Golden Knights Recall Two From AHL, Place Tobias Bjornfot On IR
Vegas has made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Calgary, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Byron Froese and goaltender Isaiah Saville from AHL Henderson. To make room on the roster, defenseman Tobias Bjornfot has been placed on IR.
Froese is in his second season with Vegas after signing a two-year, two-way deal for the league minimum in free agency back in 2022. The 33-year-old got into nine games with the Golden Knights last season where he had a pair of points but has played exclusively with the Silver Knights this year, collecting six goals and six assists in 33 games. Froese has 125 NHL appearances under his belt, many of which have been in a fourth line depth role which is the one he’s likely to fill if he sees any game action. Jack Eichel didn’t take part in the game day skate so it appears Froese’s recall is to hedge against Eichel not being available.
As for Saville, he was just sent back down yesterday and has been shuffled back and forth recently due to the uncertain availability of both Adin Hill and Jiri Patera. The 23-year-old has missed the bulk of the campaign after starting the year on season-opening IR, limiting him to seven appearances with Henderson where he has a 2.52 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Bjornfot, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles earlier this month. Since then, the 22-year-old has played in a pair of games, bringing his season total to three as he has spent the bulk of the year in a reserve role. There’s no word yet on the nature of the injury and how long he might be out of the lineup. Between IR and LTIR, Vegas now has eight players on injured reserve.
Metropolitan Notes: Flyers, Ovechkin, Kakko
Among the teams that the Flyers discussed a Cutter Gauthier trade with was the Avalanche, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link). Friedman suggests that Philadelphia’s target from the Avs may have been blueliner Bowen Byram, an option that wasn’t palatable for Colorado in a one-for-one swap. Of course, Gauthier wound up being moved to Anaheim for another blueliner, Jamie Drysdale, who is off to a nice start with his new team with a pair of assists in his first two games while averaging nearly 21 minutes a night. With Drysdale being a right-shot player and Byram a left-shot blueliner (which Philadelphia has more of in their system), it’s possible that Colorado’s rejection may work out better for them in the long run.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin was scratched today due to a lower-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). It has been a tough year for Washington’s captain as the 38-year-old has been limited to just eight goals and 19 assists in 38 games although his 27 points still lead the team. Ovechkin has missed several practices in recent days with this lingering issue and it looks as if they’re going to try resting him outright to see if that helps the injury heal.
- Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko isn’t quite ready to return yet, relays Newsday’s Colin Stephenson (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has missed the last six weeks with a lower-body injury and while he’s skating with the team, head coach Peter Laviolette indicated that they want to give Kakko a ramp-up period before returning so it appears he’ll need a bit more time. Kakko has struggled this season, notching just three points in 20 games before the injury.
Atlantic Notes: Anderson, Chartier, Bellows
The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that winger Josh Anderson will not play tonight due to a lower-body injury and that he will be evaluated on a daily basis. The 29-year-old had a dreadful start to his season as he was held without a goal for his first 24 games but since then, he has fared better with seven goals and two assists in his last 17 outings. His spot in the lineup will be taken by Joshua Roy who was recalled late last night. Montreal presently has over $25MM in salaries for their injured players per CapFriendly with this injury pushing that number past the $30MM mark.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Senators center Rourke Chartier has been activated off LTIR, TSN 1200 reports (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last four weeks with a concussion. Chartier has played in a career-high 25 games so far this season on Ottawa’s fourth line, picking up two points while winning just over half of his faceoffs. With Anton Forsberg landing on LTIR on Friday, the Sens don’t need to make a corresponding move to get cap-compliant.
- Nick Barden of The Hockey News points out that Kieffer Bellows’ PTO with AHL Toronto has now come to an end. After not catching on with a team to start the season, the 25-year-old joined the Marlies in early November and was quite productive, notching 14 goals and 12 assists in his 25-game stint. Bellows is eligible to sign another PTO or a full-season contract with either the Marlies or Maple Leafs but with the success he had, the veteran of 95 career NHL appearances could also attract some interest elsewhere.
Wild Activate Filip Gustavsson, Assign Jesper Wallstedt To AHL
The Wild will be welcoming back their starting goalie for tonight’s game against Minnesota as the team announced (Twitter link) that Filip Gustavsson has been activated off injured reserve. To make room for him on the roster, Jesper Wallstedt has been returned to AHL Iowa.
Gustavsson has been dealing with a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last two weeks. Before that, he had struggled somewhat relative to last year’s breakout performance. While his .903 SV% is above the league average, it’s a steep drop from the .931 mark he posted in 2022-23. With Marc-Andre Fleury also struggling as of late having only recorded a save percentage above .900 in one of his last six starts, Gustavsson will likely get a chance to play significant minutes fairly quickly as Minnesota looks to keep within striking distance of a Wild Card spot.
