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Buffalo Sabres Activate Eric Comrie, Reassign Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

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The Buffalo Sabres activated goalie Eric Comrie from injured reserve Monday afternoon after finishing his conditioning stint with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, according to a team tweet. Promising young netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was returned to Rochester in a corresponding transaction.

Comrie was recalled from a conditioning stint last weekend after missing roughly six weeks with an undisclosed injury.

His first season in Buffalo has been a brief roller coaster. He’s had above a .900 save percentage in just four of his 11 appearances for Buffalo but has shown the ability to steal games occasionally. On the year, Comrie has a 4-7-0 record, a 3.62 goals-against average, and a .887 save percentage.

While the 27-year-old Comrie is a capable, experienced backup, he may have been surpassed on the organizational depth chart by Luukkonen. His re-assignment to Rochester is, more than anything, a quick fix to get Comrie back on the active roster now that he’s healthy.

Just 23 years old, Luukkonen is amidst a personal six-game winning streak. He’s faced at least 40 shots in four of those six games. His .891 save percentage on the season is bogged down by some early-season stinkers, and most in Sabres circles expect Luukkonen to get back in the Buffalo crease sooner rather than later.

The fact that Buffalo has grown into possessing three NHL-capable goaltenders is impactful to the performance and health of Craig Anderson. He’s been Buffalo’s best goalie this season by a mile, posting an incredulous .923 save percentage. But he’s started just 13 games, and at 41 years old, his workload will be limited. It’ll be up to Comrie now to keep his place on the Sabres roster, with Luukkonen waiting in the wings.

Edmonton Oilers Recall Vincent Desharnais

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Perhaps the Edmonton Oilers can find their defensive stalwart from within. Today the team has recalled Vincent Desharnais from the Bakersfield Condors, the first NHL recall of his professional career.

The 26-year-old defenseman signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Oilers last spring, after a long grind through the college and minor league ranks. Selected 183rd overall in 2016, Desharnais played four years for Providence College, then one in the ECHL, and two more in the AHL before earning his first NHL deal. Now, the team will hope that his 6’6″ frame can translate to the NHL and give them a more effective option for their struggling defensive unit.

Desharnais was excellent in the AHL last year. Racking up 27 points in 66 games, he led the entire league in +/- with a +36 rating. There are times when that statistic can incredibly misleading, but from all accounts, the massive defenseman was a big reason why the Condors were such an effective group. This year hasn’t been quite as good, with Desharnais recording just two points in 13 games, but it isn’t his offense that the team needs.

Edmonton continues to leak scoring chances and goals at a concerning rate, including Saturday night when they gave up two third-period goals to the Colorado Avalanche, before losing in overtime. The team had seven defensemen dressed, but still relied on Darnell Nurse to play more than 28 minutes. Three of Philip Broberg’s ten minutes were short-handed, while Markus Niemelainen saw just a handful of shifts.

While they continue to look for potential trade candidates, it will be interesting to see if Desharnais gets a chance to play. The Oilers are in Los Angeles to take on the Kings tonight.

Arizona Coyotes Return Ivan Prosvetov To AHL

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Jan 9: Prosvetov has been returned to the minor leagues, suggesting Ingram will be ready to return for tomorrow’s game.

Jan 8: The Arizona Coyotes announced this afternoon that goaltender Ivan Prosvetov has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners. No corresponding move has been made, however the team did add that fellow netminder Connor Ingram is out tonight due to an undisclosed illness. Prosvetov will likely be the backup tonight when the Coyotes host the Pittsburgh Penguins, PHNX Sports Craig Morgan tweeting Karel Vejmelka will get the start.

Prosvetov, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2018 and has spent time in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and OHL since being drafted. The Russian netminder made his NHL debut back in 2020-21, getting into three games and added another three NHL games last season. This year, Prosvetov has played the entire year with Tucson, getting into 19 games, recording an .899 save-percentage and 3.20 goals-against average.

Ingram, 25, has spent this season as the backup in Arizona after being claimed on waivers just prior to opening night. Once a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the goaltender bounced around between the AHL and ECHL, even appearing over in Sweden during the 2020-21 season before making his NHL debut last year as a member of the Nashville Predators. A fantastic 2021-22 in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals seemed to earn Ingram a legitimate NHL look, however he has struggled to start this season with a 3.92 goals-against and .886 save-percentage through 11 games.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Jordan Spence

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The defensive shuffle of the Los Angeles Kings continues, with Jordan Spence the player recalled today. This comes after Jacob Moverare was sent back down yesterday.

