Oliver Ekman-Larsson To Play In World Championship
After a disappointing season in Vancouver, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is set to head overseas for a few weeks. The team announced today he’ll join Team Sweden for the upcoming 2022 IIHF World Championship.
Ekman-Larsson had a near career-low season, although his lows were previously set in shortened seasons. While he did improve defensively from his last few years in Arizona, he had just five goals and 29 points on the year, the only time he hasn’t hit 30+ points when playing 50+ games.
The veteran defenseman will look to reset this offseason, as the Canucks are still on the hook for his retained-salary $7.26MM cap hit through 2027.
Ekman-Larsson joins fellow NHLers Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Gustafsson, and Adam Larsson on the blueline. Other NHLers slated to join team Sweden are Rasmus Asplund, Emil Bemstrom, and Magnus Hellberg.
The tournament will run from May 13 to May 29.
Anaheim Ducks Assign Olen Zellweger To AHL
The Anaheim Ducks are giving one of the most underrated defense prospects in the league his first taste of professional hockey, assigning Olen Zellweger to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Zellweger’s Everett Silvertips were eliminated yesterday in the first round of the WHL playoffs, losing the series 4-2 to the eighth-seeded Vancouver Giants in what was one of the largest playoff upsets in WHL history.
Selected just last year in the 2021 NHL Draft (34th overall), Zellweger, despite having 13 points in 11 games with Everett and eight points in seven games with Canada at the U18 World Junior Championships, was never regarded as a top defenseman in the class due to his 5’10”, 174 lb frame. He quickly started to prove scouts wrong this season, putting his first-round talent on display with 78 points in 55 games with Everett, shattering the franchise record for points in a season by a defenseman.
Zellweger still has another year of WHL eligibility and will return there next season in all likelihood, but with his team eliminated and under NHL contract, the Ducks are free to re-assign him to San Diego where he’ll likely get into some playoff games for the Gulls.
Zellweger has the highest ceiling of any Ducks defense prospect not named Jamie Drysdale, and this will be a great indication for the Ducks organization as to whether he can transfer his dominant skating and offensive game to the pro level.
Yaroslav Askarov Signs AHL Tryout
The first sight of Yaroslav Askarov playing North American hockey appears to be right on the horizon, as the top prospect has signed a tryout contract with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Askarov is arguably the top goaltending prospect in the world and recently completed his contract in the KHL.
Selected 11th overall in 2020 by the Nashville Predators, the 19-year-old netminder has a mixture of size and incredible athleticism that has routinely received comparisons to other Russian goaltenders like Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy. If he comes even near the height that those two have reached at the NHL level, he’ll have been more than worth his selection near the top of the draft.
The fact that he has signed a contract with Milwaukee is great news for Predators fans, who hope to have Askarov in the organization as soon as possible. He will be eligible to play in the AHL playoffs which start on Friday for the Admirals, though that wouldn’t be the case if he signed his entry-level contract for the rest of 2021-22. He would then be ineligible to be sent to the minors, meaning an ELC starting in 2022-23 will likely follow at some point.
While there is still work to be done on his game–he appeared in just six KHL games this season and has struggled at times in other situations–Askarov’s ceiling is still sky-high, and getting him to North America is a huge step. It seems very likely that he will spend next season in the AHL, starting as many games as possible as Nashville gets to start directly controlling his development.
Those starts could come quickly, as usual Milwaukee netminder Connor Ingram is currently with the Nashville Predators filling in for Juuse Saros in their own playoff series.
