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Minor Transactions: 10/13/19

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The Oilers and Avalanche stayed undefeated and the Senators stunned the Lightning on Saturday, which featured a busy slate of 14 games. As usual, Sunday is somewhat quieter, but tonight’s three match-ups feature two Pacific Division rivalry games and a battle between injury-bitten clubs as the Jets host the Penguins. As teams react to yesterday’s games and prepare for tonight and the week ahead, follow along with all of the roster transactions right here:

  • Fresh off of an inspired first win of the season over the reigning President’s Trophy winners, the Ottawa Senators are getting ready to welcome a veteran asset back to the lineup. The team announced that rookie forward Vitaly Abramov has been reassigned to AHL Belleville. In his place, Mikkel Boedker is expected to return to the lineup, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Boedker left the team’s season opener with an injury and has not played since, but seems ready to return and contribute. The 29-year-old is hoping to re-discover his 50-point form as he’s expected to play a larger role in Ottawa this year compared to last.
  • The Minnesota Wild are still searching for their first point on the season – they are the only team without one – and are calling in reinforcements. The team announced that they have recalled forward Gerry Mayhew from the minors. Mayhew’s recall has been much-anticipated after he broke records in AHL Iowa last year with 27 regular season goals and nine postseason goals in just eleven games. A standout at Ferris State University, Mayhew’s production has actually improved at the pro level. The 26-year-old recorded 60 points last year for Iowa and already has six points through five games this year. The Wild hope that he again excels against elevated competition in his first NHL call-up. The team could certainly use the help. The Minnesota Wild also announced that prospect Ivan Lodnia has been assigned from the Iowa Wild of the AHL to his junior team, the Niagra Ice Dogs of the OHL. The 20-year-old hasn’t played a game with the Iowa Wild and will instead play an overage season in the OHL. Drafted in the third-round of the 2017 draft, Lodnia appeared in just 41 games last year, posting solid numbers, however, 17 goals and 45 points. Lodnia appeared in six regular season games at the end of the 2018-19 season, but failed to register a point.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Curtis Lazar from the Rochester Americans of the AHL, according to The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon. With a four-game schedule coming up this week, which includes a three-game road trip to California, the team needed some extra forward depth, especially after the injury to Conor Sheary. Lazar spent all of last season in the AHL with the exception of one game with the Calgary Flames. He’ll likely be used as a healthy scratch, but could work his way into one game.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled forward Brian Gibbons from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 31-year-old forward has fared well in the AHL with a goal and four points in four games. He spent all of 2018-19 in the NHL, playing 44 games (two goals and five points) with the Anaheim Ducks before being traded to Ottawa where he posted six goals and 14 points in 20 games. He will likely be there to provide depth after the injury to Jordan Martinook.

Pacific Notes: Hjalmarsson, Subban, Middleton

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The Arizona Coyotes could be without one of their defensemen for a while as The Athletic’s Craig Morgan noted last night that Niklas Hjalmarsson left Pepsi Center last night on crutches. The 32-year-old blocked a shot last night from Erik Johnson against Colorado Saturday and was forced to leave the game. He only played 4:32.

Morgan reported that Hjalmarsson did not join the team on their flight to Winnipeg last night and while there is no word on the severity of the injury, he is expected to miss some time.

“At this point I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be day to day,” said head coach Rick Tocchet after the game Saturday. “That’s a big loss for us. Nik is a good defenseman.”

The team is expected to recall a defenseman to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman while Hjalmarsson is out. The scribe followed that report up that Kyle Capobianco, who was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners Saturday, will be returning to the team.

