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Rangers Claim Jake Leschyshyn; Panthers Claim Casey Fitzgerald

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The New York Rangers are the team willing to take a chance on Jake Leschyshyn, claiming him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The young forward was waived yesterday after failing to record a single point this season. They aren’t the only team nabbing a new player though. Casey Fitzgerald has been claimed by the Florida Panthers, meaning he’s leaving the Buffalo Sabres, the only organization he’s ever been a part of.

Leschyshyn, 23, is better than he has shown for the Golden Knights this season, but the fact was that he hadn’t produced any offense despite regular (albeit limited) playing time. Selected 62nd overall in 2017, the Rangers likely have confidence that they can get him back closer to the player that put up 27 points in 34 games for the Henderson Silver Knights last season. A versatile forward who can be good defensively, engage physically and play both center and wing, he doesn’t need to produce a ton to be valuable. He does have to produce some though, which will ultimately decide whether he stays in the Rangers lineup for long.

Fitzgerald’s loss is a critical one for the Sabres. As referenced yesterday, when he was placed on waivers, Buffalo has some of the thinnest organizational depth in the league on defense. With today’s loss, they are now tied with Seattle for the fewest defensemen under NHL contracts with 11. Should the team run into any injuries, they would quickly run into a tricky situation in terms of available call-ups. With the team legitimately challenging for a playoff spot, that may end up being an area of focus at the trade deadline.

For Florida though, Fitzgerald is a nice solution. In early December, we wrote that defensive depth was a serious need, as the coaching staff didn’t seem comfortable icing the bottom pair for more than a few minutes a game. Matt Kiersted, for instance, is averaging just 9:51 in his 20 appearances. Fitzgerald, who has played 59 games over the last two seasons with Buffalo, gives them another option there, perhaps one that can gain some trust.

It wouldn’t be the first time a waiver claim did well on the Panthers blue line. Gustav Forsling, who now logs more than 24 minutes a night, was claimed almost exactly two years ago and has lived up to the potential.

Florida Panthers Place Spencer Knight On Injured Reserve

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Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight is headed for injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, as reported by Florida Hockey Now’s Colby Guy. The team also announced Tuesday afternoon that they recalled Alex Lyon from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers to replace Knight on the active roster.

In a highly disappointing season for the Panthers, the play of the 21-year-old Knight has been a bright spot. He’s been markedly better than Sergei Bobrovsky, maintaining a 9-7-3 record despite the team’s record being below .500. Knight’s .906 save percentage is also more than 10 points higher than Bobrovsky’s .895 mark.

Based on the team’s messaging, it’s unclear how long we can expect Knight to stay on injured reserve. The only information head coach Paul Maurice gave today was that Knight isn’t “100 percent” and that the team will “get him checked out.”

In the meantime, expect the Panthers to do everything they can to get their $10MM man in Bobrovsky back on track. He’s been largely inconsistent throughout his mega-contract with Florida, but he showed signs of life last season. Unfortunately for the Panthers, he hasn’t been able to make it two strong seasons in a row.

Lyon, 30, remains among the better veteran third-string options in hockey. A defending Calder Cup champion with the Chicago Wolves, Lyon also brings 24 games of NHL experience to the Panthers bench. He has a .909 save percentage and a 9-8-2 record with Charlotte this season.

Florida Panthers Recall Chris Tierney

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After sending him down a few days back, the Florida Panthers recalled forward Chris Tierney today from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, according to a team tweet.

The 28-year-old veteran of more than 500 NHL games joined the Panthers this past offseason, somewhat surprisingly, on a two-way deal. His offensive production had trailed off throughout his four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, and he couldn’t crack the team out of training camp through a deep Panthers offensive lineup.

That’s led to Tierney not being a full-time NHLer for the first time since 2014-15, his first professional season. Even then, he was point-per-game in the AHL and played the majority of his games that season in the NHL.

Tierney has done well in the minors, recording 16 points in 20 games, but scored just three goals. Things have seemed to go better than expected for him in Sunrise, though, as he has three points through his meager five NHL appearances this season. It’s especially impressive given his minimal usage, as he’s played under eight minutes per game with Florida.

It’s unclear what exactly motivated Tierney’s recall, as Florida doesn’t have any injuries necessitating his presence. It could be that the Panthers want as large a roster as possible for their upcoming West Coast road trip, which they now do with 23 healthy skaters.

