Central Notes: Makar, Dunn, Morrissey, Vesalainen
The Colorado Avalanche may be focused on the present, but their future looks bright as well. Not only do the Avalanche have the Ottawa Senators first-round pick this season, which could be a lottery pick despite the team’s success early on this year, the team likes what it sees from Cale Makar, the fourth-overall pick in 2017.
The 19-year-old, who is in his sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has been dominating so far in the early games of the season. UMass reports that Makar leads the NCAA already in points/game with 2.33 as he has three goals and seven points in three games. Makar, who had a good season last year, had just 21 points in 34 games last season, putting him way ahead of where he was a year ago. There continue to be rumors that he’ll sign with the Avalanche after this collegiate season.
- The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) answers questions in a mailbag session and points out that the St. Louis Blues intend to put more responsibilities on the shoulders of second-year defenseman Vince Dunn, who has struggled getting minutes early in the season and has been scratched twice. However, Rutherford writes that the Blues believe he’s been one of their most effective defenders and is likely to receive top-four minutes from now on. Evidently, Dunn suffered through back issues over the summer and wasn’t able to get into top shape before the season started. Now that he’s almost back to the shape he was in last year, Dunn is likely to see an uptick in minutes. He’s already expected to be paired on the top defensive line with Alex Pietrangelo.
- In a notebook, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek (subscription required) writes that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey is developing nicely after being drafted as an offensive-only defenseman back in 2013. Since then, he’s developed into an excellent shutdown defender and with Jacob Trouba, combine as the team’s shutdown defensive line against other team’s top players. However, when veteran defenseman Dustin Byfuglien went down with an injury last week, Morrissey was given his job on the No. 1 powerplay and still maintains that job despite Byfuglien’s return. Byfuglien has moved to the No. 2 power play role.
- With the Winnipeg Jets sending 2017 first-round pick Kristian Vesalainen down to Manitoba of the AHL Friday, Moose head coach Pascal Vincent said that the goal is to give the 19-year-old lots of minutes, especially on the power play to get him more ready to eventually return to Winnpeg. “…we want to put him in a position to be successful so he is going to play a lot of minutes and on the power play and I think for his development that’s the right thing,” Vincent said (via Dave Minuk of illegalcurve.com).
St. Louis Assigns Nikita Soshnikov To AHL For Conditioning Stint
The St. Louis Blues have activated forward Nikita Soshnikov from LTIR and have announced they have loaned him to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL for a five-game LTI conditioning stint.
Soshnikov, who suffered a concussion in the preseason after taking a puck to the ear, will try to regain his form over those five AHL games and could be eligible to return to the Blues for their Nov. 1 game at home against Vegas.
The 25-year-old was acquired by St. Louis in a mid-season trade from Toronto last season in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round pick. Soshnikov, who couldn’t crack the Maple Leafs’ lineup last season, did appear in 12 games for the Blues once he arrived, posting a goal and an assist. He did play in 56 games for Toronto during the 2016-17 season, posting five goals and nine points. Upon his return, he should compete for bottom-six minutes with the team.
Soshnikov’s agent, Dan Milstein, first announced the transaction.
Edmonton Oilers Place Matt Benning On Injured Reserve
The Edmonton Oilers are set to make some changes on the back end, at least for the time being. The team announced today that they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. The nature of Benning’s injury has not been disclosed and the team gave no timeline for a return, but the injury did occur in last night’s game against the Boston Bruins and his IR assignment means Benning will miss at least ten days and the Oilers’ next five games. In a corresponding move, Kevin Gravel has been recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
Benning’s injury is somewhat ironic. The 24-year-old blue liner was actually the aggressor on a questionable hit up high on Boston forward David Backes early in Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime win for Edmonton (video). Benning received neither a penalty nor a second look from the league on the hit, which sent Backes to the locker room for the the remainder of the period. Backes returned later on, yet it was Bruins draft pick Benning ruled out not long after with an undisclosed injury. Now, Benning lands on the injured reserve even though he nearly landed a serious head shot on Backes. It is worth noting that Benning, teammate Ty Rattie, and Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller all left last night’s chippy contest.
