Islanders Sign Matt Martin, Make Several Other Roster Moves
The Islanders are back in action tonight against Florida and have made several roster moves in advance of that contest. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Anthony Duclair was placed on LTIR while Liam Foudy was assigned to AHL Bridgeport. With the cap savings from those two moves, the team has signed veteran winger Matt Martin to a one-year contract and recalled wingers Pierre Engvall and Hudson Fasching from the minors.
Martin has spent all but two of his 15 NHL seasons with the Isles, becoming a key member of their fourth line along the way. It looked like the two sides would part ways over the summer when he was told that he wouldn’t be offered a contract. However, when he hadn’t reached a deal heading into training camp, Martin signed a PTO with New York, allowing him to play and practice with them for the preseason. No contract came along then but he remained on a tryout deal into the season, suggesting that it was only a matter of time before he received a contract, the financial terms of which were not disclosed.
The 35-year-old has played in 955 career NHL games between New York and Toronto, recording 176 points, 1,158 penalty minutes, and 3,849 hits. With the series of roster moves the team made, he will be available to suit up against Florida tonight if head coach Patrick Roy wants to put him in the lineup.
Duclair’s placement on LTIR comes as no surprise. Earlier this week, it was revealed that he’ll miss four to six weeks due to the leg injury he sustained last weekend. With the Islanders operating very close to the salary cap, gaining even some short-term flexibility will certainly help. Duclair’s placement was backdated to October 19th and he must miss at least 10 games and 24 days from then although the expected timeline for recovery will run longer than that.
Foudy’s time with the big club was relatively short-lived. He was only brought up on Tuesday, taking Julien Gauthier‘s place on the active roster. The 24-year-old played in two games while on recall and was held off the scoresheet while averaging just 7:27 per game. Foudy has 104 career NHL appearances under his belt now between three separate organizations. He has four assists in five games so far with Bridgeport.
Engvall is in the second season of a seven-year, $21MM contract which made it both surprising and not surprising that he was on waivers at the end of training camp. Needing to open up cap room (his demotion saved them $1.15MM prorated), he was a safe bet to pass through unclaimed. That said, the fact he hit the wire just a year after being retained as a key secondary piece is an outcome few would have foreseen. The 28-year-old had 10 goals and 14 assists in 74 NHL games last season and has just one tally in six games so far with Bridgeport.
Fasching played in 45 games with the Isles last season where he had four goals and ten assists. However, that wasn’t enough to save him from going through waivers late in training camp where he passed through unclaimed. He has a goal and an assist in five games so far with Bridgeport.
As a result of these roster moves, the Islanders are now at the maximum of 23 players on the active roster.
Penguins Assign Tristan Jarry To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The Tristan Jarry situation in Pittsburgh has taken another turn. Just a couple of days after being sent back to Pittsburgh from their road trip to work on his game away from the team, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that Jarry has been assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan.
The 29-year-old has certainly struggled out of the gate this season, allowing 12 goals on 73 shots in his first three appearances, ceding time to prospect Joel Blomqvist early on. With Alex Nedeljkovic returning earlier in the week, the Penguins have been carrying three goaltenders on their active roster since then.
Jarry’s assignment to the minors doesn’t change that as players on a conditioning loan count against the 23-player active roster. It also means that Pittsburgh does not receive any cap benefit from this roster move.
The maximum length of the assignment is 14 days. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays in five games over that stretch so if Pittsburgh intends to keep him down there as long as possible, Jarry should at least have a few starts to work on his game to see if he can at least start to turn his fortunes around.
With Jarry being signed through the 2027-28 season with a $5.375MM cap charge, it’s fair to suggest that there isn’t much of a viable trade market for him out there. Accordingly, if Jarry struggles in the minors or even if Pittsburgh wants to extend his assignment if Blomqvist and Nedeljkovic are playing well, the next move would likely come in a couple of weeks with a waiver placement as it’s highly unlikely he’d be claimed. This certainly isn’t a situation GM Kyle Dubas envisioned when he signed Jarry to this contract in the 2023 offseason but a loan to the minors probably is the best option for both sides at this time.