Spence, 21, has suited up three times this season for the Kings averaging just over 14 minutes whenever he does get into the lineup. The young defenseman is one of several that the club shuffles between on game days and during road trips to make sure there are enough bodies in case of a late scratch.

Of course, after his encouraging performance last season, recording eight points in 24 games as a rookie, there are some that wish Spence was a mainstay on the NHL roster. The fourth-round pick offers a little more offensive upside than some of the other veteran names on the back end, and continues to tear up the minor leagues whenever assigned to the Ontario Reign.

In 72 career AHL games, Spence has 64 points, including 22 in 26 this season. At some point, the Kings will likely have to give him another long run in the NHL to see if he can translate that production. It might not come just yet though, as the Kings are playing well and sit second in the Pacific Division after going 7-2-1 in their last ten.

Minnesota Wild Return Zane McIntyre To AHL

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Jan 9: McIntyre has now been returned to the minor leagues, suggesting Gustavsson and Fleury (who left the team for personal reasons over the weekend) are ready to go.

Jan 6: Yesterday, we covered how Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson was dealing with an unspecified illness. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported yesterday that there was “no recall anticipated” despite Gustavsson’s status, but now it seems the team has changed course.

Today the Wild announced that goalie Zane McIntyre has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on an emergency basis.

It’s possible that this recall could be in order for McIntyre to back up Marc-Andre Fleury for tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, paving the way for a Gustavsson return on Sunday, which is the plan Russo suggested yesterday.

Gustavsson has been stellar so far for the Wild, posting a .924 save percentage in 15 games so far this season. With Gustavsson playing so well, the Wild will want to give him the time and space he needs to fully recover from his illness and get back to 100%.

For McIntyre, this recall affords him an (admittedly slight) chance to get into some NHL action for the first time in a half-decade. The 30-year-old goalie is in his second season with the Wild organization, serving as their AHL number-one last year and now helping top prospect Jesper Wallstedt as part of a tandem.

Iowa has struggled so far this season, and McIntyre hasn’t escaped those struggles, as he has an .888 save percentage this season. He was better last year, though, posting a .920 in 37 games.

Detroit Red Wings Assign Elmer Soderblom To AHL

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The Detroit Red Wings announced this afternoon that they’ve assigned rookie forward Elmer Soderblom to the Grand Rapids Griffins, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move was announced. This will be Soderblom’s second stint with the Griffins this season.

The decision to send Soderblom down isn’t too much of a surprise, as Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan reports, forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina are both due back from injury fairly soon and the Red Wings will need a pair of roster spots for them. Already at a full 23-man roster before sending Soderblom down, the Red Wings will need to make another move in order to get both of their injured wingers back on the active roster.

Listed at 6’8 and 246 pounds, the massive Soderblom was an exciting addition to Detroit’s opening night roster. The 21-year-old has been solid for the team in limited action, missing time due to injury earlier in the season and averaging 12:04 in time-on-ice per game. Through 21 games, Soderblom had five goals and three assists for Detroit.

With Soderblom on his ELC and thus not eligible for waivers and Detroit needing the roster spot, this assignment seems like a perfect fit. However, considering Soderblom has shown he’s certainly capable of playing in an NHL lineup, it does raise questions about the plan for Soderblom going forward. With 2022-23 being his first season in North America, perhaps an extended stay in Grand Rapids, possibly seeing top-six minutes and special teams action, could be good for his development as he continues to adjust to the smaller rink.

Whatever Detroit chooses to do with the young forward, puzzling but presumably well-thought-out decisions in the face of a roster crunch wouldn’t be unprecedented after the team waived forward Jakub Vrana earlier this week.

Morning Notes: Tinordi, Kane, Boldy, Brassard

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Things might not be going so well on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks this season and while falling down the standings might be the ideal situation for now, the team does still need to ice a healthy lineup for several reasons. For one, the team will need to assure its prime trade assets, such as Patrick Kane, are healthy in order for the team to trade them and maximize their return. For those who might not necessarily be on the move, the team will still want a mix of veterans, perhaps like Jarred Tinordi, in the lineup, along with their young players who need time and experience to develop.

It appears Chicago might have some news on both of the aforementioned players. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, Kane participated in the Blackhawks’ morning skate once again this morning. The winger, who has been skating, missed the team’s game Friday against the Arizona Coyotes and will not play tonight either, adds Powers. Tinordi, who suffered a facial fracture back on December 18th against his former team, the New York Rangers, was also spotted on the ice this morning by NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis.

