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Metropolitan Notes: Kochetkov, Leschyshyn, Mackey

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The Hurricanes loaned netminder Pyotr Kochetkov to AHL Chicago on Sunday, according to the league’s transactions log. However, it’s not a permanent assignment and is only a transaction to bank additional cap space ahead of the trade deadline, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey. Kochetkov will not suit up for the Wolves and will instead rest over the All-Star break after recently being activated from injured reserve.

Kochetkov, 24, has stepped into the starter’s role in Carolina with veteran Frederik Andersen still sidelined due to blood clots. With Antti Raanta stumbling heavily between the pipes this year, Kochetkov has been a stabilizing force with a .900 SV% and an 11-7-3 record in 23 showings. His 21 starts are the most on the team, but he hasn’t played since entering concussion protocol during a game against the Ducks on Jan. 11. He’s now cleared protocol and is healthy enough to play, but the team opted to dress him as the backup to Raanta in Saturday’s win over the Coyotes.

He’s still waiver-exempt and will re-join the Hurricanes when the All-Star break ends. Their 2019 second-round pick is in the first season of a four-year, $8MM extension signed in Nov. 2022.

Also from the Metropolitan Division today:

  • The Rangers assigned center Jake Leschyshyn and defenseman Connor Mackey to AHL Hartford, per the team’s public relations department. Both have served as recent roster fill-ins with New York dealing with some depth injuries. Leschyshyn has one appearance this season, coming on Jan. 11 against the Blues, but he did not play on his most recent two-game recall this week. The 24-year-old has been surpassed on the depth chart by players like rookie William Cuylle and AHL veteran Jonny Brodzinski since being claimed off waivers last season from the Golden Knights. His production in limited action with Hartford this season has been underwhelming as well, recording seven points in 16 games after operating near a point-per-game pace in his last two minor-league stints. Meanwhile, Mackey did suit up in Saturday’s dominant win over the Senators with Jacob Trouba suspended and Ryan Lindgren unavailable with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old logged over 16 minutes in his Rangers debut, recording a +1 rating and a shot on goal. Neither player needs waivers to return to Hartford because they’ve spent less than 30 days on the active roster since they last cleared.

Jets Place Declan Chisholm On Waivers

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The Jets placed defenseman Declan Chisholm on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Manitoba on Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

The 24-year-old Chisholm has played sparingly this season and is currently on a run of 23 straight healthy scratches. His only two NHL games came in back-to-back showings against the Blackhawks and Hurricanes in early December, in which he recorded one assist and controlled 47.8% of Corsi events at even strength while averaging 11:33 per game.

He does have five assists in six games with AHL Manitoba this season, coming by way of a mid-November conditioning stint. The Jets have been hesitant to expose last year’s AHL All-Star Classic participant to waivers for fear of losing him for no return.

As Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press points out, placing Chisholm on waivers today is likely an attempt to sneak him through the wire while most teams are beginning their All-Star break. The 2018 fifth-round pick finished second among Manitoba defensemen with 43 points in 59 games last season.

Chisholm signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K with a minimum salary guarantee of $120K to remain with Winnipeg after reaching restricted free agency last summer. He was one of the last remaining RFAs without a contract nearing training camps, waiting until Sep. 13 to put pen to paper on a deal. He will be an RFA again next summer but is not yet eligible for salary arbitration.

Atlantic Notes: Levi, Comrie, Samoskevich, Newpower

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The Sabres swapped backup netminders on Sunday, announcing the recall of Eric Comrie from AHL Rochester while returning rookie Devon Levi to the minors. As such, the 22-year-old will get a handful of starts in Rochester over the next ten days or more while the Sabres are off for the All-Star break.

Buffalo’s three-goalie experiment to begin the season has ended. 24-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen now has a firm grasp on the starter’s crease, posting a 12-11-2 record, .909 SV% and 2.61 GAA in 26 games. All of those stats lead the team, as do his 2.4 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

The 22-year-old Levi hasn’t had the rookie season some had hoped for, but despite his subpar .891 SV%, he’s still been solid relative to the high shot quality he’s faced. Like Luukkonen, he’s performed slightly above average, stopping 1.5 goals saved above expected in his 20 appearances. Levi’s played only three times since the beginning of January, though, and without a clear path to the majority of the starts in Buffalo, the organization is rightfully interested in getting their youngster some more playing time. In three games with Rochester, Levi has a .903 SV% and a 2-1-0 record.

