Minor Moves: Megna, Koppanen, Guhle
The Anaheim Ducks made a predictable move to shore up their defensive group today, calling up Jaycob Megna from the San Diego Gulls. The Ducks are without Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Korbinian Holzer as they head into their game tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Jaycob, the younger brother of Vancouver Canucks forward Jayson Megna, is a 24-year old who has yet to make his NHL debut.
Selected in the seventh round of the 2012 entry draft, Megna is a hulking defenseman—6’6″ 225-lbs—capable of contributing offensively. His 27 points through 60 games trails just Brandon Montour and Andrew Welinski for the Gulls, despite not possessing any standout offensive skills. Nevertheless, he’s improved over the years and has a legitimate chance to make an impact at the NHL one day, albeit in a depth role. His first chance will come tonight against his favorite childhood team, growing up in Chicago.
- Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Joona Koppanen is expected to turn down interest from the NCAA and “turn pro”. Whether that means the Boston Bruins draft pick will sign an entry-level deal and play in the AHL next season or join the top league in his home country is unknown. He’s currently playing in the junior league in Finland, where he scored 54 points in 38 games this season. Despite being only 19, Koppanen could join the AHL ranks next year to play for the Providence Bruins if the teams feels he’s ready.
- One of the more interesting prospect journeys this year has been that of defenseman Brendan Guhle, who was called up mid-season by the Buffalo Sabres right from the junior ranks. Guhle played three games for the Sabres before being sent back. For his new team the Prince George Cougars, he excelled scoring 29 points in 32 games and another six in their first round exit from the WHL playoffs. He’s now heading to the Rochester Americans for the remainder of the season, according to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen. Guhle will be an interesting candidate for a full-time job next season with the Sabres, but is more likely destined for a top-pairing AHL role to continue his development.
- The Montreal Canadiens have brought up Brett Lernout under emergency conditions, after Alexei Emelin was injured last night. Though Shea Weber took to the ice this morning at practice, there is no expectation that he’ll be ready to play tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and with the Atlantic Division clinched, there is no reason to push him. Lernout, a 21-year old defenseman who was the Canadiens’ third-round pick in 2014 is a big strong defensive presence that has performed well for them in the AHL this year.
Minor Moves: Caamano, Wilcox, Ullmark
After previously signing Nicholas Caamano to an amateur tryout, the Dallas Stars have inked the prospect to a three-year entry-level deal. The contract will begin during the 2017-18 season, though Caamano is expected to go back to the OHL for next season. A fifth-round pick in 2016, Caamano put together his best season this year with 64 points in 67 games for the Flint Firebirds. Though they were knocked out of the playoffs early, it was a solid step for the development of the young forward.
Registering a point in his first AHL game, Caamano will unfortunately have to either make the NHL team or return to the OHL next year. His age restricts him from playing in the AHL. With some older players likely leaving the Firebirds for bigger and better things next season, Caamano should be counted on as their top offensive weapon. An increase in responsibility should benefit his growth, as the Stars look to turn a late-round pick into a professional player.
- The Florida Panthers have sent Adam Wilcox back to the AHL, signalling a return for James Reimer. Wilcox only backed up Reto Berra during his NHL stint, and will now return to the Thunderbirds where he had found a ton of success since being acquired at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Springfield won’t be heading to the Calder Cup playoffs this year, meaning the end is close for Wilcox this season. The goaltender is a restricted free agent this summer for the first time, as his entry-level deal will expire.
- The Buffalo Sabres have also sent a goaltender back down, re-assigning Linus Ullmark to the AHL today. Anders Nilsson‘s injury had been deemed minor, and he should be back in net for one of the final two games this weekend. The Sabres face off against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning on back-to-back nights, ending what has been a frustrating season. Ryan O’Reilly put it into words yesterday when he told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com “it’s so frustrating coming to the rink right now. Practicing, there’s no purpose right now. You’re seeing other teams gearing up for the playoffs and seeing teams, like Toronto who’s young too, seeing them in the spot we should be in.”
Minor Moves: Gillies, Ullmark, Bondra, Morin
According to John Shannon of Sportsnet, the Calgary Flames will recall goaltender Jon Gillies prior to their game in Los Angeles tomorrow night. The Flames sent Chad Johnson home for precautionary reasons following his lower-body injury on Tuesday night. Even though the last two games are very important for the Flames in determining their playoff seeding Shannon wouldn’t be surprised to see the team give Gillies the start tomorrow.
