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Henri Jokiharju Returns To Chicago Blackhawks

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After being a huge part of Finland’s gold medal performance at the World Junior Championships, Henri Jokiharju has been recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s not clear exactly when Jokiharju will return to the lineup, but it does seem like he will spend the entire season in Chicago.

That decision, while clearly giving the Blackhawks the best chance to win every night, does have a big consequence. When Jokiharju plays in his 40th game this season, he’ll get a year closer to unrestricted free agency. The 19-year old defenseman already made sure his entry-level contract wouldn’t slide again by playing 32 games before leaving for the World Juniors.

There was no doubt that Jokiharju would be a huge addition for the Finns when he was allowed to leave the Blackhawks, but he went above and beyond by dominating the tournament. Named one of his team’s three best players, he could have even received consideration for how well he played en route to the gold medal. Calmly controlling the game from the blue line, Jokiharju also recorded five points in seven games including an assist on Kaapo Kakko’s golden goal. It’s not like that kind of point production is something new for the young defensemen, as he had 11 points in the NHL before even leaving.

Even with the Blackhawks’ recent successful string of games, the team has a 16-21-7 record and will be hard pressed to get back into the playoff race. Jokiharju’s presence will help, but the rest of this season is much more likely a development year than a real playoff chase.

Minor Transactions: 01/05/19

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It’s the first weekend of the new year and the NHL is ready to roll out some marquee match-ups. Two cross-conference contests start the action, with matinees from the Flames and Flyers, as well as the Wild and Senators. Later, P.K. Subban and the Predators visit Shea Weber and the Canadiens, the division rival Sabres and Bruins battle it out for the final time this season, and some of the game’s biggest names clash when the Sharks host the Lightning. With nine games on the docket today and another seven tomorrow, teams are sure to be shuffling their rosters. Expect some movement today and keep track right here:

  • Recently-named AHL All-Star Jacob Middleton has been recalled by the San Jose Sharks, CapFriendly reports. The 23-year-old defenseman has shown off his well-rounded game this season with the San Jose Barracuda, with 12 points and a team-leading +15 rating in just 26 games. At 6’3″, 210 lbs., Middleton has NHL size, but over the past year or so has begun to show NHL talent as well. The 2014 seventh-round pick is exceeding expectations for San Jose, becoming yet another capable option on their deep blue line. The only question now is whether he makes his debut on this recall and, if so, how he performs under the pressure. In confirming the recall, the Sharks also announced that Justin Braun has been placed on injured reserve, which may provide Middleton the opportunity to see some action.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced, somewhat unsurprisingly, that Kasimir Kaskisuo is on his way back up today, courtesy of an emergency recall. With starter Frederik Andersen still sidelined with a groin injury and backup Garret Sparks currently in the concussion protocol, the Leafs turned to newly-acquired Michael Hutchinson to start on Thursday and will apparently ask him to do so again tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. There was optimism that Sparks could be ready to at least dress as the backup tonight, but Kaskisuo’s call-up would indicate that won’t be happening. Toronto simply has to hope that Hutchinson can manage the game well enough, as Kaskisuo’s season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies has been nightmarish (.871 SV% and 3.82 GAA) and he should be nowhere near an NHL net right now, if possible.
  • Another team to frequently swap their goalies around has done so again, as the AHL lists the St. Louis Blues as having recalled Jordan Binnington and reassigned first-year pro Evan Fitzpatrick to the San Antonio Rampage. Fitzpatrick, a 2016 second-round pick, earned his first NHL recall earlier in the week as the organization dealt with the losses of Chad Johnson (waivers) and Ville Husso (injury), but the green 20-year-old did not see any action. Following the acquisition of Jared Coreau, ironically from the same Anaheim Ducks that claimed Johnson, the Blues now have another veteran option in the AHL and apparently feel comfortable bringing Binnington back up. Binnington has enjoyed a strong season in the minors and is St. Louis’ best option behind starter Jake Allen, even if his limited NHL experience does leave a lot to be desired.
  • After clearing waivers, Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Martinsen is headed to the AHL, the team announced. Joining him is rookie Dylan Sikura, who has struggled to produce with Chicago so far but is enjoying a fine season with the Rockford Ice Hogs alongside brother Tyler. As for Martinsen, he is no stranger to the minor leagues; the hulking Norwegian played in 64 games with the Ice Hogs last season compared to just nine with the Blackhawks. Martinsen has registered just four points in 24 games in Chicago this season, so the ’Hawks likely won’t be rushing to call him back up.

