Colorado Avalanche To Send Tyson Jost To San Antonio
While Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar spoke to the media today, he explained that Tyson Barrie won’t play tonight against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury that has been bothering him. According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, he also indicated that the team would be sending Tyson Jost down to San Antonio of the AHL. The demotion is to get Jost playing big minutes again and reclaim his timing and fitness after sitting out with injuries of his own for nearly a month.
Jost has played just six games with the Avalanche this season, dealing with lower-body injuries suffered when Adam McQuaid sent him awkwardly into the boards last week. Though he would return for a pair of games he eventually went onto injured reserve on October 22nd.
The 19-year old came into the season as a potential Calder Trophy contender, after looking sharp in his six-game taste at the end of last season. Jost left the University of North Dakota after just one season, and jumped right to the NHL to provide some excitement for an Avalanche fan base that had just endured one of the worst seasons on record. Selected 10th-overall in 2016, Jost is a big part of the next wave for the Avalanche.
This will be his first taste of AHL life, and the Rampage will surely welcome him in. Already armed with an excellent group from two different NHL organizations—the Avalanche and St. Louis Blues are providing players for the Rampage this season—Jost should help San Antonio even more up front. The idea of pairing him with someone like Klim Kostin or Tage Thompson will have prospect junkies drooling, though it’s not clear where Jost will feature as of yet. It likely won’t be long before he’s back with the Avalanche.
Nashville Predators Swap Saros, Lindback
In a surprising move, the Nashville Predators have sent goaltender Juuse Saros to the AHL and recalled Anders Lindback to take his place. After an incredible season last year, Saros looked ready to take on a bigger role with the Predators this season. Instead he’s struggled through four games, recording an .855 save percentage. Lindback meanwhile is leading the AHL in wins and carries a .918 save percentage through his first 11 games.
The move is likely to get the 22-year old Saros some more playing time and avoid stifling his development, but it does come with an interesting wrinkle. Lindback is not waiver-exempt, meaning the team only has a certain amount of time to swap them back before they would have to expose the older goaltender to the rest of the league. Since he cleared waivers before the season, he has 30 days (or 10 games) on the active roster before he needs to clear again. Though Lindback is by no means a star goaltender, he has shown over the years to be a capable backup.
Lindback was first drafted by the Predators in 2008, and made quite the impression in his first few seasons. As a rookie in 2010-11 he backed up Pekka Rinne quite admirably, recording a .918 save percentage through his 22 appearances. Nashville would eventually trade him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for some draft picks, where he was expected to grow into a starting goaltender. It would never happen, and Lindback’s career took him to several other stops including back to Sweden last year.
Still, if he shows that he can still provide solid backup goaltending on a minimum salary contract (Lindback earns just $650K in the NHL) he could be a target on waivers. For now, he’ll be asked to back up Rinne once again, many years later.
Minor Transactions: 11/16/17
Last night was an entertaining one in the hockey world, with the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames taking us back to a different era of hockey. The two teams got into a line brawl that will likely result in several suspensions. While we wait on word from the Department of Player Safety, keep your eyes right here for all the minor moves around the league.
- The Buffalo Sabres have made some changes, recalling Kyle Criscuolo and Casey Nelson from the AHL. To make room, the team placed Matt Tennyson and Taylor Fedun on injured reserve. It’s interesting that young defenseman Brendan Guhle wasn’t the call-up, as he continues to star for the Rochester Americans. Instead, the more veteran Nelson will re-join the team. Nelson played 11 games for the Sabres last year, registering zero points.
- Montreal has recalled Nicolas Deslauriers from the Laval Rocket in preparation for their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Deslauriers was acquired by Montreal earlier this season in exchange for Zach Redmond, but has yet to make his debut with the Canadiens. The 26-year old forward is a big body that the team could insert into the lineup to provide some energy and physicality.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Nick Paul, bringing him back after just a few days. Paul was sent down on Monday in likely a move to save some cap space, and will now rejoin the squad to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Paul has suited up for just one game this season in the NHL, in which he was held scoreless.
- The New York Islanders have ended the emergency conditions of Josh Ho-Sang‘s recall, instead changing it to a regular recall now that Anthony Beauvillier is healthy. Ho-Sang is still expected to be in the lineup tonight for the Islanders when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes, with Alan Quine sitting out.
- According to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, Jonny Brodzinski has been called up to the NHL. To make room, Michael Amadio has been sent back down. As Rosen points out, the Kings are currently in need of a winger at the NHL level—partly due to the recent trade of Mike Cammalleri—instead of a center, hence the move to Brodzinski.
- Later in the day, the Sabres also announced they have sent Nicholas Baptiste to the minor leagues after seeing very little ice time in the last few games. Baptiste has suited up for four games for Buffalo this season, registering zero points.
