Snapshots: Nedeljkovic, Draisaitl, Latimer, AHL Trade
Not too many players receive Calder Trophy votes in two separate seasons. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is one of those players. The former Carolina Hurricanes netminder lead an impressive rookie campaign down south before a surprising trade to the Red Wings that summer. Since the trade though, Nedeljkovic has struggled to adjust, slipping to a 3.31 goals-against average and .901 save-percentage. Things haven’t gone his way this season either, slipping further to a troubling 4.09 goals-against and .880 save-percentage.
With those struggles, many have wondered what Detroit will do with the goaltender, who is now the third-string behind starter Ville Husso and backup Magnus Hellberg. Some have wondered if a conditioning stint will be next for Nedeljkovic, who hasn’t played since December 8th. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan that discussion of a conditioning stint hasn’t happened yet, but “[e]verything is on the table.” Lalonde added that the team will need that roster spot eventually with players coming back from injury, so “something will probably shake down.”
- Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, who missed last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken, is unlikely to play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, says TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. Draisaitl, who Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said was nursing some bumps and bruises, didn’t practice Thursday either. The 27-year-old has 21 goals and 36 assist through 36 games this season. With Edmonton’s struggles, despite having Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in the lineup, they’ll need the former back in the lineup as soon as possible to keep things rolling.
- Ottawa Senators prospect Carson Latimer has been dealt in the WHL. The former Prince Albert Raiders forward will be heading to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for forward Aiden Oiring, a third-round pick in 2024, and a conditional third-round pick in 2025. Latimer has spent parts of four seasons with Prince Albert and the Edmonton Oil Kings, sitting on 28 points through 31 games thus far in 2022-23.
- The Colorado Eagles and Hartford Wold Pack completed a small trade in the AHL earlier today, reports NHL.com and AHL.com’s Patrick Williams. Forward Ben Tardif is heading to Hartford while defenseman Luke Martin will be heading to Colorado. Tardif, 22, has four points through 15 games in the AHL this year, as well as nine points in seven ECHL games. The ability for offensive dominance is there for Tardif, who had 59 points over 53 ECHL games last year. Martin, 24, was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2017, and though he hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, he’s also dominated the ECHL with 68 points in 84 games on the backend over this season and last.
Minor Transactions: 12/30/22
The NHL is getting back into the swing of things as the holiday break wraps up and the calendar turns to 2023. It also means that activity is heating up at minor and junior levels of the sport, especially as some teams keep their eyes locked on the ongoing World Junior Championships. We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions right here.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned prospect Jordan Frasca to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers today. He was up in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s yet to record a point in three games. Frasca signed with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent earlier this year after a 42-goal, 87-point season with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs last year.
- Arizona Coyotes prospect Manix Landry was dealt in the QMJHL today, with the Gatineau Olympiques dealing him to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 QMJHL draft. Landry, Gatineau’s captain, has been injured since the second game of the season.
- NHL veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski has found a permanent home for the rest of the 2022-23 season. The AHL’s Rochester Americans converted his PTO into a full AHL contract for the remainder of the season today. He’d played 20 games for Rochester this year, where he has five points.
Arizona Coyotes Loan Liam Kirk To Finland’s Jukurit
Earlier this afternoon, the Atlanta Gladiators, the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes and AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, caused a bit of a stir when they announced forward Liam Kirk had been recalled by the Coyotes. Though Kirk had been off to a strong start with the Gladiators, registering 11 points in 15 games thus far, a recall by Arizona appeared surprising, given he’s played just one game at the AHL level this season and just eight a season ago.
PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan clarified that transaction, reporting that Kirk had actually been loaned to Jukurit in the Finnish League, which is coached by former Coyotes forward Olli Jokinen. Morgan adds that with the transaction, Arizona will retain Kirk’s rights and chances are he’ll return to North America next season, most likely as a member of the Roadrunners.
The 22-year-old Kirk is an interesting case as a prospect. Born and raised in England, Kirk played the majority of his youth hockey in Sheffield, turning pro at the age of 16. Kirk’s success as a teenager at England’s highest level of hockey got him noticed and he was ultimately drafted in the seventh-round by the Coyotes in 2018.
After being drafted, Kirk came to North America and spent two strong seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, registering 47 points in 63 games his first season and 50 points in 47 games his second. Following his two-year OHL stint, Kirk returned to England for one season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, playing in just 14 games, but dominating with 20 points. The forward returned to North America last season, but played in just nine AHL contests between last season and this one combined. However, after joining the Gladiators earlier this season, Kirk appeared to find a groove.
