Minor Transactions: 01/03/19
The Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs kick off a busy NHL schedule today with an afternoon game which will see Michael Hutchinson suit up with his new organization, while the Los Angeles Kings will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in a David vs Goliath matchup to wrap things up. Six other games will be played around the league, and as teams prepare we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor movement.
- Tomas Jurco has landed a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds for the rest of this season, giving the minor league squad some extra firepower for the second half. It wasn’t so long ago that Jurco was an up-and-coming forward prospect with the Detroit Red Wings, and even last season he recorded 10 points in 29 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.
- Speaking of forward prospects, the Dallas Stars have sent Denis Gurianov back to the minor leagues after he played just 7:44 last night. Gurianov has looked like a completely different player this season in the AHL, but still can’t seem to establish himself at the NHL level.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Zach Sanford from San Antonio, but will play with seven defensemen tonight after activating Carl Gunnarsson. Sanford will sit out for now, but could get into some action if Vladimir Tarasenko misses any more time with the illness that will keep him out tonight.
- Stefan Elliott has been returned to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators, leaving them with just six active defensemen on the roster currently. The Senators don’t play again until Saturday, giving them a chance to activate another player or recall someone tomorrow.
Carl Hagelin Is About A Week Away From Returning
- Kings winger Carl Hagelin is about a week away from returning to the lineup, notes Robert Morales of the Los Angeles Daily News. He has only suited up in five games since being acquired from the Penguins in mid-November due to an MCL sprain. While Los Angeles has an open roster spot to put him on the roster, they will still need to free up some salary cap space in order to activate him off LTIR. The pending UFA has just a goal and four assists in 21 games this season but his speed will make him an intriguing asset to a playoff team looking to add some depth between now and the trade deadline.
Los Angeles Kings Activate Jack Campbell, Send Cal Petersen To AHL
Though he has played outstanding hockey since being recalled out of desperation by the Los Angeles Kings, Cal Petersen is heading back to the minors. The team activated Jack Campbell from injured reserve today after he suffered no setbacks during his conditioning stint, and assigned Petersen back to the Ontario Reign of the AHL.
Petersen, 24, played in 11 games for the Kings while Campbell and Quick were out with meniscus injuries, and showed that he could potentially be a future starter for the team as he posted a .924 save percentage and went 5-4-1. While that record isn’t outstanding, he was behind the league’s lowest scoring team and one that finds itself in last place. Now that Quick and Campbell are back, Petersen will have to go back to starting in the AHL and wait for his next chance.
When that chance will come though is anyone’s guess. Quick is the obvious starter in Los Angeles for the time being, given his history as an elite goaltender in the league. Just last season he posted a .921 save percentage and dragged the Kings to the playoffs, only to see them unable to score in a whitewashing at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Kings have a lot invested in Quick, as his current contract continues through 2022-23 and carries a $5.8MM cap hit.
Campbell meanwhile is only 26 himself and has turned his career around since moving to Los Angeles. The former top prospect is signed for just $675K this season and next, but has been great for the Kings in backup duty. In 13 games this year the 11th overall pick from 2010 has a .923 save percentage and is an extremely inexpensive option at the NHL level.
The question though, is whether the Kings could get anything of value for one of their NHL netminders and promote Petersen in his place. The 10-year extension that Quick signed in 2012 came with no trade protection at all, and being front-loaded as it is may be of some value to another team. He’ll earn $7MM next season before seeing his salary drop to $3.5MM or less in the final three years of the deal. If he’s playing at a championship level, perhaps a team takes a chance to see if they can squeeze another few playoff rounds out of him.
For now Petersen will have to be patient, something he understood when signing with the Kings. Originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, Petersen left college early and waited to become an unrestricted free agent before picking Los Angeles for his first professional contract. He saw Quick ahead of him on the depth chart then, and he sees him still. There’s plenty of time for him to continue to hone his game, though he’ll be in a better situation this summer after getting his feet wet in the NHL. Petersen is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, and should be able to secure a more lucrative deal given his obvious upside.
