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Minor Transactions: 11/09/22

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After a packed night of hockey yesterday, today’s NHL slate is a bit lighter. Four games are on the schedule for today, headlined by a primetime showdown between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. As we await the NHL action set to be played tonight, we have some minor league and foreign transactions to track. We’ll cover all those moves here:

  • Veini Vehvilainen, a former member of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, has changed clubs. Per a team announcement, Vehvilainen has joined JYP, the Liiga club of his hometown, Jyvaskyla. Vehvilainen spent last season as the starter for Brynas in the SHL, putting up a .907 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against-average. He’s struggled so far this year with a grisly .854 save percentage, possibly prompting Vehvilainen to make this move. Brynas announced that they’ve signed veteran netminder Tomi Karhunen.
  • Jeremy Brodeur, the son of legendary NHL netminder Martin Brodeur, has made the choice to head overseas to continue his professional career. Brodeur has signed with the Manchester Storm of the EIHL, the top pro hockey league in the United Kingdom. Brodeur has played in two games this season, both with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, and now heads to a Storm club in need of help in the crease. The team’s current starting goalie, Hayden Lavigne, has a .888 save percentage through 11 games, so the Storm will hope that Brodeur can be an improvement in the net.
  • Strauss Mann, a talented goalie prospect in the San Jose Sharks organization, was recalled to the AHL San Jose Barracuda yesterday. Mann, 24, has a sterling resume so far in his career, having represented the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and been an elite college netminder at the University of Michigan. His recall is possibly motivated by a desire for the Barracuda to improve their goaltending fortunes, as the incumbent tandem of Aaron Dell and Eetu Makiniemi boasts a combined .900 save percentage.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Colorado Avalanche Recall Sampo Ranta

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The Avalanche have been busy with roster shuffling this season, and their streak of moves continues today with the recall of forward Sampo Ranta from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

This move comes after it was revealed that the Avalanche would be without forward Valeri Nichushkin for a month as he recovers from ankle surgery. Martin Kaut had been playing alongside Evan Rodrigues and Alex Newhook but was sent down on Sunday. This recall paves the way for Ranta to take Kaut’s role on that line, or perhaps he will replace Mikhail Maltsev (who was also sent down) on the team’s fourth line.

Ranta, 22, was a third-round pick at the 2018 NHL draft and has been a solid mid-tier prospect for the Avalanche since he concluded his collegiate career. Ranta was a strong scorer in his final year at the University of Michigan, scoring 31 points in 31 games, and has been a modest scorer at the AHL level with 14 points in 38 games last year.

Ranta has 10 total NHL games on his resume, all coming last season. He’s in a position to grow that number in the coming weeks as the Avalanche look to stabilize their forward corps in the midst of injury troubles that have shaken up the team’s roster.

Juraj Slafkovsky To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Montreal Canadiens are once again under the microscope of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. NHL Player Safety announced on Twitter that Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky will have a hearing today for boarding Detroit Red Wings forward Matt Luff in last night’s game.

The incident in question came close to the end of the third period of the Red Wings’ shootout loss to the Canadiens. The Red Wings won a defensive zone faceoff, and Luff had carried the puck up to the red line. He attempted to chip a puck past Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson, who promptly swatted Luff’s chip attempt back down towards Luff. At that point, Luff attempted to send the bouncing puck into the offensive zone, but after whiffing on his first attempt was driven into the boards by Slafkovsky, who was gliding through the neutral zone.

Slafkovsky hit Luff in the numbers, driving him head-first into the boards. Luff looked to be in pain as he got up and left the ice, and coach Derek Lalonde said postgame that Luff would be out “long-term.”

As the 2022 first-overall pick, last night’s game was Slafkovsky’s tenth in the NHL, so it should not be a surprise that this is his first run-in with the Department of Player Safety. The Canadiens have already lost winger Josh Anderson to a two-game suspension, and it would not be a surprise to see the other Canadiens power forward be handed a similar punishment.

Carolina Hurricanes Activate Ryan Suzuki, Assign To AHL

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have activated forward Ryan Suzuki off of the injured non-roster list and assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

Suzuki had been out due to an upper-body injury, an injury that caused him to miss the entirety of the Hurricanes’ training camp and preseason.

