Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

West Notes: Sturm, Anderson, O’Brien

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It had already been known that San Jose Sharks’ forward, Nico Sturm, wouldn’t be joining the team on their current road trip against the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche, and it appears he could miss a few more games as well. Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that Sturm will be out on a week-to-week basis with an undisclosed injury.

Already suffering from a serious lack of depth at the beginning of the season, Sturm now becomes the sixth current member of the Sharks to hit the injured reserve, even with forwards Filip Zadina and Alexander Barabanov recently returning from their injuries. Even with so many injuries over the past several weeks, San Jose holds a 6-3-1 record in their last 1o games, moving ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in the league standings.

Nevertheless, the team should be able to effectively weather the hole left by Sturm, as he has not been a primary offensive factor for the team this season. Operating as a bottom-six forward for much of his career, Sturm has two goals and four points in 26 games for the Sharks this season, placing him 17th on the team in scoring.

Other notes:

  • Another Western Conference team severely struggling with depth this season, the Blackhawks announced forward Joey Anderson would not return to the ice tonight as the team takes on the Vancouver Canucks. Much like the Sharks, Chicago has a total of five players currently on the injured reserve, most notably players such as Andreas Athanasiou, Seth Jones, and Taylor Hall.
  • Brien Rea of Ballywood Sports Southwest is reporting that the Dallas Stars have released goaltender Joe O’Brien from his tryout agreement with the club, further clowding the future of Dallas’ solution in the crease moving forward. It was always going to be difficult for O’Brien to secure a contract with the Stars, as the Niagara University product failed to secure a save percentage above .885 over 26 games in the NCAA.

Evening Notes: Balinskis, Oettinger, Sherwood, Studenic

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Earlier this evening, the Florida Panthers announced they had sent down defenseman Uvis Balinskis to their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Balinskis was brought to the Panthers organization this past offseason, signing a one-year, $870K contract as an international free agent.

Spending last season with Bílí Tygři Liberec in Czechia, Balinskis impressed greatly on the blue line, as the Latvian-born defenseman scored 11 goals and 35 points in 50 games. Unfortunately, his transition to hockey in North America has not gone smoothly, as he has only scored one goal and one assist in 18 games, averaging under 14 minutes of ice time per night.

Now that defenseman Josh Mahura has recovered from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for a few weeks, Florida didn’t have the need nor the space to keep eight defensemen on the roster. Balinskis will now join a Checkers team with solid defensive depth but is currently seventh in a strong Atlantic Division with a 12-10-1-0 record.

Other notes:

  • In tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators, goaltender for the Dallas Stars, Jake Oettinger, abruptly left the ice in the first period, and will not return to action with a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. In a down year compared to his first three seasons in the NHL, Oettinger sports an 11-7-2 record in 20 games played, carrying a .904 SV% and a 2.85 GAA. Nevertheless, if Oettinger is expected to miss any sort of time with this injury, the Stars’ internal goaltending options are not close to replicating the output of Oettinger, even with his numbers being down.
  • The Nashville Predators announced that Kiefer Sherwood is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and will not play tonight in the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After spending much of last season with the Predator’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, Sherwood has earned himself a full-time spot on Nashville’s roster, scoring five goals and 11 points in 29 games.
  • Capping off a flurry of roster moves from the organization today, the Seattle Kraken have sent down forward Marian Studenic to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Although providing little to no production at the NHL level, Studenic has been one of the better AHL scorers over the last few seasons. Last season, rostered on the Texas Stars, Studenic scored 21 goals and 48 points in 67 games. Now on the Firebirds, Studenic has once again gotten off to a solid start, scoring seven goals and 12 points in his first 16 games.

Pacific Notes: Kraken, Sturm, Carpenter

at CDT | by 3 Comments

In a series of interesting roster moves, the Seattle Kraken announced they have recalled forward Shane Wright from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds while sending down forward Tye Kartye in the same transaction. Furthermore, the team announced they had placed Jaden Schwartz on long-term injured reserve retroactive to November 28th.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise given that amid his rookie season, Kartye is tied for 10th on the team in scoring, and tied for fifth in goals. In his own right, Wright is off to a solid start this season in Coachella Valley, scoring nine goals and 16 points in 18 games, sitting fourth on the team in scoring.

However, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times gave some context to the transaction, indicating that it was made for “salary cap management” purposes, and would make more sense by the end of the weekend. It didn’t take long for the transaction to make sense, as the Kraken traded for Tomas Tatar only a few hours later.

