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Kraken Recall Devin Shore

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The Kraken announced they’ve recalled winger Devin Shore from AHL Coachella Valley on Wednesday. To clear space on the 23-man roster, forwards Max McCormick and Marián Studenič were reassigned to Coachella Valley. Freeing up an additional roster spot in the transaction now means the team can activate winger André Burakovsky, who head coach Dave Hakstol said today is close to a return, off injured reserve.

Shore, 29, receives his second recall of the season. A 2012 second-round pick of the Stars and a longtime teammate of Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, with whom he spent multiple seasons within Dallas, Shore signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Kraken last August. He was coming off a middling season with the Oilers in which he registered nine points in 47 games and earned his first AHL demotion since beginning his pro career in 2015.

The 6-foot-1, 209-pound winger has logged nearly 490 games of pro experience, 431 of which have come in the NHL. He made nine appearances for the Kraken earlier this season, recording a goal and an assist in 7:46 of average ice time, before being returned to Coachella Valley in mid-November. The Kraken have been rotating extra forwards often over the course of the season, giving multiple farmhands in southern California a chance to see NHL ice.

He’s off to a strong start in the minors this year, recording three goals and three assists through nine games. While Coachella Valley is losing his services for now, they certainly aren’t complaining about McCormick and Studenič returning to the farm. McCormick, despite the brief call-up, still leads them in points with 17 through 16 games, while Studenič ranks sixth on the team with 11.

Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR With Shoulder Strain, Make Six Other Roster Moves

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The Blue Jackets have made a series of roster moves ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Islanders, as outlined in a team release. The team has placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with a shoulder strain, placed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on IR with an illness, and forward Cole Sillinger on IR retroactive to November 26 with an upper-body injury. Columbus has recalled three players from AHL Cleveland in response: defenseman Nick Blankenburg and goalie Jet Greaves have been summoned on an emergency basis, while forward Emil Bemström is coming up on a standard recall.

Additionally, the club has activated netminder Daniil Tarasov from long-term injured reserve, although he will remain with AHL Cleveland on a conditioning stint. He had previously been assigned to the minors on an LTIR-specific conditioning stint.

Boqvist, who sustained the injury in last night’s overtime loss to the Kings, is expected to miss four weeks, per the team. It’s horrible timing for the 23-year-old, who was beginning to settle into a top-pairing role alongside Zach Werenski after starting his season on a rough note. Boqvist made just four appearances in the team’s first 18 games, sitting as a healthy scratch on a near-nightly basis. He’s now made nine straight appearances, however, and had logged over 20 minutes in each of his last three contests. Since his last healthy scratch on November 18 against the Capitals, Boqvist had three assists, a +7 rating and 11 shots on goal.

The 2018 eighth-overall selection by the Blackhawks had a strong showing despite dealing with injuries in Columbus last year, logging 24 points in 46 games (a 43-point pace) and leading qualified Blue Jackets defenders with a 48.7% Corsi share at even strength. It’s fair to claim he was misused out of the gate by head coach Pascal Vincent, likely costing the struggling Blue Jackets a handful of points in the standings. Boqvist’s possession numbers have once again been strong this season, posting a relative Corsi share of 2.1%.

His spot on the active roster is assumed by Blankenburg, who figures to make his season debut tomorrow with Erik Gudbranson out sick. The 25-year-old made his NHL debut for the Blue Jackets at the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign after signing as a free agent out of the University of Michigan and has made a strong offensive impact despite standing at just 5-foot-9 – quite a diminutive frame for an NHL defender. His play at the minor-league level has been excellent, notching three goals, eight assists and a +9 rating in 18 games with Cleveland.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins is expected to miss one week with an illness after making 35 saves on 39 shots last night. He will miss the team’s next three games and can return on December 14 against the Maple Leafs. Backup Spencer Martin will likely start two of them, with Greaves potentially making his season debut Friday against the Blues in the second half of a back-to-back. Martin, who has a 3.02 GAA and .902 SV% after being claimed off waivers from the Canucks in September, now has an extended chance to make his case to stay on the roster with Tarasov nearing a return to NHL play.

