Ottawa Senators Sign Angus Crookshank
The Ottawa Senators have signed another one of their prospects, inking Angus Crookshank to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin in the 2021-22 season, but Crookshank has signed an amateur tryout with the Belleville Senators for the rest of this season. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a short statement on his newest player:
Angus proved to be a dominant collegiate player. We’re pleased that he’s made the decision to start his professional career which is what we believe is best for the next step in his development.
Dorion may be stretching the truth a big when he says that Crookshank was a dominant player for the University of New Hampshire, but he certainly was a good one. In 90 NCAA games, the young forward recorded 35 goals and 63 points, many of which came within just a few feet of the crease. His slick hands in tight and ability to go unchecked in dangerous areas should translate well to the professional ranks where he’ll get a chance to play with some talented playmakers in the Ottawa system.
Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, Crookshank could be a nice late-round find in a class that already included Brady Tkachuk and standout college defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker. The AHL Senators will get him into the lineup as soon as his quarantine protocol is complete.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/17/21
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 Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Oscar Dansk to the taxi squad while sending both Dylan Ferguson and Logan Thompson back to the minor leagues. The Golden Knights are getting Robin Lehner back to once again give them one of the most impressive goaltending tandems in the league.
- The Los Angeles Kings have activated Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Jonathan Quick from injured reserve, meaning Troy Grosenick is on his way back to the taxi squad. Tobias Bjornfot has also been recalled from the taxi squad as the team prepares for action tonight.
- Ivan Prosvetov has been reassigned to the taxi squad by the Arizona Coyotes. The move implies that Antti Raanta‘s injury absence will be short-lived.
North Division
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Eric Comrie and Ville Heinola from the AHL to the taxi squad, now that Anton Forsberg has been lost to waivers. The team needed another goaltender and Comrie is the perfect option as a number three.
- Though they aren’t playing for another few days, the Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Alex Galchenyuk, Timothy Liljegren and Alexander Barabanov to the taxi squad. Kenny Agostino and Calle Rosen have both been assigned to the AHL.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Gustavsson from the taxi squad on an emergency basis, while Matt Murray remains injured. Until Forsberg gets to Ottawa and through the COVID protocols (likely seven days, depending on how his travel plans and testing go), the team will be going with a very young and very inexperienced tandem.
- With Zack Kassian activated from the injured reserve, fellow forwards James Neal and Patrick Russell have been reassigned to the taxi squad by the Edmonton Oilers. Young defenseman Evan Bouchard has also been recalled to the active roster.
Central Division
- After clearing waivers earlier today Mikhail Grigorenko has been moved to the taxi squad by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old forward has seemingly lost his spot in the lineup, last playing on February 23.
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Frans Nielsen and Evgeny Svechnikov back to the taxi squad, given they don’t play tonight. The team won yesterday against the Carolina Hurricanes, one of the more impressive results of the season.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have returned Nicholas Merkley and Jesper Boqvist to the AHL for the time being. The Devils don’t play today after securing their ninth win of the season last night but have three in a row against the surging Pittsburgh Penguins coming up.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Andy Andreoff and Connor Bunnaman from the taxi squad, an interesting move on game day. It seems likely that at least one of them will be in the lineup tonight, though it’s not entirely clear who will be coming out.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/16/21
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 Anaheim Ducks were once again busy on the shuffling front today. Per CapFriendly, Anthony Stolarz was recalled on an emergency basis with John Gibson dealing with a lower-body injury while Trevor Zegras, Sam Steel, and Andy Welinski were also recalled. To make room on the roster, David Backes, who cleared waivers yesterday, was sent to the taxi squad.
