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Carolina Hurricanes Recall Scott Darling From Charlotte

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The Carolina Hurricanes on again, off again relationship with goaltender Scott Darling continues as the Hurricanes have recalled him with current starter Curtis McElhinney dealing with a lower-body injury. The team hopes that the 29-year-old, who was placed on waivers on Nov. 29, can regain his form this time around.

Darling has hardly been a success since the Hurricanes picked up Darling in an offseason trade in 2017. Carolina immediately signed the heralded backup in Chicago to a four-year, $16.6MM contract, but he struggled when he took over as a full-time starter with a 3.18 GAA and a .888 save percentage in 43 games. The team had high hopes that Darling would bounce back this season as there was constant talk during the offseason that Darling had been working out incredibly hard. However, the results weren’t impressive early in training camp and the team claimed McElhinney off waivers from Toronto to help out in net, giving the team three goaltenders with backup Petr Mrazek in tow as well. However, his numbers were just as bad during the regular season in seven appearances as he posted a 3.14 GAA and a .892 save percentage.

No team claimed Darling as his poor numbers and high-priced contract was too much for any team. However, he has fared much better with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL over the last couple of weeks as he has made five appearances and has a 2.35 GAA and a .911 save percentage. He was pulled in last night’s game against the Springfield Thunderbirds, but it was likely because the team learned of the call-up then.

Minor Transactions: 12/08/18

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With ten games on deck today spanning nine hours from first to last puck drop, there is plenty of NHL hockey to watch. The Flyers and Sabres get the action started with an early afternoon matinee, followed by the Golden Knights and Kings with their own early game on the west coast, and then eight contests later tonight, highlighted by Maple Leafs-Bruins, Lightning-Avalanche, Capitals-Blue Jackets, and Predators-Flames. In preparation, expect a flurry of moves today as teams align their rosters for Saturday’s games and beyond:

  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Michael Bunting from the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, the team announced. Bunting is off to a strong start in the minors this season, currently tied for second on the Roadrunners in scoring with 18 points through 20 games. Bunting led the club in goal scoring last season and finished third in points and his continued success begs for a look at the NHL level. This is not Bunting’s first recall, yet he has not actually seen any game action with Arizona just yet. That could change this week as the ’Yotes look to fend off tough competition in the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres.
  • As expected, the Calgary Flames have called up forward Alan Quine, per a team release, making it his first recall of the season and first with the club. Quine signed with the Flames this summer, expecting to compete for a regular role, but has instead been relegated to a full-time job with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He’s certainly made the most of that situation, recording 19 points in 15 games, among the top per-game producers in the AHL. With Mikael Backlund joining Michael Frolik on the shelf for Calgary, Quine should slot in nicely as a capable two-way forward. A strong performance could make it difficult for the team to send him back down to the minors at first opportunity. The Calgary Flames also announced they have recalled defenseman Rinat Valiev from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. He likely was brought up as an emergency option for the team with back-to-back games approaching on Saturday vs. Nashville and Sunday in Edmonton. The 23-year-old is already on his third NHL team after the Flames picked him up right before the season from Montreal in exchange for Brett Kulak. Valiev has three assists in 20 games for Stockton this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have returned defenseman Cameron Schilling to Manitoba of the AHL, reports Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.  He suited up in four games while on recall, his first NHL action since the 2014-15 season.  With Dustin Byfuglien and Dmitry Kulikov both returning on Friday, Schilling was no longer needed to serve as injury depth and will return to the Moose where he has six assists in 15 games so far this season.
  • The New York Rangers announced that they have recalled center Cole Schneider from Hartford of the AHL.  He is tied for second on the Wolf Pack in scoring with eight goals and nine assists in 25 games so far this season.  If he gets into a game with New York, it will be his first NHL action in more than two years.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have returned winger Saku Maenalanen and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to AHL Charlotte, per a team release.  Maenalanen made his NHL debut last night, logging just 6:49 of ice time.  He has 11 points in 23 games so far with the Checkers.  As for Nedeljkovic, he was recalled to serve as the backup last night with Curtis McElhinney dealing with a minor injury and will now go back to Charlotte where he will likely split playing time with Scott Darling.

 

Edmonton Oilers Make Several Roster Changes

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The Edmonton Oilers have made a few swaps on their roster, recalling Cooper Marody from the minor leagues and activating recently claimed forward Valentin Zykov. To make room, the team has moved Drake Caggiula to injured reserve, and assigned Patrick Russell back to Bakersfield of the AHL.

