Calle Jarnkrok Now Listed As Day-To-Day
- The Predators are getting closer to getting one of their forwards back, potentially in time for the start of the playoffs. GM David Poile told reporters, including NHL.com’s Robby Stanley (Twitter link) that center Calle Jarnkrok is making progress and is now listed as day-to-day. The 26-year-old has been out for nearly a month due to an upper-body injury. His eventual return should boost an already-deep Nashville lineup that heads into the postseason as the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Minor Transactions: 4/8/18
With the Eastern Conference still undecided until today’s final regular season game, the Western Conference has no questions as the Colorado Avalanche finished off the St. Louis Blues in a 5-2 victory Saturday as they clinched the final playoff spot. The Nashville Predators got the top spot and will face the Avalanche. In other first-round matchups, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks will face the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild will face the Winnipeg Jets.
- The New York Islanders announced they have assigned forward Tanner Fritz on loan to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to help their AHL affiliate, who have four games left in their season. The 26-year-old Fritz split time between both teams, putting up three goals and seven points for the Islanders in 34 games, while scoring 10 goals and 27 assists in 33 games for Bridgeport.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forwards John Hayden, David Kampf, Andreas Martinsen, Victor Ejdsell, Jeff Glass and Jean-Francois Berube to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL for their playoff push.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they have assigned forwards Michael McCarron and Kerby Rychel as well as defenseman Brett Lernout to the AHL’s Laval Rocket to get some more playing time in before their season ends.
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced they will send eight players to the Rochester Americans of the AHL for their playoff run, including forwards Nicholas Baptiste, Alexander Nylander and Kevin Porter; defensemen Brendan Guhle, Casey Nelson and Matt Tennyson; and goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Adam Wilcox.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent four players to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL for their upcoming playoff run, according to the AHL team. The Hurricanes assigned forwards Nicolas Roy, Valentin Zykov as well as defensemen Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown. It will be a change for Fleury who spent all but one game with Carolina this season, while Zykov put up solid numbers in the NHL with seven points in 10 games.
- With the Calgary Flames season over, the team has assigned three players to the Stockton Heat of the AHL to finish out their season. The team will return defenseman Rasmus Andersson, forward Spencer Foo and goaltender Jon Gillies. Andersson played 10 games for the Flames this year, while Foo scored two goals in four games. Gillies played 11 games for Calgary, putting up a 2.88 GAA.
- The Arizona Coyotes, according to CapFriendly, have sent four players back to the Tucson Roadrunners for their playoff run, including forward Dylan Strome and defensemen Dakota Mermis, Trevor Murphy and Joel Hanley. Strome showed some success at the NHL level, putting up four goals and nine points in 21 games this season.
- The Dallas Stars have joined the fray, reassigning defenseman Dillon Heatherington and goaltender Mike McKenna to the AHL’s Texas Stars as they continue their push toward the playoffs.
Nashville Predators Sign Goaltender Niclas Westerholm
The Nashville Predators have added a player to their goaltending pipeline, signing undrafted free agent Niclas Westerholm to a three-year entry-level contract. Westerholm played this season in Finland, where he made his professional debut with SaiPa.
Westerholm, 20, actually already has a bit of experience playing in North America after spending the 2015-16 season playing for a Minnesota high school. The 6’4″ goaltender had a great season in the junior Finnish league, posting a .926 save percentage through 28 games.
If there is anyone who can find an unknown Finnish goaltender and turn him into a star, it’s the Predators. In 2004, Nashville famously drafted Pekka Rinne in the eighth round despite seeing him only in warm ups and practice, as he was the backup goaltender for his club team in Finland. Rinne would turn out to be the best goaltender in franchise history, and continues to be a huge part of their team to this day. Though that’s not expected of Westerholm, he’ll definitely be someone to keep an eye on over the next few years.
