Toews Cleared For Controlled Contact
- Devon Toews was cleared for controlled contact yesterday, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, and the defenseman is on the ice today at the Colorado Avalanche morning skate. His return is not imminent, but it’s a good sign to see Toews back on the ice with the rest of the team, even at an optional skate. The Avalanche aren’t off to the start they hoped for at 2-3 and with Samuel Girard now expected to miss a little bit of time, they could certainly use Toews back in the lineup. The team will welcome the rival Vegas Golden Knights this evening who are going through a slow start of their own.
Avalanche Offered Pierre-Edouard Bellemare One-Year Deal In Offseason
- The Avalanche tried to bring back center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare this summer, the veteran acknowledged to Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link). Colorado offered the 36-year-old a one-year deal but they were limited by their cap constraints. In the end, Bellemare opted for some extra security, instead signing a two-year contract with Tampa Bay that carries a $1MM AAV.
Minor Transactions: 10/24/21
It’s been a busy day across the hockey world as leagues elsewhere adjust their rosters. Moves at the NHL level can have ripple effects everywhere else, especially in North America in the AHL and ECHL. Here’s a list of today’s minor transactions from across the hockey world.
- The Belleville Senators brought up goalie Tyler Parks from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today in place of Filip Gustavsson, who was brought up to the big club in Ottawa. Parks, a 29-year-old undrafted netminder from Missouri, has a .885 save percentage in a single loss with Atlanta this year. Parks is somewhat of a late bloomer but performed well during his most recent AHL stint, posting a 2-1-2 record and .920 save percentage with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2019-20.
- The Colorado Eagles reassigned former Avalanche prospect Luka Burzan to the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies today. Burzan was a sixth-round draft pick of the team in 2019, but let his rights expire this offseason. Burzan chose to stay in the organization, but for now, he’ll likely make his ECHL debut this season. He posted four points in 14 games last year with the Eagles.
AHL Shuffle: 10/24/21
After 26 teams suited up for NHL action on Saturday, just eight will do so on Sunday. Starting off the action today are the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks, two teams with seemingly little in common but are in fact the two most successful regular season teams in the salary cap era. Even with a relatively quiet slate, just as many teams could be making moves in response to yesterday’s games as are preparing for their games today, so be on the lookout for a number of roster tweaks throughout the day:
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have made a roster swap, reassigning forward Parker Kelly to AHL Belleville and recalling goaltender Filip Gustavsson in his place. Ottawa starter Matt Murray left Saturday’s game with an injury and Gustavsson is the next man up for the Sens. Gustavsson was actually the goaltender protected by Ottawa in this summer’s NHL Expansion Draft and the team’s future in net, so this could be the opportunity he needs for a to secure a permanent role at the top level. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch expects Murray to land on injured reserve.
- With Nick Foligno landing on IR and Craig Smith and Anton Blidh also sidelined with injuries, the Bruins are in need of reinforcements up front. They have recalled Jack Studnicka and Oskar Steen from AHL Providence while sending down defenseman John Moore in order to bring in that extra help. Studnicka, considered one of Boston’s top prospects, was a standout in the preseason and will try to make the most of this chance to stick in the NHL.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have returned defenseman Nick Seeler to the minors, per CapFriendly. The 28-year-old was recalled on an emergency basis on Saturday and logged just under 15 minutes of ice time in their loss to Florida. Seeler has been held off the scoresheet in three games so far this season.
Central Division
- Per Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater, the Colorado Avalanche have assigned forward Mikhail Maltsev to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. It’s likely a move meant to accrue cap space, as Maltsev does not have to pass through waivers. His assignment leaves Colorado with only one extra skater on the roster and no extra forwards. Maltsev has no points in three games this season with the big club, playing under 10 minutes per game.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Ian Mitchell from the Rockford IceHogs ahead of tonight’s game. The news comes after Jujhar Khaira and Riley Stillman will be unavailable tonight due to COVID-19 protocol.
Pacific Division
This post will be updated throughout the day
Nathan MacKinnon Unavailable Due To COVID Protocol
Oct 19: MacKinnon has provided two consecutive negative tests, and traveled last night to meet the team in Washington. He is expected to make his debut tonight against the Capitals.
Oct 12: If you thought the COVID Protocol Related Absences list was a thing of the past, you might have jumped the gun. After both the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken announced key players were unavailable due to the protocol yesterday, the Colorado Avalanche dropped a bomb today. Nathan MacKinnon will not practice today, with the team announcing it is a protocol-related absence. Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic confirmed that MacKinnon has tested positive and will be out tomorrow. The star forward is asymptomatic and the team hopes he will be able to return in a few days.
To reiterate, inclusion in the protocol does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.
MacKinnon meanwhile is out indefinitely and could potentially miss tomorrow’s season opener if he is not cleared in time. The Avalanche recently were without head coach Jared Bednar after he tested positive, playing two preseason games without the bench boss. Hopefully, for Colorado’s sake, MacKinnon is not forced to miss even that much time.
In his absence, the Avalanche moved Nazem Kadri up to the first line according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, with J.T. Compher sliding into the second-line center spot.
Jack Johnson Placed In COVID Protocol
While Colorado will have head coach Jared Bednar back behind the bench tonight, they will be down a defenseman as Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that Jack Johnson has been placed in COVID protocol. He’s presently asymptomatic but will be out indefinitely. The team has confirmed (Twitter link) that Johnson is in the protocol.
It has been a tough few days for the Avalanche on this front with star center Nathan MacKinnon also missing time due to a positive test; he won’t be back for tonight’s game either. With the team also without Gabriel Landeskog (suspension) plus Valeri Nichushkin and Devon Toews (injuries), Colorado’s depth is getting tested early on.
