Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Scott Harrington Clears Waivers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

November 18: Harrington has cleared waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Sharks are now free to assign him to the AHL.

November 17: For the second time this season, Scott Harrington has been placed on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The veteran defenseman had previously cleared on October 13 and needed them again (after spending more than a month on the active roster) if the San Jose Sharks wanted to send him down.

Harrington, 29, has only played two games during that stretch and neither of them came this month. It’s been a long time since he actually got onto the ice, last suiting up for the Sharks’ October 22 game against the New Jersey Devils. With the team now home for three games, they can afford to loan him to the San Jose Barracuda for some game action to keep him sharp, though Harrington will likely remain a call-up option for them throughout the year.

That is of course unless he is claimed, which isn’t entirely out of the question. Signed to a one-year, two-way deal that carries a cap hit of just $750K, there are worse options on NHL rosters around the league. Harrington has over 200 games of NHL experience and was a rather effective option just a few years ago. While he won’t light up the scoresheet with points, he could represent an upgrade over some sixth or seventh defensemen.

Still, as always with these depth players hitting waivers, a claim remains the more unlikely outcome. If he clears, the Barracuda play a back-to-back this weekend in Tucson where he could make his AHL season debut.

Eric Comrie Out Multiple Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by 2 Comments

It’s Craig Anderson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the next little while. Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that Eric Comrie will be out for multiple weeks with a lower-body injury.

While injury is certainly not what you’re hoping for, sitting Comrie down for a little while might not be the worst thing for the Sabres. The 27-year-old goaltender was getting his first run as a starter in the NHL and struggling to find much consistency, posting an .887 save percentage through 11 games. Without strong goaltending, the Sabres started getting shelled on the scoresheet, and have lost seven in a row.

Comrie isn’t completely to blame but the Sabres obviously needed to change something to get the ship righted. Perhaps the recall of Luukkonen can be the spark they need to get things turned around. The young netminder was once considered the sure-fire goaltender of the future for the Sabres, and while that title may have been passed on to 20-year-old Northeastern superstar Devon Levi, there should still be plenty of excitement for Luukkonen.

Now 23, he actually has a .913 save percentage in 13 NHL appearances, despite his AHL numbers not looking quite as strong. The 6’5″ netminder has huge potential to be a starter at the highest level if he can put things together, and will get a chance now to really show what he can do. With a back-to-back situation coming up next week – the team plays the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday and the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday – both netminders will be needed.

Minnesota Wild Re-Assign Adam Beckman

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Minnesota Wild have sent Adam Beckman to the minor leagues, after playing fewer than ten minutes in each of his last three games. The team has several options to replace him, including the potential return of Jordan Greenway, who has been practicing of late.

One thing that Michael Russo of The Athletic also points out is that tomorrow night, the Wild will be honoring Alex Goligoski for playing 1,000 games in the league, a feat he accomplished last month. The team could choose to go with seven defensemen to get him into the lineup, as he’s not a regular at the moment with younger, more effective options ahead of him.

Either way, the Wild need to shake something up. The team has lost three in a row and remains under .500 on the season. They are ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes in the Central Division standings, two teams who are trying to finish as low as possible this season.

Greenway, who has played just a handful of shifts this season, was skating with Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy at practice according to Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune. The 25-year-old has been a big part of the team’s identity the last few years and was one-third of a top defensive line with Marcus Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek last season.

Alec Regula Returned To AHL; Ian Mitchell Recalled

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Nov 18: As expected, Mitchell has been recalled from the minor leagues.

Nov 17: The Chicago Blackhawks don’t play again until Saturday, and they’ve cleared a bit of salary off the roster in the meantime. Alec Regula has been sent down to the AHL, clearing up another roster spot for whatever the Blackhawks do next.

That could just be Regula coming back up in a day or two, saving the team some money – he’ll earn the AHL salary of his entry-level contract while in the minor leagues – but it could also hint at a different move. Seth Jones has been on the ice the last few days but just yesterday head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that the team is going to wait seven to ten days before getting another x-ray done. His return is not imminent.

