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Minor Transactions: 12/10/19

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The NHL already saw a coach fired for unprofessional conduct this morning and now prepares for a busy evening with 12 games on the schedule. There’s no slowing down as we head into the middle of December. As teams prepare for all the action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • Mason Appleton has been reassigned by the Winnipeg Jets as they get set to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight. The 23-year old forward has played in nine games for the team, but will now return to the AHL where he spent much of the last two seasons.
  • With Nico Hischier still sick, he has been placed on injured reserve in order to recall Michael McLeod from the minor leagues. The New Jersey Devils’ center’s designation is retroactive to December 5th, meaning he can come off as soon as he’s healthy enough to return.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have returned Adam Werner to the minor leagues, meaning Philipp Grubauer must be healthy enough to return to action. The Avalanche relied on Werner earlier this season as an emergency fill-in, but his place is in the AHL at this point in his career.
  • Just like most of the other days this season, Cory Conacher has been flipped by the Tampa Bay Lightning–this time to the AHL. Conacher has been bounced back and forth all year, but this move is a little more interesting thanks to the presence of Mitchell Stephens. After making his debut last night, Stephens will stay on the roster for the time being.
  • Speaking of debuts, the Calgary Flames have recalled Matthew Phillips from the minor leagues and will insert him into the lineup tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. Phillips is one of the AHL’s most dynamic offensive weapons this season, but stands just 5’8″ 160-lbs.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Lemieux, Makar

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The NHL has released their Three Stars of last week and the presumptive Norris favorite is at the top. John Carlson gets the honor after a six-point week with two game-winning goals, taking him to an incredible 43 points in 31 games this season. Carlson is on pace for 113 points this season, something only Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr have done as defensemen.

Second and third place go to Tristan Jarry and Jack Eichel, two more Eastern Conference players just coming into their own. Jarry was picked over Casey DeSmith as the Pittsburgh Penguins backup at the beginning of the season and has been exceptional. Eichel meanwhile has improved his offensive production for the fifth season in a row and now sits at 42 points through 31 games. The Buffalo Sabres captain may be overlooked at times due to team success, but is one of the most explosive scorers in the entire league.

  • Brendan Lemieux has been fined $2,000 for his elbow on Cody Glass over the weekend. Lemieux tried to hit Glass in the corner and ended up contacting him in the head with his elbow when the two spun away from each other. While not a suspension, the fine will impact any future Department of Player Safety decisions in Lemieux’s career.
  • Cale Makar was missing at Colorado Avalanche practice today, but it sounds like he avoided major injury. The team listed him as day-to-day after he was injured on a hit from Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Makar has been an incredible story this season as a rookie and seems to be running away with the Calder Trophy.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Colorado Avalanche

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Colorado Avalanche.

What are the Avalanche most thankful for?

There aren’t many teams that can stake a claim to the notion that they have the best line in the league.  Colorado’s top unit of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen are certainly in that conversation though.  MacKinnon has blossomed into one of the top scorers in the NHL (he’s currently third in league scoring) and is on one of the top value contracts in the league at $6.3MM for three years after this one.  Rantanen is continuing to play at a better than a point per game level for the third straight season and is locked up long term.  Landeskog gives the unit a bit of grit with some scoring touch as well and is signed for another year.  There are nights where this trio is unstoppable which has helped keep the Avs within striking distance of top spot in the Western Conference.

Who are the Avalanche most thankful for?

It would be really easy to pick MacKinnon here.  He’s a top player in the league and is on a team-friendly deal.  However, they also have a Calder Trophy contender that could also be in the mix for the Norris Trophy in Cale Makar who has taken the league by storm in his first full season.  He’s averaging nearly a point per game while logging over 20 minutes a night; both of those are particularly impressive for a first-year defender.  The sky appears to be the limit when it comes to his upside.

They’re also extremely thankful for the restrictions on entry-level contracts which allows his cap hit to check in at less than $900K (plus some bonuses of which the ‘A’ level ones are likely to be hit).  As a result of his price tag that is way below market value, Colorado sits near the top of the league in cap space which will allow them to be aggressive in trying to add top talent to this group for this season and next until Makar’s deal expires.  Makar may be a rookie but he brings a lot to this team.

