Canadiens Reassign Lucas Condotta
Feb. 9: The Canadiens reassigned Condotta to AHL Laval on Friday, per a team announcement. He logged a +1 rating and one shot on goal in a season-high 10:34 of ice time against the Capitals on Tuesday.
Feb. 4: The Montreal Canadiens have recalled forward Lucas Condotta to the NHL roster. Condotta was up with the Canadiens roster for three days last week, playing in two games and going without a point. It was just the second and third games of Condotta’s career, with the 26-year-old making his NHL debut and scoring his first career goal last season.
Condotta has otherwise spent the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL, playing in 40 games and scoring 13 points with the Laval Rocket. He’s in just his third professional season, joining the Canadiens organization following the end of UMass-Lowell’s 2021-22 season. The undrafted free agent appeared in 17 AHL games through the end of the year, between the end of the regular season and the postseason, scoring a combined five points. He had a much stronger showing in his official rookie AHL season last year, netting 16 goals and 31 points in 72 games.
Condotta isn’t the only new face at Montreal’s Sunday practice, with the team also inking Brandon Gignac to a two-year NHL contract and recalling him to the top club. Gignac is currently leading the Rocket in scoring, with 42 points through 43 games. It’s a career year for the 26-year-old, who has already outscored his previous career-high of 33 points set in 49 games last season.
Gignac and Condotta will battle for a spot in a Montreal lineup that’s opted to ice 11 forwards and eight defensemen since recalling Arber Xhekaj on January 22nd. The Canadiens are without Brendan Gallagher for their next four games, after the winger earned the first suspension of his career with an elbow to Adam Pelech‘s head. They are also without Christian Dvorak, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach, with all three forwards on injured reserve for varying amounts of time. These absences could provide a chance for the pair of minor-league forwards to find ice time, though which of the two will slot in and for how long is yet to be seen.
Leon Gawanke To Sign With DEL’s Adler Mannheim
Feb. 9: Gawanke has cleared waivers and will now sign with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsch Eishockey Liga, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports Friday.
Feb. 8: The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Leon Gawanke on waivers for the purpose of contract termination, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The 24-year-old has spent all season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, where he leads defensemen in scoring with eight goals and 27 points through 38 games – the highest point-per-game pace of Gawanke’s five-year AHL career. This success comes after Gawanke tied for the league’s lead in goals scored by a defenseman last season, with 20 through 68 games.
The Sharks acquired Gawanke in a minor-league swap this summer, sending Artemi Kniazev to the Winnipeg Jets in return. Winnipeg has also seen their acquisition move away, with Kniazev starting the season in the AHL but moving to the KHL’s Kazan Ak-Bars in the new year. Gawanke signed a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the Sharks that he is now poised to terminate. If he does clear waivers, he will get the change to negotiate as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Gawanke was a fifth-round selection in the 2017 NHL Draft. He made his professional debut two seasons later and has since spent all of the last six years in the AHL – save for a six-game stint with Germany’s Berlin Polar Bears during the 2020-21 season. Gawanke has been the top-scoring defenseman on his team in four of his pro seasons, but whether that will be enough to earn him a new deal is yet to be seen.
Trade Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings
With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Detroit Red Wings season has gone as well as they could have hoped for. The team hasn’t had overwhelming success, but they are in the heat of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race and are averaging their highest goals-per-game total since the 2008-09 season. Detroit has 12 different skaters with over 20 points through their first 50 games and has finally found a goaltender to lead them forward thanks to Alex Lyon‘s breakout year. Things are coming together for the Motor City and, with a fruitful trade deadline, the team could be poised for their first playoff trip in eight years.
Record
26-18-6, 5th in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Conservative Buyers
Deadline Cap Space
$12.6 MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: DET 1st*, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DAL 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2025: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, BOS 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th, STL 7th
* Detroit has the option to send either Boston’s 2024 1st Round pick or their own to the Ottawa Senators as a part of the trade package to acquire Alex DeBrincat.
