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Minor Transactions: 12/29/19

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There were nine games in the NHL last night and, outside of a surprising 6-1 drubbing of the Flyers by the Sharks, it was a slate of tight results. The other eight match-ups combined for a margin of victory of just 12 goals, including five one-goal decisions. With another ten games on the docket today, including five divisional rivalries, it should be another competitive slate. Every team will be trying to make the right roster moves to improve their odds of winning, so keep up with all of the action here:

  • Last night, the Nashville Predators recalled Yakov Trenin, replacing the roster spot of Colton Sissons, who has been placed on injured reserve. Trenin has been up-and-down frequently this season, playing in six games with the Predators and 20 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Trenin’s minor league production this season suggests he could assert himself as a top-nine forward for Nashville if he continues to get opportunities.
  • Another notable move last night was the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signing Sebastien Caron to a PTO to serve as their emergency backup goalie. That name should be familiar, as Caron made his WBS Penguins debut back in 2000-01 and made 95 NHL appearances over a 15-year pro career, 90 of which came with Pittsburgh and the other five in brief stops with Chicago, Anaheim, and Tampa Bay. Caron also spent parts of nine seasons in Europe. Since retiring from regular play in 2015-16, Caron has made multiple emergency backup appearances for the AHL Penguins, as well as the Binghamton Devils.
  • Derek Forbort finally returned to action last night, as the Los Angeles Kings activated the defenseman from the injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a conditioning loan. Forbort began the season on the injured reserve with a back injury, but looked like he was trending toward a return in late November. However, Forbort suffered a setback during a previous conditioning stint and never made it back to active duty with the Kings. The team hopes that this time around he can stay healthy in the AHL and make his NHL debut sooner rather than later.
  • With a few days between games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Kenny Agostino and Timothy Liljegren back to the AHL. With Jake Muzzin out due to a broken foot and Rasmus Sandin currently overseas playing for Sweden, Liljegren seems to be the next in line for an NHL opportunity in Toronto.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have assigned forward Morgan Frost to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL and have activated forward Michael Raffl off of injured reserve. Frost, one of the team’s top prospects, scored two goals in his first two NHL games, but has failed to score in the past 16 games. His last game, the team’s 6-1 loss to San Jose, Frost finished with a minus-three rating. He will return to the AHL to find his scoring confidence. Raffl has been inserted in the Flyers’ lineup after sitting out since Dec. 3 after breaking his finger. The 31-year-old has three goals and six assists this season in 28 games.

Central Notes: Sissons, Laviolette, Shaw, Perreault

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The Nashville Predators lost another forward Friday as the team has placed forward Colton Sissons on injured reserve with a lower-body injury during the team’s 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to the Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina. By being placed on IR, Sissons cannot return for at least seven days, meaning he is expected to miss Wednesday’s Winter Classic in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.

Sissons was injured during the first period Friday after teammate Nick Bonino tripped up Pittsbugh Zach Aston-Reese who fell on Sissons’ ankle. He was wearing a walking boot after the game to protect his ankle. The 26-year-old had seven goals and 13 points in 37 games so far this season.

The team recalled forward Yakov Trenin from the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, who is expected to fill in some depth for the Predators.

  • Sticking with the Predators, despite the team’s struggles in the standings (sixth place in the Central Division), The Athletic’s Adam Vingan writes that he doesn’t see an easy fix to fixing the fortunes of a team originally predicted to be among the top teams in the Western Conference. The scribe writes that firing coach Peter Laviolette isn’t a likely scenario as he remains in good standing with management and general manager David Poile doesn’t have a history of firing coaches. In fact, in nearly 40 years, Poile has only had five head coaches total.
  • Chicago Blackhawks fans that were hoping to see forward Andrew Shaw soon will be disappointed, but head coach Jeremy Colliton said that the rugged forward will not be returning to the team anytime soon, according to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis. Shaw, has been out since Nov. 30 with a concussion, and his status hasn’t improved much. The team is also without Drake Caggiula, also out with a concussion since Nov. 10. Caggiula, who is deemed closer by Colliton, however, will not join Chicago on their upcoming three-game roadtrip.
  • The Winnipeg Jets could be getting back one of their players shortly. The Athletic’s Murat Ates reports that forward Mathieu Perreault continues to wear a yellow non-contact jersey, but the 31-year-old hopes to get in a full practice in soon with the hopes of possibly returning to the lineup on Tuesday when the team faces Colorado. Perreault has been out since Dec. 15 with a concussion. He has six goals and 12 points in 33 games this season and would be a great addition to the team’s bottom-six.

