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Minor Transactions: 11/06/19

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Last night was another step in the right direction for three struggling Western Conference teams, as the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild were all victorious in their respective matchups. The same can not be said about the Los Angeles Kings, who are now 5-10 and have trade rumors swirling all about. Just two games are on the schedule tonight, and as teams prepare for that action we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • With Alexandre Texier nearing a return, the Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Markus Hannikainen to the minor leagues. Hannikainen still hasn’t played in a single game for the Blue Jackets this season after suiting up 44 times in 2018-19. The 26-year old is just injury depth at this point.
  • Dominic Toninato has been recalled by the Florida Panthers, after they sent Riley Stillman back yesterday. The Panthers acquired Toninato from the Colorado Avalanche just a few months ago, and this will be his first call-up with the organization.
  • German Rubtsov’s time with the NHL club is over for now, as the Philadelphia Flyers have sent him back to the AHL and recalled Mikhail Vorobyev. In three games Rubtsov was held scoreless and still looks to have some development to do in the minor leagues. The 21-year old has played just 21 AHL games so far after injury robbed him of much of the 2018-19 season.
  • Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy are on their way back to the Chicago Wolves, the latest in a series of transactions for the pair of Vegas Golden Knights prospects. The team is using off days to bank some cap space, but could recall one or both down the road.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have sent Ashton Sautner back down, a good sign after he was forced from his only game with an injury. The 25-year old defenseman won’t be a full-time player for the Canucks this season, but is valuable injury depth.
  • Josh Mahura has been assigned to the Anaheim Ducks, another likely cap-saving move that while the team waits for their next game. The Ducks don’t play again until Sunday.
  • Zachary Senyshyn and Cameron Hughes have both been sent back down by the Boston Bruins, who don’t play again until Friday evening. At least one of the young forwards will likely be recalled at that time, but for now the team will save some cap space on the off days.
  • Jayson Megna has been returned to the AHL by the Colorado Avalanche, with T.J. Tynan taking his place on the NHL roster. The 27-year old Tynan has been on fire at the minor league level, scoring 12 points in his first ten games for the Colorado Eagles.
  • The Washington Capitals have returned Liam O’Brien to the minor leagues, giving him a chance at some playing time after sitting on the sidelines the last few days. O’Brien is an important player for the Hershey Bears, but hasn’t suited up for an NHL game since 2017-18.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced that defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been re-assigned to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The 23-year-old has split his season between the NHL and AHL, most recently getting some starts in Chicago in place of Brent Seabrook. 

Calgary’s Milan Lucic Suspended Two Games for Roughing

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The Department of Player Safety announced that they have suspended Calgary Flames forward Milan Lucic two games for roughing Columbus Blue Jackets’ Kole Sherwood on Saturday.

Sherwood drove to the net during the second period and took a shot that was saved by Calgary’s goaltender David Rittich. After making the save, Sherwood poked at the goaltenders’ pads for which he received a two-minute slashing penalty. However, Lucic didn’t let the play end there. After slashing Sherwood’s stick away, Lucic then skated over to Sherwood, dropped his stick and punched the rookie forward, knocking him to the ground. Lucic did not make it clear that he intended to punch him, making it clearly a sucker punch.

This is the biggest suspension that Lucic has received. While he’s been involved in a number of incidents over the years, he has been suspended only twice, each for one game. He was last suspended in 2016 for punching Arizona’s Kevin Connauton and then was also suspended in 2011 for checking Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo. He was fined $10K last season for roughing Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Joseph.

The suspension kicks in immediately as he is expected to miss tonight’s game against in Washington, against the Capitals and then at home against Arizona on Tuesday.

Blue Jackets Recall Kole Sherwood, Assign Jakob Lilja To Cleveland

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  • The Blue Jackets have recalled winger Kole Sherwood from AHL Cleveland and sent winger Jakob Lilja to the Monsters, per a team release. Lilja has had a sparing role with Columbus this season, logging less than nine minutes a night on their fourth line so this should be an opportunity to get him some more playing time.  Meanwhile, Sherwood is tied for second on Cleveland in goals in the early going this year; this will be his second career NHL stint after getting into a pair of games last season.

Minor Transactions: 10/31/19

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Happy Halloween hockey fans! There are just two games on the schedule tonight, but it’s hard to imagine a better venue for a dress-up night than in Vegas where the Golden Knights will welcome in the Montreal Canadiens. Last night saw some spooky finishes too, with Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils even saying that the team is “kind of battling their own fans” after being booed consistently as they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-6.

As always, here are the minor moves around the hockey world.

