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Minnesota Wild Return Zane McIntyre To AHL

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Jan 9: McIntyre has now been returned to the minor leagues, suggesting Gustavsson and Fleury (who left the team for personal reasons over the weekend) are ready to go.

Jan 6: Yesterday, we covered how Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson was dealing with an unspecified illness. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported yesterday that there was “no recall anticipated” despite Gustavsson’s status, but now it seems the team has changed course.

Today the Wild announced that goalie Zane McIntyre has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, on an emergency basis.

It’s possible that this recall could be in order for McIntyre to back up Marc-Andre Fleury for tomorrow’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, paving the way for a Gustavsson return on Sunday, which is the plan Russo suggested yesterday.

Gustavsson has been stellar so far for the Wild, posting a .924 save percentage in 15 games so far this season. With Gustavsson playing so well, the Wild will want to give him the time and space he needs to fully recover from his illness and get back to 100%.

For McIntyre, this recall affords him an (admittedly slight) chance to get into some NHL action for the first time in a half-decade. The 30-year-old goalie is in his second season with the Wild organization, serving as their AHL number-one last year and now helping top prospect Jesper Wallstedt as part of a tandem.

Iowa has struggled so far this season, and McIntyre hasn’t escaped those struggles, as he has an .888 save percentage this season. He was better last year, though, posting a .920 in 37 games.

Snapshots: Hintz, Comrie, CHL Trades

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The Dallas Stars and new head coach Peter DeBoer have picked up right where they left off after the departure of former coach Rick Bowness, with the team sitting comfortably in playoff position atop the Central Division standings. A major reason for the Stars’ success this season, beyond the obvious storylines of Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger, has been the play of number-one center Roope Hintz. Hintz, 26, has scored 19 goals and 44 points in just 39 games this season, and is on pace to have his third straight season scoring around the point-per-game mark.

Hintz is a player of such significant importance to the Stars’ success that were the team forced to play without him, they would be at a major disadvantage. That makes this news from today’s stars game notable. As reported by The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf, Hintz suffered an upper-body injury and is questionable to return to today’s game. While it’s possible that this is only a precautionary measure and Hintz’s injury is inconsequential, this overall situation will be one to monitor for Stars fans and hockey fans alike who have come to enjoy watching Hintz play on a regular basis.

Some other notes from across the hockey world:

  • Buffalo Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie’s conditioning stint with the AHL’s Rochester Americans has ended, per Noted Hockey’s Joe Yerdon. Comrie had been in Rochester as part of his recovery process for the lower-body injury he suffered in November. Comrie signed a two-year, $1.8MM AAV deal with the Sabres in the offseason, and has had an up-and-down season, with a hot start and some games he’d like to have back. Overall, his numbers aren’t great (.887 save percentage through 11 games) but the Sabres as a whole seem to have turned a corner from their slow start to the season, so perhaps a healthy Comrie can benefit from the team’s overall improvement.
  • Two top prospects in the Canadian Hockey League could be on the move. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that Olen Zellweger, a top defensive prospect of the Anaheim Ducks, is being traded to the Kamloops Blazers as part of a massive deal involving as many as four first-round picks in the WHL Bantam Draft headed back to Zellweger’s current team, the Everett Silvertips. Additionally, Hockey Unfiltered’s Ken Campbell reports rumblings that 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright could be headed to the London Knights as part of a major trade. Neither deal has been officially announced, so it’s still possible that things shift, but at the moment it seems the destinations of two of the CHL’s biggest-name players have been settled.