  • Sinbin’s Steve Carp suggests that the Vegas Golden Knights could be in trouble in goal in the near future with the constant injury problems that backup Malcolm Subban has dealt with over his career in Vegas. Subban left after the first period Thursday against Arizona with a lower-body injury. The team brought Oscar Dansk up as an emergency recall, but the problem is 34-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury has received no rest so far this year, which could continue with the team likely hesitant to give Dansk a start. The team also has Garret Sparks in the AHL, who they can recall, but have not done so yet. However, with Subban unable to remain healthy, the team may have some issues to come down the road if they can’t get a solid goaltender to take a significant amount of playing time from an overworked Fleury.
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer gave an update for defenseman Jacob Middleton, who has been out with an undisclosed injury, and is just one of a number of defensive injuries that has depleted the Sharks’ depth there so far this year. The blueliner is expected to miss between four to six weeks, according to Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. The scribe writes that the team is more likely to get back veteran Dalton Prout sooner as he has already started skating again.

Metropolitan Notes: Kempny, Kreider, Gavrikov

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Michal Kempny’s name has become a constant when it comes to injury updates for the Washington Capitals. Yet after skating today at an optional practice, the blueliner stated that he believes he’s ready to return to game action and intends to talk to the trainer, doctor and the coaches today in order to make a plan on when he can come back, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.

“I feel like I can play a game right now, so we’re going to discuss everything today with (head athletic trainer Jason Serbus) and (team physician John Klimkiewicz) and we’re going to pick a game, pick a day. It’s real close.”

The Capitals face off Monday against the Colorado Avalanche, which could be a possibility for Kempny, who has been out with a hamstring injury. If not, then he’s expected to return to the lineup sometime this week.

  • After blocking numerous shots during Saturday’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers, it was noted that New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider wasn’t at practice. According to New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis, head coach David Quinn said the forward is considered day-to-day and the undisclosed injury isn’t considered “long term.” The 28-year-old, who could find himself on the trade block when the trade deadline nears, has yet to score a goal this year. He has two assists in three games.
  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has won the No. 6 defenseman job. The 23-year-old blueliner has broken through and has bonded with David Savard to form a shutdown pair and look like they will both hold down their third-pairing role. “Savvy’s just a really good player. He understands how we have to play,” head coach John Tortorella said. “Gavi’s made tremendous improvement in the last couple of games in making the decision and going with it, being more aggressive in his thinking and not playing in between.”

Pressure Mounting On Devils To Make A Call On Taylor Hall

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An 0-3-2 start is not exactly what was expected of the revamped New Jersey Devils to begin the season. The team added pieces that they felt would improve the offense in Norris-trophy winning defenseman P.K. Subban, veteran power forward Wayne Simmonds, KHL superstar Nikita Gusev, and No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes. At least on paper, it was supposed to provide a major boost for the Devils, but the results on the ice have not reflected the influx of talent just yet. While the off-season investment was primarily due to the team’s disappointing 15th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last year, GM Ray Shero was also surely looking ahead to next summer and trying to convince the team’s biggest star, 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, that New Jersey is a good place to be for the next stage of his career. However, if the team continues to struggle and Hall is unconvinced of future success with the Devils, Shero and company need to make a move, and the sooner they do the better return they can command. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Devils’ win-less start to the year has others around the league wondering how patient the team will be on making a decision on Hall.

Should he reach the open market this off-season, Hall would undoubtedly be the prize of free agency. While the likes of Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Pietrangelo could potentially be available as well, Hall will be just 28 years old and already has an MVP performance on his resume. Especially if his injury issues are behind him, Hall represents an opportunity to add a player with 40-goal and 100-point upside perennially over a long-term deal. If he could produce at that level on a very shallow Devils team two years ago, there’s no limit to what he could do finally playing for a true contender for the first time in his career. The Devils would like Hall to think that they have the makings of being that true contender that can surround him with elite talent for years to come. However, if they fail to back up that assertion with continued struggles this season, the last thing that Shero can do is wait too long and allow Hall to walk away without any return.

According to Friedman’s colleague Chris Johnston, Hall’s agent Darren Ferris has had little communication yet with the Devils on an extension. While Johnston doesn’t rule out the two sides agreeing to a new deal, the outcome will grow more and more unlikely with each notch in the loss column. Even if New Jersey fails to put up points, Hall will. He has shown in the past that he can produce at a high level on losing teams and, barring another injury-riddled campaign, his market value is nearly concrete. Ferris and Hall know that New Jersey is not the only team that would be willing to give him the contract he desires and will likely hold out on extension talks until there is more sign of promise coming from the Devils’ results on the ice.