Metropolitan Notes: Johnson, Voronkov, Blake, Roy
Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson will not need surgery on his injured shoulder, GM Don Waddell confirmed to reporters including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, that shouldn’t be construed that it won’t be a long-term injury as originally reported. Instead, the team simply feels that the injury can be treated with rehab. This is the second straight year that the 22-year-old has dealt with injury troubles and he was off to a good start before sustaining it as he had five points in his first four games. He still technically hasn’t been moved to injured reserve at this time but that’s something that should happen in the coming days whenever they have to open up a roster spot.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Still with Columbus, forward Dmitri Voronkov was a partial participant in practice today and appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a shoulder injury, reports Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch. The 24-year-old suffered the injury late in the preseason. Voronkov had a solid rookie season for the Blue Jackets in 2023-24, picking up 18 points and 16 assists and with the injuries they’re dealing with, getting him back a little earlier than expected would be some rare positive news on that front.
- The Hurricanes have once again sent winger Jackson Blake to AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. They’ve done this four times already this season in an effort to bank a bit more cap room. The 21-year-old has two goals in six games with Carolina so far so it’s safe to say he’ll be brought back up in time for puck drop against Seattle on Saturday.
- Capitals defenseman Matt Roy skated today before practice notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 29-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in Washington’s season opener and hasn’t played since. Roy was their most prominent free agent signing over the summer, inking a six-year, $34.5MM contract after putting up 25 points in nearly 21 minutes a night last season with Los Angeles. While he’s now back on the ice, he did not accompany the team on their road trip to Tampa Bay.
Oilers Activate Roby Jarventie Off SOIR, Assign Him To AHL
One of Edmonton’s newest prospects is now cleared to start his 2024-25 season. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Roby Jarventie has recovered from his knee injury. As a result, he has been taken off season-opening injured reserve and assigned to AHL Bakersfield.
The 22-year-old was the second pick of the second round by Ottawa back in 2020, going 33rd overall. He spent the majority of his first three professional seasons at the AHL level and was quite productive in limited action with Belleville last season, recording 20 points in 22 games. That earned Jarventie a look with the big club as he got into seven games with the Sens, picking up an assist while averaging 7:31 per game.
Despite that, Ottawa elected to trade him along with a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Oilers back in July in exchange for prospects Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson. Notably, Bourgault was a first-round pick in 2021 and while his stock has slipped somewhat since then, it’s clear that Edmonton feels that Jarventie has some upside.
This move also helps them out a bit from a salary cap perspective. Because Jarventie spent time on an NHL roster last season, he was counting against Edmonton’s cap at a prorated amount relative to the number of days he was up with Ottawa. Based on his $894K cap hit, that prorated amount checked in around $107K. That amount now comes off their books, giving them just under $1.15MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, putting them around the middle of the pack league-wide in that regard.
Calen Addison Signs AHL Contract With Henderson
Calen Addison’s stock has certainly taken a hit over the last couple of seasons. After failing to secure an NHL contract in free agency, he has accepted an AHL one as Henderson, affiliate of the Golden Knights, announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a one-year deal.
In 2022-23, the 24-year-old picked up 29 points in 62 games with Minnesota and it looked like he at least had found a fit as an offensive-minded depth player. However, he struggled in the early going last season before being traded to San Jose. Unfortunately for both him and the Sharks, things didn’t go particularly well for Addison there either. He managed just one goal and 11 assists in 60 games following the swap and struggled considerably in the defensive end. That resulted in San Jose deciding to non-tender him in late June.
Addison eventually had to settle for a training camp tryout with Ottawa in early September. He got into three games with the Sens where he was held off the scoresheet and eventually was released. Now a couple of weeks into the season, it’s clear there wasn’t an NHL offer on the horizon for him.
Addison has 78 career AHL appearances under his belt and has fared quite well at that level, notching 13 goals and 45 assists in those contests while being named to the All-Rookie Team in 2020-21. He should be an impactful player for the Silver Knights as well and if he fares well with them, an NHL opportunity could come up later in the season, either with Vegas or elsewhere.
