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East Notes: Jiricek, Dach, Czarnik, Mazur

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While Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek is eligible to be sent to the minors which would allow the team more time to decide whether or not they should burn the first year of his entry-level deal, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the blueliner is expected to remain with the big club through his tenth game.  Doing so means that he would officially burn the first season of his entry-level contract.  The 19-year-old has two points in eight games so far this year in Columbus while logging a little under 14 minutes a night.  His presence on the roster means that two rearguards (Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist) are on the outside looking in but it appears that will be the case for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Canadiens announced that center Kirby Dach underwent successful knee surgery today. Dach sustained a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in Montreal’s second game of the season earlier this month while playing against Chicago, his former team.  Surgery was delayed until today to allow the swelling to go down.  Dach is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp next fall.
  • CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to AHL Grand Rapids. The 30-year-old has played in eight games this season, picking up a single assist while logging just under 10 minutes a game.  The move puts Detroit at just 18 healthy skaters which isn’t likely viable so a recall – likely Czarnik – will come in advance of Thursday’s game against Florida.  Once Czarnik plays in ten games or is on the roster for 30 days, he’ll need to clear waivers again so this transaction stops the clock on the latter counter for now.
  • Still with Detroit, the Red Wings announced that they have activated forward Carter Mazur from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to Grand Rapids. The 21-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the opening game of Detroit’s prospect tournament back in September.  Mazur spent most of last season in college with Denver but managed to get in six games with the Griffins down the stretch where he had six points.  Because Mazur wasn’t on Detroit’s roster last season, there was no cap charge for his SOIR placement.

Flyers Assign Felix Sandstrom To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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There are a handful of teams around the NHL who are carrying three netminders on their active roster, making it hard for that third-stringer to see much action.  The Flyers are one of those and have made a move to get that extra goalie some playing time, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Felix Sandstrom to AHL Lehigh Valley on a conditioning loan.

The 26-year-old was the backup in Philadelphia for the majority of last season, getting into 20 games.  However, Sandstrom struggled in those appearances, posting a 3.72 GAA with a .880 SV%.  When Samuel Ersson came up and made a push for playing time, the Flyers actually sent Sandstrom down on a conditioning loan last season, allowing him to get into seven games with the Phantoms.

This season, Ersson – who is still waiver-exempt – has taken over as the full-time backup behind Carter Hart, leaving Sandstrom as the odd one out.  As a result, he has yet to see the ice during the regular season and only played two periods in the preseason.  That’s hardly ideal for any goalie.

A conditioning loan can last for a maximum of 14 days and there are no restrictions on how many games he can play in that stretch (unlike a post-LTIR conditioning loan).  While he’s with Lehigh Valley, Sandstrom will count in full against Philadelphia’s salary cap and will technically remain a part of the Flyers’ active roster, meaning they won’t be able to call up a skater to temporarily take Sandstrom’s place.

AHL’s Toronto Marlies Sign Kieffer Bellows To PTO

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Former Islanders and Flyers forward Kieffer Bellows remained without a contract for 2023-24 after a failed PTO with the Hurricanes during this year’s training camp. He’ll now get another chance to earn a roster spot in North America, this time in the minors. The AHL’s Toronto Marlies have signed Bellows to a PTO, per a team announcement Monday.

Bellows, the Islanders’ 19th overall selection in 2016, had his stint with the team run out early last year. The Islanders waived him in late October 2022 after playing him in just one game, but he didn’t clear – the Flyers decided to pick him up as a reclamation project. Unfortunately, things once again didn’t pop off for Bellows. He notched just three goals in 27 games, averaging under ten minutes a game and cleared waivers two subsequent times throughout 2022-23. In the minors with AHL Lehigh Valley, he managed 10 points in 12 games.

Unsurprisingly, the Flyers did not tender Bellows at the end of the season, given his $1.2MM qualifying offer. Thus he hit the free agent market for the first time in his career, failing to land any guaranteed NHL offers.

The 25-year-old Minnesota product has appeared in 95 NHL games since turning pro in 2018, recording 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points. It amounts to solid fourth-line production, but inconsistency and extreme dry spells have prevented him from landing an everyday NHL job. He has struggled to make positive impacts defensively, posting a career Corsi share of 46.1% at even strength, 1.9% worse than his teammates.

The Marlies (and their NHL parent, the Maple Leafs) are no stranger to bringing in reclamation projects on both NHL and AHL deals – Alex Galchenyuk and Joshua Ho-Sang are a pair of recent examples that didn’t pay long-term dividends. With a whopping 18 forwards already on the Marlies’ roster, Bellows will need to make a significant impact at the minor-league level to land a deal. That shouldn’t be too tall a task, as aside from posting just 19 points in 73 games during his rookie season with AHL Bridgeport in 2018-19, he’s been an effective contributor in limited minor-league action.

