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Snapshots: Blues, Bieksa, Bakos

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For fans of the Blues, hoping that the team can turn the season around, as well as fans of other teams hoping for a chance at acquiring their top players, today’s news comes as a welcome change to the status quo in St. Louis. The Blues announced that three players were back at practice today and looking healthy and ready for game action. Alex Pietrangelo, Carl Gunnarsson, and Robby Fabbri all took the ice today and are expected to return to the lineup as early as tonight, when St. Louis takes on the Edmonton Oilers on the road. “Obviously we missed those guys tremendously”, said teammate Patrick Maroon, one of a number of Blues players who spoke about their excitement to have three difference-makers back at practice. Pietrangelo is clearly the greatest addition to the lineup, but Gunnarsson is also a regular on the Blues blue line and Fabbri has struggled with constant injurie issues for parts of three seasons and St. Louis would like to see him stay healthy for the rest of the campaign. At full strength, the Blues do have plenty of talent on paper and could put together a comeback of sorts this season. However, if that doesn’t happen, the team will continue to take calls on nearly anyone on the roster. GM Doug Armstrong won’t trade anyone whose value has dipped, so getting Pietrangelo and company back to health also improves his asking price should he decide to make some moves down the stretch.

  • On a recent appearance on the “31 Thoughts” podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa made it clear that he is not retired. In fact, Bieksa has already committed to play with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland later this month. A strong performance from the 37-year-old could earn him a contract from a contender for the second half of the NHL season. Brian Gionta and Chris Kelly accomplished similar feats after the Olympics last year and Bieksa has the experience and claims to still have the physical conditioning to follow suit. The long-time Vancouver Canuck and Anaheim Duck was unwilling to sign long-term with any team far from his family in California this off-season, but on a half-season deal he will likely be more open to taking the offer that gives him the best chance at an elusive Stanley Cup title.
  • After his time with the Boston Bruins didn’t go according to plan due to an early-season injury and a lack of opportunity, Martin Bakos had his contract terminated last week after clearing unconditional waivers. He’s now on to a new opportunity, as HK Sochi of the KHL announced that they have inked Bakos to a contract for the remainder of the season. Bakos has several seasons of KHL experience on his resume, but this is first time playing for one of the league’s many Russian squads after previous stints with HC Bratislava in his native country of Slovakia, as well as a year in China with the Kunlun Red Star. Bakos only managed to record four points in 16 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, a skilled minor league squad, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on a Sochi roster that lacks much talent up front. Bakos joins recent NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Yohann Auvitu in Sochi, hoping to push for a playoff spot with the team this season.

Gabe Vilardi Will Not Play In World Juniors

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Both the Los Angeles Kings and Team Canada were hoping that young forward Gabe Vilardi would be able to recover in time to take part in the upcoming World Junior Championship, but according to Mark Masters of TSN that isn’t going to happen. He had played a few conditioning games in the AHL before taking part in Canada’s selection camp, but with pre-tournament games starting this week and Vilardi still unable to practice with the team, a decision had to be made. The question now will be whether Vilardi is sent immediately back to the OHL.

While this is obviously disappointing for Vilardi, it’s good news for the rest of the Canadian forwards including 17-year old Alexis Lafreniere. The potential 2020 first-overall pick has made the squad, and given his practice spot beside Nick Suzuki and Jaret Anderson-Dolan it won’t just be as the extra forward. The young QMJHL phenom has 53 points in 31 games for the Rimouski Oceanic and has done nothing to show he shouldn’t be at the very top of the 2020 draft board.

It certainly hasn’t been a smooth ride for Vilardi since being selected 11th overall by the Kings in 2017. He played just 32 regular season games with the Kingston Frontenacs last season due to injury, and has suited up just four times this year after dealing with another back issue. All four of those contests have come in the AHL, but given his age he is not allowed to stay there for the whole season. If he is healthy enough to play, and the Kings don’t keep him with the NHL team, he’ll have to go back to the OHL where he very well could be on the trade block once again. Kingston is sitting last in the OHL Eastern Conference and could flip Vilardi for a huge package of future assets given he will not be back next season.

Snapshots: Melnyk, Burakovsky, AHL

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The Ottawa Senators’ Lebreton Flats arena bid was dealt an expected death blow when owner Eugene Melnyk filed a $700MM lawsuit against his former partner John Ruddy, who was part of the group trying to acquire the development rights to the area. Now Ruddy has filed his own counterclaim, seeking more than $1 billion according to the Canadian Press. In the counterclaim Trinity Development, Ruddy’s company, alleges:

CSMI’s and Melnyk’s true aim is to have the City of Ottawa or Trinity fund and build the $500 million event centre for the Ottawa Senators hockey team, with the Senators getting 30 years’ free rent. CSMI also wants the valuable naming rights and an unreasonable degree of control over the Lebreton project.

