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Paper Transactions: 1/22/25

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According to a team announcement, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled forwards Ivan Ivan and Jere Innala to the NHL roster. The transaction marks the 10th time this year Ivan has been promoted to the Avalanche and the fifth time for Innala.

Even though he’s been formally reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, nine times, Ivan has only suited up in two AHL contests this season. Most of his playing time has come with the Avalanche, where he’s scored five goals and eight points in 39 games, averaging 10:09 of ice time per game. Ivan hasn’t been without value for the Avalanche this season, sitting 13th out of all 25 forwards used by Colorado this season in CorsiFor% (51.6%) while starting 67.3% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

The same can’t be said for Innala. He’s been a physical presence in Colorado’s bottom six this season over 14 games but has yet to tally his first NHL point. He ranks 23rd of all forwards used in CorsiFor% with a 45.1% mark. Innala will likely have a full-time role in the AHL carved out by the end of the season should the Avalanche add to their forward depth at the trade deadline.

Additional paper transactions:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have again reassigned defenseman Maxwell Crozier to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Crozier has been filling in for the injured Erik Černák, managing a +1 rating in the last three games while averaging 17:06 of ice time per game. Remarkably, thanks to a consistently healthy roster, Crozier is only the eighth defenseman to play more than two games for the Lightning this season.
  • Finishing off the list of paper transactions are the Dallas Stars, who have reassigned forward Matěj Blümel to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. It is the fifth time Blümel has been reassigned to AHL Texas in a season where he’s scored one goal in seven NHL contests. Since he’ll be 25 and won’t hit 80 career games by the end of the season, Blümel will become a ’Group 6’ unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Minnesota Wild Reassign David Jiříček

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Given that the Minnesota Wild are expected to activate forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon before tomorrow’s game against the Utah Hockey Club, at least one player needed to come off the roster. According to a team announcement, the player in question will be defenseman David Jiříček, who the team has reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

It was difficult to ascertain any concrete expectations for Jiříček in his first real go-around with the Wild. Although he had been on the NHL roster after the team acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets, he had only participated in practice.

Once the team originally sent him to AHL Iowa, he was expected to continue or improve upon his nine-goal, 22-point effort in 33 games he had achieved from the start of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Instead, Jiříček fell short of those expectations, tallying only two assists in his first 11 games.

The Wild recalled Jiříček on January 8th to replace the injured Spurgeon but he produced many of the same results. Jiříček went scoreless over the first four games of the call-up averaging 12:56 of ice time per game.

Still, Jiříček was determined not to leave the Wild with a bad taste in their mouth, showing flashes of exactly why he was drafted with the sixth overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft. In two games against the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche, Jiříček scored one goal and one assist with a +2 rating averaging 13:16 of ice time.

It was readily apparent that Jiříček had more confidence with the puck and was more engaged in the action because of it. As he heads back to Des Moines, IA to continue his development with the Wild’s AHL affiliate, the team can only hope he brings that same confidence to his AHL contests.

Adam Lowry Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

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The team atop the Western Conference will have their depth tested down the middle for the next few weeks. According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry has been designated as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Lowry suffered the injury in the team’s most recent game against the Utah Hockey Club after leaving the game after only skating in 5:18 of the action. The Jets will likely move Rasmus Kupari to the third line role between Nino Niederreiter and Cole Perfetti but any center combination will have difficulty replicating what the Jets’ captain has done this season.

The St. Louis, MO native has always been a natural bottom-six center, totalling over 120 hits each season of his career and maintaining a 51.4% success rate in the faceoff dot. His scoring has come up the last few campaigns as evidenced by his 0.43 point-per-game average in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and he was on pace for another career-high this year with a 0.54 PPG pace.

Unless another player succombs to injury, the Jets won’t have to place Lowry on injured reserve to add another player to the roster. Winnipeg only has 22 players on the roster at the time being so young prospects such as Brad Lambert or Nikita Chibrikov could get another look at NHL action in Lowry’s absence.

How the team performs in Lowry’s absence should answer multiple questions about the Jets’ deadline approach. Although he’s performed admirably throughout the season, it’s difficult to imagine a Stanley Cup conteder with Vladislav Namestnikov as their second line center. Winnipeg’s center depth will be even more tested without Lowry.

Pittsburgh Penguins Reportedly Considering Fire Sale At Deadline

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From the end of October until the end of December, the Pittsburgh Penguins were inching closer to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference due to a 14-9-4 record in 27 games. Unfortunately, that solid run has been sandwiched between a 3-7-1 record at the beginning of the season and a 3-5-3 record over their last 11 games.

The Penguins have already made a prudent move by sending struggling netminder Tristan Jarry through waivers a few days ago but that may only be the start of larger things to come. According to a report from Marco D’Amico from RG.org, and corroborated by other outlets, Pittsburgh is reportedly leaning toward a full-scale fire sale at this year’s trade deadline.

