Laurent Brossoit Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The goaltending issues that the Vegas Golden Knights were expected to face when Robin Lehner was ruled out for the season have certainly not materialized. The duo of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson have been almost perfect, posting a combined save percentage of .941 through ten games.
Hill, acquired from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick before the season began, is 4-0 and has allowed just seven goals on 123 shots. Thompson, the de facto starter, leads the league with two shutouts in his first six games.
With those two playing at such a high level, it will make for an interesting decision when Laurent Brossoit is healthy enough to play again. The veteran netminder took a step toward that goal today when he was loaned to the Henderson Silver Knights on a long-term injury conditioning stint. Brossoit is coming off hip surgery and there is no concrete timeline for his return to NHL action.
A LTIR conditioning loan is usually limited to three games or six days, though it can be extended in certain circumstances. When it is over, Brossoit does not necessarily need to be activated.
Remember, the Golden Knights are also right up against the cap, meaning activating Brossoit will be a tricky game for the team to play. They will likely have to reduce their roster to fewer than 23 players, plus figure out what to do with their three goaltenders. Brossoit himself might end up on waivers, or even traded, given the performance of Hill and Thompson so far.
That bridge doesn’t have to be crossed yet, but if he proves himself healthy enough to return, it’s coming soon.
Dallas Stars Loan Matej Blumel To AHL
Fresh off his first NHL call-up, but without playing his first NHL game, the Dallas Stars announced forward Matej Blumel has been loaned to the Texas Stars, their AHL affiliate. Dallas had recalled the young forward on Wednesday when they assigned forward Jacob Peterson to Texas, however Blumel did not get into any games with Dallas. No corresponding move was announced by Dallas.
Blumel, a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2019, failed to sign with the team before their rights over him expired and ultimately he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Dallas this summer. While he hasn’t had an opportunity to make his NHL debut yet, the 22-year-old has had an outstanding return to North America, notching five goals and three assists in a mere five games with Texas to start the season. Heading back to the AHL after the initial call-up might be disappointing for Blumel, but it will give him a chance to continue his development and provide Texas with a big-time offensive presence in their lineup once again.
A native of Czechia, Blumel first came to North America back in 2017, where he spent two seasons with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks, turning in a dominant second season with 30 goals and 30 assists in 58 games. It was after that season that the Oilers drafted Blumel, but he opted to return to Czechia, where he played three strong seasons with Pardubice before returning to North America for 2022-23. Internationally, Blumel has represented Czechia on a number of occasions, including a fantastic eight points in 10 games at this year’s World Championships. Should Blumel continue to produce with Texas, just as he has every step along the way, he’ll almost certainly force his way into the NHL lineup soon enough.
Alex Iafallo Moved To LTIR, Austin Wagner Shuttled
October 24: The Kings have now loaned Wagner back to the Reign, according to the team. The Kings did not have a game yesterday, and Wagner’s recall was likely just a paper transaction to optimize LTIR relief.
October 23: The Los Angeles Kings announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, headlined by forward Alex Iafallo, who has been moved from regular IR to LTIR. In addition to Iafallo, the Kings have loaned defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Ontario Reign of the AHL and recalled forward Austin Wagner. The move gives Los Angeles 14 forwards to go along with seven defensemen on its active roster.
Iafallo had already been out and on IR since October 18th with a lower-body injury which he suffered in a game on October 17th against the Detroit Red Wings, but placing him on LTIR will create additional cap space that allows the Kings to call up Wagner, who carries a $1.133MM cap hit while sending down Moverare and his $762.5K cap hit. Prior to the transaction, Los Angeles had $521K in cap space. Of note, due to Iafallo’s $4MM cap hit, his trip to LTIR will give the organization more than enough room to work with on the salary cap front while he’s out. Despite the injury, Iafallo has had a tremendous start to the season, contributing two goals and three assists in four games.
Sending Moverare down simply gives the Kings more flexibility when setting a lineup by subtracting their eighth defenseman for another forward, flexibility they’ll continue to need in Iafallo’s absence. The defenseman had yet to play a game this season in the NHL, but does have a pair of AHL contests under his belt in 2022-23, prior to his call-up on October 18th. Wagner on the other hand, is receiving his first call-up of the season after starting the year with Ontario. There, he has two points in three games to start.