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled J.C. Beaudin and Filip Chlapik once again, the same move they’ve made a few times now. Ottawa doesn’t play until Saturday night and is trying to keep their young players as fresh as possible with game opportunities in the minor leagues as well.
  • With a back-to-back coming for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team has recalled Markus Hannikainen as an extra forward. Columbus is in St. Louis tomorrow to take on the Blues before returning home for a date against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
  • Kyle Capobianco is on his way back to the AHL, indicating that the Arizona Coyotes may be getting someone back from injury soon. The 22-year old defenseman has played in six games this season, even scoring his first NHL goal.
  • Alexander Volkov apparently did enough to stay with the Tampa Bay Lightning in his NHL debut last night, as the team has instead sent Cory Conacher back to the minor leagues.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Sam Lafferty back to the minor leagues, another sign that Evgeni Malkin will indeed return on Saturday as planned. The 24-year old Lafferty showed that he could contribute at the NHL level, scoring six points in ten games this season despite relatively limited minutes.

Blue Jackets Had Been Shopping Ryan Murray Prior To Injury

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Ryan Murray’s name has come up in trade speculation for several years now and it appears that his name has been out there again lately.  TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that prior to the broken hand he recently sustained, the Blue Jackets had been shopping the defenseman.  Of course, now that he’s set to miss three-to-four weeks, those discussions are almost certainly on hold.

Murray’s injury history is a rather lengthy one and it undoubtedly is part of the reason that his name is once again out there in trade discussions.  He has only managed to surpass the 60-game mark once in his career due to a variety of injuries and no matter how effective a player is, one that consistently misses that much time can’t realistically be a part of a long-term core group.

When the 26-year-old has been in the lineup over the years, he has been a capable top-four defender that has logged a little more than 20 minutes a game over the course of his career.  His offensive upside isn’t particularly high with just 14 goals in 330 career NHL contests but he’s an effective stay-at-home defender who skates well enough to succeed in the current environment where mobility is becoming more and more crucial.

That’s part of the reason that Columbus gave Murray a two-year deal this summer with a $4.6MM AAV despite the fact that he missed 26 regular season games plus the entire playoffs just one year ago.  However, with the team appearing to be heading for a rebuild, he becomes one of their most prominent trade options.  They’ll just have to wait a month or so until he gets the green light to return for those talks to rekindle.

Ryan Murray, Alexandre Texier Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without two key players for the next few weeks, as both Ryan Murray and Alexandre Texier were placed on injured reserve. Murray is out for three to four weeks with a broken hand, while Texier is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury. Both occurred during the Blue Jackets loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Murray, 26, just can’t seem to stay healthy enough to ever really show what he is capable of. The second-overall pick in 2012 has missed substantial time in six of his seven NHL seasons, only remaining healthy in 2015-16. In fact, Murray has averaged just 53 games played over his career, a mark he’ll hopefully still be able to hit this season after returning in a few weeks.

Not only because of his injury history, Murray has also been involved in trade rumors for some time. With his current contract set to expire after the 2020-21 season and unrestricted free agency awaiting him thereafter, it seemed possible that this was finally the season that the Blue Jackets would find him a new home. Unfortunately this injury complicates things, as teams rarely trade for players dealing with something this serious.

For Texier, this is hopefully not a sign of things to come. The 20-year old forward burst onto the North American scene at the end of last season by dominating for the Cleveland Monsters and then suiting up for the Blue Jackets in the playoffs, and earned himself a full-time role with the club this year. He had just three points through 11 games so far however and had seen his ice time reduced of late. Still, he’s carries huge upside as a two-way player for the Blue Jackets that can play in all situations. Losing him for at least a few weeks will be tough, though he has lots of time to become that impact player.

Josh Anderson Activated Off Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets may be sitting with a disappointing 3-3-2 record, but they’ll get a big piece of their lineup back tonight. The team has activated Josh Anderson off injured reserve and expect him to be ready to go when the team takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Anderson has played in just two of the team’s eight games this season, including a loss to the Maple Leafs at the beginning of the month.

Anderson, 25, has turned into quite the impressive player for the Blue Jackets over the last few years, working his way from a fourth-round lottery ticket to one of the most efficient power forwards in the league. Scoring 27 goals last season he ranked in the top-60 among all NHL players, firmly placing him among the best even-strength options. Add the fact that he recorded more than 200 hits for the first time in his career and you have a very impactful player.

His return should give the Blue Jackets a boost after dropping two straight games in overtime and give them a chance to overcome the high-flying Maple Leafs. Teams have tried to slow down Toronto’s skill players with physicality before and John Tortorella’s group will likely follow the same tactics tonight.

Minor Transactions: 10/20/19

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After a full slate of games Saturday, the NHL docket has just five matchups today. However, with injuries growing, several teams will be making roster moves today:

  • After being a healthy scratch for the past couple of games, the Florida Panthers announced they have loaned forward Henrik Borgstrom to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. The Panthers’ first-round pick in 2016 has struggled in Florida’s lineup through four games. He failed to score any points in that time and was averaging just 12:23 when on the ice. Borgstrom, who many felt would be a key prospect for the Panthers, played 50 games for Florida last year, scoring eight goals and 18 points. The hope is that a bigger role in Springfield can allow the 22-year-old to find his game in the minors.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have sent goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the Rochester Americans of the AHL as he is ready to start his professional career after undergoing offseason hip surgery. The 20-year-old netminder was dominant in his one junior season last year after being taken in the second round in the 2017 draft. He won the OHL’s Most Valuable Player award and was just the sixth goalie to win the award. He finished with 38 wins, a 2.50 GAA and a .920 save percentage for the Sudbury Wolves.
  • After making his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators Saturday, the team announced today that they are assigning forward Yakov Trenin to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward, who was dominating early in Milwaukee’s season with four goals in three games, played 12:35 in his debut on Nashville’s third line. He will likely continue to develop his skills in the AHL until the team needs his services again.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have assigned forward Markus Hannikainen to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The forward was recalled nine days previously, but served as an emergency forward and never appeared in a game. The 26-year-old will return to Cleveland where he has a goal in two games. Hannikainen played in 44 games for the Blue Jackets last year.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned forward Jordan Szwarz to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. The 28-year-old was recalled almost a week ago and saw action in three games, although when he did play, he saw little time on the ice, averaging 4:55 per game. The minor-league veteran will return to Belleville. He scored 23 goals for the Providence Bruins last season.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights added some depth to their team as the team announced they have recalled forward Nicolas Roy from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, giving the team the maximum 23 players now and 13 forwards. Roy has yet to appear in an NHL game despite already spending some time on Vegas’ roster. The 6-foot-4 forward could be a valuable asset on the teams’ fourth line. He was acquired during the offseason as part of the trade that sent Erik Haula to Carolina. Roy has been scoreless in three appearances with the Wolves.
  • The Calgary Sun’s Kristen Anderson reports that the Calgary Flames have recalled forward Alan Quine from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has fared well in limited action with Stockton, posting a goal and five points in four games this year. He played 13 games with the Flames, scoring three goals and five points. Anderson writes that head coach Bill Peters suggested there was an injury on the Flames’ roster, but didn’t divulge that information. Fan 960 Radio Host Pat Steinberg reports the Flames consequently assigned defenseman Oliver Kylington to Stockton.

Metropolitan Notes: Hischier, Barzal, Murray

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Nico Hischier has been impressive in his first two years in the league since being drafted first-overall in 2017. However, while those numbers have been solid, they haven’t been exceptional either with a 20-goal rookie season the highlight of his career so far. That might make it look like the New Jersey Devils would have preferred to sign a bridge deal with their young prospect, which might give the team more flexibility in the short-term.

However, Chris Ryan of NJ.com writes that both sides made it clear to each other they both wanted a long-term deal, which is what he got in the end when Hischier signed a seven-year, $50.75MM contract on Friday. The 20-year-old made it quite clear that he wanted to stay in a Devils’ uniform and made it clear that signing an extension was a top priority.

“I felt really welcomed since day one here. I was really happy, was treated well,” Hischier said. “They give me the confidence a player needs. So I had no reason why I wouldn’t want to stay here. I was happy they felt the same way, so there wasn’t a lot of back and forth.”

Obviously, if Hischier continues to improve on his game, the $7.25MM AAV could end up being a bargain.

  • Speaking of Hischier’s contract, one person who took note of the deal was New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, who has been watching numerous pending restricted free agents already sign long-term deals. Barzal, represented by CAA’s Pat Brisson, will be a restricted free agent this summer, but so far has not signed an extension yet. Barzal says that while he’s noted the RFA signings, he isn’t worried about his contract, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. “At this point, it’s really just between my agent and Lou [Lamoriello] right now,” Barzal said. “I don’t talk to Lou about contract stuff. If it happens in the next two months or if it happens in June, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just focused on the season right now. “It’s something that eventually is going to happen,” Barzal added. I’m pretty good at just kind of pushing that stuff aside and just worrying about what’s going on right now.” While Hischier walked out with a $7.25MM AAV, Barzal could be getting something even higher, with Gross suggesting he could command a comparable contract to the one that Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen signed this summer (six years at $55.5MM, a $9.25MM AAV).
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets were without defenseman Ryan Murray Saturday and will remain day-to-day with an upper-body injury after being injured in Friday’s loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, according to the team. Murray left the game in the third period, playing only one shift and missing the final 17 minutes of the game. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports it’s not considered to be a serious injury. Dean Kukan came in to replace him in the lineup.

Liam Foudy Sent Back To OHL

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Now that he is healthy enough to return to action, Liam Foudy has been assigned to the London Knights of the OHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect was recently named co-captain for the Knights, so this assignment should come as no surprise to fans.

Still, Foudy getting healthy is an important step for the young forward as he continues his development. Selected 18th overall in 2018, he was a project player that was picked because of his athletic profile more than his actual game results up to that point. Foudy had only recorded 57 points in 140 OHL games when he was picked, but exceeded that total in 2018-19 by tallying 42 goals and 80 points in 73 games for the Knights.

After getting into eight AHL playoff games with the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets have high hopes for Foudy’s eventual ceiling as a top-six forward in the NHL. Elite skating ability and off-the-charts athleticism makes him an extremely difficult player to defend against, something that could make him one of the top players in the OHL this season.

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