Corey Crawford Not Progressing From His Concussion

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  • Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is not making progress from the concussion he sustained last month, head coach Jeremy Colliton told Madeline Kenney of the Chicago Sun-Times. That’s certainly not an encouraging sign for a player whose recent concussion history is quite significant.  Chicago will stick with rookie Collin Delia and veteran Cam Ward for the time being although this may cause them to delay any potential plans of looking to move Ward (provided the pending UFA waives his NMC) until closer to the trade deadline.

Snapshots: Brookbank, Zadina, Maple Leafs

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The Chicago Blackhawks have promoted Sheldon Brookbank to an NHL assistant, moving him from the AHL where he had previously been an assistant for Jeremy Colliton. Colliton of course took over head coaching duties of the Blackhawks earlier this season when Joel Quenneville was fired, but had not immediately brought Brookbank with him. Anders Sorensen, who had been serving as a development coach for the Rockford IceHogs, will take over as an assistant for the AHL club.

Many will remember the 38-year old Brookbank from his recent playing career, which ended in 2016-17 with the Cleveland Monsters. The physical defenseman actually ended his NHL career with the Blackhawks, and will return to that bench for the first time since 2013-14. The Blackhawks have obviously decided to move to a younger group of defensemen after moving out Jan Rutta and Brandon Manning recently (not to mention waiving Brandon Davidson), and with Brookbank’s promotion have given them another familiar face to help their development along.

  • Filip Zadina is heading back to the Grand Rapids Griffins now that his World Junior tournament is over, but certainly didn’t get the experience he or the organization were hoping for. The 19-year old forward was supposed to “be the man” for the Czech team, but ended up with just a single assist in his five games. Going without a goal seemed impossible for a player who makes his living with his incredible shot and recorded seven goals in seven games during last year’s tournament at an even younger age. That lack of scoring is something that has plagued him at times in the minor leagues too, and will need to disappear if he’s to become the player the Detroit Red Wings are hoping for.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will start Michael Hutchinson again on Saturday night after confirming that Garret Sparks did suffer a concussion earlier this week in practice. Frederik Andersen, who is getting closer to returning from a groin injury, admitted to reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet that it’s something he’s dealt with for a while this season. The injury apparently didn’t heal as well as the team had hoped over the holiday break, but shouldn’t keep him out much longer.

Andreas Martinsen, Korbinian Holzer Placed On Waivers

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UPDATE: All three players have cleared waivers. Martinsen has been reassigned to the AHL and the same fate is expected of Holzer. Pedrie will see his contract terminated by the Rangers.

The Chicago Blackhawks will be getting Drake Caggiula on the ice as soon as his visa issues are resolved, and today have prepared some room for him. Andreas Martinsen has been placed on waivers according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. In addition to Martinsen, CapFriendly reports that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Korbinian Holzer and New York Rangers prospect Vince Pedrie are also on waivers, the latter being unconditional for the purpose of a contract termination.

Martinsen, 28, has played just 24 games for the Blackhawks this season and has just four points. The big, physical forward has logged more than ten minutes in a single game just once, but still easily leads the team in hits with 83. That kind of bruising presence is needed sometimes, but with the Blackhawks struggling to stay out of the very bottom of the NHL standings a new approach might be in order. There very well could be another team that believes they can get a bigger contribution from Martinsen, but more likely he’ll be heading to the minor leagues shortly.

Holzer is in a slightly different situation given the injury that has kept him out all season, but he too has little opportunity to play for Anaheim. The team is already loaded with defense and has several prospects knocking on the door, leaving little room for the 30-year old to hit the ice. Holzer has never played more than 34 NHL games in a single season, and doesn’t look like he’ll be breaking that mark anytime soon.

Minor Transactions: 01/03/19

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The Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs kick off a busy NHL schedule today with an afternoon game which will see Michael Hutchinson suit up with his new organization, while the Los Angeles Kings will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a David vs Goliath matchup to wrap things up. Six other games will be played around the league, and as teams prepare we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor movement.

