NHL Prospects Moved At The 2021 KHL Trade Deadline
The NHL’s trade deadline is still nearly three months away but in the KHL, the deadline for player movement was today. There were several deals completed including a few involving players whose rights are held by NHL teams. Here’s a rundown of those moves.
- Senators RFA winger Vitali Abramov was moved from Traktor Chelyabinsk to CSKA Moscow. The 23-year-old has five career NHL games under his belt but opted to head back home in the summer. He has 17 points in 41 KHL contests this season and his contract overseas runs through the 2022-23 season. Ottawa retains his RFA rights through the 2024-25 season.
- Blackhawks goaltender Ivan Nalimov is on the move from Admiral Vladivostok to Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The 27-year-old came to North America for the first time last season, getting in five games with AHL Rockford down the stretch on an AHL deal before returning to Russia this season. The 2014 sixth-rounder has a 3.50 GAA along with a .891 SV% in 10 games this season and Chicago holds his rights indefinitely since he never signed an NHL contract and there is no transfer agreement in place between Russia and the NHL.
- Golden Knights center prospect Ivan Morozov was dealt to HC Sochi from SKA St. Petersburg. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick (61st overall) back in 2018 but after spending all of last season in the KHL, he split this season between that league and their lower-tier VHL. The swap should allow him to play a larger role with Sochi. Vegas also holds Morozov’s rights indefinitely.
Other names of some note that were on the move were former Stars defenseman Julius Honka who went from Dinamo Minsk to Ak Bars Kazan, former Maple Leafs and Canadiens blueliner Rinat Valiev who went the other way in the Honka trade. Former Bruins prospect Pavel Shen was moved from HK Sochi to Admiral Vladivostok; his NHL deal was terminated back in May while former Jets winger J.C. Lipon was dealt from Sochi to Sibir Novosibirsk.
Jason Garrison Signs AHL PTO
The Syracuse Crunch have signed veteran defenseman Jason Garrison to a professional tryout contract, giving him a chance to play professional hockey for the first time in almost two years. Garrison last played for Djurgardens IF during the 2019-20 season.
More recently, Garrison had been helping the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a volunteer assistant coach while he finished his degree. He last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season with the Edmonton Oilers, but after a trade took him to the Chicago Blackhawks where there was no room, he ended up terminating his contract to pursue an opportunity overseas rather than report to the AHL.
A veteran of more than 500 NHL games, Garrison is now 37 and likely not headed for full-time duty in the AHL. Theoretically, he could be in contention for the Canadian Olympic team though, should he prove to still be able to hold his own at the pro level. Players under AHL-only contracts will likely be eligible for the event, and Garrison’s PTO certainly wouldn’t preclude his participation. That does seem like a long shot at this point given his absence from high-level hockey, but he’s at least someone to keep an eye on. In 2014, Garrison represented Canada at the World Championship.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 12/27/21
The taxi squad is back! As of yesterday and through the All-Star break, teams are once allowed to carry a few extra players with them as they try to navigate a tricky schedule. There are several restrictions in place to stop teams from using it as a cap haven, but there will still likely be daily transactions to and from the extra designation. As those come in, we’ll keep track of them right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Andrej Sustr and Darren Raddysh to the taxi squad, where they will be available at a moment’s notice. Sustr especially has nothing to prove in the minor leagues, given he has more than 330 NHL games under his belt to this point. Later in the day, they recalled goaltenders Maxime Lagace and Hugo Alnefelt as well as defenseman Sean Day from AHL Syracuse to fill in for their players in COVID protocol including their goalie tandem.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Joseph Woll, Filip Kral, Carl Dahlstrom, Kyle Clifford, and Alex Biega to their taxi squad, filling it up with some experience as they try to get their own COVID situation under control. Toronto has basically the entire organization–NHL and AHL–in the protocol at the moment, though a few names are expected to exit it today.
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Riley Barber, Dan Renouf, Luke Witkowski, and Victor Brattstrom to the taxi squad. The team received good news today when several players and coaches exited the COVID protocol, meaning these taxi squad types may not be needed right away.