Bemström comes back up to the NHL roster after being demoted to Cleveland on November 16, clearing waivers in the process. To say the 24-year-old took his demotion well is an understatement – he lit up the minors with ten goals and four assists in eight games, including five multi-point efforts. After showing he absolutely does not belong at a second-tier level, it’s not surprising to see him back in Columbus today after depth winger Eric Robinson was dealt to the Sabres.

There is no change in Sillinger’s status, and he remains listed as day-to-day. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the lineup, although he’s eligible for activation at any time, given the existing length of his absence.

West Notes: Burakovsky, Byram, Makar, Athanasiou

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Kraken winger André Burakovsky is close to returning from an upper-body injury, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters Wednesday (via Alison Lukan of Root Sports Northwest). Burakovsky sustained the injury on October 21 during a game against the Rangers, taking a hard hit from maligned defenseman Jacob Trouba. The Kraken announced Burakovsky would miss six to eight weeks shortly thereafter, putting him within the originally projected return window.

Burakovsky, who’s now missed 20 games with the injury, played just six contests this season after a groin tear kept him out for the back half of the 2022-23 regular season and the playoffs, during which the Kraken defeated the Avalanche for their first-ever series win and took the Stars to seven games in the Second Round. The missed time showed in his play to start the season, going without a point and recording a -4 rating through his first four contests. He showed signs of life in his fifth game, though, notching two assists and a +1 rating in nearly 18 minutes of ice time against the Hurricanes two days before sustaining his upper-body injury.

With such a rich recent injury history, Hakstol signaled the Kraken are being cautious with Burakovsky’s return. He’s been skating in a non-contact jersey for nearly two weeks. Since signing a five-year, $27.5MM deal with the Kraken in the summer of 2022 after hoisting the Stanley Cup as a member of the Avalanche, Burakovsky has 13 goals and 41 points in 55 contests. If he can return to the lineup Thursday against the Devils, he’s projected to play a second-line role alongside Jared McCann and Alexander Wennberg.

More from the Western Conference in this mid-week update:

  • Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar informed media today that defenseman Bowen Byram is “hopefully” healthy enough to play tomorrow after leaving yesterday’s win over the Ducks with an upper-body injury. Bednar had confirmed earlier that Byram’s injury is not head-related, a sigh of relief considering his well-documented history of concussions at just 22 years old. Even if Byram can’t play, Bednar said superstar blueliner Cale Makar is an option to return tomorrow against the Jets after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury. Overall, it’s positive news for an Avalanche defense that remains without Samuel Girard for the foreseeable future as he undergoes treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Byram has played in all 25 Avalanche contests this season, logging five goals, three assists, and a -3 rating in 20:09 of average ice time.
  • Injured Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou aims to return to practice by the end of this week as he recovers from a groin injury, head coach Luke Richardson tells NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. The 29-year-old has missed 12 games with a groin injury sustained on November 9 against the Lightning and is listed as week-to-week. Athanasiou recorded 20 goals for the second time in his career last season in Chicago, but offense had been harder to come by through 11 games this year, recording four assists, no goals, and seeing his ice time drop to under 13 minutes per game. He signed a two-year, $8.5MM extension last summer to remain in the Windy City.

Sabres Place Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway On IR

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The Sabres announced a handful of roster moves before tonight’s game against the Red Wings, placing winger Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway on IR. As reported earlier in the day, these moves make room on the 23-man roster to recall goaltender Devon Levi from AHL Rochester. Levi will back up Eric Comrie tonight while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is sidelined with an illness.

Head coach Don Granato told the media Tuesday that both Tuch and Greenway’s injuries are short-term and will keep them out between seven and ten days (via Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald).

