AHL Shuffle: 03/04/22
Seven games grace the NHL schedule this evening, including a big matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. After some impressive work by other teams, Vegas and Anaheim are now fighting to try and keep pace in the Pacific Division. The Ducks, in particular, are at risk of falling out of the race, as they currently trail not only Vegas but also the Dallas Stars in a battle for the final wild card spot. As they and other teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Mac Hollowell from the AHL, giving them an extra defenseman for the game tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks. Hollowell has been good for the Toronto Marlies this season, racking up 18 points in 29 games. If he got into a game, it would be his NHL debut.
- The Montreal Canadiens have placed goaltender Andrew Hammond on injured reserve. Hammond suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s overtime win over the Calgary Flames. In a corresponding move, the Canadiens recalled goaltender Cayden Primeau from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on an emergency basis.
Metropolitan Division
- The Washington Capitals have returned Zach Fucale to the AHL, recalling Axel Jonsson-Fjallby in his place. Fucale’s assignment suggests that Ilya Samsonov is okay and will be able to dress for tomorrow’s game after leaving practice earlier this week. Jonsson-Fjallby has played in nine games this season for the Capitals, but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Jake Leschyshyn once again, bringing up the young forward for the second time this month. Leschyshyn has played 20 NHL games this season, scoring one goal and four point.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled 2019 8th overall pick Philip Broberg from the Bakersfield Condors. Broberg, 20, has been up-and-down from Bakersfield for much of this season. He has had a good year for the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, with 19 points in 27 games, but that offense hasn’t translated to the NHL, where he has only a single point to his name in 17 career games.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Michael Del Zotto Drawing Interest
When it comes to the Ottawa Senators and the trade deadline, most point to Nick Paul, Chris Tierney, and the rest of the pending unrestricted free agents as the most likely targets. But there is another name, buried on the organizational depth chart, that should always be considered a trade candidate at deadline time. Michael Del Zotto, who has been traded three other times in his career, is drawing calls from around the league according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
Signed to a two-year, $4MM contract last July, things haven’t worked out for Del Zotto in Ottawa, where he has played just ten games this season. Instead, he’s spent most of the year in the minor leagues with the Belleville Senators, racking up nine goals and 22 points in 20 games for the minor league club. It’s something of a new experience for the 31-year-old defenseman, who stepped directly into the NHL in 2009 and stayed there, save for a brief 11-game tenure more than a decade ago.
In all, Del Zotto has more than 700 games of NHL experience and could still be a valuable depth addition for a contender looking for defensive help. The fact that he can still run a powerplay would give him a utility factor as an extra player, something that obviously attracted the St. Louis Blues in 2019 when they added him prior to their playoff run. Del Zotto wouldn’t end up playing for the Blues in the postseason, but his name is still on the Stanley Cup, a nice reward for the seven total games he played for the franchise.
It will be interesting to see what kind of market there would be for the veteran defenseman, given he’s signed through the 2022-23 season as well. That contract carries a cap hit of $2MM, meaning to even trade him the Senators may have to be willing to eat some of the remaining money. But for a contender trying to squeeze out value at the margins of a roster, you could probably do worse than a player with his level of experience.
Latest On Mark Giordano
In recent weeks, the Seattle Kraken made the decision that they would be trading Mark Giordano. He and Ron Francis, Kraken general manager, sat down and discussed the future and came to the conclusion that the team would trade its first captain, thinking of the future of the franchise above all else. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that though Giordano has a 10-team no-trade clause, he “has not even bothered giving it” to Francis and the Kraken front office, as he expects to go to a contender.
Kaplan lists the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Carolina Hurricanes among those who have shown the most interest.
Giordano, 38, was a Norris Trophy winner in 2018-19, and still is producing at a high level for the Kraken. With 23 points in 50 games he is their highest-scoring defenseman, and with more than 21 minutes of ice time a night, he plays more than everyone except Adam Larsson. Any acquiring team wouldn’t likely be asking him to do as much, which could perhaps improve his performance even further for a short postseason run.
