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Calgary Flames Reassign Three Players

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After the Calgary Flames finished their disappointing season last night, they’ve sent three young players back to the minor leagues to chase a Calder Cup. Jakob Pelletier, Walker Duehr, and Dustin Wolf have been reassigned to the Calgary Wranglers.

Wolf stole the show in the regular season finale, exciting fans from his acrobatic pre-game routine to the final whistle on his debut victory. The 21-year-old netminder, who fell to the seventh round in 2019 because of his size, has dominated every level of hockey so far. An all-time performance in his WHL career led to incredible results in the AHL and now a .958 save percentage in his one-game NHL sample.

Through 53 appearances for the Wranglers this year, the diminutive goalie went 41-9-2 with a .932, and should help them challenge for a league title. Before long, you might see him as a regular in the Flames crease, especially given the struggles of Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar this year.

Pelletier, meanwhile, was the team’s first-round pick in 2019, and has had similar success at the minor league level. In 33 games with the Wranglers this year, he scored 16 goals and 36 points, leading to a significant call-up to the Flames. He recorded seven points through 24 games to start his NHL career and could be a regular as soon as next year.

Duehr, the oldest of the three at 25, was an undrafted free agent signing out of Minnesota State in 2021 and has 11 points in 27 games for the Flames this season. While not as highly regarded in the Calgary system, he’ll lend his size and versatility to the Wranglers as they go on a playoff run as the AHL’s top seed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Samuel Richard To ATO

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed another amateur goaltender to serve as backup tonight, the fourth-straight game that they’ve had only one NHL-level goalie on the ice. Samuel Richard will be tonight’s amateur tryout agreement, backing up Joseph Woll against the New York Rangers.

Richard, 22, played for the University of New Brunswick this season after a three-year career in the QMJHL with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He was outstanding at the USports level, posting an 18-4 record, 1.59 goals-against average, .933 save percentage.

The UNB Reds won the national championship last month, with Richard posting a shutout in the final game.

Still, that’s certainly not the same path most NHL backups take, and the continued use of amateur goaltenders at the end of this season has to be a cause for concern among the league offices.

Luckily, in this case, the game is effectively meaningless. The Maple Leafs and Rangers are locked into their playoff positions and will try to get out of tonight’s game healthy.

Ilya Samsonov, the team’s regular starter, will take another game off as he deals with some minor injuries and prepares for the playoffs.

St. Louis Blues Recall Vadim Zherenko

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled Vadim Zherenko under emergency conditions, sending Joel Hofer back to the Springfield Thunderbirds. The young netminder will serve as the backup for Jordan Binnington in tonight’s finale.

Zherenko, 22, is in his first season of North American pro hockey, after being selected 208th overall in 2019. He posted an impressive .918 save percentage in 24 appearances with the Thunderbirds, forming an excellent tandem with Hofer and taking the club to the Calder Cup playoffs.

With seeding still on the line for Springfield, and a big back-to-back-to-back situation coming this weekend to finish their season, Hofer will prepare for tomorrow’s AHL contest.

That’s to the benefit of Zherenko, who will get another day of NHL pay while he sits on the bench. This is the second call-up of his career after a short stint on the roster earlier this month. The young netminder will have to wait to make his debut, but it already looks like he has a rather promising future—especially for a seventh-round pick.

Chicago Blackhawks Will Not Re-Sign Jonathan Toews

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Tonight will be the last game of Jonathan Toews’ Chicago Blackhawks career. General manager Kyle Davidson officially announced that the captain would not be re-signed, releasing the following statement:

I’ve had a number of conversations with Jonathan throughout the season about his future with the Blackhawks, and recently, we had the difficult conversation that we won’t be re-signing him this offseason. Tonight will be his final game as a Blackhawk, and it was very important to us to be able to provide the proper send off for Jonathan and our fans.

He has done so much for this organization, and no matter where he plays next, we’re excited our fans get the chance to show Jonathan exactly how much he means to them. 

After the last few years have brought the departure of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and most recently, Patrick Kane, Toews was the final piece standing from the core that brought three Stanley Cup championships to Chicago.

While his game has deteriorated in recent years, Toews was, at one point, considered one of the greatest two-way centers in history. He won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP at age-22, was a Selke Trophy finalist four times (winning once), and was included as part of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players in 2017.

