Blues Recall Hugh McGing
On Friday, the Blues opened up a roster spot when they traded defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to the Islanders. Today, they’ve filled that vacancy as they recalled forward Hugh McGing, per the AHL’s transactions log.
The 25-year-old is in his fourth season in St. Louis’ system after being a fifth-round pick back in 2018 (138th overall). McGing made his NHL debut last year, getting into a single game with the big club but spent most of the year with AHL Springfield where he had 17 goals and 22 assists in 71 games.
He’s off to a better start offensively this season, notching four goals and 11 helpers in 21 appearances, a 51-point pace over a 72-game campaign, putting him fourth on the Thunderbirds in scoring and helping him earn this recall. McGing is playing on a one-year, two-way deal this season worth the league minimum at the NHL level and will almost certainly be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer.
With McGing’s recall, St. Louis is now once again carrying a full 23-player roster.
Central Notes: Barrie, Lehkonen, Fleury
Over the weekend, news got out that Predators defenseman Tyson Barrie and his camp had been given permission to seek a trade. Speaking recently with 102.5 The Game (video link), GM Barry Trotz expressed his frustration over the news being leaked and how Barrie himself handled being made a healthy scratch for the first time in his career last weekend. The 32-year-old has typically been one of the better offensive producers from the blueline in his career with ten straight seasons of at least 38 points. However, he has been held without a goal and has just ten assists in his first 23 games this season. Barrie is in the final year of his contract which carries a $4.5MM AAV and with his offensive struggles so far, it might not be a deal that’s easy to move. Meanwhile, in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun noted that the Preds aren’t particularly inclined to use their last salary retention slot to help facilitate a swap which will only complicate those attempts further.
More from the Central:
- Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen skated ahead of Colorado’s practice today, relays Corey Masisak of The Denver Post (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has been out for the last month due to a neck injury but was able to shed his neck brace late last month. There remains no timetable for his return but returning to the ice is at least a step in the right direction. Lehkonen had three goals and five assists in a dozen games before the injury.
- Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury remains undecided about his playing future beyond this season, notes John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. The 39-year-old is in his 20th NHL season and second with Minnesota but this one hasn’t gone as well as his first with the team. Fleury has played in ten games so far heading into tonight’s action, posting a 3.21 GAA with a .884 SV%. If those hold, it would be the lowest save percentage of his career and his highest GAA since the 2005-06 campaign. Fleury is in the final year of his contract, one that carries a $3.5MM cap charge.
Golden Knights Activate Isaiah Saville From SOIR, Assign Him To AHL
Golden Knights prospect goaltender Isaiah Saville was placed on season-opening IR back in September with an undisclosed injury. Now, it appears as if he has been cleared to return as Vegas has activated him and assigned him to their affiliate in Henderson, per the AHL’s transactions log.
The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Vegas back in 2019 (135th overall). Last season was his first full professional campaign after leaving the University of Nebraska-Omaha following his junior year; Saville signed in March 2022, immediately burning the first season of his three-year, entry-level deal. He is now in the final season of that agreement.
Saville spent most of last season at the ECHL level with Savannah, posting an impressive .920 SV% in 33 games with the Ghost Pirates. That helped him get into ten games with the Silver Knights as well where he had a 3.21 GAA with a .902 SV%. He spent some time with Vegas during the playoffs as a Black Ace as well.
With Jiri Patera currently up with the Golden Knights covering for the injured Adin Hill and prospect Jesper Vikman injured, there’s a spot on the Silver Knights’ roster for Saville to fill for the time being, giving him a good opportunity to make a case to secure a qualifying offer in June.
Predators Assign Liam Foudy And Spencer Stastney To AHL
After clearing waivers earlier today, the Predators wasted little time sending forward Liam Foudy to the minors. The team announced that both Foudy and defenseman Spencer Stastney were assigned to AHL Milwaukee. No subsequent recalls were announced.
Foudy was claimed off waivers from Columbus early in the season but was in and out of the lineup with Nashville. Between the two teams, he has played in 13 games so far, picking up three assists and seven shots on net in just under ten minutes a night of ice time.
The 23-year-old spent all of last season in the NHL with the Blue Jackets, getting into a career-high 62 contests. Now, he’ll head back to the minors where he should have a chance to play a much bigger role for the Admirals. Foudy’s last AHL stint was in the 2021-22 campaign when he had 19 points in 29 games with Cleveland.
As for Stastney, the 23-year-old has been up for a pair of stints with the Preds this season, spanning nine games in total where he has his first career goal while logging just over 16 minutes a night. He also has four points in ten games so far with the Admirals.
Nashville’s skater roster now stands at just a dozen healthy forwards and seven blueliners so they have a couple of open spots at their disposal. Considering they’re back in action on Saturday against Toronto, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one of those spots filled by then.