It could be Ian Mitchell’s recall, after he has shown exactly why many believed he would be on the Blackhawks roster to start the year, had it not been for injury. The 23-year-old defenseman has two goals and five points in his three games since being activated from injured reserve and sent to the Rockford IceHogs.

With the Blackhawks really struggling on defense without Jones in the lineup, at least one recall is expected. The team has several options and if they truly want to stay competitive, as Richardson claims, they can’t keep icing the same group that gave up five to the St. Louis Blues last night.

Doubting the veracity of that claim is fair, given the offseason that the Blackhawks had. Some might say that things are now going to plan, with a 2-5-3 record in their last ten.

Detroit Red Wings Re-Assign Austin Czarnik

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

For the fourth time this season, Austin Czarnik is headed to the AHL. The Detroit Red Wings have sent him back down after just two days on his most recent recall, one that didn’t come with any game action.

The 29-year-old forward is getting a chance to play for his hometown team this season, and even scored in his second game with Detroit. But the suddenly deep forward group of the Red Wings doesn’t leave much room for him on a regular basis, even when dealing with a handful of injuries. The team activated Tyler Bertuzzi from injured reserve a few days ago, meaning Czarnik was sitting in the press box last night in San Jose.

Now that the team is back east, playing in Columbus tomorrow before a five-game homestand, they don’t need to carry the extra forward. Sending Czarnik down stops his waivers clock and saves the team some cap space until they need him again.

In four games so far this year, Czarnik has scored one goal and recorded six hits. His play at the minor league level has been much more impressive (as usual), with five goals and ten points in eight games for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Emil Heineman Loaned To SHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens signed prospect Emil Heineman to a three-year entry-level contract back in April but he hasn’t played a single game yet this season at any level. That’s because of a thumb injury that kept him out six weeks, but as he returns to full health, the team needed to make a decision on where he would play.

Today, they have officially loaned Heineman back to Leksands IF of the SHL, his hometown club team that developed him in Sweden. It’s a nice birthday present for the young forward – who turned 21 on Wednesday – even if it means he won’t be getting an NHL salary. Ready to return to game action, he can try to take the next step in his development at home with a club he is familiar with.

Last season, Heineman had 11 goals and 16 points for Leksands, good numbers for a player so young. Always engaged, no matter where he is on the ice, the 2020 second-round pick has NHL potential, if he can polish off the rough edges of his game. Given that he’s already 21, another year in Sweden should set him up to compete for an NHL role in training camp next year, or play a significant one in Laval.

The first year of his contract will be used in 2022-23, despite him playing overseas.

Rem Pitlick Returned To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have sent Rem Pitlick back to the AHL after just a couple of days and no game action, as Mike Matheson is expected to make his return soon. Even if he’s not ready for tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canadiens are at home for the next two and don’t need the extra body traveling with them.

Pitlick, 25, was held scoreless through seven games before eventually finding himself on waivers. The shiny new two-year contract he signed with the team in July didn’t save him from being sent down, meaning the Canadiens are now paying him over $1MM to suit up for the Laval Rocket. The shifty forward has three assists in three AHL games, after scoring 26 in 46 matches with Montreal last year.

Matheson, meanwhile, hasn’t played yet for Montreal after being acquired in the offseason from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was in a regular jersey at practice on Wednesday and should be back soon. What that means for the Canadiens defense isn’t clear. Eric Engels of Sportsnet recently wrote how it could actually affect fan favorite Arber Xhekaj, as he, Jordan Harris, and Kaiden Guhle are the only waiver-exempt defensemen on the roster. Activating Matheson would give the team eight blueline options, and reduce the amount of flexibility up front.

Getting a change on the back end might not be the worst idea for a team that has given up 15 goals in its last three games. Even with the Columbus Blue Jackets missing half their lineup, Montreal still managed to give up six goals last night in a loss. Xhekaj and Johnathan Kovacevic each played fewer than 16 minutes in the game.

Lukas Fischer Signs In OHL

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The development path of a top prospect is a delicate thing. Some young players end up taking the wrong route and end up buried on a loaded team, unable to really show what they are capable of. Sometimes they take a more difficult path and struggle with the high expectations and responsibility involved. That’s why when a potential high NHL draft prospect drastically changes paths, it can be big news.

