Vancouver Canucks Loan Nils Hoglander, Arturs Silovs To AHL
Before the roster freeze went into effect last night, the Vancouver Canucks completed a transaction that might raise some eyebrows. Nils Hoglander was loaned to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.
Hoglander, 22 (today!), looked like he was going to be a star during his rookie year, when he scored 13 goals and 27 points in 56 games. Whether it was the odd division setup, the team around him, or just some extra confidence, that level of play has been hard to come by ever since.
Last season, Hoglander had just 18 points in 60 games, and this year he has nine through his first 25. He’s been a healthy scratch several times and is averaging just 12 minutes a game.
The roster freeze does not prevent the Canucks from bringing Hoglander back up, but the move suggests he won’t be in the lineup for Vancouver when they play a back-to-back starting Thursday.
If he does play for Abbotsford, it would be the first minor league action of Hoglander’s career. The young forward stepped right from the SHL to the NHL and never looked back. Perhaps some development time to reset his game is all that’s needed to get him back on track.
The team also completed a goaltending swap, returning Artus Silovs to the AHL while recalling Collin Delia under emergency conditions.
Evening Notes: White, Subban, Chinakhov
The Anaheim Ducks announced earlier this evening that defenseman Colton White has been sent to the San Diego Gulls, their AHL affiliate, for a conditioning loan. Unlike most conditioning loans in the minors where the player is either too young to be sent to the AHL otherwise (think Shane Wright and Brandt Clarke recently) or where the player is coming off injury, the 25-year-old White is AHL eligible and has been playing, suiting up as recently as Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers.
For White, the defenseman has been playing somewhat sparingly this season, getting into just 16 of 32 games, not spending any time on IR. By going to the AHL, the defenseman should have an opportunity to play regularly and see top-end minutes during each game of the loan. Through those 16 games, White has just one point, an assist. White had spent his entire career in the New Jersey Devils organization before signing a two-year, two-way contract with Anaheim this summer.
- The Montreal Canadiens will be paying homage to one of their greats later this season, honoring the recently-retired P.K. Subban in a pregame ceremony on January 12th before the team takes on another of Subban’s former teams, the Nashville Predators. The former Norris Trophy winner spent his first seven seasons with the Canadiens before an infamous 2016 trade sent him to Nashville in a one-for-one swap with Shea Weber. Three years later, Nashville dealt Subban to the New Jersey Devils where he finished out his career. Subban ultimately retired this summer after hitting the free agent market.
- It would seem as though the injury issues simply couldn’t get any worse for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but on top of this morning’s news that captain Boone Jenner would require surgery, forward Yegor Chinakhov was forced to leave this evening’s game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury. The forward will not return, the team announced. The injury happened early on in the game, Chinakhov colliding with a Stars player and leaving the ice gingerly. At this point, the compounding injuries do little to change things for the reeling Blue Jackets, however the silver lining to them was the ability to get young players like Chinakhov, a 2020 first-round pick, some quality minutes and opportunities. For now, Columbus will have to hold its breath that this injury won’t keep the young forward out for too long.
Buffalo Sabres Activate Ilya Lyubushkin
The Buffalo Sabres are activating defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin ahead of tonight’s game, putting him right into the lineup. Lyubushkin hasn’t played since November 28th while dealing with an undisclosed injury. In a corresponding move, the team announced that defenseman Jeremy Davies has been returned on loan to the Rochester Americans, their AHL affiliate.
A key veteran and quality shutdown defenseman, the Sabres have surely missed Lyubushkin’s steady presence in their lineup. Though Lyubushkin doesn’t play top minutes for the Sabres, averaging just 15:24 time-on-ice this season, his 76% of defensive zone starts show just how much Buffalo trusts him in their own end.
As for Davies, the former New Jersey Devils prospect got into just one game ont his recall, his only NHL contest of the season, which came this Saturday. He’ll return to Rochester where he’s been a steady piece of their blueline amid a season of injuries and recalls affecting the entire Sabres organization. With Rochester, Davies has five points in 19 games to start the season.
Anaheim Ducks Acquire Michael Del Zotto In Three-Team Trade
In a bit of a confusing swap, the Anaheim Ducks have reacquired defenseman Michael Del Zotto from the Florida Panthers. In the trade, Florida received winger Givani Smith from the Detroit Red Wings, while Detroit received forward Danny O’Regan from the Ducks.
All three have NHL experience but are expected to report to their new teams’ AHL affiliates.
Del Zotto, who has over 700 NHL games under his belt, was expected to possibly make the Panthers out of camp this season with the team lacking in depth at the position. But he didn’t make the opening night roster, and he hasn’t seen a recall since, even with injuries striking the team.
After registering over a point per game in an AHL stint with the Belleville Senators last year, Del Zotto had just 10 points in 25 games with Charlotte before the trade. He’ll now head to San Diego, the last-place team in the league.
