Penguins Assign Harrison Brunicke To AHL
Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke was a pleasant surprise heading into this season as he secured a roster spot with the big club despite still being a junior-aged player. He was eventually sent back to the WHL with a full-time assignment to the minors not an allowable option. Now that Brunicke’s junior team has been eliminated, that’s no longer the case and today, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve reassigned the blueliner to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 19-year-old has played in nine games with Pittsburgh this season, picking up a goal along with 13 blocked shots in 15:43 per night of ice time, certainly respectable numbers for a rookie. They sat him for an extended stretch to allow for an AHL conditioning stint where Brunicke was productive, picking up four assists in five games. He was recalled in early December and was immediately loaned to Canada’s World Junior team.
In that tournament, Brunicke didn’t stand out in the way that NHL defensemen often do. He notched two assists in seven games and averaged 16:07 per night, fifth among Canada’s blueliners. Pressed with a decision after the tournament to either recall Brunicke or send him back to junior, the Penguins opted for the latter.
Brunicke suited up in 24 regular season games for WHL Kamloops in the second half of the season, notching two goals and 22 assists, his first point-per-game junior campaign. But with the Blazers being swept in the opening round of the playoffs, he became eligible for reassignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where it’s likely that he’ll play a regular role down the stretch. He remains eligible for recall to Pittsburgh as well but with his next game officially starting his contract, it’s unlikely that he’ll see more NHL action until next season.
Devils Recall Brian Halonen And Marc McLaughlin
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into the first half of a back-to-back set against Montreal that begins tonight. The team announced that they’ve recalled winger Brian Halonen and center Marc McLaughlin from AHL Utica.
It’s the second recall of the season for Halonen, who spent nearly a month with the Devils in his first stint early in the year. The 27-year-old got into nine games during his first stint, picking up his first career NHL goal and point along with 18 hits in 7:30 of playing time per game. He was sent down right before he was set to become waiver-eligible once more after clearing at the end of training camp. Since then, Halonen has played with the Comets, collecting 19 goals and 13 assists in 48 appearances, good for second on the team in points.
As for McLaughlin, he was on season-opening IR until February and after he cleared waivers during the Olympic break, he has been with the Comets since. The 26-year-old has been relatively productive in Utica, notching six goals and seven assists in 21 games to earn this promotion. McLaughlin has seen NHL action in each of the last four years but has been limited to just 28 outings overall where he has six goals and one assist.
Both players are expected to suit up tonight. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that the two will play on the fourth line alongside Paul Cotter while Maxim Tsyplakov and Evgenii Dadonov will cede their spots in the lineup.
Snapshots: Winterton, Buchnevich, Vaakanainen, Rangers Goaltending
Kraken winger Ryan Winterton has returned to the team, relays Tim Booth of The Seattle Times. He stepped away for a leave of absence following the death of his brother following a cancer battle. However, since he hadn’t been on the ice for two weeks before rejoining the team Thursday, he was a scratch against Utah and it’s unclear when he will ultimately return to Seattle’s lineup. Winterton is in his first full NHL season and has four goals and 14 assists in 62 games while logging 11:47 per night of playing time.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich was a surprise scratch as St. Louis made four lineup changes for tonight’s game against Anaheim. However, the team announced that Buchnevich’s absence was for maintenance reasons. The Blues play Colorado in their next two games and the team is prioritizing getting him as healthy as possible for those two contests. Buchnevich has seen his point total drop for the fourth straight season and has 17 goals and 27 assists through 74 games.
- Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen took part in practice today in a regular (contact) jersey, relays Mollie Walker of the New York Post (Twitter link). That suggests that the 27-year-old is getting closer to returning from an upper-body injury that has kept him out for the past two weeks. Vaakanainen was ruled out week-to-week at the time. He has played in 33 games this season, picking up six assists and 26 blocks while averaging a little under 14 minutes per game of playing time.
