Minor Transactions: 03/25/19
As we head into the very last stretch of regular season, the NHL is packed full of action. With teams jockeying for playoff positions and trying to secure home ice advantage for the first round, tonight’s schedule will be more must-see television. The St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights will do battle to try and show who is a real contender in the Western Conference. As they and the rest of the 11 teams in action tonight prepare, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Washington Capitals have sent Tyler Lewington back down, a cap saving measure for the team as they grind towards the playoffs. With Lewington sent down, the team now has enough cap room to recall Jonas Siegenthaler, their preferred replacement on defense. Without Michal Kempny available the team was in a financial pinch, and could be in trouble if any other players get injured.
- The Nashville Predators have assigned Miikka Salomaki and Austin Watson to the minor leagues on long-term injury loans. Watson of course was recently reinstated from his indefinite suspension and hasn’t played in an NHL game since late January. Salomaki too will need time to get back up to speed after sitting out for months due to injury.
- Joey Anderson is on his way back to the NHL, recalled today by the New Jersey Devils. The 20-year old has played 29 games for the Devils this year, but dealt with injury and missed a good chunk of development time. Selected in the third round, Anderson developed into a legitimate two-way threat in college and looks to have a long future in New Jersey.
Jake Oettinger To Turn Pro, Sign With Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars will be adding a top goaltending prospect to the organization in the coming days, as Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports that Jake Oettinger will leave Boston University for the professional ranks in the coming days. Oettinger will join the Texas Stars on an amateur tryout, and sign a three-year entry-level contract with Dallas that begins in 2019-20.
Oettinger, 20, was the second Stars’ first-round pick in 2017 after they snatched up Miro Heiskanen at third overall. The first goaltender selected, Oettinger brings a mix of size—he stands 6’5″—and flexibility to the position and has tremendous upside. His college career was excellent, and culminated in a .926 save percentage this season through 36 games, despite a less than outstanding season from the Terriers overall.
With multiple international medals at junior tournaments, and three years as the starter for BU, Oettinger is considered more experienced than many of his contemporaries. The 20-year old will join Texas for the end of their season, though it is certainly not clear how things will shake out next season. Dallas already has Colton Point on his entry-level deal in the minor leagues, while Philippe Desrosiers and Landon Bow are both scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer. With the NHL net locked up, Dallas may be looking to move one of their prospects out or perhaps find another AHL team that will take one on loan in order to get them any playing time. For now, Oettinger will focus on making the transition to professional hockey and taking the next step towards the NHL.
Blake Pietila, Daniel Walcott Clear Waivers
Saturday: Pietila has cleared waivers, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). He will remain with the Devils, at least for the time being. Meanwhile, Walcott is listed as being assigned to Syracuse (AHL) per the AHL’s Transactions Page which means he has also passed through unclaimed.
Friday: You don’t often see waivers at this time of the year, but today two players have been designated. According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, Blake Pietila of the New Jersey Devils and Daniel Walcott of the Tampa Bay Lightning have both been placed on waivers. Walcott has not played at all this season as he dealt with a major shoulder injury, while Pietila could now join the Binghamton Devils.
It’s actually great news for Walcott, who is likely healthy enough to contribute for the Syracuse Crunch. The 25-year old defenseman has played the last three seasons with the team and will be joining them as they battle for first place in the entire AHL. He has spent the entire year so far on season-opening injured reserve, and would have required waivers to go down at any time.
For Pietila though this comes after 19 mostly uneventful games with the Devils. The 26-year old forward has just a single point with the team this year and now just four total through his 38-game NHL career. Despite scoring at the college and AHL level, Pietila doesn’t seem to have what it takes to produce in the NHL. He will however help Binghamton if sent there, though they are well out of the playoff race this season.
Jordan Binnington Avoids Group VI Free Agency
The St. Louis Blues are fighting for playoff position, but they also had to make sure one of their players met a very important threshold. Jordan Binnington, who has taken over the crease for the team this season needed to hit 28 games played in order to avoid becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent. This kind of unrestricted free agency occurs when a player age 25 or older sees his current contract expire without getting into enough NHL games. Binnington had zero games under his belt before this season because his only previous appearance—way back in January of 2016—hadn’t been for 30 minutes of ice time.
