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Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Pontus Holmberg

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Looking for a change, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Pontus Holmberg from the AHL. To make room, Wayne Simmonds has been sent back to the Toronto Marlies. Simmonds cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, so can be assigned freely for the time being.

Holmberg, 23, has turned into an interesting prospect for the Maple Leafs. A sixth-round pick in 2018, he developed into a star player in Sweden, winning a league championship and being named playoff MVP. He followed up the impressive postseason performance with a 41-point season, and even got a taste of North American hockey with a six-game look with the Toronto Marlies last spring.

Still, despite all that success, it’s hard to imagine Holmberg really being the key to unlocking the Maple Leafs this season. At best he is probably an upgrade in the bottom six, capable of playing center or wing. But with just two assists in seven games with the Marlies this season, the offensive upside of a player like Holmberg is limited.

With Toronto struggling to score at even-strength (and in general), they’ll need their stars to play better – not just the bottom-six.

Cory Conacher Signs AHL PTO

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It’s not often that you can sign an AHL MVP to a professional tryout several games into the season but that’s exactly what has happened for the Belleville Senators. The minor league club has signed Cory Conacher to a PTO and expects to have him in the lineup this weekend.

Conacher, 32, is returning after two years spent in Switzerland, where he won the league championship (for the second time in his career) in 2021. The undersized forward has long been an elite player in the minor leagues, taking home the MVP award as a rookie in 2012 to go along with a Calder Cup.

With 193 games of NHL and 354 games of AHL experience, Conacher qualifies as a veteran in the minor league, something that means a lot more than just years of wisdom. AHL teams are allowed to dress maximum of five veteran players at any one time to make sure there is still room for development purposes.

Still, it’s hard to find many more productive veterans than Conacher, who had 38 points 44 games for the Syracuse Crunch the last time he played in the AHL.

Reid Duke Signs In Slovakia

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He’ll always be the answer to a trivia question. Reid Duke, the first player ever signed by the Vegas Golden Knights, has found a new home overseas. The minor league forward will play this season for HK Nitra of the Slovakian league, after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.

Duke, 26, was signed as a free agent by the Golden Knights soon after they were granted franchise status. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2014, he hadn’t signed with them, instead going back to junior where he became an impressive player for the Brandon Wheat Kings. When the Golden Knights came into being, he joined their minor league program with the Chicago Wolves and then Henderson Silver Knights, spending five seasons in the AHL.

He never did see any NHL time, as those scoring numbers from junior didn’t follow him to the minor leagues. In 159 AHL games, he scored just 25 goals and 49 points. In Slovakia that could change, and he has a supporter in his corner. Macoy Erkamps, who also signed with Nitra for this season, was a teammate of Duke’s with Brandon and apparently spoke highly of him with team management.

Dallas Stars Sign Matt Murray

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6:44 pm: CapFriendly reports that Murray’s one-year contract carries the league-minimum $750K cap hit, and pays him $82,500 at the minor-league level.

3:08 pm: In what will be a confusing move for many casual hockey fans, the Dallas Stars have signed goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year entry-level contract. This Murray is not the Matt Murray that plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but an undrafted netminder who was playing for their AHL affiliate.

With Jake Oettinger sidelined due to a lower-body injury and the Stars without the necessary cap space to recall Anton Khudobin, the team has been forced into handing out another NHL contract. Murray, 24, is the beneficiary of the situation, though his play at the AHL level has certainly warranted consideration for an entry-level contract anyway.

The former UMass-Amherst standout has a .926 save percentage in five appearances with the Texas Stars this year, after joining the club late last season. In his 11 career appearances that save percentage actually climbs to .939, an impressive statistic for any goaltender, let alone an undrafted talent just entering professional hockey.

A one-year entry-level deal will mean that Murray can be recalled to the NHL to serve as backup for Scott Wedgewood until Oettinger returns, or until the team creates enough cap space to recall Khudobin.

Minnesota Wild Recall Steven Fogarty

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The Minnesota Wild today recalled forward Steven Fogarty from the AHL’s Iowa Wild on an emergency basis, according to a team release.

Fogarty is up with the Wild on an emergency basis due to Ryan Hartman’s upper-body injury suffered last night during a fight with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi. The team has not issued an update on Hartman, though the recall suggests he won’t be playing tomorrow when the Wild face the Montreal Canadiens.

With Hartman as well as Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway on the shelf, the team was down to 11 healthy forwards on the active roster, necessitating Fogarty’s emergency recall. The Wild signed the 29-year-old Fogarty to a two-year contract last offseason.

Fogarty had a goal and two assists for three points in six games to start the season in Iowa, as well as a +4 rating, tied for the team lead.

Anaheim Ducks Recall Glenn Gawdin, Reassign Pavol Regenda

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The Anaheim Ducks announced today via a team release that the club has recalled forward Glenn Gawdin from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, replacing him in the minors with forward Pavol Regenda. The team also assigned forward Sam Carrick to San Diego on a long-term injury conditioning loan.

When Anaheim signed Gawdin to a two-year contract last summer, many expected him to crack the opening-night lineup considering his strong 2021-22 AHL campaign and his one-way deal. However, with the player he’s replacing in Regenda having a strong camp, the Ducks opted to waive Gawdin, also claiming winger Brett Leason from the Washington Capitals for some depth.