Metropolitan Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Joshua Dunne and Tyler Sikura to the taxi squad. The pair of minor league forwards have combined for 19 points at the AHL level this season but add some size and experience to the traveling party. The Blue Jackets don’t play until Thursday after seeing another game postponed.
- The New Jersey Devils have assigned Marian Studenic to the taxi squad, where he can help fill in during the current COVID situation. Studenic has played in nine games this season for New Jersey but is still looking for his first point.
Central Division
- Ville Heinola has been recalled to the taxi squad for the Winnipeg Jets, showing again how he is stuck just between being too good for the AHL and not good enough for the NHL. The 20-year-old defenseman has 14 points in 20 games for the Manitoba Moose but has yet to get into an NHL game this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Hunter Miska to the taxi squad, giving them another goaltender to use at a moment’s notice. The 26-year-old Miska has split this season between the ECHL and AHL, suiting up just a handful of times. Cal Burke, who only recently signed an NHL contract, has also been added to the taxi squad, along with Mikhail Maltsev and Trent Miner.
- The Arizona Coyotes have added Michael Carcone, Cam Crotty, Bokondji Imama, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Josef Korenar, and Blake Speers to their taxi squad. Jan Jenik has also been recalled but he’ll join the active roster.
Pacific Division
- The Anaheim Ducks have announced their initial taxi squad, assigning Lukas Dostal, Jacob Larsson, Vinni Lettieri, Greg Pateryn, and Buddy Robinson to it for the time being. The four skaters all have experience at the NHL level, while Dostal is the most realistic depth goaltending option in the organization.
- Jacob Moverare and Martin Frk are the taxi squad for the Los Angeles Kings, at least to start. The 23-year-old Moverare has been recalled before, but is still waiting for his first taste of NHL game action. Frk, a veteran who has spent most of his career in the minor leagues, is off to another outstanding start in the AHL, scoring 13 goals and 26 points in 21 games with Ontario.
This page will be updated throughout the day
AHL Shuffle: 12/26/21
While there aren’t any games on the schedule for the next two days (and perhaps longer), players are reporting back to their teams for practices today so there should be an uptick in roster movement. We’ll keep track of those here.
Atlantic Division
- The Bruins have recalled defenseman John Moore per the AHL’s transactions log which also notes that he is going to their taxi squad meaning Boston will opt to use one over the next six weeks. The veteran has six points in 10 games with AHL Providence this season while playing in four games with Boston.
Metropolitan Division
- The Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Daniil Tarasov, relays Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers (Twitter link). His promotion was expected with Joonas Korpisalo in COVID protocol. Tarasov made his NHL debut earlier this month, getting into three games with Columbus, posting a 2.22 GAA with a .936 SV%.
Central Division
- The Jets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled wingers C.J. Suess and Kristian Reichel from AHL Manitoba. Both players have suited up just once with Winnipeg this season. They’re up on an emergency basis with Andrew Copp and Kristian Vesalainen in COVID protocol.
Pacific Division
- Jayden Halbgewachs and Jeffrey Viel are up with the San Jose Sharks, as the team recalled them from the San Jose Barracuda today. Halbgewachs made his NHL debut prior to the holiday break, while Viel made his last season. Viel’s yet to play in the NHL this season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Jarred Tinordi Recalled From Conditioning Stint
While most of the league is settling in for the short Christmas break, the New York Rangers have done a little bit of transactional housecleaning. Jarred Tinordi has been recalled from his conditioning stint, a move that had to happen before the end of the day. Tinordi was loaned to the AHL earlier this month and would have finished his two-week maximum after the full roster freeze takes effect at the end of today.
So while this means the 29-year-old defenseman is back on the active roster for the time being, it certainly doesn’t mean he’ll be there for long. To be assigned to the minor leagues he would need to clear waivers, again something that would need to happen after the freeze lifts on December 28.
