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Minor Transactions: 01/26/23

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It’s a busy Thursday night on the NHL schedule, with nearly twenty teams set to do battle. Highlights from tonight include a heated rivalry matchup between Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and a showdown between the league-leading Boston Bruins and the defending three-time Prince of Wales Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. As hockey fans soak in all of tonight’s matchups, teams from across the hockey world have been making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.

  • Former WHL star and New York Rangers prospect Ty Ronning has decided to continue his professional career in Europe. The 25-year-old 2016 seventh-round pick is perhaps best known for scoring 61 goals in the 2017-18 WHL season. He’s been a decent scorer at the AHL level, potting 18 goals and 39 points last season, and is now headed to Germany to play for ERC Ingolstadt in the DEL. Ingolstadt has been ravaged by injuries this season, so the addition of Ronning should be able to help them during a crucial stretch of their DEL campaign.
  • Ingolstadt made another move today, signing 22-year-old defenseman Leon Huttl to a two-year extension, meaning he will be under contract with the Bavarian side until 2026. After spending several seasons in the German second division, Huttl has firmly established himself as a regular in Germany’s top division in Ingolstadt. He routinely plays over 20 minutes per night, with some games reaching closer to 25 minutes. He represented Germany at the 2020 World Juniors and now gets some early stability in his pro career.
  • Former Boston Bruins prospect Cedric Pare has had a successful PTO with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, and today had that PTO made into a full contract according to the AHL’s official transactions page. The big 24-year-old had a solid professional debut in 2020-21, scoring 17 goals and 40 points in 67 ECHL games for the Utah Grizzlies. That performance earned him an AHL deal for 2021-22, but he struggled immensely, scoring just 10 points in 41 games. This season, he’s spent most of his time in the ECHL until being signed to a PTO by the Eagles in November. He’s got seven points in 19 games for Colorado, and will now get to finish his season there.
  • Daniel Glad has helped two teams to promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan to the SHL in his career, and now he’s set to try to help a third team make the jump. Djurgardens IF, a prominent Swedish club recently relegated to the Allvenskan, has announced the signing of Glad to a two-year deal. Glad, a 30-year-old blueliner with extensive experience in the top two divisions of Swedish hockey, should be able to help add some valuable experience to a Djurgarden team filled with talented prospects, such as 2022 first-rounders Liam Ohgren and Noah Ostlund.
  • Trey Bradley, a star scorer in the ECHL, is headed to Sweden to continue his professional career. Ostersunds IK, a club in the HockeyAllsvenskan, has announced the signing of Bradley on one of the team’s social media channels. The 26-year-old has scored 82 points in his last 68 ECHL games, and heads to Sweden now with a strong track record of being a difference-maker at North America’s third tier of pro hockey.
  • Olli Palola is switching from Liiga to the SHL. The Finnish scorer, who has a track record of production in Liiga, the KHL, and the SHL has transferred from HIFK Helsinki to Timra IK. The 34-year-old scored just six points in 21 games in the Finnish capital this season, and now heads to Sweden with the hope that a change of scenery can get him back to his old scoring ways.
  • Carolina Hurricanes prospect Simon Forsmark could also be on the move to Timra. One of two Hurricanes’ 2022 fourth-round picks, Forsmark has struggled to see the lineup consistently this season for Orebro. Johan Svensson of SportExpressen reports that Forsmark has signed with Timra, leaving Orebro. The move is presumably with the intention of earning more ice time, which is likely of interest to the Hurricanes who will want to see Forsmark put forth as much tape as possible as they eventually weigh whether to sign him to an entry-level deal.
  • Veteran minor league defenseman Mathieu Brodeur, a 2008 third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes and 2020-21 Kelly Cup Champion, has chosen to hang up his skates. In an announcement released by the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions, Brodeur detailed the reasons behind his choice. The 32-year-old defenseman finishes a career that spanned from San Antonio to Slovakia and France playing for the ECHL affiliate of his hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens.
  • The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have acquired forward Dylan Sadowy from the Iowa Heartlanders, per the ECHL’s official transactions page. The Heartlanders claimed Sadowy off of waivers yesterday, and have now dealt him to Georgia without having dressed him for a single game. Sadowy, the 81st overall pick at the 2014 draft, is a Calder Cup champion and former ECHL All-Star. He scored 50 points in 51 games for the Tulsa Oilers last season, but was waived by the team this year having scored just 14 points in 30 games. He’ll now get a change of scenery in Savannah, joining a team that is currently struggling to find consistent scorers.
  • The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have released defenseman Roy Kanda. The 22-year-old defenseman has taken a unique developmental path to North American professional hockey. He hails from Hokkaido, Japan, and he played hockey in Japan before heading to Finland to continue his development and has begun his pro career in the SPHL. With three games of ECHL experience now under his belt, Kanda will look to earn another look in the East Coast league by continuing his SPHL career.
  • The ECHL’s Allen Americans have signed goaltender Justin Kapelmaster. The 27-year-old won the Kelly Cup with Allen in 2020-21, before bouncing around to four additional teams in the ECHL. Kapelmaster signed with the Reading Royals in August and earned a PTO with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. In December, Kapelmaster was released by the Royals, who elected to run with 22-year-old Nolan Maier as their starter. He signed with the Jacksonville Icemen shortly afterward but didn’t get into a game there before being released on New Year’s Eve. Now he lands back in Allen and will look to recapture the success he found in his first go-around with the Americans.
  • The EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers have released veteran defenseman Craig Moore. The Scottish blueliner has been a fixture in the United Kingdom’s top league for several seasons, suiting up for the Cardiff Devils, Fife Flyers, Glasgow Clan, Dudee Stars, and the Panthers. Moore has played almost 250 games in the EIHL in his career, and will likely look for another contract in that league in order to continue his professional career.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Seattle Kraken Recall John Hayden From AHL

