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Rangers Recall Matthew Robertson

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The Rangers recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from AHL Hartford on Friday, per a team announcement.

New York adds some blueline depth to their roster as they continue their West Coast swing with three games in four nights. Per The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, Robertson comes up as injury insurance for an undisclosed defenseman who’s not 100 percent healthy. He will likely serve as a healthy extra on the road trip, with Zachary Jones drawing in instead if one of the Rangers’ top six defensemen needs to exit the lineup due to injury.

The 22-year-old Robertson has yet to play in an NHL game, but he’s one of the Rangers’ more intriguing defense prospects. He has NHL-ready size at 6-foot-4 and 201 lbs., but his development in the minors has stagnated over the past 18 months. In 32 games with the Wolf Pack this year, Robertson has two goals, 11 assists and 13 points with a -3 rating.

Notably for Robertson, he is in the final season of his entry-level contract. If he can make his way into the lineup for his NHL debut, it could go a long way toward securing some additional compensation on his second major league deal. The 2019 second-round pick is on track to receive a qualifying offer at season’s end and will not be eligible for arbitration.

This is his second recall of the month. He was ferried up for a brief period on Jan. 11, but was sent down before that night’s game against the Blues.

Devils Place Brendan Smith On Injured Reserve

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The Devils have placed defenseman Brendan Smith on injured reserve with a sprained right knee retroactive to Jan. 15. In a corresponding transaction, the team recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from AHL Utica.

Smith, 34, left Monday’s game against the Bruins early in the first period after a collision with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and did not return. He did not play in yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Canadiens.

New Jersey has a packed schedule in the coming days, with games on Friday (vs. the Blue Jackets), Saturday (vs. the Stars), and Monday (vs. the Golden Knights). Placing Smith on IR rules him out of those three games. The soonest he is eligible to return is on Thursday, Jan. 25, against the Hurricanes, one of his three former teams.

The veteran pot-stirrer has filled in at both defense and forward this season, depending on which position has been more affected by injuries. Smith joins forwards Nolan Foote and Tomáš Nosek, as well as top-four defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, on IR/LTIR, while forwards Jack Hughes and Ondřej Palát remain sidelined with injuries but are on the active roster.

At this stage in his career, Smith’s impact is most felt between the whistles. He’s posted 1-4–5 in 34 games this season after not scoring a goal in 2022-23, logging 47 PIMs while averaging 14:25 per game. He’s avoided liability status in terms of possession metrics, though, with a Corsi share of 50.4% at even strength and an expected +0.4 rating.

In Smith’s absence, 25-year-old Callan Foote made his second appearance of the season against the Canadiens yesterday. The Devils had no healthy extras rostered, necessitating Hatakka’s recall.

The 23-year-old Hatakka arrived in the Devils organization by way of San Jose in the February 2023 Timo Meier trade. A sixth-round pick of the Sharks in 2019, Hatakka has not played in the NHL since April 17, 2022.

He spent most of last season injured, only logging eight games with AHL San Jose in October and November of 2022. Now healthy, he’s picked up a regular role with Utica, where he’s posted 2-7–9 in 28 games with a -4 rating. This is his first recall since joining the Devils, and potentially an important one for his next contract as he’s in the final year of his entry-level deal.

East Notes: Rafferty, Norris, Sandin

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The Red Wings assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to AHL Grand Rapids today, per a team announcement. Rafferty, 28, was recalled last Saturday but did not see any game action with Detroit.

This indicates defenseman Jake Walman is likely ready to return from an illness that’s sidelined him for three contests. Walman’s absence necessitated Rafferty’s recall, allowing the Red Wings to remain at seven healthy defensemen on the active roster. In the event Walman is ready to return, he would likely reunite with Moritz Seider on the team’s top pairing against the Hurricanes tomorrow.

This was Rafferty’s first recall since signing a two-year, two-way $1.55MM contract in Detroit as a UFA last summer. The right-shooting defenseman has 1-12–13 in 33 games with Grand Rapids this season, a sharp decline from the 9-42–51 he posted in 72 games with the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, Coachella Valley, last season.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference today:

  • Senators center Josh Norris skated in a non-contact jersey during an optional skate this morning, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch said. The 24-year-old has missed three games with an upper-body injury, one the team is surely watching carefully after a shoulder injury with multiple setbacks cost him nearly all of the 2022-23 campaign, as well as the first three games of this season. Interim head coach Jacques Martin said Norris was an option to return during their back-to-back against the Jets and Flyers this weekend, although that seems less likely now, given he wasn’t able to take contact today.
  • Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin was upgraded to regular contact at this morning’s practice, per The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Sandin, 23, hasn’t played since Jan. 3 and remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 5-foot-11 blueliner has now missed six games, but after getting back on the ice last week, he’s trending toward being available by the team’s Saturday game against the Blues. Washington also faces St. Louis tonight, although head coach Spencer Carbery has not commented on Sandin’s availability. The 2018 first-round pick has 11 assists in 36 games for the Caps while averaging over 22 minutes per game.

