Thatcher Demko Injured, Canucks Recall Arturs Silovs
As if the Vancouver Canucks hadn’t been hit with hard enough luck this season, a case of bad timing has now struck the team. According to multiple sources, including The Province’s Ben Kuzma, starting goaltender Thatcher Demko was injured at morning skate on Monday. The Canucks had been well-prepared all season for the absence of one of their NHL goalies, with top prospect Michael DiPietro waiting in the wings on the practice squad. However, with DiPietro having not played in a game all season, the team finally decided to assign him to the AHL’s Utica Coments – on Sunday, less than 24 hours before Demko’s injury. Now, with no timetable for Demko’s return and DiPietro over the border and at least seven days from being eligible to re-join the roster, the Canucks enter a stretch of four games in six nights (repeated in each of the next three weeks) with backup Braden Holtby and untested recall Arturs Silovs in net. Eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens for a playoff spot in the North Division, but with five games in hand, can the Canucks’ new tandem keep them in the race?
Fortunately, Holtby appears to shaken off a difficult start to his Vancouver career and has been terrific of late. In three starts since the Canucks returned from their COVID layoff, Holtby is 3-0-0 with seven goals allowed on 107 shots for a save percentage of .935. The veteran netminder knows how to handle pressure and the hope is that he can shoulder the load with Demko sidelined and help lead the Canucks to some much-needed points as they make up their missed games.
However, with four back-to-backs scheduled before the end of the season, including Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Silovs will likely have to play at some point before Demko can return or DiPietro can be recalled. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Silovs has played just one pro game in North America, suiting up for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for one game in February. The Latvian keeper has played pro back home, including on loan earlier this season, and spent last season in the OHL. At no point in his career has Silovs produced eye-popping numbers, but with good size and a variety of experience he is still considered a good prospect. Vancouver may need him to be more than that though and adjusting to the NHL could prove difficult for the 20-year-old.
With that said, Kuzma writes that the team is still unsure of the extent of Demko’s injury and there is still a chance that he may only be out day-to-day. If that isn’t the case, and Demko is out longer than a week, they could also decide that it is worth it to recall DiPietro from Utica. Either way, assistance should be on the way at some point. In the meantime though, every point is crucial and Holtby and Silovs will have a lot of pressure facing them during this busy stretch.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Cole Caufield
April 26: It took another ten days, but the Canadiens are finally giving Caufield a shot. The team has assigned Alexander Romanov to the taxi squad in order to give them the cap space needed to recall the young sniper, who will make his NHL debut tonight against the Calgary Flames. Because several other forwards are currently dealing with injuries, Caufield is technically an emergency recall according to CapFriendly, meaning they can bring Romanov back down the line.
April 16: It’s happening, Montreal Canadiens fans. The team has officially recalled Cole Caufield from the AHL and placed him on the taxi squad. Montreal plays tomorrow evening against the Calgary Flames, where the Hobey Baker Award winner could potentially make his NHL debut. The team also recalled Cayden Primeau to the active roster under emergency conditions.
Of note, the Laval Rocket recently had several upcoming games postponed, meaning Caufield could just be up with the taxi squad to get some practice time in. After his early performance in the AHL however–the 20-year-old forward scored three goals (including two game-winners) and four points in two appearances for Laval–Canadiens fans are hoping he’s in the NHL lineup before long.
There’s been no stopping Caufield so far in his hockey career. Despite never reaching the size and strength of some other top prospects, the 5’7″ forward continues to outproduce almost everyone he comes in contact with. Caufield broke records set by people like Phil Kessel and Auston Matthews with the U.S. National Team Development Program, he was a point-per-game freshman in the NCAA and just recently led the entire nation in scoring with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games for Wisconsin.
It seemed as though professional hockey may slow him down, but that certainly wasn’t the case in his debut for Laval. Caufield recorded five shots on goal, scored on the powerplay and at even strength, and added a helper in his professional debut, flying all over the ice with the puck. He came back with another four-shot performance on the next night, once again providing must-see action for the Rocket.
