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Snapshots: Three Stars, College Stars, Presidents

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The NHL has released their three stars of the week, with Kyle Connor getting the top honors. The young Winnipeg Jets forward had five goals and eight points in four games, surpassing both of his impressive totals from last season. The 22-year old now has back-to-back 30-goal seasons, and is now a key part of the Jets attack on a nightly basis. While Patrik Laine may hit the headlines more for his upcoming restricted free agency, Connor’s pending negotiation looks to be just as (if not more) important.

Second star this week went to Steven Stamkos, who helped the Tampa Bay Lightning lock up the Presidents Trophy and became the franchise leader in goals with 387 and counting. The Lightning star is just one away from his fifth 40-goal campaign, and has six games remaining to try and crack the 100-point threshold for the first time in his career. Bringing up the rear in third was Philipp Grubauer, who has suddenly found his game and now holds a .914 save percentage on the year. That has allowed the Colorado Avalanche to climb back into the playoffs in the Western Conference.

  • Despite Boston University seeing a huge chunk of their team turn pro today—Jake Oettinger, Chad Krys, Joel Farabee and Dante Fabbro all signed contracts—they won’t be without some star power next year. According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Shane Bowers is likely sticking around after a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. Cole Hults from Penn State is also expected to stay in college according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, and the team is supportive of that idea. Hults, a fifth-round pick of the Kings in 2017, had 28 points in 39 games as a sophomore this season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators have had a ton of turmoil over the last year, changing coaches and front office members while struggling on the ice. It’s not surprising that both teams may be looking for upper management help according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, who reports each could be set to bring in a team president to run hockey operations above the general manager. Ottawa’s search in particular has apparently already been going on for a while, though it has not apparently put Pierre Dorion’s job as GM in jeopardy.

Poll: Should Ken Hitchcock Get Another Year To Coach The Edmonton Oilers?

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The Edmonton Oilers have been a team surrounded by controversy for the last couple of years. It came to a head in November when then-general manager Peter Chiarelli fired head coach Todd McLellan and replaced him with retired head coach Ken Hitchcock. Then in January, the team opted to fire Chiarelli with the intention of making wholesale changes.

Hitchcock, who retired at the end of the 2017-18 season after coaching Dallas for one season, was the perfect experienced coach to put a fire under a struggling Edmonton franchise. Hitchcock had 823 wins as a head coach, eight divisional titles and one Stanley Cup championship, which he won in his first stint in Dallas back in the 1998-99 season. If anyone could help Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl back to the playoffs, Hitchcock would be the guy. It looked like the answer at first as Hitchcock led the team to a 7-2-1 record to start his tenure. Despite that start, however, the team has struggled since then, often frustrating Hitchcock and the team has gone 24-24-7, so far during his tenure.

However, when pressed by the media about whether he wanted to return next season, Hitchcock responded by saying that he did, “For the record, I feel if I’m good I can coach until I’m 99,” Hitchcock said. While Edmonton will also be looking for a new general manager, the question is whether Hitchcock, who has had a history of wearing out his welcome with younger players, is the right coach to return to coach the Oilers next season. Many could easily site the fact that the team’s roster isn’t acceptable in its current state and an offseason of turnover could do Hitchcock, who favors defense more than anything, quite a bit of good.

So should Hitchcock get another year to coach the Edmonton Oilers?

Should Ken Hitchcock get another year to coach the Edmonton Oilers?
No, move on and hire a brand new coach. 52.39% (548 votes)
Yes, he's earned another year. 47.61% (498 votes)
Total Votes: 1,046

Pro Hockey app users, click here to vote.

Evening Notes: Hitchcock, Chiarelli, Husso, Fox, Vidmar, Capitals

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It’s been an interesting coaching season for Edmonton Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock, who retired from coaching in April last year. Instead, he returned to coaching in November to take over for Todd McLellan for a struggling Oilers’ squad and has led the team to a 24-24-7 record so far, despite the team surging to a 7-2-1 start when Hitchcock took over.

Since then, the team has moved on from general manager Peter Chiarelli and there remain lots of questions of whether Hitchcock would even want to come back. Pressed for an answer about whether he’d be interested in returning next season, Sportsnet’s John Shannon writes that Hitchcock would be open to coming back.

“For the record, I feel if I’m good I can coach until I’m 99,” Hitchcock said.

