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Robert Thomas Back Skating With St. Louis Blues

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Some good news for the St. Louis Blues as they enter the final week of the regular season. Lou Korac of NHL.com is reporting that Robert Thomas is back skating today at the team’s optional skate. Thomas has missed the last five games with an upper body injury but took a step towards returning as he did some drills with Blues assistant coach Steve Ott this morning.

Thomas had started to heat up just before his injury with three points in the two games prior to getting hurt. Before that he had been on a cold streak going pointless in four straight. Thomas has been streaky this year putting up points in bunches and then going cold for a handful of games. Despite this, he still has 19 goals and 63 points in 70 games this year.

The Blues have just three games left in the regular season, so it is not yet known whether Thomas will return before the Blues play game 82. St. Louis is already officially eliminated from the playoffs so there is little rush to bringing him back too soon, especially with his eight year $65MM dollar extension kicking in next season.

St. Louis will be an interesting team to watch this offseason. The team has been visibly frustrated with the play of goaltender Jordan Binnington, their defense is old and could use an injection of youth, and they’ve got a solid group of forwards led by Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. They aren’t that far removed from their 2019 Stanley Cup and will likely be looking to push for the playoffs again in 2023-24.

Seattle Kraken To Assign Shane Wright To AHL

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John Shannon of The Bob McCown Podcast is reporting that it looks as though the Seattle Kraken will assign 2022 first round pick Shane Wright to their AHL affiliate. Wright had his OHL season ended last night when his Windsor Spitfires were knocked out of the playoffs by the Kitchener Rangers.

Seattle could call Wright up to be an extra skater for the big club in their playoff push, but it appears as though they feel that some time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds would be better for his development.

Wright has had quite the rollercoaster ride during the 2022-23 season. He started the year by making the Kraken out of training camp after a solid showing. Following that he was used in a limited capacity before eventually being assigned to the AHL. In his first run with the Firebirds, Wright tore it up with four goals in five games before being called back up to Seattle. He then won gold with Team Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championships before being re-assigned to the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. The Windsor Spitfires then traded seven draft picks and two players for Wright and finished as the number one seed in the regular season. Finally, last night the Spitfires were swept in the first round by the number eight seed Rangers.

For all the highs and lows this season, Wright has produced offense more often than not. His only offensive struggles occurred at the NHL level as he has just a single goal and assist with the Kraken in eight games. Given his recent history, it makes sense that the Kraken would like to see Wright gain some traction in the AHL before making a return to the NHL.

Ryan Siedem Enters Transfer Portal

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Mark Divver of NHL.com is reporting that NCAA defenseman Ryan Siedem has entered the college transfer portal. Siedem is a senior at Harvard and just completed a season in which he registered 17 points in 34 games for the Crimson.

In college hockey the transfer portal is an online database that allows student athletes to declare their desire to transfer to a different school. Divver reports that he has heard rumors that Michigan is the favorite to land the 22-year-old New Jersey native.

Siedem was never drafted but he did attend the Washington Capitals 2022 development camp. He didn’t walk away with a contract or any type of a guarantee, but now as he finds himself in the transfer portal, it is being reported that he does have some AHL offers.

Siedem won’t put the puck in the net very often, in fact his lone goal this season came by the way of an empty netter. Looking back, he hasn’t put up more than four goals in any season since 2014-15. While he isn’t a shooter, he is a strong passer and can facilitate breakouts utilizing a good first pass.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Adam Henrique from IR

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The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they have activated centre Adam Henrique from the IR. Henrique has been sidelined with a sprained MCL since February 21. He has been effective this season for the lowly Ducks scoring 19 goals and 14 assists in 57 games.

The 33-year-old appeared on a lot of trade bait boards prior to the NHL’s trade deadline but was effectively removed from it when he went down to injury. He will likely remain a trade target for a lot of teams this summer as he enters the final year of his contract with Anaheim. Henrique is set to count $5.825MM against the cap and has a modified no trade clause. With the Ducks in the middle of a long rebuild Henrique would likely welcome a move to a contender.

