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Golden Knights Sign Matthew Cataford

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2023 is ending on a high note for Golden Knights prospect Matthew Cataford.  The team announced today that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 18-year-old was a third-round pick by Vegas back in June, going 77th overall.  The early returns on that selection are certainly promising as Cataford has 22 goals and 31 assists in just 35 games with QMJHL Halifax so far.  Not only does that lead the Mooseheads in scoring, but his 53 points lead the entire league on that front.  He’s also the league leader in plus/minus, checking in at a +35 rating.

While Cataford’s contract technically starts this season, that won’t wind up actually being the case as he will remain in Halifax.  Accordingly, his contract will slide for 2023-24 and will still have three seasons left on it heading into the 2024-25 campaign.  He’ll be eligible for a second slide as well that year as his options will be either junior hockey or Vegas; Cataford won’t be eligible to be assigned to the minors until 2025-26.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Merzlikins, Puljujarvi, Halonen

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The Rangers could be prioritizing adding some grit over another skilled forward, reports Lohud’s Vince Z. Mercogliano.  That type of player would ideally then help shore up their defensive play in the bottom six as well.  At the moment, New York has ample spending room with both Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko on LTIR but if both of those players return by the end of the season, that spending flexibility becomes much more limited.  Accordingly, doing some scouting work on an impactful gritty depth player who doesn’t cost as much against the salary cap could be a wise course of action for them for now.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that Elvis Merzlikins’ early departure from last night’s victory over Toronto was due to illness. Spencer Martin played the final two periods and overtime in relief.  He will also miss today’s game versus Buffalo as team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays (Twitter link) that Merzlikins did not accompany the team on the trip.  With Columbus carrying three goalies on its active roster, they don’t need to bring another netminder up from AHL Cleveland.
  • Winger Jesse Puljujarvi skated with the Penguins on Friday for the first time since joining them on a PTO earlier this month, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 25-year-old has been working his way back from double hip surgery and still hasn’t been fully cleared to play.  If that comes after a few more skates with Pittsburgh, Puljujarvi could be an intriguing addition in the second half of the season on what’s quite likely to be a deal at or near the league minimum.
  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated forward Brian Halonen off of season-opening IR and assigned him to AHL Utica. The 24-year-old is in the second and final year of his entry-level contract and had 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with the Comets last season.  Since Halonen wasn’t in the NHL at any point last season, he did not count against the cap while on SOIR.

Atlantic Notes: Samsonov, Sabres Coaches, Sergachev

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Following another tough outing that saw him allow six goals to Columbus in an overtime loss, Ilya Samsonov’s short-term future appears to be in question.  Jonas Siegel of The Athletic believes (subscription link) that the Maple Leafs can no longer afford to put the netminder in their lineup with how much he has struggled; his save percentage on the season is down to just .862 even though he only has two regulation losses in his 15 starts.

Toronto’s challenge, of course, is that with Joseph Woll likely out for another month and Martin Jones being more of a depth veteran than a viable starter, they don’t really have anyone else to turn to other than prospect Dennis Hildeby or another youngster in the minors.  With Hildeby being in his first full AHL campaign though, calling him up this early wouldn’t be ideal.  However, Siegel highlights that with how the Maple Leafs’ schedule goes in the next little bit, they wouldn’t have to call on Hildeby much, lessening the risk of exposing him too early to the top level.  Promoting him would then allow Samsonov to either accept a conditioning stint with the Marlies or be assigned there pending waiver clearance to try to get back on track.

Siegel also wonders if Jaroslav Halak could make sense in the short term to avoid bringing Hildeby up although it’s worth noting that the Maple Leafs already have seven goalies on an NHL contract.  To use Halak, they’d have to make it eight which isn’t an ideal situation to be in.  Samsonov had a good first season in Toronto last year, earning a $3.55MM deal for his troubles but his platform year to unrestricted free agency has been nothing short of a disaster so far.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Sabres announced (Twitter link) that head coach Don Granato will miss today’s game versus Columbus due to illness. Instead of using an assistant in the interim head coaching role, Buffalo has recalled Rochester’s head coach Seth Appert who will be in charge behind the bench.  Appert is in his fourth season with the Amerks who also play tonight but will have assistants Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch split the coaching duties for that contest.
  • Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev took part in practice on Friday but was only able to make it through about half the session, relays Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times. As a result, the 25-year-old won’t make his return to the lineup tonight against the Rangers.  Sergachev has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury and has 19 points in 33 games so far this season while playing nearly 23 minutes a night.

Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard, Assign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Minors

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With Charlie Lindgren exiting Friday’s contest early with an upper-body injury and the Capitals back in action tonight versus Nashville, a move needed to be made to get another goalie on the active roster.  That move has now been made as the team announced that goaltender Hunter Shepard has been recalled while winger Ivan Miroshnichenko has been sent back to AHL Hershey.

Shepard made his first two NHL appearances earlier this season, picking up a pair of wins against division rivals while stopping 54 of 59 shots.  The 28-year-old has spent the bulk of the campaign in the minors with the Bears, getting into 16 games where he has a 2.28 GAA and a .908 SV%.  He also has 14 victories, good for the second-most in the AHL.  He’ll serve as Darcy Kuemper’s backup in Lindgren’s absence.

As for Miroshnichenko, the 19-year-old made his NHL debut just before the holiday break and has played in four games with Washington so far.  He’s still looking for his first point at the top level while averaging a little over ten minutes a night of ice time.  The 20th pick in 2022, Miroshnichenko has eight goals and seven assists in 27 games with Hershey, his first taste of NHL action.  As long as he plays in fewer than ten games at the top level, Miroshnichenko won’t burn the first year of his contract this season, meaning he’ll still have three years left on his entry-level agreement heading into 2024-25.  Accordingly, expect the Capitals to limit his NHL action over the final few months of the season.

Meanwhile, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out (Twitter link) that winger Max Pacioretty remains on LTIR, at least for now.  The veteran has been speculated to potentially be available for tonight’s contest.  Washington would have to make another roster move to open up a spot for Pacioretty’s potential activation if he is indeed cleared.  The easiest way to do that could be moving Martin Fehervary to IR if he’s going to miss a week or more after sustaining an upper-body injury of his own last night.

Red Wings Assign Jonatan Berggren And Austin Czarnik To AHL

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Earlier today, the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that both Joe Veleno and Christian Fischer will return to the lineup tomorrow against Boston.  With Fischer being on injured reserve, at least one player would likely be sent back down.  Instead, Detroit has opted to send two players down in corresponding moves as CapFriendly reports (Twitter links) that both Jonatan Berggren and Austin Czarnik have been assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.

Berggren was a regular with Detroit for most of last season, getting into 67 games with the big club where he acquitted himself relatively well, notching 15 goals and 13 assists while logging 13:28 per game.  But after GM Steve Yzerman added several pieces up front over the summer, Berggren found himself on the outside looking in at a regular roster spot and was assigned to Grand Rapids at the start of the season.

In the minors, the 23-year-old has been quite productive, picking up seven goals and 11 assists in just 19 contests.  That has helped Berggren earn six separate recalls over the last two months which has resulted in nine appearances with the Red Wings.  Despite limited playing time in those contests (just 10:08 per contest), he has been fairly productive, tallying a pair of goals along with three assists.  He’ll likely be a top recall option when the next injury arises in Detroit.

As for Czarnik, the 31-year-old has played in 18 games with the Red Wings this season despite clearing waivers twice already.  While he has typically been quite productive in the minors, that hasn’t carried over to the NHL this season as he has just one assist in those appearances.  Meanwhile, in nine games with the Griffins, Czarnik has three goals and four assists.

Meanwhile, the return of Fischer from injured reserve tomorrow will be a welcome one.  The 26-year-old has been a regular on Detroit’s fourth line this season, playing in 33 games where he has eight points and 39 hits while logging a little less than 11 minutes per night.  He has been out since just before the holiday break with an undisclosed injury.

Oilers Recall Raphael Lavoie, Assign Ben Gleason To AHL

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The Oilers have opted to make a pair of moves before tonight’s game versus Los Angeles.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled forward Raphael Lavoie from AHL Bakersfield while sending blueliner Ben Gleason to the Condors.

Lavoie opted to accept his qualifying offer this summer worth just over $874K over signing a lower-cost one-way deal or two-way pact with more guaranteed money.  He hoped that he’d land the final roster spot in training camp which would ultimately get him more in the long run.

But that didn’t quite work as planned as Edmonton waived the 23-year-old in training camp and after he cleared, assigned him to Bakersfield.  He has been quite productive with the Condors so far, notching 10 goals in just 19 games, picking up where left off on that front last year.  Lavoie also got into six games with Edmonton last month on a pair of recalls; he was held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging 7:36 per game.  If he plays in four more games with the Oilers, he will need to pass through waivers once again.

