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Bruins Activate Matt Grzelcyk From LTIR, Assign Two To AHL

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The Bruins are set to welcome back one of their blueliners as the team announced that Matt Grzelcyk has been activated from LTIR.  To create the cap space necessary to do so, they’ve returned defenseman Mason Lohrei and forward Patrick Brown to AHL Providence.

Grzelcyk has missed the last three-and-a-half weeks with an upper-body injury sustained late last month against Florida.  In order for a player to go on LTIR, they must miss at least 10 games and 24 days.  Both of those were reached yesterday, paving the way for his activation for tonight’s game against the Rangers.

While the 29-year-old has been a capable secondary contributor from the back end, Grzelcyk has been a bit quiet on that front this season, collecting just a single point (a goal) over his first nine appearances.  He’s coming off his fourth-straight 20-point campaign, one that saw him record a career-high 26 points in 2022-23 so it’s fair to say that Boston will be counting on a bit more from him moving forward.

Grzelcyk’s return isn’t the most welcome news for Lohrei who had been acquitting himself nicely with Boston in his first taste of NHL action.  The 22-year-old has played in ten games with the big club so far this season, picking up a goal and three assists along with 18 blocked shots while logging 17:35 per contest.  He also has four assists in seven games with Providence, making for a decent start to his first full professional campaign.

As for Brown, his return to the minors comes as no surprise after he cleared waivers last week for the second time this season.  The 31-year-old is in his first season with the Bruins after inking a two-year deal with an AAV of $800K on the opening day of free agency this summer.  However, he has been limited to eight appearances so far where he has an assist while averaging only 9:03 per night.  When he suits up for Providence, it will be his first taste of AHL action since the 2020-21 campaign when he played in nine games for Vegas’ affiliate.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Jansen Harkins

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11/25: Harkins is back up with the big club as the team announced that he has once again been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

11/24: Shortly after the start of their game against the Sabres, the Penguins announced they had reassigned Harkins to the AHL.

11/23: The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Jansen Harkins from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Harkins has shuttled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh quite a bit over the last week. It started November 18th, when Harkins was recalled from the AHL Penguins and then sent back down in a span of just two hours.

Then, in transactions also involving forward Alex Nylander, Harkins was recalled from the AHL on November 21st, and then sent back down yesterday. Today, Harkins returns to the Penguins’ roster.

This doesn’t appear to be the sort of cap maneuvering many teams do in order to bank cap space over the course of the season, as he has actually spent most of the season playing in the AHL. In other words, Harkins isn’t an NHL player that the Penguins repeatedly send to the AHL in order to bank cap space.

Instead, it appears Harkins, who last played in the NHL on October 18th, is continually being recalled and then reassigned from the NHL roster for two potential reasons.

Firstly, the club could be recalling him due to the genuine potential of Harkins dressing for an NHL game. The 26-year-old has already played in four games this season for the Penguins and is a well-liked, versatile bottom-six forward.

Another reason, and one that appears to potentially be the more likely explanation, could be to maintain the Penguins’ flexibility as to where Harkins can be assigned within their organization.

Although the Penguins have played Harkins in 11 AHL games this season compared to just four in the NHL, they undoubtedly have an interest in keeping Harkins as a call-up option in case injuries strike their NHL roster.

Although Harkins cleared waivers for the Penguins in October, that does not give the club an unlimited right for the rest of the season to shuttle Harkins between teams at will. Harkins only remains exempt from waivers so long as he does not remain on the NHL roster for more than 30 cumulative days since he last cleared waivers, or plays in 10 or more NHL games since that point.

So, it is in the Penguins’ best interest to keep Harkins on their NHL roster on a relatively strict basis, only holding him with the main squad when absolutely necessary in order to minimize the days that count against the 30-day total.

Of course, it is true that Harkins has already cleared waivers and therefore could very well clear once more should he need to be waived again this season. But as we get deeper into the regular season and attrition caused by injuries truly sets in for many teams, a versatile bottom-six forward like Harkins becomes a more attractive player to claim on waivers.

The more players teams across the NHL lose to injury, the less likely it becomes that Harkins is able to pass through waivers. So in order to maximize how long Harkins remains waiver-exempt, the Penguins will be recalling and reassigning Harkins with more frequency than they would most other players.