Jets Receiving Interest In Logan Stanley
Playing time has been hard to come by for Jets defenseman Logan Stanley this season. Accordingly, teams have started to call around to ask about his availability, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
The 6’6 rearguard was the 18th selection in the 2016 draft but has failed to live up to his draft billing. Stanley has just 119 career NHL appearances under his belt, only four of which have come in 2023-24 as he has been a frequent healthy scratch. More of a stay-at-home player, the 25-year-old has 20 career points along with 157 blocks and 228 hits.
Stanley was frustrated with his situation last season, one that saw him limited to just 19 appearances between injuries and scratches. The end result was a reported trade request although clearly, that didn’t come to fruition. This summer, Stanley accepted a one-year, $1MM contract in August, the amount of his qualifying offer. He’ll once again be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in July, owed that same amount as a qualifier.
With Declan Chisholm finally seeing some NHL action in recent weeks, Winnipeg is currently carrying eight blueliners on its active roster with Ville Heinola – ready for an NHL look himself – on injured reserve. They also have Kyle Capobianco – a regular on the roster last year – at AHL Manitoba. Accordingly, it might make sense for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to explore selling off some surplus depth although Garrioch does point out that Stanley is not being shopped.
Of course, it’s fair to say that Stanley’s value is far from being at its peak. Seventh or eighth defensemen generally don’t yield much of a return on the trade market so it’s fair to say they’d be selling low. That’s not something Cheveldayoff typically does as he’s well-known for his patience to find the right move.
Stanley’s level of performance hasn’t changed much over the years so it’s fair to question how much upside he has left with Winnipeg. However, given where he was picked, it’s likely that there are organizations who believe a change of scenery could do him some good and that they can unlock his potential, so to speak. If there are enough of those, the Jets could get a good enough offer to be persuaded to move on at some point in the coming weeks. Otherwise, his extended stint in the press box seems likely to continue.
Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Pacioretty, Oshie
With the Devils missing Dougie Hamilton for the foreseeable future, many expect them to make a move to shore up their back end, even with Simon Nemec coming up from AHL Utica for the time being. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes suggests (Twitter link) that their desired piece is someone who plays a different style than Hamilton. Instead of another offensively-skilled blueliner, Weekes feels that New Jersey wants a stabilizer on the back end, one who could play a physical game and block shots, surmising that Calgary’s Chris Tanev could be the type of player they’re looking for. Even with Hamilton on the shelf, they do have some offensive upside from the back end with Luke Hughes and John Marino in the fold so it certainly makes sense for New Jersey to be looking for a different type of complementary player.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Capitals winger Max Pacioretty skated daily last week as he continues his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, relays NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). However, the veteran is still at least two weeks away from returning according to head coach Spencer Carbery. Pacioretty signed a one-year contract with Washington this summer, one that carries a base cap hit of $2MM while he can add up to $2MM more in games played incentives. He was limited to just five games last season but had 37 points in 39 appearances in 2021-22 with Vegas. When he returns, Washington will be hoping he can get back to that level of production.
- Still with the Capitals, Gulitti relays in a separate tweet that winger T.J. Oshie took part in practice today in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an upper-body injury. The next step is a full skate in a contact sweater which could come tomorrow, paving the way for a return as soon as Saturday. Oshie has missed the last couple of weeks with that injury after a particularly rough start to his campaign as he has just one goal and one assist in his first 17 games.
Sabres, Kraken Exploring Goalie Market
With teams now at the quarter mark of the season, they now have a greater sense of what they have and what they need. Two of those teams – the Sabres and Kraken – appear to have determined that goaltending help is high on the priority list as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that both squads are looking at what’s available between the pipes.
For Seattle, Philipp Grubauer has struggled mightily out of the gate, putting up his worst numbers in now his third season with the team. Joey Daccord won the backup battle in training camp but hasn’t fared much better, posting a save percentage of just .898. Meanwhile, they still have Chris Driedger at AHL Coachella Valley but he hasn’t seen regular NHL action for a couple of years now.
Garrioch notes that Montreal is among the teams the Kraken have spoken to. The Canadiens are one of the few teams still carrying three netminders on its active roster – the recently extended Samuel Montembeault, veteran Jake Allen, and youngster Cayden Primeau who is no longer waiver-exempt.
With a little over $2MM in cap room at the moment per CapFriendly, Seattle does have a bit of flexibility to work with. If they can clear out Driedger’s contract as part of any swap, they’d free up an additional $2.35MM to work with as that’s the cap charge they incur with Driedger being with the Firebirds.
As for Buffalo, Garrioch reports that they’re believed to have been sniffing around a veteran netminder. Devon Levi, when healthy, hasn’t played at the same level as he did down the stretch last season, resulting in a recent demotion to AHL Rochester. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has taken over the number one role for the time being (current illness notwithstanding) but has just 59 NHL appearances under his belt. Veteran Eric Comrie is also with the team but has a 4.01 GAA and a .861 SV% in his seven starts so there’s definitely room to upgrade.
Garrioch suggests that Allen is one of the goalies Buffalo is believed to have looked at. The 33-year-old has another year on this one on his contract with a $3.85MM AAV. His numbers are a bit better than Comrie’s with a 3.74 GAA and a .898 SV% in his ten starts. Buffalo has ample cap space to take on Allen’s full deal although they could also offset some of the cost of any possible trade by including Comrie’s $1.8MM expiring deal as part of any swap.
