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Dallas Stars Acquire Reece Scarlett From Florida Panthers

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The Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers have made a minor league trade today, swapping Reece Scarlett and Ludwig Bystrom. Scarlett will head to Dallas after less than a year in the Florida organization as he was traded from New Jersey at last year’s deadline.

Scarlett, 23, was selected in the sixth round by the Devils in 2011 but hasn’t been able to take a step past solid AHL blueliner. That’s not to say he doesn’t have value in that role though, as he continually puts up solid point totals and can play in various situations.

Bystrom on the other hand was a second-round pick of the Stars in 2012. Selected 43rd-overall, he’d been holding his own in the Swedish Elite League and looked like he could make the jump to North American pro quickly. After a couple more successful seasons in the SHL he did come to the AHL in 2015, but hasn’t turned into the puck-rushing player they’d hoped for. He’d fallen down the depth chart considerably in Dallas, and will look for a fresh start with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Minor Transactions: 11/09/17

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The NHL is about to play regular season games in Europe for the first time in many years, as the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche are set to duel tomorrow night in Stockholm. As they entertain Sweden, the rest of the league is tightening up to continue their respective playoff runs. As always, we’ll keep track of the minor moves right here.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Dryden Hunt from the AHL, the first such transaction of his career. The 21-year old Hunt was an undrafted free agent, who scored 58 goals and 116 points in his final year of junior hockey. The Panthers signed him to an entry-level contract in the spring of 2016.
  • Roland McKeown has been assigned to the AHL by the Carolina Hurricanes, ending his short stint with the team. McKeown made his NHL debut just a few nights ago, and in his second game impressively recorded two assists. Those points came in fewer than ten minutes, as the Hurricanes limited his playing time considerably and heaped the minutes onto Jaccob Slavin and Justin Faulk. McKeown might not be quite ready for the NHL, but it won’t be long before the 21-year old is holding down a full-time role in the league.
  • The Hurricanes have also activated Lee Stempniak from injured reserve, only to send him to the AHL on a conditioning stint. Stempniak hasn’t played yet this season due to an upper-body injury, but is an important part of their offense. Despite his age (Stempniak will turn 35 in February) he still seemed as effective as ever last year scoring 40 points, most of which came at even strength.
  • With Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Gorges expected to return soon, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Zach Redmond back to the AHL. Redmond was acquired earlier this season from Montreal as a depth piece, and they’ve already needed him for three games. Since Rasmus Ristolainen has been downgraded to week-to-week, it’s possible you’ll see Redmond right back up if the Sabres experience another injury on the back end.
  • Austin Czarnik is on his way back to the AHL after his latest call-up with the Boston Bruins. The 24-year old will be assigned to the Providence Bruins on paper, but could be on his way back up if Brad Marchand isn’t able to go this weekend. Both Marchand and Noel Acciari are game-time decisions for the team tomorrow night, but the former isn’t actually with the team yet in Toronto.

Owen Tippett Sent Back To OHL

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The Florida Panthers—taking a page out of the Edmonton Oilers book—have sent 18-year old Owen Tippett back to his junior club. Tippett had played seven games with the Panthers, scoring one goal, but will now return to the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL. He will not burn a year of his entry-level contract as he played fewer than ten games. With the announcement, GM Dale Tallon released a statement:

Owen was impressive in his time with our club and has a bright future with the Panthers. This was a tough decision, but we think it’s best for his long-term development.

It’s hard to argue that this isn’t the best move for Tippett’s development, especially given what will likely transpire over the next few months. While Mississauga has gotten off to a slow start, they do have plenty of talent still and could turn things around enough to at least make the OHL playoffs. What will be very interesting though is Tippett’s international play. He’ll almost certainly be taken by Team Canada to the World Junior tournament in Buffalo after attending the Summer Showcase this year, but there could be an even more intriguing option.