- The Calgary Flames have assigned goaltender Jon Gillies to the AHL after coming up to fill in for the injured Mike Smith last night. Gillies got some excitement when the two teams started a line brawl, and even got into the game in relief of Eddie Lack. Smith is with the team and expected to play in their next game.
Blues’ Beau Bennett Reassigned To AHL
When Beau Bennett signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent this summer, he saw it as a fresh start in a career that has been marred by injury and missed opportunity. After an impressive rookie campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012-13, following his surprise early departure from the University of Denver, Bennett looked lay he may be a long-term option for the Eastern Conference dynasty. Yet, in three more seasons with Pittsburgh, Bennett would never play a full-time role for the team nor top his 14-point total from his first campaign. A move to New Jersey last season in exchange for a third-round pick – showing that the league still believed in the 25-year-old’s ability and potential – was supposed to be a new start for Bennett. However, even in a career-high 65 games, Bennett only managed 19 points and was not qualified for the Devils.
Cue the Blues, who signed Bennett right away when free agency opened on July 1st. While the contract was only for the league minimum of $650K, it looked like the young winger still had a shot at a depth role in St. Louis. Those dreams were deterred early on, as Bennett was loaned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves before even the end of September. Yet, Bennett was recalled to the NHL squad three weeks ago and since had been given six games to prove he could stick in St. Louis. In those six contests, Bennett failed to record a point and took only six shots. He may have seen only 11 minutes or so of ice time per game, but Bennett was still invisible in that sample size.
Unsurprisingly, the once-promising forward is now back in the AHL, according to the Wolves. Bennett had three points in five games for AHL Chicago prior to his call-up, so he may have found a fit with the minor league team. However, when he’ll get his next chance with the Blues and just how many chances he has left in the NHL have now become legitimate questions.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Arizona Coyotes
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for this year. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on.
What are the Arizona Coyotes most thankful for?
An impressive 2018 draft class.
The Coyotes have just seven points through 20 games, and have yet to win in regulation. Even with a rebuilt blue line that includes newcomers Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers, the team has allowed an incredible, league-leading 79 goals against this season. They’re now 17 points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, and would need an absolute miracle to claw their way back into the playoff race.
Luckily, the 2018 draft class is shaping up to be a good one. Finishing last in the league obviously doesn’t guarantee you the first-overall pick (just ask Colorado) but it does get you into the top four. Though Rasmus Dahlin looks like a franchise-altering presence at the top, there are four or five other elite prospects with superstar potential. After trading away the seventh-overall pick this summer, it seemed like the Coyotes were done waiting on prospects. Now they might need to hitch their wagon to a new one.
Who are the Coyotes most thankful for?
The Coyotes have seen their fair share of busts over the years, but their 2016 draft looks like a good one. Jakob Chychrun has been injured all season, but made the jump to the NHL right away last year and kept his head above water. He’s expected back at some point, and will likely take on an important role on the blueline once again. But it’s Keller that is really turning heads around the league.
The seventh-overall pick from 2016 has 17 points in 20 games this season including 11 goals. That number puts him fifth in the league, and in front of the pack in terms of Calder Trophy voting (though it is anything but decided yet). His development into an All-Star talent is something every Coyotes fan can cheer about, even in what has become another dreadful season.
What would the Coyotes be even more thankful for?
A win (or two).
It’s not that the Coyotes needed to compete for the Stanley Cup this year, but after all the trading this offseason they were at least expected to improve. Last year’s club finished 30-42-10 even with Radim Vrbata as their most dangerous forward and a sale at the deadline of Michael Stone and Martin Hanzal. That club was still one of the worst in the league, but not a disaster on a nightly basis.
Hjalmarsson, Demers, Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta all cost the team young or future assets (not to mention money), and were supposed to push the team towards a playoff spot. That hasn’t happened and now they’re left scratching their heads wondering which direction to go in.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson remains the biggest target of trade speculation, as his current contract ends after next season. But who would rule out any of the veterans on this team at this point? If the season isn’t turned around quickly, the seat will get warmer and warmer for young GM John Chayka and the pressure to make a move will increase. They shouldn’t be as bad as they are, but who would fault him for planting a “For Sale” sign outside the arena near the deadline once again?
What should be on the Coyotes’ Holiday Wish List?
Needy GMs.
There’s nothing to add to the roster to make it a playoff contender at this point. One or two additions wouldn’t fix what’s ailing the Coyotes, and the front office must know it. Making more short-term moves wouldn’t help the team, so instead they’ll be wishing for a desperate contender near the deadline.
Last year, they moved a pending UFA in Hanzal for a first and second-round pick from Minnesota in a deal that the Wild regretted just a few months later. That sort of desperation is exactly what the team will hope for again this season, to try to squeeze some value out of a team in the middle of an arms race. Remember that Raanta is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and carries just a $1MM cap hit this season.