Minnesota Wild Loan Vladislav Firstov To KHL; Recall Mason Shaw
Jordan Greenway‘s return to the Minnesota Wild lineup lasted just six shifts. The bruising forward managed to land four hits during that time, but after leaving with an upper-body injury he was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. Head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic after the game that Greenway would be evaluated today and won’t play tomorrow afternoon in Boston.
With that news, it makes sense that Mason Shaw is back in the AHL transaction portal and on his way back to the NHL level. Shaw had only been sent down a few days ago when it was clear that Greenway would be returning. More importantly, perhaps, is that the portal also includes Vladislav Firstov, who has been reassigned by the team to Torpedo Nizhny Novogrod of the KHL.
Firstov, 21, was a second-round pick of the Wild in 2019 and signed his entry-level contract in March. The young Russian forward hadn’t played in his home country for years, coming over to spend his draft year in the USHL and then the last three seasons at the University of Connecticut. After just one game with the Iowa Wild this season, he’s apparently on his way back overseas to continue his development in the KHL.
Notably, he remains under contract with the Wild, so this isn’t a long-term plan. But the team will lose at least a bit of control over his deployment and development this season as he plays in Russia. In eight games down the stretch with Iowa last season he managed just two assists, meaning he’ll have to wait even longer for his first professional goal in North America.
Morning Notes: Reverse Retro, Kubalik, Wilde
The NHL has released all 32 Reverse Retro sweaters for the upcoming season, with love (and hate) pouring in from fans all across the league. This is the second iteration of the idea, and the jerseys will be on display starting November 2, with a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
While it has been called nothing but a cash grab by some, the jerseys do include some fun nods to teams of the past, including the California Golden Seals (San Jose Sharks), and Colorado Rockies (both Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils). Here are another few notes from around the league on this quiet Thursday morning:
- When the name Kubalik comes across the transaction wire, one might assume it’s the Detroit Red Wings forward on the move. No, this time it’s his older brother Tomas Kubalik, who has signed in the French second league. It’s been a long professional career for the 32-year-old, who was selected 135th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008 and did actually make it to the NHL. The big winger played 12 games over parts of two seasons, scoring a goal and four assists. Fans of the Victoriaville Tigres will also remember his one season in the QMJHL, when Kubalik scored 33 goals and 75 points in 58 regular season games.
- The New York Islanders have confirmed the loans of Bode Wilde and Richard Panik to Atlanta of the ECHL and Lausanne in Switzerland, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Of course, Panik’s assignment was already evident, given he’s played three times for the Swiss club already this year. Wilde meanwhile will continue to be exiled from the Islanders organization as they wait out his entry-level contract. He was sent to Vasterviks IK of the Swedish second league last season, and now finds himself set to play in the low minors this year. The 22-year-old defenseman will not likely receive a qualifying offer at the end of the year when his contract is up.
Slater Koekkoek Assigned To AHL
Last month, as training camp was set to begin, the Edmonton Oilers announced that Slater Koekkoek would be away from the team for mental health reasons. Since then, they also put him on waivers to clear him from the roster.
Yesterday, Koekkoek was loaned to the Bakersfield Condors, and today he was added to the roster according to the AHL transactions portal.
The 28-year-old defenseman played in 19 games for the Oilers last season, registering four points on the second season of a two-year one-way contract, he will earn $1.1MM regardless of which level he plays. His $925K cap hit, meanwhile, will be completely buried while assigned to the AHL.
After trading Dmitri Samorukov for Klim Kostin, the Oilers could certainly use the added depth at the position but have explained that they fully supported Koekkoek taking time away. Hopefully, being added to the Bakersfield roster means he’s on his way back and can resume his hockey career at some point soon.
Matej Pekar Loaned To AHL
After starting the season on injured reserve, Matej Pekar has now been loaned to the Rochester Americans by the Buffalo Sabres, according to the AHL transactions portal.
Pekar, 22, was not listed on the Americans opening roster yesterday but his assignment today suggests he is now healthy enough to join the club. The young forward is still waiver-exempt and could be assigned at any time after missing much of training camp.
Selected in the fourth round in 2018, Pekar has spent the last two seasons in the AHL playing a defensive role. In 72 minor league contests, he has just 12 points but 106 penalty minutes. Those haven’t really come from fighting (Pekar has three fighting majors in the AHL), but they do come from a physical, in-your-face style.