Of course, with the team looking for a new general manager once the season ends, there is a good chance that the new GM will want to hire his own coach, which could end Hitchcock’s tenure in Edmonton.

  • Speaking of Chiarelli, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports that the former GM has been seen in the Blues’ management booth alongside St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong. While there is no word on whether Armstrong is considering bringing Chiarelli aboard or what role he might have in St. Louis, Rutherford points out that Armstrong has a history of hiring former GMs, including Bob Gainey and Dave Tippett.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas notes that he saw St. Louis Blues goaltending prospect Ville Husso in a walking boot walking through the press box of Enterprise Center, suggesting that the San Antonio Rampage goaltender is out for the season. It’s been a rough season for the 24-year-old, who was considered the heir-apparent to Jake Allen last season. Instead, Jordan Binnington has surpassed him on the team’s depth chart, while Husso struggled with a 6-17 record with a 3.67 GAA and a .871 save percentage.
  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Carolina Hurricanes remain hopeful that they can sign Harvard University star defenseman Adam Fox to a contract once his season is over, but there are no guarantees. Harvard has a good chance to make the NCAA tournament, which means the Hurricanes will have to wait until the blueliner’s season is over. The 21-year-old is in his junior year, posting 10 goals and 48 points so far this year but due to signability issues, was already traded once when the Calgary Flames sent him to Carolina as part of the Dougie Hamilton–Elias Lindholm deal last summer.
  • The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat announced that they have signed undrafted college free agent forward Sebastian Vidmar out of Union College. The 25-year-old just wrapped up his senior season with 10 goals and 22 points and finished a career with 40 goals and 63 assists in 137 career games. The 6-foot-3 forward joins a struggling Stockton team that is currently sixth in the AHL Pacific Division.
  • Isabelle Khurshudyan writes that the Washington Capitals will likely have even more salary cap problems next year as the team is currently tight on cap space, but with bonus expected for both Jakub Vrana, who triggered a $212K bonus for reaching 20 goals recently and could get another bonus if he finishes among the top six forwards in ATOI (he’s currently sixth). Throw in the $500K that Brooks Orpik will get and the team will go over the cap at the end of the season, which will count against their cap space next year.

Edmonton Oilers Will Not Re-Sign Tobias Rieder

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It’s not often that you see a full-time forward in the NHL go a whole season without a goal, but that’s what has happened so far for the Edmonton Oilers’ Tobias Rieder. Rieder has just 11 assists in 59 games this season, despite recording 78 shots on goal. Now, in an inexplicable rant by CEO Bob Nicholson at a season ticket holder event, it became clear that Rieder will not be back with the Oilers, if that was ever in doubt. Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal was in attendance, and gives a transcript of Nicholson’s comments on the struggling forward:

Toby Rieder will not be signed by the Edmonton Oilers at the end of the year.

Toby Rieder was a player that other teams wanted. He came here for one year because he wanted to play with Leon Draisaitl who he plays with on the German national team. He thought if he wasn’t playing with Leon he’d be playing with Connor [McDavid], he’d score 15-16 goals and instead of making two million he’d sign a four-year deal at three and a half million.

Toby Rieder hasn’t scored a goal.

Toby Rieder has missed so many breakaways.

If Toby Rieder would have scored 10 or 12 goals we’d probably be in the playoffs.

Rieder, 26, signed a one-year $2MM contract with the Oilers as an unrestricted free agent on July 1st after the Los Angeles Kings decided not to extend him a qualifying offer. He is actually still scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, but after these comments from Nicholson it is clear that he will not be tendered a qualifying offer once again, making him a UFA. That makes sense given his poor performance this season, but it’s unusual for management to be so public with comments like this.

It’s not like Rieder doesn’t have a history of offensive production. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Oilers back in 2011, he would never actually sign with the team. Instead his rights were traded to the Arizona Coyotes, where he recorded 51 goals in 292 games, including a career-high of 16 in 2016-17. The swift skating forward was a dominant player in the OHL and minor leagues, but just hasn’t been able to put it together in Edmonton this time around.

The Oilers are currently sitting seven points behind the Coyotes for the final Western Conference playoff spot, and have a goal differential of -38 this season.