Nashville Predators Sign Tanner Jeannot To Entry-Level Contract
Though he won’t come with the fanfare of their last deal, Tanner Jeannot has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators. Jeannot is a CHL free agent forward who is currently playing in the WHL playoffs with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Jeannott, 20, exploded this season in his fourth season with Moose Jaw, scoring 40 goals and 80 points in 72 games. After his previous career-high in goals was just 19, this season’s output may have come as a surprise to many scouts, though perhaps not those in Nashville or even Minnesota and Washington, where he attended development camp in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The 6’2″ 207-lbs forward has dramatically improved his skating for this season, and will now try to take the next step in his hockey career. Likely heading to join the Milwaukee Admirals next season, he’ll try to prove that he should have been drafted or snapped up in years prior.
Minor Transactions: 04/02/18
The NHL is down to the last week of the season, with all games scheduled to be wrapped up by Sunday night. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league and give context on how they could impact the playoff picture. Check back throughout the day to stay up to date on your favorite team.
- According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson from the minor leagues to help replace the injured Victor Antipin. Antipin was knocked unconscious this weekend against the Nashville Predators, and won’t play again this season. Tennyson has played 14 games for the Sabres this season, though most of his work has come in the AHL. The 27-year old defenseman is still looking for his first NHL point of the season.
- Back and forth goes Oliver Kylington, who has been recalled once again by the Calgary Flames today. Kylington is still looking to get a chance at the NHL level, but the 20-year old defenseman has seen positive progression while in the minor leagues.
- Thatcher Demko is on his way back to the minor leagues, in time to help the Utica Comets with their playoff push. If the AHL playoffs started today, the Comets would have to dangerous Toronto Marlies in the first round, a matchup that would really test Demko and give him an opportunity to show he’s too good for the minor leagues.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Colby Cave from the minor leagues under emergency conditions, bringing up the forward once again. Cave made his NHL debut earlier this year, and could get back into the lineup if one of the injured players for Boston can’t play.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have swapped goaltenders, recalling Jeff Glass from the minor leagues and sending Collin Delia back down. Delia had a very interesting debut, suiting up after Anton Forsberg was injured, only to suffer an injury himself and relinquish the net to emergency goaltender Scott Foster. Delia has played at three different professional levels already this season, impressive for an undrafted goaltender out of Merrimack College.
- The Dallas Stars have reassigned Jason Dickinson to the minor leagues, giving him back to the Texas Stars for their playoff run. Texas will welcome him back with open arms, as Dickinson has 16 goals in just 36 games this season.
Snapshots: Panthers, DeBrusk, Trouba, Tolvanen
Despite an impressive second-half run – 19-7-2 since February 1st – the Florida Panthers are still fighting for their playoff lives in each and every game. They face a major test this afternoon against the Boston Bruins and will do so without two offensive weapons. According to Panthers play-by-play man Steve Goldstein, both Denis Malgin and trade deadline acquisition and former Bruin Frank Vatrano are too “banged up” to go today. Vatrano has four points in eleven games since joining Florida, while Malgin has 11 goals and 20 points in 49 games for the Cats thus far. Their replacements, unproven Maxim Mamin and grinder Micheal Haley, have been far less productive in 2017-18. Given the importance of the match-up and the fact that Boston is getting Jake DeBrusk back in the lineup makes the absences of Malgin and Vatrano a stroke of bad luck for the playoff-hungry Panthers.
- A postseason-bound club getting healthier is the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets will welcome defenseman Jacob Trouba back into the lineup tonight, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Trouba has missed the past two weeks while battling concussions symptoms. He suffered that head injury in just his second game back after missing 20 games due to a lower-body injury. If Trouba is really back at 100% and ready to return to his major role on the Winnipeg blue line, it will be a major boost for the Jets.
- Making his long-awaited debut for the Nashville Predators today is 2017 first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen. Tolvanen finished up his KHL season last week and joined the Preds on Wednesday, but head coach Peter Laviolette confirmed that he will be in the lineup today against the Buffalo Sabres. While Tolvanen found instant success in Europe and looks poised to be a big-time player for a long time in Nashville, it’s no surprise that he makes his debut in a relatively meaningless game against the lowly Sabres. Tolvanen may need an adjustment period to get used to the North American game and it remains to be seen how he will be used down the stretch and in the postseason.