West Notes: Hartman, Joshua, Nordh
Minnesota Wild centerman Ryan Hartman missed Tuesday night’s game with an upper-body injury, head coach John Hynes told reporters( via Sarah McLellan of The Minnesota Star Tribune). Hartman sat out of the team’s Saturday matchup after initially being designated a game-time decision. He’s since been labeled as day-to-day and will continue to miss action despite returning to practice in full.
Hartman scored two goals on 12 shots and six hits in Minnesota’s first four games. He’s one of five Wild forwards with multiple goals, though Mats Zuccarello‘s three scores lead the way. Hartman has played the least of any of Minnesota’s multi-goal scorers, averaging just 15:21 in ice time while serving as the team’s third-line center. His role has declined every season since he served as the team’s top center and scored a career-high 65 points in the 2021-22 campaign. Joel Eriksson Ek and Marco Rossi have taken complete hold of the top six in Hartman’s place. Hartman has stayed productive in the declining role, netting 21 goals and 45 points in 74 games last season. He’ll aim to return to the third line and spot starts on the power play when Minnesota takes on Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Canucks also shared that forward Dakota Joshua is a couple of weeks away from a return after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous lump this summer, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Joshua earned a hardy lineup role toward the end of Vancouver’s 2023-24 season, ending the year with 18 goals and 32 points in 63 regular season games and adding eight points in 13 playoff games. He’ll quickly slot back into the lineup when he’s healthy, likely stepping over Nils Aman, Teddy Blueger, and Kiefer Sherwood for minutes in the bottom six.
- The Utah Hockey Club has returned 2023 draft pick Noel Nordh to the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds after a two-game conditioning stint with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners. Nordh, a third-round draft pick, failed to score in his first two games in North American pros. He’ll now begin a career in Canadian juniors after earning professional ice time in Sweden with resilient U20 performances. His Swedish career was capped off with a HockeyAllsvenskan championship with Brynas last season. Nordh contributed 15 points in 50 games.
Avalanche Expected To Activate Devon Toews, Assign Chris Wagner
The Colorado Avalanche are expected to soon activate defenseman Devon Toews off of injured reserve and assign forward Chris Wagner to the AHL, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. Colorado placed Toews on IR on October 20th, retroactive to October 14th, with a lower-body injury. It still isn’t clear when Toews picked up the injury. He played through 22 minutes of ice time in Colorado’s second game of the year, but appeared as a late scratch in the subsequent game and continued to be downgraded until he was formally placed on IR. Wagner was recalled on October 20th, after Colorado placed winger Jonathan Drouin on IR with an upper-body injury.
Toews returned to his usual top-pair role and recorded one assist, two penalties, and three blocks in the first two games of Colorado’s season. He spent the bulk of that time next to Avalanche superstar Cale Makar. The two spent a team-leading 1,031 minutes of even-strength time together last season. Toews managed to reach the 50-point mark for a third-straight season in the role, adding double-digit goals (12) for the second time in his career.
Samuel Girard has stepped into the top-line role in Toews’ absence, recording one assist in four games with the boosted role. That won’t be enough to sustain the top role with Toews returning, likely moving Girard back to a pairing with Josh Manson and giving Colorado a choice between two of Calvin de Haan, Sam Malinski, Oliver Kylington, and John Ludvig for their bottom pair.
Meanwhile, Wagner will return to the minors after working into the lineup twice on his recall. He didn’t do much with the chances – recording three hits, three shots, one penalty, and a -1 while averaging fewer than seven minutes of ice time. Wagner’s departure will open more room for rookies Ivan Ivan and Matthew Stienburg to continue carving out a role, though Ivan’s sole assist in six games is the only scoring between the two. He’s one of six Avalanche forwards with just one point on the year, alongside linemate Joel Kiviranta and popular rookie Calum Ritchie – who each have one goal.
Evening Notes: Woll, Guhle, AHL Eligibility
David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll could be ready to return to action as early as Tuesday. The news comes from Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, who said it’s possible the 26-year-old would play tomorrow night when Toronto takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Woll has been dealing with groin tightness since training camp in early October. His injury has thrust summer free agent signing Anthony Stolarz into a lot of work early in the season as the veteran netminder has played five of Toronto’s first six games entering action tonight.
