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Krug Placed In COVID Protocol; Schenn Returns To St. Louis

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The St. Louis Blues will be without the services of another important player, announcing that Torey Krug has been placed in the COVID protocol. The team has recalled Calle Rosen from the AHL, moving Dakota Joshua down in his place. Not only is Krug is unavailable for the time being, but so is Brayden Schenn, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and has returned to St. Louis for further evaluation.

It’s not all bad news for the Blues, who also are getting Ryan O’Reilly back after his own COVID quarantine. General manager Doug Armstrong explained that O’Reilly has rejoined the team on the road trip and is expected to be ready to play on Sunday. The captain’s return comes at the perfect time as the team deals with both injuries and COVID-related absences.

In fact, the Blues could be in a very tricky situation if anyone else is ruled out. Armstrong told reporters including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that given they have just 21 players now and could have to play short. St. Louis doesn’t have the cap space to recall anyone else, given they were already using almost all of the flexibility created by placing Oskar Sundqvist on injured reserve. If they do have to play short at any point, the team would be able to make an emergency recall afterward to bring up a player without his cap hit. That would only be until the injured players are ready to return, but would at least keep them from icing a shortened roster.

Losing Krug and Schenn at the same though is a brutal hit for the team given how important they are. Krug averages nearly 21 minutes of ice time and has eight points in his first nine games, while Schenn had been carrying a big part of the load at center with O’Reilly out. The 30-year-old forward’s six points in nine games trails several others, but he is still a huge part of their game plan at both ends of the rink.

AHL Reveals Coachella Valley Firebirds

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The Seattle Kraken will have a primary AHL affiliate next season and today the name, logo, and colors of that franchise have been revealed. In 2022-23 the Coachella Valley Firebirds will take flight, wearing uniforms of “flaming red and orange, with an ice blue accent.” Tim Leiweke, CEO of the Oak View Group, which will be part owners of the new AHL franchise, released this statement:

Over the last two years, and after listening to fans, our leadership, and partners, we’ve been heavily involved in identifying the best team name and brand to represent the nine cities of the Coachella Valley. As a proud resident of the valley, I think the Firebirds has a meaningful representation for the beauty and what people experience when they come to our great community.

The team will play out of a new arena in Riverside County that will house more than 11,000 seats and includes a brand new training facility for the minor league club. It is set to open in 2022, when the Firebirds will start play. The Kraken will at that point have an affiliate to drop prospects and oversee their development, instead of the current split agreement with the Charlotte Checkers.

Charlotte, which is an independent minor league club, are currently the affiliate of both the Kraken and the Florida Panthers. Seattle is providing just a handful of players to the AHL club (along with a coach) as they continue to build out their organizational depth. Next year, it’ll be the Firebirds they’re dealing with, not only closer geographically but also operated by the same organization.

AHL Shuffle: 11/05/21

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Five more games hit the NHL schedule this evening, including a matchup of the two highest cap hits in the league. Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin will do battle for the first time since New Year’s Eve 2019. That game Panarin outscored McDavid 4-1, but the Oilers got the better of the Rangers overall, winning 7-5 on the back of a James Neal hat trick. As those teams and others prepare for this evening, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Atlantic Division

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned Gabriel Dumont to the AHL,  where he could potentially play for the Syracuse Crunch this evening. The Lightning have the day off but the Crunch take on the Utica Comets, and getting back a top player like Dumont would only help their chances. The 31-year-old has five points in seven games so far this season for Syracuse. After Mikhail Sergachev received his two-game suspension, the Lightning have also recalled Fredrik Claesson.

Metropolitan Division

  • After placing Anthony Mantha on injured reserve, the Washington Capitals have recalled Aliaksei Protas once again. The 20-year-old forward has four points in six games for the Hershey Bears and made his NHL debut earlier this season.

Central Division

  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Jacob MacDonald back to the AHL, as Devon Toews prepares to make his return tomorrow night. The 27-year-old Toews has yet to play this season but would be a huge boost to Colorado’s blueline, especially as they deal with an injury to Cale Makar.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Ben McCartney from the AHL, moving Ivan Prosvetov down at the same time. With Scott Wedgewood claimed off waivers, the Coyotes are able to give Prosvetov some more time in the minor leagues. McCartney meanwhile is getting a promotion after his strong start to the season, in which he’s scored four goals and five points in four games.

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have sent Vladimir Tkachev and Alex Turcotte back to the AHL, so the top prospect’s debut will have to wait. As expected, Kale Clague and Austin Strand are back to give the team healthy defensive options, but the Kings have also recalled T.J. Tynan after his blistering start to the season. In eight games for the Ontario Reign, Tynan has scored 13 points. Not bad for the reigning AHL MVP.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Lukas Dostal to serve as the backup to Anthony Stolarz tonight with John Gibson sidelined due to a non-COVID illness.  Dostal has a save percentage of .881 in two games with AHL San Diego this season.  Meanwhile, defenseman Simon Benoit was also sent to the Gulls.  He has a goal in four games this season while averaging 14:31 per game.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Anthony Mantha Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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When Anthony Mantha left last night’s game with an upper-body injury it wasn’t clear exactly what the issue was. Today, the Washington Capitals have announced that Mantha underwent shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely. The team has moved him to injured reserve and recalled Aliaksei Protas from the AHL.