The positive test for Johnson derails what was a good first few weeks in Colorado for him. He was able to land a one-year, one-way contract off a PTO and scored in his Avalanche debut while logging nearly 19 minutes. Unfortunately for him, he’ll be out of the lineup likely for the next few games at a minimum.
Devon Toews Could Play On Upcoming Road Trip
- Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews is expected to travel with the team on their upcoming three-game road trip and could be cleared to play at some point in that stretch, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The 27-year-old was a significant addition to Colorado’s back end last season as he logged nearly 25 minutes a night while chipping in with 31 points, the most in his career. For the time being, Colorado is carrying a minimum-sized roster (though that could change by next week) so no roster move would be needed to activated Toews.
Minor Transactions: 10/15/21
With the AHL getting going this weekend, some players are signing contracts in the minors to make sure they have a spot to play. Here’s a rundown of some of those recent moves plus an update on a Colorado player currently overseas.
- The Rangers have inked veteran forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie to an AHL tryout. The 35-year-old is no stranger to the minors, playing in 629 games over parts of 13 seasons while recording over 1,100 penalty minutes. Labrie last saw NHL action with Tampa Bay back in 2013-14 and spent the last two seasons in Germany with Eisbaren Berlin.
- The Flames aren’t ready to send Ryan Francis back to junior yet as their affiliate in Stockton announced that they’ve inked the 19-year-old to a tryout agreement. Francis was Calgary’s fifth-round pick (143rd overall) in 2019 and had 50 points in 32 games last season in the QMJHL. As he turns 20 before December 31st, Francis is eligible to play in the AHL this season.
- Vladislav Kamenev is on the move in the KHL as CSKA Moscow announced they’ve signed the winger to a one-year deal. His rights continue to be held by the Avalanche as an unsigned restricted free agent as the 25-year-old last suited up in the NHL back in 2019-20. A strong showing in Moscow could get him back on the NHL radar if he wanted to try playing in North America again.
- Tobias Rieder’s previously-rumored deal in the SHL is now official, per an announcement from Vaxjo. The 31-year-old has inked a one-year deal with the Lakers after spending last season with Buffalo where he had five goals and two assists in 44 games.
Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
The Colorado Avalanche are being hit with the injury bug early this season, as The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that forward Valeri Nichushkin is sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
With the team already missing Devon Toews and Pavel Francouz from their lineup prior to the season’s start, the team’s forward core has now lost three members in the past three days. Captain Gabriel Landeskog is suspended for the next two games, Nathan MacKinnon‘s season debut is on hold as he remains on COVID protocol, and it’s now apparent the Avs have lost a third top-nine forward for the time being.
The 26-year-old Nichushkin has had somewhat of a career renaissance with Colorado after a rough start with the Dallas Stars, the team that drafted him 10th overall in 2013. He’s received Selke votes in back-to-back seasons, scoring 23 goals and 48 points in 120 games from 2019 to 2021 in an Avalanche uniform. Nichushkin had one assist in 15:03 of ice time on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche.
The team will now turn to Mikko Rantanen to carry the offensive load in the absence of MacKinnon and Landeskog. They’ll look towards forwards like Andre Burakovsky, Tyson Jost, and a pair or rookies in Alex Newhook and Sampo Ranta to increase production in depth roles to compensate for the loss of Nichushkin.
AHL Shuffle: 10/15/21
An increasingly tight salary cap situation for many teams across the league has expectedly led to a lot of wheeling, dealing, and maneuvering early on this season, especially in the recalls and assignments department. We’ll keep track of all of today’s minor NHL to AHL and AHL to NHL roster moves right here.
Atlantic Division
- Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports the Panthers re-assigned Chase Priskie and Maxim Mamin to the Charlotte Checkers. Priskie was recalled Thursday prior to the team’s season opener against Pittsburgh but was a healthy scratch. Mamin had previously been listed as a non-roster player. Mamin last played in the NHL with the Panthers in 2018-19, playing seven games, but has played in the KHL ever since.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers are sending forward Jackson Cates back down to Lehigh Valley, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Cates was recalled from the Phantoms Thursday to give the team roster flexibility as their two new waiver claims in Patrick Brown and Zack MacEwen were both unavailable. Yesterday’s other two recalls, Max Willman and Nick Seeler, remain with the team and will likely play in the team’s home opener against Vancouver Friday night.
- Per the team, the New Jersey Devils activated forward Tyce Thompson off injured reserve and have assigned him to the Utica Comets. The brother of Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, Tyce made his NHL debut last season, scoring one assist in seven games.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned 2020 first-round pick Yegor Chinakhov to the Cleveland Monsters. Likely to see another call-up at some point this season, Chinakhov will make his North American debut with Cleveland soon.
- Greg McKegg has been recalled by the New York Rangers after Ryan Strome‘s placement on the COVID protocol list. He’ll draw into the lineup Saturday against Montreal as the team has only 12 active forwards.
Central Division
- The Avalanche’s Jayson Megna has been sent down to the Colorado Eagles, notes The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Megna drew into Colorado’s lineup on Wednesday against Chicago in the place of Nathan MacKinnon, who remains on COVID protocol. Megna could be recalled again soon, as Baugh reports it could just be a salary cap maneuver.
- Soon is apparently today, as Megna has rejoined the big club along with Stefan Matteau and Dylan Sikura, with the Avalanche sending Alex Newhook down to the Eagles. A peculiar transaction, you can expect more paper shuffling before the team’s game Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.
Pacific Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights assigned Peyton Krebs, Jonas Rondbjerg, and Jake Leschyshyn to the Henderson Silver Knights ahead of the team’s season opener tonight. All three played in Thursday night’s 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and they’ll likely be recalled soon as the team continues to deal with injuries and absences in the bottom six.
This page will be updated throughout the day