AHL Shuffle: 05/03/22
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are off to a roaring start, with shutouts, fights, giveaways, and upsets. Things will continue this evening with four more matches, including the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals, who are getting important players back. While Aaron Ekblad‘s return was a bit more unexpected, Alex Ovechkin will also be back in the lineup this evening for the Capitals as they try to topple the best of the East. As teams prepare, there is still some shuffling going on between the NHL and AHL. Like always, we’ll cover it here.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled their “Black Aces,” players that will be available for practice but unlikely to play. Joey Anderson, Mac Hollowell, Pontus Holmberg, Michael Hutchinson, Filip Kral, Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Nicholas Robertson, Kristians Rubins, Brett Seney, and Alex Steeves are all up with the team after the Toronto Marlies failed to qualify for the AHL playoffs.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Rangers have recalled Adam Huska to what they are calling the taxi squad, meaning the extras that will be available in case of further injury. Keith Kinkaid, who was in place as the team’s third goaltender, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Adam Werner from the AHL, who will likely serve as their emergency third goaltender. Dustin Wolf, who is likely third on the organizational depth chart, will stay and lead the Stockton Heat in the playoffs. Werner, 25, posted an .886 save percentage in 21 appearances this season and has just two games of NHL experience.
This page is updated throughout the day
Nashville Predators Recall Philippe Myers
In an interesting move, the Nashville Predators have recalled defenseman Philippe Myers from the AHL. He’s not coming back from the Milwaukee Admirals though, as Myers had been loaned out to the Toronto Marlies earlier this season. The move appeared to be connected to the Predators’ acquisition of Alex Biega at the deadline, one which cost them nothing more than future considerations. Given that Myers and the Marlies didn’t end up qualifying for the Calder Cup playoffs, however, it makes sense for him to re-join Nashville for the postseason.
Of course, he also could have been sent back to the Admirals, who start their own playoff series on Friday. Perhaps he still will, but for now, he’s with the NHL squad as they prepare for game one tomorrow night against the Colorado Avalanche.
Myers, 25, was one of the two big pieces acquired in the offseason for Ryan Ellis, along with Nolan Patrick (who was then flipped for Cody Glass). Unfortunately, things didn’t work out in Nashville for the big defenseman, who played a total of 27 games with the club before being sent down. He cleared waivers just before the trade deadline, likely because of the contract that he still carries that comes with a cap hit of $2.55MM through the 2022-23 season.
It wasn’t so long ago that Myers looked like a player who could make that deal a bargain. The undrafted, 6’5″ defenseman was a star with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for two seasons before making his mark as a full-time option for the Philadelphia Flyers. While the multi-year deal was perhaps a bit premature, it still looked like a decent bet on a player who appeared to be a classic late bloomer. Unfortunately, things have gone the opposite direction, and Myers had just four points in those 27 games before his demotion this season.
Now, with a back-loaded contract set to pay him a salary of $3.8MM next season, Myers appeared to be a prime buyout candidate. If the Predators did so, they would actually earn a cap credit of $616,666 next season, before taking a penalty of $633,334 the year after. If the team is giving him a chance to join the group for the playoffs, perhaps he can change that future.
AHL Shuffle: 05/02/22
One might think, given that the NHL season is over and playoffs are about to begin, that most clubs will be finished their minor league shuffling. Well, that quite transaction wire will likely start tomorrow, as today several clubs out of the postseason have sent players back to help with the AHL playoffs. Only players who were on the AHL roster (or quickly sent down and then recalled) at the NHL trade deadline are eligible to join their minor league clubs. As always, we’ll cover those moves right here.
Atlantic Division
- Mathias Brunet of La Presse reports that Mattias Norlinder will join the Laval Rocket for the playoffs, after his Swedish season came to an end. The young defenseman played six games with the Montreal Canadiens and six games with the Rocket before heading overseas, but will return to help chase down a Calder Cup.
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Dylan Samberg and Morgan Barron to the Manitoba Moose, giving them two huge pieces for their playoff run. The Moose will go right to the Central Division semi-finals against the Milwaukee Admirals, a series that starts Friday.
- Now that his OHL season is over, Oskar Olausson has been assigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The 19-year-old first-round pick had 49 points in 55 games during his first (and likely only) OHL season, but was unable to help the Oshawa Generals advance in the playoffs.
Pacific Division
- The Seattle Kraken have sent Dennis Cholowski to the Charlotte Checkers, who won’t know their opponent for another few days after receiving a bye to the second round. Cholowski had 18 points in 31 games for the Checkers this season, the best output of his career.
