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Kraken Assign Joey Daccord To AHL

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While he fared well in a pair of games on a recall earlier this week, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they have returned goaltender Joey Daccord to Coachella Valley of the AHL.  The assignment was needed with Philipp Grubauer returning from an illness to make the start against Nashville today.

The 26-year-old picked up a victory on Tuesday in Dallas while allowing only one goal in a shootout loss to Nashville on Thursday, allowing Seattle to maintain a one-point advantage on Winnipeg for the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.  However, to keep Daccord up, they would have had to use one of their two remaining regular recalls and they’ve decided that’s not the best strategy at this time, especially with AHL Coachella Valley being in a close battle for the top spot in the AHL.

Daccord has spent the bulk of the year with the Firebirds and has fared quite well, posting a 2.43 GAA along with a .915 SV% in 34 games so far this season.  He’ll once again partner with backup Chris Driedger who is working his way back after tearing his ACL at the World Championship last season.

Metropolitan Notes: Jarry, Lindgren, Milano

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It has been a rough season on the injury front for Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry who is dealing with his fifth injury within the last year.  Accordingly, Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review posits that Pittsburgh should look to move on from the netminder instead of meeting a reported asking price of $36MM over six years to extend him, a price that might be too risky for someone who has struggled to stay in the lineup with consistency.  Jarry has had a bit of a rough season but has still managed an above-average .908 SV% in 40 starts.  Fortunately, he shouldn’t be out much longer as he was a full participant in their game-day skate although Casey DeSmith is expected to get the start tonight against Washington.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Rangers were hesitant to put Ryan Lindgren on LTIR when he was injured last month. He returned to the lineup only to re-aggravate his shoulder injury.  Accordingly, Mollie Walker of the New York Post wonders if New York might be better off doing so now.  A retroactive placement would keep him eligible to return for the playoffs while giving him ample time to ensure he’s fully ready to return.  Additionally, such a move would clear up their short-term cap difficulties, eliminating the possibility of them needing to play shorthanded for a game to become eligible for a cap-exempt recall.
  • Capitals winger Sonny Milano will miss at least a week with an upper-body injury, relays Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has had a nice first season with Washington, picking up 11 goals and 21 assists in 58 games, a nice return on a league minimum contract.  He has already signed a three-year extension that begins next season with a $1.9MM AAV.

Kings Sign Cole Krygier To Entry-Level Deal

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It has been a busy week for defenseman Cole Krygier.  Earlier this week, his rights were acquired by Los Angeles from Florida in exchange for future considerations with the blueliner signing an AHL tryout soon after.  Now, he has put pen to paper on another contract as the Kings announced that they’ve signed Krygier to a two-year, entry-level deal.  The contract begins next season and carries an AAV of $837,500.

The 22-year-old was initially a seventh-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018 (201st overall).  He recently wrapped up a five-year college career with Michigan State, saving his best performance for last as Krygier had ten goals and six assists in 38 games with the Spartans while serving as an alternate captain.  He had 20 goals and 21 assists over his college career, spanning 160 contests.

By moving his rights earlier in the week, it was clear that Florida decided that they weren’t intending to sign Krygier, the son of long-time NHL winger Todd Krygier, and were likely to let him go in free agency in mid-August.  Instead, the Kings decided that he was worthy of signing and were able to jump the queue to get him without parting with a tangible asset going the other way as his rights were moved for future considerations.  Since the deal begins next season, he’ll be limited to play with AHL Ontario for the stretch run.

Blackhawks Sign Paul Ludwinski

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The Blackhawks have put pen to paper with prospect Paul Ludwinski, announcing that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $931,667.

The 18-year-old was a second-round pick by Chicago last year (39th overall) and has had a bit of a tough year with OHL Kingston.  Injuries have limited Ludwinski to just 47 games this season and his output has dipped to just nine goals and 25 assists, good for a tie for fifth on the Frontenacs in scoring.  Kingston is going to come up just short of reaching the playoffs this season which means after this weekend, Ludwinski will be permitted to join AHL Rockford for the stretch run in the minors.

However, while he’ll likely make his pro debut in the next few games, Ludwinski won’t be permitted to start next season in the AHL.  At his age, his options at the start of next season will be either Chicago or Kingston with the latter being the probable outcome.  Accordingly, his contract would be eligible for a slide next year which means this entry-level agreement is likely to run through the 2026-27 campaign.

Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen And Trey Fix-Wolansky

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While the Blue Jackets picked up an overtime victory on Friday, it came at a cost with both defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) and winger Mathieu Olivier (lower body) exiting with injuries.  Accordingly, they announced a pair of recalls from the minors as they have brought up defenseman Jake Christiansen and winger Trey Fix-Wolansky from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis.

Christiansen has suited up in 18 games with the Blue Jackets so far this season.  In that stretch, he has a pair of assists while averaging roughly a block and a hit per contest while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night.  However, despite not being particularly productive in Columbus, the 23-year-old has done well offensively with the Monsters, collecting eight goals and 21 assists in 43 games to help him earn this recall.

As for Fix-Wolansky, the 23-year-old has appeared in four games with Columbus this season.  He has been held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging just under ten minutes a night.  However, Fix-Wolansky has been one of the top scorers in the minors this season, picking up 26 goals and 51 assists in 53 games with the Monsters, numbers that put him in fourth league-wide in points.  With the injuries that Columbus has, he might have a chance of playing a little higher in the lineup this time around.

As both of these recalls are designated as emergency ones, they will not count against the post-deadline limit of four per team.  However, as soon as Gudbranson or Olivier (or anyone else currently injured at their positions return), they will have to be returned to the AHL or converted to a regular recall at that time which would then count against the limit of four.

Alex Galchenyuk Assigned To AHL

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Following their victory over Arizona on Friday, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forward Alex Galchenyuk back to AHL Colorado.

The 29-year-old was brought up on an emergency recall after Artturi Lehkonen suffered a broken finger but Galchenyuk wasn’t exactly productive during that stretch.  In the six games he played, he didn’t record a point while averaging less than six minutes per contest.  For the season, Galchenyuk has played in ten games with the Avs, putting up zeros across the board offensively.

To his credit, Galchenyuk has been much more productive in the minors, tallying 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 games with the Eagles.  His time with them has been the longest minor league stint of his career as prior to this season, he had played in all of six career AHL contests.

With Lehkonen and Evan Rodrigues (concussion protocol) both out of the lineup, the Avs will need to make a recall prior to Sunday’s game.  It could be Galchenyuk again but with his performance being underwhelming thus far, they might look to give someone else an opportunity to make an impression.

Snapshots: Stars, Stalock, Gaber, Caulfield

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While the Stars are in a tight battle for seeding in the Central Division, they’re doing so without some key veterans in their lineup.  Saad Yousuf of The Athletic provided (Twitter link) some updates on those injured players.  Veteran center Tyler Seguin has resumed skating while his stitches have been removed with head coach Peter DeBoer indicating he could be an option to return later this week.  The 31-year-old has been an important secondary scorer for Dallas this season, notching 42 points in 65 games so far.

Meanwhile, Mason Marchment isn’t as far along in his recovery although DeBoer hopes that they’ll be able to get him back before the playoffs.  The winger has 31 points in 67 contests in his first season with the Stars and his grit would certainly be useful in the postseason when things get more physical.  As for Scott Wedgewood, while his day-to-day injury has dragged on for more than a month, DeBoer noted that the goaltender is progressing and is expected to be back sooner than later.  Wedgewood has posted a solid .913 SV% in 18 appearances as the second-stringer this season.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Although Alex Stalock has had an impressive season with Chicago, John Dietz of The Daily Herald suggests that the Blackhawks might not be the best fit for him. The 35-year-old has been a nice story this year, posting a .915 SV% in 21 games.  However, with Petr Mrazek signed for another season and youngsters Arvid Soderblom and Jaxson Stauber showing they’re worthy of NHL looks as well, there just might not be a viable opportunity for Stalock to stick around.
  • One of the top college free agent forwards is off the market. No, Riese Gaber didn’t sign anywhere but instead, Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the winger informed North Dakota that he’ll remain with them next year for his senior season.  Gaber had a productive junior year, notching 37 points in 39 games, equaling his output from 2021-22.  He indicated that he did have interest from NHL teams but instead will give it one more go with the Fighting Hawks.
  • Schlossman also notes that Penguins prospect Judd Caulfield has not yet made a decision about turning pro or opting for his bonus year; players impacted by the pandemic have a fifth year of eligibility. The 22-year-old winger was a fifth-round pick by Pittsburgh back in 2019 (145th overall) and put up nearly identical numbers this season (10 goals, nine assists) compared to a year ago (11 goals and nine helpers).  Caulfield has reached the double-digit point mark in each of his four college seasons but hasn’t recorded more than 20 in a single campaign either.