- With Antti Raanta being unavailable to play tonight due to a lower-body injury that has him listed as day-to-day, the Arizona Coyotes recalled Ivan Prosevtov from the taxi squad. Also being brought up to the active roster was Hudson Fasching with Michael Chaput being sent to the taxi squad.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Greg Pateryn and Logan O’Connor from the taxi squad on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly. This has been a frequent pair of moves on recent game days with the duo likely to appear here tomorrow as being sent down.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent several players to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. John Leonard, Fredrik Claesson, and Fredrik Handemark are all on the reserve group while Stefan Noesen has been sent to AHL San Jose.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned Clark Bishop, Filip Gustavsson, and Matthew Peca to the team’s taxi squad while moving Kevin Mandolese back to the AHL. The Senators are off today after their overtime loss against the Canucks and will likely recall several of these players tomorrow.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved Scott Sabourin and Joseph Woll back to the AHL while they enjoy a four-day break between games. Given that they waived Jimmy Vesey earlier today, he might be headed to the taxi squad to fill at least one of the vacant spots. Alex Galchenyuk and Timothy Liljegren were also recalled to the taxi squad with Calle Rosen going to the minors, per CapFriendly.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Dominik Simon from the taxi squad while sending Derek Ryan and Oliver Kylington down, per CapFriendly. It’s a move they’ve made on non-game days recently and they will likely reverse it before Wednesday’s game against Edmonton.
- The Montreal Canadiens have loaned Alexander Romanov and Xavier Ouellet to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The two will likely be recalled for Wednesday’s contest against Winnipeg. Meanwhile, Hayden Verbeek was loaned back to AHL Laval.
- The Winnipeg Jets have loaned Logan Stanley back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. He will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Montreal. Winnipeg also sent Mikhail Berdin to AHL Manitoba.
Central Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Joey Keane and Beck Warm from the AHL, bringing them up to the NHL taxi squad. Warm, 21, was just signed by the team earlier this month after impressing early with the Chicago Wolves as an undrafted free agent signing. Now in six games, Warm has posted a .944 save percentage with the Wolves, winning five times. Alex Nedeljkovic, Jake Bean, and Morgan Geekie were all recalled from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, with Jake Gardiner being sent down.
- The Dallas Stars have brought up Taylor Fedun from the taxi squad. The 32-year-old played in 27 regular season games last season plus 11 games in the bubble but has yet to see NHL action so far in 2020-21.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Evgeny Svechnikov and Frans Nielsen from the taxi squad. Meanwhile, they also shuffled up their taxi squad goalies, sending Calvin Pickard to AHL Grand Rapids while recalling Kaden Fulcher to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Nashville Predators have brought back Michael McCarron from the taxi squad while returning Alexandre Carrier and Ben Harpur to the taxi squad. McCarron has played in four games with Nashville so far this season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Ross Colton from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. To stay cap-compliant, Spencer Martin was sent down to the taxi squad.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Frederick Gaudreau from the taxi squad, moving John Marino to injured reserve to make room. Marino’s placement is retroactive to March 9, meaning he can come off whenever healthy. The team has also recalled Radim Zohorna to the taxi squad.
- The Buffalo Sabres have shuffled up their back end, recalling Brandon Davidson and Henri Jokiharju from the taxi squad. Going down to make room were Jacob Bryson and forward Rasmus Asplund.
- The Boston Bruins recalled Oskar Steen from the taxi squad to make his NHL debut tonight, relays Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick back in 2016 and has eight points in 12 AHL games this season.
- The New York Islanders have promoted Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows, and Austin Czarnik from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. All three have been frequently sent back and forth through the first half of the season.
- With the New York Rangers off tonight, they have made their usual long list of taxi squad assignments. Going down are Kaapo Kakko, Tarmo Reunanen, and Jack Johnson while Jonny Brodzinski was sent to the minors, per CapFriendly. They also swapped taxi squad goalies, sending Keith Kinkaid down while recalling Adam Huska.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Alex Lyon and Nate Prosser to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Prosser played just under 12 minutes on Monday against the Rangers while Lyon hasn’t seen any NHL action so far this season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Jets, Americans, Kallionkieli
The Winnipeg Jets are in action tonight against the Montreal Canadiens after going 7-2-1 in their last 10, climbing all the way to second in the North Division. One might assume that the team is looking to supplement their imposing roster in a trade and do it soon, given the two-week quarantine any newcomer will require if he comes from a U.S.-based team.
