Minor Transactions: 11/10/19
With 16 teams playing today, the league is busy and teams could be making roster moves throughout the day. Keep your eye out for updates throughout the day.
- The San Jose Sharks announced they have assigned defenseman Dalton Prout to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 29-year-old Prout has appeared just once this season, the season-opener. He suffered an upper-body injury, however, and has been out ever since. Prout played 20 games for the Calgary Flames last season, but the team hopes that Prout could return soon and make an impact on the team’s defense.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have made four moves, which includes placing defenseman Markus Nutivaara on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 5 and assigning goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. To replace the two roster spots, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and forward Eric Robinson from Cleveland. Nutivaara was injured on Tuesday against Vegas, suffering an upper-body injury and remains day-to-day, but there is no word on how much time he could miss. Merzlikins went down to get some work in as the young netminder has only appeared in three games this season, but the 25-year-old made one appearance, allowing two goals and boasting a .933 save percentage. The 24-year-old Robinson played in 13 games for Columbus last season and has five points in 14 games with the Monsters this year. Robinson was likely recalled in anticipation that Nick Foligno is suspended by the league on Monday for his hit on Colorado’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
- With the improved health of forwards Joakim Nordstrom and Par Lindholm, the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that the Boston Bruins have officially assigned forward Peter Cehlarik to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. The 24-year-old has been up and down for the last few weeks between Boston and Providence, playing in three games for the Bruins, most recently on Friday when he played 12:07 and picking up his first point of the season with an assist.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Josh Mahura from San Diego of the AHL, reports Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. He’s taking the place of blueliner Hampus Lindholm who has been transferred to injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Mahura has played in three games with Anaheim already this season, recording three assists while averaging 16:46 per night. He has also suited up in seven games with the Gulls where he has been held off the scoresheet.
NHL Announces 2020 Global Series Events
In his press conference at today’s Global Series game in Sweden, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the league will be returning to Europe next year. The Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators will be heading to Prague, Czech Republic, while the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will face off in Helsinki, Finland. The Bruins and Predators will also be taking part in exhibition games in Germany and Switzerland respectively.
It’s immediately obvious why the Bruins were one of the choices to play in Prague, as they hold arguably the best Czech player in the world right now. David Pastrnak has 15 goals and 30 points through his first 15 games and looks like he may challenge for the Hart Trophy this season. The team also has David Krejci, one of the country’s most celebrated NHL players.
Finland won’t be disappointed though, as Mikko Rantanen will get a chance to play in his home country. The injured forward is off to one of the most impressive starts by any Finnish-born player, and actually already ranks 30th in scoring among NHL players from the country.
The Global Series games have been a huge success so far and show no signs of slowing down. The Prague game will start the 2020-21 season, while the dates for the other matchups will be announced at a later date.
Minor Transactions: 11/07/19
The NHL schedule is packed with action tonight as 22 of the league’s teams take the ice. Among them are the Colorado Avalanche who will try to right the ship against a division rival, and the New York Islanders who will go for an 11th-straight win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. As teams prepare for the action, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Zachary Senyshyn and Peter Cehlarik from the minor leagues before their game tomorrow night. Senyshyn had two assists in his first game of the season on Tuesday despite playing just under 11 minutes. The 22-year old forward is finally getting a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.
- As expected, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled both Nicolas Roy and Nicolas Hague from the minor leagues. The team had sent them down to save some cap space while they were between games.
- The same was true with the Islanders, who today recalled Seth Helgeson and Otto Koivula once again. Koivula is still waiting to make his NHL debut, but is at least making an NHL salary whenever he spends a day with the big club.
- Brandon Davidson is back in the NHL, this time with the Calgary Flames. The 28-year old defenseman has been recalled by the team to replace Oliver Kylington, who has been sent back to continue his development. Davidson has 162 NHL games under his belt, but hasn’t been a regular for several years.
- Adam Werner has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche as an extra goalie while Philipp Grubauer was missing from practice today. The team has yet to give an explanation, but Pavel Francouz appears to be the starter for the time being.
