Minor Transactions: 10/23/19
It’s a quiet night in the NHL with just two games on the schedule, meaning all eyes will be on the four teams taking the ice. While the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings kick things off, the focus will largely be on Sidney Crosby‘s Pittsburgh Penguins trying to take down the Tampa Bay Lightning. As teams prepare for that action, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have assigned Nicolas Hague back to the minor leagues, ending his run in the NHL for now. The 20-year old defenseman has two assists in seven games with the Golden Knights so far, but played just over 13 minutes against the Senators last week and then was a healthy scratch the past three contests.
- The Vancouver Canucks have sent Ashton Sautner back to the minor leagues, after he failed to get into a single game with the team. Sautner has 22 NHL contests under his belt, but is still just a depth option for the Canucks at this point.
- After Devan Dubnyk suffered a minor injury, the Minnesota Wild have recalled Kaapo Kahkonen from the minor leagues. Kahkonen is expected to back up Alex Stalock tomorrow night according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. To make room, the team has moved Kevin Fiala to injured reserve while he deals with his lower-body injury.
- So much for Anders Bjork‘s NHL stint, at least for now. The Boston Bruins have sent Bjork back to the minor leagues today after making his debut for the team last night. The Bruins don’t play again until Saturday, meaning they can bank some cap space.
Boston Bruins Place Krejci On Injured Reserve, Recall Bjork
The Boston Bruins have made a roster move as they prepare for action tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. David Krejci has been placed on injured reserve, while young forward Anders Bjork has been recalled and is taking the morning skate with the team. Krejci hasn’t played since October 14th when he suffered an upper-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Bruins lost in overtime to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night without Krejci, but will get a chance for their revenge tonight on home ice. The 33-year old’s presence is sorely missed however on the team’s second line, as Boston has received almost zero secondary scoring to date this year. In fact, outside of the top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, not a single Bruins player has more than two points this season and only four other forwards have scored a goal at all.
Krejci enjoyed an incredible bounce-back season in 2018-19 when he recorded 73 points in 81 games and needs to get back on the ice for the Bruins as soon as possible. Without him (and Karson Kuhlman, who also missed practice and is unlikely to play), Bjork will get another chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. He skated alongside Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner, a great opportunity for him to provide some jump and energy in his first game of the season.
Bjork, 23, had huge expectations coming out of Notre Dame in 2017 but hasn’t quite lived up to them to this point. In just 50 games at the NHL level he has 15 points, but his career so far has been marred by scratches both healthy and injured. In seven games for the Providence Bruins this season he has eight points, signaling that he may be ready to take that next step and be a force at the highest level.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Spooner, Okulov
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, and Boston Bruins fans will be happy to know that David Pastrnak‘s performance was not overlooked. The young forward took home the top spot after scoring seven goals in three games including a four-goal performance against the Anaheim Ducks. Pastrnak is now tied with James Neal for the league lead in goals with nine.
Not to be forgotten however are John Carlson and Carter Hutton that took home second and third respectively. Carlson continues to lead the NHL in scoring with 18 points (including eight last week) and has been an absolute force for the Washington Capitals early. Hutton meanwhile stopped all 72 shots he faces last week including 47 in a single game to shutout the Los Angeles Kings. If the Buffalo Sabres netminder can continue to provide this kind of performance, the team may well have a chance to fight for that divisional playoff spot that they’ve coveted for so long.
- Ryan Spooner has changed teams again, but that doesn’t mean he’s coming back to North America. The former NHL forward will join Dynamo Minsk in the KHL for the rest of the season, leaving HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA. Spooner is still just 27, but spent time with three different NHL organizations last season and can’t seem to find a home anywhere.
- Following up on the recent report linking the Toronto Maple Leafs to Konstantin Okulov, Igor Eronko of Sport-Express confirms that the Russian forward has indeed spoken to Mike Babcock already. Okulov has 13 points through his first 17 games in the KHL this season and is a potential target for teams looking to add international talent next summer.