As of today, Binnington has just 26 appearances under his belt and would need to play in at least two more games for the Blues under normal rules in order to avoid becoming a UFA this summer. Interestingly though, Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest reports that because Binnington signed his first entry-level contract in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, his requirements were dropped to 26. That means Binnington will now become a restricted free agent at the end of this season, even if he doesn’t play in another game for the Blues.
It was unlikely that Binnington would have been held out for every remaining Blues game, given how well he has played. The 25-year old netminder leads the league with a 1.79 goals against average and has a 19-4-1 record on the year. That’s because of his crazy .929 save percentage that includes five shutouts. Still, he could have suffered an injury at any point that would have ended his season and allowed him to hit the open market in a few months.
The Blues have a tough decision on what to do with Binnington now, as though it’s easy to want to sign him they still have Jake Allen under contract for two more seasons at a $4.35MM cap hit. If they want to lock up Binnington on a multi-year deal they’ll likely have to give him a bit more money, but luckily he now actually won’t qualify for unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2021. He will however have arbitration rights this offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Hughes, Stepan, AHL Deals
The news is positive for Quinn Hughes, as his recent testing came back negative for a broken bone in his foot. The top prospect is expected to start skating soon and still make his debut before the end of the regular season. Hughes, who injured his foot blocking a shot at the very end of his collegiate season, cannot burn a year of his entry-level deal or become eligible for the 2021 expansion draft now that the Canucks have just eight games remaining in the regular season.
The dynamic defenseman finished with 33 points in 32 games for the University of Michigan and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker award. The seventh-overall pick from 2018 is expected to be a game-changing talent for the Canucks on the back end, and will give their defense corps a completely new look next season.
- Who needs recovery timelines anyway? Derek Stepan, a notoriously quick healer, is once again about to return before originally expected. Craig Morgan of The Athletic reports that the Arizona Coyotes forward is a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, just over three weeks after he was given a four to six week timetable for his lower-body injury. Stepan had been carrying a huge amount of responsibility for the Coyotes when he went down, and his return will only help them on their quest for the playoffs. Arizona currently sits tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference with eight games to go.
- The Toronto Marlies have signed Colton Conrad to a two-year AHL contract which will start next season. Conrad will join the Marlies on an amateur tryout for the rest of this year. The 21-year old forward played four years at Western Michigan University and scored 38 points this season. Not to be outdone, the Iowa Wild have signed University of Minnesota captain Tyler Sheehy to an amateur tryout, bringing the homegrown talent into the organization after his college career came to an end. Sheehy is from Burnsville and had an outstanding career at Minnesota, recording 149 points in 149 games over four years.
Minor Transactions: 03/22/19
Another week down in the NHL and a quiet night to finish things off. Just two games are on the schedule this evening, though they certainly mean a lot to the teams taking part. The Minnesota Wild will try to topple the Washington Capitals in a game that could be crucial in the Western Conference wild card race. Minnesota trails the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes by just one point, but have gone 3-4-3 in their last ten and need to find a way to get things back on track. Meanwhile the San Jose Sharks will try to stop their four-game losing streak when they take on the Anaheim Ducks. San Jose has slipped out of the race for first place in the Pacific Division, and need a win tonight to have any chance at catching the Calgary Flames.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent both Vitaly Abramov and Filip Chlapik back to the minor leagues, as Jean-Gabriel Pageau has completed his suspension and Chris Tierney is expected back. Abramov made his NHL debut last night and played just under 14 minutes, but was a -3 on the night and didn’t record a shot on goal. He’ll continue to polish his game in the minor leagues and wait for another chance.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled goaltender Eric Comrie under emergency conditions, as Laurent Brossoit left last night’s game with an injury. Comrie has been great once again for the Manitoba Moose, posting a 23-16-2 record and .916 save percentage this season. The 23-year old looks ready to take the next step, and will need to take advantage of any opportunity he gets in the Winnipeg net.
- Paul Carey has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Boston Bruins, a common occurrence for him recently. The veteran forward has been bounced up and down several times this month, and only played in two games with the team. He’ll continue to serve as an insurance policy for them whenever someone is dealing with a minor injury or illness.