Minor Transactions: 01/08/23

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It’s another busy day on the NHL calendar, with half of the league set to do battle. Tonight’s highlights include a matchup of two bitter Central Division rivals when the St. Louis Blues take on the Minnesota Wild, and a Western Canadian showdown as the Vancouver Canucks test their mettle against the Winnipeg Jets. As hockey fans across the world enjoy these contests, teams from minor leagues, overseas leagues, and junior leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • After spending two seasons in North America and playing in over 100 NHL games, former Detroit Red Wings forward Christoffer Ehn made the choice to head back to Europe to continue his career. The 26-year-old has spent the past two seasons playing for Linkoping in the SHL, and has been solid. Today, Linkoping announced that Ehn has signed a three-year extension to remain with the team. Linkoping currently stands ninth in the SHL standings, and with this extension in hand Ehn will now be able to be a core player helping the team climb the Swedish hockey ranks.
  • Vladimir Roth, a veteran of the European pro hockey circuit, has returned to his old stomping grounds at HC Ocelari Trinec. The 32-year-old blueliner last played with the Czech side in 2019-20, and has in total played parts of eight seasons there. So far this season Roth has played mostly in Prague at the second-division level, and he’ll now get another chance in Czechia’s top division with this move.
  • The departures from Lillehammer, a team in the top Norwegian professional league, continue. Yesterday, Lillehammer lost a top scorer, Martin Gran, and today they lose another key forward, Henrik Eriksson. Eriksson, 26, has scored 30 points in 29 games for Lillehammer, and will now join the Belfast Giants of the EIHL, the top professional hockey league in the United Kingdom.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Vegas Golden Knights Activate Jonathan Marchessault, Alec Martinez

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The Vegas Golden Knights have activated two key players off of injured reserve: Jonathan Marchessault and Alec Martinez. These activations come after it was reported earlier today that both players were nearing returns.

Marchessault, 32, has missed six straight games with a lower-body injury. When healthy, he’s among the best forwards Vegas has to offer. He’s been with the team since the franchise first took the ice, and has been among their most productive players.

This season has been no different, as Marchessault has 27 points in 35 games. Marchessault is under contract for this season and next at a $5MM AAV, meaning he is inching toward the end of the six-year extension he signed in 2018.

Marchessault’s return to the lineup could allow Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy to re-unite the “misfits” line, putting the talented Canadian forward back with William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Recently, Karlsson has been skating with Paul Cotter and Phil Kessel, while Smith has played with Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy on the team’s top line.

Martinez, 35, is a crucially important defenseman for the Golden Knights, and his return could help lessen the load shouldered by younger blueliners such as Brayden Pachal.

Martinez averages the third-most ice time on the penalty kill for Vegas and should help stabilize a defensive corps that has suffered some significant injuries. He has this season and next left on his $5.25MM AAV, and has scored five points in 37 games this year.

Minor Transactions: 01/07/23

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We’re in the full swing of the NHL season, and today featured a busy slate of games. The New Jersey Devils secured a thrilling overtime victory over their arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, while the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout. There are seven additional games today for NHL fans to enjoy, and while hockey fans take in all the action, teams in foreign leagues, minor leagues, and junior leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.

  • Quinton Howden, a 2010 first-round pick and former NHLer, has found a new club to play for. The 30-year-old forward, who is the brother of Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden, has signed with Grenoble, the reigning French champions. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster year for Howden, who began the year on a tryout with Jukkurit in Liiga. He then joined Orebro for the Spengler Cup tournament, and now lands in France.
  • Former OHL Playoff MVP Logan Morrison has been traded to the Ottawa 67’s. His former team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, will receive a package of six draft picks in return, bolstering their ability to add talent via the OHL Priority Selection. Morrison, 20, is an elite scorer at the junior level, scoring 100 points in 60 games last season. He has 55 points in 34 games so far this year.
  • High-scoring QMJHL defenseman Kale McCallum has left his current team, the Val d’Or Foreurs. Reporting from Pierre-Olivier Poulin of Le Citoyen indicates that McCallum’s departure is due to the fact that the Foreurs did not trade him to a team with legitimate playoff hopes. He has scored 34 points in 36 games this year, and 69 points in 68 games last season. Per Poulin, McCallum will look to continue his career on the Canadian University circuit.
  • Veteran netminder Brad Barone, a well-traveled minor league veteran, has signed with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. The Nailers will be the ninth club Barone has suited up for in the East Coast league, having made his debut there in the 2014-15 playoffs. Barone signed an extension to continue his career with the Orlando Solar Bears in August and ended up playing 19 games for the club this season. He was released from that contract after the Solar Bears acquired 24-year-old Joe Murdaca, though, paving the way for today’s move. Barone has a .910 save percentage through 19 games this season and had an impressive .919 mark in 48 games in 2021-22.
  • The ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets acquired defenseman Max Balinson from the Reading Royals in exchange for cash considerations. Balinson, 26, is a former college hockey defender for both Arizona State University and Long Island University. The Komets will be his third career ECHL club, and he has four points in 15 games this season.
  • Former top WHL draft pick Rhett Rhinehart was released from his standard player contract today, per the AHL’s official transactions page. Rhinehart, 21, was the 13th overall pick by the Prince Albert Raiders at the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft and played parts of six seasons in the WHL. Rhinehart earned a one-year AHL deal from the Calgary Wranglers in August after attending Calgary Flames development camp. He made his professional debut at the ECHL level, and played in seven games for the Rapid City Rush.
  • Martin Gran, a top scorer in lower-level European leagues, has signed with Kristianstads IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish Hockey. Gran, 26, comes from Lillehammer, a team in the top division of Norwegian professional hockey, where he has scored 28 points in 27 games.