What would the Avalanche be even more thankful for?

Some more proven defensive depth.  They have some quality prospects in the system with Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins but they are vulnerable to being hit by the injury bug if some injuries strike on their back end.  Erik Johnson is currently injured and as a result, they’re going with more of a committee approach but that group could stand to be improved.

An impact top-four defender would make a huge difference but even a veteran third pairing option or two would go a long way towards slotting players like Mark Barberio and Calle Rosen in more ideal spots on the depth chart.  Defense matters in the playoffs and that’s an area that GM Joe Sakic may want to address.

What should be on the Avalanche’s Holiday Wish List?

Beyond the defensive help, Colorado can afford to try to swing big on the trade market.  They’re a popular speculative destination for Taylor Hall which would really bolster their second line and take some pressure off the MacKinnon group.  One more star would really vault them into contention and they have the prospect pool to deal from to make something happen.  They’ll be a team to watch for in the coming months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Galchenyuk, Penguins

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While New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero has stated that he won’t pigeonhole teams into one specific type of return for superstar winger Taylor Hall, it’s safe to say that the eventual trade won’t be a one-for-one deal like the infamous trade that sent Hall to New Jersey in the first place. In fact, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the belief around the league is that it will take at least four pieces to acquire Hall. That could be current NHL players, contracted prospects, prospect signing rights, or draft picks, but one way or another it seems that the Devils are seeking a large return not just in quality but in quantity for their best player. Of course, Johnston also adds that conversations thus far have mostly been one-sided, with Shero encouraging teams to make offers, but not yet diving in with any one suitor. That has not stopped rampant speculation though that the Colorado Avalanche are the heavy favorites to land Hall, given their contender status, ample cap space, and depth in picks and prospects. Not only does Johnston echo this sentiment, but he states that there is some belief that the Avs intend to try to land Hall prior to the league’s holiday trade freeze in late December. Other teams rumored to be in the mix include the Arizona Coyotes, New York Islanders, and a possible return to the Edmonton Oilers. But in all likelihood, the only team without some interest in having the Hart Trophy winner on their roster after the trade deadline is New Jersey.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that another name that has hit the rumor mill is Pittsburgh Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk. Galchenyuk has been a poor fit in Pittsburgh since coming over in the Phil Kessel trade this summer, an idea all but confirmed by GM Jim Rutherford in recent comments about the team being unsure of his place in a healthy lineup. The impending UFA is being shopped and Friedman states that at least one team confirmed to be interested is the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have been on the hunt for forward help all season and it makes sense that they could be intrigued by buying low on Galchenyuk. However, Buffalo is currently outside the playoff picture, tied for tenth in the Eastern Conference. If they were to acquire Galchenyuk, it would likely be a scenario that required an extension agreement. This could complicate the process and could lead the Penguins to consider other teams looking for a pure rental and able to make the deal sooner rather than later.
  • Of course, the question would then become what the Penguins do next. Rutherford is not the type to squander excess cap space and would look to use Galchenyuk’s $4.9MM absence to his advantage. While the Penguins are currently short-handed on the blue line without the injured Brian Dumoulin, it is doubtful that they would have any interest in taking back a long-term defenseman. Instead, the Penguins could seek a rental defenseman (Buffalo’s Marco Scandella or Zach Bogosian perhaps?) or could try to add a forward who can replace the production that they expected from Galchenyuk this season. If the Penguins opt to replace Galchenyuk in a separate deal, the Rangers’ Chris Kreider and Senators’ Vladislav Namestnikov are players with similar cap hits and production profiles to Galchenyuk who will be available.