While Comrie has done well in the minors as of late, his NHL track record this season suggests he’ll be returned to Rochester once the Sabres’ schedule resumes next month. Injuries and poor play have limited him to seven appearances this year, in which he’s posted a 1-5-0 record and a .863 SV%. The 28-year-old will not need to clear waivers upon his return to the minors after passing through unclaimed on New Year’s Day unless he stays on the roster for more than 30 days.

Other transactions from the Atlantic Division today:

  • The Panthers loaned rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich to AHL Charlotte, per the NHL’s media site. The 21-year-old played in all four games since Florida recalled him one week ago, his first NHL action in nearly three months. The Panthers went a perfect four-for-four with Samoskevich in the lineup, but he didn’t manage to record a point and posted a -1 rating while averaging 11:39 per game. Their 2021 first-round pick is still looking for his first NHL point after making the team out of camp last October. He’s done quite well in the minors, however, ranking second on Charlotte with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 32 games.
  • Less than 24 hours after recalling him, the Red Wings returned defenseman Wyatt Newpower to AHL Grand Rapids, per a team announcement. Newpower, 26, was a healthy scratch for last night’s 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. Detroit has routinely brought up a defenseman from Grand Rapids on game days to serve as last-minute injury insurance while Ben Chiarot is sidelined with an undisclosed injury, routinely bringing up the more experienced Brogan Rafferty. They decided to give him a break from the roster turmoil yesterday, however, instead giving Newpower his first NHL summons since signing his entry-level contract three years ago.

Devils Assign Three Players To AHL

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The Devils assigned center Justin Dowling and defensemen Santeri Hatakka and Daniil Misyul to AHL Utica on Sunday, per a team announcement. New Jersey recalled all three players within the last two weeks, but they’ll now get some additional playing time in the minors with the Devils entering their bye week.

Dowling, 33, is coming off a brief audition in a top-six role. He centered Tyler Toffoli and Dawson Mercer in Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Lightning, the team’s last outing for 10 days. It was a decidedly failed experiment, as the trio controlled just 20% of expected goals at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck. Dowling also failed to record a shot and posted a -3 rating in 14:24 of ice time.

The 539-game AHL veteran did score in his only other appearance with the Devils since his recall, a loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. Since he played less than ten games and has been on the NHL roster for less than 30 days since clearing waivers during training camp, he doesn’t need to pass through them again to return to Utica. There, Dowling has eight goals and 19 points in 30 games, both ranking sixth on the team.

Hatakka, 23, played in three of five games since his recall ten days ago in place of the injured Brendan Smith. The 2019 sixth-round pick of the Sharks had a strong showing, recording an assist and a +5 rating while logging 16:08 per game. His possession metrics don’t point to the sustainability of that goal differential, though, as he recorded a subpar 43.8% Corsi share at even strength that was 6.4% worse than his teammates’ share without him on the ice.

The 23-year-old Misyul did not play in either of the Devils’ two games since he and Dowling were recalled on Thursday. The Belarus-born defender, who was picked three rounds ahead of Hatakka in 2019, returns to Utica without his NHL debut under his belt. He’ll look to continue a decent rookie season in Utica, where he’s recorded 11 points and an even plus-minus rating in 30 games while occupying a shutdown role. Both Hatakka and Misyul are still waiver-exempt.

Dowling could see another recall in a week and a half if Jack Hughes is not ready to return by the end of the All-Star break. After the Devils claimed blue-liner Nick DeSimone off waivers from the Flames last week, though, it’s unlikely both Hatakka and Misyul will be back on the NHL roster when New Jersey returns to game action.