Oilers Notes: Chiasson, Goaltending, Free Agent Target

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Despite their decision to hold onto him at the trade deadline, the Oilers have yet to engage in any discussions regarding a contract extension for winger Alex Chiasson, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.  The 28-year-old is in the midst of a career season with 20 goals and 13 assists in 64 games and has provided Edmonton with some much-needed secondary scoring.  While it’s certainly possible that the team is waiting until a new GM is hired before commencing negotiations, interim GM Keith Gretzky has the green light to make personnel decisions like this.  While a 20-goal scorer could typically stand to land a nice deal on the open market, the fact that Chiasson has bounced around as of late will lower his value somewhat and may make him more open to signing a reasonable extension if the team decides to open up discussions.

More from Edmonton:

  • Despite his recent struggles, Mikko Koskinen is expected to remain the starter moving forward, per a TSN report. While that in itself isn’t entirely noteworthy, it will, however, make it difficult for the Oilers to retain Anthony Stolarz’s rights as a restricted free agent.  He needed to play at least 30 minutes in 10 games following his acquisition from Philadelphia to avoid unrestricted free agency.  Tuesday’s relief appearance was only his third and with only nine games left, it will be difficult for the team to get Stolarz seven more games with that much playing time if they intend to keep Koskinen as the starter.
  • Postmedia’s Jim Matheson believes that Edmonton will likely take a run at signing winger Daniel Carr this summer. The Alberta native signed with Vegas last summer in the hopes of finding a more permanent NHL role but has played only six games with the big club.  Instead, he leads the AHL in scoring with 71 points in 52 games and with the Oilers in need of cheap offensive-minded wingers, it appears that Carr could be a natural fit.

Pacific Notes: Raanta, Baertschi, Goldobin, Bennett

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Even thought the Arizona Coyotes lost to the Edmonton Oilers Saturday, the team was still able to come away with a point and still retain the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Their lead over Minnesota dropped to two points as the Wild won last night. However, with a legitimate shot a playoff berth this season, the Coyotes may get even better news if they can get in. According to AZ Central’s Richard Morin, there is a solid chance that goaltender Antti Raanta could be healthy enough to return for the playoffs.

That could create an interesting controversy, however, as one of the key reasons for the team’s success has been the recent play of backup Darcy Kuemper. The 28-year-old has been nothing short of outstanding since Raanta went down with a knee injury on Nov. 27, posting 20-11-3 record, with a .924 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA as the team’s starter. While Raanta’s return would change things in net, the team seems likely to stick with the hot hand.

“We have Darcy, who has been unbelievable for us and has given us a chance every night,” Coyotes goaltending coach Corey Schwab said. “He’s our guy, which means he’s our guy today and we’ll see what tomorrow brings. He’s done a great job at instilling confidence in the whole team. As far as how or when Antti Raanta is going to be back, nobody really knows. That’s a whole separate issue. It’s not even something for me to think about until we get there. Up until that point, there’s no question that Darcy has done enough to be the guy for us going forward.”

  • The Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green reported that forward Sven Baertschi has been cleared for contact but is not expected to play Sunday. The 26-year-old has been injured for a large chunk of the season with a concussion, but was more recently diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome in early February. In total, Baertschi has only appeared in 22 games this season, although he has struggled with injuries his entire career. Baertschi has never played more than 69 games throughout his career.
  • Sticking with the Canucks, Green also said that forward Nikolay Goldobin will be scratched Sunday and followed that with an interesting comment, according to TSN’s Jeff Paterson. ‘”You’ve got to bring something to the table,” said Green. “I just looked. He’s got 2+2 in the last 23 games. Those aren’t numbers that are really going to keep a guy in the league.”
  • There were a few people surprised when Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett was a scratch Saturday. However, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun writes that the word is that Bennett is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. “We were hoping when we got into Winnipeg, in the morning, it would be better,” Calgary head coach Bill Peters said. “And it went the other way. It was worse, so he couldn’t go.” Bennett is second on the team in hits with 120 and has 12 goals and 14 assists in 69 games.

Senators, Oilers Making “Major Push” To Sign Max Veronneau

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It’s college free agent season and one of the top names available is Princeton’s Max Veronneau. The 23-year old forward recorded 37 points in 31 games this year and has apparently attracted teams from all around the NHL. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that at least 25 teams had expressed interest in Veronneau, who is an unrestricted free agent and can sign anywhere he wants.

