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Evening Snapshots: Ducks, Vanek, Rielly

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Anaheim Ducks recalled center Kalle Kossila from the San Diego Gulls today. The Franco-Finnish is having a great year in the AHL, scoring 9G and 18A in 33 games. The Ducks signed Kossila out of the NCAA last spring, but kept him in the AHL until now. Kossila was born in France but moved to Finland at an early age.
  • Detroit Red Wings forward Thomas Vanek returns to action tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Vanek suffered a lower body injury on Sunday against the New York Rangers, and missed Detroit’s next game against the Boston Bruins. To make room Detroit scratched forward Drew Miller. Vanek has been the lone bright spot on a disappointing Detroit team this year. The Austrian forward is second in team scoring with 12G and 19A in 36 games. That is great production from a forward making only $2.6MM this year. Vanek has a chance to earn much more this summer as he enters free agency at the end of this season. And because of his pending UFA status—coupled with Detroit presumably not making the playoffs—Vanek could be a top trade candidate at the NHL trade deadline.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to be without defenseman Morgan Rielly, reports the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran. Rielly did not travel with the team to Detroit, and is not expected to be with the team tomorrow night in Philadelphia against the Flyers. Rielly hasn’t played since suffering a lower body injury on January 17th against the Buffalo Sabres. In that time, Toronto is 1-1-0-1, but did shut out the Calgary Flames on Monday 4-0. With the Atlantic Division playoff spots up for grabs, the Maple Leafs need Rielly back as soon as possible.

Minor Transactions: 1/25/2017

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PHR will recap the day’s minor roster transactions in this post. Please check back throughout the day for updates.

  • With Stefan Noesen now a member of the New Jersey Devils after being claimed on waivers, Anaheim Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle indicated to The Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens that the team will recall forward Kalle Kossila from San Diego of the AHL. Kossila was inked by Anaheim as an undrafted free agent after completing his senior season with St. Cloud State University. The 23-year-old Finn, who has yet to appear in an NHL regular season contest, has registered nine goals and 27 points in 33 AHL games this season.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Steve Oleksy on waivers, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The 30-year-old blue liner has seen action in nine games this season with Pittsburgh, tallying a single assist. In 71 career NHL games, Oleksy has recorded three goals and 20 points. Counting Oleksy, the Penguins have seven healthy defenders on the roster. Waiving the four-year veteran could be an indication that Kris Letang, on IR since January 16th, could be nearing a return.
  • To make room on the roster for Noesen, the Devils have placed forward Beau Bennett on IR retroactive to January 20th, reports Andrew Gross of The Record. Bennett, in his first season with New Jersey after an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, has scored three goals and 10 points in 40 contests.
  • Winger Casey Bailey has been reassigned by the Ottawa Senators to Binghamton of the AHL, via the team’s official communications department Twitter account. Bailey has played in five contests this season, going scoreless while averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game. He has 10 goals and 15 points in 33 AHL games with the Baby Sens.
  • According to the AHL Manitoba Moose’s official Twitter account (H/T to Patrick Williams of NHL.com), defenseman Brian Strait has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets. Strait has not yet seen NHL action this season but has appeared in 182 regular season games with the Jets and Pittsburgh over parts of six seasons.
  • Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports that the San Jose Sharks have reassigned Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc to the AHL. The scribe refers to the moves as a “paper transaction,” in that the team will bank a bit of cap space with the pair of forwards off the roster and inferring they will be recalled ahead of San Jose’s next game tomorrow night at home against Edmonton.

Devils Claim Stefan Noesen On Waivers

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The New Jersey Devils continue to be active on the waiver wire this season.

The Devils claimed Ducks prospect Stefan Noesen off waivers this morning, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Noesen was placed on waivers for the second time this season yesterday. He has just two points in 12 games (both goals) for the Ducks this season; he’s also played 22 games for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, where he has 15 points. Overall he has 63 points in 116 games at the AHL level. Noesen has been shuffled back and forth between the NHL and AHL to preserve salary space, but finally cracked 10 NHL games, meaning he needed to clear waivers again.

Noesen was a highly-touted prospect as a junior player. He had 100 goals and 220 points in 215 games with the now-defunct Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. He was a first round pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2011 but was traded before ever playing a game in the Senators organization. Noesen was traded alongside Jakob Silfverberg and a first round pick to the Ducks for Bobby Ryan back in July 2013.

