Minor Transactions: 12/01/23
Just two NHL games are on the schedule today, although things in overseas and minor professional leagues are notably more busy. Highlights from today’s schedule include a battle between two of the AHL’s better teams in Dustin Wolf‘s Calgary Wranglers and Brendan Brisson‘s Henderson Silver Knights, as well as a massive game in college hockey with third-ranked University of Denver up against second-ranked North Dakota.
The business of the daily hockey schedule is only matched by the activity on professional hockey’s transaction wire. As always, we’ll keep track of notable moves here.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward and QMJHL rookie of the year Dmytro Timashov has had his trial contract with the Swiss National League’s HC Ajoie converted into a full one-year deal. Ajoie has picked up their club option for the rest of the year on Timashov’s contract thanks to the Swedish international’s stellar production in his first seven games with the club. Although Timashov hasn’t registered on the scoresheet in back-to-back losses against Lausanne and EV Zug, before that he had scored seven points in just five games. A Calder Cup champion and former 49-point scorer in the AHL, Timashov left the North American pro circuit in 2021-22 to join Brynäs IF in the SHL. His 43 points in 52 games last year were not enough to save Brynäs from relegation, and as a result, he’s transferred to Switzerland where he’ll now spend the rest of the season.
- Once an NHL third-round pick and then a star forward for Boston College, Logan Hutsko left the North American professional game after just two seasons in the AHL. Now, a report coming out of Sweden from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson indicates that Hutsko could be on his way out from his current club, the SHL’s IK Oskarshamn. It’s been a disastrous season for Oskarshamn, who look to be a genuine relegation candidate. They currently sit at the bottom of the SHL with a 5-16-1 record, their 16 regulation losses five more than the next-worst team. Two key offseason additions, Hutsko and 2023 10th overall pick Dalibor Dvorský have not paid dividends. Dvorský hit the eject button and left for the OHL after just 10 games played, while now it appears Hutsko is back on the market after scoring just seven points in 20 games. Perhaps a new club could be what Hutsko, who scored 38 points as an AHL rookie in 2021-22, needs to set the right first impression in European hockey.
- 2019 Montreal Canadiens draft pick Frederik Dichow, who was not extended an entry-level contract before his rights expired this past summer, has made the decision to transfer from Frölunda HC to a rival SHL team: HV71 Jönköping. The 22-year-old netminder served as Frölunda’s backup last season and into this year, but could not manage to hit .900 in terms of save percentage. He has fared better outside the SHL, though, such as in HockeyAllsvenskan when he posted a .930 save percentage for Kristianstads IK, in the most recent IIHF Men’s World Championships where he had a .911 save percentage in five games played for his native Denmark, or in the Champions Hockey League where he posted a .917 save percentage last season. Dichow signed a one-year deal with an HV71 team in need of improved goaltending. Former Calgary Flame Joni Ortio has just a .884 save percentage in 19 games played so far this year. Dichow will hope to take the number-one job in HV71’s crease from Ortio, helping a club that currently ranks second-to-last in the SHL in both standings points and goals surrendered avoid relegation.
- 2017 second-round pick Grant Mismash has left HockeyAllsvenskan’s Ostersunds IK in order to sign with Stjernen Hockey of the EliteHockey Ligaen, the top league of professional hockey in Norway. A U.S. National Team Development Program product, Mismash began his pro career in 2021-22 with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. After scoring just 12 points in his 57-game rookie year, Mismash was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh to Nashville. Away from the organization that invested a second-round pick to draft him, Mismash dropped from the AHL to the ECHL in 2022-23, spending 32 games with the Orlando Solar Bears compared to just five with the Syracuse Crunch. Mismash was then non-tendered this past season, and he signed with Ostersunds. He only managed seven points in 16 games for the Swedish side, though, and has now elected to join one of the better clubs in Norwegian hockey.
- Accomplished Czech netminder Miroslav Svoboda has signed a two-year contract extension with his current club, Liiga’s Vaasan Sport. Once a Nashville Predators prospect, Svoboda would dip his toes into the waters of North American pro hockey in 2018-19, fresh off of a stellar rookie year in the Czech Extraliga in which he posted a .920 save percentage in 47 games as the starter for HC Plzeň. After just 14 ECHL games Svoboda returned to Europe and in 2019-20 re-established himself as a top netminder in his home country. He spent the last two years as a tandem goalie for Plzeň, posting a .920 in 28 games last year. So far this season, Svoboda has just an .893 save percentage for Sport. But seeing as he’s provided improved goaltending from what the club got last year from starter Rasmus Reijola, the club has elected to sign him for two more seasons.
