Senators Acquire Jamieson Rees From Hurricanes
The Senators have acquired center prospect Jamieson Rees from the Hurricanes, per a team release. Ottawa has sent their 2024 sixth-round pick to Carolina in return.
This is the Senators’ second minor-league pickup of the day after nabbing center Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Jets. Both players are ineligible to play for Ottawa down the stretch as they were acquired after the March 8 deadline, but they can suit up for the team’s AHL affiliate in Belleville for the remainder of the season. Today was the AHL’s trade deadline, explaining the flurry of minor-league movement.
Carolina is selling Rees at a loss after drafting him in the second round in 2019. The 23-year-old has been affected by the Hurricanes’ lack of an AHL affiliate this season more than anyone in the organization, recording just four assists in 37 games split between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Charlotte Checkers. Last season, Rees finished fourth on the Chicago Wolves (then Carolina’s primary affiliate) in scoring, notching 14 goals and 42 points in 65 games.
While the 5-foot-11 pivot has continued to display his high-end skating at the pro level, he hasn’t scored with consistency. 2022-23’s showing was a breakout campaign at 0.65 points per game – he’s notched 0.48, 0.39 and 0.14 points per game in his other three full AHL seasons. A Calder Cup champion with Chicago in 2022, there’s still upside to be had if he can regain his confidence along with some organizational stability in Ottawa, but a write-off season this late in his development is concerning.
Rees is in the final season of his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $839K. He’ll be an RFA this summer if the Senators issue him a qualifying offer, although he does not have arbitration rights.
Rangers Recall Adam Edstrom
The Rangers have recalled Adam Edstrom from AHL Hartford, according to a team announcement.
After playing 11 games earlier this season, his first stint in the NHL, Edstrom had been on assignment to the minors since deadline day to free up cap space and to make him eligible to play in the AHL postseason. The hulking forward posted two assists over his last three games with Hartford and is back up with the big club as a result.
Standing at 6-foot-7 and over 230 lbs, the 2019 sixth-round pick has been part of a late-season youth/grit infusion to the Rangers’ bottom six alongside Matt Rempe. He played a very limited role during his first major league shot, averaging 8:25 per game, but he did manage two assists. However, he got caved in the possession department, recording a 37.9 CF% and 40.1 xGF% at even strength. Those figures are likely exacerbated by his deployment, though, as he logged over 66% of his even-strength zone starts in the defensive end.
The Rangers had $955K remaining in their LTIR salary pool (filled out by Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler), so they can accommodate Edstrom’s $847K cap hit. He could get some more looks in a fourth-line role over the coming days, especially with Rempe serving out a four-game suspension for an elbow to the head of Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.
Edstrom, 23, still has one season remaining on his entry-level contract. He’ll be an RFA in 2025.
Maple Leafs Designate Calle Järnkrok As Week-To-Week
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday that forward Calle Järnkrok will be out week-to-week due to a hand injury. Winger Mitch Marner, who’s missed two games with a high ankle sprain, has also been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes (via Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun). It likely won’t be Marner’s last absence, either, as Keefe said he’ll need a bit to ramp up from the injury and won’t begin skating routinely until next week.
Järnkrok sustained the injury when he lost an edge and collided with the boards in last night’s 6-2 road drubbing of the Flyers. It’s unclear if this injury is related to the knuckle fracture that recently sidelined him for over a month. With 33 days remaining until the end of Toronto’s regular season schedule, there’s no guarantee Järnkrok will return before the postseason begins, especially if this hand injury is similar in severity to his previous one.
The 32-year-old is again giving the Leafs decent bang for their buck in a versatile top-nine role, posting above-average possession impacts with a 52.2 Corsi-for percentage at even strength and a career-high +10.2 expected rating. His actual +16 rating is third among Toronto forwards behind Marner and Auston Matthews. That’s helped offset a slight decrease in offensive production. He’s scored 10 goals and 21 points in 52 games, a slight decrease in pace from last year’s 20 goals and 39 points in 73 games, but he remains a decent plug-and-play option who can occupy all three forward positions and log significant minutes, averaging 15:15 per game.