While he will probably never offer much offensive upside at the NHL level, his future is still something of interest. As a potential fourth-line option, he could even see some time with the big club this season once healthy.
Evening Notes: Price, Laine, Panik, Oilers Injuries
When Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was announced at tonight’s home opener, the standing ovation he received from the crowd was about the least surprising bit of news this evening. Price, who is one of, if not the best goaltender of his generation, has been a staple in the Canadiens lineup since his debut in 2007-08. His recent injury woes have forced him to take a step back from the game in order to try to return to full health not only on the ice, but off of it. Whether he is able to come back and play in the NHL again remains to be seen, but for now Montreal will have to proceed with Price on the sidelines.
Recently, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu had a chance to speak with Price about his health and where he stands right now. Unfortunately, the update was far from ideal. As Price said, “[a]gain, my knee still isn’t doing great. Like, I’m still not walking up a set of stairs pain-free yet. I still don’t feel like my knee’s in a place where I’m going to be able to play hockey.” Price’s own words seem to indicate that for now, the focus isn’t necessarily on hockey, but a quality of life at the moment. Price added that he’s also focusing on being able to do things in the future such as skate and play sports with his children (recall Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom discussing similar issues a couple of months ago). Interestingly, Price said those are things he wants to do “when I’m, you know, officially done,” language Basu points to as perhaps significant given the line between Price being ‘officially done’ and where he is now is a very thin one.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced forward Patrik Laine left tonight’s game at the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper-body injury and will not return. The forward appeared to be in some discomfort after being sandwiched along the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce. Laine had already contributed a goal in tonight’s contest prior to leaving, the only Blue Jackets tally at the time of writing.
- According to CapFriendly, the New York Islanders have loaned forward Richard Panik to Lausanne HC of Switzerland’s National League. Panik, 31, had been with the Islanders organization since he was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in the deal that sent Nick Leddy to Detroit in the summer of 2021. Outside of a brief four game stretch on Long Island, the team had buried Panik and his $2.75MM salary in the AHL last season, which he otherwise split between the Bridgeport Islanders and Chicago Wolves. While on loan, Panik’s buried cap hit of $250,000 (Detroit retained $1.375MM in the deal, $1.125MM is buried) will continue to count against the Islanders cap. By going to Lausanne, the veteran forward should have a chance at more consistent minutes far closer to home and should give the Islanders more opportunities to get younger players into the Bridgeport lineup.
- The Edmonton Oilers will be without forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele for tonight’s opening night matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. It’s unclear what injuries either player is suffering from. However, because Edmonton began the season with just 21 players on its roster for cap compliance purposes, they will only be able to dress 17 skaters – all that are left on the roster after Yamamoto and Foegele. Sportsnet’s Bob Stauffer was the first to report.
Columbus Blue Jackets Loan Kent Johnson To AHL
In a move that they certainly didn’t want to have to do, the Columbus Blue Jackets have loaned star prospect Kent Johnson to the minor leagues. The reason? Jet Greaves has been recalled under emergency conditions as Elvis Merzlikins is out with an illness. Greaves will serve as backup for Daniil Tarasov as the team opens the season.
While losing Merzlikins is noteworthy, the headline here will be Johnson’s demotion. It had been trending this way already during the preseason, as he appeared to be on the outside looking in as the final roster cuts approached. But then when things were finalized, Johnson was staying with the Blue Jackets after all. Head coach Brad Larsen told reporters that “Kent is here because he deserves to be here, period” and that even if he is a scratch for the first few games he was “not gonna sit on the shelf long.”
Now, with this emergency recall of Greaves, it shows how precarious Johnson’s position on the roster really was. As a waiver-exempt player due to his young age (Johnson will turn 20 in a few days), he can be bounced back and forth without issue. That yo-yo-ing isn’t usually a good strategy for a player of his skill level, but perhaps it will only happen for a few days as they get Merzlikins healthy enough to return to action.