Evening Notes: Turris, Bruins’ Forwards, Gaudette
Despite rumors earlier in the week that the Nashville Predators would be willing to move center Kyle Turris in a trade, but his contract (five years at $6MM AAV) will be a major stumbling block for the team, writes the Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson.
After an impressive performance at the World Championships, the Predators were hoping that Turris would have a bounce-back season after a seven-goal, 23-point performance last year. Unfortunately, when Nashville added center Matt Duchene in free agency, it moved all the centers down in the order with Nick Bonino taking the No. 3 center role and Turris sliding down to the fourth line.
The only positive point is that Turris is faring well this season despite the limited minutes as he has two goals and five points in seven games, which could make him a tradeable commodity, assuming Nashville might be willing to retain some salary.
- NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty writes that the Boston Bruins need to be aggressive with their struggles beyond the first line. Boston top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have been terrific. However, no forward outside of fourth-liner Sean Kuraly have more than one point so far this season. While head coach Bruce Cassidy said he will rely on his players to find their games, the scribe writes that it might be time to trade for some cheap top-six options, including Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi and New York Islanders’ Joshua Ho-Sang with the idea of buying low and letting them develop in top roles.
- The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that the Vancouver Canucks might need to make a decision on what they intend to do with center Adam Gaudette. The 23-year-old impressed head coach Travis Green in training camp, which earned him a spot on the team. However, after only appearing in three games so far this season, the scribe wonders whether the team might have to decide on a what role to give to the young center. The team could move him permanently to the third line and slide Brandon Sutter to the wing, or maybe it would be better off giving him top-line minutes with the Utica Comets of the AHL.
Snapshots: Bruins, Clarke, Helm
The Boston Bruins are set to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend in a rematch of their first round playoff series, but it appears both teams will be without a star center. Not only will the Maple Leafs be missing John Tavares from the lineup, but the Bruins will also be without David Krejci who will not travel with the team.
Krejci missed last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after suffering an upper-body injury earlier in the week. Joakim Nordstrom will also not play against the Maple Leafs, but Patrice Bergeron is expected to after missing practice with a lower-body injury. The Bruins may call someone up from the AHL before tomorrow night’s tilt.
- New Jersey Devils prospect Graeme Clarke will undergo shoulder surgery and is expected to miss four months according to Kenny Walls of TSN. Clarke was picked in the 2019 third round and is an important piece of the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL. He was recently named to that league’s roster for the upcoming Canada-Russia series, which he will obviously miss.
- The NHL has fined Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm $5,000 for his slash last night on Elias Lindholm. This was the maximum allowable fine under the CBA.
Longtime Player, Coach Ted Green Dies At 79
Ted Green, a longtime member of the Boston Bruins during the 1960s and a head coach for the Edmonton between 1991-94, passed away at the age of 79. The Oilers announced his death today and he was honored at Saturday’s New York Rangers game. Green was an assistant coach for the Rangers between 2000 and 2004.
Green was known as “Terrible Ted” during his playing days due to his physical style of play on the ice. In fact he had more than 100 penalty minutes in six of his first seven seasons in the league. In 11 season with the Bruins, Green picked up 254 points (48 goals and 206 assists) and 1,029 penalty minutes in 621 games. He played in the 1965 and 1969 all-star games and was named an the NHL Second Team All-Star in 1969, while finishing third in the Norris voting that year. Green was on the team that captured the 1970 Stanley Cup Championship, but he never played that year after sitting out the season after being hit in the head with a stick during the preseason that year. Regardless, his name still engraved on the cup.
The blueliner played for the Boston Bruins from 1961 to 1972 before opting to sign with the New England Whalers of the WHA where he played for three seasons and then played another four years with the Winnipeg Jets, winning three championships. He retired in 1979.
After he retirement, he took up coaching, working as an assistant with the Edmonton Oilers under former teammate Glen Sather from 1982 to 1990 before becoming co-coach for the 1990-91 season and eventually becoming head coach of the Oilers in 1991-92. The team went 65-102-21 in his two and half years at the helm in Edmonton. He was eventually fired after starting the year off at 3-18-3 in 1983. After taking a few years off from coaching he returned to the Oilers as an assistant once again in 1997 and stayed until 2000, before joining the New York Rangers in the same capacity after that.