The Rangers have been linked to basically every player on the market this year as they try to parlay an incredible season by Igor Shesterkin into true contender status. With the relative youth of their blueline–Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Libor Hajek, Nils Lundkvist, and Zac Jones are all 24-and-under–Giordano would offer something that they don’t have in spades: experience.
In Toronto, the Maple Leafs already have Giordano’s old partner in T.J. Brodie, the player who helped him to that Norris season a few years ago. With Jake Muzzin‘s future up in the air after suffering multiple concussions, a Giordano-Brodie pairing could actually be considered the top unit, freeing Morgan Rielly to play in more offensive situations.
For Florida, adding one more defenseman could put them over the top as they’re already one of the deepest teams in the league at every position. With Aaron Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Gustav Forsling already in place, Giordano would likely be able to feast on more manageable minutes and matchups. The same could be said about Carolina, though Kaplan notes Francis may be loath to help his old club.
In St. Louis, the loss of Scott Perunovich and the disappointing play of Marco Scandella has opened up a potential spot on the left side to add a defenseman. Head coach Craig Berube was almost even a teammate of Giordano’s decades ago, playing two final seasons in Calgary just a year before the undrafted defenseman joined the organization. With a style predicated on quick puck movement and physicality, the veteran Giordano could actually seem like a perfect fit for the Central Division club.
Snapshots: Archibald, Reimer, Mantha
Josh Archibald has not played a single game at any level this season but is in Edmonton skating after dealing with myocarditis. Mark Spector of Sportsnet sent out a string of tweets today updating the depth forward’s status, including confirming that Archibald is still unvaccinated.
Because of how difficult that makes it for him to play with the Oilers or go on a conditioning loan to the Bakersfield Condors due to cross-border travel, Spector expects Archibald to be traded to a U.S.-based team at some point and suggests his time as an Oiler is effectively over. The 29-year-old forward is a pending unrestricted free agent in the second season of a two-year contract that carries a $1.5MM cap hit. He scored seven goals and 13 points in 52 games last season.
- James Reimer is considered out week-to-week according to head coach Bob Boughner, who spoke with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Reimer’s injury further explains why the San Jose Sharks traded for–and subsequently recalled from the AHL–Alex Stalock. Adin Hill is still out with an injury, though Boughner explained that the goaltender “felt good” this morning. Losing Reimer is a pretty hefty blow to the Sharks’ fortunes, as the veteran netminder was having a nice bounce-back season and has a .916 save percentage in 34 appearances.
- Peter Laviolette wouldn’t confirm whether the Washington Capitals would have Anthony Mantha back in the lineup tonight, but he has been activated from injured reserve. Should he play, it would be his first game since leaving a match against the Florida Panthers on November 4 and just his 11th of the season. The 6’5″ forward had six points in his first ten games before going down and could be a trade deadline-like addition for the scuffling Capitals.
Buddy Robinson Clears Waivers
March 3: Robinson has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
March 2: The Anaheim Ducks have placed Buddy Robinson on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This is his second time on waivers in 2021-22, after clearing just before the start of the regular season.
Given that Robinson, 30, has played in 23 games for the Ducks this season, he needed to go on waivers again before heading to the minor leagues. The 6’6″ winger doesn’t play much, but you notice him when he’s out there for Anaheim, racking up hits and generally imposing his will on the opposition physically.
Robinson has even set a career-high with four points this season, taking his total to seven through 44 NHL games. He also has two fighting majors and 43 hits, while averaging fewer than ten minutes a night.
If a team is looking for some size, he can certainly fill that role, but with a limited amount of upside at the NHL level and a whopping $400K minor league guarantee, it seems unlikely that a team would want to nab Robinson at this point. He is much more valuable in the minor leagues, which any claiming team wouldn’t be able to send him until getting him through waivers themselves.