From Harkins’ perspective, while it can’t be fun to be reassigned to the AHL just two hours after a recall, he does happen to be playing on a one-way contract. As a result, he makes $875k regardless of whether he’s on the AHL or NHL roster, so these moves have little consequence for his bottom line.

That being said, that’s not to say these moves aren’t of great consequence for some players. As with any roster moves in a three-tiered organization, these recalls and reassignments have a ripple effect on other players. Harkins’ recall yesterday meant he could not play in the AHL Penguins’ contest against the Hershey Bears.

As a result, the Penguins called up 23-year-old undrafted forward Cédric Desruisseaux from their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers. A former QMJHL MVP, Desruisseaux has spent most of his young career in the rough-and-tumble ECHL, putting in work each game just to earn a shot at the AHL level.

He got two AHL games in 2021-22, but did not play in the AHL for the entirety of 2022-23 despite scoring 30 goals and 59 points for the Nailers.

The recall of Harkins paved the way for Desruisseaux to play his first AHL game as a member of the larger Penguins’ organization. So yes, this constant roster shuffling is certainly not something Harkins is likely to enjoy. But one player higher on the hockey food chain’s less-than-ideal circumstance can lead to another player’s potentially career-altering chance to prove himself in a higher league.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Florida Panthers Place Mike Reilly On Waivers

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David Dwork of The Hockey News has tweeted that the Florida Panthers have placed defensemen Mike Reilly on waivers today. The expectation is that if Reilly goes unclaimed, he will be assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Reilly has suited up in just two games for the Panthers this season and has registered no points and a -2 rating.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Reilly was bought out in the offseason by the Boston Bruins before eventually signing a one-year $1MM deal with the Panthers. He was expected to serve as a depth option for Florida, but with Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour back in the fold there is really no need for the Panthers to keep Reilly at the NHL level.

The 30-year-old spent nearly half of last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and was quite productive offensively registering seven goals and 19 assists in 36 games.

Reilly has struggled at the NHL level since signing a three-year $9MM deal with the Boston Bruins in July of 2021. He stuck with the Bruins in the first year of his three-year deal but has bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL for the past two seasons. If Reilly can put up offensive numbers like last year’s AHL numbers, he could be first in line for a recall if the Panthers run into any injury troubles.

Snapshots: Goligoski, Kuznetsov, Klingberg, Osipov

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Having already fulfilled the requirements of being on LTIR, defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, Alex Goligoski, has not yet made his return to the roster. However, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Goligoski has fully recovered from his lower-body injury, and is ready to get back to game action at any point.

Currently sitting at 31st in the league in GA/G with a 4.00 mark, the Wild could certainly use all the help they can get on the blue line. Much of the blame is associated with the poor play of the team’s netminders up to this point, but an improved defensive presence should shore up some of the issues.

Unfortunately, with extremely limited cap space, Goligoski’s $2MM salary will be a tough one for the team to fit into their salary cap table. With Goligoski getting back into the lineup, and a quarter of the season already behind us, Minnesota will have less than $10K in salary cap space to work with moving forward.

Other snapshots:

  • Washington Capitals forward, Evgeny Kuznetsov, will miss another game due to illness, according to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network. This will be the second game in a row that Kuznetsov has missed for the team, severely limiting their center depth. In somewhat mild offensive output to start the season, Kuznetsov has scored three goals and five assists in 14 games.
  • Continuing to deal with an undisclosed injury, Mark Masters of TSN reports that there is no status update in regards to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, John Klingberg and that the defenseman will not play at all this week. Quickly becoming a swing-and-a-miss for Toronto on the free-agent market, Klingberg has five assists in 14 games for the Maple Leafs, coupled with a -7 rating.
  • After playing on a professional tryout contract for the Hershey Bears for his first three games of the AHL season, the Bears announced they have signed defenseman Dmitri Osipov to a one-year AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. Osipov is a veteran of seven years in the AHL, playing in 174 regular season games, scoring eight goals and 10 assists in total.