Eeli Tolvanen Joins Nashville Predators, Signs Entry-Level Deal
Eeli Tolvanen was on the ice for the Nashville Predators’ morning skate, and has signed his three-year entry-level contract. Tolvanen was allowed out of his KHL contract at the end of their season with the intent on joining the Predators, but it wasn’t clear when exactly he would be ready to jump into the lineup.
According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, Tolvanen’s entry-level deal comes with the maximum bonuses available, something usually reserved for only the very top draft picks like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews (though also used in other rare circumstances).
The 18-year old phenom fell all the way to 30th in the 2017 draft, but has made quite the impression on the hockey community in less than a year since. By playing in the KHL, World Juniors and Olympics, he’s stacked up well against players from all sorts of levels. Now, entering the NHL just in time for what should be a long playoff run, he gives the Predators another offensive weapon to utilize. His shot is already extremely dangerous, and though he can sometimes wait for others to create chances for him, his natural elusiveness can be hard to combat when the puck is on his stick.
Predators Director of Player Personnell Jeff Kealty had this to say in the press release:
The thing that’s allowed him to translate and succeed at the men’s level as well as he has is that he thinks and executes at a very mature level for his age. It’s not just the goals, the assists and his shot, but the little things that he does, like the way he handles the puck and makes the right decisions in all areas of the ice. You always feel like the puck is in good hands when it’s on his stick and he’s going to make the right play when he has the opportunity.
Nashville is already loaded with offensive players, but Tolvanen could debut this weekend and give them another powerplay option. Though they’re certainly no slouches with the man advantage, Nashville’s point-shot strategy can be shut down at times and introducing a new weapon like Tolvanen could do damage in the postseason. We’ll have wait to see if he can make an impact in the NHL like he has in the KHL.
Adam Vingan of the Tennessean reported that Tolvanen was on the ice this morning, before anyone had announced a contract.
Eeli Tolvanen Free To Sign With Predators
Monday: Jokerit and Tolvanen have officially terminated his contract, making the young sniper free to sign with the Predators. According to Pekka Jalonen of Iltalehti in Finland, Tolvanen will meet the team in Nashville on Wednesday.
Saturday: The Nashville Predators got some good news today on the status of 2017 first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen, who has been playing for Jokerit of the KHL. The Predators’ plan, which is to bring the 18-year-old to the NHL and have him join the team for their Stanley Cup run this season, is that much closer today after Jokerit was eliminated from the playoffs Saturday and the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan tweets that Tolvanen is now free to sign with Nashville at any time.
Tolvanen scored a goal Saturday in Jokerit’s 4-3 loss to CSKA in Game 6 of their playoff series. The 30th pick in the 2017 draft has had a breakout year with Jokerit as he scored 21 goals and added 17 assists as a rookie.
However, TSN’s Bob McKenzie writes not to expect Tolvanen to hop on a plane and fly to Nashville tonight or even in the next day or two. McKenzie says that it may take some time for things to process, from a getting a release from Jokerit, to a contract, to dealing with immigration. Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweets the Predators will know more about Tolvanen’s status by Tuesday.
The other question that factors into the move will be whether or not the team chooses to burn Tolvanen’s first year of his entry-level deal. If he plays more than nine games between the regular season and the playoffs, he would burn that first-year of his ELC. However, while the team might be open to doing that to add another elite scorer for their playoff run, Vingan points out another factor the team will be considering as well. If there is an expansion draft for the Seattle franchise in 2020 (like many expect), Tolvanen would only be exempt from the draft if he does not play more than nine games this season. Assuming the franchise continues to be as deep as they are for the next few years, the Predators might rather have him exempt.
Injury Notes: Jets And Bruins
Two of the best teams in hockey, the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets, are both in action today and will both see changes to their lineups due to injury. The Bruins take on the Minnesota Wild with a chance to climb within two points of the Atlantic-leading Tampa Bay Lightning while still holding a game in hand. The Jets need a win over the Central leading Predators to clinch a playoff spot with their own efforts, but could also get in today with at least one point and an Anaheim Ducks loss. However, the Jets will have to do so tonight and going forward down a man, whereas it seems like the Bruins task is about to get easier as their mountain of injuries is shrinking.
