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Bruins Interested In Josh Anderson

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As has been the tradition in recent years, the Bruins are on the lookout for an impact winger.  They’ve added Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson, and Rick Nash over the last two seasons and are known to have interest in Rangers winger Chris Kreider.  If nothing materializes there, their focus could turn to Blue Jackets winger Josh Anderson as Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston reports that they are very interested in the 25-year-old.

Anderson is having a particularly rough 2019-20 season as he has just a goal and four assists in 26 games this season and is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him out for the last two months.  He is nearing a return and Haggerty notes that Boston would like to see him back in action before potentially pulling the trigger on any deal.

The appeal with Anderson isn’t hard to see though.  Just last season, he put up 27 goals with the Blue Jackets along with 214 hits.  Young power forwards with offensive upside are hard to come by and there will undoubtedly be other suitors for his services as well.

Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen faces an interesting decision when it comes to Anderson.  The price that Tampa Bay paid to land Blake Coleman on Sunday suggests that teams will pay up to land a player that’s not a rental and can contribute at five-on-five; 22 of his tallies last season came in that situation.  In Anderson’s case, he’s a restricted free agent this summer so while his price tag will go up from his current $1.85MM AAV next year, he’ll be around for at least one more season.  Landing a possible package like that – Haggerty suggests Boston’s first-round pick and defense prospect Urho Vaakanainen as an offer structured similar to the Coleman trade – has to be appealing, even if the Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff picture.

On the other hand, Coleman is in the midst of his second straight 20-goal campaign while Anderson is nowhere near that.  Will his reputation be enough to overcome that or will Boston and others offer up less?  If that’s the case, Kekalainen would be wise to hold onto Anderson and hope that a strong stretch run could help up his value over the summer if they’re open to moving him.

Between Kreider, Anderson, and even Tyler Toffoli who was linked to Boston at times as well before his trade to Vancouver, Bruins GM Don Sweeney has cast a wide net to try to bring in some help on the wing.  At this point, it seems like a matter of when, not if, he’s able to bring one in.

Minor Transactions: 02/16/20

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The Colorado Avalanche’s opportunity to take over first place in the Central Division came up short Saturday night at the Air Force Academy in Colorado at the Coors Light Stadium Series outdoor matchup. The Los Angeles Kings got a hat trick from Tyler Toffoli, who likely raised his trade stock, and helped the Kings knock off the Avalanche, 3-1. Instead of moving into first, Colorado fell behind the Dallas Stars Saturday, who came back from a 3-0 deficit to the Montreal Canadiens to win in overtime, to move into second place. To make matters worse, both St. Louis and Dallas play Sunday, while Colorado has the day off, giving both teams a chance to extend their lead on the Avalanche. As the playoff race intensifies, teams will continue to make roster moves to strengthen their teams. Check back to see the roster moves throughout the day.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that forward Cam Atkinson would miss the next two to three weeks with a high ankle sprain. Now the team has placed Atkinson on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 8. The team will replace him on the roster with forward Kole Sherwood. The 23-year-old has appeared in three games with Columbus so far this season with no points, but has only averaged 6:38 of ATOI, as he tries to earn the trust of head coach John Tortorella.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights announced they have assigned forward Nicolas Roy to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL after being recalled on Saturday with Jonathan Marchessault questionable. However, Roy was not needed as Machessault did play, so the team returned him. Roy has six points in 19 games with Vegas this season.
  • Speaking of players who got assigned Saturday, the Winnipeg Jets announced they have recalled forward Andrei Chibisov from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL after sending him down the previous day. Chibisov is still looking to make his NHL debut. The 26-year-old, signed out of the KHL last June, has seven goals and 24 points in 48 games with the Moose. It’s expected that Chibisov will make his debut Sunday.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have brought up two young prospects in forward Egor Korshkov and Mason Marchment from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. The 6-foot-4 Korshkov, the team’s 31st pick in 2016, finally came over from Russia this summer and has fared well in the AHL, scoring 14 goals in 35 games, could make his NHL debut if he gets into a game. Marchment has appeared in three games for the Maple Leafs, but has been on a tear since the team returned him to the AHL on Jan. 14. He has eight goals in the past five games with the Marlies. With the recall of two players, CapFriendly reports that Toronto placed Andreas Johnsson on long-term injured reserve. Johnsson was deemed to be out for the next eight weeks on Friday with a knee injury.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have recalled defenseman Andreas Englund from the Belleville Senators of the AHL. Englund has been up and down all season. The 24-year-old has two assists in 12 games for Ottawa, but is actually scoreless in 22 games with Belleville.
  • After acquiring Andy Greene in a trade from the New Jersey Devils, the New York Islanders have sent Sebastian Aho back to the minor leagues. Greene will join the Islanders on the road in Arizona where they face the Coyotes tomorrow.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Hunter Miska, just a few days after signing him to an NHL contract. Miska will likely serve as backup for Pavel Francouz after Philipp Grubauer was injured last night.

Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus paid a steep price to ultimately pick up their first playoff series victory last season and that price tag stung even more as Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, and Artemi Panarin were among those to leave in free agency.  The reset was in full effect.  Or so it seemed.  To the surprise of many, the Blue Jackets are presently in a playoff spot despite a lengthy list of injuries to several key players that have them carrying an active roster with a combined cap hit of just under $50MM.  For reference, that’s more than $10MM below the Lower Limit of the salary cap.  All of a sudden, they’re going to be a team to keep an eye on at the deadline.

Record

30-18-11, fourth in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Light Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$26.168MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: CBJ 1st, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th
2021: CBJ 1st, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th

Trade Chips

With a team that’s on the bubble, sometimes they can buy and sell so this would be normally a spot to discuss their pending unrestricted free agents.  However, they don’t have any on the active roster.

So let’s shift the focus elsewhere.  Winger Josh Anderson is slated to become a restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility this summer.  He has already had one lengthy contract standoff with the team as his current deal was signed in early October in 2017 just before the season got underway.  The 25-year-old is only a year removed from a 27-goal season that made it look like he was one of the rising power forwards in the NHL.  However, he has struggled to stay healthy this season and hasn’t played well when he has been in the lineup, collecting just a single goal with four assists in 26 games this season.  With his previous track record, there would certainly be interest in him now but a likelier move may be in the summer.

When speaking about injured players, Ryan Murray’s name has to come up as well.  Before he suffered his latest lower-body injury, he had been made available around the league.  But since he’s out of the lineup, the odds of him moving now are lower even if he is still available.

Most of their realistic trade chips are either going to be mid-round draft picks or prospects.  Rookie winger Trey Fix-Wolansky isn’t the biggest but he had a track record of production in the WHL and is off to a good start in his first AHL campaign. Center Ryan MacInnis made his NHL debut this season and is having his best year in the minors which could attract some interest from a team looking for a closer to NHL-ready player.  Winger Paul Bittner, once viewed as a quality prospect, has struggled this season and could benefit from a change of scenery.  Winger Carson Meyer is wrapping up his college career and could be a player to watch for on the August 15th free agent market if not signed by the Blue Jackets.  If someone thinks he’s worth a contract, his rights could be included in a trade.

Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks is also one to keep an eye on.  He has looked decent in three appearances with Columbus this season and his AHL numbers are reasonable.  With Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo looking like their goalie tandem for the foreseeable future (plus Veini Vehvilainen in the pipeline) he could be expendable to a team looking to add a near-term goalie prospect to the system.

Five Players To Watch For: F Josh Anderson, F Paul Bittner, W Trey Fix-Wolansky, G Matiss Kivlenieks, F Ryan MacInnis

Team Needs

1) Scoring Help: Despite being in a Wild Card spot, the Blue Jackets sit 26th in the league in goals scored, the lowest of any team currently holding down a playoff position.  A top-six forward upgrade would be a big improvement but if GM Jarmo Kekalainen wants to hold on to his top picks and prospects this time around, even picking up a third liner that can help their secondary scoring would be a step in the right direction.