- Journeyman veteran defenseman Joonas Järvinen has had his original two-month contract with Liiga’s Lukko Rauma converted into a full one-year contract. The six-foot-two left-shot defenseman has played in 15 games for the club, and represented the team in four Champions Hockey League contests. Not much of an offensive defenseman, Järvinen brings a wealth of poise and experience to Lukko’s back line. He’s played pro hockey in Finland, Germany, China, and Wisconsin and has represented Finland at two IIHF Men’s World Championships. With Lukko still seeking glory in the Champions Hockey League, Järvinen’s experience will undoubtedly serve as an asset.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Brandon Biro
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Brandon Biro from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. He swaps with goaltender Devon Levi, who was reassigned from the Sabres to Rochester yesterday.
The Sabres have an upcoming two-game road trip that will take them through St. Louis and North Carolina, so adding Biro gives the club an extra forward to work with as they embark on that trip.
Biro, 25, was signed to the Sabres organization as an undrafted free agent out of the Big-10 and Penn State. He became an instant impact scorer for Rochester, potting 12 goals and 41 points in his 48-game rookie campaign.
Last season, Biro was Rochester’s top scorer on a points-per-game basis, notching 16 goals and 51 points in just 49 games. He did not play in any NHL games last year, though.
So far this season, Biro has already played in two NHL contests. He has gotten off to a strong AHL start once again, scoring six goals and 12 points in 10 games.
He also has two goals in the NHL, and the Sabres will hope that his offense can continue to translate and Biro can help them get some valuable points against two tough road opponents.
Lian Bichsel Will Return To SHL
The Dallas Stars’ top defensive prospect Lian Bichsel has elected to exercise the European Assignment Clause in his entry-level contract and return to Sweden for the rest of the season. The Stars will officially reassign the player to the SHL on December 4th.
The 19-year-old Swiss blueliner was the 18th overall pick at the 2022 NHL draft and had made the decision to cross the Atlantic for the start of the season to join the Stars for training camp. He was sent to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, to start the year and has played in 13 games, scoring five points.
A hulking six-foot-six, 233-pound defensive behemoth, Bichsel has actually been playing a solid role in Texas. He’s been a staple of their top-four on defense and has seen time on special teams as well.
While he hasn’t received a call-up opportunity yet, it was certainly a possibility that Bichsel would receive a call-up and play in his first NHL games before the end of the season. Now, that possibility has been made significantly more remote as he won’t be back in North America at least until his SHL season ends.
Since Bichsel has reportedly elected to play for Rögle BK instead of Leksands, he’s going to be joining a team that currently sits 11th out of 14 SHL clubs. Rögle could very well miss the postseason, which would pave the way for Bichsel to return to the AHL before the Stars’ season ends.
This is unlikely to be the development path the stars would prefer for Bichsel, but it’s a possibility they have to have at least expected. Ultimately, while the AHL may have been the preferred route heading to Rögle is far from a significant step down in terms of development opportunities. He’s likely to play quite a bit there and the club has a history of helping NHL first-round picks in their growth, including Detroit Red Wings star Moritz Seider.
By the time the Stars 2024 training camp rolls around, the additional experience Bichsel will have gained this year could very well be the deciding factor in whether or not he makes the Stars’ NHL roster at the age of 20.
Minor Transactions: 11/29/23
NHL player movement is beginning to heat up, as just yesterday featured a major free-agent signing as well as a former 20-goal scorer being traded. Player movement in the wider world of professional hockey mirrors that activity, especially yesterday in the KHL. As always, we’ll keep track of notable transactions from minor and overseas leagues here:
- 2014 Colorado Avalanche first-round pick Conner Bleackley was released from his ECHL team yesterday. The 27-year-old Canadian forward was playing for the Rapid City Rush this season, but had only managed to score three points in 13 ECHL games. Prior to this season, Bleackley had played two consecutive campaigns for the Maine Mariners, scoring 15 goals and 38 points in 98 games. Once nearly a point-per-game ECHLer with the Tulsa Oilers, Bleackley’s scoring numbers have dried up and his AHL call-up opportunities have dried up as well, as he hasn’t played at the game’s second-highest level since 2019-20.
