Minor Transactions: 11/16/18
Friday night in the NHL brings six games across the league including several Eastern Conference teams travelling west. Tyler Seguin will welcome in his former team when Boston comes to Dallas, while Tyler Myers will do the same in Winnipeg when Jack Eichel and the Sabres come to town. As teams prepare, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- Alex Lyon is back up with the Philadelphia Flyers after Brian Elliott suffered another injury, continuing what has become a trend for the club this season. Lyon didn’t get onto the ice during his earlier recall, meaning he’s still looking to make his 2018-19 debut at the NHL level. The 25-year old goaltender is 2-2-0 with a .910 save percentage in the minor leagues this season.
- With Zdeno Chara flying back to Boston to be evaluated for his latest injury, the Bruins have recalled Connor Clifton for the first time. The former Quinnipiac University captain is in his second professional season and has four points through 14 games with the Providence Bruins. Clifton signed his first NHL contract in May, after finding just an AHL deal coming out of college.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets needed some help from the minors while they dealt with the flu yesterday, but apparently are feeling better. Zac Dalpe and Jean-Francois Berube have been returned to the AHL while the team recalled Gabriel Carlsson once again. Columbus managed a win even without Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in the lineup, something Blue Jackets fans will be happy to see given their current contract situations.
- After Jason Demers left with a lower-body injury last night, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Robbie Russo from the minor leagues. Russo played 19 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2016-17, but spent all of last season at the minor league level and has only played for the Tucson Roadrunners this year. The 25-year old defenseman can move the puck quickly, but hasn’t shown he can be a legitimate NHL option so far in his career.
- The Washington Capitals won’t need to dress an emergency backup again tonight. The team has recalled rookie Ilya Samsonov from the AHL’s Hershey Bears to serve as the backup to now-starter Pheonix Copley. Samsonov, 21, is in his first season in North America and already making his first NHL call-up. The 2015 first-round pick has actually struggled in the AHL thus far, but nevertheless got the call over Hershey starter Vitek Vanecek. Samsonov flew to Denver to meet the team ahead of their game against the Colorado Avalanche. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler was the on-paper demotion to make room for Samsonov, but will remain with the team through their current road trip.
Zdeno Chara Sent Back To Boston For Testing On His Lower-Body Injury
The Bruins have not had much in the way of good luck when it comes to injuries, particularly on their back end. They can add Zdeno Chara to the list of the walking wounded after he sustained a lower-body injury on Wednesday night and the team has sent him back to Boston for testing. It doesn’t appear any help is on the immediate horizon either; Matt Porter of the Boston Globe notes that of their injured defensemen (which also includes Charlie McAvoy, Kevan Miller, Brandon Carlo, and Urho Vaakanainen), Miller is the only one that is somewhat close to a return but isn’t expected to be ready to play for a few more games. As a result, they project to have a pretty inexperienced unit when they face off against Dallas on Friday night.
Tuukka Rask Rejoins Boston Bruins, Jakub Zboril Recalled
After taking a few days off on personal leave, Tuukka Rask has rejoined the Boston Bruins. That means Dan Vladar‘s time with the team has come to an end, as he is on his way back to the Providence Bruins. Making the trip the other way is Jakub Zboril, while the team announced that Jeremy Lauzon and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson will both stay on regular recall.
Rask did not explain the exact circumstances surrounding his absence, but did issue a heartfelt thank you to the Bruins organization and committed to being back and ready to work:
First and foremost I want to thank all the people who sent me messages and contacted me and supported me. Second of all I want to thank the Boston Bruins for giving me the opportunity to take time off with my family. I’ve never been more proud to be a part of this family, the Boston Bruins, because we talk a lot about how this is a family and we are a family and take care of each other when times are tough.
That being said, I have a job. My job is to be a hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins, and I also have another job title and that’s a family man. This was a time that deep inside my heart I felt like I needed to take time to be with my family, and make things right so I could be back here and focus on my job. That took three days. I’m back here, I’m back to work, and I’m ready to battle with these guys. At the end of the day, I realized that a hockey career is a very short career, but that your life is much longer than that. I appreciate that I got the privacy and time I needed, and I’m ready to move on now.
Even before Rask’s absence the Bruins were going through something of a goaltending controversy, given the outstanding play of backup Jaroslav Halak this season. The 33-year old Halak now has a .945 save percentage on the season and looks like he’s found the fountain of youth. His play has earned him even more playing time, especially with Rask’s struggles at times this season. Whether those struggles had to do with the personal issues is unclear, but if he’s put things behind him and can get back to the solid starting goaltender that he’s been for a decade, the Bruins should have one of the best tandems in the league.