Canada’s Olympic management team has already had discussions with the CHL on taking junior players to Pyeongchang, with Elliotte Friedman reporting on the negotiations. Friedman mentioned Jordan Kyrou as a possibility, but Tippett’s name would likely be added to that list. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reported earlier this summer that junior players would be eligible even if they’d already signed their entry-level contracts, and further to that even if they’d already played in the NHL. In specific, Whyno told PHR “if someone’s on a slide, in theory he’s eligible.” That would include Tippett (and Edmonton’s Kailer Yamamoto for the United States), making him an interesting player to watch over the next few months.

McCann, Sceviour, And Brickley Set To Return To The Lineup

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  • The Panthers will be getting some help from the infirmary tonight as NHL.com’s Alain Poupart reports (Twitter link) that forwards Jared McCann, Colton Sceviour, and Connor Brickley are all set to return to the lineup. McCann (lower-body) and Sceviour (upper-body) have each missed the last five games while Brickley (upper-body) has sat out the last three games.  Florida made a pair of roster moves yesterday to free up spots on the active roster when they returned forwards Denis Malgin and Chase Balisy to AHL Springfield.

Panthers Initially Offered A Shorter-Term Extension For Matheson; Luongo Remains Week-To-Week

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Michael Matheson’s eight-year, $39MM contract extension with the Panthers last month caught many by surprise.  He is the least-experienced player to receive a max-term deal and his is the cheapest by $7MM.  Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated reports that the eight-year contract wasn’t even on the mind of the team when they first approached him about an early extension as GM Dale Tallon proposed both a bridge deal and a longer-termed one of five or six years in length.  Instead, Matheson’s camp preferred to look for eight years, something that Tallon and the Panthers were clearly amenable to.  Despite their confidence in him, Matheson has struggled out of the gate this season with just one assist through 12 games while his ATOI is down by over two minutes a night but his new contract doesn’t get underway until 2018-19.

Keeping An Eye On Entry-Level Slides: An Update

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Two weeks ago we ran an article looking at the young players in the NHL who were also eligible to see their contracts slide by one year. Should they be sent back to their junior or European clubs before playing in 10 NHL games, they would avoid burning the first year of their entry-level contracts.

At the time, none of the players eligible had surpassed that threshold. Today is a different story. Three players have already played their 10th game in the NHL, changing the goalposts somewhat for their respective teams. Now, those clubs must decide whether or not to keep them past the next threshold of 40 games, when they’ll get a year closer to unrestricted free agency. Below, we’ll take an updated look at the entire group.

10+ Games Played

Mikhail Sergachev (TBL)
Victor Mete (MTL)
Alex DeBrincat (CHI)

Each of these three seemed to have a good shot at staying with their respective teams right from the start, but now the most interesting thing to watch will be that 40 game mark. For Sergachev especially it holds quite a bit of value. Due to a condition on the trade that brought him to Tampa Bay, if he fails to play 40 games this season the Montreal Canadiens would have to send a second-round draft pick (Montreal would also receive a sixth-round pick in return). That extra asset could be tantalizing for the Lightning, but with Sergachev’s outstanding start—the young defenseman has 10 points in 11 games—it may not be worth sending him away from the team.

8-9 Games Played

Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ)
Nico Hischier (NJD)
Jesper Bratt (NJD)
Nolan Patrick (PHI)

All four of these players seem destined to play past the nine game threshold, with Dubois set to play his tenth game tonight, and Patrick only sitting out due to injury this week. Bratt and Hischier have played in all eight of New Jersey’s games, combining for 13 points. Their strong early play will likely keep them in New Jersey for the year.

Interestingly, Dubois has lasted in the Columbus lineup despite registering just one point all season. He’s not being sent back before tonight’s game, but it will be interesting to see how the season plays out. He’s not struggling with the pace of play, but hasn’t received the opportunity to really show what his offensive ceiling is. Should Columbus face more injuries, Dubois could be thrust into a more important role.

5-7 Games Played

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Yamamoto is one of the most interesting cases, because though he’s played seven games with the club and at times been one of the ice-time leaders beside Connor McDavid, he was scratched last night against the Dallas Stars. As Leon Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula came back, there seemingly wasn’t a spot left for Yamamoto in the top nine.