2) Defensive Depth: With Murray and Seth Jones on IR, what was a relatively deep defense corps has now been thinned out somewhat.  With both players expected to return this season, they don’t necessarily have to target a top-four player but adding someone that can step onto their third pairing would give them a small boost and some important injury insurance at the same time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jackets Recall Jakob Lilja, Return Liam Foudy To London

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  • The Blue Jackets announced that they have recalled winger Jakob Lilja from AHL Cleveland while returning center Liam Foudy to OHL London. The Knights are in action tonight and under CHL emergency recall rules, players can only be up with the NHL when their junior team isn’t action which warrants Foudy’s second return to them this week.  Meanwhile, Lilja has been back and forth between the NHL and AHL in his rookie season.  He has just four points in 27 games with Columbus but has been more productive with the Monsters with 13 points in 22 contests.

Cam Atkinson Out 2-3 Weeks With Sprained Ankle

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4:30pm: The Blue Jackets have recalled Liam Foudy once again under emergency conditions. Foudy made his NHL debut on Monday night but had to be returned to the OHL following the game. He is still not a long-term option, but could play Thursday for the Blue Jackets.

10:42am: The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost another key player for the next little while, announcing today that Cam Atkinson will be out for two to three weeks with a sprained ankle. Atkinson already missed a dozen games earlier in the season with a high-ankle sprain. Though he hasn’t been officially put on injured reserve, when he does he’ll join a group that already includes Seth Jones, Brandon Dubinsky, Alexander Wennberg, Ryan Murray, Josh Anderson, Alexandre Texier and Dean Kukan (though some are approaching a return). The team has also been without Joonas Korpisalo since the end of December, though he never made it onto IR.

Even with the never ending injuries, the Blue Jackets remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL. An overtime loss to the Lightning on Monday made them 7-1-2 in their last ten games, a period in which they’ve only allowed 15 goals against. That stingy defensive strategy will hopefully get them through the next few weeks, though Jones’ will be out much longer than that.

In a such a tumultuous season, one can bet that John Tortorella will be getting plenty of votes for the Jack Adams trophy should the Blue Jackets end up in the playoff picture. To do it, he’ll need Atkinson back and healthy as soon as possible.

Minor Transactions: 02/12/20

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The entire hockey world is waiting with bated breath to hear an official update on Jay Bouwmeester’s status after a cardiac incident during last night’s St. Louis Blues game. GM Doug Armstrong will speak on the matter later this afternoon, but for now the rest of the league will have to move on with preparations for their own games. As always, we will keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • Before the game in question between the Blues and Anaheim Ducks started, Josh Mahura was sent back to the AHL. The young Ducks defenseman has split his time between the NHL and AHL this season, scoring four points in 11 contests with Anaheim.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the minor leagues, giving them another defensive option with Seth Jones sidelined for two months. Carlsson has played six games for the Blue Jackets this season, instead spending most of his year with the Cleveland Monsters where he has 12 points in 40 contests.
  • The Boston Bruins have called up Jeremy Lauzon, but he won’t be playing tonight for them. Lauzon still has a game to serve on his suspension from earlier this month, despite going down to the minor leagues recently.
  • Andrei Chibisov has been returned to the AHL by the Winnipeg Jets, after the team lost to the New York Rangers last night. Chibisov didn’t play, and is still waiting for his first opportunity in the NHL.
  • Carl Grundstrom is on his way back to the AHL, with Martin Frk taking his place on the Los Angeles Kings roster. Frk, 26, has 23 goals in 37 games with the Ontario Reign and set the all-time North American hardest shot record at the AHL All-Star Game with a 109.2 mph blast.
  • With Bouwmeester placed on injured reserve, the Blues have recalled Niko Mikkola from the minor leagues. There’s no telling how long Bouwmeester will be out, meaning Mikkola may have a large opportunity to establish himself.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have placed James Neal on injured reserve as well, recalling Tyler Benson to take his spot on the roster. Neal’s IR stint it retroactive to January 30th, meaning he can be activated whenever ready to return.

Seth Jones Out Indefinitely, Liam Foudy Recalled

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Tuesday: Jones underwent surgery today to repair a sprain and hairline fracture in his ankle. He is expected to miss the next eight to ten weeks.

Monday: As the Columbus Blue Jackets fought through injury after injury this season, one player they could rely on to hold them up and help them compete in the Metropolitan Division was Seth Jones. The incredible defenseman was having another outstanding season, but just like many of his teammates he’ll now have to watch from the infirmary. Jones has been ruled out “indefinitely” after suffering an ankle injury on Saturday and will be moved to injured reserve. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that Jones’ ankle is in fact broken, but is going for more testing before surgery is scheduled.