The loan to Jukurit isn’t necessarily bad news or a demotion. In fact, this opportunity might be a step forward for Kirk. As talented as the players in the ECHL are, it’s the third league in North America and doesn’t see too many players that are representative of NHL competition. Jukurit, on the other hand, plays in Finland’s top league, where Kirk will face players who fit into one or more categories: stars and veterans of Europe’s top leagues, former NHL and AHLers, and top NHL prospects.
While the European game is different from what he’d see in the NHL, Kirk has had ample exposure to North American hockey in Peterborough and Atlanta, but now he’ll gain more exposure to top competition. Perhaps not as impactful to Arizona’s decision, but helpful to Kirk, the loan will get him closer to home, at least on the same continent.
Snapshots: Cossa, Stranges, Clifford
The Detroit Red Wings have returned their top goaltending prospect to the ECHL. Sebastian Cossa is headed back to the Toledo Walleye, per today’s ECHL transactions log.
After turning 20 just last month, Cossa’s been thrown into the fire in his first professional season. His .783 save percentage and 5.57 goals-against average in the AHL may raise some eyebrows, but he’s only gotten three appearances there. His ECHL record of 8-8-1, along with a 2.81 goals-against average and .897 save percentage, is much more respectable for a goalie his age (and of his ceiling). The 15th overall selection in 2021 will likely remain in Toledo full-time this season, barring injuries.
- Conversely, an intriguing prospect is heading up to the AHL from the ECHL. The Texas Stars added Antonio Stranges to their roster over the weekend, according to the ECHL’s transactions log for Christmas Eve. Dallas’ 123rd overall pick in 2020 has seen limited action due to injury but has six points in five games with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL and two assists in five games with Texas.
- Toronto Maple Leafs veteran enforcer Kyle Clifford, currently on AHL assignment with the Toronto Marlies, sustained a potential injury in today’s win over the Belleville Senators. The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby notes Clifford left the rink with his hand in a wrap, saying he likely suffered a dislocation in a fight during the game. Clifford has made two appearances with the Maple Leafs this season.
Afternoon Notes: Schedule, Stone, Sabres, Team Canada Captains, Hershey Bears
More hockey? You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want it. Earlier this week, there had been some discussions about the NHL potentially expanding the season back to an 84 game schedule for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign. Last night on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expanded on those rumors with an idea of what that schedule might look like, and how the league could get there.
In effect, the schedule would be expanded an additional two games to promote intra-division rivalries, such as the one between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers or the one between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both of which have seen their head-to-head matchups drop off in recent years. As Friedman details, the schedule would consist of four games against each of the other teams within the division, three games each against each team in the opposing division, and two against each team in the opposite conference. To balance things out, each team’s slate of preseasons games could be cut down. It doesn’t appear that any change is imminent, however Friedman adds that there is a willingness to discuss the change between the league and the NHLPA, however there hasn’t been much dialogue on the subject recently.
- Things didn’t look good for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone last night when he went down in obvious pain during the third period of the team’s game against the New York Islanders. The winger struggled to get off the ice with the assistance of his teammates, but surprisingly was able to come back and join them in the final moments of the game. Unsurprisingly, after the game, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy was asked about the status of his star forward, telling The Athletic’s Jesse Granger that the hope is Stone’s injury is “just a stinger,” but he wouldn’t know much more until today. Cassidy added that Stone was not 100% when he rejoined the team late in the game. So far, no additional information has come out about Stone’s status. Vegas next plays at home on Monday against the Sabres.
- Yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres were able to get forward Kyle Okposo back from injury and Jeff Skinner back from suspension, but were without defensemen Owen Power, Jacob Bryson, and Ilya Lyubushkin. The team didn’t have much information on Power or Bryson, and the same holds true today, however according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Ilya Lyubushkin is set to return tomorrow against Vegas. Noticeably absent from the ice this morning were defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, but as Harrington adds, both were absent simply for rest purposes.
- With the World Junior Championship just eight days away, Hockey Canada announced its leadership group for this year’s World Juniors team. Captaining the group will be Seattle Kraken forward and fourth-overall pick in 2022, Shane Wright. Assisting him will be Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther, Dallas Stars draft pick and current Kamloops Blazers forward Logan Stankoven, Anaheim Ducks draft pick and Quebec Remparts forward Nathan Gaucher, as well as Chicago Blackhawks draft pick and Mississauga Steelheads defenseman Ethan Del Mastro. Canada will kick things off against Czechia on December 26th.