O’Regan is serviceable AHL depth who can come up to an NHL team in a pinch. He appeared in five games with Anaheim last season, registering one assist. With San Diego this year, the 28-year-old has three goals and 15 assists in 27 games.
Smith gives Florida a pair of solid physical presences with Ryan Lomberg in the fold as well. A 2016 second-round pick, Smith recorded over 100 penalty minutes in 46 games with Detroit in 2021-22. He’s spent most of this season with AHL Grand Rapids, where he has five points in 19 games.
Washington Capitals Activate Darcy Kuemper
The Washington Capitals activated goalie Darcy Kuemper off injured reserve Monday afternoon, according to a team release. In corresponding transactions, they also returned netminders Zachary Fucale and Hunter Shepard to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Washington’s been without Kuemper since December 3, when he sustained an upper-body injury in a loss against the Calgary Flames. The 32-year-old has been inconsistent at times with the Capitals but still has strong numbers overall. Despite an 8-9-2 record, he’s still managed a respectable .916 save percentage, 2.56 goals against average, and two shutouts in 20 appearances.
Backup Charlie Lindgren started every game in Kuemper’s two-week absence and did not disappoint. Not including his relief appearance against Calgary, Lindgren helped get Washington solidly back into playoff contention with a .938 save percentage and a 6-1-0 record in his past seven games.
Some were excited to potentially see the 27-year-old Shepard get his first NHL start, but it wasn’t to be. He returns to Hershey, where he has yet to lose in regulation through eight games.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Justin Richards
After the Columbus Blue Jackets lost center Boone Jenner for the next several weeks, they’ve decided to convert one of their AHL players to an NHL contract. Justin Richards has signed a one-year, two-way deal for the rest of this season. That will allow him to be recalled if needed.
Richards, 24, had been playing on an AHL contract after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the New York Rangers last summer. The undrafted forward earned an entry-level contract with the Rangers after three seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and made his NHL debut in 2020-21, recording an assist in his only game.
This season with the Cleveland Monsters he has been a key player, recording 17 points in 23 games while playing with some of the team’s other young talent. His familiarity with players like Kirill Marchenko, Trey Fix-Wolansky, and Emil Bemstrom should only help him if the Blue Jackets continue to lose their more veteran options from the NHL roster.
Given that the team only had 43 of a possible 50 contract slots open, a deal for Richards doesn’t pose any risk. It does make him a restricted free agent at the end of the season but the team could simply leave him unqualified again, if they don’t want to offer him another NHL contract.
Chicago Blackhawks Make Several Roster Moves
The Chicago Blackhawks were forced to make several moves today, starting with the placement of Jarred Tinordi on injured reserve with a facial fracture. Tinordi was hit in the mouth with the puck last night and forced to leave the game, just a week after being hit in the chin with a skate. With the roster spot, the team has recalled Isaak Phillips from the minor leagues. The team has also activated Alex Stalock from injured reserve while sending Arvid Soderblom back to the AHL.
Tinordi, 30, has received the best opportunity of his career this season in Chicago, playing 25 games already. That has nearly matched his single-season high of 28, while his five points are already tied for a career-high. The massive, physical defenseman has averaged nearly 17 minutes a night and racked up 92 hits in those 25 games since being claimed off waivers at the start of the year. It is not clear how long he will be out.
Phillips, 21, is one of the young defensemen that the Blackhawks seem to not want to use much at the NHL level this season, giving him a chance to continue his development with the Rockford IceHogs. Selected in the fifth round in 2020, he has appeared four times for Chicago and is still looking for his first NHL point. In 25 games with Rockford, the 6’3″ defenseman has 17 points.
Stalock is returning from a concussion that he suffered on November 1 against the New York Islanders, and has played in just seven games so far. The veteran goaltender was good in those, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.93 goals-against average, but will have to be slowly worked back in after so much time off. Now 35, Stalock can perhaps give some consistency to the position for the Blackhawks, as the young Soderblom struggled after being forced into the crease, and Petr Mrazek has been nearly unplayable, posting an .872 in 11 appearances.
Ottawa Senators Recall Scott Sabourin
4:54 pm: Given that Sabourin was ultimately recalled with a potential Austin Watson suspension in mind, the Senators announced after their game today that they’ve returned Sabourin to the AHL. Watson had ended up with merely a fine and was able to play against he Minnesota Wild, and thus Sabourin was not needed.
9:15 am: The Ottawa Senators announced this morning that they have recalled forward Scott Sabourin from the Belleville Senators, their AHL affiliate. No other corresponding move was announced, however with $2.4MM in cap space and a roster spot to give, none was needed. This marks Sabourin’s first recall this season after clearing waivers and being assigned to Belleville back on October 10th.