Speaking with reporters including Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff explained that he is willing to make another deal to improve the club if the fit is right, regardless of COVID protocols and the wait. Mattias Ekholm has been linked to the Jets in recent days, but Cheveldayoff wouldn’t comment on any specifics.
- The Rochester Americans are still not playing thanks to at least one positive coronavirus test and have announced a new postponement for this week. The team’s Wednesday game against the Syracuse Crunch has been postponed with no current makeup date, while Saturday’s game that was already pushed will now be played on May 3. The Americans players continue to be unavailable for the Buffalo Sabres as they stay in the protocol.
- The Henderson Silver Knights have a new player to use after Marcus Kallionkielli was reassigned from Finland to the AHL today. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick in 2019 and spent part of last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. In nine games with HIFK’s junior squad in Finland this season, he recorded five points.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/15/21
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 Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Gustavsson to the taxi squad. Matt Murray was injured last night in the warm-up, and with Marcus Hogberg still on injured reserve, goaltending duties fell to Joey Daccord for his first NHL win.
West Division
- With an injury to Kyle Rau, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Connor Dewar to the taxi squad. The 21-year-old forward has eight points in 12 games for the Iowa Wild this season, his second professional campaign after being a third-round pick in 2018.
- The Arizona Coyotes have moved Dryden Hunt back to the taxi squad after he logged just nine minutes of ice time last night. Hunt, 25, has played in seven games so far for the Coyotes.
Central Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes have returned both Joakim Ryan and Antoine Bibeau to the AHL, moving both off the taxi squad for now. The Hurricanes won another game last night and now sit at 20-6-1 on the season, the second-best winning percentage in the entire NHL.
- The Dallas Stars have returned Colton Point and Jerad Rosburg to the AHL, while bringing up Landon Bow and Taylor Fedun to the taxi squad. Dallas has flipped their taxi squad players all season to keep them fresh and the Texas Stars will be in action tomorrow night.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled Alexandre Carrier and Ben Harpur from the taxi squad, moving Frederic Allard back to it. The Predators are dealing with massive injury concerns at this point in the season and have lost three in a row.
- The Detroit Red Wings have called up Evgeny Svechnikov and Kaden Fulcher to the taxi squad from the AHL, sending Calvin Pickard back in their place. Svechnikov has played in four games this season for Detroit, scoring four points.
East Division
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Oskar Steen, Karson Kuhlman, and Jack Ahcan to the taxi squad as they prepare for action tonight. The Providence Bruins are actually going with just 16 skaters today because of the call-ups as they take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
- Rasmus Asplund has been recalled from the Buffalo Sabres taxi squad and will slot into the lineup tonight. Cody Eakin will be made a healthy scratch, while Brandon Davidson has been loaned back to the taxi squad. The Sabres still don’t have access to their AHL players who are quarantining thanks to a positive coronavirus test among the Rochester Americans.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Alex Lyon and Nate Prosser from the taxi squad. The goaltender will serve as the backup tonight as the Flyers will give Brian Elliott the full night off. Lyon, 28, has been in the Flyers organization for years, but mostly gets minor league action. In three appearances last season in the NHL, he posted an .890 save percentage.
Anaheim Listening To Offers For Troy Terry
The Anaheim Ducks are in the unenviable position this season of having to not only evaluate which core players to keep or trade, but also which young player to keep or trade. The Ducks’ have built a deep, talented pipeline over the last several years, but continue to get inconsistent and underwhelming effort from many of their top young pros. While there are plenty of younger roster players and prospects that Anaheim is excited about, but also too many that have yet to pan out. So , as the team trudges through another poor season, not only are they fielding offers for veterans like Rickard Rakell, Adam Henrique, and Josh Manson, but they also face pressure to shop players like Danton Heinen, Sonny Milano, Max Jones, Jacob Larsson and more before their value disappears completely.