Minor Transactions: 1/24/17

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor roster moves:

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Yohann Auvitu off of injured reserve and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Albany. He had missed the past seven games with a lower body injury.  The 27 year old rookie has spent the bulk of the season with New Jersey, picking up four points (2-2-4) in 25 games.  He also has seen time in seven AHL contests, recording a trio of assists.
  • The Senators announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton. He’s expected to serve as insurance up front in case Mike Hoffman (flu) is unable to play tonight against Washington.  Bailey has played in four games with Ottawa this season being held off the scoresheet and has ten goals and five assists in 33 games with Binghamton.
  • Washington announced the recall of center Chandler Stephenson from Hershey of the AHL. The 22 year old got into nine games with the Capitals last season but has yet to suit up with the big club in 2016-17.  He has played in 39 AHL games this year, recording 24 points (6-18-24), just four shy of his career high set last season.
  • With defenseman Brian Dumoulin set to return from injured reserve, the Penguins have assigned blueliner Cameron Gaunce to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, per a team release. Gaunce got into three games with Pittsburgh after being recalled last week, picking up a pair of assists while posting two goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season.
  • The Ducks announced via Twitter that they have loaned center Nate Thompson to their AHL affiliate in San Diego on a long-term injury conditioning loan.  Loans of this nature typically last a maximum of three games or six days but teams can petition the league for an extra two games.  Thompson, who remains on LTIR, has missed the entire season so far after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon in an offseason workout.
  • Colorado announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled center Jim O’Brien from San Antonio of the AHL.  The team placed forward Rene Bourque on IR to make room for him on the roster.  O’Brien, a former first round pick of the Senators (29th overall) in 2007, has spent the entire season at the minor league level, collecting seven goals and ten assists in 26 games.  He last saw NHL action in 2015-16, getting into four games with New Jersey.

Ducks Place Stefan Noesen On Waivers

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The Anaheim Ducks have placed right winger Stefan Noesen on waivers, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link).

Noesen has played in a dozen games with the Ducks this season (including last night against Winnipeg) and has two goals in that time while averaging 6:33 of ice time as a fourth line player for head coach Randy Carlyle.

The 23 year old was originally a first round pick of the Senators back in 2011 (21st overall).  He was dealt to Anaheim as part of the Bobby Ryan traded back in July of 2013.  He has played a total of 14 career NHL games, all with the Ducks.  He also has played in 22 AHL games this season having cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, recording 15 points (6-9-15).

Noesen had been shuffled back and forth on a near-daily basis over the last couple of weeks.  Not only was that done in an effort to conserve as much cap space as possible, it also allowed them to delay waiving him until now as he has surpassed the ten games mark since clearing waivers back in October.

Snapshots: Tropp, Kruger, Blue Jackets

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Just a day after bringing him up, the Anaheim Ducks have decides that Corey Tropp will head back to San Diego and the AHL. As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports, the journeyman winger will head back to the AHL without a taste of NHL action. As mentioned yesterday when he was called up, Tropp hasn’t gotten a crack at the NHL level in more than two seasons, despite establishing himself as a regular on the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2013-15. The 27-year old Tropp is having a fantastic season for the San Diego Gulls, with 29 points in 32 games.

  • While the Blackhawks are starting the rumor mill early this year with their reported interest in a pair of Red Wings, they might be getting some help back off the injured list sooner than later. Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago reports today that Marcus Kruger is “pretty close” and will hopefully return this week before the All-Star break. Injured on December 30th, Kruger was originally expected to miss only three weeks but faced a setback that has kept him out a bit longer. The Hawks  miss his defensive presence and ability on the penalty kill, and will welcome him back with open arms. The team is now just two points back of the Minnesota Wild for first place in the Central division, but have played 48 games already – three more than the Wild. Firmly entrenched in a playoff spot – the team sits 12 points ahead of the third place Nashville Predators – the Blackhawks will be looking to add depth to their roster for another playoff run.
  • Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that both David Savard and Markus Nutivaara are out for the Blue Jackets’ game tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Dalton Prout and Scott Harrington will figure in as the bottom pair. The team is being very hush-hush on Savard’s injury, only saying it occurred in Thursday’s game when he left in the third period. Quietly, Savard is having another excellent season for Columbus, logging over 21 minutes a night, second on the team behind Seth Jones. The 26-year old is locked up long-term on a very tidy contract, earning $4.25MM annually until 2020-21. While he doesn’t get the press that Jones or Zach Werenski get, he’s an integral part of a group of young defenders (26 and under) that Columbus will ride for the next number of years.