- Nick DeSimone and Dylan Gambrell have been recalled by the San Jose Sharks, an interesting move given that DeSimone has never suited up in the NHL. The 24-year old defenseman has been outstanding this season in the minor leagues though, recording 39 points in 55 games.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled veteran winger Matt Puempel from the AHL. Puempel has had a stellar season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, second on the team in goals, assists, and points despite playing alongside several experienced AHL scorers. Yet, Puempel has not played for Detroit at all this season in year one of a two-year contract signed this past off-season. If he finally sees action on this call-up, he will try to show that he can make an impact at the NHL level and is deserving of a longer look in camp next fall.
Michal Kempny Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury
The Washington Capitals will be without one of their defensemen for some time, as Michal Kempny has been ruled out “indefinitely” with a lower-body injury according to head coach Todd Rierden (via team reporter Mike Vogel). Kempny injured his leg on Wednesday and needed help to leave the ice.
Since arriving in Washington at the trade deadline in 2018, Kempny has thrived. The 28-year old defenseman immediately found a role with the Capitals and averaged nearly 18 minutes a night en route to a Stanley Cup championship. He signed a four-year, $10MM extension with the team in June, and returned to play an even bigger role this season. Logging more than 19 minutes a night, the smooth-skating defenseman has 25 points in 71 games and ranks only behind John Carlson in blocked shots.
Unfortunately, that role will now have to be filled by someone else as Kempny deals with his leg injury. Christian Djoos is the obvious choice as he is with the team, though the team has been hesitant to use him much this season. After playing in 63 games last season, Djoos has suited up just 37 times in 2018-19 and is averaging just over 13 minutes in those appearances. The 24-year old will be needed to give more than that if the Capitals expect to go far in the playoffs again this year, at least until Kempny returns.
Yanni Gourde To Face Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Tampa Bay Lightning may lose one of their talented forwards for at least a game, as Yanni Gourde is scheduled to have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today. Gourde made clear head contact with Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal last night, and received a match penalty for it. Staal returned to the game.
Gourde was guaranteed a hearing with the league as a match penalty carries with it an indefinite automatic suspension, and it’s easy to see why he was assessed the penalty. Though there may be some leniency given due to the fact that Staal was being hauled down from behind and may have not been in the position Gourde expected, but there is clear, hard contact with his head and not really any other part of his body.
The diminutive Gourde is known for his offense but is also more than willing to engage physically, and has recorded 81 hits in 75 games this season. He has never been suspended in his short career however, which also may keep his penalty down. Regardless, the Lightning almost have nothing to play for down the stretch as they have already locked up the Presidents Trophy and will be the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Losing Gourde for a few games will only affect his pocketbook and future disciplinary action.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Ryan Lohin
The run on college prospects continues, as the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Ryan Lohin to a two-year entry-level contract. Lohin recently finished his junior season at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, but will skip his senior year in order to turn pro. Lohin’s deal will kick in next season and he will report to the Syracuse Crunch on an amateur tryout for the rest of this year.
Originally selected in the seventh round of the 2016 draft, Lohin had quite the college career. Breaking onto the scene with 29 points in his freshman year and being a big part of a Hockey East title, the American-born center followed that up with two more solid offensive seasons. He was named captain prior to the 2018-19 season, and led the team in scoring with 27 points.
The fact that a seventh-round pick has earned an NHL contract is another testament to the Lightning scouting staff, who have repeatedly turned late selections into assets for the organization. Even if Lohin never suits up at the highest level—something that is far from determined given his work ethic and development over the past few seasons—the 22-year old will have a home with the Crunch where he can continue to provide his solid two-way hockey.
Nashville Predators Sign Rem Pitlick
The Nashville Predators have convinced Rem Pitlick to forego his final season at the University of Minnesota, and today signed him to a two-year entry-level contract.
Pitlick, 21, comes from a successful hockey family and was nominated for the Hobey Baker award this season after putting up 45 points in 38 games. Originally selected in the third round, he was an exceptional player in the USHL but some scouts had concerns around his size. Players measuring in under six feet as Pitlick does (5’9″) has never been a problem for the Predators though, as Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis can attest to.
There’s a real chance that Pitlick can step right into a professional atmosphere and succeed, bringing some more offense to the Predators organization. It’s not clear yet if he’ll play games for the Milwaukee Admirals down the stretch, but should be a candidate for a big role with the AHL team next season—that is if he doesn’t surprise and nab a spot on Nashville’s roster.