Snapshots: Penguins Injury Updates, Trade Deadline, Del Bel Belluz, Del Mastro

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan issued several injury updates earlier today. Firstly, Penguins forward Ryan Poehling did not practice due to injury, and his status is considered out day-to-day. Accordingly, Sullivan stated that Poehling is unlikely to play in the Penguins’ game tomorrow against the Arizona Coyotes. Next, Sullivan revealed that injured defenseman Jeff Petry skated after the official portion of practice. Petry has been out since December 10th and is on long-term injured reserve.

Sullivan also updated the media on the status of Tristan Jarry and Josh Archibald, stating that both are away from the team rehabbing in Pittsburgh, their statuses unchanged from the last update he issued. Finally, Sullivan noted that top defenseman Kris Letang remains away from the team with his family. Letang originally took a step back from the team for personal reasons on January 2nd.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The NHL trade deadline is still a ways away, but it isn’t too early to start taking a look at what deadline season might look like. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli did just that, taking a look at the market for third-party “cap brokers” who could use the retained salary function to help facilitate trades, in exchange for some compensation. (typically in the form of draft picks) Seravalli reports that the teams most interested in serving as a “cap broker” are the Coyotes, the Chicago Blackhawks, and Anaheim Ducks. He also listed the Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Florida Panthers as teams to potentially look out for in this space.
  • Both Blue Jackets prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz and Blackhawks prospect Ethan Del Mastro were part of a major trade in the OHL today. Del Bel Belluz, a 2022 second-round pick, and Del Mastro, a 2021 fourth-rounder, were sent to the Sarnia Sting in exchange for a package of forwards and draft picks. Both players are expected to play major roles for the Sting going forward, with Del Bel Belluz having scored 41 points in 34 OHL games so far this season, while Del Mastro played a role in Team Canada winning gold at the World Junior Championships.

Atlantic Notes: Edmundson, Jokiharju, Beck, Joseph

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After a relatively hot start, the Montreal Canadiens’ season has seemingly gone off the rails. The team is mired in a six-game losing streak, and has lost nine of their last ten games. The team also came in last place in the entire NHL last season, but the difficulties that have hit the Candadiens haven’t stopped some of their players from wanting to remain a member of the NHL’s most storied franchise.

One of those players who’d like to stay is defenseman Joel Edmundson, whose contract is expiring at the end of next season. As reported by The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin, Edmundson has communicated a desire to remain in Montreal despite trade rumors featuring his name. (subscription link) The 29-year-old blueliner didn’t have the best season last year, but he remains a crucial member of the team’s leadership group and had an impressive campaign two years ago as the Canadiens made a run to the Stanley Cup final. One does wonder, though, if the Canadiens would be best suited to retain Edmundson beyond the trade deadline and into next season when instead they could potentially trade Edmundson to another team seeking a rental defenseman in order to net a younger player or draft pick.