This page is updated throughout the day
Snapshots: Kadri, Housley, Rochester
There was concern earlier today out of Colorado Avalanche camp, as forward Nazem Kadri was notably missing from practice with an undisclosed illness. Those concerns were calmed a bit with the confirmation that the illness was not in fact COVID-19, says Peter Baugh of The Athletic (link). According to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post, who spoke to Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar, Kadri is still expected to be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday night (link).
Keeping Kadri in the lineup is key for the Avalanche as they head into the playoffs with eyes set on the Stanley Cup. As strong as their lineup is, Kadri plays a pivotal role as their second-line center, playing a 200-foot game and contributing plenty offensively. The forward just finished his best season to date, in which he compiled 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games. Colorado is set to take on the Nashville Predators at home Tuesday night in Game 1 of the first round.
- Staying out west, the Arizona Coyotes announced that they have mutually parted ways with Assistant Coach Phil Housley (link). Housley just finished the third year of a three-year contract he signed with Arizona in June of 2019. It’s unclear what the next step is for the Hall of Fame defenseman, who previously spent two seasons as the Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres, but the 58-year-old should be able to find opportunities if he wants them, considering his lengthy resume on and off the ice. As for Arizona, it does not appear that any additional changes are coming to the coaching staff, outside of possibly replacing Housley, but first-year Head Coach Andre Tourigny has drawn very favorable reviews despite Arizona’s struggles.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned forward Peyton Krebs and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to the Rochester Americans of the AHL ahead of Rochester’s playoff series against the Belleville Senators. Both players, who were sent to Rochester on paper on March 21st, are eligible to compete for the team in the Calder Cup playoffs. The two have each spent time in Rochester and Buffalo this season and are viewed as key pieces of Buffalo’s future. For now, they will get valuable experience competing in professional playoff games.
Del Zotto, Dries, Petan All Clear Waivers
All three players placed on waivers yesterday, Michael Del Zotto (OTT), Sheldon Dries (VAN), and Nic Petan (VAN), cleared waivers today and can be assigned to their respective AHL clubs (link). Though these three do not belong to playoff teams in the NHL, their being sent to the AHL is not necessarily insignificant, as both the Belleville Senators and the Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliates of the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks, respectively, have made the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.
On Del Zotto, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia says that even though Del Zotto cleared and could join Belleville, it’s not entirely clear if he will actually join the team (link). A veteran of 736 NHL games, the 31-year-old Del Zotto has been an NHL regular since his rookie season in 2009-10 with the New York Rangers, last seeing AHL time in 2010-11. This season, however, has been a different story. Del Zotto managed only 26 games with the struggling Ottawa Senators, though when he was in the lineup, he impressed, posting 13 points in those 26 games. The defenseman did see his first AHL action in over a decade as well, dressing in as many games (26), but had an impeccable 27 points for Belleville. Having Del Zotto suit up for Belleville to help their run would not only benefit Belleville of course, but would help Ottawa as well, with Del Zotto providing a major boost to a team full of young, future Ottawa Senators getting experience with meaningful professional playoff games.
Much of the same sentiment can be placed on Petan and Dries, who also made contributions to the NHL team this season, but could provide a major impact in the Calder Cup playoffs. Petan played in 18 games this season for Vancouver, recording just two assists, but was a star in the AHL, where he had 12 goals and 32 assists in just 37 games. Dries, like Petan, suited up in a few games with Vancouver (11), recording two goals and an assist, but was a critical piece in Abbotsford’s playoff berth, scoring an impressive 35 goals and 27 assists in only 54 games.
Notably, because these three players were in the AHL in some capacity, even if just on paper as in Petan’s case, on March 21st, the NHL’s trade deadline, they are all eligible to participate in the AHL playoffs.