It’s easier to list the names of those reported not on the trade block rather than those that are. D’Amico asserts that a source close to the Penguins believes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Philip Tomasino, and Owen Pickering are the only players Pittsburgh has no interest in moving.

Using deductive reasoning, not only are the Penguins considering moving on from pending unrestricted free agents such as Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk, and Anthony Beauvillier, but will additionally dangle those with length left on their deals such as Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Ryan Graves.

Considering his mild eight-team no-trade clause, Pittsburgh will likely have the easiest time moving Rakell if they go that route. Aside from a tepid season last year, he’s been a productive forward for the Penguins, since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22.

It will be more challenging to determine the market for Karlsson and Letang. However, it is not unusual for a player with multiple years remaining on their contract and a full no-movement clause to be traded at the deadline. A recent example is the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of Tomáš Hertl last year.

Still, considering Karlsson is making a hefty $10MM salary until 2026-27, and the fact that Letang isn’t playing up to his $6.1MM salary, it’s more than likely these trades will have better traction in the offseason. Pittsburgh will have to retain salary in any deal for either defenseman but D’Amico didn’t indicate the Penguins had any desire to do so at the time being.

Navigating the current situation is quite challenging for Pittsburgh. The team needs to balance the goal of remaining competitive during the final years of Crosby’s career while also considering their future. Currently, they find themselves in a difficult position, sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference, while only projected to have the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

There’s room for change on either front given there are 33 games left in the regular season but the Penguins will have to choose a direction relatively soon considering the magnitude of any hypothetical trade. At any rate, it’ll be unfamiliar territory for general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.

Detroit Red Wings Recall Elmer Söderblom

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Due to the lingering injury afflicting depth forward Tyler Motte, the Detroit Red Wings were positioned to recall a forward ahead of today’s contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. Although it’s unconfirmed if he’ll play tonight, the Red Wings announced they’ve recalled forward Elmer Söderblom from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Söderblom won’t be on many top prospect boards, but he’s certainly popular in many circles. At 6’8″, he’s a towering forward who would immediately tie Tyler Myers, Adam Klapka, and Louis Crevier as the second-tallest players in an NHL game this season.

He’s a solid skater, especially for his size, but it hasn’t translated into much point production in AHL Grand Rapids. After scoring 21 goals and 33 points in 51 games for the SHL’s Frölunda HC in the 2021-22 season the Red Wings may have thought they’d found a diamond in the rough in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft.

Söderblom cracked Detroit’s roster of training camp ahead of the 2022-23 season scoring two goals through the first 13 games averaging 12:58 of ice time per game. After a month-long demotion to the AHL, Söderblom returned to the roster in mid-December and performed much better scoring three goals and six points in eight games. 

The Göteborg, Sweden native has largely stagnated in his development since then, scoring 23 goals and 54 points in 119 games for the Griffins including five goals and 17 points in 38 games this year. Still, he’s only 23 years old meaning there’s still plenty of time for the Red Wings to help Söderblom some of his magic from his last season in the SHL. 

West Notes: O’Hearn, Innala, Ivan, Klingberg

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According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks have hired Chris O’Hearn as their next vice president of hockey operations. O’Hearn brings an extensive legal background to the Blackhawks front office and is expected to help the team navigate the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the production of contracts.

After earning his Juris Doctor in 2007 from New England Law – Boston, O’Hearn joined the Phoenix Coyotes as the director of hockey administration for the 2012-13 season. O’Hearn moved up the chain of command relatively quickly, becoming the Coyotes’ assistant general manager behind John Chayka in 2015-16.

O’Hearn took a one-year hiatus from the NHL during the 2018-19 campaign before signing on with the Minnesota Wild in 2019-20 as director of hockey operations. General manager Bill Guerin promoted O’Hearn to assistant general manager ahead of the 2021-22 season. O’Hearn was tasked with contract negotiations and CBA matters, similar to what he’ll be tasked with in Chicago.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The cap-strapped Colorado Avalanche are again using paper transactions to maximize their salary capture. Colorado announced they’ve reassigned forwards Jere Innala and Ivan Ivan to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Neither player found the scoreboard this afternoon against the Minnesota Wild but both should be expected back on the roster of Colorado’s upcoming game on Wednesday.
  • Don’t expect to see newly-signed defenseman John Klingberg to play for the Edmonton Oilers in the next few games. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported earlier that Klingberg is still a week out from game action. Although Klingberg has been working his way back to game speed over the last few months, it’s understandable he’ll need additional time given he hasn’t played in an NHL contest since November 11th, 2023.

Anaheim Ducks Reassign Sam Colangelo

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According to a team announcement, the Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Sam Colangelo to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. The roster move indicates one of Trevor Zegras or Brock McGinn will be activated from the injured reserve before Anaheim’s contest against the Florida Panthers tomorrow.

There is also a very real chance that this move could be performance-related. Colangelo has been more than impressive in his first full year in the AHL with 13 goals and 22 points in 24 games but that level of performance hasn’t translated to NHL action.

