Minor Transactions: 11/01/22
With a pair of nationally-televised ESPN games on the schedule tonight, it should be an entertaining slate of games along with many other regional broadcasts. There also continues to be a fair amount of activity at the minor-league level as AHL teams play their first few games, a lot of which are transactions that affect their NHL parents. We’ll keep track of those transactions here today:
- The AHL’s Texas Stars loaned defenseman Michael Karow to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, according to AHL transactions. Karow, 23, joined the Stars organization last season after his fifth-year NCAA season concluded with Michigan Tech, notching five points in 13 games down the stretch. After not getting into an AHL game to start the season, though, he should find a good amount of playing time in Idaho for the next little while. He’ll remain a top recall option to Texas if injuries batter their NHL affiliate in Dallas, making them shorthanded on the blueline. Karow is a 2017 NHL Draft selection of the Arizona Coyotes.
- The Edmonton Oilers activated defenseman Vincent Desharnais from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Desharnais, now on an NHL contract, enjoyed a breakout season in Bakersfield last year, where he notched a gargantuan +36 rating and had 27 points in 66 games. A 2016 seventh-round draft choice by the Oilers, he could see NHL games this season as an injury call-up.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Snapshots: Senators, Pinto, Oilers
The Ottawa Senators could be next on the list of NHL franchises being sold, as Sportico reports that the organization has hired Galatioto Sports Partners to aid in the sale, the same group that is currently selling the Los Angeles Angels of the MLB. Sportico places the Senators’ franchise value at $655MM.
Control of the Senators transitioned to Anna and Olivia Melnyk earlier this year when long-time owner Eugene Melnyk passed away. The most recent sales in the NHL have been the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators, the latter of which is being finalized currently.
- One of the reasons that the Senators have raised in value and expectations so quickly is because of the play of their young stars. Shane Pinto, one of those youngsters, was named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October. With six goals in eight games, Pinto is tied with Brady Tkachuk for the team lead.
- The Edmonton Oilers are getting some bodies back, as they have activated both Vincent Desharnais and Raphael Lavoie from the season-opening injured reserve and assigned them to the AHL. Lavoie, 22, was the 38th overall pick in 2019 and scored 26 points in 56 games for Bakersfield last season.
Detroit Red Wings Re-Assign Givani Smith
Nov 1: Smith has been returned to the AHL now that Rasmussen’s suspension has been served. In two games, he failed to record a shot on goal.
Oct 29: The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve recalled right wing Givani Smith from the Grand Rapids Griffins, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding move has been made, but the team did find out yesterday that forward Michael Rasmussen was suspended for two games for high-sticking Boston Bruins forward David Krejci.
Smith, who has spent his entire career in the Red Wings organization, is playing his sixth professional season since the team drafted him in the second-round back in 2016. The forward has spent parts of three seasons at the NHL level, debuting in 2019-20. Through 83 NHL games to date, Smith has seven goals and seven assists. His production isn’t much better at the AHL level, however he does bring an energetic, gritty presence to whatever lineup he’s in, tallying a career-high 108 penalty minutes in just 46 games last season with Detroit.
While it’s unclear just how long the 24-year-old will be up with the NHL squad, he’ll be joining a strong group that is looking to take the next step after a lengthy rebuild. Detroit is 3-2-2 to start the season, making them one of five teams in the Atlantic Division to have 8 points
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Pontus Holmberg
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.