Trade Chips
The Red Wings are approaching the deadline with plenty of flexibility. They could serve in their usual role as a moderate seller, sending off depth pieces and extra contracts to teams looking to gear up for the Spring. But Detroit has spent nearly the last decade building out a robust prospect pool that now features top names like Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Simon Edvinsson. They’re at a position where they can begin betting on the present, which could mean draft picks are the hottest commodity Detroit possesses. The team has held on to their top three picks in each of the next three drafts – and all three are
projected to be strong classes. A first round pick has been the focal piece of both the Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan trades, and is rumored to be the asking price for many other players currently on the open market. With Detroit boasting such a deep prospect pool, being willing to part with draft capital – and maybe even a prospect or two – could give them a major leg-up in any trade negotiations.
Of course, that’s if Detroit decides to buy. It seems just as likely they could prepare to sell off some more pieces – a luxury they’re afforded thanks to a forward group with an average age of just 26.5. The Wings are getting everything they could want from their young talents, and they could decide to lean into that this deadline. They certainly have the pieces to move – including veteran defenders like Olli Määttä and Justin Holl. Or they could try and bank on a hot goaltending market by moving one of their many NHL-quality backups, including Ville Husso, James Reimer, and Michael Hutchinson.
But if Detroit really does lean into the seller’s approach, it’s likely that Patrick Kane could find himself back on the move. Kane has scored 16 points in his 19 games with the Red Wings, proving the potency he can bring when healthy. The future Hall-of-Famer knew that trade rumors might surround him as the deadline approaches, with TSN’s Chris Johnston speaking to the likelihood back in December. Now, Kane has since faced an injury that’s held him out of the team’s last seven games – and the Red Wings’ 9-2-2 record since the start of January certainly has them focused on the present. Both of those facts could dissuade the Wings from selling any part of their lineup – though, if they do, Kane’s name will surely be at the top of the list.
Team Needs
1) Younger Defensemen: In a season of positives, one negative has dragged on in Detroit. It’s become very clear that Moritz Seider, as capable as he may
be, is simply being relied on too much. The 22-year-old is averaging over 22 minutes a game, over two minutes more than anyone else on the roster. He’s in one of the top-10 hardest roles among NHL defensemen, according to Evolving Hockey’s Quality of Competition statistic (requires subscription) which argues that Seider’s role is comparable to top defenders like Noah Hanifin and Adam Pelech. Seider has taken it on with no hesitation, but the only teammate able to keep up with him has been Jake Walman. He’s otherwise receiving inconsistent help from the likes of Ben Chiarot or Jeff Petry. There’s a near three-year gap between the average age of Detroit’s forwards (26.5) and their defenders (29.7), and it’s beginning to create a rift between Detroit’s speedy youngsters and their slower old guard. If the Wings are eyeing a deep playoff push, they should also be eyeing younger defensemen that can better match the pace of their lineup. There’s no shortage of names on the market, with Hanifin recently topping Daily Faceoff’s Trade Board. Detroit could also go after Jakob Chychrun, who the team has previously expressed interest in but never landed. Both players would bring a significant boost to a Red Wings defense that’s been largely commanded by one 22-year-old German. Both players play on the left side and could provide a significant boost to Seider’s already-strong play.
2) Depth Scoring: Detroit is in a lucky position of not needing too much more depth. They have plenty of goaltending, healthy scratches like Klim Kostin and Justin Holl provide strong immediate relief, and minor leaguers like Zach Aston-Reese and Simon Edvinsson could realistically provide a spark if needed. But the Red Wings shouldn’t turn their nose up to the chance to add even more scoring to their lineup. There’s been speculation that Pavel Buchnevich could be made available by one of Detroit’s favorite trade partners in the St. Louis Blues. That could be a tremendous addition, with Buchnevich’s 182 points in 183 games with the Blues proving his capability to thrive in a confused lineup. Detroit could also target a player like Vladimir Tarasenko, who has 13 goals and 33 points in 45 games this season despite operating on Ottawa’s third line. Tarasenko would be significantly cheaper to acquire than Buchnevich, and is a pending free agent where Buchnevich has one more season left on his contract. Other options could include Anthony Mantha or Anthony Duclair, two more pending free agents with seemingly more to offer. It’ll be an exciting deadline for the Red Wings, who have the cap space, the assets, and the successful lineup to seemingly choose whatever path forward they would like.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Afternoon Notes: Clarke, Turcotte, Acciari, Richard
The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Alex Turcotte and defenseman Brandt Clarke from the minor leagues. This move was largely expected, with both players getting assigned to the AHL on February 1st, ahead of the NHL All-Star Break.