Edmonton Oilers Extend Seth Griffith
After issuing several contracts to minor league talent yesterday, the Edmonton Oilers have locked up another big part of their Bakersfield Condors roster. Seth Griffith has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension, that will keep him in the organization through the 2023-24 season. As reported by PuckPedia late last night, the financial terms are as follows:
2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $450,000 AHL salary
2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary, $450,000 AHL salary
Griffith, 29, has been a top minor league contributor for years, and is having a career year this season for Bakersfield. In 40 games he has scored 20 goals and 52 points, good enough for fourth (tied) in league scoring. He still hasn’t made an impact at the NHL level–playing in just a single game this season–but Griffith is a huge part of the success that the Condors have experienced and will now represent a potential minor league All-Star addition for two more years.
While this won’t help the Oilers directly, there has been a big push to make sure that the minor league affiliates are successful enough to help prospects develop in a winning environment. The Condors were the best team in the AHL’s shortened 2020-21 season and are having another strong campaign, going 22-13-9 so far, good enough for third place in the Pacific Division by points percentage.
Griffith joins Dmitri Samorukov, James Hamblin, and Vincent Desharnais as players who have signed recent contracts with the team, while Alex Stalock was also sent out of town last night. It’s been a busy stretch for Oilers GM Ken Holland and AGM Keith Gretzky, who also serves as the GM of the Condors.
Jonathan Toews, Tyler Johnson To Return For Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are getting a whole bunch of reinforcements tonight. Jonathan Toews, Tyler Johnson, Calvin de Haan, and Riley Stillman will all return, as Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago reports. Henrik Borgstrom and Erik Gustafsson will sit, while Alec Regula was returned to the minor leagues earlier today.
While de Haan wasn’t technically on injured reserve, the other three were, with Johnson not playing since the end of October. The 31-year-old forward underwent the same artificial disk replacement surgery that Jack Eichel did, and will be playing in just his ninth game of the season. Toews meanwhile has been out since January dealing with a concussion issue. His return will hopefully come with a resurgence offensively, as the Blackhawks captain was able to score just four times through his first 43 games.
That has been a huge part of why the team has struggled this season, and the future for Toews is now very murky. He missed all of 2020-21 with Chronic Immune Response Syndrome, and now seems a shell of the player that was an annual Selke and Hart trophy candidate. With new Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson indicating that a rebuild is coming for Chicago, and Toews having just one year left on his contract, it’s hard to envision him playing there for many more seasons unless he can really find his game at some point. Only 33, (34 in April) getting back on the ice tonight will be a good start.
In de Haan specifically, his return represents a very different situation. The 30-year-old defenseman is on an expiring contract and could be a nice trade deadline piece for the Blackhawks if he can show he’s healthy and relatively effective over the next few weeks. In 48 games this season he has just five points, but a physical defenseman who can play both sides and penalty kill will always be sought-after at the deadline.
Stillman meanwhile is potentially a piece for the future, as the 23-year-old signed a three-year $4.05MM contract extension last spring. In 28 games this season he actually has ten points, despite averaging fewer than 15 minutes a night. If players like de Haan are moved out at some point, the opportunity for a player like Stillman should be increased.
AHL Shuffle: 03/03/22
It’s another matchup of first and last this evening, as the Colorado Avalanche take on the Arizona Coyotes. Yes, the Coyotes are 52 points behind the Avalanche in the standings, but that didn’t matter the last time these two teams met. On February 1, Alex Galchenyuk was the only successful shooter to give Arizona a 3-2 shootout victory over the powerhouse Colorado squad, a game the Avalanche have surely not forgotten, as it ended a home win streak at 18. As they and other teams around the league prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have returned Scott Sabourin to the AHL, after activating him off injured reserve. Sabourin hasn’t played in more than a month and will have to get some minor league action in before he’s ready to help Ottawa.
