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Rangers Recall Matt Rempe, Assign Victor Mancini To AHL

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The Kaapo Kakko swap wasn’t the only transaction the Rangers made today.  Not long after the trade was made official, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford while re-assigning defenseman Victor Mancini to the Wolf Pack.

Rempe made his presence felt down the stretch last season and earned a spot with New York in training camp.  However, the 22-year-old didn’t play much early on and since he’s still waiver-exempt, the team has elected to largely keep him in the minors this season, allowing him to get more playing time while playing a bigger role than he has typically had with the big club.

With the Rangers, Rempe has been limited to just four games this season where he has been held off the scoresheet although he has seven hits and seven penalty minutes in just 6:26 of playing time per night, an uptick from the 5:38 he played last night.  In Hartford, he has suited up 18 times, picking up three goals and two assists along with 22 penalty minutes.

As for Mancini, the 22-year-old is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha last year.  Ideally, New York’s preference would have been for him to play big minutes in the minors but a strong early showing down there plus a need to help their back end has resulted in him primarily playing for the Rangers.  With the addition of William Borgen, they can now allow Mancini to get that bigger playing time in Hartford.

Mancini has played in 15 games with New York so far this season, picking up a goal and four assists while logging 15:05 per night of playing time.  He has also played in six games with the Wolf Pack, recording five points.  His cap hit is $50K higher than Rempe’s, allowing them to offset a small portion of the extra $300K pro-rated that they took on in the Kakko-Borgen swap.

Penguins Acquire Pierre-Oliver Joseph

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After leaving the Penguins this summer, Pierre-Olivier Joseph is heading back there.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve acquired the blueliner from St. Louis in exchange for future considerations.

The 25-year-old spent five seasons in Pittsburgh’s system, split between them and AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Over his time with the Penguins, Joseph primarily played in a depth role and was generally sixth or seventh on their depth chart.  Last season, he got into 52 games with Pittsburgh, recording 11 points while averaging a little over 15 minutes a night of ice time.  However, they elected not to tender him a qualifying offer of $935K, knowing that doing so would have given him arbitration rights.

That made him an unrestricted free agent and while the Penguins were believed to have interest in keeping him around, Joseph instead elected to sign a one-year, $950K deal with St. Louis on the same day that the Blues acquired his brother Mathieu Joseph from Ottawa.  However, the change of scenery hasn’t changed his role as Joseph has remained in that depth role.  He has played in 23 games so far this season, picking up two assists while averaging just 13:06 per night, a career low.

With the Blues bringing in Cam Fowler recently, playing time was going to be that much harder to come by for Joseph while they also have Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker in the minors, players with some NHL experience.  Presumably, they’ll be bringing up a defender – quite possibly one of those two – before long.  As for Pittsburgh, Marcus Pettersson landed on injured reserve yesterday while Jack St. Ivany was injured with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link), leading GM Kyle Dubas to seek out some low-cost depth in the interim.  Joseph will once again be arbitration-eligible this summer but barring a change in role in the second half of the season, he could be trending toward being non-tendered for the second year in a row.

Following the swap, the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Nate Clurman was re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  He was recalled on Tuesday but Joseph will take his place on the active roster.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Pittsburgh was acquiring Joseph.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kraken Acquire Kaapo Kakko

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The Kraken have added some extra depth up front, acquiring winger Kaapo Kakko from the Rangers.  In return, New York receives defenseman Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2025 sixth-round selection.  Both teams have announced the swap.

Kakko was the second overall pick in 2019 but while he has shown flashes of being an impact player, he has also struggled to produce with consistency over his now-six-year career.  The 23-year-old has only reached the 40-point mark once thus far, that coming back in 2022-23 when he had 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games.  His output dipped to just 19 points in 61 games last season, resulting in the two sides agreeing on a one-year, $2.4MM contract back in June, a move that didn’t do anything to slow the trade speculation surrounding him.

This move comes not long after Kakko voiced his frustration with being a healthy scratch over the weekend as the Rangers continued to try to shake up their lineup to snap their recent drought.  That frustration was justifiable as he is off to a reasonable start this year, picking up four goals and ten assists in 30 games despite spending a lot of time in the bottom six, averaging just 13:17 per contest.  Hovering around half a point per game in that role is certainly decent output, one that Seattle will welcome to add to an offensive group that sits in the middle of the pack.