If there is no hope of such a resolution, due to the Devils’ miscues or otherwise, Hall will have to be traded. At a $6MM cap price tag, his contract is hardly an albatross that interested teams would struggle to add, especially as the season wears on. Regardless of when Shero chooses to pull the trigger, the team will get a great return for Hall’s services. Yet, the team would obviously maximize that return by making the decision to deal him before the trade deadline in late February. In fact, the earlier the better, especially in light of Hall’s recent injury concerns. But is this too early? While he reports that there are already rumblings from interested persons across the NHL, Friedman says that it is “way too soon” for the team to talk about moving Hall. He notes New Jersey’s difficult schedule to begin the year and feels that they deserve to give themselves a larger sample size of Hall playing alongside their talented new additions before making any sort of projection on how the season will turn out. Friedman admits that Shero is a bold general manager, but doesn’t expect a move at this point or in the immediate future.

So then just how soon could Hall be dealt if the Devils don’t improve? While Canada celebrates Thanksgiving today, it is American Thanksgiving in late November that is commonly used as a benchmark for the likelihood of success of a team’s season. Over the last six years, more than 70% of teams in a playoff spot at that point have earned a postseason berth. If New Jersey is not in the playoff picture or at least close and there is no alternative reason other than the team continuing to underperform relative to their talent level as they have through five games, that’s likely when the status quo could change on Hall. In the meantime, interest will continue to build in Hall as he remains unsigned and pressure will mount if the Devils don’t begin to win some games with regularity.

Pacific Notes: Marleau, Sorenson, Eakin, Crouse

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The San Jose Sharks lost a key piece of their core this offseason when veteran Joe Pavelski signed with the Dallas Stars. The Sharks were looking to bring in some of their young prospects to fill the gaps on their team. However, it didn’t take long for San Jose to realize that those pieces might not be ready yet.

The team rectified that issue when it went out and inked former Sharks’ veteran Patrick Marleau to a one-year deal. The veteran immediately made quite an impact, scoring two goals in his return to the franchise. However, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski writes that head coach Peter DeBoer felt that was a major need.

“One hundred percent. You’re not replacing Pav. But he’s definitely of that ilk,” said DeBoer, who said he had several conversations with general manager Doug Wilson after he was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes this summer. “There was a commitment here to give the young guys an opportunity. The reality is sometimes it takes a bit longer.”

  • Sticking with the Sharks, Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News reports that forward Marcus Sorensen, who has been out for the past two games with an undisclosed injury after taking a collision into the boards, could be ready to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Flames. Sorensen scored 17 goals last season and could help the struggling Sharks get back into the win column. The scribe also reported that defenseman Tim Heed is also close to returning, but likely won’t be available Sunday.
  • Vegas Golden Knights have activated center Cody Eakin as the team expects to insert the veteran into their lineup tonight, according to Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen. The team is expected to have him step onto the third line with youngster Cody Glass moving to the wing. Eakin had a career-year last year, scoring 22 goals and 41 points last year. The 28-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury that he sustained during the preseason.
  • NHL.com’s Alex Kinkopf writes that Arizona Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old forward is expected to play today against Colorado. Crouse finished last season with 11 goals, 25 points and 288 hits.

