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Cole Perfetti Assigned To AHL

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Usually, when a 19-year-old CHL prospect is knocked out of the NHL lineup, his team is forced to send back to junior for the whole year or just hold him as an extra. Both are sometimes detrimental for his development, so for years, teams have wished for an AHL exemption when it comes to elite prospects. This year, that exemption exists for a handful of players who spent at least 20 games at the AHL level last season.

Today, the Winnipeg Jets and Cole Perfetti will take advantage of it, as the young forward has been assigned to the Manitoba Moose. Perfetti played in 32 games with Manitoba last season when the OHL campaign was canceled and actually did quite well. Despite being younger than almost every one of his opponents, the 2020 first-round pick racked up 26 points in 32 games for the Moose. Now he’ll get the chance to build on that performance and continue his professional career, instead of returning to the OHL where he had already proved his dominance.

Perfetti made the Jets out of camp but was a healthy scratch on Tuesday night as the Jets decided to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Minnesota Wild. One thing to remember when it comes to this decision is that while Perfetti has an exemption and can play in the AHL, his contract status is no different than any other 19-year-old prospect. That is, if he plays in eight more games this season he would burn the first year of his entry-level deal. If not–even if he’s playing in the AHL–that deal will slide forward a year and not expire until 2025.

Another added bonus of sending him to the AHL instead of the OHL? Perfetti can be recalled at any point should he show enough to earn a full-time NHL spot, or if the team has injuries that need to be covered. With the team potentially bracing for more positive COVID-19 results, he could even be up within a few days. The Moose are on the road in Laval tonight, but will return home to Manitoba for a four-game homestand that starts on Friday night. If Perfetti’s to continue developing into the player the Jets projected at 10th overall, he needs to play.

AHL Shuffle: 10/20/21

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It’s a quiet day on the NHL schedule with only two games scheduled, so the AHL transaction wire is equally silent. Still, there have been a couple of moves and as always we’ll keep track of any further ones right here.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL, giving them another defensive option after Zach Werenski took a “maintenance day” and wasn’t at practice. Carlsson, 24, played in 14 games for the Blue Jackets last season and recorded four points.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • After clearing waivers, Nic Petan has been officially assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks. The 26-year-old will once again be forced to ply his trade in the minor leagues, where he has been a point-per-game player for some time.

Anaheim Ducks Place Mason McTavish, Max Jones On Injured Reserve

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Per CapFriendly.com (Twitter links), the Anaheim Ducks placed forwards Mason McTavish and Max Jones on the injured reserve list Tuesday night ahead of their contest against the Edmonton Oilers.

In their place, the team has recalled forward Sonny Milano and forward Sam Carrick from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. They’ll likely serve as healthy scratches tonight, allowing Sam Steel to draw into the lineup for the first time this season and for Derek Grant to return to the lineup.

It’s a rough break especially for the 18-year-old McTavish, who was drafted third overall this past year and has a goal and an assist through his first three games. He’ll miss at least the next ten days’ worth of action.

Milano and Carrick could make their season debuts during their callups. Milano missed a good portion of last season due to injury but still carries scoring upside. Carrick had the most productive year of his career at the NHL level last season, notching six points in 13 games during his time with the big club.

Minor Transactions: 10/19/21

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While a long list of NHL games caps off this Tuesday night, there was a lot of movement at lower levels of the North American hockey depth chart today. As NHL teams deal with a trend of injuries across the league, it carries a ripple effect across both the AHL and ECHL, forcing roster moves. Here are today’s minor transactions:

  • The AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, affiliate of New York, have recalled forward Erik Brown from the ECHL’s Worcester Railers, per the Connecticut Post’s Michael Fornabaio. Brown has been a fringe AHL player since ending his collegiate career with the Rochester Institute of Technology, but the 26-year-old logged his first AHL point, an assist, in 13 games last year with Bridgeport. It was his first full professional season after missing the entirety of 2019-20.
  • The Chicago Wolves assigned goalie Beck Warm to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals today. Warm, who’s on a two-way NHL deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, will make his ECHL debut if he stays but already has one full professional season under his belt. An undrafted free agent, Warm impressed in 14 AHL games with Chicago last year, posting an 8-4-1 record and .914 save percentage. He’s been forced down the depth chart with the addition of NHL-experienced Alex Lyon into the organization as the team’s third goalie, however, and he could take a starting role in Norfolk.
  • The St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, assigned forward Shawn Cameron to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits, per the ECHL’s transaction page for October 19. Cameron split last season between Greenville and the AHL’s Utica Comets, where he scored three points (including his first AHL goal) in 11 games. He fared much better in Greenville, notching 10 points in 23 games.

Leo Komarov Assigned To AHL

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It’s been quite some time since Leo Komarov suited up for an AHL match, but that’s exactly what may have to happen if he wants to continue to play professional hockey. The New York Islanders have assigned Komarov to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers after he cleared waivers earlier today, activating Matt Martin from injured reserve to take his place on the roster.

Komarov, 34, hasn’t played an AHL game since the 2012-13 season, his first year in North America after finally signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs out of the KHL. The 2006 draft choice spent years overseas before ever joining the Maple Leafs and actually returned for the 2013-14 season, but has been in the NHL ever since. In fact, it wasn’t so long ago that Komarov was lining up beside Mathew Barzal on the Islanders’ top unit–even though that became a point of amusement among many hockey fans as he clearly didn’t earn that spot on his offensive merit.

Waivers wasn’t an entirely new experience for Komarov, as he cleared three times last season. But he was never sent to the minor leagues because of the existence of the taxi squad, something that isn’t around this season. It will be interesting to see if he will actually report to Bridgeport and play in the minors, or something else will come of the veteran forward’s future. At the very least, the Islanders will receive $1.125MM in cap space by assigning him there, the maximum allowed to be buried. Komarov normally carries a $3.0MM cap hit on the final season of his four-year, $12MM deal.

It’s been years since he was effective at the opponent’s end of the rink, with just one goal and eight points in 33 games last season, but Komarov was actually once selected to an NHL All-Star Game because of his offensive contributions. In 2015-16 he recorded 19 goals in 67 games, a number that came very close to leading the rebuilding Maple Leafs. In his career, he has just 63 total tallies in 491 regular season games.

AHL Shuffle: 10/19/21

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No taxi squads, no problem for teams this season as they continue to shuffle players up and down between the NHL and AHL rosters for cap purposes. Some of the more notable ones–like when a sixth-overall pick is sent down to continue his development–will be examined separately, but all the rest will be detailed here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Florida Panthers have sent Matt Kiersted back to the AHL, assigning him to the Charlotte Checkers. The 23-year-old college free agent signing had an assist on Saturday night, his first NHL point. Kevin Connauton will re-enter the lineup tonight after being activated from injured reserve yesterday.
  • After clearing waivers, Alex Belzile has been loaned to the minor leagues by the Montreal Canadiens. The team has Mike Hoffman making his season debut and will also insert Adam Brooks into the lineup tonight against the San Jose Sharks.

Metropolitan Division

  • Egor Zamula has been activated from the injured/non-roster list and loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman must be able to return to action in the coming days and will get his season started at the minor league level. The Flyers have also added Zack MacEwen, who was claimed off waivers last week, to the active roster. To make room for MacEwen, Max Willman has been loaned to the AHL.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Peyton Krebs and Jake Leschyshyn from the AHL, bringing them both back up once again. The pair were both loaned down just a few days ago and seem likely to see many transactions throughout the year.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have loaned Ryan McLeod to the Bakersfield Condors, after activating Devin Shore from injured reserve. McLeod has been almost invisible in the two games he has played for the Oilers this season, given just 6:21 and then 5:23 of ice time.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Nick Robertson Out 10 Weeks With Broken Leg

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If you were a Toronto Maple Leafs fan counting the days until top prospect Nicholas Robertson gets recalled, you might need to find a new hobby. The young forward suffered a broken right fibula in Sunday’s AHL contest and will be out a minimum of ten weeks. Robertson will not undergo surgery.