Meanwhile, Melnyk’s group has issued a statement offering to amend the original plan and have Trinity fund the project but also take all of the expected profits. Though not technically dead, it does seem like a difficult path forward for the Senators to try and get a new arena near the downtown core. Lebreton was arguably their best chance for now, meaning they’ll be stuck dealing with the arena in Kanata going forward. That rink is far from the city center and difficult for many fans to get to, especially for weekday games.

  • While Andre Burakovsky’s name has surfaced in trade rumors recently, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post is quick to point out that the Washington Capitals are not necessarily shopping the young forward around at this time. Though they would certainly listen to offers, the hope is that Burakovsky can turn things around on his own and be the productive middle-six forward that they have hoped he would be for some time. The 23-year old has just eight points this season and has never fulfilled the promise he showed as a young forward in Sweden or the OHL. Burakovsky is also a restricted free agent at the end of the season with arbitration rights, which could certainly give any acquiring team pause given his salary is already at $3MM this year.
  • The AHL announced multiple suspensions today, handing out a two-game ban to Matt Puempel and a three-game ban to Stephen Gionta. The two forwards, playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins and Bridgeport Sound Tigers respectively, will have to sit out a few contests over the holiday season following their supplementary discipline.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/18

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Yesterday showed just how much parity there is in the NHL these days, as teams like the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders upset dominant Western Conference teams. Tonight 22 teams take the ice in a busy Tuesday to try and get in one last win before tomorrow’s holiday trade freeze. As we approach that deadline, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves made around the league.

  • Those Ottawa Senators have made a move to send Drake Batherson back to the minor league after their win last night. Batherson played just 9:24 in the win over the Nashville Predators, though did record a powerplay assist. The 20-year old forward has a bright future in Ottawa, but with the team off until Friday he will spend some time in the AHL.
  • After their 4-0 pummeling at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens also made a move involving a young player. Victor Mete has been recalled by the team from the AHL, while Noah Juulsen is on his way back to the minor leagues. Mete will travel with the team to Colorado where they play tomorrow night.
  • Jean-Sebastien Dea is on his way back to the AHL, re-assigned by the Pittsburgh Penguins today. Dea has played sparingly for Pittsburgh since being reclaimed on waivers earlier this season, and has just six points on the season. The 24-year old winger will try to get his offense going with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
  • With the team finally approaching full health, including Zdeno Chara returning to practice, the Boston Bruins have opted to send rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon back to the AHL, the team announced. Lauzon played well in 15 games in Boston, especially considering that injuries pressed him into a top-four role for several games. However, Lauzon hasn’t played in nearly two weeks as the likes of Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo returned to the lineup and is in need of game action. Lauzon should return to a top spot for the Providence Bruins and will likely be Boston’s next man up on the blue line while Kevan Miller and Urho Vaakanainen remain sidelined.
  • The Toronto Marlies have added another veteran to their roster, at least for now, announcing that they have signed Tom Sestito to a PTO. The hulking forward has spent the past few seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins and their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but was unsigned this off-season. Sestito, 31, has shown to be capable of modest offense at the minor league level, in addition to his undeniable checking ability, and hopes to earn a contract with the Marlies by displaying both sides of his well-established game.

Prospect Notes: Dobson, Bertuzzi, Zadina

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When New York Islanders prospect Noah Dobson was selected to the Canadian World Junior team, it was likely a welcome reprieve. The talented defenseman had been playing for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, a team that is currently 6-26-1 with a league-worst 68 goals for. Dobson hadn’t been able to find much success, recording just 16 points in 28 games despite being better than a point-per-game producer last season. The 12th-overall pick from 2018 went to selection camp and was suddenly surrounded by the best talent in the CHL, something he may have to get used to.

Today, according to Stephane Leroux of RDS, the Titan agreed to send Dobson to rival Rouyn-Noranda after he returns from the upcoming international tournament. The 18-year old will find himself on the best team in the QMJHL upon his return, and one that is loaded for a Memorial Cup run. The Huskies have a 28-6-1 record along with a +74 goal differential. If the Islanders were hoping for a good development year, they’re certainly getting it.

