- The Blackhawks announced (Twitter link) that they have placed center Drake Caggiula on injured reserve. He has been out for two weeks already and the placement is retroactive to November 10th so he can be activated at any time. However, the move allows them to bring someone up to take his place on the roster.
Blackhawks Rumors
Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks Complete Minor Trade
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Graham Knott from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Joseph Cramarossa. Knott will be assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins immediately, while Cramarossa is headed to the Rockford IceHogs.
This move doesn’t look like it will have much of an impact at the NHL level, given that Knott has spent this season in the ECHL and Cramarossa hasn’t sniffed the NHL since the 2016-17 season. The pair of minor league forwards will get fresh starts in new organizations to try and keep their careers moving forward.
Pittsburgh does get the younger player, as Knott is still just 22. Selected in the second round of the 2015 draft he hasn’t been able to produce much at the minor league level and will likely go unqualified this summer at the expiry of his entry-level contract. Cramarossa meanwhile is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and is just minor league depth at this point.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Gilbert, Calvert
The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and it will surprise absolutely no one to see Connor McDavid on the top. The Edmonton Oilers captain scored ten points in three games including an incredible six-point game against the Colorado Avalanche. McDavid is on pace to score 149 points this season.
Speaking of the Colorado Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon takes home the second star after his own excellent week with seven points in three games. Keith Yandle took the third spot after posting eight points and now sits sixth among all NHL defensemen in scoring.
- The AHL has suspended Chicago Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert for two games after an interference incident on Saturday night. Gilbert is still looking for his first point at any level this season after going scoreless through seven AHL games and three NHL games.
- Matt Calvert has been sent back to Colorado and is out indefinitely after taking a puck to the head over the weekend. Calvert’s injury was the subject of much discussion in the hockey world after the officials did not blow the whistle even with him bleeding profusely on the ice. The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports that Logan O’Connor has been recalled from the AHL Eagles, likely indicating that Calvert is headed for a stint on the injured reserve.
Minor Transactions: 11/17/19
Most of the NHL is at rest today after the huge number of Saturday games, meaning just four teams are in action. The Buffalo Sabres travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks, while the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights get reacquainted in Sin City. As teams prepare for the next week of action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Noah Gregor has been returned to the AHL after playing in ten games for the San Jose Sharks. The 21-year old center failed to register his first NHL point but at least got his feet wet and saw what would be required of him at the next level.
- Former NHL goaltender Justin Pogge has found a new home for this season, signing a one-year deal with Sodertalje SK in Sweden’s second league. The 33-year old netminder has spent the last several seasons overseas after a North American career that saw him quickly turn from top prospect to AHL afterthought. In seven career NHL games, Pogge posted an .844 save percentage and 4.36 goals against average.
- Miikka Salomaki has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators after five games with the team. The 26-year old was recalled on October 19th, meaning he’s close to needing waivers again. Sending him to the AHL now leaves the Predators with some extra roster flexibility.
- The Boston Bruins have returned three players to their AHL affiliate, according to the AHL transactions page. The website reports that the Bruins have sent forwards Paul Carey and Trent Frederic and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to Providence. Carey played Saturday in their shootout loss to Washington, receiving 6:22 of playing time. Frederic played back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, but was held scoreless, while Vaakanainen played in three games, playing 19:19 on Saturday.
- The Athletic’s Darren Haynes reports that the Calgary Flames have recalled forward Dillon Dube from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. Dube, who has dominated in the AHL, but struggled last year in his first taste of NHL action, was brought in to spark the team, which has been struggling with offense recently. Dube has four goals and 13 points in 13 games with the Heat. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis adds that forward Alan Quine was sent to Stockton in a corresponding move.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced they have assigned forwards Brandon Pirri and Nicolas Roy to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Pirri cleared waivers and has already been reported to have been sent to Chicago, while Roy has been up and down multiple times this year as a fourth-line option for Vegas. The 22-year-old has fared well in six games, posting a goal and three points.
- The Dallas Stars announced they have re-assigned center Rhett Gardner to the Texas Stars of the AHL. The 23-year-old had appeared in eight games for Dallas but failed to register a point. He had eight shots on goal over that span. With no game until Tuesday, it could just be a paper transaction to save some cap space.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced they have assigned defenseman Joe Hicketts to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Hicketts has appeared in five games for the Red Wings, which included picking up his first point of the season Saturday in their shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned defenseman Colton White to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. White was recalled Friday by the team but served as an emergency defenseman for Saturday’s game against Montreal.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled forward Eetu Luostarinen from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, according to a Checkers’ release. The 21-year-old Luostarinen was recalled 10 days ago, and appeared in three games for the Hurricanes, registering one assist, before being returned to Charlotte. The 2017 second-round pick has looked good in the AHL with five goals and eight points in 12 games.
- After being sent back to the minors following Saturday’s game, the Canadiens announced that they’ve recalled winger Charles Hudon from AHL Laval. He played less than eight minutes yesterday in his season debut but with Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin both injured, Montreal was down to just 11 healthy forwards.
- The Rangers have decided to give Lias Andersson some more playing time as they’ve assigned him to Hartford of the AHL per a team release. The seventh pick in 2017 has just one assist in 17 games this season while playing less than ten minutes per night. Winger Tim Gettinger has been recalled to take his place on the roster.
