Blue Jackets Recall Markus Hannikainen And Dean Kukan
- The Blue Jackets announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Markus Hannikainen as well as defenseman Dean Kukan from AHL Cleveland. Hannikainen has spent most of the season with Columbus but had been sent down on Thursday to get into a minor league game last night. As for Kukan, he has been up with the team on three other occasions already this season but has yet to play an NHL game in 2017-18. He is their top scoring defender in the minors though with 15 points in 31 games.
Ryan Murray Leaves Practice After Just One Drill
While the Blue Jackets weren’t expecting to be without defenseman Ryan Murray for too long after he suffered a back injury in late November, he still has yet to play and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that it may be a while yet before he returns. He tried to take part in practice on Wednesday but made it through just one drill before leaving the ice which is never a good sign.
Not only is that an important loss that Columbus will continue to have to work through but this may also have implications on what happens with Jack Johnson. While he’s not denying his trade request, the Blue Jackets may be in tough to grant it if it looks like Murray won’t be back for a while yet. At any rate, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Jarmo Kekalainen on the look for defensive depth between now and the trade deadline.
Snapshots: Johnson, Crawford, Murray
Jack Johnson‘s not hiding the fact that he asked for a trade in November, but he wanted to make it clear that he’s nowhere near quitting on the Columbus Blue Jackets. In an excellent piece by Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required), Johnson goes into detail on how he would love to stay with his current club, but is just trying to do what is best for his career and family:
This isn’t a situation that’s normal. Most people, when stuff like this happens, it’s because they don’t want to be where they’re at, or they’re not happy with the team, the city, the coaches, whatever. I’m not … this isn’t a case of any of that.
Johnson is perhaps more concerned with future paydays than the average NHL veteran because of the public bankruptcy he had to file in 2014 thanks to debt his parents created in his name. Still, Johnson only wants to show he’s capable of contributing to a winning lineup, and he’ll get that chance tomorrow night against the Dallas Stars when he’s reunited with David Savard on the team’s second defense pairing. Though he remains a possibility for trade, Portzline perhaps put it best on Twitter when asked if Johnson could play his way into a contract: “rule out nothing.”
- Though Scotty Bowman seemed to dispute the report of vertigo-like symptoms for Corey Crawford when he was on Sportsnet radio in Toronto, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times caught up with the legendary coach to clarify his comments. Bowman was just “guessing” at the fact that Crawford has a concussion, and had no confirmation of the diagnosis. Either way, as Lazerus points out, it doesn’t seem like there is a timetable for Crawford’s return.
- If you’re tuning into the Pittsburgh Penguins game and wondering where Matt Murray is, the team announced earlier today that the goaltender will be away from the team indefinitely following the death of his father, James Murray. There was an outpouring of support from media and fellow NHL players as Murray is well-liked around the league. PHR would also like to extend our condolences to the Murray family.
Sonny Milano Out Four To Six Weeks; Tyler Motte Recalled
The Columbus Blue Jackets add another reason to their claim of Jussi Jokinen earlier today, as they announce that Sonny Milano will be out four to six weeks with a torn oblique. The team has also recalled Tyler Motte from the AHL for the time being.
Milano was injured during a game earlier this month against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will miss out on a big chunk of his first full-time chance in the NHL. In 35 games this season, Milano had 13 points. The 21-year old is a big part of the Blue Jackets future, and could be considered a trade deadline acquisition when he’s able to return later in February.
The Blue Jackets, who currently sit third in the Metropolitan Division but have struggled recently, are one of the most interesting teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches. Though Jokinen could be an option to fix some of their powerplay woes and depth issues up front, they likely are continuing to monitor the trade market for a more impactful fix.
Still dealing with injured reserve stints for Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson, Columbus could be a tough team to bring down if they could ever get healthy. With Milano now joining the walking wounded, the team could be forced to make an additional move before long to make sure they don’t fall behind in the extremely competitive Metro. They sit just five points ahead of the last-place Hurricanes, and at any point could fall out of a playoff spot.
Columbus Blue Jackets Claim Jussi Jokinen
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been looking all season for some help at forward, and today they’ll try a new option. The team has claimed Jussi Jokinen off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings, meaning he’ll join his third team of the season. Jokinen was first signed by the Edmonton Oilers, and then traded to the Kings in exchange for Mike Cammalleri.