Rangers Recall Connor Mackey

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With the availability of two blueliners in question for tonight’s game against Ottawa, the Rangers have brought up some insurance, announcing (Twitter link) the recall of defenseman Connor Mackey from AHL Hartford.  New York had an open roster spot following yesterday’s assignment of Nick Bonino to the Wolf Pack.

The 27-year-old is in his first season with the Rangers after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them in free agency back in July.  While this marks his seventh recall of the year already, Mackey has yet to get into an NHL game.  Instead, he has only played in Hartford where he has been quieter than expected offensively with just eight points in 28 games.  By comparison, Mackey had 36 points in 53 games with AHL Stockton in 2021-22 while he was on an NHL roster full-time last year.

The two defenders whose availability is in question are defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba.  Lindgren left last night’s loss to Vegas early with an upper-body injury while Trouba had a disciplinary hearing today, the outcome of which has not yet been announced.  If those two aren’t available, Mackey should see his first NHL action of the season.

Kings Recall Alex Turcotte

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With the Kings struggling as of late, they’ve decided to give a different youngster an opportunity.  The team announced that they’ve recalled center Alex Turcotte from AHL Ontario.  They had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.

The 22-year-old was the fifth-overall pick back in 2018 after a strong showing in the U.S. National Team Development Program but has struggled to live up to that draft billing so far.  Turcotte has played just a dozen NHL games so far – eight in 2021-22 and four in 2022-23 – and is still looking for his first point.  This marks his second recall of the season, the first of which just lasted one day.  This one could last longer as Los Angeles is one of the few teams that will be playing right up to the All-Star break and will get their bye week after.

Turcotte has shown some improvement with the Reign this season, posting career-bests in goals (seven), assists (16), and points (23) in 28 games, good for fifth in team scoring so this is a merited opportunity.

This is Turcotte’s final season of waiver exemption which is something worth keeping an eye on.  It’s not a bad idea to give Turcotte a few games to get a better idea as to if he’s going to figure into their plans for 2024-25.  If he doesn’t show well, perhaps he becomes a candidate to be moved before the March 8th trade deadline if a selling team wants someone closer to being NHL-ready over a draft pick that will still be a few years away.

Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR, Recall Nick Blankenburg

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The Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Vancouver.  The team announced that they have placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with an upper-body injury; taking his place on the roster is Nick Blankenburg who has been recalled from AHL Cleveland.

Boqvist was injured in Thursday’s victory over Calgary when he took a puck to the face on the bench.  Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner lost teeth and something worse as a result.  Boqvist is in the middle of a rough season as injuries and scratches have limited him to just 20 games where he has seven assists.  Last season, the 23-year-old looked to turn the corner offensively with 24 points in 46 contests but he just hasn’t been able to get back to that type of performance this year.  There’s no word on how long Boqvist will be out with the team simply saying that he’s out through the All-Star break.

Blankenburg, meanwhile, was a full-timer on the roster for Columbus last season though he missed time due to injury.  This year, however, he has primarily played in the minors, suiting up in 19 games for the Monsters where he has three goals and nine assists.  The 25-year-old has played in six games with the Blue Jackets, averaging nearly 18 minutes a night.  This is his final season of waiver exemption.

Columbus recently sent David Jiricek back to Cleveland so it might be a bit surprising that he didn’t get the promotion to return.  However, with Jiricek’s ice time being limited lately, it might be more beneficial to have an extended stretch with the Monsters where he’ll get big minutes consistently over being sent back and forth as injuries come and go.

Bruins Recall Patrick Brown

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The Bruins play their final game before their bye week and the All-Star break today and they have opted to bring up an extra forward for that contest as they announced that they’ve recalled Patrick Brown from AHL Providence.

The 31-year-old is in his first season with Boston after inking a two-year, $1.6MM contract with them on the opening day of free agency back in July.  He was expected to land a spot on their fourth line but things didn’t exactly go as planned.  Instead, he didn’t make the team out of training camp and cleared waivers.  He cleared them a second time as well back in mid-November.

This is Brown’s sixth recall of the season and he has played in ten games so far with Boston, collecting one assist while logging just 8:29 per night.  He also has suited up in 15 games with Providence where he has been much more effective, notching 11 points in 15 contests.