Florida Panthers Recall Givani Smith

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The Florida Panthers have brought Givani Smith back to the NHL, after sending him down just before Christmas. The move comes ahead of their game against the Arizona Coyotes this evening.

Smith, 24, has played just one game since arriving in Florida but managed to rack up seven penalty minutes in it. The big physical forward will give the team a little more bite after two straight losses against Metropolitan Division clubs.

After tonight, the Panthers will hit the road for a four-game trip that takes them through Detroit, Dallas, Colorado, and Vegas – a tough part of the schedule that includes time zone changes and an afternoon game against some top teams.

Whether he goes right into the lineup remains to be seen, but the Panthers have had trouble getting much consistency from the bottom part of the lineup this season, and could perhaps use a rotation on the road. Smith does have 86 games of NHL experience under his belt, with 145 penalty minutes to show for it. The second-round pick has scored seven goals and 14 points in his career.

Florida Panthers Loan Chris Tierney To AHL

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The Florida Panthers have announced that forward Chris Tierney has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

The move frees another spot on the Panthers’ roster, and they now have two open spots for players should they choose to call up others from the AHL or activate one of their two players on long-term injured reserve.

Tierney, 28, has played five NHL games with the Panthers this season, scoring three points. He’s done so in an extremely limited role, having played just under eight minutes of ice time per night.

Those three points in five games is solid work for an AHL call-up, and Tierney’s quality play this year has extended to his time in the AHL. With the Checkers, Tierney has 16 points in 19 games, good for second-most on the team.

While this loan back to the AHL isn’t exactly good news for him, Tierney has given the Panthers exactly what they were hoping for when they signed him to a one-year, league-minimum two-way deal over the summer.

For just $750k against the cap, providing near point-per-game AHL production and chipping in some points on an NHL call-up is nothing to scoff at. His form is especially encouraging given the circumstances of his exit from his previous organization, the Ottawa Senators.

Once a 48-point scorer, Tierney went from being a potential long-term piece to a salary cap anchor. Injuries played their role, and Tierney’s time in Ottawa ended with an unceremonious 18 points in 70 games.

He seems to have now placed the frustration of his last few years behind him and is providing the Panthers with a nice return on their investment.

With this loan back to the AHL, Tierney will return to Charlotte and look to resume his role as one of the team’s top scorers, with the hope that his continued quality play can earn him another recall to the NHL roster.

Florida Panthers Loan Anton Levtchi To AHL

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The Florida Panthers have loaned forward Anton Levtchi to their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

This move comes after Levtchi earned his first-ever NHL call-up four days ago. After making his NHL debut and getting into another game, Levtchi is headed back to Charlotte.

Levtchi, 27, is an undrafted forward who is in the middle of his first season in North America. The left winger has spent the past several years at Tappara Tampere in the Finnish Liiga, and he’d developed into one of the league’s very best scorers.

In 55 games last season Levtchi scored 26 goals and 61 points. This year, he’s spent most of his time in the AHL, where he’s found moderate success. He has 13 points in 24 games, and now he heads back to the AHL having gotten a taste of NHL action.

Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad To Return For Florida Panthers

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The Montreal Canadiens are the unlucky team that will see the return of several key players for the Florida Panthers tonight. Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Radko Gudas have all been cleared to return. It will also be the NHL debut of Anton Levtchi, who came over from the Finnish professional leagues this season.

Montreal not only has to play a much more healthy group but is also on the second half of a back-to-back after losing 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. After an encouraging start, the Canadiens are now 3-6-1 in their last ten and have fallen to last place in the Atlantic Division.

Florida, meanwhile, is only one point ahead of them in the standings, and are on their own three-game losing streak. The 2022 Presidents’ Trophy winners have struggled to produce consistent offense and rank near the bottom of the league in goals against. Sergei Bobrovsky, who will start tonight, is in another one of his bad years, posting a career-low .895 save percentage through 21 appearances.

Ekblad has played just 24 games so far and has been outscored 32-21 when on the ice at even strength. The 26-year-old has been in and out of the lineup with injuries. something that has become a trend in his career.

Barkov, usually considered the team’s most important player, has just 25 appearances on the year, and hasn’t played since exiting a game on December 17 early. The big center has 22 points but just six of those are goals, after scoring a career-high 39 last season (in just 67 games).