Minor Transactions: 12/08/19

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Goals were not exactly hard to come by on Saturday, as 10 of 11 contests featured 5+ goals, including five games with 8+ goals. While there are only five games on the docket on Sunday, there is a good chance of at least one more high-scoring affair, as the Panthers host the Sharks in a match-up of the two teams tied for 29th in goals against average. While you follow along with the action today – five games starting over a span of five hours – keep an eye on the transactions made by those teams out of action today, preparing for the week ahead. Judging by the number of early moves, it could be a busy day:

  • After last night’s win, the Carolina Hurricanes returned forwards Brian Gibbons and Clark Bishop to the AHL, as announced by the Charlotte Checkers. The duo have been on the move frequently this season and that is unlikely to change soon. With both being sent down, the Canes currently have just 12 forwards and 19 skaters on the active roster and are about to embark on a long, five-game road trip on Tuesday. They are unlikely to depart before filling at least one of their two remaining roster spots with another forward, highly likely to be either Gibbons or Bishop, if not both.
  • Rookie forward J.C. Beaudin is headed back to the minors, as the Ottawa Senators announced that he has been reassigned to AHL Belleville. Beaudin, 22, has played in 15 games with Ottawa this season but has recorded one lone point. In five games with Belleville, he has also been held to just one point. The Senators would likely like to see him rediscover his scoring touch before bringing him back up.
  • Joseph Blandisi is another player being demoted, as the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that the two-way veteran has been sent down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Blandisi has split his season evenly between the NHL and AHL, but with double the scoring in the minors, unsurprisingly. Now in his fifth pro season, Blandisi has grown accustomed to splitting his time between the two levels and playing very different roles depending on the locale. A top-six forward in the AHL, Blandisi has been almost exclusively asked to play a bottom-six role in Pittsburgh, as well as with previous teams.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have made a swap, sending Anton Wedin down to the AHL and recalling Dylan Sikura. Sikura, the former Northeastern University standout, has not played in the NHL this season after skating in 33 games last year. However, he has finally earned the call as he leads the Rockford Ice Hogs with nine goals and 16 points in 22 games. Wedin, a rookie in his first season in North America, also has a nice 4-7-11 line in 17 games with Rockford but was held off the scoresheet in four games with Chicago, prompting his return.
  • Austin Poganski has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, the St. Louis Blues announced. The move comes more than a week after Poganski was recalled, yet the young forward did not make an appearance in that time with the Blues. Poganski is still searching for his NHL debut, two years removed from a strong run at the University of North Dakota.
  • While the Boston Bruins placed defenseman Steven Kampfer on waivers earlier today, CapFriendly also noted that the Colorado Avalanche have put forward T.J. Tynan on waivers as well. The 27-year-old career minor-leaguer got an extended run with the Avalanche this year after only appearing in three NHL games prior to that. He got 14 games in Colorado, only picking up one assist in that span. Tynan has already appeared in 377 AHL games and would be an unlikely candidate to be claimed.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have activated forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from injured reserve and have assigned forward Colby Cave to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Nugent-Hopkins has missed the last six games with a hand injury, but will now return to the team and give their top-six a significant boost. Nugent-Hopkins has five goals and 16 points through the Oilers’ first 25 games before going down with the injury. Cave will return to Bakersfield where he has two goals and five points in 16 games.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled forward Riley Barber from the Laval Rocket of the AHL, according to Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan. The 25-year-old Barber, who signed with the Canadiens in the offseason after four years in the Washington Capitals system, leads Laval with 18 points, but has been much more impressive over the past two or three weeks and could help Montreal as a speedy fourth-line option.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned goaltender Michael DiPietro to AHL Utica, notes TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal.  He had been up as the backup while Jacob Markstrom was away from the team but with Markstrom back, he’ll go back to the Comets to get some playing time.

Sakic Wants To Evaluate Fully Healthy Team Before Pursuing Trades, Calvert On Personal Leave

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With that in mind, the Avalanche have been suggested as a team that could be a big buyer heading into the trade deadline.  Speaking with Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (subscription required), GM Joe Sakic tried to cool that down for the time being, indicating that he would like to see the team at full health before assessing what needs to be done.  While that may take them out of the trade picture in the short term, they should still be viewed as a team that could make a big splash by the February 24th trade deadline.

  • Still with the Avalanche, the team announced that winger Matt Calvert is away from the team and will not play tonight against Boston due to a personal matter. He had just returned to the lineup after suffering a concussion in mid-November after getting hit in the head with a hard shot.  Taking Calvert’s place in the lineup will be winger Vladislav Kamenev who had missed two straight games due to illness.