- Still with the Rangers, goaltender Jonathan Quick returned to the lineup yesterday, serving as New York’s backup. He had missed the previous seven games due to an upper-body injury. In doing so, the team has converted Dylan Garand’s previous recall from an emergency one to a regular recall as emergency conditions no longer exist. That means he will be one of their five allowable post-deadline promotions. Garand has made two starts so far, turning aside 62 of 65 shots in his first taste of NHL action.
Latest On Nashville’s GM Search
The Predators are no longer the only team currently in the market for a new general manager after Toronto fired Brad Treliving earlier this week. That said, given that current GM Barry Trotz gave notice of his intention to step down just over two months ago, Nashville is much farther along in their search for a replacement.
To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Preds are believed to be nearing the in-person stage of their interviewing process, if they’re not there already. He added that he believes Bill Scott (Oilers), Scott White (Stars), Brett Peterson (Panthers), and former Arizona GM John Chayka will be part of that process. Additionally, the team reached out to Win Hockey Agency’s Matt Keator to assess his possible interest but it doesn’t appear he is in the next round of interviews. Meanwhile, Friedman added that Predators assistant GM Jeff Kealty could still be in the mix as well.
Scott has held various roles in Edmonton dating back to 2010 when he first joined the team as GM of their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City. Since then, he has also held the title of Director of Hockey Operations (including Director of Salary Cap Management) and has been an assistant GM for the Oilers since the 2022-23 campaign.
As for White, he has been with Dallas even longer, dating back to the 2005-06 season when he joined AHL Iowa as their Director of Hockey Operations. Before that, he had spent the past ten years coaching in either college of the ECHL. Since then, White worked his way up to being assistant GM of their AHL squad (now in Texas) and has been an assistant GM with the Stars since 2016.
Peterson, meanwhile, has held an AGM title with Florida since 2020. He also has some international experience, having worked with USA Hockey for the last two World Championships and will serve as the GM for their entry into next month’s tournament as well.
Chayka is the one candidate on this list who is well-known going back to his time with the Coyotes. After just one season as an assistant GM, he was promoted to the top job for the 2016-17 campaign and executed a data-driven approach. Along the way, he brought in several players of consequence (including Derek Stepan, Taylor Hall, and Nick Schmaltz, among others) while utilizing his cap space to add assets for taking on burdensome LTIR-bound contracts. He abruptly resigned from the team in July 2020, just before the ‘bubble playoffs’ started, and hasn’t worked in the NHL since then.
Kealty is certainly the longest-tenured person in this group; he has worked with the Predators since 2001. He started off as a scout, working his way up to Director of Amateur Scouting, then Director of Scouting (professional and amateur). Kealty added the assistant GM title back in 2018 and has held the dual role ever since.
With Trotz staying in his role until a successor is found and the draft still a little more than two months away, there is still plenty of time for the Predators to pick their next general manager. But it appears they’re a step closer to doing so now that they’ve entered the next phase of their search.
Senators Notes: Yakemchuk, Sanderson, Tkachuk, Eller
It has been a rocky few weeks for Ottawa’s back end with the team having to use a dozen different blueliners since the Olympic break. At times, the injury recalls have turned around and gotten injured themselves. The latest was youngster Carter Yakemchuk who was injured on Tuesday against Florida.
Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the previously undisclosed injury for the 20-year-old is one that saw him enter concussion protocol. Accordingly, there is no timetable for his return. Yakemchuk is in his first professional season and has spent the majority of it with AHL Belleville, notching 10 goals and 26 assists in 50 games. Injuries necessitated a promotion earlier this month and he has an assist in four appearances with Ottawa while logging a little under 14 minutes per night of playing time.
There could be some good news on the horizon, however. Garrioch adds that Jake Sanderson took part in today’s optional skate in a regular (contact) jersey after having a non-contact sweater the day before. Sanderson is working his way back from a shoulder injury and could be cleared to return this weekend; they play Minnesota on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday. Sanderson is Ottawa’s top blueliner and has 48 points in 64 games this season while averaging just under 25 minutes per night of action.