Gillies, 23, had an outstanding career at Providence College before debuting in the AHL last year. A hip injury derailed his rookie season, needing surgery in December of 2015 to correct a long-standing issue. This year his game hasn’t come all the way back, posting just a .909 save percentage through 38 games at the AHL. He remains one of the top goaltending prospects in the league though, and may get his chance to start a game in the NHL for the first time tomorrow night.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Linus Ullmark for much the same reason, with Anders Nilsson suffering a minor injury. Robin Lehner will get the start tonight again Montreal, as the team winds down their season. Ullmark, still just 23, hasn’t gotten back on the ice in the NHL this season despite his impressive 20-game stint with the club last year. Registering a .913 save percentage in those games, the former Swedish pro has shown that he can handle the NHL game. This season hasn’t gone as well in the AHL, but he still remains part of the Sabres future in net going forward.
- Scott Powers of The Athletic tells us that Radovan Bondra will join the Rockford IceHogs for their last few games before negotiating an entry-level contract. The 20-year old power forward had 63 points in 62 games split between the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars of the WHL. At 6’5″ 220-lbs, the Slovakian winger already has more than enough size for professional hockey, but actually needs to improve his consistent physical game as he floats to the perimeter at times.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced today that Kyle Capobianco will join the Tucson Roadrunners for the end of the season. Capobianco already signed his entry-level deal in October, and has just completed his fourth season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. The defenseman racked up another 45 points this season, his third straight excellent offensive campaign for the Wolves. While the defensive game is still a big question mark for Capobianco, his size and skating ability should lend itself to a solid development path as he inches towards the NHL. He’ll be 20 next year and will probably play all season with the Roadrunners.
- Samuel Morin and Colin McDonald are on their way back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, though one or both could be back in time for Saturday’s matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Morin debuted successfully on Tuesday night, skating almost 18 minutes alongside Shayne Gostisbehere and registering seven hits in the game. While his game still needs work—as even he admitted after the game, saying that he still needed to mature physically—he provides hope for Flyers’ fans for the future of their blue line.
- The Blue Jackets have assigned Oscar Dansk to the AHL following his season with Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League. The second-round pick from 2012 has continued to develop in Sweden while the Blue Jackets kept Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg here in North America. The three young netminders represent one of the strongest goaltending pipelines in the league at the moment, as each has shown high potential at times. They’ll compete for the NHL backup spot next season, and for starts in the AHL.
Evening Snapshots: Avalanche, Karlsson, Nylander
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Colorado Avalanche called up two players this afternoon: forward Rocco Grimaldi and defenseman Duncan Siemens. Grimaldi is having a great year in the AHL, scoring 29G and 22A in 51 games for the San Antonio Rampage. He’s on the final year of his ELC, and this opportunity should dictate the terms of his next contract. Defenseman Duncan Siemens—a former 2011 first round draft pick—will play just his second career NHL game. He has 2G and 4A in 68 games in the AHL this season. As AJ Haefele of BSN notes, the callups give the Avalanche a look at how its prospects fit in with the organization.
- The Ottawa Senators announced that defenseman Erik Karlsson will return tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. Karlsson suffered a foot injury after blocking a shot Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. He missed the Senators’ next two games, and was in danger of missing a third before his surprise return. The Senators need all the firepower they can muster as they jockey for position in the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Alexander Nylander makes his NHL debut tonight against his brother’s Toronto Maple Leafs, reports TSN’s Mark Masters. 2016’s 8th overall draft pick has played in the AHL all season, amassing 9G and 18A in 62 games for the Rochester Americans. In seven World Junior Championship games Nylander scored 5G and 7A. His much anticipated debut is heightened by the fact that it’s against his older brother William Nylander. The older Nylander has 22G and 37A this season, and the Sabres hope that their Nylander follows in his brother’s footsteps.
Snapshots: Franson, Bean, Senators
Cody Franson hasn’t had a very successful Buffalo Sabres career. In two seasons marred by injury, the right-handed defender has failed to reach the 30 point mark that he had broken the past two seasons and will miss the playoffs once again. Today, when he was back in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs he was asked about a possible return to his former team in the offseason. Franson is a pending unrestricted free agent, and will have to make a decision on where he wants to try and rebuild his value.
To several reporters including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Franson made it very clear that he would be open to a return. “Oh yeah, for sure” he told Johnston, before explaining that playing in Toronto was a “dream come true” for him and his family. Despite having poor point totals and injury concerns, Franson actually still has solid possession numbers and is a candidate for a nice value contract on the open market. He’s clearly not a lock-down defender and never will be, but since he moves the puck so efficiently he doesn’t spend as much time in his own zone. For Toronto fans screaming for the heads of Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick, Franson would likely be welcomed back with open arms.
- Jake Bean is headed to the Charlotte Checkers to get a taste of professional hockey now that his Calgary Hitmen have been eliminated from the WHL playoffs. The first-round pick (13th overall) of the Carolina Hurricanes last summer, Bean is about as good of a defensive prospect as you’ll find around the league. His 45 points in 43 games this season in junior showed once again that his offensive game is ready for the next level, and he is starting to fill out physically. The 18-year old will have to make the NHL team out of camp next season or return to the Hitmen for a fourth year and anchor a Team Canada blueline at the World Juniors.
