neighbours, assigning Nikita Alexandrov to the AHL in the meantime. The team will be without Robert Thomas for the next few days as he deals with a lower-body injury. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic relays the lines from morning skate, which had Neighbours beside Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou on the third line.

Neighbours, 20, played 11 games for the Blues earlier this season, but had been returned to the minor leagues after failing to produce much offense. In seven games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he failed to record a goal but did manage five assists. The experience of professional hockey has been tough for the young forward so far, who is used to dominating offensively at the WHL level. Neighbours had 17 goals and 45 points in 30 regular season games for the Edmonton Oil Kings last season.

Losing Thomas, regardless of who replaces him, is a huge blow for the Blues. The 23-year-old has four goals and 19 points through 21 games, following up his 77-point 2021-22 campaign. While he is only listed as day-to-day, any game played without him in the lineup is a difficult one. The Blues will have to try and find offense from somewhere else as they face the Dallas Stars this evening.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Tim Berni

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The Columbus Blue Jackets, ravaged by injuries and floundering at the bottom of the league standings, are going to give an interesting young prospect a chance. Tim Berni has been recalled from the minor leagues, with Brendan Gaunce returned to the AHL to make room.

Berni, 22, was picked 159th overall in 2018 but made a name for himself while playing for Switzerland at the World Juniors and for his club team back home. A three-time member of the Swiss junior contingent, he captained the team at the 2020 tournament. He won a National League title in 2018 with the ZSC Lions after a late-season recall, and continued playing strong defense for the club for the next few seasons.

Last year, he came to North America and played the entire season with the Cleveland Monsters, racking up 15 points and 44 penalty minutes in 72 games. The left-shot defenseman isn’t really an offensive piece, but has an incredible work ethic in his own end and aggressively shuts down plays with quick feet. ’

In what has become a lost season for the Blue Jackets, getting a glance at Berni in the NHL will give the organization a bit more data for contract negotiations in the summer when his entry-level deal expires. Is this someone who could potentially contribute down the road, or is he limited to minor-league success? With so many regular defensemen injured, Columbus will get a chance to answer some of those questions.

New Jersey Devils Recall Three Players

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Ahead of their game against the New York Rangers tonight, the New Jersey Devils have made several recalls. Alexander Holtz, Kevin Bahl, and Nico Daws have all been brought up, giving them some extra bodies to help cover a few absences.

Nathan Bastian is going for imaging today on a shoulder injury according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, and team reporter Amanda Stein explains that Daws is up to cover for Akira Schmid, who is feeling ill.

The trio of young players is a reminder that the Devils, tied for first in the NHL with 18 wins, have a number of extra high-level prospects at every position. Holtz, 20, was the seventh overall pick in 2020 and has played just 13 NHL games so far. Bahl, still just 22, was a key part in the Taylor Hall trade and has played just 27. Daws, incredibly, has actually seen the most action in a single season of the three, playing 25 games for the Devils last year when they had so many goaltending injuries.

For a team already finding a ton of success with their young NHL roster, the number of impressive players in the system could lead to a long-term window of contention.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign Alex Barre-Boulet

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Nov 28: Barre-Boulet has been returned to the AHL after playing in one game with the Lightning.

Nov 25: The Tampa Bay Lightning will bring an extra forward into action tonight against the St. Louis Blues, recalling Alex Barre-Boulet from the minor leagues. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is away from the team for personal reasons and won’t play.

Barre-Boulet, 25, is once again showing how easily he can dominate the minor leagues, with 24 points in his first 16 AHL games this season. While only four of those are goals, he continues to be one of the top playmakers for the Syracuse Crunch, a role he has held since the moment he stepped foot on a professional hockey rink.

Signed as an undrafted free agent, his scoring touch goes much further back than that even. In his final year with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, he racked up 53 goals and 116 points in 65 regular season games. The talented, but undersized, forward is a perfect depth player to have in the system, even if it has only resulted in 31 games of NHL experience to this point.

Marco Rossi To Be Re-Assigned To AHL

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The Minnesota Wild are expected to send Marco Rossi to the AHL after sitting out last night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the young forward was informed of the decision yesterday.