Other notes:

  • Injured in their most recent game against the Winnipeg Jets, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports that San Jose Sharks’ forward, Nico Sturm, will not travel with the team for their upcoming road trip. Thankfully, the road trip only consists of two games, before the Sharks return to the Bay Area next Tuesday. In 26 games so far this season, Sturm has recorded two goals and four points, tied for 17th on the team in scoring.
  • In similar news to Sturm, Peng also reported that forward Ryan Carpenter would not be making the road trip with the team, as well. Carpenter has been out of the line since the team’s game on December 3rd, suffering from an undisclosed injury. Providing a bit of depth scoring for the team this season, Carpenter has recorded one goal and five points in 18 games, averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time per game.

Seattle Kraken Acquire Tomas Tatar

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Per a team announcement, the Seattle Kraken have acquired forward Tomas Tatar from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. After signing with the Avalanche on a one-year, $1.5MM contract this past summer, Tatar will end his tenure with Colorado after having only played 27 games.

In what will now become a very brief experiment with the Avalanche, Tatar struggled to fit into the team system in Colorado, only scoring one goal and nine points overall. Only averaging a touch over 11 minutes of ice time per night, it was Tatar’s lowest usage rate since his sophomore campaign back in the 2012-13 NHL season.

With a relatively cheap contract, and brought in late in the summer to serve as increased offensive depth for the Avalanche, Tatar became an easy contract to move out, allowing Colorado to replenish a separate fifth-round selection, after having moved out their own two years ago in a trade for Andrew Cogliano.

Moving forward, the Avalanche will likely utilize either Ross Colton or Miles Wood in their top six, replacing Tatar on the wing. Also brought in as offensive depth over the offseason, Colton and Wood have translated much better to the system in Colorado, outperforming Tatar in almost every metric.

Similar to the reasoning that brought him to Colorado in the first place, the Kraken are dealing with their own injuries up front, as both Andre Burakovsky and Jaden Schwartz find themselves on the team’s injured reserve and long-term injured reserve, respectively. Upon the eventual return of both forwards, Tatar should still have a relatively safe spot in the Kraken’s middle six forward group.

Being a change of scenery candidate, Tatar can only benefit from this move to the West Coast, as he is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his 13-year career. Sporting career lows in shooting percentage, points per game, and CorsiFor%, Tatar can only improve his game from here on out.

Unfortunately, with both the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers passing them in the standings over the last few weeks, Seattle has an uphill climb to return to the playoffs this season. Being only one of three teams to pass the 30-game mark up to this point, the Kraken are sporting a 10-14-7 record, Seattle sits two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with two more games played.

New York Rangers Recall Adam Edstrom

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With defenseman K’Andre Miller set to miss a second straight game due to personal reasons, the New York Rangers have opted to add more depth to their forward core, recalling Adam Edstrom from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Edstrom was originally a sixth-round selection of the Rangers, going 161st overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Not coming to North America until late last season, Edstrom had been playing for Rögle BK of the SHL, scoring 23 goals and 47 points over 174 games during his professional career overseas.

This season in Hartford, Edstrom has played in 21 total games, scoring seven goals and nine points in the process. Making his way primarily from his goal-scoring ability, Edstrom’s true claim to fame is his size. Standing at 6’8″, Edstrom is only one inch shorter than former defenseman, Zdeno Chara, making him tied for the tallest player on an NHL roster next to defenseman Tyler Myers.

Edstrom does not use his frame in the same manner as Chara or Myers but remains an intimidating player to line up against, nonetheless. In their game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, there has been no confirmation if Edstrom will dress for the game, as the Rangers currently have 13 forwards on the roster aside from Edstrom.

San Jose Sharks Acquire Jack Studnicka

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Confirmation coming by way of the Vancouver Canucks, the San Jose Sharks will acquire forward Jack Studnicka in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek, and a sixth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Acquired by the Canucks in October of last season, Studnicka was originally a member of the Boston Bruins, playing in a total of 38 games wearing the spoked ’B’. Last season in Vancouver, Studnicka played in a total of 47 games, scoring four goals and eight points overall.

Unfortunately for Studnicka, even after a solid showing at preseason camp, he became a victim of the glut of forwards in the Vancouver organization. With 13 players already on the roster, and a few above still above him in the organizational depth chart, Studnicka’s future with the team was entirely blocked.