Woll signed a three-year extension early in the summer and appeared to have the inside track to the starter role as he entered training camp. The Dardenne Prairie, Missouri native was terrific last season for the Maple Leafs, posting 7.2 goals saved above expected (as per Money Puck) in 25 games.
In other evening notes:
- Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not participate in Canadiens practice earlier today. Guhle has been dealing with the ailment since late last week and didn’t play on Saturday night against the Islanders. The 22-year-old missed nearly all of Canadiens training camp after having his appendix removed and has had an uneven start to the season, posting good offensive numbers, but has been abysmal on the possession front (34.5% CF% at even strength as per Hockey Reference).
- Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News is reporting that a source of his has told him that the next NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement could have AHL eligibility as an option for 19-year-olds written into it. The news could be another challenge for the CHL who are preparing to navigate the new NCAA eligibility rules. However, the news would be good for players such as Sabres forward prospect Matt Savoie who just spent his age-19 season in the WHL last year.
Devils Place Adam Beckman On Waivers
The New Jersey Devils have placed forward Adam Beckman on waivers. Beckman recently returned from starting the year on the injured non-roster list, taking part in a handful of Devils practices before this waivers designation. New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old winger in a June trade with the Minnesota Wild that sent Graeme Clarke the other way.
Beckman has struggled ot find his footing at a pro level since making his AHL debut with the Iowa Wild in 2020. He recorded 39 points across his first 77 AHL games, split between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons – just enough to earn the first three NHL games of his career. But Beckman only managed one assist in those outings and would continue the cycle of promising production in the minors followed by lackluster production in the NHL through last season. Beckman has totaled 108 points across five years and 181 games in the minors, but only three points – all assists – in 23 NHL games.
It’s been a far fall for Beckman, originally the 75th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft after a strong year with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. He followed the draft with a dazzling 107 points in 63 WHL games in the 2019-20 season. That hot scoring continued through 27 games of the next season, propelling his juniors scoring to 196 points in 153 games. He was scouted as a swift playmaker with strong shooting and passing – capable of exploding through the neutral zone and quickly finding teammates. But his explosivity hasn’t carried over to the pro flight, and he hasn’t yet found a way to lean into the physical upside of his six-foot-two, 185-pound frame. Beckman will need to first clear waivers, but seems set to return to productivity with the Utica Comets – and hopefully bring the strong production up to the top flight when he’s called up next.
Afternoon Notes: Ullmark, Sogaard, Stanley, Blumel, Petrovic
Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark has returned to full health, prompting the team to return Mads Sogaard to the AHL, shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Ullmark has been working back from a muscle strain that’s held him out of the team’s last three games. Previous reports shared that Ottawa wanted to be patient not to aggravate the injury as they worked Ullmark back to full speed.
Ullmark has been strong in the two games he’s played with Ottawa, saving 53 of 58 shots faced en route to a 1-1-0 record and .914 save percentage. The same hasn’t been true for Ottawa’s other goaltending options, with Anton Forsberg allowing 10 goals on 73 shots (.863 save percentage) and Mads Sogaard allowing four goals on 17 shots (0.765) in Ullmark’s absence. The Senators have managed to win in front of all three goalies regardless, largely thanks to each of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Jake Sanderson recording seven points through the first five games of the season. Ullmark’s return could give Ottawa the back-end consistency to ramp up their early winning-record, though it seems the team could still be in the process of easing their franchise goaltender back to strength.
Other notes from around the league:
- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley has been activated off of injured reserve and will step into the lineup for Haydn Fleury, per Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press. Stanley missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury that required surgery during training camp. Stanley has played in just 44 games over the last two seasons, recording five points, 57 penalty minutes, and an average of 13:45 in ice time. He faces an uphill battle to an everyday role, but will get a chance to take the first step when the Jets take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
- The Dallas Stars have returned forward Matej Blumel and defender Alexander Petrovic to the AHL. Blumel stepped into one game with Dallas during his recall, recording eight minutes of ice time and two shots on net. Petrovic spent the extent of his time in the press box, leaving two games and one point in the AHL as his only stats this year. The Texas Stars will get two big additions with this move – readding the stout, veteran presence of Petrovic and the 30-goal upside of Blumel back to the lineup.