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Minor Transactions: 10/26/19

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It’s a quieter schedule than usual on a Saturday but there are still 18 teams in action including Calgary and Winnipeg who will face off in the first outdoor game of the season at the Heritage Classic plus a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final with St. Louis and Boston.  There will likely be plenty of roster movement throughout the day which we’ll keep tabs on here.

  • The Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman William Borgen to AHL Rochester. He was recalled on Friday to serve as an extra with Marco Scandella dealing with a lower-body injury.  He has yet to record a point in seven games with the Americans but leads the team with 27 penalty minutes this season.
  • Defenseman Reid McNeill is returning to the Penguins organization as their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton announced that he has signed a tryout deal with the team. McNeill was a sixth-rounder of Pittsburgh back in 2010 and spent parts of five seasons in their minor league system before they traded him to St. Louis back in 2016.
  • Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that center Anthony Richard has joined the Predators in Tampa Bay which suggests that he has been recalled.  The 22-year-old made his NHL debut with Nashville last season but has spent most of his career in the minors.  Though he led AHL Milwaukee in scoring last season, he’s off to a slow start offensively with them this year with just a goal and an assist in seven games.
  • The Wild announced (via Twitter) that they have assigned center Gabriel Dumont to AHL Iowa.  His roster spot will go to fellow center Joel Eriksson Ek who has been activated off IR.  Dumont got into three games with Minnesota while on recall and was held off the scoresheet while averaging 11:30 per night.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled forward Gaetan Haas from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL after two games. Haas brought in from the NLA this summer to add some forward depth to the team failed to show much offense in his first five games of the season with Edmonton, picking up just one assist. He was assigned to Bakerfield to give him more playing time. He tallied one assist in two games there and now returns to the Oilers to see if he can boost the team’s bottom-six scoring struggles. He will replace Josh Archibald, who was placed on IR Friday.
  • After being recalled yesterday for the Carolina Hurricanes’ game Saturday, the Hurricanes announced today, after their 4-0 shutout over Chicago, that they have assigned forward Brian Gibbons to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL again. The 31-year-old played 11:59 today for the Hurricanes, registering a hit and two blocked shots. Gibbons has dominated with the Checkers, posting three goals and eight points in six games. He’ll likely be recalled the first chance the team needs an extra forward.
  • With a desperate need for a goaltender, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced they have signed former NHL goaltender Sebastien Caron to a professional tryout contract for tonight’s game. The 39-year-old Caron hasn’t appeared in a professional game since the 2015-16 season when he played in the German DEL league and hasn’t appeared in a North American game since the 2011-12 season when he played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Caron appeared in 95 NHL games with a 3.45 GAA and a .892 save percentage. He also played a large chunk of his AHL career (123 games) for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Injury Notes: Tarasenko, Kase, Archibald

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The St. Louis Blues will be without sniper Vladimir Tarasenko for at least their next two games, as he isn’t traveling with the team on their latest road trip. Tarasenko suffered an upper-body injury last night and will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Here’s some more injury news from around the league:

  • The Anaheim Ducks acquired Erik Gudbranson today from the Pittsburgh Penguins, perhaps in part due to the fact that Josh Manson has been placed on injured reserve. He’ll be joined there by Ondrej Kase, with both players out for at least the next two games. The Ducks say a further update will be given next week, but those are two very important players to lose for a pair of weekend tilts against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
  • The New Jersey Devils have activated Will Butcher from injured reserve, though he is still not expected to play tonight when they take on the Arizona Coyotes. In his place, Connor Carrick has been moved to IR with an upper-body injury suffered yesterday in practice.
  • Josh Archibald hasn’t scored a point yet for the Edmonton Oilers, and won’t get one anytime soon. That’s because he’s been placed on injured reserve with a right foot fracture and will miss two to four weeks.

Minor Transactions: 10/24/19

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After the NHL held just two games on Wednesday night, this evening’s action is quite a bit busier. Ten games are scheduled, including a matchup between two division leaders in Edmonton. The Oilers are still holding onto the Pacific Division despite two straight losses, while the Washington Capitals are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference and now sit at 7-2-2. As teams prepare for the big night, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Riley Stillman from the minor leagues, giving them another defenseman for their western road trip. The team takes on the Calgary Flames tonight and then has a back-to-back situation in Edmonton and Vancouver starting Sunday.
  • After playing yesterday afternoon, Joel Hanley is back with the Dallas Stars. Recalled from the minor leagues, Hanley will give the Stars another option when they welcome in the Anaheim Ducks tonight. Dallas is in the midst of a four-game homestand, giving them the opportunity to flip players back to the Texas Stars on off days to keep them fresh.
  • Logan Day is on his way to the Bakersfield Condors after being activated from the season-opening injured list. Day earned a one-year NHL contract in May after playing 64 games for the Condors last season. The 25-year old defenseman had 34 points, leading all Bakersfield defensemen.

Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Niemelainen, Hall

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Some fans in Edmonton are probably wishing that Jesse Puljujarvi would just fade into irrelevance in Europe so that they can stop hearing about him. However, the reality is that Puljujarvi is excelling in his native Finland and it is only creating more buzz about his availability. The Oilers have been adamant that they will not rush into a trade for Puljujarvi and will wait for a fair return, but as he continues to put up points for Karpat in the Liiga, the more likely that offer will come. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell tries to put Puljujarvi’s production into context rather than let the hype train run wild. He writes that there is some question as to the quality of a few of Puljujarvi’s six goals on the year and, more importantly, adds that his point-per-game pace in the Liiga is only equivalent to approximately 0.43 points per game in the NHL. Puljujarvi’s level of play in Finland lends itself to a projection of a third-line forward in the NHL in Mitchell’s estimation; however, given his upside and natural size and athleticism, the 22-year-old is worth more than your typical third-liner. The Oilers will eventually get an offer that they like for Puljujarvi and this story will go away, but the question is whether or not that deal occurs before the December 1st signing deadline for Puljujarvi, a restricted free agent, to play this season. Mitchell does not add any new names to the list of teams interested in Puljujarvi, but reiterates that the Carolina Hurricanes remain intrigued, as do the Oilers do in ’Canes prospect Julien Gauthier. Mitchell also posits that Dominik Bokk, a raw, but talented prospect recently acquired by the Hurricanes in the Justin Faulk trade, could be another target of Edmonton’s in a Puljujarvi trade. Carolina sought a regular NHL forward in exchange for Faulk, but settled for the upside of the young Bokk. Perhaps the team could be convinced to flip him for Puljujarvi. One way or another, the Hurricanes lead the pack when it comes to the most likely landing spot for Puljujarvi until new information emerges on the race to land the divisive young forward.

  • Another Edmonton prospect could also be looking at an extended stay in Finland. Defenseman Markus Niemelainen, the team’s third-round pick in 2016, has signed a one-year extension with Assat of the Liiga, the team announced. Niemelainen is in his first year with the Aces after growing up in the system of HPK, as well as two seasons with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. While the big defender has been held scoreless through 12 games, he brings a well-rounded game that balances checking ability and defensive awareness with mobility and play-making ability. Niemelainen has the makings of a player ready for the jump to North America, but claims in the team’s release that he is happy to continue developing with Assat. It seems likely that the Oilers will have to wait until 2021-22 to see Niemelainen cross the pond.
  • The “Taylor Hall-back-to-Edmonton” rumors were inevitable once the New Jersey Devils entered the season without an extension in place with their superstar and then subsequently got off to a rough start. Despite what many may think, Hall never requested a trade when he was with the Oilers, the team that selected him No. 1 overall in 2010, and actually enjoyed playing in Edmonton. It’s possible that Edmonton could continue to build off their hot start to the season and put themselves in position to be a real contender and a potential rental destination for Hall later this season. However, The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis all but rules out Hall as a possible free agency target and long-term fit. With the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, James Neal, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signed long-term on substantial contracts and a number of other top players in need of new contracts, there doesn’t appear to be space for Hall, who Willis expects to command a contract in the vicinity of $11MM per year. Even taking into account salary cap inflation, Willis feels that the Oilers would need to shed considerable salary to afford Hall and questions whether that would be the right play. Edmonton’s days as home to Hall are likely exclusively in the past.

Pacific Notes: Oilers Cap Space, Bjornfot, Mangiapane

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The Edmonton Oilers have two major contracts already on their roster and a handful of reasonably well-paid players, leaving them little wiggle room this past summer when they tried to upgrade their roster. Instead, general manager Ken Holland spent much of the summer finding bargain-bin players and veterans to fill their ranks to stay under the cap.

Well, what about next year? What about the team going out and bringing Taylor Hall back into the fold?