Tinordi ended up playing in five games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, including a game last night against the Bridgeport Islanders. He actually recorded the primary assist on Jonny Brozinski’s tally in the third period, his only point at any level this season. The 6’6″ defender is known more for his fists than his skill with the puck, but didn’t record a single penalty minute during his conditioning stint.
When Patrik Nemeth is able to return from the COVID protocol, there seems to be a good chance Tinordi could find himself on the outside looking in. Even before that, if the team decides to turn to a younger player like Zac Jones, who has racked up 17 points in 21 games for the Wolf Pack this season.
Snapshots: Canadiens, Kane, Sustr
In their final game before being shut down, the Montreal Canadiens welcomed the Philadelphia Flyers to town. Things were going normally until the provincial government instructed that the game be played without fans. That caused “a lot of grumbling” according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who writes that there is real worry about the reduced capacity in Canadian markets affecting the league’s revenue projections.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that if the Canadiens are still not allowed to have fans at their home games in January, some of them could be rescheduled to later in the season. Montreal is set to return after the holiday break on a three-game road trip, before the Washington Capitals come to town on January 4.
- COVID-19 outbreaks are obviously not limited to the NHL, as many AHL teams have also seen players move in and out of the protocol throughout the year. One notable name today was Evander Kane, who entered the protocol along with Nick Cicek and Jasper Weatherby of the San Jose Barracuda. Kane, if you’d forgotten, has been playing in the AHL since his suspension ended last month and has eight points in five games with the Barracuda–the first five minor league games of his entire career. Now 30, Kane remains a potential trade candidate but he’ll have to isolate for the time being as he goes through the protocol.
- There won’t be many minor league transactions today as the league goes dark, but the Tampa Bay Lightning did sneak in one more before things closed. Andrej Sustr has been reassigned to the AHL for the break, saving the Lightning a few dollars. The 31-year-old has been used in spot duty throughout the year, playing eight games for Tampa Bay and 12 for the Syracuse Crunch.
AHL Cancels 2022 All-Star Game
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Quebec and across the continent, the AHL has announced that they will not hold the scheduled All-Star festivities in Laval this year. The events were set to take place over February 6-7 and though they have technically been listed as “postponed” that is only in regard to returning to Laval at some point in future years.
AHL president Scott Howson released a statement:
The Laval Rocket and Place Bell have done an outstanding job preparing to host our All-Star Classic festivities this year,” said Howson. “But with the event only six weeks away and faced with ongoing challenges pertaining to health and safety, international travel, and group gatherings, the League and the Rocket organization feel it is in everybody’s best interests to postpone the event. We remain committed to bringing the All-Star Classic to Laval in the future.
This will be the second year in a row that the AHL will not hold an All-Star Game after last year’s event was also canceled during the shortened season. The NHL, on the other hand, is very much committed to hosting its event in Las Vegas at the beginning of February. In fact, with the Olympics now out of the way, the All-Star festivities may be an easier logistics project for the league.
For those players that would have been headed to the AHL celebration, there actually may be a better event to attend this year. Since the NHL isn’t going to the Olympics, AHL players might end up being selected for their respective countries. Likely only those on AHL contracts will be able to attend, as they did in 2018, but for many, that would still be a dream come true (despite the obvious challenges of these Games).
AHL Shuffle: 12/21/21
It’s the last day of the pre-Christmas schedule, as the rest of this week’s games have now been postponed. The Washington Capitals will visit the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are off to see the Vegas Golden Knights. Those teams aren’t the only ones who will do a little roster shuffling today though, as teams had previously prepared for action tomorrow and Thursday. As always, we’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Andrej Sustr from the AHL, giving them another defenseman for tonight’s match. Sustr has actually played eight games already for the Lightning this season, following his two-year stint in the KHL. The 31-year-old defenseman has one goal on the year.
Metropolitan Division
- After sending him down just yesterday, the Washington Capitals have recalled Brett Leason once again. The young forward has been bouncing up and down rather frequently of late but has spent most of the year in the NHL. In 21 games with the Capitals, he has six points. (Update: After the Capitals’ game today was postponed, the team sent Leason and Joe Snively back to the minor leagues.)