According to McKenzie, both the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers are teams making a “major push” to sign Veronneau, who enters the market as one of the most dynamic free agents available. The Ottawa native recorded 144 points in 130 games during his Princeton career, including a whopping 55 last season to trail only Adam Gaudette for the leading scorer in the nation. Adding that kind of offensive presence for nothing more than a contract slot is exactly what teams like the Senators and Oilers have to do in order to fill their ranks and build a successful program.

Veronneau has previously spent time with the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings in various development camps, but it is not clear if those teams have made an effort to sign him.

Because Veronneau is already 23, the maximum contract he can sign is a two-year entry-level deal. Teams could potentially offer up the chance to burn the first year of that deal by signing it for this season, a negotiating tactic top college players often take. That would mean Veronneau would become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020, though we’ll have to wait and see what he secures in the coming days.

Snapshots: Oilers, Boqvist, Radulov

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The Edmonton Oilers want to start GM interviews in the next two weeks according to CEO Bob Nicholson, who spoke to reporters at the front office meetings in Florida today. Nicholson admitted that he hasn’t yet asked for permission to speak with any currently employed executives, but will be looking into that in the near future after he has all the information. Vegas assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon, who was noted as a top candidate for both the Oilers and Seattle expansion job, will not be allowed to speak with other teams until after the season according to several reports including the latest Insider Trading panel.

On that panel insider Darren Dreger noted that the Oilers have narrowed their short list to somewhere around ten names, a group including McCrimmon, interim GM Keith Gretzky, Dave Nonis, Sean Burke, Mike Futa and Mark Hunter among others. The Oilers simply must get this hire right as they try to turn things around and take advantage of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s prime.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks knew they were getting an incredible offensive talent in Adam Boqvist when they selected him eighth overall last June, but Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) believes the young defenseman may benefit from another year in junior hockey in 2019-20. That belief is supported by a source who tells Powers that the Blackhawks are discussing keeping Boqvist in the OHL instead of moving him to the AHL next season. The 19-year old has 56 points in 50 games for the London Knights this year and is second among OHL defensemen in goals with 19. London is well known as an NHL development machine, and could very well give Boqvist some Memorial Cup experience this season.
  • The Dallas Stars won’t have one of their top offensive weapons in the lineup tonight as the team will take Alexander Radulov out despite him being healthy enough to play. Radulov was late to practice this morning and will be punished by missing a game, a pretty meaningful development for a team trying to hold on to a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Radulov has 51 points in 54 games this season but will have to hope his teammates can take down the New York Rangers without him.

Jesse Puljujarvi To Undergo Hip Surgery

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March 4: Puljujarvi underwent the surgery today according to John Shannon of Sportsnet, who adds that it was on both hips.

February 28: After receiving some bad news from the Edmonton Oilers medical staff, young forward Jesse Puljujarvi had visited a specialist for a second opinion. Unfortunately that opinion seems to have agreed with the first, as Jason Gregor of TSN is reporting that Puljujarvi will undergo hip surgery next week. Puljujarvi will not play again this season.

The fact that Puljujarvi has been playing through this injury certainly may explain some of his struggles, but it will end what has been an extremely disappointing season nonetheless. In 46 games with the Oilers the 20-year old forward recorded just nine points, a step backwards from the already underwhelming total he posted in 2017-18. Selected fourth overall in 2016, Puljujarvi was expected to step quickly into the NHL and become a potential winger for Edmonton centers like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but now has just 37 points through the first 139 games of his career.

Importantly, this also caps his earning potential. Since the Oilers gave Puljujarvi more than nine games in his first season after being drafted, his three-year entry-level contract will come to an end this year. He’ll finish without earning any of his big performance bonuses, and now heads into restricted free agency as something of an enigma. Top draft choices are often signing expensive long-term deals after their original contract expires, but Puljujarvi will certainly not want to lock himself into an underpaid contract after his disappointing start. It’s unclear where exactly the Oilers will sit in negotiations.

Unfortunately this is just the latest bad chapter in a terrible book for the Oilers. The team has struggled through coaching and management changes this season and find themselves fighting for draft lottery positions instead of the playoffs. The team was embarrassed last night in McDavid’s return to the lineup, and will take on the Ottawa Senators tonight in a battle of Canada’s worst teams.

