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Minor Transactions: 3/17/18

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All eyes will be on Tampa tonight as the Lightning host the Bruins in a match-up with major playoff implications. Boston trails Tampa Bay by four points for the lead in the Atlantic Division and top seed in the Eastern Conference, but also holds a game in hand. A win for the Bolts would give them considerably more wiggle room, while a win for the B’s would put them in striking distance of the coveted top spot when they square off with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Outside of this clash of titans though, there are nine other game on the docket on a busy Saturday, yet they might all be caught up in Bruins-Lightning, as it’s been all quiet on the transactions front:

  • The Dallas Stars are back to just two goalies, having reassigned Mike McKenna to AHL Texas. McKenna was briefly called up as a precaution, but did not see any action with Dallas. The veteran journeyman has made 29 AHL appearance this season though, posting a 2.64 GAA and .908 save percentage. Despite those pedestrian numbers, he will remain the next man up for the Stars should injury befall Ben Bishop or Kari Lehtonen down the stretch or (potentially) in the postseason.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets will have recently-extended defenseman Dean Kukan back in the lineup, as the team announced that they have activated him from injured reserve. Kukan had missed the past 12 games with an upper-body injury that landed him on IR back in mid-February. It remains to be seen if Kukan will stay in Columbus or instead see some guaranteed game action with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he has 15 points in 32 games this year.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have recalled goaltender Louis Domingue from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. After stopping 26 of 28 saves for the Crunch Friday, the belief is that Domingue will share backup goaltending duties with veteran Peter Budaj, who only recently came back from injury. The belief was that Domingue, who has played eight games for the Lightning, has been stronger in goal than Budaj has been. Domingue has a 5-2-0 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage, while Budaj has a 3-3-1 record with a  3.76 GAA and a .876 save percentage in eight games. The transaction leaves Tampa Bay with just one final recall remaining for the rest of the season as this is the team’s third of four.

Dmitry Kulikov Out Eight Weeks Following Back Surgery

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When Dmitry Kulikov was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury last week, it seemed completely innocuous. Now, it appears to be anything but and potentially season-altering for the Winnipeg Jets. Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds reports that Kulikov is undergoing back surgery and will be out about eight weeks. For perspective, that would be a return around May 12th, most likely the conference finals round. This is likely season-ending surgery for Kulikov and Winnipeg hopes it won’t contribute to a premature end to their 2017-18 run as well.

For those trying to think of when Kulikov could have suffered such a major injury, you would have to go all the way back to the 2016-17 preseason. Then a newly-acquired Buffalo Sabre, Kulikov suffered a back injury before the season even began and dealt with repercussions all year. Kulikov missed 35 games due to injury last year, at least 22 of which were officially credited to his back, and landed on injured reserve twice. Now, Reynolds adds, the lingering issue has returned to plague him again. In his first season of a three-year deal with the Jets, one has to wonder what the future looks like for Kulikov as this back problem continues to stick around.

Until this point, Kulikov has been relatively healthy for Winnipeg, skating in 62 games thus far. Kulikov has fit in nicely for the Jets, far exceeding his performance in Buffalo last season. His numbers may not jump off the page, offensively or defensively, but as a third-pair pair blue liner he has done everything asked of him, including playing a solid game in his own zone and possessing the puck safely. While his absence may not hurt as much as the loss of a Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, or Tyler Myers would for the rest of the year, it will certainly be felt. Especially with Toby Enstrom already on the shelf as well, the Jets are hurting for the strong defensive depth they began the year with. More pressure will certainly fall on the likes of Tucker Poolman and Joe Morrow for the remainder of the year, as Winnipeg looks to keep injuries from slowing down an incredible campaign.

Devils’ Fitzgerald, Penguins’ Guerin Also Out Of Carolina GM Search

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New Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon probably did not expect this process to be so hard. After Los Angles Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa joined Nashville Predators Assistant GM Paul Fenton in dropping out of the running to be the next Hurricanes GM early yesterday, two more names are off the list. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reached out to a potential candidate, New Jersey Devils Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, and found that he too had pulled out of the search. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun hears Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant GM Bill Guerin also declined to get involved in the process.