- The Ottawa Senators are in a fight with the Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division, and they keep getting hit with injuries. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Cody Ceci, Marc Methot and Zack Smith will all not return before the end of the regular season, while Erik Karlsson again missed practice today and is out for tonight’s game. The team will have one reinforcement though, as Colin White will make his NHL debut on the fourth line alongside Tommy Wingels and Chris Kelly. Ryan Dzingel will be scratched in favor of the top prospect, who signed his entry-level contract just yesterday.
Alex Nylander Recalled By Buffalo, Set To Make Debut
As rumored yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled top prospect Alex Nylander, who will make his debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs (including his brother William) this evening. Nylander was the Sabres first pick, eighth overall in last summer’s entry draft. Despite only turning 19 yesterday Nylander has played the entire season with Rochester of the AHL, as though he played last year with Mississauga of the OHL, he had been on loan from his Swedish club and is not restrained by the usual age limit.
Nylander’s father, Michael, was a long time NHL forward and even spent last season coaching in Mississauga. His boys will now play an NHL against each other for the first time in their careers, after meeting in the preseason last year. Depending on where the Sabres decide to deploy the younger Nylander, they may even be on the ice quite a bit against each other.
The Sabres’ Nylander is quite a prospect, though he hasn’t made the immediate impact of his brother at the AHL level. 27 points in 62 games is still very impressive for a rookie playing almost the entire season at the age of 18. His style of speed, power and skill hasn’t quite meshed but is still an intriguing mix that should bring him success at the higher level. While he does still possess some of the silky smooth style his father and brother were known for, his is a more straight-line game that has better defensive upside. Sabres fans should be incredibly excited to see him after what has been a very disappointing season.
Snapshots: Hobey Baker, Smith, Enstrom
The NCAA has narrowed it down to just three Hobey Baker finalists, and two of them went undrafted. Zach Aston-Reese of Northeastern University signed with the Penguins, and already has six points in four AHL games. Mike Vecchione from Union College had 63 points in 38 games and is expected to make his decision any day now on where he’ll spend his first few professional seasons. Will Butcher, the third finalist and only defenseman, is heading to the Frozen Four with the University of Denver but is expected to be offered a contract by Colorado after his season ends.
Butcher had 36 points in 41 games, and could wait until August to become a free agent. Like Jimmy Vesey last season, Butcher would have many suitors for his services as he’s shown the ability to play at both ends of the rink and could contribute right away to an NHL team. We’ll see if Colorado can get him locked up, but the longer Denver plays the closer he gets to free agency without them even able to offer a deal.
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that newly signed Sabres forward C.J. Smith will start his professional career with the team right away and will earn a prorated version of a maximum rookie contract of $925K for this season. He’ll earn the same next season, before becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018. Smith scored 51 points in 41 games this season for UMass-Lowell, and decided to leave school a year early to jump right into the AHL. He was taking rushes alongside Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson today in practice, wearing #49.
- Toby Enstrom has undergone knee surgery and will be out for the remainder of the year. The 32-year old has had a tough season, scoring a career-low 14 points while dealing with personal issues and a concussion. He has one year remaining on his current contract at a cap-hit of $5.75MM and has a full no-movement clause. It will be interesting to see if the Jets approach Enstrom to try and get him to waive it for the expansion draft, as they currently have too many defensemen to protect.
Buffalo Sabres Sign C.J. Smith To Two-Year Deal
Thursday: The team has announced the contract. It is a two-year, entry-level deal for Smith.
Wednesday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Buffalo Sabres are about to make a splash in the college free agent sweepstakes. Friedman is hearing that C.J. Smith out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell will sign with the team shortly. No details on the deal have been released yet. Just yesterday Smith’s teammate Joseph Gambardella signed with the Edmonton Oilers,and we mentioned Smith as a possible signing next season if he didn’t leave school early. He apparently has decided to turn pro after his junior season, and is an exciting signing for the Sabres.
Blessed with exceptional speed and acceleration, Smith is extremely dangerous off the rush and in the offensive zone. His 51 points in 41 games sat just one behind the older Gambardella for the River Hawks lead, and he looks poised to create scoring chances at the next level. One of his strongest attributes is his quick release, able to get the puck off in traffic with enough power to beat goaltenders.
His biggest obstacle at the next level will be adjusting his game to defenders who he can’t beat with foot speed alone, and improving his ability to retrieve pucks in the offensive zone. While he should provide ample offense at the AHL level, that same creativity might not be possible in the NHL, and he’ll have to find new ways to help his team. Despite all that, he represents a very intriguing option for the Sabres as soon as next season and should push for a job at camp.