The latest addition to the latter list appears to be forward Troy Terry. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he is hearing the Ducks are evaluating whether or not it is time to move on from the 23-year-old forward. Friedman notes that there is some belief around the league that Terry could benefit from a change of scenery. Anaheim is currently listening to those offers, though not necessarily shopping Terry.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Ducks in 2015, Terry flew under the radar as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program. However, he quickly rose to prominence at the college level with Denver University. Not only did Terry produce back-to-back seasons of 45+ points in his sophomore and juniors years at Denver, but his play earned him a spot with Team USA at the 2017 World Juniors and 2018 Winter Olympics – and Terry was a point-per-game player in both tournaments. After leaving college early to sign with Anaheim, Terry entered the pros with high expectations. Four years later, Terry is still trying to meet those expectations. While the talented winger has dominated in the AHL with 57 points in 55 games, it has been a different story in the NHL, where he has just 12 goals and 35 points in 103 games. With seven points through 22 games so far this year, Terry is matching his 26-point full-season pace from last year. However, as a frequent scratch by the Ducks, even that isn’t a realistic benchmark for the young scorer. Even at his best, Terry is also a complete non-factor in the physical and defensive aspects of the game, making it difficult to slot him in the lineup when he isn’t scoring at a top-six level.
For any team interested in landing Terry, there has to be a plan to put him in positions that take advantage of his offensive ability while limiting his defensive liability. Terry may very well need a change of scenery, but he is not going to work out as a fourth-line player or facing difficult defensive match-ups no matter where he goes. This makes him a difficult player to place. Terry certainly has ample offensive upside, hence Anaheim’s hesitation to move him, but there is a reason that he has not produced or earned a greater role with the Ducks despite seemingly ample opportunity. Terry’s potential availability will be an interesting case to keep an eye on in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
North Division Notes: 2021-22, Quarantine Protocol, Sabourin
Although the North Division was only intended to be a temporary alignment in 2020-21, the all-Canadian grouping has been popular north of the border. As a result, there are a number of teams hoping that the division might stay together for a while longer. Commissioner Gary Bettman was adamant earlier this week that the league will return to its normal divisional alignment next season, albeit with a small shift due to expansion. Yet, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that several Canadian teams are hoping to get at least another year of national competition. Ironically, this only seems likely if there continue to be restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border through the summer and into next season; the same restrictions that are making trade acquisitions difficult for Canadian teams and could prevent the North Division winner from playing at home in the semifinal and potentially the Stanley Cup Final series. However, the teams in favor of the North Division remaining intact feel that the impact could be more important than any ill effects this season. Johnston notes that these teams can feel the excitement within the country of the reignited Canadian rivalries and want to see that expand with fans being allowed back into games, further boosting the focus on the league. However, there is a way for this to be accomplished without the North Division continuing. Discussions earlier this season centered around the value of continuing to push the regional, non-divisional rivalries that have sprouted this season simply by changing the way scheduling is handled, rather than through realignment. Furthering the emphasis on regional play through extra contents between geographically linked teams would not only continue to fuel the rivalries created or rediscovered this season, but is also a way to save money on travel as teams continue to deal with losses this season. Perhaps this is the way to go that will make both the NHL and their Canadian contingent happy.
- As noted, there is more downside than upside for the NHL and Canadian clubs to continued border issues. The most pressing of these problems with the trade deadline approaching is the required 14-day quarantine for anyone crossing into Canada, a major holdup in player acquisitions. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reached out to Health Canada and found that, despite a report earlier this year, there has been no formal request made by the NHL to amend the quarantine rules for trade acquisitions. However, Friedman did not sound optimistic that any such proposal would be accepted anyway. Specifically, players have wondered whether they could avoid the quarantine period if an acquired player has been vaccinated, but Health Canada stated that they do not know enough about the impact of vaccination on transmission to allow such a change. Friedman notes that lobbying efforts continue from the league to strike some sort of agreement with the Canadian government to ease quarantine restrictions, but the likelihood seems low. With the deadline now a month away and nothing formal yet in the works, Canadian contenders will likely have to account for a two-week absence of any new players acquired from their American counterparts.