It’s a tough thing to hope for this early in the year, but there’s not a lot more on their wish list at the moment. Chayka will be patient as their schedule eases a bit as we head into the winter, but in the desert no seats ever get truly cold.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 11/15/17
A swap of veteran forwards dominated the headlines last night, as the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings got together on a trade. Mike Cammalleri will head north while Jussi Jokinen gets to avoid an Edmonton winter. As teams head into the holiday season, they’ll continue to tweak their rosters and try to find the right mix of players. We’ll be here updating all the minor moves of the day.
- Zach Fucale has been officially sent back to the AHL, after the Montreal Canadiens claimed Antti Niemi off waivers. The team had been using Fucale as the emergency backup given the injuries to Carey Price and Al Montoya, but will now return him to the minor leagues where he can continue his development. With Price returning before long, Niemi’s place on the team is temporary to be sure.
- As expected, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled Vladislav Kamenev now that they’re home from the Stockholm series. In the process, they’ve re-assigned A.J. Greer and Rocco Grimaldi, sending them both to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Kamenev came to Colorado in the Matt Duchene trade, and should get a chance to stick with the NHL club for some time. In four AHL games since the trade, he has four points.
- Jon Gillies has been recalled from the AHL to back up Eddie Lack for the Calgary Flames. The goaltender comes up under emergency conditions as Mike Smith will not be dressing for the Flames against the Detroit Red Wings. Smith did travel to Detroit (though on a flight separate from the team) according to John Shannon of Sportsnet, but won’t be on the bench. He’s considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
- Jason Dickinson will have to wait for his next NHL opportunity, as the Dallas Stars have reassigned him to the minor leagues. The 22-year old was held scoreless in four games with the Stars, and is still waiting for his first real break in the NHL. A first-round pick from 2013, he has three goals in 15 career games.
- Once again Chase Balisy is up with the Florida Panthers, recalled for the third time this year. Still looking for his first NHL point, the 25-year old forward is getting used to the up-and-down nature of being waiver-exempt.
Minor Transactions: 11/14/17
As always, we’ll keep track of all the league’s minor moves right here. Keep refreshing this throughout the day.
- The Washington Capitals have loaned Tyler Graovac to the AHL on a long-term conditioning stint. That allows the Capitals to move Graovac down without having to send him through waivers for the time being. The 24-year old forward hasn’t played since October 17th, but must be healthy enough to get back on the ice.
- Nikita Soshnikov is at practice with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has been called up to replace Frederik Gauthier. Today is when Soshnikov’s KHL out-clause kicks in, meaning he would have to be called up or risk him going back to Russia. While it doesn’t seem like Soshnikov is itching to leave North America, it’s an easy call-up to make at this point. Interestingly though, if Soshnikov plays three more games in the NHL he will lose his waiver-exempt status.
- The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Andrew Crescenzi from the AHL, giving him a chance to get into his first NHL game. The 25-year old Crescenzi has been in the Kings’ system for several years but has yet to get a sniff of the NHL lineup. While there is no guarantee this time around, it at least will provide him with a big-league paycheck for a few days.
- After allowing five goals in the third period last night, the St. Louis Blues have made a change up front. The team has assigned Beau Bennett to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Bennett has played six games for the Blues this year but has yet to register a single point. The 25-year old forward last cleared waivers on September 28th, but hasn’t used up the allotted 30 active roster days (or 10 games) yet, and thus can be sent down without clearing again.
Minor Transactions: 11/13/17
Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Dave Andreychuk, Mark Recchi and Danielle Goyette will have their names enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight, after spending all weekend in Toronto doing various events. The legends took to the ice yesterday in a game which team Messier won 10-9, one that saw Kariya and Selanne reunited after a mid-game trade. The pair would connect on another goal, hopefully not their last on the ice together.
As the legendary players of the past take a lap and enter the distinguished group of Hall of Famers, we’ll keep track of the next wave of NHL wanna-be stars. As always, all the minor transactions of the day will be right here.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Mark Alt from the AHL. Alt was only sent down for the weekend, and will now re-join the Flyers for their game tomorrow. Rookie Nolan Patrick is expected to skate with the team today, but there is still no confirmation of when he’ll be back in the lineup.
- With the Ottawa Senators off until Thursday, the team has sent Nick Paul, Ben Harpur and Jack Rodewald back to the AHL. The team will be able to bank cap space for a few days, while the three could get into a game on Wednesday with the Belleville Senators. The team also expects Bobby Ryan and Mark Borowiecki back before long.
- The Winnipeg Jets have assigned Brendan Lemieux to the AHL according to Jamie Thomas of JetsTV. With the return of Mathieu Perreault in today’s practice, Lemieux’s spot is no longer open on the team. He’ll go back to the Manitoba Moose and wait for his next opportunity.