Tuch suffered his injury in Saturday’s narrow 2-1 loss to the Predators. He’s had one injury-related absence this season – an upper-body ailment sidelined him for three games in mid-November. This appears to be a lower-body issue that Tuch sustained without contact while backchecking to catch up with Predators winger Filip Forsberg.

Greenway sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Friday’s game against the Hurricanes and did not return. He missed Saturday’s game against Nashville and has now played in just two out of Buffalo’s last six games, including a three-game absence for personal reasons in late November.

The Sabres, who are now 3-6-1 in their last ten games and are three games below the .500 mark, are in serious trouble. Things won’t get better without the services of two of their better wingers. Tuch is fifth on the team in scoring with eight goals and 17 points in 22 games, while Greenway has been one of their better defensive wingers despite his scoring cooling off from the beginning of the season.

This should afford 2021 first-round pick Isak Rosen a more extended look in the NHL lineup over the next five or so games. The 20-year-old has seen fourth-line duties since being recalled last month and is still looking for his first NHL point. He’s averaged 9:35 and posted a -3 rating in four contests to begin his NHL career.

Coyotes Expected To Announce Phoenix Arena Site By End Of January 2024

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The Coyotes have pursued all options to avoid relocation and remain in the Phoenix metropolitan area since the team’s proposed arena and entertainment district in Tempe failed to pass a public referendum in May. It now seems the team is closer than ever to a resolution, as team president and CEO Xavier A. Guttierez told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports last week that they expect to announce their chosen arena site by the end of the 2023 calendar year “or shortly thereafter.” Morgan reported that the location is expected to be a parcel of land within Phoenix city limits adjacent to the border with Scottsdale, one of the more affluent Phoenix suburbs, which TSN’s Darren Dreger added today is close to being finalized.

This timing is on track with what Guttierez outlined before the 2023-24 season began: a likely announcement around the turn of the calendar year. Morgan noted that while the site announcement is expected to come within the next few weeks, the final project bid likely won’t be complete until closer to the end of the regular season, which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said was a more realistic timeline over the summer.

The season-long delay in confirming a new arena site shouldn’t affect the move-out timeline from their current home, the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena shared with Arizona State University, by much. Morgan said Sunday that the Phoenix-Scottsdale site “would allow the Coyotes to remain close to the same construction timeline as the Tempe site,” given the Tempe site would have required considerably more remediation before the team could break ground on the arena – anywhere from “at least” six to eight months. A standard two-year construction timeline would have the new site ready for the 2026-27 season, requiring a one-year extension on the Coyotes’ initial three-year lease agreement at Mullett.

Notably, the expected new arena site is not the parcel of land in Mesa that the Coyotes issued a letter of intent to purchase last August. On Tuesday’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Dreger said relocation remains on the table if the Coyotes can’t close this deal within the next few weeks.

A step toward an arena resolution would go a long way toward supporting a Coyotes team that’s shown significant on-ice improvement this season. They’ve defeated the last five Stanley Cup champions in their previous five contests, are 6-3-1 in their last ten games, and are just two points behind the Jets for third place in the Central Division. It’s hard to imagine Stanley Cup Playoff hockey in such a minute arena as Mullett, but it’s quickly becoming a possibility as soon as this season.

Flyers Place Louis Belpedio On Waivers

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12/5: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Belpedio has cleared waivers, meaning he will now report to Lehigh Valley of the AHL.

12/4: The Flyers placed defenseman Louis Belpedio on waivers Monday, according to a team announcement.

A 27-year-old right-shot defender from the Chicago area, Belpedio has spent most of his professional career in the minors since finishing a collegiate career at Miami University in 2018. Entering this season, he had just four games of NHL experience, all coming with the Wild – the team that drafted him 80th overall in 2014.

