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Minor Transactions: 12/31/19

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The NHL is embracing the celebratory feeling on New Year’s Eve with a few afternoon games today, including a tough matchup between the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals. As that gets underway, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Givani Smith from the AHL after Andreas Athanasiou suffered another injury. Athanasiou could be out for a few weeks according to head coach Jeff Blashill, though the team isn’t in a position to compete for the playoffs anyway.
  • The Arizona Coyotes recalled Michael Chaput last night, giving them another option up front for their game against the St. Louis Blues. That game represents another potential playoff matchup, as the Blues are running away with the Central Division but Coyotes could drop into a wild card spot at any point.

Jake Guentzel Out Four To Six Months

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their top offensive weapons for the rest of the season. Jake Guentzel has undergone shoulder surgery after suffering an injury last night and is expected to be out for four to six months.

Guentzel, 25, had taken his game to another level this season, leading the Penguins in scoring through the first part of the season with 43 points in 39 games. His presence at the top of the lineup had been the only real constant this season as Pittsburgh dealt with injuries to almost every other impact player, including Sidney Crosby who remains out. Guentzel had been rewarded with his first All-Star appearance, though obviously he now will not be able to attend (or, at least play).

This is just the latest in a brutal string of injuries for Pittsburgh, and yet the team continues to stay near the top of the standings in the Metropolitan Division. Thanks to a successful makeshift lineup and strong goaltending, the group sits in second place with a 24-11-4 record and only seven points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals. In fact, Pittsburgh is on an 8-2 run in their last ten and now have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.

Losing Guentzel for the rest of the year though will hurt dearly, as the young forward was averaging nearly 21 minutes a night and had turned into a real star in this league. A recovery period of four months would potentially allow him to return for some playoff action, but the team may have to try and win the Stanley Cup without Guentzel this season.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Bruins, Mikheyev

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for the previous week, handing out the top honors to Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. The big Swedish star had eight points in three games including a four-assist effort against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Even with the Lightning struggling to find any sort of consistency this season, Hedman is having an outstanding year with 37 points in 35 games.

Second place went to St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has continued his outstanding play from last season and now carries a .921 save percentage on the year. The 26-year old is the backbone of a team that looks ready to compete for the Stanley Cup once again. Finishing the group is John Tavares, who takes home the third star after a seven-point week with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The high-flying Maple Leafs are scoring goals at a staggering pace, even as they deal with injuries all over the roster.

  • Speaking of injuries all over the roster, the Boston Bruins gave updates on several players today. David Krejci, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy and Connor Clifton will all not travel with the team to New Jersey. Brad Marchand who was absent was taking a maintenance day and will play. After getting back on track recently with a trio of wins, the Bruins have stretched their lead in the Atlantic Division back to ten points.
  • One player that will be traveling, though not to a team’s next destination, is Ilya Mikheyev. The Maple Leafs forward has been released from hospital in New Jersey and will fly back to Toronto today after having surgery to repair his lacerated wrist. GM Kyle Dubas stayed in New Jersey with Mikheyev while he was tended to and will be traveling back with him today. The rookie forward could miss the rest of the season with the injury after severing tendons and arteries in his wrist.

Minor Transactions: 12/30/19

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With just one game on the schedule for this evening, teams are licking their wounds waiting for the New Year and the second half of the NHL season. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will be in action, but even those on a rest day will be making minor tweaks. As those come in, we’ll list them here.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Timothy Liljegren and Teemu Kivihalme, two defensemen yet to make their NHL debuts. The Maple Leafs already lost Jake Muzzin to a broken foot and need to replace him on the roster. It seems Kivihalme will get the first shot, as Liljegren has already been returned to the AHL Marlies.
  • With Charlie McAvoy going onto injured reserve, the Boston Bruins have recalled Jeremy Lauzon under emergency conditions. McAvoy hasn’t played since before Christmas, though the injury isn’t expected to keep him out long-term. The Bruins got some good news on the injury front as well, activating forward Karson Kuhlman from the injured reserve and assigning him to AHL Providence.
  • Calvin Pickard has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings once again, giving them another healthy goaltender. Pickard has ended up playing two games for Detroit this season, but has a 5.32 GAA and .818 save percentage.
  • Mathieu Joseph is heading back to the minor leagues once again, something the Tampa Bay Lightning have done several times this month. The young forward has still spent most of his season with the NHL club, but is bouncing back and forth lately.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Joachim Blichfield from the AHL Barracuda, giving the youngster another opportunity after he made his NHL debut early last month. Blichfield has been one San Jose’s best minor league forwards this season and the struggling Sharks could use an offensive boost if he can translate his game to the next level.
  • Daniel Sprong is back in the NHL after a brief layover with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The Anaheim Ducks called up the young forward, who has spent considerable time with the team this year, but has only actually played in one game. Sprong recorded 19 points in 47 games with the Ducks last year and already has 19 points in 25 games with the Gulls, so he has the potential to make an impact in Anaheim if given the chance.
  • With the Minnesota Wild activating captain Mikko Koivu, the team has reassigned rookie forward Nico Sturm to AHL Iowa. Sturm, a highly sought-after college free agent last spring, has 12 points in 25 games wIowa this year and a pair of points in six games with Minnesota as well.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/19