Columbus has been rumored to be involved with several forwards around the league over the last year, including making an offer for Matt Duchene before he ended up in Ottawa. While Jokinen isn’t an answer to all of their problems, he does represent an interesting fit in one spot in particular. The Blue Jackets’ powerplay has been among the league’s worst all season, and that’s where Jokinen has made a living over his career.
Since entering the league in 2005-06, Jokinen has recorded 196 of his 552 points on the powerplay, putting him 43rd in the NHL during that time. While he’s certainly not as dominant a presence there as in the past, he can certainly help a group that hasn’t been able to find any consistency this season.
Jokinen also has experience at center, though he hasn’t played the position full-time in several years. With the Blue Jackets finding themselves lacking depth down the middle at times, his versatility will come in handy. Still, that doesn’t preclude the fact that he has just six points on the season and will turn 35 before the season is over. There is no guarantee he can find some of his past success, though Columbus seems about as good of a fit as he could ask for.
Atlantic Notes: Danault, Dubois, Hedman, Panthers
Montreal forward Phillip Danault was released from the hospital this morning and is resting at home after he was hit in the head by a 124 kilometers-an-hour slapshot by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, tweets Arpon Basu of The Athletic. The 24-year-old was just 10 feet away with 1:37 remaining in the second period when he tried to block the blistering shot only to have it hit him in the head.
Danault was motionless for some time, then slowly tried to get up to the applause of the Montreal fans, only to have him collapse again. With blood all over the collar of his jersey, he was wheeled off in a stretcher and taken to the hospital. While indications after the game was that he was OK, that was confirmed this morning by the team. No word yet on whether he will miss time.
- In the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos says the Montreal Canadiens still have high aspirations to trade for Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Canadiens who have a desperate need for center help on their team have long coveted the former third overall pick from the 2016 draft. While there is talk that Columbus does like Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk, Kypreos says Columbus currently has no interest in moving their young center, at least until they find themselves fully healthy. Alexander Wennberg only came back a couple of games ago and the team still has other missing players as well.
- In the same segment, Kypreos also added that with Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman out for the all-star game, the NHL is considering two replacements for him, including Toronto’s Morgan Rielly and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy.
- The Florida Panthers intend to put a lot of stock into the next 16 games (number of games before the trade deadline) before they determine whether to bolster their roster, according to Sun Sentinel’s Craig Davis. The team, currently six points out of a playoff spot, has enjoyed great success with their top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgeni Dadonov, but hasn’t seen the same production from their second line despite a solid season from center Vincent Trocheck. The scribe writes the team wouldn’t be against acquiring a winger like it did a year ago when it traded for Thomas Vanek, but general manager Dale Tallon said any deal would have to factor into their long-term plans. One other factor is that Florida has been playing well of late, having gone 6-3-1 over the past 10 games.
Blue Jackets Assign Tyler Motte And Joonas Korpisalo To AHL
- Following their loss to Vancouver on Friday, the Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they have sent winger Tyler Motte and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to AHL Cleveland. Motte has spent the bulk of the season on the fourth line in Columbus but should be in line for more playing time in the minors while Korpisalo’s reassignment has been classified as a conditioning stint. He has made just two starts at the NHL level since December 2nd but has had a couple of appearances with Cleveland already this month after being sent down earlier in the month. With Columbus on their bye, both will likely be recalled next week.
Jack Johnson Asks To Be Traded
Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson has requested a trade, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). Portzline adds that the ask was made several weeks ago with the hopes that a deal could be worked out before the trade deadline next month. Johnson and his agent Pat Brisson declined to comment while GM Jarmo Kekalainen had a brief comment to George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link).
“It’s the same with him as anyone else on our team: We’ll make a trade if and when we have something that makes sense for the Blue Jackets.”
This season hasn’t gone as well Johnson was hoping for. After failing to agree on a long-term extension over the summer (talks cooled down back in August), he has seen his role reduced and now finds himself on the third pairing. He’s averaging a career-low 19:24 per game while he’s on pace for his lowest full-season point total since his rookie campaign back in 2007-08 with the Kings; he has just two goals and five assists in 46 games so far.
Portzline notes that Johnson isn’t unhappy with the team and that if he was still under contract beyond this season, the request wouldn’t have been made. However, with this being his walk year into unrestricted free agency, he wants to be in the best position to cash in on the open market.