Puljujarvi is expected to be back to 100% in time for training camp in September, and given that he will be waiver eligible destined for a spot on the NHL squad almost regardless of his play. The team will have to hope his performance improves along with his health.

Minor Transactions: 02/25/2019

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With the trade deadline upon us, roster restrictions have now been lifted so there should be an influx of recalls today.  On top of that, there should be plenty of “paper transactions” post-deadline as teams send down and then recall players in order to preserve their AHL postseason eligibility. Only players on AHL rosters at 3pm ET are eligible to play in the league’s playoffs. While all eyes are on the deadline, today is also one of, if not the, busiest day of the season for minor transactions. Try to keep up right here:

  • The Canadiens announced the recall of winger Dale Weise from Laval (AHL). He was sent down last week to accommodate the return of Paul Byron from IR but this move was expected with the 23-man roster limit now removed.  Weise played in three games with the Rocket, scoring twice.  He will likely battle for fourth line ice time down the stretch.
  • The Devils have shuffled their forward group, announcing that they have sent wingers Joey Anderson and Brett Seney to AHL Binghamton while recalling forwards Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and John Quenneville. Anderson has just three points in 19 NHL games this season while Seney has spent the bulk of the year in New Jersey, collecting 13 points in 50 NHL contests.  McLeod, a 2016 first-rounder, has played just once with the big club this season but sits second on Binghamton in scoring and should now get a longer look to assess his development.  Bastian has also played just once in New Jersey but leads Binghamton in goals with 17 in 56 games.  They also announced that goalie MacKenzie Blackwood has been recalled from Binghamton following the trade of Keith Kinkaid, as well as defenseman Egor Yakovlev, with Eric Gryba heading back to the AHL.
  • For the time being at least, the Senators have re-assigned defenseman Cody Goloubef, centers Logan Brown and Filip Chlapik, and winger Drake Batherson to Belleville of the AHL, per a team announcement.  The team also made forward Rudolfs Balcers and defenseman Christian Wolanin paper transactions for the inevitable reality of last-place Ottawa having an early end to their season, but Belleville continuing on to the postseason.
  • The Flyers have brought back defenseman Samuel Morin from his conditioning stint with AHL Lehigh Valley.  He has been working his way back from ACL surgery from an injury sustained in the minor league playoffs back in May and played in a pair of games with the Phantoms.  It’s likely that Morin won’t be thrown into action with Philadelphia right away but with the roster limit gone, they can have him on the active roster from here on out. The team also made defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Corban Knight paper transactions. The young Myers was the top defender for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantom prior to his recall, while Knight is an experienced AHLer who can lead a team. Their return for the postseason would be a major boost for the Phantoms.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Donovan from the AHL, placing Dan Hamhuis on injured reserve. Donovan is leading all Milwaukee Admirals defensemen in scoring with 29 points through 55 games, but hasn’t played an NHL game since 2014-15.
  • Christian Dvorak has officially been recalled from his conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners, meaning he’ll be back on the ice for the Arizona Coyotes soon. The young forward has missed the entire season up to this point, but could give the Coyotes a much needed offensive boost down the stretch.
  • Matt Luff was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings today, only to be returned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign later on alongside Michael Amadio. It’s unclear if this move was intended for AHL postseason means, seeing as the Reign are in last place in the entire league and aren’t going to be heading to the postseason.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned goaltender Marek Mazanec and forward Zack MacEwen to the AHL’s Utica Comets, the team announced. Mazanec’s demotion is good news for the Canucks; Thatcher Demko has been cleared for action and will dress for the Canucks as the backup tonight.
  • Teddy Blueger has been reassigned to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, but could be on his way back up shortly. With Tanner Pearson shipped out of town, Pittsburgh needs another forward and Blueger has been the next man up. He should get a chance at regular minutes down the stretch.
  • Collin Delia will return to the minors upon the activation of Corey Crawford, Chicago announced. Delia has performed admirably in net during Crawford’s absence and even earned a contract extension with his play, but needs the starts available in the AHL rather than sitting behind Crawford and Cam Ward.
  • With the Toronto Maple Leafs trading away Par Lindholm today, stating their desire to open up regular NHL minutes for Trevor Moore, it is no surprise that Moore was an emergency recall by the team. Moore has been the epitome of consistency through his time with the University of Denver and AHL Marlies and now hopes to bring that same dependable production to the NHL.