With career-highs of 35 goals and 81 points (both reached in 2018-19), his offensive game was never the reason for excellence in Chicago. Instead, a commitment to defense and a reputation as one of the best leaders in the sport drove his greatness for the Blackhawks. He would routinely tilt the ice in his team’s favor by controlling play, and was captain of one of the most dominant groups in recent NHL history.

Toews’ eight-year, $84MM contract will expire at the end of this season, and it is unclear what the future will bring for the veteran center. He’ll be 35 before the month is up, and has been limited by serious health issues the last few years. Toews missed all of 2020-21 with Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and was kept out of the lineup this year with it again.

Limited to just 14 goals and 30 points in 52 games, it would have been difficult to work out a soft landing like the one Davidson found Kane at the deadline. Those numbers, and recent health issues will likely limit the market for him this summer, though if he wants to continue playing, teams should be willing to give the Blackhawks legend a chance.

This is the last symbolic move for Chicago away from the old regime. Davidson will now have a relatively clean slate to build a team, though it may still be several years until he can put together a competitive group.

Just two players—Seth Jones and Connor Murphy—are signed to one-way contracts past 2023-24, giving Davidson a blank canvas to work with. Even next year, the team has only $37.3MM in salary commitments, meaning there will be plenty of cap space to try and coax extra assets out of contenders.

It’s been a difficult season for Blackhawks fans, watching the team tank and trade away one of the greatest offensive talents in NHL history. Now, they’ll be forced to say goodbye to the last part of the previous era, and look forward to whatever comes next.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Washington Capitals Sign Reid Cooper To ATO

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Another NHL organization will have an amateur goalie on the bench tonight, as the Washington Capitals have signed Reid Cooper to an amateur tryout agreement. Cooper will serve as the backup against the New Jersey Devils after Charlie Lindgren suffered an injury and is unavailable.

Cooper, 24, has played the last two seasons at Curry College, a Division III school in Massachusetts. Before that, he was the backup at Robert Morris for three seasons and played in the BCHL.

He was outstanding for the Colonels in 2022-23, posting a 20-6-1 record and .935 save percentage, taking home the CCC Goaltender of the Year trophy.

Thanks to several injuries, the Capitals already have three emergency exemptions on the roster to finish the year. The club is pushed right up against the salary cap ceiling but will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and for just the second time since 2007.

As ATO goaltenders become more prevalent, there will likely be some discussion between the NHLPA and NHL on potential exemptions. The league doesn’t want amateurs playing regular season games, especially with playoff seeding on the line.

With the Devils just one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, it would be rather embarrassing to see Cooper forced into the net to try and hold off New Jersey’s attack.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Five Players

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April 12: Columbus has reassigned all five players back to the AHL after last night’s overtime loss. With two games remaining in their season, expect more gameday transactions as the year draws to a close.

April 11: The Columbus Blue Jackets, with three games remaining in the regular season, have added five players to their roster from the minor leagues. Jake Christiansen, David Jiricek, Joshua Dunne, Trey Fix-Wolansky, and Carson Meyer have all been recalled under emergency conditions, giving them a wave of reinforcements ahead of tonight’s match.

Columbus is in Philadelphia tonight to take on the Flyers, in a game that matters only for draft lottery seeding. The Blue Jackets are tied for last in the league with the Chicago Blackhawks, meaning if they want the best odds, they’ll have to lose over the next few days.

The quintet of players are all relatively young, though Jiricek is the crown jewel. The 19-year-old appears as though he’ll push for a regular spot in the Columbus lineup as soon as next season after transitioning to North American professional hockey with ease. In 52 games with the Cleveland Monsters, the 2022 sixth-overall pick scored 38 points.

Because he has only suited up three times with the Blue Jackets so far, his contract is guaranteed to slide forward to next season, giving the team more control. Jiricek will not reach restricted free agency until 2026.

San Jose Sharks Reassign Adam Raska

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April 11: San Jose reassigned Raska to the Barracuda today, per the team, ending his five-day stint with the team. The 21-year-old recorded blanks across the board in three games, including an even plus/minus rating, while registering just one shot on goal and 13 hits.