Either way, how Columbus develops Johnson will have a huge effect on their future, as his offensive ceiling is as high as any other prospect in the league. Selected fifth overall in 2021, his time will come soon.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/29/22
With the regular season just 12 days away, waivers will open today. That means players who require waivers to be sent to the minor leagues or loaned elsewhere can officially be placed on them, likely leading to quite a few training camp cuts today. The waiver priority will be set by last year’s standings, for the time being, meaning the Montreal Canadiens have the first crack at anyone exposed. Here are today’s cuts:
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
F Nathan Gaucher (to Quebec, QMJHL)
F Sean Tschigerl (to Calgary, WHL)
D Olen Zellweger (to Everett, WHL)
D Tyson Hinds (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
G Gage Alexander (to Swift Current, WHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release)
F Adam Cracknell (released from PTO, assigned to Tucson, AHL)
F Liam Kirk (to Tucson, AHL)
F Ryan McGregor (to Tucson, AHL)
F Nathan Smith (to Tucson, AHL)
F Colin Theisen (to Tucson, AHL)
F Reece Vitelli (to Tucson, AHL)
F Julian Lutz (to Munich, DEL)
D Lukas Klok (to Tucson, AHL)
D Ronald Knot (to Tucson, AHL)
D Noah Laaouan (to Tucson, AHL)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to Munich, DEL)
D Jeremy Langlois (to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
G David Tendeck (to Tucson, AHL)
G Christopher Gibson (released from PTO)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release)
F Gavin Hayes (to Flint, OHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
F Oskar Olausson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Alex Beaucage (to Colorado, AHL)
F Jean-Luc Foudy (to Colorado, AHL)
F Sampo Ranta (to Colorado, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to Colorado, AHL)
D Mitchell Vande Sompel (to Colorado, AHL)
G Justus Annunen (to Colorado, AHL)
F Charles Hudon (placed on waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (placed on waivers)
D Andreas Englund (placed on waivers)
D Brad Hunt (placed on waivers)
D Joshua Jacobs (placed on waivers)
G Jonas Johansson (placed on waivers)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
F Ben Boyd (to Saint Mary’s University, USports)
F Luca Del Bel Belluz (to Mississauga, OHL)
F Mikael Pyyhtia (to TPS, Liiga)
F Martin Rysavy (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Denton Mateychuk (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Stanislav Svozil (to Regina, WHL)
F Liam Hawel (released from PTO)
F Samuel Huo (released from ATO)
F Evan Vierling (released from ATO)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
D Artem Grushnikov (to Hamilton, OHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Ivan Ivan (released from ATO)
F Jake Uberti (released from ATO)
F Riley Piercey (released from ATO)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
F Matvey Petrov (to North Bay, OHL)
F Tyler Tullio (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Ryan Fanti (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Dino Kambeitz (released from PTO)
F Filip Engaras (released from ATO)
D Yann Kaldis (released from PTO)
D Darien Kielb (released from PTO)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
F Zachary L’Heureux (to Halifax, OHL)
New York Islanders (via team release)
G Tristan Lennox (to Saginaw, OHL)
F Collin Adams (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Erik Brown (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Blade Jenkins (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Jeff Kubiak (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Daylan Kuefler (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Jimmy Lambert (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Kyle MacLean (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Matthew Maggio (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Reece Newkirk (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Chris Terry (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Trevor Cosgrove (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Ryan MacKinnon (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Connor McCarthy (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Vincent Sevigny (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Henrik Tikkanen (to Bridgeport, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Easton Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
F Christiano Digiacinto (to Hartford, AHL)
F Tanner Fritz (to Hartford, AHL)
F Zach Jordan (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ryder Korczak (to Hartford, AHL)
F Ryan Lohin (to Hartford, AHL)
F Matt Rempe (to Hartford, AHL)
F Austin Rueschhoff (to Hartford, AHL)
F Bobby Trivigno (to Hartford, AHL)
F Alex Whelan (to Hartford, AHL)
D Zach Giuttari (to Hartford, AHL)
D Louka Henault (to Hartford, AHL)
D Blake Hillman (to Hartford, AHL)
D Luke Martin (to Hartford, AHL)
D Matthew Robertson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Hunter Skinner (to Hartford, AHL)
G Talyn Boyko (to Hartford, AHL)
G Parker Gahagen (to Hartford, AHL)
G Dylan Garand (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers
F Antoine Roussel (released from PTO)
F Theo Rochette (released from ATO)
This page will be updated throughout the day.