The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis (subscription required) breaks down the Oilers’ future cap situation this coming summer where the team could have as much as $26MM available in cap space. However, that’s with 13 roster players still to sign, and if Hall costs the team approximately $11MM AAV, that would leave little room to fill out the rest of their roster, which includes a number of RFA’s such as Darnell Nurse and Matt Benning, who would likely command raises, suggesting that going after Hall is likely a pipedream. The scribe does add that the team could attempt to unload a contract like Kris Russell, whose $4MM AAV with one year remaining might be moveable.

Regardless, it looks like quite a longshot and that doesn’t even factor on whether Hall would want to return to the Oilers in the first place.

  • The Los Angeles Kings demoted 18-year-old Tobias Bjornfot Friday to the Onatrio Reign of the AHL, which The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) writes is a positive sign for the 2019 first-round pick. Bjornfot shocked quite a few people when the team opted to keep the Swede on the NHL roster. He played the first three games, picking up a minus-four plus/minus, but much of that can be attributed to the team’s lack of defense. However, general manager Rob Blake said that the initial talk during training camp was to return Bjornfot to his SHL team this season. With Bjornfot being instead sent to the AHL, it suggests the team still feels that the youngster might have a future in the NHL still this season.
  • Eric Francis of Sportsnet reports that forward Andrew Mangiapane did not join the Calgary Flames for their road trip against the Kings and Ducks this weekend. However, the scribe suggests that Mangiapane should be available to play at some point next week, possible early as Tuesday against the Washington Capitals. Mangiapane has been out with an undisclosed injury. The forward scored a goal in each of his last two games before taking injury.

Minor Transactions: 10/19/19

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Some of the NHL’s best teams early on were at it last night. The Avalanche maintained their unblemished loss column with a comeback win over the Panthers in overtime; the Penguins added their sixth win by handing the Stars their fourth straight regulation loss; the Oilers moved to 7-1 with a win over the Red Wings, and the six-win Ducks edged out the six-win Hurricanes. It’s a busy slate on Saturday with 22 teams taking the ice, including several more top contests, such as Colorado-Tampa Bay, Vegas-Pittsburgh, and of course Boston-Toronto. With so much action and many teams looking to keep their strong starts going, follow along with what could be a flurry of activity today:

  • After sending him to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs to get his first taste of pro competition, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they have recalled No. 3 overall pick Kirby Dach from his conditioning stint. Dach failed to record a point in three games with Rockford and it will be interesting to see where the Blackhawks go from here. The team can still give Dach nine games of NHL experience before burning the first year of his entry-level contract, so there is plenty of time before the team is forced into a tough decision. However, the early results of Dach’s pro career would seem to indicate that he is likely headed back to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades this season.
  • The San Jose Sharks have shuffled their depth. After sending rookie forward Danil Yurtaykin back to the AHL Barracuda yesterday, CapFriendly reports that fellow rookie forward Lean Bergmann will follow him to the minors. In a combined ten games, Yurtaykin and Bergmann have recorded one lone point this season and the Sharks can’t afford that inefficient production in the midst of a poor start to the season. Noah Gregor has earned his first NHL recall in their place, having recorded three points in three games with the Barracuda after an 88-point WHL campaign last year. They hope Gregor, a fourth-round pick in 2016, can provide an offensive spark right away.
  • The Washington Capitals have reassigned rookie defenseman Martin Fehervary to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced. While Fehervary began the season in D.C. he had been demoted until recently, when he was recalled as a precaution while Jonas Siegenthaler dealt with injury concerns. Finally, with a healthy stable of their seven top defensemen, the Capitals have no room for Fehervary right now and would rather he play big minutes in Hershey. Fehervary, the team’s 2018 second-rounder, did not look out of place in the NHL level and will one day be there permanently, but he’s likely in for a full season in the minors this year barring more injuries to the Washington blue line.
  • Carolina Hurricanes prospect netminder Pyotr Kochetkov has been traded in the KHL. Kochetkov, 20, is coming off a dominant 2018-19 season that earned him a second-round selection in June as an overage player. The young Russian keeper was stellar at the World Junior Championship and in Russia’s second-tier VHL last year, as well as in his first two KHL appearances late in the campaign. However, taking on the primary backup role with powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg this season, Kotchetkov has struggled in six KHL games, posting a 2.66 GAA and .887 save percentage. He is still young to be facing this level of competition, especially in the offensively-inclined KHL, but SKA needed a more reliable backup as a top contender. As a result, the team pulled off a blockbuster trade with Vityaz Podolsk, sending Kochetkov as part of the package for the more established Alexander Samonov. Although he was the backup for Vityaz, Samonov has arguably been the best goalie in the KHL this year, nearly untouchable with a 0.88 GAA and .976 save percentage through seven appearances. He’ll provide more stability for SKA, while Podolsk is happy to be patient with one of the top goalie prospects in the league. Although a Hurricanes draft pick, if Kochetkov follows a typical Russian goalkeeper development path, he could remain with Vityaz for another three or four years.
  • With Joel Eriksson Ek injured, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Gabriel Dumont will get the call for the Minnesota Wild. While Dumont may be a new name for Wild fans, the ten-year pro had been around for a while before signing in Minnesota this summer. With five points in five games for AHL Iowa, Dumont hopes to bring some offense with his experience as he joins the parent club. Russo notes that this is already the 28th player to grace the roster this season for the struggling Wild.
  • After Daniel Carr cleared waivers on Wednesday, the Nashville Predators opted to keep him on the NHL roster while they dealt with an injury to Filip Forsberg. The team announced this morning that Carr has now been sent down to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. In his place, the Predators have recalled both long-time depth forward Miikka Salomaki and the untested Yakov Trenin. Trenin, a 2015 second-round pick, is in his third pro season but has played exclusively with Milwaukee – until now. With a team-leading five points in three games for the Admirals, Trenin has finally earned his call-up and will be an intriguing name to watch if he sees action in Nashville.
  • With Jordan Oesterle dealing with a head injury after taking a shot to the back of the head on Thursday, the Coyotes will recall blueliner Aaron Ness from AHL Tucson, reports Craig Morgan of The Athletic.  The 29-year-old is in his first season with Arizona after having a strong season with Hershey a year ago, one that saw him put up 55 points.  That should help get him into some game action at some point during his recall.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled center Sam Gagner from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, while assigning forward Gaetan Haas to Bakersfield. The 30-year-old Gagner was acquired at the trade deadline last year from Vancouver, and played 25 games last season with the Oilers, but didn’t make the team out of training camp this year and has been playing with the Condors this season. He has two goals and two assists in four games there so far. Haas signed with Edmonton in July this summer out of the NLA, but the 27-year-old has just one assist in five games. The Edmonton Journals’ Jim Matheson reports that Haas isn’t thrilled about spending weeks in the AHL and the scribe believes that Haas has an out-clause to return to the Europe if he stays there. The team was hoping for some more offense from their bottom-six players. The hope Gagner might be able to provide some of that offense. Through eight games so far this season, the team has gotten no goals from Riley Sheahan, Jujhar Khaira, Patrick Russell, Josh Archibald, Markus Granlund, Tomas Jurco and Haas as the team has received all its offense from their top-six.