Bruins Scouting Ducks-Wild Game

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It would be a surprise to no one that the Boston Bruins’ brass are out watching other teams. While the Bruins are still clinging to a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, currently tied with the Ottawa Senators for second with 52 points, that position is only temporary. The Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, just two points behind, have six games in hand on Boston. They are currently doing battle with each other, which could result in a three-way tie with a Toronto win, a drop to third in the division with a Senators win, or the worst-case scenario, a Leafs OT-win in which both results would occur. Regardless, the Bruins are not going to be able to hang on to their spot long with the way they have been playing. Boston has lost three straight, including shutouts by the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders and a crushing 6-5 shootout defeat to the Detroit Redwings wherein they blew two three-goal leads. The Bruins have only won six of their last sixteen games and those six wins have come against four teams that are struggling as much or more than they are: the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers (twice), and Buffalo Sabres (twice). Beyond just wins and losses, there are rumors about coach Claude Julien, reported turmoil in the front office surrounding president Cam Neely, injuries on defense to Kevan and Colin Miller, a 16-game goal-less streak for early-season superstar David Pastrnak, and ongoing issues with line chemistry. The Bruins need a shake-up to save their season, and everyone knows it.

So, when Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo reported that Bruins GM Don Sweeney was on the press box list at tonight’s game, with the Wild hosting the Anaheim Ducks, it came as no surprise. Both teams are known for their immense lack of talented depth on defense, something that Boston would definitely be interested in. While the team has been shut out three times this month, their scoring has actually been trending upward. Patrice Bergeron has begun to shake off his early struggles, Frank Vatrano has been a shot in the arm since his return from injury, and Brad Marchand and Torey Krug have remained on fire. The recent return of Matt Beleskey should help to add some scoring and balance out the forward lines (much-needed), while the AHL’s Providence Bruins, who won 9-1 tonight, have been explosive and could potentially offer support up front. That’s not to say that the Bruins, who will have about $17MM in cap space by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolls around, won’t still look to add an impending free agent forward with some finish, but despite appearances, the offense should be able to figure itself out in the short-term. The defense is a different story. While the Bruins are loaded with defensive talent in the system, none of it is on its way this year and maybe not next year either, and the Bruins need some help now. Krug has four goals and 25 assists, but has also had his issues in his own end. His pair mate Adam McQuaid has had a nice bounce-back season, but offers little in the way of puck movement and offense. Same goes for the top pairing of Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo, who have been one of the better shutdown duos in the league this season, but are slowing down as a 39-year-old and a rookie respectively. John-Michael Liles, an impending free agent, has just recently returned from injury and has yet to make a major difference. Colin Miller, though he has upside, was in and out of the lineup even before his injury, and Kevan Miller, also injured, is likely better suited as an extra man. The Bruins need a legitimate top-four defenseman for this year and for the near future, and both the Wild and Ducks provide intriguing trade partners.

As it stands right now, Anaheim and Minnesota are both guaranteed to lose a top-four caliber defenseman in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, if the Vegas Golden Knights choose to select that player. A team can either protect seven forwards and three defenseman or eight skaters total, allowing them to protect a fourth defenseman. Neither situation works out particularly well for either team. The Ducks will be forced to protect veteran Kevin Bieksa, due to his no-movement clause, and will likely choose to protect young cornerstone blue liners Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, and Cam Fowler as well, even if it means leaving a promising forward like Jakob Silfverberg exposed. However, Vegas could choose to instead take another good young defenseman in Josh Manson or potentially Simon Depres. Similarly, the Wild too are expected to protect four defenseman, selecting from Ryan Suter (a veritable lock), Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba. One way or another, one of those d-men will be exposed and almost certainly scooped up by the Golden Knights. So, with both teams fighting for position atop the Western Conference and with their eye on a Stanley Cup, Anaheim and Minnesota also have to be thinking about trading a defenseman. They would much rather get something in a trade rather than nothing in the draft, even if that means dealing away talent in a Cup-contender season. Armed with a deep prospect system and quality forwards they may willing to part with, such as David Krejci, Ryan Spooner, and Jimmy Hayes, the Bruins would be an interesting suitor for either team. With Don Sweeney in attendance, watching two teams that are facing a difficult situation and may feel like pressured to make a move, an important shake-up trade could be on the horizon in Boston. Could it be the revitalized Fowler? The youngster Dumba? A more Bruin-like player like Scandella or Manson? Only time will tell, but the connection between the Bruins and these defense-deep teams will be something to keep an eye on as we head toward the Trade Deadline in just over a month.