The Blue Jackets have recalled Gabriel Carlsson from the minor leagues, and Liam Foudy under emergency conditions from the OHL’s London Knights. Cam Atkinson will also not play for the Blue Jackets tonight.

Jones, 25, has received Norris Trophy votes as one of the league’s best defensemen in each of the last three years and would surely garner some more if the vote were held today. With 30 points in 56 games for Columbus, he has been a huge reason why the team has been so stingy in their own end and are in a playoff spot even after the offseason departures. His absence will truly test a group that has fought through plenty of adversity this season.

Foudy’s recall is the first of his career, and will result in his NHL debut later tonight. The 18th overall pick from 2018, he has starred for the Knights and was a big part of the gold medal-winning Team Canada at the World Juniors. After turning 20 just a few days ago, he’ll try to use his elite skating ability to find success in the NHL.

Since he was already returned to the CHL earlier this season however, Foudy cannot stay in the NHL for long. To even recall him in the first place the team needed to be on their third emergency recall—which was no problem thanks to the litany of injuries they’ve dealt with—but CapFriendly explains that he can only miss a single CHL game. The Knights play tomorrow evening.

Minor Transactions: 02/11/20

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild decided to shake up the hockey world last night, completing the first major trade of deadline season by finally agreeing to a Jason Zucker deal. The former Wild forward is expected to debut on Sidney Crosby’s line tonight, not a bad place to try and make an impact on your new team. As the rest of the league responds and prepares, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • After their game last night, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced two transactions to fix their roster. The first was to send Liam Foudy back to the OHL after making his NHL debut as an emergency call-up, with the second being Gabriel Carlsson’s return to the AHL.
  • Karson Kuhlman is back with the Boston Bruins, recalled today and put onto the second line at practice beside Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci. Kuhlman has five points in 17 NHL games this season, and has bounced back and forth regularly.
  • After getting into some action to test his mettle, Martin Fehervary has been returned to the AHL. Though the 20-year old defenseman has shown glimpses of what he can become, there is still development to be done.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have returned Taro Hirose and Givani Smith to the minor leagues, while activating Anthony Mantha and Frans Nieslen from injured reserve. Those moves come in addition to waiving Jonathan Ericsson.
  • Taylor Fedun will be making his AHL debut this season, as the Texas Stars announced that Dallas has assigned the veteran defenseman to a conditioning loan. Formerly an AHL regular, Fedun has only skated in three games in the minors since he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres early last season. At the price of only a seventh-round pick, Fedun has been a valuable asset for Dallas, recording 11 points in 54 games last year and nine points in 27 games so far this year.
  • The AHL’s Laval Rocket have re-signed forward Yannick Veilleux to a one-year extension, the team announced. In his second go-round with Laval, the Quebec native has nine points in 14 games since being recalled from the ECHL. Veilleux spent all of last season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans but was in Laval the season prior.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Fenton, Hamonic

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The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and to no one’s surprise Elvis Merzlikins has received the top honor. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender went nearly 180 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, posting two shutouts and a minuscule 0.67 goals against average. The 25-year old rookie now has a .930 save percentage on the season.

Second and third place go to more familiar faces, as Kyle Connor and Andrei Vasilevskiy take home the honors. The Winnipeg Jets forward had eight points last week and now is just two goals away from his third consecutive 30-goal season. Tampa Bay meanwhile has been on fire with the reigning Vezina Trophy winner showing exactly why he should never be counted out. Vasilevskiy now leads the league in wins with 29 after a slow start to the season and is all the way back up to a .918 save percentage.

  • After being fired by the Minnesota Wild just 14 months into his tenure as general manager, Paul Fenton has found a new home. The long-time Nashville Predators assistant GM is working his way through the turn of the century expansion clubs, now taking a job with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ scouting department according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. Fenton has always been known as a strong judge of talent, but things quickly went south when he was put in charge of the Wild.
  • Travis Hamonic has left the Flames and returned to Calgary for further testing according to Wes Gilberton of Postmedia. The defenseman left Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, complicating the upcoming trade deadline even further for the Flames’ front office. Hamonic was one of several defensemen that are on expiring contracts and could have been moved, but with captain Mark Giordano already out it will be hard to subtract from the Flames’ blue line at this point. The team has recalled Alexander Yelesin from the minor leagues.