As for Borgen, the soon-to-be 28-year-old has been a physical presence over his four-year tenure with Seattle who selected him from Buffalo in the expansion draft.  Last season, he posted career bests in assists (22), points (25), blocked shots (111), hits (195), and ATOI (17:35) and looked to be on his way toward a bigger role on the back end.  However, that hasn’t exactly been the case this season as he has been limited to just one goal and one assist in 33 games while his playing time has dropped to 15:12 per night, a career low.

Despite his struggles, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports (Twitter link) that the Rangers had been coveting Borgen for a while.  With the departure of Jacob Trouba to Anaheim, they needed a bit more defensive depth and this move should allow Victor Mancini to return to AHL Hartford where he can have a bigger role.  Borgen is also in the final season of his contract, one that pays him $2.7MM so New York takes on a small amount of money with this swap.  Notably, he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer while Kakko will have one more RFA year remaining.

Considering his draft stature, it seems like a fairly low price for Seattle to pay to acquire Kakko and they’ll hope that a change of scenery can help unlock the offensive potential that helped make him the number two pick.  Meanwhile, with New York seemingly unsure about committing a long-term deal to him, they’ve elected to make a move more geared toward the present rather than trying to maximize value in the form of higher draft or prospect compensation.  With the two selections they added, they now have seven for the upcoming draft.

Interestingly, the 2019 draft class has seen quite a few first-round picks moved already.  As Peter Baugh of The Athletic points out (Twitter link), eight of the top 19 selections from that year have already been traded, including three of the top four selections.  Among those who haven’t moved, a couple (Dylan Cozens and Trevor Zegras) have been in trade speculation themselves in recent months so the number of high picks on the move from that class could be growing even more soon enough.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Red Wings Return Jack Campbell From Emergency Recall

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12/15: The Red Wings organization announced they’ve returned Campbell to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The roster move likely means Talbot will be healthy enough to return to the lineup before Detroit takes on the Philadelphia Flyers on December 18th.

12/13: With Cam Talbot re-aggravating his injury in practice today and Alex Lyon still not ready to return, the Red Wings need a second goalie for their game tomorrow against Toronto.  Rather than bringing prospect Sebastian Cossa back up, they’ve elected to go in a different direction; the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Jack Campbell from AHL Grand Rapids on an emergency basis.

Detroit signed the 32-year-old to a one-year, one-way deal worth the league minimum in free agency this summer after Edmonton elected to buy out the final three years of his contract back in June, paying him $9MM over the next six years not to play for them.  That came on the heels of a disastrous 2023-24 campaign that saw him put up a 4.50 GAA and a .873 SV% in five early-season outings, eventually resulting in him being waived and sent to the minors.

However, Campbell hasn’t played much this season.  He entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program late in the preseason and was away from the team for six weeks.  Upon his return, he was immediately waived and after passing through unclaimed, he was sent to the Griffins.  Campbell has played in just two games since being sent down, posting a 2.55 GAA and a .919 SV% in those outings.

Ville Husso has been the primary starter for Detroit as of late thanks to the injuries and that’s likely to be the case versus the Maple Leafs rather than Campbell getting the nod against one of his former teams.  But rather than pulling Cossa back up so quickly, the Red Wings have opted to give him the steadier minutes with the Griffins, giving Campbell at least a shot at a brief NHL stint until either Talbot or Lyon can return.

Minor Transactions: 12/14/24

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It has been a busy Saturday on the transaction front across the NHL.  We’ve covered several of them already but quite a few other teams have made minor moves.  We’ll run through those here.

