Blue Jackets Recall Two, Assign Trey Fix-Wolansky To AHL
On the heels of providing several injury updates earlier in the day, the Blue Jackets have made several roster moves. The team announced that they’ve brought up defenseman Nick Blankenburg and goaltender Malcolm Subban on an emergency basis while winger Trey Fix-Wolansky was re-assigned to AHL Cleveland.
Blankenburg is in his third season with Columbus after signing as an undrafted free agent and has seen NHL action in all three years including six appearances this season where he has been held off the scoresheet. The 25-year-old has battled back issues in the minors which has limited him to just 21 games with the Monsters despite spending most of the season at that level. He has fared well offensively in the AHL, picking up 13 points. The pending restricted free agent won’t be waiver-exempt next year and is expected to push for a full-time spot next season.
As for Subban, he was acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline to give them some extra organizational depth between the pipes down the stretch. The 30-year-old has a 3.12 GAA and .901 SV% in 35 AHL contests so far this season. Subban, a pending unrestricted free agent, also has 86 career NHL appearances under his belt but with Elvis Merzlikins and Vadim Tarasov unavailable, Jet Greaves will likely serve as the starter in the short term.
Fix-Wolansky, meanwhile, was recalled on an emergency basis yesterday but with Johnny Gaudreau expected to return Saturday, emergency conditions no longer exist so he had to be sent down. The 24-year-old is averaging more than a point per game in the minors for the second straight year, collecting 24 goals and 34 assists in 53 games so far. Fix-Wolansky has an assist in ten games with the Blue Jackets as well. He’s signed on a two-way deal through the 2024-25 season.
Blackhawks Notes: Murphy, Johnson, Veterans
The Blackhawks have been without blueliner Connor Murphy for nearly three months with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Speaking with reporters today including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, the veteran indicated he was dealing with an osteitis pubis injury, the same issue that has sidelined San Jose’s Logan Couture for most of the season albeit a less severe case. Murphy took part in a full practice today and is targeting a return sometime next week. While there isn’t anything left for Chicago to play for in the standings, getting a few games under his belt before the campaign comes to an end would certainly be worth it for Murphy to confirm that he had indeed fully recovered from this issue.
More from Chicago:
- Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson suffered a setback as he works his way back from a concussion, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. The 25-year-old has missed nearly four weeks and had been skating at one point but has stopped since then. At this point, a return in the final two weeks of the season seems unlikely. Johnson collected two goals and three assists in 42 games with Chicago while adding 109 hits; he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
- Heading into the season, many expected Chicago to move veterans Jason Dickinson and Petr Mrazek. As pending unrestricted free agents, the thought was they’d hold down a roster spot and then be moved at the trade deadline for draft picks but both signed two-year extensions instead. Scott Powers of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that the Blackhawks could use more players like that, short-term veterans that can make a bigger impact than anticipated and then stick around a little longer. Adding pieces like that would raise the floor of the team when they eventually look to emerge from their long-term rebuild.
College Notes: Graf, Schlaine, Bradley, Basse, Grainger
Winger Collin Graf is widely expected to sign his first professional contract in the coming days. Regarded as one of the top college free agents available, most of the league had made inquiries and he’s in the process of whittling down his list. To that end, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that the Rangers are no longer in the mix for the 21-year-old. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Michael Russo adds (Twitter link) that the Wild are believed to still have a chance at signing him. Graf is coming off another strong season at Quinnipiac where he recorded 22 goals and 27 assists in 34 games. Wherever he signs, it’s quite likely he burns the first season of his entry-level deal this year; he’d be eligible to play down the stretch in the regular season but not in the playoffs.
Other news from around the college ranks:
- Devils prospect Artem Schlaine has entered the transfer portal, relays Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick by New Jersey back in 2020 (130th overall) and has spent four seasons in college, two with the University of Connecticut and the last two with Northern Michigan University. Schlaine had a bit of a down year offensively compared to a year ago but still had 23 points in 27 games this season, good for second on the Wildcats in scoring. The transfer means New Jersey should retain his rights for one more summer.
- Red Wings prospect Chase Bradley is looking to test free agency this summer, Divver reports in a separate tweet. The 22-year-old was a seventh-rounder back in 2020 and while he has only played three years of college, he’s four years removed from being drafted and thus can leave school to test the open market. Bradley had 11 goals and 11 assists with the University of Connecticut this season in his junior year.