Kris Versteeg, Rockford IceHogs Part Ways
The Rockford IceHogs have lost their captain. The team announced today that they have mutually terminated the AHL contract of veteran forward Kris Versteeg at his request. IceHogs GM Mark Bernard explained:
Earlier this week, Kris approached us about mutually terminating his contract, at which point we asked him to take another couple of days to think about it. We spoke again Saturday morning and he had come to his final decision. Since 2007, when Kris first became a member of the Blackhawks organization, he has represented us with class and professionalism. He will always be a member of our organization’s family and we wish him and his family all the best going forward.
Versteeg, 33, also released a statement that made it sound like he is contemplating retirement as he thanked the Chicago Blackhawks organization for “not only [giving] me my first chance, but my second and final chance.”
Signing a one-year AHL contract with the team to continue his playing career, Versteeg was named captain and played in six games with Rockford this season. He was held to one point during that time.
A veteran of 643 NHL games, Versteeg won the Stanley Cup twice with the Blackhawks, first in 2010 and again in 2015.
Minor Transactions: 11/16/19
It’s a very busy Saturday in the NHL today as 30 of 31 teams are in action with Columbus being the lone squad with a night off following their overtime victory over St. Louis last night. There is only one other time where that will happen this season and that’s on April 4th (where Columbus will once again be the only squad not playing). There will likely be plenty of roster movement around the league as a result of the 15 games on the schedule and we’ll keep track of those here.
- The Penguins announced that they have recalled center Joseph Blandisi from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. This will be his second stint with Pittsburgh this season after he collected a goal and an assist in a seven-game stint last month. The 25-year-old has played in 87 games over his NHL career and has been reasonably productive overall in that span with 28 points under his belt. To make room for Blandisi on the roster, the team has transferred Sidney Crosby to injured reserve as he’s expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery earlier this week.
- With Washington only having enough cap room to dress 11 forwards (with seven defensemen) last night, they’ve announced some roster shuffling to get them a 12th forward. Blueliner Tyler Lewington and goalie Ilya Samsonov have been assigned to Hershey (AHL) while center Travis Boyd and goalie Vitek Vanecek have been recalled. Samsonov has fared well with the Capitals this season but makes a bit over $200K more than Vanecek so sending him down temporarily at least gives them the short-term ability to dress the usual number of forwards.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have activated defenseman Connor Murphy off of long-term injured reserve. The 26-year-old blueliner has been out 11 games with a groin injury, but is ready to return to action Saturday against the Predators. Murphy has no points in six games this season, but should help the team’s defense.
- The Colorado Avalanche announced they have assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Connauton was recalled Tuesday and played Thursday against Edmonton where he played 17:14.
Drake Caggiula In Concussion Protocol
- Blackhawks winger Drake Caggiula is in concussion protocol, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. The team initially believed he was sick but that certainly doesn’t appear to be the case now. This is Caggiula’s second concussion of 2019 as he also missed 13 games to one he sustained back in February. There is no timetable for his return.
Adam Boqvist Returned To AHL
The Chicago Blackhawks will be getting Connor Murphy back soon, meaning they had to move out one of their defensemen. They’ve decided that will be 19-year old Adam Boqvist, who has been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs after six games with the NHL club. Since Boqvist didn’t play in ten games, his entry-level contract is still eligible to slide another year. That is assuming of course that he doesn’t return at some point later in the season.
Boqvist made quite an impact in his short time in Chicago, scoring his first NHL goal and generally looking dynamic whenever the puck was on his stick. Some of the expected troubles in the defensive zone were apparent, but his overall impact will likely be judged as positive.
That’s a strong sign for his future in the NHL, given that he is still young enough to be playing junior hockey. The eighth overall pick from 2018 is a key building block for the Blackhawks’ future.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Alec Regula
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Alec Regula to a three-year entry-level contract after acquiring him earlier this season from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Brendan Perlini. Regula is playing with the London Knights of the OHL where he will remain for this season.
Regula, 19, is an intriguing prospect for more than just his size and offensive upside. The fact that he also paired with Blackhawks top defensive prospect Adam Boqvist in junior and had incredible success is likely another reason the team targeted him when trading Perlini. Those two may eventually be teammates in the NHL, especially after Regula has shown this season how he can stand on his own.
Though the Knights brought in San Jose Sharks prospect Ryan Merkley to take on some of the offensive responsibility that Boqvist and Edmonton Oilers prospect Evan Bouchard left behind when they turned pro, Regula has been given a bigger role and responded well. With seven goals and 15 points in 14 games he’s showing why he has an NHL future of his own.
The question is just how high is the upside for the 6’4″ defenseman. The Blackhawks are now in a position where they can allow him to develop slowly, given their glut of defensive prospects. While Boqvist continues to find his feet in the NHL, the team continues to develop Nicolas Beaudin, Chad Krys and others that have bright futures.
Connor Murphy On Track To Return For November 16th
- Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy appears to be on track to be activated off LTIR on November 16th, notes Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune. That’s the first day he’s eligible to come off as he has to miss at least ten games or 24 days. The veteran has skated a couple of times in recent days as he works his way back from a groin injury. Murphy has been an important part of Chicago’s back end as they’ve won just 12 of 39 games that he has missed over the past two seasons while posting a .578 points percentage when he has been in the lineup.