He’ll have to try and fight his way through some more established names on the left side, with Evander Kane, Marcus Foligno and William Carrier all established there for the immediate future. Even if he were to try and crack the lineup on his off-wing, he’ll have Alex Nylander to deal with next season. Once he signs, he’ll likely jump onto a Rochester Americans team that isn’t headed for the Calder Cup playoffs and try to show he belongs in professional hockey.
Buffalo Sabres Return Brady Austin To AHL
Now that Rasmus Ristolainen has served his three game suspension, the Buffalo Sabres will send defenseman Brady Austin back to the Rochester Americans. Ristolainen will be back in the lineup for Buffalo’s match up against the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon, as the Sabres try to claw their way out of the bottom of the standings and see this season as a step in the right direction.
Austin has played in the last five games for the Sabres, making his NHL debut on March 20th, but has been held scoreless thus far. A seventh-round pick in 2012, he has developed into a steady physical presence and one that can fill in occasionally at the NHL level. Just 23, he’s come a long way from his OHL days, and will continue to try and develop into a penalty kill specialist.
With Ristolainen back, the Sabres are basically at full strength for one of the few times this season. They’ve dealt with injuries to both key (Jack Eichel) and role (Dmitry Kulikov) players throughout the year, as almost everyone has taken a turn on the injured reserve. As they finish their season and head into the summer, they can be encouraged by the play that Eichel has given them down the stretch, and excited about what a full season might bring next year. Look for them to be players in the defensive market, to try and stabilize what has still been a below average group.
Atlantic Division Notes: Sabres, Johnson, Johansson
Despite being separated by just 100 miles geographically, the difference in success between the respective roster rebuilds in Toronto and Buffalo is much greater. While Toronto is closing in on a potential playoff berth, the Sabres appear set to miss the postseason dance for the sixth straight season. The Score’s Craig Hagerman lists three reasons Buffalo’s rebuild has not been as successful as the Maple Leafs.
First, Hagerman argues, once the team landed top draft prospect Jack Eichel the Sabres overextended themselves by dealing precious young assets to acquire veteran forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn from Colorado. Buffalo dealt two former first-round draft picks, Nikita Zadorov and Mikhail Grigorenko, along with prospect J.T. Compher and the 31st choice in the 2015 draft to get O’Reilly and McGinn. Given Grigorenko’s and Zadorov’s struggles in two seasons with Colorado versus O’Reilly’s solid play for Buffalo, it’s fair to debate that the Sabres have so far come out ahead in that swap. While a case can be made the O’Reilly has been a good fit for the Sabres, able to take the tougher assignments and freeing up Eichel to see inferior competition, ultimately Hagerman believes a rebuilding team should hoard it’s young assets further into the process.
The scribe also credits Toronto for ridding themselves of their most onerous longtime commitments, finding takers for the expensive contracts of Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel and Jonathan Bernier, while at the same time bringing in young talent to augment their rebuild. Buffalo, on the other hand, has four players – Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Zach Bogosian and Tyler Ennis – that account for roughly $40MM against the salary cap at least through the 2017-18 campaign. Finally, Hagerman points out that the Leafs are getting more production from their young players than Buffalo is. Toronto has Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Auston Matthews, all of whom have either reached or are on a 60-point pace as rookies. Buffalo has Eichel, who has been excellent, but beyond that their top picks in recent drafts, players like Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen, have yet to fulfill their full potential. That’s not to say they won’t, only that Toronto’s top prospects are maturing at a quicker clip helping to advance their rebuild at a faster pace than Buffalo’s.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- While team captain Steven Stamkos is progressing in his rehab from a knee injury and may be nearing a return to the ice, fellow center Tyler Johnson is no closer to resuming his 2016-17 campaign, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. As Smith writes, the 26-year-old Johnson hasn’t even begun skating on his own, lessening the likelihood that he will return during the regular season. Johnson, who has struggled to duplicate his breakout performance in 2014-15 when he tallied 72 points, has registered just 19 goals and 44 points in 64 appearances this season. The Lightning have a decision to make as Johnson will be a RFA this summer and will undoubtedly command a sizable raise despite his decreased production the last couple of years.
- According to Cap Friendly, via Twitter, the NHL has rejected the ELC contract signed yesterday by Swedish defense prospect Emil Johansson with the Boston Bruins due to “an issue with payment structure.” Johansson was Boston’s seventh-round selection in the 2014 entry draft and is having a solid season with Djurgardens of the Swedish League, ranking second among the club’s blue liners in scoring. It’s likely just a minor setback requiring the two sides to restructure the agreement before re-filing it with the league.