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There were nine games in the NHL last night and, outside of a surprising 6-1 drubbing of the Flyers by the Sharks, it was a slate of tight results. The other eight match-ups combined for a margin of victory of just 12 goals, including five one-goal decisions. With another ten games on the docket today, including five divisional rivalries, it should be another competitive slate. Every team will be trying to make the right roster moves to improve their odds of winning, so keep up with all of the action here:

  • Last night, the Nashville Predators recalled Yakov Trenin, replacing the roster spot of Colton Sissons, who has been placed on injured reserve. Trenin has been up-and-down frequently this season, playing in six games with the Predators and 20 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Trenin’s minor league production this season suggests he could assert himself as a top-nine forward for Nashville if he continues to get opportunities.
  • Another notable move last night was the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signing Sebastien Caron to a PTO to serve as their emergency backup goalie. That name should be familiar, as Caron made his WBS Penguins debut back in 2000-01 and made 95 NHL appearances over a 15-year pro career, 90 of which came with Pittsburgh and the other five in brief stops with Chicago, Anaheim, and Tampa Bay. Caron also spent parts of nine seasons in Europe. Since retiring from regular play in 2015-16, Caron has made multiple emergency backup appearances for the AHL Penguins, as well as the Binghamton Devils.
  • Derek Forbort finally returned to action last night, as the Los Angeles Kings activated the defenseman from the injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a conditioning loan. Forbort began the season on the injured reserve with a back injury, but looked like he was trending toward a return in late November. However, Forbort suffered a setback during a previous conditioning stint and never made it back to active duty with the Kings. The team hopes that this time around he can stay healthy in the AHL and make his NHL debut sooner rather than later.
  • With a few days between games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Kenny Agostino and Timothy Liljegren back to the AHL. With Jake Muzzin out due to a broken foot and Rasmus Sandin currently overseas playing for Sweden, Liljegren seems to be the next in line for an NHL opportunity in Toronto.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have assigned forward Morgan Frost to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL and have activated forward Michael Raffl off of injured reserve. Frost, one of the team’s top prospects, scored two goals in his first two NHL games, but has failed to score in the past 16 games. His last game, the team’s 6-1 loss to San Jose, Frost finished with a minus-three rating. He will return to the AHL to find his scoring confidence. Raffl has been inserted in the Flyers’ lineup after sitting out since Dec. 3 after breaking his finger. The 31-year-old has three goals and six assists this season in 28 games.

Pacific Notes: Markstrom, Hjalmarsson, Nygard

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The Vancouver Canucks are locked into a battle to hold onto one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. The team is tied with the Edmonton Oilers with 44 points for the final playoff spot and much of the team’s success has fallen on starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

The 29-year-old netminder has been solid with a 13-11-3 record with a 2.63 GAA and an impressive .919 save percentage and has been critical in stealing victories for a team desperate to make the playoffs. The Canucks have a challenge approaching them this summer as the goalie hits unrestricted free agent this summer. With backup Thatcher Demko posting an inconsistent season and salary cap concerns, the team has made it clear that locking up Markstrom to a long-term deal is a priority for the team.

NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz looks at what it might cost to sign Markstrom, finding several comparison goaltenders, pointing to Ottawa’s Craig Anderson and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard. Both goalies, when they signed their long-term deals years ago, were comparable players to Markstrom, who has gone from middling prospect, to solid backup, to impressive starter. If you take fast forward their deals to the current salary cap structure, it would come out somewhere between $5-6MM, something the team should be able to afford.