Now the next step is getting his first game with the Canadiens, who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Flames on Wednesday. The team has scored just five goals in their last three games and could certainly use a bit of punch from their star prospect.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/26/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled top prospect Quinton Byfield to the taxi squad, along with Lias Andersson. Boko Imama has been returned to the AHL to make room.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Steven Santini from the taxi squad as they prepare for action tonight against the Avalanche. The team recently lost both Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn to injury, meaning Santini could be ready to make his Blues debut this evening.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Trevor Zegras and Simon Benoit to the taxi squad, sending Hunter Drew and Maxim Golod to the AHL. Zegras has dominated since going back down to transition to center and should be back on the Ducks roster fairly soon.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have made several moves, including the recall of two goaltenders from the minor leagues. Ottawa can’t seem to keep their NHL netminders healthy, meaning Filip Gustavsson (active roster) and Kevin Mandolese (taxi squad) are both up from Belleville. To make room, Cody Goloubef and Logan Shaw have both been re-assigned to the AHL.
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Kole Lind from the taxi squad and Artus Silovs under emergency conditions. Silovs will serve as backup for Braden Holtby after Thatcher Demko suffered a lower-body injury at morning skate.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Connor Mackey to the taxi squad, following Noah Hanifin‘s season-ending injury. Mackey, 24, is in his first professional season and has played three games for the Flames so far.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Ryan McLeod from the taxi squad under emergency conditions, placing Zack Kassian on long-term injured reserve in the process. Kassian has been listed as week-to-week, but will have to miss at least ten games, meaning he could only return in time for the final game of the regular season.
Central Divison
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks to the taxi squad, while sending Josh Dunne and Daniil Tarasov to the AHL. Dunne, 22, has played in six games with the Blue Jackets since signing out of Clarkson University.
- The Detroit Red Wings have swapped practice goalies once again, sending Kaden Fulcher to the AHL and recalling Kevin Boyle to the taxi squad.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL and placed them on the taxi squad. Both young players have appeared in a few games for Florida this season, but given the team’s depth additions at the deadline, may not be able to crack the lineup down the stretch.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Gilles Senn back to the AHL from their taxi squad. Senn, 25, hasn’t been very good for the Binghamton Devils this season, posting an .897 save percentage in 13 appearances.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Quinton Byfield Recalled To Taxi Squad
Though they made a valiant effort this season, the Los Angeles Kings have fallen out of the playoff race in the West Division once again. The team has gone 3-7 in their last ten and now sit seven points behind the Arizona Coyotes with the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues in between. With that in mind, it’s time to give some playing time and experience to their young prospects, most notably Quinton Byfield.
The second-overall pick has been recalled to the NHL taxi squad for the first time this season. He is coming up from the Ontario Reign along with Lias Andersson, while Boko Imama has been reassigned back to the AHL.
Despite being just 18 and not usually eligible to play in the AHL, Byfield has been able to spend the entire season honing his craft at the professional level with the Reign thanks to the OHL’s shutdown. That gave the 6’4″ center a chance to get his feet wet at the minor league level without as much pressure, and he responded with eight goals and 20 points in 30 games. While that’s not putting him on any leaderboards, Byfield’s long-term development is the important thing here and he has shown steps already.
He scored just one goal through his first 15 games for Ontario but then went on an impressive five-game scoring streak in late March. While there is still inconsistency in his play, a chance to taste the NHL at the end of this season will only help him down the road.
For those Kings fans worried about burning the first year of his entry-level contract, Byfield would need to play in more than seven NHL games down the stretch to have it kick in for 2021-22.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/25/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
North Division
- The Vancouver Canucks are expected to assign goaltender Michael DiPietro to Utica of the AHL, according to Canucks writer Rick Dhaliwal. Dipietro has been serving as the team’s third goaltender and is on an emergency loan. The netminder has yet to appear in a game in the 2020-21 season and would be best off getting playing time in the AHL where he had a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 36 appearances last season. UPDATE: The Canucks have officially loaned DiPietro to Utica.
East Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have swapped out some prospects as the team announced it has recalled defenseman Egor Zamula and goaltender Felix Sandstrom from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL to the taxi squad. The team has also assigned defensemen Linus Hogberg and Mason Millman from the taxi squad to Lehigh Valley.
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have swapped out goaltenders. The team announced that it has added Daniil Tarasov to the taxi squad, while assigning Matiss Kivlenieks to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. Tarasov, one of the team’s top prospects, has struggled in four appearances since arriving from the KHL as he has a 3.23 GAA and a .883 save percentage.
