Minor Transactions: 11/18/19
Just two games grace the NHL schedule as teams continue to get a little rest after a busy Saturday, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hockey chatter going on all across North America. As we head into the second quarter of the season coaches are already feeling their seat get a little warmer, while pending free agents should start becoming available for trade. As the hockey world continues to turn, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Max Veronneau, the young forward that signed out of Princeton at the end of last season. The 23-year old suited up for 12 games down the stretch for Ottawa but is getting his first chance of this season.
- Brendan Gaunce and Urho Vaakanainen have both been recalled by the Boston Bruins after the team sent three players (including Vaakanainen) down yesterday. After an incredible start the Bruins have looked mortal lately, going just 5-2-3 in their last ten games.
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled Louis Domingue, giving them three goaltenders on the roster for the moment. That’s a curious development and one that will make the waiver announcements today something to watch. Cory Schneider has struggled mightily this season, with an .852 save percentage through six appearances.
- The Edmonton Oilers have sent Joel Persson to the minor leagues, giving them just six defensemen on the active roster for the time being. That should soon be fixed by the return of Adam Larsson, who will be activated off long-term injured reserve.
- Steven Santini and Mathieu Olivier have been recalled by the Nashville Predators, adding some more youth to their group as they prepare to face the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. Olivier was an undrafted free agent signing out of the QMJHL and has seven points in 17 games for the Milwaukee Admirals this season.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Morgan Frost
On a three-game losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers have decided it is time to inject a little youth into their lineup. The team has recalled top prospect Morgan Frost from the minor leagues, giving him his first chance at the NHL level.
Frost, 20, was selected 27th overall in the 2017 draft but quickly became one of the most interesting prospects in the entire league. The year after his draft he recorded 141 points in 81 games for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL and followed it up with another outstanding season in 2018-19. In his first year of professional hockey he has 12 points in 16 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but will now get his chance to perform at the highest level.
There are few players in the Flyers organization with the kind of offensive upside that Frost represents, but there are still questions about his ability to hold down the center ice position at the NHL level. What better way to test that than to throw him into the fire during a short road trip.
Philadelphia plays tomorrow night in Florida against the Panthers and will then travel to a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Though there has been no confirmation that Frost will be in the lineup, it would be an odd move to recall him with no intention of getting him into any action.
The team has also recalled Joel Farabee and Andy Andreoff, sending Carsen Twarynski to the minor leagues.
Minor Transactions: 11/17/19
Most of the NHL is at rest today after the huge number of Saturday games, meaning just four teams are in action. The Buffalo Sabres travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks, while the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights get reacquainted in Sin City. As teams prepare for the next week of action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Noah Gregor has been returned to the AHL after playing in ten games for the San Jose Sharks. The 21-year old center failed to register his first NHL point but at least got his feet wet and saw what would be required of him at the next level.
- Former NHL goaltender Justin Pogge has found a new home for this season, signing a one-year deal with Sodertalje SK in Sweden’s second league. The 33-year old netminder has spent the last several seasons overseas after a North American career that saw him quickly turn from top prospect to AHL afterthought. In seven career NHL games, Pogge posted an .844 save percentage and 4.36 goals against average.
- Miikka Salomaki has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators after five games with the team. The 26-year old was recalled on October 19th, meaning he’s close to needing waivers again. Sending him to the AHL now leaves the Predators with some extra roster flexibility.
- The Boston Bruins have returned three players to their AHL affiliate, according to the AHL transactions page. The website reports that the Bruins have sent forwards Paul Carey and Trent Frederic and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to Providence. Carey played Saturday in their shootout loss to Washington, receiving 6:22 of playing time. Frederic played back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, but was held scoreless, while Vaakanainen played in three games, playing 19:19 on Saturday.
- The Athletic’s Darren Haynes reports that the Calgary Flames have recalled forward Dillon Dube from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. Dube, who has dominated in the AHL, but struggled last year in his first taste of NHL action, was brought in to spark the team, which has been struggling with offense recently. Dube has four goals and 13 points in 13 games with the Heat. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis adds that forward Alan Quine was sent to Stockton in a corresponding move.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced they have assigned forwards Brandon Pirri and Nicolas Roy to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Pirri cleared waivers and has already been reported to have been sent to Chicago, while Roy has been up and down multiple times this year as a fourth-line option for Vegas. The 22-year-old has fared well in six games, posting a goal and three points.
- The Dallas Stars announced they have re-assigned center Rhett Gardner to the Texas Stars of the AHL. The 23-year-old had appeared in eight games for Dallas but failed to register a point. He had eight shots on goal over that span. With no game until Tuesday, it could just be a paper transaction to save some cap space.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced they have assigned defenseman Joe Hicketts to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Hicketts has appeared in five games for the Red Wings, which included picking up his first point of the season Saturday in their shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned defenseman Colton White to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. White was recalled Friday by the team but served as an emergency defenseman for Saturday’s game against Montreal.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled forward Eetu Luostarinen from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, according to a Checkers’ release. The 21-year-old Luostarinen was recalled 10 days ago, and appeared in three games for the Hurricanes, registering one assist, before being returned to Charlotte. The 2017 second-round pick has looked good in the AHL with five goals and eight points in 12 games.