  • The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required) writes that the Arizona Coyotes are close to getting back a key defenseman. Niklas Hjalmarsson, who has been out since Oct. 12 after breaking his left fibula on a slapshot from Colorado’s Erik Johnson, worked out on his own Friday, but is expected to return to practice soon, according to head coach Rick Tocchet. Hjalmarsson was projected to miss 10-12 weeks with the injury and it has now been 11 weeks, suggesting his return is close.
  • Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is considered to be one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, but the skilled forward lost to teammate Joakim Nygard in the Faster Skater competition at the Oilers Skills Competition Sunday, the team announced. Nygard, signed out of the SHL during the offseason, skated 14.014, beating McDavid, by three one-hundredths of a second, who finished with a 14.041. Nygard has served most of his time in the bottom-six. He has two goals and six points in 24 games this year.

Edmonton Oilers Interested In Chicago’s Brandon Saad

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The Edmonton Oilers are not getting much offense from their other lines and desperately need help. Almost all of the team’s offense has come from their top line of Connor McDavid (22-41-63), Leon Draisaitl (22-39-61) and Zack Kassian (13-13-26). James Neal has chipped in 16 goals, but after that, the Oilers just don’t have the top-six players they need. However, the team is trying to rectify that by the trade deadline as Edmonton has shown interest in Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad, according to Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins.

The Oilers and Blackhawks might be a good match as Chicago is looking for defensive prospects, something that Edmonton is loaded with. The Oilers’ top two prospects are blueliners in Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg, although neither are likely to be included in a trade for Saad. However, the team has a number of secondary prospects that could interest Chicago, including William Lagesson, Caleb Jones and Dmitri Samorukov to name a few. Saad might make a good fit as well for Edmonton as he would slot onto the team’s second line and could shift Neal back to the right side, where he has been more successful. The only problems for Edmonton is Saad’s salary, which is at $6MM for the next two years. While the Oilers might be able to make Saad’s salary work for this year, next year’s salary could prove more challenging for the team.

Chicago, meanwhile, has $72.5MM invested in just 15 players next season with several significant free agents, including goaltenders Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford as well as forward Dylan Strome and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. The team might be willing to unload Saad in a cost-cutting effort for next season. Saad is currently out for three weeks due to an ankle injury, but should have been back on the ice for a month by the time the trade deadline rolls around.

Edmonton hopes that prospects might be enough to persuade Chicago to trade Saad as Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has shown an unwillingness to move draft picks, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

“I’ve been told the Oilers internally feel that they have given up way too many draft picks,” Friedman said on 630 CHED radio in Edmonton on Friday. “And as you look back in (their) last five drafts, in four of them, (they’ve) had holes in how many players they could take. So, I think two picks for (Taylor) Hall, that was one of the reasons why (they) didn’t want to do it.”

Friedman also suggests that the Oilers have expressed interest in Tyler Toffoli of the Kings, but Los Angeles would be looking for picks, which could be a stumbling block for the Oilers.

Snapshots: Lafreniere, Chromiak, Omsk

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Alexis Lafreniere, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has already improved (or rather confirmed) his draft stock at the ongoing World Junior Championship, but he may not have the opportunity to continue shining at the tournament. Lafreniere suffered a leg injury during Team Canada’s match-up with Russia on Saturday. He fell awkwardly while crashing the net and had to be helped off the ice (video). He did not return to the game and may not return to action at the WJC altogether. Lafreniere has already been ruled out for Canada’s next game against Germany, but TSN’s Frank Seravalli says that beyond that his status is up in the air. Seravalli reports that Lafreniere’s MRI results came back negative for any fracture or torn ligaments, which is good news long-term, but doesn’t necessarily mean that Lafreniere will be ready to go in time to suit up for Canada again at the WJC.