The diminutive forward has three points through his seven contests, but isn’t a lock to stay past nine games if the Oilers feel he still needs some more development. Though he obviously has the skill to play at this level, if they’re not going to play him every night his path may lie back in the WHL. That would certainly change the fate for the Spokane Chiefs, his junior team, who are currently 8-6-1 on the season.

1-4 Games Played

Owen Tippett (FLA)
Janne Kuokkanen (CAR)
Samuel Girard (NSH)

Tippett finally worked his way into the lineup for Florida, and the early results suggest he could stay there all year. The winger from the Mississauga Steelheads scored his first goal last night, and could find himself getting more ice time as the Panthers try to dig their way out of a rough start. By no means is he guaranteed, but the team has hinted that he would stay in the NHL right away since the start of training camp.

Kuokkanen started off hot for the Hurricanes in limited minutes, but has been relegated to the press box for the team’s last five games. As we wrote in the previous article, the Hurricanes could actually send him to the AHL instead of back to junior, meaning he could bounce up and down this season.

Girard has certainly impressed in the three games he’s played, but none of those have come in the team’s last four. He may be back in the lineup tonight however when the team takes on the Chicago Blackhawks, and if he keeps up his high level of play they may have no choice but to keep him around. Still, it’s always tough for a 19-year old defender to stick in the NHL and especially one that is just 162-lbs. He’ll have to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s ready to be a contributor to this team all season.

No Longer On Roster

Logan Brown (OTT)
Filip Chytil (NYR)
Alex Formenton (OTT)
Martin Necas (CAR)

All four made their NHL debuts, but were eventually sent back before breaking the first threshold. Only Chytil remains in the North American professional ranks, currently playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.

Florida Panthers Recall Chase Balisy

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The Florida Panthers have made a roster move to start the morning off, recalling Chase Balisy from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The move is likely in response to Connor Brickley’s upper-body injury suffered last night, which has been deemed day-to-day.

Balisy, 25, was a sixth-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2011, but has yet to crack an NHL lineup in his professional career. After four years at Western Michigan University, where he was a captain and solid offensive contributor, he’s found success in the minor leagues as well. Last year for the Thunderbirds, he scored 45 points in 76 games and though he’s off to a slow start in the minors this year still has the skill to hop to the next level, at least on a part-time basis.

The Panthers ended up beating the Anaheim Ducks 8-3 last night, on the backs of several new faces. Radim Vrbata scored three times while Evgeni Dadonov netted a pair himself. The most interesting may have been Owen Tippett though, who broke through with his first NHL goal in his fourth game. Tippett represents the start of the next wave of Panthers’ players, and Balisy will try to throw his name into that hat.

Teddy Purcell, Lauri Korpikoski Sign Overseas

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Two of the more notable names left without an NHL contract when the 2017-18 season began have come to terms on new deals elsewhere. Teddy Purcell, a former 65-point scorer who of late was on a PTO with the Boston Bruins, signed with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk today, the team announced. Lauri Korpikoski, fresh off a strong campaign with the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, somewhat surprisingly drew little attention this off-season and has now signed with the ZSC Lions of the NLA, according to a team release. The former Edmonton teammates will each look to rejuvenate their careers overseas this season.

Purcell, 32, was had a roller coaster career. The undrafted University of Maine product made a surprise jump to the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007-08 after just one year of college and made an immediate impact. After being swapped for Jeff Halpern early in his career, Purcell took off with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 51 points his first season and 65 the next. His scoring continued, but that didn’t stop the Bolts from trading him to the Edmonton Oilers, who in turn traded him to the Florida Panthers less than two years later. During this time, Purcell had continued to be a consistent scorer no matter where he landed. So, when Purcell given nearly no attention in the free agent market last year and ended up back in L.A. and soon after buried in the minors, it came as a shock to many. This time around, no one was surprised when Purcell was unable to turn his tryout in Boston into a contract, but the fact remains that there is still no evidence that Purcell ever stopped being a solid play-making forward. Now in Russia, Purcell has the potential to light it up with Avangard. Don’t be surprised if the swift winger scores early and often in the KHL and catches the eye of the Canadian Olympic team.

