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Blue Jackets Close To Acquiring Andreas Athanasiou

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The Blue Jackets have entered the trade frenzy as they are on the verge of acquiring winger Andreas Athanasiou from the Red Wings, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports (Twitter link).  There is no word yet on the return.  The deal doesn’t come as much of a surprise as he was held out of the lineup for their game on Sunday for asset management purposes which is code for a trade being close.

It has been a very strange season for the 25-year-old.  Last year, he had a career-best 30 goals and 24 assists in 76 games and it looked like he was on his way to being part of Detroit’s long-term core.  However, things have gone completely off the rails this season.  He has struggled considerably offensively with only 24 points in 46 games while his plus/minus has been dreadful at -45.  That’s already in the bottom 30 all-time among NHL forwards.

Athanasiou should get a big opportunity with Columbus, a team that has somehow managed to hang in the playoff hunt despite a ridiculously long list of injuries.  At the moment, they’re missing two of their top offensive wingers in Cam Atkinson and Oliver Bjorkstrand, the latter being out for the rest of the regular season.  That should give him an immediate opportunity inside their top six.

Athanasiou is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer with salary arbitration rights.  He’ll be owed a qualifying offer of $3MM, his salary for this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Joonas Korpisalo

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After an impressive performance in his first rehab start, the Columbus Blue Jackets have activated all-star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from his conditioning loan, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, giving the team a slight break amidst their long injury list that seems to have been affecting their team.

The Blue Jackets weren’t necessarily sure how long Korpisalo, who has been out since Dec. 29 with a knee injury, would need on his conditioning loan to return to top form. However, Korpisalo made 32 of 34 saves to lead the AHL Cleveland Monsters to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Rochester Americans. That was enough to activate Korpisalo. The team also announced they have assigned goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks and forward Calvin Thurkauf to Cleveland. Korpisalo was not on injured reserve the entire time he was injured, but was placed on LTIR in order for the team to send him to Cleveland for his conditioning stint.

Korpisalo was a dominant player before going down with a 17-10-4 record, a 2.49 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He was named to the all-star team, but the knee injury he sustained prevented him from attending. With Korpisalo back, the Blue Jackets should have one of the top one-two tandems in the league as former backup Elvis Merzlikins has been dominant since Korpisalo went down. Merzlikins has gone 12-9-8 in Korpisalo’s place with a 2.37 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Together, they should comprise a top pairing.

The team has struggled through multiple injuries and have eight players on injured reserve at the moment, including forwards Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Alexander Wennberg, Josh Anderson, Alexandre Texier and defenseman Seth Jones, Dean Kukan and Ryan Murray.

 

Minor Transactions: 02/22/20

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At this time of year, every game is important to both ongoing playoff battles and teams’ final decisions on their trade deadline stance. Friday was no different, as the Blues asserted themselves against the division rival Stars, the Avalanche narrowly edged the Ducks to keep up in the Central as well, the Islanders got a much-needed win, and the Oilers, Predators, and Hurricanes all failed to come away with two points in upset losses. However, the fiercest battle in the NHL right now is at the top of the league, where the Bruins and Lightning are simultaneously batting for the Atlantic Division title, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and the President’s Trophy. As good as Boston has played of late, they have still lost ground to a Tampa club that has been unstoppable since December. After a rare Bolts loss to Vegas on Friday, the Bruins needed to take advantage in a Pacific clash of their own in Calgary. The odds seemed bleak after allowing three goals to the Flames in the first six minutes of play, but Boston shut out Calgary for the rest of the game and came away with a meaningful 4-3 win to increase their lead over Tampa Bay to five points. Whether it is a top contender, a fringe playoff team, or a bottom-dweller, every minor move also has significance at this time. With the trade deadline arriving in just two days, look for today to be a busy day for roster tweaks:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled a pair of players, including Las Vegas native Gage Quinney. The 24-year-old forward has finally earned an NHL appearance with 32 points in 42 games so far this season, among the top producers on the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The trade of Cody Eakin opens up a roster spot up front in Vegas for Quinney and his teammates in the minors, at least until Alex Tuch returns from injury or the Knights make a trade addition. Also returning to the top level is defenseman Zach Whitecloud, who has skated in seven games with Vegas so far this season.
  • Scott Wilson is on his way back down to the minors, as the Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned the veteran forward. The move is somewhat surprising, as Wilson has contributed two points in four games since being recalled earlier this month and seemingly looked like he would either stick with Buffalo for a while longer or could potentially be a candidate to be traded as an affordable depth addition for a contender. Instead, the impending free agent will head back to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he has 19 points in 29 games this year.
  • After losing Cody Goloubef on waivers yesterday, the Ottawa Senators have promoted Christian Jaros to fill his place on the back end. Jaros, 23, played in 61 games with Ottawa last season but only six so far in 2019-20. As the Senators get set to trade away multiple pieces before the deadline on Monday, Jaros is one of a number of minor leaguers from AHL Belleville expected to see an increased role down the stretch.
  • The injury-riddled Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Carlsson was just sent down yesterday, but the team will need him as they take on the Predators tonight without any regulars expected to return to the lineup. Carlsson, a big, stay-at-home defender, has been a good fit in Columbus as a spot starter, even if he has yet to produce a point in six games this season.
  • Darcy Kuemper is taking an important step towards returning to the lineup as the Arizona Coyotes have assigned him to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint.  He has missed just over two months with a lower-body injury but was one of the top goalies in the league before being injured.  Assuming there are no setbacks, he should return to Arizona sometime next week and give them a huge boost in their push for a playoff spot.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have returned defenseman Mark Friedman to AHL Lehigh Valley, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer.  He has been shuffled back and forth in recent days and managed to get into Thursday’s game with the big club where he logged more than 16 minutes of ice time.
  • With Erik Gustafsson being held out of the lineup with the trade deadline on the horizon (he won’t be joining the Blackhawks for their upcoming road game), Chicago will be recalling defenseman Lucas Carlsson from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.  If he gets into the lineup, it will be his first NHL action.  Carlsson is in his second season with Rockford and has 26 points in 48 games this season.
  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled forward Logan O’Connor from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. With only 12 healthy forwards on the roster, O’Connor should provide some insurance in case of injury for the time being. The 23-year-old returns after a stint with the Avalanche in December where he played seven games with one goal. The forward has 12 goals and 25 points in 40 games with the Eagles.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have assigned forward Colby Cave and defenseman Evan Bouchard to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Cave has played in six games since being recalled on Feb. 10, but hasn’t picked up a point in that span. He has one goal in 11 games for Edmonton this season. His assignment likely indicates that Connor McDavid is ready to return to the Oilers’ lineup. As for Bouchard, the 10th-overall pick in 2018, he will have to wait to make his 2019-20 debut. He was recalled Wednesday and has been a healthy scratch twice. He is expected to play with Bakersfield on Saturday and could return to be Edmonton’s seventh defenseman on Sunday again.