- The Florida Panthers have added a pair of forwards to their NHL squad as the team has recalled Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi from the taxi squad, according to the AHL transaction page. Denisenko has appeared in two games this season for the Panthers, while Heponiemi has a goal in three games in Florida.
West Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights have flipped taxi squad goaltenders. Their AHL affiliate in Henderson announced that Logan Thompson has been recalled to the taxi squad with Oscar Dansk heading to the Silver Knights. Dansk has made just six starts this season (five in the AHL and one in the NHL) and could certainly benefit from a bit of playing time. Thompson, meanwhile, has played in 20 minor league contests this year while making his NHL debut, playing eight minutes in relief last month.
- The Los Angeles Kings have sent Lias Andersson and Daniel Brickley back to Ontario of the AHL per the AHL’s transactions log. Andersson got into their minor league contest today. Bokondji Imama was recalled to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Frederik Gauthier and Ivan Prosvetov to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Gauthier has played in just two games with Arizona this season while Prosvetov has made three appearances over the past month, posting a save percentage of just .824.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Cole, Benns, Marlies, Stuart
Wild defenseman Ian Cole has fit in relatively well since he was acquired early in the season from Colorado, providing a veteran physical presence on their third pairing. The pending free agent told Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he’d like to stick around beyond this season and McLellan notes that his agent and GM Bill Guerin have talked about the possibility of a new deal for the 32-year-old. Cole has a $4.25MM AAV (Minnesota is only responsible for just over 81% of that with Colorado carrying the rest) and while he has held down a regular spot in their lineup, he will likely be facing a pay cut on the open market this summer.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Benn brothers have changed representation, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Jamie Benn (Stars) and Jordie Benn (Jets) will now be represented by CAA’s J.P. Barry and Bayne Pettinger. They had previously been represented by Points West Sports and Entertainment’s Rich Evans. Jamie won’t have to worry about a new contract anytime soon as he has four years left on his current deal that carries a $9.5MM AAV but Jordie is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and has a $2MM price tag this season.
- Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), that things are progressing with regard to the Marlies’ COVID-19 situation. Their AHL affiliate last played on April 10th before the team was shut down due to protocols. Keefe also mentioned that there’s no timeline for them to resume playing; their next scheduled game is May 2nd.
- Former NHL defenseman Mark Stuart is set to be named as an assistant coach at Colorado coach, ESPN’s John Buccigross reports (Twitter link). Stuart last played in 2016-17 and has briefly spent time with AHL Manitoba as a team manager and the University of Vermont as a volunteer coach since retiring.
North Notes: Klefbom, Chabot, Canucks, Lowry
Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom has missed the entire season due to a shoulder injury, one that he recently underwent surgery on. While the surgery went well, the blueliner told reporters, including Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, that there remains no timeline for when he’s able to play next season, if he’s able to return at all:
He said I might play again but there’s always going to be risks and we’ll see where I’m at after the rehab and it’s time to make a decision. We’re going to follow up, many, many times. I’m not giving up on the NHL. I’ve been playing with pain for many games for a long time but when you’re at home in your apartment or house and you can hardly sleep or put your clothes on, it gets mentally tough.
Klefbom had been an anchor on Edmonton’s back end coming into this season, averaging over 23 minutes a night over his six full-time NHL campaigns and carries a below-market cap hit at a $4.16MM AAV. However, given the uncertainty surrounding his ability to return at least at the start of next season, the 27-year-old could be left unprotected in this summer’s Seattle expansion draft, something that Klefbom himself acknowledged could make sense given his situation.
More from the North Division:
- Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot is open to playing at the World Championships, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Normally, such a statement wouldn’t carry much weight but with the pandemic, there are questions as to how many NHL players will be willing to make the trip to Latvia for the tournament which, as things stand, remains set to start on May 21st.
- As it appears that the Canucks will be looking for a new AHL affiliate, it doesn’t appear as if it will be in their own backyard. Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province notes that Vancouver hasn’t held any discussions yet with the operator of the Abbotsford Centre, the arena that used to house Calgary’s farm team when it was in British Columbia. Teams have made more of an effort to get their affiliates closer to their NHL squads in recent years so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them look for a city out West after being in Utica, New York since 2013.
