West Notes: Wild, McLeod, Afanaseyev, Kesselring
The Wild could get several key veterans back in their lineup shortly. Randy Johnson of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays that while defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton plus wingers Brandon Duhaime and Marcus Foligno weren’t in the lineup today, they could all be back for Sunday’s contest against Washington. Brodin has been out the longest, missing the last four weeks with a lower-body injury which has been a big blow to their back end. Middleton is dealing with an illness sustained earlier this week. Meanwhile, Duhaime has missed more than two weeks with a head injury while Foligno has been out for a week with a lower-body issue of his own. Minnesota is in the midst of a very close three-way battle for positioning in the Central and getting multiple veterans back at once could certainly give their lineup a nice boost.
More from the Western Conference:
- Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that center Ryan McLeod is dealing with a shoulder injury. He was injured on Tuesday against Ottawa and didn’t suit up versus Dallas on Thursday. There’s no word on how long the 23-year-old will be out. McLeod’s in the middle of a decent sophomore season, notching 11 goals and 11 assists in 55 games despite spending a lot of that time in Edmonton’s bottom six.
- After papering him down, the Predators announced that they’ve recalled winger Egor Afanasyev to AHL Milwaukee. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last weekend after being brought up and has gotten into three games with Nashville, logging 9:32 per night while being held off the scoresheet. Afanasyev also has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games with the Admirals in the minors this season.
- A day after being sent down, the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they have once again recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis. The 23-year-old has played in three games with Arizona since being acquired just before the deadline, logging 18:35 per contest. The 23-year-old has also suited up three times for the Roadrunners since the swap, picking up a goal and an assist.
Blues Assign Tyler Tucker And Nikita Alexandrov To AHL
With an off day on their schedule, the Blues have opted to make a pair of roster moves. They announced that they’ve assigned defenseman Tyler Tucker and winger Nikita Alexandrov to Springfield of the AHL.
Tucker has played in 24 games with St. Louis this season, his first taste of NHL action. He has held his own at the top level, picking up four points while averaging just shy of two hits per night while averaging 14:33 of ice time per contest. The 23-year-old also has suited up in 30 games with the Thunderbirds this season where he has been more productive, picking up 15 points along with 55 penalty minutes.
As for Alexandrov, he has seen action in 28 games for the Blues, tallying three goals and four assists in what has primarily been a fourth-line role as he’s logging less than 10 minutes a night. It is also his rookie year at the NHL level. The 22-year-old has also played in 29 games with Springfield where he has collected 13 goals and 10 helpers.
St. Louis opted to paper both players down just before the trade deadline, recalling both using two of their four post-deadline regular recalls in the process. Accordingly, if they were to be brought back up now, they’d cut into those final two recalls unless emergency conditions arise. NHL.com’s Lou Korac adds (Twitter link) that their intention is to keep both players in Springfield for the time being to help aid in their push for the playoffs; the Thunderbirds enter play today in fourth place in the Atlantic Division in the minors.
Sharks Recall Martin Kaut
Martin Kaut was hoping to get more of a regular NHL opportunity when he requested a trade from Colorado earlier this season. However, while he was granted his wish for a swap, it hadn’t resulted in much NHL action with his new team. That could change now as the Sharks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the winger from AHL San Jose.
The 23-year-old was the 16th overall pick in 2018 by the Avs but he hasn’t been able to live up to his draft billing. Kaut got his first taste of extended NHL action this season, getting into 27 games when Colorado was dealing with a lot of injuries and was looking for someone to grab hold of a full-time spot on the fourth line. However, it didn’t happen as he had just three points in that stretch.
Kaut was eventually moved to the Sharks in late January as part of a four-player swap but he has gotten into just three NHL contests since then. Instead, he has mostly played with the Barracuda where he has been productive, contributing three goals and ten assists in 15 games. With San Jose looking to evaluate some players down the stretch, it stands to reason that Kaut now should get a bit more of an extended look to see if the pending restricted free agent is someone that can make a push for a full-time spot in their lineup next season.