Suzuki, 21, was the 28th overall pick at the 2019 NHL draft and has thus far struggled to translate his success at the OHL level into success in the pro ranks. Suzuki has just 24 points in 60 career AHL games, and the increased physicality has in particular been a challenge for Suzuki.

Last season, Suzuki scored 14 points in 34 AHL games. Worth noting is the developmental environment Suzuki has been placed in at AHl Chicago. The Wolves are an independently-owned AHL franchise whose first priority is competing for Calder Cups, not player development.

That’s something they do successfully, as they won the Calder Cup last year, and an entirely respectable organizational priority. But on the flip side, the club is more eager to give AHL veteran scorers such as Stefan Noesen and Andrew Poturalski the sort of offensive opportunities other organizations might reserve for their top prospects.

So while Suzuki certainly hasn’t met expectations thus far at the AHL level, it is important to note the unique developmental situation he’s been placed in, as it undoubtedly has played a role in his growth as a professional player.

Buffalo Sabres Assign Jeremy Davies To AHL

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The Buffalo Sabres have assigned defenseman Jeremy Davies to the AHL Rochester Americans, per a team announcement.

Davies was originally recalled by the Sabres on October 31st after forward Riley Sheahan was sent down, and now heads back to Rochester despite having not skated in a single game for the big club.

Davies, 25, signed in Buffalo this summer as part of a trio of depth defenders who joined the Sabres on one-year deals. He earned that contract after a solid year in the Nashville Predators organization, one where he scored 31 points in 54 AHL games. That performance earned Davies six NHL games, a decline from the 16 games he played in 2020-21.

This year, Davies has played seven games, all in Rochester. With Ilya Lyubushkin back at full health, there was simply no more need to keep Davies on the Sabres’ active roster. He now heads back to the AHL looking to help Rochester climb the AHL’s North Division standings.

Kristian Vesalainen Signs In Finland

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After a run of 15 games in the SHL, 2017 first-round pick and former Winnipeg Jets forward Kristian Vesalainen is headed home. Per a team announcement, Vesalainen has signed a contract spanning the rest of this season with Liiga club HIFK.

This signing comes after his contract with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks was terminated, and allows Vesalainen to play in Helsinki, the city where he was born. Vesalainen has actually been a member of HIFK before, as he developed there as a junior player before heading to Frolunda in Sweden to continue his development.

Vesalainen, 23, signed in Malmo this past summer with the goal of playing a major role in the SHL, one that would allow him to flourish offensively in ways his limited role in the Jets organization wouldn’t.

That didn’t happen in Malmo, though, as Vesalainen scored just three points in 15 games and has not been used as the top-six offensive centerpiece he likely signed there to be.

He’ll now head to Liiga and join HIFK with the hope that he can find a better role in Helsinki. HIFK could certainly use the help, as they currently sit near the bottom of the Liiga standings, and their top scorers have just nine points in 20 games.

Vesalainen’s rights are still owned by the Jets until June 30th, 2026, so he’ll have a relatively long runway to build himself a strong scoring resume in Europe before attempting a potential return to the NHL.

Snapshots: Canucks Direction, Tanev, Clutterbuck

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The Vancouver Canucks have been the center of significant attention early in this NHL season. They were the last team to earn their first win of the campaign, and they now sit 27th in the league standings with just three wins in a year where the franchise added Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko with the intention of making the playoffs. It could take longer for the Canucks to reach true contention than they may have believed it would this summer, and that fact has forced the team’s front office to ponder a possible change of course.

In conversation with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah on Sportsnet 650, as relayed by Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff, Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford shed some more light on the organization’s current mindset. Rutherford mentioned that the team’s goal heading into next offseason would be to clear some major contracts off the team’s books in order to get the necessary cap space to make moves. That goal may be motivated by the Canucks’ desire to retain their captain Bo Horvat beyond this season. Horvat is a pending unrestricted free agent and could be seeking a contract in line with other top-six centers, meaning at or above a $7MM AAV.