  • Speaking of CHL trades, the Guelph Storm have continued to sell off their excess talent to build for the future, this time sending top prospect Tag Bertuzzi to the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for three draft picks. Bertuzzi, the second-overall pick in the 2017 OHL draft, has just nine points for the Storm this season but is still considered a potential 2019 NHL draft pick given his physical style and bloodlines. The son of former NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, and cousin of current Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, the 17-year old will try to find more success in Hamilton going forward.
  • A scare went through the Czech Republic World Junior team when Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina sat out yesterday’s Grand Rapids Griffins game with an undisclosed injury, but Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that it won’t change his planned participation in the upcoming tournament. Zadina’s injury is minor, and he is still expected to be a major contributor at the tournament. The 19-year old sniper turned a lot of heads when he scored seven goals in eight games during last year’s tournament, and he should be even better prepared for the international competition after refining his game at the AHL level.

Minor Transactions: 12/17/18

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The Boston Bruins versus the Montreal Canadiens in the middle of December. You can’t get much more classic than that when it comes to the NHL, making tonight some must-see television for hockey fans. The two clubs will take part in one of five games scheduled this evening, before the week really kicks off tomorrow night. As always, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Dean Kukan from his conditioning stint in the AHL, where he registered two points in five games. The 25-year old defenseman will try to work his way back into the Blue Jackets lineup and help push them closer to a 2019 playoff berth.
  • Zach Sanford is on his way back up to the St. Louis Blues after a very short minor league trip. The young forward was assigned to the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday, but is already back up after the Blues were pummeled by the Calgary Flames yesterday.
  • Matt Tennyson has been reassigned by the Buffalo Sabres and will be heading down to the AHL to join the Rochester Americans. The Sabres made several adjustments to their defense corps this weekend, including recalling Brendan Guhle and putting Lawrence Pilut on injured reserve. Tennyson has been bouncing up and down all season, and will likely be up again before long.
  • Cory Schneider has been placed on injured reserve with an abdominal strain, leading to a recall of Mackenzie Blackwood from the minor leagues. Blackwood has good numbers in the minor leagues but has yet to make an appearance at the NHL level.

Tampa Bay Lightning Juggles Roster To Keep Erik Cernak With Team

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It looks like the Tampa Bay Lightning are about to get back defenseman Anton Stralman, as the team activated him off of injured reserve for tonight’s game with Winnipeg, but rather than assign impressive rookie Erik Cernak to the AHL, the team instead opted to place forward Mathieu Joseph on IR instead, according to CapFriendly. That should give the team a little more time to decide what to do with Cernak.

The Lightning have liked what they’ve seen from Cernak since he was recalled on Nov. 13. The right-shot defenseman has already appeared in 16 games and has five assists as well as a plus-eight rating and already has outshined the team’s seventh defenseman Slater Koekkoek. However, considering the 21-year-old doesn’t need to pass through waivers is counting against him. Regardless, the team seems to be doing everything it can to keep him on their roster. He is getting solid minutes with the club, as he has exceeded the 20-minutes mark four of his last seven games. While playing time might be harder to get with Stralman back in the fold, the team isn’t ready for Cernak to depart.

“He’s developing at a faster pace than any of us thought,” head coach Jon Cooper said. “When he left camp I’m not sure he sat there and thought he’d play any games in the NHL. Now he’s just under 20. He’s left a great impression on us. And he’s still with us.”

Joseph was considered to be day-to-day with a lower-body injury, but Cooper referred to him as extremely doubtful earlier today. He was injured on Dec. 8 against Colorado, but tried to play through it Monday. By placing him on IR retroactive to that date, Joseph would have to sit at least two more games, giving the team time to decide what to do. The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that the team has several options, which includes opting to keep him on the roster permanently and putting either Danick Martel or Koekkoek on waivers to free up a roster spot. It could also send Koekkoek on a conditioning assignment, considering he hasn’t played in a month. However, if the team can’t guarantee Cernak consistent minutes, they might be better off sending him back to the Syracuse Crunch.

“He’s on our team,” Cooper said of Cernak on Friday. “In the organization, there’s on the team and in the lineup. There’s a whole bunch of steps in there. But he’s really opened our eyes. And he’s completely added depth to our organization, to our team. How things play out when Stralman comes back? You want everyone healthy. You want to be able to have different players in the arsenal. So we’ll see where it goes from there.”

While the team is focused on this year, the team also has to consider their future on defense as the Lightning must deal with serious cap issues this offseason and have three unrestricted free agents on defense coming up, including Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Dan Girardi. Koekkoek also will be a restricted free agent himself. Getting Cernak into a regular role now could ease some of the concern next year if the team has to let several of those players go.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Brendan Guhle, Place Lawrence Pilut On IR

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The Buffalo Sabres lost a promising defenseman Sunday when they placed Lawrence Pilut on injured reserve, but didn’t have to look far for another defensive talent as the team announced it has recalled defenseman Brendan Guhle from the Rochester Americans of the AHL.