- It didn’t take long for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Sabourin to make his mark on this season, and not in a good way. After signing with the Leafs in Feburary, Sabourin was assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to get back into game shape and made his season debut against the Laval Rocket on Friday. On Saturday, the Leafs recalled him to their taxi squad, adding a physical, gritty veteran to their group of potential substitutes. Later in the day, the AHL announced that when Sabourin returns to the AHL, he will be suspended for one game; Toronto opted to send him down on Sunday to serve that ban. Sabourin crashed the Laval net late in Friday’s game and started an altercation with multiple opponents and the league deemed this was worthy of a suspension. With a one-game suspension, not to mention 17 penalty minutes, after just one game this year, Sabourin seems to be returning to the aggressive reputation that he has built in his AHL career rather than building on the progress he made as a more composed player with the Ottawa Senators last year.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Josh Dunne
The Columbus Blue Jackets have dipped their toes into the college free agent waters, signing Josh Dunne to a two-year entry-level contract. Dunne’s deal will start this season and has been immediately assigned to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The 22-year-old served as captain for Clarkson University this season, though played just 14 games due to injury.
This isn’t the first time Dunne’s name has been thrown around by NHL teams. As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports, the young forward was highly sought after last spring after an outstanding sophomore campaign that saw him win the ECAC Best Defensive Forward award. The 6’4″ center may not project to be a top-line player at the next level, but a commitment to both ends of the rink and good hands around the net are a mix that scouts love in undrafted free agents.
If Dunne is looking for guidance on his transition, he needs to look no further than the Blue Jackets front office. GM Jarmo Kekalainen also played at Clarkson as an undrafted forward before signing with the Boston Bruins in 1989. While things have changed a bit since then, even Kekalainen’s modest 55-game NHL career would be a win for Dunne.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/14/21
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
- Dryden Hunt has been recalled from the Arizona Coyotes taxi squad, the first time he’s been back with the main roster since last month. The 25-year-old forward has two points in six games with the Coyotes this season.
- The Los Angeles Kings have made multiple moves, as has been the norm for the team this season, but it’s just one variety of transaction today. L.A. announced that forward Lias Andersson and defensemen Tobias Bjornfot and Daniel Brickley have all been recalled from the taxi squad.
- The San Jose Sharks have moved center Joel Kellman and winger Stefan Noesen to the minors, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. They have played in four and five games respectively this season and have yet to record a point. Those assignments created extra taxi squad space which was used on forwards John Leonard, Fredrik Handemark, and Antti Suomela along with defenseman Fredrik Claesson, per CapFriendly.
- The Anaheim Ducks have returned goalie Olle Eriksson Ek to the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log. Additionally, the Ducks sent defensemen Andy Welinski and Kodie Curran along with forward Vinni Lettieri to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Colorado Avalanche brought up defenseman Greg Pateryn and forward Logan O’Connor from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both players were in the lineup against Los Angeles today.
- The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Luke Johnson from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. His presence was needed due to Marcus Johansson‘s continued unavailability with the veteran remaining on IR a little longer.
- The St. Louis Blues assigned forward Dakota Joshua and Steven Santini to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Additionally, the Blues sent winger Sam Anas back to the minors.
- The Vegas Golden Knights sent defenseman Dylan Coghlan and winger Patrick Brown to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Just days after recording a hat trick, it’s expected that Coghlan will be recalled before Monday’s game against San Jose.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Mathias Brome from the taxi squad as they prepare for their early evening game against the Hurricanes. Detroit actually won their last game against the Lightning, scoring six goals in the process. Brome wasn’t part of that game, but it looks like he will draw back in today. Following the game, he was sent back to the taxi squad.
- Alexander Radulov is back with the Dallas Stars. The team announced that the big scoring forward has been activated from the Injured Reserve. To make room for Radulov’s addition on the active roster, fellow forward Joel L’Esperance has been reassigned to the taxi squad.
- After clearing waivers, the Carolina Hurricanes sent defenseman Jake Gardiner to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, while recalling forward Morgan Geekie and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Both Geekie and Nedeljkovic have been making near-daily appearances on these lists this season.