Levtchi, 27, signed a one-year, entry-level contract in June to give North American hockey a go, and has scored 13 points in 24 games for the Charlotte Checkers so far. The undrafted forward has developed into a superstar in Finland, scoring 61 points in 55 games last season with Tappara Tampere.

Panthers Notes: Barkov, Gudas, Ekblad, Kiersted, Levtchi

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The Panthers could have a pair of regulars back in the lineup on Thursday against Montreal as George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports that center Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Radko Gudas could be back for that contest.  Barkov has missed time due to illness twice this season which is a big loss for Florida as he’s their all-situations top middleman that once again is averaging close to a point per game.  Gudas, meanwhile, was injured early this month against Seattle, suffering a concussion.  The veteran has six points and 95 hits in 25 games so far this season.

However, it’s not all good news on the injury front for Florida as Richards adds that blueliner Aaron Ekblad might not be able to play against Montreal.  He suffered an upper-body injury on Friday and his absence would be a big blow as he’s logging over 24 minutes a night for the third straight season.  To that end, Richards tweets that blueliner Matt Kiersted has been recalled from the minors after being sent down over the weekend.  The 24-year-old has four points in 20 games with the Panthers this season.

Meanwhile, the team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled forward Anton Levtchi from AHL Charlotte.  The 27-year-old signed a one-year deal with Florida back in June after leading the SM-liiga in scoring last season with 61 points in 55 games with Tappara.  So far this season with the Checkers, Levtchi has seven goals and six assists in 24 contests.  Florida returned Givani Smith and Grigori Denisenko to the minors over the weekend and it appears they’ll stay in the minors for now with Levtchi getting his first NHL look instead.

Florida Panthers Recall Givani Smith

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After acquiring him just a few days ago in a three-way deal, the Florida Panthers have recalled Givani Smith to the NHL, where he will make his debut with the club.

The 24-year-old Smith was picked 46th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2016 and appeared as if he had finally cracked the NHL last season when he played 46 games. After adding several players through free agency, though, the Red Wings didn’t have room for the fourth liner and have put him mostly in the minor leagues this year.

In two games with Detroit this season, Smith failed to score and saw just 25 total shifts. The 6’2″ winger will get another chance to add impose his size and strength on opponents tonight, as he draws in against the New York Islanders for what should be a physical battle.

The Panthers, losers of two in a row and six of their last ten, haven’t been able to come anywhere near the Presidents’ Trophy-winning club from a year ago. Smith certainly won’t add to the missing offense – he has just 14 points in 85 career games – but can add some of the energy and snarl that players like Mason Marchment and MacKenzie Weegar had for the Panthers in 2021-22.

Florida Panthers Loan Aleksi Heponiemi To AHL

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On December 15th, the Florida Panthers recalled Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL on an emergency recall, as the team was dealing with an illness that was working its way around the roster.

Now, per a team announcement, Heponiemi has been returned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. It’s been a busy season so far for the young Finnish forward, as marks Heponiemi’s ninth transaction of 2021-22.

Heponiemi has scored three points in 10 NHL games this year and eight points in 18 AHL games. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Panthers 40th overall at the 2017 draft, fresh off of his impressive rookie season in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos. While Heponiemi scored 86 points in 72 games that year, it was his sophomore WHL season that rocketed him towards top prospect status.

In 2017-18, Heponiemi scored 118 points in just 57 games, which went along nicely with the 30 points he scored in 26 playoff games as the Broncos took home the WHL title.

That stunning performance led him to make his professional debut in the Finnish Liiga, playing for Karpat. He scored 46 points in 50 games, no small feat given the somewhat conservative nature of Liiga, and after that year he headed to North America.

Unfortunately for Heponiemi, the immense scoring success he found in Finland and in the WHL hasn’t translated to the North American professional ice. Heponiemi’s AHL scoring started slow, with just 14 points in 49 games in 2019-20. Last year it began to come along, though, as he scored 39 points in 56 games.

In the NHL Heponiemi has struggled with the lack of time and space he is afforded by a league with such fast and physical players. While his total of just six points and 25 total games played is a disappointment considering his once-lofty prospect status, the fact remains that he won’t turn 24 for a few more weeks, meaning there is still time for his game to grow.

He’ll need to put together a strong, productive season at the AHL level first, though, and this loan back to Charlotte will restore his platform to put that sort of year on his resume.

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