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Jan 24: Up and down he goes. Hayden has been recalled once again.

Jan 22: The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward John Hayden has been re-assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The re-assignment opens a spot on the Kraken’s 23-man roster in order for GM Ron Francis to make any additional desired moves.

Hayden, 27, was originally recalled from Coachella Valley on January 16th. After four straight seasons as an NHL-only player who offered limited, low-scoring depth play to his team, Hayden got a chance to be a top AHL player when he signed a two-way deal with the Kraken over the summer.

He’s given the Kraken and Firebirds a great return on their investment, having scored 25 points in 34 AHL games. That performance earned Hayden his first NHL game of the season, and he skated in just over eight minutes in the Kraken’s shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche last night.

He now heads back to Coachella Valley where he’s expected to resume his role as a top-six forward for the team. The Firebirds have been one of the best teams in the AHL so far this season, and the return of Hayden to their squad should only bolster head coach Dan Bylsma as he attempts to fend off the Calgary Wranglers’ attempts to pass them for first place in the AHL’s Pacific Division.

Metropolitan Notes: Meier, Marino, Clutterbuck

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San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier is one of the biggest names featuring heavily in trade rumors as of late, and it was only yesterday that news came in that Meier’s camp was being “very realistic” about the possibility of their client being traded. Today, it seems Meier the trade market for Meier could be starting to take shape.

According to The Fourth Period, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are two clubs “interested in acquiring” the talented Swiss forward. Given the pending restricted free agencies of Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere, and K’Andre Miller, it’s possible that the Rangers may only be interested in Meier as a rental acquisition since the qualifying offer to retain his rights in the summer is set at $10MM. For the Devils, they could have the room to make Meier a more long-term part of their core, but one wonders if they have the type of young center to offer San Jose that could raise their bid above the trade offers of other teams.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Devils breakout defenseman John Marino could be nearing a return to the ice, as head coach Lindy Ruff told the media (including team reporter Amanda Stein) that Marino’s status is now considered day-to-day. The 25-year-old blueliner has been out since the middle of December, but when he was playing he was one of the Devils’ best two-way defensemen. He’s scored nine points in 32 games this season and is averaging over 21 minutes per night.
  • Yesterday, we learned that New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck suffered an upper-body injury that will keep him out indefinitely. Today, Stefan Rosner of New York Islanders Hockey Now reports that Clutterbuck has been placed on injured reserve. According to Rosner, defenseman Samuel Bolduc will take the vacant spot on the Islanders’ roster.