As for Zboril, any playing time during this call-up would be the first of his NHL career. The 21-year old defenseman was infamously selected 13th overall in 2015, the first of three consecutive first round picks by the Bruins. Given the fact that Zboril and Zachary Senyshyn have still not made their NHL debuts—and Jake Debrusk, the other pick has only played 87 games—Boston has received quite a bit of criticism for passing on several other star players picked later in the round. Mathew Barzal (16th), Kyle Connor (17th), Thomas Chabot (18th), Brock Boeser (23rd) and Travis Konecny (24th) have all arguably found more success than the three Boston picks combined, something that Zboril will look to change if he gets into the lineup.
Atlantic Notes: Rask, Miller, Joseph, Pageau
It looks like the Boston Bruins may get back goaltender Tuukka Rask on Tuesday after he was granted a leave of absence on Thursday for personal reasons, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. The scribe writes that the team will talk to the veteran Monday with the hopes of his return immediately thereafter, but nothing is confirmed until then.
Rask has struggled all season before requesting a leave of absence as the veteran has a 3.05 GAA and a .901 save percentage in eight appearances, not the numbers that a player making $7MM. While the Bruins have kept Rask’s reason for the request silent, the hope is that a break may be able to help him re-focus on the season.
The Bruins have been fortunate to have signed Jaroslav Halak, who has been impressive and looks to have seized the starting job away from the struggling Rask. Halak has a 1.86 GAA and a .941 save percentage in 10 appearances. He stopped 40 of 41 shots in Saturday’s victory over Toronto and without Rask on hand, is expected to play back-to-back against Vegas today.
- Benjamin also reports that Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said that defenseman Kevan Miller could return by the end of the team’s four-game road trip that starts on Wednesday. Miller hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 18 with an undisclosed injury.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning finds itself thrilled with the constant improvements of rookie forward Mathieu Joseph, who after going scoreless in 13 straight games, broke through to have scored four goals in the last four games, according to The Athletic’s Greg Auman (subscription required). The surprising thing is that after 13 scoreless games, the deep Lightning team continued to play him. “My thing with that is if you’re doing all the right things and you’re getting chances and chances and chances, eventually they’re going to go in,” head coach Jon Cooper said. “So there are probably plays he made that should have gone in the net but didn’t, and all of a sudden, plays that maybe don’t go in the net do. That’s just the way it works. He got rewarded tonight. I’m a big believer that if you keep putting yourself in the right position, good things are going to happen.”
- The Ottawa Senators got a nice piece of news today as center Jean-Gabriel Pageau was seen taking the ice alongside defenseman Ben Harpur and forward Zack Smith, according to TSN’s Todd White. It was reported that Pageau, who suffered a torn Achilles on Sept. 13, would miss six months, however, Pageau has made remarkable progress. While skating is just one step on his way to a full recovery, it’s a good sign to see him back on the ice. Head coach Guy Boucher said that even the medical staff has been impressed by his recovery, although he’s still a long ways off.
Minor Transactions: 11/11/18
With a busy 11-game schedule Saturday, the NHL remains busy on Sunday with another six games. With all that action, teams are going to make moves to re-stock their roster. Check out our updated transactions throughout the day:
- The Boston Bruins announced they have recalled defenseman Jeremy Lauzon from the Providence Bruins of the AHL on an emergency basis. The 21-year-old has already appeared in four games for Boston as well as another eight for Providence. In fact, if Lauzon gets called upon to play today, he’ll be playing in his third straight game in consecutive days. He was recalled as defenseman Brandon Carlo is listed as questionable after suffering an upper-body injury late in the game Saturday. Lauzon will play for Carlo, if he can’t go.
- The Dallas Stars announced they have assigned forward Denis Gurianov and defenseman Dillon Heatherington to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Gurianov has been a solid addition to the team, posting his first NHL goal Saturday in their 5-4 overtime loss to Nashville. He has been thriving in Texas, putting up six goals and 12 points 11 games there. Heatherington has appeared in five games for Dallas, posting one assist. He’s played in 10 games for Texas this season, accumulating four points. While there are no corresponding moves, it’s likely that the Stars hope that one of their injured forwards could return as both Alexander Radulov and Brett Ritchie both were practicing today, suggesting one, if not both, could be back soon. Heatherington’s demotion suggests the team was more impressed by defenseman Ben Gleason, who played well for Dallas Saturday.