Minor Transactions: 11/06/19
Last night was another step in the right direction for three struggling Western Conference teams, as the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild were all victorious in their respective matchups. The same can not be said about the Los Angeles Kings, who are now 5-10 and have trade rumors swirling all about. Just two games are on the schedule tonight, and as teams prepare for that action we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- With Alexandre Texier nearing a return, the Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Markus Hannikainen to the minor leagues. Hannikainen still hasn’t played in a single game for the Blue Jackets this season after suiting up 44 times in 2018-19. The 26-year old is just injury depth at this point.
- Dominic Toninato has been recalled by the Florida Panthers, after they sent Riley Stillman back yesterday. The Panthers acquired Toninato from the Colorado Avalanche just a few months ago, and this will be his first call-up with the organization.
- German Rubtsov‘s time with the NHL club is over for now, as the Philadelphia Flyers have sent him back to the AHL and recalled Mikhail Vorobyev. In three games Rubtsov was held scoreless and still looks to have some development to do in the minor leagues. The 21-year old has played just 21 AHL games so far after injury robbed him of much of the 2018-19 season.
- Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy are on their way back to the Chicago Wolves, the latest in a series of transactions for the pair of Vegas Golden Knights prospects. The team is using off days to bank some cap space, but could recall one or both down the road.
- The Vancouver Canucks have sent Ashton Sautner back down, a good sign after he was forced from his only game with an injury. The 25-year old defenseman won’t be a full-time player for the Canucks this season, but is valuable injury depth.
- Josh Mahura has been assigned to the Anaheim Ducks, another likely cap-saving move that while the team waits for their next game. The Ducks don’t play again until Sunday.
- Zachary Senyshyn and Cameron Hughes have both been sent back down by the Boston Bruins, who don’t play again until Friday evening. At least one of the young forwards will likely be recalled at that time, but for now the team will save some cap space on the off days.
- Jayson Megna has been returned to the AHL by the Colorado Avalanche, with T.J. Tynan taking his place on the NHL roster. The 27-year old Tynan has been on fire at the minor league level, scoring 12 points in his first ten games for the Colorado Eagles.
- The Washington Capitals have returned Liam O’Brien to the minor leagues, giving him a chance at some playing time after sitting on the sidelines the last few days. O’Brien is an important player for the Hershey Bears, but hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since 2017-18.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced that defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been re-assigned to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The 23-year-old has split his season between the NHL and AHL, most recently getting some starts in Chicago in place of Brent Seabrook.
Boston Bruins Place Par Lindholm On IR, Recall Zach Senyshyn
After missing the last week with an upper-body injury, Par Lindholm is finally going on injured reserve for the Boston Bruins. The team has recalled Zachary Senyshyn in his place, giving them another option while David Backes also remains out following his recent collision.
Senyshyn, 22, is one of the infamous players selected by Boston in 2015 when they had three consecutive first-round picks. His struggles as a professional have been amplified by the success of those taken after him—Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Thomas Chabot happened to go in the next three picks—but there is still time for him to carve out some sort of NHL career.
In 12 games with the Providence Bruins this season Senyshyn has just three points and looked completely absent early on, but may get a chance anyway as Boston travels to Montreal. The young forward played in two games for the NHL team last season and scored a goal, hopefully a sign of things to come this time around.
Minor Transactions: 11/04/19
Though it was a relatively quiet night in the NHL, Sunday’s action still brought some big moments for young players. Adam Boqvist scored the first goal of his NHL career for the Chicago Blackhawks, while Jakub Vrana recorded his first career hat trick for the Washington Capitals. With four more games on the docket you can bet more fireworks will follow, and we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves leading up to this evening’s action.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled both Nicolas Roy and Nicolas Hague as they prepare for a four-game road trip that starts tomorrow in Columbus. Hague remains one of the team’s top defensive prospects and played eight games earlier this season for the team. The 20-year old was selected 34th overall in 2017 and had 32 points in 75 games for the Chicago Wolves last season.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Cameron Hughes from the minor leagues and expect him to make his NHL debut tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. To make room, Peter Cehlarik has been sent to the AHL’s Providence Bruins after just two NHL games.
