Senators Recall Zack Ostapchuk
The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Zack Ostapchuk. He was assigned to the minor leagues just under two weeks ago, fitting in three games and three points with the AHL’s Belleville Senators before returning to the top lineup. Ostapchuk serves as an alternate captain for Belleville, where he has eight points in nine games this season.
Ostapchuk has also appeared in six NHL games this season. He recorded one assist – his first NHL point in 13 games through this season and last. He spent the bulk of last season in the minors, scoring 17 goals and 28 points in 69 games. He’s in just the second year of his pro career, after a prolific career in the WHL. Ostapchuk played his rookie junior season in 2019-20 and played through his draft year in 2020-21 – combining for 59 points in 66 games, good enough to earn the 39th-overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Ostapchuk took on the Giants’ captaincy in the proceeding 2021-22 and held onto it until a midseason trade in 2022-23. He scored 72 points in 81 games with the Vancouver ‘C’ on his chest, and looked even better on a dazzling Winnipeg Ice roster where he managed 38 points in 34 games.
The Senators aren’t likely to need Ostapchuk right out of the gates. Instead, the top prospect will likely serve as an extra forward behind red-hot scorer Adam Gaudette on the fourth line. Ostapchuk will again be searching for his first NHL goal if, or when, he slots back into the Senators lineup.
Blues Fire Drew Bannister, Hire Jim Montgomery
The St. Louis Blues have fired second-year head coach Drew Bannister and replaced him with recently-fired Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. The move was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Montgomery has reportedly signed a five-year deal with the Blues, per Fanduel Sports Network’s Andy Strickland.
It’s a shocking coaching change. St. Louis has struggled this season, posting a 9-12-1 record on the year and a 3-6-1 record in what will now be Bannister’s last 10 games with the club. The poor showings have the Blues ranked sixth in the Central Division – but their poor start hasn’t come as too much of a surprise, especially as St. Louis deals with injuries to Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, and Philip Broberg.
But St. Louis has deemed the losing too much, and now separate from Bannister before he could coach a full 82 games. The 50-year-old head coach took over the Blues’ head coaching role from Craig Berube last December, earning a promotion after three years leading the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. Bannister was quickly productive in Springfield, leading the team to a 43-24-9 record and trip to the Calder Cup Finals in his inaugural season of 2021-22, though the T-Birds would fall to the oft-champions Hershey Bears. Bannister followed the long playoff run up with a 38-26-8 record and qualifying-round exit in the following year, but seemed to have the wind behind him to start the 2023-24 campaign. He started that year 12-8-0 – on pace for 40 wins across a full season.
But Bannister didn’t get a chance to see things through in Springfield, instead jumping to a Blues roster off to a terrible start. Berube left St. Louis at 13-14-1 – again good for sixth in the Central Division, where they find themselves this year. Bannister was forced to pick up the pieces, and led St. Louis to an admirable 30-19-5 record – bringing out the best of young lineup pieces like Jake Neighbours and Scott Perunovich. But his strong run wasn’t enough to lift St. Louis above a slow start, and they’d miss the 2024 postseason by six points.
St. Louis looks to be on track to miss again this year. While they certainly have faced bad injury luck, the team has struggled to find any scoring from down the lineup – with just four Blues with 10-or-more points through 22 games this season. They haven’t been helped along by what was meant to be strong goaltending, with starter Jordan Binnington posting a .891 Sv% and 3.04 GAA in 17 games, and backup Joel Hofer recording a .893 and 3.45 in six games. That paints the picture of top-to-bottom struggles in St. Louis, despite GM Doug Armstrong pushing for a heap of overturn and new faces this season.
That change will now continue, with Bannister ousted by career-Blue Jim Montgomery. Montgomery served two seasons as a Blues’ assistant coach in 2020-21 and 2021-22, getting hired off their bench into Boston’s head coach role. He proceeded to lead one of the greatest seasons of all time, setting the single-season wins record with a 65-12-5 standing. Montgomery brought career performances out of David Pastrnak, Linus Ullmark, and Jeremy Swayman – though Boston couldn’t manage to push back the first round of the playoffs. Unbothered, Montgomery stayed red-hot through 2023-24, following his record-breaking campaign with an impressive 47-20-15 record and second-round playoff exit. Those two seasons – a combined 112-32-20 record – made it all the more surprising when Boston chose to axe Montgomery after an 8-9-3 start to the season.