- The Minnesota Wild announced they have assigned forward Matt Read to the Iowa Wild of the AHL. The 32-year-old Read played five games for Minnesota and had six shots on goal, but failed to tally a point in that time. In Iowa, he has two points in seven games. With Matt Hendricks feeling better and able to fill in when needed, Read became expendable.
- It looks like there may not be a “super line” in Bakersfield after all as center Cooper Marody, who many expected would center the elite line of Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto, has been recalled by the Edmonton Oilers Sunday. Marody will be making his second appearance with the team this year as he played two games with the Oilers earlier, but failed to score. He has three goals and 10 points in seven Bakersfield games this year.
- CapFriendly reports that the Los Angeles Kings have assigned forward Matt Luff to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. The 21-year-old failed to score in three games and will return to Ontario where he compiled six goals and 12 points in just eight games.
Atlantic Notes: Weber, Athanasiou, Pysyk, Kovar
The Montreal Canadiens have had a nice start to the season with an 8-5-3 record to start the season. However, more good news could be on the way as there was a Shea Weber sighting today as the veteran defenseman took the ice this morning along with David Schlemko, Brendan Gallagher, Noah Juulsen and Carey Price, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.
The team captain was originally scheduled to return sometime in December, so it still may be a while before he fully returns, but this is a step in the right direction for the veteran. Weber could add another key element to a young team that seems to have found some offense from a number of young names and gotten some solid goaltending from Price. Adding Weber to their blueline could only make the team stronger as they start hitting the middle of their season schedule.
- The Detroit Red Wings like what they see from winger Andreas Athanasiou so far this year. What the 24-year-old has always lacked was competive consistency, which they are finally starting to see everyday, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. Athanasiou has always had the speed that many people felt he could put up big numbers if he figured things out. However, the best the Red Wings have gotten out of him has been 18 goals, two years ago. Through 13 games so far this season, he already has six goals and nine points and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. “I know those chances are going to come, so it’s just playing hard when I get out there and capitalizing on those chances,” Athanasiou said.
- George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk remains a healthy scratch for the seventh straight time despite being medically cleared to play again on Thursday, but can’t seem to work his way back into Florida’s lineup. He was knocked out of the lineup after taking a hit from Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on Oct. 19. The hope is he will be in the lineup on Sunday.
- Jan Kovar was brought overseas with the intention of plugging him in the New York Islanders’ lineup. Two months later has the 28-year-old Kovar playing on a PTO with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, but faring quite well with five goals and nine points in eight games. Could a promotion be in order? “Smart player,” said Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney (via Providence Journal’s Mark Divver). “I really like the skills, top of the circles down in the offensive zone. What probably surprises me a little bit, coming from (the KHL), is how gritty he is, as far as playing in high traffic, possession.”
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Adam Erne were out tonight and are listed as day-to-day, both with upper-body injuries. With the return of defenseman Victor Hedman, it looked as if the team’s defense was almost healthy. Instead, the team will be without Stralman for the time being, who was the one to fill many of Hedman’s minutes. Slater Koekkoek remains in the lineup.
Minor Transactions: 11/10/18
As usual, it’s a busy Saturday around the NHL with 22 teams in action. As a result, there is bound to be plenty of roster movement throughout the day. We’ll keep tabs on those moves here.
- The Bruins announced that they have recalled goaltender Dan Vladar from Providence of the AHL on an emergency basis. He’s taking the place of Tuukka Rask who was granted a leave of absence on Friday. After spending most of last season at the ECHL level, Vladar is off to a solid start with Providence this season, posting a 2.52 GAA and a .909 SV% in seven appearances so far.
- Logan Shaw‘s time with Anaheim’s farm team has come to an end. The San Diego Gulls announced (Twitter link) that they have released the 26-year-old from his AHL contract. Shaw was off to a strong start with the Gulls, collecting five points in seven games to start the season. It’s likely that he will be looking for an opportunity with a team that is in need of some depth down the middle after playing in 72 games last season between the Ducks and the Canadiens.
- The Stars have brought up defenseman Ben Gleason, per a team release. The 20-year-old is off to a strong start to his first professional season, picking up six points in eleven games to lead all Texas blueliners. Gleason signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent back in September and should get an opportunity to play quickly with four defensemen currently injured.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned forward Max Comtois to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL on a long-term conditioning loan. Comtois was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 27 after sustaining a lower-body injury and has already missed eight games with the injury. He will likely stick there for up to six days or up to three games. The impending return of the 19-year-old would be good news for Anaheim, who has struggled scoring goals. The second-rounder from 2017 put up an impressive two goals and seven points in 10 games this season.