Turcotte appeared in his first two games of the season just before getting sent down. He recorded two points in the latter matchup – representing his first NHL goal and his first NHL assist through 14 career games. He played in two AHL games during the All-Star Break, recording one assist. Clarke also saw his first appearance of the season in January, playing in six games and recording one assist. He appeared in a career-high 18:38 in his most recent NHL outing and managed one goal in the two AHL games he played during the Break.
Other notes from around the league:
- Pittsburgh Penguins centerman Noel Acciari has been diagnosed with a concussion, per team reporter Seth Rorabaugh with the Tribune-Review. Acciari was on the receiving end of a hit to the head from Winnipeg’s Brenden Dillon, who received a three-game suspension for the hit. It forced Acciari out of the game and will now force him out of the lineup for the team’s upcoming two-game road trip. He’s already missed eight games this season due to a lower-body injury that placed him on injured reserve and an upper-body injury in early-January. He has scored four points in the 39 games he has appeared in.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled centerman Anthony Richard to the NHL. It’s the first recall of Richard’s stint with Boston, who signed the forward to a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the club on July 1st. Last season marked the first time Richard has played in more than one NHL game in a season, appearing in 13 outings and scoring five points with the Montreal Canadiens. The 27-year-old has been in the AHL since the 2015-16 season, totaling 463 games and 282 points in the league. That includes his 37 points in 41 games with the Providence Bruins this season.
Mikhail Sergachev Undergoes Surgery For Fractured Tibia And Fibula
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has undergone surgery to stabilize a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg, per a statement from the team. No formal timetable for a return has been established, though head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that he will be out for at least the remainder of the regular season. Sergachev suffered the injury in the second period of Tampa Bay’s Wednesday night loss to the New York Rangers. He was making his return from a separate lower-body injury that earned him a place on long-term injured reserve in December.
Sergachev has only appeared in 34 of Tampa’s 50 games this season, though his 19 points rank second among the team’s defensemen in scoring. He’s been clearly valuable to the team when he’s healthy, averaging over 22 minutes a night for the third season in a row. The 25-year-old is in the eighth season of his NHL career, totaling 475 career games and 257 career points. All but four of those games have come with Tampa Bay, who acquired the defenseman in a one-for-one swap with the Montreal Canadiens in 2017, sending Jonathan Drouin the other way.
Tampa Bay has leaned on multiple defensemen to fill in for Sergachev’s absence, with Calvin De Haan the most likely to slot in right away. De Haan has seven points through 45 games this season, playing in just over 16 minutes a night. The Lightning could also have Haydn Fleury as an extra on the NHL roster. Fleury has four points through 12 games this season. He’s also appeared in five AHL games, going without a point and recording six penalty minutes.
Calgary Flames Sign Martin Pospisil To Two-Year Extension
The Calgary Flames have signed forward Martin Pospisil to a two-year, $2MM contract extension. The new deal will carry a $1MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.
Pospisil has become a fan-favorite since playing in his NHL debut on November 4th. He scored his first career goal in his first game, kicking off a hot streak that saw Pospisil net three goals and five points in his first seven NHL games. He’s lost his scoring touch since, totaling just 11 points through 34 games up to this point. His role has become much grittier, with Pospisil tallying 23 penalty minutes since January 1st – more than any other Flame. He’s up to 37 penalty minutes on the season, ranking second on the team to Andrew Mangiapane.
Calgary drafted Pospisil in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s already played more NHL games than all but two players taken that round, behind Philipp Kurashev and Paul Cotter. Pospisil turned pro soon after getting drafted, playing 26 games with the Flames AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, in the 2019-20 season. He recorded 10 points and 56 penalty minutes that season – ranking third on the team in penalty minutes despite playing roughly 20 fewer games than anyone else in the top five.