NHL Draft Picks Participating In The World Junior Championship

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The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship is underway from Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech Republic. The tournament began today and will run through the championship game on January 5th. Each of the NHL’s 31 teams has at least one representative at the WJC. Five teams have only one draft pick participating, while the Los Angeles Kings (9) and Arizona Coyotes (7) each have more than those teams combined. However, it only takes one player and one moment to make history at the WJC. Check out which future NHLers will have that chance this year:

Anaheim Ducks (2):

G Lukas Dostal, Czech Republic
F Trevor Zegras, USA

Arizona Coyotes (7):

F Barrett Hayton, Canada
F Jan Jenik, Czech Republic
F Matias Maccelli, Finland
D Aku Raty, Finland
D Victor Soderstrom, Sweden
F Valentin Nussbaumer, Switzerland
D Ty Emberson, USA

Boston Bruins (3):

F Jakub Lauko, Czech Republic
F John Beecher, USA
F Curtis Hall, USA

Buffalo Sabres (4):

F Dylan Cozens, Canada
F Matej Pekar, Czech Republic
G Erik Portillo, Sweden
D Mattias Samuelsson, USA

Calgary Flames (1):

G Dustin Wolf, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (5):

D Anttoni Honka, Finland
F Lenni Killinen, Finland
F Patrik Puistola, Finland
F Dominik Bokk, Germany
F Jack Drury, USA

Chicago Blackhawks (2):

F Antti Saarela, Finland
F Michal Teply, Czech Republic

Colorado Avalanche (4):

D Bowen Byram, Canada
G Justus Annunen, Finland
F Sampo Ranta, Finland
D Daniil Zhuravlyov, Russia

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):

F Liam Foudy, Canada
F Kirill Marchenko, Russia
F Dmitri Voronkov, Russia
D Tim Berni, Switzerland

Dallas Stars (3):

F Ty Dellandrea, Canada
F Oskar Back, Sweden
F Albin Eriksson, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (5):

D Jared McIsaac, Canada
F Joseph Veleno, Canada
D Moritz Seider, Germany
F Jonatan Berggren, Sweden
F Jesper Eliasson, Sweden

Edmonton Oilers (4):

F Raphael Lavoie, Canada
G Olivier Rodrigue, Canada
F Matej Blumel, Czech Republic
D Philip Broberg, Sweden

Florida Panthers (3):

Justin Schutz, Germany
F Grigori Denisenko, Russia
G Spencer Knight, USA

Los Angeles Kings (9):

F Aidan Dudas, Canada
F Akil Thomas, Canada
F Lukas Parik, Czech Republic
F Rasmus Kupari, Finland
D Kim Nousiainen, Finland
D Tobias Bjornfot, Sweden
F Samuel Fagemo, Sweden
F Arthur Kaliyev, USA
F Alex Turcotte, USA

Minnesota Wild (1):

F Alexander Khovanov, Russia

Montreal Canadiens (4):

D Alexander Romanov, Russia
D Mattias Norlinder, Sweden
F Cole Caufield, USA
D Jordan Harris, USA

Nashville Predators (1):

D Spencer Stastney, USA

New Jersey Devils (5):

D Kevin Bahl, Canada
D Ty Smith, Canada
D Daniil Misyul, Russia
F Nikola Pasic, Sweden
G Akira Schmid, Switzerland

New York Islanders (2):

F Jacob Pivonka, USA
F Oliver Wahlstrom, USA

New York Rangers (5):

D Nico Gross, Switzerland
F Karl Henriksson, Sweden
D Nils Lundkvist, Sweden
D Zachary Jones, USA

D K’Andre Miller, USA

Ottawa Senators (3):

D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Canada
D Lassi Thomson, Finland
F Shane Pinto, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (4):

F Egor Zamula, Russia
D Adam Ginning, Sweden
F Bobby Brink, USA
D Cameron York, USA

Pittsburgh Penguins (1):

D Calen Addison, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):

Santeri Hatakka, Finland

St. Louis Blues (2):

G Joel Hofer, Canada
F Nikita Alexandrov, Russia

Tampa Bay Lightning (3):

F Nolan Foote, Canada
F Maxim Cajkovic, Czech Republic
G Hugo Alnefelt, Sweden

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):

D Mikko Kokkonen, Finland
D Rasmus Sandin, Sweden
F Nicholas Robertson, USA

Vancouver Canucks (4):

F Karel Plasek, Czech Republic
D Toni Utunen, Finland
F Vasily Podkolzin, Russia
F Nils Hoglander, Sweden

Vegas Golden Knights (3):

F Pavel Dorofeyev, Russia
F Ivan Morozov, Russia
G Isaiah Saville, USA

Washington Capitals (2):

F Connor McMichael, Canada
D Martin Has, Czech Republic

Winnipeg Jets (2):

F David Gustafsson, Sweden
D Ville Heinola, Finland

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Nashville Predators

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Nashville Predators.