Most interesting in the bunch is Zykov, who was claimed off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of November but hasn’t yet played a game for the organization. The 23-year old forward has some lofty offensive potential as shown by his AHL-leading 33 goals for the Charlotte Checkers last season, but hasn’t been able to fulfill it at the NHL level. That is to say, not on a full-time basis at least. Zykov does have 11 points in 25 career games, which actually comes out to a 36-point full season pace, a total the Oilers would likely take at this point.

Through 28 games, the Oilers sit 14-12-2 on the year and can thank just a handful of players for nearly all of their success. Outside of their three big forwards, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the rest of the team has been nearly invisible through the first third of the season. Alex Chiasson has been a nice addition with 11 goals, but no other forward even has more than 10 points on the year.

If Zykov can find some of that offensive success he showed at the minor league level, there’s no reason to think the Oilers wouldn’t push him into a full-time, top-six role. The team simply hasn’t gotten enough from the wings this year, and has had trouble finding linemates to skate with McDavid and company. Cagguila, who at times looks like a perfect fit for the top line, has just 10 points in 23 games and is now dealing with a hand injury. You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to make an impact, one that Marody or Zykov (or both) will need to take advantage of.

Filip Zadina Will Go To World Juniors, Michael Rasmussen Will Not

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The Detroit Red Wings have made some decisions on which of their young players they’ll allow to play in the upcoming World Junior Championship. Michael Rasmussen, who has been playing in the NHL this season will not leave the Red Wings to join Canada according to Dhiren Mahiban, who spoke with head coach Jeff Blashill. Filip Zadina though, who has spent the season playing in the AHL, will be released to join the Czech Republic for the tournament. Zadina isn’t expected to leave the Grand Rapids Griffins until just before the tournament, but Blashill told Max Bultman of The Athletic that he’s excited for the young forward’s opportunity:

I think it’s great for him. … I think he can go to play for Czech and be the man, and I think there’s nothing like the confidence that you get when you produce offensively and you have the ability to control the game.

Zadina, 19, was the sixth overall pick in June’s draft despite being rumored to be in contention for the top three picks at one point. His fall is Detroit’s gain, snapping him up to immediately inject some high-end scoring talent into their prospect system. The team was eventually allowed to send him to the AHL instead of back to the QMJHL where he played last season, and Zadina has excelled with 15 points in his first 23 games as a North American professional. That success should carry over to the World Juniors, where he was already a dominant presence last year alongside Martin Necas. Zadina’s seven goals trailed only Kieffer Bellows’ nine for the tournament lead, and this year should be more of the same.

The fact that Rasmussen will not be released to join Team Canada comes as no surprise, given that he is playing regularly for the Red Wings this year. Another high draft pick, ninth overall in 2017, Rasmussen turned heads at training camp and earned a spot despite his still developing offensive game. Things really started to click for the 6’6″ center in the WHL playoffs last season, where he scored an incredible 33 points in 14 games for the Tri-City Americans. Though he has just nine points in 26 games for the Red Wings this year, the development he’s receiving by being around the team on a daily basis is clearly worth more to the organization than a few weeks at a junior tournament.

Canada meanwhile has plenty of options down the middle already, likely adding another reason to the decision to keep Rasmussen in Detroit. There is no guarantee that he would even play a big role on the team, something that Zadina is assured of. In fact, another Detroit prospect Joe Veleno might actually get an increased role given Rasmussen’s absence, as part of a center group that also includes Cody Glass, Gabe Vilardi, Barrett Hayton and Ty Dellandrea among others.

Minor Transactions: 12/06/18

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After a quiet Wednesday night in the NHL the league scheduler is back in action with 11 games on tap for tonight. That includes some prime divisional matchups in the Eastern Conference and a big game between the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames. While we wait for the action to get started this evening, we’ll keep track of all the minor roster moves made ahead of time.