- The Detroit Red Wings have activated Riley Barber from injured reserve and assigned him to the minor leagues. The 28-year-old forward has appeared in just two games for Detroit this season, spending most of his year with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Metropolitan Division
- Zach Fucale is on his way back to Washington, recalled by the Capitals today after Ilya Samsonov was forced to leave practice yesterday. If Samsonov–who took a shot up high and left early–is unable to play, it would likely be Vitek Vanecek making his second start since returning from injured reserve. The Capitals take on the Carolina Hurricanes this evening, trying to snap a three-game losing streak.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Isaac Ratcliffe back to the AHL, which could suggest Kevin Hayes is ready to return to action. Ratcliffe, 23, appears to be one of the bright spots for Flyers fans to focus on, with four points in ten games this season. The 6’6″ forward is hard to miss when he’s on the ice, though he did receive fewer than eight minutes of action in his last game.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Tim Gettinger, moving Kevin Rooney to injured reserve in the process. Gettinger, 23, hasn’t seen NHL action since mid-January and has just 13 games in total since making his debut in the 2018-19 season.
Central Division
- Alec Regula has been returned to the AHL by the Chicago Blackhawks, where he can continue his strong minor league campaign. The 21-year-old defenseman looks like he will be a part of the Chicago blueline for a long time when he eventually makes the full-time jump, but for now is still focused on development. In 25 games for Rockford, the 6’4″ Regula has 17 points.
Pacific Division
- The Seattle Kraken have returned Kole Lind to the minor leagues, despite his strong play last night in a win over the Nashville Predators. Lind recorded his second NHL point and generated five shots on goal, but will have to wait patiently for his next opportunity.
This page will be updated throughout the day
San Jose Sharks Acquire Alex Stalock
Another goaltender was dealt for future considerations last night, as Alex Stalock is now on his way to the San Jose Sharks from the Edmonton Oilers. The veteran netminder was originally not expected to play at all this season after being diagnosed with myocarditis but has now appeared in five games for the Bakersfield Condors.
Stalock, 34, actually has a long history with the Sharks. Drafted 112th overall by the team in 2005, he suited up 62 times for San Jose over parts of five seasons. That included an incredible rookie run in 2013-14 when he posted a .932 save percentage in 24 appearances, even getting into three postseason games when Antti Niemi struggled in the playoffs. It’s been years since he was part of the Sharks organization though, leaving them in 2016 when he was part of the deal that brought James Reimer over from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After a few seasons in Minnesota, Stalock was actually claimed off waivers by the Oilers in the 2020-21 season, but never appeared for the club at the NHL level. His future is relatively unclear at this point, though it has been good to see him back on the ice after many ruled him out completely. In five appearances with the Condors, he has a 3-1 record and a .862 save percentage.
For the Oilers, there were already enough goaltenders in the system to fill out the minor league spots, with Stuart Skinner obviously needing the most playing time whenever he’s in the AHL. In San Jose meanwhile, the Sharks are dealing with an emergency recall of Zachary Sawchenko while Adin Hill deals with injury, meaning Stalock may actually get a look in the NHL if healthy enough to do so.
Ivan Miroshnichenko Could Miss 2022-23 Season
One of the top prospects for the 2022 draft–at least before the recent invasion of Ukraine poured doubt onto the futures of all Russian prospects–was Ivan Miroshnichenko, a brilliant skater that combines good size with uncanny offensive instincts. The 18-year-old was expected to go right near the top of the board, with one scout even putting him first overall in Bob McKenzie’s midseason poll for TSN. Now, it’s unclear when Miroshnichenko will even play hockey again.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced this morning that the young forward has been diagnosed with a serious health issue and could miss the entire 2022-23 season. He is currently receiving medical treatment in Germany, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has confirmed that Miroshnichenko has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The disease is “the most common form” according to Friedman, and is curable.
At this point, it’s completely unclear how this will affect Miroshnichenko’s draft position, though it seems very likely that he will drop out of the first few selections. Those choices are so valuable to teams that even with his unique blend of skills–skills that could potentially give him the highest upside in the entire draft–it’s likely too much of a risk to use one on him unless there is more clear progress in the coming months. The NHL draft is set for July 7 this year.
This isn’t the first time a young Russian forward has received some bad medical news recently. Rodion Amirov of the Toronto Maple Leafs is also receiving treatment in Germany after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.