Everyone at PHR wishes the best for the family and friends of Green at this time.
Bruins May Have Interest In Bringing Back Colby Cave
- Sportsnet’s Mark Spector relays (via Twitter) that he was once told that the Bruins would have interest in bringing center Colby Cave back if he was to be made available. Cave was put on waivers earlier today so now is their opportunity to get him. They are carrying a full 23-man roster at the moment though so a move would need to be made to bring Cave back. Karson Kuhlman is the only waiver-exempt forward among their 14 active forwards.
Goalie Notes: Quick, Lehner, Rask
The rumor mill is usually relatively quiet at this time of year, but the trade whispers surrounding Jonathan Quick that began last season simply haven’t gone away. Much of the discussion is likely internal or at least hypothetical, as there is no reason believe there is a solid market for Quick right now, especially given his start to the season. Through two starts, Quick is 0-2 and has allowed a shocking 14 goals on just 56 shots. His .750 save percentage, very bad in its own right, is more than 70 points lower than the next-worst save percentage, while his 7.17 GAA is one of only two in the league over 6.00 early on. When Quick is on his game, he has proven himself to be one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, but after a miserable 2018-19 campaign, he’s off to the wrong start if he wants to show that he can still be that guy. Quick’s early struggles have both local and national hockey pundits weighing in on his future. With backup Jack Campbell coming off a breakout campaign and signed affordably through 2022 and promising collegiate prospect Cal Petersen waiting in the wings, the rebuilding Kings would likely be open to moving Quick and his $5.8MM cap hit through 2023. The question is whether there is a team willing to gamble on Quick’s history and upside at the risk of his injury issues and performance problems. With a change of scenery or perhaps the right coaching staff, Quick’s salary could actually still be a bargain if he gets back to peak form, however unlikely it may seem to some. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators are the only obvious teams with both the need and cap capacity to add Quick, and neither is likely to pull the trigger on a trade this early in the season. The Kings are likely stuck with him for a while and need to start thinking of different ways to help improve the play of a long-time franchise leader and star.
- Robin Lehner is set to make his first appearance as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, getting the start on Saturday, and the door is wide open for him to make far more starts moving forward. Through two games, incumbent Corey Crawford is 0-2 with an .875 save percentage and a 4.63 GAA that is third-worst among goalies with multiple starts. It’s a bad start for Crawford after missing considerable time due to injury in each of the past two seasons and performing poorly in the majority of looks he did get last year. Meanwhile, Lehner is a reigning Jennings Trophy winner and Vezina candidate after a dominant season with the New York Islanders. A strong start to his Blackhawks tenure could easily change the status quo of the tandem. Lehner isn’t just fighting for starts this season either; both he and Crawford are impending UFA’s at season’s end and a 28-year-old with a recent history of success is going to have a much better shot at a new long-term commitment than a 35-year-old with a recent history of injury and inconsistency. The first step toward Lehner potentially becoming the main man in net for Chicago for a long time begins tonight.
- After the whistle blew on an intense match-up between the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, Bruins starter Tuukka Rask limped off the ice with help from his teammates. There was little word from the team as to the extent of Rask’s injury, but he did dress as the backup for their game on Thursday night. Tonight, in what would normally be his regular turn in net, Rask appears ready to go. The long-time Bruin is expected to make the start and The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter relays from head coach Bruce Cassidy that there are no lingering issues from whatever did occur on Tuesday. Rask is 2-0 with just four goals allowed on 63 shots so far. He and backup Jaroslav Halak have both picked up right where they left off last season, as both are in the top ten in save percentage and goals against average early on.