Despite a bad start, Montgomery is clearly a successful NHL coach – inspiring strong play since his first year at an NHL helm, when he led the 2018-19 Dallas Stars to a 43-32-7 record. He continued with a 17-11-3 record in 2019-20 – but stepped down midseason for personal reasons. His first sighting after that was on the Blues’ bench that he’ll now head back to.
The connection between Montgomery and St. Louis runs deep. The Blues signed Montgomery as an undrafted free agent in 1993, immediately after he captained the University of Maine to their first NCAA championship in school history. It was a legendary season that saw Montgomery and Paul Kariya – another famous Blue – lead perhaps one of the greatest collegiate offenses of all time. Montgomery kept the show going into the pros, earning a quick call-up after scoring 15 points in his first 12 minor-league games. He put up six goals and 20 points in 67 games on the Blues’ roster – but couldn’t hang onto a lineup role on a lineup that routinely turned over their depth lines. That kicked off Montgomery’s journeyman career around North America. He’d go on to play 11 more professional seasons, but changed teams every year – save for a three-year stint with the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms from 1997 to 2000, that kicked off with a Calder Cup championship.
Predators To Recall Fedor Svechkov, Assign Adam Wilsby
The Nashville Predators have reportedly recalled forward Fedor Svechkov and returned defender Adam Wilsby to the AHL, per the AHL Transactions Log. It’s the first NHL call-up of Svechkov’s young career, coming after he started the season with eight points in seven AHL games. He’s one of three Milwaukee Admirals still scoring above a point-per-game pace, alongside Vinny Hinostroza (19 points in 13 games) and Zachary L’Heureux (five points in four games).
Nashville general manager Barry Trotz has been vocal about wanting to lean into the many top prospects playing in Milwaukee amid the team’s struggles. He said earlier this month that he’s responsible for buying his prospects time to develop at the NHL level – and now brings up another youngster to join L’Heureux, who has four points in his first 15 NHL games.
Svechkov has planted his feet as a strong play-driver, bringing plenty of tenacity and speed to the middle lane. Those traits helped him reach 16 goals and 39 points in 57 games as an AHL rookie last season. He looked sharp, upholding his strong production in a move from Russia to Wisconsin. The 2021 19th-overall pick will now look to maintain it through an even tougher step, likely to challenge Colton Sissons or Michael McCarron for minutes centering the team’s bottom six.
Meanwhile, Wilsby will return to the minors just one day after being recalled. He’s bounced between the two rosters all month, spending as much as a week in the NHL – though Wilsby hasn’t cracked the lineup just yet. That might be a bit of a disappointment for the 24-year-old defender, who’s yet to make his NHL debut despite three seasons of serviceable play in Milwaukee. He has three points in 11 AHL games this season, bringing him to 42 points in 144 career AHL games. Wilsby was a fourth-round pick in 2020, and spent two years after his draft selection honing his traits in Sweden’s SHL. He’ll return to the minors with an assured role, and likely another depth call-up, awaiting him.
Oilers Recall Drake Caggiula
The Edmonton Oilers have recalled forward Drake Caggiula to the NHL roster. This move offers insurance after Zach Hyman left Edmonton’s Tuesday night game before the third period. It was Hyman’s 600th NHL game. No update, or indication of Hyman’s availability, has been made since his early exit.
Caggiula will now return to the NHL just a couple weeks after being sent down from his last recall. He’s played in two games with Edmonton this season, recording one assist, two blocks, and three hits in a fourth-line role. That’s fairly typical output from the veteran forward, who’s spent the bulk of the last eight seasons filling the role of depth bruiser. That context has made Caggiula’s fantastic minor-league scoring over the last three seasons all the more surprising. He has nine points, 17 penalty minutes, and a +4 in 11 games with the AHL’s Bakersfield this season, building on the 90 points he scored in 108 AHL games over the last two seasons. This three-year stint is, surprisingly, Caggiula’s first time playing in the minor-leagues – after earning an NHL role immediately after signing as an undrafted college athlete in 2016.