Previewing The 2023 College Free Agent Market: Goaltenders

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With the Frozen Four tournament on the horizon, there should be some activity on the college free agent front in the coming weeks.  At this time of year, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings (and this year is no exception) 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 goalies 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.  This pool of players isn’t as deep as the skaters but there should be a few netminders at least who will put pen to paper on a contract.  The forward preview can be found here while the defense preview is here.

Cooper Black, Dartmouth

It’s probably a bit early for Black to be on this list, especially since he’s coming off only his freshman season, one that didn’t exactly go too well with just five wins and a .899 SV% in 30 appearances.  However, the 21-year-old is listed at 6’8 and that might be on the small side.  That type of size should be enticing enough for some teams to kick the tires on him this season although the smarter move for him is probably to stay for at least one more year.

Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame

His senior season was a strong one, posting a .931 SV% for the Fighting Irish which was good for second in Division I behind only Devon Levi, a Buffalo prospect.  This was Bischel’s only season as a true starter so he doesn’t quite have the full track record that some other free agent netminders have but he’ll be 24 in July and going back for the bonus season likely doesn’t make sense.  He’s a bit undersized for the position at 6’1 so it’s possible that he might have to settle for an AHL deal to start.

Gustavs Davis-Grigals, UMass-Lowell

Davis-Grigals opted to transfer from Alaska-Fairbanks before this season and the move worked out well for him as he put up better numbers (a 2.05 GAA and a .924 SV%) with the River Hawks in a stronger program.  The 24-year-old also has some international experience with his native Latvia.  An NHL contract might be difficult to come by but there should be some interest in him on a minor league deal.

Victor Ostman, Maine

The decision for Ostman to come to North America back in 2019 has worked out well as one good USHL season and three quality college seasons later, the 22-year-old sits at the top of the class at his position.  He posted a .918 SV% in 33 games this year with the Black Bears along with five shutouts and at 6’4, he has the size that teams covet.  Will Ostman become the next to come from what has been a bit of a goalie factory in Maine that has also graduated Jimmy Howard, Ben Bishop, and Jeremy Swayman over the last two decades?

Luke Pavicich, UMass

Pavicich just completed his sophomore season and his first as a starter after getting into just four games in his freshman year.  The 20-year-old did well in his expanded role, putting up a .920 SV% despite the Minutemen having a losing record.  Again, this might be a bit early for him as his entry-level deal would be three years but an NHL team might want to get him into their system now over running the risk of Pavicich improving his market a year from now.

T.J. Semptimphelter, Arizona State

Another netminder who opted to use the transfer portal last offseason, Semptimphelter opted to leave a strong situation with Northeastern (who had Levi between the pipes) in search of more playing time.  He found that with the Sun Devils, getting into all but three games this season while posting a respectable .913 SV%.  Semptimphelter doesn’t turn 21 until May and again, this might be a year early for him unless there’s a team that’s convinced of his upside and is okay with a long development curve in the minors.

Others To Watch For

Justen Close, Minnesota
Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac
Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech

These three goalies all had stellar showings this season with save percentages in the top five in Division I.  So why are they listed here as a group?  They’re all on the smaller side.  There are very few small goalies in the NHL and netminders that are small in stature typically wind up with a minor league deal to start.  Perets and Pietila are Hobey Baker Award finalists but as we saw with last year’s winner in Dryden McKay, even that isn’t automatically enough to earn an entry-level deal.  Will one buck the trend and land an NHL agreement?