- The Nashville Predators returned defensemen Ben Harpur and Alexandre Carrier to the taxi squad. Carrier scored his first career NHL goal on Saturday while Harpur has played in nine games so far this season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning sent defenseman Luke Schenn to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The move doesn’t bank them any extra cap space since they’re already in LTIR but it extends Schenn’s waiver exemption.
East Division
- The Boston Bruins recalled forwards Karson Kuhlman and Oskar Steen as well as defenseman Jack Ahcan to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. The moves are dated for Monday which signifies that Boston will be recalling multiple players up from the taxi squad in advance of their game against Pittsburgh. Some of those players will likely be defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, Anton Blidh, and Daniel Vladar who were all sent to the taxi squad today, per CapFriendly.
- The New York Rangers have returned forward Morgan Barron to AHL Hartford, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 22-year-old has five goals in just eight games with the Wolf Pack in his first professional season. They also assigned defensemen Libor Hajek and K’Andre Miller, forward Kaapo Kakko, and goalie Keith Kinkaid to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The New York Islanders recalled forwards Leo Komarov and Austin Czarnik from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The veterans cleared waivers earlier in the year and have been shuffled back and forth with some regularity since then.
- With an off day, the Philadelphia Flyers returned defenseman Nate Prosser and forward Andy Andreoff to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. With their next game set for Monday, there’s a good chance one (if not both) will be recalled for that one.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins sent forwards Anthony Angello and Colton Sceviour to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Sceviour picked up his first point in nearly two months earlier in the week.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Clark Bishop and Matthew Peca from the taxi squad. Bishop made his season and Ottawa debut on Friday against Edmonton while Peca has an assist in five games so far this season.
- The Calgary Flames recalled Dominik Simon from the taxi squad while sending forward Derek Ryan and defenseman Oliver Kylington to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both Ryan and Kylington were in the lineup in Saturday’s victory over Montreal.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs sent forward Kenny Agostino back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 28-year-old made his Toronto debut on Thursday, playing just over four minutes against Winnipeg.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 03/13/21
While things are largely quiet on the NHL transaction front, some familiar faces have recently signed deals elsewhere. Here is a rundown of those moves and other minor transaction news.
- Oscar Fantenberg used a good showing in the KHL back in 2016-17 to secure his first NHL contract and when he opted to return there this season, it certainly felt like he was trying to have history repeat itself by using a strong 2020-21 campaign to land another opportunity in North America. However, that won’t be the case as SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL announced that they’ve inked Fantenberg to a two-year extension, taking one depth defender off the UFA market early in the process. The 29-year-old had seven assists in 37 games this season.
- The Kings have inked winger Devante Smith-Pelly to a minor league PTO, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 28-year-old has played in 395 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons but hasn’t suited up at the top level since the 2018-19 campaign with Washington. Smith-Pelly spent last season in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star and has yet to play at all in 2020-21.
- The Sharks have recalled winger Ivan Chekhovich from his KHL loan and assigned him to AHL San Jose, CapFriendly reports. The 22-year-old was quite productive with Torpedo this season, notching 17 goals and 17 assists in 43 games but his team was swept in the opening round of the postseason. Now, Chekhovich will be able to get a couple more months of playing time in with the Barracuda, resulting in close to a full year worth of games in a season where very few NHL prospects have had that opportunity. He will have to serve a quarantine period before he can suit up, however.
- The Coyotes have reassigned goaltender David Tendeck from ECHL Rapid City to AHL Tucson, per the ECHL’s transaction log. The 21-year-old is in the first season of his entry-level deal and has played in 13 games with the Rush this season, posting a 2.74 GAA along with a .913 SV% and two shutouts.
- The Wild have signed center Bryce Misley to an AHL ATO, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Minnesota back in 2017 and recently wrapped up his college career with Vermont, picking up a goal and two assists in 13 games this season. Minnesota has until August 15 to sign him to an entry-level deal or lose his rights.