Washington Capitals Reassign Michael Sgarbossa
Dec. 22: The Capitals returned Sgarbossa to Hershey today, per a team release. He did not play in last night’s overtime win over the Blue Jackets.
Dec. 21: The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Michael Sgarbossa from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Sgarbossa adds an extra forward to the Capitals’ roster after regular contributor Connor McMichael missed the team’s last game due to illness.
The 31-year-old undrafted veteran forward has been the number-one center for the Hershey Bears since 2018-19. In that span, Sgarbossa has been named to the AHL All-Star game, scored at nearly a point-per-game pace, and won a Calder Cup.
So far this season, Sgarbossa has kept his usual pace and scored five goals and 28 points in 28 games. At the moment he’s currently Hershey’s offensive leader, third place in the total AHL scoring race, and his production has kept them at the top of the AHL’s Atlantic Division. With an extra spot to be filled on their roster, the Capitals have recalled Sgarbossa and thereby rewarded him for his efforts with their AHL affiliate.
Sgarbossa has not had the level of success in the NHL as he’s had in the AHL. In 65 career games at the game’s highest level, Sgarbossa has scored four goals and 16 points.
AHL Shuffle: Petersen, Day, Meyers
The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled netminder Cal Petersen back to their NHL roster, indicating that netminder Carter Hart isn’t quite ready to return and back up Samuel Ersson for the Flyers’ game tonight against the Nashville Predators. Petersen was the Flyers’ backup for their last game as well, though he has spent most of the year with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
The former Los Angeles Kings $5MM man has played in 11 games for the Phantoms, going 4-6-1 with an .898 save percentage and 3.20 goals-against-average. Those numbers are certainly a decline for Petersen, though they are not entirely out of line with his 2022-23 season as he went 16-20-4 with a .904 save percentage and 2.88 goals-against-average last year.
Some other AHL “paper” transactions:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Sean Day from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Day has been recalled to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman, which is a role he’s played relatively frequently over the last week or so. Day did play in the Crunch’s contest last night against the Laval Rocket, but otherwise, he has been on the NHL roster for a decent stretch this season. What he hasn’t done so far this year is dress for an NHL game, and he last played in the NHL in 2021-22.
- The Colorado Avalanche sent forward Ben Meyers back down to the AHL after their most recent game, but today the team recalled him, making the move effectively a paperwork-only transaction. Meyers, 25, has been involved in numerous transactions of the sort so far in his young career. He’s played in four NHL games this year and 17 AHL contests, and has scored 13 points in 21 games across both levels combined.
Minor Transactions: 12/21/23
Although the NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze is in place, player movement has not halted across the wider world of professional hockey, both in North American minor leagues as well as the many pro leagues in Europe. As always, we’ll keep track of notable player movement from those places here.
- Veteran goalie Patrik Rybár has signed a one-year contract extension with his current club: Spartak Moscow of the KHL. The 30-year-old Slovak international is in his second season with Spartak, and his third consecutive season in the KHL. He was signed out of Liiga’s Kärpät by Dynamo Minsk, and then after a year as Minsk’s backup he became Spartak’s starter for 2022-23. Rybár has been excellent since he became Spartak’s number-one goalie, with a .924 save percentage in 45 games last year and a .920 in 24 games this year. The one-time KHL All-Star is best known for the 2022 Winter Olympics, when he posted a .966 save percentage and backstopped Slovakia to a bronze medal.
- 23-year-old former Vegas Golden Knights prospect Peter DiLiberatore has had his PTO with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners converted to a full-time deal, according to the AHL’s official transactions wire. The former Quinnipiac University alternate captain began the season with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, but then in November he moved to the AHL to play for Tucson. He has played in 13 AHL games this year and scored three points. Now with a full-time deal, DiLiberatore will get the chance to establish himself in the AHL on a more extended basis.
- 2017 Minnesota Wild third-round pick Ivan Lodnia has signed with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. The 23-year-old was once a strong scorer at the CHL level, potting 27 goals and 62 points in his final 41 games with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs. He began his pro career in 2020-21 with the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk, before spending 2021-22 with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Lodnia has not yet played in the ECHL but has four goals and eight points in 38 career games.
- Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Matt Cairns has been traded in the ECHL, with the Maine Mariners sending him to the Indy Fuel in exchange for future considerations. Maine acquired Cairns from the Cincinnati Cyclones a few days ago but ultimately did not dress him for a single game. The six-foot-three defenseman has split this season between the New York Rangers’ ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones, and their AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has skated in five games for Hartford and 11 for Cincinnati, scoring three points for the latter club.
- Forward Jake Bricknell has been claimed off of waivers from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades by the ECHL’s Reading Royals. The 26-year-old has played in just two ECHL seasons but is now on his sixth different ECHL team. The six-foot-one, 211-pound grinder has scored two goals and three points so far in this season, and his career-high in offensive production as a pro came when he scored six goals and 17 points in 44 games for the Manchester Storm of the EIHL.
- Jakub Rychlovský, one of the breakout stars of this Czech Extraliga season, has signed a two-year contract extension with an option for a third season with his current club, Bílí Tygři Liberec. Rychlovský currently ranks third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 29 games, and his offense has helped the team sit fourth place in the league standings. Rychlovský has already passed his career-high in points, a high he set last season with 17 points in 52 games.
- 2011 Minnesota Wild first-round pick Zack Phillips has been signed by the EIHL’s Manchester Storm, according to a team announcement. The 31-year-old is a veteran of numerous professional leagues, having already played in England, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany, Poland, Scotland, and Hungary as well as the United States and Canada. After fizzling out in the AHL in 2016, Phillips began his European pro career and was signed by Manchester out of the German third division. Phillips played in the EIHL last season with the Fife Flyers, leading the team in scoring with 45 points in 53 games.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare Out Four-To-Six Weeks
The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward Pierre-Édouard Bellemare has suffered a lower-body injury and will be out on a four-to-six-week timeline.
Per the Kraken’s announcement, the 38-year-old veteran forward suffered his injury during the team’s Monday loss to the Dallas Stars. Bellemare was knocked out of the game by the injury, and he ended up playing in just over four minutes.
This injury is a setback for both Bellemare and the Kraken. For Bellemare, he loses the ability to contribute during a crucial time in the Kraken’s season as they work to attempt to re-enter the Pacific Division playoff picture. He’ll also miss the Winter Classic in the new year, which is unfortunate as well. For Seattle, they’ll be without a reliable veteran bottom-sixer for that important stretch.
A veteran of nearly 700 NHL games, Bellemare is a widely respected defensive forward who has appeared on both Selke and Lady Byng trophy ballots earlier in his career.
A winner of 51.5% of his career draws, Bellemare is a valuable presence at the faceoff dot as well as in the defensive zone, and although he’s averaging a career-low ice time per game the loss of Bellemare is still a notable one for coach Dave Hakstol’s squad.
Injury Updates: Rust, Spurgeon, Grzelcyk
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust has not played since the Penguins’ 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 6th, and in his absence, the Penguins have put together remarkably uneven performances. They’ve collected a few wins but an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs showed the cracks in the team’s foundation. Today, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relays word from Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who said Rust skated today on an individual basis, the first time he’s been on the ice since he went down on injured reserve.
Rust’s return to the Penguins lineup would provide the team with a significant boost as it looks to climb in the Metropolitan Division playoff race. Rust has scored 10 goals and 20 points in 22 games this season and scored 20 goals and 46 points last season. Although Valtteri Puustinen has filled in nicely in the team’s top-six with four points in five games, getting Rust back would give the team a needed boost for its playoff chase.
Some more injury updates from around the NHL:
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon was not present for the team’s morning skate, indicating that he will miss the team’s game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Spurgeon is among the Wild’s most important players, but in his absence Brock Faber has emerged as one of the fastest-rising young defensemen in hockey, playing as many as 30 minutes per night.
- Independent Boston hockey reporter Joe Haggerty relayed word from Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery today, who said that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is out day-to-day. Grzelcyck has not been ruled out for any of the Bruins’ games during their upcoming three-game road trip, although an absence is certainly possible.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/23
It’s another busy day across the world of professional hockey, even though there are just three total contests on the NHL schedule. In Europe, big games are set to be played in Czechia, Finland, Slovakia, and more while in North America there are some intriguing contests not just on the NHL schedule but in the AHL as well.
Although the NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze will now stop player movement in the NHL, player transactions are still happening across the wider world of pro hockey. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves here.