What are the Predators most thankful for?

Cost certainty.

That doesn’t sound like a very sexy thing to be excited about, but the Predators have used long-term deals to create a program that keeps them in the race every year. All six of the team’s top scorers are currently on contracts of at least six years in length, a testament to David Poile’s willingness to extend his players early and often. If Roman Josi was still looking at unrestricted free agency in a few months while on pace for a career-high 30 goals and 77 points, his price tag would only be going up from the $9.059MM average annual value they got him to agree to in October.

That kind of foresight has worked out brilliantly in other cases too, like Calle Jarnkrok who agreed to a six-year deal in 2016 that carried just a $2MM annual cap hit. Jarnkrok has been outstanding this season with 25 points in 35 games, scoring in all situations.

Who are the Predators most thankful for?

That has to be Josi, who is not only scoring at the best rate of his career but is also carrying his best underlying analytics in some time. The 29-year old captain would be a real contender (or perhaps the clubhouse favorite) for the Norris Trophy this season as the league’s best defenseman if it weren’t for the absurdity that is John Carlson’s point production.

It’s hard to know exactly how Josi’s new eight-year, $72.47MM extension will work out in the long run, but at the current $4MM cap hit he carries on the last year of his old deal? He’s one of the biggest bargains in the entire league.

What would the Predators be even more thankful for?

A more consistent bottom-pairing.

Even with the exceptional talents that the Predators boast at the top of their defense group, the team has still allowed 114 goals this season and are barely keeping pace in the tough Central Division. Some of those struggles at least can be pinned on the backs of their depth defenders, including former star Dan Hamhuis who has shown his age this season. The 37-year old was once a rock solid two-way option for the Predators, but may need to be upgraded if the team wants to contend for the Stanley Cup once again.

What should be on the Predators’ Holiday Wish List?

Exactly what it says above, if there’s a way to fit another defenseman into the group right now. The Predators don’t need to add scoring after Viktor Arvidsson returned to the lineup, but tightening up defensively is an absolute must if they want to sneak their way back into the playoffs. With a reliable tandem of Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros that can handle the net and enviable depth down the middle, a new option on the bottom pairing might be the only thing missing from a late-season run.

Whether they can find that fit will be the question, especially one that doesn’t cost much in the future. Obviously moving Kyle Turris out would clear some room down the road, but with the enigmatic forward seemingly finding his game recently there may be some hesitation to ship him out at this point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Three Stars, Wildcats, Czechs

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with a new name gracing the top spot. Florida Panthers forward Noel Acciari has been given the honor after scoring back-to-back hat tricks and seven total goals in three games. The 28-year old had never scored a hat trick in the NHL previously, making this quite the week.

Second place went to a familiar name in Roman Josi after his six-goal week from the Nashville Predators blueline, but third was another new face. Joonas Korpisalo of the Columbus Blue Jackets put up the best week of his short career, going 4-0 with a .939 save percentage and showing that he may be capable of handling the starting role going forward. The 25-year old goaltender is 16-10-3 on the season after the Blue Jackets watched veteran starter Sergei Bobrovsky leave via free agency.

  • According to Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports, the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL have a new head coach. Daniel Lacroix, a former enforcer and long time NHL assistant coach has taken the job, returning to the team that he worked with for several years after retirement. Lacroix actually served as head coach for a short time in the 2004-05 season but will now get a chance to really take control of the squad after they parted ways with John Torchetti earlier this month.
  • The Czech Republic World Junior team has been finalized, after they cut five players earlier today. Jaroslav Broz, Filip Koffer, Martin Lang, Miroslav Kukla, and Jan Bednar have all been sent home. Bednar is just 17 and will likely be back at the tournament next season, given his status as a top goaltending prospect for the 2020 draft.

Western Notes: Arvidsson, Granlund, Demers, Glass

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The Nashville Predators expect to get two big returns to their lineup Saturday as the forward’s Viktor Arvidsson and Mikael Granlund are expected back, according to NHL.com’s Matt Kalman. Both have been out with lower-body injuries, but the hope is that both players will boost Nashville’s struggling team.