Today, Lukas Fischer, son of former NHLer and current Detroit Red Wings director of player personnel Jiri Fischer, completed one of those path switches. The 16-year-old defenseman has signed with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL, passing up any NCAA opportunities that were coming his way. He’ll make his debut with the club tomorrow night against the Windsor Spitfires.

A few months ago, this certainly wasn’t the plan. Fischer fell to the 11th round in the OHL Priority Selection because he was supposed to be committed to playing in the USHL. He went sixth overall this year to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders after a strong camp with the USNTDP and played four games for them Now, he’ll head over the border and play much closer to his hometown with the Sting, who are off to a 9-6-3 record so far.

Already 6’3″, Fischer has a frame reminiscent of his father, who older hockey fans will remember as a 6’5″ behemoth for the Red Wings years ago. His brother, Braidan Simmons-Fischer, who plays for the University of St. Thomas, currently measures in at 6’7″.

This doesn’t mean that the young defenseman will be picked higher, but it will give OHL fans a closer look at him in the next few years. Fischer is eligible for the 2024 NHL draft.

Snapshots: Karlsson, Senators, Schedule

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The hockey hot stove has been abuzz ever since San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier explained that he would listen to calls about star defenseman Erik Karlsson, but there’s one thing that much of the speculation seems to overlook. Karlsson has a full no-trade clause all the way through his contract, which keeps him wrapped up through 2026-27. He would need to sign off on any deal, so Corey Masisak of The Athletic asked him whether he would:

No, I mean, if that question ever arises, you know, it’s going to be between me and [Grier]. It has not. So there’s no point for me to think about that or speculate about that. I’m fully invested here at the moment. We are in a situation where we need to win a few games. I’m just worried about the next one. That’s all I can control. All that other stuff, it is nice for you guys to have something to talk about. I’ll let you have at it. 

Suffice it to say, the 32-year-old isn’t interested in throwing any more gas onto the fire. Instead, he’ll just continue to rack up points in a resurgent year for the Sharks. Karlsson has 24 points in 18 games and played a whopping 34:12 on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild. Averaging the most ice time since he arrived in San Jose, he looks poised for a vintage season near the top of the defenseman scoring list.

  • The Ottawa Senators, who happen to be brought up every time a Karlsson trade is discussed, will honor a different former defenseman next month. Wade Redden will be the second person and first player inducted into the team’s Ring of Honour, joining the late Bryan Murray. Redden, originally selected second overall by the New York Islanders in 1995, made his NHL debut in 1996 for the Senators after being part of a three-team trade and would go on to play 838 games for the franchise. That’s good for fourth all-time in franchise history, behind only Chris Phillips, Daniel Alfredsson, and Chris Neil. Phillips and Alfredsson have already been honored by the team with a jersey retirement.
  • The league has announced several schedule changes for upcoming games, moving around start times and broadcast rights. These include some exclusive ESPN broadcasts, like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers on January 19. For all of the changes, check out the NHL press release.

Vancouver Canucks Loan Karel Plasek To HC Olomouc

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Last month, the Vancouver Canucks activated Karel Plasek from the season-opening injured reserve and sent him to the minor leagues. In the time since he hasn’t played a single game for the Abbotsford Canucks. Now, the team has announced that Plasek will be loaned to HC Olomouc of the Czech league for the rest of the season.

Plasek, 22, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team in 2021 and has just eight games played in North America – with zero points. He missed almost all of last season due to injury and is now heading back overseas. That makes for a tough few years since being a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft, though perhaps with increased ice time at home he’ll be able to get his development back on track.

Selected 175th overall, it was somewhat surprising that Plasek even earned an entry-level deal with the Canucks, given how little he showed at the professional level in Czechia. The forward had just ten points in 44 games during his final season with Brno Kometa and hasn’t stood out at either of the World Juniors that he took part in. While offensive production isn’t everything, there’s a long way to go before he’s pushing for a spot with the Canucks at this point.

Signed through 2023-24, perhaps he’ll be back with Abbotsford next season. For now, he can focus on getting back in game shape overseas.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top