Minor Transactions: 11/20/23

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Here’s a rundown of some of the latest minor moves from around the hockey world with an NHL connection:

  • Free agent forward C.J. Smith has inked a tryout deal with JYP in Finland per a team release. The 28-year-old spent last season under contract with the Rangers but was limited to just 21 games at the AHL level with Hartford where he had four goals and two assists.  Smith has 15 career NHL contests under his belt over parts of four seasons with Buffalo and Carolina.
  • Simon Despres’ international journey will take him to Nottingham in England as the Panthers announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year deal. The 32-year-old played in 193 NHL games over parts of six seasons with Pittsburgh and Anaheim and since then, he has played in the AHL along with stints in Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, and Austria.
  • With Jesper Wallstedt returning to AHL Iowa earlier today, the Wild have reassigned goalie prospect Hunter Jones to ECHL Iowa, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level deal but has struggled considerably in a short sample size this season, posting a 4.98 GAA with a .845 SV% in four games with the Heartlanders.
  • The Sharks have promoted goalie Eetu Makiniemi back to the AHL level, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old was sent down last week to get some playing time as he has just one AHL appearance under his belt so far.  However, he didn’t fare particularly well in his two games with ECHL Wichita, allowing nine goals on 72 shots.  Makiniemi, who got into two games with the Sharks last season, is in the final season of his entry-level contract.
  • The Devils have re-assigned goalie Tyler Brennan to ECHL Adirondack, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The 20-year-old is in his first professional campaign and playing time has been hard to come by as he has played just twice for the Thunder, allowing six goals on 33 shots.
  • Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate in Manitoba announced that they’ve returned netminder Thomas Milic to ECHL Norfolk. The 20-year-old was drafted in the fifth round by the Jets back in June following a stellar season with Seattle of the WHL and has split the season between the Moose (four games) and Admirals (six appearances).

Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, Timmins, Barkov, Andersson

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The Maple Leafs are concerned that John Klingberg’s undisclosed injury could linger for a while, relays David Alter of The Hockey News.  The veteran has struggled mightily in his first year with Toronto and it was recently revealed that he has been playing through an injury.  Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they’re trying a more aggressive treatment with Toronto having a light schedule at the moment due to their trip to Sweden but that Klingberg is taking longer than they hoped to bounce back from it.  He has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest against Minnesota and if they want to consider an LTIR placement, that would keep him out through December 12th at a minimum.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with the Maple Leafs, defenseman Conor Timmins skated today but isn’t expected to play against Minnesota on Sunday, Alter adds (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is still working his way back from a lower-body injury sustained late in the preseason.  Timmins, who is on LTIR, has been upgraded to being out day-to-day.  Toronto will have to send two players down to activate Timmins and his $1.1MM price tag once he’s cleared to return.
  • Panthers center Aleksander Barkov left Friday’s game against Anaheim after a hit from Jackson LaCombe early in the third period and did not return. Postgame, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards that there was no immediate update on him after the game.  Florida is flying back from its road trip today so an update on the captain likely won’t come until Sunday.  Barkov is off to a strong start to his season with 17 points in his first 16 games.
  • Lias Andersson had a good start to his season in Montreal’s farm system but that will be on hold for a while as their AHL affiliate announced (Twitter link) that the forward will miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old signed a two-way deal with the Canadiens in the summer after being non-tendered by Los Angeles.  Andersson, the seventh overall pick in 2017, has seven goals and two assists in ten games so far this season.

Capitals Activate Joel Edmundson Off LTIR, Assign Dylan McIlrath To AHL

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The Capitals are set to welcome back one of their offseason acquisitions as they announced that they have activated defenseman Joel Edmundson off long-term injured reserve.  The previously reported activations of Anthony Mantha and Trevor van Riemsdyk were also confirmed.  In a corresponding move, Dylan McIlrath has been assigned to AHL Hershey.

Edmundson was acquired just as free agency was starting this summer, coming over in a trade from Montreal in exchange for a third-round pick and a seventh-round selection, both in 2024.  As part of the swap, the Canadiens held back half of Edmundson’s $3.5MM cap hit.

The 30-year-old suffered a hand injury early in training camp and has yet to play this season.  Staying healthy has been a challenge for Edmundson who has also battled back issues over the past couple of seasons.  Last year, he had 13 points along with 149 blocks and 112 hits in 61 games while averaging 19:34 of ice time and should push for a top four spot on Washington’s depth chart before too long.

Getting off to a strong start and staying healthy will certainly be important for Edmundson.  It’s a contract year so he’ll be looking to prove that he can be serviceable and durable as he gets set to test free agency in the summer.

As for McIlrath, he was recalled last Saturday and got into one game, suiting up for the Caps on Tuesday.  The 31-year-old has spent the bulk of the season with the Bears, picking up three assists and 23 penalty minutes in 11 games.