Fitzgerald, 49, had a long NHL career, lasting from 1988 to 2006, and then joined the Penguins front office in 2007. He has been the AGM of the Devils since 2015. The experienced hockey mind comes from a strong hockey bloodline and has two sons, Ryan and Casey, with NHL potential. There are many reasons why Fitzgerald would be a strong hire and he certainly seems to have a GM title in his future, but it won’t be with Carolina. Fitzgerald simply told Friedman “This is nothing against Tom Dundon. I am very happy in New Jersey and this is not the right time for me.” Guerin, 47, is in a similar boat. LeBrun states that he too felt the timing was wrong. Guerin himself was a successful NHLer for nearly 20 years and has been with the Penguins organization since 2009, having been promoted to AGM in 2014. Many see Guerin as the heir apparent to 69-year-old Pens GM Jim Rutherford.

These continued rejections have changed Dundon’s frame of mind for his hunt for Ron Francis’ replacement. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports this morning that the team is “shifting gears” and will wait until the off-season to continue their search. LeBrun speculated that this may change the “timing is wrong” feeling from some of these candidates. However, of the three remaining names on the short list reported by Friedman, only one – Buffalo’s Steve Greeley – is currently employed by an NHL team other than Carolina, while the other two candidates are ’Canes Assistant GM Mike Vellucci and former Canucks executive Laurence Gilman. More than anything, the pause could be Dundon re-thinking the whole situation. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth process so far for the NHL’s newest owner.

Tavares, Islanders Could Work Out Sign-And-Trade

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A “sign-and-trade” scenario, in which a player signs with his current team or another only for the purposes of being traded to a different team, is uncommon in the NHL. It most frequently seen in the NBA, where such deals often offer the teams making the deal some salary cap loophole or benefit. The straightforward NHL hard cap doesn’t require such moves very often; in fact no sign-and-trade has occurred in the salary cap era. However, TSN insiders Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger think one high profile free agent could necessitate such a deal: New York Islanders superstar John Tavares.

Now, there is still no word on what Tavares’ plans are this season. He is undoubtedly the biggest name among potential unrestricted free agents this off-season, but could still choose to stay with the Islanders. Tampa Bay Lightning phenom Steven Stamkos was in a similar situation two years ago and waited about as long as possible before simply re-upping with Tampa. Tavares could certainly do the same. Dreger says that Tavares will meet with agent Pat Brisson following the season – which for the Islander should be next month – to discuss the situation and the many factors that could keep him in New York or instead drive him away. Dreger adds that Tavares is expected to inform GM Garth Snow and the Islanders as to what his plans are ahead of the NHL Draft in June.

If Tavares does let Snow and company know that he has decided to move on, it doesn’t rule out his re-signing with the team, again for the purposes of a sign-and-trade. As LeBrun points out, all three parties involved could benefit from such a deal. Tavares could gain an eighth year to his new contract, available only in extensions, if he first signs with the Isles. The team he is traded to could also use the eighth year to lessen the cap hit on the deal by dropping the actual salary as the years go on, as so often happens in lengthy contracts for players of a certain age. Finally, the biggest concern for the Islanders and their fans is obviously watching Tavares walk away for nothing. While they won’t get a return similar to if they had dealt Tavares at the deadline, New York will still get something in exchange for enabling the sign-and-trade. At this point, getting anything at all for losing Tavares has to appeal to the Isles.

Will such a scenario play out this summer? There hasn’t been a sign-and-trade this century, so obviously the odds don’t favor it. However, there are aspects of the situation that lend themselves to this being the exception to the rule. The most likely result is still that Tavares stays in New York. If that doesn’t happen, it likely means he wants to test the open market. Yet, there is a possibility that Tavares will have a specific destination in mind prior to July 1st and, if that happens, a sign-and-trade could be the ideal scenario for everyone involved.

