Washington Capitals Loan Vincent Iorio to AHL
The Washington Capitals have loaned defenseman Vincent Iorio back to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. This will place Iorio back to where he’s spent most of this season, having played 51 games at the AHL level.
Iorio, 20, is a 2021 second-round pick who has been with the Capitals for about a week. He played in his first three NHL games in that timeframe, getting between 12 and 15 minutes in each contest. He even registered his first NHL point, getting an assist in the Capitals’ 8-3 rout of the San Jose Sharks.
The six-foot-four former Brandon Wheat Kings is in his first season as a professional and has impressed with his mature play in the AHL. Iorio has registered just six penalty minutes despite playing a defense-first game, and while his 17 points in 51 games don’t jump off the page, he appears to be getting closer to NHL readiness.
Now, he’ll get to head back to Hershey for possibly the rest of their season, helping ready them for what the team hopes will be a long Calder Cup playoff run.
Nashville Predators Reassign Kevin Gravel
The Nashville Predators have loaned Kevin Gravel back to the AHL after he cleared waivers on the weekend. He’ll be joined there by newcomer Isaac Ratcliffe, who was also assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers last night.
Gravel, 30, has played in 14 games for the Predators this season, most recently suiting up last night for all of 12 shifts. The coaching staff has never shown much trust in the rangy defender, but he still represents some valuable depth as a player with over 120 games of NHL experience.
With the Predators returning home for a game tomorrow night and Cal Foote coming in to give the team another option on defense, Gravel—who was up under emergency conditions—was no longer needed. Foote’s arrival gave them eight defensemen, though that may not last long, given the rumors swirling around Dante Fabbro and Mattias Ekholm.
If Nashville does move multiple defensemen before Friday’s deadline, Gravel will likely be right back up to help fill in down the stretch. The veteran is in the first season of a two-year deal he signed last summer.
Los Angeles Kings Loan Jacob Moverare To AHL
The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenseman Jacob Moverare has been loaned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The move puts Moverare back on the team that he’s spent most of this season with, same for a two-game stretch he played for the Kings in November.
The 24-year-old was recalled yesterday as part of a series of roster moves the Kings made. He didn’t end up skating in the team’s victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, but was brought to the NHL roster nonetheless to serve as a seventh defenseman. He returns to the AHL to resume his role as a top-four defenseman for the Reign, perhaps returning to his partnership with 2020 35th overall pick Helge Grans, a fellow Swede.
This re-assignment gives the Kings a free roster spot for GM Rob Blake to work with. Los Angeles is one of the teams front-and-center in the Jakob Chychrun trade rumors, and the Coyotes did make Chychrun a healthy scratch yesterday for what the team termed “trade-related” reasons.
While it’s far more likely that this move is simply the Kings moving an AHL contributor back to the league he’s meant to play at, one wonders if the Kings are clearing space for a potential addition to their blueline. It is worth noting, though, that yesterday’s reports on Chychrun did state that no Chychrun trade was “imminent,” so any connection to be made between this roster move and a Chychrun deal is largely speculation.
Filip Zadina Activated, Sent On Conditioning Stint
02/05/23: With Adam Erne clearing waivers today, the Red Wings have recalled Zadina from his conditioning stint. He’ll be eligible to play in the Red Wings’ next game, which is Tuesday versus the Edmonton Oilers.
02/02/23: The Detroit Red Wings are on break, meaning Filip Zadina is going to get a bit of extra time to prepare for his return. The team activated the young forward today and loaned him to the Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning stint.
The loan can last up to two weeks, meaning Zadina can potentially play in five games before returning to the Red Wings.
Last appearing in a game on November 5, Zadina has been out for close to three months after blocking a shot against the New York Islanders. That means he’s only played nine games so far this year and has no points to show for it.
It’s been a tough career so far for the sixth-overall pick, with just 25 goals and 61 points in 169 games. Flashes of potential have come and gone without much consistent play at the NHL level. Last season he set career highs with ten goals and 24 points in 74 games, but those totals pale in comparison to the huge expectations he had coming out of junior.
Perhaps this latest injury gave him some time to readjust some things in his game and he’ll come back stronger, especially with the confidence that the Red Wings put in him last summer. Zadina signed a three-year deal that carries a $1.825MM cap hit in August.
Los Angeles Kings Loan Three Players To AHL
All around the league we’re seeing players sent back to the AHL for the upcoming break, to save money for their NHL club and stay fresh with minor league action. For the Los Angeles Kings, that means Tobias Bjornfot, Samuel Fagemo, and Alex Turcotte are all on their way back to the Ontario Reign.
Despite still having one of the deepest prospect pools in the league, it’s not development that the Kings are focused on these days. The club is tied for first place in the Pacific Division and is looking to avenge its first-round loss from last year’s playoffs.
They have moved young players on and off the roster all year, with these three, in particular, totaling just 19 appearances. Fagemo leads the trio in scoring with three points in nine games, while Turcotte continues to look for his first NHL point.
It has been a struggle for the fifth-overall pick, whose career so far has been disrupted by injury and inconsistent play. He’s suited up just 23 times this season at any level, and has 12 points to show for it.
Vancouver Canucks Reassign Aatu Raty
After acquiring him yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks have officially loaned Aatu Raty to the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL, where he’ll acclimate himself to the organization.