Coyotes Assign Ben McCartney And Jan Jenik To AHL

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Sunday: McCartney’s stint with the Coyotes was short-lived as he was assigned back to the minors today.

Saturday: The recent roster shuffling in Arizona has continued as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Ben McCartney from AHL Tucson.  He takes the place of forward Jan Jenik who has been returned to the Roadrunners.

This is McCartney’s first recall in nearly two years with his only previous NHL action being a pair of appearances early in the 2021-22 season.  The 22-year-old has played in five games in the minors so far this season and is still looking for his first point.  McCartney’s best showing down there came a couple of years ago when he posted 18 goals and 17 assists in 2021-22, his first professional campaign.

As for Jenik, he is no stranger to these back-and-forth transactions; it’s the fourth one he has been involved in since Monday.  The 23-year-old served as Arizona’s extra forward last night against Los Angeles and has yet to suit up for the Coyotes this season.  Jenik has three points in as many games in Tucson so far after clearing waivers at the beginning of the month.  Players can be on an NHL roster for 10 games or 30 days cumulative without needing to clear again.  This assignment stops the clock for the time being.

The Coyotes aren’t back in action until Monday so there should be a reprieve on the day-to-day transactions tomorrow before potentially resuming in advance of their game against Chicago.

Atlantic Notes: Vasilevskiy, Motte, Cooley

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Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy skated briefly with the team for the first time as he works his way back from back surgery, relays Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times.  The netminder joined the team with about ten minutes left in practice but head coach Jon Cooper was quick to point out that this isn’t a sign that his recovery is ahead of schedule.  At the time of the surgery back in late September, Vasilevskiy was expected to miss eight to ten weeks so he’s still at least a month away from returning.  While many expected Tampa Bay to make a move to shore things up between the pipes, Jonas Johansson has fared rather well in the early going this season, notching a 2.56 GAA and a .925 SV% along with two shutouts in his first seven starts.  If he can keep that up a bit longer, they might be able to get away without adding another goalie after all.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Also from Ackert’s column, winger Tyler Motte took part in his second straight practice as he works his way back from an upper-body injury sustained in the season opener. The 28-year-old was a late signing after Josh Archibald decided not to play this season despite inking a two-year deal with the Lightning back in July.  Motte is hoping to accompany the club on their upcoming road trip that begins on Thursday in Columbus so it appears he could be back in the lineup in the near future.
  • Following their victory over Colorado today, the Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they have returned goaltender Devin Cooley to AHL Rochester. The 26-year-old was brought up yesterday with Eric Comrie going on IR yesterday and Devon Levi not yet ready to return.  As Levi remains on the active roster, Buffalo can send Cooley down.  They’re off until Wednesday so if Levi still isn’t available then, expect Cooley to be recalled at that time.

Golden Knights Recall Jonas Rondbjerg, Place Nicolas Roy On IR

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10/29: Vegas has sent Rondbjerg back to the minor leagues.

10/28: The Golden Knights have brought up some extra forward depth in advance of their game tonight against Los Angeles, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up winger Jonas Rondbjerg from AHL Henderson.

The 24-year-old had a brief stint with Vegas earlier this month, picking up a goal and an assist in two appearances.  It’s the third straight season that Rondbjerg has seen action with the big club.  Combined, he has 45 games with the Golden Knights where he has three goals and six helpers.

Rondbjerg has also played in five games with the Silver Knights this season where he has three assists.  He has been more productive at that level, tallying 32 goals and 39 assists in 137 games over parts of five years.  He’s in the second season of a three-year contract which actually carries a cap hit below the NHL minimum salary, checking in at just under $767K.

He will be taking the place of Nicolas Roy on the roster as the Golden Knights have placed the center on injured reserve on Friday.  The 26-year-old missed Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury and had already been ruled out through the weekend.  Roy is off to a nice start to his season with three goals in seven games but that will be on hold, at least for a few days.  He’ll have to stay on IR for seven days but Vegas can back-date the placement to Wednesday if they so desire.

Adam Johnson Passes Away

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Former NHL forward Adam Johnson has tragically passed away after suffering a major medical emergency during a game last night with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers. Nottingham confirmed his passing this morning after Johnson suffered a cut during a game against the Sheffield Steelers last night. The 29-year-old was attended to by medical personnel as fans were asked to leave the arena after the incident had occurred. A statement from Johnson’s former NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, can be found here.