As things stand, it would appear that Johnson will be in tough to match the $5MM salary ($4.357MM cap hit) that he’s currently making. However, a bigger role on another team could give him the chance to show that he can still be a quality top-four defender.
If Columbus was to consider granting Johnson his request, it’s likely that they would be seeking another defenseman in return. They’re carrying just six healthy blueliners at the moment with Ryan Murray on injured reserve and while the team has high hopes for youngster Gabriel Carlsson, he isn’t ready for full-time NHL duty just yet.
Minor Transactions: 01/12/18
The NHL has five more contests on the schedule for tonight, including the second half of a home-and-home between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina took the first match 3-1 last night, and will look to make up more ground at tonight’s affair.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have just one game remaining until they take their five-day bye week, and have sent a pair of players down to the minor leagues in the meantime. Zac Dalpe and Dean Kukan are on their way back to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where the latter will play in the AHL All-Star game later this month.
- Maxim Mamin‘s time with the Florida Panthers has come to an end for now, as he’s headed back to the AHL. Like the Blue Jackets, the Panthers will be going on their break after tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames and want Mamin to continue to play.
- Travis Boyd has been recalled by the Washington Capitals, giving them another option in their second game in two nights as several players battle injury and illness. Boyd has played two games with the Capitals this season, but has yet to score his first NHL point.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Casey DeSmith from the AHL, which likely means an injury of some sort for Matthew Murray or Tristan Jarry. The Penguins play tomorrow afternoon against the Detroit Red Wings, before welcoming the New York Rangers in on Sunday.
- Philadelphia has recalled Tyrell Goulbourne once again, bringing up the young winger prior to their game tomorrow against New Jersey. The Flyers have given Goulbourne two games so far this season, but he’s played extremely sparingly in them. He’s still looking for his first NHL point.
- As the Buffalo Sabres head into their bye week, both Brendan Guhle and Linus Ullmark have been returned to the Rochester Americans. It’s not clear if either will return after the week is up, but with the Sabres seemingly accepting their disappointing fate of another missed playoff opportunity it wouldn’t be surprising.
- After enjoying their week off, the Rangers have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the minor leagues prior to their game tomorrow. Lettieri continued to play in the AHL while the team had their bye week, staying fresh during his first full season of professional hockey. The 22-year old has made an impact in the minor leagues and NHL so far, recording 23 points in 35 games across the two levels.
- Kevin Gravel is up for the third time this season, as the Los Angeles Kings recalled the young defenseman today. Gravel has suited up for just three games, being used more as an insurance policy than key player. Coming off the bye, the Kings have three straight games on home ice including a pair against teams chasing them in the Pacific Division.
- Ondrej Kase and Jared Boll are back from the minor leagues now that the Anaheim Ducks are finished their bye week. It’s interesting that Boll gets the recall instead of Kevin Roy, who was sent down along with Kase when the week off began, but with Corey Perry back in the lineup Roy will get top minutes at the AHL level and stay ready for his next opportunity.
- Brett Pesce has been moved to injured reserve by the Carolina Hurricanes, and in his roster spot the team has recalled Lucas Wallmark. Wallmark, 22, has played just two games with the Hurricanes this season, but recorded his first NHL goal last month. He obviously won’t help fill the role of Pesce, but could contribute up front if he makes it into the forward lineup at some point.
Minor Transactions: 01/11/18
Another slow night in the NHL this Thursday as only three games are on the schedule, but as we saw with the Anthony Duclair trade yesterday a move can come at any time. We’ll keep track of all the minor comings and goings around the league right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day to keep track of your favorite team.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have swapped goaltenders again, bringing Joonas Korpisalo back up after getting a start in the minor leagues last night. Korpisalo was never in danger of losing his backup role, but the team wanted him to stay fresh. Matiss Kivlenieks, called up in his absence, has been returned to the Cleveland Monsters.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs head into their bye week after a disappointing loss to the Ottawa Senators, and have loaned Travis Dermott and Frederik Gauthier back to the AHL to continue to get into some games. Dermott and Gauthier have made solid impacts on the team since joining recently, but are still young enough to benefit from continued ice time and development. When the Maple Leafs come back in five days, you can bet both players will get the recall.