St. Louis Blues Re-Assign Steven Santini To AHL

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With yesterday’s news that star St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko is nearing a return from injured reserve, the Blues have made a move to clear space on their roster for Tarasenko’s return. Per a team announcement, veteran depth defenseman Steven Santini has been sent down to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Santini, 27, was originally recalled from Springfield on January 4th. He played in four games for the Blues from January 7th to January 12th but has been a healthy scratch since. In those four games, Santini averaged just over 12 and a half minutes of ice time per night, and he registered six hits and ten blocked shots.

In Springfield, Santini served as an alternate captain and an important top-four, penalty-killing defenseman on a team that made the Calder Cup final. This season, he’s resumed his top-four, stay-at-home role for the Thunderbirds.

He’s not an offensive producer and has just five points in 32 AHL games this season, but he’s a relied-upon stay-at-home defender at that level and should help Springfield in that area now that he’s been sent back to the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 01/21/23

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After last night’s light schedule, today has been and will be full of NHL games. Highlights include a classic Saturday night rivalry matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, a Metropolitan Division showdown between the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes and a 2018 Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. As fans across the hockey world soak in the wealth of games to be played tonight, teams in foreign and minor leagues are tweaking their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.

  • Reid Duke, the first ever Vegas Golden Knight, has transferred to the Slovakian capital. HC Slovan Bratislava have signed Duke, 26, after he spent 16 games with rival Slovak club HK Nitra. It was Duke’s first professional season in Europe, having spent the past half-decade as a minor leaguer in the Golden Knights organization.
  •  The ripple effect of today’s news that Cole Caufield will miss the rest of the season has stretched to all three levels of the Montreal Canadiens organization. Laval Rocket star Alex Belzile was called up to the NHL roster, and taking his spot in the AHL is forward Ryan Francis. Francis, 21, was a fifth-round pick of the Calgary Flames at the 2020 draft. He starred for the Saint John’s Sea Dogs in the QMJHL last season, and won the Memorial Cup. He’s had a solid professional debut this year, scoring 21 points in 31 ECHL games, and now he’ll head to Laval with a chance to impress at the AHL level.
  • With yesterday’s news that goaltender Daniil Tarasov has returned from injury, the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters have sent goalie prospect Pavel Cajan to their ECHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings. Cajan, 20, is an undrafted prospect who is in his first season as a professional. He’s struggled in the AHL thus far, with an .879 save percentage on a talent-depleted Cleveland team, although he has fared better in the ECHL, with a 3-0 record and .964 save percentage.
  • Netminder Joe Murdaca has now landed on his fourth ECHL roster of the month. The 24-year-old former QMJHL goalie has been signed by the Atlanta Gladiators. Gladiators netminder Tyler Parks was called up to the AHL yesterday, so the team needed a goalie, hence this signing of Murdaca. Murdaca, a champion in both the OHL and QMJHL, has a .897 save percentage in 26 career ECHL games.
  • Two players who were set to be released by their ECHL clubs yesterday, Neil Robinson and Brennan Blaszczak, were claimed off of waivers. Robinson, 27, is headed to the Jacksonville Icemen, his third team of the season, while Blaszczak, 26, was claimed by the Tulsa Oilers.

This page will be updated with any new notable moves. 

Injury Updates: Ekblad, Bennett, Slavin, Foligno

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Just as the Florida Panthers have begun to make a real push to climb the Eastern Conference standings, the team has been hit with a rash of major injuries. The team is down to an Alex Lyon–Mack Guzda tandem in net, and now it seems they could be without their top defenseman. The Panthers have announced that 2014 first-overall pick Aaron Ekblad and 2014 fourth-overall pick Sam Bennett each suffered an upper-body injury in tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Per the team, Eklbad is doubtful to return, while Bennett has been ruled out. Ekblad is no stranger to injury troubles, as he has missed chunks of time in each of the past two seasons. Ekblad hasn’t escaped the Panthers’ team-wide regression from their President’s Trophy-winning form of last season, but he still has scored 20 points in 36 games and averages 24 minutes a night. While the emergence of Brandon Montour might help the team weather any extended Ekblad absence, this news is still unwelcome for a club desperate to gain ground on other contenders.