It’s been a long road for Anaheim, they haven’t made the playoffs since they lost in the first round in 2018 and are currently in the running for the first overall pick, with the chance to draft Connor Bedard. Anaheim is tied for last place in the league with the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ducks do have some intriguing young pieces in place and some solid veterans that can be moved for additional draft capital and prospects. Henrique is likely to be at the top of the list of pieces the Ducks would like to move.

Chicago Wolves To Play As An Independent AHL Team

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Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News is reporting that the Chicago Wolves have e-mailed agents to let them know that the club is planning to end its affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of this season and operate as an independent organization without an NHL affiliate. They will become the first AHL independent organization since 1994-95.

In an e-mail that was obtained by The Hockey News Wolves GM Wendell Young reportedly let NHL teams know that Chicago would be open to receiving NHL players on loan. Young was also quoted in an article from The Athletic as saying this about the club’s relationship with the Hurricanes, “some organizations are development-only, but we think if we have development and win playoff games, guys learn how to win, which you’re trying to do all the time. That’s changed. It’s time to go independent and follow our own philosophy.”

Stoller tweeted today that he doesn’t see this as a surprise and that he thinks this is what Chicago has always wanted. It is hard to argue with Stoller’s thinking, given what Young had to say in the media. Stoller added that he doesn’t think any NHL team would sign an affiliation agreement with the Wolves.

The news today gives Chicago a lot of flexibility heading into next season, but it also makes Young’s job as general manager a whole lot more difficult. He will no longer have an NHL club providing players to the Wolves, which will require him to sign a lot more players to AHL contracts. The Wolves will also still be required to follow the AHL’s development roster rule which states that 13 of 18 skaters must have played 260 games or less of pro hockey.

Minnesota Wild Will Sign Mason Shaw This Summer

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Joe Smith of The Athletic is reporting that the Minnesota Wild intend to sign pending restricted free agent Mason Shaw to an extension this summer, despite his recent ACL tear. Shaw is expected to be out for eight to nine months after he was injured this past Saturday in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

For Shaw, this is the fourth time he’s torn an ACL in his young career. He’s had surgery three times already and will now need to go through it a fourth time. Smith reported that the feeling in the Wild dressing room was somber, with Shaw’s injury hitting his teammates hard.

By all accounts, Shaw is very popular within the Wild dressing room and has worked hard to get into the teams bottom six. Wild GM Bill Guerin said of Shaw’s contract, ““That won’t be something he’s going to have to worry about. We’ll figure something out. You don’t want to let go of guys like that.”

Minnesota is going to be in a tight cap crunch once again this summer with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts accounting for nearly $15MM in cap space next year. While Shaw may not return in the 2023 calendar year, he should return in early 2024 barring any setbacks. Shaw’s qualifying offer this summer will be just $787.5K, meaning that even with a modest raise Minnesota shouldn’t have any issue offering him a contract, despite their precarious cap situation.

Penguins Notes: Blomqvist, Krannila, Ortiz, DiLiberatore

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced that they’ve signed goaltender Joel Blomqvist to an amateur tryout agreement. For Blomqvist, this is his second stint playing for the baby Penguins under an ATO as he played one game last season with the club.

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected the Finnish netminder in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft and he is one of their top prospects. The 21-year-old has yet to sign an NHL contract with the Penguins, but they do retain his rights for another two years.

Blomqvist was hoping to take the next step this season back in Finland with Karpat of the Liiga, but two concussions limited his playing time to just 21 games. Despite the setback he did post a .907 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average.

In other Penguins news:

  • Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also signed undrafted Finnish forward Jami Krannila to an ATO.  The St. Cloud State product had 21 goals and 19 assists this season in 41 NCAA games and has 107 points in his college career in 143 games. The undersized winger will be a long shot to make it to the NHL as he stands just 5’10” and is listed at 163 pounds, but with teams putting a premium on speed and skill he could get a look with the Penguins. Their prospect cupboard is bare, meaning Krannila should get plenty of ice time in the AHL.
  • With these two signings Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made a series of corresponding moves by sending defensemen Peter DiLiberatore and Chris Ortiz to Wheeling of the ECHL. DiLiberatore was acquired by the Penguins organization in the Teddy Blueger trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Quinnipiac University product dressed in eight games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored two goals. Ortiz on the other hand has dressed in 39 contests with the Wheeling Nailers and has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points. He has also played 15 AHL games, producing just three assists.