Minor Transactions: 02/09/20

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It’s the first Sunday without football since September 1st, but the NHL is here to take over with a five-game slate today. The action kicks off at 12:30 local time in Detroit, where the Red Wings host the Boston Bruins. The contest doubles as both an Original Six match-up and a meeting between the best and worst records in the league. Zdeno Chara, who was honored yesterday in Boston for 1500 career games and 1000 games with the Bruins, will lead his team into what they hope is their seventh win in a row. Meanwhile, the Blackhaws-Jets and Avalanche-Wild present Central Division collisions between teams all jockeying for playoff position. Colorado would like to catch St. Louis atop the conference, while Chicago, Minnesota, and Winnipeg are just hoping they can punch their ticket to the postseason. Amidst the action today, there will also be a number of minor moves as teams prepare their rosters for the week ahead. Sunday is typically a busy day for transactions, and early indications are that today will be no different. Follow along with all the moves here:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that rookie center Ryan MacInnis has been reassigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. MacInnis, 23, has just one point in nine games with Columbus this season. The once-promising pivot looks as though his future in the NHL will likely be as a bottom-six contributor, rather than the top-six forward he was projected as when the Arizona Coyotes selected him in the second round in 2014.  His spot is being taken on the roster by top prospect Liam Foudy as his OHL team in London announced that the 20-year-old has been recalled on an emergency basis.  The 18th pick in 2018 has 43 points in 32 games with the Knights this season and can play in up to nine games without burning the first season of his entry-level deal.
  • After sending defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the AHL on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres have turned around and called him back up this morning. Pilut has been an impressive contributor for the Rochester Americans this season, but has been held off the scoreboard with Buffalo.
  • Conversely, the Washington Capitals have demoted their young defender Martin Fehervary after he was recalled and added to the lineup yesterday ahead of the team’s game against the Flyers. CapFriendly reports that Fehervary is on his way back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he has already logged 45 appearances this season.
  • CapFriendly also reports that Edmonton Oilers forward Tyler Benson has been returned to the AHL. The promising prospect leads the Bakersfield Condors with 35 points in 42 games so far this year.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights announced that oft-on-the-move forward Nicolas Roy has again been reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The big forward has split his season between both clubs and has been a consistent contributor at both levels. At least if Roy continues to be a frequent mover next season, the trip will be shorter, as the Knights hope to bring an AHL affiliate to the Las Vegas area.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens relays that the Anaheim Ducks have swapped a trio a prospects. Heading to the parent club are defensemen Brendan Guhle and Josh Mahura, while forward Kiefer Sherwood will return to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The uneven exchange and the addition of two defensemen indicates that veteran Erik Gudbranson has been moved to the injured reserve. The defensive duo should be able to fill in nicely, as they have each registered four points in a combined 29 points this season.
  • With the Bruins “expecting something” from Jeremy Lauzon’s hearing with Player Safety this morning, Brandon Carlo flying to meet the team in Detroit after a personal day on Saturday, and John Moore leaving yesterday’s game in the third period, the team had more than enough reason to use an emergency recall on Urho Vaakanainen. However, the top D prospect is not expected to play after all, as Carlo and Moore are anticipated to be good to go for the matinee. Vaakanainen was sent back to Providence after the game, the team announced.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have activated defenseman Mike Green off of injured reserve, according to CapFriendly, and he is playing against the Boston Bruins Sunday. Green has missed six contests with an upper-body injury. He has just eight points this season to go with a minus-27 rating.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have assigned defenseman Robbie Russo to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Russo was recalled on Thursday to serve as an extra defenseman, but wasn’t needed and didn’t appear in a game for the Coyotes. The 26-year-old has 14 points in Tucson.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled forward Colby Cave from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Even after sending Tyler Benson down earlier today (look above), the team still had an opening on the roster, which Cave should fill. He has just one goal in five games with Edmonton this season and 10 goals in 40 games in Bakersfield.

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