With Järnkrok out, the team will likely give youngster Nicholas Robertson another shot in a top-nine role. The 22-year-old has eight goals and 19 points in 41 games this season while averaging 11:21 per contest, all career-highs, and didn’t look out of place on a strong third line with Bobby McMann and captain John Tavares during Järnkrok’s last extended absence. He’ll likely re-enter the lineup tomorrow for the first time since Feb. 29 against the Coyotes, after which he was briefly assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to create cap space and roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline.
Senators Acquire Wyatt Bongiovanni From Jets
The Senators acquired center Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Jets in exchange for future considerations on Friday, per a team announcement. The team promptly reassigned Bongiovanni to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Belleville will likely send a player signed to an AHL contract to Winnipeg’s affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, to complete the trade. Since he was traded after the March 8 deadline, Bongiovanni will not be eligible for recall to Ottawa for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
[Related: Post-Deadline Transaction Restrictions]
Bongiovanni, 24, signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has played for the Moose ever since, scoring 21 goals and 33 points in 93 games. However, the former Quinnipiac University captain has been one of Manitoba’s worst defensive forwards, posting a team-worst -17 rating in 2022-23 and a -12 rating this season. He has not received an NHL recall since turning pro nearly two years ago.
The Michigan-born center was once a solid contributor with Quinnipiac, racking up 50 goals, 90 points and a +43 rating across 123 appearances between 2018 and 2022. His shot was always the most intriguing aspect of his game, and while he’s managed to flash it at times with Manitoba, the rest of his game hasn’t reached the level required for a major-league summons.
Bongiovanni is exempt from waivers and will remain so for two more seasons or until he plays 60 NHL games, whichever comes first. His two-year, $1.605MM entry-level contract expires this summer, and if the Senators issue him a qualifying offer, he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
Injury Notes: Johansen, Eriksson Ek, Jeannot
Ryan Johansen will remain part of the Flyers organization for the rest of the season after there were no takers on the trade or waiver market last week. The Avalanche dumped the underperforming center’s $4MM cap hit through 2025 on Philadephia in last week’s Sean Walker trade, although Flyers GM Daniel Brière has made it clear he doesn’t envision the 2010 fourth-overall pick ever actually dressing for a game in Philly.
That’s partly because Johansen, now on assignment to AHL Lehigh Valley, has been dealing with a nagging hip injury and is being evaluated by team doctors, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports. While he was never going to be an on-ice factor for the squad, this still carries a major implication. If he remains injured through this summer’s buyout period, the Flyers cannot execute one on the final year of his contract as many expect them to. That would leave Johansen on the Flyers’ books for all of next season, although they can reduce his cap hit to $2.85MM by leaving him buried in the minors with Lehigh Valley. If the Flyers did buy him out, his cap hit would be $1.33MM for both the Flyers and Predators in 2024-25 and 2025-26, saving each team a considerable amount of space next season.
Nashville is paying the other half of Johansen’s $8MM AAV deal. They retained half his salary when they traded him to Colorado last summer in exchange for the signing rights to Alex Galchenyuk. The Avs hoped Johansen, a five-time 60-point scorer, could recapture his previous form and be a competent second-line center behind Nathan MacKinnon, but the 31-year-old stumbled and managed only 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games with a -6 rating while averaging 13:19 per game, the lowest since his rookie season with the Blue Jackets in 2011-12.
Other injury notes from around the league on Thursday morning:
- The Wild will be without top center Joel Eriksson Ek for Thursday’s game against the Ducks, but head coach John Hynes confirmed he won’t be absent for long as Minnesota battles to hang on in the Western Conference wild-card race (via Michael Russo of The Athletic). The 27-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury in the third period of Tuesday’s game against the Coyotes and did not return and is listed as day-to-day. Minnesota has not placed him on injured reserve, so he’s eligible to return at any time, but he’s still expected to miss a few games. In the third season of an eight-year, $42MM extension, Eriksson Ek is having a career year with 60 points and a +16 rating in 66 games while averaging 20:39 per game, second only to Kirill Kaprizov among Wild skaters.
- Lightning winger Tanner Jeannot remains absent for tonight’s game against the Rangers, head coach Jon Cooper said (via Chris Krenn of the team’s official site). The 26-year-old has only played once since Jan. 6 as he deals with various injuries, and Cooper said Wednesday that he was likely to make his return to the lineup tonight. The team is being extremely cautious with his return, however, not wanting to risk another aggravation of the injury like his last attempted return. As such, he remains on injured reserve and won’t be activated ahead of tonight’s game.