- Many don’t necessarily think about when an NHL team chooses to recall a player from their affiliate, it could set off a chain reaction of needs within their system, and that’s just what happened with the Washington Capitals and their goaltenders. When Darcy Kuemper went down a couple of weeks ago, the team recalled Hunter Shepard, which Hershey was able to cope with by recalling Clay Stevenson from the ECHL. No problem. But, when Washington also recalled Zachary Fucale yesterday in the wake of Shepard’s upper-body injury, Hershey was forced to sign an emergency back-up to a PTO for their game last night. Today, the Bears were able to smooth things out in net prior to their game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this afternoon, bringing up netminder Tyler Wall from the South Carolina Stingrays, Hershey and Washington’s ECHL affiliate. In a corresponding move, defenseman Martin Has has been sent to South Carolina. While this is a relatively minor move, it does give context for the transactions NHL teams make that sometimes seem to be done just for the sake of doing them.
Minor Transactions: 12/15/22
It’ll be a busy night on the NHL schedule tonight as 24 of the league’s 32 clubs will do battle. Among the many contests are a few games that look like they’ll be especially entertaining, such as the New York Rangers taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs and the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins going up against a Florida Panthers squad looking to spark some sustained positive momentum. As we keep track of this flurry of action tonight, we’ll also track notable transactions in minor leagues and foreign leagues. Those moves can be found here:
- 2016 Rangers sixth-round pick Tyler Wall signed a one-year AHL contract with the Hershey Bears, the top affiliate of the Washington Capitals, today. While Wall, 24, couldn’t quite carve out a consistent role in the Rangers organization after a successful four-year collegiate career at UMass-Lowell, he now has an AHL contract in hand and the rest of the season to put some quality starts on his resume for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.
- Quinton Howden, a 2010 first-round pick of the Florida Panthers, was released from his tryout contract with Jukurit, a team in the Finnish Liiga. Howden scored just one point in ten games for Jukurit despite playing middle-six minutes and getting a chance on their power play. Howden, 30, scored 18 points in 45 games last season for Cologne in the German DEL and will look for a contract with another club to continue his pro career.
- J.D. Dudek, a 2014 fourth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils, signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze, a team in the Elite Ice Hockey League, the United Kingdom’s top pro hockey league. The 26-year-old went overseas this summer after two seasons in the ECHL, signing with Tranas AIF in the third tier of Swedish hockey. The former Boston College Eagle had eight points in 14 games in Sweden and will look to keep that solid scoring up as he joins a new league.
- Nando Eggenberger, a former NHL draft prospect who three times represented his native Switzerland at the World Junior Championships, signed a two-year contract with Swiss club HC Ambri-Piotta. The deal will begin next season, as Eggenberger will finish out 2022-23 with his current club, Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. The former Oshawa General has seven points in 29 games so far this season.
- Another Swiss club announced the signing of a young forward to a two-year contract beginning next season: the ZSC Lions. Per their announcement, they signed forward Yannick Zehnder, currently of EV Zug, to a two-year, 2023-2025 contract. Zehnder is a Swiss champion who has six points in 27 games so far this season.
- Talented veteran defenseman Nick Bailen saw his KHL rights change hands today, with Spartak Moscow acquiring them from Traktor Chelyabinsk in exchange for 27-year-old blueliner Alexander Bryntsev. While Bailen, 33, is currently playing for Cologne in the DEL, he has 367 KHL games on his resume, including a brilliant 2021-22 season where he scored 42 points in 49 games. If Bailen makes the choice to return to the KHL, it seems now he’ll have to do so in Moscow.
- Veteran KHL depth defenseman Ruslan Ibatullin had his contract with KHL side Admiral Vladivostok terminated today. The 28-year-old had set a career-high in KHL games played this season, getting into 34 contests in Vladivostok. In need of a new contract, it’s likely that Ibatullin will return to playing in the second-tier VHL, the league where he has spent the bulk of his professional career.
Washington Capitals Place Alexeyev, Kuemper On IR; Recall Johansen, McIlrath
11:28 am: According to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the Capitals have indeed made those corresponding moves. Alexeyev, as well as goaltender Darcy Kuemper, have both been placed on IR. Kuemper’s IR placement shouldn’t come as too much of a concern, as it is retroactive to December 3rd, meaning he could come back as soon as Tuesday when the team is in Chicago to take on the Blackhawks.
10:44 am: The Washington Capitals announced they’ve recalled a pair of defensemen in that of Lucas Johansen and Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears, their AHL affiliate. While no other corresponding moves were formally announced, the Capitals’ roster is already full at 23 players. The moves could signal an IR stint for defenseman Alexander Alexeyev, who suffered an upper-body injury in Friday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Despite being at 23 skaters, the Capitals had just six defenseman before the recalls, which included Alexeyev.