April 6: The San Jose Sharks have added another young forward to their group, recalling Adam Raska from the AHL. He’ll join them ahead of tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, with four more matches following it before the end of the season.

Raska, 21, is not your standard late-season call-up. While these games are often filled with high-scoring youngsters, trying to get their feet wet at the professional level, Raska is an in-your-face bottom-sixer that has shown very little offensive upside in the AHL.

Through 53 games for the San Jose Barracuda this season, he has just four goals and 11 points, while racking up 121 penalty minutes. That includes six fighting majors, as the young forward never backs down from a confrontation.

An easy player to root for, Raska was a seventh-round pick in 2020 that plays with unlimited energy. During his five-game stint with the Sharks last season, he racked up 15 hits and fought veteran defenseman, Mark Giordano.

While the likes of William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau may be the future of the team’s offense, Raska could have a role as a fourth-liner soon.

Skyler Brind’Amour Not Expected To Sign With Oilers

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In August, many NCAA players will see their exclusive draft rights expire, allowing them unrestricted free agents to sign with any organization. The decision has already been made for one of those players, Skyler Brind’Amour.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that Brind’Amour, fresh off a national championship with Quinnipiac, will not sign with the Edmonton Oilers. Jason Gregor of TSN adds that Brind’Amour informed the Oilers that there would be a better opportunity elsewhere as he tries to transition to professional hockey.

If he doesn’t change his mind and is still unsigned through August 15, Brind’Amour—son of Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour—will be an unrestricted free agent. As a sixth-round pick in 2017, the Oilers will not receive draft compensation.

They could, however, work out a trade with his preferred destination, though that club could simply wait until August if they have confidence in him signing at that point. The 23-year-old forward was a key part of the Bobcats’ first-ever NCAA title, and scored 32 points in 41 games this season.

A workhorse that seems to always be attacking the puck carrier, Brind’Amour’s potential at the NHL level likely tops out as a bottom-six energy player. Even that projection will be tested next year as he transitions, starting his professional career at the age of 24.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Adam Ginning

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The Philadelphia Flyers have nothing much to play for in the last few days of the season, so another prospect will get his first chance in the NHL. Adam Ginning has been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the first time in his career.

Ginning, 23, has played the stable stay-at-home role for years now, both in Sweden and now in the minor leagues. The 6’3″ defenseman entered professional hockey as a teenager, and played an incredibly simple, physical game in his own end. That pleased coaches and kept him rising draft boards, despite only scoring 29 points in a 216-game SHL career.

This year, in the AHL, he’s done much of the same. Acting as the defensive balance to Ronnie Attard’s offensive game, Ginning has been outstanding, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. His +25 rating easily leads the club, and while that is partly due to the talent around him, Ginning’s defensive play has warranted attention.

He’ll get it, in the form of an NHL call-up and potential debut. For a head coach like John Tortorella, who values effort over everything, Ginning’s game should fit in well. Whether he can keep up with the NHL speed and skill, however, remains to be seen.

Given the changes expected in Philadelphia this offseason, there could be a lot more playing time coming for young talents like Ginning. A showcase over the last few days of the season could go a long way to securing him some time on the roster in 2023-24.

Ottawa Senators Recall Max Guenette

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The average seventh-round pick doesn’t even earn a contract, let alone sniff the NHL. That’s why the performance this season from Max Guenette has been so impressive. The young defenseman has been rewarded for his play with a recall to the Ottawa Senators and a potential NHL debut in the next few days.

Guenette, 21, was the 187th overall pick in 2019, and less than two years into his professional career, is already up with the big club. The right-shot defenseman scored 38 points in 69 games in the AHL, leading all Belleville Senators defensemen.

Ottawa has reassigned Jacob Bernard-Docker to make room on the NHL roster, a move that suggests Guenette will make his debut at some point. When he does, it will mean the entire 2019 Senators draft class will have played at least once in the league.

Lassi Thomson, Shane Pinto, Mads Sogaard—the team’s first three picks that year—all look like significant building blocks. Viktor Lodin and Mark Kastelic, the next two, are organizational depth. The future for Guenette is a little more unclear after his strong performance this season. He’ll get a chance to show he’s more than just a seventh-rounder.

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