Red Wings Recall Austin Czarnik Under Emergency Conditions
The Red Wings have recalled center Austin Czarnik from AHL Grand Rapids, per a team announcement. He’ll join the team before Thursday’s home game against the Coyotes. No corresponding transaction is needed with ample cap space to execute the move, and the Red Wings do not burn one of their three remaining post-deadline standard recalls, either.
Czarnik, 31, has been papered between leagues a remarkable seven times this year since clearing waivers during training camp. However, this is his first summons to the majors since the calendar turned to 2024. He’ll draw into the lineup against Arizona if center Joe Veleno, who left Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Sabres after taking a slapshot from Buffalo defenseman Connor Clifton to the side of the head, cannot play.
The Detroit native played 18 games with the Red Wings earlier this season, marking his eighth straight season in the league since making his debut with the Bruins in 2016. An undrafted free-agent pickup by Boston in 2015 after four years with Miami University, Czarnik immediately established himself as a high-end minor-league producer with 61 points in 68 games during his rookie season with AHL Providence. He’s remained a top-six fixture in the AHL ever since, but the 5-foot-9, 170-lb center hasn’t been able to establish himself as a full-time NHLer for more than a season at a time.
Czarnik is in the back half of a two-year, two-way deal signed with Detroit in 2022. The deal carries a cap hit of $762.5K and pays him $775K in the NHL and $450K in the minors this season. He’s now with his fifth NHL organization, spending time with the Flames, Islanders, and Kraken between his stints in Boston and Detroit.
He’s finally beginning to show signs of slowing down in the minors, posting nine goals and 26 points in 39 games with Grand Rapids. That works out to 0.72 points per game, his lowest-ever production rate throughout a full season in the minors. He hasn’t done much better in the NHL, posting a lone assist and a -3 rating through his 18 showings, but he’s also been used quite sparingly, averaging a career-low 8:44 per game. His possession metrics don’t signal he deserves a higher role, either, logging a 40.6 CF% and 42.1 xGF% at even strength.
Czarnik will be a UFA at the end of the season. When the Red Wings are back up to 12 healthy forwards without Czarnik, they must return him to Grand Rapids or add him to the roster from his emergency loan, burning their second of four post-deadline recalls.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 3/14/24
Click here to read the transcript of a Thursday morning live chat with PHR’s Josh Erickson.
Blues Sign Matthew Kessel To Two-Year Extension
The Blues have signed right-shot defenseman Matthew Kessel to a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $1.6MM ($800K AAV/cap hit), GM Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday.
Kessel, 23, was in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. It’s a significant raise for the young blue-liner, whose cap hit decreased from $884K but will earn more in actual cash after spending most of his ELC in the minors, where he earned $80K per season.
A fifth-round pick of St. Louis in 2020, Kessel was recalled earlier this week and re-entered the lineup for the first time since late February on Monday against the Bruins. He’s played in a career-high 23 games for the Blues this year after only dressing twice in 2022-23, posting three assists and 8 PIMs with a -2 rating. When in the lineup, he’s spent most of his time in a top-four role alongside Torey Krug, filling in for Justin Faulk while he was out with a lower-body injury for most of January and February.
His even-strength possession results have been poor, posting a 42.9 CF% (-1.6% worse than the team’s overall CF% without him) and a 40.6 xGF%. The 6-foot-3, 203-lb defender has been a strong shutdown force in the minors, where he has seven goals, 43 points and a +9 rating since logging his first professional action with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Kessel’s extension walks him to restricted free agency in 2026, and he’ll maintain arbitration rights. He’s currently waivers-exempt, but that will expire after he plays 45 more NHL games (a total of 70).
The Phoenix native becomes the sixth St. Louis defender signed to a one-way deal next season, joining Justin Faulk ($6.5MM), Torey Krug ($6.5MM), Nick Leddy ($4MM), Colton Parayko ($6.5MM), and Tyler Tucker ($800K). The Blues have two pending free agent defenders on the active roster, Scott Perunovich (RFA with arbitration rights) and Marco Scandella (UFA).