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Gerry Mayhew from the minor leagues for tonight’s game, suggesting he’ll be in for Kevin Hayes, who was recently put on the COVID list. Mayhew, a prolific minor league scorer, has just 17 NHL games under his belt.
Central Division
- The Minnesota Wild, following their game last night against Dallas, have returned Kevin Czuczman and Mason Shaw to the AHL. The Wild will play again on Monday when they travel to Winnipeg.
- With the Stars not playing again until after Christmas, the team has sent Riley Tufte and Thomas Harley back to the minor leagues. Likely just a paper transaction, the two could be back up in a few days after Dallas saves a few dollars.
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent Blake Speers and Jan Jenik back to AHL Tucson. Speers played last Friday in his first NHL action since October 22, 2016 while Jenik last saw NHL action last month, being held off the scoresheet in two games. As is the case with pretty much everyone else on this list, the move was made to save Arizona some money with them being out of action until Monday.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have reversed a few of their recent moves, sending Alex Turcotte and Samuel Fegemo back to the minor leagues while recalling Sean Durzi and Christian Wolanin. Those players had been involved in opposite moves just yesterday to maximize cap relief from putting Alexander Edler and Sean Walker on long-term injured reserve. Quinton Byfield, who was also called up, has been placed in the COVID protocol, meaning he won’t be going back down just yet.
- The Vancouver Canucks have returned Madison Bowey and Noah Juulsen to Abbotsford of the AHL. Both defensemen were brought up with Vancouver having several blueliners in COVID protocol but with them being off until December 27th, they’ll save a few dollars and delay the waiver clock for each veteran for a few days.
This page will be updated throughout the day
AHL Shuffle: 12/20/21
The NHL holiday roster freeze went into effect last night, meaning only players recalled since December 11 can be assigned to the minor leagues over the next few days. Things will come to a complete freeze on Friday, but for now, there will still be some movement between the NHL and AHL. As always, we’ll keep track of all that minor league shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have returned Alex Biega, Kyle Clifford, and Carl Dahlstrom back to the minor leagues, after their games were postponed for this week. The team is going through a COVID situation of their own and put two more members of the support staff in the protocol today.
- The Detroit Red Wings have sent Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo, Taro Hirose, and Calvin Pickard back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings won’t play again until after the holiday break.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Felix Sandstrom back to the AHL, suggesting that Carter Hart will be back with the team after missing a game due to illness. Sandstrom, 24, has an .896 save percentage in 15 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season and has yet to make his NHL debut.
- Brett Leason and Beck Malenstyn have been returned to the AHL by the Washington Capitals, potentially suggesting that Tom Wilson is ready to return to the lineup tomorrow. The Capitals are one of the few teams still playing and have two games scheduled before the holiday break.
Central Division
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Klim Kostin from his conditioning assignment, sending Matthew Peca and Alexei Toropchenko back to the minor leagues. The Blues won’t play again until next week, meaning they have some time to reassess the roster and see how everything will fit into their tight salary cap picture when the season resumes.
Pacific Division
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Jasper Weatherby and Jayden Halbgewachs back to the AHL, saving some money as they don’t play again for a week. Weatherby, a first-year pro out of the University of North Dakota, has six points in 29 games with the Sharks this season. Halbgewachs meanwhile made his NHL debut this season as well, but has played in just that one contest to this point.
- The Los Angeles Kings made several roster moves last night, sending Christian Wolanin, Sean Durzi, and Jacob Moverare to the minor leagues while calling up Quinton Byfield, Samuel Fagemo, and Alex Turcotte. Turcotte, 20, has yet to make his NHL debut after being the fifth-overall pick in 2019. Through 18 games this season for the Ontario Reign, he has 10 points.
- The Edmonton Oilers have sent Cooper Marody and Seth Griffith, two recent recalls, back to the minor leagues. The Oilers don’t play again until after the holiday break, but announced more COVID cases today as Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson are now unavailable.