Some other injury notes from tonight’s games:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that defenseman Jaccob Slavin has suffered a lower-body injury, and will miss tonight’s game against the New York Islanders. With Slavin out, the Hurricanes will be missing one of the NHL’s best defensive defensemen. Offseason trade acquisition Dylan Coghlan has moved into the lineup in Slavin’s place, and will have a chance to put some quality play forward in the absence of Carolina’s top blueliner.
  • The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Marcus Foligno will miss tonight’s game against the Panthers due to a non-COVID illness. While this is unlikely to keep him out of the lineup for any extended period, it does come as another piece of bad news in a difficult season for Foligno. The 31-year-old forward scored 23 goals last season and has seen much of that offense dry up this year, as he’s scoring at just a nine-goal 82-game pace.

Pacific Notes: Meier, Ryan, Boudreau

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Talented San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier has been the subject of intense trade rumors in recent weeks, and he could be one of the most sought-after wingers on the trade market over these next few months. The 26-year-old Swiss national has scored 26 goals this season and leads all Sharks forwards with 46 points in 46 games. Meier is a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and is owed a $10MM qualifying offer should the Sharks (or another team) want to keep his RFA rights.

Meier’s agent, former NHLer Claude Lemieux, spoke to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News about his client’s situation, saying “we have not discussed a contract extension and we are very realistic of the possibility of Timo getting traded.” Meier’s expensive qualifying offer makes his status on the trade market somewhat complex, as some teams may only be able to afford to acquire him as a one-year rental. But in any case, it seems that the prospect of the Sharks dealing one of their most valuable players is becoming more and more realistic with each passing day.

Some other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • The Edmonton Oilers are considering signing depth forward Derek Ryan to a contract extension, writes The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. (subscription link) The 36-year-old is playing on a $1.25MM cap hit this season, and Nugent-Bowman makes it clear that the Oilers will communicate to Ryan that any contract offer would come at a pay cut, “with the understanding that Ryan would be battling for no more than an 11th forward position and could be scratched more often on his new deal.” A veteran of nearly 500 NHL games, Ryan has scored eleven points in 45 games for the Oilers this season.
  • One of the worst-kept secrets in hockey in recent weeks has been the Vancouver Canucks’ desire to move on from head coach Bruce Boudreau. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Canucks are expected to officially announce a coaching change in a Monday press conference, and that tonight is likely to be Boudreau’s last game as Canucks coach. The Canucks organization has faced significant criticism from media and fans alike for their handling of this expected coaching change, and now it seems their long-planned Rick Tocchet era is about to begin.

Florida Panthers Loan Spencer Knight To AHL

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8:05 PM: According to CapFriendly, veteran forward Eric Staal was placed on injured reserve today, making room for the recall of Guzda. Staal lands on injured reserve after leaving yesterday’s game after a big reverse hit from Mike Matheson. Matheson earned a fine for the hit earlier today.

4:16 PM: It’s been a wild 24 hours for goaltending in South Florida, as Sergei Bobrovsky left last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens due to injury. Reigning Calder Cup champion Alex Lyon was forced into action, and he guided his team to a victory. Now, it seems there could be some more stability coming to the team’s equation in the crease.

The Panthers have announced that netminder Spencer Knight has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. The move has been made presumably with the intention of Knight staying in the American League for conditioning purposes. He’s working his way back from an injury that landed him on injured reserve ten days ago.

Knight has been solid this season even as the Panthers team around him has regressed. Through 19 games played, he has posted a .906 save percentage. He returns to the AHL level for the first time since last season, when he spent a total of eleven games in Charlotte. In his last tenure there he went 7-4 with a .905 save percentage.

With Bobrovsky’s health status still unclear, getting Knight back to full health will be crucial as the Panthers look to build momentum in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Along with Knight’s departure to the AHL comes the recall of netminder Mack Guzda to the Panthers’ roster. This recall is presumably of the emergency variety, as the Panthers currently don’t have room on their active roster for a third goalie.