As for Wallstedt, Minnesota’s top goalie prospect got a rough introduction to the NHL earlier this week, allowing seven goals on 34 shots to Dallas on Wednesday. However, the 2021 first-rounder has fared quite well with Iowa this season, posting a 2.54 GAA and a .917 SV% in 20 games with them. With Fleury’s contract up at the end of the season, Wallstedt could become the full-time backup in Minnesota before long so getting him back in the minors to maximize his playing time is certainly ideal.
Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy
Following their AHL affiliate’s contest last night, the Canadiens announced that they’ve recalled winger Joshua Roy from Laval. The team had an open roster spot following Thursday’s demotion of Emil Heineman.
The 20-year-old fell to the fifth round in 2021, going 150th overall. However, since being drafted, he was quite a productive player at the major junior level, recording 97 goals and 121 assists in 121 games with QMJHL Sherbrooke in his final two years. Roy added 47 points in 25 playoff appearances over that same stretch. He also played for Canada in two World Junior tournaments, notching eight goals and 11 helpers in 14 contests in those events.
Roy has carried over that production to the AHL level in 2023-24, sitting second on Laval in scoring with 12 goals and 18 assists in 34 games. His 30 points put him third among all rookies in the AHL this season.
Montreal’s offense sits near the bottom of the pack in the NHL this season as they enter play tonight ranking 26th in that department. With the Canadiens down several key forwards including Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, and Tanner Pearson, Roy should get a chance to play an offensive role with them fairly quickly.
Jets Notes: Dillon, DeMelo, Ehlers, Kupari
Veteran blueliners Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo are among the Jets players set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. However, speaking with reporters yesterday including Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Kevin Cheveldayoff indicated that the team has had discussions with the agents for both players although he declined to say if those talks are currently ongoing.
Dillon is in his third season with the Jets after being acquired from San Jose, a move that has worked out well for the 33-year-old who has logged steady minutes on the second pairing while providing plenty of physicality and shot-blocking for several years now. With a $3.5MM cap hit, he’s likely to get an increase on that with a multi-year agreement.
As for DeMelo, the 30-year-old is in his fifth year with the team and is playing out the final season of a four-year, $12MM extension to avoid testing the open market back in 2020. He has seen his playing time jump to nearly 22 minutes a night this season which gives him some extra leverage, especially after putting up a career-high 27 points last year. Like Dillon, he’s in line for a raise and a multi-year deal as well. With both players being key pieces on the back end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cheveldayoff try to get a deal worked out with at least one of them before the trade deadline.
More from Winnipeg:
- Winger Nikolaj Ehlers left practice today with an upper-body injury, relays Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun (Twitter link). His early exit is believed to be precautionary. Ehlers has battled injury issues over the last couple of seasons but has been healthy and productive in the first half of this season, notching 15 goals and 18 assists in his first 41 games.
- The team announced (Twitter link) that center Rasmus Kupari has been recalled from his conditioning loan with AHL Manitoba. Winnipeg sent the 23-year-old down to the Moose back on Tuesday to get him some game action after missing more than six weeks with a shoulder injury. He only suited up once on assignment – one that could have lasted for two weeks – and was held off the scoresheet. Kupari came to the Jets as part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade but he struggled considerably offensively before being injured, notching just one assist in 15 games.
West Notes: Oettinger, Jones, Emberson, Saville
The Stars welcomed back a key player tonight with the team announcing (Twitter link) that Jake Oettinger was getting the start against Nashville. The 25-year-old missed the last four weeks with a lower-body injury, forcing Scott Wedgewood to take on the interim starting role in his absence, a role Wedgewood had some success in. Oettinger had a career year last season with a 2.37 GAA and a .919 SV%, earning him a top-five spot in Vezina Trophy voting but hasn’t had quite the same success this season with those numbers checking in at 2.93 and .901 respectively heading into Friday’s action. If he can get back to being a top netminder in the second half, that could give Dallas a big lift as they jockey for seeding in the Central Division.
More from the Western Conference:
- Blackhawks blueliner Seth Jones was a full participant in practice today for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury just over a month ago, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. The original diagnosis was that he’d miss two weeks but further testing doubled that timeline. Jones, who has 11 points – all assists – in 27 games this season, is hoping to be cleared to return to Chicago’s lineup tomorrow against Dallas.
- Sharks defenseman Ty Emberson has returned to San Jose for further evaluation, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury that has caused him to miss last night’s victory over Montreal, joining Matt Benning and Jacob MacDonald as blueliners currently out of the lineup. Emberson is currently considered as out week-to-week so he’ll likely land on injured reserve shortly, opening up a spot for Logan Couture whose return is getting closer.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they returned goaltender Isaiah Saville to AHL Henderson. The 23-year-old was recalled recently after Adin Hill was unable to dress for Thursday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. Saville has battled injuries himself this season and has been limited to seven games with the Silver Knights where he has a 2.52 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Pyotr Kochetkov In Concussion Protocol; Hurricanes Recall Yaniv Perets
The Hurricanes will be without another goalie for the foreseeable future as the team announced that Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol, meaning he is out indefinitely. In a subsequent move, the team announced the recall of Yaniv Perets from ECHL Norfolk.