Belpedio has quadrupled that total this season, skating in 12 games for the Flyers early in 2023-24. The puck-moving blueliner joined the Flyers in the summer of 2022, inking a lucrative two-way deal, but spent all last season in the minors. He signed a two-way extension to remain in the Flyers organization in June but again did not crack the NHL roster out of camp and passed through waivers unclaimed in October. After recording one assist through five games with AHL Lehigh Valley, Belpedio received his first NHL call-up in quite some time on October 26.

He’s remained on the Flyers’ roster since then, playing 12 straight games after his recall. Belpedio recorded two goals and two assists, and three of his four points came during his last five games in the lineup. He did play a limited role, averaging 13:12 per game, and posted negative relative possession numbers – his 43.0% Corsi share at even strength is the worst of any Flyer to suit up for at least ten games this season.

With veterans Rasmus Ristolainen and Marc Staal returning to action recently, Belpedio’s spot in the lineup was eliminated. He has been a healthy scratch in six straight contests, so it’s not surprising to see the Flyers attempt to return him to the minors. He needs to clear waivers for a second time this season, as he spent more than 30 days on the NHL roster and played more than ten games since his October recall. Given he’s signed through 2025 and posted poor advanced metrics during his stint in the lineup, it seems unlikely another team will submit a claim for his contract over the next 24 hours.

USA Hockey Announces Preliminary 2024 WJC Roster

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The best time of the year for prospect watchers is right around the corner. The 2024 edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship begins later this month, as normal, on December 26. This year’s event will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, which was initially slated to host the event in 2022 but needed to be rescheduled due to COVID restrictions.

USA Hockey today announced their 29-player preliminary roster for the event, which will need to be trimmed to 25 before event rosters are due. This year, they’ll be participating in Group B alongside Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Norway and are considered the favorites to win the group with one of the more highly talented rosters we’ve seen from the Americans in a number of years.

The Coyotes are not loaning star youngster Logan Cooley to the US for the event, the Blue Jackets are not loaning Adam Fantilli, nor did USA Hockey select 2024 projected second-overall pick Cole Eiserman to the preliminary roster. Nonetheless, it’s a stacked group of prospects that will once again challenge for a medal. The full roster is as follows:

F Gavin Brindley (Blue Jackets, 2023, 34th overall)
F Quinn Finley (Islanders, 2022, 78th overall)
F Cutter Gauthier (Flyers, 2022, 5th overall)
F James Hagens (2025 draft-eligible)
F Gavin Hayes (Blackhawks, 2022, 66th overall)
F Isaac Howard (Lightning, 2022, 31st overall)
F Ryan Leonard (Capitals, 2023, 8th overall)
F Rutger McGroarty (Jets, 2022, 14th overall)
F Oliver Moore (Blackhawks, 2023, 19th overall)
F Frank Nazar (Blackhawks, 2022, 13th overall)
F Danny Nelson (Islanders, 2023, 49th overall)
F Gabriel Perreault (Rangers, 2023, 23rd overall)
F Will Smith (Sharks, 2023, 4th overall)
F Jimmy Snuggerud (Blues, 2022, 23rd overall)
F Carey Terrance (Ducks, 2023, 59th overall)
F William Whitelaw (Blue Jackets, 2023, 66th overall)

D Zeev Buium (2024 draft-eligible)
D Seamus Casey (Devils, 2022, 46th overall)
D Ryan Chesley (Capitals, 2022, 37th overall)
D Drew Fortescue (Rangers, 2023, 90th overall)
D Patrick Geary (went undrafted in 2022, 2023)
D Lane Hutson (Canadiens, 2022, 62nd overall)
D Jake Livanavage (went undrafted in 2022, 2023)
D Aram Minnetian (Stars, 2023, 125th overall)
D Eric Pohlkamp (Sharks, 2023, 132nd overall)
D Sam Rinzel (Blackhawks, 2022, 25th overall)

G Trey Augustine (Red Wings, 2023, 41st overall)
G Jacob Fowler (Canadiens, 2023, 69th overall)
G Sam Hillebrandt (went undrafted in 2023)

There are eight returning members from last year’s team, which captured the bronze medal: Augustine, Brindley, Casey, Chesley, Gauthier, Hutson, McGroarty, and Snuggerud. The Blackhawks lead the way with prospects represented on the preliminary roster with four.

