- Flames winger Jaromir Jagr is expected to be activated off injured reserve on Sunday, reports Postmedia’s Eric Francis. The 45-year-old suffered a lower-body injury last weekend and if he is activated for tomorrow, he will wind up only missing the minimum one week. It’s likely that center Mark Jankowski, their lone waiver-exempt forward that is also AHL eligible, will be sent back down to open up a roster spot for Jagr.
Flames Rumors
Mark Jankowski Recalled By Calgary Flames
In the wake of the Jaromir Jagr injury, the Calgary Flames have recalled Mark Jankowski from the AHL’s Stockton Heat. Jagr was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and will be out at least a week.
To some, this move was already long overdue. Jankowski, a first-round pick of the Flames from the 2012 draft, has done nothing but excel at the AHL level since graduating Providence College in 2016. The 23-year old had 56 points in 64 games as a rookie in Stockton last season, but earned just a one-game trail in the NHL. This season, despite a solid training camp Jankowski was cut from the team to make room (at least in part) for Jagr and other veterans. It didn’t seem to slow him down, as he posted eight points in six games for the Heat and forced another call-up.
Jankowski is a big, in-your-face center who can grind down defensemen and contribute offensively. His 6’4″ frame will give the team even more size up front, something they already don’t lack in. The plan for where he’ll slot into the lineup is unclear, but with the Flames reeling from consecutive losses it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get in right away. The Flames play in Nashville tomorrow night.
Jaromir Jagr Placed On Injured Reserve
After leaving Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, TSN is reporting that the Calgary Flames have moved Jaromir Jagr to the injured reserve list. That will keep Jagr out for at least seven days, and put a damper on his early season performance.
Signed earlier this month to a one-year, $1MM contract, Jagr could make up to $1MM more in performance bonuses. Those bonuses are based on games played and a playoff appearance, meaning time away from the team weakens his chance to cash in the full number. He needs only 50 games (and that playoff appearance) to earn the whole $1MM.
In five games so far this year Jagr hasn’t been outstanding, but still has two assists and strong possession numbers. Though sometimes he looks a step behind, he is still an elite puck protector and was quickly moved up to the team’s top line alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Whether that spot is his for most of the season still remains to be seen, but there is no reason he couldn’t be moved up and down as the situations change. For now though, he’ll have to nurse whatever the lower-body injury is back to health and get back playing.
Bennett's Struggles Could Invite Change
- Kent Wilson of The Athletic (subscription required) answers mailbag questions about Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett, who has zero points after eight games. Wilson writes the lack of offense would be acceptable if he was impacting the game in other ways, but that isn’t the case. Bennett, whose first full season showed a lot of promise two years ago when he finished with 18 goals and 18 assists, took a step down last year when he only had 13 goals and 13 assists. Now his numbers look even more bleak. Wilson suggests the team move the 2014 fourth-overall pick to the wing in hopes of helping the 21-year-old’s success and promoting Mark Jankowski, who is tearing up the AHL right now with five goals and four assists in six games.
Calgary Arena Future Still Up In The Air
On Monday night, the city of Calgary held their mayoral elections and incumbent Naheed Nenshi was elected to a third term. For the next four years, Nenshi will continue to run the city after accumulating 51.4% of the vote against challenger Bill Smith. This outcome has an important impact on the future of the Calgary Flames, as the team and Nenshi have been in a battle of wills over a new arena funding negotiation.
The Flames threw their support behind Smith wholeheartedly, after negotiations fizzled earlier this month and CEO Ken King said the team was “no longer pursuing a new arena”. The negotiations were highly politicized, but now sit at a disturbing standstill. It seems unlikely that the Flames will go back to the table, hat in hand, to give in to the city’s proposal and as Eric Francis of Sportsnet writes they may not want to wait around either:
The chances of the Flames five-man ownership group, spearheaded by fierce negotiator Murray Edwards, would choose to keep the team in Calgary longer than four years without an arena deal in place are slim.
That is a chilling statement for Flames fans who will now continually look over their shoulder at the hungry Seattle, Houston and Quebec City markets. While obviously nothing is imminent in regards to relocation, there will be growing speculation as long as an arena deal is not made.
Minor Transactions: 10/13/17
Today’s minor news and notes from around the league:
- The Florida Panthers have loaned forward Denis Malgin to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, per a team release. Malgin, 20, was not expected to play much of a role for the Panthers in 2016-17, but ended up skating in 47 games and recording 10 points. This year, however, Malgin has yet to play to suit up for any of Florida’s first three games. With 2017 first-round pick Owen Tippett in the same boat, the Panthers needed to free up some opportunity and sending Malgin back to Springfield is no surprise. The Swiss forward was nearly a point-per-game player in the minors last season and can continue honing his skills while waiting for another opportunity to arise in Florida.