Injury Notes: Avalanche, Bruins, Marino
The Avalanche will again be without forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Zach Parise against the Canucks on Wednesday, head coach Jared Bednar said on 92.5 FM Altitude Sports Radio (via Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now). Bednar did not rule either player out for the following contest, a Saturday game in Edmonton, although he did not confirm either would be ready to return by then either.
Without two players who have spent extended time in Colorado’s top six, recent trade pickup Brandon Duhaime will continue to get a tryout on their new-look second line alongside Jonathan Drouin and Casey Mittelstadt in Vancouver. The 26-year-old grinder has averaged only 10:40 per game this season across 64 games with the Avalanche and Wild, recording four goals and nine points.
Lehkonen, 28, is listed as day to day with an illness and will miss his second straight game after sitting out Tuesday’s 6-2 drubbing of the Flames. That, plus a neck injury, has limited him to 30 games on the season, although that hasn’t stopped him from putting together another strong campaign with 22 points and a +7 rating while averaging 18:54 per game.
The 39-year-old Parise has been a solid free-agent pickup for the Avs since signing in late January. He has four goals and seven points through 15 games while logging 14:14 a night. He hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Red Wings a week ago and will miss his third straight game.
Other updates from around the league:
- The Bruins could be without defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and winger James van Riemsdyk due to illness against the Canadiens on Thursday, head coach Jim Montgomery said (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub). Grzelcyk has already been ruled out, while van Riemsdyk is a possibility. The latter’s absence at Wednesday’s practice necessitated the emergency recall of 2019 first-round pick John Beecher from AHL Providence for the second time in three days. Grzlecyk’s absence paves the way for Andrew Peeke, acquired Friday from the Blue Jackets for Jakub Zbořil and a 2027 third-round pick, to make his Boston debut on the third pairing alongside Parker Wotherspoon.
- The Devils have downgraded John Marino to questionable for Thursday’s game against the Stars after determining he sustained an upper-body injury, interim head coach Travis Green said (via Amanda Stein of the team’s official site). A team spokesperson told reporters earlier Wednesday that Marino, who did not participate in practice, was absent for maintenance. As such, Santeri Hatakka will likely play in Marino’s place after being recalled from AHL Utica on Wednesday under emergency conditions. Marino is listed as day-to-day.
Devils Recall Santeri Hatakka
The Devils recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from the AHL’s Utica Comets on Wednesday, per a team announcement. Hatakka has joined the club ahead of their three-game road trip through the southwest United States.
CapFriendly’s transaction log reflects that Hatakka’s recall is an emergency loan, meaning it does not count toward New Jersey’s four allotted post-deadline recalls. The Devils already used one of them on goaltender Nico Daws, who they briefly assigned to Utica on deadline day to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
This is Hatakka’s third recall of the season after being assigned to the Comets during training camp. New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old Finn from the Sharks in last year’s Timo Meier trade.
Hatakka’s recall coming under emergency conditions suggests that John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler could be unavailable for Thursday’s game in Dallas. Neither defenseman is on the ice for practice on Wednesday, Ryan Novozinsky of The Star-Ledger reports, although Marino’s absence is only for maintenance.
Siegenthaler left the Devils’ 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Monday after taking an elbow to the head from opposing winger Matt Rempe, who was assessed a four-game suspension for the incident. However, Marino logged a team-high 24:58 and doesn’t yet carry an injury designation. If Marino is available against the Stars, the Devils would have six healthy defensemen without Hatakka and need to convert his recall into a standard one or return him to Utica.
A sixth-round pick of San Jose in 2019, Hatakka has been solid in his NHL auditions with New Jersey. Through seven games, the depth puck-mover has two assists and a +7 rating, the latter of which is second among active Devils skaters behind forward Curtis Lazar (+8). He’s averaged 16:19 per game, logging average possession metrics with a 48.8 CF% and 49.2 xGF% at even strength. He’s had 14 shot attempts, eight of which were on goal, and 11 blocks and nine hits.
Hatakka’s only previous NHL experience came in a nine-game stint with the Sharks in 2021-22, during which he recorded two assists and a -5 rating. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $851K and will be an RFA this summer.