Benning’s absence will allow free agent addition Gravel the chance to re-establish himself at the NHL level. A signing from the Los Angeles Kings, Gravel fully expected to have a role in Edmonton to begin this season. However, the emergence of rookie Evan Bouchard and a successful tryout from veteran Jason Garrison forced Gravel down to the AHL to begin the year. A physical, stay-at-home defender, Gravel has skated in 70 NHL games over the past three seasons and contributed 93 hits and 84 blocked shots as a gritty presence on the back end. The 26-year-old brings a different skill set from Benning, but should provide an edge and a solid game in his own end for the Oilers while he replaces his injured teammate. A strong showing could earn Gravel a long-term stay in Edmonton.
David Ullstrom, Eric Gryba, Brian Lashoff On Waivers
Friday: All three players have cleared. Gryba and Ullstrom have both been assigned to the minor leagues, Binghamton and Tucson respectively.
Thursday: According to Craig Morgan of The Athletic, the Arizona Coyotes have placed David Ullstrom on waivers, indicating that he is close to recovered from his most recent injury. Ullstrom was on season-opening injured reserve to this point, but will report to the Tucson Roadrunners if he clears waivers. Eric Gryba of the New Jersey Devils has also been placed on waivers according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic, and Brian Lashoff finds himself in the same situation according to CapFriendly. Cory Conacher meanwhile has cleared and will be assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, while Phillip Di Giuseppe has cleared but will remain with the Carolina Hurricanes for now.
Ullstrom, now 29, has been an enigma for his entire career. Selected 102nd overall in 2008, early on he looked like a steal for the New York Islanders given his size and speed while playing center on a regular basis. It’s hard to find quality centers that late in the draft, and when he made his North American debut in 2010 he found immediate success with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL, scoring 41 points in 67 games. Unfortunately, that would be his career high at any level to this point.
After two cups of coffee with the Islanders in which he rarely showed the kind of promise he had in the minor leagues, Ullstrom was off to the KHL where he’d bounce around to five different teams. He returned to Sweden in 2017 to play for his former club, HV71, but signed with the Coyotes this summer to give the NHL another crack. He hasn’t played this season due to injury, and now he’ll have to make his mark in the minor leagues once again. All the measurables are there with Ullstrom, but he’s never been able to put it all together for a prolonged period of time.
Gryba on the other hand is a veteran defenseman just looking for a way back into the NHL. After not seeing the minor leagues for a few consecutive seasons, he found himself back in the AHL last year after being waived by the Edmonton Oilers. A buyout followed in the summer, and Gryba had to work to earn himself a contract this year with the Devils. Unfortunately, that hasn’t turned into any NHL action just yet. A trip to waivers might be the best thing for him, given the need for defensemen around the league, and his $700K cap hit may be attractive to some teams—even perhaps Edmonton, who has had trouble with the bottom of their group. There’s a real chance that Gryba is claimed, but if not he’ll have to face the minor leagues once again.
Lashoff too is coming off season-opening injured reserve, and seems unlikely to be claimed at this point. The veteran defenseman has played just 17 NHL games since 2014, and is a full-time minor league player for the Detroit Red Wings. He’ll likely spend the entire season in the minor leagues unless the Red Wings are hit with more injuries to their defense, but even then the franchise would likely turn to younger more dynamic options.
Cory Schneider Activated, Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The New Jersey Devils are doing just fine with Keith Kinkaid as their starting goaltender, but will soon get back someone who aims on taking his job. Cory Schneider has been activated from the injured non-roster list, and will now be sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan. Schneider is coming back from hip surgery, and looking to reclaim his place as a starting goaltender in the NHL. The team has also sent Eric Gryba to the minor leagues after clearing waivers, to open up room for Schneider who will still count towards the NHL roster.
Now 32, it has been a few seasons since Schneider really stood out as an elite goaltender in the league. Once a lasting presence on the NHL leaderboards, he’s carried just a .908 save percentage through his last 100 games and will have to really show his worth to overtake Kinkaid in the New Jersey net. That will be a difficult task seeing as Kinkaid is currently 4-1 with a .941 save percentage, but there’s still at least one thing in Schneider’s favor—money. The Devils owe Schneider $6MM for this season and three more, meaning their hands are somewhat tied when it comes to goaltending. With Kinkaid scheduled for unrestricted free agency in 2019, they might not be able to afford both.