Blues Place Kasperi Kapanen On IR, Out 4 Weeks

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Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen will be out a minimum of four weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday. He has been placed on injured reserve.

In a corresponding transaction, the team brought up veteran forward Adam Gaudette from AHL Springfield. The 27-year-old leads all AHLers with 24 goals in 37 games.

The speedy winger has struggled heavily in his first full season with the Blues. Things were looking up for Kapanen after St. Louis claimed him off waivers from the Penguins partway through the 2022-23 campaign, closing out the year with 8-6–14 in 23 games. This season, despite a minimal reduction in usage, he’s notched just 4-9–13 in 42 games, his worst points per game pace since his rookie campaign with the Maple Leafs in 2017-18.

A long-term injury now complicates things further. Kapanen will miss at least ten games and potentially more if his four-week evaluation doesn’t clear him to return.

Blues interim head coach Drew Bannister confirmed today that Gaudette will directly replace Kapanen in the lineup against the Capitals tomorrow, meaning another recent AHL call-up, Nathan Walker, likely sits as a healthy scratch. The Blues are carrying a full 23-player roster, including defenseman Tyler Tucker, who’s suiting up for Springfield on a conditioning loan.

Gaudette didn’t see any NHL action last season, limited exclusively to minor-league play for the first time in his pro career. After notching 34 points in 40 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies while under contract with the Maple Leafs, Gaudette found himself in Springfield after his contract was included in the trade return for Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly last season. Tomorrow will be his first NHL game since April 29, 2022, with the Ottawa Senators.

Blackhawks Place Nikita Zaitsev On IR, Recall Louis Crevier

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The Blackhawks placed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev on IR with a right knee injury Wednesday, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. To replace him on the active roster, the team recalled Louis Crevier from AHL Rockford.

Zaitsev logged 8:46 in last night’s shootout win over the Sharks before leaving the game. The 32-year-old had played in all eight Blackhawks games since New Year’s Day after missing the last two games of 2023 with an illness.

A frequent healthy scratch to begin the campaign, Zaitsev stepped into a more regular role in the lineup last month with injuries decimating Chicago at every position. Their defense has gotten healthier recently with the return of Seth Jones, but veteran Connor Murphy is now day to day with a lower-body injury. Zaitsev is the only Blackhawks defender on IR, joining a remarkable eight forwards – many of whom would be in the team’s top six if healthy.

Zaitsev’s bloated seven-year, $31.5MM contract is coming to an end next summer, but he’s providing a tad more value this season with more zone starts in the offensive end. He’s notched 2-5–7 in 26 games this year, and his pairing with rookie Kevin Korchinski has been Chicago’s best at controlling possession with a 46.9% expected goals share, per MoneyPuck. Interestingly, Korchinski has graded out far better defensively alongside Zaitsev than when paired with either Jones or Murphy.

The massive Crevier, who stands at 6-foot-8 and nearly 230 lbs., receives his second recall of the season. The 22-year-old played in 13 games between Dec. 2 and Jan. 9, logging three assists and a -7 rating in 16:08 of ice time per game. The 2020 seventh-round pick has notably gone without scoring a goal since May 25, 2022, during the QMJHL postseason as a member of the Québéc Remparts. In 80 games with AHL Rockford since turning pro in 2022, he has 10 assists and a -1 rating.

Cody Hodgson Signs PTO With AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals

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2008 first-round pick Cody Hodgson’s comeback to professional hockey was made official this morning. He’s signed a professional tryout with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per the league transactions log, and is now eligible to suit up with the Predators’ primary minor-league affiliate.

Hodgson, 33, last played organized hockey with the Admirals and Predators in the 2015-16 campaign. After reaching unrestricted free agency the following summer, he eventually announced his retirement due to a malignant hyperthermia diagnosis, which can cause muscle rigidity, fevers, elevated heart rate, and arrhythmia. While traditionally triggered by medications used to trigger general anesthesia, prolonged physical activity can also cause flare-ups.