AHL Shuffle: 05/01/22
Most teams today are wrapping up the usual end-of-season processes, whether that means cleaning out lockers or prepping for playoff series. There is one game on the schedule today though, a matchup between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets that was postponed weeks ago due to inclement weather in Winnipeg. Today, teams will continue to adjust their rosters, recalling possible Black Aces for an NHL playoff run or sending down eligible players to their AHL affiliates for the impending Calder Cup playoffs.
Atlantic Division
- After a 10-2 drubbing at the hands of the league-worst Montreal Canadiens, the Florida Panthers are returning some youngsters back to the Charlotte Checkers for their Calder Cup playoff run. The team announced they’ve loaned forwards Aleksi Heponiemi, Cole Schwindt, and defenseman Matt Kiersted back to the AHL. All three players dressed for that fateful game as Florida opted to rest all of their stars and some other NHL depth as well to protect against injury.
Metropolitan Division
- A bit of a cult hero is rejoining the Washington Capitals for their playoff run as their third-string netminder. The team recalled goalie Zachary Fucale from the Hershey Bears today after he started four games previously this season, even earning a shutout in his first NHL game. While unlikely, if injury strikes again in the crease for Washington as it did during the playoffs last year, the former highly-touted prospect will be next in line behind Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek and could see his first taste of playoff action.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled goaltender Olivier Rodrigue from Bakersfield of the AHL to serve as goaltending depth for the playoffs. Stuart Skinner is their third-string option but they’ve elected to keep him with the Condors for the AHL postseason. Rodrigue split this season between Bakersfield and ECHL Wichita, posting save percentages of .886 and .907 respectively.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Yandle, O’Connor, Keller, Merzlikins
Despite a disappointing season for the Philadelphia Flyers, there were several highlights, including veteran defenseman Keith Yandle, who broke Doug Jarvis‘ ironman consecutive games played streak, setting his own mark with 989. At the Flyers season-ending media availability, Yandle notably chose not to speak to the media, reports Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (link). O’Connor points out rumors that Yandle could in fact choose to retire this offseason, citing circumstantial evidence and comments from his Flyers teammates.
There’s reason to think Yandle could continue to play, but also reason to see why he may not. For one, Yandle is no longer the player he used to be. Once a defenseman that regularly topped 50 points per season, most recently hitting a career-high 62 points in 2018-19, he has seen that number consistently drop since, with just 19 points in 77 games this season. The veteran also saw his playing time limited this season, culminating in the ending of his ironman streak, even on a struggling Flyers team. On the other hand, Yandle is just 35-years-old, and while far from a rookie, there could certainly be something left in the tank, especially as a defenseman. To that end, Yandle continued his ironman streak into this year and was poised to continue it, but for the Flyers choice to sit him in lieu of younger talent.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have recalled forward Drew O’Connor from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins of the AHL (link). The 23-year-old O’Connor has split time between Pittsburgh and Scranton this season, playing in 33 AHL games and 22 NHL games. Nearly a point-per-game player in the AHL, O’Connor has just five NHL points this season. Per Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, bringing up O’Connor could be an answer for Pittsburgh in the wake of Jason Zucker‘s uncertainty due to injury (link). Pittsburgh is set to begin its first round playoff series against the Rangers in New York this Tuesday.
- Moving out west, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller could resume skating in three weeks (link). This might not seem like big news, with Arizona’s season ending and approximately five-and-a-half months until opening night, but consider that Keller fractured his leg on March 31st, forcing him to be stretchered off the ice and taken to the hospital, where he would have surgery on his leg. At that point, Keller’s status for not only next season, but perhaps his career, seemed to be in question. While an opening night return for Keller was later confirmed, seeing Keller back on the ice in three weeks, roughly seven weeks after the injury and surgery, is a huge step forward and reason for optimism for the Coyotes.
- From Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is expected to play at the upcoming World Championships in Finland (link). Not a favorite to win the championship, Merzlikins’ home country of Latvia carries with it a passionate group of players and supporters, including Merzlikins. The goaltender recently opened up more about the loss of his close friend and fellow Latvian and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender, Matiss Kivlenieks, who passed away this summer. Playing for their home country could surely be a way for Merzlikinis to honor his late friend.