That should give the Devils all the motivation they need to get Schneider back into the net on a regular basis, given that their future might rely on him. This team looks ready to compete for the playoffs for the next several years with their young core, and will need a solid goaltender to get them there. It does put pressure on the former All-Star to perform though, given that the team has a capable option to use this season instead of him. Schneider has been working hard all summer to come back from his latest injury, and will face his next test when he gets into some game action this weekend.
Minor Transactions: 10/19/18
The Pittsburgh Penguins showed the Toronto Maple Leafs what center depth was really about, and the Edmonton Oilers squeaked out their home opener in front of a rabid fan base. Last night was a good one in the NHL, and there are three more prime matchups for this evening. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to get ready for the weekend right here:
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Nick Paul from the AHL, as they get ready for their matchup tomorrow night. With Brady Tkachuk the latest to be put on injured reserve, the Senators were down to just 12 healthy forwards and needed to recall at least one more. The team actually still only has 21 players on the roster, and could make additional moves before taking on the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow.
- Kristian Vesalainen has been sent down by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning he could potentially see his contract slide once again. Vesalainen has played in five NHL games so far, meaning he’d need another five in order to burn the first season of his entry-level deal. If the Jets let him play in the minor leagues instead, they’ll save a year of cheap production.
Anaheim Ducks Trade Mitch Hults
The Anaheim Ducks were getting close to the 50-contract limit after signing Jake Dotchin recently, so have decided to send Mitch Hults to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for future considerations. Hults was playing with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, and will now immediately report to the Syracuse Crunch.
One has to wonder if this trade has even more to do with the Dotchin situation, given that it was the Lightning who terminated his contract in training camp after he showed up overweight, but regardless Tampa Bay will add another prospect to their system. Hults doesn’t bring a ton of offensive upside to the table despite his strong numbers in the NCAA, and instead will add some size to the Crunch and give them a little more depth up front. As a rookie last year he did score 24 points in 53 games, but at this point it doesn’t look like he has a real NHL future.
Hults will turn 24 next month and went undrafted out of the USHL, though there was certainly interest in him coming out of college. Perhaps the Lightning’s development team can turn him into a worthwhile bottom-six player, but the first thing they’ll do is get him playing for the AHL squad. He becomes the 49th player under contract for the Lightning, meaning they’re closing in on handcuffing themselves when it comes to any college free agents this year. Though they still do have one spot, we may see them move another contract out at some point to free up room for waiver claims or free agent signings.
Jan Kovar Signs Professional Tryout With Providence Bruins
The New York Islanders made a quick decision in training camp that Jan Kovar had been a mistake, terminating his contract just a few months after signing him to a one-year $2MM deal. Many expected Kovar to return overseas to play in the KHL or another European league after clearing waivers, but as Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports, he’s now signed on with the Providence Bruins of the AHL on a professional tryout agreement. That would suggest that the Boston Bruins are at least willing to take a look at him to see if he can help their organization, either at the NHL or AHL level.
Kovar, 28, signed out of the KHL but ended up failing to make the Islanders out of training camp. When the team tried to send him to the minor leagues, he didn’t report and eventually agreed to a mutual termination. It’s interesting that he’s now willing to play at the AHL level, after refusing to do so just a few weeks ago with the Islanders. His agent, Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, tweeted out that Kovar plans on playing for Providence for a few weeks before evaluating his “NHL options.” It was believed that there was more than one suitor who approached the Czech forward this summer, and perhaps someone else will come forward with a new contract.
It’s not hard to see why there was interest, given Kovar’s success in the KHL. Though his 2017-18 was a down year with just 35 points, he’d recorded four straight seasons of at least 20 goals and 50 points prior to that, and had previously dominated the Czech professional league as well. There’s plenty of talent there, and experience at the international level against some of the world’s best players. Kovar has competed in several World Championships for the Czech Republic, and even suited up at the last Olympic Games, leading his country with five points in six games.