Gawdin didn’t go away quietly, though, registering three goals and three assists for six points in his first seven games with San Diego. The former captain of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos can play both center and wing and he could potentially slot in as the team’s fourth-line pivot between Max Comtois and Max Jones for their game tomorrow in San Jose.

Regenda, 22, had an impressive training camp after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent, earning a spot in the opening-night lineup. After posting 39 points in 43 games in the Slovak Extraliga last season, he hasn’t looked entirely out of place in the NHL. Yet he’s been used for just over 10 minutes per game, and with two assists in five outings, the team knows Regenda is still young and could benefit from some more playing time in the minors.

Of note, Carrick is working his way back from a hip injury he suffered at the end of last season. He wasn’t initially expected to return until closer to Thanksgiving, suggesting his recovery path is slightly ahead of schedule. He’ll briefly return to San Diego before coming back up to the Ducks when healthy, where he was the captain for the past three seasons.

Laurent Brossoit Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The goaltending issues that the Vegas Golden Knights were expected to face when Robin Lehner was ruled out for the season have certainly not materialized. The duo of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson have been almost perfect, posting a combined save percentage of .941 through ten games.

Hill, acquired from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick before the season began, is 4-0 and has allowed just seven goals on 123 shots. Thompson, the de facto starter, leads the league with two shutouts in his first six games.

With those two playing at such a high level, it will make for an interesting decision when Laurent Brossoit is healthy enough to play again. The veteran netminder took a step toward that goal today when he was loaned to the Henderson Silver Knights on a long-term injury conditioning stint. Brossoit is coming off hip surgery and there is no concrete timeline for his return to NHL action.

A LTIR conditioning loan is usually limited to three games or six days, though it can be extended in certain circumstances. When it is over, Brossoit does not necessarily need to be activated.

Remember, the Golden Knights are also right up against the cap, meaning activating Brossoit will be a tricky game for the team to play. They will likely have to reduce their roster to fewer than 23 players, plus figure out what to do with their three goaltenders. Brossoit himself might end up on waivers, or even traded, given the performance of Hill and Thompson so far.

That bridge doesn’t have to be crossed yet, but if he proves himself healthy enough to return, it’s coming soon.

Guillaume Brisebois Assigned To AHL

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With Ethan Bear on the way in and Quinn Hughes nearing a return, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned Guillaume Brisebois to the AHL. The move comes directly after the best game of Brisebois’ career, which included his first NHL point – an assist on J.T. Miller’s empty-net goal.

Brisebois, 25, played nearly 19 minutes in the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and legitimately looked like he could handle himself at the NHL level. If that’s true, it’s a nice place for the Canucks to be in, considering how thin their defensive depth looked just a few days ago. The team now has two-straight wins after their brutal start and things have calmed down in the Vancouver market (for the time being).

Hughes was on the ice at practice yesterday, and told reporters including Ben Kuzma of The Province that he would likely would have played if the team had games Sunday or today. Instead, the group is set to take on his brother Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night.

Bear, too, joined the group yesterday after his acquisition from the Carolina Hurricanes and appears ready to get into the lineup. The 25-year-old defenseman hasn’t played a game yet this season after scoring 14 points in 58 appearances last year.

Nashville Predators Recall Jordan Gross

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The Nashville Predators have recalled defenseman Jordan Gross from the AHL, giving them an extra body as they head out on a five-game road trip. To make room, the team has moved Mark Borowiecki to injured reserve.

Borowiecki last played on October 22, when he suffered a scary injury that saw him stretchered off the ice. He was discharged from the hospital later that night and was deemed to have “no major issues.” Given that his IR placement will be retroactive to that game, he can be activated whenever he is healthy enough to return.

Gross, meanwhile, comes up as an emergency option that likely isn’t going to get much playing time. The Predators still have six other defensemen on the roster, and the 27-year-old doesn’t have much experience at the NHL level. Undrafted, Gross was a free agent signing in 2018 by the Arizona Coyotes and has played ten games in the NHL, recording four points.

Still, he did win the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman last season, after putting up 65 points in 61 games. The Predators also rewarded him with a two-year contract that will be one-way in 2023-24, suggesting that they see him as a legitimate depth piece that could play games if necessary.

Cole Cassels Returning To AHL

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A minor league veteran has decided to come back to North America, as Cole Cassels has terminated his contract with Sodertalje SK of the Swedish second league and is expected to sign with the Belleville Senators.

Cassels, 27, has played parts of two seasons with Belleville in the past, including in 2020-21 when he had 17 points in 31 games. The 2013 third-round pick has six full seasons in the AHL but tried his hand overseas this year. It didn’t go well, with zero goals and just two points in 13 games, so Cassels is returning to a place he knows well.

Son of Andrew Cassels, the long-time NHL forward, Cole never did live up to his draft pedigree and hasn’t played a single game at the highest level. Still, he is a solid minor league player that can give the struggling Belleville squad some added depth as they try to compete in the tough North Division. He will likely not be signing an NHL contract, meaning he cannot be recalled to Ottawa.

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