Some other notes from across the Atlantic Division:

  • Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato told the media, including the Olean Times Herald’s Bill Hoppe, that defenseman Henri Jokiharju could return to play in a week. The 23-year-old defenseman was placed on injured reserve on December 11th.  Should Jokiharju return at that point, the Sabres will likely need to create room on their roster, as they’re currently running a full roster of 23 players. Since they have seven defensemen currently active, it stands to reason that a depth blueliner such as Kale Clague would be the odd man out.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph has made progress in his recovery from a lower-body injury that’s kept him sidelined since early December. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Joseph wore a contract jersey during practice this morning, meaning he could be nearing a return to full health. The former Tampa Bay Lightning winger has scored nine points in 25 games this season and has scored 21 points in 36 games in his Senators career.
  • The Sabres have announced that two of the team’s top prospects, Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, have been re-assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Both Kulich and Rosen are returning from the World Junior Championships. Kulich has had a wildly successful year in the AHL so far, scoring 16 points in 24 games as an 18-year-old rookie, while Rosen has been solid, scoring 15 points in 25 games.
  • Canadiens prospect Owen Beck has been traded to another OHL club, sent to the Peterborough Petes as part of a major blockbuster deal. Beck, 18, was drafted 33rd overall by the Canadiens at the 2022 draft and has 40 points in 30 games in the OHL this season.

Arizona Coyotes Re-Assign Michael Carcone To AHL

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced that forward Michael Carcone has been re-assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

The move comes after Dylan Guenther was recalled back to the Coyotes roster, following the conclusion of the World Junior Championships. With Carcone sent down, the Coyotes now have an open spot on their roster in advance of tomorrow’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The move is one of major significance for the Roadrunners, as they get the AHL’s leading scorer back on their roster. The Coyotes called Carcone up to their active roster on December 27th, and he got into a total of six games for the team. In that six-game stretch, Carcone played over 13 minutes per game and managed to pot two goals.

The 26-year-old undrafted forward hasn’t been able to find sustained success at the NHL level just yet, but he’s been elite at the level below. In 27 AHL games this season, Carcone has scored 16 goals and 42 points. His numbers were strong last year as well, when he scored 41 points in 48 games, a performance that earned him a total of 21 games in the NHL.

The Roadrunners currently sit in the middle of the pack of the AHL’s Pacific division, so adding Carcone back to their roster will do wonders as they attempt to climb their league’s standings.

St. Louis Blues Recall Tyler Tucker

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The St. Louis Blues have announced that defenseman Tyler Tucker has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

In order to create room to add him to their roster, the team has placed forward Logan Brown on injured reserve.

This move brings Tucker back to the Blues roster just a few days after he was sent back down to the AHL. With Steven Santini up to the Blues roster as part of that transaction, this recall gives the Blues eight defensemen on their active roster.

The recall of Tucker, then, could be motivated by recent news that Nick Leddy will miss tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens due to injury. With Leddy out of commission, Tucker’s recall gives the team seven healthy blueliners to work with.

Tucker, 22, is a nice developmental success story for the Blues. St. Louis selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, 200th overall, and let him marinate for a few years in the OHL. He had a solid season in the AHL last year, helping the Thunderbirds reach the Calder Cup final, and earned his first few NHL games this season.

He’s averaging 13 minutes per game in the NHL this season and has registered six blocked shots and eight hits through four games of action. At the AHL level, Tucker has played in a top-four capacity and has posted 13 points and 45 penalty minutes in 25 games.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Justin Bailey

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Saturday: Bailey has cleared waivers, NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports.  He’ll now be allowed to rejoin the Condors.

Friday: The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Justin Bailey has been signed to a one-year, $750k two-way deal.

The contract comes after Bailey was signed to an AHL deal with their affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in September. As part of the signing, Bailey has been placed on waivers for the purpose of officially assigning him to the AHL.

Bailey, 27, is a veteran of 82 NHL games, playing sporadically in the world’s top league over the past seven years. In that time frame, even as Bailey’s NHL opportunities were inconsistent, Bailey developed himself into a valuable AHL scorer.

Last season, Bailey scored 27 points in 30 games for the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. In 2019-20, he scored 47 points in 53 games for the Utica Comets. This season, he has 10 points in 16 games for the Condors.

Now that he’s signed to an NHL deal, the Oilers will have the opportunity to recall Bailey from Bakersfield should that be something they wish to do. Before this signing, the Oilers had just 44 contracts on their books, meaning this deal is of little significance when it comes to the 50-contract limit.

Overall, this signing is great news for Bailey, as he likely receives a pay raise as part of the deal as well as the chance to possibly get into some games for the Oilers should the opportunity to do so present itself.

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