Caggiula’s scoring isn’t likely to translate to the top flight – it hasn’t so far – but any production would be better than what Edmonton’s received from Hyman recently. The reigning 54-goal scorer has just one assist through his last seven games, and eight points in 20 games this season. He’s on pace to finish the year with just 12 goals and 33 points, which would be Hyman’s lowest scoring in a full season since his rookie year of 2016-17. There’s no clear sign as to if Hyman is expected to sit out, or how long he may be shelved, but Edmonton will get to choose between Derek Ryan, Kasperi Kapanen, and Caggiula should a lineup spot open up.
Bruins Could Turn To Trade Market For Spark
The Boston Bruins have finally acknowledged how underwhelming their season has been, becoming the first team to fire a head coach this season when they let go all-time single-season wins record holder Jim Montgomery. Associate coach and penalty-kill expert Joe Sacco has been promoted in his place. That move is likely to bring a wave of defense to a Bruins lineup that’s tied for the third-most goals-against this season. But general manager Don Sweeney isn’t waiting around for hypotheticals, with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reporting that the team is simultaneously exploring the trade market for a potential spark.
LeBrun said Sweeney isn’t beating around the bush, directly calling out the poor play of new additions like Elias Lindholm – who Boston signed a seven-year, $54.25MM contract with Boston this summer. He’s followed that deal with just two goals and nine points through Boston’s first 20 games. That’s miles away from the production of the true top-line center that Lindholm was signed to be, and his rank of third on the team in scoring underlines just how bad the offense has been. LeBrun, not Sweeney, also pointed to the struggles of goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who leads the league in goals-against (47) in just 14 games. That equates to an .884 save percentage and 3.47 goals-against-average – perhaps the very last thing Boston expected when they went through rounds of contract negotiations during training camp.
The woes continue with Sweeney’s other gut calls. Defender Nikita Zadorov only has five assists in 20 games – and leads the league in penalty minutes (46) – and forward Max Jones hasn’t scored once in four appearances. It’s not all bad for the lineup – in fact, the breakout of bottom-six fixtures like Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, and Mark Kastelic would cause celebration anywhere else – but it’s clear that the team is completely missing their engine. They’ve done little to restock the cupboards since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci stepped down from their posts, instead casting a wide net for depth forwards and hoping for the best.
Should Boston pursue a trade, it’d almost certainly be for a high-impact, top-six forward. Where they’ll find a team willing to part with a major piece is less clear. Seattle Kraken centerman Yanni Gourde has popped up in early trade rumors, though his seven points in 20 games wouldn’t bring the spark Boston needs. Gourde did score 25 goals and 64 points on the 2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning, and has hit 48 points three times since – though he’s failed to pass the half-century mark. The Bruins have been leaning into grit and physicality amid their struggles, evident by their recent call-ups – both pieces that Gourde brings in abundance.
But Gourde won’t carry Boston’s top-line, still leaving a glaring hole in what was supposed to be Lindholm’s role. That may necessitate a more brazen trade, like attempting to acquire hard-nosed Nashville Predators center Thomas Novak, who’s missed a handful of games to injury this season and only posted four points in the 14 games he has played. That’s far below the 18 goals and 45 points Novak posted last season, which was itself an improvement on 43 points the year before. Novak has been square in the middle of a Predators’ middle-six that simply isn’t working – but his gritty style and finishing ability would both be heralded by this Bruins club.
If Don Sweeney is truly looking to push all his chips in, he could also target former superstar prospect Shane Wright, who’s been healthy scratched in Seattle’s last two games after scoring just two points in 18 games this season. Wright has yet to find it out at the top level, now standing at nine points through 34 career games – contrary to his 60 points in 71 total AHL games last season. Wright’s talent has never been questioned, but his fit in Seattle is starting to look quickly uncomfortable. For the right price – likely a hefty package with plenty of draft capital – Boston could try to steal away the 20-year-old burgeoning star, and put him in a far better spot to succeed between David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.
So early into the season, it’s hard to gauge which top forwards could actually be pried away from their lineup. The Bruins will wait to see how things go under Sacco before making any large moves. But a strong array of centermen should await Don Sweeney on the trade market, with the limiting factor being Boston’s wallet – and underbaked assets – more than the options ahead of them. They’ll have to push the boundaries of the budget to pull out of a difficult 8-9-3 start to the year.