Notably, these two recalls seem to cap off a morning of defenseman shuffling in the Capitals organization. Earlier, the Hershey Bears announced they’ve recalled defenseman Martin Has from the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. That recall came not only with Johansen and McIlrath’s recalls in mind, but after the Bears lost defenseman Bobby Nardella during the first period of last night’s game with an undisclosed injury. For Has, 21, he could have a chance to take the next step in his development after a solid start to this season in the ECHL with three points in 14 games. This is the defenseman’s first professional season in North America, spending last season with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.
Johansen, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Capitals back in 2016, but has played in just two NHL games to date, one in each of the last two seasons. He may not have hit the ceiling expected of him as a first-round selection however he has turned into a solid defenseman at the AHL level. Given Washington’s injury issues on defense this season, which include Alexeyev and Dmitry Orlov, both left-handed, the left-handed Johansen may get a chance to shine.
McIlrath, 30, is a longtime veteran of the AHL and NHL as well. The former 10th-overall pick back in 2010 to the New York Rangers, has played in 66 NHL games total, spread over six different seasons between the Rangers, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings. The veteran hasn’t played in the NHL since 2019-20, when he got into 16 games with Detroit. This is McIlrath’s second season with Hershey, recording just five assists in 22 games to start this season, but does have a respectable 36 penalty minutes in that span, playing the role of physical shutdown defenseman.
Interestingly, McIlrath did appear to have a two game NHL suspension awaiting him upon his recall. He had been suspended during the 2021 preseason for two preseason games and two regular season games, but hadn’t played in the NHL, during the regular season, since. However, as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports, according to the Capitals organization, the NHL and NHLPA reached a settlement agreement this fall that allowed McIlrath’s two regular season games to be served during this preseason. Thus, McIlrath should be eligible to play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, should Washington choose to dress him. Gulitti was also the first to raise the question about the suspension.
Minor Transactions: 12/06/22
While baseball news may be heating up, some great NHL storylines are still on the docket tonight. Mitch Marner and Jason Robertson will show down as two of the hottest players in the league, while Shane Wright will play his first NHL game against the team that passed on drafting him first overall. There’s been some movement today in the minors, too, and we’ll cover that right here.
- The Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s AHL affiliate, has made some roster swaps. Today, the team signed forwards Gordie Green and Lukas Craggs to AHL PTOs and sent forward Kirill Tyutyayev to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, per a team announcement. Undrafted, the Michigan-born Green was a former captain at Miami University-Ohio and has hovered close to a point per game in the ECHL ever since. Craggs, 26, was previously in the Nashville Predators organization, but the team released him several seasons ago. He’s failed to make much of an AHL impact since. Tyutyayev, who is actually a Detroit draft pick but remains unsigned, missed much of 2021-22 due to injury and will get his first taste of ECHL hockey.
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Jakub Pour Clears Unconditional Waivers
Nov 30: CapFriendly reports that Pour has cleared waivers and will now have his contract terminated.
Nov 29: The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Jakub Pour on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The young forward had been playing with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL.
Signed in the summer of 2021 to a two-year entry-level contract, Pour was an undrafted free agent from the Czech Republic who had caught the eye of someone in the Blackhawks organization. After struggling in his first season with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, it was down to the ECHL for him this year. More struggles have followed, with just five points in 15 games, so a mutual contract termination seems like the best thing for both parties.
This will clear the way for Pour to return to Europe, while also clearing a contract slot for the Blackhawks. He likely would not have received a qualifying offer at the end of the year, meaning this just allows him to look for another job a few months early.
Pour will become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow, should he go unclaimed.
Minor Transactions: 11/28/22
The NHL has an entertaining six-game slate on tap for tonight, including the New Jersey Devils trying to make it an NHL-record 13 wins in November. However, there’s been plenty of activity outside of the league today, as some pertinent roster moves carry on at other levels of North American hockey. We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions right here:
- NHL veteran defenseman Brandon Davidson will remain a free agent after the AHL’s Rochester Americans released him from his professional tryout today. Davidson, 31, registered one assist in nine appearances in his comeback attempt with Rochester. The veteran of 180 NHL games could potentially have to look for his next playing opportunity overseas.
- The AHL’s Laval Rocket have swapped unsigned Montreal Canadiens prospects, recalling netminder Joe Vrbetic from the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions while sending down forward Ryan Francis. Vrbetic could be in line for his first AHL appearance. The 2021 seventh-round pick is on an AHL contract and has a .881 save percentage and a 6-4-0 record with Trois-Rivieres. Francis, a 2020 selection by the Calgary Flames, returns to Trois-Rivieres, where he has two goals and six points in 12 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day