  • The Arizona Coyotes made a pair of paper transactions, assigning defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Conor Garland to the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners – to ensure their AHL postseason eligibility – and then called them back up.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes followed suit, making forwards Saku Maenalanen and Warren Foegele paper transactions, so that they may compete with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers if need be.
  • The Dallas Stars are without Mats Zuccarello after just one game with the trade addition. To fill his roster spot for the time being, the team has recalled Denis Gurianov from AHL Texas. Gurianov has shown flashes, but inconsistency in the pros, but now Dallas needs him to be a reliable option over the next four weeks.
  • Daniel O’Regan seemed like a likely trade candidate as a young impending free agent who has not been a fit in Buffalo. The Sabres even showcased him this past week, but to no avail. The deadline has come and gone and Regan is still a Sabre, or more accurately a Rochester American after being demoted today. Tage Thompson was a paper transaction for the club.
  • Dylan Sikura was made a paper transaction by the Chicago Blackhawks, as well. While the team would like to see what he can do in the NHL over the next month, the Blackhawks are trending away from the postseason, making Sikura’s best bet at postseason play a return to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The move today maintains his eligibility to do so.
  • The Colorado Avalanche made dependable depth forward Sheldon Dries a paper transaction, but the reassignments of fellow forwards A.J. Greer and Andrew Agozzino were not just formalities. The pair will head back to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, having presumably lost their roster spots to the healthy Colin Wilson and the acquisition of Derick Brassard.
  • Goaltender Harri Sateri, defenseman Filip Hronek, and forward Filip Zadina were all made paper transactions by the Detroit Red Wings. Sateri and Hronek are currently filling in as injury replacements and will likely return to the AHL for real in short time, but Detroit wants to see what top prospect Zadina can do in the NHL down the stretch. The Red Wings surely won’t be making the playoffs though, so they made sure the trio can all still experience a postseason run this year.
  • The Edmonton Oilers made veteran minor league forwards Brad Malone and Josh Currie paper transactions. The duo is currently helping out in the NHL, but with the Oilers’ playoff hopes all but dead, their major role the rest of the way will likely be as experienced leaders guiding the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors into the postseason.
  • Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin, and new addition Ryan Donato were all made paper transactions today by the Minnesota Wild. The trio is very much part of the Wild’s immediate plans this season, as well as their future, but Minnesota may not make the playoffs this year and the forwards could benefit from making a run with AHL Iowa.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews was another paper transaction. Toews has carved out a role for himself with the club, which currently leads the Metropolitan Division, but should be be available to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers come playoff time, a return to the team at a critical time would only further his development.
  • Lukas Radil was a paper transaction for the San Jose Sharks today. The Sharks are hoping to make a deep playoff run this year, but on the off chance that doesn’t materialize, the experienced forward Radil would be of benefit to the AHL Barracuda.
  • The Vancouver Canucks currently have defensemen Ashton Sautner and Guillaume Brisebois on the roster as the team battles injuries. However, to make sure the AHL’s Utica Comets were not stripped of two of their top defenders this season, Vancouver made the pair paper transactions today.
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have reassigned defenseman Tucker Poolman to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose today. The move was expected after the Jets traded for not one but two defenseman today. The move also serves to ensure Poolman can play in the AHL postseason if need be. The same goes for forward Mason Appleton, who was also sent down.
  • Peter Cehlarik and Karson Kuhlman have both been returned to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but it remains unclear if this is a paper transaction or an actual move by Boston. With the deadline passed and roster restrictions nullified, one would think that Cehlarik and Kulhman – who have both player regular minutes for the Bruins of late – would be back up. However, no such move has been made and perhaps the team simply wants to give the duo some more ice time in the minors now that their NHL roster includes several more veteran members up front.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have demoted defenseman Andy Welinski and forward Sam Steel in favor of defenseman Korbinian Holzer and goaltender Angus Redmond. The move may have something to do with AHL playoff eligibility, but more than anything it is about Redmond’s recall. The Ducks, who continue to struggle with injuries in net, will dress Redmond as their backup tonight with Ryan Miller sidelined with a lower-body injury. It is the first NHL experience for a keeper who has played almost exclusively in the ECHL as a pro.

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