 

Goalie Notes: Quick, Lehner, Rask

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The rumor mill is usually relatively quiet at this time of year, but the trade whispers surrounding Jonathan Quick that began last season simply haven’t gone away. Much of the discussion is likely internal or at least hypothetical, as there is no reason believe there is a solid market for Quick right now, especially given his start to the season. Through two starts, Quick is 0-2 and has allowed a shocking 14 goals on just 56 shots. His .750 save percentage, very bad in its own right, is more than 70 points lower than the next-worst save percentage, while his 7.17 GAA is one of only two in the league over 6.00 early on. When Quick is on his game, he has proven himself to be one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, but after a miserable 2018-19 campaign, he’s off to the wrong start if he wants to show that he can still be that guy. Quick’s early struggles have both local and national hockey pundits weighing in on his future. With backup Jack Campbell coming off a breakout campaign and signed affordably through 2022 and promising collegiate prospect Cal Petersen waiting in the wings, the rebuilding Kings would likely be open to moving Quick and his $5.8MM cap hit through 2023. The question is whether there is a team willing to gamble on Quick’s history and upside at the risk of his injury issues and performance problems. With a change of scenery or perhaps the right coaching staff, Quick’s salary could actually still be a bargain if he gets back to peak form, however unlikely it may seem to some. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators are the only obvious teams with both the need and cap capacity to add Quick, and neither is likely to pull the trigger on a trade this early in the season. The Kings are likely stuck with him for a while and need to start thinking of different ways to help improve the play of a long-time franchise leader and star.

  • Robin Lehner is set to make his first appearance as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, getting the start on Saturday, and the door is wide open for him to make far more starts moving forward. Through two games, incumbent Corey Crawford is 0-2 with an .875 save percentage and a 4.63 GAA that is third-worst among goalies with multiple starts. It’s a bad start for Crawford after missing considerable time due to injury in each of the past two seasons and performing poorly in the majority of looks he did get last year. Meanwhile, Lehner is a reigning Jennings Trophy winner and Vezina candidate after a dominant season with the New York Islanders. A strong start to his Blackhawks tenure could easily change the status quo of the tandem. Lehner isn’t just fighting for starts this season either; both he and Crawford are impending UFA’s at season’s end and a 28-year-old with a recent history of success is going to have a much better shot at a new long-term commitment than a 35-year-old with a recent history of injury and inconsistency. The first step toward Lehner potentially becoming the main man in net for Chicago for a long time begins tonight.
  • After the whistle blew on an intense match-up between the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, Bruins starter Tuukka Rask limped off the ice with help from his teammates. There was little word from the team as to the extent of Rask’s injury, but he did dress as the backup for their game on Thursday night. Tonight, in what would normally be his regular turn in net, Rask appears ready to go. The long-time Bruin is expected to make the start and The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter relays from head coach Bruce Cassidy that there are no lingering issues from whatever did occur on Tuesday. Rask is 2-0 with just four goals allowed on 63 shots so far. He and backup Jaroslav Halak have both picked up right where they left off last season, as both are in the top ten in save percentage and goals against average early on.

Injury Updates: Raanta, Compher, Subban, Guhle

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The Coyotes will have goaltender Antti Raanta back on Saturday as he’s slated to make his first start in more than ten months, notes Craig Morgan of The Athletic (via Twitter).  Raanta suffered a lower-body injury in his first preseason game and missed enough time that the team felt that a conditioning stint to start the season would be beneficial.  Now that he’s healthy, Arizona will be carrying three goalies with the recently-extended Darcy Kuemper as well as recent waiver claim Eric Comrie on the roster.  Keeping three goalies is rarely a viable strategy long-term so it will be interesting to see how long they opt to hold onto Comrie as an insurance policy given Raanta’s lengthy injury history.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • J.T. Compher’s time out of the Avalanche lineup appears to be short-lived. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the center is expected to return on Saturday after missing last night’s game due to a lower-body injury.  The 24-year-old has a goal in two games so far this season.  Colorado didn’t place him on IR so they won’t need to make a corresponding roster move for him to suit up.
  • Although Golden Knights goaltender Malcolm Subban was forced to leave Thursday’s game against Arizona after just one period due to a lower-body injury, head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the netminder won’t miss much time. He’s officially listed as day-to-day.  Gallant indicated that Vegas will recall a goalie from AHL Chicago so it appears that Subban will miss at least a game or two.
  • Ducks defenseman Brendan Guhle is dealing with a lower-body injury, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He has been listed as day-to-day.  Guhle is averaging a career-best 19:07 per game in the early going this season, good for fourth on the team amongst defensemen which is notable considering he spent most of last season at the AHL level.