- After being sent back to the minors following Saturday’s game, the Canadiens announced that they’ve recalled winger Charles Hudon from AHL Laval. He played less than eight minutes yesterday in his season debut but with Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin both injured, Montreal was down to just 11 healthy forwards.
- The Rangers have decided to give Lias Andersson some more playing time as they’ve assigned him to Hartford of the AHL per a team release. The seventh pick in 2017 has just one assist in 17 games this season while playing less than ten minutes per night. Winger Tim Gettinger has been recalled to take his place on the roster.
Kris Versteeg, Rockford IceHogs Part Ways
The Rockford IceHogs have lost their captain. The team announced today that they have mutually terminated the AHL contract of veteran forward Kris Versteeg at his request. IceHogs GM Mark Bernard explained:
Earlier this week, Kris approached us about mutually terminating his contract, at which point we asked him to take another couple of days to think about it. We spoke again Saturday morning and he had come to his final decision. Since 2007, when Kris first became a member of the Blackhawks organization, he has represented us with class and professionalism. He will always be a member of our organization’s family and we wish him and his family all the best going forward.
Versteeg, 33, also released a statement that made it sound like he is contemplating retirement as he thanked the Chicago Blackhawks organization for “not only [giving] me my first chance, but my second and final chance.”
Signing a one-year AHL contract with the team to continue his playing career, Versteeg was named captain and played in six games with Rockford this season. He was held to one point during that time.
A veteran of 643 NHL games, Versteeg won the Stanley Cup twice with the Blackhawks, first in 2010 and again in 2015.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Tage Thompson
The Buffalo Sabres will try to fill their forward depth chart from within once again, this time recalling Tage Thompson from the minor leagues. The team lost Kyle Okposo from last night’s game and already have Vladimir Sobotka, Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson on the shelf at the moment.
The 22-year old Thompson came to the Sabres from the St. Louis Blues in the Ryan O’Reilly trade and ended up playing 65 games for Buffalo last season. He was frustratingly inconsistent during those games however and with the team’s added depth was sent to the AHL’s Rochester Americans to start the 2019-20 season.
In the minor leagues, Thompson has shown an improved skating ability and bigger overall impact, scoring 12 points in 16 games as one of the team’s most consistent players. He comes to the Sabres amid reports the team is looking for another forward in trade, but could potentially fill that role himself.
Selected 26th overall in 2016, Thompson has a huge frame and can score from all over the offensive zone. In 106 career NHL games he has just 10 goals however, a rate that will have to improve significantly before he is considered the impact player many thought he would become.
Brian Gibbons Placed On Waivers
Saturday: Elliotte Friedman reports that Gibbons has cleared. The Hurricanes announced that he has been assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.
Friday: The Carolina Hurricanes have placed Brian Gibbons on waivers today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. This move comes as the team activates Jordan Martinook from injured reserve, just over a month after he had core muscle surgery.
Gibbons, 31, has turned a four-year stint at Boston College as an undersized, undrafted forward into a long professional career. Starting first with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as a minor league depth player, he worked his way to the NHL and has now played in 200 career games. Though he’ll continue as injury depth for the Hurricanes, he is an important piece for them to have sitting in the minor leagues if they can get him through waivers again. He cleared at the end of September but needed them again after playing in 11 games this season.
Martinook meanwhile returns to his role on the ice and in the locker room as one of the Hurricanes’ most trusted leaders. The 27-year old wears an “A” as alternate captain and provides a physical, grinding presence in the bottom-six. Taking players like Andrei Svechnikov under his wing and helping them to become professionals, he is an important part of the success the Hurricanes have experienced over the last year, even if his offensive production—which is not entirely lacking, he did score 15 goals last season—is not at the same level as some of his more talented teammates.
Snapshots: College Free Agents, Moore, Penguins
The NCAA ranks are a place to find undrafted talent that can fill in the gaps in an organization, and even potentially unearth a star player. NHL.com contributor Mark Divver writes on the college names that are drawing the most interest from NHL scouts, including Connor Mackey of Minnesota State-Mankato.
In one of our earlier College Hockey Round-Ups, our own Zach Leach examined Mackey’s game and the report that at least seven NHL clubs had already shown interest. The 23-year old defenseman’s market may turn into something of a sweepstakes this summer if his strong play continues.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost another forward, this time to a shoulder injury. Trevor Moore left in the first period of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and will not return, an injury that the Maple Leafs can’t afford at this point. The team is already missing Mitch Marner and Alexander Kerfoot, meaning their vaunted forward group (that hasn’t been so spectacular yet this season) will be tested even further.
- Even with Sidney Crosby out of the lineup for at least a month, the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t going to make any desperate moves. That’s what GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required), explaining that he thinks the team is still strong enough to navigate the waters without their captain.