  • Tomas Jurco has landed a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds for the rest of this season, giving the minor league squad some extra firepower for the second half. It wasn’t so long ago that Jurco was an up-and-coming forward prospect with the Detroit Red Wings, and even last season he recorded 10 points in 29 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • Speaking of forward prospects, the Dallas Stars have sent Denis Gurianov back to the minor leagues after he played just 7:44 last night. Gurianov has looked like a completely different player this season in the AHL, but still can’t seem to establish himself at the NHL level.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Zach Sanford from San Antonio, but will play with seven defensemen tonight after activating Carl Gunnarsson. Sanford will sit out for now, but could get into some action if Vladimir Tarasenko misses any more time with the illness that will keep him out tonight.
  • Stefan Elliott has been returned to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators, leaving them with just six active defensemen on the roster currently. The Senators don’t play again until Saturday, giving them a chance to activate another player or recall someone tomorrow.

Chicago Blackhawks Place Brandon Davidson, Jason Garrison On Waivers

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Thursday: All four players have cleared waivers. Garrison will see his contract terminated and will pursue other opportunities, while Davidson has been activated from injured reserve.

Wednesday: Despite clearing regular waivers earlier this week, Jason Garrison now finds himself back on the wire. According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed Garrison on unconditional waivers, presumably in order to terminate his contract. The Blackhawks have also placed Brandon Davidson on waivers, while Wade Megan (Detroit Red Wings) and Ben Street (Anaheim Ducks) find themselves there as well.

Garrison, 34, did not report to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL after clearing waivers, leading to his placement on unconditional waivers today. Though the team has not confirmed it yet, it likely means Garrison has agreed to a mutual contract termination after not reporting, and will see the remainder of his one-year deal disappear. The veteran defenseman earned the contract after signing a professional tryout in Edmonton, but was limited to just 17 games before being included in the recent trade for Brandon Manning.

Davidson meanwhile is hitting waivers once again in his career, something that he experienced last season as well. The defenseman 27-year old was waived by the Montreal Canadiens in December 2017 only to find himself on two more teams before the end of the year. Dealing with injury for much of this year, he has suited up just seven times for the Blackhawks. Despite all that, there’s reason to believe that Davidson will be claimed by a defense-needy team given his league-minimum salary of $650K.

Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues Put Three On Waivers

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Wednesday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Tuesday: The Ottawa Senators have decided that two assists in 37 games from Tom Pyatt just isn’t enough as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Senators have placed the veteran forward on waivers today. A moment later, Friedman added that the St. Louis Blues put a pair of players on waivers as well, including defenseman Chris Butler and forward Jordan Nolan. Friedman also writes that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jason Garrison cleared waivers.

After losing five games in a row, the move to put Pyatt on waivers comes as no surprise as general manager Pierre Dorion is obviously sending a message to head coach Guy Boucher that the team needs to turn its fortunes around as the new year comes about. Pyatt, a favorite of Boucher, has struggled offensively as he has no goals and just two assists in 37 games as a bottom-line forward, but even more disappointing is his minus-16 rating on the ice. The 31-year-old has already seen his playing time drop to under 10 minutes in the nine of the past 10 games. The move could have been made as Jean-Gabriel Pageau is expected to return to the ice soon, possibly as early as Wednesday. Pyatt is in the final year of a two-year, $2.2MM contract and could generate some interest from a team looking for some veteran depth options.

Both Butler and Nolan have already been on waivers earlier this season as both cleared to start the season. Butler, however, has already seen 12 games and with the imminent return of defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, who has missed quite a bit of time with an upper-body injury, the team was required to place the 32-year-old on waivers. As for Nolan, he has also appeared in 11 games this year and has two assists to go with 14 penalty minutes. The 29-year-old Nolan, who has played parts of eight seasons in the NHL, will likely return to San Antonio where he has seven goals and 15 points there.

NHL Releases Special Events Schedule for 2019-20

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced a new schedule for all the special events happening in the 2019-20 season. While it was reported Monday that the 2020 Winter Classic will be in Dallas, Bettman also announced that the St. Louis Blues will host the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star game, Regina will host the 2019 Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames, while Colorado will host the 2020 Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium.