- In the KHL, a one-for-one trade occurred involving two players who each were once part of an NHL organization. The Kunlun Red Star dealt Cliff Pu to Admiral Vladivostok, with the Chinese club receiving center Tyler Graovac in return. Graovac, 30, is a center with 84 games of NHL experience and two seasons under his belt in the AHL where he scored at least 20 goals. He hadn’t made much of an offensive impact for Vladivostok, though, registering just four points in 20 games. Pu, 25, is a winger who once scored 86 points in the OHL and was part of the trade that sent Jeff Skinner to Buffalo. He scored 11 goals and 20 points in 41 KHL games last season and will now leave China for Russia having scored nine points in 29 games this year.
- The Red Star also dealt one of their alternate captains, Zac Leslie, to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk for cash compensation. Leslie, 29, is a former Los Angeles Kings prospect and OHL champion who has spent the last two years in the KHL, entirely with Kunlun. He had an impressive rookie KHL season in 2022-23, scoring 39 points in 65 games. This season, he’s only managed seven points in 30 games as the team has elected to complete a change-of-scenery trade that will send him all the way west into Tatarstan.
- Continuing what has been an extremely busy day for the KHL’s Chinese side, the club has also signed former NHLer Gemel Smith to a one-year deal. Now 29 years old, Smith last played in the NHL in 2021-22, when he received three games played with the Detroit Red Wings. After spending last year entirely in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch (37 points in 35 games) and Henderson Silver Knights (16 points in 19 games) Smith decided to parlay has exemplary AHL production and physical style into what was potentially a lucrative KHL deal with Dynamo Minsk. He hasn’t had the start with Minsk that he’d likely have wanted, though, scoring four goals and five points in 15 games. Smith and Minsk agreed on a mutual contract termination on November 17th, and now Smith has his landing spot for where he’ll attempt to revive his rookie KHL campaign.
- Former 54-point NHLer Peter Mueller will not continue with the Czech club he’s currently playing for, HC Vítkovice. Although the 35-year-old Minnesota native was once the leading scorer of the Czech Extraliga and is pulling his weight this year with 13 points in 17 games, Vítkovice have struggled mightily. They’re currently tied for last place in the Czech Extraliga with a 5-12-2 record. With the club in an increasingly dire situation in the standings, they will now have to cope with the loss of one of their leading offensive talents.
- Drake Rymsha, a former Los Angeles Kings forward, has transferred from Slovakia’s HKM Zvolen to the ICEHL’s Red Bull Salzburg. A former OHL star with the Sarnia Sting, Rymsha was excellent in the ECHL last season scoring 24 goals and 58 points in 58 games. He parlayed that ECHL success into a shot in the Slovak Extraliga with Zvolen, and has provided strong early results with seven points in six games. That’s been enough for Salzburg to take a shot on the forward, who now has a chance to join the reigning back-to-back ICEHL champions.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Patrick Kane
11/29/23: The Red Wings have now made their signing of Kane official.
11/28/23: According to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, free agent forward and future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane is signing with the Detroit Red Wings.
Should this report end up accurate, Kane would be landing with a historic rival of his longtime club, the Chicago Blackhawks.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Kane’s deal is a one-year, $2.75MM pact.
It would also mean Kane will have played for half of the league’s original six teams, after spending part of last season with the New York Rangers.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Kane “was very impressed” with Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, and more specifically his “hockey acumen” and “vision for Detroit.”
By signing in Detroit, Kane has re-united himself with one of his favorite former teammates: Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat, who the Red Wings acquired in the offseason, has had the best seasons of his career on a line with Kane and is currently off to a hot start with 12 goals and 20 points in 20 games.
While DeBrincat has slowed down a bit recently, the arrival of Kane will likely give him a major boost, assuming Kane comes back and plays up to his career standard. That’s far from a guarantee after offseason hip surgery, especially if one considers the impact hip resurfacing surgery had on Nicklas Backstrom.
At the moment, the Red Wings have almost $7MM in cap space to work with according to CapFriendly. As a result, they should be able to comfortably fit the cost of Kane’s contract, assuming the cap hit isn’t excessively expensive.