Penguins Place Nick Bonino On LTIR, Recall Mark Friedman
Injuries have tested Pittsburgh’s already tricky salary cap situation in recent games and with the back end being banged up at the moment, reinforcements were needed. The Penguins created some short-term cap space to create room for a recall as they announced that center Nick Bonino has been placed on LTIR while recalling blueliner Mark Friedman from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Last weekend, the team revealed that Bonino suffered a lacerated kidney in just his third game with the team. While he had been released from the hospital, he was still ruled out as week-to-week. That now changes to 10 games and 24 days from the date of injury, the minimum requirements for a player to be placed on LTIR. Given the initial timeframe, it’s still possible that Bonino is able to return to the lineup before the end of the regular season.
With the placement, Pittsburgh adds $1.025MM to its LTIR pool; while Bonino’s true cap hit is double that amount, Montreal held back an additional $1.025MM as part of a three-team trade at the deadline earlier this month.
That move allows Pittsburgh to be able to afford Friedman’s $775K cap hit on their active roster. The 27-year-old has played in 11 games with the Penguins this season in a depth role plus another 24 in the minors where he has a goal and five assists in 24 contests.
Notably, the Penguins are still only able to afford just this one recall as the leftover difference between Bonino’s cap hit and Friedman’s plus the $375K they had in their pool before this move (per CapFriendly), is just $625K which is below the $750K league minimum. Accordingly, if more recalls will be needed, they’re going to have to get quite creative to make it happen.
Arvid Henrikson Signs AHL ATO With San Jose
A new prospect in the San Jose Sharks organization has joined their AHL affiliate but isn’t yet on an NHL contract. Defenseman Arvid Henrikson will suit up with the San Jose Barracuda for the rest of the season on an amateur tryout.
Henrikson was drafted quite some time ago, as the 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He’s stayed on the Habs’ reserve list since then, but the hulking defenseman’s signing rights were transferred to the Sharks as part of the three-team Nick Bonino trade at the deadline two weeks ago.
Henrikson’s stint with the Barracuda is likely his last shot at getting an NHL contract, and it’s unlikely he will convert on his ATO if his college career is any indication. While strictly a defensive defenseman, Henrikson still put up next to no offense in four seasons at Lake Superior State University, recording just a goal and eight assists in 132 games.
Regardless, it’s a chance for San Jose to see what they have in Henrikson, who could at least serve as a reliable defensive stopgap in the minors. If he can’t land an AHL or NHL contract with the Barracuda or Sharks as a result of the tryout, though, Henrikson could head back to Europe after spending the last five seasons in North America.
Snapshots: Crosby, Islanders, Coyotes
Pittsburgh Penguins franchise center Sidney Crosby has moved into sole possession of second place on an impressive list — the number of point-per-game seasons in an NHL career. By reaching 82 points on the year last night, he clinched his 18th straight point-per-game season, moving past Gordie Howe, who had 17. With a point-per-game season next year, he’ll tie Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record with 19.
Those scoring pace statistics are the best way to quantify Crosby’s greatness, given the sheer amount of games he missed due to injury in the early 2010s. While those injuries may limit his place on the main all-time statistics lists, his scoring consistency and ability to adapt his game as the team changes around him should never be overlooked. Crosby’s 83 points in 68 games this season lead the Penguins.
Also from around the league today:
- The New York Islanders announced that forwards Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey are both currently sick with non-COVID illnesses, potentially impacting their availability for tomorrow’s game against San Jose. New York still has the inside track on a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference but still can’t afford to lose many games down the stretch. Health will be a key factor to watch for them, as Cizikas and Bailey are both key veteran presences with experience in important games.
- The Arizona Coyotes assigned forward Bokondji Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring back to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners today, according to the team. Both have been shuttled up and down frequently since the trade deadline. Expect both players to be recalled back to Arizona tomorrow, as Nick Schmaltz and Josh Brown aren’t expected to be ready for their game against Chicago and remain out with injuries.