The veteran has earned his trip up to the NHL though, recording 13 points through his first 24 games with Belleville this season, well on his way to a career year in the AHL. Always known for his gritty play-style that features plenty of penalty minutes, perhaps the most impressive part of Sabourin’s stat-line this year are his penalty minutes: 144. That’s not an error, the winger does in fact have 144 penalty minutes through his first 24 games. For reference, his previous career high in any season in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, or OHL was 147, set back in 2016-17 in 54 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
Should Sabourin get into game action with Ottawa, it would mark his fourth season of NHL action. A late-bloomer, Sabourin made his debut at age 27 with Ottawa during the 2019-20 season, where he played in 35 games, a career-high. Since then, he’s featured largely in the AHL once again, but has seen time with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020-21 and Ottawa once against in 2021-22.
St. Louis Blues Recall Logan Brown, Assign William Bitten To AHL
The St. Louis Blues this afternoon announced they’ve recalled forward Logan Brown from the Springfield Thunderbirds, their AHL affiliate. In a corresponding move, the team has assigned forward William Bitten to Springfield. Brown had been in the AHL on a conditioning loan, which the Blues assigned him to Thursday. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was the first to report the move.
Brown, 24, is in his second year as a member of the Blues organization, splitting time with St. Louis and Springfield last season, recording 11 points in 39 games with the NHL team. A former top prospect with the Ottawa Senators, Brown had been trying to gain traction in the NHL after a modest breakout last season. But, the forward found himself on LTIR after playing just five games this season. Now, after the brief conditioning stint, Brown can look to stay healthy and get back into a groove in the Blues’ lineup.
Bitten was recalled back on December 3rd and made his long-awaited NHL debut that night. In four NHL games to date, the 24-year-old has just one assist, coming in his second game. By getting Bitten back themselves, Springfield will hope to get more of the scoring touch he had earlier this season, with eight goals over his first 20 games.
Afternoon Notes: Schedule, Stone, Sabres, Team Canada Captains, Hershey Bears
More hockey? You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want it. Earlier this week, there had been some discussions about the NHL potentially expanding the season back to an 84 game schedule for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign. Last night on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expanded on those rumors with an idea of what that schedule might look like, and how the league could get there.
In effect, the schedule would be expanded an additional two games to promote intra-division rivalries, such as the one between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers or the one between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both of which have seen their head-to-head matchups drop off in recent years. As Friedman details, the schedule would consist of four games against each of the other teams within the division, three games each against each team in the opposing division, and two against each team in the opposite conference. To balance things out, each team’s slate of preseasons games could be cut down. It doesn’t appear that any change is imminent, however Friedman adds that there is a willingness to discuss the change between the league and the NHLPA, however there hasn’t been much dialogue on the subject recently.
- Things didn’t look good for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone last night when he went down in obvious pain during the third period of the team’s game against the New York Islanders. The winger struggled to get off the ice with the assistance of his teammates, but surprisingly was able to come back and join them in the final moments of the game. Unsurprisingly, after the game, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy was asked about the status of his star forward, telling The Athletic’s Jesse Granger that the hope is Stone’s injury is “just a stinger,” but he wouldn’t know much more until today. Cassidy added that Stone was not 100% when he rejoined the team late in the game. So far, no additional information has come out about Stone’s status. Vegas next plays at home on Monday against the Sabres.
- Yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres were able to get forward Kyle Okposo back from injury and Jeff Skinner back from suspension, but were without defensemen Owen Power, Jacob Bryson, and Ilya Lyubushkin. The team didn’t have much information on Power or Bryson, and the same holds true today, however according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Ilya Lyubushkin is set to return tomorrow against Vegas. Noticeably absent from the ice this morning were defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, but as Harrington adds, both were absent simply for rest purposes.
- With the World Junior Championship just eight days away, Hockey Canada announced its leadership group for this year’s World Juniors team. Captaining the group will be Seattle Kraken forward and fourth-overall pick in 2022, Shane Wright. Assisting him will be Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther, Dallas Stars draft pick and current Kamloops Blazers forward Logan Stankoven, Anaheim Ducks draft pick and Quebec Remparts forward Nathan Gaucher, as well as Chicago Blackhawks draft pick and Mississauga Steelheads defenseman Ethan Del Mastro. Canada will kick things off against Czechia on December 26th.
- Many don’t necessarily think about when an NHL team chooses to recall a player from their affiliate, it could set off a chain reaction of needs within their system, and that’s just what happened with the Washington Capitals and their goaltenders. When Darcy Kuemper went down a couple of weeks ago, the team recalled Hunter Shepard, which Hershey was able to cope with by recalling Clay Stevenson from the ECHL. No problem. But, when Washington also recalled Zachary Fucale yesterday in the wake of Shepard’s upper-body injury, Hershey was forced to sign an emergency back-up to a PTO for their game last night. Today, the Bears were able to smooth things out in net prior to their game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this afternoon, bringing up netminder Tyler Wall from the South Carolina Stingrays, Hershey and Washington’s ECHL affiliate. In a corresponding move, defenseman Martin Has has been sent to South Carolina. While this is a relatively minor move, it does give context for the transactions NHL teams make that sometimes seem to be done just for the sake of doing them.