Central Notes: Athanasiou, Mrazek, Joseph, Heinola
The AHL’s Rockford IceHogs have announced that forward Andreas Athanasiou has suffered a wrist injury and will miss the next four to six weeks. He’s just three games into a tenure with Rockford, after passing through waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks on November 13th. Athanasiou recorded two goals on four shots in his AHL debut but didn’t manage any scoring in two games this weekend. He’s playing in his first minor league games since the 2015-16 season, working to earn a recall after failing to score in his first five NHL games this season.
The slow start this season has continued Athanasiou’s unpredictable career. He’s only two seasons removed from a 20-goal, 40-point season with a much weaker Blackhawks lineup, but was limited to only 28 games last season by a lower-body injury that lasted nearly five months. He hasn’t rediscovered his scoring on the other side of that injury – and now gets stifled from a potential resurgence in the minor leagues for the time being. Athanasiou carries a $4.25MM cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Sticking in Chicago, starting goaltender Petr Mrazek will sit out of the team’s Tuesday night game against Anaheim for personal reasons per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720. Arvid Soderblom will take over the starting crease, and Drew Commesso has been called up to serve as backup. Soderblom has posted a .934 save percentage in five games this season, well ahead of Mrazek’s .906 in 13 games. He’ll need to stay strong, with no indication of how long Mrazek may miss and Chicago currently on a two-game losing streak.
- It will be Mathieu Joseph stepping out of the St. Louis Blues’ lineup to make room for Robert Thomas‘ return from a fractured ankle per NHL.com’s Elise Butler. Joseph only has one point in his last seven games, and has fallen to a fourth-line role after a strong stint in late October. St. Louis acquired Joseph and a third-round pick for future considerations from the Ottawa Senators this summer. Joseph scored a career-high 35 points last year, but has so far struggled to find his scoring in St. Louis. He’ll look to take better advantage of his minutes when he’s called on again, while Oskar Sundqvist also steps out of the lineup in favor of Zachary Bolduc.
- Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel said that defender Ville Heinola could rejoin against Minnesota on Monday, shares NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton. Heinola was assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for a conditioning stint after starting the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He hasn’t slotted into the Jets’ lineup since January of 2023, when he was assigned to the minors after scoring just one point in 10 NHL games. He went on to score 64 points in 89 AHL games over the last two seasons, though he continues to fight with routine injury. Heinola was the 20th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Bruins Fire Head Coach Jim Montgomery
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced that the club has relieved head coach Jim Montgomery of his duties. Associate coach Joe Sacco will assume an interim head coach role. Montgomery’s ousting comes after a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. It was Boston’s third consecutive loss, and the 10th in their last 15 games. The Bruins have been outscored 51-to-28 in those games, good for a -23 goal differential – the worst in the NHL since October 19th.
To say Boston’s early season has fallen short of expectations would be an understatement. The team stands with an 8-9-3 record, and needed overtime to achieve half of their wins. No aspects of the lineup seem to be firing properly, with David Pastrnak (17) and Brad Marchand (13) the only Bruins to pass 10 points through 20 games – and even they’re scoring below their typical pace. Netminder Jeremy Swayman hasn’t been any better, with his .884 save percentage in 14 appearances outmatched by backup Joonas Korpisalo‘s .901 in seven appearances. It’s been top-to-bottom struggles in Boston, sparking the first coach firing of the young season.
Montgomery will be replaced by Boston-native, and Boston University alum, Joe Sacco, who’s served on the Bruins bench since the 2014-15 season. Sacco worked under three different head coaches in that span – serving as an assistant up until this summer, when he received an aptly-timed promotion to associate coach. He’ll now take one step further, moving into his first head coaching role since 2012-13, when Sacco was fired after a four-year tenure with the Colorado Avalanche. He only led Colorado to the postseason once, in 2009-10 – his first year as an NHL head coach. He set a 43-30-9 record that year, only to fall to a dismal 88-104-21 record through his next three seasons. That includes a 16-25-7 record in the 2012-13, which paved way for Colorado to select Nathan MacKinnon first overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Before his time in the NHL, Sacco achieved a 60-79-21 record across two seasons with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters.