Ducks Notes: Silfverberg, Shaw, Tropp, Theodore

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The Anaheim Ducks are just hours away from one of their biggest games so far this season, as they prepare to square off with the Central-leading Minnesota Wild. A win tonight in Minnesota will give the Ducks 63 points on the year, pulling them into a three-way tie atop the Western Conference with the Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. It would also extend their Pacific Division lead to five points over the rival San Jose Sharks and the upstart Edmonton Oilers. The team is so excited for the match-up, they’re even hosting a watch party for fans back at the Honda Center in Anaheim, featuring former greats Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer.

However, when the puck drops on the big game tonight, one player fans won’t be watching is dynamic winger Jakob Silfverberg. The team announced yesterday that Silfverberg is considered day-to-day with an upper body injury was left behind in Anaheim, ruled out for the team’s two-game road trip to Minnesota and Winnipeg, where they’ll face the Jets on Monday night. This marks the first game that Silfverberg has missed in 2016-17. The durable winger played all 82 games for the Ducks last year and missed just one game the year before, so back-to-back absences are a rare occurrence in his young career. Silfverberg has 13 goals and 16 assists so far this season, which puts him on pace for his best year to date.

It will be difficult for the Ducks to replace the young scorer, but early-season acquisition Logan Shaw will be given the first try.  Shaw will line up alongside Andrew Cogliano – yet another Anaheim iron man – and Ryan Kesler on the Ducks’ mighty second line. Although Shaw has just two points on the season, he is a big physical player who head coach Randy Carlyle likely hopes can crash the net and capitalize on some of the chances created by Cogliano, Kesler, and company.

  • To fill the roster spot currently vacated by Silfverberg, the Ducks have also recalled winger Corey Tropp from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. If Tropp makes an appearance for Anaheim, it will be his first in the NHL for almost two years. Tropp’s recent career has been somewhat of a wild ride; he carved out a role for himself as a reliable bottom-six winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013-14 and 2014-15, only to be traded away to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the package for Brandon Saad in 2015. Chicago stashed Tropp in the minors and then traded him to the Ducks at the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline for veteran Tim Jackman. Although Tropp did not make an appearance in Anaheim last season, he chose to re-sign for two years with the team this summer. It seems he has finally earned his first Ducks call-up, as he is scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the AHL with 8 goals and 21 assists in 32 games. Whether or not Tropp sees any NHL action on this recall remains unknown, but he certainly seems like a player who deserves another shot at the big time.
  • The Ducks promoted defenseman Shea Theodore from the Gulls as well. This has become a weekly/nearly daily ritual by Anaheim as they balance cap savings with exposing their young defensemen to as much NHL action as possible given their extreme depth on the blue line. Theodore may not have to put up with the balancing act much longer though, as many recent reports have indicated that teams are calling the Ducks about he and fellow young and under-utilized defenseman Brandon Montour. Anaheim has not been shy about their desire to add another impact forward before the Trade Deadline, and offering up an NHL-ready defenseman like Theodore may be their best bet at finding a team to deal with.

Predators, Ducks Trade Prospects

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Late last night, the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks came to terms on a swap of minor league players. The Predators announced (in the middle of their 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames) that they had acquired defenseman Andrew O’Brien from the Ducks, with forward Max Gortz going the other way to Anaheim. As of now, both players are expected to remain at the AHL level.

With Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, and Petter Granberg all sidelined with injury and Anthony Bitetto struggling to stay healthy as well, the Predators have been in desperate need of some additional defensive depth. In acquiring O’Brien, Nashville receives a player without much flash or offensive upside, but who has grown into a more responsible defender in the past couple of seasons. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Ducks in 2012 from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL. He had performed well in his first two junior seasons with the team, but not enough to draw much attention. The following year, O’Brien was traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, where began to build a reputation as a physical, shutdown defenseman. At 6’4″, 200 lbs., O’Brien hulked over much of his QMJHL competition and was a difficult match-up. It showed in his team-leading +19 rating (and 113 penalty minutes). However, when O’Brien joined the pro ranks in 2013-14, this physical advantage made less of an impact against bigger, stronger, and more experienced competition. As a result, he spent much of his first season down in the ECHL. The past two seasons, O’Brien has become a mainstay on the blue line for the Ducks’ AHL affiliates, again racking up penalty minutes but also contributing modest offense and learning how to better use his strength and frame in his own zone. Thus far in 2016-17 though, O’Brien has not seen much action, appearing in just ten games while buried under Anaheim’s notoriously deep defensive depth. Trading O’Brien is not much of a loss for the Ducks, but is an opportunity for him to show how he has grown as a player and to carve out a new role for himself with the Milwaukee Admirals and maybe even the Predators themselves eventually.

Unlike Nashville, Anaheim has no immediate need for forward depth, but in acquiring Gortz the team has obtained some great future potential. The 23-year-old Swedish product is in just his second pro season in North America and opened some eyes in his first year. Gortz was a sixth-round pick of the Predators in 2012, but was tied up playing in the Swedish Hockey League until 2015-16. He immediately showed how playing against men in an elite pro league can benefit young players, as he overcame the adjustment to North American hockey rather quickly. Gortz scored 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 total points last year, while playing to a +14 rating as well. At 6’2″, 200 lbs., Gortz’s size was apparent, but his ability to use that size in front of the net and on the forecheck came as a pleasant surprise to many. However, perhaps disappointed in the lack of opportunity to earn a spot in Nashville or potentially just due to the changes in the team around him, Gortz has struggled to replicate last year’s success in 2016-17. He has just a goal and three assists in 30 games so far, and instead of pushing for an NHL job has likely become an afterthought for the Predators. If it meant getting much needed defensive support, Nashville was probably happy to move the disappointing forward. A change of scenery with the San Diego Gulls may be exactly what Gotz needs though, and with great size and skill could still reach his NHL goals with the Ducks in the near future.

Minor Transactions: 1/19/17

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Here is where we’ll keep tabs on today’s minor roster moves:

  • Minnesota announced that they have recalled defenseman Mike Reilly from Iowa of the AHL. He has spent the bulk of the year in the minors and has four goals and 11 assists in 29 AHL contests.  Reilly also has played in nine games with the Wild, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 12:57 of ice time per night.
  • Carolina has swapped backup goalies, announcing that they have recalled Michael Leighton while assigning Alex Nedeljkovic back to their AHL affiliate in Charlotte. The two swapped places earlier this week, allowing Leighton to get into a couple of minor league games to stay in game shape.  Eddie Lack, the regular backup for the Hurricanes, remains out of the lineup indefinitely due to a concussion.
  • Buffalo announced that they have summoned goalie Linus Ullmark from Rochester (AHL). Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports (Twitter link) that Anders Nilsson is dealing with the flu so Ullmark will take his place in the interim.  This is the fourth recall for Ullmark this year but he has yet to see action with the Sabres this year.  He has a 15-13-1 record in the minors this year with a 3.03 GAA and a .908 SV%.
  • Ottawa has recalled right winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton per their Twitter page. The Sens are currently dealing with a flu bug, notes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.  Bailey has played in four games for the Senators this season being held off the scoresheet but sits tied for second in goals in Binghamton with 10 in 33 minor league outings.
  • The Canucks swapped out depth defenders, announcing that they’ve recalled Jordan Subban while sending Andrey Pedan back to Utica (AHL). Subban leads all Comets blueliners with 22 points this season and has not yet played in the NHL.  As for Pedan, he had been up for the better part of a month but did not suit up in Vancouver and was close to needing waivers to be sent back down having been up for 29 days.
  • In what is becoming a daily shuffle, Anaheim announced the recall of winger Stefan Noesen from San Diego of the AHL.  It’s the fourth straight day that he has either been recalled or demoted as the Ducks look to conserve as much cap space as possible.  Noesen has a goal in nine NHL games with Anaheim this season while adding 15 points in 22 minor league contests.

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