If there’s enough there for the Bruins to take a look, one has to wonder if they would sign the veteran forward to try and give the team another offensive option lower in the lineup. Sometimes referred to as a “one line team” this season, Boston has been relying heavily on the trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak to create offense. In fact, David Krejci is the only other forward on the team with more than two points, and even he hasn’t scored a goal this season. Giving Kovar a place to play for a few weeks doesn’t hold much risk, and could potentially pay off for the team in the long run.
Minor Transactions: 10/18/18
Another big night in the NHL with nine games on the schedule including Sidney Crosby facing the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs, and a Metropolitan clash between the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. We’ll keep track of all the last minute moves right here as teams prepare for the night’s action:
- Danick Martel has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning stint by the Tampa Bay Lightning, after being claimed off waivers during training camp. Martel played four games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season but will try to carve out an even bigger role in the Tampa Bay organization. A minor league offensive weapon, the undrafted Martel is looking to follow the path set by Yanni Gourde for the Lightning and go from undersized QMJHL scoring phenom to contributing NHL winger.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that they have assigned center Chase De Leo back to San Diego of the AHL. He was recalled back on Tuesday and did not get into a game with the big club. In four games with the Gulls in the minors, he has a goal and three assists.
- With Jonathan Quick set to return from injured reserve, the Los Angeles Kings have returned veteran goaltender Peter Budaj to Ontario of the AHL. He got into Saturday’s loss against Ottawa, allowing one goal on eleven shots in half of the game.
- After clearing waivers earlier in the week, the Vancouver Canucks have now assigned defenseman Alex Biega to Utica (AHL), via the AHL’s Transactions Page. Biega hasn’t spent much time in the minors lately, suiting up in just one game for the Comets since 2015-16. However, he’ll at least get some playing time, something that wouldn’t have been the case had he stayed in Vancouver.
- The New York Rangers have swapped backup goaltenders, loaning Alexandar Georgiev to AHL Hartford while recalling Marek Mazanec. Georgiev is just 22 and has only played once this season which isn’t ideal for a young prospect. He’ll get some extra playing time in with the Wolf Pack while Mazanec is no stranger to being a backup in the NHL having spent parts of three seasons in that role with Nashville.
Minor Transactions: 10/17/18
Lots of activity on the waiver wire today was followed by some minor moves, and we’ll keep track of all of them right here:
- The New York Islanders have sent Stephen Gionta back to the AHL now that Casey Cizikas is ready to return to action. Gionta recently cleared waivers after being signed by the Islanders, and will likely be a common call-up this season. The 35-year old forward played one game with New York, but will report to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to continue his professional career for now.
- Sheldon Rempal is on his way up to join the Los Angeles Kings after his outstanding start at the AHL level. The former Clarkson University forward has eight points through his first four professional games, and has impressed enough to be recalled to the NHL. The Kings have already had trouble scoring this season, and the 23-year old Rempal could add some offensive punch to the lineup if he can make it in.
- After being recalled yesterday to maximize the cap flexibility of placing Justin Schultz on long-term injured reserve, Jeff Taylor has been returned to the minor leagues by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The move was just a paper transaction to help the Penguins with their salary situation, and Taylor was never intended to play in the NHL at this point.
- Eamon McAdam has been returned to the minor leagues, indicating that Frederik Andersen is ready to get back on the ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Interestingly, McAdam has been sent to the AHL this time instead of the ECHL where he’d been playing, meaning Kasimir Kaskisuo is likely still out with the injury he suffered on the weekend. McAdam didn’t get into a game for the Maple Leafs, but was just a Garret Sparks injury away from making his NHL debut.
- Libor Sulak has been sent to the AHL by the Detroit Red Wings, despite the young defenseman playing relatively well in his first taste of NHL action. The Red Wings will activate Trevor Daley to take his spot, but there is a bright future for Sulak with the team.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled veteran Matt Read from the AHL to replace Matt Hendricks, who is headed for injured reserve. Read, 32, was signed to a one-year two-way contract in the summer but failed to make the club out of training camp. He’ll try to stake a claim to a fourth line spot while Hendricks is out, and show that he can still be a valuable NHL player.