Columbus Blue Jackets Loan Cole Sillinger To AHL
The Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for the draft lottery these days, but have found an opportunity for one of their young talents. Cole Sillinger has been loaned to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL to compete in a Calder Cup chase. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen explains:
This is a great opportunity for Cole to join the Monsters as they continue to push for a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Taking on additional responsibilities and playing games with playoff implications, and hopefully games in the playoffs, is hugely important to the development of a young player like Cole.
Zach Werenski was in a similar position a few years ago and the experience helped him individually and from a team perspective as it resulted in a Calder Cup championship.
This appears to have been the team’s plan for some time. At the trade deadline, the team “papered” him to the minor leagues, sending him down and recalling him on the same day. That made him eligible for the AHL playoffs, despite never actually leaving the NHL club at that point.
In fact, Sillinger has never played in the AHL at all. The 19-year-old forward stepped directly into the NHL after being selected 12th overall in 2021, and has played for the Blue Jackets ever since. While his rookie season went exceptionally well, the young center has just three goals and 11 points in 64 games this year, showing the same sophomore slump many top prospects experience.
Nashville Predators Assign Joakim Kemell To AHL
One of the Nashville Predators’ best prospects is about to get his first taste of professional hockey in North America. Nashville today assigned 2022 first-round pick Joakim Kemell to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per a tweet from the team’s affiliate.
Kemell, a right wing, spent the 2022-23 season on loan from Nashville to JYP in Liiga, the organization where he’s spent his entire junior and professional career so far. His offensive production took a step back from his draft year, though, scoring 15 points in 43 games after scoring 23 in 39 last year.
Things deteriorated for Kemell down the stretch, with his scoring growing more inconsistent as his ice time waned. He had a solid start to the campaign, going on a four-game point streak early on, but he couldn’t replicate his success throughout the season.
Now, he gets a chance to regain some confidence and some scoring touch in Milwaukee. He joins other notable Preds prospects, such as goalie Yaroslav Askarov and forward Egor Afanasyev, as the Admirals continue their stretch run.
Shakir Mukhamadullin Returning To North America
One of the most significant pieces of the Timo Meier trade was prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin, the 20th overall pick from 2020. The San Jose Sharks nabbed the big defender as a potential long-term piece of their blueline, but there is still some debate over when he’ll actually debut for the organization.
Mukhamadullin is coming to San Jose this week, according to Sheng Peng of SJ Hockey Now, but it is not clear if he will play pro games down the stretch for the Sharks or the AHL Barracuda.
It’s been a long season already for the 21-year-old defenseman, who played in 67 regular season games for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL, before a grueling six-game first-round exit in the playoffs, which included three overtime losses.
If he does suit up for the Barracuda, it wouldn’t be his first time in the AHL. Mukhamadullin played three playoff games for the Utica Comets last season after his KHL year ended, recording two points. He signed his entry-level contract back in 2021 and has just been on loan to his Russian club, meaning the Sharks could also add him to the NHL roster, if they choose.
With 15 games left to play, the team could give him a short taste of the NHL to see where his game is before he heads into the offseason. Mukhamadullin might be a full-time option for San Jose next season, especially if they continue to pull veterans out of the lineup and move toward a younger core.
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.