Raty, 20, is one of only 12 players from the 2021 draft class to have played in the NHL, suiting up 12 times for the Islanders this season. Those games actually mean the first year of his entry-level contract will be burned even if the Canucks keep him in the minor leagues the rest of the season, and have him on schedule to reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
With the addition of Anthony Beauvillier, to essentially fill Bo Horvat‘s roster spot, Vancouver doesn’t need Raty in the NHL just yet. But should they make any more subtractions over the next few weeks, he could potentially get some time in down the stretch. The second-round pick had 15 points in 27 games with the Bridgeport Islanders and two goals during his time with New York, but has shown flashes of even more offensive upside in an excellent post-draft career so far.
Harman Dayal of The Athletic wrote today about Raty’s journey from top prospect to a falling draft asset but noted that he’s now viewed by scouts across the league as a “near-lock” to play on an NHL third line, with a ceiling even higher than that. While some expect him to play more wing at the next level, Vancouver is still hoping to keep him in the middle for now.
Vancouver is off until February 6, but Abbotsford has three games before then. Given the NHL squad is carrying just 20 players as they head into the break, there could even be a recall even sooner than expected.
Dallas Stars Reassign Fredrik Olofsson
After a relatively successful stint with the NHL club, Fredrik Olofsson is headed back to the minor leagues. The Dallas Stars have loaned him back to Texas as they try to accrue some cap space for the trade deadline.
Olofsson, 26, recorded four points in 13 games for the Stars while averaging fewer than ten minutes per night. With Roope Hintz healthy and back in the lineup, Olofsson was left in the press box last night against the Buffalo Sabres.
If that’s his fate, the team might as well take advantage of his waiver-exempt status to send him to the minor leagues. Olofsson can continue to stay fresh with game action, and the Stars can save a little bit more for a mid-season addition.
The club isn’t playing on the road until February 17, meaning they can afford to have a short roster for the time being.
Sammy Blais Sent On AHL Conditioning Loan
The New York Rangers have recalled Will Cuylle from the AHL, while sending Sammy Blais back on a conditioning stint. Blais hasn’t played in a week and was receiving just a handful of shifts in the games he did play.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post wrote about Blais’ situation yesterday, suggesting that his NHL future is in jeopardy as he continues to try to contribute in any way he can. The 26-year-old is still finding his way after a serious knee injury that required surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL. He has just five points through 38 games this season, failing to score a single goal.
Blais has registered over 100 hits, his calling card during more successful days in St. Louis, but hasn’t really been making the same kind of impact with his physicality. Averaging fewer than ten minutes of ice time when he does get into the lineup, it’s unclear where his role really lies in the New York forward group.
Cuylle, meanwhile, represents the next generation for the Rangers. A 20-year-old forward that is just scratching the surface of his professional career, Cuylle has 13 goals and 20 points in 39 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack. The second-round pick offers a good deal of physicality (even if it doesn’t quite stand up to the level of Blais), and possesses a hard, accurate shot.
Given the Rangers’ recent success, it’s not clear if Cuylle will get much of an opportunity. But Blais wasn’t giving them much of anything at the moment, and will try to find that next gear with some games in the minor leagues.
Devin Shore Sent On Conditioning Assignment
The Edmonton Oilers have sent Devin Shore to the AHL on a conditioning loan, giving him the chance to get some game action. The veteran forward hasn’t played yet in 2023, last suiting up on New Year’s Eve and playing just over eight minutes.
Shore, 28, can stay for up to two weeks in the minor leagues on this loan, which doesn’t take him off the roster or remove his cap hit. To assign him for longer, the Oilers would have to expose him to waivers. Signed to a two-year contract in 2021 which carries an $850K cap hit, Shore hasn’t quite worked out for Edmonton as a bottom-six option.
Where he once was a 30-point man for the Dallas Stars, he now has just 23 in 116 total games for the Oilers. That includes just three assists this year, as Shore has failed to find the back of the net on any of his 17 shots. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for the team to expose him when they don’t need to but at some point, it seems like Shore is destined for waivers. When Kailer Yamamoto returns or they make a trade, cap space will be at a premium. His entire $850K deal can be buried in the minor leagues, should he clear, and the team isn’t receiving much value from him at the moment.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Nathan Beaulieu From Conditioning Stint
Jan 16: It didn’t last quite the maximum of 14 days, as Beaulieu was recalled today by the Ducks. He played in four games with the San Diego Gulls, recording his first AHL goal in years.
Jan 5: After playing just a few days ago, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has now been curiously sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan. He’ll join the San Diego Gulls for the time being, with the loan lasting a maximum of two weeks.
Beaulieu, 30, received 15 shifts in Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, his 22nd appearance of the season. Nothing has really gone well for the Ducks this year but Beaulieu’s play specifically has been lacking, with the defenseman rarely impacting things in a positive manner. He has a -12 rating in his 22 games, despite only averaging 13 minutes a night.
The curious part is that conditioning loans are usually only for players who have missed a good amount of time due to injury or those that have faced several healthy scratches in a row. While Beaulieu did miss yesterday’s game, against the Dallas Stars and two last week, he has been dressed relatively frequently so far.
Sending him on a conditioning loan doesn’t clear a roster spot the same way a regular loan would. For the latter, he would need to clear waivers, though it’s hard to believe there would be a ton of interest in claiming him, given his $850K salary and struggles this season.
Regardless of why the Ducks did it, Beaulieu will get the chance to play in the minor leagues for the first time in years. He hasn’t appeared in an AHL game since the 2014-15 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, while still a part of the Montreal Canadiens organization. For his career, Beaulieu has 441 NHL regular season appearances and has recorded 97 points.