Guhle has been long considered to be a top defensive prospect for the team and finished the season on the Sabres’ blueline last season, playing 18 games and tallying five assists. The 2015 second-round pick has been playing well while waiting another chance in Rochester. He has put up three goals and 13 points in 25 games and is just another talented defensive talent in their loaded cupboard of prospects. How long he stays is unknown as the team has several players on injured reserve now. Including Pilut, the team also is without Jake McCabe and Casey Nelson. McCabe went onto IR on Nov. 29 with an upper-body injury and has missed seven games, while Nelson has missed four games after being put on IR with an upper-body injury on Dec. 8.

Pilut has been incredibly impressive since his initial recall from Rochester on Nov. 27. His play had the general belief that he would remain with the team for the rest of the year. However, Pilut went down with a lower-body injury earlier in the week and was listed as day-to-day after missing Saturday’s game against Washington. The 22-year-old was signed this summer as an undrafted free agent after a breakout year in the SHL in which he eight goals and 38 points in 52 games there. While he didn’t make the Sabres’ opening day roster, he has dominated in Rochester, posting three goals and 22 points in 16 games and currently has two assists in six NHL games.

Calgary Flames Activate Mikael Backlund, Recall Kerby Rychel

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Despite having won seven of their last eight games, the red hot Calgary Flames continue to improve their lineup as the team announced it has taken center Mikael Backlund off injured reserve, while recalling Kerby Rychel, the leading scorer on the Stockton Heat. The team also sent Andrew Mangiapane and goaltender Jon Gillies back to the AHL.

Backlund has been on IR since Dec. 8 and has missed four games. The 29-year-old has five goals and 17 points in 29 games this season, but is a key figure centering the team’s second line. Veteran Derek Ryan has been filling in for him, but the infusion of Backlund should invigorate a tired team who is playing the second game of a back-to-back set. The team also brought in Rychel, who has been extremely effective in Stockton where he has already tallied 13 goals and 21 points in 25 games this season. He was acquired in an offseason trade with Montreal for Hunter Shinkaruk. Rychel made four appearances with the Canadiens last season scoring one goal and an assist.

With the healthy return of Mike Smith in goal who is expected to serve as a backup Sunday, the team had no use for Gillies, who just served as a backup Saturday. Gillies hasn’t made an appearance for Calgary this year. Mangiapane was recalled on Nov. 30 and has appeared in seven games since then, but hasn’t gotten on the scoreboard. The 22-year-old had seven goals and seven assists in Stockton.

 

 

Minor Transactions: 12/16/18

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Alex Ovechkin scored again for the Washington Capitals last night, his seventh goal in his last three games and likely a spot on the Three Stars list this week. The superstar forward now has 29 goals in 32 games this season and is setting new career highs of one sort or another nearly every night. Now 33, Ovechkin sits 15th all-time in NHL goals and could very well pass Dave Andreychuk in the next few games. While we wait to see his next trick, stick right here to follow all the minor moves around the league.

  • The New York Rangers recalled Boo Nieves last night in preparation of their afternoon tilt with the Vegas Golden Knights today. Nieves has seven points in 12 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, but has yet to make his NHL debut this season. The 24-year old has just 29 games under his belt at this level and is still looking for a real opportunity to show what made him a second-round pick in 2012.
  • After the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to Vegas Sunday, the Rangers made more moves as they announced they have recalled goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the Hartford Wolf Pack, while assigning Matt Beleskey and Dustin Tokarski to the AHL team. Georgiev has split time between the Rangers and Hartford, but the 22-year-old has struggled in both places so far this year. Beleskey has appeared in four games this month and has a goal, while Tokarski has yet to make an appearance for the Rangers this season.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer and Stefan Elliott to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. That likely suggests that Ottawa is close to getting back Mark Borowiecki and/or Dylan DeMelo back from injury. Burgdoerfer appeared in three games on this callup, while Elliott appeared in two games and had an assist.
  • After the team’s 3-0 victory over Arizona today, the Carolina Hurricanes have assigned three players to the AHL as the team announced that goaltender Scott Darling and forwards Clark Bishop and Janne Kuokkanen have been returned to the Charlotte Checkers. With Carolina not playing again until Thursday, the team may just be giving playing time to all three, although the team might also have the hope that Micheal Ferland, Jordan Staal and Curtis McElhinney might all be healthy enough to play then.
  • The Minnesota Wild have returned winger Luke Kunin to Iowa of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions Page.  He played in three games with Minnesota after being recalled earlier in the week, averaging just shy of 13 minutes per night of playing time.  However, with both Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker expected to return on Tuesday, there’s no longer a spot in the lineup for Kunin.  He’ll return to Iowa where he sits fifth in scoring with 15 points in 21 games.

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