As for where Kane fits in Detroit’s lineup, one has to assume Lalonde would begin by placing Kane with DeBrincat on the team’s second line, a unit currently centered by J.T. Compher. Doing so would displace Michael Rasmussen, but the 2017 ninth-overall pick’s six points in 20 games is hardly a convincing argument to retain his top-six job over a player like Kane.
Of course, Lalonde could also choose to not immediately go with the DeBrincat/Kane partnership, and instead play Kane on the first line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, replacing Joe Veleno.
In any case, the Red Wings could be getting a significant offensive boost with this signing. Assuming Kane can return to something close to what he was in Chicago and at times on Broadway, Detroit is getting the type of mid-season reinforcement that usually costs teams quality prospects and/or draft picks.
Although Kane’s play in the defensive end has led to questions regarding how much overall value he actually provides, there’s a reason most contending teams would eagerly accept adding Kane to their top-six. He’s one of the defining offensive talents of this most recent era of NHL hockey, and is nearly point-per-game in the postseason across a sample size of nearly 150 games.
The Red Wings are eager to emerge out of their rebuild and return to the playoffs, perhaps making a serious run at the Stanley Cup as well. Adding Kane almost undoubtedly helps them in that pursuit.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seattle Kraken Recall Marián Studenič
The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Marián Studenič from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The 25-year-old has not yet made his NHL debut with the Kraken since signing a one-year, two-way deal with the club this past summer. Studenič has 44 NHL games on his resume, with them almost evenly split between his time with the New Jersey Devils and his stint with the Dallas Stars after they claimed him off of waivers.
A six-foot-one two-way winger, Studenič was given a hefty $325k guarantee and $300k AHL salary by Seattle in order to serve as a reliable top-six forward for their AHL affiliate as well as experienced depth for their big club.
He’s been as advertised in Coachella Valley, scoring six goals and 11 points in 15 games. He’s fourth on the team in scoring and already has a productive AHL campaign on his resume from last season when he scored 21 goals and 48 points in 61 games with the Texas Stars.
Studenič may not draw into head coach Dave Hakstol’s lineup immediately, though, as yesterday’s recall Andrew Poturalski may get that shot. Poturalski, a two-time AHL scoring leader and Calder Cup champion is currently set to slot in on Seattle’s second line next to Alexander Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz. Should he fail to make an impact there, the Kraken now have Studenič to plug into the lineup instead.
New York Rangers To Place Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil On LTIR
The New York Rangers are going to be placing Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil on long-term injured reserve, according to USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano.
Mercogliano adds that the Rangers “don’t believe Kakko’s injury is season-ending,” although he is set to miss “significant time.”
Additionally, Chytil’s LTIR placement is retroactive to November 3rd, meaning he can be activated at any time. The move to LTIR clears cap space for recalls in the immediate term, as placing Chytil and his $4.437MM cap hit gives the club additional flexibility to make moves.
In more LTIR-related news for the Rangers, 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox is set to be activated off of the long-term injury list and is expected to return to the Rangers’ top pairing alongside Ryan Lindgren.
This update on Kakko is both good and bad news for the Rangers. On one hand, Kakko’s injury last night definitely looked severe. One could not be blamed for expecting Kakko to miss the entire season due to the injury, even without knowing more details about the injury.
So today’s news that the Rangers don’t expect the injury to be season-ending, and do believe that it “could have been worse,” is certainly welcome.
That being said, the loss of Kakko for such a significant amount of time is a major setback for the Rangers. The 22-year-old 2019 second-overall pick has undoubtedly had his fair share of issues this season, and his three points in 20 games are a far cry from the 18 goals and 40 points he scored in 2022-23.
That being said, this injury now robs Kakko of what looks to be, at the very least, a massive chunk of his 2023-24 season. While he had struggled in his first 20 games, there was no guarantee that those struggles would continue for the full 82-game slate.
Kakko’s defense and play along the boards have long been appreciated by the Rangers, so maybe with a few more months the points he started tallying with more regularity last season would start coming this year. Maybe, by the end of this season, Kakko could have put together a convincing case to be a long-term member of the Rangers’ core.
Now Kakko has lost the chance to take those major steps forward in his development, at least until far later in the season. Moreover, this injury means the Rangers will be working with significantly less information as to where Kakko stands and what his future holds when they enter contract negotiations with him this offseason.