- Jets center Adam Lowry won’t play tonight after taking a hit to the head from Toronto forward Alex Galchenyuk on Thursday night, notes Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link). Lowry hasn’t been diagnosed with a concussion and the team is holding him out as a precautionary measure. Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice listed the 28-year-old as day-to-day.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/24/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
North Division
- The Jets announced that they’ve assigned Ville Heinola from the taxi squad to AHL Manitoba. The 20-year-old was recalled from Manitoba five weeks ago and has played just once since then which is hardly ideal for a prospect. He’ll get to play more regularly with the Moose for their stretch run.
- The Flames announced the recalls of Byron Froese and Glenn Gawdin to the taxi squad from AHL Stockton. Both veterans have seen limited duty with Calgary this season; Froese has a goal in six games while Gawdin has been held off the scoresheet in his five contests.
East Division
- The Devils have swapped taxi squad goalies, recalling Gilles Senn while sending down Evan Cormier, per the AHL’s transactions log. Both goalies have struggled considerably with AHL Binghamton with Senn posting a save percentage of .897 in 13 games while Cormier has managed a mark of just .879 in his seven appearances.
- The Flyers have brought up Linus Hogberg to the taxi squad while sending Felix Sandstrom back to Lehigh Valley, per the AHL’s transactions log. Hogberg is in his first season in North America and has five points in 18 AHL games while Sandstrom has a save percentage of just .838 this season.
Central Division
West Division
- The Ducks have recalled Hunter Drew and Maxim Golod from AHL San Diego to the taxi squad while sending Benoit-Olivier Groulx back to the Gulls, per the AHL’s transactions log. Drew and Golod have had limited roles in the minors and have been recalled before to get other Anaheim players on the taxi squad some playing time which is likely the case with Groulx here.
- The Kings have recalled Daniel Brickley from AHL Ontario to the taxi squad, per a team announcement. Brickley, a highly sought after college free agent in 2018, has five points in 19 games with the Reign this season and hasn’t seen NHL action since 2018-19. Meanwhile, Lias Andersson was recalled from the taxi squad; the 2017 first-rounder has two goals in 13 games this season with Los Angeles.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
East Notes: Malkin, Siegenthaler, Chara, Capitals
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin returned to practice on Friday with a non-contact jersey as he continues to work his way back from a lower-body injury that’s believed to be a knee issue, notes Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The veteran has been out since mid-March and is currently on LTIR. If he’s able to return between now and the end of the regular season, Pittsburgh will need to clear just over $2.6MM off their books to get cap compliant before he can be activated. Injuries have limited the 34-year-old to just 29 games this season and he hasn’t been as productive as usual with eight goals and 16 assists in those contests.
More from the East Division:
- Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler has been placed in COVID protocol, the team announced (Twitter link). New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old earlier this month and had given him a bigger role as Siegenthaler has averaged 17:10 per game in six contests with the Devils after logging just 13:23 per game in seven matches with Washington. Colton White was recalled to take Siegenthaler’s place in the lineup.
- The Rangers were among the teams that showed considerable interest in Zdeno Chara last offseason, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 43-year-old was eyed as a mentor to what has become a very young back end with five rearguards aged 23 or younger suiting up against Philadelphia earlier in the week. However, Chara opted to sign with Washington in the hopes of a long playoff run. New York is likely going to have a similar desire to add a veteran for next year as well but they may be better served going after someone that can play a bit higher in the lineup.
- The Capitals will be keeping their AHL coaching staff around for the foreseeable future as the team announced recently that head coach Spencer Carbery, assistant coach Patrick Wellar, and associate goalie coach Alex Westlund have all signed multi-year contract extensions. Carbery is in his third season at the helm with Hershey with the Bears posting a .702 points percentage over that span. Hershey has a 16-5-2 record this season to lead the seven-team North Division in points with 34.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/23/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- Joachim Blichfeld has been realled to the San Jose Sharks taxi squad. The 22-year-old forward actually earned himself a suspension in his season debut and has spent most of the year at the minor league level. He’s been outstanding in the AHL, scoring 12 goals and 22 points in 25 games.
North Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have flipped practice goalies, sending Eric Comrie to the AHL and recalling Mikhail Berdin. The 23-year-old Berdin is a very intriguing prospect despite his low draft profile after strong play in the minor leagues and KHL.
Central Division
East Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have returned Pascal Laberge to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recalling Mason Millman to the taxi squad once again. Millman, 19, hasn’t played in the NHL yet but is getting tons of professional experience this season, a year that he would normally have been limited to OHL hockey.
This page will be updated throughout the day