- Luc Snuggerud remains sidelined after a preseason upper-body injury, but now he’ll be sitting on the sidelines in Rockford rather than Chicago. The Blackhawks announced today that the young, offensive defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL Ice Hogs. Snuggerud is no good to the ’Hawks injured, but even if he is ready to go by the end of his original three-week prognosis, Chicago has no space in the lineup for him to play next week or any time in the near future. The Nebraska-Omaha product is in his first full pro season, but if he can produce at a similar rate in the AHL as he did in the NCAA, then Chicago will have him back up sooner rather than later.
- After clearing waivers today, Calgary Flames beat reporter Wes Gilbertson says that Marek Hrivik is on his way to the AHL. The free agent addition will join the Stockton Heat, a squad already full of talented young forwards such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark Jankowksi, and Spencer Foo. Hrivek will not only have to find his place on the new club, but also show that he is more worthy of the next Calgary call-up than some of his younger, more exciting new teammates.
- With the Minnesota Wild facing some major injury questions up front. Marcus Foligno suffered a serious blow to the face in a fight with Chicago’s John Hayden last night, while Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund are day-to-day with lingering issues and the conditions of Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter are also drawing some interest. There’s no easy solution is all five of those forwards are beyond playing condition, but for now the team has announced the call-up of rookie Luke Kunin from the AHL. Defenseman Mike Reilly was demoted to AHL Iowa to make room. Kunin, Minnesota’s 2016 first-round pick, decided to leave the University of Wisconsin after just two years to pursue his pro career and will almost certainly be rewarded with his NHL debut tomorrow. An intelligent, well-rounded center, it should come as no surprise if Kunin impresses in his role as an injury replacement and manages to keep a spot on the team going forward.
- Another Central Division team has swapped a pair of players, as the St. Louis Blues announced that forward Tage Thompson has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, with fellow forward Sammy Blais getting the call-up. The two players are about as different as can be. Thompson is a 6’5″ center from Phoenix, Arizona who was drafted by the Blues in the first round in 2016 and played the past two seasons at the University of Connecticut before jumping right into the NHL this year. Blais is a 5’10” winger from Quebec who was drafted in the sixth round in 2014 and put up outstanding numbers in the QMJHL before playing a full AHL season last year. Yet, it’s Blais getting the call after an impressive preseason and a largely invisible first four games for Thompson. As the season goes on, watch for these two to be switched in and out depending on the personnel and style needs of St. Louis.
Ducks Place Ondrej Kase On IR
According to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, the Anaheim Ducks are going to be without yet another key player for the time being. Stephens reports that the Ducks placed young forward Ondrej Kase on the injured reserve on Thursday. The move is retroactive to Tuesday, indicating that the ongoing issue stems from the head injury suffered in Monday night’s game against the Calgary Flames. Kase left the contest in the first period after taking a check to the face from Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
Kase had gotten off to a strong start to the new season, recording a goal and an assist in the team’s first three games. As a rookie last season, the quick Czech winger posted 15 points in 52 games and added a pair of goals in the playoffs. Kase was expected to take on a larger role for Anaheim in 2017-18 after a promising first year and still should despite his current predicament. By making the IR placement retroactive to Tuesday, the Ducks will be able to put Kase back in the lineup after only two more games.
Kase will certainly be gunning to get back on the ice as soon as possible, assuming he is able. Anaheim has one of the deepest forward groups in the league and any missed time can mean lost opportunities and a lower spot on the totem poll. With star two-way center Ryan Kesler currently sidelined, the Ducks are more top heavy than usual and Kase looked like the star of the third line through the first few games. He wants to get back to that role as quickly as he can so as to continue carving out his place on the team. The 2014 seventh-round pick has already exceeded expectations, but a permanent top-nine job in Anaheim going forward is next on the agenda.
In the meantime, the Ducks are expected to roll out a third line of Chris Wagner–Antoine Vermette–Logan Shaw for their upcoming games. The team recently sent high-scoring QMJHL-product Giovanni Fiore to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls following his NHL debut, but still have young power forward Nick Ritchie, free agent addition Dennis Rasmussen, and recent call-up Nic Kerdiles as other top-nine options if need be.
Morning Notes: Reinhart, Palmieri, Jagr
The Buffalo Sabres have struggled mightily through the first few games of the 2017-18 season, and head coach Phil Housley has already decided to shake things up. The team had a distinctly different look at practice today, with Zemgus Girgensons moving up to the first line with Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart moving back to the wing.