Now in San Jose, even with a healthy roster, Studnicka should still have access to adequate playing time. However, with three forwards already on the team’s injured reserve, the Sharks now have even more of a need to round out their forward depth as we approach the dog days of the regular season.

Averaging just under 11 and a half minutes of ice time per game throughout his career, Studnicka should continue to average similar ice time in the Bay Area. Given the current makeup of San Jose’s roster, Studnicka should effectively replace either Justin Bailey or Givani Smith in the team’s bottom six of their forward core.

Going the other way to the Canucks, Cicek suited up in 16 games for the Sharks last season, notching four assists before November 30th. Although born in Winnipeg, Cicek spent his junior career playing for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, a little under a six-hour drive to Vancouver over the border.

Only playing for the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, this season, Cicek has suited up in 18 games, scoring one goal and three points. Given the Canucks’ current depth in their defensive core, it is likely that Cicek will suit up for their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Kings Place Vladislav Gavrikov On Injured Reserve, Recall David Rittich

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Los Angeles Kings have officially placed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on injured reserve, and have recalled goaltender David Rittich on an emergency basis. Given that players must be on the injured reserve for a minimum of seven days after placement, the timeline of Gavrikov’s return will not change much, given that it was reported he would be week-to-week.

As one of the more frustrating defenders to line up against in the NHL, the Kings will be hard-pressed to find an internal option to replace Gavrikov in their lineup adequately. Since the team is unwilling to carry more than three right-handed shot defensemen, they will likely fill in the hole with Jacob Moverare and Tobias Bjornfot.

Being the second-highest-paid defenseman on the team, Gavrikov ranks fourth amongst Los Angeles defensemen in average time on ice, scoring three goals and nine points in 25 games. On the defensive side of the puck, Gavrikov is fourth on the team in blocked shots and continues to post above-average possession numbers from the blue line.

In the case of Rittich, it was reported earlier this afternoon that regular backup goaltender Pheonix Copley was helped off the ice toward the end of today’s practice (X Link). Currently, there has been no update as to the status of Copley, although it is likely he will not suit up in the team’s game tomorrow night against the Seattle Kraken.

Although Rittich has operated as a backup goaltender for much of his career, this will be his first callup with the Kings since signing a one-year, $875K contract this past summer. In 16 games played for Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, Rittich holds a 7-6-3 record with a .901 SV% and a 2.63 GAA.

Hockey Canada Announces Final 2024 WJC Roster

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Dec. 13: After their selection camp process was completed, Canada made eight cuts to arrive at their final roster: Barkey, Firkus, Ludwinski, Vidicek, Buchinger, Donovan, Nelson and DiVincentiis did not make the team. One forward will likely be reinstated before the tournament begins to arrive at a 23-player roster, but for now, the Canadians are leaving a spot open in hopes of an NHL team loaning out a top prospect such as Buffalo’s Zach Benson or Boston’s Matthew Poitras.

Dec. 5: 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.

Yesterday, Team Canada’s biggest rival, Team USA, released their 29-man preliminary roster, building excitement for the tournament at the end of the month. With a different-looking roster than last year, Team Canada will now look to win their third consecutive title in the World Junior Championship.

Last season, the team was led by top prospects Connor Bedard, Shane Wright, Adam Fantilli, and Brandt Clarke, and will now look to compete with more future high-end draft picks. Nevertheless, even without some of the greatest junior players of all time on the roster this season, Team Canada should still be considered a favorite to win. The full roster is as follows:

F Owen Allard (2024 draft-eligible)
F Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
F Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
F Macklin Celebrini (2024 draft-eligible)
F Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
F Nate Danielson (Red Wings, 2023, 9th overall)
F Jordan Dumais (Blue Jackets, 2022, 96th overall)
F Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
F Conor Geekie (Coyotes, 2022, 11th overall)
F Paul Ludwinski (Blackhawks, 2022, 39th overall)
F Fraser Minten (Maple Leafs, 2022, 38th overall)
F Carson Rehkopf (Kraken, 2023, 50th overall)
F Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
F Markus Vidicek (2024 draft-eligible)
F Matthew Wood (Predators, 2023, 15th overall)
F Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)