- Blackhawks goalie prospect Dominic Basse has transferred to St. Lawrence, the school announced (Twitter link). The 22-year-old was a sixth-rounder of Chicago in 2019, going 167th overall. Basse played his first two years at Colorado College before spending the last two at St. Cloud State. Last season, Basse posted a 2.75 GAA with a .896 SV% in 25 games and with Ben Kraws turning pro and signing with Dallas, he should have a shot at a heavy workload for his final collegiate campaign.
- San Jose’s AHL affiliate announced the signing of Luke Grainger to a tryout agreement. The 24-year-old had a very successful senior year with Western Michigan, posting 14 points and 34 assists in 38 games, leading some to wonder if he’d get an NHL contract. It doesn’t appear that will be coming just yet and while he’s on the Sharks’ affiliate, they don’t hold his NHL rights with this signing.
Snapshots: Coyotes, Lipkin, Jiricek
The Coyotes have a lot of work to do contract-wise on their back end for next season as none of their regulars are under contract for 2024-25. However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link) that the team does not have the green light to start working on contracts for next season at this time. As has been well documented, their arena situation is once again in some question for a few more months at least, pending a possible land purchase which would be late in the spring. It was also reported after the trade deadline that GM Bill Armstrong wasn’t able to retain salary, limiting the returns they received on Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. At this point, it’s far from a must to begin extension discussions at this point in the season but if those internal restrictions continue into the offseason, it could be something to keep an eye on.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Still with the Coyotes, prospect Sam Lipkin is expected to decide between turning pro or returning for his junior year within the next 24 hours, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was the second-last pick in the 2021 draft, going 223rd overall but has outperformed his draft stock, scoring 78 points in 78 games over his first two seasons with Quinnipiac, yielding a contract offer from Arizona. Quinnipiac’s leading scorer (Collin Graf) is expected to sign soon while their second-leading scorer (Jacob Quillan) signed with Toronto earlier this week; those signings could significantly impact Lipkin’s decision.
- The Blue Jackets intend to keep defenseman David Jiricek up for the remainder of the regular season, relays team reporter Jeff Svoboda (Twitter link). Columbus recalled the 20-year-old yesterday, the latest of a busy series of transactions as it’s his fifth recall of the season. Jiricek has played in 36 games with the Jackets this season, notching a goal and eight assists while averaging a little under 15 minutes a night. He has been more productive in the minors, however, collecting seven goals and ten helpers with the Monsters. Notably, he’s four NHL appearances away from accruing a season toward UFA eligibility. Accordingly, while Columbus might keep him up for the last couple of weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his game action limited as a result.
Wild Prospect Charlie Stramel Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
Transfer season has arrived in the NCAA with several players applying for transfers daily. Among the list of players who entered today is Wild prospect Charlie Stramel, per Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald.
The 19-year-old was a first-round pick by Minnesota back in June, going 21st overall. Stramel had a successful run in the U.S. National Team Development Program and then went to college for the 2022-23 campaign. He had a quiet year offensively in 2022-23 but that is often the case for freshmen. With a sound defensive game, the hope was that the offense would come along, making him a viable two-way threat and someone the Wild hope will be part of their long-term core.
However, things didn’t go quite according to plan this past season. After putting up a dozen points in 33 games in 2022-23, they actually went down in his sophomore year as Stramel had just three goals and five assists in 34 contests and he wound up spending a good chunk of the year on the fourth line. That’s not the type of progression Stramel or the Wild were hoping to see.
Now, Stramel will seek out a new place to play and a program where he will have a better opportunity to develop as a prospect. Oddly enough, Max Olson and Michael Russo of The Athletic relay (subscription link) that Stramel has made it known that he doesn’t want to be contacted by schools. Whether that means that he has a place to play in mind or if he wants to do his own research and then reach out to other programs remains to be seen. Either way, wherever Stramel lands, expectations will be considerably higher for a player already halfway through his college career.
Five Key Stories: 3/25/24 – 3/31/24
The stretch run is upon as we get set to turn the calendar to April. We’re still likely a few weeks away from some big headlines but there was still some notable news across the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.