Selected 10th overall by the Canucks, Hodgson was a decorated junior hockey talent and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting during the 2011-12 campaign, split between the Canucks and Sabres thanks to a controversial midseason trade. When he finished second on the middling Sabres in scoring during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (15-19–34 in 48 games), he looked like a budding long-term top-six center that could fill the role vacated by former number-one center Derek Roy when the Sabres dealt him to the Stars in the 2012 offseason.

Within two seasons, due in part to his malignant hyperthermia symptoms, his production cratered. After posting 6-7–13 in 78 games in 2014-15 while averaging under 13 minutes per game, the Sabres bought out the final four seasons of his six-year, $25.5MM contract, making him a UFA at 25 years old.

Hodgson signed with the Predators for the following campaign, but it didn’t go any better. He posted eight points in 39 games through the first half of the season before being assigned to AHL Milwaukee in January, where he remained for the rest of 2016.

It’s unlikely Hodgson’s second stint in Milwaukee will result in another NHL opportunity after so long away from the game, but it’s promising to see his health improve to the point where pro hockey can be a consideration.

Kings Recall Samuel Fagemo

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With center Blake Lizotte listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against Dallas, the Kings opted to make a roster move to add some extra forward depth.  The team announced that they’ve recalled winger Samuel Fagemo from AHL Ontario, filling their one vacant roster spot.

It has been an interesting start to the season for the 23-year-old.  A late cut in training camp, Fagemo was claimed off waivers by Nashville and spent nearly six weeks on their roster.  However, playing time was hard to come by as he played in just four games, scoring once.  That landed him back on waivers in November where Fagemo was scooped up once more by Los Angeles.  As no other team put in a claim at that time, they were able to send him down to the Reign.

Since then, Fagemo has been a high-end scorer, notching 20 goals in just 24 games, ranking second in the AHL in that department despite the fact he missed the first 11 games of their season.  It’s the third straight year that he has reached the 20-goal mark although he needed 46 games to get there last season.  Now, he’s being rewarded for his efforts with a recall where he’ll look to have more success than his first couple of stints with the Kings which saw him collect two goals and an assist in 13 games over two seasons.

As for Lizotte, he left last night’s game against Carolina early with a lower-body injury and did not return.  The 26-year-old has struggled a bit offensively this year compared to 2022-23 when he had a career-high 11 goals and 23 assists in 81 games.  This season, he checks in at five goals and four helpers in 34 contests with his playing time dipping to just above 11 minutes a night, the lowest ATOI mark of his career.

Sabres Recall Kale Clague, Move Jeff Skinner To IR

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5:30 PM: The Sabres have sent Clague back to the AHL after the defenseman served as a healthy scratch for the team’s Monday win over the San Jose Sharks.

9:00 AM: The Sabres have recalled defenseman Kale Clague from AHL Rochester, per a team announcement. To create the necessary space on the active roster, the team moved star winger Jeff Skinner to injured reserve, according to CapFriendly.

The latter move is purely for roster management purposes and does not change Skinner’s recovery timeline. He remains listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Clague’s recall comes after defenseman Mattias Samuelsson took an elbow to the head from Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek early in the second period of Saturday’s 1-0 loss. Samuelsson did not return to the game and is likely out for this afternoon’s contest against the Sharks.

The 25-year-old Clague isn’t projected to dress against San Jose, but he does provide some needed defensive depth on the NHL roster. Buffalo lost multiple defenders to injury at points during the loss to Vancouver, namely Connor Clifton and Rasmus Dahlin. At one point during the contest, after Dahlin and Samuelsson had both exited the contest to go into concussion protocol due to separate hits to the head, veteran blueliner Erik Johnson was ineligible to play for five minutes after fighting Canucks center J.T. Miller, whose hit knocked Dahlin out of the game. That gave the Sabres only three available defensemen for a stretch, leading depth forward Zemgus Girgensons to play some shifts on the blue line. Head coach Don Granato confirmed both Clifton and Dahlin are cleared to play in today’s contest against the Sharks, although Samuelsson will remain out.

Clague, a second-round pick of the Kings in 2016, re-joined the Sabres on a one-year deal a few days after becoming a UFA in July. It was his second straight season without receiving a qualifying offer, which allowed the Sabres to sign him to a new deal at a slightly discounted cap hit. He’s in his second season in the Sabres organization after spending the first five seasons of his pro career with the Kings and Canadiens.

This is his first recall of 2023-24 after clearing waivers at the end of training camp. The puck-moving blueliner leads Rochester defensemen in assists (15) and points (17) this year in 31 games. It’s the most minor-league action he’s seen since he played 49 games with AHL Ontario in 2019-20.