Jets Recall Dominic Toninato On Emergency Basis

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After a victory over Buffalo last night, Winnipeg is back in action tonight against Arizona.  At least one forward who played Friday is questionable for this game, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that center Dominic Toninato has been recalled from AHL Manitoba under emergency conditions.

The 29-year-old has been limited to just five games with the Moose this season due to injury although he has been productive in those appearances, notching a goal and three assists.  Toninato was similarly productive in the minors last year, tallying 19 goals and 16 helpers in 50 contests.

This is Toninato’s fourth season with Winnipeg and he has seen NHL action in the first three, including 2021-22 when he was a regular for most of the year, suiting up 77 times.  Going back to his previous teams, he has made an appearance at the top level in each of the last seven years, spanning 169 games in total where he has a dozen goals and 18 assists.

It’s unclear which forward’s availability is in question for tonight’s game and it’s worth noting that Winnipeg could easily go back to dressing seven defensemen anyway; Nate Schmidt was a healthy scratch against the Sabres.  But if they want to go with a standard deployment, Toninato might have a chance to extend that stretch of NHL appearances to eight straight seasons tonight.

Ryan Lindgren And Igor Shesterkin Expected To Play Saturday; Rangers Recall Connor Mackey

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The Rangers are getting some good news for their lineup on Saturday as Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Journal News relays that Ryan Lindgren will return after suffering an upper-body injury against Columbus while Igor Shesterkin should also return after missing four games.  Despite that, the team also announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up Connor Mackey from AHL Hartford.

With New York having a long layoff between games, the only time that Lindgren wound up missing was the third period of Sunday’s contest against Columbus.  The 25-year-old has just a single assist through his first 13 games so far this season while averaging a little over a hit and block per game in 19:33 per night of action.

Meanwhile, Mackey is no stranger to the up-and-down shuffling; this is his fifth recall this month.  Despite the promotions, the 27-year-old has yet to play for the Rangers this season but has gotten into nine games with the Wolf Pack where he has a goal and three assists.  Mackey cleared waivers in training camp after spending last season in a depth role between Calgary and Arizona.  His presence on New York’s roster is likely for insurance purposes in case Lindgren has a late setback and can’t play against New Jersey.

As for Shesterkin, the 27-year-old is off to another strong start to the season with a 2.36 GAA and a .913 SV% in his first eight appearances.  The 2021-22 Vezina winner had been dealing with undisclosed soreness.  Veteran Jonathan Quick did quite well in Shesterkin’s absence and is off to a great start of his own with a 1.98 GAA and a .928 SV% in his first six appearances but Shesterkin will almost certainly go back to getting the lion’s share of the workload having been cleared to return.

Penguins Loan John Ludvig And Alex Nedeljkovic To AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they’ve loaned defenseman John Ludvig and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to their AHL affiliate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The loan is for a conditioning stint so both players can get back up to game speed before they rejoin the NHL Penguins. Matt Vensel of Post-Gazette Sports is reporting that both players will be eligible to join the team on Sunday to play NHL games.

Ludvig and Nedeljkovic are both currently on long-term injured reserve and have already joined the Penguins in full practices before their AHL assignment. The Ludvig news is not surprising given that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has stated before that Ludvig would have a conditioning assignment, but Nedeljkovic was a bit of a surprise. The Penguins may have opted to allow him more time given that third-string goaltender Magnus Hellberg has filled in admirably for Nedeljkovic. Hellberg has a .922 save percentage in three appearances with a 1-0-0 record.

Ludvig suffered a concussion in his NHL debut on October 24th against the Dallas Stars and hasn’t dressed in a game since. The 23-year-old was a waiver claim before the start of the season and is one of the few Penguins defensemen who offer a bit of sandpaper. The Penguins currently have seven defensemen on their NHL roster and have used Ludvig’s LTIR to call up Vinnie Hinostroza who has been very good on the team’s rejuvenated fourth line. 

The Penguins’ third defensive pairing has been a revolving door all season with Ryan Shea and Chad Ruhwedel currently occupying the final pair. Pierre-Olivier Joseph started the year on the left side, but hasn’t been able to hold down a spot and has struggled when he has been re-inserted into the lineup. The Penguins also have Ty Smith in the minors as well as Will Butcher who is injured. Ludvig will give the Penguins further roster options but could also complicate their current roster construction when he is recalled.

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