Gabriel Landeskog Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Colorado Avalanche will have their captain back in the lineup tonight for the first time since October. Gabriel Landeskog has been activated off injured reserve and will play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Andre Burakovsky will be across from him on the second line, while Nazem Kadri is out with a lower-body injury.

Even with Nathan MacKinnon trying to put the team on his back offensively, you could tell that the Avalanche missed Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. The team has gone 9-7-1 in the captain’s absence, but is rolling again and healthy enough to take a shot at the top of the Central Division.

One of only three teams that has scored 100 goals this season already, the Avalanche reach new heights when Landeskog is healthy and contributing. Coming off a career-high 34 goals and 75 points last season, the 27-year old should give them a confidence boost as they play the second half of a back-to-back.

Nathan MacKinnon Willing To Take Less On Next Deal

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It’s not often you hear NHL players openly talking about their contract negotiations, both past and future, but that’s exactly what Nathan MacKinnon did when he sat down with Jordan Horrobin of Forbes. The Colorado Avalanche star went into his decision to sign a long-term deal in the summer of 2016 and how well it has worked out for both him and the organization, who are using cap savings from his relatively-low contract to strengthen the team.

Most notably however is the end of Horrobin’s piece, which includes a jarring, if optimistic quote from the superstar center:

On my next deal, I’ll take less again. Because I want to win with this group.

MacKinnon, 24, is set to become an unrestricted free agent when his seven-year, $44.1MM contract expires following the 2022-23 season. At that point he will be 27 and still likely considered one of the best players in the entire NHL. He’s already there after scoring 196 points over the last two seasons and another 44 in his first 27 games this year. Those performances have earned him second and sixth-place finishes in Hart Trophy voting, and if the award was given out today he’d be among the finalists once again.

A 27-year old star like MacKinnon doesn’t hit the market every year and teams would be tripping over themselves to hand him a blank check to join their roster. It obviously sounds like he wants nothing to do with that though, and will instead try to ink a team-friendly deal to win in Colorado.

That’s a noble position to take for MacKinnon, who has become the face of the franchise since Matt Duchene was shipped off to Ottawa two years ago. Colorado, who have suffered countless injuries this season to key players, rely on MacKinnon to generate offense at an exceptional pace, something he has had no problem doing of late. Currently on an eight-game point streak (seven goals, 11 assists), he has caught up to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand and now sits behind only Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in league scoring.

His $6.3MM cap hit is often pointed to as one of the best bargains in the league, but if MacKinnon takes a discount on his next deal Colorado GM Joe Sakic will really be the envy of every other front office in the league.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Notes: Juolevi, Spurgeon, Avalanche

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The Vancouver Canucks issued an update on top prospect Olli Juolevi, explaining that his recent removal from the Utica Comets roster was precautionary but that he is now fit to return to action.

Juolevi hasn’t played an AHL game since November 17th, but will seemingly return soon for the Comets and continue his development. The 21-year old defenseman is such an important prospect for the Canucks after they used the fifth-overall pick on him in 2016, but he has yet to find any modicum of health during his relatively short professional career. In 14 games this season he has five points and still seems a long way from becoming a full-time NHL option.

  • Jared Spurgeon will be out for two weeks after suffering an upper-body injury last night. The newly-extended defenseman is one of the Minnesota Wild’s most important players and averages close to 23 minutes a game. The team will also lose Mikko Koivu on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury.
  • After returning to the Colorado Avalanche lineup and contributing four points in fewer than 11 minutes of ice time, Mikko Rantanen sat out the entire third period of Saturday’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks and then missed a practice on Monday. He’s good to go for tonight’s game in Toronto however and will suit up against the Maple Leafs. Matt Calvert, who hasn’t played since taking a puck to the head against the Vancouver Canucks, will also return to the Colorado lineup tonight.

Erik Johnson Out Week-To-Week

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  • On top of losing winger Colin Wilson to a long-term injury that will require surgery, the Avalanche will also be without Erik Johnson for a little while as Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that the defenseman is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Johnson is no stranger to missing time due to injuries as he has missed 20 or more games in three of the last five seasons.  Colorado has had a plethora of injuries already this season and now they’ll have to make do without one of their top blueliners for a while.

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