Prospect Notes: Nalimov, Andersson, Pare
The doctrine of “no trade-backs” apparently isn’t held in as high regard in Russia. Chicago Blackhawks goalie prospect Ivan Nalimov has had a strange past few months to say the least. The 25-year-old keeper signed with HK Sochi early in the off-season, but was surprisingly traded not long after to SKA St. Petersburg in July. A product of SKA’s system and a former first-round pick of the team, Nalimov actually seemed like he had stumbled into some good luck with a familiar fit on a top club. Yet, after not making an appearance through the first month of the season, Nalimov has been traded back to Sochi, the team announced. When Nalimov asked for a trade last season, he was talking about his NHL rights, but KHL teams obliged nonetheless, as this is his third time being traded since. He began last season with the Kunlun Red Star, but was moved to Avangard Omsk midway through the year. He’s now in his second stint with Sochi since last season ended. In fact, Nalimov has been a part of seven different KHL clubs over the past four years. Some would think that lack of consistency would have a negative effect on his development, but Nalimov has been solid for several years now and was stellar down the stretch and in the postseason for Omsk last year. Yet, it’s no wonder why he is so eager to make the jump to North America and find some normalcy to his career. Nalimov has since rescinded his trade request from the Blackhawks, and just in time too. Chicago’s tandem of Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner will both be unrestricted free agents this season and veteran minor leaguers Anton Forsberg and Jean-Francois Berube are now gone. If he plays well again this season and then signs with the Blackhawks, there’s a real possibility that Nalimov could compete with Collin Delia for the backup job in Chicago next year.
- Another prospect getting a fresh start is young defender Axel Andersson. Property of the Boston Bruins, who selected him in the second round in 2018, Andersson stayed overseas last year in his native Sweden. While he made the jump from the junior-level SuperElit to the second-tier Allsvenskan, it was a somewhat underwhelming campaign. Andersson arrived at training camp this year looking for a change of scenery and for a while it looked like that might come with AHL Providence. Andersson suited up for a couple of Boston’s preseason games and then took part in the entirety of Providence’s camp. However, he always faced an uphill battle to find regular ice time with the team this year, as they count Alexander Petrovic, Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy Lauzon, and Jakub Zboril, as well as long-time member Chris Breen and highly-regarded project Cooper Zech among the names with guaranteed play time. So instead Andersson has joined his CHL rights holder, the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. The Bruins have officially loaned Andersson to Moncton, who are excited to add a talented defenseman that they used a first-round pick on in this year’s CHL Import Draft. Moncton head coach and director of hockey operations John Torchetti, a Boston native, was no doubt influential in convincing the Bruins that the QMJHL would be more beneficial for Andersson than a return to Sweden or limited minutes in the AHL. He’ll get to play internationally this season anyway, as Andersson is expected to suit up for the Swedes in the World Junior Championship.
- The Bruins are happy with the decision on Andersson, somewhat of a project player, but may already be regretting giving up on another slow-to-develop prospect. Cedric Pare, a sixth-round pick of Boston in 2017, is tearing up the QMJHL early this season. Pare is the first player with double-digit goals in the entire CHL, notching ten through eight games with Rimouski Oceanic. Of course, it bears mentioning that Pare is centering a line that features presumptive 2020 top pick Alexis Lafreniere and Calgary Flames dark horse prospect Dmitri Zavgorodny. However, Pare is still showing that his skill and skating are finally catching up to his size and two-way intelligence. Those latter abilities were on display though his first three junior seasons, but the offense was lacking. Pare has yet to crack 20 goals or 50 points in a season, but is well on his way at an outrageous pace of 80+ goals and 130+ points. The Bruins’ rights to Pare expired early this summer when the team opted not to extend him an entry-level contract. He is now likely to be a hotly-pursued free agent later this year and the odds are that Boston is not at the top of his list of destinations.
Chris Wagner Hoping To Get A Longer-Term Contract Next Summer
- Bruins center Chris Wagner is hoping to get some security on his next contract after playing on short-term deals throughout his career, notes Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (subscription required). The 28-year-old is making $1.25MM this season in the final year of his deal and while a lot of fourth liners have had to take short-term cheap deals as the top players receive higher salaries, impact fourth line players have still been able to secure deals in free agency such as former linemate Noel Acciari (three years, $5MM total with Florida). However, given Boston’s young forwards in the system, Wagner may have to look elsewhere to get that type of commitment next summer.