The uninspiring play of Nick Ritchie on the Maple Leafs’ top line through the first few games of the season has many wondering if Robertson would get a chance to play in Toronto’s top-six this season, but that idea will have to wait for quite some time. The young forward has been plagued by injury issues through the early part of his professional career, missing a good chunk of last season with a serious knee issue.

Now 20, the 2019 second-round pick has ten NHL and 23 AHL games under his belt since dominating the OHL a few seasons ago. After being drafted, he put up 55 goals in just 46 games for the Peterborough Petes, making scouts drool with his mix of finishing ability and relentless tenacity. Unfortunately, unlike his brother Jason Robertson, the Maple Leafs prospect stands just 5’9″ and to this point hasn’t been able to withstand the punishment of a full professional season.

Kevin Connauton, Joseph Woll Activated From Injured Reserve

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A pair of preseason injuries are no longer limiting two players that are looking to push for more NHL opportunity this season. PuckPedia reports that the Florida Panthers have activated veteran defenseman Kevin Connauton from the Season-Opening Injured Reserve and CapFriendly reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have done the same with young goaltender Joseph Woll.

Connauton, 33, is just two years removed from being a starter for the Arizona Coyotes and the year before that set a career high with 21 points and 73 games. Yet, the past two years he has been used sparingly, to say the least. Connauton played in only four games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2019-20 and last season suited up for just seven games with the Panthers. Despite his limited NHL time of late, Florida still re-signed the experienced blue liner this summer and at least seem willing to give him a shot at a permanent job by not only activating him to the NHL roster, but making room by demoting priority NCAA free agent addition Matt Kiersted. The Cats are still only carrying seven defensemen with Markus Nutivaara currently on injured reserve, but Connauton may still have to prove he is worthy of a roster spot before Nutivaara returns. With solid depth on the blue line, recently supplemented by the acquisition of Olli Juolevi, Florida needs a reason to keep Connauton on the NHL roster and his seven games last season may not be enough. Getting healthy and back in action as quickly as he did certainly helps his case though.

Woll, 23, may ironically have a better shot at NHL opportunity this season despite having no experience in the league. The 2016 third-round pick, who was a standout at Boston College, has been with the AHL Marlies for the past two seasons and while his numbers aren’t eye-popping, his play continues to draw praise. The Toronto net is far from set and just while Woll was recovering from injury himself, the Leafs lost off-season addition Petr Mrazek to injury. Mrazek signed a three-year deal this summer, but has a history of injury issues. Current starter Jack Campbell and backup Michael Hutchinson are on expiring contracts and will be on the wrong side of 30 as they look for their next deal. Between planning for the future and managing the present, the Maple Leafs have some incentive to give Woll a look – potentially a long look – this season. Now healthy, the young keeper can settle in down in the AHL and hopefully look forward to his NHL debut sooner rather than later.

Minnesota Wild Suspend Ivan Lodnia

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There have long been expectations for Ivan Lodnia to get to the pro ranks in North America and now, just when it seemed like he was finally there, it may already be over for the young forward. Lodnia, in the fifth year of his entry-level contract but just the first in which he had planned to play within the Minnesota Wild organization, has been suspended indefinitely. Lodnia opted not to report to the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders after failing to earn a roster spot with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that the team has in turn informed Lodnia’s agent that he is on unpaid suspension until he agrees to play in the ECHL – or until the two sides decide on a mutual contract termination.