As for Gleason, he cleared waivers in training camp and spent the first two months of the years with the Condors where he did well, picking up nine points in 14 games, earning him a recall three weeks ago.  However, the 25-year-old has been a healthy scratch in every game since then so this assignment will at least give him a chance to get some games in.  Gleason is in the first season of a two-year deal after coming over in free agency from Dallas with his contract converting to a one-way agreement next season.

Islanders Place Ryan Pulock On LTIR, Assign Ken Appleby To AHL

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The Islanders have made a pair of roster moves in advance of tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved defenseman Ryan Pulock to LTIR and assigned goaltender Ken Appleby to AHL Bridgeport.

Pulock has been out with a lower-body injury since December 8th, meaning he has already missed the majority of the 10 games and 24 days that he’s required to be out for with this placement; he’d be eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday’s game in Colorado.  The fact they’re going this route suggests he should be out at least a little longer than that.

While Pulock’s placement doesn’t open up a roster spot, it does expand their LTIR pool, giving GM Lou Lamoriello more short-term flexibility to manage his roster without having to be worried about salary cap considerations.

As for Appleby, he has been back and forth from Bridgeport in recent days with Semyon Varlamov missing the last couple of games with an undisclosed injury.  His demotion opens up a roster spot and if Varlamov is good to at least dress as the backup for tomorrow’s game, the Islanders will likely look to bring a defenseman up from the AHL as they’ve been carrying just six in recent days.

Avalanche Assign Sam Malinski To AHL

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Following their victory over St. Louis on Friday night, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they re-assigned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado.

The 25-year-old is in his first professional season after signing with the Avs as a college free agent back in March.  Malinski had been up with the big club for the past month and had been a regular player for most of that stretch, suiting up in 14 games, including against the Blues.  In those appearances, he held his own, picking up five points along with 15 blocked shots while averaging a little over 14 minutes a night.  With the Eagles, meanwhile, he has three goals and six assists in 17 games.

With that in mind, it might seem a bit curious that Colorado would opt to send Malinski down.  However, he was the only waiver-exempt blueliner on their roster, making him the logical choice to be sent down to ensure they keep as much depth as possible.

While Colorado didn’t announce a corresponding roster move, Malinski’s demotion likely will mark the return of Samuel Girard.  He took a leave from the team last month to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but has since rejoined the club.  Now, with a few practices under his belt, it appears as if he’ll be ready to return and be activated into the roster spot cleared by sending Malinski down.

Blackhawks Place Taylor Raddysh On IR, Recall Boris Katchouk

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The Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves this morning as the team announced that they’ve placed winger Taylor Raddysh on injured reserve with a left groin strain.  Taking his place on the roster will be winger Boris Katchouk who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.

Raddysh was a bright spot on Chicago’s offense last season, putting up 20 goals and 17 assists in 78 games in his first season of being a full-fledged regular after coming over from Tampa Bay in 2022.  That was good for a tie for fourth in team scoring.  However, production has been harder to come by this year as the 25-year-old has been limited to just five goals and five assists through 35 games so far despite logging over 16 minutes a night in playing time.  Those numbers will stay put for the time being as with the placement, Raddysh will be out for at least the next week after being injured in the first period last night against Dallas.

As for Katchouk, he came to Chicago in the same swap as Raddysh but hasn’t had the same level of success.  He had 16 points in 58 games last season and was with the Blackhawks for the first couple of months of the year, notching two goals and two helpers in 17 contests before clearing waivers earlier this month.  Since then, he has played in six games with the IceHogs, picking up three tallies and two assists.  He can play in ten games or be up for 30 days before needing to go through waivers once again.

Blues Recall Matt Kessel

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With Justin Faulk suffering a lower-body injury last night that will keep him out of the lineup tonight against Pittsburgh, the Blues have brought up a replacement.  The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Matt Kessel from AHL Springfield.

The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by St. Louis back in 2020, going 150th overall.  He has spent the full season so far with the Thunderbirds, picking up two goals and four assists in 29 games.  Kessel has a pair of NHL appearances under his belt, both coming last season where he was held off the scoresheet while averaging a little over 15 minutes in each contest.  He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

St. Louis had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to get Kessel onto the roster.  The timeline of Faulk’s injury is not yet known but he remains on the active roster for the time being.  His absence will certainly hurt tonight as he’s their leading scorer among blueliners with 17 points in 35 games while his 22:25 ATOI is second to only Colton Parayko.

 

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