AHL 2020 All-Star Rosters Announced
Just like the NHL did recently, the AHL has now announced their All-Star rosters for the upcoming festivities. The minor league will hold their annual showcase in Ontario, California, hosted by the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate. 33 of the players announced are AHL All-Stars for the first time, including several top prospects around the league.
The full rosters:
Atlantic Division:
Andrew Agozzino, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Jake Bean, Charlotte Checkers
Paul Carey, Providence Bruins
Chris Driedger, Springfield Thunderbirds
Morgan Frost, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Joey Keane, Hartford Wolf Pack
Matt Moulson, Hershey Bears (Captain)
Michael Sgarbossa, Hershey Bears
Igor Shesterkin, Hartford Wolf Pack
Jack Studnicka, Providence Bruins
Owen Tippett, Springfield Thunderbirds
North Division:
Rudolfs Balcers, Belleville Senators
Alex Barre-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch
Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
Nathan Gerbe, Cleveland Monsters
Charles Hudon, Laval Rocket
Jonas Johansson, Rochester Americans
Kasimir Kaskisuo, Toronto Marlies
Lawrence Pilut, Rochester Americans
Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets
Rasmus Sandin, Toronto Marlies
Ben Street, Binghamton Devils
Central Division:
Alexandre Carrier, Milwaukee Admirals
Lucas Elvenes, Chicago Wolves
Matthew Ford, Grand Rapids Griffins (Captain)
Jansen Harkins, Manitoba Moose
Connor Ingram, Milwaukee Admirals
Kevin Lankinen, Rockford IceHogs
Joel L’Esperance, Texas Stars
Gerald Mayhew, Iowa Wild
Brennan Menell, Iowa Wild
Derrick Pouliot, San Antonio Rampage
Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins
Yakov Trenin, Milwaukee Admirals
Pacific Division:
Joachim Blichfeld, San Jose Barracuda
Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
Kale Clague, Ontario Reign
Martin Frk, Ontario Reign
Glenn Gawdin, Stockton Heat
Lane Pederson, Tucson Roadrunners
Calvin Petersen, Ontario Reign
Matthew Phillips, Stockton Heat
Anthony Stolarz, San Diego Gulls
T.J. Tynan, Colorado Eagles
Chris Wideman, San Diego Gulls
Kailer Yamamoto, Bakersfield Condors
Dalton Smith Clears Waivers
Friday: Smith has cleared waivers, but was still at practice with the Sabres today.
Thursday: After 86 seconds of ice time and two penalty minutes, Dalton Smith has been placed on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Buffalo Sabres forward earned himself an NHL contract recently and played in one game for the team, but could now be on his way back to the minor leagues.
Smith, 27, was actually selected 34th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010 but failed to bring any sort of offensive game to the professional level. The physical forward has 54 points in 340 career AHL regular season contests, but still earned a deal with the Sabres and a chance to finally make his NHL debut.
Though he didn’t play much, Smith was an obvious message to other players including Evan Rodrigues, who was made a healthy scratch and asked for a trade out of the organization.
There is almost no chance that Smith gets claimed at this point, given he didn’t even have an NHL contract at this point last week. He will be a recall option for Ralph Krueger and Jason Botterill down the road however, if they ever need a little extra toughness in the lineup.
Victor Olofsson Out Five To Six Weeks
The Buffalo Sabres will have to hope Michael Frolik adds some immediate offense, as Victor Olofsson will be out for the next five to six weeks after suffering a lower-body injury.
For a team like Buffalo who has plummeted in the standings after a strong start and can’t seem to score goals on a regular basis, losing a young sniper is a tough pill to swallow. The team ranks 19th in the league in goals for, not nearly good enough to compete in the high-flying Atlantic Division. Olofsson has 16 of those goals, good for second on the team behind Jack Eichel, and has been the team’s primary shooter on the powerplay.
It’s clear Frolik will help this team, but the Sabres are still after more improvements up front after yesterday’s deals. The question will be who else they move from the blueline to accommodate it, as the swaps didn’t end up in any additional cap space.
Olofsson’s timeline puts him returning in the middle of February, with time to spare before this year’s deadline. Hopefully everything in his recovery goes according to plan and he will feel like an addition for the stretch run.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Ilya Kovalchuk
Another NHL team has taken a chance on Ilya Kovalchuk. The Montreal Canadiens announced a contract for the enigmatic Russian sniper, signing Kovalchuk to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. The deal is worth the minimum at both the NHL and AHL level, limiting the risk involved with signing the former Los Angeles King.
Kovalchuk, 36, comes to the Canadiens after agreeing to a mutual contract termination with the Kings that saw him walk away from several million dollars. Getting that kind of money again was never going to be in the cards, but by agreeing to a minimum-salary contract Kovalchuk at least signals that he’s motivated by the hockey opportunity that is available with the Canadiens.
That opportunity is immediate after Montreal announced that Brendan Gallagher is out indefinitely with a concussion. While the two play very different games, Kovalchuk can perhaps help to bring some of the goal scoring the team lost when Gallagher went out. There is reason to believe that even at an advanced age, the former KHL star can still put the puck in the net.