- 2018 New York Islanders second-round pick Bode Wilde has transferred from Slovakia’s HC Banska Bystrica to the EIHL’s Cardiff Devils. Wilde has made the decision to leave his Slovak club after just 21 games there, ending a tenure that began when he signed there in the offseason. Signing with Banska Bystrica marked Wilde’s return to European pro hockey (he spent 2020-21 with HockeyAllsvenskan’s Västerviks IK) and he finishes his time there with nine points in 21 games. The six-foot-three former U.S. National Team Development Program defenseman now heads to Cardiff to join one of the EIHL’s top teams this season.
- Atro Leppänen, one of the fastest-rising players in Finnish pro hockey, has had an option in his contract exercised by his club Vaasan Sport, meaning he will remain with the club for an additional season. The 25-year-old defenseman was playing in Finland’s fourth tier of hockey as recently as 2018-19, before eventually becoming the second-tier Mestis’ top-scoring defenseman last season. That earned him a shot in Liiga with Sport, and he has excelled so far in his rookie year. His eight goals and 15 points rank inside the top-15 in league defensive scoring and his 23:07 average time-on-ice per game is currently tied for the fourth-highest in the entire Liiga. He’s undoubtedly been a revelation for Sport and the decision to retain his services for another season was likely an easy one for the club.
- Veteran forward Jonas Berglund, a veteran of nearly 400 SHL games, has signed a two-year contract extension with his current club Luleå Hockey. Berglund, 33, is now in his seventh consecutive campaign at Luleå, the club he developed at starting as a youth player. Although he’s never been a major offensive contributor, the defensive forward has been a consistent presence in the team’s lineup through a highly successful period in club history. While championship glory has eluded Berglund and Luleå, in Berglund’s most recent stretch the club has reached both the SHL and Champions Hockey League finals as well as an additional SHL and CHL semifinal. The hope will be that within this season and the additional two covered by this extension Berglund and Luleå will be able to finally take home some hardware after getting so close over the past few years.
- Veteran forward Jonathan Hazen has signed a two-year contract extension with an option for a third year with Swiss National League side HC Ajoie, a club he has represented since 2015-16. Although the former Val d’Or Foreurs and Cincinnati Cyclones star never quite made it past the ECHL in North America, he has become one of the best and most important players in Ajoie’s club history. A member of the Swiss second division when he joined, Ajoie has now been part of the first-tier National League and is in its third season with that status. Hazen, who ranks fourth in all-time scoring for the club, scored a whopping 81 points in 46 games en route to the club’s promotion, and his 33 points in 38 games helped save the club from relegation last season. With 12 goals and 21 points in 23 games this year, Hazen remains Ajoie’s most important offensive player and a key piece in Ajoie’s efforts to avoid relegation once again this season.
- The ECHL’s Florida Everblades have acquired former Vegas Golden Knights fourth-round pick Slava Demin from the Allen Americans in exchange for future considerations. Demin, 23, is in his rookie professional campaign, having concluded a five-year NCAA career last spring. He suited up for three college hockey programs in that span: Denver, UMass, and Merrimack College. Although he never quite put together an overwhelming offensive season Demin’s size allowed him to be an imposing physical presence at times. He’s scored five points with a -15 rating for the Americans and will now join the blueline group with the Everblades, a team that has surrendered the second-fewest goals in the ECHL. He replaces forward Jake Bricknell on the Everblades’ roster, who was released after just one game.
- 2018-19 Hobey Baker Award finalist Patrick Newell appears on his way out from his ECHL club the Orlando Solar Bears, potentially ending his comeback to North American hockey after just 14 games played. The 27-year-old former St. Cloud State University star signed his entry-level contract with the New York Rangers after as stellar 47-point senior season. He only managed 13 points in his rookie AHL campaign, though, and by the end of 2020-21 he had played his way out of the AHL. He left for Norway, where he starred for Stjernen Hockey, and then split last season between the ICEHL’s Fehérvár AV19 in Hungary and HockeyAllsvenskan’s Södertälje SK in Sweden, helping the latter club reach the postseason.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Toronto Maple Leafs Reassign Maxime Lajoie
The Toronto Maple Leafs have reassigned defenseman Maxime Lajoie to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. The move reduces Toronto’s active roster from a full 23-man unit to 22.
Lajoie, 26, heads back to the AHL after a stint in the NHL that included three games played and was mostly spent as a healthy scratch. His three games of action came during the team’s winning streak against the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and New York Rangers, and saw him average a shade under 10 minutes of ice time per game.