Guzda, 22, is in the midst of his first professional season. He’s spent the entirety of this year in Charlotte, and has a 9-4-2 record and .908 save percentage in 16 games played for the Checkers. He’ll be expected to back up Lyon should Bobrovsky not be ready in time for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Minor Transactions: 01/20/23

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It’s a slow night on the NHL calendar, with just two games set to be played. It’s the second half of a two-game series between the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition to that contest, the Colorado Avalanche are taking on the Vancouver Canucks. While those four clubs do battle, teams across the hockey world are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • TJ. Brennan, a two-time Eddie Shore Award winner as the AHL’s best defenseman, has signed a two-year extension with his current club HC Ajoie. This is relatively big news for the Swiss side, as Brennan is an extremely accomplished defenseman in European and minor leagues. He signed in Ajoie over the summer from the ICEHL’s Red Bull Salzburg, after a season where he was an ICEHL All-Star, champion, and leader in defensive scoring. Brennan, 33, has 27 points in 39 games this season.
  • Former Ottawa Senator J.C. Beaudin has signed an extension to remain with his current club, Grizzlys Wolfsburg. Beaudin signed in Wolfsburg, a club in Germany’s DEL, this summer, his first signing away from North America in his professional career. The former Rouyn-Noranda Huskies star has 22 NHL games on his resume, and last played on this side of the Atlantic with the Laval Rocket last year. He scored 17 points in 41 games in Laval and has had real success in Wolfsburg, scoring 12 goals and 20 points in 30 games.
  • Former Kitchener Ranger Matthew Greenfield has stolen the show for the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers this season, posting a .927 save percentage over the course of 32 games. His red-hot form has now had a ripple effect on the careers of two other netminders, as seen by today’s announcement that the Steelers have released Oskar Ostlund and signed Hayden Lavigne. Ostlund had originally been signed from the DEL to a two-year contract with the intention of him playing a major role. But after what the team called a “freak injury” before the Steelers’ first game sidelined him, Ostlund’s spot as the team’s number-one has been seized by Greenfield. Now, Ostlund will be able to continue his professional career elsewhere.
  • The ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets have released forward Neil Robinson. Robinson arrived in Fort Wayne from the Utah Grizzlies via trade in December. Robinson had fallen out of favor in Utah, having scored just five points in eleven games. He didn’t have much success in Fort Wayne, scoring just one assist in eleven games, and now will have to look elsewhere to continue his professional career.
  • The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings have released forward Brennan Blaszczak today. The 26-year-old had been in the midst of his first extended stint in the ECHL of his career, having spent the prior two seasons in the SPHL with the Pensacola Ice Flyers. Despite being above a point-per-game in the SPHL, Blaszczak couldn’t quite hang on with either the Wings or the Savannah Ghost Pirates, and is handed his release having scored three points in eight total ECHL games.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Injury Updates: Carlo, Staal, Crouse, Pacioretty

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The Boston Bruins have announced that defenseman Brandon Carlo has suffered a lower-body injury, and is unlikely to return to tonight’s game against the New York Rangers. Carlo, a 26-year-old stay-at-home defenseman, is no stranger to injury issues, although this one is thankfully of the lower-body variety. While no injury is ever good news for a player, Carlo has battled concussions during his tenure as a Bruin, meaning the fact that this injury isn’t adding to that history is worth being thankful for.

Carlo blocked a hard shot from New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad in the second period of tonight’s game, and it’s likely that this injury has something to do with that block. The Bruins will hope that Carlo leaving tonight’s game proves to be an ultimately unnecessary precaution, as Carlo has been an important part of the team’s defensive formula and they’re likely to want him back on the ice as soon as he’s able.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • Another Florida Panther has left tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens: Eric Staal. After starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky left early in the game, the team announced that Staal had suffered an upper-body injury and would not return for the rest of the match. The injury seemed to come after Staal took a hit from Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have announced that forward Lawson Crouse will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old 2015 first-round pick is in the middle of what is shaping up to be the best season of his career. He’s already scored 16 goals in just 43 games of action, and the team has to be hoping that he can return to action as soon as possible.
  • There was a terrible scene in the dying seconds of tonight’s Carolina Hurricanes game. Forward Max Pacioretty, who just recently returned to the ice after surgery to repair a torn Achilles, needed to be helped off the ice after suffering a non-contact lower-body injury. The News and Observer’s Luke DeCock noted that the leg Pacioretty injured tonight was the same as where he had his Achilles injury, which is obviously not a good sign for Pacioretty and the Hurricanes whatsoever. But until the Hurricanes get a closer look at Pacioretty’s status, all anyone can do is hope this ends up simply being a minor scare, and not a potential setback in the recovery from his offseason surgery.

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