In 33 games with the Sabres last year, Clague posted four assists while averaging 15:06 per game, all coming at even strength. He posted the best possession metrics of his career in a decent sample, per Hockey Reference – a 52.7% Corsi share, 50% expected goals for, and a +0.1 expected rating at even strength, to be exact. If he can replicate those, there are much worse options to have as an injury fill-in.

Lightning Reassign Three To AHL

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The Lightning have reassigned right defensemen Maxwell Crozier, Philippe Myers and left winger Gage Goncalves to AHL Syracuse, vice president and GM Julien BriseBois said today.

With Tampa Bay now in a four-day break until their next game, they’ve opted to send the three recent call-ups to the minors to make them eligible to play in Syracuse’s game tomorrow against Utica. They’ve combined for only seven NHL games this season.

Crozier, 23, was called up from Syracuse on Friday after top-four blueliner Erik Černák was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the second time this month. He made his NHL debut in yesterday’s 5-1 drubbing of the Ducks, recording one blocked shot in 13 minutes of ice time alongside another recent Syracuse call-up, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg. Crozier, a fourth-round pick of the Lightning in 2019, remains waiver-exempt.

This move ends the third recall for Myers, 26, since he was waived and assigned to Syracuse early in October before the season began. He can be on the Lightning roster for nine more days before he’ll need waivers again to return to the minors. A pending UFA with a $1.4MM cap hit this season, Myers was a healthy scratch in three straight and hadn’t played since January 6 against the Bruins. He has a -2 rating and six shots on goal in four games with the Bolts this year, averaging 13:08 per game.

Goncalves also returns to Syracuse, ending his first in-season recall. The 22-year-old played in his first two NHL games after he was summoned from the minors on Thursday, recording a lone shot attempt and six PIMs while averaging 9:58 per game. His unit with Tyler Motte and Conor Sheary was pristine defensively in an extremely small sample size, failing to allow a single expected goal against in just over 13 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. The team’s 2020 second-round pick now looks to build on his team-leading 23 assists and 30 points in 33 games with Syracuse.

Whether all of these three are recalled back to Tampa later this week depends on the health of Černák and winger Tanner Jeannot, who is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury but is eligible to come off injured reserve ahead of their next game, which takes place on January 18 against the Wild. The transactions bring the Lightning’s roster size down to 20, including the injured Černák.

Blues Loan Tyler Tucker To AHL On Conditioning Assignment

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The Blues have assigned defenseman Tyler Tucker to AHL Springfield on a conditioning loan, Blues president of hockey operations and GM Doug Armstrong announced today.

Tucker, 23, has not played since facing the Panthers on December 21. He has been a healthy scratch in nine straight games.

The 2018 seventh-round pick signed a two-year extension worth $1.6MM last June, shortly before reaching restricted free agency. He had put up strong scoring chance suppression numbers in a 26-game stint while playing depth minutes last season, earning himself a spot on the team’s roster out of training camp to begin 2023-24. His pairing with current Springfield blueliner Calle Rosén led all Blues in expected goals against per 60 minutes last season with 2.32, according to MoneyPuck data.

Tucker scored a goal in the Blues’ season opener against the Stars, but he struggled to replicate last season’s shutdown effectiveness and came out of the lineup by the team’s sixth game of the season. After playing in St. Louis’ first five games, he’s been a healthy scratch in 26 out of 36 contests. Now most commonly paired with veteran Marco Scandella, that pairing has controlled just 37.3% of expected goals when on the ice. Per MoneyPuck, that’s the seventh-worst in the NHL this season among pairings with at least 100 minutes together. Scandella has fared slightly better when paired with the more offensively-inclined Scott Perunovich, boasting a 42.8% expected goals share.

Through his 15 games this season, Tucker has one goal, one assist and 22 penalty minutes with ten shots on goal. He’s averaged 12:31 per game, down from last season’s 14:39.

By consenting to a conditioning loan, Tucker will remain on assignment to Springfield for up to 14 days. He will remain on the Blues’ active roster and count against the salary cap. After 14 days, the Blues must recall Tucker from his loan or, if they wish to keep him in Springfield, place him on waivers.

The Blues also have center Nikita Alexandrov in Springfield on a conditioning loan. That means while their roster size is at the maximum of 23, only 21 players are eligible to suit up in an NHL game. Alexandrov has four days remaining on his loan, which has been successful with two goals and five assists in six games.

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