Three For Benoit: Last summer, Simon Benoit was non-tendered by Anaheim, eventually settling for a one-year deal worth the NHL minimum salary with Toronto. However, he has done well with the Maple Leafs and he was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year, $4.05MM contract extension. The 25-year-old has played in 55 games this season and while he doesn’t put up many points (just five so far), he leads the team in hits with 210 while averaging nearly 17 minutes a night, giving the third pairing some stability. That stability will now run through the 2026-27 season.
Injuries: If the Islanders are going to climb up the standings and into the playoffs, they’ll have to do so without defenseman Scott Mayfield as it was revealed that he underwent season-ending surgery. The 31-year-old has been limited to just 41 games this season due to injuries, hardly the way he or the team wanted the first season of his seven-year contract to go. Meanwhile, Blues center Oskar Sundqvist suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. He returned for a second go-around with St. Louis in the summer and did well enough to earn a two-year, $3MM contract earlier this month just before the trade deadline. With a six-month recovery timeline, Sundqvist won’t be ready for the start of training camp and could miss the start of next season.
Fleury Open To Playing Next Season: When Marc-Andre Fleury signed a two-year deal with Minnesota in 2022, it was widely expected that those two seasons would be the last ones of Fleury’s career. However, that might not be the case as the veteran netminder indicated this week that he would be open to re-signing with the Wild for next season. However, that option would only extend to Minnesota as he appears to be unwilling to move his family again. Fleury is in his 20th NHL season and while his GAA is the same as a year ago at 2.85, he has lost nine points off his save percentage, going from .908 to .899, his lowest since 2005-06. However, if the Wild feel that prospect Jesper Wallstedt would be better suited with another AHL season, they could decide to bring Fleury back for one more year.
Fedotov Joins Flyers: The Flyers have waited a long time to get Ivan Fedotov to North America, even when he had a contract going back to last season. Fedotov played in the KHL this season despite sanctions from the IIHF but he was surprisingly released from that deal this week, paving the way for the netminder to finish up the year with Philadelphia. It might not just be a short-term option for the 27-year-old as extension talks are already underway. Fedotov had a quiet year by his standards with CSKA Moscow but still managed a 2.37 GAA and a .914 SV% in 44 games. Long viewed as one of the top netminders outside North America, Fedotov represents an immediate upgrade at the backup goalie position and if a new deal is agreed on, he could help bolster Philadelphia’s crease position for a little while.
Bear Enters Assistance Program: The Capitals will be without defenseman Ethan Bear indefinitely as he has entered the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program. Bear had to wait until late December to get a contract after being injured while playing for Canada at the Worlds back in May although he was able to get a back-loaded two-year, $4.125MM deal from the Capitals. Through 24 games this season, Bear has a goal and three assists while averaging a little under 15 minutes a night.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2024 College Free Agency Preview: Wingers
With the college regular season over and the Frozen Four tournament upon us, activity on the college free agent front will pick up in the near future. At this time of year, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.
Here is an overview of some of the wingers that could be drawing NHL interest in the near future. Note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks. Our look at the goaltenders can be found here, the defensemen are here, and the centers are here.
Dalton Bancroft, Cornell
After being a bottom-six player in his freshman year, Bancroft moved up the lineup this season and the numbers have improved as he has been averaging around a point per game. However, his physicality makes him an ideal fit on a fourth line in the pros. That said, the 23-year-old has been an effective scorer with the man advantage and a profile of a fourth liner who can play the power play has some value in today’s NHL which should have him on the radar of some teams.
Joshua Eernisse, Michigan
Eernisse decided to transfer from St. Thomas after his freshman year, going from a team where he had a prominent role to one where he’s more of a limited player in the process. However, it’s his playing style that will get him on the NHL radar. He has good speed for his size and plays with plenty of physicality and energy. That will be appealing to teams if the 22-year-old opts to turn pro. Waiting another year and playing a bigger role offensively for the Wolverines next season might be the better way to go though.
Riese Gaber, North Dakota
A couple of years ago, it looked like Gaber was in a perfect spot to turn pro after putting up more than a point per game in his sophomore year. Instead, he returned for two more seasons and watched his production plateau. He’s a strong skater with a well-rounded offensive game but he also stands just 5’8 which will scare some teams off. An entry-level deal is possible but so is an AHL contract as a result.