Pospisil made his professional debut soon after his draft, playing in 26 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the 2019-20 season. He quickly established himself as a physical presence, ranking third on the team with 56 penalty minutes, despite sitting out 29 of the team’s 45 games. That presence has followed him, with Pospisil setting a career-high 95 penalty minutes in 47 games during the 2021-22 season. He’s now proving his physicality at the top level, throwing hits at a rate greater than any other Flame and earning his first million-dollar contract. That physicality got him into some trouble last night against Boston when he received a major penalty for cross-checking but Sportsnet’s Eric Francis relayed earlier today that there would be no supplementary discipline heading his way.
Afternoon Notes: Walker, Tarasenko, Rempal
The Philadelphia Flyers are seeking a first-round pick for defenseman Sean Walker, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Walker has been a trade candidate for much of the season, though not much has come out about what his asking price may be. The Flyers acquired Walker this summer as part of a three-team trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. Philadelphia also acquired Calvin Petersen, Helge Grans, and three draft picks in the deal.
This season is Walker’s first away from the Kings and he’s made the most out of the change in scenery, with 18 points in 51 games this season already surpassing his point totals in each of the last three seasons. He is on an 82-game pace of 28 points, a mark that would break his previous career-high by four points. He’s spent much of the season on Philadelphia’s second pairing alongside Nick Seeler. But Philadelphia’s recent acquisition of Jamie Drysdale has put pressure on Walker’s top-four role. It seems the team is leaning into that shift, now testing the 29-year-old Walker’s value on the open market.
Other notes from around the league:
- Ottawa Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko has changed his agent again, now represented by Craig Oster of Newsport Sports. Newsport represents six other Senators, including Brady Tkachuk and Joshua Norris. This is the second time Tarasenko has changed agents in the last seven months, with his last change coming just before signing a one-year, $5MM contract with Ottawa. Tarasenko, 32, has been mentioned as a possible rental option with the trade deadline approaching. He has 13 goals and 33 points through 45 games this season while playing on Ottawa’s third line.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have sent forward Sheldon Rempal back to the minor leagues. The 28-year-old was recalled on February 5th, serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s Sunday win over the Edmonton Oilers. Rempal played four NHL games earlier in the season, scoring two goals and recording one penalty. He’s also scored 20 goals and 31 points in 41 AHL games this season, leading the Henderson Silver Knights in goals.
Wild Notes: Lettieri, Brodin, Chisholm, Raška
The Minnesota Wild have activated forward Vinni Lettieri from injured reserve. Lettieri has been out since December 30th with a lower-body injury, missing the team’s last 14 games. He’s appeared in 19 games when healthy this year, scoring three goals and four points. He has also scored eight points in 10 AHL games.
Lettieri will return to the lineup looking to top 20 games in a season for only the third time in his career. The 29-year-old has played in 102 career NHL games over the last six seasons, though much of them have come in a relief role. The 2021-22 season marked the most that Lettieri has played in one season, as he appeared in 31 games and scored 10 points with the Anaheim Ducks. His only other season of more than 20 games came in the 2018-19 season – Lettieri’s rookie year – which saw the centerman net three points across 27 games.
Lettieri has also totaled 237 points across 277 career AHL games.
Other Minnesota Wild notes:
- The Wild will be without both Jonas Brodin and Declan Chisholm for their Wednesday night matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, per team reporter Sarah McLellan. McLellan shares that both players haven’t skated much, as Brodin is facing illness and Chisholm was traveling internationally after the team claimed him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets last week. Both will look to enter the lineup when Minnesota hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
- Minnesota has sent forward Adam Raška to the minor leagues. Raška has spent a month with the NHL roster, slotting into five games but failing to change his stat line. The 22-year-old winger has also played in 20 AHL games this season, recording one goal, 61 penalty minutes, and a -5. Raška has appeared in 13 NHL games over the last three seasons, though he’s still searching for his first point. That search will be delayed a bit longer as the former seventh-round pick rejoins the Iowa Wild.