The Winnipeg Jets have a tough situation on their hands, but it could be worse. The team announced today that veteran defenseman Toby Enstrom will be shut down for the remainder of the regular season. Head coach Paul Maurice told TSN’s Brian Munz that Enstrom will not play again over the final two weeks as he nurses a lower-body injury. However, the important distinction is that this was the team’s choice and that it only includes the regular season. The team seems optimistic that some time off will give Enstrom a better chance of being ready to go in the postseason. With Dmitry Kulikov all but done for the year, the Jets could really use a healthy Enstrom if they want to make waves in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Bruins also have their eye on the Cup and have somehow stayed on course through mounting injuries over the past month. Boston’s last two games in particular have lacked Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, Zdeno Chara, Jake DeBrusk, David Backes, Rick Nash, and Torey Krug, yet the Bruins picked up a combined three points against the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. Overall, the Bruins are shockingly 9-2-2 since Bergeron went down in late February, with McAvoy out since March 3rd and Chara and DeBrusk having missed the last two weeks. Now, the team is getting healthier, announcing that Bergeron and Krug are set to return to the lineup tonight and adding that Chara, McAvoy, and Backes are making their way back as well. That just leaves DeBrusk and Nash without an update and neither injury was reported to be overly serious when they first occurred, which means that Boston could be back at full strength before the start of the playoffs. Given the emergence of Ryan Donato and the strong play of Brian Gionta, Nick Holden, and others, that begs the question posed by beat writer Joe Haggerty today: who will start for the Bruins if everyone is healthy?
Snapshots: Tavares & Barzal, Berube, Gustavsson, Tolvanen, McLain
Having lost 10 out of their last 11 games this season, the New York Islanders look ready to make a major change as head coach Doug Weight plans to not only shake up their lines, but also put their two best players on the same lines for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. The move, which was actually started Friday during the second period would force John Tavares to the wing position with rookie Mathew Barzal moving next to him at the center position, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Jordan Eberle will take over at right wing.
“It doesn’t mean he’s going to play wing and it doesn’t mean he’s not a centerman,” Weight said of Tavares. “It’s an experiment. Moving forward it gives them some experience together. I’m excited to see it.”
One has to wonder whether the move is made to see whether Barzal and Tavares might make a good fit, which could be another incentive, if it works, to convince Tavares to stay and re-sign with the franchise at the end of the season. The team has struggled offensively recently and neither player has stood out recently. Tavares has just two goals in the team’s last 10 games, while Barzal has just three in that same span.
- While Corey Crawford is unlikely to return this year in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks, the real test for the remainder of the year will be to determine who will end up being his backup next year. The team has both current goaltenders, Jean-Francois Berube and Anton Forsberg, under contract for one more season. According to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, the better of the two will likely assume the backup spot next year. Both are very similar as they both make the almost the same amount of money and are almost the same age. Lazerus believes that while neither goalie is perfect, Berube has been slightly more consistent than Lindholm, who has put up one of the worst save percentages in the league since Feb. 1 (.889) and has already been pulled six times this season.
- The Ottawa Senators got some good news as 19-year-old prospect goaltender Filip Gustavsson is heading for the AHL. According to the Ottawaw Citizen’s Ken Warren, Gustavsson, who the Senators acquired in the Derick Brassard trade from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, is expected to report to the Belleville Senators as his Lulea team in the Swedish Elite League was eliminated from the playoffs. He played 22 games in the SHL with a 2.07 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
- On the other hand, the Nashville Predators are still keeping a close eye on the KHL playoffs as they watch the play of Eeli Tolvanen of Jokerit. The 2017 first-rounder saw his team drop their second straight playoff game to CSKA and if they get swept, Tolvanen could be free to sign with the Predators for their playoff run as early as Tuesday.
- On a minor league note, the Iowa Wild of the AHL announced they signed Bowling Green forward Mitch McLain to an Amateur Tryout Agreement. The former captain was an nominee for the Hobey Baker Award and scored 53 goals for Bowling Green over the course of four seasons.