Kings Assign Lias Andersson And Jacob Moverare To The AHL
The season-long shuffle continues for the Kings. In an effort to bank extra cap space, the team has been shuffling waiver-exempt players to AHL Ontario on off days. Today, that trend continues as the team announced that they’ve assigned center Lias Andersson and defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Reign. In doing so, the team drops out of using LTIR and will be able to bank at least a little bit of cap room in advance of tomorrow’s game against Ottawa when one or both will likely be recalled.
Andersson cleared waivers last month for the first time and has spent the bulk of this season in the minors. The 24-year-old continues to be quite productive with the Reign, notching five goals and four assists in 11 games but while he has been up with the Kings for the better part of the last two weeks, he has exclusively been a healthy scratch. Even if it’s just for one day, getting into a game with Ontario tonight when they host Tucson certainly wouldn’t hurt.
As for Moverare, he has been the seventh defender with Los Angeles for the last couple of weeks while Brandt Clarke has been on a conditioning assignment with Ontario, one that is going to come to an end in less than 48 hours. The 24-year-old also cleared waivers at the end of training camp and has played in eight games with the Reign this season while getting into two with the Kings where he has averaged just under 15 minutes a night of playing time.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Philip Broberg
Though he has played in 15 games this season, Markus Niemelainen does not have the trust of the Edmonton Oilers coaching staff. The 24-year-old defenseman has logged more than ten minutes of ice time in just four of those games, and less than nine in each of his last five. Today, after two straight losses, the Oilers have made a change.
Philip Broberg, top prospect and AHL standout, has been recalled. Niemelainen has taken his place with the Bakersfield Condors, with neither one eligible for waivers.
Broberg, 21, was the eighth overall pick in 2019 and played 23 games with the Oilers last season, registering three points at the highest level. The rest of his North American professional career has been with Bakersfield, where he has 27 points in 38 games.
A brilliant skater, the left-shot defenseman hasn’t quite been able to show that he’s ready for the next step. His movement with the puck is excellent, but his consistency and defensive game still need work. Perhaps that development can come at the NHL level, though if he inherits Niemelainen’s role, he won’t be seeing the ice much.
The chance here for Broberg is that several other veteran defensemen have also been struggling for the Oilers. If he can show he’s ready for full-time NHL minutes, the opportunity is there for him. We’ll see how they deploy the group tomorrow when the Oilers finish up an eastern road trip against the New York Rangers.
Ottawa Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese
Recalling a goaltender is not usually a good sign. The Ottawa Senators have brought up Kevin Mandolese from the AHL, sparking questions over which NHL goalie is out. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that in this case, it’s Anton Forsberg out with a minor injury.
This isn’t the first injury in net the team has dealt with this year. Cam Talbot missed a month at the start of the year, forcing the team to claim Magnus Hellberg off waivers for a little while. They just barely missed the chance to grab Hellberg again, as he was nabbed off waivers by the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
Now they’ll have to turn to Mandolese for however long Forsberg is out, with Talbot likely seeing every minute of action in the meantime. The 22-year-old Mandolese has never played in the NHL and has an .868 save percentage in six games with the Belleville Senators this season.
The Senators, on a three-game losing streak, are set to play the Anaheim Ducks this afternoon.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Carson Meyer; Re-Assign Emil Bemstrom
The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a roster swap, sending Emil Bemstrom to the minor leagues while recalling Carson Meyer. Bemstrom played just under 12 minutes in last night’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Meyer, meanwhile, has been on fire with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, scoring six goals and 18 points in 15 games so far. The Ohio State standout played in 13 games for the Blue Jackets last season and registered just three points but will certainly be bringing some confidence to the lineup after such a hot start.
Selected in the sixth round in 2017, Meyer was good for the Monsters last season too, but not quite to the same level. He had 16 goals and 27 points in 57 games, while racking up 63 penalty minutes. In his chances last year, he was willing to throw himself into anything that moved, racking up 27 hits in those 13 games despite averaging just over eight minutes a night.
Bemstrom is a very different player and one that might not be as well-suited for the bottom six. He has four points in seven games this season but doesn’t add any physicality and isn’t used on the penalty kill at all. If he’s not going to get regular minutes in a scoring role, perhaps heading to the minor leagues is a better option. He has also been banged up, missing some time due to an undisclosed injury.
Because he cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, Bemstrom is still exempt.
Colorado Avalanche Re-Assign Oskar Olausson To AHL
10:40 am: This morning, the team has made those corresponding moves, recalling Anton Blidh and Sampo Ranta from the minor leagues.
7:40 am: After their game last night, a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Colorado Avalanche announced they’ve re-assigned winger Oskar Olausson to the Colorado Eagles, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move was announced. The transaction leaves the team with only 11 forwards, however Colorado does not play again until tomorrow afternoon.
A first-round pick of the Avalanche, 28th overall, back in 2021, Olausson was called up just yesterday, mere hours before he was re-assigned, but didn’t go away without getting to make his NHL debut in last night’s game, in which he played just over seven minutes. Sending Olausson back to the AHL certainly isn’t an indictment on his performance last night, with Colorado needing the twelfth forward and Olausson being waiver-exempt.
Olausson, 20, has impressed since coming to North America after being drafted. The winger played last season in the OHL, his only season there, splitting time between the Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals, where he combined for 26 goals and 23 assists in 55 games. The Swede made his AHL debut this season with the Eagles, where he’s posted four goals and four assists through 16 AHL games. While he now represents a capable fill-in for the Avalanche as needed, one would expect Olausson to continue to work on his game in the AHL as he’s still one of the organization’s top prospects.