The team had hoped Reinhart would take the center position and run with it this year, now entering his third full season in the league. The 21-year old has won just seven of twenty faceoffs in the first three games, and finds himself a -6 on the year already. For now, he’ll skate beside Johan Larsson and try to prove that he can be relied upon at both ends of the rink.
- The New Jersey Devils will have Kyle Palmieri back in the lineup tonight when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, lengthening out their already impressive lineup. The Devils have been much better than anticipated to start the year, with players like Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt making immediate impacts. Palmieri will jump back on the top line with Pavel Zacha and Taylor Hall, pushing everyone else down a peg. The Devils are 2-0 in the young season, but will have to contend with Toronto’s firepower tonight in a battle of unbeaten teams.
- Last, but certainly not least, Jaromir Jagr is set to make his Calgary Flames debut according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. Jagr took some time to get accustomed to the Flames system after signing just before the season began, but will now jump into game action against the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames, considered contenders in the Western Conference, are off to a 2-1 start but have scored just eight goals in three games. Jagr’s addition should spark the offense some, and make the Flames a tough team to matchup against.
Jagr Still A Few Days Away From Making His Calgary Debut
- Jaromir Jagr’s debut in Calgary has still yet to be determined as the team announced via Twitter that he will not suit up against the Jets tonight. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun adds that Jagr told head coach Glen Gulutzan that he needs a couple more skates with the team before he figures he’ll be ready to suit up.
Minor Transactions: 10/6/17
The NHL season is underway. NHL (and AHL) camps have shaken out and the final AHL signings of the off-season are filing in, as well as early season NHL adjustments. Here are some minor transactions from across the minors today:
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled defenseman Ben Harpur from their newly relocated affiliate, the Belleville Senators, the team announced. Harpur played in six regular season games for the Sens last season, but suited up for an additional nine playoff games and was given substantial ice time. However, with the off-season addition of Johnny Oduya, Harpur was pushed from the top seven on the organizational depth chart. In fact, many would say that Harpur is actually the second-to-next-man-up, behind star prospect Thomas Chabot, but in their first promotion of the season – with Oduya dealing with a lower-body injury and captain Erik Karlsson still sidelined – Ottawa chose Harpur instead.
- Back in Binghamton, the former home of the AHL Senators, new tenants the Devils, New Jersey’s former Albany affiliate, has made a couple notable moves of their own. The team announced today that they have brought in a pair of NHL veterans, inking forward Tim Kennedy to a one-year deal and signing defenseman Tim Erixon to a PTO. Kennedy, a 31-year-old journeyman forward who last played in the NHL in 2013-14, scored 29 points in 37 games for the divisional rival Rochester Americans in 2016-17. Erixon, a 2009 first-round pick, was one of many AHL veterans to man the blue line for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ affiliate in Wilke-Barre/Scranton last season. The 26-year-old is solid, if not unspectacular, but stands a good chance of earning a contract for the Devils, who lack minor league depth on the blue line.
- The Stockton Heat, affiliate to the Calgary Flames, have added a pair of experienced defenseman to their own blue line, announcing the signings of Cody Goloubef and Colby Robak. Goloubef is particularly interesting as he played 33 games for the Colorado Avalanche last season and was a late camp cut by the Buffalo Sabres, performing well on a PTO. Goloubef is a major boost for Stockton, but he will certainly keep an eye out for NHL opportunities as the 2017-18 season progresses. Meanwhile, Robak has not played in the NHL since 2014-15 and hasn’t played a meaningful big league role since early in 2013-14 with the Florida Panthers. Yet, Robak continues plugging along and had a strong AHL season in 2016-17, one spent mostly with the Utica Comets but which began with the Stockton Heat. The team seemingly saw enough to bring him back.
- The Hershey Bears signed forward Jeremy Langlois to a one-year AHL deal today, as reported by the ever-popular Washington Capitals affiliate. The hard-working forward from Tempe, Arizona is trying to get back to the NHL after a one-year deal with the San Jose Sharks in 2015-16 was spent entirely in the AHL. The Quinnipiac alum was an undrafted free agent that first impressed with big numbers in the ECHL and then the AHL, with the Sharks then-affiliate in Worcester, earning him an entry-level deal and a major role on the re-located Barracuda squad two years ago. However, he was unqualified and signed with the Rockford Ice Hogs in 2016-17, where his offense steeply declined. Langlois will look for a fresh start in Hershey this season.