  • Utah announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to AHL Tucson. The veteran was recalled on Wednesday but with Utah claiming Dakota Mermis on Thursday, Connauton was no longer needed as a reserve defender.  The 34-year-old has played in 17 games with the Roadrunners so far this season, notching three goals and three assists.
  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that forward Cole Reinhardt has been re-assigned to AHL Belleville, one day after being recalled. The 24-year-old has been quite productive in the minors so far, picking up five goals and ten assists in just 12 games which has helped earn him five games with Ottawa.  In those outings, he has a goal and an assist, his first points at the NHL level.
  • After being papered down on Thursday, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Jet Greaves and winger Mikael Pyyhtia, per the AHL’s transactions log. Greaves made his 2024-25 Columbus debut on Thursday against Washington, making 35 saves on 37 shots in a losing effort.  He has a 3.02 GAA and a .902 SV% in 15 appearances with the Monsters.  As for Pyyhtia, the 22-year-old has played in 19 games with the Blue Jackets so far, collecting a goal and an assist while averaging 13:33 per night of playing time.
  • After papering down defenseman Keaton Middleton and winger Givani Smith on Friday, the two are back up with the Avalanche, the team announced (Twitter link). Middleton has played in four games with the Avs this season in his first NHL action since the 2020-21 campaign; he has been held without a point while averaging 11:33 per night of ice time.  Smith, meanwhile, was acquired as part of the Mackenzie Blackwood trade earlier this week after he cleared waivers.  He has played in eight games between the two teams and is still looking for his first point of the season as well.
  • After having his contract terminated earlier in the week, former San Jose prospect Valtteri Pulli has found his next home. HC Lugano of the Swiss NL announced that they’ve signed the blueliner for the remainder of the season.  Pulli played in just two games with the AHL’s Barracuda before requesting his release earlier this week.

Canucks Looking To Move Vincent Desharnais

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After establishing himself as a regular on Edmonton’s back end last season, Vincent Desharnais had enough of a market in free agency to secure a two-year, $4MM contract with Vancouver.  However, things haven’t gone as well as planned and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Canucks are looking to find a better fit for the blueliner.

In 2023-24, Desharnais played in 78 regular season games with Edmonton.  He averaged a little less than 16 minutes a night but logged big minutes on the penalty kill, making him a serviceable bottom-pairing defender.  The 28-year-old also chipped in with 11 points, 122 blocked shots, and 135 hits.  Desharnais also suited up in 16 of Edmonton’s 25 playoff contests, picking up 41 blocks and 40 hits while logging 17:15 per night.

Unfortunately for Desharnais and the Canucks, he hasn’t been able to play at the same level this season.  He has been a healthy scratch multiple times already and his playing time has dipped a bit as well to just 15:08 per night while recording two assists, 23 hits, and 23 blocks.  With Derek Forbort now healthy and Erik Brannstrom and Noah Juulsen playing well, Desharnais might be the seventh defenseman for the time being or at least be in a timeshare for playing time.  It’s safe to say they were expecting him to be a regular when they signed him.

It’s worth noting that more than half of Desharnais’ total contract is paid in the form of signing bonuses; his base salary each season is the $775K league minimum.  That means nearly half of the total compensation of the contract has already been paid out which might make him a bit more appealing to more budget-conscious teams.  But with his early struggles and a $2MM cap charge for next season, the Canucks likely won’t be able to command much for Desharnais’ services.

However, if they can clear his contract, that would give them more ammunition from a cap space perspective to try to make a splash on the trade front closer to the trade deadline.  While Filip Hronek is on LTIR, Vancouver has largely been able to stay out of using it, meaning they continue to bank extra room on a daily basis.  Accordingly, it’s possible that GM Patrik Allvin looks to make that the priority over maximizing the trade return.  Either way, it’s a situation that the Canucks likely weren’t anticipating when they signed Desharnais just over five months ago.

Canucks Recall Four From AHL

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The Canucks have brought up some reinforcements before their game tonight against Boston.  The team announced (Twitter link) that forwards Aatu Raty and Max Sasson along with defenseman Mark Friedman were recalled from AHL Abbotsford, reversing the paper assignments from Friday as expected.  However, they also revealed that they’ve recalled goaltender Arturs Silovs using the emergency goaltender exemption.

Raty, Sasson, and Friedman have all been shuffled back and forth in an effort to keep Vancouver out of LTIR and banking as much cap space as possible.  Raty has four points in 20 games so far this season while Sasson has four assists in nine outings with the Canucks.  Playing time has been harder to come by for Friedman who has suited up just twice so far.

As for Silovs, he has spent most of the season on Vancouver’s roster with Thatcher Demko being sidelined for the first couple of months.  However, he wasn’t able to play at the same level as he did last season and in the playoffs as he struggled to a 4.11 GAA and a .847 SV% in his first seven outings, leading to his re-assignment to the minors recently.

Vancouver only had three open roster spots (stemming from the three paper demotions yesterday) which meant that the Canucks had to use this exemption.  Teams are limited to using this for a maximum of two times per season and Silovs can only be on the roster on this exemption for 48 hours.  He’s taking the place of Kevin Lankinen as head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters including Sportsnet 650’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link) that the netminder is dealing with the flu.