Andy Greene Placed On Injured Reserve

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The New Jersey Devils will have to operate without a captain for at least a few more days, as Andy Greene has been placed on injured reserve. Matt Tennyson has been recalled in Greene’s place, after starting the year with the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. Players are required to spend at least seven days on injured reserve, though Greene’s stint is retroactive to his last game on Wednesday.

Greene suffered an upper-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers, missing the end of that game and yesterday’s tilt against the Edmonton Oilers. The Devils lost both, taking them to a disappointing 0-2-2 start in a season that they were expected to compete for a playoff spot. Those higher expectations came with the additions of players like P.K Subban, whose presence has given head coach John Hynes another workhorse defenseman to lean on. Even discounting the game against the Flyers, Greene had already been asked to play a little less than in recent years, failing to even receive 20 minutes of ice time in a game that went to overtime against the Winnipeg Jets.

The 36-year old may be taking on less responsibility, but he is still an extremely important part of the Devils and will be missed while he deals with this injury. The team needs desperately to secure a win to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division, but have the tough test of heading into Boston to face the Bruins tomorrow night. Greene will miss at least that game and Monday’s tilt against the Florida Panthers, though it is not clear exactly how long he will be out after that.

Tennyson, 29, signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Devils as soon as free agency opened this year and carries an NHL cap hit of just $700K. The veteran defenseman has played 124 games at the NHL level, but just four last season.

Noah Juulsen Cleared To Join Laval Rocket

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It’s been a rough few seasons for Montreal Canadiens prospect Noah Juulsen, but hopefully things are starting get back on track. The team announced today that Juulsen has been medically cleared to return to action and will be joining the Laval Rocket of the AHL tonight in Milwaukee.

The 22-year old defenseman had been dealing with ongoing headaches this summer, after a vision-related injury kept him out for much of last season. Juulsen took two pucks to the face last November and ended up playing just 24 total games between the Canadiens and Rocket in 2018-19. Originally selected 26th overall in 2015, the young defender has looked promising whenever he gets on the ice, that just hasn’t ever lasted very long. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Juulsen has only played in 78 games at any level.

His return to the ice comes at a good time for Montreal, who are struggling to find much consistency on defense. The team has obvious talent among their NHL group, but have now given up 20 goals in their first five games and gotten off to a 1-1-2 start. Even that sole win was in a shootout, meaning things could have easily looked even worse had it not been for some Carey Price heroics against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While there’s no telling what kind of impact Juulsen will have right away, he’ll certainly be in the mix for NHL minutes if he can prove he is healthy again.

Josh Anderson Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a roster move to give them another option up front for tonight’s game. Josh Anderson has been placed on injured reserve while Markus Hannikainen has been recalled. Anderson’s IR stint is retroactive to October 5th when he suffered an upper-body injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blue Jackets take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight at home, then travel to Carolina to face the Hurricanes tomorrow night.

Even if the Blue Jackets hadn’t lost so many pieces in the offseason, Anderson would still be a huge part of their forward group. The 25-year old winger has developed into one of the league’s premiere power forwards, scoring 27 goals last season while recording more than 200 hits. Fast, heavy and fearless, Anderson routinely drives the puck towards the net and creates chances for himself and his line mates. His 22 even-strength goals actually ranked him 38th in the entire league, tied with names like Aleksander Barkov, Kyle Connor and Sean Monahan.

A player has to stay for seven days on injured reserve, meaning that Anderson should be eligible to return following tomorrow night’s matchup.

Hannikainen meanwhile was waived at the end of training camp and has already played two games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The 26-year old winger played 44 games for the Blue Jackets last season but was beat out by other, younger forwards this time around. With Anderson out he’ll serve as just the 13th forward tonight, but will continue to try and prove he belongs at the NHL level in practices.

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