Coyotes Have Shown Interest In Noah Hanifin

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The Coyotes are among the teams that have demonstrated interest in acquiring Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link). With Arizona now sitting first in the Western Conference wild-card race and just two points back of the Winnipeg Jets for third in the Central Division, it appears GM Bill Armstrong is gearing up to shift out of rebuild mode and begin spending assets to acquire more veteran talent.

A 6-3-1 surge in their last ten games has the Flames still in the playoff hunt, but a report last month from Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic indicates it hasn’t changed the Flames’ plans of selling off most of their pending unrestricted free agents. The first in-season move to get a value pack for a pending free agent came last week, dealing defenseman Nikita Zadorov to the Canucks for a pair of draft picks. More recently, LeBrun indicated the Flames could look to move Hanifin with an extension in place after previously offering him an eight-year deal worth roughly $60MM – a $7.5MM cap hit – before talks ended due to the team’s early-season slide.

While teams are still calling on Hanifin’s defense partner, Chris Tanev, the former is the top trade chip the Flames have to offer from their blue line. His value among Calgary’s pending UFAs is eclipsed only by top-line center Elias Lindholm.

Through his first five seasons in Calgary, after they acquired him from the Hurricanes during the 2018 offseason, Hanifin notched 31 goals, 125 assists, 156 points, and a +33 rating in 359 games. That works out to 0.43 points per game, a mark he’s outpacing so far this year with five goals and 12 points in 24 contests. He’s averaging a career-high 22:53 and is on pace for an even-strength Corsi share above 50% for his ninth straight campaign. For now, his services come at a financial bargain, costing just $4.95MM against the cap – significantly under market value for a first-pair-caliber defenseman.

You’re likely not winning a championship with Hanifin as your number-one defenseman, but he has a track record of handling heavy minutes while still displaying two-way prowess. The Coyotes’ most significant weakness is far and away their blue line depth, and adding Hanifin to a growing group that’s seen strong performances from Sean Durzi and J.J. Moser this season could boost their playoff chances by a significant margin. MoneyPuck currently lists the Coyotes with 68.4% odds to make just their second postseason appearance since losing in the 2012 Western Conference Final to the Kings.

If Armstrong does move to acquire Hanifin, the 26-year-old would end up playing the role the Coyotes envisioned Mathew Dumba would hold this season. Signed to a one-year, $3.9MM contract late in the summer, Dumba has floundered in the desert, posting just four points in 22 games and a -8 rating, the worst among Arizona defenders. His ice time has steadily decreased since the beginning of the season, and he’ll soon be averaging below 20 minutes per game for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Hanifin is also a left-handed shot, an area of need for the Coyotes. They currently have a surplus of right-shooting defensemen, which has forced players like Dumba and Troy Stecher to play on their off-side.

His acquisition cost won’t be cheap, especially if there’s an extension in place as part of the trade. The Coyotes have plenty of draft capital, though, owning a jaw-dropping ten second-round selections over the next three years. They’ve also retained all their first-round picks for the next three seasons. They also have a quickly-growing forward prospect pool, including 23-year-old Jan Jeník, who had 47 points in 51 games with AHL Tucson two seasons ago and reportedly sought trade options last summer.

Sharks Place Ty Emberson, Ryan Carpenter On IR

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The Sharks have made a pair of roster moves ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Islanders, placing defenseman Ty Emberson and forward Ryan Carpenter on IR, as Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group relays. Emberson is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury after missing yesterday’s loss against the Rangers. Meanwhile, Carpenter logged nearly 16 minutes in that game and is now out with an undisclosed injury.