As for Chytil, as mentioned this move to LTIR is purely cap-related. He’s begun skating again and is moving closer to a return to the ice. He’s been out since November 2nd.
Fox’s return is the good news for the Rangers. He’s the team’s most important defenseman and arguably its best skater. He’s scored more than 70 points in back-to-back seasons and is on pace to score 80 points if he stays healthy the rest of the way. Fox was injured in the same game as Chytil, but his return could come a bit sooner as he’s expected to play tomorrow.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New York Islanders Activate Matt Martin
The New York Islanders have activated veteran forward Matt Martin off of injured reserve, according to a team announcement.
The move paves the way for Martin, 34, to return to the Islanders lineup for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils after an injury-related absence kept him off the ice since November 15th.
A veteran of nearly 1,000 games, Martin is an established fourth-line grinder. While he’s never scored more than 19 points in a single season, he’s racked up over 1,100 career penalty minutes and over 3,700 career hits. Martin has been on numerous playoff runs with the Islanders, including back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final where he chipped in a total of six goals.
Now healthy, Martin will in all likelihood resume his role on the Islanders’ fourth line, alongside longtime linemates Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.
2016 first-round pick Julien Gauthier had been playing on the “identity line” with Cizikas and Clutterbuck in Martin’s absence, and has registered nine hits in just three games played this season.
Noah Cates Out Six-To-Eight Weeks
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Noah Cates has suffered a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for six to eight weeks.
It’s not immediately clear the nature of Cates’ injury nor where or how he suffered it. In any case, this is a significant loss for a Flyers team that has impressed early this season. John Tortorella’s club currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-9-1 record.
A center by trade, Cates most recently lined up as a left winger on Tortella’s third line, alongside center Ryan Poehling and right winger Joel Farabee. It’s been a more difficult season for Cates, who was excellent as a rookie last year.
A 2017 fifth-round pick by the Flyers, Cates looked to be a home run for the team’s scouting staff last season. The 24-year-old didn’t put up massive scoring numbers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, save for in his sophomore season. But that didn’t stop him from scoring 13 goals and 38 points as a rookie, all while averaging 17:46 time on ice per game including nearly two minutes on each special teams unit.
That performance earned Cates votes for the Selke, Calder, and Lady Byng trophies, as well as the NHL’s All-Rookie team. He hasn’t been able to carry over that success into this campaign, though, and has seen his ice time decline.
This injury serves as a major setback in a campaign that, in its early stages, had the makings of a sophomore slump for Cates. Making $2.625MM through next season, the hope will be that Cates can return from this injury and re-discover some of the form that made him such a strong rookie in 2023-24.
Minnesota Wild Hire Patrick Dwyer As Assistant Coach, Recall Vinni Lettieri
The Minnesota Wild have made two team announcements this morning: firstly, forward Vinni Lettieri has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Additionally, another name is heading from Iowa to the Twin Cities: coach Patrick Dwyer.
The Iowa assistant has been elevated to new coach John Hynes’ staff, and he’ll take up the responsibilities left by former assistant Bob Woods, meaning he’ll help run the defense and penalty kill.
The recall of Lettieri was necessitated by the suspension of forward Ryan Hartman, who will miss the Wild’s next two games after slew-footing Alex DeBrincat. The grandson of longtime Minnesota North Stars GM Lou Nanne, Lettieri was a college hockey star in Minnesota who has settled into a role as a top-six AHLer and premier NHL call-up option.
This season, Lettieri has scored four points in six games for Iowa and two goals in 11 games with Minnesota. He last played in the NHL on November 18th, during the team’s trip to Sweden.
He could slot into Hartman’s vacated spot on the team’s third line, or Frédérick Gaudreau could see himself elevated from the fourth-line winger role to that 3C spot with Lettieri landing on the fourth line. Alternatively, coach Hynes could entirely re-construct the lineup for his first game in charge, which could introduce some more mystery as to where Lettieri would slot in.
As for Dwyer, the former NHLer began his coaching career as a player-coach with the Belfast Giants of the United Kingdom’s EIHL, serving in that role for the 2018-19 season. He then moved on to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, and then spent three seasons with the Chicago Wolves. He was part of the staff that won a Calder Cup with the Wolves in 2021-22, and began this season with Iowa before now receiving his first chance to coach behind an NHL bench.