Colangelo has skated in 12 games for the Ducks this season over two separate call-ups. He went scoreless from November 19th to December 9th averaging 10:04 of ice time per game and managed only one in his recent four-game stretch averaging 12:46 of ice time per night.

As much as his AHL performance has given credibility to his being on an NHL roster, Anaheim simply needs more from Colangelo if they’re to keep him in the lineup. The Ducks have the league’s worst offense averaging 2.37 GF/G and need more production across the board.

Still, it won’t hurt Colangelo to return to the Gulls on a full-time basis. There are no expectations they’ll compete for playoff positioning in a tough AHL Pacific Division but Colangelo is still tied for the team lead in scoring with winger Sasha Pastujov.

Anaheim Ducks Close To Signing Artyom Galimov

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Originally reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on ’32 Thoughts’ and passed along by Patrick Present of The Hockey News, the Anaheim Ducks are close to signing one of their relatively recent draft picks. According to the report, the Ducks are close to signing Artyom Galimov from the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan and it could come before the end of the KHL season.

Anaheim selected Galimov with the 159th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft and there wasn’t much expected of him at the time. He scored 13 goals and 23 points in 55 games for Ak Bars Kazan during his draft year and stayed relatively consistent over the next four years.

He hasn’t garnered many headlines in the KHL, and his odds of ever making it to North America were becoming increasingly long. In the subsequent four seasons after being drafted in 2020, Galimov scored 25 goals and 37 assists in 202 games for Ak Bars Kazan with another four goals and eight assists in 47 postseason contests. That kind of production hardly warranted an entry-level contract in the NHL.

As indicated by Friedman’s report, Galimov’s stock has dramatically changed this year. He’s scored 22 goals and 41 points in 44 games while managing a +23 rating. He’s tied for eighth across the entire league in goal-scoring and has helped Ak Bars into a comfortable second place in the Eastern Conference.

Depending on the urgency the Ducks have in bringing Galimov to North America, they may allow him to finish the season with Ak Bars and continue with their inevitable playoff run. Still, if Anaheim is confident Galimov can continue scoring goals in the NHL, they could certainly use an addition like him immediately.

Paper Transactions: 1/20/25

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Instead of recalling the recently reassigned Guillaume Brisebois, the Vancouver Canucks have gone in another direction. The Canucks announced they’ve recalled Mark Friedman from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Vancouver is no longer dealing with any injuries to their defensive core indicating there were ulterior motives for Friedman’s call-up. It may be that the Canucks preferred a right-handed shot defenseman or one with more NHL experience to serve as their eighth defenseman.

The likely reason is that Brisebois would require waivers for another reassignment should he have spent eight more days on Vancouver’s roster whereas Friedman is still 13 days away. Friedman has been better in the AHL this year compared to Brisebois scoring six points in 20 games compared to the latter’s one point in 21 games.

Other paper transactions from around the league:

  • On just about every off day for the Dallas Stars this year, the organization has made a roster move and today was no different. Dallas announced they’ve reassigned forwards Matěj Blümel and Justin Hryckowian to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Both forwards have frequently been taxi players for the Stars this season with the former scoring one goal and six games and the latter scoring one goal in five games. One or both of them are expected back on the roster tomorrow when Dallas squares off against the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • As it turns out, defenseman Erik Černák isn’t expected back in the lineup tonight for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his absence, the team has opted to recall defenseman Maxwell Crozier who recently filled in for Černák in Tampa Bay’s last game. Crozier skated in 14:25 of the Lightning’s recent win against the Detroit Red Wings but was reassigned yesterday for cap-related motivations.
  • Since forward Valeri Nichushkin has yet to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup, the team had to recall another forward before today’s game against the Minnesota Wild. The team announced they had recalled forward Jere Innala, who had recently been reassigned on Saturday. He hardly played in today’s contest, going scoreless over 4:12 albeit landing one hit.

San Jose Sharks Activate Nikolai Kovalenko

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Before today’s matinee matchup between the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins, the former activated a middle-six forward from their injured reserve. The Sharks announced they’ve activated Nikolai Kovalenko although he didn’t factor into today’s matchup.

An upper-body injury has kept Kovalenko out of game action for approximately the last two weeks. Still, it’s not confirmed whether or not that was the reason behind his absence this afternoon.

Kovalenko has played decently well with the Sharks since being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in early December. He tallied five assists in his first four games averaging 12:21 of ice time per game but has depressed to only one goal over his last eight contests.

Thankfully he’s not in unfamiliar territory on a young San Jose roster. There are plenty of younger players struggling to transition to the grind of NHL hockey, and although Kovalenko is already 25 years old, he still has a lot of value as a forward prospect.

He’s only one year removed from an impressive back-to-back effort with the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Although the Gagarin Cup eluded him during his two years with the Torpedo, he scored 32 goals and 89 points in 98 games with another three goals and 11 points in 15 postseason contests.

The recent run of success in the KHL should alleviate any concerns about his point production for the time being. Regardless, given the Sharks’ position in their rebuild, they can afford to take chances of diamond-hunting in the rough.

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