Kochetkov suffered the concussion in last night’s game against Anaheim, leaving in the second period. The timing of it certainly isn’t ideal as the 24-year-old was in the midst of a nice run, posting a .924 SV% in his last ten games, giving Carolina some much-needed stability between the pipes. He joins Frederik Andersen (blood clots) as netminders who are out of the lineup.
This means that veteran Antti Raanta will take over the number one role for the time being. It has been a rough year for the 34-year-old as his early struggles eventually resulted in him passing through waivers unclaimed last month before being recalled after two AHL games. Raanta has a 3.27 GAA with a save percentage of just .862 in 17 games this season.
He’ll be joined by Perets, the only recallable option the Hurricanes have. The 23-year-old is in his first professional season after a stellar college career with Quinnipiac where he had a 1.34 GAA and a .935 SV% over three seasons with them. This season, he has played exclusively in the ECHL (since Carolina doesn’t have a direct AHL affiliate), posting a 2.62 GAA with a .906 SV% in 15 games.
The Hurricanes have been speculatively linked to a handful of goaltenders in recent weeks but with Kochetkov playing well lately, that speculation had started to cool off. However, if the young netminder is set to miss extended time, GM Don Waddell may have no choice but to seriously explore what options might be out there.
West Notes: Zegras, Barabanov, Milne
After moving out Jamie Drysdale, some are wondering if Ducks GM Pat Verbeek might have another big move up his sleeve. To that end, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Verbeek has discussed center Trevor Zegras with teams this season although it’s not known how far those discussions advanced. After a tough contract negotiation that eventually yielded a three-year bridge deal with a $5.75MM cap hit, things have not gone well for the 22-year-old. Injuries have limited him to 19 games heading into tonight’s action while he has struggled offensively with just four goals and three assists. Unfortunately for Zegras and Anaheim, he suffered a lower-body injury during tonight’s game against Nashville in the first period and did not return. Any extended absence could put the idea of a possible trade on hold fairly quickly.
More from the Western Conference:
- Back in the summer, Sharks GM Mike Grier acknowledged that there was some merit to the idea of extending pending unrestricted free agent winger Alexander Barabanov. However, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that there have yet to be discussions about a new contract for the 29-year-old. Like many San Jose players this season, 2023-24 has been a struggle for Barabanov who has just seven points in 20 games after coming off a career year that saw him collect 47 points in 68 games. He has a $2.5MM cap charge and if a new deal isn’t reached, he’ll be one of their more intriguing trade chips in the coming weeks.
- The Wild activated forward Michael Milne off season-opening IR and assigned him to AHL Iowa, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The 21-year-old is in his second professional season after picking up 13 points in 57 AHL contests last year and after missing the first few months of the season due to injury, is expected to play this weekend. Milne was a third-round pick in 2022 (89th overall) after a breakout season offensively in the WHL that saw him put up 81 points in 68 games.
Flames Have Received Trade Interest In Jacob Markstrom
With several teams looking for help on the goalie market, we’ve seen several veterans speculated as possible fits, including John Gibson, Jake Allen, and Kaapo Kahkonen, among others. But some teams appear to be aiming higher as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that at least two teams have called the Flames about the potential availability of veteran netminder Jacob Markstrom.
The 33-year-old is in his fourth season with Calgary after signing with them as an unrestricted free agent back in 2020. Since then, his performance has run somewhat hot and cold with years of being in the top ten statistically and one – last season – where he had a save percentage well below the league average, checking in at just .892.
This season, Markstrom has been fairly inconsistent as well but a good showing lately has elevated his season numbers to a GAA of 2.67 and a save percentage of .908, numbers that are a considerable improvement over a year ago. However, the Flames find themselves on the outside looking in at a playoff spot heading into tonight’s action, fueling speculation that GM Craig Conroy could be one of the more prominent sellers over the next couple of months.
That said, many of the speculative moves Calgary could make revolve around veterans on expiring contracts which is not the case with Markstrom. He has two more seasons left after this one at a $6MM price tag, one that wouldn’t be the easiest for many playoff-bound teams to fit in on their books. While retention is possible, multi-year retention doesn’t happen too often and there’s no guarantee that Conroy would be open to the idea. It’s also worth noting that Markstrom has a full no-move clause.
Calgary has top prospect Dustin Wolf biding his time in the minors with the Wranglers and he is clearly their goalie of the future. While many have wondered if Daniel Vladar would be the one to move to make room for Wolf on the roster, it’s also possible that the Flames take the bigger step and deal their current starter. If Conroy decides to make Markstrom available, it’s quite likely that a few more teams will be looking to inquire about the cost over the coming weeks.