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Injury Updates: Rust, Spurgeon, Grzelcyk

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Florida Panthers Reassign Justin Sourdif

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Dec. 19: It was a quick stay for Sourdif on the NHL roster, as David Dwork of The Hockey News reports he’s been returned to Charlotte this morning. Sourdif was a healthy scratch in last night’s 3-1 loss to the Flames.

Dec. 18: The Florida Panthers recalled forward prospect Justin Sourdif from their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers today.

Although the Panthers are set to take on the Calgary Flames tonight, Sourdif is not slated to take a spot in the team’s forward lineup. Instead, this recall appears to have been made in order to provide the Panthers with additional cover at the forward position, something made necessary due to the fact that Anton Lundell and Jonah Gadjovich are currently sick and therefore out of the lineup.

Sourdif is a 21-year-old Canadian winger who has developed nicely since Florida selected him 87th overall at the 2020 NHL draft. The former WHL champion made his professional debut last season, skating in a total of 48 games for the Checkers. The speedy, tenacious forward scored 24 points in his rookie AHL campaign.

So far this season, Sourdif has taken real steps forward in terms of his development. He’s already scored 12 points in just 18 games, and is now playing an important top-six role next to Mackie Samoskevich in Charlotte.

His speed and competitiveness make him an ideal candidate for a call-up in a bottom-six role, and his offensive development suggests there could be more than just a future in an NHL bottom-six in store for Sourdif.

Right now, though, he’s likely to be on the Panthers roster in just a reserve capacity. If he does end up skating in a few more NHL games (he has already played in three this season) those contests should be seen as an opportunity for Sourdif to get more familiar with the expectations of playing in the NHL with an eye towards making a push for a more lasting spot on the Panthers in 2024-25.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/23

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Just five NHL contests are slated to be played tonight, although among that group of games there are a few with very intriguing storylines attached.

The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Minnesota Wild in what could be Marc-André Fleury’s final trip to PPG Paints Arena as an active player, although Fleury is not starting in the game. Matthew Tkachuk returns to Calgary tonight as the Flames host the Florida Panthers in a game that features quite a few former teammates. And out west in Winnipeg, the Montreal Canadiens take on the Jets in a contest that will always have stakes attached due to the hatred still felt in the Montreal market towards Mark Scheifele. Scheifele’s hit on Jake Evans from the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, one that the NHL’s Department of Player Safety called “predatory,” is still fresh in the memory of many Canadiens fans, something that adds extra heat to the relatively rare matchups between the two clubs.

Just as tonight’s schedule is packed with intriguing storylines, player movement across the world of professional hockey has been packed with activity. As always, we’ll keep track of notable player movement here:

  • Former AHL All-Star netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo has been signed to a PTO by the AHL’s Laval Rocket, returning Kaskisuo to the American League after a two-year stint in the SHL. After spending a year as the taxi squad netminder for the Nashville Predators, Kaskisuo left North America to sign with Leksands IF in the SHL. He served as the starter there for 2021-22, posting a .910 save percentage in 46 games. He led Leksands to the SHL’s postseason and played in four Champions Hockey League games, but the following year saw his role as the team’s starter usurped by Lithuanian international Mantas Armalis. Kaskisuo re-enters the AHL at a dire time for the Rocket, who sit 28th in the AHL standings. Laval’s goaltending has been horrific this season, and the team leads the AHL in goals surrendered with 102. The next-worst team has given up 92 goals, and neither of the team’s two goalies (Jakub Dobeš, Strauss Mann) have save percentages above .885. The hope with this signing could be that Kaskisuo, who has a .909 career AHL save percentage, provides some much-needed stability in net for this young Rocket team.
  • In more news related to the Montreal Canadiens, prospect defenseman Petteri Nurmi has signed a one-year contract extension with his current club, HPK in the Finnish Liiga. The 21-year-old left-shot blueliner was drafted 194th overall by the Canadiens at the 2022 draft, and has been a regular for HPK for the last three seasons. He’s scored six points in 30 games this year and is HPK’s number-six defenseman, averaging 17:48 time-on-ice per game. The Canadiens hold the exclusive rights to sign Nurmi to an entry-level contract until June 1st, 2024, and this extension may not impact their decision-making on whether to extend him an offer as they could opt to get Nurmi on an ELC and then loan him back to HPK. As a seventh-rounder who has not yet been signed, though, it’s far from a guarantee that Nurmi receives an entry-level offer from the Canadiens, making the rest of this season an important stretch for the young blueliner.
  • Just one season removed from winning the Slovak Extraliga title, HC Slovan Bratislava currently sits 11th out of 12 teams in the league standings. Their struggles this season have prompted significant player movement in recent days, as this past week has already seen two defensemen and one forward depart the club. Slovan has made a signing to replace one of those two departed defensemen, inking Swedish international Jonas Ahnelöv to a one-year deal. A 36-year-old former Arizona Coyotes third-round pick, Ahnelöv is a left-shot defenseman with a ton of experience. He represented Sweden at the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2014 IIHF Men’s World Championships. He’s also a veteran of over 500 games in the SHL, one of Europe’s top leagues, and brings leadership value having captained MoDo Hockey in 2014-15. Ahnelöv spent the last four years at Leksands, leading the club to the postseason on three occasions.
  • 23-year-old Finnish-American forward Joonas Oden has signed a one-year contract with Austrian club Pioneers Vorarlberg, a team that competes in the Central European ICEHL. The forward tried his luck at becoming a regular in Liiga and by 2021-22 looked to be successful, as he scored 11 goals and 29 points in 56 games for Ilves Tampere. But after scoring just two points in 14 postseason games for Ilves, Oden struggled the following campaign and eventually moved to SaiPa. He began the year at SaiPa but only scored four points in 14 games. Now he’ll head to the ICEHL, a league that Pioneers has struggled in since joining last season.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Sean Day