Minor Transactions: 12/30/18
After 30 NHL teams played yesterday, just two take the ice tonight as the Arizona Coyotes host the Vegas Golden Knights in the day’s only action. However, that won’t stop a likely multitude of minor moves today ahead of a 13-game slate on New Year’s Eve tomorrow. Keep up with all of the transactions right here:
- The carousel at backup goalie in St. Louis continues to turn. Since the Blues lost Chad Johnson on waivers earlier this month, the team has swapped Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso several times. However, with Husso currently sidelined, it’s Binnington heading back to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, while first-year pro Evan Fitzpatrick gets the call to St. Louis, the team announced. Binnington has made two relief appearances this season, including just last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After starter Jake Allen was pulled after giving up four goals on 17 shots, Binnington surrendered two more on 13 shots. That performance may have earned him a demotion back to the minors, although the Rampage may simply need a starter today after Fitzpatrick played last night. Fitzpatrick, the Blues’ second-round pick in 2016, began the season in the ECHL and has only made two AHL appearances. However, the 20-year-old has impressed in San Antonio, allowing just two goals, which seemingly qualified him for his first NHL call-up. Whether Fitzpatrick has earned an NHL start already remains to be seen, but so far this season whoever sits behind Allen has a decent chance of seeing game action regardless.
- After acquiring Michael Hutchinson yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs have returned interim backup Kasimir Kaskisuo to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, per CapFriendly. Forward Trevor Moore will also reportedly be joining him on the short cross-town trip back to the minor league team. Both players had been on emergency recall, but will now resume their normal AHL activities. While Kaskisuo is suffering through a miserable season and was a scary sight on the Maple Leafs roster, Moore has impressed, recording 24 points in 27 games with the Marlies and two points in three games with the Leafs. Moore will likely continue to be the next man up at forward for Toronto this season.
- The Los Angeles Kings announced they have assigned forward Michael Amadio to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Amadio has been shuttling back and forth between the two teams all year. He was recalled three days ago and has already appeared in 28 games for the Kings this season, having put up two goals and four points this season. While no corresponding move has been made, it’s possible the team will be activating goaltender Jack Campbell soon as he has made one start in a conditioning stint with Ontario.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced they have sent goaltender Scott Wedgewood to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Wedgewood was recalled Saturday to fill in as an emergency backup when Linus Ullmark couldn’t go. However, Ulmark was ready to go during practice today.
- The Edmonton Oilers announced they have recalled forward Joseph Gambardella from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL to fill the open forward spot which the team opened up after trading Drake Caggiula to the Chicago Blackhawks. Gambardella leads the Condors with 12 goals and 21 points in 28 games. The 25-year-old has not played in an NHL game yet.
- Winger Logan O’Connor has received his first NHL call-up as the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him from Colorado of the AHL. The 22-year-old is in his first professional season after spending the past three years with Denver of the NCAA. O’Connor is off to a nice start in his rookie campaign with 16 points in 29 games with the Eagles.
Minor Transactions: 12/28/18
We’re back to regular roster rules in the NHL, and with that teams will be making several moves to address their needs. A pair of teams, Boston and Dallas, used the holiday freeze to go over the 23 man roster limit and will need to come back down, while others were just waiting to send some underperforming forwards down to the minor leagues. As always, we’ll keep track of all the movement around the league right here.
- Rourke Chartier is on his way back up to the San Jose Sharks, recalled by the team after their win over Anaheim last night. Chartier has played 13 games for the Sharks this season, but is looking to make a bit more of an offensive impact if he gets back into the lineup. The 22-year old has just a single point—his first NHL goal—in those 13 contests.
- Though the Los Angeles Kings have normally been moving trios of players up and down to save cap space, that may not be the plan with Daniel Brickley who today was assigned to the AHL by himself. Dion Phaneuf resumed skating yesterday, meaning Brickley’s opportunity at the NHL level could be over for the time being.