Snapshots: Memorial Cup, Spengler Cup, Hanus
The CHL has officially announced the four clubs that have submitted applications to host the 2024 Memorial Cup. The Kingston Frontenacs, Niagara IceDogs, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds will send in bids before the deadline in January, with the winning club announced in March.
The tournament is moved through the leagues each year, meaning it was only open to OHL bids for 2024. The 2023 tournament will be held in Kamloops, British Columbia.
- Team Canada has its leadership for the Spengler Cup decided, with Shane Doan managing the roster and Travis Green taking head coaching duties, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Green is still under contract with the Vancouver Canucks, though he hasn’t coached since being fired in the middle of 2021-22.
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have parted ways with Clay Hanus, as the undrafted defenseman has decided to leave pro hockey and accept the education package given by his former junior club. Hanus had only played two games – both at the ECHL level – since signing an AHL deal in the summer.
Austin Strand Returned To AHL
With the Anaheim Ducks now at home for the next three games, they’ve reduced their roster again. Austin Strand has been returned to the minor leagues after playing fewer than 12 minutes on Monday night.
The team dressed seven defensemen that game, with Max Comtois still dealing with a lower-body injury and Pavol Regenda sitting out. Strand’s assignment suggests that one of those things will change for tonight’s home tilt against the New York Rangers. The Ducks will be playing in Anaheim for the next three, meaning they don’t need extra bodies hanging around instead of suiting up with the San Diego Gulls.
Strand, 25, has barely seen the ice whenever he does dress for the Ducks, and has failed to register a point in his five appearances. The minor league veteran has only 26 games of NHL experience under his belt and is an unlikely candidate for more playing time moving forward.
Although, if the Ducks do decide to sell at the deadline, perhaps Strand will be one of the beneficiaries. The defensive trio of John Klingberg, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Dmitry Kulikov are some of the most likely trade chips, meaning someone will have to be patrolling the blue line down the stretch.
Robert Bortuzzo Activated From Injured Reserve
The St. Louis Blues are getting a little more defensive depth back, activating Robert Bortuzzo from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Tyler Tucker has been loaned back to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.
Bortuzzo, 33, hasn’t played since November 8 and has no points in ten appearances this season. The veteran defenseman is averaging the fewest minutes of his career, so shouldn’t be expected to make a huge contribution. Still, with Marco Scandella and Scott Perunovich sidelined, the team’s organizational depth on defense was rather thin. Tucker is one of just five defensemen in the minor leagues that are even signed to NHL deals, most of whom have no experience at the highest level.
That was the case for Tucker, too, before he got into four games with the Blues this season. The 22-year-old is a seventh-round pick from 2018 that just continued to climb up the depth chart thanks to a physical brand of hockey that is beloved in St. Louis. In his short NHL stint, he managed to record eight hits, six blocked shots, and five penalty minutes, despite averaging just 13 minutes a night.
Ottawa Senators Recall Lassi Thomson; Looking For Additional Defensemen
After another brutal loss that saw the Ottawa Senators give up five goals to the San Jose Sharks, the team has made a swap on defense. Jacob Larsson has been returned to the AHL, while prospect Lassi Thomson is on his way to join the club on their road trip.
Thomson, 22, was the 19th overall pick in 2019 and played 16 games for the Senators last season. His time in the AHL has been productive, including ten points in 15 games this season. While he may not be the complete solution for Ottawa, there is more help coming.
Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that the hope is Thomas Chabot can play tomorrow, while general manager Pierre Dorion has spoken to 10-15 teams about potential defensive additions. There hasn’t been a fit yet, and as losses pile up, it gets harder and harder to justify a big move. The Senators are now 6-11-1 on the year and sit dead last in the Atlantic Division, even behind the Buffalo Sabres who have lost eight in a row.
Larsson, during his short time with the club, didn’t impress. The 25-year-old averaged fewer than 13 minutes of ice time over his three appearances and was not totally trusted by the coaching staff. While Jake Sanderson, Erik Brannstrom, and Artem Zub were all logging more than 22 minutes last night, Larsson played just 14:40 and was the only defenseman to not see a second on the penalty kill.
The team goes into Vegas to take on the Golden Knights tomorrow, before heading back to California for matchups with the Ducks and Kings over the weekend.
Scott Laughton Placed On Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers will be without Scott Laughton for the next little while and have placed him on injured reserve. Laughton is dealing with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss two weeks, according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.
In his place, the team has recalled Jackson Cates from the AHL. The team also released injury updates on several other players. Travis Konecny will be out 10-14 days with an upper-body injury, Wade Allison is out two or three weeks with a hip pointer, and Cam Atkinson remains week-to-week. Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk are still on their respective schedules after surgery.
Laughton, 28, was seeing more ice time than ever before in his career, averaging more than 19 minutes a night through his first 18 appearances. That resulted in seven points on the year to go along with his regular brand of physical hockey.
He had been moved to wing recently, a move that the team also made with Kevin Hayes last night, with head coach John Tortorella explaining that he trusted Noah Cates more defensively in the middle of the ice.
That position has been a challenge this season for the Flyers, who don’t have a single center even above 48% on faceoffs and few players living up to their potential. Hayes and Konecny lead the team in scoring with 19 points but beyond those two and Owen Tippett, no other player even has five goals on the year.
Jackson Cates, the older of the two brothers, was scoreless in three games with the Flyers earlier this year. In 11 contests with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he has scored four goals and seven points.