It’s a huge blow for a team that is already operating without Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, each dealing with their own serious injuries. Mantha played just over seven minutes before departing in his final game, but before that had been averaging close to 15 minutes a night for the Capitals. The big winger has six points in ten games.

While the Capitals have been able to rely on Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov to lead the way offensively so far, the club now has four overtime losses through ten games and have a busy period of the schedule coming up. The team plays five games in seven days between November 11-17 with only one of them coming at home. If the two Russian forces slip even a bit, the team will be hard-pressed to find much offense with the rest of the healthy group.

With that in mind, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters including JJ Regan of NBC Sports Washington that rookie Hendrix Lapierre will be back in for tomorrow’s game. Lapierre has played in five games so far this season and will burn the first year of his entry-level deal if he plays in five more. Lapierre has just one goal in five games but possesses offensive upside that some of the other depth options do not.

Los Angeles Kings Make Several Roster Moves

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The Los Angeles Kings have completed several transactions, including recalls of Alex Turcotte and Vladimir Tkachev. Austin Strand and Kale Clague have both been loaned back to the Ontario Reign, while Drew Doughty has been moved to long-term injured reserve.

Before Kings fans get excited about a potential NHL debut for Turcotte, the fifth-overall pick from 2019, these moves could simply be in order to maximize the relief pool that Doughty’s injury provides. Sending both Clague and Strand to the minor leagues leaves the team with just five defensemen on the roster (compared to 15 forwards) and will likely mean another move comes before tomorrow night’s game.

Still, there could be a good reason to give Turcotte that debut pretty soon. The 20-year-old forward has five points in his first eight games for the Reign this season after racking up 21 in 32 last year. That was in addition to starring for the U.S. at the most recent World Junior Championship, where he helped secure a gold medal with eight points in seven games.

Tkachev meanwhile has already played in four games this season for the Kings, registering two assists. The KHL veteran was signed to a one-year entry-level contract in May, one which does include a European Assignment Clause, which could be activated at some point if the 26-year-old stays in the minor leagues. A star overseas, it doesn’t make much sense for Tkachev to be playing for $80K in the AHL. For at least one day, he’ll earn his NHL salary with the Kings instead.

The two forwards each carry slightly higher cap hits at the NHL level than Clague and Strand, meaning they get the Kings a little closer to the cap ceiling. That’s the goal when you’re putting someone on LTIR during the season, as it gives you the largest relief pool to operate in. Given how little flexibility they had before, this will allow them to try out some of their young prospects whenever necessary.

AHL Shuffle: 11/04/21

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With the Jack Eichel news finally over, the Buffalo Sabres can move on with their surprisingly good start to the season. They’re one of the 18 teams in action tonight, in Seattle to battle the Kraken. With so many teams in play, there are sure to be quite a few recalls and reassignments. As always, we’ll keep track of them right here.

Atlantic Division

  • Peyton Krebs, one of the key pieces of the Eichel trade, will be assigned to the AHL when he joins the Sabres organization. Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams explained that there is “no rush” to get Krebs to the NHL level and are focused on his long-term development. The young forward had played nine games with the Golden Knights this season.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Kristians Rubins from the Toronto Marlies, giving them some added depth as Travis Dermott deals with an injury. Dermott will be a game-time decision tonight after blocking a shot earlier this week. Rubins, 23, has yet to play in the NHL but was one of the three players announced by Latvia for the upcoming Olympics.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Washington Capitals have sent Aliaksei Protas back to the minor leagues, with Nic Dowd activated off injured reserve. Protas, the 6’6″ power forward that the team drafted in 2019, made his NHL debut in Dowd’s absence.

Central Division

  • After some impressive performances, Connor Ingram has been loaned back to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The 24-year-old netminder actually allowed four goals to the Edmonton Oilers in last night’s loss, but it could have been much worse had it not been for some acrobatic saves. His assignment likely means that the Nashville Predators will activate David Rittich in the coming days.
  • With Alex Goligoski set to return, the Minnesota Wild have sent Calen Addison back to the minor leagues. The young defenseman has played two games for the Wild this season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process.