The unfortunate sequence of events started with a collision at center ice that caused Johnson to suffer an injury to his throat. The players from both teams formed a circle around him before screens were brought onto the ice as paramedics attended to him. This morning the Panthers released an official statement saying:

The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night. The club will dearly miss him and will never forget him. Adam, our number 47, was not only an outstanding ice hockey player but also a great team-mate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him.

The full statement is available here.

Johnson was born in Minnesota and was in his first season in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) after joining the Panthers this offseason. He began playing as a professional in 2017 after spending two years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he won an NCHC championship in 2017. He spent the first three years of his pro career with the Penguins organization and did dress in some NHL games with the club, posting a goal and three assists in 13 games spread over two NHL seasons. In his AHL career, Johnson dressed in 257 career AHL games with the Ontario Reign, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He registered 50 career AHL goals and 87 assists.

Former NHLer Matt Cullen told Rob Rossi of The Athletic that Johnson was “An unreal kid, just a great guy. A salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. So humble and a very easy person to be around. He’s one of those guys who just loves the game and being around the rink with the guys.”

PHR joins the entire hockey world in mourning the passing of Adam Johnson. Our condolences to the Johnson family and all of his teammates, friends, and peers.

Minor Transactions: 10/28/23

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It’s a relatively light Saturday across the NHL with nine games on the schedule.  We’ll keep track of any minor roster news here plus any NHL-related transactions across the hockey world.

  • Per CapFriendly (Twitter links), the Penguins have recalled both Radim Zohorna and Vinnie Hinostroza from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The pair were papered down on Friday in a move to drop Pittsburgh out of LTIR for the day, allowing them to bank a bit of cap space.  They’ve been doing these shuffles daily lately which should continue for as long as Alex Nedeljkovic is on LTIR.
  • The Bruins’ cap shuffling continues. After bringing up Jesper Boqvist from his paper recall earlier in the day, the team then announced that they’d assigned the forward back to AHL Providence.  The 24-year-old is in his first season with Boston after being non-tendered by New Jersey back in June.  He has played once for the Bruins so far while suiting up in five games at the AHL level, notching two assists.
  • Former NHL blueliner Brandon Manning has inked a one-year contract with IF Bjorkloven in the Swedish Allsvenskan, per a team release. The 33-year-old has played in 255 NHL games over parts of eight seasons, the most recent of which was back in 2019-20 with Edmonton.  Since then, Manning took a year off before spending the past two years in Germany.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Capitals Activate Charlie Lindgren, Assign Hunter Shepard To AHL

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The Capitals will be welcoming back goalie Charlie Lindgren for their game tomorrow against San Jose as the team announced that they have activated him off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, netminder Hunter Shepard was assigned back to AHL Hershey.

Lindgren is in his second season as the backup goaltender in Washington behind Darcy Kuemper.  The 29-year-old was a full-time NHL backup for the first time in 2022-23, playing in 31 games, more than the rest of his career combined.  Lindgren fared relatively well in that role, posting a 3.05 GAA with a .899 SV%.  This season, he has just one start under his belt where he allowed four goals on 35 shots.  He’s expected to serve as the backup against the Sharks on Sunday.

As for Shepard, he made his NHL debut earlier this week against New Jersey, stopping 18 of 22 shots for his first career victory at the top level.  The 27-year-old is in his fourth year in Washington’s system, spending the majority of that time at the AHL level.  Shepard had a strong showing last year, putting together a 2.18 GAA with a .916 SV% in 33 games before putting up similar numbers in 20 playoff contests (2.27 GAA, .914 SV%), earning himself playoff MVP honors along the way.

Sabres Recall Devin Cooley; Eric Comrie Out Week-To-Week

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The Sabres have been carrying three goalies on their roster all season long but injuries have struck, resulting in them needing to bring up another one as the team announced that they’ve recalled Devin Cooley from AHL Rochester.

The recall was needed with Eric Comrie exiting yesterday’s game against New Jersey in the second period with a lower-body injury. GM Kevyn Adams told reporters including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that Comrie will be out on a week-to-week basis.

Meanwhile, opening night starter Devon Levi has only skated once in the last nine days as he’s dealing with a lower-body issue of his own; Adams indicated that they’re hopeful that he can return to practice on Tuesday.  Buffalo also has veteran third-stringer Dustin Tokarski under contract but he suffered an upper-body injury during training camp that he hasn’t recovered from so Cooley is the next player up.

The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Sabres organization after spending the last three seasons in Nashville’s system.  He has played in four games with the Americans this year, posting a 3.46 GAA with a .903 SV%.  Cooley is set to serve as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Buffalo’s next game on Sunday against Colorado.

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