Prospect Notes: Kahun, Tomek, Scarfo

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Not long after the initial report that German Olympic hero Dominik Kahun was drawing NHL interest, there is now a more concrete picture of what the market looks like for the young scoring forward. German new site TZ reports that Kahun’s jump overseas is a sure thing, as ten NHL teams have legitimate interest in signing him. They go one step further, adding that the Chicago Blackhawks are at the top of the list and have offered Kahun a two-year contract worth around $940K per year. While it may not seem like that much, the article indicates that the contract would be worth more than three times Kahun’s current pact with EHC Munich. It’s also a fair value for an unproven import. The 22-year-old certainly shows some promise though, with nearly a point per game pace in the German DEL and at the Winter Games in 2017-18. The Blackhawks, or whoever else ends up winning the bidding war, will land an exciting prospect in Kahun.

  • An intriguing career path continues for young Slovakian goalie Matej Tomek. A third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2015, Tomek originally enrolled at the University of North Dakota in 2015-16 and expected to take over for departed starter, and Hobey Baker finalist, Zane McIntyre. Instead, he lost out to Cam Johnson, who remains the North Dakota starter to this day, and made just two appearances in two seasons, struggling mightily. Tomek left school, joining the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks for the 2017-18 season, and saw improved performance at the junior level. Now, Tomek has announced that he’s heading back to the NCAA, committing to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for next season. Tomek still has two years of eligibility remaining, but may only need one to re-establish his pro potential. All three Omaha keepers have struggled this year and Tomek may have an easy path to take over next season. Even if starter Evan Weninger holds on to the job or at least forces a split in net, Tomek can always stick around for the 2019-20 campaign when he would surely be the starter. Either way, Flyers fans should be happy to see another of their many promising goalie prospects working to get back on track.
  • A top senior scorer and college free agent is off the market, but he’s not headed to an NHL team just yet. Ryan Scarfo, the leading scorer for Union College, has signed with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, the team announced. Scarfo will skate with the team on a tryout deal for the remainder of this season, but already inked a full AHL contract for the 2018-19 season. Scarfo, 24, saw a major boost in production in his fourth and final year as a starter for Union. The alternate captain led all Dutchmen in goals and points and his rugged, two-way play also placed him in the top five on the team in plus/minus and penalty minutes. His 20 goals additionally ranked 13th in the entire NCAA. Scarfo has likely reached the extent of his skill development, but with some time in the minors, can further polish his hockey sense. He has some upside to be a bottom-six forward given his ability to be physical and find the back of the net. A strong performance in his first pro season in 2018-19 could earn Scarfo a big-league deal with the Ottawa Senators or another NHL squad sooner rather than later.

Steve Mason Out 2-3 Weeks With Knee Injury

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It’s been a season to forget for Winnipeg Jets goalie Steve Mason. Mason has suffered two concussions in 2017-18, one in November and one in January, missing a combined 28 games. Now he’s back on the shelf, after playing his first game since early January on Tuesday night, a shutout win against the New York Rangers. In the contest, Mason suffered a lower-body injury which, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, turned out to be a seriously tweaked knee.

In speaking with head coach Paul Maurice, Gulitti reports that Mason underwent surgery today and is expected to be out 2-3 weeks. Michael Hutchinson, who was recalled from the AHL on Thursday while Mason’s condition was still up in the air, will remain in Winnipeg to back up Connor Hellebuyck. 

Hellebuyck has not just helped to make up for the loss of Mason most of the year, but has thrived in his absence. Although Mason signed a two-year, $8.2MM with the Jets this past summer to presumably start in Winnipeg, that seems unlikely to ever happen given Hellebuyck’s emergence. The 24-year-old has blossomed into one of the top goalies in the league this season, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.38 GAA through 56 games already. Mason’s injury woes have certainly affected him – when healthy he has still struggled, posting a .906 save percentage and 3.18 GAA – but both his absence and poor performance have been non-factors for Winnipeg despite what many would have expected prior to the season.