Trade Rumors: Wild, Hurricanes, Ristolainen

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The Minnesota Wild finally picked up their first win of the season on Monday. Yet, they immediately followed that up with a loss on Tuesday and are on their way to another loss tonight. The Wild will likely head home from their Canadian road trip with a 1-6-0 record on the year and their only points coming against the Ottawa Senators. Combine that with last season’s “big” trade acquisitions of Kevin Fiala, Ryan Donato, and Victor Rask all having been healthy scratches at least once and free agent centerpiece Mats Zuccarello being held scoreless through four games prior to an injury, and it is easy to see why the situation in Minnesota this season is already so bleak. Thus, it should come as little surprise that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his “31 Thoughts” column that Minnesota will “listen on everything.” New GM Bill Guerin is likely eager to make his mark on the team and hopeful that he can right the wrongs of his much-maligned predecessor, Paul Fenton. As one might expect from the level-headed Guerin, Friedman writes that he is not willing to rush into anything just for the sake of making a move, despite such a poor start. However, should the opportunity present itself to make a move that he feels is right for the team, Guerin won’t be afraid to pull the trigger and shake things up. Friedman feels that team’s biggest need is to add right-handed forwards. Currently, the team has just two: Ryan Hartman and Luke Kunin. If one exists on the trade market, a young, natural right wing or righty center could be a good long-term investment for Minnesota. However, the Wild are likely to be in more of a seller mode than buyer in the immediate future. Much of their roster is signed long-term, but Jonas Brodin, Eric Staal, Marcus Foligno, and perhaps even captain Mikko Koivu, an impending free agent, could be on the block.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes hoped to land an NHL forward when they traded away defenseman Justin Faulk, but a potential deal with the Anaheim Ducks that would have brought Ondrej Kase to Raleigh fell through and the team settled for defenseman Joel Edmundson and promising, but raw forward prospect Dominik Bokk.  Now, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the search for a top-nine forward continues for Carolina, despite their red-hot start. Neither of the two names mentioned by LeBrun as players that the ‘Canes have kicked the tires on should come as any surprise. The first is disgruntled young Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi, who is currently playing overseas. This matches up with a recent report that the Oilers continue to pursue NHL-ready Carolina prospect Julien Gauthier, but turned down a one-for-one offer for Puljujarvi this summer. With both Edmonton and Carolina playing well and wanting immediate help, it could be that the trade now makes more sense for both sides. The second player named is Joshua Ho-Sang, another frustrated young forward who is currently sitting at home waiting to be traded by the New York Islanders, who instructed him not to report to the AHL after he failed to make the team. Both Puljujarvi and Ho-Sang are behavioral question marks, but bring both upside and roster flexibility should reigning GM of the Year candidate Don Waddell decide to make a deal.
  • LeBrun also reports that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is likely no longer on the trade block. While at one point both sides had agreed that a change of scenery was a good idea, the Sabres are off to a strong start this season and Ristolainen recently spoke about how much he is enjoying playing for new head coach Ralph Kreuger and his happiness with being in Buffalo. LeBrun doubts that the team wants to upset their early momentum, while noting that trade talks this summer did not bear any fruit anyway. Ristolainen can still be a key contributor for the team and they seem content to maintain the status quo so long as they continue to accumulate points.

Joakim Nygard Out With Rib Injury

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Thursday: The Oilers have placed Nygard on injured reserve, recalling William Lagesson to take his place on the roster. Lagesson is in his second year of professional hockey in North America and has one point through two games for the Bakersfield Condors this season.

Wednesday: The Edmonton Oilers will be without Joakim Nygard for up to a month thanks to a rib injury. Nygard has been given a timeline of two to four weeks for recovery, meaning he’ll miss at least a handful of games.

The 26-year old Swede came to the Oilers from the SHL this season after potting 21 goals for Farjestads, but had already looked a bit overmatched at times at the NHL level. Nygard’s ice time had been dropping consistently, and it still wasn’t clear what kind of role he could have on Edmonton. The Oilers were looking for help on the wing all offseason, but with the resurgence of James Neal as a top-six option they have been rolling of late.

Still, the team is putting a huge amount of responsibility on the shoulders of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl who are current playing more minutes than any other forwards in the league. Losing depth players will only stress that group even more, meaning Nygard’s absence will be felt all the same.

Even just two weeks would keep him out for the next eight games.

Connor McDavid Takes Home First Star

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for the second week of the season, led by Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid. The 22-year old superstar recorded seven points in three games to help the Oilers get off to a fast start and has an early lead in the league scoring race with 12 points in his first five games.

Oilers Place Colby Cave On Waivers

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UPDATE: Cave has cleared waivers and has been reassigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers announced.  While there was some speculation that Cave would draw some interest on the wire, particularly from his former team in Boston, it turns out that no one was willing to commit to a roster spot for the young two-way center. There were no players placed on waivers today.

With Josh Archibald being ready to be activated off injured reserve, the Oilers needed to free up a roster spot.  They’ve done so by announcing (Twitter link) that center Colby Cave has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bakersfield.

Cave has played in two games so far this season in a fourth line role while also serving two as a healthy scratch.  Recent signing Riley Sheahan appears to be ready to make his season debut while offseason acquisition Gaetan Haas is also in the mix as well which appears to have made Cave the odd man out.

The 24-year-old has had some success offensively at the minor league level but it has yet to translate into much success in the NHL where he has just three goals and five assists in 58 games between the Oilers and Bruins (who signed him as an undrafted free agent).  He did average over a point per game in 15 appearances with Boston’s AHL affiliate last season though.

While someone of Cave’s profile doesn’t necessarily move the needle too much, it’s worth noting that his cap hit of $675K actually sits below the league minimum.  That was part of the appeal when the Oilers claimed him a year ago and there are teams that could certainly benefit from the extra cap space, even if it’s only $25K over the course of a full season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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