There is no word yet on who the Dallas Stars will play next year at the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that the opponent will be determined by the Stars, NBC and the NHL in a group effort and will be made within the next few weeks. However, with no regional rival, there isn’t an obvious opponent, although some are already suggesting that the Minnesota Wild might be a good match. It’s not expected to be the Blackhawks, who played in the event this year and has already played in six outdoor games. This marks the first time that Dallas will play in an outdoor game.

Bettman said that other venues were considered and will continue to be considered. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports that Bettman said that there has been conversations between both Florida teams of a future night game on Jan. 1. The Athletic’s Joe McDonald adds that Bettman said the league will have discussions with the Bruins after their renovations at TD Gardens are complete about receiving another event.

The Blues will host the 2020 all-star game, which will be held on Jan. 24-2. It will be the first time that St. Louis has hosted an all-star game since 1988. It will be the third all-star game in the city as the team also hosted one in 1970. St. Louis hosted the Winter Classic two years ago, but its success only helped the Blues bring in another big event.

“St. Louis was a great host for us for the Winter Classic, and in the final analysis, the total circumstances including the substantial renovation that they’ve done of the Enterprise Center made it the right time to go back. We have no doubt it will be a huge success,” Bettman said (via The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford).

The Winnipeg Jets announced earlier today they will host the Heritage Classic, but the opponent hadn’t been announced. Bettman announced that the Calgary Flames will make their second appearance in the occasionally-held Canadian outdoor game which will be on Oct. 26, 2019.

The Avalanche will get a chance to host their second Stadium Series. They hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in 2016. It also marks the second time a game will be at a U.S. service academy. The Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at the U.S. Naval Base in Annapolis, Maryland in March last year. Just as with the Winter Classic, an opponent has yet to be named and will be determined in a few weeks.

Minor Transactions: 1/1/19

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With the new year ringing in and the 2019 Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks just minutes away, teams are continuing to shape up their rosters for the new year. Keep tabs on roster moves throughout the day as the NHL schedule begins to get really busy over the next week:

  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled goaltender Pavel Francouz from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Head coach Jared Bednar said that Semyon Varlamov was a little banged up and Francouz was recalled as a precaution. The 28-year-old was up earlier this month and was impressive in a relief stint on Dec. 22 when he saved 21 of 22 shots against Arizona in 29 minutes of work. Francouz, who signed as a free agent with Colorado in the offseason out of the KHL has performed well in the AHL as well, posting a 13-7-1 record and a .919 save percentage. With Varlamov expected to hit free agency at the end of the season, Francouz could be a strong candidate to fill the backup role next season.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned forward Janne Kuokkanen to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 20-year-old prospect has had trouble finding a positive role with the Hurricanes, despite being dominant in the AHL. Kuokkanen has yet to score in seven games and has seen his playing time dwindle to under 10 minutes in the past three games. He will return to Charlotte where he has already equaled his goal output from last year and can continue working on his game. The team followed that up announcing the promotion of Saku Maenalanen from Charlotte to fill Kuokkanen’s shoes. Maenalanen has appeared in just one game for the Hurricanes, but has scored seven goals and 14 points in 31 games for the Checkers.
  • While it’s already been reported that the Chicago Blackhawks’ recent trade acquisition Jason Garrison cleared waivers earlier today, NBC Sports Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Blackhawks’ general manager Stan Bowman said Garrison will be assigned to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Garrison, picked up in Sunday’s trade with Drake Caggulia for Brandon Manning, has played in 17 games with the Oilers this year. He did play 58 games with the Chicago Wolves last season when playing for the Vegas franchise.
  • After two years in the Swiss League, former NHLer Bobby Sanguinetti has returned to North America, as the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL announced they have signed the 30-year-old veteran to an AHL deal. The defenseman, who played 45 games with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, played with the Checkers for three years before spending the last two years in Switzerland. Sanguinetti, a former first-round pick in 2006, will hope to resurrect his career there.
  • The Nashville Predators announced they have assigned Nicholas Baptiste to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The team recalled him Monday to serve as an emergency player for their game against Washington, but now have returned the 23-year-old without getting him into a game. Baptiste has played 34 games for Milwaukee and has six goals and 14 points.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy from AHL Iowa per a team release.  This will be the 25-year-old’s first stint in the NHL this season but he has 172 games of NHL experience between Carolina and Minnesota over the past six seasons.  Murphy has played in 27 games in the minors this season with three goals and 10 assists.

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