Lightning Make Three Roster Moves

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The Lightning were busy on the roster move front as they get set to take on Seattle today.  The team announced that defenseman Declan Carlile has been recalled from AHL Syracuse.  He takes the place of J.J. Moser who has landed on injured reserve.  Meanwhile, forward Jack Finley has been activated from season-opening injured reserve and was assigned to the Crunch, per the AHL’s transactions log.

It’s Carlile’s first recall of the season.  The 24-year-old made his NHL debut last year, getting into one game with Tampa Bay and with a strong season in the minors, he received a two-year, two-way deal back in June.  In 2024-25, Carlile has played in 21 games with the Crunch and has been a bit quieter than normal offensively, recording just one goal and two assists.  By comparison, he had 27 points in 61 games with Syracuse last season and 24 points in 69 outings in 2022-23.

As for Moser, he was injured on Thursday against Calgary.  The 24-year-old is in his first season with Tampa Bay after being acquired from Utah at the draft as part of the Mikhail Sergachev deal.  Moser has fit in relatively well with his new team thus far, recording 10 points in 27 games along with 39 blocked shots in just under 20 minutes a night of playing time, ranking him third among Lightning blueliners.  As a result of the placement, he will miss at least the next three games and is eligible to return on December 22nd against Florida.

Finley, meanwhile, did not take part in training camp with the Lightning due to an undisclosed injury that has kept him out until now.  The 22-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2020, going 57th overall.  Finley had a solid sophomore professional season in 2023-24 with the Crunch, notching 13 goals and 19 assists in 52 games.  He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent this summer.  Since Finley wasn’t on the NHL roster at all last season, there was no cap hit while he was on SOIR.

Bruins Claim Oliver Wahlstrom Off Waivers From Islanders

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Amidst some offensive struggles, the Bruins have added some depth up front.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Boston has claimed winger Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the Islanders.

It has been a bit of a tumultuous tenure for Wahlstrom and the Isles in recent years.  The 24-year-old was the 11th overall pick back in 2018 after showing plenty of offensive promise with the US National Team Development Program.  He opted to turn pro after just one year at Boston College and the hope was that he’d become a reliable offensive player for New York before too long.

However, that never really came to fruition.  Wahlstrom’s NHL career got off to a good start in 2020-21 when he picked up 12 goals and nine assists in 44 games in the shortened season.  He followed that up with 13 goals and 11 helpers in 73 games the following season, a small uptick in overall production but a notable drop in points per game.  He was somewhat productive in limited action in 2022-23 when he had 16 points in 35 games but things went off the rails last year when he was a frequent healthy scratch and collected just six points in 32 games.

That led to some speculation that the two sides could be parting ways, a belief that carried over to the summer.  Instead, the two sides worked out a one-year, $1MM contract in late July.  However, while Wahlstrom was largely able to secure a regular role in New York’s lineup this season, his playing time and production have both been limited.  His 10:04 ATOI is a career low while he has just two goals and two assists in 27 appearances, leading to his waiver placement on Friday.

It’s a low-risk pickup for the Bruins who have just enough cap space to absorb Wahlstrom’s contract without needing to make any other roster moves.  If things go well, they’ll be able to keep him under club control for two more years although he will be arbitration-eligible.  Boston is now at the maximum of 23 players on its active roster.

Maple Leafs Activate Bobby McMann, Assign Nikita Grebenkin To AHL

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The Maple Leafs will be welcoming a forward back to their lineup against Detroit tonight.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Bobby McMann off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, winger Nikita Grebenkin was re-assigned to AHL Toronto.

McMann has missed the last seven games due to a lower-body injury but skated on the third line in practice on Friday, suggesting a return was imminent.  The 28-year-old has played in 21 games with the Leafs this season, notching six goals and one assist in 14 minutes a night of ice time.  McMann scored at a similar clip in 2023-24, tallying 15 times in 56 appearances, becoming a quality bottom-six piece along the way after clearing waivers at the beginning of that season.

As for Grebenkin, it’s the second time this week he has been sent down.  Initially demoted on Tuesday, he was brought back up two days later although he didn’t play against Anaheim.  The 21-year-old is in his first season in North America and has been held off the scoresheet in seven games with the big club but has been productive with the Marlies, tallying four goals and six assists in 13 appearances with them.

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