While he never fit with the Kings, clashing with coaches and failing to bring the production expected of a player earning $6.25MM per season, Kovalchuk still does have a wicked shot and nose for the net. In 64 games last season he recorded 16 goals and 34 points, and had nine points in his first 17 games this season before being removed from the lineup in November. That huge gap in playing time will be a difficult one to overcome, though he did stay with the Kings and continued practicing for a month before the termination came to pass.
The simple fact for Montreal right now is that they need to do something to try and get back on track. After sitting in a playoff spot through much of the early part of the season, the Canadiens are now sixth in the Atlantic Division and have lost their last four games. An 18-17-6 record isn’t going to cut it and if they want any sniff of the postseason they’ll have to start scoring more goals.
At this point there is very little risk for the Canadiens, but Marc Bergevin explained the situation from Kovalchuk’s point of view very succinctly at his press conference today (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet):
He has to buy in. It’s his last chance.
Adam Pelech Out For Rest Of Season
It’s bad news regarding New York Islanders’ Adam Pelech, as the team announced the defenseman will be out the remainder of the regular season after suffering an Achilles injury. Sebastian Aho has been recalled from Bridgeport to take his place.
While Pelech may not have a ton of name recognition around the league, this is a devastating loss for the Islanders who rely on him every night to anchor their tight defensive unit. The 25-year old has been playing on the top pairing and averaging more than 21 minutes a night, while also logging huge numbers on the penalty kill. That kind of a defensive presence will be impossible to replace, even if Aho does look ready to contribute at the NHL level.
The Islanders will be tested without Pelech in the lineup and the Metropolitan Division is not forgiving this season. Even though they sit in second place, New York is just seven points ahead of the seventh-place Columbus Blue Jackets.
Minor Transactions: 01/03/19
Just two games are on the schedule for today before a busy weekend in the NHL, meaning teams have time to assess their roster and make any changes needed. Even though there isn’t a ton of action, there are still some storylines to keep an eye on. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will be heading to Carolina to take on Andrei Svechnikov and the Hurricanes in a battle of two Metropolitan playoff hopefuls. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves as those teams and others get ready:
- The Ottawa Senators have returned Erik Brannstrom to the minor leagues after acquiring Mike Reilly yesterday. Brannstrom obviously still needs some time to polish out his two-way game, even if he has flashed glimpses of the top-pairing potential he possesses.
- With Victor Olofsson injured last night, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled Scott Wilson from the minor leagues. There’s no word on the extent of the injury just yet, but the team is making moves to secure some NHL depth.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Justin Scott to the AHL, perhaps a sign that someone will be coming back for them before long. The Blue Jackets’ injury list is longer than their roster at the moment, but they’ve still won two in a row.
- Nick Seeler is heading to the minor leagues on a conditioning loan, to get in some game action and stay fresh for the Minnesota Wild. The 26-year old has played in just six games this season and would be a difficult name to call as a replacement right now.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Casey DeSmith to serve as backup for a game, as they let Tristan Jarry rest and get ready for his next appearance. Jarry has performed incredibly this season for the Penguins, but is already approaching the most NHL starts he’s ever had in a single year. He’ll prepare to play the earlier start on Sunday. The team has also recalled Thomas Di Pauli.
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned a trio of players to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Chris Wideman, Daniel Sprong, and Sam Carrick will all head back to the minors. Wideman was only recalled yesterday – his first call-up of the season – and Sprong on Monday, making it a quick stint for both.
- Steven Kampfer cleared waivers back in early December but has still spent much of the past month in Boston. Yet, as the Bruins get healthy, Kampfer now heads back to AHL Providence, per insider Mark Divver. Kampfer will serve the second game of a two-game AHL suspension tonight, Divver adds.
2019 Year In Review: September
2019 has been a very busy year throughout the hockey world. There have been several big trades and free agent signings (including a record-setting contract), plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is the month of September which was extremely busy as training camps started to open across the league.
RFA Dam Breaks: Finally, we got a conclusion to the restricted free agent stand-offs all over the NHL. Players like Kyle Connor (seven years, $50MM), Patrik Laine (two years, $13.5MM), Brayden Point (three years, $20.25MM) Matthew Tkachuk (three years, $21MM), Brock Boeser (three years, $17.625MM), Travis Konecny (six years, $33MM), Charlie McAvoy (three years, $14.7MM), Mitch Marner (six years, $65.36MM), Mikko Rantanen (six years, $55.5MM), Ivan Provorov (six years, $40.5MM) and Zach Werenski (three years, $15MM) all inked lucrative deals to be ready in time for the start of the season.
Not Doing This Again: After the league watched teams be held hostage by their restricted free agents all summer, many decided to start locking up their young players early. Thomas Chabot (eight years, $64MM), Josh Morrissey (eight years, $50MM) and Clayton Keller (eight years, $57.2MM) all signed huge deals a full season away from restricted free agency, making them part of their respective organizations for the foreseeable future.