This page will be updated throughout the day
AHL Shuffle: 12/19/21
The recent string of postponements in the NHL due to COVID-19 has slowed transactions across the league, but with most of those teams still playing also dealing with COVID absences, along with normal recalls and reassignments, there is still plenty going on. Keep up with the shuffle right here:
Atlantic Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned defenseman Dan Renouf to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. The 27-year-old has split his season between the two clubs, and while he has been held scoreless in four games with Detroit, Renouf is actually averaging a career high in time on ice per game. The experienced defender, who plays a reliable defensive game, will continue to be a recall option for the Wings this year.
- A trio of forwards have been promoted to the Montreal Canadiens, the club announced. Alex Belzile, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, and Lukas Vejdemo will serve as reinforcements for a forward corps that is inundated with injuries. Belzile has played in eight games this season, though held scoreless, while Vejdemo played in seven games last year. This would be the NHL debut for Harvey-Pinard should he draw into the lineup on this recall.
Metropolitan Division
- The Washington Capitals are bringing in a homegrown product for the first time. The team announced that forward Joe Snively has been recalled from the AHL’s Hersey Bears. A Herndon, VA native and former member of the Washington Little Caps program, Snively was a standout at Yale and has improved offensively in each of his three pro seasons, highlighted by a red hot start to the current AHL campaign with 22 points in 21 games. If Snively can find a permanent role on the Capitals roster, he could be a fan favorite in the making.
- Jake Christiansen‘s first stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets is over, and without having made his NHL debut. The team has announced that the young defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Despite a strong start to the season with 18 points in 21 games, Christiansen served only as an (unused) depth option during his recall rather than actually playing. With continued results, it would be hard to imagine that Christiansen doesn’t get a second chance soon.
- He’s getting his chance, brought back up later in the day on an emergency recall from Cleveland.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have returned a trio of forwards to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Veterans Josh Leivo, Andrew Poturalski, and C.J. Smith will head back to the minors, but each has NHL experience, including at least one game with the ‘Canes this season, and will continue to be top recall options for Carolina. Later in the day, the team also reassigned Jack Drury to Chicago after scoring his first NHL goal during his call-up.
- With Jesper Bratt out of the lineup due to an undisclosed illness, the New Jersey Devils recalled forward Chase De Leo from the Utica Comets today. De Leo has no points in two games with the big club this season but has been spectacular with three goals and 13 assists in 16 games with Utica. It’s his first season in the Devils organization.
Central Division
- With their next game postponed, the Chicago Blackhawks don’t play again until Thursday. As a result, a pair of young players will head back to the AHL to get in some game action. NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Josiah Slavin and Ian Mitchell have been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs. Mitchell has played in six NHL games this season, while Slavin has suited up for nine.
- Forwards Jan Jenik and Blake Speers are on their way up to the NHL level, recalled by the Arizona Coyotes. The pair have seen a combined three NHL games this season but with zero points in extremely limited roles. Jenik is having a solid but unspectacular season in the AHL, while Speers has struggled with the Tuscon Roadrunners as well. Yet, both will get a second chance with the ‘Yotes.
- After placing captain Blake Wheeler on long-term injured reserve this morning, the Winnipeg Jets recalled forwards Kristian Reichel and C.J. Suess from the Manitoba Moose. If Reichel gets into a game during his call-up, it will be his NHL debut. The undrafted Reichel is in his fourth season with the Jets organization, and he has five goals and seven assists in 25 games with Manitoba this year. Suess, a fifth-round pick back in 2014, has four goals and eight assists in 23 games with the Moose.
Pacific Division
- The Los Angeles Kings are making a swap in net. With Calvin Petersen currently in the NHL COVID Protocol, the Kings had been using Jacob Ingham as the backup to Jonathan Quick. However, L.A. has made a change before Ingham could even see any action. The team announced that the 21-year-old has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, with veteran Garret Sparks being recalled in his place.
This post will be updated throughout the day.