The former Ottawa Senator has 74 career NHL games on his resume, although he’s better-known for his exploits in the AHL. The 2021-22 Calder Cup champion scored 11 goals and 45 points for the Chicago Wolves last season, ranking as one of the more productive blueliners in the AHL.
He was signed to bolster the Marlies’ defensive unit, acting as a key veteran piece for a squad hoping to contend for a Calder Cup. He’s been that experienced veteran addition so far this year, though his offensive production has not yet come in full force since he has just five points in 14 games. With this reassignment, Lajoie will have a shot to resume his AHL role as a crucial, productive two-way defenseman.
Detroit Red Wings Place Ville Husso On Injured Reserve
Ville Husso, who left the Detroit Red Wings’ game early two days ago with an apparent knee injury has been placed on injured reserve by the franchise. This news comes after it was revealed yesterday by head coach Derek Lalonde that Husso would be out of commission on a week-to-week basis.
This IR placement clears a spot on Detroit’s 23-man roster, perhaps for the team to use to recall veteran netminder Michael Hutchinson, who they signed to an NHL deal yesterday. With Alex Lyon out “until at least after Christmas,” according to Lalonde, Husso’s injury leaves the Red Wings with just one healthy goalie on their active roster.
Seeing as the Red Wings have a game against the Winnipeg Jets tonight, a move to add a backup to the roster behind James Reimer should be expected. With Husso’s IR placement, room for that move has been created.
Husso, 28, is in the midst of a second season as Detroit’s number-one goalie. He signed a $4.75MM AAV contract in the summer of 2022 in order to take that role for Detroit, and he was only okay last year. He had his moments, but his .896 save percentage reflected a need to play with more consistency. He did play in 56 games last season, though, and has already played in 18 this year.
So far this season, Husso has gone 9-5-2 with a 3.53 goals-against-average and .893 save percentage. In his absence, the Red Wings will turn to Reimer, who has a .908 save percentage this season.
Arizona Coyotes Reassign Milos Kelemen
Late last night, the Arizona Coyotes reassigned forward Milos Kelemen to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
The move ends Kelemen’s more than month-long stay on the NHL roster, a stay that included the chance for him to play in 10 NHL games. He averaged 7:40 time-on-ice in this stretch of NHL games, time spent entirely at even strength. He registered one assist, 14 hits, and three blocked shots.
The 24-year-old Slovak winger signed with the Coyotes in 2022 out of BK Mladá Boleslav of the Czech Extraliga. Although he had only scored 18 points in 44 games for the club that season, his nine goals and 12 points in just 14 playoff games helped lead Mladá Boleslav to the Exttraliga semifinals. He was also named the rookie of the year of the Extraliga.
Kelemen had also featured on the Slovak national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics, a team that famously took home a bronze medal and featured 2022 number-one overall pick Juraj Slafkovský.
So far in North America, Kelemen has found a nice home as a depth forward for the Coyotes. He scored 14 goals and 30 points in his 59-game rookie AHL campaign, helping Tucson reach the AHL playoffs. He also got into a total of 14 NHL games and managed to score his first NHL goal.
Moving forward, Kelemen is likely to resume a top-six role with the Roadrunners, where he’ll look to put together a solid stretch of production that might earn him another call-up opportunity with the Coyotes down the road.
Buffalo Sabres Reassign Brett Murray
In the aftermath of the Buffalo Sabres’ 9-4 dismantling at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team has reassigned forward Brett Murray to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
The reassignment is generally seen as an indication that Jordan Greenway is ready to return to the ice for the team. Greenway, who has scored seven points in 21 games this season, has been out since December 2nd.
Murray did not skate in the team’s loss last night, his spot in the lineup going to a newly returned Jack Quinn, who played 14:35 time-on-ice in yesterday’s game. Murray returns to the AHL having skated in two NHL contests, the first two such games of his season. His first game was the team’s victory over the Arizona Coyotes on December 11th, and then his second was five days ago against the Vegas Golden Knights.
A 25-year-old forward standing six-foot-five, 228 pounds, Murray has become a useful call-up option for the Sabres. He brings scoring ability in the AHL (he potted 23 goals and 49 points last season) alongside grit and physicality in his limited NHL roles.
A pending restricted free agent playing on a league-minimum contract, Murray will head back to Rochester with the hope of resuming his scoring role there so he can eventually earn another NHL call-up.