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that defenseman Sean Day has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. In a corresponding move, the Crunch reassigned defenseman Zachary Massicotte to their ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears.

Day was originally recalled on December 14th, as additional cover for the team as Victor Hedman dealt with an injury. But with Hedman now back, Day’s services on the Lightning’s NHL roster are no longer needed. Day did not dress for the Lightning’s one game that Hedman missed. Instead, Haydn Fleury slotted into the lineup and Day took Fleury’s spot in the press box as the team’s spare defenseman.

Hedman’s return to health and today’s subsequent reassignment to the AHL means Day’s most recent call-up will end without the opportunity to play in another NHL game. The 25-year-old defenseman has two games already on his resume and is undoubtedly hoping to receive more. It’s been a long journey towards the top of an NHL team’s minor-league defensive depth chart for Day, who was a rare “exceptional status” player in his junior hockey days.

Although Day was allowed to join the OHL in advance of his peers, his development stagnated somewhat with the Mississauga Steelheads, Kingston Frontenacs, and Windsor Spitfires. He earned a pro contract with the New York Rangers, the club that drafted him, but spent half of his rookie pro year in the ECHL. After spending the bulk of 2019-20 in the ECHL, Day joined the Syracuse Crunch and immediately made significant progress toward his NHL dream. He scored 40 points in 69 games for the Crunch in 2021-22, earning himself two NHL games.

Last season Day’s production fell all the way down to just 14 points in 63 games, though it has recovered somewhat this year. With this reassignment, Day will return from Tampa to resume his top-four role with the Crunch hoping to receive another call-up chance down the line.

As for Massicotte, Day’s call-up opportunity gave him the chance to play in the first AHL games of his season. The six-foot-four 22-year-old defenseman spent almost all of his rookie professional campaign in the ECHL with the Allen Americans, save for four games played with the Belleville Senators.

Massicotte played on the Crunch’s top pairing next to Philippe Myers for the team’s shutout victory over the Utica Comets two days ago, giving him some valuable exposure in the AHL. Just as Day returns to Syracuse with the hope of earning another call-up to Tampa, Massicotte will return to Orlando looking to earn another call-up to Syracuse.

San Jose Sharks Reassign Oskar Lindblom

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The San Jose Sharks have reassigned forward Oskar Lindblom to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. In order to complete this reassignment, Lindblom was activated off of injured reserve, where he had been placed during his recovery from a lower-body injury.

Lindblom has been out of commission since a November 10th contest against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 27-year-old former 17-goal scorer has struggled since signing a $2.5MM AAV contract with the Sharks.

He spent all of last season in San Jose, skating in 73 NHL games for the club. Lindblom only managed to put together six goals and 15 points in that span, though, and entering 2023-24 his grip on a regular job in the Sharks’ forward corps was shaky.

He ultimately could not secure a regular role in head coach David Quinn’s lineup for 2023-24, and began the season in the minors. He’s now set to return to the Barracuda, who he scored two points in eight games with earlier this season. Lindblom does have some demonstrated production in the AHL level, as he scored 16 goals and 34 points in his last extended stint in the AHL.

If the 2020-21 Bill Masterton Trophy winner can manage to have that sort of season in 2023-24, that would certainly help the Barracuda. San Jose’s AHL affiliate are currently 27th in the AHL with an 8-11-4 record, and have not reached the postseason since 2020-21.

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