Matteo Giampa, Canisius
Giampa just wrapped up a very successful freshman year, coming up just shy of a point per game with Canisius and led the team in scoring by a dozen points. The year before, he was an impact scorer in the AJHL. But at 20, his game is still quite raw compared to many players that will test the free agent market. If a team feels his development is best served playing a bigger schedule in the pros, they’ll be going after Giampa now. But he might be better off with that refinement coming in college next season.
Collin Graf, Quinnipiac
Viewed as one of the best if not the best player in this free agent class after finishing third in NCAA scoring, Graf had strong interest a year ago before deciding to return for his junior year. He produced at a similar level on a per-game basis while his defensive game improved. If he opts to turn pro, he will almost certainly burn the first year of his contract right away and as a player who has middle-six potential instead of projecting as a lower-end piece, many teams will have interest once again. With Quinnipiac being eliminated earlier today, watch for his market to move quickly.
Joey Larson, Michigan State
Larson was one of the better scorers in the NCAA in the first half of the season before his output fell off when the calendar flipped to 2024. Still, he’s one of the better pure shooters in this class, a skill that should be intriguing to teams. That said, with two years of eligibility remaining, the 23-year-old might be better off sticking with the Spartans for another year to refine his all-around game.
Ondrej Psenicka, Cornell
Psenicka attracted some interest a couple of years ago after a strong freshman season and his production has largely stagnated since then. However, he plays a pro-style game without much flash and he stands 6’6. The raw upside isn’t as high as some others on this list but he has the chance to stick on a fourth line in the NHL.
Simon Tassy, Wisconsin
Tassy’s decision to leave Minnesota State (Mankato) after his freshman year to follow head coach Mike Hastings to Wisconsin was a good one. His playing time went up and his production went from five points to 28, a pretty impressive jump that should get him on the pro radar. One more year to round out his game would make sense but if he has NHL offers now, it might be better for the 23-year-old to make the jump now. If that happens, he’ll still be a bit of a project.
Gleb Veremyev, Colorado College
After a quiet, injury-riddled freshman year, Veremyev quadrupled his output this season. However, Veremyev’s not on here for his offense. He’s a very physical winger, a profile that will appeal to some teams who are looking to add some crash and bang to their lineups with a bit of offensive upside. Still just 20, it’s quite possible that Veremyev opts to stay in school for another year but with the jump he took this season, there should be NHL teams showing interest now.
Dylan Wendt, Western Michigan
After the Broncos lost several key forwards to the pros, Wendt was one of the players who took on a much bigger role and made the most of it, scoring more goals this year (23) than he had points a year ago (22). His offensive game is farther along than his defensive one so some AHL time will be needed but the time should be right for the 23-year-old to turn pro.
Carter Wilkie, RIT
Wilkie has been a productive scorer for the Tigers in each of his three seasons with them including two straight years averaging a little over a point per game. He’s more of a pure playmaker compared to some of the other wingers on this list but he plays with enough jam to potentially fit on a lower line professionally. The 23-year-old has entered the transfer portal but could also be convinced to turn pro if the right offer comes around.
Blues Notes: Perunovich, Neighbours, Lindstein, Snuggerud
Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich played in his 74th career NHL game (including playoffs) on Saturday, a milestone that typically wouldn’t carry any significance. However, as Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out, Perunovich’s participation in that game means that he will be a restricted free agent this summer instead of a Group Six unrestricted free agent. Generally, the threshold for skaters is 80 but since the 2020-21 season was only 56 games, that number was reduced. Perunovich is still looking for his first career NHL tally but does have 15 assists in 48 games this season. With him retaining RFA status, St. Louis now has an additional two years of team control as Perunovich won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2025.
More from St. Louis:
- Winger Jake Neighbours is having a breakout season, notching 26 goals through 74 games, good for a share of the team lead with Pavel Buchnevich. He’s eligible to sign a contract extension this summer as he’ll be entering the final year of his entry-level deal in 2024-25. In a mailbag column, Jeremy Rutherford suggests (subscription link) that the 22-year-old might be inclined to try to wait out signing a new deal until after next season. If he feels that his performance this year is a sign of things to come, Neighbours would certainly have more leverage if he waits it out although it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Blues take a run at trying to sign him when they’re eligible to in July.