As for Korpikoski, his off-season went much like Purcell’s last year. 20 points in 60 games aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it was a pleasantly surprising season for Korpikoski in Dallas. The two-way forward had never been a big producer – his career high 40 points came back in 2010-11 with the Phoenix Coyotes, a team on which he was pressed into a top-six role due to a lack of talent – but Korpikoski had made a career out of his well-rounded game. A 2004 first-round pick of the New York Rangers, the now-31-year-old was a hard-working and reliable player for long stretches in New York and Arizona, but a drop-off in production in the desert and a subsequent trade to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015 looked like the beginning of the end. Yet, the Stars took a gamble last summer and it paid off with a sold effort from Korpikoski and a trade return of young defenseman Dillon Heatherington from Columbus at the deadline. However, the renewed interest never came and Korpikoski has had to settle for Switzerland. With ZSC, Korpikoski will join a talented NLA team and will get a chance to skate alongside NHL veterans like Robert Nilsson and Drew Shore. While Finland is in better shape for the upcoming Winter Games than the U.S. or Canada, don’t count out the possibility of the veteran Finn winger from getting the call to go to Pyeongchang as well.

Florida Sends Harri Sateri Back To AHL

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  • Harri Sateri has been sent back to the AHL by the Florida Panthers, after the team claimed Antti Niemi off waivers yesterday. The 27-year old Sateri didn’t get into a game, and has a slow start in his return to North America. Originally a draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, Sateri left for the KHL in 2014 where he found immediate success. Earlier this summer he turned down an extension with his KHL club in order to try and secure and NHL job, and eventually signed a two-way deal with Florida to essentially be their #3. With a .859 save percentage in the AHL, and now Niemi in the fold, he’ll have to play better if he wants to get a crack at a full-time NHL role (even as a backup) down the road.

Niemi Claimed By Florida; Cracknell On Waivers

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The waiver period from yesterday has come to a close, and Antti Niemi has been claimed by the Florida Panthers. Niemi was placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday after allowing seven goals in his most recent game. Eric Fehr, Jordan Schroeder and Colin McDonald all cleared. The New York Rangers have also placed Adam Cracknell on waivers today.

Roberto Luongo is currently on injured reserve for the Panthers with a hand injury, meaning Niemi will serve as the backup for James Reimer until he’s ready to return. It’s interesting that the team would make a claim for an established backup, and likely indicates that the injury will keep Luongo out for at least a little while. The team had Harri Sateri up with the NHL club on emergency loan, but should be sent back to the AHL later today.

For Fehr, Schroeder and McDonald, clearing waivers doesn’t necessarily mean a trip to the AHL. The Maple Leafs had a scare with James van Riemsdyk last night when he went awkwardly into the boards, and though he didn’t miss a shift there is no rush to move Fehr out. The veteran forward’s spot could be used to bring back Calle Rosen or call up another young forward, but placing him on waivers could have also been an attempt to increase his trade value.

Schroeder was likely ticketed for the AHL until an ankle injury sidelined Lukas Sedlak in practice yesterday. Today, Schroeder is practicing with the team in the absence of Alexander Wennberg (maintenance), and could stay with the club to provide fourth-line depth. As expected, Zac Dalpe moved into that role today but is far from a guarantee to fill it long-term.

After starting the year on season-opening injured reserve, McDonald is likely headed for the AHL as the Flyers don’t have an obvious opening for him. The only two forwards who are waiver-exempt are Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny, neither of which are going anywhere soon unless the team changes their mind on keeping Patrick past the nine game threshold—he’s currently at eight.

Cracknell is on waivers for the second time already this year, after being claimed by the Rangers from Dallas earlier this month. In four games for New York, he’s been held pointless in seven and a half minutes of ice time per night. Never expected to be much more than fourth line depth, Cracknell could still serve that purpose if he clears tomorrow.

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