Lodnia, 22, was once a well-regarded prospect for the Wild, but that status is now in doubt. A 2017 third-round pick, Lodnia had the rare development path of playing for both the U.S. National Team Development Program and in the Canadian major junior ranks with the OHL’s Erie Otters and Niagara Ice Dogs. Lodnia signed his entry-level deal in the same year that he was drafted and proceeded to play at a near point-per-game pace in the OHL that season and even earn some AHL action on an amateur tryout with Iowa. Following a move to Niagara, he succeeded in topping a point-per-game pace in his final two junior seasons. The young forward looked primed to get his start in the AHL last season, but due to the delay in the start of the season he instead was playing in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk and the Wild opted to leave him on loan with the club through the 2020-21 campaign. Lodnia managed only seven points in 27 games with Minsk, but it was it his first pro experience.

One can understand why Lodnia might be confused and frustrated with his current situation. A young forward with strong junior numbers, solid draft pedigree, and pro experience who the team once valued so much that they signed him almost immediately drafting him: why is he not getting a chance in the AHL? While Lodnia does not seem like the caliber of prospect that should be in the ECHL, ultimately it is his job to play where the Wild ask him to play. After a season spent overseas seeing minimal ice time, Minnesota may want him to play top line minutes in the ECHL rather than a depth role in the AHL. The team may also be concerned about him even getting into the Iowa lineup with a full set of a dozen forwards signed to NHL deals who are also currently assigned to the AHL. Not only that, but Iowa’s current forward corps boasts a number of top prospects as well as seasoned veterans. Lodnia may simply be the odd man out right now.

Whatever the reasons, Minnesota has the right to assign their prospects where they see fit and to suspend them if they do not report. Per Russo, Lodnia is currently at home and still debating whether he will report to Iowa City or not and will remain suspended until there is a shift in the status quo. If no resolution can be reached, Lodnia’s contract could be terminated, making him a free agent. It’s an interesting possibility given that, on paper, he still looks like a good prospect and may not be the typical clean waive-and-terminate if other NHL teams are interested. However, Lodnia’s insistence on playing where he wants and not where the team needs him could be a turn off to rival clubs. With KHL experience already on his resume, perhaps a termination could lead to a return to Europe like so many do, though it would be a disappointing result for a long path toward NHL relevance for Lodnia.

Cody Glass Assigned To AHL

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This summer, the Nashville Predators decided to move Ryan Ellis, a franchise icon who had played more than 560 games for the team and was so important to the team that in 2017, when asked who should be the next captain of the team, Roman Josi (who was eventually awarded the “C”) said his fellow defenseman instead of himself. Ellis was made an “associate captain” at the time, showing just how highly the organization and team thought of him. When it became obvious that their cap situation was going to be difficult to navigate moving forward, Ellis was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick. Immediately, Patrick was flipped to his old junior coach Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights, in exchange for Cody Glass.

Glass had failed to establish himself as a regular in the loaded Vegas forward group, with just 66 NHL games under his belt entering this season. He had scored nine goals and 22 points in that time, but had also only suited up for a handful of AHL games each season. The hope was that in Nashville, he could take a bigger role, which could help his NHL career take off.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened to this point and today the Predators assigned Glass to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. To explain the move, Predators head coach John Hynes said that the best thing for Glass right now would be to play first-line minutes at the minor league level:

So, we had a good talk with him yesterday, we feel like he’s going to be a real important guy for us, but right now what’s best for him is to be able to go play in Milwaukee, play top-line center minutes, play first powerplay minutes, get some touches and be able to produce and play a big role, work on his faceoffs and get himself up and running a little bit better.

Sending a young player to the minor leagues to continue his development with big minutes on the first line is nothing new, but it’s not usually done with a 22-year-old sixth-overall pick that has spent most of his professional career to this point in the NHL. Glass will turn 23 this season (next April) and is on the final year of his entry-level contract. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, though not eligible for arbitration.

There’s even more pressure on the Predators to prove that Glass was the right choice, because of what they gave up for him. While Ellis plays huge minutes in Philadelphia–28:20 with two assists in his first match–Predators’ fans will have to wait and hope this slow, developmental approach with their new forward will pay off.

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