- Earlier this month, the Blues signed 2023 first-round pick Theo Lindstein to an entry-level contract. In doing so, they gained the flexibility to assign the defenseman to their AHL affiliate for next season instead of returning him to Brynas in Sweden’s Allsvenskan level. However, as Rutherford points out in a separate mailbag (subscription link), the team has not yet made a determination on where to assign him for next season. Lindstein had 15 points in 49 games with Brynas and added eight more in seven World Junior appearances.
- With the University of Minnesota being eliminated by Boston University last night, Jimmy Snuggerud now needs to decide if he’ll return for his junior year or turn pro. Speaking with reporters postgame including The Rink Live’s Jess Myers (Twitter link), the 19-year-old indicated he had “no clue” about his next move just yet. Snuggerud was the 23rd pick back in 2022 and saw his numbers dip from 50 points to 34 this season although he still managed 21 goals in just 39 games while also picking up eight points in six World Junior contests.
Ryan Hartman To Have Player Safety Hearing
Wild forward Ryan Hartman has already been suspended once this season and a second may be coming his way. The league announced that will have a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Monday for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of Saturday’s overtime loss to Vegas.
After Jonathan Marchessault scored with 90 seconds left in overtime into the empty net (meaning Minnesota didn’t receive a point despite losing in extra time), Hartman was yelling from the bench and reportedly threw his stick in the officials’ direction. Hartman was given a ten-minute misconduct for abusive language on the play.
As Michael Russo of The Athletic points out (subscription link), Hartman’s reported actions fall within the parameters of Rule 40.4 which would constitute an automatic three-game suspension at a minimum. The full wording of that rule is as follows:
Any player who, by his actions, physically demeans an official or physically threatens an official by (but not limited to) throwing a stick or any other piece of equipment or object at or in the general direction of an official, shooting the puck at or in the general direction of an official, spitting at or in the general direction of an official, or who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall be suspended for not less than three (3) games.
It’s unclear if the hearing intends to determine if there is sufficient evidence to give Hartman a three-game ban or if they won’t apply that interpretation.
Hartman has been suspended three times in his career and fined on seven other occasions. If a suspension is levied, he will be considered as a repeat offender which carries a higher level of forfeited salary. For a repeat offender, the divisor in the calculation is 82 while for those who aren’t, the divisor is the number of days in the season. For example, the hypothetical three-game suspension under that rule would cost a repeat offender 3/82 of their AAV while a non-repeat offender would lose 3/192 of their AAV.
Maple Leafs Place Mitch Marner On LTIR
March 31: Toronto assigned Rifai back to AHL Toronto on Sunday, per a team announcement. He did not play in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Sabres. The Maple Leafs now have enough cap space to activate Marner from LTIR ahead of his anticipated return later this week.
March 30: The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight in Buffalo. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Mitch Marner has been placed on LTIR retroactive to March 7th for what they’ve termed as roster management purposes. In doing so, they opened up enough salary cap space to recall defenseman Marshall Rifai from AHL Toronto.
Marner has been out since March 7th with an ankle injury, a significant blow to Toronto’s lineup. Before the injury, the 26-year-old was doing quite well, collecting 25 goals and 51 assists in 62 games, a point-per-game pace that would have given him a legitimate opportunity to reach the 100-point mark after coming up just short on that front in each of the last two seasons.
As part of the LTIR requirements, a player must miss 10 games and 24 days before being eligible to be activated. Tonight’s game will be the tenth game that Marner misses while the 24-day mark will be reached on Sunday. It was noted yesterday that Marner is expected back at practice on Tuesday and this placement will not affect those plans.
As for Rifai, this is his second recall of the season after being up for a few days in February. During that stretch, he did get into a pair of games with the Maple Leafs, his first taste of NHL action. The 26-year-old has spent most of the season in the minors with the Marlies, picking up 17 points in 49 contests.
The Leafs have been hit hard with injuries on the blueline in recent days with Morgan Rielly, Joel Edmundson, and Timothy Liljegren all being banged up. It appears Rifai’s recall will serve as a hedge in case another veteran blueliner is unable to go against the Sabres.