For some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev has now missed three straight games with an injury, something that has concerned those who remember Tanev’s repeated struggles to remain fully healthy as a member of the Canucks. Tanev has been remarkably healthy as a member of the Flames, though, and it appears that Tanev’s injury may not be a major setback. Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson reports that Tanev’s injury is not related to the shoulder he had surgically repaired this summer, which is good news for the Flames, who rely on Tanev as a key defensive contributor.
  • New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck left tonight’s game against the Flames in the first period after taking a hit from Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Of note is the fact that Clutterbuck missed the Islanders’ Friday practice for maintenance. Clutterbuck has a goal in eleven games for the Islanders so far this season and his absence could pave the way for Ross Johnston to get some games in on the team’s fourth line.

Carolina Hurricanes Recall Jack Drury

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The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that prospect forward Jack Drury has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

While the Hurricanes have as a team excelled so far this year, veteran forward Derek Stepan has struggled to make an impact as their fourth-line center. Stepan has just one point in 12 games and has seen limited ice time in recent games.

This recall could be the Hurricanes’ way of pushing Stepan while also getting a different look on their fourth line, assuming the fourth line is where coach Rod Brind’Amour does end up slotting Drury.

Drury, 22, is the son of former NHLer Ted Drury and the nephew of New York Rangers GM Chris Drury. Like the Wolves as a whole, Drury has gotten off to a slow start in the AHL this year, although he was exceptional last season.

Last year, Drury scored 52 points in 68 regular-season games and then potted nine goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games as the Wolves captured the Calder Cup.

A second-round pick at the 2018 draft, this recall could be Drury’s chance to seize a spot in the Hurricanes’ lineup for good. He has been solid in his limited NHL experience thus far, with two goals in two games, and should help the Hurricanes continue to build on their hot start.

Minor Transactions: 11/07/22

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We have a trio of games on the schedule tonight, with the New York Islanders hosting the Calgary Flames, the Boston Bruins taking on the St. Louis Blues in a 2019 Stanley Cup Final rematch, and the Edmonton Oilers up against the Washington Capitals. Amid all the NHL action, some minor league and overseas teams have made changes to their rosters. We’ll round up those moves here.

  • 2010 first-round pick and former NHL forward Quinton Howden signed a contract with Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga today. Howden, 30, spent last season playing for Kolner Haie of the German DEL and had 18 points in 45 games there. He joins a Jukurit side looking to improve their fortunes as they currently sit eleventh in the Liiga standings.
  • Former Nashville Predators prospect Patrick Harper has changed clubs. Per a team announcement, Kristianstads IK have signed the 24-year-old winger from fellow HockeyAllsvenskan side Mora IK. Harper had six points in 12 games for Mora and joins a Kristianstads team that boasts another former NHL prospect: 2016 fourth-round pick Jack Kopacka.
  • Veteran minor league defenseman Brandon Fehd is headed back to North America after a season in Europe. The 31-year-old blueliner spent most of last season with HC Vita Hasten in Sweden and has now signed with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder.

New York Islanders Recall Robin Salo

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Nov 7: After playing yesterday for Bridgeport, Salo is back up with the Islanders today. He’ll be available for them tonight against the Calgary Flames.

Nov 6: The New York Islanders announced a roster move this morning, sending defenseman Robin Salo to their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. This is not the first time this season that Salo has been sent to the AHL, although he is yet to play a game in Bridgeport this year.

Salo, now 24, was the Islanders’ top draft pick at the 2017 draft, getting selected 46th overall. At the time, Salo was seen as a safer selection, having already established himself as a regular contributor in his native Finland’s top professional league.

Since that point, the Islanders have been extremely patient with Salo’s development, and he spent a full half-decade playing as a regular Liiga defenseman before finally making the jump to North American pro hockey last season.

In 2021-22, Salo played 40 games in Bridgeport and 21 on Long Island, scoring 20 points at the AHL level and five in the NHL. This year Salo has played in just four of the Islanders’ games, and has lost out a regular spot next to partner Scott Mayfield in favor of veteran Sebastian Aho.

The Islanders did not announce a corresponding call-up after this move, hinting at the possibility that this send-down is merely a paper transaction to bank cap space for the trade deadline. The move leaves the Islanders with just six defensemen on their active roster, so unless the team plans to call up a different blueliner the paper transaction would seem like the most likely explanation for this move.

That being said, the possibility that the Islanders simply prefer to get the young Salo some time in Bridgeport to keep him from spending too long as a healthy scratch cannot be ruled out.

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