It has been out there for a while that the Oilers are looking for goalie help with the early struggles of Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner. Now, it appears they’re not the only ones looking for an upgrade at that position.
Flames Sign Mark Pysyk To A One-Year Contract, Assign Him To AHL
12/3/23: Pysyk has cleared waivers and has been officially assigned to the Calgary Wranglers.
12/2/23: Mark Pysyk wasn’t a free agent for long. After being released by AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier this week, he has found a new organization as the Flames announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a one-year, two-way contract. They listed his AAV at $725K which is below the league minimum ($775K) although it’s possible that this is the net money he’ll receive after proration. GM Craig Conroy released the following statement about the signing:
Mark is a right shot defenceman who provides depth on the blueline for our organization. He is a versatile player with significant NHL experience.
The 31-year-old missed all of last season due to a torn Achilles tendon, resulting in him needing to go the PTO route this past summer. He signed a tryout deal with Pittsburgh and then subsequently suffered a significant injury in his first game. He was eventually cleared to return, getting into eight AHL contests prior to his release. It was Pysyk’s first action in the minors since the 2015-16 campaign.
Pysyk is a veteran of 521 games over parts of ten NHL seasons between Buffalo (two stints), Dallas, and Florida. He has 104 points to his credit along with 576 blocks and 512 hits while averaging just over 17 minutes a night. With the Flames recently moving Nikita Zadorov and having Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev on expiring contracts, adding someone who can play on the third pairing makes a lot of sense for Calgary.
While Calgary has an open roster spot, it won’t be used on Pysyk right away as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Pysyk has been placed on waivers for the purpose of AHL assignment. If he clears on Sunday, he can be assigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.
Injury Updates: Boyd, Dermott, Acciari, Nieto, Gadjovich
The upper-body injury that Coyotes center Travis Boyd suffered against Colorado on Thursday is not a short-term one, notes PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). Instead, head coach Andre Tourigny indicated that the 30-year-old will be out for multiple weeks. It has been a rough year for Boyd this season. He cleared waivers at the end of training camp despite coming off a 34-point season; his $1.75MM contract likely played a role in that. While he wasn’t sent down to AHL Tucson, he hasn’t been a regular either, seeing action in just 16 of 22 games so far. To his credit, Boyd has been relatively productive in those games with eight points despite logging less than ten minutes a night but he won’t be adding to those point totals for a little while now.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Still with Arizona, Morgan adds in a separate tweet that blueliner Travis Dermott isn’t quite ready to return tonight against St. Louis. The 26-year-old has missed more than three weeks with an upper-body injury of his own. Dermott has played in ten games with the Coyotes this season after signing a two-way deal with them in free agency, picking up one assist while averaging 17:29 per contest.
- The Penguins will be without a pair of veteran forwards tonight versus Philadelphia. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that forwards Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto will not play tonight due to lower-body injuries. There’s no word yet on how long the fourth liners will miss. Vinnie Hinostroza and Joona Koppanen will take their place in the lineup.
- Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich is dealing with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the Islanders, notes team reporter Jameson Olive. The 25-year-old got in a fight in the final minute of Thursday’s victory over Montreal, one that apparently caused the injury. Gadjovich has played in seven games since having his contract converted to an NHL deal, notching an assist and 41 penalty minutes while logging 6:22 per night. Steven Lorentz will suit up in Gadjovich’s absence.
Latest On Ethan Bear
While some teams are starting to look to the trade market to see what options are out there to help their respective back ends, there is still a free agent blueliner of some note that’s available. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal provided (Twitter link) an update on Ethan Bear, suggesting that the rearguard is two to three weeks away from signing.
The 26-year-old was expected to re-sign with Vancouver after last season but after he suffered a shoulder injury at the Worlds in the spring, the Canucks opted to non-tender him. However, despite that and their recent acquisition of Nikita Zadorov, Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver is one of the teams showing interest in the defenseman.
Bear played in 61 games with Vancouver last season after being acquired from Carolina in an early-season trade, notching 16 points along with 82 blocks while logging 18:32 per game. His best season came back in 2019-20 with Edmonton when he had 21 points in 71 contests while averaging nearly 22 minutes a game which put him tenth in Calder Trophy voting. Since then, however, Bear hasn’t been able to get back to that top-four form consistently.
Dhaliwal suggests that Bear’s eventual contract is likely to be a one-year agreement worth around $1MM prorated. That’s low enough for most teams to fit into their cap structure, especially since teams would likely be sending someone making $775K or more down to make room for Bear on their roster. Not surprisingly, there appear to be several teams interested in Bear with Dhaliwal suggesting five or six are in the mix for Bear at this point.
While Bear isn’t likely to have a significant impact after being out for so long, he’d still represent a low-risk, low-cost upgrade to a team’s defensive depth. Accordingly, getting that type of asset for free midseason will be a nice piece of business for whoever manages to land him.