Byfuglien Suspended: While the Jets got their big free agents signed, one of their biggest players didn’t show up for camp. Dustin Byfuglien didn’t show up thanks to an injury and unmade mind, leading to a suspension from the team. The big defenseman still isn’t back with the team yet, but did file a grievance through the NHLPA for his lost salary.
Lockout Averted (for now): Speaking of the NHLPA, both the player’s union and the league decided against using their opt-out clauses for the current CBA, extending labor peace for at least a few more years. The two sides will have to come to an agreement again at some point down the road, but for now hockey fans can feel secure that there will be pucks dropped until 2022.
Kronwall Hangs Them Up: The Detroit Red Wings have seen their organization turn the page on the old and focus on the new the last several years, and with Niklas Kronwall announcing his retirement as a player, the last real vestige of the dominant playoff-streak team is gone. Kronwall didn’t go far however, joining Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings’ front office immediately.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Buffalo Sabres Trade Marco Scandella, Acquire Michael Frolik
After trading away Mike Reilly, the Montreal Canadiens have gone out and found themselves a different defenseman. The Canadiens have acquired Marco Scandella from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for San Jose’s 2020 fourth-round pick. The Sabres then flipped that pick to acquire Michael Frolik from the Calgary Flames. No salary was retained in either transaction.
All season the Sabres had been looking to move one of their surplus defenseman to free up some cap space, and Scandella was essentially replaceable even if he was playing well of late. Buffalo has several other capable NHL defensemen, including some sitting in the minor leagues waiting for their opportunity. By moving the 29-year old Scandella and his $4MM cap hit out, they freed up enough room to bring in another forward that can help Jack Eichel create some offense.
Frolik, 31, comes to the Sabres after being the subject of many trade rumors over the last few years. There were times when it seemed he had completely run out of patience with the Flames organization, and times where they seemed to feel the same about him. Still, he continued playing for them and recorded 16 goals and 34 points in 65 games last season while providing solid penalty killing ability whenever asked. This season has brought ten points in 38 games, but given his average of fewer than 12 minutes a night it would have been difficult to provide much more offense.
In Buffalo, he’ll surely get a chance to be more of a contributor on that side of the puck. A Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, Frolik has actually been a relatively consistent goal-scorer the last several years, recording double digit totals in each of the last six seasons. If the Sabres want to make the playoffs this season they absolutely needed to add more scoring punch up front.
For Montreal, a team that may now be overlooked in this busy night, swapping Reilly for Scandella provides an upgrade in experience and defensive capability. While the young defenseman may be more mobile and at one point provided a little more offensive upside, Scandella is nearing 600 games played at the NHL level and should help their group find a little more balance.
The Canadiens have been relying heavily on their top three names this year with Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot all logging more than 23 minutes a night, but will hope that Scandella can take some of that load off their shoulders. The Montreal native also has a ton of experience on the penalty kill, where the Canadiens currently rank 25th in the NHL.
Scandella is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, meaning their overall moves have also removed an NHL contract from the books for next season when they are expecting prospects like Alexander Romanov to compete for spots.
Calgary also changes tonight, opening up some room of their own by ridding themselves of Frolik’s $4.3MM cap hit. That gives the Flames some extra flexibility of their own as they try to claw their way back into the Pacific Division race. The Flames will be a team to watch moving forward as they try to right the ship.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ottawa Senators Acquire Mike Reilly
The Montreal Canadiens have traded Mike Reilly to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick and minor league forward Andrew Sturtz. The Canadiens then turned around and acquired a defenseman of their own in another deal.
Reilly, 26, hasn’t been able to establish himself as a full-time option for the Canadiens this season, despite some strong play last year for them when the team was dealing with injuries. Re-signed last June to a two-year, $3MM deal, the Senators will get some cost certainty in their new defender as they try to rebuild a defense corps.
In Ottawa, Reilly comes to a group that has dealt with injury after injury this season with the likes of Nikita Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey and Dylan DeMelo all going down for long stretches. With the latter two also scheduled for unrestricted free agency—along with Mark Borowiecki—there will be opportunity for Reilly to really set himself up as an everyday player.
Getting a fifth-round selection back for Reilly essentially replaces the pick they traded to the Minnesota Wild in 2018 to get him in the first place, and adds to the huge total that Montreal has amassed for the next few drafts. The Canadiens also clear a contract off the books for next season as Sturtz will be a restricted free agent and could very well go unqualified.
Chris Wideman Recalled By Anaheim Ducks
For the first time in almost a year, Chris Wideman is back in the NHL. The former Ottawa Senators regular has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks for the first time after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them in the summer.
Wideman, 29, was once an analytical darling that many believed deserved more ice time in Ottawa, but things have collapsed over the last few years. After playing in 140 games between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, he’s suited up just 41 times since.
The last time he saw NHL ice was on January 5th 2019 with the Florida Panthers, but also spent time in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization after a deadline deal last year. In 26 games with the San Diego Gulls this season he has 19 points, the same level of offensive production that made him such an intriguing prospect in the first place.