Pacific Division

  • The Calgary Flames have recalled Walker Duehr from the AHL, giving the young forward his first NHL opportunity. Duehr, a college free agent signing, has three points in five games for the Stockton Heat this season.
  • Per AZCentral’s Jose M. Romero, the Coyotes recalled forward Ben McCartney from the Tucson Roadrunners today and sent goalie Ivan Prosvetov back down. The Coyotes claimed Scott Wedgewood on waivers today, making Prosvetov expendable for the time being. McCartney could make his NHL debut after scoring four goals in four games so far with Tucson this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

AHL Shuffle: 11/03/21

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Four games grace the schedule tonight on a quiet Wednesday evening, though that includes the league’s last undefeated club. The Carolina Hurricanes will defend their perfect 8-0 record against the Chicago Blackhawks, who secured their first win on Monday. As those teams and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Atlantic Division

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Chase Priskie once again, and this time he’s coming up alongside Maxim Mamin. The 25-year-old Priskie has been called up several times already this season, but has yet to enter an NHL game. Mamin meanwhile has been a strong performer at the AHL level, scoring five points in seven games. That was expected after his return from the KHL, where he spent the last three seasons playing a regular role for CSKA Moscow.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have activated defenseman Mattias Samuelsson off season-opening injured reserve and have assigned him to Rochester. The 21-year-old played the final dozen games with Buffalo last season and will now look to get back in playing shape with the Americans and try to push for a recall.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Kiefer Sherwood from the minor leagues, as they deal with injuries to their NHL squad. Sherwood, 26, played in 16 games for the Avalanche last season, recording three points. He’s off to his best start in the AHL though, with seven goals and ten points in eight contests.
  • Mikhail Berdin has been sent back to the AHL by the Winnipeg Jets, suggesting that Connor Hellebuyck will be back with the team before their next game. Hellebuyck was away from the club for the birth of his child, meaning Berdin needed to back up Eric Comrie last night. The team has recalled Kristian Vesalainen to fill the roster spot.

Pacific Division

  • The San Jose Sharks canceled practice today as they continue to deal with a COVID outbreak, but they did make a transaction. Joel Kellman has been returned to the San Jose Barracuda, who play tonight.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have returned Sam Carrick and Vinni Lettieri to AHL San Diego, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Both players scored against Montreal on Sunday while Lettieri also has a pair of goals in three games with the Gulls this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Minor Transactions: 11/02/21

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With a busy night upcoming on the NHL calendar, it’s a busy night across the rest of the hockey world as well. There’s a fair amount of movement across lower levels of North American hockey today. We’ll keep track of that right here.

  • Former top goalie prospect Jon Gillies is once again getting a shot at the AHL level, as the ECHL’s Maine Mariners loaned him to the Providence Bruins today. Gillies hasn’t played an NHL game since 2017-18 with the Calgary Flames, since spending time in the St. Louis Blues and now the Bruins organization. In one start with the Mariners this year, Gillies posted a .920 save percentage in a losing effort.
  • The AHL’s Rochester Americans reassigned defenseman Peter Tischke to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, per the team’s Twitter account. The 25-year-old undrafted Tischke was a former captain at the University of Wisconsin but has struggled to keep his footing in the AHL during a short professional career so far. He notched two points in 16 games with the Colorado Eagles last year, staying at the AHL level all season. But after just one game in Rochester, he’s heading back to the ECHL where he posted 15 points in 51 games with the Utah Grizzlies in 2019-20.

This page will be updated throughout the day

AHL Shuffle: 11/02/21

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A busy Tuesday night offers nine games from the NHL, including the Arizona Coyotes heading to Philadelphia to try and get their first win of the year. After Chicago’s victory last night, the Coyotes are the final winless team in the league, currently sitting at 0-8-1. As teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Atlantic Division

  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Alex Belzile from the AHL after Cedric Paquette was handed a two-game suspension yesterday. Belzile, 30, played in two games for the team last season, registering a single point.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Jack Studnicka from the AHL as they continue to prepare for their next match on Thursday evening. Studnicka, 22, has played in three games with Boston and three games with Providence this season.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Three Stars, Corrado, McIntyre

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Earlier today, the NHL released the Three Stars for last week, headlined by Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The veteran netminder posted an incredible .989 save percentage in three appearances, allowing just one goal on 94 shots. That included a 45-save shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and gave him the league lead in clean sheets and a .957 save percentage overall.

The second and third stars went to Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators and Alex Killorn of the Tampa Bay Lightning respectively, who each posted six points on the week. Batherson’s came in just two contests and included a four-point effort against the Washington Capitals which marked his first career hat trick. The 23-year-old forward is a huge part of what’s building in Ottawa and now has 61 points in 106 career games.

  • Minor league journeyman Frank Corrado is looking for a new place to play after his KHL contract with Dinamo Riga was terminated. Corrado is in only his second season overseas after suiting up for the Chicago Wolves, Utica Comets, Toronto Marlies, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Belleville Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins in previous years. Still just 28, he likely could still land a job in the AHL if he is deciding to come back to North America.
  • Zane McIntyre, who posted a .917 save percentage in the AHL last season and actually has eight NHL games under his belt, signed a professional tryout with the Tucson Roadrunners. The Roadrunners lost Ivan Prosvetov to the Arizona Coyotes last week, recalled because of the injury to Carter Hutton. McIntyre has plenty of minor league experience, including an All-Star selection last season.

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