  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Brian Lashoff in time for their game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Danny DeKeyser’s recent hand injury, the team was left with just six healthy defensemen for the game. It’s unlikely that Lashoff is inserted into the lineup, but will serve as insurance in case anyone is injured over the next few hours.
  • Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled their own defenseman, as Gabriel Carlsson is on his way back to the NHL. Carlsson has played just a single game for the Blue Jackets this season, but is a huge part of their future blue line plans after being selected in the first round in 2015. His long reach and defensive ability should come in handy if the team puts him into the lineup right away.
  • In a somewhat surprising move, the Dallas Stars have sent Roope Hintz to the AHL. If the move is anything more than a paper transaction to save some cap space during a day between games, it makes the loss of Gemel Smith on waivers even more questionable. The Stars were already carrying just 22 players after the loss of Smith, meaning they could activate Martin Hanzal from long-term injured reserve.
  • Nelson Nogier made his season debut for the Winnipeg Jets this week, but is already on his way back to the minor leagues. The Jets made the move earlier today, expecting one of their regular defensemen to be ready when they get back on the ice. Nogier will surely get another chance, but for now will have to continue his development in the AHL.
  • Matt Beleskey is on his way back to the Rangers who announced that they have recalled him from Hartford of the AHL.  His stint in the minors was short-lived as he was sent down back on Sunday.  The veteran has played just once with New York this season but has been productive in the minors with nine points in 14 games.

Canucks Continue To Look For NHL Fit For Sam Gagner

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One of the more surprising decisions this season has come from the Vancouver Canucks, who found themselves with too many forwards to start the year. Because of that, the team waived and assigned veteran Sam Gagner to the minor leagues, loaning him to the Toronto Marlies so that he could be close to family if he were to be playing in the AHL. That looked like the end of his Canucks career, but amazingly just a few weeks later Vancouver found themselves in need and recalled Gagner once again. In fact, after his recall Gagner immediately went to an important spot in the lineup and rejoined a Canucks powerplay.

Now, the team has sent Gagner back to the minor leagues once again, and back to Toronto to play for the Marlies. Again it would seem like his time is over in Vancouver, but at this point no one can be sure. What is known though, is that Canucks GM Jim Benning is open to moving Gagner to another NHL team if he can find a good fit for him. The Vancouver executive told The Province that the team continues to look for opportunities for Gagner around the league and notes that as teams start incurring injuries there could be an opening.

Just this week, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet suggested that the Chicago Blackhawks could have some interest in Gagner, though Benning would not comment on specifics. As with almost any team acquiring the veteran forward, the finances might be tight. Gagner carries a cap hit of $3.15MM this season, but it’s the additional year on his current contract that quite severely limits his appeal. Taking him on at this point would be a risk for any team hoping to recapture some of the magic that made him a 50-point man in Columbus two seasons ago, a mark he had never reached previously in his career. If it goes south, like it has in Vancouver, being on the hook for another $3.15MM next season is a deal breaker for a team like Chicago.

If then it would take a retained salary transaction to move him, what is the benefit for the Canucks? The team currently has plenty of cap space to carry his buried contract, and he’s shown the ability to step right back into an NHL role and produce. Gagner did after all have three points in seven games after being recalled from Toronto, and played admirably given the circumstances. The value he brings as a veteran option that can be recalled at any time may be worth more than any return, meaning a trade would be entirely for his sake. That might be exactly what happens in this situation though, as Benning told The Province: “if something is there, we’ll do it.”

Duncan Siemens Signs AHL Contract With Milwaukee Admirals

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It’s hard to look at Duncan Siemens’ career so far and consider it anything but a disappointment. Selected 11th overall in the 2011 draft by the Colorado Avalanche, he wouldn’t play his first NHL game for nearly another four years, and even then was only a one-hit wonder. Going into last season, he had just four games under his belt with the Avalanche, and zero career points. The big, bruising defenseman had struggled to do much more than hit people even at the minor league level, and the game was quickly transitioning away from that style of hockey.

Then, during the second half of last season he got his first real opportunity. With the Avalanche showing they were better than many expected, Siemens played 15 games down the stretch and showed he might be able to hack it at the NHL level after all. Now 24, he was given limited minutes but responded with a hard-nosed physical style and even scored his first career goal. When the Avalanche went into their first round playoff series against the Nashville Predators, Siemens was there as one of the regular defensemen and played in five of the six games (though sparingly).

Unfortunately, last season was also one in which the Avalanche strengthened their future blue line considerably. Finding a role player like Patrik Nemeth, trading for Samuel Girard, and continuing the development of young prospects like Cale Makar and Conor Timmins, there wasn’t any room left in the plan for Siemens. It didn’t help that the team secured Ian Cole in free agency, another left-handed defenseman. Siemens was left without a qualifying offer and searching for a job. A tryout with the Calgary Flames didn’t turn into a real opportunity, and the now 25-year old defenseman looked like he might be on his way out of professional hockey. Instead, today he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals where he will spend the rest of the season.