Nashville Predators Assign Joakim Kemell To AHL
One of the Nashville Predators’ best prospects is about to get his first taste of professional hockey in North America. Nashville today assigned 2022 first-round pick Joakim Kemell to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per a tweet from the team’s affiliate.
Kemell, a right wing, spent the 2022-23 season on loan from Nashville to JYP in Liiga, the organization where he’s spent his entire junior and professional career so far. His offensive production took a step back from his draft year, though, scoring 15 points in 43 games after scoring 23 in 39 last year.
Things deteriorated for Kemell down the stretch, with his scoring growing more inconsistent as his ice time waned. He had a solid start to the campaign, going on a four-game point streak early on, but he couldn’t replicate his success throughout the season.
Now, he gets a chance to regain some confidence and some scoring touch in Milwaukee. He joins other notable Preds prospects, such as goalie Yaroslav Askarov and forward Egor Afanasyev, as the Admirals continue their stretch run.
Detroit Red Wings Recall Austin Czarnik, Simon Edvinsson
The Detroit Red Wings recalled center Austin Czarnik and defenseman Simon Edvinsson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins today under emergency conditions, as announced in a team release.
This is Edvinsson’s first recall to the NHL, and it could mean the 2021 sixth-overall pick makes his NHL debut over the weekend. He takes the place of Ben Chiarot on the roster, who is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
The 20-year-old Edvinsson has five goals, 27 points, and a -3 rating with the Griffins this season, his first in North America. Detroit inked him to an entry-level contract at the end of last season after Edvinsson broke into professional hockey full-time with Frölunda HC of the SHL.
Czarnik returns to Detroit after the team returned him to Grand Rapids earlier in the week. The diminutive, versatile forward has two goals and an assist in 15 appearances with the Red Wings this season. He will likely center the fourth line between Adam Erne and Alex Chiasson in tomorrow’s game against Colorado.
While a late-season slide unfortunately took Detroit out of the playoff picture just as the deadline approached, the benefits of selling can be seen here for a young team. Getting Edvinsson into some NHL games down the stretch could go a long way toward creating an NHL-ready player for next season.
Cleveland Monsters Sign Justin Pearson To AHL Contract
Former NCAA forward Justin Pearson has signed an AHL contract with the Cleveland Monsters, the team announced on Twitter.
Pearson signed an amateur tryout contract for the remainder of this season, as well as a two-year AHL contract that begins in the 2023-24 season.
Pearson, 24, played since 2018-19 in the NCAA ranks. With the 2020-21 season canceled, Pearson played two years before that season and two years after at the college level.
He recorded 36 goals and 43 assists in 129 games played. His best seasons were a 14 goal, 10 assist season in 2019-20 for Yale University and this past season at the University of Connecticut, with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 35 games.
Pearson joins a Monsters team that currently sits in last place in the AHL’s North Division, and will have 16 games remaining in this season’s schedule to get his feet wet in professional hockey.
As an older player than most who are entering pro hockey for the first time, Pearson is further along in his development than younger prospects. He will likely be counted on to produce during his initial foray into the AHL, and will have the next two seasons to prove what he can do at the professional level.
Emil Andrae Signing AHL ATO
The Philadelphia Flyers haven’t quite signed Emil Andrae yet, but he is joining the organization nonetheless. The young Swede will play for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms down the stretch on an AHL amateur tryout, now that his SHL season has ended.
Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic tweets that the plan is still for Andrae to sign an entry-level contract with the Flyers at some point, likely one beginning in 2023-24. The team holds his exclusive draft rights until June 1, 2024.
The 21-year-old Andrae was the 54th overall selection in 2020, and broke out this season in his first full year of SHL action. With six goals and 26 points, he ranked 13th among league defensemen in scoring and now joins the Flyers as a potential building block.
Despite his size—Andrae stands just 5’8″—there has never been a doubt of his willingness to work in the corners or engage attackers in front of the net. The question now will be whether he can remain effective at those things as he transitions to North America, while still bringing a high level of poise and skill when the puck is on his stick.