Emberson, 23, has been a pleasant surprise for the Sharks after they claimed him off waivers from the Rangers in September, quickly emerging as a potential replacement for the steeply declining Marc-Édouard Vlasic as a top-four shutdown specialist. A relatively unknown name with no NHL experience entering this season, Emberson has played 16 of San Jose’s 25 games, recently forcing his way up to the team’s top pairing alongside Mario Ferraro. Recording a goal and three assists while averaging 17:51 per game, Emberson has recorded a relatively strong -3 rating on a defensively porous Sharks team and a Corsi share of 46.7% at even strength, far better than the team’s 42.7% overall mark. His pairing with Ferraro has allowed 1.96 expected goals against per 60 minutes, the best of any qualified pairing on the Sharks, per MoneyPuck.

Even if only short-term, his absence cannot be afforded for a team with such a thin blue line. In Emberson’s absence, Kyle Burroughs is expected to play top-pairing duties against the Islanders tomorrow. He has just two assists in 24 games with a -12 rating, averaging nearly 19 minutes per game.

Carpenter has been similarly excellent on the defensive side of the puck this season but figures a bit easier to replace, given he’s seen more limited minutes. The 32-year-old veteran of nearly 350 NHL games has lined up primarily at center for the Sharks this year, recording five points in 18 games and a relatively spectacular Corsi share of 49.3% at even strength despite seeing a majority of defensive zone starts.

After Carpenter cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL San Jose before opening night rosters were due, the Sharks recalled him in late October. He sat as a healthy scratch for one contest but has made 18 straight appearances. Without him, the Sharks are down to 11 healthy forwards (including defenseman-turned-forward Jacob MacDonald), so expect a recall from the minors before tomorrow’s contest.

Emberson will be eligible to return on December 10 against the Golden Knights, while Carpenter will be eligible to return two days later against the Jets. Both will miss at least three games during their mandatory retroactive seven-day stint on IR.

Wild Recall Dakota Mermis, Reassign Vinni Lettieri

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The Wild recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Iowa today, per a team announcement. Minnesota sent forward Vinni Lettieri to Iowa in a corresponding move to remain under the Upper Limit of the salary cap.

Mermis, 29, has appeared in 20 games for the Wild since signing as a free agent in 2020, recording two goals and three assists in 15:30 of average ice time. After clearing waivers, the Wild recalled Mermis early this season as injuries struck their blueline, playing him in a career-high 13 contests. After notching his only five points as a member of the Wild and recording a -1 rating, the Wild placed Mermis on waivers again in November, shortly after the return of captain Jared Spurgeon from injury, officially assigning him to Iowa less than a week later.

He’s only appeared in four games for Iowa since his November demotion. The left-shot defender has one assist, a -1 rating and 12 penalty minutes after recording 26 points in 63 games for Iowa last season. While Spurgeon likely won’t miss any time after departing yesterday’s win over the Blackhawks with an apparent lower-body injury, recent trade acquisition Zach Bogosian is banged up and likely to miss time on their upcoming Pacific Division road trip with an upper-body injury. With Bogosian not headed for long-term injured reserve, the Wild only have sufficient cap space for one extra player – meaning they’ll carry 12 forwards and seven defensemen for the trip instead of 13 forwards and six defensemen.

This is Letteri’s second demotion of the season after clearing waivers last month. The 28-year-old had played in two out of three games since his subsequent call-up on November 28, sitting as a healthy scratch against the Blackhawks yesterday and playing a limited role when in the lineup. A point-per-game threat in the minors, Lettieri has averaged 10:43 through 13 NHL appearances this season with two goals and one assist. The Minnesota-born center has 96 NHL games under his belt, dating back to the 2017-18 season with the Rangers, and remains a high-end AHL talent in his prime.

The Wild did not need to expose Lettieri to waivers because he had been on the NHL roster for less than 30 days and played less than 10 games since he cleared last month.

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