Snapshots: Coaching Changes, Marchand Fine, McDonagh Debut

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Buried in the news of Ron Francis being replaced as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes was the fact that it was the first major personnel decision of the 2017-18 season. It’s March, well beyond the three-quarter mark of the season, and there has been just one general manager fired (but promoted) and still no coaches. It’s rare to see so much inactivity, but it can likely be linked to the fact that the league’s worst teams – Arizona, Buffalo, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montreal – all have first- or second-year coaches: Rick Tocchet, Phil Housley, Guy Boucher, Travis Green, and Claude Julien respectively. Unsurprisingly, USA Today’s Kevin Allen lists the head coaches of four of the next five worst teams as being on the hot seat as the end of the season approaches. That includes the Edmonton Oilers’ Todd McLellan, the Detroit Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, the New York Rangers’ Alain Vigneault, the Chicago Blackhawks’ Joel Quenneville, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Bill Peters. The most obvious inclusion on this list is Peters, who has an owner looking to make changes and soon a new GM, and has also struggled to get the most out of his talented roster. Quenneville would be the biggest news, should he be removed, as the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, since 2008, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion. The last name on the list who doesn’t quite fit the pattern is the Washington Capitals’ Barry Trotz. Trotz has yet to be offered a contract extension and his future could depend on the Caps’ playoff success this season. However, as Allen states, Trotz would be the prime coaching candidate this summer if he isn’t retained by Washington. As of right now, all of these coaches are safe, but things could change quickly with the season coming to a close. In the meantime, if you would like to apply for the open Hurricanes GM position, here you go.

  • One thing that there has been plenty of in the league this season has been punishment handed down by the NHL Department of Player Safety, as the league has focused on cracking down on certain penalties. A player who has gained plenty of attention, fair or not, has been Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Marchand has finally spoken out after his most recent hit, a $2,000 fine for diving. Marchand spoke to the media, saying things like “it’s a small amount of money”, “it’s a joke”, “it’s pretty stupid” and “I don’t care about this.” He did go a step further though, adding “how are they (Player Safety) to tell …they go from being players to management and running the league pretty quickly and forget how to play the game.” While Marchand doesn’t seem to care much about a very minor fine, he is making a point that any fine for diving, the most subjective call in the game, is somewhat unreasonable, especially when the call comes from those who were not even present at the game.
  • While the Bruins are continuing to win behind three straight game-winners from Marchand, their rivals in the Atlantic Division and the President’s Trophy race, the Tampa Bay Lightning, continue to win as well. They’ll get even better starting tonight, as their huge trade deadline acquisition, Ryan McDonagh, is set to make his debut with the team tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Jon Cooper told beat writer Bryan Burns that McDonagh is ready to go, after dealing with an upper-body injury for more than a month. McDonagh’s addition to the Bolts blue line makes them a scary team for anyone to go up against and that includes the Bruins, who play Tampa three more times this season and could very well meet them in the second round of the playoffs.

Minor Transactions: 3/10/18

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There are eleven games on the docket today, including action for each of the league’s top eight teams and a match-up with major wild card implications in Blues-Kings. As teams continue to push toward the playoffs and jockey for position, here are the roster transactions being made before a busy day:

  • Last night, the Colorado Avalanche recalled defenseman David Warsofsky from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. The 27-year-old journeyman rearguard is in his fifth NHL season, but has seen less and less of the NHL ice as the years have gone on. Thus far in 2017-18, Warsofsky has suited up for just six games for the Avs and hasn’t done much to prove he deserves more, with zero points to his credit, zero hits, and just two shot attempts per game. Currently the eighth defenseman in Denver, don’t expect Warsofsky to be the spark that ignites a playoff-clinching stretch run for Colorado.
  • Ahead of their Original Six matinee match-ups today and tomorrow versus the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks added some grit to their lineup in the form of John Hayden. The team announced this morning that they had called up Hayden from AHL Rockford and he will play this afternoon in Boston. The move was an emergency recall, with Vinnie Hinostroza dealing with family issues, but also a timely addition for Chicago. With Tommy Wingels gone, ironically to the Bruins, the ’Hawks could use a degree of toughness, which the 6’3″, 220-lb Hayden certainly brings. The Yale product has 11 points in 39 games with Chicago this year, as well as 103 hits and 43 penalty minutes.
  • Another Central Division moves comes from the Winnipeg Jets, who have brought back Tucker Poolman. It was a brief demotion for the young defenseman, who has spent much of the season as an extra man for the Jets. Poolman, playing in his first pro season out of the University of North Dakota, has played in 15 games with Winnipeg, recording just one point, and 17 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose crammed into several short trips, where he has posted 10 points.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have recalled journeyman defenseman Chris Butler from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL today under emergency conditions. Butler has been up and down several times this season, but has only appeared in two games for the Blues. While there is no official word on who is out, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmerman writes that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo did not practice Friday.