- John Stevens has been on season-opening injured reserve for the first part of the year, but today was assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. That likely means that Stevens is ready to resume his playing career, one that will likely keep him in the New York Islanders minor league system for the rest of the season.
- The St. Louis Blues have assigned Zach Sanford to the AHL, giving them room on the roster to activate Robby Fabbri from injured reserve. Sanford has already set a career high with nine points in 23 games this season, but will have to continue to hone his skills at the minor league level for now. The 6’4″ forward hasn’t quite established himself as a full-time NHL player, but there is certainly still potential to grow into a reliable middle-six winger.
- Chad Ruhwedel has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning stint, but he’ll remain on the Pittsburgh Penguins 23-man roster. The 28-year old defenseman has played in just 11 games this season, and with Jamie Oleksiak returning to practice in full there wasn’t room to get him into the lineup.
- Lias Andersson hasn’t adapted to life in the NHL quite as well as some had hoped, and today the New York Rangers sent the top prospect back to the AHL. The 20-year old center has just four points in 21 games this season, but is such a huge part of the Rangers future they must put him in the best situation to succeed. Andersson did have 12 points in 14 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this year, a pace he’ll hopefully return to now that he’s back in the minor leagues.
- With John Gibson dealing with an injury, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Kevin Boyle from the minor leagues to fill in for now. The team is already without Ryan Miller, meaning Chad Johnson will have to hold the crease for the time being.
- Alan Quine has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Calgary Flames, ending a three week run with the team. Quine has played nine games for the Flames this season, recording four points. He cleared waivers before the season began, and would have had to again if he played another game with the team.
Jeff Carter’s Indirect No-Trade Clause
With the Kings continuing to struggle, veteran center Jeff Carter has started to come up in trade speculation lately. While he’s having a down season, he has been a strong goal scorer in the past and has had considerable success in the playoffs. He also happens to have a manageable cap hit at just under $5.3MM, a decent rate for a proven top-six forward so there will be interest from contending teams.
There is one additional hurdle to clear when it comes to a Carter trade, however. Although he technically does not have any form of trade protection, the breakdown of the remainder of his contract essentially works like a full no-trade clause.
Back in 2010 while still with Philadelphia, Carter signed his current deal which runs for 11 years while the salary is significantly lower in the final three years which he will reach beginning next season. It’s the type of deal that is now illegal in the CBA and can result in penalties to teams involved with them.
At the conclusion of this season, Carter will have just $7MM remaining in salary over the final three years of his contract. He’ll be 34 by then and if he doesn’t like where he’s dealt to, retirement could be a real option. While the acquiring team would be absolved of any future salary cap commitments, the same can’t be said for Los Angeles.
Because the Kings have benefitted from a cumulative lower cap hit relative to the actual salary paid over his time with the team, they would become subject to salary cap recapture. If he was to retire following the season, they’d be looking at a cap hit of roughly $2.75MM (the exact annual figure is dependent on the specific date a trade would be made and when he retires while it varies considerably each year) for each of the next three seasons. The Flyers wouldn’t be subject to any of this as even though they gave him the contract, they wound up trading him before it actually kicked in so they didn’t benefit from it while the Blue Jackets didn’t have him long enough for recapture to be of any consequence to them either.
There have only been two players that have had salary cap recapture affect their teams and coincidentally, both have ties to the Kings. Mike Richards was subject to recapture when they terminated his deal back in September of 2015 while Ilya Kovalchuk now plays for them (with New Jersey having a small recapture penalty on their books through 2024-25 after he ‘retired’ in 2013).
With all of this in mind, it’s in Kings GM Rob Blake’s best interest to work with Carter to find a trade destination that the veteran will be comfortable with. That will allow them to escape the potential recapture penalties and acquire some assets in return as his trade value should be considerably high. However, even though Carter doesn’t technically have a no-trade or a no-move clause in his contract, he certainly holds a lot of the cards here.