Winnipeg Activates Mark Scheifele, Axel Jonsson-Fjällby Clears Waivers
2/7: Jonsson-Fjällby has cleared waivers. He will be assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, per the Winnipeg Free Press’ Ken Wiebe.
2/6: The Winnipeg Jets have placed forward Axel Jonsson-Fjällby on waivers to make space for the return of star forward Mark Scheifele. Scheifele has been out since January 11th, missing the team’s last six games. Winnipeg has felt the effects of Scheifele’s absence, going 2-3-1 without the forward, getting outscored nine to 14. The team’s performance has been a far, far cry from the dazzling 16-1-2 record they set in Scheifele’s most recent 18 games.
Scheifele was nursing a four-game point streak prior to his injury, helping build his season total to 14 goals and 41 points in 41 games – a mark that still leads the team in scoring despite his absences. Scheifele has been Winnipeg’s most-used forward, averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time this season. The mark has brought his career average ice time to an even 20 minutes through 764 career games. Every single one of those games has been spent with the Jets, who drafted Scheifele seventh overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. He has since played in the 10th-most games of anyone in that draft class, though he’s scored the fourth-most points. Scheifele was part of a loaded 2011 Draft that also featured Nikita Kucherov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mika Zibanejad, and Dougie Hamilton.
With Scheifele returning, the Jets will now risk losing winger Jonsson-Fjällby, who is in his second season with the organization after being claimed off of waivers from the Washington Capitals. Jonsson-Fjällby was drafted by Washington in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft and made his professional debut with the AHL’s Hershey Bears in 2018-19. He’s since played in 99 career NHL games, scoring 23 points. Jonsson-Fjällby has five points in 26 NHL games this year, as well as five points in 10 AHL games. He will look to jump back into the NHL lineup soon, eyeing the 100th game of his NHL career.
Snapshots: Kochetkov, Monahan, Cousins, Hughes
Pyotr Kochetkov has been confirmed as the starter for the Carolina Hurricanes’ Tuesday night game against the Vancouver Canucks, per head coach Rod Brind’Amour. This will be Kochetkov’s first game since suffering a concussion on January 11th. He was red-hot before the injury, going 7-1-2 and setting a .924 save percentage in his last 11 games. That includes a four-game winning streak leading up to the injury that saw Kochetkov post a .936 save percentage on 110 shots against.
Carolina has felt the impact of Kochetkov’s absences, seeing their average goals-against jump from 2.45 in Kochetkov’s last 11 appearances to 2.71 in the seven games that he’s missed. That hasn’t been enough of a difference to stifle the red-hot Hurricanes, though the team’s goal-differential has gone from +17 to just +1 in the same periods. The Hurricanes have relied on five different goalies through the 2023-24 season, facing multiple injuries and absences in net. They will hope to find their starting goalie for the second half of the season soon, with both Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen progressing in their return from injury. Andersen has been out since November 2nd with a blood clotting disorder.
Other notes from around the league:
- Sean Monahan will be making his debut with the Winnipeg Jets in their Tuesday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, says head coach Rick Bowness. There was some concern about Monahan’s availability after he was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, though Bowness clarified that the team’s morning skates are typically optional. Monahan has 13 goals and 35 points through 49 games this season and was recently traded away from the Montreal Canadiens for a first-round pick and a conditional later-round pick.
- Nick Cousins is set to be activated off of injured reserve and make his return from a concussion on Tuesday. Cousins has been out since January 2nd, missing Florida’s last 12 games. The Panthers have performed well despite his absence, going 8-2-2 and averaging 3.92 goals per game. They will get back a bottom-six forward in Cousins on Tuesday.
- Star New Jersey Devils centerman Jack Hughes has continued to progress in his return from injury, moving into full contact at the team’s Tuesday morning practice. Hughes told reporters at the All-Star Game that he hopes to make his return soon, and he made his return to the team’s practices on Monday. The Devils will hope he can get back as soon as possible, as the 22-year-old has a dazzling 15 goals and 45 points through just 32 games this season – a mark that ranks fifth in the NHL in points per game.