But while past precedent may not shine favorably on Sacco, his decade in Boston has provided plenty of learning experience. He’s become known for overseeing Boston’s penalty-killing unit, which ranks as the second-most effective in the NHL over the last decade. More specifically, the Bruins have three separate seasons in the top 10 of penalty-killing percentage since 2014-15 – posting a second-ranked 87.3 percent in 2022-23, a seventh-ranked 86 percent in 2020-21, and a 10th-ranked 85.7 percent in 2016-17. That’s in large part thanks to Sacco, who amassed 738 career NHL games of his own – standing out as a stout defensive-forward. Those traits will come in handy for a Bruins team currently allowing the fourth-most goals in the league.
Meanwhile, Montgomery will now look for new work less than two seasons after leading Boston to a record 65 wins in 2022-23. The Bruins were promptly ousted in the first round of the postseason, but the year was nonetheless monumental. It ended in Linus Ullmark winning the Vezina Trophy, Patrice Bergeron – again – winning the Selke Trophy, and Montgomery winning the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year. Montgomery followed it with a very strong 47-20-15 record last season, commanding Boston through the loss of longtime lineup pillars Bergeron and David Krejčí and making it to the playoff’s second round.
Montgomery’s hockey roots run deep. He was a star at the University of Maine, captaining the team’s 1993 NCAA Championship run while serving strong opposite of Paul Kariya. He signed in the NHL as an undrafted free agent soon after and became a star scorer in the minor-leagues – amassing 328 points across eight years and 451 games in the AHL. He retired from an 11-year pro career in 2005 and didn’t take on his first head coach role until 2010 – but his winning tendencies quickly came back. Montgomery led the Dubuque Fighting Saints to the USHL Clark Cup in both 2010 and 2012 – earning a move step up to the University of Denver, where he won another NCAA Championship in 2017. He was hired by the Dallas Stars in 2018, and led the team to a 60-43-10 record, though he stepped down as head coach partway through the 2019-20 season. Still, his hockey resume is as strong as it comes, and it likely won’t be long before Montgomery finds himself once again commanding an NHL lineup.
Red Wings To Reassign Jack Campbell
Nov. 18: Campbell cleared waivers Monday and is on his way to Grand Rapids, Friedman reports.
Nov. 17: The Detroit Red Wings have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Campbell signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with Detroit on July 1st but entered the NHL Player Assistance Program on October 4th. That’s been his designation ever since, though this waiver placement suggests he’s been activated and will soon return to the ice.
Campbell has been on a downward spiral since his stout service as Toronto’s starter in 2021-22. He recorded 31 wins and a .914 save percentage in 49 games that year – both higher than any Leafs starter not named Frederik Andersen since 2010. Campbell followed what seemed to be his breakout season by signing a rich deal with the Edmonton Oilers. But he’d quickly lose his grip, ultimately ceding the starting role to rookie Stuart Skinner after only posting 21 wins and a .888 save percentage in 36 games. Skinner managed a hardier 29 wins and .914 save percentage in 50 games, leading Edmonton to placing Campbell’s hefty $5MM cap hit on waivers. He passed through and proceeded to look much better with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors – posting an 18-13-1 record and .918 save percentage in 33 games. But that wasn’t enough to vindicate his price tag, and the Oilers chose to buy out the last three years of Campbell’s contract this summer.
A new deal in Detroit marked a chance for Campbell to rediscover his footing – though a chance at the NHL roster has always been a long shot. The Red Wings made a point of building out their net this summer, adding Cam Talbot on a two-year, $5MM contract to help challenge Alex Lyon and Ville Husso for the starting role. Talbot has more than earned it so far, posting a .927 save percentage through 10 games, while Lyon’s .903 is strong enough to hang onto the backup role.
Unfortunately, that’s left Husso and his .811 in two NHL games as the odd-man-out. He’s been buried in the minor leagues, though he’s recorded a much more encouraging .952 save percentage in four games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Husso is rotating with Carter Gylander as the backup to top Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa, who’s set a dazzling .937 save percentage in 11 games. Campbell will now step into that crowd, likely pushing Gylander back to the ECHL but not guaranteeing any minutes in front of Husso. It’ll be a battle of the middling goaltenders in Grand Rapids’ goaltending room, while the 21-year-old Cossa continues to pave a strong path forward.