2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Ninth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)
9th Overall: Wayne Simmonds, San Jose Sharks (61)
10th Overall: Kevin Shattenkirk, Florida Panthers (14)
11th Overall: Jake Muzzin, Carolina Hurricanes (141)
12th Overall: Kyle Turris, Montreal Canadiens (3)
13th Overall: David Perron, St. Louis Blues (26)
14th Overall: Mikael Backlund, Colorado Avalanche (24)
15th Overall: Evgenii Dadonov, Edmonton Oilers (71)
16th Overall: Alec Martinez, Minnesota Wild (95)
17th Overall: Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers (168)
18th Overall: Lars Eller, St. Louis Blues (13)
19th Overall: Alex Killorn, Anaheim Ducks (77)
20th Overall: Nick Bonino, Pittsburgh Penguins (173)
21st Overall: Pat Maroon, Edmonton Oilers (161)
22nd Overall: Paul Byron, Montreal Canadiens (179)
23rd Overall: Sam Gagner, Nashville Predators (6)
24th Overall: Justin Braun, Calgary Flames (201)
25th Overall: Ian Cole, Vancouver Canucks (18)
26th Overall: Brandon Sutter, St. Louis Blues (11)
27th Overall: Karl Alzner, Detroit Red Wings (5)
28th Overall: Carl Gunnarsson, San Jose Sharks (194)
An exercise like this only goes to show how difficult the draft really is, especially if you are picking at the bottom of the round. Gunnarsson jumps up from the seventh round and joins our first-round group, even though he hasn’t been much more than a depth defender for his entire career.
Back in 2007, it would have been difficult to expect Gunnarsson to even ever suit up for an NHL contest though. He had already gone undrafted twice, but must have caught the eye of a Toronto Maple Leafs scout while playing in the Swedish Elite League. A big body with a good reach, Gunnarsson actually kept developing his defensive acumen to the point where the Maple Leafs put him into the NHL during the 2009-10 season.
Gunnarsson logged some big minutes for bad Toronto teams as a young player, but by the time he ended up with the St. Louis Blues he was being used more as a depth player. Carving out a 593-game career is nothing to sneeze at, but teams are certainly hoping for a little more upside when they pick in the first round.
Even with the 29th pick, the Ottawa Senators were hoping to get a piece that could help refill the prospect cupboards. They had just lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Anaheim Ducks and had a top line as good as any in the league. They decided to add to that forward depth by taking University of Minnesota center Jim O’Brien, who had held his own at the college level even as a teenager.
O’Brien was listed 38th among North American skaters, but had a big frame and could potentially give the team another option down the middle where they were already exceptional deep. Unfortunately, O’Brien would struggle to find much consistency at the NHL level.
Though his professional career has lasted more than a decade, O’Brien played just 77 games in the NHL before leaving for the DEL this offseason. He recorded 13 points during that time and spent most of his years in the AHL playing on various minor league rosters. To be sure, the Senators wish they would have picked someone else back in 2007.
While the options are thinning out, Ottawa still could have found more than 77 career games. With the 29th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Senators select? Cast your vote below.
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*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.
Snapshots: 2021 Draft, Formenton, Canada-Great Britain
While several teams are dreaming of what might be available for them in the 2020 draft, others will already be looking forward to see what is next on the horizon. Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) examines some of the top names for the 2021 class, including a familiar family name.
Luke Hughes sits second on his list, and though he has a lot to live up with after the incredible debuts of Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes, there’s plenty to be excited about. The 16-year old defenseman is part of the U.S. National Development Team Program at the moment and is committed to the University of Michigan.
- The AHL has announced that Ottawa Senators prospect Alex Formenton has been issued a one-game suspension for his cross-checking incident earlier this week. Formenton has eight points in 13 games for the Belleville Senators, his first full professional season after getting a taste of the NHL each of the last two years.
- Next year before the 2020 IIHF World Championship, Team Canada will take on Team Great Britain in an “international challenge” game. NHL stars that don’t make the playoffs will be able to attend the tournament and give the fans in Nottingham a chance to see some of the top players in the world.
Andrew Ladd Placed On Waivers
Friday: Ladd has cleared waivers and will report to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Thursday: The New York Islanders have placed Andrew Ladd on waivers. Ladd recently finished a conditioning stint with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and was not in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has not played a game for the Islanders this season. GM Lou Lamoriello explained the situation:
He’s played the maximum number of conditioning games–five games. He needs to play in games to see exactly where the strength is and where the liabilities are and so forth. So we’ll get him down, he’ll leave today to go up to Belleville and play this weekend at Belleville and Laval.
There’s no timetable. His play and physical fitness will determine that.
Ladd is coming off a major knee injury and the Islanders obviously believe he’s not ready to compete in NHL games at this point. The veteran forward is apparently “very receptive” to this plan however as he tries to get his career back on track.
Signed to a seven-year, $38.5MM contract at the start of free agency in 2016, Ladd has managed just 71 points in 177 games with the Islanders over the last three seasons. While his value to a team has always stretched far beyond his offensive production—there’s something to be said about the experience of two Stanley Cups—the Islanders can’t rely entirely on intangibles. His contract carries a $5.5MM cap hit through the 2022-23 season and though they will get some savings (a prorated $1.075MM) with him buried in the minors, it looks like an anchor on their payroll at this point.