  • The Minnesota Wild are dealing with a difficult cap crunch at the moment which has made, and will continue to make, extending their players and bringing in new ones rather challenging. One player the team will certainly have to work in a new contract for is 21-year-old Matt Boldy. The second-year forward is in the final year of his entry-level contract, set to hit the RFA market this summer. Fortunately, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports, both the Wild and Boldy’s agent, Brian Bartlett, have begun working on a new deal. Russo adds that talks are in the very early stages, but the expectation is that Boldy’s next contract will be a bridge deal.
  • After a brief recall to the AHL, the Providence Bruins have sent netminder Francois Brassard back to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, according the AHL’s transactions page.. The 28-year-old has spent the majority of his professional career in the ECHL, but did have a five game stint with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season. He didn’t play for Providence during this recent recall. Brassard did make headlines recently when he scored a goal for the Mariners back in December.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Justin Bailey

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Saturday: Bailey has cleared waivers, NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports.  He’ll now be allowed to rejoin the Condors.

Friday: The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Justin Bailey has been signed to a one-year, $750k two-way deal.

The contract comes after Bailey was signed to an AHL deal with their affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in September. As part of the signing, Bailey has been placed on waivers for the purpose of officially assigning him to the AHL.

Bailey, 27, is a veteran of 82 NHL games, playing sporadically in the world’s top league over the past seven years. In that time frame, even as Bailey’s NHL opportunities were inconsistent, Bailey developed himself into a valuable AHL scorer.

Last season, Bailey scored 27 points in 30 games for the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. In 2019-20, he scored 47 points in 53 games for the Utica Comets. This season, he has 10 points in 16 games for the Condors.

Now that he’s signed to an NHL deal, the Oilers will have the opportunity to recall Bailey from Bakersfield should that be something they wish to do. Before this signing, the Oilers had just 44 contracts on their books, meaning this deal is of little significance when it comes to the 50-contract limit.

Overall, this signing is great news for Bailey, as he likely receives a pay raise as part of the deal as well as the chance to possibly get into some games for the Oilers should the opportunity to do so present itself.

New Jersey Devils Assign Akira Schmid To AHL

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After calling him up on an emergency basis yesterday, the New Jersey Devils have sent goaltender Akira Schmid back to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

The move returns Schmid, 22, to a Comets team where he shares the crease with fellow goalie prospect Nico Daws. The Swiss netminder has had a bit of an odd season, as his numbers are poor at the AHL level but highly impressive in the NHL.

In eight AHL games, Schmid has a 4-1-3 record, a 2.72 goals-against-average, and a grisly .887 save percentage. On the flip side, in nine NHL games Schmid has gone 5-4 with a 2.24 goals-against-average and an impressive .919 save percentage.

One would typically expect a player to post better numbers at the lower level of competition, but that hasn’t been the case for Schmid. It’s highly likely that the state of the Devils, a team overflowing with competent defensive defensemen, played a role in Schmid’s numbers being better at the NHL level.

In any case, Schmid will head back to the AHL level looking to help Utica reach the playoffs. The team sits third in the AHL’s North Division and will hope to increase its lead on the two teams at their heels, the Laval Rocket and Syracuse Crunch.

New York Rangers Send Gustav Rydahl To AHL

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1/6/23: Rydahl’s stay on the Rangers roster has been brief. The team has announced that the forward has been sent back down to AHL Hartford. Rydahl wasn’t dressed for the Rangers’ 4-1 victory over the Canadiens last night.

1/5/23: The New York Rangers have added some more size and grit to the roster, recalling Gustav Rydahl from the minor leagues. Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweets that he is up for Jonny Brodzinski, whose wife is expecting.

Signed to a one-year, $750K contract out of the SHL last May, Rydahl likely would have made the Rangers lineup out of training camp had he not been one of the few waiver-exempt bubble players. Instead of risking someone else, he was sent to the minor leagues where he has been playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack, racking up nine points and 24 penalty minutes in 24 games.

He won’t make many highlight reels, but the hard-working 26-year-old is a versatile player that found plenty of success in the SHL. His consistent north-south game resulted in 15 goals and 30 points in 44 games for Farjestads BK last season, and he was even better in the postseason when the checking tightened. That’s the kind of play the Rangers are dying to see out of their bottom six, meaning the forward (who can play center and wing) could get a chance to prove himself.

The Rangers will take on the Montreal Canadiens this evening before heading to New Jersey for a game Saturday night.

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