Columbus To Receive Los Angeles Kings 2023 First Rounder

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When the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff birth last night it guaranteed that the Columbus Blue Jackets would receive their first-round pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft.

Columbus originally acquired a conditional first round pick from the Kings at the trade deadline as part of a package for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.

The condition on the traded pick was that if Los Angeles did not qualify for the 2023 playoffs, Columbus would have instead received a 2023 second round pick and a 2024 second round pick. Columbus will likely have the extra pick land somewhere late in the first round, but should be pleased with their slotting in what is expected to be a deep draft.

This trade could ultimately turn out to be a win for both teams. Columbus is trying to rebuild around Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine and the first-round pick should help them fill out the depth around their two offensive stars. Los Angeles on the other hand have emerged from their rebuild as a potential juggernaut in the Western Conference. They still boast a few remaining stars from their two cup winning teams and have done a nice job building around them.

This season the Kings were receiving some of the worst goaltending in the league until the trade with Columbus for Joonas Korpisalo. Korpisalo has gone 5-2-1 in eight games with a 1.75 goals against average and a .936 save percentage in what has been a career year for the 28-year-old. This recent stretch of success couldn’t have come at a better time for the Finnish goaltender, he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and with very few options available on the open market, Korpisalo could be in line for a hefty payday.

Dmitry Voronkov Expected To Sign ELC After KHL Season

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Columbus Dispatch reporter Brian Hedger tweeted that Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Dmitry Voronkov is expected to sign an entry level contract with the team after the KHL’s Gagarin Cup final. Voronkov’s Ak Bars Kazan team is tied 1-1 with Avangard Omsk in the final after dropping game two by a score of 3-2. The series shifts back to Omsk for game three.

The forward was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL entry draft and can play both center and the wing. In 54 KHL regular season games this season the 22-year-old had 18 goals and 13 assists to go along with four goals and four assists in 13 playoff games.

Voronkov is viewed by many around the Blue Jackets as a two-way forward who can fill a bottom six center role and chip in some offense. Hedger tweeted that Voronkov is “a big, snarly, two-way C prospect who projects as a hard-hitting hell-raiser for a third or fourth NHL checking line.”

Columbus is in desperate need of bottom six support. They are currently deploying Joshua Dunne and Justin Richards as their third- and fourth-line centers and both players have struggled in limited action. While it is customary for teams to audition young players when they find themselves out of the playoff picture, both Dunne and Richards are in their mid-20’s and are hardly seen as prospects at this point in their career.

Chandler Stephenson Out Tonight With An Illness

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Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun is reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights will be without the services of Chandler Stephenson this evening when they take on the Minnesota Wild. Stephenson was a late scratch with what is being described as an illness. He remains questionable for tomorrow night’s game against the Nashville Predators.

The 28-year-old Stephenson has 59 points in 76 games this season for the Golden Knights and should top 60 points for the second straight year. The Saskatoon native emerged last season as an offensive threat for Vegas and has carried his point production into this season as he currently sits second on Vegas in scoring. Stephenson came over to the Golden Knights in a trade with the Washington Capitals back in 2019 and quickly morphed his game from a defensive bottom six center into a play driving offensive player who is part of an effective power play unit.

Stephenson’s absence likely means that Teddy Blueger will be elevated from the fourth line to play alongside Phil Kessel on the third line. Blueger came over from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline and hasn’t shown much offense this season. He has five points in 14 games with Vegas since the trade and just 15 points in 59 games on the season.

Vegas has already clinched a playoff spot in what has been a bounce back season for the team after missing the postseason last year. The Golden Knights have a good chance to win the Pacific Division as they currently sit one point up on the Los Angeles Kings with a game in hand.

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