  • The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs received a major boost yesterday by finally landing a commitment from forward Martin Chromiak. Chromiak, a 2020 NHL Draft prospect, was selected by Kingston with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 CHL Import Draft. The Slovakian winger has been playing in his native country’s top pro league this season, recording five goals and six points in 32 games with HK Dukla Trencin thus far, after putting up 46 points in 39 games in the U-20 league last year. The Frontenacs stated that while the process took longer than they had hoped, they are excited to have the skilled Chromiak as part of their team moving forward. Kingston has the second-worst record in the OHL this year and can use all the help they can get.
  • Two players that won’t be making the jump to North America are Alexei Emelin and Sergei Shirokov. The NHL veterans have each signed new two-year contract extensions with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk. Emelin, the more well-known of the two, played in six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and one with the Nashville Predators before signing with Omsk in 2018. Avangard’s captain and top defenseman, Emelin has been injured for much of this season but is still a top two-way defender in the KHL when healthy, even at 33. Shirokov, who played two seasons in the Vancouver Canucks system from 2009 to 2011, has otherwise been a career KHLer, despite perennial rumors that he could jump back to the NHL. Now in his second stint with Omsk, Shirokov’s offense has actually improved over the past few years since entering his thirties and is back at it this year with 19 points through 25 games.

Central Notes: Sissons, Laviolette, Shaw, Perreault

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The Nashville Predators lost another forward Friday as the team has placed forward Colton Sissons on injured reserve with a lower-body injury during the team’s 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to the Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina. By being placed on IR, Sissons cannot return for at least seven days, meaning he is expected to miss Wednesday’s Winter Classic in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.

Sissons was injured during the first period Friday after teammate Nick Bonino tripped up Pittsbugh Zach Aston-Reese who fell on Sissons’ ankle. He was wearing a walking boot after the game to protect his ankle. The 26-year-old had seven goals and 13 points in 37 games so far this season.

The team recalled forward Yakov Trenin from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, who is expected to fill in some depth for the Predators.

  • Sticking with the Predators, despite the team’s struggles in the standings (sixth place in the Central Division), The Athletic’s Adam Vingan writes that he doesn’t see an easy fix to fixing the fortunes of a team originally predicted to be among the top teams in the Western Conference. The scribe writes that firing coach Peter Laviolette isn’t a likely scenario as he remains in good standing with management and general manager David Poile doesn’t have a history of firing coaches. In fact, in nearly 40 years, Poile has only had five head coaches total.
  • Chicago Blackhawks fans that were hoping to see forward Andrew Shaw soon will be disappointed, but head coach Jeremy Colliton said that the rugged forward will not be returning to the team anytime soon, according to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis. Shaw, has been out since Nov. 30 with a concussion, and his status hasn’t improved much. The team is also without Drake Caggiula, also out with a concussion since Nov. 10. Caggiula, who is deemed closer by Colliton, however, will not join Chicago on their upcoming three-game roadtrip.
  • The Winnipeg Jets could be getting back one of their players shortly. The Athletic’s Murat Ates reports that forward Mathieu Perreault continues to wear a yellow non-contact jersey, but the 31-year-old hopes to get in a full practice in soon with the hopes of possibly returning to the lineup on Tuesday when the team faces Colorado. Perreault has been out since Dec. 15 with a concussion. He has six goals and 12 points in 33 games this season and would be a great addition to the team’s bottom-six.

Leafs’ Ilya Mikheyev Out At Least Three Months Following Wrist Laceration

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4:57 PM — CapFriendly reports that the Maple Leafs did not have cap space to recall both Kenny Agostino and Timothy Liljegren earlier today. In fact, the team was $558,816 short of getting both under the cap, which forced them to place Mikheyev on long-term injured reserve, giving Toronto an extra $925K to work with.

9:27 AM — Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev suffered a scary injury on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils when the skate of Jesper Bratt sliced his right wrist. Mikheyev skated off the ice under his own power, but left a trail of blood in his wake. He was immediately transported to a local Newark hospital for treatment, where he still remains. While Mikheyev was stable by the end of the night, there was no immediate word on the extent of his injury.

That word has come down this morning from agent Dan Milstein, echoed by Toronto, and it is a worst-case scenario for the Leafs. Milstein revealed that Mikheyev not only suffered damage to the artery in his wrist, but also the tendons. He underwent surgery to repair both and is expected to make a full recovery. However, Milstein states that he will not be re-evaluated for 90 days, at which time the Maple Leafs will be able to reveal a more accurate timeline. The earliest that the talented winger can return would potentially be late March, but it is more likely that he is done for at least the regular season, if not longer.

Mikheyev, 25, is in his first season in the NHL after leaving the KHL behind to sign a one-year, entry-level contract with Toronto. At a price point of just $925K, Mikheyev had already proven to be a bargain addition for the Leafs, recording 23 points in his first 39 games. The team will have to find a way to replace the production of a player on pace for nearly 50 points on the year.

 

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