Injury Updates: Comrie, Guhle, Sharks

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There should soon be a logjam between the pipes in Buffalo for the stretch run.  Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News relays that goaltender Eric Comrie has resumed skating and is expected to return soon from his lower-body injury.  The 27-year-old has had a rough first season with the Sabres, posting a 3.95 GAA with a .877 SV% in 17 starts.  When cleared, he’ll join Craig Anderson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as available options for Buffalo (Luukkonen wasn’t papered down at the deadline and thus is ineligible to play there again this season).  Those three will also soon be joined by top prospect Devon Levi who is still waiting for his immigration paperwork to be finalized to allow him to officially join the team.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Following their victory last night over Tampa Bay, the Canadiens announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss the remainder of the regular season due to a high ankle sprain. Despite dealing with injuries off and on, it was still a quality rookie campaign for the 21-year-old who had 18 points in 44 games while averaging over 20 minutes a night on a young Montreal back end.  The team also noted that surgery will not be required.
  • The Sharks could get a pair of veterans back on their current road trip which runs through Saturday as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now notes (Twitter link) that blueliners Radim Simek (concussion) and Jacob MacDonald (upper body) are close to returning from their respective injuries. Neither player logs heavy minutes on the back end but their returns would allow Nikolai Knyzhov and Derrick Pouliot to return to the minors to try to help their farm team push for a play-in spot in the Pacific Division.  Meanwhile, Peng adds that Jonah Gadjovich isn’t close to returning; the winger has been out week-to-week for the last five weeks with an upper-body injury.

Five Key Stories: 3/13/23 – 3/19/23

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With now less than a month remaining until the playoffs, the stretch run is upon us.  Unfortunately for some teams, they’ll be playing that stretch without a key player as some important injuries highlight our key stories.

Levi Turns Pro: The Sabres made it known that they wanted prospect Devon Levi to forego his remaining college eligibility and turn pro.  They got their wish as they inked the goaltender to a three-year, entry-level deal that begins this season.  Levi was immediately added to Buffalo’s roster.  The 21-year-old, who was also named a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award this week, was a seventh-round pick (212th overall) back in 2020 and was part of the trade that sent Sam Reinhart to Florida.  Levi’s contract is quite impressive for someone picked that late as he received the maximum signing bonus and guaranteed salary for each season while getting four ‘A’ bonuses in his deal in 2023-24 and 2024-25 as well.

Two For Binnington: Goalie suspensions don’t typically happen very often but that’s what happened to Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington who received a two-game ban for roughing/unsportsmanlike conduct against Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman.  Hartman made light contact with Binnington after scoring and that sent the netminder off as he went after Hartman with his blocker before attempting to fight Wild netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.  It’s the first suspension of Binnington’s career.  With him out of the lineup, St. Louis called up prospect Joel Hofer to take his place with the youngster making two starts, winning both of them.

Svechnikov Out For The Season: The Hurricanes have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference all year long but they were dealt a serious blow when it was revealed that winger Andrei Svechnikov is out for the season due to a knee injury (torn ACL) that requires surgery.  He becomes the second key winger that is done for the year, joining veteran Max Pacioretty.  Svechnikov was on pace to meet his career highs offensively set last season that saw him pick up 30 goals and 69 points while his physical style of play certainly fits the higher intensity that the playoffs provide.  As expected, Carolina has placed him on LTIR, giving them ample cap space to fit in any extra recalls from the minors between now and the end of the season.

End Of The Road For Toews? Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has been dealing with both long-COVID symptoms as well as Chronic Immune Response Syndrome which has kept him out of the lineup since late January last season while also sidelining him for the entire 2020-21 campaign.  As his contract is set to expire this summer, a report has surfaced suggesting that the veteran is considering retirement.  Toews has spent his entire 15-year career with the Blackhawks, placing sixth in team history in goals (371), eighth in assists (509), and sixth in points (880) and while it’s still possible that he might be able to return late in the year, it could be the end of the line for the 34-year-old.

More Injuries: Artturi Lehkonen’s return to Montreal was a mixed bag.  He picked up three points against his former team but the Avalanche winger also suffered a broken finger in the game, one that will keep him out for the next four to six weeks.  The 27-year-old has already set career highs across the board offensively with 20 goals and 29 assists in 62 games but the Avs will be missing him for most of the stretch run as they battle for position in the Central.  Meanwhile, Canadiens center Christian Dvorak is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery.  His numbers took a small step back this season as the 27-year-old posted 10 goals and 18 assists in 64 games.  Dvorak is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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