Siemens will still be an unrestricted free agent after the deal concludes, meaning this is a real chance to show an NHL organization that he can be at least a depth option going forward. If he can adapt to the newer, faster NHL—skating was never really Siemens’ problem—perhaps he can secure a new NHL contract next summer.

Gemel Smith Placed On Waivers By Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have made a move up front to create some room for the imminent return of Martin Hanzal, placing Gemel Smith on waivers today according to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic. Shapiro tweeted yesterday that the Stars were making a decision between sending Roope Hintz back to the AHL or waiving Smith, and they’ve now apparently chose the latter option.

Smith, 24, has played 77 games with the Stars since the beginning of the 2016-17 season but hasn’t been able to establish himself as the consistent bottom-six option many believed he could be. The fourth-round pick has 11 goals and 20 points in those 77 games, but has been played so sparingly that it’s not surprising to see him on the way out. There is some reason to believe he could be claimed, given his relative youth and inexpensive contract—Smith carries just a $720K cap hit—but given that he already cleared waivers in the offseason the more likely result is he will be sent to the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Interestingly, if Smith does make it through to the minor leagues and spends the rest of the season there the Stars will likely be sacrificing him as an asset altogether. Turning 25 in April, Smith will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency after this season if he fails to play in another three NHL games. Even if he does get into another few games, the fact that he has been passed over on the Stars depth chart and is arbitration eligible once again makes him a candidate to go unqualified by the team in the offseason anyway.

Minor Transactions: 12/05/18

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Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel put on a show in Buffalo, while the 80’s were alive and well in Columbus last night with the Blue Jackets and Flames combining for 15 goals. After an extremely entertaining Tuesday night, the league has just three games on the docket for this evening. As teams prepare for those games and the upcoming weekend, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • Dean Kukan hasn’t played for the Columbus Blue Jackets in some time, so the team has decided to send him to the AHL on a conditioning loan. That loan can last up to 14 days and will give Kukan a chance to get his legs back under him in a real game. The 25-year old defenseman has played in just six contests this season, and would require waivers to be sent to AHL for any longer.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have sent Matt Tennyson back to the minor leagues, meaning Lawrence Pilut has likely earned himself a longer look in the NHL lineup. Tennyson has still yet to get into a game with the Sabres this season, but has one point in seven contests for the Rochester Americans.
  • Reid Duke, the first player in Vegas Golden Knights history, has been recalled by the club for the first time during a regular season. The Golden Knights have sent down Daniel Carr in his place, making Duke the 13th forward on the roster. Interestingly, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Max Pacioretty actually “tweaked something,” meaning Duke could potentially get into the lineup before long. The 22-year old forward has 13 points in 22 games for the Chicago Wolves this season.

Canucks Return Sam Gagner To Toronto Marlies

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Veteran forward Sam Gagner was surprised to find that he would not be starting the season at the NHL level after the Vancouver Canucks waived him and subsequently assigned him to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. However, Gagner got the call from the injury-plagued Canucks in mid-November and saw it as an opportunity to win back his job with Vancouver. Gagner’s efforts were clearly not enough, as the team announced today that they have returned Gagner to the Marlies.

In seven games in Vancouver, Gagner played a pivotal role for the Canucks, averaging more than 18 minutes of ice time per game. In fact, in his last game on Saturday, Gagner logged more than 19 minutes, among the Canucks’ top skaters that night. His ice time also included a healthy amount on the power play, where he has always been effective. Altogether, Gagner only recorded three points – a goal and two assists – but was crippled by a 5.9% shooting percentage that would currently go down as the lowest of his career and is far from the norm over his twelve seasons. Nevertheless, three points in seven games is far from overwhelming and Gagner was a non-factor defensively and a liability at the face-off dot during his brief call-up. Gagner could certainly be of benefit to Vancouver this season, but he certainly did not do enough to force their hand in keeping him, especially with trade acquisition Josh Leivo incoming and Jay Beagle getting close to a return.

The question now is whether or not Gagner improved his stock enough during the recall to rejuvenate his trade market. The likely end to Gagner’s time in Vancouver became a trade as soon as they waived and reassigned him earlier this season. A solid player with years of success at the NHL level, few believe Gagner should be relegated to the minors full-time, but no teams were willing to take on his full contract via waivers. After seeing him play big minutes again for the Canucks, as well as point-per-game production in the AHL, it is possible that competitors could begin putting in calls to Vancover GM Jim Benning.

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