Rossi, 21, has played in 16 games this season but looks outmatched at times, not quite ready to become a difference-making forward at the NHL level. With zero goals and just one assist, it hasn’t been the rookie campaign he or many expected.

Some time in the AHL should only help Rossi’s development, especially because of the time he has missed in the past. Due to medical concerns, he was held out for nearly the entire 2020-21 season, playing just a single game in Switzerland. Last season, his return was rather triumphant, with 53 points in 63 games for the Iowa Wild, and an NHL debut.

Now, after sitting a number of games in the press box as a healthy scratch, he’ll get a chance to build on that first AHL campaign.

Winnipeg Jets Activate Morgan Barron, Assign Ville Heinola To AHL

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Just ahead of their game this evening against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Winnipeg Jets activated forward Morgan Barron off of IR. Barron had missed the last 10 games with a wrist injury. In order to create roster space for Barron, the Jets also announced they’ve assigned defenseman Ville Heinola to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Getting Barron back into the lineup is a relief for Winnipeg, who had been playing down several forwards, including Barron, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Mason Appleton. Acquired in the Andrew Copp trade this past spring, Barron had been off to a solid start in 2021-22, registering four points in nine games, appearing to establish himself as a full-time NHLer for the first time in his career. With Winnipeg’s injury issues up front, Barron should have ample opportunity to continue to establish himself.

Heinola, unlike Barron, has had trouble getting his footing in the NHL, something that has become a pretty well reported story in its own right. The defenseman has only appeared in two games this season for the Jets, but does have seven assists in 10 games for the Moose to start. For his career, Heinola has played in just 27 NHL games spread over three seasons, recording 10 points, but will have to continue to sharpen his skillset in the AHL in order to take the next step.

San Jose Sharks Recall Scott Harrington

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The San Jose Sharks announced this afternoon that they’ve recalled defenseman Scott Harrington from the San Jose Barracuda, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding transaction was announced, however it does come a day after the team placed defenseman Mario Ferraro on IR. The recall gives the Sharks a full 23-man squad, but more importantly, seven defenseman on the roster for this evening’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Harrington, 29, signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sharks back in September to serve as key defensive depth for San Jose as the team works through its (bigger picture) roster transition. The defenseman has bounced between both levels so far this season, getting into a pair of games for the Sharks, where he’s recorded one assist, as well as five games for the Barracuda, including an assist there too.

The veteran defenseman, a second-round pick of the Penguins back in 2011, made his NHL debut in 2014-15 as a member of those Penguins, but spent the bulk of his career in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, primarily serving as depth. Last season, Harrington had his first AHL work since 2016-17, where he played in 50 games for the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate. Given his shuffle in the San Jose organization thus far, it’s unclear what the plan for Harrington is right now, but with the absence of Ferraro on the backend, there could be some extra minutes to go around for the Sharks.

Calgary Flames Assign Dennis Gilbert

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Nov 27: After some additional time on the active roster, Gilbert is heading back to the AHL. The team announced Sunday morning that he’d been assigned back to the Wranglers.

Nov 15: Gilbert has been recalled again, with DeSimone heading back to the AHL in his place.

Nov 13: Earlier this afternoon, the Calgary Flames announced that defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been assigned to the Calgary  Wranglers, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move was announced. After sending Gilbert down, Calgary has seven defenseman on their roster, allowing them to maintain a bit of cap flexibility for a few days before their next road game on Thursday.

Gilbert had been recalled back on November 6th along with fellow defenseman Nick DeSimone in the wake of Michael Stone’s injury and subsequent placement on IR. With three left-handed defenseman already on the Flames roster, including Noah Hanifin, Nikita Zadorov, and Connor Mackey, as well as just $63K in cap space available prior to the assignment, the Flames were able to part with their 23rd player for the time being, playing just one home game tomorrow evening before their road trip.

Gilbert, 26, has been no stranger to the NHL/AHL shuffle throughout his five-year career, already splitting games between both the Flames and Wranglers in 2022-23. The defenseman has yet to tally a point through 10 games this season, eight of which have come in the AHL. However, his pair of NHL games this week did mark his first since he appeared in three games as a member of the Colorado Avalanche back in 2020-21.

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