Minor Transactions: 12/24/18
Though teams cannot technically complete any minor transaction today given the full roster freeze for Christmas, some moves from last night are still coming through the wire. Teams have cleared off any players that they can in order to bank extra cap space, given that they won’t be playing again until Thursday at the earliest. We’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here:
- John Quenneville has been sent down to the minors by the New Jersey Devils, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to them after the freeze is lifted. Seeing limited minutes with the Devils, the 22-year old still hasn’t been able to carve out a specific role for himself. It’s now been nearly two years since his last NHL point, a frustrating notion for both Quenneville and the Devils who invested a first-round pick in him several years ago.
- The Los Angeles Kings have sent Michael Amadio, Daniel Brickley and Sean Walker to the minor leagues to bank cap space, something they’ve been doing all season long. The Kings are using long-term injured reserve space to stay cap compliant, but with Carl Hagelin expected back at some point in the new year the team is going to have to clear some salary eventually.
- Clark Bishop and Janne Kuokkanen have been sent down for a similar reason, though in the Carolina Hurricanes case it’s more to save actual money than cap space. Both players earn a significantly lower salary while in the minor leagues on their two-way deals, something the fiscally conscious Hurricanes have to be aware of.
- Brandon Pirri was returned by the Vegas Golden Knights, something that certainly isn’t because of his play. The offensive-minded Pirri has three goals and four points in his first three Golden Knights games, and saw 16 minutes of ice time on Sunday night against the Kings. He’ll likely be recalled at some point to inject some more offense, though it’s important to note that Vegas still did lose two of those three games.
- Michael Bunting and Adin Hill are going down to the Tucson Roadrunners, another salary saving move by the Arizona Coyotes. Hill’s season is very interesting, given his solid performance and the goaltending situation in Arizona. The team still has Darcy Kuemper and Calvin Pickard, but still seems to want to keep Hill in the mix at the NHL level. The 22-year old goaltender will likely be back up before long.
- The Toronto Marlies have a game on Boxing Day, and could very well have one of their best forwards back in the lineup. The Maple Leafs have sent Trevor Moore back down for the time being, though with Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis out he’ll likely be back up before long.
Pacific Notes: Oilers Depth, Vilardi, Edler
The Edmonton Oilers looked to be a team on the rise after Ken Hitchcock took over coaching duties back on Nov. 20. The team went on a 9-2-2 run and looked to be heading to the top of the Pacific Division. However, suddenly after a three-game losing streak and a tough loss to the NHL’s best team in the Tampa Bay Lightning, many questions are being raised whether the team has enough offense to compete with the Lightning or other top teams in the league.
In fact, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector writes that there is practically no depth on this team as the Oilers are fielding two lines that can score and another two that aren’t posing any offensive threat at all. Only six forwards have more than 10 points and only four of them have 20 points or more. Unfortunately for the team, the Oilers have invested a lot of money unwisely as it’s well known that the team is paying Milan Lucic $6MM and he has totaled just one goal and seven points this year. Ryan Spooner, who is making $3.1MM, has scored just two goals and five points between Edmonton and the New York Rangers, while Tobias Rieder hasn’t scored a goal yet at his $2MM contract.
The scribe adds that the team needs that depth scoring even if they have to find it in Bakersfield. However, at the moment, the team is relying more and more on their top players. Connor McDavid played 23:27 on Saturday against Tampa Bay, which is too much.
- The Los Angeles Kings have had quite a bit to worry about when it comes to prospect Gabe Vilardi, who was cut from Canada’s World Junior roster last week as he still remains out with a back injury. The 19-year-old has played a total of 36 games in the past season and a half, 32 with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL last season and four with the AHL’s Ontario Reign in a conditioning stint this year. While Vilardi is expected to return to the OHL as soon as he’s healthy enough, there is concern about his development as well as whether he can get healthy, according to Josh Cooper of The Athletic (subscription required). General manager Rob Blake‘s main concern is his health. “We’re more concerned about getting him healthy,” Blake said. “I’m not looking at the other part of that. We want to make sure he gets healthy first.”