Trade Rumors: Bruins, Kings, Hurricanes
After another humiliating loss last night, an 8-5 drubbing at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, the pressure on the Boston Bruins has been ratcheted up even higher. The team is falling short of expectations so far this season due to a total lack of secondary scoring. While speaking on the topic, Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that the team feels they have too many of the same style of player among their secondary scorer. Shannon is likely referring to young forwards Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork, who have both underwhelmed in middle-six roles, and potentially AHL options Trent Frederic and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, as well as the possible similarities between veterans Joakim Nordstrom, Chris Wagner, Sean Kuraly, and Noel Acciari. Shannon states that the team is not happy and that a trade centered around one of their redundant forwards in exchange for an established young forward is likely coming soon.
- Shannon also states that the Los Angeles Kings are not done making moves after firing head coach John Stevens. However, Shannon reports that the team is waiting to pull the trigger until their trade candidates can repair their market values. With the team struggling so severely to begin the campaign, the Kings would be trading the majority of their players while their stock is at its lowest. This is particularly true for the likes of struggling Tanner Pearson and ineffective Kyle Clifford. Once L.A. can string together some strong outings and potentially see some improvement from Pearson, Clifford and other names out there like Alec Martinez, Jake Muzzin, and Tyler Toffoli, they should become active players on the trade market.
- During the latest “Insider Trading” segment on TSN, Pierre LeBrun confirms that the Carolina Hurricanes are interested in more than just William Nylander. LeBrun says that the Hurricanes are worried about their scoring abilities and want to add a top-six scorer. Nylander is surely Carolina’s favored target, but they are looking elsewhere for help as well. The Hurricanes were recently rumored to be shopping young forward Valentin Zykov and, like the Bruins, may be looking to use his upside to swap for a more established young forward.
Bruins Notes: McAvoy, Rask, JFK
Charlie McAvoy has been out of the Boston Bruins lineup for quite some time under unclear circumstances, but today the team confirmed that the young defenseman has been dealing with concussion symptoms. McAvoy has been “in the protocol” since suffering the injury on October 18th against the Edmonton Oilers, but is working his way back to getting into the lineup.
The Bruins have kept their head above water in the interim, but could really use McAvoy and his minute-munching abilities. The team currently sits at 8-5-2, but have fallen seven points behind the Atlantic Division leading Tampa Bay Lightning and gave up eight goals to the Vancouver Canucks last night. McAvoy has been their best defenseman on most nights he’s in the lineup, and has left a big hole with his absence.
- The Bruins have granted a leave of absence for goaltender Tuukka Rask, meaning he won’t be with the team for the next few days. GM Don Sweeney confirmed it is not health related, and instead is just a personal matter that Rask had to deal with. The team will be leaning on Jaroslav Halak for at least Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will have to recall a goaltender from Providence to serve as the backup.
- Lastly, the team recalled Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson today to give them some more help up front, and will be starting him as the third line center tomorrow night. “JFK” as he is referred to has just four points in nine games for the Providence Bruins this season, but still holds plenty of promise as a future top-six player. Boston has struggled to find offense from anyone outside of their top line, and will now try just about anything to spark their group up front.
Minor Transactions: 11/06/18
The NHL saw a coaching shakeup this morning when Joel Quenneville was removed from his position with the Chicago Blackhawks, but will quickly move on to other things with nine games on the schedule. As teams prepare for their games, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- Dakota Mermis has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes, giving the team a full 23-man roster once again. Mermis, 24, played in nine games for the Coyotes last season and is off to a great start with five points in his first nine games for the Tucson Roadrunners. The Coyotes start a road trip on Thursday when they travel to Philadelphia.
- The Boston Bruins have returned both Anton Blidh and Jeremy Lauzon to the AHL, which could mean good news for some of their injured players. The Bruins are down to just 20 players on the active roster and don’t play until Thursday night, meaning there could be another recall if someone isn’t activated in the next day or so.
- Chase De Leo has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks, prior to the team’s game tonight in Los Angeles. De Leo has five points in his first eight games in the minor leagues, and will try to fight for a spot in the NHL for the first time this year. The 23-year old forward has just two NHL games under his belt, both with the Winnipeg Jets.
- Christoffer Ehn has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings, following the move to injured reserve for Jonathan Ericsson. Ehn played nine games with the Red Wings earlier this season, and has shown good ability in the minor leagues. A fourth-round pick from 2014, he’s been performing well this season, his first in North America.
- The Buffalo Sabres have assigned Sean Malone to the Rochester Americans, meaning he must be ready to start playing again. Malone suffered an injury early in training camp and had already been rehabbing in Rochester, but will now be able to suit up for game action.