- After placing Antti Niemi on waivers, the Florida Panthers have recalled Curtis Valk from Springfield. The undrafted Valk is off to an incredible start with the AHL Thunderbirds, scoring 15 points in 16 games. The undersized forward earned his first NHL contract this summer after starring with the Utica Comets last season.
- Buffalo has sent Justin Bailey back to the minor leagues, likely indicating he’s healthy enough to get back on the ice. Bailey hasn’t played since October 28th with a lower-body injury, but did have three points in his six previous games. He’ll likely be back with the team before long.
- The Calgary Flames have officially moved Rasmus Andersson back to the AHL, clearing room for Travis Hamonic to be activated from injured reserve. Andersson clearly has a future with the Flames, but will have to wait for another opportunity to get into a full-time role. In two career games he has yet to record an NHL point.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Kenny Agostino and Peter Cehlarik under emergency conditions due to the absence of Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork from practice today. Marchand and Bjork aren’t travelling with the team as they continue to nurse injuries suffered against Toronto on the weekend. Cehlarik has yet to play for Boston this season after making his NHL debut last year. In 11 games, the 22-year old registered two assists.
- Zac Dalpe, who hasn’t played in the last few games, has been moved to injured reserve by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his spot, the team has recalled Jordan Schroeder from the Cleveland Monsters. Schroeder has five points in nine games this season for Cleveland, but has never truly been able to lock down a full-time job at the NHL level. In 144 career games, the 27-year old has 40 points.
Eastern Notes: Flyers, Hinostroza, Ryan, Vanecek
For the Philadelphia Flyers, offense seems hard to come by. The Flyers found themselves on the losing end of another shutout Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild — that’s the fourth time this year. According to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia is on pace to suffer through 19 shutouts this year. The most the Flyers have ever had was 10 back in the 1968-69 season. Nevertheless, the team needs to find its offense if they want to avoid this trend.
One issue is that one of the team’s top scorers, Wayne Simmonds, has been banged up with nagging injuries and has been held without a goal for nine straight games. The scribe suggests the team look to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, to try to find someone who could invigorate their offense such as Danick Martel. This addition could give Simmonds some time off to heal.
Martel, who is a two-time 20-goal scorer with the Phantoms is having a breakout year as he’s already put up 14 goals in 15 games. The diminutive forward (5-foot-8, 166-pound forward) might be ready for the challenge of the NHL.
- The Athletic’s Scott Powers tweets that Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was asked about the play of Vinnie Hinostroza with the Rockford IceHogs this season and whether he might be called up soon. The 23-year-old wing, who played 49 games for the Blackhawks last season, didn’t make the team out of training camp, but has played well with his AHL team, putting up seven goals and eight assists in 14 games. Quenneville’s response was that Hinostroza is playing well, but calling him up is not an option since the team is healthy and “it’s not as if we’re disappointed with anyone up here.”
- The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that while the team has lost Zack Smith to a dislocated thumb for three weeks, the team might be getting back forward Bobby Ryan soon. The 30-year-old Ryan who has been out for nearly a month with a broken finger could be back soon, although nothing will be decided until later this week. Ryan, who has six assists this season in eight games this year, has been skating while the club has been overseas in Sweden. He’s also been shooting the puck, which suggests he might be ready for Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Washington Capitals goaltending prospect Vitek Vanecek is making his AHL season debut for the Hersey Bears today after missing time with a lower body injury, according to Hershey Bears’ Zack Fisch. The 2014 second-round pick played 39 games for the Hershey Bears last year, putting up a 2.54 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Jesse Puljujarvi
The Edmonton Oilers have decided it’s time for Jesse Puljujarvi to get another shot. The team has recalled the top prospect from the AHL and placed Anton Slepyshev on injured reserve to make room. Puljujarvi was sent to the minor leagues to begin the year, where he has five points in ten games.
Selected fourth-overall in 2016, Puljujarvi was expected to make an impact quickly in Edmonton. Instead, he struggled to find ice time and was eventually sent down last season after scoring just a single goal. In all, he played in 28 games for the Oilers and registered eight points, though his results at Bakersfield were more promising. In 39 minor league contests last season, the big Finnish winger scored 28 points and generally grew into one of the better players on the team. With huge upside, he’ll now have a chance to prove that the Oilers didn’t make a mistake when they took him ahead of others that have already made an NHL impact.
Edmonton was able to sneak by New Jersey last night with a 3-2 overtime win, and have started to turn their ugly start around with three wins in their last four games. They’ve still had plenty of trouble scoring goals, and Puljujarvi will be tasked with giving them some secondary scoring from the wing. It’s likely that he’ll jump right into the fire alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic when the team takes on the New York Rangers tomorrow afternoon.