D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
D Michael Buchinger (Blues, 2022, 88th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
D Jake Furlong (Sharks, 2022, 140th overall)
D Maveric Lamoureux (Coyotes, 2022, 29th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Tanner Molendyk (Predators, 2023, 24th overall)
D Ty Nelson (Kraken, 2022, 68th overall)
D Noah Warren (Ducks, 2022, 42nd overall)

G Domenic DiVincentiis (Jets, 2022, 207th overall)
G Scott Ratzlaff (Sabres, 2023, 141st overall)
G Mathis Rousseau (2024 draft-eligible)
G Samuel St-Hilaire (2024 draft-eligible)

The team will be highlighted by top-10 selections in previous drafts such as Danielson and Savoie, while also the projected first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft in Celebrini. The Seattle Kraken will have the most representatives on the team, with three.

Jakub Vrana Placed On Waivers

at CDT | by 12 Comments

Dec. 13: Vrana has cleared waivers, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN. He may now be freely assigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, which GM Doug Armstrong confirmed was the team’s plan earlier today (via Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic).

Dec. 12: Yesterday, there were conflicting reports surrounding Jakub Vrana and the St.Louis Blues, as there was some indication that the Blues were close to moving on from Vrana in a trade. However, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that Vrana has indeed been placed on waivers by St.Louis.

It will be the second time this calendar year that Vrana has found himself on waivers, being placed on the wire during his time with the Detroit Red Wings on January 3rd of last season. He would go unclaimed, largely due to his $5.25MM price tag at the time, and was subsequently traded to the Blues two months later.

Originally a first-round selection of the Washington Capitals back in the 2014 NHL Draft, it wouldn’t be until the 2017-18 season that Vrana would make the full-time jump to the NHL. He quickly became a relatively solid depth scorer for the Capitals, scoring 13 goals and 27 points in 73 games, also chipping in eight points on Washington’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in that year’s playoffs.

Vrana would continue to increase his productivity with the Capitals, posting back-to-back 20-goal seasons, leading to a two-year, $6.7MM extension with Washington. Unfortunately, he would not see out the rest of that contract with the Capitals, as he was traded to Detroit along with Richard Panik and two higher-end draft picks for Anthony Mantha.

After the trade, believing they had found themselves a diamond in the rough, Vrana scored eight goals and 11 points in 11 games with the Red Wings, leading to a three-year, $15.75MM extension. Nevertheless, as things played out in Hockeytown, largely due to injuries and a stint with the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, his time in Detroit quickly faltered, leaving him on the outside looking in with the organization.

Almost identically to when he arrived in Detroit, Vrana got off to a quick start in St.Louis, scoring 10 goals in 20 games down the stretch after last year’s trade. This season, Vrana is back to mild production, scoring two goals and six points in 19 games, leading to his placement on waivers this afternoon. Although he is only making $2.625MM due to the Red Wings retaining half of his salary, it is more than likely Vrana will pass through waivers unclaimed.

Snapshots: Kunin, Wolves, Capitals Arena

at CDT | by 10 Comments

Being out of the lineup for a little over a week with an upper-body injury, the San Jose Sharks announced the team has officially activated forward Luke Kunin from the injured reserve, although he will not play in the team’s game tonight.

After a disastrous start to the season, the Sharks have rebounded well over their last several games, producing a 5-2-1 record over their last eight games, now tied for last place in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, due to the injury, Kunin has not been able to factor into San Jose’s good stretch of late, having not played since the team’s loss against the Boston Bruins on November 30th.

Nevertheless, he is still having a solid season compared to the rest of his teammates, scoring five goals and seven points in 23 games, already matching his goal total from a season ago. Clearly, concerning the rest of the league, that offensive output is mostly centered around bottom-six players but is good for seventh on the team in scoring in San Jose.

Other snapshots:

  • In some unfortunate news across the hockey world, the American Hockey League announced a 10-game suspension for the head coach of the Chicago Wolves, Bob Nardella, due to the use of homophobic language directed at on-ice officials during the team’s game on December 9th. In his first season as the head coach, the Wolves are the lone independent team of the AHL and are currently in last place in the Central Division with a 5-13-1-1 record so far this season.
  • After a vote last night from Virginia lawmakers, all reports are indicating that the vote proposal has passed and that the Washington Capitals will be leaving Capital One Arena for Northern Virginia (X Link). Capital One Arena initially opened the season of the Capitals’ first run to the Stanley Cup Final during the 1997-98 season and is currently the 14th oldest active stadium in the NHL.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top