The Bruins had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make a corresponding move to bring him up.  With Jakub Lauko missing last game with an undisclosed injury and Jake DeBrusk and Matthew Poitras out being banged up, Brown should suit up this afternoon against the Flyers.  That said, with the long break approaching, there’s a good chance he’ll be sent back down to the minors on Sunday.

Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Rafferty, Newhook, Bertuzzi, McMann

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Veteran Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson is drawing some interest ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast Friday. Johnson is currently on injured reserve and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, although he’s eligible for activation and hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Sharks.

The 35-year-old is in his first season with Buffalo after signing a one-year, $3.25MM contract in free agency last summer. He hasn’t been the defensively-stabilizing force they hoped for, given the price tag. He’s playing a career-low 14:11 per game and, despite the restricted usage, has a poor 46.1% Corsi share at even strength, 5.5% worse than the Sabres’ share without him on the ice. He’s notched three goals and no assists through 41 games, although they weren’t expecting him to be a factor offensively at this stage in his career.

With Buffalo’s playoff chances down to below five percent, they won’t be buyers at the deadline. It’s unlikely they ship out any high-profile names, either, but Johnson’s role on the team has already dried up, and they could get some value back for him by retaining 50% of his cap hit. His 961 games of experience and a Stanley Cup ring with the Avalanche in 2022 are both points of emphasis for contenders looking to shore up their blue line this time of year, and he carries a small bit of added trade value as a right-shot defender.

Elsewhere from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to AHL Grand Rapids, the team said in a statement Friday. This is the sixth straight day that the 28-year-old Rafferty has been ferried between leagues. Detroit has brought up the minor-league mainstay on game days only to serve as last-minute injury insurance with Ben Chiarot sidelined with an undisclosed ailment. Rafferty has yet to play an NHL game this season despite his four recalls in January.
  • Canadiens forward Alex Newhook skated Friday for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle sprain in early December, the team said. The 22-year-old is nearly eight weeks into his 10-to-12-week recovery timeline, so his return to the ice today means he should have enough time over the next month to gear up for a return. Acquired from the Avalanche last June via trade, the 2019 16th-overall pick was on pace for a career-high 47 points before the injury.
  • Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi is back with the team Friday after missing Wednesday’s 1-0 overtime win over the Jets for paternity leave, TSN’s Mark Masters reports. Bertuzzi will be available for the second half of Toronto’s home-and-home with Winnipeg on Saturday, although the Maple Leafs will need to clear a roster spot for him to return. He was placed on the non-roster list, which kept their active roster at 23 when Ryan Reaves was activated from injured reserve earlier in the week. Per The Hockey News’ David Alter, depth forward Bobby McMann was not at practice today, suggesting he may be headed for the waiver wire in the next few hours for the purpose of assignment to AHL Toronto. Bertuzzi has had strong possession impacts in his first season with the Leafs but has struggled to produce in a top-six role, scoring six goals in 45 games.

Calgary Flames Recall Walker Duehr

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The Calgary Flames have recalled forward Walker Duehr from the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL a week after the team had assigned him there. Duehr was placed on waivers on January 17th and was assigned to the AHL the next day, after he had cleared.

The 26-year-old had an assist in two games during his quick assignment to the AHL and is being called back up after the Flames placed both Adam Ruzicka and Nick DeSimone on waivers yesterday.

This season was supposed to be Duehr’s first year as a full-time NHLer after he was signed to a two-year, one-way contract extension in the offseason with an AAV of $825K. Duehr started the season in Calgary, dressing in the Flames first 12 games, but his struggles with consistency kept him out of the lineup for most of December and January as the Sioux Falls, South Dakota native played just five times in two months. Throughout 19 NHL games this season, Duehr has just a single goal and three helpers and has averaged less than eight minutes of ice time per game.

Duehr’s call-up is likely an insurance policy in case Ruzicka or DeSimone are claimed, or if the Flames were to lose a player to illness or injury during the day. Calgary is in action tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets as they try to climb back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

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