Minor Transactions: 02/21/20

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You can bet that there will be more trade action in the next couple of days, but right now several teams are likely just focused on their results from a night ago. The Florida Panthers, a team scratching and clawing to keep pace in the Atlantic Division, lost in regulation to the worst team in the Western Conference, while the Arizona Coyotes couldn’t figure out how to score a single goal to keep their playoff hopes alive. While the NHL assesses and recalculates, we’ll be here to keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The New York Islanders have recalled Andrew Ladd and Otto Koivula, while sending Kieffer Bellows back to the AHL. Cal Clutterbuck has also been moved to long-term injured reserve, but it’s actually a good sign—he’ll also head to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to begin a conditioning stint.
  • With another injury last night, the Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Calvin Thurkauf under emergency conditions. Gabriel Carlsson has been sent back down. This time it is Oliver Bjorkstrand who suffered an injury when crashing into the boards, and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic spotted him leaving the arena on crutches.
  • With some forwards likely on their way out in the next few days, the Ottawa Senators have recalled Josh Norris from the minor leagues. A piece of the Erik Karlsson trade, Norris has excelled in his first season of professional hockey, recording 58 points in 51 games for the Belleville Senators in the AHL. He’ll likely get a chance to show what he can down down the stretch.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Stefan Matteau

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have rewarded one of their minor league forwards, signing Stefan Matteau to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal takes Matteau through the 2020-21 season, and replaces the AHL contract he had been playing in the minor leagues under. PuckPedia reports that the deal carries a cap hit of $725K in the NHL.

Matteau will join the Blue Jackets before Thursday’s game. GM Jarmo Kekalainen explained why he made the deal:

Stefan has played very well while serving in a leadership role with our AHL affiliate in Cleveland this year. He has earned this opportunity and we are excited to see him continue to develop as a member of our organization.

Matteau, 25, settled for a AHL contract after becoming a group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of last season. A first-round pick by the New Jersey Devils in 2012, Matteau never did grow into his potential and has only played 64 games in the NHL. During his tenure in the minor leagues he has been a solid contributor, but his 28 points this year actually set a career-high.

For Columbus, Matteau is just another call-up in an injury riddled season that they’ve somehow managed to navigate. He likely won’t play a major role, but does give them some professional experience in the bottom six.

Joonas Korpisalo Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have been getting Vezina-type goaltending for the last month, but haven’t even had their presumed starter healthy. Elvis Merzlikins took over the net and is performing at an All-Star level, but now the real All-Star, Joonas Korpisalo, is on his way back. Korpisalo, who hasn’t played since the end of December, has been loaned to the AHL for a conditioning stint as he prepares to return to action.

The 25-year old has missed 22 games with a knee injury, but actually wasn’t placed on injured reserve until today. That allowed the Blue Jackets to send a goaltender down on off days to keep them fresh, while Merzlikins handled almost all of the NHL work.

Before his injury, Korpisalo had been playing extremely well. After a shaky start as the No. 1 goaltender in Columbus, he had posted a .932 save percentage over his last month with a 7-2-3 record. That earned him a nomination to the All-Star Game, though he could not attend. In his place, Merzlikins has kept up that incredible play, posting a .924 save percentage in 29 appearances including five shutouts.

When Korpisalo returns, the Blue Jackets will have a tandem with the ability to be one of the best in the league. Whether they decide to let them share the net is unclear, but after such a frustrating season injury-wise, it will be nice to have some added depth at the position.

Kole Sherwood has also been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters.

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.

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