Moving away from the back end, the league announced today that forward Brady Tkachuk was fined $2.5K for unsportsmanlike conduct in Thursday’s game against Buffalo. He slashed Beck Malenstyn from the bench, earning himself a two-minute minor on the play. The fine money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Lastly, center Lars Eller achieved his final games played performance bonus earlier this week when he played in his 60th game, earning him another $250K. He received that at the 40-game mark as well. Eller has two more bonuses in his deal (which carries a $1.25MM base salary) but those are playoff-dependent. He’ll receive one if Ottawa can hold onto a playoff spot – they moved into the second Wild Card spot yesterday – while the other wouldn’t be earned unless the Sens make it to the Eastern Conference Final.
Andre Gasseau Unlikely To Sign With Bruins
While this time of year is often thought of as college free agency season, plenty of drafted prospects have been signing contracts in recent weeks with more to come later this month. It’s also a time when senior players who haven’t signed with their drafting teams yet starts to become more notable.
One of those is Bruins prospect Andre Gasseau. The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Boston back in 2021, going 213th overall. But while it appears that the Bruins would like to sign him, he seems to have other plans. Earlier this week, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reported (Twitter link) that there are rumblings that the center wanted a contract that started right away if he was going to sign with Boston. Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Gasseau isn’t expected to sign, which suggests that the Bruins aren’t offering a deal that begins now. That has him on track for his signing rights to expire on August 15th which would make him a free agent.
Gasseau had a very productive career at Boston College. While injuries limited him to just 23 games this season, he still averaged a point per game with six goals and 17 assists while winning a little over 49% of his faceoffs. Over his four seasons with the Eagles, Gasseau had 43 goals and 68 assists across 135 appearances.
Between those numbers and a six-foot-four NHL-ready frame, it’s fair to suggest that Gasseau will attract interest if he ultimately does hit the open market in mid-August. Alternatively, if there is a team that is willing to play him now, it’s possible that they might flip an asset to Boston to acquire his signing rights although he wouldn’t be eligible to play in the postseason if he were brought in by a playoff-bound team. Either way, it looks like Gasseau will be turning pro with an organization that wasn’t the one that drafted him.
West Notes: Thomas, Kuzmenko, Castagna
As the Blues continue to remain within striking distance of a Wild Card spot in the West, they’ll welcome back a key piece to the lineup. Lou Korac of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that Robert Thomas will return after missing Thursday’s game due to an upper-body injury sustained earlier this week against Washington. The 26-year-old was featured in trade speculation leading up to the deadline earlier this month but ultimately stayed in St. Louis. Thomas leads the Blues in scoring despite missing 18 games due to injury, collecting 16 goals and 30 assists in 53 appearances so far this season.
More from out West:
- Kings winger Andrei Kuzmenko has resumed skating as he works his way back from a meniscus injury, notes Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. He has missed the last month due to the injury and was initially ruled as being out for the remainder of the regular season. However, while it appears that he’s back on the ice a little earlier than anticipated, the team is still proceeding as if he won’t return before the playoffs, should the team qualify. Kuzmenko, in his first full season with Los Angeles, has 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games this season.
- With Cornell being eliminated from the NCAA tournament yesterday, the Flames have sent two front office staff to speak to Jonathan Castagna to try to get him to sign, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was acquired as part of the return for MacKenzie Weegar earlier this month and is coming off a strong season that saw him record 15 goals and 19 assists in 34 games. Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg adds (Twitter link) that Calgary has two contract slots remaining and wants Castagna to fill one of those, suggesting that if he agrees to sign, his deal will begin this season.
Rangers Assign Juuso Parssinen To AHL
With center Noah Laba nearing a return to the lineup, the Rangers have made a roster move. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned center Juuso Parssinen to AHL Hartford.