Arvidsson has missed 12 games over four weeks. He was originally estimated to be out for four to six weeks, which means he will return at the early part of the estimation. The 26-year-old started strong with six goals and 15 points in 22 games. Granlund, on the other hand, has missed four straight games with a lower-body injury as well. Granlund has four goals and 12 points in 28 games.

  • The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers was a full participant in practice Saturday and while he is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against Detroit, but is expected to be re-evaluated on Monday against Nashville. This is a quick turnaround for Demers who underwent a minor procedure on his knee just two weeks ago.
  • Vegas Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant said that while forward Cody Glass is closing in on a return, he will not play in their back-to-back games against San Jose and Colorado Sunday and Monday, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Glass, who has been out since Dec. 8 with a concussion, skated Saturday in a non-contact jersey, suggesting he’s close to returning. That could suggest that the rookie could make his return Friday vs. Anaheim.
  • The Minnesota Wild hope to get back a player as well. Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan reports that center Joel Eriksson Ek should be able to return at some point next week. The 22-year-old has been out with an upper-body injury for the past week and is expected to practice with the team on Sunday. Eriksson Ek has two goals and 12 points in 30 games this season.

Minor Transactions: 12/20/19

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It’s always a date to circle on the NHL calendar when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers meet, as battles between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid never fail to impress. Unfortunately tonight one side will be without their superstar as Crosby continues to recover from injury, meaning Evgeni Malkin and company will have to try and hold off McDavid on their own. That is just one of the four matchups this evening, and as teams prepare we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • It’s not just Crosby who is hurting for the Penguins, meaning they needed even more bodies from the minor leagues today. The team has recalled Thomas Di Pauli and Kevin Czuczman from the AHL in time for tonight’s game.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have sent Brian Gibbons back to the minor leagues. Gibbons has been the team’s insurance forward all season, bouncing up and down whenever they need another body. The 31-year old has played in 15 NHL games, but hasn’t scored a single point.
  • David Kase has been sent back to the minor leagues after just a single day in the NHL. This is already Kase’s fourth transaction this month, serving as an insurance policy for the Philadelphia Flyers on game days.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Curtis Lazar after Jack Eichel was made a late scratch last night. The captain was out with an upper-body injury, technically ending his 17-game point streak.
  • Yakov Trenin has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators, who will conclude their road trip with a date against the Boston Bruins tomorrow. Trenin, 22, has played in six games with the team this season but has been a force in the AHL.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled both Jakob Lilja and Ryan MacInnis from the minor leagues. MacInnis, 23, has actually still not made his NHL debut despite being a second-round pick from 2014 and playing regularly in the minor leagues.
  • Zack MacEwen has been recalled by the Vancouver Canucks, after Josh Leivo was injured in last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. MacEwan has become a favorite call-up of the Canucks after signing as an undrafted free agent, with eight games already played in the NHL this season.

Minor Transactions: 12/14/19

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Even with just two games being played on Friday night, the hockey world was still in a mad scramble with the news that New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall had been a late scratch for their game against the Colorado Avalanche. As Hall watch continues today, 28 teams, including the Devils, take the ice. Each of those teams, plus the three with a day off, wouldn’t mind adding the former MVP, but will have to balance their pursuit with day-to-day roster maintenance as well. You can keep up with those smaller moves here, as you wait for the big deal to potentially drop:

  • The Ottawa Senators have announced that they have recalled defenseman Andreas Englund from AHL Belleville. Englund, 23, is one of a number of Senators defensemen who have dealt with injury issues this season, limiting him to just 11 AHL games thus far. Englund would be making his NHL debut this season if he draws into the Ottawa lineup tonight, but the 2014 second-rounder has skated in at least one NHL game in each of his first three seasons in North America. With that said, the big blue liner has played in just nine games total with Ottawa hopes to find a more regular role with the club this season.
  • After a stellar NHL debut, allowing five goals on 72 shots in starts against the Avalanche and Senators, Cayden Primeau has been returned to the AHL by the Montreal Canadiens. Following tonight’s game, the Canadiens will have a two-day break and then embark on a four-game road trip through Western Canada that does not feature any back-to-back games, before finally hitting the holiday break. It is not a schedule that is likely to yield much opportunity for Carey Price’s backup, so the Habs have made the best move for Primeau’s development by sending him back the Laval Rocket, where he can get some playing time. Charlie Lindgren has been recalled in his place, marking his first return to the NHL this season. Once thought to be the long-term backup solution in Montreal, Lindgren has made just one appearance for the team since March 2018 and has failed to impress in the AHL during that span.
  • The Minnesota Wild sent Gerald Mayhew to AHL Iowa yesterday, as Eric Staal made his return to the lineup, but have quickly recalled the young forward this morning. This could mean that the Wild have lingering injury concerns with Staal or another forward, although no such indication has been made. Mayhew has been a near point-per-game scorer in the AHL this year and has added two goals in six games with Minnesota. The 26-year-old seems ready for a full-time gig with the Wild and the team as of late has seemed willing to keep him around.
  • A swap has been made in Nashville, as CapFriendly reports that the Predators have sent Daniel Carr down to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and have called up Colin Blackwell. Carr, the reigning AHL MVP, has been unstoppable in the minors again this year. However, he has been held to just one point in eleven games with Nashville, even with frequent opportunities to play up in the lineup. Carr is in that “AAAA” nexus right now, and until the Predators decide where he fits, they will keep him in Milwaukee. Blackwell comes in as another dynamic AHL scorer, but one that has not had as much NHL opportunity and thus no chance to disappoint. Nashville seems willing to take a chance on that upside as they continue to play below expectations.
  • Joseph Blandisi continues to move between the NHL and AHL.  This time, he’s on his way back up to Pittsburgh as the team announced they’ve recalled him from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis, suggesting that Evgeni Malkin may not yet be ready to return.  If Blandisi suits up tonight, it will be his fourth game in as many days between the two levels.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced they have assigned defenseman Dylan McIlrath to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL to make room for forward Anthony Mantha, who the team has activated off of injured reserve. The 6-foot-5 McIlrath has played in 16 games for Detroit, having accrued no points and 23 penalty minutes for the team.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned forward Sam Carrick to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Carrick scored one assist in two games with the Ducks, but provides a key veteran presence in San Diego where he has 10 goals and 16 points in 18 games.

Ryan Johansen, Evander Kane Receive Fines

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The Department of Player Safety has handed out a pair of fines today, giving a $5,000 bill to both Ryan Johansen of the Nashville Predators and Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks. Johansen’s incident occurred when he tried to throw a reverse check against Tampa Bay Lightning Brayden Point and caught him square with an elbow in last night’s game. Kane meanwhile also tried to throw a preemptive strike on Radko Gudas of the Washington Capitals and caught him up high with an elbow. Both players received game misconducts.

Though neither player will end up suspended, fines like this are taken into account down the road when it comes to other potential discipline. The $5,000 figure was the largest suspension allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Neither Point nor Gudas appear to have suffered any real injury on the play, which is also taken into account when deciding on supplementary discipline.

Minor Transactions: 12/04/19

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After a busy Tuesday night in the NHL there are just four games on the schedule for this evening. One of those will see the Pittsburgh Penguins try to cobble together a healthy lineup in order to take on the reigning Stanley Cup champions, while another has Nazem Kadri returning to Toronto for the first time since an offseason trade took him to the Colorado Avalanche. As teams prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Dennis Gilbert from the minor leagues, while Duncan Keith continues to deal with injury. Keith has already been ruled out of the Blackhawks two-game road trip, meaning Gilbert gets another chance to be on an NHL roster.
  • Mathieu Olivier has been reassigned to the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators, after playing in his first eight NHL contests. The young forward recorded one point in those games, but will have to wait for his next opportunity.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have sent Gustav Olofsson to the minor leagues, and later recalled Otto Leskinen for the first time in his career. Leskinen was signed just last spring to an entry-level contract after impressing in Finland, and has 12 points in 24 games for the Laval Rocket.
  • Mikhail Vorobyev has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, who moved Michal Raffl to long-term injured reserve today. Raffl will be out up to a month with a broken finger, meaning Vorobyev might get a solid look in the NHL.
  • Jean-Sebastien Dea has been returned to the minor leagues by the Buffalo Sabres, as they prepare for their Western Conference road trip. The Sabres will have Kyle Okposo with the team during that trip, though it is not clear yet if he will play after dealing with another concussion.
  • Brian Gibbons has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes, who missed Andrei Svechnikov at practice as he deals with a minor injury. Gibbons, 31, is always one of the team’s first injury call-ups and has been up and down all season.
  • Filip Chlapik has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators, who are in Edmonton today to play the Oilers. That likely signals that J.C. Beaudin or Mikkel Boedker will be back in the lineup tonight, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
  • After moving Antti Suomela to injured reserve, the San Jose Sharks have recalled Lean Bergmann from the AHL. Bergmann, 21, has played in eight games for the Sharks this season but spent most of the year with the San Jose Barracuda where he has 12 points in 15 games.

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