Snapshots: Wild, Perets, Edvinsson, Rasmussen
The Minnesota Wild have assigned forwards Liam Ohgren and Michael Milne, and defender Daemon Hunt, to the AHL as they anticipate the return of Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek. Michael Russo of The Athletic points out that, even with the two veterans returning, the team will likely call another forward up in the coming days.
Ohgren made his return to the lineup, and Milne his NHL debut, in Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Stars. Neither had much to show for their minutes, with Ohgren recording two shots in 12:10 and Milne recording three hits in 6:34. Another scoreless night pulled Ohgren through his eighth game this season with no points. Hunt hasn’t stepped into the lineup since being recalled on November 12th, though he did play one NHL game in October. All three have been far more productive with the AHL’s Iowa Wild – where Ohgren has four goals in four games; Hunt has two assists in six games; and Milne has eight points in 10 games. Ohgren and Milne will be the top options to be quickly recalled, though Minnesota could also turn towards veteran pros like Ben Jones, Travis Boyd, or Devin Shore.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent goaltender Yaniv Perets back to the minor leagues with Pyotr Kochetkov set to return from injury per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Kochetkov missed Carolina’s Saturday win over Ottawa with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour describing Kochetkov as “banged up” to postgame media including NHL.com’s Matt Komma was the closest indication of Kochetkov’s hold up. Whatever the issue was, the young netminder is set to reassume his familiar role as de facto starter with Frederik Andersen out long-term. Kochetkov has eight wins and a .897 save percentage through 10 games this season. Meanwhile, Perets has only served as backup in his NHL call-ups this season. He’s posted a .825 save percentage in three AHL games this year, and will return to a crowded Chicago Wolves goaltender room beside Spencer Martin and Ruslan Khazheyev.
- Forward Michael Rasmussen (upper-body) and defenseman Simon Edvinsson (lower-body) are both expected to return to the lineup on Monday per the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both players sat out of the team’s Saturday night loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Rasmussen has found a role in Detroit’s bottom-six, recording four points through 16 games this season. Edvinsson has proven far more impactful, usually serving as the go-to partner for star Wings defender Moritz Seider. Edvinsson has six points in 16 games this season, putting him on pace for 30 points in his rookie year.
Avalanche Place Alexandar Georgiev On IR, Recall Two
The Colorado Avalanche have placed starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (upper-body) on injured reserve, retroactive to November 13th. Georgiev sat out of the team’s Friday loss to Washington. This move rules Georgiev out of the team’s Monday match against Philadelphia, though head coach Jared Bednar told Colleen Flynn of Colorado Hockey Now that the netminder will join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. He’ll be eligible to return as soon as Thursday.
This move downgrades Georgiev to an extended absence after he received a day-to-day designation on Saturday. He’s started 10 games this season, setting a bleak 4-5-0 record, .863 save percentage, and 3.56 goals-against-average. It’s a continuation of the skid that he hit last season and the prolonged struggles are starting to cost Georgiev ice time. Backup Justus Annunen has played in nine games this year, posting an improved .881 save percentage and 5-3-0 record.
In a corresponding move, Colorado has also recalled forward T.J. Tynan and goaltender Kevin Mandolese. Mandolese will become the fifth goaltender to take to the Avalanche bench this season, earning the chance after posting a 4-2-0 record and .905 save percentage in six AHL games this season – one more win, but the same save percentage, as goalie partner Trent Miner in the same number of games. Mandolese has built a hardy career in the minors, posting 32 wins and a .897 save percentage across 72 games, and five seasons, in the AHL. He’s proven even stronger in 15 ECHL games, and even boasts a .916 save percentage through three career appearances in the NHL. With Georgiev’s return likely just around the corner, Mandolese should be confined to a backup role on this recall.
Meanwhile, Tynan will return to offering offensive depth behind Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. Tynan was assigned to the AHL ahead of this weekend, and recorded three assists in the Colorado Eagles’ Saturday win over Ontario. That scoring brought him to seven points – all assists – in eight AHL games this season. He’s also recorded one assist in seven NHL games. Tynan is still searching for his first NHL goal – with just two assists through 28 career games in the NHL. He’s likely headed for the press box on this recall, unless Bednar chooses to rotate out fourth-line pieces.