- Another recent NHL debut was C.J. Suess with the Winnipeg Jets, but that’s all he’ll get on this recall. The 25-year old played his first game with the Jets on Friday, but was sent back to the AHL today.
- Max Jones has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks after just a few days in the minor leagues. Jones has spent the vast majority of the season in the NHL, suiting up 12 times so far for the Ducks.
- Joel Hanley is back once again with the Dallas Stars, a trip he’s used to at this point. The Stars are using his waiver-exempt status (after clearing just before the season began) as a way to save some cap space on off days. It also keeps Hanley’s waiver clock from ticking—players have to clear again after 30 days or 10 games played in the NHL.
Injury Notes: Sabourin, Backes, Anisimov, Brown, Zibanejad
After a brutal hit in which Ottawa Senators Scott Sabourin and David Backes collided into each other which saw Sabourin lose consciousness and fall face first into the ice (video here), Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said this morning that Sabourin has a fractured nose and is expected to be released from the hospital today, according to Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren.
Sabourin went down hard and laid motionless on the ice for quite some time in Saturday’s game against Boston. However, he gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he was carted out and then later was reportedly awake and speaking to attending doctors.
Warren also noted that forward Artem Anisimov is expected to join the team in New York on Monday, but whether he will play against the New York Rangers remains to be seen, although head coach D.J. Smith said it’s possible he plays. He is also a better possibility to play Tuesday against the Islanders.
The news on Logan Brown isn’t as good. Warren reports that the young forward will return to Ottawa for tests and will be “week-to-week” with an upper-body injury. He left Saturday’s game after taking a slash to the arm.
On the other side of the ice, Backes stayed with Sabourin while he was being attended to, but also looked shaken up and also went the locker room once play resumed and didn’t return. Head coach Bruce Cassidy reported that Backes came into the facility this morning to get checked out.
“Doing a little better than last night,” said Cassidy (via the Bruins). “He’s doubtful for the next couple of games.”
With Backes out, it looks like the Bruins could get back forward Brett Ritchie, who was seen skating today with John Moore and Kevan Miller. If Ritchie is ready, according to the Bruins, he will go in tomorrow.
- The New York Rangers could get some good news. Center Mika Zibanejad was skating on his own Sunday, although he did not practice. Head coach David Quinn did not rule him out for being ready for Monday’s game against Ottawa, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. Quinn said he will have to consult with the medical staff before a decision can be made. The team’s top center has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, although the team has coincidentally won both games without him.
- After missing Saturday’s game due to a lower-body injury, Newday’s Andrew Gross reports that defenseman Nick Leddy will remain day-to-day, although he could return as early as Tuesday against the Senators.
Evening Notes: Sabourin, Gustafsson, Sekera, Brodzinski
After a gruesome hit that saw Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin get knocked unconscious and fall face first into the ice after colliding with Boston Bruins forward David Backes, the Senators got some good news. Sabourin, who laid motionless for an extended period of time, gave a thumbs up to fans as he was carted off the ice (video here).
The Senators then followed up with a statement (via Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch):
“Scott Sabourin was transported to local hospital by ambulance for evaluation. He was conscious and speaking with the attending doctors at the time of leaving the arena.”
Backes, may also have been injured on the play when both attempted to hit each other during the incident. After staying with Sabourin while he was down on the ice, Backes went to the locker room and didn’t return. The Bruins later announced he would not return. Backes, who has an concussion history, may have suffered another one.
- After an impressive season last year in which he tallied 17 goals and 60 points, few people would have expected Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman Erik Gustafsson to be a healthy scratch this year, but head coach Jeremy Colliton said that Gustafsson will be in the press box Saturday as he has struggled finding his game so far this year. The 27-year-old blueliner has four assists in 11 games, but hasn’t been the top-four defenseman the team was hoping for. “We think he can be better,” said Colliton (via The Athletic’s Scott Powers). Sometimes coming out of the lineup can be the spark. … We think he can be better in both areas (offense & defense). He’ll get feedback and it’s up to him to respond.”
- Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports that Dallas Stars defenseman Andrej Sekera is closing in on a return. The veteran blueliner, out with an undisclosed injury, skated Saturday, but head coach Jim Montgomery said he wasn’t sure if Sekera would be ready to go on Tuesday. Sekera has appeared in 13 games for Dallas this year, averaging 20:36 of ATOI.
- The Mercury News’ Curtis Palshelka reports that San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer stated that forward Jonny Brodzinski is out Saturday and likely will be out for some time after suffering a shoulder injury. The scribe also notes that the injury is not the same shoulder that held him out for most of the 2018-19 season. Pashelka adds that defenseman Radim Simek is expected to play in another AHL game with the San Jose Barracuda on Sunday with the hopes that he might return to the Sharks soon after that.
Bruins Recall Peter Cehlarik
- Peter Cehlarik is back up with Boston as the team announced his recall from AHL Providence. The winger saw action in one game last weekend with the Bruins before returning to Providence where he has ten points in seven games this season. He’ll take the place of winger Brett Ritchie who won’t play tonight due to an infected cut.
League Notes: Waiver Priority, Power Play, AHL Trades
November 1st marks an important day on the NHL calendar, but one many may not be aware of. Fortunately, CapFriendly is here for the reminder. This day marks the official change over to the waiver priority by current NHL standings. In the first month of the season, as the sample size is too small to truly judge the weak from the strong in many cases, the league uses the reverse order of the prior year’s regular season standings as the waiver priority for all of October. Up until now, the Ottawa Senators have had the first chance at available players on waivers, followed by the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and all the way to the Tampa Bay Lighting. But as of today, the top priority goes to… well, the Kings, who move up just one spot. The Senators slide back to third, with the Minnesota Wild occupying the second position. As of right now, it is the Boston Bruins who have the very last opportunity to claim a player on waivers. Waiver priority will now change constantly based on the reverse order of the league standings by points percentage.
However, at the current rate, waiver priority won’t matter too much this season. The Winnipeg Jets, who have occupied the 22nd waiver priority spot until today, have claimed defensemen Carl Dahlstrom and Luca Sbisa, and the Arizona Coyotes, who previously held spot No. 14, claimed goaltender Eric Comrie. Those have been the only claims thus far in 2019-20, an unusually low count even this early in the season.
- The mark of success so far this season? Power play efficiency. As John Dietz of the Chicago Daily Herald points out, there is no stronger correlation between wins and losses this year than how a team performs man-up. The top six teams in power play percentage are all also among the top nine in points percentage. This includes the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres at No. 1 and 2 in both statistics. Down at the bottom, five of the six worst power play teams are among the bottom the eight teams in points percentage. The only outlier appears to be the Anaheim Ducks, who have managed to overcome a 29th-ranked power play thus far to get off to an 8-6-0 start. As the skill level in the NHL improves each year and the game becomes more about using space to create offense, it only makes sense that man-up efficiency will matter more and more, with the start to this season as the perfect example.
- A strange occurrence early on this season has also been not one, but two AHL trades. AHL trades are extremely rare, as the NHL teams that manage their farm team rosters often lack any incentive to make such a deal. In general, the only motivation to make a deal that solely impacts an AHL squad is to improve depth at a certain position, either to avoid the overexposure of prospects or, later in the year, to give the team a push toward securing a playoff spot. However, even then AHL GM’s tend to eye other players on two-way NHL contracts to swap rather than players on minor league pacts. Not so far this year, though. On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids Griffins acquired forward Marcus Vela from San Jose Barracuda for defenseman Marcus Crawford in a move that wasn’t even about addressing depth, as Vela was immediately reassigned to the ECHL. Just two days later, the San Diego Gulls acquired veteran defenseman Ryan Johnston, a player who had been a healthy scratch for every game so far this season, from the Toronto Marlies for future considerations. Perhaps this is a new trend in organizational roster management or perhaps it is simply a coincidence, but either way it is an intriguing attachment to this young season.