Snapshots: Emergency Goalie, Lundqvist, Pettersson, College Free Agents

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The Winnipeg Jets may have called up Michael Hutchinson on paper, but they weren’t actually able to get him on the roster in time for their game tonight against the New Jersey Devils. According to the team, Hutchison’s flight into New York was delayed and he was unable to arrive to the game in time. As a result, the Jets were forced to sign an emergency backup to a tryout deal. The man behind Connor Hellebuyck tonight will be Zane Kalemba, a New Jersey native and a friend of Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler. Kalemba played junior hockey with Wheeler for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and went on to star for Princeton University. Kalemba only retired from hockey in 2016, having spent time in the ECHL, CHL, and several European leagues. An experienced keeper who, most importantly, was nearby, will have to do for the Jets tonight.

  • A goalie in the tri-state area with a little more experience than Kalemba is New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist. In fact, when Lundqvist takes the ice tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he will tie former Tampa goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for the most NHL starts by a foreign-born goalie. The Rangers report that Lundqvist’s appearance, his 799th, is enough to share the top mark. When the Swedish keeper makes his next start, which could be as early as Saturday, he will not only reach a benchmark 800th appearance, but will also become the most experienced foreign keeper in NHL history.
  • Another Swede setting records is Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson. Pettersson, who was selected fifth overall last year by Vancouver, has been playing in the top Swedish pro league, the SHL, this season. After a four-point outburst today, the Canucks pointed out that Pettersson’s 55 points on the year set a new record for the most points by a player under 20 in SHL history. The Vaxjo Lakers forward snapped a 42-year-old record while also taking over the league scoring lead. That’s not too shabby for a young player who looks to be an absolute stud-in-the-making for the Canucks.
  • Some other young players looking to make an impact in the pros is the 2018 crop of college free agents. While Zach Whitecloud’s deal with Vegas today was the first NHL deal so far, a few other NCAA prospects have already hooked up with AHL teams for contracts and tryout agreements for the remainder of the season and could earn big-league deals if they impress. These transactions include Whitecloud’s Bemidji State teammate Kyle Bauman joining the Ontario Reign (LAK), the San Jose Barracuda (SJS) inking Alaska-Fairbanks’ Zach Frye, Yale’s Ryan Hitchcock going nearby to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI), the Chicago Wolves (VGK) adding Wisconsin’s Ryan Wagner, and both Derian Plouffe of Niagara and Josh Kestner of Alabama-Huntsville signing with the Toronto Marlies (TOR).

Canucks Extend Defenseman Ashton Sautner

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Armed with an extension of his own, Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning has security in his future and has shifted his attention beyond 2017-18 to the future of his team. He has already signed defensemen Erik Gudbranson and Alex Biega to extensions in the last month, and now adds another blue liner to his plans moving forward. The Canucks announced this evening that Ashton Sautner has agreed to terms on a new two-year, two-way contract with a cap hit of $675K.

Sautner, 23, was undrafted coming out of the WHL, but after back-to-back impressive campaigns with the Edmonton Oil Kings to cap off his junior career, earned a three-year entry-level deal from Vancouver in 2015. Three years later, Sautner has been a reliable member of the AHL’s Utica Comets. While his offensive totals from his junior days have come down considerably in the pros, his defensive game continues to shine through. Sautner has 11 points through 53 games this season, but more importantly has shown his solid play through a team-leading +12 rating.

A leader in Utica and one of the more experienced players on the Comets’ blue line, Sautner is the next man up for the Canucks. He seems extremely likely to make his NHL debut over the course of these next two years of his extension. In the team release, Benning said of Sautner that “Ashton has developed into a good pro and has shown continual growth over the past three seasons… He has provided stability to the defense and played important minutes in Utica. We’re excited to have him in our organization providing further depth to our blue line.” Those kinds of accolades from the man in charge, especially for a team that has had their fair share of struggles on defense, would seem to indicate that Sautner is in line for a role in Vancouver sooner rather than later.

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