After showing some promise down the stretch in New York last season where he had five points in 11 games, the Rangers signed him to a two-year, $2.5MM pact with the hopes that he could emerge as a capable contributor in the bottom six. However, that hasn’t exactly been the case. He has just two goals and one assist in 20 contests this season and cleared waivers back in November. Parssinen only has a few days left in his waiver exemption and since he hasn’t played much lately – just once in the last two weeks – it makes sense for him to be playing back in Hartford over sitting in the press box in New York.
Parssinen has been more productive with the Wolf Pack, albeit in limited action. Despite spending more than three months in Hartford, injuries limited him to just 11 games although he has five goals and an assist in those appearances. Hartford enters play today six points out of the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division and he should be a key piece for them as they try to get back into the postseason picture.
Oilers Activate Curtis Lazar Off LTIR
Earlier this week, the Oilers had indicated that Curtis Lazar was expected to rejoin the team sometime next month. Instead, he’s ahead of schedule as the team announced (Twitter link) that he would be centering Edmonton’s fourth line today against Anaheim, meaning he has been activated off LTIR.
The 31-year-old is in his first season with the Oilers after signing a one-year deal with them for the minimum salary back in free agency. The hope was that he’d add some grit and faceoff prowess to the fourth line and he has done just that. In just 38 games, he has 77 hits with a 61.4% success rate at the dot, the highest average of his career by a considerable margin.
However, Lazar hasn’t been particularly productive in those outings, contributing just three goals and two assists while averaging just under nine minutes of playing time. He has played in just five games since the start of February, leaving injured in two of them. The most recent one came back on March 3rd when he sustained an undisclosed injury against Ottawa. The LTIR placement meant he had to miss at least 10 games and 24 days which he has now done.
The Oilers now have a decision to make. They have three forwards up on an emergency basis – Josh Samanski, Max Jones, and Roby Jarventie. The latter is slated to be a healthy scratch today which means emergency conditions for his recall no longer exist. That means Edmonton either has to send Jarventie down or convert him to one of five allowable post-deadline regular recalls.
Penguins Recall Rutger McGroarty, Assign Two To AHL
As the Penguins continue their battle for a playoff spot, they’ve made a trio of roster moves. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Rutger McGroarty has been recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In corresponding moves, winger Avery Hayes and center Joona Koppanen were both sent back down after being brought up on Thursday.
It’s the third recall of the season for McGroarty. He played in 20 games between his first two stints with the big club, collecting two goals and three assists in a little under 12 minutes per night of ice time. The 21-year-old also had three points in eight contests last season. Meanwhile, in the minors, McGroarty has been quite productive, checking in at just over a point per game with seven goals and 19 assists in 25 appearances to earn this promotion.
Hayes, meanwhile, made quite the first impression in his NHL debut last month when he scored twice against Buffalo. However, he has been held off the scoresheet since then over several different stints with Pittsburgh and has only played more than 10 minutes once in the last five games so a chance to go back to a top-six scoring role might be best right now. The 23-year-old has 20 goals in just 38 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while tacking on a dozen assists as well.
As for Koppanen, he got into ten games with Pittsburgh over the first two months of the season (where he picked up one assist) but has yet to play at the top level since then. He’s producing at a reasonable clip in the minors with seven goals and 12 assists through 37 games, the second-best point-per-game rate of his career.
Meanwhile, the team also announced (Twitter link) that they’ll be without two key veterans today against Dallas. Sidney Crosby left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day while Evgeni Malkin’s upper-body injury that he sustained last weekend will keep him out again; he’s also day-to-day. Crosby has 28 goals and 36 assists through 61 games this season, keeping his career-long point-per-game streak intact. Meanwhile, Malkin is also over the point-per-game mark for the first time since 2022-23 with 15 goals and 37 assists through 50 appearances.