- TSN’s Jason Brough writes that the Vancouver Canucks need to start thinking about moving some of their defensemen, especially defensive blueliner Alexander Edler. The veteran has been playing big minutes for Vancouver as he averages 22:46 of ATOI and played 27:30 in Saturday’s game against Winnipeg. The scribe writes that the team needs to convince Edler to waive his no trade clause, so the team get some assets for him and then maybe re-sign him for next year to help work with the incoming youth.
San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson Suspended Two Games
The Department of Player Safety announced that they have suspended San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson two games for an illegal check to the head Saturday against Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner. Karlsson is expected to miss two Pacific Division contests, including tonight’s game against Arizona and then a Dec. 27 game against the Anaheim Ducks. Karlsson will be eligible to return on Dec. 29 in Edmonton.
It’s a blow for San Jose, who have seen an uptick in production from their big offseason acquisition. Karlsson has scored 11 points over the past 10 games (all assists). The incident occurred 2:33 into the second period when Karlsson checked Wagner in the neutral zone with his shoulder that appeared to hit Wagner’s head. Karlsson admitted Saturday that it was an accident.
“It’s one of those plays, I’m closing (the) gap, and he skates into me,” he said. “I don’t really even lean into him. I’m in his lane, and just shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Unfortunately he went down hard and he didn’t come back, and I hope he’s OK, but at the end of the day it’s a hockey play.”
Karlsson has never been suspended in his career and was fined just once for a slash in 2012. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement and based on his annual average salary, Karlsson will forfeit $69,892.48, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Pacific Notes: Karlsson, Wagner, Miller, Puljujarvi
The Department of Player Safety announced that San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson will have a hearing tomorrow for an illegal check to the head on the Los Angeles Kings’ Austin Wagner during the second period of Saturday’s game. Karlsson has never been suspended in his career and was fined just once for a slash in 2012.
While there was no penalty on the ice, Wagner was forced to leave the game and never returned. While there was some contact to the head, it might be more challenging for the Department of Player Safety to determine if the hit was intentional and meant for the head. Wagner and Karlsson also had an issue earlier in the shift, which could suggest that there may have been payback involved, something the league will factor into their decisions as well.
- As for Wagner, the 21-year-old left the game not long after the hit and a representative of the team referred to him out with an upper-body injury. The hope is that he isn’t out long, if at all. The team is already without a number of key players, including Trevor Lewis, Alec Martinez, Carl Hagelin, Jonny Brodzinski and Dion Phaneuf. However, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes that Wagner is expected to join the team for their road trip to Las Vegas for Sunday’s game against the Golden Knights, although that doesn’t mean he will be cleared to play.
- Speaking of the Vegas Golden Knights, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that defenseman Colin Miller remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury after missing his second straight game. He, however, has not been placed on injured reserve. However, Miller is expected to be back soon. Miller has been critical to the team’s offense since the return of Nate Schmidt. Miller has two goals and six assists since Schmidt returned from a suspension in mid-November.
- Sportsnet’s Mark Spector writes that Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi has gotten a second life with new head coach Ken Hitchcock as the struggling 20-year-old has gone from a exiled player in the AHL to a first-line winger next to Connor McDavid. However, the scribe writes one of the biggest challenges that Puljujarvi has struggled with is the language barrier, considering he knew no English when he come over to North America two years ago. “It’s more challenging for a Euro player who’s played in Europe to just come over and play in the NHL,” said Hitchcock. “What happens is, when you’re not comfortable in the lifestyle, you kind of stay to yourself. So you’re worried about how you fit in, you’re worried about the length of the season, you’re worried about a lot of things. Now, we’re starting to see his natural personality.”